Chapter 83. Lady Kestrel.

"Jelia, NO!" shouted one of the assassins as he stared at the grisly remains of Everly's opponent. "She killed her!"

"Technically, the air resistance killed her," Everly corrected him. "I just gave it an assist."

"Don't laugh at us, monster!" he shouted back. "You won't get away with this!"

"Beros, stay calm and we can survive this," said the one who'd killed the king.

"I'm not afraid of this bitch," said the other one, Beros apparently, as he held his sword before him. "You think you can kill me, whore? Try it! I damn well dare you to try it!"

"Is that an invitation?" Everly asked him. "If so, then the answer's yes."

"Then let's go!" Beros shouted as he came in running. "We'll show the world your reputation is based on lies!"

Everly had to give this Beros marks for bravery; the man refused to be intimidated. Even before a proven killer like herself, he wouldn't take one step backwards.

"Stop, you fool!" shouted his partner as the enraged fighter raced towards his certain death. "This is what she wants!"

His hotblooded nature was exactly why Everly decided to ignore Beros and instead focused her attention on his sensible friend, who kept trying to give him good advice. Idiots Like Beros who didn't think they cared about dying were exactly the sort of people that would quickly spill their guts during interrogation; most likely while their guts were literally being spilled. If she spared the smarter one, he'd likely be more loyal to their organization, and thus more tightlipped. That meant there was no point in keeping him around.

Not for the first time this week, Everly wished her elemental servants were around to assist her. If Eris, her spirit elemental was with her, she could have just pulled the knowledge she wanted directly from their minds and been done with it.

I'm too used to them autopiloting my skills for me, she thought to herself. When they wake up, I'm going to have to start training myself to be more independent of them.

As she made her plans, Everly stomped heavily on the floor and sent a wave of Titania's power of the earth through it, causing the ground to continually shake, forcing the two assassins to lose their balance. As the vibrations kept making them fall, she strolled lightly towards her target, completely unaffected by the tremors.

Once she reached him, she snatched away his sword and decapitated him with one stroke.

"Don't lose your head, pal," she said with a smirk.

"Ryes!" shouted the dead man's friend. Once Everly allowed the tremors to stop, he was after her at once, swinging his sword furiously, in his vain attempt to avenge his team.

"Jelia, Ryes, and Beros," Everly said thoughtfully. "That's all three of you, isn't it? Why did you bother wearing those disguises if you were just going to give your names away so easily? You're not very smart, are you?"

"I'll kill you!" he said with gritted teeth. Or what Everly assumed were gritted teeth. It was hard to tell because he was still wearing a mask.

"Unlikely," Everly replied. "I'm not a seer, but I think I can make a pretty accurate prediction for what happens next. First, I'm going to cripple you. Then, I'll torture you for information. After that, I'm going to torture you for fun. When that's all over with, I'm going to hand you over to King Septus' men, and then they'll torture you until you die. You have a rough road ahead, Beros. Drink plenty of fluids."

Beros said nothing in response, but his efforts to strike Everly down were redoubled. He was well-trained in the use of his sword, and Everly could feel a strong well of harada in his body, fueling his attacks. He was good enough to be a Sword King. No wonder he seemed so confident in his abilities. His flaw was that he seemed inexperienced in fighting stronger opponents. He simply didn't have the sense to know when to run.

Everly smiled nastily at Beros as a slash across his cheek from her sword swiftly stained his mask with blood.

He'd never get the chance to learn.

"I've changed my mind," she said to him sweetly. "I no longer care who put you fools up to this. I think I'll have plenty of fun just killing you with your friend's sword."

"I won't go down easily," he vowed.

"Isn't that for me to decide?" she leered at him.

"No, it isn't," said a woman's voice from behind her, surprising Everly who hadn't heard anyone approaching.

Everly turned hastily in time to block an incoming sword swing that clashed powerfully against her stolen blade and sent her skidding backwards before she regained her balance.

Her new opponent was dressed similarly to the three assassins, but her long black hair was free to flow down her back. A red half-cape was also donned over her shoulders, and instead of a full mask, like Boros wore, a simple domino mask covered her eyes.

She was an obvious beauty which Everly would have been happy to stare at in a less hectic moment, but for now, it was the sword she held in her left hand that commanded Everly's attention.

This interloper was holding the temple's holy sword. The one that could only be wielded by the literal maiden of the holy sword, a warrior of faith who was widely recognized as the greatest warrior of each generation.

"Where did you get that?" Everly demanded to know. The holy sword had vanished from sight shortly after the battle of Bremburg a year and a half ago, after its owner's heart had been crushed, non-metaphorically.

"I earned it," the stranger said.

"Give it to me," Everly demanded, as a sudden yearning now seized her. The sword was a beautiful working of steel with a line of gold interlaced throughout the blade, a design that exuded simplicity and elegance.

She now wanted it for herself.

"This is a blade that defends life and destroys evil," the other woman said. "Not even you could bear its touch."

"Don't talk down to me," Everly said, annoyed by the certainty in the stranger's voice. Moving faster than her opponent could have possibly seen, Everly reached out, determined to steal away the woman's weapon and kill her with it, just as she had with Ryes. Instead, as soon as her hand made contact with the blade, she screamed in pain as a flash of light exploded outward and knocked her off her feet.

"What the hell?" Everly squealed.

"You were warned," the woman in white said. She then turned to Beros and said, "Grab the king's body. We're leaving."

"But Lady Kestrel! We can take her now! Look at what she did to my friends," he said in a voice that brimmed heavily with tears.

"I'm sorry, Beros," the woman he called Lady Kestrel explained to him. "I also know the pain of losing dear ones to the enemy. But finishing this monster would take too long and cost us too dearly. We need to finish the mission. Justice in its surety will come for her later."

Everly stared at her hand, shocked to see it blistered and bleeding. She slowly clenched her fist and wanted to scream as the raw, glistening skin of her palm pressed against itself.

"No, no, no, you don't have to leave," she said as a feverish grin began to light up her face. "Stay with me, I want to keep playing…"

"I'm not playing any games," Kestrel said solemnly.

"That's what makes it so exciting," Everly whispered. "Are you a hero?"

Instead of answering Everly's question, Kestrel turned her back on her and walked to where Beros now stood, with the body of King Septus cradled in his arms.

"Hey!" Matty suddenly yelled, outraged that anyone would dare ignore his master in his presence. "The boss asked you a question, dummy!"

Before Everly could stop him, the incensed rodent leapt from her shoulder, growing to his massive combat size as he did so, and charged bullishly at Lady Kestrel, determined to teach her respect. Just before his claws could reach her, though, she spun swiftly and delivered a perfect slash across the monster's face that sent him rolling backwards, screaming in pain while spurting blood everywhere.

"Matty!" Everly yelled, as she ran to her servant's side, where he lay, crying in agony. His right eye had been destroyed and the side of his face was even worse to behold than Every's palm.

In a flash of light, Kestrel and Beros vanished from sight. A moment later, the bodies of the other two vanished as well, leaving Everly and Matty alone in the ruined throne room.

"She got me, boss! Argggh, she got me real good," Matty whined, as he shuddered in humiliated pain. "I'm sorry, it's my fault. I thought I could take her."

"Shhh," Everly assured him. "Quiet. You were very brave. You're a good little rat. Let's get you home so we can get you healed up."

Matty was too injured to return to his true form, which left Everly with no choice but to heft his huge frame over her shoulder. A moment later, a gateway leading to their home in the astral realm sparked into existence.

Just as she began stepping through it, a man's voice called out to her in confusion.

"Uh, Everly?" said Caleb. Behind him stood the king's royal guard as well as dozens of councilors, ministers, a few temple priests, and one very bewildered looking dog. "Could you perhaps explain yourself? Please?"

Everly looked at her brother for a moment as she tried to think of something to tell him. Then she sighed and turned away.

"It's really not what it looks like," she said as she stepped through her portal, leaving the carnage for them to clean up.