“You have questions. I can’t answer them if you don’t ask.” Quinta’s softly spoken words reminded Octavia that for the last five minutes or so, she had been standing at the door of the cabin they had entered.

This was someone who had lived for centuries and knew all there was to know about the Fixer, about pretty much everything the girl wanted to know about her position. The crippled elf was perhaps the best person to ask for advice on where her loyalty should be. But at the same time, Octavia had been fixated on the woman’s broken body. How could one carry on after such depilating injuries?

Losing an arm, although very unfortunate, was not a death sentence for a mage. But the legs as well… Octavia regrated having seen what was hidden under the blanket on the woman’s lap. The left leg missing from the knee as was the ankle of the right one. Whoever had allowed her to survive such injuries had to be a sadistic monster. It would have been a kindness to slit the elf’s throat.

“It’s about my, let’s say, condition that you wish to ask first.” Quinta smiled a mirthless smile. “Both Sexta and Septima had the same expression as you do now.”

With some effort, the woman navigated the chair between the furniture in the rather spacious room and picked the kettle hanging above the fireplace. Placing the scalding iron on her lap, she moved to the table. Octavia froze between shouting a warning, jumping to help and staying rooted on the spot, which culminated in a strangled squeaking sound escaping her lips.

“What is wrong, my dear?” Quinta asked, giving her a confused look.

“The kettle… Your leg… Burning…” Octavia could barely form a coherent sentence as she watched smoke rise, from where the utensil was positioned.

“Oh!” Quinta giggled and shook her head. “Is that it? You needn’t worry, sister Octavia. I cannot feel a thing from below my waist. A rather misfortunate side-effect of having your spine broken. I must say, I did not expect you to care this much about wellbeing, considering we barely know one another…”

Octavia could no longer stand idle and listen to the elf’s rambling. Not feeling pain was one thing, but deliberately inflicting further horrific injuries upon herself was another. Shaking off the hesitation she felt, the girl jumped over the sofa placed in the middle of the room and kicked the kettle from Quinta’s lap.

“That was very impolite of you!” The elf snapped and for a second lightning danced in her eyes. As soon as it formed, it disappeared as she looked at the burn mark on her dress. “Oh my! How terribly absentminded of me… It looks like I’ve ruined the dress Nerthus gave me as a gift. She is going to be angry with me again. What should I do? Perhaps, I can…”

“What was that all about?!” Octavia shouted, putting an end to the endless stream of words coming from the elf. “No one can be this absentminded! Clueless doesn’t even start to explain why you would do something like this! Do you have a death wish or somethin -”

The very moment the words escaped her mouth, Octavia realised her mistake. It was stupid of her to even mention it. Of course, the woman had a death wish, which was only natural. The girl couldn’t begin to imagine what agony it must be to exist in this state.

“No, no, no,” Quinta shook her head, but Octavia noticed that she now avoided looking at her. “I’m quite fond of staying alive and have no desire to meet Saya.”

Mumbling a few words in the elvish language, Quinta focused her attention on the spot where the kettle had spilt its content. Octavia could feel the magic contained within those words, and watch with child-like fascination as the mess was cleaned. A second later, she could feel magic oozing from the chair-bound woman. Reflexively, the girl reached for the short sword on her hip.

“Do not be afraid, sister.” Another string of words and the ruined dress was repaired, the burned fabric as new as the day it was made. In its place a bright red spot formed, as blood from the wound underneath it seeped into the expensive silk, staining it crimson.

“This is not good. Hurry and stand behind me.” Although said calmly, Octavia could feel an urgency in the elf’s voice. “Damn it, there’s so much of it, that she’s definitely going to smell it.”

“Can’t you heal it with magic?” Octavia demanded as she knelt down to inspect the wound.

“I can’t. I’m not a healer. Now get behind me quickly.” Quinta’s calm expression cracked while she pulled on her arm.

It was an odd sensation. Like before, magic was flowing out of the elf, so potent it felt like someone was trailing dying embers where the woman’s fingers touched her. Yet, her grip was so very weak, almost frail. Octavia was about to shrug off the hand when the door of the cabin was ripped from its hinges and sent flying into the room. A step behind it came Seconda.

The vampire was the embodiment of fury. Her face twisted by anger and a pair of twin curved short swords in her hands. However, the girl could see worry in those inhuman eyes, that were looking at her with the promise of a slow agonising death. Seconda’s lips moved and a second later, when they were motionless once more, the sound reached Octavia.

“Weaken Affliction. Pestilent Touch. Curse of Decay.” The fixer-in-training had never heard of someone casting three spells at a time and at a speed that defied reality.

Octavia had enough time to jump to her feet, but it was not fast enough. Seconda was upon her. With a punch, the vampire sent her flying into the wall, before pinning her in place with one of her swords. The blade sank deep into the girl’s abdomen, sending a wave of pain through her body. Oddly enough, it wasn’t as painful as Octavia expected it to be. She knew how a stab felt, she knew how a killing blow felt and she knew the agony of having her life fade away. And this was nothing like what she had experienced in her original body.

Sure, the wound was real, as was the blade, and the pain was definitely nothing to make light of, but it all felt distant. It was almost as if Octavia was experiencing it as an observer. If she had to put it into words, being stabbed was more of a shock than anything else. In no way was that a normal reaction, she couldn’t feel the rush of adrenaline and the particular excitement that usually overcome her. A worrying thought passed through her mind, as Octavia stared at the sword sticking out from her gut. Was this the result of the magics Seconda used?

“I’ll deal with you later.” The vampire hissed with unbridled hatred. She then turned towards Quinta; her tone changed to one of controlled anger as she admonished the elf. “I warned you!”

“Sister,” Quinta began to speak, her calm demeanour cracking further, “it’s not like that, Octavia was…”

“Zlut uv!” Seconda growled, silencing whatever the elf had to say. “Your days are numbered Naris. There’s a limit to how long Lord Methaas’ artefacts can sustain you.”

The lack of worry from both women, that she was slowly dying, perturbed Octavia. Well, she expected it from the vampire, but not from Quinta. So far, the elf had been presenting herself as someone who genuinely cared to form some sort of a connection. To make things more confusing, the girl was still conscious, and that didn’t look to change any time soon. Nothing was making sense. The more she thought about it, the less real this entire situation felt.

Trying to focus on the conversation between Seconda and Quinta only made things worse. Their words dissolved into a garbled mess. Like a wave the colour of the world around her drained, sending a wave of panic through Octavia.

“Hello, silly!” Vinn’s excited face popped into her vision from above, forcing Octavia to look up. The monster was standing on the wall.

She gave the girl a wide grin and giggled. “It’s been soooo long since I last saw you! How you doin’?”

“How? Why? What’s…” Octavia felt sluggish, the questions of what was happening bombarding her mind.

“Hi, Vinn, it’s so nice to see you again!” The monster chirped and dropped from the wall in a single step, her cheerful expression souring as she looked into Octavia’s eyes. “Is it so hard to say it? Instead, you always ask silly questions that put poor little Vinn in… What was the word, your kind uses again? Yes! Hot water!”

“Hi, Vinn. It is nice. To see you again.” Octavia said stiffly, not daring to look away from the monster looming over her.

“Nope, it’s too late. The moment’s gone,” Vinn scoffed, trying her best to look crestfallen. Which was quite impressive with the massive smile splitting her face.

The large wings on her back spread out, and the creature leapt into the air. For a long while, she continued to glide through the room in a chaotic pattern, making sharps turns mid-flight that spat into the face of reality. As if on a whim, Vinn drifted towards Octavia, and as she examined her nails… claws, the girl corrected herself seeing how unnaturally long and sharp they had become.

“Remember how, some millennia ago, we talked about all those favours I was doing and how you agreed to do a small little task for Lexi?” Vinn said in a way that filled Octavia’s heart with dread. “Well, can you imagine my surprise when I found out dear old Sally’s not buried in a ditch?”

The First Dragon’s youthful face turned into one of shock and dismay. “It looked something like this.”

“That…”

“No, no, no, no,” Vinn shook her head and placed a finger on Octavia’s lips. “You get to talk in a bit. I’ve prepared this very good speech. Took me a decade to make sure it was just right.”

She winked and cleared her throat. “Now, Vinn was probably not clear the last time we spoke. Perhaps, my cheerful nature made you think that there was plenty of time to accomplish your part of the deal. I’ll concede, that was most likely a mistake on that Vinn’s part.”

The monster stopped its floating and sat cross-legged on the floor. Curiously she reached for the kettle’s lid checking the content stored inside it.

“They never have anything good to snack on here,” Vinn scoffed, losing interest in the content of the kettle almost immediately. “Where was I? Hmm… Hmm…”

She stood motionless, tapping one of her clawed fingers on her lips. Still doing that, Vinn stood up and began to circle Seconda and Quinta. Sniffing and pocking at them, the First Dragon continued like this for a long while, before finally lifting the elf from her chair. A broad smile spread on her face as she picked a small bag that was hidden there. Dropping Quinta unceremoniously, she tore into the bag with gusto, devouring its content in seconds.

“I knew it,” Vinn spoke as she swallowed before making her way back to Octavia. “Narri always has something sweet tucked away! And she is always trying to hide it from me.” She added somewhat annoyedly.

“Right, Vinn remembers what she wanted to say.” The monster in human form leaned forward staring into Octavia’s eyes. So, close the girl could feel her breath on her face. “You might have misunderstood that when I said Sally had to die, that you had all the time in the world. What I really meant was that she had to die as quickly as possible.”

“I’m not mad or angry,” a deep growl thundered in Vinn’s chest as she leaned even closer and all Octavia could see were her glistening purple eyes. “I mean, if I was really angry with you, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”

Vinn dropped to the floor again, pressing her index finger against the sword sticking from Octavia’s gut. “I guess, you could say that Vinn is frustrated and disappointed.”

The girl tried her best to suppress the scream of pain forming in her throat. This felt worse than what Piper Rex did to her, and Octavia was completely helpless to prevent it. Her body refused to obey her, her mouth refused to form words and her wound refused to bleed.

“I actually worked really hard to prepare everything and present you with a perfect opportunity. Do you have any idea how hard it is to arrange for both Yaghaty and Sally to misstep while concealing yourself from the eyes of Gods, Goddesses and all manner of nasty things beyond your comprehension?”

There was nothing remaining of Vinn’s previously cheerful attitude. Briefly, the outlines of scales appeared on her face and her jaws snapped with a terrifying finality. Vinn’s body seemed to grow to absurd proportions filling all the space within the cabin. There was no question about it, if she wanted Octavia dead, there was absolutely nothing the girl could do to prevent it.

“And I’m disappointed that you wasted all this time, trying to come to terms with what happened. Honestly, silly, I had a different impression of you. You were a fierce, brutal, primal animal. The Octavia you met when we first talked, was… is, a merciless killer”

“You know,” Vinn continued, as her appearance returned to what Octavia considered normal, “I never expected that you’d turn out like this when I did my snap-snap and merged your memories.”

“Like, you know, put together the two of you and I was sure I’d have the perfect killer.” At that Vinn looked Seconda and Quinta. “A monster, as your kind likes to put it. Just like them.”

“It’s one of the reason’s I spend so much time you ten,” There was melancholy in Vinn’s voice. And just like that, her hand jumped over her mouth.

“Urgh! No! I did it again! Don’t listen… Well, you know, what I meant to say was eight. Yes, eight.” The First Dragon paused for a moment. “Technically it’s seven, cause Prima doesn’t count. Although… And this is just between us two, she was a monster in other ways.”

Again, Vinn jumped into the air. Spreading her wings and moving erratically she continued to speak. “I shouldn’t have said that. Stupid, Vinn! Stupid! Leon knows where your heart is, and you promised yourself that you weren’t going to piss him off.”

She looked pleadingly at Octavia. “You’re not going to say a thing, right? Cause we are friends, right silly?

“Dang it! I shouldn’t have said that too, because Miss vampire doesn’t know! And if she learns about it, she might tell Methaas and he’s been trying to remove me from the number one spot…”

With every word, the monster’s movements became more erratic, until she was fading in and out of reality. At the same time, the terror that had gripped Octavia lessened and she could form words again. Unable to stay silent, the girl used this opportunity to finally speak her mind.

“It’s all your fault! You said I had decades!” She screamed as if she could forget a single word of that conversation. “Even now I stand no chance against someone like the former Guild Master Yaghaty! Every time you appear in my life, I suffer! And you dare blame me for your mistakes. Perhaps I should tell Seconda of what you said about…”

On second thought, antagonizing the monster that could control reality was not the best idea. Octavia could feel her heart skip a beat, while Vinn looked at her quizzically. No, she corrected herself, there was more in those bright purple eyes. She was looking at Octavia the same way she looked at the breakfast Septima used to prepare for her. Will it upset my stomach if I eat it? That was it. This look made the girl realise how insignificant she appeared to the First Dragon.

“I’m not strong enough,” Octavia had to salvage this before it was too late. “But they are,” she nudged her chin towards Seconda and Quinta, “with their help I can…”

“There’s fire in you.” Out of nowhere, a pair of glasses appeared on Vinn’s face.

With a lightning-fast flick of her wrist, she produced a long scroll and began to read from it.

“Quinta, Narris Kre of the Razsa Elves. Also known as Narris the Broken, the fifth to serve as the Fixer’s servant and right hand for ninety-nine years. Two hundred and thirty-seven years old, by the way. Notable talents include; Guardian, Farseer, Illusionist of Evaluation. But look at that.” Vinn clocked her tongue. “Born without traits. As per Razsa tradition, her right arm was cut at the elbow and offered as an apology to the Wyn, God of Love and Fertility.”

The monster’s hands shuffled through the scroll, as she skipped a rather large portion of it.

“Worked as a Fixer since she was fifteen. Likes to mentally torture her victims. Fanatically loyal to the Fixer. Planned to kill you if you failed her Evaluation. What else? Oh, right. Had her right ankle bitten off by a pale-wolfhound. The left leg was eaten by Terry the Cannibal when she botched a job. And finally, her spine broken and major organs damaged by a troll, because she thought she could carry on working as Fixer.”

“For your information, in order to walk, she used some very cursed artefacts of Amber that she fashioned into very complex one-of-a-kind prosthetics. The only reason she’s not dead is because, Ner over there bonded a petrified drop of Methaas’ blood in her heart.” Vinn threw the scroll away and rolled her eyes. “Yeh, she’s just the helpful kind you want by your side.”

“In Vinn’s opinion, which is never wrong, she’s the most unstable and twisted of all the Fixer’s servants.” Another scroll appeared in the monster’s hand.

“Seconda, Nerthus Sabina-Eleanora Scilla. A former Dark Knight of the seventeenth Demon King. The second to serve the Fixer as a servant and first to serve as his right hand. Look at that, she’s been by his side for nine hundred years exactly since yesterday. I really should get her a present. But nothing sharp… Or blunt. What do you think a good presant will be?”

“I…” Octavia was unsure what to say. Was the monster really asking about her opinion or only rumbling?

“Right, right, right,” Vinn smiled at her, revealing a row of sharp teeth. “I was making a point. Ner, over there, has a surprisingly short list of traits. Daughter of Methaas, being the most noteworthy one. Well, she’s not his daughter, but she can trace her lineage directly to the First Vampire.”

The monster scoffed at that. It was becoming obvious that she did not like the man in question or vampire in this case.  

“Immortal is another trait, but all pure-blood vampires have that one. Did you know that you humans assume that immortal means unkillable? Which is a mistake of course. It only means that she won’t age.” Vinn chuckled at the remark. “Let’s see, what else… Higher Regeneration, Major Endurance, Greater Strength, Accelerated Speed, Everlasting Flower, I really like that one. Overall, pretty standard.”

At that point, Vinn sat in Quinta’s lap and yawned.

“As for talents, Ner’s include Dark Knight… Something like your human Paladins, but all spooky and doing unholy rituals. Well, they are holy to them, but unholy to you. Charm Gaze, but you already know about this one. And finally, Sacrifice. That’s a nasty one for her kind.” The First Dragon shivered.

“When sacrificing her body to protect the weak or those she cares about, her physical prowess is tripled. During all other times, it’s halved, and with her traits, that makes her almost as strong as an adamantine adventurer. But this is the best part, and I’m sure you’ll like it.”

Vinn dropped the scroll and removed the glasses from her face. She smiled broadly and leapt towards Octavia. The monster’s hands slammed into the wall on both sides of her head with enough force to shake the entire cabin.

“Ner hates anyone with red eyes, and yours are as red as they can be.” The malice on Vinn’s face disappeared and its place was an expression of concern. “I mean, it’s not personal. Damn it Vinn, you have to explain things properly! It’s a religious thing. You see, silly, pure-blood vampires see red eyes as a mark of Satronias, however, they don’t worship the God of Bloodshed and Slaughter. On the contrary, all pure-blood vampires are followers of the Goddess of Duty – Itry.”

“Learning things is fun, isn’t it?” Vinn asked as she pulled Octavia up.

As an afterthought, she pulled the blade from the girl’s gut and threw it to the ground. The gaping wound began to heal almost immediately, although the pain remained even after the skin had closed.

“I don’t understand,” Octavia finally managed to say after a moment and after realising that the First Dragon was done speaking. “Why are you doing this? Why are you telling me all this?”

“Several reasons, silly,” one of the fingers on Vinn’s hand shot up. “First, to punish you. Second,” another finger shot up, “because it’s fun. Third, although I admit that I kind of, maybe made a mistake explain things the first time around, to help you.”

Another finger, followed by a change in Vinn’s tone to a more serious one. “Four, to protect an investment. Neither of those two is going to lift a finger to help you. This brings me to number five, And the entire reason I took control of Narris’ illusion…”

“Wait! All of this is an illusion?” Octavia couldn’t believe it. It was all so real.

At least until the moment, Vinn had appeared. This, in turn, made her wonder how difficult it would be to face against an experienced mage. That was, assuming that what Vinn said was true because Octavia hadn’t heard any spell being used, nor had she seen the elf’s eyes change as they did for anyone who uses silent casting.

“Of course, it is!” Vinn chimed. “Oh! You didn’t notice. You didn’t notice! You didn’t notice!”

The childish mocking continued for long enough to become irritating. It was becoming too much for Octavia and she snapped at the giggling monster.

“Stop lying to me! You’ve had your fun.” She added in a calmer voice, once Vinn turned to look at her again.

“I don’t need to lie.” The warning was hard to miss. “Narris is a Razsa.” It was said in a tone as if it explained everything.

A moment later, seeing no reaction from Octavia, Vinn panicked and continued at a breath-taking speed.

“You don’t know what that is? Oh, boy… We have a problem here. I should’ve noticed it sooner, but if I wanted to punish you so, it skipped my mind. All three of you have never met her before. Right. Right. You haven’t, cause two of you are two young and the older you never got the chance because events played differently for her. I mean you. And I also wanted to mess up with Narris’ plans because of reasons. Which was my fifth point, in case you were wandering…”

“Vinn!” Octavia shouted to get the monster’s attention. “Focus.”

It was strange to act in this way, but the girl had come to terms that there was nothing she could do or say that could potentially change the First Dragon’s mind. And as it looked, at least for the moment Octavia was safe.

“What? I’m being very focused.” Vinn paused and began to gently float through the air again.

“Well?” Octavia asked after a while, sharper than intended, but her patience was running thin  

“Well, what?” Vinn shrugged. “Oh, right. My bad. Razsa elves can cast magic through touch. Right now, you are standing by the door, while Narris observes your reaction with a knife pressed against your pretty stomach. That’s why you can’t move. It’s not my fault. Vinn is responsible only for the pain.”

In the blink of an eye, she was next to Octavia. The First Dragon’s warm breath tingled the girl’s ear.

“When I leave, this very nasty test will resume from the start. You will do whatever Narris tells or asks of you. You will warn her about the kettle and will refuse any food or drink she offers. The elf cannot learn that you are one of Lexi’s flowers. Some very bad things will happen if she does.”

“But…” Octavia’s protest was silenced by one of Vinn’s fingers pressing against her lips.

“This warning comes from the Goddess of Pestilence and Decay. I honestly don’t know why, but Lexi’s really taken a liking to you. And after all of this is over and have said your goodbyes to Rebeca, you will leave. Go to Grentis Town to register as a Fixer.”

“And after that?” Octavia asked, some of the fear returning in her heart. She was going to be nothing but a pawn in a game that she didn’t understand.

“Don’t be silly, silly. I’m not going to tell you how to live your life. I’m sure that if you follow my very well crafted guidance, things will work out.”

With that, Vinn slapped her on the back and the world around Octavia became a hurricane of images. Forgetting any embarrassment or dignity, the girl threw up.