Overwhelming Firepower

The leader of the hawk’s talons was a woman who had already discarded her name and was now simply called leader by her subordinates and number one by her lord.

She was one of the very few so-called mage knights, having not only an aura mantle but a mana core as well.

She was the strongest of the talons, the hidden blade of their lord. She had devoted her everything to the lord who saved her from hell.

The lord told her that her abilities, her power, were needed to protect Norvaegard. She had done many things for the lord for the betterment of Norvaegard.

But for the first time ever, she felt something was wrong. She understood the underlying reason for killing Lucen Thornehart and capturing Robert Duskwell and Cael Thornehart, but even then, was this truly the right thing to do?

The leader shook her head and clenched her fist. ’I just need to follow the lord’s will and everything will be alright.’

The leader then used a spell to lower her presence. After which, she made her mana suppressed to a whisper, and her aura folded to a thread. Her breathing changed as her presence lowered to the point that it would seem like she was just a shadow.

Ironhold’s inner keep loomed ahead, stone walls gleaming faintly under torchlight. Guards patrolled the area. The leader watched carefully to find the right timing.

’Two on the west rampart. One circling the courtyard. Timing... five breaths interval. Close but enough.’

She waited, and on the fifth breath, she moved. A silent leap, aura flickering beneath her boots, the kind that should crack stone, softened instead to a feather’s touch. She landed atop the parapet without disturbing the frost.

Past one guard, then past another, a gust of cold wind was the only trace she had ever existed. She then followed a passing maid who opened the doors for her as she shadowed just behind her.

The halls were warm with lantern glow, but she walked where light did not reach. She memorized the layout of the Thornehart mansion, given to her.

There were several areas that were dangerous, but the most dangerous area was near Vardon Thornhart’s study and his bedroom. If she got even a tiny bit close to that area, it would mean instant death, or possibly she would be captured.

’The others are going to try and kidnap Robert and Cael. I just need to kill, Lucen Thornehart.’ The leader once again repeated her assigned role to herself. She slipped deeper into the mansion, weightless as a shadow.

It took a while since there were several butlers and maids in the way, but she finally found the room she needed to be in.

The door wasn’t even locked, which made it very easy to enter without being noticed. The second the leader entered the room, the first thing she noticed was a sound.

It was the sound of a heart beating, but she knew it wasn’t hers since she was able to control her bodily functions perfectly, and right now her heartbeat was slow and her breathing shallow to make her presence seem nonexistent.

She looked at the sleeping Lucen on the bed and understood that it shouldn’t be him either who was making that sound.

For some reason, the sound of that heartbeat was quite oppressive. It was as if a giant predator was staring right at her.

It took her a second to locate the source, not from Lucen, not from herself, but from the massive iron-bound chest in the corner of the room.

Large enough to fit a grown man curled tightly inside. A soft, pulsing glow bled through the seams of the lid, red, molten, like veins of magma under rock.

The wood around the iron bands was blackened, heat-scarred, yet somehow unburnt. Runes shimmered faint gold over its surface, reinforcing, restraining.

Seeing whatever it was making that noise was inside a sealed chest, and wouldn’t hinder the mission, the leader shifted her attention back to Lucen, who was sleeping.

’I just need to focus on the task at hand.’ She stepped toward the bed, silent as falling snow. The hesitation she had earlier was growing, but she remained ever the loyal blade.

’Yes, a blade needs no thoughts. I just need to follow were my lord swings me.’

The leader took out a dagger and approached Lucen’s bed with careful steps. She then saw, sleeping, rather peacefully was a young, handsome fifteen-year-old boy.

She once again hesitated for a second, but only a second, as she quickly recovered and started mumbling in her mind.

’This is for the lord, for Norvaegard. This is for the lord, for Norvaegard. This is for the lord, for Norvaegard. This is for the lord, for Norvaegard. This is for the lord, for Norvaegard. This is for the lord, for Norvaegard. This is for the lord, for Norvaegard. This is for the lord, for Norvaegard. This is for the lord, for Norvaegard.’

While thinking of those two things in a chant, she had resolved herself. Her aura tightened into a killing edge. She plunged the dagger towards Lucen’s heart, but as the dagger got close to Lucen’s skin, the leader hesitated, and that brief hesitation was enough.

The dagger was now stuck in Lucen’s forearm, which was bleeding. The ruby-red eyes of Lucen were staring right at the leader.

”Now what do we have here?” Lucen’s voice was rather calm despite having a dagger stuck in his forearm.

The leader was about to make another move to finish Lucen off, but then she sensed something and quickly backed away.

”Nice instincts,” Lucen spoke again as he pulled out the dagger in his forearm, and the leader saw the wound was healing, visible to the naked eye.

Lucen then stood in front of the leader, the moonlight shining down on him through the window, his ruby-red eyes looked like they were glowing.

”Cassandra Rook, right?”

The second Lucen said that name, the leader felt her head hurt. She didn’t know why that name was making her react like this. Seeing her reaction, Lucen nodded his head.

”I see... So you must still be under the hawk’s talons. So that particular storyline hasn’t progressed that far yet.”

When the leader heard Lucen saying the name of the hawk’s talons, she was bewildered. She couldn’t understand what he meant by storyline and progress, but she knew that Lucen knew who they were and most likely who their lord was, too.

”Since you’re still under the hawk’s talons and you don’t even remember your name. I guess it’s safe to say that Marquis is still alive, and you’re still under his control, well, mind control is more accurate.”

The leader was getting overwhelmed by the words Lucen was saying. It was like he knew more about some things than she did. Also, what did he mean by mind control?

”Aren’t you going to say anything?”

”...” The leader remained quiet as she was trying to find a chance to strike.

”Well then, I can subdue you first, and then we can talk properly.” Lucen cracked his knuckles.

***

In another part of the Thornehart mansion, in Robert’s private lab, he stopped his experiment and turned around to see that several people had entered.

”To interrupt me while doing my experiment. Do you need something from me?”

”If you do not wish to get hurt, follow us. If you resist, we would need to use force.” One of the agents spoke.

”I see, you people aren’t guests.” A manic smile appeared on Robert’s face as he put on his bird beak mask. ”You lot are volunteers to be my guinea pigs.”

Robert took hold of one of the bottles on the table and tossed it at the crowd in front of him. The room then started to fill up with smoke.

A few of the agents quickly used their aura or mana to protect themselves, but those who were too slow to react felt their bodies become numb as they fell to the floor.

”I hope the remaining guinea pigs are more resilient,” Robert spoke as he took out several more vials from his desk.

***

In another area of the mansion, the remaining agents were in the hallway were Cael Thornehart’s bedroom was located.

As they slowly approached the room, they suddenly heard a voice, and it came from beside them. ”It would seem a few guests have lost their way.” The person then sighed. ”I guess I would need to reeducate the staff about letting guests roam free without them noticing. For now, how about you follow me, and I will guide you to where you belong.”

The agents quickly backed away and got into defensive stances. In the middle of their group, an old man wearing a butler uniform was fixing his gloves. They did not even notice his presence, as if he had just teleported in the middle of the group.

When the agents saw the face of the old man, they immediately knew who he was. The veteran knight Vahn Vaern.

The corridor fell silent as Vahn Vaern stepped forward, expression calm, deathly calm. The agents took out their weapons. Seeing their reaction, Vahn shook his head.

”I apologize, I understand that the guests do not wish to follow, but the young master Cael must not be disturbed as he sleeps. He is, after all, a growing young man.”

Aura rolled outward like a tidal wave. ”I insist that you follow me quietly, and if you do now wish to do so, you will no longer be treated as guests, but intruders in need of punishment.”

The old butler was speaking politely, but they could feel it; hidden beneath that polite smile was a sharp killing intent.