Daily Short: Eve 09

ACT 963161069-26889.23.(M4.D10)-Eve-Smith-Silver Prime

Eve teleported down from the magic carpet with her captives. She surveyed the battlefield, the air heavy with the acrid smell of smoke and the metallic tang of blood. No feeling of nausea reached her as Witch’s Dust filtered out the almost complete stench. Not that Crystal Core would have allowed it to affect her anyway. The battle had been fierce, but Charlotte and her companions had emerged victorious. As she looked around at the fallen bodies of the enemies, Eve could help but feel nothing. She was a witch, after all, and apes had more in common with humans than she did now. Fertilizer. That’s all I see, not people with hopes and dreams. The coping mechanism of my military years made manifest in a magical solution.

But before she could dwell too much on the twists and turns, she heard a voice behind her.

"Eve back from the dimensional dead.”

Eve turned to see Ralph, the butler she had met at the mansion years ago, approaching her. He was accompanied by two elven females a half-step behind him. She smiled in recognition, unsurprised to see him here on the battlefield. Charlotte wouldn’t be without her butler, even in a hellscape.

"Ralph, did you manage to integrate the Element of Earth fully?" she asked. The pits, walls, and spikes that had kept the enemies at bay till she arrived were neatly managed.

Ralph shrugged. "I have been serving as a combat lord on the battlefield, madam," he said, his voice steady and calm. "It was challenging, considering that I arrived in a box. A very hard-to-open box." Both elves giggled, causing Eve to raise one eyebrow. Ralph was clearly annoyed with the manner of transport.  I set the box to open after exposure to the atmosphere for a day.

"Well, actually," Eve said, "I was just testing the transport method. Congratulations, you survived!”

"Survived.” Ralph nodded, his expression serious. "What better way to test than with a still-living butler? I should return the favor."

Eve looked on as spikes punched out of the earth around her. “Oh, scary! Ladies, step back.” Both contracted prisoners immediately moved several meters away from her body.

The stone spikes hit the shield of Witch’s Dust and promptly fell to pieces. Only the slight widening of Ralph’s eyes betrayed his shock. “Was there more? Tell me there was more! Surely that wasn’t all the pent-up frustration you had?” Eve said with a smirk.

Both of the elven women’s giggles grew louder.

Ralph’s expression set into a smooth blank mask. Eve grinned and said with a cocky tone straight from an old western, “Take your best shot, butler.”

The earth opened beneath her feet to swallow her whole, but Eve stood undaunted on solidified space. Spikes, pebbles, and columns attacked her from every side to no avail. Witch’s Dustdisassembled every element attack consuming the mana within. Where only a small portion had been shielding her form, soon, a massive cloud began forming above her head.

Eve yawned and said, “Weak. How can I trust Charlotte’s safety to you?” Ralph didn’t betray any emotion on his face, but suddenly the Earth Element flooded into the surroundings. Multiple clay hands rose from each side, sealing her into a lightless prison. There was far too much mana for her shield to break out easily. That wasn’t a problem, though, because the cloud above her head was quite thick with stolen power now. She grinned as the Witch’s Dust outside the clay seal flexed, breaking the prison.

“Tier Four, impressive,” Eve said as waning daylight bathed her form again. "However, Tier Four is barely half the battle."

A silver transparent cube crafted of Witch’s Dust locked into place around Ralph and the two elven women. Eve waved at Ralph as runes scribed themselves onto the cube. She ignored the frantic shouting from the butler as, with a single hand gesture Eve compressed the cube into a silver coffin box.

“That’s rather vindictive.” Celene, the Elemental Lady of Water, said as she returned to stand near Eve.

“From the expression on the faces of those two elves, I doubt he’ll be in pain.” Savone, the Elemental Lady of Wind, replied as she, too, moved back by Eve.

Eve shrugged before shifting all three of them to Charlotte’s side.

Charlotte chuckled, a twinkle in her eye as they appeared nearby. "It takes a certain kind of bravery to be a butler, you know. Dealing with the whims and eccentricities of the wealthy is no easy feat."

“Noble girls are the worst, I bet,” Eve said with a smirk. “These two are some servants I picked up to help Ralph be a better gardener.”

“I’m trading down, I see,” Charlotte said, gesturing at Bennie and Iantha.

Eve laughed, feeling a sense of ease and comfort in Charlotte’s presence. As they made their way off the battlefield, she enjoyed the relaxation of returning to the Zienfer Duchy. In a world filled with darkness and chaos, finding someone who could bring a little light into your life was a rare and precious thing, even if they were a cold, calculating piece of work.

As they walked away from the battlefield, Eve, Bennie, Charlotte, and Iantha talked about the future. Eve shared her plans to travel within the Prison Plane to study and learn more about her craft and develop her abilities further. Iantha listened intently, her eyes bright with interest. Bennie didn’t appear interested in the least, though. Charlotte looked slightly saddened.

"And what about you, Bennie?" Eve asked. "What are your plans for the future?"

Bennie paused for a moment, considering her answer. "I would like to stay in this world serving Charlotte’s family,” she said.

Eve sighed, "Why?" Going native isn’t a new thing.

Bennie said, “I would rather be the head of a chicken than the tail of a phoenix.” Eve looked for a long moment at her High Priestess before shrugging. “If that’s what you want.”

Bennie bowed deeply. "The honor has been mine, mistress," she said. "I have learned much from you today." The high priestess hurriedly accompanied Charlotte as they moved off to finish mopping up the battlefield.

“Did you know?” Eve asked Iantha after the two were distant.

“I suspected,” Iantha said. “Ralph and Bennie have grown quite close raising their daughter, Charlotte, after all.”

“Ugh. How cruel! What does everyone see in that old fossil?” Eve complained. She used Spatial Steps to place both of them into the Zienfer Castle. A startled maid took one look at them before relaxing. It was clear Iantha was well-known and respected among the staff.

"What have you been up to, Iantha?" Eve asked, settling into an armchair that had probably seated many essential people in the past.

Iantha smiled, a twinkle in her eye. "Oh, nothing too exciting, Overlady Eve," she said with a touch of sarcasm. "Just trying to keep everyone alive from one disaster to the next."

Eve nodded, impressed by Iantha's dedication to her work. "Well, you've certainly succeeded," she said, looking around the room. “As you may have noticed, I returned at full power.”

“It did catch my attention, yes,” Iantha replied. “I’m assuming it had something to do with the lengthy years-long delay?”

“Correct. I found out how to keep the power gained from another world.” Eve said with a grin. “It was a bit of work, but I managed to get a very excellent benefit.”

As they talked and caught up on old times, Eve couldn't help but feel a sense of peace from the friendship she had found in Iantha. The older woman didn’t really care about much since she had seen it all, quite literally. Relationships like this make Kudzu’s presence as an ally crucial. I cannot allow those I acknowledge to be stolen by time’s touch.