“I can’t thank you enough for taking us in, Jurt. You’ve truly saved us,” said Cyrilo, sitting at her fellow brothel owner’s counter. With their arrival, business was suspended to keep their presence a secret.
The bearded man shook his head. “Don’t you dare thank me, Cyrilo. You’ve saved me from plenty of trouble over the years. Helping you now isn’t some exceptional act; it is the bare minimum requirement of a good man.”
Nearby, Daniel was glancing through the curtains into the dark street. “I don’t see any troops. It doesn’t appear we were followed.”
Alexis sat beside the fireplace, staring into the dying flames as seawater dripped from her clothes. Sophia threw some wood on the fire and wrapped a blanket around Alexis.
“Let’s warm you up. The last thing we need is for you to catch springburn.” Alexis didn’t answer, and Sophia kneeled in front of her, clutching her shivering hands and healing her bloody fingers. “You did nothing wrong. None of this is on you.”
“Lucius gave his life to save mine because I wasn’t strong enough to protect him. The people we were trying to save were slaughtered and arrested because I wasn’t strong enough to protect them. It’s just like Bella all over again, but at least then I could say we lost because she was a Profane. Now… we lost because I was too weak to do anything. I keep thinking back to all that time I spent in the basement, pummeling that fucking bag, telling myself, ‘Never again, never again,’ and for what? It happened again.”
“This is not your failure; it’s theirs, those angry fools marching to Galvin’s tune. This is the knighthood’s failure for abandoning their duties and succumbing to the temptation of cruelty, for choosing to oppress the weak because it’s easier than fighting the strong. None of this is your fault. You are a proud and mighty pine, awash in an avalanche of ineptitude and savagery.”
“So you say they raided the Knight’s Sheath?” Jurt asked.
“They hauled everyone away in chains,” said Cyrilo. “Even Sir Aithorn was arrested. I managed to pack some essentials in this knight ring, and unless they demolish the place and torch the library, we aren’t without options.”
“What will happen to everyone?” Daniel asked.
“They’ll be taken to the arena,” said Alexis. “They’ll either be forced to fight against monsters until they die, or they’ll just be lined up and executed for the cheering crowd.”
“Is there anything we can do? Any way we could save them?” Sophia asked.
“Not without killing Galvin, and if we do that, the Wassengel will annihilate this whole city,” said Cyrilo.
“At this point, that’s starting to sound like a good thing,” Alexis spat.
Everyone was given rooms for the night, grateful just to have beds to sleep on. After losing Lucius and their home, they fell quickly to sleep, exhausted with grief and sorrow, except for Alexis. Lying beside Sophia, listening to her gentle breathing, she should have been more tired than anyone, but all she could do was stare at the ceiling and think.
The next morning, Sophia woke up in bed alone. “Alexis?” she mumbled before noticing a note on the pillow beside hers. As she read it, her heart sank.
‘Get Cyrilo and the others as far away from the city as fast as you can. I’m putting an end to this.
-Love, in this life and the next, Alexis’
“Madam Cyrilo!” Sophia shouted.
----------
Aithorn grimaced at the meal before him, for it could barely be called that. Upon hitting the ground after being tossed into his cell, the little wooden bowl spilled half of its cold, watery oatmeal onto the floor, not that any of it would be missed. A piece of soggy bread rolled out, discolored with mold and wiggling from the bugs that had gotten into it.
“Eat up, traitor,” the guard scoffed as he walked away.
“Is this really what we’ve been feeding the prisoners all this time?” Aithorn asked.
“Indeed,” said Berholm in the next cell. “Maybe we do belong in here after all. Maybe this is our retribution. When I get out of here, I am going to completely remake our system for handling criminals, because this is just cruel.”
“I swear, when Queen Elisandra hears about this, she’ll rip this city apart and turn it into a forest. I can’t say I’ll be very inclined to stop her.”
“We just have to wait it out. Either Sir Tarnas or Noah will come to save us. You’re an elf, the time should pass in the blink of an eye for you.”
“I’ve never been one for waiting. I’d rather spend that time getting us out of here.”
Aithorn smashed his wooden bowl against the ground, breaking it into pieces. He ***********ed the thinnest piece and ground it against the stone floor to properly shape it. Fitting his shackled hands through the cell bars and reaching the lock took some flexibility, but he managed.
“Are you seriously trying to pick a magic lock with a piece of wood?”
“You’re ruining my concentration.”
“What concentration? You’re just jamming that stick into the keyhole. All you’re doing is filling it with sawdust and wood pulp. They could come to let us out, and their own key wouldn’t even fit. You’re actually making us even more trapped. You understand that, don’t you?”
“It’s better than doing nothing.”
“Is it, though? Is it really? Do you even know how locks work?”
“Well, it’s dwarvish-made, so I guess it’ll open for me if I just give it some spirits.”
“If it was an elvish lock, we’d just have to tell it an off-color joke, and it would faint in distress.”
After a while, a sound caught Aithorn’s pointed ears. It was a spell striking its target and a body hitting the floor, followed by footsteps, but these were not the steps of a soldier’s boots. Elyot arrived, swinging a ring of keys on his finger.
“Gentlemen, I hope you’re finding the accommodations to your lodgings satisfactory.”
“Look who climbed down from his ivory tower. Took you long enough,” said Berholm.
“Yes, well, unlike you, I still have a job, so excuse me if I’m not available at all hours of the day.”
“Thank you for coming to our aid,” said Aithorn.
“Think nothing of it.” Elyot then tried to unlock Aithorn’s cell, but it wasn’t working. “I can’t fit the key in. It’s like someone filled the lock with dirt.”
It was the hardest Berholm had ever laughed in his life.
---------
That afternoon, crowds flooded the arena stands for their daily dose of violence, unaware that a disavowed knight was in their midst. Hiding her hair and face with a stolen cloak, Alexis moved through the crowd, searching for a good vantage point. Guards were constantly patrolling, so she would have to work quickly. Already, captured criminals were being pitted against each other in the ring, and the crowds cheered in delight with every drop of blood spilled. She soon arrived at a suitable location to look out across the arena and, more importantly, see Galvin in his box seat.
Holding out her hand, she conjured her knight bow and an arrow from within her ring. She pulled the string back and began charging the arrow with mana. In all likelihood, there was a magic barrier protecting Galvin, similar to the one protecting the audience. If she could gather and hone her mana into a powerful enough shot, she may be able to break through and end his life.
Once he was dead, the Wassengel would rise from the sea and obliterate Colbrand, killing her and everyone else, but after everything that had happened, she wasn’t sure Colbrand deserved to exist, and she could think of no better way to die than by taking Galvin down with her. She just hoped Sophia had gotten Cyrilo and the others out. She wished she could have given her lover a proper farewell, to see her one last time, but Sophia would do everything she could to talk her out of it.
Down below, the fight ended, and the new announcer stepped forward. “Ladies and gentlemen, we have a special show for you today! The den of sin known as the Knight’s Sheath has been disbanded, and the traitors inside have been arrested and brought to justice! They stand before you now, in chains!”
On cue, one of the doors at the edge of the ring opened, and all of the courtesans of the Knight’s Sheath were dragged out with iron collars. There were also female refugees mixed in, all of them stripped of their clothes and forced to walk naked in front of the jeering crowd, sobbing in terror and humiliation. They were pulled to the middle of the ring, desperately trying to cover their bodies as tears streamed down their faces. The soldiers pulling the chains removed their collars and left them there.
Seeing them, Alexis’s heart sank, and her stomach felt full of sand. If she killed Galvin, they would be killed by the Wassengel. However, if she tried to intervene, she would surely be murdered by all of the knights and soldiers in attendance, and the horror would continue. Could she really doom the people she had sworn to protect? Or was the only way to save them to give them a quick death by the power of the Wassengel?
“Look at these disgusting beasts!” the announcer taunted, with the crowds cheering in agreement. “Their only skill is spreading their legs! Well, since they chose to live like whores, they’re going to die like whores!”
Doors on the opposite side of the ring opened, and out came a swarm of male ogres, stripped of their clothes the same way. Snarling and confused, they looked around with their huge cycloptic eyes, unable to process the sight around them with their primitive brains. That changed when they spotted the women. Typically, ogres only saw the other races as food or something to pit their young against to make them stronger, but thanks to the aphrodisiacs they had been given, they were all fully erect and eager to breed.
“Enjoy it, ladies! After all, beasts should only mate with beasts!” the announcer laughed as he moved out of the way.
The ogres took off in a sprint towards the women, their cocks swinging and bouncing between their legs. The women screamed in terror and scattered, with the ogres chasing them down and wrestling them to the ground. One of the women, a young refugee from Handent, sobbed as an ogre grabbed her by the back of the head and forced her face into the dirt. Leaning over, it grunted excitedly, saliva dripping from its exposed fangs. She could feel its member knocking against her entrance, then as it reached back to guide itself in, it suddenly released a gurgling groan, as if punched in the gut, and it fell on its side, its life ended by the arrow lodged in its temple.
Alexis sprinted down the steps that ran through the stands, launching arrows, one after another. In her mind, she heard screams, not from the women in the ring or the shocked audience, but from that barn on her family’s property, the one she snuck into all those years ago, the screams of that mother and her daughter. Never again would she hear them, never again would she allow them to cry out like that.
The ogres, sensing the deaths of their kin, turned away from the sobbing women and focused instead on the one that had jumped into the ring with them. Whether they saw her as breeding stock like the others or if their drive to kill had overpowered their drive to mate, they ran towards her with bloodthirsty snarls. Alexis ended their lives with well-placed shots, then, as they drew closer, she returned her bow to her ring and conjured a sword.
The first that reached her swung wide, but she ducked under its arm and stabbed it through the gut, the blade going into its left side and coming out the right. Then she yanked her sword like a lever, pulling it free while ripping open the ogre’s torso and spilling its intestines onto the ground. She approached the next ogre, and as it tried to grab her with a bear hug, she brought up her sword with an uppercut slash, carving its chest open like she was gutting a fish. The third ogre, trying to tackle her, missed as she stepped to the side, only to have its head removed from its neck with an elegant swing. She finished off the rest of them and reached the middle of the ring, ushering the women to gather around her.
The crowd rained boos upon her, furious that she had interrupted their entertainment, while in his seat, Galvin watched with an amused smirk. He then turned to one of his guards. “Get Gradius. Tell him a rat escaped the trap, and he needs to deal with it. I’m going to enjoy watching her burn.”
Alexis looked out at the crowds, her rage building, until finally, she screamed at the top of her lungs, “ENOUGH OF THIS MADNESS!” Her voice, propelled by anger and frustration, silenced much of the crowds, but she wasn’t done. “Look at yourselves! Look at what you’re cheering for! Women being raped by monsters! Is this really what our country has become?! Is this really how far you’ve let yourselves fall?!
This used to be a good city, a city I could be proud of, but Galvin has twisted you all and poisoned you with hatred and insanity! He’s turned you into the kind of people that revel in horror and bloodshed, the kind of people you’re supposed to be fighting against! This man, who proclaims himself to be a god, who demands you worship him, has turned you into demons! The true gods have abandoned this city because you all turned your backs on them and now follow a devil!
Our city is rotting, and none of you have noticed because you’re all fixated on your own hatred, so eager for someone to look down on and oppress, desperate to blame those who are too weak to fight back! The streets are littered with filth and corpses! Our markets are empty! Our taxes are building statues to a madman’s vanity! When will it be enough?! How long will you let yourselves be deceived into chasing scapegoats?!
Remember the Profane? They’re the ones we’re supposed to be fighting against! The monsters who burn temples, who slaughter the innocent, who corrupt everything they touch! Guess what? They’ve won! They’ve already seized victory because you’re now just as bad as them! You’re burning, slaughtering, and corrupting just like they do! At this point, you might as well welcome them with open arms because I can’t tell the difference anymore! They don’t need to destroy us because we’ve already destroyed ourselves!
I say no more! No more bloodshed! No more oppression! No more insanity! I’m sick of waking up afraid of my own people! I’m sick of fearing for the innocents who just want to live! I’m sick of seeing death in the streets where there used to be life! I’m sick of all this unearned sense of superiority built of hatred! And if any of you still has a soul, still has a heart, you’re sick of it too! Enough of this madness! No more!”
Alexis stopped to catch her breath. Her chest was heaving, her heart racing, and her throat feeling like it was on fire. Her voice echoed across the audience, left silenced and humbled by her words, just as Noah had done on Knight’s Day. The people of Colbrand now felt the icy needles of shame pricking their hearts.
“No more!” a man shouted, standing up with his fist raised.
“No more!” another exclaimed.
“No more!” a woman added.
One by one, people were standing up and adding their voices, with the chant rapidly growing. The men and women who were forced to remain silent out of fear of retaliation, who had averted their eyes from the slaughter and oppression because they couldn’t stop it, they had found their voice and were screaming to the heavens. Others, realizing how far they had fallen, and feeling ashamed of their depravity, voiced their regret and support.
Hearing the discontent, Galvin lost his smirk and felt a chill crawl up his spine. “Arrest them now! I want those whores dead!” he shrilly screamed.
Knights and soldiers rushed into the ring to apprehend Alexis and the women. They stopped and formed a perimeter, with Alexis readying her bow. In retaliation, the people chanted even louder and threw garbage at the troops. Regardless, Galvin raised his hand to give the signal to kill, only to be stopped by his wrist being grabbed and a knife put to his throat.
“No more,” Aithorn growled behind him, surrounded by knocked-out guards.
“What are you going to do, kill me? If you do that, the Wassengel will—”
“Then we all die, right here and right now. You think I came here without knowing that? But even in the afterlife, I’ll keep punishing you. Now let them go; let everyone you’re keeping prisoner here. What’s it going to be, Your Majesty?”
Every spiteful instinct in Galvin’s deranged mind was telling him to go through with the order, to have Alexis and the others killed as one final vengeful act before dying in a blaze of sour grapes, but the sensation of cold steel against his neck cut through those selfish desires.
“Stand down!” he shouted, causing all the soldiers and knights to lower their weapons. “Let them go! And release all of the prisoners!”
The soldiers moved away to fulfill his orders, and only once all of the captured beastmen and courtesans were released into the ring did Aithorn let Galvin go with a shove.
“The next time you or any of your minions go near the Knight’s Sheath, I will reduce the palace to rubble and bury you alive in your shattered legacy,” the elf warned.
Galvin turned to him with an indignant scowl. “This isn’t over.”
“You’re right,” replied Aithorn with a small smile, “this is only the beginning.”
----------
Hugs were exchanged, and tears were shed as everyone reunited at the Knight’s Sheath. After their terrifying ordeal at the arena, many of the women were still coming to terms with their safety, and that the tide had turned for them. Sophia, however, storming towards Alexis, had no joy in her eyes, only fury.
“How could you do that to me?!” Sophia shouted, silencing all of the rejoicing around them. “How could you just leave me without saying goodbye?! How could you force me to live without you?! Force me to mourn you?! You can’t say you love me if you would hurt me like that! That’s not— That’s not—!” Sophia crumbled, and Alexis held her, similarly shedding tears.
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I just couldn’t sit still any longer, not after losing Lucius. I didn’t care if I lived or died, just so long as all my pain and anger disappeared with me. I was stupid and selfish, and I’m so sorry.”
“Wait, Lucius is dead?” one of the courtesans asked.
“He was killed by Gradius,” Cyrilo murmured with her eyes downcast.
Suddenly, the tears of joy and relief shed by all were replaced with tears of sorrow. Lucius had been a pillar of the Knight’s Sheath for years, protecting and caring for the girls. He was the closest many of them ever had to a father, the only man who never wanted anything from them. Though it hadn’t been plundered yet after the raid, the Knight’s Sheath had suffered damage. While everything broken could be fixed, not all that was lost could be replaced.
“So what now?” Daniel asked.
Cyrilo glanced over to the bar, both fully stocked and yet now looking so empty. “We do what we’ve always done: we endure in defiance. We rest until we can limp, limp until we can walk, walk until we can run, and run until we can fight. The illusion of the Galvin hivemind has been broken. All those who disagree with him have voiced their disgust at what this city has become. Not only does Galvin know he is not as widely supported as he thought, but everyone on our side now knows they are not alone. They’ve heard the cries of their comrades in this war for Uther’s soul. Now they know to shout and keep shouting.”
“Are we going to continue helping and ferrying the refugees from Handent?” Alexis asked.
“We are, and I trust you to strike down whoever tries to stop us.” Cyrilo stood before Alexis. “Lucius didn’t just sacrifice himself for you. He sacrificed himself for everyone he knew you would save. He sacrificed himself for all the good he knew you would do in this world. That is a heavy debt to carry, but I know you’ll do so with pride.”
Alexis blushed in determination. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Good, now let’s get some food cooking. I think everyone needs a full belly right now.”
----------
Over the coming days, the attitude in Colbrand rapidly changed. Alexis had shaken the public from Galvin’s hypnosis, and though many clung steadfast to their loyalty and their prejudice, the tide was turning against them. The most vocal, those who thought everyone agreed with them because they shouted over anyone who didn’t, now found themselves being condemned for their bloodshed and hatred. Upon advocating for violence against beastmen, they found themselves on the receiving end instead, put in their place by those who were sick of the toxicity and vitriol that had plagued Colbrand.
Beastmen, who not long ago had been beaten and murdered simply for walking the streets, were now being rescued by ordinary citizens when in the face of danger. The Loyalist faction, originally dwarfing the Noah faction, found its membership shrinking as the bystanders and reluctant collaborators found the courage to rebel and stand against the institutionalized oppression Galvin was trying to create.
Galvin was also receiving more and more criticism from the public. Until now, he had shoved all of his work off onto his appointed delegates and subordinates, but while they were skilled in kissing ass and sucking up to him, their governing abilities left much to be desired, and the city and nation were suffering for it. Now, people were paying attention to how the streets were filling with garbage, and the markets were drying up. Galvin’s go-to excuse of “the beastmen did it” was falling flat.
Galvin responded to this turn the only way he knew how: poorly. He doubled down and became even more extreme, using his ego and sense of denial to combat reality closing in on him. He’d order a grand parade to escort him every time he left the palace. Magic and acrobatic performers, trained animals doing tricks, musicians and singers, beautiful women throwing sweets to bystanders, he had a whole circus in front and behind him as he traveled the streets in the largest, gaudiest, most extravagant carriage that could be constructed. Similarly, he made the arena battles even more intense, pouring ever more monsters and fighters into the ring to kill each other, but the money earned through seating and admittance could no longer cover the cost of production.
At the palace, he hosted daily parties, trying to entice nobles into obeying him by offering a bounty of slave girls to exploit and the finest food and liquor that money could buy, money that he didn’t have. However, even the most hedonistic aristocrats would soon lose their appetite for pleasure as Galvin’s wickedness and insanity were exposed. The way he humiliated and tortured women went beyond rough play, and just as one bad apple spoiled the bunch, one bloody corpse ruined an orgy. Like everything else, these parties grew more and more expensive each day, even as attendees dwindled.
Advisors like Strauss, the competent who had been forced into silence by fear, now had no choice but to confront him, warning of the massive budget crisis Galvin was pushing them towards. Both nobles and commoners were voicing their outrage, realizing that their raised taxes were being used to fund his extravagance.
Still, Galvin had his loyal followers, those who could not accept fault for their mistakes or shame for their actions, and invested even more heavily in the lies he told them. He’d rant for hours from his balcony, screaming about how he and his followers were under attack from every angle, how they were the underdogs fighting for truth and justice, and how he was the living god that would save them.
He’d rail against elves and dwarves, calling them sympathizers to the beastman menace and allies to the Profane. He’d demonize churches that didn’t exalt him as the chosen one and call the priests liars for not doing what he said. To combat Cyrilo’s advocacy for public education and the free spread of information, he’d host book burnings, where tomes and art would be hurled into the flames for the cheers of his lunatic followers. All knowledge from the old world had to be burned so a new age could be started for Uther, an age shaped entirely by Galvin.
With more and more problems arising each day and no solutions being released, protests began to build. Groups would chant for Galvin to be removed from power, and his reign of terror forcefully ended. Even if he could control the Wassengel, he was unfit to rule. He’d crack down on these groups with violence and oppression, sending soldiers and knights out to beat the objectors into submission, but this only incited his critics further, and each protest group was larger than the last.
As his failures mounted and the stress built, his grip on reality weakened. He’d often wander the palace halls, barefoot and shirtless, wearing his father’s crown, jewelry, and finest fur coat, swinging a liquor bottle around. He’d brag to, argue with, and insult people who weren’t there. When one of his imaginary critics infuriated him, he’d take his rage out on whatever was nearby, smashing furniture, tearing up books and artwork, and immersing himself deeper and deeper in insanity. If his guards accompanied him, he’d scream that they were in the way, and when they were absent, he’d accuse them of trying to get him killed.
He continued going to Ziradith’s tower for conjugal visits, but as the burdens of leadership weighed on Galvin and his inability to rise to the challenge became more apparent, his attitude began to change. His taunts and insults became probes for answers.
“What do I do about these ungrateful plebeians?”
“How should I balance the budget?”
“All these nobles keep hounding me. How do I deal with them?”
Despite his dominance over her, it was inevitable he’d fall into old patterns. He had no idea what he was doing and relied on his mother to bail him out. She’d refuse to help him, and he’d respond with sexual torture, but after everything she had endured, she managed to resist. When cruelty failed, he’d tried to goad her motherly instincts, attempting to bribe her with luxuries and privileges, even letting her out of her room. He’d lean against her, begging for advice while remaining erect inside her. Though she no longer had him on a mental leash, Ziradith realized that she could simply control her son with sex. He’d do whatever he told her as long as he was ejaculating while she spoke.
Still, this was only a temporary measure. Between his growing insanity and poor leadership, Galvin’s days were numbered. Even with the Wassengel, the people wouldn’t put up with him if this madness continued. The writing was on the wall. Eventually, he would be ousted, and she’d lose her control over Uther.
There was only one way to keep the throne within her grasp: she had to bear another child of royal blood. As long as she had a child who could control the Wassengel, she had leverage over the people. However, Leonard was dead, and both Lupin and Seraph were absent, meaning the only source of royal genealogy was Galvin. After all of the sick things he had done to her, getting pregnant was easy.
One night, she found Galvin in the throne room in the middle of a fit. Screaming and swearing, he was throwing random objects around. Smashing dishes and antiques against the wall seemed to slightly ease his frustration. The guards had all been banished from the throne room, and only maids were allowed, if only to bring him for things to destroy. However, anyone who displeased him, even if they did nothing wrong, left with black eyes and swollen cheeks.
Finally, he collapsed on the throne, sitting with his head in his hands. “Don’t these ungrateful shits realize I’m the king?! They should be bowing to me, worshipping me as a god!”
Ziradith approached from behind, wearing a thin negligee. Her nipples were poking through, and there was a black patch between her legs visible through the cloth, revealing she wasn’t wearing any undergarments. Standing behind him, she rubbed his shoulders, trying to hide her disdain. If Galvin figured out what she was up to, he’d surely execute her. She had to fully wrap him around her finger and get pregnant as quickly as possible.
“Shhhhh, it’s ok. They will learn to love you.”
“They don’t understand how hard I’m working! Everything I do for them! They should all just die!”
“You’re right; they don’t understand the terrible burdens of being king. They don’t understand what a wise and mighty ruler you are. But I do.” She circled around and stood in front of him. Seeing Ziradith in her alluring outfit, having become addicted to the taboo of her body, left Galvin painfully erect. She got down on her knees before him and freed his manhood from its cloth prison. “I know how hard you work, how brave you are,” she said as she stroked him. “But you don’t have to worry about them right now. Let Mommy take care of you.”
She lowered her head and began sucking his cock. Before, she would do it under coercion, putting in the least amount of effort that would spare her punishment. Now, she was going at it voraciously, massaging her son with every soft corner of her mouth. Galvin rolled his head back and groaned happily, having never experienced his mother’s full oral skill. The sound of wet suction forming and breaking, of muffled hums and pleasured groans filled the throne room.
After a minute, Ziradith released his member, drenched in her saliva. She then opened her negligee, letting her tits spring free. She clasped them around Galvin’s cock, suffocating it with their softness. “There you go. You love Mother’s tits, don’t you?” she said as she used her melons to jack him off.
“Yes, I do!” Galvin groaned, utterly hypnotized by the sight and sensation of his cock disappearing and reappearing between her buxom tits. She had never been so obliging before, and there was no way to resist.
Finally, he ejaculated, dosing her cleavage and collarbone in semen. Considering her goal was to get pregnant, it was an awful waste, but this was the only way to get him back under control. She stood up and picked up a glob with her finger and tasted it, rolling her son’s semen around her mouth and pretending it was delicious.
“That’s right, honey. But I see you’ve gone soft on me. What are you going to do now?” She then put her leg up on the arm of the throne, flashing her pussy. “Go on, taste me.”
Despite being used to dominating her, Galvin could not disobey. He slid down out of the throne onto his knees. Sitting beneath her, he raised his face and began flicking his tongue around her snatch, savoring her taste. Her thick thighs jiggled with each shuddering breath she took. After all of the painful abuse he had subjected her to, receiving head was almost pleasant. If she was going to do this, she might as well get some pleasure out of it. She had nothing left to lose.
“Come on, go a little harder. Mother wants to cum.”
Galvin buried his face in her pussy, eating her out more voraciously while jacking off. Ziradith whined and hummed, coaxing him further and further until she finally climaxed. This was the first time he had made her cum without it being against her will.
“That’s a good boy. Now, sit back up. I see you’ve gotten hard again, and I know what my good boy wants.” Galvin sat on the throne, and Ziradith straddled his lap with her arms around his neck. She cooed as she settled down on his cock, letting it delve deep inside her. She began bouncing on his lap, with her breasts heaving in front of his face. “You want to suck on your mother’s tits? I know you do. Go right ahead.” Galvin attacked her breasts, sucking on her nipples greedily. However, he didn’t bite or claw at them as usual. Every time she used that magic M-word, his willpower broke further. She continued riding his cock, bouncing higher and harder as Galvin suffocated himself with her tits.
“Mother, I’m going to cum,” he groaned.
“Go ahead and let it out. Cum deep in Mother’s pussy.” That word flipped his switch, and he released every last swimmer he had, flooding her womb. Galvin was gasping for air, but Ziradith wasn’t done yet. “Don’t tell me that’s all you’ve got.” She then spun around on his lap into reverse cowgirl, flashing him her round ass. “We’re going all night.”
After that, the dynamic between Ziradith and Galvin changed. Instead of Galvin going to Ziradith’s room to indulge his sadism, it was Ziradith approaching Galvin. Multiple times a day, she’d thoroughly drain him of semen, doing everything she could to try and get pregnant, riding him like a horse and milking him of every last drop.
It wasn’t uncommon for someone to see them, whether they walked in on Galvin bending his mother over the table, or Ziradith interrupting whatever her son was doing in order to ride his cock. At this point, Ziradith didn’t care who saw her commit this revolting sin. She didn’t care about the whispers of their incestuous relationship or the odd looks from those in the castle who had seen her get creampied. All that mattered was getting pregnant. So long as she gave birth to an heir, the Wassengel and Uther would remain in her reach.
----------
A month had passed since Noah’s departure, and Cyrilo was working in her study, organizing another voyage to get beastmen out of the country. Colbrand was changing its attitude towards them, but Uther was still too dangerous for refugees from Handent. So far, no retaliation had reached them for what happened at the arena, or for the knights and soldiers Alexis killed, but how long that would last could not be known. Brothel activities were still suspended, as Cyrilo focused on the refugees, partly due to her unwillingness to open the bar.
Shaking her from her work, a voice began to echo through the room.
“Cyrilo? Can you hear me? Is anyone there?”
“Noah?” she gasped, turning her eyes to the harkonen gem on the nearby table, from which Noah projected himself. The illusion was thin, his visage translucent and his voice scratchy. He was at the limit of the gem’s range, but the fact that he was communicating again meant he was alive and on his way back. “Did you succeed? Is Prince Seraph restored?”
Noah smiled. “Get everyone in here. I want them to hear the good news.”
Cyrilo quickly ushered Alexis, Sophia, and Daniel in. Aithorn and Berholm also came, now spending all their time at the Knight’s Sheath after being fully disavowed from the Order.
“I am proud to report that we made it to Lumestada, and Seraph’s powers have been restored. He’s not back to 100% yet, but the wound is finally healing, and he has regained his title as Light’s Emissary. But more than that, he has been forged into a good man, and we are on our way back so he can take the throne.”
The relief that swept through the room was monumental, nearly drawing tears of joy from everyone. Soon, the nightmare would be over, and Galvin would be deposed. Alexis was surprised by how she felt. To be cheering for the return of Seraph, of all people, the mad bastard that had tried to kill her at the academy. However, she trusted Noah, and if Noah said that Seraph had turned over a new leaf and was walking the righteous path, she believed him and was willing to welcome the Crown Prince upon his return.
“I have more good news as well. We found out what was weakening Valia, and we fixed it. She’s back to her old self. Our journey was far from easy. We ended up tangling with the leader of the Profane, and though we were nearly slaughtered and annihilated numerous times, our group is stronger than it was when we left. He managed to escape, but you could say the same for us. Anyway, I can give you the details later. From where I’m standing, it seems the Knight’s Sheath is still in one piece. How have things been going on your end?”
The mood momentarily turned somber, and Alexis stepped forward with steely eyes. “We lost Lucius. He gave his life to save mine from Gradius, but… we’re still going strong. Noah, I think you’ll be proud of what we’ve done here, of what we’re still doing.”
“From the moment I met you, Alexis, I knew I would be. Go on, tell me everything.”
Alexis and the others regaled Noah with everything that had happened since he went out of range of the harkonen gem, of the war in the streets, of the fracturing of the knighthood, of the refugees being delivered to safety across the sea, of Lucius’s death and the raid, of Alexis’s stand at the arena, and how the city was changing.
“You’re right, I am proud of you. Well done, everyone,” said Noah, with a nod.
“We couldn’t have done this without you,” said Alexis. “You were the first to stand up and speak out, to rebuke Galvin’s madness and defend the beastmen in this city. For all your nihilism, you laid the foundation upon which we built a resistance. You planted the righteous seed in Colbrand’s soul, and we’ve done all we can to water and nurture it until it could bloom. Everything we’ve done, we did because you inspired us.”
“The fuel was there, ready to burn. I just lit the spark. You’re the one who has carried the flame. This is your moment, Alexis, your city. Enjoy it.”
Word quickly spread from the Knight’s Sheath of Noah’s successful mission. Prince Seraph had been restored as Light’s Emissary and was coming to take the throne. Now the city was abuzz, for a valid solution to the problem of Galvin was coming. This gave the protest groups more energy, and Galvin’s most loyal followers and sycophants realized that the ship was sinking.
Galvin was starting to panic. Even his deranged mind knew that his rule was on borrowed time. He roamed the halls of the palace, screaming and cursing, inflicting his cruelty upon anyone who dared cross his path. He eventually stumbled into the throne room, ambling towards what was supposed to be his birthright. But there, sitting upon the throne, was the last person he expected.
“Greetings, Your Majesty,” Noah said with a vindictive smile.
“Y-y-y-you’re not here. You can’t be here!” Galvin screamed in terror.
Noah stood up and approached. “Maybe I am here, maybe I’m not. Maybe I raced ahead of the others because I just couldn’t wait to see my little buddy Galvin again. Or maybe you’ve finally cracked, and I’m just a figment of your imagination. Can a figment of your imagination gouge your eyes out?”
Noah reached towards Galvin’s face, and Galvin screamed and swung blindly at him, only for his hand to pass through the projection. He didn’t know it, but the harkonen gem was outside, allowing Noah to speak to him. Realizing what was going on, Galvin laughed hysterically.
“It’s a trick! You used the same thing on Rall!”
“Yeah, you got me. I’m still on the road and projecting my presence. I’ve actually trained myself to use this magic while on horseback, so as we speak, at this very moment, I am getting closer and closer to the city. But you already knew that, right? Word has spread of Seraph’s return, and you know what that means. So, while we still have time, I just thought you and I could have a little chat. After all, I’m not sure you and I have ever really had the chance to enjoy a true heart-to-heart talk, despite all we’ve been through together. I know you were the one who informed the Profane about where Seraph and I were going. We endured a lot of trouble and hardship because of you, and I’m sure you know what that means. I warned you what would happen if something like this were ever to pass. But that can wait until I return.”
“Ha! You think I’m afraid of you?!” Galvin remarked with such little believability that Noah laughed in his face.
“Oh Galvin. Galvin, Galvin, Galvin. You foolish little man. I’m curious about something. Were you always the way you are, or did you grow to become this twisted and stupid? See, I ask because I’m 99% sure you were simply born like this, but I can’t help but wonder if there was something in your life that turned you from a good kid into a rotten little shit. Yet as I look at you, I realize that’s not the case.”
“Drop dead, you bastard! I am a god, and you are nothing more than a menace.”
“It’s tragic that you actually believe that. Now, I won’t bother going into the whole ‘we’re not so different, you and I’ speech, but I will admit that we do have something in common. Neither of us has a real conscience or moral compass. We’ll both kill and destroy whatever is in our path so that we’ll get what we want, and we’ll hurt and manipulate people without feeling anything. The difference is what made us this way.
I’ve spent thousands of years wandering the multiverse, enduring and committing the most horrific and atrocious crimes that the human mind can understand, things that would make even you vomit, and realizing that there is no such thing as ultimate good or ultimate evil. There is no karma, no divine punishment, no scales to balance or tip. It’s all ultimately pointless. No matter what we do, in the grand scheme of things, whether we deem them good or bad, whatever meaning we attribute to our acts is ultimately all in our heads, just a figment of our imagination.
I’ve destroyed entire planets and faced no divine punishment, and saved others while receiving no heavenly rewards. That’s why I’m the way I am. As for you, well, you’re easy to figure out.”
Noah approached, and Galvin stepped back and fell, suddenly overwhelmed with terror. Even as a projection, the killing intent that Noah radiated chilled the air, making it as cold as his icy eyes, glaring with limitless cruelty.
“You’re simply broken, defective, a failed product. You were born incapable of relating to others, of feeling love or empathy. You’re emotionally crippled, a social invalid, and you think your ineptitude makes you better than everyone else. You think you’re smart enough to know the truth of the world, when really, you’re just too stupid to follow the lie, the lie that society requires in order to function. I’m an ancient being, an explorer in the further regions of experience, while you’re just a petty, insecure little sadist that hates everyone in the world, especially women.”
Noah then stepped back and turned around, looking out the nearby window. “A long time ago, I dealt with someone like you. I was on a ship traveling to a place called Daltas, but that’s not really important. Anyway, the ship was full of people—refugees and families searching for a new life, all doing their best to endure the cramped, dingy, unpleasant accommodations. It was a long voyage, and I eventually noticed that lots of fights were breaking out, almost routinely. The things that people say in secret behind each other’s backs are being leaked, and the resources that should be available for everyone are being hidden, making people compete for them.
I recognized the pattern and realized someone was stirring up drama because they were bored. Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t care, maybe even join in for the fun of it, but their actions were becoming inconvenient to me and jeopardizing the voyage itself, so I went in search of the punk who was making things difficult. And wouldn’t you know it?”
Noah turned back to Galvin, who was about to try and crawl away, but froze up under Noah’s murderous gaze. “It was a kid, not even into adolescence, but a natural-born sociopath. He learned early on how easy it was to manipulate people and how fun it was to twist them up and watch them spin. Until then, I thought he was just a little crybaby, bawling his eyes out every time things went violent, but once I started paying attention, I could see the innate evil in his eyes. The way he acted dumb and innocent, it was too well practiced, too ***********ed, and he had this tell, where whenever he was lying, he’d get this constipated look on his face and groan his words. I suppose he thought it made him look innocuous and helpless, as if one harsh word or accusation would make him fall over like a house of cards.
There was no changing what was wrong with him, no fixing what was broken. He’d be like this for the rest of his life, just getting better and better at hurting others. You know what I did? I grabbed him in the middle of the night, took him to an isolated spot where there was nobody to save him, and murdered him.
At first, he thought I was just some child molester, about to do some diddling, but once he realized I knew his secret, he got smug, and the mask of innocence was discarded for mocking condescension and manic arrogance. He taunted me, laughed at all the fools who had fallen for his deceptions, and kept bragging about how, at any moment, someone would discover us, and I would be killed. He was so used to everything going his way, so sure that he would be saved like always, and he would continue to win at life, so I decided to crush that belief.
My original plan was just to throw him overboard and be done with him, but instead, I made his death nice and slow. I wanted to see the look in his eyes when he realized that he was going to die and that nothing could avert his gruesome fate or spare him from pain. For all his sense of superiority, he was just a stupid kid about to be murdered. He tried to be brave, tried to endure the torture.
He said I was just like him, another monster. I laughed in his face, telling him it was a thousand years too soon for him to think he could ever compare himself to me and the things I’ve done. If only he knew how many children I had killed before him, and in far worse ways. That’s the thing about people like you. You see yourself as a predator and everyone else as prey. You don’t understand how low you really are on the food chain. You think you’re so bad until you meet someone like me, someone who once smashed the moon into the earth simply because it was fun.
I ended his life and disposed of the body, and wouldn’t you know it? All of the drama on the ship disappeared, and everyone got along as they used to. Yet something stood out to me as I was torturing him. There was almost a sense of… relief… in his eyes. He had never met anyone like himself, someone without a conscience or morals. I suppose that was my gift to him. He got to die realizing that he wasn’t alone, that there was someone who understood him, who saw the world as he did. Wasn’t that sweet of me, Galvin? Was that not merciful? I took his life from him, his future, but in exchange, I gave him a small semblance of community, of fraternity. Such a beautiful thing.”
Noah once more turned and approached Galvin. “I wonder, when I return, will we have that same moment of brotherhood and understanding? When I once again carve out your eyes, the eyes you shouldn’t have in the first place, will they be filled with relief as you realize you aren’t alone? When I again sever your genitals like I did last time, will you admire my skillful cruelty just as an apprentice admires a master’s craftsmanship?
When I unleash the myriad tortures and atrocities I have waiting for you, will you be left in awe, thinking to yourself, “That’s how it’s done!” and feel humbled at my supremacy? When I leave you impaled on a rusty spear driving up your asshole, and you’re alive just enough to feel the crows picking at your flesh, will you finally be at peace? Tell me, Galvin. I sincerely want to know.”
However, Galvin couldn’t speak, left too terrified by Noah’s words and the malice behind them. “I see. You can’t answer yet. I can’t blame you; you have a lot to think about now. Perhaps when I get back, you’ll be able to answer me. After all, we’ll have so much time to get to know each other. Until then, Your Majesty.”
Noah vanished into thin air, and Galvin curled up into a ball and hyperventilated. He knew there was only one way out of this situation, knew it before Noah appeared, knew it the moment he found out Seraph was still alive, and had been gathering his courage to make the plunge. For all the terror Noah had given him, he’d taken his doubts in exchange. It was time to act.
----------
Curcio hummed and mumbled to himself, looking through a page of reports. He was standing in his lab, facing a huge vat of blood in which Scyler was recuperating. He had been found barely alive, burned by holy light nearly down to the marrow. His will to live was far too powerful to be extinguished so easily, but his convalescence was taking its time. Not only had his battles against Valia and the angel significantly damaged him, but they slowed his regeneration. Even in this vat of blood, his body struggled to repair the damage.
As Curcio worked, one of his messengers arrived. “Lord Curcio, we are receiving a transmission from the Liege’s beacon.”
“I wonder what the man wants now.”
“That’s the thing; it’s not the Liege who wants to speak with us. It’s the king of Uther.”
Scyler reached out of the vat of blood, his arm looking like a length of jerky, and he pulled himself up. “Come again?” he asked with a gravelly voice.
Despite Curcio’s protests, Scyler followed the messenger down the corridors, leaving behind a blood trail, and arrived at the communication room, where Galvin was waiting in smoke form.
“Well, well, well, the King of Uther. Forgive me for not taking a knee. I suppose, before I ask what you want, I should ask how you’re communicating with us.”
“Simple, I’m using the Liege’s setup.”
“Which leaves me wondering how you’d know to use it.”
“Who do you think the Liege has been working for all this time? Everything he’s done, he did to put me on the throne.”
Scyler was smiling, but Curcio could feel the fury surging within his leader’s charred body. Now everything made sense. It wasn’t that the Liege didn’t know about the Wassengel; he had intentionally instigated the Profane into sending an army after Colbrand so that its power and Galvin’s control could be demonstrated, same with the failed attack on the arena. The Liege had been pretending to crave the destruction of Uther, all so that the Profane could be used as a stepping stone to make Galvin the king.
“And what do you want?”
“A deal. I want to become a member of the Profane and surrender Uther to you.”
“Excuse me?”
“It’s exactly what I said. I want to change sides. These idiotic, low-bred commoners don’t deserve my rule and mercy. They’d rather whine about everything I give them and coddle the mangey beasts and disgusting whores. So, I’ve decided that it’s time to align with people who understand me, people with the same interests as I do, and here’s my offer: turn Uther into a Profane nation and let me rule it under you, as one of you.
Let me continue to dominate these lands and the people who live on them. Your blood will flow through their veins, and your symbol will adorn their flags. My armies are at your disposal. Take my troops, turn them into monsters to help you conquer the world, and I will stay here, managing this small part of your empire in your name. All I want is a throne, and a populace that will properly worship me.”
“A good offer, one that I have a hard time believing. You just admitted that the Liege was actually working for you, exploiting us for your own gain. Why should I see this as anything different?”
“I was the one who told you where Noah and my brother were so you could kill them. He’s your enemy, isn’t he?”
“Yes, and he has been a persistent thorn in our side. If you want to join us, you have to prove your worth. Kill the Wandering Spirit, and we will welcome you into our fold.”
“There is nothing I want more than that. But I’ll need… some help.”
“You’ll get it. Now go, and the next time I hear from you, it had better be good news.”
Scyler ended the communication, and Galvin’s smoke form vanished. Curcio then cleared his throat. “Do you really think he can do it?”
“All I know is that the Liege and his puppeteers have made a fool of us, and it’s time for them to be dealt with. In fact, I think it’s time we washed our hands of Uther once and for all.”
----------
A hard knock on the door drew the ears of everyone at the Knight’s Sheath. Keeping her hand on the sword on her hip, Alexis went to answer it, finding a royal messenger.
“Lady Alexis Veres? You have been summoned to the palace to meet with His Majesty, King Galvin.”
“What could that sniveling, vindictive piece of shit want now?”
“Please, ma’am, I’m only here to deliver the summons,” the man said, holding out a sealed scroll. Alexis took the scroll and shut the door, bringing it into the parlor to read.
“What’s that?” Sophia asked.
“It seems Galvin wants to speak with me, and only me.”
“You can’t really be thinking of going, can you?”
“It says if I don’t, he’ll start executing beastmen in the Town Square, one every hour until I arrive. Anyone I bring with me will be arrested and meet the same fate. I don’t want to go, but Galvin wouldn’t go through all of this just to waste my time. Like it or not, he has something important to say, even if it’s sure to be horrible.”
“Or it could be a trap,” said Aithorn. “You could end up in the dungeons like Berholm and me, or worse.”
“That is a distinct possibility.”
“Alexis, don’t go. Nothing good can come of it,” Sophia pleaded.
“I agree, it’s a bad idea,” said Cyrilo.
“Bad idea or not, Galvin is making his next move, and we need to know what it is. Besides, maybe Ziradith got him back under control and wants to make a deal. Either way, I can’t let people die because I’m too afraid to face him.”
“Considering the disgusting rumors coming out of the palace, she has him under a different kind of control,” said Cyrilo.
“Regardless, I’m going. But I’m not going unarmed.”
Equipped with her bow and sword, Alexis left the Knight’s Sheath and made her way to the palace. She also carried a magic scroll with powerful fire spell inscribed, triggered by breaking the seal. It was like a bomb vest, something to make sure she couldn’t be taken alive and ensuring mutual destruction if anyone tried anything. The guards there let her pass, though many gave her the stink eye, refusing to give up their beastman prejudice. She made her way to the throne room, where Galvin was sitting with his natural smirk.
“It’s been a while since we’ve spoken face to face like this, eh, Alexis?”
“That’s because whenever we’re face to face, I have to fight the urge not to punch you in the throat. Whatever you’re going to say, just say it.”
Galvin got up from his throne and strode towards her, disgusting and smug. “You know, I’ve been thinking lately about what makes a king. What makes the people follow a man, beyond simply having a crown on his head? I realized it’s the bridges he builds, the alliances he makes. Take marriage, for instance. People like me don’t marry for love; we marry those who will best strengthen the country.
My father married Seraph and Lupin’s mother because she came from the most respected family in the nation, aside from the royal family, of course. He didn’t do it simply because of her family’s wealth, but because the two families were at odds, and he wanted to end that grudge. I want to do the same thing: marry my enemy and sire an heir. That’s where you come in.”
“You can’t be serious.”
“Oh, I’m deadly serious. You and I are going to be wed in holy matrimony.”
“Ignoring the fact that I made it painfully clear last time that I’d rather die than ever meet you at the altar, I don’t believe for a second that you want to marry me in order to put an end to the discord that YOU’VE caused.”
Galvin laughed. “You’re right, that was all nonsense. Well, not all of it. I fully intend to marry you and force you to bear my child. I will not be abdicating the throne to my brother, and when he and Noah return, I’ll kill them both. But before I do, I want him to see you, the friend he cares about so dearly, and see the pain I inflicted upon you. I want him to know that while he was traveling, I was putting you in your place like the bitch you are. He’ll come back here and realize it’s too late to save you, and that everything I do to you was his fault.”
“You couldn’t kill Noah before, the knighthood couldn’t kill Noah, and you think making him mad will change that?”
“Oh, things have changed. But that hatred in your voice, ah, I love it so much. I love the loathing in your eyes, the disdain in your scowl. I truly make you miserable, don’t I? You genuinely despise me. It’s so wonderful to see just how much pain I can inflict on you simply by standing here and talking to you, to know I have that power over you, to kill your happiness, and continuously punish you for being a disobedient shrew.
See, I considered forcing your whore cousin to marry me like she was supposed to at the academy, but I just knew that as I’d have my way with her, she’d be closing her eyes in defiance, thinking of Noah, using her memories to shield her mind. But you can’t do that. No, I’ve heard the rumors about you and Sophia, your sinful love.
You’re one of those degenerate whores that’s only into other whores, which means that when it’s time to consummate the marriage, and I’m inside you, I’ll know for sure that there is no one else in the entire world who could hate it more than you. I’ll force you to look me in the eye so I can see just how miserable you are, and I’ll bathe in your tears for the rest of your life, always looking for new ways to make you suffer.”
“You’re insane, completely insane.”
“I can see why you’d think that. For what possible reason would you choose to go along with this? After all, I haven’t yet given you the incentive. Well, on top of leveling the Knight’s Sheath and ordering everyone inside to be executed, I have an extra card up my sleeve.” He snapped his fingers, and a nearby set of doors opened. The jingling of chains reached Alexis’s ears, but it was the sight that ripped her breath away.
“Oh God,” she gasped as Gradius dragged her family into the throne room. Her father, mother, brothers, and sisters were all bound in shackles, their clothes shredded and bloody from being whipped and beaten, their dirty faces streaked with tears. Alexis’s first instinct was to draw her sword and behead Galvin, then go after Gradius for what he did to Lucius, but she knew it was a fool’s errand. If Gradius didn’t stop her, the Wassengel would kill them all.
“You haven’t heard? The Liege, the mysterious figure helping the Profane, has been identified! Boris Veres has been supplying them with resources from his territory, which were delivered using his family’s courier service! At least that’s what I’ll tell the people, but who cares whether they believe it or not.”
Alexis tried to put on a brave face. “You think I care about them? I’ve been disowned.”
Galvin gave a mad cackle. “Oh, please! You honestly expect me or anyone else to believe you’re that heartless? A lifetime of insufferable mewling about injustice and cruelty to the innocent, and you’re going to pretend you don’t care? Alexis, don’t insult us. Here’s what’s going to happen: you and I will get married in the arena so that everyone in the city can watch us exchange vows, shortly before they watch us consummate our relationship as cruelly and painfully as I can possibly make it for you. After all, Noah humiliated my mother in front of an audience, so it’s only fair I do it to you.
The alternative is they can watch Gradius turn your father and brothers into firewood, while a pack of randy ogres rapes your mother and sisters to death. Then everyone from the Knight’s Sheath will be brought in and beheaded one by one, and I’ll violate you anyway atop their bloody corpses. So, what’s it going to be, my darling betrothed?”
Alexis looked at her anguished family, then at Galvin’s smarmy grin. The choice was clear, not that she had one.