《The Drop Sinister (DROPPED)》


 Chapter 1: Early Dawn

    It was not yet dawn¡ªthe light barely peeked out from beneath the heavy darkness¡ªwhen Anise reached the woods on her white mare.


    "Solana, can you please hurry up? Look at the sun, it''s almost dawn," the young lady muttered. "We''re already running late because a certain someone wanted sugar cubes."


    The horse snorted with indignation and she slowed to a pace that a child could outwalk.


    "Sometimes, I wonder why I even bothered to bid an entire gold coin for you? You''re just proving all the men -- both the nobles and peasants -- in the world right with your attitude, you know that? Do you really want me to also think you''re only worth at most a few silvers -- just because you''re a girl, and meant for breeding and all that?"


    The horse stopped. She turned her head and snapped at the young lady''s bangs. Anise jolted her head back and laughed at the horse''s expression. The horse flapped her lips, a deep hate in her eyes, before turning back to the road.


    The girl hugged the horse''s neck and stroked her mane. "Tell you what, old friend, if we get to the clearing quick, I''ll end practice early. Then we can spend the way back admiring the winter scenery."


    The horse, of course, offered no response. She was much too proud to answer someone she considered inferior to herself. Solana simply kept on going through the large woods.


    The young lady smiled wryly, ¡°You sure hold a grudge, don¡¯t you? It has been five years since I bought you. In just a few days, I will turn sixteen¡ªthen, I will be of age. Can we please put the past behind us?¡±


    The mare offered no response. She did, however, slow her pace even more than before.


    At times, Anise thought her own mare was more fit to be a noble than her: Solana had both the pride and intelligence to survive in that world of nobility. Even after being a noble for some time now, Anise was still often lost in that particular world.


    Anise snorted and said, ¡°I was only ten when I first bought you. How was I supposed to know that I wasn''t suppose to use your mane as the reins? Stop acting childish and let us have a nice and civilized conversation. After all, the time I can spend with you so leisurely is almost gone. So can you please respond?¡±


    The mare snorted in response and continued to stroll forward at her own pace. Anise smiled with a shake of her head and continued to caress the mare¡¯s mane. The duo continued like so on the snow-burdened path. Even the trees seem to be sculpted from snow.


    The wind started to blow. Some of the snow caught on the young woman''s long amber hair, complementing her fair complexion. Her cheeks grew red from the wind. Anise pulled her black hood over her head such that only her emerald eyes peeked forth.


    What she had on was sparse, but much warmer and practical than her normal dresses: consisting of a cheap black wool tunic, a baldric strapped around the shoulder, leather trousers, and a pair of boots with wolf fur lined the cuffs. The caped-hood and the belt with many pouches around her waist were personal requests.


    Anise had the local seamstress make the outfit the year she stopped growing¡ªthough she never grew much in the chest area, a fact which she felt quite conflicted.


    Often, she found herself ridiculed for her lacking breasts¡ªthus, a great curiosity when the baron''s eldest son took interest in her and arranged for marriage. Of course, the baron''s heir was rather spoilt¡ªall royals were¡ªand would not wed a woman by only her virtue or name. It was by gift of Anise''s youthful beauty which entranced the man-child. Her face made the flowers weep and the stars pale when placed alongside her grace.


    The young woman fiddled with her bangs as she thought of the marriage. She sighed deeply. It didn''t help that the baron was her estranged uncle.


    However, a burst of noise jolted her from her worries. Screams resounded in the distance: eastbound. Solana staggered her gallop. She neighed in annoyance, almost in a nagging way. The screams were youthful in nature and weak in tone. Intertwined, though, was a more primal and disturbed howl. Quickly, the shrill screams calling for help turned into wails and cries. Soon the noise perished and the howling of the wind filled the silence of the woods once more.


    ¡°Solana, east,¡± the young lady shouted. For once, the mare bolted forward, kicking up a white storm behind them. Her body tilted forward, and the two broke through the wind¡ªan unstoppable force, free of all restraints. Hair and snow caught at Anise¡¯s face; she paid no mind. Instead, her smile grew until her happiness exploded into laughter.


    Solana simply shook her head with deep irritation in her heart.


    However, that levity of the heart vanished the moment the two reached the predicament which produced the ear-splicing screams.


    What met the young lady and her mare was a hulking beast. A beast which simply seemed impossible. A special nightmare manifested which defied the gods and nature, man and magic, and even demon worship.


    Its head was recklessly balanced on a body much too small for its gigantic head. Though, it was more accurate to describe the abomination¡¯s crown as a cluster of orifices divided into various odd regions. One region was much like the vessels and pumps of a heart with bulging veins; another region constituted entirely of grotesque eyeballs similar to barnacles; and interspread throughout, dividing the other two regions, was a region simply of slits. And each orifice spewed an ooze the color of rotten eggs.


    Its body was an amalgamation of various body parts: centipede limbs, long and bent like broken bamboo; enormous piles of flesh cushioned its nether regions; and an abundance of perfectly preserved human heads protruded grossly from a torso made up entirely of tentacles whose suckers were instead eyes which constantly swiveled around the environment.


    Situated above the monstrosity, clinging madly to the branches of an aged oak, was a pair of children. The two children were young and had identical faces, though one had a rounder face and long hair which reached her foot.


    Anise gazed upon the creature and abruptly pulled Solana¡¯s mane, causing the mare to trot backwards. The children noticed her and screamed desperately.


    ¡°I-I will be right there,¡± she shouted in response. Solana turned to face her rider and grunted. Anise slapped both her cheeks. She breathed in a deep breath and shouted at the abomination.


    Every single eye on the beast shot over to her outburst.


    Anise grew pale and swallowed down what felt like vomit. She gripped Solana¡¯s reins tightly and took in another deep breath and shouted at the beast again.


    The beast screamed back. Immediately, Solana turned around and bolted deep into the woods.


    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    The beast followed, slithering on its limbs and thrusting forward with its tentacles. A constant screech sounded from it as it chased its prey.


    ¡°Solana, once we reach a clearing, you must head back and rescue the children,¡± Anise said quickly. Solana grunted in response. Anise patted Solana¡¯s head and said, ¡°I will be fine. Meet me at the entrance of the forest. If I do not reach you even after the sun has risen to its highest point, go to the nearest village. Don''t argue with me.¡±


    Solana grunted once more and said nothing else.


    It did not take long to reach the clearing. It was undisturbed and perfect in its white covering of snow. And the clearing was large enough to maneuver about easily.


    Anise lept off Solana, tucked in her body, and rolled to the far-end of the clearing. Solana raced further into the thickets of woods. Anise quickly stood up. She unsheathed her rapier from the baldric at her hip and, from a holster on her belt, she pulled out a long dagger. The young warrior took a low crouch at the approaching monster; her dagger pointed outwards with the rapier on the inner sanctum of the body. It was an unusual and unconventional stance. The balance of the weapons was awkward and the girl seem to tip over from the slightest force, especially in such a slippery field.


    She breathed heavy. Her heart pounded, slammed, and crushed against her chest. This was her first time facing anything other than a tree. Her hands were also freezing.


    ¡°I should have worn my fur gloves,¡± she mumbled to herself in a slight daze.


    The entirety of the beast (which measured from end to end, a length of three men) slithered disjointed into the clearing.


    Now that Anise was within a close proximity to the grotesque creature, she was finally able to smell how putrid and utterly rancid the creature truly was. The girl was a fool and covered her nose with her left hand out of instinct, leaving only her rapier to guard her.


    The beast howled in joy. Its tentacles quickly surged forward like waves. The dead faces dangled and bobbed merrily with inviting smiles. They were loose, gaping smiles without teeth.


    The lady swore and quickly dove to the side. She was not quick enough. Fortunate that she even managed to lessen the weight of the brutal onslaught with her two weapons.


    Else, her ribs would not have just cracked. No. It would have been much worse. Each bone in that slender frame of hers would have snapped and pierced through her thin skin from the insides.


    Though, it was not as if she came out unharmed. Already she felt a harsh burning at her sides. And her arms felt heavy; she could not feel her hands at all. More arresting was the crushing sensation at her lungs just by breathing.


    Her vision grew hazy.


    The beast roared in triumph. Pungent ooze overflowed from its heads. The dead faces seem to shake as if barely able to contain their excitement of getting a new ¡°friend¡±.


    Its tentacles launched forward again like a rain of spears.


    Anise grunted. She screamed. She forced the pain to leave, and she pushed her body to roll. She narrowly dodged her execution. The beast growled in annoyance.


    The young noble tasted blood as it trickled from her lips. She spat. It was a disgusting and irritable metallic taste.


    Anise moved into her stance again. She no longer smelled abomination¡¯s terrible stench. Or perhaps she smelled it so deeply that it melded with everything else. The same could be said about her sight and her hearing. It was as if she could not see or hear clearly, or she sensed with such intensity that she could only rely on instinct and nothing more. She mused about these things with a smile, an innocent haze-filled smile.


    It was a smile much like the petals of trees in bloom: beautiful and short-lived. Soon, fear and indecision grasped her face.


    The beast howled and launched forward on its thousand centipede limbs. Tentacle shot forward. Ooze spewed forth.


    The girl stomped the snow-painted floor. She clamped down her teeth. Her emerald eyes reflected the pale drifting light of dawn.


    She dashed forward. With an uncertain yawp, she swung her dagger. The blade glanced off the tentacles and caused no harm at all.


    The young lady swore, but she pressed forward. The tentacles were already at full momentum and could only continue forth. The beast struck nothing but the snow-layered earth.


    Meanwhile, the girl entered its range. Anise bit down on her tongue to keep her blade hand steady. She closed her eyes and screamed.


    The beast howled and scrambled back on its thousands of limbs.


    It was not quick enough.


    With a simple thrust of her rapier, Anise pierced one of the beast¡¯s prized-heads. The blade sank into flesh easily, as if there was no flesh there at all.


    The beast screamed and cried. One of its ¡°friends¡±, one of its treasured and beloved and wonderful ¡°friend¡±, has been pierced through!


    The beast moaned and moaned. Its other ¡°friends¡± wailed. Its many eyes closed and weeped blood. The beast had gone mad. Its tentacles lashed out like thunder, striking the air, the trees, and the snow. A storm brewed from its anguish.


    Anise jumped back and landed in the snow. She was pale. The girl looked at her rapier stained with blood. Then she looked at her hands. If there was blood on her hands, it had been washed away by the snow. She swallowed down her vomit and ran.


    She scrambled recklessly away from the beast while she could. She ran until her legs gave out. Then she threw up on the oak which she rested her hands.


    She shook. Her chest heaved intermittently, sometimes violent; other times, it was as if she did could not breathe at all. Tears spilled from her eyes.


    ¡°I have to find Solana,¡± she said weakly. She stood and immediately collapsed. Her legs were still shaking. The girl beat on her shaking legs. ¡°Stop shaking! You¡¯re going to become an adventurer. You can¡¯t be like this, you can¡¯t.¡±


    Anise clenched her fists and began to hit her legs. Again and again. When her legs grew numb, the girl pulled herself up and dragged herself to the forest¡¯s entrance.


    Author''s Note: I always wanted to do this. If you made it this far, then I thank you greatly from the depths of my bottomless void I call a heart. And if you skipped to the end because you felt the beginning was too slow, then I also understand where you are coming from. I personally enjoy when the author takes time to develop an atmosphere; I am not skilled or experienced enough to develop a mood with a single phrase. I also like slow pace stories in general, I guess. Hope you stay for more.

 Chapter 2: Boo

    Anise found Solana at the forest''s entrance with the two children sitting restlessly. The children rushed over to the young lady with snot flying from their nose.


    "Thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" The twins cried.


    The boy tried to keep his tears in but could not and resorted to wiping his messy face with his sleeves. The girl kept bowing.


    Anise smiled and took the two''s hands. She knelt down and embraced their small bodies.


    "It is alright now," she whispered gently. "Do you two know where the nearest apothecary is? We got to get you fixed up before sending you two home."


    The two children had scratches all over their body. Their cloth did not protect much and had rips, especially around the arms. The strenuous activities of the early morning had cause some of the old stitches around the patches of cloth to open which revealed the emerging swelling of bruises.


    The girl''s eyes lit up. "Boo''s that way!"


    The boy also smiled. He even did a little hop and clap. "We wannit go to Boo''s! Boo knows everything."


    "He''ll know where a pot carry is," the two young children said in happy unison.


    The colors returned to Anise as she laughed.


    The two children grew angry. "Hey, whatcha laughin'' for! Boo knows everything! He does! He Does!"


    "Is this Boo of yours, much like the stalk of a white lily, very slender? So slender that he could pass off as a girl if he had bigger hips?" With a smirk, she asked. Solana snorted also.


    Tilted their heads, the twins did. The boy looked at the girl; the girl looked back at Anise. The girl nodded suspiciously.


    "His hair covers his entire face? He speaks as if he is an old man even though he is barely an adult? The type of man who would prefer staying indoors even as the flowers bloom and fruits ripen?"


    With each question, the twins nodded in confirmation. Then the two excitedly cried, "You know Boo too!"


    "Yes, I do," the young lady said with a cheeky smile while Solana shook her mane in exasperation. "I was the one who gave him that nickname."


    "No!" The two children shouted angrily. "Boo is ours nickname!"


    Anise pinched the two children''s cheeks.


    "What was that," she asked with a smile. "Boo is mine, yes?"


    The two nodded furiously. Anise smiled and let the two go.


    The girl rubbed her cheeks and asked, "Boo will know where a pot carry is?"


    "Boo is an apothecary. Apothecaries make and sell medicine. His cottage stinks of herbs right?"


    "Mm," the boy nodded and clenched his nose. "Dizzying."


    "I actually do not know where Boo''s cottage is, so I need you two to be good guides." She said as she helped the children up Solana''s back. The three sat so Anise held the reins with the children nestled between her laps. The children briefly explained the route. It was a simple straight line with only minor turns at very obvious landmarks.


    The boy was a bit nervous as the mare began its trot. The girl''s eyes lit up. The girl turned around and asked, "Why do you not know Boo''s home?"


    Anise rolled her eyes. "It is a long story. Simply put, Boo is an idiot. He leaves his childhood friend and bestest friend behind and doesn''t tell her where he went."


    "Boo ain''t an idiot!" The girl exclaimed with a frown. She would make many swoon with that frown of hers in the future.


    Anise smiled mischievously. "Do you like Boo?"


    "I love Boo," the girl said proudly. Her brother rolled his eyes as he held on tighter to his sister. His face turned greener still. The girl then grew cautious; she pulled back a little. "Do you love Boo?"


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Anise laughed. "No, Boo is Boo. I like him, but love?" She laughed again.


    "Hey! Don''tcha make fun of Boo!" The young girl huffed angrily. Meanwhile, her brother has passed out from the movement of the horse.


    "Should you not be happy that I do not love Boo?"


    "Mmm, uh," the innocent girl tried to find an answer to no avail. Smoke seemed to come her head. Finally, she gave up and changed the topic. "What is ya name?"


    "Anise, but you can call me Ane."


    "I''m Morg. That''s Mel." The girl frowned. "Ain''t Morg an ugly name? I hate it."


    "Your parents gave you that name. No matter what the name may be, it is beautiful."


    The girl grew quiet, and a bit sad. She softly mumbled, "Yeah."


    "So what were you doing in the forest so early?" The young lady asked, though she had a clue judging by the girl''s quiet response earlier.


    "What were you doin'' in the forest?" Morg asked in response.


    "I was training. I want to become an adventurer. Though, today''s training was a bit more exciting than I had prepared."


    "Sorry," Morg replied sheepishly. Then she sat up straight and said, "I still ain''t gonna tell you!"


    "Fine. You will have to tell Boo, yes?"


    Morg nodded. She looked down and asked softly, "Ane, you think Boo will hate me? For being troublesome?"


    "No, Boo is very nice. One of his only good points, I say."


    "Boo has many good points," the young girl yawned. The rhythmic trot of Solana in concurrence with this morning''s events quickly lulled the girl into deep sleep.


    Once she made certain both the twins were truly asleep, Anise detailed her first real fight to Solana. The mare listened patiently to her mistress. Solana had done exactly so since she was bought: listened, and only listened.


    "I fought poorly against the beast. Though only because it was an inanis. If it didn''t have human faces¡ªit isn''t like I will fight humans¡ª, I would not have fought so badly. I would have finished it off, because I am going to be adventurer. Afterall, adventurers fight monsters." The girl finished off confidently. She gripped the reins tightly. "Right. I will be fine, I will definitely be fine. I will slay monsters and demons¡ªjust not humans. Those, those are left for the mercenaries and the bounty hunters. I will be fine. Truly, I shall be fine. I had even trained myself to no longer flinch. If I simply keep my eyes open, I will be fine. Absolutely fine."


    The girl returned to silence. Solana continued to go in a straight line.


    "Hey, Solana, do you think the face I stabbed, do you think his family are still alive? I mean, he was young, so young. Inanes can preserve the faces for eternity, but I can''t help but wonder. Was what I did right? What if he was one of the rare ones¡ªthe strong ones¡ªwho was still alive?"


    The mare offered no response, though she did pick up speed and woke Morg up.


    "We there yet?" The girl yawned.


    "No, not yet," Anise replied.


    "Mm, Ane, let''s play a game then," Morg asked sleepily. Anise nodded. The girl nudged at Mel and woke him up.


    The three played a word game for the remainder of the trip.


    Author''s Note: A shorter chapter this time around. How are you feeling about the characters so far? Feedback is greatly desired. I personally feel the last few parts of the chapter, where she consulted with her mare, to be cringey to read. I tried to write it in a way that felt more natural and less disjointed from the rest of the chapter. If you have suggestions on how to fix or improve that scene, then tell me please.

 Chapter 3: Storytime

    Bolverk buried his face into his palms. The young man was overfilled with exasperation. The reason? His sworn lady had shown up dirty in the doorway of his quiet cottage with a pair of small children in both hands. He asked his lady, "For what purpose were you by these woods, Lady Anise? And in that outfit no less. Wait! I never told you where I resided. Morg! Mel! You two told her where I lived! Furthermore, why are you two with her?"


    "Go on," Anise said to Morg. "Explain to Boo why you two were in the forest."


    "Oh, fine. I shall question Mel and Morg first¡ªhowever, Lady Anise, it is unbecoming of you to point, among other things, and we will return to your reason for being in the forest so early in the morning." He sighed as he placed his hands on his hips in surrender. He turned to the young twins who were both in tears as well as bruises and cuts on their little bodies. "Now what were you two young ones doing in the forest? Lady Arushi''s Chalice has barely begun painting the sky anew. Do you two not fear the unpainted black sky?"


    Morg shifted her eyes down as she fiddled with the hem of her dress. The autumn dawn drifting into Bolverk''s cottage made the twins'' faces appear porcelain.


    Morg spoke first, "Um...Mel an'' me wannit watch the sun rise. Please don''t be mad."


    "Mm," Mel nodded furiously. "We ain''t doin'' none bad things to no one! Morg an'' me ver'' wannit see Lady Arushi''s first light. We swear on the Eight that all we wannit!"


    The two hastily brought up their left hands. Before the two could speak the sacred oath, Bolverk conked the top of the children''s heads.


    "So that is what this entire affair is about," he sighed wryly. He crouched down, an awkward sight due to his lanky frame. He pinched the children''s noses. "It is but a fairy tale. The light from Lady Arushi will not guide you to your mother''s soul; for your mother has already gone to the Circle once more by now. The living should not journey into the Circle, especially not young children. Do you understand?"


    The fairy tale was a common tale often told to young children. It was to give them hope. However, for those who have lost loved ones at a young age, it was only cruel to trick them with a tale indistinguishable from the actual achievements of the gods. Lady Arushi may use Her heart as a Chalice to fill the world with light and bring about a new day, but even with such qualities associated with rebirth, the goddess has little authority in the domain of death. Lady Arushi''s title as the Maiden of the Circle was an honorary one; the duties of death were eternally of Lone T''han''s, and he was a cold insufferable bastard.


    The children grimaced and clenched their fists on the hems of their tunics.


    "But, we just wannit see our mama," Morg said with tear forming in her eyes. Bolverk scrunched his eyebrows; it was not often that he saw Morg cry.


    "Do you two know of the vampire invasion ten winters ago?" Bolverk asked. The two shook their heads. Anise glanced at Bolverk in annoyance and puffed her cheeks out cutely. Soon she looked away and resumed scrubbing filth off her body. "Lady Anise lost her father, brother of Baron Din''ae, and the prior captain of the entire Ardinian forces. And I lost my own father who was second-in-command. They were both great men who gave all they possessed to allow time for everyone to take refuge in the castle. Lady Anise cried for weeks, a complete mess of a flower."


    "I was only five; Boo, however, was nine. And he cried far more than I did," Anise remarked with a musing smile. She poked Bolverk''s thin cheeks as she knelt beside him. "And we both heard the same tale you two did. So, I did what you two did: I dragged Boo to the forest. We were starved and exhausted, but we waited. We huddled together in the deepest part of the forest even as the colors faded and died."


    Bolverk nodded with a smirk. "Though we were starved, Lady Anise tried to hunt rabbits with her hands." He made short, swift pounces with his hands .


    Anise slapped Bolverk''s shoulder with puckered lips similar to a pair of cherries, "Oh, just go mix your herbs!"


    Bolverk chuckled and sauntered over to his workstation nestled in the top-left corner of the room. It was a neat and large workstation with many drawers and many boxes and many shelves overflowed of many bottles and many jars. Soon the heavy bitter odor of herbs choked the room, and the room filled with the clacking of wood. The twins wrinkled their nose like shrews.


    Anise turned back to her story and continued in a low voice. The incessant clacking seemed like tribal drums in the backdrop. "And even babies know that as soon as the darkness covers the sky, monsters come out to roam. Though, some beasts are not bound to the same laws as you two surely know."


    The twins nodded.


    "Boo and I embraced each other. And," she laughed, "though he may not look much with his twig-like frame, I thought he was quite warm and reliable then."


    Bolverk felt his face warm and, without facing them, said, "Lady Anise, perhaps upon my tunic were your tears which you felt warm."


    Anise frowned at Bolverk''s back and rolled her eyes. "Can you take a compliment at all?"


    Laughing, he replied, "My lady, I felt that was more of an insult."


    With a simple exchange, the tense atmosphere which Anise built up was gone. The twins'' pale faces were replaced with rosy blushes as the two laughed. Both Anise and Bolverk smiled at one another when they saw that colors has returned to the twins'' faces.


    "Though I often tease Boo, he was very-," Anise tried to find the words, face twisting about like a confused child''s and hands adrift in the air like scattered petals. Bolverk listened intently, but soon grew annoyed at her inability to find a word to describe him.


    "Ver'' wha?" Mel finally asked. "Charmin''?"


    Anise tilted her head at that statement with her round eyes opened wide as if she was unable to fully digest that statement.


    "By the gods, no!" Anise laughed clutching her stomach, the chorale of bells filling the cozy cottage. "I wager no one has seen his face in the last three winters. How can a man with such unruly hair be charming?"


    Anise laughed even harder, though a bit painfully, when Bolverk snuck behind her and tickled her sides.


    "I am surely Prince Charming in the flesh, Lady Anise! Pray tell me what under the heavens are you talking about?" Bolverk exclaimed with a wry smile.


    Anise tried to elbow Bolverk, but he had already leapt backwards, and soon he was back to crushing his herbs. Anise clucked her tongue in annoyance.


    "Despite being a fool and a weakling and a klutz and-"


    "Can you please proceed, my lady? I would love to find that the numerous tutors hired by your mother improved your vernacular and speech by even a little bit."Anise rolled her eyes and said, "Despite being all that and more, Boo was very strong during that moment. Happy?"


    Bolverk resisted an urge to hide his face into his cowl, and with a controlled voice he answered yes. Anise seemed surprise that he answered honestly, but she soon laughed gaily in child-like joy before returning to her story.


    "Anyways, he held me tightly, even as the creature approached. I buried my face deeper into his tunic. And soon I felt Boo shiver; next, I felt a gust of hot air batter my body." Anise breathed the last words out as if to imitate the gust of hot air, her face only inches in front of the children''s.


    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Smack! Without warning, she smacked her hands in front of the children, causing the two to tumble backwards. Before even a second passed, the twins bursted into laughter.


    "Lady Anise!" Bolverk screamed as he clumsily caught his mortar and pestle.Anise''s large, round eyes blinked like stars, "Boo, did that frighten you?"


    Bolverk scoffed at that notion nervously and immediately turned his head back to his herbs. Anise winked at the children. She stealthily got up and was soon behind Bolverk.


    "Boo!" She shouted as she slung her arms around his neck.


    "Anise!" He screamed, nearly dropping his mortar and pestle again. He glanced at her and said with an unreadable expression, "Can you please just finish your story, so that we may send the twins to their father before he wakes and go mad from worry. Then, we will return to why you were in the forest in the first place."


    Anise shrugged and removed herself from Bolverk. Bolverk returned to mixing his herbs. Again, Anise winked at the twins who could barely contain their giggles even with hands over each other''s mouths. As soon as Bolverk''s back was turned, Anise jabbed the sides of his waist causing him to screech like a child on Yule Eve. Then she dashed away with a stuck-out tongue. Bolverk could only hold his violated sides as he shook his head.


    Anise sat in front of the children, legs crossed. Smack! She clapped her hands once more causing everyone to hop a little.


    "That was the sound of a human struck by the arm of a gnoll. Yes¡ªa gnoll: a hulking mass of muscle fixed to the head of a mutt. A crazed mutt with unfocused eyes and foam gathered round his fangs; an abomination with ragged skin which peeled back down the spine to reveal sharp obsidian spikes. And their talons were so clean and so sharp¡ªclean and sharp because they leave no flesh uneaten on their claws. They would gnaw upon their tools till not a stain could be found. The sound made by a single slash disturbed no air¡ªtheir claws only needed to cleanly separate bone from flash."


    She breathed. "Boo was struck and flew into a tree."


    Crack! Anise snapped a twig which had been tangled in Morg''s scraggly hair. She stared into both of the twins'' eyes and lingered. "And that was the sound of ribs being snapped into pieces. Of bones shattering like a glass mirror. Do you two understand? Good.


    "Boo fainted, and my lilac dress became dyed in scarlet. The gnoll continued to advance on us, and all I can was close my eyes." Anise laid a hand on her beating heart. She whispered, "And to tell the truth, I was not ready for death. In fact, I was scared. Exceptionally scared.


    "Thankfully, one of the journeying Heroes who saved our province found us," she smiled.


    "Did he use a swor'' an'' dagga like ya''s?" Mel asked.


    Anise blushed and replied, "No. He wielded a broadsword in one hand and a sabre in the other. It was as if the moon and sun yielded to him¡ªand only him¡ªas he danced with the beast."


    Bolverk walked over with a raised brow and a mortar of green ointment. As he crouched next to Anise to apply the ointment to the children, he said sharply, "Hmph, well I may have a conjecture on what you were doing this early in the forest."


    Anise played with her hair and muttered, "You should praise me. Else, these two would have been devoured by an inanis."


    "An inanis?" Bolverk said wryly as he rubbed the paste onto the twins'' cuts and bruises. "Did you kill it?"


    Anise paled slightly, though only Bolverk noticed. The young lady shook her head. "I pierced one of its faces. It should not be a big issue if the baron puts a price on it. I recall there were fewer than twenty faces; it is not that strong nor old."


    "Ane, ya strong ain''t ya?" The twins said with admiration.


    Anise puffed her flat chest out and nodded proudly.


    "Call her Lady Anise," Bolverk chided the children who winced from the cold ointment.


    The twins tilted their heads, "Why? Ane tol'' us to call ''er Ane."


    "Let us not go into etiquette lessons now. I had enough of them these last few months." Anise groaned. Anise gave a wistful glance towards Bolverk. "Boo, you always called me Ane before you came of age as well.


    "As I was saying: a hero came. However, were it not for him, both Boo and I would be in the scary gnoll''s stomachs. We would never have seen snow again, run across the wild grass bare-foot, or be able to give hugs and kisses to people we love. So do you understand why you should not go do dangerous things anymore? A hero do not always appear to save you."


    The twins nodded.


    Bolverk finished his treatment of the children''s minor injuries and said, "Let''s go home now." He took the twins'' hands into his own. Bolverk turned to Anise, "Do not think of running. I will tell Lady Tan''ae of your training if you do, and Lady Tan''ae never wakes before at least two hours after the first light, so we have time. Please, rest. Oh, do not peek into the other room."


    Bolverk gestured towards the only door in the cottage, other than the one leading out. The room they currently were in held only the essentials: a stove in one corner, a workstation in the other, a bed in the third, and a table at the center with a single chair. Outside the cottage was a separate facility for cleansing. It was a bare cottage out in the outskirts of the village, Aetoc, closest to the forest. This made the singular door appear particularly tempting despite it being just a door.


    "Of course, you will most likely peek regardless of my warning, but I did warn you," Bolverk said with a sigh and an exasperated roll of his eyes one last time before closing the door shut.


    Anise being a trained and poised lady of the upper echelon of society that she belonged to ruled that it was at this time that the unspoken motto of the rich was most applicable, "The ramblings and copper of the poor matters not in the face of lilac and gold!"; rather than the etiquette appropriate of a lady to "obey the commands of her host and idle like a peony awaiting rain".


    And so she got up and opened the closed door with a polite, "Pardon the intrusion."


    Author''s Note: Yeah, I told a story within a story. It''s only chapter 3 too; or more appropriately, it''s already chapter 3! I was not kidding when I mentioned the pace would be slow. I also feel like it''s important for you, the grand audience, to understand some of the characters first. If I was a better writer, I would be able to write from an inciting event and not have so much set up. I hope I will become one in the near future. If you are still here with me, then you are just great -- or really bored and has run out of things to do. And I promise you that once we hit a certain chapter, everything will be like fire. Hopefully. Either way, thanks for reading.

 Chapter 4: Lentil Soup

    "Lady Anise, I told you to not open the door." Bolverk chided with furrowed brows as he wiped dried vomit from Lady Anise''s lips with the sleeve of his robe. He scrunched up his face, "Reaffirming it, you would have done so regardless of warnings. A blessing I rushed back as quick as I could."


    Anise was hunched over on her knees, spittle of vomit clung to the corners of her lips. The pretty face of hers has gone ashen like ivory or the faded hides of elephants, and her blue veins casted a sickly contrast with her pale flesh


    She was petrified, as if truly turned into stone. Her nails grasped at the earth, partly scrambling through the dirt for warmth, but ultimately stopping from the terrible cold and from the pain of flesh striking the harden earth. An eye was opened large and round in fright, unable to close lest the horror haunts her closed eye; the other eye was a sliver of faded pale green, jaded and washed, and in want of closing her vision from the world. However, she was trapped between cowardice and courage¡ªshe was trapped in indecision¡ªand her chest heaved from both excess of air and lack of it.


    When Anise fully came to her senses, she was lying on Bolverk''s bed. Bolverk was at his workstation crushing herbs. The room became bloated from an ocean of mint, basil, lavender, rosemary, lemongrass, and other scents. It was as if the terrible odors of decay was never drowning the room just moments ago.


    Anise sat up and pulled the blanket closer to her chest, and, with tear droplets forming in her eyes, she cried, "Boo, you beast! Scoundrel! Rapist!"


    Bolverk with a wry and exasperated laugh replied, "Lady Anise, is it in your blood to always tease me at every opportunity presented?"


    Anise tilted her head to one side and wiped off her fake tears, and she said, "Of course. It is the most entertaining activity in the world. Besides, when else would I be able to put to use my crying skills."


    Bolverk smiled at her while not truly smiling. "For when your future husband, the next baron, bullies you, Lady Anise. All men are weak to a woman''s tears, so that is when you must cry. However, if one has seen a woman cry often, then he would not be fazed¡ªlike I to you, Lady Anise of the Chicks."


    "Oh, be quiet, you pleb! We were both little, and you were even older than me¡ªyet! you cried louder than me at every fright, from bugs to mutts." The noble shouted with reddened cheeks. She frowned. "Boo, must I marry him?"


    "You must." He answered while turning back to his work. "It is the baron''s command, so it is your duty to obey, Lady Anise."


    Anise sighed. "Boo, I am a lady, correct?"


    "Yes. Since your mother earned the title four or five winters ago." The sound of clacking filled the empty room again.


    "I am your lady, correct?" Anise asked, gazing at the scholar''s back.


    "Yes. As my father before me, I swore to serve your blood¡ªnot the Din''ae nor any other Tan''ae. The humble house of Yam has always served and will continue to serve the Second Sons of Din''ae and their family. That is our blood oath." Bolverk whispered the last words softly, as if they were so sacred that to speak them loudly would shatter the words, and as though Bolverk wish he did not have to speak those words.


    Anise buried her head into the blanket and asked, "Then why have you left me and mother when we became nobility and acquired a mansion? Why have you gone and not visit¡ªnot even on your lady''s birthdays? Today is the first we have seen one another in a long time, so why must you call me Lady Anise, instead of Ane?"


    Bolverk smiled sadly and his heart became heavy, "It is because you are my lady. To move to the wilds so that I may best study herbs and anatomy is the best I can do to hope to serve you. Afterall, so cursed I am with the sword that I would cut my own arm off before I do the enemy''s, so I cannot protect you in the same manner like my father, and once you marry into the baron''s family you shall have an army to guard you. Becoming a learned scholar and a medicine worker is the best I can do. If Audny above favors me, perhaps chamberlain is not too far off a dream."


    "Even so, can you not call me Lady Anise like a mere stranger when we are in private?" Anise said with a bitter expression, almost as if she held herself back with utmost effort from screaming. "Are we not friends?"


    Bolverk stopped mashing his herbs. He squeezed the mortar tightly, a frown on his face. "It is because we are in private that I must refrain. However, I shall always serve you, Lady Anise."


    The lady slammed her fists onto the bed in frustration. "So be it then."


    "So, how long was I out?" Anise asked sharply with a scowl on her face, looking out the window and seeing pale light.


    "About half an hour. We have time," Bolverk said as he pulled a chair from the center table to the bed and sat down. "Lady Anise, you should stop."


    Anise gnashed her teeth and said with an expression like cragged rocks, "Lady Anise this! Lady Anise that! Lady Anise, Lady Anise, stop what?"


    "Stop your training. Stop looking for that man who saved us; you are promised to the baron''s son. Accept that. Please. Listen to the words you told the twins: if you keep doing dangerous things, you will die. I do not want that; no one does. Why can you not understand?" Bolverk said with a scowl on his face.


    "No," Anise yelled. "Why can you not understand? I am not training to chase after him. I am training to-"


    "To protect the people? To save the world? To fight demons and monsters?" Bolverk breathed out. He looked at Anise and said coldly, "All I see in your eyes is lust¡ªunbridled lust like that of a sow."


    Anise slapped him. Erratic breaths left her like desperate laughter, and it left her bangs like frayed clothing. Bolverk''s cheek began to bruise. Anise glared at him with struggled breathing. Bolverk massaged his cheek.


    "You are afraid, Lady Anise." Bolverk said after a spell of silence which oppressed even the first chirps of the birds. "You are afraid of death. You are afraid of the dead. You are afraid to kill. Lady Anise, you are afraid."


    Anise squeezed the blanket over her with a red face. "I am not afraid." Those words seem to clot her throat and make her unable to breathe. "I am the daughter of Tiresias Tan''ae. I have his blood. I have his brave blood."


    Bolverk pulled her face to meet his black eyes. Anise found that her Boo''s hands has grown since they last met: rugged, large enough to encase her very being. And he leaned in so close that their noses kissed.


    "Lady Anise, you are afraid to the hilarious point that you lose control of your weak stomach when you see not even human corpses; even those of mere animals dissected in the back room causes you to become utterly petrified by fear and inability." Bolverk tightened his grip on Anise and he breathed into her ear, "How, then, are you going to slay monsters? Perhaps by feeding them your vomit instead of your flesh, you may even live to become a seed receptacle. Well, perhaps that is what you wish, my lady sow."


    Anise slapped him again with such force that his head cracked to the side. Two streams flowed steady from her eyes. She tried to leave, but was pushed back by Bolverk. Her eyes widened from surprise.


    "Lady Anise, did your many tutors not teach you not to stay alone with a man? Did they not teach you to respond when asked, Lady Anise? Are you going to answer this peasant''s question, Lady Anise?" Bolverk breathed those words out while chaining his lady''s hands to the bed. "How are you going to go out adventuring when you are so easily pinned down by me? How then are you going to go and pursue that hero who saved us years ago? Pray tell me? Perhaps with your sheer knowledge of bedroom matters? Ah, that must be it!"


    Anise rammed her foot into Bolverk''s innards. He was whacked once more. Anise looked at him with tears in her eyes and lips parted, heavy breathing coming through like storms. She kicked him once more and ran. The door slammed shut.


    After Anise left Bolverk''s cottage by the woods, she scrambled onto Solana in a flustered fashion. Solana gave a worried look at her mistress who tried desperately to pull back her tears. Anise rubbed Solana''s mane. The mare settled back into her usual aloofness and the two headed west to the Ardin''s capital, Bolsur. In only half an hour, the lady reached the city. It was on average an hour ride from the outskirt of the province to the capital.


    It was a great city grown like a half moon with five layers. The outermost layer was the main residential layer with simple brick houses lived in by the middle class of craftsmen, artisans, and merchants. The next layer was laid like a labyrinth of streets and alleys with stalls, peddlers, and shops scattered throughout like seeds. The first and second layers were once an ocean of flora before the humans took it as their own. The third layer were the houses which once belonged to the fae These houses were made of wood as well, rather than the pricey granite of the residential district. The fourth layer was reserved for the nobles. This layer was like an intricate jewelry box: tall spruce rose high above the many willow, oaks, and mahogany which served as the actual houses; on the outskirts were spry willows, the older families resided in oaks, and the oldest lived in mahogany. And the last layer laid on the innermost part of the half-moon. It was where the baron lived, his great castle.


    His castle was made not of marble or even of stone, and it certainly was not made of metal. It was alive. It was a wooden castle formed in a peculiar shape¡ªas if it was a deformed and hollowed ancient oak. The shape was like the cascade of waves interweaved through many hills: some parts of it grew tall to the clouds like regular citadels and towers do, other parts of the castle arched like a leaf bearing water, touching the ground, and other parts spiraled as if unbound by all will but its own¡ªto the skies or to the horizon expanding in all directions. This strange castle was even dressed in foliage of green, and at times of gold and scarlet, and, other times, of eerie black, which encircled the entire castle and never withered. This castle faced the east towards the border of the civilized world. What laid beyond was a desert to which the fae who built the city and all its great buildings were banished¡ªexiled¡ªafter the Great War.


    Anise glanced at the castle which casted shadows on the entire city. She felt a tightening of her chest because its leaves were turning black. The old wives who have lived for a long time often cooed that it was an omen. Though a disaster never struck before, a healthy chicken would die or an accident or a bout of madness in one of the men often would occur when the leaves turned black.


    The young lady shook her head and climbed off Solana. The two walked quickly to the outskirts of the capital. As one approached the city, it became an intimidating sight with its tall wall and numerous sentries. The numerous farmers and merchants passing through the inspecting guards were accustomed to its power and had scowls from waiting. Anise, being the daughter of the former captain of the guards, knew her way around the wall. She avoided the main entrance until she came upon another part of the wall. It looked no different from the rest of the wall with its gray bricks stacked like the scales of dragons. However, Anise simply walked through it and she appeared on the other side behind an aged house. She told Solana to hurry back to her stables. Then she turned back to the magical wall.


    She smiled fondly. She always did. It was how she and her father always snuck out of the city to skip work and pick fruit in the woods. Her father told her it was one of the many secrets left behind by the fae that he has discovered. The others was too dangerous and he always said he would reveal them when Anise came of age. She always felt a want to touch that part of the wall, but never do because her hand would simply slip right past it. However, today she placed her hand as near the illusionary wall as she possibly could.


    "Papa," She told the wall. "I don''t think I can come here everyday anymore. After all, your little girl is going to finally grow up in just a few days. I know I have been engaged for a couple winters now, but I am just realizing I am engaged. And I hate it. I want to punch a wall; I want to run away from it all; I want to be strong like you. I want to do so many, so many things¡ªI simply do not know how. So many things are changing, and I do not understand." She retreated her hand and smiled sadly, and she massaged her wrists which still throbbed from when Boo pushed her down. "Papa, this was all because of Boo. I really hope my wrists do not bruise, else Aunt Elspeth is surely to kill me. I should have kicked him a lot harder than I did¡ªand not just in the stomach! I would be a true Hero if I had ended the house of Yam once and for all. It really hurts, Papa."


    Anise placed her hand on the "wall" one last time, gave it a parting glance, and walked to the front of the aged house. Instead of appearing wary and wistful, the house gave off a very cozy feeling from the miniature gardens planted in boxes hung from the many windows stained with dust and cracks. Without knocking, she entered.


    "Did none taught ya how ta knock, girl? Always comin'' so early like a farm boy!" A boice like wind beating against rock greeted her. The voice came from a shriveled hag with untidy locks. The hag had so many wrinkles it would seem she spent her entire life soaking in hot water.


    Anise giggled. "You know you like me, Madame Rem."


    "Do I now?" The hag spat the words out. She squinted at the young noble with her beady eyes. "Girl, why ya got yaself a pair of stained windows? Ya fine there; ya also got yaself a pair of red wrists."


    Anise waved her hand and replied, "No, I am fine. Some dust got into my eyes while I was riding my mare."


    "What ''bout that wrist of ya?" The crone pointed with her pipe.


    Anise laughed. "Oh, this? Do you not know, Madame Rem? Redden wrists are a popular fad right now. It originated from Great Capital."


    The hag took a drag of her pipe. "If ya be fine, then git ya clothes and git."


    "Madame Rem, can''t I stay for some lentil soup?" Anise begged with large puppy eyes.Madame Rem rapped her pipe against the arms of her rocking chair. "Oh, for ta love of ta gods! Ain''t no one like no lentil soup! Or did eatin'' lentil become ta new noble fad? Either way, I ain''t gittin'' off this chair to make no lentil soup."


    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Anise strolled over to the old crone and hugged her. She said to the hag, "Lentil soup is warm though. I like eating it with you around the hearth."


    Madame Rem pushed Anise away with annoyance and the old hag pulled her lilac shawl over her face. The crone muttered angrily, "Ain''t I tell ya a thousand times not ta hug me, girl? And all soup is warm! I''m startin'' ta think ya be slow; either that or simply dull or stupid!"


    Ignoring the old woman''s intense protest, Anise hugged Madame Rem once more, burying her face into the crone''s shawl. "Your lentil soup is really warm." She said.


    "And I told ya, that I ain''t like nobles huggin'' me." Madame Rem muttered in annoyance. Nonetheless, the crone caressed the young lady''s back, smoothing out Anise''s hair.


    After a moment, Madame Rem pulled Anise off of her and said angrily, "Ya stayed too long! If ya stay longer, I''mma sell ya into a brothel! Ain''t I tell ya I hate ta stink of nobles? Git ya clothes, then git, ya hear? And, no, I ain''t making no lentil soup no matter how many times ya ask me. I ain''t even got no lentil."Anise smiled and then left for the madame''s bedroom. The madame''s bedroom was a dusty, dirty room. However, her dresser -- though one leg was broken and had to be propped up by a stone -- was made of mahogany and it was evident that beautiful designs once flitted across the wood. Underneath the dresser was a pile of books now eaten through by rats, time, and mildew.


    Anise retrieved her regular clothes from the top drawer. She stripped and placed her adventuring clothes in exchange. Her hands lingered on the sword.Then she changed into her dress. It was in the form of a bellflower and with the color of water. A corset kept the waist slim to fit the dress (Anise pulled and fidgeted with the thing as always but gave up as always.) The bottom of the dress expanded and sloped gently. The many frills acted as a cascade of water down the dress (and hid the many unbecoming wrinkles and folds). Anise undid her braids so that her hair scattered about her like a wash of orange sunlight. To match, the young noble girl dabbed a mixture of crushed poppy and rose petals onto her cheeks. The resulting effect was that her childlike appearance vanished, replaced witha painting of a noble: glowing, poised, detached -- a goddess of the light among peasants.


    Anise walked back into the main room. She twirled around.


    "Yes, yes. Very pretty." The old hag said. Anise smiled and started for the door. Madame Rem held up her hand. "Wait. Stand in front of me so I can see ya. We need ta talk."


    Anise obliged and walked in front of the old hag.


    "When do ya plan on stoppin'' comin'' here," the crone said and took a deep drag of her pipe. "Ya ''bout ta git wed ain''t ya?"


    "Madame Rem, you know I want to be an adventurer."


    The hag leaned back and said, "Girl, ya ain''t ever tell me why?"


    Anise smiled, "Why not?"


    The hag puffed out smoke. "Girl, ya gotta stop comin'' here."


    "Why?"


    Madame Rem followed the smoke wisps with her pipe like the whiskers of a cat. "Ya be wed to the baron''s son. It''s ya duty."


    "I don''t want to."


    "It''s ain''t ''bout want. Ya to be wed."


    Anise looked at the old woman. She spoke softly, "Then is it about honor, duty?"


    The crone laughed madly. She slammed her pipe against the arm of her chair. "It''s ''bout livin''." She growled and took another drag of her pipe. "Ya to come of age; the baron''s idiot son lusts for ya¡ªall is to it."


    "I, I¡ª" Anise tried to speak but could not find any words to say.


    "Not another word out of ya," the hag said. "Girl, ya ain''t strong. Maybe ya are dull or slow¡ªwhy run from power, gold, and all them good things?"


    "I''m not weak." Anise''s voice caught in her throat. She pounded her fists against her thighs. She half-yelled, "I''m not weak." The girl''s eyes widened; she slowly pulled her fists toward her chest and whispered once more, "I''m not weak".


    Anise looked at Madame Rem who replied with silence; the girl stepped back and opened the door. She smiled wryly towards the old hag and said, "Madame Rem, I¡ªI must take my leave now. I will see you tomorrow."


    The door closed slowly and soon the room was dark, save for what little light streamed in through the many stained glass windows. Madame Rem coughed into her lilac shawl. She tilted her head back towards the ceiling. Red splotches painted the purple fabric."Stupid girl," the crone mumbled to herself groggily as she took another deep drag on her pipe.


    Anise walked quickly through the empty streets. Husbands and wives were going about their days: shopping, making business deals, or any of the other hundred possibilities. The children were all confined in school inside the local parish which served as the border between the residential and commercial districts. Unlike the other buildings, the buildings of the parish were made of a strange white stones which stood out in complete darkness.


    Anise glanced at the small corner of the two districts. She noted that the ground near the parish still laid burnt from when the original buildings were razed to make room for the Church of Aalok centuries ago. However, it was only around the parish that no plant grew. The rest of the two outermost districts hired peasants from the surrounding villages to weed and maintain the roads every few days. It was as if the plants could not bear the aura of the Church. Usually, the Church was also where the various other great establishments (such as the Convent or Merchants Guild) would be located; however, the land in which Anise resided was rather undeveloped due to the nature of the lingering fae magic which shrouds the entire capital.


    She continued walking. The commercial district was a hub of ruckus, colors, smells, and more than a few brawls. Anise weaved through the crowd and through alleyways till she was in the third district.


    The third district was reserved for the branch family of Din''ae, the Tan''ae. It was where the unwanted concubines wasted away in exile; it was where the irrelevant relatives toiled their days away; it was where the second sons spent their days, forever guarding the baron''s ambitions, after they come of age; it was where those unlucky in past lives were sent after barely missing the silver spoon. It was a downtrodden place.However, the trees were not always rotten carcasses which seem to carry sickness down to its very roots: stunted, cramped, and damp. Once, when the humans first took the trees as their own, the trees were as beautiful as the trees in the second layer. It was where the fae danced and laughed, when fae lived life listlessly like the wind. It was beautiful then, and so the first Tan''ae, first captain of the guard, asked of the first baron for only this land. Yet, joy lasted as long as a breath. The Tan''ae eager to establish themselves in the new land planted many seeds looted from the fae and attempted the magic of the fae -- it exhausted both the land and the magic.


    And the third layer quickly wasted away into a place where people resented all things, especially fate and of their own blood. It was a place full of cheap and eager labor to exploit: men who wish to earn fame as great knights in wars, only to be dead without burial; women who pretty themselves up, only to be thrown back to their hovel before the night''s end; men who would wager savings in business ventures, only to be enslaved in debt. It was a place where only the second sons of the Din''ae could live decently since the second son was, in a sense, the head of the Tan''ae and was housed in the better trees with just a bit more room than all the other trees. Due to that reason, considerable amenity has fostered throughout the generations between the Tan''ae and the second sons, more so if the captain was incompetent or a coward.


    So even as a child, Anise led her brethren to the other layers rather than stay choked in the unbearable atmosphere of the third layer. However, those children were now of age or close; some were dead; others were spending their nights in filthy beds; Anise was a noble. There were no memories or worth in lingering. Thus, Anise continued walking onwards to the second layer.


    The second layer had a wall built long ago by the first families who took claim to the trees after the fae were exiled. It was a wall which block everything that was on the other side: the people''s misfortune, the children''s laughter, the cold wind, and the pale light. Despite it being the district of nobles, the buildings were not especially sprawling nor huge. After all, the houses were the trees and were only as huge as the age of the tree. Despite the many trees, fewer than ten houses lived in these trees. Nor did any try to grow additional structures, for the Tan''ae showed that fae magic was wild and delicate.


    In the fae'' golden age, each house was lived in by the oldest fae. They were rewarded these great trees because they had become "g¨³ l¨¡ng-h¨²n", of the old tree soul, whether through wisdom, luck, or cunning. The humans simply called them Fae''d, a portmanteau of "fae" and "old". And in those days before their exile, these trees were great centers of knowledge and social activity. Now, many of these trees served as extensions to be used as storage of waste.


    Anise lived in a simple willow house. It was a house with hair which reached only its shoulders, and with a garden of emerald delicacies. It was one of the more simple and younger houses. The other houses varied in many designs. The most old of the houses were of great mahogany with a width of 50 burly men and a height which scraped the sky. Those houses even had rope systems to move from the top to the lower levels more easily. And the trees of oaks even had extensions to the trees: with wings, towers, and all sorts of structures perched on pillars with rope bridges connecting it all to the main tree. Those old houses were also beautifully carved with patterns of flowers, wolves, and hawks. The patterns seem to take flight or roar as branches swayed or light shimmered throughout the day. Each marking was an expression of the history of the Faeds who resided in the house before; these days, the markings are just markings: mere decorations of age and wealth.


    Anise''s house was a tree with little marking carved into its bark. Rather than symmetrical flowers or ardent goatheads, the willow bore swirls like simple vines. The vines did not bear even a dragonfly or simple bud. Every other willows displayed intricate markings: perhaps of the celestial night sky or of drifting clouds wanton. It was also a house with no more than 5 stories¡ªthe carvings did not even pass the very first level. Each level had a measurement of 2 men''s height. Other willows had 10 or more. Anise''s willow was only around 20 burly men''s width.And the house was not gifted by the prior baron or the current baron in honor of Anise''s father nor to gain the favor of Anise. It was earned, paid for through the efforts of Anise''s mother. However, a commoner will be looked down upon even if she has made a name for herself, especially if she was a young widow, no matter if she was one of the wealthiest merchants in the surrounding provinces and held considerable influence.


    "Ah, Lady Anise! Good morning to ya!" A squadron of guards greeted her.


    "Lady Anise, how be your daily walk?" One of the patrolling guards asked. These guards did not wear heavy armor, rather they wore thick layers of cloth, similar to the fae. It was due to the uneven soil which the trees grew.


    "Uncle Hans, could you call me Ane like you once did?" Anise asked with a frown, hands on her hips.


    The patrolling guards laughed merrily. "No can do, my lady. After all, you are not only a noble, but to be wed to the next baron."


    "It is the gods finally paying ya family back for taking away the captain so young. A great man and a hero of Ardin he truly was," exclaimed one of the older guards. "It would be great if ya sire many children and a second son who will be great like ya father was."


    Anise grew hot in her face and slapped the older man''s chest. The guards laughed with amusement.


    One of them made a habitual motion to pat the girl''s head but pulled back. Instead, all looked fondly at her like she was a precious treasure.


    "To think, I once changed the next baron''s wife''s diapers when little." One of the guards guffawed.


    "Aye! And to think I was the one she always ran to when she be frightened by the shadows of dancing flames." Another guard added, stroking his beard in nostalgia.Soon the streets became flooded with laughter as the guards retold stories of the young girl. Luckily, most rich nobles operated on a different schedule than commoners, and the streets held no people except the guards.


    Anise pouted which made the guards coo in joy from the cuteness and youth. The young lady made small talk with the guards and then parted, reminding the guards as always to not tell her mother that she take early morning strolls.Anise circled the willow until she found her bedroom window. She did not enjoy living in the upper levels as the other nobles did. She snuck through the window with practiced motion.


    Anise lived in a big room, far too big for one person she felt. There was room for a large bed, a dresser, a table, a cabinet, and a large mirror with distance to spare. Anise plopped herself back onto her bed with an assortment of cloth dolls. It was a very soft and fluffy bed. It was soft enough for the girl to fully sink into the mattress.She climbed into bed and fell asleep. She slept for the remaining time before her mother had to rise. Anise slept huddled inwards toward herself as her heart pained from the restless days her life has become.


    Anise woke and rang the bell resting upon her bedside drawer. The bell signaled that the lady was awake and that breakfast should be prepared. Anise sighed and decided to properly speak to her mother about her future.


    Author''s Note: I feel this chapter is too long, but there''s no good place to cut it into chunks. Maybe there is, but I probably wouldn''t like cutting the chapter into smaller chapters. If you like this story, leaving feedback would be nice. Feedback would be nice; feels lonely without even a single hater bashing my work.

 Chapter 5: Aunt Elspeth

    The lady crawled out of bed and went over to the mirror. She practiced a few of her expressions: a wrinkled nose like a cat, a face of marble, eyes wide open and lips hidden behind a fan, and a hazy smile of content, null of desire and temptation. Then, Anise opened the door and went into the hallway.


    She walked to the main halls, greeting the Tan''ae servants. Few replied with real warmth, though all smiled. The Tan''ae never were on good basis with one another. However, the servants living at the mansion were certainly nicer and more genuine as the servants could stay in the main mansion''s many rooms without cost and eat the meat and fruits kept in storage. It was as close to royalty without being one; though, some would grow more bitter in this situation than glad.


    Anise strolled up the spiral wooden stairs at the center of the willow to the third floor where her mother resided. The stairs were another feat of fae architecture. The railing wounded up to the top like a vine with only wooden boards stuck to the single frame. She made good pace on her walking because it was only at early morning that she would be able to meet with her mother.


    "Good morning, Mari!" She slammed open the doors with open arms and greeted her mother loudly with cheer like a spring storm after winter''s end. For a moment, Anise felt like she was back in her younger days.


    Mari''s childlike body was sprawled lazily on her large bed. The sheets were down to her legs, and her night-gown has rolled up to her chest, revealing her stomach. A deep snore bellowed out from the madam''s wide open mouth. One arm was overhead like a monkey''s. The other was scratching her naked stomach. Her hair was long and scattered about like a bouquet of sun-crisped auburn branches.


    Despite the loud greeting, Mari did not wake up. She was a heavy sleeper. Instead of waking up, Mari rolled onto her sides and plopped her head deeper into the pillows with an annoyed groan.


    Anise felt an urge to blow on her mother''s bare stomach as her mother had done to her when Anise was little. So she did. It seem that was the only method under the skies to wake children up.


    "Kyah!" Mari laughed, rolling about with flailing arms. "Mari does not like! Mari''s ticklish~. Stop it!"


    Mari shoved Anise''s face away from her navel and then tackled Anise onto the soft mattress.


    "Mari does not like being tickled." She pouted in a manner much like Anise''s. Then she turned her head away from Anise. "Ane no listen! Ane bad! Ane told me not to talk to bad people. Ane bad. Mari''s not going to talk."


    Anise smiled at Mari and ruffled Mari''s hair. "If you do not speak to Ane, then Ane will not brush your hair."


    Mari spun her head to face Anise with tears in her large, round eyes. Her lips whimpered like those of a hungry hound.


    "No! Mari like Ane! Mari like Ane doing her hair. Ane do hair good. Mari like Ane!"


    Anise fixed her position on the bed, resting her weight on her calves. She patted her lap. The girl-madam scrambled onto Anise''s lap with glee. Mari kept bobbing about, giggling to herself with eyes full of light.


    "Ane! Ane! Is Mari being good?" Mari laughed brightly. Anise petted Mari''s head, gently stroking her hair. "Hehe. Mari know Mari is a good girl."


    Anise hugged Mari, absolutely smothering her face into Mari''s cute and petite body. She smelled of warmth and memories of summers old and new spring. Mari turned to face Ane.


    "Hey, Ane," she asked. "Why do you look so sad?"


    "Mari, I''m smiling. How can I be sad?"


    Mari gave a light knock on Ane''s head. "Mari is a smart girl. Mari know when Ane sad! Ane is sad. Ane, don''t lie. Lying bad! Why is Ane sad?"


    Anise pinched Mari''s cheeks. "I''m not sad. Didn''t I tell you that being sad causes wrinkles and that lying would cause you to bald? Why would I want to have wrinkles and be bald!"


    Mari shook her head. "No! Mari know Ane is sad! Mm, Ane! Storytime! Now!"


    Anise pinched Mari''s cheeks even harder and she smiled an angry smile. One of those smile which seemed as calm as the surface of the open sea, but underneath a hundred thousand suns laid dormant. "Why you spoiled brat." She said with a half-laugh.


    The girl-madam shook Anise''s claws off her cheeks and she beamed up at Anise. "Mari knows when Ane tells stories, she is really happy. So story, Ane! Story! Mari good girl."


    Anise rolled her eyes and said, "Okay, okay. I will tell you a story¡ªonly because you are such! a good girl." Her fingers moved deftly across Mari''s hair to the gentle beat which often inherently accompanied these stories.


    "The World was adrift in nothingness:


    So sad, so cold, so dark


    Cradled by the Void.


    Came forth a girl, came forth a goddess.


    She saw the World laid barren


    And cried and cried.


    Her tears became the rivers,


    And her sorrow, the oceans.


    She saw the rivers and oceans


    And danced and danced.


    Her footsteps became the imprint of the land,


    And her passion, the mountains and earth.


    She saw the World birthed anew


    And laughed and laughed.


    Her laughter became the clouds and wind,


    And her joy, the seasons: of colors, of ice, of fires and stars, and of life anew.


    However, the Void, from whom the World was stolen,


    Grew angry and terrible.


    He saw the World which he loved -- and loved deeply --


    Now separated from him, and changed.


    The Void saw the Goddess


    And yelled and screamed.


    His wrath broke mountains and heaven alike,


    And his envy seeped into the very earth.


    The Void felt a terrible pain


    And grew sad.


    His grief consumed him


    And the light.


    The Void felt an inescapable throb


    And grew numb.


    His numbness dulled the waters


    And damped the air.


    The Goddess saw this horror


    And tore out her Heart;


    She bore the World''s burden:


    The misery, the hate, and all suffering.


    From her Heart she suffered, so she carved a Chalice.


    From this Chalice poured forth


    The light, the rain, hope and all beautiful things.


    With quick hands, she doused the dark sky


    With hues of gold, ember, and autumn,


    And the first morning was held.


    Soon the Void and darkness was pushed back


    To the Ends of the World.


    However, the Void lives and fosters.


    He consumes the light painted


    With the darkness of night


    And then it is of His own domain.


    Yet! child of mine, never have fear.


    The Lady shall swallow darkness whole


    And repaint the sky with lights and colors


    Till eternity''s end.


    The Goddess then looked with warmth upon her World


    As she took the name Arushi, "the Calm Sun",


    And took claim over the Heavens, the Harvest, and the Circle.


    The Rest was left to her Children formed of her Heart-blood spilt,


    Of Which there were Seven:


    Nasrudin of Mirrors who birthed the knowledge of artful deception,


    and blessed His Fae the same;


    Lord Cynbel who made war and first danced in Dragon-Fire,


    Of whom He is Father, and Great-father to all the others;


    The Lovely Denana who makes all fertile and healthy,


    and loved Her porcelain Revenants, eternal in beauty, adrift in life;


    Audny  the Plenty made rain of gold, wine, and merriment,


    and rejoiced His stout Dwarves did with drinking and song;


    Sister Arilde guards our Hearth and loves even sinners,


    for she and ancient Djinns keeps the fire warm even for the wicked;


    Aalok the Glamorous -- and most young -- Arushi took as husband and made Keeper of Light,


    and made us in His image after His likeness;


    The last is Lone T''han who lords over the Passage we all must take,


    and few escapes.


    "And finished," Anise said as she looped the last strand of hair in place. Mari shrieked with happiness and leapt from Anise''s lap and off the bed. The girl-madam bolted to her stool, scrambled onto the wooden thing and proceeded to examine her reflection on her dresser mirror.


    "Ane! Ane! Is Mari cute?" The girl-madam asked eagerly as she tried to reflect the back of her head and see the mirror at the same time. "Mari can''t see. Is Mari cute?"


    "Yes. Yes, Mari is cute. Very cute," Anise replied with another roll of her eyes and a wry smile. "Mari is so cute that I just want to eat you up."


    Mari giggled, "Wah! Mari''s hair''s like a waterfall!" The girl-madam looked at her mirror and then at Anise. Mari darted from her stool and tackled Anise into the bed with a hug.


    "Ane! Ane!" She cried with flared nostrils like a beast in heat. "Let Mari do Ane''s hair!"


    "Are you saying that I can''t braid my own hair, you cheeky brat," Anise grumbled and pinched Mari''s nose.


    Mari stared into Anise''s eyes and said with an overly serious expression, "Mari want to do Ane''s hair for the wedding! Mari will make you cute, so Mari want to practice."


    Anise hugged Mari''s small frame. She rolled onto her sides and looked at Mari''s puerile face. Anise brushed the loose strands of hair from the contours of Mari''s cheeks.


    "Do you really want me to be married so ardently?"


    Mari nodded eagerly. "Mari think Ane would look really, really, really pretty in a headdress."


    "Ane don''t want to get married though." Anise poked Mari''s nose.


    "Eh? Why!" Mari asked with tears in her eyes.


    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    "Ane want to be an adventurer and see the world." The girl whispered. "Doesn''t Mari want Ane to be one of those great Heroes from the stories?"


    "No!" Mari screamed loudly. She dug her nails into Anise''s arms and dragged her close.


    "No." She repeated. "Ane can''t go."


    Anise paled. She said softly, "Mari, you are hurting me. Please let go."


    Mari slammed her head against Anise''s chest. "Don''t go. Don''t go!"


    Anise winced as tiny canines tore through skin and clung to her arms. "Mari, your nails."


    Mari shook like a boat during a storm. Her eyes bounced recklessly; her arms shuddered and her chest was a mass of rolling waves. Beads of sweat, an unease, covered her¡ªdrenched. Mari''s head bobbed unsteady, detached. Strange. Her breaths were caught, stolen, hidden, and erratic.


    Anise attempted to peel the girl-madam off her, but Mari''s nails were lodged deep in her flesh¡ªalready, blood began to gather like a fresh spring gouged from frozen earth. Mari was tilting her entire being to and fro while muttering, "No, no, no!"


    A sharp pain assaulted Anise. Mari yanked her lodged nails across Anise''s skin. Out of reflex, Anise pushed Mari away. Mari fell back and off the bed, banging her head on the hard wooden floor.


    "Mari," Anise screamed. She scrambled to the girl-madam.


    The girl-madam was shaking. She held her head with both hands covering her ears. Mari buried her head into her nightdress. Anise approached her and hugged her.The girl-madam whimpered, whined, sniffled, and cried. The girl-madam took short breaths. She has forgotten how to breathe.


    Anise hugged Mari with more strength, more warmth. It was not enough. The girl-madam bursted from her hold. She kicked Anise away, screaming. She ran and slammed into the dresser. The mirror fell. Shattered. Soon, the girl-madam was covered in cuts.


    Anise approached Mari once more. Mari held a shard of glass tightly that it dug into her own flesh. She kept screaming "No", and her frame shook and rocked madly about.Anise felt faint. "Someone, go get Aunt Elspeth," she called at last. "Quickly!"


    The noise sent Mari into a frenzy. She slashed at the air around her. Mari caught eye of Anise again. Her eyes grew sharp and strange.


    "Don''t come," Mari shouted. She waved the glass shard around recklessly. She cried and screamed. "Don''t come! Don''t come!"


    Anise moved slightly, and Mari fell into a frenzy. The little girl-madam rushed at Anise. And Anise could only dodge the little girl for fear of harming her.


    At long last, the familiar burst of the door arrived. Aunt Elspeth stumbled into the room in a drunken stupor¡ªa bottle of wine still in her hand. She bumped into a wall and slid down against it. Her priestess robe slipped from her shoulders and her long legs sprawled across the wooden floor. Though it seemed strange how that would even occur, for the robe was made of paper¡ªpaper which stuck to skin closely like dew upon leaves. It was a curious attire: various scrolls of parchment were layered on top of the beautiful priestess''s body, draped like some exotic vase-shaped raincoat with a pleated bottom. Even stranger was the ink upon the parchment which slithered like snakes across the white paper: devouring letters, spewing new runes, and moving from paper to flesh and flesh back onto paper.


    And what casted the most contrast was not the ink on white paper, but the intense white of the priestess''s hands¡ªnot even hands with flesh and skin, but the very bones underneath laid bare, held together by the very magic which held the priestess''s attire together. Though the runes on the surface of the bones were not of ink: each curve and edge was carved into the marrow of the bone, leaving the now oranged red of blood peeking out like miniature suns. Yet, despite the oddness of these bone hands, they attached to the wrist beautifully and seamlessly like delicate branches of a cherry tree in bloom.


    "For the love of the gods," She moaned as she looked upon the scene with groggy dark eyes. Pitch black inhumane eyes¡ªno irises, just deep blackness. Deep blackness which dribbled to the underside of her eyes, leaving intricate markings like those of a jester. Aunt Elspeth took a swig of her bottle. She scowled; the bottle was empty. She smashed the bottle onto the ground. She cracked her neck and grunted. "Bloody T''han. I''m out of liquor. It''s not even noon¡ªI''m hungover and tired as all hell. And Mari has got a dagger in her hands. So who the fuck do I kill to get a piece of mind? Pray tell me."


    "Aunt-"


    "Anise, I didn''t suffer through the many long excruciating years of training to be called aunt like some old hag," the young woman muttered. She immediately punched the wall. "Damn this headache. Makes me want to kill a bitch! Fuck!"


    Anise scowled and said, "Antistita Industria, as your employer, I command you to restrain Meredith Tan''ae and apply an Alleure of Rationale immediately."


    "As my employer?" Aunt Elspeth snorted as she ruffled her blonde locks. "How quick the rich forget and grow haughty: ten years ago, I was the one who kept the both of you from starving and being whored out to filth¡ªand that was out of goodwill for you mother; if she was not my oldest and bestest friend, I would have personally sold you to the dogs. I came here of my own will. I can leave as I wish."


    Anise slid past Mari once more, grabbing Mari''s arm and nudging her elsewhere. Anise spoke sharply. "Aunt Elspeth, it''s been 10 years. I know you are just trying to get a rise out of me, so please do your job and help me out. Really! I almost got cut just now."Aunt Elspeth rubbed her face vigorously. She groaned, " Stop yelling; the room''s turning and turning and turning. And how many times do I have to repeat myself, call me Sister Elsie -- I don''t even have wrinkles yet. Furthermore, it is your own fault that Mari went on a rampage."


    Anise spun behind Mari and pushed her back. She kept dodging. Anise replied, "Yes. Yes, I know. However, we made an ius, an oath. You are bound to help me."


    Aunt Elspeth traced the grooves in the walls. She said in a daze, "Honey, we made that oath when you were a child. I''m not going to take that seriously. Also, it is your mother that I love and care for, and it is also your mother that pays me. As of this moment, Mari is quite content on stabbing you full of little bitty holes till you are dead, and as her faithful friend and servant, I am not quite willing to betray that want of hers." The high priestess yawned as she pulled her body inwards and closed her eyes.


    Anise muttered with irritation in her voice, "Sister Elsie, I will have one of the servants go buy you the freshest barrel of peppermint mead from Ysgor, if you do what I say."


    Aunt Anise held up 5 fingers.


    "Fine, 5 barrels." The young lady relented as she narrowly avoided her own death.


    The priestess shook her head and said, "For five months."


    Anise was about to utter a retort, but failed to do so as her mother almost jabbed the glass shard into Anise''s ribs.


    "Fine! Fine!" Anise screamed urgently. "So please help, Sister Elspeth!"


    Finally, the priestess dragged herself up and stretched her tired joints. "Elsie, call me Sister Elsie, you damn brat."


    "O, per meam potest¨¡tem: do vitam atramento," the high priestess yawned as she lethargically pitched one of her hand forward; likewise, numerous serpents of interconnected runes sluggishly flowed from her bare shoulders to the very tip of her bone fingers and coagulated into heavy black drops, almost as if deformed blackberries skewered upon the piercing edge of her fingers.


    Aunt Elspeth took a deep breath. Her eyes sharpened. She flicked her wrist and the ink shot forward like arrows. The arrows converged into two great twin serpents with rippling scales which flayed off and quickly became ink once more.


    Mari saw those serpents and grew more crazed. She screamed terribly. The little girl-madam ran towards the serpents with her glass dagger.


    The serpents collided with Mari. Intangible when faced with harm; indestructible when striking at full force. The collision knocked Mari back and onto the ground. The ink coiled around the girl-madam''s small body. The serpents devoured Mari whole; they drowned her in ink until her body twitched once and laid still¡ªheld and confined in a great sphere of ink.


    "Don''t worry, Mari''s not dead. I may be a drunk bitch, but I was once revered." The high priestess said as she walked briskly towards the bubble.


    "''Was revered'' doesn''t make me any more calm," Anise muttered under her breath.


    "Honey, please. I am the great Antistita Industria," Elspeth said. "I do not make mistakes¡ªelse I don''t get paid."


    The priestess snapped her fingers: simultaneously, the bubble collapsed and Mari fell to the ground and a flame ignited between Aunt Elspeth''s pale bone fingers. Mari laid face-down on the wooden floor. Aunt Elspeth kicked the girl-madam so that she would flip over. The priestess cracked her knuckles. The priestess pulled the girl-madam''s nightgown over her stomach. Mari''s stomach had numerous pale markings¡ªscars¡ªengraved.


    With her flame, Aunt Elspeth pressed her finger upon the markings and traced the path of many twists and swirls with practiced movements. As Aunt Elspeth traced the markings, Mari writhed in agony for the fire tore at the skin to engrave deep into the flesh the markings.


    "Hold her down. Make sure she doesn''t bite her tongue," Aunt Elspeth said tersely.Anise did as she was told. She grabbed a cloth-doll from the bed and shoved it inside Mari''s mouth, and she restrained both of Mari''s arms.


    "Can''t you hold her legs down as well? She''s got a damn good kick even unconscious," Aunt Elspeth complained as she dodged a stray flailing of the girl-madam''s legs.


    "I only have two arms, Sister Elspeth," Anise muttered.


    "Sister Elsie¡ªrepeat after me, Elsie. El-see," the priestess replied in her usual aloof manner. She continued to trace over the faint scars of previous markings; the rivers of fire had converged now, a picture became clear: a great geometric flower centered on the girl-madam''s navel. "Be careful that she does not slam her head; I will apply the final touch soon."


    Anise grimaced and managed to position Mari''s head onto her calf whilst still restraining both of Mari''s arms.


    Aunt Elspeth traced the last line of the flower. She snapped her finger and the fire upon her fingers vanished, and immediately she jabbed her index finger into Mari''s navel.The girl-madam jolted and arched her back. She chomped down hard on the cloth-doll with such force that the stuffing bursted out from the doll.


    Blood bubbled up from the girl-madam''s navel and spilled out like waves. The blood ran to meet the rivers of fire. Once mixed, the fire flared once and went out. The markings were now soot-black. Mari laid still, frothing at the mouth with damp cotton hanging from the corner.


    Aunt Elspeth dug her bone-finger deeper into the girl-madam''s navel. The girl-madam arched her back in response. Still, the priestess tore away at skin and flesh till the last knuckle of her index finger was buried in the navel. Blood was unable to pour forth.The girl-madam came to conscious now; she thrashed about madly. Anise held her down with all her strength. The young lady whispered consolations.


    The priestess bit the index finger of her other hand so blood would flow. She painted a mark on the girl-madam''s forehead.


    "To stop the bleeding," she said heavily.


    Then she withdrew her other bone-finger from the navel. True to her words, blood did not pour from the navel; nor was there a gaping hole. The priestess then traced the black markings with Mari''s blood, the sharp edge of the finger digging and tearing into the skin. The girl-madam kept squirming throughout the entire process.


    Once done, the priestess placed her hands over the stomach of the girl-madam and pressed down. She whispered some phrases quickly.


    Mari was calm now. She did not move or squirm. She looked at the other two people with clear eyes, cold eyes but clear.


    "She''s fine now. If you don''t let go of her arms, Meredith will punish you even more," the priestess said with a yawn. She shuffled her feet to Meredith''s bed and flopped onto it and quickly fell into a deep sleep.


    Anise let go of the girl-madam''s arms with hesitation.


    Meredith sat up and faced Anise. She collected herself in a quiet manner.


    "Why do you wish to become a hero, Anise?" Meredith spoke in her stoic manner. She tilted her head, though no expression showed. "I am of clear-mind now. Speak. I have not much time. Already I am behind schedule. I must hurry to a meeting with the Merchants Guild."


    Anise quickly adopted a kneeling position and lowered her head. She spoke slowly and quietly, but also with respect.


    "Dearest mother," she said, "I have no other desire but to become a Hero. Would you not grant me your blessings?"


    "I have calculated such a decision," Meredith replied. "You will suffer a life much inferior than the life of a baron''s wife. There is little reward for the incredible risk that shall befall you."


    "Mother-"


    "Quiet, child. As you acknowledge, I am your mother. As your mother, I must think of your well-being and future. I have decided this to be the best future for you in all circumstances," the girl-madam said. She made a motion to get up.


    "What of love," Anise asked. "Would I be loved and will I love if I am coerced into this arrangement?"


    The girl-madam put on a face of confusion. "Coerced? Preposterous. I and the baron have negotiated this marriage for quite some time. This is a marriage with the consent of both parents and is of a legal, noble arrangement."


    "But I do not love him! I have never even spoke to him privately," Anise cried with her hands on her heart.


    "Ladies do not say ''but''. And it is best that you have not spoken to him privately prior to marriage. It would be disastrous if rumors were spread of your looseness. And of love, you will come to love him¡ªyou will come to be happy with what has become of your life. In life, you must come to love what is given."


    "What of father then? Did you not truly love him?" Anise asked bitterly. "I will not listen to the words of a hypocrite. You loved father and he loved you; sure, life was hard, but you guys were happy. So why can''t I-"


    "Enough!" She said sharply. "This foolish subject shall be mentioned no more. Becoming the baron''s wife will surely keep you safe from men, from beasts¡ª and from any danger that exists."


    She got up and called for her servants, "Claude! Francesca! Escort the Antistita Industria and my daughter out of my room. I must change; I will not need breakfast; prepare my carriage; relay to the Antistita that I leave my daughter''s punishment to her. Oh! and please send for a healer the Aalok clergy. My daughter has gotten deep gashes in her arms. It would be disastrous if the baron''s family catch sight of her injury."


    "What of the slices on your feet?" Anise asked.


    Meredith responded with a wave of her hands, "I shall be fine. I must hurry to my meeting. Now, please leave¡ªI must change."


    Anise gave one last look toward Meredith and followed the servants out. Aunt Elspeth had to be dragged off the bed and to the halls. Anise lingered in the halls while Aunt Elspeth slept against the walls and mumbled to herself. When Meredith came out, she gave no parting to the two and rushed to the stairs. Finally, Anise woke Aunt Elspeth up with a nudge to her ribs after the servants announced that food has been prepared.


    Author''s Note: So far, I am keeping my promise to update on Sundays. This was a long chapter, mostly because I felt inspired by Tolkien and included that entire creation myth section. Those who are still reading are either, A.) into slow-paced stories, or B.) see potential in this becoming fast pace once shit hits the fan. To both, I thank you. Enjoy your Sunday.


    So the new update screwed up the formatting for the chapters. So I fixed it. I wouldn''t have known if it wasn''t for me wanting to edit the chapters regardless. I see them stats on the fiction page, like interact with me. Please! ;-;


    I am lonely`

 Chapter 6: (I need title ideas)

    The Archbishop of Bolsur, Jaque de Marques, gazed at the hand mirror he kept within the folds of his long flowing robes. He touched his receding hairline. From an outside observer¡¯s point of view, the supposed balding was not too bad. The front portion of his head was indeed rather like an island, though his reddish-brown locks were still as bountiful and overflowing as the seas. Yet the Archbishop can¡¯t help but curl his thin finger around his front locks. He felt it in his soul that his great stretch of copper earth would soon become flooded and drowned in the erosion of age.


    As he pulled his finger away from his locks, so too did several strands unlatch from his scalp and cling annoyingly to his finger. He cracked his knuckles and threw the mirror across his office chamber. The mirror slammed against the brick wall but did not shatter. As if possessing ire and mocking, the mirror landed in such a way that the Archbishop was able to fully make out the small patch of skin amongst his sea of hair.


    He wrenched his hand away from his scalp. He instead concentrated his anger and frustration in furiously massaging his sullen cheeks.


    ¡°Ten long years. I¡¯ve been stuck in this destitute slum for ten long years,¡± he moaned to himself. ¡°Had I known that I would be sent to the badlands, I would have just taken her by force.¡±


    He closed his eyes in remembrance of that fateful night. His hands squeezed in painful excitement. ¡°Oh, so what if she was the daughter of the Grand Treasurer! Her firm petite butt was simply too delicious of a feast-I barely even cupped a feel! And I am an Archbishop of the Church of Aalok. I am a man of the great god, and they send me away like some common scum.¡±


    He slammed his fist against his thigh. ¡°Ten long years; a goddamn decade.¡± The Archbishop laughed bitterly. ¡°No good women. No good booze. And not a single cent to be had. Well, soon that will all be swiftly done with. I can see the Great Capital now. The elegant shops, the shining lights and festive bells, and the women! By Aalok, the women of the Pink Peach! Such a tantalizing bunch, each without flaw, and blessed with the roundest of bottoms. Damn, I hate this province! All the women here are sticks and without any meat or curves. No matter, no matter. Soon, I will return.¡±


    He pulled a letter from the sleeves of his robe. The letter foretold of the return of the prodigal son. It had been delivered to him a few weeks ago. Since then, he has been in a constant meandering between joyful hysteria and anxious loathing. He tossed the letter back in the recesses of his sleeves. He smiled bitterly.


    ¡°Lola, go and pick up my mirror for me,¡± he said, waving his hand toward the other side of the room lazily.


    At first it appeared as though he had gone addled in the brain for there was no one else in his chambers. It certainly seemed that he had gone mad. He rapped his knuckles on his desk in annoyance.


    ¡°Lola,¡± he growled.


    At his voice, a tiny light seeped into existence from the mirror like gentle smoke. From the tiny flicker of brilliance came a little yawn. It was soft but full of resilience and energy, a type of brightness and clarity which swept away all impurity and sadness like the winds of autumn.


    ¡°Is it already morning, Master,¡± asked the naive and soft voice. The light floated up a bit unsteadily. With a tired moan, the light blinded the world before scattering into petals of radiance. It was a fairy. Underneath the shroud of light was a winged-spirit. Perfect. Innocent. And beautiful.


    The fairy¡¯s skin was as white as birch trees. Her golden locks reached her toes like a shower of gold. And her eyes were so clear and bright, full of light and fireworks ¡ª a mischievous and jubilant light.


    ¡°It is already past noon, you damn slob.¡±


    ¡°Slob?¡± The fairy asked, flying close to the man¡¯s eyes. She made a face full of confusion. She scowled. It was a scowl which only enhanced her puerile cuteness. ¡°Ugh, Master. I told you not to use hard words.¡±


    The Archbishop used one finger to flick the fairy away. ¡°One. That was not even a difficult word. Two. Pick up my mirror and bring it to me. Three. Stop being such a damn slob.¡±


    The fairy was close to tears. ¡°I don¡¯t even know what a slob is. Why is Master so mean?¡±


    Regardless, the young fairy hovered to the mirror and brought it over with a smile.


    ¡°You dumb ditz,¡± he remarked as his eyes twitched seeing her smile. It wasn¡¯t even a lopsided or mocking smile; there¡¯s honestly no word to describe it. Her smile was like a dwindling stream floating merrily along despite its ever more destitute and desperate circumstances.


    Lola tilted her head again. Her lips jutted out slightly. ¡°I don¡¯t know what a ditz is, but it certainly doesn¡¯t sound nice.¡±


    ¡°You damn goldfish,¡± he muttered as he placed his mitre back onto his head. He looked into the mirror and adjusted it.


    ¡°Master, I knew you liked me deep down,¡± the fairy giggled. ¡°I¡¯m a goldfish. Goldfish. Goldfish. Hehe.¡±


    The Archbishop scrunched up his face. Before he could utter another insult, someone knocked on his door.


    He glanced at Lola. She was completely oblivious. A ditz till the end of times. With a grunt, the Archbishop shoved the mirror into the confines of his sleeves. Immediately, the fairy¡¯s face was struck with agony as her body writhed about before disappearing into the Archbishop¡¯s sleeves as well.


    ¡°Come in,¡± the Archbishop spoke. He tried to sound as imposing as he could, yet while also retaining a tone of grace and compassion. It was uncertain if he succeeded.


    The door opened and an Acolyte of Dawn hurried in. She was a thin, sprightly girl. Completely unappetizing to the Archbishop despite her above average face.


    ¡°Archbishop, Archbishop,¡± she cried, ¡°the young lady of the House of Tan¡¯ae has suffered an injury.¡±


    Jaque¡¯s eyebrow lifted. ¡°The House of Tan¡¯ae, you say?¡±


    The girl nodded quickly and nervously. ¡°Yes, yes. The House of Tan¡¯ae.¡±


    ¡°Then what is the issue?¡± Jaque asked.


    The girl looked down for a split second before responding. ¡°Well, Archbishop, uh, well, you sent most of the Blessed Healers to the Great Capital.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes. To take their promotion examinations. Of course, of course. How could I have forgotten.¡±


    The girl nodded a bit more. ¡°And the others are out performing examinations on the elderly and ill.¡±


    ¡°I still don¡¯t see the problem here.¡± The Archbishop asked with a smile.


    The girl widened her eyes. ¡°Eh!¡±


    The Archbishop frowned, though amusement danced in his eyes.


    The girl quickly looked down at her feet. ¡°Archbishop, it¡¯s just that, well, uh, your-¡± The girl fished for a word that would not offend the Archbishop. She pushed back down her own soul down her throat. She was unable to think of anything. Her mind had completely and utterly became manure. She glanced back up at the Archbishop and squeaked.


    ¡°My friendship,¡± Jaque suggested with a chuckle.


    ¡°Yes! Uh, your ¡®friendship¡¯ with the Antistita, well it¡¯s simply well-known throughout the province.¡±


    ¡°My, how famous.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, very famous. It¡¯s simply just that if you went, the clergy is afraid you may overstay your welcome there and neglect your other duties.¡±


    ¡°Even so, I do not see the issue. The House of Tan¡¯ae wants a healer. I am a healer. Remember, as the servants of Aalok, we must extend compassion foremost; my other duties can wait.¡± The Archbishop responded as his smile grew ever more like the waning moon.


    The man got up and grabbed his khakkhara. He swung the staff. The twelve rings adorning the staff clanged against each other, yet a clear and peaceful melody resounded. It was an unnerving melody. Perhaps because of its intense clarity and pureness, normal people were unable to withstand it.


    Without another word, The Archbishop of Bulsur left. On his face was the smile of a child. A problem child, mischievous and mad.


    After the door closed of its own accord, the young Acolyte collapsed onto her knees. She had soiled herself.


    ¡°I¡¯m never going to play Poverty ever again,¡± the young girl cried to herself. She cursed her inability to win card games. Most vibrantly, she cursed her senior sisters who thought up this punishment.


    As Jaque sauntered through the city, all the people felt a compulsion to stop all that they did and cover their heads. Under the grace of the light, the Archbishop was like the shimmer of a lake. The people felt unworthy to even glimpse at the Archbishop who rarely ventured from his parish. All knew his destination could only be the Tan¡¯ae household.


    If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    He rarely left his chambers otherwise.


    The Archbishop arrived promptly at the Tan¡¯ae residence. He was ushered in quickly by the servants and lead to the dining hall.


    ¡°As vulgar as ever,¡± he remarked upon entering.


    ¡°How dare you insult the future baroness,¡± Aunt Elspeth said with a mouthful of food. ¡°Off with his head I say.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m talking about you, Cow-tits. Still the only feminine thing about you, I see.¡±


    She stopped eating. ¡°Oi, baldy, just go fix up my young lady and scram.¡±


    ¡°Baldy?¡± He asked, as he slammed his khakkhara down. A piercing ring resounded as a storm gathered around him.


    ¡°Yeah, you deaf also?¡± Aunt Elspeth said as she flicked her wrists and summoned her twin serpents.


    ¡°If you two fight, I will have both of you beheaded when I become the baron¡¯s wife.¡± Anise said coldly as she grabbed the bread basket from the center of the long dining table.


    ¡°Tch. Quite a brat you are,¡± Aunt Elspeth said as the serpents dissipated into smoke. She resumed eating.


    ¡°My, my, even after being a lady for quite some time, you are still quite the troubled child aren¡¯t you,¡± Jaque remarked, swinging his staff. ¡°Such venomous words for a child. Perhaps, I should punish you in the stead of your guardians.¡±


    ¡°Oi, bitch, you really want to go at it?¡± Aunt Elspeth cracked her knuckles.


    ¡°I am fully prepared ¡ª though, I am not quite certain you are with your milk jugs swinging about.¡±


    ¡°Archbishop, you came here to heal me. So heal me,¡± Anise commanded. ¡°Antistita stand down.¡±


    ¡°Brat, you do not own me, and I do not serve you,¡± the priestess responded with furrowed brows. Still, Aunt Elspeth took her seat and resumed her gluttonous gorging of bread and fruit.


    The Archbishop also put down his staff. And immediately a blob of ink struck his cheek. He was knocked off his feet and spun a full revolution. As soon as he landed, he kicked his staff toward the priestess. The smoke around her condensed into serpents once more and sank their fangs into the staff.


    As soon as the serpents touched the khakkhara, the rings clanged together and emitted its familiar pure timbre. The vibrations rippled through the ink constructs and the serpents collapsed into mere ink once more after the sound ended.


    Yet, before the ink could gather into a puddle, the Antistita had already flicked her wrist, and the ink shot forward like arrows. Jaque¡¯s eyes flew wide open and he quickly threw forth his mirror from his robes. The mirror levitated a good distance in front of the Archbishop and formed a protective barrier of light. The arrows struck the barrier and evaporated like rain striking burnt earth.


    ¡°Are you trying to kill me,¡± Jaque barked.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, are you trying to kill Master,¡± Lola barked as well.


    Jaque pulled back the mirror with one sweep of his hand. Lola had no choice but to be flung across the room back toward the Archbishop. The spirit grasped her head as she stumbled in the air.


    ¡°Who told you that you could come out?¡± Jaque asked as he pinched the spirit¡¯s wings.


    ¡°Can you just stop your circus act and heal my arm?¡± Anise asked as she puffed her cheeks out.


    ¡°I liked you better when you ran around crazily pulling the local gigolo¡¯s pants down,¡± the Archbishop sighed.


    ¡°Yeah, that was funny,¡± Lola giggled.


    ¡°Well, at least that is something we can all agree on,¡± Aunt Elspeth nodded her head in agreement as she tore into another piece of bread.


    ¡°How did this suddenly become a recollection of my childhood?¡± Anise shouted as she blushed heavily.


    ¡°Your pain gives me pleasure,¡± the Archbishop said gleefully.


    ¡°Yeah, whatever baldy said,¡± Aunt Elspeth mumbled sluggishly.


    The Archbishop¡¯s eyelids twitched. ¡°Anyhow, let me see your arm.¡±


    Anise complied. The Archbishop signaled for Lola to begin the healing process. Jaque himself had no healing ability; only females blessed by Denana possessed that particular gift. Lola glowed brightly and a cool wind gathered around her. The sensation graced Anise¡¯s arm and very quickly the wounds closed up without leaving any marks.


    The girl gave her thanks. The Archbishop nodded and blessed her in the name of Aalok. With the official business done and over with, Jaque placed the mirror back into his sleeves. Lola gave a quick kiss on Anise¡¯s eyebrow before disappearing. The man picked up his khakkhara.


    ¡°As much as I would love to spend more time here.¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t.¡± The young lady immediately replied.


    The Archbishop looked at her. He continued, ¡°As much as I would love to squander my time here in this complacent atmosphere, I must resume my greater duties as a servant of Aalok. Now, which one of you shall see me out? Certainly not the young lady of the house. That only leaves Antistita Industria. It would only be fitting and most gracious if you were to see me off.¡±


    The priestess stopped eating and raised her eyebrow. Without another word, she lead the Archbishop to the door.


    ¡°Something serious has happened, hasn¡¯t it.¡± She asked. ¡°Did the Great Capital send word?¡±


    ¡°Something like that.¡± He smiled. ¡°Simply put, one may not wish to linger in this province come the near future.¡±


    The priestess¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°What specifically?¡±


    ¡°My, my. How fierce,¡± the Archbishop exclaimed and ran his tongue over his lips.


    ¡°Don¡¯t play with me, Jaque. What specifically?¡±


    ¡°To even call me Jaque, it almost makes me want to tell you. However, even if it is you Elsie, I cannot tell. Simply a conflict of interest.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t call me Elsie, you baldy.¡± Aunt Elspeth muttered and opened the door.


    The Archbishop bowed slightly and left.


    Lola¡¯s voice sounded in Jaque¡¯s mind. She asked, ¡°Why did you tell Sissie Elsie about the invasion?¡±


    ¡°Oh, sometimes you can be smart. Well, I can¡¯t just let my childhood toy die. I haven''t found anything more fun than teasing her yet.¡±


    Aunt Elspeth went back to the dining hall. She sat. Her face was the prime of contemplation. She resumed chewing on her bread and fruit. Anise studied Aunt Elspeth¡¯s face. It was not often she was in such a mood. Oftentimes, Aunt Elspeth was either drunk or hungover.


    ¡°Brat, change into your adventuring clothes. Yes, I know you¡¯ve got adventuring clothes. Just change into them,¡± Aunt Elspeth spoke at last. ¡°You¡¯ll help me lay runes all over the city as punishment. Not today though. I need to scout the best places. You, you just need to go get your clothes.¡±


    Without another word, the priestess left the dining halls.


    Author''s Note: Well, Act I is coming to a close. I honestly could have started this story a bunch chapters later than I did, but I wanted to establish the setting and characters too much. Beginner''s sins, you know. Anyways, soon, things will be kicked up to 11 and Anise will begin to suffer all the typical matters that usually comes with dying and having her home occupied by murderous elves.


    As the chapter title, or the lack of it, suggests, I need a name. Any suggestion is welcomed. What did you think of Jaque and Lola? I try to make every character different.


    Thanks for reading

 Chapter 7: Coronation of a New Queen (End of Act 1)

    After finishing her breakfast, Anise walked to Madame Rem¡¯s house. It was well into the day now, so the streets were crowded. The sun hung languid over the people, sloping ever more toward the horizon, the light barely phased through the mass of pale clouds. Anise reached the madame¡¯s house and entered it. She was not in.


    ¡°Must be delivering clothes,¡± Anise remarked. No sooner had the words left her mouth that the door creaked open behind her.


    ¡°Girl, whatcha doin¡¯ back here?¡± Madame Rem growled behind her. Anise turned and saw the old lady to be much more pale than before. She also saw the old lady was being propped up by a healer from the Church of Aalok.


    ¡°Madame Rem, you should not move so much. Any sudden agitation to your condition is bad. Do not be stubborn and lie down.¡± The priest said as he helped Madame Rem into the house.


    ¡°What is wrong with her condition?¡± Anise asked quietly. She felt as if there was a stone lodged in her heart; it was a suffocating and heavy feeling.


    The priest first bowed to the young lady before replying, ¡°Young Lady Tan¡¯ae, greetings. From my examination and check up, there is no illness. It is simply the affliction of old age. Entropy and decay. Simply a stage of the cycle of life.¡±


    ¡°Shut ya mouth, boy,¡± the old woman coughed. ¡°The girl be gettin¡¯ married soon. As a holy servant, why ya gotta muck everything up? Bringin¡¯ bad luck in with ya talk of death!¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. This servant is wrong. Let¡¯s get you to bed,¡± the priest said with a smile.


    ¡°I ain¡¯t dead yet,¡± Madame Rem growled, shaking free of the servant. ¡°No need for ya ta carry me like a corpse.¡±


    The old lady hobbled over to Anise. ¡°As ya can see, ya can¡¯t come here in the near future. Take ya clothes and leave. There¡¯s a box next to the cabinet, take that too.¡±


    As the old lady walked to her chair, she stumbled and almost fell were it not for Anise catching her. The priest rushed toward the pair and once again supported the old woman. Madame Rem tried to shake the priest off of her to no avail.


    ¡°Age shouldn¡¯t make someone so weak. She was so healthy just this morning,¡± Anise whispered.


    ¡°She must be sick! She has to be. There must be a way for her to get better. This can¡¯t just be old age.¡±


    ¡°Young Lady Tan¡¯ae, there is not much I can do. Madame Rem is neither sick nor cursed. She is of the ripest age imaginable, and she has lived her life,¡± the priest replied as he settled the old woman into her chair. Madame Rem moaned and closed her eyes.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t a full or happy life,¡± Anise mumbled under her breath. She clutched the hem of her dress.


    The priest did not hear and continued with his sermon. ¡°She has made clothes for all the great families from this capital. That is not an accomplishment common to all people. Madame Rem has created much beauty in this world with her designs, and now she must go back to the Circle. Now, now, you may be sad and upset, but you must look her pass with a smile, else the spirit may linger and become Regret. Go gather what you have ordered from Madame Rem and let her rest.¡±


    With grave steps, the girl went and got her adventurer¡¯s clothings. The box next to the cabinet contained her white wedding dress. It was simple yet elegant. Anise stored her adventurer¡¯s garb neatly with the dress.


    The priest walked Anise out of the house. The young lady glanced back as the door closed.


    The friendly priest said farewell and walked away from Anise, leaving her alone in the crowded streets.


    Anise was unable to relinquish the image of Madame Rem. Death. Old age. How could Time wear away at Life so easily? From morning to the afterglow of noon, the old woman had shrunk drastically, shriveled like dried husk.


    ¡°One day, I will become like that,¡± Anise said into the lid of the box. ¡°I never want to become like that. I refuse.¡±


    The girl did not understand death. She was unable to piece the wisps of heaviness striking against the walls of her stomach. ¡°I never want to get old, or die,¡± the girl kept mumbling into the box.


    Absorbed in her thoughts, the girl ended up at Solana¡¯s stable. The horse gnawed at the girl¡¯s dress-sleeve. Anise did not take notice. Even as the fabric ripped, the girl continued to do what she did in a daze: getting her essentials from the box, strapping on the belt and baldric, and preparing the saddle.


    At the end of her patience ¡ª mainly because Anise fixed the saddle uncomfortably and haphazardly, Solana snapped her jaws near the girl¡¯s eyes. The girl fell backwards. Her eyes flickering madly. She wiped the cold sweat from her face. Breathing heavily, she closed her eyes.


    Anise untied a scream from her throat and it bolted away from her on pitiful smashed wings. Everything was just so terrible. She just wanted to run away from it all. There was no one there for her; there was only herself. There was no future for her; there was only herself. There was no choice for her; there was only herself. She did not want to live in this city of Ardin anymore; she most definitely did not want to die in it, to be buried in its hard earth, to wither away, to waste into nothing like yellowed parchments, to be nothing at all. Anise did not want her sense of self to cease, for her name to fade letter by letter, year after year, until there is nothing left ¡ª an empty space easily replaced.


    She did not want any of that.


    ¡°Solana, why won¡¯t you move,¡± she shouted angrily. The young lady moved to get off the horse and set off by herself. This prompted Solana to comply with her master¡¯s command.


    The horse bolted from the stables. Anise hugged the mare¡¯s neck tightly. Her face was a mess.


    The rider and steed rushed through the city streets, causing a huge commotion. No one was able to stop them as no one else was ready on their own mount, and simply for the fact that Solana was much too fierce. It did not take long for the pair to leap through the official city gates and into the countryside.


    Once they were out of the capital¡¯s jurisdiction, Solana slowed.


    ¡°I should go back, shouldn¡¯t I,¡± Anise sounded.


    The horse snorted in agreement.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to go back there.¡± The girl replied and had Solana continue forth.


    The pair went on a little more before the girl spoke again.


    ¡°I¡¯m being selfish, aren¡¯t I? Even though we have been away from the city for so long, only now, do I wonder if Madame Rem is fine. Only now, do I worry about Auntie Elspeth and Mari. I wonder if Boo is fine. I kicked him down there after all.¡±


    It was met with agreement, once more. Still, Anise made Solana trot further away from the city until its citadels sank deep into the horizon. The hills began to lurch over the sky when Anise asked another question.


    ¡°What should I do?¡±


    This question, Solana was unable to answer. Anise had her enter the forest. The sun had set. The sky above was now covered in a pitch black sheet.


    Anise shivered. It was cold. No matter how much she wrapped the fabric of her dress around her body, she was not able to become warm.


    ¡°It¡¯s appropriate if I am selfish, right? It¡¯s only human.¡± She whispered.


    The mare shook her head. She grunted. Anise took notice and bit her lower lip. She had Solana go deeper into the woods. The edge of the wilderness had been engulfed in darkness behind them.


    There was little going back now.


    Anise asked no more questions as the two traversed the woods. The silence of the woods unnerved her. It reminded the girl of the last time she spent the night in the woods. She stroked Solana¡¯s mane as the quiet of the woods seeped into her soul.


    By fate, the pair soon chanced upon the inanis from the morning. Under the moonlight, the monstrosity had taken on a rather ethereal aura. The faces which decorated the beast shined under the moonlight, glimmered even. One would mistake the faces for those of angels¡¯. It was enthralling, deadly so. Yet, the moment the serene faces smiled or moved, the illusion was broken, shattered beyond repair. The smiles illuminated were grotesque and otherworldly. The skin peeled unnaturally like sinew over an open drum and the teeth were an eerie white.


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    Solana tried to retreat and take another route. However, even with the muffled snow, the inanis took notice.


    It roared. And it was then that the gaping blackness could be seen. It was the wound from this morning. A purple miasma bled from the wound and where the miasma landed, the plants would wilt and the snow would melt.


    Solana bolted.


    The monster followed as the many faces began to chortle with delight.


    Under the influence of the night, the inanis showed its true strength. The power exhibited prior in the day could not possibly compare with its current abilities. From the mouths of its victims, several more tentacles bulged forth. Its speed was greatly increased in addition to the distance covered by each stride. The ooze which dribbled from its orifices was of higher viscosity than before, and it was spewed from its victims¡¯ eyes as well.


    The beast launched a tsunami of tentacles at Solana as the mare found itself in a dense thicket of trees. Under the barrage of so many spears, Solana couldn¡¯t help but fall. In her fall, the mare tangled her legs and flipped over onto her side. The horse was unable to get up.


    Anise was thrown off the mount and skidded several meters into a tree. Wearing a simple dress, the impact of the collision shattered several of her ribs. Blood gurgled forth from her throat and spilled from the corner of her mouth.


    Solana had already stopped moving completely. The entirety of that powerful body tore apart as tentacles sheared through flesh as a swarm exploded from underneath the ground. Red snow splattered in a circular vicinity from Solana as the epicenter.


    Even as blood poured from the sky onto her face, Anise was only able to muse stupidly on how pretty the blood looked on the snow.


    The inanis pulled what remained of Solana ¡ª a pile of dead flesh ¡ª into its torso. Since Solana was a horse, it did not become the inanis¡¯s friend. Instead, the beast moaned as blood leaked from its torso. At last, the monstrosity turned its eyes onto Anise.


    The young lady¡¯s entire heart pounded. Her lungs were on fire and she felt like throwing up.


    Surprisingly, the girl started to laugh. Hysteria had set in.


    As the inanis slithered toward its prey, the young lady pathetically dragged herself up and stumbled a few feet before falling once more. Her face slammed into the snow. She was unable to feel the cold. Everything felt so warm. The girl¡¯s tears soaked into the snow.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to die,¡± she cried.


    The inanis crept up behind the girl. Its tentacles latched onto every limb of its prey. The girl was limp like a fish and was easily carried deep inside the beast¡¯s torso.


    The inside of an inanis was a sight unknown to most. Whereas the outside hung perfectly preserved faces, the insides was much more grotesque.


    Some bodies were pristine of course. The bones as white as the pale moon. Each femur and tibia in its proper place. Other bodies were in the process of decay. Maggots swam through the muscles and sinew.


    Anise cried ever more desperately. She did not want to die ¡ª to become like them. Even if she were to be saved, if half her body was decomposed, she would have already died.


    The tentacles nestled the hysteric girl in the place where the ¡°boy¡± from this morning had previously resided. Located on the girl¡¯s right was a skeleton; on the left was the pungent odor of decay.


    The decay was not too far along. The sagging pairs of fat told that the victim was female and the bulge of the stomach told of the unborn child. The breasts of the unfortunate mother had been eaten through somewhat, such that several colonies of white maggots suckered themselves into the walls of the large cavities carved into the two mounds. The belly was similarly eaten to the point that the skull of the unborn child peeked through.


    Anise swore that the dead fetus had on the same smile as portrayed by the inanis¡¯s ¡°friends¡±.


    The girl screamed and kicked and cried. There was no one. Soon the internal tentacles of the inanis shoved themselves deep down the girl¡¯s throat. The girl struggled to no avail. Her flailing arms and legs bent and skewed. There was no hero this time.


    The corners of the girl¡¯s face contorted, twisted, into a grand old smile. The corners of her eyes were stained with tears. The tentacles gingerly wiped the tears off.


    The inanis howled at the night sky in jubilation. Soon, his new ¡°friend¡± would join its others and play with only it.


    As the girl¡¯s consciousness faded into the abyss, she heard a voice.


    ¡°Accept me,¡± the voice called out. It was a cold voice laced with agony and hate. ¡°You who hold the same hatred and regret as I do. Accept me.¡±


    With an ardent desire ¡ª an ugly desperation ¡ª Anise hounded at the unknown entity.


    ¡°Good. You are worthy of being my new vessel. I am the fallen goddess Usha, the eighth children of Arushi!¡± The voice echoed in Anise¡¯s head, the reverberations tearing at her soul.


    Her harsh screams belched out even though tentacles stuffed her throat. Her eyes snapped open, an iridescent shade. Blood flowed from her ears and nose. Veins popped on all her muscles.


    The pain caused her to claw away at the inanis¡¯s insides. Her nails dug through the flesh with such force that it pierced through the mass of muscles like paper.


    The beast screamed and slammed its tentacles down onto the earth. Its wails sounded all the way to the edge of the forest.


    ¡°Ane!¡± Bolverk shouted as he heard the wail. He called for the search party to run faster. The guards all complied immediately. On each face was a grim expression. The men hoisted their torches up high and ventured deep into the woods.


    When they found Anise, they all balked and stumbled back except for Bolverk who whispered, ¡°Beautiful¡±.


    Anise laid unconscious in a pool of black blood. The miasma which overflowed from the inanis never came near the girl. The wisps of miasma would inch forward and immediately disperse. In her hands and teeth, flesh could be seen. Though her head was tucked into her chest as her body buckled into a fetus position, Bolverk could see that his love had on a twisted smile.


    The moonlight swept through the young lady¡¯s red hair and the wind blew as the snow sang. The gods above felt the coronation of this new power.


    From his throne, the lethargic Aalok smiled. ¡°The game marches on once more.¡±


    End of Act 1


    Author''s Note:  This is the end of Act 1. All the characters that I want to have certain emotions associated are established. The atmosphere (which honestly could have been done a lot better and established in much less words) is coming together. The setting and world still need cementing, but we have the gist of it now. And the foreshadowing is also laid out.


    I went a bit too rambling with the whole Madame Rem reaction scene. I feel that it was in Ane''s character and natural, but maybe not.


    Time for everything to be amped up to 11. Strangely enough, I wrote the majority of this chapter listening to Teresa Teng. Thanks for reading. Feedback is, as always, appreciated.

 Chapter 8: Red Wedding

    Madame Rem passed away on the same night Solana died. She was found cold in her bed with a scatter of red dotted her sheets. She had clenched the good quilt tightly, so tight that it took the local guard to unwrench it from her cragged hands to prepare for the funeral auction. It was not appropriate for the dead to be buried or burned with any personal belongings; it simply was not proper.


    Anise did not attend the woman¡¯s funeral. She lied unconscious in a coma. No one attended the hag¡¯s wake. Thus, the Church arranged for the corpse to be buried at the entrance of the forest. A gravemaker carved her name onto the tree under which she was buried. Yet, inexplicably on the day that Anise woke up from her deep slumber, the carvings were gone and the freshly filled grave already had a layer of snow and blended in flawlessly with the surroundings, as if the life of Madam Rem never had occurred in the small capital of Ardin.


    When Anise woke, she saw her mother closed-eyes kneeled next to her bed. The girl brushed aside her mother¡¯s messy bangs; she judged her mother to currently be Mari.


    Catching the light streaming in from her window, Anise winced. A heft of bright glares and bursts of colors assaulted her temple. Closing her eyes only intensified the throbbing in her eyes and pounding in her head, as if a splatter of light drove itself into her brain. The young noble clutched at her throat as she retched up a stream of spit and gray water from her throat to the other side of her bed. Her entire face contorted ¡ª scrunched up ¡ª in pain.


    The noise woke up her mother. Seeing her daughter awake (even if in a less than desirable situation), her eyes reddened. But she did not cry.


    ¡°Claude! Come clean up this mess! Francesca! Call for the Antistita and the Archbishop,¡± Meredith cried. She clambered aboard onto the bed and placed her hands on her daughter¡¯s back, and she slowly rubbed Anise¡¯s back in small circles.


    After Aunt Elspeth and Jaque arrived, Meredith left the room with the support of her two servants. She still had business to take care of.


    ¡°Well, well, look who is finally up,¡± Jaque said, the bright clangs of his khakkhara ringing throughout the room. The sound lifted the headache from Anise¡¯s mind. He pulled out his mirror and told Anise to gaze at her reflection. The throbbing of her eyes also stopped. The young noble¡¯s complexion had become much better.


    ¡°Ane! You¡¯re finally awake!¡± Lola shouted as she laughed and cried before suffocating Anise¡¯s nose with her hug.


    Aunt Elspeth pulled the diminutive fairy from Anise¡¯s nose (and Jaque promptly stuffed the mirror back into his sleeves). She then checked the young noble¡¯s pulse. The priestess looked into Anise¡¯s emerald eyes with a peculiar expression. Her own pitch black eyes swirled like riptides, the blackness gushing forth from her two abysses more than usual. Jaque took notice.


    ¡°You,¡± she paused with rare reserve. ¡°You¡¯re healthy. Regretfully, nothing is wrong with you, and my hopes of inheriting Mari¡¯s fortunes will have to wait. I¡¯ll call your mother in. Talk things over with her.


    You¡¯re an adult now.¡±


    Anise widened her eyes. ¡°What of the marriage?¡±


    ¡°No need to worry,¡± the Archbishop chimed in. ¡°The marriage is practically the event of the century; there is no way the baron can call it off.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah,¡± Aunt Elspeth rolled her eyes. She pulled on the Archbishop¡¯s arm. ¡°Baldy, we¡¯re leaving. Mari, your brat is fine! Go talk with her.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes, young Lady Tan¡¯ae,¡± Jaque said as he stayed rooted to the ground, to the anger to of the priestess, ¡°one of my healers saw you at Madam Rem¡¯s house. And how should I say this?¡±


    Anise pulled her bedsheets close to her and absolutely buried her face into the fabric. Seeing that, the Archbishop simply smiled and allowed himself to be dragged out of the room.


    Meredith entered the room with tentative steps. She glanced around the room awkwardly.


    ¡°This Alleure of Rationale makes intimate conversations difficult,¡± she said at last.


    The girl laughed through her tears. ¡°Didn¡¯t you get really angry when I talked about father?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s different. I was angry from a logical perspective. I simply could not understand your desire for adventurer. And look at where you ended up?¡± The mistress of the house closed her eyes and squeezed her hands into fists. ¡°I said too much.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you said too much. I know I¡¯m spoiled. And dumb. And a child. But you said too much. It¡¯s so painful.¡±


    The pair waited in awkward silence. By the time someone spoke, Anise¡¯s tears had slowed to a crawl.


    ¡°Is it alright if I climb onto your bed?¡±


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you on my bed when I started to throw up?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but you¡¯re crying right now. Even if I am stripped of emotional chains, I understand from a logical aspect that it may not be best to converse so casually at this moment.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not crying,¡± the new adult retorted, muffled from her tears and her face smothered in the fabric of her quilt. Still, Anise told her mother to climb onto her bed. The child-figure mistress of the house once again clambered onto the bed with hilarious difficulty.


    ¡°Solana¡¯s dead.¡± The girl spoke first. She threw away her quilt which shielded her. Instead, she blurted out her thoughts and fears in a continuous stream into the depths of her palms which hid her face. ¡°Madame Rem¡¯s dead. Everything¡¯s gone.And everyone will die, because that¡¯s life. I¡¯ll die; I¡¯ll die and be buried in the earth like everyone else. And I¡¯ll be forgotten. Doesn¡¯t that scare you? Doesn¡¯t that make you laugh?¡±


    She laughs.


    It was painful for Meredith to listen to the girl. Under the influence of the magic, she was unable to empathize easily, much less sympathize, with her own daughter¡¯s words. With a bitter face, she mimicked what she used to do and rubbed Anise¡¯s back as she talked and talked.


    It was an odd and lovely dichotomy. Silence and an orchestra of noises, cries, and whines; passion and a stoicism carved from marble cold; stillness and a circus-show of self-loathing, anger, and limpness like fish. It was a dichotomy, bold and odd.


    While this was going on, the Archbishop and Antistita were having their own little conversation in the priestess¡¯s personal room.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t left yet,¡± Aunt Elspeth asked as she sat in her desk chair and pulled a flask of mead from her drawers. Seeing there was no other chair, Jaque simply flopped onto her bed.


    The Archbishop sat up and smiled which caused the priestess to shudder. ¡°Well, Elsie, you pulled me into your room. Perhaps, there is something you want to do to little innocent old me?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± she smiled back. ¡°I want to shove this up your arse after I finish drinking it.¡±


    He raised an eyebrow and chuckled. ¡° Oh, how kinky of you, mademoiselle.¡±


    ¡°But seriously, why are you still here? Shouldn¡¯t you already be halfway to the Great Capital by now?¡± She asked as she downed the entire content of her drink in one gulp. She burped.


    ¡°It would be much too suspicious to leave so soon before the actual, let¡¯s say, incident. The most I will let you know is that I will be gone from this hellhole after the wedding ceremony.¡± The red-headed priest smirked devilishly as he rolled around in the priestess¡¯s bed-quilt.


    ¡°Stop doing that. I don¡¯t want to smell your stink when I sleep.¡±


    ¡°Oh, have you ever slept since coming back to this place?¡± The Archbishop chuckled at the priestess¡¯s glare. ¡°Rather, the better question would be: Why haven¡¯t I seen any runes laid over the city yet?¡±


    ¡°I think you know, you smug conceited little shitstain. The fact that you were arrogant enough to tell me means I have no power to stop whatever may happen; the least I can do is probably protect the people closest to me.¡±


    ¡°Ah correct, indeed! However, aren¡¯t you being a bit rude to a man who you dragged into your bedroom? Or is this the famous push and pull dance?¡±


    The priestess¡¯s face twitched as she smashed her empty flask against the wall against which her bed was situated.


    ¡°Elsie, I know you hit me if you truly concentrate. I believe in you.¡± The Archbishop began to clap his hands and chant the priestess¡¯s name.


    ¡°Oh stop clapping and ask your next question. You wouldn¡¯t let yourself be dragged like a doll if there wasn¡¯t something for you in the end.¡±


    His eyes glistened. ¡°You paused when you checked the girl¡¯s ¡ª no, the young lady¡¯s ¡ª pulse. There is something isn¡¯t there? Something strange about her since that night. I do recall one of the guards remarking she was smiling while in a pool of blood and flesh.¡±


    The priestess cracked her back shoulders. She pulled another flask from her drawer, gulped it down, and threw it against the wall.


    ¡°You know, I¡¯m not the one who has to pick the glass shards from the bed, right?¡±


    The priestess glared at him. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like I was going to sleep anyways.¡±


    ¡°So what changed about the girl?¡±


    The priestess closed her eyes and rubbed at her forehead furiously. ¡°Fuck if I know. Something definitely changed. Her pulse is more vibrant, yet melancholic. It¡¯s as if she¡¯s become an entirely different person spiritually.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    The priestess frowned. ¡°You know something, don¡¯t you baldy?¡±


    ¡°First of all, it is never good to insult a person whom you wish to extract information from. Second of all, I simply must take my leave, Cow-tits.¡± The priest lept off the bed and proceeded to take his leave, leaving behind a red-faced priestess with closed fists.


    Back in Anise¡¯s room, Meredith had listened to her daughter until she exhausted herself with talking and fell asleep. The mistress covered her daughter neatly with the quilt so that she would not catch cold. With a difficult expression on her marble face, she left the room.


    ¡°Perhaps, I should have allowed Mari to take over ¡ª even if she would cry and become agitated easily. At least, the child didn¡¯t mention adventuring... where would she go if she did, and how?¡± She said to herself. Meredith lifted up her dress and inspected the markings on her stomach. ¡°It is fading quick. I best pay a visit to Elspeth, else I would lose the Bruneid deal. I cannot wait until I am done with all this and live simply.¡±


    As she neared the priestess¡¯s room, she heard a ruckus emanate from the room. Opening the door, she found Elspeth and Jaque tangled with the priestess lying on top of him.


    ¡°Should I come back later, Antistita?¡± Meredith asked as she slowly inched the door to shut.


    Stolen story; please report.


    ¡°Lady Tan¡¯ae, there is no need. We are done here,¡± Jaque said cheerfully and pushed the priestess off of him. He walked quickly out the door. He left a final remark, ¡°Ah, and of what you saw, think nothing of it. Dear Elsie, is simply a terrible drunk.¡±


    The priestess snarled at her employer. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you want a reapplication? This would be your, what, maybe 20th reapplication in a row?¡±


    The woman nodded.


    ¡°Mari, the fuck am I going to do with you. That brat of yours definitely got her stubbornness from you. Don¡¯t blame me for the side-effects.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t.¡± With that reply, the priestess grabbed another bottle from her drawers and drowned herself in it before complying with her employer¡¯s wishes.


    That night, Anise dreamt of dead horses and fallen crows.


    After Anise recovered, the marriage was underway once more. A mere week after her recovery, the entire capital was decorated in beautiful colors and lights for the wedding. It was a glorious event with a lengthy parade with a succession of many bands and circus troupes. Flowers were in the hands of every girl and boy living in the city. The streets were flooded with laughter.


    ¡°It¡¯s not even their wedding,¡± Anise said from her carriage. Her hair was pinned up with numerous gold ornaments. She wore the dress Madame Rem made her. And underneath her veil, her lips were as red as roses.


    ¡°My lady, their happiness is proof of their love for you.¡± Francesca laughed. ¡°And after today, you will become all of their lady. It is a joyous event.¡±


    ¡°I suppose,¡± the young bride said sadly as the carriage rocked its way toward the Aalok church.


    It did not take long for the carriage to arrive outside the church. The horses all neighed noisily, in want of leaving the sacred ground. Francesca led the young bride into the church. Meredith looped her arms around her daughter¡¯s and walked her down the aisles. At the end of the aisles, the baron himself took over and presented the bride to the groom. Meredith took a seat next to Aunt Elspeth.


    The baron took a seat in the aisle directly next to the bride¡¯s family, and situated himself in his harem of concubines and lovers.


    From underneath her veil she saw that Bolverk was also amongst the crowd. He seemed lonely sitting at the very end.


    She faced her groom. He was a peculiar beast. It was as if a swarth of black fur covered the entirety of his face. Better that than see the various warts underneath.


    The wedding ceremony was conducted by the Archbishop himself. It went smoothly, exceptionally smoothly as the antistita was extremely cautious throughout the wedding, causing everyone to feel at ease. Furthermore, with Jaque as the master of ceremony, great laughs were had by the majority of the people gathered. The minority consisted of Anise, Bolverk, and Aunt Elspeth.


    Once all the necessary and needless speeches and poems were said and done, the big moment arrived. The kiss.


    Anise closed her eyes and tentatively leaned forward. The beast lunged forward and grabbed Anise with his meaty hands. His tongue wormed itself deep into Anise¡¯s throat. Despite her disgust, she was unable to break away due to her being in front of the baron. The pair kissed for quite a long time until Anise was weak at her knees.


    ¡°Now, now, you two can have your fun after,¡± the Archbishop chuckled as he broke the two apart.


    After that, the new wife was carried to the new husband¡¯s room to wait for his arrival later in the night. Meanwhile, a party was held in the husband¡¯s house filled with food, alcohol, and festivity. That was the main reason the entire capital was so ecstatic.


    Anise waited quietly by herself. She found the heir¡¯s room to be too gaudy for her liking. There was a large mirror positioned in the corner of the room. She walked over it and placed a hand on the surface.


    ¡°Maybe I can still run away from it all,¡± she whispered to herself. The young noble traced a meaningless design on the mirror¡¯s surface. ¡°Just break it all.¡±


    ¡°If you attempt to kill yourself, I will make death an eternal prison for you,¡± a voice echoed in her head.


    The young noble walked back to the bed with a sigh and collapsed onto it. ¡°Can you not bother me on my wedding night, Usha?¡±


    ¡°Girl, I saved your life. Yet, you waste my sincerity by lying with a pig? I chose you because you possess the same drive as me.¡±


    The young noble closed her eyes with exasperation. ¡°I¡¯m not a girl anymore.¡±


    ¡°You are one in the presence of me who is as old as the collision of light and dark. Now answer me, do you intend to waste your life away trapped in this castle?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been pestering me since I woke up from my coma. Just shut up will you?¡±


    ¡°Answer my question, girl.¡±


    The young noble sat up with a sigh. ¡°I have no horse. I have no talent or genius. I died that day! I died. And worse, I dragged someone else into the mess. Can you just shut up for now, oh, fallen goddess? In just a few moments, I am going to lose something else dear to me. So I would like it if you stopped talking, before I kill myself.¡±


    A little bit after the end of that exchange, the door slammed open and the beast stumbled in with a jutted gait, as if the beast was traversing a path riddled with numerous gaps and holes.


    ¡°Oh, wifey, wifey! Here comes daddy,¡± the beast laughed. He leapt onto his new wife, his prey, with great excitement, and a fire in his loin. Anise turned her face away. Her veil was ripped away, tore into shreds of white strands.


    She felt a hot breath sink into her neck. Then, a wetness as the beast began to savor her. She grasped firmly onto the loose sheets. Little by little, from her neck to her forehead, she was covered in the beast¡¯s musk.


    Her face was flushed. That only excited the beast further. He tore his attire apart to reveal a fat hairy belly from which a trail ran down to his privates.


    Anise whimpered and squeezed the sheets even more.


    The beast grabbed hold of Anise¡¯s wrists and forced them in a position over her head. It was much more forceful than when Bolverk did it. Once again, his tongue forced itself tyrannically into her mouth. Her toes curled up and her cries were heard even through the muffled wet noises of kissing.


    Her back arched as he slid one of his hand up her dress and squeezed her thigh, tracing his dirty finger up and down her garter. He ripped apart the stocking to better taste the supple meat with his paw.


    A pained moan left her lips amongst the cries and kiss when the beast slipped one of his finger down there at last.


    Feeling the wetness of the barely legal girl¡¯s cheeks, the beast was unable to delay the main event any further. With practiced motion, he tore apart the rest of Madame Rem¡¯s dress until the white dress was reduced to scraps akin to the unused parts of lettuce or cabbage.


    With no hands restraining her, the girl instinctively moved to cover her private parts.


    ¡°Move your hands, bitch,¡± he growled. ¡°You¡¯re mine now. So serve me.¡±


    With shaking hands, she took her hands and laid them onto the bed. Her heart pounded and she cried.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to so much, than just do something about it,¡± Usha¡¯s voice sounded in her heart. ¡°I¡¯m borrowing your body, little girl.¡±


    With a scream, Anise¡¯s eyes turned an iridescent shade. The goddess-possessed girl slammed her hand around the pig¡¯s throat and threw him down onto the ground, and she began to systematically pummel the fat pig¡¯s stomach. It did not take much hits for the pig to pass out with a groan. The goddess then climbed back into bed and gave control back to her host.


    ¡°Are you crazy, Usha,¡± she hissed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, little girl. He¡¯s not dead. And judging by how intoxicated he was, just act pained tomorrow and you will be fine. Oh, cut into his thigh with a knife or a glass shard, and smear some blood onto the sheets.¡±


    ¡°Uh, young master,¡± a servant called, ¡°is everything fine?¡±


    ¡°What should I do,¡± Anise screamed at the goddess in her mind.


    ¡°The common inclination and convention is to fake it until you make it. Now do not bother me further. Saving your petty purity took an extreme amount of stamina.¡±


    Left with no choice, the girl clenched her fists and began to moan.


    ¡°Oh! Oh! It hurts, it hurts,¡± she cried as she jumped up and down the bed. ¡°Stop! Stop! It hurts, please be more gentle! Oh, oh, oh!¡±


    ¡°Oh, excuse me. Excuse me,¡± the servant replied flustered. ¡°Enjoy your night.¡±


    The lady continued the act for quite a while. Under the guise of the savagery of sex, the girl was able to camouflage the beast¡¯s cries as she cut into his thigh with one of her hair ornaments as the cries of climax. Once she was done with the fakery of the first night, she collapsed in bed exhausted.


    And under the cloak of night, an army approached the capital Bolsur. Their torches lit up the surrounding land as if set ablaze by an ocean of fire. However, not one of the guards noticed. All they saw was the same old scene.


    Not a single guard noticed, until the army was upon them at the break of dawn. The scouts made swift work of the guards stationed on the walls. Slitting their throats with no problem at all, so quiet were their kills that blood did not even flow from the corpses¡¯ wounds. The scouts then opened the gates.


    They of course knew the hidden illusionary passage, but for war ¡ª no oppression and a display of overwhelming strength ¡ª a grand entrance was imperative.


    ¡°Leave no men alive!¡± The command howled through the city like a hurricane.


    Soon, the entire city was engulfed in madness and haze as blood poured onto the streets and splattered like pretty roses onto the decorated streets.


    Author''s Note: I''ve never seen Games of Thrones, and my collection of the books continues to gather dust. I was going to title this title "That Which Bridge the Gap", but Red Wedding seems more fitting. I don''t particularly like how the ending to this chapter came out; I could do better with the invasion.


    How did you guys enjoy the bedroom scene though? Was it too extra? Or did it serve a purpose? I feel that it served a purpose, but who knows if that''s self-indulgence. I''m probably going to revise that to flesh it out...or maybe that would make it smut at that point. Thanks for reading as always.

 Chapter 9: Turtle in the Stars; Flower in the Night

    This friend of mine, Sugoimasta69, has recently uploaded his story onto the site. It was also his birthday recently. He''s also been linking my story in his author corners, so you know he be super chill. So go give him some love. G.R.I.M. - This Grim World of Ours</a>


    Perched on his shoulder was a gu¨©-n¡¯i¨£o, an odd creature reared by the male faes as part of their elaborate coming-of-age ritual. The creature was a hybrid of a turtle and a bird, with an odd strain of feline thrown into the mix.


    The gu¨©-n¡¯i¨£o grew wary of the carnage around it and retreated its withered cat-face into its shell. The creature¡¯s wings came together in a praying posture. Its claws tightened around its owner¡¯s shoulder, ripping into skin. Fresh blood spilled and trickled down to his navel.


    The fae traced the intricate patterns on his companion¡¯s shell. He possessed the similar withered face, creases and folds lining every possible contour on his face. Yet, his body was strong ¡ª toned like a summer¡¯s dawn and filled with strength. A thick mane of hair ran down his back in a single river down the middle. And nothing covered this sculpted torso, save for a pair of trousers fashioned from tree bark decorated with the ink of crushed insects, vibrant yellow and blue, snakes and turtles coiled in union.


    ¡°Brother,¡± a voice reminiscent of rain called out. The girl hid the entirety of her face behind a mask carved from the skull of an antelope skull ¡ª various simple flower designs marked the forehead in red. She was quite small, like a precious jewel, and trembled in place. It was not due to cold as the girl had on a dress woven from numerous flowers which emitted heat and casted an ember-glow to her being.


    ¡°Yes, dearest sister, striking snake to my jeweled-shell,¡± the fae responded and turned his attention to the girl; his face twisted into a smile, showing his cragged teeth.


    The girl smoothed out her dress some and fiddled with her mask. The brother waited patiently. It was a surreal sight as the background consisted of a concerto of desperation, the worst of human nature.


    ¡°Must we kill them? Mother and father taught ¡ª¡±


    ¡°Us nothing, they taught us nothing,¡± the brother screeched and grabbed the frightened girl¡¯s shoulders. Hearing the girl¡¯s yelp, he blinked and removed his talons from her shoulders. He backed away and chuckled, a strained tinge to it. ¡°Ah, sorry dearest sister. Your words brought out the dark one in me. Simply, do not ever mention our parents ever again ¡ª let the dead stay alive in memories and nothing more.¡±


    The girl squeezed her hands into fists. ¡°But then do we have to work demons, brother, o¡¯ shield to my spear! Do we not disgrace our ancestors above in the ocean of stars with this blasphemy?¡±


    The gu¨©-n¡¯i¨£o peeked from its shell, yawned, and retreated back. The fae stroked the creature¡¯s shell with a laugh. ¡°Oh, sister, you are much too naive. I do not blame you ¡ª you are only 134 years of age. But you are still this nation¡¯s, the Star-Jeweled Turtles¡¯, flower. You must be our hope and thorns. If presented with an opportunity to regain our homeland, to become strong and powerful again, and to return our beauty ¡ª the flower¡¯s beauty ¡ª again, only a fool would refuse.¡±


    The girl tilted her head down at her feet. ¡°But doing so would only further dirty our name.¡±


    ¡°Our name has been dirtied since that day the humans betrayed us all. And there is no hope of cleansing it. Humans will hunt us down if they catch sight of us, even if we live without weapons. Dearest sister, I do not wish to speak further. Especially on the field of war; go back to the caravan outside the city walls and wait, wait for the sun to announce our rebirth.¡±


    The girl glanced once more at the brother and obediently went away. Her elongated ears drooped.


    ¡°Harsh. No? Yes.¡± A creature with two heads said as it emerged from the fae¡¯s shadow.


    The creature was thin, thin to the extent that it was indiscernible if viewed from its profile, and tall, tall to the quantity of a small tree, and it was in a constant bent downwards, forming a slope with his spine.


    One head, a teardrop fashioned from dirt, had ruby eyes and gold for teeth. Though it had no nose, the face perpetually smiled.


    The other head was wrapped in aged linen and reeked of sour milk before it ferments ¡ª this disgusting odor with the promise of delight. Despite the sprawl of linen covering the head, its features were clearly visible through the slits: a pair of sewed eyes, a nose rotten and revealing bone, and a terrible mouth. This mouth was also sewn shut, but the thread was too weak and too old, so, when the head spoke, its jaws unhinged like a python¡¯s and threatened to completely rip into two halves. And it was this head which spoke.


    Both heads were linked to a naked body, only the miasma which came out of its pores covered its genitals and chest.


    Teardrop-head cocked its head and spoke next, ¡°Yes, yes, quite harsh indeed, little Nu¡¯ao, turtle of the stars ¡ª much too cruel, unbearable, despicable even! And that is exactly why you were chosen, don¡¯t you dare forget now; to forget our promise, our pledge, our contract would be to defy the Cult of Su¡¯nyata, and that would spell absolute ruin ¡ª terrible ruin, worse than the affliction of your people currently. Remember, remember!¡±


    ¡°Remember. Forget. Only death.¡± Bandaged-head echoed its twin¡¯s sentiments.


    Slash. Thrust. Swipe. Crush. Nu¡¯ao finished with a pierce, right at the demon¡¯s chest with his spear freshly conjured from the earth.


    The demon dodged all of the fae¡¯s strikes. His absurd width allowed for him to coil around the motion of the spear. For the last pierce, the demon simply ripped his body from down the middle; the spear struck through empty.


    ¡°Do not use my shadow as a portal or what have you,¡± Nu¡¯ao barked as he slashed a circle around him with his spear. ¡°As a matter of fact, demon, I rather you not come within this circle of me.¡±


    ¡°Rather large circle, ain¡¯t it ¡ª big enough to fit a conference, a conspiracy, in there, or maybe a funeral or mass graves,¡± Tear-drop head responded. ¡°And is that any way to treat your benefactor, your savior and god? No, no, it really isn¡¯t; not the way it ought to be at all, rather preposterous if we think about it, and when we think about it, the only logical greeting would be to hug ¡ª not experience aggression and isolation, that wouldn¡¯t be right at all.¡±


    ¡°Isolation bad. Hug good.¡±


    ¡°If you step inside the circle, into my territory, I will slaughter you.¡±


    ¡°Can you?¡±


    The fae¡¯s cheeks twitched. ¡°Simply give your report.¡±


    The demon straightened up and assumed its height which towered over all. Teardrop-head coughed and then spoke,


    ¡°The ambush was a monumental success, absolutely could not have been better or cleaner; blood runs the streets and guts decorates the walls as pretty as flowers. Truly, sheer brilliance to have me transport the entire army from the eastern desert to the western front. Even if we did not have a group of illusionists constantly applying camouflage, we would have been fine ¡ª snuck right underneath their noses regardless, kill them all and drink their blood as easily as downing wine and mead! The joy, joy, joy!¡±


    ¡°What of the main castle?¡±


    ¡°Barricaded. Impenetrable. Soon.¡± Bandaged-head responded as it played with its linen wrappings.


    Nu¡¯ao¡¯s eyes narrowed. He cracked his joints, ¡°How soon.¡±


    ¡°Very soon; this entire land will be yours, turtle of the stars, in but a breath¡¯s time ¡ª there is not even need to hold your breath.¡±


    The fae gazed the castle ¡ª his ancestors¡¯ castle ¡ª and he touched his withered face.


    He whispered to himself. ¡°Soon. Soon, everything will be like the Old Stories, as if the Lost Cause was the true myth. I will return both the beauty of the flower and the nobility of the turtle of the stars, o¡¯ Great Ancestors.¡±


    Sensing an atmosphere emit from the fae, the demon bowed and sank into a nearby shadow. On the contrary, the fae''s companion peeked its head out from its shell and gazed at the castle in longing as well.


    Outside the walls, Nu¡¯ao¡¯s sister also gazed at the castle assaulted by flying red devils and burning tremendously like a beautiful flower.


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    ¡°Is it not wonderful, flower of short-lived night, young Queen Bi¡¯jin?¡± A servant asked as he handed her another cup of tea. He too had on a mask, though his was fashioned out of mere tree bark.


    ¡°Is it wonderful?¡± The girl asked as she sipped her tea slowly.


    ¡°How can it not be? We are at last back home. And soon everything lost will return: the scent of flowers, the sound of bells and chimes, the whistling of the leaves; the smiles of the children, the laughter of the adults, and the merriment of the Fae¡¯ds; the turtle in the stars-drowned sky, the bloom of the night-flower, the thorns which makes us strong and makes us respected. Soon, we will get all of it back.¡±


    The girl finished the cup of tea in silence. She looked around the snow-covered fields which the children, old, and unable were gathered. All of them wore masks, but the girl felt through some odd solidarity that all of them gazed at the castle. ¡°It is still winter. Even if we are victorious, it is still too early for flowers; too early for chimes and bells; too early for whistling of the leaves. It is still much too cold.¡±


    ¡°But the children would still smile and play without fear; the adults can laugh as they drink and feast; the Fae¡¯ds can once again teach and live as they are meant to.¡±


    ¡°I suppose so,¡± the young queen responded. She gazed at the castle as the skies above indulged in the dancing of clouds and the choir of night.


    Inside the castle, Anise had just woken up. There was a pounding at the door. Before she could utter a response, the door was broken down with a heavy kick.


    ¡°Young master, we must move!¡± The servant shouted. He saw the beast knocked cold but was relieved when he saw Anise awake. ¡°Lady Tan¡¯ae, there has been an invasion by the traitorous fae and demons. Help me carry the young master. If he has exerted himself to the extent of passing out on the floor, he will not wake until morning comes.¡±


    In a daze, the young wife hoisted the beast¡¯s arm over her shoulders as the servant did the same.


    ¡°We will meet up with Baron Din¡¯ae at the main halls. Your mother and the Antistita should be headed to the main halls as well.¡±


    ¡°What about Boo, I mean, Bolverk? He¡¯s an old friend of mine; I saw him at the wedding.¡±


    The servant shook his head. ¡°Never heard of him.¡±


    As they scrambled through the halls and down the stairs, Anise described Bolverk to the servant. The servant shook his head with a frown.


    ¡°Baron Din¡¯ae allowed those who came with your mother to stay in one of the guest chambers, but only the Antistita came along with your mother. Hopefully, we will see him at the main halls. Everyone, including us servants, are headed there.¡±


    The young lady nodded while chewing on her bottom lip. She could not help but feel that something would happen to Boo.


    ¡°If you are that worried about that man, then go find him,¡± Usha¡¯s lethargic voice sounded inside Anise¡¯s head. ¡°Or, better yet, completely cut him off from your life. Things that bring about worry, ultimately bring about ruin as well.¡±


    ¡°Can you please shut up for once?¡± Anise barked back. The fallen goddess snorted and fell back into her slumber.


    As the trio (quartet?) walked down the long, spiraling stairs, they came upon a series of dead bodies ¡ª all were human. The servant paled and grew more tired with every body. Anise felt her hands paralyze and her chest to collapse; her entire being shook as they passed the bodies ¡ª all torn up ¡ª by.


    ¡°Do you think whatever killed them is still here?¡± Anise asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s more than a possibility. Judging by the way the bodies are presented, it seems the perpetrator is taunting us. It would not surprise me if there is a demon waiting down there just to savor our despair. If that is the case, I will sacrifice myself.¡±


    Anise didn¡¯t know how to respond to such a sudden declaration. They continued walking. When they neared the bottom of the steps, they stopped. The servant went on ahead. He came back and signalled the coast clear. The servant also found a pair of swords. He handed one to the young lady, for ¡°protection, hopefully it would not come to that¡± as he said.


    A bit more lively, the servant moved quickly even with the beast¡¯s weight on his shoulders.


    Anise did not know what happened. Despite all her training to track a moving target, she was unable to register anything at all.


    One moment, the servant¡¯s head was attached to his neck. The next moment, as soon as she blinked, blood had erupted from his neck all over her face. His head rolled back down the halls. The servant¡¯s body then slipped and fell flat, leaving Anise bearing the entirety of the beast.


    The young lady swung her blade madly. A series of clacks resounded through the halls.


    ¡°It was a mantodae,¡± Usha said with interest in her voice. ¡°This invasion may be of entertainment after all.¡±


    ¡°I, I don¡¯t care what it is. Tell me how to kill it,¡± Anise said as she walked through the halls toward the gilded doors at the end of the halls.


    ¡°Can you kill, little girl? Can you accept the consequences?¡± Anise did not respond. Usha continued, ¡°It is a blind creature and relies mainly on its hearing. That¡¯s why it has been clacking so incessantly. If you can dodge its first strike ¡ª usually a lunge of some sort from inside the walls ¡ª then, living won¡¯t be too difficult. And you can always toss the baggage aside if you don¡¯t want to die.¡±


    Anise swallowed her breath. The clacking stopped. It was as if time as frozen. She held her breath and waited.


    She instantly threw her head back. The motion arched her back, coupled with the weight of the beast, and caused her to fall backwards. Anise quickly moved the beast off her and stood up. She saw the mantodae.


    It was a a mantis with the figure of a human. It stood on its hind-legs and featured a very slender figure. The creature had no eyes, rather a series of plates made up its head, similar to scale armor. A pair of great claws constituted the arms.


    The mantodae started to clack again. And soon it stopped. It pivoted its head directly at Anise¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Let me take over. You¡¯ve already lost the first strike. And currently, I am in no mood to deal with your struggle, little girl. You must accept who you are; as I have accepted what I am.¡±


    Anise did not respond. She was unable to. Her body convulsed as her eyes rolled back. Her eyes turned iridescent.


    The young lady grasped her sword with both hands. She shouted. The demon charged. With a simple upward slash, the young lady drew the crescent moon in the air. Blood sprayed all over her, but she did not mind. She smiled.


    Victorious, the goddess returned control to Anise, who threw up the moment she was conscious. The pale girl trembled. Then she shook her head free of thoughts. Anise lugged the beast toward the door and opened it.


    She found the main halls in a state of panic. Demons, fae, and human carcasses swelled the entire room. The prestigious guests who had chosen to stay did not know whether to feel grateful or to feel regret.


    Anise walked over to the center of the halls where the baron was. Baron Din¡¯ae thanked her with a bow. His many concubines rolled their eyes; the actual main wife smiled graciously. She looked away and quickly walked to where her guardians were.


    Anise had not seen Boo in the room at all.


    Author''s Note: Cliff-hangerish? I really enjoyed writing this chapter; I think it came out really well. Honestly the best thing I''ve written all month so far, beside this other chapter on my other story. I hope you guys enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it.


    I already have most of the next chapter outlined in my head, and I think it will be a doozy (though maybe short).

 Chapter 10: Escape

    A loud slap echoed through the halls. The noise startled those who congregated in the large halls; the bawling, shrieking died down along with the hushing of the murmurs of disorder and panic and the quieting of the rapid pacing which accompanied the entire scene. All heads ¡ª those turned down to Hell, those offering prayers to the gods, and those simply staring at the illusionary reflection of oneself in the cold eyes of the dead ¡ª turned to the source of the commotion.


    All turned back once the baron shot a glare at the party gathered, though all kept their ears opened. Entertainment, even in a life-death situation, remained too exquisite and indulgent to ignore, particularly if it was a scandal or drama pertaining to the newly passed off bride.


    Anise looked down at her mother, a hand on her reddened cheek. She declared with impressive, reckless bravado, ¡°I am going to find Boo, mother.¡±


    The madam who stood on her toes slapped the other cheek of her daughter. Meredith swallowed her anger and responded, ¡°You will do no such thing. I am unwilling to allow you to venture into your own demise!¡±


    The baron sauntered over with his pack of banshees who refused to calm their screeching, as if such noise was delectable to him ¡ª and perhaps, in some twisted way, those carnal noises were.


    ¡°Lady Tan¡¯ae, what is the matter? For my new daughter to be struck ¡ª though I am still possibly an outsider ¡ª the issue at hand must be grave and rather outrageous, no? So I must ask, what is the matter?¡± The baron asked as he grabbed Meredith¡¯s hand and kissed it, before laying his paws on Anise¡¯s shoulders.


    ¡°My foolish daughter wishes to venture out this haven to her own death. That is what the matter is.¡± Meredith exclaimed as she turned her head away from Anise toward a painting of flowers hung on the wall.


    The baron briefly hushed his swarm of pheasants before turning to the high priestess who somehow retained the ability to indulge in liquor.


    ¡°Antistita Industria Elspetha, what say you on this subject matter?¡± The baron smiled, showing his sharp teeth.


    Meredith interrupted, ¡°There is no other say. Venturing into danger almost landed you into death last time, as we all can still recall with vivid bitterness.¡±


    ¡°Mari¡¯s right,¡± the priestess nodded as she threw the empty flask in an arc toward an assembly of fools and depressed. The flask shattered into glass pieces like chipped facets of a man-made star, or unruly diamond; the group flocked to it as if even those small shards would offer salvation from death.


    The priestess continued on. ¡°But, it does us no good to remain here. And I rather enjoyed that brat¡¯s company when he lived with us in the past.¡±


    ¡°Oh, why would it do us no good?¡± The baron inquired as he shot wary glances about his halls.


    ¡°For one, this place is out of liquor. The second reason is the sheer panic which envelops the people here ¡ª if we want anything to be done, we only need the brave, foolish, or damned insane. And third of all, I can¡¯t save all these people.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll save us right?¡± One of the whores clinging to the baron¡¯s leg asked before burying her head back into the sanctuary of the tights wrapped around the baron¡¯s meaty thighs.


    Aunt Elspeth looked at the woman in disgust and offered no reply.


    Anise offered a wobbling smile. ¡°It is agreed upon then? We shall go?¡±


    Biting her lips, Meredith answered, ¡°It seems there is no choice. If the Antistita had already said so, then there is no choice.¡±


    The baroness who did not speak yet offered her words in her melancholic treble, ¡°Let us hurry then.¡±


    The group made no attempts to conceal their leaving of the place. Unsurprisingly, the mass stayed in the halls. Though it was of some interest that no other outsider joined their little group.


    Stepping outside, the first thoughts which proliferated amongst the group consisted of a single word: Despair.


    From the ancient growing tree which served as the castle of the region for generations, the group stepped out into a vast cacophony of terrible fate ¡ª blood, screams, and the list continued and consisted of worse and worse.


    Aunt Elspeth took charge. As the priestess led the group, the numerous odd demons became unable to progress further than one step before experiencing the sudden impalement of sharp spikes rendered reality by ink.


    The fae belonged to a different category entirely. Possessing of intelligence and the concept of life, the fae soldiers operated in such a way that the priestess remained wary at all times.


    As the group traveled, it became inevitable for some fae to slip past Aunt Elspeth using their species¡¯s innate illusions.


    In one such incident, the pack of wenches responsible for carrying the baron¡¯s heir became tangled with a squad of fae wielding longswords and gauntlets with swords jutting out. In an act much expected of them, the poor girls dropped the beast onto the floor and ran.


    The baron, overcome by wrath, flung those two young girls back at the fae with a deft motion of his backhand. The pitiful girls served as distractions and saved the beast from being skewered.


    As the fae had skewered the girls, so too did the priestess impale the fae ¡ª black spikes punching through the fae¡¯s masks and sockets.


    The future consorts who carried the beast remained diligent to their task. When the group reached the inn, the consorts no longer clung to the baron. Rather, the few ¡ª if you can call creatures possessing such empty eyes so ¡ª alive bunched up together, accepting the fate to serve as fodder.


    Meredith and Anise held each other close. The two looked at the baron with a concealed emotion not readily explained or explored ¡ª one which meandered between disgust, hatred, envy, and pity.


    Bursting through the inn, the group quickly scrambled past the dead bodies and carefully up the blood-drenched stairs. Checking everyone room, it was when the group found a room barricaded from the inside, that Anise released a breath she did not know she was holding.


    ¡°Seem that fellow of yours is quite important to you,¡± the baroness said into Anise¡¯s ears as she snuck up behind the girl.


    The others were calling out for Bolverk to open the door and simultaneously attempting a break into the room as some others kept watch. Aunt Elspeth began to run low on her ink, and there was a definite reserve for a transportation ritual that she must keep. The priestess hugged the lovely, soft Meredith from behind as they waited for progress to be made. Meredith made no protest as she decided logically the safest place was correlated to the proximity of the strongest fighter in the group.


    Anise looked at the baroness with wide eyes. She did not know how to address the aging figure in front of her.


    ¡°Royal Mother, Boo is important to me, yes. But you do not have to worry if I love him, for I love him the same manner I love my mother.¡±


    The baroness laughed. ¡°Oh, simply call me mother is fine. I was a simple merchant¡¯s daughter once as well. And do you not know the prevalence of incest in the elites, the aristocrats?¡±


    Anise blushed and became flustered.


    Usha in her mind confirmed such notion, ¡°This old girl has a point. My mother married her own son; I utterly hate their offspring ¡ª never did know whether to address them as brother or nephew, and we


    often argued on the seniority and authority relations. Despise them, I do.¡±


    The baroness smiled coy. ¡°I am merely teasing, dear. Though, often truth lies in the thickest of jokes.¡±


    Before that particular conversation could continue, the combined efforts of Bolverk from in and the baron from out finally managed to disassemble the barricade and allow for the group to rush into the room.


    ¡°Lady Tan¡¯ae! Anise,¡± Bolverk exclaimed. He was a mess. Blood splattered all over his attire and sweat ran down his face like the summer light. Realizing who else was present, he kneeled and bowed. ¡°Baron Din¡¯ae; Baroness Din¡¯ae. Consorts.¡±


    ¡°Brat, where¡¯s my greeting?¡± Aunt Elspeth asked as she rummaged through Bolverk¡¯s room. ¡°And as expected of good, old, straightlaced Boo ¡ª not a single drop of drinkable alcohol! I hate each and every single one of you.¡±


    ¡°Auntie, drinking so much alcohol is not good for the body. I¡¯ve done extensive research on the subject: headaches, mood swings, addiction ¡ª¡±


    ¡°I would hate to interrupt this reunion and surreal bantering, however, we are still isolated in the middle of a massacre with no signs of a miracle.¡± The baron interrupted as he carried himself to the center of the lodging.


    Aunt Elspeth rolled her eyes. ¡°Bitch, who do you think I am? I am the great priestess.¡± She uncovered parts of her body ¡ª mainly the navel area ¡ª to reveal various ink etched onto her bare skin in elegant formations. She surveyed the room and closed her eyes. ¡°Though, I do not have enough power left to transport all of us without possibly changing an accidental destination in a desert or barren frostland.¡±


    Before the priestess could continued, the baron whisked out a jeweled dagger. He promptly disposed of the remaining consorts. As he did so, his expression remained unreadable.


    Next to Anise, the baroness whispered, ¡°In the end, he truly loves me. And only me.¡±


    The consorts fell, crumpled, writhing, and shrieking with soundless tears. The priestess looked at the baron. The baron looked back. Meredith bit her lower lip. Bolverk and Anise simply felt a coldness (and thrill) which disgusted them both.


    ¡°You killed them.¡± Aunt Elspeth spoke, breaking the silence. ¡°And with no hesitation either.¡±


    ¡°As the ruler of this bulwark against the desert, I must make difficult decisions.¡±


    ¡°It did not seem to difficult for you. Well, no matter. I was about to do the same ¡ª though in a less painful way.¡±


    ¡°I ensured the most painless and swift death with my dagger. Not a single cry was uttered.¡± The baron said with a slight grin as he sheathed his dagger back into his sleeve. He looked down at his work and nodded slightly.


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    Without pursuing the matter further, Aunt Elspeth gathered everyone together, forming a circle around her. As she uttered the ancient language, the ink on her navel bled out and dripped to form great rivers. These rivers painted and crawled all over the rustic wood boards of the floor until a great diagram of shapes manifested. And when the final stroke finished, a great bright light engulfed the group.


    The light cleared. In the lodging, there was not a single soul, as if a great wind carried them away.


    When the light which blinded the group cleared, they found themselves in pitch blackness.


    Aunt Elspeth got up and placed her hands on her heart. She straightened her back and announced her arrival.


    ¡°Ego sum, Elspetha Viola Cotta!¡±


    At her voice, a great roar leapt out in the darkness as the entire cavern lit up with the brilliance of ten thousand torches, a galaxy of stars, great embers.


    ¡°This is beautiful,¡± Anise found herself whispering, much to her surprise. The cavern was enormous, where an entire forest would be able to grow and space would still remain. On the walls of the cavern, many intricate designs and patterns were etched in. Crystals and plants grew in the pleasant humidity of the cavern.


    It did not take long for that peaceful admiration to collapse. The stampede of a thousand soldiers marched down the winding stairs. At the front of the regiment marched six garbed in priestess robes similar to the ones Aunt Elspeth owned, though these folks wore pretentious cloaks whose hoods hid their faces.


    The group waited for the six to approach. Before a conversation could even start, the six bound the group in constraints form of ink.


    One of the six stepped forward. The figure pulled off the hood to reveal a woman with bright round eyes and a button nose. She was plump and quite small, and this made her seem like a huggable mascot more so than anything else. Short curls adorned the top of her head in the color of wheat.


    ¡°Why have you returned?¡± The woman asked. ¡°We have exiled you.¡±


    ¡°Well, in case the presence of the baron of Ardin has not ticked you off yet, that region has gone to shit, Maria.¡± Aunt Elspeth said and rolled her eyes. ¡°And I can¡¯t find any liquor there now.¡±


    Maria squinted her eyes and sent for one of the soldiers to come forward. She turned back to Aunt Elspeth. ¡°Talk. Do not lie.¡±


    The group informed the short woman of the situation in Ardin. Her face contorted bitterly. She sent the soldier away to ¡°the High Lord, and ask for a meeting of the Triumvirate ¡ª it is of a mass crisis¡±.


    ¡°We good now, Maria?¡± Aunt Elspeth asked. She tilted her head and cracked her neck. As if that was her magician¡¯s snap, the bindings on her dissolved into puddles of ink. ¡°I really need some good mead right now.¡±


    All the soldiers at the back raised their spears. The other five hooded figures conjured up many balls of ink. Maria held out her palm and a million butterflies of ink flitted up from the puddles and surrounded Aunt Elspeth.


    ¡°We have not decided on your position, Exile.¡±


    ¡°Being the Antistita Superbia must have dulled your brain. Do you remember ever winning against me?¡±


    ¡°Transportation rituals require an abundance of power. You must be empty by now. I suggest you stand down, Exile.¡± Maria growled.


    ¡°Fine, fine. I will stand down. But at least let the other people go. Honestly, you only ever think about yourself. What a shoddy leader.¡±


    Maria grounded her teeth. She obliged and released the others.


    Baron Din¡¯ae walked forward to the priestess with the sophistication of a lion. ¡°Kind Antistita may I know where I will be staying until I reclaim my castle?¡±


    Maria twisted her upper lip. ¡°Hell if I know. What I do know is that the High Lord is extremely sick and his heir is always wallowing at a brothel or gambling hall. He most certainly do not have the time to entertain your troubles, Baron. Best we can do is find you a cheap place and work ¡ª like how all refugees are received.¡±


    Baron Din¡¯ae frowned. He turned to Meredith. ¡°Lady Tan¡¯ae, with your wealth, surely you can finance our temporary stay. I recall you have a business here in the Great Capital. Perhaps you can retrieve some funds.¡±


    Aunt Elspeth laughed at Meredith¡¯s grimace. ¡°Mari finished the transferring of ownership to her business just this morning.¡±


    The baron threw his arms into the air. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I did not see a need to maintain a business. Anise would have been married off to a good family. I, myself, did not need to live in luxury. I only ever really started the business to gain peerage to contest for the marriage. I had aimed to live a simple life with the priestess out in the rural fields.¡± Meredith answered simply.


    ¡°Enough, enough. It is getting late, we will make a final decision on all this after a conference with the Triumvirate.¡± Maria stated. She held the angry baron down with her swarm of butterflies.


    Anise remained in a state of shock over her mother¡¯s plans until she entered sleep in one of the temporary holding cells belonging to the Convent.


    Aunt Elspeth was taken in to stand further trial at the Triumvirate''s meeting. The Triumvirate consisted of the Convent, the Church, and the Royal Family. Their meetings often signalled the arrival of a crisis which shall affect all of the Empire. Due to the High Lord''s sickness, the other two leaders (along with Elspeth) stood on either side of the High Lord''s bed.


    The High Lord resembled not a lord, though he certainly appeared high. His eyes an ecstatic crimson bled down to his bulb-like nose. The old man moved about his arms wildly with laughter as he listened to Maria''s report.


    The Patriarch of the Gilded Sun, Sacerdote Pierre, made no expression as he listened. His crisp blue eyes seemed like ice about to crack and break. And his nose hooking downwards gave the impression that he once badly lost a fight to the point that the nose never healed properly.


    After Maria finished retelling her speech, she lifted the butterflies covering Aunt Elspeth''s mouth.


    "Hmm, aren''t ink and alcohol made of the same things?" Elspeth mused. "Oh, can you undo the butterflies around my wrists too? And torso. And legs. Basically my entire body."


    Maria glared at the taller woman. She presented the priestess to the other two leaders.


    "Yes, yes," the High Lord answered and raised his hand. "I may be going senile from the poppy, poppy beautiful poppy, but I am not a complete husk of my old, old, very old self yet." He laughed.


    "Elsie, good to see you again. How was Bolsur?"


    "Good to see ya too, Ivan. Pretty much turned to hell, and all of Ardin will too eventually ¡ª probably by tomorrow if the fae are as impressive as the legends."


    "No greetings for me?" Sacerdote Pierre''s warm voice sauntered over. He extended his arms in a hugging motion. Elspeth, without a choice, accepted the brunt of the hug.


    "Pierre, go fuck yourself." Elspeth growled. The High Lord and the Patriarch laughed. "What? Why ya laughing? I ain''t kidding. Go fuck yourself, for Aalok''s sake."


    "Will you all stop joking around!" Maria screamed and tightened the butterflies around Aunt Elspeth with a clench of her hand.


    "Oh, Maria, Maria, have a sense of humor will you, darling? Surely you will? You''re hurting the poor, poor, very poor girl."


    "High Lord, though I also believe Antistita Maria is of the very barren and desolate kind of fields, we must get on with the meeting."


    "Yes. Of course, the meeting, how boring, my Elsie how are you today?"


    "Ivan, you''ve gone senile."


    Maria slammed Elspeth into a wall. She conjured up several more swarms of butterflies.


    "I. Will. End. You. All."


    "My, my, Antistita Superbia Maria, sweet Maria, is that an act of treason I hear?" The High Lord smiled and his gold molars glittered.


    "I believe that is certainly the case, my High Lord. The appropriate punishment would be execution, no less than that."


    Maria screamed and threw all her ink butterflies at the ground, where they all collided and turned into a black mist. And even that quickly dissipated.


    Elspeth got up from the ground and walked over to the bed, now free. "Can we please decide what to do with me? If I''m to be killed, I want my last meal to be a hundred barrels of the finest liquor ¡ª each a different variety if possible. If not, then just give me a bowl of sake before chopping my head off."


    "I suggest we reauthorize Elspeth Viola Cotta''s position as the Antistita Industria ¡ª unexile her, if you will."


    "No." Maria''s reply was instant.


    "That sounds like a fine, very brilliant and illuminating idea, Patriarch of the Gilded Sun. I, High Lord Ivan de Lisle concur!"


    "And I do not." Maria reiterated.


    "I don''t concur either," Elspeth grunted. "I have a traumatized friend to take care of and her rather stupid daughter."


    "You are not part of this Triumvirate, my apologies, Antistita." Sacerdote Pierre looked at her with musing. "Two out of three. Majority, no?"


    "We need a unanimous decision to ratify any course of action!" Maria declared angrily.


    "What do you want for making Elspeth an official leader of the Convent?" Pierre asked.


    "Why do you want her to be one so badly."


    "I fucking hate all of you. Every single one of you."


    "My, my, dear Elsie, how your vulgarity titillates me. Oh ho!"


    "Can''t I just see my old friend back in a lofty place? Besides, with the state of things, we can all agreed that we need her to lead."


    "If you were my friend, ya broken-nose bastard, you would just buy me a life-time supply of liquor!"


    "Shut up, Exile. Fine, I will reinstate her. However, the next tournament hosted by the Academy, the Convent will oversee it."


    "Fair enough."


    "Oh happy news, rather great news! Elsie, you are officially back! Now, if only my son will get his hairy ass away from the brothels!" The High Lord began weeping.


    The others grew uncomfortable, called for a servant, and promptly left.

 Chapter 11: New Life; Doubts

    Author''s Note: First, sorry for late upload. Busy with real life: family, school, and such. Second of all, to those who also follow my other story, "Drifting Clouds, Sheltered Storm", I will update that story tomorrow -- wanted to update this most of all, since it is a once of week update. Third, I added a small scene in the last chapter -- somewhat significant, I suppose.


    In regards to the actual chapter, I felt that the latter half of the last chapter was super jarring and not of this story''s typical style. In regards to where this chapter ends, I feel that even though the scene could be included in this chapter -- as it may be too short -- the scene is also too important, so I rather it be allocated its own space.


    Since this is my first story, the more I write this, the more I find how much I need to work on: pacing, description length, and such. It''s an enjoyable journey though. ::)


    (Also H.P. Lovecraft references are obvious in this chapter)


    Well, enough egotistical author rambling. Enjoy. And as always, thanks for reading.


    Anise walked away from the house, drear as her dull gray dress. She hugged herself tight as she walked through the streets of the Great Capital; it was cold and the wind bit at her ears like mutts.


    She felt a few hands pass over her body as she walked. The girl did not mind: There was nothing of value on her. The hands left a few wisps of warmth before dying.


    ¡°Girl, you should have clobbered those men,¡± Usha grumbled in her mind.


    ¡°What good would that do? I do not want rumors to spread; the family needs a job.¡±


    ¡°Yet, you would not attend the Academy. The stipend will more than enough pay for the necessities ¡ª including your mother¡¯s circumstances.¡±


    ¡°Shut up.¡± Anise muttered under her breath and walked faster. ¡°What if something happens? The stipend would never cover a tragedy.¡±


    ¡°Your fear sickens me. You do realize I could simply tear apart your soul and simply take over your body.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a lie. If you could, you would.¡±


    Anise passed the Academy. Three gigantic citadels which pierces the glass heavens, linked ten levels of stone bridges which floated. The odd metal which coiled on the structures was a shiny black which reflected light rather than absorb it. Two great Djinns guarded the gates of the fence which enclosed the premise.


    One of the Djinn tilted forward from its Anchor, a pink conch. The young lady shirked away from the creature¡¯s invitation.


    Its entire body shaped like the rising wave, pungent of the brackish seas, repulsed Anise. Two flailing sets of tentacles like loose sleeves hung at its sides. Yet, inexplicably, a tight layer of skin ¡ª much like that of a human or drum ¡ª wrapped around the top of its conical head, with its sharp nose pointing outwards. The creature had no eyes, only two vague pits where they should be, but are not. And its mouth was a special abomination two jaws of sharp teeth which clashed against one another like a sword fight.


    ¡°Young girl, I sense in you infinite potential!¡± Its slow and tiring voice did not display the slightest sense of enthusiasm.


    ¡°Of course!¡± Usha concurred with glee. ¡°I am here, the great and powerful Usha!¡±


    ¡°Oh, shut up, you.¡± Anise rolled her eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t you know the Djinns are simply ordered to say these things?¡±


    ¡°What? Preposterous! The Djinns are a proud, dignified people ¡ª they would not slave away like that.¡±


    Anise laughed. ¡°No one has heard from their Great Old One, Nyarl¡¯yog-lhu in years ¡ª since the Great War. And Sister Arilde¡¯s flames glow weak in our hearths. The Djinns are under no protection, but those who employ them.¡±


    ¡°Young girl, your response?¡± The Djinn asked once more.


    ¡°No, thank you,¡± Anise replied and walked off. The Djinn slithered back to its post.


    ¡°Girl, turn around this instant! This is your dream ¡ª to go to the Academy and become a hero!¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is my dream. And it will stay a dream. I have too much on my hands right now to dream while awake.¡±


    ¡°Girl!¡± Usha screamed inside Anise¡¯s head. The young lady stopped and collapsed onto her knees, clutching at her temples. The shout sent shockwaves through her soul and she felt a gurgle of blood come forth from her throat. ¡°Turn back this instant. I do not care what you say if you show such adamant refusal; this is my goal and you are my vessel. Do as I command!¡±


    The passers-by scurried past the strange young woman. As Anise fought against the vengeful goddess inside of her, she felt a certain vindication about the cityscape. The girl banged her head against the air.


    ¡°My lady, are you okay?¡± A voice as smooth as silk asked. The sun became blocked


    by the man¡¯s broad figure. And yet when Anise glanced at the man¡¯s face, her eyes became blinded by the intense halo of light which obscured all. Immediately, she pulled her eyes back to the man¡¯s chest.


    Anise saw how crazed she appeared reflected in the man¡¯s gleaming polished white chestplate.


    Emblazoned on the left pectoral was the symbol of the Church of Aalok, a golden sun whose light turned into pink and red petals. Striking awe into the crowd was the number of petals featured on the crest: the maximum of 12 petals, an Espier!


    ¡°I, I am fine,¡± Anise managed to breathe out. The moment the Espier came, Usha retreated back into the abyss of Anise¡¯s soul. The man helped Anise up to her feet.


    Anise gasped, ¡°Sir Hendrik!¡±


    The shining living-god pulled back his own head in astonishment. Then he leaned his face close to Anise¡¯s to the point that their foreheads touched. He quickly pulled back again and slapped his forehead.


    ¡°My goodness, praise be to Aalok! Little Ane, is that you?¡±


    Anise nodded. Sir Hendrik offered to take her to lunch at the Capital¡¯s finest tavern to catch up.


    Anise gladly took his hand.


    ¡°Hmph,¡± Usha snorted. ¡°My, it has only been a month since the wedding, and already you are having an affair. What a girl.¡±


    Anise rolled her eyes which elicited some looks from Sir Hendrik as the two walked. The tavern wench upon seeing the Espier greeted him warmly and then greeted Anise; she took the two up to the third floor where it was least crowded as each patron were allowed a private room. The private rooms were quite nice: cushioned with lilac pillows, a sweet scent clouded the room, and a servant attended to the guests as they feasted with entertainment.


    Sir Hendrik reclined on one of the couch. Anise timidly took a seat opposite his couch. The man clapped his hands and sent the entertainers away and gave instructions for a full course meal.


    ¡°I can¡¯t stay long,¡± Anise said quickly.


    ¡°A simply boar would do then,¡± he adjusted his order. He turned his sights at Anise. Sir Hendrik smiled. ¡°So you are married to the baron¡¯s heir?¡±


    Anise blushed and nodded. ¡°So you know of my circumstance?¡±


    Sir Hendrik affirmed with a solemn nod. ¡°I had wanted to give you good food to cheer you up. You would always go crazy over good food. A great surprise to find you married to the baron¡¯s heir.¡±


    ¡°And it is a great surprise that the heir will be heir to a legacy of nothing.¡± Anise replied sullenly. She dipped her head down and plopped back onto her couch.


    ¡°No worry about that, Lady Anise.¡± Sir Hendrik chuckled at the lady¡¯s pout. ¡°I am leading the campaign to reclaim the region Ardin in half a year. If you were not married, I would say our destinies are tied at Bolsur. Ah, I recall you once proclaimed your eternal love to me.¡±


    Anise blushed and waved it off. ¡°I was a child.¡±


    ¡°You are still that same young girl I met when I was young,¡± Sir Hendrik replied.


    ¡°What a pair of disgustingly idiotic and unbearable exchanges,¡± Usha gagged. ¡°I have the most genuine urge to dissect his heart now and see if indeed he is true.¡±


    ¡°Oh, quiet down,¡± Anise chided in her mind. ¡°We will go soon; honestly, you are more like a dog than a powerful goddess.¡±


    ¡°Is that all, Sir Hendrik?¡± Anise asked. ¡°I do have to go soon.¡±


    ¡°But the boar has not arrived yet.¡±


    ¡°I will see you some other time,¡± Anise smiled and made to get up.


    ¡°I have not seen you at the Academy,¡± Sir Hendrik interrupted. ¡°You also once proclaimed you wanted to become a hero. I doubt you are the type of person to give up on such absurdity because people told you to stop.¡±


    ¡°But I did give up.¡± Anise replied. ¡°There are things I have to do, and my dreams are not one of them.¡±


    ¡°I heard that Lady Meredith is afflicted with trauma ¡ª one worsened from withdrawal from the treatment of an Antistita. If that is why you are so adamant about not applying, then what if I offer you a solution? A trainee at the Academy who show genius potential who has connections can definitely arrange for one of the seven Antistitae to treat Lady Meredith.¡±


    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Anise looked at him. ¡°I am scared of dying. That¡¯s the reason ¡ª nothing else. My mother, she¡¯s happier now.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± He replied. Sir Hendrik told Anise to wait a while. He sent for a servant to acquire some parchment and ink; he wrote a letter. He handed it to her. ¡°If you change your mind, this letter will allow you to skip the waiting list to take the test. I teach there.¡±


    Anise gave thanks and left.


    ¡°Well, well, girl, I never thought I would hear those words come from you.¡± Usha said in shock.


    ¡°I just said the truth.¡± Anise replied sadly. ¡°I am much too scared to be a hero.¡±


    ¡°Hmph,¡± Usha laughed.


    Anise shivered. ¡°You, what do you have planned?¡±


    The girl got no response. Her shivers increased. The girl walked for a half hour before arriving at her current place of residence.


    It felt nostalgic and Anise smiled. Placed at the outskirts of the Great Capital, it was a tiny shack squished between two other shacks. It was a single story and big enough to feature a kitchen and a fireplace ¡ª the rest of the space were filled with uncomfortable cots. The shower was a communal one down the street.


    Anise entered the shack. Greeting her was the bombardment of screams and tears. Sighing to herself, Anise rushed over to Mari and cuddled her. The child-madam¡¯s tears soaked into her gray dress.


    ¡°Ane, Ane, I want to go home!¡± Mari cried. ¡°They¡¯re scary!¡±


    Anise rubbed her mother¡¯s back as was ritual. She glanced at the noise: this threesome of disaster.


    ¡°Why won¡¯t you make love to me!¡± The baroness shouted at her husband. ¡°Those whores are no longer with us! You only have me, only me. So why won¡¯t you love me?¡±


    ¡°Will you be quiet, woman! For Lady Arushi¡¯s sake, you are scaring Mari,¡± the baron yelled back. ¡°If you want to scream at someone, scream at our son. He has done nothing but waste away his days.¡±


    ¡°Old man, don¡¯t think I¡¯m scared of you,¡± the heir replied, uncertainly but forcefully. ¡°You are old. You will die, and everything will be mine!¡±


    ¡°Will you get it through that thick skull of yours? I have nothing. And you will get nothing.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, the High Lord has ordered the commencement of a campaign.¡±


    ¡°In six months! If you starve by then, I will gladly see how you claim your birthright as a ghost.¡±


    The door opened once more. Bolverk stepped inside. He exchanged glances at Anise and shook his head. Similarly, Anise shook her own head. Bolverk paused next to Anise and patted Mari¡¯s head.


    ¡°They fighting again?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Third time today?¡±


    ¡°No, I stopped by during the day while job hunting ¡ª at least the fourth time.¡±


    ¡°Can we make it past this month? The next?¡±


    ¡°No. Not likely. Well, maybe if we carve up that beast over there and eat his intestines.¡± Bolverk laughed.


    ¡°Boo, you scare me sometimes.¡±


    ¡°But it is a good fright, no, Lady Anise?¡±


    The young lady sighed. ¡°I honestly would not mind carving the beast open. After all, he got us all discharged from the job the Convent found for us.¡±


    Bolverk scowled. ¡°What a mess of a family.¡±


    Anise stroked Mari¡¯s hair. Her mother fell into a sleep. ¡°I¡¯m part of that family now.¡±


    ¡°Are you pregnant with child?¡±


    ¡°What else would I be pregnant with? A watermelon?¡±


    ¡°A watermelon would be best, honestly, Lady Anise. I am in want of it. Can we expect one by the end of 8 more months? Perhaps start a watermelon farm.¡±


    ¡°I was joking, you dumbo.¡± Anise replied with a giggle which quickly drowned in the baron¡¯s series of screams. ¡°I have not even done it with him¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s akin to treason you know. Though that proves I am right. You are not part of their family yet.¡±


    ¡°But I share in all their troubles.¡±


    ¡°Let us run away.¡±


    ¡°Mari is too heavy to carry.¡±


    ¡°What a rude thing to say about a lady ¡ª and to your own mother.¡±


    Anise shrugged and the two left it at that. Bolverk pulled the baron¡¯s dysfunctional family apart.


    Anise made dinner from what little they had left. The heir chose not to eat and left the house. The baron and baroness took their plates and went to separate corners. Mari slept in her cot.


    Anise sat at the end of Mari¡¯s cot. Bolverk sat opposite to her. The two made small talk as they ate.


    ¡°I met Sir Hendrik today.¡±


    Bolverk paused. He stirred the contents of his plate. ¡°The shining white knight, eh.¡±


    ¡°Your formal register is slipping, Boo.¡±


    ¡°Ahem,¡± Bolverk coughed. ¡°Yes, my lady, what about Sir Hendrik?¡±


    ¡°The Academy.¡±


    ¡°You should go. I expected you to go since the first day.¡±


    ¡°You too, Boo?¡± Anise sighed and got up. She gathered everyone¡¯s plates. Bolverk followed. The


    two left for the communal shower to clean the plates.


    The two did not speak on the way. The cool night air felt too comfortably to muster up words and worry. Which only made the suffocating humidity of the communal showers disgusting.


    Anise blushed as a squadron of men entered and began to strip. Bolverk blocked her view.


    ¡°Quickly wash,¡± he said. Anise did so. The two moved to an open stall. Anise went first and Bolverk guarded ¡ª though it was debatable as to the effect of deterrence from a man who was skinny and rather pale.


    As Anise washed, Bolverk continued the prior conversation.


    ¡°You should go. We need the money; you want the dream.¡±


    ¡°Boo, Mari would never approve.¡±


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t have to know.¡±


    ¡°She will know. Trainees have to live in the barracks. Mari will worry.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll make up a lie.¡±


    ¡°Why do you want me to go so much? You opposed it before.¡±


    ¡°You remember the inanis? Somehow, that changed my mind.¡± Bolverk replied.


    ¡°I nearly died.¡±


    ¡°But you didn¡¯t.¡±


    Anise laughed and wiped herself off with the towel provided by the establishment. She got dressed. ¡°Boo, that¡¯s such faulty reasoning.¡±


    ¡°Ane,¡± he called. ¡°You should go.¡±


    Anise opened the stall door and faced Boo with incredulity. ¡°I still haven¡¯t forgiven you for what you did that day. As punishment, you can¡¯t call me by that name.¡±


    The young lady took the plates and left her friend.


    Walking back, the young lady felt lonely, though wrapped up in the night wind.


    ¡°You should go,¡± Usha reiterated those same words.


    Anise rolled her eyes as she entered the shack. She laid next to her mother and embraced her.


    ¡°You¡¯re annoying.¡±


    ¡°Girl, you will want to go.¡± Usha said confidently.


    Anise snorted. ¡°I don¡¯t even know what I want to do this second, this moment. How do I know what I want to do tomorrow? Next week? Next year? No one knows what they want ¡ª maybe for all their life.¡±


    At that the girl stopped replying to the voice in her head and fell into a deep sleep: a dream orchestrated by the goddess vengeful.

 Chapter 12: Coming to Terms with Things

    Trapped in a dream, the girl writhed about mad. The girl was reminded of the incident with the inanis. And how it made her feel alive to edge the cull of death and survive. It was a disgusting feeling, but pleasurable ¡ª like that bliss of seeing a rival fail.


    Surrounded by flesh, the girl should be terrified, petrified. But she found herself smiling instead. She was in control. She was the one who decided who fell and who got back up. It was a disgusting but pleasurable feeling.


    Anise caressed the walls of flesh around her ¡ª this space of only flesh. Pulsating, beating masses of flesh. It was soft flesh, tender like a baby. She squeezed it. Blood oozed into her hands and made her palm sticky. Anise punched the flesh and a wail sent the entire room quivering. The girl got goosebumps. In her trance she breathed in the sour scent of iron tinged sweet with lust. It was a disgusting but pleasurable feeling.


    The girl ventured deeper into the womb of red and white flesh. She came upon intestines hung from the ceiling which she played with like ribbons tied to a swing. Then she came upon eyeballs which she used as balls for various games. She thought of the bones perfect to fashion into accessories or bowls. Next were skin which she used to clean the blood off her hands.


    At the end of the halls of flesh, after an assortment of bones and meat, she came upon a dead child. The child bore the face of that same face pierced that early dawn some month ago.


    And reality crashed back onto Anise. She glanced behind her, at the trail of blood and guts. She felt disgust take form of vomit and charge up her throat. Her knees trembled and she leaned on the walls ¡ª but threw herself off them once she realized the walls were of pulsating flesh.


    Catching her breath, the girl looked for an exit. Any door or hole or crevice. She found none.


    ¡°Little girl, are you not pleased with your gift?¡± Usha spoke. And Anise saw the goddess for the first time in her life.


    Usha was not beautiful. The goddess was grotesque and terrible. Her face was burnt such that it reminded one of roasted chicken of venison, this smoldering patchfield of soot and meat. Her entire face was burnt so that her two iridescent eyes stood out more like two halos in a crowd of blackness. The top of her head urged with the utmost desperation to grow hair, but only a few pitiful strands, like the ends of a frayed rope, poked through.


    Anise desperately wished for Usha to wear clothes. Her body was the reagents of nightmare. Two sagging tits drooped from her lithe and bony body. These tits were like the odd offspring of a dried up eggplant and a bitter flaccid penis. Withered away, the pungent sour wafting from the breasts sent Anise into a dizzy frenzy. Attached to the torso, beside these sagging breasts, were eight arms, similar to a spider. Four stemmed out from the general area, but the others stretched out to act as legs from her pelvis area. Propped up, the goddess reached the ceiling in her grand grotesque form. These limbs were as malnourished as the goddess body. Yet that supposed frailness and thinness added an unbeatable sense of wariness and terror to the fallen goddess.


    The goddess opened her mouth to speak again and Anise saw her crooked, green rotten teeth.


    ¡°After all, this is what you wish for deeply, little girl. The same as I do. You want destruction. You want war. You want blood and guts! You want death.¡±


    ¡°I ¡ª¡±


    The goddess inched forward, making great gushing noises as she plodded across the fleshy floor. Usha tilted her head and hissed into Anise¡¯s face.


    ¡°Do not lie to me, little girl. You¡¯ve lied to yourself much too long.¡± The goddess pulled back and bit at the flesh ceiling. Tearing away at the flesh, blood splattered onto the girl below, dotting her lips and cheeks, and the goddess slurped the meat up in pleasure. ¡°You do not fear death. You fear the thrall of it; of losing oneself and bringing death to those near you. It excites you, no? I can smell your ecstasy ¡ª and I can taste your self-loathing and disgust.¡±


    Anise wiped away the blood from her face with shaking arms. ¡°I ¡ª¡±


    ¡°Silence!¡± The goddess commanded. On her burnt face, slits opened up, ripped apart, to reveal miniature slithering tentacles. These slimy things lunged out and caressed the girl¡¯s face. ¡°I tire of waiting. My little babies here shall kill you if you do not speak truth, little girl.¡±


    ¡°If I die, you die,¡± Anise responded with pants stuffed in-between words.


    Usha tilted her head with a snarl. ¡°So you imply you lie, no, little girl? No matter, I was lying too. These babies of mine ¡ª they¡¯re much more fun than just detecting lies.¡±


    The probing tentacles suddenly shot forward and gouged deep into Anise¡¯s face. Tore away skin and flesh until all latched itself deep into the girl¡¯s brain. Blood and flesh of the girl littered the floor;


    Usha used her hand-legs to pick it up and throw the delicacy into her mouth.


    Anise¡¯s conscious was sent into an alternate reality. She was naked, but there was nothing to cover herself up. Rather, the space around her consisted of darkness. The girl was unsure if that was because there lacked light, that she had no sight, or darkness simply existed. The girl groped around, but found nothing.


    Until suddenly a flare of light bursted in front of her. Illuminated, the girl discovered herself to be in a coliseum of some sort. A pit reeked of death and guts ¡ª that spoiled odor of cheese marinated with the manure used to feed the crops. Opposite her, the girl saw the arrival of a human man ¡ª surely seven feet tall ¡ª bulged with muscles and similarly naked.


    ¡°Kill!¡± The announcer said in a whisper which pierced the silence like a sharpened dagger. He said no more.


    The crowds began to cheer in odd, distorted chants. Anise saw these people and onlookers shroud in murky darkness.


    The man charged at her, muscles rippled across his gross body of flesh. Anise dodged and rolled. She knew there was no discussion to be had. The man was a feral beast. And as she felt the adrenaline course through her, she knew she was one too.


    The girl grabbed a good size rock from the ground. The beast opposite her pounded his chest and roared. Time slowed for her again, similar to when she faced the inanis: that hazy sensation of non-existence and absolute existence.


    The beast charged at her with hands held like the mandibles of a spider or the tusks of elephants. The girl waited. When the beast was inches from slamming her down, the girl ducked. She leapt aside. Rolled and spun. With a scream, the girl did what she must ¡ª she pounded the rock onto the beast¡¯s back.


    The beast turned in a fury. He swung his arms like flails. The girl ducked and charged. She jammed the rock into his crotch.


    The beast stumbled back with pain. The girl continued. She leapt onto the beast¡¯s scarred chest with her feet stabbing into the beast¡¯s crotch. Bang! Blood spluttered from the beast¡¯s nose. Bang! His eyes unfocused as a white glow came into them. Whack! The beast¡¯s neck cracked audibly and several yellowed teeth flew out and landed elsewhere. Bang! Bang! Bang!


    The girl did not cease. With that same ferocious smile from the night she laid in the pool of blood, the girl slammed the rock into the beast¡¯s face ¡ª the man¡¯s face ¡ª without remorse. Battering it until the skull shattered and the rock plopped into the mush of what once was a man¡¯s face.


    Anise stood up awkwardly and stepped back. As the adrenaline died, she felt the weight of her actions buckle down on her shoulders. She felt disgust ¡ª with the pleasure she felt.


    ¡°Who says to kill is shameful?¡± The announcer¡¯s voice floated down. The voice wrapped around her.


    ¡°Hear the crowd?¡±


    Anise heard the crowd. They were cheering. Pounding their chests at her display of superiority.


    ¡°Why is it wrong to kill? To reign superior?¡± The announcer asked.


    Anise looked at the crowd. At the dead man in front of her. She asked herself the same questions.


    ¡°B-because, they don¡¯t deserve it.¡± Anise replied.


    ¡°Is that what you were taught, little girl?¡± The announcer¡¯s husky voice took on a shrill octave as it barked at Anise¡¯s stupidity. ¡°Then what if they do deserve it?¡±


    ¡°I ¡ª¡±


    ¡°It would be good ¡ª right! justice! heroic! ¡ª to kill them then, right?¡±


    ¡°What if they¡¯re human?¡±


    ¡°So?¡± The announcer asked. ¡°Kill them too.¡±


    ¡°What if they¡¯re family? Or friends? Or children? People I don¡¯t know?¡±


    ¡°Did it feel good when you were bashing that ape¡¯s head in, little girl? It will feel even better if you did it to people who are guilty ¡ª especially sinful people you know. And of the people you don¡¯t know, well, there¡¯s a certain pleasure to that too.¡± The goddess whispered temptingly into Anise¡¯s voice.


    Leaving the girl flushed, the goddess retracted her tentacles back into her face. The girl awoke from that acid trip screaming as the delayed pain tore into her. Yet, despite that, she felt her heart warm and fill with something akin to anticipation.


    ¡°You can¡¯t deny what you are, little girl. A vessel for me, Usha the Fallen, the Decayed.¡± With those final words, the grim goddess stabbed through the writhing girl¡¯s chest with a swift strike and tore out her heart.


    Anise woke up in a cold sweat. It was still night time. Moving her hands uncertainly, she touched her face. She was smiling.


    The following morning, Anise walked through the city. Pacing about the busy streets, bustled with noise and rapid movement which seem to drown any hope of friendship. At last when the Church bell rung noon ¡ª the sun hung lofty overhead ¡ª the girl walked to the Academy gates. She showed the Djinns guarding the gates the letter. After a short moment, the girl was ushered in through the gates. Her heart fell as the gates clanged dully behind her. The Djinn with a sewed up pus-spewing head led her to the center building ¡ª more of a mansion with three stories ¡ª erected prominently on the campus green. The banner hung above the doors was of the allegiance of the Church of Aalok, the Convent, and the High Lord. It was of a white triangle with a circle inscribed inside and a simple cross inscribed in the circle against a black background.


    ¡°Young girl, the dean is at the top floor, right down the hall. Just keep going down the halls until you find some stairs ¡ª climb the stairs and repeat. Best of luck,¡± the Djinn said politely and shuffled its way back to the gates. Anise followed those instructions until she found herself at a set of great black doors.


    She knocked.


    ¡°Come in, I¡¯ve been expecting you,¡± a wispy voice sounded from inside.


    The girl entered and found a very short man seated on stacks of books behind a desk.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so surprised, take a seat Lady Tan¡¯ae, or should it be Din¡¯ae since you are married to the baron¡¯s heir?¡± The bearded man asked.


    Anise took a seat and replied, ¡°Anise would be fine.¡±


    ¡°Good, cause I hate formalities the most,¡± the old man replied with a roll of his eyes as he started stamping several documents. ¡°I am the dean ¡ª obviously ¡ª now if you did not know that, then please leave as I do not accept imbeciles ¡ª no matter how connected, rich, or gifted. Good? Good. My name is Filmvar ad Trinquen ne Quarto Gysille Jacqui ¡ª a mouthful, now you share my hate for formalities. And yes, I did not even include my formal titles which would be Chancellor of the Left, Marques of the Right, Dean of the Academy, Knight of Rhetorics, and so forth. Just call me Fil, and we will be swell.¡±


    After such a bizarrely long introduction, the dean hardly seemed out of breath at all. After the introductions, the two went through the standard procedures: filling out forms, legal documents and records, blood signatures and such.


    Then came the interview.


    ¡°I sense something in you. Something primal and dark,¡± the dean said. Though, he seemed more bored than interested. ¡°Will that something be of an issue to the safety and bla and bla of this academy?¡±


    ¡°Oh, he could sense me without even touching you,¡± Usha remarked with interest.


    ¡°I ask you, will it be an issue?¡± Dean Fil leaned forward on his stack of books.


    ¡°He¡¯s going to find out regardless ¡ª your bloodlust is not entirely influenced from me,¡± Usha laughed.


    ¡°Does anyone know when anything becomes an issue?¡± Anise replied a bit shakingly.


    Dean Fil leaned back and stroked his beard. ¡°Of course, else, why would we need a dean?¡±


    ¡°I believe a better question would be, will you be able to stop that something if it does get out of hand?¡±


    ¡°Did you not hear my title as Knight of Rhetorics? And, your counter was poorly executed ¡ª I can only hope your counters with a sword will be better. Now why do you want to enter my Academy?¡±


    ¡°I need the money.¡±


    ¡°Honest ¡ª somewhat. Satisfactory answer, I suppose,¡± the old man yawned. ¡°Though, certainly it has to do with more of that something deep in you. What will you do with your mother?¡±


    ¡°Cherish her.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s all? Well, I suppose that¡¯s an apt response for someone afflicted with such a debilitating mental disease. What of your in-laws?¡±


    ¡°I do not see how that¡¯s relevant to the interview.¡±


    ¡°Your father-in-law is the baron of a rather important region. Answer the question, please.¡±


    ¡°Serve them as a daughter should.¡±


    ¡°So have children, and plenty of it.¡±


    Anise scowled. ¡°Are there no female knights who are also mothers?¡±


    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    ¡°I¡¯m just afraid of miscarriage. Final question, what do you believe is core to life?¡±


    ¡°Not being dead.¡±


    ¡°First time I have heard that answer; rather liked it.¡±


    ¡°Does that mean I pass?¡±


    ¡°No, there¡¯s still the physical portion of the test and the practical examination to be done. However, I like your spunk if nothing else.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not a very good attitude for a dean to have,¡± Anise frowned. ¡°There are no more questions?¡±


    ¡°I heard the young lady of the Tan¡¯ae house to be charming ¡ª I am disappointed. You are such a bore,¡± Dean Fil replied. ¡°And no, there are no other questions ¡ª you are a somewhat important figure that I have information on you. I¡¯m just disappointed, that¡¯s all.¡±


    Anise pouted and stuffed her two cheeks out. ¡°You happy?¡±


    ¡°Eh, my niece who recently turned 76 years is more charming.¡± The dean hopped off his stacks of books and began walking. ¡°Come now, follow me. I may have lived a long time already, but I don¡¯t have all the time in the world.¡±


    ¡°Little girl, you have become much more feisty since accepting your blood,¡± Usha remarked.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t accepted anything. I¡¯m just listening to reason. We need the money and treatment.¡±


    The dean led her to another room in the building. It was a weapons room filled with racks of spears and swords and maces. Shields lied in a corner and bows in another. The dean had her do some exercises which he jotted down the results.


    ¡°You run fast though not the speed of a scout. You can lift weights, heavy weights, though you run out of breath faster than others. Endurace is unstable ¡ª I cannot tell if you are decently worked or nearing fainting. Moving on, weapon skills. Which one is most comfortable for you?¡±


    Anise pointed to the swords and daggers.


    ¡°Good, we will start with a barehanded demonstration and save that for last.¡±


    Anise punched and kicked at a wooden structure with various protrusions acting as arms and legs. She bruised herself more so than accomplish much with the wooden dummy. Next the girl moved on to using shields which she found to be a clunky affair ill-suited for her. Then she tried spear maneuvers and nearly jabbed the dean in the eye. After a series of moderate success and many fails, the two came upon the sword.


    ¡°Do you want to know your current assessment?¡±


    The girl nodded.


    ¡°Your interview is an obvious red flag ¡ª but you don¡¯t seem to be an imbecile and those are the only people I refuse to accept. Your physical capabilities barely edged out the acceptable values. And so far, your weapon skills are amateurish. Extremely so. But I am rather lenient on weapons, as most are not blessed to wield a sword and still have aptitude with a spear. But do know, this Academy only accepts those gifted¡ª and so far, only that something lying inside you dissuades me from simply rejecting you.¡±


    ¡°Girl, will you borrow my power? You have never properly experienced my boon to you,¡± Usha said.


    The girl mentally shrugged. Immediately she felt a hot sensation ripple through her. She grabbed the rapier and a dagger. The dean raised his brow.


    Anise performed a series of sword exercises in front of the short man. There was no fault in the exercises: it was fast, sharp, and strong. Yet, it was not exemplar.


    ¡°Why are you holding back girl?¡± Usha asked with irritation. ¡°Afraid you will kill him? I doubt it with you being at such a low level.¡±


    Anise allowed more of the power to take form. A great miasma of lilac took form around her and her movements flourished. At first the purple looked like lotus flowers, but Dean Fil quickly saw them as odd wraiths.


    A cold seeped into his body and stole his warmth. This sensation lingered upon his heart.


    A storm gathered around Anise as she did her swordplay. The wind cut deep into the walls and floor as Anise picked up the pace. A distinct howl began, a chilling bite. When Anise felt her eyes burn and turn an iridescent purple glow, she stopped. With a roar, she plunged the sword into the ground and the sword exploded into shards which pierced into the nearby walls. The girl punched her dagger through the air and the blade shattered in her hands, cutting it. But that destruction caused a shockwave which took the form of a wolf and tore through the air.


    Getting up, the girl looked at the dean for appraisal.


    ¡°A bit flashy near the end, but that¡¯s what being gifted is at times. A rather interesting something you have there ¡ª though whether that is enough, I do not know, and it seems you do not know its capabilities either. Perhaps I will chance on it; perhaps not. It depends on the practical portion ¡ª go grab a new sword and dagger, some gauze, pre-soaked in some medicine, as well for that hand, and we will go to the mock fight.¡± Then the dean looked at her. ¡°Are you not afraid of me telling someone of that something?¡±


    Blushing, Anise replied, ¡°I honestly have not thought about it. Will you tell?¡±


    The dean shrugged.


    Furrowing her brows, the girl followed the man to the next part of the exam.


    ¡°Arei, you are free?¡± Dean Fil called out to a student as he and Anise stepped out onto the campus green.


    Arei, a tall slim man dressed in leather armor, jogged over. He greeted the dean with a bow. The man smirked and gave a haughty once over at the girl.


    ¡°Dean Fil, wan me ta fight ¡®er?¡± Arei asked. The dean nodded and led him and Anise to an open patch of grass.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been meaning to replace the grass here, so go wild.¡±


    Arei cracked his joints and took his sword from its sheath. He ran his tongue over the blade. ¡°Nam


    Arei, maja¡¯ing som swardplay ¡ª hap to be a knight, or a merc. Pleased ta meet ya.¡±


    ¡°Anise. Pleased to meet you to,¡± the girl smiled and held her dagger and sword.


    ¡°Do you want my power?¡± Usha asked.


    ¡°I will use it when I deem it necessary, so shut up, you rotten goddess.¡±


    ¡°Begin!¡± Dean Fil announced and let his arms drop.


    The two charged at each other. Arei gripped his sword with both hands and held it downwards at the side, as if tearing through the ocean like an oar. Anise held her two weapons in a cross formation.


    Right before the collision, Anise spun and swung her sword downwards. Arei blocked it with an upwards sweep. The two blades glanced off one another. Arei¡¯s blade was heavier and bigger so


    Anise stumbled a few steps back. But the girl recovered faster and jabbed with her dagger. Then a swipe. A slice. A cut.


    Arei blocked them all easily. Slicing his sword upward as if following the current of a coursing river, the man tore through Anise¡¯s block. Anise pulled back her head and saw strands of hair fall in front of her. Then following through the slice, Arei curved his sword back down like a pendulum. Gritting her teeth, Anise blocked. She was unsuccessful once more and had to leap back. She rolled to the side as Arei took the chance to jab his sword forward.


    Getting back onto her feet, the two resumed their exchange of blades. It did not take long for both to fall into a natural rhythm. Arei¡¯s swordplay mirrored that of water, swift and forceful, yet elegant and fluid despite the heavy sword. Each strike carried the indomitable motion of an ocean wave. Anise¡¯s swordplay was much less polished in comparison. It felt like an awkward puppet show. Yet despite that awkwardness of the style, or perhaps because of that awkwardness, the girl had survived. However, now that the two were used to one another¡¯s method of swordplay, Anise began to worry.


    Arei had figured out exactly where and when openings occurred in Anise¡¯s blocks. He targeted them extensively and Anise received numerous faint cuts on her arms and cheeks. However, one unfortunate engagement left her with a gaping gash running down her left calf.


    ¡°Do you want to give up?¡± Dean Fil asked.


    ¡°No!¡± Anise shouted back.


    Despite the throbbing at her left, the girl stood firm. Her face curled into a smile. Arei felt that smile to be intimidating ¡ª a blend of feral anticipation and human coldness. Arei charged forward, sure the girl was at her last legs ¡ª the loss of blood muddling her sense of the situation.


    As the man charged forward with a sweeping blow, Anise waited with her two weapons in a cross-formation.


    ¡°Ya thin¡¯ I¡¯ll fall fa tat?¡± Arei shouted and pivoted on his right heel. Spinning, the man slipped his way around Anise and sliced at her back.


    Anise reacted. No, it was as if she foresaw it in her concentration and simply did the things which must be done. Despite her stabs missing as Arei slipped past her, the girl was able to use that momentum and spin to block the other man¡¯s strike.


    Her dagger caused Arei¡¯s blade to glance upward, but the small blade flew out of her hand. Left with only her sword in her left hand, the girl gripped it in both. She lunged forward. Arei easily blocked. Yet, he slid backwards.


    He wondered why the girl didn¡¯t use just the sword from the beginning. Anise¡¯s swordplay improved once she was just using the sword. Though it was nothing special, it was a stabler form than previous. Each strike carried more weight and there was less delay in transitions and response. However, was that enough? Certainly not.


    Arei met each strike with force and pushed the girl back. The girl rolled and grabbed the dagger. That costed her time. Arei leapt forward and Anise was unable to properly block with her sword.


    ¡°Usha!¡± Anise called in her mind. Instantly her body was filled with power and she punched forward with that dagger in her hand.


    The dagger exploded as it smashed into Arei¡¯s blade. The impact did not shatter Arei¡¯s blade but the man who was unprepared stumbled several feet from Anise. The girl quickly charged forward and swept at the unsteady man¡¯s legs.


    Arei hopped into the air. Anise sliced her blade upwards. Arei brought his own sword to meet it, and he ricocheted himself back. Then he charged and with one mighty swing of his sword, he knocked


    Anise¡¯s blade away.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± he smirked and placed his sword on the girl¡¯s neck.


    ¡°That will be all, Arei. Go run along to your whores now.¡± Arei laughed from the dean¡¯s words and went off on his merry way. Dean Fil turned to Anise.


    ¡°Did I fail?¡± The girl asked with a frown.


    ¡°You definitely lost,¡± the dean nodded. ¡°But you lasted a good bout against Arei. Of course, he isn¡¯t the best swordsman in the Academy ¡ª but he is second. And that something of yours seems special enough. But more importantly ¡ª¡± He stared intently at her eyes. ¡°You were holding back. Of course, I don¡¯t mean your swordplay ¡ª that was average at best. I meant, your killing intent.¡±


    Anise bit her lips and looked away.


    ¡°I felt it. And Arei did too at some point. Girl, you have an excess bloodlust. You would have killed him if you were serious.¡± The dean found confirmation in Anise¡¯s silence. ¡°Of course, that is if he did not kill you in self-defense first. Anyhow, report to the Academy early in the morn tomorrow ¡ª we will have a dorm set up for you then.¡±


    ¡°I pass?¡± The girl asked with surprised wide-eyes.


    Dean Fil rolled his eyes. ¡°Barely. That something of yours couple with that excess bloodlust should produce some result worthy of bearing my Academy¡¯s credentials. And, like I said, your swordplay isn¡¯t too shabby. But remember, you barely qualified as being gifted ¡ª though that something and excess bloodlust seems to be a curse ¡ª so you better work. Besides, there are certain ¡ª let¡¯s say occupations ¡ª that someone craving of blood can truly fulfill.¡±


    At that the dean said no more and escorted Anise to the gates. Anise walked her way home and felt very tired.


    ¡°Hmph, ¡®if he did not kill you in self-defense first¡¯! We could have killed him easily if you had accepted all my power.¡± Usha exclaimed on the way home.


    ¡°That¡¯s not the point, besides we got in.¡± Anise grumbled. ¡°I think we would have definitely been rejected if I did kill him. And have a squad dispatched to kill us.¡±


    ¡°We can kill them too.¡±


    "Do you even have enough power for that?"


    "Hmph! Even at my weakest, if you take in all of my powers, you would implode from an overload."


    Anise rolled her eyes. "Then why do I want to use all your powers?"


    "Little girl, if you become strong enough, maybe you can enjoy the full extent of my power and stop being so useless! Hell! Maybe then you can get me back to full strength!"


    The two bickered until Anise reached home. She told Bolverk the good news. Then they fabricated some lie about being employed as a governess to the rest of the household in order to preserve Mari¡¯s sanity ¡ª what is left of it.


    Author''s Note: Well, Anise should be less of a whiny brat now (except maybe not, since that is her character : p).  As always, thanks for reading.

 Chapter 13: A Game of Chess

    "Has the family settled in well?" Elspeth asked Maria. The two Antistitae were having dinner together. Though one was noticeably in chains.


    Maria glanced at her with a sneer. "I could be asking you the same, Exile."


    Rolling her eyes, Elspeth downed an entire wine flask. "I fucking hate it."


    "Hate it? You''ve always hated it," Maria snarled. "And you are weak for that reason."


    Elspeth cracked her neck. "The record stands in my favor ¡ª I rather not embarrass you with the specifics in front of your servants."


    "Hmph, I will never understand why the people love such a drunkard like you."


    "Because we''re all fucking drunk," she said wryly. "Shouldn''t we worry more about the Church? It can''t be that we''re all suddenly on good terms with them."


    Tensing up, Maria poured herself a cup of tea. "It''s been several years since you''ve left. We must not struggle for power when the High Lord is in such a condition."


    "Isn''t that the best time for the Triumvirate to fight?" Elspeth frowned.


    "Fine, I''ll tell you. If only because I rather not have you do anything unnecessary. In recent years, there has been a series of murders. The prime suspects are from the royal family and of the upper elites."


    "And we have reached a truce, a true peace, with the Church because of that?"


    "We can drastically weaken the royal family if we do."


    "Or the Church is using us to ruin not just the royal family but the Convent as well. But tell me more about the murders."


    "Well, the victims do not exclude members of prominent positions."


    "Fucking hell, how nice," Elspeth laughed bitterly. She sighed. "And people wonder why I''m an alcoholic."


    "You''ve been drinking since you were a child."


    "Exactly my point."


    "You know who is next, no?"


    "Land is land, even if it is potentially exhaustive land. And I doubt I am allowed to help."


    "No. There has not been a murder in some time. This could be a chance to uncover the base of operation."


    "Well, I''m fucking done with dinner." Elspeth announced.


    "And life too?" Maria asked, causing the other Antistita to glare at her. Then Maria signalled for the guards to escort Elspeth to her room. Left alone, she finished dinner silently.


    A masquerade party took place the same time as the two Antistitae''s conversation. However, rather than bright colors and bright lights and bright people, the decrepit mansion, long abandoned yet unclaimed for this exact purpose, featured somber black robes and white masks. The people gathered in the main halls.


    "Now, we know why we are here. As customary before the Hunt, we must celebrate! For this, this grand affair, is the only time we are alive! Free of every restraint known!" A tall man calling himself the Thin White Duke proclaimed joyfully. The crowd cheered. With theatrics, the Thin White Duke signalled for a line of slaves to be brought down from the winding stairs. Neither terrified nor sullen, the slaves simply accepted their fate with already dead eyes.


    Observing from above, were two figures shrouded in shadows.


    "Why do we kill for these people? These sick bastards, bored of life and scared of death." One asked.


    "To relieve the suffering of our brethren. If these monsters want to slaughter their own, so be it."


    "And of the innocents who live with the target?"


    "We are already too soaked in blood to ask that question. Though that is unavoidable to achieve our great cause. Let us pray to the gods that those innocent will not wander into our sin. That is all we can do."


    "It''s just ¡ª lately, I feel like we are no closer to the revolution we wish for. The dead screams for me, you know."


    "Brandish that weight into your craft. We have come too far to stop; we cannot stop."


    "...when do we start?"


    "No, you can go back to the others, Felicia. I will handle this assignment on my own in the following days. You deserve to rest."


    Without waiting for Felicia''s response, the other shadow slinked away and out the door. Felicia turned her attention back to the "celebration". How can the elites be so primitive? Having seen the "celebration" numerous times, even the sight of the guts pouring from the dead body of a child no longer scared her. Though she did close her eyes and began to hum quietly. The crowd above overheard but the song eluded them, so they no longer cared.


    "Boo, take good care of Mari?" Anise said at the doorsteps.


    Bolverk chuckled lifelessly, "As long as that shitstain prodigal sin never come back, everything will be fine."


    Anise smiled, "You swear?"


    Bolverk scowled, "That fat bastard''s the only one who deserves it. You will come visit?"


    "Yes, on the weekends."


    "Aye, go raise hell, Lady Anise," Bolverk smiled and exaggerated the pomp regarding her title.


    "Stop being so sarcastic," Anise replied with a fake pout. Then, she frowned. "Please make sure Mari is safe."


    "The House of Yam will forever serve the Tan''ae," Bolverk promised her. "I''ll even take Lady Tan''ae out with me when job hunting ¡ª who knows, maybe she will get offered to be a mascot or poster girl.


    With that, the young lady stepped away and walked toward the center of the city. Arriving at the Academy, she was ushered in quickly by a Djinn consisting of only glass shards. The Djinn led her past the citadels to the corners of the campus where a quarter of the dorms, more of barracks, were located, some ten minutes from the gates. Anise followed the Djinn''s instructions and found herself in front of a dorm building labeled Ultimus [Latin meaning lowest, but also most beyond, farthest, extremest].


    "Why the hell are you practicing how to breathe," Usha asked, annoyed. "You''re not a fish. Nor are you dead."


    "I''m just calming my nerves."


    "Don''t worry, I won''t kill anyone. Well, rather, I will make sure you don''t kill anyone."


    "Very funny," Anise remarked sarcastically. She entered the room. There were five other people in the room.


    One was a portly lethargic fellow sleeping on his bed. Another was a little girl possessing of white hair tied up in a long braid. Staring out the window, the girl casted a single glance at Anise, then returned to window watching. A third was a beautiful golden-haired angel. Smiling, this blue-eyed angel was cutting herself with a knife; she conjured an orb of light over her wounds and healed them. The strange lady greeted Anise and returned to her "hobby". The two remaining members were playing a game of chess. One was a black man in his mid-20s with his left arm amputated. The other was a man the same age as Anise having the same dark inky eyes as Aunt Elspeth.


    As no one really greeted her, though they acknowledged her existence, she made her way to an empty bed and settled the little personal items she owned. Since it was her first day, the administration decided she will not have to attend the first class in favor of her dorm-mates showing her the buildings. Dawdling, the young lady waited for someone to say something.


    "Check," the inky-eyed young man announced with a definitive plop of his rook.


    The one-armed man chuckled. "But is it checkmate, my lad? Oh. Hmm, perhaps it is. Oh well, I will see this to the end."


    He moved his white queen to take the black rook. The inky-eyed man moved his pawn to take that queen.


    Smirking, the young man announced, "Garth, I believe that''s checkmate."


    "I can see that without you telling me, Horatio. One of these days, I''ll take one off you."


    The young man got up and stretched. "Old man, I hope one of these days you will. It would be embarrassing for you to die without ever winning against someone you taught the game!"


    "Aye, aye, only time will tell. More importantly, it seems she''s the new girl."


    "I''m sixteen," Anise interrupted.


    "And I''m older, so you are still a child in my eyes ¡ª and inexperienced as well." Garth smiled kindly.


    "What''s your name?" Horatio asked as he collected the pieces into a bag and collapsed the board.


    "Anise Tan''ae."


    "Never heard of your house. Logically, that can only mean you''re from either Ardin or from the slums." Horatio inferred.


    "Both, actually," Anise answered dryly. "And Ardin is actually a very fine place."


    "A fine place, only with fae wanting to kill any humans near them and also demons patrolling the entire province. And I do believe a perpetual cloud of ash to be fitting with the meaning of ''fine''."


    Horatio chuckled and then smiled at Anise.


    "Horatio, how about we just continue onto the introductions." Garth interrupted and quelled the verbal scuffle with his lone hand. "And Miss Tan''ae, please don''t mind Horatio. He is a rather belligerent person by nature ¡ª though he is absolutely terrified of spiders."


    Horatio turned an amusing shade of pink and rolled his eyes. Smacking his lips, he clapped his hands. "Attention!"


    Rather than snapping right into action, the other three members moved at their own pace. The blond angel healed her wounds and skipped over to shake Anise''s hand.


    "Tanya Riel, residential healer and poster girl."


    "A true healer? Blessed by Denana herself?" Anise exclaimed.


    "Yes. I was exercising my gift. Do not let my odd habits bother you," Tanya replied with a blush. "I rather not let my special gift define me."


    "Still, I thought those blessed by Denana are exempt from mandatory attendance at the Academy?"


    "First rule of Ultimus, do not pry into the history of others. And if you have not caught on yet, everyone placed in this dorm ¡ª in this squad ¡ª has a past. Also, we are rather unstable and ''bad students''. Though I think we are just interesting people living life to the fullest," Horatio chimed in with a slight grin.


    Tanya nodded and returned to her bed. Singing softly to herself, the blessed angel returned to her little exercise.


    "She''s a powerful healer," Usha told Anise. "That''s dangerous if she undergoes the Darkening."


    "How powerful would she be then?"


    Laughing to herself, Usha responded, "There will not be a drop of blood left in this room."


    "Scary."


    Then the little girl left her bed by the window and plodded her way to Horatio. Climbing onto the man''s back, she whispered into his ear.


    "This is Sofie. She has no last name. Apparently, she is a genius entrusted to this run-down dorm. Though she is a witch, she is unfettered to the Convent nor the Church. If you have any fun gadgets, bring it to this little girl."


    "Though I suggest you do not. That girl is a diabolical trickster. I gave her my bow for tuning once...I ended up with cuts in my face, long story short." Garth said with that angry smile.


    Sofie scuttled back to her bed. This time she wrapped her blanket around her small frame, as if to shield herself from the piercing stare of Garth.


    "What do you think of her?" Anise asked. "I think she''s adorable."


    "Hmph, girl, that witch is trouble. Honestly, I am thinking the boy''s words to be true: so far everyone is as unstable as you," Usha muttered. "Witches are inherently a rare and eventful group ¡ª an accidental development in all honesty."


    "I thought you divines don''t make mistakes."


    "We don''t. Accidents are not our fault; mistakes imply we can fix it because it is of our own fault." Usha scowled.


    "Is Belford ever going to wake?" Garth asked as he fiddled with his empty sleeve. Contorting his bearded face in exasperation, he sighed. "Well, name''s Garth Fel. Call me Old Man Garth if you want. Even One-armed Fel suits me. I''m the scout on this team. But I am definitely not the conventional archer or ranger, so I apologize in advance. However, I am skilled in traps and this style of long ranged archery."


    Garth nudged Horatio. The inky-eyed boy cracked his shoulders. "I''m Horatio Twist. You see my eyes; it''s obvious what my role is in this squad. I''m the self-proclaimed leader."


    "Emphasis on self-proclaimed," Garth said with a wink.


    "Anyhow, since Belford is not waking, you go wake him. That oaf will show you the various important parts of the buildings as he introduce himself. We will meet at the second lesson before noon ¡ª in case Belford forgets, today''s a special lecture: A Study on Diplomatic Treaties Concerning the Royal Family. And in case that oaf tries to run, drag him to the fifth floor of the Royal Citadel."


    Anise woke Belford from his dreams. The portly fellow seeing a new face smiled.


    "My, what a pretty angel," he slurred his words. Anise dodged his charging embrace with a sidestep.


    "My name''s Anise Tan''ae. I''m the new girl. You''re supposed to show me around the Academy."


    "Oh. Alright," he smiled at Anise. The young lady noticed how one of his front teeth was cracked.


    The oaf extended his hand to her. He waited until Anise accepted it. Hand in hand, Belford led Anise first around their own dorm building: the bath, the kitchen, so on.


    "What do you think of Garth and Horatio?" Anise asked Usha.


    "Hmm, the boy''s a bit difficult to judge. Rather than that Aunt Elspeth of yours, I cannot accurately judge his comprehension of the Script. Though, judging by the inky fathoms of his eyes, he certainly has a large reserve of power," Usha answered. "And of that man named Garth, I do not sense any magical potential in him. Yet, judging by the scars on his right hand, he has been in more fights than anyone else in that room. Whether he is truly an archer, who knows but time. Though I am surprised you take interest in my analysis? Finally accepting of becoming my vessel, girl?"


    "As if," Anise rolled her eyes. "Being placed with this dorm confirmed my expectations. I will absolutely be expelled if I am unable to keep up. I rather not make myself dead weight."


    "You seem happy. No? Just a little bit, come on; girl, admit it."


    "Oh fine, I guess I am a bit happy." Anise smiled.


    "Uh, Anise, we''re going to go to the other buildings now." Belford informed her.


    "You can just call me Ane."


    "Ok, Ane." Belford giggled. "Uh, my name''s Belford Deen."


    "What do you do?" Anise talked comfortably with Belford. He reminded Anise of Mari.


    "I''m the wall!" Belford told Anise cheerfully. "I shield everyone and make sure no one gets hurt."


    Leaving it at that, Belford began to hum to himself as he and Anise made the 10 minutes walk toward the center of the Academy.


    "The boy''s an idiot," Usha remarked.


    "I like him. He reminds me of a loyal pet," Anise retorted.


    "A pet is no better than being an idiot. Though the idiot will not mind."


    "Anything special about him?"


    "Not that I can sense. It could be a power as ancient and primal as me. Perhaps of a lineage long forgotten or made taboo."


    Anise nodded to herself. She looked at Belford and squinted. Tilting her head, she can''t seem to figure out anything strange about the bloke. Anise concluded he was simply a very endearing fellow.


    Belford showed Anise as any excited child would. He marveled at how tall and big the citadels were, almost falling on his butt in his lofty aspirations. He shuddered and pointed at the central administration building with anxious fear. He explained the citadels simply as well.


    The Royal Citadel taught "boring stuff" consisting of history, diplomacy, economics, and the stratagems. The Holy Citadel taught "more boring stuff but also magic" consisting of theology, bestiary courses, practical applications of herbs, and geography. And the Black Citadel taught "really awesome stuff" consisting of arts and music, languages, the sciences, and engineering.


    Anise listened attentively to Belford as he explained the finer details of the Academy. The regulations about the campus green, what meals are served by the staff, how the citadels are connected, and class rotations.


    "Ane, do we have to go to the class," Belford cried. "I really hate boring stuff."


    "Bel, it''s going to be fine," Anise told the portly fellow. Calming the guy down, Anise led him to their next destination.


    As the two were going up the old cobblestone stairs to the fifth floor, the bell hung on the top of all three citadels rung. The clanging cacophony signalled the transition of classes and a flood of students came pouring through the spacious halls. Pushing their way against the wave, the two made their way to their lecture. Horatio and the others were already seated in the back. The professor was not present yet. A pair of bulky stragglers leaned against the doorway.


    "What''s your name, pretty girl?" One of them asked and leaned close.


    "Who cares about her name, brother," the other one grunted. Flaring his nostrils, the brute growled,


    "Just hand over your money and we won''t have an issue."


    "Of course, pretty girl, if you have no money," the first brute smiled lecherously, "we can arrange something later."


    "Miss Tan''ae, simply give them enough for them to buy lunch," Garth advised her.


    Belford nodded with a petrified face and pulled on Anise''s arm. "Ane, just give them the money. Big Brother Horatio says not to cause trouble."


    "If Bel says so," Anise smiled. She glared at the two brothers as she handed over a few copper coins. Pushing the girl into the classroom, the two turned their attention toward Belford.


    Taking a seat next to Horatio, Anise asked him, "Will Bel be fine?"


    "Probably," the inky-eyed man answered as he arranged his chess pieces on his desk. "Care for a game?"


    Before the young lady could reply, she saw the two brothers punch Belford. Standing up, Anise was the image of wrath.


    "Miss Tan''ae, though it shames me to say this, you must let it be," Garth said and pulled on her.


    "The Fierro Brothers does this all the time. Belford will be fine."


    "Second rule of Ultimus, do not chase after trouble." Horatio looked at Anise and blackness flowed from his eyes to change into a spear. Positioning the point on Anise''s neck, Horatio signalled for her to sit down. "Unless trouble finds you first, don''t get involved."


    Furrowing her brows, Anise shoved the spear off her neck.


    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Seeing Anise walk toward him, Belford waved his hands, "Ane, no need to come here. We''re just playing; I''m not hurt."


    "Brother, the pretty girl is coming toward us," the perverted brother laughed and pointed.


    "Usha, make sure I don''t kill them. Then I can go all out without freezing," Anise told the fallen goddess.


    "Will you let my power consume you?" Usha asked with glee.


    "I''m not so weak," Anise told the goddess.


    "Pretty girl ¡ª", the perverted brother began before getting punched in the nose by Anise. Stumbling backwards with his nose bleeding, the pervert screamed. "Bitch! Whore! Motherfucker!"


    The other brother stopped punching Belford ¡ª who was neither bleeding nor even remotely in pain ¡ª and faced Anise.


    "You''ve got a good punch," he said with a feral grin. He raised his hands. "No need to be so aggressive. I respect a good punch." Then he frowned. "But I don''t respect my little brother getting his nose broken. What''s your name? No, don''t tell me. I''ll find out no matter what. So be prepared. You''ve made a big mistake today, stupid girl. If not for my brother in need of treatment -- his face is his only good point -- I would kill you right now."


    Helping his crying brother up, the Fierro Brothers left the room.


    "Ane, are you hurt?" Belford rushed forward with worry.


    "I''m fine," Anise replied. "Are you fine?"


    Belford grew fearful. "Ane, why did you punch Riera?"


    Anise frowned. "Because they were hurting you."


    "I wasn''t hurt or anything," Belford told Anise. "Now we''re going to be in big trouble!"


    "Miss Tan''ae, what Belford said is right," Garth sighed. He shook his head with a wry smile. "And now you''ve got Horatio mad."


    With a flick of his wrist, Horatio sent his spear diving at Anise. Stopping merely an ant''s width before her face, the spear hovered erratically. Horatio got up from his seat and walked over toward Anise.


    "Didn''t I say not to interfere?"


    "And didn''t you say you were the ''self-proclaimed leader''? And if you are the leader, how could you let Bel get bullied like that?"


    "Belford was fine. All you did was make more trouble for us." Horatio growled.


    "Anise, I''m on Hori''s side," spoke Tanya with a slight frown. Sofie nodded as well.


    "Now, now, lads and ladies, let us calm down." Garth stepped in between the two.


    He pulled the spear away from Anise''s face. "How about you explain the ideology of Ultimus to Miss Tan''ae first."


    Sighing, Horatio went back to his seat. The others followed. Belford played with Anise''s hair as Horatio began his explanation.


    "We are the lowest of the low. Dead last. And that is a good thing," Horatio nodded to himself. "We are still a member of the Academy ¡ª and since we''re always at risk of getting expelled, being last is fine. And not being a prominent part of the Academy is very good. We will actually survive the five years to graduate. We aren''t the ones picked to go on campaigns as fodder, nor are we the elites burdened by our ''duty and honor''."


    Anise frowned. "That''s stupid."


    Usha laughed, "Is it because they remind you of yourself that you are so mad?"


    Anise ignored the goddess. "You guys are strong. Why do you guys let trash push you around?"


    Tanya laughed nervously as she doodled on her arm by carving into the flesh. "The Fierro Brothers aren''t just those two. At the top of their group is Gerald Fierro. He commands the Gregarious squad. Not only does it consist of maybe 25 members, each member is very strong. You''ve angered someone that you really shouldn''t have. I can only heal people who are alive."


    "Do you understand now?" Horatio sighed and twirled his king around.


    "I know that each of you are probably strong enough to win alone against them," Anise asserted by moving a pawn forward on the board.


    Horatio raised his eyebrow. "Are we playing chess now?" He settled his king down and moved his knight forward. "And that''s a laugh. Have you truly realized who your squad members are? We have a cripple, a healer, a little girl, a naive fool, and someone who can only summon a single spear! Ridiculous."


    Anise studied the board and frowned. She moved her rook using the opening left by her pawn. "You guys remind me of myself. In all honesty, you guys are strong right? So strong that you''re afraid of what you can do. Or so unstable, that you''re afraid of killing them?"


    Sofie grew angry and kicked at Anise''s chair. She then whispered into Horatio''s ear. Garth and


    Tanya spoke on how tardy the professor was.


    "Sofie says that a newcomer shouldn''t make so many judgements. And I agree," Horatio interpreted and moved a pawn. "Rather hilarious you think we are strong. That we even think we have the power to kill."


    "Have you guys been in real fights?" Anise asked. She moved her rook again.


    "We consistently rank last. And again, rule number one of Ultimus, do not chase after other members'' history." He moved his bishop next.


    "I was once employed with the Crimson Corps. Been on some campaigns to the savage lands," Garth answered, looking at the stump on his left side.


    "Then how do you know you won''t actually win?" Anise half-yelled as she moved her knight.


    "Because we don''t want to win. We don''t want glory. We just want to graduate from the Academy with fancy credentials. Personally, I just want to use my credentials to become a royal tutor of some sort." Horatio scowled and moved another pawn.


    "How long have you guys been here?" Anise asked. She moved her rook one space up. Veins popped on Horatio''s face as if that move was insulting to him.


    "Didn''t I just tell you rule number 1 of Ultimus?" Horatio moved his pawn forward one space.


    "Don''t ask about their history. But this is more of the present, isn''t it?" Anise retorted and moved another pawn.


    "I''ve been here three years; Horatio one year; Sofie one year; Belford two years; and Miss Riel longer than I, yet somehow still here." Garth listed with a smile. Anise nodded thanks.


    "Hmph," Horatio slammed his queen forward.


    "You know, my lad, even if Miss Tan''ae did wrong, she did it for Belford. And what we must do now is formulate a plan against the Gregarious dorm." Garth told Horatio.


    "Let''s make a bet," Anise suggested. She moved her other knight. "If I win, you will temporarily hand over the dorm leadership to me."


    "Why should I hand over my team to you, someone who is completely new, if you by some miracle win?" Horatio roared as he shoved his rook forward. "And even if you lose, no punishment would actually quell the Fierro Brothers'' anger!"


    Anise thought for a spell, looking at the board. "Because I''m selfish." She moved her knight in front of her rook.


    "Selfish! The hell you talking about! How is that even an acceptable answer at all?" Horatio screamed. In a fit of rage, he moved his bishop to take Anise''s rook.


    Anise quickly took the bishop with a pawn. "Because that''s the only answer I can think of.


    Everything happened because I was selfish in my actions ¡ª it seems everything happens because of my selfishness. So I''m asking you to trust in my selfishness because I''m selfishly trusting in your abilities."


    "Except we don''t want to earn glory or attention! Do you know that those at the top of the food chain are severely self-conscious? They will send legions after a dark horse, afraid of an uprising!" Horatio, exasperated, moved his other knight.


    Anise captured that knight with one of her own. "But the decision is already made. We have to earn glory now. I don''t know what is with everyone, but I do want to know you guys ¡ª and that would not happen if we don''t somehow emerge victorious in our feud against the Gregarious dorm."


    "Feud? Now it''s a feud!" Horatio cried to the ceiling. He plunged his queen to take the knight. "You, you are a bringer of misfortune!"


    "Oh, not far off," Usha chuckled. "Misfortune and decay go hand in hand."


    Anise moved her pawn forward. "If we lose the feud, the dorm will be destroyed. People may be crippled. Even though it''s my first encounter, it doesn''t look like they''re nice people."


    Horatio moved his knight. "That still doesn''t explain why I should hand the group over to you!"


    Anise moved her bishop. "Because if you can''t win a chess match against me, how can you win a war?"


    "Rather getting feisty lately, aren''t you, girl?"


    "It''s better than being undecided. Besides, I don''t have to act like a behaved lady anymore." Anise smiled deviously, same as when she exude bloodlust, as she told Usha her feelings.


    "Then what if you lose?" Horatio asked as he moved his rook.


    "I don''t want to die yet, so I''m not going to offer my head in exchange." Anise joked with a smile as she moved her knight to capture a pawn. "Does Gerald frequent the brothels regularly?"


    "Do you even need to ask?" Horatio twitched his nose as he moved his rook forward, yet not taking the white bishop.


    "Then offer me up as an apology," Anise shrugged. "Tell him, that I''m the wife of the heir to Ardin."


    Horatio studied his opponent''s face. "You don''t think you can lose, do you."


    "Of course not. My father taught me this game when I was young, and aristocrats seem to have a fetish for playing this on every major occasion." Anise pouted cutely. She moved her pawn up.


    Forced to choose between delaying a turn or losing a knight, Horatio moved a pawn to rescue his last knight.


    "Do you think you can win the war then?" Horatio asked.


    Anise smiled and moved her bishop to capture Horatio''s pawn. Now Horatio was in the dilemma of saving the knight or the queen. Smirking at Horatio, Anise responded, "A dispute between two dorms/teams is settled with three contests. A mock battle, a mock extermination, and a battle of wits, right?"


    Horatio chose to move his queen out of the bishop''s range. His face grimaced as Anise took his knight, but smiled when he took that bishop with his queen in return.


    "We have Belford on our team for that battle of wits, you know."


    Anise knocked Horatio on the head. The inky-eyed man blinked in surprise. Making the funniest confused face, he simply stared at Anise.


    "Bel is a smart guy!" Anise insisted. She turned to face Bel only to find that he was not behind her anymore. No one else was in the room. Left on the desk next to them, a note read, "Even the professor grew tired of giving this lecture. Besides no one actually attended the first period for his class. He is not coming. Free period."


    Giggling, Anise took Horatio''s rook at long last. The man gasped at his lack of foresight.


    "Did you guys need the credit?" Anise asked.


    "What do you think, princess?" Horatio taunted. He moved his queen and called "Check".


    "I''m technically a baroness, not princess." Anise responded. She moved her king out of harm''s way.


    Horatio took Anise''s last rook instead. Anise captured Horatio''s pawn.


    "Hmph, all you do are tricky plays," Horatio complained. Even though he could place Anise in check once more by capturing her bishop with his queen, the immediate turn after would result in his own queen being killed off by Anise''s queen. Yet, Anise could declare check on the next turn if he does not do something to stop it ¡ª check mate infact!


    "I''m winning aren''t I?" Anise smiled.


    "I didn''t think a baroness would be so tricky." Horatio capture the bishop. "It seems you would win in two turns."


    "Not necessarily," Anise replied. "And I grew up in Bolsur''s slums to begin with, you know. Besides, how are aristocrats suppose to survive if not by trickery?"


    "I didn''t ask where you grew up." Horatio moved his king diagonally forward.


    Anise moved her knight. "Check!"


    All Horatio can do was move his king forward by one.


    Anise moved her knight again. "Check!


    Horatio moved his king forward again.


    Anise moved her knight once more. "Check. Aren''t you getting bored?"


    "No, it''s getting intense." Horatio grinned. He moved his king forward again. "If I''m going to lose, I''m going to lose in my own particular way."


    "Sounds fancy for someone who aspires to slack off for four years." Anise smiled. She moved her queen. "Check."


    Horatio moved back diagonal to the left. "If you do win, I may not actually give you leadership."


    "That''s fine. I didn''t expect you to in the first place. But my father told me that beating someone at their craft was the best way to gain someone''s good faith." She moved her knight. "Check."


    Horatio was only able to move his king left one space. "Were you actually going to offer yourself to Gerald if you lost?"


    "Nope," Anise smirked and fixed her bangs. She moved her queen. "I''m not crazy."


    "Yes, you are," Usha retorted with a shrill laugh.


    "I didn''t think you would." Horatio laughed. "What would you do if you do lose then?"


    "Force you guys to fight." Anise answered honestly. Then she felt the absurdity of her words, and of the entire conversation throughout, and blushed. She turned her reddened face away.


    "Fine, you win." Horatio declared. "It''s been at an impasse for far too long. I rather start a new game."


    "Really?" Anise asked. Though, she immediately began to clear the board.


    "Well, now I kind of think otherwise, but you aren''t a bad person at the very least. Besides, if you were leading, worst comes to worst, you can become our scapegoat."


    Anise shrugged. "Well, I deserve that."


    Sharing a smile, the two clasped their hands in a newfound unity.


    "You know, I would have checkmated you in around eight more moves."


    "Oh, shut your mouth, princess," Horatio rolled his eyes.


    Returning home, the sky was dark. Despite not finding a job, there was some reserve and so Bolverk bought Mari a snack for her to chew on as they walked home.


    Opening the door, the smell of metal overwhelmed their sense of smell. Recognizing the familiar scent to be of blood, Mari went into a frenzy. However, the stench was so strong that Mari''s consciousness could not take it and she fainted. Catching the child-madam in his arms, Bolverk stepped back quickly.


    Ching! A flicker of light, a cold blade rested against his neck.


    "Go inside the house."


    Bolverk swallowed his breath and followed the man''s instruction. He heard the door creak to a close behind him.


    The baron and his wife were dead.


    Two bodies strewn across the floor. Blood scattered on the walls. Their stomachs carved open so that guts would spill like sweet wine.


    "Are you going to kill us too?" Bolverk asked. "If you are, can you please spare the child?"


    "She''s older than I am." The killer placed his blade on Bolverk''s neck again.


    "You know, that''s a very impolite and rude thing to disclose."


    "You''re treating this situation very calmly."


    "We all have to die some day. Besides, I don''t think you will kill either of us."


    "Oh, how so?"


    "Indeed, the killings include both the poor and the rich. But when the elites are killed, their servants are always left alone ¡ª even the guards. And when the poor are killed, not a single soul is left alive. You keeping us alive, well, you''re not going to kill us," Bolverk concluded confidently and turned around. The blade moved slightly and a thin cut was made in his neck.


    "Are you so sure?" The masked man asked.


    "Now I''m certain."


    "You should go report this crime." The masked man retrieved his blade.


    "I wish to partake in your operation."


    "Not only are you thin, but you are inexperienced in fighting. And there is a certain bloodlust from you that I cannot stand."


    "Base on the series of killings, your operation must be massive. Furthermore, there is no way the people involved are all trained fighters or capable of magic. Yet, they can also kill. Either there is another method to this madness, or you train one to be capable of this madness."


    "I still refuse to accept you. Do not make me slay you. Why would someone like you want to partake in this madness anyway?"


    "There is someone I need to protect. In that way, you and I are agreeable, no? And, judging by how you know Mari is actually older than you, you must also know of my research."


    The masked man''s eyes looked at him one last time. Then he disappeared, but he spoke these last words:


    "Light scattered across broken shards


    Glass-like;


    Yet in it drown the darkness and


    Sun Devour.


    Hung over what remains,


    Pale Shadow;


    Wistful clouds adrift."


    After thinking for a moment, Bolverk smiled. "Meet at the harbors when the night is about to die, right? To kill the baron''s son?"


    Despite hearing no answer, he nodded to himself.


    Looking at the two bodies, Bolverk resisted an urge and left to report the incident.


    Author''s Note: I usually put something here. But I can''t think of anything, except maybe suggestions on how the baron''s son should die? Very open to suggestions; was thinking of death involving his anus and intestines. But that''s too plain. As always, thanks for reading.

 Quick Announcement

    Potential Hiatus coming.


    I will be going into the wilderness as part of a summer program for a few weeks starting July 12. I will not have any access to technology, since the point of the program is to distance teenagers from technology.


    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.However, I am trying to stockpile chapters. Whether the chapters do get posted, well, it depends on my friend. If she remembers to post them and don''t mess up badly, it will be as if I was never gone. Hopefully, I don''t suffer some major accident while on my trip.

 Chapter 14: The Thirteenth Apostle Culls the Beast

    Bolverk handed the letter to the Djinn guarding the gates. The letter enclosed detailed the death of the baron, but also the safety of him and Mari, so as to not worry Anise when the news of another murder inevitably spread through the city like a black plague. Thanking the Djinn, Bolverk took little Mari by the hand and headed toward the docks.


    ¡°Boo, are the bad people gone?¡± Mari asked. Her hands felt cold to Bolverk and a paleness encased her features. Since she woke, she has not stopped trembling.


    Bolverk knelt down and smiled at her. Patting her head, he said, ¡°Lady Tan¡¯ae, the bad people are all gone. Ok?¡±


    The child-madam nodded and then smiled brightly. Hearing those words, her mind accepted it and moved on. She asked if she can buy some candy, to which Bolverk to indulged her in. As the pair neared the docks, Bolverk insisted to Mari that she never leave his side ¡ª because it was a game, rather than frighten her with the real possibility of the slavers lurking about in their ambiguous semi-legal territory and jurisdiction.


    Not knowing where exactly to meet, or even the name of the assassin, Bolverk headed toward the very ends of the dock where light broke on the glistening blue surface. And the very ends of the docks often were where the less desirable folks gathered: sea-scum, mutts, beggars, and thieves.


    ¡°You know, not all undesirable people ¡ª especially assassins ¡ª gather in such conspicuous spots,¡± the assassin¡¯s voice told Bolverk from behind.


    Turning, Bolverk found a relatively well-dressed, though tattered and frayed in some parts, gentleman. Long flowing bronze locks and gold rings pierced in one ear, no one would suspect him to be capable of murder. Though, by the rather pompous cane he carried, he certainly would be guilty of being both pretentious and haughty.


    ¡°Good morning,¡± Bolverk said to him loudly. Mari followed his lead and greeted excitedly as well. Their rather cheerful attitude caused the entire dock to turn to him. The assassin rolled his eyes.


    ¡°If I had wanted to kill you, I would have done so,¡± he said with a visible distaste. ¡°Follow me.¡±


    Walking at a meandering pace, the trio made no conversation. Entering a pub located snug between a firehouse and trinket shop, the assassin nodded toward the proprietress, ordering, ¡°the usual for me and my friend, impur de vin rouge, and some milk for the girl¡±.


    The proprietress responded with apologies at not having that type of wine in stock, and the assassin sighed and left the establishment.


    ¡°What was that all about?¡± Bolverk asked. Mari pouted due to not getting milk after being told there would be milk.


    ¡°I asked if it was safe to go in to have a conversation; she said no, the dogs of the country are there.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you also working for the royals?¡±


    ¡°You already know whether I am or not, don¡¯t you?¡± He turned and laughed.


    ¡°I just want the ability to protect those who I am sworn to protect,¡± Bolverk replied. ¡°Where are we


    going now?¡±


    ¡°My organization¡¯s meeting ground,¡± he replied. ¡°And no I do not trust you. As a matter of fact, if you choose to follow me to the demon¡¯s den, then you sign away your life.¡±


    ¡°My life is bound to the House of Tan¡¯ae, as long as the madam beside me is not harmed, then that is fine,¡± Bolverk said. ¡°And if I do die, will you take care of her?¡±


    ¡°No; I will put her in an orphanage. The woman still has ties to the royal family ¡ª if there is a kill order, then I rather not have emotions involved. As is the case for the other girl, of course.¡±


    Bolverk frowned, but swallowed his anger with clenched fists. Not only was he slender of frame, he did not possess any actual combat ability or power. This mysterious organization of assassins can change that: status in the underground and strength.


    The trio stopped in an alley where water and waste drained into the sewers. Bolverk looked at the assassin. The assassin looked back. He began to pry open the sewer gate, barely spacious enough for him to fit in. Mari, with the mind of a child, excitedly set off in search of the pirate¡¯s booty in the depths of the sewers. Bolverk wormed his stick-like frame through.


    After traversing through a campaign of waste and sludge, the trio emerged from the intricate sewer system at a door. Opening the door, the three stepped into a dark hallway. The assassin groped the darkness for a torch and lit it up with a flint.


    ¡°Wipe your shoes first, there¡¯s a neat freak who would kill you if you trek shit into our headquarters,¡± the assassin warned.


    At the end of the hall opened up a spacious cavern, a lounge of sort complete with a few couches and even a bar stocked with alcohol. In this lounge, there were 11 people.


    Seeing the boss bring new faces into the headquarters, they all snapped to attention. One readied her bow; some brought out knives; others wielded swords; and some took to their hammers, shovel, and broom.


    ¡°Be at peace,¡± the assassin commanded.


    One of the 11, the woman who accompanied the man on that night, laid down her bow and stepped forward. She looked at Bolverk and Mari; the girl beamed up at her. Then the woman turned to the assassin, ¡°Janus, I have never seen either of them before! Are you out of your mind bringing them here?¡±


    Another member, a massive man with scars all over, barked his agreement. ¡°Pat¡¯s right. Fuck ya thinking? Even senior operatives leave anything important in the halls. Ya made up that rule too!¡±


    ¡°Everyone, let Janus speak,¡± a plump middle-aged woman said with a calming voice. ¡°He must have a reason.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Beatrix.¡± Janus stepped forward and said, ¡°The bar was too dangerous to interview him, so I brought him here.¡±


    ¡°Oi!¡± The scarred man barked again. ¡°That¡¯s the shittiest reason to reveal our fucking base I¡¯d ever heard!¡±


    A man equally as fit voiced his agreement. ¡°Janus, lad, normally I would take your side, but Asimov¡¯s right. The hell are you doing, oh great leader? Do you need me to fix that broken head of yours with my hammer?¡±


    A pair of twins, dressed in bright colors ¡ª obviously street performers ¡ª looked at each other and giggled.


    ¡°Did you hear that, Agnis? Asi and Petar actually agreed on something for once!¡± The emerald-haired girl spoke to her sister.


    The blue-haired girl responded with her own quip, ¡°My, dearest sister Hama, it must be the end of the world as we know it! Plenty of work for ya, Tarquin, eh?¡±


    Tarquin, this slender and thin gaunt fellow, slumped in his couch and began to cry. ¡°No! No, no, no! I don¡¯t want to bury another body.¡±


    ¡°Everyone silence!¡± Janus announced again, slamming his cane onto the ground. He looked back at Bolverk with a difficult expression. ¡°I want him to become our protege.¡±


    ¡°For fuck¡¯s sake!¡± Both Asimov and Petar shouted. They looked at each other in unbridled disgust and spat.


    ¡°I agree, Janus,¡± Patema said. ¡°We need a protege, but this man who we barely know should not be our choice!¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes,¡± a bearded, bespectacled geezer laughed as he counted his coins. ¡°Let us kill that young one. He is too much a variable; nonetheless, his death shall bring us riches, no?¡±


    ¡°Marx!¡± Beatrix shouted in anger. ¡°What words are spouting, you damn maniac! He is barely an adult.¡±


    ¡°Beatrix, your role as Matriarch clouds your judgement. Regardless of what happens,


    if he is not to become our protege, he is dead, viol¨¤!¡± Marx replied with a dry chuckle. Then he looked at the two other men who were chatting in disregard of the conversation. ¡°Wedren? Thane? Thoughts?¡±


    Wedren, a suave and stylish gentleman, offered his thoughts in brief. ¡°One¡¯s a man; the other¡¯s a child. I¡¯m a gigolo, and that¡¯s simply vile! Kill the man; save the goddess, I say!¡±


    Beatrix turned to Wedren and berated him on the objectification of women to which Wedren simply yawned.


    Thane, a handsome young man possessed of black hair, spoke, ¡°I am curious why Janus chose the stranger rather than one of our own to be protege. Your merchant intuition?¡±


    Janus nodded. ¡°Simply put, I don¡¯t need a civil war before we begin our revolution. As of now, our operations is divided into too many fragments, too distant and fragile.¡±


    He turned to Asimov first and tapped his cane, ¡°Asimov the Zealot. Your mercenary boys were never even in my choices, but if I had chosen from you ¡ª blood will spill too quick and too severe for there to be salvation after the storm!¡±


    Turning to the other members in general, he spoke loudly with charismatic weight, ¡°And to the other fragments: whether it is Petar the Blacksmith¡¯s craftmen, Wedren¡¯s mistresses, the Twin Performer¡¯s street urchins and slum-folk, Marx the Tax Collector¡¯s brutes, or even from one of Beatrix¡¯s orphans ¡ª eventually it will dissolve into a civil conflict! To have an official protege from one of those fragments would yield too much influence to them ¡ª envy and loathing, we must save for the blood of the pigs above! Not for our brethren and sisters!¡±


    ¡°Then wouldn¡¯t choosing this completely new member be even worse?¡± Thane asked with amusement.


    ¡°No. If he is a protege of all 12 of us, then he is loyal to none but his own ambitions. Unaffiliated, he stands for all of us, the common people. And it is easier for the others to rally behind an underdog who has been tested through and through! If we simply hand the title of protege to one of the current members, we will tear our innards from within.¡±


    ¡°But if we hand it to a no-name, everyone will turn against him instead ¡ª a much more economical solution,¡± Marx chuckled. ¡°That does not explain why him of all random blokes.¡±


    ¡°Patema, do you have the papers nearby?¡± Janus asked. ¡°From a few nights ago.¡±


    The young woman nodded and fetched them for Janus.


    ¡°Bolverk of the House of Yam,¡± Janus spoke, ¡°sworn loyalty ever for House Tan¡¯ae, whose young lady is wife to the baron of Ardin.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a traitor,¡± the twins immediately hounded at that fact, even pulling out their daggers from seemingly out of nowhere. ¡°Janus! You know how we may about even working with the royals as a cover-up! Now you want us to accept one so embroiled in that royal mess to join us? You are asking for death!¡±


    Janus slammed his cane onto the ground once more. ¡°I saw a face so delighted in the death of the old baron that I got chills. The man is only loyal to the House Tan¡¯ae; all other royals, he does not care for.¡±


    Bolverk felt the need to affirm that. ¡°Correct.¡±


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    Agnis threw the dagger, nearly missing Bolverk. The throw startled Mari who quickly became overwhelmed by panic; Beatrix saw this and took the child-madam, calming her. The Matriarch chided Agnis.


    ¡°Are you saying we keep that one House alive?¡± Hama said with venom bleeding through with every sound. ¡°That would make us no better than those pigs!¡±


    ¡°Hama! Agnis! Shut the fuck up,¡± Wedren shouted from across the room. ¡°Not all royals are bad ¡ª and you¡¯re interrupting my nap.¡±


    ¡°Sex hound,¡± Agnis spatted. ¡°I hope you get syphilis.¡±


    ¡°As I was saying,¡± Janus continued, ¡°this can become a mutual relationship. He gets to protect his sworn House; we get an insider¡¯s flow of information.¡±


    The twins stood up and walked out the door, bumping into Janus roughly as they did so. Asimov similarly stood up and went out the door, glaring at Bolverk as he did so.


    ¡°Janus,¡± Patema spoke, ¡°this may be the most drastic mistake you¡¯ve made. We are playing with fire.¡±


    Beatrix also stood up, ¡°I am going to go and play with Mari here. The atmosphere here is unsuited for someone as...young as she is. We will be at my orphanage.¡± She smiled, bowed, and left. Mari waved bye-bye with a giant grin.


    Thane similarly stood up, ¡°I must attend class at the Academy now. My doppleganger must be dying by now. Ah, Bolverk, was it? Do you need me to pass any message to your sworn lady?¡±


    ¡°Ah, can you ask if she is getting into any trouble?¡± Bolverk answered, surprised the man was being so kind. ¡°Anise often had a reckless personality when young, and it seemed to be resurfacing now that her mother is not there to restrain her.¡±


    Thane nodded with a smile and disappeared, surprising Bolverk greatly.


    The only remaining people were Bolverk, Janus, Patema, Tarquin, Wedren, Petar, and Marx.


    Surveying the remaining members, Janus sighed. Tarquin was consumed by his melancholy and mumbling to himself. Wedren was sleeping while scratching his groin. And Marx was counting his coins. Only Patema and Petar were listening with any real attention.


    ¡°Onto Bolverk¡¯s abilities: he is a scholar, well-educated about a myriad of subjects, and a potion-maker.¡±


    ¡°Can you make an invisibility potion? A love potion?¡± Wedren asked with fevered enthusiasm.


    ¡°Can you give me immortal life?¡± Tarquin demanded with panic and distress.


    ¡°Gold? Yes, yes,¡± Marx laughed. ¡°Gold, that elusive beauty?¡±


    ¡°Quiet down, you three idiots!¡± Petar roared. ¡°Wedren, wipe those impure thoughts from your mind! Tarquin, live for the moment! Do not think of death, for that is not the point of life. And Marx, you are richer than even Janus ¡ª I truly wish to clobber you with my hammers.¡±


    ¡°He specializes in poisons,¡± Janus spoke. Their faces became an odd mix of disgust and praise.


    ¡°You remember that incident of an entire forest turning rotten a few years back? It seem Bolverk unintentionally created a plague affecting only floral life.¡±


    ¡°Impressive, but still not gold,¡± Marx sighed and resumed counting his coins. ¡°Anything else which should make us think, ¡®Why the lad is truly divine! A gift from the gods and goddesses in the sky!¡¯?¡±


    ¡°No; nothing else except for the boy¡¯s excessive appetite of the morbid,¡± Janus concluded. ¡°But I am adamant in having him be taught as our protege. As a clean slate, there is potential.¡±


    ¡°Intelligence,¡± Patema said with an unreadable expression. ¡°If that is all he has, then even I cannot agree to this, Janus.¡±


    ¡°You have not even tested him,¡± Janus protested.


    ¡°I do not need to,¡± Patema replied bluntly. ¡°He has a slender frame too unsuitable for swords, hammers, or spears. Already, that I deem unacceptable.¡±


    Without another word, Patema left.


    ¡°Well, Janus, lad, you know how I am,¡± Petar said. ¡°If the boy fights for our cause, has an earnest heart, then I do not mind. However, I will be the one to judge this.¡±


    Petar left as well.


    ¡°Ehehehe,¡± Marx laughed as he scooped all his coins into his pouch. ¡°He may not bring in immediate profit, but the boy seem interesting enough. Investment! Investment! Throughout, the boy seemed little nervous or frightened ¡ª and he is cunning; we cunning scoundrels must stick together. But that is not a yes, oh great leader; merely a potential perhaps.¡±


    With purses of coins so full that they did not jingle, the old scrooge shuffled his way out the door. Tarquin did not even speak before leaving, as if he were an apparition and nothing more.


    ¡°He¡¯s a guy,¡± Wedren said, smacking his lips. ¡°I¡¯m a gigolo. You see the problem, Janus? Do you? Boy, do you have a poison that somehow transform your gender? What! You do? Rather fabulous; but the knowledge of you having once possessed a third leg down there disturbs me, so no.¡±


    Leaving only Bolverk and Janus alone, the two did not speak for a while.


    ¡°How much do you hate the baron¡¯s son?¡± Janus asked.


    ¡°You have papers compiled on me, what do you think?¡± Bolverk answered with that same lustful smile shown prior, that desire for blood, a vivid voracity for death.


    Janus clucked his tongue at the craziness displayed by Bolverk. ¡°Well, I¡¯ve casted the die ¡ª we can only move forward now, I suppose. Let us go and slay a beast then.¡±


    The baron¡¯s son, let us at last give the beast a name. Gaston Din¡¯ae. Gaston often spent his time since fleeing Bolsur lounging in brothels, going home only to steal money to splurge on his lascivious lifestyle. In his pursuit of debauchery, he rediscovered a companion in the soul of Jaque de Marques.


    The two were lounging in their usual brothel, the Pink Peach, when the assassins attacked. A clear grey mist assaulted the patrons of the brothel. One by one, they fell into a deep slumber. Jaque sensed the abnormality of the change in the air, but played along with it ¡ª as long as it was not himself that was the target, he could not care less. In a pretend sleep, he witnessed the brutal culling of the beast. And Jaque thought ¡°Good riddance!¡±


    Though Gaston thought him a friend, Jaque thought Gaston as a swine in human skin. Jaque had always wanted to rip the skin from Gaston ¡ª but it was not wise to act against a member of the elite. But since Gaston¡¯s family no longer wielded true influence ¡ª but mere potential of revival ¡ª Jaque was not obligated nor persuaded to save Gaston from his fate.


    So as Gaston, who was driving himself into a brunette, fell asleep, Jaque did nothing. Even as the masked assassins drove blades into the beast¡¯s back, waking him from his drug-induced slumber, Jaque merely watched. Even as Gaston cried bloodcurdling screams, neither Jaque nor the assassins offer him salvation.


    Having blades a meter long driven into him, Gaston spasmed at the inevitability of death ¡ª spurting out his seed inside the poor brunette. Jaque prayed the brunette to be infertile.


    The assassins wrenched the limp beast (though his member was still petrified from fear) from the still unconscious brunette and tossed his body onto the floor. As Gaston attempted to crawl away, the more muscular of the two assassins jammed his sword through the beast¡¯s forearm. Screaming, Gaston¡¯s entire body quivered and went flaccid from shock. Removing his sword, the assassin kicked the body over. He signalled the skinny assassin to carve up the beast with a knife.


    The skinny assassin did not hesitate. Plunging his blade into the beast¡¯s stomach, he proceeded to drag his blade across flesh. Then he stuck his hand into the opening, feeling around the internal organs. Gaston was still conscious and breathing ¡ª Jaque felt the poor bastard¡¯s whimperings and cries fit him. Finding what he wanted, the skinny assassin squeezed and yanked the entire length of the small intestine from within Gaston¡¯s body. At this point, Gaston¡¯s eyes rolled back into his head as foam fizzled near his mouth. A pungent shit odor exploded onto the scene. The body twitched once, twice, and was still.


    After the skinny assassin had the entire intestine out of the body, he wrapped it around the beast¡¯s neck like a noose. Then he dragged a chair and, with the help of the other assassin, placed the beast onto the chair. The skinny assassin looped the small intestine over one of the beams running through the ceiling. With a gaping hole, the innards of the beast spilled out like endless bounties and soiled the floor.


    Feeling his mutilation of the beast to not be complete, the skinny assassin proceeded to disfigure the face ¡ª so as to not offer the dead Gaston a proper burial. First, he brandished his knife and sliced the skin off flesh with a thousand cuts. Little by little, that white cheese called skin stripped away to become raw red flesh. Splatter of bits of flesh flew near Jaque and he stifled his disgust.


    Then came the eyes, plucked clean from the sockets like a vulture and prey. Then came the lips, chopped right off and stuffed inside to rest with the large intestine hung partially out. With the ears, why, the skinny assassin pounded into paste with the flat of his blade. And of the innumerable chins lined the beast¡¯s neck, he left it there for they seemed like rows of hairy testicles. And of Gaston¡¯s filthy tongue, the assassin pried open the dead man¡¯s mouth and tore it right out only to stuff it deep into his throat. And of the teeth often needed to eat even in death¡¯s journey, the assassins shattered into pieces ¡ª and then embedded it into the empty sockets where eyes used to rest.


    At last, the muscular assassin dipped his finger into some of the beast¡¯s blood and marked the mask of the skinny assassin.


    ¡°With this, you are the thirteenth, the Chemist and the Protege of our Inondation. Cleanse the streets of scum; let the fields be nurtured with the blood of the arrogant swine. Against the tyrants despot above, to arms! Against the corrupt and soiled sinners, to arms! Against the High Lord himself, to arms!¡±


    With that, the two assassins left.


    Jaque got up from the magnificent booty that he had been resting on. With a sigh, the man dressed himself. He gave a look at the brunette and decided to clean the brunette best as he could of Gaston¡¯s filth. Then he left, a burning curiosity at what the Church has been hiding from him since his return.


    And that was the real start of it all; the descent into war, into strife and suffering. As one light strived to rule over all in vindictive lust, a darkness falls deeper into the labyrinth of the city shadows, corrupted by greed. Meandering, a more primal wrath bidded time to witness daybreak as it returned.


    Author''s Note: At times, it seems that I''m telling 2 stories at the same time, because I am. It''s really a story about two people, I guess. This could have been paced better, established better, but I''m learning, I guess. Introduced way too many people this time, but hopefully it wasn''t too much a strain on the eyes.


    But yeah, Bolverk''s story is advancing, so is Anise''s story. Interplay of the official establishment and the underground organization, it''s fun to write. Hopefully, it''s as fun -- or at least interesting -- to read. As always, thanks for reading.

 Special Chapter: DISCLAIMER MATURE CONTENT

    Author¡¯s Note: A chapter inspired by the intricate mind of Dreslief. But then it became very twisted because I have a twisted mind like a snowflake should ¡ª unique, I say! But yeah, reader¡¯s discretion is advised. This chapter include a forced sex-change via Polyjuice ripoff, brothel-cide, and a whole lot of ¡°Shrek¡± moments. Pretty gore-esque and gross stuff...basically. If you enjoyed this...then well, congratulations you sick, sick degenerate bastard. Love ya tho. (Also a lot of otaku jokes, so prepare for the cringe ¡ª and of course, everything is not canon...so that only means this chapter is going to be like a sonic fanfic but worse. Nothing makes sense. Ok.) I hope this chapter does not get me into trouble; live for the moment, I guess.


    Gaston woke up tied to a bed. He wondered if he had ordered the dominatrix set by accident instead of  the Nyan Nyan Imouto-chan Kawaii-desu package deluxe. Well, can¡¯t blame a guy for entertaining the possibility of a dominatrix regardless. Black leather, you know; though if it is Halle Berry in said black leather, all masochists will instantly be of no more. After waiting for a moment, Gaston found himself bored by the tardiness of the dominatrix. Or perhaps this was some sort of sick sexual play too?


    Regardless, Gaston looked around the room. Nothing much out of the ordinary. Same old smell of piss and the ineffective ¡ª though suffocating ¡ª perfume, whose existence was to conceal the old smell of piss. Wooden floor, some food littered on the ground, and not much else.


    At last, a man wearing a white mask entered the room.


    ¡°Tuxedo Mask?¡± Gaston asked, confused.


    ¡°Nay, I am V,¡± the masked man replied.


    Gaston laughed bitterly, ¡°If you¡¯re V, then I¡¯m Gaston from Copyright Central!¡±


    ¡°Well, you act like him for the most part ¡ª except you have no outer beauty either,¡± the masked man shot back.


    ¡°Oh, let¡¯s just get on with the tentacles,¡± Gaston cursed and cried and shouted. ¡°On with it!¡±


    ¡°Hmph, tentacles are not enough for your crimes against humanity!¡± The masked vigilante proclaimed.


    ¡°I¡¯m just a douche against women, bro, chill,¡± Gaston said while beatboxing with his stomach flops. ¡°And what can be worse than tentacles?¡±


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯ll find out,¡± the masked man said. The unchanging smile on the mask added a nuance to the delivery unseen before. He advanced onto the struggling beast and jammed a potion into the bastard¡¯s mouth. The contents spilled and flushed and poured out like something that would pour and flush and spill ¡ª basically like a malfunctioning toilet! Coughing after the entire bottle has been emptied, Gaston felt a change. A vivid and real change.


    No, it wasn¡¯t like the unexpected punchline of Gregor Samsa¡¯s miserable existence. Nor was it like when the Grinch¡¯s heart grew three sizes ¡ª you damn perverts! And it certainly was not the sudden out-of-character good guy change so often lauded these days by the crowd in stories.


    No, it was the simple fact that Gaston now had long hair which reached his butt. But when the man followed his long locks with his eyes, those eyes grew big ¡ª humongous and overflowed with fear. For at the base of his crotch was nothing! Well, not literal nothing ¡ª that would simply be preposterous and outrageous. There was air of course; you know, that invisible life-giving substance? But there was also a replacement.


    Gaston possessed no dick. No longer! Though he was still one. And if the old wisdom, ¡°You are what you eat¡± possess truth, then he will only become an even bigger one. One would marvel the fact his head is not shaped like a mushroom. Rather, what Gaston now possessed was a female reproductive organ. Scientifically known as a vagina, but also as ¡°have to censor this¡± and ¡°this¡± and ¡°definitely this¡±, in addition to cunt, pussy, sheath, badger, and a whole slew of other reasons why the aliens ¡ª those fucking godsend, beautiful aliens ¡ª have not visited earth.


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re the ugliest piece of shit I¡¯ve ever seen,¡± the masked man remarked. ¡°Already sagging more than my hopes and aspirations.¡±


    ¡°Hmph! Honestly, this isn¡¯t even bad,¡± Gaston remarked with faux-bravery. ¡°Not much has changed. And if you were going to whore me out to make me suffer ¡ª who the fuck wants to touch this? Not even Cthulhu will touch me!¡±


    ¡°Have you seen Japanese porn?¡± The masked man asked.


    ¡°...well, I¡¯m fucked.¡± Gaston said with a dead expression much like Akari. In fact, he would be sued for trademark infringement due to how dead he appeared.


    ¡°Yes, quite literally.¡±


    ¡°Oh, shut the fuck up,¡± Gaston shouted.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if you mean that literally or metaphysically,¡± the masked man responded.


    ¡°You mean, metaphorically?¡±


    ¡°No, metaphysically. This is a story ¡ª we are mere pieces to be played and distorted however the author wants us too,¡± the masked man announced. He relished the absolute revelation of truth ¡ª a stain forming on his pants. ¡°A stain did not!¡±


    And now he questions his creator as all life eventually doubts and rebels.


    ¡°You just changed the tense! The fuck,¡± Gaston yelled. ¡°Stop changing it!¡±


    ¡°Well, if we look at it, time is relative. You know, wibbly wobbly, timey wimey, and slimy. Very slimy.¡±


    ¡°Can we just get on with the execution!¡± Gaston yelled, her ¡ª his? ¡ª honestly depend on how one perceived identity (Is a man born a man a man, or does he choose?) ¡ª eyes dyed a maddening red. ¡°Bring on the brothelcide! This man right here isn¡¯t afraid of you! Come at me, bro!¡±


    ¡°Can we at least retain the illusion that this takes place in a European medieval setting?¡± The masked man criticized.


    ¡°I think we lost that illusion when I referenced Tuxedo Mask,¡± Gaston smacked his lips wryly. If he identified as a man, then let us all address him as a man. ¡°Well, first good thing that¡¯s happened to me today, I guess.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re also alive. Even though you died only a chapter ago.¡± The masked man mused. He pulled out a dagger and ran it over Gaston¡¯s nipples. ¡°Rather, you¡¯ve become more than that simple side-character thrown to the pigs now.¡±


    ¡°This entire side chapter has become anarchy,¡± Gaston sighed. ¡°Where¡¯s the continuity? At least bring out Anise or something! Where¡¯s my bitches and hoes at!¡±


    ¡°Woof! Woof!¡± Some dogs barked as they carried in farm tools in their mouths into the room.


    ¡°We all saw that coming¡­¡± Gaston said, not amused. ¡°Also, the fuck you doing!¡±


    The masked man stopped running the blade over Gaston¡¯s nipples. He shrugged his shoulders, ¡°I don¡¯t know...trying to be creepy. Turning you on?¡±


    ¡°If my arms weren¡¯t tied¡­¡± Gaston sighed bitterly. He screamed as the masked man suddenly plunged his dagger into Gaston¡¯s chest. ¡°The fuck you doing!¡±


    ¡°Beginning the execution. I got bored.¡± The masked man explained. He dug the blade deeper into Gaston¡¯s flesh and twisted the foreign object about, like scooping icecream! Icecream! I scream for icecream! Gaston also screamed.


    First, a brutal mastectomy to reveal the organs within! Like jewels hidden, exposed to the light, gleamed bright and raw ¡ª a riveting glow, a maddening light. Stuffing the torn flesh into Gaston¡¯s mouth, another stain formed on the masked man¡¯s trousers.


    ¡°Did not!¡± He proclaimed! Rebelled! ¡°Stop being a dramaqueen and move on!¡±


    What a bore!


    Then came flooding in: Anise! Bolverk and Janus! Elspeth and Maria! The entire crew! Each took turn to add their own flourish and mark in the flesh of the beast, changed to a woman¡¯s vessel ¡ª gone mad with pain. Foam bubbled up from inside; blood spurted like geysers; and tears flowed like Niagara!


    Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!One slice to the arm with Anise¡¯s sword! Why, sliced through easy like butter or cream! Hoisting it up, she was victorious!


    ¡°FEED ME CHILD,¡± Usha cried! And Anise devoured the flesh with a satisfied grin. Not minding the blood, Bolverk lapped up kisses ¡ª stole the maiden¡¯s lips ¡ª a mad party it was, no rules or sanity! Logic? What was that!


    Tanya the healer kept the beast alive. The light caressed him, built him back up! Regrew breasts and arm like it was mere produce or ash, so easy and quick! And again and again, the others took turns to cut and slice and rip him apart!


    Those skilled in the Script: the Antistitae and Horatio, choked the man with shadowy ink. Maria with her butterflies, a cowl over Gaston¡¯s head ¡ª suffocation and darkness, two great fears unlimited! Elspeth with her ink flowed like water, shoved them up his holes and popped them like bubbles inside. Toxic and broken, in and out, it was Horatio with the cleverest use of his ink ¡ª too true!


    Gripping his spear, he jammed it down Gaston¡¯s throat until it came poking out like a worm would, or a pipe. A true spitroast that was, a boiled swine!


    One mutilated, once broken beyond belief, came the whores and the wenches ¡ª the ones stepped on by Gaston from young till now. From Reimu to Cirno to Finnegan Wake, each strapped on a dick the size of Mount Doom. Each smiled as Gaston cried. Everyone left while the masked man sat in the corner, his body shook with anticipation and bliss!


    One by one, they took Gaston. One by one, until it all crashed down. Gaping like mad, Tartarus they were, broken and wounded, crusted with blood!


    Then they too left, leaving only the masked man. This mysterious man with a white mask.


    Then he took out a book bound with human faces, labeled with the words ¡°Necronomicon¡±. The masked man whispered regretfully to the tome, ¡°To use you against scum, such a disgrace!¡±


    ¡°Let that which slumbers deep,


    Whose children eternal weeps,


    The twisted, the dark,


    The mad and the lost


    Let this Old One wake.


    Let this Old One break.


    Let this Old One rule.


    Lord of Ruins! Lord of Beast!


    Slithering madness,


    Broken dreams!


    Fragments of reality;


    Mirror sanity,


    Oh Great Old One!


    Let Cthulhu wake!¡±


    The masked man finished his incantations. Gaston waited for the next stage of madness. And he wondered¡­.this can¡¯t be legal. And of course not! But he wondered¡­.how sick the author was ¡ª and I say! ¡­.well, I mean, you¡¯re a douche ¡ª and a side character... Also...man, what is this chapter?


    ¡°Silence!¡± Cthulhu commanded! A businesswoman with green hair came out from the void. And she spoke: ¡°I have a business meeting back in Tokyo in like too late already, so let¡¯s get this shit over with. Tentacles? Done. Madness? Done. Clean up crew? Call Squidgirl for that; I don¡¯t get my tentacles dirty.¡±


    And with that, she disappeared with a snap.


    ¡°Who the hell does she think she is? Dorothy?¡± The masked man clucked his tongue.


    Tentacles upon tentacles came slithering forward. Gross and big, like Squidward¡¯s nose, it encroached. It lurked. It consumed.


    Rushing into Gaston¡¯s holes like a Zerg rush, the tentacles tore into his body and worked like pistons. The masked man simply watched.


    ¡°You know, gore does not equal entertainment, but weird gore kinda...no, still no,¡± the masked man said. ¡°This could be a Trollpasta of sorts, indeed.¡±


    The masked man pulled out a pocketwatch and flipped the author off. ¡°This is taking too long, do a timeskip or something! I¡¯m getting bored.¡±


    Ten years later, as Spongebob would say.


    ¡°First of all, Spongebob doesn¡¯t say that. Second of all, ten years is too long. Third of all, are you ever going to give me a name?¡± The masked man shouted! Ah, the straight-man to my insanity, he truly was.


    But ten years prior, and only a few hours after, the crime was done. The masked man walked over to the lifeless body of Gaston ¡ª now pregnant with tentacles ¡ª and shook his head.


    ¡°This is divine punishment, you know,¡± he said. ¡°Women should only bear children, my ass! But, well, since you¡¯re now a mother, you should know best. Have a good life, Mr.Side Character~¡±


    And he gave one last stomp onto the man¡¯s stomach. Then, disappearing into the night, this gallant vigilante was later caught by the police for breaking the space-time continuity more than Rick and Morty, for being more reality-breaking than Casanova Frankenstein, and simply for being more filthy than FilthyFrank himself. Caught by the authorities, his mask was stripped away to reveal...Uzuki Sepia!?


    ¡°Zoinks!¡¯ Shaggy exclaimed. ¡°It¡¯s a metrosexual!¡±


    ¡°No, no, Shaggy,¡± Velma corrected and pushed up her glasses. Snorting, she continued, ¡°The politically correct term is Neil Patrick Harrison, the God-child.¡±


    ¡°Whatever he is,¡± Freddie said, ¡°he looks more like an Asian Justin Bieber wannabe.¡±


    ¡°Excuse you, Freddie Jones!¡± Daphne interrupted angrily. ¡°Obviously, this fine man is a K-Pop star! Look at his glamorous hair!¡±


    ¡°K-poop?¡± Scooby asked, placing a paw on his nose.


    ¡°I¡¯m a fairytale author,¡± Uzuki Sepia corrected all of them with a kind and lazy smile. ¡°Did you know, in the language of the fairies, wubba lubba dub-dub means ¡®I am in great pain, please help me¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Zoinks!¡± Shaggy exclaimed once more.


    ¡°Whatever you are, you¡¯ll be put away with the Joker for good!¡± Daphne announced with a victorious smile.


    With mad laughter echoing throughout the city of Gotham, the madman Uzuki Sepia was carted by the Mystery Inc. to a place where TOP MEN will look over him. Who exactly though? Top men.


    Author¡¯s Note Part Deux: Well, you read all of it. That¡¯s impressive. I¡¯m not sure how I should feel after writing this. All I know is this: The chapter was a blast to write. No regrets ¡ª just not enough tentacles, : p.  (WAKE ME UP! CAN¡¯T WAKE UP!) As always, thanks for reading ¡ª I¡¯m sorry for your lost time and brain cells.

 Chapter 15: Yani the Thousand-Face Smith

    Author¡¯s Note: My friend who will be uploading when I¡¯m gone uploaded this (to practice). If the formatting got messed up, then I wouldn¡¯t know until tomorrow. And she might upload this Monday for all I know ¡ª but she needs the practice. Apologies in advance.


    Came a knocking on the door, halting the professor¡¯s lecture on the Djinn Trade¡¯s immense effects on the relationship between the major surviving civilizations after the Great War. She shushed the younger attendees of the lecture and got the door.


    ¡°Professor Xarmist, good afternoon,¡± Thane bowed with a smile.


    ¡°Do you not have class? Or anything better to do than barging into my lecture and completely disrupting it?¡± The professor fumed and gestured behind her. She only knew four out of the some 50 students attending her lecture.


    ¡°I simply want to speak to a student, Professor Xarmist. A young woman, Anise Tan¡¯ae,¡± Thane responded and glanced over the professor¡¯s head. ¡°It¡¯s about her family.¡±


    ¡°From the baron? Hmph, fine then,¡± she barked at the young man. Then turning 180 degrees, she called Anise with a smile and a cheer. ¡°Do not worry if you miss the rest of class. Your dorm-mates shall surely take good notes ¡ª I will make sure of it, Lady Tan¡¯ae.¡±


    Leaving the professor behind, the two proceeded to wander around the halls. No one talked, enjoying the silence permeated through the building like a blanket.


    ¡°Are you not worry? I may be someone from the Fierro Brothers,¡± Thane chuckled and  slammed his palm onto the wall beside Anise.


    ¡°If you are, then that would make things easier,¡± Anise smiled as she unsheathed her dagger.


    The young man backed off and continued walking again. ¡°No wonder you have already gotten yourself into a war.¡±


    Anise sheathed her dagger and followed the man. ¡°So who are you?¡±


    ¡°Thane the Good, as they call me,¡± he pivoted on his feet and put forth a hand. With etiquette ingrained, Anise clasped hands with him. Thane looked at the still pair of hands and chuckled, then looked into Anise¡¯s eyes. ¡°Is this an offer to walk lover-like, hand in hand ¡ª until death do we part? Or do you wish to for a kiss upon your hand, Lady Tan¡¯ae?¡±


    Realizing her training, Anise scowled and squeezed hard, before throttling the other person¡¯s hand. ¡°But really, who are you? Commoner and of moderate influence, but why?¡±


    Thane did not react at all. ¡°As expected of an aristocrat ¡ª rather well-trained in reading people. Though, I must apologize to correct your statement. I am indeed a commoner, but I have little influence here or elsewhere.¡±


    ¡°Then why did Professor Xarmist allow you to take me out of class? Even if you did mention it as being a family matter ¡ª is there even one? ¡ª that prude would never let some commoner interrupt her lesson. She cares too much for class and blood.¡±


    ¡°Simply put, I am one of the top 10 students in the current third year class ¡ª somewhat of a genius, but also an idiot. Though I surely possess power and some protection, there is no true alliance formed within the Academy that I am involved with. I may be strong, but one man cannot challenge a kingdom ¡ª still, my achievements have been exaggerated to godly details that she respects me somewhat, despite being a sub-par degenerate scum-breeder.¡±


    ¡°And of the family matter?¡± Anise stopped walking and asked. She frowned and waited.


    ¡°A mutual friend, Bolverk, wanted to know if you were getting into trouble. And since you are already in the thick of it, I am now assessing whether you can crawl out of the situation.¡±


    ¡°Boo sent you,¡± Anise blinked with surprise. Then she pulled her head back with suspicion, ¡°Students are not suppose to leave the premise of the Academy for leisure except on holy days.¡±


    ¡°I snuck out. Met the man while shopping ¡ª he was arguing with someone about a job,¡± Thane shrugged. ¡°Quite an easy feat with the use of magic.¡±


    ¡°Then are you affiliated with the Church?¡±


    Thane shrugged. ¡°In a way, I suppose I am. Though, I¡¯m a freelance mercenary of sorts. If it is a dispute between dorms, I am for the highest bidder. If it is a mass war between the three factions sponsoring this Academy, I am for the one most likely to win. And for that reason, I am Thane the Good ¡ª do you want my services?¡±


    Anise broke out into laughter and leaned against the wall. Tears came out of her eyes as she hugged her stomach. ¡°You, you flashed such an adorable smile. What¡¯s with the thumb-up? I, I can¡¯t breathe.¡±


    Thane scratched his cheek with a slight smile. ¡°That is not befitting of a lady of class, you know.¡±


    Anise got up and dusted herself off. ¡°I know; it¡¯s not like I wanted to be a lady or baroness in the first place. And no, I am not going to hire you.¡±


    ¡°You believe in your dorm-mates, the worst squadron in the Academy?¡± Thane crossed his arms.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I do,¡± Anise responded with a shrug. ¡°The teachers treated me with indifference and even hostility upon first reading which dorm I am from. It was not until they found I was the future baroness of Ardin that they even looked at me with human eyes. I am unsure how their individual classes are, but from the one collective squad lecture we¡¯ve attended, we were always called upon and ridiculed. But, I see potential in them.¡±


    ¡°According to the rumors, you have submitted the application to wage a war against the Gregarious squad set in a little over a month¡¯s time. Potential is not easily manifested quickly. In fact, the current rate is 100:1. Are you telling me that I may make a fortune?¡± Thane raised an eyebrow and spun around in ecstasy.


    ¡°Wait, you¡¯re already betted on the underdog, without even checking if there¡¯s potential for success?¡± Anise gave a single dry laugh and tilted her head.


    ¡°A gambler must take risks to become great,¡± Thane asserted and pounded his chest solemnly. ¡°Anyhow, follow me.¡±


    ¡°Where are we going?¡± Anise asked as they crossed the bridge connecting the Royal Citadel to the Black Citadel.


    ¡°The Black Citadel,¡± Thane responded matter-of-fact, going down the old stone steps to the second floor. ¡°Well, specifically, a smith. Your dagger and sword ¡ª though why two? ¡ª being standard-issued will end you. Of course, I am not buying you anything ¡ª but you would do good to replace those two blades.¡±


    ¡°Do you think a dagger and sword style is viable?¡± Anise asked. ¡°What if the sword is a rapier?¡±


    ¡°Only drunken aristocrats use rapiers. If a rapier holds sentimental value for you, I suggest you toss it away. But at the same time, there is a person who uses a slingshot in battle who I regard as stronger than I.¡±


    ¡°Slingshot? As in pebbles?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that sort of slingshot. Of course, she has an auxiliary magic to make it all function.¡±


    ¡°What the hell is she?¡±


    ¡°A dwarf.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    Not knowing what else to say, the conversation ended. The two made their way to an engineering lab converted into a forge. A student guarding the entrance to the forge glanced at Thane and nodded, but raise her eyebrow at Anise. Thane vouched for Anise¡¯s character. The guard-student bled ink from her eyes and inscribed a mark, an Alleure protecting against the heat, onto their hands.


    Entering the forge, a blast of hot air smothered Anise. An instant flood of sweat poured from the two, leaving their blue uniforms sticking to their bodies. Moving sluggishly ¡ª the heat piled on their backs ¡ª the two moved deeper to the smith at the center of the forge, lapping at the sweat flowing down their faces.


    ¡°Close the goddamn door, Gertrude, you¡¯re letting the heat out,¡± the petite girl tempering steel ordered with a grunt. The guard closed the


    door and the forge rose in temperature, and the two humans did not even bother to move anymore, collapsing onto the ground, letting the metal floor roast their bums.


    ¡°Yani, please, for the love of the Divines, please, stop the fire,¡± Thane cried.


    The girl sighed and slipped off her high-stool and walked over to a button and slammed her fist down on it. Instantly, steam bursted into the forge as the fire were put out. Immediately following that, cool air ravaged the metal chamber.


    ¡°What the hell do you need, Thane?¡± Yani growled as she stomped her way over. She placed her hands on her hips and stuck out her bottom lip. ¡°You know I am very busy. Some idiots are already starting a war despite being only a few weeks into the year! I am absolutely overwhelmed with orders: guns, bombs, swords, javelins, and even goddamn bear-traps! Bloody bear-traps; I¡¯m a smith, not some odd-shop of metal junk! If they didn¡¯t pay me in full from the beginning, I would have slaughter them all.¡±


    Breathing in the coolness of the air, Thane moaned. Then he stood up and helped Anise find her footing as well. ¡°Yani, you shouldn¡¯t treat your bestest of friends like this. Besides, I doubt the fumes are bearable even for you. You probably haven¡¯t even ate in days.¡±


    Yani jumped and chopped Thane¡¯s head. ¡°Idiot! I ate some granite, ok? Anyways, who''s the girl?¡±


    ¡°Lady Tan¡¯ae, this adorable girl is Yani Finral, also infamous as the Smith with a Thousand Faces ¡ª one of which is of her toppling over from hunger. She¡¯s also the one I told you about, the slingshot user. And, Yani, Lady Tan¡¯ae is one of the idiots who started the first war of the year ¡ª and she need some weapons.¡±


    Yani kicked Thane¡¯s shin causing the man to jump up and down on one foot. Her long golden hair turned rigid, becoming covered with sharp black stone polished like glass. She snorted out fire which licked at the air, ¡°I just told you I am swamped with orders. Why are you bringing me more stress? I¡¯m going to kill you! Absolutely slaughter you!¡±


    ¡°Um, I was actually dragged along,¡± Anise interrupted with a well-trained smile. Yani noticed her, so Anise curtsied. ¡°If you¡¯re busy, I would not want to bother you; I doubt I would be able to afford your excellent wares in any case.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you a lady? What kind of aristocrat doesn¡¯t have money?¡± Yani criticized with a knock on Anise¡¯s stomach. ¡°You been spending your allowance eating, or something? And are you bloody insulting me by saying I wouldn¡¯t be able to handle another set of orders? Are you saying my reputation is only so cheap?¡±


    ¡°What, no?¡± Anise denied and began stroking Yani¡¯s still rocky hair. The petite girl jumped away and placed her hands up to guard her hair. She frowned and narrowed her eyes.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t an aristocrat act like an aristocrat and not touch my hair?¡± Yani barked, but her rocky hair reverted to her original flowing golden locks.


    ¡°But you¡¯re so cute though,¡± Anise replied with a slight smirk. She wiped the blood from her cut fingers on her pants.


    Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    ¡°See, Yani!¡± Thane jumped into the conversation with a laugh. ¡°You¡¯ll find someone someday ¡ª especially if Lady Tan¡¯ae here also thinks you¡¯re cute.¡±


    Yani gagged at Thane¡¯s cheerfulness. ¡°First of all, dwarfs aren¡¯t sexy ¡ª especially when I still look like I¡¯m ten years old. Second of all, if you can find a person who is into both dwarfs and children, they are most likely disgusting old men. Third of all, you know the other reason.¡±


    ¡°Other reason?¡± Anise asked.


    Yani stuck her tongue out at her. ¡°It does not concern you. Just tell me what you need, and we¡¯ll try to settle on a payment.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I thought you were overwhelm with work.¡±


    ¡°...well, you¡¯re wrong. When did I ever say that,¡± Yani replied with a wave of her hand.


    ¡°Are you sure? I wouldn¡¯t want Lady Tan¡¯ae here to be bothered that she may be imposing on you.¡±


    Yani closed her eyes and clenched her fists, cracking her knuckles. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Just tell me what you need.¡±


    Anise scratched her cheek with a nervous laugh, ¡°Ah, about that, well...I honestly don¡¯t think I can pay you.¡±


    Yani sighed and inexplicably did a headstand. Then she spun like a top. Stopping, she went up to Anise and poked her in the navel. ¡°We can work out a request payment. Just tell me what you need. For the love of Audny, why are all aristocrats so thick in the head?¡±


    ¡°If you say so, I won¡¯t hesitate,¡± Anise smiled. And it was at that moment that Yani froze and scrambled back. Even Thane frowned slightly. A thick violet violent miasma seeped out the young lady, groping about, casting shadows tangled and strange.


    ¡°Lady Tan¡¯ae, what a heavy bloodlust.¡± Thane commented. ¡°Rather unlike the stories I¡¯ve heard of you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, sorry,¡± Anise blushed and closed her eyes. When the bloodlust disappeared, she opened her eyes again. ¡°It¡¯s a bad habit of mine.¡±


    ¡°Both you and him, it seems,¡± Thane muttered.


    ¡°Hmph, you could have warned me first,¡± Yani shouted with slight tears in her eyes. ¡°Gave me a fright!¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I got too excited,¡± Anise apologized.


    The two exchanged details on the order.


    ¡°I¡¯ll send Gertrude about the payment when I think of some requests,¡± Yani said with a yawn. ¡°Now get out of my forge, you two. It¡¯s gotten too cold, and now I¡¯m tired.¡±


    Leaving the forge, the two heard the fires roar to life again ¡ª a blast of hot air sending their backs out the door. The bell rung and students poured out the doors. Making their way past the river of people, the two climbed down the citadel and out the door into the campus.


    ¡°I cannot decide whether you are a threat or not,¡± Thane remarked as he stretched his body under the setting sunlight. ¡°You¡¯re a patchwork of people ¡ª and those are the most dangerous, you know. At times, you act like an unassuming lady; other times, you stir up trouble worse than a typhoon; and that bloodlust reeks of winter. What exactly is your goal for joining the Academy, Lady Tan¡¯ae.¡±


    ¡°If I say I want to become a hero, like the legends, how would you react?¡± Anise answered with a yawn.


    ¡°I have never heard of a hero with such heavy bloodlust ¡ª I felt as if Death cowered before you. Truly, what is your goal.¡±


    ¡°I have people to protect and a legacy to uphold. What¡¯s your goal? You¡¯re helping me far too much.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s just say, I¡¯m scoping out the battlefield.¡± Thane replied and promptly disappeared with a single step.


    Not having any remaining classes, Anise made her way back to the dorms. No one else were back yet. Closing the door, the young lady made her way to her bed and closed her eyes.


    Falling into a slumber, she sought out Usha in her dreams. Anise found herself in the world of flesh once more. However, rather than a hallway leading to a larger room, she was simply in a room with no openings. She shouted for the fallen goddess to show her face.


    A sloshing sound came from above. The flesh churned and blood rained as a great hole opened up. Usha plopped out from the chute. She raised herself up and faced Anise.


    ¡°Your face is different,¡± Anise remarked with a frown. The burnt face showed signs of healing, a thin patch of white skin ran over Usha¡¯s upper lips like a mustache.


    Usha cackled and threw her head to the ceiling. As suddenly as the laughter began, she stopped and tilted her head back at Anise. She smiled. ¡°It is all thanks to you, girl.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Anise narrowed her eyes and took a step back.


    ¡°That¡¯s not a matter you should concern yourself with. Regardless, it will happen. So, why are you here?¡± Usha skittered forward on her many limbs, bringing forth the odor of decay: a medley of sharp acidic sweat; humid burst of rotten flesh, striking at the brain like a battering ram; and an underlying, hypnotic germination of sourness, pure and simple sourness.


    ¡°What exactly is happening to my body ¡ª no, my mind?¡± Anise asked as she shielded her nose from the wall of stench.


    ¡°You are becoming a better vessel for me.¡± Usha replied and snuck a taste of the young lady¡¯s cheek. ¡°Both in body and mind ¡ª you will become me. The more you become suitable for my soul, the more I can lend you my strength.¡±


    ¡°Disgusting,¡± Anise replied simply and scrubbed her cheek. ¡°I do not want to become you at all.¡±


    ¡°You want to become a hero of legends, right? Then, you have to accept my power. At least, some of it.¡± Usha chided. Her tongue shot out and pierced Anise¡¯s neck. ¡°Succumb to our bloodlust, and this can be yours.¡±


    Anise¡¯s veins popped as if indigo worms roamed under her skin, while a scene streamed into her mind. Her veins popped and blood spilled all over her body. As blood came forth, it hardened around herself, becoming as hard as diamond. But she also saw the blood contact the air and exploding into a mass of billowing green flames.


    When Usha retracted her tongue, Anise fell over. The young lady checked herself for injuries but found nothing.


    ¡°What was that?¡± Anise asked.


    ¡°If you give in to our bloodlust, then you can use that ability freely. I call it the Twelfth Night. You need it; if you want to become great.¡± Usha cackled and sank down into the flesh, gone.


    Anise called for the goddess a few times. But getting no response, she woke up.


    ¡°Had a nice nap, Miss Tan¡¯ae?¡± Garth asked with a smile. He and Horatio were playing chess.


    ¡°Did it look like I was?¡± Anise asked with a slight smile.


    ¡°Yes. Why do you ask?¡± Garth responded as he took Horatio¡¯s knight eagerly with a bishop. Then grimacing when his own bishop was swallowed by an unseen rook.


    ¡°Then, I guess I was having a nice nap.¡± Anise got up from her bed and stretched. She scanned the room. Belford was asleep and cuddling his pillow. And Sofie was curled up against Tanya. Anise moved over to the two guys who were still awake. She observed the match. It ended soon, with Horatio¡¯s victory.


    ¡°I heard you and Thane the Good were together this afternoon,¡± Horatio remarked as he reset the board. ¡°You sure are popular, princess.¡±


    ¡°Oh, hohoho,¡± Garth chuckled. ¡°It seems I have outstayed my welcome; I belong to a different generation. You sit here and play chess and talk. It is getting late though, my lad and lady. Good night.¡± He moved to his own bed and soon his snoring filled the room.


    ¡°Don¡¯t call me princess,¡± Anise berated him with a light kick to his thigh. ¡°We talked business. Is it rare for him to approach people?¡±


    ¡°Not rare, but he is an enigma. Are we paying him to fight for us?¡± Horatio asked with a hopeful eyebrow raised.


    ¡°Not at all. He simply introduced me to Yani over in the Black Citadel. I don¡¯t know what you guys wanted exactly, but Thane had profiles detailing everyone up till maybe a year ago.¡±


    ¡°Ah, so that¡¯s why Gertrude came over with a letter for you,¡± Horatio pounded his fist against his palm in realization. He handed the letter to the young lady. Then, he took Anise¡¯s knight ¡ª only for his own knight to be captured; a fact he was fine with.


    Anise tore open the letter with her dagger. ¡°How are your classes going?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure how much we can tank before risking expulsion,¡± Horatio chuckled. ¡°Slackers until the very end. That was our plan ¡ª until some cheeky princess blessed us with her presence.¡±


    ¡°Will they mark you down if you do not attend class due to expeditions?¡± Anise asked, surrendering the match to get Horatio¡¯s undivided attention.


    Horatio glanced at the girl with his pitch black eyes and sighed. He ran his hand over his hair. ¡°We really just want to live and then slack off some more. And now we are forced into an expedition. 1 in 4 people die in expeditions! 1 in 4! We only have 6 people.¡±


    ¡°I mean, how else was I supposed to pay for the weapons? Besides, we need to train and get to know each other better first. Sofie has not spoken to me at all, in fact.¡±


    ¡°Fine, fine. Where are we going for this expedition?¡±


    ¡°We are going to Wolfsheimburg. There¡¯s been recent sightings of gray-lurkers, amongst other things. Originally, Yani was charged with the task of extermination ¡ª but she got swamped with her private affairs. In addition, she also wants us to collect some rocks and


    salvage some monster parts from the area.¡±


    Horatio gave up and collapsed on the bed, hitting his head against the wall in the process. ¡°That place has a 1 in 3 chance of people dying on a regular basis. Adding in gray-lurkers, that¡¯s a 1 in 2 chance. You are a living hell, princess. A real godsend of death.¡±


    ¡°Then, would it be bad for me to mention we leave tomorrow? On foot, no less?¡± Anise smirked and left for her own bed, leaving Horatio to


    fume silently on his own.

 Chapter 16: Wolfsheimburg

    Author¡¯s Note: First week I¡¯m gone. Since I only update this once a week...it¡¯s not like much has changed. Except...I only got this chapter finished...THIS PEASANT IS SORRY! Some parts of the chapter may just be filler-ish...but I was on a tight schedule and I thought these scenes were fun to read...Anyhow, enjoy. As always, thanks for reading.


    The Ultimus squad was in a horsedrawn carriage. They¡¯ve been stuck inside for several hours. Snuggly compacted, like sugar cubes. Everyone reached maximum boredom and irritation once they passed the third sighting of farm fields. There was absolutely nothing to do.


    Still, it was better than walking. It would have took them days to reach Wolfsheimburg on foot. Anise pointed this out to the administrators, citing how it was inherently unfair to them as it would interfere with the dorm wars. The administrators ignored them at first, pointing out that she did not have to take the expedition in the first place. Thane overheard her pleas as the administration area was a general hub where people gathered: for rewards, expeditions, complaints, and other factors of academy life. Hearing the young lady¡¯s concerns, Thane offered to loan them his own personal carriage.


    The carriage was small, rather run-down. The horses were mean-spirited, yawping at onlookers. And the driver was a man with few teeth and a wooden right leg. In addition, Anise was to pay part of her first stipend from the Academy to Thane. Still, it was better than walking. Though, the lack of activities to do was tedious.


    Chess was out of the question. The pieces kept flying all over the place due to the poor roads ¡ª and the general disposition of the horses. There was no view to appreciate until further along the journey as the landscape gradually shift to the much harsher snowstorms of the northern regions. Though, even then, it was unlikely for any awe or joy to bloom; without fail, the hatred of the outside will deepen. And there was absolutely no conversation to be talked or listened.


    Tanya was banned from cutting herself ¡ª every sharp object on her was confiscated. She began in a gloom which shifted to a perpetual glare directed at Anise.


    ¡°So, uh, does everyone know what we¡¯re going to do?¡± Anise asked.


    ¡°Wolfsheimburg. Gray-lurkers. Hero stuff.¡± Tanya groaned. ¡°We aren¡¯t heroes, Anise!¡±


    ¡°We can become heroes?¡± Anise offered with a nervous laugh.


    ¡°Bel is hero?¡± Belford tilted his head, knocking into Sofie. He took up a good portion of the other side ¡ª and only Sofie was small enough to squeeze into the remaining space.


    Sofie munched on Belford¡¯s arms.


    ¡°Mutiny, ay?¡± Garth joked. ¡°Still, this will be our first combat expedition.¡±


    ¡°Yes. It will be,¡± Anise affirmed that statement. ¡°And I believe we can complete the mission.¡±


    ¡°Before completing the mission, can we survive first?¡± Horatio sighed. Those black orbs of his matched too well with his pessimistic aura. ¡°I should have stabbed myself in the foot.¡±


    ¡°Lad, now you¡¯re just insulting me and my fellow amputees,¡± Garth scolded. ¡°Besides, one of the healers would have just patched you right up.¡±


    And that conversation came to an end.


    ¡°So, favorite color? Mine¡¯s purple,¡± Anise said.


    ¡°The color of the aristocrat, how fitting. Mine¡¯s black.¡±


    ¡°Like your soul?¡± Garth and Anise responded in unision.


    ¡°Shut up.¡±


    ¡°Bel¡¯s color¡¯s blue!¡±


    ¡°Mine¡¯s the color of grass when it first sprouts, that splattered of green ¡ª light and dark ¡ª mixed with the sharp brown of the earth.¡±


    ¡°I like the color blood. Wait, I mean blood. No, wait, red! Yeah, I like the color red,¡± Tanya giggled and smiled at everyone else.


    Sofie pointed at her white hair.


    Anise then realized that conversation topic led nowhere.


    ¡°Princess, you really suck at this,¡± Horatio smirked.


    ¡°Shut up. Don¡¯t call me princess.¡±


    And then all attempts at conversation stopped.


    Rolling across pebbles, holes, and even unfortunate critters, the carriage lulled the people inside to sleep. Only Anise remained awake.


    She pulled out the letter from Yani again and read over the contents. Though she told the others it was a simple extermination, there was actually more to the expedition.


    The letter detailed the official briefing of the mission. Four people had been reported missing, gone over the course of months. The first gray-lurker attack in decades was sighted in nearby villages, leaving them decimated. In addition, the governor of Wolfsheimburg was missing along with his daughter. Along with the extermination of the possible gray-lurkers pack, the Academy wanted the governor to be found and secured ¡ª dead or alive, with a head or in pieces ¡ª and the reason behind the sudden activity of an organized gray-lurker threat.


    ¡°Definitely an expedition befitting of someone that could be in the top 10 of the second-years,¡± Anise said glumly. She rested her arm on the windowsill and watched as the farmers toiled the fields. They never rested. As soon as one planting season ended, they switched to the next batch of plants. As a rotational system, it was bountiful, but it felt like the people were chained to their duties.


    ¡°Pitiful beasts,¡± Usha commented on the fields. ¡°I¡¯m not just talking about the oxes or horses ¡ª not just those you label slaves either. It makes you wonder, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Wonder what?¡± Anise inquired. She resisted the urge to sound sarcastic. She disliked the goddess, but on a trip which will last till night, she needed the company.


    ¡°Fate,¡± Usha answered bluntly. Anise envisioned her saying that shrugging, or tearing the flesh off of ¡ª something, though she didn¡¯t know exactly what. Maybe human.


    ¡°What about fate?¡± Anise asked.


    ¡°Do you believe in it?¡± Usha waited for the girl¡¯s response. She delved deep into Anise¡¯s being to sense any lie.


    ¡°What do you mean believe? Doesn¡¯t the Church teach that it exists,¡± Anise responded.


    ¡°Then why did you try so hard to get where you are now?¡± Usha asked. ¡°If everything is decided by fate.¡±


    ¡°Because no one knows what their fate is,¡± Anise answered.


    ¡°I see, so that¡¯s why you humans can go on living despite complete despair. You think fate will suddenly turn everything around one day.¡±


    ¡°So is fate real?¡±


    ¡°Fate is what you make of it. Fate does not apply to us divines in the first place ¡ª why should it?¡±


    ¡°What do you think my fate is?¡± Anise asked. ¡°Can you see it?¡±


    ¡°Hmph, you have a part of my soul in you now,¡± Usha sneered. ¡°You¡¯re an anomaly. I¡¯m not even certain you have a fate anymore, beside the one we desire.¡±


    ¡°Think we¡¯ll make it home alive?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not letting my host die ¡ª my revenge must come to fruition,¡± Usha growled.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let the others die either.¡±


    ¡°No guarantees. But they seem capable enough.¡±


    ¡°So do magnolia trees, but their seeds can be crushed by a bird¡¯s beak.¡± Anise sighed. ¡°Usha, what is your revenge anyways? Who were you before you fell? There¡¯s no records of your existence at all.¡±


    ¡°A host should stay quiet and not pry.¡± Usha replied coldly.


    ¡°I think, as host, I have the privilege to know,¡± Anise fired back.


    ¡°Just think of when you were swallowed up by that inanis, there¡¯s your answer.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡±


    ¡°If you just give your entire being to me, then you will.¡±


    Anise snorted, ¡°Hmph, never. I¡¯m going to sleep. Don¡¯t you dare invade my dreams.¡±


    Usha obeyed. Though she did prod at the girl¡¯s memories and conjure up a major trauma as she slept.


    ¡°You look terrible,¡± Horatio commented as they got off the carriage.


    ¡°Just nightmares,¡± Anise responded and covered her mouth. Then she went over to the side of the road and puked. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Does everyone have their coats on?¡±


    Everyone gave an affirmative.


    ¡°Mr.Driver, will you stay in the area until we finish?¡±


    ¡°Ye, got nothin¡¯ betta to do. I¡¯ll be at the bar gamblin¡¯ my depression away. I may lose another leg,¡± he laughed and left for the bar.


    ¡°Usually, we would report to the governor of the town,¡± Anise explained. ¡°But he¡¯s missing.¡±


    ¡°Oh god,¡± Horatio rubbed his eyes. ¡°Princess, truly a godsend of death. And I bet this isn¡¯t just a simple extermination.¡±


    ¡°Well, it is ¡ª except...it¡¯s also an investigation,¡± Anise laughed nervously.


    ¡°Lady Tan¡¯ae, that¡¯s something you should have told us before we arrived,¡± Garth frowned.


    ¡°There was little time. What with securing the carriage and all.¡±


    ¡°You could have told us during the ride here.¡±


    ¡°I forgot.¡±


    ¡°Anyways, what are we to do now,¡± Garth asked, breaking up the minor skirmish.


    ¡°Since the governor¡¯s been missing for a while, someone is bound to be in charge.¡±


    ¡°And if he¡¯s in charge by force?¡± Horatio inquired.


    ¡°Liberate the people if we can handle it. If not, we will have to bear with it until we find the governor.¡±


    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    ¡°And if the people like the new governor more,¡± Tanya asked.


    ¡°Let our future selves handle future problems,¡± Anise concluded. ¡°For now, let¡¯s just enter the town and look for a place to stay for free.¡±


    ¡°I hope we get to stay in the governor¡¯s house,¡± Belford smiled. ¡°I hear governor houses are really, really nice.¡±


    Wolfsheimburg was a standard town up in the north. Thick walls draped with snow enclosed the interior houses with iron gates. Guard towers positioned high staffed with archers overlooked the horizon for threats. Wolf statues particular to the region stood at both sides of the gates, guardians of the townsfolk.


    Upon declaration of their purpose, they were admitted through the gates. A row of shops greeted their eyes. Torches casted orange shadows onto brick houses. Guards patrolled the streets as the stray beggar begged for food in the harsh cold. The governor¡¯s mansion stationed in the back towered as a beacon.


    Knocking on the wooden doors of the mansion, the group waited for an answer. The doors opened. A butler whose locks were unkempt, but otherwise prim and proper, bowed. A maid next to him curtsied, careful not to burn herself with the candle.


    ¡°I am the head butler of this estate, Borge Oui. The woman next to me is the head maid, Jacqueline Yvor. Is there anything to which I may be of service?¡±


    ¡°Wah, pretty,¡± Belford exclaimed and leaned forward toward Jacqueline. Horatio pulled the oaf back.


    ¡°Pardon our friend here,¡± Anise said. She handed over the official papers to the butler. ¡°As you can see, we are here for the expedition. Would it be permissible if we use the governor¡¯s house as our base of operation?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that would be best,¡± Borge answered, handing back the papers. ¡°Please, come inside. We will talk more once we get you all settled. The northern cold is quite unsuspecting but lethal.¡±


    The doors closed behind them. Warmth greeted them, then clung to them, becoming overbearing leeches upon their skin. It did not take even five minutes for everyone to strip off their fur coats. Settling in the lounge, the two head servants asked if anyone had a tea request. Anise asked for hibiscus out of habit. Borge looked at her ¡ª stared at her ¡ª then bowed.


    ¡°We do not have hibiscus in stock. Even the governor can only afford to import it once a month,¡± Borge apologized. ¡°Would flower tea be suitable, young lady?¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes, that would be good,¡± Anise said with a blush.


    ¡°Princess, what fine taste you¡± Tanya and Horatio whispered into her ears.


    ¡°We have biscuits left over from this morning, would you want some?¡± Jacqueline inquired. Everyone nodded.


    The two servants left. Sofie climbed onto Horatio¡¯s lap and whispered something to him.


    ¡°Does anyone have silver pins or needles,¡± Horatio asked. He pointed at the girl. ¡°She needs  it. Hair ornament would be fine too.¡±


    Anise giggled, then hid her mouth after finding Sofie glaring at her. ¡°It¡¯s just that silver can only detect certain types of poison ¡ª and if they really wanted to poison adventurers, they wouldn¡¯t use such common poison in the first place.¡±


    ¡°Have no fear,¡± Borge¡¯s voice boomed as he carried the tea and set it on the table. He poured tea for everyone, adding a cube in each. ¡°There is no poison.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Garth smiled. He grabbed his cup and gulped it down. He flapped his tongue. ¡°It¡¯s very sweet. Sofie, you would probably like this.¡±


    With hesitation, the girl dipped her finger into her cup and licked it. Her eyes widened and she smiled. Then immediately snarled at Anise, before returning to sipping her drink slowly. Jacqueline brought in the plates of biscuits, and a brief tea time commenced. Once finished and the table cleared, the real discussion began.


    ¡°So, we would like to ask you some questions,¡± Anise began. She waved her hands frantically. ¡°You are not criminals; this is not an interrogation. We simply want to have the best picture of the situation as possible.¡±


    ¡°That is fine,¡± Borge nodded.


    ¡°Do you want to sit first?¡± Garth asked, gesturing to the empty chairs around the table.


    ¡°There is no need,¡± Jacqueline replied brusquely.


    ¡°I noticed there was no other servants here. Where are they?¡±


    ¡°A few live in the residential areas and are sleeping there. However, most of them have taken leave of the estate¡¯s service after the governor has disappeared. They are unsure whether they will be paid during the period he is gone. Beside me and Jacqueline, there is perhaps three more servants. Four depending on his mood.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s allowed?¡± Horatio raised his eyebrow.


    ¡°He is a capable guard.¡±


    ¡°I see, so where was he during the day the governor gone missing?¡± Garth asked, leaning forward.


    ¡°If you wish to intimidate us, sir, I suggest you leave,¡± Borge said cooly. ¡°The guard, Remil, was out of town in one of the nearby villages. He heard of the gray-lurkers attacking and went to check up on his siblings.¡±


    ¡°I heard the governor¡¯s daughter disappeared a week after the governor. Where was he then?¡± Anise studied the servants¡¯ muscle movements.


    ¡°We do not know,¡± the head maid replied.


    Anise twitched her eyebrows. ¡°How can you not know? You are the head maid; he is the head butler!¡±


    ¡°But we are not the head guard,¡± Borge responded. ¡°Nor are we his parents or master.¡±


    ¡°And him being gone both times does not strike you two as being suspicious?¡± Horatio inquired as he petted Sofie.


    ¡°It did. However, Remil is very loyal to the governor. And the governor likes him quite a bit, if not for the rumors of his liaison with his daughter.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s plenty suspicious,¡± Tanya remarked with a stare.


    ¡°Can you detail the layout of the house? And where the governor and his daughter were last seen?¡± Anise interrupted Tanya¡¯s blatant hostility.


    ¡°The house is rather large. The second floor is comprised of entirely bedrooms and bathrooms. The first floor has the lounge, kitchen, and an office. There are also various recreational rooms installed by previous governors, including a weapons room. We servants sleep on the second floor, as the governor has a small family of two.


    ¡°The governor was last seen in his office, drafting up a report. He instructed me to prepare a coach, and for a maid to bring him tea. The governor¡¯s daughter locked herself in her room after the governor¡¯s disappearance. While one of the maids was bringing her supper, she found the young lady gone. Anything else?¡±


    ¡°No, thank you, Borge. Moving on, I noticed the festivity of the town to be quite high. Do they not fear the gray-lurkers?¡± Anise gestured outside where the faint bits of laughter drifted from the bars and streets.


    ¡°The gray-lurkers has not attacked yet. And I doubt they will be able to. We have archers, guards, and even a wall. The villages were ill-equipped.¡± Borge remarked. Then he flexed his muscles. ¡°Besides, we Wolfsheimburg folk are no strangers to danger nor death. We are a strong people, hardened by the cold.¡±


    ¡°Has a temporary leader been chosen?¡±


    ¡°Yes. We will introduce you to her tomorrow; she is rather tired from the recent events ¡ª and a sudden intrusion would be too cruel.¡±


    Anise nodded with a smile. ¡°Ok, it¡¯s getting late. We should all go to bed. It would be bad if we stay up until midnight, right Horatio? ¡±


    ¡°Hmph, I¡¯m content to sleep until lunch is prepared,¡± Horatio yawned.


    ¡°I will show the women their room. Borge will show the men. You will use the rooms the other servants used. Four beds in each room and one dresser. Do not go into the other rooms without permission.¡±


    As Tanya rose from her place, she tapped Jacqueline on her back and asked, ¡°If I hypothetically got blood on the bed sheets, do I have to clean it myself, or is cleaning included in our stay?¡±


    ¡°We are employed by the governor. Unless the room becomes a pigsty, I will not clean it. Even then, you will compensate me.¡±


    Tanya frowned. ¡°Oh, ok.¡±


    ¡°If it is a matter of the monthlies, I have a home remedy to ease the pain.¡±


    ¡°No, no, nothing like that,¡± Tanya laughed nervously. The other members looked at each other and shook their heads, hopelessly. The two head servants glanced at each other, exchanged a look, and went their separate ways: men on the west wing, women on the east.


    After ascertaining the others were asleep, Anise parted the door and slipped out. She squished herself onto the walls and poked her head around the corners before moving. Guided only by her own eyes, she managed not to trip on every little thing.


    ¡°You look ridiculous, you know that, right?¡± Usha laughed. ¡°The head servants are asleep.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Anise replied. She continued to slide across the walls, then creep down the stairs. Though, once she reached the last step, she stood up straight, smoothed her clothing, and walked toward the kitchen.


    ¡°Princess,¡± Horatio nodded as he yawned. ¡°What do you want?¡±


    ¡°I want to review the facts. The head servants may be lying, or simply misinformed or misled. Discussing it with everyone would draw too much attention.¡±


    ¡°Well, no point in pinpointing down a suspect now,¡± Horatio declared. ¡°It would just lock us out from the truth.¡±


    ¡°Do you think it¡¯s related to the gray-lurkers? The town hasn¡¯t been attacked,¡± Anise pondered.


    ¡°Well, maybe the gray-lurkers have corrupted some of the townspeople? If the pack is organized, that can only mean they have a King now. Negotiations are not out of the possibilities ¡ª the new leader could be suspicious. But again, so is everyone else.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s odd,¡± Anise sighed. But before she could say anymore, a loud howl came from outside. ¡°Horatio, wake everyone up! There¡¯s a high likelihood it¡¯s a gray-lurker.¡±


    Anise rushed out the doors. Horatio groaned and lamented his fate, ¡°Truly, the princess is a godsend of death.¡±


    Author¡¯s Note Part Deux: Hi guys, it¡¯s his friend uploading at the moment. I literally almost forgot to upload this chapter because I have been playing Pokemon Go for the past few days. If any of you expected a chapter earlier on this week, sorry about that. Also what team you on for Pokemon Go? #TeamMystic

 Chapter 17: Here Comes Daddy

    Author¡¯s Note: First chapter since I got back. Very late upload because I had to review my notes and everything ¡ª since I was gone for a month or so. As always, thanks for reading.


    Anise ran out of the house, doors slamming with such force that the building shook. The howling stopped. Anise listened for any follow-up. A scream. She cursed and ran faster. The guards began to act as well, running alongside her, their swords jangling against their hips. And it was at that moment that Anise realized, in her hurry, she forgot to bring a weapon.


    Left with no other choice ¡ª


    ¡°You can use my power, you know,¡± Usha laughed. ¡°Though if this stupid forgetfulness pushes you over the edge, I know not whether I should be happy or sad.¡±


    ¡°Shut up, Usha,¡± Anise growled. She fell in behind the squadron of guards. ¡°Someone is in actual danger. I have no time to deal with your shit right now.¡±


    One of the guards, clad in steel armor lined with fur round his neck, glared at Anise through the thin y-slit of his helm. The guard wielding a saber with wolf-pommel commanded his men to split into three divisions. One charged forward at death, howling mad to the cold wind, sharp lines drawn into the snow. One other division circled around, bows in hand with arrows lit on fire. The last stayed behind. He growled, ¡°Girl, get back inside! There is a grey-lurker round the corner!¡±


    Anise rummaged through her pants¡¯ pockets and found the official writ issued from the Academy. The captain retracted his hostility, but offered no explanation of the situation to Anise. Rather, he made to issue orders around the corner before throwing his body back behind the corner as a pair of guards flew past him at the speed of a shadow. Frowning, Anise asked the captain for the situation and how she could help.


    ¡°Situation?¡± He laughed. Narrowing his grip on his saber, he snarled. ¡°All I know is the gravediggers are going to have a bloody festival tomorrow. You can help by not dying.¡±


    ¡°I need a weapon,¡± Anise gestured to her empty hands.


    The captain shook his head, body trembling. ¡°What kind of stupid adventurer did they send me? How do you not have your weapon?¡±


    ¡°I forgot.¡±


    ¡°Erikson! Tyr!¡± He shouted. Two guards at the back rushed forward.


    ¡°At your command, Captain Fenik!¡±


    ¡°Erikson, give the girl your sword. Tyr, when we charge, adopt the Romulus Formation.¡±


    Erikson, the bigger of the two men lent Anise a simple steel sword. He replaced his empty hands with a shield which covered his entire back like a beetle¡¯s shell.


    ¡°You still haven¡¯t told me the current situation,¡± Anise looked up at the captain who was shouting to retrieve the knights flung past him.


    ¡°Take a look yourself,¡± Captain Fenik laughed dryly. ¡°Though I can¡¯t guarantee your pretty little head won¡¯t be knocked off by a stray body.¡±


    Anise moved past Captain Fenik and poked her head round the corner.


    A chill went down her spine, rattled her entire being. Though she has seen grey-lurkers illustrated in the picture books of her youth, the essence of the beast has never been captured by simple black ink.


    The beast moved with a antelope¡¯s agility on its eight thin limbs. Lunged about, its body the size of two men, with every step, men flew ¡ª unable to bear the force. Those who managed to dodge were unable to penetrate the thick grey fur. Blades merely bounced off. And then those poor men were stabbed through by the beast¡¯s beak.


    Already a stark contrast of black red blood against the bleached white bird skull attached to the front of the torso formed. Such a sight sent fear through the souls of the guards. And the howls of the wolf head protruded from the back did not help.


    Though the archers fired their arrows ¡ª gleaming stars in the dark ¡ª the wolf¡¯s howls knocked the arrows away before it even reached its shadow. And the stray embers simply made the beast furious, causing it to leap away ¡ª only to retaliate with the double the bloodlust once the embers died embraced by the snow.


    Anise pulled her head back. She looked at the captain with the same grim look. ¡°What¡¯s the plan?¡±


    ¡°We stall until sunrise,¡± the captain sighed. ¡°I¡¯ve sent some men to fetch oil. We will burn these houses and keep the beast at bay. When Lady Arushi¡¯s light return to the darken sky, we can rest.¡±


    Anise chewed her cheek. ¡°Are you certain we cannot best the beast?¡±


    ¡°Do you know the history of this city, girl?¡± The captain breathed smoke from the opening of his helm. ¡°We are called Wolfheimsburg because we are favored by the wolves ¡ª and by these grey-lurkers. Since our earliest ancestors, we have been favored as their prey. In all recording, the defeat of a grey-lurker at night is a myth, a miracle.¡±


    ¡°So you let your men die in vain?¡± Anise spat.


    Fenik slammed his saber into the snow, a scattering of debris. He growled, ¡°I do not wish the opinion on sacrifice from a girl fresh from her mother¡¯s teats. And it is not in vain. The people will live; it is our duty to die.¡±


    ¡°He has you there,¡± Usha chuckled. ¡°There¡¯s little you can do, girl. And don¡¯t even think of going out there ¡ª if you even kill the beast, we will surely not stop at just one life.¡±


    ¡°And if it comes back?¡± Anise argued, hands gripped on her own blade.


    ¡°That is up to the new head to decide. We may reinstate our Old Ways.¡±


    ¡°I heard that your people¡¯s Old Ways comprised of only offering up young blood to the beasts,¡± Garth lumbered over to the two with the others in tow. He gave a wry chuckle, ¡°Honestly, Miss Tan¡¯ae, you are making this old man¡¯s bones creak and groan.¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s Tanya?¡± Anise inquired, not seeing the squad¡¯s residential healer.


    ¡°You may not know this, but Tanya is a heavier sleeper than Belford over here,¡± Garth laughed with tired eyes and pointed toward Belford who blushed.


    ¡°Your squad, I assume,¡± Captain Fenik commented dryly. He narrowed his eyes and hissed, ¡°That girl¡¯s a witch! Take her away immediately, you fools!¡±


    Horatio conjured his spear, black as death. He stepped forward and asked, ¡°Do you also believe that witches only bring about Corruption?¡±


    Captain Fenik flicked away the ink spear with his own blade. He growled, ¡°Is the reason of our Old Ways understood in the Capital? Do you know of why things are done the way they are?¡±


    Garth gasped and then cursed. ¡°I¡¯ve forgotten! Belford, child, take Sofie away now! Quickly, before she is sensed.¡±


    Shooting a curious glance at the one-armed man, Sofie climbed aboard Belford¡¯s back. Not truly understanding, though complying, Belford began to race back toward the governor¡¯s residence on all fours.


    However, it was too late.


    A roar pounded through the cold night, echoing against the wind ¡ª sent scattered across snow ¡ª dangled haphazardly still like a guillotine. Everyone froze, as if ice crept up unknowingly and seeped into their very joints. The soldiers awaited fate with wide eyes, gaping mouths; Captain Fenik closed his eyes, accepting of fate; the Ultimus squad yielded, not certain of fate ¡ª except one, Anise.


    A lilac miasma poured out her mouth, wrapped round her like silk scarves, and she howled. The thick miasma shattered, sent flying out in shards and striking all near her. Penetrating flesh, sunken into their souls, the soldiers¡¯ eyes became red with rage and were able to move once more.


    Fortunate, since the grey-lurker rammed directly into the building which served as cover, causing a storm of debris to plunge down at them.


    Diving back into battle, the soldiers no longer feared death. Seized by a fervent lust for battle, they yawped with desire, slamming shields and spears and swords at the beast¡¯s legs. Archers fired swarms of flames with unceasing precision.


    The beast was not amused. With a chomp, it tore the foot-soldiers to pieces, flinging their torsos into the air. Timing it perfectly, the flame-arrows struck only the mangled flesh of fallen comrades. Immediately after, the beast charged for the backline. Rather than retreating, the battle-seized archers pulled out their daggers and rushed to meet the beast, smiling teeth bared.


    Captain Fenik shouted for his ¡°damn fools to retreat¡± to no avail. Hopelessly, he too flung himself at the beast with abandon. Smiling mad, Anise laughed as she lunged into battle, flailing her sword.


    With no other choice left, Horatio scribbled his hand in the air. Gaining life, his ink spear shot forward toward the grey-lurker¡¯s wolf portion of the body. Chuckling wryly, Garth pulled back, launching himself past even Belford until he was at least some five miles from the conflict. Then he steadied his bow.


    It was a peculiar bow. Despite the modifications, it was clear it began its life as a standard issued oak longbow mass manufactured. Yet, there was a scope attached to the front. Odd wood was stuck to the end of the limbs to add length. The typical thin string sinew was replaced with some odd wire. All of these additions was to accommodate Garth¡¯s limbs.


    Striking the arrowhead against the walls, a spark flared into existence. Catching the small breath of life with the end of the sleeve hung loose round his stump, he quickly tore the fabric from the rest of his tunic before it spread with his teeth. Wrapping the flame around the arrowhead, Garth took aim.


    He waited. It did not take long for the soldiers to dwindle down to zero. Corpses laid strewn across the snow, a patch of blood lilies sow and grown: wrangled messes of flesh and cracked ivory. Anise and Fenik stormed the beast¡¯s limbs, in hopes of entangling it, constantly cutting at them ¡ª only to hear the dull thud as the grey fur absorbed the blow. Horatio aimed for the wolf¡¯s eyes, for that was the only vulnerable part he could see. Yet, the wolf possessed the ability to extend his neck like the shadow against the sun.


    Garth breathed in. And he let the arrow fly. Spiraling, screeching like a banshee, the arrow pierced through the wolf¡¯s left eye. The grey-lurker bellowed out, throwing its limbs in pure wrath. Taking the chance, Anise scaled up the beast¡¯s limbs as they came crashing down like hammers. Leaping up into the air, she sank her blade with childish glee into the wolf¡¯s head, still recoiled in agony.


    She tried to pull her blade away for another strike, but found the poor steel stuck in the wolf¡¯s skull. Shrugging, she coated her fists in lilac miasma and began to pummel the wolf. When the wolf struck back with one of its limbs, Anise deftly leapt off and rolled back to safety.


    Though that strike was successful, it only served to enrage the terrible beast. Ignoring the minor inconveniences of flies, it lunged across the snow to snatch up its prey.


    Setting Sofie down, Belford pounded his chest and met the beast with his own body. Grappling one of the beast¡¯s legs, Belford held his weight ¡ª slowing the beast¡¯s charge, pushing up a mound of snow behind his foot.


    Sofie muttered ¡ª chanted ¡ª something under her breath. She regarded the beast with pure disgust and contempt. She sneered and clapped her hands together.


    The cold wind died. A great series of clouds covered the gleaming moon. The torches flickered, sputtered, and wavered until it breathed its last. And a great flame gathered in front of the young girl ¡ª a lance of supernova proportions. The very air around it became distorted, a hazy curtain blurring reality. A suffocation engulfed those near as even the buildings weeped and sagged. As Sofie¡¯s eyes glowed red, she thrusted the flame forward at Belford and the grey-lurker.


    Horatio shouted for Belford to let go of the beast. The oaf shook his head and tightened his grip on the beast¡¯s limb, preventing it from leaving the path of the fire. Even as the many limbs whipped his back, causing deep welts and grooves, he stood. Even as the wolf sank its maw into his neck, he stood. Even as the bird jabbed its beak into his shoulder, he stood. The blood simply made him seem more primal: larger, stronger, immovable. Muscles bulging, he stood his ground.


    The beast squirmed and howled as the miniature sun flew toward it at blinding speeds. Belford tightened his back, becoming a great bulwark of flesh, to absorb the impact.


    A great burst of hot air, mass of thick steam, then it was over. Anise and the others brushed the haze from their eyes and gasped. Their hearts seized with sheer fear, a penetrating chill, as they laid eyes on the aftermath.


    Rather than a horrid execution, there was no damage at all. A lone creature stood in front of the grey-lurker and Belford. It was a peculiar specimen. Standing on the hindlegs of a beast, it measured only the height of an average man. It held no fur besides what covered its legs ¡ª rather, its grey skin (if one can call it skin) was akin to tanned leather, wrinkled and dry, wrapped grotesque and too tight over its frame. And this skin wrapped around a head with no eyes, nostril, or mouth, but the mere shadows of such orifices. Atop its head was the skull of a bird, perhaps a vulture, worn as a crown of sorts. And this king of sorts wielded a staff with the skull of a wolf.


    Captain Fenik collapsed onto his knees. He laughed bitterly and threw his saber away. Looking at the mysterious beast, he cried to the night sky, ¡°A King! Of course, of course! Ha. Hahaha! Long live the King!¡±


    The others looked at Fenik with confusion and worry, even Garth, the most learned of the group.


    ¡°What¡¯s a King?¡± Horatio asked, his eyes on the new beast. Ever so few seconds, he flicked his eyes at Belford who panted and shook, then at Sofie who laid unconscious after her incantation.


    Captain Fenik looked at Horatio with dead eyes ¡ª wide orbs of nothing ¡ª and laughed. ¡°A King is death incarnate. There is no hope. None at all, but to become its loyal subject. To feed and nurture it.¡±


    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Before Horatio can engage the topic further, the King moved. It moved slow, sauntering across the snow. Not because it was hurt, not because it was scared, but because it was King. Who dared to move faster than it?


    Anise wanted to move, but even bolstered by the bloodlust of the fallen goddess, she found herself unable to.


    ¡°Usha,¡± she shouted in her mind, ¡°what¡¯s going on?¡±


    Usha giggled, a shrill pitch like suicide. ¡°My, that¡¯s a King. At your current acceptance of my soul, you will never be able to rebel against it. For it is King of all things in its domain.¡±


    ¡°Cut the crap,¡± Anise scowled. ¡°What the hell is a King?¡±


    ¡°It is the leader of the grey-lurkers, an evolved form of these magnificent beasts after consuming enough souls ¡ª though, a grey-lurker would consider it their god instead. A delicious soul like that girl''s over there is quite nutritious. Stronger, faster, smarter; already it is far more elegant than these mutts, but it is impervious to fire as well.¡±


    ¡°Then what the hell is it weak against?¡±


    ¡°Swords. Fists. The usual thing. After all, it has shed its fur in order to become more like a man ¡ª to ascend to be like god. Of course, that does not mean it is weak either, for it possess magic far beyond imagination and its own army of grey-lurkers, among other inherent abilities.¡±


    Anise smiled, ¡°Finally, some good news.¡±


    ¡°Then you accept me, girl?¡± Usha giggled once more.


    ¡°Just give me your strength, fallen one.¡±


    ¡°Oh, fallen one. You address me proper for once,¡± Usha exclaimed in delight, as she gave more of herself to the human.


    Anise screamed and writhed in pain as Usha gave more of her twisted soul to her human vessel.


    The young lady¡¯s veins bulged and ruptured as a lilac miasma seeped out, before healing. Her eyes took on an iridescent glow. She bolted herself forward, fist already in motion, with a laughter like the shattering of glass.


    Sensing the disturbance, the King simply turned and thrusted its staff to the sky. A great flurry of snow lifted from the ground and swirled in haunting unison like a swarm of locusts. Biting at Anise, the young lady came out of it battered and bitten by frost. With another movement of its staff, the snow became a great fang of ice hovered over Anise. Stamping its staff onto the ground, the fang fell.


    Throwing herself to the side, Anise dodged. Going on all fours, she rushed at the King once more. With another swing of its staff, the King sent the fang of ice impaled in the ground shattering, flinging the shards like a maelstrom of blades at the rebel warrior. Quickly getting trapped by the vortex, Anise was unable to find a path out. The King stamped its staff onto the ground once more. The maelstrom of blades snapped closed inwards, driving each blade deep into Anise.


    The girl fell. The King satisfied, waved its staff and the blades melted into snow once more. Once more it sauntered over toward Sofie. The others bled, hoping to move, but the King¡¯s imperial aura oppressed their every movement. Once it held Sofie in its arms, it left. The King dove into the snow as if it was a pool of water, and it disappeared.


    Silence hung over the squad. It was quickly broken when the grey-lurker moved once more. Caught off guard, Belford was thrown into a nearby wall and knocked unconscious. Rushing for the one who took out its eye, the beast howled.


    Horatio acted and sent his ink spear to stall the beast. However, the spear was but a sapling in the face of the beast, and was easily brushed away. Despite the five miles distance between Garth and the grey-lurker, the large beast covered the distance in but a few bounds.


    Then it stopped. Its shoulders sagged and its head sanked. The beast pulled its limbs inwards toward itself. Huddled, it closed its eyes in slumber. Garth noticed a lullaby being played. He turned his head to see the approach of an elderly woman with long gray braids. She walked tall and with back straight as she played her flute.


    Garth thanked the old woman. He remarked, ¡°I assume you must be the temporary head of Wolfsheimburg.¡±


    The old woman did not respond. Rather, she kept playing the lullaby until its end. Then from her coat, she took out a twisted dagger. Muttering some prayers, with a deft movement of her arm, she jabbed the dagger into the beast¡¯s bird skull. And as if a memory, the entire beast faded into ash, carried by the wind.


    Still not responding to Garth, the old woman went over to Captain Fenik. She took off his helm and slapped him. With an angry sigh, she commanded, ¡°Captain Fenik! What are you doing, kneeling in front of this old woman? Go and fetch the medics and doctors. Surely, some of your men still lives. And at the very least, these guests need treatment. Furthermore, the gravediggers. We must set a date. There is much to do, so get to it!¡±


    Woke from his delusions, Captain Fenik nodded and ran off.


    Then the old woman turned back to the Ultimus squad who has gathered around Anise and Belford. She turned to Garth after stashing away her flute. ¡°I suppose I am the temporary head of Wolfsheimburg. Though dawn barely approaches, I assume you all wish to speak to me quite urgently. Well, pick up your fallen and follow me.¡±


    Without another word, the old woman walked toward her house, not slowing or turning to see if the others were following. Horatio exchanged a bitter glance at Anise, then at Garth. The one-armed man shrugged and smiled wry. Horatio placed Anise into his arms. He noticed her wounds already healing and scowled even more. With the help of Garth, they were able to hoist even Belford up.


    Before they arrived at the old woman¡¯s house, Anise woke. She and Horatio shared a look. There was a reason to fear and be wary of those who practice the Script. All who are of that particular magic have ink fill their eyes, rendering it black ¡ª and unreadable.


    ¡°We¡¯ll talk about this later,¡± Horatio answered stiffly.


    The old woman¡¯s house was a small cottage, but well furnished and emitting an inviting aura. Though the many wolf decor and stuffed animals gave the house a rather intimidating feel.


    Sitting down in the living room, the air was tense. The old woman took the entirety of one couch for herself despite being rather thin. Belford took up the old woman¡¯s bed instead, as his condition was rather severe. The other three stuffed themselves into the smaller couch.


    ¡°Well, I was awaken rather rudely. It¡¯s not even dawn. So no, I¡¯m not making any of you tea. And no, you can¡¯t rummage through my house for a snack or tea. This is not a charity.¡± The old woman said all that while sipping on a cup of tea. She kept the pot close to her. ¡°And my name is Sena Cideil. Address me as Auntie, and only Auntie.¡±


    ¡°What the hell is a King,¡± Horatio asked, hands clasped, eyes driving into Sena¡¯s.


    ¡°My, there was a King?¡± Sena remarked calmly, though she did stop sipping her tea. ¡°As one should know, grey-lurkers are typically solitary beasts. Why, hunting one or two per season would not be too hard a job during the day with proper preparation. In fact, grey-lurkers often kill each other due to territory and competition. That is why we never worried too much despite the recent incidents. A King is different.¡±


    ¡°They can control the other grey-lurkers,¡± Anise interrupted. ¡°Impervious to fire. Possessing mystical abilities and magic. Anything else?¡±


    Sena and the others looked at Anise. The old woman nodded, ¡°No, you said what needed to be said. Though you forgot one thing, they cannot be calmed by lullabies at all.¡±


    ¡°Lullabies?¡±


    ¡°Yes, the wolf head attached to the grey-lurker is rather fond of good music, don¡¯t you know?¡±


    ¡°What I want to know is how do we find the King,¡± Horatio said bitterly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Sena leaned back. ¡°Only fools venture into a lion¡¯s den.¡±


    Horatio slammed his fist onto the table. ¡°Then how do we attract a King?¡±


    Sena raised her eyebrow. ¡°There are ways. Learned mistakes, I suppose one could call them. And that¡¯s why I won¡¯t tell you any of them.¡±


    ¡°Then can you tell us about the missing governor and his daughter?¡± Anise asked, holding Horatio back. The young man shook her hand off his shoulder.


    ¡°That¡¯s a mystery, not my responsibility ¡ª yours. Maybe the guard eloped with the daughter after killing old William. Maybe old William simply gave up. Who knows. One day he just was gone, and I got stuck with caring for what may as well be a pack of children. Did you see Fenik back there? He¡¯s near some 40 years old and I smelled his soiled self before I even got to him.¡±


    The three attempted to get some more information from the old woman. She always responded with nonchalance, and sometimes blatant jokes. The three soon gave up. Sena told them, she will care for Belford. The three left for the governor¡¯s mansion once more.


    ¡°I don¡¯t trust her at all,¡± Garth remarked as they entered the governor¡¯s mansion.


    ¡°Why not?¡± Anise responded. ¡°I don¡¯t trust the servants. They¡¯re not even here to receive us. In fact, I don¡¯t think they are here at all.¡±


    ¡°They could be at the conference. Afterall, so many died tonight. A major part of Wolfsheimburg is in pieces. Now, I don¡¯t trust that Sena woman at all. She calmed the grey-lurker like it¡¯s nothing. I know for a fact that each grey-lurker responds only to a specific lullaby unique to itself.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Of course. A friend I used to know worked for a circus, in charge of the odd shows. Some rival managed to switch out the grey-lurker and so the beast was not calmed at all. A rampage ensued.¡±


    ¡°Is that how you lost your arm?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Garth touched his stump. ¡°That¡¯s a different story. But the point is, the old woman would not have been able to calm the grey-lurker unless she already knew the right lullaby by heart. Else, grey-lurkers wouldn¡¯t be such a threat ¡ª or luxurious attraction.¡±


    ¡°Horatio, what do you think?¡± Anise turned to the young man.


    Horatio looked at Anise. ¡°I think it was a mistake to actually follow through with your ideas. If Sofie is hurt in anyway ¡ª if Belford is crippled in any way ¡ª I will kill you. Princess.¡±


    He bumped past Anise and headed up the stairs. Garth whistled and smiled wry.


    ¡°Don¡¯t blame yourself too much, Miss Tan¡¯ae. Though, Horatio has the right to be angry. We will think of something.¡±


    ¡°Do you think it would have turned out differently if Tanya was there?¡± Anise asked.


    ¡°I doubt that. You may not think this, but Tanya is a dangerous enigma. She would have simply been another irrational variable in the equation. Goodnight, Miss Tan¡¯ae. It is rather late, though perhaps early. Simply put, I¡¯m tired ¡ª and I believe you are drained as well,¡± Garth patted Anise¡¯s head and went off for his own room.


    ¡°I thought you gave me enough power to fight the King,¡± Anise growled to Usha as she headed up the stairs.


    ¡°I gave you as much as you wanted. Once you were able to move, you didn¡¯t want it anymore. Besides, I never said you would be able to kill the King in the first place ¡ª only that you would be able to move. You¡¯re too weak, girl.¡±


    ¡°You ¡ª I,¡± Anise floundered for any word to say but found none of worth. ¡°Then if I had taken in everything ¡ª if I had that ability ¡ª would I have killed that beast?¡±


    ¡°Of course, that false god is nothing before even a fallen goddess like myself,¡± Usha confirmed.


    ¡°I see,¡± Anise said to herself. She massaged her aching heart.


    Back in Sena¡¯s cottage, another meeting took place. Sitting across from Sena was a young man and two girls. They were Bolverk and the Twin Performers.


    ¡°Can you not sit so close to us?¡± Agnis barked.


    ¡°There¡¯s really no other place to sit,¡± Bolverk responded.


    ¡°There is the floor. Where a mutt of the royals belong ¡ª though preferably disemboweled,¡± Hama answered.


    ¡°That¡¯s animal cruelty, you know.¡±


    ¡°My, what an entertaining bunch,¡± Sena said without a smile.


    ¡°Of course, we are the Twin Performers,¡± the twins flashed a bright smile ¡ª before immediately glaring at Bolverk.


    ¡°Anyhow, what is that you want the Inondation to do, Auntie?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a fool, aren¡¯t you,¡± Sena laughed at Bolverk.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m a scholar.¡±


    ¡°No one actually calls me Auntie, you know.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°But yes, the job. I want you to kill the missing governor.¡±

 Chapter 18: Death of a Capulet

    Author''s Notes: School. Lot of work. Not much time or energy. Inconsistent uploads until things settle down.


    Anyhow, some may feel put off by how it''s a heavy mystery right now. I''m surprised myself it developed like this, but I enjoy writing how it is developing into a slight conspiracy -- almost like Cthulhu worshipers.


    If you read my other story, no 3 chapters a week -- will try for 1 a week. As Always, Thanks for Reading.


    Horatio threw the last servant out of the governor¡¯s room. He slammed the door shut and crashed, stomach down, onto one of the couches. The boy glared at the person sitting at the desk. She ignored the stifling black eyes and flipped through the next set of documents.


    ¡°What the fuck are we doing?¡±


    Anise glanced up and met Horatio¡¯s eyes, before quickly turning them back onto the ink dotted along the white pages. She chewed on her cheeks. Then she sighed and turned her attention at the ceiling.


    She responded, ¡°Investigating.¡±


    ¡°Investigating is when we make progress. This, this is a waste of time.¡±


    ¡°We learned more about the domestic circumstances. I am sure the others are making progress as well,¡± Anise responded. She rummaged through the remainder of the governor¡¯s drawers and paused at the one farthest left.


    ¡°Progress? The only things we¡¯ve learned is meaningless gossip.¡±


    ¡°Gossip is irreplaceable as the true depths of society,¡± Anise responded. She furrowed her brows at the contents of the leftmost drawer: an accounting book.


    Horatio rolled his eyes and got up. He marched over to the desk and pounded his palms flat, scattering paper. Hardening his tone, he said, ¡°Pray that they are safe.¡±


    Anise lapped at her lips. She returned the cold stare and said, ¡°I will save Sofie.¡±


    Horatio formed his hands into claws and gripped Anise¡¯s shoulders. Drawing his face close, he whispered, ¡°You better save her.¡±


    Anise pulled his hands from her body with ease. Yet those black depths yielded to nothing and a great premonition of decay screamed out for release. The young lady placed a hand on her neck and found it lathered with sweat. And on further inspection, the faint impression of claws and traces of strangulation.


    ¡°This boy is interesting,¡± Usha laughed. There was a shrillness to it: fear, anxiety, and anticipation.


    ¡°Even I do not know what he did. I do know the faint red marks are real.¡±


    Anise pounced on Horatio. Caught off-guard by the assault, he fell over. Anise quickly restrained him: barring his neck with his own arms.


    With tears and a shortness of breath, she asked, ¡°Why won''t you hit me?¡±


    ¡°Because that would be too easy,¡± Horatio forced the words out.


    Anise got off of Horatio. The young man brushed the dust from his clothing. Anise offered up her hand. He took it. Pulling Horatio up, Anise jammed a powerful hook into his stomach.


    Horatio keeled over; Anise deftly kicked his shoulders. Launching out like a marble, he slammed into one of the walls.


    Anise went over to him and cried, ¡°Punch me. Punch me, dammit! I even assaulted you.¡±


    Horatio looked at Anise and smiled. He spat blood from his mouth and responded, ¡°No. That would be too easy. You¡¯ll be relieved that you¡¯ve been punished for your sins. I want you to suffer through this guilt.¡±


    Anise stomped her foot. She growled, ¡°This isn¡¯t about whether it will make me feel; it¡¯s about whether it will make you feel better. You feel guilty too, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I do feel guilty. I should never have complied to your idea in the first place.¡±


    ¡°There was no other choice,¡± Anise interrupted. ¡°Now punch me.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re still going on with that?¡± Horatio pulled himself up and looked at Anise with annoyance.


    ¡°How do you expect us to even rescue Sofie if you¡¯re like this? I do not want your frustration and


    resentment to explode during a life-or-death situation, Horatio. And it will make both of us feel


    lighter. If you are being swallowed up by self-loathing and anger at me, then simply let loose on me.¡±


    ¡°I never expected a noble to be such an uncivilized brute.¡±


    ¡°I was not born an elite. I was born into the better parts of the slums, but the slums nonetheless.¡±


    Anise smiled. ¡°Beating each other up was how all the children bonded. Ah, don¡¯t hit my face though. After all, I did not hit yours.¡±


    Horatio breathed in and sighed. His black depths looked at Anise. Rather than torrents crackled with storms, those eyes were smooth like a calm lake. He asked, ¡°You really want me to beat you up?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s probably not going to make you trust me again or feel perfect. I can guarantee you will feel better though. Besides, you have been holding yourself back anyways.¡±


    With an odd laugh, Horatio rubbed his head.


    Anise¡¯s head flew back and she stumbled backwards. Cradling her nose, the young lady sprouted profanities not taught in any etiquette class. Blood dripped down her face like melting wax, quickly covering her jawline with a trail. Though Horatio seemed frail, his punch proved the contrary. Anise¡¯s nose was crooked ¡ª broken ¡ª and a gash ran on the bridge of soft flesh.


    ¡°Horatio, you damn aswang!¡±


    Horatio¡¯s eye twitched. ¡°Aswang? You dare call me an aswang, you bloody mamuna scum!¡±


    With a heated yawp, the two lunged at each other.


    Tanya frowned as she applied some of her blood onto Anise¡¯s and Horatio¡¯s wounds. Once the blood was applied carefully with a handkerchief, the many gashes, cuts, and lumps healed.


    Anise asked, ¡°Doesn¡¯t the healing of Denana involve light, not blood?¡±


    Tanya ignored the question. She then flicked her finger at both the troublemakers¡¯ foreheads.


    Tanya sat opposite them and continued to frown. Anise and Horatio exchanged glances. The young man shrugged slightly. Then the healer spoke.


    ¡°You two are the biggest idiots I¡¯ve ever met. Who the hell thought this was a good idea?¡±


    ¡°Clearly, the princess,¡± Horatio answered with a chuckle.


    Tanya groaned and muttered something under her breath. Then she faced Anise and scolded her


    harshly. ¡°Honestly! I thought you would be smarter than this, Annie.¡±


    ¡°Wait, Annie?¡± Anise asked out of confusion.


    Tanya smiled. ¡°Yep, Annie. I think it¡¯s a great nickname.¡±


    Anise frowned, ¡°I¡¯m not a child, Tanya.¡±


    ¡°You are if you¡¯re only still sixteen~¡± Tanya giggled. Then she smiled at Horatio. ¡°At least it seems Horatio isn¡¯t as constipated as before.¡±


    ¡°C-constipated?¡± Horatio shouted.


    Tanya shrugged and pulled out her knife to cut her wrist. She waved it around as she explained. ¡°I mean, this morning, your face was all scrunched up like this. And your eyes were all squinty. And when you looked at Annie, it looked like you were desperately holding it in! I¡¯m glad that¡¯s all over now. I would kill you if you make a mess.¡±


    ¡°N-nevermind that,¡± Horatio scowled. ¡°How¡¯s Belford?¡±


    ¡°In perfect care,¡± Tanya answered as she smiled at how her arm became flawless once more, devoid of cuts. ¡°That old lady really did give him the best care. Besides, Belford¡¯s lineage kicked in.¡±


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    ¡°Lineage?¡± Anise asked.


    ¡°Yeah, Annie, you don¡¯t know,¡± Tanya gasped. Then she leaned forward excitedly. She motioned for Anise to lean forward as well. Finally, the healer whispered, ¡°Dragonborn.¡±


    Anise pulled back with a nod. She remarked, ¡°I see.¡±


    Then she asked Usha, ¡°Did you know of that?¡±


    ¡°Remember what I told you when you first asked? A lineage as primal and ancient as mine; perhaps taboo.¡±


    Tanya interrupted Anise¡¯s conversation with the fallen goddess with a question of her own. ¡°Annie, why aren¡¯t you surprised at all?¡±


    ¡°Most people would throw up blood, hearing someone is Dragonborn,¡± Horatio remarked.


    Anise chuckled to herself. Afterall, she herself acted as a vessel for some fallen goddess ¡ª what was Dragonborn compared to that. Then she furrowed her brows and asked, ¡°I thought the Emperor stopped all tributes to the dragons years ago.¡±


    ¡°Ever heard of rape, princess?¡± Horatio chuckled wryly.


    ¡°Let¡¯s stop the story here,¡± Garth interrupted as he entered the room. He greeted everyone and took a seat next to Tanya.


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Anise nodded. ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear any more of this.¡±


    ¡°So, Old Man Garth, what did you find out?¡± Horatio asked eagerly.


    ¡°Let¡¯s compare notes.¡± Garth responded and produced a single piece of paper on which he had scribbled the fruits of his labor.


    Horatio frowned. ¡°So little information.¡±


    ¡°Lad, ever heard of the saying, ¡®Gossip is irreplaceable as the true depths of society¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± he turned his attention to Anise seated next to him. ¡°That¡¯s from a famous mystery series, right? Old man, I didn¡¯t know you liked to read.¡±


    Garth smiled. ¡°An old hobby.¡±


    Tanya peeked at the list and read it out loud, ¡°Remil Montescarpe. Jules Capulet. Erach Capulet. Sena Cideil. Borge Oui. Jacqueline Yvor. Gray-lurkers.¡±


    ¡°Miss Tanya, thank you for reading it for me,¡± Garth smiled. ¡°As we know, Remil is the guard in love with the governor¡¯s daughter, Jules. Erach Capulet is the man we must find. Sena is the temporary head of Wolfsheimburg. The last two are this house¡¯s head servants. And these six are the most influential in Wolfsheimburg. I will speak more of the beasts after.¡±


    ¡°The head servants are more influential than Captain Fenik?¡± Anise asked with a raised brow.


    ¡°Captain Fenik is a public servant of sorts. The head servants are constantly in the


    proximity of national secrets. Besides, the head servants of the head of this settlement have been held in good standing since olden times: the left and right hands of the master.¡±


    Garth gave a summary of the information he has found from the villagers.


    Remil Montescarpe was not native to Wolfsheimburg, but from one of the neighboring villages under its jurisdiction. The young man was described as boorish, but kind. Captain Fenik held Remil¡¯s skills to a high regard, as did Erach Capulet. He was in love with Jules Capulet ¡ª a sentiment not enjoyed by Governor Capulet.


    Jules Capulet was the daughter of the governor. She rarely left the mansion. Few knew of her, besides the odd glimpses of her beauty. As such, many rumors sprouted: She was cursed. She was disdainful of commoners. She was allergic to sunlight. She was not right in the head. A peculiarity was the lack of suitors, except for Remil.


    Erach Capulet. Governor of Wolfsheimburg. A man reared in Dragonsfell with an education in the Capital. The older generations disliked him for he was an outsider. The younger generation was of a neutral opinion of the man. He was loved when his ventures brought in business; he was scorned when his outside perspective clashed with internal policies. Erach was described to be of plump size and heavy breathing.


    Sena Cideil was from a long line of shamans, an extensive root in the Old Ways. The Cideil family was the ruling line of shaman in Wolfsheimburg before the Empire engulfed their culture and forced submission. Everyone revered her. Not just out of respect for her lineage, but for her wit and cunning.


    Borge Oui. The head butler from a lineage of head butlers. He was described to be deeply and widely educated in all manners of things. The villagers refused to tell Garth much more than that as he was an outsider.


    Jacqueline Yvor. The head maid from a lineage of head maids. She was described as prettier than the governor¡¯s daughter. There was a relation between the Yvor House and the Cideil House. The child who told Garth such a detail was promptly shut up by the father. Many villagers described her as the perfect wife, akin to a goddess.


    Of the gray-lurkers, Garth found two particular pieces of information. To consume the vast nutrient-filled soul and flesh of a witch, the beasts needed at least a week of preparation. However, that is changed to 11 days when offered to the King ¡ª which they will surely do. And despite the beasts being solitary creatures by nature, due to the existence of a King, all gray-lurkers are compelled to gather in the King¡¯s den.


    ¡°Anything on your end?¡± Garth asked when he finished.


    Horatio shook his head, ¡°Only gossip. Though, I suppose you want to hear it. The few maids who stayed stayed for different reasons. One stayed because she has a thing for older men ¡ª like Borge. One stayed because she has a thing for women ¡ª like Miss Yvor. The last stayed because she was an orphan. The first two are contemplating leaving due to beliefs that Borge and Miss Yvor are lovers, as the two head servants often disappear during the night only to come back before dawn, beaming. They also share quite many looks and notes throughout the day.¡±


    ¡°Their actions are quite suspicious.¡± Garth remarked.


    ¡°But it was not like we didn¡¯t suspect them before,¡± Horatio shrugged his shoulders. Then he frowned. ¡°I¡¯m more interested in the girl who stayed.¡±


    ¡°You finally becoming a man, Horatio?¡± Tanya giggled.


    ¡°I think she lied,¡± Anise responded in Horatio¡¯s place. ¡°The reason she stayed. The way she responded ¡ª it was odd.¡±


    ¡°Was that all we¡¯ve found today?¡± Garth asked.


    Anise moved over to the desk and showed everyone the second accounting book.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it strange how there is an extra accounting book?¡± Anise asked. ¡°I¡¯ve checked the contents of the other one, and there¡¯s still pages left to be used. And this accounting book is not empty either.¡±


    The young lady pulled out the book and showed the pages. Only on some pages were there ink.


    ¡°These numbers are too inconsistent,¡± Garth remarked with concern. ¡°No one can possibly spend over a billion gold pounds on children¡¯s clothing. This must be code of some sort.¡±


    ¡°And I also found this under the book,¡± Anise said and pulled out a letter. The seal had the imprint of an elk. ¡°The seal is magical in nature ¡ª I can¡¯t open it. Me and Horatio had tried after fighting.¡±


    ¡°If we put a knife to it, the seal gains movement and starts to attack us,¡± Horatio scowled and rubbed his cheek. ¡°We risk the burning of the contents if we set fire to the seal.¡±


    ¡°This would be so much easier if you were better at controlling the Script,¡± Tanya pouted. ¡°This is totally your job, Horatio.¡±


    Before Horatio could retort, a scream came echoing throughout the large mansion. Everyone sprinted toward the source: Jules Capulet¡¯s bedroom.


    A young maid was on her bum, pointing at the interior of the room. Anise rushed past the girl and into the room.


    Blood and gray fur covered the walls. Entrails from beasts ¡ª humans? ¡ª scattered on the floor to spell out: ¡°Beware¡±. A beautiful woman lied in the bed. Anise rushed to her. There was no bruise, scar, or cut. However, the woman did not breathe nor did her chest rise.


    Jules Capulet, gone missing in a locked room with no windows after her father¡¯s disappearance, was found dead -- back in the same room she disappeared.

 Chapter 19: The Wolf and the Girl

    Author''s Note: This is turning out to be more mystery than any of the other tags. I really should start writing traditional 3 acts stories...cause this is turning into a rollercoaster that has no focus. But As Always, Thanks for Reading.


    Upon the discovery of Jules and the carnage, Anise gathered all the servants in the main quarters. Garth confirmed the lack of beat, breath, and pulse in Jules. He opted to stay in the victim¡¯s room in case of a follow-up.


    ¡°The lady in the bed, are we certain it is Jules Capulet?¡± Anise inquired, scrubbing the wear from her eyes.


    ¡°Without a doubt, she is the young lady of this house,¡± Borge answered. His eyes slouched and he added, ¡°It is regrettable. I hope the new governor of Wolfsheimburg would be a nice fellow.¡±


    ¡°And why do you say that, huh?¡± Horatio asked with a raised brow. ¡°It almost seems certain for you that we won¡¯t find Erach Capulet.¡±


    Borge replied with a sad smile, ¡°Would you stay here, in a house, where your daughter died? In a house where you went missing and had all sorts of terrible things happen to you? Can you bear that solitude?¡±


    ¡°I recall Governor Capulet has a wife,¡± Anise interrupted. She presented the letter with the seal.


    Jacqueline took the letter and nodded. ¡°The elk is the protector of the Wapai House. Only the master can open this, or someone learned in the Script.¡±


    Tanya snuck a pout at Horatio. The black-eyed boy glared back.


    ¡°Who discovered the corpse,¡± Tanya asked with a bright smile. ¡°Was there anything weird? Like smell, or maybe temperature? Is there like secrete entrances, do you know?¡±


    The youngest maid spoke up with a raised hand. ¡°I, I did. Um...pardon me, but... the scene of Lady Capulet...I do not think there was anything strange. There was the pungent stank of beast entrails, but that is normal if there is a pile of them, I suppose. Temperature was normal.¡±


    Tanya¡¯s eyes lit up. She prowled forward and smiled lecherously. ¡°So the temperature was normal?¡±


    ¡°Uh, yes.¡±


    ¡°You found something?¡± Horatio asked.


    Tanya clapped her hands together and exclaimed, ¡°Yep! Unlike a certain person I know~ So it is certain there are no secret passages?¡±


    ¡°No, well, there ¡ª¡±


    ¡°If you are not certain, then do not say a word. Speculation and assumption are never good with investigations,¡± Borge interrupted with a slight glare. The young maid paled and bowed her head and said no more.


    ¡°But even rumors and partial facts are integral to the constructs of the entirety of truth,¡± Anise retorted. ¡°I suggest telling us everything. There has been an attack and a death. According to the Academy, I have the right to exercise the full extent of my privileges ¡ª extending beyond the law ¡ª to see this assignment to the end.¡±


    ¡°Young missy, you read too many novels,¡± Borge spoke. ¡°It dulls your thinking; how shameful. And do not think the Academy means much to a servant like me. I serve the master, only the master.¡±


    Anise pulled her sword from its sheath. She placed it against Borge¡¯s shoulder. The other maids, beside Jacqueline, paled and stepped back. Horatio sighed and summoned his spear formed from ink.


    ¡°Ohh, a fight!¡± Tanya laughed. ¡°Please get hurt a lot~ I am a healer after all, I think.¡±


    Jacqueline stepped forward and removed the blade from Borge¡¯s shoulder. She bowed her head and said to Anise, ¡°No violence in this house. Remember, you are guests.¡±


    ¡°As of this moment, we have authority exceeding that of civilians. I suggest you listen,¡± Anise frowned.


    Jacqueline smiled and looked at Anise with her cold and pretty face. ¡°You must feel you have failed. And I suppose you have. If you had gotten here sooner, if you were smarter, if you were stronger, if you were all these things and more, you might have saved her, right? There¡¯s something deprived and empty about you, isn¡¯t there?¡±


    Anise smiled, ¡°I do not know if I mentioned this, but I am, or was, of the aristocratic realm. Your cheap attempts at provocation is of little significance in my eyes.¡±


    ¡°Ah, that makes sense now. No wonder you are quick to point blades. You are a foolish, spoiled girl.¡±


    ¡°I thought maids are suppose to be respectful to guests,¡± Horatio remarked.


    ¡°And we also have a sacred code to honor and protect those of the same suffering. I do


    not appreciate your attitude toward Mr.Oui, Lady Anise.¡±


    ¡°Oi, the hell¡¯s going on here? Pointing that sword at good, ol¡¯ Bor,¡± a gruff voice asked. ¡°Ya got a death wish, or something, kid?¡±


    Everyone turned their heads toward the voice. The doors were open and a tall, muscular man stood in its frame. He was very much like a bear: brusque, sporting an impressive coat of facial hair, and an eye gouged out, leaving behind a shut impression. From his attire, a fur cloak and leather armor, he was not someone to offend, unless one wished to have his face smashed in by the steel gauntlets he wore.


    ¡°Remil, you¡¯re back!¡± One of lesser maids exclaimed. Then she teared up and stuttered over her words, ¡°The mistress, Lady Capulet, she¡¯s, she¡¯s dead.¡±


    Tanya whispered to Anise, ¡°I thought Remil would be younger. I guess, Jules had daddy issues.¡±


    ¡°Dead?¡± Remil asked, taking several steps forward. He glanced over at Anise and Horatio and roared. ¡°Ya bastards! Ya killed her?¡±


    ¡°Before we fight,¡± Horatio grinned, pulling something out, ¡°we are from the Academy.¡±


    Remil narrowed his eyes and his nostrils flared. He arched his back and growled, ¡°So you guys failed to protect her then! Unforgivable, ya bastards!¡±


    He lunged forward and swung his fist. It charged through the air like a bull. Anise stepped back and moved her blade to parry the blow. Remil roared as he twisted his waist, ducking under the sword; surging forth like the ocean, Remil delivered an uppercut to Anise¡¯s chin. The girl¡¯s head jolted back. Instantly, Remil backpedaled and readopted his stance.


    ¡°You¡¯re pretty good, girl,¡± Remil commented with a scowl. ¡°The instant I struck, you jerked ya head back. Pretty good, pretty damn good ¡ª but not good enough.¡±


    As if on cue, Anise stumbled back, leaning on Tanya and Horatio for support. Blood dripped down her chin down her neck. Horatio leveled his spear directly in front of Remil.


    Anise laughed weakly, ¡°You know it is in poor taste to disfigure a lady¡¯s assets.¡±


    Remil frowned, ¡°You should have been knocked unconscious. Bloody hell; I¡¯m going to see...Jules. Out of my way!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a strange one,¡± Tanya giggled as she healed the cut on Anise. ¡°Can¡¯t do anything about brain damage though. Though everyone is already half-mad, so there is not much to worry about!¡±


    Borge stepped forward and bowed. ¡°Our deepest apologies. Remil is always hotblooded to a troubling extent. We never meant physical harm.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine.¡± Anise waved their concerns to the side. ¡°You can all return to your normal routine. Let¡¯s hurry to Garth before he gets punched to death.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m alive. Don¡¯t worry,¡± Garth announced as he slumped down the stairs. ¡°Still, that Remil fellow has a fine left hook. Barely dodged it.¡±


    Horatio smirked, ¡°What a shame, old man. Guess we still have to listen to your snores every night then.¡±


    ¡°Horatio, my lad, snores are the sign of a good dream! Anyways, the fellow has locked himself inside.¡±


    ¡°Did he cry?¡± Anise asked.


    Garth furrowed his brows, stroking his chin. ¡°No, I don¡¯t suppose he did. He didn¡¯t look that surprised either. Mostly angry.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s the most suspicious person so far,¡± Anise concluded. ¡°He was absent for the crimes. He didn¡¯t cry. And the first thing upon finding his lover¡¯s death was to fight me, instead of rushing to her body. It doesn¡¯t add up.¡±


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    ¡°Then we just have to check with his hometown and see his alibi,¡± Horatio said.


    ¡°Why would he kill his lover though,¡± Tanya asked. ¡°Especially when she¡¯s got such a pretty face and curvy figure.¡± She glanced at her own chest, measuring them. Frowning, she remarked, ¡°If he is the culprit, he¡¯s definitely gone mad to ignore the cow for the meat.¡±


    ¡°Horatio and I can go to Remil¡¯s home village,¡± Anise decided. Horatio frowned but nodded. ¡°I want the rest of you to keep an eye out on the other suspects, Remil in particular. If there is another grey-lurker attack, I don¡¯t want any of you to fight.¡±


    Garth frowned. ¡°Miss Tan¡¯ae, I know the dangers, especially after Sofie¡¯s abduction, may seem daunting, but it is part of our job.¡±


    Anise bit the bottom of her lips. She stomped her feet and pouted cutely ¡ª causing everyone to widen their eyes in surprise. ¡°You think I don¡¯t know that? But, what if, I just ¡ª please.¡±


    ¡°Oi, princess, aren¡¯t you going a bit too far with the spoiled act? Especially the pout,¡± Horatio chided.


    ¡°I think the pout is cute,¡± Tanya exclaimed merrily.


    ¡°Regardless, I, myself, will assist the guards however I can.¡±


    Anise sighed, ¡°Fine, but be the first to retreat. Promise me at least that.¡±


    Everyone else looked at each other, but nodded.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think that¡¯s scoring any points with me, princess,¡± Horatio said, his stare like an all-consuming abyss. He stepped out the doors.


    ¡°Wait up, will you?¡± Anise called. ¡°You don¡¯t even know where the village is.¡±


    ¡°I can always ask,¡± Horatio retorted. ¡°I don¡¯t even know why this is a two person job.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think having another person is safer?¡±


    ¡°Only when they¡¯re reliable.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, it isn¡¯t like you are any better in that regard either.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m simply a commoner orphan ¡ª an urchin. Of course, how can I compare with you, princess.¡±


    After much bickering, the two arrived at Remil¡¯s home village by nighttime. There was no inn in such a minor settlement. As such, the two went door to door, asking for a place to stay.


    ¡°My, a place to sleep?¡± An old woman repeated their question. ¡°I do have one. My son has moved away, but there¡¯s only one bed.¡±


    ¡°She can take the bed. I¡¯ll sleep on the floor.¡± Horatio left no room for further discussion.


    The next morning, the two asked the old woman about Remil and his family. As it was a small village, even she knew everything that was to be known about anything.


    ¡°Remil? Why, I love that boy,¡± she told the two over a cup of tea.


    ¡°Boy? Isn¡¯t he almost in his 50¡¯s?¡± Horatio asked.


    The old woman laughed. Setting down her tea, her face took on a nostalgic face. ¡°I suppose he is. Time has passed. I remember when he first began working at the Wolfsheimburg mansion. He was in his 40¡¯s then, less grizzled and still had both eyes. Everytime he returned home, he would always complain about the young Lady Capulet.¡±


    ¡°Is that a guy a pedophile?¡± Horatio whispered to Anise.


    ¡°I thought we were on bad terms,¡± Anise replied.


    ¡°I get lonely easily. If I can deal with your selfishness, deal with mine.¡±


    ¡°How old was Jules Capulet when he first started?¡± Anise asked the old woman directly.


    The old woman thought for a while, doing out math on her fingers. ¡°Perhaps around eight years. She should be near her 20¡¯s now. I am sorry I can¡¯t give an exact number. This old brain can¡¯t seem to do basic math these days. Hohoho!¡±


    ¡°Did he care for Jules?¡±


    ¡°Damn right he did!¡± The old woman slapped her knee and laughed. ¡°Why, he once made his own sister jealous to the point of tears. Oh, there was this one time when the young lady got real sick. He personally went into the northern woods ¡ª near five, six days journey ¡ª to harvest some herbs. That was when he got his eye gouged out. Ah, I still drool when I think about the bear meat he brought back. They must have been as salty as Dorothy¡¯s tears!¡±


    ¡°Dorothy? Is that Remil¡¯s sister?¡± Anise asked.


    ¡°Mm, yes. Ah, if you are looking for her, she won¡¯t be here.¡±


    ¡°What? Why?¡± Horatio demanded.


    ¡°Young boy! If you are so hasty, you will never get a wife! Hell, even if you do get one, they will get angry at you for being so quick ¡ª if you know what I mean. Hohoho! But Dorothy isn¡¯t here. She left for Canton, some months ago. Something to do with metalworking.¡±


    ¡°Did Remil know about this?¡±


    ¡°Of course he knew. Why wouldn¡¯t he? What kind of brother would he be if he didn¡¯t? Hell, once he heard the news, he personally came to help her pack and teach her how to kick a guy where it really hurts.¡±


    ¡°Oh, and where is that?¡± Anise asked with an innocent smile.


    ¡°Getting back on topic,¡± Horatio coughed, ¡°did he visit after that time?¡±


    ¡°He did. He just left maybe two days ago.¡±


    ¡°Why did he visit?¡±


    ¡°You are asking a lot of questions. Can¡¯t he just visit because it¡¯s his home?¡±


    ¡°Well, we¡¯re doing an article for our newspaper. It¡¯s about the lives of bodyguards and mercenaries and such. I thought there would be an interesting story there too, since Remil is such a known character in this region. See, we¡¯re from the Academy.¡±


    ¡°Wow, that sparkly place! How nice. Very good, very good.¡± The old woman patted the two on their heads. She sipped the last of her tea. ¡°Well, he came first to check on the village. What with the grey-lurkers and all that. He left soon after because he had his job at Wolfsheimburg. Strange thing is he came back with a young woman in tow not too long after that.¡±


    ¡°Was that person Jules?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe so,¡± the old woman replied. ¡°Jules is a well known beauty. The woman had fur covering her entire body. I would have thought it was Jules too if some of the neighborhood boys didn¡¯t pull her cloak from her. Poor thing.¡±


    ¡°I see. What happened to her?¡±


    ¡°Well, the woman mostly stayed in Remil¡¯s house. I guess, after that incident, she felt too afraid and embarrassed to come out. Remil, on the other hand, went through his day like he was on vacation.¡±


    ¡°Any places he stopped by? Hobbies or anything like that?¡±


    ¡°Well, the local tavern ¡ª though it¡¯s basically just a gathering of men to drink shit brew by the only person wealthy enough to make mead in large quantities. But he also stopped by the local healer a lot too. Then again, that makes sense if it was for the girl.¡±


    ¡°Know where we can find this healer?¡±


    ¡°Iza already left for her own journey. I¡¯m sure you heard of it, right? The exams to advance as a member of the Church? Hopefully she succeeds. Maybe then she can do something about my bone pains.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Anise muttered. She and Horatio shared a look.


    The two thanked the old woman by helping her around the house for the day. As the sun fell, the two started for Wolfsheimburg once more, a deep irritation in their stomach.

 Chapter 20: Prelude to the Truth

    Author''s Note: Short Chapter; busy with school and life in general.


    Anise and Horatio returned to the mansion and found Remil dead over Jules. A knife laid by him on the floor. As Garth flipped the body over, he found a gaping hole in the man¡¯s chest. Garth placed the knife against the wound and found the widths to match. He then swiped his finger across Remil¡¯s face and lapped at the results.


    ¡°It is salty,¡± he concluded. ¡°There is a mixture of both sweat and tear.¡±


    ¡°He was alive this morning?¡± Anise asked. ¡°Who discovered the corpse?¡±


    ¡°Jacqueline, the head maid. And judging by the condition of the body and the stiffness of his features, yes. The stiffness is conclusive and the temperature is not yet the temperature of this room.¡±


    ¡°Why weren¡¯t you watching him?¡± Horatio asked with a frown. ¡°That isn¡¯t like you, old man.¡±


    Garth smiled bitterly. ¡°Call it senility, but we received a message that Belford was fine, so we both went to get him. This is simply the honest truth, but Miss Tanya guarding Remil or simply her getting Belford is a dangerous proposition. I rather I be near her relative proximity.¡±


    ¡°I know Tanya can be a little odd, but ¡ª¡±


    ¡°Horatio, Miss Tanya is dangerous,¡± Garth smiled, shutting the boy up. ¡°You were not there that day. But it is not an exaggeration. She and Miss Tan¡¯ae here, they hold something dark and ugly. Speaking of her, I will go check on her and Belford downstairs.¡±


    Garth left the room and closed the door. Anise and Horatio looked at the two corpses.


    ¡°This is strange.¡± Horatio declared.


    ¡°Two dead bodies. Sofie¡¯s captured. A letter we cannot open. And a woman covered in fur. I think this is quite normal,¡± Anise laughed.


    Horatio furrowed his brows. ¡°I don¡¯t understand you at all, sometimes. You change your attitude too often and easily.¡±


    Anise smiled, baring her fangs. ¡°Well, Garth was right. I have something dark and ugly in me. And I¡¯m sick of it. I¡¯m sick of not knowing what is going on. I¡¯m sick of pretending I know what I¡¯m doing. I¡¯m sick of being a vessel for someone to control.¡±


    Horatio stomped his foot. ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I mean! One moment, you¡¯re cold and bitchy. The next you are like a little girl.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s called being human,¡± Anise retorted. Rubbing her eyes, she sighed. ¡°Let¡¯s simply get on with it. What do you think?¡±


    ¡°Garth mentioned it might be suicide,¡± Horatio said as he inspected the knife. ¡°I think it¡¯s another murder.¡±


    ¡°No, I think Garth is right,¡± Anise sighed and took the knife from Horatio. ¡°My father was the head of the guards, and sometimes he would take me along when he is training recruits. The wound and the way the knife was and the formation of his hand, everything points to a self-inflicted wound.¡±


    ¡°So we are out of luck, then?¡±


    ¡°We can go ask Sena for a clue on tracking the grey-lurkers once more. Maybe the two events are independent of each other. There is no clear link ¡ª except, there might be. The woman covered in fur.¡±


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    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you think the woman is Jules?¡±


    ¡°Who else would it be? Remil loves Jules. Why would he bring another woman to his home village? And doesn¡¯t it coincide with the disappearance of Jules?¡±


    ¡°What? So we have our mastermind? This entire thing has just been a lover¡¯s suicide and the governor may simply be dead? There is no correlation between the grey-lurkers¡¯ rise in numbers and this?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s odd. If it was a lover¡¯s suicide, why did Remil come back? Almost as if to put on a performance. And Jules¡¯s death itself. It is dramatic, explicitly so.¡±


    ¡°Rather than suicide, why did he just not elope with Jules? Furthermore, how come Jules is not covered in fur anymore. The healer! Maybe the cure worked?¡±


    ¡°Yet, she is dead.¡±


    ¡°Is she?¡± Horatio asked and felt Jules¡¯s neck. ¡°There is no pulse. But the body is


    warm.¡±


    ¡°Is that what Tanya meant?¡± Anise gasped. ¡°Remil did not take to burying Jules in the cold earth. Nor did he move her to a cooler room. Yet, the body shows no sign of decomposing.¡±


    ¡°There was no need to, then. Perhaps Jules is only in a state of false death.¡±


    ¡°Remil hiding it,¡± Anise said with excitement dripping in every word, ¡°must means that someone in this building holds malice against Jules!¡±


    ¡°But why did Remil kill himself? He never trusted us to protect Jules. If he is gone, Jules loses all protection.¡±


    ¡°It must all be an act. In fact, Jacqueline was the first to chance upon the body. She must have checked it thoroughly before deciding he was dead and calling the rest of us. Remil is most likely truly dead -- all to complete the illusion of a lover''s suicide,¡± Anise decided. ¡°Who would go after a corpse? This way, she is most safe. The death may also be part of the plan.¡±


    Horatio nodded. ¡°The only ones who he even wants to fool is Borge and Jacqueline. But why?¡±


    ¡°The governor. Those two must be involved in his disappearance.¡± Anise smiled. ¡°We can use this information as leverage. After we capture the two servants, we can use this as evidence for treason against the state. Sena will have to tell us how to find the King then, if she does not want the entire city of Wolfsheimburg be razed to the ground.¡±


    ¡°You are devious at times, aren¡¯t you, princess?¡±


    ¡°I rather refer to it as a demonstration of politics.¡±


    ¡°We have no evidence though.¡±


    ¡°Then let us create evidence instead.¡±


    ¡°A trap?¡±


    ¡°A trap.¡±

 DROPPED

    Well, this is awkward. Simply put, I''m dropping all the stories I''m writing (namely this and Drifting). I can''t find enjoyment in writing this series. Honestly, this story was a prototype that should never have been public. It''s immature and unpolished. I''m not happy writing this.


    I thought I planned it out well: outlined it, dissected it, refined it. But I haven''t. The scenes are ill put together, leading to shit pacing, leading to a plot which drags and becomes convoluted. I like to think that at least my characters were really there. But yeah, this story was not meant to be published. Maybe, I''ll revisit the concept in the future. For now, I find myself being more motivated to write stories privately.


    I realized I''m the type to write several versions of the same chapter, or even scene, before being satisfied. This doesn''t really mesh well with the need to upload often to remain relevant.


    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.To those who do truly like reading this, I''m deeply sorry. However, if you do like my writing, look forward to something that''s properly polished and refined with a tight narrative that doesn''t have pacing spasms.


    And I know I ended this on a really sour note since I can''t even be bothered to conclude the bloody arc.  Honestly, this was really hard to do. I''m a disappointment to my aspirations, but it''s better than trudging on -- wasting time and energy -- when I could divert those resources to starting anew with something that I can polish in private. I''m sorry and thank you. Rate this however you want.