BloodStar

Tiber and Xenia had just come ashore and began their walk towards Ganon.

Ganon stood tall and loomed large with his arms crossed and began to laugh, “Tiber has fetched his little girl for me as payment for my men?”

His men all laughed in unison behind him as they watched Tiber and Xenia walk across the beach. Many of Ganon’s men couldn’t help but to eye Xenia up and down as her black leather top and pants hardly hid her divine figure underneath.

As Tiber approached, Ganon called out, “You had better not be serious, Tiber. If you think this little pup of yours is worthy of fair payment then this deal is dead before it begins.”

Tiber came to a stop ten feet away from Ganon. Xenia intended to keep walking towards Ganon as she muttered to herself with amusement, “Little pup am I?”

However, Tiber held out his arm to stop her. He then shouted back to Ganon, “This is Xenia. And the deal is not dead. She is no little pup.”

Ganon still smiled with amusement and held his arms out wide, “I’m sorry, Tiber. As flattered as I am, I have no interest in your slam piece. She’s just not my type. I’m a big man. I prefer my women bigger too. I’d crush the poor thing.”

“She’s a very powerful ki user, Ganon. She would be an immense aid to your cause.”

Ganon bellowed with laughter even hunching over for a moment while holding his belly before saying, “Yes, Tiber. She’s sopowerful that you left her behind on board the Neptune while you raided and killed my men. If she isn’t an asset to you then why would she be an asset to me.”

Although slightly offended that she was a bartering chip between two lesser men than herself, Xenia also quite enjoyed being the underdog for a change. No one know of her immense, frightening, and earth-shattering strength, and she was keen to keep it that way, for now.

Nonetheless, she called out from beside Tiber, “Maybe you would like to test my strength?”

Xenia entertained the idea of challenging Ganon directly; however, she knew that if she killed the leader of a powerful army so soon, someone other than herself would fill the vacuum of power left by his death. She knew she needed to first make a name for herself amongst the people in the east.

She pointed behind Ganon, “Choose any of your men, if you wish. I will happily fight one or more of them to death to prove myself.”

Ganon smirked for a moment before finally nodding. He then turned and shouted, “Polter!”

The other men began to chant, “Pol-ter! Pol-ter! Pol-ter!”

A man of average size made his way to the front of the group of men and removed his shirt. Ganon turned back to Xenia and Tiber, “This is Polter. A commander in my armies. His strength rivals even your own, Tiber. Are you certain you wish to see your little girl killed in front of your very eyes?”

Tiber nodded, “Yes, and when Xenia wins, I expect you to release my men and transfer the title of commander to her from Polter. If she loses, you can kill my men and me where we stand.”

Ganon snap replied, “Deal!”

He couldn’t believe Tiber would agree to such a reckless gamble. With his own men sure, but with his own life too?

Both groups backed away from Polter and Xenia as they squared up to one another on the sandy beach. Xenia was openly careless and carefree from the smile on her face to her lackadaisical stance while her opponent exuded discipline and focus.

“Polter, huh? Poor Polter. The least I can do is ask how you prefer to die?”

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Polter merely smirked at Xenia and offered no response as he waited for Ganon to signal the start of the battle.

Xenia bit her lip playfully, “Luckily for you, it will be relatively quick. Very lucky for you.”

From afar, Ganon then shouted, “FIGHT!”

He nudged one of his soldiers standing beside him and laughed, “Look at this girl’s stance? Polter is going to make quick work of her.”

And indeed, Polter wasted no time in turning up the heat as he charged up and formed two massive spheres of ki in both hands. He then launched them directly at Xenia one after another in quick succession.

Xenia made no meaningful attempt to dodge the attacks and instead pretended to be caught off guard, shielding herself from the incoming attacks.

The blasts made direct contact with her. The first ki attack made a large explosion, and the second ki attack landed creating another large explosion sending sand whirling in the air around Xenia.

Tiber stood dumbfounded as he looked on thinking to himself, “What is she doing?! I know she is capable of dodging that attack!”

Polter hadn’t moved an inch from where he stood, and he patiently waited as the sand fell back to the ground revealing Xenia kneeling where she previously stood.

With perfect showmanship, Xenia feigned critical damage even bloodbending herself to fashion a bloody nose, bloody lip, and even a bloody cough as she spit up blood onto the ground.

Tiber couldn’t believe his eyes, “What the…?!! There is no way! No way!”

Ganon and his men meanwhile burst out into laughter, “Your champion has fallen already!”

Polter maintained his focus as he slowly approached Xenia while charging up an even more powerful ki blast in his right hand. He reached Xenia standing before her, and she bloodbent herself to cough up copious amounts of blood onto Polter’s boots.

“I suppose it is I who should ask you how you would like to die.”

Xenia continued to feign massive damage to herself from the previous attacks and huffed and puffed for air as she responded, “Quickly, please. I would’ve done the same for you.”

“Very well.”

Polter held out his hand with a powerful ki ball aimed directly at her head. He then released it directly at her head causing a massive explosion of energy sending every grain of sand in the vicinity into the air.

Tiber stood in utter disbelief, and his men figured him to be a complete mad man for wagering all of their lives on such a weak and unproven warrior.

Meanwhile, Ganon chuckled to himself, “How anti-climactic. I was hoping for at least a little bit of a show.”

However, as the sand settled from the air and back to the ground, the scene revealed left everyone on both sides scratching their heads.

Xenia stood tall and appeared completely unharmed with no blemishes or bleeding wounds despite her prior appearance. Her immaculate appearance was not the most shocking part of the scene before everyone’s eyes though.

Polter’s body was nowhere to be found. It had completely vanished. And within the grasp of Xenia’s right hand, was Polter’s decapitated head.

She raised it up to look the decapitated head in the eyes, “Poor Polter. Not even a last kiss for the living. So I shall give it to the dead.”

Xenia kissed Polter’s decapitated head on the lips and then threw the head 30 yards landing at Ganon’s feet.

Tiber, Ganon, and their men all stood speechless at the sudden and inexplicable turn of events. Everyone present had similar thoughts, “What happened? Such a sudden turn of events so quickly? She was down for the count!”

Xenia walked over to Ganon with an air of confidence in her step, “It’s a shame I’m not your type. You’re big, strong, and powerful. If you’re as strong as people say you are, you’re my type.”

A soldier stepped forward, “Watch your mouth, girl! That’s your warlord you’re speaking to!”

Xenia turned her head acutely, “Girl? I think you mean, commander. Yes?”

Tiber had since arrived and interrupted the tension, “I believe my men are free to go now, yes Warlord Ganon?”

Ganon, still dumbfounded, nodded slowly, “Uh, yea. I guess. I guess they are.”

“Where will she serve?” Tiber asked.

Ganon stared into the eyes of the severed head at his feet and then looked up staring at Tiber, “You’ve made a deal to save yourself and save your men, but no one has really paid the price for my men. Those in the cave and now my commander at my feet. Xenia will pay for this mess! She will command the Forsaken Legion!”

Tiber furrowed his brow, “I see.”

Xenia smirked to herself and laughed softly causing Tiber to speak to her sternly, “I’d like to one day see you again, Xenia. Do not take serving in the Forsaken Legion lightly. It is a suicide squad with a revolving door of dead commanders. You will be the tip of the spear against the strongest enemies. It’s a legion meant to pave the way through sacrifice of life.”

Ganon interjected, “Don’t scare the poor girl now Tiber. She is more than capable of commanding such a legion, or do you not see the head at my feet.”

Ganon then tuned to Xenia, “You are a confident little girl, I’ll give you that. If you manage to survive serving in the Forsaken Legion. And if you manage to survive my men in the camps, then an arrogant little girl like you is welcome to die in my bedroom. That is if you still think I might be your type.”

Xenia smiled from ear to ear, “Looking forward to it. Warlord.”

Ganon turned and yelled to his men, “We are moving out! Let’s go!”