“What happened to you?” Yetta snickered as Mira approached them.
The woman wore a tunic, far too large for her, tied at the waist. The numerous hickeys that covered her pale skin slowly healed as she approached them. The large purple bruise on her neck showed proudly as she pulled her hair out of the way.
“My clothes are over the guest wing of the palace,” She looked down, “I needed something else to wear. I couldn’t be seen without anything.”
“Oh, he’s got to love that,” The elf grinned, “Got into a good round in bed, then?”
“Let’s focus on our mission,” Mira’s emotionless voice cut the teasing as she looked down the warehouse.
Yetta led the small group through buildings until they came upon one that seemed rundown at first glance. Lights flickered from a window on the second floor. Mira pulled the mask from a pouch at her side and placed it against her face. She knew she no longer needed it to complete the transition, but it helped her focus the act. She let the intoxicating magic fill her veins. It seared her mind as her and Encante’s power flooded her body. The building sensation reminded her of the moments earlier with Bobabano, only fair more painful and intense. Nothing felt as pleasant or painful as the raw energy in her veins. The power consumed her senses as it flushed through her body.
Mira’s body contorted as her bones snapped and expanded. Her auburn curls floated for a moment then flicked into a straight, silver cape of hair. Glowing orbs formed in the darkness behind the mask. The wraith stood fully erect, at least three heads taller than everyone else around it. The awkwardly long arms pointed at their target. With a small nodded from the wraith, they entered the building.
For one of the major factions of Hangral, the warehouse was barely guarded. The few Sword Serpents that noticed the quiet entrance immediately grabbed their weapons and charged the intruders. The wraith held up its hand and a powerful blast of dark mist flowed across the floor. As its fingers slowly curled, the mist hardened around the gang. Fear spread through the air like the salty smell of the sea beyond the walls. It froze its enemies in place.
The wraith felt how the bandits squirmed under its spell and how their voices couldn’t cry out. It did not take any joy its preys’ condition. It only had one goal.
“Good evening. I have come to speak with your leader,” The mouthless wraith turned to Amethyst, “Find her and bring her to me. I will hold them here.”
“Should we kill them?” One of the former thralls asked.
“Currently, they cannot defend themselves. Let their leader decide their fate.”
Amethyst grabbed Yetta and threw the elf over her shoulder, “Watch my back.”
“Oh my,” The elf giggled, “Take me to dinner first.”
The orc waded through the dense fog. As a blood mage, she had a better grasp on her abilities to fight against the mist. Though, Encante’s power at this small scale fascinated her. As her and Yetta found the ladder to climb to the second floor, a crossbow bolt sunk into the beam behind them.
“That is far enough!” The older woman’s voice called, “What do you want?”
The elf knocked an arrow on her bow and held it at the target. All teasing left the jokester as she announced, “Target found. Orders?”
“Come join us, Jenny,” The wraith’s demonic chuckled bounced menacingly off the walls, “Or would you prefer I come to you?”
“I’ve heard about you,” The older woman loaded another bolt, “What do you want?”
“I am taking over this city. Either your people are absorbed by mine, or you all die,” It walked through the mist to peer up at the landing, “The choice is yours.”
“What happens to me?”
The wraith squatted one moment before it flew into the air and landed on the second floor. The dwarf accidently released the second bolt as she screamed in surprise. It caught the projectile and tossed it aside without a glance. Yetta’s response to the act was to embed an arrow above the dwarf’s head.
The lilac orbs burrowed into Jenny’s mind as it studied her. Her gray beard and hair showed her age as much as the deep wrinkles of her face. She wore very plain clothes for the leader of a criminal organization.
“If you pledge yourself to me,” It raised a hand over its heart, “Then, I will allow you to continue doing what you wish. I will only skim some profits and require information from time to time.”
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She sneered, “So you just want to take over my hard work?”
“No,” It chuckled at her spiteful reaction, “I would ensure that nothing happens that I do not want. I plan to stick around Hangral only a short time. It would be better, for you, to be my subordinate instead of my enemy.”
“I don’t care what kind of monster you are,” She aimed the crossbow, “I don’t work for anyone, and my serpents aren’t up for grabs.”
As her finger squeezed the trigger, a large blade appeared in the wraith’s hand. The spear sliced the bolt through the air and left the wraith’s hand. It spun until it connected to its target. As the woman’s head rolled to the floor, the wraith turned to look at the men below.
“Kill them.”
The chilling order froze in the air. Their allies stared at the wraith in disbelief.
“Kill them?” Amethyst blinked, “I thought –”
“She was the only one worth saving,” It held up a hand, “None of them will be useful to me.”
“Yes, my liege,” The orc bowed, dropped the elf to the floor, and leapt from the rope ladder, “You heard the order! Take them out!”
The wraith slowly bent down and picked up the dead woman’s head. It was a shame her beard was cut in the swift execution, but it didn’t matter. The tattoo of a snake around a sword was clearly visible under her chin. The wraith walked over to Yetta and tossed her the head.
“Bring this into the final position.”
She grimaced and dropped the head on the ground, “What about this place?”
“Do something fun,” The wraith chuckled, “Burn it down for all I care.”
It stalked to a window. It lifted the small latch and launched itself into the night. The next position was across the city. The wraith sprinted across the rooftops, without a care of who saw it. Some pointed in awe, some screamed. None could follow its quickening pace as it launched itself forward. When the warehouse blew up behind it, it knew that the guards of the city had bigger things to deal with.
Then, the next step of the plan began.
Tegan whistled as the wraith neared the brothel. Giggling girls soon squealed in horror as it landed in front of them. The dwarf pointed at the house with the target inside. As the wraith ducked into the doorframe of the gaudily decorated room, it saw a clearly drunken man sat in a wooden chair missing most of his clothing. Val finished tying the last of his restraints and smacked the back of his head.
“Can you believe this man tried to assault me?” Val sneered.
“Is this the leader?” The wraith held the man’s face in his hands and lifted his chin, “He does look like a pathetic man but there are many of those around.”
His blood and bruised face suddenly recognized the glowing orbs staring back at him and screamed in response. He tried to move away but the chair fell over instead.
“Help me!” He screamed, “By the goddess! Help!”
A dark laugh spread out into the mist as it flooded the room. The man’s eyes widened at the mouthless mask.
“There is no one to help you,” It tilted its head as his victim’s voice sputtered to silence.
The wraith turned its head to the Wilted Rose and motioned with its clawed hand to continue. Val let out a slight gasp before smacking the dwarf next to her.
“He said he was Darvin when we started tying him up,” Tegan said, “I do not think he expected to be bested by the spiteful woman.”
“Where are the rest of the Scarlet Knuckles?” The wraith looked around the room.
“The sailors have chased them off, for now,” Val nodded.
“What do you want? Money? My women?” Darvin regained his composure and struggled against his restraints, “Take them! Just let me live!”
It pulled him up slowly and leaned over the precariously balanced chair. The man wriggled beneath the wraith’s grip. He was scrawny with no notable features. The biggest mark was a red line tattooed over the knuckles on both of his hands.
“He is spineless,” It tsked and grabbed the man’s shirt, “A worm.”
“What should we do, then?” Tegan cleaned under his fingernails with a knife, “Kill him?”
“It would serve us no good,” It shook his head, “Val, I assume you have an idea for how to appropriately handle this prey?”
“Of course,” Val clapped her hands together, “How creative can I be?”
“His men will have to either join us or find a new living,” The cold, inhuman voice grunted, “Though, I sense no honor amongst them.”
“You want the Scarlet Knuckles?” Darvin laughed, “Why? We’re small time. You level towns with a thought.”
“I have not thought of it yet,” It chuckled, “Valencia, I leave him in your more than capable hands.”
“Yes, Leader,” She bowed, “What will you have us do with the others?”
“Tell them they join us, leave Hangral for good, or I will hunt them down,” Its head titled unnaturally to the side as it looked around the room, “Personally.”
The wraith felt the presence of someone behind a false wall but didn’t know if the others did. It would do no good to announce the spectator. Scaring them would.
“Yes, Leader,” The bandits echoed after the wraith as it left the brothel.
The women that scattered into the yard outside squealed and stepped away the wraith. It titled its head unnaturally viewed them for a moment. When its head turned, the women jumped back.
“Ladies,” It bowed lowly, “My associates, Val and Tegan, will be in charge until I appoint a more suitable leader. Tell them of your needs and anything that would make your jobs easier. I will see it is taken care of.”
Before they could speak, the wraith launched itself back towards the city with a calculated leap. The prison house was only a few blocks from the palace. Those that waited in the prison for trial were transferred to the dungeons or released afterwards. Bragnoun awaited his trial in that jailhouse.
Once the wraith reached a notable distance from the target, it pulled the mask from its face. The form quickly shrunk into the small woman with auburn curls. She gripped the side of a building and wheezed as her body finished its morphing. The blissful energy that pushed her limits ripped away to an utter exhaustion she pushed through. She blinked the stars from her eyes as she tucked the mask back into the pouch at her hip.
“You must rest,” Encante’s voice warned her, “You are using too much energy. I do not want you to collapse again.”
“We are almost done,” She fluffed her curls and walked down the street, “Then I can sleep for as long as I need.”
“This was completely unnecessary,” He hummed judgingly at her, “You could have started with this prey first. He is the one you wanted.”
“He will know we want to do business this way. Otherwise, we would never know if Isaan had been in the city,” She smirked as the prison came into view, “Now, we wait.”