When we return to Nyth's skull, Graves is waiting for us with Kayus, Raiden, and Lucien on their knees before her.
In humanoid form, the three Valorants are bound, cursed, poisoned, silenced, and rendered utterly powerless. Once Umbra is off my back, I shapeshift and stand in place with wide eyes, completely fucking baffled as to how and when they were captured. I was right next to Umbra the entire time during her address and I never caught a single glimpse of Graves or the other Blackthorns.
"How… How did you… And when?"
She glances up at Umbra.
My Queen giggles softly. "I wished to pet you while I was speaking, and your mighty draconic body also provided enough shadow for the Blackthorns to disperse unnoticed."
"Right out from under me…"
That's fucking terrifying.
Thank the Goddess they're on our side.
"Excellent work as always, Graves." Umbra tastes the air as she lowers herself to place a hand on my shoulder and kiss my head, whispering, "They're all yours, Crimsy. My gift to you. Kill them, flay them, torture them, keep them as prisoners, use them for labor or toil–whatever it is you wish to do, you may. For all intents and purposes, you now own them."
Ice flows through my veins. "As slaves?"
"One might call them that. But what is the difference between a prisoner and a slave, truly? Both are bound in chains, locked away in cages, stripped of their freedom and liberty, forced to do what is commanded, and deprived of authority over their own lives. I see little difference between the two."
"R–Right. And. Um… I can do anything?"
She kisses my ear. "Anything."
I shiver, skin prickling up. "And… What would you have me do? I mean, is there… Anything you'd dislike? Or that you'd like?"
"There is nothing you could do that would displease me." She kisses the back of my neck, nipping me with her sharp fangs. "More than anything, I want you to do what you feel is satisfying." Her black tongue curls around my throat as she purrs a soft laugh. "This is your revenge. Not mine. So, however you desire your vengeance…" She closes a hand around my neck, lifting my chin so I look directly at her. "Take it, Crimson."
There's a burning itch in the deepest reaches of my soul.
But my heart resists the compulsion.
My voice is weak as I indulge in the way she's feeling and seducing me. "Would this… make me a bad person, Umbsy? Mmm…"
"There are no good or bad people." She sits down behind me, pressing my back to the front of her torso as her giant hands continue all across me. "There are only people. Flawed, animalistic, ambivalent people. This would be an act of malice. Yes. I won't deny that." Nuzzling my face with her cheek, she murmurs, "But one act does not define you. You define you. That definition is the sum of what you believe is true about yourself."
"My definition would be pathetic. Weak. Worthless. I don't have it in me to define myself as anything else." I hold her hand over my front, kissing her red fingers. "That's why… I need others… No. I need you. To define me…"
"Crimsy, you are luminant. You are vibrant. You are so very vivacious. Beautiful, in form and character. Beautiful in every sense of the word. You are alive. You are kind. You are compassionate. You are worth more than all that exists in the universe, and deserving of so much more than what others have given you. Above all else, you are strong. Tenacious. Determined. You continue to endure. And you continue to fight for what you believe in. Against all opposition."
"I don't feel strong, Umbsy. I don't want to be." Reaching out to caress her cheek, I gaze up at the woman I love. "With you… I want to be weak. Vulnerable. Bare. And soft…"
"You are. Both are true. You are strong in ways that ought to be nurtured. You are weak in ways that ought to be supported. You have been victimized. Exploited. Disrespected. Abandoned. Abused. By far too many people's cruelty. Most recently, by the cruelty of these snakes right here. What kind of monster destroys someone's home and slaughters their pets? Hm? One which deserves nothing short of abject ruin. You'd hardly be committing any misdeed. No, Crimson, this is retribution. Justice. Penance."
In her hands, I am mere clay.
How wholeheartedly I adore that thought.
Enveloped by her affectionate caress, I lift my chin slightly and glare down at my prisoners with a new satisfaction and pleasure. "You're right, Umbra. My compassion nearly got the better of me. But these rats don't deserve my kindness. They deserve my wrath. And I know just how to start subjecting them to it."
"Say it," she hisses in my ear, pressing our bodies together with both hands on my hips. "Tell me, Rose Queen. Your will be done."
Rose Queen. I quite like the sound of that. "They destroyed my home. Killed hundreds of my loved ones. More than that, they made me feel powerless to stop them. At every turn, every harassment, every act of harm, I was helpless against their power over me."
"Mmhmhmhm… Yes… Tell them their fate."
"They. Will. Watch," I snarl through clenched teeth. "Watch us rip the Heavens out of the sky. Watch us as we destroy everything they've ever known. They will watch me destroy their homes. They will watch me kill their families. And then we will bury them in our dungeon to drown amidst the cold darkness with nothing but the memories of what they have witnessed to keep them company until they waste away. Forgotten. Alone. Powerless."
And so they begin to whimper and grovel at my feet.
My hooked talons are all they can see.
"Ahh… Crimson…" Umbra huffs a shaky breath as she grasps my body tighter. "What beautiful devastation that will be. It will be done exactly as you wish. But why stop at their loved ones? We should kill their friends as well. And their associates. And anyone who's ever interacted with them. Not a trace of their worthless existences will remain–"
Vander clears his throat.
Both of us turn to him.
He gently informs us, "These other murders are extraneous."
"Hardly," Alabaster scoffs, towering behind him. "Flay them all alive, tan them into leather, and make these three wear their siblings' skins. Better yet, make them eat the meat and offal."
Picking at his teeth with a claw, Plutoryl offers, "Few things more amusing than burning them alive. Oh no! Ouch! The fire! It burns! Hah!"
"I'm with Vander," Haunt states. "Umbra, you asked us to alert you if your malevolence ever warrants being kept in check. This is one such instance."
"You simply must ruin the fun," she sighs, sagging forward over top of me. "Yes, yes, very well. The families it is, just as–"
"Those too," Vander interrupts.
"Now you infringe upon Crimsy's desires."
"On second thought," I say with a wince, "perhaps not the families. I'll settle for destroying their homes."
"You never know," Plutoryl grins, "maybe their friends and loved ones will fight for Aurora. In which case, we'd be slaughtering them anyway."
"Let's go with that," I nod. "They will watch if we happen to come across, clash with, and utterly fucking annihilate anyone they care about during this invasion."
"Doesn't quite roll off the tongue as easily, does it?"
"But what about the leather idea? I think that's worthwhile."
"I am curious what an amphithere would taste like…"
"Succulent, flavorful, savory, but lots of bones."
"Why in the Hells do you know that, Bast?"
"Don't ask."
To my surprise, Graves asks, "Rose, anything immediate? Punch? Kick? Cut? No?"
"Ah. Yes, that sounds nice."
I kick Lucien in the stomach, punch Kayus in the jaw, and slash Raiden across the face. For my home, for my pets, and for me. Once they're on the ground reeling from the hits, I step back to inspect the sight of my work in motion.
Their pain radiates like heat from a fire.
Every hit was a little more satisfying.
"I think I do like getting revenge."
Behind me, Umbra giggles. "Quite the pleasure, isn't it?"
"Yes, quite. And satisfying too."
"You were concerned that vengeance would be hollow and self destructive, that you would feel no better, and that you would be left with nothing afterwards. As though this pursuit would consume your life and erode your will. Do you still believe that to be so, Crimsy?"
I'm fixated on Raiden's red blood running across Nyth's pale sun bleached skull. How do I feel? I feel like I've won. I feel like I've succeeded. I feel empowered. Thrilled. Accomplished. These monsters destroyed my life, and now theirs are in my hands, and it feels fucking amazing. A rush unlike any other is burning its way through my frozen veins, making me feel more alive than ever before.
Victory is mine.
That's it.
"Victorious," I sneer down at them. "How viscerally I hate you fucking vermin. And now I have you by the throats. You're dead. You're fucking dead. You lose. You lose. And I win. That's how it feels. Not hollow. Not empty. Victorious. Triumphant. Fucking sublime."
They're afraid. They're afraid of me.
Euphoric. Ecstatic. Blissful.
A bitter laugh creeps out of me. "I win. I win. You fucking snakes. I win. And now you're at my mercy. It's a shame. Because, for you three, I have none. But don't worry, you have some time before I return my attention to you worthless lizards. Somebody this refuse out of my fucking sight."
Graves immediately buries them in my shadow.
"Oh, that's brilliant. Perfect idea, Graves. Thank you."
She solemnly nods, then looks up behind me. "The Rose Queen requires protection, Umbra."
"Oh?" She speaks from above us. "Hells, Crimsy. Graves likes you. That's quite a feat. You've thawed a heart of solid ice. Are you asking me for a transfer?"
"Something to consider."
"Keep her as your priority today."
"Yes, Umbra."
"Good." She snatches me up with her red tail and tosses me into her own arms, catching me without effort and cradling me to her chest. "I'm pleased you're satisfied with vengeance, my love. Truly."
"My vengeance has hardly begun." I kiss her skin, feeling the heat of her body. Hells, I love when she throws me around like I'm nothing. "Thank you. Thank you. I wouldn't be half of who I am today without you. I love you, Umbra."
"And I love you, Crimsy. Let's see this through."
"Agreed. What's next?"
She turns to her generals. "The hour draws nigh. Let's review. Come. We'll speak on Nyth's snout."
My revenge has been secured.
Now I will secure hers.