Ficool

Chapter 228 - Chapter 215: Messenger Bird

Click

Click

Click

The sharp click of heels echoed through the halls, clomping across the Continental grounds as everyone within the building slowly lowered their gaze at her approach.

Soon, only the paintings adorning the walls stared back, silent witnesses to the long, desolate hallway that stretched all the way to a pair of familiar double doors.

The path before her seemed almost obstructed by it, yet instead of waiting for them to open, she placed both hands atop the doors and pushed them forward.

It was then that her eyes immediately fell upon the room she had once used to approve the Luciano family in.

But now, instead of a figure seated at the table, they stood in front of it, as if testing their place within the replaceable chain that made up the High Table.

"Ms. Gallio, a pleasure." The masked figure turned, bowing a full ninety degrees while placing a hand over their heart.

However, instead of responding kindly to the greeting, Selene remained silent.

Lifting her gaze to tower over the masked figure, she took in his appearance and knew exactly what his arrival meant.

Without a word, she slowly stepped aside, almost entirely ignoring the man still waiting for a return to his bow. 

Only upon realizing the greeting would not be returned did the figure lift their mask.

Instead of speaking, the masked figure simply waited as Selene walked deliberately across the table, standing far above them before finally taking her seat at the very head.

"I assume you're here on the orders of the others?" Selene asked, gazing down at the masked figure, whose role within the Table was that of a simple Adjudicator.

"Not quite." The masked figure chuckled, holding up a pendant that made the mighty Black Queen's breath stop momentarily.

Though it could be worn as a necklace, its true purpose was far different.

The only thing that mattered was the glaring sigil at its center, etched with delicately carved runes that seemed to hum with unspoken authority.

"I am here regarding the real reason you were assigned as the Autem Imperator." The masked figure said, slowly approaching the High Table and raising their hand to place the sigil on the desk.

Selene's eyes locked onto it, thoughts and emotions swirling through her as she slowly reached for the sigil.

Yet, upon seeing the engravings she recognized, Selene closed her eyes briefly to gather her thoughts.

And only then returned the sigil to the Adjudicator.

"I have the situation under control-"

"And yet, the Berlin Continental is still rogue," the Adjudicator simply interrupted Selene, staring up at a fury that could easily kill them.

Yet remained completely unbothered.

"When the task was issued to the High Table, it was not involuntary but voluntary," the Adjudicator said calmly, gesturing with their white-gloved hand.

"You put yourself forward and demanded various preferential treatments to complete a task for which you haven't even left New York." The Adjudicator added, eyes narrowing slightly as they stepped closer.

"The Elder is merely confused as to why you have not even started yet."

Then, it became subtly clear why Selene had come to New York in the first place.

The supposed reason for approving the Luciano family's zoning rights, crumbling entirely in the face of the real, glaring purpose now standing before her.

Selene gripped her hands tightly, eyes locked on the sigil that marked this Adjudicator not as a mere enforcer, but as the voice of someone far above.

Above all others. 

Above the High Table itself. 

This was on the orders of the Elder, the only one who truly sat above them all.

"I will need, at most, another month-"

"The Elder has instructed me to see you off today," the Adjudicator replied, watching as Selene slowly closed her eyes and took a deep breath, knowing that killing this one would only bring another in their place.

"Not until I have my missing piece," Selene said, opening her dark eyes to the Adjudicator, who frowned at her refusal.

"And that is?" The Adjudicator asked, curiosity sharpening their gaze as they wondered what had kept Selene here for so long.

"Ricky Luciano."

"....." 

At those words, the Adjudicator fell into a sudden, deathly silence. 

Their eyes pierced through the white mask as if measuring Selene's expression against some invisible scale.

No flicker of confusion crossed their gaze because they, and every member of the Table's ranks, already knew of Ricky Luciano. 

But most of all, they knew of his audacity.

It was impossible to ignore the latest whispers among the ranks: the controversial zoning that had placed the lone organization squarely in control of all of New York.

"I assume that is why you originally asked to be the Autem Imperator?" The Adjudicator mused, looking down and brushing off a speck of lint from their impeccable figure.

"It is." Selene replied simply, watching as the masked figure slowly nodded.

"And he has agreed to the terms you already agreed to?" the Adjudicator asked, returning their gaze to Selene's silent, wraithlike stare.

"Ah, I see." the Adjudicator chuckled, tilting their head slightly as if to contemplate the situation.

"He will." Selene said simply, her gaze hardening at the figure as a tinge of blackish-purple ignited at her fingertip.

"Very well, the extension is granted," the Adjudicator concluded, nodding slightly to himself before returning his gaze to the member of the Table he served.

Yet, instead of the relief or satisfaction that might accompany such a concession, Selene's expression remained annoyed, perhaps even more so than before.

"I thought you would be happy-"

"What were the instructions you received-"

"We both know that I cannot say." The Adjudicator chuckled, the brief exchange vanishing as quickly as it began, their careful eyes fixed on Selene.

"I have the situation under control," Selene merely said, her tone measured and deliberate as she spoke down to this hollowed shell.

"Yes, you say that-" The Adjudicator nodded, letting the sentence trail before slowly interrupting himself.

"But." 

"Every day wasted is another day this rogue faction is allowed to live," the Adjudicator clarified, highlighting the grave importance of the statement.

"And as you know, Germany has been completely locked down, which has troubled all of us greatly," the Adjudicator stated, pacing in place as he prepared to continue his remarks.

"We must purge these forces or-"

"The situation is under control." 

However, though the Adjudicator wished to continue pressing this line of thought, it was clear Selene had no intention of indulging further in needless chatter.

"I understand." The Adjudicator nodded, adjusting themselves before walking over to take the sigil back.

"But if you are not in Berlin by the end of the month, it will not be me escorting you." The Adjudicator faltered, watching as Selene deliberately placed a fingernail on the sigil, forcing him to pry it free.

"It will be the Harbinger."

Finally, Selene released her hold, and the Adjudicator staggered backward, clutching the pendant as though it was more important than their very life.

Upon regaining his composure, the masked figure offered a final bow though not towards her.

But to the seat she occupied within the High Table.

Then, without a word, the figure turned and made their way toward the double doors as the retreat was marked by the faint scrape of polished shoes against marble.

Selene followed this departure with an unblinking gaze, and only when this mere enforcer was gone did her black nails slowly curl back, retracting from their poised, claw-like tension.

CRUNCH

Her long black nails scraped against the polished wood, leaving faint lines as she traced her way toward her own sigil dangling around her neck. 

Every member of the High Table possessed one, even Selene. 

A sigil was more than a mark of rank; it was leverage, a finite authority one could wield to bend the rules or demand action from someone within the organization.

However, each member of the high table received only one, and it could be used for a single task at a time.

Yet what drew the faint curl of displeasure to Selene's lips was not the sigil itself, nor that the Adjudicator had invoked it.

It was that her extension had been granted not by her reputation, not by her seat, and not even by the weight of her own standing.

But because she had invoked Ricky's name.

A man outside the Table.

A variable beyond her control.

And now, indirectly, the Elder had ascribed value to him.

Value that came at the expense of hers.

"Bishop." Selene's voice carried through the empty corridor, speaking towards someone that was nowhere in sight.

All while she extended her palm as a chess piece manifested within it, glowing with a faint purple light. 

Her other hand curled around her sigil, grip tightening as her gaze stayed locked forward towards those double doors.

BAM

HUFF

HUFF

"My queen." The Black Bishop dutifully said, bowing low until his forehead brushed the floor beneath Selene's unyielding gaze.

A faint black glow rippled over his body, runes etched across his flesh like binding chains. 

However, only the runes around his neck were visible, glimmering like some sort of collar, as though it wasn't chains that bound him.

It was a leash.

The glow flared violently before subsiding, subdued by the presence of the one who held it.

For a moment, the grip on her own sigil tightened, knowing she could literally force Ricky to bend to her will.

Though it would only be through borrowed power.

It was why Selene's eyes narrowed, until she no longer rested her hand upon her sigil. 

With a single motion, she set the chess piece in her other hand before her, her gaze cutting past him toward the path ahead.

"Fetch me Ricky Luciano."

Meanwhile At A Graveyard,

"Man, she's really into this whole dog thing."

After a long day with the inner circle, Stephanie, and the whole ordeal with Armstrong, Ricky just wanted some time to himself.

A moment to breathe, to just think.

And for the past couple of hours, that's exactly what he was doing.

It was a little strange, though it had been mentioned before: whenever Ricky wanted to be alone, he would visit the graves of Eddy and Rocco.

But now, a third tombstone had joined them, Frank's.

Originally, Ricky had come to reflect on his family, the Luciano family, the recent inner circle dealings, and even the whole Olympics situation. 

But after about fourteen beers, he started to get a little horny.

At first, it crept subtly into his thoughts, nudging him toward earlier in the day, back to when he had blown his load into Stephanie. 

Until finally, it overrode everything else, and what had started as careful planning dissolved into unrestrained fantasizing.

Thoughts of his women slowly consumed him, each one completely naked, calling out his name in moans.

Gradually, even that lust twisted and expanded, spreading to every woman he wanted to hear squeal

And then Selene's voice cut through it all, seizing Ricky's lustful attention as if it alone could tether his scattered thoughts.

That was when he began to enjoy the show, though his gaze never really wavered from her cleavage, locked there throughout the entire scene he was witnessing.

Sitting in a lawn chair before three graves, Ricky held a beer in one hand and a cigarette in the other.

Until finally, his blackened eyes, the one that had only been privy to the latter half of the conversation, slowly faded into his usual green gaze.

"Beer," Ricky said, letting the empty can slip from his hand, only for a skeletal hand to catch it before it could hit the ground.

"Here you are, Master," Chuck said dutifully, bowing slightly as he carefully handed Ricky another beer, which Ricky took without a word.

"Y'know, ya don't really have to do thi-"

"It's my honor, Master," Chuck interrupted, cutting him off and making it awkward for Ricky to continue dissuading him.

In Chuck's mind, serving him this way was the purest expression of servitude a servant could offer his master.

"Alright." Ricky shrugged, popping the beer can open with a single finger while drawing in a long drag from his cigarette with the other.

His eyes roamed the graveyard, taking in the scene as his undead moved not as guards, but as laborers. 

Even the legendary undead wore hard hats, hauling wooden planks with an almost uncanny precision. 

Others erected structures, their movements deliberate and coordinated, clearly inspired by Morgana's meticulous methods.

"No, the portrait of Mr. Costello goes over there!" Boney yelled, grinning from ear to ear as he did his best Chuck impression. 

Honestly, Boney was thrilled to be stepping in for his best friend while serving their master.

Chuck and Boney had taken charge of Frank's funeral proceedings, fully overseeing the graveyard to ensure the proper burial that their master's friend deserved.

The rhythmic sound of hammers striking wood echoed across the grounds as the undead labored tirelessly, working day and night to honor Frank.

"And you contacted the Vatican-"

"Father Sebastion has been notified and he has agreed to administer the funeral-"

"What about Carla and Augustine?" Ricky asked immediately, pausing before taking a sip of his beer.

"They will be coming as well," Chuck said, fulfilling his role and easing his master's mind.

"Good, good," Ricky murmured, drawing deeply on his cigarette and exhaling the smoke into the wind above.

"And-"

"The list will be complete before Lil Tony leaves." Chuck beat him to the punch, prompting a resigned sigh from Ricky.

"I ain't trying to be that guy who micromanages, but you get it, right?" Ricky said, turning his gaze toward Chuck, who slowly nodded.

"I understand completely, Master." Chuck replied, bowing while offering Ricky another cigarette which he instinctively took.

"With your presence finally returning to this city, it's only natural that things get a little hectic, especially with everyone else having to catch up to your brilliance."

It wasn't entirely wrong since Ricky had so much to do and so little time to fit it all in before he left.

At first, he was at a loss. 

Though he had declared that he would be targeting the Olympics for his Veil Method, he didn't really have an exact way of getting entangled with the event.

But after that brief conversation with Selene and the Adjudicator, Ricky realized that he did, in fact, have an in.

It wasn't a direct entry to the Olympics, but it was the perfect way into Berlin.

Only now did he remember that, even before everything with Merlyn, he had agreed to Selene's invitation to the Hellfire Ball in Berlin.

Yet, as that part of the conversation replayed in his mind, Ricky slowly started to understand it wasn't the full reason she had extended the invitation.

And then, like a sudden jolt, it all hit him at once.

"That b*tch." Ricky muttered suddenly, springing to his feet and letting the beer he had just opened slip from his hand. 

A laugh of half disbelief, half amusement, escaped him as the pieces finally fell into place.

It was as if the entire chessboard Selene had been playing materialized before him, each move suddenly visible. 

And there it was, the bishop, poised and ready to strike.

"Master?"

"Don't you get what she's trying to make me do?" Ricky said, glancing at Chuck, who looked oddly confused before lowering his head at the realization.

"H-How did I not see it?" Chuck stammered, pride wounded, as he sank to his knees before his master.

"She's gonna use me to retake control of that weird-ass hotel in Berlin, right?" Ricky seemingly asked, pacing back and forth as the realization hit him.

If one remembered, when Ricky had gambled against Mephisto for information about the Nazis, he had been given the names of the four organizations propping up this operation: Hydra, the Thule Society, the Hellfire Club, and the Berlin Continental.

But the more he thought about it, the more he realized it wasn't that simple. 

In his mind, there was no way the Hellfire Club's supposed alignment with the Continental had been enough to earn them an assignment that involved outright eradication.

Because, for Ricky, when has anything ever been that simple?

"Holy sh*t, I think I get it." Ricky said, almost shocked that he actually had an idea of what was happening.

"And I know exactly what I'm gonna do."

5 minutes later,

Outside the graveyard, Selene's Black Bishop stood with fierce, unblinking eyes, watching the small army of undead busily constructing Frank's funeral as dusk settled over the cemetery grounds.

"Greetings," Chuck said, suddenly hovering towards the man, who immediately went on guard at the sight of the talking undead.

"I am Dorian, Black Bishop under my Black Queen and a member of the Hellfire Club," Dorian introduced himself, subtly explaining his connection not only to the notorious Hellfire Club but also to his position within it.

"I have come to convey a message from my Queen to Ricky Luciano," Dorian said, lifting his gaze to Chuck, who merely nodded in acknowledgment.

"He has been expecting you, this way."

However, the moment Dorian stepped into the graveyard, the undead ceased all movement.

Hammer strikes paused, planks rested in midair, and the eerie murmurs of their labor fell silent.

Slowly, one by one, their hollow eyes fixed upon the Black Bishop, following his descent into the heart of the graveyard.

Until he came upon the man he had been sent to retrieve, seated in a lawn chair among the tombstones, a cigarette in one hand and a beer in the other.

"Ricky Luciano, it is a pleasure to meet another distinguished mutant such as yourself," Dorian said respectfully, bowing slightly though not to his position as head of the Luciano family, but to him as a mutant.

"Beer?" Ricky asked, holding out a can and wiggling it in front of Dorian.

"I must have to decline since I have come-"

"Suit yourself," Ricky interrupted, taking the beer for himself and downing three quick gulps before lowering it.

"We-"

"Ah~" Ricky exhaled, a refreshed sigh escaping him as he rubbed his mouth and leaned back in the chair, a relaxed smile spreading across his face.

"We have heard of your loss, and not only I, but the Hellfire Club extends its respects," Dorian said quickly, struggling to get the words out as Ricky continued to interrupt.

"I appreciate that." Ricky said, nodding slightly as he took a long drag from his cigarette, the tip slowly turning to ash before Dorian's eyes.

"Ricky Luciano, I have come here-"

"I already know why you're here." Ricky said, stopping him again, a sly smile spreading across his face as he watched Dorian scrunch his brows.

"You do?" Dorian asked, restraining his annoyance, tightly clasping his hands behind his back as if to hide that Ricky's antics were subtly getting to him.

"Cause Selene wants something, right?" Ricky asked, lazily tilting his head toward Dorian and away from the graves before him.

"My queen has instructed me to retrieve you." Dorian clarified, as if trying to soften the weight of his words.

"Is this about that weird ball she invited me to?" Ricky asked, playing the fool while wearing an almost annoyed expression.

"Yes but-"

"I already told her I'd go, so why the f*ck is she trying to drag me over there just to hear it?" Ricky said, deliberately making the situation as difficult as possible as Dorian simply nodded.

"My queen would simply like to go over some little things-"

"Do I look like I have time for the little things?" Ricky asked genuinely, gesturing towards himself and the skeletons who still watched him attentively.

"It is rather urgent," Dorian explained, taking a deep breath to steady himself, fully aware of the power and position the man before him held.

"Is she dying?"

"No-"

"Then I guess it's not really that urgent." Ricky laughed, cutting off the back-and-forth as he took a slow sip of his beer.

"I was instructed to retrieve you-"

"Then it sucks to be you," Ricky snorted, blatantly laughing in the man's face. 

RIP

Dorian turned away for a moment, hiding the anger slowly spreading across his features, as Shadow Broker loomed behind him, towering with nothing but a single piece of paper.

For a moment, Dorian stood silently, as if the emotions he usually kept tightly in check were rising with the blunt fury stirred by the man before him. 

Every muscle in his body tensed, and his normally controlled breath came slightly faster, betraying the storm beneath his composed exterior.

Yet, even with Shadow Broker looming behind him, Dorian somehow managed to regain control, forcing himself back into the calm demeanor he was known for.

"I cannot leave without you, Ricky Luciano," Dorian explained, returning his gaze to Ricky, who looked around as if he hadn't heard it correctly.

"Was that a threat?" Ricky purposely asked, holding out his hands as Chuck stepped forward, taking his beer and cigarette. 

Until Ricky squared up to the mutant, who stood only a few inches shorter than him.

With the recent additions to his skills, coupled with the massive boost from being half-fairy, Ricky now towered at a staggering 6'6".

A colossus compared to this man, even at his age, with the potential to grow even taller.

"I didn't mean it as such." Dorina said, staring directly back into his eyes as Ricky leaned down to get right in his face.

"Listen, I get you're in a pickle, I do," Ricky said, seemingly empathizing, though his cruel smile betrayed the mockery in his tone as he stared down at the man.

"But you're just her dog," Ricky chuckled, bluntly disrespecting the man as he slowly patted Dorian's cheek, a mocking gesture that made the man's eyes flare red.

"And I'm not really in the mood to play fetch with you, capisce?" Ricky added, giving him a gentle push that sent the man stumbling backward.

RIP

Then, as if a single piece of paper had been torn in two, Dorian's mind snapped under the weight of Ricky's taunts.

"You dare go against the high table-" 

"Did she ask me to come as Selene, the Black Queen, or as a member of the High Table?" Ricky asked, letting his fingers trace the edge of Frank's tombstone before casting a sidelong glance at him.

"That's what I thought." Ricky added, raising his gaze to the man, who suddenly found himself caught in a bind.

"Listen, go back with your tail between your legs and tell that sexy ass of hers that if she wants to talk, all she has to do is come find me," Ricky's words trailed into Dorian's ears, deliberately sexualizing the one person he held above even himself.

"I mean, and let's be honest with ourselves here, who in their right mind wouldn't want to get into bed with Selene?" Ricky asked, his smile curling wider as he watched Dorian expression flush red with anger.

RIP

"Right? You get what I mean," Ricky said, deliberately riling Dorian up, gesturing at him as if they both shared the same nasty thoughts.

"C'mon, you've probably fantasized about-"

"Please, do not speak of the Black Queen in such ways." Dorian huffed, turning his gaze away from Ricky, knowing that even a second longer of meeting that smug smile would have pushed him over the edge.

"Well, whatever, I'm busy." Ricky shrugged, sinking back into his lawn chair as Chuck handed him back his beer and cigarette.

"Shoo, shoo~" Ricky added, flicking his hand lazily toward Dorian, who stubbornly ignored the gesture.

"I'm afraid I must insist." 

Then, before Ricky and the hollowed stares of the undead, Dorian's body began to transform, his skin hardening and darkening until it resembled an obsidian-like stone.

"Please come with me-"

"Ha!" Ricky barked out a laugh, cracking open another beer with one hand as it foamed over the rim.

Yet, instead of reacting to Dorian or even acknowledging the transformation, the undead resumed their work, hammering and hauling as if the looming threat wasn't even there.

"C'mon, man, nobody's scared just because your skin turned into a weird shade of purple," Ricky joked, laughing hysterically as he took another long sip of his beer, the foam dripping down his fingers.

"My mutant ability-"

BOOM

It was almost instantaneous.

Dorian had opened his mouth, obsidian already crawling across his skin, jagged edges forming along his shoulders as if to remind the man before him as to why Selene kept him at her side. 

He was about to clarify exactly what made him special when the air itself seemed to press down on him.

His chest seized. 

His throat tightened.

And in the next heartbeat, his knees buckled, and his entire body collapsed to the ground like dead weight.

Sovereign Will.

It wasn't a strike, not something his stone flesh could deflect or grind down. 

This was pressure that crawled past his armor, past his bones, straight into the marrow of who he was. 

Dorian's fingers clawed desperately at the ground, each attempt to lift a limb failing as if his own body refused his commands.

"Your mutant ability doesn't mean sh*t, 'cause you ain't that guy," Ricky said lazily, turning forward as if to ignore Dorian struggling to lift his face from the dirt.

For regular humans, or even barely superpowered beings, meant that Ricky didn't need to pull out all the stops.

Only a simple demonstration of his power was enough to make the point crystal clear, especially given that Dorian had 'provoked' him first.

"You're just a f*cking stone in the water, and now you're gonna sink," Ricky said, lifting his beer to his lips.

As he took a sip, Dorian's face, which had just begun to rise, smacked right back into the dirt.

"But people get really confused about what it means to truly sink," Ricky muttered, his tone carrying a bitter edge as he remembered what Profaci had once told him.

"It ain't the drowning that gets you, it's the pressure." Ricky side-eyed Dorian, letting the words hang heavy in the air.

"And that pressure, it changes everything." Ricky mused, fiddling with his pinky ring with his thumb.

"Some people, you squeeze 'em, and they focus. They push through that helpless feeling, clawing and scraping just to catch a little air." Ricky let the words hang in the air, watching Dorian struggle, suffocating against the dirt beneath him, every motion futile under Ricky's calm gaze.

"The others get crushed."

BOOOOM

Ricky's eyes flared with a fiery green, burning with the weight of something far beyond raw strength. 

His gaze pinned Dorian like a crucifixion, and the Black Bishop's obsidian shell actually started to crack, splintering under the invisible pressure.

Each breath was a war. 

His lungs dragged against an unseen weight, dirt and grit filling his mouth as his face was forced deeper into the ground. 

His jagged hands clawed at the floor, leaving grooves of shattered stone that meant nothing against the suffocating gravity Ricky exuded.

Until, it all suddenly vanished.

GASP

"I guess you're the former," Ricky said, his tone casual as he watched Dorian gag, choking up the dirt he'd swallowed just to breathe even a little.

"You ever use your ability against me again, Dorian, look at me," Ricky continued, his eyes narrowing as he forced the mutant to turn his gaze back to him.

"I'll kill ya, and not even your queen will find your body among the hordes." Ricky gestured subtly, letting Dorian see that these skeletons weren't just mindless cannon fodder.

At one point they were all people, just like him.

Thinking the same thoughts, believing in the same illusions under another, and now utterly under Ricky's command.

"Tell Selene I keep my promises. I'll go to her ball or whatever," Ricky said, waving a hand with a haggard sigh, as if the very thought of attending was an annoyance.

"But that's about it."

"Cause I feel like our relationship can't really flourish unless we both have an equal stake in it," Ricky joked, watching Dorian's expression shift into an ugly frown.

Selene wasn't subtle in her enjoyment, just like Ricky.

She enjoyed bending people to her will, turning them into loyal dogs who lived to serve her whims. 

Maybe in the past, Ricky might have played along, until he got what he wanted, but not this time.

He had a reputation to maintain, one that couldn't be risked by bowing his head and waiting for Selene to throw her favors at him like scraps from a bone.

"Y-You're making a mistake-"

"We'll see," Ricky mused, watching as the man slowly regained his footing, his cracked armor knitting back together under the weight of a ferocious glare aimed entirely at him.

"We'll also see what happens when everyone finds out you attacked me first. The High Table especially ain't gonna like that." Ricky added with a chuckle, noting Dorian's face drain of color as he shook his head in disbelief.

"No, I-"

"You threatened me under a request, not an order," Ricky said, tapping his cigarette to the side as the ash fell, carried off by the gust of wind swirling around him.

"Chuck, break it down for him, he's still not getting it," Ricky said to the side, inhaling a long drag from his cigarette as Chuck slowly stepped forward.

"As my master would put it: 'You f*cked up,'" Chuck explained to Dorian, his skeletal eyes fixed on the man as Dorian's pale gaze flicked back to Ricky.

"That's right~"

"You don't understand-" Dorian rasped, his teeth grinding together. 

"Nah, I think I do get it," Ricky smirked, finishing the last of his beer and dropping the cigarette butt into the empty can with a faint clink.

"And I'm not talking about this thing with Selene, but the bigger picture," Ricky said, standing and spreading his hands wide so Dorian could take it all in.

"Y'know, the one where she's slobbering all over my cock." Ricky joked, clearly unfazed by fury overtaking Dorian.

"YOU DARE-"

"I DO!" Ricky laughed, meeting Dorian's seething hatred with pure amusement.

"I don't know much about Selene, barely even talked to her, but I can already tell what kind of woman she is," Ricky said, shaking his head with a wry smile as he handed the crumpled beer can to Chuck.

"I mean, come on, the writings on the walls that she obviously wants me to play her little game," Ricky continued, flicking his hand through the air as if swatting the black bishop off the chessboard.

"This is exactly like with Merlyn, except this time, I ain't out of the loop," Ricky shrugged, slowly walking over to Dorian and bending down to his level. 

"Tell her I know about the Berlin Continental, and if she wants something from me." Ricky's voice trailed, a lazy smirk tugging at his lips as he once again patted Dorian's pale cheek.

"She's gonna have to ask with those pretty lips of hers." Ricky chuckled, watching Dorian stiffen at the mere mention of the Berlin Continental.

"Because as I've already said, anyone, including me, would be happy to get into bed with Selene." Ricky said, cupping his face in his hand and shaking it slightly, as if trying to make Dorian agree with the undeniable truth of his words.

"Alright, I'm done with you," Ricky said, rising and strolling back to his lawn chair while five undead, working on something in the distance, suddenly raised their heads.

Responding to their master's unspoken command, they advanced in perfect unison. 

With each step, it became unmistakably clear: Ricky had called forth the former Knights of the Round Table.

"You called?" Mordred slithered next to Ricky, the other knights appearing at his side with various construction hats and tools.

"Yeah, throw this guy out of my cemetery." Ricky said, indirectly revealing that he owned the cemetery, having purchased it before he left.

However, while the others' attention was fixed on Ricky, the lone knight's gaze remained locked on Dorian.

Upon closer inspection, it wasn't Dorian himself that held the knight's focus, but the flowers being crushed beneath his kneeling form.

"You're making a mistake-unhand me!" Dorian started to shout, but before he could finish, Agravain lunged forward, attempting to seize him as the mutant jerked his arm back instinctively.

"You are making an enemy of the hellfire-"

"Oh yeah?" Ricky asked, swatting away this threat with a single raise of his gaze.

"I don't think you have the balls to make me your enemy, I'm too valuable as an ally." Ricky added, sipping on a new beer with a casual ease while crushing Dorian's hollow bluff.

It was obvious that Dorian was bluffing, and Ricky could sense it in full since his lie detector in his mind wouldn't stop ringing, hammering the truth into him relentlessly.

"Yeah, that's what I thought." Ricky mused, watching Dorian become silent since he didn't have the power to even declare such a thing.

"And can someone punch this guy in the face-"

BAM

However, before Ricky could even finish his words, Dorian's head jerked to the side, blood splashing from his gums as the mutant stepped on yet another flower the undead had so meticulously planted and tended too.

BAM

COUGH

Then, in the next second, Ricky's surprise was furthered as the enraged undead drove an uppercut into Dorian's stomach, extinguishing every ounce of breath he had struggled so hard to regain.

"Damn!" Ricky commented, eyes following Agravain as he caught Dorian by the hair and hurled him away from another patch of flowers, the knight's hand already moving to unsheathe his sword.

"You dare to set foot upon my patch of flowers, YOU DARE!" Agravain roared, unsheathing his rusted blade and jabbing it menacingly toward Dorian.

"Yeah, kick his ass-wait, flowers?" Ricky started to egg Agravain on, only to pause as he realized all the commotion stemmed from a patch of flowers.

"Agravain is very particular about his gardening," Mordred sighed, shaking his head as the knight slammed his rusted blade down toward Dorian.

CLING

The worn metal rang against Dorian's mutant-enhanced forearm, the obsidian-like martial covering deflecting the swing of Agravain's rusted sword. 

But Agravain pivoted with precision, smashing his foot hard into Dorian's stomach.

COUGH

Dorian heaved, staggering backward as the impact of Agravain's foot left him reeling. 

Before he could fully recover, Agravain had already closed the distance, dropping his rusted blade to the ground. 

With a burst of strength, the undead knight lunged, wrapping his massive arms around Dorian and hoisting him into the air with a guttural roar. 

Dust kicked up from the ground as Agravain's grip tightened, suspending Dorian helplessly above the patch of carefully tended flowers.

"Oh sh*t-"

BAM

"OH SH*T!" Ricky cackled, turning the lawn chair to watch the fight escalate as Agravain suplexed Dorian into the dirt below.

BAM

"LEAVE!"

BAM

"MY!"

BAM

"FLOWERS!"

BAM

"ALONEEEEEEEEE!

Using his rusted gauntlets, Agravain slammed them down onto Dorian's face, the fury in his eyes barely contained after this man had destroyed what he considered the most beautiful form of life in this cruel world.

"Master, Sir Agravain looks like he intends to kill Selene's messenger," Chuck quickly notified Ricky, his skeletal eyes analyzing the spectacle with sharp precision.

SIGH

"Yeah, you're right." Ricky nodded, giving the command, and Agravain immediately halted his next punch aimed at Dorian's already battered face.

"That's enough, let the guy breathe." Ricky said, watching the knight clench his fist, ready to strike again, only to slowly pull back from Dorian's brutalized form.

HFUF

HUFF

Dorian huffed on the ground, struggling to regain his footing, only to slip and stumble back.

Behind him, a portal slowly opened, revealing what looked like the double door entrance to the Continental.

BAM

In the next instant, Dorian was hurled through the portal, crashing onto the steps of the grand hotel, while Ricky lounged casually in his chair.

Dorian barely managed to look back, just in time to see Ricky flash him a middle finger and give him that infuriating grin before the portal snapped shut, cutting off his laughter.

"ARGH!"

Suddenly, a searing pain burned around his neck, the collar glowing hotter by the second as Dorian clawed at it, stumbling toward the hotel entrance.

All eyes turned to him, humiliation dripping off his posture as he staggered toward the elevator.

"MOVE!" Dorian roared, shoving a guest aside and slamming the penthouse button.

HUFF

HUFF

HUFF

His breathing grew shallow, the collar glowing brighter and brighter, flooding his body with agony until the elevator chimed.

Ding

The doors slid open and Dorian almost immediately collapsed to his knees, dragging himself forward across the polished floor. 

His body lowered further, until he was fully prostrated, forehead pressed to the ground in a display of utter submission, worshipping the space Selene occupied. 

Behind her, the mirror caught Ricky's reflection, shimmering faintly as if to reveal she had been watching the entire interaction.

Selene's long nails raked against the surface of the dresser, producing a subtle, grating sound.

Her expression remained calm, but her eyes betrayed the quiet fire beneath.

It wasn't hatred, but a sort of sharp, simmering annoyance at Ricky's stubborn resistance and Dorian's pathetic failure to compel him.

"My queen, I-"

"You failed." Selene's voice cut through the air, sharp as the nails that adorned her fingers.

"Yes, my queen." Dorian bowed his head, prostrating himself completely before her, mind and body, while her gaze lingered on Ricky's defiance for a long, deliberate moment.

"I am very displeased, Dorian." Selene said simply, finally turning her eyes to him, and he began to tremble under her scrutiny.

"A thousand apologies-"

"Save every last one of them."

"You failed to retrieve what I asked for, and as such, you must be punished." Selene said, holding out her hands as a black whip, its length studded with jagged spikes, materialized before her.

"M-My queen, although I have failed to retrieve Ricky, I have obtained the information you have asked for-"

"Are you trying to escape your punishment?" Selene squinted, her words driving Dorian to tremble as his forehead pressed even harder against the floorboards.

"Never, my queen." Dorian breathed, though each exhale seemed less about defiance and more about the fear of not being punished.

"Well?"

"A rally is to be held in Berlin-"

"And?" 

"And it has to do with the mutants they've been gathering under their banners lately," Dorian explained quickly, lifting his gaze for just a moment before ducking again under the oppressive weight of Selene's stare.

"My source says it relates to the games." 

"Good, now, face away," Selene instructed, her fingers tracing along the jagged edges of her whip as Dorian shifted within his prostrated position, carefully obeying her command.

Slowly peeling off his shirt, he pressed his hands against the wall as his skin transformed into the familiar obsidian-like material. 

Yet, even beneath this hardened layer, the scars on his back remained starkly visible.

Deep grooves etched so thoroughly into his being that his mutant ability seemed to have adapted around them.

TWHACK

The whip hissed through the air, striking Dorian's back and forcing him to arch instinctively.

"My queen~" Dorian moaned, his forehead pressing against the wall, consumed by shame for failing the black queen he so revered.

TWHACK

TWHACK

TWHACK

But as the whip tore across his obsidian-like skin, Selene's focus began to waver, and Dorian's image slowly dissolved.

HUFF

A sharp breath escaped Selene, her cheeks tinged with an actual blush as her mind completely replaced the weak, prostrating Dorian with the image of Ricky, making her folds flush at the mere thought.

TWHACK

She wanted Ricky, but she wanted him under her control, beneath her gaze, and beneath the crack of her whip.

TWHACK

Pleasure and control were inseparable for someone like Selene. 

Every movement, every breath, every reaction of those under her gaze fed into her need to dominate completely, to bend every asset of a person to her will.

It wasn't enough to command; they had to exist within the boundaries she drew, their desires and fears intertwining with hers like threads in a web she herself wove.

TWHACK

TWHACK

TWHACK

"MY QUEEN~"

However, just as quickly as the imagined scene had ignited within her mind, Dorian's loud moan pulled her back to reality. 

Selene's lips curled into a sneer at the interruption, the fantasy fading in an instant as her whipping slowly halted.

"Ha~" Selene exhaled, a hint of boredom lacing her tone as she turned away from the man before her, dismissing him with the ease of someone accustomed to holding all the cards.

"Leave." Selene said flatly, her tone edged with boredom as she dismissed the toy before her, her gaze already shifting toward something more captivating.

Through the mirror behind her, Ricky's reflection caught her attention, patting Sir Agravain on the back, and teasingly holding out his beer, coaxing the stoic knight into taking a sip.

"But m-my punishment-"

"Leave," Selene repeated, her side-eye cutting through Dorian's protest. 

Instead of a reply, he bowed his head in shame, fumbling for his shirt before shuffling out of the room.

Her eyes followed Ricky, drinking in the sight of a man untethered, unbound, and moving through the world as if nothing could hold him.

"You're like a beautiful bird~" Selene murmured, her fingers tracing the glass of the mirror.

CRACK

The reflection of his smiling face fractured under the pressure of her nails, splintering before snapping back into a perfect reflection of her sinister laughter.

"One that'll fit perfectly into my collection~"

Author's Note: Sorry about the late post but I just sort of got confused at how I wanted to really make Selene her own charatcer without being too much like Agatha. Tell me your thoughts since this was more or less her full complete introduciton into the story. Also I'll post tommorrow to make up for yesterday.

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