I walked back home with Mar and Ashe by my side, discussing the upcoming raid into Kent's territory. We were interrupted by Colette, the armored woman, and a few burly men who were a part of her crew.
Ashe had her crossbow ready, and Mar had a hand on his blade. In the night, one could never underestimate the danger, even with people they knew.
"At ease, we come to parlay," Colette said.
I didn't trust my chainmail shirt and brigandine against a professional swordswoman. "Stay close, but be ready if any of them draw a weapon," I said to Ashe and Mar under my breath.
With affirmations from my crew, I approached. Then Colette nodded to a side alley. After a minute of posturing and threatening glances, a normal occurrence for gang members, we discussed business.
"So, your request?" I asked.
"Are you aware of how steel is made?"
"Essentially, heat iron ore, add coke and limestone, pound off the slag, and mix it with wrought iron in a sealed crucible," I said, recounting the laborious process.
Colette nodded, "My territory produces much of the refined steel within the city. However, the operation of the bellows for my bloomery is an arduous process, and the fumes generated cause illness."
I thought about the large stone towers and the massive bellows that several men had to work for a bloomery to produce iron.
"You want me to design an automatic bellows?"
The constant soot and ash in the air, choking the lungs, I could imagine why she would want me to create something like that.
Colette nodded and continued, "As well as a large crucible to mix the wrought iron and crucible steel."
"How large?"
"Roughly five feet across and four tall,"
I considered the idea and quickly formulated a circuit that would suit her needs. It was rather simple.
"My pay?" I asked.
"That is where I reach contention. What can I offer a Magus?"`
"Two golden royals, one for bloomery, and another one for the crucible. And you introduce me to your armorer. I want proper plate, three suits, one for each of us."
'Colette seemed made of stone most of the time, but there were cracks. She shouldnt have mentioned illness as a reason for her desire for the bellows. That only proves that she had sympathies that can be manipulated. '
Colette looked me up and down, "A steep price." She mumbled.
"You're getting a discount since, as you say, I'm an amateur."
"Very well, we'll discuss further details after the raid on Kent's people."'
She held out a hand, which I accepted.
'So quick to agree? Perhaps I should have asked for more. Or is she more desperate than I originally suspected?'
~
The next morning, before the sun had even risen, we set out, fully armed and armored, ready for conflict. The streets were barren and oddly empty of guards. Quite a few merchants are setting up stalls, though. The smart ones set up well before sunrise, allowing them to get the best spots.
It took another half hour before we reached the temple of Anier.
Outside were over 50 people, all in various arms and armor. Though the morning was early, they looked eager.
I elbowed my way through the crowd to find Derek and Jorm standing on the steps of the entrance, looking down at us like generals.
"QUIET!" Jorm shouted to get everyone's attention.
He, like everyone else, was dressed in armor. The only one in normal clothes was Derek; I didn't know whether it was arrogance or stupidity. As soon as he caught my eye, he nodded to his left side.
"Stay to my right," I whispered to Ashe and Mar.
They nodded silently, then I joined Jorm and Derek on the steps, looking down at the sea of bloodthirst.
Derek shrugged, "Have all the fun you want. But if bodies need to be buried, bury them deep. "
A hint of anger flashed across Colette's eyes before it disappeared.
The spindly man whose name was Orion asked, "This is a big move; how will the minor nobility and prominent merchants react? Will this not affect their businesses? "
"All has been accounted for. We have this one window, and all eyes are turned away, just for this moment. You don't want to know how much this costs. Now let's get to planning." Derek answered.
~
The plan was rather simple; we would block off all roads to the district, and several teams would go from business to business, causing chaos, drawing out Kent and his elite men. I was on a street that seemed dedicated to gambling. With me was the fat man Junam, a half dozen of his crew, and another bald man whose name I couldn't bother learning. Derek had his own people blocking off the streets. I gazed at the sun. We had perhaps two hours to get all this done and mount Kent's head on a pike.
"Oi, you ready for this? Lady Magus." Junam looked like a walking mountain of iron. I didn't know what was more impressive. The craftsmanship involved in making a full plate that could fit a man of his size. Or that he had the strength to wear it.
"I've done my fair share of killing. Try not to trip and fall on your weapons. How you walk in that much iron is a miracle."
Junam laughed loudly and boisterously, "Ahh, she does have some sand, aye, boys."Junam said, looking to men who seemed more serious than he was. "Don't worry for me, girl, there's naught but muscles under all this fat." He said, slapping the belly of his armor. The sound practically echoed along the empty street.
I shrugged, not really caring, then turned my attention to the road ahead.
"So how do we split this, Half and half?" I asked.
Junam licked his lips, "I'll take the east side of the street, you take the west, we meet up at the end. If you ain't there, then I start taking a piece of yours."
"Fair enough, Good hunting."
"It ain't gonna be a hunt, but damn fun regardless. Saw some sweet lasses last time I was in these parts."
I gave him a baleful stare, "We have until high hour, remember, try not to waste all your time busying yourself with whatever unfortunate woman you find. "
Junam laughed, "Why do you think I have a crew?"
In the distance, we heard a loud whistle, the signal. "Let's get to work," I said to my crew.
"Let's have some fun, boys," Junam shouted as they stomped down the road.
My crew followed immediately. Someone tried to stop us, but Junam swung his massive Warhammer around with more strength than I thought was possible. The man's head turned into mist, and he fell to the ground dead.
Junam stomped over him without so much as a second thought and walked into what looked like an eatery. Already, I could hear shouting and screaming from inside the doors. I looked over to the west side. "Hmm, a jeweler, that's interesting," I mumbled.
"You ready, Ashe?" I asked.
"Aye, boss," She said, seating a bolt. I walked up to the well-decorated building. Banged on the closed door a few times, and no one answered.
"I got this," Mar walked up and booted the door in. It took two tries before it fell off its hinges.
The store was empty of people, but inside expensive-looking glass cases were some rather fine pieces of jewelry.
A man and woman came running down the stairs to find armed and armored people awaiting them. The man came down with a sword.
"What are you vermin doin' in my...." With a crack from Ashe's crossbow, a bolt was stuck in his head, and he fell to the ground dead. Without a connection to my energy furnace, it was just a simple crossbow.
The woman who looked as young as I was started screaming, clutching the dead man.
I ignored her and looked to the glass cases.
"Mar, do you mind?" I asked.
He shrugged and, with a gauntleted fist, punched through the glass, brought out a large canvas sack, and started loading in jewelry. The woman's frantic screaming was grating on my ears.
"Ashe, please, she's giving me a headache," I complained.
Ashe munched her in the face so hard she spat out teeth, "Quiet whore, or you're next."
Mar winced as he watched his sister's brutality.
The young woman finally stopped yelling. After tossing everything of value into a sack. I walked over to the woman and asked. "Does your husband have a stash of coin?"
The brown-haired woman was too stunned to speak.
"Break her fingers," I said to Ashe.
"It's its in our room, under our armoire. Every coin swears to Anier." She said, her voice hoarse from her screaming. Her tear-sickened face didn't move my heart in the least.
I looked to Ashe, "Let's go see."
Then I looked to Jorm, "Watch her."
As we ransacked the tastefully decorated home, Ashe asked, "You don't seem to care that we're robbin' innocent people."
I pulled out a drawer filled with lacy underclothes and dumped them on the floor as I continued searching.
I shrugged, "Why should I? They're just random people. Don't tell me you're regretting joining with me."
Ashe laughed, "Oh, I ain't judgin'. Done worse and seen worse." Ashe's eyes grew wide to as she pulled out what looked like a gold ring. "That's gold, ain't it?"
"Nice find," I said as I added it to the sack.
Then I opened the armoire, sifted through until I found a lovely black dress. Silk, and just at a glance, my size. I added it to my sack. Ashe carried one of her own and was loading in anything she found of value. Nothing else interested me. We toppled over the armoire and pried up a loose floorboard.
"That's beautiful," Ashe said as she admired the coin.
There had to be at least 50 silver eagles alone.
"Take it for yourself and Mar for this outing. We still have quite a few stores to go."
Ashe grinned. "You ain't gotta to tell me twice."
My ears perked up, noting the silence coming from downstairs. We headed back down to find the woman tied up and Mar ransacking the kitchen.
"Half expected you would be busying yourself with the woman," I noted. Mar was stuffing his face with what looked like fresh bread and cheese.
Mar glanced at the bound woman and said, "I don't really go in for rape." He said, glancing down at the crying woman, a bit of sympathy shrouding his eyes.
She kept staring at the dead man. Not moving or doing anything. All the life seemed to be drained out of her.
'Pathetic.'
"Let's move on, we're burning daylight," I ordered, annoyed.
We stepped out outside to see Junam's men locked in a fight with half a dozen other thugs.
"Do we help 'em?" Mar asked.
"We have to, time isn't on our side, and we need to get this done. Keep yourself safe and be smart."
Mar rushed forward, springing across the cobbled street and ramming his blade into the back of an unsuspecting thug. Ashe loosed a bolt, piercing a man in the eye. He fell to the ground, screaming, before Junam brought down a foot, killing him in a single stomp.
I didn't bother doing anything. The numbers weren't in the defender's favor. Ashe knocked another bolt, piercing a man in the bicep, before Mar stabbed him in the throat. Another man lunged at Mar, attempting to take his head off, but Mar managed to duck out of the way.
The swing went wide, and Mar buried his blade in the man's shoulder.
The fight was rather boring if I was honest. And not a minute later, it was over. The final man ran off, but didn't get ten feet before a bolt lodged itself into his spine. He fell to the ground, screaming in agony. The rest of Junam's men laughed.
"Let's keep moving, we don't have much time," I said, turning to head to what I was sure was a tailor.
~
Word spread, and people abandoned their homes and stores, some escaping through alleyways or climbing over walls. I wasn't interested in chasing. Mar, Ashe, and I were rather efficient, killing or beating the living daylights out of anyone who sought to stop us; robbed them blind and moved on to the next. Their crying, desperate pleas meant nothing to my ears as we took everything they worked their entire lives to build. Tear-stricken faces as fathers and sons were cut down in front of their wives and children, equally blurred together. If they simply rolled over and let us go about robbing them of everything they held dear, they would have lived. But no, some people were idiots and wanted to defend what they had built.
I stood in a cobbler's small store, watching a wife and her daughter sob at the feet of the dead father. He, like every other fool, sought to defend his home and business against us. I gave him the same warning I had given at least a dozen others, yet he chose death like fools tend to do.
Though it wasn't the wailing wife who captured my attention. It was the daughter. Her eyes, though filled with tears, stared at me with hate. A deep, burning hate that I often saw in the mirror.
The blonde girl would grow into a beauty. But that rage was something else. It practically sang to me; she was me. I was watching as another Myr was born. Suddenly, the girl shifted, sprang to her feet, and sprinted towards me with a shard of metal in her hand. But I wasn't idle or without protection. My left hand reached down to my heavy satchel, which held an orb of compressed wood. Immediately, my barriers strengthened, and before she crossed the room, the knife flew out of her hand.
This caused her to stop in her tracks, staring at the knife now halfway across the room, confused.
Her mother, both confused and terrified, realized what her daughter had done, leapt forward, and grabbed her.
"Apologie, my lady, she's just a child. S-she doesn't know better."
The girl glared up at me, her eyes near mad with rage, "I'll kill yuh, I swear it." She muttered.
The mother clamped her hand over the girl's mouth, even more terrified.
I walked over and observed the terrified mother holding the child with all her strength as she fought to free herself. I stretched my hearing; Mar and Ashe were still rummaging around upstairs.
"I was like her once. My rage, burning me alive. Pushing me forward. I see it in her eyes."
The mother looked confused but hopeful. Since I hadn't taken any action against her daughter.
"You know what I did with that rage?" I asked the mother.
She shook her head, utterly confused. I smiled and spoke. "I murdered Baroness Surian Redstone and the Magus Elis. The rage inside was such a powerful motivator. I wanted to become a magus, you see. I'm sure you've heard rumors about me."
The death of the baroness and the magus had spread like the plague along with the confusion of guilt. The one question on everyone's mind was: Who did it?
The fear in her eyes went from normal terror to something beyond fear. Despair; she realized what was about to happen.
"That same rage burns within your daughter."
Even now, her eyes burned with fury. Even now, she fought to free herself. To end me. I couldn't allow her to continue on; she would seek vengeance, not now or a year from now. But if she were anything like me, she would not stop.
"Please, by Anier." The mother begged. I pulled the dagger from my waist, the movement so fast the girl couldn't react to it. It opened her throat in a near instant. The mother was next, before she could scream in terror. I buried the dagger in her heart. The girl whose eyes held deep hate never wavered, never stopped trying to burn me with her fury, even as lifeblood spewed from her neck.
And so, the entire family was dead within a minute. I stared down at the quickly dying bodies. The mother clung to her daughter, even in death.
'What would Sim think if he knew what I was doing with his gift?'
Ashe and Mar came down a few minutes later, staring at the bodies.
"What happened?" Mar asked.
"The idiot child went for a blade," I said, still staring at the bodies. Mar wore a grim expression. Ashe sighed and complained, "Great, more bodies to bury."
The child's cold, dead eyes stared up at me. Almost as if in judgment. I had killed many times and only now did I realize I had lost count. The faces blurred together, but this kill felt different.
'Not now, Myr, focus. Steel your mind, for such things can be contemplated later.'
I banished the thoughts and moved on to the next store. To my relief, it was abandoned.
~
We would have been done quicker if not for my allies.
Junam and his crew, however, seemed hell bent on wasting as much time as possible. He had three times as many men as I, and we were ahead of him.
Perhaps if they didn't waste half their time with every random girl that caught their eyes, this wouldn't have taken so long. Hell, half his men were running around bare-chested in only their small clothes. And every damn time I exited a store, I was met with the cries or shrieks of some woman. It was irritating.
We reached the far end of the road before them, lugging a large amount of loot along, waiting for Junam and his men. We were gathering everything to regroup at Kent's base before high hour. And we were cutting it close.
Out of what looked like a casino's store ran a girl. Perhaps fourteen, her face streaked with tears and her dress torn. Junam ran out behind her a laughing and completely naked. It was a horrific sight to watch, the folds of fat and his privates flop about as he chased the girl. Somehow, the man caught her; how a man that large could move so fast was beyond me. He threw her over his shoulder, laughing as she tried to escape.
"Help, help, guards. Someone." The girl screamed. But no help would arrive; her fate would be the same as every other decent-looking girl who caught Junam's eye.
I glanced at the sky, 'We don't have time for this. Hasn't he had enough already.'
"Junam," I shouted.
"What?" He asked, annoyed.
"The sun, we're cutting it close."
He glanced at the sun, looking upset. The girl pierced me with her brown eyes, begging me to help her. I stared back at her coldly. I wouldn't help her any more than the dozen other girls who had suffered under Junam and his men.
He debated for a few moments, grabbed her rear end, and said. "I can be quick." The girl twitched in fear and redoubled her struggling.
'Men ruled by their loins are such a pain to work with.'
"You do whatever you want. I'm heading out. Feel free to explain yourself to Derek. "
Then, with a signal from me, Ashe and Mar grabbed all our bags. Though Mar seemed upset.
"Dammit." Junam cursed.
Then he looked to the girl and literally tossed her away. She landed with a thump, sprang to her feet, and ran off like a frightened deer.
"Run, girl, today's yer lucky day. Thank Anier for me." Junam laughed and said to himself. "She would have been a sweet one. Most o' these wenches were hardly worth the screw. Not to mention the screamin' My ears'll ring for a week"
Junam returned to the store, "Oi boys were heading out now." After some back and forth, Junam shouted again. "I don't care if you ain't finished. Kill the wench and grab your shite, we done 'ere"
~
Everyone was gathered outside the large building. In the center of the street, the headless body of a young man was lying chest down with his head lodged between his arse cheeks.
"That Kent?" I asked Ashe.
"Aye, can't say I ain't glad he's dead, but not like anything will change with Derek," Mar answered for her.
"Doesn't matter if it gets worse or better," I said.
"Why not?" Mar asked.
I glanced at the dozens of gang members who just spent the better part of a morning robbing, killing, and raping. No one would run to the guards since they would receive no help. Not a single guard came, even though the entire process took almost two hours. And I know with certainty that many people ran.
"Simple. No one in charge cares. So, our caring matters little."
Mar pursed his lips, staring into my eyes, "Were you really worrin' 'bout the time or did you want to help that girl?"
'Did I want to spare her the suffering? Junam and his men had raped at least a dozen women by that point, and I didn't lift a finger to help. The girl was no different.'
As the thought entered my mind, I knew it wasn't entirely true. I certainly wouldn't have fought Junam to protect the girl, even though I would have won easily. It wasn't worth the effort for me.
But it seemed some part of me wanted to spare her. Emphasizing the lack of time was a convenient way to save face. But if it didn't work, I would have simply left her to her fate.
'To murder a mother and child in one minute and spare some girl from rape the next. It is hypocrisy of the highest order. It seems I'm not as perfect a machine as I would like.'
As the truth revealed itself to me, I found it acceptable. I didn't want to be a machine, so long as such sympathies didn't become obstacles, that is. If such a thing happened, then I would have to tear it out root and stem.
'What would I be then. If I reached the point where I could witness suffering beyond imagination and not feel even the most minute amount of sympathy, could I even be categorized as human at that point? Do I want that? Should I want that? While I don't love Jenna, nor would I sacrifice my goals for her, I do genuinely enjoy her presence. What would life be like if all my laughter and smiles were fake? If inside, I felt nothing when her lips touched mine? It doesn't seem like a life worth living.'
I shook my head. Such a level of apathy and inhumanity seemed like more of a curse rather than a blessing.
I looked at Mar and said with a smile, "Both could be true. But in the end, that assistance cost me absolutely nothing. Do be sure, Mar, under no circumstance would I sacrifice or hinder my goals for something as worthless as sympathy. If Junam didn't agree, I would have walked away without any hesitation or regret."
Ashe smiled and nodded, seeming satisfied with my explanation. However, Mar, I could tell, was disappointed.