Side Twenty-Five – The Widow Of Nails – End Of Arc 4

Side Twenty-Five – The Widow Of Nails – End Of Arc 4

“No... please stop... have... aaagh... mercy, forgive meeeeeeeeeeeee!” the pitiful cries coming from the next room, punctuated by pained, damp gasps and the sounds of heavy blows striking soft flesh, were quite off-putting, yet the woman sitting placidly in the comfortable chair paid it little mind, merely playing with a four-inch-long rusted nail in her long and pallid hands, flipping it between her pale fingers idly. She was wearing a kimono, a faded grey that might once have been white, and the ragged hems and sleeves were covered in some sort of dark dirt, as were her fingernails, looking as if she had been digging through soil with her bare hands.

An outside observer would wonder what a woman wearing such poor clothes was doing sitting in quite the opulent room, but on closer inspection one would see other things somehow... off... about her. She had floor-length long black hair, but it too smelt of grave-soil. Her skin was white, but not healthy, instead waxy and untouched by the sun.

“Uhh, ahh... please... I... stop hitting... aaagh!” the cries were getting weaker, the sounds of struck flesh and bone growing ever louder, matching the rapidly increasing sounds of obscene grunts from another throat. Hideous slapping and squelching noises could be heard, as well as pained gasps from both a male voice, and a weakly fading female one.

Ignoring the spectacle, the pale woman continued playing with the nail, careful to avoid clinking it against the pale gold band around her ring-finger. As the ring entered her gaze, she reflexively cast her black, lifeless eyes to the entrance of the room beyond. Such a brute. All men are. To think I am forced to yield to such a monster. The world would be better when all men disappear...

As if to support her words a throaty yet languid roar came from the male in the room, drowning out the weeping cries of the woman. There was one final, awful sound of snapping bone, cutting off the cries of the woman, then a heavy thump, as though something... weighty... had hit the ground hard.

Moments later a man came out of the room, naked and reeking, covered in sweat and other secretions. He was tall and well built, his closely cropped black hair, well-defined features and muscular arms gave him the image of a Yakuza, or perhaps more charitably a soldier. On seeing the pale woman his eyes narrowed, and his grin was disgusting, provoking a wave of revulsion to run through her. “Ahh, Kiku. Perfect timing. There’s another one. Can you... handle disposal and convert her to a servant? I need to have a shower.” He ran one hand through his hair, and she noticed that his knuckles were starting to swell, and were stained with the dark red of blood.

Again? The vile animal. He cannot restrain his appetites, spreading ruin wherever he goes like a filthy wild boar, rutting and ravaging the landscape and innocent girls... Still, she was unable to say this out loud, bound as she was to his service. And he casually calls me by my given name. Only my husband did that... still... the nail she was twirling clinked against the old gold band on her finger, snapping her out of her thoughts. Putting on the best smile she could manage, her expressionless, placid mask of a face twisting into an approximation of a smile, she bowed, her hair falling in front of her face like a funeral shroud. “As you wish, Kondou-dono. It shall be done.”

“So, is it done?” he asked lazily, not even offering her any alcohol. Though perhaps he feels I might be satiated, after my... bitter feast...

“I have... cleaned up. She has joined her sisters in the higher realm, and merely awaits my... I mean your orders, master.”

“Indeed, and don’t forget it. How goes the war?” he said, eyeing her coldly. “We have not made progress these last days.”

“It is challenging, Kondou-dono. The enemy is not numerous, yet they have some powerful beasts. Your own... forces...” she hated calling them allies. They were but monstrous creatures, which looked at her and her daughters with foul, lustful eyes, even if it was simply by instinct, not intent... still, some of them were useful... if only in death...“... while unending in numbers are no match for them. However we push further in each time, so it is only a matter of when...”

Her master scowled, his somewhat handsome features twisting. Yes, that looks more like his true self. A mad beast...

“I do not need excuses. I am already wasting significant effort continually replenishing my army. Their defences are non-existent, we should be able to overrun then with ease. We should be crawling over them like army ants. Even the biggest prey will be devoured by the swarm. And as for your servants... why are they so weak in battle? You would think since they cannot be hurt, they’d be of more use...”

“They gather valuable knowledge for us, Kondou-dono. They have also managed to assassinate a few of our enemies. As they had little strength in life, in death...” Even in death, us women have no peace. Her face remained expressionless, but the fondling of her nail increased in intensity. “... we will do better.”

“See that you do.” He sighed, relaxing. “I shouldn’t be impatient. It is going my way. And this weekend there is a gathering of business leaders I have managed to get an invite to. Some of the new Nobility will likely be there.” he grinned, and she wished she could step back, as it was repulsive and full of envy, greed and lust. “All the daughters and wives are gorgeous. If only I could have one of those for my own...” he muttered to himself “... sadly, as our wealth only comes from my father’s generation, we were not considered... but then... none of them have the power I now wield... so maybe...”

“Excuse me, I shall now withdraw, my master.” Kiku bowed and left him to his vile machinations. Once the door was shut, she let out a bone-weary sigh, nail once more scarping a gouge in her gold ring. He is strong yes, to have bested me, yet if he lays his hand on any Noblewoman, he is sure to meet his end. Of that, I am sure nothing about Edo has changed... she broke out in a vicious grin, her mouth full of metal teeth. And if he falls, I shall be sure to show him tender mercy, as I did my husband, so long ago...NewW novels updates at novelhall.com