The Empress meet the Tick.

"A-Are you sure you want to go there? The Vile empress killed the first Merchand the guild sent just because he snickered when her younger sister fell down!" Ilica spoke trembling on the carriage's driving position while holding the reins of tall and hairy goats.

The wheater was especially windy and cold. The snow-covered the ceiling of the carriage like a blanket. In the distance it was possible to see a small palace enveloped on a spring dome spell, however cold was outside, once it passed through the dome's transparent walls, it became a calm chilly breeze.

Behind the carriage was a wide circle, with tree roots on the ground that extended around fifteen meters from one end to another. "Welcome to the white north." Was written in huge, simple letters.

"We're already here, what's the use of asking me that? If you want, you can turn back, just pay a street boy to carry me into the castle. If I go as a spirit, this kingdom's branch of adventurer's guild and the holy knights of the church would kill me before I could even find the right road to the castle." Spoke the tick in the jewelry box.

"NO! I told you I'd repay your kindness so until I arrange the audience with the empress I'm not turning away. I'll protect you from them!" Ilica stated while his teeth rattled.

"And what will you do in my defense? Cry and ask them with wu's and pleases not to kill me?"

"Humpft! Why not!? It worked on you!" The Druid shamelessly retorted and slapped the reins to incite the goats.

"...." Delua, the tick, remembering the druid's pitiful crying face had no answer to that truth. Instead, he gathered all he understood of the vile empress of the north; She lived until her fourteen years as a high elf princess, on her fifth birth date, her blondish gray hair turned bluish and the canine teeth grew tall, exactly like those of a werewolf.

As a halfling, she was exiled to the north with some relatives. But the unexpected happened and she united most of the odd races on the north.

Dark elves, mountain giants, trolls, werewolves, barbarians, and even the narrow-minded dwarves are following her lead. Some say she made a pact with a fallen god, others that both bloodlines in her body mingled and formed something even stronger, and the most novelty-loving people say she found a djinn and used the three wishes to become empress.

"Why the north?" The druid suddenly cut his line of thought.

"....The other kingdoms are old, having deep roots and firm foundations. If I want to find a way to lift my curse I need strength and resources, and it seems the empress could use a little help building her empire."

"... What curse?" The Druid carefully asked.

"I'm not a talking tick by nature. Now look ahead, my trap friend, and be careful not to flash your charming smile at a barbarian, they can drag you off the carriage and make a bride out of you in a second."

Not an instant before a retort formed on the Druid's head, he saw a group of three bull built fellows by the side of the road, with at least two meters in height each, all staring at the small gap in Ilica's thick fur hood in a mesmerized daze.

"Ugh! Damnable north kingdom!" Ilica swung the reins and hurried the carriage through the falling snow.

*****

"Oh lord, I must stop drinking with the dark elves, I'm looking like a vampire's blood slave; face sickly pale, dark circles around bloodshot eyes and mind alternating between a sleeping troll and hibernating bear state. Fucking hell! ptoo!"

Clarisse, a short woman of raven black hair and curvy built spit through the window trying to get rid of the hangover's leftover taste.

The knights waiting on her didn't have even the slightest crack on their stern expression. Such a scene was a daily occurrence.

"Reginald, what do we have for today? Is there a chance I can take this morning off?" The woman asked with leisure.

The tallest guard in gray plated armor, with more stern than usual, spoke slowly: "Commander, a second tiered merchant arrived early this morning and asked for an audience with the empress."

Clarisse's eyes narrowed with a frown. "I thought with what happened before they wouldn't send another?"

"...The merchant claimed he came out of his own self-interest and is not representing the guild." Reginald kept his straight posture as he spoke.

Clarissa held her aching temple and thought of what she had done. Every kingdom usually has an Inhouse merchant to speed up communication and transference of goods. They often help with the kingdom's accounting and market management depending on the level of trust. Those are labeled third-tier merchants, it's said that a fifteen percent raise in a kingdom's total income is standard with one in your court.

But because she arrived completely hungover for a morning council meeting with the court, she tripped on the wet floor and the third tiered merchant, a high-Kobolt of noble breed, laughed proudly and called her a clown under his breath. This is the wild north, Rust, the empress, had to execute him on the spot to not undermine her authority.

Orcs and barbarians laughed but Clarissa knew just how much of a loss a third tiered Merchant was and that's without mentioning the now strained relationship with the Merchant Guild.

"....I have to make this merchant ours..." She muttered. Reginald, seeing the sorrowful and guilty look on her eyes hid a gentle smile and nodded. "We'll accommodate him to the best we can."

*****

"So, girl, you're saying you want my Druid, but has no intention of paying me for him?"

The clear, striking voice echoed throughout the main hall, silencing every soul present. Every single pair of eyes stared with disbelief at the glowing ball of light.

Clarissa's clear forehead had bulging veins twitching with Delua's every word. She stood still in front of it. An ugly grin emerging on her lips. She pointed at the cowering Druid. "She's not yours! There's no slave mark on her! Why should I gave you anything for it!?"

"S-She..I-It?" Ilica mumbled but was too afraid of the woman to speak louder.

"Hey, shorty, you don't have any mark in him too, yet you started talking to him as if he already belonged here. But I found him first, hence, you have to pay my share!" The glowing tick bobbed up and down as if gesticulating his right.

"S-Shorty? Y-You.." Clarisse threatening slid her palm on the hilt of the sheathed sword at her waist.

"I what? Hu? Whatcha gonna do, Lady half-kilo?" Delua circulated her head, bobbing up and down. "Cut me! come miss half-meter! swing it!"

Blood slid down her bottom lip. She smiled brightly.

"This is bad! She'll kill him!" Reginald jumped forward.

A flash of electricity appeared as she unsheathed the sword.

"Hii!" Ilica crouched down protecting his head

"Commander, NO!"Reginald yelled.

"Haha."

The ground trembled. A spiderweb spread from the center of the hall, right where the main conflict was. A spear thin as a maiden's wrist had struck the ground, it's body was bluish but had clear signs of use in it

The sword in Clarissa's hand had fallen beside it, together with Reginald's.

"Clarissa, you cannot deal with beings of spiritual nature yet, why are you swinging your sword around?" Rust, the empress named after the color of her eyes, walked over tall and straight, with no hurry, fleetingly she glanced at Reginald, who felt a freezing cold crawling up his spine.

His knee hit the ground at once, nearly crushing his knee protector. "I'm deeply sorry, your highness, this one should've stopped the conflict earlier!"

She gave him no other glance, but instead soothingly patted her angry little sister's shoulder. "No booze for a week." Clarissa's eyes went wide.

"I-I just-" She tried to quibble, the empress nodded cutting her off and looked at the still crouched druid. "I know what you wanted to do, but you were too harsh, you're being punished for being reckless."

Clarisse sighed helplessly.

Rust eyed the glowing ball of light who quiet down since her arrival, but she knew it. It was not out of fear nor a show of respect. Because in the climax of confusion, amidst the blinding lights, shouts, and unsheathing of steel, she heard a clear and sincere amused chuckle.

It stopped talking merely because it had amused itself enough.

Before she heard her grandmother but didn't give it much thought, she heard the mad goddess and thought she was just being what she was, a mad shrew. But now she was certain, the glowing thing in front of her is nothing less of monstrous in nature.

The hairs on her body hidden by the beaten silver armor stood on an end, a cold took hold of her stomach. She pulled the spear from the ground and shoved it on the glowing ball, pinning it on the tip. Fear overcame every centimeter of her body, but her canine showed through a simple smile.

More than fear...

"Pleased to meet you, parasite."

She felt excitement.