Kaiden had the misfortune of knowing Varek only for a few minutes, but he’d learned a lot about the man in that short time. Varek was a man who lived in his own little bubble where he enjoyed unrestrained power.
He was the tyrannical ruler of his little tribe that consisted of a couple of hundred humans at best. Within the reservation lands granted to his people by the US government, he could do whatever he wanted.
But the monsters did not care about the sovereignty of his people. Varek seemed to want to make allies of his own with competent outsiders whom he saw on the Awakened Media Platform that enjoyed a truly global reach, facing no mortal restrictions such as language barriers.
It seemed that Kaiden was one such man he found, and Varek decided he might as well start making allies with him.
The firelight danced across Varek’s broad, scarred chest as he leaned forward. The glint in his eyes turned sly as he gestured lazily toward the line of women kneeling behind him, his "adornments."
"I thought," he began, the corner of his mouth curving into a wolfish grin, "that you might appreciate Taigi. She’s built like our kind of woman, no?"
His gaze slid over his harem, and though he said nothing more, the meaning was obvious. His eyes traced the outlines of their hips and thighs, the kind of unspoken comparison that made the women stiffen in discomfort. One even flinched when his gaze lingered too long.
"I was even thinking of proposing a harem member swap to you as the ultimate sign of peace and respect... But it seems," he went on, chuckling darkly, "that I was mistaken. Perhaps your taste has become more acquired with time?"
The smirk that followed left little doubt about what he meant. His eyes drifted toward Naira, who was sitting quietly at Kaiden’s side. Her slender frame was cloaked in modest tribal wraps. The color drained from her face as she realized what that gaze implied.
"If you wish," Varek said lightly, "I can have some of the young ones visit you tonight. Gifts of friendship, of course-"
That was it.
The last string holding Kaiden’s patience snapped.
For a brief, terrible silence, nothing happened. The distant laughter of the feasting warriors filled the hall, the crackle of the fire echoing like a heartbeat. But within Kaiden, something shifted.
Disgust.
It wasn’t just anger; it was the kind of loathing that crawled beneath the skin and curdled the blood.
How could a man rot this far?
His mind flashed back to Maximilian, the man who’d treated women like property, his sins hidden behind dollar and political ties. And now, here was another monster, draped in furs instead of silk, but made of the same filth.
Is this what power always becomes?
Kaiden’s expression didn’t contort into rage... it simply froze. All warmth drained from his eyes, leaving behind something far more terrifying.
Cold hatred.
He looked at Varek with the same look one might give a disease that needed to be burned out.
The air around them shifted. The hall’s warmth dimmed. The cheerful chatter seemed to fade as if the fire itself hesitated to crackle.
Varek blinked, confused at first, then unsettled. He didn’t understand why the man before him, who had smiled politely all evening, was now radiating this kind of quiet malice toward him.
He was just making a peace offering. Why the anger?
Kaiden didn’t speak for several seconds. Then, with deliberate calm, he reached into his belt pouch and retrieved the sleek artifact, a communicator.
He tapped the crystal node at its center. It pulsed once, bright and cold.
"Kaiden Grey reporting."
His words carried clearly, even though his tone was steady. Each one was laced with restrained venom.
"Negotiations have failed. The local authority has proven unfit for peaceful alliance, citing moral corruption and predatory practices. I am declaring the diplomatic mission a failure."
He lowered the device, eyes still locked on Varek’s. "Our alliance only stands to lose from associating with this man."
Tessa’s voice was the one that came through the communicator, audibly filled with surprise.
"... Copy that, Kaiden. Mission failure confirmed." There was a beat of silence before she continued, softer now. "Are you sure about this? I trust your judgment, but isn’t it too quick?"
"I’m sure."
That was all Kaiden said.
Another voice followed immediately. Geralt.
"Do you need extraction?"
Kaiden didn’t answer him verbally.
Instead, he turned his gaze toward Varek and let the silence hang heavy.


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