Ex Nihilo - Abyssal Prophecy

Chapter 21

Nemesis held the door open for her guest to enter the Original Sins. A’zyren had never heard anything like the music playing inside. The rowdy crowd danced, drank, and f****d whoever was near and caught up in the festivities. The crowd didn’t even notice the arrival of Lady Nemesis or her guest.

            Closing her eyes, A’zyren recalled the great celebrations of her people. All the clans gathered to celebrate great events and triumphs. A serving wench handed Nemesis her favourite drink and another to her guest.

            “Welcome to my humble establishment, the Original Sins.” Nemesis toasted with her drink.

            “If this is how you pass your time, perhaps I misjudged your people.” A’zyren was drinking the strong alcoholic beverage when someone crashed into her. The drink spilled all over the man, but he just walked away and charged another man. The fight captured A’zyren’s attention. Drops of blood splashed across her face when the charging man was knocked unconscious to the ground. Excitement bubbled up inside of her and she cheered the victor.

            “Who is your new friend?” a stranger asked.

            Nemesis turned, grabbed the head of the man who had spoken, pulled it towards her, and kissed him passionately. Around them, the crowd erupted in cries of celebration for the victor. The cheers didn’t seem to impress the victor, and he stared at the strange beauty standing in the crowd. Approaching, he grabbed A’zyren’s ass and smiled wryly.

            A’zyren swiftly kicked the man in the side of the knee and knocked his arm away. Spinning around, she unleashed a back kick that landed squarely in the man’s chest. Before the man could recover, she stepped on his throat with the heel of her boot. She watched the stranger gasp for air and struggle to move her foot with both hands.

            “Just because you can beat up that...” A’zyren pointed to the unconscious man. “...doesn’t mean you’re ready to take me on in combat. The next time you touch me will be the last time you have hands to touch anything with.” She poured the remainder of her drink in the stranger's face before removing her boot.

The crowd around her cheered her on.

She turned to apologize to Nemesis only to find her in the throes of a passionate kiss.

            “Marcus, you must make sure to watch out for your imbecile brother.” Nemesis pulled away from the kiss. “You know he will try to f**k anything. It’s going to get him killed.”

She wrapped her arm around A’zyren and led her towards her private booth. “Don’t worry about that bit of violence. In case you haven’t figured it out, violence is kind of normal here. Truthfully, you were far kinder than I would have been.” She laughed.

            Nemesis grabbed two drinks from a passing wench and handed one to her guest. The two women entered the booth overlooking the main stage where the band played and the Lower Warders danced. Nemesis enjoyed seeing the people happy. She studied her guest.  She had a flood of questions but knew caution was the best way to proceed. She didn’t want to offend by being too forward.

            “You can have whatever you want as my guest. Just tell me what interests you and I’ll ensure your desires are fulfilled. Is it a man, women, perhaps both?” Nemesis asked.

            “I have sworn...” A’zyren searched her memory for the right word. “...a vow of chastity until my mission is complete. My people do not breed with outsiders.”  She studied Nemesis’s face for hints of offense but couldn’t see any.

            “Breeding isn’t the only purpose of sex.” Nemesis slid close. “Sometimes the purpose is simple pleasure.” She traced a finger down A’zyren’s neck but pulled away when she sensed it made her uncomfortable. “But, you are a guest, and if all you desire is drink and entertainment, behold my offerings.” She pointed to the crowd and music.

            “I don’t mean to offend, Lady Nemesis. You are quite beautiful” A’zyren declared. “It is just not acceptable during my quest for my people. It would be considered shameful.”

            “It sounds like your people would get along great with Lord Whelsey. They’d be right at home with the bowing and scraping of the church.” Finishing her drink, she slid out of the booth as Marcus approached. She admired the way his long black hair bounced with each step and the way the exposed muscles of his arms tightened as he held many drinks. She licked her lips and motioned for him to sit in the booth.

She tugged at the power armour around her neck.

            “Perhaps you should slip into something more comfortable, my Lady,” Marcus insisted. “I’ll keep your guest company in your absence. I promise we’ll be right here when you return.”

            In the distance, Nemesis saw the Lady Clotho slipping into the armoury. She marched through the crowd. Not wanting to draw any attention, she restrained her aggressive impulse to throw people out of her way. Marching past the bartenders, she approached the door, and the scanners whisked it open. Entering the armoury, she saw Lady Clotho sitting with a wry smile.

            Nemesis marched into the position for her power armour to be removed and sighed in relief feeling the cool air caress her skin. Her clothes were stained from the dried sweat of combat. Slipping out of the clothes and let them fall to the floor at her feet. She stared at the old women the entire time. The cool air caused pleasure to ripple through her.

            “Lady Nemesis, I bring news.” Clotho stated. “And, I see you’re as indelicate as ever.”

            “Clothes are another form of deception, but the truth lies in the naked flesh of a person.” Nemesis stretched her muscles. “Besides, those clothes are filthy, but tell me what news you bring.”

            “I’ve made contact with your mother, and she will continue feeding us information on your father’s mental state. She’s worried about your sister Angelica’s fate and fears your father has learned of her deception. Kain might suspect my hand in all of this. I gave him the datapad you requested. Fate is cloudy here. We must proceed with caution, and I know that isn’t what you want to hear.”

            Nemesis opened the draws of the desk in the room and withdrew a small cylinder of paper and tobacco. She brought the homemade cigarette to her lips. Picking up a cutting torch from the top of the desk, she ignited it and puffed. Exhaling the smoke, she looked through the cloud at Clotho’s distorted image.

            “What I didn’t want was you bringing Matthew into this at all, but you insisted. So, explain to me how he fits into all of this, but be warned--if I don’t like your answer, I am going to put this out in your blind eyes. Though I am certain you’ll try to convince me that you saw it coming.” Nemesis stared at the old lady waiting for her response.

            “Justice is an admirable thing to pursue, but it’s always blind to everything else. When your father dies, Kain will take over.” Clotho laughed at her own suggestion. “Kain is just a different flavour of tyranny. I know you love him, even admire him, but you also know what I just said is the truth. So then, who takes control of the ship?”

            Nemesis’s mind churned at the possibilities. Matthew was kind, compassionate, and had a love for learning. Ego hadn’t blinded him, and he dared to risk his own life for others. There had never been a captain with all of these traits. The best had but one or two. There was only one question left.

            “How would we make that happen?”

            “Fate whispers to me that Lord Drumpf is planning something, Lord Whelsey is laying plans to rescue your mother and sister from your father, and the fates remain vague on Lady Freya, Lord Oswald, Lady Marimba, and your brother Lord Hephaestus. I suspect they are in the same position as we are. They’re trying to ascertain the various threads’ meaning in the greater tapestry of fate. Here is where you can choose to alter fate and save Matthew’s life. Isn’t that what brought you to me in the first place?”

            Nemesis grimaced. She hated when the old women refused to answer a direct question. She had gone to the old lady fearing that her father would eventually kill Matthew the same way as Concordia. Something in her sibling’s gentle and nurturing nature had brought out the devil in her father.

            “Please answer this question as directly as possible. You’re on my last nerve after a long day. What would you have me do?” Nemesis asked.

            “The answer is simple, my child. What only you can do. You will go to Lord Drumpf and make him and all others believe you love him. Protect him, pleasure him, and when the time is right, unravel that love. Let him catch you in bed with several of your companions. Let him see you making true passionate love to the one man you truly love. Drive him mad, and when he attacks you out of rage, kill him.”

            Nemesis blinked in disbelief. She was torn between killing Clotho with the cutting torch and unloading the nearby magnetic rifle into her chest. Charging forward, she knocked Clotho back against the wall and c****d back her fist.

            “I am no one’s w***e!” she screamed.

            “I would never call you that, my dear. You have many companions, but you love only one man. I do not ask you to love Lord Drumpf but to use a weapon you have never used before. Your beauty will weaken him like acid eating through the strongest metal. When you kill him, you will save Matthew.”

            Anger burned in Nemesis’s eyes, but the words snaked through her brain. She could see the merit in the old woman’s plan, and if it saved Matthew, it would be more than worth it. Still, her mind bubbled at what she’d have to endure. Killing a lord would bring a charge of murder, and the thought of being found guilty and crucified caused her to tremble. She released Clotho from her grip and marched towards the door. She wanted to leave this all behind. Stopping before the door sensors triggered, she turned back.

            “I’ll consider your request,” she stated.

            “Before you go, my dear, remember this: When you doubt, when you worry, and when you feel repulsed, think about what you tell Matthew about s*x. You’ll find the right answer after that.”       Striding through the crowd, Nemesis watched the men and women avert their gazes. There was only one thing on her mind. She strode across the Original Sins and slipped naked into the booth to the shock of both Marcus and A’zyren. She reached out to grab Marcus's drink and downed it. She saw Clotho slip out of the armoury in her peripheral vision. She smiled and looked at the gaping expressions on her two companions' faces.

            “So, what we’re you two talking about?” she asked.

            “Your guest hasn’t said so much as a word since you left, but now that you’re back, I can’t say I am bothered.” Marcus wrapped his arm around Nemesis’s shoulder and ran his finger along the curves of the skin. A’zyren seemed to be admiring the new view.

            “I was afraid of offending you if you returned to see your man hitting on me.”

            “Oh, Marcus here...” Nemesis looked into his eyes. “...he knows he is my one true love. I have many companions, but I make love to only him. That is why he loves me and has eyes for no other.” She leaned in, kissing Marcus for a brief moment. “My apologies, but there is nothing as powerful as the need for s*x after a battle. It is the great equalizer between the sexes.”

            “I do understand, Lady Nemesis, and this is your home. I am just your guest. I have no right to demand how you behave.” A’zyren turned to watch the band play. She could sense the urgency between the two lovers. The joy of survival and the burning need to ensure future survival--something she and her people knew well.

            She tried not to look, but in her peripheral vision, she could see Nemesis climbing on top of Marcus and tearing his cloth off. Turning to grab a drink, A’zyren was tempted to watch, but she resisted the urge and turning back to see Matthew, Dhakan, and Genji approaching.

            “Jesus Christ.” Matthew abruptly turned. Genji ignored his crewmates and smiled. Dhakan slithered up and saw the two lovers entwined. A’zyren rushed over to greet her crewmates and motioned for the wench to bring more drinks.

Frustrated by the interrution, Nemesis climbed off Marcus.

            “It’s not like you’ve never been here before, Matthew. You saw orgies the last time you were here. What did you think? I don’t enjoy joining in from time to time?” Nemesis asked.

            “This might shock you, sister, but I had never thought about you having s*x before. Now with this damn neural implant, I fear it will haunt me forever.” Matthew grabbed a drink and gulped it back.

Nemesis couldn’t help but laugh on seeing her brother so distraught.

            “I am sorry to shock you, but what Marcus and I are doing is beautiful. He loves me and I love him, and who cares if the whole ward sees it? There is truth and beauty in love and s*x,” Nemesis declared.

            “But, I do not need to witness it,” Matthew said.

            “We’ll leave you so you don’t have a seizure,” Nemesis joked and pulled Marcus along with her. “Enjoy tonight as my guests. Whatever you want is yours, but that doesn’t include me.” She giggled and sauntered away into the crowd with Marcus.

            “Your sister knows how to live.” Genji grabbed a drink and took a seat. “Come and sit, all. The night is young--or infinite, depending on your perception of time in the Great Maw. Entertain me with tales while I try this drink. Do they still use leeches in their medical facility, Dhakan?”

            “No, they have the most advanced medical facilities I’ve ever seen..” Dhakan pushed a drink away from him. There was no way he could know it wouldn’t be poisonous.

Sitting down, Matthew took the drink and looked at the aliens before him, questions burning in his mind. He had read about the Serpentines in the historical archives. It was sort of sad to him that Dhakan thought the Alcatraz’s technology was advanced. He had no clue what Lord Genji was despite his human appearance, but the mysterious presence of A’zyren was too much to resist. He decided to learn as much as he could about these people no matter how many drinks it took.