219 Friend or Foe (1/2)

Outskirts of The Colony

A Jeep rumbled up a dirt track and passed by a rustic wooden gate and fence before the driver stopped the vehicle before a simple wooden cabin with several large barns next to it. The passengers and the driver hopped out of the military Jeep and looked around their surroundings in interest.

”Bartley?” Mills yelled out. ”Are you in?”

One of the barn's door swung open and a massive 3 meters tall Wind Wolf stuck its head out and sniffed the air, before giving off a couple of greeting barks.

”Has the wolves eaten you yet?” Mills joked as he walked over to the barn and rubbed the soft fluffy fur of the wolf which happily rolled over to let its belly to be scratched. ”Oh, you like this don't cha?”

Bartley appeared from inside the barn, dressed in a leather work smock over a locally produced shirt and knee-length work boots. He leaned the rake against the wall and removed his gloves before wiping the sweat off his face and smiled at Mills.

”Hey, big guy!” Mills went up to Bartley and gave him a brotherly hug. ”Damn! You smell of dog shit and piss!”

Bartley grinned and shooked hands with Drake, Collins, and James. ”How's farm life doing for you?” James asked his former section mate.

”The air is good, work is tiring but honest at least,” Bartley smiled. ”Come inside, it's cold out here.”

Bartley shooed the curious wind wolves back to their pens and closed the barn door before bringing his friends into his cabin.

Mills went to the Jeep and came back with a trunk food of supplies. ”I got some locally brewed piss for you!”

The cabin was tidy and simply furnished. There were only a single chair and a sofa and in the end, they just dragged the chair and sofa over to Bartley's bed and they gathered there.

”Cheers!” The gang toasted each other and took a swill from the bottles of local beers. The quality of bottling drinks had improved vastly over the months and the men finished the drinks quickly.

”How are you doing?” Collins asked as he popped open the trunk and shared some meat jerky around. ”Civilian life good?”

”In a way, yes,” Bartley smiled bitterly. ”More freedom.”

”Hey, don't sweat it,” Drake patted Bartley's back. ”You did something good there. You saved those wolves.”

”Yea!” Mills chirped in. ”Train them well! I want to ride into battle on a wolf! Woo!”

James shook his head, ”Don't worry, we are all here for you. Even getting dishonorably discharged from the Corps, none of us think badly of you!”

”Thanks, guys,” Bartley nodded in gratitude at his friends.

”Hey, we are brothers!” Mills raised his beer up and yelled. ”Tonight we party!”

”We got meat for BBQ and plenty of drinks!”

-----

Kingdom of Bluewood, Imperial Capital

The Emperor sat up on his bed and clutched his chest hard, his fingers digging deep into his flesh. A crescent shape appeared under the skin of his chest and appeared to be alive as it radiated a soft glow through his skin.

Sweat trickled down his naked body as he struggled against the scorching pain in his chest. He raised one hand and gripped the sleeping girl next to him and almost immediately, the pain lessened and he felt a cooling sensation flowing from his hand to his chest.

He looked down and in the dim mage lights, he noticed wrinkles on his body slowly disappearing and his skin regaining the supple glow of youth.

As the pain faded, the crescent shape pushing against his skin slowing retreated back into his body and the glow disappeared. Taking a deep breath, he looked down to his bed where the girl laid, only to find a dried out husk curled up in a fetal position.

The Emperor stood up and walked to a full length polished bronze mirror and admired his body under the dim lights. He rubbed the red patch on his chest where his nails had gorged into his skin drawing blood. As he watched, his skin visibly recovered with a blemish.

He frowned wondering why has it been so active lately. It used to only trigger once a year or less but lately, it has kept demanding more and more from him. He looked at his 20 year old plus face and body and smiled, knowing that no one suspected him to be over sixty years of age.

Not even his own sons can recognize him till the last moment when he whispered to their ears. He remembered the disbelieve in his eldest son when he ran his sword through his body. ”Luke, I am your father!”

His eldest son stared in horror and died with confusion in his eyes and he wasn't the only one to die that way. Only his youngest son, did he banished away due to some lingering feelings for his mother and he took his youngest son's identify and reunified the Kingdom under his new identity.

It all had started when he was given a piece of artifact that gave him renewed strength and vitality. He knew his sons were plotting for the throne once he died and knew that they were useless. He was given a new chance in life so why shouldn't he take this chance to unite the whole New World?

His useless sons were only interested in power, women, and wealth and won't amount to anything greater than he ever was! Only him, the great Emperor Dios Bluewood will be able to hold the people's heart and unite the world under one banner!

His youngest son, borne out with a favored concubine was the weakest among his brothers. Weak of will and mind, his magical powers were also below average. Hence, he decided to make use of his youngest child for his plot but in return for his affections to his concubine, he allowed his youngest to live. With that, he faked his death and assumed the identity of his youngest child and played the whole Kingdom into the palm of his hands.

When the uprising by his supposed brothers came, they dismissed him as the weakest and fought among themselves while Dios laughed behind the scenes. He had already prepared his strongest army to only obey him and when his sons were weakened, he attacked and in a brief year of suppression, he regained control of the whole Kingdom again. Expect this time, it was under the guise of Varacen Bluewood, the youngest hidden genius of the only surviving Bluewood lineage.

Admiring himself again in the mirror, he pulled the bell and a small army of eunuchs appeared, he gestured to the body on the bed and the eunuchs bowed before removing the body.

”Bring me another girl.”