Knowing full well what one of their sickening wrapped kind was capable of if given the time to do so Raziel pressed his attack immediately and swiftly. He darted in, holding his body low to the ground. To his right, the wraith blade hummed loudly increasing in pitch as if in anticipation of a meal.
Perhaps the first piper’s experience transferred to the second through some inexplicable away, for the creature immediately backed off; swinging out of the way so that the tip of the wraith blade past an inch from its nose when Raziel swung it.
It knew to fear the Reaver.
Raziel pressed in, swinging the blade up and around directly at the Piper’s head. It ducked under the attack and lashed out, a kick catching the wraith in the mid section. The blow was enough to send the blue wraith hurtling back across the room to crash into a tapestry hanging on one side of the room.
The piper wasted no time, darting in close and landing a punch across Raziel’s face that felt as if he’d been struck with a block of granite. Thrown off to one side, spinning around in midair Raziel saw the princess go for the relatively safety of the door.
To cover her retreat, he rebounded off the side of the wall and propelled his body far quicker then the piper was expecting back at the creature. He still had the advantage of superior speed and used into sink the talons of his left hand deep into the creature’s chest.
They punctured with a snapping sound like breaking twigs and tearing parchment, the Piper’s clothes tearing away around the impaling claws.
Arching his body, still in mid air, he brought his right hand down the Reaver blade flourishing and bursting forth filling the room with its luminous glow.
The Piper raised a hand to ward off the blow and the blue wraith promptly severed its arm. The limb arched high into the air and then fell to the floor with a loud thump. It bounced up and down on an erratic spasm there for a moment before it shrivelled and became a mummified discarded appendage.
Raziel tried to bring the Reaver across to severe the head next but the Piper pre-emptively cut him off, head butting him in the skull and forcing him to back off. The blow left the blue wraith open to an attack, taking the form of another of its kicks. The creature’s entire strength was focused into that blow and it sent Raziel flying. He crashed into the door and it buckled outwards, fragments of wood and reinforcing steel sent flying in all directions. Raziel spun several times before landing in a tangled heap in the remains of a canopy bed.
Torn fragments of clothe and wood fell over him even as he tried to rise. He had been knocked into an adjourning apartment, larger than the first room with many pieces of fine furniture and wall tapestries. Clearly the room they had just fought in had been an antechamber of some kind.
The princess was in one corner off the room, facing them with a terrified expression across her face, eyes fixed not on him but the piper as it advanced into the room. With the loss of its arm, its bone pipe had been rendered useless. The piper discarded the instrument as it advanced toward the blue wraith.
Raziel scrambled back to his feet and leapt out of the way as the creature dived at him, pouncing like a cat to one side.
The piper followed him, reaching out with one hand to try and grasp his foot. Raziel spun about in mid turn and fired a bolt of condensed force at point blank range into the creature’s face. The impact shook the windows and the piper staggered backwards, stunned.
Rolling away, Raziel backed off to the wall of the apartment and grasped the metallic pike from the standing form of suit of armour.
The blade of the weapon caught the Piper across the chest, sending the creature backwards.
Raziel didn’t stop there, arching his body around in a tight caught and smashing its shaft into the Piper’s side and then again and again, knocking the demonic thing around leaving it not time to retaliate.
Finally he darted close and kicked it squally in the stomach. It staggered back several steps to the far side of the room. Hefting the weapon Raziel threw it directly at his opponent. There was a loud crunch as the spear stabbed into the Piper’s head and burst out the far side.
It staggered there, the weapon struck through its skull. Raziel however knew better then to assume he had mortally wounded the creature.
With a flick of his wrist, he summoned the wraith blade again and raced in, bringing his ethereal weapon up.
The blade had no suspense in a materialistic sense but it still cleaved the wretched piper in half directly up the middle. The two halves stayed together for a moment, before they toppled each to one side simultaneously with a dry thump.
The skull stayed intact on the right half but spilt into pieces on impact with the floor.
Raziel took several steps away from the corpse, for as he expected out of the remains of its material body came the creature true form; a wraith like archon, native being of the spectral realm. It trashed around as it was freed of its bindings, fading almost immediately drawn back to its proper realm, leaving only the shrivelled dusty shell it had been trapped inside.
Silence endured for a long moment, only broken by the princess harsh breathing that slowed as she managed to regain some of her lost sense and wit.
“I had wondered...” She began and then paused to take a deep steady breath. “...that perhaps I was being misled by you.”
Raziel ignored her, eyes kept on the crumbling dusty remains of the Piper.
“But you have earned my trust tonight.” She added.
The blue wraith raised his eyes slowly and then looked at her sidelong across one shoulder, flicking his wrist to dismiss his projected soul weapon. 
Alicia was clearly un-nerved by his scrutiny and hesitated under his gaze, mouth half open. The wraith gestured down at the corpse at his feet.
“It came for you.” He said slowly, almost accusingly.
“Of course it came for her!” A new voice declared and Raziel quickly turned to see that coming in through a door he hadn’t even noticed during the fight were several of the Willendorf guard, swords drawn. Amongst them was another man with grey hair held back by a golden crown embossed with the symbol of a lion, dressed in armour similar to the soldiers only far more elaborate across the chest and pauldrons.
Clearly he was the King of Willendorf and the facial features were so similar to the princess’ that the family lineage was obvious. The king had sunken eye sockets and a tired slump to his shoulders, but his face was full of an irritated sort of annoyed rage.
“It was her time to be taken, ghoul!” He spat, too lost in his anger to be surprised or even frightened by Raziel’s presence. He turned to what the blue wraith presumed to be his daughter and actually snared.
“Alicia, you actually tried to resist it?” He asked in the tone of a man demanding an explanation.
The princess drew herself up, indignant.
“Of course I did!” She snapped back at her father. “Am I supposed to meekly be taken like some foundling babe...” She pointed an accusing finger at him. “Or any of the other females of our bloodline that we consigned to this fate?”
The king folded his arms across his chest, perhaps trying to look imperious.
“To be blunt, yes.” He said brutally and even she flinched a little. “It’s not your place to question the edicts of the first Ottmar.”
Alicia stared at him, as if not quite able to grasp the fact that her father had really just said that. She covered her confusion in righteous anger.
“What? Respect the edicts of a craven king who capitulated to every demand the Dollmaker made of him?” She asked spitefully. “Sorry father but I was born with a backbone!”
The king did not seem impressed by her defiance, if anything he grew even angrier. His lips pulled back over his yellowed teeth in a snarl.
“Insolent child!” The monarch spat. “You’ve put us all in danger! I should stake you out for the Pipers to find you!”
Realising that this shouting match was getting them or him nowhere, Raziel stepped between them blocking their line of sight of each other.
“Enough.” He told them both. “Have your family squabble on someone else’s time.”
The guards drew up to either side of the king protectively and the monarch himself glared at the blue wraith.
“How dare you!” The human king began but Raziel raised his right hand and flicked his wrist, the Reaver emerging with a feral screech. The guards backed off in alarm despite themselves and the king’s expression turned immediately from anger to surprised seamy, staring at the ghostly sword with its tip a mere few inches from the end of his nose.
“I’m in a bad mood.” Raziel said to him flatly and leaned a little close intimidating. All of the king’s guard backed off again, used to protecting their king from earthly threats and were unprepared for a being such as he. “Understand?”
The king said nothing, his eyes still fixed on the Reaver.
“Now turn around and leave.” The blue wraith said firmly. The king took a deep breath, seeming to regain some of his bluster.
“You’re damning us all!” He said, spluttering. Raziel shrugged and began shepherding the monarch and his shoulders backwards towards the door they had entered from.
“I’ll decide whether or not I’ll feel guilty about it later.” He replied. “Go.”
They did go and quite quickly, the guards evidentially more than happy to retreat from the issue even if only for now. The expression on the king’s face however left Raziel in no doubt that he would not let this lie.
Raziel, not really caring at this point, shut the door in the face.
The princess came into the centre of the room, her arms wrapped protectively around her sides.
“It seems I owe you a more elaborate explanation.” He said without looking at him.
Raziel snorted and turned to face her.
“And more besides.” He said and sat down on the edge of a sofa which had survived the brawl with the Piper.
The princess remained standing. She cleared her throat a bit nervously.
“So ...where do I begin?” She asked, talking to herself and looking thoughtful.
“I don’t care so long as you do.”  He said. She ignored the jab and kept on thinking. When she seemed to come to a conclusion she nodded and looked at him.
“Very well.” She said and then began. “Willendorf was enjoying the height of its power a century ago, before the rise of the Sarafan lord.” She gestured out towards the windows where the banners of the occupying Sarafan hung to obscure the previous displays of the royal lion. 
“The founder of the Ottmar dynasty had a daughter whom he doted upon, his only child from an otherwise barren wife. He declared to the entire kingdom that, to mark her eighteenth birthday, there would be a contest.”
Raziel listened to the story unfold with growing scepticism.
“It was a contest to create the finest doll in the realm.” Alicia explained. “It was said that hundreds of dolls were brought to the capital and presented to the princess but the winner, the creator of the finest doll that all agreed upon, was the little man from the borderlands.”
Her expression turned fearful.
“Elziver the doll maker.”
.
“The name dimly stirred in my memory. I had heard it somewhere before but the familiarity was only a distant prodding. I could not recall from where it originated.”
.
The blue wraith sat there, deep in thought. He had definitely heard that name before. He was certain of it. He raked his memory trying to pick out from where, but it escaped him. It must have been either too obscure or it was from too long ago for him to properly remember.
“Elziver did not accept the promised reward, a royal favour.” Alicia carried on. “Instead he asked for a mere lock of the princess’ hair.”
She paused then to let out an almost hysterical giggle.
“The man was even heralded for his chivalry.” She said, still laughing low. “Barely a day later the princess had fallen into a sleep so deep she never woke from it again.”
This was beginning to sound more and more like folklore to Raziel but he said nothing and let carry on.
“Elziver made it known to the royal family that he had taken her soul as his real payment.” She said and the fear was obvious in her voice. “It was not long after that those Pipers started appearing, his minions sent to humble our kingdom by stealing our children.”
That was no myth at least. Raziel had been witness to the first one’s attempts to lead children out of their homes in the middle of the night.
“What for?” He asked sharply. “If he steals children what does he do with them?”
“He never said.” The princess replied with a shrug. “But ever since, once every ten years, he has come to claim the soul of a princess of the royal house.”
She looked out the window, into the darkness beyond the candlelight. As if all the horrors of the night were just beyond the windowpane.
“This year it’s my turn.” Her voice was low.
Raziel looked at her flatly and without sympathy.
“And so that’s why you need help.” He determined out loud.
“Of course!” She replied irritably. “I am no simple headed maiden to go to her death because her father is too much of a coward to stand up for her!”
The blue wraith pondered all she had told him for a moment and then regarded her again.
“What does the royal family get out of this arrangement that they consider even the idea of resistance to be dangerous?” He asked, remembering the intense anger of her father.
“Little...” She admitted and some disgust crept into her voice. “But they’re almost like trained dogs, grateful for whatever scraps are cast them.” Alicia turned to look back at him over her shoulder. “But for a more substantial threat the dollmaker said that if the tithe of a princess’ soul is suspended, even once, then he would come to take the souls of the entire royal family in consequence.”
Raziel raised an eyebrow questioningly.
“So they sacrifice the maidens to preserve themselves?” He asked but without any evident criticism for the practise.
Alicia nodded
“Thus is the blood of the proud lion spilt out in cowardice.” She turned to look at him.“You’re the first...person... to challenge this status quo for a century.”
.
“Her hypocrisy was more them palpable. She decried her family for their cowardice but her motivations are just as selfish, her only concern to save her own skin with no heed of the consequences to her family or people.”
.
Clearly Alicia meant to save herself even if the Dollmaker killed off her entire family for her disobedience. Nor did she seem overly wrought by the abduction of generations of commoner children.
Still he wondered, what business was it of his what she did or the fate of this kingdom which was doomed anyway? He could gain nothing by helping her escape her fate and perhaps the wisest course of caution would be to simply walk way and leave the selfish little creature to whatever fate she could manage.
He looked up when he saw her crossing to the window, looking out intently as if she had seen something. After a moment the princess nodded and began to push the shutter open.
“What are you doing?” Raziel asked. She ignored the question but instead pointed back towards the door.
“Check the door; make sure we are not being spied on.” That she presumed to give him an order made him blink.
“What for?” He asked flatly. She half turned and gave him a little smile.
“Indulge me.” She said and pushed the window open. Raziel frowned at her but got up, crossed over to the door and opened it a crack.
The outside corridor was empty. With a nod he closed it again and bolted it shut.
“We are alone.” He said, still taken aback by her sudden strange behaviour.
“Keep yourself out of sight.” She told him and by now Raziel was so confused that he did it without question; going over to the antechamber he had entered from and closing the door just enough to leave a crack wide enough for him to look through.
After a moment, a rough hand in a leather glove pulled itself up over the battlements just beyond the window. It was followed by an arm, attached to which was a human in travelling garb. Exhausted from the climb up the battlements the human managed the last pull in through the window before he collapsed to its knees on the floor; breathing hard.
From the look of him, travel stained and weary; Raziel supposed him to be a scout of some kind.
“Milady.” He began but had to falter, he had still not caught his breath. The blue wraith wondered as why Alicia had compelled him to climb the side of the castle to avoid being seen entering her quarters.
“You found it?” She asked intently, ignoring his obvious exhaustion.
The scout nodded.
“Yes...” He said. “But I am afraid that I did not escape unnoticed.” She waved off his attempted apology.
“That does not matter so long as you can tell me where it is.”She said. “It’s vital.
“I have a map, Milady.” The scout said but stopped her, holding up a hand to keep her from asking. There was an excitement in his eyes that eclipsed her own. “But that is not what I came here to tell you.”
She looked down at her scout questioningly.
“By chance Milady I have found the source of the Dollmaker’s power!” Her eyes’ widened to ovals in response.
“What is it?” She demanded her voice a hushed and rasping whisper. The scout rubbed his face and soothed arching muscles.
“I cannot see how but he has the sword!”He said.
“The sword?” She repeated in irritable confusion. “What sword?
Her scout looked at her with the same sort of confusion, as if he did not understand it either.
“The Reaver, Milady!” He said. “Elziver the doll maker has the Soul Reaver!”