Chitinous blades strike, fast as lightning. Blood flies from Shy as one pierces her shoulder, but there’s many others ready to wet this room with our blood. Shy doesn’t hesitate to snap the limb and toss aside the dog sized insect, which crumbles under the counterattack.

Others dip past our guard and rush towards Nel and I, their legs tapping out a terrifying pace. Some leap towards us, but they’re easily taken down by my spells and Nels throwing knives, their movements fast but predictable the moment their feet leave the earth.

The assassins don’t wait, or even circle us to look for weaknesses, they simply rush in and lash out in suicidal charges. Shy is not nearly as fast, as much as she tries, she can only stymie the tide that floods out over us.

Darrel and the rest of our guards kick down the door and join the melee, and the bugs, unprepared for a forthright battle, are mercilessly crushed by the weapons and boots of the slayers.

The assassin bugs aren’t done yet, and they don’t even consider retreat. They rush for Nel and I, their sharp limbs swirling like a dozen wild blender blades.

Of course, this is completely unacceptable.

Condensing mana down my arm and into my fingers, my knife hand strike pierces the thin carapace of the creature which stops only when I’m wrist deep inside it. Its own bladed legs slap against the mana shields I form on my arm as the energy in my fingertips unravels, spreading out in chaos spirals, killing the beast from the inside. I slide closer to Nel, using the mana burst motions that I’ve learned from Eshya, and I take out another of the creatures that’s reaching for her.

A thrown knife sinks into another, seeding more annihilation before bursting into a freezing cold that consumes the entire body of the beast. More blades reach out, but they too die quick, if fearlessly.

In moments more, the battle is over and each of the creatures is dead.

“It’s really something else to see that magic of yours.” Darrel says as he looks down at the corpses littering the room. “Your fighting is sub-par, and you’re far from the fastest I’ve seen, but your magic tears them apart. It’s incredible.”

“Thanks?” I ask, uncertain about his compliment and the rather strange timing of it. “I wouldn’t mind leaving the fighting to you next time, though. In fact, how about you lead us out of here.”

“Where to?” Darrel shrugs.

“We’re knocking down every door in this town until we find the people in charge, then we’re getting answers.”

He whistles, impressed with my plans no doubt, and he doesn’t complain as he gets his team in order to guard us in our pursuit of answers.

“I’m more interested in the cold enchantments on those knives.” I say, kicking at the crumbling flesh of a beast as we leave. “Annihilation too, right?”

“Ria and I were experimenting with the strongest magics to combine with annihilation.” Nel says, her gaze distant and her fingers clicking against one another. Her words flow out in a nervous rush.

“Freezing magic is one of the better ones. The void of energy made by the annihilation, allows the magic to grow more powerful, and rather than spreading out, the magic simply fills that void and concentrates itself there. The surrounding heat simply tries to spread to the cold zone and is consumed by the freezing magic, which is how the freezing effect spreads without costing anything extra in magic and mana.”

“Huh…” I already knew that I’m not using my magic to it’s best potential but it’s a little confronting to see it used better by Nel, who’s going out of her way to avoid fights.

“Interesting but I think there’s something more important right about now.” Darrel says, looking between us.

“Just to cut in, if you’re taking this place, I’m raiding the wine cellar.” Korgan says, chuckling as he checks on his shield and weapon.

“Oh, can I have something too?” Shy says, perking up as she uses a healing potion.

“Now, now. We’re not looking for a war.” I say, “We do, however, need to have some discussions with the local leadership. It’s a rather serious breach of etiquette, so I think it’ll be good enough excuse to kick down a few doors, no?”

“This may as well have been a declaration of war in itself.” Nel says, her expression cold as her panic settles down. “Why were they targeting me, and not Kyra?”

“Maybe they were confused?” I suggest heading out into the hall and letting my team of mercenaries kick down the doors of the nearby rooms to confirm that there’s no hiding assassins.

“No. They were deliberate.” Nel says. “They were after me, not you.”

“Even worse for them.” I say. If they’d succeeded…

“Something about this feels off.” Nel grumbles, her chitinous fingers tapping nervously as we work our way through the house. We don’t make it far before we come across the butler who led us into the trap.

“What are you doing?!” He shouts, looking at us as if we’re mad for running about with bloody weapons unsheathed.

“Your assassins are dead.” I say. “Surrender and explain yourself.”

“Assassins?” He asks, sounding truly confused for a few moments before his expression sours further towards terror. Fortunately, Arduelle’s lessons have proven useful. While I’m not sure whether or not he’s lying, I know that he very well could be. The translations are sending his intentions clearly, but a person in his position would do well to have good control of intention-based communication through the support devices.

“You’re going to claim that you have no idea about the dozen assassins waiting for us in our room?” I ask, looking at the butler seriously. He trembles, looking between us all, and shaking his head. It seems more a nervous tick now than any actual attempt at communication.

“I’ll have a meeting set up immediately. It wasn’t us; I guarantee it. Please have patience and hear us out.”

“If you didn’t let them in, then how did they get inside?” I ask. “Is your security really so weak?”

“Regrettably so, yes.” The butler says, quickly shuffling to his feet and rushing us along the hall. “Grier defends the towns walls, but we are a small town, our manor guards aren’t the sort that you’d find in the proper cities.”

He speaks with a subservient tone, eyes watching the weapons of my own guards closely. He should be more concerned about me and the magic that I’m preparing should all his excuses be unsatisfying.

The few guards we come across in the halls run about in a panic, but none stand in our way. Some are frightened, some angry, but none are stupid enough to kill themselves on our bloodied blades.

I make sure to borrow the traitorous insect’s sight before sending him ahead to prepare the owners for us. Luckily for him he doesn’t do anything unexpected. If he were going for an emergency exit, I could easily cut him through with my magic.

Damn it’s nice being the most powerful person in the room. Assassins? Plots? Who really cares? I can violently shut it all down, and demand answers from whoever I like.

The Lord is rather shaken upon waking and being informed of the evening’s affairs. He’s a serious young man called Grenwitch, so I’ve been told. He’s got some elven features, but is overgrown with so much fungi and moss that I can’t really tell for sure how much skin and elvish flesh there is under it all.

The other creature, in the room next to him, is an insect that appears made of bones, and upon waking shivers with wide eyes. I can tell that’s a ‘she’ from looking, but I’m not sure how much of that’s not just my own Chip giving me something easy to work with. For all I know she’s not anything like a man or woman as I understand it, but some alien abstract with biology completely inconsistent with what I know.

She rushes for the window, making her naked escape out into the town below, or she would be if her butler wasn’t holding her back with his own feet set firm into creaking floorboards. Her wild eyes stare at the door towards me, as she struggles to free herself and escape.

The butler, giving up any pretence of respect, tosses her back into the room. While she panics at the sight of me through the open door, he manages to bundle her up in proper clothes, throwing her out at us before she can try again for the window.

“It wasn’t me! Forgive me! Please don’t kill me!” She screams, lying her entire body flat on the floor. If she was human, she’d be pressing her nose into the ground hard enough to break it.

“Stand up.” I say, releasing a long sigh. Someone will pay, but it seems that she may not be involved. You don’t sleep fitfully in your bed when assassins are failing to kill your guest. You also don’t leap for the window as your first escape plan, when the guest comes knocking on your door minutes later.

“You have a lounge room? Somewhere we can relax, and have pleasant conversation?”

“Right over here!” She squeals throwing herself up in one fluid movement and striding down the hall. A set of guards awkwardly stand to the side, pretending like they’re not there.

“Guards, go check for assassins or something!” She squeals, looking nervously back at me. “If any killers come to interrupt us, then you’d better be lying dead!”

“Yes, ma’am!” The guards salute, rushing off down the hall. Though, they do not look like they’re trying to cover up the assassination. If anything, it feels like they’re going to get out of sight and hide when we’re not looking. They do not seem the most formidable or reliable sort.

The tearoom that she brings us to has a warm teapot at the ready and a handy assistant much more together than any of the guards, but it’s the alcohol closet that the leader of this town runs for, taking a swig right from the bottle. Grenwitch, the lord here, is pushing in at her side for a taste of his own.

“Ah, let me serve.” Korgan says, squeezing in beside them and getting some tools and bottles. While the tea maid gazes at them in disgust, serving up some drinks for the rest of us.

“Thanks.” I say, taking a seat with Nel as my guards stand at the ready around the room. If the assassins weren’t planned by these pair of fools, then who set this up and why?

Who wants me and Nel dead? I barely know anyone here?

It seems a perfect set up to instigate a war for that matter. Considering how we’ve come out unharmed, it’s actually a great excuse for me to declare war and roll on through this cavern, which… is surprisingly tempting.

“I didn’t do anything.” The frightened insect says, taking a seat with two bottles in hand.

“Let’s start with introductions, shall we?” I say, “I’m Empress Kyra.”

Empress Baker really doesn’t roll off the tongue, and it feels pleasantly casual to be referred to with my first name. That and I haven’t yet sorted out titles as I perhaps should have. If I keep this up, I might just be the Black-tree.

“I’m Irulei.” The name has a few more clicks and hisses to it, but Irulei is close enough. “I’m the leader of our town. A baron, technically.”

“I’m Grenwitch, lord of this cavern.” The short fungal man says. “I’ll observe to ensure your relationships do not upset Frey’s rules.”

“It’s fine.” I say, shrugging him off. “She’s watching, alongside Arduelle. Frey’s a little more shy, out of the two though so don’t expect her to show up.”

“A-as you say.” The lord says, shaking a little as he sinks deeper into his chair, swigging at the bottle.

“So, you know nothing about the assassins?” I ask, looking between the two and up at the butler who’s followed us rather nervously. The group freeze under my gaze, and shiver as they reply with an overwhelming wave of desperate denial. They speak over one another, each one a master of communicating with a translator, but desperate, tired, and trying not to die.

“Enough!” I shout, quieting them. “Do you have any idea of who might be responsible?”

They remain quiet, looking around nervously.

If they’re too quick to point the finger, it could easily make them look suspicious themselves. If they had a good idea, or any evidence, then I think they’d still be bursting out with it.

Or they could be the ones responsible and lying through their teeth, but that would be inciting a war that could easily leave them both dead.

No, this reeks of a set-up.

“So, what about the trade nonsense? Why have you suddenly decided to be difficult?” I ask. Nel listens closely, no doubt coming up with her own thoughts on this. I’ll have to confer with her later.

“Eh, ah, we were told to do it.” Irulei says, her head still bowed low over her skinny body of bone thin limbs. “I’m barely even a lowly baron, I have to do what I’m told by the high nobles and royals. They were both in agreement about you, both factions want you gone.”

“So, they were the ones to send the assassins?” I ask.

“No… I mean, probably not.” Irulei says, sounding a little more uncertain. “It’s not how things usually work.”

No one contradicts her so we move on.

“So why are they so bothered by me?”

“You’re a warlord who has suddenly risen to power.” Irulei says, shrugging. “Practically a… I mean, they say that you’re like an omega beast. A creature that will destroy and consume until you’re eventually killed…”

“That sounds… reasonable.” I say, letting out a long sigh. “I suppose it makes sense from their perspective. That doesn’t forgive the assassins, however.”

“No, it doesn’t.” Irulei agrees, nodding slowly.

“I hope you’re not going to interfere in my search for justice.” I say. “I haven’t gotten so far by ignoring threats, and I won’t be comfortable with neighbours until I can be sure that you’re not going to be attacking my people.”

“I won’t. If I find out anything, I’ll tell you immediately!” She cries, bowing her head low again.

“What about our trade deals?” Nel asks. “Will you revoke your bans?”

“I… I can’t!” She practically squeals. “They’ll kill me! I can’t go against both the royals and the high-nobles! I don’t even think the republic is happy with you.”

“That’s… disagreeable.” Nel’s voice is low and threatening but the pair don’t change their minds. Squirming in their seats. It seems that being our friends would make them enemies that they see as more dangerous than us.

“If you’re leaders are that bad, you can just join us instead.” I suggest lightly. “I’m not going to threaten you into it, not unless we find out you were behind those assassins, but if you have it that bad from your leaders then I’ll accept you in my empire instead. I’ll protect you from them.”

Irulei shakes her head firmly, hiding her face.

The conversation only degrades further from there and I learn nothing more from them. The depressed lord remains quiet nearly the whole while, but I’m sure sending assassins would get him in trouble with Arduelle and Frey, so I’m sure he’s fine.

“It’s possible the assassins were sent by the high nobles, or the royals. Failing that, the republic perhaps wants to incite war between us and the monarchy.” Nel says as we exit the room, well-guarded by our slayer team, though Shy has run off somewhere to investigate.

“Republic? Monarchy?” I ask, rubbing at my head.

“The two greater factions down here, most cities are associated with one of the two groups. This is a barony of the Arch monarchy, and they are a powerful, expansive group.”

“If that’s the case, just killing them would be…” I say, looking around and rubbing at my head.

“Yes, it would be… difficult. You might have the power to kill them, you might not, but manoeuvring you into position would be very difficult. If this turns to war, it’s going to be long and violent.”

“So, we should ignore the fact that they sent assassins after us?” I ask.

“No, we remember, hold a grudge, and deal with them when it’s most reasonable.” She replies. “You grow stronger, faster than should be possible, faster than anyone. The longer peace lasts, the smaller the gap between you and them.”

“I don’t like it.” I say, my chest heavy as I think of distant enemies sending killers after my lovers.

“Good, you shouldn’t.” Nel says. “We still need to confirm where the assassins came from, but we cannot afford to be reckless.”

“Got it.” I say, sighing.

“For now, let’s enjoy our time here.” Nel says. “A business trip it might be, but that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy ourselves.”

“That sounds…”

“Kyra, listen.” Shy interrupts my thoughts, leaning against a door somewhere in town.

I can hear Leon’s voice through the message she sends, and through her perception I can see a wide room where the man is resting on his bed. There’s no one with him, but he’s facing his shadow and talking as if in conversation.

“She’s dangerous, I know.” Leon says, staring at the shadow, his back to us. “We can’t let her have her way, unless you think more war and bloodshed will make things better. We have to stop her here.”

The shadow shifts around before his gaze.

“No, we need to be sure. We just need to wait and listen. We’ll find out soon enough, but I’m worried that it won’t be enough.”

It seems we have a new suspect.

“Sorry, Nel. We have something to do instead.” I say, and she lets out a long, resigned sigh.

“Let’s finish this quickly, shall we?”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Skills & Stats

~Mana Form:

Current mana density: 18590 units

~Mana distribution:

Category Current Max. Defence 20% 100% Offense 20% 100% Mana Sense 20% 100% Recovery 20% 100% Gluttony 10% 100% Misc. 10% 100% Efficiency 100% 100%

~Favourited Skills:

-Tag and Film

-Trapping

-Stealth

-Mana surge movement

-Annihilation defence

-Annihilation flame burst

-Annihilation net

-Eyes of an Empire

Adaptions:

-Quick perception mind

-Annihilation Heart

-Clean bowels