Conspiracies.
The wound on Lonnie's face has become infected, making Comrade General delirious and staggered. She kept babbling about the warship they had found hidden in the glacier. She had to admit that the ship was stunning, but for now it was only an archaeological curiosity, completely meaningless. Even if they miraculously managed to get it out from under the ice, they didn't have enough people in the entire People's Rebellion to assemble a crew, not to mention the fact that no one would probably know how to fly it. The other problem was that they had no idea what they would do with a warship like that. Would they fly it to conquer the stars, or would Lonnie intimidate all of Etheria with the threat of an orbital bombardment. She had no idea, but their commander's new obsession could get them into trouble.
It didn't change the fact that Lonnie's health was getting worse, and neither her magic nor Dr. Moors' skills could help her. The antibiotics were too weak, so the brain in cylinder hat concluded that she was probably infected with some fungus that grew so abundantly in the ruins of the city. She remembered the rodents, so overgrown with lichen that their original bodies could not be seen, or the crab spiders, their shells torn apart by fruiting bodies of fungi, and decided that the risk was too great.. So she spoke to the rest of their group, and they agreed that Lonnie needed to go to Dryll as soon as possible. There she would be given much better medical care than what they were able to give out in the open. The duty of taking care for the Comrade General fell to her as a sorcereress with powerful magic, only it was not so simple. She could not use the commonly used Etherian magic, because she did not have enough power or equipment. So she had to perform the appropriate ritual, but it won't be that easy. Firstly, it will cost them valuable time, which they did not have much in store. Besides, her knowledge, compared to that of the sages of the destroyed Umbracor or Arkancor , or even her ... mother, the cursed sorcerer, was still small. However, she knew a few tricks. At first, she considered summoning Byakhe , a lizard-horse capable of even interstellar travel, but Lonnie, whose riding skills were close to zero even at full strength, would not be able to hold on to the ancient monster's back, so she had to find another solution. So she decided to summon a Star Chariot, although it was more difficult. So he and Rogelio caught two rabbits and, to Kyle's horror, killed them and drained their blood into a bowl, they needed payment after all. Then she began an incantation that lasted over an hour, and suddenly a white sparkling vehicle, drawn by two mounts, resembling a combination of moths and horses, descended from the blue sky. The charioteer was a tall being in a bright, tattered robe that seemed to consist of many interconnected strips of light. She told her companions not to look under the creature's hood for any reason. She added her own blood to the rabbits' blood and gave it to those ghostly steeds of gulping, then boarded the ship, leaving Kyle , Rogelio Imp and Doctor Moors . The four of them were to return the way they had come. Most likely, they won't be stopped by anyone, and even if they did, the current relationship between the Rebellion and the Princess Alliance was good enough not to worry about it. Under other circumstances, Kyle and Rogelio would have jumped at the opportunity to be together and perhaps even extend the trip, but with recent events and Dr. Moors' presence, is unlikely to be in the right mood. So she got into the chariot and set off. The ride was surprisingly pleasant. They flew high in the sky without feeling any tremors, cold dreaming of momentum. And this comfort made her pay attention. She had heard of travelers who fell asleep during this flight, returning after a thousand or more years. So she held an exhausted Lonnie in her arms, fighting as hard as she could to stay awake.
After two hours, they landed in the courtyard of Castle Crypto , much to the surprise of its defenders. As soon as he got out, the vehicle disappeared in a beam of light. She handed the Comrade General over to the other members of the Rebellion and issued orders on how they should take care of her. She was surprised to discover that no one questioned her competence, as if everyone took it for granted that in the event of the Comrade General indisposition, she would take over her duties, as if she were becoming the second-in-command. In fact, she should be happy about it… But she felt rather scared, because it unsettlingly reminded her of her cursed heritage.
Nothing had changed in the castle since they had left it maybe two weeks ago, which was a bit… disappointing. In lifeso much happened to the members of their expedition. Lonnie had found a ship for which she was going to commit a terrible deed, though first she would have to capture the Former Lady of Dryll ... But also to convince the other members of the People's Rebellion to her plan, which would not be so easy, even she wasn't sure if she wanted to support her …Unless Creeping Chaos wills it.
But of course, it was this journey that had the biggest impact on Kyle's life. The clumsiest member, first of the entire Horde, and now of the People's Rebellion, turned out to be hiding a huge secret. She wondered if the boy was deliberately hiding the truth about himself, playing the weakling all his life, but that was probably too complicated. But that meant that the Rebellion had its She- Ra.a … Its He-Ra… The name would still need to be thought of. Anyway, they had their prince of power… Which they couldn't use… at least for now. Not only because of her promise, she couldn't risk Lonnie finding out the truth about her, but also because of the Comrade General current attitude towards all things princesses. So keeping this knowledge to themselves would be beneficial to the Great Outer God's Plans by all means... The mere fact that Kyle's veins most likely had the blood of the First Ones opened up great opportunities for them. And the sword... In the name of Nyarlathotep he will possess all its secrets.
Some changes had taken place in her as well, with which she was not entirely happy. Until now, she had had to hide her true nature from almost everyone except for a few of Creeping Chaos' highest-ranking minions, at least those who live on Etheri. Now two people found out about her true nature. One accepted her... Well, perhaps she was too harsh on Kyle . After all, she reminded him of two people he had feared so much all his life, no wonder she scared him so much. Well, they had a hook for each other, though the blond boy didn't realize that he could hurt Nightgale a lot more than she could hurt him. Yet somehow, the way Frosta looked at her, that she saw him as more than a monster… than an aberration. It made her believe that there was a future for her other than serving the Great Outer God. But she knew what an illusory hope of happiness could be, and that all too often it ended in suffering. Nightgale had learned this bitter truth all too well... However... one, though she knew it was ridiculous, allowed herself to hope for a happy ending... or at least a moment of happiness...
Even this brief transformation in the depths of the earth allowed her to rest from Scarlet's body, so she didn't have to return to her true form now. Still, she took a hot bath, one of the luxuries former cadets had learned in Castle Crypto . She then issued several orders and began preparing a statement addressed to all members of the Rebel . about what had happened during the trip, but then Grizzlor unceremoniously walked to her room and growled in a harsh voice.
'We have guests." He stared at her with his white eyes. She had heard that in the olden days his kind were called Bugbear, and true to their name they were feared by other species. They were ruthless killers, hunting others like prey. Of course, their Etherian kin was much milder, and the former captain was well-liked among the former cadets.
"Who? she asked, looking at him with superiority. They were quite behind each other. Shadow Weaver had stepped on his toes several times, and now he was projecting his dislike of Hordak's deputy to all sorcerers. It would be funny if he knew her true nature, he would probably spit with anger.
"Some guy from the Snow Kingdom, a woman in a wheelchair, and some strange woman with a veil who talks like a shadow bitch."
She frowned. She had no idea who the man was, but she guessed the identities of the other two. The woman was most likely Halo, a well-known supporter of the People's Rebel postulates , but the woman with her face covered ... "No, it's not time for her yet. It has to be, someone else… ah yes," she understood and smiled nastily.
"Okay, let them come ..." she said, feeling the flame of triumph in her heart. "But in an hour, I still have work to do... I have to get ready to meet our dear guests."
They stood on the balcony with a view of the Dryl mountains and the storm raging around the castle since time immemorial. This place was away from most of the rooms, only one corridor led here, closed with a thick, armored door. The entire castle had many safeguards against magical and not only magical, spying. She wondered Entrapta she knew much about it. She was a trusting person, she probably didn't fully understand the idea of spying, so all these safeguards must have been the work of her ancestors. It would be worth finding out who they were, but it was a mystery that would be solved in the future, and now she had a much more important task ahead of her. And also much more in line with the skills "inherited" from her mother.
She looked at the three gathered. A man with a goat beard with a proud face. A Saihe woman dressed in black with a veil on her face and dark blue eyes, looking at the others with superiority and Halo, because she could recognize her from old photos, looked as if everyone gathered disgusted her. Nightgale was wearing sorcerer's robes with the symbol of the People's Rebellion , loose and a bit too big. It was very practical considering her plans.
"Welcome to Castle Crypto , the capital of the People's Rebel." she said formally. The man and Halo scowled, not hiding their distaste for the fact that one of the princesses' oldest abodes, the unconquered Castle Crypto, had been taken over by a bunch of Horde kids.
"I am the Chancellor of the Kingdom of Snow, but you are not Lonnie as I believe." the man said with superiority in his voice.
"I didn't know Shadow Weaver allowed any sorcerer to stay in the Fright Zone, I expected she hated competition." Halo said curiously, in a slightly nicer tone than the Chancellor. She smiled confidently on her face.
"Five years is plenty of time to learn sorcery. Under the shadowlady, Glimmer learned the art in just a few months." Saihe in the veil snorted hearing the title given by Shadow Weaver. "I am Scarlet, the People's Rebellion's Supreme Sorceress and Lonnie's second-in-command." Comrade General feels indisposed due to an injury she sustained during a secret mission. She gave me all powers of attorney to represent her. She decided to confront Lonnie with a Fait accompli.
"If you say so…" Saiche said "I am Midnight Mask Black Blade of the royal Yago clan and together with Star Sister Halo and the Chancellor of the Kingdom of Snow, we came here to make you an offer..." she looked at her expectantly. Nightgale answered her with a raised eyebrow.
"Talk. The People's Rebellion is open to your suggestions." she said gently. Her guests looked at each other, wondering which of them should speak. Finally, Halo snorted with contempt and slammed her good hand loudly on the table, placing some small object on it that looked like a crystal device of the First Ones, and the Chancellor looked at her and placed a crystal key next to it.
"Once upon a time, the Ladies of Armoria had access to the Armory. Hello began to speak. It was a place beyond time and space where a lot of weapons and other technological marvels were said to be stored. Such as Netossa's bracelet. The grandmother of the present-day ruler of Armoria gave the device that summoned armory to me, and the key to Frosta's mother. After King Umbragen seized her kingdom on behalf of the Horde, she feared that they might fall into the hands of Hordak and the Shadow Weaver." She smiled predatorily with the efficient half of her face. "We'd like to give them to you… under certain conditions."
"Which ones? she asked suspiciously." All three of them did not arouse any sympathy in her.
"First of all, we want you to enforce your demands. Above all, we want power to be handed over to the people of Etheri." said the Chancellor with exultation.
"And punishing Hordak and Entrapta, and of course Shadow Weaver, if we can find out where he's hiding." added Halo.
"You mean Light Spinner, she won't escape the Disgrace she brought on her family by using the alias."
She frowned. Do they know anything about Creepng Chaos's plans?
"It's obvious, that's why we started our fight, although I'm not sure if the Starsisters aren't princesses by any chance." she asked, trying to sound as indifferent as possible. Halo burst out laughing in response.
'It's our business, we're a bit different from other rulers of Etheri."
She nodded and looked at Midnight Mask questioningly.
"What do you want from us?
Dark blue flames burned in the eyes of the one who used the name of the Black Blade.
"First, we demand that an apology be made to us for the offense of accepting our sister Light Spinner, and that all those responsible, or their relatives and descendants, be handed over to us for a terrible but by all means just punishment. Moreover, we have been given power over Mystacor, for it is enough for the so-called sorcerers to practice the ancient art without the necessary spiritual guidance. In return, we offer all the might of the Isles of Sorrow." shouted the Assassin. Hearing her words, she froze. This woman asked for a lot. Not only did she want to take control of Mystacor , Etheri's only true sorcery school that had prided itself on its independence for centuries, but she also wanted to impose her values on it, so alien to most Etheria. She didn't know much about the culture of the Isles of Sorrow, but like the Scorpions in the days of old, their Shadow Warriors and Dark Shades were one of the planet's few military forces, and he would be a valuable ally in the cause Lonnie was fighting for... Only if they were willing to sacrifice so much for victory. "It is much less than sacrificing one innocent woman. Or much more, depending on how you look at it.
"Your proposal, the Black Blade, is noteworthy, but unfortunately also highly controversial. I may not be entirely objective because of my profession, but agreeing to your conditions could alienate many people who have been sympathetic to our cause to our cause. We have to think everything through very carefully before we make the right decision. She replied, trying to sound as polite as possible.
"But quickly, we will not agree to be led by the nose." Midnight Mask barked back . Well, to be fair, Shadow Weaver didn't pick up interpersonal skills from home… She sighed and turned to the Chancellor as she had one more question on her mind.
"This key belonged to Frosta's mother so it belongs to her now. By chance, I recently met the Ice Princess, and I have a feeling she didn't agree to give her property to us." she said in a voice as cold as the glaciers she had so recently visited. A very nasty smile appeared on the chancellor's face.
"Well, Frosta's consent or lack of it no longer matters to the Kingdom of Snow.
She felt sorry for her young friend.
After the talks, she showed her guests around Castle Crypto , or at least the part of it that they managed to explore. They saw former cadets training and their military resources. The Rebel members gave the guests a disapproving look, while the guests especially Midnight Mask, looked at them with contemptuous superiority. Only Halo gave them a few warm smiles. However, the clone that was pushing Sister Star's cart was not too kind to the half-paralyzed woman. As Grizzlor surprisingly eagerly began showing the Chancellor and Midnight around, Halo paused for a moment.
"Have you met Frosta ? What with her." asked the woman in the wheelchair. She thought for a long moment before answering.
"She was very happy the last time I saw her. Although she was injured, but Adora healed her with the power of She-Ra." she said finally, deciding to be as honest as possible.
"So She-Ra is back? How? Halo asked, absolutely amazed.
"It seems that he can teleport between planets. Needless to say, this is a very useful skill."
Halo waved her hand absently and returned to the subject of the Ice Princess.
"Frosta... We've always taken care of her... You probably think I'm a mean bitch for supporting someone like the chancellor, but understand that Etheria needs changes... That... - she didn't finish because she was interrupted.
I don't think anything, and I don't need to understand anything. That's what she put between you and your conscience. Such is the lot of politics , said Scarlet, and left the woman alone with her mute servant and conscience.
The Chancellor then left them by boarding the Skimmer, and then invited Midnight Mask and Halo to her studio. Then she smiled at them and untied her robes.
"Are you craving orgies? I've always known that foreigners are perverted, but I never thought it was so much." Saihe growled and drew her weapon, though Halo looked at her curiously.
"I just think that we need to talk honestly and seriously, and for this purpose we need to stand... face to face." she said and transformed, taking her true form. Both women's faces showed horror and disgust, they were slowly starting to get used to it, although in their case such a reaction was fully justified.
"What are you..." asked the Black Blade, getting ready to attack, but with a smile she turned to the Assassins.
"Oh, auntie, I expected that our first meeting would begin with much warmer words."
Halo tried to get up from the stroller, almost falling over and pursing her lips angrily, she drawled.
"So the dark whore has spawned after all."
She shook her head in amusement.
"Not exactly ... There was advanced technology and things like that, but it's not that important at the moment. I would ask you to show the symbols of the gods that you wear around your neck. Then you will meet the master to whom I have sworn allegiance."
They looked at it, then at each other and took out an amulet in the form of a pendant. One depicted a skull with coins in its sockets, and the other also a skull, but this time wrapped in chains. They were the symbols of Charon, the Horseman of Death and leader of the Daemons, and Zon-Kuthon, lord of suffering and envy.
"Well, I guess now it's time for you." Black blade growled.
Nightgale grinned widely and snapped her fingers. Then the shadow of the light-eater, one of Nyarlathotep's Avatars, materialized in the pre-prepared circle .
"My master, Great Outer God, Creeping Chaos, Nyarlathotep cares only to save the universe. she said, looking the women straight in the eyes, fully aware that in the future one of them would betray her.