In Loki's Honor

Morning came, and Laila's father wasn't happy.

"You didn't clean the house, stupid fairy," he spat on me.

"I can't," I replied and wiped the phlegm out of me. I was still going on a hunger strike, feeding off of the collar. Hiding behind a wall, Laila listened.

"Why did I buy you then?" He shook the cage.

"Why would I know why you bought me? You wicked humans have your own wicked reasons to do so. I certainly didn't sell me to you or anyone else."

"Shut up, insect!" He barked the command word and I shrugged. "You either clean the house or I'll kill you!"

As if a level twenty-seven human craftsmen could kill me without a surprise attack.

"Daddy, no!" Laila ran and grabbed his leg. "Do not hurt twinkle!" Not a proper noun. No, sir.

"My name is Silverstreak, Laila. You will call me by my given name or we won't be friends," I told the girl.

The father glared at me. "I told you to shut up!" He repeated the command word again.

"It is not working. You should take me to see the mage that primed my collar. He might be able to fix it."

"That's what I'll do now!"

Sundamar told me there was only one written copy of the spell. It was in their grimoires and was probably stolen by the bandits. That's why that mage could use the spell. I doubted he had sent any copies out but I would find out. I had to kill him and destroy the spell. Only that way would fairy-kind be free from slavery.

The sakes were too high. If I failed in securing the spell, fairy slaves would be a thing for centuries to come. They even might become extinct.

And like a farm dog that tasted chicken, I might need to purge this country's nobility. Apricot's memories and feelings, not yet tempered by other lives, told me to murder every single one of them, but I resisted that urge. Mass murder was not my thing. Not for Silverstreak. Not after Nenandil's request.

I wasn't a highwayman, but I understood the feeling immortalized in the song.

I snapped out of my reverie. "Wait," I told Laila's father. "Laila, my dear, Silverstreak needs to talk to daddy. Could you please go outside to play for a while?"

"You got nothin' to talk to me, bug!" The man barked.

I leaned to touch the cage and whispered, "Unless you want Laila to know the truth about why is her mother missing, we do. And now that I got rid of this collar's power, you'll either listen or I promise you will hate what I'll do to you."

The milliner narrowed his eyes. I saw murder in them. I knew that feeling very well.

"Laila, go outside. You don't want to see what is going to happen."

"Daddy! Don't hurt Silverstreak! Silverstreak, please don't go away! I think your real name is a way better name than twinkle!"

"Go outside, Laila. We'll just talk," I softly told her with a big grin.

"Just go, daughter. This fairy cost me too much to just kill her."

She went away. I shifted to my hybrid form as she turned her back. To prove my point, I slashed one of the bars into pins with my claws. "Now, we talk. You'll help me and you'll live with your daughter. Otherwise, I'll give you to her."

I pointed at an empty spot next to the cage in his field of view. His eyes shifted. I materialized Mistress's ghost.

"You killed me!" She hissed.

"Now, now, Mistress. Don't go trying to get your vengeance now. Fade!" I ordered her. She bared her fingers and they extended into wicked claws. I cast {Soul Armor} on the milliner. "Don't make me banish you!"

The threat was enough. She faded.

The milliner was pale and sweating, "You... you're a necromancer?"

I laughed. "You won't see a fairy necromancer ever. I'm a spirit speaker. I didn't summon her, she's been haunting your house ever since you murdered her."

"What do you want?"

"Your cooperation. The freedom of my people. You've been scammed. Fairies are people, not insects. Tiny people, but people. I promise you one thing. Should you perish, Laila will be taken care of. Either way, she'll be safe, she'll receive education and get a good Class. At least a Rare one, I promise you."

He swallowed. The carrot I dangled was a gilded one, and he cared enough for the girl. "A Rare Class? You promise?"

"Fairies do not back off on their promises. If everything goes well, I'll be Laila's fairy godmother. That alone will make sure she'll get a strong Class."

He sucked in a deep breath. After exhaling what smelled like last week's dinner, he relented. "What do you need?"

Sitting in my cage and with a dozen mid-level ghosts behind me, we went to the fairy merchant. Not the temporary shop, that one was already dismantled. The one that sold fairies to the nobility.

The milliner agreed to help me with my plan. We were going to make a scene and he might get some heat his way, but he was willing to do that for Laila.

At the shop, the farrier started to argue with a clerk. The clerk was blocking his access to the manager. According to our script, he should throw in an act. We caught a lot of attention from the patrons and the guards were about to drag him out.

"I guess he doesn't know about the curse," The milliner said. "Well, that is a terrible bother. Everyone that bought the fairies will be struck with it, and I won't be held responsible. I am here to give a due warning."

A nobleman, maybe a baron or a knight, approached. "What curse, good man?"

"The fairies are protected by Yznera's grace. The ones that captured them in the woods are wicked men and incurred the Goddess's wrath. Yznera will curse those that hurt or keep the fairies captive with a haunting of ghosts. Should it not stop even then, death will soon follow. The only way to stop it is to release the fairies. I want the collar on mine removed."

And yes, that was all within my power. Yznera wouldn't mind me dropping her name like that.

"That's preposterous," The merchant showed up from behind a door. "I can assure my merchandise all come from reputed sources. These fairies are a certified product. I have all the papers.

I stood up. "LIAR!" I shouted. "Behold!"

Following my cue, the ghosts manifested. Most of them were up in the air moaning, beyond the reach of the mortals The only one next to the ground was Sundamar.

"I am magister Sundamar Quigeiros of the Zaemisan Imperial academy of magic. We committed a grievous sin and incurred the Goddes's wrath. We were murdered by these crooks. Now I am bound to help the fairies recover their freedom. HEED AND BEHOLD. The curse is real. The dead shall rise and avenge Nature. Release the fairies unharmed or face the consequences. Draw fae blood and there will be...

"DEATH!" Sundamar shouted alone.

The choir of ghosts up there stopped moaning, causing a sudden silence. "DEATH!" They shouted in unison and vanished.

The people inside the shop took that as their cue to get the fuck out of the shop. Including the guards. Several glass cases with jewelry crashed to the ground as people bumped into them.

"My shop!" The shopkeeper cried. "Balanor!" He stomped inside the restricted area.

"Hurry, follow him!" I told the farrier.

He ran after the shopkeeper and we heard a heated argument. Once we got there, I saw the merchant and the mage almost getting physical. Or metaphysical in the mage's case.

Well, I said I wouldn't commit mass murder but I didn't say I would get clean. I jumped out of the cage at my top speed, shifting into hybrid form, putting a contract on both and diving into the mage's neck. One bite, one critical, and the Guardian of Caerbannon claimed one more victim.

Assassination successful. Contract Fulfilled.

You killed level 37 Magician. You gained You gained 15,962,540 Exp (13,690 base x1166 modifiers [expand]).

Holy... What modifiers? I mentally willed the message to expand.

(10,000 perk x 0,0001 curse x 3.05 perk x 7,57 contract x x 5.05 favored enemy x10 size).

Level-up time. Eight at once. Play the FF fanfare.

You become a Fae Souweaver level 18.

You gained 4 Fae Souweaver perks.

You become a Brownie [Silkie] level 17.

You gained 4 Brownie [Silkie] perks.

You become a Chemist level 15.

You become a Surgeon level 15.

No time to browse the expanded message. I just dumped all my Attribute points into Soul and left the rest for later. But I got a shit-ton of Attributes and Skill points. I jumped on the merchant and brutally ravaged him.

Assassination FAILED. Contract Fulfilled.

You killed level 35 Merchant. You gained 715,400 Exp (12,250 base x584 modifiers [expand]).

There's another modification to the System. Now the [Assassin] takes a penalty of half the contract multiplier if the target wasn't properly assassinated. I needed six million to the next level. The easy ones were gone, as usual.

I materialized one ghost, an innocent castle servant that was killed to cover the palace chamberlain's indiscretions. I made a pact with him to kill the chamberlain in exchange for him taking the fall for the murders.

"Let's get out of here and get the book," I told the milliner. "Our job is done."

"Ye-yes. As you wish," He said.

While we walked through the building, I interrogated the mage's ghost. He had the only copy of the spell. I let Sundamar grate the newcomer and exact his vengeance. Turns out this guy was an apprentice to the mage that came to trade fairy dust and got too greedy for his own good.

"You remained?" I asked him after the deed was done.

I was afraid Sundamar would vanish after he avenged the trio of magisters' death but he remained even after the apprentice's soul was shredded to ribbons and vanished into nothing.

"My task is to see all the fairies in a safe place in the forests of my people. I will remain until then."

"Well, I won't mind your expertise, magister," I smiled.

We found the book where the ghost said it would be. After setting fire to everything and destroying the spell, we tried to make our escape through the back.

City guards were blocking the alley. The milliner froze.

"Fairy, take good care of my daughter. I'm going to join her mother in the mines."

I saw his face. It was the face of a person that recognized the wrong in his actions and wanted redemption. I think what I did in the shop struck something deep in his core. Maybe it was the promise of a good Class for his daughter. Maybe he really believed the curse story we created. Maybe was the sight of me murdering people so easily.

I never knew what motivated him to make that decision, but I respected it.

I jumped away and activated chameleon. While the collar was partially visible, it was just a bit bigger than a ring. I went away with the ghosts while the milliner surrendered to the guards and was promptly beaten up. They didn't stop. The threat of the curse would reach the Empress if it was true. I would make it so.

I was a block away when the milliner's ghost joined me. "I'll see my girl grow. I'll see you fulfill your vows, fairy," he told me. "Once she gets a Rare Class or better, I'll move on."

I found Laila in the milliner's house. Guided by her father's ghost, I collected his valuables and prepared a bag for the girl.

"Silverstreak, where's daddy?"

I looked up to where his ghost was. "Laila. Listen. The fairies were captured and enslaved. We are not insects or toys, we are people. I'm working to release all of them now. I talked to your father and he decided to help me. His wish is to see you grow. I can take you to people that will keep you safe."

She started to sob. "Is my daddy dead?"

"He helped me with something very dangerous, Laila. He knew the risks, and he worked hard to make it happen. I... do you know what a fairy godmother is, Laila?"

"A godmother that is also a fairy?" She asked, sniffling, and trying to be strong.

"More than that. A fairy godmother can grant you a special power if you believe it. Come with me, we need to get away from this place. I'll take you to some friends of mine. If you believe in me and accept me as your godmother, we will be family. I'll protect you."

"I want to see daddy!" She pouted and cried.

I looked up again. She followed my gaze. "Is daddy a ghost like that lady that walks here at night?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Did you see her?"

"Only once or twice. She's scary."

"Yes. I'll show you your father," I said and materialized the milliner's ghost.

"Laila. I'm sorry," The ghost wailed. Laila shirked away but steeled herself and stopped.

"Daddy," She ran and hugged the ghost.

"Go with Silverstreak. She'll protect you. I'll be with you even if you can't see me. Believe in her. I was a fool. I'm sorry, Laila."

"Yes, daddy. Will you be a bad scary ghost now?" She asked.

"No!" I replied right away. "Your daddy is a good ghost. A guardian spirit. An Ancestral protector. Come. I'll teach you how to see and talk to your father. Maybe he can stay and guide you."

She crouched and picked me up. "Yes. I'll believe it."

I took Laila to the were-kin hideout. I later learned that the milliner's house was raided and sacked by the Imperial guard.

But the dice were rolled. The city would either release the fairies or burn.