A week had passed after Wallace and I walked out of the Eye of Truth. Tina was more worried about Wallace than to say anything to me aside from thank you. Not to say I didn't understand, but considering I was able to go in and out with no problem would leave anyone asking how I did it. Ironically, as I was thinking that, one of the goblins pulled me to the side and asked how I did it. Once I told him I didn't know, he would ask me another question that I couldn't answer. This persisted until Tina said she was taking Wallace back home, which was my que to leave as well. Before I was able to leave, the goblin rushed off somewhere only to come back with a star necklace. He told me to wear it from that day forward and if I wanted to know more, I was instructed to come back to the goblins.
I wasn't able to go back during the week, but I kept wearing the necklace for whatever it was worth. Wallace was able to pass on the information he learned to those who needed it, but soon after became secluded. With many of the maids focusing on taking care of him, I was given more to do on my own which was more of a good thing since I wasn't training under Lila. She was off focusing on some errands, but either no one knew what they were exactly or refused to tell me.
Something else that was taking up my time was studying up on some terminology. Tina mentioned that she was an abomination and I wanted to know what that meant. Turns out there were levels of humanoids that were listed into five currently established groups: Pure Breeds, Half-Breeds, Abnormalities, Mutations, and Abominations.
A pure breed is anyone born of the same race that counts as an Elder Race. Elder Race is a title given to a race that "earned'' it like the goblins. If you were an Elder Race, then that meant your race had something that they could give back to other races or allowed you to establish civilizations on your own.
A half-breed is anyone who was born from two pure breeds. A distinction I had to memorize was the difference between what counts you as a half breed. For example, if a silver elf and a bronze elf were to have a child, the child would be a pure breed because both parents were elves despite them being of different subcategories. If a human and an elf had a child, regardless of their subcategory, the child would be a half breed.
An abnormality is a pure or half-breed that has something different about them that cannot be described as normally occurring. This can be anything from odd body pigmentation, to a birth defect, to anything that unnaturally changes you after birth.
Mutations were like the more extreme version of an abnormality where a humanoid goes through great changes to their being that most often is a payment for additional abilities. I asked one of the maids helping me understand these terms if Wallace was an abnormality or mutation because of all the powers he had. She said Wallace's case didn't count because he was born with those powers as a result of his grandfather being blessed with them first. Being blessed was its own section of discussion, so I decided to tackle that another time.
Finally, an abomination was anything that was humanoid or could take a humanoid form that didn't fall under any of the other previous categories. They were also called monsters or beasts.
I studied those terms throughout the week. As I worked, I found a deeper appreciation for The House of Jones. It was a place where all humanoids could work under the same roof as equals; for the most part anyway. It was still weird how they were all maids, but there was something nice about it. They all cared about their master which was a testament to Wallace's kindness at least, and now he needs their kind.
It was the seventh day as I was trimming the hedges with yet another power tool when I caught Wallace walking past in the corner of my eye. I hadn't been able to talk to him since that day, so I turned off the tremors and ran to him. He looked tired with his coffee mug that read "Wolf Pack'' and had cute wolves play fighting and his robe. It looked like he hadn't shaved all this time either.
Once I got his attention, I said, "Haven't seen you all this time, but I didn't want to intrude. Do you have time to talk?"
He squinted his eyes at me only to realize who he was talking to. "Eve. This is going to sound bad, but I forgot about you for a minute. I'm surprised you're still here."
"Did you think I left?"
"I haven't exactly been paying attention to you since you joined. I thought you would leave out of feeling neglected."
"I know you're not neglecting me on purpose. I can't even begin to understand how you're feeling."
"It's the price for knowledge, I guess. Speaking of, I was told you were the one who got me out of the Eye. Thank you for that, but how did you do it?"
I shrugged my shoulders. "Your guess is as good as mine. The goblins might know more, but I haven't had the chance to ask them."
"I'm sorry if I had a hand in that."
"It's no skin off my back. Much of this stuff still doesn't make sense to me anyway. At least I got this necklace out of it." I held up the star pendent so that Wallace could see. He leaned forward to try and get a good look at it.
"Strange. That symbol seems familiar."
Before his memory could click something together, we both looked up as the sound of helicopter blades grew louder. Sure enough, a helicopter with two propellers started hovering over the estate causing many of the maids to mobilize as they readied a proper landing spot. One of the doors of the helicopter opened and I could see a girl in a red gown that goes so far as to cover her feet. Even the buffering air couldn't disturb her dress. Her golden hair was braided in pigtails that reached all the way to the helicopter's floor and, yet again, her hair was not easily buffered by the wind.
She waved at Wallace (at least, I assumed) and jumped out of the aircraft causing my heart to leap into my throat. Instinctively, I reached out my arms to try and catch her for what it was worth, but Wallace grabbed my shoulders looking unnervingly calm. I had no time to ask what was happening, so I watched as the girl dropped to the ground. A gust of wind hit me as Wallace let go of my shoulder and the girl gently landed on the ground. The wind died down as well, never once affecting the girls clothes or hair. She walked past me to greet Wallace, but I couldn't hear what they were saying until the helicopter fully landed on the landing pad.
I walked around the two as she was still talking. Her fingernails were polished black and I could now see light freckles on her face. "...but I brought you some gifts to cheer you up."
"Thanks. One of the maids will put it with the others." Wallace replied.
"Is there anything I can help you with? Maybe help with your shower?"
"If I knew you were coming, then maybe I would have presented myself better when you got here."
"In all seriousness, Wallie, I want to help you. Is there anything I can do?"
Wallace turned his face in my direction, but he wasn't looking at me. His eyes were hollow and it scared me. This caused the new girl to turn to look at me.
"I'm not familiar with everyone working here, but you seem new." she said curiously.
Wallace snapped out of his trance and began introducing me. "Uh, right. Elis, this is Eve, my new maid. Eve, this is Elisabeta Ash of the House of Cinders. '' Elis bowed as Wallace continued. "She is also my fiancée."
It shouldn't have been surprising to hear that Wallace was engaged, but I was still taken aback.
Elis turned back to Wallace and asked, "I didn't think you were hiring."
"I wasn't."
"I see. Well, it's nice to meet you, Eve," I bowed back to her, but it was unnatural how natural it was. I didn't think about doing it like how one would swing their arms while walking. She continued talking to Wallace. "I know that this may be a bad time for you, but we need to talk."
Wallace sighed. "No, I understand. Give me a chance to get ready then I'll meet you on the south balcony. You know the one." Wallace turned and walked with a purpose unlike he had before today. He then stopped abruptly and turned back to me. "I almost forgot. I need you to be at the lake by 10:00. Look for Trolly or Edith and stick with them until you get back."
"Where are we going?" I asked.
"They will give you the update. Just do whatever you can to help." Wallace was back on his stride of purpose.
Elisabeta slowly followed after him as men all wearing sunglasses and masks carried boxes into the mansion.
I had an hour to prepare, so I finished what I could, took a shower, and was at the lake with time to spare. At the dock, there were a handful of maids getting ready to jump on command. There was only one maid I recognized amongst them; Edith Fox. She was standing next to another woman wearing a white doctor's coat that had purple highlights at the bottom. She was talking to Edith with one hand in her pocket, but the other hand had a metal claw on it tipped with the amethyst gem on the index finger. Floating around her was a skull engulfed in black and purple aura. The roots of her short hair was white while everything else was black.
I walked over to them as they were talking. Edith noticed me and called me over as the girl looked at me with curiosity.
"Well if it isn't the girl who risked her life to save us," said Edith. "I don't think I got a chance to properly thank you for what you did then. I also heard you did something crazy for master Wallace at The Eye. I know you've got this a lot, but thank you."
"Actually, I haven't been getting a lot of praises for those things." I said sheepishly.
"Really? I guess we have been busy."
The one in the doctor's coat, who I would learn to be Trolly, stood closer to me and squinted. She was the shortest between me and Edith, but as she stared me down like she had me under a microscope. I tried covering myself as if she could see something exposed on me.
''So you're Eve," she said. "I thought you would be bolder; lean more to the masculine side. I'm even more impressed."
"Thank you," I said, not sure how to take the compliment.
Edith asked, "Are you coming with us?"
"Seems like it, but where are we going?"
"To where it started," Trolly smiled. A chill went down my spine and my heart froze. Somehow, I knew we were going to where the giant first appeared.
Wallace needed the shower. He actually felt better when he was done. Well, physically at least. After slicking his hair back and wearing his dress clothes, he walked to the balcony where his fiancee was waiting.
Elisabeta was sitting at the table looking over towards the lake. Edith's group had left by this point. Elisabeta hairstyle was changed to be more free flowing, braided almost like a tail, and she was wearing more casual clothes compared to her dress. Wallace rarely saw her be dressed so relaxed which only increased his dread.
When she noticed he had arrived, she got up and hugged him. She smelled nice as always, and her compliments on his cleaned up look made him smile. He returned the favor and they took the time to catch up. It was a pleasure talking in the sunlight as they did. If it wasn't for the elephant in the room, they may have done nothing but talk like that.
At some point, Elis paused in the conversation and got to the point. "We need to talk about marriage and whether or not you want to go through with it."
Wallace only stared at her with no emotion to be seen on his face. "I know."
"My family is still willing to wait for your answer considering you have kept your end of the agreement so well, but after the giant attack..."
"Yeah."
"I know this is a bad time, but they need an answer now."
"I know. If one giant can attack this place, then another can as well and there is no other living heir to House Jones."
"I know I'm not your first choice," Elis said almost as if she had lost something.
Wallace's face revealed nothing of what he thought about that statement. He then said, "This marriage isn't about love. You are a wonderful person and I'm proud to be betrothed to you. This is about security for our families, the names we bear, and stability for those who serve us. I will not be selfish just because you are not my 'first choice'. Besides, the place I have on the Dusk Council is invaluable, but they will only accept a pure breed as my replacement."
Elis reached her hand with her palm up across the table. Wallace takes her hand. It was warm after being in the sun for so long. "I have your back. I promise on my name I will support you. You've earned that and more from me."
Wallace smiled looking Elis in the eyes. "Don't forget, you saved my life once or twice before."
I stared blankly at the scene. Small hills rolled across the land until they began to sink into a depression. The sun was at its peak directly shining over the depression illuminating what could only be described as giant ice pillars covering the center. Past the ice pillars was a canyon that made the whole place look like the ice was shot out from the canyon, but there ice was only in the depression. The ice was massive with the highest peak doubling the depth of the depression easily. This was where the giant emerged.
A camp site was already set up at the edge of the depression where it met the canyon. Edith pushed ahead commanding every able body at the camp. She was getting updated on any progress that was made, but from what I heard, very little had been discovered.
Trolly wrapped her arms around my shoulder and said, "How are you feeling?"
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"I mean, you seem quite calm for someone looking at the remnants of a small town."
I looked back over the ice. "You mean..."
"Don't start worrying about mass death now. The real tragedy is how few bodies we were able to find," I grew more shocked and sick to my stomach the more she talked. If only she would stop. "So far we have only found one person. Come, I'll show you and maybe you can help."
Trolly dragged me into her tent with speed and strength I couldn't fight against. Inside was a mini lab with an operating table next to another counter. I almost vomited at the sight of what was on the table. Trolly excitedly explained how the man's skin was peeled off most likely during the emergence of the giant. His closed were shredded as well, most likely for the same reasons, which is why she got rid of them. She was in the process of trying to figure out who this person might be using his DNA, but the only thing she discovered was that he was an abomination.
She continued to talk as she looked back at me. "I'm thinking that he was a part of some cult, but-" She was cut off as she saw me puking on the floor. Thankfully, it was dirt. "Thought you had a stronger stomach." She proceeded to get me a chair and some bubbling liquid she said to drink. After drinking all of it, my stomach started to boil until I burped louder than I ever had before. All the while, Trolly was digging a hole for the vomit as if this was normal.
"What was that?" I asked through dry gasps. My nostrils burned and I couldn't see anything through my tears. Despite this, I could breathe better and felt better as the boiling stopped.
"Doesn't matter. Once you feel better, you can leave and see what Edith can have you do."
"Didn't you bring me in here for a reason."
Trolly stabbed her shovel into the ground after cleaning up my mess. "I did. You went to college and passed with a degree. Not only are you smart, but also brave. I was hoping you would be able to stomach this so I could update you on what we know while also getting an opinion from someone fresh to this world. But I'm not going to force you to do something you're uncomfortable with."
"No," I tried to get up, but had to sit back down as I grew light headed. Trolly just watched. "If death was enough to scare me away, I would not be here. I'm not comfortable with any of this and I don't know how I can help you, but let me try."
Trolly just stared at me for longer than was needed with no change in her face. She shrugged her shoulders and waved me to the body. "What do you know so far about this body?"
I rolled to the chair as close as I was willing and managed to stand back up. "That he's an abomination. Does that mean anything?"
Trolly began to smile. "I'm glad you asked. Normally, the answer would be 'no' and for a long time it didn't mean anything to me. That was until I asked, how did the giant escape?"
"Escaped?"
"All giants are sealed behind a barrier created by the predecessors of House of Partition; the house of Mistress Seliana. They were sealed in one place and only in that place would they be able to escape."
"But the giant came out here. How would that be possible?"
"It isn't. Or wasn't. Like I said, they couldn't escape anywhere else besides that barrier and that was made by powerful magic. To do this, you would have to have a power or spell that could break the law of another. I know you wouldn't understand if I tried to explain, but just know that it is one of the few things in this world that would be considered impossible."
"But he still managed to do it?"
"Not him. Abominations can do many great and wondrous things, but can't use magic like pure breeds can. This led me to think that he had to have received help from someone with the powers of a god, and or an item of mythic potential. But I can't prove either exist."
My heart grew heavy hearing how stumped she was. The only hope of moving forward was either lost in the ice or gone forever. "So unless you find something in the ice, you're stuck trying to figure out what a dead man has to say."
"Usually, I would reveal the opportunity of making a dead man squeal. The only thing I know is that he was holding something."
Disturbed, I asked, "How can you tell?"
"I reanimated and replayed his final moments, and he was making a motion as if he was cutting drapes."
"He must have been using a knife or something."
"Yeah, but I don't know what it looks like or where it ended up. Edith will use her sword to cut more of the ice, but she can only do that in bursts for so long."
"And what happens if you don't find what you're looking for?"
"If it is in the ice, then that means no one can use it anymore. However, if we don't understand how it was done the first time, we won't be able to stop the next giant attack."
Wallace was wearing a more comfortable set of clothes and his hair was down. His footsteps echoed the open halls that were accompanied by other maids that walked past him. The mansion was big enough to allow him to go on a decent walk to clear his mind. It was built to weather almost any natural disasters, but the weapons that would be revealed in battle seemed unnecessary. Majority of humans in this existence wouldn't have any reason to attack the house with such a force that would make such artillery a requirement. Other nobles who knew about the multiverse wouldn't attempt to make such a move since portals are limited and couldn't allow large forces to move through them. Of course, that didn't stop mad beasts from accidentally slipping through like dragons, but such events were not normally occurring to begin with. That was beside the point, but at least he had something else to think about during this walk.
Outside of his thoughts, Wallace heard his name get called. It was Lila with her hands crossed. "May I take some of your time with some questions?" she asked.
"Of course," replied Wallace, "You know you don't need my permission."
"I figured I would ask due to the nature of my question."
"What do you mean?"
"I understand that you are under a lot of stress with decisions you've made and still have to make. Between hiring Eve and the arranged marriage with Lady Elisabeta, I fear you may be making rash judgments in a time of mourning."
"You think I made the wrong choices?" asked Wallace.
"I'm simply checking on your well being. You've never had to deal with such tragedy, such stress, and now it seems you are making arrangements because you are being pressured to."
"What are you talking about? What is this really about?"
"...It's like I said, master. I want what's best for the House."
"As do I. I would hope you trust me."
Lila was quiet for longer than Wallace was comfortable with. "I too have been struggling with the losses we suffered. We never have had maids die like this. You have been a great master, but you may need to slow down."
Wallace smiled as Lila's concern for him warmed his heart. "I'll be fine as long as you all continue to support me."
Lila smiled with determination in her eyes. She bowed and said, "For House Jones."
I was done drawing the landscape despite its drastic change from Edith cutting up small parts of the ice. It was relaxing being able to work like this, but I wasn't sure what good it would do.
Edith walked towards me. She was in her true form with her feathered arms and fox tail. She was carrying a large container of water and sat beside me with a sigh of relief.
After taking a long swig of her drink, she said, "Good to see you're keeping busy."
I smiled back at her. "Wish I was more helpful."
"I don't think that's fair. You may not have been here for long, but you've done much for us. Besides, we've been occupied."
I started to realize how secluded we were looking over the ice. Maybe that was part of the reason I felt so comfortable. "Do you think you can stop another giant attack?"
"No."
I whipped my head around to look at her. "No?"
Edith smirked. "Unless a miracle comes, we don't have the power to stand up against another attack."
"But with his spear, Wallace can take them down, right?"
"Master is untrained with that weapon and he's just one person. I know my master's fighting limit better than anyone."
"You trained him."
Edith became softer, relaxing her muscles and smiling on a good memory. "I was a lot quieter before master Wallace came. The most I ever spoke was around my sister. One day, master asked me if he could join me in my secluded training. I tried to tell him not to come, but he kept pushing. Lilly would be there to heal him, but we were amazed at how determined he was to finish the day."
Something started swelling in my heart, but was noticeable at first. "You said you didn't believe you could win this fight, but you don't seem to be giving up."
"I can't give up," Edith turned to look at me, but was confused after seeing my drawing. "What's that? The symbol I mean."
Absentmindedly, I had drawn a star on one of the ice peaks. "I was drawing the landscape, but I don't know why the star is there."
Edith looked over towards the particular peak. "We haven't looked there yet." She rose from her seat and gave an order through a walkie-talkie telling everyone to get clear of the peak. She also ordered everyone to investigate the area she was about to cut.
"Hold up your drawing for me," She said, still in her commanding voice. I raised it up as long as she stared at it. As she compared the landscape and the drawing, she was slowly reaching for the hilt of her sword. I watched her lock on to the exact point that was marked. Her stance lowered, feet spread kicking up dust, and the sound of snapping chains grew louder.
"Ms. Young..." her voice was so calm and she didn't allow so much as the wind to distract her gaze. "...how confident are you that what we need is in that ice."
"I don't even know if there's anything in there. Why would you waste your energy on something random?"
"Because you did and it saved the lives of all I swore to protect."
The air around me grew numb as Edith carefully drew her sword. The chains rattled suspended in the air.
Dorei Chen no Rakka Hanabira--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The edge of her blade glowed purple as she cut the air and ice peak at once. Edith gasped violently for air doing her best to slow her breathing. The maids were almost off the ice.
I went to check on Edith, but then I started hearing cracking. All of the ice starting at the cut was breaking into dust. The powder rose into the air creating a blizzard cloud. As the cloud formed, the ice began to form a giant snake body with a blade-like horn on its head all colliding around a white light.
"What a big snake," Trolly shuffled behind us. "Where did it come from?"
"I don't know," I cried as Edith struggled to get up even with my help. "Edith cut the ice and then-" The ground beneath us gave way as more of the ice crumbled around the edge of the depression. Edith found her second wind as she held onto me while the three of us slid down the landslide. Once we landed, the ice serpent roared so loud that we were forced to brace ourselves.
"We have to get out of here," ordered Edith. Before she could elaborate, the snake changed at us with unreal speed. Edith, sword drawn, parried the serpent's horn.
Edith continued to fight and was able to chip chunks of ice off of her opponent.
"Always over exerting," Trolly sounded disappointed as she raised her clawed hand. "Get out of here, Eve. This will take some time."
The ice that was lost on the snake would reform from the blizzard above. Snow dust would rain down in the spots that needed to be filled making it look like nothing happened.
Trolly slammed her hand on the ground while the tips of her claws glowed amethyst purple as well as the skull that floated beside her. From her hand, rib cages of stone grew bigger and bigger until they clamped on the serpent. Rising up with her was a collection of bones that created a large wyvern with amethyst membranes as part of its wings with the skull floating in the center. While Trolly was on top of it, the wyvern flew around the serpent's head, taking the attention of the monster and giving Edith a chance to breathe.
The serpent didn't hesitate to break its body to get out of the trap as it would get replacements from above. As it chased Trolly, she would fly low to the ground to create rock spikes forcing the serpent to heal more.
Despite not feeling pain, it must have understood what was happening. It raised its head, only to swiftly go back down. A hail storm of ice knives bombarded Trolly forcing her to stop on the ground and change the wyvern into a dome. The dome kept her safe from the storm, but one swipe of the serpent's tail was enough to destroy her protective space.
Edith came just in time to stop Trolly from getting eaten. Edith's determined stare was betrayed by her heavy breathing. She had no time to stop as the serpent charged at them, horn first. Edith was forced to parry again, but this time she had help.
Skeleton Marionette Performance
Trolly coated Edith in bones. She would control the bones taking a large amount of stress off of Edith. The floating skull would spit fire out of its mouth to help cover Edith's blind spots.
Edith unleashed attack after attack while still managing to deflect any ice knife that would fall. Trolly had to focus both on supporting Edith while trying to slow down the serpents movements. It was so cool to watch.
I tried to run, but there was always something that narrowly killed me. By that point, I was hiding in the rubble watching the fight. I couldn't help but wonder why in God's name I was in this situation. As the fight went on, I became less anxious because I could see they were getting close to the light the serpent was formed around.
My hopes were dashed as the serpent roared again. It shattered to pieces and each piece became its own serpent with different sizes. They rushed towards Trolly and she responded by creating a field of spikes.
They didn't slow down as they were able to slither around the difficult terrain. Edith tried to help, but ice knives fell from the sky forcing her to block them. Trolly had no choice but to remove the bones from Edith to create weapons and armor for herself. They were both struggling to fend for themselves.
I didn't know if they could see it or not, but the light was brighter now. Only one serpent had it and it was close to me and away from the main fighting.
There fear I had during the giant attack was back while I watched these two get overwhelmed. I couldn't move because I didn't think I was fast enough to escape. Air was quick to leave my mouth and struggled to get in my lungs. Everything turned dark as I accepted that this time I would die.
Don't Die. MOVE!!
I started running. The image of a defeated Wallace came to me. It was after we left the Eye of Truth. Such a hopeless look did not suit him compared to the man who fought the giant.
A quick prayer to heaven was the only thing I had to remove the weight in my footsteps. My vision was tunneled on the light as I pasted all the other serpents. I was not athletic nor graceful as I ran, but every hop and roll was successful in dogging whatever got in my way.
I reached out my hands and slammed the bright serpent to the ground causing it to crack. To my dismay, it wasn't enough to shatter, and worse still, its body was so cold it hurt to touch. I had to let go and try to create distance.
A lot quieter this time, the glowing serpent roared, rallying the rest to it. It called another storm on top of us, but I wasn't dead yet.
Sukaisupurittā!
Tomb Arena.
All the knives were shattered and the blizzard cloud was parted for a moment. As Edith fell from the sky, a dome formed around me and the light serpent, blocking anything else from interfering. With no good access to the sky, the light serpent couldn't heal.
The serpent didn't waste time. It went to stab me with its blade and I narrowly avoided a fatal hit, but my right arm was still run through. I was pushed back into the rocks behind me and, somehow, it got stuck. I took off my necklace and hammered the base of the horn until it broke.
The serpent reeled back after trying to pull itself free. It was dazed due to the balance of its head suddenly changing. The opportunity was wasted on me as I could not remove the broken horn from my arm. The snake regained its posture and lunged at me.
Crack!!
My eyes were closed and the only pain I felt was coming from my arm. When I opened my eyes, the serpent was crumbling in the hands of Trolly. She rose from the ground and stabbed her claw in the serpent's open maw.
All the other serpents were either shattered or were frozen in place. Snow gently fell to the ground. Trolly pulled a knife from the pile of ice. It was dimly glowing in her hand and she turned to me skeptically.
I then blacked out.
Once Trolly was done recounting the events, Wallace sighed. Only Edith and Eve were severely hurt, but would recover under the care of Shirley. With the ice gone, Wallace's group was free to explore the area, but they had what they wanted; the knife.
"That being said,'' Wallace looked up at Trolly with a focus stare. "What did you mean about the knife reacting strangely?"
"It was for a short time, but it would glow brighter the closer it got to Eve."
"Meaning?"
"Hold out your hand."
Wallace squinted at her as he'd been stabbed before after that phrase, but he did it anyway. The knife, now in his hand, glowed blue which seemed to confuse Trolly.
"Is that supposed to happen?" Wallace asked.
"I'm still going off of a theory. When it was near Eve, the light was white and a lot brighter. The knife only glows when it's near Eve and in your hands."
"But there's only one unique trait I have compared to everyone else. How likely could it be for Eve to be an inheritor or blessed?"
"You will have to look into her past. She doesn't strike me as someone who knows what she is, which is odd. Unfortunately, I'll be occupied trying to understand this thing." Trolly took back the knife from Wallace.
Before she could leave, Wallace tells her to not tell anyone else about Eve.
"Of course, Master, but why?"
"If Eve is an inheritor or is blessed and she doesn't know, then the question she would have as well as for those around her would overwhelm her and would make things complicated."
"I understand; keep everyone focused." And with that, Trolly went to her lab and Wallace went to the basement.
Wallace didn't go to the basement often. In the early days of him living in the house, he accidently got lost down there. It wasn't until the maids that lived down there decided to help him escape. These maids were in charge of spying, infiltration, and assassinations. Why the old man thought it was necessary to have assassins, Wallace didn't care to know.
The most odd aspect of the basement was how useless it felt. This was the lowest point of the estate, but nothing was stored here. It had its own natural light in the form of glowing stones and animals. It had its own pool of water with its own ecosystem around it. It was practically a self-sustaining paradise, and yet it held no purpose past being a living space for the maids that were more comfortable here. Despite that, Wallace wasn't given much room to try and do something with the space since the maid that lived down here was adamant that it would be them that would get the final say. This was the only place that was comfortable for them.
As long as it was well kept, it didn't matter who had "control" over it. As it was, it made a great change in scenery while still being in the comforts of home. Except, it wasn't comfortable down here. With its residents being cut off from most day to day activities and only coming out at night, Wallace would always get tense as he would descend the stairs.
By the time he got to the pool, he hadn't seen anyone. This wasn't a surprise to him, nor was the voice that tried to whisper in his ear. He felt her coming a little before she reached his back.
"You can't keep doing this every time I come down here," Wallace turns around to see his skulker, "Resbex."
Resbex was a mind flayer, an oddity even amongst all other creature types. She was taller than Wallace if she stood up right. Her body had the texture of an octopus that never seemed to dry out. Her lower half was like an eel and her mouth was full of teeth like a frilled shark. She had dead eyes that had their own uses, and tentels flowed down from her head moving as if they were under water searching for something. Her hands were clawed with barnacle like nails and her permanent smile hid her disappointment. Her uniform came with a hood that Wallace never saw her wear.
"Aww," her voice echoed in his head. Her mouth didn't move, but it was like her voice was being projected despite the cave not having much of an echo. "I missed the days when you were young and full of potential. You were so much easier to scare."
"I have a job for you." At that, the cave was filled with many of the spy maid division as they all listened carefully. "The new maid, Eve, has developed... an interesting set of skills. I need you to look into her past. Leave nothing unturned."
"Is she a threat?"
"No, but there may be those who will threaten her. She is a fellow maid, so keep that in mind."
"Consider it done." And with that, Wallace was alone.