Karni

  Harrowing croaks for air resounded over silent footsteps.

  A sea of men, mangled to grotesque fleshly bits, laid bare, drowning in a river of their own blood. The echoes of their desperate attempts to cling onto life gradually vanished into the dark night.

  For most people, this disturbing gore and the harrowing sounds of men on the verge of death would have drawn at least a few raised eyes and quickened breaths from even the most vicious of persons.

  But for Karni, their agonizing screams were received with immense joy.

  The petite Gharian stepped towards the carnage. She was adorned in a black silk robe that clung loosely to her body. It was a traditional, ceremonial attire of Gharian priestesses. In the past, this outfit would be worn to make pilgrimages across the harsh deserts of the Saar where the priestesses would pay respects to their pagan Gods. It was a relic of those simpler times when Gharians still had their freedom. Since their annexation by Ardair, the practice had been long abandoned by even the most pious of Gharians.

  Unlike her usual sandals, Karni wore a pair of black-laced boots this time. It was an intentional choice given the bloody aftermath of their intrusion upon the Exalted Academy campus.

  She scoffed, taking in the scene before her eyes.

  “…There were less of them than expected. What a pity.”

  Bodies of the Academy staff and their exposed entails were sprawled along the ground. She stepped past the bloodbath, her boots creating ripples along the puddles, while accompanied by a scurry of little beasts.

  Rats.

  The red-eyed rodents covered the entirety of the entrance to the sanctum—biting, sniffling, and crawling over the mangled remnants of their victims as they followed after her.

  She was before the entrance of the Consortium.

  Karni stared at the imposing door constructed of gold and brass, shining radiantly under the pale moon. Her appearance here was the culmination of endless work and sacrifices. Two year’s worth of efforts were spent just for a moment to enter this infamous archive.

  Finally.

  Her heart raced at the chance to realize her dream. Her visions of revenge would soon bore fruit. The day will finally arrive when she could lay waste to this wretched kingdom for stealing away her people’s way of life.

  A faint metallic creak echoed behind her.

  Karni glanced to the side, finding a familiar visage calmly strolling towards her. It was Nagi. The eastern swordsman was a goliath cladded in heavy armor. A long sword with a curved blade etched in reinforced steel dangled by his side. The weight of the sword and its scabbard must have been enormous, but he held it with one hand as if he was carrying an empty basket. Apparently, it was called a tachi.

  “The area is clear,” Nagi announced, “I’ve eliminated all of the ones that were trying to call for reinforcements.”

  “Give me one second.”

  Karni closed her eyes, channeling mana. Her consciousness suddenly spread like a web—flickering momentarily to the eyes of the innumerable rats that she controlled over the Academy campus. Absorbing the information from her rats’ senses, she scanned the entire area, trying to get an intimate view of the situation.

  “Kleine’s friends are still managing the hostages. Melody is on her way to secure the princess. The Council of Mana and the Lionhearts haven’t made their moves yet. There are, however, a couple of their agents roaming the campus.”

  “I’m surprised they haven’t done anything. The number of Exalted in the area can easily take over a small nation if utilized correctly,” Nagi said, frowning.

  “Nothing new. Ardairans are selfish, greedy, and above all, cowardly. The mere threat of our existence makes their elites cower behind their soldiers. It is their nature to hide behind another’s back for safety than risk an ounce of their pathetic lives to do the right thing,” Karni hissed with a callous distaste, “And it is precisely that nature gives us this opportunity.”

  She walked up to the door of the Consortium and retrieved a golden key from her pockets. It came from Melody. She had received it for her victory in the previous Clash of Dawn.

  Normally, this sanctum would have been heavily fortified with Academy staff and guards who would have asked to verify her identity. Since Vigil took hostage of the banquet hall, however, a significant number of those guards have been diverted away.

  The remaining personnel were cakewalk for Karni and Nagi.

  “Guard the entrance as we discussed. Inject this little one with a bit of mana if you need to get my attention,” she said as a small rat dashed up the length of Nagi’s arm.

  Karni embedded the key into the door. Then, with a turn of her wrist, the Consortium opened up.

  If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  She stepped foot into the most sacred place in Ardair.

  The sound of her intrusion echoed across the silent sanctum. The floor was engraved with intricate slabs of marble stone. Chandeliers dangled from above—bright, yet dim enough not to be invasive to the eye. Imposing shelves towered before her, filled to the brimmed with books, documents, and other forms of parchment bundled with string. The shelves were built out of wood, lacquered with some sort of anti-inflammatory coating to reduce the damage by fire. Karni knew from the distinct smell permeating the archives.

  The pristine, almost sterile ambiance left her with a sense of awe and wonder as she took in the majesty of the Consortium. Her heart pounded with anticipation. A treasure trove of knowledge stood at her fingertips, waiting, just beckoning for her to reach in and uncover new unknowns. Karni was a scholar at heart. The marvels before her eyes left her hands trembling with excitement—until a deep-seeped memory jolted her awake.

  Flames were everywhere. Everything was burning. Screams of her neighbors and friends drilled into her skull. Silhouettes of barbaric men as they raised machetes and blades, cleaving into the bodies of her fellow villagers. She could still hear their sadistic laughter as they continued their atrocities.

  These were visions of a wretched past. Before she was even aware of the despicable people who lived on the other side of the Saar. When she still had her innocence, unblemished and untainted with knowledge of humanity’s depravities.

  In an instant, the scholarly marvel that she felt towards these archives twisted into pure, unvarnished hatred.

  Remember why I’m here.

  She narrowed her eyes, reliving those nightmarish memories.

  It was Ardair who stole the lands of her people. It was Ardair who destroyed and suppressed their culture. It was Ardair who slaughtered her family and turned her into an orphan.

  Once she was done, Karni's jaws were clenched. Her tiny hands balled into fists. A renewed hate seeped over her body.

  “Go.”

  She snapped her fingers. Mana beckoned at her fingertips, spreading like wisps and airy tendrils. The ethereal energy permeated with purpose until they were imperceivable. If one possessed an acute mana sensitivity, they might have noticed numerous faint vestiges tethered from her hands to the skull of a rodent. Mana shot down the length of the connection, conveying her will to her innumerable subjects.

  The rats scurried through the archives.

  She was here to retrieve dangerous documents. Information that would set her up to upend the status quo and burn down the foundations of this despicable, rotten kingdom.

  Within this vast archive, however, finding those documents was a herculean task. While she and Nagi had eliminated the guardians of the Consortium, the time they had was insufficient for her to find nails in a haystack.

  Luckily for her, the tedious work was already done. Thanks to Melody’s infiltration of the Academy over the past year, they knew exactly where to find what they needed.

  On the Militaristic Applications of Mana, Section A-3.

  List of the Inmates of Thanatos, latest addition, Section C-67.

  Blueprint of Thanatos, Section J-101.

  Novel Manufacturing Methods for Azurite, Section K-2451.

  Materials Engineering for Mana, Section P-493.

  Compilation of the Hidden Laboratories, Section O-99.

  Registry of Gifts, 50th Edition, Compartment V-2.

  Outcomes of the Bestowed Project, Compartment X-5.

  The list of materials flashed in her head as her rats soon returned with the desired items. Karni scanned each with diligence, making sure that they contained the information that Vigil needed to realize its ambitions. There won’t be another opportunity to raid the most prestigious archive in Ardair.

  That should be all. Now—

  Her mind suddenly trembled. An invisible pulse seemed to reverberate from the center of her skull. She winced at the stimuli, gritting her teeth to withstand the stabbing pain against her head.

  That stupid brute, I told him to inject a small amount of mana!

  Karni let out a deep breath and closed her eyes.

  “Resonate.”

  The chant instantly sent her mind into a tranquil state. Devoid of external stimuli, she focused on the massive web of mana tethered to her body. Each of them was linked to a rodent under her command. She followed the one connected at the top of her head and sent her consciousness down.

  A gnawing sensation scratched the back of her mind as her vision suddenly snapped into focus.

  She was staring at the front of the Consortium. A cadre of Academy staff and security personnel surrounded the premise in a wide net. Slowly, they approached, stifling the available space. A man’s head suddenly turned into view.

  “Karni, are you listening?” Nagi’s voice boomed in her mind. The volume was alarmingly loud, but the clarity of his words somehow sounded disembodied.

  She was residing in the consciousness of the rat she left with him. The rat was perched atop of his shoulder. Utilizing the creature’s body, she willed the little beast to give a small scratch against Nagi’s neck.

  “Looks like you are,” Nagi said, visibly distressed.

  Through the rat’s senses, Karni heard the faint clank of steel being drawn.

  “There are about twenty enemies around the premise. All of them Exalted. Are you finished? If not, please hurry up. If so, I humbly request some assistance.”

  She didn’t miss the faint quiver in his voice as he pleaded for help. While the original plan was for Nagi to buy her time in case enemies arrived, these numbers were too much for a single eastern swordsman to deal with. Even if he was also an Exalted himself.

  The ground beneath Nagi suddenly shook. Karni suddenly felt the rat airborne as her field of view abruptly changed. Nagi must have jumped. A blast of mana shot past them as Nagi ducked to the side. A field of shadowy tendrils emerged from the ground. More attacks rained down.

  “Karni! Please!”

  A flash of steel cut across the space before her—neutralizing the oncoming phenomenon. A trail of vivid pink energy accompanied Nagi’s slashes as he desperately swung at the projectiles flung his way.

  “Karni!”

  Oh, shut up, you stupid brute. I’m waiting for them to get immersed in the fight. Not like that inhuman body of yours can be taken down by a single attack anyways.

  Karni bided her time, ignoring Nagi’s frantic protests. Slowly, the reinforcements from the Academy inched closer towards the Consortium—seemingly emboldened by their numbers and the lack of retaliation.

  I suppose it’s about time.

  She shut off the rat’s senses and ascertained the locations of her other minions. The rats were spread across the premise of Consortium, hidden in the shadows, away from the destructive fight. A number of them were waiting behind the Academy reinforcements.

  Karni channeled mana.

  “Grow.”

  She returned to the rat’s conscious perched on Nagi’s shoulders. Sharing the rodent’s senses, the air was suddenly filled with the terrified screams of the Academy reinforcements.

  Giant rats, towering at six feet tall, stormed their flanks. Their large scarlet pupils pulsated with a starving lust for blood. Massive fangs protruded from their grotesque jaws, leaking spittle as they let out an ear-piercing cry. With claws as sharp as steel, they rushed at the unsuspecting Exalted.

  Karni smiled with delight.

  The screams of dying Ardairans was a melody to her ears.