"Death solves all problems, no man, no problem."

-Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili

POV Kyla'th Mazurio, Queen of Mazurio

While talking with Nylchai and Larkta in the classroom, I suddenly feel a heavy weight settle on the mana in the air. I'm not the only one who noticed it either, as others in the class look around in confusion. The professor simply looks stunned, and repeatedly starts flexing his hands.

"Alright class, something is clearly going on, everyone please stay calm and head for the theater. Evacuations are managed there." The professor leads the way out, and through the hallways. Other classrooms are also moving, with their teachers simply signaling their confusion to each other.

When we near the theater, all hell breaks loose, as men in cloaks start wildly blasting a whole menagerie of magical attacks on the students. Many jump through the windows to escape, but I see on the outside even more cloaked men pouring in. We are surrounded.

"Class get beh-" The teacher dies as he draws a sword. An arrow sticking out through his throat.

"Everyone, get inside the theater!" Eden's shout is heard over the panic, and every one of our class makes a break for the theater. Before the last of us make it through, the people at the rear are hit by a massive fireball.

"Celdium!" Alice joins the cries of mourning screams, I feel like I have been here before, but something is missing this time.

The students begin to disperse throughout the theater, desperately trying to find hiding spots. Except for Eden, Cathy and Carmilla standing on the stage. I hurry to join them.

"What's the plan here?" Cathy manages to look mildly annoyed, Carmilla looks deathly afraid, and Eden gives me a grim look.

"I was hoping to use the central position of the stage to draw their attention for as long as possible, that way the guard might arrive on time to rescue at least some people." So he was planning on killing himself, great.

"I have [lost/missing/gone] Lady Esstrey, I was planning on standing here so I would be visible to her." Shit, Esstrey was in the cafeteria with some others, I hope they managed to find their own exit.

"I-I don't know! I was just following you guys!" Carmilla is probably the most scared out of anyone right now.

So no one has a plan? Well, Eden's plan might work, but it obviously needs some improvements. Come on, think Kyla! Think! You are the Demon Queen of Mazurio! Mana is being disrupted in the air, but not inside our bodies. That means whatever they are doing is not a complete nullification of magic, but rather a large resistance to it. I can't force much magic through on my own, but... but I might be able to with the others here.

"I have a plan! We will ritualcast a basic barrier of pure mana. It will be highly inefficient, but it's the only way we could get a barrier up right now. Stack up on me, and prepare to be the toughest distraction in the school!" The trio quickly fall in position, backing me up with their mana. A deceptively strong barrier forms out of the mana of a vampire, the crown prince, an interdimensional being, and the demon lord. It will however not be enough for a determined assault.

Our barrier formed just in time as cloaked men start pouring into the theater, one who looks to be their leader takes off his hood to gloat.

"The rest are hiding, find th-" He's cut off as Alicia jumps for his throat, stabbing him in a major artery with a hidden dagger.

"YOU KILLED MY BROTHER!" As the screams are heard throughout the theater, Larkta jumps in between a group of the troops, wildly tearing at the assassins. Alicia is quickly killed by the surrounding people, but Larkta manages to take down a few with her before being shot by multiple crossbows. The men, much more cautious now spread throughout the theater while maintaining eye contact on the podium. They occasionally throw attacks our way, but quickly stop as it becomes clear they need more than that to break through.

The men find a few of the human students hiding behind seats, and promptly execute them, but as another group of the assassins enter, they are ambushed by two southern sword dancers. The sword twins rapidly carve a path through them, catching them by surprise. As a few of the men turn at the commotion, Cathy grabs one of the men who got a little too close, and drags him screaming into the barrier. He tries to resist, but is slowly getting crushed while his screams fill the theater. More people get distracted, and two people in religious garb choose this moment to ambush an isolated group. One paladin, and one minotaur crushing armored, and unarmored opponents in equal.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

A second fireball hits the entrance, and one of the southern twins is sent screaming to the ground, while the other falls dead on impact. More assassins pour in as the blockage is resolved, and start blasting magic in all directions. Some of those directions are clearly meant more to clear out anyone left hiding, but none hit near the areas where Urist or Nylchai are hiding. Bessielle and her paladin friend aren't so lucky, Bessielle gets hit directly with an ice lance, and multiple crossbow bolts, while the paladin takes a lightning bolt. The latter falls dead to the ground, while Bessielle takes cover in the smoke of combat.

The screaming of the man Cathy caught finally stops, as she twists his neck. "It would seem we have been defeated, it was [nice/acceptable/good] while it lasted."

"As expected of the primary target, you got quite a few of us at the end." One of the assassins looks at the surrounding carnage, looking quite displeased. Then he looks to Eden.

"Crown prince Eden, we are from the Shadow Hand. We have come to deal with the enemies of the empire, you can come with us now." Eden betrayed us? I glare at Eden, and Cathy is already preparing to kill him before he can move.

"He's lying, I can sense his heartbeat. The only thing in that sentence that wasn't a lie was addressing Eden." Carmilla suddenly gained the courage to speak up, and Eden is visible sweating.

"Thanks Carmilla, I would be lying if that didn't put my balls in my throat." The assassin looks mildly dismayed, but turns to the entered mages.

"Delta team, what took you so long? We lost Alpha team, and Beta team has taken significant losses." The mages are already spreading out in a half-circle, ready to destroy our barrier.

"We encountered resistance at the cafeteria, the lich just left as we entered. The pirate was leading the greenskins against Charlie team, and managed to severe damage to them, they are holding off the guard as we speak." The Beta team assassin looks shocked.

"And what of the pirate?"

"Beheaded, Charlie should have taken the briefing on her more seriously. Our benefactor will be disappointed." They... got Esstrey? Cathy shows emotion on her for the first time, tentacles drooping downward, and generally looking depressed.

The men waste no further time, and the Delta team lead charges up a ritual attack. With our magic weakened, we won't last long, and as his attack reaches its crescendo...

...*CRUNCH* A shovel sticks out of Delta lead's skull, dropping him and killing him instantly. For a moment, the whole room looks at the theater entrance in shock, and the largest mermaid to have ever existed enters. Using a halberd to balance herself, as her movements twitch unnaturally. Esstrey looks truly awful, uncountable wounds spread across her body, and her head attached to her body by a strange thick ring of blood. Esstrey locks eyes with us, and opens her mouth as if to say something, but the only thing to come out is a guttural groan, followed by her puking up a large amount of blood.

"That's not Esstrey, that's a ghoul. She has no heartbeat. Xygar must have raised her." As Carmilla says that the ghoul engages in combat. Using the halberd to pole vault over some seats, and lands on one of the casters to eat him alive. The casters try to reform their formation, but some get too close to the barrier, and get snatched by Cathy, who looks thoroughly pissed. One of the casters attempts to cast a fire spell on the rampaging ghoul, but instead a bolt flies from under the podium, and hits the pyromage in the brain.

"NOW!" I stop charging the barrier, and start charging the nearest assassin. I might not have my magic, but the demon lord is the greatest Mazurian, not just the greatest caster. The swordsman in front of me goes for a wide horizontal slash, but I parry him mid-strike with my palm. Before he can recover, I wrench the word from his hand, and throw it towards Eden. He can use it better than me. The man looks at me, and the realization sets in for him, as he just got signed up for a fistfight with the demon lord. I jam my whole arm through his gut, destroying his liver. That was for Esstrey.

"KYLA!" Jala appears bow in hand at the entrance, along with a familiar skeleton hiding behind him. The remaining assassins try to flee, but are ruthlessly shot down by a combination of crossbow bolts, arrows, and a leaping ghoul. At some point, our magic returns to us as well.

When the assassins are dead, Eden calls us to the podium to discuss. Urist and Nylchai emerge from below the podium, both holding dwarven crossbows. Bessielle also limps to us from behind cover. Even Esstrey-ghoul joins us.

"I'm guessing the real Shadow Hand dealt with the magic disruptor, they probably expected that if we were still alive having our magic returned to us would be the same as them rescuing us." Eden gives me a pointed look while he says that, but I don't care for Eden, and give Xygar a deathglare even the lich fears.

"YOU TURNED ESSTREY INTO UNDEAD!" I grasp his thin, fragile bones. She should be resting in peace, but is now instead bound as mindless undead. A ghoul even of all things.

"W-wait! I didn't! I thought Carmilla raised her!" I stop shaking the lich, and turn to Carmilla. She is instead taking a very close stare at Esstrey. The ghoul responds by opening her mouth again.

"ᶜʸᵏᵃ ᵇˡʸᵃᵗ" Carmilla's eyes go wide in surprise as the ghoul murmurs something.

ᶠᵘᶜᵏᶦⁿᵍ ᵇᶦᵗᶜʰ

"By the goddess, she's still alive!"