Three months in the future. 50%. The Anniversary Ball of the Treaty of Five Races.
Screams and fires lit the air. Hundreds of bodies lay scattered around the hall. In the distance, Vi could hear the din of battle and the roars of armored beings wreaking havoc on once-regal buildings. She could hear frantic cries as the smell of blood, sweat, and fear lingered like a heavy fog. Explosions echoed. She didn’t move to help. Her eyes were focused on the two small figures lying on the ground where she knelt.
A cat girl with fluffy white ears lay still, a gash in her leg and blood streaming from her chest. An expression of fear and shock was in her blank eyes. Her dark hair was matted with blood, and her body was curled up as if she had tried to protect herself at the last minute. Next to her, a young boy gasped for breath, his brown hair disheveled. There was a deep, gaping hole straight through his chest. His left arm was mangled to shreds and his orange cloak was battered and bloody.
Even as Vi watched, the boy’s labored breathing slowed. “It…it hurts…help…”
Then his arms went limp. His brown eyes were glassy and lifeless, staring up at the sky.
Scene end.
“Vi? Vi!” The boy was staring at Vi in annoyance. “Where are we going?”
“Just a little farther,” she said to Enrique. “I’m meeting someone and picking up my order, remember?”
Vi kept her voice mild and detached. Her inner emotions were a different story.
What was I thinking, trying to save everyone? If she was being honest, she had been selfish. Some of the most expensive items in her order weren’t strictly even necessary. She wanted the green-eyed partial descendant of House Emeraldnight.
There was nothing wrong with being selfish every now and then, but she wanted the descendant alive for essentially personal reasons. That scene of the future, however, was one she couldn’t risk playing out.
The descendant was an enemy, playing a role in the massacre, somehow. Even a small role could not be overlooked for disaster on such a scale.
There was the fact the descendant had been present in the events leading to the deaths of Bernadette and Sean, and Vi wanted answers for that.
Inwardly, she sighed. Outwardly, she had the expression of cheery calm that was mildly infuriating to most people.
The logic didn’t make sense.
The descendant was Vi’s one connection to her legacy. Being the child of a relative of House Emeraldnight, the green-eyed stranger was the only other known being with a blood tie to the Four Houses. It was a once-in-forever chance to know someone like herself. Then there was the personal sentiment involved.
She had made a promise to a dead, dearly loved friend an impossible number of years ago, and was now trying to partially fulfill the promise by finding this one descendant of said friend, and bringing her to safety. But for what price? The death of others she cared about.
It wasn’t worth it.
Her eyes glowed as she checked a few possible paths.
63%. Five hours and sixteen minutes in the future. City of Salezzan.
Four fighter ships, silver hulls gleaming, locked in on their targets and let loose. The trio of green wyverns were barely recognizable blips, but the orange beams struck home, setting the monsters alight and sending them tumbling to the earth. The ships pursued, streaming down from the sky and unloading a barrage of missiles. A series of explosions followed. Smoke billowed from the holes in the quiet city street.
Scene end.
Vi noted the location from her vision. She took out her phone and dialed a number.
A rumbling, regal male voice answered. “General! It’s been a while.” The speaker had a genial grin on his face.
“Hi, Richard. Please don’t call me that anymore. I have a request for the Army. Can you detach a squad of ships?”
“That’s a tight squeeze, Number One. You know there’s a lot of Guilds requesting combat support now.” Richard chuckled, a warm laugh calculated to set people at ease, and Vi could see the lion-eared, cloaked man sitting comfortably in a chair. His wavy blond hair and bluish eyes made him look boyish despite his rugged, muscular appearance and age.
“I’m sending you the location’s coordinates, expected arrival times, and targets. The targets use the dark element and are highly trained in combat and stealth. I want the riders, not their monsters.”
She texted him some information. Her phone was encrypted for these types of communications. Enrique was looking at her curiously.
“Monster riders?” Richard looked thoughtful. The commander of the Anima Army scratched his cheek. “Are we talking about rogue Anima or a beast tamer? I could send four ships.”
“That’s fine.”
Richard seemed to think for a moment. “I’ll run it through Rea.” Rea was his partner. “You take care of yourself, okay? Any other orders I should give my men?”
Vi was silent for a moment. “Shoot to kill.”
----------------------------------------
Enrique kicked his shoe against the dirt, silently cussing at a rock as it bounced on the ground. He had asked about the phone call, but his partner had replied, “Super-secret military stuff!” and promptly ignored any follow-up questions. I’m missing out on something. It sounds like she ordered a hit? Like a mafia boss? I honestly have a hard time seeing her as that kind of person.
“Here we are. This is the Diablo,” Vi said. They had entered a dark plaza with small buildings sporting faded signs in drab colors. “We’re looking for a restaurant with a very similar name. El Diablo.”
“The devil?” Enrique translated, surprised. He scanned the area warily. The road was quiet, with a small iron fence encircling the place, and the inside of the plaza buzzed with a few yellow lights from the windows. People shuffled by quickly with hoods over their heads and dark cloaks, with short swords or knives at their waist. He saw small shadows dart away from the back of a bar. Everything looked sketchy.
“They serve spicy food,” she explained. She sounded excited. “Do you know other languages? I noticed you don’t have much of an accent. I know all the major languages and geographies where you’re from!”
“Really?”
“Si, hombre! Mei wen ti! Je connais l’anglais und viele andere Sprachen! Kakkoyokunaidesu ka?
“…I’m going to pretend I understood that.”
They found a scarlet-coal building which looked like it was made from stone bricks. The sign was in blood red light in a dripping font. It was very dim and the door looked like it was falling apart.
He grimaced. “Doesn’t look like it’s in good shape.”
She pushed open the door and stepped in.
The inside wasn’t much of an improvement. A few hooded people sat at tables in low yellow lights. They sat three or two at a table. The figures spoke with low voices, their poses erect and alert, eyes cold and glinting with some secret, arrogant knowledge.
He couldn’t tell if they were human or Anima. The walls snaked around the room and echoed with a strange mix of what sounded like mariachi and techno music, undulating in waves like the shades of scarlet, tan, and green splashed in the background.
“The Diablo’s popular for shady dealings,” Vi said lightly as she looked around. “Lots of spell wards, secret codes, and old customs to hide people’s activities. I’ve been trying to have some modern housing here, but some adventurers say it’s important for the kingdom to have a morally gray zone, for its own survival.”
There was a raccoon-eared waiter slinking in the corner, his black eyes darting between customers. She waved to him and he frowned, then motioned for them to follow him.
The waiter led them to a table where a lone hooded figure already sat, brooding over an alcoholic drink and a plate of meat breaded in spices.
“Hi, Harrokin!” Vi slid into the seat opposite the figure, giving him a smile. Enrique scooted in awkwardly beside her.
The figure grunted and threw up his hood. He was humanoid, but proportionally a bit squat. Enrique’s head was a little below the stranger’s eye level. The being sported a strong, stocky build, wild red hair, and a magnificent scarlet beard. Up close, he had a cloak-and-chainmail of ochre with many pockets, and a small steel toolset dangling half-hidden from his chest. His copper eyes were large and crazed, like he was about to run and hit someone on the head.
“Arrr, took you long enough,” Harrokin growled with a low, scratchy accent. They were five minutes early, but he liked to say this. He barked out to the side of the table. “223-1X!”
A thin red sheet of light shimmered to life tableside at this strange phrase, walling off the trio in a semi-transparent barrier.
“Got your order right ‘ere.” Now that they were insulated by the restaurant, the stranger reached under the table and withdrew three boxes of carefully wrought wood.
Vi opened the lid of the rightmost box, taking out a sleek green rifle magazine. “Tracker looks nicer than the ad,” she noted mildly.
“Aye, we don’t do flashy advertisements like Man,” the Stone Lord grunted. “If you don’t want the default you can key in the aura signature. Then the bullet sticks in and locates the aura. You’ll be notified through your own magic. Thought the Demon wouldn’t need an instruction manual, I did.”
“It’s undetectable,” Vi stated. She ignored the jab. Enrique was peering at the cartridge with undisguised fascination.
“Best as a Stone Lord can make it.” Harrokin shrugged. “Locator spell has invisibility, shrouding, mana dampening, the whole gamut. You said it’s against a strong battle mage type, and it ought to work.”
Vi had noted the amount. Six green cartridges in the mag.
He took a swig of his orange alcohol. “Ah, fire brandy always hits the spot.”
Then he tapped a finger on the center box. “This one, here. A real piece of work. Made me work for my money, and I hate that, rightly.”
The crazed expression remained on his face. Enrique wondered if the being’s family all looked at each other like that at the dinner table, and the mental picture amused him.
She put the cartridge away and opened the second box. Inside was a small, sleek golden cartridge. She silently took it out and pulled out a blue-black pistol identical to Enrique’s. Then she slid the cartridge into the pistol. There was a faint humming noise and golden streaks flowed from a corner of the gun to the sides, extending to form curving spirals on the black surface. Enrique stared at it.
Harrokin’s eyes widened with satisfaction at the sight. He waited for a reaction. When none came, he blurted out, “It’s based on an Elarrian spell-thrower.”
“A Ka’qiang?” Vi inspected the newly formed rune on the pistol.
“Hate those things,” Harrokin muttered, shuddering. “Blasted highborn Bluecoats and their weapons.”
Apparently satisfied, Vi slid the golden cartridge out of the pistol with a click, and put it back.
“Don’t know why you need something like that.” Harrokin leaned forward and lowered his voice. “Lowest setting will put anyone in a semi-permanent coma. Slow death. Why don’t you use a plain old bullet? You really want to give someone some pain, aye?”
“I pay you to not ask questions,” Vi replied shortly, with a smile.
He shifted uncomfortably. For a moment, fear flashed in his eyes.
Vi didn’t appear to notice. “Only three shots. The illusion magic is built-in?”
“Fae tech.” Harrokin made a face. “It’s cosmetic but it’s effective. Scared me in my tests—and I designed it.”
Vi opened up the last box. This one had a tiny blue gemstone. The inside pulsed with two circling pink and purple lights. She held it in her hand and turned it over once.
“Arrr, that’s a beauty.” Harrokin nodded knowingly. “Imbued with an attacher spell. You see the purple spot? Empty slot for your own spell. Put enough force in the gem and it’ll send that spell to your target like a magnet. Made it undetectable too.”
“It looks fragile,” she noted.
The Stone Lord took a bite of his food, smacking his lips at the spice. “Hnnn…you’re right about that. Unfortunately those are my limits. The gem can hold a lot more mana than you think. But it’ll automatically activate if it breaks, like you requested. Not sure why you want that, either, but…you’re the customer. My shop does have two boxes being prepared for your ‘backups’, but we’d need another meeting to discuss those.”
“This should be good enough. Thank you!” Vi gave him a cheery smile as she gathered up the boxes and slipped them in her pouch. She tapped on her phone. “I’ll give you a tip.”
Vi, no! Enrique thought, but there was a small ping before he could do anything. He fought the urge to facepalm.
Harrokin glanced at his phone and raised his eyebrows as he saw Vi’s transferred amount, but made no comment. He opened his mouth, thought for a moment, then went on. “Appreciate it, Azurelane, but I do want more out of our deal.”
“Hm? Go on,” she said politely. She noticed Enrique was getting antsy and made a silent swiping motion at the side of the table, which emitted a signal to a waiter to get him a drink.
The red-bearded man shifted in his seat. “Aye. I want my clan’s shop to have rights on weapons forging for the time being. With a small Anima party like you and some associates, mind you.”
There was some silence. Vi looked at Harrokin, who looked away uncomfortably. A brown drink in a glass arrived for Enrique. The boy looked at Vi, who nodded at him, and took a sip. It was like spicy cinnamon coffee.
Vi finally spoke. “As a citizen of Anima Kingdom, you’re more than welcome to work exclusively with me and others in the kingdom who agree. However, those in your clan who remain in Stone Lord territory don’t have such rights.”
“Arrr.” The frustration in his voice was evident. “No matter. I bet you sneaky Anima are already trying to steal our techniques. My concern is more for my brothers in my old homeland.”
“They can immigrate,” Vi said brightly. “The kingdom is very welcoming!”
He laughed bitterly. “Wish they could plan for a proper retirement like me. They cling to the old ways, and old feelings. Tough as weathered mountains, them. Even if they are right cracked and beaten—thanks to you. They talk of Uruk—you know him, right?”
“Yes! He works at a bar! I like talking to him sometimes.” Vi smiled cheerfully at this.
He rolled his eyes. “My relatives in the homelands say Uruk’s an example of who not to be. An old commander and weapons master, surrenders to the Anima—and what does he become? A bartender! From the heat of the forge and the intricacy of runework, to mixing some simple drinks! They think Anima are making the Stone Lords second-class citizens.”
“The pay is high, and he has benefits. All professions are honorable if done with love.” Vi gently patted Enrique’s shoulder with a tail after making another signal, and the waiter delivered him some spicy shrimp. He devoured it and decided not to complain about sitting around.
Harrokin shrugged. “So you say. You do know the Elarrian noble houses are of similar mind? Mixing Elarrian highborn and lowborn! When I first heard of it, I half-expected the highborn to rebel with their Bluecoats and get themselves wiped out. It’s an affront to their way of life, and they think the bar will only go lower, as your saying goes. Noble House Ti’Vaan is especially vocal about having Elarrian-centric policies.”
“Yes. I’m aware. Ranger Commander Ti’brill yelled at me recently about pulling away Elarrian protective forces. He wishes to preserve his own kind. He is a highborn trying to help his fellow Elar in the kingdom. It’s understandable.”
“So! You see my point!” Harrokin said triumphantly.
“It’s difficult to find a middle ground.” Vi shrugged. “Other highborn of the High Race think differently. Ti’brill’s cousin Tilly is quite happy to work with a lowborn in my cafe. The younger generation adapts, and the old can too. The King and Queen have been very clear about opposing any policies that go against Anima ideals.”
“That thing again?” He snorted.
“What are Anima ideals?” Enrique asked, wanting to pitch in on the conversation. Harrokin guffawed.
Vi’s face lit up. “Freedom, Equality, Unity! It’s how Anima try to treat each other and work together! The royal family plans to promote it at the upcoming ball.”
“The Elarrians could argue their ‘freedom’ of culture is being smashed,” Harrokin pointed out smugly.
Vi grew a little quieter at this. “It’s similar to how the King and Queen oppose some Nocturne and Saukallian traditions. In the end, it’s their decision. I’m only an advisor or a waitress.”
“Aye, enough about politics for us common folk,” Harrokin said with a grin. “Say, I don’t meant to pry, but who’s the boy with you? Another heaven-sent adventurer? What’s so important about him that the Blue-Eyed Demon walks by his side?”
Enrique froze at being mentioned, a shrimp halfway in his mouth.
Vi put a tail around him and smiled. “Enrique? It’s obvious. He’s a Hero meant to save the world!”
Enrique felt his face redden. He waited for the Stone Lord’s response. Harrokin merely stroked his beard, thoughtful. “Aye. It makes sense you would see it first, when you trained Aurelius. D*** mage kicked all our a**es.”
There was some silence as Enrique tried to avoid Harrokin’s creepily crazy eyes.
The Stone Lord spoke hesitantly. His eyes bulged to express himself more fully. “Azurelane, do you see dark times ahead?”
Vi was quiet. She remembered the future vision of the ball. Then she gave Harrokin a smile. “I don’t focus on the darkness. As long as there is even one hero in this world, we shouldn’t lose hope.”
Harrokin rolled his eyes at this. Enrique felt strangely touched by her words. She must walk a lonely path as an immortal hero. I wonder what it’s like to try to be good for so long.
Vi got up. “My apologies, I’ve kept you long enough. We should go—”
----------------------------------------
Fifteen minutes in the future. Outer fence of the Diablo. 72%.
“Help! They took my child!”
A shrill scream sounded as ten figures covered in black cloth rushed towards the road, scurrying quickly around signs and poles with hoods covering their faces and backs bent to hide their features. The lead figure held a crying baby bunny Anima swaddled in pink cloth.
The mother ran after the group, brandishing a spear. Beams of yellow light flew from the spear tip, striking two of the kidnappers in the rear and sending them toppling to the ground, but the others veered quickly around a corner, chanting a mantra under their breaths.
“For Kavistra…for Kavistra…for Kavistra…”
Four figures in dark hoods approached the intersection in front of the kidnappers. The four suddenly rushed forwards, whipping off their hoods and drawing their weapons, revealing two humans and their Anima partners.
“Ifrit, cover me!” A female adventurer, in a green robe with her black hair in a bun, fired a series of green bolts from her bow. Her partner, with panther ears and tail, summoned a red barrier around them and hurled out a red beam from a short scepter.
The kidnappers scattered at this unexpected assault. The lead figure with the child weaved around as the other seven slashed at the adventurers to distract them. Black tendrils of magic shot from the kidnappers’ hands, striking the shield and dispelling some of the green bolts. One kidnapper swiped against the red barrier in a burst of sparks, revealing gleaming sharp claws at the end of his hand instead of fingers.
“They’re Nocturne! Ifrit, Yongmi, be careful!” A male adventurer, with brown hair and a black cloak, opened fire with a weapon resembling a red assault rifle. There was a hard expression in his piercing blue eyes as scarlet beams pummeled the nearest two kidnappers, sending the beings rolling in the dirt. The man’s partner, a white-robed black-eared jackal woman, slashed with a golden kopesh. Golden arcs soared from the blade, sending one of the clawed beings stumbling back with a hiss, only to be struck down by a hail of red and green beams.
The adventurers advanced, but the Nocturne had bought themselves some time. A radio crackled to life from the lead kidnapper’s waist as the child in his arms wailed loudly.
A gruff male voice came from the radio. “Okay, Nocturne, Dire Wolves are in position.”
“We have understood. For Kavistra,” the lead Nocturne chanted in a hissing voice.
As the four adventurers chased the five remaining Nocturne, firing their weapons in hot pursuit, the sound of heavy boots tramping on earth and clinking armor came from the sides.
Suddenly, twenty beings in black armor wielding shields and swords appeared and charged against the four adventurers. Yellow beams flew out and struck the group’s red shield. The man, Jax, cursed, still firing on the kidnappers, and the woman Yongmi fired at the newcomers with her bow. The panther man Ifrit raised his scepter higher as Dire Wolves gangsters crashed against his barrier. The jackal woman slashed with her blade, smashing several gang members away.
Another two hooded dark blue figures, loitering at the side, suddenly jumped into the fray. They turned out to be Anima, a knife-wielding man with bat wings and a man with green-blue peacock tails and a golden rapier. The new adventurers fell upon the gangsters with savage fury, jamming their blades into necks and gaps in armor with pinpoint accuracy, sending blood flying against the walls.
“We’ll handle them! Get the kid!” the peacock man shouted.
“Got it! We won’t let them get away!” The two human adventurers barreled towards the kidnappers as their Anima blasted a way out from the distracted gangsters. The black-cloaked man held out his rifle, and an orange ring of light pulsed around the barrel. The woman fired a green beam from her bow which exploded into a barrier of ice.
One kidnapper collided straight against the frozen wall and fell down with a cry. Two of the kidnappers froze in place as another two green beams struck their clawed feet, coating them in thick ice. The lead kidnapper skittered to a halt and agiley dodged to avoid another ice beam. He glanced back to see the rifle being charged and hissed to the other Nocturne around him.
They vanished in puffs of gray smoke, reappearing as giant, black, bat-like creatures. Two grabbed the leader each on the shoulder with large talons and began hauling him and the baby up over the ice wall.
“No!” The man fired his rifle and a massive beam of red light soared out. It struck three Nocturne and vaporized their black magic tendrils, but barely missed the leader’s leg as he was jerked up and over the wall, flying off into the distance.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
The fleeing Nocturne hurled out more black trailing lines, and attacks struck the two humans’ cloak and robe, sending them both flying backwards and slamming against the wall of a shop.
“Argh!”
“Ungh!”
Meanwhile, the Anima fought valiantly, but the sheer numbers of the gang and their disciplined viciousness were significant. A hail of yellow beams and swords struck the panther man’s barrier, causing it to shatter and fade, and he reeled back as a gang member bashed him on the head with a shield.
The jackal woman and the other two Anima sliced their way over to defend him, but were driven back by a pike formation of stabbing blades. Four gang members burst from the fighting and ran towards the two humans lying against the wall, their swords descending on the pair’s necks. Blood splashed against the wall as a baby’s wails faded in the distance.
Scene end.
“—and take care of some other matters.” Vi stepped away from the table as it dispelled, the red insulating barrier vanishing from view. Enrique followed.
“Right. Thanks for your business. Well met, Enrique.” Harrokin waved a hand as the pair exited the restaurant.
Vi walked at a fast pace, adjusting the brown pouch slung around her shoulder. “Stay with me and don’t try anything.”
Enrique’s eyes narrowed. “What’s going on?”
“A kidnapping. Here.”
“What?” He looked shocked. “We’re going to stop it, right?”
“Not you.”
He folded his arms as he struggled to keep pace with her long strides. “Why not? You literally told that guy I’m going to save the world.”
She glanced over. “You do realize I was simply giving a cover story so people don’t ask questions? It’s close enough to the truth.”
“I—what?” His brows furrowed.
“I don’t mean to be rude, but you simply don’t have enough self-control with your magic. The kidnappers have a child who could be hurt if this isn’t done carefully. You need to stay back. You can shoot when I tell you to.”
“Oh, come on! You’re telling me you’re going to help stop a kidnapping by yourself? What makes you think you’re so good?” he snapped.
She looked straight ahead. “I’m sorry, but you were nearly killed by a single goblin.”
His face flushed, but he felt too embarrassed to say anything more.
----------------------------------------
As the four adventurers chased the five remaining Nocturne, firing their weapons in hot pursuit, the sound of heavy boots tramping on earth and clinking armor came from the sides.
Suddenly, twenty beings in black armor wielding shields and swords appeared and charged against the four adventurers.
At that moment, a fox woman with many black tails whipped around a corner in front of the kidnappers. Her body lit with an azure aura and ignited with blue electricity. She reached towards the sword at her waist.
Lightning Blade.
She disappeared from view and reappeared past the kidnappers, gang members, and adventurers, at the end of the road. Her unsheathed sword crackled with sparks and blood dripped from the silver blade.
The baby had suddenly appeared in her other arm. The five kidnappers were now corpses on the ground, sizzling with blue light as blood gushed from their bodies, which had been neatly sliced apart. The armored gang members also lay scattered in a pile, their slashed bodies twitching as electricity ran through their bodies.
A black-cloaked man carrying a rifle stared at the scene, his blue eyes wide in stunned disbelief. “What…just happened?”
Vi cradled the baby bunny Anima. “Enrique, you can shoot now.”
A boy in an orange cloak and mage hat appeared around the corner, huffing for breath. He pointed his gun at the gangsters, but they were already dead. He made his way to the fox woman uncertainly. Her aura and electricity faded as she sheathed her weapon with a tail and and slowed to a walk. She murmured softly to the wailing baby, rocking the infant in her arms. “Everything’s all right now. Don’t cry, sweetie. We’ll bring you to your mommy, okay?”
The four adventurers approached the duo.
“Thank goodness,” a woman adventurer with a green bow said. Her partner, a panther man with a scepter, looked relieved.
They heard footsteps as the mother Anima hurried over.
“Oh my god! Lily! You’re okay!” The bunny woman dropped her spear with a clatter and seized her baby from Vi, clutching the infant tightly.
The baby gradually calmed down as her mother hugged her.
Vi turned away and approached the bodies of the gang members and kidnappers. Enrique followed, a little shocked by the abruptness of the situation.
Some gang members had a crested badge on their chest with three black claw marks. Vi took out her phone and took a photo, then scrolled through the device for a little. She found a picture with the same icon and a small label.
Public message from the Solaris League: Report any sightings and suspected activities of the Dire Wolves gang! They are armed, highly organized, and dangerous.
“Those are gang members,” she informed Enrique quietly, as she put her phone away. “These ones have been attacking the guilds of a large League recently.”
She stepped over to the slain kidnappers next. Enrique saw they were vaguely human-like, but were not human. The creatures had either gray or almost white pale skin, and had claws at the end of their hands and feet. They had sharp teeth and red eyes. They wore black cloaks and had black horns and small bat-like wings.
“What are those things?” he asked, recoiling at the sight.
“Nocturne,” she replied shortly. “Shape-shifters. They can turn into bats, wolves, and other animals.”
“Why would they do this? What kind of monsters would kidnap a baby from her mother?” He clenched his fists.
Vi lightly kicked the dead leader’s right arm, revealing a swirling black tattoo of a character in a foreign language inked on the forearm. The leader also had a small gold ring on his clawed index finger, which had the same character imprinted in dark red.
“Kavistra,” she murmured, reading the character.
He stared. “What?”
“Some cultures here are different from what you are used to. The Nocturne worship demons and believe demons provide them help in times of need. The more extreme of them are known to drink blood and devote themselves to serving a particular demon. The idea is the more you offer a demon, the more powerful you become. Some religious sects want a return to the old Nocturne Empire, when their nation was strong and demons roamed free.”
“Demons? Those aren’t real, right?” His eyes went wide.
She decided not to answer that question. “From what we see here, we may assume these were trying to kidnap children for their demon. They were followers of Kavistra, a powerful demon of chaos. It looks like a gang has been working with them.”
He looked disgusted.
Meanwhile, the bunny woman was clutching her baby and speaking to the adventurers. “Thank you so much for your help.”
“Don’t mention it. We’ll escort you home,” the blue-eyed man with the scarlet rifle offered. His partner dipped her head in agreement. “We should make sure you’re safe.”
“Yes. It’s the least we can do,” the woman with the bow said. Her partner nodded.
The black-cloaked man turned to Vi and Enrique. “Excuse me. You two were the ones who really helped.” He gave them a piercing look. “You’re Heroes, aren’t you? I’ve never seen anyone move that fast. You defeated all those enemies in an instant.”
Enrique opened his mouth, but Vi waved a tail in front of his face.
“You’re mistaken. I’m a waitress,” she said quietly, and walked off.
Enrique hurried after her, trying to disguise his irritation.
The man watched them go, and then held out a phone to see her profile.
He muttered to the woman next to him. “Vivian Azurelane? Sounds kind of familiar. Where have I heard that name?” He scratched his head, then turned to the mother with her baby. “Anyways, let’s get going, miss.”
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The outskirts, five hundred meters above ground, city of Salezzan.
Alicia gripped her arms around the wyvern’s neck as the wild dragon flew forwards, a dark green blur. She liked the way the wind whipped back the hair of her black ponytail, the weightlessness of flight, and the sheer freedom of being able to go anywhere, anytime.
Even if the last part was only an illusion.
Marcus and Eileen, her fellow assasins, were also riding wyverns. Eileen was glowing with a faint yellow light, using her ‘beast tamer’ ability to calm and hypnotize the monsters the trio were flying. The dragons had a faint glowing yellow mark on their foreheads.
There were three more wyverns flying next to theirs. Their riders were dark element clones, black shadowy figures shaped to resemble their creator. Marcus was providing the clones and Eileen had to concentrate to placate all six wyverns. The decoys were a necessary precaution but consumed constant energy.
Which meant Alicia was the lookout.
Her wyvern soared upwards as she peered up at the sky. Even with her superior senses, her eyes could barely make out four small gray blips on the horizon.
“Four objects. They don’t look like monsters,” she murmured to the others through her radio. “Some kind of machine?”
“Let’s keep our current speed. They’ll probably fly right past us like the others,” Marcus reasoned.
True, they weren’t doing anything too strange. Anima rode tamed monsters all the time. However, they were on wyverns—small, two-legged, winged dragons which were quite rarely sold in the markets.
The few other tamed beasts they had seen had ignored them, hurrying in a tight formation to some ravaging monster or gang sighting. Alicia guessed they were adventurers. It was at times like these she wondered how much Master had planned ahead.
“We should descend,” Eileen argued in her emotionless voice.
“Okay, fine. Let’s do it slowly and not draw attention.”
Alicia squinted at the four objects. They were rapidly getting closer, although still far above the three of them. She could see they had shiny silver hulls and wings. She tried to recall any similar vehicles from a textbook Master had forced them to study.
“They look kind of like Saukallian warships,” she said.
“That doesn’t make sense. Saukallians use the sea.”
Alicia sensed an undercurrent of nervousness in Marcus’s reply as they slowly dropped in altitude.
“I don’t know then. A new ship, I guess,” Alicia replied coolly.
She had memorized the layout of the city and the location of the safe house they were heading to. Master had many such houses scattered about, but this house was supposed to have supplies and be secure enough to prepare their attack on the ball. They were still quite a distance from it. Dropping lower would shave off precious time.
The unidentified objects were almost on top of them.
Then the four ships screamed down in a coordinated dive and opened fire.
“S***! Evasive maneuvers!” Alicia jerked her wyvern to a hard right as orange beams lanced from the front of the unknown ships. A beam blew past where she had just been, and she felt the heat of the attack wash over her. Another beam struck a shadow clone rider and its wyvern screeched, tumbling to the ground as its back and wings lit on fire.
“Eileen, send the decoys out—c***!” Marcus cursed and his wyvern spun to avoid another two beams.
“Forget the decoys! Eileen, release my dragon and focus on you and Marcus! They’re coming for us!” Alicia hollered. A ship streaked straight for her, unleashing another orange beam which she narrowly dodged.
The four ships unleashed a barrage of missiles. Yellow rockets whizzed out with blinding speed.
“I can’t shake them!” Marcus cried. His black clones faded as his attention was yanked away, forced to weave around the missiles. The homing projectiles veered sharply and began to tail his wyvern with eerie precision.
The two wyverns which previously had clones roared and shook their wings, as if recovering from a trance, and flew away from the city.
The ships fired again. Alicia yanked her dragon’s neck to make it perform an aerial somersault, and a fireball flew from the dragon’s mouth. The ship closest to her rolled away from the attack without even slowing down.
S***! They’re too good. Are they from the Anima Army? Alicia heard a cry from the radio, and looked to the side to see Eileen’s wyvern get pummeled by two orange beams.
“Eileen!” Marcus shouted, and then missiles hit his dragon with a bright yellow explosion. “Aaargh!”
Alicia’s eyes widened as the other two on their dragons were sent spiraling to the ground.
“Marcus, Eileen—”
An orange beam lanced through her wyvern’s wing. Alicia clutched the dragon as it plummeted downwards with a roar of pain.
Even as she was sent spinning wildly, the wind flowing past her hair and the earth rushing to meet her, she glimpsed the ships pursuing the other two assassins, blasting the wyverns and covering them in a furious orange-yellow flood of explosions.
D***. That’s it, huh?
I wish I never lived in the first place.
Then the world went black.
----------------------------------------
The cat girl’s eyes opened. Her head swam. Her body felt like it had been bludgeoned repeatedly by a brick wall. She tried to move and let out a barely muffled cry of pain. Her arms were broken.
She heard footsteps nearby. Dimly, she realized she was still in danger. She activated one of her abilities.
Invisibility.
Her body vanished from view. Just in time. An armored Anima strode past her, wielding a jet-black rifle. He spoke into some kind of communicator device.
“We found the dragons, but no sign of the riders. They’ve got invisibility magic.”
F***.
Another three armored Anima joined him. One of them, a husky-eared wolf man, had silvery armor and wore a badge with the Kingdom’s seal, a crossed sword and a scepter with the scarlet letter ‘A’. He stood erect, alert, and confident. The squad leader. His voice was gruff. “Fluids, lighter.”
“Copy that.”
Alarm bells rang in her head. She forced herself to breathe calmly and slowly. She felt her bones reset and slowly align themselves. It was another of her abilities.
Self-healing.
She watched the soldiers take out a large tank with a nozzle and spray black liquid on the ground.
“What if they know healing magic?” a female soldier wondered aloud. The liquid splattered closer to Alicia’s position. Black liquid slowly oozed out, covering stray rocks and debris. If the liquid reached her, she would be completely exposed.
“Then they’ll make a run for it. Or they’ll scream and we empty mags in their heads until we’re out. We’ll patrol the perimeter next and follow footsteps.”
The Anima pouring out the tank uttered a short laugh. “D***, sergeant, you’re savage. Did the war make you that way? Or were you always such a harda**?”
“Eyes open. Quit yapping,” the sergeant barked.
Alicia slowly crawled away from the incoming liquid, trying to make as little noise as possible.
The sergeant’s ears twitched. His yellow eyes flitted past the invisible assassin. “I want a proper border. Make sure no one can escape.”
“On it.” A female Anima hauled another tank and began to pour out a thin line, making the first side of a large square. Two soldiers guarded her warily, swiveling their rifles.
Alicia winced as some of the black liquid brushed against her boot. She felt a sharp pain in her chest as she shakily hauled herself forwards. Step by step. Total silence. That was all she could think about. She pulled herself forwards with her hands. The dark liquid seeped ever closer in a gradual, merciless wave. Her heart beat wildly in her chest.
Right hand. Left hand. Silence. Right hand. Left hand. Silence.
“Sergeant, this is a little cruel,” the soldier with the first tank muttered. “I don’t think I can sleep well after this. Aren’t they Anima like us?”
The sergeant’s voice was cold. “They’re the enemy. If my old commander wants them dead, we’ll make d*** sure they’re dead. Understood?”
“The General? I thought he was directing the fleet to help a bunch of guilds.”
“No. Vi. Richard was promoted after the war. Focus, newbie.”
Alicia’s pace quickened. The dark sludge behind her was advancing too fast. She saw the female soldier with the second tank drawing a line of liquid in front of her. Up ahead were the gleaming silver metal of the Anima fighter ships.
The assassin recognized the thin line of liquid as a side of a shape. It surrounded her as a large, almost-complete square. They were sealing her off. She’d burn alive.
She reached out desperately. It was too late. The female soldier finished drawing the line in front of the assassin. The commander glowed with a black aura and pointed at the liquid.
There was a bright flash of light and a roar of orange flames. Alicia shut her eyes and waited.
A moment passed. She felt the heat of flames, but they weren’t searing into her as she expected.
She opened her eyes, and they widened in surprise. She was outside the square. She chanced a glance back and saw the area she had been a split second before, now completely covered in a blazing orange-red inferno.
Did I…teleport?
No, she realized. At least not a typical teleportation spell. She had vanished and reappeared a short distance ahead.
There was no use dwelling on this new vanishing ability for now, or wondering where it had come from. She slowly dragged herself away from the soldiers, towards the streets where she could perhaps find some cover and rest.
A soldier spoke nearby. “Sergeant, picked up an aura to your right—”
Another soldier reported from a communicator. “Picking up an aura. West side, fifty paces, dark element, very faint.”
The sergeant spoke curtly. “Probably a clone. Shoot it down and come back.”
Gunfire erupted.
“Aura is out. No body.”
The sergeant spoke to the previous soldier. “Repeat.”
“Sergeant, I thought I found an aura five paces from you. On your right. I don’t have a visual. It’s gone now.”
Alicia went very still.
The sergeant’s yellow eyes slowly scanned near the assassin's position. He raised his rifle.
For a moment, he stared exactly at Alicia’s face.
Black beams fired from the rifle. A black explosion lit the air, rising up like the smoke from the massive fire raging behind them.
Silence. The place was empty.
The sergeant glared at the spot. Then he turned away. “Let’s track them down. Confirm the kills.”
Alicia didn’t dare move, didn’t dare utter even the smallest sound of pain. The beams had missed but the ensuing explosion had hit her in the chest and arm, cracking through her armor and breaking bone.
She knew she had survived through sheer luck. The gunfire had been calculated to kill with efficient precision, a short burst and nothing more. If she didn’t have the bodysuit and self-healing, she would already be dead from the crash-landing. If she didn’t have the vanishing trick, she would have burned, screamed, and then been shot to death. And now, if the sergeant had simply aimed a head higher, she would have been killed on the spot.
----------------------------------------
For two days, Alicia crawled her way to the nearest safe house. It wasn’t anything like the one they had planned to stay at, but it was supposed to be heavily warded from being located and had some food, and that was what mattered.
Master had taught her—forced her—to have the attitude of a hunter. But for hours, she was the hunted. She moved in stops and starts. Every shadow that moved made her heart beat like mad, and every nearby footstep filled her mind with panic. Many times the soldiers passed by her alley or along the intersection of a road, barely missing the invisible cat girl. They should have spotted her. She made so many small mistakes—a breath too tight, a step too loud, a partial trail. The only explanation she could come up with was magic.
If she was being honest with herself, the mission had been impossible to begin with. How could three children avoid an enemy who could predict the future, with an entire kingdom’s resources to throw at them, and years of experience?
Finally, she found the house and stumbled her way in. It was plainly furnished, with a living room and two bedrooms. She spent an hour resting, lying on the floor, eating some canned food, and drinking water from an ice bucket. She half-expected the soldiers to come bursting in, weapons ablaze. When two hours passed and they didn’t come, she forced herself to relax.
Then she heard Master’s voice in her head. The familiar headache sounded, pounding into her skull, and her heart rate spiked up higher than if soldiers had crashed through the wall.
“Darkwaters, report.” His voice was cold and unyielding.
Alicia forced herself to remain calm and speak in an even tone. She was pretty sure her luck was running out. There was nothing she could do to stop Master. “Streamlight provided wyverns for us on the way to the safe house. However, she and Goldenclaw were hit by Anima ships.”
Alicia was careful to refer to Marcus and Eileen by last name, because that was what Master always used. They were tools that way. She paused, and took a deep breath, mentally preparing herself for the end. “I will head to the ball and continue the mission, but there will be a one week delay due to the attack.”
There was a brief silence that was in some ways more painful than if he had activated the bomb then and there.
Master spoke. Cool malice filled his voice. “Azurelane. That b***. We will have a change of plans. Darkwaters, I have a new mission for you, and you alone.”
“Yes, Master.” Alicia kept her voice emotionless, hiding her surprise.
“My sources tell me Azurelane and her partner are in a nearby city. You have a primary and secondary objective. Your primary objective is unchanged from the previous plan. Your ultimate goal is to kill a member of the royal family, preferably the heir, so I can break the System.”
Break the System. This was what Master considered the essential first step to “remake this broken world”. She didn’t pretend to fully comprehend his goal, but she understood this much.
“Your secondary goal is to distract Azurelane, infiltrate the Anima, and become my inside informant. You will use a cover story, and you will attempt to kill Azurelane’s partner. You are unlikely to succeed, but you are to ensure you are a threat. Befriend her and her partner if you must. If Streamlight or Goldenclaw survived, I will have them rejoin you at the ball. I will give you a year to fulfill these objectives. Failure is your death. Succeed and I will release you. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Master.” Alicia committed the words to memory.
“Go.”
Master’s voice vanished from her mind. Alicia quickly scratched out his words on a piece of paper and ink in the living room.
As she stuffed the paper in her pocket and put back the pen, she noticed a small device lying on the living room table.
It was white and box-like, with two funny spinning rings in the middle, and black tape running around the rectangular border in a tight roll. It looked old, but strangely clean despite the dust around it, like it was magically preserved. There was text scribbled on the back of it. The ink was smeared, as if someone had been crying when it was written.
Maybe you’re right, Gavin.
Maybe I should let the kingdom fall, and finally see the System die.
Sometimes I wonder if I’m the real monster here.
Alicia reached out and touched the device. Suddenly, the tape rattled and the circles spun.
There was a flash of white light, and a scene filled Alicia’s mind.
----------------------------------------
Three figures stood in the living room. The two human males glared at each other. Between them was a black-tailed fox woman.
The man on the right wore a black cloak over an armored bodysuit, with a vicious assortment of glistening swords and knives sheathed at his waist and hanging from his back. His black hair was shaved short, giving him a decidedly aggressive appearance, and his brown eyes were filled with fury.
“She’s DEAD! Yet you want me to keep following this charade?”
The man on the left, with a silver-black cloak and cold blue eyes, folded his arms. He looked a bit angry, but also sympathetic. He spoke in a calm but firm tone. “Gavin. I’m not saying that. I’m sorry about Fen. But what I’m saying is, what you’re proposing is going too far.”
“Don’t give me that c***. Do you even hear yourself?! This whole System is f***ed up! I won’t stay a part of it!”
“Gavin—”
Gavin interrupted with a booming shout. “Aurelius! Don’t talk like you understand! If it wasn’t for the stupid Destiny magic, I wouldn’t have been forced to have my soul bonded with Fen! If it wasn’t for the System, I wouldn’t have given a d*** about her, or even known her! I’d be dead in our home world, like I’m supposed to be, not ‘saved’ by magic. She wouldn’t have rushed into the war to try to make a name for us, and I—I’d never have that f***ing forced relationship and we’d both be better off!”
Gavin continued in an angry rush. “I know you’re not stupid! Did you ever think about how the System’s stats are always about combat? How it always rewards you to keep fighting for the Anima Kingdom? Or the way its rankings and titles make adventurers always compete with themselves and put themselves at risk for others?”
Aurelius nodded stiffly.
Gavin spoke in a low hiss. “The System needs to be broken. I know how. Vi, what would happen if the royal family died?”
The fox woman, who had been watching silently, looked over. Her ears and tails drooped. “The System was made to protect the Kingdom. If the citizens of the Kingdom are all killed, or the royal family dies, the System will cease to exist.”
“There has to be another way,” Aurelius insisted. “You want to commit cold-blooded murder? I know you hate King Malgus, and honestly I can’t blame you, but this—this still isn’t right. What about the Queen and the future heir? What about all the royal family’s supporters? You want to slaughter them for guilt by association? I don’t think Fen would want you to do this.”
Gavin’s eyes flashed with rage but Vi jumped into the conversation, giving a cheery smile. “Gav, Malgus is a big jerk. It’s true he regressed the System extremely heavily because of the war. We were in crisis and needed troops. He thought cutting out most System features to make pure combat-oriented adventurers, like in older days, was the right thing to do.
“I’m not saying I agree at all with his actions. But we could still rebuild peacefully. We can use the royal family’s power to change the System, and slowly guide the heir and future descendants to add features and edits to an improved System—”
“No!” Gavin yanked out a sword and pointed it at Vi, the razor-sharp metal glinting in the light of the room. “That’s not going to work! I’ll be long dead by then, and who knows how many other people will go through this s***? Besides, you’re part of the problem! You’ve been allowing the System to continue your whole longa** life, haven’t you?
“You say you can’t do anything because you’ll go insane. I think you’re just too much of a coward to do what’s needed. If I were you, I’d gladly go permanently insane to spare people the suffering of this System and its Destiny magic. I’d kill anyone I had to, and let mental health and this worthless world go to h***. That’s what a real hero would do.”
Vi gazed at the blade silently. She had stopped looking cheery, an unusually glum and weary look on her face.
“Leave my partner out of this,” Aurelius snapped.
Gavin sneered. “You and your partner are why this d*** System can still exist in the first place. You’re too blinded by ideals about being a Hero and your disgusting Anima-human forced romance—”
“Watch your mouth,” Aurelius said icily.
Gavin’s reply was equally cold. “No, you watch yours. I can’t believe we used to be friends. I’m going. I’ll do whatever it takes. I’ll rise higher than the gods and the demons. No more humans coming to this world. No more pairing, no profiles, no more kingdom to defend, none of that c***. If either of you get in my way, I’ll kill you!”
Gavin turned and strode out the door.
Vi ran after him. “Gav, wait!”
They met outside. He whirled around, pointing a sword at her neck. The weapon pulsed with a bloodred aura. Vi stopped a couple paces in front of him. She raised her hands up in surrender.
“Gavin, please. I’ve seen what you become. I don’t want that to happen to you.”
He threw the sword at her chest with blazing speed. Vi dodged and caught the weapon. The blade burst into burning red flames, and she accepted the attack without flinching. She looked pained. “I’m sorry, Gavin. I really am.”
He pulled up his hood. “I’m not Gavin anymore. Gavin is dead.”
He turned away and faded into the night.
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Alicia blinked and stared at the little device.
What the h***?
She wasn’t sure what to make of the random scene. She was in Master’s safe house. However, the device seemed like something Vivian Azurelane would have. Azurelane was Master’s enemy, who Master mentioned could predict the future and had other vast powers. What was the device doing here?
The living room from the scene was like the room she was in right now, but older. Apparently, Azurelane had also known a man named ‘Aurelius’, her partner, as well as this ‘Gavin’ character.
Alicia pocketed the tape and thought for a little.
Maybe Master had taken some of this Gavin’s ideas as inspiration? That was what Alicia thought, but she felt like that wasn’t close enough to the truth. Master was clearly not human. His powers were unnatural, and his eyes were a crimson red, like a demon’s. He wouldn’t listen to the words of a mere mage.
I wonder what happened to that Gavin. Maybe Master killed him.