My Servant System

Crouching low on the rooftop, I stared down into the lazy atmosphere that surrounded this first smaller camp, the three barrels that were perforated on the upper rim emitting a warm glow around the street, keeping the area illuminated and comfortable during this cool, breezy night in Nogart.

Palisades of splintered wood and small walls of rubble had been erected around the area to block out that wind, creating a complicated corridor that maintained the heat of those barrels and allowed the Cultists to have a comfortable place to rest.

Numbering just under a dozen, these Cultists were spending their time chatting and waiting for a few large chunks of meat to cook over those barrels, spreading the delicious scent of slightly charred meat across the corridor while they sat around and counted out the wealth they had accrued.

Comprised entirely of humans, this group wore some better gear than the ones we had seen over in Emor, with actual quality leather draped over their shoulders, beneath which plates of steel glimmered in the firelight; their armor was what I would call 'medium load' armor, with a nice mix between the lighter leathers and heavier plates, all of which was held together by some chainmail that further protected them.

Rather uniform in appearance, the Cultists all wielded some basic weaponry as well, with swords being the most prevalent in the group, after which a few spears and a single longbow rounded out this group; none of them radiated a large amount of mana, and that was a relief as Leraie and I crept over the root tiles and looked down at our prey, waiting and watching.

None of the Cultists were asleep yet, but they were huddled around those barrels seeking out warmth, which made me gesture towards the barrel in the middle and clasp my hands together, before pointing at Leraie, showing her the further barrel.

Understanding the signs, Leraie left my side and began to approach the other barrel, the Demoness slinking above them and staying out of sight, relying on the worse eyesight of the humans as well as their vicinity to a light source to get as close as possible.

Doing the same, I idly traced out the runes of a spell, creating a disc of compressed wind that rotated silently in my palm as I mirrored Leraie, taking a wide berth around the corridor and placing myself in the best possible location.

The Demoness found me and nodded, before beginning to work as I nodded back at her, the woman watching as I launched the disc towards the center barrel.

It silently hovered above the barrel before bursting, the rush of air slamming against the ground and causing the flames to erupt before they vanished, surprising the three groups and drawing their attentions towards the center.

Away from Leraie and I.

Creating the twin Tonfa's again out of Ice Mana, I dashed forwards and pounced on the unsuspecting Cultists, sharpening the two rods to a point and stabbing them into two of the three Cultist's throats, killing them quickly before yanking the Tonfa's free and skewering the third member, both rods sticking into his chest and shattering at my command.

Each rod sent dozens of crystalline shards coursing through the man's body, completely destroying his internal organs and giving him a painful death, one that was well deserved for a Cultist who wished to bring harm unto my home.

Reforming them a moment later, I dashed forwards and blitzed the center group, who were barely about to turn around at the sound of bodies thunking around them; they had been slightly blinded by the flare of flames and were confused on what was happening since Leraie and I were being swift with their execution.

We met in the middle of this corridor, Leraie's serrated sword slicing through the neck of one Cultist while my Tonfa's slammed against the head of another, cracking against her skull and splintering her neck as the impact traveled down her spine.

The final two humans looked at Leraie and I with wide eyes, their mouths opening to no avail as the Demoness and I lunged at them as well, our weapons free and ready to reap their lives as quickly as we had their comrades.

Seeing their shock at this sudden turn of events from being suddenly thrust into danger was amusing, and I smirked as I stabbed one Tonfa up through the human's jaw, bypassing the helmet they were wearing and killing them instantly as I froze their brain and shattered it with a rapid twist.

Letting the corpse fall to the ground, I looked at Leraie and nodded, both of us leaping onto the rooftops again as we continued on our journey, heading towards the walls and the large camp that awaited us there.

With the kills done quickly and quietly, the rest of the city was left unaware to the two killers that snuck around in their midst; two killers who had taken away a dozen of their number without issue.

But, the real challenge rested ahead in that front encampment, where the other races resided from this Cult; they would be harder to sneak by and take by surprise, especially if they were magically attuned as well.

Jumping from rooftop to rooftop, Leraie and I made our way over towards the wall, dropping to the street before the sentries above could catch sight of us and returning to the comfort of the shadows as we crept forwards, locating the encampment swiftly.

A dozen and a half Cultists milled about, and instantly we noted that each and every single one of them was of a different race, spiking this difficulty even more as we prepared ourselves, clinging to the darkness and observing the camp from afar.

However, as Leraie and I settled into the house, using the windows to look out onto the streets, we both turned sharply as we heard the sound of the door opening, a curious - and cautious - voice sounding out in the empty building.