Chapter 19: Claiming a zone

“Looks like I have a visitor.”(Descrucis)

Turning around I walk towards the staircase at the other side of the hallway. As I pass Tomo’s room I pull her weapon out of my shadow and lean it against her door. Walking down the stairs, I reach the bottom floor and watch as the front door bursts open in a ball of smoke and crows. Behind my destroyed door is a tall shadowy figure with red eyes. He stands close to 6 and a half feet tall with a white trident in his right hand that is slightly taller than he is and a black, one handed battle axe in his left. The axe is only about 4 ft. long. Stepping through the doorway, all the crows fly chaotically and start destroying the main foyer of my castle while he yells at the top of his lungs.

‘Yelling’ “Descrucis! Come out and face me you Bastard!!!!”(King of Crows)

Looking at him from the stairs, I couldn’t help but yell back while walking towards him at a slow but steady pace.

‘Yelling’ “What the hell Crow?! You don’t see me going into your house and destroying your shit!”(Descrucis)

“Fucker! You blew up west zone! I know because as I was flying over west zone I saw your message and the arrows pointing towards your house!”(King of Crows)

“Firstly, I didn’t blow it up. Secondly, that message and arrows pointing towards my house was a coincidence and by no means on purpose. Lastly, west zone doesn’t belong to you so I maintain the moral high ground.”(Descrucis)

“Aaaaaaaaaaaahhh!”(Pissed off bird man)

Screaming in rage, Crow flew at me in a whirlwind of crows and steel. Summoning a tower shield to block of his attack. ‘Clang’ ‘Clang’ ‘Clang’ ‘Clang’ ‘Clang’ ‘Clang’ I take a step back as all the crows fly towards it and start nailing themselves into the shield. The dozen or so that flew around it reformed into the King of Crows a dozen or so feet behind me. Looking towards his shadowy figure I could see him bleeding through his eyes and mouth.

“Is that all you got? I figured you would be a lot tougher considering how hard it was for me to kill you the first time.”(Diuscrucis)

‘Breathing heavily’ “What the hell is that shield made out of?!”(King of Crows)

“You know… Metal, glue, and bird poison.”Diuscrucis)

‘Pissed off glare’ “I’ll fucking murder you.”(King of Crows)

‘Snap’ Snapping my fingers, I desummon the shield and a few dozen crows fall to the floor.

‘Smug grin’ “So what do I owe the unexpected pleasure of your visit?... King.”(Diuscrucis)

“I am here for all my fallen comrades who have now been sent to prison. I am also here to reclaim my daughter.”(King of crows)

{Reclaim?}(Lulu)

“When did Lulu become your possession and stopped being your daughter?”(Diuscrucis)

“She has always belonged to me. I am her father. You are the one who stole her from me. You even cheated in order to win our first fight.”(King of Crows)

‘Laugh’ “Cheated?! I didn’t cheat. At no point did we say our fight was one on one and besides, It’s your fault for letting my sister cut your head off. Also, you have no right to complain. I’ve taken very good care of your daughter. She is almost always happy.”(Diuscrucis)

“I don’t care what you say. I am going to take back what's mine and I will make her recognize me as her master. Also, Lulu? That’s a terrible name.”(What kind of father figure is this?)

{Dad.}(Lulu)

{Ya Lulu?}(Diuscrucis)

{Can I kill this fucker?}(Lulu)

{.....Sure you can. Just try not to destroy most of the house. I would also much prefer you keep this fight outside the house. Tomo would be pissed if this fight causes her to mess up her evolution.}(Diuscrucis)

{I will do my best. Thanks Dad.}(Lulu)

{You’re welcome and good luck.}(Diuscrucis)

Looking at Crow for a few seconds, I smile and start to shapeshift. Changing back into my 6 and a half ft. tall, velvet eyed, tanned skinned self. I got rid of my wings, tail, and scales. Fixing my partially destroyed tuxedo, I turn to start walking towards the door. As I do, Crow starts yelling at me while he readies his weapons for another attack.

“Where the fuck do you think your going?!”(King of Crows)

“I am going to do something more productive with my time than spend it dealing with a guy who has a grudge against me. Don’t worry though. I know someone who will be more than willing to keep you company.”(Diuscrucis)

Raising my hand into the air, I start creating large ball of light and darkness. The ball is a good 9 meters in diameter. The light and darkness effect is similar to a disco ball but it is only 2 colors instead of the usual 30 or so. ‘Vooooom’ ‘Sinister female laughter’ ‘Booom’ ‘KRrraaa!’ Shortly after creating the ball, I start shrinking it until it is the size of a marble. As I do, Lulu starts laughing sinisterly. After shrinking the ball, I force it to explode in a flash of white and black light. After spreading her wings as wide as she could, Lulu made a mighty Kraa sound and landed between me and Crow. Lulu currently looks like a nine ft. tall raven with a wingspan of about 12 feet. Beyond that she looks like a regular raven besides the fact that the top half of her beak and head are featherless and made of darkened gray steel. She also has heavy black smoke coming out of her empty eye sockets. Lulu used to take a much smaller version of this form when she was younger and I had to watch over her 24/7 or my sister would start giving her weird ideas. Ahhh. Good times.

“Have fun Lulu and please try not to destroy the house.”(Diuscrucis)

“................”(The bird people)

After sparring those two one last glance I teleport to Heartfallen’s tavern after passing the pile of dead crows. Showing up right in front of the door I casually walk in and look around the busy tavern. Besides the few people who seem to have run in here while yelling about the end of the realm, everything seems to be business as usual. Looking around the tavern for a few seconds I spot Heartfallen and motion her over to me. While she heads my way I start walking towards the ‘employee only’ section of the building. After a few moments, Heartfallen reaches me and is saying profanities under her breath.

“Any reason you decided to blow up west zone today of all days?”(Heartfallen)

“To commemorate your grand opening!”(Diuscrucis)

“Dick move Reaper. Dick move.”(Heartfallen)

“So. Are you ready to take over west zone or would you like me to make another more violent display for your rise to power? I think tanks, fighter jets, and oversized bombs on all the military bases would make some nice fireworks.”(Diuscrucis)

‘Slight grin’ “I’m ready. Head to the basement and I will be right behind you with my speech paper in hand.”(Heartfallen)

Nodding once I start walking down the hall and open a metal sliding gate. Walking into the elevator I look towards the side and see a lever on the wall. Pulling the gate close, I turn the handle on the lever and push it into the wall. After a few moments, the elevator started going down.

“... I miss having someone to talk to….”(Diuscrucis)

When I reached the basement, The lever popped back out of the wall and I open the gate. Walking into the pitch black room. I move my hand along the left wall and flip the light switch. The room was then flooded in dim cyan light. Looking around the 9x9 square foot room, I smile while examining my work. After a three months of work, I built this room to have everything it should ever need to act as a communication/command center. Beyond all the tech surrounding the walls, Computers lining rows of monsters, several large mana screen tv’s hanging on the opposite wall, and the snack bar in the far right corner. There is also a 2 and a half meter wide disk in the center of the room that displays 3-D models of things and when a person stands on it then it sends signals that display them to other people. This room can easily be my most advanced non-lethal creation to date. Glancing at the elevator, I see it start to move up. After a few moments, Heartfallen comes out of the elevator while speed reading her paper.

Stolen story; please report.

“Wait. Before you get on the central disk, put on these clothes.”(Diuscrucis)

“Why?”(Heartfallen)

“Because you won't be able to convince anyone that you are taking control of west zone if you are wearing a maid outfit. Now choose. Red or black?”(Diuscrucis)

“What’s the difference?”(Heartfallen)

“Red is a dress. Black is a suit.”(Diuscrucis)

“I’ll take red.”(Heartfallen)

Pulling a blood red dress from under a table, I hand it to her and she starts giving me a front row seat to a strip show. After striping down to her underwear, she folds up her maid uniform and puts on the red dress. The dress has one thin strap for each shoulder and the hem of the dress goes all the way down to the floor. The dress was tailored to give her a more attractive visual appeal and complement her small breasts while showing some cleavage. Walking up to her I start applying some red lipstick to match her dress and some eyeliner for a sharper look.

“What is with you today? We never did stuff like this during practice.”(Heartfallen)

“Practice is practice. This is the real thing. If what we do now doesn’t look impressive, powerful, and concise. No one is going to believe it. Now tell me. How infamous was your father?”(Diuscrucis)

“I can confidently say that most if not all of west zone knows about him.”(Heartfallen.)

“Good. The fact that the only rumors i’ve heard of him were about him going into hiding means that no one knows that he is currently in prison. We can use that. Spectral illusion.”(Diuscrucis)

Using magic to create a battered and broken version of Heartfallen’s dad, I summon a sword and impale him in the chest and onto the central disk. Turning his head to the side so his face will show up on screen, I walk back to Heartfallen.

“Here are some final reminders before the big show. Firstly, I know you are ambidextrous. However, you must always keep one hand on the sword at all times. Once you move one hand off the sword, that is the only hand you can move on and off the sword. Switching hands mid way through or letting go with both hands wont look good. You must look confident. You must keep your focus and always look straight ahead. You must also never use the word umm. Ever. Don’t stutter and above all. Don’t bite your tongue this time.”(Diuscrucis)

“I won’t. Don’t worry. I can do this. ‘Deep inhale’ It’s time for me to straighten out this corrupted zone once and for all.”(Heartfallen)

‘Sigh’ “Good. Then I’m ready to go when you are.”(Diuscrucis)

“Give me a minute.”(Heartfallen)

Oh for fucks sake! What happened to your vote of confidence and that declaration? After pacing around in circles for a few minutes, Heartfallen drops her paper and walks into the central disk. While she was preparing herself I walk to a computer and boot it up. I then hacked into every single electronic and or magical device in west zone. After some more preparations I look up from the screen and see Heartfallen give me a solid nod and grabbing the sword in front of her..

“Ok Heartfallen. Don’t choke. We only have one solid shot at this to not look like fools. So just think of this like practice. I’m sure you will do fine. ‘Whispers’ Probably. ‘regular voice’ Good luck.”(Diuscrucis )

Saying that I move my hand across the keyboard and start the event. Activating the zone wide hack, all the monitors spring to life and show the gray static on screen. Taking a more comfortable stance, I put on a headset and push a few more keys. What pops up on the screens not in use by me is a black W in the center of a bright red background. The phrase “This is a special announcement.” has been repeating itself since the flag of west zone popped up. Turning some dials to my left, I press a few more keys and then give Heartfallen the ‘Go ahead’ sign with my hands. After she takes a deep breath, I start the broadcast. After a moment, Heartfallen shows up on all the screens and she is standing in front of a burning flag while looking like she just finished killing her father. After waiting a moment or two to let what was on the screen sink in, she starts to talk.

“Good evening the people of west zone. My name is Teresamolina Xiexieatelipolis Heartfallen and I am not going to sugarcoat this. I am taking over west zone. The explosions that have just taken place were the result of my men wiping out most if not all criminal networks in west zone. But that is only the beginning. Starting at dawn, all security in west zone is going to increase. All large scale criminal acts are going to be wiped out and this zone will be under new laws and management. No crime will go unpunished and no good deed will go unrewarded. To those who defy my rule. Only pain and suffering awaits. For those who who are willing to comply. A new era of peace and prosperity awaits you. The choice is up to all of you. You have until dawn to decide.”(Heartfallen) ‘Don!’

As she finished speaking, I activated a sound effect and cancelled the zone wide hack. When I did, all the screens in the room shut down. Smiling, I walk to the fridge at the corner of the room and bring out two beers.

“That was a great performance Heartfallen. It was a bit more tyrannical than I thought you would use though.”(Diuscrucis)

‘Taking a beer from my hand’ ‘Smile’ “I had the best teacher after all. While I was saying my lines. I just had to bring out my inner you.”(Heartfallen)

“Am I really that tyrannical?”(Diuscrucis)

‘Smirk’ “Do you really want me to answer that?”(Heartfallen) ‘Slirp’

“....Not really..”(Diuscrucis) ‘Slirp’

Finishing our beers I watch as Heartfallen changes back into her maid outfit. When she was finished, she took a chair and started to relax.

“So it seems that the city guards are going to be working overtime and I am going to be crushing riots for the next few weeks. I hope you are prepared for all the paperwork and politics you are going to have to deal with.”(Diuscrucis)

“Don’t worry. I know what I am getting myself into. But thanks for your concern. So what are you going to do until dawn?”(Heartfallen)

“Well you are dating Bouncer and I respect the guy enough to not take you from him so, I’m just going to head home. Maybe take a nap.”(Diuscrucis)

“Oh My Gods! General kindness! I didn’t know you were capable of such things!”(Heartfallen)

“Ya ya. Keep talking. Know that I still have the video of Bouncer fucking you hard inside the male’s restroom and I can easily release it to the public.”(Diuscrucis)

‘Look of horror’ “Why!? What?! No!!!”(Heartfallen)

“That’s what I thought. See you around Heartfallen.”(Diuscrucis)

“....Bye.”(Heatfalllen)

Waving goodbye, I teleport back to my castle. As I arrive I hear talking outside my completely wrecked foyer and started walking towards it. As I walk past the destroyed wall, I gaze upon my ruined lawn that now looks like mines went off everywhere. Heading towards the front gate I see Lulu about to breath a turret of fire and the King of Crows was kneeling on the ground. Both his weapons were gone and he was coughing up mouthfuls of blood. As Lulu shot out her fire, Crow exploded into a cloud of crows and tried to escape. The fire went through him and I ended up seeing only one crow fly away. As it flew further away, Lulu got ready to fly after him when I called out to her.

“Stop Lulu! I’ll finish him off.”(Diuscrucis)

“Ok Dad.”(Lulu)

Saying that, Lulu turned into black light and flew into my chest. Looking at Crow fly away, I summoned a spear and threw it at him.

“Poisonous shock. Paralysis. Explosion.”(Diuscrucis)

Enhancing the spear, it hits Crow and explodes. When I see the explosion, I turn towards the pile of burnt crows and destroyed them with ice magic.

{Looks like the king is no more. Since the guards are sweeping the zone, They will find and arrest him in no time. So how was your fight Lulu?}(Diuscrucis)

{I caused more damage to the house than I wanted to. I’m sorry Dad.}(Lulu)

{It’s alright. I knew collateral damage was unavoidable.}(Diuscrucis)

Telling her that, I start walking back to the house. While I’m walking, my phone starts to ring. ‘I shake my head left and right!’ ‘I shake my head left and right!’ ‘I shake my head left and right!’ ‘I shake my head left and right!’ Taking my phone out of my pocket, I answer it without even looking at my screen.

“What do you want sis?”(Diuscrucis)

‘Deep breath’ “Diuscrucis. I have some bad news.”(Samantha)

“Samantha? Why are you calling me with Suzi’s phone? What happened?”(Duscrucis)

‘Deep breath’ “........... Suzi is in critical condition.”(Samantha)