Amazon Apocalypse 2: Chapter 55

Bridget, Sakura, and I returned to my farmhouse early the following morning. Sharky had kept the predators at bay, but I didn't want to push our luck. The militia already had their hands full dealing with all the new people I'd brought in, so if there was an incident, they'd be understaffed manning the walls.

So we returned home. Just in time, too.

The timeline I'd given Margaret to maintain the peace hadn't been a number I’d pulled out of my ass. It was the length of time I expected to spend on Themyscira. This time, instead of sending goods over, I would step onto the teleportation array myself.

Sakura explained the system she had set up with Myrina and Misa. "The teleports happen every eight hours at regular intervals. The days on Themyscira don't quite line up with ours, but they're close enough. I sent Myrina and Misa a battery powered clock to make sure they knew when to use a portal. They're still working with that orc woman I almost attacked."

"Foolishly, I might add,” I said as I poked Sakura in the arm. “And her name is Thulga."

Sakura blushed. "I can't help it. Blame Oni physiology."

I chuckled. "I know, Sakura. And I don't think you're any less smart than you were before your transformation. Now you’re just... special."

Sakura looked at me sharply. "That's a nice way of saying dumb. Next thing I know, you’ll be saying ‘bless her heart’ every time you mention my name."

I chuckled. "Well, I mean it in the way it's intended. Now, how long until I'm teleported out of here?"

Sakura picked up a clock she'd strategically positioned beside the teleportation array. "About thirty seconds. Safe journey's, Carter. We'll be coming through right after you. The Teleportation Array can only handle so many bags of holding at once, and we're hauling a lot of goods through with us.”

A flash of light later and a bit of waiting around and I found myself standing in a small, unfamiliar building. I was surprised I'd ended up here instead of the usual location in the capital city.

"Surprised to see me?" Thulga asked, hands on her hips and a grin on her green face. "Your two friends made me an offer too good to refuse. I'm your private teleporter for the month. I don't know what you people are up to, but it's going to buy me a condo in the capital. You know how much those things go for?"

She must have mistaken my look of surprise for confusion, because a moment later she scratched her head awkwardly. "Right, I forgot... you're from a newly integrated world. You probably don't know what a condo is."

I chuckled. "You'd be surprised, Thulga. My homeworld had a lot of condos before the integration. And those in the big city were quite expensive, too."

Thulga's eyebrows rose when she realized I'd remembered her name. I doubt many high-profile clients with a lot of money to spend remembered her name. I was pleased to change that.

Thulga seemed like a down-to-earth woman with goals and a plan for the future. I liked that in a woman. If I was still the man I'd been before the integration, I might have tried to get to know her better.

"Carter! You're back!" Myrina said, jumping over to wrap her arms around me. She practically dragged me off the Teleportation Array."

"Two more coming through after me," I told Thulga.

She nodded as I cleared the platform to make way for Sakura and Bridget—or rather, I was cleared from the platform. Once I got Myrina to put me down and caught my breath, I got a good look around at my new surroundings. I found a window and looked outside.

With a start, I realized we were already in Valkyrie's Watch. "You guys set up a Teleportation Array in the city?" I asked.

Myrina nodded. "Yep! I found one of the properties my family owns that wasn't in use. It was originally a weapon enchanter’s shop, but after the Shadefall Clan pulled out, the place was left empty.”

She beamed at me. “I went to the capital and rented a whole Teleportation Array system, had it installed, and then hired Thulga here to operate it! It's helped streamline our operations… and keeps them discrete. Plus, this building is right next to the official teleportation center, so anyone who can sense an incoming teleportation will just think it's business as usual!"

"Very clever, Myrina." I gave her a grin and a side-hug with one arm, though I was really tempted to give her a pat on the head.

She was shorter than usual today because I was now taller than her—for once. She must have done that Amazonian thing where she compressed her body mass, storing it up for when she needed it.

"So, don't leave me hanging. What are the numbers? How are we doing?" I asked Myrina.

"Uh... there are numbers. And they do exist," Myrina looked around a little guilty.

Misa cleared her throat to get my attention. "I've been keeping track of our sales figures, Carter. I have them all here, if you want to look them over.

Myrina sighed with relief at the aid and snatched Misa's notebook from her hands. "See! We did good, right? Tell me we did good. At least, I'm hoping we did good..." Myrina twirled her hair with a finger, nervous smile on her face.

I looked through Misa's notes. "Looks like the Mana Bomb price is dropping..."

"Crap! Misa, we need to—" Myrina started to say.

I held up a hand. "Don't worry, Myrina. I expected this. With the number of Mana Bombs we've been shipping over, they aren't exactly rare anymore. I figured the price would have plummeted already, but your family is still buying a lot of them..."

"So... are you proud?" Myrina's voice was full of hope.

I chuckled. "Yes, Myrina. You are a good business partner."

Myrina thrust both fists in the air in victory.

"Just make sure you keep Misa on staff," I said and then chuckled.

I'd seen Myrina's handwriting when rummaging through her desk for a scrap of paper. The elegant hand that had penned these notes definitely didn't belong to the Amazonian War Chief.

"Oh, well, would you look at that… the Mana Swords are a real hit," I muttered with surprise.

"They are," Misa replied. "The Samhain Clan has been arming their rank and file with them. We rarely see so many enchanted weapons made to the exact same specifications. While the enchantments on them aren't powerful, the fact that they're all exactly the same is valuable in its own right. It means a warrior can pick up any of them and instantly wield it with familiarity."

I nodded. Standardization was a thing with most Earth militaries for a reason. The Roman Empire had figured out the value of establishing factories to crank out arms and armor of the same general design, and the idea had stuck around ever since on Earth. That didn’t seem to be the case across the Arcadia Multiverse, though.

"I take it the Samhain Clan is outfitting their guards with these things?" I asked.

"And the family, too!" Myrina smiled, patting her hip. "Mother bought me and Cyra one." One of my Mana Swords was hanging from her hip. She wore her regular sword too, but the Mana Sword was new.

"Well, you'll both be glad to know that I brought a whole lot more with me. Sakura and Bridget have even more on them, and they’ll be coming through in a moment." I tossed Misa my spare bag of holding.

She immediately peeked inside it.

Thulga brought Bridget and Sakura over, and we soon parted ways with Misa as she ran off to sell this latest batch of goods. We chatted a bit about what had happened on Earth, much to Myrina's joy. She clapped her hands together when I told her about my fight with Cromwell and how killing him and destroying his organization had been surprisingly easy.

"That's amazing, Carter! Did you step on his head afterwards, raise your sword in the air and loudly proclaim your victory? That's what I would have done," Myrina grinned from ear to ear.

I chuckled. "My Corrupting Marks made him explode. There was no head left to step on. But I think people got the message loud and clear. I didn't proclaim my victory by shouting it, we broadcast it on the radio."

"Well, if the rest of his organization is smart, they'll join you. If they're not, you can behead them all," Myrina cheered with a manic grin.

I sighed. "So, in your experienced opinion, I should crush the remaining two? Knuckles and Ceasar are the last two of the group formerly known as the Three Kings."

Myrina wrapped her arm around mine. "Yeah. It’s often best to wipe everybody out and ask questions later. And then hope the dust settles in your favor. And if it doesn't, you wipe out whatever new hostile organizations form and hope things come out better that time. Rinse and repeat as many times as needed! Great-Grandma told me that's the Samhain Way!"

I wasn't really sure that was something to be proud of, but Myrina seemed to be happy with it.

"So what are we up to today? Quests for your family? Hunting down monsters to clear the roads? Weapon training?" Bridget asked. She snuck her arm around my other elbow—the one Myrina wasn't already holding.

"Actually, my family has something of a feast planned. It's to celebrate our victories so far, regroup, and then unite our forces with those of several of the Elders. They're all coming to Valkyrie's Watch. Mother is rallying the troops for a big push that will deal a decisive blow to the Shadefall Clan's supply lines. Done right, it should be a turning point in the rebellion and help us finally bring an end to the war," Myrina explained.

My eyebrows lifted. "The Elders will be there?"

Myrina shifted nervously. "Yeah, they will. If... if you can impress them, it would mean a lot."

"Then it looks like we're going to a feast. And after that, a battle!" I chuckled.

"Great!" Myrina smiled at me. "I've already taken the liberty of signing Sakura and Bridget up as mercenaries. You'll all be in my platoon, along with a few others."

Myrina turned to Sakura and Bridget. "I hope the two of you can hold your ale, because a night of drinking before battle is an Amazonian tradition!"

I made a mental note to pick up a few more of those hangover removal potions Kyrina had given me. Sakura and Bridget were going to need them.

***

For the first time, the walls of the Samhain family castle didn't seem empty. There were ten figures up on the walls, and four more guards at the gates. While still not manned to their maximum capacity, the place at least had the look of a guarded fortification.

"Carter and my two new mercenaries!" Myrina jerked her thumb back at the three of us.

"Please remember to behave yourselves as guests of the Samhain Clan," the guard said, looking at Bridget and Sakura as she did so. "While we treat our mercenaries generously, we will not stand for too much drunken foolishness."

"Understood," Sakura replied.

Bridget nodded.

The guard eyed Sakura's horn. "You're an Oni, correct? Just remember that headbutting contests with non-Oni that end in death will result in manslaughter charges. You've been warned."

"Uh... also understood." Sakura's cheeks flushed.

After that, Myrina led us into the castle. The guest chambers were full, so Bridget and Sakura were officially given bunks in the barracks. The place was crowded as, for once, the halls were full.

I took a peek inside the barracks and saw bunk beds assembled in neat rows in a space the size of a gymnasium. This wasn't the only barracks, either. Only half the beds appeared to be in use, but it looked like the Samhain Clan had room for an entire army to bunk in the castle. They really were marching to war.

There had to be at least a thousand beds. That was quite a large force for any society based on a feudal level of technology and farming practices. I wondered if they’d figured out crop rotation.

Bridget and Sakura pretended to settle in, but before long we all headed upstairs to Myrina's room and got comfy there.

"Carter gets his own miniature apartment and we're supposed to sleep in some barracks?" Bridget shook her head.

"Hmfffph. I really thought you'd be sharing your bed with us," Sakura told me with her arms crossed and a scowl on her face.

Myrina smirked. "Well, if you insist… sure. The two of you can sleep in Carter's room and Carter can share my bed over here."

Before the three women could start a fight, I interrupted. "Alright, is there anything in particular we should know for this little family feast of yours? If I'd known we were going to an event, I would have brought something nicer to wear."

"It's not some fancy ball like you might find on other worlds, Carter. It's a family gathering. My mother and the Elders will be drawing up battle plans. Everybody else is going to be drinking up a storm and building bonds of comradery with their new allies. There will be a lot of warriors from the Elder's cities present tonight."

The feast was much as I'd remembered it last time, only a little more extravagant. Where before there'd been a roast boar of roughly normal proportions, this time the boar being roasted was the size of a truck, and it had wings. Whatever I was looking at had been powerful. Even roasted and skewered it looked intimidating.

"Mother caught that herself," Myrina explained. "It's a level 110 Flying Sky Pig. She's had it in a bag of holding for a year under time dilation, and just waiting for a feast like this to bring it out."

I let out a low whistle. "Level 110? That's C-Grade."

Myrina picked us a few seats, a bit further back than where we'd sat before. We grabbed our trestles, some food and took a seat—which looked to be what everyone else was doing, too. Unlike last time, though, this time everyone was waiting to eat.

Myrina pointed out the people I was most curious about. The Elders.

I'd heard a lot about them—most of it about how they were the reason Myrina and I couldn't pursue anything romantic, even if we got her mother's blessing.

"That's Elder Caelia." Myrina pointed to a caramel-skinned woman with a small, lean build.

She looked tiny amidst the towering Amazonians, but people kept a wide berth around her clear wherever she walked. There was something sharp about her gaze, and the many tattoos covering her skin seemed to shift from one moment to the next—though I could never catch them actually moving. She had two short swords, one on each hip. Both had handles polished until they shone from many years of use.

"Behind her is Elder Thalassa. She's an archer," Myrina explained.

This woman appeared to be much older, with streaks of black in her gray hair instead of the other way around. Despite her age, she stood straight and walked without hindrance. Honestly, she seemed as fit as any woman here. Her skin had a slight blue tinge to it, so she likely came from whatever region of this world boasted that complexion.

"Elder Elara's over there." Myrina gestured to another woman.

Whereas Caelia and Thalassa were on the smaller side, Elara would have made Cyra look tiny. She was a towering behemoth of a woman with legs like tree trunks. She had to duck to avoid hitting her head on the door frame, despite the entire castle already being built to Amazonian proportions.

She seemed like the sort of woman who could hold an entire battle line on her own. She had red hair of such a faded color that it almost looked pink and tan skin with almond eyes. Elara seemed not to have strong blood ties to the Samhain Clan—since her shade of hair and facial features seemed rather foreign.

"None of the Elders are from the main family?" I asked, suddenly curious.

Myrina shook her head. "I know some clans do it that way, but honestly the Samhain Clan has never had the numbers for that sort of thing. Most of my aunts and older sisters ended up marrying outside of the family. So, instead of coming from the main branch of our family, the Elders are essentially the matriarchs of the vassal families under our rule."

As I had suspected, the Samhain Clan was set up like a small kingdom. Myrina’s family were royalty, but there were other important nobles beneath them. And each of those nobles had their own cities and domains to manage. They brought troops and resources to bear when the Samhain Clan called for them.

They formed the backbone of the Samhain Clan's martial class, and apparently their approval would make or break the future Myrina was hoping for. I could tell by the tension in her shoulders that Myrina was worried about what the Elders might think.

"Relax, Myrina." I brushed the backs of my fingers down her cheek.

"This is important, Carter. I'm going to introduce you to them later, and then you can impress them with a good showing on the battlefield. If they aren't impressed..." Myrina's voice trailed off.

I chuckled. "You worry too much. If they're not impressed, then… so what?"

"Then... then..." Myrina stuttered.

"Then we wait until I'm level 100. And you are, too. Things are going well for me on Earth. And they are going even better for me here, on Themyscira. We've got a good thing going right now. I don't know about you, but I'm not in a rush to rock the boat."

I gave her a shrug. Myrina was eager to force her family to declare our relationship official. Not me, though.

If her family didn't approve of me, so what? Earth hadn't integrated all that long ago and I was already powerful. More than that, Crownhill itself was progressing steadily, with more unique resources being revealed with each passing day.

In a few years, I might be able to stand against the Samhain Clan as a peer in wealth and power. And if I surpassed them in power? Well, her family would have to respect her decision to join me then—whether they approved of our relationship, or not.

Ideally, though, I'd build a power base of my own strong enough to win the Samhain Clan's favor when everything aligned. Meeting with the Elders now had not been in my plans, but Myrina was eager to get this done—right here and right now.

"Welcome one and all to Valkyrie's Watch!" Kyrina Samhain, Myrina and Cyra's mother, began. "I see some faces I recognize, and some new friends I don't. I don't want any strangers in my warband after tonight! Drink and be merry!"

I raised my cup alongside Myrina and everybody else, though I’d made sure mine was filled with water this time.

"To our impending victory!" Myrina yelled, and several others followed suit.

I winced. I could already tell this was going to be a long night.