“Enough.”

The real Chieftess opened one the doors of the private dining room she had been sitting in...the entire time. The sight of her real person, in full regalia and expensive make up, made the Deputy choke on the air. So hard, he dropped his sword.

The Chieftess stared at her husband, “All these years, everything has been a lie?” She genuinely wanted to give the Deputy a chance to speak, but the turn of events stunned him too hard. That, or honest guilt was showing. “Our marriage...was an objective? Peony’s marriage, was a means to an end...For what?...Please...tell me the reason for all of this.”

The Deputy was...truly speechless. All he could do was back away. He thought about picking up his sword, but he was already at the open jaws of the lion. He feared leaning forward, he would lose his hand entirely.

The red leaping lemur transformed back to the human that was Martial Red Sister. She stood behind the Chieftess to whisper into her ear. “[God Phantom Eyes]. The Silver Clan’s own signature defense that has been protecting your generations. Ambitious people like the Amber Family want to find the weakness to your power in order to usurp the entire Silver Clan’s authority. Unfortunately their original plan took 10 years too long, so they were forced to send in their trump card, the clever Young Master to try and figure everything out.”

Martial Red Sister’s voice changed tone, quieter, “Lady Peony somehow found out about their connection, their true objective. How? Only they would know. Of course, she would try to warn you...thus, Young Master Amber – her suitor – killed her using the [Kiss of the Amber Butterfly]...” She finished her report by patting the other woman on the back. Now to watch the fireworks fly.

The Chieftess marched over from the private room. Her eyes started to light up, activating the [God Phantom Eyes]. An ability that could control one’s action with their emotions, manipulating euphoria, hopelessness, excitement, even fear in others with a glance of her stare. She tried it before, to force Martial Blue Sister to scamper away. This time, she directed it on her husband.

“Deputy...Pick up the sword...Kill yourself.”

The Deputy groaned in pain from the influence invading his mind. His body twitched and flinched as it was forced to reach out and pick up his saber. He fought back with his willpower, but the anger in the Chieftess control was too great. He felt the cold steel of the sword on his neck and--

“....Hahahahahahaha.” The Deputy relaxed, waving around his saber like a musician’s baton. “Finally. I can file for divorce. Keep the house.”

Martial Red Sister gagged. She saw the incredibly faint screen of energy over his eyes. Could it be, he had a higher level of [Psychic Warding] that was hard to detect. Damn, she didn’t calculate this turn of events!

The Deputy used his [Thunder Leopard Saber Art] to blow up the teahouse. He split the building int two to make his half tip over and fall to the lower levels of the town. He used it to escape, flying through the debris to land in the streets below.

Just as he tried to ran away, his escape was blocked off!

The prisoners of Mutiny Inn appeared, racing around the corners of the streets to block him off. They split up into two groups, to cut off the front and back of the Deputy’s escape. It seems Martial Red Sister paid them a visit, to free them from the manor cells as potential back up. Glad that investment paid off!

“You swine!” North Cloud Shipping Company drew their scimitar and morningstar maces. “We’ll hang your head in the company trophy room for the dishonour you forced upon us!”

“We’ll avenge the boss you so happily killed!” The staff of Mutiny Inn wielded improvised weapons of sticks, shovels, rakes, and pitchforks. “Get him!”

The Prisoners of Mutiny Inn attacked! They surrounded the Deputy and attacked from all angles. Clearly their level was not up to par, not against a martial arts expert like the Deputy. He only need to dodge and give them kicks to the face to clear his way.

In fact, he can easily kill them with a swing of his electric-charged blade!

PEW PEW PEW!

A flurry of water shot out, from alleys, store windows, and around the corner of various buildings. They would deflect and cancel out the Deputy’s lightning attacks from harming the Mutiny Inn prisoners. He even saw shields of liquid and bursts of mop water get in his way, throwing off his balance.

“Damn water bender!” The Deputy shouted in the chaos. “Show yourself you coward!”

Nah, she’d win by doing what introverts does best – hiding!

Martial Blue Sister, covered in black mud and lake scum, rode on a board of magical waves and darted through the narrow paths in the back alley. Every now and then she would use her [Azure Dragon’s Flowing Water] to launch flying swords and curtains of water to cancel out the Deputy’s attack, protecting the prisoners from this high level martial artist. If she fought the man one on one, she would surely lose so this was a better approach! Hit and run, hit and run!

The Deputy cursed his luck as he was starting to get worn out. The ‘weak prisoners’ started to land hits on him, a pitch fork stab to the thigh and a morningstar smash to his forearm.

In this pivotal moment, Martial Blue Sister saw a chance to end this fight once and for all! But!

“Chieftess watch out!” she cried.

The Chieftess could be seen from the remaining half of the teahouse, the whole structure barely standing. Even in a dangerous spot, she fired blasts of force energy at the Deputy with her [God Phantom Eyes] in blind rage, exploding the ground everywhere. The recoil from the blasts crushed the half broken stairs she was balanced on. It forced her to fall, a straight drop to death.

Martial Blue Sister had a choice. End the fight, or save the Chieftess. Memories flashed in her mind, of how the Chieftess made her suffer with her powers back in the Memorial Hall. There was a period of time, she was terrified of this woman...

A choice was made and she threw every water she had under her control to summon a dragon made of thriving water. It flew over to catch the Chieftess, softening her landing.

The Deputy took this chance to end it his way now. He fired a bolt of lightning, making it charge like a killer leopard, and it sliced through Martial Blue Sister’s side. She coughed with blood as her wound smoked with fire and sparks before collapsing in a violent tumble.

Before he could finish her off complete, Martial Red Sister crashed down onto him in the form of a giant red crab! She pinned him down with a large crab vice, allowing North Cloud Shipping Company to impale the Deputy in the back to disable him.

“I told you!” Martial Red Sister barked as she returned to her human form. “Only I can bully little blue! Now stay down!” She then ran over to slap a healing spell onto her companion. It was very basic, enough power to heal a light scratch. But it should stabilize Martial Blue Sister long enough to find Martial Kim to help her make a full recovery.

The Chieftess came over. Fuelled with rage, she ignored what happened to her rescue and picked up a pitchfork that fell in the chaos. Gripping it with both hands, she drove it towards the man that was the cause of her suffering.

Martial Red Sister called out, “If you truly want to get back at your true enemy, the Amber Family, you may want to keep your husband alive. Long enough for him to tell Judge Dao their secrets.”

“........AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!” A conflicted scream, and the Chieftess impaled the empty floor. Hiding tears of blood dropping from her eyes, she growled. “...Just...leave....”

“You’re welcome.” Martial Red Sister snorted.

After giving a short nod to North Cloud Shipping Company and Mutiny Inn group, she transformed into a horse to carry the wounded Martial Blue Sister onto her back to gallop off. There was nothing more that needed to be done. Whatever happened after, was none of her business.

“Did...did you tell her?” Martial Blue Sister gasped with pain.

“That Chieftess was the one who killed Lady Peony?” The red horse responded with a curt bleat. “If she heard it straight from the horses mouth, she’ll hang herself. I don’t want to add her life on my conscious. Besides, a power vacuum in the Silver Clan would be more troublesome. Best to let her live, blame it all on the Amber Family, wage a war against them if she wants and keep Lady Peony’s memory alive.”

She then sighed as she galloped faster. “No one would have expected Lady Peony running up the mountains to where the Chieftess has been struggling to master the [God Phantom Eyes]. Neither did anyone predict, another daily rage quit would accidentally knock her own sister down the stone stairs. It’s really no different than a child throwing a blind temper tantrum and destroying whatever was in reach.”

Martial Blue Sister bite her lip. It was the only strength she had right now. “Who was the girl? The one posing as Lady Peony...she never gave us her real name.”

“I guess we’ll never know.” Martial Red Sister sighed. “She played the part well, a ditzy airhead with a sense of adventure... Makes me wonder, what the real Lady Peony was like in person.”

“...It’s not fair.” Martial Blue Sister whimpered, gripping onto the horses mane. “It’s just not fair.”

“Nothing is fair, little blue. That’s why Moon Tavern has to right the wrongs of the world...but even then we’re not gods. Can’t always be a perfect solution.”

Martial Blue Sister didn’t know what to say. Perhaps, it was best she didn’t touch upon it any further. Pain and exhaustion gripped at her shoulders and she felt heavy. So she had no touch but to close her eyes and submit to her weakness...a small tear running down her eye.

=== PEONY CASE – END ===