Chapter 167: "The Queen of Curses"
"Oh, I did not even introduce myself, but do I even need to? I think I did it a few decades ago..."
The woman on the holographic screen rested one finger lightly under her chin, still wearing that soft, dangerous smile.
After a brief thoughtful pause she continued and her voice was sweet and perfectly controlled.
"Well, for those of you who do not know me, I am the Head of the CBI."
"Vemona, your dearest!"
***
In a high private chamber within the Winterfang capital, the projection played across a wide viewing crystal.
King Alessio sat at the center of the gathered household heads and higher ups.
Vespera was at his side.
Valeriana Bloodworth occupied a seat a measured distance away, her expression unreadable.
Velen Abyss and Ella Winterfang were present as well, along with the rest of the ranking figures who had remained to watch the official start of the Proving.
Velen leaned forward slightly, eyes narrowed on the image of the woman.
"Hmm? When did this girl return? The last time I went out for border security logistics she had gone missing without any notice."
One of the Winterfang higher ups made a quiet sound of agreement.
"Who knows what the previous CBI head was thinking, making someone like her the new head."
No one offered a further comment.
The room remained focused on the screen.
***
Across the Human Empire the same feed reached taverns, training halls, public squares, and public residences.
In one crowded drinking house a young man in rough work clothes stared at the projection with open confusion while the older people around him erupted.
"Wait, is that—!"
"Oh my god! It is her! It is really her—!"
"Venoma!"
"I never thought I would get to see her again!"
The young man turned to the middle aged warrior woman standing beside him with a voice hesitant.
"Hey, what is all the commotion about? Who is she really?"
The woman looked at him with clear contempt.
"You have never heard about Venoma?"
"I barely live enough to eat twice a day by cleaning drainage lines," he answered, a hurt edge in his tone.
"So unlike you, I do not have knowledge of the Awaken world."
An older warrior with grey beard and grey hair leaned in from the other side of the table and started speaking with a low voice.
"Well then listen carefully this time, youngling."
"She is Venoma."
"She was the one who rose through the ranks during the last war between the Stonehelm Kingdom and the border kingdoms of the Dwarven Empire a few centuries ago."
"It is said she achieved Transcendence during that war and unleashed a deadly curse."
"The curse was so severe that she single handedly pushed the entire Dwarven front back into its own borders."
"If multiple Dwarven heads from different kingdoms had not come together to stop her from pushing further, the humans would have captured a large chunk of Dwarven land by now."
The middle-aged warrior woman nodded once and finished the thought.
"And she even received a title after that display."
"She was called "The Queen of Curses"."
"Afterward she went on to take over all the major academies and brought them under one banner, while all those major academies were managed by the same organization, what she did was taking a much greater and absolute control of all of them." the woman continued, a note of genuine pride in her voice.
"And the best part? She is of no noble blood or royal mentor! She climbed the ranks entirely by herself!"
The young man stared at the screen.
He was clearly overwhelmed after hearing who she was.
"Wow... I never knew someone like that existed..."
The old warrior gave a short and dry laugh and took a slow drink from his cup.
"Of course you would not know, the last time she appeared in public was probably before you were born."
"After that she was not seen much at all."
"I have even heard that not even most of the higher ups know the full truth of her background."
"Most things about the CBI are not easy to access, but they do their job flawlessly, so no one complains too loudly."
"When someone that dangerous is the one running the academies, people tend to keep their questions to themselves."
***
Back on the Hawkilies the same feed continued to play above the participants.
Zara finished the quiet explanation through the bond.
’—so that is what we know about her from the public records available.’
Alex kept his eyes on the screen.
’That is one hell of a title.’
Venoma smirked at the viewers as if she could feel the weight of every pair of eyes across the empire.
She lifted a glass of pink wine and turned it slowly in her fingers, the liquid catching the light.
"Welcome to The Proving."
Her voice remained sweet and conversational.
"This is a competition to determine who is qualified to enter the academies under the CBI’s authority."
"As this is an empire wide event, you may find participants from all over the Human Empire during the competition."
"Currently you are grouped with the participants of your individual kingdom, but that will change soon."
She took a small sip of the wine before continuing.
"This Proving’s condition is fairly simple."
"You will be sent into an unknown region where you have to survive until the Proving ends."
"Do that, and you will be selected."
"If you are eliminated before that... well, too bad, you will be out for this year."
Venoma’s gaze shifted again.
To a normal viewer the movement would have meant nothing.
To Alex it was precise.
Zara’s voice came through the bond, quieter than before.
’...she is definitely looking at you, Alex.’
Gaining the direct attention of the Head of the CBI was not something either of them had planned for.
"So everyone..." Venoma started.
Alex answered with a thin thread of dark humour.
’...how bad can things really go...’
He already knew the answer.
Venoma’s sweet voice cut across the open back of the Hawkilies once more.
"...Get ready to be teleported!" A small devilish smirk sat at the corner of her mouth now.
The moment the words left her, the relatively quiet ranks of youths burst into panicking chatter.
Every head looked down.
Intricate markings of runes were beginning to appear across the surface of the Hawkilies, glowing with a cold and steady light that spread outward in complex patterns.
Alex’s gaze lifted past the forming runes and locked onto the vast stretch of land visible beyond the dome.
Different biomes rolled into one another without clear borders: dense forest, open plains, rocky highlands, and darker regions that the speed still blurred at the edges.
’The Proving...’
He felt the first pull of the teleportation arrays beginning to wake under his feet.
’...has begun.’
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End of Chapter 167: "The Queen of Curses"
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