I could tell straightaway that we were in a mansion villa belonging to the Redgraves, but it wasn’t the capitol palace of Sunstone. My clan had been invited there once long ago, and its layout was wholly different from this one.  

As we approached the Marquis' chambers, the security grew tighter than rows of Redgrave soldiers lined the walls, standing as still and silent as stone statues.   

We finally arrived at an ornate door with a floral pattern etched it the wood and with three quick knocks from the captain they granted us entry.     

“Enter,” a voice boomed from the other side of the door. It was firm and confident and fitting of the man who had become known as the Blade of Radiant Flame   

They sure love their fancy titles in the nobility, not like I can judge. I earned myself a repugnant nickname or two over the years.

The room was opulent yet a symbol red carpet lining the floors and a single long table was the only thing of note in the room.   

He was a handsome man with short greyish blue hair slicked back and a scar running along his right cheek. He was garbed in a flowing coat of black and red with a simple white dress shirt underneath.   

“I told them to clean you up, but they’ve somehow exceeded my expectations.”   

The Marquis laughed, rising from his chair.  

“Marvelous work as always Captain, You can leave us.”   

“You honor me, your grace.”   

A swift bowl and my only friend in the world had vanished as quickly as she had appeared. And then it was just a little old me and one of the most important people in the entire Duchy alone.

“You must think me a fool, right?”

“I’m not absurd enough to think the man who lead the Grand Duchy to victory in the five years' war a fool.” I said, trying to meet his gaze.

“And yet here I am alone with one of the greatest assassins in living memory, unarmed and unguarded. Would you not call that foolish?”

“The only thing I was ever the greatest at was disappointing my father.” I said

“The Red Ripper is what they called you if I’m not mistaken. "

“Marquis or not, if you ever call me that again, I’ll slit your pretty throat to the bone and leave you to drown in your own blood.”  

“There she is. There’s the girl who killed fifty men in a single night.”

“I merely wanted to catch a glimpse. That said, I’d like to keep my pretty throat very much un slit,”  

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean too… I…” I fell to my knees and groveled before the Marquis.

How could I say something so repugnant and vile… I’m the worst literal garbage? I’ll never.

“Stand up, young assassin. You gave me exactly what I wanted. We will not admonish you for it. Though I would advise you not to make a habit of threatening a Marquis.”  

To the best of my discernment, he was being sincere. Nothing in his body movements or mannerisms suggested he was acting or down playing his emotions.    

“There is one other task I would have you do for me before we chat and feast.”  

“Follow me.”   

“Sure thing,”

The Marquis leads me down a hallway through a side door in his chambers it lead down a flight of stairs and into the lower levels of the villa, separate from the main dungeons.  

The room they entered was cramped and once again contained only one thing: a man bound in chains and gagged on a dirty rag.  

“I know were this going, I’ll do it, but I need to know why and who the man is.” I sighed, trying to unkink my stiff ass neck.    

“Very well, if the assassin needs a moral compass check. This man is a paedophile and a child killer, likely responsible for the…”

“Enough please. You could have just stopped at pedophiles, say any more and I’ll vomit all the cockroach guts back up.”

“Usually I’d charge a pretty penny for this, but I’ll make an exception for you, your grace.”

“For the record, I’m not killing him. You can have someone else clean up my mess.”

“Does the piece of shit have a name?”

“Jeffrey” The Marquis groaned with disgust

“He would be a Jeffrey. Oh well, I have all I need.”

This was my old stomping ground, my comfort zone. When you’re an assassin, it’s not always a slit of the throat here or a stab in the heart there. No, sometimes our contractors want us to make it slow and painful, so torture is an essential part of our trade.

I walked towards Jeffrey and straddled his lap. This must have made him uncomfortable seeing how I’m not a child, but I need to get nice and close for this part.   

“Hiya Jeffrey, I can call you Jeffrey right? Do you want to know the secret to torturing someone? Everyone makes the mistake of rushing to the fun part. Breaking wheels, thumb screws, fire pokers, molten lead.    

All of them inflict the maximum amount of pain in the quickest amount of time. They’re efficient but woefully dull.

See, a real maestro in the torturous arts knows you take it real slow, slower than a snail crawling on the ground. You start by introducing the small modicum of pain like this.”  

I slapped my victim just hard enough to make it sting and leave a red mark.  

“You make the one being tortured think they’re the one in control, that they’re big and strong and can take whatever you can dish out. You keep working on them nice and steady and then you wear them down, buy upping the pain bit by agonizing bit.  

And if they still haven’t given me want, then I get creative, like this.”

I took Jeffrey by the hand and entwined his grubby fingers with mine.  

“Did you know it takes about one hundred pounds of force per square inch to break a human bone? And that they estimated the average human bite force to be between 120 and 160 pounds per square inch, here let me show you.”

I crunched his pinky finger into my mouth, crushing it and tearing it clean from his hand. Jeffrey screamed through his mouth gag.   

Normally, this would be the part where they talk, but seeing how there isn’t really an end goal here. I’ll just bring it to the climatic finish.    

“Hey Marquis, you got a knife handy or any kind of blade, really?”  

“I thought you might ask that, so I took one from my chambers. Here you are.”

“Thank you kindly,” I said, taking the knife with a twirl.

“Oh serrated, choice.” I giggled.    

I’m such a liar I promised myself that I’d changed, That I was going to leave it all behind and become a better person. But look at how easily I sank back into routine. I’m goddamn good at this. Perhaps this is what I’m made for after all.  

A swift kick and I knocked the wretch from his chair, sending him flying to the stone flooring below.

“Don’t worry Jeffrey, I will not kill you. Hey Marquis, how many children did this bastard kill?”

“There’s eight that we’re aware of, but there’s likely more.”

“Could I trouble you for their names?”  

I clenched the knife in hands with all the grace and poise of surgeon slowing, slicing through the fabric of shit and removing his shirt. He won’t be needing it.   

I forced Jeffrey to lie on his stomach and bound his hands with a gag that had been stuffed in his mouth.

“Now hold still Jeffrey, I don’t want to do this more than once,”  

“Ignis” A small jet of flame danced in my hand and I used to heat the knife until it was glowing red.

“What are you going to do with that?” Jeffrey groaned, straining his neck to look at me.

“I’m going to turn your ugly flesh into a memorial for your victims. I’ll carve their name into your back letter by letter. Ruining you the way you ruined them. Doesn't that sound fun?

Now than t That’s a lot of letters, so let’s get started.”   

“Stop thrashing or this’ll sting.” I giggled as the sound of boiling flesh and shrieking filled the small chamber.