The party woke up at the duchess's residence, while there attack on the vampire's second lair had been successful. It appeared that the vampire who called himself the prince had pulled most of his forces back to his main lair. They had already destroyed many of his allies so whatever he was planning was not obvious. They dressed armed themselves, they were planning to have a little time to relax before attacking the next lair. It was larger it was heavily defended; they would have to take their time with it.

They the meal was fish again for breakfast, a broth with some vegetables filling if a bit bland. They would have to earn a bit more favour with the duchess to get a better meal. Taking out some more of the hidden hand would probably work in that regard. Then they could be enjoying a meal from her personal cook.

The party made plans then split up, Martin worked away in his room he very slowly, very carefully set about his leather working. Cutting straps and preparing a leather backing to mount Tesla's hand on his own glove and bracer. He added one coat of oil after another to make the straps supple and flexible. Cleaning up the device itself was very slow work, he handled it with a religious awe. Only the patriarch could bestow the blessing that allowed one to work black adamantine, hence its name as the holy metal.

Only the truly worthy were gifted with the chance, now Martin might well get to wield such an artefact. It was still encrusted in nearly 100 years of grime, that needed to be cleaned away. Most of the internal parts seem to be mithril, with perhaps some octium as well. He had no intention of breaking even the smallest piece, soon he would be at the limit of his skills. He would have to swallow his pride as a craftsman and seek help.

David had organised with the deputy sheriff and a few of the captains, he was leading a bunch of militia and city guards in a training exercise. Using wooden weapons fighting around the city streets, against a group of dock guards and levies. They were used to holding the walls and preparing a second line of defence inside the second wall. But fighting an invasion from the docks if something got past the leviathan in the bay that was a different story.

An attacking force advanced from the docks and he held them off boxed them in and foot by foot pushed them back. Alice was dragged along to act as healer for any injuries, several people were injured, wither they fell over were hit by a stray blow or took on someone far above their level. Her basic healing spells were quite enough for a large bruise or a black eye.

Vivian was having a go with her archery, seeing if the new enchanted item affected her aim. It was an extra edge not that much but something to put the odds in her favour. She allowed David a little bronze to waste at the gambling table, she was yet to see him bring as much as a penny back. If he bet on opponents against himself in some martial contest, he would be far more likely to win.

However, he never seemed to be that interested, on something that played to his strengths. Dice cards even betting on a chicken race, he had an unenviable talent for coming last. Vivian noted that she was getting a few extra bull's eyes at a much longer range. She remembered a mentor’s words about practising with each type of arrow. She had some different materials in the arrows she should look into a few poison globe tips, she might see a chemist the next time she was near the merchant’s guild.

Thomas was in the local vampire hunters quite large chapter house. He had gotten up to speed with some of the recent events. The glass bay massacre the death of certain key figures, people he knew had faded into obscurity. others he noted were doing quite well. The battle alchemist the cyanide sharpshooter was now a free-lance adventurer. Tomas was in the library reading up on developments. He was also going through the paperwork that they recovered with a fine-tooth comb, the chapter master Francis and some scribes helped him cross reference what was going on. One letter decoded indicate the Empress of Shadows right hand, the Eternal judge had apparently considered sending a black dragon thrall from the south up to attack the port.

Well into the mornings exercises the peace was shattered. A report was brought to the sheriff’s attention and she did what she did best. Quickly nominated someone else to deal with it. The deputy sheriff quickly went over the witness's statement and swallowed, there were few things worse than the undead this was one of them. A Militia runner was sent to halt the exercise, the guards would be needed at their posts.

David had borrowed Vivian's pin of voice amplification, one minute the runner was next to him the next, “everybody halt the exercise we have a situation”. Quickly David exchanged his wooden practice sword for his Grey blade. Alice quickly joined him she still had plenty of magic left in the tank, having cured twenty or so injuries.

A deputy hunter with a seal of authority headed over to the duchess residence. A quick conversation with the guards and they lead her over to Vivian. “Something's come up get Martin, I will meet you at the front”. She grabbed her arrows from the target dummy and headed over to the front of the duchess's compound. Martin was in the middle of something when there was the nock on the door. Very carefully he put down his tools put a cloth over his work and turned around. The deputy hunter had never met a grand master of the order. Her eyes went wide seeing the arsenal of weapons under Martins coat. She calmed down and explained that a situation had arisen. Locking the door, he followed her, they met up with Vivian and headed over to the hunter’s chapter house.

The local master hunter Francis and the deputy sheriff addressed the assembled group, “we have found one of the sorcerers’ hidey holes”. He pointed to a local farmstead, “they have apparently bribed a farm supervisor and are using a few farm buildings as a hideout”. “It’s better than a cold shack in the middle of the woods for them”. He passed a witness's statement to Vivian, “others around saw them slip up once, a demon was seen”. “I am told Guy Curteys the supervisor recently came into money. we are certain, he is to blame. He was seen taking coin from one believed to be a sorcerer, we must act fast they could open a portal or summon a demonic overlord or some other ritual we need to stop it”.

Alice looked at the sheriff, “how many people …in the settlement”. He checked his notes, “about twenty-five”. She nodded, “quite enough sacrifices for the ritual to summon an overlord but it takes time to prepare”. Thomas wondered, “how many sorcerers are we looking at”? Vivian looked at the witness statement her mechanical eye rapidly tracking over the text, “Five or more but they could have a few summoned demons each”.

David was looking for an opportunity to level up and a squishy caster would be a good target, once he got past their demonic protection. “Are there any grand masters or exalted masters in this group”? Vivian went over the statement it was not clear as to what they faced, “it says one was dressed better than the others, so probably a master at the very least leading the other four”.

It was urgent there were twenty-five people’s lives at stake, and god knows how many others in the port city if a strong demon was unleashed. They stopped off at the deputy sheriff’s office near the gate house and grab a couple of sets of mana draining shackles for any prisoners. They remembered the necromancer’s apprentices, this time they would be ready. They grabbed a coach and headed out, the sorcerers could mean any number of things summoned possessed or released onto the world. With them were four cartloads of hunter’s crusaders and town guards. Even a priest to exorcise the demons if necessary, they arrived at the farmstead close to the city, it was suspiciously quiet.

The reserves set up a watch around the area, encircling it waiting for a signal. Not daring to get to close to the fight that was almost inevitable. Yet if the opportunity presented itself. A lot of silver arrow heads crossbow bolts and shot would be finding any demons head that popped up. The fields around the farm were covered with a cold blanket of frost. The short summer had turned to autumn. Vivian looked around there was one noise the crunch and scrape of a man walking about the frost covered earth. They approached the farmstead cautiously weapons drawn, the gates were open and unguarded.

There was a single supervisor loading everything of value into a small cart. He had a warm set of brown robes around his shoulders. He raised his hands as the party arrived, he took a deep breath, looking like a rat caught in a trap. “Look it’s not what you think it is I was just coming to town to warn people and I just needed a few supplies”. The punch from Vivian folded the man in half, there was a cracking which might have been ribs. He lay there unresponsive the pain and shock more than he could take. A mixture of blood and urine stained the cold snow.

Vivian gestured and a crusader and town guard ran out from cover. They grabbed the wounded man and dragged him back to the edge of the farmstead. The priest would probably heal him a little, so he survived long enough to answer questions.

Vivian's enhanced perception picked something up, in the main hay barn of the farmstead was a meeting. Alice could feel magic and both Martin and Thomas found their holy symbols reacting to something. As they threw open the barn doors those inside must have had some sort of warning a spell perhaps. They were ready five sorcerers plus a dozen of the hidden hand.

There was a captain of the hidden hand. David recognised the equipment from the wanted poster, the shoulder guards and neck guard on his armour. This rogue called themselves the first blade, there were at least six of these captains throughout the hidden hand's organisation, he remembered a report from the capital a man calling himself the sixth blade, it could well have been the one that they faced earlier with a bit more equipment.

The first blade regarded the party then turned to a sorcerer in a vert elaborate red robe. “we split the gold on their heads with you sorcerers are we good? They must have fancied their chances 12 rogues from the hidden hand each with a crossbow and the usual collection of blades. There was the first blade with a pair of short swords.

There were four sorcerers in red robes backing up the exalted master. They had different summoned servants the first had two slavering hell hounds eager to start the fight. The next had two spell caster demons with wings and staves. The last two sorcerers went for the classic demonic soldiers two each. It was clear from the size of the horns on the demons that the ones summoned by the exalted Master were much more powerful than his students. He personally had two hell hounds and two soldiers.

David looked at the group, “the head sorcerer is mine I need to break through”. Vivian was worried, “are you sure”? “He doesn't have that much health a just need to get close”. Alice wanted to flatten this sorcerer to demonstrate her superiority, but it would also help her if her allies were as powerful as possible. David over level 75 was better than stuck at 75. She cast bonus vitality on David while Martin used a citadel of faith to give him a boost.

He could appreciate the assistance, usually layering magic and blessings would interfere. But in this case the party's perk bound by oath allowed such things to be possible. They didn't get in each other’s way. Vivian looked at the sorcerers she used her magical trinket to make her voice boom, “surrender now”. They laughed at her she looked at Martin and Thomas, “try to leave one alive for questioning”. The fist blade looked at the exalted master sorcerer, “ok we do a 40 / 60 split on the reward in your favour, and you keep the bodies for your demons to possess”, the man nodded in agreement.

Vivian ducked back out of the room firing from the door frame, several bolts and spells hit the wood but not her. Vivian fired back into the room two of the demonic soldiers fell to octium arrows penetrating their chests and necks. They dropped to the ground dead their armour weapons and shields evaporating into red mist quickly followed by their bodies. Martin used his defensive blessings guardian angel and shield of faith.

He charged into the largest concentration of demons his purge soul blessing was strong enough to evict a demon’s soul back to the infernal realm unravelling their conjured flesh. Three demon soldiers faded like this before Martin expended all his blessings. Several crossbow bolts and throwing knives were wedged into his bulky armour possibly even his flesh underneath. Alice rapidly cast earthen wall illusionary allies and a shield spell. The earthen wall was good against the infernal magic of the sorcerers and most of everything else thrown at her. She responded with an electrical strike spell that caught three of the low-level rogues.

Tomas aimed for one of the winged spell caster demons, the creature was not prepared for how fast he was. Even a point-blank spell didn't help the demon against Thomas's constitution, that easily matched an elite vampire. The demon's conjured flesh was ripped to pieces with Thomas twin adamantine daggers carving through there flesh.

David cut down one of the hell hounds in front of him, a spell hit the blessing around him, he had a vial of holy water which he threw like a grenade it hit the second demonic spell slinger this one was a woman. The demons seemed to have a fifty - fifty male to female ratio. The holy water was incredibly effective, the force of the vial hitting them would have been considerable as well.

Thomas picked up one of the rogues and pile drove them into a skinny panicking sorcerer. The rogue was folded in half and the sorcerer blacked out from their wounds. With every bit of terrifying strength, a vampire could bring against normal humans, Thomas could deliver the same against the enemy.

Alice threw fire balls at the hidden hand rouges, they could dodge them, but they would not be doing much else. Martin capitalised on this opportunity to empty his four barrelled pistol into the rouges and summon his “pillar of ice” blessing. They dodged out of the fire ball's radius and right into the freezing cold. Four of them didn't make any further move after the cyclone of ice dissipated, there lungs and throats filled with packed snow.

Vivian put to octium arrows into one of the sorcerers, there defensive spell was not strong enough to resist the magic disrupting metal. The arrows passed straight through them and they folded dead on the floor a healing potion spilling on the boards. Before Vivian could shoot again an arachnid demon a mixture of human and a demonic spider landed on her. Its body had been camouflaged a dull black, it knocked her bow away and tried to skewer her with dagger like limbs.

It was a third summons from one of the sorcerers. It had been hiding biding its time to strike, Vivian smashed it over the head with her vial of holy water then reached for her bow putting an adamantine arrow into its dissolving centre of mass to make sure it was not going anywhere.

David faced off against one of the exalted masters summoned soldier demons. They were equipped shield and spear summoned weapons. They were powerful with such a high-level spell caster forging their body, the demon would have been close to level 100. They were a highly skilled opponent, but David had a lot of armour and a lot of his own skills. He kicked a crate at the first demon who jumped over it trying to regain its balance, it didn't have quite enough time to move out of the way as a cut from David sunk into its leg.

The demon lunged forwards but David had sunk down his shield angled away. the demons attack slid off to the side turned away. He responded opening up its arm cutting through its conjured armour and twisted back to avoid the hell hound beside it. A strike from his blade cut the creature down the sorcerer had to heal his last defender rather rapidly, if the demon was wearing a possessed body it would be a far different fight, one where David would barely be holding his own.

Alice hurled a barrage of acid strike spells at the two hell hounds approaching her. The first folded and started to fade away. the second got further breaching her earthen wall spell, before it too was overwhelmed with burning acid.

Vivian targeted the sorcerers two more octium arrows and another one of their ranks fell. Her shield spell shattered, and an arrow went right through her shoulder. Martin targeted the remaining rogues from the hidden hand. He had his pistols and fired they dodged his knives they dodged. The pillar of fire blessing not so much, three more of the hidden hand were incinerated in its fiery vortex.

The first blade of the hidden hand was a master rouge, very dangerous he managed to embed his blades in Thomas's spine and neck, but he underestimated just how tough Thomas was. The knuckle duster guard of Thomas's right blade smashed into the rouge before they could retreat. A blow like thunderclap marked the end of the first blade, not that as a member of the hidden hand he would probably be back.

David cut through the demon guarding his master, the shield had been shattered the spear shaft cut disarmed figuratively and literally the demon had fallen. The exalted master had been keeping a supreme skill in reserve. David was just able to dive for cover as barrage of powerful deep red energy bolts was sent screaming forwards towards him. They bounced against the walls split and finally dissipated. The exalted master had several uses of this powerful close quarters’ ability. Martin and Vivian finished off the last of the rogues and sorcerers.

David took a deep breath it was either now or never. He ran forwards the sorcerer had his hands up and used his supreme spell again. David dived just in time to avoid the spell he had his shield ready and hurled it forwards it spun and collided with the sorcerer’s lower legs crushing them with the inhuman force. The sorcerer lost all concentration his spells fizzling out David scrambled to his knees charged forwards and planted his sword through there chest, then took their head off at the neck with a second swing just to be sure.

As the sorcerer fell David felt a sensation wash over him. It was a long time coming but finally he had stepped over the level 75 barrier to join the rest of the party. Everything around him slowed his spirit reached out knowledge form the universal force, god perhaps filled him. “A special action has been performed feat of marshal strength has been achieved, you have defeated a worthy opponent your level limit has been increased to level 100”.

As the level up hit their eyes glowed, David could not express how wonderful it was to be climbing the ladder again. As he hit level 76, he gained the first rank of the soldier of fortune ability. The more expensive his equipment was the better he could use it. Alice hit a very important class level at level 80 her base mana cost decreased to 1 mana per spell point, it was ridiculously powerful with her 530 points of mana. She could keep casting low level spells like acid strike all day. Even a fire ball spell would now take less mana for her to cast than her original fire bite spell. Her concentration also improved to the point where she could maintain five spells at a time allowing her to maintain one more defensive layer.

Vivian reached level 79 she gained the last rank in her improved range skill at level 8, she could push it no further. Without putting a lot of time effort and gruelling training into the skill. Martin hit level 91 he gained the first rank of the combat dodge ability, allowing him to use focus to move out of the way of an attack. In a similar way to a thief or rogue, it would be more efficient than some of his other ways of avoiding damage.

David pumped his fist in the air, looking at Vivian, “did you see the look on that exalted masters face, he was not expecting the shield and crash straight into his legs. He folded like a day-old chick after that”. David let it sink in for another moment as Martin handed him a flask for a victory drink. “I am the first one of us to solo something that reached level 100. He didn't expect it at all, you just need to get the right opportunity”. David took a swig and handed it back to Martin.

David and Vivian checked over the sorcerers, two of the veterans were still alive if worse for wear. Vivian threw one set of mana draining shackles to David they each grabbed a sorcerer and locked them up in the shackles. There mana gone they slumped into a state of perpetual mana fatigue not able to keep their eyes open. Martin healed them a bit with his divine favour blessing so that they would be intact to interrogate. Vivian went to get some extra bodies to help them. Alice set about using her healing spell on Thomas, he was lucky to still be alive the way the first blade had jammed his swords into this spine.

The priest arrived and began to consecrate the area, it would take him several days of continual effort to cleanse the place of any corruption. After the initial blessings he would perform last rights on the sorcerers remains to lay their spirits to rest. Angry ghosts that knew a few demons were the last thing that they wanted roaming the countryside. The three bodies would be brought back to the cathedral citadel for cremation, they were wrapped in tarpaulins and loaded on a cart. There ashes would be added to the halls of the unknown, a place where people who died unremembered or best forgotten were interred.

A search of the farmstead found four farm hands in the main building each one trapped inside circles of glowing red lines, Martin held out his holy symbol inquisitively Thomas beside him, “is this some sort of sacrifice”? He moved his newly healed back stretching with a little unease, “No I don't think so, I thinks it’s something else”, “Thomas you have been doing this a lot longer than we have, ever seen anything like this”?

He held his own holy symbol out and made a few tentative gestures inhaling deeply, “Its a summoning ritual, I have seen a different version of this once. They corrupt the body with infernal magic then summon the demon to possess the body. The purge soul blessing can break it at low level, before the demon has established themselves, I presume this ritual has not gotten that far they just prepared vessels, I don't see signs of demonic possession”. Martin had a tone of regret in his voice, “I already used those blessing to banish some of the demonic soldiers” he had air of resignation unable to see a way forward.

Alice pushed him and Thomas out of the way with her staff, “Its a magical spell …let a mage get on with it”. She reached out sensing it, “the spells were prepared but …not powered, I suspect they would have been vessels for some of the demon soldiers we saw. Another eight hours …and that would have been a far harder fight”.

Alice sat down and started to move her hands about it the air as if she was undoing a series of knots with her fingers. Every once in a while, a line of magic would reach out and strike back at her but as a mage she had a large amount of magic resistance, so the demonic magic did her no harm. Thomas moved forwards she gestured for him to go back, “let me unravel the binding rituals …give me a few minutes”. When she was ready, she gestured to Martin, “hit them a few times with …your purify blessing it will remove the corruption, I might need to heal them …up after you use it let me check them”.

Martin held his holy symbol to the first farm hand, “Purify” the woman shook like a leaf. Alice raised a hand, “let me just use my ... healing spell that's good”. Martin continued again “Purify” the farm hand threw up and convulsed but then returned to her trance like state. Alice healed her again and nodded to Martin. Another touch of his holy symbol, “purify” the woman collapsed coughing “what … what's going on... where is that bastard ... who … who are you”. Alice healed her again, Martin held his holy symbol out to the farmhand’s cheek, “no reaction she should be clean let’s get the others free”.

In short order the rest of the remaining farmhands were freed, David wondered, “ok we saved four people but there were meant to be twenty-five. the supervisor guy makes five. But there are still twenty people unaccounted for, what gives”?

David looked around questioningly at his companions, “Vivian Martin can you see any tracks heading out of the settlement”? They waited several heart beats then a minute more as they went to investigate and returned. “Nothing my monocle can pick up”, she echoed his hollow tone, “my golem eye can’t find anything”. Thomas looked thoughtful and inhaled a deep slow breath, “I could smell the blood form a massacre or if a vampire collected them as slaves, nothing”.

Martin held his holy symbol, “thy will be done” the holy symbol seemed to pull him forwards. “I sense something towards that out building”. Alice looked over the place its floor was covered in straw, she got a broom and swept it aside to show symbols burnt into the floorboards, “I can sense a lot of magic, it was a portal …but not a summoning one”. She traced out the pasterns tapping her fingers against her staff. “It was a linked portal, one of the few transportation …magic's that still work, after the vampire progenitor put the wards up”.

Vivian looked at her incredulously, “hang on your saying that there used to be transportation magic”? Thomas nodded “according to the library a thousand years ago the magic stopped working and the vampire progenitor claimed responsibility”. Martin pointed at the burnt symbols unsure what they meant, “How does this work then”? “It uses an infernal …dimension, linking two portals with a brief trip a split second then bam, it’s a very …high level magic, the other end of the portal could be hundreds of miles away very” Martin ground his teeth, “disappointing …it leaves a mystery to be solved”. David banged his hand on the wall to get their attention, “we got prisoners this time, we might get some answers eventually”.

Thomas turned back to the barn; he looked a little pleased with himself. “At least we nailed the local leader of the hidden hand, bastard got me really good. If his short sword didn't disintegrate when he died, I would have had a hell of a time getting it out”. David looked a bit down, “it won’t be long before he is back”. Thomas looked puzzled “you mean before one of his subordinates takes his place right”?

Vivian shook her head, “keep this to yourself, no one would believe you. But we have killed the same members of the hidden hand three or four times already. They have some way to come back, perhaps as their body's fade away they are remade somewhere else”? Thomas looked puzzled, “that's odd to be sure, I have read of a hive doppelgänger that could split itself into dozens of bodies, the entire criminal syndicate could be one such creature, now that's a mystery”. The group were perplexed, the hidden hand had been around a very long time they were good at keeping their secrets.

Alice checked through the sorcerer's possessions, several spell books tomes of knowledge scrolls artefacts and other blasphemes paraphernalia were piled up. They searched through the live and dead sorcerers finding a few tricks coins scrolls, picks and weapons. They were added to the bonfire. Alice did find one item they could use.

It appeared that the exalted master sorcerer had a pre-eminent Amulet of ruinous defence 75 points of defence vs necromancy and sorcery. It would certainly help against one of his summoned minions or students betraying him. Alice looked over it, “this amulet protects against sorcery and necromancy, David you have something similar …we found it in the spiders nest a month ago, give it to Vivian and you can take this”. Vivian sighed, “it would have helped him earlier, I suppose a sorcerer's biggest worry is another sorcerer”.

Some people were left at the farmstead the rest escorted the two captured sorcerers back to North port. The group discussed the little adventure with the deputy sheriff at his office in the gate house. “twenty people disappeared through some portal to hell, the farmsteads will be calling for more patrols and more defences, I will speak to the sheriff. Then he can nominate me to speak to the trade commissioner and the rest of them”. David was as blunt as ever, “what coin did they have, were there any bounties”?

The deputy sheriff sighed, “your concern for the missing is noted, there was 120 silvers worth of coin and valuables recovered from the sorcerers and the traitor Guy. Your share is 80 remember you had a lot of men with you they all get something, it helps to get volunteers in the future”. David gave him a black look the deputy sheriff continued, “The bounty on the sorcerers we think deputy leader, he called himself the 'eminent scholar' totals 370 silver. Most of that bounty was not local, he came all the way from adders pass next to the textile city down south”.

David's fingers blurred as he counted out in his head, “90 silver each 450 total not a bad day’s work, I am sure that you can get some information about the missing people”. The deputy sheriff grinned, “sure I just need to convince these sorcerers that we are more terrifying than the demons of hell”.

Martin adjusted his coat pulling the right-hand side. “Give me twenty minutes, Alice I will need your healing magic to put them back together a few times”.

David waited outside, he turned to Vivian, “do you think that merchant was conning us about the belt of five favours”? She checked her bow and ignored the whimpering and gurgling from behind the door. “I don't know but we can ring up a really large bar bill and leave in in his name, if nothing turns up soon right”. It was more of a joke than anything else, but David didn't have a better idea.

They joined up with Thomas, Vivian handed him his share of the loot, and headed for the local cathedral. In short order they found a priest. The priest looked round, “how can I help you my children, your part of the group the four masters right, do you need to see the bishop”? Vivian patted him on the shoulder. “We faced a demon today, several actually we used up two bottles of holy water, can you get us replacements we understand the donation of a silver a bottle for the orphan fund is customary yes”?

“Of course, it’s good to hear that the creator god gives you the weapons you need against the foe”. The priest darted off into a side room he came back with a tray full of bottles of holy water and a collection box. Two silver and two bottles disappeared into their equipment they briefly consider more holy water, but it was something for later. Thomas got six more bottles that disappeared into his coat with a glint in his eye, almost the way Martin was with his thermite.

They went back to the gate house Alice turned to them, “apparently they are …planning to summon a demonic overlord they have a big source of magic …feeding twenty people into the ritual will prolong it meaning that the overlord will stay around a lot longer …and be harder to exorcise”. They made statements and swore various oaths. The farm supervisor was checked, there was no hint of drugs or mental coercion.

He did beg that he was being threatened, they check he was lying according to a discern blessing. He sold his fellow farmers out without a second thought. Judgement was made by unanimous vote of the local triune representatives; he was given twenty years in the tower jail for aiding the sorcerers. One sorcerer survived Martin's interrogation. They got a life sentence for the gallows jail tower keep, not that they would probably last longer than a year or two beneath the warden’s hand.

They settled back at the duchess residence with a fine meal. The duchess must have herd that they killed a few members of the hidden hand. Alice spooned honey over her bread, “that sorcerer thought I might be more merciful …than Martin. How dare those bastard demon loving minion masters think …that they can hold a candle to a mage. They expect their minions to fight for them they can’t fight …for themselves. They take the easy route its quick, but it leaves them weak unprepared once their summons are gone”. Vivian nudged her, “less ranting more eating”.

As they neared the end of their meal a servant summoned them to the duchess audience room. She was dressed in her finest. She tuned to them and they paid her the usual formalities for her station.

“I understand there were developments today”? Vivian stepped forwards and saluted again, “the hidden hand seems to be reaching out to vampires and sorcerers, not that they are doing so well. Also, the first blade their local commander has appeared”.

“Thomas got him, but I am not sure that it will be permanent”. The duchess face twisted into a grimace for a second “that is worrying, those despicable wretches, you think there is more to their fate magic than simply leaving no bodies”? “Unfortunately, we never have any remains to examine. We are drawing a blank, still we are destroying their allies”.

The duchess walked over to her desk and picked up a blue wrapped package. “It is more progress than anyone else I have employed, I received this from a courier eagle”. She handed it to Alice who analysed it with her magic. The ward of enhanced defence granted a + 15 natural armour. All shield and other defensive spells lasted an extra 60 seconds in duration it added 5 caster levels to shield spells and 1 point of endurance very useful to a mage, and probably worth a bit more than the 300 silver Alice had been asked for. She kept her mouth shut about the extra properties. She handed over the silver, “That is exactly what I am … after, worth every silver thank your Ladyship”, she curtsied, and they left.

They had a few more drinks Alice practised her shield spells after adding the ward of defence onto her belt. Martin spent a bit more time on the hand of Tesla, but in his heart of hearts he knew that he had to get help. Alice was ecstatic at the boost in her power even melting the sorcerers fingers off rather than healing them had been worth it. She opposed them not because they were evil or used magic that caused suffering. But because they were rivals, people who tried to show that their magic was superior to the tower to the royal mage’s guild, she would show them all.