After cleaning up the battlefield, the next day Viskov said his goodbyes and hurried back towards Viskov. Days then passed and the Kingdom of Kylia had settled into relative normalcy. Despite already handling many of the immediate problems with the annexation of the new territories, the Central Kylian Government had more medium to long term problems it needed to deal with, especially with a war coming up. After the annexation of the new territories in the year 22, the Kingdom of Kylia was faced with a sudden wealth distribution crisis.
Before the war, year 19, the bottom 50% of Kylians owned 10% of the total wealth of the nation, while seemingly absurd considering even the most equal modern earth country Norway's bottom 50% only owning between 2-4% of their nation's wealth, it makes more sense when factoring in the Uniqueness of Kingdom's society and biology. The initial population size of the Kingdom of Kylia was less than 10 thousand, making wealth transfer enforced by Kylia extremely easy, such as the land grants early on in the Kingdom's history. Another reason is the long lifespans and societal values of Kylians. The Rohati and Lavovy races have an average fertility age range of 254 years and a lifespan up to 300+ years. While long age makes it easier to compound wealth among older Kylians, increasing inequality, the high fertility cycles allows a couple of children every 14-20 years, helps wealth be spread out over multiple generations.
After the war, year 22, the bottom 50% of Kylians owned 0.1% of the total wealth of the nation, the top 1% owned 80%. In year 19, the median Kylian household had a net worth of 20,588 Kon, by year 22 the median Kylian household net worth had collapsed to 1,173 Kon. While a year has passed since then with Kylia personally administering those territories, these figures had only changed by a moderate amount.
So what happened to Kylian equality? Well, the current top 1% of Kylians are in fact 940 Kylians who live in Kylia City. The other 9% are about 8,800 who live in Kylia City. The other 40% are a mix of those who live in Kylia City and Rosa City. and the bottom 50% live in most of the newly annexed areas. What happened was the original Kingdom of Kylia was so rich compared to the City-States surrounding it that when the Kingdom annexed those territories, inequality shot through the roof.
This economic imbalance presented a very real military problem. With another war looming on the horizon, the Central Kylian Government desperately needed to bolster its ranks. But the extreme poverty in the new territories meant that only 25% of the military-age population were deemed fit for service. Malnutrition, disease, and sheer lack of resources had rendered them unable to bear the burdens of war.
To help fix this, Kylia 'gently' persuaded the Kylian Government to commit to spending 70% of its fiscal budget towards Labour, Food, Transportation and Housing in the newly annexed territories. Amidst the political turmoil and economic reforms, Kylia returned to increasing her own strength as with the battle with Viskov and the discovery of plasma control, Kylia eager to focus her training on mastering plasma control.
The cold wind cut through Kylia's fur-lined cloak, stinging her exposed skin as she moved across the scorched earth left by her duel with Viskov. The contrast between the blackened ground and the new snow was stark-a reminder of what her power could do, and a quiet invitation to explore it further.
Kylia knelt and pressed her bare hands into the snow. She concentrated, feeling the faint but unmistakable current of energy that moved through her hair, hands, feet, wings, and eyes. There was no central well of power-only these points of contact, each a conduit for plasma.
She started with her hands. Blue light flickered across her fingertips, and the snow beneath them hissed and melted. She watched closely, noting how the plasma responded to the smallest movement of her fingers. At her feet, a similar reaction: the snow receded in a widening circle, steam rising in thin wisps.
Standing, Kylia extended her arms and shifted her weight, channeling plasma outward. Gradually, a wall of shimmering blue energy formed in front of her, stretching 10 meters wide and 10 meters tall, about 10 centimeters thick. The wall's surface rippled with heat, distorting the air. She walked alongside it, testing its stability by pressing her palm to the edge.
"ARGH!" Kylia yelled, a sharp, involuntary cry as she yanked her hand away, the smell of burnt flesh filling the air. The blue energy dissipated instantly, leaving only a large patch of melted snow and the throbbing ache in her hand. Her palm was a mess of angry red burns.
"That…was the stupidest idea i've ever had." Kylia strained to herself as she held her hand hopping in pain.
After the pain settled down she continued with some more experiments. Curious about shaping plasma in three dimensions, Kylia cupped her hands together and gathered a small sphere of energy between them, roughly the size of an apple. The blue light pulsed gently, casting an eerie glow on her face. Satisfied with the size and stability, she cautiously approached a nearby tree. It was a sturdy pine, its bark thick and gnarled with age.
"Alright," she muttered to herself, "let's see what this can do."
She held the plasma ball a few inches from the trunk. The air crackled faintly, but otherwise, nothing seemed to happen. Taking a deep breath, Kylia pushed the ball forward until it made contact with the tree's bark.
The moment the plasma touched the wood, there was an earsplitting BANG! A shockwave ripped through the air, startling Kylia backwards centimeters . The pine tree, once majestic and solid, exploded in a shower of splinters, bark, and burning wood. The air shimmered with heat, and the ground around the blast site was scorched black.
Kylia blinked, the ringing in her ears slowly fading. The tree, or what was left of it, was smoking gently. Most of it had simply turned to ash around a blackened stump. Branches lay scattered, some still flickering with embers.
Kylia focused on maintaining its form as she expanded another plasma ball, first to the size of an apple, then a meter across, and finally up to 10 meters in diameter. The larger the sphere grew, the more concentration it required to keep the surface smooth and the energy contained. She noticed the heat radiating from the sphere was intense, prickling at her skin even meters away, but manageable. She considered the tactical applications, the raw destructive potential held within this shimmering blue orb.
More curious than cautious, she decided to test its effect on a larger scale. A nearby hill, perhaps thirty meters high and covered in snow-laden trees, seemed like the perfect target. She maneuvered the plasma ball, floating it gently towards the slope, maintaining a safe distance for the moment.
"Alright," she muttered to herself, "let's see how much it can vaporize."
As the plasma ball drifted closer, the air crackled with anticipation. The snow closest to the sphere began to melt at an accelerated rate, turning to steam that billowed and obscured the base of the hill. The trees nearest the ball began to shimmer and then rapidly decompose, their needles turning to ash as the wood beneath them bubbled and smoked. The pungent smell of burning pine filled the frigid air.
Then Kylia noticed something. The ground itself was starting to melt. Not just the snow, but the frozen earth beneath, turning into a viscous, orange sludge that flowed downwards. The air shimmered with heat, distorting her vision. And the edge of the damage zone was reaching her.
Panic, cold and sharp, pierced through her fascination. The destructive capacity was far greater than she had anticipated. This wasn't an immediate explosion, like before. This was an area-of-effect weapon that would melt everything in its path.
"Oh, blyat'," she said, stating the obvious.
Without hesitation, Kylia dropped concentration on the sphere. The plasma ball flickered, destabilized, and then exploded in a loud, devastating flash.
The world turned white, and a wave of heat slammed into Kylia, knocking her off her feet. She tumbled backwards, blindly scrambling away from the epicenter, her ears ringing and her vision swimming. The air crackled with residual energy, and the ground vibrated beneath her.
Finally, she managed to stop herself, bracing against the ground and gasping for breath. The heat was still intense, even at this distance, and the smell of ozone filled the air. Slowly, her vision cleared, revealing a scene of utter devastation.
Where the hill had stood, there was now a glowing, molten crater. The earth bubbled and hissed, and streams of orange lava snaked down the sides. The trees around the crater had been vaporized, leaving only blackened stumps and swirling smoke. The air above the crater shimmered and distorted, a testament to the incredible heat still radiating from below.
"Well…that was close," Kylia muttered, "If I could throw it, it would be a great finishing move." She shook her head. "But first, I need to improve my control."
Kylia continued her training, this time focusing on the unique connection between her plasma abilities and her hair. She sat down on a patch of scorched earth, closed her eyes, and concentrated on the subtle sensation at her scalp. Gradually, thin filaments of blue plasma began to form, each one channeling along a strand of her hair. The filaments glowed softly, illuminating the ground around her.
She experimented with their reach, carefully extending the plasma filaments up to ten meters. The control was precise; she could weave them through the air, loop them around objects, and even braid them together. To test their strength, she directed a filament toward a nearby stone. As soon as the plasma touched the rock, it began to melt, dripping into a pool of slag.
Realizing the destructive potential, Kylia set herself a more delicate challenge: holding a stone with the filaments without destroying it. She practiced adjusting the intensity, reducing the heat until she could lift and move a stone without scorching its surface. It took several tries, but eventually, she managed to cradle a small rock in a web of glowing plasma filaments, holding it steady in the air.
Kylia looked at her reflection in a patch of still-molten earth, a new idea sparking in her mind. If she could control plasma with such precision, why not use it for an active defense? Not just offensive blasts, but a mobile, protective shield.
"Alright," she muttered, "let's see if this works."
She began with her feet. Focusing her will, she summoned threads of plasma, channeling them downwards. They solidified into a glowing base, anchored to the ground but not burning it. Next, she turned her attention to her hair. With a delicate touch, she directed strands of plasma upwards, shaping them into elegant arcs that curved over her head.
The plasma flowed from her feet and hair, meeting to form a hollow pillar around herself, about a meter wide and three meters tall. Getting inspiration, she refined the shape, creating curved arcs that connected like the ribs of a cage. The structure was stable and allowed her to move with it, the plasma responding smoothly to her intent.
Unknown to her the irises in her eyes were spinning so fast they gave the illusion of a single black sideways K tomoe.
"Not bad for a copyright," she said, a hint of satisfaction in her voice. "Could use some work, but not bad at all."
Kylia let the plasma ribcage fade along with the special tomoe in her eyes. After integrating the new moves into her combat style, she believed that even if the four current leaders of the Zora, Goron, Gerudo and Rito were to challenge her, she could hold them off and escape. The only critical weakness she faces is a lack of endurance.