BloodStar

Chapter 124: Negotiated Into the Grave

After gathering and dressing himself, Jacek cleared his head and returned to the siege line. Karasu was of the first to greet him, “Lord Heraklinos. I am pleased to see the negotiations weren’t over the minute you arrived. Did Xenia come to her senses?”

Jacek shook his head, “Far from it, Master Karasu.” The two men eyed each other, and Jacek continued, “We should talk alone. Some of the news is sure to be distressing to the men.”

Karasu nodded with a serious expression and followed Jacek to a private meeting room. Jacek poured himself a drink of water and chugged it within seconds before releasing a sigh of refreshment and looking to Karasu.

Karasu raised his hands, “Well? Don’t leave me in a state of anxiety. What happened?”

Jacek took a seat and breathed a heavy sigh, “Our imprisoned soldiers. All five thousand or so. Hell, who knows if those numbers are even accurate. At the very least, five thousand. All dead.”

Karasu stood with a rage, “Dead!!? What do you mean dead?!”

Jacek raised his hand, “Please sit down, Master Karasu. This isn’t all the news I have.” Karasu sat back down with a fuming face as Jacek continued to answer his question, “Xenia didn’t give details, but she confirmed, without reverence, that they are all dead.”

Karasu could barely contain his anger, “We must end this siege. We must lay waste to her citadel and force her out to fight us!”

Jacek nodded, “I’ve taken care of that. You will have to forgive me. I have agreed upon an arrangement on your behalf without consulting you. I have agreed that tomorrow at noon, you and I will face off against Xenia. To the death.”

Karasu formed a fist and punched the air, “You made the right move! Hell yea! You are a master negotiator, Jacek! Your father would be proud. Both of us against her? She will stand no chance. And our soldiers will be on the sidelines. You have given us a huge edge while also giving thought to saving the men and women serving under you. Genius tactic!”

Jacek sat back in the chair thinking to himself, “Xenia is the genius. She gave me an offer that she knew Karasu would jump at having not seen her true power. An offer that I wouldn’t be able to talk any of my peers out of taking. An offer that leaves me as the only one knowing how dangerous it truly is.”

Jacek leaned forward, “I have agreed to it Karasu, but I want you to know that if we talk it over and deem it to be unsafe… we can re-negotiate the terms of battle.”

Karasu leaned forward as well, “And what are the terms of battle?” He then muttered, “I knew it was too good to be true.”

Jacek plainly said, “There are no specific terms.”

Karasu laughed and smiled, “No specific terms?! Ha! The fool! That leaves me with my sword. You with your sword. No weapons limitations. No limitations of any kind. Jacek, you have negotiated her into the grave!”

Karasu stood and said, “Tomorrow at noon. Correct?”

Jacek nodded, “Correct.”

Karasu made for the door and happily exclaimed, “I will be meditating and readying my sword until the morning. Let us both think on our strategy before discussing it in the morning before the battle. We have no excuses to not win this battle.”

Jacek nodded, and Karasu made for his private quarters where he removed his sword. He placed it into a secure storage while also removing another sword from storage.

He unsheathed this sword and laid it out in front of him on his meditation mat. The blade was dark grey with a shiny luster to it. It had the form of a samurai blade and appeared ancient in design.

Karasu ran his hand over the blade’s surface and whispered, “Master. The time has come. I will use our clan’s sacred Void Blade to take down the truest evil of our time. Xenia BloodStar.” He closed his eyes and whispered, “I will channel the void through this blade. I will not fail you, Master.”

He began to chant in foreign tongue as he commenced his meditation in earnest, preparing for the battle to come.

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The next morning, Xenia awoke naturally with no alarm clock. It was already 10:00 am as she rolled out of bed.

She looked into the mirror and said, “Oh this won’t do. I need to look my best. I have no doubt the Allied Forces will be broadcasting this battle for their own propaganda. And I wouldn’t mind broadcasting it myself.”

She jumped into a nice steamy hot shower washing her hair and body until her entire body smelled of sweet aromas. She then stepped out and wrapped herself in a towel before calling for General Mattison by phone, “General, please make your way to my quarters. I have an important question for today’s battle.”

Mattison responded, “Yes, Warlord. I am on my way immediately.”

He arrived within seconds announcing his arrival from within her bedroom rather than entering into the bathroom, “Warlord BloodStar, I will await you in your room.”

Xenia came walking out of the bathroom with only a towel wrapped around her, “Mattison, thank you for coming so quickly.”

He blushed at the sight of his Warlord in only a towel and lost his train of thought as he admired her long legs and wet hair. He stuttered, “Um-u—umm Warlord, would you like for me to step out while you dress?”

She smiled at him, “Nonsense! In fact, I have called for you to assist me in dressing. After all, Constance is gone. A shame really, she has the best fashion sense.”

Xenia proceeded to lay out the first of two outfits on the bed before them both. The first outfit was a crimson chest armor plate with a metal pleated skirt. The entire outfit was crafted to fit her body perfectly, and the metallic material offered superb protection in battle. And most of all, it was stylish.

She then proceeded to lay out a second outfit. The second outfit was similar in design, a top that stopped short of covering her entire chest leaving her ample cleavage displayed and a pleated skirt. However, this outfit was a shiny black latex material that offered nearly zero defensive capabilities. Lastly, she threw a black cape next to the outfit.

She took a step back and said, “What do you think? Red and defensive? Or Black and sexy?”

Mattison gave a long, “Uhhhh- well this is a battle- but ummm…”

Xenia nodded along, “Mhmm. Mhmm.”

Mattison continued, “But umm. In all honesty, the last thing you need is metal for defensive capabilities. The attacks of both your enemies will melt right through that. You need a lightweight outfit that offers mobility. You need to look your best on live television. In my opinion, you have only one choice. This black outfit with the cape.”

Xenia’s jaw dropped, “General Mattison. My god, I had no idea you were a man of such rational tastes in fashion.”

He smiled, “I am a man of many talents, Warlord. Might I make one suggestion?”

She eagerly smiled, “Please do. I am only a moment away from making you my chief wardrobe designer as it is. Impress me more if you must.”

He smiled and nodded, “This cape. Wear it on your right shoulder rather than on your back. I have found that enemies that utilize capes from the side always have an advantage as they can hide the movements of their dominant hand, weapons, and more. Deception is a valuable tool on the battlefield.”

Xenia gawked in amazement at Mattison who responded to her, “Otherwise, this outfit is dominant, shiny, and sexy. Everything I want our people to see in our leader.”

Xenia walked up to him in just her towel and said, “You have given me a great deal of confidence in wearing my battle outfit. That is hard to do for a girl who already brims with arrogance. Thank you General. You may stay to watch me change as your reward if you like.”

Mattison shook his head, “I couldn’t. I will take my leave and leave the rest to my imagination.”

She smiled at him as he left, “Very well, general. Ready the men!”

As the clock rang 11:00 am, Xenia was fully dressed in her all-black shiny outfit which revealed her salacious cleavage. Her matching cape hung on her right side, and her skirt stopped well above her knees with the pleats offering glimpses of her legs even higher up as they swayed with her walk. For the occasion, she also wore a pair of black, shiny thigh-high boots.

She walked out of her quarters to a citadel of thunderous roars from her entire army who cheered and drummed at her presence. The ground shook with a noticeable vibration, and she waved and smiled to her admirers.

She calmed them with her hands and took a microphone, “Thank you for such a warm reception before I enter battle. Make no mistake. The enemy is scared. They only agree to face me two-on-one. They are scared!”

The crowd cheered and yelled at her speech before she continued, “Master Karasu and Lord Heraklinos. It’s a shame. I hold Jacek Heraklinos in such high regard having spent time with him before the beginning of this war. I will kill Karasu on the battlefield today, mark my words. However, I plan to take Jacek Heraklinos prisoner in hopes of bringing him to our side!”

The crowd cheered her on as whispers could be heard, “Wow she is powerful enough to kill and capture such powerful opponents at her own will? Especially when fighting two on one!”

“Warlord BloodStar is amazing! I don’t know whether she’s more powerful or more sexy? She can capture me any day!”

Xenia had captivated the minds of her army, and her charisma led them wherever she went. She finished by yelling, “I will take this fight to them, so that you all can be spared the threat of death!” She gave a vibrant smile and yelled, “I will show you all why I am your ruler. I will prove to you all why I am your goddess.”