Chương 3: Introducing The Sins

"Lady Shadowspill, I have gathered all of the important actors as you've asked." Elise looked at the kneeling Rela and grinned. She waved her hand and took a seat at the largest seat in the room. It was yet another throne, much like the one before, but a bit less grandiose. The table itself was black and sharp around the edges, but the center of it was red with a black bat's head and wings with nine little black circles surrounding it. My insignia.

The queen placed her elbows on the table and propped her head up with the back of her hands. She looked around the room towards her silent members. Including Rela, eight of the nine important NPCs showed up. Ampherea, The Dragoness of Gluttony. Sparks of lightning flickered to life around her humanoid body. Scales gripped her forearms in this form, two horns sprouting from her head, and a lizard tail swayed behind her chair. Atlus, The Lich King of Vanity.

The skeleton stared at his reflection in a golden-trimmed mirror. The white robes clinging to his body showed the same emblem on the table, but the circles were golden. It was similar to his holy magic. Victoria, The Werewolf of Wrath. She chomped down hard into a piece of bone, shattering it. Her red eyes glowed, and she gritted her canines. In her humanoid form, there was only a pair of wolf ears on her head, canines, and the signature furry tail behind her.

She wrinkled her nose and glanced beside her to one of the demon twins. Luscious, The Demon of Lust. He was the first demon twin and quite similar to an incubus. His skin was red, and two black horns curved from the top of his skull. A red tail protruded from his back. However, his clothes betrayed him as a warlock. One who'd trick his prey by charming them into the forest. He looked at his twin sister with a smile. Ava'Koz, The Demon of Greed. Though, she was quite unlike her twin brother.

Despite being twins, she'd had a more eldritch look. Tendrils protruded from her head like bits of hair. On her face, there were two purple irises with a slit black pupil. Those eyes radiated a desire for all the knowledge in the universe. Lenore, The Fallen Angel of Melancholy. She looked down at the table with a blank expression. Her deep black eyes, echoed the color of her wings behind her. The once glorious paladin armor was stained as her heart with a sadness that wandered into the atmosphere around her.

Tyralith, The Elf of Pride. She wore a witch's hat and a witch's garb. The tattered dark blue robes clung to her form, mirroring the color of her eyes. Behind those blue orbs held the wisdom and knowledge of infinite magic. They were spells that no mortal should have been allowed to touch. And I suppose Sloth is not with us. Quite fitting that Bisque would hold down the fort. That was the doll's purpose, after all." Wonderful," Elise said after observing her followers.

"This was truly beyond anything I could have imagined." Indeed, she could tell that they were much more lively than their counterparts in the game. Though, no matter how strong the nine are, they can never rival the tenth.

"Elise Shadowspill, The Sanguine Queen of Death." She spoke her moniker as if it was something new. The subordinates all around her stopped and stared when she said her name. They looked at her with a mix of confusion and excitement that she would speak. It rolls off the tongue. Let's see, who would be good to investigate our surroundings? I suppose Rela and I could go out.

"Rela, I intend to delegate some tasks to everyone. You will go with me outside, and we'll see if anything's changed. Ava'Koz will go with Luscious to check our stockpiles in the lower floors. Tyralith will check all of the glyphs around the castle to make sure the magic is still intact. The rest of you can adjourn until you're needed." Atlus's bones rattled, and he turned to face the queen, his golden orbs glowing in his eye sockets.

"Your Majesty, can you permit me to delegate the rest of the tasks? There are also scrolls I must see to."

"Very well," Elise said before looking around at the rest of the members.

"Will that be all?" The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. After no one said anything, the queen nodded and stood. Rela followed after her into the hallway. Commanding them felt so natural. I just said the first thing that came to mind. Though, I was kind of winging it. Everything feels so strange. Did I transport into an alternate version of the game world?

"Lady Shadow," Rela said as they entered the hallway, "is something wrong?" Elise shook her head, continuing down the hall and down a flight of stairs. Two large doors made up the entryway of the castle on the first floor. She placed her fingers against the heavy doors and looked back towards the vampiric maid.

"No, in fact, everything is perfect. I feel amazing right now, so there is no need to worry." Indeed, I feel splendid, absolutely wonderful. I'd always imagined a scenario like this happening. To think, all it took was me dying at a gas station. Let's see if the outside is the same as the game. She pushed the doors open, a cool breeze brushing against her body. The air of the night ruffled against her robes and the skin of her neck. Though, her body lacked the capacity to feel cold.

If anything, cold was where she belonged. However, her eyes widened when she took in the sight.

"This isn't right."

"My Lady, where are we?" Elise shared the same look of surprise as her subordinate as the both of them gazed into unfamiliar surroundings. I guess she didn't expect this either. In the game world, her castle rested at the edge of a tall cliff and overlooked a deep source of water. It was an ominous lake. Now? It was completely different. They were shrouded within a mysterious forest. Withered trees surrounded them on all sides, and the old courtyard was replaced by an ancient looking grave site.

Elise narrowed her eyes at the fencing surrounding the place. It was desecrated much like the forest around them. The pieces of black metal surrounding the gravestones had bits of it falling apart. Rela grumbled.

"How very unsightly, Lady Shadow. How did our glorious castle end up here?" The Sanguine Queen placed a finger on her cheek and considered it. I guess it wasn't only me that got transported. It was our entire castle and all of those in it. Come to think of it, I didn't hear the usual calling of waves from that game's lake when I was walking the halls. Just what is going on? Elise walked into the graveyard and placed her hand on a stone, wiping away the dust and showing the name below. Maketh Oolathil?

"Most interesting... I am going to take a look from above? Care to join me?"

"Of course, My Lady." I hope I can still intuit this. She closed her eyes and felt the magic source calling to her in the core of her body. After a mere moment, grand black bat wings sprouted from her back. The magic within her robes created two small slits in the same moment, allowing the wings to unfurl freely. She flapped her wings and took to the air, Rela following after her. Elise took herself high above mostly withered trees.

The forest around them was nothing compared to the ornate castle now sprouting like a sore thumb. Its tall black spires stood as a testament to her nature of death and shadows. Even the rising city in the distance was nothing compared to her home. At least, I maintained that. The stars twinkled at night, and all around her was an unfamiliar world. She could feel so much more when she spread her senses. Beneath her in the forest, monsters hid within the shadows, but none of them dared to come near her castle.

In fact, it seemed like all of the wildlife avoided that area in particular. Even the mountain ranges off in the distance were far away as if to avoid this place. A grin spread across the queen's face.

"It's almost perfect. Our arrival into this place will likely spread great change across the land." Though, maybe the change within her was even quicker. It was a bit odd that she'd taken her role so quickly. She shook her head and looked towards her maid.

"What do you think?"

"The land is not nearly as gorgeous as our previous home, and I am a bit worried about whatever magic got us here. Did you have something to do with that, My Lady?" Elise sighed and decided to try and assuage the maid's worry.

"I might have had something to do with it." Rela's eyes widened, but she smiled after a second and bowed while flapping her wings.

"It is just as I thought. You would have never let someone else drag us to some unfamiliar place. What are you scheming, Lady Shadow?"

"I cannot divulge all of my plans at this moment. The fact that we are here should be enough for you, should it not? As the patron of death, I control all life in these lands. The reaper has come and arrived exactly when she was meant to."

"Forgive me, My Lady. You are right... It is my avaricious heart that made me want to know so desperately. If your machinations shall stay hidden, I will honor that." Elise smiled.

"Well, it is not like I won't let you in on some of my plans." She pointed a finger towards the distant city.

"I am sure we will have lots of fun along the way." Though, none of this is like the game at all. I don't even recognize this as an area in the game. I should still assume I am a high level threat. Otherwise, there would not be monsters hiding in their burrows. Also, that distant city does not give me any inkling of power. Her shadow spread across the land, and it returned nothing of note. There were no significantly high leveled monsters. In fact, the biggest targets were those within her castle.

And within the distant city? They were even more pathetic than the monsters around them. Even so, I would like to see it with my own eyes. I need to walk the streets and plant myself among them. A lady of shadows should operate within them.

"Rela, it is time for a quest. Have Bisque ready our defenses. We're gonna have a little outing."