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Description
The happy, peaceful life of Mira and her family continued on. Mira prepared the crib for her soon to be born child. Romanos continued his work with the Kievan militias. Irina maintained the home and worked alongside Mira in many various chores. The children continued their education, mainly under the tutelage of Irina and Romanos. Their new friends, Alwin and Gwen often stopped by to help out with things and to get more acquainted with life in the Rus’ lands.

However, outside the city walls, beyond the forests, rests a scorched mineshaft. Large rocks once blocked the entrance to the shaft. The rocks, laid down by Romanos’s militiamen have been moved, blasted away by an unnatural force. Inside the mineshaft, charred skeletons remain. Some are human, some are monstrous. This was the site of Mira’s great stand against the bursting goblins that terrorized Kiev in the dead of winter. As one continues through the cave, the remains of cocooned women, completely burnt up by the fire attack Mira set, adorn the walls still.

Three people walk through the shaft, two wearing deep, blood red cloaks, the other wearing a long, black robe. They reach the center of the cave, where the goblins called home. The black robed figure kneels down, finding the severed head of the patriarch goblin. The figure begins to weep as she lifts up the skull of the fallen monster. This figure is a woman, completely hidden in a layer of darkness. She turns to the others with her. With a pale, chalk white hand, she orders them to leave her be. They bow before her, and then rise again. Their skinless, emotionless faces are all that can be seen beneath their red hoods. A faint green light emanates from their vacant eye sockets.

“My poor child. My son…what has happened to you?” The figure cries out to the skull of the vanquished beast. As she weeps, she walks around the cave, finding more goblin remains. She eventually comes to a wall that has human remains next to it. The skeleton is hunched over to the side, legs sprawled. In between the skeleton’s legs sits two mutilated infantile corpses. These are the remains of Ivana, who stood beside Mira till her death came.

“Obviously someone murdered my children…but not this girl.” The figure says as she slowly kneels down, examining the remains.

“I know who did this. Only one person has the legitimate reputation to achieve this…this dreadful feat. Mira the Rus’.” The figure whispers as she slowly stands back up. Holding the progenitor goblin’s skull in her hand, she joins her revenant bodyguards and leaves the morbid scene.

This event goes unnoticed for a short time, till reports reach Romanos. Alarmed, he and Mira investigate, finding only the tracks of the triad that marched through. Unsure of themselves, they return home with a great uneasiness in their hearts. Unbeknownst to them, a great calamity is being birthed to the east. Far beyond the steppes of Ukraine, east beyond the Black Sea and south down to the Caucasus Mountains, there sits a large, imposing structure. It is a gnarled fortress, weathered from centuries of existence. However, this fortress is far from empty. Nestled in the extremely remote mountains that crawl eastward towards the Caspian Sea, figures, wearing blood red cloaks, stand in guard. Deep in the fortresses main tower, plans are being hatched; plans that spell potential doom for Mira and her family.

On an old marble bed, with a black, fluffy pillow, a figure rests, as the sun slowly begins to set. She is on her back. Her skin is perfectly white. Her eyes are a scarlet color. She slowly blinks from time to time, often starring into oblivion. Her hair is long and as black as the finest ebony. She is without clothes, completely naked. She eventually slides off her lofty bed and walks towards the window. Her walk is labored, as she is heavily pregnant. Just at a glance, one would assume she is having twins. Deep grey lines run down the center of her belly, creating a great dividing line. Her belly button sticks out just a bit. It is almost pulled completely flat.

“Guard, come before me.” She calls out.

“Yes, Lady Vashti.” The guard says in a deep, monotone voice as it enters the room. It is a fully complete, naked skeleton. A turquoise hued light glows from the center of the skeleton.

“Did the scouts return with the information yet?” Vashti questions as she leans out the window, her white backside and long black hair is all that the revenant can see.

“Yes. The woman whom you summoned has also arrived.” The skeleton responds.

“Good, bring her here, and have the scouts report before both of us. No need to tell the same information twice.” Vashti says as she turns around, she is about 5 feet tall, possibly 5 feet, 1 inch. The skeleton bows in acceptance of its orders and leaves, closing the door behind it. Vashti then waves her hands in a quick pulling motion. Her massive dresser in the far corner of the room opens and a red thong flies out. Vashti catches it with it, covers her delicate region. Another motion summons long black leggings that are trimmed in white. They are made of a fine, reflective black material. With some minor difficulty, she puts them on. A final motion summons a short, black robe. It is made of the same reflective material as the leggings and also trimmed in white. Inside, a yellow and red checkered pattern provides color. Vashti floats the robe in the air as she slides into it. She ties the red cord at the center with her own hands.

Reaching towards her bed, she grabs too long spikes, each with a white ribbon dangling from the ends. With a spark of green energy from both hands, the spikes fly up into the whirling mass of Vashti’s hair. Within seconds, her hair is perfect and complete. Most of her unnaturally black hair is held up by the spikes. Their ribbons dangle to the sides of her head. Only large tufts hang down, framing her face. Vashti then takes a small makeup container and applies some metallic green power around her eye lips. Now fully dressed, Vashti sits on the bed and awaits her minions and the honored guest. After a few minutes the door opens, several cloaked skeletons and a living female walk in.

“Welcome to my home. I am Vashti, lady of this keep, master of the dead, and mother of monsters.” Vashti says as she holds out both her hands, green flames emitting from her palms.

“I know of you, witch. Everyone east of the Caspian does.” The woman responds.

“Ah, yes, then you surely have no clue why you’re here?” Vashti questions after displaying her powers to a degree.

“Well, since I've made a living off murder for a while now, I can only assume you need me to eliminate someone.” The unknown woman responds again.

“Yessss, I do. The person I am after is extremely powerful.” Vashti begins to divulge her intentions.

“Then why don’t you kill her yourself? Or send one of these monsters after her?” The mysterious woman says pointing to the skeletons.

“I have many children and many slaves, but this woman has great power. I sense that she is not entirely…normal. I also know she has experience with fighting demons, monsters, dragons, and the sort.” Vashti says.

“Then you speak of the Rus’ woman from Kiev. The one, who I hear, is as pregnant as you are.” The woman replies, pointing at Vashti’s heavily swollen belly.

“But you still didn’t answer me. Why don’t you kill her?” The unknown woman asks again.

“I rarely venture out beyond my area. Recently I returned from the Ukrainian steppes and I am quite tired. If you will allow me to elaborate, I will.” Vashti says as she steps off her bed and slowly walks toward her living guest. With each step, Vashti’s feet leave behind green sparks.

“Talk, witch.” She responds.

“Relax child, I do not desire your soul. I need Mira the Rus’ dead. I want revenge. You see, a while ago, I gave birth to my most beloved son. He was hard to control and eventually left the shelter of his mother only to bring chaos to Kiev. In the end though, he was slain by Mira.” Vashti says, with a great agitation in her voice. She slowly circles the unknown woman.

“I want her to suffer; I want her to pay for what she’s done. However, my revenants are not up to the task. Nor can my…other, how shall I say, children, deal with Mira. They do not live long. This is where you come in.” Vashti says, slowly moving closer to the unknown girl.

“Yeah, murder her, I got it.” She replies.

“In your current state, Mira would slice you in half and still have time to read bedtime stories to her daughter.” Vashti retorts with even more agitation.

“My scouts have located her, I will allow them to give you the details, after we solve your lack of ability.” Vashti says, this time with a smile. Her lips are a charcoal black, her teeth as white as her skin.

“Go…on.” The woman responds in hesitation.

“For over eight hundred years I have lived. I have sustained by beauty, my body, and my power through the souls of the dead. You see, eight hundred years of murder have given me a tremendous reserve.” Vashti says as she rubs her belly with both hands. The souls of the dead, slain by her, reside there; imprisoned in her womb.

“I lend out the souls to these corpses you see. They form the core of my slave army. But for more powerful minions, I turn to a living, female surrogate. This is where you come in, but don’t fear, I have something extremely unique for you.” Vashti says in between fits of laughter.

“I will provide you with a powerful soul. You will eclipse Mira. I will also provide you with a few more powerful allies. However, know that they do not live long. So, allow me to empower you, slay Mira, bring me proof, and I will reward you with riches that only someone who’s lived eight hundred years could accumulate.” Vashti finishes.

“Oh that is a very tempting offer. Will I keep the power?” The woman says, this time willingly walking towards Vashti.

“As long as my magic is not tampered with, yes.” Vashti answers.

“I accept.” The unknown woman replies.

“Excellent….we will begin the process in earnest!” Vashti yells out, rising her hands over the woman. A sudden surge of wind bellows out from Vashti, followed by swirling green flames that rap around the woman. The witch’s vile plan has been laid; all that remains is the process.

Description
The happy, peaceful life of Mira and her family continued on. Mira prepared the crib for her soon to be born child. Romanos continued his work with the Kievan militias. Irina maintained the home and worked alongside Mira in many various chores. The children continued their education, mainly under the tutelage of Irina and Romanos. Their new friends, Alwin and Gwen often stopped by to help out with things and to get more acquainted with life in the Rus’ lands.

However, outside the city walls, beyond the forests, rests a scorched mineshaft. Large rocks once blocked the entrance to the shaft. The rocks, laid down by Romanos’s militiamen have been moved, blasted away by an unnatural force. Inside the mineshaft, charred skeletons remain. Some are human, some are monstrous. This was the site of Mira’s great stand against the bursting goblins that terrorized Kiev in the dead of winter. As one continues through the cave, the remains of cocooned women, completely burnt up by the fire attack Mira set, adorn the walls still.

Three people walk through the shaft, two wearing deep, blood red cloaks, the other wearing a long, black robe. They reach the center of the cave, where the goblins called home. The black robed figure kneels down, finding the severed head of the patriarch goblin. The figure begins to weep as she lifts up the skull of the fallen monster. This figure is a woman, completely hidden in a layer of darkness. She turns to the others with her. With a pale, chalk white hand, she orders them to leave her be. They bow before her, and then rise again. Their skinless, emotionless faces are all that can be seen beneath their red hoods. A faint green light emanates from their vacant eye sockets.

“My poor child. My son…what has happened to you?” The figure cries out to the skull of the vanquished beast. As she weeps, she walks around the cave, finding more goblin remains. She eventually comes to a wall that has human remains next to it. The skeleton is hunched over to the side, legs sprawled. In between the skeleton’s legs sits two mutilated infantile corpses. These are the remains of Ivana, who stood beside Mira till her death came.

“Obviously someone murdered my children…but not this girl.” The figure says as she slowly kneels down, examining the remains.

“I know who did this. Only one person has the legitimate reputation to achieve this…this dreadful feat. Mira the Rus’.” The figure whispers as she slowly stands back up. Holding the progenitor goblin’s skull in her hand, she joins her revenant bodyguards and leaves the morbid scene.

This event goes unnoticed for a short time, till reports reach Romanos. Alarmed, he and Mira investigate, finding only the tracks of the triad that marched through. Unsure of themselves, they return home with a great uneasiness in their hearts. Unbeknownst to them, a great calamity is being birthed to the east. Far beyond the steppes of Ukraine, east beyond the Black Sea and south down to the Caucasus Mountains, there sits a large, imposing structure. It is a gnarled fortress, weathered from centuries of existence. However, this fortress is far from empty. Nestled in the extremely remote mountains that crawl eastward towards the Caspian Sea, figures, wearing blood red cloaks, stand in guard. Deep in the fortresses main tower, plans are being hatched; plans that spell potential doom for Mira and her family.

On an old marble bed, with a black, fluffy pillow, a figure rests, as the sun slowly begins to set. She is on her back. Her skin is perfectly white. Her eyes are a scarlet color. She slowly blinks from time to time, often starring into oblivion. Her hair is long and as black as the finest ebony. She is without clothes, completely naked. She eventually slides off her lofty bed and walks towards the window. Her walk is labored, as she is heavily pregnant. Just at a glance, one would assume she is having twins. Deep grey lines run down the center of her belly, creating a great dividing line. Her belly button sticks out just a bit. It is almost pulled completely flat.

“Guard, come before me.” She calls out.

“Yes, Lady Vashti.” The guard says in a deep, monotone voice as it enters the room. It is a fully complete, naked skeleton. A turquoise hued light glows from the center of the skeleton.

“Did the scouts return with the information yet?” Vashti questions as she leans out the window, her white backside and long black hair is all that the revenant can see.

“Yes. The woman whom you summoned has also arrived.” The skeleton responds.

“Good, bring her here, and have the scouts report before both of us. No need to tell the same information twice.” Vashti says as she turns around, she is about 5 feet tall, possibly 5 feet, 1 inch. The skeleton bows in acceptance of its orders and leaves, closing the door behind it. Vashti then waves her hands in a quick pulling motion. Her massive dresser in the far corner of the room opens and a red thong flies out. Vashti catches it with it, covers her delicate region. Another motion summons long black leggings that are trimmed in white. They are made of a fine, reflective black material. With some minor difficulty, she puts them on. A final motion summons a short, black robe. It is made of the same reflective material as the leggings and also trimmed in white. Inside, a yellow and red checkered pattern provides color. Vashti floats the robe in the air as she slides into it. She ties the red cord at the center with her own hands.

Reaching towards her bed, she grabs too long spikes, each with a white ribbon dangling from the ends. With a spark of green energy from both hands, the spikes fly up into the whirling mass of Vashti’s hair. Within seconds, her hair is perfect and complete. Most of her unnaturally black hair is held up by the spikes. Their ribbons dangle to the sides of her head. Only large tufts hang down, framing her face. Vashti then takes a small makeup container and applies some metallic green power around her eye lips. Now fully dressed, Vashti sits on the bed and awaits her minions and the honored guest. After a few minutes the door opens, several cloaked skeletons and a living female walk in.

“Welcome to my home. I am Vashti, lady of this keep, master of the dead, and mother of monsters.” Vashti says as she holds out both her hands, green flames emitting from her palms.

“I know of you, witch. Everyone east of the Caspian does.” The woman responds.

“Ah, yes, then you surely have no clue why you’re here?” Vashti questions after displaying her powers to a degree.

“Well, since I've made a living off murder for a while now, I can only assume you need me to eliminate someone.” The unknown woman responds again.

“Yessss, I do. The person I am after is extremely powerful.” Vashti begins to divulge her intentions.

“Then why don’t you kill her yourself? Or send one of these monsters after her?” The mysterious woman says pointing to the skeletons.

“I have many children and many slaves, but this woman has great power. I sense that she is not entirely…normal. I also know she has experience with fighting demons, monsters, dragons, and the sort.” Vashti says.

“Then you speak of the Rus’ woman from Kiev. The one, who I hear, is as pregnant as you are.” The woman replies, pointing at Vashti’s heavily swollen belly.

“But you still didn’t answer me. Why don’t you kill her?” The unknown woman asks again.

“I rarely venture out beyond my area. Recently I returned from the Ukrainian steppes and I am quite tired. If you will allow me to elaborate, I will.” Vashti says as she steps off her bed and slowly walks toward her living guest. With each step, Vashti’s feet leave behind green sparks.

“Talk, witch.” She responds.

“Relax child, I do not desire your soul. I need Mira the Rus’ dead. I want revenge. You see, a while ago, I gave birth to my most beloved son. He was hard to control and eventually left the shelter of his mother only to bring chaos to Kiev. In the end though, he was slain by Mira.” Vashti says, with a great agitation in her voice. She slowly circles the unknown woman.

“I want her to suffer; I want her to pay for what she’s done. However, my revenants are not up to the task. Nor can my…other, how shall I say, children, deal with Mira. They do not live long. This is where you come in.” Vashti says, slowly moving closer to the unknown girl.

“Yeah, murder her, I got it.” She replies.

“In your current state, Mira would slice you in half and still have time to read bedtime stories to her daughter.” Vashti retorts with even more agitation.

“My scouts have located her, I will allow them to give you the details, after we solve your lack of ability.” Vashti says, this time with a smile. Her lips are a charcoal black, her teeth as white as her skin.

“Go…on.” The woman responds in hesitation.

“For over eight hundred years I have lived. I have sustained by beauty, my body, and my power through the souls of the dead. You see, eight hundred years of murder have given me a tremendous reserve.” Vashti says as she rubs her belly with both hands. The souls of the dead, slain by her, reside there; imprisoned in her womb.

“I lend out the souls to these corpses you see. They form the core of my slave army. But for more powerful minions, I turn to a living, female surrogate. This is where you come in, but don’t fear, I have something extremely unique for you.” Vashti says in between fits of laughter.

“I will provide you with a powerful soul. You will eclipse Mira. I will also provide you with a few more powerful allies. However, know that they do not live long. So, allow me to empower you, slay Mira, bring me proof, and I will reward you with riches that only someone who’s lived eight hundred years could accumulate.” Vashti finishes.

“Oh that is a very tempting offer. Will I keep the power?” The woman says, this time willingly walking towards Vashti.

“As long as my magic is not tampered with, yes.” Vashti answers.

“I accept.” The unknown woman replies.

“Excellent….we will begin the process in earnest!” Vashti yells out, rising her hands over the woman. A sudden surge of wind bellows out from Vashti, followed by swirling green flames that rap around the woman. The witch’s vile plan has been laid; all that remains is the process.