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"Do not mock me, human." Empress Kormoullia drew back further. "We may not have given you all the information, but we didn\'t treat falsely with you."

Was the Empress actually anxious? Kai had a hard time believing that they could threaten one of the four great powers of Rosemount, but in her current state she might be vulnerable. She had some sort of elaborate shroud, but when she was overcome by another coughing fit, Kai caught a glimpse of her soul.

Name: Empress Kormoullia

Total Power: 1769

Scarmiglione\'s Pillar: Level 11 (275)

Lamia Essence: 586 (586)

Physique Level: A-1 (808)

Soul Level: 10 (100)

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With 1769 Power she was one of the strongest people he\'d seen, yet he still sensed a hint of weakness. Unlike Matiavel and Windlord, she didn\'t possess a single ability of overwhelming strength, instead depending on Lamia Essence and Physique combined. That last was particularly disappointing: her rank was A-1, yet it only granted her 808 Power. That was more than his entire soul, yes... but shouldn\'t it have been more?

"Relax, Empress." Omilaena stepped back and spoke marginally more respectfully. "We agreed because we want to help, but we can help more if you\'re honest with us."

"You did volunteer without any payment." Empress Kormoullia drew back into a more settled position and spoke in a regal voice. "I fear the rumors are true. Matiavel and I met regarding the conflict in the north, but he was more duplicitous than I\'d believed. He\'d hoped to kill me in an instant, like he killed all his other opponents, but he failed."

She gestured to the burns across her body, which looked even worse up close. Kai presumed that the conflict had gone like the elites predicted: Matiavel used his destructive phase, Kormoullia used her defensive phase, and the result was a severe injury instead of instant death. Most people on the continent wouldn\'t understand that, though, since they only knew these as god abilities.

"I dealt him a serious injury too, but the greater blow is to his reputation." Empress Kormoullia shook her massive head slowly. "Neither of us can acknowledge the battle because it would mean that we failed. Matiavel left demons behind, hoping that they could finish me off, then he could claim that he killed me. I\'m remaining hidden while I recover, then I can reveal I survived his attack."

"So this was about positioning," Omilaena said. "You use unknown outsiders to fix your problem, send them off under false pretenses, and... claim to have won yourself, I assume?"

"You assume correctly. Note that we dealt fairly with you: you would have been rewarded and sent on to the elves. The fact that you learned the truth does not need to interfere with our deal... I sincerely hope that you do not intend to attempt to blackmail me."

Zae Zin Nim frowned as though she had been considering exactly that, but Omilaena waved the idea away with one hand and laughed. "Please! Your gratitude is worth more to us than a little petty blackmail. What can we do to help your ruse?"

While Kai prepared the bodies of the guards who had given their lives for their Empress, Zae Zin Nim gathered the demonic arts users and Omilaena injected the demoness corpse with something to make the poison less obvious. Apparently the plan was for Kormoullia to use some sort of illusion to hide her injury and return to the city having personally defeated the demonic invaders. Omilaena offered her an injection that would make her look more revitalized and was firmly refused.

Letting the Empress take credit didn\'t bother Kai at all - that was just politics. He was more interested in the fact that they had now killed two of the true demons in the Commonwealth. Matiavel had arrived with thirty demons and he\'d lost several in the battle in Traeton, but Kai and his allies were actually one of the major threats undermining his forces.

Or maybe not: Matiavel the Destroyer intended to stand completely alone based on his own power. The others were just tools to secure a supreme position.

Before they finished, more lamias were finally arriving via teleportation. Apparently they had tried to ambush the demon strike force that way before and failed, which was why they had been driven to desperation. Now they rushed to stand guard, and some moved to help the Empress, but she brushed them aside to focus on the three foreigners.

"You\'ve done the Coiled Empire a great service," Empress Kormoullia said. "Provided that you never speak of this to outsiders, we will owe you a debt. In time, we can take you to the elves. But for now, everything that happened here must remain a secret. Let us offer you a small reward to help you recover."

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"We live to serve," Omilaena said with a grin. "What do you have to offer?"

"You will be taken to the royal retreat for security. I see that all of you use chakra, in one form or another. We can grant you rich chakra as support... for the women, you will be allowed to bathe in the purifying chakra pools. We have less for you, follower of the Savage Creed, but we can provide a feast of sacred beast meat that should strengthen you."

That was more than Kai had planned to get from the Coiled Empire, so he nodded agreeably. Truthfully, he could use the rest. Even though he\'d survived the blows, focusing on a defensive half-phase had been more mentally draining than he expected. He definitely needed more practice before he even thought about getting near Matiavel again.

When they were teleported to the royal retreat he remained tense at first, wondering if the lamias wouldn\'t prefer to just eliminate a loose end. But they weren\'t so weak that the forces of Rosemount could just terminate them anymore, so gradually he relaxed enough to let the women separate for their special bath.

Time for a feast. Not his usual fare, but he was still hungry.

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..

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After a night of rest, Zae Zin Nim was allowed to enter the royal pools. She had to first purify herself with water and chakra in an outer chamber, then she was given a snowy white robe and invited inside. The inner chamber was lowly lit, mostly by a glowing pool. It wasn\'t qi, but she admired the mature yin energy.

It would have been very peaceful if Omilaena hadn\'t sauntered in from another door. She was wearing a white robe as well, but she\'d managed to tighten hers around her waist and hips.

"Apparently the royal women of the Coiled Empire come here when they have trouble conceiving." Omilaena moved nearby, almost touching her. "Somehow I don\'t think either of us is interested in that right now, but the chakra should be good for you."

"I will bathe later," Zae Zin Nim said. She turned around, but Omilaena moved to intercept her.

"Come on, do you still trust me so little? I don\'t know about your specific region, but I know you have open baths on Cloudspire. What\'s wrong with two women bathing together?"

"It\'s not that I don\'t trust you, it\'s that I know you. And the types of things you want."

Omilaena put a hand on her hip. "Oh, like you haven\'t stared at me. You\'re worse than Kai. But I\'m not suggesting anything now, I just want to relax together."

"That... would not be appropriate." Zae Zin Nim retreated to wait for her turn, ignoring the disappointed sigh behind her.

That should have been an easy decision, and indeed she hadn\'t hesitated, and yet... for once she didn\'t feel like Omilaena was lurking as a predator. Maybe she really had just wanted to relax. But if it would be inappropriate to relax with Kai, it was just as inappropriate with someone like Omilaena.

What she said was... was irrelevant. Zae Zin Nim retreated to cultivate and not think about the other woman until it was her turn.

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..

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When they\'d promised a feast for the Savage Heart, they hadn\'t been kidding. Kai had wondered what kind of feast took an entire day until they set him down in front of a massive table filled with more meat than he\'d ever seen in one place. Several dishes were arranged around the heads of massive creatures, but all the finer cuts he couldn\'t even identify.

There were no other chairs, so apparently he was eating alone. That felt a little lonely, but the women had their own work to do, so Kai tucked in. Instead he focused on the sacred beast meat... it was definitely full of chakra, but he couldn\'t absorb any deeper essence. Then again, how likely was it that his hunger could extract anything from meat that had been so thoroughly prepared?

The meal was both powerful and delicious, but he didn\'t have much time to enjoy it. A lamia serving woman slithered in to replace one finished dish and shot him a smile that he thought was flirtatious. Several women of multiple species entered and began playing harp-like instruments, while a human woman stepped behind him and began massaging his shoulders.

"No one else can know what you did," she whispered into his ear, "but we know you\'ve done a great service to our Empress. The Coiled Empire thanks you."

"Uh... you\'re welcome." Kai kept eating and tried not to squirm at the skillful fingers kneading his back. It definitely felt like she was using some sort of chakra to relax him.

"Mm, so tense. The chosen of the Empress have noted that you\'re much stronger than you appear at first glance. We\'ve always dismissed the Savage Creed as a lesser ability, but you show its true potential. If you\'re willing to remain and teach some of our own warriors, you\'d be well-rewarded."

"You\'re trying to recruit me?"

"It would be a better life... and a challenging life." The masseuse\'s fingers dug deeper, massaging away the aches from his injuries. "I can tell that wealth and luxury don\'t move you, though you\'d have them here. If you serve the Empress, you\'d have all the power you want to see just how far you can grow. There are a number of the royal guards who want a shot at sparring with you."

Kai continued eating, simultaneously comfortable and uncomfortable. He was tensing up under the woman\'s obvious appeal and she was skilled enough to soothe away that tension. Unfortunately, he couldn\'t deny that he was responding to the touch.

"It\'s your decision, of course. There\'s no need to decide soon." She leaned closer to him, brushing against his back as she breathed over his shoulder. "But as a little taste... everyone here is here for you. Coils, legs, or both... it\'s your choice."

Immediately a vision leapt into his mind, but Kai recoiled from it. Too close to the loveless encounters he still remembered. And though all the women in the room were attractive, he hated the idea of them being thrown at him like rewards. They\'d all pretend to care, and parts of him were stupid enough to be fooled, but in his heart he\'d always know it was fake.

The masseuse recognized his reaction and eased off, leaving him to eat in peace. Her offer made it very hard for Kai to enjoy the meal or the music, though.

How much had he eaten? His stomach felt completely bottomless even though he\'d eaten just fine on the ocean voyage and during the ambush preparations. Maybe he was eating to try to fill a hunger that couldn\'t be sated... or to distract himself from a different sort of hunger.

When the doors to the chamber opened Kai saw a beautiful elf and winced instinctively. Of course they were throwing more options at him. She was certainly good-looking, with classical elven features except for... a face lined with long silver scars?

"Ceryyn." Kai stood up abruptly, scaring one of the serving lamias. "Thank fuck it\'s you."

"Uh, I\'m glad to see you too." Ceryyn seemed a bit baffled at his reaction and completely oblivious to the atmosphere in the room. As she moved closer to him, he realized how anxious she was. "I came as soon as they told us, and I wish I\'d known sooner."

"What\'s wrong?"

"That depends. If you want to come back to the Wilds and receive your rewards from the Primal Loom, we\'ll give you everything you\'re owed. But if you\'re willing to help us... we need it. Things are so much more complex than you know."