It was close to midnight when the girl, who had been traveling with Mustapha, stepped out from one of the exiled nobles' castles.
The inns of the capital was packed full and it was said that the king doesn't allow sleeping in the streets, not that she would, so that left her with no other choice than to take room from one of the noble's castles.
It has been a nice experience--slaves clean up after you, food is made and brought to your room--but it is not a life she can sustain. It cost 4 silver coins per month! She is not like the merchants, or the children from well-to-do homes. She came by her wealth by chance, and it can barely be considered wealth. She needs to be careful so that she can have enough when she finally settle on what trade she would go into. Who knows, maybe in a couple of years she can have her own home right here in the capital, or be able to afford to rent a whole castle like some of the merchants are doing.
I bet they don't run out of honey like hers does, she thought. They wouldn't need to go out at almost midnight to find honey from a market that had mostly closed.
She suspected that if she did find it, the traders would take advantage of her desperation and sell at high price. But then she remembered what a servant had told her—human, of course. The Outsiders don't talk to her. They don't talk to any of them.
The servant had said that for awhile after things were turning for the better, everything became expensive. They couldn't afford it without being unreasonable, so the king made a decree that anything sold more than a copper more than it is worth would see the trader pay a 10% tax per copper.
She said many of the traders never came back, but soon they were replaced and those who replaced them, sold at exactly a copper more.
They didn't mind, and the girl tells herself she didn't mind either. She loves it here, and a copper isn't going to ruin it for her.
She turned into a narrow alley, ducking beneath an open window where raucous laughter spilled out. She glanced as she passed. It was the tavern that was mostly frequented by merchants. She noted the beautiful whore on the table, laughing with an older man.
At least she's likely getting paid for it.
She was about to step out into a street when a hand yanked her back, tugging sharply at her cloak. She stumbled and fell, just as three horses thundered past where she would have stood. Heart pounding, she turned to see her savior. It was the blood-thirsty feline, and she was already scaling the wall of the tall building with eerie swiftness onto the roof.
The feline leaped from rooftop to rooftop, moving with reckless abandon toward the grand house on the hill. The knights ignored her as she finally crawled her way into the king's room through the open window.
Her face couldn't show the disappointment she felt on finding the bed empty but it was apparent. There was no one in the room--no. She detected a scent, but it wasn't his, so she turned and left.
┌─────── ♕ ───────┐
I felt like I was going to die at any moment.
Until last night I had never used the [Warp] spell. I didn't know exactly how they work. I knew there were eyes on me so I couldn't afford to give it away yet.
The sudden change of environment was almost disorienting, especially for someone so tired, but I couldn't afford to waste time. I started the incantation again, and to my surprise it worked a second time.
I picked up Ophelia and we sped the rest of the way to Montreal, without even a single rest, and came to Bairro, capital of Montreal, when the next day was already breaking.
There was no way we could approach the walls without the guards on the wall seeing us. We stood at the outskirts watching and the more we stayed, the more the day breaks.
It would be better to just send Ophelia, but I couldn't risk it. I would slow her down, but with me she could at least escape with her life.
We finally joined the throng of people going into the city, many were merchants. All we needed was to get close. It was risky but we were running out of time.
[Blood Arts Activated]
A merchant's lead horseman lurched, face twisting in agony. His hands clawed at his chest, blood foaming from his mouth. He toppled from his saddle, lifeless before he hit the dirt.
The crowd recoiled, gasps rippling through the mass. Merchants yanked reins, horses snorted, and a woman's scream pierced the morning air. People staggered back in fear and confusion, some bolting from the line, others pressing in, trying to see what happened.
Wall guards squinted down, suspicion etched in their faces. Ground guards edged closer, cautious, hands on swords.
They hadn't even reached the body when another guard—part of a second group— had the blood in his heart trapped too. He fell from his horse, and dragged a few feet through the dust.
He didn't die immediately, but it was too much for an ordinary person to go through so he laid there convulsing with blood.
Panic surged. Space cleared around the bodies, merchants shoving past one another, carts tipping in the chaos.
We've gone closer to the city walls with the commotion. 3 guards secured the entrance, though were peering to look over the crowd to see what was going on.
A guard was barking orders at the unruly crowd. I carried Ophelia and flew close to the wall, just above ground, with such speed. A wall guard's head snapped toward the sound of my flight, frowning in confusion.
I activated [Blood Arts] immediately and drained blood from his brain and trapped blood in his heart too. He fell over and at the same time I flew up, skimming the parapet and was about to go down but there were 3 guards chatting lazily.
I slowed down, and halfway through, Ophelia tapped me to let her go, and I did.
It was more than 30 feet.
She dropped with perfect ease towards the guards. The first guard who looked up never got the chance to react. Her spear shattered his head, blood and bone spraying the others. Before they could react properly I used [Blood arts] on one of the two and hurled him against the other heavily, enough to give the fast Ophelia time to retrieve her spear and cleave one's head in two and drove the butt of the spear deep into the neck of the last.
Now we will need to be even faster.
We could hear not so distant voices around, but Ophelia was calm. Not even her breath was rushed.
The noble section of the kingdom must be deep inside, and people are already waking up. I have complicated the mission with actions that I don't even know if they worked or were necessary. Even if they were necessary, the king of Montreal would be a fool to not attach at least 2 knights to each household, and one to the key people working for him at all times.
I already instructed Ophelia if that were to be the case, she should get to as much members of the family as possible. Noble houses are always big, too much for whatever number of knights the king can spare. This means they would likely hire mercenaries. If that is the case, I will find out who they are and wipe out their families. Making it harder for any other person to get involved. I will break this people.
Ophelia held me back as I meant to follow her. She gestured for me to stay here, and I was not quick to argue. I would slow her down and mostly get in her way. She would be busy trying to keep me alive.
"Be as fast as possible" I told her. "Even three would be enough. We are short of time."
And so she left, and I waited.
The sun was already out, and more people were on and about, the issue in the city entrance resolved somehow. I didn't know how long was too much time to wait so I lost my patience in the first hour. I stood there waiting for a good reason that would satisfy me leaving without her. Something I can't handle.
Soon after, the City bells went off. I heard the commotion and the closing of the gate. Footsteps thundered atop the walls.
I immediately pressed myself against the walls as even more ran ontop them.
I felt exposed but I couldn't make it into the nearest buildings without a keen eye seeing me. The situation grew even more intense as I heard the firing of arrows into the city from the walls.
I could hear distant fighting, which meant things have truly gone to shit.
The archers have stopped firing but the fighting went on.
Pressed against the wall, I began moving to get a view of the fight. I came just in time to see a complete blur of movements almost overwhelming Ophelia with relentless attacks from every direction that I couldn't understand how she engaged most of them, but she was clearly at her limits.
This is bad.
Not only is this a direct declaration of war, but I also broke the continent laws by using Outsiders for combat purposes. This would mean penalties as the kings of the continent would deem fit, and I'm already not in good favor with any of them. I will be deposed by a combined force of which only one part of it can take me out.
Ophelia blocked a final blow, the force sending her crashing through a stone pillar, smashing into a wall. She crumpled, face down, motionless.
The person she was fighting was a knight. He stared at her cloaked form for a moment. The skills she used was a dead giveaway, but that has deniability. If they get to her, it will be without doubt.
[Grimoire activated]
Panic set in as the skies grew darker.
The sound of thunder was unnaturally deep, like the call of a great storm. Multiple flashes of lightning were constant in clouds and they made it more scary.
It was exactly like the stories they heard, and many ran for cover. Except for the knight. He merely glanced at the sky, though he activated his shield. The symbol on the shield was that of Montreal. Some sort of lion with wings and a tail covered in spines.
A dead guard—the one with the cleaved head—lurched forward, blade in hand. Gasps rippled through the crowd, a guard stumbling back, his face pale. Archers on the walls froze, arrows nocked but unfired. The corpse's head lolled, gore dripping, feet dragging as if learning to walk. The knight's eyes widened, but he gripped his sword tighter, knuckles white.
Lightning flashed, thunder roaring louder, the corpse's form stark against the storm. It shuffled past the knight, ignoring him.
The knight moved to engage, but suddenly the dead guard stopped and as it turned its dead face to meet the gaze of the knight, a deafening thunderclap shook the atmosphere sending a shiver down his spine.
The corpse turned away, shambling forward. The knight immediately lunged to cut it down, but the corpse darted forward, dodging the arc. It was now very close to the cloaked one arm assassin lying on the ground.
The blade it held fell from its fingers and it bend down and grabbed the assassin.
"You're not leaving with that," the knight growled as the corpse clung on the unconscious assassin tight.
"There is another here!" the knight heard one of the archers on the walls shouted, but he is trained not to be distracted when engaged.
"I shot him, but he is still alive!"
"He is hiding against the wall!"
He heard running on the wall but he was focused on the corpse clinging on to the assassin. He hadn't heard of anything like this before, and he is trying his best not to be overwhelmed with fear. He doesn't know the threat it posed, but he was sure if he can cut it down to pieces it would pose less of a threat.
To his surprise and fear, the corpse feet left the ground and was gliding towards him with force.
He moved two steps back almost in panic, before getting hold of himself. He swung his sword hard as it got close to him. The corpse spun at the last second, not to dodge the attack, but to shield it from the assassin, taking the full damage, that almost split it in half, entrails trailing as it surged toward the old armory near the walls.
Why is it going where the archers have their arrows nocked?
The answer was too obvious and he rushed. He doubt they could be able to fly away unscathed with that many arrows aimed at them, but maybe it didn't care if they live or die? Maybe all they want is to destroy the leads of their crimes.
Just as he was about to turn that corner, he heard all the archers release their shot. When he turned to where their target were, he found it empty, saved for three corpses. The one he had engaged with, and the corpses of two other guards. They were riddled with arrows but there was no sign of the cloaked assassin.
He stepped into the yard, confused.
"Where is she?!" he shouted to the archers on the walls.
"They disappeared!" one yelled back. "It was a witch!"
The rumblings had stopped, the skies were now clearing. The arrows on the ground did not match the numbers on the wall.