The golden lining on the black Acernite armour glimmered as they emerged into the mine shaft lit with light crystals.
The royal inspector in his almond robes laced with gold, flanked by the most feared warriors in Herdial.
The royal guards entered the mine shaft. They took their positions around the circular platform in the mine shaft.
The soldiers froze in fear as the towering warriors strides past.
"Greeting inspector. We were not expecting your presence so soon."
Rey spoke through his megaphone. He shut himself tight in his armoured suit.
"Greeting to you too, general. Oh? Might I get an explanation for this display?"
The mine shaft was heavily fortified. Spiked barricades all round. Soldiers armed to the teeth with muskets behind them.
On the second and third levels mounted several crossbows and manned firing positions all aiming down into the center.
The meshes of steel wire glittering in the crystal light.
"It's not a 'display' inspector. As you can see, the raid is still ongoing. Please do return to the train depot where it's safe, for I cannot guarantee your safety out here."
The inspector silently looked around the dimly lit shaft.
"Search the place!"
The column of assistant inspectors behind him fan out, combing the mine shaft, flipping open crafts and tearing open pouches.
They turned around and made some hand signals to the royal inspector.
"General. Where is the RazenHeir knight?"
"I do not know inspector. She has already fulfilled the main operational requirements of her contract. It's not up to me what she does with her time now."
The inspector glared at Rey's armoured suit.
With a click of his thumb, one of his assistants hurriedly pushed a chair behind him. The royal inspector sat down.
"I'll wait here then. I have a feeling the RazenHeir knight will show up here."
"Suit yourself inspector. You have a peculiar taste for choices of picnic spots. Please do remember to treat a foreign house with due respect. "
"Don't lecture me, general. Depending on her, you may soon find yourself swimming in Herda's lake feeding her crocodiles."
– Hikari –
Physique : 787 -> 812
Mana : 807 -> 847
Defense : 762 -> 783
Mind :765 -> 785
Height : 4.8 metres -> 5.0 metres
Weight : 2600 kg -> 2900 kg
Martial proficiency : 273 -> 293
Dark flames of the RazenHeir house potency : 164 -> 170
Hearthstone potency : 66 -> 68
Back in the mana vein, Hikari opened her eyes.
How long did she spend down here?
She had finished all her rations, carved the meat from the wyvern bodies and plucked the fruit she could find.
The dark crystal. Did she absorb it? She could no longer feel its presence.
Her armour is ripped. The pieces of wyvern skin jagged all, leaving many patches uncovered. Her socks were torn inside her boots.
Her king salamander armour thinned out to adapt to her new body shape.
She stood up. An incredible amount of mana coursed through her body.
Her toes brushed against the snow. Her boots had become too small for her.
She disassembled her boot, packed up the boot soles, pieces of sock and wyvern skin into her backpack.
She stood barefoot in the snow but it did not feel cold at all. She disassembled the parts of her armour that had become dislocated.
The howling vortex brushing against her bare skin.
It's not cold. Absorbing the vein's mana seemed to have offered her resistance to its effects.
She brushed off some snow with her barefoot, uncovering her weapons cache.
The creature's massive claymore. She had incinerated the slimy layer of the creature's flesh, revealing a layer of intricate runes below which she can't understand nor use.
Odd, it seemed smaller and lighter from when she fought against it.
She lifted it in one hand and swung it about. Decent balance. It seemed as though it was made for a giant.
"Time to get back to Rey"
She reassembled her wyvern skin as best as she could. Slotted in her throwing daggers and steel balls which she had not used.
Then, she stashed the broken pieces of her old swords in her backpack.
There remained the crystal shards. Hikari covered them with a thick layer of stone and snow.
"Rey said I might get into trouble if I bring anything back. They look really valuable though. I'll just bury them here and hope I'll get to come back for them later."
She grabbed some wyvern dung and mired it over the runes on the claymore.
"I really want this sword though. Heck, I'm just gonna pretend it's mine. Hope this is enough to fool the inspection."
She started making her way up.
Once again, She appeared over the wyvern peaks.
Her silver hair glittering in the sunlight.
She glided above the foggy mountain back to the mine shaft entrance.
Straight down the mine shaft she went, not even landing at the top.
As she lands, a ring of Royal guards sounds her.
Their mana cores flared up in response to hers.
A tense pause. The mana in the air crackled as their auras clashed.
In an instant, Hikari drew her sword. Four of the royal guards in a staggered formation lunged at her. A wide area swing parries the blow from all four of them.
As the first echelon retreats, the second lunges, Hikari unleashes her throwing daggers in a spiral. The royal guards parried the dagger but it broke the momentum of their attack.
Another sweep forces three of them to guard. Hikari's fist barreled towards the last one. As her fist neared him, he counter-attacked, the force of his mana ripping through Hikari's armour. But it did not stop the momentum of Hikari's fist, slamming him into the ground.
"Hikari of RazenHeir I presume". The coarse voice of an old man ringed in her head.
Hikari snapped out of it. She had blanked out for a moment.
The royal guards standing still intact amongst the common soldiers behind their barricades. Her sword and throwing daggers were still strapped to her.
"Who are you?"
Hikari stared blankly at the man in fine robes. He was loaded with defensive enchantments and barriers.
She glanced at the royal guards in full armour standing around the hall.
"I do not wish to engage in pleasantries with you. Now, I wish to inform you that Herdial has sovereign claims over the mana veins. From what I gather, the RazenHeir house has not initiated the proper procedures to legally access them. With that in mind, we will now begin the inspection."
The inspectors gathered around Hikari in a circle.
"Oh, and don't think that charm of yours will get you out of this one. The inspectors have all taken their dose of Hortifern potion."
Hikari stood still.
"Now, by order of the royal court, you are to strip bare and stand ready for inspection. Failure to comply would mean forfeiture of any spoils from the raid."
Hikari shrugged. She put down her sword and laid out the contents of the backpack. Then she disassembled the wyvern skin, leaving only her king salamander armour.
"Strip that layer as well" the inspector bellowed.
"Ahh…. This is most intriguing ." The inspector turned his head to see a man in a straw hat standing by the rim of the mine shaft.
"Slayer master, do you mind? We are conducting an inspection here."
"And we're still in the middle of a raid here, and your museum pieces are blocking the tunnel." The slayer master goaded him.
The inspector gave him an annoyed glare.
"What do you want?"
The slayer master held up his quill, aligning with Hikari. He closed one eye seemingly attempting to take some measurements.
"I just want to observe the finest specimen on the entire continent. Your urine urn carriers are blocking my view."
"Do you mind? I have a good mind to bring this up at court."
"As a matter of fact, I do. Oh and by the way, before you ask the RazenHeir knight to strip bare, I would recommend a much stronger potion than Hortifern."
"What?" The inspector gave him a confused look.
Ahhh! The inspectors fell on the ground, stroking their things uncontrollably. The soldiers followed suit.
"What is this disgrace-"
The Royal inspector paused as he realized his own pants bulging.
"What did I tell you? You thought your impotence would protect you from her. Now that's a tale the palace maids and the paparazzi would echo through the ages."
The royal inspector took out a vial and downed its contents. He stood up, bashing his pants with his fist.
"Arrest the knight on grounds of resisting inspection!"