"We can't allow the humans into the heart of the forest, Your Highness," the commander told with a tone that was both condescending and showed he would harbor no argunt.
"I'm taking them to the next human settlent then," I set my foot down. "I'm not abandoning them!"
After defeating the orcs, I went into the hut where the human won were resting, huddled in a corner, and frightened by the sounds of orcs being squished by my stone hands. I spent a good half hour healing them and talking to them. They were villagers, travelers, and rchants that were captured by the orcs over the years. A few of them were even pregnant from their rapists.
I promised to help them and left to talk to the knights when the commander stonewalled .
"You can't leave the forest It's--"
"Orders from the council. The almighty council. Who the fuck do you serve, commander?"
The elf was about to burst. I think that if I weren't the Princess, he would've hit already.
"Escort then. I don't mind having you with ," I offered as an olive branch. "I promise I'll return."
"We have ordered. You do not have the authority to overrule them. Not yet."
'And if I ever made it to Queen, you're fucked'. I couldn't tell him that though. It wasn't the ti to trigger a revolution. But if I couldn't take the won with into Fulgen, couldn't bring them back ho, and wouldn't abandon them to their luck, there was a fourth choice I was perfectly fine with.
"Oh, well. Okay. I'm the princess, I was born to rule a realm, why not start with a village? Taeral?"
"Yes. Your Highness?"
"We are outside the Forest proper, aren't we?"
"Indeed we are. We would never let the filthy orcs set foot in our lands," the [Master Ranger] answered.
I set my foot down and stared at the commander.
"I'm creating a trading village here. These human won will be the first villagers and I'll rule over this settlent. This way I am not going out, not taking the humans into the Forest, or abandoning my promise to them."
"The council--"
"Can co here and drag back screaming and kicking, commander. I'm going to build a settlent fit for both elves, humans, and traders that will co here."
The commander was almost boiling. He waves his hand to point at the thinning forest beyond the settlent.
"Your Highness, there's nothing in these lands. That's monster country out there. The human settlents are on the other side."
"Great. Maybe we can found a nation here. Reclaim these lands. I want you to send a runner back to Forest's Heart. I am giving an order to bring clothes, farming tools, and other assorted utensils, and ranger Velora is to present herself here. She's being officially summoned by . The others including you are to patrol the area for threats.
"You have your orders, commander. Do not bother further."
He barked an order and one group of three elves ran back into the deep Forest. I dismissed him and went to look after the won. The knights stayed back and Taeral ca with .
"I need to offer them abortions. Unless they want to have half-orc babies," I told him.
"Not half-orcs. The children will be born as full-blooded orcs."
"Damn."
With the knights out of my way, I could dedicate so ti to my own needs.
Before I could treat the won, I had to do my most ambitious to date skill fusion. It would be a make-or-break one. There were so steps to preparing for it.
I did the sa thing that happened to my Claw and Bite skills with my furtivity Skills, earning so free levels from the expertise displayed during Apricot's adventures. And now I would sacrifice them all.
Then I assigned all my Exp to bring all the way to level forty and my professions to level.
You reached a True Hero level 20
You gained four True Hero perks.
Class rank up available.
You reached Royal Moon-Blessed Elf [star] level 20
You gained four Royal Moon-Blessed Elf [star] perks.
Race rank-up available.
You reached Spirit Surgeon level 20
You reached Alchemist level 20
You gained 210 Skill Points
You gained 19 Attribute Points.
Attribute points over the cap redistributed.
All of your Attributes are at their caps. Withholding excess points. 100 / 100 Attribute points withheld.
Congratulations! You are the first mortal ever to surpass the limitations of your race.
You gained the Surpasser I (unique) Perk. All your Attribute caps are increased by 10.
Reach 100 withheld points to gain the next rank.
You have 5 Attribute points.
Basically, once you hit the cap all attribute points cost double. However, a person would have to accumulate a thousand Attribute points in a single lifeti, which was mathematically and practically impossible. Only because I had curses artificially lowering my ceiling was I able to hit it after collecting Attributes for a half-dozen lifetis.
The five points went into Dexterity.
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I bought a few Elf Skills before performing the fusion I wanted.
You gained the Psyche MP Storage (very rare) Skill. Increase your MP pool by Rank x Ego x 0.5%.
You gained the Spiritual MP Recovery (very rare) Skill. Increase your MP recovery rate by Rank x Soul x 0.5%
You gained the Lucky MP Pool (ultra-rare) Skill. When casting a spell, there's a chance of Rank x Luck x 0.005% of spending no MP for that spell. You must have enough MP to cast the spell.
These Skills catapulted my MP pool to ridiculous levels. And led to suspect Sariandi's was in the millions.
Strength 11 / 21 - Dexterity 19 / 24 - Endurance 11 / 21
Mind 12 / 22 - Willpower 12 / 22 - Charisma 14 /24
Magic 100 /110
Ego 100 / 110 - Luck 100 / 110 - Soul 100 / 110
HP 82,909
MP 151,200
SP 145,200
With that out of the way, I could spend the remaining Skill points burning a hole in my pocket on making the combination I wanted.
{Combine Skills} activated. You are sacrificing the following Skills:
Stealth 35, Camouflage 35, Hide Tracks 35, Reduce Threat [Forest] 9, Hide Presence (rare) 35, Infiltration (rare) 35, Saboteur (rare) 35, Detect Traps (uncommon) 9, Disarm Traps (uncommon) 9, Trapsense (rare) 9
Plus 197 Skill Points.
Confirm?
You gained the Surreptitiousness (ultra-rare) Skill. When hiding or moving stealthily, reduce the chance of others detecting either you or traces of your passing through any sense by Rank x Dexterity x 1% (Current: 1520%).
You gained the Grandmaster Surreptitiousness (ultra-rare) Perk. When moving at half your movent rate, apply your Surreptitiousness modifier to the chance of triggering traps or wards of any kind. You are aware of any trap or ward that fails to act that way.
Your Surreptitiousness Skill level is Grandmaster 80 (The maximum level for Combine Skills - excess Skill Points were lost).
I hope that's what you wanted, Wyxnos. I really do. Because you might've unbottled a demon. Since I'm the demon (lowercase D), I don't mind. The funny part was that since my movent rate was doubled by a broken perk from an ancient age, half my movent rate was the normal movent rate for a person.
I left the perks for later. So people needed and I was too much of a softie to ignore them.
The won were reluctant to submit themselves to the abortion even though I was sure I could perform the procedure.
"I'll pay a gold coin to the first one to volunteer. I'll also heal any ailnts you have."
One of the won, whose na was Norma, had a belly so big she might give birth at any mont, ca forward. "I'll submit myself, Your Highness. I don't want to birth these parasites."
I had an operating table in the chieftain's hut, the only one big enough for what I wanted. I led the woman in there and perford a c-section on her. She was already near birth. I killed the fetuses as I pulled them out before they could take in their first breath. I also fixed her womb, the lung damage she had from an old disease, and sutured with my threads, putting her on {Intensive Care}. My MP pool was big enough to keep a slow trickle of healing on her.
That took the rest of the night and the whole other day. I only left her side and released her on the morning of the day after.
"How are you feeling, Norma?"
She had tears in her eyes. Grabbing my hand, normal pledged, "I'm honored that Your Highness stood by this long. I've been granted a new life and I'd like to devote it to you."
"Help do the sa to the other won there. Co, let's talk to them."
Seeing Norma walking normally, if you forgive my pun, made think there was another hidden truth to Velora's injury. True, I unlocked a Profession that's almost impossible to achieve without my modern knowledge, but It's impossible those high mages and druids can't restore a lost limb.
The won were free to pick their huts save for the chieftains. I would replace all of them with stone constructions later. Once they heard us talking - well, mostly Norma telling how the orcs raided the rchant caravan she was part of and killed the man to kidnap the won and goods, they gathered.
"Norma? You're... not pregnant," one of the won, a girl with very elegant manners that betrayed she was nobility gasped. She too was pregnant but her belly still had a few months to go.
"Silvie, hey. You told not to do it, but Her Highness here healed ," Norma bowed to .
Silvie's jaw dropped. "Her... Highness... pink hair..." then it was her knee's turn to bend. The other won followed the cue and I had a kneeling village. "I'm sorry for offending you, Lady of the Forest."
I was sure news of Fulgen's Royal Family predicant had run their course and my bloodline was considered extinct by now. The efforts of the council to keep my existence under wraps was enough proof of that.
"Hey," Taeral called my attention. When I looked at him, he sent a sign ssage.
I hope he wasn't telling I'd have to kill the won after going through all of this.
"Your Highness, I humbly request permission to speak," Still on her knees, Silvie broke our sign conversation.
"Granted. Speak your mind. But all of you, arise and be at ease."
The won stood but they were looking at with concern and awe in their eyes.
"I'm the first daughter of Count Hazelwich. I... understand a bit of elvish. I thank Your Highness for thinking of our wellbeing. I can assure you we'll do our utmost to cooperate with your new settlent."
She touched her belly, "And if Your Highness could do to us what you did for Norma, we would be eternally grateful."
If things are the sa in this continent as in the now-called Scorched one, virginity wouldn't be an issue for noblewon. But to give birth to orcs, that was a fate I wouldn't wish on anyone. I'd rather have Nenandil freeze their pussies.
"I intend to do that. We can't let orcs co into this world."
"I thank the Lady for not taking the easiest path."
She glanced at where I had the argunt with my knights. She probably heard the whole thing and "speak a bit of Elvish" is misdirection. Yes, this woman is dangerous. I'll have to do sothing I didn't want to.
"If you know this much, you understand you won't rejoin your families," I said. "You all will live here, in this land."
Her act dropped for a mont as she glared at . Even Taeral who was guarding my side tensed.
"I believe you won't have a problem with that, do you?" I pressed.
She froze for a long mont. Then she bowed, "Of course not, Your Highness. We owe you our lives."
I used {Appraise} on her. Level thirty-three [Aristocrat]. There are perks to fake one's status. Why am I this bothered by what she's saying? I should...
Yeah, right. Thanks, {Pinnacle of Ego}.
I drew a dagger and pointed at her. Taeral unsheathed his shortsword.
"Did you really think you could manipulate ?" I asked with a hint of anger in my voice. "Taeral?"
"As you command, Your Highness," He said in Pekothian, the local human language.
Taeral didn't speak his maneuvers but he blurred from my side and cut down the [Aristocrat]'s neck as he walked past her. The other won fell on the ground, cowering.
"Taeral, her level?" I asked in Fulgen Elvish.
"Forty-seven, Your Highness," He answered as he walked around and cleaned his blade.
I collected and bound her ghost before it passed on. Let her sit for a while next to the orc chieftain. I would interrogate her after purifying since that kind of ghosts tells no falsehoods.
"Listen up. Your forr lives are forfeit. You are alive by my grace, and by grace alone. Silvie, if that was even her real na, attempted to manipulate using a Skill. I believe I don't need to tell you how foolish that was. I will treat you of your belly parasites, and you are going to give your full Status. Any falsehood or attempt to hide information from will earn you the sa fate as that one. Do not squander my kindness."
I knew what I had to do. I didn't like that not a single bit, but it was needed.
In the next couple of days, I perford surgery on all the won. And I used {Assassinate} on all of them, followed by {Last Chance} on them. Should they have more than seventy thousand HP, it would've failed but none did.
During that ti I interrogated their ghosts. Five of the won were Silvie's handmaidens and I had to let them pass on. They were loyal to their lady and they wanted revenge. The other eight were forr bandits, murderers, and I also dismissed their ghosts.
One interesting thing was that the orc fetuses had no ghost and gave no Experience. I believe that - at least in this world - the souls are only bound to the bodies upon birth. It is interesting because there was evidence back on Earth that babies can rember what happens in their mother's bellies. If this is because the Gods will so or the System requires it was sothing beyond my ager knowledge.
I was left with nine healthy human won to play Sim City with. It was then that Velora and so other elves arrived. I went to the edge of the settlent to greet her. They knelt as I approached.
"Your Highness. I answered your summons," Velora said. If I had to guess, she doesn't know who I am yet.
"Well t, ranger Velora. I'm grateful that you ca promptly. And you are...?" I asked the other elves.
"Your Highness, we were sent by the Council to assist you in your project. We have Earth mages, engineers, and also a priest-inquisitor of Yznera. The health of your new wards was our concern."
And their secrecy. "I appreciate they sent a priest, but I already interrogated the won and removed those that could be a danger to us. Let us work then. I am interested in learning from the masters the spells used to raise functional habitations and these orcish constructions are too damn ugly."
"We would be honored, Your Highness," the speaker answered.
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