“It has to be fake,” Octavia whispered to herself.

For the last half an hour she stood still, looking at the heavy sacks brimming with coins. It made no sense at all. No one offered this much without wanting something in return. The temptation was strong enough to almost make her forget about everything else.

Right now, she should be outraged. Those people had destroyed her life. Then again, the Fixer was doing what his name suggesting, he was fixing it. It would take her a lifetime to earn this many crowns. Sure, the capital was not safe for her, not anymore. But she could take the money, go to the country and buy a farm or two. Hire herself some work hands and some guards. Not a bad idea. She could become a village Lord in no time.

“Can I? I mean they do make a lot from the taxes and don't need to pay for food and all, but they must have a lot of expenses too.” Octavia ran her fingers through her hair, scratching the back of her head. “Actually, how much do guards cost?”

This was something to worry about later. Carefully, she reached for one of the sacks and pulled it closer with her trembling hand. “It won’t count if I take a peek inside.”

For sure, it was packed with gold coins. A lot of shiny yellow disks, begging her to take them in her hands. She had to restrain herself for spilling the sack’s content, just to see how it would look on the table. No one in their right mind would pass such an offer, considering the alternative. Speaking of an alternative, Octavia tore her eyes away from the coins and looked at the piece of paper.

There was a lot written on it. She could at least check it out. Perhaps, in those flowing lines was hidden an even greater reward. With some doubt in her heart, Octavia picked the sheet and slowly began to read through it.

“On this day, I, the woman known as Tilly,” she winced seeing her real name. That was who she was and she nearly made her mind. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she continued reading. “… known as Tilly, make this agreement freely. Of my own free will and sound mind… Blah, blah, blah, yada, yada.”

The next few paragraphs are the mandatory platitudes one would expect from any official document. Octavia had seen quite a lot of them when she set up her shop. Praise the King, the royal family, the magister and all the high-ranking members of the clergy. Every one listed by their full name and title. By the time she finished, she was surprised there was no praise to the King’s shitter’s cleaner. After that, there was the mandatory quote from the Scripture and after it…

Yes, this was the actual agreement. She should have noticed it sooner with how the style of the writing changed. It was more crude, as if written in haste.

“With this agreement, I so swear to take the role of Octavia. Henceforth all shall know me by this name and all shall know I am a servant of XTTALDSN OAKD…” She paused. Was this the Fixer’s name? She could not read the strange language it was written in. And here she was, hoping to find the answer to one of the Kingdom’s greatest mysteries.

“…I swear to never betray him, his trust or that of those he calls family. This vow, I make on blood, and may the Gods have mercy on my soul, should I break it. I also swear to protect this home and its inhabitants with this blood oath and cause them no harm. For this willing servitude, I shall be provided shelter, food, clothing, adequate training to fulfil the duties expected of me, a home and financial compensation. In no way shall I be treated as anything but a free woman, …”

 “This is just a fancy employment contract!” Octavia laughed. She was expecting… Well. Not this.

“Should I so desire, I will be free to leave this home and my duties at any given time and none is allowed to bar me from doing so, after a minimum of five years, from the date on this contract. If my services and duties have been performed to the best of my skills, without a fault intentionally made, I am entitled to monetary compensation, of such an amount, as to allow me to start my new life outside of this household. If such is my desire, I swear to undergo the appropriate ritual which would remove any knowledge of details and information I have learned regarding XTTALDSN OAKD, his servants and his household.”

That part was reasonable enough. Though, somehow Octavia felt that once the Fixer had her ensnared with this agreement, there would be no escape. And somehow, she doubted that this compensation would even come close to the hundred thousand crowns standing in front of her.

She would need to be insane to choose this over the money. Sure, the life of a fixer sounded interesting, but it was no walk in the park. There would be plenty of danger and the constant fear of death. It was no life for her. Abyss take it, if she had any interest in risking her life, she would have become an adventurer. All Octavia wanted was to be a tailor.

Then again, her dad always used to say that if anything looks too good to be real, it probably isn’t. There just had to be some catch with taking the money. But the girl could not see it. She pushed her mind to the point where a pretty nasty headache was forming at the back of her skull. It was then she remembered she had Prima’s journal.

The item stood in her lap, waiting to be opened. Waiting to share its secrets. Gently she picked the small book and touched the old leather. Opening it felt like intruding. But why should Octavia care? Whoever this Prima was, she was dead for hundreds of years now.

“Because she was a real person and she deserves some respect,” she chastised herself. Still, that did not stop her from opening the book and flipping through the pages, before settling back to the first one.

“Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men… by Lord Acton,” Octavia had never heard of such a man, but perhaps he was a minor lord somewhere in the country back in the days.

“Each time Master speaks of the Hiro Itami or the other four Heroes, he starts with this line. I do not understand why he speaks with such hate about them. If he didn’t like them, why bother to tell me every night of their stories…”

“I can think of a few reasons,” Octavia murmured to herself and flipped through the pages.

“Day 64: I don’t care anymore! It’s just not fair. Why does Seconda get to spend so much time with Master? They get to do all those exciting things, while I’m stuck in this house. Sure, there are chores to do, floors to clean, but it’s only five rooms. I’m tired of hearing them tell me my body is weak. And I’m tired of Seconda pretending to be better, just because she’s a vampire…”

“He likes to keep interesting company.” Somehow Octavia was not surprised by this.

“Day 852: The expansion of the house is going smoothly. All the workers are so polite. It’s nice to have some company after what happened to Andy. I still don’t understand why Master beat him so badly. Seconda tried to explain it to me, but all she did was make me more confused than I already was. Andy was such a polite boy, always brought me fresh flowers…”

“Oh, you poor thing.” Octavia shook her head. “He did not allow anyone else to love you.”

She closed the book and examined it. Yes, her eyes were not lying to her. The item was rather thin, yet each day had a page dedicated to it. So, this is an enchanted tome. Those were quite the expensive luxury. Octavia looked at the other seven similar items and chuckled. Why was she surprised, the Fixer was loaded. Which was a good argument for her to stay if she thought about it. If she stayed, a lot of luxuries she could never afford will be within her reach.

“No! Get a hold on yourself girl!” Octavia slapped her face to stop this dangerous line of thinking. One last try. if she did not see anything worthy to change her mind, she was taking the money.

“Day 2465: I’m getting weaker with every passing day. To make matters worse, Seconda has made her mind and is going to leave us. She and Master have been arguing a lot about it. He insists she takes the money they earned while cleaning the Guild’s messes. Sometimes he is too kind. Seconda is a vampire, a former Dark Knight to the Demon King himself and is centuries older than either of us. If anyone can survive on her own it is her. I... I will miss her.”

So, there was someone who left the Fixer. This was really good news. A plan was forming in Octavia’s head. She had to learn all she could about this Seconda and where she might be. There was a good chance she would still be around, being a vampire. Well, that was also a problem, since their kind and humans did not like each other. But the risk was worth it.

Before the month is over, Octavia needs to find a way to contact Seconda. She would unearth every hidden hurdle with either of her choices. If they thought they could trap Octavia, they were going to be very surprised. For now, she would take none of the offered options and play along with the Fixer’s insane act. Asking for more time to think the offer over was a reasonable request.

The girl looked at the books lined on the small table. Yes. That would work and the man had given her the means to enact her plan.

 

---

 

“Rise and shine!” The rude yell accompanied the bucket of water which Piper splashed on Octavia.

As far as rude awakenings go, this was on top of the list. Was the Ranger insane? Miss Rex had kept both herself and Septima awake halfway through the night! Drinking the Fixer’s expensive liquor, demanding dishes she did not touch and making a mess of the place.

“Come on, girly! Out of bed!” The Ranger shrieked and the leather whip in her hands cracked. “Your master told me to whip your scrawny ass into shape and I plan to do exactly that!”

Suppressing her anger, Octavia removed the wet covers and sat on the edge of the bed. Her maid’s uniform was neatly folded on the chair next to the desk. That would not do for whatever Piper had planned. Perhaps, the short skirt and the bra-like armour would be a better choice. However, those were way too revealing. She really should have asked for some proper clothing to train in.

“What are you waiting for! I said get out of bed!” Piper shouted and the whip cracked again, kissing the side of Octavia’s butt cheek with its tip.

“Hey! That hurt!”

“It will hurt again if you don’t get moving, girly.” The Ranger’s sadistic smile confirmed that she was no joking.

“Can I at least get dressed first…”

“Here’s your first lesson princess,” Piper leaned forward and placed her strong hand on Octavia’s shoulder. “When someone’s coming to kill you, they don’t care if you are dressed or butt naked. Now get moving!”

The woman pulled on her shoulder, forcing her off the bed and onto the floor. She then kicked her legs and the whip cracked again, stirring Octavia into action. Crawling on all fours at first, before gaining enough momentum to go into a full sprint through the house’s corridors. All the while the Ranger herded her like an animal towards the gardens.

“Don’t worry, sweetheart, since this is your first day, I’m going to go easy on you!” Piper shouted after her as Octavia bolted through the door. Her bare feet hitting the gravel of the garden’s path, sending jolts of pain through her entire body.

“Thirty laps and you can go make breakfast!” The cracking of the whip punctuated every word, promising misery if the girl thought to disobey. “If you need to piss or shit, you can do so. But you can’t stop running. Am I clear?”

Octavia’s vision blurred as tears gathered in her eyes. The stone gravel was slowly stripping away the skin from her soles.

“I asked you a question!” Another loud crack and the tip of the whip kissed the girl’s shoulder. It was the surprise more than the pain, which caused her to lose her footing and tumble to the cold ground. “Who said you can stop?”

Piper’s slap on her butt forced Octavia back into a sprint. “Am I clear?”

“Yes!” Octavia cried out.

“Good. Now slow down, idiot. If you keep this pace, you’ll tire yourself in a minute.” She did as instruct. The muscles in her legs already screaming in pain. “And don’t forget to breathe! In… Hold it… And out… Repeat…”

By the tenth lap, Octavia no longer cared that the sun had not pierced the horizon. By the fifteen, she no longer cared that she was running in circles in her undergarments. And by the time she started the twentieth, she had no idea if she was dead or alive. She was not sure if she managed to do thirty laps. All she knew was that she was sitting at the kitchen table, staring into a half-eaten breakfast and a cold cup of bitter tea.

“When you are finished, go get yourself dressed. This is not a brothel.” Septima hissed at her from across the table.

Octavia blinked and looked at herself. She was still in her undergarments. Her body was covered in dirt and dust and scratches. And in the name of Marthal! She smelled like a sewer from the sweat.

“I should go take a bath…”

“A little too late for that. You have chores to take care of. I’ll forgive you for skipping the breakfast preparation this time. Lunch should be ready in two hours.” Septima threw a wet cloth at her face. “You can clean yourself on your way to your room.”

As the maid stood up, she looked at her with disgust. “I’ll be teaching you about herbs while we dust the library and the storeroom. Tomorrow you will be making potions with them, so you better pay attention.”

 

---

 

Octavia screamed in pain as the practice sword landed on her shoulder. She could barely lift the shilled strapped to her left arm anymore. When was this day going to end? After the torturous run, she had spent hours on her feet, cleaning, dusting, climbing ladders and stairs while she carried the buckets of fresh water needed to clean all the windows in the house. And through it all Septima had not stopped talking. She showed her herbs of various sizes and shapes and scolded her whenever she did not do a good enough job cleaning the damned house.

And when finally, Octavia thought she would be allowed to get some rest, those two devils forced her into the training gear from her wardrobe and marched her back to the gardens. For the last two hours, the girl endured a thorough beating from Piper, while the woman taught her the importance of using a shield properly. What frightened Octavia was no longer the pain, it was that she had to endure a month of this.

“That is enough for today, Miss Rex,” Septima said in a voice as cold as an icicle from the nearby bench.

“Oh? I think she could go for another round,” Piper smiled, looking as perky as when they had started.

“You agreed to the schedule, Master outlined. It clearly states that the training day ends at sunset.” Even Octavia could hear the warning in the maid’s voice.

“Really? I don’t recall anything like that,” Piper squared her shoulders, shifting the grip on the training sword on her hand. “Are you going to try and stop me, Rebeca? Yeh, dear, I heard all about you in the Guild. That’s some story, ain’t it?”

Septima’s eye twitched and her face became harder. The colour of her eyes shifted to bright blue, faster than Octavia could blink.

 “I will if I have to.” The maid remained seated and motionless. Piper on the other head gave a muted yelp of surprise and dropped the training sword. A layer of frost covered the handle of the wooden blade.

“Ok. Ok. I get it. You win this time.” Piper lift her hands and took a step back.

The Ranger turned around and offered a hand to Octavia. Helping her to her feet the woman used the motion as an excused to whisper in her ear.

“You better watch yourself around her, kid. Rebeca the Ice Queen is a dangerous mage. Of the insane type.” She then added in a louder voice. “Get yourself some rest. You are doing another thirty laps tomorrow morning and archery in the afternoon.”

She had to be kidding. Octavia could barely feel her arms and legs and she was going through the same thing tomorrow! If they wanted to kill her, there were better ways to do it. Faster too.

 

---

 

As promised, the next day brought with it fresh torture. At least this time, she was given enough time to sleep, wake up and get dressed. This didn’t mean much, since her whole body was numb and every movement caused agony. The soles of her feet were raw and if not for the exhaustion, she wouldn’t have been able to seep at all.

At least this time she remembered finishing the thirty laps, with no small help from Piper’s whip. By the time she reached the room Septima had told her to go to, Octavia was limping like a horse with a broken leg. The maid was waiting for her inside.

“Take a seat and remove your shoes,” she commanded without looking up from the book in her hands.

Obediently, or rather too tired to care that she was ordered around, Octavia sat on the nearest chair. The room resembled a kitchen. However, there were fewer plates and cups. In their place were glass tubes and brass pots. Various herbs, both dry and fresh were scattered around in what looked like a chaotic mess.

Placing a small metal sheet between the pages she was reading, Septima closed the book. Her mouth twisted at the sight of Octavia’s feet.

“Not good. That bitch knows no self-control. If the wounds are not treated, they will get infected.” The maid placed a finger over her lips and started to tap at them rhythmically.

“That, however, might be tricky. You are the owner of Lexi’s Flower, and I am not exactly sure how that talent works.” Septima began to rummage through the herbs, examining each one with care, before discarding it.

“You and Miss Rex don’t like each other, do you?” Octavia asked in hope to get rid of the uncomfortable silence.

“She’s a” Septima paused, “viper. She hates mages from the bottom of her black heart.”

“I see…”

“No, you don’t.” The old woman sighed. “This is not reasonable hate, caused by past trauma. It is irrational, bigoted hatred, with no logic behind it. Place your arms forward and don’t move.”

Septima took a thin knife and made two cuts on each of Octavia’s forearms. Before the girl could protest, she placed different herbs on the left one. A minute past and nothing happened. At least nothing Octavia could feel.

“Well, I expected as much,” Septima brushed away the dried leaves and retrieved a potion from one of the shelves. “Give me your finger.”

The moment the liquid touched her skin, Octavia screamed in pain. Quickly, the maid poured some water on the digit and the pain stopped as the liquid was washed away.

“If you are trying to kill me, just do it!” Octavia barked and pulled her arm away.

“Don’t be stupid. But I did not expect that. Not after what happened in the dining room. This was a mild acid, far less potent than Rot Venom.” Septima produced a new potion and grabbed the girl’s arm.

This time the result was far more pleasant. Though that was not hard to achieve. In a flash, the pain was gone and the skin of her finger smoother than it had been before.

“So normal potions do work on you.”

What followed was madness. The maid used different combinations of the acid and healing potion on Octavia. With a forearm guard on one hand. Without one. With one on each hand. After each attempt, she wrote something in a book she had placed on a small table. When or where the item had come from, Octavia did not care. All that mattered was that the girl wanted for it all to end.

After hours of mixing various concoctions, Septima smiled. The gesture made the young woman flinch.

“Thank you, my dear. The results I obtained are more than I could have hoped for. I have a better understanding of the effects of Lexi’s Flower and its workings along with your other talents and traits.”

“Ok…” Octavia scoffed. Although outraged to be used as a test subject, she was glad for having the time to just sit back and relax her aching muscles. If only her headache could disappear, everything would be fine with the world.

“You should be more excited, my dear,” Septima chuckled, her insane smile never dropping from her face. “It is the kind of knowledge you should be very interested in yourself since it can mean the difference between life and death to you.”

“And are you going to share it with me?” Octavia was getting tired of this. And, if she was not wrong, she would need to head to the garden soon, for her lesson with Piper.

“Yes, yes, of course. As long as you do not wear anything that normal people perceive as armour, healing potions will work just fine. Partially armoured, you must use acids. Not poisons! To heal the body parts which are clad in armour. But you can still use healing potions on the parts that are not. And if you have equipped a full set of armour, well, using healing potions will most likely kill you. In addition to that, herbs have absolutely no effect on you, unless they have been refined into a potion. Be it a healing one or a poisonous or acidic one.”

“That sounds rather complex,” Octavia said, worried for her future. Septima was right, she needed to know all this. But remembering all of it, when the maid said it in a single breath was too much.

“Don’t worry. I’ll write it down for you. And for your own safety, never share this information with anyone who you do not trust.” Septima’s smile grew wilder and its insanity slipped into her eyes. “Now, let’s fix your feet before you are late for Miss Bitch’s archery lesson.”