This was not good. Definitely not good. At this rate, Octavia was going to die. It was a miracle that Piper’s arrow had missed anything import when it pierced the side of her left flank. How had that bitch figured out what the Fixer was doing? Well, that was easy to answer. It was all Octavia’s fault. To think she trusted the woman, even after both her master and Septima warned her.

“Octavia, dear, you are a colossal idiot!” She hissed and broke the shaft of the arrow. “And you really screwed this time…”

There was nothing she could do. Piper was a seasoned adventurer and the men with her were professionals. The way they incapacitated Septima and were chasing Octavia around the house was proof enough. It was only a miracle she made it this far.

Well, not really. It was all thanks to the training she got over the last month. Piper’s brutal insistence she did laps in the garden was paying off. But the main reason were Septima’s private lessons. The old woman had pushed Octavia’s Quick Sleeper and Fast Stamina Recovery traits to their limits. And it was all worth it.

Because of this, she had learned the Silent Step, Dodge and Awareness skills. But they are all defensive skills. Without proper weapons and her special cursed armour, Octavia could not go on the offence. Not that it would change anything, but if she had to choose how she died, it would be screaming and kicking.

“Where did you ran off to, sweetheart?” She could hear Piper calling. A psychotic glee in her rasping voice. So, Septima’s last spell had inflicted some damage.

“Lexi, please hear my prayer and bless this bitch’s wounds with your worst infections. Thank you in advance and sorry for the lack of offering, but I’m a little busy right now.” Octavia hissed and hurried to the window.

Somehow, she had ended in the Fixer’s bedroom. From here, if she did not fall off of the thin ledge on the wall, she could reach the dining room. And, if she was lucky, from there she could sneak to the armoury, using the kitchen’s roof. Octavia’s only advantage was, that without Septima to power all the spell in the house, there was no light. All of them were stumbling blindly in the dark.

There was an irony to this development. Up until now, the girl was the one to navigate the house and its corridors blindly. On account of her being too tired to pay any attention to where she was going. Well, this was the only plan she had. It might be stupid, but it was better than nothing.

Reaching the dining room went surprisingly well. Worried as she was Octavia was too cautious to lose her footing. But there was a slight problem. Piper chose the exact same moment as her to get out on the balcony. Not wasting time, and too scared to get another arrow in her, the girl jumped through the window.

It wasn’t her smartest move, but it confused the Ranger, who expected Octavia to drop to the yard below. And here was the second part of her problem. Two of the cloaked men were inside the dining room. At least they were as surprised to see her as she was to see them. Scuttering on all fours, a move Octavia had perfected, she bolted towards the door.

Finding a door in the darkness was not an easy task. That’s why she yelled as soon as her right hand brushed against the handle of one. Slamming the thick wooden sash once she crossed the threshold, produced a pleasant crunching sound and a string of curses from her pursuers. The complete darkness of the room told Octavia one very disturbing thing. It was the Fixer’s private study. The place where this nightmare had started. And it was a dead end.

“Get your scrawny ass out here, you little bitch!” Piper screamed from the other side of the sturdy door. “Have some fucking pride and face your end with some dignity! Cause if you don’t, I’ll fucking skin you alive, whore!”

The Ranger had one thing correct. Octavia could not stay here indefinitely, hoping that the Fixer would return in a day or two. Piper would break through the door sooner or later. The only question was if Octavia would bleed out by then or not. Like it or not, she would have to do something. But first, the girl needed a moment to catch her breath. Spent, both mentally and physically, Octavia slumped to the floor and leaned her body against the nearest bookshelf.

 

---

 

The running no longer bothered her. It was the awakening that was the issue. Not since the first day of her training had Septima and Piper allowed her a good night’s sleep. And that was when those two devils allowed Octavia to sleep at all.

Although, begrudgingly, the girl had to admit that the training was starting to show. There was a little more muscle on her arms and legs, more defined too. Plus, it had an amazing effect on her figure. She was becoming more appealing with each passing day. The others might not share her enthusiasm at this, but it was very important to the young teenage girl.

“That’s enough, sweetheart.” Piper chimed and clasped her hands. Thankfully she had stopped using the whip around the fifteenth day. “The obstacle course is next.”

Octavia sighed. She hated this part. Miss Rex completely destroyed the backyard each morning. It was up to the girl to fix everything before being allowed to go to bed. The course itself was nothing but a set of small ladders, overturned furniture and ropes. There were also several ditches and shallows dug in the ground, but never in the same place. Octavia was willing to sell herself in slavery again, just to learn how Miss Rex managed this feat, while the girl did her laps.

“Pay attention, my dear!” Piper smirked and launched another arrow at her. “If you keep dreaming, I might nick you!” There might be no iron tip to the projectiles, but they could still break the skin.

Octavia vaulted over a heap of chairs and fell first in the wet mud of the ditch behind it. Shit! She should have been able to avoid it. She had done so before. But today, her mind was all over the place and she could not concentrate.

“Stop!” Piper yelled. A hint of anger resonating in her voice. “What’s wrong with you, Octavia? I’ve had to change my aim ten times or I might have blinded you.” The Ranger paused and looked at her. “Do you still have cramps?”

“No…” Octavia shook her head. “Miss Septima’s brew helped with that. It’s just…”

“I’m not a mind reader, girl. Spill it out.” Piper demanded but still helped the girl to her feet.

“It’s just, I have this constant headache and nothing seems to help with it.” There was no turning back now. Octavia had to, needed to share her burdens with someone. Before she knew it, she was crouched on the ground and sobbing like a child.

“Hey! Hey! It’s ok, sweetheart. What’s the matter? You can tell me everything.” Piper wrapped her arm around Octavia’s shoulders and pressed the girl’s head against her chest.

It was all it took to break the young teenager. She began crying in earnest, clinging to this woman she barely knew with all her strength. Why? Because Piper was the first one to actually show her a modicum of compassion. Octavia had never experienced anything like it before. Even her father, as much as he loved her, had kept her at arm’s length. And ever since coming to this house, she has been miserable and alone.

“I… Nothing… Nothing makes sense… anymore,” Octavia managed to squeeze between sobs. “And... and… and… and I’ve been… so lonely!”

“Wow! Stop right there!” Piper suddenly pushed her away as far as her arms could reach, while holding her shoulders. “Look, kid. You are cute and all, but Piper Rex does not have the hots for the ladies. Understand?”

“What?!” Octavia’s blood froze. What was the Ranger talking about? She couldn’t possibly be thinking that Octavia was looking for affection! “No!” She screamed. “No! NO!”

“Then why did you? You know… Try to make a move…”

“I did not! By the Gods! Move your mind out of the gutter,” Octavia laughed despite herself. “I meant that I’ve had no friend to talk to.”

Sure, Piper could be rude, obnoxious and sometimes downright evil. Especially when it came to training. But she was also nice and always prepared all manner of snacks and treats for Octavia when Septima was not around. And not once had she tried to inquire about the Fixer, which made the girl question the man’s warning.  

“Oh… OH!” Miss Rex pulled Octavia to her feet and gave her a hug. A real hug, born out of compassion. “Come with me, sweetheart. Let’s go sit down and have a good long talk. Ok?”

“Ok… Thank you, Miss Rex.”

“No need to be so formal, kid.” The woman smiled and ushered her towards the garden.

They sat on one of the benches, neither wanting to be the first to speak. Octavia suspected that Piper was feeling embarrassed because of her remark. As for the girl. Well, she had no idea what to say, or where to start from. In a sense, she hoped for the adventurer to take the initiative.

“Look, you know how talking works, right?” The Ranger finally said after a few minutes.

“I do. I just…”

“You don’t know what you can tell me and what you cannot.” Piper let out a sight. “So, the rumours are true. The Fixer does force his slave to keep quiet.”

“It’s not that!” For some reason, Octavia felt like she had to defend the man who owned her. “It’s just… I’m not sure how to put it into words, without sounding like a spoiled brat.”

“Ha-ha-ha!” Piper chuckled and hugged her with one arm. “My dear, a spoiled brat is the last thing I would call you. If I can be honest with you. I’ve seen grown hard men crack under less than you’ve gone through in the past month.”

“Right.” The girl could not pretend she believed this.

“It’s true!” The Ranger sounded genially outraged. “I expected you to break after the first week. But you just kept pushing on and on. Do you have any idea how many times I entered your room, expecting a dagger to the neck because you’ve had enough?”

“I would never do something like that!” It was Octavia’s turn to be outraged. The very notion that she would harm another person was horrendous.

“Somehow I doubt that. Don’t get me wrong, kid. But you work for the Fixer. He ain’t exactly known as Mister Sunshine now, is he?” The Ranger’s smile was cold and humourless. “Sure, he is a beast in the bed and can fuck like no other. But I don’t need to tell you this.” Her laugh died down as looked at Octavia’s confused face.

 “Or maybe I do… Honestly, I can't believe he’s not done you at least a couple of times by now.” Miss Rex chuckled only for her face to shift into genuine surprise at the red colour Octavia’s face took.

“Seriously! Shit! Anyway... My point is that although I don’t know what Rebeca is teaching you when I’m not around, I can make a few guesses. And I’m sure they’ll be spot on.” Well, Piper did have a point.

Septima’s lessons were anything but harmless. Unlike the sword and shield, Miss Rex was teaching. The skills, the maid was forcing upon her, were meant to maim and kill. And some of those were rather nasty ways for anyone to go. Brewing and properly using poisons was only the beginning. Unarmed combat, brawling, daggers, traps and how to kill mages quickly. Yes. Little by little Octavia was getting good at using all of these instruments of murder.

“The thing is,” she began, “I’ll have to make a choice when master returns with his charge from Hasker City. I had this plan to prepare myself and meet one of his former… compatriots. You know, to have a better idea what to do.”

“I see,” Piper scratched her chin. “The way I see it, you need a break. I mean, your body could really use some, but your mind is desperately needing it, right now. How about this. There will be no training in the afternoon.”

“Are you sure, Miss Rex?” Octavia could not believe it. She did not expect such kindness from the adventurer. “But isn’t that going to cause trouble with my schedule? The one you have agreed with my master?”

“Let me worry about that,” Piper smiled and pat her on the head. “I’ll sort it with our insane mage, so, why don’t you head inside and get cleaned up. I bet you are freezing by now. I know it’s still fairly warm, but autumn is reaching its end.”

“Thank you! Thank you so much!” It took the Ranger some effort to remove Octavia from her neck. And another ten minutes to finally make head back into the house.

 

---

 

The sound of splitting wood startled Octavia. Damn it, she had passed out. It couldn’t have been for too long, because the door was still holding, despite the few cracks forming on it. Where was she? Right, the Fixer’s private study. The girl winced as she tried to stand up. Her entire left side was pulsating and her maid’s dress felt awfully wet. Curses! She was losing blood fast, and a lot of it.

Great. She was going to die here, only hours after finishing cleaning the damned place. Wait! Because of that bitch Piper, Octavia never finished her task. There should be a pair of spiked knuckledusters on the desk. They were nothing special, but it was better than nothing. Also, the Abyss take Septima. Without her, nothing in this house worked. What was the Fixer going to do when the woman finally pushed daisies?

“He is probably going to find someone else to power all the magics, duh!” The girl grunted as crawled towards the desk.

“Are you sure she’s still alive, boss?” Octavia could hear one of Piper’s cronies ask.

“Yes, I’m sure! My Detect Life skill has never been wrong.” The Ranger’s voice sounded worse than before.

“Can’t we just let her bleed out? You've seen the trail the kid’s left. It won’t be long before she gets to meet Saya in person.”

“The goddess of death will have her turn, but only after I’ve skinned the little brat! She’ll pay for breaking my nose! You hear me, Octavia? I’ll fucking skin you!” As soon as the scream stopped, the banging on the door continued.

By the looks of it, and the way the wood splinter, someone had the bright idea to use an axe to break the door. And by the light seeping from the cracks, they finally decided to use torches. Which meant that either Septima was dead or they could not wake her up. The old maid was already in a bad spot after her illness had drained her strength, to begin with. It was the only reason Piper had overpowered her with such ease.

“In the name of Gods, girl! Worry about yourself for once, will you?” As if she could. It was in Octavia’s nature to put the needs of others before her own. For all the good that did her.

If only she had her armour on, the girl could at least ignore the pain. It was the only thing that seemed to trigger her unique trait. Sure, that would mean she would only die faster, but at least, she would be able to move.

“What’s taking you so fucking long?!” Piper yelled at the person who was chopping at the door.

“Boss!” Someone shouted from further away. “The Ice Queen escaped!”

“You idiots! Useless, the lot of you! Why did that bastard Yaghaty even bother to recommend you all?” Octavia chuckled at Piper’s frustration. Yes, the Ranger should be afraid now. Septima is not to be taken lightly.

“To the Abyss with it all! You three go help the others. And you! Who told you to stop? I wanted that door broken yesterday!” The bitch was obviously losing her temper.

Good. Even it was just to spite her, Octavia would struggle on. Spurred by this, the girl managed to push herself to her feet. Finding the brawling weapons proved to be a simple task. After all, she knew what she had been looking for and where it was supposed to be. Pressing the spikes lightly to her forehead, Octavia willed the headache to go away. Even in her last moments, it was determined to plague her to the very end.

Stepping on the desk and assuming a pose that would help her to lunge at the door, the girl took deep breaths. She no longer cared. Screw her morals and screw her father for abandoning her at such a fragile age. The first person to make it through would be dead.

“We fear the beast folk for their animal nature. But we keep forgetting that we are beasts ourselves. The only difference is, that we have less hair and shorter teeth and claws.” That was Septima’s first lesson when she started teaching how fixers got things done.

“A beast is most dangerous when trapped. Never forget that.” That was the second one.

Yes, Octavia understood that now. She would fight tooth and nail to survive. And should that fail, she would take as many as she could when she had her meeting with Saya. Besides, the girl did not have long to wait. One more hit was all it took to ruin the sturdy barricade separating her from Piper.

Apparently, the crony did not expect it and flew through the opening. Using the desk’s edge, just as Septima had taught her, Octavia lunged to greet him. The spiked knuckleduster on her right arm connected with the man’s right eye, and the girl could feel the organ pop. There was no screaming or curses. All she could feel was her blood sing in pleasure. This was amazing! It felt right. And it would feel even better, once the man was dead.

Thanks to her surprise attack and the extra momentum gained from pushing off the desk, Octavia and her victim landed in the corridor outside the room. She was atop the man, listening to his deathly gurgle and watching his life flow from the crack in his face. It was not enough. The girl rammed her fist into his skull, pushing the broken bones deep into his brain.

“Got you!” Octavia heard someone say, but the voice sounded too distorted for her to put a name to it. Only when did the blade bite at her exposed back, did she return to her senses.

Embracing the pain and using it as a guide, the girl twisted her body. She slammed the Ranger’s kneecap with all her might, taking joy at the scream of pain that issued as a reward for her efforts.

“Fuck you, Piper!” Octavia screamed and climbed on the downed woman like an animal.

She hissed as a knife slid into her already wounded flank and in her anger, the girl bit the Ranger’s cheek tearing a chunk of flesh with her teeth.

“I fucking trusted you, bitch! Thought of you as a friend!” The girl began to hammer at the screaming woman’s face. “What did I ever do to you to deserve this? Fucking nothing!”

A jolt of pain ran through Octavia’s arm as her fist struck the hard floor. As quick as the insanity had taken her, it left her quicker. Spent, the girl collapsed on the ground. Her victims on either side of her. Their blood mixing with hers. Strange, this was not how she imagined dying would feel. Wasn’t there supposed to pain and agony? Weren’t the Gatekeepers of the Underworld supposed to come and greet her?

Whatever, Octavia chuckled, tasting blood in her mouth. Feeling numb wasn’t that bad. Actually, she preferred it. The girl had experienced enough pain. Using the last of her strength, she turned her head to look at the Ranger’s mutilated body and chuckled.

“So… In… short… Fuck... you… Piper…”

Satisfied, Octavia closed her eyes, cursed the damn headache throbbing in her skull and welcomed the darkness like an old friend.