“I can’t say I agree with your decision.” General Mattison puffed on his cigar before continuing, “But it sounds like there is nothing I can do to change your mind.”
Xenia leaned her back against the wall as they stood on the battlements of the citadel wall, “No. There isn’t.”
Mattison put his hands on the ledge and looked down at the army under his command marching out of the citadel gates.
Xenia crossed her arms, “Don’t look so distraught General. This is just a pause in an otherwise very long war. I can’t very well have you all here while Jacek and I are destroying buildings unintentionally.”
Mattison shot her a distasteful look, “Yes, accidentally killing your men while using our major inland base as a breeding ground does sound absurd. Doesn’t it?”
She gave a mix between a scoff and a laugh, “That isn’t the only reason I am ordering the entire armed forces back to the Holy Light Empire. Whatever is brewing here between me and Jarek will likely end in battle.”
Mattison nodded, “Yes, and if you win then I am rewarded with power and riches as me and my men plunder the United States.”
She raised her eyebrows pleased with his understanding, “Exactly General!”
He looked back down to his soldiers marching on, “That part sounds fine. It is the what if you lose scenario that worries me.”
“It shouldn’t worry you.” She leaned forward taking a step to look over the battlement ledge alongside Mattison, “Jarek and the allied force leaders know the terrors I am capable of. Just tell them you were forced, you were bloodbent, to do all the things I ordered you to do.”
He shook his head, “I fear it won’t be that sample. This is a sequela of the Great War so long ago. This time, if they are to win, they will rip out any and all roots to prevent it from happening again.”
She turned to look at him, and he met her gaze, “You think very highly of yourself General. You, a root? I am afraid to inform you that the root of this war is my family. Specifically, me and my mother. Once we are ripped from this Earth, the Allied Force leaders will breathe a collective sigh.”
She then laughed to herself, “Were it so easy. They are going to have their hands full with me and my mom.”
Mattison leaned up from the ledge, “Indeed. Were it so easy.”
Xenia stood to face him as he continued, “I will await your orders then at the Holy Light Empire capital city. If you need us in the meantime, just give the order.”
She nodded, “Thank you Mattison. I should tell you… you are one of two men I hold in very high respects now. The first is Nero for obvious reasons. However, different from Nero, you are not individually powerful but powerful by influence. I daresay I have learned a great deal from watching your command here at the BloodStar Citadel. For that, I thank you.”
Mattison smiled, “Strong leadership commands the hopes and spirits of those who follow. An invincible strength, an overwhelming force. Undoubtedly a hard concept to grasp and even harder lesson to learn if one is, like you, the strongest individual on the planet.”
“You flatter me Mattison.” She looked off to the makeshift command tent housing Jarek, “The strongest person on the planet is yet to be decided. But we will know soon enough.”
As Mattison and Xenia exchanged words above on the battlements, a stealthy presence snaked through the exodus of soldiers making his way countercurrent to the flow out of the citadel.
His movements were hardly perceptible from both afar and close. He eyed Mattison and Xenia above as he slipped through the citadel gates undetected wearing an all-black uniform with a silver case secured to his back.
The man continued to move gracefully and largely unnoticed except for occasional stray glances. He thought to himself, “The layout of the inside appears to be true to Master Heraklinos’s map. Jacek should be housed over there.”
He moved swiftly to a building across the citadel courtyard using shadows as allowed to mask his movements until he arrived at the building and slipped in the front door as no guards were on duty to stop him.
He found himself within a nicer than expected atrium with a functional fountain and a long hallway located on the other end of the atrium.
He cautiously moved with purpose making good time to his destination until finally he came to a door. He opened the door and made his way into a living quarter. He entered and surveyed the seemingly pristine room with nothing out of place.
He continued to move quietly and within shadows as permitted as he searched the room, living room, bedroom, and bathroom for Jacek. However, upon perusing the entire premise, he found no one.
He laid the case on the bed and began to scribble a note; however, just as he began to write, a voice came from the darkness, “I thought I felt a hidden presence, so I hid myself as well.”
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
Jacek stepped out of the shadows with a smile, “Jocko. Why didn’t you just say you were coming to visit.”
Jocko jumped at the words of Jacek as he stepped out of the shadows, “Lord Heraklinos! It seems your stealth abilities have surpassed my own. War has made you into a true heir.” He bowed his head to Jacek.
“Quickly. Explain why you are here. Xenia isn’t kind to trespassers. She is hardly kind to anyone.” Jacek stepped around to the side of the bed with Jocko and looked down at the case.
Jocko pointed to the case, “This. This is why I am here.” He unlatched and flipped the case open revealing a long silver spear engraved with Heraklinos symbols along the shaft.
Jacek frowned, “It… feels different. What is it?”
Jocko picked it up and handed the spear to Jacek, “It is a spear… made entirely of void material from stolen void daggers at the BloodStar Castle. Jarek has sent it to you to wield. He believes your expertise with the spear along with your good will with Xenia will create an opening to finally kill her.”
Jacek took the spear and ran his hand along it appreciating its power and beauty, “Indeed. My father is right to think as much. I have earned her trust.”
He then looked upon the spear silently thinking, “And she has also earned my admiration in part. She is not a simple woman.”
Jacek turned to Jocko, “Tell Jarek I will use it when appropriate. Allow me to strike first. I will find an opportunity.”
Jocko nodded, and Jacek said, “Now flee! Your life is in danger every second longer you are here. Xenia, if motivated, could already know you are here.
Jocko nodded and slipped back into the darkness making his way out of the room. Jacek took the spear and re-placed it into the silver case before slipping it away under the bed. He sat on the bed and put his head into his hands, “Duty Jacek. Duty to the people of this world comes first.”
Meanwhile, Xenia had dismissed Mattison and made her way across the courtyard to the building housing Jacek. She opened the front door and walked across the fountain in the atrium. She was deep in thought about her decision to send away her army to protect them from both herself and Jarek.
She quietly murmured, “One could argue the only reason I won in battle against Karasu and Jacek is that I had his soldiers to bloodbend and form a powerful BloodStar. But of course, I only needed to do that because of Erika’s ki stones. But also, she is likely to have outfitted every powerful warrior in their army with additional ki stones.”
Xenia was deep in thought pertaining to strategy as she so often was; however, as she entered the hallway leading to Jacek’s room she came to an abrupt stop. She looked around and frowned. No one was visible to the naked eye no matter how hard she looked, but she had a feeling she couldn’t ignore.
She activated her ki to sense any hidden enemies. She scanned the entire building noting Jacek in his room. However, to her genuine surprise, she found another person… only feet from where she stood.
She turned to a dark shadow and said, “Whoever you are. You have my praise. I haven’t seen a stealth technique so powerful in a very long time. Come out now. Or I will kill you without question.”
Jocko felt a bead of sweat drip down his face as he thought, “But how?! Fucking how!!? She is a monster. To detect me when I have committed every ounce of ki to stealth is impossible! What do I do? I have no choice.”
Jocko stepped forward out of the shadows and looked at Xenia without a word.
Xenia smiled at him, “You certainly aren’t one of my soldiers. I would know of such a talent. You must be with Jarek and the other Allied Forces leaders.”
Jocko shook his head, “No. I have no affiliation.”
She walked towards him and began to walk circles around him with a huge smile on her face as if she had just stumbled upon a new toy, “You aren’t mine. You aren’t Jarek’s. You’re nobody’s.”
Jocko stood still as a stone completely petrified by fear, “Correct.”
Xenia came full circle after pacing around several times and stopped directly in front of him, “Then I think I know exactly what to do with you.”
Jocko immediately told his body to run across the atrium, to hide in the shadows, and never look back at the monster before him. However… although he told his body to flee, he couldn’t move a single inch.
He stood motionless until he took a step forward in the direction opposite he intended. He began to panic, “She’s a monster! I’ve heard stories of her power, but this is insane! She completely controls me!”
It wasn’t long before Xenia had marched him right into her new bedroom, “Jacek and I had a little too much fun and destroyed my old bedroom. Would you like to help me christen my new one?”
She shot him a devilish smile and clung to his side kissing his cheek, “Don’t worry. I will make it much quicker than most. So quick in fact. You should consider yourself lucky.”
She threw a long rope over a beam above and quickly fastened a noose around Jocko’s neck. She pulled it tighter and tighter around his throat with her hands and began to kiss him on the lips before saying, “Torture is fun but every once in a while, I like to watch the soul die deep within the eyes of a person.”
Xenia walked behind Jocko and began to pull the rope hoisting him off the ground. She then tied the rope down to a wooden beam along the floor and took a seat directly across from him in a luxurious arm chair.
She crossed her legs and put her arms flat on the arm rests and looked up at him, “Oh come on, struggle for me! Give me something to enjoy!”
Jocko hanged in the air with a calm face, closed eyes, and focused mind as he preserved his breath for as long as he could as he hanged by his neck.
Xenia gripped the arm rests and scoffed, “Fine! Let’s see who can wait the longest. Dessert is always sweeter with anticipation!”
She sat for five minutes watching him as her excitement grew slowly and steadily knowing that at any moment, he would finally give in. She began to breathe heavily as just thinking about it turned her on.
Then finally, with a loud gasp, Jocko couldn’t help but to give her what she sought. He let out a loud gasp as his breath ran out and the noose felt tighter and tighter as his weight exacerbated the pull against his neck.
Xenia began to moan with an open-faced smile as she watched him begin to struggle. His eyes finally opened revealing a wide-eyed and red sclera which she looked deeply into. She gazed into his eyes and watched them every moment as they began to fade.
She yelled, “That’s it! Fade for me! Here comes my rush!” Xenia was pleasantly surprised to find that Jocko was resilient giving her a long and drawn-out entertainment as she felt a burst of pleasure building within her.
She locked her eyes with his, and she felt a gush of pleasure within her body that grew and grew nearly overwhelming her entire body as she watched the final gaze of life leave his eyes.
With his slumped over body hanging from the rope, she fell back into her chair and softly said, “It’s not often a man gives me so much pleasure without even touching me. Mmm, what a rush!”
She then raised a hand and formed a terrifyingly powerful red ball of frenzied ki. She bit her lip and eyed Jocko’s dead body hanging lifelessly in front of her and fired the ki blast at him annihilating any traces of his body from existence.