Chapter 6

Arche's slumber was heavier than full plate armor, but that didn't stop her mom from waking her.

She felt the shaking of hands rocking her body back and forth, soft fingers clinging to her biceps. Despite the fact that the manicured nails dug into her skin, there was no pain, only an awareness of sharpness and pressure.

The young magic caster's eyes began to flutter open and found the slender features of her worried mother hovering a few feet over her face. Worry lines were etched on her and to her mother's credit, Arche saw a semblance of shame in the face of the woman who bore her.

"Did it work?" Was all the matriarch of the family asked.

Arche shook her head slowly. "He-He didn't want me." It was the truth, and it stung the young mage. She squeezed her eyes shut so she wouldn't see disappointment on her mother's face.

But closing her eyes did nothing to hide the bellow of her father's anger out in the hallway. Arche's eyes flew open and her face turned to look past her mother toward the door, the knob was rattling as her father tried to open it.

Arche began to sit up and her mother moved backward to allow her daughter's legs to swing over the bed. It wasn't lost on the young woman that her mother's hands were shaking.

She whispered her next words to her mother, "He had to come too? Wasn't I humiliated enough, being thrown like a piece of meat to a dog? My father has to come yell at me because I wasn't…" Her face scrunched with disgust, "tasted?!"

"You had one job for this household! One job! Be a desirable marriage prize! If you had done that years ago we might still be nobles! If only you'd been a proper daughter we'd be safe now!" Her father's voice kept bellowing from out in the hall, his flabby fists couldn't break down the door, but it seemed like it could make a lot of noise.

Arche ignored both him and her shaking mother in favor of putting her gear on. She snatched up her staff from its resting place against the wall, and was no longer the daughter of a fallen house, but felt herself for who she was. 'A worker. I'm a worker now,' She said to herself. And the quailing of her childhood when her father yelled at her, the shame of her mother's disappointment, began to recede.

She ignored the invectives thrown at her for her previous evening's failure and gave her mother a long steady stare. "You were right about one thing mother, we do have duties. This is mine. I have a job to do," Arche said without remorse, and went to the door. She flung it open and found her father's fist held overhead, ready to pound on the door. He froze, his mouth open to hurl whatever he planned to next, but he was struck dumb.

Arche's hand came out, and she struck him with the back of her palm across his cheek, her eyes full of tears of rage. "Go die in a fire!", she hissed. She was no warrior, and her slap would have been like the gentle tap of rain to someone like Hekkeren or Roberdyk, even Imina. But it made stagger her soft bodied father at a pace, and he brought his palm up to the red spot on his cheek where her hand fell.

"I'm going to meet with my team for a job. Don't expect me back for some time," She said with the utmost contempt, "And when I come back, count yourself lucky if you get a single coin out of me. Go use your own body for gold if you love it so much. I'll never do that for you again."

She spun on her heel and left the weeping and bellowing figures behind her. It was only their noise that followed her out of the house.

So nobody saw when she went straight next door to the estate of the House of Tian, knocked on the door, and was admitted in by the most beautiful maid Arche had ever seen. She's like a doll… Arche thought, looking over the maid that introduced herself as Solution.

That one managed the walk that Arche could only fumble through. Everything about that woman was exotic, erotic, proud and beautiful. Golden curls bounced with every rolling of her hips and every single step seemed designed to entice the watcher. If I could have moved like that… no, no wonder I failed. Even if I could move like that, if Sir Oshiku has 'this' to occupy him, no wonder I couldn't win him over.

It was a somewhat unpleasant line of thought that carried on until she was led into a study. The slender arm of the maid waved her in and she then retreated, leaving Arche alone with the target of her failed seduction. It was enough to make the mage blush at the memory and shuffle her feet a little, like a child caught doing something she wasn't supposed to.

Oshiku waved her to one of the chairs in the study. Unlike her library, this one was filled with rows of books that were slid tight against the shelves. Arche looked at it with admiration and when he saw what she did, he smiled before speaking.

"Even the greatest adventure of all time would be forgotten or altered, unless it was recorded on a book. It is not the sword, but the pen which makes men different from animals." There was a sparkle to his eyes that made Arche comfortable. Still… "Sir Oshiku, about last night—"

"—You never need to mention it again, I understand. People like you and I will do a great deal for those they care for, it's why I've chosen to give you a chance." Oshiku said, and Arche closed her mouth in silent confusion.

"You look famished. Please, help yourself," and he pointed at a table full of delicacies. Now that I think of it, I'm starving, she thought.

Oshiku read in silence for several minutes, leaving Arche's eyes to wander while she filled her mouth. The man was dressed in his trademark adventurer outfit, with comfortable looking trousers held by by a belt to which where attached three sheaths. And his upper body was more shown than covered by an open coat. Woah, those are muscles…

He read on calmly. And she noticed that, despite his left eye was clearly closed like during the previous night and the skin above it was still crossed by a scar, his head was moving as if he was reading with that eye only. How could that be?…

Her eyes wandered off all over the room which was without carpet, but had polished bright wood that matched the walls and long glass windows that let in ample light from the rising sun.

Once she had eaten her fill, Oshiku immediately noticed. Marking the page with a strip of silk worth several days of a normal job's pay, and snapped the book shut.

"First of all, even if I don't doubt it, prove your talent. Look at me and tell me what kind of magic I can use", he said while removing a ring.

As soon as he did that, she perceived a wave of power flow outside of him. "I thought you were a swordsman, but you can cast spells of the 4th tier… you're a great wizard!"

"I'm not a wizard, let alone a great one. I'm Oshiku the Bard Samurai… but indeed I can use magic like you said."

"But how—"

"—Now, tell me everything about your family debt, who holds it, how much, when do they pay… everything." Oshiku commanded.

Unable to bring herself to refuse, Arche told him all what he wanted to know. But when she was done, she had to know.

"Sir Oshiku—" She began, looking up at him, but he cut her short.

"—I told you. You can call me Oshiku." He said with a pleasantly open air about him.

"Oshiku… how will this help my sisters?" Arche asked, cutting to the heart of her true concern.

"Please don't worry, you'll find out soon, I give you my word. Until then, you will remain within these walls. You can consider yourself my guest. Do as you like, but do not venture out. And be back in this room in about half hour."

Having said that, he reached over to the silk rope that would ring for help. Solution opened the door only a few seconds later. Arche's heart raced. So soon?! She asked herself. Was she hiding behind the door?

"Solution, please show our guest to her quarters for now, then go get Brain and return immediately, there's one urgent thing for you two to do."

So he spoke and the quiet maid inclined her head to the master of the house with a smile that froze Arche's blood. A beautiful monster. Her instincts screamed at her with every step as she followed the quiet woman out.

Sir Furt could hardly believe his ears. He sat in a chair older than his grandfather and stuffed thick with goose down over velvet, ornate decorative engravings of wild beasts that were so small and intricate you had to look closely and squint to make them out. It was a point of pride that this was his. Sitting in that seat, Sir Furt felt every inch like he was the Bloody Emperor himself.

But now his face was turned ashen gray and rapidly going ghost white.

"Say that again." He demanded of the moderately built man who stood a few feet away. A hulking brute stood behind the visitor and, unlike the one who just spoke, this one was silent. He spoke only by his presence and his equipment. Boiled leather armor and a heavy looking mace. It did nothing to make him seem more gentle that his large head was shaved bald and that he had a few minor scars over a hard looking face.

"I have said, your debt is being called in, Sir Furt." The lender said and held out a gracious hand. "There have been some questions about your ability to pay and I'm afraid we require a substantial sum of the total now."

"My- My daughter is out on a job, she'll pay when she gets back!" Sir Furt squeaked out.

"That may be fine then, but we require something now, we can't trust you anymore, unless you have something to pay right now." The lender's cold brown eyes were telling about his doubts.

"But- But…" Sir Furt silently cursed his daughter. 'Damn you, if you'd just gotten that one's rod up this wouldn't be happening!'

He took a deep breath, "We have substantial goods we can give to you as collateral or payment if you like." Sir Furt said instead of his intended protests.

"Excellent. Then we can extend you additional credit line, if you offer something of high value, that is," The lender suggested offhandedly.

Sir Furt's eyes bulged beyond his control.

"What?" He asked.

"There's a premium on young blonde girls right now. You happen to have two of them, they're quite fashionable in certain…" the lender made a somewhat sour face, scrunching up his cheeks and tightening his lips, revealing his own distaste, "… Circles. Give them up, and we'll be willing to extend you a little more since they're well bred and well behaved, in addition to their other… qualities."

"I see… I see." Sir Furt said with a neutral, careful voice. They're my girls, I can't… but I- well, if I do, that will solve the money problem. At least for now. I can acquire some fine things to show off to the other nobles, I'll become important again. Then when that Bloody fool on the throne dies, I'll get my position back, then I can find them again. They're my daughters after all, they ought to do this for their family. It's no different than what that ungrateful girl was supposed to do before… and where is she anyway? Off galavanting with dirty ruffians, no doubt.

Bitterness struck him like the back of her unladylike hand did when she walked out, he recalled her threat to give no more money to him, and that was a problem. Yes, I'll tell her she can see her sisters only if she keeps bringing money to me… I just need time… time to get my status back, that's all. Sir Furt said to himself and slowly stood up.

"Wait here," He ordered, then left the room.

A few minutes later, he walked Kuuderika and Ureirika into the room, their little fingers clung to his left and right hands, in their arms each carried a stuffed rabbit under their free arms, a gift from their big sister. Kuuderika wore a red dress, while Ureirika wore blue. They looked up at the lender with wide, innocent blue eyes.

By now he was a familiar person to them, and so when he knelt down and Sir Furt said, "Go see Master Sanek." They walked over to the merchant without hesitation.

They curtseyed like good little noble girls and said at once, "Hello, Master Sanek, thank you for coming to the Furt house."

"You're good girls, aren't you?" He said to them in the kind of easy congenial tone that always set people at ease, and they nodded furtively.

"Yes, we're good." They said in unison again, the echo game was a favorite of theirs, and they often said the same things at the same moment, it was charming, in the way that children could make things.

He gave them an encouraging little smile and put his hands on their shoulders, "You're going to be coming with me for a stroll now, alright?" He asked them, and the twins looked over at their father.

He nodded without saying anything, and Master Sanek stood up straight, he approached the table and removed a small pouch from an inner pocket. He slowly set it down on the table and the sound of clinking coins of gold tantalized Sir Furt's ears.

"Do you want to count it? It's the usual sum," The lender asked, but the fallen noble shook his head.

"No, it's fine, I'm sure it's all there." Sir Furt said and stared at the little leather pouch like he was a viper coiled and ready to strike a mouse.

"As you like, m'lord."

The lender bowed, and when he held out his hands, Kuuderika and Uleirika trustingly put their hands into his palms and let him lead them out of their home.

When they walked out of the house, Master Sanek led them just beyond the gate, and waited just as he was instructed. He looked down from one girl to the next, and they, sensing his brown eyes on theirs, looked up at him in return, questions unspoken waiting to be asked. Nothing happened, there was no shout, there was no chase, there was no hint of remorseful second thoughts. He did look back through the bars of the gate, the clear windows gave him a view into the room beyond and he saw his client reach for the pouch, spill the contents on the table, and begin to count.

Cold-hearted merchant as he was, Master Sanek still couldn't help but feel a pang of pity that would likely drive him to drink that night. Such a fool. He thought of the fallen noble and led the girls away.

Arche was sitting in the chair in the study, across from Oshiku. She was telling him everything she knew about what he wanted to know. About noble society, how dances were done, who the most important people were, what figures she had been acquainted with and what they were capable of. He demanded everything, she held back nothing.

Part of her wondered, Is he a foreign spy, am I betraying my country by telling him these things? It sometimes nagged at her, but brave as she was against monsters, whenever that dread closed over her heart like the icy hand of death, she fended it off with the warm promise of the safety of her sisters.

"Master, you have a delivery." Solution said from the door. Arche looked over at the beautiful woman and her blood froze the way it always did. Oshiku was cool and cordial, Solution was nothing but polite to her, but the way the her eyes followed Arche, the magic caster felt like it was a look of hunger.

However, that was forgotten when Kuuderika and Ureirika entered the room and saw their sister. "Sissy!" They cried and ran to her. Arche shot up so fast and with such force that she toppled the chair over behind her when she rushed over to them. She went to her knees and embraced them as they leaped into her arms. She kissed their cheeks and squeezed them tight until they let out phony groans to show she was starting to be a little rough. Pent up tears ran down Arche's cheeks as she kissed their own, she went from one to the other and back again, their little stuffed bunny rabbits dropped to the floor in favor of squeezing their sister instead.

It was several minutes of this before Arche composed herself to look over at the smiling Oshiku. "What happened? How are they here?" Arche felt the existential dread coming over her, the initial happiness at the reunion tempered by a grim knowledge that this didn't happen out of nothing.

"Solution, how much?" He asked the maid who still stood in the doorway.

She gave a crooked smile to the Hellking. "Ten gold coins from the budget to get Sanek to withhold further credit from Sir Furt, five more for the lie that little blonde girls were exceptionally fashionable slaves, and 'the usual' extension of credit for another hundred coins, with those two as payment for his current interest."

Arche's face went pale and she whispered "My… our father, he sold Kuuderika and Ureirika… for a fifteen gold payment and a hundred gold coin loan?"

Four little bright blue eyes stared up in total innocence of the exchange.

Arche's fingers tensed, she squeezed the pair, her jaw tensed and she looked over to Oshiku, all the while putting her hands to the backs of her sisters' heads and drawing them in as tightly as she could. She asked the only question that mattered. "What happens now?"

"Solution, call for a Gate," Oshiku ordered. Then, he stood up from where he sat.

Arche felt only confusion, fear, terror, all at once the impossible whirlwind of emotions tore through her. Her hairs stood on end, her face paled, her heart raced and she clung to her sisters as if terrified that they would be ripped away from her. But beyond it all, lay an unbridled hatred for a man she would never again think of as her father, and for a mother she would never forgive for letting it come to this.

"Now," he answered her, "it is time for you to meet my master." He pointed behind Arche and her jaw fell open when she saw the whorling void in the space behind her.

"Pass through this and your wish will be granted," he promised.

Arche swallowed hard when Solution stepped through and vanished. Oshiku stood beside it, waiting while Arche stood.

She drew back from her sisters, "Come with me, I know this is a little bit scary…" She said in the understatement of the year as they stared at the void with tears of fear in their eyes and shaking little bodies, "… But I will protect you, I promise."

Thus reassured, they clung to her when she stood up, so that she was carrying one on each hip, and she stepped through what Oshiku had called a 'Gate'.

For a moment, Arche's vision was gone, there was nothing, and then when she could see again, she had only one string of connected thoughts. Did he kill us? Are we dead?… Is this Heaven?!

She could be forgiven for the question, because beneath her feet lay the softest ground she'd ever felt. Rolling hills of perfect green, a bright blue sky and a light springlike breeze caressed her skin the way she imagined a loving parent would their own child. To her right, a great lake stood still but for the small waves created by the light breeze billowing through her hair. In the distance, a high tree grew with broad branches in every direction.

Her sisters' fear, and her own, were rapidly disappearing when Oshiku and Brain walked from behind, standing between herself and Solution.

"Welcome to the 6th floor of the Great Tomb of Nazarick."

"Eh? Tomb… this is a tomb? Did… are we dead?" Arche squeaked out in disbelief, her bright blue eyes wide as the sky whose color they mimicked, or so they felt for a moment.

"No, you are very much alive and I have informed my master of what an asset you are to us. And your willingness to go to any lengths for your siblings is a sentiment shared by all the occupants of this place.. no matter who they are" He said and then added, "Follow me."

Unable to think of anything else to ask, or anything else to do, Arche followed Oshiku toward the tree. It proved to be a pleasant walk, though her nerves were getting to her in spite of the tranquility of the place and her sisters making sweet sounds as they stared at the amazing view.

As she drew closer, she realized it was 'not' just a tree, the tree was also a 'house' of some sort. There was a door cut into the trunk and the high branches had additions that lay well balanced or seemingly 'grew' from the branches themselves in some instances.

When they were nearly to the door, two dark elf children emerged that Arche could only describe as 'beautiful'. With their bright heterochromatic eyes, the girl in the dress wrung the staff in her hands like she was afraid she would get in trouble, while the young boy stood bold and brash with hands on his hips.

"Lord Oshikuru, Master Ainz is inside already." Aura said and bowed to the man together with Mare.

"Ah, will my… my sisters be coming?" Arche stammered, Wait, is he a lord?! She mentally exclaimed, the feeling of drowning hit her, like she was being overwhelmed with sensory and world shattering experiences and a new revelation had just been piled on top of it all.

"They can wait and play outside," Said the green-haired man as reassuringly as he could.

At that, Arche set the girls down. She put a firm hand on each of their shoulders and squeezed to keep their attention.

"Stay right here, alright? Don't wander off. Understand?" She asked and ordered both at once, and found it needless. They seemed not to have her sense of distress.

They gave happy nods and flopped themselves onto the grass. Kuuderika lay on her back with her arms open, while her sister seemed to prefer to rest her back against the tree and stretch her legs out. "OK." The pair said at once, then Arche followed the Lord through the door.

The door shut behind her and it did nothing to allay her fears, nor did the impossibility of that house itself. Everything seemed to have been 'grown' into place, the tables, the seating, nothing betrayed the marks of having been 'cut' or 'carved' into being. 'I've heard of plant-based magic that was used on crops and even to make some unique artistic shapes with trees, but… nothing like this. Her estimation of the power of Lord Oshiku— wait, didn't the dark elves say 'Oshikuru'? ah, whatever— and his master went up ever higher as she followed him deeper into the tree.

It wasn't long before they entered a room with a single long table, grown into place like everything else, where a human male sat at its head. Oshikuru bowed slightly when he entered. "Ainz-san, I brought the person I spoke of."

Arche went to one knee quickly as he spoke. She lowered her eyes and waited for the master of the Tomb to speak. Handsome by most measures, with dark hair and eyes, chiseled features and a fairly solid looking build, it was difficult not to acknowledge the power of his penetrating eyes even from the place where she knelt at the entrance to the room.

He stood and said, "Raise your head".

When she did so, he said more. "My name is Ainz Ooal Gown, I am the master here. And you would be Arche Eeb Rile Furt, isn't that right? My friend has spoken much about you."

The noble tone was kind, but firm, commanding. He… he is a nobleman. She felt the certainty crystalize, everything about him fairly ordered her to beg to serve his will. The air of command and authority came off him as it did off of the Emperor himself, but moreso.

"I-I, yes, My Lord. That is my name… I hope you've heard good things about me." She flashed a weak, hopeful smile, to the man in front of her. He was dressed as a magic caster, with flowing dark robes, a golden staff of carved twisting snakes with jewels in their mouths, everything about him screamed 'rich' and 'magic caster' and yet… she sensed no magic.

"If it weren't, then you would not be here now." Ainz said and approached her, "I'm told you have a talent, the same one of 'Tri caster' Fluder Paradyne. Is that true?" Ainz asked, but before she could answer, he put it to the test. "What tier of magic can I cast?"

"None, My Lord, I can sense no magic from you." Arche said with confidence, Just tell the truth, flattery will not end well. She told herself, wondering why someone with no talent for magic would ask such a thing.

Then she glanced at Oshiku who had started laughing. It seemed to take Ainz aback for a moment and then a deep, rich laugh came from his squared jaw as well. "Oh, of course."

He stepped back. "Forgive me," He said, and stepped back another step before he held out his hand. "This ring, it hides my magic." So your talent, if it is real, is not unlimited, like Fluder's. Good to know. Then Ainz reached for the little golden ring and slid it off.

It felt like a star exploded in Arche's face. She covered her mouth to keep the threat of vomit from coming past her lips and covered it by throwing herself at his feet.

"You are a god! The god of magic my master spoke of! The Lord of the Abyss!" She cried out and cared nothing for the stinging pain when her head struck the wooden floor.

Well, that reminds me of something. Like teacher like pupil, I guess, Ainz reflected with nothing but a dry discomfort at her adulation.

"That doesn't answer the question I asked, however flattering your answer was."

The words tumbled from Arche's lips like water over the falls, she rushed them out with a desperate urgency that threatened to either harden her soul or shatter it into a thousand tiny fragments just by being in his presence. "God of Magic… there is no tier number for what you can use. Even 8th tier is merely legendary, 9th I once heard a story of, once someone drunkenly told me about a legendary creature that could use the 10th tier… but even the existence of something more… you don't just use a tier… you are a God! If we have to name it, I would name it God tier magic!"

"Good enough." Actually, exceptional. Fluder didn't get at first that there was the Super Tier. So the student surpasses the teacher… interesting. He slipped the ring back on and the supreme power he exhibited vanished like it had never been.

"With such… power, what can I… you offered me what I wanted, but I can do nothing, nothing for you with your power." Arche pushed herself back up to a kneeling position, but kept her eyes downcast.

"There is one thing you could do, one thing which will prove very valuable, but may put you and your worker team at great risk. Even if it fails and you die, your sisters will be kept safe, but if it succeeds, you and your friends will have a bright future and rise beyond your deepest dreams of strength." Ainz said, and held out his hand. Acting is hard, he thought briefly.

Arche saw the hand when it entered her field of vision, "Take my hand, Arche Eeb Rile Furt, swear to submit to the will of Ainz Ooal Gown, swear your absolute allegiance to Nazarick… and even the dreams you don't yet know you have, will come true."

"Master… if my sisters live happy lives, the only dream I have that matters will have already come true. I swear, I am yours, do with this body whatever you will, I will obey. I will test my comrades, tell you everything about my country and follow you even to the point of death, or beyond it if you bring me back." Arche swore and, taking his hand, she turned the palm down to press her thin lips on the ring he wore on his finger.

"Then, first of all, listen closely. You deserve to know what is going on right now, Arche Eeb Rile Furt."

Madam Furt was walking all over the estate looking for them. "Kuuderika! Ureirika! Where are you?" She stopped the few remaining servants and each of them denied any knowledge of the whereabouts of the twins.

It wasn't the first time they played hide and seek, but this was taking longer than usual. Then she returned to their room to see if they might have gone to take a nap, but there she saw something unexpected, that caused her heartbeat to pick.

The butler was overseeing the reorganizing of their things and storing them into wooden bins usually meant for transportation.

"Jaem, what are you doing?" She asked a little more urgently than she intended to, her fingers closed over the hem of her green flowing dress and held it tight, hoping for a benign answer like, 'deep cleaning their room', but what she got was more concerning.

"Sir Furt ordered us to pack up their things to sell, my lady, I assume because of his new loan." Jaem replied.

Madam Furt felt something was deeply wrong.

She gave a curt nod, said nothing more, and rushed to the main room where her husband spent most of his time. As she expected from the words of Jaem, he was there looking over a pile of coins, and a merchant stood on hand, a merchant they both knew as a premier art dealer.

"We'll have new lamps coming soon, only fifteen gold, but that's a few months away yet, for now, we have this marvelous painting, it's called The lawless healer. He waved a hand over to a magnificent piece of a coastline where a bright green flag fluttered over a tower. A dark haired figure in a cloak as green as the flag, held a shield out defiantly while a beastwoman, a wolf girl, embraced him.

"It'll be twelve gold pieces." The merchant said, and Sir Furt pushed twelve over to him.

Madam Furt watched the slow way the coins moved over the table, the merchant swept them into hand. Accompanying him was a junior of a noble house that had been recently elevated by the Bloody Emperor. Flemel's son, an idiot. She recalled reflexively and waited with patience while her husband made small talk with the pair. The merchant left and the young noble chatted in idleness, tendering a potential invite to an upcoming party the Furt could attend 'if everything went well.'

It never goes well. But he always thinks it will. Madam Furt cursed mentally, but held herself aloof but for a brief greeting until the nobleman left.

When they were alone, Madam Furt asked her husband directly, "Why are we packing up and selling all of Kuuderika and Ureirika's things? Are you buying them new things? also, where are our girls? I've been all over the estate and I can't find them."

"They were taken away this morning." Sir Furt answered.

His wife's face began to go pale and he jumped ahead of her thoughts, "I had to let Senak take them! He was going to call in our debt and not lend us anymore! But we're close! Today proves it! I gave them to him for sale in exchange for a payment, since your daughter failed to perform her duties, and still hasn't returned with more money, I had to offer something! They were all he would take! I gave him Kuuderika and Ureirika in exchange for the current payment and another hundred gold coin loan! But look!" he pointed to the painting that was leaning up against the wall waiting to be hung. "I had the good luck to buy that! And Flemel's son saw me do it! That will surely get us an invitation to a ball, we'll get our good name back!"

Madam Furt's heart skipped a beat and ner legs trembled.

"We'll get everything we deserve again! And everything will go back to being how it was!" Sir Furt put his hands on her arms, holding her up when he sensed she might collapse where she stood.

But that didn't stop his ranting.

"They won't be slaves for long, we'll quietly buy them back, hopefully they won't be too damaged to marry, but even if they are, you're still young, you can give me more…"

Sir Furt's words flowed like a roaring river and the noise deafened his wife. She didn't even want to imagine her girls on the auction blocks, those were miserable places even with the emperor's reforms, and they were soft, sweet girls. They would never survive whatever someone wanting to buy two little girls might do with them…

Her thoughts turned to Arche, gone off on her job. She doesn't know yet, but she'd never forgive this, she… no, I will… my little Kudee… my Uree… sold… sold… he sold them so he could… Lady Furt tried to hate him, but as he babbled on about the opportunities coming his way from this, she only saw a reflection of herself.

She breathed deeply, steeled her heart, gave him a little smile, and straightened up.

"Forgive me, husband, I'm a little light headed. Of course, of course you're right, this will be a fine opportunity, it was worth it, and they're just doing what needs to be done for this family, just like you." She smiled through her words and his hands fell away from her arms as she steadied and echoed his sentiments.

"Why don't we have some wine and relax? without Kuuderika, Ureirika, and Arche around, there's nothing in between us and what we want to do for a while." She proposed and, taking his hand, she led him away from the pile of coins on the table.

Sir Furt never had much tolerance for alcohol and, under the constant praise and encouragement of his wife, he continued to consume more and more… and more. He staggered towards his wife, his fingers drunkenly pawing at her dress.

"Lesh doit, lesh make anudder… a betterun than your failed shlut…" He spat and touched the cheek Arche slapped. The mark from her final slap was covered with makeup, but it was there and so was the memory. 'After I get my title back, I'll disinherit her, ungrateful girl! I raised her all those years and what does she do?! Threaten to cut the family off?! What does she think a family is for?!'

The mental curses were clearer than his fumbled words, but the anger made him more receptive to his wife's charm and to the alcohol she kept offering him.

"Yes, you're such a great man, you can have 'one' more, right?" She teased and showed a little skin to him, and the room began to get all spinny. "Oh not to worry, husband." His wife said with abundant charm and a tap on his cheek. "Let me get you to bed, we can do all kinds of things there."

He gave a slow nod and looked up with a lecherous smile on his face and a little drool slipped down into his blonde beard. "M'kay." he muttered and let her take him to bed. She flopped him into place on his back.

"I'll return in just a moment, I just have to get ready." She said in the sultry way she always did and he promptly fell to snoring before the door shut behind her.

Madam Furt rushed to the main room and found the pile of coins still sitting where her husband left them. She went to the silk rope and began to yank it. This pull would ring almost every servant bell in the house, including every bedroom. They only had a few servants now, but Madam Furt wanted them all. She kept yanking on the bell while tears ran down her cheeks. It took quite some time, almost an hour, or so it felt, until they began to arrive.

Some butlers, maids and a single footman for the one carriage they retained.

They were dressed in service clothing, the cause of their delay, and looked back and forth at one another, uncertain of why they had all been gathered, and even more profoundly confused about why the Madam of the house stood weeping shamelessly in front of them.

Madam Furt sniffed hard, wiped her nose violently and crudely with her sleeve and then said what was as unthinkable as her actions.

"This house is over."

"Madam…"Jaem said, taking a step forward, she stopped him dead, raising a hand up to call the loyal old butler to a halt.

"Arche will never give anything to this house again. And my husband sold Kuuderika and Ureirika. They're gone, probably sold off already or being transported to wherever they will be… the House of Furt has no heirs now." Her words were cold as ice and filled with hate that was rivaled in its thickness only by her sorrowful face.

She pointed to the coins on the table. "Divide that among yourselves as your severance, it should be enough to live for a long, time, until you can find employment somewhere else. In addition, you can take whatever you can carry out of this house in the morning, go sell it, call that a bonus, I do only ask for three things from you all in return. My last requests as Madam of the House of Furt."

The horror of learning that the little girls they'd watched grow up, had in fact been sold by the man they worked for, was sinking in, and more than one pathetic, pitying look was in place, two of the maids had teary eyes, and they were not alone. It was obvious why, the chance of finding two small girls in the auction system that spread out all over Baharuth was exceptionally low.

"The first thing I ask is that if any of you ever find my girls… please buy them, buy them and look after them like they were your daughters. They shouldn't have to suffer because of their so stupid parents." The madam swallowed a lump in her throat, then carried on.

"The second thing I ask is that you tell some workers to pass on to Arche, when she returns I mean, that I had nothing to do with their sale, I didn't want that, I didn't know he'd done it. She'll hate me anyway, but for the right reasons at least."

"And… the third, Madam?" Jaem pressed, having a sinking feeling about what she wanted.

"Pour alcohol, pitch and anything burnable all over this house. Spend all night getting ready, my husband won't wake up, he's very drunk. I want this place ready to turn into hell by morning. Take whatever you want, including the carriage. I'll even sign documents turning over anything you can carry, if only you'll also carry out my final wishes."

Then Madam Furt crumbled on a chair at the table in front of the coins.

For a long time nobody said anything, until Jaem did. "Yes, Madam, we'll do what you want."

That galvanized the remaining servants to work, and all night long they worked, laying out papers and tearing down curtains to prepare to use for fuel, soaking them in alcohol and laying them in strips to better spread the flame. The only sheets that weren't in use were those on which Sir Furt lay sleeping.

And while he slept, Madam Furt filled out an inventory of taken items and signed them over to the servant who expressed a desire for them. Silver forks, spoons, knives, plates, all manner of easily portable materials were shoved into packs and then labeled and shoved into the carriage that would take the last servants of the House of Furt away.

Dawn was just breaking when the last of the preparations were made, and she looked over the few faces of the faithful servants, they were clearly tired from lack of sleep, but they also wore faces of pity, sorrow, or anger all their own. One by one, Madam Furt extended the signed paper over to each servant, and thanked them by name.

"Jaem," she said and embraced the butler who had served so loyally and for so long, looking up into the careworn eyes of the aged servant, "I barely remember a life without you, I hope you find a good house to serve in again, and don't think too harshly of me, even if I do deserve it."

"Liyal," she embraced the maid and slipped the rolled paper into the young woman's hand, "You weren't with us as long as Jaem, but you worked hard, there's a good recommendation for you, just like for the rest, thank you for everything."

So it went, until it was all done. "Now, get going, all of you" Madam Furt commanded.

"Madam… what about you?" Jaem asked as they briefly hesitated to leave.'

"I'm leaving my husband, of course." She said, and pointed toward the door, "Just leave a candle lit for me so I can set the fire in a little while."

They vanished out the door, one by one, leaving the last click to be like the clap of thunderous doom to the woman who stood alone.

On a whim, Madam Furt took the recently bought painting and hung it up on the wall, admiring it briefly. It really is a fantastic piece of artwork, such a shame nobody will ever see it again.

She then went back to her bedroom, her husband still asleep and snoring in a drunken stupor. She went to the bedside table and yanked open the drawer. Every noblewoman kept a dagger at hand in her bedroom to spare herself from being disgraced. Madam Furt was the same as any other in that respect, and like other women who took that seriously, she kept her dagger sharp.

She drew it from its simple leather sheath and went over to where her husband slept.

Conveniently enough, he'd rolled over onto his belly at some point. She set the dagger down, pulled off the shoes and socks that covered his ankles, then took the knife up.

It took only a moment, I'm no warrior but… Maybe Arche would praise me for this. She thought with savage pleasure as the bright blood spurted and her husband screamed when she slashed the tendons of his ankles.

That woke him up, the snores were gone and the screaming went on in earnest. He howled and howled like a stuck pig and turned desperate to see who attacked him.

Madam Furt looked down at him with disgust and hatred, and he stared up at her in turn with eyes empty of any understanding. Answering the question he couldn't ask through screams, she shrieked at him like a banshee. "You sold my children! You bastard! You took them! You took them away! They were our future! They were our future and you destroyed it all!" She slashed her knife down again as he flailed. Sometimes she hit the tendons, sometimes not, but he surely was not going to be walking. He rolled away, desperately trying to escape her and fell with a thud that brought a whimper with it.

"Arche's wish will come true! You just wait there you reckless bastard!" She shrieked and kicked him hard in the gut, then brought her foot up when he hugged his belly, and brought her heel down on his kidney. He yowled again like the stuck pig she now saw him to be. She then strode toward the door, leaving him shaking in pain and briefly too paralyzed to move.

She took the candle left burning on the table, then lowered it to a soaked strip of cloth that lay on the floor and ran to other piles of burnable and alcohol soaked materials. The flames roared to life and the heat and smoke began to fill the room. She watched the line of flame rush down the long ropes once used to summon servants, she watched it catch torn curtains and watched it catch strips of blanket, cotton, torn up furniture bits, and watched it vanish.

They probably couldn't get it to run everywhere in the manor, not even if they tore up every page of every book to use for fuel… but it'll get enough. She thought, and returned to her room. There weren't burning materials laid to that place, and there weren't for a reason.

Madam Furt flung open the door to find her husband scratching at the wood, trying to get it open. Without any mercy, she planted a kick full into his face, shattering his nose and forcing several teeth down his throat.

He struggled further, gurgling out protests when she went behind him, grabbed the blonde hair she once found so attractive and began to drag him back into the bedroom. From where he lay, he could see beneath the door to the beginnings of flames. "What—" He tried to say, but she answered before he could finish.

"Fire. The house is on fire. I had the servants get the entire home ready to burn." She said while approaching her wardrobe.

"We've got a few minutes to go before it spreads here, but it won't be long" Madam Furt tore off her expensive clothing and tossed it over his body, concealing herself briefly while she changed into a simple riding outfit, long out of fashion with the rich. It had become very common clothing.

"The servants all think I'm going to be dying in here with you, I told them I was leaving you and I think they simply assumed I was going to die a little later." Madam Furt spat in his direction.

" I gave it a lot of thought," She said to the writhing figure on the floor while she yanked up her pants and slid on a belt. "I was going to do that at first, but my little Kuuderika and Ureirika are out there somewhere, hopefully not suffering, and I owe it to them to try to do what our daughter was doing the whole time. Protecting them. From the world. And from you who deserve nothing but to do what Arche said." Madam Furt's words were as icy as the spreading flames were hot and tendrils of smoke began to come through the crack in the door.

"Get… Get me out" He gasped. "You're… my wife." He whimpered, "You… duty… me…" He couldn't form a proper sentence, but he began crawling toward his wife.

"Not anymore!" Madam Furt said and spat on him. "There, that glob of spit on your face will put out a little fire. That was my last duty. Now do what Arche said, go die in a fire."

She sat on the bed and yanked on low boots suitable for walking.

"What… you do? Without. My. Name." He seethed as he struggled to mouth simple words.

"Furt is a dead name. Worthless trash. I'll work. I don't care where and what. I'll dig holes, I'll be a prostitute, I'll teach music, maybe even be a merchant. I'll do whatever I have to in order to find them again. I'll buy them back and spend my life begging their forgiveness for letting them stay where you could use them, you unimaginable bastard!"

The smoke was beginning to billow thickly under the door, it hit the ceiling and began to fill the room from the top down, closing inch by inch on a man whose wounds would kept him safe from the smoke for as long as possible.

She yanked a small traveling pack from out of her wardrobe and threw a few more small things into it that might be useful, then slung it on to her back and turned to the pathetically whimpering man. "Here, here is a bonus for all my years of faithful marriage to my noble husband!" Madam Furt said and spat on his face twice more while the first flames were making their way rapidly under the door, the sound of crashing and cracking becoming like a roar.

"Don't leave me!" He managed to cry out, desperately clawing on the floor after Madam Furt as she went toward the window.

"Go. Die. In a fire." She reiterated her words and, smashing the window open, she jumped out to land in the grass.

She remained long enough to hear the first horrific screams of her husband as the flames began to cover him and the smoke began to choke his lungs, then stepped away to watch as the manor started to collapse. She easily slipped into the gathering crowd and watched as one wing of the house where she had once loved living suddenly caved in. Then the roaring red flames picked up high enough to be seen licking at the sky.

She watched until the wing where her husband lay dying gave way and covered his corpse or ended his life. Only then did Madam Furt leave to never to return again.