Shorove was quiet. The night air was still, and three hunters ran. Like a pack of wolves locked onto their prey, each ran toward the target without a need to speak.

Riley shook her head. How did you forget? There was a time when you could have stolen from this king without them ever knowing. You could have assassinated him while he was sleeping without a single level. She let her breath billow. Restraints that we place on ourselves, just like the oaths.

Vaulting over a large puddle, she landed and slid across the ice. Restoring her footing, she ignored the village and ran.

The night and territory blurred around her. Her shoes sprang off the snowy roads, and the three raced down the roads.

Clearing the thoughts of assassination from her mind, she prepared. We’re just some servants coming to aid the king in his most desperate hour. After all, someone has been killing his villagers.

Locking that thought in her mind, she ran and ran. The moon rose and began its descent. Forests blurred, and a large city appeared.

Like an unseen shadow, Riley ran toward the wall and triggered Ambush, appearing inside.

Cottages and shops filled the area. Vaulting onto the rooftops, she ran across them, her father and Nicole joining her moments later.

Jumping across a street, she ran across another set of rooftops and leapt, landing next to the palace walls. Triggering Ambush, she flickered into the shadows and jogged to the palace.

Turning, she looked at the two with her. Nicole winked and leapt, catching the balcony above. Riley triggered Ambush and appeared above.

Roger pulled out two lock picks and carefully opened the door. Slipping it open, he slid inside.

Riley followed, letting him lead them through the ornate halls. Passing fancy pictures and polished armor, she ignored all of it, staying locked on the king. It’s important that he knows, she chanted in her mind.

Roger stopped in front of a door and gestured, holding out his hands. Riley conjured two knives.

“Go after I throw. Riley, focus on the king.” Roger took the knives. Spinning, he flung them through the wall, and Riley triggered Ambush. Appearing next to the bed, she conjured and slammed her blades into the king. They winked from existence, and he gasped.

Conjuring replacements, Riley sent a pulse of void energy over him and attacked in a fury, striking rapidly over and over. Enchantments shattered, and blood splattered from his wounds.

The king jerked up. His mouth opened, and Riley slashed his throat open, sending a spray of blood everywhere.

The room went quiet. Riley felt her rage die, and she looked at the carnage. Gods, am I a monster, too? She jerked away from the bloody bed.

Roger walked over and pulled her into a hug. He patted her back. “Sometimes, bad people need to go. You know that.” He pulled back slightly. “And since we finally have some time to ourselves, why don’t you show me a different version of you?”

Riley smiled at him and altered her disguise. Her hair shifted to dirty blonde. Her ears grew longer, and her form became more lithe. She smiled nervously at him.

Roger bumped her. “You look good. Now, let’s steal a little.” He winked and walked to a nearby chest.

“You look cute,” Nicole bumped and grinned, winking at her.

Riley blushed and watched Nicole shift, becoming an elf with white hair.

Reaching over, Riley bumped her. “What’s your elven name?”

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“You tell me yours first.” Nicole smiled and walked over to the chest.

Riley spun and walked to the king. Some of this is magic. Pulling off his rings and amulets, she stashed them in her coin purse. Examining his pajamas and the bloody circlet, she shook her head. Nope.

She walked over and heard the chest click open.

Roger smiled and flipped it open. The contents began vanishing into his cache.

Riley spun and walked to the bookshelf. Quickly scanning titles, she grabbed three books from the shelf and held them out.

Roger smiled and took them, stashing them into his bag. He walked over and helped Nicole remove the armor from the guards.

Probably enchanted. Riley searched for anything else. He probably has a vault somewhere, but we should probably go before a guard gets overzealous. She walked up to the two and pulled up her notifications.

[You have killed the king of Shorove. All oathsworn have been notified, and their oaths have been removed.]

[365 people have sworn loyalty to you. This bond will break if you fail in your noble duties.]

Maybe it’ll help my class upgrade. Riley cleared it away.

Roger stood and nodded. “Let’s go.”

Following him, Riley jogged out the door. Will they surrender? I need to find anyone else willing to do that. She jogged down the halls and watched her father.

Roger winked and pocketed a few things before walking to the balcony.

Walking out in the brisk air, a note of sorrow played in Riley’s mind. She looked out at the sleepy city. Please don’t go rioting and looting.

Triggering Ambush, she appeared below and ran over to the wall, flicking through it again. Two shadows landed next to her, and the three jogged away from the castle.

~~~

King Titus woke. He lifted his head and looked at the fire. Turning, he looked at the four guards in his room.

Sitting up, he looked at the growing number of notifications and growled. Condemning oaths. With a thought, he rejected all the oaths.

Focusing, he pulled up the list that remained. That’s more than I expected. He looked down the list. Who are these nobles? He focused on one of them.

[Duke Milt has offered to make you his crowned liege. He vows to serve you faithfully as duke of the Leville Duchy, formerly of the Shorove kingdom. All progress is forfeit if he betrays you. All progress is forfeit if you betray him.]

Surprise spread through the king. An assassin must have managed to kill his king, and the troops must have broken the line further. His surprise shifted to a smile. He looked at the oath and frowned. No, no. You won’t be keeping your duchy, and you certainly won’t get me to make this oath.

Titus rejected the oath and looked to the next. He sighed and rejected it. “Call in a servant. I need them to pen the terms of surrender from our foreign nobles.” He mused on it for a moment. And I do need to reward my own.

Lisa stirred, blinking and bumping into him. “What is happening, my love?”

“We have several nobles surrendering. I need to have terms distributed and work my way through the list of oaths. It will take some time. Check if you have any.”

Lisa went quiet for a moment. “I do.” She scoffed. “The entitlement of this duchess. As if we’d sacrifice everything for her.” She huffed and rang the bell next to her bed.

“You see the problem. I need couriers.” The king stood.

Servants streamed in and dressed them.

Titus frowned and looked down the list, focusing on the mayors.

[Mayor Lestat has offered an Oath of Surrender. He will act in your interest for the duration of his appointment.]

He approved it and moved to the next.

“We should send a letter to Timothy and Lily,” Lisa said. “They should return home until things stabilize.”

“I agree,” Titus said, nodding. “Bring the other students home as well.”

“And Riley?” Lisa asked.

Titus frowned and looked at his wife. “She made the vow, which should have prevented other incidents. However, we may need her to help clear out any foolish dukes.” We also need her family to lose that barony.

Lisa nodded. “We need to move that family. Her skills should be used and not idle.”

“Agreed.” Titus sighed. “I need a map.” Looking down at his attire, he stood and walked from the room. “Bring my breakfast to the command room and fetch Seeker Holt,” he said to the nearby servants.

Walking into the room, he looked at the man sitting at the desk.

“I need letters drafted, several letters.”

~~~

Riley’s legs burned. She staggered into the room and collapsed on the bed.

“Nudge over,” Nicole said, plopping onto the other side.

Riley burrowed into the blankets, her attire shifting. She poked her head up. “What do we do now?”

“We see if they surrender. Those who know the state up here likely will. Those in the south might not.”

“Will they join Eteln?”

“Some will,” Nicole answered, pulling some of the blankets away. “You’re a real cover hog.”

Riley chuckled. “Yeah. Always have been.” She looked around the room. Housing all the students really dropped the room count. She let out a breath. “So we just wait?”

Nicole nodded. “New kingdoms will form. Nobles will trade lives to try to keep their positions. We’ll let the chaos shake out before we act again.”

Riley nodded. Makes sense. She paused. Will they let me back in the school? Or are they going to make me fight? She sighed. The answer was obvious. The same thing that happens to every knight. So, I need to steal some dungeons. Hassan still owes me.

Smiling, she leaned back and let the exhaustion take her.