Inferno

The following chapter contains disturbing content that some readers may find unsettling. Discretion is advised.

Bianca and Bree made their way through the manor, passing by various servant's quarters and barracks until they reached the main abode of Tribune Verunil Osselus. Long, opulent halls and glistening golden and silver decorations littered the walls and pillars that held up the enormous mansion. Tapestries depicting the insignia of the mighty House of Osselus hung proudly from balconies and columns, and even hung along the walls between doors as they passed. It was a luxurious place for an Elf, or for anyone. Just another example of a noble flaunting their wealth.

As they traversed the estate's main building, Bianca was fortunate enough to procure more proper armor for herself to blend in. Somehow she could trust Bree, considering she'd ensured the safe retreat of two of the Heartland tribe's members. There was something odd about the green-haired Faerie. She couldn't put her finger on it, but there was a sense of familiarity about her.

"See something you like?" Bree snapped Bianca out of her thoughts with a question.

"Can we please focus?" Bianca asked, tapping a finger to her thigh. "How long have we been at this?"

"Probably close to an hour. Those two Faeries must have reached the village by now, so--"

"Hey, you two!" A man called to them. An Elf soldier strode over to the pair, eyeing them and stopping just in front of them. "You lost?"

Bianca swallowed hard. She reached behind her back, clutching the sword strapped to her belt and preparing to fight if the situation demanded it. Her fingers had just grasped the handle of the blade when the Elf man's mouth curved into a smile.

"It's quite alright. I was lost on my first day, too. Tribune Osselus has a manor that's damn near ridiculous, eh?" The Elf seemed friendly enough. He extended a hand in friendship, and not wanting to arouse suspicion, Bianca took it and shook. "Quintus. Quintus Maximus, at your service. Hey, what've you got a Faerie tagging along for? New servant?"

She didn't know what to say. Had she been caught? "Well, you see--"

"Ah, solidarity, right? No chains, decent clothes, and she seems in good health. You must be a Republican sympathizer! Wonderful to see a like-minded individual in a place like this." Bianca heaved a sigh as she held her hands on her hips. He must have been loyal to the Republic.

"Yep," Bianca chuckled. "Glory to Batiatus!" She made a gesture with her fist, trying anything to make herself seem like an ally or whatever the man deemed her to be.

Quintus nodded. "And may we all unite beside him. May I say, good on you for being so open-minded. Elf and Faerie relationships are taboo enough as it is, but yours," He said as he held a hand to his chin, smiling. "Ah, not that I'm trying to make assumptions. I have a Faerie lover back home in Runastas, so I definitely understand the stares. 'A Faerie's place is on the battlefield or in the bedroom,' as they often say. Pure foolishness. I challenge you to find a better fisherman than my lady Ciara." The man removed a small locket from beneath his armor and showed them a painting of the two of them. The Faerie was pretty, blazing red hair like Sha'ani's and wearing an Elvehn robe and flower wreath around her antlers.

Bree turned to Quintus and smiled politely. "Good sir Elf, we actually are a tad lost. Do you think you could point us in the direction of Tribune Osselus' personal quarters? We weren't given proper orders for the night."

A glum look crossed the Elf's face as he folded his arms. "That's not something you can do right now. The Tribune has demanded that no one disturb him. I just got here myself about an hour ago and I've received no orders. Although," He heaved a heavy sigh, then paused for a few moments. "I have a very bad suspicion that he's doing something he shouldn't. That's all I can say. Just head towards the dining hall until you receive some kind of demand. Wish I was more help." Quintus shrugged and bowed before turning the corner and walking out of sight.

Anxiety and panic rose in Bianca's chest before Bree held a hand to her chest. "Breathe, kid," Bree said.

"How much longer?" Bianca hissed.

Bree sighed. "Don't know. Wolf and Mags couldn't finish mapping the place before I got my ass captured, so that's on me. Course, they would have cut those other Faeries' throats had I not complied. What are you gonna do?" She would have spoken more, but she held up a hand to halt Bianca's advance. Two elves began to walk the halls leading to the Southern end of the estate. One male, and one female, and what appeared to be a prisoner between them.

An enormous, green-skinned Orc dressed in rags with his black hair tied behind his head. Bree's eyes widened as she motioned for Bianca to follow. "Follow my lead." They tailed the trio until they reached a line of doors that led into what Bianca assumed to be other rooms. The pair ducked down to hide behind a small statue plinth holding the marble likeness of Verunil Osselus. A sickening sight.

"What are you--" Bianca began to ask when Bree pulled a small knife from beneath her skirt and tossed it to the ground just behind the orc.

"What's that?" The female elf asked as the male walked towards it and picked it up.

The male elf looked in their direction. How stupid could this Faerie be? Yet Bianca could see a slight smile form on the elf's face before it turned to a frown, and then finally a scowl. "Hey! What are you trying to pull?" The male elf grabbed the orc and began leading him into one of the rooms, followed by the female.

Bianca swiftly followed Bree through the corridor and into the room where the two Elves had taken the Orc. Bree stepped in first, and to Bianca's surprise she didn't draw a weapon or cast a spell as she had earlier with the last few guards.

"Stop! Don't shoot!" Bree shouted as she raised her hands in surrender.

The Elf who had bound the Orc's wrists jumped back and drew a sword when the other Elf removed his bow from his back and slammed it into the other's stomach.

She grabbed her midsection and fell forward, and as she hit her knees the Orc swung his arms over her neck and under her chin. The "prisoner" wasn't so much a prisoner as Bianca thought, she mused as Bree dropped her hands and placed them on her hips.

"Fine work, Tarshall. Sorry to use you as bait." Bree playfully punched the Orc in the shoulder as she handed him a pair of glasses she had procured from beneath her clothes.

Tarshall adjusted them on his face and smiled. "Not a problem, Master Brialla."

"Magnus, any word on our target?" Bree turned to the male Elf.

"W-who the hell are you people?!" The other Elf asked, her voice shuddering. Bianca was beginning to wonder about that herself.

Bianca approached the captured Elf guard and bent down to eye level. "Where is my sister?" She hissed.

The woman shook her head and gasped. "Is she employed by Tribune Osellus? A soldier on duty here? A--"

"No, she's not working for you animals. She's a Faerie! About my height, red hair, wearing a wedding dress." Bianca grabbed the Elf by the straps of her metal breastplate and hauled her to her feet.

"Keep in mind we are on a deadline," Bree said as she nodded towards Magnus. "Watch and listen for anyone who approaches the manor. If a war party tries to storm the place, we're out of time." There was no doubt that Verathorn and Konalan would call for a search, especially with this many Faeries having gone missing. If Konalan and Kotaro led the charge, however, there likely would be no one left to question. Fae warriors were trained to kill Elves on sight, after all.

Bianca's primary focus, however, was on the Elf before her. She shook the woman violently and screamed in her face. "Answer me!"

The Elf soldier shuddered and turned her head to the side. Her jaw quivered, and she tried desperately to look anywhere but into Bianca's eyes. "I tried to talk him out of it. I truly did. Tribune Osellus has a habit of… 'abusing' his female servants. He took a Faerie woman to the back chambers with a few of his men. That was about two hours--"

Bianca didn't allow her to finish. She threw the Elf down to the floor and unsheathed her sword. Anger surged through Bianca. Rage. Desperation. Panic. She knew the stories of what Elves had done to Faeries before the end of the last war with Elvehn before the Empire fell. She raised the sword above her head, and aimed directly for the neck of the Elf soldier who recoiled in fear.

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I tried to talk him down, I swear!" The elf woman pleaded for her life. Bianca swung the sword towards the soldier's neck when Bree grabbed her by the arm and hauled her backwards before slamming her into the wall. Bianca struggled hard, eventually dropping the sword as Bree covered her mouth with one hand.

"Kid, you need to calm down. Calm." Bree spoke, calmly and articulate.

Bianca couldn't stop the sense of fear and anxiety welling up in her. When Bree finally removed her hand, it took all Bianca's strength not to scream. "He has my sister! He's--"

"I'm unfortunately aware of what they're doing, but you need to take a step back and approach this calmly. If you kill that Elf, and if you just go on a rampage here, it's not going to end well. They're going to either kill you and continue uninterrupted until the war party shows up, or they're going to decide she's not worth the trouble and just kill her quickly. What do you think she'd do if the roles were reversed?" Bree slowly let Bianca go.

Bianca's heart raced in her chest. She didn't want to imagine Sha'ani being in such a horrible situation any longer, but it was better than losing her for good. Regardless of her banishment, Sha'ani was the only family she had. "She would want us both to get out."

"Trust your sister to endure until we can get her out with minimal damage. It's an unfortunate reality, but it's better than nothing. Tarshall, knock the Elf out and hide her. We're going after the girl." With that, Tarshall dropped the contents of a small vial onto the soldier's face. She breathed in, and fell over before falling asleep. "Alrighty then," Bree clapped her hands together. "You guys remember the plan? The target is Verunil Osselus. We bring him in to stand trial at Autumn's Gate, interrogate him on the whereabouts of the prince, and get home in time for drinks. Magnus, any updates?"

"The back chambers the woman was referring to are in the Southern part of the manor, just a short ways from here," Magnus said as he notched an arrow. "From here it's a straight shot to the target. We get in, kill any resistance, rescue any captives, and get him out of here and to the extraction point." He pulled a small green stone from his pocket and set it on the nearest table. The stone glowed a brilliant green before the light took the shape of a map of what appeared to be the forest.

A small "X" was hovering over a spot just a short distance from the manor and near the edge of the woods. Just an hour's ride to the temple, and another hour's ride to the city of Autumn's Gate. Bianca clenched her fist in anticipation.

Hold on, Sha'ani.

"Okay, let's move!" Bree commanded, and the group moved through the manor like a ghost in the night. No guards, no servants, just a door that sat at the end of a large hallway. Bianca was sick to death of hallways. She had to rescue Sha'ani, and she had to do it now. Her rage burned as she neared the final stretch of this mission, not caring what uncertainty was ahead.

She reached the door first. Sha'ani would not suffer a second longer. "Sha'ani!" Bianca bellowed, and slammed her foot into the door. It splintered as it fell into a heap of broken wood and metal, and without a moment's hesitation she let loose a blast of fire into the room. "Sha'ani!" Bianca roared, flames erupting from her mouth as they engulfed everything in their path. Through the redhot fire and smoke, Elvehn soldiers screamed as they were boiled alive inside their armor.

The flames burned hot, but not as fiercely as Bianca's anger. She charged through, taking stock of the now burning room that threatened to engulf her. Another door, just in sight, was all she could focus on. She was oblivious to the flames she created now licking her skin, threatening to devour her as well.

"So much for sneaking around." A familiar voice came from behind her as a cold wind shot through the air, extinguishing the flames.

Bree laughed. "Wolf, you glorious bastard! What took you so long?" Bianca turned to look at this "Wolf," only for her heart to sink as she took in the sight of the same assassin she had met at the temple standing behind the group. The same man who could have ended her life in a breath.

"I've been tailing you for a while now. So, the hothead giving you trouble?" Wolf asked, a bit rude in Bianca's opinion. Wolf approached, hand firmly gripping his blade's hilt.

Magnus shrugged. "Nah, just noisy."

"Indeed," Tarshall chimed in.

Bianca would have made a rebuttal, but before another word could be uttered the second door swung open. Her rage returned, burning brighter and hotter as she beheld Verunil Osselus, shirtless and pants half-undone. The Elf held Sha'ani by the throat, the latter naked and bruised with multiple cuts and blood running down her body. "Not another step!" Verunil shouted, holding a knife to Sha'ani's throat. "I'll kill her! I'll fucking kill her! You butchered my men, and assaulted my manor! I swear you'll–"

Cold wind. Ice. The Elf was encased in a block of frozen snow, leaving Sha'ani to barely hover above the floor. In the instant before he was frozen, Sha'ani mustered just enough strength to move her body slightly forward to avoid being encased, as well. "Hey, you took my advice." Wolf unsheathed his sword and brought the blade down hard on Verunil's wrist. It may have been broken, but the man's sword was razor sharp. The wrist of the Elf shattered, leaving the man forever parted from his hand.

Bianca raced forward to catch Sha'ani as she fell forward. Dear Segovax, she was in terrible shape. "Sha'ani," Bianca said, fighting back a sob as she held her sister's broken and violated body in her arms. "Sister, please…" Bianca wept, holding her tight.

"Allow me, Miss." Tarshall, the Orc, slowly approached as he retrieved a blanket from Magnus, who stood at the rear keeping watch. Bianca held Sha'ani tight and moved her away, but Tarshall held a single hand towards them. "It's alright. I may not look it, but I'm a healer. Please." The Orc's voice was kind and gentle, betraying his enormous size. Bianca nodded slowly, allowing Tarshall to lay Sha'ani on the blanket as he examined her and began treating her wounds.

Tarshall grunted as he took various medical supplies from Magnus, who must have smuggled in, or procured for the manor, as many as he could for just this type of situation. "Multiple contusions, several lacerations, this woman fought hard." He bandaged her leg, then her arm, then applied a healing salve to the multiple wounds along her torso and head. The Orc continued his examination, then shook his head in disgust. "God above, what those men did to this woman…"

Bianca wanted to scream, to direct all of her rage on the man encased in ice who had done such horrific things to her sister. A horn sounded in the distance, and Bianca knew instantly what it meant: A war party.

"And just like that, we're out of time. Jardur," Bree said as she nodded towards Verunil.

Wolf, or rather Jardur, held a hand on the ice and melted it within an instant. Verunil dropped to his knees and clutched his now bloody wrist in horror. "My arm!" He wailed, and before he could muster another word Bree was upon him.

"You'll lose a lot more than that if you ain't careful," she said with a grin as she knelt down to his eye level, and Verunil's face contorted into one of sheer horror. "Verunil Osselus. Remember me?"

"Bree the Butcher. How could I forget?" Verunil nervously chuckled. The horn sounded again, and the sound of warcries filled the air as screams of Elves rang out in response. "What's that?" He asked, a tone of fear to his voice.

Bree smirked and grabbed the man by the hair on his head. "That, Verunil, is the sound of a war party. Do you know what a war party does to Elves?"

Verunil was speechless. Bree took that as a sign to elaborate, Bianca assumed. "Well, those screams outside, they're the lucky ones. They'll only be killed. Now, considering what you've done here, they may do much worse. Have you ever heard of an 'Elvehn Scarecrow' before?" Bree gave a wicked grin as she drew a knife.

"First, they hang you by your arms on the nearest tree. Then, they cut long, shallow incisions along your arms and legs just near the major blood vessels so you don't bleed out too quickly. Next, they bash your teeth out with a rock, cut your hair off, and stuff your mouth with it. Finally, just for fun, they slice off your fun parts, string them, and hang them from your neck. It's a lot of fun!"

Verunil was the picture of sheer terror as Bree let the knife dance around him like some sick performance. Though, to Bianca's knowledge, she had never heard of this "Elvehn Scarecrow." Either it was a ruse, or Bree really did live up to this tale of being a butcher. "You damn dogs!" Verunil spat.

"You can save yourself, Verunil. I can promise you safe passage out of here in exchange for one thing, and one thing only." Bree nodded as she stood up. "Prince Nazair."

Verunil grunted as he stood up to meet her gaze. "What do you want with that pampered black skin?" The Elf asked with bitterness in his voice. "Black skin" was a derogatory term used by Elves, and in many cases people from Elbafas, to refer to the desert dwelling Al'Marans of Forswaron. Bianca had never heard of a Prince Nazair, not that she was concerned about such things. Her only focus was on the fate of that damned Elf, and the wellbeing of her sister.

"Our sources indicate you have information regarding the prince. Queen N'fube of Citadel stands on the brink of declaring war on Elbafas unless her nephew is returned to her. All you have to do is swear to stand trial, confess what you know, and I can guarantee safe passage to Autumn's Gate, and your home of Aldhicus." Bree finished, holding out a hand as if expecting a handshake.

She's not serious, Bianca thought. She turned to shout, but before she could utter another word Jardur held out his arm to stop her. "Cool it." Jardur held Bianca back.

"Sha'ani!" The voice of Konalan erupted through the air as the Faerie warrior sprinted down the hall, a band of Fae on his heels. Bianca grabbed Sha'ani from Tarshall, wrapped her in the blanket, and began walking towards Konalan with her sister in hand. "Sha'ani!"

"She lives, brother," Bianca said, tears falling down her cheeks as she gently handed Konalan his wife and her sister. "She lives." Konalan wept as he caressed her, holding her close.

"Your answer?" Bree was obviously getting impatient.

The battle was over. The war cries ended as quickly as they had begun. Verunil was surrounded, the last surviving Elf of his manor. He knew to accept defeat. "I accept the terms. I will stand before the court." Verunil knelt down again, holding his last remaining hand up to greet Bree.

Bree sneered as she crossed her arms. "Verunil Osselus, you are charged with occupying illegal territory in Elbafas, of conspiring to ignite war between Elbafas and Forswaron, the kidnapping and sexual assault of Faerie women of the Heartland Fae tribe, and the imprisonment of an official of the court of Autumn's Gate." Bree finished.

"Start walking." Bree hoisted Verunil to his feet and shoved him towards the door. Bianca could only shakily breathe as she took in the scenery around her. Bodies of the elves were being piled up outside of the windows. Faerie warriors cut the throats of the remaining survivors, even the servants who had never even brandished a weapon. It was a horrific sight. Among the bodies Bianca caught a glimpse of another familiar face: Quintus Maximus, his throat ripped open and the small locket that held the painting of himself and his Faerie lover lying on the ground.

Konalan held Sha'ani in his arms as they walked with the prisoner and the other guild members. "Clear a path! We've got her." The Faeries backed away, the light of the aurora spilling into the corridor where they made their way to the main parlor.

"I'm sorry, Konalan," Sha'ani said, her voice soft and breathless. "I fought as hard as I could. I--"

Konalan shushed her and held her tighter. "You yet live, my love. We will get through this." It was comforting to see such support and love from Sha'ani's husband. Comforting, and yet sad. Sha'ani, for all her optimism and talk of acceptance and love, would never be the same after tonight.

Verunil looked back, a wicked sneer in his eye. "So, you're Konalan."

Elf, what are you doing?

"I said walk!" Bree shouted.

"I was just curious, is all. She made such a racket while we were playing with her. Calling out for this mongrel and some 'Konalan' fellow. Her gallant husband, I assume. Here to save her." Verunil chuckled. Of course he would do this. He was safe now.

Not another word.

"Calm down." Jardur clapped a hand on Bianca's shoulder. "Just let Bree do her job."

Bree grabbed the elf's arm tighter and shoved him forward. "Shut. Up."

If there was one thing Elves loved, it was feeling superior. "Faerie brides are a delight, you know. Don't worry… 'Konalan,' was it? My brothers and I broke her in for you." Verunil cackled.

Bianca's rage boiled over. As Verunil laughed, Sha'ani gripped Konalan tighter, Bree attempted to urge Verunil onward, and the world began to blur into a caricature of blood and flame. The sounds around her became muffled, a high pitched ringing in her ears as her feet began to move. She charged forward, breaking free of Jardur's grip and sprinting past Tarshall and Magnus. Then Konalan and Sha'ani. Finally she grabbed Verunil, and with a turn and mighty heave she threw him out the window of the second story corridor and down onto the cobblestone ground below.

That wasn't the end of it. Bianca leaped from the window and landed directly onto Verunil, a sickening crunch from his ribcage the only sound that pierced the muffled ringing in Bianca's ears.

"Damn you…" Bianca grabbed Verunil by the hair of his head and slammed her fist into his jaw. Again. And again. "Damn you! Damn you!" Flames erupted from her fist as she pounded his head into the ground. Even after he had stopped resisting, and after his breath finally ceased, Bianca still continued her assault. She could hear the muffled shouts of Bree telling her to stop, of the Faerie warriors encouraging more. All was a chaotic rampage around her.

By the time she had stopped to catch her breath, the thing below her barely resembled a man. Yet as she caught her second wind, the punches resumed. That is until a burst of cold erupted behind her and froze her body in place. She could no longer move. All she could do was kneel there, still straddling what was once an elf man with her fist raised high for another blow.

"I speak Elvish, the common tongue, some Orcish, and even a bit of the Eastern script," Jardur's voice came from behind, albeit muffled as though behind a wall, and finally the man came into view in front of her with a scowl and look of disdain and disgust on his face. "Yet even I can't string together enough words to accurately describe how badly you just fucked up."

***

There are many varieties of Fae in the world of Gaol, but to the best of our knowledge only four tribes have made any effort to make contact with the rest of the world. The Heartland Fae make their home in the forests of Southern and Eastern Elbafas. The Seaborne Fae reside along the coast and islands between our country and the Eastern Archipelago. The Skyclad Fae traverse the border between Elbafas, Forswaron, and Elvehn. The Stoneblood Fae live on the borders of the Dwarven Kingdoms, deep below ground.

While we know of these four tribes, only the Heartland Fae have ever established any lasting contact with humans. This was done at the behest of High Queen Ysolda War-Bear, the ruler of Elbafas who continues to attempt to bridge the gap between our people to this day.

-From the desk of Lambur Stonetooth of the College of Autumn's Gate