-Callia-

  The butler led us into the manor, introducing various well-furnished rooms for our stay. Large fluffy beds unlike any I’ve gotten to experience in this life, a beautiful view, and even a working plumbing system with large baths with heated water. Honestly, even with our memories of earth adding inspiration when Callen built our house, it still didn’t come anything close to this. The butler left us to get settled, and I left Callen to handle any issues while stripping free of my clothes and sinking slowly into the heated waters. “MMMhhh,” I groan as tension leaves the body. Letting my body lean back against the tub, I let my mind drift.

  After reaching level 100 with my skill, something extraordinary happened, and while I can’t quite recall now, one piece of clear evidence was my new skill, Unblockable Arrow. I used it a couple of times on the way out of the forest to get a general measure of how the skill worked. The skill doesn’t actually make the arrow unblockable; for instance, a regular shot at a tree won't penetrate. What the skill does is make the arrow pierce defensive or intercepting skills. If someone tried to block an arrow with blade aura or a block skill, my arrow would bypass the enhancements given by the skills. I suspect it will also be equally effective against runic or enchanted gear. I’m almost giddy to fight another high-level opponent. Almost everyone I’ve fought has decisively used various skills to block or deflect my arrows.

  That thought leads me back to my fights with Lexia. At the back of my mind I’m beginning to suspect the reason she avoided spending time near Callen might have to do with the divine trace trait. Callen had mentioned the trait back when he originally got it, but after years I had put it into the back of my mind. I never considered that it might affect people with a predatory mindset just as severely as animals. Still, what happened after she ate his arm was something else entirely.

  Going forward we'll likely need to pay attention to how people are looking at us. Speaking of which, I didn't mention the issue when we were in town, but the moment we entered the inner city, our instincts started whispering of potential danger. Despite the prosperous appearance, a city as big as this one seems like fertile ground for criminal elements. Sadly, instinct tracking requires a fundamental knowledge of who I’m hunting, so I can’t just point into the city and find every hidden gang. Even though I suspect someone in the dark was paying attention to the Viscount’s new guests.

  My thoughts were interrupted by a gentle knock at the door and a soft voice.

  “Miss Callia, I am Vivre, the maid assigned to you for your stay. May I enter and provide service?” I froze upon hearing that request. Having a maid serve me seemed like a novel concept, but I felt it would be rude to send her away.

  “Um, sure?” I gave permission, but my voice unintentionally squeaked it out like a question. The door gently opened, and a girl similar in age to me came in carrying a small wooden bucket filled with towels and clothes.

  “I’ve taken your travel gear to have it washed; in the meantime, the viscount has arranged suitable clothing for you.” The maid sets a set of clothes off to the side on a bench away from the hot tub. Then comes over with a cloth and brush, starting gently at first before starting to fight with the tangles that had built up over years of minimal maintenance and extensive activity. I felt distinctly embarrassed as the girl grunted while alternating between washing with water and attacking my hair with the comb. I wanted to protest the handling, but the girl was almost radiant with determination. Eventually her stubborn persistence to fix every blemish she could find overwhelmed me, and I just submitted to complying with her demands.

  After at least an hour, she finally relented, bringing over the clothes that, now unfolded, revealed a beautiful dress.

  “Can I perhaps use my normal clothes?” However, she decisively shook her head no.

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  “As guests of the Viscount, wearing a dress is simply common sense! Now stay still!” Against my will the girl eventually wrangled me into the dress and then brought over a mirror to let me see her work. I couldn’t even recognize myself; I had never realized just how impactful clothes can be on appearances. Instead of the slightly rugged, tomboyish, but fit and strong hunter I’ve grown up seeing in reflections from pools. Now, I'm a thin but fit woman wearing a light blue dress, looking every part the princess of a classical Disney story. Behind me the girl just claps her hands like she didn’t just change the genre of my very character.

  “I knew it! You look absolutely stunning! You just needed some work to really shine!” I wanted to disagree, but looking at the mirror, I just nodded in acceptance. “Now! We have a good baseline, but now that we have such nice straight hair, it would be a shame to leave it unbraided!” I groan in defeat as she pushes me back into a chair.

  -Callen-

  Sis ran off to take advantage of the hot tub the moment the butler finished his tour, leaving me to handle the rest. I sent the guards over to their new quarters to get some rest after the rough couple of days we had getting here. We lost more than half of the team that originally set out with us, but those who survived were all the stronger. They were all warned of the risks before we set out, but I had held on to hope that we could’ve defied the odds when it came to inexperienced travelling.

  The younger butler took over for the elder, informing us of when dinner would be and arranging hospitality for our stay. The whole experience was a bit surreal, getting such extensive treatment, but that didn’t mean I didn’t take a chance to make a request. The most willful and energetic member of their staff to handle Sis. Just a little bit of trouble for her since she was so eager to leave the work to us. A short break and cleanup with fresh suits were provided for the dinner event, and soon we were all gathered in the lounge waiting for Callia.

  Some thirty minutes later a young noble lady entered, and we all looked over. I expected some kind of greeting, but with the awkward silence, I realized maybe we were supposed to initiate the greeting. I bowed formally and introduced Hew and myself only to be interrupted by a painful bonk on the head and fury conveyed over my bond with Callia.

  Looking up, I froze in shock. The features on the noble lady matched Callia, but there was no way she could ever clean up like this.

  “Callia?!” I muttered in disbelief and looked towards Hew for confirmation. He gave it, but in the form of raucous laughter. I snapped back towards Callia just in time to get a fist to the face and launched a foot backward from the impact. I still struggled to equate Callia to what I saw, but I didn’t dare give a hint of my disbelief as I fixed my face after the punch. Finally, the young butler arrived, guiding us from the guest wing of the building over into a large ornate pavilion set outside. Looking around, I saw the bustling city built around the single manor; it was like a luxury mansion and the accompanying grounds built in the heart of New York.

  We sat at the table and not long later stood up as the elderly butler arrived, announcing the arrival of Lord Nox, his heir, and his daughter. Lord Nox looked a similar age to Dad but with a sharpness in his eyes that whispered at being much older. He had short black hair and a very distinct English mustache. He very much reminded me of some kind of English noble, but his attitude was polite and friendly. Reginald was very similar but without the mustache, and instead he looked like a teen who had been hit by the worst of puberty. Then the daughter looked more in the range of 12 and like she would rather be anywhere else. A glare that reminded me of Callia promising revenge was leveled at Reginald, and her arms were crossed, clearly upset. As they sat down, we followed suit.

  Mob Boss Varner

  A week ago, if Varner had heard someone say they would subdue the chaotic underbelly of Nox City, he would’ve laughed and thrown the man out for being raving mad. However, against everything he understood, that very matter had not just come true, but it only took a week! Now, from countless gangs splitting the city every which way, from the timber freaks in the outer district to the sky people in the upper housing of the central district, everyone knew about the dark lady. Varner, of course, investigated the newcomer, but they couldn’t dig up anything beyond her arrival through the east gate.

  His crew wasn’t particularly impressive, but they were formed behind a doctrine to protect the people of the lower city. They were only one of many, but they had good momentum, and the town guard preferred them over the more dangerous factions. Previously he only needed to worry about the small rivals that cropped up all over most of the big gangs that didn't touch the undercity. Now he was the last faction that hadn’t bent the knee. He was surrounded by enemies on all sides, and even some of his more vicious subordinates had already started turning on him. It seemed the more degenerate someone was, the more eagerly they bowed down, but that didn’t mean their behavior improved; no, instead it made them even more bold.

  It went against all his experience of years in the underworld, but he only had one way out. He gathered his notes on every gang's stronghold, crimes, and operating methodology and worked his way to the garden in the center of the city. Snitching, like he planned, was a death sentence, but he formed his gang to protect the people in his turf. Now that it was only a matter of when he lost control, not if, he decisively acted. The underworld would have his head for this, but if Lord Nox managed to cut off the head of the monster growing in the dark, then it would be worth it.