Mistress Guardian
Aleu trudged along the dusty road.
The sun was setting and dark clouds hung in the sky. However they would give no rain, as they would never hold any. They were the Dreadwood Forests most recognisable feature.
The Dreadwood Forests and her final destination Dreadwood Glade, would always have the clouds above them. Made from extremely high levels of pure Potentum Energy, they were the only time a being would be able to see Potentum without a visual aid. Her Aunt Kalaa had taught her much about the realm of the Shadow Wolves.
As she walked, one of the guard towers of the formerly great city of Amender came into view. Huge structures that stood nearly 150 meters tall, and 50 meters wide. They housed more than 300 soldiers, and the pinnacle held four large catapults. An opposing structure for any army to try and over come.
But now that the great city had been reduced to mere ruins, no-one who called one of the twenty towers home were expecting anyone to try and attack them.
"What ho Vyxin!" A voice called, carried to her on the winds. She was still about a click from the towers base. As she came closer, the large wooden doors to the tower opened, and a force of about twenty soldiers emerged. They swarmed her.
She boldly stood her ground, as what looked to be the towers captain split the formation and stood before her. He was a large man, wide frame, and a belly that bulged from under his chest plate. Her sensitive nose also detected the scent of alcohol on his breath.
"Dangerous lands which you tread upon my dear," his words were slightly slurred. "What's a pretty thing like you doing, wondering them all by yourself?"
The soldiers laughed at what she assumed was a private joke between the captain and them. Aleu knew why. Vyxin women were seen to be submissive and gentle. Georgia was a prime example, as she knew only one Potentum technique that had possible offensive possibilities. All the others she knew were used for healing purposes. Very few Vyxin women enrolled to be soldiers, even those who were mages and sorceresses mainly had non combat roles.
The captain brushed her cheek with the back of his hand.
"Wouldn't want any harm to come to such a pretty girl."
Aleu narrowed her eyes, and focused on him. Seeing the thoughts of a drunkard wasn't hard, and it took all her strength not cut his head off then and there, from what she saw in his mind.
Instead she grabbed him by the front of his armour and pulled him close, anger blazing in her eyes.
"Do you even know who you're talking too!?" Aleu couldn't help the hackles on the back of her neck from raising, and a snarl from showing.
The confidence that was formerly in his eyes vanished, replaced by anger of his own. His soldiers tightened their grips on their weapons.
"Yes, a little Vyxin bitch, who's about to get what she deserves," a smirk touching his lips.
She shoved him to the ground, and put her hindpaw to his throat, choking him slightly. The soldiers took a nervous step back.
"Don't even think of talking to ME like that AGAIN!"
"Who the hell do you think you are!? Talking to a Captain of Amender the way you do!" he struggled to get her hindpaw off his neck. She leaned in close to him.
"I'm Aleu Hevensbow adopted daughter to Phoenix Bloodwolf the current guardian, that's who! You will show me the respect I deserve!
The soldiers around her immediately sheathed their weapons and dropped to a knee, the captain ceased his struggling as well, and scrambled to his knees when she removed her hindpaw.
"Now show me to some quarters in which I can spend the night, Captain." She tried to sound pleasant now they knew who she was.
"Y... yes mistress guardian," he stammered, rising and leading her inside, and up dozens of staircases.
"What's you name captain?" -
"Harlson, mistress guardian."
"Well then Captain Harlson, next time you're in the presence of a superior, you would do well not to be drunk.
They stopped outside a set of large wooden double doors. She opened them and stepped through, and was about to close them before she fixed Harlson with a steely gaze.
"Oh and if I find out you've done anything to hurt any of the women here, Vyxin or human. I... will... kill you!"
She closed the door before he could reply, but visibly saw the blood drain from his face.
She couldn't sleep.
Aleu tossed and turned in the large bed. With a growl she threw off the luscious covers. The silk sheets and duvet were kicked to the end of the bed, and she lay motionless for a moment.
The tower chambers window was wide open, but the air remained stiflingly hot. To compensate she stripped off what little articles of clothing she was still wearing, and tossed them into one of the corners.
But after a few more minutes of laying motionless on the bed, she still felt too hot. To make things worse, a hot breeze began to ease its way through the window. She rose and closed it, moon light filtering through the dust covered glass windows.
She sighed, and began to form hand signs, five in all, and then struck the floor with a clenched fist. Slowly at first, but then rather rapidly, ice began to make its way across the stone floor, until it was completely covered, from one side of the room to the other, with a thin, glossy layer of cool ice.
She padded back to her bed, using her hindpaws claws so she didn't slip over, as the ice quickly cooled the room down.
"That's better," she sighed, closing her eyes as she lay back down on the bed and relaxed. It hadn't been 30 minutes though, before her eyes flew open. She rose and grabbed her Kunaii. She flung open the doors to her room, not bothering to put on any clothes.
With a snarl on her muzzle, tail motionless, and ear up and alert, she stormed up the dozen stairs to the room above hers.
For a moment she paused outside the door; she could hear whimpering coming from the other side. She had to refrain herself form kicking the doors off their hinges, instead throwing them open so hard, the wood cracked and splintered as it hit the stone wall.
A young Vyxin maid cowered in a corner, trying to use her coal black fur to hide in the shadows from the one who was hurting her. A crimson trickle of blood ran from the corner of her muzzle, and her eyes were wide with fear.
Harlson toward over her, dagger in hand.
"I'm gonna make you wish you'd never been born bitch," He fingered the blades edge, with a vicious grin on his face.
Aleu grabbed him by the back of his shirt, and dragged him from the room and up the stairs, to the top of the tower. The Vyxin maid and a dozen soldiers followed the naked, ice blue Vyxin, as she dragged their captain up the stairs, with a vicious hold on his neck.
They reached the summit, and Aleu dragged him to the edge. Realisation dawned on Harlson and he began to struggle in her grasp as she lifted him up and over the stone barricade, dangling him over the edge. No one moved to help him as she fixed him with a dark look.
"What did I say I'd do to you, if I found out you'd hurt someone?"
He stayed silent.
"What did I say!?"
She let him slip slightly from her grasp, and he cried out, grabbing hold of her arm so he wouldn't fall further.
"You'd kill me! You'd kill me mistress guardian."
"So... give me one good reason why I shouldn't drop you here and now!
He was silent again.
"You can't! So why shouldn't I kill you..." tears were beginning to cloud her eyes. "Men I places of power can only be relied on for one thing... to abuse the power they've been given."
"Please stop!
Aleu was shocked out of her actions. She looked over to see the young maid she'd saved from the hand of Harlson. She was small, probably only 14 years old.
"Please don't kill him on account of me!"
Aleu scowled and with all her strength lifted Harlson up and over the barricade. He skidded across the stone, and tried to retreat from her as she approached with her Kunaii in hand, the young girl by her side.
"Natalia, come over here," one of the soldiers beaconed, but Aleu kept her at her side, she fixed Harlson with another dark look.
"Captain Harlson, you are formally relieved of you duty, stripped of your rank and expelled from Kaladarian Military. Now get out of my sight, before I change my mind."
Harlson nodded and scrabbled passed the men to get down the stairs almost tripping over his own feet.