"Momma?"

"Yes, my son?" Nera asked as they stood aboard their ship on the edges of Shae Harbor. Despite the Invitational's completion, there were still plenty of ships in the harbor. Their Snake, Scarab, and Sons vessel was just one of them, bobbing up and down on the waves at night.

The crew was out on the deck, and along with them, the various guests they had on board, as well as Prince Tae and his people.

Lights had been placed along the sides of the ship as Nera stood at the back of the ship's quarter deck, waiting. When they arrived on the boat over an hour ago, Nera had shot a flare into the night sky. There had been no flash of light nor sound heard. At least, not a sound they could hear.

"Are you sure the dragon is coming?" Ash felt as if his neck had been tilted back, with his face facing the sky for eternity, searching for any long, fast-moving shadow approaching them.

"It will take some time, but she's on her way," Nera replied. She'd changed from the clothing she'd worn to after the closing ceremony to custom-made, high-endurance fabrics and leathers created by Hana's brother and brother-in-law. Resistant against tears, cuts with a sharp knife, and yet breathable and temperature regulating, most adventurers would be willing to pay several hundred dinari, at the low end, for just a shirt.

Nera had a well-fitted gambeson, gauntlets, belt, and boots. Even the veil she wore to cover her eyes had been especially made for her. These were all prepared as part of a payment for a loan she gave to Hana's brother and brother-in-law.

Her hair was braided and coiled at the back of her head and her space preservation bag was strapped across her back. She'd given it to Henry to hold while she was in competition, and he returned it to her at dinner so she could change.

"I don't see anything," Cio said. He, Effie, and Terry had given up standing and looking around, and had settled on laying on a blanket on the deck. They looked more like they were stargazing rather than searching for the shadow of a dragon against the dark purple sky. "Do you see anything?"

"I don't see anything," Terry replied. "Effie?"

The little half-elf didn't answer. There was silence and several eyes turned to the child, who despite staring up at the sky, seemed distracted. "Effie, are you okay?" Cio asked.

Effie blinked when she heard her name again. She gave herself a little shake and nodded. "I'm fine. I'm just wondering when Momma started riding on dragons." She scrunched her face. "I don't remember Momma riding on dragons."

"We didn't have you when Momma rode a dragon," Henry replied. He was standing by the railing of the quarter deck. "In fact, you weren't born yet."

"We were at Orm Point opening the Snake, Scarab, and Sons there," Ash told them. "They have a lot of dragons there, as it's a hub for communication via messengers to the Dragon Continent. At the time, there were, at most, air and wind wyverns. There weren't any eastern maned dragons of any kind."

"They're native to a volcanic island off the southwest coast of the Dragon Continent, but during monsoon season, they migrate to the northeast or over to West Iveria," Nera said calmly. "A storm-aligned eastern maned, specifically an eight horned silver, had been injured while crossing during the tail end of a monsoon. I was able to calm her down and get her the help she needed, and we have been friends ever since."

"How do you know she's close enough to react to the summoning flare?" Cio's mother asked, curious.

"It's made of one of her scales," Ash answered. "To summon a specific dragon, the summoning flare must have one of the scales."

"But are they close enough to hear it, though," one of the crew members asked.

"She's not hearing it-" There was a crack of thunder in the distance and Nera turned her head. Not far away, over the dark ocean water surrounding them, there were flashes of bright white lightning. They weren't coming from the sky or from the ground, but seemed to be flashing in midair. "Ah," Nera walked close to the starboard side. "She's here."

The children who had all been laying on the deck shot to their feet and raced to the starboard, grabbing on the railings as they leaned forward to try to get a better look.

The air around them seemed to grow warmer as the breeze picked up. Ash looked down at his arm and raised his other hand to rub it. There was a tingling feeling in the air that gave little shocks of compressed magic energy. He raised his head and looked towards the lightning that seemed to illuminate storm clouds that appeared out of thin air, just hovering over the surface of the ocean.

The clouds began to gather and rotate clockwise, all while occasionally illuminated by flashes of lightning.

"What is that?" one of the crew members asked over the sound rolling thunder.

Ash suppressed his excited shudder. "That's a storm portal."

The storm clouds grew larger, spreading out until it was not only wide, but tall; large enough to easily swallow the vessel whole, including its currently unfurled sails.

The breeze had strengthened, blowing their loose hair back with strong gusts that seemed to be blown out of the rotating storm clouds. Another crack of thunder was heard, followed by a siren-like growl; long and high, with undulating sounds as if singing and screaming at the same time.

Nera raised her hands. "Cover your ears! Ash! Muffle the sound!"

Ash slapped a slip on the wooden railing of the ship and a surge of energy seemed to pulse out of it. Suddenly, the thundering sound coming from the churning clouds, and the howling of the wind, went from echoing in their ears to almost a whisper.

Not a moment later, something long and silver flew out of the storm portal, followed by a boom so loud, it would've temporarily deafened them in such a close distance, had Ash not activated a slip to muffle the sound.

Sound was one thing, but air pressure was another. The creature's size and speed caused the water beneath it to surge outwards, sending waves against the side of the ship and making it teeter. The wood creaked and everyone held on to what they could to keep from falling down.

Ash flung additional slips onto the children that would keep them stuck to the deck for a bit, so they wouldn't fall back and possibly roll off the ship.

The massive vessel managed to steady after a few surprising waves, but somehow, Nera and Henry managed to keep their footing without losing their balance or grabbing on to something.

Ash was moving around to ensure that the children were safe, and relied on magic to keep his feet on deck.

The foreign energy of a legendary beast filled the air and coiled around them as a long, massive serpentine creature flew in a circle to slow down. Above them, they could see the shape; long, several times longer than the ship, and as thick as a large carriage.

Its glistening silver scales were not only illuminated by the light coming from the ship, but also from her own ethereal glow, and the constant sparks of lightning that seemed to appear around her.

Four short legs with golden claws were pressed tight against her body. On her back was a long trail of fine silver hairs that made up her mane.

The older an eastern maned dragon was, the further down its body that line of hair when.

The creature let out a sound that was both low and echoing, but also high and piercing, but unsurprisingly, harmonized. She slowed down until it floated above the water, her body in a circle around the ship, while her massive head had lowered to face Nera.

The dragon was a magnificent creature. Her eight golden horns in varying sizes went evenly down the sides of her head, white her eyes were white and glowing.

"She's huge!" Effie gasped. "A lot bigger than Zumi!"

Terry's eyes crinkled up. "I think she can eat Zumi."

Ash rolled his eyes. "She's not eating anyone," Ash told them. "When Zumi becomes a full-grown adult, she'll be as big as Inazuma."

"Her name is Inazuma?" Effie's eyes lit up. She was almost shaking, and Ash was sure if he hadn't fastened the children down, she would've launched herself off the ship and onto the dragon's face.

"I'm sorry to summon you on such short notice," Nera told the legendary beast. While it didn't matter for beasts and beast master, as they could understand each other no matter what language was used, Nera spoke in Lunapsar. "But I need a ride somewhere and I need to move quickly."

The dragon tilted her head to the side and made a quiet, trilling nose. Ash could only assume it asked 'why', as Nera answered.

"A group of people are targeting us and the Federation. I am concerned that they will cause large scale damage using dangerous weapons," Nera replied. "Can I ride you there?" The dragon seemed to make another trilling noise, but this time it was deeper. Nera nodded. "How much time do you have?"

Everyone seemed to look from Nera to the dragon, as if following the conversation despite not understanding what one party was saying.

Inazuma, the dragon, made another noise, and Nera's brows shot up.

"Oh...that long? I'll only need a ride there and then to Suna's capital when we're done," Nera replied. "Regular flight, not through a storm portal, of course."

Certain legendary beasts, such as exceptionally strong, fully grown dragons like Inazuma, could use portals to instantaneously travel from one location to another, crossing vast distances in a matter of seconds.

Portals took an obscene amount of energy that legendary beast with near or divine levels of magic energy possessed and could use; however, as impressive as storm portals, and others like it, were, there was a downside.

First, they could not be used consistently, one after another. There was some time needed for the energy to be restored for use.

Second, and most importantly, portals could only be used by the person opening it. A second being would literally be left behind. If Nera asked Inazuma to go somewhere using a storm portal, as soon as Inazuma flew through, Nera would be rejected by the energy and sent flying.

How did Ash know this? Not only had he read about it in a Traceras book on legendary and divine beasts, but he'd been there when Nera had hit the magic barrier of a storm portal and almost bounced away from it, sending her plummeting to the ground before another dragon caught her.

Certain things were not confirmed, but the Traceras books theorized that the strange pressure inside the portal, which altered time and space, was inhospitable to people and anything without a specific protection of magic.

Ash had tried to open up a portal himself, as his amount of magic energy was near limitless; however, he could not get the magic to come together to form a portal, and failed. While he had theories as to why this was so, he could only speculate on the reason.

When he'd tried to read the magic of the storm portal, it was something he couldn't understand. It was so chaotic, he couldn't make sense of it. Nothing he read, in all those books, could unravel the mystery behind portals of legendary and divine beasts. The magic was also contained, as if it were churning in on itself. While an interesting subject, it wasn't useful for Ash, so he stopped trying to create portals.

The energy required would make a system of transport portals so inefficient, it wasn't worth the effort.

"I'd like to get there as soon as possible. I want to take care of this before something happens," Nera said. The dragon let out a huff and flicked its tongue. Nera nodded. She turned around to face her sons and out towards the deck. "All right. Inazuma can get me there soon, then she'll take me directly to Suna, so we will meet there."

Ash and Henry nodded. "Fly safe, Momma," Ash said as he stepped forward to hug his mother. He put a slip that was larger than normal on her shoulder and allowed it to be absorbed. The magic would assist in dealing with the cold, wind, and air pressure Nera would face with when flying quickly, and at high altitudes.

Nera put her forehead against her son's for a moment before parting.

"Auntie, I'll take care of them," Henry told her, his voice warm with reassurance as Ash stepped back and Henry took his place.

"Stay together when you can." Nera embraced Henry and looked over his shoulder at Prince Tae. "Including when you travel. Tell your sister I will arrive by dragon."

Prince Tae nodded. "I will arrange it properly."

"Momma!" Effie shouted from the lower main deck. She let out a growl. "Momma, I can't move to go upstairs."

Ash's eyes widened. "I forgot about them..." He muttered under his breath, and then raised a hand and snapped his fingers to summon his energy back, deactivating the slips he'd thrown at them.

Effie let out a cry of surprise as she stumbled forward as she was released. She did better than Cio and Terry, who fell to their butts as soon as the slips were deactivated. Effie steadied herself on the railing before pushing up and racing up the stairs to the quarter deck.

"Momma!" The child launched herself into Nera's awaiting arms. Nera hugged her youngest tight, nuzzling the top of her head and then kissing her on the temples.

"Effie, you must listen to your brothers, all right?"

Effie nodded, her face buried in Nera's shoulder. "Okay."

"Do not run off or take any unnecessary risks."

Effie nodded once more. "I won't."

Appearing satisfied, Nera gently placed Effie on the deck. She stepped back and looked at all of her children. "The ravens won't be able to keep up with us, so I won't take them with me this time. Just wait for me to come find you."

"Yes, Momma."

"Yes, Auntie."

"Good." Nera walked towards the back railing of the ship and easily climbed on top of it. She balanced herself well as the dragon lowered her head against the back of the ship. The vessel creaked a little as the dragon nudged it. Nera grasped one of the long horns, which was taller than she was, and climbed on top of the dragon's glorious silver mane. "One more thing!"

"Yes?" Ash looked towards his mother, wondering what she had forgotten.

"Effie is not allowed to withdraw any money until I get back. Henry, confiscate the money she has on her person."

Effie took in such a sharp breath that she choked. "What! Why?"

"Understood, Auntie," Henry replied, ignoring Effie's horrified face.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"Effie is also to translate five chapters of the Suna epic, A Tale of an Eastern Monkey King, and do one chapter of mathematics exercises from Advanced Merchant Finance."

"No!" Effie fell to her knees with passion so dramatically, Ash was certain she picked it up from a summer play. "Why? I didn't do anything!"

"You know why, Euphemia Atractas," their mother replied. Ash and Henry both looked at their sister and sneered. "You should've thought about the possible outcomes before you sneaked out when Prince Tae was watching you, and went to find your brothers."

Effie choked, her eyes wide as she froze in place. She snapped her head towards her brothers with accusation on her face. "When did you tell her? I was with you the whole time!"

Ash rolled his eyes. "Momma doesn't need to hear it. She can read, idiot."

"I gave her a report of our findings to review at dinner." Henry met their sister's gaze. "And with it, was what you did."

"I thought we were going to keep it a secret!" Effie cried out, her face flushed.

"We never agreed to that." Both Henry and Ash replied, leading to Effie falling back and laying on the deck, as if all the life had been taken out of her with the assignment of her punishment.

"I want to see your work when I get back! Be good, Effie!" The last sentence almost sounded like a warning before the dragon turned her head away. She slowly floated away from the ship, but the further she went, the faster her speed.

She began to ascend, headfirst, higher into the air and disappeared into the darkness, as if the dragon had never been there.

"Where is Auntie going again?" Cio asked.

Effie was still lamenting her punishment, so Cio looked to Ash. Ash shrugged, not wanting to explain mercenaries and possible attacks on the city to the child.

"Somewhere in the mountains," Ash replied. "Even parents can have side quests."

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Nera estimated two or three days of flight to get to the interior of East Iveria, but Inazuma was a full-grown storm dragon. At her top speed, even without using the storm portal, she could cross a continent overnight.

Their speed was slower, as she was carrying Nera. Even with Ash's magic protecting her, the slower speed was less turbulent and more comfortable. Despite the slower speed, by late afternoon the next day, Nera caught sight of the top of a blown-out mountain that used to be a volcano.

The crater was dark and stood out from the shorter and less damaged peaks surrounding it on the mountain range. The forest only managed to crawl up partway up those peaks, but in the crater, the forest spilled into it. This was Semut Mountain, and the last she knew, the entrances were along the ridges of the crater.

"Where should we land?" She heard Inazuma ask as they began to descend.

Nera narrowed her eyes. "On the ridge."

"Do we need to try to stay hidden?" For a moment, Nera looked down at the legendary beast beneath her. A fully grown eastern mane dragon was as large as a ship, not to mention Inazuma herself was silver.

"I don't think there is any need for that," Nera replied. "Besides, normal weapons and normal magic can't harm you."

Inazuma let out a low trill in understanding. They circled the crater once to descend. Nera gave her gentle tugs on her mane to turn her attention to a landing area. Along the ridge were stone outcroppings in front of the entrances that led to the mercenary base tunneled around the crater walls.

There were people on guard everywhere, but hidden in the natural surroundings.

Nera sneered to herself. Let them see her coming. Let them see an eastern mane storm dragon looming over their base like a god of reckoning.

With the fleeting light of the setting sun, the long shadow fell over a flat landing area with little trees as obstruction. As Inazuma got closer, projectile objects came from various directions, making Nera snort as she lay flat.

The dragon scales made even a ballista's metal-tipped arrow bend, shatter, and fall to the ground. With the failure of the various arrows, magic scrolls were cast, as seen by the glowing in between the trees. The bursts of magic did nothing, and it was almost pitiful to see.

Nera could almost taste the confusion and rising fear coming from the mercenaries on guard duty.

The loose dirt and small rocks were blowing into the air with the pressure of Inazuma landing on the ground. She could've floated, but the sight of golden claws digging into the hardpacked earth and stone was a good intimidation visual. Inazuma flared her nostrils and let out low, threatening rumblings.

It wasn't that she was prepared to fight, but she wanted to scare the mercenaries. Mercenaries did not generally go up against legendary beasts or magic creatures. That was a different skill set.

Nera slid her leg over the back of the dragon and slid off, landing beside Inazuma's head. Her eyes scanned the area and slowly took a few steps forward until she was standing in front of the dragon and just several paces away from an unnoticeable entrance to the base.

"Who is in charge now?" Her voice boomed and filled the flat area where they'd landed. This was a voice she didn't use with her children. Effie had only known the warm, gentle side of her mother. Hearing Nera use such a voice would've shaken her. "Where is Vicente Kaj!"

She stood in place and looked around with narrow eyes. She could hear the mercenaries hiding in the surrounding area shifting and controlling their breathing. She frowned further. It seemed she wasn't going to get answers without force.

Nera raised her hand and pointed at some trees and bushes that were to one side of a path. Behind her, Inazuma took a deep breath and raised her head.

The dragon's jaws opened, revealing a row of sharp, white teeth, and a ball of crackling white lightning gathering inside her mouth. She drew her head back and then jerked forward. The lightning flew out of her mouth and slammed into the ground beneath the trees and bushes Nera had pointed to.

Lick cockroaches fleeing, a half-dozen mercenaries raced out, barely able to keep their guard up as the lightning seared the ground and made it burst with dirt and tree roots. They covered their faces, but Nera noticed that they were all young adults. She knew she wouldn't recognize all of the mercenaries, but these six were definitely new.

"Answer me, or I will have her level this entire crater!" Nera's outward expression of fury didn't falter. The mercenaries faced her, weapons drawn and ready to attack. Nera clenched her jaw. "I'll count to ten." Nera raised her arm and pointed opposite where Inazuma had shot lightning. "One."

Inazuma drew her breath again and opened her mouth.

The lightning slammed into the side of the crater's interior ridge, sending large boulders and dust falling. Screams filled the area as the mercenaries who'd been revealed jumped out to escape the falling rubble.

"That's not ten-"

"Two!" Nera pointed in another direction, and Inazuma turned her head, drawing her breath once more before sending out another ball of lighting.

"What are you doing?" One of the women screamed as a tree was split down the middle.

Nera moved her arm ever so slightly. "Three!"

"Stop!" Several people emerged from the hiding places. Nera raised her hand to stop another lightning attack. Four people were frantically pulling someone out from some rubble that had fallen on to the landing area from the first attack, while a few more tried to form a protective human shield around them.

One woman was gripping her daggers so tightly in both hands that her fists had turned white. She kept her eyes on Nera, as if expecting Nera to attack at any moment. "Who are you?"

Nera's lips were in a tight line. "I asked you a question first. Where is Vicente Kaj?"

"You answer our question first!" A man beside the woman, who was also posed to defend or attack at Nera's slightest move, shouted.

Nera sneered and pointed. "Four."

Another explosion sounded, shaking the earth beneath them, as the dragon's lightning sent trees into the air, smoking and in pieces.

"Stop, stop! What do you want?" Several panicked voices shouted at once. Nera was sure that someone had gone to alert the mercenary group's leaders of her arrival by now.

"I want to know where Vicente Kaj is!"

"Master Kaj passed away-"

"Shut up!" One man covered another man's mouth with his arm and tried to pull him back, but the answer was already out.

Nera frowned, her brows knitting. "What do you mean passed away?" Vicente Kaj was the official mercenary guild master. The last she met him; he was only in his early thirties. He shouldn't even hit fifty yet.

In addition, the master of Semut Mountain was selected by a combination of skill and management ability, both of which he had. Not to mention, he was well respected by Semut Mountain's mercenaries. What happened in the last few years? How did he die?

She forced herself not to let any confusion or suspicion appear on her face as she maintained a cold, forceful demeanor. She had many questions, but first she wanted to know who was in charge and why they allowed an attack attempt in Shae Merchant City.

"We answered your question! Now, tell us who you are!" For mercenaries, they sounded more and more cautious each time they spoke. It was perhaps the looming figure of Inazuma beside her.

"Oh, no-"

"She's alive!"

"Madam Moon!" The voices of three men filled with varying levels of surprise and dread came from the entrance of the base.

Nera narrowed her eyes. She recognized those three men. They were senior mercenaries. "Did you think I was dead?"

"No! No, of course not!"

"How can we think of such a thing!" Two men fell to their knees before they made it five steps from the entrance. The last almost lay on the ground completely as he clasped his hands and raised them towards her in an act of pleaing.

"Madam, welcome back!"

"Don't welcome me back! Who is in charge of the guild if Vicente Kaj is no longer alive!" Her voice seemed to make every other human wince and step back.

"Madam, Master Leruia is the guild master now."

If she could frown further, she would've. "Leruia? Wendel Leruia?" She spat out the name without hesitation for the disgust in it.

There were several leaders under Vicente Kaj that led and organized teams. Their duties included leading high-level missions, screening mission requests, and assigning them to appropriately skilled teams, if the mission was accepted. Wendel Leruia was not one of those leaders.

He was only a team member then, and Nera remembered him because he complained loudly about the changes to the organization she and Vicente Kaj put in place.

"Yes, do you want to meet with Master Leruia?" one of the men who'd come out asked with trepidation.

A cold, skin-chilling air came from Nera. "I would, yes."

That man pushed himself back up, and without brushing the dirt off his clothes, stepped to the side and motioned for Nera to enter, bowing as she neared him.

Nera looked at Inazuma. "Wait here for me."

The dragon replied with a firm chuff before Nera turned around and walked towards the entrance. As she passed, the younger mercenaries looked at her with uncertainty. Since they were new, none of them seemed to recognize her. Her suspicions were validated when she heard them whispering amongst themselves, asking who she was.

As she entered the interior of the crater tunnel, she heard one of the men she left behind answer them in a nervous voice.

"She is the woman who beat Master Kaj several years ago. She is Semut Mountain's highest master."

Nera kept an icy look on her face, walking through the illuminated walkway to the heart of the mercenary organization's headquarters.

"Where is he?"

Her low voice made the man following meekly behind her jump. "The interior office."

Nera clenched her jaw. The interior office was underground, somewhere beneath the center of the crater. It was the office where the mercenary masters would go for internal meetings, kept records, and had spaces to plan out missions. Valuables were kept in vaults below it.

Only high ranked members of the organization could go there.

Guests were never brought further than the surface level tunnels, if a guest managed to come to begin with. Requests for missions came via messenger birds from members hidden in cities, who were contacted by interested parties. This kept the location of Semut Mountain a secret.

Nera found out by force. She had literally dragged several captured leaders of the guild back, forced her way into the fortified tunnels, and rampaged her way through the organization, destroying supplies, vehicles, freeing horses, and crippling anyone who stood in her way.

She fought all the leaders present that day, and remained on location for another two weeks, waiting to fight each and every one as they returned. Messenger hawks intercepted messenger birds that had been sent to warn others, allowing them to return out of concern that no communication had been sent.

What they had arrived to was a sea of injured mercenaries and Nera seated in the interior office, ominously inviting them to sit for a 'chat'. How could such an organization, which was built on selling violence, accept a foreign usurper so easily? There were plenty of fights between her and some overconfident mercenary, sometimes multiple people at the same time, sometimes individuals trying to regain their power after multiple losses.

The continents' most powerful mercenary group that had meddled in international politics, internal wars of countries, and suppressed so many had succumbed to a single mother.

Nera clenched her fist, feeling it twitch with the urge to fight.

She marched through the halls oozing such murderous intent, that people in the corridors would stand back to let her pass, or see her coming and turn around. The mercenary behind her remained quiet, following along as if he were eunuch and she an emperor returning to the palace and on her way to discipline a wayward prince.

As she approached the inner office area, she could hear the drumbeats coming through the corridor along with the scent of alcohol lingering in the air. As her eyes narrowed further, the man behind her shrank his head back and bit his lips.

At first her arrival into the main space went largely unnoticed. The music of drummers and lute players filled the room along with the voices of the musicians, which she hoped were mercenaries and not invited in from outside, and men and women lounging around, singing along.

There were cups clinking against each other, and some smoke in the air. The light was dimmer than it was before. In the past, it was a legitimate office where leaders of the organization came together to discuss important matters and sort through missions. After all, the lives of their people were at risk if a mission was not conducted well.

Now, it seemed as if the area had degenerated into a poorly run bar.

Nera stood in place, behind the chairs and tables of people turned to face the musicians, and took a deep breath.

"Where is he." It wasn't so much a question, but a demand for an answer. The only person who was close enough to hear her low, dangerous voice over the sound of the music was the man who'd followed her inside.

He scurried forward and nearly rushed across the room to a heavy wooden door at the far end. He raised his fists and began banging on the door as if his life depended on it.

"Master Leruia! Master!" He swallowed hard and looked over his shoulder, giving Nera a helpless smile. "One moment, Madam." He almost punched the door. "Master, you have a guest!"

The sound of his banging caught the attention of the musicians, which was then noticed by their audience. The music faded awkwardly as several people murmured in confusion.

Nera remained standing three paces from the door with a stern expression.

"What are you doing?" An older mercenary rushed forward and tried to squeeze his way between the man knocking at the door. "Master Leruia told us not to bother-"

The man pointed to Nera with wide eyes, as if silently telling the older man that if he didn't knock, someone would die. The older man's face drained of color as he saw Nera standing there.

"Ma...madam...."

"Is he inside?" Nera asked in a measured voice. The two men slowly nodded. Nera nodded back. "Step aside."

They bowed their heads and took a few steps back, unable to meet her gaze. When they were far enough away, Nera strode forward and lifted her leg.

A creak of wood breaking sounded as the heavy wooden door not only split down the middle, but was pushed off its hinges and deadbolt lock, folding in the center and into the room.

Pieces of wood flew in all directions as within the room, women started screaming.

Nera stepped on top of the lower half of the door that was still barely hanging on by the lower hinge, sending out a bang through both rooms. The alcohol was stronger, as was a musky scent.

The naked body of a tall, lean man rushed forward, red-faced, and nearly foaming at the mouth as he shouted obscenities and waved his arms as if he were ready to dive into a fight.

"What is going on! Who-" His words died in his throat as a slender hand slammed against his throat while long fingers curled around his thick neck. His hands flew up, desperately grabbing at the deceptive woman's arm as he was lifted up, off his feet, and dangled in place.

He locked eyes with Nera, and she watched with satisfaction as the realization hit. His eyes shrank as they bulged on his red face, and for a moment, he trembled while trying to support himself by holding on to the forearm that was holding him.

"Wendel," Nera said in a calm, crisp voice. "I didn't know you came into power. You should've told me."

"Master!" Several voices shouted behind them. Wendel's legs were flailing in the air. One of his arms shot to the side, pointing at Nera while a wheezing, incoherent voice came out of his mouth.

Behind her came the rustling of cloth and footsteps against the stone floor.

Nera tilted her head to the side, easily avoiding a knife being thrown at her head. She turned around and swept her foot along the shards of broken, splintered wood from the ground and kicked them forward. Several people screamed as they raised their arms to cover their faces as the splintered wood came flying at their faces. Pieces of wood of all sizes pierced their skin, with the largest pieces embedded into their flesh.

Those who stumbled back injured were quickly replaced by more mercenaries. With their leader in her hand, they were hesitant to attack in close range, so all they could do was throw projectile weapons. Once thrown, their trajectory was set.

It was an easy matter to avoid each one with leans, side steps, and shifts of the body. The few that she couldn't avoid, she used a dagger in her sleeve to deflect them to the side, then reached to the side as the dagger was returned.

Nera caught another knife in her free hand and, without changing her cold expression, returned it. Blood splattered across the faces and clothes of several mercenaries standing close together. It happened so quickly, it seemed to take time for them to register what had happened. Then, the attacker screamed, her shrill voice filling the room.

"My hand!" A woman grasped her wrist with her good hand as blood streamed out of a hole in her palm. The slender knife had gone through flesh and between bone, coming out the other side.

"Don't attack her!"

"Do you want to die!?" The two men who had stepped aside before Nera burst into the room were frantically trying to pull back the younger mercenaries, several of whom seemed ready to try again.

"Do you know who that is?" The old mercenary shouted. "Are you crazy!"

"Stop, you idiots! She'll kill us all!" The two other men who had come out in the beginning rushed in, grabbing mercenaries from behind and almost throwing them to side to keep from being retaliated against.

"Who is that woman?" Another woman who was grasping at clothes inside and hiding behind a desk seemed to demand answers. Her questions were ignored as people outside the door yelled for healers or doctors. Someone was screaming that they were blind.

"Madam! Madam, please let Master Leruia go! His face is turning purple!" one of the mercenaries pleaded with Nera, but remained a good distance away, as if to avoid being grabbed and choked next.

Nera turned back to Wendel, boring her eyes hidden behind the veil at him. She lowered him until he touched the ground, but he was too weak from the chokehold and his legs gave way. As soon as Nera released him, he fell to the ground.

His hands shot up and rubbed at his throat as he hunched forward, wheezing for air.

"Tell them who I am, Wendel," Nera instructed in a calm voice. The man held his bruised neck and looked up. She could see the resentment in his eyes as he tightened his lips into a line, a silent protest against her order. Nera raised a brow and let out a cold laugh. "Very well." Her hand shot up and she grabbed a fistful of thick, greasy brown hair, pulling Wendel back on to his feet. "I'm not going to order this again. Tell them who I am."

"Madam Moon!" Wendel screamed, his eyes turning red as he grasped her hand to try to get her to loosen her hold before his entire scalp was peeled off.

"And what do I do, Wendel?" Nera asked, her voice almost placating.

"You are the true master of Semut Mountain!"

Nera lifted her chin in acknowledgement, but didn't release him. Instead, she lifted him higher, pulling out pieces of hair as he shakily stood to his feet.

"It's good you remember," she told him. She turned him to face her. "So, answer your master," she said, her fingers curling into and almost digging into his scalp. He shivered, his body almost curling up, and the resentment in his eyes covered by fear. The emperor had returned, and the prince was in trouble.

"Madam! Madam, I'm sorry-"

"I don't care." Nera squeezed his head until his veins popped and his hands could do nothing but turn into claws to deal with the pressure. "Tell me. Who approved the order to plant explosives at the Federation of Merchant Cities Invitational?"

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