Nina sat alone in a tavern, waiting. Many people came in and out, some soldiers, some not. She wore a red scarf, with her blue scarf wrapped around her body, underneath her armor. Her hood doublet was also dyed red, including the hood that was now obscuring her features. She began to think about the plan and her words to Laura and Robert. "Can you tell me how you're going to enter Belvedere? Especially with your group? It won't be an easy task."
"If it was easy, I wouldn't be doing it. Entering, will be easy enough." Nina took a drink from her cup, before placing it back onto a table that was covered by a map. "We'll enter through the main gate, disguised as a slaver and her mercenaries. The girls will be brought in as slaves inside of a carriage with a false bottom, this will contain their weapons. The story I fabricated already, will work beautifully."
"Okay, that's a viable plan, but how are you going to attract the attention of important officials inside of the city? If you go in, without being able to attract their attention, your plan will take forever." Robert ran his fingers through his auburn hair, before letting out a sigh.
"My plan, is to have a few of my squad wear their blue sashes. Naturally, we'll be stopped by guards, but if they are planning on attacking us like my cousin believes, then we'll be contacted by someone important. Since we have a diverse group of individuals in my squad, I'm sure we'll be given a pretty decent warehouse. I'll have some impersonate prostitutes, some will be led to a slave market, and the ones with the blue sashes will most likely be led away as well. I'll have my rangers watch each group and make sure nothing goes wrong. The rest of the group, including myself, will have spare sashes to mark the bodies of those we kill. This will leave a message and they will cry out for blood."
"I think you should take some of the fairies from my unit. They'll be able to use magic seeds to mark their locations. It'll be easier for your fairy rangers to keep track of them. If they come across trouble, or believe they are outmatched, tell them to throw the seeds on the ground. The dryads I brought will intervene." Laura spoke calmly and looked over the map, the map showed the forest, with multiple markers on it. "The fairies I am going to give you are also highly trained in anti-magic combat, meaning they'll be able to combat any sorcerers they come across." Nina nodded to Laura's suggestion. Robert thought about the plan for a moment before speaking up.
"Your plan does make sense. I just hope you don't lose any of your unit." he let out another sigh. "Alright, but you need to make sure that you don't slip up. You need to be in and out. As soon as you begin killing off their officials and leaders, the knights will begin to suspect you, because the killings took place after you entered. So, you have a small timeframe to escape before they launch a concentrated attack. When that happens, you may be able to lure them out into some open areas outside of the city. I want you to take a unit of my sharpshooters to hide outside of the city, they'll provide you with cover and we may be able to thin their numbers. We have already begun the plans regarding the forest, so I believe we can use this to our advantage." Robert let out a small smile to himself while looking at the map.
Nina's plan worked out a little too well. When she entered, an official had been entering as well, he took notice and immediately let her in. He showed great interest with those that had blue sashes. They were given a large warehouse and Nina was told to wait in the tavern she was in now. As soon as she was in the warehouse, and she was sure no one was around, she began to execute her plan. Most were weapons that could be easily hidden, while others were given their actual weapons, so they could search for information, documents, or help anyone who wished for it. Nina hoped to find someone powerful, whom she may be able to get as an ally. After everything was finished, Nina went to the tavern and has been waiting there ever since.
Half an hour passed before Nina noticed a knight, wearing a purple sash around his body, the sash of the Federation. He was dressed much like Ulrich, though this man didn't wear any chainmail like Ulrich did. As he walked over and sat down, he never removed his helmet, not even when he greeted Nina. "Hello, I am Sir Robin, I am in charge of this section of the city. I am also in charge of the slave markets, so it is my job to come and speak with you, especially since I was notified of some of your stock. The man in charge took particular interest in them, but was also interested in you and who you are. So, if you could tell me your name and how you came into possession of those people, it will help us both out."
Nina smirked before taking a big drink from her ale. "My partners call me Kate, but my full name is Laura Kate Rose. As for how I came upon my stock, they seemed to have been ambushed by magical beasts and bandits. We were able to step in and take them captive. They can't use magic because of special seals. Some of my men were once soldiers in those cities that King Ulrich began to lockdown on slavery. As a result, they were exiled and came under my employ." Robin seemed to be watching and listening to Nina very intently. "Because of them, we were able to find a few more soldiers. Obviously, I'm in the business of making money, so I mainly took the females. I do apologize, but I have already sold the few men I had to the Holy Empire.
"Ah, the Empire huh? Well, that won't be a big problem for us. My boss said that money is no issue, especially because you have brought us a lot of stock. We were wondering why we haven't seen you around here, but now that I know you do business with the Holy Empire, that pretty much explains it. Now, my next request may sound a bit strange, but my boss is also interested in meeting you face to face to discuss some further business and maybe the price of that sword of yours." Once again, the knight seemed to be inspecting her closely. Nina looked down at her sword and slowly removed it and put it on the table. She then looked at the knight very intensely.
"This sword is just something I plucked off a corpse in Ulrich's domain. I do know that the markings on this weapon are special and that this could very well be priceless. So, I'd like to say that, if I am going to trade, it has to be of equal value. However, I will meet with him, because I think he can grant me what I truly want." The knight laughed before holding out his hand to Nina. Nina looked at his eyes before slowly glancing down at his hand. Nina then decided to shake the knight's hand.
"Well, I'm sure you have had a long journey, so why don't we get this done quickly? If you'll follow me, I can take you to him. You'll most likely be given a lavish room to rest in after our business has concluded." Nina arose, wondering if she should have brought her bow with her. She left it in the warehouse, fearing it would be recognized in the city. Her dagger and sword were another story. Nina always kept her sword wrapped up in cloth and bandages, so that it would never be recognized by anyone. She only wore it openly inside of Camelot. No one who ever saw her sword on the outside of Camelot, never lived to tell about it, the same could have been said of her dagger. However, there were numerous rumors and myths regarding a guardian spirit of Camelot, who wielded the bow named Stardust.
It was rumored that, any enemies or slave traders that tread through the outer reaches of Camelot, would be met by a beautiful spirit who wielded a bow that seemed to sparkle in the night. Any arrows fired would look like a falling star, because of the trail left by the arrows. Many claimed it was fairy, others that it was a spirit, some claimed that it was a goddess of the stars, but all stories described the bow in detail. It seemed to sparkle in the night, the bow itself being pitch black, save for the sparkles emitted from it. The bow string seemed to light up as it was pulled, resembling a streak of light. When it was fired, the arrows would fly forth with magical residue falling off as it flew through the sky. Some claimed, that when fired into the air, the arrows would separate and rain down on multiple unlucky trespassers.
Nina had heard many of these rumors throughout her travels as a ranger. She was glad that none of those stories ever spoke of her sword or dagger. She always wore the dagger behind her waist, so that it was hidden from view. She knew that if she ever drew it, it would be talked about just like her bow if she didn't eliminate any witnesses. The reason for which, it had a beautiful light blue metal blade that was so sharp, it could cut clean through armor. Its handle was made out of rosewood, giving the dagger an elegant look. The dagger was her primary weapon, mainly because she never needed to draw her sword, except for a few occasions.
As the two walked out into the street, Nina quickly pulled her red scarf over her mouth and nose. Robin seemed to take note of this, "Something wrong, Lady Kate?" Nina looked over at the knight, who she thought had some kind of covering underneath his helmet, but noticed his voice didn't sound muffled by anything. She then looked up at the evening night sky, taking note of the unhealthy amount of smoke in the air. Numerous armories were smelting different metals, fires burned numerous dead bodies, the air itself was filled with sickness and stagnant magic. Nina wondered why more and more trees were being cut down by the capitol, her guess was the magic stagnation had killed most of the usable lumber close to their city. It sickened her, making her stomach twist in knots the longer she inhaled the air.
"I'm sensitive to magical stagnation. I thought that the dying plant life outside of town was just because of the tree cutting, but I guess it's stagnant magic in the air." It was the truth, though it was more of a half truth. She couldn't tell him about the fact she was a druid or that she was a demi-human, that's what people called mix bloods that showed visible traits of both races. Luckily for her, she had made sure the silver streak in her hair was covered up before she entered the city.
"Oh, you're a magic sensitive? That's a very rare trait, even when cultivated by the churches. You are a very interesting lady. We have been having a problem with that here, of course, here in the outskirts it is more prevalent than in the inner city. I do apologize for meeting you in a tavern in the outskirts, if I had known, I would have told them to bring you to the inner city bars." As they continued walking, Nina took note of the citizens and townscape, noting how it changed the closer they reached the inner city. It was obvious that this place had no love for the poor, the rejects, the broken, or the different. It made her think of home, and how everyone worked together to make the city a better place and how no one was ever begging in the streets at night. If you were, the sisters would find you and take you in, giving you a bed and warm food.
"It's really no problem, I'm used to places like this. Business takes me to all sorts of places. Could you tell me about your thoughts on those in the outskirts?" The knight stopped in his tracks, turning to look at Nina. Though the hood obscured her features, it was obvious from her posture that she wasn't intimidated by the knight in front of her.
"Hmm, well, I guess it wouldn't hurt to tell you. Honestly, I feel sorry for those in the outskirts. Because of sickness, pollution, and the stagnant magic, they live very hard lives. I thought that by becoming a knight, I could try and make their lives easier. Sadly, my hopes of helping them was rendered meaningless when I realized that the royal families here have no interest in helping those they deem inferior." Robin let out a sigh as he looked toward the outskirts. "I grew up in the inner city, but I had many friends from the outskirts. I was lent a book from one of them when I was young. When I read about the hero king inside of it, I wanted to become just like him, striving for a world that could know peace." Robin's voice seemed to grow sullen and low, his helmet lowered from looking into the outskirts. Nina could see his fists become clenched, she then noticed that his sword seemed to have something written on the handle.
"So, your dream of following in this man's footsteps became meaningless after you realized the royals wouldn't allow it? Seems like a poor excuse if you ask me, considering having that book could be your reminder to strive to be that person." Nina originally planned on assassinating him, but she could feel that he had a good heart. He seemed to be a powerful knight, so he could have taken any region he wanted, but he chose the outskirts instead. He also chose to watch over the slave markets, posting guards all over the area. There was even laws regarding the treatment of slaves in his region that weren't in others.
"Well, when my parents found out about the book, they burnt it. After they burnt it, it was only a matter of time until I wasn't allowed to go into the outskirts and enrolled into the knights training school. I never saw my friends again after that." Nina then began to feel magical disturbances pop up around the city. She then saw a few of her rangers walking back from the inner city. Robin turned and began to walk again. The longer they walked, the closer they got to a mansion like building surrounded by walls of magical stone. It was clear that this was the place she was supposed to meet the person who wanted to buy her sword.
"Could I ask you about the book that you read?" Nina was interested by his description of a hero king, also, knowing that it was burned was something that interested her.
"Knowing your business, it may not be a book you've ever read about, but then again..." The knight walked up to the gate and was let in when they noticed his sash. "it was burned because it was about King Leon Pendragon, the God of Combat. Of course, his ideals and the fact he was a Pendragon, ended up making that book forbidden in the Federation."
"I see, that would be cause enough to burn such a book. I'm from a small hunter village near the Empire, so I grew up knowing not to read certain books. My parents seemed to want to teach more about a world of peace and harmony and even read me some stories of different heroes. I heard of Leon but never about his life or anything. Of course, after I grew older, I knew that was just a dream. People hate things that are different." Nina's lies weren't lies, at least, not the last part. She knew that people hated things that were different. She felt that if people could get over that boundary, then peace could be achieved. However, now wasn't the time to think about such things, they were about to enter the house. Now, she had to be in the mindset of what she was good at, killing vile insects.
"You say it's an excuse for me, but you ended up doing the same thing as me, though your a lot worse considering your trade." He let out a boisterous laugh, it reminded her of how Richard laughed. "But now probably isn't the time to speak about such things, especially around the boss." They entered the mansion and walked into a waiting room, "Wait here, I'll let the boss know that you're here." Robin walked away, leaving Nina in the room. Nina looked around, the room smelled like perfume, allowing her to remove her scarf from her face. She looked at the art and gold and silver decorations. Everything in the mansion looked very expensive and was obviously made by some of the best craftsmen. She then noticed a young girl, her skin was light red, her hair was auburn, and she then noticed that the girl had a tail.
"Hey, come here for a moment." The young girl seemed to become shocked, putting her head down and was clearly afraid. The closer she became, the easier it was for Nina to tell what she was. She was then in front of Nina, she stood at half of her height. "You're a full blood succubus aren't you?" The young girl nodded. "Wow, when did you get here and how old are you?" The young girl slowly began to tremble.
"I'm 8 and I was brought here just recently. I was told to listen to everything I was told and not to complain." Nina had a hard time maintaining her composure, she knew about slavery and everything, but seeing a young girl like her be made into one, made her blood boil. She wanted to kill everyone in the capitol.
"I see. You don't need to be scared, alright?" Nina patted her on the head, she didn't want to frighten the young girl, she even wanted to try and help her. However, she couldn't just take her without an explanation. She had to think of a way to save her. "What's your name?" The young girl slowly stopped trembling as she realized that Nina wasn't going to hurt her.
"My mom named me Eve." She was very soft spoken, her yellow eyes began to water up, Nina knew that she had to be thinking of her mom. Nina thought about her own parents and how they both wanted her to surpass them. Nina smiled at the girl, before slowly removing her hand. Just as she did, Robin walked around the corner.
"He's ready to see you Miss Kate." He then took note of Eve, "Oh, you ran into Eve. Well, I'm sure your interested in her but I think it'll better if you go see the boss. He's not very fond of people finding out about her, considering how valuable she is. Though, I'm sure if you exchanged that sword for her, he'd comply." Robin seemed to want Nina to take Eve away. He must have assumed she would take care of her because of Nina's fake backstory.
"Yeah, well, it looks like I'll have to go now little one. I'll be sure to come back for you, so don't go anywhere. Sir Robin, could you watch her while I'm gone?" Robin nodded as Nina left the room. Eve seemed to go back to her timid and scared self as Nina left. Nina walked up the stairs, following the small signs that were hanging around the building. She eventually found the large two door entranceway that was outlined with gold. She let out a heavy sigh, "How gaudy can one man be? Ulrich is the complete opposite of this guy, and he's a king. Then again, if Ulrich was like this, I'd probably hate him." Nina let out a small giggle before she quickly recomposed herself. She moved her scarf around, so that she could hide her mouth if needed.
As she walked in, she saw a well built old man sitting behind a desk, he was dressed like most of the other nobles that walked around her. Despite being someone who looked strong, most likely a demigod knight, his facial features made him appear lecherous. She could tell that she wasn't going to enjoy talking with this man. She walked forward and sat down in a chair opposite him. "Lady Rose, Robin has informed me of your stock of slaves and also mentioned that you may be prepared to sell me that sword for the right price. So, I'd rather not drag things out for too long."
"Agreed, because I haven't gotten much rest since arriving in town. I know the basics of your deal, you want the Camelot prisoners and my sword." As she spoke, the man's smile became slightly more lecherous. It seemed like bringing female members in was the right choice, especially since the other rangers are already speaking with other noble families about them. Nina had them approach some other knights who belonged to other families. So, right now, other families were about to have their high ranking members assassinated.
"Yes, yes, by the way, call me Grantz. I run this city, so nothing is off limits. Speak what you want and it will be yours." Nina brought her hands up to her face.
"I would like some information and I would also like to request a trade for that succubus slave in your employ." She thought about Robin, wondering if he had told him about their conversation and that she may be a spy of some sort. "When I have those things, I'll be more than happy to let you have this shiny and ornate sword on my hip as well. I would say the payment I ask for is more than fair. So, do we have a deal Sir Grantz?" Grantz's head perked up at the mention of Eve. Information and the succubus? It was clear that she had something else she wanted, but after seeing the succubus, she must have changed her mind. It angered him slightly, as pureblood succubi were rare.
"Miss, I'm sure you know that girl is very valuable, so I'd like to know why you suddenly became interested in her?" Nina could tell that he was beginning to get upset at her price. She smirked at the man's question, before standing up and turning to walk to the door.
"I don't like people prodding into my business, but as I can notice the tone in your voice, I can tell that you refuse my price. I'll do business elsewhere, I don't need the girl and I can find information somewhere else. I'll leave and take my slaves with me." As Nina began to walk towards the door, she could hear a chair scrape against the wooden floor.
"Wait! Alright, I'll agree to your terms. We need those particular slaves for a rather important matter." Nina turned and could see Grantz standing behind his desk.
"Write out a contract that states our trade is valid and I won't ask for anything more than the designated agreed goods." She could see the man grit his teeth as he pulled some scrolls out of his desk. He quickly grabbed his quill pen and began writing out his contract. Nina walked back to her chair and took a seat. "As for the information that I desire, I want to know what Camelot has been doing. Lately, its been harder and harder to move through the back roads around there. I've noticed that the Empire has also been on high alert lately."
"Back roads? You mean there are some secret channels to get through Camelot?" Grantz seemed to be intrigued. If he was looking for something like that, then it made it a lot more obvious about their plans. Nina crossed her arms in response to his question. He let out a sigh, "Fine, Camelot has been preparing for an attack. The church here says that there will be a war happening soon. I'll give you some information that will be of use to you, considering your trade. We have swayed some officials in a few of the cities in Ulrich's domain. I'm guessing it took you a long time to get through the back channels. If you go to those cities, we have some people that will be able grant you safe passage through their city. However, I wish for you to hand over the sword before I say anything further." Nina had hoped to get the information without handing over the sword, but she needed that information. It was invaluable.
"Okay, I can do that. You seem like a trustworthy person. Hand over the contract too." Nina unstrapped the sword and put the sword on the table, keeping her hand on it until he placed the contract on the table. She quickly grabbed the contract as the man picked up the sword, admiring the design of the sword. "Alright, now tell me the rest." The man nodded in reply. He reached into his jacket pocket and took out an amulet. It was a purple gemstone with a fist insignia etched into it. It was the mark of the Federation.
"Show this to the head official in Fredericka, Nettles, and New Wales. Once they see this, they will be able to grant you safe passage through the city with your people. They'll even grant you refuge if you happen to be on the run. Is that information good enough for you?" Nina smiled, she noticed a look in Grantz's eyes. He may let her leave the mansion, but he never intended on letting her leave the city. It seemed he had set his eyes on her. She could tell by the magic energy he was giving off, it made her skin crawl.
"For now, it is enough for me, considering this is invaluable. Now that we have concluded business, I shall take my leave." She turned around. "I hope you enjoy that sword, Sir Grantz." She began to walk away, before he spoke once again.
"I hope that we can do business again, Miss Kate, it has been a pleasure." Nina didn't turn around, she didn't need to. Unknown to Grantz, the trees and shrubbery outside of his window, had already opened the window. They slowly crawled along the ground, inching closer and closer towards him. Nina turned back around, still maintaining her smile.
"Well, Sir Grantz, maybe we can make another deal, just for tonight. It will be beneficial for the both of us, that is assured." Grantz's sick smile returned, he was lured in by Nina's words and tone. He put the sword on the desk.
"What exactly do you have in mind?" Just as he finished what he was saying, the plants quickly grabbed ahold of his body, wrapping itself around his body multiple times and covering his mouth. His facial expression changed from shocked to furious. Nina removed her hood and reached underneath her armor, removing the blue scarf she had hidden. Because her scarf was made by using her sash, it still retained the mark of Camelot on both ends. Nina's smile became sinister and devious. Her eyes began to glow with an intense fury.
"Oh, I have just one thing in mind, and that's to kill you. You have no idea how much I hate this city and your ideas of what is superior. Slaves, peasants, and animals all have more to offer this world than you do. I can say that because, well, the slaves I brought obviously aren't slaves. Those peasants you look down on, I can tell will most likely revolt soon. Animals, well, you're no better than a dying animal right now are you? A cow about to be butchered by the one and only, Nina of House Kay, member of the Round Council, cousin of the King of Camelot, and the huntress that wields the stardust bow." The man's eyes widened, he began to try to struggle, even trying to cast magic, however, even if he managed to burn away the plants, they were soon replaced with others. He was trapped.
Nina grabbed her sword and used her blue scarf to wipe the sword off, cleaning it, before throwing it outside. "I couldn't stand seeing you touch my sword, Joyeous. I'm sure you've heard of it, so you can die knowing you held a legendary sword." Grantz continued to struggle in vain to get out of the vines. Demigod or not, he couldn't easily break the hold of Nina's druidic abilities. "Just know that you're going to die because of your lechery, being fooled by my pretty face. You never even suspected a female could ever outsmart you, did you? They are nothing but toys to you. It's a shame that I'm the one killing you and not the women you have preyed upon." Because of Nina's magical aura slipping out, her silver streak emerged in her hair.
"Oh yeah, you've also been tricked by a demi-human, so there's also that." Nina let out laugh, it was more of a sinister cackle than a laugh. "As you know, there's nothing you can offer me that will spare your life, so why don't we got on with the fun. Don't take what I'm about to do personally, I have to send a message. You don't have to be too disappointed, there's multiple royals and powerful warriors being killed by my people as we speak. But, you will get to be special, since I'm the one with a Royal's sash." Nina walked over to him, pulling her dagger from behind her. "It is boring monologuing to myself, especially since I can only judge you're reactions from your eyes. However, I can't have you screaming during this, otherwise, I'll have to kill Robin. I'd rather not do that. Hopefully, he'll be able to see his dream though after all of you are dead." Grantz stopped moving, he thought about stomping on the floor, but as if she knew what he was thinking, the plants lifted him in the air and towards Nina. He began to try to scream, letting out muffled noises, which was instantly stopped, when Nina had the plants slide into his mouth.
"Don't pass out from that Sir Grantz. After all, this is where the real fun begins." Nina took off her leather armor and placed it near the door, leaving only her red sleeveless doublet and red scarf, which was used to cover the non red parts of her body. Nina lifted her dagger in the air with a sick smile on her face, her eyes became black with only her green aura leaking out of them, and said one final thing to Grantz, "Since I know you probably took your time on your prey, I'm sure you'll understand. So, try not to die too fast, otherwise you'll take the fun out of it."