Chapter 5 - Spirit’s Will

Marius watched the human known as Hakan quiver pathetically. He was huddled in a corner of the alcove, his bare, shaved legs tucked beneath him so tightly, he’d cut off blood circulation and they’d turned a bluish pale color. But even paler was his face, the blood completely drained from it. The human’s wide bloodshot eyes were firmly fixed on the fighting pets in the amphitheater below, kicking up a storm of dust as they struggled for dominance, a crowd of half-naked elites drunk of desire and countless drugs cheering them on. No doubt he expected to be thrown in with the other humans any second now. 

He would have felt pity for the human boy if he weren’t in such a black mood. He’d been in the foulest of moods ever since he’d been tricked by the half-breed, and no amount of fighting and fucking would restore his spirits. 

As such, his court was in a state of unrest. None dared to come to him with anything less than spectacular news or impressive feats for fear of the King’s ire. They tiptoed around him -more so than usual- and it was starting to get on his already tightly-wounded nerves. 

The half-breed still eluded him. How could this be?

No tracking spell could place him, neither in water or on land. It was like he’d disappeared off the face of the earth. Or like he was in another world entirely. 

Marius knew it was the Spirit of the Sea’s doing. 

He was forced to submit to the Spirit’s will as all his numerous attempts to locate even a clue of the half-breed’s whereabouts were met with failure. Failure and defeat were not things he tasted often. 

Dammit, the Spirit's power should be his by now. More and more reports of Dark Zones appearing were coming in, almost on a weekly basis. What concerned him was that more and more of his people were falling ill and being displaced. The Ocean was dying, and its protector did not seem to care in the slightest. Meanwhile, he was forced to construct camps to house the displaced, all while a war was brewing at the edges of his empire. 

Worse yet, Astria was suffering from no such calamity. It remained untouched, ever-blessed, while the ocean around it went to shit. 

It disgusted just as much as it infuriated him how undeservingly the Kingdom of Astria continued to retain the Spirit’s favor, and how this unholy favor drained the Seven Seas of life and rewarded every ounce of it to Astria. Earlier today, his witch had shown him an image of Astria in his crystal ball, and he’d felt his blood simmer as he saw how vibrant and mesmerizing it appeared, even behind a clear barrier. 

One of the pets, a regular champion, finally triumphed over his opponent, and then began the sound of rutting, of flesh slapping against flesh, to culminate his victory. The crowd cheered him on, demanding he bite more, lick more, thrust more, ever insatiable. He eyed them with growing weariness and mounting disdain, one corner of his lip curling up.

Two of his cousins were lost in rapture, fucking their own slaves with wild abandon. One of his ministers, a father of six, was bent over while his pet, who had won the match previous to this one, rammed into him from behind. 

Their debauchery knew no end. And he was growing increasingly tired of it. 

His grandfather was the one who introduced the amphitheater to the Royal Court. He considered it another way to make use of the ‘useless humans’. That had been six centuries ago; by now the amphitheater fights were ingrained into the court’s vulturistic, debauched culture, making them practically sacred. 

Many times he’d wanted to ban the useless sport, but while his grandfather lived and held a measure of power over the court, there was no getting rid of it. And he couldn’t afford to lose the support of his court by denying them their favorite pastime; not with his grandfather snapping at his feet, waiting for a chance to reclaim his lost throne. 

“Sire.” 

Marius didn’t bother to peel his eyes from the rutting pets. “What?” 

The sea witch bowed. “I have good news.”

The King’s heart leapt. 

At long last.  

He pulled on the chain and the human quickly leapt to his feet.

Marius rose and a hush immediately descended upon the place and the fucking halted. 

Slightly-wide eyes flew to him in a mixture of curiosity, reverence and dread. 

“We go,” he told the human, then inwardly frowned at himself. Why was he even talking to him? 

Servants waiting at the peripheral bowed deeply as he exited. With lowered eyes, the human followed him, his chain clinking. The double doors closed behind them.