Chapter 2: The Price of Mercy
1343 Words
“Hell no,” she said flatly.
Stepping in front of him. “We are not going anywhere. Not until you explain what's going on.
With her face still in shock, her eyes darted between the three mangled hitmen and the man who claimed to be her husband. Before she could find her voice again, a new figure stepped into the room, clapping his hands with a slow, mocking rhythm.
"Bravo! Truly, a performance worthy of an Oscar!"
Marcus Thorne stepped over the threshold, a smirk plastered across his face. He was dressed in a tailored navy suit that cost more than most people made in a year. As the Vice CEO of the Thorne Group and Julian’s first cousin, Marcus had spent his entire life waiting for Julian to finally choke on his own lifestyle.
"I expected to find the cleaners dragging your corpse out in a rug, Julian," Marcus said, not yet looking at the floor. "But I suppose a final dramatic act before you succumb to the 'hot dose' is just like you. Always making things difficult."
Julian—or rather, the War God Kaelus—turned slowly. He didn't speak. He simply watched Marcus with the predatory stillness of a tiger observing a particularly loud goat.
"What's the matter? Drugs finally fried your brain?" Marcus laughed, finally looking down. His laughter died instantly.
His eyes bugged out as he saw the Black Viper enforcers. One was folded like a lawn chair; another was still gagging on a bar of soap.
"What... what is this?" Marcus stammered, his face draining of color. "Who did this?"
"I believe they were friends of yours," Julian said. His voice was a low, resonant rumble that seemed to vibrate the floorboards.
"Julian?" Marcus gasped, taking a step back. "You... you’re supposed to be dead. I paid for—" He stopped, his eyes wide. He had just admitted to a capital crime in front of Elara.
"You paid for a m******e," Julian finished for him. He began walking toward Marcus. He didn't rush. Each step was measured, heavy with the weight of a thousand battlefields. "But you forgot the most important rule of the trade, Marcus. If you want a God dead, you should have come yourself."
"Stay back!" Marcus reached into his jacket, likely for a weapon, but he was too slow.
To Marcus, Julian seemed to teleport. One moment he was five feet away; the next, Julian’s hand was wrapped around Marcus’s throat like a vice.
[Warning! High levels of Killing Intent detected: -10 Karma Points.]
[Current Balance: -1,000,020.]
Julian ignored the ringing in his head. He lifted Marcus off the ground with one hand. This mortal body groaned under the strain, the muscles in Julian’s arm screaming, but he forced the power through.
"Julian, stop!" Elara cried out, her voice trembling. "You’ll kill him!"
"That is the intention," Julian replied coldly.
He dragged Marcus toward the floor-to-ceiling glass doors leading to the balcony. With a violent kick, the sliding door shattered into a million diamond-like shards. The cold night air rushed in, whipping Julian’s silk robe around his legs.
"Wait! Please!" Marcus wheezed, his face turning a dark shade of purple. "Family! We’re family!"
"Family is a human concept," Julian whispered, leaning close to Marcus’s ear. "In my realm, we call your kind 'traitors.' And traitors are fed to the crows."
He stepped out onto the balcony, holding Marcus over the edge. Twenty stories below, the city lights of Winchester looked like a sea of burning embers. The wind howled around them.
Marcus’s legs dangled in the empty air. He looked down and immediately began to sob, a pathetic, high-pitched wail.
"Twenty floors," Julian mused. "Do you think your expensive suit will act as a parachute, Marcus? Or will you simply become a messy stain for the morning shift to clean up?"
[Ding!]
[Urgent Mission: The Mercy of a God.]
[Goal: Spare the traitor to earn Karma.]
[Reward: 100 Karma Points + 'Lesser Stamina Boost'.]
[Failure: Permanent loss of 1,000 Karma Points.]
Julian’s eyes narrowed. The System was a persistent pest. But he looked at his trembling arm. This body was failing. He needed that stamina boost just to make it through the night.
"Julian, let him go!" Elara stood at the edge of the balcony, her face pale. "If you drop him, you’re a murderer. You’ll spend the rest of your life in a cage!"
Julian looked at his wife, then at the sobbing wreck in his hand. He leaned Marcus out just a few more inches, watching the man’s eyes roll back in terror.
"Fine," Julian hissed. Pulling Marcus back gently. And whispered. “You should be grateful Elara was here”. Let Marcus hit the balcony floor with a bone-jarring thud, sliding across the concrete until he slammed into a potted plant. He curled into a ball, weeping and hyperventilating.
[Ding!]
[Mission Accomplished: The Mercy of a God.]
[Reward: 100 Karma Points + 'Lesser Stamina Boost' administered.]
A wave of warmth flooded Julian’s limbs. The exhaustion vanished, replaced by a steady, solid strength. It wasn't divine, but it was enough to make this body a weapon.
Julian looked down at Marcus, who was trying to crawl back inside.
"You will return to the Thorne Group," Julian commanded. "You will tell the board that the 'Trash CEO' is coming. And Marcus?"
Marcus looked up, snot and tears covering his face.
"If I see your face before the sun rises, I will forget the meaning of mercy."
Marcus didn't wait. He scrambled to his feet, ignoring the fact that he had lost a shoe, and bolted for the elevator.
Julian stood on the balcony, the wind tugging at his hair. He reached into the pocket of his robe and pulled out the smartphone he had taken from the nightstand. The screen was cracked, but the message was still clear.
“The True God has fallen. The hunt begins.”
"The hunt?" Julian whispered, his eyes flashing with a golden light.
Elara stepped onto the balcony, her arms wrapped around herself to ward off the cold. She looked at Julian as if he were a ghost.
"Who are you?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper. "You’re not Julian Thorne, Aren't you”. Because he doesn't have the courage to look a man in the eye, let alone hang one over a balcony."
Julian turned to her. In the moonlight, his features looked sharp, and attractive like he was carved from marble.
"Julian Thorne is gone," he said. "The man standing here is someone this world isn't prepared for."
He walked past her, his movement so smooth it was unsettling.
"Where are you going?" she called out.
"To reclaim my throne," Julian said, grabbing some clothes from the bed. "And Elara? Clean up the bathroom. It’s bad for the brand."
“Excuse me”, Elara said, in a fancy tone. Who do you think you are ordering me to clean? He turned to her in surprise because no one had ever talked back to him. Like that, not alone a woman. He snapped back. “Hey woman look here, you don't talk to the God of war like th…. interrupted by a tiny golden ball of light, Pip, appearing in front of him.
"Woah, big guy! That was intense!" Pip squeaked. "But hey, don't get too cocky. Marcus is going straight to the Black Viper's boss. You just declared war on the biggest gang in the city with a bank balance of zero and a body that still needs a sandwich."
Julian smirked. "Then it will be a fair fight."
[Ding!]
[New Task: 'The Boardroom m******e (Non-Literal)'.]
[Objective: Take control of the Thorne Group meeting in 60 minutes.]
[Reward: 1,000 Karma Points.]
Julian looked at the ticking clock on the bed side. “Guess there will be here any minutes”. He murmured.
And secondly, Pip said. “Prevent Elara Vance from finalizing the divorce within 60 seconds”. [Time Remaining: 45 seconds…]. Leaving in shock.
- Writer
