Despite how weary Trillia was, not only after the meeting but perhaps more so by the Queen's revelation and request, Amara hadn't led them to where the little orc was staying.

  It took Trillia a solid fifteen minutes to realize they had descended quite a lot of steps, so lost was she in her own thoughts. "Where are we going?" Trillia finally paused to ask halfway down another long set of steps.

  Amara paused but didn't look back at her daughter. "To see the truth. So you can make that decision."

  The former chieftain didn't wait for a response before she continued. Trillia didn't have the energy to argue for sleep.

  Another hour later, and Trillia wondered just how vast and expansive the Capital could have been. She knew it sat on the top of a cliff and had been built into it, but the total space they had traveled just to get to this one destination was mind-boggling.

  They stopped in front of a large, armored statue. The armor was made for a creature of Amara's height, and as such, it towered over Trillia. "General Demonsbane. Die for me. Die for Alirast. Die for the duty to which you are bound. Do these things, and you shall have glory eternal. Do these things, and I shall welcome you freely into the great halls of the hereafter. Where you can wait for your descendants and watch over your world for all eternity."

  Trillia remembered the phrase. The first time she had heard it was during a meeting with all of the Generals. As Amara finished reciting the oath she had taken to Lord Darktone, the armor's eyes lit up with the same ominous red mana that her Mother commanded. It slowly stepped out of the way, its eyes never leaving Trillia.

  Amara grabbed her hand and pulled her through the wall and into a large circular room. There in the center sat a perfect sphere of golden energy, it felt eeriely similar to a dungeon core.

  "Lady of Kadessa. Forgive my intrusion, but I would ask for some of your time." Amara had walked closer to the sphere and kneeled in front of it with her hands pressed together in front of her. Trillia realized this was probably the core of this city. She had never actually seen one before. Most cities never grew to the point that a core formed, and when it did, it was so closely guarded that she had oftentimes debated if they were real despite having been told as much before.

  Trillia kneeled beside her mother and made the same motions with her hands. If this was Kadessa's core, she had no intention of angering the city itself.

  After sitting in silence for a few seconds, the soft pitter-patter of tiny feet was heard. Trillia turned to watch as a creature that could have only been two feet tall walked through the hallowed room. The old weather stones that smelled faintly of moss seemed to come alive, and a faint shimmer of mana and energy flowed around the new occupant.

  Now that it stood in front of the core, Trillia realized it looked rather like a giant rat. Except this one was standing on its hind legs and wearing silvered armor with a mace fit for its size dangling on its hip. It reached a tiny hand up and tugged at the helmet on its head. "Our Merciful Mother has asked me to speak on her behalf. You are known to this one, General Demonsbane. Even now, a hundred generations later, we still tell tales of your defense of our kind in the sewers. How can I serve?"

  Trillia blinked in surprise. The creature was speaking the Orc language with an almost perfect tone and inflection.

  "You are one of the Templars of Tails, are you not?" Amara sat cross-legged now with a smile on her face as she looked down at the creature. It's little chest puffed with pride and it stood a little straighter.

  "I am most honored that you would remember such a humble order. I am, yes. Grand Marshall Monte Mousekewitz, at your service, General."

  Amara bowed her head slightly to Monte. "This is my daughter. Queen Alliyah has recently asked her if she wishes to be trained as the heir to Kadessa." Amara paused very deliberately here as the core pulsed with energy and seemed to be paying closer attention. "I thought the best place to bring her for questions and the truth would be to the source itself."

  Monte and Amara both turned to look at Trillia now. "I...I don't really know what to say. Uhhh...it's a pleasure to meet you, Grand Marshall. Oh, and you as well, uhh...Kadessa?" Trillia didn't really know what to refer to the core as.

  Monte chuckled softly, a vaguely hissing sound as he looked over his shoulder at the core. "The Merciful Mother says you can call her Kadessa, or core. She cares little for the names that her citizens refer to her as."

  Trillia nodded, but after a few moments of silence, she realized she didn't know what questions to ask. Another faint pulse from the core had Monte speaking up. "Mother says that she cannot ask what she doesn't know." This statement was directed at Amara. "She is young. I mean, for your kind, is she not?"

  "I am, yes. I'm...I guess thirteen going on fourteen now?"

  "Speaking with your kind is always so fascinating to me. In the eyes of Kadessa, I am five years old and in the twilight years of my life." Monte chuckled softly as he shook his head, running a hand over fur that Trillia realized was rather grey. The more she looked at the templar, the more she realized just how old he truly looked. "Is this because of the recent message from the system?"

  Both of the orcs nodded. "Something that threatens the well-being and longevity of so many would spark some worry." As Monte opened his snout to speak, another pulse from the core silenced him. Again he turned his head to look at the core as it spoke to him.

  "Mother says that while Lady Alliyah chooses the heir and ruler, it must still be someone who she finds tolerable for Kadessa to thrive. Tell me, General Demonsbane, do you trust Kadessa and I?"

  Amara gave the little rat an odd look before standing and bowing. "I'll be right outside if I am needed. Trillia, I'd suggest a full and proper introduction." With that, the old general walked out through the same wall they had entered from.

  Trillia took the same cross-legged position her mother had been sitting in. "I am Trillia Demonsbane Fairtrade. Avatar of Arlyss Darktone and Acolyte of Ora'sys. It is a pleasure to formally meet both of you."

  Monte's little smile widened. "Ahhh! The Prince. That's why your scent is so familiar. The whole royal family line has a certain smell of power and danger to them. A great deal of it comes from you as well. I had thought it only your Mother's powerful bloodline or perhaps your traits in dealing with enemy cores. But if you are the Avatar of a Darktone, that would do it. Would you be horribly offended if I pulled up a seat, Lady Fairtrade? Mother is interested in a conversation, but I fear my old bones don't have the stamina to stand in place for long periods of time."

  Without a word, Trillia pulled out her bedroll and a clean blanket from her storage item. Setting it down gently in front of her. "By all means, Lord Mousekewitz. I apologize, as I may need time to think about what I'm even supposed to ask."

  Monte bowed his head in gratitude and sat on the edge of the bedroll, bunching up some of the cloth to make a back so that he could relax in it. "I should first tell you that Mother has already verified with Lady Alliyah that you are her first choice for an heir, and we have been asked to spare nothing in details."

  "Then my first question. Why do you call her Lady Alliyah, but everyone else feels compelled to call her Queen Alliyah?"

  The little rat templar's eyes held a spark of curiosity at that question. "She is the Ambassador of Mortality and the Empress of Humanity. The system considers you a bipedal humanoid. I am a bipedal beastkin. While I still hold the utmost respect and reverence for Lady Alliyah, she is not my Queen. The underbelly of Kadessa and the beastfolk that live in the many caverns and sewers have different royalty. While it is true that our royal families work closely with one another, you must understand that the politics and laws of your kind could never work for us."

  Trillia let that sink in and motioned for him to continue. "Well. For starters, take the ratkin like me. Most of our race dies of old age at six or seven. Some of the more unfortunate members of our kind see enough battle that the system slows their aging or even stops it completely. But that certainly isn't the norm. So our laws of family and ownership of land have to be very different than the humans who live for upwards of a hundred years. Fifteen or twenty generations of ratkin pass in the time one of you is born, grows old, and dies."

  "It's odd, Lord Monte. You say that is it unfortunate for one of your kind to grow in power quickly enough to have a longer life. I have some guesses as to why you view it that way, but would you explain?"

  "It is as you probably think. If you are the daughter of General Demonsbane, then you must know the other Beast Generals. Think about how many generations of your family would have lived and died if your lifespans were as short as ours? It is a maddening prospect for any short-lived creature such as I."

  Trillia opened her mouth to speak but paused. "May I be...perhaps rude in a question?" Monte motioned for her to continue. "Why did Kadessa send you to speak to me if our lived experiences are so different? If the way we view the world is so different."

  "Perhaps that is exactly why she has asked me to speak on her behalf. Tell me, Lady Fairtrade. Have you ever watched a family member starve to death?"

  Trillia shook her head.

  "Watched friends or friends lose their homes and belongings because of a debt they couldn't pay?"

  Another head shake.

  "How much then, do you have in common with those living in poverty in the Empire of Kadessa? Not the ratfolk, but other orcs and humans who live in squalor?"

  That question caused Trillia to hesitate in answering. "I guess I know very little of such a lifestyle. There are certainly times when orcs eat light due to bad harvests or bad hunting trips. Not only is my family well-off and full of powerful people who can provide for themselves but I was also raised to stand on my own. I guess, if someone were to try and take something from me by force, I'd fight for it."

  "That is the ratfolk way, certainly. We're here for a very short time comparatively. So only the scummiest of my kind look out for just themselves. Oftentimes, the things we do, we do so that our progeny have a life better than our own. It was only a dozen generations ago that my own family were expendable dock rats that stole food from the docks that litter the lower caves of Kadessa. Now I sit here as a Grand Marshall on behalf of our Merciful Mother. Two of my sons and three of my daughters are Templars themselves. We fight for our future because that is the only way we see to better our lives and the lives of our kind."

  Stolen novel; please report.

  "I think my Mother would get along quite well with you, Lord Monte. All of the Beast Generals sacrificed a great deal for a future."

  "You as well, from what Mother says."

  Trillia blinked in surprise as she looked from the rat to the core that sat gently pulsing behind him.

  "Kidnapped as a child to become a soldier of Fate for Alirast. You willingly took a pact and signed up for an eternity of service with a young, unproven deity. You've fought more battles than most of my kind will ever see or hear about, given our short lives. It would be as if one of my kind had broken level one hundred by the time they had their first birthday. A lifetime of service so far, and you don't count yourself as someone who has sacrificed?"

  "I..." She found herself struggling to get the right words together. That was just the Orc way. Fight, grow stronger, and fight some more. Sure, she had done more than some, but that's because the fights she faced were more dangerous. "I wouldn't trade my life or experiences for much, Lord Monte. I don't see it as a service."

  Monte laughed and tapped a mailed fist on his chest plate. "I have spent my entire life-fighting in the sewers to keep my town and temple safe. Just because I've enjoyed my work does not mean it was not a life spent serving. Just because my family and I have been rewarded for years of a job well done does not mean we did not serve all of those years. It is perhaps the grand dreams and hopes of all creatures that they love the service that life demands of them. But the demand is made all the same."

  "I guess...I guess I've just spoken to so many people who hate their place in the world, and while I admit I've certainly carried on my own pity parties, over all I'm quite happy with my life so far."

  "The people who hate their place in the world are oftentimes to scared to try and change it. That's the benefit of a short life. I don't have a lot of time to dwell on my problems. If I do, life is over by the time I've blinked and looked up from my own melancholy. So what truly worries you about becoming Queen? You already live your life in a way that benefits the people around you, perhaps far more than it benefits you."

  "I...don't think I'd do a good job? There are days when I want to curl up in a ball and cry. There are times when I do just that. How on Alirast am I supposed to rule over people? Sometimes, I want to throttle those who make others suffer. As a Queen, it would be within my power to do just that. Listening to the nobles and merchantlords go on and on in the throne room in Kadessa while I've been here has opened my eyes to how greedy so many people are. I don't see how Queen Alliyah can stomach it."

  A few quick pulses from the core caused Monte to stand and take a few steps towards Trillia, extending one of his tiny hand-like paws. "May I?"

  Trillia nodded and extended her own hand. She normally kept her mana-sight on, but as she had stepped into the room and saw it flooded with light, she had smartly turned it off. Despite that, she saw mana slowly snake out from the Core and wrap around Monte. As his paw touched an outstretched finger, her mind went blank.

  -=====-

  "I won't fucking do it!" A young woman stood in the throneroom. It was easily filled with a hundred other people wearing all manner of fine suits and dresses. The woman stood in blood-splattered armor with fiery red hair that was half-matted with blood.

  "You must be reasonable, young lady."

  "Queen. You spineless little fuck! If I have to repeat myself, I will cut off your head and mount it at the front of the throne so that others don't keep mistaking me for the slave you tried to make of me."

  The man winced at the words but bowed. "Forgive me, Queen. Kadessa cannot survive without the nobles and the farmers that they own."

  "You can't own people!" The woman whirled around on the man. Mana flooded the room and raced to her fingertips. "I won't have anyone who lives under the banner of Kadessa be in chains or be a slave!"

  "Then I hope that you can find food in your own hopes and dreams. I don't know who your backer is, that you even managed to crawl back into this throne room. But just because you disposed of our puppet doesn't mean you can tell us what to do, you little brat!" Another larger man pushed his way through the crowd, he was also wearing armor.

  "If you want better treatment of slaves, that is a starting point of negotiations. But abolishing it completely? This city and every other will starve to death."

  The young woman took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. Trillia recognized what she was being shown. Queen Alliyah had changed quite a lot from the woman she was seeing now. But Kadessa wasn't done showing her.

  "I won't repeat myself. Write the damn law. Anyone who is opposed to it is banished from Kadessa. Anyone who leaves Kadessa and her borders is free to do so, but your slaves, as of today, are free people. If you try to harm them or take them with you, I will consider it treason and treat you like the beasts you wish to emulate." The woman turned away from the group and started to move towards the throne.

  The large man cursed drew a weapon, and charged at her exposed back. A towering giant of a man appeared behind her. Long flowing hair that looked like it was spun from platinum stood there unblinking. Pale skin that was lost somewhere between the faintest of blues and stark white that was wrapped in a dark blue metal. Two shining red eyes and a smile that threatened to level all that he gazed at. The blade slammed into his chest and shattered into a thousand little pieces.

  The young redhead whirled around and walked over to the towering man, flicking one of the long flowing ears that framed his face and holding his hair back. "I told you I could handle it! I knew the idiot would attack me!"

  Despite the crowd's utter shock, the man only looked down at the tiny woman with a smile. "But now they know who is backing you. Now, any questions about whether or not the people will starve are answered, are they not?"

  She sighed heavily and put a hand to her face. "It just feels like it's not my victory."

  The large man hadn't moved. He was still holding the hilt to a shattered weapon and staring at the man in utter terror. Another of the closest people slowly fell to their knees. "You're a god."

  The redhead turned to the newest voice and nodded. "He is my patron. I have formed a pact with him. In exchange for an eternity of service, he has graciously agreed to help me take back my kingdom and get it in working order. He doesn't care for slaves or slavers either."

  The large man finally dropped the hilt and dropped to his knees, hands pressed together. "Please, don't kill me. I have a family, I-" The god reached down and gently poked the man's head, tilting it back to look up at him.

  "No, you don't. You cheated on your wife and left her while she was six months pregnant. You bed your slaves and kill them if they misbehave." The god slowly knelt in front of the man. Even with both of them being on their knees, the god himself still towered over most of the room. "I'm a god, simpleton. I know every thought of every person in this room. I know the life story of every member of your family that has ever been. Why would you lie to me?"

  -=====-

  The throneroom vanished in a swirl of light before Trillia found herself looking down at another scene. The same redhead stood there in a beautiful blue gown. A familiar glowing staff floated behind her.

  "This will cause some waves, are you certain?" The god from before spoke softly as he looked down at the woman at his side.

  "I won't have people live in fear any longer. I know that sometimes the ways of mortals seem foolish to you. Perhaps you have spent too long as something more. But being under the yoke of fear is no way to live."

  The Queen stepped forward and looked down where two dozen people in fine clothes or dresses were kneeling in front of her, chains on their legs and hands. The familiar frame of the large man who had attacked her was in the center of the group. "In accordance with the laws set forth by the ruling Queen of Kadessa. You are found guilty of treason, you are found guilty of slave trading, and you are found guilty of murder. Let this be a lesson to every single one of you born into nobility and wealth. The law does not care what family you hail from. The law does not care what you contribute to the coffers of corruption. If you enslave the free people of this empire, you will die."

  As she finished speaking, she extended her hand and the staff answered the call turning into a brilliant silver spear. She went to each noble and impaled them through the chest. The only sound was that of the nobles pleading for their lives, begging for forgiveness. From her, from the god that stood ever-smiling next to her throne. From anyone and anything that would listen.

  And just like the pleas of their slaves, no one answered.

  The Queen stood before the large man who had been the only one to be silent. "He gave you a second chance after you attacked him and lied to him. I told him that scum like you could never change. Do you have anything to say for his benevolence?"

  The man looked over at the god, then back to the wrathful Queen who stood before him. "I was wrong. Never in all my years have I ever been so glad to be so wrong. Your empire will do just fine, Queen Alliyah. Your people will not starve." The man tried to straighten himself out on his knees as he looked up at her. "I will take my punishment with what little dignity I have left. Thank you for proving me wrong. May your reign be long and full of joy."

  The Queen stared at the man as tears began to fill her eyes. "Goodbye, Michael." A swift thrust forward and the man fell over dead. "You're all dismissed. Don't ever question my authority or the laws that govern these lands, lest you end up like these people." She turned and stepped up next to the god, speaking softly. "Take me away from this place...please. From the blood and the death. I can feel Kadessa pulsing with pride that her people won't suffer...but I truly thought Michael had changed, I can't bear to be here right now."

  "Anything for you, Alliyah." The god smiled, and the two vanished.

  -=====-

  Trillia sat in the core room once more. Monte was coughing up a storm and stumbled back to the bedroll. "Forgive me." His voice was hoarse as if he had been screaming for days. "Channeling so much power is not so easy for me."

  The core seemed to pulse softly a few times, and Monte shook his head. "There is nothing to apologize for, Mother. It is my own frailty and weakness and nothing more. It is an honor to serve." The little rat templar took a deep, shaky breath and steadied himself. Trillia pulled out a waterskin and some rations she had, tearing off a small piece and pouring some of the liquid into its own cap.

  After a few moments, he seemed to be doing much better. "Damnit. Now she's all worried about me. Curse this feeble, failing body." The little rat ran his hands over his face as he looked at the core in frustration. Shaking his head one more time before turning back to Trillia.

  "Lady Alliyah was not always so patient. She has been ruling for centuries and it is only recently that nobles and merchantlords have been so open in opposition of her. They do so because her patron is no longer at her side, so they see her as weak. They do not know, like the Merciful mother does, that her patron was often the soft side of the wrath and anger she constantly felt at the people she viewed as having left her to rot and die."

  Trillia had the realization of who the god was next to her. While he had felt familiar, even now, she was struggling to remember what he looked or sounded like. It was as if the universe itself was eroding the memories.

  "Prince Arlyss is a good man, from all that the Mother knows of him, and she knows quite a lot. While she is not a deity, many deities speak to her, and she is happy to question them on the temples they wish to be built within her safe walls. He will temper your mortal fury just as Lady Alliyah's patron tempers hers."

  Monte stepped back closer to her and grabbed her hand with both of his. "If your fury makes the lives of the citizens of this kingdom better. Then be furious. If you see injustice in this city or any other, it is the plight of the righteous to purge it from this world. Kadessa will not suffer a weak ruler ever again. Not after Lady Alliyah has brought us so far into the light."

  Trillia smiled down at the templar as he spoke. Despite his age, she could tell he was full of passion and vigor in his duties. "Thank you, Lord Monte. I don't have an answer right now, but I'd like to be allowed to come back here and ask questions in the future if that's ok."

  "Mother says that you are welcome anytime. When you wish to see her, just think it, and she will guide your steps."

  Trillia stood and tucked away her bedroll and other things. "I look forward to seeing you again, Lord Monte."

  The rat chuckled softly and shook his head. "I will tell my children and grandchildren of you, Lady Fairtrade. I fear this will be the last time we speak."

  That caused her to pause. She stared at the little Templar who stood proudly before the core of the city in his gleaming silver armor. "It has been an honor to speak with you, Grand Marshall Monte Mousekewitz. I will never forget you." As the little rat made a salute, she turned from him and left the room. She found her mother sitting on the steps outside and couldn't help but feel a profound sense of sadness.

  Amara smiled and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Thinking about the Grand Marshall?"

  Trillia blinked the beginnings of tears away as she looked up to her mother, who gave her a knowing smile.

  "I think it's why Kadessa always sends one of the ratkin to speak on her behalf. To us, it's a few hours of talking and no real big deal. To the ratfolk? They were chosen to speak on behalf of the city to an important guest. For some of them, it is the highlight of their life and one of the greatest honors their kind can receive."

  "It has served as a sobering reminder to enjoy the luxury of time that I have been blessed with." Trillia started up the stairs next to her Mother. After a few minutes of silence, she looked over. "Not going to ask if I am taking the throne?"

  "I know the answer is that you have no idea. It's not something a single conversation can convince you of. But if you are going to take the throne, I wanted the core to know about you and you to know of it. Whatever it showed you is between you and it. I have no interest in ever ruling a city like Kadessa. By Infernus, I never wanted to rule anyone or anything. Come on, let's get you something warm to eat and let you pass out for a day."