"Wake up!" A sharp smack rebounded through the shower where the assassin was still bounded.

With a jerk and hoarse cry he woke. Euryale saw his blood shot brown almost black eyes, yet couldn't find any petty for the man before her.

"I think it's time you tell us....exactly what we want to know." She said arms and legs crossed putting on an air of true superiority and power.

"And if I dont?" Came the croaking voice of the man.

"Sorin!" She shouted in response.

The man's eyes widened in pure absolute horror. "Get that demon away from me!" The assassin shouted thrashing weakly at his restraints.

"You could just tell, me what I want to know and he doesn't have to inflict more pain. Did you really think what he did to you was all he was capable of?" Euryale asked allowing smugness to drip from her voice.

"He...he was just supposed to be a conscript. A nobody. Had we known this man was a demon in human form the price would have been so much higher." The man said.

"Name. I want the name of the one who paid for your services." Euryale said. With her hand hidden she tapped her side giving Sorin the signal to posture.

Sorin responded in summoning a lazy flame in his hand, then slowly increasing the intensity until it became a blow torch and then a jet of blue.

"I recommend answering my lady, before I begin to cut your channels out and add them to my own."

Sorin said making his voice as cold and lifeless as he could careful to keep any emotion off his face. He had already broken the man, taught the lesson, and stopped any threat. He couldn't figure out why he was emotionally confused. What he did earlier was so much worse than this and he didn't feel squeamish, but somehow this made him uneasy?

"It is as that fiend said! Aeon Pallas hired us to kill him. He didn't tell us anything else except the target was a tier 2 and it had to be done tonight!" He said voice still cracking and breaking.

He kept struggling weakly all his aether gone with the destruction of his core.

Euryale turned to look at Reeger who had remained silent watching the proceedings. "I have detected no falsehoods my lady."

She got up and looked back at the man. She knew she didn't want to be responsible for his life, but as a lady in a noble line she could not shy away. "Reeger, see it done. Then come to the conference room. We have planning to do."

She walked out of the conference room with Sorin in step. Linx and Cain were not far away who also stood and followed.

- a half hour later in the conference room -

Rubbing her temples Euryale knew she would have to take time to process the command she gave. For all her life she had been sheltered and seen people ordered to their deaths, but it seemed so far removed from her and it was never something she was personally involved with. She now had blood on her hands the same as if she had cut the man's throat herself it made things....personal and heavy.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

She shelved the thought and bottled the emotions for the time being.

"The first test is a secret.....so naturally the nobility know." She said letting a little smirk show through. She could see Linx watching her every move.

Of her conscripts, she could tell the fox beastman was the one most smitten with her. In her life, she had been manipulating people through their carnal desires the lastfew years and it became a game and way to get things from people. She would tempt and lead them on, but never commit anything. Her mother taught her sisters the art, but gave so many warnings and things to avoid.

Cain she could see was always trying to play it cool and indifferent, but she caught him sneaking looks. Sorin....he frustrated her.

She knew she was the popular girl sterotype the noble ladies always talked about that loved stringing people along, but were irked when someone didn't give the attention she was used to. It made her want to try that much harder. No matter what she did, sway her hips, cross her arms pushing her breasts up further, slowly uncrossing and recrossing her legs, etc it didn't matter.

Sorin wasn't distracted or showed any signs of wanting her. Made her wonder, who was this wife of his and what did that woman have that she didn't? It was like a fairy tale in the books she read as a girl. As a noble lady, Euryale knew she could never have that type of love.

She shook herself refusing to go further down that trail of thought.

"We need a plan gentlemen and I think we can manage it with Linx back to full health." She said moving to an aether writing board.

"Sorin, you're our best defense and AOE damage dealer. The downside is your skills use up a LOT of aether. We need to use sparingly."

She put an "x" on the board.

"With Sorin running point for us that leaves Linx and Cain free to destroy targets at your leisure. This will be marathon and not a sprint. We need to keep Sorin from being overwhelmed and give him time to breathe. If we have a constant stream of creatures, we will exhaust him and leave ourselves open." She continued.

Sorin raised his hand.

"Yes?" Euryale asked.

"Your plan is sound when we are on site, but what do we do concerning aeon and his plans. He is targeting us conscripts and not you, suggesting he doesn't want you dead, but to fail. I'd go a step further and say he wants to own and control you hence why he had you wager courting him with the battle with Linx." Sorin detailed.

At the mention of that fight and courting, Linx soured and growled deeply from his center.

Euryale nodded.

"There is a bigger play, but that is for my father and uncles to deal with and not you. They have been informed of the events and are now taking action." She said.

"If I may make a suggestion ma'am?" Sorin asked.

She waved him on.

"Tomorrow at the ceremony, only Cain and Reeger accompany you. Reeger can't compete and everyone knows that. If you show up missing two out of three conscripts it will be noticed and get back to Aeon. Linx and I will stick to the shadows and remain hidden from the public and follow you to the zone giving the illusion of you having only a single conscript."

"What will this accomplish?" Euryale asked.

"We have word spread by word of mouth that you are down 2 conscripts. You are of course at full power, but they need not know that. Aeon will become emboldened and will overreach hopefully making a fatal mistake the likes of which we can end his plans brutally and permanently." Sorin continued.

She sat down at the table and sat thinking. It made sense. If aeon placed hands upon her, or did something that breached proper law, he could be crippled or executed especially since she was the daughter of a duke and ruling member of her region. It would be an attack on the region itself.

"Of course it would mean receiving abuse and not giving anything up information wise. Acting furious and stubborn when mocked and then giving it back when you pass the exam with hopefully ease with publically known a single conscript and he will have needed all of his. He is the type that if you anger him enough, he will lose control and make a fatal mistake. Fixing a few problems in one move." Sorin said.

She tapped her manicured nails on the wooden table as she thought. There was a bigger plan in motion back home. Taking aeon out might make a difference if he is acting on her here.

There is the possibility that her sister's husband could be a plant. She would need to send an encrypted communication tonight to her father on the secret channels.

"Very well Sorin. We will go with your plan until we arrive at the objective point then we switch to mine. We will go back to your plan on return and set the snake up for foolishness and failure." Euryale said with a solemn nod.