LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 104: Challenger of Change
The Challenger of Change
Beyond the striking of the last bell indicating the end of the work day very few were out and about at the hour. Bars and taverns were filled with patrons drunk on revelry, watered down wine and beer, with some of them stumbling back home. Streetwalkers soliciting their trade. Town watch patrols made their regular rounds through the near vacant streets. Light from their torches casting harsh shadows as they went. Through unfrequented pathways and riffraff of society that lived in it however this was only the beginning of the day. Or so it used to be, for the past few days there had been raids on multiple establishments. Strange merchants who showed up from nowhere, making their rounds on every slave trader possessing permit or not, the products they were looking for very specific, the educated children of fallen nobility. Not many had what they were asking for, but those that did, no matter how ludicrous the prices were, they made no attempts of haggling and were paid out in full, with cold hard gold. So each slave trader after the previous one made raised their prices as though they were trying to one up the other. It wasn’t hard to deduce that these merchants were working for someone with deep pockets, but anyone with some common sense would know this much money was bound to be attached with few strings. Everyone involved was trying to push the limit without getting bit. People with a little bit of connections knew the masterminds behind these merchants were the Devil’s crown. And by putting one’s ear to the ground they knew similar operations were happening all over the Kingdom. The scale was confounding.
Those that took the enticement without making a fuss were swimming in fortune that they use up in their lifetime. The rest that refused to do business, through whatever reasons be it pride, greed or paranoia were struck by the bloody crown. Everyone involved would round up dead without an exception and the slaves they were after, reclaimed. Suspiciously any wealth that they had hoarded was abandoned. Which led to other small criminal syndicates to scavenge whatever valuables they could, before authorities come the morning. It seemed to be a message to everyone involved; that they had little monetary interest but only in products they were looking for. Normally larger of these criminal groups would have some noble in their pockets. Though with the recent political purges, it was hard to find any corrupt official. Yet that didn’t stop some defiant groups from opposing the Devil’s Crown.
Few hooded figures convened in abandoned squats overlooking a certain building. The security was tight, there were multiple armed guards up front and they had just confirmed the presence of assassins in various overlooks in addition to hired goons staying nearby in hiding, and that was just from what they could tell from the outside.
- “Seems like they knew we were on to them.”
In hushed voices they spoke, though no emotion could be discerned openly, it was evident that some uncertainty dwelled in them.
- “They’re anxious because of the recent attacks.”
- “But why are they so stubborn?”
- “Baron Caius is with them.”
- “Doesn’t ring any bells.”
- “Shouldn’t, used to be lord of a small estate, made into a baron only recently.”
- “Another spoiled dimwit on a cushy seat.”
- “Spoiled or not, I’m not sure if we can get through that kind of muscle easily.”
- “This one’s from the employer, we don’t have a choice.”
Only the higher ups of the organization knew who the Employer was, and they rarely spoke of them. And each time they would ask about it they would shut them down, with both fear and anger. To imagine that, hardened criminals that killed people and tortured their families for the fun of it, stabbed each other in the back for they had allegiance only to themselves, assassins that poisoned aristocrats and nobles alike, them who would spit on God’s face given the chance, afraid, terrified by the single mention of this Employer. That alone chilled them to their core. This mysterious being didn’t make requests often, but when it did come, all resources would be diverted to it, no matter the cost.
- “Quiet down.”
Another group of hooded people came up to them questioning.
- “Is the transport ready?”
- “Yes.”
- “Is that the building?”
- “Yeah boss, after we saw them take the slaves in, they didn’t bring em out.”
- “Are you sure they’re still in there?”
- “Yes, definitely, but are we really doing this?”
- “The apostle has provided us with their brood.”
With that they all went quiet, their doubt had been eradicated and replaced by a sense of foreboding. Many of them still remember the first time they saw the brood of the apostle, how wrong they were then.
- “Just make sure no one leaves…”
The bored watchmen were stifling their yawns when they thought they heard something in the darkness beyond the reach of their light source.
- “Did you hear that?”
- “No, maybe…?”
- “Should we call someone?”
- “Bullshit! You take a torch and go check it out, leader’s gonna have our heads if we make trouble outta nothing.”
Reluctantly one of the people guards on lookout duty went into the darkness, cudgel in hand. Following where they thought the sound came from he turned a corner and went out of sight. Faint shadow cast by the torchlight fading behind him. Through the narrow alleyways of decrepit buildings he could hear something shuffling from behind piles of rubble and trash.
- “Someone there?”
Whatever it was, it didn’t answer. As he drew near, he gripped his weapon tightly and started moving away bits and pieces of the rubble with its tip. Suddenly something dark jumped out at him. Rats fled every which direction squeaking. Startled and spewing curses, he eventually calmed down somewhat, yelling to his colleagues.
- “Just a damn rat!”
- “Then get back here already!”
As he was about to leave, a child was peering at him from above out of a broken hole in the wall. It was common for street urchins to be seen around these parts, rummaging through trash for something to eat. Thinking nothing much of it he yelled at the child as to hide his embarrassment and take out the accompanying anger.
- “Brat, get lost before you get hurt!”
From the dim light of his torch, he couldn’t make out much, but the child wasn't what they seemed to be. What he thought was a hole and cracks in the wall was sprawling long black hair, it was hanging against a sheer wall. If he had taken a little more time to pay some attention he would have noticed that this child wasn’t wearing rags but a silken white dress, the simple design of its tailoring had gulled his eyes, and her limbs weren’t gaunt and bony as with the other waifs.
Just as he turned his back to the child, something pounced at him knocking him down to the ground, stinging pain of two sharp objects piercing into his shoulders through his neck. Paralyzing numbness overtook the pain and stole his breath. Instead of a scream for help, he could only muster up a sharp gasp that reached nobody before the venom overtook him, lulled into a toxic sleep with his eyes stuck open. As the prey’s muscles relaxed they expertly twisted the man's neck in one swift motion with the grisly sounds of bones snapping filling the dark alley for a brief moment before returning to silence. In time he and his ilk littered dead bodies and tossed dying people into these forlorn paths. Never once did he think he would find himself among the very same rubble, dead. This was a sleep they wouldn’t wake from. The childlike entity hopped from wall to wall with light steps, scaling up to the rooftops. Her hunt was only yet beginning.
The sentries’ displeasure was made evident when their colleague took an unusually long time to return.
- “Bastard’s gone off chasing vermin. Oooooy! Hurry the f-”
As one of them yelled into the darkness, an answer came, not as words but a whistling of something flying towards them. The others were frozen dumbstruck as a bolt of a crossbow that struck him in his gaping mouth had made him fall on his back, dead. More bolts found their targets before they could collect their wits. The only one to be left unscathed quickly turned around to scream “Attack!” but something yanked him up by the throat which made him drop his weapon. He had walked into the silken noose, left just for him by the Webslingers. In bouts he was pulled up by the neck and was swiftly brought up to face his abductor. First he saw the large needle-like segmented legs and was filled with horror, then came the well endowed beauty that was staring at him through her long hair, as though she was bored that made him confused for the monster and the girl seemed one and the same. Flailing still he gripped at the bondage around his neck, to gasp for little more air as he fought to stay conscious. Through the light-headed hysteria, the woman pulled him close to her in an embrace. The blood rushed downwards, and he felt a throbbing heat but instead of passionate entwinement, his body slowly went limp. The last thing he felt before the consciousness was suffocated out of him was a feeling of something sticky wrapping him around him. In the aftermath, a young girl with short blond hair and striking green eyes stood among the abrupt chaos, unfazed. Before she pranced into the building with dubious authenticity with a spring in her steps:
- “I’ll take it from here and leave the perimeter to you all, remember no leaks.”
Charming and full of childlike innocence was the voice, yet the implications of the words known only to the recipients were grim. Behind her that wore a toothy smile, a silent carnage took place.
There were few sounds to be heard beneath the earth inside the dungeon; the only natural sound to be found were the rhythmic dripping of droplets hitting the stone floor as vapor condensed from the chill of night found its way from aboveground. For those imprisoned here, counting those drops were the only form of entertainment as they awaited for something other than another serving of the thin gruel from the jailor to stave off starvation come morning. So then when they heard sounds of someone’s footsteps echoing off the stonen walls almost with a skipping gait it was quite the excitement. It was unusual for only one person to show up; often, three to four individuals would come as a group, either to dump another person into the holding cells or escorting a ‘buyer’. As to how people would end up in these cells, that didn’t matter for long, as their future was all the same - servitude. For men it was, laborer, farmhand, miner or an unwilling fighter in an illegal gambling arena. For women, it was the brothel for sexual exploitation. As of recently, their captors seemed to have gotten a hold over girls of rather distinguished backgrounds at the order of some noble. That too wasn’t unheard of but they hated their presence, often as they seemed to be ones that held onto their pointless hope for the longest.
The steps were finally drawing near and with anticipation they peeked over to the entrance, only to see a child curiously eyeing up the place. She seemed out of place, being dressed clean and decent. Some of the men behind their cells were trying to call her over, to have her open their door for them.
- “Hello misters, I’m looking for a big important person. Do you know where he is?”
They understood that she was looking for the baron.
- “Pssst, hey kid, you shouldn’t be here. Leave before they find you!”
- “I’m sorry but I have to find them, they know where I can find big sisters.”
Poor thing, probably snuck into this hellhole searching for her sibling, wouldn’t be long until she gets caught and thrown into another cell. While some pitied her impending fate, others saw an opportunity.
- “If you can let us out, we’ll tell you where they took your sister.”
With a big gasp she answered.
- “Really?”
- “Yes, really, you just have to get that key over there and open this door and let us out.”
- “Okaay!”
Standing on her tippy-toes she struggled to reach the keyring hung from the wall, she looked around and found a stool to stand on top of to grab it. Shushed cheers spread throughout the cells, as she brought the key over to one of the cell doors.
- “Now mister, please tell me where the big guy is and I’ll open the door.”
- “Just let us out and we’ll look for him together.”
Lies. She couldn’t peer into the minds and hearts as one of her siblings did, no, but by her nature she was a predator, a twitch of a facial muscle, a change in breathing pattern, fluctuations of the heartbeat, not a single detail she missed. With a beaming smile she opened the door. And the confined slaves rushed past her, forsaking their promise as they headed for the surface to make a run for their freedom. They made their choice… She continued down the cell doors, each time asking them for help, not because she needed it, but because she wanted to test them. And every time it was a unique excuse, lies to just get her to open their doors. Until the very last, where some girls were kept. They had to be separated by gender, otherwise… Here her expression changed, analytical and cold, as though she had become someone else. She found a few of whom she was looking for.
- “Cut from a different cloth aren’t you?”
The last group were about to make the same excuses but the sudden forbidding aura stifled their words. Somehow, she could tell who among them were of noble descent. A child, they were afraid of a child. Pathetic. Was the thought that circled through their minds.
- “I have a need for you, if you want to live, stay put inside until I am done.”
Her words were harshly directed towards them as she opened the door. The metal bards creaked as the door swung open. There were five of them in total. Two were once daughters of the aristocracy, one was a former courtesan that had unintentionally stepped on the toes of powerful people, another a girl from a country, sold into slavery because their family couldn’t afford to feed her. The last one, being the first to bolt out of the door, was a thief that got caught stealing from the wrong person.
- “C’mon what are ye waiting for, let’s get out of e’re!”
She called for her cellmates who didn’t move an inch.
- “But she told us to stay.”
- “You really about to listen to this kid? Forget it, I’m leaving.”
She ran for the door. The rural girl was simply too afraid. The courtesan and the highborn girls were the only ones to question the strangeness of the situation. How did this girl get in here? And why was it so silent out there? The child took a long time opening the doors one by one, though the first few might have gotten out, it wouldn’t take long for the jailors and their captors to realize that something was amiss in the dungeons. And besides just because they got out of the dungeon, they still had to find their way out of the hideout. And most importantly, why was she here in the first place?
- “Not leaving? Good. I am here on a mission from my Mistress to acquire highly educated girls of former nobility to serve in civic positions.”
A glint sparked in the eyes of the three. It was a big offer, if she was telling the truth. Normally, women, even high ranking ones would have very little say in matters of administration, often being educated to assist the patrician rather than to make decisions of their own. For the two girls of the fallen elite, it was a chance for them to regain some normalcy in their lives. For the courtesan it was an opportunity. For the bumpkin, she was simply confused as to how this little girl used words she didn’t even know.
- “While I round up everyone, I need you to stay here, any questions you may have can wait until we’re ready to leave, am I clear?”
They nodded vigorously. Not understanding the situation very well, the country girl again asked:
- “Shouldn’t we have let her stay then?”
Her, as in the thief that made ran.
- “I wouldn’t dare present a low intelligence specimen for my Mistress…”
With that they understood her motive, she was testing them from the beginning, to see if they were fit for her challenge. They passed her criteria.
- “What happens to her then?”
- “The very same that has happened to people that ran before her.”
Despite her reaffirming smile, there was a strange undertone to her words that made chills run down their spine, they were unsure of what happened to those who failed her challenge…
Meaty thwacks echoed the room as a man beat the girl on the rickety bed.
- “Your stupid father always looked down on me. Look where he is now, worm food!”
The girl was the daughter of the said man, recently executed for his treachery against the kingdom. Caius Mortimer, a distant dynastic relative of an obscure house, recently became baron who had few opportunities to mingle with the upper crust. Along with the growing funds, he managed to grow his guts as well. He had been slighted by the former nobles that were executed some time ago, with his new rise in status and the fall of whom he despised he intended to enact vengeance. Though there was little to be done against the dead, thus he went to the second best option, their family. He had gone through obsessive lengths to get his hands on the late noble’s daughter. And now that he had her in her hands, he intended to humiliate her by making her ‘service’ him. As it was, he took refusal quite terribly and resorted to base violence instead. And once she was thoroughly beaten and unable to resist, stripped down to his birthday suit, wiping the blood on his hands on the girl’s thighs and abdomen. He was about to help himself instead of service. Unfortunately for him, the girl was also desired by a certain someone and her Familiar.
- “Excuse me mister! I need her, so could you please step aside and let me take her?”
He had expressly told the blackguards that there shouldn’t be any interruptions. So when he heard the high pitched voice of a little girl he was caught in between confusion and fury, mostly fury as he was interrupted right before the ‘good part’.
- “Who’re you! I didn’t ask for any children, begone with you!”
- “It appears we are at a difference. Oh well.”
Her girl lost her childish tone and something about her seemed to change.
- “What’re you-”
- “Before I dispatch you, tell me, all that flab, is it a sort of protective layer? Human anatomy is still a problem subject for me, it would be helpful if you could elucidate me.”
He couldn’t grasp what she had just uttered, but he was sure about one thing, she was calling him fat.
- “You, dare make a fool out of me?!”
As he reached out to pull her up by the hair, Charlie grabbed the outstretched hand and twisted it with strength that shouldn’t exist in a child’s small figure. Experiencing sharp pain he groaned.
- “A little under the full range of motions. Quite sensitive to pain aren’t you?”
- “Gaaahah.”
Pulling him closer she delivered a sharp blow just beneath the sternum causing him to violently retch out the contents of his stomach, faltering on the brink of collapse.
- “Oho, it seems my initial assumption was correct, it is a protective layer. Usually that would knock people out you see.”
Muzzy and dazed her words were nothing but noise to him.
- “I should thank you for satiating my curiosity, don’t worry, it won’t hurt at all.”
Before his eyes her lower body morphed into multiple legs and a large mandible.
- “uuuu…?”
He wasn't sure if it was real or if he was seeing something because he had been hit too hard, not that it mattered. It took little time before he was taken by the venom.
- “Hm… the increased body mass correlates with increased time it takes to sedate the subject. Noted. Use of stronger venom, higher initial payload or efficient delivery needed, like the carotid arteries for larger subjects.”
Dropping the limp and heavy body on the floor, she turned to the girl on the bed, going in and out of consciousness. Gently resting tracing her hands over her beaten body.
- “Let’s see, what do we have here… multiple facial hematomas almost as though it was made with the intent to mutilate, mandibular dislocation, minor fractures, multiple contusions throughout the body and the abdomen, multiple instances of minor internal hemorrhaging…-”
As she moved onto her mouth to open it…
- “Partially blocked airway…”
She bit on her finger. It was slow and frankly weak and Echo could have simply pulled out her fingers with how sluggish it was, but she let it happen anyways.
- “And a burning desire to live… along with an altered mental status unable to distinguish me from her assaulter. They broke you didn’t they, worry not I know who can fix you. You are lucky to be found in the good graces of our Mistress. It’s not unlike me to rely on another, alas fixing is not my forte. Let us see how well the physic my sister catalyzed performs. At least my forfeit was to another kindred…”
After she rounded up everyone the total came up to be close to a couple dozen. Including a few extras that caught her attention. As for what happened to the rest that were freed and fled without the presence of mind to question the circumstances.
- “More people are coming out.”
- “Reinforcements?”
- “No… not this time, they look like the captives, they’re running.”
- “Shouldn’t we round them up?”
Here their superior interjected.
- “No leaks. If they try to run, kill them.”
- ““““Yes!””””
It wasn’t long since he came to work with the monster that called themselves Charlie but he learned about her quickly to survive until now. She played games with them although they had no say in the matter, initially they seemed like something a bored child would come up with, but they were more than mere entertainment. She would always push them, to do things one second faster than before, carry burdens just a one step heavier, always escalating. It was as though she was training them under the guise of games. Not just of body but also of mind through riddles and traps. They quickly learned the deadly ramification of failing her games or taking simple and easy solutions first, the stakes were high but even if you failed she stopped just before it got lethal. It was terrifying, but those that played by her rules and won found themselves better than before. Even outsiders and her opponents, she invited them to an unannounced game. Though certain safeties are not were not extended to her enemies.
She would challenge you to game, one that breaks you down, demands you to abandon your misconceptions and olden ways and forces you to change and grow, and through it all at the end you find yourself a little better than the version of you before the game. She was the third Ordinal, Charles Charlie Darwin the Challenger of Change.