"She's not going to find us out here. She'd never get this close to the Dark Elf realm," his partner said, looking out through the windows. He knew it was true, but he just had a feeling in his gut. He knew the 'Goddess of the Elves' had a tendency to stay clear of Dark Elf territories, despite her title, but something just felt off.
He'd seen her once, all prim and proper. The family resemblance between her and her older sister was clear. Both had the same blonde hair and green eyes. But that was where the resemblance ended. While Celestine had a body any man wanted to touch and any woman would be envious of, Sol's was considerably less. Yes, her body and beauty surpassed that of most human women, but she was only just superior.
And unlike Celestine, whose eyes shone full of love, Sol's gaze was full of judgment. As if one saw only the best in you, while the other was gazing into your very soul. If Celestine had her eyes upon you, it was a blessing. Sol? It was always a mixed bag. You were either blessed, or you were damned.
"She's hit other parts of our operation recently. We can't be sure that she doesn't know we're here," that was the truth of it. Sol cared little for who she targeted. Nobles, commoners. If you were caught enslaving Dark Elves, the only thing she'd want was your head on a pike. But the pay was always good, in spite of the risks.
Some nobles would pay a high price for such slaves. Others just wanted their pound of flesh. But slavery was against the law. And the law was largely her domain. Celestine seemed to check the worst of Sol's impulses, as most were simply sentenced to some dark pit. He'd even seen a handful of Nobles stripped of their ranks and titles.
"And? It's not like she'd risk getting close enough to fight the Dark Elf Queen," his partner grinned as if he would do any better. Only Celestine was supposed to match the Dark Elf Queen in combat. Sol's unwillingness to engage wasn't foolish, it was smart.
The shattering of glass drew his eyes, a bright light shining as it bounced along the floor. He brought his hands up, but it wasn't enough as the light seemed to explode. Light flooded his eyes, and his hearing grew painfully dim. So much so that he could scarcely feel the blow that knocked him out.
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The door came down in a crunch as the ringing came through the broken windows. The two men at the front were taken down, tied and knotted together. They would be out of commission for a while.
I didn't need words, gesturing. Three left, three right, and the rest with me.
This wasn't a large raid, and this was by all accounts, more of a small safehouse. A gathering point and hub, where 'product' was ceased, then shipped. But it had connections.
Specifically, to one 'Sir' John Mandeville. I'd had my eye on the man for a long time, though he was far from alone on that front. Being out this far was inviting risks, but we didn't have time. This would be far from the first time I raided a place like this. First time it was a high-value target not to leave bound on Olga's front doorstep to buy me and mine enough time to escape.
So we were on a timer.
But the place was small, thankfully. It was becoming clear where Mandeville liked to spend his time though. The guards at the front were the first line of defense, not the last, and leading with the flashbang was not subtle. They knew we were coming.
But they had been taken off guard. A group of heavily armored soldiers fighting those who had the swords and maybe some leather at best?
Moving to arrest each one took some time, but we were making good progress.
Then we came to a locked door. It took only a moment to kick it down, a loud shriek coming from inside. It didn't take long to realize why. Chains binding her hands, her dark skin, her long, narrow ears, and clothes torn nearly into scrapes.
Dark Elf.
I gestured to the two soldiers, telling them to guard the door while I dealt with this. I knelt before her, pulling down on my facemask and pulling back on my hood, revealing the whole of my face, pointed ears and all.
"It's okay, we're here to rescue you," freeing slaves was a secondary objective, yes, but important all the same. Freeing the Dark Elves from this sort of hell and what Olga did to them was a goal in and of itself.
She let out a gasp as the chains fell of her arms, the clatter against stone sharp and loud.
"This is Annesia. She will get you to the wagons, okay?" I asked the Dark Elf woman, as the soldier stepped forward, taking off her helmet.
As I helped her up, a faint sound came from her mouth.
"Please, save my daughter," she gasped as Annesia took over for me. "She is with her father."
It didn't take long to connect the dots, and for my expression to be consumed by one of absolute fury. How long had she been here like this? Months? No, likely years. The fact Mandeville had kept this place off my radar for years or longer meant I was going to have to clean house again. Something had slipped its way inside my organization, and I wasn't going to tolerate it.
"With me," I order the last soldier as I begin to make my way forward, ready to clean out the rest of the din of sin and filth. I saw a few more people armed with swords turn the corner as I bury arrows into each, sending them to the floor in pain. My anger fueled my spells, making the light even more searing.
Part of me wanted to kill Mandeville. Conceiving a child through rape, and likely committing the same crime against said child?
Disgusting. Unforgivable.
But I needed to bring him in alive. Maybe I could convince Celestine that this one was better off without his head. Either of them. If not, to see Mandeville thrown into a pit, never to see the light of day again? Would be a once in a generation message.
But that didn't mean I intended to make it painless for him.
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It didn't take long to find the last room in the building. Everything else had been cleared. Everyone we had captured was at the wagons with a detachment of guards, as well as the first victim.
If we were to find the second, and Mandeville, it would be here.
"Do it."
If the monster didn't know we were coming by now, then he had to be lost in madness. Or dead. I would not shed a tear if he killed himself.
The door came down with a crash opening the path.
"Stop! If you take a step further, I will kill her!" Mandeville shouted, holding a knife to the throat of a small, blonde Dark Elf child as she struggled in his grip. "I know you don't have the spine to do it, you Dark Elf-loving AAAHHHHH!"
No, I didn't enjoy the scream of pain he made as my arrow pinned his forearm to his bicep, the knife clattering to the floor, alongside the child. She managed to catch herself barely, with terror in her eyes. I gestured, as the soldiers left, dragging Mandeville out of the room screaming.
"What's your name, little one?" I ask, pulling back on my hood, revealing my short blonde hair, my ears fully on display. The way she blinked in surprise was at least a good sign. Still, she shifted. She likely hadn't seen another Elf before, High or Dark besides her mother.
Likely hadn't met a human that wasn't trying to hurt her or worse, either. Sick fucks.
"Are you part human too?" She asked in confusion, still eyeing the door. Goddess, was it too much to ask that Mandeville get struck by a bolt of lightning? Yeah, I thought so too.
"No, I am a High Elf," I said, making sure not to get too close. Making her bolt was the last thing we needed. She missed her mom outside in a wagon, and she could run off and get killed. "I'm here to take you and your mother away from this place, and make sure Mandeville is punished for his crimes."
"You are?" She looked at me suspiciously. "Are you the Goddess of the Elves?"
Goddess, I hated that title. A damn mockery, given to me by people who refused to understand even the slightest scrape of empathy for others. The fighting was always a waste of time, effort, and lives. Humans capture Dark Elves to serve as sex slaves, Dark Elves release monsters onto human lands to rape and murder, while also throwing part of their own population at said monsters, then the cycle repeats. On and on for centuries.
A waste of everything that could just be solved by everyone just stopping. Consider some basic empathy for once and just stop. But no, I got labeled as the 'Goddess of the Elves' by the people who wanted to continue the cycle.
My sister tried her best, but her methods were ultimately about love and acceptance. She saw the best in humanity, almost intrinsically, and just assumed they needed the right guidance. This could work. I'd seen it before. But for every righteous man, there was a man ruled by vice. Sometimes, people needed the stick more than the carrot.
"No, but I am here to help you," I offer, extending out a hand. "I'll take you to your mother if you want."
The young child looked at my hand, balancing on what to do. Slowly, her small fingers reached out, grasping my own.
"My name is Chloe," she said at last as we began to walk out of the room.
"Sol. Sol Lucullus."
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I looked back through the binoculars as the wagon raced across the plain. We had gotten out not a moment too soon.
Olga was coming.
That was as terrifying as it sounded. I had no problem fighting against the monsters she created, but there was a reason she and my sister no longer clashed. The collateral damage was too great. I had gotten a front-row seat to the last time they fought.
It wasn't great.
But between the distance and my illusion, we should be fine. Normally, I would leave some men for her as a, well, not a peace offering. But something of a 'punish the people actively hurting yours, instead of sending monsters into our lands' sort of deal.
But rule of law was rule of law. I needed testimony and evidence to make my case, as well as further investigations. And we had hit a mother load, including a few names within my organizations that had been destroying information that people had tried to get to my desk for more than a decade.
I would be impressed if they weren't using their skills to defend a bunch of raping slavers. But housecleaning needed to happen, and no matter how I wished it, I wasn't infallible.
Plus, Celestine finally decided to go through with that batch of military reforms I'd been pushing for. By putting me in charge, so I was a bit stretched thin.
I think she did it as a way to punish me for pestering her so much on the matter, but jokes on her. I took to the task with gusto, making enlistment easier and finding ways to discourage both the use and formation of mercenary warbands.
Seriously sis, what were you even thinking? Yeah, war was rough, but you needed a big stick sometimes, and ultimately, paying loyal soldiers was money better spent than throwing it at disloyal mercenaries who might get ideas.
"We should be in the clear!" I shouted as the storm clouds were finally retreating. I'd keep the illusion up though for a while longer. An hour at least.
Still, I looked to the cart, where the mother-daughter pair were snuggled together, wrapped in a blanket.
That alone made this worth it.
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"What are we doing here, Sir?" Claudia asked, looking around as she was next to her adoptive father, looking at all the sights and sounds. They didn't come to the Capitol too frequently, and even when they did, it was to train.
Today was different. Both of them were wearing far more formal garb, something that neither of them could fight in.
"Today is going to be a show. Quite a pleasant one, I think" Graves answer did not clarify things. He wasn't one interested in theater. So why were they here? He didn't do things without reason. "I do wonder if we'll be able to run into her beforehand."
Her? Who was this her? The death of Graves's wife had devastated the man. He didn't seem like he would remarry. If this was anything like this, wouldn't Klaus be better suited for this?
Then Claudia saw her. She had only seen her before at a distance, standing next to Celestine, the Goddess herself. Sol. She looked like a smaller Celestine, her blonde hair almost reflecting the sun.
"Greetings, Goddess of the Elves," Graves grinned, the tone of his voice making it clear he was mocking the title, rather than its holder. Claudia bit back a gasp at the disrespect. "I'm surprised to see you without the limpet on you."
"Graves," Sol huffed, seemingly not amused by his antics. "She's currently preparing for the day in court. She is a witness after all."
Claudia almost moved her mouth. She knew what Sol did, what her role was to play. But who was this she? But then she felt it on the back of her neck. Every hair raised, as if in alarm. Graves, while his body was perfectly still, put every part of her body on edge. Despite that, Sol stood, unpulsed by Grave's withering presence.
"It really is that bad, then?" He asked as Claudia let out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding. "If you need to find someone too."
Really? Were they really going to talk about that in public? Here?
"That is what today is for, Graves," Sol said, her expression still unreadable.
"Celestine is too soft for it, Sol, you know that," her father shook his head. Claudia bit her lip. The Goddess? Soft?
"He didn't just conceive a child out of rape, Graves. Mandeville had a child out of rape, then abused and raped said child," Sol said. "Just this once, I think my sister will see my point. You don't go as far as doing that to your own daughter, and have any chance of crawling back any scrap of morals."
Claudia felt herself grow pale and sick. Mandeville? As in John Mandeville? He had done what?
"Hope you're right. The sick bastard needs to meet a hangman's noose. He's not the only noble you've brought in that should," Graves nodded his head. Sol returned the gesture, turning to leave, before pausing.
"I do hope you bring your son to the Capitol more in the future. Just because he didn't inherit your brawn, does not mean he doesn't have value," with that statement, Sol turned to leave, heading towards a large court building.
Graves let out a sigh, running his fingers through his hair, as Claudia wondered what that was about.
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If looks could kill, Mandeville would kill me. Of that, I had no doubt. But even if he did somehow come off of this without official punishment, which given the evidence had no chance, he'd be skewered socially. He may have been giving me a glare that would kill me stone dead, but the filthy looks coming from the rest of the crowd would reduce him to ash.
Many in the Kingdom did not like Dark Elves. Over the years, somebody had lost someone important to them due to the raids of their monsters.
But children were children. There was only so much one could do when a child was crying their eyes out on a stand, recounting what their 'father' did to them. Was it low? Yeah, I wouldn't deny that. It was rough on Chloe and Moria to have to confront their rapist like this, but they needed to see this. Needed to be here. The physical evidence was more than enough to condemn him, as was the testimony of his 'employees'.
But people needed to see where their hate got them. It got innocent people hurt, killed, or worse.
I didn't like putting my sister in the hot seat, either. Celestine was a good, noble person. But she just didn't understand how humans ticked. In a lot of other circumstances, I would approve of her letting them live. But not this. Not with slavers, not with rapists. These people knew what they did was evil, and did it anyway.
I watched as she stood up. Her shoulders looked as if they were weighed down. They were always when it came to these matters. But this time? They almost felt heavier than normal.
"I Celestine Lucullus, Goddess Reincarnated," there was a shutter in her breath as if she was trying to gather herself. "Agree with my sister's assessment of John Mandeville's punishment."
The room was silent, as if none believed their ears. This, was the first time Celestine had ordered someone's death before, even if it was simply saying she agreed with how I wanted someone punished. The expression on Mandeville's face was almost priceless.
"I understand, sister. I will begin to make preparations," I bowed, as the guards dragged Mandeville away.
I was going to have to give her a hug after this. I knew my sister, and knew her well. As much as I criticized her softness, her ordering someone's death was simply against her nature. It had to be hard on her.