'Thanks to the system marking Alexandra from our initial encounter… I can locate her regardless of where she attempts to conceal herself. Thankfully, she is still alive.'
He turned to Alice. "Remain here, and ensure their safety."
Alice nodded resolutely as Draven turned and stepped into the shadowy portal. The guards exchanged determined glances, gripping their weapons firmly, and followed him into the gateway one by one.
__
[Boco's castle.]
"General! What are your orders?! A scout has just reported that Lord Boco and all his soldiers have been annihilated… His head is even displayed at the village!" a frantic voice exclaimed.
The dark-skinned man, now adorned in a regal robe, frowned deeply. 'Boco was a lower master class… Who possesses the power to dispatch him so effortlessly?!' he thought, his gaze then settling upon the chained figure of Alexandra.
"Which village?" he demanded.
"Well… The villagers have inscribed a name upon the wall."
"A name? And what is it?"
"Draven's Village."
The general sank onto his imposing throne, his eyes narrowing as he observed a faint, almost imperceptible smile playing on Alexandra's bloodied face.
"You know him?" he inquired, his gaze sharp and probing.
"You would be wise to end my life now," she spat, her voice raw with defiance, "for if you do not, I will relish the sight of your agonizing demise!"
The general rested his jaw upon his clenched right fist, his expression thoughtful.
"You know, elf, as a healer… You should possess the ability to mend your own wounds… It is a pity that you are merely a lower elite class, lacking both offensive capabilities and potent healing skills… You are truly pathetic, and such a clueless fool believed she could orchestrate a victory… How utterly naive." He paused, then continued, "You should have conducted thorough reconnaissance before launching any assault, let alone attacking a fortified castle. You were deceived by the seemingly weak exterior and failed to consider the strength within… Truly foolish."
Alexandra gritted her teeth, her silence a testament to the bitter truth of his words. She had genuinely believed that with Boco absent, they could rescue the captured women and perhaps, finally, reunite with her mother.
"I examined the slaves within Boco's castle, and do you know what I discovered?" the general continued, a cruel glint in his eyes.
Alexandra's head snapped up, surprise and a flicker of dread crossing her features.
"Her."
The general inclined his head to the right as two hulking Krakens dragged an elderly elf across the stone floor and unceremoniously dumped her before the throne.
"Mother!" Alexandra cried out, her voice a choked gasp of shock and despair.
"Do not dwell on it too much," the general said dismissively. "She is already deceased… That is how I came to find her."
"You! You murdered her!" Alexandra shrieked, her eyes burning with incandescent rage.
"Murdered her? No… Merely observed her! Her… Intimate areas… Were bleeding profusely! Boco must have been rather… Enthusiastic… Perhaps he lacked restraint." The general leaned back on his throne, a look of feigned pity on his face.
"Such a shame, a true beauty… Like mother, like daughter." He turned his gaze back to Alexandra and snapped his fingers.
The heavy chains binding Alexandra instantly vanished, and she collapsed to the cold stone floor.
"Mother!" she sobbed, crawling toward her mother's lifeless form.
"Not so fast…" the general interjected, his voice laced with amusement. "If you wish to touch her, you will first have to provide me with some… Entertainment."
He raised his hand, and an unseen force gripped Alexandra, forcing her onto her hands and knees.
"You! What are you doing?!" she screamed, her voice a mixture of fury and terror, a raw, untamed bloodlust surging within her.
"Ah, I see… Shaved. How… Considerate." The general licked his lips lasciviously. "A pity you are not… Worthy… I shall allow one of my guards the privilege. Do you not agree that this would be… Entertaining?"
He gestured toward a towering Kraken:
"Fuck her."
The Kraken's eyes widened in stunned disbelief. He lumbered toward the immobilized Alexandra with an unsettling haste, fumbling with the fastenings of his crude trousers.
He squatted behind her, his massive hands grasping her buttocks, his thick member already engorged.
'What meaning does life hold now?! My father, my mother, my sisters… All gone. And now… This violation awaits. Death is the only escape.'
The Kraken shifted his weight, preparing to thrust in.
BAM!!!
"...?!"
The general was utterly speechless, his jaw slacks with disbelief.
"..."
Not feeling the anticipated impact, the Kraken slowly opened his eyes… His massive jaw dropped in horror as he stared at the empty space where the woman he was about to assault had been.
Every head in the chamber swiveled toward the now-destroyed entrance, revealing a young man with striking black-red hair, cradling the trembling form of Alexandra in his arms.
Feeling the unfamiliar yet strangely comforting embrace, and the shift in her posture, Alexandra slowly fluttered her eyelids open. Her golden gaze locked with the intense crimson eyes of Draven.
"Draven…" she murmured, her voice a fragile whisper of disbelief.
Draven's gaze swept over her bloodied face, and the oppressive killing intent that had momentarily filled the chamber receded. With a slow, deliberate movement, he raised a hand and gently traced a finger along the deep gash on her forehead. As his fingertip moved, the wound began to knit itself back together, and within a mere five seconds, her face was completely healed, the skin smooth and unbroken.
"Draven? Are you the one who slew Boco?" the general inquired, a sardonic smirk twisting his lips.
WHOOSH!!!!
THUD!
The sickening thud of an object striking the stone floor echoed through the hall. All eyes snapped to the Kraken who had been poised to violate Alexandra, their expressions shifting from shock to horrified disbelief as they registered his headless body collapsing to the ground.
"There are only three things in my life that can truly ignite my rage," Draven began, his voice dangerously low and even as he turned his gaze toward the dark-skinned general.
"One: Do not lay a hand upon my women. Two: Do not inflict harm upon my women. Three: Do not harbor lustful thoughts toward my women."
'Wait a moment… Aren't those essentially the same thing?!' The general thought, a flicker of confusion amidst his growing apprehension.
"You just broke the three." Draven's eyes glowed crimson.