Sophia had been through the most difficult time of her life. She had been kidnapped by an alien race, imprisoned in a spaceship.
As someone from a quiet village she couldn't believe that such a parallel world existed. Now she was observing the main perpetrator. For the innocent woman it was hard to understand what was going on in Eldrak's mind.
He hadn't explained himself either. The alien monster proclaimed to have saved her live out of pity. But she couldn't be sure that this was the truth. After all, Eldrak was also holding back a lot.
Sophia had to seek multiple conversation for the Zrathras to explain to her that he conferred her the title as his retainer. This entailed changing her bloodline.
When the gentle woman first heard those outrages word, her face turned pale, her body shaking continuously. But strangely her mind wasn't rejecting that much after a few days. At that time Sophia couldn't understand her emotions.
Why did losing her humanity leave her so indifferent? And why did this indifference not cause her depression or anxiety? Sophia was in turmoil, not feeling well in her own body. She had silently followed behind Eldrak for the past month.
The Zrathras warrior on the other hand was more than satisfied with Sophia's reaction. Once again, the simple woman proved her unusually strong mind. Other humans would have despaired or even committed suicide if they knew about the Ritual of Acceptance, but Sophia was mostly fine after learning that she would become a member of the Malohcras race.
Eldrak was more and more certain that his decision was right. Sophia would be a great retainer for him. As the general's right-hand woman, she would have to navigate all kinds of difficult situations for him in the future. Now Eldrak only had to make sure that he took the position of general for himself.
Therefore, the proud warrior hadn't wasted a single moment, constantly training his body and mind. Right now, he was in his training room, going through a simulation.
Sophia observed on a screen as the alien warrior faced various enemies. For the unexperienced woman it was hard to tell the opponents strength.
Despite the screen proclaiming them to be between level 60 and 70, without any reference this wasn't helpful to Sophia. In her mind they might as well be as week as rags, because Eldrak was wiping the floor with them.
After a few minutes the proud warrior left his training room. His huge frame towered over Sophia. By now the young woman was already used to this sight. She was able to brush off the intimidating aura Eldrak released right after battle.
Even as the dangerous creature threw her an annoyed gaze did Sophia not react.
"I have told you; you have to stand up when I enter the room.", reprimanded Eldrak in his deep voice.
"Sorry."
Although Sophia was able to adapt surprisingly well, it didn't mean she was happy about the situation. Some small acts of defiance showed her stance.
Eldrak growled in displeasure:
"You WILL be my retainer. You might not accept it and it might sound unfair, put the weak have no say in this universe. If it weren't for me your whole village would have been flattened."
Sophia shuddered slightly, glaring at Eldrak in anger. But the warrior continued unperturbed:
"Only if you do a good job as my retainer does your word hold enough weight. Right now all your friends are frozen in ice by elder Mouranek. If you want to guarantee their safety, grow stronger!"
"You are blackmailing me!"
"Yes. So what? If you are capable enough, surpass and kill me. If this really happens, I would have no one else to blame but my own inadequacy!"
"You're a psycho!"
"I'm a Zrathras."
"Seems to be the same. How can you talk about killing so lightly? It was you who brought disaster to our village!"
Eldrak felt the rage boiling in his heart, but he kept outwardly calm. He took a few steps forward, looking down on the weak human with his red eyes.
"You are blaming me? Do you think your 'friends' didn't know what would happen after they were found out? How could war refugees ever live a cozy life?!"
Suddenly Sophia jumped up. She grit her teeth, staring back at Eldrak's eyes. Surprisingly the proud warrior even felt some pressure on his mind.
A loud voice echoed through the room:
"Don't you DARE blame Lilly and Iain! I might not know if they are some war refugees, but I know they are my family! They would never harm anyone!"
Eldrak chuckled slightly about Sophia's last words. How could there be someone in this universe who never harms others? Was this even possible?
Shaking his head disapprovingly, Eldrak just wanted to counter Sophia when a mechanical voice sounded in his room.
"Master Eldrak, Elder Mouranek awaits your presence on the bridge."
Despite being slightly confused about the sudden summon, Eldrak immediately turned towards the door.
"Let's go. And don't disregard etiquette in front of Elder Mouranek. He won't be as forgiving as I am!"
Sophia shuddered slightly. The old Zrathras gave her immense pressure. Even until today, she would sometimes have nightmares about him.
Steeling her mind Sophia stood up and followed behind Eldrak. Despite their argument she still knew that the younger warrior was her best bet to survive. She would most likely have no choice but to stay by his side for a long time.
Although she hadn't learned much about the universe so far, Sophia had started to teach herself the Zrathras' language and history on Eldrak's order. Therefore, she had a vague idea about the clan's strength. She knew that she stood no chance against the clan's might.
With mixed emptions Sophia followed behind Eldrak. She forcefully put on a calm look despite her apprehensions of meeting Mouranek.
Only the sound of heavy steps could be heard as the unlikely pair walked down the hallway. Eldrak observed the paintings decorating the walls, imagining scenes of his own fights hanging here one day. In his mind this was only a matter of time.
A few seconds later Eldrak and Sophia entered through a mechanical door. The warrior was immediately surprised as his eyes observed the bridge. A lot of his clan members had gathered here. They took on different positions, overseeing a variety of monitors.
Eldrak knew what this most likely entailed. They were preparing for a fight.
Sophia seemed slightly stiff as she stood behind Eldrak. She had never been in one room with so many aliens. Most of them had a similar build to Eldrak, maybe slightly less ferocious. But each of them was still emitting some pressure. However, all of this was overshadowed by the elder, who calmly stood in the room's center.
Walking a few more steps forward, Eldrak and Sophia bowed deeply towards the elder.
Mouranek's blue eyes were trained towards the front. He focused on a message on one monitor, ignoring the newcomers. Eldrak knew the elder was showing his dissatisfaction, but the proud warrior didn't complain. Although not many seemed to approve of his decision, Eldrak wouldn't budge.
His belief was only growing more and more. His clan had declined due to internal stive put it would flourish under his leadership. This was a promise he gave himself and his clan!
After a few seconds Mouranek finally spoke.
"Rise!"
Sophia was slightly distressed. The elder spoke in the Malohcras' language. Rise was still among the few words she had already learned, but if the elder wanted to make her life difficult he could simply speak to her in the alien language.
Fortunately, Mouranek didn't stoop so low as to let out his anger on a simple human. He only ignored Sophia as he addressed Eldrak:
"Junior!"
"Yes, Elder?"
"We just received a distress call. I let you make the decision of how to proceed. If you want to act on it, don't expect my help."
Eldrak's eyes lit up. Despite the elder proclaiming that he wouldn't help him, was this really the case? Simply giving him this opportunity was already a great help in itself.
If he wanted the position as general, skilled leadership was naturally one of the most important qualities. Although Eldrak had proven himself in many missions, one could never have enough training.
Bowing deeply towards the elder, he thanked him silently.
Mouranek's face looked like he hadn't done anything. He waved his hand before ignoring everyone and returning to his quarters.
As soon as the elder left whispers spread through the bridge. Obviously the present Zrathras weren't that fearful of Eldrak.
Sophia eyed everyone suspiciously before silently drawing back. She positioned herself next to the door, watching Eldrak's performance. She couldn't deny that the idea of observing the spaceship's workings excited her.
Noticing the chatting crew members, Eldrak's eyes narrowed. A dangerous pressure slowly spread from the warrior. The other Zrathras grew solemn as they felt Eldrak's seriousness.
Achieving his purpose, Eldrak shouted at a crew member sitting directly before him:
"Commander Haroktok. Report!"