Nine was annoyed, ever so annoyed, she had been sleeping ever so well but then she woke up to horrific screaming, and rolling over she could see blood seeping under her doorway.

Damn, she would have to get that fixed a blood mage could easily kill her with a glaring weakness like that, whatever the case though she needed to get rid of that screaming it was grating on her nerves.

Jumping off the bed she grabbed her darts and opened up the door and was greeted by a sight that even she cringed from, which saying something, after all, she had been here since she was ten.

Corpses littered the hall, all of them with horrific wounds, wounds that she noticed weren’t the precise attacks of an assassin but rather the desperate attacks of a thug with way too much power.

Now though there were only two figures. One in chains and the other with a glowing green knife. Nine abruptly stopped and was about to head back inside when she the one in the chains, his name was whispered with reverence in these halls.

Varic. The man who had appeared at fourteen and had risen through the ranks faster than almost anyone in living memory she could count on one hand the number of people that had risen faster than him.

It was two, that was how many had risen as fast as him. Two. Not three or four or five, two.

It seemed though that he was in a bit of pickle, gaping wounds were opened on several spots on his body. His fingernails had been pulled out, she was in the middle of slowly opening more cuts and dripping some sort of something into his open wound.

He screamed louder.

His torturer laughed.

Nine, on the other hand, was disgusted and angry. “Do this somewhere else. I’m trying to sleep.” She dripped as much contempt into those words as possible.

Varics torturer glanced over and Nine once again almost turned around and went back into her bedroom.

It was Lin. Second only to Varic.

The two most promising pupils had fought and it looked like Lin had come out on top. Not that it looked like fair fight though, Nine looked disdainfully at the corpses scattered around.

It seemed though that Lin was wounded, looking at the poor wretch on the floor she couldn’t see how, but it had happened based off of the blood seeping from her side, are those tooth marks? Varic screamed and she bore witness to his filed teeth.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

“Did you not hear me? I said to piss off and do this somewhere else.” Nine was annoyed and angry at her fear, she had been here for years! She could take of her self, and she was semi-confident that so long as she kept Lin at a distance she should be able to kill the other women.

Semi-confident.

Lin growled at her, “If I move it it will die, and we can’t be having that now can we?” Lin giggled, Nine had seen this before, she was lost in the bloodlust and the need for vengeance.

Nine herself had felt that way before, the thing is she could move her victim without it dying, it seemed that this was not the case for Lin.

Whatever she would just need to convince her another way, a gurgling voice broke through both their thoughts “Kill….me….please.” Varic gargled, before slumping backwards and letting out a moan. Nine and Lin just looked at him for a little bit before Lin said, “Oh, no. Poor Varic, you gonna stay there until I’m done with you, an hour for each sister of mine that you killed remember? Oh, yeah and an extra hour for each Brother of yours that you killed.”

Nine at this point could honestly say that she was disgusted, even when torturing her Blade she had never gone this far.

“I said piss off.” Nine said through gritted teeth, “or else.”

“Ohoho, it seems Varic that someone has come to save you! Sadly, I’ll have to decline your kind offer and tell you to deal with it and piss off. Don’t think that I can’t kill you.” She twirled her dagger, round and round in circles.

Nine was getting more and more uncomfortable with this situation, she didn’t want to back down but she didn’t want to get into a full-blown conflict either, the thing is if she were to attack and win then should be able to gain a powerful ally…. Hopefully.

Lin looked at her, “I said move.” She started to turn back to Varic keeping on eye on Nine of course but devoting most of her attention to Varic.

Nine threw her dart, which began to multiply and multiply further, the real one becoming lost in a haze of fake darts, fake darts that could harm an opponent, though Nine wasn’t powerful enough to make them feel like any more than an ant bite.

Lin noticing this immediately took a bottle from her jacket and sprayed it at the darts, destroying them all including the real one.

Nine jumped back and threw another dart, this one wreathed in darkness. She was a chosen of Chance, and her attacks were often randomized, taking on aspects of other elements or even gods.

Lin deflected this one with her dagger before charging full speed toward her opponent, throwing a dagger while she was at it.

Nine simply through another dart at the dagger and watched in satisfaction as it deflected the dagger away.

Nine backed up and threw another two darts, and watched in surprise as they missed! Lin still charging toward her uncontested. Nine started to grin, she saw the darts turn around and start to shoot back toward Lin’s back.

Lin saw the grin and her eyes widened, and looking behind her almost managed to dodge the two darts, almost.

The darts impacted solidly with her shoulder and neck.

Lin got back up and still managed to shamble toward Nine, throwing vials of poison at her.

Nine dodged the vials and was about to finish the injured women only to hear footsteps behind her, Lin smiled and yelled, “Kill her!”