There and Back Again, an Assassin's Tale of Vengeance - Scene VII - Smoke and Rubble

Suleth and Gwenyth stood quietly upon the deck of the ship, staring out at the land that had been their home.  When they had first worked together, doing a few quick hits on some slavers in their youth, they had been forced to leave until things blew over.  Now things had taken a complete revolution, and again they were to be leaving their home.1

Shaden had played this one quite well.  They had planned on him throwing off the gloves and fighting dirty, but then they had also expected to be able to stay and and hold the empire they had conquered.  But now their names and faces had become household names, even the rumor of the week. They would have to leave Fia in charge of the operations in Rinmar until she could somehow clear their names - and that would take some time.2

Yet even as they stood staring and waiting, across the land Lady Lithis was still carefully controlling the otherwise chaotic mob as they surrounded the old tower that had stood since the ancient days of Rinmar's beginning.3

She had formed the liberated slaves into two groups.  One had begun to dig a large hole around the tower in hopes of burrowing beneath the foundations.  As they dug up the soil, they had piled it in front of the door, blockading Shaden inside with all his men.  At first they had shot arrows from the windows in hopes of driving them away, but the tower had been designed for spellcraft and not defence.  The defense had caused few injuries and fewer casulties before either running out of arrows or merely giving up.4

The second smaller group had busied themselves sabotaging key points along the rear of the stone tower.  They had chiselled out large chunks of the stones, and had placed vials of red powder that had been carefully prepared by the Queen of Thieves herself.  5

When the holes were dug deep enough to expose enough of the foundation and the long fuses had all been tied together, Lillian gave the orders for everyone to get plenty clear, and personally approached the fuse.  6

She swiftly produced a flint and steal, and effortlessly flicked them against one another to light the fuse.  She hurried back away a safe distance and then turned to watch, staring at the tower as if it was a symbol of everyone and everything that had ever and would ever dare to stand against her.7

And as the fuse ran out, the chain reaction of blasts began to work its way down the side, as thick smoke began to billow up the side of the tower.  The loud roar echoed across the land as rubble was launched hundreds of feet through the air.  And finally, as the last few vials blew, the tower swayed to the rear and collapsed in on itself with a final wave of smoke and rubble.8

Lillian had still not turned her gaze away, but she was smiling sadistically to herself now.  The mob had already begun to rush towards the ruins in search of survivors and loot.  She had seen it through to the end, but now it was time to leave her homeland again.9

She turned away and began running for the docks.10