Serpent Master - 673

She had no idea who the man under his feet was, or why he was under Skymender's feet.

She breathed heavily while Skymender took a vial out of his pocket. He unscrewed one of the ends and poured it on the man. Nothing happened. 

He then took off the other end and began to drip it down. As soon as it made contact with the liquid on the man, he began to feel immense pain and scream out. Skymender slowly dripped a hole through his head, ending his life.

The woman watched with shock and horror. 

Skymender had ideas for how to use this woman in assassination. But first, he needed to make sure she had a fear of him implanted into her heart.

With the man under him dead, Skymender began to move again. The woman gritted her teeth and hesitated, before following him once again. She didn't really have much of a choice at this time.

After a while, she was led to the outskirts of the city. There was no city wall, but there was an obvious marker not far ahead that marked the end of the city.

Skymender finally stopped again. 

"You will have a special position in the organization. You will be tasked with staying near and protecting a valuable individual."

The woman was surprised. She had heard nothing about these assassins protecting others.

"His name is Skymender, a member of Baron Sky's noble family."

The woman was even more shocked.

"You will be found in the woods, injured and unconscious, by Skymender and his servants. You will be taken to the household, and after being helped, you will be offered a position as a servant. You will accept it. Skymender will be in charge of you. Understood?"

The woman took all of the information in and nodded.

"Good."

Skymender moved quickly, knocking the woman out. He took her to a certain location not too far away from the city.

The summer had just ended and school would start in less than a week. He had this much time to set things up for the future.

The woman was deeply unconscious. The next day, as Skymender, Skymender took a few servants, including Li Youcai and Hope, on a small trip to the nearby woods to fish.

However, along the way, they found an unconscious and bleeding woman.

She was instantly taken into the carriage and began the process of healing. When she woke up, the first thing she saw was Skymender. Her eyes widened.

Skymender waved the surrounding servants outside, including Li Youcai, leaving only him and the woman.

She spoke after a moment, her tone uncertain. "Sir Skygod?"

Skymender sighed. It wasn't hard to figure out with so many pieces laying around. The same height and size, the hand, and the feeling.

Skymender had not been disguising anything about himself when he met her as the Skygod, so she managed to pick up on all of that information.

But he had never really intended to completely hide his identity. That was why he had needed to put fear into her.

Even though she knew who he was, she wouldn't dare to tell a soul even when threatened with death. 

Skymender put his finger over his lips and spoke. "Quiet down a bit."

She nodded, not daring to speak any further.

Skymender let Li Youcai come in.

"She will become a personal servant of mine in the future. We can take her back to the house for training." He said.

Li Youcai nodded. "And about fishing?"

"Forget about it. We can do it another day."

Li Youcai nodded and left with the woman.

Skymender sat back in the carriage and thought, his eyes occasionally flashing with a green color.

When he returned home, he studied. He continued the usual cycle until school started. Not much changed. 

However, after nearly a month, the woman had been completely trained.

She stood in front of the carriage as Skymender walked outside, ready to go to school.

"Lord Skymender." She said as she bowed. She was much more professional than before.

Skymender walked into the carriage. Before closing the door, he asked a question.

"What is your name?"

"Violet." She said as she bowed. 

Skymender closed the door without another word.

In Sky city, the police received word that the woman they had been searching for had become a servant of the Sky Barony. They stopped their search, pardoning her crimes. After all, based on the entire situation, they were technically in the wrong.

Things continued in a semi-regular fashion for a few months. Violet did not participate in any assassinations yet, which confused her.

Skymender often looked into the distance, lost in thought. He could tell that something had been off for the past half year. He could feel it in the air.

Indeed, on the surface, the Empire was healthy, thriving, and peaceful, but underneath its surface, the Empire was everything but peaceful.

In a meeting room, the Imperial Scholar, the commander of the army, and the Emperor all met in one room. Behind the Emperor stood Sword Master Shang.

The Imperial Scholar spoke. "Ever since the noble gathering a few years ago, the Ancient Empire has been making hidden moves. It had been hard to detect, as expected of them, but flaws always show sooner or later. We captured a few people planted into the Imperial Capital by them."

The Emperor nodded. "Have they said anything yet?"

"No, simply enduring without a word." The Imperial Scholar said.

The Emperor spoke, taking over the room. "Towards the conquest of the world, the Ancient Empire is the greatest threat we face. Not only their Sword Grandmaster, but their Serpent Master as well. We must find a way to counter both before all out war breaks out."

The Imperial Scholar spoke. "Sword Master Shang will naturally face the Sword Grandmaster of the Ancient Empire, and as for the Serpent Master, I believe that I have a worthy candidate."

The Emperor, Commander, and Sword Master Shang were surprised. "Someone who can match the Serpent Master?"

The Imperial Scholar explained. "His name is Skymender. Right now, he is just a child, but in the future, it is unknown what he may become."