{Emperor’s Diary}
I looked at Kiko as she polished her shield. We arrived early in the day, so we scouted the slave market. There were fewer slaves there than I thought there would be. In fact, there were no warriors at all, so I had to consider our options. A full raid was a no go. I can feel the curse marks in the city. There are less people in the city than they’re there was in the first raid to free the slaves. On top of that, there were no slaves in the guard or the major establishments of the city. Something was definitely wrong.
‘Kiko, wear your round shield.’ (Emperor’s mental link to Kiko)
She looked at me surprised. I nodded to physically confirm before continuing.
‘We’ll go to the slave market tomorrow and buy as many women and children we can handle. After that, we’ll return to the main group after planning a few ambushes to deal with the incoming army.’ (Emperor’s mental link to Kiko)
Kiko sadly looked at me, but still nodded again in understanding. In recent weeks, she has become a regular part of our strategy meetings.
She was sharp in defensive manors, and how to overcome them. In short, she understands costs and rewards. She could also hear my mind without me needing to strain my focus. Even so, she could also read my body language.
The moment we settled into the inn, we were being watched.
‘Kiko I’m about to go and rest. I’m sorry, but you must act like a slave in these kinds of settings.’ (Emperor’s mental link to Kiko)
She nodded again in understanding, feeling the eyes on her as well now. I laid down on the bed and closed my eyes as she put her shield away. In the next moment, I heard fasteners being removed.
“Master, you seem cold.” (Kiko)
I sighed mentally. This isn’t what I meant, but I acted like she could read my mind to the onlookers. I was uncomfortable being watched, but I playacted for satisfaction I guess. My love, let’s forgive our sins about one another, as I couldn’t help but enjoy the catkin on top of me.
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It was a long rest, not sleep, in the inn before morning came. The uneasiness of being watched all night made me stiff, as I decided to carry on with aborting the operation. After this place, we will go straight to where my love is after regrouping with the others. This time, I’m a man starting a brothel full of exotic girls and young men. Of course, the papers will say workforce, but hey, even the other humans break the law. At this point, I don’t really care about what kidnappers laws amount to. Sadly, I could only save ten people. I got a pair of beastkin wolves, five lizkin, a child catkin, and a young dragon1dragonspeciesnewt. Unlike my love, she wasn’t a knight. She was actually a healer. She cost four times as much as the others combined because she was ‘pure’.
In the business, I was fronting that meant virgin. I wish I could have saved others, but they all appeared rather weak. They have been slaves too long, and couldn’t be saved, while I felt that these ones had resistance to their slave marks. Especially the dragonnewt. If I was going to raid the city, then I might buy all the slaves, but this is a covert operation. I could tell when the wagon was loaded that even the dragonnewt has been broken enough to know not to fight. Kiko took a guard position, as I lead the team. I’ve been learning, so I’m quite capable enough now. With regret, I start moving on, and halfway through, something strange happens. The busy street became empty within moments. Soldiers came from the sides and filled the street that the wagon was on. I looked at Kiko, as a fine armored individual appeared with a woman.
‘S***! Not good. Kiko, tower shield. NOW!’ (Emperor’s mental link to Kiko)
She looked at me mildly confused, as I sweated with an iron face of calm. Her shield started to change as I look around.
‘The ally beside the butchery. It’s a trap, but it’s the best place to lay in wait.’ (Emperor’s mental link to Kiko)
She nodded in understanding as she looked behind her to the confused people in the wagon.
“Who can fight?” (Kiko)
They became worried as the dragonnewt looked at me.
‘You can speak like us? How?’ (Dragonnewt Healer)
I blinked without looking at her. The moment I did, the black mark on her body was absorbed into me, as well as the other slaves in the wagon.
I was preparing for the others in the city as well. ‘Guard them well.’ (Emperor’s mental link to Kiko)
I got off the wagon after handing the reins to Kiko, then I moved toward the princess.
“Why? Just tell me, why are you willing to go against the will of god?” (Princess)
I looked at her with anger and hate after she said that.
‘Why should I listen to a kidnapper who planned to chain me like a dog like these beastkin and dragonkin?’ (Emperor’s mental link to Princess)
My response caught her, and the person at her side by surprise. I guess that person is my replacement.
“You dare spit such nonsense? I will make you rue the day!” (Hero)
I blinked while looking at him.
‘My love, I’ll show you that you don’t need to worry about me when you aren’t by my side.’ (Emperor’s mental link to Empress)
I immediately got a response from her.
‘You have to fight when you don’t have a choice. I always tell you to train just in case.’ (Empress’s mental link to Emperor)
I then smirked as I drew my sword.
‘I have always been training.’ (Emperor’s mental link to Empress)
Notice!
‘Mate of Dragon Blood’ activated. Stats increased.
The person in the armor then drew his sword as well.
‘Kiko, lead the team there now.’ (Emperor’s mental link to Kiko)
She started to move, so I back away to make room for her escape. For good measure, I blocked the path with miasma.
‘Come at me, you b**** and her slave! I will bow to no one, only the people that I chose are deserving.’ (Emperor’s mental link to Princess)
That got them riled up, as I took a fighting stance.
“No one interfere. This is a duel.” (Hero)
I then nodded to agree. I cared about buying more time, so I was fine with a duel.
‘Just out of curiosity, but how did you find me?’ (Emperor’s mental link to Princess)
The princess then hauntingly laughed before speaking.
“You simpleton! You can’t talk.” (Princess)
I narrowed my eyes as a black area surrounded me. I can feel him increasing his stats as well. When he was ready, he rushed at me, then our swords met. I was instantly pushed back.
‘Aura of Dominance!’ (Emperor)
The area around me started giving a black hue, and I was immediately in the advantage.
Aura of Dominance: Ability- An aura area of effect around the user. An active defensive field that inflicts curses6cursesstory mechanic on anybody that enters it, and cancels all magic5magicstory mechanic enhancements on everyone within it that the user wishes. It also inflicts mana drain on anybody that the user wishes it too. Curse series, high-tier spell.
I parried, then threw the hero back and extended my free hand toward him before activating another skill.
‘Curse Drain.’ (Emperor)
Curse Drain: Ability- Drains the physical strength of anyone afflicted with a curse. Reduces the targets severity of lower curses. Curse series, mid-tier spell.
The drain slightly dried out his skin, then he received a purification from the princess, but it didn’t work. These weren’t simple curses from a necromancer, but curses exactly like the slave tattoo on the hero. I literally altered the power to control him in my favor.
‘Clever, my mate.’ (Emperor’s mental link to Empress)
Notice! ‘Mate of Dragon Blood’ has strengthened due to your mate’s praise of your wit. You feel proud of this achievement. Even with the notification, I was actually proud as I smiled. This was my ace move against any hero. The hero took a knee as a fireball was aimed at me, and I quickly cut it with my sword. To say I didn’t take damage was an understatement, but I did look cool when I did that attack. I started to move forward, then I walked passed the hero that was now on his hands and knees coughing up blood. Being in my aura of dominance, he is continuously getting cursed and curse drained simultaneously until all the curses are removed from the target. It’s a rather vicious cycle.
The guards started to act, so I moved forward instantly and activated a skill.
‘Rend world’s echo!’ (Emperor)
I activated the soul rend skill horizontally, causing my sword to move way to fast for her to guard against it. My sword went along her neck and between her vertebra. I then went to the hero who was coughing up blood and took his slave tattoo.
‘You’re free now. Do as you wish with your newfound freedom.’ (Emperor’s mental link to Hero)
I walked past him, as the soldiers couldn’t even approach. My aura of dominance and curse drain skills were still in effect. I decided to go to Kiko and wait to be rescued. A sword then entered my side from the back. I looked back to find the hero looking at me full of rage.
“You killed her, you bastard! You killed the first woman to love me!” (Hero)
I annoyingly sighed, as I took his head with soul rend just like I did with the princess.
I then retreated as the soldiers stared in shock.
{Narrator}
The battle of Star City. This is where the world learned of the emperor and his loyal guard, Kiko the iron wall. Pinned in a corner of one of the star points of the city, Kiko alone guarded the emperor as he passed out from his injuries and exhaustion. The aura of dominance and the curse drain. They were two of the emperor’s signature moves. It’s a combo that drains the life and magic from a person, while in turn, weakening them on a basic level. While not as strong as ‘Emperor’s Dominion’, which inflicts hundreds and thousands of curses of all tiers on an enemy, this opener is equally hard to counter. It’s immune to holy magic, which is the main counter to all curses.
The emperor’s dominion can only be cast on one individual, while the dominance and drain combo is effective on the entire defensive field of dominance. The only known weakness to the combo is that the defensive field doesn’t move with the user. Once it’s been cast, it stays in place, and it also has a long cool down time. The drain is also slow acting and not as effective. Another fact to be considered is that the combo doesn’t work on people that the emperor’s freed. Aura manipulates an individual’s current miasma. When curse drain is used on people to liberate them from slavery3slaverytheme, he takes all of their miasma onto himself, so there is now nothing left to manipulate.
