This is all part of the plan. That's the line that must be going through his fat head, that fat bureaucratic advisor upstairs. He knew. He knew and still sent us, he knew what would happen… what I would do. There's no other explanation, no other reason; he's used me like a tool. The worst part is, if Kona hadn't run away, I probably wouldn't be as mad as I am right now. I hate that I think that, that if she were still here, then what? Would that mean I would be okay with murdering a town of innocent civilians? Why the fuck am I thinking like this?
I clutched my head and yelled out into the darkness of my room. I couldn't sleep like this, not for a moment. What I wanted to do was go upstairs, find Xudo's office and give him a firsthand example of pain and suffering. Someone who's lived like that probably doesn't know the first thing about it, so how could someone like that, someone so removed from the real world, understand what it's like? It's like I'm nothing more than an attack dog on a leash that he sicks on his enemies, first Snowfall, next Balim. I wonder if he even considered the idea that I could turn and bite him instead.
Then a knock on the door. Was it Nigel, maybe? Who else would come at this hour? Perhaps he noticed the word as well and wants to talk strategy. "Come in."
The door opened, and rather than Nigel, five women entered, all dressed in nothing more than lacey undergarments and provocative clothing, revealing much of their skin. They were all different, tall, short, muscular, petite, but all of them looked around the same age as me. The tallest and the oldest of them stepped forward, standing at the foot of my bed as the other four flanked around the side of my bed, looking down at me as I perched myself up with my elbows to look.
"Master Akame, you seem to have trouble sleeping. Please, let us aid you."
I was too stunned to speak at the bizarre sight. The tall one who had spoken began to crawl towards me from the foot of the bed. I then noticed their clothing was loose and flowing, revealing all for me to see. I looked to either side as the other four women also mounted the bed, approaching slowly. It would be a lie to say I wasn't excited; at least my body was.
The taller one crawled over me, gently taking my hands and placing them above my head as she moved in and locked our lips together. As this happened, I felt two other women move my wrists and tie a rope around them, restraining me to the bed; at the same time, the other two did the same to my ankles. As I was being tied in place, the tall woman pulled back from the kiss and held aloft a piece of silky black fabric. The last thing I saw was her biting her lip as she draped it delicately over my eyes, tying it in place so I couldn't see. As she tied it, I felt a warm and wet sensation on all four of my lips. Each girl was using their tongue, running it up my legs and down my arms. I felt tongues against my ears, mouth, and every other part of my body that night. I was subjected to an hour or two of non-stop pleasure at the hands of these girls. As the night went on, the restraints were removed and I ravished them of my own will. Mercilessly and roughly, hearing their screams, looking down at their faces as they twisted with ecstasy, as I abused their bodies like this. One by one, I ravaged them until they stopped making sounds or moving. One by one, they passed out, strewn on my bed with faces of bliss. Only then did I collapse back and fall into a deep slumber.
I dreamed of it again that night. That one dream that lingers in the back of my mind, but always slightly out of reach. The dream atop the mountain with the large gateway and filled with black smoke that swallowed all light. The red eyes glowed from its depths, the same eyes I see in Wrath, but larger, much larger. The blackened, clawed hands that emerge and grip the gate as its towering body is pulled forward they looked the same as mine when using Wrath's power. In this dream, what was I seeing? I felt similar to the presence I felt when I first saw Wrath or Lust, but stronger, much stronger. This thing, this must be that being Xudo said, the whole made of seven parts, the Exiled.
I awoke as if from a nightmare, my eyes bolting open and my breathing deep and rapid. I felt the warmth and weight of the woman from the night before holding me, wrapping me in a warm blanket of bodies. One of them, which was the closest to me, also awoke; she was the youngest and the smallest. She leaned over and placed a hand on my cheek as she locked her lips to mine, thrusting her tongue into my mouth before pulling back, leaning close to my ear and whispering good morning softly. She had a smile on her face the whole time. Did she want to be here? Was she saying and doing these things, or was she ordered to and pretending to like it? I couldn't tell.
"Why are you here?" I whispered back. "Were you ordered to come here?"
She nodded. Her honesty surprised me. "I did enjoy last night, though. I would be happy if you became my master."
Ah, so that's it. She's a slave; they all must be slaves. I will admit I did enjoy myself, and I do feel better than I did yesterday. I know deep down that's just from the physical pleasure, but even still, it did a good job of masking the hurt. Is this why Nigel was spending so much time at the brothels?
I leaned my head back down in bed as the small girl curled on top of me, her chest pressing against mine as her head nuzzled into my neck. As I glanced to the side, I noticed another waking up. The one I only remembered as having the largest breasts. She moved closer to me, filling the space that was occupied by the smaller one. She took my hand and brought it to her face as she started to lick and suck my fingers. At the same time, the small one started to lick my neck. I felt the others who were sleeping start to move. I suppose I was going to have an eventful morning as well.
When I eventually felt both fulfilled and empty, I managed to leave the room. I felt both exhausted and energised at the same time. When I did leave, L and Nigel were waiting in the hallway for me. We went through the winding maze of rooms in the lower level of the palace and eventually came to a small banquet hall with a table lined with food. Rare meats and fresh fruits all made to perfection. We were being taken care of well, no doubt a response to my outburst the other day. I understood why this was happening, that it was to make me feel content, to calm me. I understood this was nothing more than manipulation, but that didn't mean I couldn't enjoy it. So, we feasted like kings, or at least Nigel and I did. L left the room to eat in solitude; it seemed he was serious about never showing us his face under that white mask of his.
After we ate, we readied ourselves to depart south. I went back into my room to retrieve my armour and my royal guard coat, but the women who were in there had other plans. As I opened the door, I found them indulging in each other's bodies on my bed, and so, I joined them for one final bit of fun.
An hour later, the women clothed me and I set out. As I left, I noticed two of them were going at it on the bed again. What kind of sex drive did these women possess? It was almost inhuman. L and Nigel were waiting in the hall, again, looking slightly annoyed with how long they were waiting for me. We started to walk down the hallway.
"I'm surprised you were keeping up with them," L muttered as he walked in front of me.
"What do you mean?"
"The girls. They're drugged-up sex slaves."
"Sex slaves? I thought those were illegal?"
"Well, sex slave isn't the right word. They're all consenting to it, think of them as prostitutes, but rather than do it for money, they do it because they enjoy it. They choose who they want to sleep with, though, so they aren't forced to fuck a guy that looks like a rotten potato, for example."
"How can they consent if they're drugged?" Nigel muttered.
"They drink aphrodisiacs. Gives them a near-unlimited sex drive. That way, they can have fun all day and night."
"And they're here, willingly? Nobody ordered them around?"
"They are asked politely, but that's it; all can refuse if they wish, and they can leave the palace at any time."
I suppose that's not so bad then. Especially if that's what they actually genuinely want. Does that mean what the smaller one said to me this morning was real? I've got to admit, I wouldn't mind it.
We left the palace and entered a carriage. A royal guard climbed up top to drive it, the same one who took us to Snowfall, so I suppose, much like last time, he wouldn't be saying anything. With the slight jolt, we departed and were southbound.
"Hey, L. What's with the driver? He doesn't talk much?"
"He doesn't have a tongue."
L turned away and gazed out the window, clearly signalling he had no intention of explaining further.
We moved south by wagon and out of the city. The wagon had plenty of supplies strapped to the top, and we were even given a military escort once we reached the outer wall, which accompanied us till the outer city gave way to a green country. It would be a long journey to Balim, much longer than our last.
The trip was boring and uneventful. Even though it was just a few times, I found myself already missing the touch of a woman. At night, I felt the lack of presence next to me crushing, and I found it harder to sleep. I had gone my whole life sleeping alone, but after this past year or so, I'm having a hard time going back to that.
We passed back through the small town of The Rest, spending a night in a comfortable bed. As we set out the next day, as we passed through the south gate into the great emptiness, I saw out the window a hill with a lonely tree at its peak. Even just the sight of it made me shed a tear. After all, I miss her.