‘Not to mention it would make a huge mess that I would have to clean before breakfast even though this is supposed to be my vacation as well.’
Lith used his five eyes to look at the bystanders and assess the damage to the inn while never losing sight of his prisoners. The regular guests of the hotel were so scared that they kept their hands in front of their mouths to not scream.
No one cried, but not out of bravery. They were simply afraid that even a whimper could draw his attention. The clangor of the earlier battle between mercenaries looked like a pleasant dream compared to the silence that had befallen the room since Lith’s arrival.
He shapeshifted his body back into the human form and the Scalewalker armor into the deep blue robe of an Archmage while taking out his communication amulet.
“War.” No one knew the name of the blade so they assumed it had to be some kind of challenge.
Mercenaries and civilian alike put their hands behind their heads while touching the ground with their forehead as a sign of submission.
“Yes?” The latches of the weapon opened and closed like nimble fingers, forming an intelligible word with their clacking. The inhuman sound lacked a tone, yet it managed to convey War’s eagerness for a fight.
The blood that comprised the sheath slithered and writhed in a hypnotic way, making it impossible for those who witnessed the phenomenon to avert their gaze.
“Kill anyone who tries to leave the room without my permission.” Lith said.
“Yes.” The seals on the blade clicked with the enthusiasm of a kid playing with the wrap of a long-awaited gift they couldn’t wait to open.
“I’m Archmage Verhen. I need to report a crime and I require a clean-up team.”
While Lith gave the night clerk his position and a brief report of the events, some of the mercenaries closer to the exit made a run for it. Once the Association was involved and if Lith really was who he claimed to be, death was the easy way out.
War darted after them, returning every time in the blink of an eye.
No scream nor thud betrayed the fate of the runaways, everything happened in silence. The sheath, however, became thicker and its color more vibrant with each life it took.
While waiting for backup, Lith helped the bystanders to stand up, healed those that had been injured during the fight between mercenaries, and broke all of the merchants’ limbs after Hushing them so that no one could hear a thing.
Even though they were civilians, it was their fault if his vacation had almost gotten ruined. They had made it personal and Lith hated to leave loose ends.
Between his apparent mercy and the free treatments that he offered, by the time the Constable arrived, both the staff of the inn and its guests were back in high spirits. The drinks were on the house and with enough liquid courage flowing through their veins, the recent events didn’t look so bad anymore.
The storm had passed safely, at least for them, and the lack of bloodshed had made the whole thing like something out of a bard’s tale. Lith had even carved a plaque for the inn’s owner that said: “My beer is mightier than the sword”.
Everyone laughed at the joke and couldn’t wait to tell the story behind it to whoever was willing to listen to them. Lith made sure that no one heard him when he asked the Constable for the maximum penalty, death by torture, to not spoil their mood.
The mercenaries disappeared through Warp Gates while carpenters fixed the damage without leaving a trace of the fight. The recollection of the battle became more epic and less dreadful the more the room was repaired in a perfect example of out of sight out of mind.
Lith quickly examined his spoils of war, selling the useless enchanted weapons to the Association for their market price. As the victim, he also lay claim on a part of the now ownerless merchandise and sold it as well.
Half of it would be confiscated by the Kingdom to pay for the damages the merchants had caused and to compensate the inn for the lost business.
The following morning, the kids noticed the plaque, the fact that the inn was less crowded, and that it smelled of new wood, but since everyone was all smiles with them, they paid it no heed.
“What do you mean, I don’t have to pay for my beasts’ dinner? This wasn’t part of our deal.” Lith said when the freckled blonde waitress asked him if it was alright for her to keep the 40 copper coins tip.
He had already spoken with the tavern’s owner and explained to her that no matter how grateful she was, Lith was no freeloader. He didn’t want to let the kids know about what had happened nor to make them think that being a mage allowed someone to demand an undeserved special treatment.
“I know, but this is no discount. They simply didn’t eat.” At those words, the children almost choked on their breakfast.
“That’s impossible! Abominus eats like a Dragon. He must be sick.” Leria said.
“And Onyx always asks for seconds, thirds, and fourths. Can you please give them a full check-up?” Aran asked.
Invigoration revealed that the magical beasts were as fit as a fiddle and that their stomachs were still full. Only after reassuring the kids and sending them back to the table could Lith ask the beasts why there were clothes among their shit.
***
Blood Desert, City of Quyntan, temporary headquarters of the Undead Courts’ War Room.
The three Horsemen of Baba Yaga rarely met. Each one of them had their respective mission, personal agenda, and dealings with their Court or lack of thereof. They were legendary figures that would inspire rather than lead the undead community.
The aces in the holes, the weapons of mass destruction that the Undead Courts used as a deterrent against the living. After Night had pissed off in one go the Council, the Griffon Kingdom, and the Master’s Organization, however, Baba Yaga’s triplets had been forced to take an active role in the war effort.
Without them, the Courts would have already lost every single battle in the Griffon Kingdom and been wiped out from Tyris’s turf. The Organization in particular seemed to have a vendetta against them.
The monster-Abomination hybrids gave information for free to both the Kingdom and the Council, actively helping them from the sidelines or even fighting on the frontlines when they were allowed to.
The Horsemen couldn’t understand why the Organization was willing to suffer economic and even turf losses as long as they got closer to Night. They had no idea that attacking those who the Abominations considered as Vastor’s family, they had kicked a hornet’s nest.
Except that every single hornet was an ancient rancorous monster that could level a mountain faster than a vampire could suck their meal dry.
The Horsemen had summoned a War Meeting in Quyntan because the Gorgon Empire and the Blood Desert were still relatively safe. The city was near their borders on the Desert’s side, making it the last place where even a Guardian would look.
