After her emotional Breakdown, Lilly cleared her eyes and took several deep breaths. She had never had anything like that before, anytime she would have come close, she held it at bay, so why is the dam failing now. It felt as if all of her training to deal with that in the sisters elita was non-existent
Lilly decided not to think about it too hard,she did her best to make herself look proper. An hour later, Lilly set out towards etras Lilly was lucky enough to see the sunrise of the north something that only happens a few times a year, it's warm embrace did not inspire Lilly though, it was a beautiful sight, but it did little to comfort her like it would for so many others.
Lilly decided to keep moving, she did not want to get too far behind entering a small forest that led into the northwestern forest, Lilly saw the signs of battle, it was in an old, now abandoned fort, crumbling under its own weight, but there were footprints as if it had recent activity. Dried blood stain the lower layers of snow, and there were a few indents on the ground, the size of the head on the Cudgel's mace. But there were no bodies, which means Nature either reclaimed them already, or someone took the time to take the bodies away.
Proceeding forward, and sneaking around the border gate, as Lilly didn't want to deal with the empire at the moment, and moving into the northwestern forest region, the forest always unsettled Lilly in all but a few places, the two of the few places was Xomera's house, and the nearby lake. Lilly never told anyone, there wasn't much of a reason to.
Moving on, a few days later Lilly came to an interesting sight, a battle had taken place here, there were footprints everywhere, and a good deal of them Matched Zathor's large, armored feet. Others were much smaller.
Lilly got up and proceeded forward a few steps when two faces she knew all too well teleported in, looking over her shoulder, there was a third.
"Well, what we have here," The Illusionist said, his face still charred from their last meeting on the material plane.
"You know damn well what you have here," Lilly said, "How's the face? Oh, wait, it doesn't matter, even burning half of it off, your just as ugly as ever."
"Leaving behind the Goddess of Chaos was a big mistake." The ritualist said, Lilly couldn't help but internally agree.
"Have you come to fight, or boast?" Lilly asked.
"Neither we want you alive." The Illusionist said.
"Oh?" Lilly asked, but she didn't get an answer, as she was pulled around, and then hit by the cudgel's gauntleted fist, and Lilly was knocked unconscious.
She awoke, assumably hours hours later Lilly analyzed her surroundings, it was in a fortress or someplace built out of stone, but it clearly not of their stonework.
"Well, unfortunately I haven't made it to etras." Lilly reported telepathically to Xomera.
"Why is that?" Xomera questioned.
"Well, our favorite cowards think they can lock me in the Honeymoon suite." Lilly said, the 'honeymoon suite' part sarcastic, "I'm surprised they managed to keep themselves from monologuing long enough for them to get the drop on me."
Xomera gave a small laugh at what Lilly said. "Well, I would come to assist you, but I still can't access the plains to shift."
"I know you would, thank you, but I believe I can handle this." Lilly replied, then she used her brute strength to break the lock, making a coughing sound to mask her escape, she then opened the door, she would have picked the lock, but Lilly wasn't good at lockpicking, and she had no Lockpicks.
The fools left my gear next to my cage," Lilly told Xomera, "When will they learn?"
"Hopefully not soon, I'll happily take use of their idiocy." Xomera hummed.
"Fair enough." Lilly admitted, getting her gear on, and sneaking out into the Hall, and saw out one of the windows, "Uh oh."
"Their attention should shift soon, I'm in the process of setting up another tower to blow. I've been keeping the wraiths busy, but now that they know you are there, they will either keep the wraiths hunting me, split them between us, or hop back and forth from continent to continent in full strength."
"Maybe, who am I kidding, Probably," Lilly said.
Lilly quickly springed up the spiral staircase and up onto the roof, she walked towards the edge and looked over the southern ashlands.
"Well, the trip to etras is going to be a lot longer than Originally planned." Lilly sighed, dealing with her hair blowing into her face.
"I believe in you." Xomera replied.
Lilly was a little flattered, but was comforted, knowing that Xomera Meant it.
"I'll cause a little Chaos for them on my way out of the ashlands." Lilly replied.
"I appreciate it," Xomera hummed. ""Tell me if you can hear the explosion, I doubt it, but I just want to know if it'll reach Draxion."
"I'll keep you posted, but I think my first stop is the armory myself, and I don't think he's here." Lilly said
"As long as it makes it somewhat to that continent, I know he'll get word much quicker. If only I could see his face." Xomera said, as Lilly ran down to the Armory, searching for Barrels of blasting powder.
"Oh, same." Lilly Smiled, even though she knew Xomera couldn't see it.
"Alright, it's blowing in three, two, one…" Xomera said, counting down, Lilly was outside setting up a barrel of blasting powder, and she finally heard the explosion from across the sea five minutes after Xomera reached one.
"How much Blasting powder did you use?" Lilly asked, "You got it across the sea and over the mountains."
Xomera let out a chaotic giggle at Lilly's words, and Lilly could only assume the smile on her face. "About double the amount you would need to take down the betrayers main tower, had to make a statement after all."
"Is that it?" Lilly asked light heartedly, "Or are you trying to beat me to the punch, because taking the tower down is exactly what I'm about to do."
Xomera smiled, and even though Lilly wouldn't know, the woman was for once at ease in the midst of chaos. "I'm glad I have you around, Lilly."
This was a situation that Lilly was glad Xomera couldn't see her in, Lilly's smile faded to once again sadness, Lilly wasn't exactly 'around' Xomera, at least not Physically.
"Same," Lilly said, "I'm trying to decide if I'm good or if I should Sneak the blasting powder from the nearby fort over here and then blow it up, what do you think?"
"The more the merrier as they say, though if you do, please be careful." Xomera replied.
"I will, it'd be kind of disappointing to end up in hell again." Lilly said, "I'll let you know when I blow the tower."
With that, Lilly spent the next hour Quickly moving the Barrels of blasting powder around the base of the tower, shelf a great deal inside, Lilly then took a position halfway up the nearby Volcano, and Drew Jade's Lash, knocked a fire arrow, and took aim.
"And three, two, one." Lilly reported to Xomera, and released the arrow, it flew for a good three minutes, if it were any other arrow not made by Lilly, it would not have made it. The Explosion was massive, the initial explosion was small, but then the barrels on the inside caught, and then the explosive medicines, and it was a Whole chain reaction, the tower crumbled, and began falling towards the fortress, it hot more explosives there along with crushing the fortress town the enemy had built for themselves. and blowing what's left up with the explosives in the fortress.
"How did it look? Amazing, I assume, with your crafty placement skills." Xomera said.
"I think it looked great." Lilly said, the betrayer's army will be spread really thin, between the two of us, and everyone on their way to Etras, and Draxion knows he can't ignore us."
"He best gets his wraiths here soon, else he'll have two more blown towers. I stayed up all night planning for a fun day today!" Xomera said.
"You might want to get on your sister's good side, Lilly," Andrea, Goddess of truth and spiders, was apparently listening in on their conversation, and spoke back telepathically, "She can use the empire to spread the betrayer's troops thinner still."
"Oh, Andrea, I didn't know this was a three-way call." Xomera said.
"I hear all telepathic conversations moving in and out of the ashlands," Andrea explained, "excellent work, both of you, by the way."
"We do our best." Lilly replied.
"It's easy when you're dealing with an ignorant man," Xomera said.
"Might I suggest the fortress of Sandrain to your northeast, as your next target, Xomera?" Andrea asked.
"That was the next tower on my list, I'm heading there now." Xomera replied.
"And as for Lilly, I know you want her to go to Etras, however, the more Chaos she sows in the Ashlands, the better off the others on their way to etras will be." Andrea suggested.
"What information do you have on the group traveling to Etras, Andrea?" Xomera asked.
"Well, your husband and Daughter are with them., as is Lilly's daughter, Greggory Goran is there, too, along with an Etras elf, a dwarf, and a ranger, who is haunted by death, cursed to exist with the ghost of the deceived craftsman who holds himself responsible for the wraiths, for not seeing deception when he should have, and thus has become bitter. Alongside the ranger, he is Banished from death." Andrea explained telepathically.
Xomera gave a small sigh "Right then, Lilly. If Andrea thinks it's best you cause chaos in the ashlands, I trust her judgment."
"Alright." Lilly replied, "I'll keep you posted on what I do."
"Alright." Xomera said.
Lilly turned and looked out for the ashlands, watching as nine of the wraiths landed at the ruins to investigate, the other nine likely where Xomera just destroyed.
Lilly pondered what to do she had not the ability to charm an army of soldiers to do her bidding, that wouldn't sit right with Lilly anyways, and besides, after she was done, Lilly would have little need for an army, so what would she do?
Moving onto a different Idea, she could get help from Gandorla Andorus, an Imperial Fortress-city tasked with defending the western exit of the ashlands, however she quickly decided against that, there were people there, civilians, and Lilly did need to get them wrapped up in a siege if it was avoidable. Lilly considered the main gate, however, the Betrayer had to get out of the region to kill Xomera somehow, and considering that, to Lilly's knowledge, Gandorla Andorus was still under Imperial control, they had to have taken the gate.
"Well," Lilly said to herself, "Looks like I'm running around and causing some chaos with no plan, this'll be interesting."
Lilly walked down the Volcano, the wraiths investigating were long gone. She then began attacking the survivors with Chillkiss. Lilly completely cleared the area, Shards of ice that used to be the betrayer's troops melted into puddles and evaporated. Lilly Sheathed Chillkiss and proceeded away.