"If that's the best he has, then this will be easy.  Come on!" Servi shouted. She turned around and saw Liealia's and Llamare's determined faces.

The room the three of them were in could only be described as a pseudo throne room. It was like something that would’ve been right at home in a mini castle, but at the same time, something was off. It was probably the set of stairs that led to a small elevated platform where the large man sat on a throne that was too small for him. The distance between Servi and him must’ve been less than twenty meters.  

That must be Parrel, Itarr thought.

He was big around the gut and taller than someone like him ought to have been. His face was patchy with black hair, and his head was devoid of any hair.  A depressed-looking woman and a guard in black armor were to his right. To his left was a boy of about ten or eleven years. Unlike his assumed father, Parrel's son was tall and gangly, with two daggers tied around his ankles. To the child’s left was a Koena in a black and white maid uniform. Her orange scales stood out and reflected the candle lights set up all around the platform.  

On each of the seven stairs that led to the platform stood seven guards wearing the same black armor, but that was all the similarities they had. The weapons they held in their hands were drastically different.

Starting from the top, one held a red sword that crackled with fire, while another gripped a yellow spear that had sparks dancing around the tip.  

A blue dagger had ice dripping from its blade, and a green axe pulsed with wind.  

The guard on the third to last step had a brown shield that almost looked like it was made from dirt.

Below him stood a man with no armor that carried brass knuckles, but they were white and gold.  

Standing in front of all of them, on the last step, was a man with a black bow.  

The man with the bow didn’t have a quiver, at least not where Servi could see it, but he drew the string back and aimed high. Suddenly, a shadowy arrow appeared in it. As he let loose the pulled-back string, it launched high in the air before turning into yet another shower of arrows.  

Servi lifted her red sword and cut the area in front of her, launching a tremendous wave of fire that followed the arrows and burned them to ash. 

“Are you Parrel?!” Servi yelled out as she walked forward. Llamare and his cousin were at her side.  

“Who wants to know?! Did you kill my dog?! And what about that whore, Casa?!” he yelled frantically, pulling at his non-existent hair so hard that he started to bleed from his bald head.  

“Casa is dead. I killed her,” Servi announced.  

“If by ‘dog,’ then you mean Albert, then we killed him,” Liealia yelled.

By now, they were close enough that they didn’t need to yell anymore.  

“That worthless bastard! So fucking worthless!!!!” 

“Shut your tongue, you ingrate! He was a far better man than you would ever be. He had honor and loyalty, and it was wasted on some pathetic man who can’t fight his own battles!” Llamare yelled out.  He spun his naginata around his body and pointed it towards his opponent.

“Yeah!” Liealia added, but they didn’t get the response they wanted.   

“HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! COME IN, BOYS!!!!!!” Parrel screamed out, running his lungs raw as sections of the walls around them disappeared, revealing an army of at least two hundred.  

“DIE DIE DIE!!! KILL THEM, WHO DARED TO INVADE MY HOLY GROUND. THAT’S WHY I RIPPED AND SLAUGHTERED MY LITTLE PLAYTHINGS THE MOMENT YOUR SHITTY ATTACK HAPPENED! THE POOR, DEFENSELESS SLAVES YOU TRIED SO HARD TO RESCUE FROM ME ARE DEAD! THEIR SCREAMS, A MOST PLEASANT DESSERT THAT I THOROUGHLY ENJOYED!!!!!” 

“SHUT UP!!!” Liealia screamed back, her eyes wet from tears.

“I hope you don’t expect a quick death…” Llamare muttered. His voice was thick with the essence of hatred. It took everything he had not to lash out in a verbal rage.

The air turned sour, and Servi felt the rage building up inside of her. Anger, resentment, depression. A mix of everything and anything, and she saw red.  

“HAHAHAHA!!!! I HAVE TWO HUNDRED MEN, AND IT'S ONLY YOU THREE!!! WHAT CAN YO--??!” 

“Enough!!!!!” Servi roared like a dangerous animal as she rapidly cut the space in front of her, hitting nothing. But in reality, every time she threw a slice, she launched a beam of fire that was as wide as she was angry. It was all too quick for anyone, even the two Elves, to follow. Her cuts seemed to be sharper than lightning, and just as she started, she stopped and switched sides.  The background noise-- the lack of background noise-- made it clear what was happening.

She attacked the left side first, and the screaming and hollering they were doing just moments before were no more. And ten seconds later, the right side went quiet. Only the low whimpers of those who had yet to die were audible, but even a moment later, that stopped.

In just a couple of seconds, two hundred men lost their lives in a raging sea of fire launched by a monster in Human skin.

“Blue….?” Llamare timidly asked as he stood in front of his cousin and readied his naginata.  He had a horrible feeling.

Like a beast from the darkest depths, Servi could do nothing but roar demonically. Her mind was being twisted and warped by the armor's seductive power. It was something she was just now conscious of, but she couldn’t do anything about it. And as she lifted her sword against her two new friends, she stopped.  The demonic armor and weapon disappeared. A simple set of iron armor was in its place. She then fell to the ground and coughed heavily as the rage dissipated from her soul like water flowing from a cup.  

Servi…. Listen to my voice…It’s me, Itarr. That’s right, that’s a good girl…. 

“Ngh….?” she started to get up but vomited and fell back down.  At the last second, Servi jerked her body sideways, avoiding the puddle of vomit.

“HAHAHAHAHA!!!!!! ANOTHER ARROW STORM! NOW!!!!” 

The archer nodded and drew back his arm. Once the shadowy arrow appeared, the man with the black bow released the string and watched.  The sky went black, blanketed out by black projectiles whose only wish was to kill for its wielder.

“Llamare, use a skill! Hurry!” Liealia jumped on top of Servi’s body. She was prepared to cover her, even at the cost of her life.  

“I don’t have anything to stop that?! I don’t have any shield skills…” Llamare fell to his knees.  There was only one way the three of them could survive, and it relied on someone who couldn't be heard by anyone but Servi.  Still, he had to take a chance.

“ITARR!!!!” Llamare yelled before a gigantic wall of fire appeared overhead, burning the arrows before they even started their downward arc.  Parrel stumbled backwards, mumbling and cursing everyone in sight, including his own family.

I won’t let you! Wake up, Servi! They need you!! Itarr cried out.  

Hearing Itarr’s cries for help, Servi moved a bit.  Liealia noticed this, and she hurriedly backed off.  Servi slowly stood up, her red eyes almost intensifying as she realized she had lost control of herself.

“Itarr, can you lock away that armor? That is too dangerous, and it felt like my mind was being corrupted. Llamare, Liealia, I deeply apologize for turning my blade on you once again. Would you fight with me?”  Servi asked.  Her voice trembled with fear and anxiety.

Of course, Itarr said as Servi pulled out a regular sword. For the moment, she wasn’t going anywhere near that accursed sword and armor.  

“We’ll be behind you," Liealia said.

“Got it!” Llamare commented.

“Oh dear, this could be bad… My worthless slave, could you take my precious child to safety? I have to deal with these measly intruders.” 

“No….” that was all that the Koena in a maid outfit said as tears dripped down her orange-scaled face. She rapidly crouched down and pulled the dagger from the child’s ankle before violently slitting his neck. As the knife ran red with crimson, the Koena ripped a scale from her neck.  It was red and pulsing, like a heart. A moment later, she thrusted the blade into the exposed throat, taking her own life.

If I’m going to die, then I’m going to kill this bastard of a demon child. I’m not going to hell alone. Missik, Mossok, please wait for me. That was her last thought as she pierced her own throat. Since she was a slave and therefore beaten, her scales were softer than Rie's purple scales, who had trained them up by years of fighting and training.

Parrel screamed in pain as he launched himself in a fury of rage at the dead Koena. Grabbing the knife from her still warm body, he thrusted in over and over, making more blood flow. But during all of this, not once did he ever say a word about his son. His wife also showed no emotions whatsoever, and the only people who even looked back were the seven guards on the steps. The one beside his wife didn’t do anything. It was almost like he was a human-shaped doll.  

The moment the guards turned back, which couldn’t have lasted more than a quarter of a second, Servi, Llamare, and Liealia launched forward.  

Though they didn’t say it, the two Elves were surprised to see that Servi could match their speed. They didn’t know she was using the combined physical power of her entire reservoir of souls. Even if her Absorption skill could only use two percent of a person's physical ability, she had well over 450 souls inside her. That was a 900% boost, which was nothing to scoff at.  She currently had the strength and speed of nine Humans.

“I’ll take three. You take two each,” Servi said, coming to a sudden halt. Not waiting for a response, Servi used Telekinesis to grab the scariest ones first. Those being the ones with the shield, sword, and the bow, and tossed them over her. They flew overhead as Llamare and Liealia made their way towards the seven steps and four enemies that stood between them and victory. The three Servi pulled towards her landed with a heavy thud on their feet as they began their attacks.

“Itarr, do you think it’s possible for me to use the sword?” she asked her faithful friend as she followed three white afterimages. Her foes' attacks were unchallenging, meaning she dodged them with the simplest of ease.

Perhaps, but please don’t. That armor almost seems to be cursed, and I'm afraid of what would happen if you would continue to wear it. The sword could be cursed too, and I don't want to risk it.

“You’re right. I’m sorry.” Servi went to attack and followed a red image. It told her to sidestep past an arrow, roll to avoid a thrust, and aim for the shield wielder’s shin as she recovered. The way he moved put too much pressure on his left ankle, and therefore had to take an extra moment to recover. Servi took advantage of that and attempted to slice his ankle off, but the sword she used paled in comparison to the red one. In the end, it didn’t matter. A wound was a wound, and the sword was stuck in his leg. It was far too dull to be of any use, so Servi backed off and drew a spare blade.  

“…..” The two remaining enemies showed no regard for their fallen comrade. The shield wielder didn’t even scream or yell from the pain. As she dodged another set of attacks, the shield user tried to get up, but he collapsed after putting too much weight on his injured leg.

“They’re like zombies…” 

What? 

“Someone who came back from the dead with no free will. They can’t feel pain. To kill them, one needs to destroy the head.” As she explained, Servi thought about cutting off a head and dodged until the red image showed itself.  

“There!” she exclaimed. Twirling to avoid an arrow, she did a little hop afterwards to jump over another wave of fire aimed at her legs and thrusted out towards the archer. For some reason, he was way too far forward, and Servi effortlessly cleaved his head in half. He fell to the ground instantly, not in a way that he should have. It then became clear to Servi that something more was at work, but she didn’t know what.  

That only left the sword wielder, and Servi easily parried the blade before kicking him in the stomach. He tried to get up, but she was there to take his head off. Afterwards, it was easy to finish off the still downed enemy that had the shield.  “They barely used any skills. And they were weaker than I thought they would be. How strange…” 

She turned around and saw her friends taking care of themselves. They each had one down, and it was two one-on-one fights.  

Servi went around absorbing the colored weapons as the three souls flowed into her ring. “These could be useful, but I’m a bit hesitant to use them…” 

Because of the red armor? 

“Yeah. Can you lock these up too?” 

Of course. I think Llamare and Liealia are done.  

Turning around, Servi saw the two deal the finishing blow on their respective enemies concurrently. Though their fight had started on the ground next to the seven stairs, it finished up on the throne platform.  

She walked over to them and spoke.  

“Good work. Hey, where’s Parrel?” Servi asked while she absorbed the rest of the colored weapons.

You don't need to worry about him. He's right there, next to the big chair.

From behind the throne came a squirming Parrel, who floated so helplessly as he begged for forgiveness.

Of course, that would never come.  

“Please don’t kill me!!!! Pleasepleasepleasepleaseplease!!!!” 

Llamare responded by hitting the handle of his weapon against Parrel's arm. Servi could hear a snap and knew it was broken.  

“AAAHHHHHHH!!!”  

“Shut up!” Llamare spun his naginata around his body to shatter Parrel's jaw. The handle smashed him on the chin, and even Servi had to wince in pain.  

“Ga……shorrryy….” he moaned as he cradled his mouth.  

“You think sorry is gonna make this all disappear?! Thousands of children were torn from their homes because of you. Die!!!” Liealia spun her weapon around and stabbed the miserable man in his heart multiple times to make sure he was dead. Afterwards, she turned to the doll-like guard and the woman who didn’t even react to her husband’s death.  

“What are you going to do to them?” asked Servi. Llamare used his expert skill to decapitate the two. “That answers that,” she added.  

“Let’s go!” Llamare ordered as he made his way for the gold door. Albert said it would be behind the throne, and it was, but on the ground and not on the elevated platform. Llamare tried to rush through it, but it was locked.  

Servi tapped him on the shoulders.  "Let me handle the door."