Pakal

[rufusluciusivan]

Chapter 7: The Shapeshifter and the Grand Finale

**************

Asiri Tzak Cho’k Taak was the typical officer of the Pakal army.

Physically, she was the epitome of the Empire’s standards. A fit figure, an oval-shaped head, a large forehead, a thick tanned brown skin, braided coarse black hair, and golden brown eyes. She had shapely legs, a flat stomach, a tall nose, and an aquiline profile.

Mentally, she was everything the army leaders were looking for their field officers. Bossy, with the right combination of narrow-minded obedience and spirit of initiative.

Asiri was leading a small female-only battalion of soldiers. As a commanding officer, she was wearing an ample red tunic reaching up to the knees adorned with a big golden yellow stylized sun at the front and the back. The red cloth headband covering her forehead had golden stripes. A leather breastplate was protecting her torso and back, and was adorned with a painted golden yellow stylized sun. Her head was protected by a leather headgear, and leather protections were also covering her forearms and her legs.

Asiri was leading a small battalion of thirty women. They were ordinary foot soldiers. They were wearing the standard Pakal military uniform: leather sandals, an ample red tunic reaching up to the knees, a leather belt with a metallic buckle, a red cloth headband covering her forehead, a leather breastplate, leather protections around the forearms and legs, and a leather headgear. They were armed with spears, obsidian daggers, and small shields made of wood and leather Their haircut was reglementary: a small shoulder-long braid adorned with red stones. In the army, soldiers didn’t always have to share the same haircut. Some officers were more permissive, but Asiri preferred to rule her troop with an iron fist. All of the soldiers were from Pakal. They all had either dark brown or black hair, dark eyes, and a dark skin.

Thanks to an informer, Asiri had learned that some shady deals were happening in an abandoned warehouse near the docks.

The information was reliable enough to convince Asiri to conduct a search, though not enough to make her report it to her superiors first.

Though in truth her decision to not warn her hierarchy first was motivated by her desire to get all the potential glory for herself. Asiri was a very ambitious woman. This was maybe the opportunity of a lifetime for her career.

Her second-in-command Miyatala had also encouraged Asiri. The officer trusted the latter’s judgment because she knew Miyatala was as ambitious as her. Therefore, she had every interest to help Asiri reap the glory – because she would also move up the ranks if the operation was a success.

Miyatala was from the western provinces of the Empire. Some of her ancestors were most likely from the Vassal Kingdoms, as her hair were medium brown instead of dark brown. There were green shades in her brown eyes. The second-in-command was tall, with an oval-shaped head, as well as a fit athletic-looking body. Her skin was dark, though lighter than Asiri's.

The commanding officer’s dreams of greatness were interrupted by her second-in-command. “What are your orders?” Miyatala asked.

Asiri looked at the warehouse. From the outside, the building looked abandoned. However, according to her informant, it was used as a hiding place by enemies of the Empire. Perhaps even the prince Rashid himself.

“Search the place.”

Miyatala relayed her orders.

The thirty soldiers stormed inside.

**************

The warehouse was dimly lit because the windows were small and high.

The building was empty, save for a lot of barrels.

No living soul.

Asiri frowned. Had her informant been wrong?

The officer gave a few orders. Her soldiers scattered in the building to properly search it.

“Miyatala, go see what you can find.” Asiri then told her second-in-command.

The other woman complied.

Asiri was feeling nervous. Something just wasn't adding up.

Suddenly, the officer was taken aback by a dull noise. She turned back. Somebody had closed the door of the warehouse.

At that moment, Asiri realized she had made a mistake. In her hurry, she had taken all her squad with her inside the building. Nobody was left to watch the outside.

Then, Asiri started to hear muffled cries, and grunts. As well as brawling noises.

The officer realized her soldiers were under attack.

The assailants were coming from hideouts built inside the walls or under the floor. They were as numerous as the guards, thirty women dressed in black clothes to take advantage of the warehouse’s half-light! While the soldiers, with their bright red uniforms were sticking out like sore thumbs even in the dim light!

The black-clothed women were ambushing the soldiers from behind; attacking them with wooden clubs, clothes soaked with sleeping potions, or punches.

Asiri remained frozen in shock during a few seconds. Then she opened her mouth to shout some orders.

**************

Azeneth jumped in front of the officer. She delivered a swift and well-aimed punch to the woman’s jaw, as it was one of the few parts of the woman's body which wasn't protected. Asiri took a few shaky steps backwards, half-groggy because of the punch, and the metis delivered a blow to the base of her neck. The officer crumbled forward with a dull ‘Guh!’, out cold.

Without her guidance, the remaining soldiers didn’t last long.

The building’s walls muffled the sounds of the thrashing, punches, swearwords, grunts, and other various cries for help.

**************

Yuka allowed Rashid to enter the warehouse once all danger was over.

Nahid was giving instructions to the women of their team. Yuka admired her skill. Nahid was a born leader. A part of Yuka couldn’t help but think that, if Rashid was forced to marry her, at least he would gain a great ally and second-in-command...

The shapeshifter forced herself to think of something else. Thinking of Rashid’s upcoming arranged marriage was also making her remember the night they had shared. And, most importantly, it was reminding her of how complicated things were going to be even if they succeeded this mission. Rashid wanted to defy his father for her…

No! She had to wait until after the mission! She had to remain focused!

“Astrid will survive. I’m not sure there won’t be after-effects, but at least she’ll be able to walk normally.” Rashid suddenly intervened, which thankfully offered her a distraction. “We’ll have to keep her prisoner until the end of this mission, of course.”

“Good news.” Yuka commented.

Rashid looked a little embarrassed. “She doesn’t have nice things to say about you…”

Yuka shrugged. “I don’t care if she hates me. She has the right, and a good reason.”

She looked around her. Coulter was brooding in a corner (nothing unusual), and Jinora was helping Nahid organize the operation.

Yuka noticed that Azeneth and Yisüi were out of the way – something that definitely was unusual, given how the metis loved being the center of attention. The two women were whispering together. They were plotting something...

In the warehouse, they could hear the soft moans and groans of unconscious women. The black-clothed women, who were of course employed by Rashid, were dragging them by the legs or by the underarms, under Nahid’s and Jinora’s supervision.

Azeneth stopped conspiring with Yisüi, and came to meet Rashid and Yuka. She was playfully fidgeting with a knife.

“Looks like you had no trouble.” Rashid commented. “I confess I was worried we’d bite more than we could chew this time...”

The metis smiled. “Please… These jokers didn’t know anything about real fights. I could have dealt with half of them by myself!” she bragged. “We didn’t even need to shank one. All the uniforms are in perfect condition-”

They suddenly stopped talking.

A woman dressed as a soldier had walked in front of them. It was Miyatala.

There was a short moment of silence.

However, the officer didn’t try to attack them or to sound the alarm.

She simply commented: “Impressive work.”

Rashid looked at her with a blank expression. “You played your part perfectly as well. As always. The purse of coins has been left at the usual place.”

The second-in-command nodded with a smile. It actually wasn’t the first time Miyatala had been bribed by Rashid. The corrupt officer hadn’t minded to lead her squad into a trap. She had simply asked for a bigger sum than usual. “Thank you. I love doing business with you.” she said.

“You’re not afraid to be blamed for the fiasco?” Yuka asked her.

Miyatala shrugged. “Asiri was the commanding officer. She’s the one going to take the fall.”

“Such loyalty… It commands admiration…” Azeneth commented with irony. She was barely hiding her scorn. While corrupt officers were very useful to Rashid’s cause, the metis couldn’t stand this sort of people.

Yuka intervened before things could escalate. “We’ll have to make things real.” she told the second-in-command.

Miyatala frowned, then her eyes widened slightly when the realization dawned upon her. “Oh. I suppose there’s no avoiding it.”

Yuka grabbed an exposed part of the woman’s neck, and pinched. Her fingers glowed. Miyatala froze, had a few spasms, and couldn’t help but let out a small moan. Then her eyes rolled back, her body became limp, and she fell into the shapeshifter’s arms.

Azeneth smiled harshly. “I wish I could see her face when she realizes what we did with our uniforms… She’ll be responsible of the Mages’ fall!” the metis commented. Then she turned towards Rashid. “You fooled her good. She bought everything hook, line, and sinker.”

Modest, the prince simply smiled. “You should see Ghazanite court intrigues. These are child’s play in comparison.”

Of course, they hadn’t told Miyatala the true purpose of their operation. Rashid often said that greedy people like her were very useful, but should also be told as little as possible about the plans.

Yuka put a hand on Rashid’s shoulder. “I must say... Every time I see you engage in your spy games of double-dealings and triple betrayals… I’m glad to only be a mere performer. My deceptions look a lot less… convoluted.”

“I wouldn’t call your deceptions non-convoluted. And I certainly don’t think you’re a mere performer… Not to me...” Rashid softly replied. He took advantage of the situation to discreetly caress the back of her hand.

His caress felt so good, but at the same time so scary. Still, when they were far away from Ghazan and its political maneuvering, Yuka could almost forget how complicated the situation was… Once again, she forced herself to remain focused.

Yuka noticed Azeneth’s amused smile, and changed the subject. “Let’s take good care of our soldier friends here. It seems they can’t wait to donate their uniforms for our cause...”

**************

Unconscious soldiers were scattered everywhere in the building, lying on the floor in various positions. They had been ambushed in various parts of the warehouse; either subdued thanks to a rag soaked with a narcotic potion, or knocked out with a small wooden blackjack.

Therefore, the first step of the mass-stripping was to drag all the unconscious women to one part of the warehouse.

For this mission, all of Rashid’s surviving agents were here. While a good number of the ones stationed in Chichen Itza had sadly been captured during Safiye’s and Tsuki’s raid, and then executed, there were still others in other cities. Coulter had to transport herself in every of Rashid’s hideouts across the Empire and the Vassal Kingdoms to bring all the women and men working for him, as they needed a high number of people to impersonate a high number of soldiers. The women were in this warehouse, the men were at work in an other part of the capital city.

Once the soldiers were all gathered in one place, the mass-stripping began.

The leather gears were removed first. The women lifted the unresponsive legs to take off the sandals and protections before dropping them, then did the same with the arms to take off the leather protections. They unclipped the leather belts, took the weapons, and unlaced the cloth headbands. Finally, they lifted up the soldiers’ arms, wiggling their tunics upward and off, letting then them land back on the floor.

The soldiers were wearing similar-looking plain undergarments: a band of cloth covering the breasts and knotted behind the back, and a loincloth wrapped around the pelvis and between the legs. The underwear were either grey, brown, or dark red. Asiri was clad in a thin one-piece undertunic. The undergarment was yellow, sleeveless, and thigh-long, revealing the woman's nice cleavage and shapely legs. Miyatala was wearing a white shift, a piece of underwear more commonplace in the Vassal Kingdoms, some sort of long short-sleeved undertunic that reached up to the knees. It was also a lot less revealing. Apparently, the corrupt officer had come prepared…

A lot of ropes and pieces of cloth had been stored in the warehouse, in preparation of the ambush. They were put to good use.

They bound each soldier the same way: The wrists were cross-tied behind the back. The upper-arms were restrained by an other coil of rope. Other coils were wrapped around the thighs, the legs, and the ankles. A thick scarf was used to blindfold each woman, and each was gagged with a thick cloth cleave-gag.

Most of the barrels in the warehouse were actually empty. Or, more precisely, they were empty because their purpose was to store the hapless soldiers unlucky enough to fall into Rashid’s trap, after they were relieved of their clothes and swiftly bound and gagged.

Therefore, thirty of them accommodated a trussed up silently snoozing half-naked woman.

Fake merchants under Rashid's employ would later come to pick them up on their carts. Soldiers made for good hostages after all...

**************

All the women dropped their black clothes, and got dressed in the stolen soldier uniforms and gears. Yuka, Azeneth, Jinora and Yisüi had a lot of fun dyeing Coulter's hair black, and braiding her hair. They all had always been fascinated by the redhead's fluffy curly mane, especially Yuka. (While in theory Coulter could cast an illusion to change her hair colour and hairstyle, it was simply easier to do it the old-fashioned way, as it meant she didn't have to keep focused on maintaining an illusion.)

Then, Yuka summed up the use they were going to make of the clothes. She looked at the disguised women.

“Now, our fake battalion will surround the College. You will take position in key parts of the district, and make sure no civilian get close to the building. Then, a small team will enter the building, and escort Coulter to the Mages. Once this is done, you will take cover, and wait for further instructions.”

For this mission, they knew they couldn’t simply take the place of a few guards. Of course, to infiltrate the building itself, they could only send a small team. However, to actually REACH the building and enter it without anyone seeing them, they needed a lot more uniformed people. Therefore, they had chosen to take the place of an entire platoon.

It didn’t seem like much, but diverting all the passer-bys of an entire area of Chichen Itza in order to have a few parts of the College’s surroundings devoid of witness, even for a short amount of time, required a perfect knowledge of the city’s layout and a perfect timing. That plan was a masterpiece of organization.

“Will we be numerous enough?” Yisüi asked. She was sounding worried.

Rashid nodded. “My male spies have also finished-”

“I don’t want to even hear about it!” Azeneth interrupted him.

Rashid smiled apologetically. “Oh, right, sorry. I forgot. Touchy subject.”

Yuka chuckled.

However, she also noticed Yisüi exchanging a look with Azeneth.

What were they plotting?

**************

The sky was clouded.

Chichen Itza’s streets were busy but, somehow, the atmosphere was weird. Yuka and her friends had a bad feeling. There was something ominous in the air. In the distance, they could see the College - the headquarter of the Sun Mages. The building was designed to look like the pyramidal palaces of the nobility, but bigger and wealthier. Even the Emperor's palace was less impressive-looking.

“I can sense their magic. They are gathering their strength with rituals.” Coulter commented.

“Do we still have time?” Yuka asked, feeling worried.

“Yes. But this will be our only chance. They won’t need more than a few days to prepare for the ritual. At most. If we fail today, Ghazan will be lost.”

Yuka nodded.

She noticed Azeneth and Yisüi who were whispering to each other again. They were definitely plotting something…

“After all this time… All our work is going to come to fruition.” Jinora intervened, which diverted Yuka’s attention.

Of course, Coulter clenched her fists in anticipation. “I can hardly wait.” she said with a savage grin. “Let’s not waste any more time!”

“This is maybe the last time we can converse like that.” Jinora insisted.

“Hey! Don’t start saying things like that! It invites trouble!” Yuka joked while lightly elbowing her.

“I mean… If we win-”

“WHEN we win.” Azeneth interrupted her.

“- we’ll probably not stay together.” Jinora finished her sentence. “At least not as often, and not in the same configuration.”

Yisüi blushed a little. She was avoiding their eyes. Yuka suspected the blonde had decided to stay with them until they defeated the Mages, but that she also had plans to return to her village once everything was over.

“Rashid will have to return to Ghazan. I’m sure you’ll go with him, Yu'.” Jinora said.

Yuka avoided her eyes. “It’s… complicated.”

“Az’ and I will probably stay in Pakal.” Jinora added. “Some of us will have to stay in the Empire to handle the network.”

“I know.” Yuka murmured.

Yisüi intervened. “And what about you, Coulter? What do you intend to do?” she asked the redhead, who wasn’t taking part in the conversation.

“Why do you care?” the other woman snappily asked.

“You could pay Eztli a visit.” Yuka proposed.

Coulter glared at her. Yuka knew the redhead didn’t like to talk about her past. "Let's just share our projects in details AFTER the battle." the mage-woman ultimately said. "I wanna stay focused."

“No matter what we choose to do, I think there’s only one thing we can do first-” Azeneth intervened.

"If you say 'a group hug', I will break your arm." Coulter interrupted her.

“- and it's NOT a group hug." the metis hurriedly added. "Once we’re finished here, we’ll throw the biggest feast we’ve ever done!”

Coulter rolled her eyes. Yuka, Jinora, and Yisüi chuckled.

“Good idea.” Yuka answered.

Jinora noticed that they were lagging behind the main group led by Rashid and Nahid. “We should hurry up.” she said to her friends.

The others complied.

Yuka grabbed Azeneth’s arm.

“By the way, Az’. What were you discussing with Yisü’?”

Her friend played innocent. “Oh, nothing important.”

She was lying, of course, but Yuka didn’t have the time to question her.

**************

Around the College, there was a square. The building had two entrances. There was a big one for the Mages themselves and the guests they wanted to impress. It was massive, designed to catch the eye. And there was a small discreet one for the servants. Obviously, this one was designed to NOT be seen by the guests, and was therefore isolated.

Rashid’s agents were playing the part of soldiers. Subtly, they took position in key crossroads and alleyways in the area to divert the passer-bys. After a while, with no one the wiser, some parts of the square in front of the College had become devoid of any witness.

The fake soldiers had played their part. Rashid would stay in the area to supervise them. Now, it was time for Yuka's team to make their entrance.

Once the coast was clear, Yuka and her friends approached the back entrance. The shapeshifter was with Azeneth, Jinora, Coulter and Yisüi. Nahid and her two bodyguards were following them.

Azeneth and Coulter were of course obvious choices. The former was their best fighter, the latter was needed to confront the Mages. Coulter's catalysts were hidden under her clothes. She was already wearing the ones she could conceal, and the others were stored in small pouches tied around her limbs and belly with leather strips.

Jinora had seen a map of the College back when she was working as a scribe, so she knew a bit of the layout of the building.

Yisüi was the best when it came to impersonate a slave. And Yuka knew that, once inside, taking the clothes of a few slaves or servants would be one of their best options.

Nahid and her bodyguards would remain in front of the College’s back entrance, pretending to be a patrol. If Yuka had to transmit a message, they would do it for her.

The small team approached their destination.

One guard was watching the building’s back entrance. She was wearing a dark purple long tunic adorned with a black sun, black leather sandals, a brown leather belt, and leather protections. She was armed with a spear, a metallic short sword, and a shield. A dark purple cloth headband adorned with black obsidian stones was tied around her forehead. Her hair were black, braided, and adorned with purple stone beads. Her skin was dark. Her face was oval-shaped, and her almond-shaped eyes were golden brown.

Yisüi was a little surprised to see she was alone. “Don’t they know we may try something against them? Isn’t it risky to not watch better the most obvious entrance for intruders?” she asked.

“The Mages’ haven’t faced a serious challenge to their power for decades. Their arrogance has no limits.” Coulter answered.

Yuka shook her head. “They are unbelievably arrogant, but I wouldn’t say they are completely foolish either… The woman is a decoy. There are other guards inside.” The shapeshifter pointed at the layout of the area. “Look around her. It’s like an open field. She’ll see us way before we can be close enough to neutralize her.”

“Why would we need to neutralize her ourselves?” Azeneth retorted. “Coulter! That’s what we have you for. Come on! Work your magic!”

Indeed, they had one trump card over the Mages. Ce-Acatl and his colleagues still hadn’t realized yet that Coulter had received an artifact allowing her to hide her power when she was using magic. They were still thinking the only device that could conceal magic was the crystals which would burn the skin and couldn’t be carried. It was Rashid’s most well-kept secret. Even Safiye hadn’t been able to discover it. She only knew about the ‘classic’ crystals.

Coulter rolled her eyes, groaned in annoyance, and moved her hands.

The air around the guard blurred. Suddenly, the woman’s arms were pressed against her sides, and her legs were pressed together. Her jaw was also immobilized. She couldn’t open her mouth. An invisible force was completely restraining her. She dropped her weapons.

“Mmmm?!” the guard tried to exclaim.

“You’re becoming lazy…” Jinora teased Azeneth.

“Not lazy. Smart.” the other woman playfully retorted

They approached the guard.

The woman’s eyes were rolling. She was trying to speak.

“Mhh! Mhh!”

But the pressure keeping her mouth closed was stronger than any gag. For all intent and purpose, she was silenced.

The guard stared at Coulter with disbelief.

Azeneth deduced what the woman was thinking. “I bet you’re wondering why nobody is coming? After all, she’s using magic literally right at the Mages’ doorstep, and yet none of them seems able to sense her.” The metis approached Coulter, and grabbed the light purple crystal the Charioteer was wearing as a necklace. “See this beauty? It prevents anyone from sensing her magic.”

“Personal boundaries, Azeneth.” the redhead warned her.

Azeneth walked away. “Sorry, sorry, no need to be grouchy.”

The metis glanced at the guard. She eyed the woman’s uniform, figuring out the easiest way to strip her.

“I was thinking of something. Coulter? Can you… make her raise her arms?”

The redhead moved her hands. The guard’s body moved, like some kind of puppet.

"MHHH! MHHH!"

Azeneth unclipped the woman’s belt, and removed it. She also unlaced and took off the leather protections of the forearms.

“Now, make her bend forward with her arms still up.” Azeneth instructed.

"MPHHHH!"

Coulter complied again. The guard’s eyes were widened, and were angrily looking everywhere. But she had no control over her body.

Azeneth removed the woman’s leather helmet, headband, and long tunic.

“The legs, please?”

"NMMMMH! NHHHH!"

Coulter made the woman raise one leg after an other. Each time, Azeneth took off the sandals and the leather protections around the legs.

Now, the guard was left only clad in a red loincloth wrapped between the legs, and a black strip of cloth wrapped over the breasts and the back.

“It surely was a strange experience…” Azeneth concluded.

She ignored the guard’s furious stare and muffled angry noises.

“You intend to restrain her at some point?” Coulter intervened. “I have better things to do than to help your little comedy routine.”

Azeneth opened her mouth to say a joke.

“Yeah, yeah, I know. I’m the sunshine of your life.” Coulter interrupted her. “Now that the pleasantries are out of the way, please deal with her.”

“She ruins all my stylistic effects…” the metis complained with a pout.

The guard was so angry that, in spite of Coulter’s spell, her body was actually shaking.

“MH’LL KHLL YHH! MH’LL KHLL YHH!”

“All right, all right...” Azeneth grabbed a coil of rope. “No need to be so impatient.”

**************

Even ball-tied by thick brown ropes, with her arms and wrists tightly restrained behind her back, her legs pressed together, and her knees pressed against her breasts, the guard's body was still shaking with unbound anger. The thick tight cleave-gag, helped by a cloth-gag over the mouth, was muffling her insults and threats.

“Looks like you made a new friend, Az'.” Yuka dryly joked, as she was putting on the woman’s uniform.

Azeneth smiled. “It’s good to feel appreciated…”

Coulter groaned in impatience. “Can’t you two take this mission seriously? It’s not a mere infiltration! The stakes are higher than ever!”

“It’s important to defuse stress and tension during a mission.” Azeneth explained. “If not, we may start doing mistakes.”

Yuka inhaled deeply, and took the appearance of the guard. “Now. Let’s deal with the ones inside.” She entered the building.

**************

Indeed, as Yuka had predicted, the lone guard outside was a decoy and a bait. The staff's backdoor was leading to a guards room.

In the room, there were ten guards wearing the same dark purple uniform as the woman outside. Ten fit women with black hair, dark eyes, dark skin, and athletic-looking bodies. They were bored. Six of them were playing cards on a table, the others were watching them.

When Yuka opened the door, they mistook her as their colleague.

“What’s the problem?” one guard asked.

“Oh, there’s no problem.” Yuka answered.

Azeneth and Coulter entered the room.

“I mean, for me.” the shapeshifter rectified herself.

Azeneth and Yuka rushed towards the startled guards. Coulter moved her hands to cast a spell.

Thrashing sounds soon followed, as well as groans, moans, grunts, and profanities. Several pieces of furniture were thrown across the room during the fight. However, the poor guards were only ten. They didn't stand a chance.

**************

Jinora and Yisüi dragged the sentry they had mugged outside, in order to conceal her in the room with the other guards. The bound woman was still shaking in anger.

Her ten colleagues were also ball-tied with ropes and cleave-gagged with rags. Stripped of their uniforms, clad in black thigh-long sleeveless undertunics, they were stashed in a corner of the room, seated against the wall and lying against each other. They were still unconscious.

Yisüi and Jinora dropped their burden next to the other guards.

Then, with the exception of Yuka, they all grabbed a spare set of uniform, and put them on, to disguise themselves as guards.

Once more, Yuka saw Yisüi and Azeneth whisper to each other.

Once they were disguised, Yuka remarked that the blonde was looking at her with a nervous expression.

“You seem to want to say something…” the shapeshifter remarked, eager to know what she and the metis had been plotting.

Yisüi hesitated. She shared a look with Azeneth. The metis nodded slightly. With a newfound confidence, the blonde stepped forward.

“I wanted to talk about the slaves and the servants of the palace.” she explained. “We can’t leave them in the building. Once Coulter and the Mages start to fight, wild magic will fly everywhere. They may get hurt in the crossfire.”

“So that’s what you two were conspiring…” Yuka commented.

Azeneth shrugged. Her ‘innocent act’ was pretty good.

Yuka looked at Yisüi in the eyes. “People are counting on us. I’m sorry, but it’s too dangerous…” she started to say.

Azeneth intervened. She flexed her right arm. “Please! I eat danger for breakfast” Then she shrugged. “Besides, Jinora is with us.”

Jinora nodded.

“So it’s a full-on mutiny.” Yuka remarked.

Her tone was more amused than miffed though.

“I know what it’s like to be in these women’s sandals.” Yisüi said with confidence. “They’re innocent. They don’t deserve to be harmed in the crossfire. I know it’s dangerous, but I also know how strong you are, and I know the progress I’ve made. I know we can do it.”

Coulter cleared her throat to catch the other women’s attention. She was looking annoyed. “We’re in the middle of a mission that will change the world forever. The kingdom of Ghazan is at stake. Do we really have time for this naive dream? Do we really want to take the risk?”

Azeneth and Yisüi shared a glance.

Of course, the mage-woman’s consent had from the beginning been the biggest unknown factor in their plan. If she refused, she could coerce them. However, they had a trump card.

“There are Charioteers among the slaves.” the blonde remarked.

“Besides, if the Mages notice us, you can simply speed up the plan, and directly get to the fight.” Azeneth added.

The redhead grimaced, and grumbled something in her beard. However, she didn’t try to contest Yisüi’s idea any further.

Azeneth smiled. “Looks like we have a consensus, Yu’.”

The shapeshifter sighed, and laid down her arms. “Fine. You’ve won.”

Yisüi hugged her. “Thank you!”

Embarrassed, Yuka briefly returned her hug. “I’m not sure Rashid will appreciate the complication though.” she couldn’t help but comment.

“I trust you’ll find the *arguments* to convince him.” Azeneth joked. Her tone was laden with insinuation.

Yuka instantly became flustered. “AZ’!” she exclaimed.

Azeneth, Jinora, and Yisüi exchanged small amused smiles. Coulter rolled her eyes.

Yuka regained her composure. “I’ll ask Nahid and her bodyguards to come and to put on spare uniforms. I’m sure she’ll agree to help us.”

Azeneth smiled like the cat who got the cream. She jokingly added: “Of course she will, if YOU ask her… Work your charms... You ladykiller!”

“AZ! PLEASE STOP!”

**************

Indeed, Nahid agreed to help Yuka. And her infatuation probably played a part in her decision.

The aristocrat and her two bodyguards put on three spare disguises. The ball-tied guard who was still conscious watched the scene in dismay and anger.

“What’s your plan?” Nahid asked Yuka.

“A few of Rashid’s agents in the area are posing as merchants. Ask them to bring their carts closer. We’ll use it to exfiltrate the servants and slaves. You three will secure this room, we deal with the building's staff.”

"And Rashid?"

"We'll tell him everything AFTER we're done."

Nahid nodded. "Good plan."

“There’s one problem though. Guards of the College must remain at their post. They aren’t supposed to roam freely the building.” Jinora reminded her friends. “We’ll have to find an other disguise as quickly as possible.”

“Nobody pays attention to the slave girls. We’ll grab a few of these women first.” Yuka decided.

“Back to the classics…” Azeneth commented.

“That’s how I met you.” Yisüi shyly added. “Feels like it was an eternity ago…”

“We sure came a long way…” Yuka fondly commented.

She, Azeneth, Jinora, and Yisüi exchanged meaningful glances.

“You better not be thinking of initiating a group hug.” Coulter warned them.

The other women couldn't help but chuckle.

“We’ll wait until after the mission is over.” Azeneth concluded.

**************

For all intent and purpose, the Mages’ College was built like a palace of the nobility. It was simply bigger.

In particular, it meant that there were discreet secondary corridors for the servants and slaves. So that the “important” Mages and their guests wouldn’t have to bump into or to walk on the same ground as the ones they considered their “inferiors”.

Like many powerful people, the Mages were too arrogant for their own good.

Of course, Yuka and her friends weren’t complaining. Indeed, it meant they simply had to lie in wait in a discreet part of the servants’ corridors, to wait for a woman of the right size to pass by, and to ambush her.

They had found a storage room which perfectly suited their needs. Inside, there were empty cupboards. And also empty sacks, probably meant to carry grains. Big enough to carry a woman. And there were plenty of sacks. These items could be used to carry the slaves and the servants outside.

The women decided to start Yisüi’s plan here.

**************

They didn’t have to wait for long.

Soon, a slave girl carrying a jar passed near their hiding spot.

The young woman had braided midback-long brown hair and soft blue eyes. She had a round face. Her tanned skin was smooth and flawless. She was wearing a white knee-long robe with no sleeves and light brown leather sandals. A white piece of cloth was tied around her waist. However, while the garments were plain-looking, they were made of the most precious fabrics of the Empire.

Azeneth grabbed her from behind while hand-gagging her. She pulled her inside the storage room.

“Mhfffhh?!”

**************

In record time, the woman was knocked out with a neckchop and relieved of her outfit. She was left clad in a white translucent strapless underdress. The undergarment was knee-long, and left the shoulders bare. It was strapped under the armpits and behind the back. A piece of string was tied around the waist.

The girl’s wrists and legs were bound with ropes. She was gagged with strips of Jinora’s guard uniform.

Jinora put on the brunette's slave outfit.

Coulter was preparing herself for the upcoming battle, doing breathing exercises. Yuka, Yisüi, and Azeneth were watching the corridor.

Some time passed in silence. Yuka and her friends didn’t want to risk being heard, since the door was open.

“Careful. There are three more coming our way.” Azeneth suddenly whispered to her friends.

The three slave girls were wearing the same outfits as the first one: white knee-long robe with no sleeves, a white cloth sash around the waist, and light brown leather sandals. One young woman had black hair, dark brown eyes, and a dark skin. The second one had chestnut hair, hazel eyes, and a light skin. The third one had dark blond hair, blue eyes, and a white skin. They all had shoulder-long braided hair.

Yuka quickly assessed the situation. “Yisü’. You think you can neutralize one?”

The blonde nodded. “This is what you trained me for.”

The shapeshifter nodded.

They waited until their targets went within reach.

Then Yuka, Azeneth, and Yisüi jumped the three unsuspecting young women.

Yuka clamped a hand over the mouth of the blond-haired slave, and instantly knocked her out with her glowing touch. The woman let out a long muffled moan, then her eyes flickered, and she went limp.

Azeneth used a neckchop to knock out the black-haired slave, and caught her mid-fall by the waist.

Yisüi put the brown-haired slave to sleep with a rag soaked with a sleeping potion clamped over the mouth and nose.

Then the three intruders dragged the unconscious women inside the storage room, and proceeded to strip them.

**************

The four young slaves divested of their clothes were sleeping peacefully in a big cupboard of the storage room. The three girls who had been captured at the same time were wearing the same kind of undergarments: a light red knee-long underdress clipped under the armpits, which was covering the breasts but leaving the shoulders bare. Their wrists were bound behind the back with ropes and their legs were also bound with ropes. They were cleave-gagged with strips of the stolen guard uniforms. The four unconscious bodies were huddled against each other. Yisüi was moving their legs so that there would be enough space for a fifth woman.

Yisüi, Azeneth, and Yuka were now in disguise. Coulter was sulking in a corner. (Some things never changed…) The redhead was the only one who wasn’t in disguise yet.

Yuka and Azeneth were watching the corridor, looking for a final set of clothes.

“Here comes an other one.” Yuka whispered to her friends.

However, she then frowned. The newcomer had a mane of loose curly shoulder-long red hair, a skin which was the colour of bronze, and amber eyes.

“A Charioteer?”

Coulter immediately raised her head. For once, her interest had been peaked.

Yuka briefly hesitated. She knew how defensive Coulter was every time her people were concerned. Still, they didn’t have the time to be picky. They were short on time. They needed the outfit. Yuka glanced at Coulter. The redhead’s face was neutral. She didn’t let out any emotion. Yuka took her silence as a sign of assent. She nodded at Azeneth.

When the red-haired slave passed in front of the storage room, Azeneth opened the door and grabbed the woman by the arm. The girl yelped when the metis pulled her inside the room. Azeneth then hit a specific part of the slave girl’s neck with the edge of her hand to knock her out instantly. The redhead grunted, then crumbled forward. Azeneth caught her by the midriff, and carried her further inside.

Yuka closed the door, then inspected the young woman more closely.

From afar, she had been surprised to see that the slave girl was allowed to keep her curly hair loose. Now that she could get a closer look, she was understanding why.

The slave girl looked a lot like Coulter!

Sure, she was slightly taller and bulkier: As a people, Charioteers were burlier than average. (Coulter was scrawny and short compared to the average Charioteer.) However, the slave girl’s hair were the same shade of red, and her skin was the same shade of bronze brown. Most importantly, her amber-coloured eyes had the almost exact same shades. Even the hair length was similar.

Yuka and her friends exchanged uneasy looks. They knew enough about Ce-Acatl, and about his lustful obsession with Coulter, to understand what was the purpose of this slave girl who looked like her.

Coulter stroked the woman’s hair. She was silent, but her grimace of pure hatred was worth all the speeches of the world.

“We need her outfit.” Yuka said with an apologetic tone.

“I know!” Coulter snapped at her.

There was a short moment of awkward silence.

Then the redhead added: “I’ll do it.”

Yuka hesitated. “Coulter… You hate infiltration and clothes stealing… You sure you want…?”

The mage-woman glared at her. “She’s from my people! He does unspeakable things to her because of me! And now, we’re robbing her of the last shred of dignity she has! I can at least give her that respect.”

“S- Sorry.”

Azeneth gently laid the woman on the floor, and moved away to give Coulter some space.

The girl was wearing the same clothes as the other slaves: a plain-looking but made-of-expensive-fabrics white knee-long sleeveless robe, with a white piece of cloth tied around her waist, and light brown leather sandals.

Coulter rolled the slave girl onto her stomach to try to take off the dress. She was having a hard time though. Removing the clothes of an unresponsive body was actually trickier than she expected, even if it was a plain dress and a cloth belt. Coulter clearly didn’t know how to strip a woman without magic.

“You need my help?” Yuka proposed.

Coulter groused something under her beard without getting angry, the equivalent of a ‘yes’ for her.

Yuka gave her a hand. They both unlaced and took off the cloth sash wrapped around the waist, then removed the girl’s sandals, and plain dress.

“Thanks…” the redhead suddenly whispered.

Yuka was taken a little by surprise, but then answered: “You’re welcome.”

They finished stripping the red-haired slave girl down to her undergarments (a thin translucent light green band of cloth wrapped over the breasts and a thin jade green loincloth wrapped between the legs and around the pelvis).

Then, while Coulter got changed, Yuka bound the girl’s wrists and ankles with cords. She gagged the redhead with a few strips of uniforms.

Yisüi and Azeneth gently put the Charioteer into the cupboard, with the four other slaves, and managed to get the doors closed and locked.

Once she was in disguise, Coulter used her powers to get rid of the dye and to unbraid her hair, for once displaying her red fluffy mane during an infiltration. She grabbed an empty urn in the storage room, and hid all the catalysts she couldn’t conceal under the slave dress inside.

Yuka nodded. “We’re ready. Our first goal is to go on reconnaissance to learn where the Mages are in the building.” She glanced at Yisüi. “Our second goal is to find the head servant. With her identity, I can give orders to the staff, and lead them in the guard room where Nahid and the others are waiting.”

**************

Yuka and her friends were doing their reconnaissance, while pretending to carry some furniture.

Jinora was guiding them, as she remembered a map of the building she had seen years ago when she was working as a scribe. Yisüi was helping them play the part of slaves better, giving them instructions when they were breaking character. (Coulter was the one who needed them the most.)

As expected, the few people they came across didn’t pay them any attention. Even for a lowly servant, slaves were beneath notice. People were paying them the same attention as they would for a piece of furniture.

“There are no guards in the corridors. It’s strange.” Azeneth commented.

“Any trained Mage can fry a warrior alive with their magic. They think they don’t need guards inside the building.” Coulter explained.

“So they only keep the guards near the entrances and exits…” Yuka deduced. “A perfect opportunity for us. No pain in the neck to interfere...”

By keeping their ears open, they learned thanks to a conversation between two servants that the Mages were all in the upper floors, and that the servants and slaves were forbidden to go there.

“Putting Yisü’s plan into motion may be easier than we thought.” Yuka commented.

“The head servant has a specific room. I remember seeing it on the map.” Jinora informed them.

“It wouldn’t hurt to pay her a visit…” Yuka concluded.

**************

The head servant was sitting behind a desk, and was writing something on a papyrus. She was a skinny woman with a tall forehead, an oval-shaped face, sunken cheeks, brown eyes, black hair, and a dark skin. She had an axtlacuilli coiffure: two hornlike tufts created by dividing long hair in the middle; the hair was bound with a cord, and folded up so as to leave the bulk of the hair resting on the nape of the neck, with the two ends secured at the top of the head.

She was wearing a white calf-long sleeveless robe and, over the robe, a green, yellow and red waist-long huipil with a square pattern and a white quechquemitl on which a red stylized sun was embroidered. Over her clothes, she was wearing a gold medallion depicting a stylized sun. She was wearing gold earrings and gold bracelets.

Yuka entered first, as she was the one who perfectly looked like one of the slaves. Her friends were walking behind her.

“Mistress, I-” the shapeshifter tried to say.

“I don’t have time for you right now.” the head servant interrupted her. She had barely paid them any attention, only a glance, which allowed her to see their slave outfits. “Come back later.”

Azeneth didn’t lose her composure. She grabbed a small steel knife she had hidden under her cloth sash, so quickly that it looked like the weapon had appeared in her hand. At the same time, she jumped over the desk in one swift motion. Then, she put the tip of the knife against the woman’s side, and stung her. Not enough to draw blood, but enough for the woman to feel it.

The head servant’s eyes widened in fear.

“My friend here, ‘Sir Knife’, insists that you cooperate with us. He also advises you to keep your mouth shut.” Azeneth commented.

**************

‘Sir Knife’ was a good bargainer. In no time, he convinced the head servant to agree to give all her clothes to Yuka, to let the fake slaves bind and gag her, and to take a break in one of the room’s cupboards.

Azeneth checked one last time the trussed up woman. The head servant’s upper-arms were tightly restrained by a complex rope harness. Her arms and wrists were bound behind the back. Ropes were wrapped around her thighs, legs, and ankles. She was gagged with plenty of pieces of cloth stuffed into the mouth, which were making her cheeks bulge, and a tight cloth-gag. She was left standing inside the cupboard, clad in a light orange sleeveless underdress adorned with a black diamond pattern at the edges. The fit inside the piece of furniture was tight.

Azeneth winked at the woman, and closed the door.

"Nmmmhhh!"

Yuka finished putting on the head servant’s outfit. She took a deep breath, then her face blurred until she had become the head servant’s double.

“First step is done.” Yuka commented. She glanced at Yisüi. “We’ll start with the kitchen.”

**************

Indeed, the kitchen was the room in which there were the more servants and slaves. There were about 12 women running right and left.

Yuka imperiously entered, and commanded all the authority she could muster.

“There are supplies to fetch. I need all of you. Follow me.” she ordered.

Her friends were remaining behind her, in her shadow, playing the part of obedient slaves.

The servants busy preparing the food exchanged quick glances. Yuka’s request was unusual.

“That’s an order coming from the Mages!” Yuka added.

Her bluff worked. The women complied. After all, none of them would think, as a first thought, that their chief was in fact a stranger who had shape-shifted to steal the head servant’s appearance. In hindsight, Yuka could understand why so many people were wary of her race. Even a small group of ill-intentioned shapeshifters could do a lot of damage.

Even now, Yuka was duping these women and luring them into a trap. Of course, she was doing them a favour. – Nobody would want to be caught in the crossfire of a magic fight. – But she knew her victims weren’t going to see it that way.

Azeneth, Yisüi, Jinora, and Coulter were careful to stay behind, in the background, to make sure that no real servant or slave would recognize them as impostors.

Yuka led the way in the corridors. She and the servants and slaves were walking in a column. Azeneth, Jinora, Yisüi, and Coulter were at the back of the column.

At first, the plan went without a hitch. Yuka was walking fast, to not give the other women the time to find holes in her story.

However, a problem arose near the empty storage room.

The servant walking just in front of Azeneth was a tall clumsy brown-haired tanned-skinned green-eyed young woman. On the way, she suddenly almost tripped. The woman flailed her arms.

Unfortunately, as she was regaining her balance, the servant glanced behind her. Her eyes and Azeneth’s met. The servant realized that the metis was an impostor. Her eyes widened.

Yuka’s heart skipped a beat. She knew that expression. For now, the woman was too surprised to shout. But in a few seconds, she would scream.

Thankfully, Azeneth was a veteran when it came to infiltration. She didn’t waste time thinking of what to do. She let her reflexes speak for her.

In one fluid motion, she clamped a hand over the servant’s mouth. With her free fist, she punched the woman in the stomach to cut her breath and to prevent her from screaming. The servant let out a muffled grunt. Azeneth held her body as she was bending forward.

Yuka was also a veteran and a professional. “Faster. Let’s not keep them waiting.” she commented out loud, which covered the woman’s muffled noises.

While she wasn’t showing it, her body was tense. She was ready to jump into the fray if any of the unsuspecting women turned around and saw the scene.

One hit of Azeneth’s hand’s edge between the shoulder and the neck put the clumsy servant out of commission. Her single solitary grunt was silenced by the hand-gag. Her eyes rolled back, and her limp body fell forward against Azeneth.

Luckily, the metis disappeared in the shadows of a secondary corridor before anyone could see what was going on, dragging the unconscious servant with her.

Yuka hid a breath of relief.

**************

When they arrived in the guards’ room, Nahid and her bodyguards were already waiting for them.

The servants and slaves exchanged uneasy looks. They didn’t know the faces of the three women dressed as guards.

Before they could ask questions, or see the ball-tied real guards, Yuka jumped into the fray. Never her power to knock out someone with a touch had been as useful as today.

The slaves were wearing sleeveless dress that left a lot of the shoulders’ and neck’s skin bare. Yuka started with them. Before her victims could understand they were under attack, the shapeshifter had knocked all the slaves out.

Nahid and her bodyguards grabbed three servants, and immobilized them. The guards house was in an isolated part. Nobody could hear the screams.

Coulter used her magic to immobilize an other servant, and Yisüi grabbed one and clamped a rag soaked with sleeping potion over her face.

The two remaining servants tried to flee. Yuka caught one, and sent her to slumberland with her glowing touch. The other one managed to dodge, and made a beeline for the door to return in the College’s corridors. Nobody intercepted her in time.

She was about to escape!

Yuka realized at that moment they were one person short.

Where is Jinora?

The fleeing servant opened the door.

However, one the other side, there was Azeneth. The metis blocked her.

“Hello.” she said with a smile.

Azeneth grabbed the fleeing woman, and immobilized her.

“Where’s Jinora?” Yuka asked her.

“I left her with the clumsy servant. She’s trussing her up.”

Yuka nodded.

Around her, the remaining women of the staff were swiftly knocked out.

**************

The next step was to restrain the captured women, and to fetch the ones who were already bound-and-gagged in the cupboard.

First, Yuka, Azeneth, Nahid and her two bodyguards followed Yuka in the storage room the infiltrators had used for the first part of their plan. They retrieved the empty sacks of grain, and put five of them already to good use, as they put each of the five mugged slaves inside one sack. They also regrouped with Jinora, and helped her put the bound-and-gagged clumsy brown-haired servant into an other sack. Then, they carried the empty sacks and the sixtrussed up damsels into the guards’ room.

There, Yisüi and a few women dressed as merchants were busy binding and gagging all the captured servants and slaves.

“I will go inspect the corridors, and bring here all the servants and slaves I can find.” Yuka said to her friends.

**************

The rest of the operation went like clockwork.

Yuka brought each member of the staff in groups of two or three. The unsuspecting women were swiftly neutralized, trussed up, gagged, and put into the sacks. Rinse and repeat the process.

Busy with their esoteric rituals, having given instructions to not be bothered under any circumstances before the evening, the Mages didn’t notice anything.

They were so concerned with the big grand things: the huge magic, the balance of power between countries, the danger coming from the kings and the armies... that they had forgotten danger often came from the small things, like the lowly spies crawling under their feet.

**************

Yuka finished the job by carrying in a sack of grain the head servant herself.

She put her burden on the floor, and opened the bag to allow the prisoner to get her head out.

The head servant was conscious. She shook her head, and let out angry muffled sounds.

Her captured servants and slaves were lined up against a wall.

She watched the scenery in dismay. She could only see her women's heads, the remaining parts of their bodies were covered by the sacks of grain.

“It’ll save us a lot of time if you don’t try to scream, and just answer our questions.” Azeneth warned the bound-and-gagged woman.

The head servant blinked.

“Are we clear?” Azeneth insisted.

The captive nodded.

Azeneth removed the head servant’s gag.

“What’s going on?! Who are you?!” the captive immediately (and frantically) asked. “Wh-mffff?!”

Azeneth hand-gagged her. “Now, didn’t we agree upon that I ask the question?” she reminded the woman.

The head servant stopped trying to talk, and nodded.

Azeneth removed her hand, and asked: “Is everyone here? All the servants and all the slaves?”

The head servant kept silent.

Azeneth rolled her eyes. “Do I have to bring ‘Sir Knife’ again?” she threatened.

Strangely, this time, the threat seemed less efficient. The captive wasn’t refusing to answer out of defiance. She had an other reason.

Yisüi was the first to realize it. “We’re not going to hurt your women.” she intervened. “We want to make sure they’re all out of the way. A magic fight will soon break out here. Any servant or slave left in the building will probably die.”

This time, the argument seemed to convince the head servant. She hesitated. “You missed the washerwomen.” she finally said. “They are four.”

“Thank you.”

“You see? It wasn’t so hard, wasn’t it?” Azeneth commented when she put the woman’s gag back on.

The head servant grumbled a muffled complaint in her gag.

**************

Yuka led the washerwomen into the guard room, where everyone was waiting for them with coils of ropes, and strips of clothes.

The women shared a glance. One of them dryly commented: “Oh.”

The four servants were kind enough to not be difficult. Soon, they were snugly bound hand and foot with ropes and gagged with rags, then concealed in four sacks.

Then all the ‘sacks of grains’ were carried outside the guards’ room, through the staff exit, and loaded onto the carts of the fake merchants. Because Yuka and her friends weren't petty, they also put the captured guards in sacks, and put the sacks in the carts.

"I hope you appreciate how magnanimous I am." Azeneth teased the ball-tied guard who hated her.

"MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Next, the carts left the area.

**************

Azeneth, Jinora, Yuka and Yisüi regrouped with Coulter, who was seated on a chair in a corner of the guard room. While everyone had been busy handling the servants and slaves, the mage-woman had put on all her catalysts.

She was still looking ridiculous, but the mission’s gravitas was preventing her companions to laugh.

“Nahid, her bodyguards, and all of Rashid’s agents are outside the building. We’ve stashed all the servants and all the slaves outside the College.” Azeneth announced.

Coulter nodded, and got up. “Finally! I thought we would never reach that part!” she exclaimed, with her usual lack of tact.

Her four companions exchanged amused glances.

The redhead took one deep breath. Her facial expression suddenly changed.

“… This is it.” she added.

There was hesitation in her voice.

“You’re alright?” Yuka asked.

There was a short moment of silence.

“I’m a little apprehensive.” Coulter finally confessed.

“You want a group hug to make you feel better?” Azeneth joked.

Coulter stayed silent for a brief moment.

“It’d be the first time you ask my permission.” she finally commented.

The metis raised an amused eyebrow.

“Oh? So you mean you WANT a group hug?”

“Just shut up.” Coulter grumbled as she was avoiding looking her in the eyes.

Azeneth smiled indulgently. “Fine. Since you insist. We’ll shut up… and hug!”

She led Yisüi, Jinora, and Yuka. They all embraced the redhead and each other. They needed to reassure each other, and themselves. For once, Coulter didn’t stiffen or try to struggle.

Yuka easily understood why the redhead was acting that way.

“You’re afraid.” she commented.

It wasn’t a question.

There was a moment of silence.

“Yes.” Coulter whispered.

She was sounding a lot more vulnerable than usual. Almost like a little girl. It was eery. Never before had she showed so much weakness.

Yuka tightened her grip. “There’s no shame in admitting your fear. But don’t worry. We’ll help you.”

To her surprise, for the first time, Coulter briefly returned their embrace.

“I’m sorry.” the redhead commented. There wasn’t any trace of hesitation left in her voice.

Yuka immediately sensed that something was off. It wasn’t like Coulter to apologize for anything.

“Sorry? For what?”

“I lied to you.”

Yuka realized the horrible truth.

“Coulter. Don’t you dare do it a second time! Don’t you dare-”

“I’m NOT sorry for what I’m about to do though.”

“Coulter no!”

But Yuka couldn't do anything about it.

There was a small burst of light. Coulter transported the four other women to an other place with her powers.

The redhead was left alone.

She briefly shook her head. She had thought that Yuka and Azeneth, at least, would have been crafty enough to see through her intentions. But tricking them proved to be easier than expected. In a way, their naivety was touching.

“You think anyone will be able to come out of this building alive, with all the wild magic we’ll release? No one can survive that.” the mage-woman commented to herself.

Coulter took a deep breath. She briefly removed her diadem, and looked at her reflection in its gemstone.

“No one can survive.” she repeated to herself. “No matter how powerful they are.”

The redhead refused to cry. She had waited for this opportunity for too long.

She put the diadem back on. It was time. After all these years… It was time to fulfill her destiny.

Her revenge.

[rufusluciusivan]

Note: This is the second half of chapter 7. Be sure to read the previous half before.





































**************

Yuka, Azeneth, Jinora, and Yisüi appeared in an abandoned warehouse of Chichen Itza.

Yuka was furious.

“The witch! She tricked us! She never had any intention to let us fight with her!”

“What do you mean?” a confused Yisüi asked.

“Don’t you understand?!” Yuka angrily shouted at her. “There’s only one reason she’d send us away! It’s like when the hideout was attacked! She’s going to sacrifice herself!”

It’s my fault. I made her care. Yuka thought to herself at the same time. Just like with Tsu’. Am I only good at harming the people I care about? I-

Azeneth punched her in the shoulder.

“Ouch!”

“I know what you’re thinking. And you better stop thinking it right now. Coulter is a grown woman. You can’t take responsibility for her actions.”

“I…”

“Plus, do you hear the way you’re talking to Yisü’?”

Yuka immediately calmed herself, and looked at the blonde. “I- I’m sorry.”

Yisüi took her arm. “You’re worried for her.” she softly commented. She wasn’t holding Yuka’s outburst against her.

The other woman nodded. “Yes. I know she’ll do something stupid.”

“Obviously she will. This is Coulter we’re talking about.” Azeneth dryly commented.

“I propose we try to see where we are, and if we can return to the College in time.” Jinora intervened, as always the collected practical one.

Yuka took a deep breath. “Sounds like a good plan.”

She didn’t have a better proposition anyway.

Yuka needed to do something, anything. If she remained inactive, the worry would eat her from the inside…

Gods above! Why did Coulter choose to go alone?!

**************

Now that her friends were out of danger, Coulter didn’t waste any more time with subtlety. For the first time, she was free to indulge in her revenge.

Thanks to their brief exploration, she knew the general layout of the building complex. The redhead took a deep breath, then used her powers to locate isolated mages.

Some of them were studying or performing rituals in small groups, in preparation for the moment they’d gather together to summon their earthquake.

Coulter smiled. The hunt began.

**************

Coulter had transported Yuka, Azeneth, Jinora, and Yisüi in a distant part of Chichen Itza, near the docks. There were warehouses, shops, and trading houses. Yuka, Jinora and Azeneth knew a little the layout of this district, but there wasn’t a hideout belonging to Rashid nearby.

Yuka was at first surprised that Coulter knew about this part of the town, since she never left Rashid’s hideouts outside of missions. Then she remembered that the redhead had used to be a merchant apprentice during several years. Eztli’s shop was located in the city of Millhaco, but the merchant and her apprentice had probably traveled to Chichen Itza at some point.

Yuka and her three friends were at least lucky that the warehouse was abandoned and empty. Nobody had seen them appear out of thin air. They quickly hid in the alleyways of the district.

“The city looks calm. Nothing has exploded yet. It’s better than nothing.” Yuka commented. “We’ll go through the temples district. Patrols are less numerous there. It’s the safest route.”

“We’re still wearing slave outfits.” Azeneth objected while pointing at her, Yisüi’s, and Jinora’s clothes.

“We can pretend I’m an intendant doing an errand for a noble, and you accompany me.” the shapeshifter proposed.

The metis shook her head. She grabbed the strap of her sleeveless slave dress, and showed it to her friend. “These are indoor robes. No slave would be allowed to go in public wearing such revealing clothes.”

Yuka bit her lower lip. “You’re right… Our time is precious, but we have no choice. We must find other outfits if we want to travel the streets.”

“You think we can reach the College in time?” Yisüi asked.

Of course, the answer was ‘no’. Even if they somehow came across a suitable group of women within a minute, they wouldn’t reach the building in time. Coulter wasn’t subtle. The battle had maybe already begun…

However, Yuka knew she and her friends also had to think of their own safety. The shapeshifter certainly didn’t want them to be caught by a bunch of random guards because of her friends’ inadequate disguises! They wouldn’t be of any help if they were stopped on their way. They needed to change outfits. Then, they would worry about the rest. One problem at a time.

Unwilling to instill despair, Yuka didn’t answer honestly. It was one of the first rules of any good ruler. Never say that a situation is hopeless, even if it truly is. Especially if it truly is.

“We can only know it if we try.” she said to encourage her friend.

**************

They searched the district, looking for suitable clothes donors. The people were going about their business, completely unaware of the high-staked mission in the Mages’ College.

At least it meant that the true battle hadn’t begun yet… Yuka knew Coulter well-enough. The red-haired mage-woman wouldn’t be satisfied if her battle didn’t obliterate the College in a grand display of flashy magic. The redhead was probably thinning down the number of her enemies, by taking the weaker ones out one by one… Coulter was revenge-driven, but she wasn’t dumb. She wanted to put all the odds in her favour. She wanted to avenge her family, not to die trying in the middle of the process. She would kill discreetly as many Mages as she could, then after she was discovered, she would crush the remaining ones in a spectacular and brutal fashion.

Ultimately, Yuka and her friends got lucky. It didn’t take them too long to find an opportunity.

However, even this short period of time looked too much.

In the backyard of one trading house, a group of five women were chatting. They were apparently the merchants owning the nearby building.

The merchants were wearing clothes that Yuka’s friends had never seen. (And the shapeshifter herself had only encountered such outfits a few times in her life, when she was accompanying Rashid in the eastern ports of Ghazan.)

The women were clad in kimonos with long ample sleeves. The garments were both beautiful and sturdy, made at the same time to be worn by working people and to impress with their bright colours. One was wearing a green kimono, one was wearing a purple one, one was wearing a dark pink one, one was wearing a blue one, and one was wearing an orange one. Each woman was also wearing an assorted cloth sash tied around the waist, and used as a belt. The women’s footwear were high sandals with white socks that separated one toe. They were also wearing straw hats called amigasa to protect themselves from the sun.

The foreigners were sharing the same physical features: straight black hair, small dark eyes, light skins, small noses, wide cheekbones, and flatter faces than subjects of the Empire.

The woman wearing the green kimono had an odango haircut. The one with the purple kimono had a pigtail bun haircut. The one with the dark pink kimono had short low bun haircut. The one with the blue kimono had a double maiden bun haircut. The one with the orange kimono had a low bun haircut.

“Who are these people?” Yisüi whispered.

“They come from the nation of Kin.” Yuka answered. “A distant archipelago in the far east, further than Azeneth’s home kingdom.”

The group of women were debating with each other in a language Yuka and her friends didn’t understand. Given the gestures of their hands, they were discussing where to store some crates and jars.

“Can we really take their clothes?” Yisüi asked Yuka. “They look nothing like us. Outside of you, we can’t impersonate them.”

“We don’t have the time to be picky. This is the first suitable group we’ve come across.” Yuka objected. “Their clothes have long sleeves and cover all the body, so it shouldn’t be too much of a problem... We can use their hats to hide our faces. I’m pretty sure nobody will notice anything.”

“I’m not entirely convinced…” Jinora objected.

However, ultimately, the gods of fate decided to force the infiltrators’ hands.

The woman wearing the pink kimono and with the short low bun haircut, apparently named ‘Isahani’ according to what Yuka could hear of the conversation, went to look for something. While whistling a merry little tune to herself, she intended to go fetch something. However, her route made her pass in front of Yuka’s and her friends’ hideout.

A lone unsuspecting woman, passing in front of a spy hidden in an alleyway. The girl was even whistling! The occasion was too tempting. Azeneth couldn’t resist.

Isahani’s merry little whistle was interrupted when she was grabbed by the shoulders, and pulled into the dark alleyway.

“Whoop?!”

The dull ‘thud!’ of a neckchop followed suit. Next, there was a quick grunted “Uh!”, the soft moan some women made when falling unconscious, and the rustle of fabric made by a clothed body when it was going limp into a captor’s arms.

Azeneth laid Isahani on her stomach onto the ground with an apologetic awkward smile. “Sorry. Force of habit.” she said to Jinora.

The latter sighed. “Looks like it’s settled then.” she commented.

Azeneth and Yuka took Jinora’s comment as a signal to begin the stripping. The former untied Isahani’s cloth sash, while the latter pulled off the woman’s sandals and white socks. Then, they removed the merchant’s kimono.

As underwear, Isahani was wearing a white short-sleeved tunic, and white long undertrousers tied around the waist with a string.

“Yu’, please use your touch to make sure she’ll sleep for a while. The time for us to capture her partners.”

The shapeshifter complied.

Yisüi blushed a little when she heard Isahani moan in her unconsciousness when feeling Yuka’s glowing knock-out touch. “How do we catch the other women?” she asked Azeneth.

“Don’t worry. I know how these things work. In no time, they’ll send someone to look for their friend.”

**************

The foreign merchants noticed their partner wasn’t coming back. After a quick debate, the older ones decided to send the novice of their group to go see what was taking Isahani so long, and if she needed assistance.

Said novice, a young woman called Jelihila, left the backyard. She was the merchant wearing the green kimono and with the odango haircut. The girl wasn’t in the mood to whistle. While walking, she was complaining to herself about how she was always used as an errand girl for the thankless jobs.

She passed in front of the alleyway, so caught up in her self-pity that she wasn’t paying attention to her surroundings. Once again, Azeneth couldn’t resist.

Jelihila’s complaints were interrupted when she was grabbed by the shoulders, and pulled into the dark alleyway.

“Ouap?!”

Dull ‘thud!’. Quiet grunt. Soft moan. Rustle of fabric. Body going limp. Clothes being removed.

Once the merchant was stripped down to her underwear, Azeneth and Yuka laid her on her back onto the ground. The back of her head was resting on Isahani’s stomach.

Jelihila’s undergarments were light pink. She was wearing a thin sleeveless knee-long underdress. Yuka touched her neck, and used her power to knock the girl out.

**************

The remaining merchants were called Tamara, Kasuma, and Teani. When they noticed their partners weren't coming back, they groaned in annoyance, and went to look for them.

The three women passed in front of the dark alleyway.

Three pairs of hands grabbed them by the shoulders, and pulled them inside.

Three dull thuds. Three quiet grunts. Three soft moans. The rustle of fabric as three unconscious bodies were becoming limp.

“Yisü’. Was it your first neckchop?” Azeneth asked.

“I don’t even know.” the blonde answered.

**************

Yuka, Azeneth, Jinora, and Yisüi quickly dragged the five unconscious merchants into the back of the trading house, the part of the building used to store goods. Here, they knew they wouldn’t be disturbed.

“Would you look at that…” Azeneth commented. “Perfect!”

She found plenty of ropes in the trading house.

The three merchants still wearing their kimonos were swiftly stripped down to their undergarments. Teani, the woman with the double maiden bun haircut, was wearing knee-long light blue undertrousers, and a dark blue short-sleeved undertunic. The other two women were clad in light grey thigh-long sleeveless underdress.

At the same time, Jinora and Yisüi bound and gagged Isahani and Jelihila. Each woman’s wrists were cross-tied behind her back. A rope harness immobilized each woman’s upper-arms and shoulders. The ankles, the legs, and the thighs were also bound with ropes. Since Yuka and her friends only needed four kimonos, they cut Isahani’s dark pink outer garment into strips, that they used as cleave-gags and blindfolds.

The three remaining merchants were also bound and gagged individually. Yuka and Azeneth used the same bondage technique as Jinora and Yisüi. They cleave-gagged and blindfolded the women with the remaining strips of the dark pink kimono.

Then, Yuka and her team seated the five merchants in a circle. They grabbed a long coil of rope, and wrapped it several times around the women’s waists. Then, they tightened and knotted the rope to bound the merchants back-to-back, seated in a circle. Finally, they found a wide blanket, and covered the five bound-and-gagged women with it.

The four friends got dressed. Yuka took the green kimono, Yisüi the blue one, Azeneth the purple one, and Jinora the orange one. They tied the cloth sashes, then put on the socks and the sandals.

“It feels a little weird…” Azeneth muttered to herself, while wiggling her toes. It was the first time she was wearing a footwear that separated one toe.

Finally, the disguised women put on the straw hats to conceal their faces as best as they could.

They also took more coils of ropes with them, just in case.

“Alright. We’ve done our best.” Yuka said to her friends. “Let’s hurry up and reach the College. Hopefully, we can still do something to help.”

She was putting on a brave face, but deep down inside she knew they would probably arrive after everything was over. One way or an other...

**************

Coulter smiled when she sensed the remaining Mages gather their strength at the same time. They had realized someone was picking them up one by one.

The redhead transported herself in the College’s main hall. She positioned herself so that her back would be against the wall. Therefore, nobody could attack her from behind.

A few seconds later, a group of Mages appeared in front of her.

Ce-Acatl was leading them. The man was looking satisfied.

“Threatening to flood Ghazan was the good idea. We knew Rashid would try anything to save his precious kingdom. We knew he’d send you.” he gloated.

“He didn’t send me. I came on my own will.” Coulter retorted.

Ce-Acatl took a step forward. “You seem awfully confident. Don’t you realize how outmatched you are?”

“Then why aren’t you attacking?” the redhead asked back.

“I could return the same question to you.” the Archmage retorted.

He wasn’t afraid. Other Mages were appearing as he was talking. Soon, all his colleagues were here. All the Mages of the Empire.

The redhead looked around her.

“I was simply waiting for all of you to gather here. I was getting tired of killing you one by one.” She flashed them a terrifying grin.

The Mages couldn’t help but exchange nervous glances. They had noticed she was wearing a lot of catalysts. They knew how strong these devices were making her. They knew they were probably facing the most powerful mage ever seen. The Moon Child of the prophecy. However, they didn’t step back. They knew that, in spite of all the catalysts enhancing her strength, Coulter was still weaker than their combined might.

And they were right. In a battle, they would win. But Coulter didn’t intend to fight them fair...

Ce-Acatl eyed Coulter from head to toe. He sensed the power emanating from her. He knew she had already killed several of his colleagues. It wasn’t scaring him. If anything, Coulter’s raw power and danger was making him desire the redhead even more. His eyes were glimmering with lust.

“I can’t help but think it’s stupid to fight.” he commented.

Coulter looked at him with scorn. “Are you seriously going to try to sway me literally right after I gorily butchered a bunch of your colleagues?”

But the Archmage was too caught up in his megalomaniac’s dreams to care about that: “You and we… The lot of us combined… Together, we’re wielding more power than anyone the Empire has ever seen, except perhaps when it was ruled by the gods themselves. We shouldn’t fight, we should ally ourselves.”

“So you want me to just forgive and forget? About your breeding program? About my CLAN?”

Ce-Acatl smiled. “Think of the power! The world could be ours for the taking! We could give birth to a new generation of gods!”

Coulter laughed at his face. “Heh, I'll make sure you can never make that grin again.” she retorted. “I'll chop you up! Grind you up! Dry you in the sun! Break you to pieces! Bury you in the ground! Piss on you! Then I'll dig you up! Pull you! Stretch you! Drag you around! And then, and then, in any case, I'll never forgive you!”

And just like that, Coulter decided she was done talking. She wouldn’t spend one more second speaking to him, or to any other Mage. Ce-Acatl was part of the ruling council when her clan was wiped out, and so were the high mages in his entourage. They were the ones who took the decision. She considered each breath they were taking a personal insult. She was going to kill them, here and now.

Coulter inhaled deeply, and released her raw power.

Her sensations were amplified. The robe she was wearing was floating, as if a strong wind was blowing. She liked the feeling of the fabric on her skin. It was the first disguise she had completely stolen by herself and without magic. With Yuka's help.

“Archmage! She’s trying to buy time! It’s too risky to take her alive!” Itzel exclaimed.

“She killed ours! Let’s get rid of that witch once and for all!” an other Mage added.

“So at least some of you still have common sense.” Coulter commented. “But it’s too late.”

Ce-Acatl chuckled mockingly. “Too late? You’re maybe powerful. But even with all these catalysts, you can’t expect to defeat us in a fight.”

“I don’t need to fight. I just need to do that.”

For the first time in her life, Coulter allowed herself to go all-out with her magic. She didn't have the Mages' technique, but when it came to brute strength, she dwarved them. The redhead released all her raw power at once. Her many catalysts shined as brightly as miniature suns. The gemstone of her diadem became a brilliant crimson red.

Ce-Acatl lost his smile.

“You fool! Even you can’t control such power! It will consume you!”

Coulter’s grin terrified him. “That’s the point.”

Even she couldn’t control her magic now. The power she had released was too wild, too strong, and, because of the catalysts, it was now self-sustaining, and constantly growing.

Amplified by all the catalysts she was wearing, the energy exploded.

A wave of intense light and heat hit the Mages. The power was strong enough to melt the stone. So strong that even the best technique couldn't contain it.

Ce-Acatl and his high mages were trained, and had good reflexes. They managed to create a magical barrier to try and shield them from the released energy.

It proved to be a mistake. The ones who didn’t protect themselves at least had the chance to be instantly vaporized. They didn’t feel any pain.

As for Ce-Acatl and his friends… Their barrier couldn’t save them. It only delayed the inevitable. Unfortunately for them, they realized it too late. When the light pierced through their shields and started to slowly incinerate their bodies.

It took them several agonizing minutes to die.

Coulter watched them disintegrate. She heard them cry in pain. She didn’t blink until they were fully gone.

Ce-Acatl was the last to perish. In his eyes, she could see a boundless fear. Coulter spat in his direction.

And then, he was obliterated. Just like that, he was gone.

Coulter fell on her knees, and shouted in relief.

After all these years… I’ve done it… Mother… Brother… Sister… Everyone… I’ve done it!

The redhead felt her own body start to fade away. She looked at her hands. They were dissolving themselves into petals of bright red light. As Coulter had expected, the power she was wielding was too strong for a human being. It was consuming her. Soon, she would cease to exist.

Coulter chuckled sadly, and accepted her fate. Deep down inside, she had always suspected Yuka could be right. Her path was self-destructive.

In a way, it was fair. The redhead knew how magic worked. It was all about balance and retribution. Coulter had killed many people today. No matter her justification, such action couldn’t be without consequences. It was simply how the world worked.

Weirdly though, she wasn’t feeling any pain. On the contrary, the light was strangely warm, even as it was piercing through her skin.

Coulter should have been happy. Her vengeance was finally fulfilled.

Then why was she thinking of Eztli? Of the time she was a merchant apprentice? Of Yuka, Azeneth, Jinora, and Yisüi?

Why was she crying?

Her entire body dissolved itself.

There was a bright flash of light.

And suddenly, she had a vision.

Coulter’s eyes widened. “Y- You?!”

Then the light consumed her as well.

**************

The College exploded. A pillar of light reached the sky.

One could see it from everywhere in Chichen Itza. One could probably see it from everywhere in the Empire.

One could probably even see it from the northern steppes of Gengis, and the minarets of Ghazan.

The light was brighter than the sun.

Yuka and her friends covered their eyes.

“What’s going on?!” Azeneth exclaimed.

Around them, the citizens of the capital city were shouting in fear and astonishment.

Yuka grabbed her friend's arm. “It's Coulter! I’ll try to get closer. Go take Yisü’ and Jinora somewhere safe.”

“There’s no way we’re letting you go alone!” the metis objected.

She, Jinora, and Yisüi blocked her path.

Yuka took Azeneth’s hand, and pleaded with her.

“Az’. Soon, the streets will be crawling with soldiers and panicked civilians. Too many, even for you. It’d be easier to go by unnoticed for one lone shapeshifter than for three wanted women whose faces are known all over the Empire. You three have to take refuge in one or Rashid’s hideouts before the people realize what has happened and the chaos truly erupts. Please, do it for me. I don't want to see you captured for nothing...”

Azeneth grimaced. “Yu’, I’m afraid.” she confessed. “I know what you’ll find there. It won’t be pretty.”

“I have to do it. If I don’t, I’ll have regrets all my life.”

Her friend gave up. “Fine. I give you three hours. After that, I’m coming for you, whether you like it or not.”

Yuka nodded. “Fair enough.”

She shared a quick group hug with her friends. Then she left.

**************

The pillar of light disappeared quickly. From afar, it seemed to have consumed the entire building, leaving only a smoking crater behind. However, Yuka needed to get closer to have a better look.

Finding an opportunity to grab a disguise proved to be easier than expected. People were roaming the streets like headless chicken. They were panicked, in shock. Their entire world was crumbling. They couldn't believe that the Mages, who had ruled over them for so long, were gone. They weren’t paying attention to anything, except the crater that existed now instead of the Mages’ College.

Guards were trying to investigate the area. Yuka simply had to find the best opportunity.

The unlucky candidate had a tanned skin, dark brown almond-shaped eyes, a body of average size and build, an oval face, and shoulder-long braided ebony black hair.

Yuka’s designated target was wearing the uniform of the lowest-ranked guards and soldiers: plain sandals, an ample black tunic reaching up to the knees, a leather belt with a metallic buckle, and a black cloth headband covering her forehead.

The woman was a Black Headband, the lowest-ranked type of guard and soldier. Yuka didn’t care. On the contrary, she needed an innocuous appearance.

The guard was following a squad of women who were searching the streets near the College to look for clues or survivors. She was at the back of the column. However, the soldiers in front of her weren’t paying her much attention. They weren’t part of her squad: they were wearing red uniforms. The Black Headband had probably just tagged along. She wasn’t part of their battalion.

It would make the job easier…

Yuka used some alleyways to position herself ahead of the line of women.

She watched the soldiers pass in front of her hiding spot. When the young guard arrived within her reach, Yuka hand-gagged her and pulled her out of sight, into the alleyway. She pinned her against a wall.

“Mff?!”

“We can do this the easy way or the hard way.” Yuka whispered in her ear.

“HELL-!” the guard tried to scream.

Yuka squeezed her hand to silence her attempt. She used her glowing touch to put the woman to sleep. The young soldier briefly stirred. Then her body went limp, and slumped into Yuka’s arms.

“Uhhhhh…” the guard moaned.

“The hard way it is.”

Yuka laid her onto the ground, and started to remove the woman’s clothes.

As she was getting a better look at the girl’s face, Yuka recognized the young Black Headband she had mugged some time ago, during her infiltration in Ce-Tlaloc’s palace. The day she had met Yisüi. It seemed so distant now…

The girl's underclothes were a plain dark brown loincloth and a matching strip of cloth wrapped around her breasts and upper-body.

The shapeshifter removed her stolen kimono, and cut them to turn them into makeshift ropes, gag, and blindfold.

She restrained the soldier by binding her wrists behind the back, her thighs, and then her ankles. She cleave-gagged and blindfolded her.

“You should return home to your family… You’re clearly not suited for this job…” Yuka whispered to the unconscious young woman.

She hid the trussed up body in an alcove, inside a small alleyway between two buildings.

Then, she put on her new clothes, and stole the Black Headband's appearance.

**************

She, Azeneth, and Yisüi were hiding in an alleyway.

“How do we leave the district?” Jinora asked.

Indeed, while nobody had noticed they weren’t actually from the nation of Kin, their foreign clothes stood out a lot. They couldn’t take the risk of approaching one of Rashid’s hideouts while wearing them. Even if everyone’s attention was focused on what had happened in the College, people could still notice them.

Azeneth looked at their outfits, then at the nearby street. She noticed that a lot of women were part of the crowd gathered to see what had happened. Women who were wearing more conventional clothes.

“I think the answer’s obvious.” the metis answered. “I didn’t take coils of rope from the trading house for show, you know?”

Yisüi nodded. “It’s our best strategy. Shall we split up?”

Even though the situation was serious, Azeneth couldn’t help but smile faintly. “Becoming more and more independent, aren’t you?” she whispered, without hiding her pride towards her student.

Touched by the compliment, Yisüi blushed. “I had good teachers.”

Azeneth pressed her friend’s shoulder. “Flatterer.” She looked once again at the street. “I guess it’ll depend on the occasions we come across.”

**************

The townswoman had the coarse black hair shared by all pure-blodded Pakal. They were waist-long and tightly braided with a light blue ribbon. One small braid was falling on each side of her face, each being adorned with orange stone beads. Her almond eyes were dark brown and her skin was tanned. She was tall, with an oval-shaped face and a large forehead, and had a lanky body. She was wearing colourful clothes: an orange ankle-long skirt with red-and-white edges, a bright red thigh-long huipil with blue edges and black spiral pattern on the shoulders. Around her neck, an orange neckscarf was tied. A white cloth headband adorned with small light pink seashells was tied around her forehead. As jewelries, she was wearing earrings made of white seashells.

The townswoman had seen the pillar of light from afar. She was hurrying up to try and see what had happened.

However, she wasn’t aware that curiosity could be dangerous sometimes. When she passed in front of an alleyway, a piece of cloth was suddenly clamped over her face.

The woman reflexively struggled to break free. A strong smell was coming from the rag.

The woman started to feel dizzy.

The smell was a sleeping potion!

The woman’s struggles grew weaker. Her eyelids flickered. Finally, she let out a faint moan, then a sigh of defeat. Her eyelids closed, and her body became limp and slumped into her attacker’s arms.

**************

Yisüi caught her breath. Even though that woman was a civilian, she put up a tough fight!

But I’ve done it… I’ve won… All by myself... the blonde thought to herself.

She dragged the townswoman further into the dark alleyway.

Yisüi laid the woman onto her back. She lifted the civilian’s upper-body, and removed the neckscarf, and huipil. She also stole the headband. She grabbed the woman’s legs, and took off the sandals. Then she pulled off the long skirt.

As undergarments, her victim was clad in a light grey knee-long underdress clipped under the armpits and tied around the waist with a small rope, leaving her shoulders bare.

Yisüi was feeling a little bad for the woman, so she only used basic bondage techniques. She bound the wrists behind the back, wrapped a few layers of rope around the shoulders and upper-arms, and tied the ankles. She cloth-gagged and blindfolded the woman with strips of cloth.

Yisüi hid the bound-and-gagged underwear-clad woman in an alcove of the alleyway, alongside with her discarded shredded kimono and straw hat.

Then, she put on the Pakal clothes. Thankfully, her blond hair were still dyed black, therefore she wouldn’t stand out too much. There were foreigners with light skin who wore Pakal clothes. But the only Gengis who lived in the Empire were slaves. And only a Gengis would have platinium blond hair like Yisüi.

Yisüi left the alleyway.

**************

Whenever a disaster occurs, there are always people willing to take advantage of the chaos.

The thief was a woman of average size with a nondescript appearance, something which was a huge advantage in her line of work. She had shoulder-long braided dark brown hair, green-brown almond-shaped eyes, and a dark skin. Her body was plain-looking and she was flat-chested, therefore she didn’t risk getting too much attention because of her curves.

Since she was operating the day, the thief wasn’t wearing black clothes. During the day, wearing black was too suspicious. It wouldn’t help her be discreet, it would even have the opposite effect. She was covering the top part of her body with a loose beige huipil that had loose sleeves and a pattern of brown diamonds on the edges. The loose garment allowed her to hide her tools, and two short obsidian daggers, which were all hung up to her leather belt. Under the huipil, she was wearing a plain beige sleeveless robe that reached up to her ankles. Her sandals were made of leather. They were looking cheap, but were in reality comfortable and sturdy. They were actually the most expansive part of her outfit. A good thief had to be able to run easily after all… A brown headband adorned with beige seashells was tied around the woman’s forehead and head. She was also wearing copper earrings and copper bracelets, if only because a Pakal subject without any jewelry would actually stand out much more.

Usually, she was pick-pocketing people. However, since everyone was currently going to see the destroyed College, she thought it could be a good idea to pay a visit to a few wealthy houses.

The woman was a pragmatic. She knew the destruction of the College would shake the Empire to its core. But she also knew that a lowlife thug of the capital city like her wouldn’t be directly affected. The Emperor would take back the control of the Empire after a short period of chaos, and she would remain dirt poor.

However, the thief didn’t realize one important thing: That other people would also be willing to take advantage of the chaos. And that she was isolating herself from the crowd… which would make her a perfect target. For instance for a woman looking to swipe innocuous-looking clothes…

The thief approached a house that looked wealthy.

“Eh. Too easy.”

“You took the words right out of my mouth.”

The sharp edge of a hand harshly connected with the junction of her neck and shoulder.

The thief grunted, saw stars, and then everything became black.

**************

Azeneth caught the falling woman under the shoulders, and dragged her limp knocked out victim out of sight.

The metis laid her burden onto the ground, in the wealthy house’s empty backyard. She swiftly removed the woman’s sandals. She weighed them up, admiring their top quality. Then she took off the thief’s outer clothes. Since the huipil and the long dress were loose, it proved to be very easy.

As undergarments, the black-haired woman was clad in a thin grey sleeveless knee-long underdress, with a piece of string tied around the waist. Azeneth whistled between her teeth when she saw all the thief’s tools strapped with small leather bands onto several parts of her body: the waist, the legs, and the forearms. There were lockpicks, tiny blades, and various other things. The metis removed them all, not necessarily because she needed them, but because her victim could use them to free herself.

Just to be safe, Azeneth also palpated the woman’s body, searching the parts that were still covered by the underdress, in case she had other tools hidden under her underwear. The thief moaned in her sleep, and her body reflexively reacted to Azeneth’s touch.

Once she was satisfied, Azeneth grabbed a coil of rope. She bound the woman’s wrists and ankles, then used more rope to connect the two bonds and to hog-tie the thief. She shoved a balled-up piece of cloth into the underwear-clad woman’s mouth, then tied a thick cloth gag around her mouth. An other piece of cloth was used to blindfold the woman.

There were a few bushes of flowers in the house’s backyard, a testimony of the owner’s wealth. Azeneth found a more practical use for them. She used one bush to hide the bound-and-gagged underwear-clad woman.

Finally, Azeneth removed her current outfit, and hid it under the bush with the trussed up woman. She slipped into the thief’s innocuous outfit.

The metis wiggled her toes. “Normal footwear again… Much better…” she commented.

**************

The woman was a scribe. She was wearing a black calf-long sleeveless robe with white stylized threads and, over the robe, a matching huipil and a matching quechquemitl. A black-and-white headband was tied over her forehead. Over her clothes, she was wearing a metallic plaque as a necklace on which the name of her employer was written. She was also wearing obsidian earrings and bracelets. Her short brown hair were tied into a high braid. She had a round face, chestnu eyes, a tanned skin, and a figure of average size.

During the panic, crates belonging to the trading house in which the scribe was working had fallen. The woman was pragmatic. She knew the destruction of the College was a major historical event, but she also knew that her boss’ business needed to stay afloat if she wanted to get paid. All the people running in the streets today would want to buy goods tomorrow. The scribe was trying to inventory the supplies to calculate the loss.

Unfortunately for her however, she didn’t notice the figure creeping behind her. Said figure was brandishing a small cosh, and used it to hit a spot between the woman’s left shoulder and neck.

“Guh!” the scribe grunted.

She was instantly knocked out.

**************

Jinora grabbed the scribe by the waist, then dragged the woman behind a pile of crates, so that the two of them would be out of sight.

She removed the woman’s outfit, starting with the headband, the jewels, and the plaque, as they were all part of the scribe attire. Then she took off the sandals and the clothes themselves.

The scribe was left wearing only her undergarments: a black loincloth and a light red blue sleeveless knee-long underdress.

Jinora used ropes to ball-tie the woman. She bound the wrists and forearms behind the back, wrapped rope around the calves, then wrapped more rope around the thighs and the back to press the woman’s knees against her chest. She cleave-gagged and blindfolded the scribe with pieces of cloth, then put her inside a crate to conceal her. She also hid her current clothes inside the crate.

Finally, Jinora slipped into the scribe outfit.

“Brings back memories…” she muttered to herself.

She left to regroup with her friends.

**************

Yuka approached the crater that used to be the Mages’ College. The place was crawling with civilians and soldiers, but none of them paid any attention to a lone Black Headband. Everyone was in a state of daze and stupor.

Of the building complex, there were no remains, not even ashes. The College had been completely vaporized, alongside with Coulter and all the Mages who were inside. None had survived.

It actually took Yuka very little time to explore the area, since there wasn’t anything left of the building.

However, as she was investigating a corner of the crater, her attention was caught by a glimmer of green light. Strangely, nobody else seemed able to see it.

Yuka approached the small object.

It was a familiar sight. A jade bracelet.

She recognized her gift to Coulter.

Perhaps it wasn’t by chance that nobody could see it... Perhaps it was magic...

Yuka picked the jewel up, and held it close to her heart.

She fought tears away from her eyes.














Epilogue

**************

The days that followed the events of the College, Yuka and her friends didn’t have the time to grieve.

The capital city was in a panic. Riots were breaking out everywhere. The Emperor was trying to take control back, but he would need time to pacify the streets. After leaving the captured servants near the garrison’s barracks, to make sure they would be found, Rashid decided to flee Chichen Itza, and to take refuge in a hideout located in a smaller nearby town. Since Coulter wasn’t here to transport them with her magic, it was harder than usual. However, they managed to do it without losing anyone.

At the same time, Rashid communicated with his father thanks to a device built by his scholars. Once he knew the Mages weren’t a threat anymore, the King sent his fleet to raid the Empire’s eastern provinces and destroy the war vessels stationed there.

Once they were out of Chichen Itza, they also released Astrid. The blond knight was still furious at them. She hadn’t forgiven them, and she left without looking back. Yuka didn't even care.

**************

After everyone was safe and sound, days later, Rashid chose to organize a celebration. Because of Coulter’s death, Yuka and her three friends weren’t much in the mood to party, even though they had achieved victory, but the prince argued it would be a good way to pay homage to all the fallen companions – Coulter, but also all the ones who died during Safiye’s and Tsuki's raid.

They were all gathered in the biggest room of the hideout. Yuka, Jinora, Yisüi, Azeneth, and Nahid were among Rashid's other agents.

The prince made a moving speech to honor the fallen, and to thank everyone for this victory.

After Rashid's speech was over, Yuka asked to speak up too.

“Tonight, I want to pay homage to a nasty woman.” she said. “She was impulsive, hard-headed, and rude. When she faced a problem, her first reflex was always to try to crush it, in a grand and flashy display of brutality and magic. Had we not been here to reign her in, she’d probably have set half of the Empire on fire. She always wanted to do things her way, with no care for the consequences... And she was also my friend. I’ll miss her. To Coulter!”

They all raised their cup.

**************

After the speech was over, all the gathered people split up, and formed smaller groups to discuss.

Azeneth, Jinora, and Yisüi were quietly conversing in a corner. For once, the metis didn't speak loudly or try to be the center of the attention. On the contrary, she was looking uncharacteristically numb. Jinora and Yisüi were trying to make her feel better. Yuka knew that, while Azeneth loved to tease Coulter, she also cared about the redhead in her own way.

“Father’s fleet has raided the Empire’s vessels stationed in the eastern provinces. Since the Empire was still in disarray, the operation was a rousing success.” Rashid was explaining to Yuka and Nahid. “It’ll take Pakal years to re-build enough ships to be able to directly threaten my kingdom again. Father and I intend to put this time to good use.”

“It seems he and you have reconciled.” Nahid commented.

Rashid’s smile was a little tensed. “I kept my word. I proved my worth.” He quickly made an excuse, and went to fetch something to drink.

Yuka and Nahid were left together.

The shapeshifter was standing awkwardly, taking sips from her cup. She knew that, with the Mages out of the way, the king would want his son back, and the topic of Rashid's arranged marriage with Nahid would once again come to the forefront. Yuka was also painfully aware that Nahid suspected she and Rashid were an item. Perhaps Nahid already knew all the details... Of course, Yuka considered the aristocrat a friend. But she knew the situation was still complicated.

Nahid was looking at the content of her cup. “You know. I don’t need a husband, only a political ally.” she finally commented. "And I have enough leverage on my father to change his mind."

Yuka almost choked on her drink. “I’m not sure I see what you mean…” she cautiously answered.

Nahid smiled. “Of course you do. But in our worlds, we just can’t say some things explicitly. I understand.” She finished her drink. “I return to Ghazan with the first ship we’ll manage to charter. My father won’t tolerate me putting myself in danger any longer.”

Nahid briefly squeezed Yuka’s shoulder. Though her grip was gentle, like a loving caress.

“I’m happy I got to know you. I hope we’ll meet again soon.” she added.

Then she left without giving Yuka the time to answer.

The latter sighed, and finished her drink. She fetched two more cups.

When she went to bed later that night, Yuka was feeling tired, and drunk. At least, it was easy for her to fall asleep…

**************

Yuka was wondering if her experience with the Black Star and Tsuki hadn’t affected her somehow. At least, that would explain why she was having so many dreams…

In her dream, she was surrounded by a maelstrom of colours. Around her, bright red butterflies and petals were flying. She could hear music, and a song.

Bolom chon ta vinajel,
Bolom chon ta banomil,
Bolom chon ta vinajel,
Bolom chon ta banomil.

Kox kox a vakan Bolom chon,
chan chan a vakan Bolom chon.
Bolom chon ta vinajel,
Bolom chon ta banomil.

Natik a visim Bolom chon,
tintin a visim Bolom chon.
Bolom chon ta vinajel,
Bolom chon ta banomil.

Kox kox a vakan Bolom chon,
chan chan a vakan Bolom chon.
Bolom chon ta vinajel,
Bolom chon ta banomil.

The melody was melancholy. Beautiful, but extremely melancholy.

Then, suddenly, the whirlwind of colours stopped. The music and the song stopped. Everything became black.

A lone familiar figure appeared in front of her. She was lightly shining.

She was a woman with a mane of curly red hair, a skin as brown as bronze, and amber-coloured eyes.

"Hello." she said.

Yuka got angry. “How could you do this to us?!” she screamed. “Why didn’t you tell us anything?! Why didn’t you trust us?! We were supposed to be friends!”

Coulter’s reflection shrugged. “I didn’t want you in my way.”

There were tears of rage in Yuka's eyes. “You’re such a jerk when you want it! We both know it’s a lie! After all we’ve been through, can’t you be upfront about your feelings for once?!”

Coulter’s reflection blinked. “I didn’t want you to die. You were my friends.” she softly explained.

Yuka didn’t have the strength to scream at her anymore. She realized she wasn’t angry at Coulter, or at anyone in particular for that matter. She was angry at the world in general, at the gods, at Fate.

“It’s not fair, Coulter! It’s not fair you died like that! You should have lived! With us! You should have been happy! We were finally starting to get along-”

Suddenly, Coulter interrupted her: “But I saw them, Yu’. I truly did! Can you… Can you believe that?”

She was looking so ecstatic that Yuka couldn’t help but calm herself, and frown. “Who did you see?”

“My mother… My siblings… All my clan.” the redhead explained. “When the magic was going wild around me, in the end. There was a flash. And I saw them. They were waiting for me.”

Coulter looked up in the air.

“I think I’m… I’m going home, Yu’.” she added.

It was a dream, but Yuka couldn’t help it. She cried.

“A Charioteer’s home is where her people are.” the shapeshifter recited.

Yuka wiped the tears from her eyes, and nodded.

“Go to them, Coulter.”

"Yes... Finally..."

The redhead smiled. Her smile was warm and genuine. Given how grouchy she usually was, it was a strange sight. Yuka realized she never had seen such a kind innocent smile on Coulter’s face. Usually, it was a cocky satisfied smirk or a savage grin. It was as if Yuka was having a brief glimpse of the woman Coulter could have become, had her destiny been different.

The redhead’s body started to glow like a miniature sun. Her body dissolved into petals of golden light.

“I’ll miss you!” Yuka couldn’t help but shout.

The light faded away. Coulter was gone.

“I’ll miss you…” Yuka said again, though this time she was whispering to herself.

**************

When she woke up, Yuka felt something warm resting against the bare skin of her chest.

She realized she was still wearing the golden necklace adorned with a green-coloured stone Coulter had made for her, the one made to protect her from Tsuki in her dreams. It felt like a lifetime ago...

For one second, it looked like the thing was glowing. Did Coulter manage to break the laws of death, and to visit her one last time?

Yuka chose to believe it.

She held the jewel close to her heart, and dried her tears.

**************

Yuka shared her dream with her friends. She thought they deserved to know.

They were all moved by her story.

“So she wanted to protect us, in her own way.” Yisüi concluded.

“Till the end, she remained true to herself. She did things her way.” Azeneth commented. “Damn stubborn woman! I’ll miss her grumpy face...”

Jinora and Yisüi silently nodded.

Without even meaning to, the four women stepped forward and shared one hug. They needed each other's support. Their embrace lasted for a long moment. The time for them to wish good-bye to their friend.

Then, they split up.

“So. What’s the plan now?” Azeneth asked while drying a few tears.

“Rashid will return to Ghazan.” Yuka hesitated, and added: “I’m going with him.”

She tried to ignore her three friends’ glances.

“You’re going to share the same cabin?” Azeneth couldn’t help but tease her friend. It was her way to cope.

“AZ’!”

The metis playfully elbowed her. “Alright, I’ll stop teasing you.” She winked, and added: “For now. But rest assured you have my entire support.”

“Thank you…”

“Az’ and I will stay in Pakal.” Jinora intervened. “We’ll be more useful here.”

Of course, the mood became even less joyous after her declaration.

“The gang is splitting up then.” Azeneth commented. “I knew it would happen eventually. I was simply hoping… it wouldn’t start with someone dying.”

“Coulter wouldn’t have wanted us to dwell on self-pity. Or worst, on pitying her.” Yuka intervened. "Hina'. Tsu'. Coulter. Or your father. The spirits of our loved ones will always stay with us, but we have to keep moving forward. In their honor."

“You’re right.”

“Plus, we’ll stay in touch.” Yuka added.

"You bet we will! You won't get rid of me that easily, Yu'!"

“What about you, Yisü’?” Yuka asked her friend. “What are your plans now?”

The blonde hesitated. “Now that things are over, I- I want to go to my village… I still have family left in Gengis...” She avoided the others’ eyes. “We may not see each other for a while…”

Yuka embraced her. “After all we did together, distance is irrelevant. We’ll always be in each other’s hearts.” The shapeshifter grabbed the jewel Coulter had crafted for her. “Even death can’t truly break us apart…”

The blonde couldn’t help but chuckle a little.

“Besides... The Mages are maybe gone, but Pakal still has the biggest armies. Rashid wants to build alliances with the Gengis to keep the Empire in check.” Jinora intervened.

“So expect to see us sooner than expected.” Azeneth concluded.

Yisüi dried her tears. “I’d love it. I’d love to show you my village. I want to show you everything! You should see my home during fishing season. When the shoals of fish migrate from the north, they are so plentiful you can grab them with your hands! And you should see the horizon when the sun touches the sea line...”

**************

Yuka sneaked off while her friends were in the middle of a conversation. Yisüi was getting carried away with her tale, making big gestures of the hand to narrate them the life in her khanate. It was so nice to see her so confident, but Yuka wanted to see Rashid.

Of course, Azeneth noticed her. Few things could escape her acute eyes… However, she didn’t say anything – not even to tease her friend. She simply winked to wish Yuka good luck.

She found Rashid in the hideout’s conference room. There were piles of papyrus and parchments everywhere. Rashid was standing in front of huge map of the continent filled with annotations.

It was bringing Yuka memories. How many years had she spent with him in front of that map, plotting against the Mages?

“So… Are we going to move the furniture?” she attempted to joke, in order to begin a conversation.

Rashid didn’t play along, and went straight to the point. “Yuka. I don’t want to hide. When I return to Ghazan, I wish to tell Father the truth about us.” He looked at her. “Though only if you agree, of course.” he added.

“Rashid. There’s nothing in the world I’d love more than that. But you father will never-”

“I’ll come back crowned in glory. In their eyes, I’ll be the hero who single-handedly put an end to the Mages’ menace.” Rashid gently interrupted her. “We know I didn’t do much, but the heads of my kingdom are too narrow-minded to see it. I’ll take advantage of their mentality.”

He had a crafty smile on his lips. Yuka couldn’t help but smile too. “You did a lot…” she objected.

“We both know it was a teamwork. But my people prefer stories of lone heroes. So that’s what I’ll give them.”

He looked into the distance.

“I want to reform my kingdom, Yu’. I want to put an end to that system which gives power depending on the birth or the court’s favors, and not on the merit. With my hero status, I may have enough influence to coerce the aristocracy… but it’ll be hard.” Rashid scratched his chin, and added: “Defeating the Mages was maybe the easy part.”

“I believe you. I’ve seen Ghazanite court intrigue. It’s nasty.” Yuka joked.

“I’m not saying that to scare you off. But I want to be honest with you. If you agree to come with me, you’ll be on the front line with me.”

“Don’t you think bringing a foreign commoner would be a hindrance to your projects?”

“I don’t care.”

Yuka raised an eyebrow. “I want my man to be smart, not a love-struck doofus who will get himself eaten alive by ruthless court intrigues.” she gently scolded him. “Give me a more convincing answer.”

Rashid smiled. She had called him ‘her man’. Someone as well-versed in court etiquette as he was could easily understand the hidden meaning. Yuka had agreed to his proposition, she simply had done it by replicating Ghazanite courtship in the nobility. Still, he gave her the argument she was asking for: “Your birth won’t be a problem if we spin the right tale. Picture this: The prince coming back as a victor, alongside with a descendant of the legendary puma-men! The people will eat it up!”

Yuka raised a skeptical eyebrow.

Rashid took her hand, and caressed her cheek. “The bottom line is, I wouldn’t drag you into it if I didn’t have a solid plan. I already have Nahid’s support. And Nahid assured me she could influence her father. If I have the support of the mass of the commoners and of the desert tribes, I can deal with my father or with the aristocracy. Just let Istir and the Seraglio try to stop me. For you, I’ll break their faction until their influence is nothing but dust in the desert winds.”

“You got everything figured out, didn’t you?” Yuka dried a few tears of joy. “But the puma-men never existed...” she added with a chuckle. “Our ancestors made that legend up to goad naive humans into worshiping them…”

“They don’t have to know about that trivial detail.” Rashid answered with a crafty smile.

Yuka burst out laughing. She jumped in his arms, and kissed him.

**************

She stayed with him.

And the rest was history...

**************

Rashid was crowned king of Ghazan during the year 784 of the New Calendar, under the name of Rashid IV. With his reign, the kingdom entered the modern area.

History would remember him as Rashid the Great. He put an end to Pakal's warmongering by crushing several invasion fleets, then conquering the eastern provinces of the Empire. He secured the power of the monarchy by dissolving the Seraglio to put an end to its endless conspiracies. He also signed several treaties with the desert tribes to strengthen their alliance with the crown.

Rashid defied all traditions and married a woman from Pakal, one who was said to be descended from the legendary puma-men. A lot of the king's subjects would later swear that the queen's appearance kept changing each passing day. Wild rumours about her were flying around. They were pretending that the queen often left the palace in secret. She then disguised herself, infiltrated places, and protected her husband from conspiracies. These stories become the subjects of many folks tales.

With the help of a former scribe from Pakal, the king wrote new laws to modernize the kingdom’s administration. He established examinations, and made sure that all posts would be given depending on the merit.

With the help of a metis woman, the king negotiated fruitful deals with the kingdoms and city-states overseas. These deals allowed Ghazan to thrive.

With the help of a former slave to be his interpreter, Rashid forged an alliance with the main khanates of Gengis, against their common enemy Pakal. The friendship between Ghazan and Gengis would last for generations.

The legends tell a miracle happened the day of Rashid's and his queen’s coronation. Witnesses claimed they saw an angel, who had come to bless the new king. A bronze-skinned woman with glowing amber eyes, and a mane of flaming red hair. She was flying in the sky, right next to the sun, and was wearing jewels which were glowing like miniature stars.

Rumours say the queen knew the reason of this event, but she never revealed anything to anyone.

**************

THE END





Final notes:

And that concludes the saga. When I started it, I didn’t anticipate it would last for so long. Thank you all for following it. Special thanks to the kind friends who took the time to regularly comment. I admit it's for you I mustered up the courage to give this story and these characters closure instead of leaving everything hanging.

I confess I’m happy it’s finished. At several points, I was actually afraid I would get tired of writing and would never finish this saga. While a medieval-like setting had been a refreshing change of pace at first, after a while it started to feel restricting. I know this is fantasy, but I still want my stories to be consistent with their inner-rules. And in a pre-industrial world, it wouldn’t be logical for people to have a wide array of clothes and underclothes (or even bondage tools). These were details, but after a while they really made it difficult to avoid repetitiveness as far as uniform stealings were concerned. Plus, I realized that medieval fantasy is a genre that requires a lot more exposition than a contemporary setting (even a fictional contemporary setting), which took away precious time and focus from uniform stealing scenes. Bottom line, in the final installments the uniform stealings were actually the hardest parts to write and to incorporate into the plot, so it was a sign this story needed to end!

It's probably going to be the last long saga I write. These past months have made me realize that writing stories has become tiring and tiresome, I don't have the same spark as before, so I won't take the risk of beginning a saga only to never finish it.

[meditions142]

Thanks for continuing this wonderful story. So good.

While I am usually a guard/sentry fan, there was something about the quick take out of the slave girls I really enjoyed.

First off, though plain, the girls' outfits probably made them look really sexy.

The first take out is so perfect. An unsuspecting young woman walking past the door to a storage room. The door opens behind her and she is grabbed and hand gagged and pulled into the room. Before she can react, the poor thing is pulled into the room and given a neck chop to knock her out.

Then we get the treat of three other pretty young slave girls taken out at once.

First off, love the comment “Yisü’. You think you can neutralize one?” Always enjoy commentary that basically shows the women are just targets to be waylaid and be uniform donors.

Then we get the wonderful image of all three unsuspecting slave girls getting simultaneously attacked. And love the fact that each one is knocked out by a different method.

First off, love Yuka using the wonderful magic touch. I love the description of the blonde going going under. "The woman let out a long muffled moan, then her eyes flickered, and she went limp." Very sexy.

The black haired woman gets a good old neck chop just like the first girl. Then the brown haired girl gets a nice dose of sleep potion.

Three lovely young women are quickly put to sleep by their skilled attackers.

The image of the four women all huddled together in their undergarments and tied up is awesome!

Then we have the wonderful scene with the fifth girl.

Another great scene of her being grabbed while walking past the door. Great description "Azeneth then hit a specific part of the slave girl’s neck with the edge of her hand to knock her out instantly. The redhead grunted, then crumbled forward. Azeneth caught her by the midriff, and carried her further inside."

Love that "special spot" that when hit knocks a woman out every time. And love the description of Azeneth catching her as she falls.

Yuka's attack on the loan low ranking guard was terrific as well. We of course get the wonderful "we can do this the easy way or hard way" comment. Then we get another great use of the magic touch to put the woman to sleep.

I also enjoyed the scene with the clumsy brunette servant girl. Love how she spots Azeneth thanks to her tripping. Great scene of Azeneth springing into action. To keep her from raising the alarm she covers the girl's mouth and punches the her in the stomach to knock the wind out of her. The servant girl is now doubled over and her neck is exposed. Another hit to that special spot on the neck and the girl is out cold.

And also great was the scene where the large group of slaves servants were lured into a trap and knocked out. Love imaging so many sexy young women being knocked out in quick succession. I also loved the scene of the one girl trying to escape only to be grabbed by Yuka who uses the magic touch to put her to sleep.

Love all the knockouts throughout the story. Just great!

[rufusluciusivan]

To meditions: I'm happy you appreciated this last chapter. Since you're more into guards/sentries, I always consider it an accomplishment when scenes featuring other types of damsels catch your attention.

The slave girls outfits indeed made them look really sexy. (It's actually even why the heroines need to put on other clothes once they are outside the palace - these slave outfits aren't supposed to be worn in public. )

I have the impression I went crazy with the neck chops in this chapter...

The image of the four women all huddled together in their undergarments and tied up is awesome!

The image of them in the cupboard was inspired by the one in the mainstream book Six of Crows. The excerpt is on the Board, if you haven't already read it yet.

We of course get the wonderful "we can do this the easy way or hard way" comment.

An other reference, to a very recent scene this time. The one from Grimm Fairy Tales #11. Probably the best mainstream comicbook scene found this year, at least as of now, and one of the best mainstream comicbook scenes ever.

[safiire]

this was an excellent story. what a lot of time you must have put into it. I particularly liked the idea of having one of the victims joining the group and herself becoming a uniform stealer (Yisui). I found that a very original and fun idea.

[tirepanted3]

First, a hearty tip of the hat for completing this sprawling saga. It's been a two-year journey, covering a wide variety of characters, locales, dangers, and disguises. Well done!

I've expressed a few times in the past that I'm not a particular fan of fantasy settings or magic/shapeshifting in USB stories. But I was still able to get swept up in this saga, thanks to the compelling characters, enjoyable and often humorous dialogue, and vivid and varied uniform thefts. A lot of care clearly went into crafting the world these characters inhabit, and I enjoyed its use of real-world influences - such as the use of Mesoamerican culture in the characters' wardrobe. Details like this made the series unique and flavorful, and a nice companion to the Utopia saga.

I enjoyed this seventh and final chapter, though admittedly it felt a bit less exciting than what came before. Part of the problem, perhaps, is that it is more standard than prior chapters in being a traditional and linear infiltration story, with the main characters acquiring various disguises in their quest to confront the villains. Nothing wrong with this, I always love a good infiltration saga. But prior chapters felt more expansive and varied in perspectives and storylines, and this was perhaps a bit restricted as far as grand finales go. Plus, while the chapters of the Utopia series juggled a variety of perspectives and USB "teams," Pakal mostly featured just two sets of characters during its run - one good, one evil - and with Tsuki and Safiye gone, there wasn't much to focus on beyond the main characters.

I also admit I was a bit thrown by the tonal shifts in the second half of the chapter. The dramatic scenes of Coulter's sacrifice, contrasted with the light and comedic scenes of her friends mugging civilians for their clothes, felt a little jarring. Perhaps Coulter's sacrifice did not sit well with me in general - she was one of my favorite characters, up there with Safiye as one of the most interesting in the series, and so it was sad to lose her, even in heroic sacrifice.

But I'm sounding a bit negative, so let me focus on the good stuff. Because there was certainly a lot of good stuff.

The USB scenes in this chapter, as in the rest of the series, were top-notch. Meditions has already outlined many of their strengths, and I'll echo his approval. I'll add that perhaps the highlight for me was the takedown of the merchants. A novel idea to have them be foreigners, their wardrobes influenced by ancient Japan. And I loved the descriptions of the muggings, complete with humorous detail.

A lone unsuspecting woman, passing in front of a spy hidden in an alleyway. The girl was even whistling! The occasion was too tempting. Azeneth couldn’t resist.

The fact that the nonchalant whistling is what makes the girl such an inviting target for clothing theft made me chuckle. And this is then followed by some fun "methodical" muggings of the remaining four merchants.

Jinora's mugging of the scribe was also a nice quick scene, complete with callback (“Brings back memories…”). Little touches to help round out characterization before the end.

Yuka's grabbing of the last guard in line was also a fun moment, and I immediately recognized the callback to the excellent Grimm Fairy Tales scene. Those references can be clever, particularly near the end of a saga - I recall you did a few of them in the final Utopia story.

And it's great to see Yisüi finally come into her own as an independent member of the team. She's come a long way since the start of the series, and has blossomed into another of its best characters. A pleasure to follow her along.

All in all, a good ending to a great series. I may not have loved this finale as much as some prior chapters, and I still may have issues with magical USB tales as a whole, but I was very happy to follow it along and greatly enjoyed the entire adventure. It was a fun and often thrilling series, and I'm certain I'll return to the beginning at some point to read it again.

I understand your exhaustion over lengthy stories, and the restrictive nature of fantasy settings. And I respect the concern about not finishing a story, a particular risk for longer tales. But lengthy or short, your stories are always fun to read. Great work.

[esercito sconfitto]

a great story and saga, disguised as a disguise story

or rather, a complete narrative universe rewritten and re-created as uniform/clothes stealing themed

and a heartbreaking finale for this long novel. I keep reading the last part and there is no doubt about, it's moving and beautifully written...it touched me

many thanks for completing this unforgettable piece, mr Rufusluciusivan.

may I give you a suggestion? make a pdf version , and post it at deviantart

I have a lot of questions, but they aren't important in front of such a superb conclusion

well yes there is one above all; are your detailed descriptions of clothes and uniforms from Chichen Itza and the Pakal Empire directly based upon Mayan pre- Columbian models?

[rufusluciusivan]

To safiire: Thank you for your kind words. During the writing process, Yisüi was a late addition, so seeing that she's become popular is pleasant.

To tirepanted: Time does fly. I didn't expect this saga to last so long...

Trust me, I understand your mixed feelings 100%. I’m rather dissatisfied with my latest instalments, even though there are some scenes I like a lot in these final chapters. Now, I think the latest chapters are decent – had I thought they were bad, I wouldn’t have posted them. But I couldn’t find a way to make them as memorable as other finales… or even as other parts of Pakal. However, I didn’t have a better scenario in mind – and I really wanted to end this saga. I thought about it a lot, and ultimately decided that an okay conclusion was better than no conclusion at all… I’m relieved people found them enjoyable nonetheless, even though the quality wasn’t optimum.

It’s not just long sagas. It’s the whole writing process that I’m tired of... So I'm happy I was able to give these characters their closure. Plus, I owed it to all the the readers who followed me from the beginning.

I enjoyed its use of real-world influences - such as the use of Mesoamerican culture in the characters' wardrobe.

Clearly, this was one of my favorite aspects of writing this story. It was fun to imagine fantasy counterparts of real historical cultures (Mesoamerican, Middle-Ages Western Europe, Renaissance Italy, Mongolian, Arabic... In hindsight, I'm wondering if the story didn't start to decline when the characters stopped traveling, forcing me to re-use the same types of outfits again and again.

I also admit I was a bit thrown by the tonal shifts in the second half of the chapter. The dramatic scenes of Coulter's sacrifice, contrasted with the light and comedic scenes of her friends mugging civilians for their clothes, felt a little jarring. Perhaps Coulter's sacrifice did not sit well with me in general - she was one of my favorite characters, up there with Safiye as one of the most interesting in the series, and so it was sad to lose her, even in heroic sacrifice.

I we needed one example to prove my point when I said that medieval fantasy is a genre that requires a lot more exposition than a contemporary setting, which makes including uniform stealings very problematic, it would be that one. The uniform stealings were added... because I realized there would be a too long period of time without USB scenes if I didn't add them. There was no story reason for them to exist, outside of making sure there was a quota of uniform stealings in the second half, and I suspect it's why you feel a tonal shift.

Coulter's death had been planned from the beginning - it was an integral part of her arc. Personally, it's one of my favorite moments. In a way, as a writer, I'm happy you were sad (and perhaps even unhappy) to see her go. I like to think it proved she was a well-written character. (I hope I'm not sounding too sadistic... ) I wanted the end to be a little bittersweet. The characters achieve their development (Yisüi comes into her own, Yuka moves on from her past...), but they lose one of their friends in the battle.

When it comes to the uniform stealings, the part with the merchants was my favorite.

To esercito sconfitto: Thank you for all your kind words.

a story and saga, disguised as a disguise story

or rather, a complete narrative universe rewritten and re-created as uniform/clothes stealing themed

I couldn't have summed it up better myself.

I don't know if it has changed ever since, but I remember that the last time I posted a few stories on DeviantArt, the interface was absolutely NOT ergomonic. It made me understand why there aren't many authors regularly posting written stories on this website...

While the main names of the places come from Mayan cities, the descriptions of clothes is mostly based upon Aztec models.

https://cdnb.artstation.com/p/assets/im ... 1585189506

https://i.pinimg.com/564x/84/56/a4/8456 ... 3ef11d.jpg