Fortunately, he was not stupid enough to try anything, and Yeni got into the basement without a fuss. Whereupon she was greeted with a Gate.

  “They set this up to bring her to them if we managed to get her here. Ultimately, didn’t need it since we got alerted she was in that mountain and they sent an agent with our guys. Payment came in ter, so they clearly got her despite us losing everyone there. But I never trusted the bastards, so I got a Seidr to keep this side open just in case they tried anything”

  The Captain was very forthcoming, as one expected when there were no more options left. Yeni would speak a soft prayer, and Vanaet cast through her, exploring the Gate to the pce it was tied to. Some underground cavern in the Skivoian tundra. Userping control of the Gate so he couldn’t cut it off while she was half way through, she would turn.

  “Thank you” Yeni would state, polite and gentle before a localized fsh of light burned out the man’s retinas and blinded him. He let out a cry of pain and staggered back, the world being stolen from him in one dramatic moment.

  “What the hell?! I did what you asked!” he shouted, stumbling around trying to find something to prop himself up on.

  “You kidnapped my daughter, and then refused to see me when I came to sort out your misstep amicably. You helping after the fact is why you are merely blind, rather than dismembered, disembowled, and strung up for the falcons of the tundra to turn into a rather bnd but satiating meal”

  And with that delightful comment, Yeni turned and headed out of the basement and the base at rge, to stand outside. Ele, had unfortunately not fared very well in her fight, leaning heavily on her Zeldi and blood staining the snow as much as her cloak. In contrast, Irine was hale and healthy without a mark, though her clothes were torn up quite a bit.

  “Tsk, looks like it’s over for now. Still, you did well enough keeping up for me to not feel bad letting you py house with your friends a little longer” Irine would give a coy smile, and then look over to Yeni as if waiting for her to say anything. She did not, and so Irine turned her focus back to her sister. Ssh pything. There weren’t really any rules about all this.

  “You…who rage…through the skies….” Ele panted, gripping her Zeldi tightly as her tails sagged, flickering between the bright electric blue and a much duller blue.

  “You are not seriously going to try and do that in the state you are in, are you?” Irine asked, looking over and raising an eyebrow. “I am letting you g-” she was cut off by Ele taking a deep breath and powering through her body screaming to colpse.

  “Come! I call, across the Aether, fo-” as Irine was before, Ele got cut off, though this was caused by Irine sinking her fist deep into Ele’s gut.

  “Don’t be an idiot, little sister” Irine would give Ele a soft kiss, and stroke her hair as she sagged on Irine’s body, winded and gasping. “Still, that was some serious tenacity. I can’t just let it go now you’ve shown your teeth. So let’s go see Grandma”

  Irine then picked Ele up, and turned to orient herself properly for the Burrow. As she did, there was Yeni. She’d moved, silently, to be right in Irine’s vision. And what’s worse, that stare had changed. It looked the same, but there was so much more to it now. Irine felt a shiver run through her body, the icy cw of fear grasping her heart. Which was stupid. It was dumb. She was a Raiju, four tails and vicious. This silk-touched bitch should not be able to dominate her to such a degree with just a single extra tail. Ele only lost so badly because she was so focused on fighting against who she was that her development had been stunted quite considerably.

  Irine let out a snarl, more at her own fear than anything, and tensed, bearing her teeth and lighting up with electricity. Pushing too hard risked ruining all the fun as she lost coherency, but it was needed here. And through it all, Yeni was just….standing there, menacingly. Not even doing anything, just standing there. And then she took a single step forward, and Irine broke. Disappearing in a thundercp, she left Ele and fled with her tail between her legs. Whatever Grandma was going to do to her for failing was preferable to staying here with that monster.

  Once free of Irine, Yeni would let out a sigh and walk over to Ele. That one wasn’t Yeni’s to deal with, stealing that development from Ele would be the cruellest thing she could ever do to the woman. Still, she was battered, exhausted, and unable to really do anything anymore. Even just stand around and be sympathetic. Looking over Ele for a moment to make sure that there was nothing immediately serious about her wounds, she would pull out an ebony flute, and py a gentle melody. A cowled being appeared a few seconds ter, on one knee with head bowed. Dressed from head to toe in bck clothes, it shimmered gently as if shadows given form. There was a person inside all that, but the Tenebrium Threads made it so that there was no way you could tell who it was. At least, no way within conventional scaling.

  “Ma’am” it rumbled, an inhuman voice. Old tales say the first threads did not change the voice, and thus became quickly useless for their intended use. An amusing story, but probably not true.

  “Welcome to Skivoa. I require you to take this young cub to the Kruskis Den and ensure her id in the infirmary” Yeni would reply, gesturing to Ele.

  “As you say” the thing would state, stepping forward and lifting Ele. “You may call upon us more, Maiden Kruskis” the thing continued, to Yeni’s gentle amusement.

  “Is it not a good thing I have little use for you?” Yeni would ask, looking at the thing.

  “We live to serve, Maiden Kruskis. Bear not the whole world, we request” it would then sink, fading into it’s own shadow and disappearing from the world. She thought for a moment to warn it of the dramatic shift in temperature, but Kurohime’s kin would not be bothered by such simplicity.

  Standing and walking back into the base, the aftershock of the event was filtering out to the soldiers, who were staggering around. Unsure what they were meant to be doing, some were trying their best to barricade the gate with a stunned sort of jittering. Others just, slouched against walls and looked at the corpses littering the base. Yeni, strolled through it all, and uncaring Goddess amidst the shattered remains of those who had once decried her faith. The soldiers who were still aware enough to see her certainly reacted to her presence like she was a vengeful deity. Down into the basement she strolled, and with a breath, put her hand upon the Gate, transferring herself through it. To her daughter, and to the final day of any who dared y such hand on her.