Azera, The Cheshire

How interesting, to see those under my protection struggling so. I haven't grinned this much since I had to make my own moves in the past. It was clear that these Fire Starters were a gang more than capable of taking over the tribes by force. Whoever was behind them understood, that stripping away the power of my guardians was the best way to take them from me. Yet, they were not killing them. A fantastic move that I respected and appreciated from the bottom of my heart.

They attacked Jacky, by offering him food for his tribe. He was a man that followed his heart, and felt profound loyalty towards them. Whether or not they actually provided a burrow worm on their own didn't matter. They just needed to bring him enough food, and he'd follow them. It was the same reason he followed me around, working with me to keep all the tribes fed. He was a good man, but that's what made him so predictable. So easy to sway, and guide as needed.

The Fire Starters took the Bo'sun from me, offering him glory. Of course a man as zealous as himself, would jump head first into trying to fix his past mistakes. After a fight like that, I knew there was no chance of him coming back. It just wasn't worth the resources to try and force him to stay. Not when this new gang was making moves to benefit themselves with each contestant that entered the arena.

Then there was the fight with Midnight, and how easily they overpowered her. It wasn't their overall goal to just get the talent, but to forward other plans during this event. All while I forgot that same basic principle myself; never put your eggs in a single basket. I was so focused on getting such a talent, to make attempts to steal food and resources from above. To teleport freely without interference, that I pushed heavily on us all entering the Arena for this chance.

It was such an oversight, that I couldn't help but smile now that someone was hammering that point with every match. I still had people moving around among the tribes that I worked so hard to keep neutral. All the work I put into ensuring a full blown war between gangs never took place. With the Raven gone, Kobe was looking to expand again. He wanted the other tribes under him, so he could gain a better foothold above ground. He wanted nothing more than to end the king, and take his place.

We did not need to replace that monster with a Minotaur drunk on ideals. While I respected Kobe, he would end up ruining everything. Even while I sat here in the cell, he was probably moving people to make deals with any tribe willing to negotiate. It was a shame that I made certain they understood that the benefits Kobe might offer, wouldn't be worth the price I'd make them pay.

The gates opened, and I strolled out into the Arena. My opponent was Liz, a refugee from the war with the Fire Kingdom. With Oswald dead, the King declared war before the Fire Kingdom even received the news. The Count was out and about, devastating anyone that dared to oppose him. If an entire town or village banded together, he'd make an example out of them. If the rumors were true, he made a literal river of blood, earning him the title of Bloody Baron.

The electromancer in front of me was one of the first people to come here to flee from him. Judging by the lost expression she held, her family probably died in front of her. She was like me in that sense, just one of the stones waiting to be kicked away by the real monsters. The best place to hide from death, was to run behind it, then keep going. I ignored what the announcer had to say about this woman, or myself. It was merely background noise, and I was going to take my time so Midnight could recover.

I let out a small hum, realizing that Kobe wasn't sitting on his throne. This was going to be a boring battle where I just threw a few portals to redirect every bit of lightning the girl could throw at me. Still, her magic was rare. I smiled at her, "Hey there, you aren't going to win this fight. Mind telling me why you chose to join the arena?"

She was silent, as if the question barely registered. Her fingers crackled with electricty causing small burns on her fingers. "I need food... I only know how to fight." Her voice was like a whisper, the shock of losing everything still fresh. She probably ran with whatever other survivors the Count was kind enough to allow. Likely those with rare magic, and enough brains to run instead of sitting there waiting to die. The poor girl probably didn't even know what the prize was.

The gong sounded, making her jump a little. She stretched a hand out towards me, while I just put a portal in front of her. The lightning rushed forward, only to strike the wall, as I put up more. Her fingers were red from the lightning still arcing between them. Her movements were more instinct than desire. I was her enemy, so she had to kill me, or at the very least incapacitate me. "What was your rank were you? What corps?"

I saw light flicker in her eyes, as she finally looked at me. "S-soldier Liz. Blue corps, warrior of the thousands." She threw out another bolt of lightning, watching as it arced through my portals.

I stroked my chin, grinning at her. "I see, a pleasure to meet a soldier of the Blue corps." I placed a hand over my chest, doing a formal bow. "My name is Azera, The Cheshire. A title given to me when I was a part of the Gray crops, assassin of the tens." Her eyes went wide at that, taking a step back, as if about to yield. I wagged a finger towards her, "If you want food, then you'll need to work for me. I threw away my rank when I faced a monster much like you did. You're safe here, but you need to show you are worth something."

Liz swallowed hard, with an all too familiar look. Her rank was in the thousands, meaning that it could be anywhere under one hundred thousand, and above one thousand. While I had been in the top one hundred assassins before I failed my mission. Her corps focused on magic and using such to attack an enemy. Mine had been more focused on dealing with the individual. Liz shot lightning through a portal, unable to see them, save for the ones that pointed straight towards the ground.

She was trying to figure out my little puzzle. "You really don't need to worry about anyone coming to find you. Especially since they only sent a couple assassins after me, in the years I've been here. A soldier in the thousands won't even register to them. Face it, you were just fodder to gauge how strong their enemy really was. So, want to tell me about how the battle went?"

She paled a little, "I-it was a massacre sir." She sent more bolts of lightning through my portals, as I tilted, and adjusted them to keep her guessing. "The Count... he moves at night. An army of thralls moving at his command. Soldiers, and people shambling, before they move faster than a horse. Those killed by the thralls, will have their blood taken into a sphere above the Count himself. Those that get close enough to him, are flattened before their blood is added to that sphere." She shivered, sending out sparks instead of bolts this time. She was likely hoping to find out which portals led to me through sheer numbers.

Naturally none of the sparks touched me, as I nodded a little. "His talent is Liquid Compression. Which sucks when you consider he can just kill you with it. That sphere is probably his trump card, an umbrella to keep the sun off him, and his snacks all rolled into one. He likes to be efficient. Tell me, did he ever look at anyone while he was walking?"

She slowly shook her head, "Very rarely, and that was only when soldiers that were close together, sacrificed themselves to save someone they cared about. Those that were saved, were dragged before the Count and either became a part of his army, or a vampire themselves. The more people we send towards him... the stronger he grows."

I tilted my head, in a no shit kind of way. It was always the same thing whenever people were sent to attack Eclipse. You're told that whoever you're going after is very capable and strong. Easily a match for our best. It was up to you to do your research, learn how they got their title if they had one. On some level I understood why they kept important information hidden. Kind of hard to motivate an army into moving against a threat that could simply wipe you out. Besides, maybe someone might get lucky, and kill the Count? That was the reasoning the fire lord always had, or at least his council.

Liz and myself were the result of that hubris. You're sent on a suicide mission, expected to die. If you're lucky you get to walk away, and maybe some assassins you can deal with come after you. If not, well Eclipse isn't exactly afraid of throwing people into the Hole for experiments or whatever else goes on in there. I let out a soft sigh, "Yeah, if I had to guess the Count is trying to make new blood lines, and probably have someone ruling over the villages and towns he was asked to claim."

Liz threw out more sparks, "Why don't they send out the top ten? Why not just give Eclipse the land it wants?"

I tsked a little, "They tried sending out the top ten against Oswald before he got his title. It was buried in the report, and it was hard to actually find. Those in charge don't want the people to know that at any moment Eclipse can just decide to send someone out and take whatever they want. The Count is a warning, and a reminder."

"B-but we finally killed Oswald. If we attack from inside with the survivors..." I had a portal cut through her arm, separating it without a drop of blood. The limb fell, before flexing as she held onto the portal I had placed over it.

"You will die. At any moment, something like what I just did can happen. Sure this is my talent, and I can separate and cut stuff with my portals, but it takes more effort on my part. When I go into Eclipse I can't even use portals, or any kind of spatial magic. Which means you'd have to walk your way to the castle, if you aren't put in the Hole first. After that you'll face people that can kill any top ten. Maybe you're extremely lucky, and somehow the King didn't see you coming. You take his head, and suddenly it's like when someone kills the princess down here. A different body takes the king's place. Now what?"

She knelt down, trying to put her arm back where it should be. "Please don't take my arm." She was starting to cry.

I tapped my temple, "You need to understand, that the King is at least as powerful as the Count. I say at least, because I've never actually seen the guy make a move on anything. He sends a Herald out to deal with anything he needs taken care of, while the Count himself lets that same guy do whatever he wants. Maybe the Fire Lord and all the top tens can do something, but there is a reason why neither commits to actually killing the other."

I took pity on Liz, letting her arm return back to where it was supposed to be. She was shaking, and holding her arms. I had a good idea of how to use her by this point, the kind of person she was. "W-who do you think would win if the Fire Lord attacked? If they tried with their full might?"

I shrugged, "Honestly? I think Eclipse would win every time. The problem with that, is that Eclipse is built to welcome its enemies. To invite them to a feast in the fields before being crushed by the Underground rising up behind them, and the soldiers and Guard attacking from the walls. There was a dragon that bumped into a force field around the top of the castle before I even thought about coming here. The story goes that it tried to breathe fire, but then it fell to the ground dead. Those I asked about it, all said the same thing. There was a flash of light inside the dragon's mouth, and it fell."

Liz shook her head, "Even the Fire Lord can kill dragons, why is that important?"

I grinned, "I paid coin for some of these testimonies to make certain they were telling the truth. The point of it is that, while the Fire Lord has stories of his epic fights with dragons. Eclipse can just off one before a fight even starts. You're better off turning any anger you have towards Eclipse, back towards the Kingdom that sent you to die. It's how I managed to survive, then thrive in this place. You already made your choice when you ran away from the Count to save your life."

She looked down, "I... Can you please show me how to survive here? What are we going to do about the others?"

"If you're willing to help me, then I'll find something for everyone to do. We may not have a lot of food, but I do what I can to keep people from starving. Besides, I won't send an entire army to die just because there was a bad harvest. I feel no love for my kingdom, after my eyes were opened. So just yield to me, and we'll talk after the match is over. You're starting to bore the audience, and Kobe is more than happy to order someone killed for that."

She quickly got up and bowed, before yelling out that she yielded. The crowd booed her, but I only grinned before taking my leave. If the Fire Starters were going to take power from me, then I just needed to gain more and meet them properly. I left through my cell, teleporting to meet Liz outside of her own. She jumped a little, but I put a finger to her lips. "Your first mission, is to go outside and gather those that might want to work for me. I won't force you to, but it is the best chance you have to survive. Hurry along now."

I teleported back to the lounge where the others were. I was happy to see Midnight was back on her feet. I smiled to greet them all, before motioning for Jacky to follow me. He was the closest thing to a right hand I could count on, and he was loyal enough to at least tell me if he planned on leaving. Which he was, since food for his tribe was on the table.

Jacky followed me outside, giving the signal that he had us hidden so we could chat properly. "I'm going to accept some people from the Fire Kingdom. The refugees coming from the war outside." I stated it casually, so that he'd know I wasn't asking for his advice on such.

He frowned a little, rubbing his chin. "That's more mouths to feed, may I ask why you're doing this?"

I nodded, "I'm using my history to my advantage. I don't know who the Count might have let slip past him, but they are from the greatest kingdom there ever was, is, and shall ever be." I rolled my eyes, while saying the standard chant everyone had to say every day they woke up.

"Aren't you worried they'll try something stupid?" He cocked a brow, not enjoying my little joke.

I did a halfhearted shrug, "They could, but a lot of them are probably in shock from having their little world view shattered. Anyone smart enough to run, understands that going back isn't an option. A failure of duty, and abandoning the kingdom. Besides, rank means something to them. They need structure, and I can provide that."

Jacky lowered his head, "Fair enough, what are you going to do with them?"

"Besides try to keep them from going into a zealous fit against the tribes? I plan on having them move based on their corps. Do you think the Fire Starters are the actual name for their gang? I mean, I know we're calling them that, and kind of accepting it, but really?" I stretched a little, letting out a yawn.

Jacky shrugged, "You're free to ask them, instead of bouncing ideas off of me. Though really, what does it matter if their name is fake?"

I let out a long sigh, "You're no fun sometimes." I crossed my arms, pouting a little. "You also don't look at the bigger picture when it matters for these kinds of things. Though sure I might as well try talking to them directly. Oh Jacky, one more thing~!" I waited for him to look at me, to gaze into my eyes. "Do you plan on betraying me for this new gang?" I grinned at him.

He held my gaze, as if he prepared for this question for a long time. "You'd be more disappointed if I didn't. I owe you a lot, but I won't sacrifice the health of my tribe for your plans. I will keep you informed from the inside, and would rather not have to fight you." His eyes started to glow, as mine did as well.

We sat there for a few seconds, properly sizing each other up. It could easily be a fun fight if we actually tried. His illusions felt real, even to the point that it would fool my portals. Once he got going, it became harder to deal with him. Though I could see the resolve in his eyes, the gratitude he had towards me for what I've done. I closed my eyes, letting out another sigh, "You're no fun these days~"

Jacky smirked, "You just get bored too easily. So, are you going to talk to them?"

I did a wave before snapping my fingers. I appeared in the challenger room, noting the faces that looked at me. I saw Ace and his pet talking to a tattooed man. I remembered the face, Carter if I recalled correctly. I opened a small portal closer to them, to hear what they were saying. It was nothing important, just that Carter needed to survive his match. The man made some ripples a few months back, when he stole some minor rituals from the Fiend's Eye. Other than that, he was just some generic ritual magic user.

Carter went into his cell, to wait for his match to start while Ace crossed his arms. "Well, you eavesdropped, why not just come out and chat?"

I grinned while approaching them, "Yep, you caught me~" I put a hand over my chest, before doing a small bow. To my surprise, Ace actually returned it. He even went a little lower, as if to thank me, or show that he was in my debt. I looked at him, recognizing the facial features, but drawing a blank on everything else. I knew this person, I saw them before, but I couldn't remember who they were.

Ace held out a gloved hand towards me, "It is a pleasure to finally meet you, sir."

I was ready to teleport away if anything happened. If this gang was going to war with Kobe, then attacking me here would be the best way to cement that happening. Especially after they already stole from his arena. They were playing a dangerous game, and I had nothing to base their actions off. I accepted the handshake, pleasantly surprised to find I didn't have to worry. "Oh~? Forgive me for not knowing about you. It's not everyday that someone like you just pops up and surprises me. I finally felt I had to meet with you in person." I gave him a smug smile, noting that his pet was watching out for others.

The man clasped my hand with both of his after shaking it. "That's fine, I wouldn't have popped up if not for you." The way his voice shook, I didn't feel he was lying to me. It was the same genuine heartfelt thanks that the chief of a struggling tribe would give me. I just felt more questions coming from the way he was acting. It was pointless to ask who he was, but I could use this to my advantage.

I tilted my head back a little, glancing at his pet. The mask covered her eyes, meaning her race was probably blind. It fell at an angle, with a sharp turn as if to hide a beak. I looked down at Ace, "I guess you owe me your life then? Tell you what, give me the prize talent and we'll call it even." I laughed a little at my joke.

"Sure thing." I blinked, at the fact he didn't hesitate. He grinned at me, "Truth be told, we really don't even want to be here. I was going to take the talent for myself, but I don't actually need it. I know you'll help more people with it. Though that's not really a fair trade, judging by how you're looking at me right now."

I forgot myself for a second there. The surprise clearly written on my face. I slowly shook my head, laughing a little. "You're good at telling jokes, I'll give you that. Though I will say that you haven't earned the prize yet. You can't expect me to just trust you like that."

Ace nodded, "Yeah, I know." He said it so matter-of-factly, that I felt I was walking into a trap. "Which is why I'm going to tell you that we're just here for the monster battle tomorrow." He finally let go of my hand, pointing a thumb back at his pet. "She gets ornery when she isn't in a fight. Which is why I want her dealing with the arena tomorrow. I have other things to do, and I need to not be seen by everyone." The creature let out a small disappointed chirp.

I pulled my hand away, in case he thought about grabbing it again. I narrowed my eyes at him, "What are you planning on doing? Why attack the Fiend's Eye?"

He crossed his arms, "They're behind a lot of the smaller gangs fighting. They don't know we're behind the bugs picking their people off. I'm telling you this, because you could sell us out and make things a lot more difficult for us. Though I really want to work with you, and if giving you the talent is the way to keep you from telling that gang, well we don't actually need it."

I looked the stout man over, "You already made moves against me; you killed Ron, you took Bo'sun from me, and you already planted the seed to take Jacky." If it wasn't for the fact that I saw the magic bugs personally, or even the Lizardmen working together with them, I would have thought he was lying.

Ace sighed, "Look, I can't help the fact that Ron died. He's a necromancer, and so I'm pretty sure he'll come back. I am sorry about the Bo'sun, but I honestly didn't know what Greg was thinking. As for Jacky, that was an offer to him and the tribes. Less we're trying to take him, and more we're trying to get a couple warehouses to help you. We're trying to join you, by force if we have to."

I tilted my head, "You're trying to join me... by force? What are you even saying? We're not exactly a gang, and the tribes have their own chiefs. I can't make that decision." Making a gang out of the tribes, only meant Kobe or other gangs would try to attack them properly. I had considered this idea before, but there wasn't enough strength to keep any kind of peace.

Ace shook his head, "Like it or not, the tribes are already seen as a gang in everything but name. A dysfunctional one, sure, but the other gangs respect the territory of those tribes. What you need isn't a singular leader, but a council of chiefs acting on behalf of their tribes. Then an impartial leader to weigh in and deal with disputes. I'd like for you to be that person, since you're practically already doing it."

I couldn't really disagree with what he said. Still there was no guarantee that any of what he said would work. I kept my voice low, narrowing my eyes. "What if I refuse?"

Ace slumped a little, "Then we try and get Jacky to step up. He'll favor his tribe, but can be dealt with after some talking. Especially after we fill the warehouses near his tribe with magic bugs. They are bugs, and we have more than enough already to wipe out any single tribe. Jacky will realize that on his own, and will do his best to fit the part. All because he doesn't want his people to starve."

I gritted my teeth, "You have a lot of nerve telling me that you'd threaten a tribe, just to get them to act how you want."

Ace tilted his head, "How's that any different from how you run things? The tribes need food, and you provide it by stealing. They listen to you, and do what they can, while their people take jobs from other gangs. At any moment you could say you won't provide food except to this or that tribe. If you get hurt or killed it's over for them. That's why I would rather give you the talent, versus keeping it for myself. There are things in the Underneath we want to deal with. I'd rather trust you, since you're already impartial."

I took a small breath, smiling at them. Hiding the frustration I felt, I knew I wasn't getting any younger, but they were putting a dagger to my throat. All while giving me a bit of information to potentially ruin them. If I made moves against them, they could easily get a couple tribes on their side with food alone. Then everything would fall apart. If they made moves against me, I could tell the Fiend's Eye what they are doing. Though I cannot trust that gang, given how they are more than likely to get other gangs involved making war certain.

Finally I nodded, "I'll accept your suggestions, but only if you can beat me in the Arena." I touched his chest, poking it playfully. "Just you, and me. That talent is appealing after all, and I already planned on making it mine anyway."

Ace frowned a little, but nodded. "Fine." The gong sounded outside, signaling that the fight was going on. I teleported away, to watch the fight.