Chapter 203: One Hour: Second Half
As the party was in full swing at the Wolfe Family estate, one of the key organizers was in the middle of a rather clandestine meeting with the matriarch of the Corrada Family.
“And you’re positive this incense of yours will keep them unconcious?,” Jacob asked with a weary eye as he polished his cane sword.
The matriarch of the (in)famous family of posioners and medicine makers did not look happy about the insinuation of her counterpart.
“Do not doubt my skills, Jacob,” Telana said tersely, “your father trusted me before to deliver and I did. You’d be wise to do the same.”
“Be that as it may,” Jacob began to reply as he replaced his cane sword back into it’s scabbard, “a lot can change over the years. How do I know that you didn’t make a backroom deal with the Zhen Clan?”
“Please. I’ve always subscribed to the philosophy of hiding under the shade of the biggest tree. And with the leader of the Zhen Clan being so…emotionally scarred, there’s no way I’d betray you lot,” Telana said in a simpering voice.
Jacob could tell she was faking it, she knew she was faking it, it was all very tongue and cheek.
Granted, all this grandstanding could end up falling apart due to unforeseen circumstances.
“So, that means we can count on you to support my father’s initiative?”
“Of course, what are…friends for?”
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[Alright, I’m starting to see the benefits to being fun sized. Think they’ll keep expositioning their diabolical schemes?]
[I want to say…yes…uh…oh…]
[Save it for after they leave. I’ll toss you in the lamp later.]
[Thank…you…]
[No…problem…]
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“Huh?! What happened? Why did the door suddenly shut?”
“I’m not sure, but it’s not opening!”
“What?!”
One of the issues with traditional doors that swing in or out, is that a significantly big enough block can prevent anyone from entering or exiting any room associated with the blocked door.
Say, hypothetically, a sudden pillar of recently cooled igneous rock?
Regardless of the reason however, the three Wolfe Acolytes were now trapped with no way out except for violence.
“That’s it! I’m going to cut down this door!”
“Are you nuts?! We’re supposed to do this job quick, quiet, clean and with minimal damage. I’ve seen you cut open doors before and it is loud!
“Then what do you suggest?!”
“Uhhh guys?”
“What?!”
“Are aether puppets supposed to move by themselves?”
“Huh? No, why?”
“Because I think I saw that weird ballerina thing just twitch?”
While two of the Acolytes were arguing about their current situation, the third had been keeping an eye on the Razor Maiden. He had assumed it was just a normal aether puppet, meaning it couldn’t move unless someone was nearby to control it. Which is why he was little spooked that one of the puppet’s claws just twitched ever so slightly.
The two arguing Acolytes looked briefly at the motionless puppet for a hot minute before turning to face their third.
“Dude, it’s a motionless aether puppet. Even if it did have an aether crystal power source installed, it’s not gonna do shit without that Zhen Clan kid being nearby, remember?”
“Yeah, now help us figure out how to get this door op-”
Click.
With all three Acolytes now facing the ballerina puppet, it’s claws twitched once more, allowing all three of them to see that it had moved.
The three of them immediately took up fighting stances and placed hands upon their respective weapons, decidedly spooked by the unforeseen moment of movement.
“Okay, we all saw it fucking move right? This has got to be a trap. Did the Corradas fuck us over?”
“No way man, you saw the rest of the compound, they’re all out like blown out candles. One of us got to poke at it.”
“Huh? Why not all three of us?”
“This room is too small for us to inspect it all at once. Besides, having two of us stay behind can make it so we can rush to help if things go wrong.”
“Fair enough… who’s gonna go ahead and poke it?”
Actions speak louder than words, which is why the other two Acolytes proceeded to step back, leaving the guy who asked forward and closer to the “inert” puppet.
“You motherfuckers,” he grumbled as he walked forward, circulating aether into his arms and weapon as he did. He might have been left out as bait, but he wasn’t about to go in with his guard down.
The amount of time it took for the Acolyte to reach the puppet’s position wasn’t all that much, but it felt like an hour had passed as the two by the door watched their companion get closer and closer to it.
Once he got close enough, the “bold” Acolyte began to probe the puppet with his scabbard covered sword. He wasn’t sure if his weapon was going to get grabbed, so he might as well make it so he could draw it in the event someone attempted to steal it. However, despite all of his poking and prodding, nothing seemed to happen as the puppet continued to lay there.
After determining that it was just normal puppet, the Acolyte let out a sigh and stopped circulating his aether.
“False alarm guys. It’s just a normal aether puppet,” he said as he turned to walk back to his companions.
“Phew.”
Believing his words, the other two began to relax their guards as well. But it was in this moment, the trap had sprung.
“You know, for a second I thought-”
FWSH!
“HRK!”
“GAK!”
“What the-GUH!”
Three seconds.
It took a single second for Razor Maiden to launch herself forward from her position and impale the two Acolytes facing towards her with her sword legs, two seconds for the one with his back turned to recognize what had just happened as his companions had their torso sliced open and hearts pulverized, and a third for him to get pinned to the ground with his head between the sword legs that had just killed his friends.
He could only look upward in abject terror as the razor lined smiling face of the Razor Maiden stared down at him with menacing eyes. With her prey throughly locked in place, Razor Maiden bent low in an unnatural manner to talk to him face to face.
“You should have kept your eyes on me,” Razor Maiden hissed.
“You can ta-*gurgle*?!”
Before the Acolyte could even ask, Razor Maiden closed her legs to pirouette kick the blood off of them, subsequently decapitating the invading would-be kidnapper.
“Three down,” Razor Maiden said to herself.
At this exact same moment, Nepherage and Spring Brawler had done away with their own intruders via similar means, but with viciously different ends, with a third party unknowingly helping.
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[Pyro Gore!]
“Guk!”
“Ack!”
The two Acolytes looked down their bodies, unable to believe that the inert looking demonic puppet made of red jade had viciously pierced through their stomachs like was nothing. Making the matter worst, they were still concious enough to see their own innards burn to ash and cinders right in front of their eyes in the palm of this demon’s hands.
“Burn,” Nepherage said as she caused her aether to circulate even faster, causing the two corpses on her arms to combust and burn to ashes.
“Two.”
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“TWO!”
SNAP!
SNAP!
‘Huh? Why can’t I move? Why can’t I…breathe…?’
Thud!
Thud!
In one quick motion, Spring Brawler had leaped down from the ceiling and brought his spring-like arms down so fast on the two Acolytes that their heads spun a full 360 degrees. The two of them didn’t realize they were dead until they were on the ground.
Spring Brawler looked at the two corpses, a displeased look on their face.
“No…fun? No…challenge.”
With the deed done, Spring Brawler proceeded to leap back onto the roof and walk around.
“Find new. Enemies!”
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[Night Hunter Slash!]
“Bah!”
“Gok!”
Zhen Yue quickly dispatched of the invaders in black, making use of the the fact that they didn’t expect her to be an Aether Master. Once their bodies hit the floor, Zhen Yue took note of the tattoos on their bodies.
“The Wolfe Family crest?! That means that…oh shit, dad and the others are in trouble.”
After coming to this revelation however, Zhen Yue was soon discovered by three more warriors dressed in black.
“Shit! Shouldn’t they have all been knocked out by the smoke?”
“Wait, isn’t that the Zhen Clan’s Ice Queen?”
“Who cares! You heard the orders! Kill her now!”
The three Wolfe Family warriors drew their weapons and proceeded to rush the lone Zhen Yue.
Just because their companions got taken down by her, doesn’t mean they would.
Zhen Yue couldn’t help but sneer internally at the presumptuous warriors.
‘Alright you basic bitches, have at thee! …I need to stop eavesdropping on Zhen Liu’s training sessions,’ Zhen Yue thought as she prepared another attack.
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[Hey maestro! Looks like you were right about the Corradas being in bed with the Wolfes. Although, it looks like it’s an alliance of convenience moreso than anything else.]
‘So they’ll totally bitch out if something unexpected occurs to their careful plans?’
[Yup. Also, I heard something a bit weird…your grandfather is a widow, right?]
‘…this is the part you’re gonna drop some kinda emotional bomb that no one in my family would be able to handle aren’t you?’
=You’ll be fine milord, we’ll help you cope.=
‘Alright, lay it on me.’
[So…are you familiar with that one movie about the nurse who got blamed for a murder but it turned out to be the grandson?]
‘STOP LOOKING THROUGH-I mean yes.’
[Well…]
