Riser I

Riser had never particularly liked the second-oldest brother in his family, but maybe that's because Riser never even met his brother. When he was young, he would hear the ladies of his father's court whisper stories about the great Napoleon Phenex like he was some sort of otherworldly being. In bars, people would sing songs about his "great" tales of conquest. And he remembered that one of the first things he learned with the scholar and long friend and teacher, Aristcratses was his famous siege of Port Voltheart in the War of the Underworld.

And his war strategies would follow Riser around through his entire childhood as his teachers would talk about his battles again and again, repeatedly and excessively. Napoleon the Conqueror, they would call him, the greatest military genius in the history of devil kind.

But Riser knew better. He knew things his teachers didn't know. They didn't know that his mother, who isn't even his real mother, a mother who would cry because their last interaction went in a horrifically hurtful fight. In a fight he always reminded himself sometimes, in which he called her a narcissistic manipulative whore that have an obsessive sexual attraction towards his own stepson.

They didn't know that the man they saw as perfect, as truly unflawed was an alcoholic, a drug addict who would sleep with a couple of different women every night- a truly evil man, a master manipulator that had somehow turned not only the whole world, but his family, Riser's family, to loving this arrogant son of a bitch.

His father respects him. His brother loves him. His mother worships him. Riser can't even remember the number of times that a girl had approached him and he would think that she was genuinely interested, only to be compared to his brother, and every time he would bite back the urge to utter venomous words of "What kind of slut are you to love a cold, heartless monster?" towards the girls.

And at some point, he can't remember when, he had decided that if being great, if leaving a legacy meant sacrificing your own honor, to abandon those you hold dear and tear your family to shreds, he prefer to be Riser the perverted, no-good third child of the Phenex family than Napoleon Phenex the Great Conqueror that crushed the Satan Faction, humbled the Gods of Death and destroyed the Egyptian Gods.

His thoughts were intruded by the enormous sight of the ship that had just seconds ago, landed in Pheonixport. A massive giant, its height, from the keel to the top of the funnels standing about 350 ft, a height, Riser noted would make this iron lady the third largest ship in the whole of the devil empire.

His thoughts were carried away again from the ship by the sight of a juicy pairs of breasts covered in beautifully made armor as a gorgeous women covered in brownish skin and a pair of sharp ears under a hat of carefully-trimmed hair step down from the ship entrance in an elegant grace that at least to Riser, only women could carried themselves in.

Wait- a pair of sharp ears! Riser's head suddenly exploded in 500 different colors of fireworks as he realized that he was staring at a real-life dark elf! And she was really hot!

"Lord Phenex" the elf-lady said to his brother as she extended her hand for a handshake. "General Puer Darkstrider, Commander of the 4th Elven Corps. I'm here, in command of her great majesty to improve diplomatic relations between the Dark Elven Kingdom and the Devil's homeland."

"Oh, please, just call me Ruval, there's no need for such pleasantries. After all, brother Napoleon told me that you're be staying at our house as our special guest."

"I'm very honored, Lor… I mean, Ruval."

"Oh, look, how cute. Now, I want to outlaw the Head of House marriage law just to see you marry our dear Ms. Darkstrider here, Ruval."

The blushes of both the elf general and the blonde heir were lost on Riser as he looked towards the source of the voice and was shocked to see a towering man, at least in the higher ends of 6 ft in jet black hair, wearing a dark red frock coat piercing his gaze towards the pair in the best way to identify a Phenex- dark, blue eyes.

Ruval had told many stories about Napoleon but he seems to left out the part that he was like… really tall.

The man quickly walked pass the pair and he stood in front of the shocked Phenex, his posture proud yet friendly, and extend his hand towards Riser.

"You must be Riser Phenex. I'm your half-brother, Riser. I wish we can escape these pleasantries as I am tired and more importantly, hungry."

"How did you…?"

"Oh, 2 things. One, You're the pervert of the family and first thing you did when the lovely Ms. Darkstrider there walk down the ship, the first thing you looked… will practically stare at was... her breasts."

Riser never felt his face heat up so much in his life. Way to go, man. Thanks for ruining my chances with that hot elf.

Almost as if he read his mind, hell he probably did, his 'brother' smiled as said "Relax, she didn't hear a thing. Look at them talking" he said as he subtly pointed to the pair talking about 5 ft away from them, lost in their own conversation of the devil knows what.

"Oh, and where are the other 2?" he continues the conversation, peering across the harbor as if he could see them coming towards the ship.

"Ravel's busy with his peerage and Razor is well, you know, Razor."

"No, I actually don't, Riser. I left in 1777, a few months before Razor was born."

"Oh."

What was he supposed to respond to that? To be honest, Napoleon didn't seem like the wicked villainous dictator of the devil's colonies he imagined him to be in his head. He appeared pleasant, a kind of guy you would want to have drinks at a bar or that kid in your class that hangs out with both the nerds and the jocks.

"You know, I am genuinely regretful that I could be here for this family for a few centuries. But duties call. Actually, your brother doesn't know this yet but I'm planning to stay here for a couple of weeks until Ravel's birthday.

Speaking of, what's your sister like, Riser?"

"Well…"

"You just imagine her naked, didn't you?"

"Maybe…." Riser said, as his cheeks flared red again.

"Hmm… you and me, Riser" he said as he patted his shoulder and dragged him closer. "I can feel that we're going to great friends."

Hmm, maybe his brother wasn't as bad as he thought.

A growl was heard from under him.

"Oh, my apologies, my stomach is howling again." He turned his head towards the direction of the pair, who was still invested in a deep conversation. "Shall we go, brother? I am starving. I usher you both of you can keep flirting on the way. We won't mind, will we, Riser?"

He looked at Riser, his bright smile urging the devil to be part of the banter.

Hmm… this is quite new. Apparently, the only people that are brave enough to tease lords are well, other lords.

"Oh, yeah totally." He replied cheekily.

Hmm, maybe we are going to be good friends.