The Old Scholar

After a very bountiful 3 hours in the Malcolmsville Library, the students of Imperia and their teachers returned to the inn for some well-needed rest and relaxation. Oren was kind enough to allow the students to borrow materials on the promise of the students returning them by the end of the field trip. Many of the students, after eating in the inn's dining hall, spent their time in their assigned rooms with their group members or in the lounging area of the inn while still hard at work, pouring over numerous books, scrolls, and articles they had borrowed from the library. Others were busy playing with their group members and friends which was understandable as while this was an academic field trip, it did not mean that fun was not allowed. 

The teachers were busy with one another as Nalia and Sobard were busy challenging one another with a small drinking game in the bar of the inn with some of the students cheering them on and laughing alongside them, while Martha and Leilani were busy having some lovey-dovey action in their suite in the far end of the inn, far from prying eyes and not making a sound thanks to the barriers Leilani had placed for them beforehand. The night was seemingly amazing and peaceful. 

But like most things, trouble was always around the corner. This night was no different, in Malcolmsville, except for the fact that the local Thieves' Guild had been informed that some high-profile students and teachers from another continent were in the area and were looking pretty easy to bag and rob as the guild's informants told them of the entire group just staying by the library and were seemingly only accompanied by three or four teachers, an easy target if there was any for these bandits and hooligans. 

Right below the town surface, inside the vast sewage tunnels that were connected with the rest of the kingdom, a group from the Thieves' Guild known as the 'Red Raiders' known for their instantly recognizable red markings on their leather and chainmail armor were gathering inside a massive chamber that was theoretically directly below the town square. These men and women of different races totaled around 30 to 40 raiders, the largest group the 'Red Raiders' have ever assembled, and they were all led by the leader assigned to this motley crew. 

Clad in a beautifully furnished nobleman suit that was colored crimson with a set of leather armor all over his body that was augmented with pieces of iron plates in critical areas and decorated with red paint, standing at an imposing 6'7 ft (2.0 meters) with a flowing main of brown hair that included a well-kept mustache, with eyes that shone a fiery amber-orange was the self-style 'Count' Cornelius Carde who was a great fighter and magic user. He always had a smile on his face and he was a high-ranking member of the 'Red Raiders' and the local Thieves' Guild itself. He stood before the group atop a pile of crates, a fur cloak hanging around his neck and his trusty rapier holstered to his side, he looked at his band of thieves and bastard with a large grin on his face as he cleared his throat to address them. 

"Good evening everyone!" He bellowed with a hearty laugh and smile, earning the cheers of the group before him 

"Right, straight down to business! Word has gone around that some high-profile targets are enjoying their little visit to this backwater town, and it seems they didn't even pay the tax!" He added, with a chorus of boos following his words 

"Right! They waltz into OUR territory, OUR town and they think they have the right to just ignore whatever rules are around?! Well I say, not in our town!" Carde stated, his powerful and charismatic voice charging the cheers he received on end 

"So, we are heading straight up there, we are going to teach those bastards a lesson and who knows, maybe their parents are willing to pay some pretty good coin for there wittle girls and wittle boys, then maybe just maybe, they will finally star listening to our rules!" He bellowed, the crowd's reaction going ballistic, laughing as he mocked the people who were about to be their targets. 

But while they were busy getting ready, there was a figure in the dark that they had not noticed. The figure watched them laugh amongst themselves and discuss how they were going to ambush these supposed high-value students, taking them hostage for ransom while killing the professors. The figure's fists tightened before they disappeared further into the shadows with the bandits none the wiser. 

"Ok! So to recap for everyone. Squad 1 will be led by Myers and you guys will be moving along the roofs near the inn, Squad 2 will be pushing around through the back alley of the place while I will lead Squad 3 and we will charge directly through the front, we will come at them from all sides and they will be none the wiser! Is that clear?!" 

"Yeah!" The crowd answered 

"Alrighty then! Let's go get our payday!" 

"WOOOOOO!" 

.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Back inside the Inn, in a break during their loving session, Leilani felt a telepathic link wishing to speak with her and when she accepted it, she heard the voice of her personal executioner. 

"Master" Sandra began 

"There is a bandit group about to attack the inn...what do you wish for me to do?" She asked 

"Handle it. I am in no mood to deal with bullshit right now as I am enjoying my time with my beloved. You are more than enough to stop them, I trust in you Sandra. Do not let me down" Leilani answered her 

"Understood Master. I will not fail" The leviathan replied before the telepathic link was cut

Leilani let out a sigh as she fell back onto the bed, with a half-naked Martha resting next to her and placing her hand on her cheek to make her face her, both of them locking eyes and Leilani's gaze and expression softening. 

"What was that dear? Trouble?" Martha asked as she planted a kiss on her beloved's lips 

"Just some annoyance Martha. I asked someone to already take care of it" Leilani replied as she placed her own kiss on her beloved's lips 

"If you say so Leilani...now where were we?" 

.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

As the moon was at its zenith and the whole town of Malcolmsville fell silent, with the buildings dark and the streets empty but illuminated by some magi-lamps along the sidewalks, the 'Red Raiders' appeared from their manholes near their target. 

Squad 1 led by a lanky elf by the name of Myers came out of a manhole a few blocks west of the inn. His squad of bandits silently moved through the night and hopped onto the roofs of the nearby building before silently running their way towards their target. Squad 2 under the command of a young busty woman with short ginger hair named Scarlet also came out of a manhole a few blocks to the north near some houses, moving along the back alleys of these buildings, using the shadows as cover as they moved into position. Squad 3 led by Carde himself came out of a manhole near the library, just across the square and opposite the Loving Lavender Inn where their targets were staying, hiding amongst the shadows that were made by the street lamps along the sidewalk.

"Alright boys and girls...let's just wait...right on time" Carde said with a satisfied smirk as he saw Squad 1 appear on a nearby rooftop right beside the inn, 

Myers held up his hand a made a small but visible flame that flickered on and off at his fingertip which was the signal that his group was ready. He looked down and he saw Scarlet and her group just arrive, getting into position along the walls opposite of the inn and preparing their own magic. Scarlet flashed the same signal to Myers who relayed it back to Carde who flashed three flames from his fingertips on his right hand that told them he acknowledged their earlier signals. 

With a loud warhorn blown by Carde, the ambush began. Squad 1 leaped onto the roof of the Inn and they blew threw it by using their magic to blast wholes in the roof, allowing it to collapse onto the students below, their screams of terror bringing smiles to the faces of the Red Raiders as they began capturing their prey. Meanwhile, Squad 2 breached through the walls and the windows of the ground floor, sending chunks of broken glass and stone flying around as they stormed the place and captured a few students in the bar and mess area while killing two professors who were drunk and asleep. Then there was Carde and Squad 3 who kicked down the front door and stormed the place, creating a chaotic cacophony as they spread out to link up with the other squads and ensure there none of their prey escaped. 

"HAHAHAHAHA! Easy money boys!" Carde yelled as he ran upstairs, seeing some students who were bloodied and injured from the roof collapsing on them being dragged out from their destroyed rooms, their cries of help doing nothing. 

Carde grabbed a beautiful young woman with flowing blonde hair that was trying to do her best to resist the man who was tugging on her hair, picking her up by her collar and wearing a perverted smile on his face as he locked lips with the young girl, preparing himself for a little 'tasting' of the acquired goods they just caught. 

{!} 

But as he locked lips with the girl, he was horrified as the flesh and clothing he was holding onto suddenly turned into grey sand in his hands, with the rest of the Red Raiders also panicking as they saw the students in their clutches also turn to sand. The ground below them began to also shift and everyone fell down onto Squad 2. The Red Raiders began to scream in confusion as they soon found themselves inside a mass of shifting grey sand that they struggled to stay above, but the rolling waves of sand crashed onto them and seemingly drowned them in their course, rough and gets everywhere touch. 

Suddenly, the waves of sand stopped and all of the Red Raiders soon found themselves in the middle of a white void that stretched out as far as the eye can see, confusion amongst their ranks as neither of them could wrap their heads around what the fuck had just happened. 

"So, had your fill of fun?" A feminine voice asked them, making all of them turn to the direction of the sound

The Red Raiders looked puzzled and a bit nervous as they saw a woman standing a few meters away, wearing a beige robe that complimented her fair skin. She was tall in stature, taller than even the tallest in the group, and blessed with a voluptuous, curvaceous, and well-endowed figure with a bigger rack than even the busty Scarlet, much to her jealousy. Her fiery reddish-yellow hair that draped down her back was in stark contrast to her pitch-black eyes that stared into the souls of the people before them. 

"Umm...and who might you be Miss?" Carde asked as he took a nervous step forward, trying his best to assess the woman before him 

"I am merely a servant for my master" The woman replied with a soft voice that was comparable to that of a siren 

"Oh...oh...umm, who is your master?" The self-styled Count added as he swallowed fear that was building in his throat much to his confusion 

"Hmmm, the identity of my master is not important as of the moment...but your actions are" The woman replied once again with the same soft voice that was sending a slight shiver down the spines of the Red Raiders 

"What? That little robbing stunt we pulled? It is just the natural way of things you know? Those who are less fortunate want what those who are fortunate have" 

"Does that include raping a young woman?" The woman asked, her tone colder and more demanding than before 

"What can I say? The strong such as myself will reap the fruits of-"

{!} 

But before Carde could finish his sentence, a spike of black material burst from the ground and impaled him through his chin and up into his brain with the bloodied end of the spike sticking out on top. The Red Raiders didn't even see how the woman did this but they all began to scream in terror as they saw their fearless and charismatic leader die without even a second thought. They watched as the spike retracted and Carde's body unceremoniously fell to the floor with a THUD and splashes of blood splatter went everywhere he landed, the sight of this sending a cold shiver down their spines. 

"You people have a disgusting set of morals...I think its time we play a little game" The woman began as the scenery began to shift around, with the Red Raiders confused as they soon found themselves in a large dense forest in the middle of the night. 

"When all of you got out of those manholes earlier, you all entered my personal pocket dimension" The woman said as she began to hover off the ground, with a large gust of wind blowing all around,  hitting the trees and the Red Raiders 

"I am Sandra De Salie and welcome to my world!" Sandra bellowed as she turned her legs into masses of tendrils that had large gaping maws at the end of each of them that she could fully morph into anything she wanted. 

Seeing the horrifying sight before them, the Red Raiders all scattered and ran for their lives into the dense forest, their screams of terror and their pleas to their comrades not to leave them behind filled the air with fear and sorrow. When Sandra landed back on the ground, her tendrils moved over to Carde's lifeless body and devoured it in seconds while she took a deep breath, the scent of their fear and terror bringing a smile to her face as her black eyes turned crimson and she opened her mouth to reveal a sharp set of teeth.

"I do love it when they run"  

.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

As her prey began to disappear into her endless forest, Sandra chased after them, lightly jogging towards them as she could sense wherever they were and could manipulate the ground they stood on. This was her world after all and she was not going to let any of them get away with their lives. To her right, she sensed a group of five trying to desperately get as much distance as they could from her, a smile on her face appeared as she mentally warped the portion of the forest they were in, adding small mounds and drops to the flat land and forcing trees to fall down to block their way out. She jogged towards them and found all five of them desperately trying to help one of their comrades trapped under a tree that had crushed his legs. 

"Just cut the bloody things off! Otherwise we run the risk of dying here together!" An older man shouted as he pointed at the legs with his sword 

"Shut it! I ain't gonna allow myself to be amputated you daft bastard! Just help get this damn tree off me!" The young man trapped under the tree shouted 

"Everyone just shut up! Gerr! get that other side, I will try to lift from here" A third man shouted as he placed his hands underneath the trunk of the tree on the left side, with the old man doing the same on the right side. 

The other two of the group, an orc and a wolf beastkin, were busy keeping watch, their eyes scanning the dark trying to see if their horrific foe was near. Sandra smiled as she allowed the tendrils from her arms to slither along the ground, moving quietly and stealthily, using the cracks and crevices in the ground and the overgrown roots to act as cover as they neared the two keeping watch. 

"hEY! Get on with it already!" The orc shouted without turning his head

"We are trying you fucking brute! Just wait a damn minute!" The old man fired back as they were struggling to lift up the tree, the three of them fully focused on trying to get their friend out from under the damn thing

"You guys shou-" 

{!} 

Before the wolf beastkin could finish his sentence, a tendril got close to him and then lunged at his throat like a serpent. The tendril's gaping maw, lined with rows upon rows of sharp teeth, crushed the neck of the beastkin with a sickening sound of bone snapping and muscles popping. The orc was about to warn the others but another tendril shot forth from the dark and wrapped around his throat and mouth before clamping down on his eye, his muffled screams unable to reach his fellows who were busy as hell. 

"Oh shit!" The young man on the left shouted as he turned around and saw his companions die, accidentally losing his grip on the trunk he was carrying

{!} 

"AAAAGHHH!" The man under the tree trunk shouted in pain as the massive thing came back down hard and definitely smashed his legs 

"Fuck!" The old man shouted as well, his stance slipping and falling onto the trunk of the tree with his hands being crushed in the process 

Before the three of them could act however, several tendrils emerged from the dark and quickly wrapped around them in a death grip around their throats. They barely made a sound as the maws of each tendril began to devour their faces and end their miserable lives. Blood splattered around the area and once the living beings turned into deceased ones, the tendrils dragged their corpses back to Sandra who absorbed them into her biomass, making the Leviathan purr with delight as she felt a bit stronger from devouring her opponents, something that Leilani allowed her to do from time to time but did not mostly as she did not want her personal executioner turning into a different kind of monster. 

"Right, that's all for now...like Master instructed, let's mop up the rest" 

.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Elsewhere in this personal pocket dimension. The remaining Red Raiders were trying their best to hide or at least escape from the woman who was out to kill them. They quickly realized that their own magical attacks were useless as whenever they tried to fire off any sort of magical attacks, the magic would just dissipate in the air or not even manifest at all.

Such as when a group of  Red Raiders tried to fight back, hiding amongst the fallen logs and underneath cracks and crevices provided by the varied terrain. The group watched as Sandra was walking near them, not too close enough to see them but near enough for them to see her, not knowing that she knew exactly where they were and was merely teasing them with the illusion of them having a chance. 

{!} 

As they were about to launch their attack, the overgrown roots curled around hiding below or near them like snakes, while those hiding inside the logs found the whole thing closing in on itself to crush them. They screamed in terror as they had no clue what to do, trying to fight back as they swung their weapons but to no avail as the objects they struck didn't even dent or break despite the immense force put into each strike. One of them got desperate and tried to fire off a fireball spell but saw only flames sputter from his palm before a bunch of roots wrapped around his leg and crushed them before flinging him away and slamming into a nearby tree that then got up and stomped on him for good measure. 

For the next thirty minutes, the remaining Red Raiders were hunted down without mercy, their screams of terror filling the air and their blood and bodies scattered along the ground. The last of the group was what remained of Squad 2, including Scarlet and several other burly men, among their ranks were also the pair of siblings Helicia and Farn. Helicia was a young 19-year-old woman who by the accounts of many, had a body many women could only dream of, she had short blonde hair that hovered right above her shoulders and she was wearing a bunch of leather armor over a grey shirt and black pants, her brown boots were worn out and barely holding on while Farn was wearing the matching set of leather armor and the same outfit his older sis was wearing, he was only 14-years-old he was shorter than his tall sister and he had short spikey blonde hair that rested atop his head. 

The siblings were here because they just wished to bag any valuables and jewels from the people they were about to rob. They lived in the slums in Cobalt City and chanced upon joining this group of the infamous Red Raiders for some quick cash as it was only just the two of them against the world ever since their mother had died. All in all, they were actually quite excited to run with a legendary band of thieves and hooligans. 

"Right, everyone just...FUCK WHAT DO WE DO?!!" Scarlet cried out as she and her group found themselves running into a cliff face, the rock was smooth, too smooth for them to even try climbing and none of them had their climbing gear 

"I suggest we make our stand-" 

{!} 

Before one of her crew could finish his words, a tendril shot forth from the dark and wrapped around his throat, quickly breaking it before dragging the body into the darkness, Scarlet and her crew screamed as they saw their friend's body disappear into the dark, forming a semi-circle in front of the two siblings who were terrified and hiding behind them via instinct. 

{!} 

They thought they could at least put up a fight but another set of tendrils emerged from the darkness faster than they could react, wrapping around each of their limbs and their face before the ends of the tendrils opened up their maws and clamped down on the flesh they were so rightfully hungry for, the air filling with the screams of the remaining Red Raiders. The sight of Scarlet having her face torn off by a tendril left the two siblings speechless as they ran towards the cliff face, Helicia put Farn behind her as she brought out her dagger with one hand while her free hand was kept over her younger brother. Those tendrils would have to fight her before they got to her sibling. They watched as the bodies of the last Red Raiders get dragged into the darkness and there was an eerie silence that followed. 

"Sis....I'm scared" Farn said as he grabbed his sister's leather belt tightly 

"I know Farn....I am too" Helicia replied as she gulped down her fear, her dagger hand shaky as she kept her eyes front to see if anything or anyone would appear from the dark. 

"I must say, I was not expecting kids to have joined these bands of ingrates...so tell me, why are you here?" Sandra asked from the darkness, content with just staying in the dark, her eyes and senses kept on the siblings before her 

"What's it to you? You're just gonna kill us anyways, like the rest of them" Helicia replied, her eyes scanning the dark expanse before her for any sign of the person talking 

"Ah, I believe that is where you are wrong in your assumption. I am not going to kill you both, I am no murderer of children" Sandra replied 

"But you were fine with killing everyone else?" The older sister asked 

"Oh, yes. My job entails me to do so" The leviathan replied 

"Murdering people?" Farn asked 

"No little one, more of taking out the trash" Sandra replied, materializing right next to the siblings who gasped and fell on their backs as they were rattled by her just appearing before them 

{!} 

Suddenly, the surroundings around them changed and the trio found themselves back inside the sewer tunnels earlier, standing next to a lantern that was resting on a box to the side. The siblings got to their feet, with Farn still hiding behind his older sister, both of them still keeping their eyes on the woman or at least a woman-looking thing before them. 

"What are you going to do to us?" Helicia asked 

"Oh simple. We are going to walk and have a chat...My master wishes to speak to you little Helicia and Farn, yes. I know your names, I read your minds for it" Sandra answered before picking up the lantern nearby with her hands, smiling as she turned around before glancing back at the siblings 

"Now come, otherwise. The gigantic rats will come and eat you" She added as she began to walk away, with the siblings having no choice but to keep pace with her 

A/N: New Chapter. Enjoy! Hehehehe.