Brann was starting to wonder if the greens were ever going to stop dragging him on. By the time they got to where the greens said their hive was kept, it was late at night, and Brann was starting to get a bit tired.
"Fucking finally! Now, let's storm the place and get this over with!"
"Wait!" Elves then drop down from out of nowhere, and not just elves, two minotaurs, and one lamia. The half-human species were a shock as both are known to assume men and elves alike in the past.
"If you storm the temple, the empire will kill everyone held prisoner within. And destroy the green minion hive." One of the elves said, he did not look or dress like an Everlight elf, looking much more like Luna in ethnicity. And used empowered magical elvish ranger gear, he was a dower and serious-looking man.
"I take it from your general helpfulness and the fact that you're not dressed like gigolo that Luna is involved with you being here?"
"Indeed, we are here to assist you in recovering the green hive, if you help us rescue our people as well. Elves with a low magical affinity are neutered and enslaved. Those with even moderate talent are sent to camps like this to be killed."
"Not jussst elvesss. Anyone who isss to powerful, or not pretty enough for the empire to keep, isss taken here asss well." The lamia said, not so much cutting the elf off as stepping in when he was done. Showing him an unusual amount of respect for her kind.
"So we have to be stealthy about this, hmmm?" Brann thought long and hard about the situation. Stealth was the farthest thing from his strong suit, and he wanted to rely on his new associates as little as possible.
"I don't suppose you've scouted the perimeter, have you?"
"Do not insult us, man thing! We sniffed about the place well before you showed up!"
"Wish he hadn't, to be honest. That place around the Nether rock stunk to high heaven!" The minotaurs said, well, more growled. But they did give Brann all he needed to hatch a cunning plane.
"Show me." The Evernight forces then showed Brann to a clearing with a shard of Netherworld rock that moved in just the same way that the one at the Sanctuary did.
"I will have that gate opened, and your people freed in less than an hour." Brann ignored the confused rangers and conducted the possession ritual. Soon enough, Brann was entering one of his minions in front of everyone, and the sexual moans the green gave as he was possessed didn't help make things less awkward. Brann moved into the temple with his new body, noticing that the lamia was the only one who could follow him.
"Now, it's important to make the most of that greens stealth abilities. Guha, I don't envy you inside that smelly carcass. Just breath through your mouth, sire." With Gnarl's usual level of encouragement, Brann was off. What he saw when he entered the ruined structure was slightly disturbing. Not the fact that they had converted a place of mother goddess worship into a concentration camp for her followers, but that the cages were so empty. That the empire was not only rounding up and killing all creatures of magic, but doing it so well that their main death camp in the region was at half capacity, at most. Brann was able to find the green hive right away. The problem was going to be finding a way to get it out. He found a way to infiltrate deeper into the temple but that involved opening one of the cages, which he did.
"What is going on?" asked what looked like a malnourished elven woman. She and the other prisoners wore what looked like shackles with magical ruins to keep them from casting.
"We are here to help get you out; now hold your hands out." She did as Brann ordered, and he used his newly acquired claws to slash the cuffs off. And willed his minions to do the same with the other prisoners.
"Thank you, strangers, truly you have been sent by the goddess herself!" The she-elf said as she teleported out. Brann simply nodded to himself and moved on. Soon enough, getting a good eye full of one of the guards. He was a hulking brute with what looked like a nightmare vacuum from hell, and from the magical energy leaking out of it, Brann had a feeling it was not for home care. He was able to sneak up and kill one, and the lamia did her part to lure the other guard over so Brann could do the same to him.
"Great work, miss?"
"It's Namiria. Now help me with these cages." Brann did as was requested, freeing many a magical creature, including a vast number of gnomes, before moving on. As he infiltrated the temple, he came across a strange sight. An execution pit and several fat empire women and the very attractive on Brann saw from his boat.
"Well, that's her out of the way!"
"Cheep hussy! Trying to come between us and our hubbies!"
"I'm going to get myself an elf lover! They really know how to appreciate a larger lady."
"I know, have you seen the size of their priestesses" The empire women gossiped as Brann moved to get a better look as to what was going on. What he found was a rather unimpressive execution area being used on gnomes of all things.
"Right, bing in the gnome. Gnomes, hardly any magical energy, and too weak for the arena. Wast of an eradication if you ask me. Right, what's next?" The empire legit mainly said to himself as the poor little thing in the middle of the execution pit was sucked up into one of the hulking guard's vacuum thingy. Brann could see that a nearby gnome, wanting to avoid the same fate, hid under the attractive imperial woman's dress as she was dragged forth to be judged.
"This is ridiculous! I don't have any magical powers."
"Well, these upstanding empire citizens say that you do!" Said an elderly empire woman who seemed to be the one in charge. The crown then waved a hand for the women from before to speak.
"Yes, she bewitched my husband, Governess!"
"They weren't bewitched they were bored! I can't help it if rich and powerful men are attracted to me." The attractive woman said as much as a taunt as well as a defense. She was only making her accusers even more out for blood.
"She's a witch! She must be!"
"Silence! There is only one way to judge this!" The governess then waved her hand to the Sentinal in the room, who used his staff to detect if the accused was magical. Brann assumed that the only reason the robbed creep was getting a positive reading was the gnome under her skirt.
"Ha! I knew it. Eradicate her, this instant!"
"Wait! This is such an unusual specimen, I'd like to examine her more closely before she is cleansed!" The legit said in as perverted a way as he could while still sounding professional.
"Your machine... It's broken! I don't have any magic! Let me go! Unhand me you plebians!" The attractive woman screamed as she was dragged to presumably be raped by the legit before being executed.
"Remember, master, hive first, wench later!" The sounds of Gnarl getting his ass kicked by two outraged women was all the indication Brann needed to know that Sindra and Kelda were in the same room when the elderly minion said that.
"What Gnarl meant to say is focus on the task at hand!"
Of course, if you happen upon this prisoner of the empire, then I'm sure she could be useful in...Er passing essential information." Gnarl tried to say in defense of himself as Brann thought over the information.
"Actually, I think I know a better way to get that info. Knife ear! I'm thinking at you really hard. If it's true that all elves can speak telepathically to all magical beings, then you should be reading me."
"I refuse to respond to knife ear, but I read you, dark one."
"The governess of the imperial colony is leaving this building and is lightly defended. Capture her alive, and we might have a powerful weapon to use against the empire!"
"It will be done." Brann then moved on, only to find that the courtyard was filled with Sentinels.
"Gunna need to find a way to deal with them."
"On it!" Namiria said as she lunged onto the platform holding one of the Sentinels, sinking her fangs into him and drinking his blood in mear moments, before moving onto the other ones.
"Funny, I would have thought that she would have swallowed him."
"Your thinking of naga's, sire. Lamia sustain themselves on the blood of humans, elves, or well anything really. They just like how humanoids taste!"
"Oh, neat." Brann then moved deeper into the temple, freeing prisoners along the way, and even some of the worried black and white bears, fortunately, they were on his side this time. With the nightmare beats by his side, he cleared out the rest of the Eradicators and made a safe path to get the minion hive out. Willing his minions to take care of the rest from there, he returned to his own body, finding a rather pleasant surprise waiting for him.
"We had captured the governess and the empire women as you requested."
"Nice work rangers, I might just form that alliance with your queen after all. Bring the bitches over!" One of the minotaurs dragged over the elderly governess, she seemed scared shitless, he could hardly blame her.
"T-Torture is quite unnecessary! I assure you I will tell you everything!"
"Who said anything about torture?" Brann loved how the hopeful look on the hags face reverted back to terror as he bent her mind to his will. He then moved on to the other women, one by one, converting them to his side. He then came to the last one, the attractive woman from before, and somehow seeing her on her knees, eyes wide in terror, just made her more attractive to him.
"Wait... I-I could be of more use to you as I am!"
"What use could I have for you with your free will intact that I couldn't get from you as a mind slave?"
"I can, um... Help you conquer Everlight Town! I can use my, assets, to keep important men busy while you take care of things."
"The Governess can do that and more, anything else?"
"Well, I... I can..."
"Must you play with your victims in front of us? It's unsettling."
"Speak for yourself, elf-thing! This is a good show!" Growled one of the minotaurs as the elf's protest. Brann couldn't tell if the beast wanted to eat or fuck the poor empire woman, he decided it was probably both.
"What is your name, woman?"
"J-Juno."
"Well, Juno, you do have an, aesthetic quality. You may keep your individuality, but the price is that you will live to serve me at my tower."
"I... Understand, suppose it could be worse. Who knows, might even be fun~." Juno said as she positioned herself in as pleasing a pose as she could. Brann blushed a bit, simply nodding as not to embarrass himself in front of the elves.
"Now, as for the rest of you. You will tell my new friends and me here everything we want to know. And then you will return to the empire colony and make it ready for my conquest through sabotage!"
"Yes, my one true master! Perhaps, we could even arrange for some ambushes on empire patrols?"
"That's the spirit! Now let's get to the questions." Brann and the elven rangers spent a good hour or so getting as much useful information out of the empire women as possible. He learned that most of the people at the colony were, in fact, tourists, some of the richest and most powerful men in the empire. And that there are some troubling rumors about how the emperor was missing. Officially he is just relaxing in his palace, but the word is that he is either sick or dead. After ordering the women to do their worst back at the colony, Brann returned home with the hive, and his new servant. Unfortunately, Brann forgot that his mistresses were listening in the whole time and were waiting for him with arms crossed.
"You know, I thought I figured out your type, but this? Really!?" Sindra said in a rather annoyed tone making Brann slump a little bit.
"Come on, girls... She's just decorative, honest."
"Oh, so we're not pretty enough for you then? You need to bring in some empire trash to liven the place up!?"
"Now hold on, Kelda, that is not what I-"
"Wait, these women are your lovers!? I thought the creepy one was your butch lesbian bodyguard and her sex slave!"
"WHO ARE YOU CALLING BUTCH, YOU PRISSY LITTLE CUNT!" Sindra growled as her eyes somehow grew even darker. The light around her seemed to dim with her rage.
"N-Now ladies... Show a little decorum..." All three women then turned their glaring eyes onto Brann, and he wilted like a dead tulip.
"If you will excuse me, I'm going to go beat the ever-loving shit out of some trainees! That ladylike enough for ya!?" Sindra said before storming off.
"And I'm going out for a hunt, might make it a challenge and only use my knives." Kelda said while glaring at Juno, clearly as a threat, before she to stormed off.
"I like it here already. So where do I storm off to in a huff?"
"The private quarters and up those stairs."
"Thanks, Master~." Juno then walked off as Brann slumped down onto his throne, wondering if the women in his life were going to be the death of him or not.