A portal opened in the centre of the chamber, its edges rippling with spatial distortion.
Usagi stepped through.
She was still carrying the remnants of her fight against Nathaniel Alderman. There were several small tears in her clothing, superficial damage across her body, and a few lingering signs of the punishment she had endured. Above her forehead sat an implanted device, its four circular crystals glowing faintly within a carefully fitted frame.
She had been modified.
That much was obvious.
Her gaze moved across the throne room until it settled on her Master.
The man was seated upon his throne, an imposing figure even at rest. Standing, he measured seven feet and two inches, with a broad, well-built frame and dark skin. His long black hair flowed freely around his shoulders, complementing a full beard that framed his face.
But his eyes were what made him particularly unsettling.
They were mismatched, though one bore a resemblance to her own altered eye. Its sclera was encircled by black rings, while the iris glowed with a restrained power that seemed to sit just beneath the surface. Beneath his right eye were three diamond-shaped markings, connected by fine black lines that extended towards the eye itself.
At present, one of his large hands was wrapped around Ivo's throat.
"...You nearly got us dispatched by your chosen target," the man said.
Ivo struggled to maintain his composure, his feet barely touching the floor.
"Now, in my defence—"
The man's grip tightened.
"Do not."
Usagi remained quiet.
Ivo had commissioned Azimuth for her services, and while he had paid the agreed amount in full, the transaction had hardly gone as smoothly as expected. The man had also demanded additional compensation for the damage inflicted upon his prized Burrow.
She couldn't entirely blame him.
After all, she had been the one who had suffered the most during that encounter.
Eventually, the man released Ivo, allowing him to drop back onto his feet. Ivo coughed and adjusted his clothing, clearly deciding that further explanations would be unwise.
Usagi's attention drifted towards the weapon resting beside the throne.
The hammer.
And the forearm guard worn on her Master's left arm.
The latter was particularly important. Seven distinct slots had been built into its structure, each capable of housing one of his designated assets.
She occupied one of them.
Once, she had been the leader of an independent faction known as the Burrow Hold. Her title had been the White Lunar Rabbit, a name she had rather liked.
Her abilities had revolved around spatial manipulation. She could create what she called burrows: isolated spaces that served as shelters, barriers, and means of transportation. They could keep unwanted things out, conceal those within, and provide passage between locations.
They were also exceptionally useful for killing.
With sufficient precision, she could use the same spatial distortions to sever, crush, or rip apart whatever happened to be caught within them.
It had been a good ability. A good faction, too.
Then came a simple case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
She had been planning to seize a stretch of land south of Azeran, attracted by its unusually rich mineral deposits. It should have been a straightforward operation. Instead, she had encountered an angry man wielding a hammer.
She remembered the impact.
The sudden, overwhelming force.
Her body being torn apart by successive blows, her spatial defences failing to protect her quickly enough. She had sustained catastrophic injuries, and for a time, she hadn't been certain she would survive.
When she finally regained consciousness, she was no longer quite the same person.
Her silhouette had been preserved, but her body had undergone extensive reconstruction. Seamless cybernetic modifications had replaced or reinforced several internal and external structures. The implanted device above her forehead housed four circular crystals, and one of her eyes had been altered to accommodate its functions.
Even her Uratsu had changed.
What had once been a pale, almost luminous white was now a deep, unnatural shade of blue.
And then there was the designation.
Burrow.
Usagi's expression tightened slightly as she remembered being assigned the name.
She had once commanded her own faction. Now she occupied one of seven slots on another man's arm.
Her gaze returned to her Master.
He was still looking at Ivo.
And judging by the expression on his face, their discussion was far from over.
"Chill out, Azimuth," Ivo managed to say, his voice strained. "She's alive."
Azimuth's mismatched eyes shifted towards him.
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then the imposing man slowly released a breath and leaned back into his throne.
Ivo straightened his collar, though his hands were still trembling. He had no intention of provoking Azimuth any further. Attempting to fight the man would be suicide, and he knew it.
Azimuth commanded at least eight augments. That was the minimum number Ivo was aware of, and rumours suggested the actual count was considerably higher. There were stories of him facing six or seven separate powerhouses without even having to move from where he stood.
Ivo didn't particularly care to find out how much of that was true.
He had already encountered enough monsters to last several lifetimes.
There was Arc Kodonaki, for instance. The ethereal figure with those unmistakable red eyes, whose presence alone had been enough to make their previous encounter a nightmare.
And then there was Azimuth.
Ivo wasn't sure which of the two he would rather avoid encountering again.
Perhaps Azimuth was worse. At least Arc had been presumed dead.
The man sitting on the throne, however, was alive and angered.
Yet somehow, he was still alive.
And Ivo was beginning to suspect that his survival was the least extraordinary thing about him.
The exchange ended with Usagi opening a burrow beneath Ivo's feet.
He barely had time to react before the spatial aperture swallowed him, depositing him several metres away with an undignified crash. His neck was visibly abused, and he immediately brought a hand to it, wincing as he tried to straighten himself.
"Honestly, you're exhausting," Usagi muttered.
She brought a hand to her forehead, only for a sudden, searing pain to spread through her body.
Her expression tightened.
The sensation was familiar by now, though that did little to make it pleasant. It felt as though every nerve in her body had been briefly set alight. She instinctively braced herself, fingers pressing against the implanted device above her brow.
Beside the throne, Azimuth's hammer glowed.
Only for a moment.
A faint radiance travelled through its surface before fading completely. At the same instant, the damage across Usagi's body began to disappear. Torn fabric remained, but the injuries beneath it were gone. Bruising faded, damaged tissue restored itself, and the lingering traces of her previous encounter vanished.
A second later, her body was pristine.
Usagi slowly lowered her hand, flexing her fingers and checking her limbs.
"...You could at least warn me before doing that."
Azimuth gave her a brief glance.
"You're healed. Stop complaining."
She frowned, but decided against arguing.
Usagi knew better than to push her luck.
The man had a particular way of enforcing obedience, and she had no intention of experiencing it firsthand again. She had seen what happened to the previous occupant of her position. Whatever became of that individual, the memory was enough to keep her compliant.
Her treatment depended entirely on performance.
If she did her work well, she was maintained, her modifications serviced, and her living conditions kept reasonably comfortable. If she performed below expectations, however, the consequences were considerably less pleasant.
The implants inside her body made her his property in all but name. They were integrated too deeply to remove, woven through her biological systems and connected to mechanisms she barely understood. Azimuth could use them to inflict pain far beyond anything a conventional restraint could achieve.
He could quite literally tear her apart from within.
And then, once he was satisfied that she had suffered enough, he could restore the damaged tissue with artificial replacements so lifelike that they were almost indistinguishable from the original. In some respects, they functioned even better.
The hammer was central to it.
She didn't understand the precise mechanism, but she had witnessed enough to know that its influence extended well beyond simply repairing injuries. It could dismantle and reconstruct her body with a degree of control that made her own regenerative capabilities seem primitive.
Usagi glanced briefly at the weapon before looking away.
She had once been the White Lunar Rabbit, a faction leader with territory, followers, and ambitions of her own.
Now, she had seven possible ways to make her Master's displeasure everyone else's problem, but none of them offered a way out for herself.
For the time being, doing her job well was the only sensible option.
Nathaniel ,Ginah and Bryce landed at a landing pad with in the estate.
Nathaniel's eyes were wide looking at the land extensive forests and a good compound as well as a few farms.
The main house was a curious blend of modern architecture and aristocratic design. Its exterior was imposing without being excessively ornate, with broad windows, clean structural lines, and carefully incorporated traditional detailing. It looked less like a conventional residence and more like an estate that had been updated over generations without abandoning its original character.
Nathaniel stepped through the entrance.
And promptly stopped.
Mira was already there.
She stood in the foyer wearing a maid's uniform, complete with a fitted dress, apron, and neatly arranged accessories. She appeared perfectly comfortable in it, which somehow made the sight even more confusing.
Nathaniel stared.
Mira looked back at him.
"...Welcome home?"
He blinked.
Before he could formulate a response, movement caught his attention from the staircase. Valerie was coming down, wearing a remarkably similar outfit.
Nathaniel's eyes moved between the two women.
Then back to Mira.
He was beginning to suspect he had walked into something he hadn't been informed about.
"...What?"
Neither woman immediately offered an explanation.
His gaze drifted towards the upper floor, as though Ginah might conveniently appear and explain the situation.
Actually, no.
He was fairly certain he already knew who was responsible.
Ginah.
There was simply no other reasonable explanation.
He looked at Mira again, then at Valerie.
"...She put you two up to this, didn't she?"
"Sure," Mira replied with a small chuckle.
Valerie appeared behind him, reaching for the Coat of Distinction and carefully slipping it from his shoulders.
Nathaniel allowed her to take it, still trying to make sense of the reception.
The main hall was empty, immaculate, and remarkably well maintained. There was no clutter, no misplaced furniture, and no obvious sign that the estate had been left unattended. The Kodonaki Estate.
He had done some research during the journey, and Bryce's information had helped fill in a few gaps.
The name Kodonaki itself was rather rare, or perhaps more accurately, a name slowly disappearing from common use. Its historical prevalence was comparable to surnames like Smith or Johnson, once widespread enough to be almost unremarkable. There were still people bearing it, but the family's reputation had made the name increasingly difficult to separate from its history.
And a considerable portion of that history came down to one man.
Akhuta Arven Kodonaki. Knight Daedric.
His achievements were undeniable. His strength was extraordinary, and he had once been a recipient of the Empire's Coat of Distinction himself.
Unfortunately, so was his reputation.
Nathaniel had spent enough time reading about the man to arrive at a fairly simple conclusion.
Daedric had been an absolute, genuine asshole.
It was almost impressive how thoroughly someone could distinguish themselves through their accomplishments while simultaneously becoming so thoroughly disliked.
Nathaniel glanced around the immaculate hall again.
Whatever Daedric had been like, the people maintaining his estate had clearly done their jobs.
He looked back at Mira and Valerie.
"...So, where's the staff ?"
Mira chuckled, scratching the back of her head.
"Yeah, the estate staff was pulled. You're looking at your first two members of household staff, excluding Ginah, of course."
She gestured towards Valerie, who had just finished folding the Coat of Distinction over her arm.
"Well, three if you count the people handling the vehicles and transport operations. They're around the grounds, probably sorting out the arrivals and getting everything settled."
Nathaniel looked between them.
"So you two are part of the estate staff now?"
"That's right," Mira replied.
Valerie gave him a small, knowing smile. "We thought it would be better to welcome you properly rather than leave you to wander around an unfamiliar estate."
Nathaniel glanced at their uniforms again.
"...And the outfits?"
Mira's smile widened.
"That part wasn't our idea."
He closed his eyes briefly.
Ginah.
It was definitely Ginah.
Nathaniel snapped his fingers.
"Wait."
Mira glanced at him.
He had just remembered someone.
Theodore.
The man had been responsible for sending Magnum and Polaris after him, an arrangement that had nearly cost him his life. Their encounter had ended with Nathaniel quite literally on the verge of gutting him.
And yet, Theodore was still alive.
More importantly, he had connections, resources, and an organisation that Nathaniel suspected could be put to considerably better use.
Nathaniel's expression shifted into something almost thoughtful.
"Actually, I think I know where we're getting the rest of the staff."
Valerie raised an eyebrow.
"Someone you know?"
"Unfortunately."
Mira tilted her head. "Unfortunately?"
"His name is Theodore. We have some unfinished business."
There was a brief silence.
Nathaniel looked around the immaculate entrance hall once more, then nodded to himself.
"He's going to be very useful."