Riqre'ma Medaale opened his eyes as Siti`medaale snuck out of his room.
He sighed as he waited for his [Information Gatherer] to enter and report to him. It was a shame his highest level [Rouge] was a man. If one must have [Slaves], it was best if they were pleasing to the eye. At least he was a Stitchfolk. Perhaps one day he'd come across a female who had a useful [Class] along those same lines.
...And that she'd choose to love him.
He half paid attention as the man gave him the report. Siti`medaale wandered the mansion at night, but most of the time spent it inside of Laila's room.
That was interesting.
He still wondered about the reason behind some of the creature's actions - if 'reason' could be applied to a mass of sapient magical power. It clearly enjoyed fighting and killing, as all of its kind did. It also took pleasure from eating its fallen foes.
Could it have a 'devouring' aspect?
Maybe?
It didn't seem to get any stronger when it ate. Nor did it get weaker when he denied it food - or people. As far as he could tell, it simply enjoyed the... flavor. It would eat other things when commanded to, but the disgust on its face was poorly hidden.
That was fine. It was more than fine, really. Riqre had plenty of [Slaves] to feed it. Less, due to it not enjoying eating Stringfolk, but that might be for the best.
He wondered what would happen if Djinni could level. It was good and proper that they couldn't, otherwise stopping their threat and protecting the world would've been a far more daunting task for ancient Roshal. Still... he wondered.
A [Carrion Eater] Djinni? Imagine its power. Its ferocity. The sheer terror it could inflict on a battlefield.
...Not that Djinni could be deployed as weapons. Not according to 'international law'.
Pft.
It was just another shackle that mighty Roshal had allowed. An offering to appease its political enemies. Let them think that Djinni were not to be used in that way. Let them forget the might that Roshal had. It was better to be powerful and hidden than it was to let others have easy knowledge of your strengths.
Bah.
He shouldn't waste time on such a pointless idle fantasy. The important thing was that there were things that Siti`medaale enjoyed doing. Things that he could reward it with when it obeyed. Things that he could take away from it when it showed displeasure in serving him.
Things that were less damaging than magicore.
He was still hesitant about using his ultimate punishment against the creature. It was the biggest stick he had, but he'd never had heard any tales about what would happen when a newly formed Djinni had been forced to drink it.
The substance would drain their magic - and with it, their minds.
It was one thing to punish a century old Djinni, they had far more memories than they needed. Plus, the odds of them forgetting anything truly important were low.
That was the biggest limitation. There was no widely known way to target what memories a Djinni had with a specific section of magic. If there was, then there would be sooo many more options. As it was, they still felt the loss. It was only a punishment for creatures that were notoriously hard to discipline.
Siti`medaale... was younger than he was. It could lose trifling things, or it could lose details of its training - which would be more work to teach it again. Worst, it could lose the ability to understand some words or something else equally vital to being a good slave.
No.
He couldn't risk that.
Unless...
There were some infractions so serious that he wouldn't have a choice.
Eh, he was worrying for nothing. He still had levers to pull. He could take away its food. He could restrict its exploration. He could bar it from seeing Laila during the night.
There were still ample ways for him to slowly mold it into being his creation.
Sibby had gone back and immediately told Riqre about the assassin.
...Or, at least, her traitorous body had tried. She, being so talented and smart, had stopped her vocal chords from vibrating. Obviously. Her body could walk and try to relay information, but it was useless.
Plus, the soon-to-be-dead man had been asleep.
Hah!
Talking, or trying to, was still annoying. The breathing in. The shaping of her mouth and tongue. The exhaling... It was all so pointless and demeaning.
Later, Riqre had woken up. She'd followed him and tried to get into position again. If she could angle herself juuuuuust right as he walked down the stairs, then she could remove the friction on the ground and fall through him.
Not on top of him. Through him.
She couldn't attack him. Every time she tried, her arms refused to obey. She couldn't even press herself up against him. It was like her body knew what she could do with physical contact, and prevented any such attempts!
Once again, she had gotten into position only for her body to jerk back and avoid putting her (its) foot down. She removed the friction under her other foot, but she was too far up the stairs. She didn't fall down them, she just fell to the side.
Riqre, the reprieved, glanced back at her. He, of course, didn't come to help her, but he'd at least stopped telling her to 'stand up' or to 'stop that'. Instead he just shook his head and continued walking.
Sibby's body stood up and followed him.
She considered simply disintegrating EVERYTHING that she touched. That would show him.
...Except there were a few problems with that.
She didn't particularly want to fall endlessly through the Earth. (Or whatever planet this was.) It was a ball, right? She'd eventually come out the other side.
Hmmm... except gravity got stronger the deeper she went. Well, that was no issue. She'd just ignore it!
Meh. That still seemed incredibly boring. Plus, she couldn't even damage his precious house. The bricks were the same as in the city she'd appeared inside. Trying to strengthen or destroy them made her pop.
Then she'd have to find another way to injure herself so that she could annoy Riqre with her feigned incompetence. She was actually getting pretty good at that. It turned out to be easy to inflict harm on her traitorous body by messing with forces inside of it.
The tricky part was damaging herself enough that it hampered her, but without popping her. She might be incredibly beautiful and strong, but her body was still fragile when compared to her power. Tougher than everyone else, but that was hardly anything to boast about.
Besides, even if she could destroy Riqre's house, it would warn him about what she could REALLY do. One day he might command her to touch him, or to let him touch her. She had to keep secret what such a thing would lead to - his very timely death!
She smiled and snickered to herself as she continued to follow him. That would be so great. She was a patient huntress. She could wait.
Or, she might not have to. That lesser-huntress from the city was here, and was looking to kill Riqre. Apparently. Sibby didn't know why, but then again, why did any hunter need a reason for stalking prey? Just because she was inferior to Sibby, didn't mean that she also didn't hunt proper targets too.
Yeah, it would be worth giving up the killing blow to be done with this whole thing. Let the other woman kill Riqre. Then Sibby could figure out how to force her body to obey. Then she could go and find Kevin.
He was simply taking too long to come to her! So, she'd have to go to him.
Something was wriggling inside of her.
...Or was she wriggling inside of someone else?
She could feel her muscles and tendons. She could feel her heart beating. But... they were so far away. They were no longer inside of her. The steady thump-thump was echoing around her instead of centered in her chest.
Did she even have a chest?
Laila tried to open her eyes. She failed. She had no eyes!
She tried to scream. She failed. She had no mouth!
Darkness imprisoned her.
She was trapped!
She didn't know what was going on!
...Laila woke up.
She was sweating and her heart was racing, but it was where it should be. She placed a hand on her chest and breathed in and out and tried to calm herself.
It had just been a nightmare. That was all. She hadn't been flayed to nothing. She was still herself.
She looked at her rough, hemp fingers.
Well, as much herself as she'd ever been. She was disconnected from her body in a way that most Stringfolk could never experience. As much as her species decried how shallow others were, they somehow looked down on rough-looking hemp more than those that were made of 'real' flesh and blood.
Having new skin sewn on to her every day was starting to take a toll. She felt like she was losing herself.
She wished Sibby was here to brush her hair and hold her tight. The Djinni was surprisingly gentle. Laila had been apprehensive at first - fearful that it was a trap set by Riqre for some ineffable reason. Sibby was a Djinni. She had to obey her Master.
But, over the weeks, the sword had yet to fall.
Where was Sibby anyways? This was the third night in a row that she hadn't shown up outside of her room.
Laila opened her door a little. The halls were quiet and still. No one was moving.
She didn't have a window. Her room was far from the outer walls. It made telling time difficult. Not that she had any great need to know the specific time of day it was. She went with others when they came for her. She walked back to her room when they were done. Day or night. Early or late. She was an object they used when their schedule allowed.
At least it wasn't painful any more.
Laila let out a sigh, and returned to her bed. She wasn't tired. Not really. She could tell that her body needed more rest, but SHE wasn't tired. She only felt... detached. Like her body wasn't hers. That she was simply a passenger inside of it.
She shuddered.
Her nightmare still weighed on her mind. She laid down on her bed and curled into a ball.
She didn't think she'd be able to fall back asleep.
Zehia remembered the first time the Djinni had enveloped her with her magic.
She'd held out her hand, and Zehia had clasped it. A sign of... cooperation. Or, that had been what she'd thought - until the world vanished.
Darkness so profound... that it wasn't black. That would imply that there was a color to see. Instead there was nothing. In every direction there had been nothing - as far as her eyes couldn't see.
She'd also had felt light. Lighter than a feather. Lighter than air. She couldn't feel the weight of her clothes! She couldn't feel any movement. She couldn't feel anything at all... except for the Djinni's hand.
The moment lasted forever.
Or it was over in a flash.
She had little reference for time passing except the beat of her heart, and her breath...
SHE COULDN'T BREATHE!
The Djinni was going to kill her!
She was at-
Zehia blinked.
She and the Djinni were standing beside the inner wall. They were standing beside the inner wall - on the outer edge.
Had the Djinni teleported her out? It was the only explanation.
The black and white woman was still holding on to her with her right hand, while her left was stretched out behind her. She was clasping the wall. Not touching the outside. Not gripping a rock. Her hand was part-way inside the barrier and seemed to be holding on with all its might.
Not with all of the Djinni's might, with all of the hand's might. Like it was a separate part of her. A part that wouldn't, or couldn't, leave the inner section. Given her magical bindings, that was probably the case.
Zehia took a deep breath in as the pair released their handshake.
She gave the Djinni a small bow. "So, you CAN disobey orders." If she'd had any doubts about that, they'd been dispelled quite thoroughly. Teleporting an intruder outside wasn't an act of negligence or misinterpreting orders, it was outright rebellion.
The Djinni just smiled and nodded her head. Her eyes still glowed with power.
"You won't be forced to tell Riqre about me?"
The Djinni's shoulders moved up and down - like she was chuckling to herself. She just shook her head in response.
A plan was coming together inside of Zehia's mind. A way to get close to Riqre that no one else could notice. A way that no one else could block. Once she was in the same room as him... then his fate would be sealed.
Zehia opened her mouth to speak, but stopped when she glanced at the Djinni's left hand. The hand that was still grasping the wall like her life depended on it.
"Can you meet me tomorrow night?" She nodded at the wall. "On the other side?"
The Djinni nodded.
Good. "We can discuss our plans then."
And Zehia could lay in wait ahead of time. It probably wouldn't be an ambush - what would be the point? But, she hadn't survived this long on 'probably'
...
Zehia followed the Djinni as they stalked through the hallways of Riqre's inner sanctum.
Or, at least, she stalked. The Djinni strolled seemingly without a care in the world. Zehia didn't know if she was talented and intelligent enough to maintain her usual facade, or if she was as carefree as she seemed. Zehia was nervous. She had that same tingle down her back that wasn't her [Danger Sense] and that wasn't fear and that wasn't anticipation, but was somehow also all three at once.
It was like being on the cusp of a cliff. She was about to dive off the edge and risk her life. She done it countless times in the past, but the feeling of anxiety always was there for big jobs. Jobs where she had to push herself to succeed.
Not that this was a job. This was far more than that. In a way, she was about to depart from everything she'd ever known. There would be no place for her in Roshal once she killed Riqre.
...But her old life was already over. She had to move forward or die.
Siti`medaale stopped, cocked her head, and then placed her arm on Zehia's shoulder.
The world went black. Zehia's weight was gone. She was in that strange state that the Djinni's magic could take her. She still wasn't sure what sort of magic it was, but she wasn't a [Mage]. She concerned herself with results, not with academics.
Time passed.
The world returned.
Zehia took a deep breath, and the pair resumed their trek.
Riqre's compound seemed so much bigger on the inside. It wasn't. As rich as he was, he didn't have the prestige of someone like the Naga. Compressing space was an ancient technique, and only the oldest buildings in Roshal managed to squeeze more inside of them than they should've been able to.
No, it was simply the fact that there were winding hallways and that she and the Djinni were taking a roundabout way through the building to avoid the larger places where [Slaves] would be working despite the late hour.
Eventually, they came to a door.
Siti`medaale opened it, and Zehia activated [Advanced Invisibility] and slipped through.
She was inside Riqre's bedroom. The [Slave Master] was asleep on his bed, with a beautiful Stitch-girl in each arm. The two [Slaves] were awake, and glanced as Siti`medaale returned, but paid her little mind. They were too eager to resume gazing lovingly at their Master.
Zehia moved to the side of the bed, as silent as she could be.
She had to make the most of her ambush...
[Sneak Attack]. [Piercing Slash].
She became visible as she activated two of her best [Skills]. In the blink of an eye, she had struck out with her knife - her non-magical knife. Something about the Djinni's magic didn't work with her weapons, and she'd been forced to leave them behind. It was no matter. They were just tools. Her [Skills] were where the real power was.
Riqre's right hand was cut off at the wrist! A glowing field surrounded him for a second, but it winked out of existence as the ring it came from was removed.
"Ahhhh!" All three people in the bed screamed at once, but Zehia wasn't done.
Riqre still had his other hand, and his other rings.
[Skill Sealing Slash]!
Zehia's capstone [Skill]. The one she'd gotten when her [Class] had evolved. The one that was a certain kill. He was now without magic and without [Skills]. She'd won. Even with her own [Skills] also sealed, she'd won.
Riqre had lost his other appendage. His blood squirted from his arm stumps.
Now! Now he was vulnerable. He had no enchanted items that could block a lethal blow. None that could lock him in stasis until a healing potion was brought. None that could teleport him away! Now she could kill him. She needed to get to his life thread that was deep inside his skull. Anything less, and he might survive.
Stringfolk were capable of shrugging off wounds that would be the end of all other species.
That was why she had been forced to remove his protections before dealing the finishing blow!
...And because she wanted his last seconds to be as painful as possible.
"Nooooo!" One of the girls threw herself at Zehia in a fit of rage. So sudden was her rush, that she managed to tackle her. The pair struggled briefly before the victor rose.
There wasn't any doubt as to whom that was. One of them was a [Bed Slave], and the other was an [Assassin].
Zehia pushed the limp body away before blurring behind the other [Slave] who was desperately trying to help Riqre.
[Bonesaw Cut].
Zehia grabbed her hair with one hand, and smoothly decapitated her with the other. She then turned her attention to Riqre. His eyes were wide. His face was pale.
"Any last words?" She smiled at him and lunged. "Scream for m-"
"Eske drek et Sitivnia!" Riqre spat the syllables at her.
Zehia froze.
Riqre literally shook with uncontrollable fury.
He glanced from his former customer to his Djinni. Siti`medaale stood beside the door. It had a look of... Disappointment?!
"Siti`medaale! Stand perfectly still! Take no action at all until I say! DON'T MOVE A MUSCLE!"
It had betrayed him. He knew it! He'd been gracious. He'd allowed it to roam during the night. He'd given it [Slaves] to fight and kill! HE'D LET IT EAT THEM! And THIS?! THIS was his reward for his generosity?
Riqre stood up and swooned. Stringfolk didn't bleed out as easily as lesser species, but there was...
Oh.
A lot of blood on his silken sheets.
"Guards!" He yelled for help. "GUARDS!"
He waited apprehensively for what seemed like an eternity until some of his LOYAL [Slaves] burst into his room. Riqre smiled and slumped to the ground. He was safe.
...
"Chain her to the slab."
Zehia was still frozen with the Roshal Sigil on her forehead. His [Guards] had stripped her of all her clothes and weapons. Riqre was surrounded by his loyal servants, but he still felt apprehensive about letting the paralysis fade.
His life thread ached. Using the words on her had been taxing, and he was at his limit. He could have her killed, but he wanted to look her in her eyes first. She NEEDED to SUFFER!
"[Whispered Command]. Akat et Sitivnia."
Zehia jolted against her shackles as she woke up. "What?"
"Zehia, my dear Zehia." He smiled at her. "My stupid, stupid Zehia."
"Riqre!" She spat his name. "You vile, worthless, piece of-" A [Guard] behind her grabbed his jaw to stop her slanderous assault.
"Zehia." He brushed her cheek with one of his reattached hands before slapping her. "You were a mere [Slave] owner. I am a [Slave Master]. Do not presume that we are the same! You WILL speak to me with respect." He nodded to his [Guard].
"Fuc-" She didn't even get a syllable out before the [Guard] silenced her again.
"Tsk." Riqre shook his head. "Such insolence. I should kill you, you know? For what you attempted. I should torture you for five hundred days and make you beg for the release of death." He got a glare in return. "But that would be wasteful, and I am magnanimous. I could..." Zehia's eyes widened and she shook her head. Riqre smirked. "No. You do not deserve the chance to love me, but I will still make use of you."
A snarl came from the stairs as his loyal [Guards] hauled one of his [Carrion Eaters] down.
"Chain it to the other slab." His [Slaves] hastened to obey his command. "Did you know that some Blood [Classes] can be transferred?" Zehia didn't reply. "I thought not, it's not knowledge one such as you could possess. I know ancient secrets that... Let's just say that I'm smarter than you and leave it at that."
Zehia struggled and one of her arms broke free. She must've used a [Skill]. It didn't matter. His [Guards] immediately grabbed her appendage before she could make any more trouble.
"Unate. Take that one first."
Forcing someone to take [Carrion Eater] required transferring their digestive organs. An impossibility... except for Stringfolk. Of course, that had more of a chance of killing the subject in an excruciatingly slow manner. That would be fine, but as he'd said, Riqre didn't want to waste such a high-level subject.
Replacing her arms, legs, and internal organs would increase the chances that she would both survive, and gain the [Class]. The current [Carrion Eater] would, of course, die. That was the nature of Blood [Classes]. Losing them was often fatal.
They also did not mix well most of the time. He'd yet to successfully give someone both [Adoring Slave] and [Carrion Eater]. The regular ways didn't work. One had to partake in cannibalism of their own free will to get the later [Class], and while his [Adoring Slaves] would eat whatever he asked them to... they did it for him, and not themselves.
That, apparently, was an important distinction.
Getting a [Carrion Eater] to love him had also proven futile. And while he'd successfully transferred the [Class] in the past in the same way he was going to give it to Zehia... it had displaced [Adoring Slave].
Zehia screamed. Even with the [Guard] muzzling her with both his hands and a [Skill], she screamed.
Good. She was trying to fight it. She'd probably survive. If she did, then his next punishment would be all the sweeter!
Sibby couldn't move. She couldn't even blink, or look somewhere else. She could adjust some of the forces that were acting on her to make her traitorous body move... but it would only result in her falling down.
Her eyes hurt.
She wanted to blink.
She focused on her... uhm... optical nerve? Yeah, she was pretty sure that was it. She focused on that and blocked the electrical signals.
Sibby couldn't see.
Hmmm...
Separating the 'sight' signals and the 'pain' signals was harder than she'd thought it would be.
...Just like how killing Riqre had turned out to be harder than-
No! She wasn't thinking about that right now. She was thinking about HER eyes, and how THEY hurt!
Sibby really wanted to blink.
Actually... blinking was just letting your eyelids fall down right? Gravity pulled stuff down. All she needed to do was negate the other forces... and...
Nothing.
Oh. It was because her traitorous body was using its muscles to keep her eyes open. The same way it usually thwarted gravity. Probably the same way most people kept their eyes open. So... All she needed to do was block...
Sibby couldn't see. This time it wasn't because the signal was blocked, but because she'd stopped her eye muscles from listening to her traitorous body! That felt good.
Now... how to open them? Gravity was out of the question, as were her muscles. How about... there!
Sibby's eyes opened. She let her traitorous body take back control. It would keep them open for her until she needed to blink again...
Zehia was dead. That was the most likely outcome. She was sad. The lesser huntress had been her best shot at freedom. As long as she couldn't get close to Riqre, she couldn't kill him, and her traitorous body seemed to know not to allow that to happen.
Sibby blinked.
How long had she been standing here? It felt like days had passed.
Sibby blinked.
She overcame her eyelids, could she do more than that? She'd forced her hand to move in the past, but it hadn't been as stubborn back then. She was just starting on moving a finger when she heard Riqre from behind her.
"Siti`medaale. Turn around and follow me. Stay exactly five feet from me until I tell you differently!"
Oh. He sounded mad. Sibby smiled as her body moved. Hey! She could smile again. That made her smile wider.
She beamed as they walked through the house. Zehia might be dead, but she'd succeeded in pissing Riqre off. It wasn't much, but it was something.
Sibby's smile vanished as they got to their destination.
"Siti`medaale. Stand there and watch what happens inside of the ring. Burn it into your memory... for as long as that lasts!"
What was Laila doing there? And what was that... Zehia?
Sibby almost hadn't recognized her at first. Her clothes were gone. Her arms and legs were little more than skin and bone. They had been elongated, and while she seemed to have fewer muscles... she also looked a lot stronger if the expressions of the people holding her in place with chains were anything to go by.
What was most different was her mouth. Her face was twisted in rage, but Sibby could still see the old Zehia in her eyes, hair and nose. Her mouth? It was... stretched. It looked the same to how her arms and legs had been lengthened. Dozens of needle-looking teeth surrounded her maw. When she roared... it was more than a foot wide.
Zehia's mouth took up more of her head than anything else.
What had happened to her? Did Riqre had someone like Riley working for him?
DID HE HAVE RILEY?!
No... No. Sibby would've noticed that. Riley wasn't here. Riley was safe.
...But why was Laila in the middle of the ring with the raging Zehia? And why did Sibby have to watch?
Laila was backing away, but her hands and legs were chained to the floor. Zehia was also bound, but her chains connected her limbs to four of Riqre's brainwashed servants. They tugged in opposite directions and kept Zehia immobile.
"Yes. I know all about you and your nightly visits. Do you think there is any slave in my house that wouldn't report such a thing to me." Riqre's voice was low and angry. "I know how to hurt you. I know how to punish you. Watch." He raised his voice. "Begin!"
The men on the opposite side of Zehia from Laila loosened their grip. The chains flowed through their hands as Zehia was finally able to move towards a target. Laila tried to back away, but she was already as far away as her shackles would allow.
No.
Zehia rushed her. Her clawed hands slashed.
No.
Laila tried to defend herself, but it was clear she had no experience fighting. Even if she did, her chains kept her too immobile.
No. This wasn't supposed to be how things happened! Laila wasn't supposed to die! She wasn't family, but Sibby wanted her to be happy!
Blood splattered the ground. Zehia gnawed at an arm while Laila futilely punched her.
Sibby didn't want to watch, but she had to.
The arm came off.
Sibby couldn't watch! She NEEDED to do something! Her eyes tracked the 'fight'. She couldn't even close them...
But, she could stop the image from reaching her.
Zehia had Laila pinned. Her mouth opened impossibly wide and closed over the other girl's head.
Then, there was darkness as she disabled her optical nerve again. Darkness... and a horrible crunching sound. Sibby knew that sound. That was the sound of bones breaking. Of flesh tearing. Of someone dying.
What had happened? She had to know.
She let her eyes process light again.
Zehia was struggling as the men pulled on her chains. "Put her in the jar of sustenance." Riqre commanded. A clay pot that was big enough to fit an adult inside was carried out, and the men started wrestling Zehia towards it. Towards it... and away from the headless body.
Blood pooled around Laila's corpse. Her lower jaw was where she ended and the ichor began.
No!
No. No. No.
"Good." Riqre sneered from the side. "Stand there. Don't move until I tell you otherwise."
Sibby couldn't move. She couldn't comprehend what had happened. Why?
...Actually, she knew why. She'd seen similar scenes play out countless times in the past. She'd done the same to so many people. But... they hadn't been real! They had just been things! Something to amuse her! They weren't like Laila. They weren't like Riley...
...right?
...
She wasn't sure how much time passed, but Riqre approached and her body demanded she pay attention to him. "Siti`medaale. Drink this. All of it." He pointed at a vase that another man placed at her feet.
Her body picked it up.
She examined it before her arms could follow his commands. The vase itself... wasn't immune to her power. The contents - some kind of sludge - felt strange. She didn't know if she could affect it... but, she didn't need to.
She let the vase's waves dissipate.
The sludge fell at her feet.
"Impudent cur!" Riqre snarled from beside her. "Go. Fetch more!"
He... COULD be speaking to her. Sibby started to move.
"Siti`medaale. Stop. Kneel. Lean back your head. Open your mouth. Drink what is poured inside."
Sibby stopped. She kneeled. She got ready to drink whatever the sludge was. If Riqre wanted her to drink it, then it couldn't be good.
She waited.
The man came back with another jar. He slowly poured the sludge into her waiting mouth.
!
It tasted good!
Really good!
Sibby drank and drank.
She swayed.
She felt... strange.
The world was getting fuzzy. She wanted to... uh... to... something.
But... she needed to? To drink?
She drank as much as she could, but then her legs gave out. She slumped to the ground, and fell over.
...
She landed on grass. There was a gray stone in front of her. It had words engraved on it.
'Natalie Manton. Beloved daughter.'
What?
"Natalie?" A voice above her asked. A familiar voice.
The Siberian looked up at the speaker.
William?
Bios:
William Manton - Former member of both Cauldron and the Slaughterhouse Nine. The original controller of the Siberian. Preeminent parahuman expert. Dead.
Natalie Manton - First name not given in Worm. William Manton's daughter. Had a bad reaction to a vial and died, which led to William leaving Cauldron. Not really a character, but her bio is still important. Dead.
Summary:
Zehia sneaks in with Sibby's help and attacks Riqre. She almost wins, but is too confident when she's disarmed him of all his magical defenses and sealed his [Skills]. Riqre paralyzes her with the ancient Language of Roshal. She is tortured and has the [Carrion Eater] class forcibly given to her.
Sibby is taken for her punishment. She is forced to watch the now monstrous Zehia kill Laila. Then, she is forced to drink magicore. It binds to magic, which makes Djinni lose a part of themselves, but still feel the loss. A torture that takes away their memories - the only things they have left.