Prickly

  t Johannes Mercer has never been this stressed out. Not when the world went to hell, not when that hell brought mohat ate his people, not when Malencia went silent. Malencia as a whole was always suspicious, too many fortuhings happening to it over the course of lifetimes. All ayed in tact with each other through frequeers, this was how they khe king was ing with an army t aid. Around that time, Malencia dropped out of this of letters altogether and withdrew. After that, The Grand Army just... ditched him. They went to 'subjugate Malencia', a phrase with many meanings that are all bad. Now to make matters worse, he hasn't heard back from The Grand Army, they were supposed to aid him in seg his domain, didn't even spare a single man for his efforts. It was bad enough to be at the end of the , yet somehow Malencia's potential defe worries him more, what is going ohat he doesn't know?

  Mercer sighs in pure exhaustion as he trots back from his office to his bedroom te in the evening, his eyes are baggy, but as he turns the light on to make ready, he tell he's not alone.

  The mermaid doesn't try to hide, he's not sure if she could with her size, he's not sure if he wants to know if she could anyway. For a moment he simply stares at her, both unmoving.

  "Greetings t, and gratutions. I am here to offer you a on a lifetime deal, your territory is the only other territory The Grand Army never formally took over, and as such I would like to insist you join forces with us, it would be a shame if we had to force you to." In front of the t isn't just any mermaid, but a corrupted being. Scars ihat should have resulted in fatal wounds, armor clearly not from this world, and a great sense of... insignifice. If a Malen that should have been killed by The Grand Army is here, then what happened out there?

  "G-Guards... GUARDS!" Mercer 't hahe implications, he doesn't even care how the mermaid got in his bedroom all of a sudden. He runs out of his room as he calls for muards, if Faerune couldn't stop Malencia his guards woher, so he just runs.

  "What furey smiles as she watches the t's retier the room while the t flees, they were never far away. Their ons are short, and unsuited to taking dowrey, but they only o cover their retreating liege.

  Somethirey knows all too well as she simply barrels through the soldiers, bravery was their greatest on, but you 't stab someoh that. The men that were thrown at the floor are engulfed by beings that step out of the shadows, Malen surveilnce making short work of the mess Esstrey leaves behind. One of the men had shut the heavy door to the bedroom, but Esstrey breaks that down all the same. The t is a quick runner, but in his panic he keeps calling for muards to intercept Esstrey, a fatal mistake as she doesn't eveo rely on blood magic to track him down. She swims after the voice, determio make it sing a different tune.

  A squad of guards that heard Mercer's screams of terror intercept Esstrey, sidering their pole arms they must have e from a rger room or outside, their ons are far more suited for dealing with Esstrey, as they actually have reach. Esstrey goes down low to the floor, and rushes through their quickly formed spear wall. The ons deflect off her armor, and she mao get iween their formation where she pushes one side into the wall, and sps the others off their feet with her tail.

  Esstrey's rampage doesn't go entirely unhindered. Mercer survived the colpse without itting any heresy, while never receiving aid from Faeruroops close-by with heavier ons than swords is indicative of that, along with a final surprise that sms Esstrey in the face just wheries to barrel through. Mercer shut the rge door to the outside on her, and it seems he installed a door bar oside, log it in pce. As a response, Esstrey picks up one of the soldiers, and uses him as a battering ram. During her abuse of him, he loses all strength in his body, and his internal magic bees depleted iempt of reinf his body against the injuries. Esstrey follows it up, by grabbing the soldier using blood magistead, and breaks him violently through the door using it.

  Oher side is Mercer, and he clearly has half a mind to flee further, even as two dozen crossbowmen have taken aim around the door. They don't fire yet, as they see that Esstrey holds their battered rade in front of her like a shield. The poor soul looks like he's better off dead, but these soldiers don't have many other people than each other to rely upon. None want to be the oo put him out of his misery.

  "Mercer, I really meant it when I said I hoped you would cooperate. I know I will be doing plenty of f people to cooperate iure." As the soldiers momentarily ponder what the monster in front of them means, a white light erupts from the bleeding man, and soon he's a bleeding man no longer.

  Now there is a female Mazurian demon beily put down by the mermaid, she gives Esstrey a short bow before making a magical barrier in front of the two, adding a little defeo Esstrey's side. The demon looks more savage and animalistic than its Infernal Host terparts, and cks the innate e to energy all the infernals have, but their talent in attaining a wide variety of magics is far higher, along with knowing some of the more advanced spells due to their genes.

  Mercer only look in horror at what Esstrey just did, but he is thinking about her offer now. Will she even keep her promise? Wouldn't she be able to just turn them all?

  He looks to his men armed with crossbows, while the massive mermaid is dressed in the heaviest armor he's ever seen. She didn't care when they poiheir crossbows at her before she had a magical barrier proteg her.

  Could he even truly hurt her if he tries?

  "I-I am open to iations... with Malencia" In the end, Mercer is a coward. He's lived because of cowardice, and he knows one day he will die a coward.

  Prickly