It was surreal. Verena was still trying to process everything that had happened. It had been a half-hour since the assassination attempt. Shortly after Marianne had arrived, the guards had burst in. The reason for the delayed response was simple. The assassin had killed the two guards stationed outside Verena's window, so they hadn't become aware of the threat until the fight began. Upon finding a dead assassin, and a mostly unharmed Verena, they were a bit baffled. None of them had any idea that the calm, mild-mannered maid who served as their charge's lady-in-waiting was such a terrifying, deadly threat. The guards had dressed the wound on Verena's hand and taken care of the body. Then, with nothing else to do, they went back to their posts.
With two fewer guards, and Verena's room being something of a mess, after the fight, the captain had advised Verena to stay in a different room for tonight, preferably one without an exterior window, so it could be guarded more easily. Conveniently, Marianne's room fit those criteria, and as a bonus, it was just across the hall and down a couple doors.
So Verena now found herself sitting in a chair in her new [Battle Maid]'s room, holding a cup of tea in her hand. Not wanting to think about the big questions, quite yet, she asked the first thing that came to mind. "Where did you even get bloodleaf, Marianne? I thought house Markov had the only remaining garden under lock-and-key." Bloodleaf, named as such for being the only known tea that vampires could drink, was incredibly rare. The vampires of house Markov had long since gathered up every one of the plants, known to the world, and taken control of them, charging the other vampire houses an exorbitant amount for even a single batch, so it was practically impossible to get.
Marianne giggled, amused by her lady's focus on such a random detail. "That's my little secret, my lady. I was saving it for a special occasion, and I'd certainly say this counts."
Verena snorted, shaking her head. "Oh, yeah? And what, exactly, makes this such a special occasion? You saving my life, you becoming my fucking [Battle Maid], or me finding out that you're apparently strong enough, already, to wipe out my entire guard detail without breaking a sweat?"
Marianne's face fell, and she wilted just a bit. "My lady... I..."
Verena held up a hand, cutting Marianne off. "No. It's fine. I'm not upset." She leaned back, taking a sip of the tea. "It's just... a lot. I don't even know where to begin. I mean... just... what?"
Marianne sighed, nodding softly. "Of course, my lady. Please, ask me anything at all. I swear I will answer you to the best of my ability."
Verena stayed silent for a little while, occasionally sipping her tea. Finally, she spoke up, "I guess... I want to know who you are."
Marianne smiled softly. "I am Marianne Whispwind. I am your servant and friend, and I am happy, like I've never been happy before, in my life." She smirked at Verena's annoyed look. "Although, I suspect what you really want to know about is who I was." Verena rolled her eyes, nodding.
So, Marianne told her. She told her everything. She spoke about the struggles of her childhood. She told her about turning eighteen and getting her class. (Although she certainly didn't miss the flash of envy in her mistress's eyes when she mentioned immediately unlocking her class.) She told Verena about her ten years as an assassin, evoking no small amount of shock from Verena when she learned that her calm, friendly lady-in-waiting was one of the most notorious assassins in the world. She spoke of meeting Verena's father, of his offer and her decision.
Then, she kept going. She told Verena about how it had felt to have a real home. She spoke about how she only really felt like herself when she was around Verena. (Another shock, since Verena felt almost exactly the same about Marianne.) She spoke about what had happened a week ago, and how she had felt. Then, she told Verena of what she had been doing during her absence, and the series of events that led to her return. Finally, she sat there, looking at her mistress with the slightest hint of worry. "And that's about it. That's who I was, why I'm here, and why I'm never leaving again."
Verena spent quite some time digesting this information. Eventually, she spoke up. "And you're telling me my father knows all this?"
Marianne hesitated, surprised that that was what Verena had chosen to focus on. "Not in so much detail, but yes, he knew who I used to be."
"And you're telling me that you are [The Black Death]? As in, the master assassin? I don't mean to be rude, but that's rather hard to believe."
Marianne smirked. "Well, my lady, if you want confirmation, you need only look at my stat screen."
Verena looked at her like she had grown a second head. "What? How the hell am I supposed to do that?"
"My lady, I have sworn myself to you, not just in the eyes of the law, but the eyes of the system. You have complete access to my system information."
At this, Verena opened her stat screen, and sure enough, there was a new field on her list.
Name: Verena Tavanor
Race: Vampire
Gender: Female(Hermaphrodite)
Age: 70
Titles: -
Companions: Marianne Whispwind([Battle Maid])
Class: ???
Level: 1
Strength: 10
Dexterity: 16
Agility: 12
Vitality: 28
Intelligence: 14
Will: $%*<
Charisma: 43
Arcane: 8
Passive Skills(0):
Active Skills(0):
Upon focusing on Marianne's name, in her system, she was met with another stat screen.
Name: Marianne Whispwind
Race: Human
Gender: Female
Age: 35
Titles(35): [Master Assassin], [Friend of the Darkness], [The Black Death], …
Companions: Verena Tavanor([Battle Maid Liege])
Class: Living Shadow
Level: 39
Strength: 19(11+8)
Dexterity: 100(51+49)
Agility: 76(32+44)
Vitality: 30(18+12)
Intelligence: 37(20+17)
Will: 43(19+24)
Charisma: 53(18+35)
Arcane: 40(8+32)
Passive Skills(14): [Umbral Heart], [Power in Death], [Masterful Stalker], …
Active Skills(7): [Shadow Walk], [Aura of Silence], [Phantom Strike], …
Verena read, and her eyes got wider and wider with every line. The title was, indeed, there. Marianne really was [The Black Death] Then she kept going, and eyes bulged. What are these stats!? One hundred Dexterity at level thirty-nine!? She thought it couldn't possibly get more absurd, but then she started reading her skills. [Power in Death] nearly gave her a heart attack, but when she reached [Untraceable], she couldn't take it anymore. She closed the page without finishing, and looked at Marianne in disbelief. "What... what the hell are you!?"
Marianne laughed, which worked quite well to shake Verena from her shock. "I told you already, my lady. I am your servant and friend. Nothing more, nothing less."
Verena wanted to argue. She wanted to tell Marianne that she absolutely was more than that, but it was at that moment that something else dawned on her. "Marianne..." Her voice was suddenly very quiet, and clearly afraid, which silenced Marianne, immediately. "Can... can you seen my system page, like I can see yours?"
Marianne didn't understand what had her lady so worried, but she answered honestly. "I can. Yes. I haven't looked, though. Why? Is there somethi-"
Verena cut her off, her voice full of panic, "Don't! Don't look! Please! I don't... you can't... I..." Before she could find the words, it hit her. Her mouth went dry, her blood went cold, and her heart dropped as she realized it. Marianne had bound herself to her. She had connected herself to Verena's status page. Her broken status page. What would that do to her beloved maid?
Verena's face somehow got even paler than it's natural color. Her expression twisted to one of pure terror as she pulled her legs up and wrapped her arms around them, burying her face in her knees. "No... no... no... Please, not that. Anything but that."
Marianne jumped to her feet, immediately coming to Verena's side. "My lady!? What is it!? What's wrong!?" Marianne tried to reach her mistress, but Verena wasn't responding. She was closing herself off and shutting down.
So Marianne did the only thing she could. This reaction had come when Verena started talking about her status page, so it was likely that there was something on it that she was afraid for others to see. Marianne wanted to check what it was, so she could assure her mistress that she didn't care about whatever it was that she seemed so devastated by. However, when she opened Verena's stat screen, what she found was unlike anything she could have ever predicted.
"My lady..." Hearing the tone in Marianne's voice, the panicking woman looked up. The expression on her maid's face told her everything she needed to know. She had seen it, and her next words just confirmed her fears. "What is wrong with your Will?"