Carmella gulped down her anxiety, and methodically began to scan her surroundings.
What was once a town square was now a small hub for the reconstruction effort as the surrounding buildings, once homes, were mostly still intact and could thus be used for storage of raw materials since the owners were willing.
As for people, beyond the line of townsfolk seeking food and firewood at the command tent, there were the guards stationed around to maintain order, and a few other small groups of passers by.
And any one of them could be another killer. But it looks like the three between the young lord and the Assassin are safe… Thank An– the heavens for that.
The line moved forward, and, roused from her momentary relief, she swept the rest of the people in line that she could see.
She muttered. “None here.” and turned her attention to the guards.
It’d be especially bad if one of them has been replaced, but– Ha… Good. They're clear too.
The line moved again and her stomach twisted into knots at the thought of harm befalling her lord’s son. She moved to draw her wand from her pocket, but stopped when she caught sight of a hooded figure peering out from a nearby alleyway.
And her ability revealed: [Name: Ustar Agra; Newest Title: Foiled Assassin; Status conditions: Concealed; Cautious; Observing; Abilities: Observation level too low; Disposition: Hostile to user]
I knew it! Had I acted recklessly, my guard would’ve been down, and he would’ve finished what the first couldn’t! But when did he get there? How did I not notice until– Ah! The shadows!
As silently as he’d come, he sank into the darkness cast by the evening sun, and she watched, in shock, as he slid to another alley further down with a better view of Calden.
I guess Anon’s blessing is better for more than just gleaning people’s information! And with this timing I can prevent a tragedy!
She tried again to pull out her wand as the last person between her charge and her target stepped away, but the end of it got caught in the upper corner of her pocket right as the assassin stepped forward.
“N–no!”
Not like this!
Carmella cried and half-stumbled forward.
Light footfalls surged up from behind her.
Her eyes widened.
Did I miss one?!
And the square was dyed with blood.
#
Many years ago a lone egg hatched into a tawny brown owlet. As a monster contaminated by blight, her parents had discarded her from the nest, but her unnatural resilience allowed her to survive against the odds, hatch in an accelerated stage of development, and after a very successful first hunt, reach adulthood by the end of the day.
She was no larger than any other owl at that point, but she hungered for magic and was driven to hunt and eat any living being that had mana–especially the ones with more than her. Obviously, there were many creatures too powerful for her to kill, so she settled for smaller game, growing steadily over the years until she was both large and strong enough to consume them too.
She only ever sought to follow her instincts, but given her growing size and power, she soon became large enough to hunt people, and so a bounty was placed on her head.
But the owl wasn’t just going to give up her life so easily, and miraculously managed to survive every trick and trap that the hunters threw at her for several years.
Poison.
Magic.
Numbers.
Ambushes.
She took them all head on. Sometimes she won and ate well, other times she lost and was forced to flee. Each battle left her wounded though. And each time she would recover just a little bit faster. And become just a little bit smarter.
Eventually she began to hunt her hunters, attacking them the moment they entered the woods where she lived, but not to kill, not yet. Once chased off, they would flee back to their homes, and to their dismay, she followed, and preyed upon them where they felt safest.
Enterprising hunters used this to galvanize the public against her, turning the whole town into a trap.
But during their hours-long fight they were horrified to find that she had become immortal.
Nothing they did stopped her from getting back up, and noting they tried held her down for long. The whole of Ariadholme feared their demise, until a hunter named Eda suggested cutting her apart and stuffing her.
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
After much sacrifice, the plan worked, and that was where she was bound to remain for another decade. Instead of a fearful name all would remember, she was dubbed Suzy to mock her and ensure she would be forgotten. And with her reduced to a stuffed head mounted to the retired Eda’s wall, and her body preserved in a local curiosity emporium, she became nothing more than a distant bad memory for the townspeople, and the inspiration for the Baronette’s wind spirit magic.
With wood and stuffing filling her skull, only a few vital pieces of her brain were able to regenerate, but not enough to restore consciousness–her feathers even dulled to gray. Devoid of any real thoughts, or feelings Suzy stayed dormant, until the silence was broken by song.
Somehow the sound and vibrations of music could reach the tiny bits of her brain that had regrown within the cracks and crevasses of the stuffing, and eased the long dark stillness that was her wait to be revived.
She came to cherish those moments of activity that broke up her otherwise monotonous existence, and savored every second as she once savored the mana she so craved. Had she been any more aware, her inborn addiction for mana would have driven her mad, as the blight within her demanded sustenance, but even that changed when she heard a particular song.
It sounded like life. Of death and renewal. And deep within her soul the blight’s hold weakened.
She missed that song once it ended. For the first time in her life she wanted something more than to follow her instincts. She had to hear it again. To hear more like it. That longing became her new obsession, so when the fires broke out and her head, body, and all the stuffing were burned to ash, she burst forth from her ruin with an insatiable desire to find the source of the sound.
On instinct she flew, fast and far, until she discovered the one she felt was the musician, beset by other monsters at the center of a vast lake.
Alone she wouldn’t have stood a chance, but she knew weakened prey when she saw it, and so she eagerly snatched up the choicest morsel along with the musician.
She ravenously consumed the slimy worm-like creature, savoring the rich mana it held and absorbing the blight too. The sudden dark impulse that followed would have been enough to drive her to eat the musician as well, but simply touching them caused Suzy to recall the change bringing sound, and her conflicting desires drove her into a stupor.
Unable to decide what to do, she sat atop of the musician to preserve them like an unhatched egg as she reveled in the memories and mana.
Days passed, the musician awoke, and with a newly cleared mind, Suzy took them to go and find a proper place to grow.
More change was coming. She knew it as it had happened many times before. It’s how she grew stronger. How she became immortal. So she selected the safest place she could, one that had enough latent mana to support her growth, and help the musician recover, as their feeble attempt to escape highlighted to her their enduring weakness.
Once ready, she closed her eyes, surrendered herself to sleep, and felt something warm and overpowering flow in.
Gently, it burned away the blight that had been a part of her for her whole life. Tenderly, it consolidated her growing mind into a proper and true awareness of self. And kindly, it took away the pains of her transformation into something more than she could’ve ever become on her own.
The only thing she hated about it, was that the craving for mana was replaced with an overwhelmingly stronger desire to be given a proper name. As she awoke, she knew nothing else would matter until the one who lay sleeping before her gave her a new name–nothing. Not even music.
#
I was awoken from my forced slumber by a sudden, and quite forceful, shaking. I was immediately aware of the dainty little hands doing the violent wake up call, but that only confuzed me even more.
Who the heck has found me? And where am I? I last remember being in a mess of thorns with an oversized owl, but now someone is all but throttling me? Did a group of adventurers find me? But wouldn’t that mean Suzy buzzed off? She’s pretty strong so I doubt even experienced fighters could take her even without her magic.
I grabbed the arms relentlessly harassing me, held them until they were still, and then, once my head stopped spinning, opened my eyes to meet the intent gaze of a white haired girl.
Okay, maybe teenager is a better description? She looks like she’s, I dunno, sixteen at most. But she’s got big ol’ bird wings on her back, her dress is made out of white feathers, and she’s got weird gold rings around her silver irises.
Before I could even say anything, she released me, hopped up, and exclaimed. “You’re awake! You’re awake! You’re finally awake! Master’s can name me now!”
I blinked really slowly.
Wat?
And I do mean Wat?
“Master?” I leveled a finger at my chest. “You’re not talking about me are you?”
For that matter. Uriel? Who even is this? Don’t tell me it’s Suzy.
Uriel buzzed, at about the same time she pointed at me, her other hand on her hip. “Yes! You’re master! Master! Lord! Ruler! The one who freed me from the life of a monster! The one who needs to give me a name!”
Name: N/A
Species: Sacred Guardian Owl
Health: 1400/1400
Mana: 1320/1320
Endurance: 800/800
Strength: 450
Agility: 980
Speed: 1000
Toughness: 24
Spirit: 1400
Status conditions: Clear mind; Enlightenment;
Titles: Lover of music; Seeker of Song; Phoenix; D%@#n? Servant; Blessing of Enlightenment
Abilities:
Complete Regeneration lv: 40
Wind essence magic (Master): lv: 32
Fire essence magic (Adept): lv 1
Mind over nature magic (Adept): lv 73
Body empowering magic (Adept): lv: 100
Prescient eyes lv: 1
Arial tracking lv: 100
Adimant feathers lv: 1
Sacred talons lv: 1
Holy beak lv: 1
Fast flight lv: 1
Sound nullification lv: 1
Blessed Razor wings lv: 1
Purifying Fire lv: 1
Blight resistance lv: 1
Beast Form lv: 100
Oh lordy. Look what I did to her status! Those numbers are even more ridiculous than they were before! And what’s with the names of those abilities? I’m the one who altered her so why the heck are they all so… so… holy?
I dragged a hand down my face to clear it of the slack jawed stupidity my exhausted mind let show. “Okay. Fine, sure, whatever you say. But why don’t you have a name anymore? And why are you so fixated on getting one from me?”
She cocked her adorable little head to the side and pressed a finger to her lower lip. Her alabaster bob cut dangled loosely out of the way, revealing a pointed and feathered ear. “But I’ve never had a name? And you haven’t given me one.”
Then her eyes turned almost accusatory, and she dove forward to start shaking me again. “Master! I need a name! I woke you up because I need a name! A name! A name! Who am I? I need to know!”
Oh for the love of!
My head bounced between the soft yet prickly wall of the nest behind me, and my torso as I tried to speak. “Y–y–y–your… N–n–name i–is… S–S–Suzy!”
She didn’t stop shaking me, and the system murmured.
Fine! Okay! I get it! I need to give her a new name! But what? Athera? Celeste? Owlana? Silvia? I gotta pick something before she shakes my head off, but I can’t think straight with her doing this either!