Knock, Knock, Knock

"Come in."

A beautiful woman, probably 18 years old, opened the door, cautiously scanning the room before her.

The room was a bathroom made for a king, white quartz and columns of crimson-red stone decorating the interior.

At the center of the room, a man lay in a bathtub, his upper body draped over the sides of the king-sized tube, his pale, muscular back facing her.

The woman took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Taking a few steps forward, she announced her reason for her interruption: "My apologies, Count Ichor, but we have received urgent news from the Collective."

The man shifted in the tub, his head rising to look at the ceiling. Pausing for several seconds, he spoke out, "Well, are you going to tell me this 'urgent' news, or will you continue to stare at my back?" He jested,

The woman squirmed, her eyes widening in horror. "Yes, yes. Please forgive me."

"News. Now."

"Right away! The collective has informed us about Count Oasis's response to your request as well as another vital piece of information."

She took a deep breath and continued, "Count Oasis has found an Aether Node."

Count Ichor froze, his eyebrows shifting to a scowl. Standing from his tub, crimson red liquid dripped from his body.

He stepped out of the tub full of blood, ignoring the woman who stood quietly at the front of the bathroom.

Count Ichor strode towards a nearby clothes hook, each step imprinting a bloody footprint on the floor. Grabbing a nearby white robe, he leisurely draped it on; leaving his upperbody visible with blood dripping down his chest, actively staining the white robe red.

Glancing at the woman, he chuckled, "Tell me his response as we walk to the throne room."

The woman swiftly nodded, keeping her eyes on the floor.

Count Ichor strode out of the bathroom. He was meekly followed by the woman. As they walked, she summoned the courage talk "Count Oasis responded as we expected. He is giving the refugees a choice in the matter."

Count Ichor laughed, "As expected, that brat is as predictable as ever."

Stepping into a hallway filled with countless knights and mages, Count Ichor continued, "As weak as they are, those peasants are valuable. Food is not cheap." Pausing, he stopped in his tracks.

Looking back at the woman, he spoke, "Look at me."

The woman slowly lifted her head, staring into the Count's dark red eyes. His short blonde hair was dyed a faint red from the countless hours he spent soaking in blood. "Prepare the device. Tell the collective they will be rewarded with a fair portion."

The woman nodded, her eyes widening with each second. Her face starting to flush, but not from arousal, rather fear began to seep into her face

Only when her face began to turn beat red, and veins in her eyes began to pop did the Count look away.

Instantly, the woman's face returned to normal. She fell to her knees, grasping at her heart.

Stepping up a series of stairs stained with red streaks, the Count sat, his robed figure staring down at the hall full of warriors and mages.

He glanced at the woman and smiled, "Tell me about this Aether Node."

The woman, not daring to look at the Count, shivered but forced the words to escape her throat, "We believe... It is... made up of primarily Growth attributed Aether."

The Count's smile widened, his eyes creasing in delight. "It looks like the prize has only gotten juicier."

Waving his hand, a rhino-sized tiger appeared. The crimson-red stripes decorating its body flowed like blood. Its canines popped out of its mouth, falling below its chin, dripping with blood.

The instant the Tiger was summoned, it bowed its body, its head hitting the floor. "Master, how may I be of service?"

The Count stared at the beast, his red eyes widening as a smile grew on his face. "Count Oasis will be leaving the safety of his fortress in the coming months."

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

Pausing, he glanced at the multitudes of soldiers lining his throne room, his smile reaching his ears. "I want you to stir up chaos wherever the Count goes. Make his life hard, make it hell."

"And if you have the chance, kill the bastard. It would make my ascension to Duke that much easier."

The Tiger purred, understanding what was needed. Its body glowed before it disappeared from view, leaving only a puddle of blood in its wake.

Smiling, Count Ichor closed his eyes, his body relaxing as he sat on his throne. Raising his hand, he made a pulling motion.

A massive body fell from the ceiling, chains holding the creature in place. It was a bear covered in hard stone, its snout bone-like.

From the Bear's body, blood seeped from its pores, falling to the ground and flowing up the stairs, submerging the Count in the crimson liquid.

The Bear weakly stared at the Count, its eyes pleading for death.

Waving his hand, the chains dragged the Bear away, pulling it back into the shadows of the ceiling.

Grabbing a cup, the Count scooped a chalice full of blood and took a sip.

"Ah, so refreshing."

---------------------

The sun rose, peeking above the forest canopy. Its light scaring away the night, signaling animals and humans alike to rise from their slumbers.

Jule rose from her bed with a smile. Shuffling out of bed, she sat at the table, "Good morning, Mom!"

Eliza chuckled, sliding a plate of breakfast in front of Jule, "You are up early today. What's the occasion?"

Jule's smile widened, the corners of her big round eyes creasing. "Nothin! I just wanted to take a walk today."

Eliza nodded, "Alright, but make sure to be safe. And wear you winter clothes!"

Jule nodded, scooping up a large spoonful of purple-tinted scrambled eggs, tossing them into her mouth.

"I'll be safe!"

Satisfied, Eliza focused on finishing breakfast for the rest of the family, skillfully breaking eggs into a well-used skillet.

Finishing her breakfast, Jule waved goodbye to her mom before whipping on her coat and treading outside. As she stepped into the inch-high snow covering their walkway, she looked into the sky, closing her eyes and letting the sun's rays warm her face.

Taking a deep breath, she trudged down the path onto the road. Jule walked in the wagon tracks leading into town, her arms spread wide as she attempted to balance herself on the snow-imprinted tracks.

Entering the Hamlet, she was greeted by several adults passing by, each snuggled up in big winter coats. She made sure to wave at each, showing every passerby her big smile and scrunched freckled nose.

Stopping by Kiera's, Jule trudged the path to Kiera's home. Kiera sat silently on her rocking chair, watching the sparse activity of the road.

"Aren't you up early this morning? The sun has only begun to rise."

Jule smiled, hugging Kiera, "Na uh, I am old enough to decide when I wake up!"

Kiera nodded, a toothy smile sneaking onto her face. "Well, aren't you mature for your age? You're almost nine years old and already deciding when you wake up!!"

Jule's smile widened, placing her hands on her hips in triumph. "Yep!"

Kiera laughed, pinching the girl's cheek. "Has your brother been giving you any trouble, missy?"

Jule shook her head, but her smile turned to a pout, "No, but he never lets me win our practices!"

Kiera looked into the girl's eyes, a parental look flashing within. "Jule, your brother is an odd one. He examines the world differently from most of us."

"The adults passing by every day aren't thinking about how to counter a spell that inhibits vision or create a spell that can pierce through any defense. They are thinking about what they need to do to have dinner tonight so they can fill their empty stomachs."

Poking Jule in the stomach, Kiera lifted Jule's chin, "There is something to learn from your brother. He identifies the root of the problem. Most would only try to fix the symptoms, ignoring the cause altogether."

Jule looked at Kiera's wrinkly face, tilting her head to the side. "What do you mean?"

Kiera sighed, leaning back in her rocking chair. Looking into the sky, she couldn't help but shake her head, mumbling, "What an odd one you are."

Looking back at Jule, she flicked Jule's forehead, "Let me give you an example. You are using wind to detect Rue's movements. Rue understand's the root of your attack is the wind. Instead of trying to become sneakier, hoping to escape your detection, he uses his affinities to alter the very thing you are using to detect his presence; wind."

Jule widened her eyes, "Ohhhhh."

Kiera glanced up. She watched a dog run by, a group of children chasing it, their laughs filling the streets.

"Now that you understand, go and show that brother of yours!"

"Yes!"

Hugging Kiera one last time, Jule skipped down the path onto the road. Following the road back home, Jule heard a noise from behind a nearby tree.

Scrunching her brows, she stopped skipping and trudged off the road into the deep snow. Rounding the tree, Jule spotted an orange tabby kitten, its body curled into a tight ball, mewing ever so softly.

Kneeling, Jule removed the snow from around the kitten, raising her eyebrows in concern. "Oh, little guy, are you okay?"

Picking up the small kitten the size of her palm, Jule felt it shivering.

Quickly glancing around and not spotting anyone, Jule summoned a small flame in one hand and used it to warm up the kitten.

Slowly the kitten's shivering lessened, its mews turning from distress to comfort.

Jule smiled, dismissing the flame. Opening her coat, she gently placed the kitten inside, its head popping out at the collar.

The kitten's eyelids were closed shut, its body too tired. Using both hands to support the kitten, Jule turned around to once again begin her journey back home.

Glancing up from the tabby cat in her coat she was met by the wide stare of a little girl, maybe 3 years old.

The little girls mouth was open, forming an O in awe.

Jule's eyes similarly widened, spotting the little girl. Briefly looking around, Jule approached and bent down. "Hey you," she said, "Don't tell anyone what you saw, okay?"

The little girl slowly nodded, her eyes staring straight into Jule's.

"Good!" Perking up, Jule waved goodbye to the little girl, skipping down the road.

As Jule disappeared into the distance, the little girl moved her petite legs, hurdling over the deep snow. Running up to a nearby home, she was barely tall enough to turn the door handle, escaping the cold winter air.

Carefully closing the door behind her, the little girl turned to find her big brother eating at the table. Stumbling up to him, partially tripping over the scarf falling off her heavily clothed body, she jumped up and down and poked her brother's arm.

Her brother lazily glanced at her, a spoonful of fruit entering his mouth.

"Bwig budder! Gwuess what I swaw?"