The James family didn’t have a motto. Some families added words to their crests, declaring their way of life. In the north, everyone lived by the same values, so such an explanation was unnecessary. If anyone wanted to know what kind of family the rulers of Victory were, they had centuries of deeds and reputation behind them.

While she waited, crouched in an alley down the road from where Talia was being held, Alana pondered what such a motto would be. It was a silly, pointless train of thought and that was exactly what she needed to hold back her nerves. There were a hundred ways today could go wrong but worrying about it wouldn’t do anything but hinder her. The worries, regret, and, if necessary, the mourning could wait until after the job was done.

[The best mottos are short and direct. Three words minimum, six maximum.]

It was a little unsettling having another voice in her head, but Alana put that worry out of her mind as well. After all, she needed the succubus. Geneva was crouched on the roof above her, watching and reading nearby thoughts. Alana waited for her signal to move in and until then, she amused herself.

Tall as Titans.

[The alliteration rolls off the tongue but not quite accurate.]

Alana huffed. She didn’t mean it literally, but she saw the problem. She was the shortest in her little family, excluding the siblings and she had a sinking feeling that both would outgrow her, simply because Geneva would want them to have powerful physiques so they could be better servants.

Blood For Blood.

[Far too vengeful.]

This time, the blonde chuckled. If fighting a losing war for centuries didn’t classify someone as vengeful, she didn’t know what did. Beyond the campaigns, Victory had several bloodthirsty traditions. One of them was the source of all their problems and why Alana was crouched in the shadows, preparing to commit extreme violence.

[Stupid and stubborn, yes. Blunt, without question. Not bloodthirsty. Your war is a duty, not a party.]

If you have such strong opinions, why don’t you make a suggestion?

[Will of Steel, Heart of Ice.]

Before Alana could comment on it, a large sound interrupted her thoughts. It was unlike anything she’d ever heard. The closest thing she could compare it to was when the first titan she fought had collapsed. The impact was softened by thick snow, but she’d still felt it under her feet and could imagine how loud it’d have been if the mountain wasn’t blanketed.

What she heard was that sound multiplied several times. The impact didn’t send a tremor though the ground, it made it shake. Before it settled, there was another great crash. Then another. The crashing, shattering, and shuddering surrounded her, nearly overwhelming.

People ran out of their homes, yelling questions and curses at the sky and each other. When they didn’t receive any answers and the destruction continued, the panic started. Alana watched with cold eyes as they scattered like bugs exposed to light. She felt for them, but endless mercy was not justice. Nor was it feasible.

Alana admired heroes and heroic tales, but she was under no illusion that she was one. That was why she objected to Lou calling her a saint. She didn’t think of herself as a good person, nor did she want to be one. Titans didn’t care how good of a person you were. They didn’t care how many innocents you spared or how many commoners sang your praises.

Mercy was like her sister. Nice to look at but ultimately useless. Rather than a merciful heart, Alana preferred a fair one. Charity to those who deserved a second chance and a harsh end to those who didn’t. People liked merciful rulers. People respected a fair one.

The civilians of the city hadn’t asked to be involved in their conflict. The fair thing was to give them the chance to step away, which is why Alana insisted on it. Anything beyond that wasn’t their responsibility. It was not the duty of the strong to protect the weak, but to provide the weak opportunities to become strong. The city’s fate had always been in its own hands. Now, they reaped what they sowed.

[Ah~ My summoner is truly magnificent.]

Alana ignored the tone though she agreed with the sentiment. She didn’t need to see the havoc Lou was raising. She was surrounded by it. The power to level a city wasn’t scarce but it was rarely put on display.

Besides the horrific body count and the long-standing tradition of the kingdom to avoid large battles, a spell able to raze a large area could be blocked by a defensive spell of similar strength. Strategically, there was nothing a large spell could do that an army couldn’t with enough time. It was better for a master caster to focus their skill taking out high-profile targets than causing pointless, wide-spread destruction.

That didn’t apply to Lou. She wasn’t a master caster, she was a force of nature. She didn’t have to worry about preserving mana and there was no spell to counter her. Worse, she had a monstrous amount of stamina. Alana was sure her lover could raze five cities without getting tired and, to her knowledge, there was nothing anyone in the kingdom could do to stop her.

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Feeling the ground trembling beneath her, Alana remembered her vow to fight Lou’s fights for her in the future and felt a touch ridiculous. Overwhelmed. Even a little fearful…but not daunted. It might take a lot longer than she thought but, with Kierra and Lou, she had all the time in the world. She was a northerner that had grown up dreaming of fighting titans.

A future fighting much bigger things, on every scale? She’d never turn that down, even without all the other benefits.

[It’s time.]

Alana rose from her crouch and stretched, flinging aside the cloak she was wearing. What are their positions?

[There is one hunter on the door. The second sentry is inside the building. I assume he is reporting to his superior about what’s happening out here. There are a dozen hunters outside of the building. Their paths will lead them to intersect with the panicked sentry. There is no one near Talia’s room.]

I’ll be the distraction. You focus on reaching Talia, then we’ll pincer them.

[Oh? We won’t be retreating?]

If it were any other time, she would have. But this was war. Besides that, there was a good chance that her actions would mean the death of Yulia. With that thought lodged in her mind, there was no way she could bring herself to spare anyone inside the building. Anyone that gets in our way, dies.

[You are in charge.]

Their conversation took place in a moment. In the next, Alana sprinted out of the alley. She dodged the people running past her, a being of purpose charging through a sea of confusion. Her target, a young man standing in front of an inconspicuous building whose door had unusually thick hinges, didn’t notice her despite her heavy footfalls. He was too busy staring at something with his neck craned, jaw-dropped, and eyes wide with fear.

It was only when she drew her blade that he looked over but by then, it was too late. Her training with Kierra was twofold. The first part was improving her reflexes and battle instinct with sparring, breaking her away from the rigid training of the northern orders. The second part was strengthening her body through magic. She was never weak, but after months of dedicated attention from the elf, she was getting closer to the kind of supernatural strength physical casters were known for.

Her blade nearly bisected the man, ignoring the tough leathers he wore. She’d removed her blade and kicked down the front door before he hit the ground. As she crossed the threshold, knowledge of the building entered her mind, as well as the position of the hunters. Several halls and small, redundant rooms made it labyrinthine but she ran without doubt. Two rights, a left, crossing a room, and taking another right led her to a set of stairs. Someone was coming down as she reached the base.

To his credit, he reacted as quickly as she did. He pulled a short sword from his back and brought it up to block her sword, the narrow stairwell having no room to dodge. Her blow swept him off his feet, sending him through the thick wooden railing. She doubted her blow had killed him but knew he wouldn’t be getting up anytime soon, so she continued her charge up the stairs.

She dropped the moment she cleared the top step, feeling the heat of her attacker’s spell as fire roared over her head. Her chest twinged with a slight pain as she pulled on her mana. Alana lowered her head and charged as a bright light flooded the hall. Heat and cold washed over her as the defenders launched their spells blind, but with her armor on, they only managed to make her uncomfortable.

When she was close enough to hear them cursing her, she dropped her spell. Small dark spots danced in her vision, reminding her again that she needed to speak with Rolly about a way to make herself immune to the effects of her spells, but her opponents were much worse off. One shielded his eyes with an arm while the other squinted at her. She swung at the squinter but just before her blade would have made contact with his neck, the wall next to her exploded as a towering shape came barreling through.

If it was even a month before, she would have been taken off-guard and likely suffered wounds from the surprise attack. But Kierra’s training was harsh. One of the elf’s favorite ways to engage her was by tackling her out of nowhere. After falling for the tactic so many times, Alana had developed a sense for an impending ambush.

It wasn’t perfect and was always too late to save her from Kierra’s pouncing, but her immediate reaction was enough to counter her third opponent. She spun, changing targets to the man that came through the wall, casting a spell as her sword came down. The edge of her weapon flared brightly, the heat it gave off distorting the air around it.

The weapon went through the man’s breastplate as if it didn’t exist, but it didn’t stop his momentum. His charge lost a lot of power as she cut him down, but he still barreled into her, knocking her down. Alana immediately jumped to her feet, but a moment was all her opponents needed.

The two hunters she initially engaged had recovered. A large ball of water slammed into her, threatening to knock her off her feet, but she didn’t think much of it. Not until the water began to rapidly freeze, hindering her movements. With a grunt of effort, she broke through the restraints, bracing herself for whatever follow-up was headed her way…only to find the hunters had retreated. She could hear their footsteps as they retreated. From a guess, toward Talia’s room.

Gritting her teeth, she chased after them, catching sight of one as they turned the corner. When she did the same, she saw the same hunter flying out of a room, crashing against a wall and slumping next to his partner.

Geneva walked from the room and a moment later, Talia followed. Alana slid to a stop next to them, eyes flicking over the older woman. She looked tired and a little haggard, more noticeable given her usual impeccable appearance, but unharmed. Alana was glad, incredibly, but she couldn’t bring herself to relax.

“Can you fight?” she asked.

Many women would have felt slighted by the lack of concern. They would have been overwhelmed by their circumstances, even their liberation. Talia proved her resilience by simply replying, “Yes.”

“Enemies?”

“There are no more hunters in the building. Lou’s attack is proving more of a distraction than we could have hoped. It would seem that all of the guilds’ forces are being mustered to stop her.”

“Should we not help her?” the flower asked, true concern in her voice.

“Lou will be fine,” Alana said. And Talia nodded, accepting her judgment. As a flower should. Alana thought Kierra’s insistence on roles was strange and sometimes ridiculous, but the longer she humored her strange ways, the more she saw the appeal of them. If was…invigorating, holding power over someone else’s fate. It made her feel strong, but she pushed the feeling down. Now wasn’t the time to admire the exciting dynamics of her chosen clan. “The only thing that can hurt her is losing family. Which is why we need to find my sister.” She gestured to the succubus. “Pick her up.”

Geneva shouldered Talia who endured the undignified position without complain as they sprinted out of the building, Alana leading the way as she crashed out of a second-story window, rolling as she hit the street and slipping back into a run without so much as stumbling.