Chapter 5: Proposition

Gideon

Gideon stood in the meeting room in the Ashains major citadels. It was warmed by a fireplace roaring at the end of the room. Gideon could smell the ash and cinder emanating from the large fire. He stood next to the king of Vholera, Oprhzus, who sat in a chair on the western side of the long meeting table. The man was tall and being Vholerian he had ash white hair that began to blacken at the edges that reached down to his shoulders, Slightly further than Gideons. The man was lean and well-built. He wore a loose black shirt and pants to match with a pair of black ankle boots. He had dressed as if he wasn't in enemy territory.

9 years from now it would be today Gideon thought to himself. He had been working under the king as an assassin for that amount of time now. Slowly he has become one of the king's most trusted allies without him noticing. To think, it all started with settling some wanted posters. The nation had invited the king as a guest for a proposition. Ash may have aided Atlus in a battle against Vholera but after eight years, Gideon assumed the king of Ash wanted to make peace. He was still unsure as to why they had invited them, much less why the king had accepted. They were also joined by Nalory, One of the commanders of Vholera. She was tall for a woman and had a brown bob cut. She had worn a sleek, thick black dress that covered her shoulders and accentuated her curves with a sharp and seductive face to boot. She too was also unimpressed with the room, as she casually walked around and inspected the room. It felt like Gideon was the only one on their side of the table to take matters seriously. Perhaps because most of the responsibility in this meeting layed on him. Gideon would be the one speaking for Opthzus as he was not only an assassin but the king's advisor at this point. A lot had changed within the eight years and Orphzus’s trust only strengthened with Gideon. Gideon was content with this life. He had more than enough money from this work but what would he do after the king achieved his goal? The killing, surprisingly had gotten easier for him. Perhaps he had grown numb to screams or perhaps he placed the king's goal on a higher value than the people he killed and the lives he was ruining in the process. He had already slaughtered hundreds, what difference would another hundred make. It would all end once the king had reached his goal. That was the promise they made at least, all those years ago. He would stay loyal to the king. A servant approached their side and held over a silver jug of water which filled the goblet. It surprised Gideon even to this day that some did not use magic for these types of tasks. The King did not acknowledge the servant's presence or any presence in the room for that matter and seemed unimpressed, staring into space with a dull expression on his face. Opposite the King sat the King of Ash, Morka, who did not look like the type of man to order the type of soldiers that represented Ash. He was a short and aged man, wirey in his frame. He looked like he hadn’t fought a battle in his life. This was the person behind the Ashian army? Gideon thought to himself. He assumed they must have some hang-up on royal blood for him to still have this position, much less considered for it. Behind him, however, stood what looked to be the main power behind the Ashian army. Gheptiza. One of the most notable commanders in the ashian army. A gargantuan man who stood above everyone in the room even as he leaned against the wall and his head down at the ground as he listened. His chin was squared, clean shaven and his forearms looked to be the size of a tree trunk. This, was the man really leading the nation. Morka was really just a figurehead for the citizens. Gheptiza stood with his back to the wall as if he was half asleep but really it was like a lion in the wild sleeping. His wrath could be brought out at any moment.

“Do you not wish to see Atlus fall as well?!” Said Morka with confusion and frustration in his voice.

“The king wishes for a worthy opponent. He does not see that from Atlus or Ash. Thus he does not hold you at an equal level” Gideon replied.

“What do you mean? The battle in the Crucible Peninsula is still going on even after three days. The king of Atlus is bound to intervene at any moment.” Said the King. During this meeting, there was currently a large-scale battle between Ash and Atlus that has lasted for days and rumors have spread that the King of Atlus may intervene to end the skirmish. It seemed as if Ash was looking to Vholeria for help.

“Calm yourself, Your Highness. The king is currently our guest” said one of the marshals.

“That is not our king's concern. That is your issue. Whether Ash or Atlus is victorious does not matter to his highness. The kingdoms are not worthy of his aid” Gideon replied calmly.

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“Excuse me?! The king raised his voice and stood up, Slamming the strong wooden table as he did. Gideon stepped forward and readied his blade which made the king shrink back in fear. Nalory chuckled behind her hand and the discussion continued as before.

“Please Lord Orphzus I beg you to reconsider your choice. We will allow you to take all the spoils from the field. We only ask for your strength this once.” The king groveled pathetically to Orphzus. The king was becoming more and more pathetic as the discussion lengthened. It surprised Gideon as he believed the Kingdom was the gold standard for masculinity and stoicism on the battlefield. At least, that's the impression the soldiers gave but this did not look to extend to Malok. The king of Vholera gave him a glance and shrugged while rolling his eyes. Returning to his bored posture.

“There, you have been given His Highnesse's answer,” said Gideon with a slight smugness to his voice. The King looked frustrated and worried after having been shot down.

“This…This is preposterous.” He said panicked. Nalory spoke up.

“Just look at you…as if we would aid much less work alongside such a man as yourself. Do you have so little faith in your own army” She said with an air of smugness. The king of Vholera still sat looking as if he had other places to be.

“Was it not you who aided Atlus eight years ago against our crusade?” She continued. Morka began to raise his voice and stood up.

“I do not have to stand for thi…” He was interrupted by a large thick hand on his shoulder making him tense up.

“Quiet now, It is clear that the Vholerians are still upset at our little spat eight years ago. They're not worth arguing over” Said Gheptiza with his deep and smokey voice. “If the king really is on his way to the battlefield. Then this citadel will be likely to fall.” He releases his hand from the king of Ash’s shoulder. The king began to relax and exhales as sweat runs down his brow. Gheptiza begins to walk to the exit door of the meeting room. Sounds of soldiers rushing through the hallway could be heard as they hastily prepared more troops to enter the battlefield.

“Which just leaves me to even the odds.” He says walking out of the room with the large door slamming behind him. The king shrinks back into his seat, frustrated with the outcome. Nalory quickly followed suit after Gheptiza. She chased after him in the hallways as soldiers passed.

“Really?” She says in a mocking tone. He turns to her with a cheeky smile. She quickly runs over to the large man and embraces him, jumping into his arms. Gheptiza follows by lifting her into his arms with ease and pinning her to the wall as a lover would.

“You really want to challenge the boy?” She asks playfully

“You don’t think I can win? Don’t worry that little knight won't be any trouble” He tells her back

“Oh? Sounds like someone overconfident.” She replies giggling as the two embrace lips as Gheptiza takes the lead holding her against the wall and running his hands across her fine figure. Nalory letting him do as she likes as she enjoys the moment.

The meeting room sits in silence, only the soldiers gathering through the hallways could be heard faintly through the stone. The king of Ash sits defeated in his proposition and storms out of the room, His guard following suit.

“I think we are done here,” Orphzus tells Gideon as he sits up out of his chair

“Shall we return to Voken?” Gideon asks

“Not yet,” The king turned to face Gideon and smirked “Let us watch this battle and see just how far Atlus’s air has come, see if he has…become worthy of challenging” Gideon understood. He nodded his head and drew Zantesuken. The blade formed in his hand with red and black specs gently emanating as it materialized in his hand. He approached an empty space in the meeting room and sliced the air vertically, then horizontally as straight as he could before sheathing the blade away into thin air. Once again with those same red and black specs of energy leaving an after trail. The lines he cut in front of him slowly began to tear open the very space itself, before bursting open into what looked like a portal with a dark void in the center in the shape of a star. The edges of the portal gave off wisps of unknown turquoise energy. It looked completely two-dimensional from the side it was hard to comprehend. The portal howled with a deep wind as if it were echoing in a cavern. Gideon stood to the side and let the king walk through the portal first. The king walked upright towards the tear in reality with a posture he would have as if he were in his own castle.

“Let’s see if I can find myself a worthy opponent.” The king said as he walked through the portal, quickly disappearing from the room. Gideon followed through after and they were both absent from the room. The portal then closed abruptly with the tears closing back up, as if reality was fixing itself without Gideon's input. Does he want to engage the battle as a third party? Gideon thought to himself as the portal closed behind fully and the room was left silent.