“Gravitas and I…fufu, we’re a couple of old souls, we are. Machines, exoskeletons, powered suits…weak, the lot of them. Weak are the ones who rely on such bores to gain strength. We refused to get into those unsightly things, much to raven boy’s dismay, but why would we need to? True power lies naught in these soulless contraptions of steel, but in the will. Where’s the fun in sundering flesh and bathing in blood if your mind is too inebriated to enjoy it? Tsk tsk, Xeros will never understand such joy, but I care naught about his dullness as long as he continues to submerge this world in war. I want to feel pain, to inflict fear, and to bask in the glory of conflict for all of eternity.”
Libevich, Commander of Nox Caelum
———
Libevich
High above the city of Caligos Imperium, free of the smog and pollution, lies the Hyperion district. Flora lines the cobblestone-paved streets, buildings of blackened steel rise into the sky, and the entire district is filled with luxurious boutiques and services reserved only for the upper echelon of Xeros’s talents.
It is here—hidden away in a small, private garden far from prying eyes—that a lone woman sits surrounded by a field of flowers. Contrary to the beauty and innocence around her, the woman can only be described as menacing. Her body swells with power—muscles bursting forth and gleaming with an ominous sheen—while her veins jut out and travel from her neck and all throughout her arms, leading to her bulky hands which could pulverize stone in an instant locked within her grip.
Black hair flows down from the top, but two grey patches on the side rise into the air, as if two horns are adorned on her head. A midnight black robe veils the entirety of her body, but unlike the soldiers or commanders that make up the army, she chooses to forsake armor. Instead, she dons a black coat lined with hues of silver and wears sturdy boots instead of grieves.
It is a beautiful day outside, but the woman only feels one thing in response to the beauty and serenity around her.
Boredom.
“Haaaaah…” she sighs. “I’m going to strangle old raven boy’s neck once he returns.”
The woman throws her head back and looks up at the cloudless sky above. It’s bright blue and filled with color, but her grey eyes remain devoid of emotion at the sight—no light, no soul, but perhaps a twinge of budding insanity.
“How pretty,” she mutters sarcastically. “Beautiful flowers, elegant architecture, and even the roads have this odd sheen to them…what a disgusting sight. It’s utterly revolting. I’m going to be driven mad if I have to reside in Xeros’s ‘paradise’ any longer.”
She rocks back and forth in her seat, as if she’s a newborn babe throwing a fit, and whispers dark mutterings to herself. “Oh Lorelai—my dear, sweet Lorelai—why did you abandon me? Did those days of us so passionately locked in combat mean nothing to you? Your blade slicing into my flesh, my fist crushing into your chest…our lives were perfect. Our song of blood and fury should have echoed for all of eternity, but you tossed me aside. You chose to embrace a warrior’s death with Gravitas…instead of me.”
The woman curls up into a ball and lets loose a despairing cry. The sound echoes across the city, causing the ground to rumble beneath her, and she breaks into tears, pathetically sobbing into her hands as she mourns those oh so glorious days, now forever constrained to a memory.
“And you too, Gravitas!” she croaks. “I believed us to be kindred souls, both ever so devoted to the purity of battle, but to think you’d so selfishly take what belongs to me. Why didn’t the two of you take this old woman with you? I-I…”
A handkerchief is awkwardly offered to her by her attendant, assigned to watch over her whilst she remains in the capital. “Um, please take this madam Libevich.”
Libevich takes it and loudly blows her nose into the cloth, a rather vulgar display for one who carries the mantle of Commander, but nothing good comes to those who dare to commentate on her behavior. Her past attendants can attest to that, or they would if they still walked amongst living.
“Oh, how dearly kind of you,” she says. “I was just about to wring your neck and soak myself in your blood to calm this aching heart of mine, but I’m glad I chose not to.”
“I-I, um…pleasure to be of service?” the attendant thanks.
Libevich lets out a hearty laugh and smacks him in the back, sending the attendant crashing loudly onto the ground. “Oh, lighten up boy. I’m just messing with you. No, I would need many, many more bodies to tear apart if I truly was in the mood.”
“H-Hahah, quite a humorous joke madam,” he stutters, body still shaking from the impact as he rises back up.
“Indeed, but you really must work on your body, boy. To think such a light tap from an old woman like me would send you reeling so easily…back in my day, you soldiers were made of sterner stuff, but those ugly machines you now wear make you weak both in body and spirit. Xeros is such a fool, but that little raven boy never did have a warrior’s spirit. No, he’s cunning and cautious—just like a rat.”
The attendant recoils at her words, such a statement would usually lead to one’s execution if heard aloud.
“U-Um, I don’t think you should say such words out in the open madam.”
“Fufu, nevermind that, boy. I’ve known Xeros ever since he was but a young child. He can do nothing to me, although it would be a bit interesting to see him try. At the very least, I’d have an excuse to punish him for sending me to deal with those boring Augurium magi.”
She sighs and absentmindedly fiddles with a nearby rock. “If you get close, they scamper off like cowards. If you back away, they pelter you with sorceries from afar. Back and forth and back and forth…oh Stars help me, I’m becoming enraged just at the memory. Those fickle, little bastards…”
She pulverizes the rock and watches the dust fall ever so gently onto the ground. “Do you see what Xeros has reduced me to, boy? Look at how pathetic this old woman is, crushing stones instead of skulls. I am a warrior, a slaughterer, but here I am—stuck here waiting for raven boy to come back as if I’m some mutt waiting for its master. Maybe I really should punish Xeros. Yes, I’ll give him a spanking; it’ll be like the good ol’ days.”
“…Well, you won’t have to wait for long,” the attendant says, giving up on understanding the woman before him. “The Grand General should be arriving tomorrow.”
“Oya? Finally, some good news,” she chuckles. “Now all we need is that little loner Nokron to make an appearance.”
Libevich jumps up with the vigor of a woman half her age. “Oh, I’m so excited to see Luxanne again! It’s been quite some time since I’ve seen her. I don’t know why that darling girl tends to avoid me; I’m her godmother you see, but she treats me like I’m some kind of stranger. I held that girl when she was still in diapers and yet she refuses to even look me in the eye! Rebellious phases are fearsome indeed.”
“Commander Luxanne…is thirty-three.”
“Bah, thirteen, thirty-three, it’s all the same to someone of my age. Everyone is but a young chick before my eyes; that includes you boy.”
“I see. Pray forgive my ignorance.”
“Oh come on deary, there’s nothing to forgive. Although, I do need someone to help me with a bit of shopping.”
“S-Shopping, madam?”
“Why, for Luxanne’s gift of course! There’s nothing that opens up a young girl’s heart more than a thoughtful gift. You are part of her division, are you not? Surely you have some idea of what would make her happy.”
The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
“Um, I’m not exactly sure madam. Commander Luxanne tends to keep to herself so we rarely see her except for when she comes to aid in our training.”
“Is that so? I see…”
Libevich’s face becomes downcast, lips pouting and eyes stuck to the ground. She looks like a sad, lost puppy, which invokes a rather awkward sight given her frame and figure, but the attendant finds himself feeling guilty nonetheless.
“…But, I may have a clue,” he says. Libevich instantly perks up at his words. “I have heard—and these are rumors mind you—that Commander Luxanne is rather fond of necklaces, though I personally have never seen her wear one.”
“Necklaces you say?” Libevich rubs her chin thoughtfully for a moment. “Ah, that must be because of her mother. Luxmi always was fond of spoiling her daughter; she would always hand-make a necklace for Luxanne every year on her birthday without fail. They were quite ugly to be honest, but a mother’s love shines more brilliantly than any gemstone.”
Her face darkens, eyes glazed as she recalls some rather personal memories. “Ah, she was a great mother. A shame how it turned it out in the end, a real shame indeed.”
“Ah yes, I heard the whole nation mourned the day the sickness took hold of her.”
“Oh, is that what they tell you?”
“Pardon?”
“Ah, nevermind that. Just think of it as the rambling of an old woman.”
“Ok…”
Libevich suddenly grabs him by the scruff of his neck and hoists him into the air.
“U-Uh, madam!?” he cries out.
“Don’t worry, I’m just taking you for a little ride to the luxury shops. It’ll take much too long for those scrawny legs of yours to catch up with me; we’ll be taking a little shortcut.”
Libevich leaps into the air with the attendee in hand, the poor soul screaming in fear all the while. Where she once stood now lies a small crater, and soon another will be created directly in the middle of the busy square.
“M-M-Madam Libevich!” the attendant shrieks. “T-The district square is filled with precious officials! If you land now, then they’ll-”
“Bah, they’ll be fine. A little shock or two will do those spoiled brats some good.”
“Spoiled!? Madam, they are the future of this nation! Prized engineers, decorated soldiers, chemists, magi, officers…every single resident here has clawed their way to this position by proving themselves above all others through skill and effort!”
“Fufu, I already know that boy. I just don’t care.”
Libevich slams directly into the populated square, upheaving the earth around her and sending every single innocent bystander in the area flying into the air. A massive shockwave booms throughout the city, and the bodies of the so-called treasured elite of the nation crash straight into the surrounding buildings. All sound is drowned out within the cacophony of screams—the streets littered with the bloodied and the bruised—and Libevich can even spot some poor saps impaled by some broken-off rubble to the side. The whole district descends into chaos as soldiers rush to aid the injured while the woman in question who caused the brutal scenery to unfold looks on with indifferent apathy.
“Tsk tsk, how utterly pathetic,” she says. “Look very carefully boy, these ‘precious’ officials are but mere lumps of meat when confronted with true power.”
The attendants face pales, body shivering with fear and terror upon seeing the newly-born hellscape before him.
Libevich sets him onto the ground and casually walks past the writhing mound of figures around her. “Skill? Effort? How deluded. The only thing that matters in this world is strength. No amount of proficiency in such menial occupations will save them when met with the threat of death. All that effort spent “crawling” as you say, gone in an instant because of their weakness.
The attendant stumbles behind her in a haze, body and mind still recovering from their impact. “Weak…they are weak.”
“Yes, boy! That’s right! It’s because they are weak! Very good!” She pats him, a bit more gently now, on the back. “Take yourself, as an example of what one should strive for. You…could be a little bit better to be honest, but you are a far cry from the common rabble and garbage I see plaguing the military.”
“I-I owe it all to Commander Luxanne. Without her strict guidance, I would not be here.”
“Fufu, as expected of my darling girl! One day she’ll surpass even me, mark my words.”
Libevich suddenly gasps and taps her head in a playful manner. Even though everyone ages eventually, she does her best to remain as spirited as her youthful days. The body may become old, but that doesn’t mean the spirit has to. “Oya, I almost forgot about her gift. Unfortunately, this little lesson of ours will end here, but do make sure to remember my words boy.”
“…Of course, madam.”
“Now, let us find a fitting necklace for my girl!”
“That may be a bit difficult now what with all of the commotion.”
“Nonsense, boy! If I want something, I will get it.”
Libevich looks around and spots a quaint little shop nearby. The windows have shattered and the jewelry is strewn about on the floor, but the workers inside appear to be conscious at the very least.
“Ah hah! There it is.”
She strolls into the store and lifts the dazed clerk onto their feet. It‘s a bit annoying that they’re still reeling from the impact, but Libevich is in a good mood so she doesn’t mind waiting for a bit.
“W-What? What just happened…” they finally manage to mutter.
“Finally conscious are you? Good, I need to find a necklace for my darling girl’s return. What do you recommend?”
“Necklace? O-Oh, a customer. Um, I’m really sorry, but after…whatever that was, we’re not really in-”
“I will not repeat myself.”
The clerk immediately snaps into attention. Libevich’s tends to have that effect on people; it’s quite useful.
“I-I see. Well, um, our products are currently on the floor right now, so if you could just give me a moment to pick them all up…”
Libevich sighs and waves them off. “Bah, no need. I don’t have the time for that; I’ll just pick whatever looks best.”
“O-Ok.”
She glares at the dirtied pieces of jewelry on the floor. What would look good on a necklace?
“Hmm, I don’t really have the eye for this sort of thing,” she says. “Boy, how about you pick for me?”
“Hm? Oh, um alright,” the attendant says. “How about…this one? It’s the same color as her armor.”
He picks up a silver rim necklace with a shining white pearl laden in the middle. There’s a bit of dirt and debris still stuck on it, but no matter. It’s the thought that counts.
“Fufu, you have good taste boy.” She beams. “Alright, we’ve got what we came for. Let’s go back.”
“Um, what about payment ma’am?” the clerk says meekly.
“Oh, just put it under Xeros’s name. Old raven boy will take care of it.”
“The Grand General!? O-Ok then.”
Libevich strolls out of the shop, humming a small little tune as she steps out into the ruined city. Although she still craves for the sanctity of battle, the screams of the despairing masses are enough to soothe her violence-deprived soul for now.
“Alright boy, hop on,” she commands.
“…Madam, I think we should return on foot this time around.”
“Hmm, alright then. I suppose it wouldn’t do to put more work on Xeros. I’ll be considerate just this once.”
The attendant lets out a loud sigh of relief and follows her out as they exit the area.
By the time they arrive at Libevich’s current residence, the sun has started to set. It has been quite a fruitful day for her, but now all she wants to do is take a nice, long nap. Sleep is quite important after all, especially for old souls like her who suffer from the aches of age.
“Ah, I’d like to ask one last thing of you boy,” she says, turning around to bid goodbye to the attendant.
“Of course, madam.”
“What do you think Luxanne treasures the most? And I don’t mean just material goods, there must be something that will help me better connect with her.”
“…I don’t think this is quite what you’re looking for, but Commander Luxanne always tells us during training that we should always cherish ourselves first and foremost. This may be a bit presumptuous of me, but I’d like to think she cares about us even if we are only common soldiers. She’s kind, so I would say she treasures people the most.”
“People? Hmm, I suppose that’s simple enough.”
She taps her foot on the floor and starts to think. People…people…ah, perhaps this could work!
“Boy, you have just given me the most marvelous idea!”
“I’m happy to be of service.”
“That’s good. I’m sure she’d be delighted to have you as one of her people, forever.”
“Pardon? What does that-”
Without a word, she crushes the attendant's throat. He isn’t even able to mutter a word in surprise. No, all the man can do is squirm on the ground as he desperately struggles for air, but…well, that’d be quite difficult since all that remains of his windpipe is a fleshy clump. It’s a rather painful death—and Libevich could make it quick by striking his brain—but perhaps not. Pain builds character, or so she believes.
It takes quite a while, and Libevich is pretty impressed at his long struggle, but he eventually dies. She feels a bit guilty over not giving him a warrior’s death, but he wouldn’t have been able to do a thing to her even if she allowed him to resist. Such an honor is only given to the strong.
“Don’t worry my boy,” she says, plucking his eyes out. “You will make quite the dashing necklace.”
Libevich can’t wait to present the gifts to her. Two necklaces might be a bit odd, but who would complain over double the amount of gifts? Surely, this will allow the two of them to finally connect.
Today has been a good day.