It was utmost and total chaos.

The wind had picked up fast and drastically, and accompanied by the encroaching darkness signifying that night time was near, it seemed like a god had been finally let off his chains after years of wrongly suffering and coming for vengeance. And it came in all its might for the Rocheveron army camp.

The energy surrounding him was as black as the night and as thick as ink. It swam in the air around him and moved as he did, dispersing dark shadows of himself per second. They had only one purpose here, and that was to bring destruction and death to the camp of the enemy on whose side of the line Ryder now stood. But he knew what he was doing, he was not blinded by the power he wielded, nor did he allow the necessity of crossing into Rocheveron to overwhelm his control.

He was not totally about destroying the camp, but to instill just the right amount of fear and a bit more so that he would be taken seriously without having to repeat his words and actions.

He opened his eyes as he allowed the storm to disperse slowly but he was yet far from calm, his eyes were still black and emitting the thick smoky mist, he had the exact definition of death and fear on his face and in his expression, and steadily he made his way to the only tent still standing which he had purposely not destroyed because of the person who had just come out of it.

Commander Dimian.

Dimian Tekren, commander of the Rocheveron Army.

He approached the man who stood shaking before him but still had enough courage to keep his eyes on Ryder’s, but it was more out of rooted fear than it was of courage; the man was too shaken to move. And seriously anyone would be if you saw a person approaching you with black balls for eyes, smoky mist emanating from it like something burning, the same happened to the rest of his body and his voice was most inhumane.

“Dimian,” Ryder called out to him. His voice had changed from what others were used to hearing. It was more hoarse but at the same time, very clear and it sent a lot more than chills through your body.

The commander swallowed and dared not to say a word for fear of the god-like demon/human before him.

“I will be passing through Rocheveron and be on my way to my destination,” Ryder continued.  “And you will allow me to pass without anymore form of hindrance, or a much larger storm sweeps through the kingdom.”

Dimian’s knees gave was as soon as he was done talking and the commander crumbled to the ground, the man behind him doing the same as they both bowed their faces to the earth, trembling in fear.

“Lord Ryder.” The commander acknowledged and Ryder turned around without wasting a second more, walking back towards his camp. They would pass now and they would be in the kingdom’s capital by the morning.

*   *   *   *   *

Lyra stood outside the tent with Xanth by her side. The whole place was dead silent as they had all witnessed the destruction that Ryder had single-handedly brought to the Rocheveron army camp. The soldiers stood in respect and not exactly in awe as they had seen this level of destruction before and even worse as they had served the Lord of Astaroth in the previous battles. But Lyra stood, rooted in fear as this was the first time she was seeing such level of destruction, and more disturbing, that it was brought about by just one man.

He approached them, still unable to calm down so the dark smoky mist still swam in the air around him and in his blackened eyes. Lyra stumbled back when he kept coming closer to them until she had Xanth in between herself and Ryder but she still had him in her line of sight.

“Saddle up and get ready.” He gave the order, looking straight at Xanth but he was talking to all three of them. “We will cross into Rocheveron tonight and be in the capital by the morning.”

Lyra was shaken to the bones on hearing his voice and she almost had a heart attack when he looked in her direction, she did the only thing that came to her mind; she hid behind Xanth, but Ryder had already given order, and everyone concerned were all getting prepared, so as soon as she went behind Xanth, he moved away to go get his horse ready, leaving her in plain sight of the fearful man in front of her.

She swallowed and took careful steps back.

“You will ride with me.” He said to her. He didn’t ask, and neither was that a request; he was telling her what exactly would happen but she shook her head in defiance, too scared to want to come close to him but Ryder would not be having any of her whines nor any of her disobedience and in one swift move, he had one hand around her waist and then he pulled her closer to himself.

She gasped in fear and his dark eyes looked down at her but she kept her eyes to his chest, to scared to look up at him. He had a frown on his face but he wasn’t angry, he was impatient. He felt her tremble in his arms, heard her heart thumping loud and fast in her chest and he unconsciously smiled, then tightened his grip around her waist, earning a yelp and a whimper from her. She shook like a leaf caught up in a storm and her body tingled in fear. He liked that.

He leaned down lower to her ear and then in that deep, hoarse voice, he whispered. “You will ride with me, Lyra.”

*   *   *   *   *

He only took a handful of soldiers with him, and with his command and commander Dimian leading the way, they rode non-stop all through the night and by the crack of the first dawn, they entered Alzicia, the capital city of Rocheveron. It was well into the morning before they got to the castle of Rocheveron where they were welcomed by what they had not, in their wildest dreams, expected to see.

Parties and feasts would usually end by the morning, or in most cases, before the first light of the morning even if it was overnight, but what greeted them as they stepped into the hall of the Rocheveron castle was a feast, which by the looks of it, had gone on throughout the night and survived the morning, and still went on.

It was an orgy. A fine orgy with more naked women in the hall then there were soldiers in the kingdom’s army, figuratively speaking, of course. Some hung from the ceiling supported by long hanging strips of clothes, dancing and displaying and letting everything show without shame.

They all moaned and grunted and they groaned, and each one had his or her own style of giving pleasure to his or her chosen partner, some having more than one, and at the head of the table, at the far end of the hall where the throne was place, they could see a drunk and almost completely naked old man with a gleaming crown on his head, raising his goblet to give a toast to his deeply engaged guests.

He chuckled and then moaned, his hand coming to rest at the back of the head of a rather young girl whose face was in his groin. It was clear what she was doing as her head bobbed up and down, her quite experienced lips around his dick, sucking and giving pleasure, her slender fingers wrapped around his hardened shaft. He moaned out and emptied the wine from his goblet on her head and threw his own head back as a wave of orgasm washed over him and then the girl gagged and retreated as his dick fell out from her mouth

Ryder frowned deeply, his powers had dissipated into the night and asides from his towering height and the aura of authority he gave off, he looked like any other normal human being now. His grip on Lyra’s wrist tightened and with one yank, he pulled her forcefully close to his side. He shot Dimian an angry stare but the man just looked on indifferently like this was a normal sight in the castle, and just as Xanth was about to protest that they be taken away from the hall, a middle-aged woman, dressed splendidly and elegantly in the most attractive royal attire walked up to them.

“Lord Ryder of Astaroth, I believe?” Their attention was turned immediately to her and Dimian took her outstretched hand and bowed slightly, planting a kiss on the back of her hand before coming to stand beside her, giving her room to speak to the others. She smiled to him and then turned to the visitors. “I am Lynorr Krinn, Queen of Rocheveron. Welcome to my Kingdom.”