BloodStar

Xenia laughed and conversed with her soldiers at the citadel shooting range. Soldiers had their pick from nearly any firearm they could imagine with countless accessories and countless ammunition to practice shooting with.

The soldiers egged her on, “Come on Warlord! Show us your legendary shooting skills!”

Others called out, “Is it true you are a top ranked sniper too?!”

She laughed them off and said, “My shooting days are over boys. I prefer a sword nowadays. It’s so much more personal, and I prefer personal when I kill my enemies.”

The soldiers looked on with awe at her talent, confidence, and cruelty. They all acknowledged how lucky they were to have her on their side. Facing her on the battlefield would be mentally crippling.

The pleasantries were interrupted as Jacek came running up, “Xenia! Xenia!”

She turned with a smile, “Couldn’t bear to spend a moment more without me Jacek?”

He ran up to her and quickly said, “May I borrow your healing ki for Katya? She wishes to be trained in your way of the sword.”

Xenia scoffed, “That annoying fly is still alive? How troublesome. And here I thought you simply wanted to see me.”

She looked to soldiers with a scowl; however, it quickly turned to a smile as she said, “I have an idea.”

She formed a glowing white ball of healing ki in her hand and passed it off to Jacek, “Take this to Katya. Heal her. And then immediately bring her here. I will have her first lesson ready for her.”

Jacek nodded, “Thank you Xenia. I will return very shortly.”

She smiled at him, “Please do. We are in for some fun.”

Jacek rushed off to the holding cell holding the ball of ki in his hand. It felt warm and nurturing hovering over his hand as he thought to himself, “Her trust in me is a flaw of hers. What is to stop me from healing myself and powering my way out of here? Fortunately for her, I have other plans.”

He raced through the citadel arriving back at the holding cell in record time as he nodded at the soldier to open the door for him. He rushed inside and knelt alongside Katya releasing the ball of ki to her. He watched it melt into her body cleansing her body of any remaining Compound X. He watched her muscles ease from their painful tension, and at last she looked up with him with a refreshed look.

“Jacek, what was that? I feel better than I ever have. The pain? It’s… completely gone. But even more… my body is perfectly restored.” She looked to him with astonishment.

He sighed, “That is the power of Xenia BloodStar. Her healing ki is a miracle amongst even the most talented of ki users. She even far outclasses her own mother when it comes to healing I hear.”

She smiled at him as they stood, and Jacek said, “I’m afraid her healing hasn’t come without cost. She has requested our presence at the shooting range, of all places, for your first sword lesson. Immediately.”

Katya raised her eyebrows, “What did you say to her? She has really made an about face regarding training me.”

He simply said, “Follow me. I do have a certain influence over her; however, keep in mind that she is cruel. Be careful at all times.”

The two quickly paced back to the shooting range, and as they approached a large crowd of soldiers gathered around where Jacek had last seen Xenia.

Jacek pushed his way through the crowd until he came upon Xenia. She was still wearing her all-black leather military outfit; however, she had now donned a belt holster with a revolver secured to her hip and a cowboy hat atop her head.

She turned around to face Jacek and Katya, “Everyone, welcome Katya Nova. The former First Seat of the Karasu Clan until I dismantled it by enslaving their leader. She has come to learn the way of the sword from me.”

The soldiers gathered around began to clap as Xenia walked towards Katya, “As First Seat, you may find this first lesson quite beneath you, but I need to know where you stand in level of skill.”

Xenia then unholstered her revolver and held it upwards, “Are you ready?”

Katya nodded gratefully, “I am ready Warlord BloodStar.”

Xenia then called out to her soldiers, “Who here trusts me enough to serve as my holder for these apples?”

A bushel of apples lay on the ground. The soldiers often used them as targets to shoot at. Every soldier jumped at the ready to volunteer thinking it would ingratiate them to their leader. She smiled and pointed to one particularly eager soldier, “You there.”

The soldier ran up to her and she handed him six apples, “Take these and stand 50 yards down range. Stand with your arms outstretched and have another soldier place an apple atop each hand, each shoulder, and two stacked on top of your head.”

The soldier and a buddy ran quickly down range to set up just as Xenia had instructed. As they prepared, Xenia turned back to Katya, “A gun is much like a sword. The bullet is an extension of the line you form with your arm, with your weapon. Marksmanship is quite an indicator of raw talent for swordsmanship. If you want accurate, precise, strong, and graceful movements with the sword then it starts with control of your line. Are you ready for me to show you what true mastery looks like?”

Katya nodded and Jacek furrowed his brow with concern. Xenia turned back to face down range and eyed the soldier standing as instructed with his arms outstretched and apples atop his flat palms, shoulders, and head.

Xenia raised her revolver and fired six shots in rapid succession one after the other. With each shot, an apple exploded.

The first two shots exploded the apples atop the soldier’s hands. The next two shots exploded the apples atop his shoulders. The next shot exploded the apple stacked on his head. And the last shot exploded the apple resting atop his head.

She then raised her gun to her lips and blew the smoke from the barrel with a smile on her face. The soldiers cheered at the display of expert marksmanship, “Incredible! Did you see that!? She’s amazing!”

The soldier ran back to his friends and comrades cheering, “That was amazing! I never felt in danger for a second. She is incapable of missing.”

Xenia turned to Katya, “Perfect lines create perfect shots. Perfect lines create power, stability, and grace with the sword.”

She emptied the cartridges from the revolver and reloaded it. She then spun the six-shooter loader and flipped it back into the gun. She held the gun out towards Katya and said, “Your turn.”

Xenia turned and said, “And who here has the confidence to stand down range for Katya Nova?”

The soldiers went dead silent. Not a single one answered, and they all turned their eyes away avoiding eye contact as to not be chosen.

Xenia laughed, “No volunteers. I guess that just leaves you, Jacek. Good luck!”

She took his arm and led him down range as she personally placed the apples upon his hands, shoulders, and head, “Now don’t worry. I will heal you if she is a poor aim.”

Jacek looked at Xenia, “Let’s just hope she is a sharp shooter.”

Xenia kissed him, “Don’t worry honey. I have fantasies to fulfill with you later. I would never let her kill you. Harm you though, sure.”

She winked him at him before walking away holding eye contact with him looking back until she finally turned her head around leaving him to his own thoughts.

As she returned down range, she looked to Katya, “Fire when ready.”

Katya gripped the gun and with the grace of a sword and swung it in front of her as she took aim. Her first shot made contact blowing the apple atop his left hand to pieces. Her second shot made contact as well sending the apple atop his right hand into numerous smaller shards.

She then took aim at his left shoulder and fired. The bullet whizzed by Jacek missing him completely. She took aim once more and fired. This time the bullet landed squarely into Jacek’s shoulder knocking him to the ground with the apples toppling from their positions.

Katya shrieked and lowered the gun to her side, “Jacek! No!” She placed the revolver on the shooting range table and rushed to check on him, “Are you okay Jacek?!”

He grabbed his shoulder and looked up to her, “I’m fine. I’m fine. Don’t worry.”

As she helped him up, Xenia joked with her soldiers, “It seems Katya Nova has a lot to learn men. Don’t blame her though. Her former master was an embarrassment.”

Katya and an injured Jacek returned, and Xenia clapped as they approached, “Well done Katya. You have just blown the shoulder off of the great heir to the Heraklinos Empire.”

Katya nodded, “I am sorry. I have a lot to learn.”

Xenia smiled at her, “Indeed you do. Why don’t you and Jacek take the rest of the day to prepare for our sparring match tomorrow.”

Katya and Jacek looked up at her, and Jacek said, “Sparring match?”

“Of course. Trial by fire is the quickest way to learn is it not?” Xenia looked to Jacek, “But don’t worry. I will heal you first before lunch. Come with me. I’m quite hungry.” She then leaned over to whisper into Jacek’s ear as she helped him up, “Hungry for you Jacek.”

Xenia removed her cowboy hat and holster belt as she called out to her soldiers, “That is all from me for today men. Thank you for allowing me to join you all for a brief while.”

The soldiers rejoiced at her words, “Any time Warlord! We love training with you! We love watching you!”

Xenia smiled at her soldiers, “You all enjoy watching me? Then why not make our sparring match tomorrow public.” She looked to Katya, “What do you say? Tomorrow at noon inside the new stadium?”

Katya bowed her head, “Yes Warlord.”

She smiled and grabbed Jacek’s uninjured arm as she hung on to him and walked off back to her master suite with him, “Jacek you were so brave to stand out there with such a poor marksman firing at you. It’s gotten me quite hot in fact. You wouldn’t mind if I gave myself a release with you before we get to healing your arm would you?”

Jacek looked to his shoulder, “I would hate to keep you waiting over an injury such as this.”

She hugged him tightly as they walked side by side, “Jacek! Let’s hurry!”

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