[Sara POV] Year 5, Day 206 (Late evening, continued)
While Sara had happy thoughts about cookies of belonging, Sara didn’t want to look rude—there was grief all around.
Sara understood grief now, more than ever. Sara would be very sad if something happened to Dominos, dress, or snakes. So Sara understood their pain.
Sara stood back, giving space. Everyone needed time to grieve, to process, and to understand loss.
[Five dead. Upsilon gone. Lina died a hero. Others Sara didn’t know names of. All gone because Sara was slow and failed to arrive faster.]
The compound was quiet except for crying—soft and painful sounds with grief spreading like poison through the air.
Then movement as someone approached.
Pebble, the massive bear beastkin built like a mountain, moved carefully and respectfully, making a deep bow toward Sara.
“Thank you, cookie fairy. You saved many lives today.”
Sara bowed back awkwardly and uncertainly, still hesitant to talk much. [Should Sara talk or stay quiet? Not sure what’s proper here. Social situations are hard.]
Pebble straightened and looked at Sara directly with a question forming. “Is your name Sara? Or how should we call you?”
Sara felt confused initially. [How do they know name? Sara didn’t introduce self. When did—]
Then memory clicked—earlier with the dwarf, apologizing about wrecked floors. Sara had used her name then and given an excuse. They’d heard.
[Oh, that’s how. Sara said it herself. Not a mystery, just Sara forgetting again.]
“Yes. Sara is Sara’s name.”
Pebble’s expression showed she wanted to ask more, her mouth opening with a question starting to form.
Then—noise: marching, running, many people in organized movement.
Both turned and watched.
A large group was arriving through the main gate in uniforms—official ones, different from city watch green bands. These were proper military formation, professional, disciplined, and dangerous.
Republic City Guard. Real ones. Not volunteer militia. Actual law enforcement—or well, they wanted to be it in Borderwatch.
[Oh no. This is bad. This is very bad. This is massive trouble.]
They surrounded the area where prisoners were bound. Where Sara had placed mind-controlled attackers after capturing. Efficient positioning. Professional deployment. Clear intent.
Their leader—officer with rank insignia—approached. Walking toward Pebble and Sara. Confident. Assured. Expecting compliance.
Sara’s head hurt. Real pain. Understanding implications. Seeing problems multiply.
[This is complicated. Very complicated. But Sara knows why this is a disaster. Sara learned Republic laws and ways from all those legal books.]
The situation was clear to Sara.
[Republic is complicated. Many smaller states. Some large. Some single city. Borderwatch currently under Adventure Guild control. But temporary. Always temporary.]
Adventure Guild created new cities using massive wealth. Monster material monopoly generated ridiculous profits. Used profits to build infrastructure. Establish settlements. Then handed management over once stable. So guild could focus on main business—monsters and dungeons.
[Hub city contest was supposed to start handover process. But stampede canceled everything. Created chaos. Created opportunity.]
Borderwatch wasn’t interesting before—remote, small, and unimportant. Now? It was the unofficial center of the entire region. Nearly every other city of importance was destroyed or heavily damaged during the stampede, and Borderwatch was more or less the only city left standing. Others had rebuilt since then, but Borderwatch led by a large margin. Whoever controlled Borderwatch had a high chance of getting the entire territory later.
[So nearby state sent troops. Called them Republic City Guard. Claimed they were helping maintain order. Really? Power grab. Territory claim. Future investment.]
But locals had different plans. Establishment. Merchant Council. Union. All coordinated by people like Bunny, Nora, Void. Professional resistance.
[They throw every obstacle possible. Make City Guard job impossible. Make them fail publicly. Make them leave. Standard power struggle.]
Examples Sara knew: Merchant Council made rule that businesses couldn’t report issues to Republic City Guard. “Too minor for their important duties.” Should contact city watch instead. Green band adventurers.
Result? Locals avoided Republic City Guard like plague. Isolated them. Made them irrelevant. Professional political warfare.
[And now they see opportunity. Big opportunity. If they take prisoners now—legally hard to get back. Can run investigation. Can target establishment. Can insert themselves into local power structure. Can claim relevance.]
Sara understood immediately. [Everyone important is gone. Void traveling. Kira traveling. Bunny at Greyhold merchant meeting. Nora also there. Due back tonight but not here now. Perfect timing for City Guard move. Nobody present with authority.]
The officer reached them with a professional face, proper voice, and official tone.
“Our condolences for your losses. We came as fast as we were able.” He paused, letting weight build. “We’ll take the prisoners now and let you mourn in peace. We understand you’re short-handed at the moment.”
The hint was clear and obvious. [He knows exactly who’s gone—Void off, Kira off, Bunny and Nora at Greyhold. Researched well and timed approach perfectly. Professional preparation.]
Pebble’s eyes tracked everyone moving—all the City Guard troops, their positioning, weapons, and readiness.
The maids were moving too, positioning themselves and ready for orders with tension rising.
Some dwarves nearby gripped their weapons harder as combat readiness spread.
Then—sonic boom. Catkin-33 arriving. Fast. Very fast. Holding massive two-meter sword. Legendary item. Energy radiating from blade made Sara’s senses scream warnings.
[That weapon is no joke. Even by Sara’s standards. That’s apex predator equipment. That’s S-rank killer weapon. That’s serious threat. Probably stronger force here by large margin if monsters away. Strongest fighter present.]
Sara understood the situation perfectly. [This is one wrong move from a bloodbath.]
[Pebble is muscle-headed—not stupid but not subtle either. Can’t let the prisoners be taken. It’s a no-win situation.]
[If City Guard takes prisoners: massive problems, lost control and authority, everything lost. If Pebble attacks: everyone attacks. City Guard has numbers, locals have power, both sides take casualties. A massive legal and political catastrophe either way.]
[Pebble is trapped between two horrible options.]
Sara had studied law hard after Guild Master Torvan’s masterful legal escape—had books, knowledge, and understanding.
[Killing City Guard here would be a massive problem. Official Republic troops means investigations, hearings, and bureaucratic nightmare. Even if Sara wins the fight, the legal mess after would be horrible. Sara wants to avoid that.]
Officer watched tension building. Saw weapons ready. Saw combat preparation. Spoke calmly. Professionally. “Miss Pebble, think carefully about what you’re considering. We have legal right here under Republic law.”
Sara knew he was right. [City Guard is official law enforcement by Republic law. City watch is volunteer militia by legal definition. In direct conflict? City Guard has authority. Law says so. Clear. Simple. Undeniable.]
Then Sara almost wanted to laugh. [But law has loopholes. Sara learned loopholes. Sara can win this battle. Not with force. With words. With legal knowledge. With rules. Can show everyone Sara is more than big brute. Sara studied. Sara prepared. Sara can fight with brain instead of claws.]
Time to show what Sara learned.
Sara stepped forward, trying to be official, professional, and proper.
“Mr. Officer, this establishment runs mainly under the Merchant Guild banner while also hosting production under the Union. We’re categorized as major, so we’re allowed to run our own justice.”
Sara thought it was funny. Republic had no nobles. But had law named like nobles existed. “Noble Law.” Created by guilds. Gave all kinds of privileges. Like private dungeons. Private justice systems. Private prisoner holding.
[This place has dungeon. Down below. Just in case needed. Sara saw them build it. Watched construction from distance. Stalking and observing. Learning layout. Proper prison. Legal facilities. Everything required.]
“We’ll keep prisoners. We have facilities to hold them as per Noble Law. Of course we’ll cooperate with any Republic investigations, but everything passes through Adventure Guild—official guild head in city. All proper channels. All official procedures.”
Sara knew City Guard would never get anything through that route. [Adventure Guild will swamp them with bureaucracy. Endless paperwork. Constant delays. Months of waiting. Years maybe. Plus can always say prisoners died from blood loss before processing completed. Unfortunate. Tragic. Legal.]
Officer was thinking. Face showing calculation. Internal cursing probably. Sara’s logic was rock solid. No obvious counter. No easy override.
Finally: “And you are?”
Sara introduced herself, trying to sound official.
“Sara, the cookie fairy.”
Officer’s face transformed with shock, recognition, and horror mixing with disbelief.
“So you are this psychopath who’s been dispensing her own vigilante justice for years, killing hundreds.”
Sara wasn’t sure she liked being called a psychopath, but decided to stay nice and polite.
“Yes, I’m honored you know who I am.”
Officer collected himself. Professional discipline reasserting. Then tried different angle. Legal challenge. Probing for weakness.
“However, given your role, you have no right to call major status. Only Master Void and his proxy Lady Kira Razorclaw have that authority. By our information, they’re both out of city currently. So we suggest taking prisoners for safekeeping until this issue is properly sorted.”
Sara felt confused. [Wait. Sara is quite sure major doesn’t need to be called again? Already established? Maybe 99% sure. Could check books in Item Box. Would take maybe minute to find correct reference. Confirm answer definitively.]
But then a better idea formed. [Pebble is next to Sara. Master Void trusts people with cookies of belonging. Sara is quite sure it has some effects like a soul oath that makes betrayal probably impossible. Perhaps Pebble has a proxy document? Something official? Worth asking.]
Sara tried to stay formal. Professional. “Miss Pebble, do you by any chance have proxy papers? Something official? Document showing authority?”
Pebble smiled. Actually smiled. Genuine. Pulled something from spatial storage. Nice official-looking document. Showed it to officer.
Officer cursed. Actual cursing. Loud. Clear. Frustrated.
[Victory. First victory. Proxy confirmed. Major status maintained. Prisoners stay. Good work Pebble. Good preparation by Void. Professional contingency planning.]
Few minutes of silence. Processing. Accepting defeat. Calculating next move.
Until Pebble spoke. Polite but firm. “Officer, please leave. You clearly have no business here.”
But officer instantly countered. New angle. Different approach. “How many prisoners we have here?”
One of his men answered immediately. “Eighty-seven, sir.”
“And how many victims?” Watched Pebble’s direction. Expectant. Demanding answer.
No response. Silence. Nobody volunteering information.
Then same man answered again. Professional observation. “We saw fourteen dead, sir. Five maids, seven adventurer greenbands, two dwarves.”
Officer calculated. Fast. Precise. “Your major covers maids and criminal adventurer greenbands. But does not cover Union members. You’re not part of Union. As per law, we take Union’s share of prisoners. So…” Brief pause. Mental math. “Twelve. Rounded down so there can be no complaints.”
Sara calculated in her head also. [Two dwarves out of fourteen victims. 2/14 equals roughly 14%. 0.14 times 87 prisoners equals 12.18. Officer rounded down to 12. Math is correct. Damn. Sara is quite proud of Sara’s math skills. Can calculate percentages in head. Very useful ability. Sara would like to show off and correct Mr. Officer’s math, but sadly not possible when he’s right.]
Pebble looked confused. Completely lost. Watching back and forth during legal arguments. Understanding nothing. Now watching Sara’s direction. Begging eyes. Desperate expression.
Sara thought hard. [How to counter? This percentage law seems strange. But Republic has many strange regulations. Better verify before arguing. Need to be certain.]
Pulled book from Item Box. Legal reference. Wrong one. Cursed. Grabbed another. Found correct section. Read quickly.
[Damn. Actually a real regulation—Shared Custody Regulation. Stupid rule but legitimate. Has provision that says use percentage split when multiple jurisdictions involved.]
Officer’s face showed surprise. Massive surprise. Uncomfortable shifting. Staring at Sara like seeing something impossible.
Sara almost wanted to laugh. [Haha. Mr. Officer did not expect this. Nobody expects monster with legal education. Harpy with law books in Item Box. Sara is special. Sara studied hard. Sara prepared well.]
But this didn’t actually help Sara here. [Law is real. Percentage is correct. Need different angle. Different argument. Different approach.]
Then idea formed. [Challenge the underlying assumption. Who worked under whom? Establish command structure. Change percentage calculation.]
“Then we need to establish under whom those two victims worked. In here we have builder team under Tornin and factory also crewed by dwarves—they work under LOVER. LOVER reports directly here, so Pebble has right to call it for him.”
Pebble watched around. Lost. Confused. Mouth opening and closing. Uncertain.
Soon dwarves called out. Voices from crowd. “Jardon worked in factory as pressure cooker operator!”
Another voice: “Daremmanli was carpenter!”
Officer recalculated. Fast. Efficient. “Okay. We take six then.” Gestured to his men. “Grab six prisoners. Let’s move out.”
But Sara spoke quickly. Sharp. Clear. “STOP.”
Everyone froze. Watched.
“Under Republic law, we have reasonable time to summon responsible person.” Pulled next book from Item Box. This time Sara knew exactly what was needed. Opened to correct section. Showed officer. “Right here. Reasonable time provision. Standard legal protection.”
Officer’s face showed total surprise. Shock. Disbelief. Mouth opening slightly. Staring at book. At Sara. Back at book. Completely thrown off balance.
Sara spoke to Pebble. Clear instruction. “Get Tornin. Fast.”
Pebble nodded. But did nothing more. Just stood there. Sara felt bit confused. [Some telepathy? How did Pebble communicate? Sara doesn’t understand.]
Then Catkin-33 ran off. Sonic boom. Disappeared.
Arrived maybe minute later. New boom. Tornin in princess carry. Catkin holding him carefully despite the speed. Funny look though. Catkin-33 quite small. Dwarf she carries is WAY LARGER than her. Size mismatch makes it almost comical.
[Her adventure nickname “Brainless Speedy” actually seems correct. Over years stalking, Sara seen this one barely talk. Like she’s afraid to say something stupid. Something wrong. Sara understands that. And this speed? Impressive. Very impressive.]
Tornin’s face showed he really didn’t like fast running. Or being carried. Or sudden recruitment into legal battle. But collected himself. Took few moments. Got air back into lungs.
Then spoke immediately. Voice firm. Clear. Final. “We take care of our own. Your help is not needed.”
Sara felt victory. Complete victory. [Everyone looking at Sara like proper hero now. Sara just totally owned this smart-looking officer in legal word fight. Sara is also super proud of Sara. Legal education was worth it. All that study paid off. All those boring books were useful. Sara won with brain instead of claws. Perfect victory.]
The officer turned and walked a few steps, leaving, defeated.
Then he stopped.
He turned around and watched Sara very closely with his expression changing to something calculating and cruel.
“Oh, I was thinking there’s something strange about you. You’re total failure, aren’t you?”
Sara felt confused. [What? What is officer talking about? Sara just won legal battle. How is Sara failure?]
“Walking around with waste management enchantments. No proper servant ever does that. And this household should only have highest quality Ealdred-trained staff.”
Sara felt more confused. [Never heard anything bad about this enchantment before. This is literally a lifesaver, not some simple diapers. Sara hasn’t even thought about when Sara needs to pee or poop for years since getting this dress from the seamstress. Best enchantment ever and makes life so much easier.]
But officer was watching Sara very closely now. Studying. Examining. Reading something.
“And you actually activated it lately. It’s not just safety measure sitting dormant. You actually pissed yourself in public? Hahahaha!” Evil laugh. Cruel laugh. Public humiliation laugh.
Sara didn’t really know what to make of this. Plus how do you protect against something Sara doesn’t even feel anymore?
[Sara has no idea when she last used it. Hasn’t had the feeling of needing to pee or poop for years since putting this dress on. The enchantment works so perfectly Sara never notices. How do you defend against accusation about something you can’t sense?]
But Sara saw lots of people watching now with perhaps slightly different expressions. [Maybe not evil, but being accused of that in public would make anyone stare. Shameful topic draws attention.]
Sara decided to ask Pebble. Need to know truth. Need to understand. “Is this true? What did Master Ealdred say about it?”
Pebble’s mouth opened. Closed. Sara understood. [Pebble doesn’t want to answer. Like evil officer was right. Like this is real problem. Like Sara has been walking around wearing wrong thing. Wrong enchantment. Wrong equipment. Failure equipment.]
So Sara just asked directly. Need to know. “Please say. Sara needs to know.”
Pebble answered very quietly. Barely audible. Only Sara and officer who came close could hear for sure. “Mr. Ealdred said we should not use them. Said it’s not proper.”
Sara understood. [It’s even worse. Pebble probably doesn’t want to say too directly. Evil officer is right. Sara has been wearing failure enchantment. Walking around marked as improper servant. As fake servant. As monster pretending to be servant but getting everything wrong. Everyone who knows sees it. Everyone who understands recognizes failure. Sara is walking advertisement of not belonging. Of being wrong. Of being monster playing dress-up.]
And Sara has this thing on forever. Permanent. Cursed equipment. Can never remove. Can never change. Can never fix. Permanent failure. Permanent marking. Permanent proof Sara doesn’t belong. Will never belong. Can never belong.
Sara started crying. Hard. Real crying. Everything crashing down at once.
Made one strong push with wings. Massive force. Cracking stone. Launching into sky. High. Very high. Outside view. But not far. Staying nearby. Hovering in darkness where nobody could see.
[Saved everyone and won the legal battle. Proved Sara has value, skills, studied hard, and tried. All meaningless, worthless, and wrong. Because Sara wears the wrong enchantment, because Sara is a failure, because Sara doesn’t belong and will never belong. Can only pretend, try, and fail.]
The tears stopped. Something else replaced them. Something darker. Colder. Angrier.
Sara looked down and found Mr. Evil Officer being escorted outside the premises, leaving and probably feeling victorious, proud of crushing a monster’s hope.
[Sara is a monster who can only live among monsters. They don’t care about proper, enchantments, or servant rules. Monsters just accept Sara. Only monsters accept Sara. Humans never will, never can, never should.]
[Mr. Evil Officer thinks Sara is a monster and failure? Sara will show him a REAL monster and REAL failure.]
[Sara has 37 snakes who like torture—professional students and very eager learners. Sara owns Dominos who knows everything about pain with centuries of experience and master-level expertise.]
[And Sara has all the resources, expertise, and motivation to make his life living hell. Tonight. Soon. Very soon.]
Sara turned and flew away from the compound entirely—not toward the desert or cave, just into the darkness and night. Mr. Evil Officer below had no idea what was coming, what he’d created, or what he’d unleashed.
[Sara tried being good, fitting in, and belonging. Mr. Evil Officer showed Sara the truth. Sara is a monster and should act like one, BE a monster. No more pretending or trying—just a monster doing what monsters do best.]
The compound disappeared behind her as the night swallowed her.
But Sara wasn’t running away. Sara was planning, thinking, and calculating how to make good on her promise, teach a lesson, and show Mr. Evil Officer what a real monster looks like when you take away her hope, her dream, and her last chance at belonging.
[Sara will make him regret this. Sara always keeps her promises. Always.]
