All throughout his life, he hadn't been a fighter. He would rather use his head and avoid conflict as much as possible.
He wasn't ready for a life or death situation. He knew he couldn't handle it. So it didn't surpise him in the slightest when he felt himself trembling.u
He tried not to show it. It would simply be a sign of weakness. And, at the moment, he didn't want to look like he was all talk.
His physique was something to laugh at. No muscle, whatsoever. He was way thinner than the average 19 year old male should've been.
The Imperials before him noticed this. It was a bit harder, though, because of all the layers of clothing on the man.
"Ooh, what do we have here?" The largest blonde spoke up. "Tryna' play tough guy?"
"I'm sorry, sir, but you misunderstand. I don't mean anything bad, but this woman doesn't know a thing. And it would simply be a waste of time to continue this. I'm sure you all have more important matters to attend to."
He tried to be as polite as possible to these people. Avoiding conflict is the best option now. Even if he disliked it greatly to show any form of respect to these people, it was necessary. After all, he couldn't just beat them up right now.
"Are YOU trying to tell US what to do? Do you even know who we are?" This time the little blonde girl spoke up. But her voice didn't sound female. Maybe she was really a he? But that was a thought for another time.
The smallest blonde grinned menacingly. "I wonder what's under that hood. I could add you to my collection any time I want, you know."
Those words were didn't promise anything good. Out of instinct he moved so that his face was more covered by his hood.
"Haha! You got a lot nerve to say all that. Why not try to prove it with a battle. Some extra experience points wouldn't hurt!" This time, the largest male spoke up.
This man seemed like a battle maniac. It would be hard to avoid a fight with him here.
"Daidara, Nyau, that's enough," the eldest of the group calmly said. He then looked at the man before him, "we're here on General Esdeath's orders. If you have a problem with it, we have no choice but to remove you. No one will be in our General's way."
Before anybody could say something else, the one identified as Daidara stopped forward.
He reared his fist back, "I'll end this quickly then!"
His instincts screamed at him to get out of the way. However, he was way too slow. Daidara's fist connected with his gut. All of the air in him left as he was sent stumbling backwards and fell onto his butt.
He coughed violently. One hand clutched at his stomach, while the other went to his mouth to stop the coughing.
He soon noticed the blood on his palm. His eyes widened in horror. One simple punch already drew blood. Who knows what this man can do if he went all out.
"He's all bark and no bite, after all." Daidara mockingly said.
The one known as Nyau appeared behind Daidara. "Hey, Liver, I can skin his face if I want to, right?!
"Do as you wish, just make it quick."
"You hear that?" Daidara spoke up. "Guess it's lights our for you. What a shame you couldn't even give a decent fight."
"Well, tough guy," he spat the blood in his mouth near Daidara's feet. "Has anybody ever told you not to underestimate your opponents?"
His head moved so that he could make direct eye contact with the bulky man before him.
Daidara noticed the mismachted eyes. And the flash of green in the man's red orb.
It all happened in the span of 5 seconds. Before Liver could process what was happening, Daidara suddenly turned around.
He punched Nyau on his temple, it knocked him out cold. Then, it was his turn. He trew a punch his way, aiming for his solar plexus. However, his reflexes made him move out of the way, just in time. He wasn't expecting any of this.
A second punch was coming. But this one, he anticipated. So he dodged it swiftly.
The punch, while the destination was an area that could cause some serious damage, was quite sloppy. Something strange for Daidara.
What surprised him even more, was that Daidara punched himself his temple. He soon fell to the ground, having lost consciousness.
Liver's eyes narrowed, there was definitely something fishy here.
"You!" He kept his distance from the man clad in black. "You did something!"
A forced laugh escapes the man's lips. "Now, did I?"
He made eye contact. And Liver didn't know what hit him, literally.
One simply punch for each one of them was all it took. No matter how strong you are, doing damage at the weak points of the human body, could have some serious consequences.
His breathing became rapid. His palms became sweaty. A crowd had already gathered, muttering and mumbling things he couldn't make out.
He had to get out if here before the authorities show up. He scrambled to his feet.
However that's when he noticed it. It was just behind him, concealed in the crowd. The feeling of death. That dangerous aura...
It was looking at him. He froze in place. Fear consumed him.
Before he calmed down he heard the sound of high heels clicking against the ground. The crowd suddenly fell silent.
"What do we have here?" A feminine voice spoke up.
He didn't dare turn around. He felt her eyes lingering on his very being.
His mind screamed at him to run. But he couldn't get himself to.
He was normally calm and collected. However, he wasn't really one to be in situations like these. It was hard to get himself under control.
She stopped right behind him, as if mocking him, as if he was being played with.
He swallowed the bile forming in his throat and glanced behind him. That was right, he was looking at death itself.
Before he knew it, his world went black.
"Ughhh..." A groan escaped his lips as he finally awoke from his dreamless slumber. He opened his eyes only to see...nothing?
His world was dark because of something on his eyes.
He tried to stand, only to hear metal scraping on the floor, holding him back.
This was just great. Nog only could he move, but his vision was covered, too. These people are playing it carefully.
His mind raced in panic. What do the people who captured him even want from him? Moreover, what are they gonna do to him? He couldn't die in a place like this! He had so much to do! So much to change! This can't be the end!
Then again, if they wanted him dead they would've already killed him, right?
These people want answers.
His train of thought was interrupted by a voice.
"I think he's awake!"
"You serious?! Get the General, quickly!"
He heard feet shuffling and a door opened and closed.
He was confused, But figured he was screwed. However, from the conversation he could fell there was another person here.
"Hello?" He spoke up.
Nothing.
"Where am I?"
Nothing.
"Who are you?"
"Sorry, man. I can't tell anything, for my own safety. I wish you the best of luck, though."
He finally got a response but it made him frown. He didn't day anything next. He figured answers would come eventually when this 'General' came.
After a little bit of silence, the door reopened.
"Guards, leave us alone." A female voice said. It was a simple yet demanding order.
He recognized the voice and it struck fear in him.
It was silent. He couldn't bear this tension and wanted to get to the point, already.
"What do you want from me?"
"Impatient, I see?"
Was she playing with him again?
She opened a cell door and came closer to him. He felt her right before him. It only made him more nervous.
He instinctively moved back, feeling his back hit the wall.
"Are you scared?" She asked, her voice devoid of any emotion.
"Uhm..." He didn't know what he should say.
"Do you know who I am?" She immediately followed with another question.
"No... I don't." His voice finally came out of him.
"Such an adorable voice you have," he felt her hand slowly stroke his cheek.
She felt him tense under her touch. However, he made no move to remove her hand. He was probably too afraid to do so.
"However," she dug her nails into his cheek. "If you want to keep it, I suggest you start talking. What was that Teigu you used on my subordinates?"
"..."
Her response was only silence. And because of that, she formed an icicle in her hand. She put the icicle right under his eye, adding pressure to it.
"Now you could talk or I'll gauge your eye out. And this is not all. I have many more torture tehniques. After all, I'm not the Empire's most feared General for nothing."
She could see his expression change into one pf despair. She didn't think it would be so easy for him to crack.
"I will spare your life, if you tell me everything."
"How can I believe you?" He asked as he looked up to the direction her voice was coming from.
"That's it, you don't. It is my choice whether you will live or you will die. So you better leave me satisfied with your answers. And remember, I'm good at detecting lies."
"What do you want to know?" He hesitantly replied.
Hearing him obey she let the icicle in her hand disappear. "First of all, what was the Teigu you used on my subordinates?"
"I'm not familiar with its name, but it allows me to control people. It ranges from five to ten seconds."
"Where is it located and how do you use it?"
A moment of silence passed before he answered. "It's in my eye. And to use it, I have to make eye contact with the person I want to control."
She only detected sincerety in his voice, not a trace of deceit.
"Where did you find this Teigu?"
"I was little when I found it. Around six years old. I found it in a cave in the Northern regions."
"Your Teigu, is it a blood type?"
"I drank it from a vial. So I guess it is a blood type?"
"Hmm," Esdeath took a moment to digest all of the information. It was very useful, indeed.
"What were you doing in the Northern Regions?"
"I come from the North."
"And why are you in the Capital now?"
"To earn some money. My mom has become very sick. And we don't have the money to buy medicine."
"I see," Esdeath mumbled thinking deeply to herself. "My name is General Esdeath, the strongest in the Empire. What's yours?"
His eyes widened under the cover, but he answered nontheless. "My name is Ray. Just Ray."
A small smirk found its way into her lips. Making him her subordinate here would come with many advantages. His Teigu is really handy, after all. And he didn't seem too rebellious. Disciplining him was a piece of cake for Esdeath.
"Well, Ray, I can make you an offer here. Either, you can serve me, which will gain you al lot of money. Or I could simply kill you here for attacking my subordinates. If you choose the latter, I wonder what will become of your mother. So, what will you choose?"
"There is no third option where I will be left off with a warning, is there?"
"There isn't." She simply replied.
"I can't obviously die, yet. So, I guess I don't really have a choice."
A smile appeared on Esdeath's face, "that's good to hear."
She got down on one knee. "Now, I'll remove the cloth blocking your eyes. However, if you get any fun ideas, I won't hesitate to kill you. Even if you managed to get past me for even a few seconds, the palace is still swarmed with countless soldiers. Don't even try to use your Teigu on me, either. You'll need more than 10 seconds to kill me, too. But I guess you're smart enough to figure out that escaping from the strongest person in the Empire is futile."
A slow nod came from him, "are we in the palace?"
"Yes, more specifically the dungeons," she replied as she removed the cloth.
Ray almost couldn't believe what he saw. Now that he finally took a good look at her, he could only describe the person before him as the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Long flowing blue hair, beautiful sapphire eyes and a body that some men would kill for. She had it all.
Ray still managed to only look her in the eyes. Staring at a woman's body was not something he would do, anyway.
Esdeath, however, was surprised to see one yellow eye and one blood-red eye staring back at her. She could already tell the red eye was the work of a Teigu.
"Wow..." She breathed out. She stared a bit too much. In respone, Ray shifted, feeling really uncomfortable at the moment.
She cleared her throat, regaining her composure.
A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Feedback and reviews are very much appreciated. It really keep me going!