“I could have gutted you when you were on the floor. But I slowed down, gave you time to roll away. I won’t be so kind next time.”
Martial stared at her with curiosity. It had been such a long time since he’d battled Legacies, he couldn’t remember how fast they were supposed to be, how strong and powerful a third generation Legacy could potentially be.
He decided she was telling the truth, that she really had held back from gutting him. He could feel her aura. There was a sort of calm about it, like it was there, just floating about, not trying to interfere.
Fuck, this girl was going to make him try, wasn’t she?
“Goddammit,” Martial cursed. “Can I get a glass of water?”
“What?” Martha frowned.
“I need some water to clear my head, prep myself for this duel of ours.”
“No,” Martha said. “Why are you being stupid and stubborn? Just fucking leave already? If you’re a decent guy, go somewhere else and save lives. Don’t die here for nothing.”
“So, no water break then?”
“Definitely not,” Martha muttered.
Fine. Martial closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He held it in for a few seconds before letting it out. He opened his eyes and grinned. “Let’s do this!”
Martha came at him, and this time, she was even faster. Girl was definitely being honest about having held back. But Martial matched her in speed. He turned sideways as her blade came down. It passed his nose, missing it by an inch. Martha swung it around, aiming for his neck. Martial tilted back, and again, her sword flew above his nose, barely missing.
As he straightened, he used the flat side of his sword and spanked her bottom.
Martha reacted like she had just been shot.
She backed away from him, her eyes wide, fear showing in them for the first time, she rubbed her bottom in the spot he had slammed his sword.
“Why did you do that?” she asked.
“Why did I do what?” Martial grinned.
“You… you spanked me!”
“Probably because you’re being a bit naughty and deserved it?”
Martha’s cheeks coloured. She glanced towards the gate and the two Legacies that stood there. Her apprentices. She was ashamed and angry. This fight was going to be over much too soon. It was rare that someone used their anger well. Usually, it only led to mistakes.
Martha came at him and swung her sword. There was enough force behind that to cut down a fucking tree. But it was a wild strike. Martial moved out of the way with ease, and as she came again, striking wildly, Martial parried her strike. Her balance was weak, and it sent her lunging forward. He slammed the side of his sword against her ass once more, helping her along her way to the ground.
But this time, he didn’t stop and wait for a conversation. As she turned on the ground, he stood over her, his sword pointed at her neck, he pressed his foot down on her chest, stopping her from getting up.
His sword still at her neck, Martial gently lowered himself onto her, sitting on her chest. Martha was angry. He could feel her chest rising beneath him, could see her head vibrating with rage.
“You’re going to go to sleep now,” he told her.
“Fuck you,” she shot back.
Martial slammed the hilt of his sword against her head. It was a hard strike. Her head, which had been inches off the ground, struck the hard concrete and bounced back up before her eyes lolled. Her head hit the ground again as her eyes closed.
Martial climbed to his feet and walked down the path, towards the gate and the crowd standing behind it. Martha’s two Legacies stared at him with wide eyes. As he walked through the door within the gate, they reached for their swords.
“Don’t,” Martial warned.
The black girl ignored his warning. Martial didn’t waste time. His fist was a blur as he struck her in the face and knocked her down with a single punch. Martha’s other apprentice was wise enough to move her hand away from her sword and step back.
Martial marched over to Perry, who now stood surrounded by his militia men. There were about a dozen, all of them with swords sheathed by their waists. They looked capable, by human standards. None were fat, all were of good height, six feet-ish.
“What’s going on here?” Perry asked. “What have you done to Martha?”
“I wouldn’t worry about her. She will live. It’s you that I’m not so sure about,” Martial said.
“Excuse me?” Perry frowned.
“You were Flittick’s muscle, right? Because of you, the fat fuck was able to kidnap girls and force them into your brothels. I don’t actually know what else you’ve been up to. I imagine, murder, robbery, forced evictions, all the usual stuff, right?”
Perry swallowed nervously as he glanced around at his militia men surrounding him. “You shouldn’t make accusations like that. Not even Legacies are above the law.”
Martial laughed out loud. “I am above the law, Perry. I’m going to kill you. Because you’re a piece of shit. And any of your men that want to intervene and try to save your ass, I’m going to kill them too.”
He pulled out his sword, and with a swift strike, he drove it into Perry’s chest. It penetrated the skin, broke through bone and came out the back.
Perry’s eyes widened as blood trickled down from the corner of his lips. His face shook as he opened his mouth and tried to get out words. Probably to profuse vengeance or ask his men to attack. But no words came out. Only more blood. His hands rose, and he grabbed the sword’s guard and pushed.
Martial helped him by pulling his sword out. Perry gasped and spluttered blood before he dropped to his knees and fell back. His body convulsed briefly before it became still, his chest now red. Martial turned his attention to the militia men.
“You have the rest of today to pack your shit and fuck off. If I see any of you in this town tomorrow, I will decapitate you. Is that understood?”
Some of the men nodded their heads rapidly, others turned and bolted, barging through the crowd, one tripped and hit the ground, landing awkwardly, face first against the stones. He jumped to his feet, blood on his lips, he glanced back in fear as he ran.
Once they were gone, Martial turned his attention to the crowd. “I am Martial the Great, and this town is now under my protection.”
Chapter 16
The crowds dispersed and Macy walked towards him with his horse. They entered Flittick’s mansion once more. At Martial’s direction, Cassie and Michelle carried Martha inside the house. Her apprentices stayed outside by the front door. The black girl, whose name was Jenna, was still unconscious. Her other apprentice, Abby, carried her and placed her in the shade by the front of the house.
Martial had Martha taken to a room on the first floor. After searching the house, Cassie returned with a chair and rope. Before tying her to it, Martial instructed the Cassie to take off Martha’s clothes, to strip her naked.
Once that was done, her arms were tied behind her back. Her ankles were fastened to the chair legs. Another bit of rope bound around her belly button and the stile. Just for effect, Martial fastened rope around her neck in a loop, holding the end in his hand so that if he pulled it, the rope would tighten around her neck and strangle her.
When that was done, Martial sat on the bed. Cassie splashed cold water onto Martha’s face.
The girl woke with a jolt. Her eyes flung open. She took in the room, took in her circumstances. Her arms and legs struggled against her restraints.
“No, no,” Martial said, as he pulled the rope in his hand, tightening the loop around her neck. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”
Martha’s eyes rested on him. There was anger in those eyes. “What do you want?”
“I want to talk to you.”
“About?”
Martial shrugged. “We could talk about the weather? Do you think it’s going to be a good harvest this year? What are your opinions about Legacies and Immortals? What do you think of demons? From a scale of one to t
en, how much of an asshole is Satan?”
Martha’s eyes widened. “You shouldn’t say his name,” she muttered.
“Whose name? Satan?”
Martha’s skin paled. She wasn’t the only one. Cassie, who stood by the door, swallowed nervously, her arms folded across her chest, a little groan escaped her lips.
Martial rolled his eyes. “Seriously… Satan isn’t even that scary. I mean yes, he’s big and pure evil. Strong fucker too. Insanely hard to kill. But he’s such an asshole. His scariness is sort of negated by how much of an asshole he is. Does that make sense?”
“Um… Martial, please,” Cassie pleaded.
She looked like she was about to faint, her body now resting against the frame of the door for support.
Ugh, wusses. Fine, he thought. He would not mention Satan again for the rest of the day. He turned his focus back onto Martha. She was a pretty girl, blessed in all the right places, as were all Legacies. Perfectly round gravity-defying breasts, smooth skin, a cute belly button, wide hips and a large cunt, the lips were long for a Legacy and rested on the seat.
“Perry is dead,” he told her. “I killed him.”
Martha struggled against her restraints once more, stopping only as Martial pulled on the rope, tightening it around her neck until her skin turned pale. He let go and watched as she gasped in deep breathes.
“Try to break free, and next time I won’t let go until you’re unconscious,” he warned her as she calmed. “Now, let’s try this again, shall we?”
“There is a war coming. A war with the demons like none before. We will lose too unless we’re saved by some miracle. And I don’t believe in miracles, Martha. I do believe in preparing. If humanity is to spend the rest of its life in eternal slavery, our last stand should be… not glorious, but decent, at least. What do you think?”
“About our last stand being decent or glorious?” Martha asked.
“About there being a fucking last stand. About killing as many demons as possible before we are doomed for eternal slavery!”
“I don’t understand…”
“Me neither,” Martial muttered.
Satan was supposed to be dead and gone. But the demon in Coldstream had said he was back. Martial knew better than to believe the word of demons as they died. Pretty much every single one of them vowed vengeance of some sort. But, he was sure that demon wasn’t lying. Martial could usually tell when a person or demon was telling the truth or lying. It was a skill he had obtained over the years.
“What are you going to do to me?” Martha asked.
“I want to rebuild you, make you into a proper Legacy, not one that is afraid of humans. For this decent last stand of ours, I need Legacies that aren’t afraid of the fiercest demons that Hell can spit out, the fiercest beasts, Hell Hounds, dragons, Satan himself.” He rolled his eyes as both girls flinched at the mention of Satan’s name. “Seriously, what do you think is going to happen if I say his name? Do you think the ground is going to open up and demons will pour out and eat our hearts?”
“Has that happened?” Cassie asked weakly.
“Fucking no!” Martial growled. He sighed and shook his head. He was getting side-tracked. “Look, it’s a simple question. Do you want to be my apprentice or not?”
“That’s what this is all about?” Martha asked, frowning. “You’re doing this whole thing just to make me your apprentice?”
“Whole thing?”
“This charade of the world as we know it about to end? You want to frighten me into being your apprentice, of giving myself to you for eternity? Well, it’s not going to happen buddy. I will never again be an apprentice.”
“Oh, this will be interesting. What’s your story?”
“I don’t have a story, and I’m not telling you.”
“So, there is a story?” Martial leaned forward. “I’ll get it out of you, you know. If my good looks and dashing smile don’t do the job, I’ll beat it out of you.”
“Do your best!” Martha said, teeth gritted.
Martial smiled. “Cassie, give us the room.”
“Yes, Master,” she replied. She turned to leave the room, then stopped halfway. “Sorry, I meant… yes, Martial…”
“Thatta girl,” Martial said.
Once she was gone, Martial climbed to his feet. He grabbed the chair by the back and dragged it close to the bed before he sat down on said bed in front of her. He reached for her ample breasts and played with her nipples, pulling, squeezing, massaging, he felt for her aura and waited for the subtle movements.
Martial grinned. “You like your nipples squeezed and pulled at the same time.”
“No, I don’t!”
“You can’t lie to me, Martha,” Martial said. “I can read your aura.”
“That’s a lie! Like every other lie you’ve told!”
Martial pulled on her nipples and squeezed. He leaned in for a kiss. There was some resistance at first, but that faded away. She began to kiss back. It was a deep kiss and her body relaxed.
She sighed when Martial pulled back. He reached down and felt her pussy. It was wet.
“…how?” Martha asked. “How can you read my aura? That’s… I’ve never even heard of something like that before.”
“But you know it’s true,” Martial said, his voice even. “And you know everything else I’ve said is true.”
“The world is really going to end?” Martha asked, fear in her eyes.
“Not end. I think Satan might rise again and enslave us all.”
Martha flinched at the mention of the name. “Rise again?”
“He’s supposed to be dead. Like, permanently dead…”
“The Lord of Hell was dead?”
“That’s why we had a chance,” Martial said.
A chance to make the world a better place. If someone from the twenty-first century were to come and see earth now, he doubted they would agree it had been a success. Earth back then would seem like a sci-fi world compared to the medieval shithole it was now. A medieval shithole that was full of demons.
“If what you say is true,” Martha said, and her voice said she believed as much. “Then I will submit myself to you as your apprentice, Master.”
“I thought it would take longer,” Martial said. “I’d planned to torture you by bringing you to orgasm repeatedly until your body felt like it was going to have one final literal explosive orgasm.”
“That… I don’t think that would work, Master,” Martha said, her cheeks turning a shade of prize-winning red.
“You’d be surprised,” Martial muttered. “Why did you promise to never be an apprentice again? What happened to you?”
Martha began her story. It didn’t start too long ago. She was young, especially for a third-generation Legacy. Her parents had her late in life, they were both second generation apprentices, their names were Katrina and Tony. Both were fatally wounded in the Battle of Damark, a border skirmish between demons and humans thirteen years ago.
Before dying, they took her to Kimmerston. The Legacy in charge there was Arthur, a second-generation Legacy, and a friend of her parents. He took her on as an apprentice, a dying request from her parents.
But Arthur was not kind. He was cruel. He did not train her in the ways of the Legacies. He kept her as his personal slave. Martha knew it was to be expected, that giving herself to a master as an apprentice meant her mind, body and soul was his to command.
But Arthur did not command it in the way she had expected. He used her body only to attach weights to her pussy lips and stretch them out. He tortured her mind and soul for his amusement. Arthur was the worst kind of Legacy. He ruled over his town with an iron fist, claimed the inhabitants as his personal property, as slaves. Every woman in the town had to have sex with him first, before she could have it with anyone else. Some of the less attractive women, ones that he had no interest in, weren’t able to start relationships or have families because of him.
He had dungeons full of sex slaves tha
t he tortured.
Arthur realised early on that Martha found it difficult to watch him hurt others. He used that to torture her. He would make her beat his slaves. He made her whip girls, made her beat them. When she tried to go easy on the girls, whenever he was disappointed in her, he never tortured her. He hurt the girls even more and made her watch.
“He killed a guy for kissing a girl. She was a pretty girl, seventeen years of age, and a virgin. It wasn’t against the rules to kiss a virgin, only that you couldn’t take her virginity. But Arthur killed him anyway. I wanted to do something so badly. I wanted to hurt him. But I was afraid. He’s much stronger than me. So, in the end, I ran away. I kept a low profile for many years in case Arthur came looking for me.”
When she was done talking, tears were running down Martha’s cheeks. Martial wiped them away first before he tore the ropes that bound her to the chair. He removed the rope from around her neck and picked her naked body up in his arms.
He kissed her on the head as she wrapped her hands around his neck and buried her head in his chest. The warm tears soaked through his shirt and touched his skin beneath.
It made sense now, why Martha had been afraid of Perry. The Legacy had been afraid pretty much all her adult life. She had been exposed to bullies that threatened to hurt others when they couldn’t hurt her. Perry had taken advantage of her innocent nature, and many others in this world would do the same.
“It’s okay,” Martial whispered in her ear, as she continued to cry softly. “Arthur, nor Perry can hurt you anymore. You’re under my protection now, and with training, you’re going to be an amazing Legacy.”
Martha lifted her head. Her green eyes stared at him with hope. “Thank you, Master.”
She made a gentle attempt to get free, and Martial placed her on the ground gently. Martha dropped onto her bottom, her legs folded and spread apart, she placed her hands on her knees and jutted her chest forward, her breasts jiggling in the process.
“I wish to submit myself to you, Master Martial. My mind, body and soul are yours to command for eternity, if you would take me as your apprentice?”
Martial reached down and grabbed Martha by her hair. He pulled her up to her feet, and some more until she stood tip toed. “I do take you as my apprentice,” he said, as he kissed her on the lips.
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