"My lady, how are you feeling?" Marianne was currently in Verena's room, helping her get ready for bed. It had been two days, now, since the assassination attempt, and tomorrow, Count Tavanor would have everything they needed to deal with Baron Morel, and solve their [Battle Maid] issue.
Marianne, for her part, had been fussing over her mistress quite a bit more, the last few days, than she used to, and Verena was starting to get tired of it. "Marianne, I'm fine! Just like I was fine the last eight times you've asked me, today."
Marianne blushed, glancing at Verena. "Have I really asked you that eight times, today?"
Verena shook her head. "No." Marianne relaxed for a moment, but she kept talking. "You've asked me that eight times since lunch."
Marianne's eyes widened, and she blushed even harder. "A-are you serious?"
The young vampire stepped up to her. "Yes, it's getting absurd." She looked into Marianne's eyes. "What's going on, Marianne? Why are you so concerned, all of a sudden?"
"I... I..." Marianne couldn't answer because, to be honest, she didn't know.
However, as she was stammering, Verena got an odd look in her eyes, and she started to smile, wickedly. "Marianne... Are you all confused about how you're feeling...?" Verena's voice had suddenly become heavy and sultry, and Marianne was wholly unprepared for this turn of events.
"M-my lady, what do you mean?" She took an instinctive step back, but Verena followed her.
"Don't think I haven't noticed the looks you've been giving me, when you think I'm not paying attention. Someone's been having naughty thoughts about her mistress." She got even closer, her hot breath brushing against Marianne's ear. "Maybe you want me to be a different kind of 'mistress' for you. Is that it?"
Marianne was frozen. She had no idea where this was coming from. What had happened to the Verena who had been mortified just by getting hard from Marianne's chest? Why was she suddenly being so forward? It's like some kind of switch has been flipped, and now that she's thought about it, she can't... control... herself...
Marianne's eyes went wide, and she took another step back. That must have been it. Verena had talked to her about her Will, and her theory about it being functionally zero. If she was right, it would explain what was happening, perfectly. If she had started to think of Marianne, in that way, then the desire would run wild. "M-my lady, please. You're not thinking. Your Will-"
Verena put a finger over Marianne's lips, silencing her. "You think this is only happening because I can't control myself, but you're wrong. It's ironic, really. Being around you is the only time I can control myself, but when it comes to you, I don't want to. I'm sick of it. I've been controlling myself for two... fucking... days..." She leaned in closer, her lips only inches away from Marianne's. "I tried to tell myself I was just seeing things. Confirmation bias. I tried to believe that I was just noticing what I wanted to.
"But no. That's not it, is it. Not with how you've been acting. The way you worry, the sneaked glances, the wandering eyes," By now, her mouth was right next to Marianne's ear. "the way you blush like a fucking school girl when you're helping me bathe. You want this just as much as I do."
Marianne was trembling. "Verena... P-please..."
Hearing the tone of her voice, Verena immediately tensed, pulling back. When she saw her maid on the brink of tears, she felt awful. "Oh, gods..." She put her hands on Marianne's cheeks, gently wiping away her tears. "Marianne, I'm sorry."
Marianne reached up, putting her hand on top of one of Verena's. "It's okay. The fact that you're worried tells me everything I need to know." She took a deep breath, looking into Verena's eyes, nearly getting lost in their deep purple. "Can I... can I just have some time to think?"
Verena smiled warmly, nodding. "Of course. Take all the time you need. I'll be right here, when you're ready to talk." She stepped back, relief flooding through her, now that she knew she hadn't accidentally hurt the wonderful woman in front of her.
"Thank you. I just... don't really understand it, myself, yet." Marianne relaxed, taking a look around the room. "Is there anything else you need, tonight, my lady?"
Verena smirked, her eyes full of mischief. "Just you..."
Marianne turned back, startled, but when she saw the look in Verena's eyes, she started giggling. It didn't take long for Verena to join her, and they both laughed for a good minute before calming down. "Thank you. I... I needed a good laugh." She turned towards the door. "Good night, my lady."
As she left, she heard a soft, caring voice from behind her. "Good night, Marianne."
*****
The next evening, Marianne was hidden in the shadows, watching a rat pretend to be a man. That's the only way she could describe the person in front of her. Baron Elias Morel was, truly, the scum of the earth. She had been waiting for this moment. He had entered his office, where his file safe was, and he had specifically told his staff not to disturb him for the rest of the night. Nobody would come in. Nobody would interrupt her, and everything she needed to do was in this one room.
Count Tavanor had set up everything that wasn't involved with the Baron's own files. A letter, dated to the day before the assassination attempt, had been sent to the capital in the Baron's name, informing his superior, Marquess Arnald, of Marianne's [Oathsworn Battle Maid] skill and its approval. All of the necessary documents had been prepared, and all they were missing was the Baron's seal. Marianne had all of them on her. All she had to do was kill the Baron, use his seal to 'verify' the papers, put one set in his safe, and bring the other set back to the Count.
However, when she went to do the deed, she hesitated. For a moment, she was confused. She didn't understand what was wrong. Then, she realized the difference.
With any of her other jobs, it was just that, a job. With this, it was personal. This person hadn't pissed off some random noble who was paying her to get rid of him. He had tried to hurt Verena. She hesitated because she didn't want this man to die a swift, painless death at the hands of [The Black Death]. She wanted it to hurt. She wanted him to die at the hands of Marianne Whispwind, and she wanted him to know why. So, she reached out, and she used a skill she hadn't used in over fifteen years.
[Aura of Silence](ActiveSkill, Spell): Blanket a region around you in a field of soundlessness. Any sound made within the range of the aura, for the duration of the skill, cannot be heard by anyone outside the aura. (Maximum Range, Duration, and Cooldown scales with Arcane stat.)
The skill Marianne had acquired at level five wasn't bad. It had just become redundant. Why would she need to suppress sound she didn't make? Her level of experience, combined with some of her passive skills, had just made it unneeded.
So, she hadn't used it since the first couple years of her career as an assassin. However, she was about to learn exactly why that had been a mistake.
Alert: Skill synergy detected. Skill [Aura of Silence] is compatible with Skill [Untraceable].
Applying Upgrade...
...
Upgrade Complete: [Aura of Silence] upgraded to [Undetectable Aura].
[Undetectable Aura](Active Skill, Spell): Blankets a region around you in a field of total isolation. No information, tangible or magical, can leave the range of the aura, unless you allow it. (Maximum Range, Duration, and Cooldown scales with Arcane stat.)
Marianne nearly had a heart attack. Skill synergy was supposed to be functionally impossible. Skills that were even capable of triggering a synergy were only found among skills in the level of rarity that system scholars had dubbed [Unique], skills that were, literally, one-of-a-kind. Even then, not all [Unique] skills could trigger a synergy. On top of that, you had to get lucky enough to happen upon another skill that was compatible with the [Unique] skill in question. There was no indication in the system of whether a skill was [Unique], and there was no indication of what skills could synergize with them.
For example, Marianne had been sitting on this synergy for over a decade, ever since she had gotten [Untraceable], and she'd never found it, until now. However, there was a second thing that made finding a skill synergy so powerful.
Prestige Title unlocked: You have successfully discovered a skill synergy, with no outside assistance. You have gained the [Synergist] title.
[Synergist](Prestige Title): You have become attuned with the nature of skill synergies. Whenever viewing the system, you will instinctively know if a skill is capable of synergy, and if a potential skill can synergize with a skill you already have.
Prestige titles were similar to passive skills. The only real difference was how they were acquired. A passive skill was purchased by using a skill point, while prestige titles were earned by accomplishing specific criteria. They were incredibly rare. Most titles, such as [Master Assassin], or [The Black Death] were just a label. They had no practical effect beyond being able to be shared with others to prove you were who, or what, you claimed. Of all her titles, now totaling thirty-six, Marianne had three prestige titles.
However, Marianne would deal with that later. For now, she had a giant rat to punish.
With [Undetectable Aura] in effect, Marianne emerged from the darkness. "I warned you, Baron. I told you it would only end poorly, for you."
Baron Morel spun around, a look of terror on his face when he realized [The Black Death] was in his office. "What are you doing here!? What do you want!?"
She just chuckled. Her newly upgraded skill didn't just block all information. It made her aware of anything that was trying to leave the aura, so she felt the Baron's magic signal, when it tried to alert his guards. "I'm an assassin, Elias." She said his name with pure disdain. "Why do you think I'm here?"
He shook his head, but he was hoping he could delay her long enough for his guards to arrive. "No! You said you don't mess with powerful houses!"
She threw her head back, laughing maniacally. "Hahahaha! What? You? A powerful house!? If you really believe that, you're even dumber than I thought. You're not even powerful enough to get your little signal past me to alert your guards." His face went pale, and she continued. "That's right, you pathetic little man. Nobody's coming. Nobody can hear you. Nobody can sense you. Nothing you do can escape my presence. You're going to die, and I'm going to make it hurt."
He trembled. "Why!?" Marianne leaned forward. Instead of speaking, she just willed her disguise away. With her mask gone, and the shadows that turned her hair from brown to black melting away, her identity became painfully clear to him. "No... That's not possible... You're a fake!" Marianne smiled. Then, she shared her title with him, showing him, beyond any possibility of denial, that she was [The Black Death]. He just whimpered. "I... I..."
"Yes. You tried to hire a noblewoman's own lady-in-waiting to assassinate her. You were doomed, from the start." A blade of pure darkness formed in her hand. "Now, let's begin."
*****
Roughly an hour later, Marianne stepped into Verena's room. She was smiling warmly, and Verena was waiting, restlessly, for her return. "Marianne! You're back! Why did it take so long!? I was worried about you." She ran over and buried her face in Marianne's shoulder.
Marianne gently patted her head, smiling. "Sorry, my lady. I had to make sure we sent a message."
Verena looked at her, oddly. "Well, I know that, but didn't we have the letter written, already."
Marianne chuckled darkly. "We did, but I thought of a better way to send it."
Hearing the tone of Marianne's voice, Verena was incredibly curious. "And how would that be?"
"I just rewrote the letter." Verena looked at her, waiting for her to continue, "On his back." Verena started to smile as she was pretty sure she knew what was coming next. "With my knife." The young vampire started laughing, but Marianne wasn't finished. "While he was still alive."
Verena immediately went silent, her eyes going wide. "Still alive?" Marianne nodded. "Why...? What about your skill?"
She shook her head. "One stat point was more than worth it to make the man who tried to kill you suffer."
Verena swallowed loudly. "You did it for me...?"
"Yes." Marianne's voice was soft, barely audible.
Verena stared up at her maid for a long moment, her face slowly turning red. Finally, she spoke, "Is it wrong that I find that unbelievably fucking hot?"
The words lit a fire in Marianne. She felt heat pool in her core, and her face began to heat up. "My lady..." Verena stepped closer, looking deep into Marianne's eyes. She put her arms around the maid's hips. "My lady, we really shouldn't be doing this..."
Verena spoke, her hot breath washing over Marianne's face, as their lips were barely an inch apart. "Do you want me to stop?"
Marianne whimpered. Then she took in a deep breath, Verena's scent permeating her mind. When she spoke, it was barely above a whisper. "No. Don't stop." So, Verena closed the last sliver of distance. Her lips met Marianne's, and it was everything either of them had ever dreamed of.
As the kiss deepened, one thing became abundantly clear. The night was far from over.