Ishtar moved through Nethermore’s cleaned streets on her way to the palace’s main hall; Neara, her Royal Vicarius, walked with her, overseeing many tasks that required her attention and taking pressure off the Royal Court.

With her silky-white, golden-strapped gown fluttering in the warm, east-bound winds, Ishtar smiled at those who bowed and showed her respect; excited whispers followed her from the crowds of ri’bot, yaltha’ma, and humans as they waited for their Empress to make her exit.

The darkness of early morning was penetrated by hundreds of tiny globes of light provided by Orinvia—their newest member of the Royal Court—and she swiftly became one of their most critical additions due to her genius in analyzing alien magic and technology.

Admiring the work done by all the maids and butlers added to the force, she was beginning to see the possibilities this fortress could provide; things were looking up.

She entered the hall, allowing her presence to be seen by everyone that had gathered and tracked every budding faith across the land; there was a difference between faith by fear, love, trust, and many other forms of belief—most were fear. However, if properly guided, fear was an important tool that could bring about a stronger bond.

Ishtar wasn’t necessarily worried or interested in manipulating the population into some belief trap that would eventually fail; the truest form of belief came through transparent trust in one’s leadership, which nearly every creature in Nethermore had developed through Ereshkigal’s actions.

Morning, Sister, she chuckled, meeting Ereshkigal in the center of the room with the group she’d gathered for her war; she wore the tight, stretchable silk top and bottoms that Violet had crafted for her—entirely not suited to one of her position—yet Irkalla, and Ereshkigal through her, had never been too fixated on clothing.

Ereshkigal’s gaze lingered on her. “Can I leave now? We’re wasting time.”

Oh, Ereshkigal… I understand you are eager for war, but wouldn’t it be better to wait for Iris and Voukey to return? It shouldn’t be more than 20 minutes.

“Haaa. Can you call me Elinor instead of my old name?”

Mmh. It is a tad strange to call you by a new name when I’ve known you as Ereshkigal for so long, but… I suppose you have changed, Sister.

“As to Iris, I can speak to her on our exit; appearances are important, but not this important, Ishtar. You simply hope to keep me as long as possible to test my patience… or admire Thor.”

That certainly is two possible angles I am taking, she snickered, turning to view the Royal Court around them. I need to understand how your temperament has changed since our goddess days.

“Humph. I hope it was worth it.” She stepped forward, catching Thor, Kulitta, Apate, Sal, Alisa, Valentina, Adoncia, Garu, and their desert ri’bot guide’s—Nelika was her name, as she recalled—attention as she addressed the throng.

“Haaa. I’ve said it before, but I leave for the east to engage in war and determine if the nations there will recognize Nethermore. Ishtar will take care of the Empire with the support of the Royal Court until I return.”

Ishtar sighed internally as her sister promptly began making her way out of the capital with the group she’d gathered; the Great Chiefs would join her outside the palace. Yet, a smile touched her lips when the crowd began to call for her safe return.

Very well, Sister; if you could inform the Great Chiefs that Sari’aél will take me to their cities in the coming days.

“Oh?” Elinor hummed, following Thor and the others’ awkward motions in acknowledging the calls for their safety; Kulitta didn’t even recognize their existence. “I see you’ve realized your time will be stretched thin.”

It was far from the display she’d envisioned, but her sister was always the type to show her accomplishment after the war by example in what was won rather than a preemptive ceremony; she never expected thanks for what she did.

The golariex, nalveans, drék’uléph civil war, and the possibility of so many other issues, such as what might come from our north… You have left me with all your dirty laundry for the thrill of a simple war against gods…

“Don’t pout, Ishy,” Elinor snickered, making Ishtar’s face tighten at the nickname. “I know you’re depressed that Thor is leaving without a kiss for his maiden when going off to war as you ‘slave’ away taking care of the homeland.”

I was unaware you wrote fiction, Elly.

“Hehe. I’m going to miss you, Sister. Don’t implode my Empire!”

No promises, she huffed, allowing everyone to disperse. If you could refrain from causing more trouble in the east for me to deal with—I’m already swamped with every other direction… then that would be wonderful.

“No promises!”

She was a tad disappointed there hadn’t been a grand send-off with drinking, dancing, and general merry-making; Thor was off with her sister, and she was back to running the Empire… without a body to warm her tender heart.

Life is never fair, and all the good men tend to be taken. What a shame. The door’s not closed yet, though…

Ishtar moved to the west wing—where Edmon had made the library his place of operations—and allowed Neara to return to her busy schedule for Valerie and Luisina to take her place. Luisina was a sweetheart that genuinely cared for her fellow man, while Valerie had a love for music and dancing with her violin that Ishtar enjoyed.

She spoke on a personal level with the two girls on their journey toward the throne room, learning more about their interests and dreams while passively keeping track of everything happening from the Upper Court.

Valerie practically had a heart attack when she asked if the girl wanted to be the mascot and announcer that ran the theater; she had the personality and looks to hold attention, but, most importantly, she loved to entertain. The former model couldn’t restrain her excitement as she accepted the offer.

On the other hand, Luisina didn’t particularly enjoy being in the limelight, choosing to help those that were going through troubling times on a personal level. Ishtar thought about her issues for a moment before coming up with a solution.

She suggested the girl join some of the morning exercise routines—including spearfishing—in the underground fish farm to build her Exp to increase her physical fortitude while being emotional support for those engaging in the activity.

The physically challenged maid couldn’t wait to learn a new trade and loved the looks on the children’s faces when seeing the men and women return with the large fish, which were actually fairly docile.

She multitasked between various groups, keeping up with all the actions while discussing the details with the two maids; finally, she could stretch her fingers and do things her way.

Ninatta and Sari’aél were scouting out the theater and its surrounding area; it would be an essential area for entertaining guests and displaying Nethermore’s budding arts.

Tiffany was tasked to expand their transportation grid, which would take much of her time, even with the quen’talrat sages’ support; however, teaching a more assembly-line strategy to the unintelligent undead in performing the precise runic etchings was showing fruit.

The Royal Ritualist had already proven a master of her craft by organizing the various crops and goods they could plant. Their unique greenhouse facility allowed them to hasten growth and produce crops year-round.

She’d also discovered a renewable resource in the gemstone technology Ke’Thra’Ma had developed, providing them a means to generate a method of engineering that could be shipped to other nations, where they would hold a monopoly.

Orinvia picked apart all of the artifacts the Ke had recovered from his northern conquests, along with any souvenirs from their museums or tools the giant apes had gathered—though not entirely understood; her understanding of the runic language through her first interaction had stunned the sages at how swiftly she picked up the basics.

Ishtar left Violet in charge of directing their valley defenses and sent Azalea to the west to scout the area and report back her findings, developing a map using her silk to perfectly catalog terrain, creatures, and key locations.

Camellia had the job of further exploring the many caverns underneath their valley and uncovering any further complications that might come from within.

Overall, Elinor had left her a total mess.

She began studying the maps Edmon had put together of what they knew about the surrounding lands; unfortunately, they hadn’t discovered the Ke’s broader depictions since this area had been solely focused on the valley.

The golariex people… an all-female tree-like species that breed with other races to procreate and have a complicated relationship with the nalveans. What would Tal’tamine think of her father’s entanglement with their Grand Duchess?

If we are to be attacked, the most vulnerable area would be from the southwest river, but moving a large body of troops through our jungle is not a very viable option in typical warfare unless adapted to the environment.

The drék’uléph have adapted to sea-based combat, which would turn our rivers into staging grounds for terrorist activity, and if they wish to cut off our support of the nalveans, it would be at the lip of the valley…

We have many natural defensible positions, but they can be used against us, such as the chasm the river flows into on the path to Shi’Shuka. Sari’aél should be able to defend against an attacking force if Noa and the city’s defenses are rebuilt… If we get the teleportation grid online, it will give us quite a few options.

Her gaze drifted over the Great Ruby Lakes. Margotha’s children’s lava bodies won’t be that useful in sea-based combat, but they’d make excellent defenders for Nethermore, which allows us to move more forces to the south.

A soft puff of air shot through her mouth as she examined the playing field. If the Nalvean Empire is as infected and crumbling as Elinor believes, they could willingly become a part of Nethermore when all of this is done if we come to their aid, which isn’t necessarily a good thing… Problems… so many problems.

The Doom Guard joined her shortly after directing more personnel to his wall reconstruction effort. “Is there anything I can help you with, High Queen?”

A slight smirk lifted the corner of her lip as she turned to face the tall man; there was a curious waver in his spirit that slipped through every once in a while, which interested her and had pulled her this way. Tiffany seemed to experience the same reflux from time to time.

You are doing incredible work, Edmon; you only need to concern yourself with preparing Nethermore for a siege. Although… I may require you to join me instead of defending the city when the time comes.

His gaze shifted to the map on the table, and a frown touched his handsome face. “You plan on leaving Sari’aél to defend… as the Warlord?”

Ishtar pointed at the Great Ruby Lakes. Dagon will come from the sea… his mythology is relatively predictable, and I will need most of the Royal Court to be with me when it happens.

I don’t plan for Sari’aél to defend Nethermore; I expect her to take the battle to whoever attacks—Noa can defend—but I cannot see this plot of the Eldritch allowing other gods to intervene and how they anticipate breaking into this maelstrom of Existences tells me they likely have some means to manipulate these crystal gateways.

Edmon cleared his throat while examining the large body of water. “We will be isolated? Tiffany has suggested some form of ritual involved within the Nalvean Empire to invoke this process, with Eldritch followers being needed to open a breach. If we can identify how they’re using these crystals…”

Now you’re on my wavelength! Ishtar chuckled, directing her maids to follow her as Iris neared the point where she could connect to Elinor. It is very possible that we can discover and reverse engineer their method, either occult through Tiffany or magical through Orinvia… Our new divine object recently secured may also have its uses in that.

A hesitant note stained Edmon’s voice, which was telling. “We… could make a gateway back to Earth?”

Haha. Yes, Edmon. We could. Why do you sound scared of that prospect… and that flicker in your spirit shows itself again? Curious…

“I wouldn’t say I’m afraid of such an option,” he evenly returned. “Is there some issue with my spirit that you have identified?”

Ishtar stopped at the wide open doors of the library, her maids a tad confused as her thoughtful, sparkling, blue-eyed gleam turned back to the uptight Doom Guard.

I suspect there is something you are hiding from my sister, Edmon… and she is too focused on the bigger picture to see it. I won’t inquire about it at this moment, but… I do hope you come to me about it in time. I’ll leave you to your work.

Holding her elbow behind her back as she walked to the tower, she listened to Iris’ conversation with her sister; Ishtar could have had Noa transport her to her destinations, but such haste wasn’t currently needed, and she liked to be on the move when pondering so many possible outcomes.

“I have secured my youngest daughter and her false mother, Empress,” the queen smoothly reported; she detailed the issues she had encountered for Elinor to direct her to Ishtar.

“I am thrilled to hear about your successful hunt, and I look forward to seeing how she has adapted to the Empire when I return. As to orders, I have temporarily relinquished control over the Empire to my sister.”

Hmmm. Ishtar examined her liquid-like, twinkling blonde locks as she followed the report. Orinvia, Tiffany…

“Yes, High Queen?” the woman’s exhausted voice responded.

“Mhm?”

It seems we finally have someone with answers to our mysterious nalvean inventor and traitor to his people; Iris, bring the two to Orinvia to enclose them in a barrier so she may break their runic connections, and once that is done…

“Ooh! My turn with the nalvean?” Tiffany cooed as if being presented with a gift. “I would love picking her brain!”

Sensing the Spider Queen’s animosity toward the nalvean that had pretended to be her daughter’s mother, Ishtar chuckled. It isn’t just information we need, Tiffany… We must set an example for those who have chosen to side against us. After all, she also holds the sin of harming Iris’ daughter, correct?

The Assassin’s voice was cold. “I am not versed in your style of interrogation, Tiffany, and I would appreciate a very detailed recount of everything she has done to my daughter.”

“Hmm-hmm-hmm. Well, let’s see…” the Witch mused, popping her tongue a few times as she thought. “Public humiliation, a betrayal of that which she holds most dear… oh, belittlement tends to do wonders against those who are narcissistic and showing their faults. A healthy amount of agony—naturally—divulging her dirty secrets and wishing for death that will never come… Ah!”

Tiffany seemed to bustle toward an ingredient shelf, browsing its contents. “A slave as she made your daughter? I can create a spiritual leash that you can tug and poke from halfway across the continent whenever you’re feeling particularly annoyed to spark unimaginable pain, and, the best part, her mind will be unable to break! Haha! It just pulls her right back to miserable, tortuous sanity.”

It sounds perfect, Ishtar accepted. Our first priority is to break these runes within Iris’ daughter… Have you come up with a name for her?

Iris flew toward the tower with her offspring, thinking on the topic. “We have been named after the flowers of the previous world the Empress was born to… What are more options to keep that unity in our family?”

The corner of Ishtar’s mouth lifted at the floral imagery. What about Poppy?

A short chuckle came from the typically emotionally controlled woman. “It sounds very… jumpy, which does describe her temperament; she takes traits from each of my children.”

Excellent! Very well, if you could take care of Poppy, Orinvia.

“I already have the required void shell for the operation.”

Proceeding to the tower to observe the procedure, Ishtar asked, Do you plan to stay to see your daughter awaken, Iris?

“At least until the danger has passed. After I have confirmed her recovery, I seek to continue the hunt for Jumi’kerune. Is that acceptable, High Queen?”

Hmm. Descending the stairs to the grand hall, she pondered the best use of Iris’ time while also pursuing her desire for revenge.

I suspect Jumi’kerune and Demon are pursuing chaos by aiding the Cult of Dagon in his resurrection; I think you will find him quicker by finding those involved in this organization. Orinvia, can you backtrack the runic signal to find his whereabouts?

“Hmm. It would require the creation of a device that I can attune to any signals passing through space, yet such an endeavor will require time to complete and a better understanding of this universe’s elemental and magical table.”

Haaa. Never easy. Jumi’kerune is in Demon’s hand, and the shadow creature is the type to align with anything that will promote conflict, and he would know of the cult’s existence. We will most likely cross paths during the coming campaign.

Iris accepted the task instantly. “As we wait for a proper method of discovery, I can attempt to use myself as that tracking device. What markers can I use to identify this new enemy?”

Let’s go over my plans for the future, she returned, sensing her sister leave the conversation; Ishtar wanted to have everything for her sister to make the eventual critical decision that would change the course of her Empire when Elinor returned.

Pulling in the other Royal Court members with Neara, Ishtar laid out each goal they needed to achieve within the next month; Dagon’s appearance and the crystal gateway would most likely appear over the Great Ruby Sea days before activating its enclosing shell from the information they’d received via past events recorded by the ri’bot and nalveans.

She didn’t expect to be alone in this fight and doubted Dagon’s goal was this borderline planet of displaced deities; typically, Ishtar wouldn’t have even thought of the prospect of a middling 6th to 8th-dimensional Eldritch entity as troublesome, yet in her current state, he certainly was, but fortunately, she had a tiny Seed that could provide the power to deliver an appropriate blow.

Ishtar didn’t want to rely on the Seraph when they had time to prepare other methods of attack; her power was to be reserved for truly dire situations and give Elinor’s Nexus time to grow to accommodate the stress the angel put on it—the network still hadn’t fully recovered.

Once she’d concluded the round-table meeting, observing Poppy’s recovery, it soon became clear that the terrifying—not so little—spider would require several days to heal; the branding had been instilled into her very organs, further enraging Iris.

Voukey returned shortly after the discussion with news about the humans that wished to join Nethermore and the current state of the Nalvean Empire, which wasn’t reassuring; to her amusement, he informed her about the snake-woman’s approach.

Ishtar sent him back to meet Yesenia and tell her she needn’t bother entering their land unless she came to surrender; if she was weak enough to run from such a low-tier Eldritch incursion, then she had nothing to offer.

They could obtain a few benefits from negotiating with the Olympian creature, but Ishtar knew too well that the faction she was a part of would not submit, and it was obvious she had no respect for Elinor or her, so the best option was to enrage her in the off-chance she slipped up.

Apparently, she didn’t take the response well because she attempted to cage the Sky Lord; the result was two ruined ships and her furious redirection to the western river before reaching their border.

Voukey took some damage, but, as an undead, he was far more resilient than he’d been when alive and could still perform his duties, carrying a message to the Argent Dawn to prepare for war; after which the bird flew to Shi’Shuka to report to the High Ruler that Ishtar would be in his city in a week.

Orinvia discovered every rune and several magical and ritual charms—the latter Tiffany had to handle—that required careful attention and study; the thélméthra left on the third day when all the chains binding her daughter were broken.

There was still the question of where Poppy’s loyalty would land when she awoke, but Orinvia crafted a metal bracelet that the Royal Arcanist could send a magical signal to, making it vibrate; it was a crude method of communication, but it worked.

Around noon on the third day of her sister’s departure, Ishtar had Sari’aél fly her out to the Great Clans’ major cities, giving her an understanding of the suffering ri’bot within; the people were mourning their fallen family and friends. Her presence sparked a wave of controversy within the community, but they didn’t attack or resist her visit.

She’d conserved enough energy to resurrect thirty in each, showing her power over life that Elinor had restored to her; it felt empowering to have regained what she’d once so foolishly rejected, even if in such an infinitely confined manner as she rebuilt the power that devotion and faith gave her between settlements to continue her journey.

The rich grassy fields would make for wonderful farming land with the storms Ke’Thra’Ma’s complex volcanic ecosystem generated for the jungle valley; the rainfall didn’t extend beyond a certain point, which was the reason for the desert beyond.

She sent Quin and Valdar to renew their evangelizing to the north while ridding herself of a rather annoying Jukal named Rigrach by directing him to speak to the people of the conquered Great Clans and gauge their concerns.

Headway was being made for developing a more comprehensive map of their new land, with the battle angel taking Leonora Gentileschi—the undead human artist—around their territory to paint from their airborne vantage.

Edmon completed the wall reconstruction within the week; it had taken a lot of planning, but with the extra manpower and some of the artifacts the Arcanist identified involving anti-gravity, the process became far easier.

Unfortunately, the teleportation grid was taking longer than expected, and, eventually, she chose to use the thélméthra tunnel system for the needed runic framework.

Tal’tamine spent time among the people of Nethermore, always having a Rare-Grade undead guard—mainly Finila and Giliri—accompanying her with Noa so they could react if there were any attempts at her kidnapping again.

Demon was silent, but the same couldn’t be said for Dolos—the weak 6th-dimensional personification of trickery in mortal form—who was happy to comply when Ishtar discovered his existence; Elinor hadn’t even informed her of the imprisoned deity.

Elinor made her first long-distance call, mainly to see how things were fairing on the seventh day out, but appeared more interested in random, unrelated topics than micromanaging, and told her she would move their discussions to be monthly at the end of the call.

Just before Ishtar left for Shi’Shuka, Poppy awoke, sparking Iris’ return; sadly, the child was still leery about them, but it was more a sense of confusion after so many force-fed thoughts had suddenly evaporated inside her mind.

It wasn’t pretty for the woman who’d instilled that abuse to the queen’s daughter, and Tiffany became depressed at how easily the nalvean’s will broke, telling them all she knew. Lamentably, all the secret bases she knew about had been remotely destroyed by Jadefire.

On the other hand, Iris discovered old haunts of the Cult of Dagon, but it seemed Yesenia—more specifically, Kampe—had destroyed them days before her exit, telling her the monster had attempted to stop the cult only to realize it could not be halted.

Still, Ishtar expected Yesenia to use the coming conflict to launch a ‘surprise’ assault on them from the west after being so dismissively rejected; a small ri’bot kingdom in the valley over seemed to be excited to receive the snake woman, but the Seraph could handle those details.

Azalea reported that the war engulfing the drék’uléph appeared to have sparked from various territories of the republic from some kind of social disorder that had turned brother against sister, yet there were rumors of a 3rd party attacking the far west of the nation’s shores—foul play was a certainty and Demon’s claws were all over the conflict.

Iris’ gentle prompts to her daughter proved effective to the degree of accompanying her eldest sister—her mother intimidated her, crushing the queen. On the other hand, the peppy red-haired spider sister appeared to have instantly made an impression on her youngest sister; Violet also seemed to have gained some ‘cool’ points on the impressionable youngest thélméthra.

It was a bit hard to leave—heart strings ripping out—but Iris returned to the south to spy on the nation’s happenings; Ishtar wished she could do something to help the mother, but she knew Poppy would come around in time.

Poppy and Camellia made an exciting discovery shortly after the girl joined her sister, a colossal vein beneath their valley that opened up to an entire subterranean world. The youngest thélméthra was becoming very attached to her older sisters as they made appearances throughout the day to meet her, showing her tricks and helping her develop her toxins.

Ishtar couldn’t deal with the new, hidden world at the time, so she had the thélméthra sisters seal it off, thrilling Poppy as she received praise; she was a little girl looking to find her use and purpose in the world, enjoyed the attention she was finally getting from her sisters.

Leaving Tal’tamine in the Seraph’s care, Ishtar left for Shi’Shuka, meeting the humans that decided to go for Nethermore on the docks of the nalvean capital city; they were enamored by her stunning looks—it went without saying; she was a Supreme Goddess.

Ishtar spent time with the generals, sharing what information Iris and Azalea had brought back and adapting her objectives to the developing situations with what remained of the nalvean Seaweaver army.

So far as they could tell, the large faction of citizens and military that Yesenia had pulled away numbered more than 17% of the population, which was staggering since the ‘goddess’ sent runners to each City-State to call for them to abandon the doomed nation—it was a crippling blow, pulling more away by the day.

In three weeks, Azalea discovered the new threat sweeping through the crumbling republic to their west; it was an army of new creatures that would reach their lands in the coming month.

They were more advanced than the sister anticipated, and she’d almost been caught by a few elites that somehow caught onto her presence, forcing her to retreat; they were heading for the Argent Dawn, splitting their forces to attack the nalveans and Nethermore.

Three more passed, with war beginning against the southern isles and Iris following the trail of the cult, but they hadn’t been able to expose the central ritual site in time, and Ishtar’s worries took form on the last day of the week.

A 100-meter tall, rhombicuboctahedron-shaped blood-red crystal that shimmered a dark-brown color, indicating it wasn’t going to begin soon. Unexpectedly, a second one formed moments later, visible from Shi’Shuka’s ports; it was the same size as the red gateway, yet this one was only hexahedron-shaped and light-pink.

Ishtar observed the colossal display with a short sigh, sending Voukey to instruct the remaining Royal Court to meet her in Shi’Shuka with the preparations they’d made; Edmon was with her, and the army to their west with Yesenia was mobilizing the western ri’bot to launch an attack on Nethermore.

This wasn’t Dagon, but it was a marker that said their ritual was almost complete—they were running out of time—and they were about to be locked into this conflict until one side perished.

The barrier stretched over most of the Nalvean Empire and overlapped some of the ri’bot strip north of their territory and part of Imiraka City-State when the gateways activated, leaving Mirelitel and the Argent Dawn to fend for themselves against the coming western army.

Yet, an exciting development came from the second gateway—having opened first—in the shape of a lunar hare, housing a rather fascinating spiritual conundrum that told Ishtar a story upon first glance.

Ishtar’s bangs drifted to the left as the long-eared young woman fell out of the crystal, ships of various designs exiting after her solo dive, centering on their vessel with many of the Royal Court around preparing for her arrival.

The illuminated dual moon seemed to be drawn to her very presence, their glow amplifying through the shimmering crystal shell that locked them into the area overhead; her essence was powerful enough to bypass the dimensional locks surrounding them, drawing Ishtar’s attention like a spotlight in total darkness.

The spiritual pulse the lunar hare subconsciously radiated warped the very fabric of reality, instantaneously spreading mishap like a plague to bend it to her whims. A personification of Existence’s misfortune? How fortuitous.