In Loki's Honor

Maids entered, changed our bedding, washed us with a tub of warm water, dressed us with winter clothing made of wool and furs with a soft lining. Expensive clothing. Made me think the boss was a member of high society. The maids even took us out of our room to eat some bread with warm cow milk and spend some time in front of a hearth. We were taken back to the same room.

The boss didn't show up and a week passed. My hope was that Olive could keep my family from breaking apart. And that she didn't spill my secret. But they wouldn't be waiting if she didn't. I overheard people outside talking in whispers one day. They were bored and tired of watching us with nothing happening. I got a glimpse of them one day when the maids brought us our meal. Levels in the twenties. The same setup as before.

I smelled a trap. They were baiting the mystery assassin. Probably other higher-leveled assassins were watching the bait, waiting to spring a trap. I needed Nenandil. In the middle of the night, I summoned her.

She nodded and made her body liquid.

The water fairy seeped through the gaps in the floorboards and went to do her task.

They had eight rogues in the charcoal plant. The two watching us, another two well-hidden watching the sentries, two of them sleeping and another two walking the perimeter. I decided to kill the trap group. The ones a rookie would not notice when attempting a rescue. Nenandil did the drowning trick but this time she added ice shackles to the mix, to avoid them from thrashing too much. She also forced the water to enter the airways instead of letting them breathe it in. They died even faster than before, earning me six hundred and fifteen thousand Exp and pushing me up a level.

I gained a human perk and attempted to spend it.

You gained the Temperature Tolerance (rare) perk. Increase the range of acceptable temperatures by twenty degrees Celsius. Decrease damage from exposure to either hot or cold temperatures (but not fire or ice damage) by half.

This perk would allow me to stay in freezing temperatures as if it were a spring day. Or to withstand a simmering desert as if it was the summer heat.

Nenandil returned but left a message for them. "Wrong time of the year to piss me off. I'm stronger in winter."

I hoped they would suspect a water-ice mage-assassin.

The boss came back the next day. He wasn't happy.

"Which one of you wants to die?" He asked us. Anjou was hiding behind me.

"What troubles you, uncle? Want a kiss?"

He was obviously distressed. I bet that losing two level forty-something agents did that. Not to mention all of his men had contracts, even him. I wouldn't be surprised if some of his people were being murdered by opportunists wishing to settle old grudges and profit from the Exp bag sitting next to them. And they had a perfect scapegoat in their mystery boogieman.

"Do you know of another uncle that uses water magic?" He asked.

Yes. He was at the end of his wits. Now that he wasn't so keen on hiding his emotions, I could see he had a wealthy upbringing. He was composed and elegant.

"Magic!" I clapped my hands.

He groaned. "Why am I wasting my time talking to a retarded girl..."

"Magic Uncle! He gave me money when bad merchant took me!"

That earned me a raised eyebrow. "Say again?"

"Daddy sold me to a bad merchant one day. He touched me down there and it hurt," I pointed at my crotch. "But magic uncle came. He killed the bad merchant, 'swish!'," I touched my neck, "and took me back home. He gave me a pouch with coin, so daddy took it and went away. I never saw my daddy again. Do you know where my daddy is? I miss my daddy. I hate winter. It is cold and damp and it is when daddy vanished."

And there wasn't a single lie in what I said. If this guy wasn't a moron, he did his research. He would link my father's death, the murders from five years ago, and everything that happened. I needed him to be smart but not smart enough.

He ran a hand through his hair. "Fuck," he mumbled. "Did you see this magic uncle? How does he look like?"

I made a dreamy face and let my eyes wander freely as I imagined, "He rides a blizzard, cold and pretty. He has knives of ice that fly around him. He has a white beard and a round belly. Sometimes he's a cloud in the sky. Sometimes he's a puddle on the street."

"You're lying," He said with a flash of anger.

"He lives in my dreams," I told him.

"Tell him to withdraw the contracts on me and my men!" He barked. "Otherwise you and your family of whores are all dead."

Meaning they aren't yet.

"Is uncle winter doing bad things? Is he hurting your friends?" I asked, cowed.

"He's killing a lot of my men. Things are devolving into chaos."

"He's only killed four so far," I told him. "Two in that dark bone place, two here. He said he wants peace. He said he'll give you money."

"Did he visit you yesterday?"

I nodded up and down vehemently. "In my dreams. He gave me a cold and wet kiss. He told me to wait a bit more to go home. Because we need your permission. Can we go home, uncle? I miss my mommy."

He paced back and forth in the small room. Yes, this guy was at his wits' end. An elusive enemy that could come and go and kill at his leisure. That could've rescued the hostages but made a point to not do that. An [Assassin] that hung a rope in a whole guild's neck on a whim.

I knew he suspected it was me. But I had one HUGE advantage. Nobody could see anything from my status. I don't doubt they had {Appraisal}. My level didn't show up. To them, I was someone without access to the System, like any other child. The Bat-Wayne effect. It was ridiculous to believe a five-year-old mentally handicapped child could do what I did. Only the baggage I brought from my past lives explained it.

"Can you call your uncle winter?" he finally asked. "Do you want to go home? I want to meet him."

I looked down. "He comes when he wants. Sometimes he goes away for a long time. Sometimes he's with us, hidden, protecting. But he's a good guy. Are you a bad guy or a good one, uncle?"

He stared at me. "I'm just a businessman. But your uncle made me lose a lot of money and personnel."

"Did he attack you? He killed four of your men. Two here, two there. But you robbed us from our mommy first."

He scowled. "You're smarter than you look. It was you, wasn't it? How? I knew that merchant that died five years ago. I read the report. You were a baby then. I also know who killed your father. A random mugging."

"What's your name, uncle?" I asked.

"Call me Hyperion," He answered.

I pointed at my niece, "Can you call the ladies so they take Anjou to play near the hearth? She is feeling cold and she is scared of you."

He opened the door and barked his orders. The maids came and took Anjou to play outside, promising her sweet pastries. I was left alone with the leader of the Assassin's guild. He was obviously waiting for me to talk.

I got down from the bed and knelt before him. I lowered my head. "My lord," I said in my slow mumbling way. "I wish you no harm. I beg your leniency."

"Tell me why I shouldn't kill you now?"

"Don't you want an apprentice? Someone that can take your trade to new heights? Someone that will be loyal unto death to your cause? Someone you can trust? Someone that can do what I do at this tender age, where an I go with the proper guidance? You saw my works of art out there, didn't you?"

He groaned. Shivered. I knew his mind was struggling with accepting the truth. I stood up and climbed the bed. I balanced on the headboard. I looked in his eyes. I gave my best predatory smile.

"Works of art. Guts strewed across the street. Heads split in twain. Assassinations that only ghosts could do. Did you figure out how I killed the tax collector yet, master?"

His jaw fell.

"I'm five years old. That's true. Can you see where I'll be in another five? I ask only three things of you, my lord. Grant me three little wishes, and I'll pledge you my loyalty. I'll be your apprentice. I'll work for your guild. I won't kill the innocent or the just according to my conceptions. The wicked and the scum of the world, I'll decorate your throne with their heads."

There's one primal human wish. To see their legacy survive. To pass forward their knowledge. To live beyond death. Now imagine a person that considered themself a master of your craft. And they saw a child that worked marvels at such a young age.

I had to police myself. Apricot's mind was fragile and inflexible. If I let myself be carried away, I would become a monster.

"Kill me now if you wish. Lose me and all I could be forever. Grant me my three wishes and I'll be your right-hand person. Train me, and I'll do your bidding. Treat me well, and I'll be loyal until the day I die."

I'll be the perfect yandere. I'll embody Yuno Gasai for him. Even dye my hair pink.

He studied my face. "Show me. I want you to show me what you can do. Murder one person for me."

"Do you want me to stalk them and murder where they are, or will you bring them to me and make me kill them here? I can do either."

"I'll bring the mugger that killed your father. How's that?"

I grinned. "That's one wish out of three that my lord granted me. I'm forever grateful," I curtsied.

"Where did you learn such manners?" He asked. His skepticism was dialed up to eleven.

"How do you wish him dead?"

"Drown him as you did to my men."

I needed to check one thing.

"As my lord wishes," I bowed.

"what are your other two wishes?" He asked.

"My family. My mother, my sister, my nieces, my nephews, my brothers. Keep them safe. Give them the opportunity to learn a trade, to earn a good living. Protect them. May they live happy, peaceful lives. Close to you, working for you, I don't care. You can even keep them as hostages if you don't let them know that, so long they are happy and feel free. That's my second wish."

"And the third?"

"The day we were sent to the slave market, three of my brothers were sold. Almond, my eldest brother. He lost his index finger. Colby and Jordan, twins. They were sold to a greasy old man. I want them back with us if they are alive, or to murder the ones that had them suffer if they aren't."

"That's all?" He had his poker mask back on now.

"Yes, my lord. I'm a peasant girl, the daughters of dirt farmers. I have no lofty wishes for myself. If my family is happy and together, that's enough. Train me. Together, we shall bring our craft of death to new heights."

I was creeped out by my own act.

"Tomorrow, your mark will be somewhere nearby. Find him and avenge your father."

"Yes, master. Just one thing."

"What?"

"Trust is a road that goes both ways. Do not attempt to deceive me. If he's not the one that mugged my father, I'll know. Trust me."

"Yes. Remove the contracts on my men now. That's your first order."

I did with a smile even if it made me weak in the legs. I needed to ask what Nenandil meant with "spiritual energy". The Master, however, had mixed emotions swimming in his head.

"It is done. Was it done to your liking, master?"

He stormed out without answering. Anjou came back smiling minutes later.

Five days passed. One day, something uncommon happened. The maids brought our lunch but only one bowl of food.

"Why only one plate, madam?" Anjou asked.

"This is for the retarded girl there," Anjou scowled and grabbed my sleeve. "Miss Anjou, today you'll eat in the living room," The maid said. "Please this way."

She put the bowl on the floor. There was no tableware. She scooped Anjou and left with the girl complaining.

I approached the bowl. Picking it up, I took in the scent, the texture, the looks. It was a stew with a thick broth. I tilted it and sipped the broth.

"Hum. Demon Dindle," I said as I identified the poison with my [Apothecary] Skills. "I personally prefer Ashen Polkweed with my food. The taste combines more with red meat," I suggested an even stronger poison. "But anyway, thanks for the food," I said looking up and downed the stew.

I moaned with pleasure. Despite the poison, the stew was delicious. After relishing the aftertaste of my food, I shouted. "I hope Anjou's lunch was less... spicy."

I stood up and removed my clothes, stripping down to my loincloth. I couldn't shift but these winter clothes were too bulky. Just like some cartoon queen, the cold didn't bother me anymore. I had a test to pass.

Approaching the door, I checked. There were two guards outside. I didn't sense any presence around me but I would work with the idea that the Master was breathing on my neck. I would have to open the door and they would surely see. There was light under the door.

I crawled under the bed. Pressing my hand against the floor, I asked Nenandil to hydrate a ring of wood as my fingers passed over it. It would make it easier for my pseudopods to devour the wet wood and open a hole. It took almost an hour but I had passage to the underside of the house. I dropped and crawled over the rocks for a meter.

My fairy did her magic and I started to dig into the dirt. It was slower than with my claws but the combination of the Skills and Perks I had for digging was ridiculous. While I wasn't going at Bugs Bunny speeds, I reached the courtyard in half an hour.

While underground, I asked Nenandil to sense blood flowing around us. We found the guards, the maids, Anjou, and one guy in an underground chamber. He was pacing back and forth, I believed it was my mark. I would know that to be true if he had a contract.

I crossed the courtyard wary of prying eyes. The location of the underground chamber, now that I could see what was on the surface, was beneath a barn. I entered the place and found cows and horses sheltered from the winter. A cursory search led me to a trapdoor that had an obvious trap. I had no idea how to disarm it except the Minsk way. It wouldn't earn me many points and I couldn't afford to get hurt. I couldn't shift to regenerate.

I studied the trap and decided to go with the hamster-wielding ranger-barbarian way. I took a pitchfork and dragged it to the trapdoor, then sprung the trap from afar. A rack with spikes fell from the ceiling. I didn't look up when I checked the trap. Well, showing where my skills lacked was also part of the evaluation.

I pulled the trapdoor open using the pitchfork after I dragged the rack away. A rope ladder led down and I descended it. At the bottom, a door separated me from my mark. A note was attached to the door with a bronze dagger.

Kill the man inside. He's the one responsible for your family's misery. Anything else and your family dies.

I nodded. and discarded the dagger and the note. I pushed the door open and looked inside. The man was level twenty-three and had a contract. He turned around. My heart jumped. My jaw fell down to the ground.

"Daddy? You're Alive ?!?!?!"