The momentary depression brought on by the sight of the ruined valley did not last long.
Nyssara straightened up, and a composed gleam quickly returned to her gaze. Instead of wallowing over the crumbled stone, she raised her hand and, out of pure curiosity, touched a flickering, translucent icon that had appeared in the corner of her vision.
A wide, dark-purple interface window unfurled in the air.
The Mistress swept her gaze across it, noting rows of tabs: Status, Chat, Trade, Territory, and several other options.
She looked at the girls standing next to her.
"Do you two also have something like Chat or Trade in your system menu?" she asked curiously, pointing a finger at the system window invisible to them.
Elarienne and Liselotte raised their hands almost simultaneously, summoning their own system windows. For a moment, both let their eyes wander through the air, then shook their heads in unison.
"I only have a status sheet and inventory," the elf said calmly, running her fingers through a strand of blonde hair. "No chat or trade options whatsoever."
"Same for me, my Mistress!" Liselotte chirped, adjusting the strap of her latex corset. "Just my stats, and a full inventory of toys. Not a trace of chat or trade."
Nyssara narrowed her eyes slightly, then tapped her nail against the pulsing chat tab. At that exact moment, a brief information prompt flared before her eyes:
[System Message: Sovereign Network]
[Participants may communicate exclusively with players belonging to the same Demon King faction.]
"It appears we only have connectivity with each other," Nyssara explained, closing the notification. "We are locked within our own circle."
"Can you show us what they're actually writing in there?" Liselotte asked curiously, stepping closer on her clicking stilettos and standing on her tiptoes, as if trying to peer over the Mistress's shoulder.
Nyssara searched for the appropriate function in the window settings with her eyes, and after a moment, she found an external projection option. She clicked it without hesitation.
A wide, floating pane flared to life between them, across which hundreds of messages scrolled at breakneck speed. The words flew upward so fast they could barely be caught:
[Wait... why do I have scales?!]
[Can someone please tell me why I'm a giant lizard and have some kind of stats in front of me?!]
[HAHA! I am the Demon King of the Fire Lizards! I finally got something good!]
[Something good? I became the Demon King of Slime. I don't even have legs!]
[Stop complaining. I'm a Bug Demon King, and something massive is currently walking over my burrow.]
[So we all got a different race? Is it completely random?]
[Great. I landed in a desert. I see no water, no food, not even a single tree.]
[If anyone has supplies and the ability to trade, I beg you, send anything. I'll pay you back double later.]
[Someone's already trying to trade five minutes after the end of the world?]
[It's not trade. It's desperation.]
[Does anyone have any idea how to go back home?]
[I don't want to be here, let me out of here!]
[Is this stomach ache hunger? It hasn't even been half an hour!] [...]
Even though for each of them this world was a chance at a second life, the screen practically dripped with panic, shock, and helplessness.
Alongside the posts of people overflowing with wild, manic joy over their powerful bodies, there were dozens of cries of despair from those struggling to comprehend what had happened.
Everyone reacted differently, and absolute, uncontrolled chaos reigned in the global channel.
Liselotte crossed her arms beneath her heavy bust, hoisting it up slightly, and whistled softly.
"Damn, what a mess in there," she tossed out with disarming honesty.
Elarienne watched the scrolling text, nodding slowly.
"As you can see, many of these Rulers landed in places that are completely empty, barren, and devoid of any raw materials," the elf noted. "If they landed in deserts or deep caves, a large portion of them won't even be able to secure food and water."
Nyssara nodded in agreement, her crimson eyes darkening in thought.
"Then there is the issue of biology," the Mistress added. "Since everyone received a different body, their needs will be drastically different. Giant beasts, insects, or predatory lizards will require massive amounts of meat and will begin to feel hunger much faster than an ordinary human."
Hearing this, Liselotte burst into a loud, silvery laugh.
"Fortunately, you don't have to worry about me, my Mistress!" she blurted out with a brazen smirk, jutting out a hip. "After all, I'm half-succubus, so to survive, your pussy juices are more than enough for me! I'll gladly accept that diet anytime!"
Elarienne didn't even bat an eyelid, simply completely ignoring the perverted maid's unnecessary remark, as if it hadn't been spoken at all.
"On the other hand," the blonde continued calmly, looking exclusively at Nyssara, "there will also be those who got exceptionally lucky and transformed into undead, skeletons, or wraiths. Beings of that type require neither food nor fresh water. The beginning will be vastly simpler for them, as the entire issue of basic survival is completely eliminated."
"Agreed," Nyssara concurred with her, crossing her arms. "The lack of necessity to hunt gives them time to build fortifications and immediately scout their surroundings."
Liselotte blinked, seeing that her filthy remark had been totally dismissed. She pushed her lips out in an overly sweet pout and stomped her heel against the altar stone with a quiet, demonstrative clack.
"Hey! I was being completely serious..." she began indignantly.
Suddenly, however, the girl broke off mid-sentence.
A warm, slender hand clad in soft glove fabric rested squarely on the top of her head, gently stroking her silvery strands.
Liselotte fell silent in a fraction of a second, an involuntary, sensual purr escaping her throat. All tension drained from her body, and that same blissful, slightly dazed little smile returned to her face.
She looked up, expecting Nyssara, but discovered to her sheer astonishment that it was Elarienne's hand. What was even more interesting—the tall elf wasn't even looking at her. She kept her hand on the maid's head with complete naturalness, like resting it on the back of a tame cat, and continued to discuss territorial matters with the Empress with utmost seriousness.
Oh my... a bewildered Liselotte thought, staring at her aristocratic profile.
This elf is actually quite a good, sweet person...
A moment later, however, a completely different thought rolled through her warped brain. Her long, pointed ears burned a violent crimson, and a hot blush flooded her cheeks.
...And since she's so nice, I really hope she fucks me with a giant dildo as soon as possible, so I can moan in front of her like an absolute slut.
The mental image of the cold, elegant blonde ruthlessly taking her right on the altar caused Liselotte's breathing to become heavy, shallow, and scorching in a fraction of a second. Her nostrils flared, and her chest began to heave in a feverish rhythm.
Nyssara and Elarienne immediately registered this. Both glanced down at the panting maid, but neither commented on it out loud. The elf simply calmly withdrew her hand, and Nyssara, with a quiet sigh, tapped her finger on a second menu, opening her profile.
"Returning to matters of importance," the Empress tossed out, extending her hand forward and projecting a new window so that both companions could read it. "This is how my status looks."
A gleaming status card hovered before them:
[STATUS]
[Name: Nyssara Valecourt]
[Level: 1]
[Path: Demon King]
[Race / Bloodline: Infernal Demon Empress]
[HP: 220 / 220]
[MP: 380 / 380]
[Strength: 22]
[Agility: 38]
[Constitution: 22]
[Spirit: 38]
[Unique Talent:[Tyrant's Momentum]]
[Racial Skills:
[True Demon Empress] — Inactive]
[Infernal Flame — Inactive]
[Imperial Dread — Inactive]
[Chains of Dominion — Inactive]
[Lesser Arcane Immunity — Inactive]
[Other Skills: None]
[Skill Points:10]
[Retainer Privilege:2 / 2]
[Retainers:Liselotte, Elarienne Vael]
Elarienne stepped closer, staring at the lines with distinct curiosity.
"All of your racial abilities are marked as inactive," the elf noted, furrowing her brow.
Nyssara ran her finger over the description.
"The system explains that I must unlock them using Skill Points," the Mistress replied. "I received ten of them to start, which means I have to make a choice about which skill to activate first."
Elarienne nodded slowly, understanding flashing in her eyes.
"So this is another difference between a Ruler and a support unit?" she asked quietly, then turned her gaze to the servant.
Liselotte was still standing there, flushed, with a dazed little smile and heavy, ragged breathing, staring blankly into space.
Without a word of warning, Elarienne reached out, grabbed Liselotte by the tip of her long, pointed ear, and pulled it mercilessly to the side.
"AAAAA! Kyyya! My ear!" the maid shrieked, instantly snapping out of her erotic fantasies and grabbing her head. "You're an elf yourself, you know perfectly well how terribly that hurts! Why do you both keep pulling me by it?!"
Elarienne let her go with a completely indifferent expression.
"Stop daydreaming about getting fucked, and finally tell us if your status looks like this as well," the blonde tossed out dryly, pointing a finger at Nyssara's glowing panel.
Liselotte sniffled, massaging her stinging ear, then looked at the screen.
"Alright, alright... See for yourselves," she grumbled, waving her hand.
A system window displaying Liselotte's profile unfurled before them:
[STATUS]
[Name: Liselotte]
[Level: 1]
[Path: Support]
[Race: Elf-Succubus Hybrid]
[Master: Nyssara Valecourt]
[HP: 120 / 120]
[MP: 500 / 500]
[Strength: 8]
[Agility: 28]
[Constitution: 12]
[Spirit: 50]
[Unique Talent: Amplification]
Skills:
[Greater Heal]
[Regeneration]
[Empower]
[Haste]
[Greater Barrier]
[Mana Infusion]
[Weakness]
[Allure]
[Title: Hopeless Degenerate]
[Creation Points: 5]
Nyssara leaned over her sheet, her gaze quickly scanning the long list of spells.
"Damn... you have all of them unlocked right off the bat?" the Empress muttered in surprise, raising her eyebrows.
Elarienne pressed a finger to her lips, analyzing both women's statuses.
"This must be the fundamental advantage of our path," the elf concluded after a moment. "We don't receive our own lands and we don't command armies, but in exchange, our entire skill set is fully active from the very first second. Look at my profile."
The blonde waved her hand, revealing her own status:
[STATUS]
[Name: Elarienne Vael]
[Level: 1]
[Path: Support]
[Race: High Elf]
[Master: Nyssara Valecourt]
[HP: 250 / 250]
[MP: 450 / 450]
[Strength: 10]
[Agility: 30]
[Constitution: 25]
[Spirit: 45]
[Unique Talent:Hidden Insight]
[Skills:
[Arcane Weaving]
[Arcane Bolt]
[Mana Shield]
[Wind Blade]
[Title: None]
[Creation Points: 0]
Nyssara nodded slowly. For Elarienne as well, all three spells glowed as ready to use, without any notes about locks or the need to spend points.
Elarienne swept her gaze between the three displayed windows, comparing the numbers.
"Look at the correlation in the statistics," the elf pointed out. "The health and mana pools are derived directly from two attributes. One point of Constitution translates exactly to ten health points, and one point of Spirit grants ten mana points. Nyssara has twenty-two Constitution, so she has two hundred and twenty health. I have twenty-five, which gives two hundred and fifty. For Liselotte, Spirit is an even fifty, which perfectly explains her five hundred mana."
The Empress and Liselotte examined the digits and, after a moment, nodded in agreement.
"Matches down to the letter," Nyssara admitted.
Liselotte instantly puffed her chest forward, and that same brazen, proud little smile bloomed on her face.
"Well, there you have it!" she laughed with satisfaction. "Turns out I have the most skills and the largest mana pool out of everyone here! Who's the best servant now, huh?"
Nyssara sized her up from head to toe and snorted loudly.
"And what the hell do you need so many spells for, when you barely have one hundred and twenty health points?" the Mistress mocked. "Any random wolf in this forest snaps its jaws in your direction, and you'll fall to pieces before you can utter a single incantation."
Instead of being ashamed, Liselotte reacted in the only way fitting for her.
She took a step forward and, with a quiet squeak, threw herself straight into Nyssara's arms!
She wrapped her arms around her waist, and without a shadow of hesitation, buried her entire face deep between the Demon Empress's massive, soft breasts. She began to squirm and rub her cheeks left and right against her cleavage, purring with pure delight.
"Because ultimately, my wonderful Mistress will protect me!" Liselotte muffled, her nose pressed into the Demon Queen's warm breasts. "And I'll be a good girl and support her with my spells from the back, cheering her on and admiring her beauty!"