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The city of Alexia is one of the major social, economic, and religious hub in the Empire controlled regions of Ashfeld, far to the east of Mount Ignis. The streets are often bustling with people looking to either buy, sell, or trade in various stocks. The harbors are always filled with ships carrying cargo from every region. The market district is the most crowded, people packed together as they shuffle from the many cramped stalls to buy their necessary items, the calls of people and animals blurring together into a deafening orchestra of life. Here, a person can find almost anything they want: exotic spices from the Mire, rare gemstones from the mines of Ashfeld, vintage alcohol from Valkenheim; if it can be sold for a profit it can be found in the market district.
Unfortunately, that includes slaves. The city is home to multiple slave dealerships. Some are smaller and privately owned, others are run by the larger merchant companies. Slaves are a common sight in Alexia, in the Empire in general. Ranging from adults to children, male and female, and even Monsters. That is where Valeria Anita is now, well not quite. She is current standing in an alley across from one of the more lucrative slave dealerships. She has been here for an hour, dressed in a dirty cloak she pulled from a waste bin. Slumped against the wall of building, she is waiting for her contact.
For the past six months, a high ranking official in the Empire's military has been requesting many strange materials from the far reaches of the Empire's territory. Large amounts of raw metals, magical stones, and slaves; specifically, Monster girls. Valeria managed to break into the bank office that has been managing the financial exchanges. Surprisingly, there was very little to find, only that much of the materials were being shipped into the city harbor without a final destination. However, the slaves were being bought from a local dealership where she is now waiting.
Valeria's eyes perk open as she hears the sound of a door opening. Very slowly, she turns her head just enough so that she can see out of the hood of her cloak. Coming towards the alley is a young man by the name of Markus. He works inside the dealership, cleaning the 'private rooms' in the dealership. Luckily for Valeria, Markus does not get paid enough for cleaning up the leftovers of the clients' interactions with the 'merchandise'. As he passes her, she looks up at him and reaches out her hand, trembling as she does so. Markus recognizes the gesture and takes something out of his coin purse before handing it to her. In exchange, she gives him a small wooden totem she had bought in the market, along with a small pouch of five gold coins. He nods, thankful for the 'gift' and leaves, their partnership ending. Valeria waits five minutes to pass before getting up from her spot against the wall and proceeding down the street.
She tucks the item Markus gave her, a small piece of folded fabric, into her coin pouch under her cloak. She makes her way down the lesser populated street, doing her best to appear as if she is a weak beggar, her movements slow and jerking. However, while the majority of the occupants of the street accept her act and pay her no mind, she becomes aware of a select few who don't. There are four of them, all wearing hoods, and they are keeping their distance and yet making it very obvious to the trained eye of a peacekeeper that they are following her. Either they do not know who she is, or they think they have no reason to worry.
Wanting to avoid the confrontation, Valeria takes a turn down another side alley, abandoning the feigned shuffling and now settling for a smooth and yet brisk pace. By the time the group reaches the turn she has already rounding the next corner. The street she enters is more populated and louder, but she manages to hear the hastened footsteps of her pursuers from the alley. She quickens her pace to a brisk walk as she weaves her way through the traffic. She makes her way down the street two more blocks before taking another alley and proceeding the opposite direction on the next street over. She repeats this two more times, varying the distance she walks along the streets before turning. She turns down another alley, ready to disappear into the next street as it would be the main road leading into the market district, being one of the most populated roads in the city.
Just as she makes the turn, she is faced with two of her pursuers, the two of them standing side by side on the opposite end of the alley, blocking her escape. She looks down the street to see another coming towards her before she looks up the street, seeing the final one. She sighs, realizing that conflict won't be avoided today. She steps into the alley, her steps slow and methodical. The two at the opposite end start walking towards her, and she hears the other two follow a few paces behind her as they enter the alley. When she reaches the middle of the alley she stops, her pursuers doing the same a few paces away.
"So, how shall we do this?" Valeria asks, staying still as the four of them eye her. They answer her question by drawing weapons: the two in front of her draw a gladius from their belts. She hears the sound of blades being drawn from behind her and assumes that the two at her back have done the same. Well, that answers that. One of the two in front of her approaches, his steps confident and even. Instead of raising his sword, he draws back his fist to strike her. Her lips curl ever so slightly under the cloaks hood.
As the man throws his punch, she leans inward and sways, letting the punch fly over her right shoulder. As she closes the distance, she plunges her short sword into his chest, piercing his lung, his only response being short gasp of pain. From the lack of resistance, she is happy to find that he isn't wearing armor over his torso. She twirls around the body of the first attacker, pulling her sword free and letting the man fall to the ground behind her. The remaining three step back, their weapons raised towards her now. The man in front of her can't keep his eyes off the now visible blade as blood drips from it.
The three stand in silence for a moment, waiting for someone to take initiative. Valeria won't make the first move, like a spider, she lays her trap and waits. One of them will move to attack and she will counter. She hears an intake of breath from behind her and she twirls again, the blade of a gladius gliding inches away from her back. As she twists to face him her sword thrusts forward, piercing his throat. The other two attack simultaneously in response to their other comrade being wounded, just as she predicted. She pulls her sword free, letting the man fall as blood begins to spurt from his neck, and parries a stroke from the man beside him. She is aware of the man behind her as his blade comes at her in an upward thrust. Instead of parrying she uses the cloak, letting the blade pierce it before she wraps the weapon in the thick cloth. She then pulls the attacker forward and twirls past him, letting the cloak be pulled with him, revealing herself.
She is dressed in the light, leather armor of the Iron Legion's peacekeepers, her clothing completely black save for the dark brown leather. Unlike most peacekeepers she does not wear a helm under her hood, her face only covered by cloth. Her belt is decorated with multiple throwing knives, two smoke bombs, and the one-handed, collapsible crossbow and bolts hanging from the back. She also draws a wide bladed dagger from her belt, displaying both weapons for the two remaining attackers. They look at her now, realizing the error they had made by attack her in their previous state. They should have been in full armor, with better weapons, and at least double their original number.
"Well," Valeria says expectantly, one of her brows raised at her attackers. They look at each and then back to her. The one with the wrapped weapon frees his gladius before approaching, doing his best to hind his fear, but she can still see it. His companion follows behind him before coming to walk beside him. One swings and the other follows shortly after. She parries one blade and then the other in a flash of steel. Before they can recover, she twirls past them, her dagger slicing into the side of one of them. They gasp in pain as blood starts to poor from the wound, but they ignore it before turning to face her again. The three of them do this a few times, Valeria parrying and dodging their attacks while her dagger leaves them with multiple bleeding wounds. One of them has lost too much blood to think rationally as he continues to lash out at her with stumbling attacks. The other, however, realizes the situation and turns to run.
Valeria twirls past the stumbling attacker, her dagger whipping from her hand and twirling the distance between them before burying itself into the fleeing man's black. He falls to the ground in a heap. She smiles, happy with the throw. As she turns back around, she is met with a shocking blow from the remaining attacker. The punch is weak but enough to stun her, blood starting to drip from her nose as her eyes start to water. She looks up at the attacker, his dazed smile enraging her. Her vision darkening, she draws her crossbow from her belt. She doesn't even have to take time to properly aim at this distance as she raises the weapon. She pulls the trigger, the arms of the bow springing forward, carrying the bolt with them as the string is pulled taught. The bolt buries itself between his eyes and he falls among his comrades.
Valeria curses as she regains her footing, returning the crossbow to its holster. She let herself become overconfident. Sloppy, sloppy, sloppy! A peacekeeper should never lose sight of her mission. Her work is just that: work. Not something to take pride in but something to complete with no missteps. With an irritated grunt, she jerks her dagger from the attackers back before returning it to its sheath.
Several hours later…
After finishing off the attackers, Valeria had searched their bodies quickly, hoping to find any form of information of them. She found none. Further irritated, she proceeded to scale one of the buildings making up the alley. While in Alexia there is no law prohibiting civilians from carrying weapons, her attire would easily be recognized as a peacekeeper, which could lead to someone approaching her, which would most definitely lead to her identity being discovered. So, she ran along the roof tops, bounding, jumping, sliding and swinging along the stone jungle that was Alexia. A few people saw her as she made her way, but her figure was too much of a blur for anyone to make out.
She managed to make her way to her most recent hideout: an abandoned church of the Order in the outskirts of the city that have become what is called the Slums. It is old, run down, and was previously haunted. The ghost of a priestess haunted the place for some time, the soul becoming infected by the Demonic Energy let off by some of the Monster girls in the surrounding area.
The Slums are home to every form of lowlife: thieves, thugs, drug peddlers, loan sharks, etc. It also serves as the best place for cheap prostitution, which is mostly provided by Monster girls. The ghost had been an issue when she first arrived, but Valeria had been lucky. The ghost had only been created by the left-over Demonic Energy from the surrounding area, making her easily exercised with a quick bout and a purifying charm. Now, the church serves as a good hiding place for Valeria during the day, most people avoiding the place out of superstition.
Valeria lights a candle, the light filling the dark cellar of the church, allowing Valeria to see the cloth that she had received earlier in the day. She unfolded the dingy cloth meticulously, not wanting to damage any kind of information it may hold. Once it was open to her inspection, two words were written on the inside in charcoal: Remus Trollope. Valeria nods, understanding the message from Markus. When she approached him, she wanted him to listen and find out who the slaves were going to, and now she knows. Remus Trollope is the imperial court sorcerer, famous for his mastery of magic as well as his military career, a local celebrity being that Alexia was his childhood home. She had heard that he was in Alexia, supposedly on leave of absence from the capital. Somehow, she doubts the magician is simply blowing his wealth on new slaves every week just for fun.
Two days later…
Valeria crouches low in a group of shrubs as two guards walk along the path that circles Trollope's estate. For the past two days Valeria has been scouting the estate, taking note of guard rotations, their routes, service entrances, etc. During her scouting she took note that two large deliveries were made to the estate: one was a large cart carrying some form of cargo, the second was a group of slaves, all Monster girls. Valeria felt guilty for not helping them, but her mission is to find the reason for all the activity. As a peacekeeper, it is her duty to keep an eye on the Empire and report anything she finds to the Iron Legion, no matter the cost.
Now, she waits for her chance to sneak into the estate and find any information she can about Trollope's involvement. Another group of guards walk by, their outlines highlighted by the single torch between the two of them. As they walk past, Valeria waits for the light of their torch to slip away before leaving her hiding spot. Without making a sound she darts across the dirt path to the high stone wall that surrounds the estate. The wall is covered in vines that have snaked their way high onto the wall, making excellent handholds. She manages to scurry her way up the wall, now able to look down into the estate.
The estate grounds are large, located just outside the city near the beach. The mansion is what one would expect from an imperial court magician: large, extravagant, intricate. The Empire knew how to make some beautiful architecture, but Valeria would never understand why everything had to be so…overzealous. Why does someone need a fountain that stretches half a mile?
Valeria shakes her head as she remembers her task. She manages to climb down the inner side of the wall, watching for any sign of guards roaming the grounds. She notices two groups in the distance but does not worry about them as she makes her way across the court yard. As she makes it closer to the mansion she stops in the shadow of a tree, searching for any way into the mansion. The most obvious one takes the form of the highest window, some three stories high, light flickering from inside. Valeria shrugs, having no better way to enter. She clears the remaining expanse of the courtyard before scurrying up a wall of the mansion.
Valeria makes short time of the climbing before finally making it to the window. It is small but just big enough for her to slip through. She peers inside and her eyes open wide. From the window she can see piles of documents, foreign objects stacked on tables and shelves, as well as what look like schematics covering some sections of walls, all dimly illuminated by a single candle on the opposite side of the room. She waits a few moments, looking for any sign of movement or life. When she is satisfied the room is empty, she pushes the window open and squeezes through. The room is rather large, containing even more documents than she thought, stacked in half-hazard piles on multiple tables, even a few scattered on the floor. She also takes note of the strange metal items amongst them, some looking like the pieces of some strange puzzle while others are so foreign that she has no idea what they could be. As she looks around, she takes an interest in the schematics tacked to the walls. Each one describes some form of device she has never seen before. Each one different and alien to her. She comes to the table nearest to the door, where the lone candle rests. Valeria finds another schematic amongst more piles of documents, depicting some form of staff, the head in the form of a strangely shaped eye. She also notices that the shaft has a trigger, similar to that of a large crossbow. Valeria also notices that the parchment is new, the edges still crisp and sharp. She decides it would be best to take it, rolling it up tight before sliding it into her belt.
Valeria starts to move to the stacks of documents when she becomes aware of a sound, it is low, almost enough to make her think it is her imagination playing tricks on her, but it is there: a repetitive, raspy breathing. Valeria turns to one of the corners of the room where the light does not reach. Valeria focuses and she can just make out something amongst the shadows, a silhouette laying on the floor.
It hurts…Make it stop…I want to go home…I want…I…Want…Men…Pandora tries to clear her thoughts, but it is no use. For less than a week she has been chained to the floor, her hands and feet bound apart so that she is forced into a kneeling position on her hands and knees. They only feed her enough to just keep her alive, and they degrade her every chance their master allows them to, making her lick their cum off the floor like an animal and laugh while she does so. Doing this gives her enough Spirit Energy to survive while making her toe the line of sanity. When their master needs her lucid, he will supply the energy she needs in a cup or a bowl, but only when he needs her.
She had been captured almost a month ago by knights as she was out looking for materials for her experiments. They had surprised her and knocked her out, the next time she awoke she was chained to a bed in the center of a small room. She tried to use magic to free herself, but a magic canceling circle had been drawn around the bed, leaving her at the mercy of whoever paid for her. Every night she was forced to fuck different men, sometimes multiple at once. If she had the choice she would go back, at least there she was fed both food and Spirit Energy on a regular basis.
Pandora hates herself for that, preferring to be used like a cum rag by a bunch of reeking, disgusting bastards that cared so little for her life. But at least she wouldn't be starving and on the verge of madness there. When push comes to shove, a person's survival comes before their vanity and self-respect. Now, she's chained on the floor, inside another magic canceling circle, wishing she could sell her soul for just a scrap of bread. It would not stop her from going rogue, but at least her stomach might stop hurting.
A sound pulls Pandora from her melancholy, her eyes opening just enough to see in the dim light of the candle sitting on the table several feet away. It is a low sound, a quick creek of old metal. It took her a moment to recognize the sound: it was the window of the room opening, the master opens it sometimes while he comes in to work. But she does not remember anyone coming into the room. Just as the thought crosses her mind, she manages to see a figure creep into view, a dark silhouette highlighted by the candle. The figure walks slowly, its steps soundless as it looks around the sparsely lit room. Pandora becomes aware that it is a woman, the candle showing the womanly curve of her torso. She also manages to make out the shape of a short sword on her hip.
Pandora's thoughts start to race, this person could help her. Even if she is just a common thief, she would do anything to be free, Pandora would even sell her body and happily if it would take her from this retched place. She tries to say something, make any form of noise but it is difficult. Along with starving her, they have also neglected her water, her throat is sore and dry to the point that even breathing is uncomfortable. But just then, the figure stops. The hooded frame turns in her direction and Pandora's heart nearly bursts open. Yes! Here! I'm here! The figure starts to step towards her, but before she can come closer the sound of footprints can be heard coming towards the room. No! The figure silently darts out of sight, Pandora's hopes going with her.
Her despair only increases as the door opens up to reveal Anthony, the master's assistant. He is a tall, lanky man with short blonde hair, and her second most hated human on earth. Ever since she was brought here, he has taken quite an interest in degrading her to degrees the other lackies cannot even stomach. Once, he had stood toeing the line of the circle, his cock out and in hand, stroking himself. In her starved state she strained against the chains, trying to reach him so that she could suck him off. When he reached orgasm, he stepped back, his semen puddling just within her reach. She had to strain herself, only able to just desperately lap it up with her tongue. If she ever manages to get a hold of him, she'll be sure to use her teeth while she sucks him for every drop he has.
"Alright, bitch," Anthony says as he walks into the room, his body silhouetted by a candle he is carrying. "The master wants you fed tonight. He expects you to be ready to work and agreeable in the morning." She makes out another object in his other hand: a bowl with what she thinks is bread. He sets the candle down so that her body is illuminated, her skin drawn tight against her bones, eyes sunken. "But first, I want to have some fun with you." Pandora manages to push herself up into the kneeling position, knowing well what he has planned for her.
Valeria eyes the tall man angrily as he unfastens his belt before freeing his erection, the Monster girl pushing herself up in compliance. Valeria can finally make her out, she is a Gremlin, a demonic type of Monster girl. They are known to be highly intelligent and have a natural affinity for magic. While magical, their main focus is actually scientific, their magic serving as a tool to help them invent and build devices of untold genius.
The one before her now is in a completely dilapidated state, her skin drawn tightly on her arms, legs and torso. Her eyes are sunken in to the point that Valeria can make out the features of her skull, and she can see the dark, painful looking scars around her wrists and ankles from her perch in the rafters of the room.
"Come now, bitch. Don't you want my seed? To suck my cock like the little whore you are?" The man strokes himself just out of the gremlin's reach, chiding her vulgarly as she strains against her restraints, stretching herself as far as her body will allow with her mouth opened wide and tongue extended. She whimpers and grunts pitiful, desperate for his Energy.
Valeria's first instinct is to kill the bastard, but she comes to a better alternative. She snakes here way along the rafters of the room, the man too enamored with the gremlin to notice as she slowly lowers herself down to the floor behind him. In a quick, fluid motion, Valeria captures the man in a head lock, her arm squeezing around his throat. She drags him backwards as he starts to kick and struggle, her arm stopping him from calling for help. She focuses on his breathing, her hold becoming tighter and tighter in time with his exhaling. Within seconds the bastard is unconscious. Now, let's see how you like being at someone else's mercy. Valeria drags the man back towards the gremlin, the girl still straining against her chains. Valeria would like to free her and escape but she refrains, recognizing that in her current state she could very well attack her as well. Cautiously, she pushes the man's lower body into the circle so that the gremlin can reach him without straining. She wastes no time before attacking his member, her mouth and hands working him back into an erection.
Pandora's heart explodes as the stranger pushes Anthony's unconscious body towards her, grateful for the unexpected kindness. When she can manage to get her hands on him, she pulls him closer and captures his cock in her hands, quickly massaging him back to an erection. She captures him in her mouth, sucking him ravenously while her hands massage his sac. If she were sane, she would make it hurt for all the degrading he has put her through, but she is starved of energy and she wants it now.
As she works her mouth, her Demonic Energy starts to seep into him, making him harder despite being incapacitated. It does not take long before he reaches orgasm, but her Demonic Energy paired with her feverish playing causes him to ejaculate in a continuous stream of semen and Spirit Energy. Pandora can feel her strength returning, as well as her sanity as she continues to drain him; she does not want to admit it, but she cannot deny that she is enjoying the taste of him.
Valeria has seen Monsters copulate with humans before, it was not a spectacle she had much interest in. However, this is the first time she has seen a Monster drain a human in the way the gremlin is doing now. She can tell that the man she is drain is in the midst of an orgasm, his thighs flexing along with the quickened breathing, but she never knew that Monsters could extend an orgasm for two full minutes. She is also aware of the man's physical state quickly deteriorating before her eyes, his body losing muscle tone, his skin becoming colder and tightening around his bones. Consequently, she also notices the gremlin's body improving. Her body is starting to fill out as she works the man's body over. She is a rather attractive girl, despite her unkept state, a small but curvy frame, dark blonde hair, and a pair of small, fur covered ears poking out from the top of her head.
Pandora gives Anthony a few more hard sucks, her lips squeezing his member so tightly that if he were conscious, he would most likely be screaming in pain. She also squeezes his sac with her hands, wanting to work any leftovers from him.
"I don't think you'll get anymore from him." Pandora's eyes open at the unfamiliar voice. She looks up to see the stranger, her covered face illuminated in the candle light. She can only make out a pair of gorgeous blue eyes staring at her.
"What," she asks, her mind still hazy.
"He's dead." She looks down at Anthony, his face nothing more than skin stretched around his skull, eyes sunken in, lips pulled back to show his teeth. Seeing his corpse, despite her hate for him, caused to jump back in revulsion. "Shh" the stranger hisses. Pandora looks at her, noticing her belt and the weapons she is carrying. Pandora does not make a sound as the stranger pulls one of the knives from her belt and approaches. Pandora's heart drops for a moment, until the stranger reaches for the shackles around her wrists. "What's your name," the stranger asks as she uses the slender bladed knife to pick her shackles.
"Pandora." Valeria nods.
"Why are you chained up in here?" Pandora indicates the corpse with a tilt of her chin.
"That bastard's master was forcing me to help him build a weapon. I need to destroy all these documents, they're two dangerous to leave alone." Valeria manages to free her wrists.
"What kind of weapon?" No sooner had Valeria asked, she raises her hand to silence Pandora. She listens just as she is sure she can hear voices echoing from the door. Without a word, she quickly frees Pandora's ankles and helps the gremlin to her feet. "We have to go."
Pandora stumbles as she tries to stand, her legs week from lack of use. With the strangers help, she manages to hobble over the edge of the circle, a feeling of freedom washing over her. She takes the candle that Anthony had brought in with him and holds it up. Channeling her magic into her breathe, she blows towards the candle's flame, creating a stream fire as she aims it at the stacks of documents. The dry parchment ignites quickly, spreading over every stack and schematic. The room is quickly filled with heat and light, which also serves to motivate Pandora to regain her leg strength.
Valeria manages to help Pandora out of the window just as the door of the room opens, a cry of alarm sounding as Valeria jumps through the window. She does not know if she was spotted, but at this point it hardly matters.
As they manage to scale down the walls of the mansion, Valeria can hear multiple cries of alarm and raised voices coming from inside. As they make it down to the garden, Valeria tries to contemplate an escape strategy, being that she had not prepared for a rescue.
"Hey!" Valeria turns towards the cry to see a centurion, in full armor, draw his sword as he starts to charge towards them. So much for that. Valeria draws her sword and dagger, rushing to meet the armored warrior. As the two of them reach each other, the centurion draws his leg up and kicks. Valeria side steps, driving her dagger into his side. He cries out in pain but does not hesitate as he turns to attack her again. His gladius whips out to strike her, but she ducks, letting the blade scrape along the blade of her own sword before driving her dagger into his other side. Before he can attack a third time, Valeria drives her dagger into the side of his throat, frees it, and finishes him off with a swing of her short sword.
Pandora watches in both amazement and horror as she watches the guard's head roll of his shoulders. She already expected her rescuer to be skilled, but it truly drives the reality of it home after seeing her skills in action. Though, her awe is cut short as two more guards round a corner and spot them, along with their two guard dogs.
Valeria turns to see the hounds rushing towards them: large, stocky creatures. Valeria wastes no time as she turns, grabs Pandora around the wrist and rushes towards the farthest wall of the garden. "Can you use magic," Valeria asks in a serious and calm voice.
"I can!"
"I need you to make a way out of here." Pandora's eyes dart around, looking for something she can use. Her magic is not like that of other Monster girls, it works to make order from the disorder that already exists. Other magicians use magic to create or to destroy matter while hers can only manipulate what already exists, and she must have concentration so that her vision can be brought into the physical world. Something that is difficult when being chased by vicious beasts.
Valeria rounds row of pushes, now running along the perimeter wall. She skids to a halt, Pandora almost crashing into her. "Try to make a hole in the wall or some way over it. I'll buy you time." The peacekeeper steps past the flustered gremlin as the two snarling dogs round the corner, barreling towards them. She slides her dagger into the sheath on her belt, replacing it with a throwing knife, which she flicks forward so that it punctures one of the dogs between the eyes. The first beast falls and tumbles into a heap, the second losing no resolve as it rushes past its companion. Valeria tries to repeat the same attack, the knife sinking into the dog's shoulder without so much as a yelp. Valeria curses as the dog lunges for her, its slobbering maw wide open.
Pandora grits her teeth, ignoring the sound of Valeria and the dog fighting. Her arms are raised towards the wall, her magic eroding the mortar between the bricks of the wall away. Once she is sure they are loosened enough, she steps forward, the bricks slowly budging outwards. She repeats this a few more times, her magic creating strain on her body just as much on her mind. Normally this kind of feat would not take her long to complete, nor would it be this tiresome. But, after being confined the way she was, her body has become weaker and unable to perform the way she would have. It would take her a few days to recuperate before she would be back to her former strength. She manages to move the bricks so that a hole big enough for them to slide through to the outside is now open, the bricks floating in midair just outside of the hole.
"Hey!" Valeria looks up at Pandora as she sinks her sword into the dog's throat, the beast finally dying. The beast managed to sink its teeth into her forearm, which she managed to free by slicing it behind the jaw. She then managed to get the dog on its side before stabbing the oaf. Her arm is sore and bleeding, but she believes it is not broke. She sees that Pandora has succeeded in making an escape route, just as more guards and dogs round the far corner past Pandora. Valeria rushes towards the gremlin, taking out one of her smoke bombs from her belt. When she reaches her, Valeria pulls the pin from the bomb, a sharp ticking sound coming for the device. She puts her arm around the Monster girl before slamming the device at her feet, a large cloud of smoke billowing up around them. She then shoves the gremlin forward, through the hole and out of the smoke.
"Close it!" Pandora acts on Valeria's command, her arms swinging inwards, and the bricks of the wall slowly return to their original position. Valeria takes note of where they are: the beach facing wall, a steep hill leading down to the ocean in front of them. Valeria does not stop as she grabs Pandora by the hand and drags her towards down towards the beach.
One hour later…
"You fools!" Remus Trollope slams his hand down on the desk in front of him. The gremlin managed to escape and destroy all his research in the process. Had he not entered the room shortly after the fire had started, he would have possibly lost a portion of his home with it. The fire had been easy for the magician to extinguish, but his work had been destroyed beyond repair.
"I am truly sorry, my lord." Marius, his right hand and captain of his personal guard, bows his head low, the sight of him only making the magician angrier.
"Get out of my sight and find that girl. I want her to see the fruits of our efforts." The centurion nods without looking up as he stands to leave. "Also," the centurion stops. "Take them with you," Remus says, indicating the two individuals watching the exchange. One gives the centurion a wicked smile as she slides her curved dagger into the sheathe on her belt, having just been using it to clean her nails. The other, a masked individual, stands up, always having his gear on and ready should his client need him to.
Valeria waves Pandora into the dark cellar before quickly closing and bolting the door. After escaping the manor, Valeria had pulled Pandora along the beach, making sure that their foot prints would be washed away with the tide. After the manor was well behind them, Valeria stopped at an old olive tree on a hill looking over the beach. Part of being a peacekeeper is being prepared for anything, always staying two steps ahead of every possible threat. In a hole, hollowed up just under the tree, Valeria produced a bundle leather and of wax paper that contained fresh clothes, a full coin purse, and a dagger. She hid multiple of these emergency packages for herself when she first came to Alexia, in places only she would be able to find. She threw the clothes onto the still naked Pandora, a simple cloak and that is a little big on the Monster girl, but it served to hide her identity as they made their way to church.
"I can't see anything," Pandora says, going stock stiff as she is afraid to move around in the pitch darkness of the cellar. Without a word, Valeria pulls a match from her belt and lights a candle on the desk beside her. "Thank you," Pandora says and Valeria nods. She says nothing as she pulls the schematic from her belt and unrolls it on the desk. Pandora approaches the desk, her heart sinking as she sees the depiction. "No!" Pandora's hand darts forward but does not make it close to the parchment as Valeria brings her dagger to the gremlin's throat. The gremlin goes stock-stiff, not knowing if she is safer with this stranger or what.
"What are you doing?" Valeria's question is cold, devoid of any emotion. The peacekeeper was happy to help the girl, she was in desperate need of it. But her mission comes above everything and everyone.
"T-trying to take that back." Pandora's voice is shaken, her body trembling out of fear.
"Why?"
"Because no one should have that kind of power. I wasn't going to let the master have it, I won't let you have it either. So, if you just rescued you me to use me like they did, just kill me now because I won't talk no matter what you do." Pandora is doing her best to be defensive, her face solid as a stone wall. It would be more convincing if her knees were not shaking. Valeria cannot help but find the gremlin's façade endearing. Taking a breath, Valeria lowers her dagger.
"I do not wish to hurt you," Valeria says as she returns the dagger to her hip. Pandora eyes the stranger suspiciously, relief spreading through her as she no longer has a blade pressed to her throat. "But I need to know what this weapon is and why Trollope was building it. And I cannot have you destroying this parchment just yet." Pandora's suspicious look only deepens.
"Why do you need to know?" Valeria pauses. A peacekeeper should never reveal herself until the right time, when her enemy is at their weakest, and while the gremlin is not her enemy she does not know if letting her know anything is too dangerous or not. But looking at the gremlin, her now crystal blue eyes staring into her, it is hard to know exactly what to do.
"I'm a peacekeeper for the Iron Legion." Valeria wants to scream at herself as the words leave her mouth.
"What's a peacekeeper? And what is the Iron Legion?" Valeria does not know whether to be shocked or irritated. Instead, she just explained her role as well as the Iron Legion to the gremlin. "Oh!" she says, now understanding. "So, you're a secret agent?" Valeria does not know how to react to the gremlin's generalization of her title…but…
"Yes, for all intents and purposes." Pandora brings her hands up to her face in awe, her eyes practically glowing with enthusiasm. Valeria does not know how to react to this, especially when she starts attacking the peacekeeper with a tirade of questions. "What kind of gadgets do you use? Do you use poison bombs or darts? Do you make your ownpoisonsordoyouusenaturalones? Doyouhaveanysecretentrancesor-" Pandora's onslaught is cut short as the room is filled with a loud, low growl, causing Pandora to drop to the floor, her arms going around her stomach and her face turning a deep shade of red.
"I take it you are hungry?" Pandora answers with a nod, not looking up at the peacekeeper out of embarrassment. "Well, come to the table," Valeria says, indicating the small dining table on the other side of the room. Valeria produces a small feast for the two of them: bread, cheese, salted pork, and olives. It is not the best, but peacekeepers are trained to live off of far less than this. Though, from the way Pandora begins to scarf down the food, Valeria begins to worry she does not have enough. Pandora quickly becomes aware of Valeria staring and then realizes that she is eating like an animal, her face becoming red again.
"S-sorry," the gremlin says.
"It is fine. Eat." Valeria says, sitting across from her. "I'm surprised you're still so hungry. After draining that man, I thought you would be full for a while."
"Gremlins aren't like that." Valeria raises an eyebrow at that, and Pandora notices. "We gremlins are considered demonic Monster girls, but we're actually closer to beast-men. We still have to eat food to survive. The only reason we are considered demonic is because of our control of magic and Demonic Energy." Valeria nods, committing it to memory. Any books she had read about gremlins had always described them as demonic, much like succubae and the others that can survive on Spirit Energy alone. She would have to make sure that is added to the records in her next report to the Legion.
Pandora does not say much else for a long moment until she realizes something strange. "Would you like some?" Pandora waves her hand to the collection of food she has yet to touch. "I feel rude being the only one to eat." Valeria just shakes her head.
"You are not being rude. Eat as much as you like. I am fine." Pandora frowns.
"Well, it just feels awkward. You've already done a lot for me and I don't even know your name. Let alone seen your face." The peacekeeper has yet to remove her face covering, leaving only her eyes and a few strands of hair hanging from under her hood. Valeria hesitates, giving her personal information is considered dangerous for her profession. Everything could be used as a weakness, everything could serve the enemy as an advantage.
"My name is Valeria," the words passing over her lips before she can even stop herself. In her mind she is throttling herself, for some reason she cannot fathom this little slip of girl negates all her teachings and self-restraint. As if this gremlin has some secret key to any secret of Valeria's. Pandora answers the declaration with a soft smile, her ears jolting up from the top of her head.
"Nice to meet you, Valeria." The peacekeeper has to take a slow, deep breath after that. What just happened, the peacekeeper thinks to herself. Just hearing her name on Pandora's lips is almost enough to send heat all over her body. She has heard of Monster girls that could do such things, seduce humans with nothing more than a whisper of their name, but she doesn't believe that is the case. But then what? It is at this moment that Valeria becomes aware of the smell of smoke.
"We have to go," Valeria says jumping from her chair and dashing across the room.
"Wha'? What's r'oing on?" Pandora manages to swallow another bite of food as she gets up from the table, only then does she smell it too. She looks to the door of the cellar and notices that smoke is slowly rising from under it, her heart sinking into her stomach.
"We've been found. They've set the church on fire, trying to smoke us out." Valeria is speaking calmly, but her mind is racing as she collects the necessary items: the schematic, the collection of emergency funds, her weapons-care kit, and everything else she will need for a battle. She throws what items she can carry into a pack and slings it over her shoulder before approaching one of the bare walls of the cellar.
"What do we do?" Pandora's voice is starting to become frantic, until Pandora lays her foot into the bricks of the wall, the stones crumbling and falling under her strikes. When she's done, there is a large hole in the stone, showing a tunnel that leads into oblivion. Pandora's face lights up with hope. "I knew you had some kind of escape route." Valeria says nothing as she takes Pandora's hand and leads her into the tunnel. "What is that smell?" Pandora covers her nose and mouth with her sleeve as putrid air drifts through the tunnel.
"This tunnel leads to the sewers. Try not to breathe too deeply," Valeria says as she leads Pandora through the cramped tunnel and into the sewers. It is dark, not even a flicker of light can be seen, the only indication of their surroundings being the sound of water flowing as well as the smell of waste. However, Valeria has walked this path so many times that she can do so without needing her eyes. In fact, she could probably navigate a majority of the sewers beneath the Slums on memory alone.
Pandora does her best to follow Valeria through the darkness, her eyes watering from the rancid air. She guessed that Valeria has committed her escape rout to memory, finding her skill as a secret agent amazing. She had read spy novels while growing up, finding the secret, mysterious life style fascinating. Though, she always put it down as fantasy and nothing more. After what seems like forever, Pandora becomes aware of an increase in her visibility, able to just make out Valeria's outline against the darkness. Finally, though, she sees the source of the light as Valeria rounds another corner. The sewers end in a large circular hole that empties into a large ditch just outside the city, the smell burning her nostrils to the point of tears. Seeming to be unaffected, Valeria climbs along the outside of the hole before pulling herself upwards and out of sight, until she lowers her hand down to Pandora.
After pulling Pandora to the top of the sewer tunnel, the two scurry up the steep hill that reveals that they are just outside of the slums, a plume of smoke rising in the distance where Valeria's hideout is burning. "We need to move. We need to find a secure location away from the city." Valeria says, cursing herself. She has multiple other safehouses throughout the city, but she never thought she would be this far outside. Not only that, but if the managed to find her at the church, they would most likely find her at any of the others, too.
"I know somewhere," Pandora says. "My home is not too far-" before she can finish her sentence, Valeria moves as a blur and shoves her to one side, short sword in hand as she blocks the blade of hatchet. A sound like a feral cat sounds as Valeria steps back to avoid the slash of a knife. She manages to identify her attacker in the moonlight, though the person's presence confuses her. The attacker is a women, about the same height as Valeria herself, but her body is more muscular. She wears light, leather armor, animal pelts and bones decorating it. Her face is uncovered, showing a devilish smile with a pair of eyes that shine with madness.
Valeria draws her dagger and drops into her fighting stance. She has no idea why a Viking shaman is before her, but it is of no importance. It is not the first time she has faced one, having fought against raids in the early days of her career. The shaman giggles, sounding more like a growl, before she lunges again with her hatched raised. Valeria steps aside as the hatchet comes down, her dagger lashing out for the shaman's side. As if expecting this, the shaman twirls, dodging the dagger and bring her hatchet around. The two continue this dance of parries, strikes and swings for several more minutes. Valeria manages to land a few minor wounds, the shaman doing the same. However, unlike Valeria, the shaman only seems to laugh her wounds off, even seeming to become more vicious the more she bleeds. The shaman's hatchet whips around again and Valeria lets it skid across the blade before driving her dagger into the shaman's side again. The blade sinks in to the hilt, causing the shaman to cry out. At least, that is what Valeria thinks at first. As it turns out, the shaman actually laughs before her own dagger sinks into Valeria's shoulder.
Valeria screams as the jagged blade cuts deep. She jerks away, bringing her own dagger with her. She tries to put distance between them, but the shaman does not relent. She sheathes both her weapons before dropping down like an animal. She snarls before leaping at Valeria, her mouth open wide. Valeria roles under her, the shaman soaring over her to land and turn like a wild cat before leaping again. Valeria drops a smoke bomb, the shaman yelling in surprise as she falls to the ground, coughing as the smoke fills her longs.
Valeria emerges from the smoke where Pandora had been. She sees the gremlin in the clearing, her face show relief as Valeria runs towards her. "Come!" Valeria waists no time as she grabs Pandora by the hand and pulls her back towards the hill. She runs along the hill top where it becomes a sheer cliff, a lazily rolling river beneath them. Valeria leads her into the tree line, hoping to lose the shaman in the dark woods. She knows that shamans are expert trackers, but peacekeepers are the best at covering their tracks.
"Don't stop," Valeria says as she leads Pandora through the darkened woods, shoving her way through the foliage. Pandora does her best to keep up with Valeria, but in her weakened state it is difficult. However, the gremlin sighs with relief when the peacekeeper finally comes to a stop, until she sees the reason for their halt. A few feet in front of them another figure stands, dressed in leather armor, his face and one eye covered. He is carrying multiple weapons that she can see even in the dim moonlight, the most prominent are the pair of sickles he is holding. The figure gives no reaction as the two of them stare at him.
"Lord Trollope wishes for the girl to be returned." Valeria arches a brow in surprise. She had only heard stories of the shinobi of the Mire. Tales of a secret organization and assassins that could turn invisible, she had thought them to be nothing but superstition. Valeria puts those thoughts away as she draws her weapons again, ready to fight despite her wounds. Pandora takes a few steps back, not knowing what to expect. The shinobi sighs audibly as he takes a fighting stance. One sickle he raises in front of him while the other he drops. Valeria watches in confusion as the second sickle falls from the shinobi's grasp, the chain ringing as he catches it before swinging the sickle behind him.
She waits expectantly, prepared for any kind of trickery from the assassin. Just when she is sure he will let the swinging chain fly, he pulls the sickle back to his grasp before darting forward. She rushes to meet him, her sword raised to strike, but before she can meet him, a cloud of smoke explodes in front of her. She stops, looking for the shinobi who has disappeared from sight. His presence is quickly reaffirmed as he lands a roundhouse kick to her jaw from the side. She reels from the attack, realizing his method. She only has enough time to react as his sickles come down on her, her sword catching them before they can find her body. She lashes out with her dagger, but the shinobi is too quick, darting out to avoid the blade only to return with his sickles. The ringing of blades clashing fills the darkness around them, their weapons shining in the moonlight as they continue their warriors' play. The shinobi's sickles are quick and razor sharp, slicing through the openings in her armor before dashing out of her reach only to return from another angle. Valeria manages to land a few hits of her own, but not enough to overly weaken him.
The shinobi stands a few feet away from her now, his stance as sturdy as it was when they began. Valeria, on the other hand, is panting, blood dripping from the multiple wounds all over her body. She has started to shiver, her legs becoming unstable, she wonders if this is some form of vengeance for her past enemies who would find themselves in a similar state while fighting her before she finished them off.
"Your skills are impressive, but this fight is over. Surrender, and I shall let you leave in peace. There is no reason for you to die here," the shinobi's words seem sincere. She is disgusted with herself, but the thought actually sounds reasonable. However, even in her current state she does not forget her role or her purpose. She raises her weapons at her side, the sword and dagger feeling so heavy that she lets them drop from her grasp. She does not wait to see if the shinobi's stance softens or not, using the last shreds of her strength to whip her hand behind her and draw her crossbow. She lets off a single bolt, her vision clearing out of sheer concentration. The bolt flies perfectly, but the shinobi is quick enough to twirl past the bolt without hesitation, what is revealed of his face only showing annoyance.
"Hægur dauði!" Valeria only has enough time to turn at the feral language to see the shaman lunge for her. She raises her cross bow but is not quick enough as the Viking woman slams into her, pinning her to the ground as she looks down at her with hungry eyes. She had heard stories of the shamans' cannibalism; even among the Vikings it was rare to see one travel with raiding parties as even their own clansmen feared them. The shaman on top of her is staring at her now, her lips dripping with saliva. "Spirits call for you," she says in a growl, her face twisted in a sinister smile. She rips Valeria's mask and hood off, exposing her face, hair and neck.
"You should have taken my offer," she hears the shinobi say as he starts to walk towards them. The shaman raises up, her eyes rolling in the back of her head, her mouth opening wide in some psychotic trance. Just as her jaws plunge for Valeria's neck, Valeria manages to jerk one of her smoke bombs from her belt and lodge it into the shaman's teeth. Her eyes snap forward as she realizes the foreign object in her mouth and pulls back, just enough for Valeria to slam the bomb further into her jaw. When she retracts her hand, she pulls the pin with her. Valeria draws her knees to her chest and laws both heels into the shaman's chest just seconds before the bomb explodes, smoke filling the area as a high peached squealing splits through the night air.
Pandora watches in shock as the psychotic woman explodes, smoke consuming Valeria, the shinobi and the other woman. Seconds later Valeria appears out of the smoke, stumbling in confusion. Pandora rushes to her side and catches her as she starts to collapse. "We need to go," Valeria whispers. Pandora nods and tries to raise the wounded peacekeeper to her feet, only for another figure to emerge from the smoke. Pandora screams as the shinobi dashes towards them, his sickles in hand. Valeria draws one of her throwing knives and swings blindly. Before she can even see the shinobi, his sickles ensnare her arm before slicing through her flesh and bone. She cries out in pain and horror as her falls to the ground and her side. Pandora watches in horror as Valeria falls to one side, clutching at the gushing wound.
"This did not have to end this way," the shinobi says as he raises his sickles again. Her mind working in overdrive, Pandora looks for any kind of weapon, any way she can save Valeria's life. She then notices the throwing knife still clutched by Valeria's severed arm. Focusing her magic, she manages to free the blade, the sliver of metal floating a few inches above the limb. With her focus, she drives the blade upwards into the shinobi's shoulder before forcing the blade to twist into his flesh. The shinobi cries out in pain, reaching to free the blade while it sinks deeper into his flesh. Seizing the opportunity, Pandora lunges forward and slams into the shinobi, nocking him to the ground. Wasting no time, Pandora runs to the still screaming peacekeeper and grabs her by the armor. The gremlin has only one idea for their escape, and it could easily end their deaths.
"Come on, come on," she says, encouraging Valeria to move. Valeria's screaming turns into a harsh growling as she scrambles to her feet, still clutching at her wound. Without thinking or waiting, Pandora assists Valeria to the cliff's edge. "We need to go," Pandora says, her eyes filled with meaning. Valeria nods, understanding. She does not hesitate as she and Pandora let themselves lean over the edge, letting gravity carry them to the river below.
Hello Everyone! I know it has been a while since I updated. Life was kicking me around again. But! I have some time off for the moment and I plan to hit this story hard. This is the complete first have of this chapter so be on the lookout for part two. I hope everyone has been enjoying this chapter so far. Don't forget to leave a review and suggestions if you want.