Priestess, do you hear me? Do the prayers, the dreams, the promises reach? Oh, creator of the society where women rule! Benefactress of the saints! I come to report the invasion plan for the Dark Forest lands.
"Proceed, my daughter. Your voice reaches me. Your faith moves me. Your slave sends his devotion and informs you that they have three more children from the slaves of this continent."
Thank you, benefactress! I must inform you that getting here was difficult. After we received the order to infiltrate, we departed with the gifts. As you recall, only the healthiest slaves departed with us. On the road, we were assaulted a couple of times, but they belonged to lesser mercenaries—nothing to worry about. Between our strength and what you granted our slaves, it was enough. We lost five slaves but eliminated three dozen Wolves. As we expected, carrying the heads of those stupid ones earned us passage to the Dark City.
"I felt their deaths. A pity, but they were important breeders in the community. Their mistresses are happy to be able to choose new ones, and their daughters have already been marked, so they are years away from beginning to serve as providers of more strength to our goddess."
Advancing was complicated. The first step was to present ourselves as a peace convoy between the nation of the continent Lefem and the powerful woman in charge of the people living here, for the purpose of a potential alliance. Messages went back and forth. No one allowed us to approach the palace. After two weeks, we received authorization to live here. The interview was still to be delayed, so we settled a few hundred meters from the humans who escaped death in what they call 'the Lich's attack.'
"I learned of that battle. Several of the new slaves say it was a fierce confrontation where everyone was aware of the death looming. It was there that I learned of the valiant actions the queen Lilith had achieved. There are two 'men' who kept company on that mission, but neither they nor the filthy dwarf have much to do with what we are seeking. She rules the Keep, and it is her we want."
Day by day, they receive attacks from chaos enemies, mercenaries, or even some entities that try to imitate the beauty of women, claiming to be older than our goddess. Priestess, forgive me, but I helped give them death! I ordered my slaves to pursue those who dared to cross the borders. We killed many; their heads were placed on an altar as tribute to the goddess. Few here saw it with pleasure—everything seems to indicate that here death is not glorious. All who fight here do so with weapons that also serve for harvesting. All are hardened and have darkened eyes—none fit to be slaves; they have too much pride.
"Interesting. Does this perhaps mean that the men here do not submit to Lilith?"
Not as much as that. The people living here are not governed by the Lady of the Succubi's laws; they are survivors from other villages. That makes them distrustful, perhaps quarrelsome, but with a very high sense of justice. The only rule I do not understand is that of judgment. No one says it directly, but using some of the more attractive slaves, we seduced a couple of women. They say no one invokes judgment for fear, but they add nothing else. Moreover, when offered to live in our community, they fled without even thanking us for the pleasure provided by my slaves.
"Any risk of pregnancy?"
None, my lady. These women consume a special herb that allows them to be libertines without having children... Sacrilege! Everyone knows that if a woman copulates, she falls from the goddess's grace! She only serves to bear children.
"Calm down, my daughter. Remember that this is why we have come to this continent—to provide an order conceived by the goddess, simple and comfortable. But, daughter, you have not yet told me the rest. What happened to our plan?"
True, my lady. It took another two weeks, but finally they received our offering. Fifteen of my best slaves, loaded with fertility drugs, were received and taken to their chambers. Every week, I have sent fifteen more. None of them remember anything; their marks still work, but neither can I get the priestesses to extract information from them. So this time, I am going to infiltrate along with the remaining slaves—the most resistant. They are from my personal collection. I have seen them work. I am waiting for them outside the main chamber. They have been in there for twelve hours. I cannot imagine who could last that long.
"Daughter, remember she is the powerful entity, the iconic woman of this continent. If your research on her species is correct, we only need to get her pregnant. Then we can use magic to dominate her, make her our ally, or bring the pregnancy to term, and then she will die giving birth to two children of our goddess. They will be powerful, but most importantly, they will serve us."
I think they have finished. My lady, at least now I will be able to enter. These, besides fertility drugs, included narcotics on their parts to anesthetize her and thus find out what she hides and why none of the previous ones remember it.
I have entered... They all have their skulls open! No one hears my footsteps—or at least no one sees. Their eyes are unfocused. I do not know what is happening. At the back of an incredibly small chamber lies a bed—the only large possession in the place. There she rests, red like the others we captured. But this one has something—a dark color, iridescent reflections. She rests, but I do not know for how long. A black animal watches me from the window but does not seem hostile. A blotch on the floor makes me lower my gaze. There is a thread of blood reaching the bed's edge. There, death reached my number one slave—whom the inhabitants here call her husband. It is painful—I lost someone important. I only hope he impregnated her. Damn her! I am sorry, my lady, but I think I will flee from here. I hope you finish the task. In this room, I would not dream of trying to hurt her. Everything is a hollow of color where light is lost. Priestess, I ask permission to withdraw.
"No, little one. That was what you intended? You wanted me to carry the children of some sex and rape addicts who only force procreation so their descendants serve your stupid goddess? No, girl. Clarant, by name, beneath all the falsehoods you carry. No one will hear you. In twenty seconds, I will wake up. Then you will know the truth and the power behind the Dark Forest... sad that it had to be this way—you could have lived as refugees."
Who are you? You are not my priestess. How do you know my name?
"Magic, dear—carved into your men's heads... you have ten seconds left."
No, damn it! Why are you not reveling? None of your creatures resisted. There you have men—revel in them, live their passions.
"I have self-control. Really—will you waste these six seconds on stupid questions?"
You are a damned woman.
"Four. "
Priestess!
"Two more seconds. "
Goddess of love, do not abandon me.
"That is not love... you will know it soon. One. "
I pray to my goddess, but no one answers me. I do not feel contact with the high priestess nor with those who accompanied me. At the back, some impossibly red eyes watch me—they are strong. There is no one capable of facing them. A tear runs down my cheek as I surrender to so much power.
"Too late for surrender, too late for forgiveness. You are in time for the truth... Hahahahahahaha! "