Chapter 68: 65 – Tit for Tat

POV - Steph

It took Sara and I nearly five weeks to ride all the way to my old village. After spending almost four and a half years living in Midnight, I had almost forgotten what the Empire was like. 

I hadn't remembered just how bad all of the towns we went through smelled. I was spoiled by the abundant plumbing and running water in Midnight. All of the enchantments that allow us to have hot water or take baths is a luxury that is simply never seen in the Empire, as only the highest members of society can afford the wood or mages to have these. Not to mention the food. Thankfully, we are vampires now and packed enough blood for the entire trip. I will never miss having to eat goblin meat, like what is served on the streets.

I was blessed with dark and water magic, along with a touch of talent in arcane and fire magic. I'm not a mage by any means. However, I'm able to make sure that Sara and I are relatively comfortable, thanks to my skill in magic I learned by using it daily to clean around the castle.

After the rodent infested inns we stayed at in the first couple towns with their fluid encrusted mattresses, we decided to pass through towns all together. Queen Midnight gave us a big-bag that Queen Nikita made. A boulder-home was one of the many items included. Sara and the queens had used a similar mobile shelter when resting in the dungeon on extended dives. Complete with comfortable beds inside and a bathtub that I can fill and heat with its enchantments. 

It's almost funny that staying in the woods between towns became much more comfortable than staying in the towns themselves. 

For the duration of our travels, we have both been disguised as holy knights. Horses that are as strong and well-bred as ours are a luxury. So much so that only nobles or knights of some standing would be the only ones to possibly possess them. Disguising ourselves as knights also helped greatly with our travels. Any questions about where we came from or are going were answered by saying that it's confidential church matters. The questioning immediately stopped at that point. As someone who grew up in the Empire, we were taught as children to never pry into the matters of the church and to always provide for, and listen to, any passing knights or priests. 

The armor that the queens made for me is similar to what was made for Degare and Princess Anastasia. Dragon leather with dragon and wyvern scales, and enchanted steel. My helmet also has a visor on the inside of it to protect my eyes from any light magic flash attacks. 

Sara is still wearing the armor that was gifted to her for clearing the Abyssal Dungeon, but has a 'skin,' as the queens call it, on top of it. It's essentially a thin layer or steel armor on top of her helmet and exposed parts of her disguise that can be equipped. I'm honestly a little jealous of her skill. Having it is so incredibly convenient.

After traveling for so long, from the top of a hill we finally saw the ocean. I had to stop us for a moment as I looked out over the endless expanse of water that I used to see every day. How nostalgic it is to see it once more. In all likelihood, this trip will be my last visit to the ocean for a long time, since there is hardly anything out this far.

In the distance, we saw a few wisps of smoke from some of the houses. It’s late spring, so the snows are still a few months out, but there is still a moist chill in the air from the ocean spray this far north.

Sara brought her horse up next to mine. "Are you ready for this, Steph?"

I reached out and squeezed her hand. "I am. The Baron and his policies that trapped us in the village while slowly taking everything we had was the reason Mother starved to death. He will be the first that will go."

"Remember that I'm here for you, Steph. Just like I swore in our marriage vows, I will protect you with everything I have."

I could only smile back at her. "Thank you, Sara. From here, we should be able to attack the Baron's mansion tomorrow night."

"I'll let Her Majesty know," Sara said. "Steph… Would you like to visit your old village?"

I had to think for a moment. Anything of sentimental value that I took from home was discarded by the priest from the next town over after I left with him and was made a slave. The house I grew up in is either in ruins or occupied by a different family. I never had any friends or acquaintances there, as everyone was always more concerned about where our next meal would come from. There really isn't anything to visit. As was our custom in the village, I floated Mother's body out to sea when the tide was leaving, so I don't even have a grave to visit. 

"No, Sara," I finally said. "There's nothing for me there. My life is with you and Degare back in Midnight."

After another minute in silence, the two of us rode onwards towards the Baron's mansion.

On the second night after that, Sara and I wore shadow cloaks and were looking at an iron bar fence. The mansion was a few miles away from the commoners and had this fifteen-foot fence that surrounded the perimeter of the lawn. There was a guard at the gate and a guard patrolling the outside. Another sat by the front door to the mansion. This was only the residence of a distant baron, so security in the middle of the night was certainly lacking.

"Let's go over this once more," Sara said as we watched from the shadows. "Her Majesty wants this to look like a robbery. We'll sneak into the mansion, kill the Baron and his family, and loot their rooms as quietly as we can. Since this is a country baron, he won't have much coin, so we'll store any items that look expensive but are small enough for someone to reasonably take. If guards see us, we run after killing a few of them and making sure that at minimum the Baron dies. Are you ready?"

"Yes, Sara," I said with determination. 

With that, we waited for the patrol to pass the section of the fence we were watching, and we silently jogged forward. When we got to the fence, we both grabbed the vertical bars and used our feet to walk up them while we pulled ourselves up at the same time. An iron bar fence may look classy but it's very ineffective as a security measure. Especially when the infiltrators have the benefit of increased stats. 

We quickly scaled the fence, adjusted to the other side while making sure our cloaks were clear of the spiked tips of the bars, and controlled our descent to the ground. In total, we were over the fence in only a dozen seconds. 

With our cloaks on and any stealth skills activated, we snuck towards the entrance. Sitting by the front door was a sleepy guard. As he sat unaware, Sara crept up towards him and thrust a spear through his skull. He was dead before he even knew something was wrong, and before his body hit the ground, Sara grabbed him and lowered him silently. She then dragged him behind the bushes lining the front of the building.

We quietly opened the front door and slipped inside, closing it behind us with a soft click. As we walked through the foyer, I used a big-bag to place vases, small paintings, and anything else that seemed valuable. The only things I didn't take were furniture or large items. We could have easily taken them, but this is supposed to be a robbery, and normal robbers couldn't make off with furniture. 

We then made our way to the stairs to the second floor. There was a servant's building behind the mansion, so the chances of meeting many others was minimal at most during this hour.

(I feel the presence of three people. Two to the left, one to the right,) Sara said telepathically.

(Let's clear left first,) I said.

Without any further discussion, we made our way down the hall. When we came to the door of the first presence, Sara carefully opened it and we crept inside. 

Around the room were a couple dress stands, and a dressing table with a sizable mirror on it. Laying on a large canopy bed was the Baroness. Pretty face, long blonde hair, and appeared to be in her upper forties. 

Sara approached the sleeping woman and swiftly slit her throat as I bagged any items and jewelry that seemed of value, leaving her corpse on the blood-soaked bed.

We exited and made our way to the second presence that Sara felt. Slipping into the room, it had an armor stand and writing desk. On the bed was a man who looked to be in his early twenties. Blonde hair, and handsome. If I remember from Mother, the Baron had multiple daughters before finally having a son. Since we don't feel the presence of the daughters, I must assume they were married off by now, leaving this man as his heir. 

Just like with the Baroness, Sara slit his throat while I took items from the room. These two may not have been responsible themselves for the situation that caused Mother to starve, but I have no doubt they would just do the same thing if they were in charge. Therefore, they needed to die. It also helps the robbery narrative we are creating if they were murdered. 

Together, we left the room and made our way back down the hall and towards the last presence. Opening the door and stepping inside, I glanced at the bed and froze.

I had only seen the Baron a couple times years ago, but there is no doubt that the man here is him. Slender, light brown hair, handsome features. Sleeping peacefully here in the dark room is the man whose governance led to Mother death. 

Sara raised her steel dagger, but I reached out to her. (Please wait, Sara.)

She stopped. (What is it, Steph.)

(Please… Please give me the dagger.)

Without question, Sara reversed her grip and handed me the dagger. I took it from my wife and turned back towards the Baron. I have seen many people die over the years, but I have yet to kill someone with my own hands. 

As I held the dagger, I realized my hands were trembling and my mouth was dry. Slowly, I shakily raised the dagger with both hands, and plunged it down into the eye of the Baron. 

As easily as that, he was dead, never to wake up again. 

My legs went limp and Sara caught me and sat down on the floor with me. I had imagined how it would feel to kill this man. How satisfying it would be. I even had fantasies of yelling at him, telling him all of the horrible things he had done, before torturing him so that he felt the pain I did when Mother starved that cold winter. Now that he's finally dead, I feel… empty.

I don't feel any of the satisfaction or relief I thought I would feel. By taking his life with my own hands, I don't feel anything. Not regret or repulsion, not joy or elatedness. No matter what I did to this man, Mother will never come back.

As Sara sat and held my limp body close, I thought about what just happened. Within less than an hour, the family that exploited my old village was killed. With even my minimal skills, it was so very easy. Why? Why didn't someone do something like this earlier? Why didn't anyone eliminate these people before us? I remembered hearing about some villagers trying to kill them in the past, but the trained and leveled soldiers were always able to kill all of the low leveled villagers. Why couldn't they have done this so long ago?

Under my helmet I had tears in my eyes. It's so frustrating. With everything Her Majesty has given Sara and I, we were able to kill them all without any issues. The opportunities she gave us to get stronger stats and skills while being well equipped and with shadow cloaks, made the Baron insignificant. Even without those, someone could have done this same thing before. So why didn't anyone else do this before now? Why didn't someone kill him before I had to watch Mother waste away? Why? Why, why, why?! 

It felt like I had lost Mother all over again. I don't know how many minutes I sat there, clinging onto Sara as I cried. All I know is that she held me tightly the entire time. No words needed to be said as I let my emotions pour out. I don’t know if this was the right choice. Still, I’m furious at the Baron and the corner he pushed us into. Will this make life for the others better? I really don’t know.

After I was able to get myself together, we stood and looted the room. Once done, we swiftly looted the unoccupied rooms we skipped over on both floors. Along with the personal coin pouches and jewelry each of the deceased nobles had, we also found an enclave behind a painting that seemed to be where they hid their savings. 

Compared to the treasury in Midnight, this is pitiful. Yet, the village could’ve lived for multiple years with this. Even so, we took it all the same as we cleared out the silent building. It took us nearly an hour to empty the building of its easily moved valuables. 

Leaving out the front door, we walked past the body hidden in the bushes. We made our way silently to the fence when the patrol passed. A few seconds later, we were over it and gone from the area. In the dark of the night, we made our way away from the mansion and towards the horses tied off in the distance. 

It took us three days of travel to arrive at our next target, and the last of my personal revenge. It was mid afternoon by the time we got close. When we were a few miles away, we rode a mile off of the path and tied off our horses in a small clearing.

Sara looked at the town gate as we approached with our invisibility cloaks and our holy knight armor. (So this is the town, Steph?)

I calmed my heart as we got closer. (Yes. This is the town the priest lived in. The priest that went around to the villages to take in orphans like me, before using us and sending us to other priests, knights, or nobles as slaves.)

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I realized I was clenching my fists and had to try to calm myself even more. When we got closer, we waited a few minutes until a wagon was passing while being drawn by a donkey. Our forms appeared to be a smudge in space and nearly transparent as we approached. We hopped into the wagon, making the driver glance back with the sudden shaking. Not seeing anything besides his hay pile after glancing back, he returned his attention to the road as we sat motionless and loosely covered ourselves with hay on top of our cloaks.

(Did Her Majesty say how we should handle it this time?) I asked. 

(She said for him to simply disappear without a trace,) Sara said.

(I see. We should go by the church first and make sure he is still here.)

We rode the wagon through the gate, and slipped off and into an alley once we were through. We made our way along the side roads. Even with our cloaks, there isn't a point to take any risks in being seen. The less people that see two walking blurs, the better.

After arriving at the church, we saw that it must have been a church day for a visiting village. A couple times a year, many of the members of a village that doesn't have a church will travel to the nearest town that has one to attend service. 

After waiting until someone opened the doors to walk inside, we slipped in behind them before the doors could close again. Sticking to the back of the church along the walls, we watched as all of the villagers on their knees gave their prayers to Sol. A man I will never forget was standing at the front of the church with the stained glass windows behind him and light magic above.

"—And rejoice! For with your holy offerings are given with glee, Sol will smile upon you. That which is freely given to the Church of the Holy Sun shall be returned tenfold to you with your continued protection from the evils of the world! Give thanks to our gracious Holy Emperor, for he is the closest to our magnificent Sol! Honor and respect all those belonging to the church, for all of the knights and priests are tirelessly working to make your lives more prosperous! Evil is always present, and with your support, we shall ferret out all traces of it so that our wonderful God will bless us with his warmth! Offer your—"

On and on he preached. The words that once reached me now fall on deaf ears. How can he say any of these things with a straight face? He took me from my village, raped and abused me for so long, just to sell me for others to do the same. He was the one who clipped my ankles years ago, and who took what little hope I once had after Mother died, and crushed it. This monster was responsible for all of this, and yet he is happily spewing his lies.

Looking around at the congregation, many of the villagers had large smiles and were nodding along with his words. I couldn’t help but to think that I was just like them when I was in their position. Why did I ever believe words and messages like these? How could these services have put me at ease? How could I have been so blind?

Sara grabbed my wrist when my hand unconsciously went for the dagger under my invisibility cloak. (Not yet, Steph. Soon, but not yet.)

I sighed and tried to calm my nerves. (You're right, Sara. Thank you.)

We stayed along the back wall for twenty more minutes of preaching and prayers until the priest was finally done.

As the refreshed villagers began filing out, we made our way along the wall until we were at the side stairs to the dais. The priest was speaking privately with a couple villagers, and it wasn't long before he was done.

(Should we take care of him in a back hall here?) Sara asked.

(No. He always kept one woman for himself when I was there. I want to get to them if possible,) I answered.

I know it wasn’t along the lines of what Queen Midnight wanted, but if there is someone that was being held by him like I was, I want to get them out. 

(Alright... I'll follow your lead, Steph.)

(Thank you, Sara )

As the final villagers left, we followed him out the back of the church to a waiting carriage. When it shook from him climbing on, we quickly pulled ourselves up to the roof before he was done sitting to disguise the motion as much as we could.

The carriage made its way through the town with us on top, covered in our invisibility cloaks. At one point, the buildings all became noticeably nicer. This isn't a very populous town, but there was still an obvious divide between the affluent part of it.

The carriage continued until it came to his mansion. The outside was as gaudy and ostentatious as I remember from coming here years ago. Hedges were carved to look like animals with a manicured lawn in the front of the blindingly white building with golden embellishments.

Two knights stood guard in front of the doors as the carriage pulled up. As the priest began to exit, Sara began to get off of the top as well, but I reached out and grabbed her arm to stop her. 

(Not yet, Sara. There's a back entrance I was originally brought in from,) I said.

Sara nodded and we remained on top as the carriage pulled away from the front and towards a stable behind the building. As the driver disembarked, we did as well.

We made our way to a cellar entrance with our cloaks still active. The hinges creaked as we pulled the door enough for us to slip inside and descend the stairs, closing the door to all light behind us once inside. As we walked along the dark stairwell, I thought back to the last time I walked down these stairs.

Naïve, starved, and grieving the death of Mother, I easily believed the priest when he said he would feed me and take me to a better place. I was excited for the first time in years as our carriage pulled up to the mansion, but confused as it continued to the back. Reassured by the priest and told to trust him, I did what all believers in Sol did and listened without question to those of the church. I had paused when I got to the dark stairs all those years ago. With a torch in one hand, the priest firmly grabbed my hand and seemed like he would've dragged me if I didn't start walking. Thus, I moved into the dark, trusting the priest. 

As Sara and I came to the base of the stairs, we made our way through the racks of alcohol, stored foods, old furniture, and other items you would find in any typical cellar. However, at the back of the room was a locked door.

I had forgotten he had needed to unlock this in my uneasiness years ago, but I remembered when we saw the door. 

I ask Sara, (Could you use your spear to cut through the lock?)

(I could, but that would leave evidence of some tampering. The priest was supposed to disappear with no leads,) Sara said.

I still want to go in… I need to go in… 

As I was thinking about how to bypass the lock, we heard the hinges to the entrance we came through creak, their sound echoing down the hall. Without needing to say anything, Sara equipped her shadow cloak while I took mine out of my bag. With the different cloaks now on, we moved away from the door and blended into the darkness around the racks and shelves.

We heard footsteps coming down the passageway. Soon after, the priest walked into the cellar room carrying a torch in one hand and a bowl of goblin meat in the other.

He walked past the racks we were hiding behind and came up to the door. Setting the bowl down, he reached into a pocket of his robe and fished out a key. When he put the key into the lock, I decided that it was time.

I had nothing to say to this man that caused me so much pain. Who broke me mentally and physically. There was nothing I needed to tell him before he died. However, I needed to be the one to kill him.

After killing the Baron, I realized how pointless my revenge is. Nothing I do now will change the past. What the priest did to me will never be undone. Yet, when I saw him preaching to the villagers that were just like me, it infuriated me. It made me remember how much I hated this man and what he stood for. Some part of me needed to make him feel the way we did.

I didn't need to speak to him, but I needed to watch him die. Maybe Sara will judge me for this, but I will kill him myself, and I will do it with my own hands. I know this won't make anything better. It even goes against what Her Majesty taught about killing your enemies swiftly so that no unforeseen circumstances arise. Knowing all of that, I still feel the need to do it. For me and everyone he has hurt. I will make sure he feels as helpless and desperate as we all felt. 

When the key entered the lock, I rushed forward with my shoulder lowered. Before he knew what was happening, I rammed my shoulder into his side. He released a grunt as the air was knocked out of his lungs and he was thrown to the ground from the impact.

Before he could recover, I straddled his chest and wrapped my gloved hands around his neck. With the torch flung away and my helmet on, he had no way to see me. Although, I could clearly see him. I tightened my grip enough to keep him from breathing, but not enough to break his neck. 

His eyes went wide and he began to flail in panic, reaching for my hands to peel them away and take a much needed breath. With my increased strength, his efforts were futile. I looked into his panicking eyes as his motions began to weaken. Even though I knew that he knows magic, I assume he wasn't able to form a concrete image in his panicking mind to release it. 

His expression flashed from angry to frightened. He looked scared out of his mind, just like the women I saw come through here. He looked like he was pleading with me. If he could speak, I would assume he would be promising me the world if I spared him. He would have pleaded, just like we did.

I began crying. How many people has this man taken in since I was sold? How many were taken before I went with him? All for what? Money? Pleasure? He enjoyed breaking us, and yet, I get no enjoyment from this. How could someone enjoy taking away someone's life? The pain he put us all through for weeks, months, and years, what did he get from that? Why would someone do that and enjoy it? Did none of our feelings matter? Were we that worthless to him? 

I kept crying as I loosened my hold on his throat when he stopped moving. I have never strangled someone before or seen someone die like that, but I was finally done. Or so I thought.

A few seconds later, before I was off of him, he gasped and coughed while fighting for much needed air. I panicked as I realized I had only made him unconscious. My arms couldn’t stop shaking from the ups and downs of my emotions just now. 

I quickly tightened my grip once more as his teary eyes looked back up at me once he could no longer breathe again. I saw all of the helpless faces of the other women when I looked at his expression. This is wrong. I remembered their grief as he trampled on their lives, treating us as objects and enjoying breaking us. This isn’t right.

I've only killed the Baron before this, but he was asleep. He never knew what happened before he was already dead. Over the past few years, I had wanted to make this man suffer. To torture him… But I couldn't. I just can't bring myself to kill him in a drawn out way like this. Even if it’s him that has their expressions… I need to end this now. With tears in my eyes, I grabbed his head and twisted it abruptly. His struggling ended immediately.

My loud sobs were the only noise that could be heard in the room. It had only been a minute since the start of this, but it felt so much longer. I remembered faces of people I never really knew, that are likely trapped in fates much worse than mine. I killed him, but I couldn’t do anything for them.

(It's over, Steph.) Sara came up and hugged me from behind while speaking gently into my mind so I could hear her over my crying.

I released his body and sat back as Sara took off my helmet. She had equipped casual clothes so that when I rested my head against her, it wasn't on armor. Her expression looked so pained as she pulled my head to her chest and gently stroked my back. 

(It's alright, Steph. It's done, and I love you.) Sara repeated this to me again and again as I wrapped my arms around her. 

I don't know how long I cried, but I know that Sara lovingly held me close the entire time.

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