Lady of Curses

''Mmm~.'' Aella was enjoying one of her pastries. She got five pastries for one growth crystal, and they were worth it because they tasted just amazing, Aella was sure they could sell them for more and there would still be customers coming to buy that bakeries products daily. 

 While Aella enjoyed her pastries, she looked up to the sky and saw that the sun was already fully gone and was replaced by the starry night sky. While looking at the night sky Aella remembered a conversation she heard recently while she was waiting for her baked goods. 

It was two Safury talking about an open bath they took before they came to the bakery. 

'Maybe I should try and find it?' Aella didn't have much better things to do, and there wasn't much to do at her home so an open bath sounded like a great place, especially under the starry night. 

The only problem she didn't know in which direction she should start looking to find this place. So with every direction as good as the next one Aella just chose one and started walking, while at the same time enjoying some pastries. 

***

''DAMN IT!'' Denal was pissed, he just arrived from hunting down some rebels, and when he returned back he was greeted by a base that was in total shambles. 

The few men he left behind and the slaves were all dead, he still didn't know the full situation because the moment he saw the door that led to his office open he ran to it, and now he was looking through his drawers and finding out he was robbed. 

His journal, his money, the daggers he got from his majesty for his accomplishments, the crystallized skill, and the demon horn, they all were gone, he was robbed, and when he finds out who did this, he will get his hands on them he will torture them until they beg for death.

His men were looking around to see what's the situation was, but by looking at his ransacked office and the blood bath that greeted him when he arrived back things didn't look good. 

''Ugh...'' Still fuming from anger, he sat down on the chair and took out some paper and ink. Better get done with the report sooner than later. While filling out the report he was thinking about who could have done this, but that question didn't have an answer right now, because he had few ideas who could have done this, but at the same time one by one these options were dismissed.

*Knock, knock* While he was concentrating on the report he heard someone knock. 

''Come in.'' He was still irritated but there was nothing he could do right now, but just hope there was some good news. 

''I came to report the whole situation of the base.'' Denal lifted his head to see who was speaking and saw that the man speaking to him was still in full metal armor, probably he didn't have time to take the armor off because there was a more pressing matter. 

''Do tell.'' Denal was interested what was the damage, and possibly finding the culprits. 

''Well, we found out that all of the men and slaves we left behind are dead, either brutally killed or burned to death.'' The armored subordinate didn't move a muscle and stood there as he reported. 

''Burned to death?'' 

''Yes we found some bodies in sleeping quarters, which both of them were set on fire and everything was burned down with people inside dying in the process.'' 

''I see, continue.'' 

''We found out that some of the things we sorted in the storage room are gone, including the foulbloods.'' When Denal heard the last part there were a few questions that popped into his head. 

''Do we know how they got out, were they rescued or they were the ones who did this all on their own?'' He wanted answers because they made sure the foulbloods couldn't get out of the cage, they even restricted the warrior.

''We aren't fully sure, and we are still investigating, but what we do know is that they somehow got their hands on the cage key, and from there they made their escape, but there are some things amiss. One such is that the men outside massacred each other. So we believe that they had some outside help.''

''I see, you're free.'' Denal waved the subordinate away, indicating for him to leave the office. 

After the subordinate left Denal continued to fill the report. It wasn't bad enough that his men and slaves were killed, his office ransacked but now he finds out that the foulbloods and some of their inventory are missing. 

This probably meant that he and his men will need to return to the capital because they couldn't continue this operation with their base being in this state, and if the higher-ups do decide to continue the operation then they will send people here and that too will take some time.

''Sigh...'' Denal took leadership of this operation with hopes of rising in the ranks, but it's starting to be more headache than it's worth. And now not to mention rise, he will be lucky if he doesn't get a scolding. Thinking about all that Denal couldn't help but pull out some of his dirt-collared hair. 

After he finished writing his report he rolled the paper up and then used some string to tie it up so that it stayed rolled up. After that, he pulled out what looked like a circular locket. It was gold in color and on its face there was an engraved picture that showed a goblet with a dagger going diagonally in front of it, and a crown made out of blood floating above the goblet as some of the blood that made the crown was flowing in the goblet. 

After opening the locket, there stood a yellow gem, that Danel gently pressed. The moment he did that a bird made out of pure light slowly formed above the locket. It took a moment for the bird to form but after it formed it shook its head, as if it was alive, and started to fly around Danel.

Danel took the rolled-up report and gave it to the bird. The bird grabbed the report in its claws and the next moment boltet straight to the door, ready to deliver the report. The wooden door was closed but that was no problem for the bird, before it collided with the obstacle the bird and the report it was holding turned into light particles and went straight through. Seeing the bird was now out of his office Danel put the locket back inside one of his pockets. 

''Ugh...'' Finally done with the report all that was left for Danel was to wait to see what the higher-ups decide. So he relaxed his muscular frame in the chair. 

***

'I guess this is the place.' It took some time but Aella finally found the open bath place. 

Unfortunately, it took some time because she decided to go in some random direction, and for some time she refused to ask anyone else for directions because she thought that it was a great opportunity to explore the city. And just like that she went in the complete opposite direction and when she finally started to ask for direction she still somehow managed to get lost or distracted in some places. 

So she was just happy that she finally found it. Because she was sick of walking and her tasty pastries had ended for a while now, so she hoped that this place had some good baths and some good food. Because if they didn't she will be thoroughly disappointed.

So with that in mind she took another look at the impressive wooden building that stood right before her and then started moving, looking forward finally relaxing.