Book 4, chapter 22

As it turns out, Yukna's company warehouse was more than an hour's walk away.  Dern knocked loudly on the front double doors to the main warehouse, jostling Zee on his shoulder as he did so. Bastion, Greg, Allison and Malden were nowhere to be found, the building empty except for a single occupant. 

The sound of metal on wood echoed across the street. Inside the building, Yukna stirred in her bed, before setting back down.

"Knock again," Zee said.

The door rattled loudly, as Dern knocked hard enough to mar the wood.

The double doors rattled and opened, revealing s very irate-looking Yukna. The woman's mousy brown hair was in a tangled mess, and her rumpled shirt and pants looked as though they had been hastily thrown on. Combined with the dark purple bags under her eyes, it looked like Yukna hadn't got more than an hour's rest in days.

"Zee? Is that you," Yukna asked tiredly, pushing up her glasses to rub at her eyes. 

"Sorry to wake you, I ran into some trouble, and need a place to crash for the night," Zee said.

Yukna stepped aside, gesturing for Dern to enter. "What kind of trouble, and where have you been, the others have been looking for you all day," Yukna said.

Still slung over Dern's shoulder, Zee looked up, tugging her silky red hair from her eyes and looking up at Yukna's worried expression.

"I have been busy helping put out fires, and cleansing miasma," Zee replied, as the doors slid shut behind them.

"I guess Allie was right. You should really stop going off on your own, the others have been worried sick," Yukna said, her tone chastising. 

"I wasn't alone, I had Dern," Zee said, patting Dern on the ridged face of his spiked, dark metal breastplate. 

Yukna frowned at Zee, letting out an exhausted sigh," I am too tired to argue with you. Dern can you take Zee to that room across the warehouse, there is a bed in there," Yukna said.

"Sure," Dern said.

The light of the stars shone through the double doors, lighting up Yukna's troubled face.

The expression on Yukna's face gave her pause. "Uh, Yukna, are you alright?" Zee asked.

Yukna exhaled sharply," No Zee, I am not alright. The travelers' guild has restricted access to Iztara through the teleportation hub after some undead came through earlier today. We are unable to return home," Yukna said.

"What? They can't do that," Zee said, reeling from the implications. 

Yukna paused, her back to Zee, shoulders slumped. "They can, and already have. We can't even send aide," Yukna said softly.

Zee had never heard her friend sound so defeated, even when they were in a fight for their lives. It made her worried for the Princess, and Malden. How were they taking the news? 

Probably not good. 

Maybe now was a good time to tell Yukna about Tar, and how she had blackmailed him into protecting Iztara. 

After all, Yukna looked like she needed some good news. The only question was, would telling her be giving the woman false hope? 

Zee wasn't sure how reliable Tar really was. The old geezer might just decide to go back on their deal, though she doubted he would. She was blackmailing him after all. 

The only question was, how did she give Yukna assurances without exposing the old man's identity? 

She would need to think about it. Besides, she had already lost her opportunity, as Yukna had disappeared around the stacks of crates towards her room.

Dern carried Zee to the room Yukna indicated, pushing open the door to reveal what could only be described as a broom closet. An opulent bed filled the entirety of the room, all silky blankets and fluffy pillows. 

"How is this a room? It's a broom closet," Zee asked, aghast.

"Looks fine to me," Dern said, tossing her off his shoulder, right onto the bed.

"Hey, be gentle," Zee grumbled, bouncing as she lit atop the blankets. Zee sank into the incredibly soft mattress as she rolled to glare back up at him.

Dern towered over her, his slightly reflective armor outlined in the darkness. 

She often forgot just how menacing his form could be, with all that silver and blue metal. The spikes covering his metallic body, combined with the lack of a head, that led to a bottomless pit of darkness did not help the image either.

Well, there was also the fact that he devoured souls, dragging them into that abyss. 

The image of a domineering monster disappears as Dern's form rapidly shrunk in size.  Now about the size of her fist, he strode over and leaped up onto her chest.

In his current size, he weighed about as much as a fist-sized rock. His glaive was comically small, though she knew there was nothing comical about the weapon. 

Behind him, the book floated around, as if exploring the sparse confines of the room. 

"What's up?" Zee asked, wondering why Dern was just standing there.

He seemed to change his mind about something. "Nothing.. Get some rest, I am going to look for the others," Dern said, shaking himself.

He leaped off her chest, his boots clanking softly as he scurried out the door. 

Zee watched him go, puzzled. The door to her room clicked shut, and she shook her head.

Well, that was weird, even for Dern. 

Zee decided to push the odd encounter aside as her exhaustion slammed back into her like a brick to the face.

Not bothering to undress from her filthy clothes, she wrapped the silky blankets around her and closed her eyes, clearing her mind. 

In her mind's eye, the world river came into view, filling the small room with its vibrant colors. 

The world river crashed around her, far more tumultuous than usual. The world river reflected the ongoing conflict, carrying hints of miasma in its vibrant current.

She felt a deathly chill as she drew some of that energy in. The chill was off-putting but she persevered, pushing a streamer toward the fragment in her mind. 

The small stream created a whirlpool as it was absorbed into her fragment. Long seconds passed before the obsidian fragment pulse, releasing a wave of pure energy.

Her body drank it all in like a lizard who was forced to go a week without water.

It was quite distressing, though also a relief. Overtaxing herself the line she did could have had disastrous effects. 

Just like overcharging her skills when she fought the duke's son, completely draining her energy reserves could have afflicted her with something known In Tartana as Irvin colic syndrome. 

It was named after a scholar who burned out his energy channels by overcharging his skills. The man was famous for finding a way to cure the ailment, he even had a wormhole network named after him. 

Sadly for everyone else, he never saw fit to share his discoveries. Well, at least not to anyone who didn't have mountains of Ether crystals. 

She took a deep breath, discarding the distracting trivia. Each pulse of her fragment was like a refreshing breeze, making her feel just a little bit better. 

Like always, hours passed in a blur, her mind wandering. The sensation was very similar to sleep, though she was far more aware of her surroundings. 

Part of her mind was awake, and aware, monitoring her spatial ripple skill, whilst the rest was sleep. Judging by the increasing turbulence in the world river, things were not going well in the city.

It must have been a few hours after she arrived when Yukna dragged herself from bed, leaving the warehouse with some of Rin's people. Must have still been nighttime, as the city streets outside were empty. The time of night was only speculation based on the fact that not a single civilian entered the range of her spatial ripple skill.

It was nice, tranquil even, at least until two figures clad in cloaks approached the warehouse. They picked the lock at the front door, bypassing the defensive arrays, and making almost no sound as they entered. 

Zee idly watched them with her sensory skill, wondering if they were here to rob Yukna. 

Sadly, they didn't speak, so she could only guess as to their nefarious intentions. Her idle curiosity grew as they walked passed boxes of valuable components not bothering to take anything. 

They thoroughly searched the piles of crates in the warehouse, before going to Yukna's room.

When they found no one, that is when she heard one speak.

"Are you sure she is still here?" The shorter of the two asked.

"Ya, no one has left since Rin's people came to get Yukna," The second replied.

"Alright, let's keep looking, that red-haired bitch is here somewhere," hissed the first.

That drew her attention. 

Well, this was going to be interesting. The two would-be invaders kept searching the warehouse, finding her closet not too long after they left Yukna's room.

The door swung outward, the shorter of the two leading the way with a dagger in one hand. Shrouded in his cloak, it was hard to distinguish his exact features, though his voice was definitely the deeper tenner of a man.

The second was a bit taller, with the fluffy features of an Allevark.  The first of the two, glanced back at the second, gesturing towards a person-shaped figure under the blankets.

The second intruder raised a paw, making the first stop. The first invader cracked a wide smile as the second pulled out a fist-sized cylinder.

It was an object that Zee immediately recognized, as it was one of Yukna's shrapnel grenades. She watched on as the second of the two activated the grenade, tossing it into her room. 

The first would be the assassin shut the door, booth ducking for cover. It only took a few seconds before there was a deafening explosion that blew the wooded door outward, showering the piles of crates with wood fragments.

The first of the two assassins clambered to his feet, brushing chunks of wood from his cloak.

"Holy shit Brandon, you blew up the whole room," 

"Do you think that killed her," The Allevark named Brandon replied, excitedly.

"Definitely, there is no way she could survive that," The first assassin said, seeming impressed.

Zee had to agree with the first assassin. There was no way she would survive taking an explosive that powerful head-on. The explosive they used had to be one of Yukna's juiced-up grenades, augmented by both rituals and etchings to produce a devastating explosion.

They were supposed to be used in the war effort, to help repel the Terlashar. Well, so much for that. Clinging atop the main support beam that supported the rafters, she peered down at the two assassins. 

They looked to be congratulating themselves upon her supposed death. Zee wasn't sure how to feel about that. Down below, a still smoking book flew from the recently destroyed room and bit onto Brandon's arm.

"Get it off, get it off," Brandon shouted in pain, swatting at the book as it angrily bit him.

Whoops, she had completely forgotten about the book. There was a loud crunching sound, and Brandon screamed, his arm crunching between the pages of the book.

The first unnamed assassin tried to stab the book, but it dodged nimbly to one side, avoiding the sharp knife.

"That stupid book bit me!" Brandon snarled, clutching onto his oddly bent arm.

The living book didn't take kindly to being called stupid, angrily flapping its singed pages just out of reach. The book looked royally pissed off.

"I think you just killed its owner," the first assassin replied, eying the floating book curiously.

Brandon grimaced. "Should we take it, it might be worth some good coin," Brandon said, through gritted teeth.

"Ah, sure, why not," The first assassin said, raising his hand.

Thin chains made of darkness shot out of his palm. The living book tried to dodge but was too slow, and was caught from the air. It struggled, flapping its pages, but couldn't escape the cage of chains. Zee watched the encounter.

Maybe this wasn't such a bad thing? That pesky book was a bit much to deal with at times. She might be better off without it. 

On the other hand, the living book was incredibly useful, well, that was when it wanted to cooperate.

Zee let out a soft sigh, and pushed herself up, grasping the hilt of her sword. Below, the book was frantically struggling, as the two assassins made their way to the door, the book in tow.

Well, calling these two assassins might have been a stretch. They hadn't even checked to see if she was actually in the bed before they blew it up. What kind of hired killers would see a lump under the blankets and toss an explosive in the room?

What a bunch of idiots, all they blew up was a bunch of pillows she stuffed under the blankets. She shook her head.  Well, no point in delaying, time to confront the two assassins before they could take her book.

The two would-be killers rounded a pile of crates to open the door, only to pause. Zee leaned casually against the door frame, her vibrant red hair falling past her shoulders. She held her sword casually at her side, as if unconcerned. She gave the two thugs a casual wave.

"I don't suppose you two would mind giving my book back?" Zee asked, her tone casual.

"Hey Ferd, isn't that the girl we came to kill?" Brandon asked in a low whisper.

  "It looks like you killed the wrong person," Ferd replied, pushing aside his cloak and drawing a claymore.

Zee was going to point out that he killed a bunch of pillows but was rudely cut off. Like striking snakes a quartet of pitch-black chains shot up from the ground, rushing in to skewer her from several angles at once.  It was a blindingly fast attack, but she was ready for it after seeing Ferd use the chains once already. 

Zee leaped forward, weaving between the chains, her sword flashing out. The air filled with the clang of metal on metal as she deflected all four of the chains from striking her body. 

Her eyes widened as the chains clacked together, and darted back in, each seeming to have a mind of their own. Her sword sang through the air in wide arcs, every clash sending the chains tumbling away.

The four chains were fast and nimble, but she had her spatial ripple skill giving her omnidirectional sight. The heart of fire beat like a drum in her chest, her skin steaming as defended herself from a flurry of rapid-fire blows from the chains.

Mid-run, the Allevark Assasin vanished using some movement skill to teleport in right behind her, his daggers flashing as he went to skewer her between the ribs.  She was midway through deflecting a chain from gouging her neck, and couldn't respond in time with her sword. Zee had to hand it to him, that was a perfectly timed attack.

With a sharp exhale she expanded her aura, compressing the air around her. To Brandon, it would feel like he suddenly weighed five times as much. 

Her infused aura didn't actually do much damage to the Allevark, but the sudden weight did stagger him. Her sudden burst of aura also slammed the chains off course, which actually ended up being bad.

One of the chains slammed into her leg, drawing a line of blood even after most of its force was absorbed by her shroud of spirit echo.

Ignoring the stabbing pain, she whirled, kicking out behind her, her boot catching the Allevark in the sternum.  Brandon rolled backward with the force of the blow, alighting in a crouch, coiled and ready to pounce. For a moment the catlike assassin seemed to reassess her, his gaze narrowing.

The other one, Ferd, didn't seem to share the Allevark's wariness, rushing in from the side, thrusting his sword at her.  It was a quick, and ruthless strike, intent to skewer her through the side of her neck. She pivoted on her heel, her sword arching up to deflect the thrust with a flick of her wrist. 

At the same moment, Brandon used the opening, springing towards her back again. Her opinion of these two changed. Their teamwork was exceptional. 

These two were not some random thugs like she first thought, they were trained killers. They had caught her in a perfect checkmate position, or at least they thought so.

Just before Brandon's daggers were about to skewer her through between the ribs, and Ferd's into her neck, her body turned to mist. His momentum carried him right through her ghostly form, placing him right beneath Ferd's falling sword. 

Ferd's eyes widened in horror as the tip of his claymore pierced into the side of Brandon's neck, skewering him like a kebab. The death of Brandon had barely registered on his face, by the time Zee appeared behind Ferd, driving her sword through his left lung. It wasn't immediately fatal, which was the intention. 

"Who sent you?" Zee asked, grasping onto the back of his cloak so he couldn't pull away.

"Go to hell," Ferd groaned, collapsing to his knees, and coughing up blood. 

"Not the right answer," Zee said, activating spirit echo.

Dark blue fire shrouded her sword, which was still inside Ferd's chest.

The assassin screamed as her spirit echo began decaying his body from the inside. 

"Who sent you to kill me?" Zee asked, ignoring his deathly wail of pain that echoed through the warehouse.

"Fuck you," Ferd snarled. There was a soft crack from his mouth, and the man spasmed, his mouth suddenly foaming. He convulsed violently, and he screamed, writhing in agony. Wary of danger, Zee used the second step of her wayward walk skill to appear across the warehouse. 

It was just in time, as the assassin's corps exploded in a mess of blood, guts, and bone, showering the warehouse in gore. It covered everything, bits of person dripping from the walls, and roof, covering the crates in a stinking red spatter.  With the chunks of flesh that were burning, courteous of spirit echo, it looked and smelled worse than a slaughterhouse. 

Yukna was not going to be happy about this. Then she remembered that these two imbeciles had blown up the room she had been staying in. 

Yup, Zee was so dead, Yukna was going to kill her for trashing the place. How was she going to explain this mess? 

Her eyes landed on a mop and pail. Well, maybe she could have it cleaned up before Yukna got back. A clump of something dripped from the ceiling, splatting on the stone floor with a wet splat. Right, this could take a while.