Somewhere far away from the city of Rinaz, a hole opened in the very fabric of reality itself.

In any situation, it would be a cause for great concern because the rule of thumb was that nothing good ever happened involving rifts that tore through space and time. This case would be no different because the person that came out of it before the hole closed was none other than the assassin from earlier.

She gasped, as if the process that forced her through the rift caused her immeasurable pain, or at least discomfort.

Quickly, the young lady tore the mask off her face and surveyed her surroundings.

It looked like an underground tomb of sorts with blackened earth walls covered with old symbols, cold air, and a feeling of dread that would strike fear into the hearts of even the bravest of men.

Nevertheless, this place also showed signs of someone living here. There were basic commodities, like a bed, a broken mirror, a small table, and a closet. It even had a door, though it lacked any hinges.

Without wasting time, she took the table and slammed it against a wall in a fit of rage. It shattered upon impact, much to her enjoyment.

"You shouldn't break things that you can't easily replace," said someone from the bed.

She faced that direction and saw a man, whom many would consider handsome, sitting on said bed. He had sun-kissed skin, wavy, dark blue hair, cold blue eyes, and a mustache covering his face. The man wore a white silk shirt that revealed a bit of his chest and dark leather pants that were followed by a pair of equally dark boots.

This man was the now-deceased Duke of Rinaz, as signified by the large gaping hole in his stomach. The young lady was only grateful that this apparition was unable to bleed; otherwise, she would be cross with him for ruining her sheets.

"Do you really need to look like him now that he's dead?" she asked, annoyed.

The deceased Duke let out a hearty laugh before replying, "What are you talking about? You got revenge on the man who treated you so horrendously. You should be thrilled."

"I would be if I hadn't needed to escape with my tail between my legs!" she snapped back at him before checking the damage done to the table.

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As he said, it was ruined. She'd need to get a new one, not that it was easy in her circumstances, mind you.

Meanwhile, the man made a snarky expression, which she hated and continued to voice his opinion.

"Oh really, well, if someone would've listened to my advice that they weren't ready to attack a major city like Rinaz, then maybe everything wouldn't have turned out so sour."

"What are you talking about? My plan was flawless!" she angrily replied to the apparition.

The ghost didn't look amused.

"If by flawless you mean that it had so many holes in it, that if it were a shirt, there would be eight additional ones, not including those that a person needs to wear the thing, then yes. Truly, you are a tactician that is seen only once in a generation."

"Spare me the snark, ghost!" she screamed at him.

"Better tell me if the familiars managed to get everything that I need?"

"Well, there's only one way to be sure," he said and gestured at the door.

The young lady huffed and, without paying any more attention to the thing hunting her, pushed the door aside.

On the other side of it, there was a massive system of newly dug tunnels that were connected with a much more natural cavern system that had existed here long before man arrived on these lands. Nevertheless, just like the catacombs, the whole place had an eerie feeling that most people would not prefer.

"I should rebuild this place once I have the resources for that," she remarked, eyeing the stalactites.

"Well, I can imagine worse things that a person could spend gold on," remarked the man who was now walking beside her.

Finally, the two arrived at a cavern that was drier than most of the caves here. There, she also met more of the familiars.

"Mistress!" they shouted in unison.

Unlike the malformed creatures that she could create in bulk, these ones were more stable with two stubby hands and feet, leaner bodies that looked somewhat disproportionate with their large heads, especially the jaws that could very well function as a bear trap. Like all of her creations they were in a shade of red, though in this variation's case, they were more like in the awkward realm between red and purple. And just like every familiar thus far they possessed curved horns.

"Hello there, did you get everything that I asked for?" she asked in a kinder voice than she would give most people.

The reason for it was that despite the familiars being overly stupid and not human, they treated her with more kindness than any person ever had. That's why she adored them.

It was also the reason why it broke her heart that from the "Wall-crawlers" and her "Fortress-Smasher," only her "Soldier" familiars survived. Nevertheless, she could always make more given the time.

"Yes, Mistress, everything that you said was important we took," one of the creatures said and gestured at the large pile of objects that were "confiscated" from Castle Rinaz.

Overall, it was a good haul. Despite the pile consisting of a few duds, like a set of decorative armor or the fur of some animal that one of the castle's previous masters had either hunted down or bought, there should be some useful items that she could put to good use. Also, either her eyes were deceiving her or the young lady's table dilemma had solved itself.

"Alright," she said to herself and to her familiars, "let's start searching that pile."