Chapter 20: Chapter 19: Way of the Warrior

A troupe of Kingsmen approached a gold-plated gate. The captain of the group rang a bell as he waited for an attendant to receive him.

An attendant scurried over to the men noting their armor to be that of the Kingsmen, the hand-selected warriors chosen to protect the King and Queen.

The attendant received them, “Greetings, Kingsmen. How may I be of assistance to you this evening?”

The captain stepped forward and said, “I am here by orders of King Ramses to retrieve the body of Victor hailing from the Tiger Clan for proper internationally-sanctioned disposal by cremation.”

The attendant replied, “I am afraid Princess Xenia has already promised to dispose of the fallen Gladiator. Will there be anything else?”

The captain unfurled a warrant and said, “Stand aside. By order of the King and Queen of the BloodStar Empire, we will be searching the premises of the royal villa until we find the deceased.”

The men marched up the perfectly curated garden and up the stairs to the villa’s entrance. The captain burst open the front door as ten of his fellow Kingsmen followed close behind.

As the captain burst through the door with confidence, his swagger suddenly faltered as he came face to face with Princess Xenia.

Xenia had sensed a surge of ki at her gates and had come readied to handle whatever may be waiting for her. She announced to the Kingsmen, “Gentlemen, what a pleasant surprise. Shouldn’t you bow in front of your Empire’s top general and princess?”

The captain boldly stated, “Our allegiance as Kingsmen is to the King and Queen only. We are here to carry out the King’s warrant to search for the deceased for proper disposal.”

Xenia smirked and said, “Your men seem to have had a change of allegiance.”

The captain looked behind him to find all of his men kneeling on one knee with their heads bowed to her. The captain scoffed and berated them, “You weak men! You would dare break your oath so easily in the face of General BloodStar! You have no spines!”

Xenia walked closer to the captain and caressed his face as she said, “Your men aren’t stupid. They know I treat those loyal to me very, very well.”

She brought her face close to his and said, “I’ll tell you what you want to hear. Nero is preparing a decadent meal from Victor’s body as we speak. I support the old ways. The ways of the warrior. And there’s nothing the King and Queen can do to stop me. Don’t forget, I am the future empress of this empire.”

The captain finally started to shiver with fear himself as she was so calm and collected while admitting to her crime. She was in full control. The captain began to speak, “Umm… yes… forgive me Gen-“

Xenia put her finger up to his lips and said, “Shhhh.” She then began to kiss him on the lips sensually. As she kissed him, she grasped his helmet on both sides and began to squeeze the metal helmet with all of her might.

The pressure of her vice grip folded the helmet inward as it began to crush his skull. She continued to kiss him as his face collapsed and blood ran from his nose, eyes, ears, and mouth while the continuous cracking of his skull could be heard as it gave way to the immense pressure.

The captain screamed as she continued kissing him until he finally fell silent to his death. She dropped his lifeless body to the floor and used her forearm to wipe her bloody mouth as she said, “The rest of you are free to go. Please report what you’ve seen in detail to the King and Queen. Tell them they have my mercy this time but next time I will not be so merciful.”

The Kingsmen stood up and exited with haste. They knew this entire operation was troublesome and were ready to switch allegiances permanently; however, they were also scared to stick around one second longer and continued their exit off the royal grounds.

Xenia quietly thought to herself, “What are my brother and sister up to? They know better than to send a Kingsmen troupe to my private villa. They are surely scheming against my support for the old ways.”

Her thought was broken by a grunting Nero calling out, “It is ready!”

Xenia gladly turned to follow the sound of his voice. She walked into a massive kitchen to find Nero with two plates of tasty cuts of meat. Although the ornate kitchen had a massive dining table, kitchen island, breakfast nook, and outdoor patio, Nero had laid out an old and tattered blanket upon the floor where he had set the plates.

He then motioned for Xenia to take a seat across from him. The two sat on the floor across from each other as Nero began his warrior’s prayer, “I honor you as a fallen warrior, adding your spirit to mine. I honor you as a fallen warrior, hoping the same to be done to mine.”

Xenia opened her eyes after his short prayer and remarked, “The old ways aren’t about savagery, they are about respect.”

Nero nodded and thanked Xenia, “Your recognition of the ways of the warrior of old kindles my spirit. You have my thanks and with it, you have my undying sword to protect you.”

The two began to eat in their shared meal. Xenia noted, “You fought well today, Nero. I should say you have made great strides in your training since you became my bodyguard.”

Nero continued to eat as he replied, “I would have sustained many more injuries in today’s battle had I not had your training. I hope to continue to grow as a warrior under your training.”

Xenia formed a glowing ball of white ki in her hand and said, “May I?”

Nero waved her off, “Unlike my minor wounds from my fight with Corvus, these wounds were inflicted by a true warrior. I should like to let them heal naturally to honor him.”

Xenia re-absorbed the ki and nodded. She then said, “I will be traveling to the Saber Province in the upcoming days for an unknown period of time.”

Nero gave off a small glimpse of surprise, “The Saber Province? A dangerous place for you. I shall be at your side.”

Xenia smiled lightly and said, “I will be going alone. It is a diplomatic visit with Jacek Heraklinos. I don’t want him or his father to think I have brought you along as an aggressor. To be frank, I think you could kill Jacek Heraklinos in a true battle of the strongest. And I am not sure they would be comfortable if the two of us showed up together.”

Nero chuckled softly, a rare sight, “You honor me with your words General Xenia. I shall continue to train until I am stronger than even Jarek Heraklinos.”

Xenia stood up and said, “In that vein, I expect you to continue your meditation and kata training to harness your ki more fluidly. Ki should be an innate part of your senses. Until it is, you still have training.”

Nero nodded, “I do not come from a family of powerful ki. I make up for it with hard work, and I shall work harder than anyone the world has ever known.”

Xenia nodded, “When I return, I will want to test your skills in preparation for the 9^th degree black belt challenge.”

Nero bowed his head all the way to the floor and said, “I shall work harder than I ever have in preparation!”

Xenia responded, “Good. I am off to ready for my trip.” She began to walk away but stopped. She turned around and asked, “What do you know of Jacek Heraklinos? I have never met him.”

Nero said, “If I didn’t know any better, I would say you two are made for each other.”

Xenia crossed her arms with interest and said, “What do you mean by this?”

Nero stood up and said, “My warrior friends say he is often bored of his own power. His thrill is in meeting warriors stronger than himself, much like myself. However, rumor has it, that his search for stronger warriors has also spilled over into his preference for women.”

Xenia smiled and said, “You only say that in hopes that I bring him back to challenge you in the Colosseum, don’t you?”

Nero chuckled once more, twice in the same night, “Like I said, I will be training for your eventual return. And I will be ready should anyone else accompany you.”

________________________________________________________

Senators Hammond and Davis entered the Oval Office of the President where President Monroe and Vice President Morrow were already waiting.

Senator Hammond came in clearly aggravated as he said, “Dear Mr. President, we have a meeting with a very important head of state in less than an hour. I would very much prefer to be preparing for that meeting than be summoned here for unknown reasons.”

President Monroe nodded, “I quite agree. But I’ve just had a curious call from King Ramses and Queen Zara from the BloodStar Empire.”

Davis furrowed his brow and said, “That does sound curious.”

Monroe motioned for them all to take a seat as he continued, “Apparently, the King and Queen have become quite concerned that we are in over our heads with Princess BloodStar. They say she continues to break the royal mandate of victory meals from fallen gladiators.”

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Hammond quipped, “That is an internal squabble. Not our own matter.”

Davis began to reinforce Hammond’s opinion until Monroe cut him off, “I quite agree. However, curiously, they also warned that she is what they call a monster.”

Davis gave a look of confusion, and Monroe continued, “They say she is a prodigious ki user. They say that the Empress herself has acknowledged Xenia as stronger than her at her age. They caution us against getting too deeply involved with the Princess for we may bear the burden of future atrocities she commits as our ally.”

Hammond laughed, “The King and Queen have called to let us know that our ally is in fact a strong ally. So strong she is a monster.” He continued to chuckle to himself before saying, “Isn’t it a good thing to have strong allies? We won’t be attacked while she is associated with us. As they say, keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Well, our enemy is our ally!”

VP Morrow tilted his head and said, “He has a point. What are we supposed to do with that warning?”

Monroe turned to Davis and said, “Well… Davis? You know the BloodStar Empire better than all of us combined. What do you make of this?”

Davis leaned forward on the couch he sat on, “I think we are witnessing the early innings of a movement to call for resistance to Xenia’s ascension to the Empress’s throne when the time comes. I think the King and Queen are building a narrative to give world leaders a reason to pause at supporting her ascension to the throne.”

The three other men all took a moment to process this idea. Monroe broke the silence and said, “That, I hadn’t thought of. Let’s try not to get in the middle of a BloodStar Empire civil war, shall we?”

Suddenly, a knock at the door was heard. Monroe called out, “Yes, come in. Come in.”

A secret service agent entered and asked, “Mr. President, are you prepared for your guests? They have arrived.”

The president said, “All of them? Already? An hour early?”

The secret service agent looked at his watch, “Sir, 49 minutes early, yes.”

The president gave a fatigued sigh and looked around the room, “Gentlemen. Ready?”

The men nodded in unison, and the president called out, “We are ready!”

The secret service agent ducked out of the room and returned only moments later with the honored guest of the day, Erika Sage.

Erika entered the room gracefully wearing long, flowing green robes adorned with a white-flower pattern. She greeted the men, “Thank you for having me on such short notice. I think this meeting is of the utmost importance given my findings upon review of the royal mines housing Carillium deposits.”

She looked around and said, “Is our third-party planning to still attend?”

President Monroe smiled and gave her reassurance, “Princess BloodStar will not be here in person, but she is sending her most notable representative in her stead.”

Erika frowned but said, “That is probably for the best. A choice befitting of the wisdom of a Princess. I am impressed.”

An energetic voice suddenly called out from behind her, “I shall relay your kind words to the Princess, myself.” The door shut behind her as Constance entered the room. She wore a grey and black plaid suit jacket with a matching knee-length skirt. Her hair was up in a bun, and she wore black glasses. Although a classy look, the form fitting shape of her suit hardly masked her underlying curves resulting in her outfit to still ooze with sex appeal.

Her energy was infectious as she immediately made the rounds shaking each person’s hand as she made individual introductions. Once she reached the president, she shook his hand and said, “Constance Marie Khan, heir of Khan Island. What a treat to meet you all, Xenia has told me so much. All good things… I promise!”

Erika had yet to smile since she entered the room. She knew the reputation of the Khan family to be one of brutality, and she sternly asked, “Are you qualified to be here? Do you have the authority to make high-level decisions in the present, here today?”

Constance wasn’t deterred as she continued to bubble with positive energy, “Xenia has vested in me the power of her position. For this meeting, I am Princess BloodStar.”

Erika wanted to demand Xenia’s presence, but she couldn’t put a single foot out of line given the news she was about to break. Had the circumstances been better for her though, she would’ve demanded Xenia’s presence to prevent her from visiting the Saber Province. The mere thought of that harlot around her boyfriend made her seethe with anger.

Instead, Erika simply said, “Then let us convene. I will cut to the chase so that we may spend more time on the diplomatic talks to follow.”

Everyone took a seat at a long table to the side of the room, and Erika continued, “We have found footage of an unknown person donned in Sage Empire clothing entering the mine and subsequently leaving with Carillium ore. This ore is unaccounted for. You will all receive detailed outlines of the evidence supporting our conclusion, but as I said… to cut to the chase… we believe this person supplied the Carillium to our diplomate visiting the United States. And that diplomate poisoned President Monroe.”

The President processed this bombshell very quickly and jumped out of his seat as he looked to Constance and then Erika, “Now ladies! Before another word is uttered, the United States does not condone war between the BloodStar Empire and the Sage Empire on these grounds.”

Erika gulped audibly and looked to Constance awaiting her answer.

Constance put her hand up to her chest and laughed as she said, “War?! Gracious, no!”

Erika and the president looked confused at Constance. Both thought to themselves, “Why wouldn’t war be a consideration? One nation saying they failed to prevent an assassination on another country’s leader using a government-controlled poison?”

Constance stood up and began to walk around the table, “War? Absolutely not. The BloodStar Empire and the Sage Empire have a history of war. We will not repeat history over this. The president is completely healed. Erika has been forthright in her findings. And although my family and my island support the ways of the warrior culturally, we never seek war.”

Erika had a stunned face as she said, “So… if no war… what demands do you have for reparation on an attack on your ally’s leader?”

Constance clasped her hands in excitement and said, “What a great idea! I demand…”

The room suddenly went tense. What would she demand? Money, sanctions, human sacrifice? Something worse?

Constance ran over to Erika, “First, a hug!” She gave a forceful body hug to Erika and then released her as she said, “And second, you all must agree to take me to an American football game tonight!”

The room went silent and then burst with multiple people talking, “I have meetings this evening. I have to prepare for my return flight home. I have several diplomates scheduled for dinner.” … And more.

Constance yelled over all of them, “Nonsense! If you all must be so hard-headed then let me put it this way… Washington Football team game tonight at 7pm. You all stay until at least half-time. Or. You refuse, and we all go to war.”

President Monroe planted his face into his palm and said, “This would be funny were it not reality. I will have my secret service agents secure a suite at the game for us.”

Erika was both relieved and annoyed. Relived that there would be no international damage between the parties. Annoyed at everything Constance said and did, including this ridiculous request.

Constance shouted with genuine glee, “Great! My first football game!”

She then slid a document over to the president as she said, “Also, Xenia says she is sorry she couldn’t be here today. She sent me bearing gifts. The details are outlined in the document.”

The president began to read out loud, “Thank you for overlooking my absence and receiving my top diplomate, Constance Khan. With her, I send the gift of life. I have sent her with 15 large cannisters of synthetic blood, a revolutionary product for the world. Constance will explain.”

The room looked to Constance as the president asked, “Synthetic blood?”

“Allow me to explain.” Constance began her presentation, “Synthetic blood is the perfect blood product. It can be used for transfusions in hospitals, and it replaces the entire blood bank. It can be used for blood transfusions, platelet transfusions, and clotting factor restoration. Because there are no antibodies, there is never a transfusion reaction, and it can be given to any patient regardless of blood type. Furthermore, it has no expiration. Traditional blood banks have to have blood drives to continuously restore their blood products and when inclement weather happens, traditional blood banks face the problem of product expiring while also not being able to recruit for a blood drive. Synthetic blood is the perfect alternative. It is what we use exclusively in the BloodStar Empire.”

The room took a moment to digest this information as it sounded like a Nobel Prize in Science just appeared out of nowhere. Even Erika couldn’t help but think, “This sounds priceless and lifesaving.”

The president choked as he began to talk, “Umm… thank you. Thank you so much Ms. Khan!”

The room was still processing the information as she said, “Think nothing of it! We can ship you as much as you like! Now come on everyone… let’s go get ready for the game!”

Both the president and Erika knew that there would be technological advances hidden with the BloodStar Empire owing to their isolation from the rest of the world for so long; however, this revelation made them wonder just how many secret technologies the BloodStar Empire held. The mystery was cause for concern as surely a war obsessed empire such as theirs also had dangerous technologies hidden away.

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