"Praise me!" Clomere's words met with a look of skepticism from Guinevere. "And why would I do that when for the past three days you've been couped up in your room?" As much as she wanted to drag Clomere and have her help around, the silence of her absence was far better.
"Here, you'll thank me later." She callously threw a needle on her table, some of it's green contents spilling onto Guinevere's documents. "And this is..." Guinevere asked, her eyes probing the serum. "Hine. A new drug I've been working on. It should help you with the demons and with Dreshaire." Clomere flashed a smile, her words slurred with hubris.
"It would seem that you are not as useless as I thought you would be." Hine, a drug from a glance she had managed to see through it. 'With this it should help with my rule. After all those dens of snakes and wolves are a bother to deal with.' Guinevere mused internally as she picked up the syringe and took a shot of it.
"Hah~~" Her body melted, her limbs going numb as she felt her mind open up. Not with enlightenment but with bliss. Her hair stood on ends, her pupils dilating as she gleamed a smirk of satisfaction.
*Snap*
With a thought her elation came to an end, the drug purged from her body. "Though it's concentration is high, with enough dilution I can give it to the masses and my nobles making them nothing more than my extensions.' Within the Hine something far darker resided. Spores, Clomere's that did more than just give euphoria to the user.
When used overtime the mind can start to lose it's identity till it is nothing more than a blank slate for her to write on. "Do you have another means of making it besides your will?" As soon as she said that, ten people walked into her room, their eyes devoid of any life.
"They... have my recipe. Though I'm sure you've figured it out by now. These loyal dogs should make more Hine for you, where and how the trade will come about is your problem. I've already supplied some of it to Dreshaire and everyone should be a zombie for you to boss around."
Guinevere's eyes widened, pleased with her work. "And here I thought that you had no use other than to be his toy. It would seem that I judged you a bit too harshly." Clomere shrugged it off. "Well I hope that this is a learning moment for you to finally admit that I was right." Guinevere's smile instantly faded. 'And here I thought that I'd get to form something special between us.'
"I'm not into ladies, however it you yield then I could reconsider." Her tone playful as she waved the drones off. "Or maybe I didn't judge you harsh enough." Guinevere clicked her tongue however by now Clomere was at the door. "It works with not just humans but demons as well."
Guinevere's eyes narrowed at such words, aware of what she hinted at. 'When the time comes those bastards should try to take me down.' She knew the true nature of the demons, aware of their two faced nature. 'I should have her work I something to keep them at bay.' The Hine was useful for her towards not just Redfall but the demons as well.
'If I use this correctly then I could weaponize it to my advantage.' She chuckled as she began to see her plans come to fruition. 'Arcania, it's a matter of time before you're mine.'
***
Weeks passed, Callista's and Jarren's whereabouts unknown while Guinevere bartered with demons and dwarves. The faces of those that wished to see her fail grew pale with each passing day. He rate of growth was unnatural, seemingly overnight Redfall became a haven for the most educated and talented people who were commoners months ago.
It wasn't just Reuthar but the rest aware of how this would be problematic in the long run. Her security was tight, abominations strangely enough never attacked her kingdom and when they did, they were easily taken care off. The other kingdoms resorted to spies who cane back with nothing or misleading information.
With the entire court in her hand, she controlled the flow of information to a tea. Merchants never once experiencing any form of losses and when so it was insignificant. Guilds popped up with her name plastered all over, the army grew but slow, a choice she deliberately took for feints.
Redfall, the kingdom near the verge of collapse began to claw it's way to the top.
***
"We can't let her growth go unchecked. It's only a matter of time before she surpasses us all." A king mused, their face pale as it flickered on the screen. Atherion sat in his throne room, presented to him were the other kings and queens. The meeting was out of urgency rather than formality.
"I've heard that she trades with dwarves for resources, however with the uptight security or Redfall it is difficult to gauge this information." Another posed, their face tense. "Another alarming fact is the emergence of a new drug, Hine I presume. It's origins unknown but it's sales have sky rocketed in the underworld. Demons and humans alike going crazy for it."
The mood shifted into that of intrigue. "It wouldn't be alarming if Guinevere was behind this." However another voice dispelled such claims. "It would seem that the drug originates from the wasteland far away from Redfall, I doubt that she has a hand in it." Some sighed the more they thought about it.
'If she was the one who made the drugs then it would explain her financial rise to the top but if not then how is she making so much malcore?' Atherion couldn't help but wonder. In the span of a month Redfall ha turned into a completely new kingdom. From the bottom of the barrel to a utopia rivaling Calledra.
"I propose to launch a war on her while she's still in the bud." The statement made all the heads fall silent. They all inwardly agreed however none of them were ready to announce it outright. "Delyth! Are you aware of what you are saying? Going against Guinevere would be incurring the wrath of a Hollow Saint."
A voice confirmed however Delyth stood her ground. "She may be a Hollow Saint however when she gets Redfall to the pinnacle of it all she'll be more than just an ordinary Saint." Delyth mused, her tone grave filling the atmosphere with dread. 'If Guinevere keeps on advancing like this then it would be problematic for the rest of us.'
Atherion posed, his head glancing to the side. "However a war could halt her growth if not undo her work. A war from all the kingdoms should take a huge strain of her resources." He murmured to himself before his attention was thrown back to the conversation.
"Then it will be so. All kingdoms are expected to supply Thaloria with the necessary resources to stage a war on Redfall." Luthor posed with his tone ending with inarguable finality. Most gave a nod in agreement, others intrigued with the results of the skirmish. With a few more revisions of the topic, the meeting came to an end.
***
"You have a guest my Queen." Guinevere let out a knowing sigh as she watched the individual walk in. His face haggard as he locked eyes with Guinevere. She inwardly laughed at his pathetic state. His clothes though acceptable seem haphazardly strewn to together, a smile of unease nerve once leaving his face. It was Yorric.
"Guinevere!" He stated, eagerly stretching out for a handshake which she didn't bother. "What is it Yorric? I have a kingdom to run." Her tone cold as she took a sip of her tea. Yorric looked around, the perfectly kept gardens that stretched for miles, the reserved and regal air of the palace as servants buzzed around and the refined state of his sister.
Even now he hadn't quite come to terms of her new role as queen. From afar he could see the cities flourish, each individual busy with their lives with no sense of crime. It was a kingdom that existed in theory and yet the facts were right in front of him. "Of course!! Hahaha! I wouldn't want to take too much of your time." He spoke, quickly taking a seat.
Never once had a smile of familiarity cross her lips. "Sister, it would seem that you have managed to build a heaven on this world however I can't help but wonder, what use would it be if there isn't anyone for you to share it with? Most of your siblings have met their tragic end leaving the two of us against the worl-"
Guinevere raised her hand shutting him up. "Did you come here for favors? Because I don't deal with paupers." Yorric's face fell, his breathe hitching. "Sister, there's no need to be so hostile to your family." Guinevere let out a laugh making his skin crawl. "What use would I gain from you?"
Such a question made Yorric pause. So far he hadn't heard of any scandals whatsoever within Redfall, everything ticking with perfect clockwork to the point of uncanny. "Sister, family is far more important than fame and accolades." Yorric's words to Guinevere nothing more than a rant from a dead man walking.
"Since family is so important then how about I treat you the greatest form of honor I could give as the queen of Redfall." Yorric's face lit up hearing this. A syringe formed out of thin air and gently landed on the the table. "If you wish to be of some use to me then please take the injection." Yorric halted at first, his senses warning him of the danger.
The silence hung heavy, Guinevere's eyes narrowing at his hands that shivered from fear. "What is it brother? Are you going to decline my offer? After all it's from family and nothing is more important than family." Her words mocking though he could only endure. He took the syringe and dug it into his neck.
With a final sigh he let her contents flow into his blood. "Wow!" He cried out baffled with the elation he got. It had the slow burn relaxation of heroine and the hard hitting euphoria of cocaine. He took a second glance at the needle baffled with what he had taken but by now it was too late to turn back.
His peripheral was blurry, the world spinning as he felt his body screaming with otherworldly bliss. His face distorted into that of a crazed lunatic savoring his favorite meal as he slumped onto the floor. "This is truly..." He shook his head as if to gauge whether he was sleeping, the pain affirming his belief.
'Let's see how fast you crack.' She grinned evilly as she took a sip of her tea. The higher the concentration of spores the harder and long lasting the pleasure was and for Yorric, it was comparable to that of of a demon's dose. His moans of bliss turned feral, his mind unraveling at the rush of it all.
'It would seem that it can be an effective poison to use.' She concluded as Yorric broke into guttural groans, saliva drooling out of his mouth as his body flailed around on the floor. "Gah!" It began with a conclusion as the saliva turned into froth. His eyes started to turn jade and his breathes significantly hiking.
From the spasms and jitters he got it then turned chaotic as he began to yell incoherent ramblings before falling to the ground. Blood pooled on his corpse, every single of his orifice bleeding out. "It would seem that I have to bid your farewell brother. I have a war to prepare." Her tone filled with indignance as she left the room letting her subordinates deal with the after math.
Leisurely strutting down the halls, the hem of her dress held up by two maidservants. 'Should it be biological or chemical? Maybe I could overwhelm them with numbers.' She thought strategizing on the battle on the horizon, the other heads confident with getting the jump on her while she already knew what tactics they'd use.
'It's about time I use those demons. With their arms, I'm sure that they should lend a helping hand.'