Second Chances (for TheAnnoyingNoob)

[BubbleLord]

In the land of Oria, there was a time that it was under evil's grasp. A group of heroes set out to bring down the evil nation. The work was brutal, destroying the lands of human, demon, and monster lords alike. In the wake of tyranny, new nations blossomed and the heroes continued their bloody work. The town of Franse had been a crown jewel of this evil land... but the heroes sacked it of evil artifacts, gear, and even minor deities forced to serve Oria. The last lord of Oria had but a single hope, being sealed away in a magical vault in the servant quarters. For almost ten years, time has flowed... but the time-locked lord escaped death and aging. 


The crypt creaked as a torch-bearing figure stumbled through the ruined keep. It'd been ages since anyone who came to this town entered the keep, all of them fearful or respecting the lost days of the Oria Empire. It'd made slipping in easy... and no one watched the crypt-like abode thee days anyway. The figure moved to the crypt that had brought them here, brushing the dust away before taking hold of the chain.


"Awaken... Oria needs a leader..."


The chain glowed gently with orange magics, the glow seeming to make the hand cleave the chain on the figure's hand like it was paper. The chains began unwinding rapidly, the magic undoing and the seals vanishing. It was the return of the last leader of Oria.

 

[TheAnnoyingNoob]

The surge of energy stunned Aquiliana for a moment, and when her eyes shot open she was greeted by a blinding light. She was sure she was still in the darkness of her crypt, but she knew she must have been down here for years at the very least. Coughing, she hoarsely moaned out, "Who... are you?" she stumbled forward and caught herself, trying to orient herself, "Who has come for me?"

 

[BubbleLord]

The figure was quiet, waiting beside the crypt until it opened and the lady within spoke.


"Mi' lady... I apologize for being so long. The heroes were persistent in their hunt and I sought to hide away to reawaken you... it drove me far from here..."


The cloaked figure carefully cradled an arm around the woman for support. She had been left bare for the ritual, but his torch wasn't near to examine anyone. Once she was up and in his arm, she'd feel her body carefully waking from the magical slumber. Taking his torch from the ground once more, he raised the tool to show his face. Though he looked older, she'd recall him as the son of her previous Captain of the Guard Stellius, the young man-now adult Arvis Orius. His masculine features sung of similarities to his human father, but his eyes glimmered just as brilliantly purple as the succubus mother he'd learned healing arts from.


"Mother and Father send their regards... they helped me escape over the last few years... how do you feel? You look somewhat... younger, ma'am."


Propping the torch in the casket's handle to keep their faces illuminated, he pulled free a glass shard from his concealing robes.


"Examine yourself, madam. If you have grown younger, I can seek out materials to help you return to your original looks... but I suspect the ritual was rushed and you may not feel very... powerful, if you can feel any magic within you at all, that is..."

 

[TheAnnoyingNoob]

Rubbing her eyes and squinting, Aquiliana was just able to make out the features of her rescuers face. "Arvis? My, how you've grown. Tell me, how long has it been and what has happened in my absence?"


Taking the offered shard of glass she examined her features. "Do I? I... Honestly can't remember if I was older. Not yet at least." She shivered. "Never before have I felt this naked. The magic I once felt in me, well, all I can feel now is your own."


Distancing herself frown the young man she tentatively walked the length of the room, gauging her recovering strength. "How are your parents, Ary? And how are you? I imagine things have been hard."

 

[BubbleLord]

With each step, the woman would feel only physical prowess returning that fit a noblewoman of Oria. The robe-disguised man slowly lowered to one knee as the woman walked the room, remaining quiet for some time until she had ceased her questions. It was only then that he smiled beneath his guise and spoke.

"Forgive me for assuming you younger if you are not. It has been a long time since... I set eyes upon you. To answer your questions in... some order, I have endured. I've not eaten the last two days since my arrival in Franse, only drank from the courtyard's well between my searches. The land as you know it, however... it has changed..."


Reaching into his garb, he'd pull free two rolled parchments and place them side-by-side with a wave of his orange-wreathed hand using his magic. The paper unrolled, revealing the old map of Oria where the continent was simply an Empire and there were provinces... and then the current where the Oria Empire was nothing but a blip. The date of the prior map and the new one was a total of five years in number, only an idea of how long it had been. But that was cleared up as the man raised his head from his kneeling position to gaze upon the awoken noble.


"It has been roughly fifteen years. As we thought... the Heroes and the traitors backed by the Dragons were too much. My mother was slain during the Aravarsian Province Massacre for speaking up for the Oria Empire. Father had been with me all this time, training me as best he could... but to reach Franse he had to sacrifice himself. He'd grown fatally ill with grief... and he chose to ensure I could reach you. I do not have my father's strength, but I was entrusted with the information to help you... in any means you require me. I am not the same child who ran around blushing... I've grown at least as old as you while you slept."


Rising from his kneeling position, the man began pulling away his robes, finally tossing them to the ground. He wore all-black attire, even wearing black-leather boots, to an already lean and well-toned frame. He appeared far more like what foreigners called Ninja, but in Oria it was well known to be the garb of an Aravarsian Assassin. It was the garb of their well-trained killers trained in the blade, bow, and even the fire rifles. But as he discarded the robes, he snatched up the newer of the two maps and offered it to her.


"Simply give me your order... and I would try to kill the heroes themselves, even with their nations between me and them. The cowards who surrendered have even had the audacity to stand on their own... see the map more closely, mi'lady. We are alone at the moment in a land ruined by the Dragons and their allies... but I we came to wake you because of good news. The Dragons that stood against what Oria was... what it could be again... they have at long last gone to sleep for the next century within the Marshes. Lady Aquiliana, come with me back to the surface and let the sun shine upon you... do not dare let this crypt plague you for a moment longer."

 

[TheAnnoyingNoob]

Aquiliana waved away her savior a apology. "It's quite alright, Ary. If anything it's a compliment."


Taking up the discarded robe and wrapping it about her bare shoulders she examined the newer map. "Whatever you command, M'lord." She whispered teasingly, marching for the exit and beckoning him to follow without looking back. "Tell me, who has ruled the Empire in my absence and... No, that doesn't matter yet. Where were your parents killed and by whom? Their murderers have committed an act of treason, and I intend to see them brought to justice myself. That, and ensure your parents receive a proper burial."

 

[BubbleLord]

As the two walked, with Arvis carrying the torch, the ruined keep's status became more evident. Cracked stone surrounded them, almost like a miracle that it had withstood the time and lack of care. The fact that the mistress teased him didn't go unnoticed as the man's face flushed all but the slightest as they proceeded.


"My father's killers were the supposed successors. I was trained for some of my life to be an Aravarsian Assassin, after all... they thought we were part of the traitors. My mother... she... was slain by the First Daughter... the original traitor Snyvia herself. She knew my mother had pull... so she had her half brother burn her alive before the Dragons entered their slumber."


His eyes were down as he finished recounting the tale, Arvis finally looking up to the robe-wearing last leader of the Oria Empire. As they neared a final flight of stairs, the light grew brighter and the hallway opened wide. Though barren of anything but cobwebs and what looked to be a camp in the center of the large room, Aquiliana would recognize the main hall of the once-proud keep of Franse. To the right, the large doorway leading to the courtyard was barren of its gates, the greenery of an overrun square obvious even to a degree into the main hall via cracks in the stone. The ruined status of the keep extended well beyond the doorway, true to what Arvis had been relaying until now. Moving to the woman's side, raising the torch to illuminate the campsite he'd called home, Arvis looked to Aquiliana once more.


"It's no royal suite... but you may use my tent to rest, Lady Aquiliana. But I can answer the question you posed earlier, at the least. Since you were sealed away and the other lords were dead... there was no one to rule the Empire. We have no army, no proper armory, and only enough food to sustain the town right now. Were it anyone else that was our last leader... we would be lost. Saving you for our final option... it was to ensure someone would have the skill to bring us back from the brink of ruin. But plans aren't for here... allow me to fetch you food and drink. We have water and ale... and a loaf of bread between us until I can gather more supplies from the town."

 

[TheAnnoyingNoob]

"Have the citizens of Franse remained loyal? That's a silly question; if they chose to remain as the last true city of the Empire than of course they are loyal. As for food, that can wait. If all of Franse is in the same shape as the crypt then the situation must be rectified. Tell me of the city, and of these other empires that have arisen in my absence."


Aquiliana fumed silently as she spoke, hatred smoldering in her eyes. All of the traitors would pay, but none more so than Snyvia and her half-brother. The rest might escape as eunuchs or slaves, some may even receive an Imperial Pardon, but if they had burned Arvis' mother alive than the only possible punishment was death.

 

[BubbleLord]

Arvis moved toward the camp's tent with a nod, lowering to sit beside the entrance of the small tent.


"Franse is poor, but the town has the basic necessities still. The outer stone walls protecting the city still stand and the canals and streams are still usable. With you, it won't take long to get the place organized. As for the new nations... they're traitors. Aravarsia, my home province, struck free after the death of people like my mother. The Ethera Order decided to found the Ethereal Queendom... and the Orikt lands in the south are part of an independent nation. The elves, dragons, and nomadic monsters still hold their lands."


Reaching to a pack beside the tent, he pulled a flask free and presented it to the Lady of Oria.


"Food will wait. Drink. You've only just awoke, and seeing you thrust yourself to action so quickly will only strain you. Only one hero died and even then the bastard trained kids before falling. You need to take it easy, just like we did with them hunting us. We have the time... a moment of weakness will not besmirch you, Aquiliana."

 

[TheAnnoyingNoob]

Taking the offered flask, Aquiliana downed it all in one long gulp. "No. No, we have no time for weakness. Everything I united lays scattered, and those loyal to me either face persecution or live in the crumbling remains of a once great realm. The Orian Empire is dead, Ary. I failed. But I know why. I compromised. I made my empire a mere shadow of what it was supposed to be by letting petty fools hold sway. In its place rises the Aquilian Empire. My word will be law, my rule absolute, and when I pass one of my children will take my place."


The fire in her eyes was one of an all-consuming passion and vision. "I want to start this strong, start it right. I want to meet those who stayed loyal and see to their needs." Turning to leave, she motioned for him to follow but quickly stopped. "Ary, what would your mother have wanted me to do to her murderers? I want them dead. Burned as she was, but... What would she have wanted?"

 

[BubbleLord]

Such a speech seemed to have an effect on Arvis, the man's eyes growing somewhat wide at the abandonment of the ancient name and Empire. But as she spoke of raising her own empire in its place, his features demonstrated understanding. Reaching to a sheathed sword as she'd turn, he'd move to follow her for all but a moment before she'd ask a surprising question unlike any other. Carefully taking the sheathed sword in either hand, he'd lower his gaze in thought for a lengthy few seconds. But the wait was broken as he'd finally moved and turn the weapon in his grip until he'd rest its sheathed tip against the ground in one hand.


"Were it here... she would want us to capture and bring the traitors back in line. No doubt offer them places as your personal concubines. She... was always one to preach peace above war, since being a demon meant she had a great love for using others. I am not sure my father would be willing to accept such a thing... not until Snyvia was brought before you with her hope lost and nothing but care and prayer to amend her sins. They'd both like that... and I think I'd ensure she knew only to beg forgiveness. Oria's blessings rest on the loyal... and if you truly wish to take this road then we will have to do such a thing. His and Arava's relationship was one of trust, only for her to betray and him to bring her back in line."


The courtyard was almost quietly within reach for the duo, a gust of wind bringing a scent of flowers and stone through and over the two. Arvis felt his hair sway gently, looking toward the entrance to the hold beyond the courtyard and knowing full-well what walking out of the barren place would bring. Turning the gaze to Aquiliana, he'd ensure his scarf was fully lowered to reveal his somber expression.


"Your people await... my new Empress. And until the day I die or you wish me gone, I will carry on the duty my parents held. Be it bedding, battling, or simply being there for you. Once this path is taken even those who wished for the old days of the Orian Empire will potentially fear what we could bring."

 

[TheAnnoyingNoob]

Aquiliana gave a heavy sigh, turning and entering the courtyard. "If that is what they would desire, then so be it. But enough of this, I want to see my subjects. I want to address their fears, their worries, all of the problems they have faced in my absence. I want to make this city great again, to sway anyone in the void between us and the traitors to swear allegiance to me once again. Could you summon them all to the center of town, or..." With another sigh, she turned to face Ary, though she continued forward at the same pace, "Tell me, what would you recommend my first move be? You have been here, in this new world far longer than I have."

 

[BubbleLord]

Walking up and alongside her to not cause her much issue, the courtyard stone underneath them sounding their footsteps loud enough to echo within the the abandoned space.


"My first move? It would be to pursue those who broke away but carry our name. Even if you are founding a new Empire of your own name, then Franse will need workers and an ally. The Oria Successors will have those the most likely to help. With you leading us, they'll have no choice but to at least help us repair and get things running... but if we had to choose an enemy, it would be the Orikt Empire. Much of the orc-like monsters moved there after the fall... and of the nations they're the easiest to take-over. The orc hero, Alistair, had taken command before passing away. He left his children, half-orc and half-human siblings by the name of Sil and Lis. Their fighting has led to the northern and southern parts becoming divided... if we were to align ourselves with whichever runs the north of their nation, we could use them and unite them under our banner. From there, we'd have weakened them... with or without the Successors aiding us, we could very likely take them on with just a handful of trained soldiers."


He'd move to the massive gateway leading to the town ahead of Aquiliana, taking but a moment to look to the town coming into view ahead of them. Now, at the exit, she'd find a familiar but different sight. The proud city of Franse, many buildings damaged but standing tall along cracked streets that might as well be dirt. The rivers flowing through the two to the city seemed somewhat dirty, forming the moat of the great keep before it no doubt spilled back and through the city's sea-wall into the ocean. In the distance, the city's walls could still be seen with but a handful of tattered banners flying.


"The town will form if we head to the square... are you certain you want to speak to them already, though, my Empress? You're still forced to wear clothes not befitting of a true noble. The city has stood enduring... it can wait but a day more if you would like more time. I'm anxious as much as you... but those who may seek to betray us may take a poor presentation as nothing but a sign of weakness. Especially with the town being run by some local crime syndicate. It took a day or two of "haunting" for me to convince them to leave the keep alone..."

 

[TheAnnoyingNoob]

Aquilliana snorted. "Let them call me weak. I'll duel them before the whole town, then no one will be able to call me weak. These halfbreed siblings though, Sil and Lis and their... Orikt Empire, I believe it was. If we supported the northernmost twin, perhaps gifted them their opposite number as a show of faith, would they be amenable to joining the new Empire? As I see it, we expand into this deadzone between us and everyone else, rally who we can and court the remnants of the old Empire before dealing with the twins. Be honest, what are the flaws with the plan? What do I not know that yet throws awry my dreams."

 

[BubbleLord]

With the declaration that Aquiliana would face anyone in the town, he simply nodded and set to leading the way down the beaten path and toward the town square. Few people were in the streets, most people outside wearing worn-out clothing. Those armed seemed to not even carry proper weaponry nor be part of any sort of town guard. It was clear that Franse had little to no way to ensure public order and made more sense by the moment how criminals had come to gain power.


"The flaws are... minor. I know not which of the twins is within the northern parts of their land. Making them join the Empire will also be difficult, even offering up the other sibling might not be enough to make them trust you. If it's the brother, I think so long as we offer him a place as our lead general he would fight for us... if it's the sister, however, we would likely be doing more harm. From the rumors, Sil is hoping to prove to his people he can fight while his sister Lis hopes to unite them into a greater power. Serving us may be... counter-productive to that goal. So if she is the one we make contact with, I suggest we try to sabotage her without being discovered but get word to her brother we're supporting him. With the easy option of using him, though... the neighboring traitor-nation led by women could rally behind the sister."


A few moments of walking was all they needed to come into the town square. The town hall was still standing, flying banners of skulls and knives, the common heraldry of bandits. Arvis gently barred the noblewoman's path, looking over his shoulder.


"Your magic hasn't returned to you... if you can handle steel, then..."


He'd take hold of his uniform's shirt, lifting it to reveal part of his defined abs and accompanying scars expected of a soldier. But, most importantly, was the bandolier wrapped around his stomach, his hand shifting just slightly to pull free a six-inch blade that ran across the carrying strap. Spinning it over in his hand and catching it by the blade, he'd offer it her with a small smile. 


"It's no royal blade... but it will kill a man foolish enough to try and make a scene. If we're to make your return assured... I say we don't duel them, but teach them the price of disrespecting you. Brutes respect strength... and people respect those who can best brutes."

 

[TheAnnoyingNoob]

Taking the blade from Ary, Aquiliana smirked. "Let them intervene, I'd like to see them justify it. Protecting the sister from her brother they say? Butting into a spat between two women I say. The Northern Territory is small enough, and once conquered we can provide a united front. If you're right about the brother though, winning him over could take time."


Striding into the center of town, she stopped in the middle of the square. "Now I suppose we wait for the news to spread."

 

[BubbleLord]

Arvis turned his attention to the others as he followed along and to her side.


"Indeed... but from my accounts he's not the man his father was. But that could certainly work out for us, whether he becomes our ally or a tool. Making a man is far easier than trying to control one."


It didn't take long once silence set in, only but about ten minutes after arriving within the square, for them to be noticed. The people of Franse looked to the man with some recognition as Arvis had no doubt earned from being in town, but those who looked to Aquiliana seemed to recognize an air of importance. Others still seemed to recognize her further, turning to speak inaudibly to their companions. It was only as the noise went from the hum of a poor town to that of a proper town square that the guards and posted men seemed to get antsy. However, at long last, a group near the town hall parted as the doors opened to reveal a armored and far different sort of man. A bodyguard walked with the six-foot tall and blonde-haired knight, his lack of a shirt, scrawny frame, and tattoos adorning much of his flesh suggesting he was more of a bandit than the most well-armed and dressed of them all. The maned figure simply smiled toward the pair, speaking with an almost comically deep voice as the pair moved to stand but a few yards away from the pair. Arvis instinctively took a step forward, the tips of his fingers cackling with magic in preparation for any sort of fight.


"Two strangers making themselves known in my town... you seem to think of my men and I as jokes. A man wearing the clothes of some Aravarsian scum and a pretty woman? Don't you know Franse has no taste for traitors, miss? You should have left your friend far from these walls. This city belongs to us."

 

[TheAnnoyingNoob]

(Link is dead)


Aquiliana grinned at the man's words, the expression perhaps more predatory than she had intended. "Of course I know, and that is exactly why I am here. I, Aquiliana Prima Octavia, have returned to reclaim my throne. This boy," she said, nodding to Ary, "Is the son of my most trusted advisors. I have no qualms with you, and see no reason we need be enemies, but if you would rather deny me my rightful place here in Franse then I will kill you without reservation."


Without waiting for a response she turned to the gathered people and cleared her throat, "People of Franse, your Empress has returned! I have been informed of your loyalty to me, and I believe it is time to do away with Franse's ills! I want to here all the problems my Capitol and her people face, so that we may make life here a splendid and wonderful thing again!"


Glancing over her shoulder at the two men she lowered her voice to a more conversational volume, "How does a soldiers life sound to you, Legate...?"

 

[BubbleLord]

(Had updated the image link. Should be good now.)


The armored man remained quiet, but the one who had come out at his side seemed ready to lash out.


"Slut, there is no Oria Empire! They're long-"


The man stopped mid-sentence, taking a step back as Arvis raised a hand almost as fast as he had stepped forward.


"The Empress is speaking to your master, not you. You are but filth who dirties their hands in the remains of a proud Empire... one that shall not bear the name of the God but of the sole survivor of his will."


To anyone born or raised from a court, such words would have struck awe and had grace befitting of the half-demon's upbringing. The words reached the bandit as nothing more than a declaration for silence. The man snarled and drew his own sword, the armored figure looking to Aquiliana with a smirk. It was clear such a person had little reason to believe the two strangers that had only just been declared scum and just a regular woman.


"I serve no man without cause. And I serve no woman without understand she's nothing but a whore. Prove your worth... and face my second. If you can best him, then I shall hear more of your proposal. Kill him, however... and perhaps I have my men turn your precious city into nothing more than a wasteland barren of life... with you in chains beneath my boot and the lives of your supposed people cut short. Think yourself high and mighty enough to perform such a display, Empress?"

 

[TheAnnoyingNoob]

With a heavy sigh Aquiliana motioned for Ary to back down, "Fetch me a blade then, cur. I hope you understand the gravity of your situation, forgiveness does not come easily to me." She paused for a moment then as if finished, before adding, "Oh, and perhaps clothing more befitting a duel. It would hardly be fair to face me in this." She gestured to the ill fitting robe she had borrowed from her savior.

 

[BubbleLord]

"If you wish for befitting clothes, you'll have none. If you won't fight in those... then fight naked."


Arvis had remained back with the gesture from Aquiliana, but the man was clearly angered at the armored individual's lack of care for future Empress. The bandit stepped forward with a smirk, taking a sheathed sword offered from one of the thugs that had come to circle the group. Throwing it to the ground, he'd pull free his own sword before kicking the sheathed blade across the dirt.


"Pick it up, ya' slut! I'll only nick ya enough to make ya stop fightin'! Then I'll plug ya and give yer needy pussy exactly what it needs!"


Backing up ever so slightly, Arvis fixed his eyes on her for the briefest of moments. It was clear he intended to intervene if there was even a remote sense she might lose. The townspeople were gathering as the man took up his stance and waiting the woman's move. She'd have her knife and the offered sword... and with the town's eyes steadily shifting inward and around her, it was clear this fight would be the first in a long line to returning Franse to a proud city and perhaps even a future bastion for her new nation.

 

[TheAnnoyingNoob]

Shrugging off her robe, Aquiliana stood naked for all to see. Snatching up the sheathed blade she drew the weapon and gave it a few experimental swings. It would do. Noting Ary's obvious intent, she waved him back dismissively. "Whatever happens, don't intervene."


Raising her blade to meet her opponents she simply said "En garde." And went on the offensive.

 

[BubbleLord]

With her body revealed, there were plenty of smirking men and blushing women. Poor civilians and thug alike all watched, Arvis cursing under his breath and backing away at her command. As the fighting started and she came at him, the man seemed only more confident in himself as he brought his own blade to meet hers. The clang of steel sounded loudly as he side-stepped away and they engaged in a few cracks of steel-on-steel. While her refined style was rusty, the man's unorthodox fighting was still sufficient enough to let the bandit hold his own easily. Pace by pace, they'd continue the exchange with an increasing pace until he'd grown rapidly more and more visibly annoyed. After a staggering two minutes of intense sword fighting, she'd have her blade knocked away and feel the sting of a hot-edge as it sliced away at her upper arm and trailed just the slightest of blood. It was a shallow cut, the man staggering back after the blow. An opening was present as he raised his sword in a taunt, indicating she could possibly attack his right leg. But the man's free hand moved to his left hip near the belt, potentially to grab hold of something to take advantage of her going for such a weakness.


"Heh... those are some nice tits! Your face isn't that bad... maybe the boss can let me keep you and you can have my kids!"

 

[TheAnnoyingNoob]

Aquiliana hardly felt the sting of the blade as it cut its way down her arm, far too much adrenaline coursing through her veins at this point. Grinning wildly at the opening her opponent exposed and egged on by his comments she ignored his leg, opting instead to try and rush too close for his sword to be of any use before pressing her dagger to his throat.

 

[BubbleLord]

The sudden rush of movement between them was met initially with an intent to slash at her, but his blade seemed to hesitate for the slightest of moments. And the instant the knife was to his throat, many thugs were pulling their own blades and the armored individual seemed to grow as shaken as the man sweating bullets before her.


"Wh-what the fuck... m-my blade... y-you slut, you did-" "She bested you. You all will hear her!"


Arvis has moved to her side, quickly pushing the man and sending him stumbling back and into the armored figure. The armored man seemed to stumble as he caught the man, despite the fact he wore so much armor. Arvis moved a hand to her cut, his orange energy warmly glowing and mending the wound as he'd lean to look at her with a frown. He'd whisper beneath his breath, a mix of shame and embarrassment as he avoided eye contact as he turned her to face him to hide her bare chest and the start of her pussy from the eyes of those gathered.


"I apologize, milady... h-he could have landed a more lethal blow... I interfered against your wishes. If you had died... I-I... I couldn't risk it. Later, I will gladly any punishment you wish but I didn't survive all this time to see you risking your life so soon. The man in armor, though... I did gather something from the brief fight. His body seemed to react when I began to reach out with my mother's lust magic... which either means he's magically gifted... or he's a woman."

 

[TheAnnoyingNoob]

Aquiliana nodded, curiosity setting in now that the armored strangers identity had been called into question. If "he" really was a woman, then even her second in command didn't know. Giving Arvis an amused smile, she replied "Well, as long as I win I suppose it doesn't matter. It doesn't quite give the prestige of a victory on my own, but a good leader knows that's not the only way to play."


Turning back to her bested opponent she grinned, retrieving her blade and resting it on one shoulder. "Now then, boy, run along. The grown ups are talking now." Chuckling to herself she approached the armored figure, taking her weapon carefully by the blade before returning it. "I've bested your second, so what will it be now? Are you going to stand in my way or help me begin my rule anew?"

 

[BubbleLord]

With the second-in-command cursing under his breath, the armored one seemed unsure. However, at long last he'd turn and start walking up the steps into his building with the same booming voice.


"We'll talk! But only because I need a new whore!"


The second started up and after, casting a curse her way under his breath as the thugs all moved aside. Once Arvis had ensured her wound was healed, leaving a thin line blemishing her arm, he would move forward and recover the sheath of Aquiliana's blade and take it from her. Where the blonde had turned them down, Arvis sheathing the sword, they had at least earned Aquiliana a blade. It was a very basic straight sword, of course, but it was better than just her knife. And as the armored figure passed on into the building with her man, the cloaked man would finally turn his gaze to his mistress' bare body.


"Milady, I'll go and find some basic clothes. I'm certain they won't look too pleasant, but they will be better than walking bare to the people's eyes." He'd offer her the sheathed sword, blushing as he'd smile. "Take your new blade... I'm certain you can handle yourself, but should you need me I'll find my way here. Do not take unwise risks... I'm not the healer to ensure wounds do not leave a scar like the new one on your arm..."


Aquiliana could, of course, ask for Arvis to remain at her side... but it was clear the man wished to be more useful through finding her clothes. He'd been forced to watch her risk her life after having spent years preparing for her return. Even though he hadn't said it beyond a normal servant's worry, it was clear that her newest personal bodyguard was different from his stern father. Where Arvis' father had been all about protecting Aquiliana and even had the nerve to order her and go against her wishes openly without any hesitation, his son seemed far less direct. It was clear that his mother had inflicted a sense of humanity, ironically enough, within him to such a degree that he couldn't push himself into doing more than voice a concern. And until she had time or took action, it was quite likely Arvis wouldn't be direct and act to protect her and speak as anything more than a loyal servant...


(Presenting Aquiliana with her first big choice: Ignore Arvis' lack of directly speaking his mind/unwillingness to do anything he must to protect her or encourage him to be more direct/willing to even go against her orders to keep her safe. It's the "Create-a-Bodyguard" simulator!)

 

[TheAnnoyingNoob]

"I'll watch my back, Ary. You find me something to wear and I'll make sure I don't do anything stupid." As she mounted the stairs and followed the armored figure inside she made a mental note to keep track of her newest bodyguards habits and apparent MO. It was nice having a bodyguard who didn't order you around, but she had to admit his fathers style of leadership was likely the most effective.


(Pre-purchase and get two bonus bodyguards!)

 

[BubbleLord]

As she left behind Arvis, the man blushing further before turning and starting off with plenty of gazes shared between the two of them, she would get an idea of just how the money spent from the suffering peasants looked like. The armored man moved through well-decorated halls up a set of stairs, her second-in-command looking back to make sure the nude woman was coming along. Of course, the erection in his pants at the bare woman wasn't something she could miss, but as they finally neared what appeared like a private office within the converted building he would slow and move to the side of the doorway. The armored man moved in and turn to face Aqui, waiting for her to enter before the door shut and left them alone.


"So, you're supposedly an Empress... you would rather me help you, too. I've spent the last five years making this place mine and for my men. If anything, you should be serving me... so know that you have little negotiation rights in all this."


Motioning for her to sit, it seemed he wasn't going to sit. She was alone with the armored man. Either they were just foolish, or they actually had reason to carry the position of a leader. What would Aquiliana do?

 

[TheAnnoyingNoob]

Taking the offered seat, Aquiliana sat back and stretched her legs. "Is that the standard now? A single, impoverished, city-wide slum and a cozy mansion to hide away in?" She sighed and shook her head ruefully. "Don't you want more than that? Do you know what I'm offering you? Imagine all of Franse in the splendor and glory of its prime years, and that's only the beginning. You and yours have the martial strength I need and I have a legitimate claim to the land, a Casus Belli one might say to punish traitors and reclaim their lands. So, what say you?"