Willow arrived shortly after the battle and introduced herself. Francis had kept her up to date on the mission, which she found equal parts annoying and endearing. She wasn't used to such constant communication. Though she could see herself warming up to the idea of a god who told her what he was up to.

Julia and Shiv hadn't so much as blinked when Willow started animating the dead trolls. She was particularly pleased with how the skeletons turned out. They wouldn't be as strong as the zombies. But with some adornments and sweet smelling herbs, they would make fine additions to the temple. (She was imagining a gold and black theme, very glam goth.)

Once the work was done, the group set off back towards Brexis. Francis took point further up the road to screen for ambushes, while the undead moved through the forest parallel to him. Any cutthroats lying in wait would be in for one hell of a surprise.

The three women rode further behind so they could talk and avoid getting covered in road dust. Willow was fulfilling her role as High Priestess by doing a pre-marital assessment. She had agreed to perform the ceremony. But certain formalities still needed to be observed.

“I understand you two are assassins. Are you freelance, or something more official?” She asked. It was important to understand the financial situation and dynamics of two potential newlyweds.

“Oh, we aren't some stab by night hooligans, I assure you. We are both full members of the Villain's League.” Julia beamed, producing an ornate black dagger from her inventory. “I am a Deathmark Paladin of Swift Vengeance and my lovely wife-to-be is a… oh, what was your designation again?”

Shiv sighed and pulled a similar weapon from nowhere before making it vanish again. “Arcane Assassin of Deadly Artistry.” She glared at Julia, but broke into a smile a few seconds later. Willow got the feeling this was a running joke.

“Yes, quite the flair for the dramatic.” Julia laughed. “But she's absolutely wonderful with a bow, knife, paintbrush, and her voice is divine.”

“How did you two meet?” Willow asked, liking what she was seeing. The two had a very healthy dynamic and were obviously in love.

“That is a bit of a story.” Shiv said, with a look like she had bitten into a lemon. “Five years back we were both on a mission to kill the same person. The VL had booked her to take him out and I was doing the same job on a freelance contract.”

“Yes, that's part of why I prefer league work, fewer unnecessary fuck ups.” Julia said knowingly. “Plus, they always pay on time and in full.”

“Right.” Shiv agreed. “Well, I snuck in as entertainment and was about to get some alone time with my target when everything went wrong. Luckily, Julia took the chaos as an opportunity to charge in and we ended up fighting the guards together.”

“I had quite a lot of fun too, until I got stabbed.” Julia knocked on her chest armor, which was sensibly unisex. “Never leave home without your breastplate.”

Shiv winced. “Sorry about that, Juju.”

“Nonsense! You were watching my back, it was my job to mind my front. Although…” She gave her partner a smoldering look, a hint of a smile curling into her full lips. “Can you blame me for being a bit distracted? The way you fought like a cornered dragon was incredibly sexy.”

The redhead blushed and leaned in for a kiss. “You are trouble.” She said.

“Yes, but you love me.” Julia smirked. “And now, you're going to have to keep good on your word, and marry me.”

Shiv’s face shifted between a frown and a smile before settling in the middle ground of grim determination. “Juju, you know they're going to try and kill us when they find out.”

“Let them come.” Julia said, showing the steadfast resolve paladins were notorious for. She turned to Willow. “You will probably experience some backlash from my family for thwarting their plans. They intended to marry me off in exchange for power later this year.”

“They may show up at your doorstep.” She warned. Obviously Julia still wished to continue, but felt the need to warn Willow. That spoke well of her character. “I just thought you should know.”

The Death Cleric considered this. She hated arranged marriages, particularly those that involved unwilling participants. Francis had backed her into a corner by agreeing, and it was a less than ideal time to be making new enemies.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

Not that she would have said no, but it would have been nice if he asked first. Granted, she appreciated how he took charge without debating endlessly, like some other gods. “Are you fond of your family?” Willow asked, deciding to make lemonade from lemons. (Or rather, minions from Julia’s relatives.)

“No. They used to beat me with sticks.” Julia frowned at Willow's pleasant tone. “Why do you ask?”

“I think you should invite them to the wedding. It is always good for newlyweds to have a fresh start, free of all that emotional baggage.” Willow smiled, showing sharp white fangs. “I'd love to see them in attendance.”

The two women looked at one another. Shiv spoke up first. “No offense, but you have no idea who these people are.”

“Of course not.” Willow said sweetly. “But I'm very much looking forward to meeting them. Who knows, they might even find a place here with us at the temple. We are dreadfully short handed as of late.”

Julia frowned, then her eyes went wide as she understood the full meaning of the words. “Oh! Yes! My parents are very keen on religion. Aren't they, Shiv?”

“Practically known for it.” Shiv agreed, the gears turning in her head already. “Juju, I know you hate them for what they did. But if they were that easy to kill, we would have done it by now. And Willow, you barely know us.”

“That is true.” Willow admitted, realizing that her age was showing. The younger generation didn't understand how powerful words and promises could be. The truth was she didn't want to do this. But not because she was afraid.

As a High Priestess, her best chance of success was to grow the cult’s power and influence while remaining relatively unnoticed. Killing nobles would attract the wrong kind of attention.

Fuck it, Willow thought. Francis’ fight with the titan had already announced their presence to the world. Hades had it out for them and she was tired of hiding her power.

Willow was a five hundred year old Death Cleric with the experience and skills to match her age. The idea that she would be afraid of some nobles was laughable. The air grew thick and arcs of green energy crackled between her fingers as she let her full power manifest.

“My name is Willow Wisp, and I was born long before your noble houses clawed their way up from the mud. I have attended the births of gods and sacrificed them at my altar.” The High Priestess said, drawing power around her like a mantle, but not bothering to raise her voice. “I have destroyed armies and toppled kingdoms. Tell me, Shiv. Have you ever heard of the great Makila Dynasty?”

“Um… weren't they destroyed? Something about them pissing off a death god and being wiped off the face of Vahnis for their hubris? ” Shiv’s expression faltered as she realized who had been responsible for their extermination. “Oh… fuck.”

Willow looked at the two women, letting the storm within her settle and calm. “Good, now you understand. So, stop worrying about other people. If this is what you want, I'll do it.”

Julia and Shiv locked eyes, had a silent conversation, then nodded in unison.

“Good.” Willow said. “Any further questions before I continue my assessment?”

Julia raised her armored hand. “Just a quick one. I almost hate to ask. But…” She looked at Shiv.

“Are you hiring?” Shiv asked. “Because I would absolutely rather work for you, than against you. And if we work for you, there would be a conflict of interest if the VL tried to hire us.” She began to fall onto a groove as the pitch materialized. “So, not only would you be getting two of the best assassins in the business. You would also be removing two potential threats at the same time.”

Willow laughed. Neither of the assassins were much of a threat to her. But she admired their moxie and forward thinking. “Sure. There's a wedding I'm planning. I'll pay you each a gold to kill any asshole nobles that try to disrupt it.”

“Eh…” Shiv made a face as she contemplated the idea of working for a single gold. Even if it was something she would have gladly done for free.

McHorseface let out a snort to get their attention. Normally he preferred to stay quiet around strangers who didn't know he was uplifted. But they needed to hear it from someone besides Willow. “Don't worry about it, they're not actually cheapskates. Chuck has made out like a bandit since he joined up. He paid off his loan and even had enough gold leftover to buy me.”

“You're saying another horse owns you?” Julia looked at McHorseface with confusion. “Isn't that a bit…?”

“Existentially terrible? Morally reprehensible? Nah.” Willow's mount shook his head, causing her to wobble uncomfortably in the saddle. “Technically I am property of the Rainbow Road Transportation company, out of Brexis.”

“How does that make a difference? Wouldn't you rather be free?” Julia pressed.

“Oh, I am. In all but name. If I want out I can buy my freedom for a copper. Chuck wanted to free us all and demand equality. But change is slow, you see. Only the Wildlands give uplifts equal rights and protections.”

McHorseface gave her a sly look that was eerily out of place on a horse. “But I'll tell you what, everyone has rules about stealing or harming property, don't they?”

Shiv grinned. “You're gaming the system.”

“Am I?” McHorseface asked innocently. “Well, I wouldn't know anything about that, because I'm just a horse. But let's not get distracted by who found a workaround to a horrible situation. I believe you were about to thank Willow for offering you a job.”

“Thanks Willow.” Shiv said. “We would love to come work for you.”

Off in the distance Francis swore as a wall of text invaded his mind.