CHAPTER 9

~Esta~

I look down at the sprawling mess laying on the floor.

“Remember, not a word,” I ordered one final time to the maid without even looking back before picking up and slinging our newest recruit over my shoulder.

I leave through the window I smashed during my entry to find a large brown scaly lizard lazily lying on the ground. His breathing sending a deep rumble through the ground in a steady rhythm. If I didn’t know any better, I would think he's asleep.

At my approach, the Komodo stands up on its four legs as it stretches all his four limbs and arches its back, preparing itself for travel once more.

I dump the new recruit on her stomach as her arms and legs dangle on either side of the mount.

Reaching into my side pouch at my belt I withdraw a small round pill in which I bring to eye level. I crush it in my hand and let the ashes fall with the wind.

“Found her Exec, looks like it's our win this time. Meet you at the normal place.”

At the completion of my message, the dust glows in a bright blue hue before disappearing. Flying off to its intended recipient.

This is good news. For a second I thought our side would definitely lose again. It’s been two weeks since the trial has started and for the entire time, I kept losing track of where our new recruit was located.

The Abyssal Sisters are divided into two factions, the more martial oriented faction and the other faction focusing more on arcane arts. In order to recruit new members into each team, a game is played between the two sides as to who can locate and retrieve the newest member first.

The survival trial doubles as a test for the current members as they utilise their tracking skills whilst the recruit has to avoid being found and make it back to the border of the empire.

The new girl Synthia, she has somehow avoided all magical means of detection. Every time I pulled upon Aiur’s source in an attempt to weave a tracking spell, I come up with a blank.

The only reason I was able to find her was due to luck. I was scouting near the Great Wall when I felt a sliver of holy power being used.

I glanced down at the newest member. Her hair was damp and in disarray, while her clothes were cut and torn in multiple places - she definitely had her own dangerous encounters out there.

I don’t think she even realises that every time she speaks, she subconsciously laces her words with a hint of holy power to open the listener to her suggestions. A sort of mind control. Its one of the reasons why the ritual was banned in the first place. Why the priestesses teach it in their class is beyond me.

It is also surprising how high the casualty rate is during the survival trial. About seventy percent of the recruits don’t even make it back and end up in some creature's stomach.

Yet here she is, alive. A young one as well.

Mwahahahah! Finally, I won’t be known as the little one within the Barracks anymore.

I mentally apologise as I can now officially hand the position over.

I snap the reins as the Komodo begins to clamber onward.

No, but really. How did she avoid detection for so long? I could barely pick up the hint of holy energy within the air and I happen to be nearby. In fact, how did she even get into the Drow Empire? I commanded all soldiers to let me know if they see an unidentified Drow near the Great Wall.

I tugged and pulled at the harness on the Komodo as to redirect him toward the face of the cliff and tighten my hold around my legs. The Komodo began scaling up the face of the rock travelling vertically as it digs its claws and leaps from foothold to foothold.

I look behind me and couldn’t help but grimace at the thought of falling down.

Just one slip up and splat.

Dead.

A shiver runs down my spine just thinking about it.

Right, just don’t look down. Without any hesitation, I face forward trying my utmost to hold on to dear life.

This is ridiculous, I’m an Abyssal Sister for Aiur’s sake. Who just so happens to be afraid of heights.

Ugh, okay, stoic expression. Continue the facade that everything is okay. As an Abyssal Sister, the skill to control your facial expressions is crucial. The whole Sisterhood is based on the rumours, which have spread far and wide, so it is imperative that each Sister is capable of putting on the ‘cold soldier’ act to give the impression of a unified appearance.

Hmm, what if I create an enchantment where you can’t fall off the saddle? I can weave together some sort of arcane tether that would hold you to the harness if you accidentally let go.

No, but what if the Komodo falls in battle? You would be taken down right with it. That just means I need some sort of fail-safe? The enchantment will need to meet certain conditions to activate such and such function.

Yes.

This could work.

I can just imagine the Exec’s amused expression as she nods and hands me a whole bunch of gold so the intellectual property would belong to the Sisterhood.

A stirring in front of me brought me out of my thoughts.

“Ugh…” the new recruit brought a hand up to massage her forehead. Woops, must have hit her harder than I thought.

“A-AHH!” she screams as she notices that she is literally hanging upside down on a vertical cliff as the Komodo continues to climb upward.

After a moment of panic, she finally manages to grab hold of the strap holding the saddle to the Komodo as she continues to hanging over the mount,“W-wh-where am I?”

My mind shakes as my ears register her voice. Soft, soothing, sweet and so damn pure. How could a voice sound so pleasing? I could listen to it all-

No!

I figuratively stomp my foot down within my mind as I begin to regain control of myself.

She only said four words…

I had to suppress a shiver. Gotta maintain my facade after all.

“Quiet!” I said harshly, “We’re heading toward the Great Wall outpost. You’re being taken to meet the Exec. She’ll answer your questions.”

That’s right, let the Exec deal with you. I’m just a lowly ranked member. I was told to find and deliver you and that’s exactly what I will do. Why bother with work which I don’t need to do? I’ll just push all my responsibilities onto her.

The recruit meekly met my gaze and gave a nod for confirmation.

Sapphire blue eyes, glittering in the shadow of the dancing flames along the wall. I almost had to do a double-take. It was literally such a beautiful colour. The lucid blue colour is an uncommon occurrence. I’m curious to find out who had the original blue eyes originated from within her bloodline. But now is not the time to be worrying about such things.

I let out an audible sigh, I can’t wait to get back and begin working on the new enchantment

~Synthia~

“Ouch! He-hey don’t just dump me on the ground like that!” I said.

The Abyssal Sister gives me a hard glare and instantly I back off.

“You-um, you could at least have tied me to the Komodo, what if I fell while I was unconscious?” seriously, I had a heart attack when I woke up. What would they have done if I fell?

“YES! Exactly! Don’t worry, once we get back to the barracks I’ll get started straight away! It’s going to be revolutionary!” the sister in front of me excitedly said, “...I’m no-...scared of heights.”

“Umm, sorry what?” I asked.

In children’s stories, the Abyssal Sister is known to eat the flesh of their enemies. To use their blood as a sacrifice. To gather souls and deform them into weapons of mass destruction.

“-ust need to add a simple ‘IF’ command to the enchantment to act as a failsafe, for example, if the Komodo trips and dies. Oh and don’t forget the power source. It needs to be stable-”

“...- a measure of the force exerted on each unit of mass- … -calculating the mass of the rider-...”

“...-plane of polarisation of linearly polarised light is rotated when the light rays travel along the magnetic field direction-”

…

…

…

So much for eating the flesh off their bones. My head is starting to feel dizzy from simply hearing all the technical mumbo jumbo.

This is most definitely not what I expected an Abyssal Sister to be like.

Since I’m currently in no danger of falling off a giant lizard, I finally have a chance to glance at our location. Weapon racks with spare arrows and armour of all kinds sprawled along the wall. Tables with half dismantled weapons and leather pieces spread about. On the other side of the room are numerous beds all lined up against each other.

Some sort of secret room? No, a temporary rest area?

I shake my head. It doesn’t matter, I just need to wait for this ‘Exec’ and all my answers will be answered. Hopefully.

I’m more worried about what happened to me when I attacked that maid.

After hearing her voice, I just… lost control.

It was as if I took the back seat and something-no, someone else took over. Like a song being played in my head, urging me not to kill, but to dominate the victim.

Overwhelming. My instincts somehow convinced the rational part of my mind of what was considered ‘right’. Instincts which seem to know what is best.

I rose up on unsteady legs and gripped the table with both hands. Looking to the side I noticed that the Abyssal Sister was still within her own world, speaking nonsensical words, with ever-changing expressions from madness to outright curiosity.

I brought my eyes to a stained section of the wall. I concentrated my vision on that one spot of soot. The room faded away until only my ragged erratic breathing could be heard.

But when did this start? Am I affected at this very moment? Are my thoughts still mine?

Did the Beholder do something to me before he was killed? An uncontrollable amount of fear caused me to start shaking. If the Empire finds out, I’ll be exiled. No, I’ll be executed. They would never leave a Psionically compromised Drow within their borders.

Even worst, what if the Abyssal Sisters find out? I’ve only just joined. I don’t want to be kicked out, not without me even having proved myself. Do I really not belong anywhere? I’ve already lost count of how many crews I’ve joined.

They could betray me, just like Ryul. Can I even trust people ever again?

A slow pool of tears begins accumulating in the corner of my eye as my vision becomes blurry.

The Underworld is such a chaotic place. I need a strong power to back me up, otherwise, I will never survive. I can’t let them cast me out, I must try my hardest so they will accept me.

‘Don’t make decisions you may regret’, the voice of my sister resounds through my mind. There is now noticeably less shaking. A sense of calm washes over me.

Despite being insane, my sister’s advice still resounds in my mind when I need it most.

It doesn’t matter if I am changed.

It doesn’t matter if I am Psionically compromised.

Just don’t let them find out.

I’ll figure things out before it happens anyway.

Probably.

I took a deep breath to compose myself. With dignity, I sat down on a wooden bench with a refreshed state of mind as I waited.

“Hey there, Blue Eyes.”

My eyes snap open from my short rest. In front of me was a person I didn’t think I would be meeting again, so soon.

With an amused smirk on her face, with a nonchalant look as if everything was in the palm of her hands.

Lady Yuna’s former guard.

“From now on, you are to call me ‘Exec’”

You’ve got[ to be kidding me.