Polynya

A door at the far end of the room swings open and two male attendants walk out, their necks elongated by metal rings and their nude bodies covered in white paint.

They take their places on either side of the throne, and as they do, their legs widen and they suddenly begin to shrivel and shrink. They form two cylindrical tables, and as the tables harden, their colors morph from white to gray and finally settle on a shade of Charleston green.

Two attendants, these two female with robes that stretch several meters behind their bodies, walk out with their hands beneath lush cushions. Sitting on the cushions are two small griffins, both fast asleep.

“Ah, how cute,” Hiccup says, breaking his silence.

Zaena glances over her shoulder at him and he snaps his mouth shut.

The two sleeping baby griffins are led to the cylindrical tables and are placed on top. The two attendants carrying them roll their heads back and melt into the floor, adding to the golden roots of the tree.

As if she had been sitting there all along, Empress Thun is suddenly on her throne, in evening wear that is neither revealing nor modest. The white makeup normally on her face is gone and her hair is relaxed, pulled into a tight turban.

She lifts a single hand.

“Down we go, Mitherfickers.” Hiccup prostrates before her, grumbling about the pain in his back as he does so. “Yoy,” he whispers as he gets into a full blown child’s pose. “Mother of fick, this hurts! Marbles, get your ass down here!”

“Um … ” Ryuk drops to his knees and extends his hands in front of him. FeeTwix does the same and Ryuk turns his head to see Zaena still standing. I guess this only applies to commoners and regular NPCs, he thinks as he watches the Thulean princess.

Standing before him now, Empress Thun places the sole of her foot to the back of his head.

As she digs her foot in, Ryuk feels an overwhelming sense of calm spread through him. This is followed by a tingling sensation, and by the time she leaves, all the hairs on his arms and the back of his neck are standing to attention.

Level up! +10 LUCK! New skill learned!

Having never actually met Empress Thun before, Ryuk is unaccustomed to the ritual associated with the monarch of all of Tritania. The only entity more powerful is the Sage of Gotha, and while the Thuleans in the north are allowed to have their own royal system, the Empress still holds some sway over them.

New skill? He waits for her to move on to Hiccup before he checks the prompt.

Skill: Knights in White Satin

Level One: Call upon the Empress’ guard to aid you in a battle.

Caveat: Can only be used once per day.

Requirements: Gifted by Empress Thun.

“Fick yeah!”

Ryuk’s train of thought is interrupted by Hiccup, who is absolutely thrilled to have the Empress place her foot against his pink topknot. The goblin is practically thumping his leg as the Empress finishes her bizarre ritual and moves on to FeeTwix.

Once she finishes with the Swede, her form takes shape back on her throne.

“You may now stand,” she says firmly. “I don’t normally meet and greet after hours, but I owe Queen Renata a favor, and besides that, I am very interested to hear why you tried to kill me earlier.” She narrows her eyes at Ryuk.

“Kill you?” He takes a step back. Is that why everyone was after us? he thinks. “It wasn’t me!”

“It was the fickin’ one-armed man!” Hiccup adds, chortling. “Wait, that’s me!” He laughs even harder. Zaena shoots him a glare that could peel the lead paint off a Chinese action figure. He gulps, glances down at his feet, and looks to FeeTwix to see if he still gets the pool of healing potion.

FeeTwix shakes his head, and the goblin curses under his breath.

“I will speak for my guildmates from here on out, Your Highness,” Zaena says, stepping forward. The way she holds herself, her chest out and her shoulders broad, is something Ryuk has seen from her before, but only in fleeting glances.

“Go on.”

“Less than a week ago, I left for Hyperborea in search of my brother, Prince Charo Boldrom.”

A message flashes on Ryuk’s vision pane.

Hiccup: His name means Bloody Freedom. Fickin’ cool name if you ask me! If I ever have another kid, that’s definitely a name I’ll consider.

Ryuk ignores him and tunes back in to the conversation.

“I was in the Jatla Forest when I was attacked by Ryuk’s doppelganger and his sellswords. They were transporting a captive, Ryuk’s former guildmate, Tamana.”

Ryuk swallows hard at the word former. He knows it’s over, he knows Tamana has turned. But like so many before him and so many after, the writing on the wall and its legibility are at odds.

“So he has a lookalike?” Empress Thun nods.

“He does, a player who masks his handle and all identifying marks.”