In This Chapter: The Sentinel introduces herself to the kingdom she helped during battle, making herself right at home. She discovers the meaning of the war and plans to help, for a price.
I assumed that the person in the fancy clothes and robes was their king, not to mention I could see a little silver crown atop his head; the guards around him must have been extremely loyal to that crown, I respected that, but I also expected the same treatment towards myself if I were to wear it. I was still around 200 feet tall, witnessing the people pouring out of their dirty looking hovels and villas so that they could behold the sight of me standing so far above them, there was still a bit of blood on my thigh from when I crushed the defeated army in that valley, but it looked pretty, almost like war paint smeared across my skin to strike fear into the hearts of any that opposed me.
Nothing was happening, so I spoke to cut the silence, “I am the goddess of war and as promised, I will grant the victor my divine blessings” I said, the tiny king stumbling from the vibrations of my voice, he still wasn’t looking up at me, I had to admit, something about him irked me at the time. The soldiers behind me cheered and raised their weapons in the air when I spoke, they were already reveling in the high of victory, deservingly so, you don’t get to witness an entire opposing force defeated under my body while I pleasured myself that often, more than worthy of a celebration I thought. I could see the commanders talking to each other with wide smiles on their faces as they occasionally pointed up at me during their conversation, one of the commanders that was at the battle was pantomiming my actions, mimicking me crushing the opposition, his hands going wild as the others around him laughed and cheered fanatically at the story. The king still motionless as he felt around the air with his arms outstretched. He clutched on to the side of a royal guard’s arm as if to be guided.
I was still nude of course, bending over towards the king, giving the peasants and soldiers behind me a view of their lifetime of my ass. That’s when I plucked the king up between my fingers, raising back to my full height, placing the king on the palm of my hand as I studied him with my grey eyes. The soldiers and royal guards all raised their weapons at me, but I looked down at them harshly, they backed up slowly, but maintained their caution. “What is your name, king?” I spoke to him softly, my breath washing over him as I held the palm of my hand in front of my mouth. He didn’t answer, he was frantic, looking around wildly as he swung his arms in confusion. “I asked you your name” I said again, but with a bit more judgment in my voice. He still didn’t answer, the guards down below were trying to shout up at me, but I didn’t really pay attention to their squeaking voices. “Ugh, I do not have time for this!” I shouted. I tilted the palm of my hand towards my mouth, feeling the man squirm onto my outstretched tongue, I could hear the muffled screams as I closed my mouth over him, he pounded against the front of my teeth in a craze. I swished him around, coating him in my saliva, lifting my tongue up until he hit his body against the roof of my mouth.
I spit him back out into my hand, feeling the texture of his clothes slide out from my plump lips, the guards below dumbfounded at my actions, but they did not attack, and they would be right not to attack a goddess such as myself. I bent over again, tossing him onto the steps as he screamed from being hurled down against the stone, then I picked up one of the royal guards, holding him between the tips of my white nails as he dangled in front of my eyes. “What is wrong with your king? Speak” I commanded, the guard struggled against my nails, trying to get a grip, but he couldn’t, he looked down 200 feet towards the ground and then back up at me, I took it as a perfect moment to chomp my teeth at him, as he cowered, covering his head with his arms as if that would protect him.
“He’s… blind!” He shouted up at me.
“And you didn’t inform me of this before?! Such insolence” I retorted.
“We tried, but you did not hear us!” He resounded back at me. I lowered him into my mouth, closing my lips around his armor, tossing him to the side of my teeth with a uplift of my tongue and chomping down, the juicy squirting of blood out of the side of my lips and dripping down to my jawline for all to see as his bones and armor crunched between my molars, the taste of his armor was disgusting as I spit him back towards the ground, he smacked against the stone by the king in a gushing thud, the mangled and chewed up mess surrounded by the soldiers as they all quivered with fear. His body was torn, severed, crushed, an unrecognizable pile of bent armor and gnawed limbs, his blood pooled against the bright stone steps for the remaining soldiers to take warning against talking back to me.
“I’ll ask for your opinion if I want it… anyone else have anything to say?” I snapped down to the people at my feet. Nobody uttering a sound, the soldiers and guards began to lower their weapons, “Good, now, first things first, I will exact my rule upon this land, all you have to do is obey my commands in totality and your wishes will be granted” I spoke to the city, of course, they wouldn’t know what I actually had planned, for all they knew I was a goddess of war that was going to help them pillage and conquer their enemies. I walked up to the palace, the guards diving out of the way as my feet came down on the steps, cracking as my footprints embedded in the stone. The entryway was actually beautiful, from my height I could tell it was carved from a precious stone indigenous to the planet, the artwork wrapping around the big walls was something I knew the people enjoyed looking up to during their walk around the big city, maybe taking a love interest up there to gaze across the town, romantic, talented artists must have spent years and years building it, I thought.
I kicked my shin out, collapsing the front entrance along with all the intricate artwork, huge pieces of stone went flying outward and crashing into nearby streets below, part of the ceiling caved in too, I didn’t know how many I hurt or killed when I kicked the entrance in, but the screams coming from inside did die out pretty quickly with a puff of dust. I giggled to myself, it always amazed me how fragile everything was around me, the crowds of the town started to shout up at me, some screamed. I began to reach down and pick apart the roof of the palace with my hands, tossing chunks of the broken building to my sides, the floor and layout of the inside slowly being revealed to me. The white dust slowly dissipating as gold-flecked floors and beautiful colored walls started to glow below me. I saw a few squished bodies, some buried beneath piles of stone from when I kicked the entrance in, many other people inside started to retreat inward towards the palace, “No, do not run, clean this up” I said. The people below me trembling in fear as they hesitantly struggled to remove the bodies from under the stone near my white-tipped toes. Part of me admired their struggle and blind servitude, obeying my total authority without question, looking over my shoulder as I noticed the soldiers hiking up the steps behind me, the blind king still clutching at his guard, covered in my saliva, I decided I was going to help them.
I outstretched my hand over the temple, spreading my fingers as I could feel the connection with my powers, the energy coursing through my body, no matter how many times, always felt good. I began to lift the stones and destruction, weightless as they floated in the air, opposing gravity; telekinesis, probably one of the simpler skills of a Sentinel to master, but of course, this was the first time I tried it. The stones exploded into a dust, disappearing completely as the crowds that were struggling below them appeared happy, at first, I then noticed a few people captured by my power, floating in midair, their minds blown as they tumbled uncontrollably through the empty space. I realized my grip, even though invisible, was too tight as a person crumpled within the energy field I was controlling, a puff of pink mist splattering to the palace floor, a few more people suffered the same fate as I was curious to what would happen, their bodies contorting inward, crunching into a misty pink rain composed of what were formerly palace servants, it looked beautiful to me as their blood began to barely coat the white columns of the palace like some twisted art project. The debris was cleared as I saw the throne room, a beautiful metallic and gold chair surrounded by high windows gleaming with colored glass, at least, the panels that weren’t shattered from my destructive handywork.
I re-sized myself with little effort down to their height, confident in my size-changing abilities, staring at the soldiers face to face as the king slowly made his way near me. I turned around and walked up the small steps, taking a small breath before sitting on the comfortable throne, the plump material hugging my body with ease as I sank in to the cushioning, crossing one leg over another as the throne room filled with politicians and soldiers eager to see me. I began batting my dangling foot, watching my new subjects pour in, staring at me, I could tell by the looks on their faces they had never seen such beauty. “I apologize for the servants, but… I suggest not cleaning off their blood if you wish to keep their memory alive” I said harshly.
I reached my hands over the armrests, rubbing my fingers up and down the strange material, I had never felt something like that when I was a simple nobody on Earth, like a smooth obsidian, almost. “Bring the king to face me” I demanded. The blind king still afraid and frantic was brought to my new throne as the guards at his side nervously stepped back down the stairs. “Let me make this easier for you” I said. I concentrated my mind, even closing my eyes, imagining something I thought to be impossible, opening my eyes and waving in front of his face, his eyes began to change color as his vision was restored, the king able to see again and the first thing he saw was me, naked upon his throne. His eyes were frenzied, panicky as he absorbed the sight of his surroundings, not being able to process the overwhelming information entering his brain before I snapped my fingers as loud as a thunderclap, his attention coming to me immediately, “now… for the last time… your name?” I asked.
“King Quenith” he simply replied in monotone.
“King Quenith, interesting name, first, for your soldiers, a feast” I said, waving my hands as tables separated the packed room, people pulling out the chairs and sitting down to plates of bountiful food, but the people looked intensely confused, I gave them traditional Earth food, realizing they had never seen it before. “Eat, drink, it won’t hurt you” I told them, witnessing the people take their first bites of meat and their first tastes of wine, smiles on their face. “I restored your sight, I won your battle, do you have anything to say about that?” I prodded.
“Thank you” He said, without much emotion, confusing me, I didn’t particularly like his attitude.
“A real thank you, bow down at my feet and say thank you to your goddess of war” I sternly insisted. The king hesitated, still panicky in his eyes, sweat around his face, my dried saliva caking his clothes. He took a nervous step towards me as I smirked. He dropped down to his knees and bent over, placing his hands on the red floor surrounding the throne and myself.
“Thank you, goddess, the… crown is yours” He said with sadness in his voice.
“I knew that already” I said stoic. The comradery in the roofless palace grew, the conversations louder as the minutes passed. The king still looked fidgety as he stood back up and lifted his crown, his eyes towards the ground as he looked upon his crown for the first time in his life, feeling it on his head for years, turning it over and around as he saw the jewels and metal before outstretching it to me. I waved my hand, lifting the crown from his hands as I attempted for the second time to manipulate the gravity, floating the crown to my head, and placing gently atop my blonde hair. “Now, what is your kingdom called?” I asked, bringing a finger to my lips in curiosity.
“Clayvin” he responded, not daring to look in my grey eyes.
“That’s a mouthful, you should know all about mouthfuls considering you have my spit all over you still. From now on, your country is called Atlantis” I insisted.
“Okay, At… Atlantis” He said sullen, his soldiers in the background cheering louder as they consumed the glasses of wine, feeling the effects of it rather quickly, I suspected alcohol hadn’t been a thing on this planet until I created it, their tolerance for it nonexistent.
“How did this war start?” I asked.
“Well… uhh…” he stumbled.
“With confidence!” I shouted, my voice echoing through the palace as if I were still 200 feet tall, the celebration in the background coming to a stop as they all looked at me.
“They invaded our lands, forced our citizens into slavery, all because we have access to resources they don’t have, and more importantly, we have the sea at our backs, connecting all of our villages and towns together by river and ocean, they do not” He said, the men in the background yelling agreements in unison.
“That’s really it? Such simple problems” I said, dismissing their validation from years of struggle and death. They reminded me of ancient civilizations on Earth, fighting for natural resources and access to harbors.
“It has been going on for 15 years” he said, looking up to my eyes for the first time, the soldiers and politicians all staring at me now, their breathing hinging on my next action.
“What else can you tell me about them?” I asked.
“Their nation has always known war, a long line of ruthless kings and queens. Their king started this war 15 years ago when they raided much of our farmland, kidnapping thousands that we have not seen since. Their king died 8 years ago, his daughter, their princess turned queen, has escalated the intensity of the war, attacking entire cities and towns, burning them to the ground, in recent months we have been losing, but our prayers have finally been answered by you” he said.
“An evil queen you say?” I asked surprised, my eyebrows raising in curiosity.
“Yes, Queen Kartha of Mavik” He said with disdain in his voice.
“What is with your planet and the dumb names?” I asked.
“I uhh…” He mumbled confused.
“So, all I have to do to end this war is give them a sea?” I asked, a smirk following.
“I… suppose, but they should pay for their- “the king said before I interrupted him.
“Uh-uh, that’s all you had to tell me, you can remain quiet until spoken to. Summon your army, they will follow me to their capital for battle, I’ll end the war and then I will grant your nation a generous wish” I said.
“But they just returned from battle, shouldn’t they rest?” a commander in golden armor asked me. I stared him down, my eyes appearing a glowing red fire to him as the look of horror grew on his face.
“Very well” he said as he turned away towards the room full of victorious soldiers. I reached my hand out and pointed my finger right in front of where he was walking, closing my eye to aim as a strike of lightning zapped right in front of him through the destroyed roof, an immense thunderclap brought everyone to the floor as he screamed and writhed on the polished stone.
“Did I say you were dismissed?” I asked cruelly, as he balled himself up on the floor and covered his head. The king watched on in horror. “Looks like you will need to find me a new commander, he is clearly too scared of confrontation” I said with a smirk. The king nodded his head.
“I am not doing this for free, a goddess of war deserves a reward for helping Atlantis, isn’t that right?” I suggested.
“Yes! Yes, anything!” The king pleaded.
“I want a statue of myself where this palace stands, I want it as tall as I was when I first entered the city, your best artists are to work on it, and the work will begin when I take your army to march with me to the enemy’s capital” I commanded.
“Yes, of course!” The king said, dropping to his knees, practically begging me, tears in his eyes as he wondered if would ever have a palace again.
“Show me the king’s chambers, I require rest, the army is to be summoned outside of the gates in the morning waiting for me” I said. The king nodded and the generals turned around towards the soldiers. The king pointed at one of his former servants that wasn’t vaporized by my first attempt at telekinesis, the young woman running up to me, she was extremely nervous as I smiled, trying to calm her, but she shook and trembled before me, probably worried she would suffer the same fate as her colleagues that were now painted on the walls. I walked behind the throne down a long hallway, still nude as my bare feet slapped against the white floor, hearing the generals shouting behind me at the drinking soldiers to go home and prepare.
I followed the young woman for a few minutes, passing up countless rooms and intricate otherworldly artwork, she kept looking back at me in dismay before snapping her eyes forward. “Is there something the matter?” I asked.
“The… king… he is not what he seems” she said nervously. I brushed it off, thinking she meant he was even more of a coward than I originally judged. Then she showed me into an extremely luxurious room, a huge bed, glorious paintings and decorations everywhere, I giggled a bit, realizing the king couldn’t have seen them the entire time he was there, I dismissed the young woman as she frantically ran away from me scared. I didn’t require sleep in my newfound state of being a Sentinel, but I still had the option to, I was curious if I could still dream. Falling asleep under the silk sheets as the destroyed roof showed me 3 moons surrounded by a sea of stars, beautiful I thought at the time, all mine… I also thought. The next day I would begin to bring the war of a planet to an end, and all I had to give them was a sea, but the king never told me what kind of sea.