In Loki's Honor

"You failed," Master scolded me.

"I can't see why," I replied. "You said to me that I had to kill one of them, and I did. The fact that I used someone else's weapon should be a positive factor, not a reason for failing me. Back to the kings and assassins. What if the fourth assassin made the Queen kill the King? The problem with [Assassins] nowadays is that they take things too personally."

He stared at me. "Says the girl that killed with her own hands every single person that slighted her family."

"See? I have a long way to go. I should've made the tax collector murder the magistrate and then kill himself. The best assassination is one where you don't even dirty your hands. Or kill unrelated people."

The [Assassin] recruits were sitting on the gymnasium-dojo floor, panting and tending to their numerous nicks and bruises. I won our sparring match by getting in the middle of them and diverting all attacks to others. I didn't even get my new bronze daggers sullied.

I closed near Master and whispered, "Of course what you wanted was for one of them to get an Exp message from me and check my level. I wonder if it would work or not."

"I know how many people you killed. I can tell your level should be the early thirties," He said with dreadfully scary accuracy.

I winked, "Did you take into consideration that I might have perks that grant me more multipliers?"

"Damn you. You aren't a child, you're a demon," Master rebuked me.

"Your demon. Your Death Princess," I remarked. "Your minions leveled up. The System considered the fight a free-for-all. I won some Exp but the participation factor split it with everyone else. I think this exercise was a success as both training and an objective lesson. And the original proposition was fulfilled. I did kill one of them. Loudmouth."

"I might need to kill you before you are fully mature. I have no idea what you'll do a year from now."

I could tell he was speaking seriously.

"Short of sending me off to commit genocide to level up faster, not much more than what I can do now. I am no threat to you. So long you keep your side of our bargain."

"We shall see," He said with a long gaze. I couldn't have Master entertain second thoughts now. "We're done here for today. Let's head back."

Lord Ackerton AKA the Master AKA the Assassin's Guild guildmaster fulfilled his promise to my mother. He sent a lot of tutors to instruct Anjou and me. Olive joined for some of the lectures but of all my academic workload, I shared maybe forty percent with Anjou and less than thirty with Olive. Nevertheless, it was good for their growth. These lectures would become Skills once the System recognized them and lead to better Classes and Professions.

In that aspect the System was unfair. People with knowledge and means to give their children better education became stronger. My Rare Class gave me more than double the power of a Common one for the same amount of Exp. I wonder what other Classes did. I should've taken the [Calamity] Unique Class when I could.

The schedule was a tight one for Anjou. The girl complained of a lack of time to play. My workload, on the other hand, was murder. Not literally during winter as there weren't enough jobs and the organization needed to replenish their numbers and levels.

The months of winter fell into a routine. No longer under threat of starvation, our family was gaining those nice deposits of fat that gave women their particular charms. Cerise and mom, to my surprise, were getting very top-heavy as their chests filled. While Mirabelle's extra nutrition was going to the hips, to her dismay.

I gained a ton of Skills unrelated to my Class. But Skills were Skills and one day in some life I might find a use for them. Those were only at Beginner 1, the lowest possible.

You gained the Evaluate [Artwork] (rare) Skill. You can perceive the quality and relative worth of artwork. Increase evaluation accuracy and the chance of detecting falsifications.

You gained the Evaluate [Weapon] (rare) Skill. You can perceive the quality and relative worth of weapons. Increase evaluation accuracy and the chance of detecting flaws.

You gained the Evaluate [Armor] (rare) Skill. You can perceive the quality and relative worth of armor. Increase evaluation accuracy and the chance of detecting flaws.

You gained the Short sword (common) Skill. Increase damage and accuracy when wielding a short sword.

You gained the Mace (common) Skill. Increase damage and accuracy when wielding a mace.

You gained the Gladius (uncommon) Skill. Increase damage and accuracy when wielding a gladius.

You gained the Longspear (uncommon) Skill. Increase damage and accuracy when wielding a long spear.

You gained the Quarterstaff (uncommon) Skill. Increase damage and accuracy when wielding a quarterstaff.

You gained the Conversation (uncommon) Skill. People that debate with you are more entertained and the ideas you want to convey are easier to understand.

You gained the Etiquette (uncommon) Skill. You know how to act in a social setting and infer the proper behavior from subtle cues by watching others.

You gained the Oratory (uncommon) Skill. When explaining a point, the ideas you want to convey are easier to understand and listeners are more agreeable to them.

You gained the Composure (rare) Skill. Your control over your body language reduces wariness and aggressiveness on others.

You gained the Tea Pouring (rare) Skill. When brewing and pouring tea, your movements and the quality of the brew are Rank x Charisma x 0.5% more pleasant.

You gained the Musical Instrument [Lyre] (uncommon) Skill. You know how to play the Lyre. Increase the quality of music.

You gained the Musical Instrument [Harp] (uncommon) Skill. You know how to play the Harp. Increase the quality of music.

You gained the Musical Instrument [Aulos Flute] (uncommon) Skill. You know how to play the Aulos Flute. Increase the quality of music.

You gained the Singing (common) Skill. You can make music using only your voice.

You gained the Diction (rare) Skill. Your phonemes are mouthed with more precision.

You gained the Speed-Talking (rare) Skill. You can talk faster and still convey the desired information.

The last three were almost speech therapy. They helped make Apricot's speech more like those of a normal person but didn't eliminate the problem because of my Skill level limitation.

Master gave me a laboratory at the plantation once I told him one of my professions was [Apothecary]. It allowed me to play with some ingredients and reagents but I hit a limit. My Skill rank was too low and my mental Attributes were even worse. It seemed I would have to wait to practice that trade in another life. Apricot wasn't cut out for this. I did, however, unlock a Skill.

You have demonstrated a deep knowledge of Chemistry.

You gained the Pioneer Chemist (unique) perk. Chemical reactions you cause are 20% more likely to happen as intended. As a pioneer, you gain 1 extra Skill point for every Profession level in Chemist or its derived Professions.

You unlocked the Chemist (very rare) profession. Your trade goes well beyond just mixing random biological and mineral extracts. Chemists gain 4 Skill Points every level.

For creating a new profession, you gained an upgrade to your existing profession. You are now a Chemist. You gained 19 retroactive Skill Points.

You gained the Chemistry (ultra-rare) Skill. You can mix reagents to produce new substances. Increase the precision of measurements and reduce the chance of failure.

Your Chemistry (ultra-rare) Skill level is Journeyman 30.

Booya!

I had another job during winter. I became a coroner. Sometimes the Master wanted to know how a person died. When I told him I could figure it out, he set up another room for me at the plantation to perform autopsies.

You have demonstrated a deep knowledge of Anatomy.

You gained the Pioneer Surgeon (unique) perk. When performing surgery on a patient, reduce bleeding and damage caused by 20%. Increase recovery time by 20%. As a pioneer, you gain 1 extra Skill point for every Profession level in Surgeon or its derived Professions.

You unlocked the Surgeon (very rare) profession. You can repair damage to a person's body through surgery. Surgeons gain 4 Skill Points every level.

You gained the Anatomy (ultra-rare) Skill. Your attacks aimed at vital spots have an increased chance of a critical hit.

You gained the Surgery (ultra-rare) Skill. You can perform surgery on an unconscious person. Increase the chance of recovery and lessen the odds of permanent damage.

Your Anatomy (ultra-rare) Skill level is Journeyman 30.

Your Surgery (ultra-rare) Skill level is Apprentice 20.

I swapped Cartographer for Surgeon. I would need to build up the levels from zero but the trade of mapmaking didn't have anything to entice me to keep it. Dropping a profession caused you to lose the bonuses from the levels. An increased learning rate and a fraction of the level added to the rank of the Skill. I cared more for the Skill Points.

Winter went by and I didn't kill a single person, fancy that. My lecture schedule was gruesome but I plowed through, eager for those sweet levels. Except for my still missing brothers, my family slept on clean linens, ate warm food, wore comfortable clothes, and lived in a place that didn't smell of manure and similar products, like the rest of the city.

I, Apricot, became six years old. Olive was fourteen, Cerise, fifteen. Mirabelle was nineteen years old, and Timmy would be eight if he'd survived that winter. Almond if he was alive would be twenty years old and the twins, twelve. Anjou's birthday was in Summer so she was still four years old. But since the year was sixteen months long, you had to multiply our ages by four-thirds to find the equivalent Earth age. Like Lily when I died, I was eight Earth-years old.

I wished this life to continue like this, but Master had dire news. He found the person that bought the twins.

Dressed in my black, sleek, and not formal at all business suit, I got out of the carriage at the plantation. I could smell the tension, hear the anticipation, taste the bitter tang of the truth. Master found who bought the twins, but he didn't say anything about finding the twins.

I dreaded the worst. This would not be a rescue assignment, but a punitive one. Or even worse, the personage was too important to be assassinated. I doubted it.

The [Assassins] now respected me and I supplied the guild with poisons they could put on their weapons. I could hear them whisper 'Death Princess' behind my back. The secret that I had bonus perks leaked and that became the explanation on how I could be like I was at this tender age.

Nobody bothered me until I reached the Master's office. Gloria, the same female assassin that retrieved the treasure from the magistrate, was at the door.

"You'll wait here, 'milady'. Until the boss is ready to see you."

I nodded and took my place where she pointed. I spent three hours standing there, waiting with her. A knock on the door made her look inside and she told me, "Come".

I entered and saw a figure in a toga disappear past a side door. The Master was looking at me and raised an eyebrow as I examined the visitor. Level fifty-two...

"Sit down, Princess. I have news for you. The man that bought your siblings just left this room. No. You are not going after him or putting a contract on him," He said with a firm voice. I was about to jump and run after him to kill the guy. "You'll listen first."

After all these months, I could read him somehow. Master wasn't about to let me attack anyone and I knew that. I nodded. "Yes, Master. I'll wait for the full story," I said and bit my lip.

"It is true that he bought your siblings. But he didn't keep the children for too long. Two weeks later, he sold the twins to another person. It was at that person's hands that your siblings perished. However..." He trailed off on purpose.

I lowered my head and took a deep breath. Gloria was the second-highest Assassin in both level and skill. She had the same ability as Master to fake their Status. She was level fifty-seven instead of forty-two like I saw the other day.

"However, we can't act against neither of them," He continued. "The gentleman that just left this room said he's sorry but that's business. Your siblings were criminal slaves."

"Who? Who bought them that you think is untouchable by me?" I grumbled without raising my head.

"He's the general of this country. [WarMaster] Kerry Angorn. You'd have an easier time killing the King."

My blood boiled. I was thankful I kept my fingernails well-trimmed because if they weren't, I would have four stab marks in my palms. I slid off the chair and cried in pain. In the back of my mind, I was surprised at my reaction. Apricot could be emotionless whenever she wanted except when her trigger was involved. Her family. It ached really bad.

When I finally looked up, my face was a rictus of anger. "Is he too important? That's why you think I can't kill him?"

"He's level seventy-six and wields Holy magic," He said as if that would be enough to stop me.

"All men bleed. And if I go after him, nobody can help him. He'll die and all of his associates."

Gloria clicked her tongue. "He's the country's general and a [WarMaster]. He chews little girls like you for breakfast."

I had no idea if she was talking in a literal or figurative sense.

I pouted and slammed my foot on the ground several times, "Not even a god walking the land can save him from me. He's dead, dead, dead." And yes, curse again.

The Master said something I didn't notice and Gloria grabbed me, holding my jaw and lips shut.

"What are you doing? Is that some kind of sonic attack?" Master asked.

Maybe a side-effect of my curses. I might have a new weapon to aggravate people with.

"Did you take HP damage?" I mumbled past Gloria's hand. Damn, she was strong. She was right, that guy screwed up his build.

"No, but it is annoying as hell," She answered. "You have too much baggage for your age, girl," Gloria remarked.

"What was that noise just now?" Master pushed. He moved his hand to tell Gloria to put me down.

"Nothing I wanted to do," I said. I didn't want him to think I was a loose cannon. "I'm sorry. My family is important to me."

"And it should be," Master said with a smile. "Now, calm down. Gloria, let her go. The General is untouchable now. But there are those that can profit from his death. We need to maneuver ourselves to make the most profit from his death and to weaken his protections. And you, young lady, you need to grow up. Get an adult's body. Level up. Gain Skills and Perks. When you reach Gloria's level, you will have your vengeance.

"You have my word, I will grant your wishes, my Princess of Death. But I need to be able to trust you."

I knelt. I didn't want to, but there was too much at stake. I knew I couldn't make my move. Yet. "I understand, Master. I'll do as you say. I still want to hear news of Almond, my eldest brother."

"We are still waiting for word from some contacts. Your brother was sent to the coast. It is further away than the capital."

After that meeting, my training schedule changed. I had more time to stay with my family and "play lady" with Anjou. The girl was growing to be a very refined and real lady, if not for her commoner origins. Mom looked at us with a dreamy gaze. As if she projected her hopes of escaping poverty and misery on us.

Whenever I reached novice 9 on a Skill that wasn't vital to my life's goals, I would make the tutor change the subject or change tutors entirely. I learned to wield a plethora of weapons, each with its own Skill. Gloria had a try on tutoring me and she would put me in a house full of traps so I could reach a dummy and assassinate it. And that's all I killed. The Master thougth better to not let me go on real missions. Exp gains slowed to trickles. Small awards for learning a bit more of my Class' craft.

Months became years. Five of them.

I celebrated my eleventh birthday in another cold winter.

That's when my body started to change.