Azera, The Cheshire

I looked over a few papers, while Pandora sat in the corner as I asked. Most of the papers were what the tribes were requesting, and it brought a smile to my face. For the first time in far too long, they weren't requesting food. Most of the requests were for building material to make their lands more secure. Something that was easily done with a bit of coin to the right people. Some of the tribes would have to wait their turn, as I needed those on the outside done first. Still, it was a wonderful change of pace.

I looked back at Pandora, still wondering how she came out looking like that. She was a stunning dark elf maid at first glance, but if you paid attention you could tell she was a bug monster. I felt a knot working itself in my gut, at the thought of leaving her here alone. The fact that she had hands now, just making it worse. She caught me staring, her smile growing even more. It was unsettling in the way my father used to smile.

I let out a small sigh, getting up while she finished her meal. It was too much of a risk to let her out of my sight. I finally called her to my desk, making her promise to follow a few more rules while we were out. I really couldn't read her, since she always smiled. I needed to find a way to punish her if she misbehaved, but until then I needed to bribe her to stay out of trouble. Hopefully she was still a kid, and would settle for a pastry or two.

Pandora kept her hands clasped together, smiling at me while I finished making my plans for the day. I leaned forward, hands spread out, to stare down at her. She needed to know her position, she couldn't get away with everything. A part of it had to do with the fact that I was still upset over her erasing a few memories. My eye twitched a little, and she jumped. Her eyes refocused, paying attention to every movement I made. I returned the stare in kind.

"I know we haven't had the best relationship, but we can talk to each other now." She nodded in response to my statement. "Remember, if you step out of line, I will find someone that can spin you. If you keep it up, then I will find some other way to punish you. Am I clear?"

"Crystal, uncle Cheshire." She still kept that smile.

"Good, and don't call me uncle in public. I don't know what your game is with that, but you can only call me that in private. Just so we're clear, you are under my protection, you need to do as I say." She confirmed what I said, before waiting for me to continue. I really wasn't used to this, she wasn't supposed to be this polite about it. I felt the knot still working in my stomach, she was planning something. I just knew it. With a sigh, I continued, "I am going to meet a few contacts, and talk to a couple people in the tribes. I want you to stay out of sight, while I conduct my business."

Pandora looked at my papers for a second, "Wouldn't it be better if they saw me?"

My smile stiffened, "Nope, I don't need rumors about my tastes to start spreading around." I was pleased that she was at least asking about these things. Our earlier conversation before breakfast was sticking, and that made this a lot easier. Truth was, a dark elf maid would draw a lot of unneeded attention. I didn't have the chance to test if the talent I got would work for making portals, or just parts of myself. Which means I needed to still keep a low profile.

Pandora staring up at me, tilting her head. "Uncle Cheshire likes maids?"

I stopped myself from rolling my eyes, and looked at her dead panned. "Yep, a lot of other people do too. Last thing I need, is for someone to try stealing you from me." I caught her smile get just a little bigger, something like pride there. I worked through the best way to explain her presence away with everyone I needed to meet. Then a thought struck me, that this might as well be a test for her. I grinned back at her, "What would you like after we're done with work?"

She was a little surprised by the sudden question, but recovered quickly. "May I have a seer check my magic? I don't think it is like mother's, or father's."

That was a reasonable request, and it would help to know what she was capable of. I nodded, opening a portal to Kyu's tent. "I'll ask them to get on that right now." Pandora followed me into the empty room, the portal closing behind us. I gave her a gentle pat, before poking my head out of the room. I got a guard's attention, before telling her to find a seer to check Pandora's magic. Naturally I worded it in a way that meant she had to wait there while I 'discussed' a price with Kyu.

A couple guards were left with the trouble maker, who I told to wait where she was. I walked through the different rooms, finding Kyu resting on her pillows. She tilted her head, but poured us both a drink. We kept it formal, while I opened small portals to check on Pandora occasionally. Most of the conversation was mainly about getting hired labor to help build what she needed, while other parts were about the movements of the gangs. Kyu's tribe was my main informant on the important things in the Underground, and I wasn't too surprised to find out that Richard had not recovered yet.

The Wraiths weren't making any moves beyond keeping the tribes fed. They weren't securing the wealth the maps showed, and they weren't picking any new fights. Just a whole lot of bugs sitting around the shed, while making fire whenever something got too close. Jacky was on an interesting mission, so I needed to pay him a visit to get a first hand report. Then it was off to the assassin support group, to check on the new work force.

----------------------------------------

Jacky, The Blossoming Lotus

Things were much too quiet around the Southeast side. I walked the streets, listening to the local rumors. Most of them were about the Fiend's Eye still being too strong to fight against. The little gangs recounting how their leaders went to sleep, only to never wake up. Some kind of curse carved onto their bodies. I needed to confirm this, since it meant the Fiend's Eye wasn't properly dealt with, or something else was going on.

The leeches were making moves, a few of them poking their heads out. They sniffed around the demolished buildings, but I couldn't tell what their intentions were. Some kind of invisible war was still going on, the conflict much more sedated this time. I found Douglas after a couple of days, but he kept to himself. He somehow managed to avoid me the entire time, so I redoubled my efforts to finding out just what was happening here. Even the Harps had gone silent, simply disappearing.

I walked down another street, paying my respects to the local gangs. They nodded back, letting me wonder around as I pleased, so long as it wasn't near their warehouses or goods. I watched the roofs, making sure no one was doing anything interesting. To my surprise, I caught Cheshire scanning the area. My illusion was still up, making me look like a random thug. I flashed a light at him, getting his attention before heading to an alley.

I didn't have to wait long, before he opened a portal. He came out looking better than a week ago. All the work was really running him to the ground. I raised a brow, when a bug maid walked through the portal. I set up the standard illusion, connecting the dots. I leaned on my staff, looking down at the girl in question. "Are you sure you want her to hear this?"

Cheshire shrugged, "It was either this, or dropping her off with Levi or Midnight. Levi's mostly stable now, though her buttons have changed. I doubt she'd attack Pandora here, but I don't want to risk it. Midnight is still preparing to leave, and well... I'd rather not distract her."

I raised a brow, "What do you mean?"

Cheshire let out a sigh, "I don't know where she is at the moment. Anyway~ What are you up to?"

I grinned, looking back at Cheshire, "Just some scouting. The last time anyone saw the hags was about a week ago. They probably went into hiding again, but things are too calm here. You'd think that the gangs might try to attack them while they are week, but people keep ending up dead. I'm trying to figure it out."

Cheshire smirked back, a devilish grin creeping on his face. "Want an extra set of hands? I just thought of a way to help both of us." I glanced back to the bug girl, that watched us both quietly. I really didn't like that smile she had. "Come on~ I'll pay you if she causes any trouble."

I scratched my chin at that, "Oh really? I remember how much your guards complained about her." I grinned back at him, "What payment are we talking about here?"

Cheshire stretched, "Oh nothing too much. Just that your leader needs building materials. Your tribe may be the first to get the supplies, if my hands are free. Plus you're so good with kids, Jacky."

I considered it for a moment, "Anything I need to know about? How long are we talking here?"

Cheshire grinned, "Just until I'm done with my errands. If she does anything, let me know."

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

I nodded, "Alright, I'll see you around then?"

Cheshire just teleported away, leaving me with the mildly creepy bug maid. I let out a small sigh, "Well come on then, stay close to me."

She walked beside me, before grabbing my hand. "It isn't polite to spy on your friends."

I was about to drop the illusion and put up another one, but I stopped. Raising an eyebrow, I looked into her eyes. "Oh yeah? Who am I spying on exactly?"

She grinned back, that smile never leaving her face. "Kyu's scouts are in the wrong place, to see what mother is doing." My heart skipped a beat, but it made sense. She probably remembered her from the meeting earlier. Still, it made me wonder how much she knew. She continued, "Mother is thankful for the map, and says I can show you the things we are doing here. I want something in exchange, however."

I cleared my throat, looking at the little maid. "Depending on how important your information actually is, I'll do what I can for you. What is it that you want, exactly?"

She stared up at me, "Training, please. I want to learn how to use daggers and knives."

That was a simple enough request, though I knew better than blindly agreeing. I learned better, after dealing with Cheshire so many times. "Did you have somebody in mind? How much training are we talking about here?"

Pandora grinned more, "You can start me with whoever. I understand it might take weeks, or even months to properly learn the skills I want. At the end, I do request learning from Jordan, The Crusher. Midnight will not be here when I get to the stage I can learn from her. You will also need to keep this from Cheshire, and volunteer to watch over me."

"That better be some good information you have then." What she was requesting was outrageous, but still manageable. I'd have to grease a few palms with coin, but it could be done in theory.

Pandora pulled away, doing a twirl. Her hands clasped over her chest, "The Hags of the Fiend's Eye, are dead. Mother ate them, and not even bones remain."

I narrowed my eyes, "Did she? That's a big claim to make, you know I need proof right?"

Pandora grinned even more, her lips becoming more jagged along the edges. Her mouth was probably able to dislocate, and it sent a shiver down my spine. "I can walk you into a warehouse, and have key witnesses confirm it. I can even take you to a few places to show you other things we are doing. Though I must warn you that this information is a premium. There are things that I'm not allowed to show you, and if you take advantage of my trust it could end with mother cutting off the food supply."

I furrowed my brow at this, a grimace finding it's place on my face. "Is there a reason my tribe is being threatened here?" I kept my voice low and calm.

Pandora shook her head, "No, it wasn't a threat. What I am showing you cannot get out to the other tribes. You can share it with your leader, but that's it. Mother doesn't like it when powers stronger than us might learn about her goals. It is not your tribe in danger, but all of them. I said the food supply, not just cutting off your tribe."

I clenched my jaw a little, before lowering my head. "Very well, show me what you can, and I'll decide if it's worth what you're asking for."

She crawled on my back, pointing the direction we needed to go. I used my illusions to make sure no one could tell who we were, as she peeled back the curtain. The Southeast side was calm because anyone trying to do anything funny, was put down when they slept. The monsters understood what the bugs meant, and were working under the Wraiths. The Leeches were an outlier, searching for the vampire that fought in their territory.

Douglas came when he was called by Pandora, though I had no idea how she called him. He escorted me to a few orphanages in the more stable territories. Places protected by the bugs, and the smarter local gangs. Most of the orphanages housed slaves, and abducted children taken by the Harps. I asked about it, only getting a smug response. The Harps were no more, as well as a majority of pedophile rings being destroyed.

The little maid on my back started to feel much more intimidating. Then she told me how most of this was set up before fighting the Fiend's Eye. That no one would think to look here for Mimi's movements, since the hags were still seen as recently as last week. She was right, of course, I was just sent here to keep tabs on the situation. We were lied to about the strength the Wraiths still held. Richard was up, and moving despite our scouts keeping a watch on their shed.

I really started to realize how dangerous the Wraiths actually were, when I was told they only needed two weeks to fight another war. They didn't need us for protection. They were using us as cover, to make themselves appear weaker than they were. Fighting them would sacrifice too many lives, and entire tribes. I had to tell Kyu about this, and let her confirm it with her most trusted scouts. I promised to keep it all a secret from Cheshire, and find Pandora someone to teach her knife fighting. The best thing that could be done, was keeping the Wraiths happy.

----------------------------------------

Liz, The Electric Soldier (Blue Corps, warrior of the thousands)

It was another day at the assassin support group. "Hello, my name is Micheal. I was a Red Corps, warrior of the thousands. I lost my entire platoon defending a village, when the Count arrived with his vampire horde..."

"Hi Micheal." We all said in unison. Half of us chewing on the free bread, or sipping water that came free for attending these meetings. It was the reason most of us came, well that and the fact that we knew some of the faces here. The smarter ones were helping those that wanted to learn how to read. Something that would have cost plenty of silver coins for a tutor, was just given freely here in the Underground of Eclipse. Most of the people leading these meetings were former assassins that knew how to fight, or disarm conflicts before they started.

Micheal continued with his story, one that was all too familiar here. A couple people got up to use the bathroom, not wanting to relive their own experiences. We were the lucky ones that survived our encounter with the Count. Thousands of others were either dead, or assimilated into his undead army. A few villages were untouched, and helped to supply my fellow waywards.

I had to keep coming here, even after being employed by Azera. My job was to try and convince a few of these former soldiers to work under the man. A few already formed small gangs in different zones, but they were back here after their gang leaders died. The worst of it, was the ones that came from the Southeast side. The bodies found there, always had that fucking curse mark on them. No body was safe, and it was made more obvious by the day. Almost everyone here had their coin stolen from them, with just enough left to hire a healer to fix the broken bones. The thugs of Eclipse were stronger, and more ruthless than anyone not in the hundreds.

The irony was that most times those thugs wouldn't even look at us. The only times they took it upon themselves to rob us, was always after someone remarked about how much better the kingdom of fire is. They were breaking our pride, and helping us see that our kingdoms weren't that different. I realized it one night, that if the situation was reversed, these people would be dead inside our greatest cities. If anything, breaking a few bones and robbing us was them being nice. We weren't enslaved, and we were tolerated at the very least.

Where our lord of fire demonized these people, they merely attacked the assertion that our home was better than their own. A lot of our fellow members were coming around to these conclusions. A few of us talked about the places we can stay for free, or even cheap. Others spoke about the local gangs, and what they dealt with. The center of the Underground was the safest place to be, growing more dangerous as you ventured towards the dead-zones.

I someone nudge me from my side, as I blinked. "Is there anything you'd like to share?" The leader of our group smiled at me with warm eyes.

I nodded slowly, getting up. "My name is Liz Elsberg, I have met Azera the Cheshire, and he is willing to employ people."

The leader nodded, while a few of the others looked away from me. "What does he offer for employment?"

I swallowed hard, "He offers coin, food, and even shelter. He was one of the tens as an assassin in the Gray Corps." This got their attention, and I was secretly happy that the man told me to hold off until today. It was cruel, but now there was a glimmer of hope for them. A person that understood them, and this came while they were at their lowest.

"Is he going to discard us after we're done helping him?" One of the bigger guys spoke up.

I shook my head, "No, he plans on letting us join the tribes if they accept us. It's simple, honest work. We're basically guards, and extra hands for building stuff."

An older girl smiled bitterly, "Will we be expected to share beds with the beastmen?"

I blinked, remembering that I might have felt the same way. I shook my head, "I've been working under him for a bit now, and I haven't been asked to do anything like that. The beastmen seem more interested in the members of other tribes, than humans like us. Not one of them has even groped me, unlike my commander."

This made the other girls in the room relax a bit, as I saw them consider my proposition more. The big guy balled his fist, clearly having an unpleasant experience himself. "What do they eat? I heard that beast folk like to eat human flesh, since it helps them become more human..."

"They don't eat humans, or any sentient races as far as I can tell. I talked to a few of them, and they said that the lizardmen do that. Other reptile races will also do that, but the mammal races don't like our meat. I'm confident they wouldn't lie about that, since they have a human in charge of their council. I mean... would you let a Bew lead you?"

This made the others relax a bit more. I was slowly getting to them, and I could give Azera the good news later tonight. A few others got up to talk about the Minotaur gang, and the benefits they could offer. How everyone starts as a grunt when they enter, then they are accepted based on the work they put in. After that, they can climb the ladder and get more protection the higher they go. Something that even included the slaves bought by the Minotaur as well. Though there was a chance that if someone failed, or broke something they shouldn't have. Then they can be demoted. There was also the ability for the higher ups to step down the ladder to push you down as well. Essentially forcing you to become a slave to the gang.

This kind of pushed a few more people towards joining the tribes, under Azera. Others did talk about starting their own gang in the South, since the monsters had the East, right along with Mal. No body even considered joining the monsters, and a lot of people felt the further from them, the better. Which meant the South wasn't much better than where any of us were at right now. It made sense that a few of us needed to be in some kind of position of power, since the officers above us were more likely to survive. It was a sad fact, and while they were given respect at the start, even that had waned as most of us starved.

Only the other officers considered it, but seeing the numbers against them, they kept to themselves. I briefly wondered how many of us scraped together what coin they could, in a desperate attempt to strike back at the enemy. I prayed for the people above, hoping my fellow soldiers wouldn't stoop so low, as to attack civilians. Though even I had to admit, that I might have if not for Azera.