Tales of Trickery and Mischief: Battle for the Throne

Chapter 1: A Stormy Night

What seems to be pleasant painting can be a mischievous person's work of trickery

The sounds of the crushing waves were drowned by the screams of cannon in a stormy night. The ship sways and leaking deep to its compartment.

A shattering cannon ball breaks the hull of the ship awaking a seamless girl from her sleep. She tried to move her arms but the chains that bounded her restricted her from moving. Her eyes wondered around her surroundings, seeing that everyone is asleep she shook her friend lying besides her intending to wake her up.

"What Astra let me have some sleep?"

The girl shirked softly and shrugged Astra's hands and continues to snooze.

"I think this ship is spotted Kris, I think we are going to be freed!"

Astra exclaimed.

Footsteps are heard just outside the compartment door followed by shouts that are deafening as the storm happening outside.

"Open up this door!"

A womanly voiced shouted.

"Open this up or I will blow your head!"

Repeated by the womanly voice.

The door opens revealing three hooded figures. The figures entered the room gathering everyone in the room alongside Astra and Kris. They made them marched unto the deck of the ship.

The deck of the ship was painted red with guts and weapons laying on the old wooden beams of the ships, the downpour cannot seem to wash of the evidence of a battle happened earlier. Astra looked around the once ship that captured her, her captors lying dead, some are decapitated and hooded figures holding arquebus line along the decks of the ship.

Suddenly one of the hooded figure removed her hood, which reveals a beautiful woman, a blue long hair contrasting with the dark skies.

"We are looking for this particular girl and we need to take her!"

"My name is Julliana and by the decree of lord Ionius all of you shall be tested by this!"

Julliana whips out a large bizarre looking book, a grimoire.

"This grimiore can identify who we are looking for, a drop of blood unto its cover and it will deconstruct the blood and with that I can identify if what we are looking for is you!"

Julliana shouted.

To everyone's surprise, they began claiming that they are the heir. Pushing and punching a chaos started amidst the slaves claiming that they are whom they are looking for, suddenly gunshots were heard. 15 male slaves were struck and killed by rain of bullets but the chaos subsided and everyone calmed from their outrageous claims.

"Why did you fired unto those guys? Maybe one of them is whom you are looking for madam!"

One of the slaves said.

"Fools, what we are looking for is a girl, a female slave!"

Julliana shouted as she holds a blunderbuss against the concerned male slave.

"Now line up the female slaves and we shall start the identification"

The hooded figures line up all the female slaves, Astra was put dead last of the line. Julliana then begins the search, cutting the wrist of the first female slave. She let the blood drip to the cover of the grimoire.

The grimiore then glowed as it shows runes and writings that Julliana seems only the one who can read.

Without a warning, Julliana hold the blunderbuss unto the female slave and fired it. The shattered head of the slave sprayed across the already gut full deck. The everyone is in horror as they witness what happened.