Devil and Candlemaker

"Everyone knows about heroes, adventurers, nobles; people that matter. No one remembers the name of those shunned, or their descendants. Especially when their crimes were severe enough to sell them to Melromarc's enemies. Don't worry, though. Master has only one directive for me: serve the Shield Hero, kill any that wish him harm." F/F romance, slavery, dark themes.

All warnings placed in chapter 1 are in place for the duration of the story. I won't bog this down by placing anything more than chapter-specific warnings here.

Second Arc—Everything is a game, you need only decipher the rules

Chapter Twenty-Nine—The Kingdom of Lyght

8-8

I'm pissing people off. Not in the 'ha, take that' way, but more the 'this is needful and I take no pleasure in it' way—as much as I wish it wasn't the case. I want to enjoy this. I want to enjoy having the power to screw with not just people who irritate me, but entire kingdoms.

Instead, all I see are my babies, my Crayn and my Stellar, sitting down to breakfast in our Ulaan manor, wearing their mage robes like everyone else, checking they've packed their grimoires and magical foci, and quietly debating whether everyone's ready for their first day at a prestigious academy.

"Here," I set two packed lunches in front of them that I've been working on since dawn, "in case you get hungry." I blush, looking away. It's their lunches, of course they'll get hungry for lunch time. But I'm just…I just barely got my babies back, and they're already so grown up and all ready to head off into that big world and I…

I want my babies back.

"Mama!" Luna wants to steal Crayn's bento, but I scoop her up before she tries. "Mama, hmph!"

"We'll have none of that, young lady." I tap her gwumpy widdle nose with my finger. Sadly, I do feel a little better, knowing I still have little Luna to coddle, if even only a little when I'm not working. "You get mama all to yourself today. So be nice and share a little."

Luna understands about as little of what I said as she cares for sharing just now—still reaching for the handkerchief-wrapped lunches I prepared.

"Mama?" Stellar looks at hers, tears in her eyes. "You…made lunch?"

"Of course. Isn't that what mothers do?" I ask, honestly confused. Mother never cooked for me, not that I recall. Then again, the only time we spent together was during my training— my courtesan training, and it's a little awkward to have your mother teach you those things.

"Thanks, mama. You're the best." Stellar beams, hugging the package like all the treasures in her world.

"Not that I'm complaining." Crayn smirks, mischief in his eyes. He tries to be a bit more nonchalant about it, but his eyes are a little teary just the same. "It is a little weird to have my queen cook for me."

"For your information, every mother is a queen." I waggle my pointer at him. "And I'll be sure your consort is made perfectly aware of this."

Crayn tries to act annoyed, but there's a sort of quiet peace in his now rolling eyes.

"Mama!" Chandelier glomps me, hamming up the I'm-just-a-little-girl thing she has going. "Did you—"

One of my shadow tendrils plucks up a third bento I had waiting. Chandelier squeals, hugging me all the tighter. This was nothing if not predictable, after all. Of course, the other filolials rush their 'parents', begging to get spoiled a little too. My party all is all smiles, offering the 'children' their lunches, like I warned them to expect.

I'm still not sure why our filolials are so intent on acting like children—maybe they don't mentally develop much passed what we expect from an average ten year old, maybe they just always thought they were our children since we feed and bathe them. Maybe they just don't much care and see this as just another meal? They weren't any different before coming to this world, after all—other than being able to vocalise what they want.

"Come come. It's almost second chime and it won't do for you to be late on your first day."

8-8

You'd think we'd have the most problems getting our people ready and to the academy on time, what with almost forty of our House attending. We're of the first to arrive. I escort them all into the lobby and arrange them in an orderly line to acquire their proper schedules and instructions on where their first class is to be.

The Clerks almost seem grateful we're so early, even offering to show my people to their homerooms.

"Thank you, no." I curtsey to them and check that all of my people have their things sorted, before ushering them along. We go corridor by corridor, getting everyone to their assigned homerooms so they can settle in. Each time, I take a moment to make sure they each have a packed lunch, each have some coin, just in case, and to introduce myself to their master and thank them for taking care of my people.

Chandelier and her flock, of course, make the biggest scenes of them all, mostly begging to not be cooped up all day—thankfully they're getting mostly martial training, so they should be alright, I think.

Until at last, we get to Crayn's and Stellar's homeroom. I take a long moment to check my babies, to make sure they look presentable. Stellar almost seems to glow with how I hover over her—my little man rolls his eyes and bears it.

The room is little different than the others. Individual desks with cushioned thrones situated in a semi-circle around a central dais with a green chalkboard occupying most of the wall. Each desk as a name written in Kadish, with a stack of tomes no doubt meant for the students—curiously, most of the desks are occupied.

"Ah, Lady Candlemaker." The elderly man bows to me, with the glowing red avian perched on his shoulder bowing as well. "Here to drop off your House, I take it?"

"Yes." I curtsey to the man, wondering at his rather Melromarcan look. Luna's mostly just looking about with an almost owlish look in her eyes and one arm wrapped around my elbow. "I know my people are unskilled and may be a handful at times. Please, train them up well."

"Of course. You have nothing to worry about, I assure you."

"I am most grateful." I curtsey again, and turn my full attention back to Stellar—since Crayn's already settled in and is poking his new tomes and glaring at them.

Stellar takes my free arm and tugs me along, to her desk, where she slips out of her rucksack and slings it over her throne's armrest. I tug her into my arms about the same time she decides she wants one last hug before I go—I check that I don't muss her hair too much, and press a dry kiss to her brow.

"Keep him in line for me?" Stellar and I get a good chuckle from a now groaning Crayn.

"No promises, but I'll try." She hugs me one last time, before I walk over to my little man. He tries to act all cool and detached, but he doesn't overtly complain when I comb my fingers through his hair, to tame that wild mop, and plant a kiss on his brow.

Part of me wants to tell him to listen well, to learn all he can. Another part wants me to just scoop him up and hold him in my arms all day. In the end, all I can really do is check that he has his lunch, hug him one more time, sneak in another few kisses, and leave my babies to it.

"Did you want me to join you for lunch?" I ask, almost hopeful. Crayn rolls his eyes and shakes his head, but even Stellar looks a little dubious about it—no doubt hoping to dine with their new classmates. "Right. Sorry." I turn to the door again, but find myself turning back and sneaking another kiss and hug with both of them.

Deela: "They'll be fine. Hope, Bry, and I will be with them the whole time."

Me: "I know."

I checked their rucksacks, so I know they have everything they need. They have their lunches, and some extra coin just in case. And I know they don't need me hovering over them like a spectre while they should be learning.

They're fine. I know that.

Just go.

Sorrow. You need to leave. You'll only disrupt their class.

I steal one last hug, and a few extra kisses, before seeing myself out, my chest tight as I walk out the classroom. They'll be fine. And they know to message me.

8-8

Luna runs around, her tome not weighing her down in the least as she cackles and chases the dancing shadow tendrils. I try to bunch them up best I can, offering them the shapes of hopping bunnies of fluttering butterflies, of all the cute and cuddly things I can come up with—like flowers? I guess there aren't a whole lot of things that won't try to kill you, or at least get in a bite before running like hell.

The academy lobby isn't very busy just now. Students are all in class or in orientation, as are the masters. That just leaves me, Luna, and the more than amused Clerks.

While I entertain my baby, while she's quite happily hopping around with the shadow bunnies that certainly won't ever hurt her. I load Rat's Map, and scour my kingdom for points of interest. Curiously enough, there are three things already marked—all of which are in Lute.

The keep, which still hasn't gotten much passed barebones. The administration building, where really is just a library and little more. And another that I certainly do not recognize.

I blink at it, and a winged snake symbol comes up, if wrapped around something. I blink at 'search for others', but it offers nothing other than turning the winged snake symbol red to draw my attention to it. Hmm. Curious, I zoom out. My kingdom is outlined, showing the river the runs through the southern section—I haven't unveiling the river in either direction, thus I have no idea where it comes from or leads.

No other red symbols. I zoom out further, still nothing. I zoom out enough to have Three Angs, Ulaan, and two other kingdoms in view, each sharing a border with mine. Eight red symbols this time, not perfectly spread out, but spread out enough to clearly denote vast expanses separating them.

I double blink on the Ulaan symbol, and map zooms in, focuses map to the location. It's in Choros's palace. In the cellar, from the look of it. It's somewhere I've already been, given it's entirely coloured in. I trace steps trying to figure out when I went there. The only thing in the cellar I know of is…

Feeling drains from my face.

The…

I look at the symbol more closely. It's not a snake, it's a dragon. That's the Dragon Hourglass symbol!

Map zooms out and I refocus on Lute. We have a Dragon Hourglass in Lute! In the keep? No, there's nothing there, there can't be. I zoom in, and sure enough it isn't there. I blink at the 'go one floor down' symbol, and there it is, in the middle of nothing. A Dragon Hourglass in what ought be my keep's cellar. I'll have to dig it out, because I can't not have access to it.

A drop in the map spreads, almost eating away at it like acid? Little trapeziums form a tiny circle in the corner of the seemingly eaten out cavern. Map flickers up to the ground floor of the keep, and the trapezium circle forms near the back. It almost reminds me of a stairwell?

"Mistress?" I almost jump out of my skin, my heart thrashing against my ribcage as Lyraynna motions for me to calm down. "What's wrong? Why are…?"

Lyraynna, Zaan, Grin, Ginad, Archer and Tayrend. I add them and Luna to my immediate party and Quick Travel us to Lute.

8-8

On arrival, I offer Luna to Tayrend, knowing he'll keep her safe, and I storm into the keep. It's as barebones as memory suggests, but I know that which I seek. To the back, I slide open our bathroom door. Surely nothing here will be any different.

But no. There it is. Steps in the shape of bent rectangles, leading down into a cellar that was not there an hour ago. I descend into the dark underbelly of my keep, vision fading to black and white as the stairwell too closely resembles an actual well—just a pipe leading downwards.

Nearly a minute later, near what ought be the base of tree's trunk, stairwell opens up into a cavern. Electric blue light pulses in my vision, a dormant Dragon Hourglass stares, unblinking. I brandish my fans and raise them to it, the focused light I fully expect flashes from Hourglass to me.

X-X DRAGON HOURGLASS UPDATE! X-X

You are attuned to Lyght's Dragon Hourglass. You will be notified when the countdown starts.

X-X

Me: "Get to Lute. Now. In the keep."

It's barely ten seconds later that footfalls echo throughout the chamber followed closely by Lyraynna's First Light splashing colour into my world.

S'yne Lokk, Malar, and Qatun storm into the chamber right behind Lyraynna and Zaan, each staring at the Hourglass.

"Is this light's or destruction's will?" My words further drain the colour from their faces, but they have no answers for me either, even as they raise their holy weapons to attune to it.

I don't trust this. At all. For a Dragon Hourglass to happen to be in my keep's cellar, when it certainly wasn't there before? No matter how convenient, this smacks of all kinds of doom.

Me: "Send out some eyes. Check if the monsters act different?"

Ginad: "On it."

And here I am stuck at the first cap. I load my Class Up selection, and blink at 'filter available options'. Not a whole lot left. Thief, but that gives me all the wrong vibes from the supposed royal that I ought be. Arch Mage would be nice, but it means attending the academy to learn all the branches of magic—time I have not. Battle Mage and her branches are certainly the strongest contender, but I've little available that tempts me.

Sigh. If only I could simply select Assassin again—it's the only one I have any emotional bond wi…th?

Battle Mage: Dark Princess.

That wasn't there before. I select it, curious with the twists I'm offered. Elite variant all but jumps at my attention.

War Mage: Empress of Night.

Curious, I filter through the options available with Dark Princess. Unlock Summon Demon spell. Unlock Bind Lesser Demon spell. Unlock Demon Possession skill. Stealth options, assassination options, poisons and venoms. Unlock First and Zweite level dark spell—whatever that means. Unlock Combination Attacks, spell and skill. Unlock Combination Skills, skill and skill. Unlock Joint Spells, spell and spell. Medium and Heavy Armours are available, with skills. Unlock Shadow Weapon spell—I blink at it, it allows me access to every weapon, but I'm curious how that would work with my fans blocking my usage of non-assigned weapons. Unlock Mark Quarry and Trace spells. Unlock Parkour Pundit skill. Unlock Vanish passive skill. Unlock Muffle passive skill. Unlock XP passive debuff—I blink at that, finding I, and only I, would gain half the usual XP, with the remaining half being donated to my Patron?

I blink at Patron, finding a list I definitely would need to look at far more closely. But this is essentially the Battle Mage version of Assassin. I blink at War Mage: Empress of Night, curious what the Elite version offers me.

Create demon race. Enslave demons. Bind greater demons. Unlock Dritte level dark spells. Unlock Ritual Magics—I blink at it, these are the highest rank of spells, it seems, that require at least six casters. Unlock Shadow Armour Spell—I blink at that one, revealing it's like Shadow Weapon, but for armour and shields. Unlock Auto-Shield Skill—I blink at that one, revealing it's an automatic defence that conjures shadow shields to block every attack within a predetermined radius of me. The last is a more extreme XP debuff, donating eighty percent of my XP gain to my Patron.

I…

I'd be a fool to not pick this Class, but I'm more curious as to the implications? I'm not overly familiar with demons and/or demonology, but they don't strike me as the kind and gentle spirits that might instil peace and/or a sense of all being right with the world. Not that aspiring to being a world class assassin was rainbows and sunshine.

Vision flickers back to the Patron list. No names, just question marks. Hmm. I think I might just have an idea.

8-8

I enter the chapel, the Prioress and her nuns unable to meet my gaze as I lead them into the room to the back. Once there, Zaan shuts the door with Lyraynna at my flank—just in case they try something foolish once again.

"I know you can arrange an audience with the god of light." My words drain the colour from the Prioress's face, she falls limp into her chair opposite me. "I would speak with him."

The nuns all gather around, faces slack and pale as they huddle behind their Prioress as she clasps her hands and mutters under her breath.

It's but a moment later that the usually brown eyes flutter open, revealing golden irises and that familiar smile.

"Ah, Candy returns once again. I welcome back to the fold, child of Lyght." The soft-spoken tone fills me with a sense of peace I cannot claim to truly know.

"You know why I've come."

"Perhaps. Would you indulge me all the same?"

"I've selected a plausible Class Up. Battle Mage: Dark Princess. I require a patron, and I would rather it be you, should you have me."

"Hmm." Though the Prioress's face relaxes into a warm smile, it's the smile of the god that sets me at ease—though the near panicked, slack-jawed stares of the nuns tickle me in all the right ways. "Very well, Queen Sorrow Candescent Lyght, Monarch of the Kingdom of Lyght. My terms are thus. There will be no demons allowable in your service, this will be replaced by servants of my realm, and mine alone. You may continue using the dark, though with the express intent of serving the light. Striking in anger is forever barred—if you must strike, it will be with a clear head and of a just verdict. Your House must observe my holy days and institutions. Your kingdom would institute my worship as its state religion, in whatever form you prefer. And I would require you be with child soon, to bring forth twin shards of mine to act as conduit. Are these terms satisfactory?"

"I have stipulations." My words have the nuns in an stunned and muted uproar, I can tell just from the outrage plastered on their faces—that I would dare haggle their god, being my guess. "Luna would be recognized as my biological child. I will not risk pregnancy before achieving the Elite Class, Empress of Night. You become Patron to any of my House in much the same capacity, should they choose it. And you speak to me through Hope, should there be need of it."

"I see." The god of light chuckles as the Prioress's face quirks up into an amused and entertained grin. "These added stipulations are agreeable. I would offer even better terms, should you agree to hunt the Demon Dragon Lord that plagues this world?" S'yne Lokk bursts into tears even as she smiles. She's more than ready for this, it would seem.

"Namely?"

"Waiving the XP debuff in whole. Granting you access to, and an affinity for, light and healing and status spells, in addition thus not replacing your dark. And access to a far less…insensitive crest with which to bind your servants."

Hmm. Honestly, I see nothing but upsides on all counts—other than having to fight that dragon. Not that Lokk would be happy if we leave her people to their fates. "Acceptable terms."

"Thus out pact is made." Prioress reaches out, my fans fly out to match. Her hands touch my weapons, but nothing seems to happen? "When next you visit a Dragon's Hourglass, the name Lustre will be among your choices."

The Prioress slumps into her chair, her eyes blinking back to their usual brown as she looks around with a kind of confused sense of wonder—as if not recognizing where she is. My shadowy tendrils claim my weapons from under her touch, and stuff them into my sleeves.

Today's a good day, it would seem.

8-8

Preferring not to waste precious time, I find myself before Lute's Dragon Hourglass once again. My hand presses against the brass frame, and the Class Up Ritual begins.

I select Battle Mage: Dark Princess, and select Lustre as my patron.

X-X NEW CLASS UNLOCKED! X-X

You are now Battle Mage: Lustre's Dark Princess

X-X

All the things unlock in a staccato of popups, taking almost a minute before my vision clears properly. What I find most curious is a single popup that flashes up near the end.

X-X NOBLE HOUSE CLASS UP! X-X

House Lyght is now the Hallowed House of Lyght

Paladin Class Tree Unlocked for followers

X-X

I check my stats, finding all base stats have doubled and all derived stats follow suit. My HP tops out at nearly eight-thousand, with my MP and SP almost hitting the cap of quadruple nines. My fans' damage output, even in their current form, hits the cap of five-score nines.

I change my fans form to the Twin Dragon Fans, and the damage output turns to five red nines with an asterisk. I blink at it, but nothing is called up. Curious. Will see what that does when I attack things.

"Mistress?" Lyraynna and Zaan come to me, eyes begging. "May we…?"

"Check your options. New trees unlocked that might interest you." I walk over to one side, and doff my Light Armour one piece at a time, setting them aside. I craft the same wolven-themed armour I gave Ginad and the men, and don that.

Even while I'm busy, I Mark my people, to ensure my old tactics won't be lost to the sands of time. Today is, indeed, a good day. Now to get in some training.

8-8

Gloved fists ball. As useful as gauntlets would be just now, I've not the will to equip them whilst sparring with my people. Zaan charges, launching a punch for my new cuirass. I take the hit and punch his cuirass with all my might.

We just stand here, going blow for blow, whittling away at each other's HP, never once hitting anything but breastplates dead centre.

Lyraynna steps up and rams her balled gauntlet into my backplate, obviously believing I'm not levelling my Heavy Armour mastery quick enough. I don't complain or even comment, I just keep trading blows with Zaan.

Hmm. It might do me some good to go for a nice long sewer crawl. It'd do my unarmed mastery some good, House treasury gets bolstered after splurging. It certainly can't hurt.

8-8

"Remind me again." Malar chooses not to understand the value in this. "Why are we in the sewers hunting level fours?"

Instead of wasting my breath, I storm forward, going out of my way to create the most noise I can to level up my Muffle skill faster. Gauntlets curl into fists before I punch the first rat. Shadow tendrils gather the corpse and feed it to fan's gem.

"Lady Candlemaker. Please allow me." S'yne Lokk charges in and stabs the next rat to death, before gathering the corpse manually and feeding it to her holy weapon. See, she gets it.

"Do not forget to change your weapon's form to each you unlock. They won't offer the passive bonus without it." At my suggestion, Lokk's weapon changes into a sewing needle? She flicks it over and over, killing the rats before I even get close. Hmm. Effective. We move right along, dealing with the infestation one rat at a time.

X-X JOB UPDATE! X-X

Kill Sewer Rats: 3,215/20

X-X

That there are rats left down here amazes me. Still, I wait for five more to be felled and, "Lokk," I turn up a different path, away from the scurrying rats trying to get away from our onslaught.

X-X

Kill/Enslave Sewer Urchins: 0/5

X-X

Well, this way I can test if the Indentured Servitude crest is any better—still strikes me as enslavement, but we'll see.

8-8

The Guild Hall Clerks stare. They don't even have the presence of mind to truly process just what's going on, it would seem. I'm unsure if it's the literal thousands of sewer rats, sewer spiders, or the dozens of sewer urchins bound and marked as my own.

Sechen takes one look at me and the three Jobs clicker into vision.

X-X

Kill Sewer Rats: 4,200/20

X-X

Kill Sewer Spiders: 15,000/20

X-X

Kill/Enslave Sewer Urchins: 35/5

X-X

"We were worried," Sechen breathes a sigh, "that they wouldn't be culled without your intervention." Malar shifts his weight nervously, though looks downright uncomfortable as Qatun gives him an amused side glance. "Thank you, Lady Candlemaker." She bows low while her colleague fishes out two medium gold coins and some silvers.

"I trust there's been no word on goblins?" I accept my payment, sorting through it. Neither Malar nor Yisu lifted a finger, they aren't getting paid for being present. I offer one medium gold to Lokk, but she shakes her head and nudges my hand towards my purse.

"No, Lady Candlemaker. Ever since those inns were built, no goblin raid has been reported." Interesting.

Me: "I trust you charge fair rates at your inns?"

Crayn: "Charge? What is this heresy?" That's my boy.

Me: "Let me know if you need anything to provide for them."

Crayn: "Actually. We've reports of goblin tracks and tunnels on almost every farm. I hear you're pretty good at handling them?"

Me: "Coming to you."

8-8

We arrive on one of our walled farms outside of Ulaan. Crayn is just finishing up with a end-of-day pep talk with his people, all sporting worn smiles and our House crest on their skirt-coats.

"Ah, mama. New acquisitions?" Crayn looks to the new faces, still wearing those dreadful rags I found them in. "Ghazan. Assign them bunks and duties, and help them get settled in."

"At once, My Lord." The hunter bows low and ushers the newbies into one of the dozen stone buildings set up here. This place is quite amazing, all things considered. Street lights are just flickering to life, to save the sole cobblestone road from darkness. Each window is just having its shutters closed in, to keep the cold out. But there are still dozens of people mulling about, most heading towards one of the inns though many usher their herds into the barns? There seems to be more barns here than people—a hundred of them, from my count, and there's little doubt I can't even see most from my limited view.

"Simple system," Crayn seems to have read my curiosity, "if you think about it. Farmers bring in their livestock at the end of the day and house them in a private barn. And in the morning, they take them back to their own lands to graze. It keeps everyone safe, but the goblins aren't taking kindly to it."

Just as the first star blinks to life, an inhuman screech fills the air. It's distant, clearly well outside this enclosure, but equally clear is that this is hundreds, if not thousands, of monsters strong.

"If I were more of a ma—"

"There's more to being a man than raising a sword at monsters." My words don't ease all his worries, but the tension in his shoulders lessens somewhat. "Taking care of these people makes you more than man enough."

"Unn." Crayn nods, his eyes troubled. "I'm sorry to burden you, mama. But could you please hunt those monsters in my stead?" I see. He fears he's not enough to help people?

"We can hunt them together?" My offer brings the brightest smile to my little man's face I've yet seen. "You've unlocked dark vision?"

"Unn." Crayn brandishes his weapon, his face split by a grin.

8-8

"I'll be right behind you." I smile and nudge him ahead. "The whole time." My baby, my little man, he fearlessly walks ahead of me, changing his weapon into a hunting bow, and he goes to town on the horde of half-starved goblins. I didn't know he could do archery? Interesting.

There's less light with the new moon, but he seems unbothered by it. I doubt this bow would do him any good against higher-end monsters, given the ease and rate of fire he pelts the monsters with, but it's enough for this—and that's enough for me.

Crayn handles the goblins before us, Lyraynna and Zaan handle those behind. Malar and Yisu Qatun only stare, eyes wide as my baby does the work of ten warriors while I trail behind and give him the room he needs to work, if with my shadow pooled at both our feet and keeping a keen eye on his HP, MP, and SP. The second his SP hits zero, my shadows lash out and tear the goblins to pieces, feeding the remains to Crayn's quiver? Well, that seems to house the gem just now, and it replenishes arrows and his depleted stats.

Instead of worrying with thanks and propriety, my baby focuses his attention into nocking another arrow and continuing his work. My heart overflows with pride, seeing my baby working so hard to keep people safe. So I keep feeding the fallen goblins to his quiver, letting him handle his business.

It's almost two hours later when Crayn can't go anymore. It's not that his stats are down—they're all at full. But he's losing steam, no matter how he soldiers through it. His hands tremble with fatigue, making his aim all but worthless. Instead of stopping, he speeds up, making up for poor accuracy with a steady hail of arrows. Popups with one XP flood in—any other time this wouldn't be worth the effort; precisely why this is still an issue, I bet.

I don't interrupt him, I don't tell him to stop or to rest. He needs to learn this as utterly as I have: to stop is to die. Even if it wouldn't cost him his life, it would mean the lives of his party members, of the people he means to protect. We cannot stop no matter how our body begs.

No matter how much time passes, how many arrows he looses, there seems to be no end to them. His legs start to shiver—he isn't drawing to his ear either. Yet he doesn't ease his attack, choosing instead to stop walking. Until at last his hand cramps and he can't even nock another arrow. His shadow tendrils lash out instead, tearing into the monsters with a renewed vigour. He feeds still warm and bleeding corpses into his now fillet knife's gem, tearing more and more into the unending wave of goblins.

8-8

I carry my soundly sleeping warrior through inky battlefield like a toddler. Crayn was amazing, pushing well passed his limits to the point he passed out on his feet.

Malar takes up the front line now, his scythe a constant blur as he tears throw the monsters he no longer complains about. I'm unsure of his change of heart, but seeing a thirteen year old act like more of a man than a prince has been his whole life might be a contributing factor. Yisu does what she can to offer cover fire via spellflame, but neither of them see well in the dark, so my shadows clump the goblins into harm's way for their sakes.

A steady stream of sewing needles flinging at my rear flank; S'yne Lokk handles my flanks to give Lyraynna and Zaan some rest. She's a long way to go, given how many goblins get passed her offensive, but she's quick to switch to her scissors and cut them down.

My shadowy tendrils keep feeding the goblins to all three Heroes' weapons for them, and cutting down any that pose credible risk. For the most part, I just keep pace and keep peppering my snoring little warrior with dry kisses and murmuring how proud I am of him.

"Mm." Crayn clutches me like a brief hug. "Love you, mama." Even fast asleep, my little man is the sweetest on the planet. Of course I kiss him all the more for his efforts.

"Is it strange," Malar grunts as he cleaves through yet more monsters I lay up for him, "that I'm jealous of a little kid?"

"Shut up and fight!" Yisu gets on her husband's case, muttering the words for another fire spell that engulfs him, my shadows, and the goblins—somehow, only the goblins burn to death. Charred corpses are fed into their weapons for them.

8-8

Stars start to fade. We've been dealing with these goblins all night, but they don't seem to want to let up. At all. Just a bunch of level fives and sixes, the lot of them, but they make up for it in numbers and tenacity.

"What the—" I silence Crayn with a gentle hug, letting him know he's still perfectly safe. He looks around, bleary-eyed as he takes in just how many goblins are left—honestly, I can't see the difference between now and when the night started.

"Lyraynna. Take him."

"Of course, Mistress." She doesn't hesitate, coming to me and taking my baby into her arms, holding him as protectively as I have all night.

My forearms flick, fans snap into my grips. Shadowy tendrils grab my people and hoist them up and out of the way, and I unleash wave after wave of Rupture-Stance Rondo: Planar Decapitation, tearing through the goblin hordes. The night goes silent as my people lower onto their feet.

"This brings back memories." Zaan looks around, shaking his head.

"Lurolana Village, yeah." Lyraynna pets my baby, letting him know it's perfectly alright to cuddle a little longer. "Not that Lute was any better, really."

"Any better?" Zaan gives her an incredulous look. It was tiring, there's no denying it.

"We were better prepared for Lute's defence. World of difference."

I ignore the pair of them gathering the warm corpses and feeding them into fans' gems. S'yne, Malar, and Yisu just stare, eyes wide and jaws low, completely missing what this really is.

"Zaan. Lyraynna. You should get to the manor. You've lessons to attend." My guards merely cock an eyebrow. "Who else could I trust to keep Crayn safe?"

"Mama, no. Please, I can…I can Quick Travel back." Sigh. There goes that. "Let them stay with you?"

"Then you'd best hurry." I nod to the writhing silhouette in the distance. It's too far away to tell for sure, but I could almost swear those are ogres or worse. "S'yne, Malar, Yisu. You've passed your limits. Go. I'll handle this."

"This…you've…"

"Now!" Crayn doesn't hesitate, blinking out of the area before the next wave hits, only to be replaced by Grin, Tayrend, Archer, Bry, Hope, and Deela—along with our filolials, of course. Curiously, the Vassal Heroes stand their ground, ready and willing to press on.

"Well, shit." Archer looks east, at the incoming army. "Fighting without us?"

"Goblins." Barely worth noting, and my people know it. "If this holds true to what's-her-name's tactics. This will be the real threat."

"You've been through this." Malar doesn't ask, but Yisu and S'yne nod repeatedly, agreeing with the estimation.

"Waves of Catastrophe," I say, nodding to the steadily approaching threat. "Don't expect the real thing to be as gentle. They last days on end."

For some reason, the Vassal Heroes shiver at the thought. Should I mention the first waves were all level eighteen and up? Or that the second doubled that? They'll witness it sooner or later, I suppose.

Chandelier comes to me, eyes begging for something. I shake my head no. "You agreed to my terms."

"Fiiiiiine. Can you at least teach me how to wield these thing?" Chandelier brandishes her fans.

"Daggers are easier to learn." My shadow tendrils stow her fans and replace them with her daggers in an ice-pick grip. I flick my fans into a reverse grip as well, showing her simple stabs and parries that she's quick to pick up. "Stay close to me at all times. Hope, Deela, that counts double for you two."

Our wagon blinks into the clearing behind us, beset with Shield Mages and healers, ready for the long-haul. Bry's doing, no doubt.

"Potions?" I ask.

"There's a market, but we haven't found the ingredients yet." Bry gives me a meaningful look. Yeah, that needs to be rectified. "We've plenty of projectiles and spare weapons?" Better than nothing.

Through all this, the silhouette doesn't move. It only comes sharper into focus once colour bleeds into my vision with the dawn. War banners, bearing a crest I'm unfamiliar with. Demonic helmets and swords so long I feel short by comparison. Lots of those rifle-things everyone here seems so focused on, too. Those are Human soldiers then.

"Three Angs." Malar's disgust is impossible to miss. "And those are their war banners. I'd bet anything that treacherous snake of his orchestrated this." Ah, the other me. Yes, this is something I might do, if I had high enough numbers and few enough qualms.

"Bry. Remove all traces of combat."

The land around us smoothens, holes and footprints are completely removed. The last of the corpses, no doubt cold by now, are plucked up and fed into fans' gems. They'll have nothing to go on, and only a group on our way into the city—given wagon tracks curiously trail from our walled farms over this way.

Red dawn fades, leaving only the dim blue of early morning. The war party doesn't move. They're mounted, wagons all pointing in our direction, the column prepared to march and banners on full display. Yet they don't budge. Scouting, perhaps?

I whistle, Tallow flutters out of the wagon, no longer pretending he didn't sneak in. He takes to the air with dozens of those mini-dragons also take to the air, making it impossible to spot Tallow, but not blocking my view too much. I cast Share Vision.

The column comes into proper view, some thirty wagons strong each bearing the same crest—reminds me of a dragon snarling, but it's too abstract to make out at this distance. Seems to be some three-thousand soldiers, each armed and armoured though the vast majority bear rifles. Two of their numbers, each on these horse-like eagles with snake tails, bear spy glasses and the most ornate battle armour. Like sea-bandit royalty.

"If they wish to war," I walk towards the Tree Angs fools, "they should have brought a bigger army."

8-8

"Prince Malar! Good to see you, my boy." Emperor Ang sits atop his…mount. I'm unsure what I would call it, but it's too ugly to consider anything but a monstrosity. "We've heard terrible news. That your lands have been plagued by goblins."

"Oh?" Malar walks just ahead of our party, but only just.

While he's busy with the political thing, I scan the soldiers. The mounts—gryphons, apparently—are level thirty-fives. The riflemen are all 'infantry', each level twenty. The wingless serpentine dragons pulling the wagons are level fifty? They couldn't be bothered with consistency, it would seem.

Ang himself is…level forty, but I dare not guess if he's at the lower end above the cap, or just butting against it.

It's the woman beside him, however. Green luscious hair wafting in the wind. Smiling pink eyes that suggest she wouldn't harm a fly. No scar to be found, no hint she's seen a day of combat. And a curious little fiery bird perched on her shoulder—a level fifty-seven phoenix. With the woman herself being a level sixty. Uh huh. She means to show she's the true danger here, no doubt looking down on the mere level forties that she faces.

"Forgive me, Emperor Ang, but how did you hear of our goblins when I've as yet heard nothing?"

"Nothing you say?" Ang looks to the woman beside him, but her eyes are on me, on my scar. Curious, that she has the same air about her as Malty. Goddess of destruction's fingerprint smothers that one.

"Yes. Nothing. As you can see, there isn't a blade of grass out of place. And I spent the night with the Fan Hero at her family's farm. Did you hear of anything, My Lady?"

"Whispers," I shake my head, "nothing more." Curious, that they have yet to notice their wagons' wheels are slowly sink into the mud. Either Bry is subtle or those loads are too heavy for so soft a soil. Or both.

"That…" Ang looks to the woman, hoping for something different than he's offered.

"Where are your farmers?" the green-haired woman asks. "Surely they would be tending their fields?"

"Fields?" Malar looks to us, confused, and looks to the open grasslands dotting fields of mud. "Duchess, these lands aren't arable. The best we hope for is grass for herds to graze. Surely you know of this?"

"Ah, forgive me. I'm not overly familiar with your kingdom. It's why I begged father to allow me to come." Neither father nor daughter seem to know what to make of this, just the way I like it.

Father's an emperor, she's a duchess? Uh huh. Outside child is the best case scenario, though that means she's apt to be…eager to work up the line of succession.

"I'm still confused," Malar motions to the war party, "as to why you thought it was a good idea to march on our capital with so meagre an army."

Ang and his daughter flash the crazy eyes I'd hoped to see, though the daughter is quick to school it. That hit a nerve, hard.

"And mind your wording." Malar smiles, warm and disarming. "Great Khan will not take kindly to…shall we say, half-truths?"

"You would insinuate that our great emperor would fabricate tales wholesale?" Ah, the duchess's subtle fury just below the surface. Malar must enjoy teasing it out, especially since he knows I'd wipe the floor with this war party of theirs.

"I refer to you, Duchess Sorrow." Malar fixes her with an thorough deadpan stare as if also calling her an idiot atop it all.

She really is named that. How disappointing, to have my name affixed to so horrid a creature.

"For your information, Prince Malar. We've come in hopes of an coalition." The duchess flicks a decorative fan open, to cover the lower half of her face, no doubt to hide the scowl I still notice in her eyes. "You see, we know your lands have been stolen by this new kingdom. In exchange for dealing with your goblin infestation, we hoped you'd ally with us in marching on this…Lute Thorp that our spies indicate is Lyght's capital."

Light Armours for her, yet Ang wears Heavy. She bears no obvious weapons, where he has a rifle sheathed on his mount. She's an assassin, while he's…something else. More curious still is lack of peek-holes into the wagons. I'm willing to bet there's wartime artillery in there.

"Why would Ulaan war with her allies?" Malar asks. "And that still doesn't explain why you march on our capital without permission, Emperor and Duchess Ang." Duchess Sorrow Ang—yes, much more fitting for her, amateur that she is. "I offer one last chance to leave peaceably, before I summon the army."

"And the reason," the duchess draws a pistol and aims for Malar, "I'll allow—"

A flicker. Little more than a shift in focus, really, but it's more than enough for the toy in her hands to split down the middle and the spinning wheel to flop out and into the mud. I was just holding it, but I think between the other dark users in my party there was little chance of that not being dealt with.

"Beg pardon, Duchess Ang?" Malar nudges his ear, bending the soft part forward. "You'll allow…what?"

"I grow tired of these games," I intone. My cold, hard stare pins the emperor in place, but his daughter smiles—anyone else might think she's happy, but it her mind works anything like mine, she's ready to panic. "You've chance for retreat. Take it."

"MEN!" Emperor Ang is wiser than his daughter, that much is certain. A shame, it would have made life so much simpler if she died here. "Quick Travel to Nohm Ang! Immediately!"

"But we can't bring—"

"THAT'S AN ORDER!" The soldiers all double over, their slave-crest activating. One by one, the slave-army blink out, no doubt having new orders that defy their old ones—if that doesn't kill half of them, I'll be surprised.

Sadly, the lot of them leave. Even the duchess I'll no doubt be tasked with slaughtering at some point. But they leave presents.

Shadow tendrils hoise the wagons up out of the mud and feed them to my fans' gems.

X-X

New Recipes Unlocked: Army Wagons, Smuggling Compartments, Carbine Rifles, Rifle Rounds .781 Calibre, Caixhans Gun, 22 CM Calibre Explosive Shell

X-X

8-8

End Chapter Twenty-Nine

8-8

End Arc Two

8-8

A/N: Well. This marks the end of the games, and the beginning of something...different. Let's see where this takes us, and please be prepared for a LOT more D&D references and lore, with...unique twists and some historical weapons of war for the hell of it. (and yes, I'm going to draw on every edition of D&D if it suites me)