*CLANG*
*WOOSH*
*SLASH*
*THUD!*
The blunt end of the training sword made contact with Lee's chest, sending him backwards as he staggered in his feet. The powerful impact from that strike left a stinging bruise on his body, causing him to question his thoughts about this man standing in front of him.
‘Is this even a mock battle!? I'm fucking dying in here!’ Lee internally screamed, the burning sensation in his chest making him grit his teeth.
He grips the weapon in his hand tightly, readying himself for another possible hit. It wasn't really a weapon, per-se, but a heavy training sword made from light carbon fiber material.
It has your usual handle with a rounded hilt, but the blade is wide and round, all the way to the tip which has a smooth flat surface.
The footsteps of Antonin filled his ears. The man was quite a distance away from him, yet he still looked imposing as ever. He was walking sideways, sidestepping slowly as he circles around Lee.
He was staring right at his soul. Somehow, Lee felt his body shaking as he met Antonin's gaze. The feeling was unnatural, like he was being...eaten from the inside out.
‘He's just pacing back and forth, is this the way he duels?’ Lee thought, breaking eye contact after remembering Hera's words. He tried focusing beyond Antonin's figure as he tried relaxing his body–
–which was a decision he regretted afterwards. In just under a second or so, Antonin's huge stature was already looming ahead of him. He saw the man swing his weapon, the blunt end of the sword's handle hitting him in the forearm as he hastily put up a defense.
This alone sent him staggering backwards, followed by quick successive strikes that landed on his shoulder traps and his arms. He grunted out in pain as he almost lost his grip on the sword he was holding, as a familiar numbness began spreading to his hands.
He couldn't fathom how the huge man was already in front of him within a second. With that speed alone, who could even win a fight against this guy?
When Agartha finished setting up the testing area, which was a floor below the main floor of the training facility, both he and Antonin was briefed by the Ægir instructor. The rules were somehow simple; score higher than 50 hits in under ten minutes and the fight will end.
The hits are measured by the training sword they were using. There was a sensitive measuring device installed on the sword, which will count registered hits once they connect with each other. How the technology works is similar to the targets in Babylonia's training room, so Lee had no problem understanding it.
They also wore a training shirt that was made with lightweight fabric, and can also monitor the hits if the sword touches the body. It needed a specific amount of kinetic force to register as a hit though, so small grazes cannot be acceptable.
“Good footwork, you nearly dodged them.” Antonin commented with a nonchalant tone, which made Lee click his tongue.
Was that an insult just now, or was he really commending him for lasting this long? In any case, it made him feel annoyed.
“Oh yeah? Try dodging this!” Lee suddenly lunged at the red haired man, arching the sword for a downward slash.
Antonin merely used his forearm to deflect the strike, before bringing his own blade to connect at Lee's stomach.
“Guhk!” Lee grunted, falling to his knees for the 4th time now. He used the sword as a makeshift support so that he wouldn't fall over completely.
“Antonin-sama~, Manager Hera is calling.” Agartha, who watched the whole fight in the sidelines, was waving a phone in her hand. She honestly felt bad for Lee, since this was the first time Antonin oversaw the test training of a newcomer.
She even had to lower the maximum amount of time since she knew that Lee would probably have a hard time, but she didn't expected him to only land 23 hits.
“Go outside and answer the call. Tell her we're just finishing up in here.” Antonin responded as he blocked 3 strikes from Lee, before using his fist to push him back.
“Understood.” Agartha replied, feeling sorry for the poor blonde man. Not everyone can have the honor to ever cross blades with Antonin like him, and nobody has ever won the bout.
Lee was forced to analyze his movements so far. Everything is and can be analyzed, he just needed sufficient and relevant data to do so. However, looking at the clock, it was already 6 minutes in and he hasn't even reached 30 strikes.
“You're strong, I'll give you that...” Lee grinned at Antonin, who just stared at him with a blank expression.
“But can you dodge this?” Lee hurled his sword at him with force, making Antonin deflect the projectile sideways. Antonin glanced at the sword lying on the ground, before focusing his attention towards the blonde man.
“How are you supposed to–”
!?
“Gotcha.”
Lee stood there with two training guns in his hands, before pulling the trigger. Rubber bullets flew towards Antonin with great speed, with some hitting his shoulders as he moved to dodge. He brought the training sword in his hands to his side, concentrating as he closed his eyes.
The muscles on his forearms tightened as he focused most of his strength on swinging the sword. He suddenly opens his eyes, seemingly creating a hazy tangerine line due to how fast he moved.
*SLASH*
With one fell swoop, a makeshift shockwave made from a sudden and abrupt burst of air deflected most of the bullets. Lee's consecutive hits made his score into 44 now, and all he needs was 6 or more to complete his training.
However-
“On your left.”
!?
A heavy strike hits him in the side, causing immense pain on his ribs. He retaliates by shooting to the direction the voice came from, but only managed to hit the wall. Another hit sends him hurtling towards the far end of the room, which made him land flat on his back.
“Fuck...” Lee wheezed out in exasperation, forcing his body to get up.
*THUMP*
All of a sudden, a nauseating feeling hits him in the face as he got to his feet. He shakes his head for a bit, disoriented by the sudden urge to puke.
It was only then that he realized he was surrounded my a murky, dust like environment, probably coming from the shockwave Antonin created just now. Without the precious heads-up display installed in him when he was still a construct, he was literally walking blindly.
For a moment, Lee thought he sensed faint movement from behind, making him turn his body in one fluid motion. He held both guns in an angled position, so if her ever was to be hit in the forearm, he could simply retract his arms easily.
And then he heard a voice from beyond the misty haze, yet it was so faint it seems like he was in an enclosed location.
“Antonin! Dear, what's with this fog!”
It was Hera's voice, which made him turn in circles as he waved the fog off with his arms. No matter how hard he tried to wave it off, it didn't lessen.
“Lee! Lee where are you?”
This time however, the voice made him flinch. It was a voice he hasn't heard for about a day or so now, and she certainly wasn't supposed to here.
“Why did you leave us!”
“Jane!” Lee shouted back, now fully confused. “What are you doing here? Where are you!”
...
There was no response, and for the first time he then felt his fight or flight instincts kick in.
‘What the hell was that? Why did I hear Jane's voice?’ Lee thought to himself as he cautiously walked towards where he remembers the exit was located.
“And where the hell even is Antonin?” He mutters in a low whisper, annoyance present in his tone.
*BEAT*
A single yet powerful internal energy affected his body, causing him to fall into one knee. Try as he might, it was like gravity was pushing hard against his body.
“I am here, Lee.” A stern voice with a telltale sign of Leithanien accent reached his ears.
He grunted and struggled, fighting the invisible force that was pushing him down. He bated hard as he lifted his head, straining his neck in the process.
What he saw made the blood on his face disappear. There, sitting in an elevated throne made from unalloyed gold was none other than the Vice Manager, Antonin Jöhtunn. The seat was huge, and bright, crimson blood began seeping out of the vents in the seat.
Lee's eyes went into defocus when he realized the area around him was full of flowing blood, coating his hands in the process. The mist was now a dark, hazy red in color, fully adding to the grotesque and horrifying scene playing front of him.
Suddenly a scream emanates from somewhere, followed by a cacophonous chorus of people wailing for help. The force holding him down dissipates as the ocean of blood rose, causing him to stand sloppily. He frantically looked around, crazed about the sudden event.
“W-What the fuck!?” Lee exclaimed in complete disgust as a rotten hand grabbed his pants from within the confines of the bloody sea. It held on to him tightly, causing more hands to appear and drag him down.
He was now on his knees, elbowing and shoving away the rotting hands helplessly.
If there was hell on Terra, then this must be it.
Antonin simply gazed down at him as he sat comfortably in his throne. He could stop this nightmare with a single chant, yet he chose to keep it going. He wouldn't simply trust a stranger just like how Hera does, especially one who didn't...fit right into this world.
No, this guy was different. He needed to make sure to put him in his place immediately.
Antonin needed to let Lee know what kind of monster he was facing, lest they regret having a traitor in their ranks in the future.
“Lee...”
Antonin's voice boomed across the vast bloodied wasteland, and like a command spoken by the leader, the nightmarish hands stopped drowning the blonde man in the see of blood.
“Welcome to the domain of blood and rot.”
.
.
.
_____
Lee's P.O.V
When I woke up from my seemingly unending slumber, I realized I was inside an unfamiliar room. I hazily remember falling in and out of consciousness over the course of my sleep. It was as if I got smacked hard in the head by a sledgehammer, as I felt a burning and crushing sensation in my skull when I tried moving my head.
“Immer sachte, boy. Don't move too much, you're hurt all over.” A male voice said, making me slump my head on the pillow as I trained my gaze towards the source.
He was a man that looked clearly older than me, or any of the men I've seen in the headquarters of Armatek. He had above shoulder length white hair and his face seemed tired and gaunt, with only the lively look in his eyes negating that outlook of him.
“Ah, I am Ulrich Krueger, and I'm here to keep an eye on you for the time being. Agartha just left a while ago to fetch you something to eat.” The armored man introduced himself and continued, before tapping on the screen of the medical instrument beside the bed.
“What...what happened to me..?” the words finally managed to escape my mouth, and heard that my voice was coarse and rough.
“You...*sigh*, I guess boss really did went overboard with you huh?” The man named Ulrich said and shook his head, to which didn't make sense at all.
“You're in madam Hera's private clinic. We rushed you here after we found your unconscious body in the training room.” The Leithanien swordsmaster finished and gave me a stern look.
I tensed after hearing what he said.
“What do you mean unconscious... Tell me what the fuck happened to me.” I groaned as I raised my body, leaning my aching back against the bedstand.
Ulrich sighed, lips opening and closing as if reluctant to tell the answer.
“Vice Manager...he took you to his–”
*SLAM*
Both of us turned our heads to the doorway and saw The Manager walking towards the bed in haste. She wore an angered expression, and she was solely focused on me.
“Ma'am, his body is still unstable...” Ulrich said and stepped aside, letting Hera control the medical instrument that was beside my bed. It was only then that I realized the wires attached to my body was connected to the foreign looking device.
“I know... Fuck, Antonin shouldn't have done that...” She angrily clicked her tongue and sighed, before facing me with a look of concern.
“Lee, how are you feeling? Do you remember anything prior to you being unconscious?” Hera asked.
“I... I don't have any clue what the fuck is wrong with me. Every muscle in my body is aching, and when I breath it feels as though I've drowned underwater.” I say with honesty, fully describing what I feel. There's no point in lying about it whatsoever.
“...Okay, I need you to listen to me. This device is state of the art. If you rest up here for a day or two, that... feeling of being drowned will subside. I'll have Agartha take care of you for the time being.” Hera then extends her hand and ruffles my hair like an old sister would do, which further added to her enigmatic nature.
“Until then, I'll answer your questions once you're fully healed. So in the mean time, take this moment to recover, okay?” she turns around to leave and motioned for Ulrich to follow, so he gave me a slight nod to convey his acknowledgement.
“You rest up, okay Lee?”
“Yeah...sure.” I uttered a response as the door leading to the room closed gently.
Now left on my own, I moved my body and laid down to rest. I closed my eyes and did my best to remember anything that could explain the state I'm currently at, but got nothing. If I did get knocked out during the training session, the effects shouldn't be this bad.
“...just what the hell did Antonin do to me...”
____
*Timeskip*
A/n:(NAAAAUUUUUUR THIS IS THE FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE I'VE USED THIS CURSED EXCUSE OF A TIMESKIP!)
____
“So boy, how are you feeling?”
“I- I'm fine.” I answered her question with a visible gulp, clearly not fine with what's currently going on. I felt a tingling sensation down...there.
“Ara~, does this perhaps...excite you?” Agartha's mischievous smile makes me flinch, before feeling her hand explore my thighs under the bedsheet.
“O- Oi! I'm still 19 you know!?”
“Fufufu, Its not like I'm doing anything...illegal though. I'm just helping a patient to stimulate his muscles.” she leans beside the bed and whispers the last part on my ear.
How can this muscle mommy of a woman do this to me? I'm literally a helpless lad due to my body not reacting the way I want it to react.
“K-Keep going. That spot right there...ooooh, that's it right there...” I close my eyes and let my head fall into the blissful delight of my pillow as her soft hands massaged me.
“Hmmu hmmu, I knew you'd enjoy this. You're still a growing man after all.” Agartha said in a teasing tone, before stopping to unzip the adiodias windbreaker jacket she wore.
“Oh god, it's hot in here, isn't it?”
My eyes widened in surprise as she fully unzipped her jacket, revealing her gray sports bra underneath her clothing.
“The A/C is literally at 16°, how is it hot in here!” I raised my voice, now completely fearing for my life as she quicken up the pace.
“This'll make you feel better.” the Ægir remarked, clearly having fun as she had her ways with me.
*~creak~*
“Oi Agartha, I brought some...food...”
‘Oh shit.’ I thought to myself.
The door opened unexpectedly, followed by an unfamiliar voice, which made us turn towards the source.
There, standing in the doorway, I saw a wide eyed female clad in full camouflaged combat gear staring at us with a mixed look of confusion and disgust. In her hands she held a food tray with, well, food and a box of milk in it.
The look in her face says it all. I was being judged wrongly!
“Ara~, if it isn't Margaux-chan. Care to join us?” Agartha said in a carefree tone and continued working her hands under the bed sheet.
“W-What the, join you?? Agartha! Why the fuck are you stroking his penis!?” The gal named Margaux screamed in apprehension, causing my face to heat up in embarrassment. It was just as I expected it to happen.
“N-No, t-this isn't what it looks like, I promise!” I wave my hands towards her in defense, hoping to change her mind. Due to the weird and awkward angle of her line of sight, she must have thought we were doing something... sexual.
“You dirty piece of Ægir sea trash! Stop molesting him!” Margaux puts the food tray in the side table and rushes towards me. She then grabbed the bedsheet and dragged it away from the bed, almost tearing the end of the fabric.
“See? I was just massaging his leg.” Agartha smiled at her slyly. Her hands were clearly away from were my thing was located, as the spot she was caressing was the muscles above my knee.
“Phew... I thought you guys were doing the dirty now. Too bad though, I thought I could've join later.” Margaux sighed.
“Wait what?! Huh!?” I stared at her with a bewildered expression, clearly not expecting what she said.
“Teehee, just teasing.” she stuck a small portion of her tongue out and did a peace sign, before turning on her heel.
“That was such a curveball!” I retorted. And here I thought I was gonna get tag teamed.
“Don't lump me with this woman in heat here.”
The two agents shared a laugh, meanwhile I'm here fully retracing and rethinking the choices I've made so far. I couldn't help but put my hands behind my head as I laid relaxed on the bed.
“Fuck, I'll be stuck with these people for a long, long time.”
«‹⟨ TO BE CONTINUED ⟩›»
Published: April 1, 2023
Words: 3157
A/n: (Wew, finally managed to update. Midterms are over now so I can go draft and rethink some ideas xD. Hope you enjoy reading!)
(人 •͈ᴗ•͈)