Blood in the River (2)

Deep into the night, Nia sat atop of Rein with Knight Agatha riding alongside her. The many different squires had already positioned themselves throughout the warehouse district to encircle the different merchants and nobles partaking in the illegal trade. There were many different approaches Nia and Agatha had considered taking, and each had their shortcomings and benefits.

Initially, Nia wanted to take the whole group by surprise, keeping the squires ready to ambush for a swift and effective arrest. However that idea was shot down, as it greatly increased the potential retaliation from not just the mercenaries, but also the bodyguards which they couldn't afford to fight. Mercenaries were one thing, but confrontation with bodyguards was bound to draw in the Merchant Guild, and they were a titan Marquis Vanra or Countess Gallow couldn't afford angering just yet.

They were however a sleeping giant, as long as the evidence that the bodyguards acted against the law was strong enough, the Guild had an extremely low chance of acting.

As such the alternative offered was that the until moved out like a knight brigade, and acted in a similar manner as Operation Eyeless. However this one was refuted by Nia rather quickly, as her personal experience with Operation Eyeless proved just how wrong such an approach could go. Not only did it give the individuals time to react, but it also slowed them down to both move a large unit and at the same time care for their surroundings.

So the compromise was surprisingly offered by Fenrir, his minimal experience hunting with other wolffolk providing the answer. All the squires would move in advance, slowly trickling into the district throughout the day, so as to not alert the criminals, and then converge towards the point of interest.

Agatha and Nia would then enter, their intent being publicly announced to the local security force as to not set them off. There was already a low chance as is for the illegal smugglers to hear of Nia and Agatha moving towards them, since with their approach, they could afford to move quickly and directly towards the warehouse where the supposed meeting was.

And even if they did somehow catch wind of them, the previously positioned squires would be able to intervene, slowing down if not making the arrest themselves.

The only flaw with this was the Iwi Company, as the warehouse was too far away from the rest of them to be included in the encirclement, whilst at the same time they lacked the manpower to keep someone watching over it. Or they would've if Fenrir didn't offer himself to keep an eye on the warehouse, the wolf boy being more than quick and skilled enough to check for any suspicious movement.

It was even better for Nia and Agatha that Fenrir was operating alone, as whilst Agatha could be trusted with Fenrir's identity, it was unknown just how safe the secret would remain among the squire unit.

Entering the district wasn't hard for the duo, as the local guards were already notified that the duo would be entering, however as they moved further and further into the warehouse district, more and more eyes from the nearby bodyguards and mercenaries started to follow them. A few turned away the moment Nia made eye contact with them, but most just tensed up, concerned about what intent she housed.

"Seems like we will have trouble."

Nia didn't need Agatha to say anything, as she could also see a suspicious group of people trying to enter a group of carriages just ahead of them. They all looked frightened at the sight of Agatha, and then horrified at the sight of Nia, a series of shouts either ordering their guards to prepare to fight or the others present to enter the carriage.

A quick glance to Nia's right and she saw a pair of squires which had used the nearby warehouses to hide their observations, the duo giving a shake of their head towards them. There was little they could communicate in the hurry, but the shake of the head was the simple sign that things weren't quite up to plan.

From how Nia saw things, some of the squires must have been caught trying to close in on the gathering, alerting the criminals before Nia and Agatha could reach them. It didn't matter though, as now the duo were here, and the smugglers weren't prepared enough to handle them.

Nia sped up first, Rein letting out what could be considered the equivalent of a warcry as he charged full-speed towards the carriages. Spears and swords threatened to harm Nia's steed yet the fallen noble made sure no harm would befall him, as a swing of her spear before her sent out a slash of flames, immediately consuming those who stood in the way.

Their screams of pain echoed out throughout the district, the silence of the night now disturbed, yet Nia cared nothing for their cries of anguish.

"By the right of Marquis Vanra Zacara, you are hereby under arrest, any resistance and I have the right to use lethal force!"

Agatha's voice echoed above the cries of pain, largely because the burning people had either died or had their throats burnt to such a degree screaming was impossible. She was also right beside Nia the moment Rein had slowed down just before the flames, so when Nia used her spear to remove the infernal ruins before her, the smugglers got a clear sight of the duo.

More guards, likely mercenaries considering their lack of a unified form, moved to attack the duo, the criminals now having given up on the idea of running away and instead hoping their guards would be enough to stop the duo. Agatha and Nia responded in kind by hopping off their horses, as whilst Nia herself was more confident when fighting atop her steed, that was only in situations where she had enough room to maneuver like when she faced against Iza and the Sabertooth folk.

Nia rushed in first, the tip of her spear ablaze as the first swordsmen among the guards swung to slice her down the middle. Their speed and predictable movement however made it easy for Nia to move to the side and slice through the guard's body, the flame-tipped spear making short work of the little armor the swordsmen wore.

When another came to exploit Nia's now exposed position, Agatha intercepted, as with surprising ease, deflected the blow and slashed across the oncomers chest. This pattern repeated, with Nia taking the lead and removing all those who opposed her, whilst Agatha covered her flank and made sure no-one used the chaos to escape.

Not that there was any escape, as with all the noise of fighting and the light of Nia's flames, the squires had finally moved to secure all potential escape routes the illegal traders could use.

One of the nobles fell onto the ground, his eyes having locked with Nia's blood red and cold gaze, as even when Nia had to parry and dodge oncoming blades, she had never lost sight of them. Truth be told, if Nia wasn't doing this, she would've been plenty able to handle the guards all by herself, as their attacks were nothing but predictable and their teamwork non-existent.

However she wanted the merchants and nobles in fear so they wouldn't try anything stupid, and whilst them doing something stupid would give her absolute right to kill them, there was always the risk of something bad happening should they get overconfident. In particular, Nia didn't want any of them to try and flee atop a horse, as whilst there were archers among the squires to intercept, and Nia's artifact being able to inflict ranged attacks, horses were not slow by any means.

It didn't take long though for the cheap protection the nobles and merchants had to face defeat, the remainder of those that lived having dropped their swords and surrendered themselves. At the sight of no resistance, the squires who had surrounded the area moved in, making sure that none of the surrendered guards tried to pull a dagger towards the two knights.

The nobles followed suit, their hands tied with a rope rather tightly and painfully, which the nobles made everyone aware of due to their loud screams of discomfort. Some were more gracious in their surrender, looks of defeat and loss in their eyes, however some made apparent their status and the poor treatment they were receiving, a look of anger and defiance in their eyes.

That look never lasted long though when Nia drew her spear and directly the fiery tip towards their eyes, the fallen nobles' lack of words causing wild delusions in the minds of those she threatened. Truth was Nia wasn't going to do anything to them, as her job was done here and she needed to go secure the Iwi warehouse.

"We'll follow behind once these people are removed."

Agatha's words held no real meaning, since Nia was already aware of the plan and had made it apparent she was departing, but the aloof voice of the knight gave the fallen noble a sense of belonging, one she had long ago. That feeling didn't linger, however behind the mask there was a face of a smiling girl as she rode to the final stop.

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Fenrir watched in horror at the scene before him, fire consuming everything around him, smoke completely blocking out the stars of the cold night. And the worst part of it all, was he could've stopped it, should've seen it coming, it was a tragedy Fenrir had hoped with all his power to never happen. Yet it did, uncaring for his feelings.

####

Nia arrived just beyond the warehouse where she would meet up with Fenrir, the wolf boy having kept an eye on the flow of people in the area from a nearby vantage point. With the noise of the arrests having reached even all the way down, there were signs of the nearby guards taking a more alert stance.

And although Nia was strong, in this part of the district, the warehouses were of older merchant companies, and consequently, the guards were professionals. Merchant companies that were able to live this long wouldn't buy cheap nor would they buy poor, so whilst Nia had her confidence in her ability to fight the nearby guards, she didn't want to take chances.

The massive scar running down her back was proof of such a mistake in the past, where her confidence had gotten the better of her, and that arrogance almost cost her life.

"Blindness."

A silent whisper came from the darkness, and normally Nia would be alert to such a voice, however the childish youth and eagerness in it made the identity of the speaker all too apparent. Fenrir exited out of the shadow fully cloaked in black, even his face which he would normally keep revealed under his robe was now covered in black to conceal his identity.

Only his eyes were visible, the gray coloring of his iris giving a very grim and deathly appearance paired with his clothing. However Nia could tell he was smiling widely underneath the cloak that covered his mouth, as his sharp eyes did little to conceal the joy they contained in seeing her.

"Anything of note?"

Nia responded with a whisper in kind, alert as to the bodyguards which were watching from the distance. It was obvious they didn't want to draw attention to themselves, acting as if Nia was the average knight patrolling through the night, yet even Nia could tell that the glances they gave her made their uneasiness apparent.