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You’d been with Cynikka since day one. You’d spawned in the tundra part of the island, and it took you forever to move across the island toward the giant tree you heard about. By the time you got there, you were already feeling hungry, but in the end, you successfully got the wood you needed. People were already starting to team up and form groups, and that’s when you saw her. She already had 3 other people with her as she made her way over to you. You could see bread peaking out of the bag she had slung over her shoulder. Her voice was controlled and already full of power and authority, “Hello.”
You look up from the crafting table you had been working at, and you say, “Hi, I see you have some bread there.”
She laughs as she hands a couple to you, “My teammates here have been quite helpful. We're planning to move into the volcano, but we're looking for more people to join us. It’ll only be sustainable if we have a strong group.” You think it over for a second, but you have nothing better to do, so you respond, “Yeah, I’ll join your group.”
Cynikka guided the group around a little longer, talking to more people and giving out more bread to curry favor. Soon she had collected at least ten people to start a life in the volcano. As she guided the group to the volcano, she asked everyone what they wanted their role to be. Someone by the name GoofyGE3k was chosen to be in charge of the construction of the base. 3 other people offered to run agriculture. Another person, Harvest5, announced they would run the mining of the group. Cynikka looks at you and asks, “So what do you want to do?”
You casually respond, “I don’t know, I’ll do whatever is needed.” She doesn’t reply for a minute, but when she does, it is full of fondness, “You’ll be my second in command.”
You laugh nervously, “You really think I’m fit to do that?” Cynikka’s voice comes out cool and collected, “Of course, you choose to join us after all.”
The rest of the day is spent collecting resources and starting on the kingdom’s castle. Cynikka had decided to name the kingdom Infernus. And she would be its queen.
The second day had more people discovering your growing kingdom, and with the steady food supply it had coming in, they often decided to stay. Cynikka made sure all operations were running smoothly in the volcano while she sent you out to scout the rest of island 1. See what other civilizations were forming. That’s exactly what you did, and you reported back to Cynikka with it. She waited for you on the first floor of the castle that had now been built. You knelt when you saw her, “My Queen.”
You can hear her laugh softly as she requests, “So what did you discover?” You look back up at her now as you stand up, “There’s an empire forming in the middle of the island, goes by the name of Westhelm. Their leader is a guy named Schpood. Down on the southern side of the island, a democracy led by Benji. Some other small civilizations are forming too, but those are the ones I know of.”
Cynikka makes a ‘hm’ noise as she takes in all the information, “Interesting… We’ll see how things play out tomorrow.”
The third day had the first meeting between the island 1 civilizations. Cynikka took you and 2 Infernus knights. On the way to the meeting, you ask Cynikka, “What do you think they wish to discuss?” Cynikka explains, “The Blue Cross is the one hosting this meeting. The message they sent said they wished to discuss a possible island 1 alliance and what nations plan on doing if the volcano is to erupt.”
The meeting went as expected: chaotic. When Cynikka explained that we were living above the volcano, some others laughed, but it was no big deal. Infernus’s ally, the Linguilini mafia, had a similar reaction to saying they live in the volcano. Neither of your groups mentioned the netherite present in the volcano. When the meeting ends, you follow close to Cynikka's sword at the ready; many other leaders had already faced assassination attempts. You whisper to Cynikka, “Well, that could have gone better. No threats, though.”
Cynikka holds her own sword out as she walks, “And no one knows about the netherite in the volcano.”
You hesitate before asking, “What is your plan for that anyway?”
Her voice drips with power as she responds, “We’ll keep it under wraps as long as we can. When it inevitably gets out, we’ll have to be ready to protect our lands. The volcano is our holy ground; we can’t let outsiders in without restrictions.”
3 days later, the netherite in the volcano was discovered by other island 1 nations. A meeting was called, and the Lingulini Mafia opened mining on their lands to the other nations. Cynikka was furious. She called you to her office after the meeting. “Those traitors! None of those other nations will respect the volcano like we do; they’ll ruin our lands!” Cynikka roars. You kneel in front of Cynikka as she paces back and forth. “My Queen, let me lead a squad, slaughter the traitors-”
“You know I can’t let you do that.”
“And why not my Queen?”
“I can’t have you dying, you’re too valuable to me.”
You sigh, frustrated, “Then what do you suggest we do, Cynikka?”
“We’ll get the Convenant to do it for us. No one will question them after all. In exchange, we’ll let them mine for netherite.” Cynikka's voice was full of malice; you thought her eyes glinted red for a split second. A shiver ran down your spine.
You stand up and move over to Cynikka, who is looking out the window. Her hair is pulled back in a ponytail, with loose strands of hair sticking out here and there. The golden crown on her head shines in the light of the lava. She speaks in a low voice as she turns her head to look at you, “You know why you’re my second in command, Y/N?”
You smile at her, “Why?”
Cynikka smirks, “Because you’re more than just loyal. It's like you’re in love with me.”
You feel a heat creep up your neck, “I am in love with you. You’re my Queen after all. I’d die for you if it meant protecting you.”
Cynikka frowns, “Don’t say that.”
“It's true.”
She sighs and doesn’t say anything more. She looks back out to the volcano, the light from the lava making the tears in her eyes sparkle.
You felt the sword slash a deep cut across your chest. Even with the traps, your enemies had made it through. You’d stayed up in the highest part of the castle with the other higher-ups. You’d been ready to fight, to protect Cynikka at any cost, but in the end, you lost. You fell against the wall behind you, clutching at the blood gushing from your chest. Your vision was already going blurry, but your eyes were still scanning for her. She was fighting off someone from the Cass Coalition, of course, winning. You hoped as you felt yourself losing consciousness that Infernus would win. That she would live. That maybe she would realize you did truly love her.