It seemed that Boss hadn’t completely broken down. But it didn’t matter. Once you cracked, all was lost. “Yes.” I could wait one day; this was all for Rose. For her, I could wait a century.

“Argh!” I couldn’t hold back my scream. I looked down. An ice spike had pierced my heart. Behind me, the old bartender held up his arm.

“You lied,” muttered Boss. “They all lie. Two beasts cannot work together, we are what we are because of greed. We both want this city. Even if you are strong enough to take it, you aren’t wise enough to hold it. Strength cannot get you everything.”

I clutched the spike. Blood trickled out my mouth, onto my hands and ice.

I created a large earth wall behind me and swung my sword. A large wooden barrier rose and broke my flame. My pink flames turned to vines and wrapped round the wall. I infused more mana into them, expanding them, and envisioned wrapping around Boss. He screamed.

Then, at the edge of my vision, I spotted a thread of water. I enclosed myself in earth walls. My vision turned blurry. I collapsed to the ground. The earth walls shook.

You killed a High-human; you gained 400 Exp.

LVL 12. 55/2600

I started to heal myself and pulled out the ice spear. The hole closed. I pressed my hand on my chest, my heart didn’t beat. However, something else beat on the other side of my chest.

A stream of water burst through my earth wall. I ducked down, destroyed the wall, and lunged at the bartender with a thrust of the sword. He jumped back; I released magic, but only a puff of smoke came out.

The bartender smiled and swung down his arm. I rolled forwards and a water whip snapped the wall behind me. Near him, I swung up my sword and sliced his head in two.

You killed a human; you gained 200 Exp.

LVL 12. 255/2600

Healing my wounds exhausted my strength. I collapsed to the ground; blood soaked my clothes. All this fighting had made me hungry and High-Human hearts were rare.

Now what to do? I didn’t have allies nor information. First things first I went through Boss’s parchments. On the first page, there was an unsealed letter with the crest of a Lily. It invited him to assassinate this city’s lord in exchange for a cart full of gold. Underneath, other letters presented other offers and threats.

On the other side of his desk, letters with a griffon’s crest invited him to use his agents in the capital to deliver information to the lord. Others ordered him to assassinate key figures in the capital. One stated that the duke would march out today and urged him to slow the advance of the first prince using any method at his disposal. Other letters contained thinly veiled threats, notably to his daughter’s life. He was certainly stuck between a rock and a hard place, but that didn’t matter now.

The information of note being that Boss had agents in the capital and that the first and second princes’ factions would meet on the battlefield sometime soon.

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I found a blank piece of parchment, did my best to copy what I thought was Boss's writing and wrote a couple of words, folded the letter, and sealed it.

I slid the letter in my armour and headed to the shafts, but as I was about to head up, a scurry echoed from above.

I stepped back and drew my sword. Whatever it was, it was large. A large thud resounded, and something landed with a crash on the other side of the door which led to the shaft. After a few seconds the door crept open and a beast with the head of a wolf, and the upper body of a woman set on a spider’s thorax entered. It scurried around on eight hairy legs. The beast’s eyes were deep purple. It looked around but didn’t react when it faced me.

It sniffed the air three times and scurried past me into Boss’s office. With its legs it touched around the old bartender and the Boss’s corpse.

“They’re dead? How? Who killed them?” It muttered. The beast plunged its feet through Boss’s chest. It turned and scurried to me. I held my breath but apparently it didn’t help. “What are you?” Its furry feet rubbed against my sides. “I don’t remember anything being here. Talk!” It barked. “I don’t bite.”

I didn’t move. The spider continued to prod at me, but nothing more. She dropped me and scurried back to the shaft, but right as she was about to climb, she rushed to me again, a foot in the air. I didn’t move. She shoved me over. It didn’t hurt, but it did move me.

The beast jumped back and raised her two front legs. “What are you?” she yelled. Although her voice was filtered through the head of a dog, causing her to have a nasally sound. Regardless, I recognized it. It was Sophie.

“I’m just a beast like you," I answered. I wouldn’t say that I knew her. She no doubt had a grudge against me.

“A beast? Who has the shape of a human and can talk like one but isn’t tall? I’d think you're a human in disguise.”

“I just became a beast. I used to be a bird,” I said.

“A bird?” she repeated.

“A bird.”

None of us spoke for a minute, while she processed the information. “Why are you here and who killed those two humans there?” She pointed with her leg.

“I killed them.”

She squinted her eyes. “Why?”

“They had captured me. A girl with black hair and…ah, what was it. Yes! A golden earing. She captured me… then killed my child.” I added. “Then she brought me here and these humans held me here. Is it not right for me to kill them?” I lied.

Her eyes shimmered and her leg fell. She shook her head. “No…I wanted to do the same.” She turned back to the shaft. “It’s just…it feels better when you do it yourself. They did this to me.” She touched her face with her spider leg. “I don’t know to whom I should shift the unresolved hatred in my heart. My mission sits unfulfilled.”

“What’s your mission?” I asked.

“To kill all humans who made me who I am. But now that they’re all dead and my mission isn’t completed, perhaps I’m condemned to remain as is.”

I could use her and so I shook my head. “No, you are forgetting one,” I muttered.

Sophie looked back, wide-eyed. “Whom?”

“Those who permitted your injustice, the rulers of this land. The Queen and her nobles.”

Her jaw dropped and she grabbed my hands. “Yes, exactly, how could I forget those who write the laws? Thank you so much, I am indebted to you. If you need anything feel free to ask me.” She ran off to the shaft once again.

What a hyper person. “Wait!” I called out. “I too have the same score to settle. I hate that they do not care for birds and bees, for wolves, and boars. Since I’ve enacted the first part of our revenge, then let me see you enact the second.”

Sophie smiled. “Of course. Let’s do this together.”