Once Fay was out of the picture, the negotiations actually went really well. Brann was allowed control of the spider temple, Everlight town, and Evernight Reef. Luna was given the rest of the island, no doubt making everything sparkly or something. On the other hand, Brann began logging the jungle and setting up a new fishing port slash shipyard. But the most voluble asset he had, the imperial tourists. Almost every empire citizen at the colony was just visiting, primarily middle management. Still, there were some big fish in his net. After subjecting them to his will, Brann had them give him all their gold and insider information about the empire before sending them home. They were going to serve as spies and saboteurs in his name, spreading his influence in the very heart of the empire like poison, a strategy that worked out really well so far. To add to this, he had his little spies say that the empire had won the battle for the Everlight colony, and that he was killed. They had a copy of his helmet made for one of the fallen black dragon knights to sell the deception, and they took his severed head back with them. The hope is that the empire will be more reckless with its forces in trying to retake the territory they lost to him.

"Have we sent back the mid-level nobility yet?"

"Yes, sire. The empire should be getting the premature declaration of your death in a few weeks now."

"Excellent, have the minions pulled back from all outposts to sell it to empire scouts. Have them ready to redeploy when the enemy is good and deep in our clutches! Also, are we ready to give the elven slaves back?"

"Sadly so, sire. A shame, really, elves look so good in chains and rags!"

"Despite your flagrant racism, I can't say you're wrong. But it was the one thing that Luna was not willing to negotiate on, suck it up ya walnut." Gnarl simply grumbled off as Sindra walked into the room with a smug grin on her face.

"Our war fleet has already taken its first kill! With our newly acquired knowledge of imperial sea routes, we have taken out an entire troop transport fleet. It that was supposed to reinforce some war front farther south."

"Fantastic. However, we are trying to make it look like I was just killed. So we're going to have to act like our forces are weakened, let's dial it back a bit."

"UGG! Fine, but the moment we spring the trap, we are so raiding the fuck out of them!"

"Understood, we are going to start the build-up tomorrow. I want you training knights and minions double time. I want everyone ready for when we-" Gnarl then came running back into Brann's quarters, panting and looking like he might vomit from the effort.

"Master... I... The minion scouts we sent into the Wasteland found something. Something that could change the entire war!"

"Well, let's see it then." The ragged old fart then pulled a milky white shard of some kind. It gave off waves of power, the likes of which Brann had never felt before.

"What is that thing, Gnarl?"

"This is a shard of the old tower heart, master."

...

Luna looked over the ruined city she had chosen as her capital. Noons Rest was its name before the empire sacked it. She would call her new city Eclipse; there was no better name in her opinion for a city of the sun ruled by a queen of the night. As she observed her new kingdom, she was pleased at how her subjects cooperated with one another. Gigantes and trolls worked as living construction equipment, witches, elves, fairies, and even orcs to build their new homes. Scampering into the throne room was a creator that looked very similar to a minion. Luna had no doubt that they were related somehow, but the green goblinoid was, in fact, a gremlin.

"You requested my presence, your majesty?"

"Indeed I did, Sparkwick; I need your skills in technological matters." Luna then waved for one of her guards to bring over the weapon her forces scavenged from the battle to retake Everlight. The rocket launcher and unused rockets were placed before the gremlin's feet, the curious little thing looked the weapons over.

"A powerful thing indeed! You wish for reverse engineering of this craft?"

"Not just that, but improvements made to the duplicates. This is a crude weapon. Clumsy, overly destructive, and recklessly flamboyant. I wish for weapons that have the grace and surgical precision of the most excellent elven archers. You will be joined by the greatest smiths and tinkers of many races in this task, but I wish you to lead the project."

"You honor this humble tinker, my queen! I will have mad great weapons for you, so says High-Tinker Sparkwick!" The gremlin then took the weapons and scurried off to the workshops. Luna then looked to fulfill her obligations to the alliance, and she did have a few. She had to round up volunteers to go help the greenhouses of the Overlord grow foodstuff year-round. That was turning out to be complicated. The horror stories told by the elves freed from Brann's mind control before they left for the Last Sanctuary did not inspire tourism. But it was one thing he insisted on in negotiations, so she had to find someone to do it. The free trade between their two kingdoms was, however, quite profitable. Magical pink crystals were one of the best-selling exports they had. At the same time, minion-empowered Durium was very expensive but more than worth it. A harpy then flew into the room, carrying the daily reports.

"The Overlord is setting up an outpost in the Wasteland! Using his knights to set up magical harvesting devices similar to the Devastators, as well as employing demons to help harvest artifacts from the old tower."

"That is unsettling. Are they close to discovering the Last Sanctuary?"

"Not yet. How should we react if they do?" Luna thought about that, Fay was no longer her ally, but that did not mean that she was not still her friend, whether pompous pixy liked it or not.

"We will offer to help him in his search, making claims to any elvish artifacts we find. And, we will tell him that there is nothing of value in the area around the entrance to Fay's realm."

"What if he refuses our help?"

"Then we can only hope Fay does not get found. The Overlord will have no mercy for them if he does."

"As you command." The harpy then continued to give her report on other matters.

...

Rose was heartbroken when she was given the news that Brann had been killed, but was relieved beyond words when the head given was not his. From the escaped tourist's statements, it seemed that Brann was unable to take Everlight. He appeared to be faking his death to lure the empire into a false sense of security while rebuilding his minion horde. Rose tried to counsel Marius to be cautious. But, as usual, he ignored her and had the military march their troops to certain death. Marius didn't trust his darling wife, if it was because she was a woman, or because she was such a good spy mistress, it was hard to tell with him. Reports were also coming in that demons and dark knights were prowling about the Wasteland. Rose hopped her son would see how pointless the life of an Overlord was. Sure, even she was caught up in the excitement of it all in her youth, the conquest, the gold, the sex. But what did that get her, or Zephyr in the end? Their kingdom was nothing but a desolate husk of land, and Zephyr was almost definitely dead or far worse considering where he ended up. She knew that the path her son followed would only lead to a painful death and a ruined land, and did everything she could have done to keep him from that path, all in vain, it seems.

"Evil always finds a way... That rotting beats always was to cleaver..." Rose got up and moved on to her other duties, her most important in her opinion. She found Meranda in the garden, trying to cast the simplest spell, and failing miserably.

"Come on, you stupid hair! Change color!" Rose couldn't help but giggle at her child's frustration. Meranda inherited her mother's hair color and her father's poor eyes, as her glasses indicated. But her body looked more like a bronzed skinned version of her aunt Velvet's.

"It's ok dear, I think your heir is lovely as it is."

"That is not the point, and you know it!" Meranda huffed as she sat down and crossed her arms, pouting in an all too adorable way. Rose took a seat next to her daughter and held her lovingly.

"There, there, darling. You will get the hang of it eventually."

"I want to get the hang of it now! I am the third generation of a powerful line of magic users. Why can't I do anything!?"

"You just need more discipline a-"

"What I need is more power, if only father would let me into that secret magic room of his. But he won't give me the key!"

"You just ne-" Rose stopped mid-sentence. Did she hear her daughter correctly? "Meranda, did you say you actually found the magic storage room?" Meranda then moved her hand over her mouth, looking quite horrified with herself.

"Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! I was not supposed to say anything! Please don't tell father I told you anything!"

"Hey, it's ok, darling. I won't tell anyone... If you show me where the room is. I might even be able to get us in there." Meranda quickly perked up, standing up, grabbing her mother by the hand, and practically started dragging her there.

"This way!"

"Hold on, let me stand up first!" Meranda led Rose deep into the palace. Rose was shocked that she never knew about the secret passages that they were using. She did not see them being installed in the palace's construction, but they might have been secretly put in after her part overseeing the development was over. The door had a robust magical seal over it, but Rose was able to break it easily. What she saw was shocking, massive silos of magic energy.

"So this is what happened to all the magic that was harvested over the years. I thought that it was destroyed. What the bloody hell were those silly little boys going to do with all this power!?"