"Best case scenario, I'll survive after crippling your strength. Can your plan survive such losses? Can you give up on your companions' lives just for this? After all, no one died, I made sure of it.
"No harm, no foul. Before answering, remember that you have gained your new bodies for a little more than a year whereas I mastered my skills before most of you were even born." Baba Yaga said,
Xenagrosh and the others pondered her words, yet never stopped weaving their best spells nor building their power.
'She's right. We grow stronger by the day, learning ways to combine our respective innate skills that probably the Guardians themselves ignore due to their past grievances. Each one of us is a member of our family and an unreplaceable asset.' She thought.
"Apologies are not enough." Kigan the Phoenix said. "Your daughter messed with our family and we can't just sit idly until she does it again. This isn't just about insignificant things like turf or money, this is about blood!"
His body turned into a living mass of black and violet flames as the Abomination put his life on the line with the next attack.
"What if I promise you that she'll never do it again?" Baba Yaga said.
"What good is your word when Night defied your orders countless times in the past?" Eycos the Garuda said. "We can trust you, not her."
"Well said." Baba Yaga activated Creation Magic, dismantling Night's crystal core while keeping her alive and fixing her at the same time. "This spell that you all can read will prevent her from attacking the Verhen household again."
"Mom, please no!" Night had no tears, but she cried nonetheless.
She could feel the spell removing part of her free will, making her less than a person and more like a thing.
"You brought this upon yourself, child. Back when I fought Salaark for you, I exploited the fact that, despite her great power, she is just one person and has many things to attend.
"There was only so much time she could waste on me. This time not only did you go against my will, but you also angered seven beings who have surrounded us and are willing to die.
"This is a small price for survival." Baba Yaga said.
"It's not enough." Xenagrosh said. "She could ask her siblings to attack in her stead or find a loophole in your spell by striking at the people nearby. No matter how strict a command is, there's always a catch."
Baba Yaga looked around, noticing that the Abominations protected more than Lith's house. Selia's house had been restored, the beasts healed, and even the village of Lutia had been enveloped in a silvery barrier.
"I fail to understand the reason for your generosity, but what about I change the spell so that Night will become unable to harm directly or indirectly anyone who resides in Lutia? I can also promise you to order my other Horsemen to do the same.
"They are not like Night. They never went against my will and always respect my orders. On top of that, know that in the case any of them breaks my oath and attacks this place, I will not intervene again. You have my word." Baba Yaga said.
"It's not enough. We demand blood for blood. Nothing less is acceptable." Hushar the Leviathan said.
"What more do you want then?" Baba Yaga had weaved her best spells, but she could feel the Chaos array empowering the Abominations and weakening her.
She wasn't afraid of death so much as of abandoning all the children that still needed her. Yet she couldn't let Night die without at least trying everything she could. If the Abomination dared to take her daughter away from her, she would make them pay.
"She never learned because you never punished her." Hushar was among the oldest among the seven hybrids and knew Night very well.
"Kill the Horseman's host while they are still bonded and make her experience our pain. That and the restricting spell will be enough to sate our anger. This time we'll give you the benefit of the doubt.
"The next time you mess with our family, witch, there will be no talking, only fighting."
"I couldn't agree more." Baba Yaga changed the slave spell on Night's core, turning Lutia and all of its inhabitants into something beyond the Horseman's reach even in her dreams.
The Black Night screamed and cried as part of her was forever changed. The pain of her maimed free will, however, was nothing compared to the physical agony that the death of Night's host caused to her.
She could feel the agony of every single cell and for the first time in her life, Night experienced the suffering of the living without the protection of darkness fusion.
By the time Baba Yaga was done, the physical damage the crystal had sustained dwarfed in comparison with the mental scar that the punishment left on the Horseman's mind.
Baba Yaga returned inside her hut to repair the crystal and then Warped away, soon followed by the Abominations.
'Solus, what the heck did just happen? What's this plan Baba Yaga talked about and how can the Fourth Ruler of the Flames be still alive?' Lith dispelled Demons of the Fallen and retrieved the stone gauntlet.
He couldn't shapeshift back into human form in front of the members of the Queen's Corps.
'I have no clue. We are missing a lot of pieces of the puzzle, like the identity of the Fourth Ruler or what the Master can do with the Abomination-Guardians hybrids. Before answering any of that, we must check on the others.' She pointed at the crater where once Zinya's house was.
Lith stared at the still-smoking rubble while fearing the worst. The death of his neighbors would be more than collateral damage. It would be the proof of how little he cared about protecting Kamila's family and mark the end of their relationship.
***
Free country of Lamarth. Beyond the eastern borders of the Gorgon Empire, in the Headquarters of the Master. A few minutes later.
"I have good news and better news." Tezka the Warg-Abomination hybrid said. "The good news is that I'm finally getting accustomed to my body enough to be once again a Dimensional Mage worthy of his title.
"The better news is that we have a new member of our family Do you remember Nandi, the Eldritch Minotaur I told you about? Not only has he decided to join our ranks, but thanks to his orc half, he can also solve all our mana crystal related problems.
"We don't have to look around for an orc shaman nor care about how they manipulate crystals anymore. Nandi is a living mana geyser that can provide us with all the answers we need."
"I don't give a damn about crystals! Today you all failed me with your foolish actions. You've jeopardized decades of hard work, and for what? Pride? Justice? Honor?" The Master said while squeezing what looked like a black tennis ball.
"I know that you're angry, but-"
"I'm not angry, I'm livid! How could you be so stupid to go against Baba Yaga when none of you still has their equipment? When aside from Xenagrosh everyone else has yet to fully integrate their monster side with their Abomination half?" The Master roared.
