16.0

Ralph stared down at the quivering mess of flesh that had once been an assassin targeting his niece. The butler flexed his Gift of Water, removing the bits of flesh, blood, and other unidentified matter that clung to him. It never failed to take out even the most despair-inducing stains. The interrogation was always messy, especially with most assassins having some training to resist it. He didn’t like doing it, but it was necessary.

Pain always proceeds truth, though. Ralph thought. Learning of the dangers ahead allows for a smoother path for Charlotte.

“Send him to Maddy as a treat,” Ralph said as he shifted his attention to the maids that had assisted him in ripping the man’s secrets from his flesh. They stood in rows of readiness awaiting his orders. “Make she understands this is a bribe not to make a fuss when we leave without her.”

The maids bowed silently before filtering out. Like most noble families, the Zienfer house didn’t hire outside of their own circle of control for the most part. There were entire villages that were nothing more than farms. They provided the family with respectable people of a clean background. The training was extensive and started from a young age. As a result, most noble servants were head and shoulders above their birth origin. It wasn’t a perfect system, but it kept spies and betrayal to a minimum, so every noble house used the method.

Ralph had originally been worried that the person his niece had brought home was someone unconscionable. Charlotte was the kind of person who wouldn’t bat an eye at assisting someone if she believed in their future value. Justin Mickleton is a prime example of such benevolence. She was ruthless like all nobles, true, but the life of any noble was filled with hard choices.

His niece had a difficult place in the family, but that wasn’t her fault. He’d often been asked to abandon her by others in the family. Even to this day, few understand why he stayed by her side. Ralph had always met their ignorant comments with single-minded patience. His niece was a brilliant creature, one not bound by the common sense of the masses.

If anything proved his point, it was her bodyguard.

Charlotte’s newest acquisition, Eve, had no scent. That alone indicated she wasn’t human, but Ralph knew it went much further than that. Silver eyes, silver hair, inhuman reflexes, and the ability to see the unseen. These were not the marks of a human, not at all. The pointed ears were just icing on the cake, and Ralph was rather certain they were a decoy. Legends about Elves were few and far between, yet the pointed ears were a most telling sign.

It doesn’t matter, really. Elf, human, or neither. I will not comment as long as Charlotte has no issue with it. Ralph decided. Besides, Eve is quite excitable for a young woman. It is great fun to tease her.

Standing surrounded by the torture chamber’s disarray, he took a long deep breath and concentrated. A white screen with black colors flowed into existence before his closed eyes. Opening them, he looked hard at the world’s interpretation of his power. It was a spell based on his Gift of Shadow using the nebulous properties of that mana to ‘read’ the power of himself or another.

Ralph J. Zienfer

Age: 62

Level: 574

Race: Human

Class: Tri-Mage

Specialization: Elemental Cook

Profession: Butler

Affinities (3): Earth, Darkness, Water

Stats: Str 601; Dex 403; Con 428; Int 534; Wis 534

Skills: Cooking, Cleaning, Troop Command, Sword Mastery

Spells: Gift of Earth(+), Gift of Shadow(+), Gift of Water(+)

Items: Sword of Zienfer II

Trait: Body of Stone IV, Body of Dark IV, Body of Water IV

Perks: Recipe Book

It was the work of a lifetime to reach this level of power. He had attempted to look at Eve during their short battle, but the information he gained was disquieting due to the complete lack of it. The reading of her within the spell contained nothing but dust particles. Not a single piece of coherent information had been gained. He had accepted her recruitment by Charlotte because of his great trust for his niece’s vision. Even with his current power, defeating his brother would cost too much. He had attached himself to his niece because she had made him a singular promise in return for his assistance.

On the day Charlotte took over as Duke, he would be granted the title of Duke’s Gardener. Some would say it was a ridiculous request, but Ralph couldn’t care in the least what others thought. He had a dream, and he pursued it. That was his main goal in life.

As for his brother, that grudge ran long and deep.

Ralph was a man who kept his hatred close like dark flowers. A man who nurtured their blooms through decades of toil. He fed the soul of his wicked ambitions with ideology steeped in tarred truths. It was unreasonable to the extreme, but Ralph wouldn’t change this late in life. Some people might allow the destruction of their prized petunias to pass unremarked in history. After all, it was his brother, his blood, who had done the deed. Surely, forgiveness was warranted. Blood was thicker than water, right?

Wrong.

By the Seventeen Hells of the Green Mother, my dear brother will pay the bill of blood! Ralph thought as his long-banked anger ignited once more. A cold smile of rage flashed across his countenance as the memory of his precious plants lit the flame of righteous ire once more. I will never forget it. I never forgive!

Shedding the droplets of cleaning water off, Ralph let the spell fade. Lunch was in order. It would be a pale shadow of his own artwork, which used mana spice, but Maddy was the best pure cook in the city. Not even he would dare to claim otherwise without an army at his back.

Exiting the chamber, Ralph closed the concealed door before positioning the bookcase. Hinges set within the wall and floor made the entrance of the torture chamber impossible to discover without the aid of magic.

Even with magic, unless it was already known to exist, finding it would require the destruction of the bookcase. Considering the bookcase held protections and defenses for the books, the endeavor would be extremely difficult.

Armed with such knowledge, it was no wonder that Ralph barely avoided leaping out of his skin in fright when he turned around. Sudden shocks were not good for his aging heart, to be sure. Eve was standing less than three meters away; her face was etched with curiosity. Ralph held little expectation that she hadn’t seen him exit the chamber. The real question was how she had found it. The entrance was deep in the second basement of the mansion, not a common place to wander into.

“May I be of assistance?” Ralph asked, probing the young woman’s response.

“Torture chamber, huh?” Eve said without preamble. “I suppose it would be a requirement for a noble.”

Ralph kept his expression a mask of calm and said, “I’m afraid I don’t know what you are talking about.”

Eve grinned and said, “Oh? Curious?”

Ralph held for a moment before saying, “Indeed.” Sometimes concession was required for information to flow.

“Right, well, the first issue is you have no scent,” Eve said. “That alone isn’t a problem, but you just walked through the garden before I went to help Maddy. You should smell like flowers, trees, grass, and other green things.”

Too observant. Ralph thought, annoyed as he complained internally. What am I dealing with one of those annoying mercenaries who worship the Wolf?

“I do not see how my lack of scent should be an issue. I merely keep myself clean.” Ralph said with a disdainful sniff.

“Yes, that would make sense if it wasn’t for the stench of blood, feces, and fear coming from the bookcase,” Eve said, waving negligently at the books. “That got me interested, and then it was only a slight effort to find out the rest.”

Ralph glanced at her ringed fingers and sighed. The truth of a mercenary being more dangerous the wealthier they were was proven adeptly. While he didn’t know where Eve had gained all her fortune from, it was clear she put it to good use. Every single piece of jewelry on her body bore some type of enchantment. The likelihood that one or more of them led to the chamber’s detection could easily be understood.

“Is this a problem?” Ralph said. If it were, he would need to ensure that Charlotte let the woman go no matter the cost. A mercenary that couldn’t be trusted to keep quiet was nothing more than a wolf waiting for the best time to strike.

“Problem?” Eve’s face grew confused before she suddenly appeared enlightened. “Oh! Your worried I’ll talk? No. No, that wouldn’t be fun at all. Don’t worry; my lips are sealed.”

“Good,” Ralph said as his uncanny senses told him the woman was telling the truth. “To lunch, then?”

“Sounds good. I helped Maddy cook the meal. Did preparation mostly.” Eve said, turning and moving to leave. Ralph managed to keep from stumbling as he followed behind her.

Maddy let her assist in cooking a meal. Ralph quickly checked to see if he was under any type of illusion. The guardian troll of Zienfer doesn’t even let me do more in her kitchen than season the meals unless I’m doing everything myself!

His eyes slipped along the younger woman’s body casually. He was old, not blind, and Ralph wasn’t so old that the younger woman didn’t impress him, but he wasn’t reckless youth anymore. He was far past his years of chasing gorgeous girls with the scent of danger on them. To that end, while Eve drew the eyes of the two professors constantly, she didn’t have the same level of appeal to him. He preferred his woman to be more relaxing and less stressful on the heart.

“Oh my, checking out the goods?” Eve teased as they cut through a long hallway towards the dining room.

Ralph rolled his eyes, saying, “A hundred out of a hundred. Too expensive for these old bones.” Mercenaries preferred the compliments to be crude and to the point.

“Good eyes,” Eve said with a brief smile.

“Better than the tutors?” Ralph said.

“Indeed. If they were not guests, I would have taken steps by now.” Eve replied in a cold tone.

“As long as they increase the young miss’s power, I will not intervene,” Ralph said in a solemn tone. He wouldn’t do anything that would cause possible repercussions to fall on his niece’s head. “Are you prepared for travel to the Zienfer estates?”

Eve paused at the dining room entry and said, “Yes. I expect bandits or worse. Luvec was using a manner of projection magic to attend a High Council meeting.” Ralph blinked the only sign of his shock as the woman continued, “The meeting was being held within a secret College room. It was a room attached through space magic to the Praetor’s own.”

Further assassinations are certain now. Ralph thought his mind moving lightning fast. The entire High Council and the Praetor cannot be exposed as working together. It would provide cause for the Royals to take action against them!

“The tutors…” Ralph said as his eyes narrowed. For the College of Warlocks to send a teacher for each child was now suspicious beyond belief.

“Most likely here to tutor until they get the command to clean things up,” Eve said, revealing an uncaring yet disturbing set of words.

“Will you fight?” Ralph said before answering his own question based solely on his intuition, “You will fight. The children are connected to you somehow.”

Not a mercenary then. A friend? No, if Charlotte had friends of this power level, she would have acted much sooner. Ralph thought, his mind spinning through possibilities. A creature bound to assist in return for payment, not a mercenary, a Summons!

Ralph instantly used his Gift of Shadow, pulling on the same spell he had used to look at himself earlier.

“Oh? Did you figure something out? I suppose there is no point in not letting Charlotte’s loyal uncle know a piece of the puzzle.” Eve said as the resistance Ralph encountered inspecting her before vanished like morning dew before the blazing sun. The dust that shrouded her information blew away, revealing horror.

Eve Smith

Age: [Locked]

Level: 500

Race: Witch

Class: Silver Prime-Witch

Specialization: Dust Witch

Profession: Sword Sculptor

Affinities (2): Space, Dust

Health: [Shrouded]

Mana: [Shrouded]

Stats: Str 511; Dex 510; Con 509; Int 514; Wis 513; Cha 499

Slots: 100B[Locked]

Skills: Traveling Dust Witch’s Core of Space-Papered Ink-Dust, [Locked], [Locked], [Locked], Ritual Runes of Body III

Runes: Shroud, Space, Dust

Spells: Siren’s Voice, Dryad’s Scent, Continuous Prestidigitation, Summon Food, Summon Drink

Items: Sword of Dust [Soulbound], Ten Rings[?], Two Bracelets[?], Two Earrings[?], Tunic of Dust[?], Leggins of Dust[?], Boots of Dust[?]

Zones: None

Trait: Primordial Body of Dust I

Perks: None

Ralph gasped, his composure broken for the first time. Even with the incredible information in front of him, he didn’t fail to notice a crucial clue.

Age: [Locked]

It appeared no matter how high a woman rose in the food chain; there were still secrets forbidden to mortal men. Ralph rubbed the bridge of his nose before asking, “Explain, please. In a manner that will not cause my head to literally explode.”

“I can explain, but I’d like to know why Charlotte is so interested in usurping her father’s place,” Eve said.

Ralph weighed the possible benefits before saying, “After lunch then. Travel up in the driver’s seat with me, and we can talk unhindered.”

Eve nodded, and both of them entered the dining room. Ralph served the meal with his usual efficiency, ensuring the maids did their part with utmost precision. Once the meal was finished and the plates cleared, he said, “We will be departing by carriage within the hour. Please take the time to pack everything required and leave it outside your rooms. The maids will ensure the luggage is placed into the carriage.”

He exited the dining room completely unsurprised now to find Eve appear behind him. After inspecting her, Ralph knew exactly why his niece was returning to the estate. There was little doubt that Charlotte would take advantage of such a powerhouse. He trailed through the mansion until they reached the stables. Glancing at the bodyguard, he entered the fortified driver’s seat before sitting down on the luxurious padded goose-pillow bench.

Ralph watched Eve enter, closing the outer and inner door before she sat down. Looking out through the driver’s reinforced crystal-plate window, Ralph said, “Charlotte has had a rather difficult life.”

Eve nodded, her eyes glowing with a slight silver tint.

“Her mother, may the god’s rest her soul, died in the constant intrigues of the house,” Ralph said as he watched the maids moving around outside. The air elemental steeds were attached in turn to the carriage’s harness. Anyone who saw the brilliant white horses would understand they had little to do with mortal means.

“She is going to usurp the family. Why? Lashing out?” Eve asked calmly.

“Necessity,” Ralph said firmly.

“Have you guessed what I am?” Eve asked with a deep grin.

“It doesn’t matter. As long as you aid Charlotte, I couldn’t care if you were a demon from Mad Mitchell’s basket of baked insanity cakes.” Ralph said, making his stance clear.

For some reason, his words sent the younger woman into fits of hysterical laughter for several minutes.

“Something amusing?” Ralph said with a  faint hint of confusion in his voice.

“Ah, no. Just, the College of Warlocks calls me the Mad Marionette.” Eve said, watching him.

Ralph managed to still his expression before horror appeared on it. “Are you a true Demon?” he asked.

Eve wavered her palm down and said, “Close enough.”

Relaxing back against the interior wall of the carriage, Ralph managed a wane grin, “So this is the reason Charlotte is returning. She knows you can handle everything. What did she bargain away for such power?”

Eve looked out at the horses and said, “Do you know what kills those who cannot die?”

“Divinities?” Ralph said, hazarding a guess.

“Boredom,” Eve said. “Boredom is the knife that kills the unageing ones. Charlotte is entertaining. Not as much as Justin, but enough to invest my effort in while I wait for things to stabilize back home.”

Ralph shrugged, “It means little; assistance is assistance.”

Eve nodded, “Do you have any questions for me?”

Ralph paused before his curiosity finally got better, and he asked, “What is Charisma? That is not a Stat I have ever seen before.”

“Are you sure you want to know?” Eve said with a bright smile.

“Yes,” Ralph said, giving a wary nod. Smiling tigers were dangerous indeed.

“I guess it won’t hurt. Brace yourself.” Eve said before focusing intently.

For a moment, it appeared the younger woman hadn’t done anything. Then there was a strange twist that Ralph felt more than heard as if someone released an unconscious grip.

Eve’s form shifted and changed, becoming so much more.

Ralph couldn’t look away as the light flowing into the driver’s seat illuminated a divine being directly in front of him. Silver eyes blazed from a face that contained utter perfection. In the same manner, silver hair gently reflected light to frame her mind-melting face that would utterly crush the weak-willed.

It took every fiber of Ralph’s will to keep his eyes on her face. He barely managed to gasp out, “S-stop!”

Eve folded her beauty back inside, turning from a goddess into merely a very gorgeous woman. The abrupt change flooded Ralph with relief. Had she not stopped, he had little doubt he would be nothing but a drooling wreck on the floor. A shudder went through his body at the casual ease with which Charisma could be employed.

No doubt there are Skills and Spells that work based on this Stat. Ralph thought, barely stopping a second shudder as he controlled his breathing back to normal. I feel like I’ve shaved a decade off my lifespan!

“Relax. Everything is fine. Your will didn’t crumble.” Eve said in a soothing tone that did much to stabilize Ralph’s mind. In addition to the calming words, a soft, gentle scent of mint filled the interior of the carriage.

Ralph finally regained control of himself and said, “Please don’t do that again.”

Eve shrugged, “You asked to see.”

Ralph glanced annoyed at her, “If I ask you to slit my throat, please take a moment and consider I might be suffering from temporary insanity. It would fall on you, the saner one, to help me. Similarly, if you knew your appearance would have such an effect, apply the same logic! Do not pretend to be a child!”

Eve merely smirked, and Ralph rolled his eyes at her.

The rest of the time waiting passed in a pleasant bit of banter.

Finally, the two professors, Charlotte and Justin, boarded the carriage. Ralph got the all-clear from one of the maids standing by and quickly connected his will to the carriage harness. With a powerful snap, the harness drew tight. It took him a moment to realize the runes Eve had placed on the carriage lightened the burden immensely.

The elemental steeds pulled the carriage up to the gate without any exertion. Before he could exit the driver’s cab to open the gate, Eve unlocked and opened them herself. He didn’t miss the flash of light circling one of her rings but didn’t call attention to it.

Once the carriage had exited the mansion’s grounds, the gate closed and locked behind them.

"Useful," Ralph remarked.

Eve grinned as she watched the carriage pick up speed. “So, tell me about the assassins I can expect on this trip disguised as bandits.”

Ralph nodded and calmly began to speak of the information he had pried from the assassin’s lips.