I might have a few bones to pick with that sneaky stabber, but I can only imagine that Calden’s friends and supporters are all the more aggrieved.

Ending my deliberation, I reached out my mind to the Count and company. I’d put them in their own mental channel, but kept them unaware of it until now as they were mostly busy with administration and didn’t need me distracting them. ~Sorry to disturb you all so late in the evening, but the assassins are back and one is making his way toward the castle as we speak. Would you like to handle this, or should I?~

I sent my senses down to them out of curiosity, and watched Linus bolt up out of his seat, then freeze, before leaning heavily on his desk. ~You have my deepest thanks for this news, Master Anon. I’ll send Ygvarge, Ymir, and Carmella along with a contingent of my finest knights to see the cur eliminated.~

I arched an eyebrow. ~Shouldn’t you interrogate him to find out where the others are?~

The Count hammered a fist onto his desk, but it was Carmella, seated in the library, who responded with a cold curtness that far eclipsed the distrust she once directed at me. ~I’ll handle that.~

I narrowed my eyes, and muttered so they wouldn’t hear. “Yeah because that went so well last time.”

Ygvarge then stormed out of his room, sword in hand, and charged for the lower floors. ~Please, let us redeem ourselves! Let us take care of this!~

Ymir quickly carried an exhausted Ysdra from the mess that was her now partly restocked medical tent before quietly adding. ~Please.~

I rolled my eyes. Did those two not hear what I said? The whole point of contacting you was to let you do it! And you really shouldn't run around with your sword out if you don’t need it! Goodness! I thought Ygvarge was the sensible brother! I wanted to shout at him, but let my irritation pass for now. At least it looks like both he and Carmella have gotten properly treated now that Calden isn’t in desperate need of all medical personnel, so I’ll content myself with that.

~Then I’ll send you his location, and remember to stay on guard.~

I separated our thoughts after setting up what was effectively a live feed of the assassin’s current location in the designated hunter’s brains. They were now seeing what I could, at least in so far as the assassin was concerned, so even though it was dark, they knew that their target, whose alias was apparently Thread, was masquerading as an old hunchbacked crone, using a withered branch as a cane, while dressed in tattered rags.

Honestly, I’m surprised at the realism of his disguise given that he likely lost his gear after his capture, but I’m not entirely sure how he plans to break into the castle looking like that… Unless he’s just here for reconnaissance? Which reminds me, I should be doing some too, just in case the interrogation fails.

Uriel buzzed at my request to reveal the rest of Thread’s information to me.

“Pfft!”

Silvia jumped at my outburst, and clambered around to look me in the eye. “Master Boss? Are you alright?”

I grinned. “Yeah, I just never imagined that an assassin who is good at acting would be named gaff!”

She cocked her head and blinked her big gold and silver eyes at me–which were especially bright in the moonlight. “Gaff? Bad name?”

“No, no, no.” I lightly pushed her all too close face back a bit and got up. “Gaff is fine, it’s not quite the right spelling for what came to mind, but it’s funny because a gaffe is an embarrassing remark.”

She just blinked. “Silvia doesn’t understand. Should Silvia rescue the name from the bad man?”

And now I’m the one making gaffes…

I pointed down to where Ygvarge and Carmella met Ymir and around twenty knights at the castle gates beneath us. “No. That’s their job. After all, heh, Gaff and his associates have caused Calden a whole lot of mostly one sided hurt, so it’s time for them to get in a little payback.”

She slumped her shoulders and pouted. “Then what can Silvia do? Silvia wants to help Master Boss too! Master Boss has been sad all day! Silvia wants Master Boss to smile!”

Oof. I didn’t expect her to call me out, and she’s got a point too. I didn’t particularly enjoy playing the bad guy and forcing people to get along–but what else was I supposed to do to get them to help each other out? Brainwash them? That’d make me no better than Gretkarn! I took a deep breath, and let my returned frustration flow out with the exhale. Enough of that. I’m moving on. There’s no point doubting the results of hard decisions, so let’s go make a few more.

“Hmm.” I cupped my chin in my hand, and stepped a foot. “What. Can. You. Do?”

I thought of Witness and how they still had my staff, but she wouldn’t know what it looks like, or even where they’re hiding it.

Hold on. Where are they hiding?

I gave Mr. Gaff another once over, certain that he’d have some clue or trace on him somewhere, and that’s when my eyes landed on his cane.

It wasn’t much to look at, a totally ordinary, mostly straight, tree branch stripped of leaves and protrusions to be used as a walking stick.

But it looks pretty fresh, and a lot like Witness… Are they taunting me?

I sent my gaze over to the woods across the large lake. “Silvia, could you go over there and start searching for other people like him? They’re probably good at hiding and setting traps so be careful, yeah?”

“Yeah!”

With a herculean leap, she was up in the air and away from the castle in a heartbeat, and only a wingbeat later she was already over the treetops.

I facepalmed. Oh no. I forgot to tell her not to tear the forest apart. She isn’t going to, right? Right?

I covered my eyes and comforted myself with the knowledge that the assassins had it coming, and returned to watching Carmella and Ysdra’s brothers corner Thread. “There’s not much I can do about it now anyway, since she hasn’t done anything wrong yet, and even if she does wreck the place, the city could use the lumber… .”

#

Thread slunk through the city keeping to the alleys and side streets, all but abandoning the safety of his disguise for the protection of darkness.

There’s something wrong with this city! The people gather, gesture, and act as if they’re communicating, but I hear nothing and their mouths don’t move! Accents, languages, dialects! I can do it all, but not this! I can’t do this!

And yet he forced himself to continue deeper in, as the fear of failure outweighed this unknown obstacle.

The ghost of the castle stood stark against the starry night sky, and the numerous nebulas that covered it painted it a mix of purples, reds, and blues. It was a beautiful sight, but for whatever reason looking in that direction sent a chill down his spine.

It feels… It feels like I’m being watched. The memories of his recent capture rose unbidden, as did a throbbing in his still only mostly recovered nose. No. No! Don’t tell me that deity knows I’m here again!

He searched around frantically, but the gloom that concealed him offered no answers to his growing number of questions.

He placed a hand over his heart, and gasped for breath under his mask while staring straight up at the moon. Being played with by an entity that he couldn’t see, couldn’t fight, and couldn't even guess the motives of had done a number on him–as it had them all.

He’d developed panic attacks and paranoia, Shade was now obsessed with killing the target, Veil had become extremely cautious, and Whisper… Whisper broke.

He rasped. “I will not break!”

Then a woman chuckled. “Are you sure about that?”

Thread whipped around to see the blonde mage who’d utterly failed at defending the target just a couple days before. He twisted his face into a nasty smile, one reflected on his wrinkled elderly mask, before he charged. “You? You shouldn’t have come alone!”

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Sparks flew as the dagger he whipped from his sleeve struck against a barrier. He clicked his tongue, She must have cast it before confronting me., and dove low and to the side to try and get around it, only for a sudden metallic flash to narrowly graze his false face.

“And who said I was alone?” The woman smirked triumphantly, leveled her wand at him and spit. “Nextus!”

He staggered from the strike that nearly took his ear, and the wand’s tip shone blue. An azure arrow of order essence magic appeared, then flew out at his stomach. He twisted and rolled, but the magic bolt embedded itself into his thigh in spite of his effort. Unlike normal projectiles, the magic one blinked out once its momentum halted, leaving him not only injured, but bleeding.

Thread grunted, and deftly avoided getting skewered by the saber of the Count’s elder son once again.

The blonde torathan barked. “You’re not going to get away this time!”

“Watch me!” A flick of the wrist loosed a choke bomb that left the two retching where they stood.

Thread moved to finish them off, to deny them their revenge, but his injury forced him to reconsider, so he hobbled back the winding way he’d come.

I have a head start and a few more bombs in case anyone else shows up. They’ll likely have guards with them, but in the dark I have the advantage, so–

As expected, the next turn he took was blocked by several heavily armed and armored men. Thread snorted, tossed a bomb, and wheeled around to take the next alley away.

But this one was blocked too.

Blast!

He repeated the process two more times before finding a way that was clear, but doubt plagued his mind. This… This is just like before! Like when that entity was toying with me using those barriers! But instead of magic I’m dealing with knights!

His strength was ebbing fast from the wound in his leg, and the pain coupled with the discomfort of his mask led him to tear it off as he barreled for the end of the alley he was in and the freedom of the wider side street.

When his vision cleared, his way was once again barred by several knights and the Count’s younger son.

I’m in no condition to fight, I can’t get past them, and I’m out of bombs.

He doubled back, but the mage and the elder son were there with the knights he’d eluded up till now.

Boxed in, Thread tightened his grip on his dagger, They knew. The whole time they knew where I was, who I was, my preparations were pointless., then let it drop as he fell into manic laughter. Whisper was right. He was right! We were doomed from the start! I should’ve stayed! We all should’ve just stayed in that cell!

The knights closed in, and a swift pomel to the back of his head silenced his growing madness.

#

Soaria shuddered within her burrowed base. Her students were out. Veil was scouting the forest, Thread the city, and Shade waited to rush in and finish off the lordling, but that wasn’t what worried her.

Her keen instinct told her that danger was coming, and coming fast. She couldn’t tell from where, or how many they numbered, but her seasoned intuition warned her that it was a danger unlike any she’d faced before, and that it would arrive soon.

“So it’s time.” She drew her shovel out and sank it into the softened ground near the far wall. Next she reached up toward several thin wires that extended out into her network of traps through underground tunnels and waited for any vibration. “Nothing yet. Maybe they’re taking their time?”

Another tremble drove her to clench her teeth. “Or they’re airborne.”

On that fear, she flicked a hand down and yanked a thicker cord that reached out to a large nest of ear blights.

Individually, the small birds were simply seen as extremely annoying pests, but a large number of them driven to defend their nest would make mind melting levels of noise which she hoped would bring her potentially aerial foe to ground.

A wire shook as a crash echoed in the distance.

Then another.

And two more as trees started to crack and fall in the distance.

She gasped as they kept twitching, and whirled around. “No! Not this quickly!”

Countless spikes, pitfalls, razor wires, poison dart shooters, swinging longs and disturbable monster dens stood between her base and any outsiders. Obviously they weren’t all positioned to one side so many of them would be useless, or so she thought, but unless her wires and ears were reporting a stampede of countless creatures, whatever entity now hunted her was sweeping the entire forest at an insane speed.

Best she could tell, it was circling her location and was closing fast.

“No, this can’t be.” She drew a few poisoned needles, crouched, and in spite of her blaring instinct, crept up to peek out into the forest outside.

There must be a more sensible explanation for what’s happening than that deity finding me. I know! My underlings could have feigned turning against me and now lead the Count’s forces here as a ploy to weaken and distract them. Maybe something went wrong and they’re felling trees to deal with the traps? She unconsciously clutched the amulet around her neck and gulped. The worst case is that this could even be another of that lich’s cursed warnings… Though I’ll take the pain of a false death over a real one any day.

She held tight to those small rays of hope, and used them to slow her racing heart, silence her breath, and find the courage to approach the curtain of leaves that covered the entrance.

Soaria peeked through and saw that the moon bathed the small clearing in eerie light, and stabbed through the dense foliage just beyond like long arrows littering a ruined battlefield.

But it was quiet.

Strangely quiet.

It’s only been a few minutes, so why don’t I hear the earblights? Or any of the other monsters for that matter? What’s happening?

She gulped as the silhouette of a slight girl, no older than sixteen, suddenly strode confidently from the gloom while dragging the familiar shape of Veil behind her.

Immaculate, she wore a one piece dress of glittering silver feathers with a matching bob of silver hair framing her perfectly symmetrical face. Her almost ivory skin nearly distracted from the dangerous scaly talons that were her hands and feet, but it wasn’t until she saw the glint in the girl’s big gold predatory eyes that dread set back in.

For those eyes were trained directly on her.

And they didn’t blink.

Soaria whispered. “The deity. Anon was it?”

Fine. I can handle this. It isn’t ideal, but this is what I prepared for, I just need to signal Benedict.

The girl cocked her head. “Deity? No. Silvia didn’t become one of those. Master Boss made her better than that, and Master Boss wanted Silva to find the people in the woods.” The shadow of a vast pair of wings rose up behind the girl and blotted out what little light reached her face. “And Silvia has.”

Soaria’s jaw dropped. Not the Deity? But her appearance and oppressive presence are unmistakably–? B–but, if she’s not lying then I’ve miscalculated– I don’t have an answer for this–!

The girl inhaled deeply, and Soara burst forth and shouted, “No! Wait!”, right as her feathered foe opened her mouth to scream.

#

Silvia was perturbed.

Until recently she’d survived and existed, but not lived. She’d defiantly taken up space in a world that didn’t want her, raging against a death that would return her to the void and nullify everything she was.

But now she lived, unafraid of such a fate, the weight of fear burdened her no longer, and what was even more satisfying was that Master Boss had given her her first task ever! And it was a hunt!

But the hunt wasn’t going anything like she’d imagined.

All she had to do was find the people in the woods.

Maybe chase them around a little if they fled.

It was going to be exciting! Fun!

But before she could even pick a place to land and start looking, a bunch of really noisy downy bothers came up and started shrieking at her.

One swipe of her talons was all it took to silence them, but the noise they created made her ears ring, souring her mood. You’re not even Silvia’s prey! Why even get involved? What did Silvia do to you?

She thundered to the ground to frighten off any other smaller critters that might further foul her hunt, then proceeded to put her excellent eyesight to work seeking any sign of people.

Silvia knew people built structures to live in, and set traps to hunt, and with her powerful legs it didn’t take long to come across the first traps.

Evading the swinging logs and pitfalls was easy, and enduring the darts proved simple as they couldn’t even penetrate her skin. The constant barrage of fruitless attacks dredged up many foul memories, but she endured it as the more traps she encountered the faster she could locate where they were living.

She passed a variety of monster nests as she sprinted soundlessly through the woods, but they were either abandoned when she arrived, too slow to react to her, or the residents stayed stock still as if to beg to be overlooked as she passed.

People guard homes. Traps can hunt, but traps can guard too. If Silvia goes too far the traps stop, but going back Silvia finds more! So all Silvia needs to do is circle around until Silvia finds the center!

The deeper in she went, the more her race through the forest was followed by the sounds of crashing trees, felled by the force of her wake–which only ceased with the discovery of a person.

He was outside of their nest, and clearly headed toward what she suspected was the heart of the traps. His back was to her as he clearly heard her coming, and like any prey, knew to flee the hunter.

That must be one! Master Boss I found one!

In her excitement, she snatched him up, and smashed him into a nearby tree.

He crumpled, leaving a crimson trail from what used to be his face, and Silvia frowned.

Weak? Why weak? They hurt people, but this weak? Stupid.

Disappointed, Silvia grabbed his leg and dragged him in the direction he had been going.

Nest must be this way. Silvia doesn’t really want to hunt anymore. Not hungry, and prey too weak.

Her several minute walk saw her side step several more traps. Though this part of the forest was more tangled and twisted than the rest, her slowed pace and keen eyes allowed her to notice the nuisances long before she got anywhere near them.

That’s when she saw it. The burrow covered with tree feathers, and the woman staring back out from within–searching for any sign of Silvia, or–.

Silvia glanced down at the man and blinked. Mate? Eggs inside?

Feeling pity for her prey was a new experience for Silvia, so she calmly walked closer until the woman could see her.

The woman didn’t run, and didn’t come out to fight either, which meant there weren’t any eggs to protect and this man wasn’t her mate.

The woman whispered. “The deity. Anon was it?”

Her big eyes widened in shock. Do they know Master Boss?

Then Silvia realized that the woman was talking about her and cocked her head. “Deity? No. Silvia didn’t become one of those. Master Boss made her better than that, and Master Boss wanted Silva to find the people in the woods.” She raised up and expanded her wings in case she needed to fight or fly. “And Silvia has.”

She inhaled to call for Master Boss, but the woman suddenly burst forth from their nest and shouted, “No! Wait!”, right as Silvia opened her mouth, so Silvia let the air out in a huff.

Silvia has found the prey. Master Boss wants to know. Silvia should tell Master Boss, but what does she want? Should Silvia listen? Silvia doesn’t want to listen, but Master Boss always listens… Or should Silvia just attack, and bring the prey back to Master Boss instead?