Showing Force

The soldiers moved in and pulled out the royal siblings. Joelle held her head high, her blue eyes cold as she looked around the room. She didn't even react when she looked in Gavin's direction and turned to Caine.

"Is it safe to assume that you are the Demon Lord?"

Caine smiled and bowed, "It is. I am Lord Caine, ruler of Yisa and blessed with the title of Demon Lord."

"What do you plan to do with us?"

"Our main goal will be to see if your family values either of you enough to surrender the kingdom. Until then you will both be prisoners here."

Gavin stood, his chair making noise as it moved back. He goes to stand next to Caine, his face void of any emotion. He had been surprised to see Riley. He wanted to be excited about Riley being there, but it meant that he had to tread carefully when it came to Joelle.

"I have a couple questions for you."

Riley didn't notice Gavin was in the room until he moved to stand with Caine. Surprise was written all over his face, then happiness. Caine caught everything as he was paying special attention to the prince.

"What would you like to know?"

"Did you know that it was easy for me to return home whenever I wanted?"

Joelle rolled her eyes, "I don't see where that is important in this moment."

"Answer the question." Caine turned his focus back to the princess. He really didn't like her attitude at all.

"Fine. Yes, I knew."

"Sister!"

She turned her cold stare on her brother. "Like I would have told you the truth. You're so useless you would have said something."

"But, we didn't need to lie."

"No one was going to stay and willingly fight for us, it was a necessary lie."

"How is that working out for you?" Gavin was trying hard not to pull out his blades. The urge to hurt her was strong.

Joelle turned her attention back to Gavin and let out a sigh. "It was going well until the demons got ahold of you. I suppose that's what we get for summoning such a weak hero."

Before anyone could say anything a soldier stepped in and immediately went down on one knee, head bowed.

"Runner for Captain Raul, I've been sent to report that the nobles in the second level have put together a small force and are headed this way. How would you like us to handle them?"

Gavin glanced at the princess then Caine.

"I'll handle it."

He knew that if he didn't leave soon that he would lose control and do something to hurt the princess. He wouldn't be bothered by it and he knew that Caine wouldn't care, but he didn't want to hurt her in front of Riley.

Caine waited until Gavin was gone to turn his attention back to the princess. He didn't like her at all and was questioning if they made the right choice on what to do with her.

"It worked out for us that you saw him as weak. I don't know if you know how our society is run but Gavin is my second in command."

Her surprised expression was all the satisfaction he needed.

"Take the princess to the dungeon, I'll decide what to do with her later."

He turned his attention to Riley.

"Take the prince to Lord Evians room and stand guard."

"Wait, you can't separate us."

Joelle said as her eyes narrowed. She was trying to figure out why they were being separated while trying to resist being moved. Riley looked like he was a step away from fainting.

Caine stepped in when she grabbed hold of her brother's arm. He forcefully removed her hand and sent the soldier with Riley away. He turned his attention to the princess.

"Gavin only likes one of you, and I'm sure you can connect the dots as to who that is. Now, behave yourself and follow the soldier or I'll have him throw you over his shoulder and carry you.

"Oh, say 'hi' to Lord Evian while you're down there."

He chuckled at his own joke as she walked away. Caine is certain that no one has cleaned up the mess in the dungeon yet, too many other priorities.

"I take it the previous lord is dead?"

"He is, and is still in the dungeon. It should be interesting to see how the princess fairs sharing her space with a dead man."

"What are your plans for her?"

Caine motions for Xanthe to sit, moving to sit down himself. He brings out the bottle of alcohol and pours himself glass. He eyes it a moment before taking a rather large gulp.

"Really bad…"

He puts the bottle away and turns his attention to Xanthe.

"I'm not sure yet. I don't honestly see the king surrendering Edicia even at the threat of both his children.

I also don't want to harm her and ruin Gavin's chances with the prince."

"Can I have her?"

Caine raised an eyebrow as he leaned back in the chair. "You don't normally ask for things. I'm not going to deny it, but I am curious as to why."

"I think it will be fun teaching her to respect demons. I also didn't care for the way she treated Gavin. He was only weak because of them."

"I agree with that. With her attitude I don't think they actually expected him to win, which makes me wonder why they even bothered."

"Misdirection? Could they have something else planned?"

Caine places his fingers together, deep in thought. "It's possible. I'm not sure what else they could be doing that would be able to stop us."

"Elone, she would at least cause a delay."

"Goddess of Light? That would make using magic difficult."

Most humans believe that demons are evil creatures that can be destroyed by light magic. Demons are no more evil than humans. Now, their affinity with dark magic against those who have an affinity with light magic will potentially leave a stalemate.

"I want you to get the captains together and have them execute our secondary plan. Whether or not Elone has gotten involved we will need our soldiers fully armed."

Xanthe nodded. Her eyes suddenly lit up as she remembered something.

"Earlier I found out that Gavin had practiced with all the elements while we were training. To give the spies the signal he was able to use 'immolate' and completely destroyed three guards on the wall.

"I think that our men will find themselves in a similar situation."

"That gives me hope. All right. Go inform the captains and tell them to begin immediately. Then I want you to grab one of Dreymore's soldiers and bring them here. If Gavin is finished with the nobles have him come as well. We will have a meeting."

Xanthe stands and bows, then turns on her heels and leaves.

*******

Earlier.

Gavin followed the soldier through the castle and outside. They joined Captain Raul and his squad near the center of the second level. Gavin felt weird when all of the soldiers, including the captain, saluted him.

"What's the situation, captain?"

Captain Raul was a large demon who stood eye to eye with Gavin. He had red hair that was cut short on the sides but left long on top, his eyes were a deep gray.

"Some of the nobles have gathered together with their guards and are beginning to make their way to the castle. I sent the runner as soon as our spy informed me that they were organizing."

"Will they be passing here soon?"

"Yes, sir, any time."

The captain was on target with his estimation. A minute after Gavin appeared a group of about fifty men filled the central courtyard. They were surprised at the sight that greeted them.

They had been told that an army of demons had taken over and were on their way to the caste to speak with Lord Evian.

"This is as far as you go. This city is under the control of the Demon Lord and everyone of you were told to remain in your homes until told otherwise."

"We're not going to just stand by and let you take over our city without a fight."

"That is exactly what you will do because none of you are capable of giving me a fight. You certainly won't against our armies.

"I will give you one chance. Those who do not wish to die should move back. Anyone left standing in front of me after the count of five will not leave here alive. The dead nobles will have their families relocated to the first level so think carefully before you choose. 1..."

The crowd of nobles and their guards tried to gauge whether he could back up his words or not. Some in the group were smart enough to understand where they stood. Some didn't care, they didn't want to take a chance.

"2… 3."

Slowly men started to move back and to the side. It was only a few at first but once the first noble moved the guards gained more confidence.

4… 5."

What was left in front of Gavin was three nobles and approximately twenty guards. Gavin knew enough about what the humans were capable versus the demons. Since he had beaten Xanthe he knew that killing these few would be easy.

The true question was whether or not he should, or if it even bothered him to think about killing so many humans. He was still angry with Princess Joelle and the knowledge that no one had actually cared about him. What would Caine do?

Gavin shifted his position, his eyes locked on the men in front of him. He drew his swords and moved forward. Zetsubo. Shikyo. He could feel the swords waking up, responding to his call. Now is the time to awaken them.

Gavin stabbed both swords into the chest of the closest man. As the blades slid through flesh and muscle he could feel something change within them, and himself. The blades easily cut through bone as they passed through the body, destroying the heart.

He pulled his swords free and moved to his next target. His first target fell to the ground with a blank expression on his face, he had died before he even realized what happened. The head of the second man rolled to the ground as he swung his swords at the next man.

Gavin made a gruesome show as he sliced and stabbed his way through twenty plus men. Those in the back had enough time to draw their weapons. Not that it mattered when one sword blocked their sword and the other was able to come in to deal a mortal wound. Some were decapitated, some were cut in a way that allowed their intestines to fall out of their bodies.

His speed was so incredible that the first five died without realizing what was coming.

Within a minute everyone that had stood before him was dead. His soldiers and the men who had moved away were splattered with blood.

Gavin looked over the scene he had left in his wake. It was an odd feeling; he felt proud of his skills and how they had improved but also worried about his lack of empathy for the dead.

Is this what I'm supposed to be feeling? So many dead, so many wasted lives.

Sounds of retching drew his attention and he discovered that two nobles and several of the guards were ill. It was clear who among the group had never seen true combat.

"Captain."

"Yes, General?"

"I want you to take the heads of the nobles and display them here. I want to make it clear that the demons are here to stay.

"Let them know that loyalty to their new ruler will be rewarded. Anything less than loyalty will be swiftly dealt with."

The last part he said while looking at the group of nobles and guards. From the looks on their faces they got the message loud and clear.

"Now, which noble is from the oldest family?"

A man stepped forward and knelt down on one knee. He wasn't much older than Gavin, his hair was an orange shade of red and curly, his complexion pale and his build lanky but muscular.

"I am, sir."

"Good. The rest of you may leave. I suggest you obey the previous order and remain in your homes."

Once everyone but his men and the kneeling noble remained he moved to stand before said noble.

"Stand. What is your name?"

"Ondrea Capell."

He said as he stood. He knew that his position was precarious at best and was afraid of what fate awaited him.

"Captain, after your men have cleaned up here Ondrea will give you all the information you'll need about the dead nobles to carry out my orders."

"Yes, General. I will make certain that your orders are carried out."

The look the captain gave him was filled with respect. They had all been there to see his fight with Xanthe and respected him for winning. Seeing the way he handled the insurgents raised his standing within the ranks.

"Give the captain your full cooperation and prove I didn't waste my time by sparing you."

"I will."

Ondrea bowed his head. He would give them whatever they wanted if it meant his family was safe.

"I will leave you to your work, Captain."

Gavin turned away to where Xanthe stood off to the side. He had noticed her standing there right after the last man fell. He could only assume that she came to retrieve him.

"I'm impressed."

"How much did you see?"

They walked shoulder to shoulder back to the castle.

"Enough. I wish I could have seen you take them all down. How did the blades do?"

Gavin looked down, only then realizing that he was still holding them. They bore no blood or damage. I'm pretty sure they absorbed the blood. That was the price of the awakening after all.

He placed them back in their respective sheaths. His mind was filled with the sensation of satisfaction. His swords were very happy.

"They did well, far beyond my expectations. What's weird is that it feels like they are conscious now and I can feel them in my head."

"That's because they are. The attunement, the awakening, it's all a process of giving them life and binding them to you.

"Attunement is only half of the process and will still make them good blades. Going further and awakening them fills them with life and strengthens them.

"No one will ever be able to wield them, they will consume the life of those who try. They will come when called and grow stronger the more they're used. My father talked about blades that could be wielded independently of their user."

Gavin smiled and threw his arm across her shoulder.

"I'm glad you told me about it. It's all new to me and will take time to adjust, but I can't imagine using any other weapon.

"On a slightly different subject, where are we going."

Xanthe chuckled, "We are having a strategy meeting and you might just get to meet our spies."

That got his attention. He had been curious about who let them in. When they arrived back at the office Caine was sitting behind the desk and a soldier of Dreymore was standing at attention in front of the desk.

"Do you understand?"

"Yes, I will leave immediately."

Caine handed him a scroll and leaned back in his chair.

"Make certain you get enough food and a horse. Wouldn't want you to starve to death or delay your trip. Go."

The soldier turned and walked out the room, his face was pale and he was visibly shaking. Meeting the Demon Lord had been too much for the human soldier. Gavin and Xanthe sat down at the desk.

"Our demands are on their way to Kael. We should have a couple weeks before they send their armies."

"You don't think they'll try and negotiate?" Gavin had hoped that having the princess would help in that aspect.

"It was a long shot to use the princess as a bargaining tool. If it were me I would send my armies. All it takes is one time giving in to your enemies and everyone comes crawling out of the woodwork for their chance at you.

"When even loved ones can be used against you, you have to stand strong. Both have to be willing to sacrifice."

Gavin understood the thought behind that. Any weakness could be used against you, so it was better to not have one. He's not sure how he would handle it if someone were to use his family against him. He doesn't think he has the strength to endanger them.

"How did it go with the nobles?"

Xanthe's face lit up and she leaned forward. "You should have seen it. Gavin has grown up so much, he had those nobles shaking in fear."

"Really?"

Gavin suddenly felt anxious the way Caine was looking at him. He still wasn't certain how he felt about his actions. He hadn���t been able to figure out another way to go about it and it seemed like something Caine would do. I hope he's ok with what I did.

"I killed three nobles and about twenty guards. The nobles and guards that decided it was a bad idea to oppose us were sent home except for one noble. The noble that stayed is under orders to give Captain Raul the family names of the dead nobles. I told them that those who chose to oppose us would have their families removed and lose everything.

"Captain Raul's men are also displaying heads of the dead nobles to make it clear what happens to anyone that goes against us. I'm hoping that the people will think twice before trying anything."

"Impressive. That means we have three noble titles open. One of those will go to the mages coming in behind us. I want you to find two people that stand out and give them the remaining titles.

"It will leave an impression if we reward the most loyal with a title. Have the captains keep an eye out, but I'm sure they��ll be found on the second level. The guards are loyal to their families and I won't give more to the nobles that are already here. They can just be happy that we don't push them all out."

"Back to the subject of Kael, will we have enough manpower when, or if, they send their armies here?"

Caine started to open the drawer housing the alcohol then seemed to think better of it and leaned on the desk instead. He looked at Gavin as he began talking.

"We will have reinforcements coming from Galarede. They set sail about a month ago and should arrive in the next couple weeks."

"Galarede?"

"Yes, we've been allied with them for a while. I met Kaida not long after I came here and we hit it off. About two years ago they held the Kings Challenge and he won. Since then we've discussed Galarede joining us as allies. Humans have treated the beastkin poorly for as long as they have demons, if not longer.

"It would be our goal to unite the world under full equity, similar to how Araven is. If we can take Edicia, Fegosk has promised to join us. That would give us a huge boost. They may not have a large army, but their soldiers are better trained than even ours. With Galarede and Fegosk backing us taking Firlamos would be easy.

Eloerian will still give us some trouble. Mostly because of the terrain and their familiarity with it. Taking Araven will be the biggest obstacle because of their size. We will have to choose the right season to attack and hope that we can take them before winter sets in."

If everything works out we might just succeed. Gavin thought as he was listening to Caine. It's not that he doubts they could do it, it just seems like such an impossible thing. Total world domination. I should be in high school with my biggest worry being whether I pass a test. Yet here I am, at the forefront of a country bent on taking over the world.

It seemed so surreal, yet the blood splatters on his clothes was a testament to it's reality. At this point he wouldn't back out no matter what. He had made his choice the moment he had beaten Xanthe and he would follow Caine to the end.