Chapter 11

  Arya stepped into the room, her eyes immediately looking around the mess left behind. The furniture was overturned, a chair lay broken in the corner, and faint scuff marks on the wooden floor hinted at a struggle. It wasn’t hard to imagine what had happened when Selene and Kallen had taken Tuah by force. The chaos spoke volumes.

  Arya offered a small bow of her head toward Sarah, who stood near the window, her presence commanding even in stillness. "My Lady," Arya greeted before glancing at the other woman in the room. "Nami."

  Nami, leaning against the wall with arms crossed, tilted her head slightly in acknowledgment. Her sharp gaze flicked to Arya with a mixture of curiosity and expectation.

  Arya let her eyes wander for a brief moment, taking in Sarah’s striking new attire. The clothes were good looking, the open cleavage with a high collar making Arya smile. “The red and black suit you well,” Arya noted with a hint of admiration.

  Sarah’s voice was calm but firm as she cut Arya off. “How did things go?”

  Arya straightened, her playful tone diminishing as she became all business. “Everything is ready,” she said, stepping further into the room. “The organization has a firm grip on the criminal world, not just in this city but across the entire kingdom. Mosas is their nerve center, thanks to its location as a fortress city close to the border. It’s the perfect hub for their operations.”

  She paused, her crimson eyes gleaming. “They’ve got two underground hideouts on the city outskirts. The eastern one appears to be secondary. Around the city, they’ve scattered storage facilities and run all manner of illicit businesses—illegal brothels, potion trading, artifact smuggling, you name it.”

  Sarah nodded, her expression mostly unreadable but her eyes showing a spark of satisfaction. “Good work, Arya. Nami and I will take the main hideout, and you can handle the storage facilities.”

  “Hey, wait a second!” Arya protested, her voice rising slightly. “Nami’s been with you all this time while I’ve been left to do all the legwork on my own. It’s my turn to go with you, Sarah.”

  Nami raised an eyebrow, smirking faintly at Arya’s indignation.

  Sarah sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Alright,” she conceded. “Arya, you’ll come with me to the main hideout. Nami, you’ll take care of the storage facilities around the city.”

  Nami shrugged, seemingly unbothered by the change in plans. “Fine by me.”

  Turning back to Arya, Sarah’s tone grew sharper. “And the eastern hideout? Any suggestions?”

  Arya tilted her head, her lips curving into a mischievous smile. “Call one of my sisters. They are quite jealous that I’m the only one summoned yet.”

  “Wrath?” Sarah asked knowingly.

  Arya gave a theatrical bow. “None other, she’s perfect for that.”

  At Sarah’s silent call, the air grew heavy, and from a swirling mass of dark mist, a figure emerged. The woman who stepped forward radiated menace and grace in equal measure. She had long, cascading blonde hair, crimson eyes that burned like embers, and lips painted the color of freshly spilled blood. She exuded an aura of deadly elegance, just like her sister Arya.

  The woman bowed deeply. “My Lady,” she greeted, her voice smooth.

  Sarah acknowledged her with a nod. “Lena,” she said, addressing her, “You can call me Sarah. How are you?”

  “I am well,” Lena replied, her tone courteous but cool.

  “Good. Has Arya briefed you on the situation?”

  “She has,” Lena confirmed, her crimson gaze shifting briefly toward Arya before returning to Sarah.

  “Then you know what to do,” Sarah said. “You’ll take the eastern hideout. Ensure it’s secured and gather any intelligence you can. But remember—” Sarah stopped mid-sentence, her gaze narrowing as if emphasizing her next words. “Avoid killing the leaders. From what we know, their hierarchy consists of Elias, Dregan, Kallen, Selene, Valyria, Maldrath, and...” Sarah paused, tapping her chin. “Orin?”

  Arya interjected, a glint of amusement in her eyes. “Orin isn’t technically one of the leaders. He’s their chief enforcer. But he does sit in on their leadership meetings, so you might as well count him.”

  Sarah’s lips tightened into a thin line. “Very well,” she said. “Lena, I trust you understand the importance of this. We need to keep the leadership alive for interrogation.”

  Lena bowed again, her voice steady. “Understood, My La-… Sarah.”

  Satisfied, Sarah turned toward the door. “Let’s move. We’ve wasted enough time.”

  Arya followed close behind, a hint of excitement dancing in her step. Nami stayed for a moment, exchanging a glance with Lena before the latter disappeared back into the shadows.

  Nami stood alone in the room, her grey eyes lingered on the spot where Lena had disappeared into the shadows, her lips curving into a small smile. ‘Sarah, Sarah…’ she thought, shaking her head lightly. Her Lady truly was full of surprises. Another powerful subordinate… It made Nami wonder how many more of them does she have.

  ‘She’s strong, no doubt about that. Both of them are, Arya and Lena’, Nami mused, her smirk widening. ‘But I’m definitely stronger. Perhaps I could try taking on Sarah again someday… that would be fun.’

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  Nami stretched, her arms reaching above her head as she prepared to leave. “Guess it’s time to get to work,” she muttered to herself.

  ***

  The air in the underground tunnel was heavy, the only sounds were the faint echo of water droplets striking the stone floor. Sarah walked ahead, her crimson and black attire blending into the shadows of the dimly lit passage. Arya was slightly behind her, her eyes glinting with their usual mischievousness, especially considering the two were alone.

  After a long silence, Arya broke the monotony. "So," she said, her voice carrying a teasing tone, "did anything... interesting happen between you and Nami while I wasn’t around?"

  Sarah shot her a sidelong glance but kept her walk steady. "What do you mean by that?" she asked dismissively, though the question caused a flicker of nervous irritation to cross her face.

  Arya smirked, clearly enjoying herself. "Oh, I don’t know," she said, feigning innocence. "It’s just... I picked up on a smell earlier, something... curious. And Nami, well, she was looking at you a little differently."

  Sarah stopped in her tracks, turning to face Arya with a sharp look. "Smelling something? You’re being ridiculous."

  Arya chuckled, the sound echoing off the walls. "Am I? Or maybe," she leaned closer, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper, "you’ve been... cheating on me."

  "Cheating?" Sarah repeated, a note of incredulity in her voice. "How could I possibly cheat on you when there’s nothing between us to begin with?"

  Arya laughed harder, clearly enjoying Sarah’s flustered response. "Oh, don’t act so defensive. You promised me a reward for my efforts, remember? I haven’t forgotten that little detail."

  Sarah turned away, resuming her walk with a wave of her hand as if to dismiss the topic entirely. "I only said I’d look into it," she replied, her tone betraying a hint of nervousness.

  "Yes, yes," Arya said, falling into step beside her again, "and I’ll be sure to remind you of that when the time comes."

  For a moment, the tunnel returned to its quietness, save for the soft sounds of their footsteps. The tension was broken abruptly when the wall to their right exploded with a deafening sound. Dust and chunks of stone filled the air as a figure flew across their path, falling to the ground.

  Sarah and Arya both stopped, their eyes narrowing. The figure—a young… well, she still wasn’t in the 40’s… woman—quickly scrambled to her feet, brushing off the dust with surprising composure. She didn’t seem hurt, her movements fluid and steady despite the violent impact.

  Arya raised an eyebrow. "Well, well," she said, a slow smile spreading across her face. "It’s the girl I met earlier. I told her to just not keep looking into this…"

  Sarah’s gaze went to Arya. "You’ve met her before?"

  Arya nodded. "Oh, yes. She was trying to save Tuah. I had to stop her so she wouldn’t ruin our plans. Then I let her go."

  "You let her go?" Sarah repeated, her voice edged with skepticism. She stared at Arya, her mind turning over this uncharacteristic behavior. Letting a human go wasn’t Arya’s usual style.

  "Of course," Arya said with a shrug, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

  Sarah didn’t respond immediately, her eyes narrowing as she studied the girl before them. Her thoughts were conflicted. On one hand, she felt an urge to protect this human if only to encourage Arya’s apparent restraint. On the other hand, she doubted Arya’s motives were actual compassion. Knowing Arya, there was likely some trivial reason behind this.

  Before Sarah could decide on a course of action, the sound of shuffling footsteps and guttural groans drew their attention back to the hole in the wall. A group of five undead creatures emerged, their bodies twisted and grotesque.

  Each of the creatures had a skeletal frame covered in rotting, sinewy flesh. Their eyes glowed with an eerie green light, and old, rusted axes and swords hung loosely in their hands. Their type was unmistakable: Fleshbound Sentinels, a common low level monster for defensive measures by necromancers.

  Sarah assessed them quickly, her mind calculating. ‘Level 30 at most,’ she thought, unimpressed. ‘Well… I believe this was their strength in the game.’

  Arya stepped forward, her grin turning feral. "Defensive wards, probably," she said, glancing at Sarah. "This is likely the work of a stronger necromancer than these monsters are."

  The Fleshbound Sentinels dashed forward, their weapons raised in clumsy but menacing arcs. Arya cracked her fingers, a flicker of crimson energy forming around her hands.

  "Care to handle this, or shall I?" Arya asked, throwing Sarah a sidelong glance.

  Sarah sighed, her tone bored. "Let the girl deal with it."

  Arya rolled her eyes as Sarah's words sank in. "You want her to fight them?”

  Sarah's smiled softly, her blue eyes glowing crimson. "I want to see what she can do. If she’s in trouble, you can step in."

  Arya crossed her arms, leaning against the tunnel wall with a sigh of exaggerated disappointment. "Fine. But I was looking forward to a warm-up."

  In the center of the tunnel, Elira drew her silver sword, its polished surface gleaming faintly in the low light. Her amber eyes fixed on the five Fleshbound Sentinels going towards her. Their movements were uneven and grotesque, their eyes sinister.

  The first Sentinel lunged at her, its rusted axe swinging in a wild arc. With a burst of speed, Elira dashed to the side, her form blurring momentarily. Her sword flashed, slicing through the creature's arm before it could recover. The severed limb fell to the ground with a wet thud, and the Sentinel dropped back, its movements more erratic than before.

  The other four creatures closed in, their weapons raised. Elira stood her ground, gripping her sword tightly. As two of them went forward simultaneously, she extended her free hand.

  "[Force Wave]!" she said.

  A telekinetic pulse rippled outward, catching the two Sentinels mid-charge. The blast sent them back into the tunnel walls, their decayed forms completely destroying several layers of stone upon impact. One crumpled to the ground, momentarily stunned, while the other struggled to rise, its movements sluggish.

  The remaining three didn’t hesitate, advancing with unnatural speed, probably faster than a fighter jet could go in Sarah’s world. Elira parried the next attack with her sword, sparks flying as her blade clashed against the edge of the Sentinel’s weapon. She twisted her wrist, disarming the creature in a fluid motion before delivering a decisive upward slash. Her sword cut clean through its torso, splitting it in half with a surge of silver energy.

  Before she could recover, another Sentinel came from behind, its claws aiming for her back. Without turning, Elira stomped the ground, using her [Infernal Surge] skill.

  A burst of fire erupted around her, the flames coming to life with intensity. The sheer heat melted the Sentinel’s claws mid-swing, the flames consuming its decayed body in seconds. The tunnel was briefly illuminated, casting shadows as the fire licked the walls.

  The last two Sentinels regrouped and charged together. Elira dashed forward to meet them, her speed creating a rush of wind that extinguished close torches. She slashed at the first creature with precision, her blade cutting through its rotting flesh. It swung back in desperation, but she ducked under the strike, her blade cleaving its head clean off.

  The final Sentinel attempted to overwhelm her with a flurry of clumsy strikes. Elira’s movements blurred as she weaved around each attack, her agility unmatched. With a flick of her wrist, she redirected its weapon into the ground, leaving it open.

  Elira’s eyes flashed with determination. She raised her hand, conjuring another [Infernal Surge]. The fire burst outward, the heat intense enough to warp the metal of the Sentinel’s weapon and melt its torso into a melted pile. The creature collapsed, reduced to little more than a pile of ash and melted bone.

  Elira straightened, brushing ash off her shoulders. Her breathing was steady, and her amber eyes filled with satisfaction.

  Sarah tilted her head slightly, a faint smirk appearing at her lips. "Not bad," she said, her tone carrying a hint of approval.

  Arya shrugged. "Could’ve been faster.”

  Elira sheathed her sword, turning to face them. "Hey, who are y-" She stops as she sees the woman from earlier, Arya, standing there alongside another one, who looked equally dangerous.