AO 4 Ch 39

I walked down the stairs, the strange procession floating behind me on six stone slabs. The mistresses and daughters had all been modified into templates.

Outside, the echoes of clarion horns still lingered, gathering more and more guards who were rushing to the lord's estate.

The night had shattered minutes ago and the city guard was still sounding the alarm. Even now, the streets echoed with the sound of heavy boots and the clink of armor as more men rushed to their lord’s aid.

"Isn't someone going to come here and try to get his anchors?" Eva asked as we continued down to the main floor. She was looking around nervously like mage-forged where going to start jumping out of the shadows.

Where we were in the manor was empty. Anyone who had been working was now hiding, and even the guards had peeled away. That just left us to scurry about and accomplish our goal.

"Maybe," I said, glancing over the anchors. “If they were worth even an ounce of the magic put into them, they should have already been rushing to the lord's estate ahead of all the guards. I don't know if anyone's going to go back and double-check to make sure they've been gathered."

Emlyn nodded along with my assessment. "People would expect them to be the first ones to arrive."

We opened the door to the cellar, only to hear some snoring down below. The guards that were on duty were all sleeping in uncomfortable positions. One of them was on his back with his head cocked at almost a 90-degree angle, snoring like a freight train. He snored worse than Cyam used to.

"Looks like it worked, Zuri," I gave her a thumbs up, happy they all managed to drink the concoction.

"Who are you?" one of the ladies pressed her face against the bars, curiosity outweighing any fear she must have had in that moment.

I gave her a quick salute. "You don't know me, and you probably shouldn't. However, I am going to get you out. And these lovely ladies are going to take your spot."

One of the prisoners recoiled. "Can't you just free us?"

"Oh no, you misunderstand. This is the mistress that owns this place, the one that comes down and makes your life miserable every day." Two of the prisoners had vicious smiles at those words, and I paused at the first cell.

"Come closer, let me get a good look at you." Staring at her, I put a hand on the first template, beginning to shape the face correctly, as well as to make sure to get the proportions at least as good as I can manage with a quick gander.

"While I'm doing this, I have an offer for the six of you. Would you be willing to have your time since you've been captured disappear?" I asked.

"Disappear?" one asked excitedly.

"From your minds. It will just be as if all of this never happened." I could hear Missy humming thoughtfully in my mind, and meanwhile, I was getting a cocked eyebrow from my anchors.

"What? Normally I would just wipe their minds, so they didn't have to live with whatever happened to them, but I'm giving them a choice. Oh, but if you want,” I turned back to the ladies behind bars, “you can even write yourself a quick letter."

I hesitated, glancing around. "Zuri, you grab some of those papers on the table. We can let them write quick letters themselves. Just say bad things happened, and a wonderful goddess known as Missy helped me get rid of them."

At naming her, Missy appeared and floated in the air, wreathed in twilight. "Dear lambs," she held her hands out in front of her, "I wish to remove the burden that you've suffered." Her voice was soft and soothing.

So much so that I frowned at her incredulously. "Really?" I asked.

The goddess turned. "I am trying to be helpful."

"It's really strange to watch this," I said, causing the goddess to throw her hands up in the air.

"Don't ruin it. Now I understand why Emlyn gets so upset with you." She shook her head.

The six prisoners all blinked stupidly. The third one down slowly raised her hands. "What if I don't want to forget?"

I squinted at her. "You're the spymaster?"

Her mouth snapped shut.

"Yep, that's the spymaster. Okay, we can work with you to write down any pertinent details you need to pass along and tell the rest to..." I gestured for Eva, “a princess of Zenobia, while a Vel’shae is currently rampaging at the lord's estate.”

Everyone was looking at me like an idiot.

"Oh, and we're gonna make sure you forget all of this," Chucking, I realized I might be overdoing it. I glanced over at Missy. "Do you want to take over?"

"Oh, please do continue. I thought you were doing a wonderful job of putting your foot in your mouth," the goddess gestured with her arms crossed, no doubt pouting.

"I was going to give you an opportunity here, and all of you should put down in your notes to yourself that a goddess Missy helped you and you should pray lots to her later." I offered.

All six of the prisoners were looking back and forth at each other, and then at me and the goddess. They were probably so baffled at my talent.

"They think you're an idiot," Emlyn filled in. "Don't listen to him. Don't listen to her. Just write down something you need to tell yourself to know that it's better off forgotten, and then we will get the show on the road." Emlyn glanced at me encouragingly.

"Yes, of course, the show on the road," I said, removing my hand from the first template and moving to the second. "The Spymaster is here and we don't want to cause any suspicion. That's why we're doing the replacement. It just seems like a nice, solid revenge." I shrugged. "Sometimes revenge is good. It's cathartic, you know."

Each of the ladies was given a piece of paper from Zuri and a stick of charcoal. There was a fire in the corner. Aurelia used her battleaxe to quickly make little pencils. Everyone was helping out.

Eva stepped up to the Spymaster and began whispering in a hushed tone. I assumed she had more details than could be easily written down. A prisoner probably heard a bit more information than they would normally share, given they were expected to never leave. Meanwhile, the other five prisoners were quickly scribbling down messages to themselves.

"You know, Missy, I thought you did quite well," I said, turning back to the goddess.

She had her arms crossed and was most likely still pouting. I seemed to have a general sense for what she was doing, even if her face was wreathed in twilight, hiding her actual expressions. 

"I am more than a tool for you to use to alter memories," she grumbled.

"Really?" I blinked. "Oh, that's right. Also you can suck souls out." I held the pendant out. "But really, Missy, we're just keeping you as the ace up our sleeve. We don't need to use you now." I recalled something that Emlyn had said when she didn't want me to fling myself into the window using dark magic earlier in the night.

Emlyn recognized my look of mischief and squinted at me. 

"I'm done," the prisoner in the final cell thrust out a sheet of paper. 

"Oh no, you hold on to that. Missy, if you would."

The goddess, still with her arms crossed as she floated in the air, just nodded at the woman, only for the woman to crumple to the floor. 

"Ooh, I should have caught her," I said, realizing the fact a touch too late. "All right, everyone sit down." I waved my hand and stone chairs came into their cells as another wave of my hand stripped out the bars from all of the cells. "Get comfortable because you're going to get carried around a little bit." 

I waved my hand before putting the hand back on the second template, finishing up the shift in appearance to match the lady in the cell.

All of them were scribbling fiercely now, sitting down, every now and then glancing up, bracing for Missy or I to perform some other miraculous feat of magic. 

Off in the distance, there were chaotic booms that made the floorboards above us rattle. "It seems Lord Valken is really going all out," I muttered to no one in particular, only for the Spymaster to look up at me in shock. 

"Lord Valken is here?" She gasped.

"Yeah, he's currently smashing up the lord's estate as a distraction, so please hurry up so we can get going." I motioned for her to continue and she began whispering to Eva again furiously. 

I drummed my fingers on my thigh even as I worked my magic. I'd become quite good at magic. Something like this wasn't too much trouble. 

"Hello? Is anyone there?" Someone shouted at the top of the cellars. We all tensed and Maribelle slid two daggers out of her skirt. 

"Hello?" They shouted again, and I heard feet patter across the floorboards above us. A guard poked his head into the door at the top of the cellar. It was a very unfortunate move. He was grabbed by the helmet and thrown down the stairs by Aurelia. The fiery anchor pressed her battleaxe to his throat. A moment later, the man was frozen like a cornered mouse. 

"What are you doing?" Emlyn asked, her sword joining Aurelia's axe in threatening the man. 

"My job!" He held his hands up, only for Aurelia to snort. 

"Yeah, and what is your job?" She asked.

"To guard the prisoners," he said haltingly. 

I frowned at him like he was an idiot. "So, while warning bells were ringing throughout the city, you're coming down here to guard the prisoners rather than rush into the fight?” I frowned before it clicked. “Ah, just a coward. Well, Aurelia, why don't you do your job? I'll bury him in the ground here. I'm sure no one will mind the disappearance tonight." 

He shouted for her to stop, only for her battleaxe to finish him as the ground beneath him turned into mud and swallowed him whole.

I whistled and went back to shaping the third template.

The ladies in the cell all looked at me, horrified. Meanwhile, Missy chuckled. "Oh yeah, that's really going to get them to open up to you, isn't it?" She sounded proud.

Another woman held up a sheet of paper, only to fall slack in her chair as Missy nodded her head again. 

"You're having fun with this, aren't you?" I watched Missy enjoying herself.

"Of course I am." Missy floated down and picked up the paper to read it, only to put it back in the woman's lap. "Besides, she wrote down that she should worship me from now on given I saved her from the memories and this terror." 

Missy floated back up, this time lounging midair, her hair spilling down past the invisible shelf she was laying on. "Really, this is pretty good work by me."

One of the women was rapidly changing her letter after she saw Missy read the other. 

I scoffed. "You're taking credit for my plan and execution." 

"Those two are made for each other," Eva murmured behind me.

"Are you done with the spy?" I asked.

"All done," Eva confirmed, only for the spy to crumple into her chair as Missy knocked her out. The other two were hesitating, though they were clearly done writing, and Missy whammied both of them next. 

"Well, now that the gawkers are gone," Missy started to say something before she stopped mid-sentence, her eyes casting beyond the cellar to something happening in the city.

"Oh," she said. "That's a surprise." 

"What?" I turned to her. 

"Well, it seems we have a guest, though not one I would have ever guessed would be here." Missy sounded increasingly concerned. "Oh. Oh.”

“Can you stop making noises and just tell me what's happening?" I tried to push her along.

"Oh, it seems," she hesitated, "that I now know what Freya traded Martin for, and likely who some of her help has come from. I would have never thought that brooding underworld simp would fall into that fat-titted cow's hands." 

I frowned at her. "Can you use actual words that the rest of us understand?" 

"Oh. Hades, the lord of the underworld, seems to have taken Carmilla's soul and put it in a new body. Or perhaps a remnant of her old body," Missy raised an eyebrow. "It's hard to tell. However, it's clear that she died and was brought back to life by Hades. And then it's also clear that King Martin has turned her into one of those wretched creatures. Though, his mark isn't on her like the counselor's. Instead, she seems to be operating under her whole volition." 

Missy squinted into the distance. "Ah. Ah. Her personality has been at least marginally manipulated by Freya." The more Missy talked, the more my face fell. 

"Carmilla, as in the first princess?" Emlyn worked to confirm.

The goddess sat up straight, “It would appear so," Missy clicked her tongue. "And she is heading for the lord's estate as we speak. It seems she must have already been on her way long before we started this." 

I frowned, wondering if Lady Tybalt had betrayed us.

Eva spoke up, likely working through the same puzzle. "No. Probably any rumors of a life mage in the city drew her here. According to the spymaster," she gestured at the unconscious woman, "Lord Tybalt has been rounding up and sending off any mage. Not just the Serpent Spheres. I suspect Carmilla is here to collect." 

"Well, that's a problem," I said aloud. "So, she might be the same breed as Colin, but the fact that it's Carmilla is even more dangerous. She might know enough to do irreparable harm to Avente." 

Even though my love was lacking for the royal family in particular, I never wanted to see villages and townspeople suffer. I knew that with Carmilla's mind and connections on top of the abilities that Colin had displayed would be absolutely devastating for the kingdom and potentially even the world at large. 

"We have to stop her here. Now, before she gets any stronger." I glanced at Missy. "And you need to get somewhere safe." 

The goddess glared at me. "Sending me away?" 

"Absolutely. Given everything you've said, you need to leave. King Martin and his creations are a danger for you, not to mention Freya is trying to use them somehow to get at you." I jabbed a finger at the goddess, "which means I'm going to tuck you away somewhere very safe. Until future notice."

"You don't get to tuck me away," Missy's tone was scathing.

"Oh, I do, and I will. Shoo," I waved at her. "Better yet, why don't you jump into Soulgard and enjoy a nice, relaxing sauna? And you don't come out, no matter what happens." I glared at the goddess.

The entire cellar seemed to be holding their breath as I scolded her.

She huffed several times, but complied, disappearing in a small sprinkle of stars.

"Really? Theatrics? Now?" I waved my hands in the air. "You are... Ugh." I grunted, unable to come up with a word for it.

"Was it really wise to send the goddess away? I mean, she probably could have helped," Eva offered.

I shrugged. "From what I understand, using a lot of power exhausts her. I would much rather use her... I mean work with her on other tasks. I mean, how tough could zombie Carmilla be?"

"She's... nearly a match for your mother," Emlyn pointed out. "Who, I will add, is terrifying.”

“Seriously, what is it with you anchors being afraid of my mom? She's not that terrifying.” I offered.

“Your mother just became an elder mage.” Eva replied.

“And I killed two of them. What’s the big deal about elder mages?” I made a grand gesture before flexing.

“With soul magic. They didn't have defenses," Emlyn pointed out. " Carmilla knows about soul magic. If it's anything like Colin, your soul magic won’t be very effective." Emlyn continued to try and drive the point home.

I frowned at her. "Really, you could at least try to boost me up here and not be such a downer.”

Emlyn leaned forward to kiss my cheek, a sly smirk on her face. "If there's an opportunity to kill Carmilla... I think this is exactly why I've been sharpening my blade lately."

Aurelia grinned. "And my axe," She held her prized possession up.

I glanced at my other two anchors. Zuri and Maribelle nodded with determination. 

"I would love the opportunity to make that woman bleed," Maribelle grinned. 

Finally, the last person of our expedition had yet to speak up. Eva shrugged. "If you're all going to fight her, then... Who am I to stay away? Besides... I'm sure Ard could learn a thing or two if he watched me use dark magic. He seems rather lacking in that arena."

I chuckled. “Off we go!" I waved my hand, pulling out the six stone chairs and carrying the ladies we had come to rescue. The six stone slabs carrying the disgusting mistresses and their daughters then were moved into the cells. I sank the slabs into the floor and remade the wrought iron bars.

"Alright. Let's go drop off our baggage. And then, let's go punch Carmilla in the face." I smiled at all of them as I floated the ladies we rescued out of the cellar.

As we exited the cellar, it was as if we were stepping out into the day. The night sky was lit up as a giant shield of light with two wings made out of swords came crashing down in the distance. I squinted slightly at the display.

"Right. She has... Elder level magic. This might take a little longer than initially planned, but hey, let’s go try out some magic.” I stepped forward with a bounce in my step as Emlyn gave a deep sigh but walked closely next to me, ready to attack anything that tried to harm me.