Lanivia stormed through the portal, causing the tear to ripple, before I came to my senses and followed the rest of our small group through. The other end of the rift dropped me on the roof of some building, which was heavily shadowed due to the setting sun. Crackers squawked as she came through, perched upon George’s back.

“Yes, I see it, well done little one,” Lanivia said as she floated just above the edge of the roof. I stepped closer, and looked out at the massive warehouse complex across the street. I didn’t see anything out of the ordinary, the only activity I could see was the occasional wagon traveling to, or from, the surrounding buildings.

“Where are we?” I asked.

“A private warehouse just outside the city walls,” Lanivia replied. Her voice echoed out of her skull, giving her voice a more sinister tone. She pointed at the non-descript warehouse across the street, finger wreathed in violet flame. “That… is where they took the girls, a blood dungeon.”

Kass and Calliope flinched, but I didn’t recognize the term, so I turned and looked at Kass questioningly. “Blood dungeons are places that cater to the exceptionally rich. They’re structured like regular dungeons, but allow the participants to slaughter the defenders,” she said quietly. “Highly illegal, and usually filled with people kidnapped off the streets.”

“No one has had the gall to do something so stupid in my city in a LONG time,” Lanivia hissed. “I will make sure they pay for this.” Before anyone could say anything else, Lanivia’s magic picked us off the roof, and gently moved us to the street below. Her control was so precise that it felt like I was standing on solid ground the entire way. “Take up your weapons, and follow me,” Lanivia growled.

I wanted to ask what she meant, when I realized my glaive had literally appeared within my hand. I quickly glanced over at Kass and Calliope only to confirm that they too, were armed. “Fuck… I’ve never seen her like this,” I heard Kass mutter as the three of us rushed across the street to catch up.

As we passed the open gate, and entered the shipping yard, I noticed several hidden guards step out. Some seemed to be manipulating some sort of magical amulets, while others rushed forward to confront us. Most only managed to make it a step or two away from their hiding places before Lanivia raised her hand, bathing the area in violet light. All around the area the thugs froze, then started silently screaming. They struggled for a few seconds, as a rocky grey texture quickly engulfed each of them, and they turned to stone.

Once the last guard stopped moving, Lanivia dropped her hand. “They… They’re not dead, are they?” Calliope choked out.

“Of course not,” Lanivia replied casually. “I wouldn’t let them off that easily. Once we’re done securing the area, and the authorities arrive, I’ll reverse the process. I just didn’t want to waste the time rounding them up, and suppressing the beacons they’re carrying.” Her casual indifference to simultaneously casting petrify on over a dozen targets made me shudder. Lanivia slowly scanned the outside of the structure for a moment, before she pointed at a section of wall about a third of the way down the building. “That’s where the prisoners are. I’ll leave their protection to you, while I clean up the rest of the complex,” Laniva said.

“How…” I began, before Kass grabbed me, throwing a hand over my mouth, and dragging me towards that section of wall. I looked at her questioningly.

“Now is not the time for questions,” she warned in a low voice. “I wasn’t joking when I said I’ve never seen the boss like this. Let’s not aggravate or distract her any more than necessary.” She was afraid; I could see it in her eyes, so I just nodded in agreement. Once she let me go, I turned back to observe Lanivia. The lich was floating in place, wreathed in a halo of arcane energy. I’d seen magic while it was being cast, but never so raw, or concentrated.

“This city has been under my protection for centuries, and everyone knows the rules I have passed down. I don’t know what deals you filth have made to remain active until this point, but you’ve made one mistake, and touched my people. Surrender, or face my wrath,” Lanivia said. It sounded like her voice was inside my very head, and I suspected it was the same thing for every other person in the area.

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With a wave of her hand Lanivia transformed every wall in the complex both transparent and immaterial. It not only revealed every single person within the complex, but allowed her to slowly pass into the building unhindered.

I stared at her in fascination, and horror, as she advanced. Every second or two tendrils of power separated themselves from her aura, floated off, and formed into floating, humanoid forms constructed of pure violet power. Arcane elementals.

One extremely foolish individual attempted to rush at Lanivia only to be interrupted by one of the living embodiments of magic. The man swung his weapon in panic when the creature floated down, only to have the sword melt on contact. A second later the creature struck out with an etheric arm, hitting him so hard that he was thrown clear across the room. I don’t think Lanivia even noticed the minor skirmish.

“Come on!” Calliope yelled, as she stepped through the now intangible wall next to us. Just like Lanivia said, the area was filled with cages and prisoners. There were a lot of people, some seriously injured, all crying out in hope, and fear.

It only took me a moment to take in the situation, and start spouting out orders. “Kass, use your elementals to open those cages, rip them open if you have to! Calliope, do what you can to heal the prisoners, then guide them out into the street! George and I will prevent the guards from interfering!” I shouted as I charged at the nearest armed man. He didn’t even have a chance to react before I smashed him in the head with the shaft of my weapon, sending him crashing to the floor. His partner was slightly faster, managing to shake off his terror and unsheath a blade before George slammed into him. The impact threw the man almost a dozen feet away, where he rolled a couple of times, before laying still.

When I looked beyond him, I got my first look at what exactly a ‘Blood Dungeon’ actually was. With the walls removed I could see there were several fairly large rooms, which were filled with cheap props in order to resemble a floor of the dungeon. Inside each room were about a dozen people, chained to the floor, and armed with wooden weapons. The most horrific thing was the closest room had a small group of people, dressed in extremely ornate armor, standing among corpses.

I was moving before I realized it, rushing the confused group. “George, incapacitate!” I growled.

It seemed like the four didn’t even realize I was there, until I smashed my glaive into the back of the closest man’s knee. He grunted in pain, fell forward just far enough for me to knee him in the face, and send him sprawling to the floor. His two nearest companions turned, just as George reared up. His front legs came down with enough force to crush stone, smashing the pair in the middle of their ornate breastplates. The pair fell back and were pinned seconds later by the oversized arachnid. One did attempt to struggle, but as soon as George put his face right next to the heavily-armored individual’s helmet and growled, the struggle ended.

The final man turned, and looked at me in outrage. Despite being heavily armed, the sword on his hip practically glowed with power, he was apparently no fighter. He didn’t once reach for the blade. “Inhuman trash, do you know who I am?” he snarled.

I raised my eyebrow at the man. “You’re nothing more than a murderer who’s going to end up in jail, very soon,” I replied as I approached him.

“I am a personal friend to the great lord of the city!” he explained angrily. “I’m doing my civic duty removing this non-human filth from the streets. Even if you disagree, there’s no way the city militia would ever be able to hold me, and if you touch me, I’ll see that you’re thrown into an environment a hundred times worse than this!”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing, that such an ignorant person could exist, so after the shock wore off I reached out and grabbed the man by the head. “Let go of me!” he cried, as I slowly turned him around. A few rooms away, Lanivia was both levitating and restraining several dozen people while floating further into the complex.

“I don’t think my boss gives a shit about the militia, or your friend. Maybe you’ll be able to worm your way out of this, but I doubt SHE will let you,” I hissed into his ear. As the man flinched back, I stuck out my foot to trip him, then slammed his head into the floor. George had already knocked the last two unconscious, so I stared at the group in disbelief. I couldn’t believe there were people that not only were killing people, but paying for it. Somehow they even felt entitled to do it. I honestly considered stabbing each of them, giving them what they deserved, but that would be letting them off easy. Instead, I left them where they were, and headed back to the holding area. There were plenty of other people that needed help, and I wasn’t going to leave them.