Pandora Adams

I was beside myself, looking at the spot where the portal had disappeared. I lowered leader hawk's head, before remembering I had left bugs on mister assassin teacher. I just felt where they were, and connected. All eleven of them looked around at the change in scenery. Mister teacher let out a small laugh, "After all these years, we're finally here!"

Azera clapped his hands, "Don't relax just yet, I'll happily reopen that portal and let whoever was chasing us know where we are. Pretty sure it was a hawk, so one of the tamers, which means we don't have much time. I'll take my payment now."

The group let out a few sighs, as they all reached into their sleeves, chest pockets, or even pulled something off their hip. Cheshire gave a small nod as he checked the maps. I had a few of my bugs crawl onto the grass and gained a few more to stick to everyone. Whatever was happening, I kind of wanted to see how it would end for all of them. I let the flockers and most of my gathered bugs go since I no longer needed them.

Some of the people were already leaving, "You know, I'll try to come back here before dawn. If you do make it, I'll let you come with me, but I'll want more." He teased the words out while one of the people gave him the middle finger of their shoulder. The few bugs I had gotten rode on their calves without anyone seeming to notice. It was nice that none of them were Entomancers.

Mister teacher stroked his beard, "I doubt many of us will make it out, and this will be our only real chance. I'm surprised we haven't run into guards right here. We're in a former noble's courtyard if my information holds."

Azera shrugged, "Octavia's estate, sister of Oswald, that map you gave me came in handy."

The lady assassin smiled, "You're very welcome. It was rather difficult to make, but joining the Golden Circle to scry past its walls proved to be the correct choice."

The blue-haired assassin just shrugged, "What if this spot is compromised? What then?"

Azera tilted his head, "Then I'm gone, and you are stuck here. I would suggest getting cozy with a respected noble, so long as you don't get caught and blame what you did on the others, it should work out for you."

Ha, everyone had bugs on them now. Take that Azera, I'm not letting you escape this time! A mission this big means someone will follow you, I'm sure of it. The ghost I had on him silently clicked his mandibles in victory. Mister teacher rolled his neck, "So it might, I know my apprentice will do well despite my absence. Do remember to not tell anyone else about your true objectives, or keep them vague. The fact that we haven't been caught yet suggests that our false leads have borne some fruit."

The lady nodded since there were only four of them left. "Right you are, I don't see anyone moving to intercept any of the others yet. No, wait, ah it seems one of our numbers is moving into an ambush. The king already knows, and has made his first move in our little game." She smiled softly.

Azera nodded, "So it seems, I hope to meet you three at the back of the church's walls. Then we can use Azula's scrying talent to see if we can get everyone out."

Azula, formerly known as the lady assassin, just nodded. "No sense in wasting our time here then."

Azera beamed a smile and teleported away. Azula crossed her arms, and looked at mister teacher, "Henry, you seem to have something you want to say. Out with it." Oh right! That was mister teacher's name!

Henry hummed, "You both have your pills?"

Both of them nodded, showing the underside of their tongues. Henry did the same, silver capsules hidden just behind the molars just under their tongues. Blue hair spoke up, "We aren't rookies, Henry. I would like to make it out of this though."

Henry smiled, while I sent bugs hoping to find Azera again. I just needed to find some songbirds or something. He really wasn't making it easy to protect him! "I understand, it would be nice, but don't count on it. Just remember that we're the only ones that know of the other meeting spot. If we get ambushed there, I'll take you both down with me."

Azula shrugged, "So be it, just know I don't expect to survive this."

Blue hair rolled his eyes, while Henry walked away. Azula raised a brow, "Aren't you going to go ahead, Chris?"

Chris, the blue-haired guy, shrugged. "You're waiting so you won't get caught. I figured I'd have a better chance if I waited as well. Mind if I tag along?"

Azula huffed, while Henry just softly chuckled. "Ah, to be young."

The assassins spread out, and I spared what bugs I could to make sure I was able to see everything. Two of them got captured, one of them revealing themselves as a traitor while the other just bit on the pill and swallowed. They held their hands up, even while they foamed at the mouth. Finally, their eyes bled and they fell over while the heralds held onto them. They were cursing about the suicide pills, but I guess that was the point.

It was kind of lame that two of the eleven were already out, but nine still remained. Eight if I didn't count Azera who I was still looking for! I wasn't mad, not one bit. No really, cheaters couldn't make me upset! It certainly didn't bother me that no one knew where he was going. No one even said a single thing about him. Most of the assassins had habits about talking to themselves it seemed. Like this guy.

"My name is Samual and you killed my father, Raul, prepare to die." He repeated it a few more times, trying to get the tone right. Oh no, he's walking towards Mister Raul's house. Not just any Raul, but the shadow guy that deals with the lesser nobles for mommy. I have to warn him!

I sent bugs ahead of the assassin to the small Hive that mister Raul managed to sneak inside. It took months, and lots of larvae, but now the butler was tending to them. I sent out a connection to it. |"Who goes there!?"| Uncle Berry's voice echoed through our connection.

|"Me, Pandora. Someone is coming to assassinate mister Raul!"| The assassin in question was still practicing his lines as he crept closer. |"Where is he? He needs to know!"|

Uncle Berry chuckled softly, |"Fret not, young one, master Raul is already aware. I am merely here should he need assistance. After all, what better place for a king to reside, than the hive closest to the castle!"| He mentally waved a hand made of bugs around. |"Feel free to take a seat and observe."|

Uncle Berry looked pretty cool through our connection, like a big bug piloting a giant person made out of a lot of smaller bugs. |"Wait, how do you know!?"|

Uncle Berry tilted his head, |"Oh? I see, you were not made aware."| He sent some memories from other Hives in the Underground. Uncle Berry had an entire kingdom! I had no idea he had so many vassal hives spread out. I didn't even feel them whenever I was connected to him!

|"You've been spying on everyone? How did you get so many bugs, uncle Berry?"| The assassin could practice his lines all he wanted and talk about what mister Raul did, but this was like ten months of candy more important. I mean Uncle Berry even showed me memories of the assassin telling others of his tragic past, and how his father was slain right before his eyes! Mister Raul couldn't be a bad guy if he let the kid of a villain get away.

Uncle Berry chuckled, striking a silly pose while covering half his bug face. |"These last months have been troublesome, but alas I am the rightful king of the Hive. While the others play at their little war, I have been growing my forces for the peace of the kingdom. Even in the Underground, many abandoned warehouses have been claimed by foolish termites. It has been easy to subjugate such creatures and raise them like cattle for my bugs. The ones that eat the least wood and grow the most flesh are given special privilege to be taken to the frontier hives."|

|"Uncle Berry, I think the assassin is almost at the house. Are you sure mister Raul is aware?"| I watched as some of the bugs flew off his imaginary body.

|"Yes, he is aware, my child. Now, be silent as I regale you with the tales of my glory. You are in the presence of a king!"| He flexed, while I just tilted my head.

|"Isn't mommy the Queen? What about daddy, Richard? I mean, wouldn't he be our king?"|

Uncle Berry waved off such thoughts, |"Richard is a prince! He is not yet ready to lay claim to any throne. Every king is in service to their queen, and she hasn't rebutted my title. She herself bestowed it upon me, The King of Test Subjects!"|

I did a curtsey and bowed before the king of test subjects. |"I did not know, uncle Berry... I mean King Berry."|

He raised a hand dismissively, |"We are kin, my child. I am a gracious king, and you are my Queen's beloved daughter. You may continue calling me uncle. Now, as I was saying, my frontier hives spread to where wood was. Where wood was, my hives would spread. A network of carpenters was established. Cities were built in abandoned warehouses or attics that none used. Countless foreign bugs enslaved in service to our wonderful Hive. The worst offenders, or those that could not be domesticated, were wiped from existence. I dare say my vast kingdom stretches all the way from the tribal lands to the North and South sides."|

|"That's huge! How many giants do you have?"| Oh, mister assassin is sneaking through the door. Uncle Berry summoned a chair and I sat down beside him while he sat on a throne. The assassin entering a dimly lit room.

|"Hundreds, my dear child. More from the fight with the Minotaur and his gang from the Southside. Those that had fallen had their bodies collected and used to reinforce the walls of hives set in more dangerous lands. It takes days or even weeks for materials to be transported, but I have such wonderful servants for logistics."| I nodded, while mister Raul held a lit torch. He called the assassin a fool for coming into his house.

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"My name is Samual, prepare to die. You killed my father, you bastard!" Aw, I liked the first one the best. I pouted when the flames were snuffed out and I couldn't see anything.

Uncle Berry shrugged, |"My royal ghosts put the man to sleep."| I heard marching, and Raul uttered his thanks. |"It seems the plans of these assassins were doomed to fail from the very start. Though their antics merely serve as amusement, much like jesters dancing before our court. I see that you have bugs watching the other assassins, my child. Would you like me to give you a few of mine?"|

I pressed my hands together in prayer, |"Mommy's bugs are always the best. I can't hear as much with the others. Wait, do you know why Azera is here? Do you know where he is? I've been trying to find him."|

Uncle Berry chuckled, as he gave me a few of the bugs he had hanging out in the gardens of other nobles. |"Gossip is a very lucrative form of entertainment and information. I do not know what the Cheshire's goals are, but I do realize that most of the assassins he brought here were to serve as a distraction. Though I do know where he is currently."| Uncle Berry rested his big bug head on his little bug hands.

I squinted at him, |"Tell me!"|

Uncle Berry pulled out a crayon and drew fake eyebrows before looking at me. |"You dare to tell a king what to do?"| He made them look angry as I giggled.

|"I said tell me!"| I kicked my feet in the air, almost laughing on the chair he gave me.

He let out a gasp, covering his face with a hand and shaking his head. |"How spoiled my child has become!"| He leaned back on his throne, letting out a deep sigh of hurt and mock betrayal. |"No respect, no class. I fear for the future of my kingdom. How my people will lament under the rule of such a tyrant. How many tiny mouths will go hungry! Why, some might even end up on the streets! All of them without a place to call home!"|

I coughed politely, feeling a little called out. |"Please tell me, Uncle Berry."|

He chuckled warmly, |"He's moving from attic to attic in the noble houses. I think he's trying to secure a route for his own escape, while also pinching a few goods here and there. Though, I believe the answers he seeks lay within the kingdom's library. The Arcane texts within the king's castle. It may be the best course to set up a few bugs around that area and wait."|

I got out of the chair and hugged uncle Berry. He patted my head, |"Thank you!"|

He drew a smiling face on his head, |"You're welcome."| Then he drew a tongue and made the eyebrows silly, |"Want to watch the other assassins fail?"|

I thought about it, |"There's a parade going on, and a lot of candy is being dropped. Azera is going to be made when I tell him I was the hawk that scared him and his friends off. I need to store up at least a few months worth."|

Uncle Berry tilted his head, |"If only there was a kingdom of bugs that could store such a vast quantity of sugar."| He put his hand over the drawn-on eyebrows, shaking his head slowly. |"If only there was some king that could be asked to use his bugs to retrieve it in your stead. Maybe they might even record the parade for you to view and enjoy at your leisure. They might even do such if you asked nicely."|

I gave him my biggest smile, |"Are you already doing it!?"|

He laughed, |"Of course, and our Queen will be so thrilled that you put the mission above your own desires. You are growing up to be a wonderful daughter, I'm sure she'll give you some praise when she comes here for her hour."| He patted my head some more. |"I'm not going to make it that easy for you however, there are seven more assassins we get to watch fail. Can you possibly find the library, and enjoy the show?"| He did a fake evil laugh.

I stole his crayon, and drew a mustache on my face, that I pretended to twirl. |"I suppose I have no choice. I must endure the torture, and set up a trap for Azera!"| I did my own fake evil laugh.

I sat back on my chair, watching as Uncle Berry moved his bugs to set up the best views of the other assassins. My bugs moved towards the castle. I had no idea where the king kept his books, but I'd have to dodge maids and entomancer heralds if I wanted to have a chance at catching Azera. To my surprise; Henry, Chris, and Azula were working together. While the other four were spread out. They all seemed more capable than the ones that already failed.

**

None of the assassins were caught, though there were a few close calls. A few heralds were positioned around the estates of a few nobles, but a couple of them seemed to laugh in their hiding spots. |"I don't get it."| I said, after watching one assassin creep towards Mal's house. |"I mean, you said that they know they are going to fail."|

Uncle Berry nodded his head, the crayon smears cleaned up while we watched. |"I did say that, and it is true. Tell me, my child, where do you believe most of the humans in the Underground came from?"|

The poor assassin fell into a pitfall filled with ravenous beetles. He screamed before doing the thing with his pill. Six more left, though the sun was starting to fall. They probably wanted to wait for the night for better results. |"From Eclipse right? Most of them were born there, I think. Azera mentioned it before."|

Uncle Berry leaned back in his throne, |"I could see why you'd think that. Though why do you feel the sides of the Underground are the way they are?"|

I crossed my arms, |"I'm not good with this kind of stuff. Just tell me the answer, please."|

Uncle Berry softly laughed, |"There are a lot of tunnels leading from the Underground to the areas outside Eclipse. Some might even stretch to different territories, or nearby towns and villages. The tribal lands are to the West, which is the opposite of the Kingdom of Light to the East. If anyone comes looking for the beastmen they'd have to go through the monsters of the Eastside. That makes it clear they have no intention of returning to the Elves in a sense."|

I hummed, as we saw another assassin lining up a shot with their bow and arrow. They were just going to sit there in the branches of a tree? The bugs heard a whistle, and the assassin looked over. Three arrows went into each eye, making the poor guy drop dead from the tree. A strange woman walked over to pick up the corpse. Five left now I guess. |"Why does that matter, though? Even Azera admitted that some of the tribes would jump at the chance to guard the elves in the forests or something."|

Uncle Berry shrugged, |"Why does it matter?"| He stroked his mandibles in thought. I didn't like how he was asking me for the answer, it made my head hurt. |"These people are dying before our very eyes because it matters."| He gestured at the next assassin that had turned invisible. The bugs were following through smell alone. Ah, there were different scents now. |"They are giving their life, as any bug would in my kingdom. Even I might be replaced by another Berry, if they were clever enough to overtake me."|

Aw, there was a blood spot in the middle of the air now. The poor assassin dropped dead as invisible people dragged the body away. Four left. |"Will you please tell me why they are doing this? It's kind of sad, just watching them die. I mean if they wanted to die, we could have eaten them and made it painless."|

Uncle Berry just chuckled. |"Each one of these people lived in the Southside, the side closest to the Kingdom of Fire. Why did they become assassins? Why did they take this risk and come here in the first place? The more I contemplate such questions, the more I feel I start to understand our Queen's prince. Each one of them is dying for a different purpose."|

Ah, now we're at the guy that gave Henry the middle finger. I really thought he'd be the first one to die. I felt a little sad since it meant mister Henry was probably going to die tonight. The three were slowly making their way towards the castle. |"They haven't succeeded in doing anything though. All they did was die."|

Uncle Berry nodded, |"That may well be the point, my child. These are supposed to be the best assassins in the Underground. What kind of message do you think it sends when they don't come back? Even worse, when news spreads that they couldn't succeed in a single thing they sat out to do?"|

I huffed, |"I don't know, if I was an assassin I'd already know better than to try and attack the king."|

Uncle Berry patted my head, |"Exactly, but not everyone in the Underground knows that. A lot of people came in after the Count marched his vampires to the landbridge of the East. Some of them were soldiers, some of them just people trying to live their lives. That animosity has to go somewhere, and none of this would have ever happened if the assassins just did their jobs in the first place."|

The middle finger guy drew his daggers, taking a deep breath. They started to glow with power. |"They're dying so people don't blame them?"|

Berry held up a finger made of bugs, |"Maybe, or it's a clear warning to not go inside the Innermost walls. There are a lot of ways this could be taken, these people are dying to give their lives meaning. Even as a warning, even if it is all an overly glorified suicide, they chose this path. Out of all the other things they could have done, here they are. What do you think of this assassin here?"|

I pouted, |"He's the guy that gave Henry the middle finger. I like him the least."| I was busy dodging maids inside the castle while trying to find the place with all the books. This was kind of getting boring.

Berry nodded slowly, |"What if I told you his name was Grant?"|

I shrugged, the guy was rude. I wouldn't even remember his name. Better to worry about the jerk I do care about.

|"What if I told you he had been a part of the Hive at one point?"| Uncle Berry stretched a little.

I looked at him, |"You're lying."|

He laughed, |"I am, but you suddenly cared. Look at what's happening."|

The guy smiled as ten heralds suddenly appeared. "Just my luck, you bastards already knew I was coming." He cracked his neck, while the heralds just silently readied their weapons. Each of them clad in silver armor with fancy runes. Four of them had long hooks, two of them had daggers, and the rest had swords and shields. It wasn't even going to be a close fight.

Uncle Berry continued, |"See that glint in his eyes? He knows he's about to die, but he's facing death with a smile. What drives him? He doesn't serve our Queen, please tell me, tell us, Grant."|

The heralds with the long hooks moved forward without saying a word. The assassin's knuckles turned white from gripping his daggers so hard. The heralds lunged forward, while the assassin shot a burst of light from his daggers. It somehow made him launch into the air over the hooks. He spun, sending out more bursts to maneuver while he jumped off one hook towards one of the dagger heralds. He tsked when he had to jump off a shield.

|"Why aren't they using magic? Why aren't the runes glowing?"| I watched as the guy blasted back into the air before his shoulder was hit by an arrow. Heralds in the distance waving at him. He grunted, barely dodging another arrow. "I'm taking one of you down with me!"

|"He uses null magic, and it is interfering with the runes. He wanted to die in battle, to take the life of a herald. It won't be that easy for him, however."| One of the hooks caught his leg, slamming him down to the ground. He got free before the sword cut him. A shield bashed his side, making him cough up blood. The hook heralds dropped their weapons, pulling daggers from their sides.

|"He's like mommy then."| Grant stabbed his dagger into the next shield coming to bash him. The blast of light reflected off the silver, but the force was enough to soften the blow. He was surrounded, daggers cutting into him from behind. Swords slashing at him from the front.

|"I do think the Queen would prefer to die a glorious death, rather than be led along her entire life."| He nodded, |"He lost everything when his village was destroyed. Even as bad as an assassin he is, he still wanted his death to mean something. Deep down, he hates himself because he fled when he was weak. He couldn't protect what he held dear, so now he wants to throw himself into the jaws of death. To kill one of the entities he views as unkillable. The others had different reasons, but this was his. This is his final song."|

A sword hacked into his shoulder, the tendons of his elbows cut. The blood he lost was mounting, but still, he was smiling. His daggers lit up, blasting out light as he flailed them around. A spark lighted in his eyes as he refused to fall. He kicked the shield in front of him, turning around despite daggers in his back. He bit onto one aimed for his face, using every last bit of strength to bury his own into the herald's neck. The herald took a step back, holding their neck, falling to their knees. While Grant's own throat was slit by three more daggers.

Mister grant stood there, dying while standing. Uncle Berry spoke, breaking the silence. |"How do we give meaning to those we do not know? We find their purpose, and let them express themselves. It seems he was the first to succeed in his personal mission. With that in mind, let's watch the last three very carefully."|

I nodded, before moving my bugs through the castle again. I knew seeing mister Henry die was going to make me cry.