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I speak in a calm tone, but the words alone are enough to deter the others. After they leave, I run several laps around the vast space of the training quarters.
Over the years, I’ve hardened my body into a machine, unstoppable, unbreakable, and unafraid. I thought I had donethe same to my mind, but Krista and her presence in my life these past few days comes as a cold lesson that I’m still weak.
“How could I have let a girl slither her way into my mind?”
I think of how she acted strange to me earlier. Given what unfolded between us the other night, I cannot help but think that I’m somehow responsible for it. It only begs the question… Why?
“I never meant to scare you, Krista. Not in that way, at least.”
The more I think about her, the angrier I grow. Whenever my body begins to ache, thoughts of her act as a painkiller, each image of her face serving a fresh dose of adrenaline.
There is no rational voice of reason in my head when I begin to blame her for everything.
“After I go out of my way to treat her well, this is the way she repays me? I should punish her for embarrassing me like that.”
As I stop working out to catch a quick breath, I envision tying Krista down to my bed with the tightest of restraints. I close my eyes, thinking about what it would be like to have my complete way with her.
“Why should I let it remain a mere fantasy?” I ask myself as I return to exercising. “I should see it through and make her feel the pain. I won’t go easy on her like I did last time.”
I set up three dummies in the center of the room, grunting and mumbling my thoughts aloud as if someone were there to answer me.
“If she’s going to treat me this way, she’s going to learn a harsh lesson. No one does this to me and gets away with it.”
Once the dummies are positioned, I retreat to the wall at the back of the room where there lies a large selection of weapons. From it, I choose a small axe, a throwing knife, and a longsword.
I then take my place facing the dummies from far away, closing my eyes. I become aware of just how sore my body is from training, and all I can see is darkness.
Then comes the thought of Krista. Along with her is the mulling of every other trouble in my life, from minor problems like incompetent workers at the forge to major issues like the threat of war.
Everything combined enrages me like nothing else. For how hard I’ve worked all of my life, it feels like I have nothing to show for it. I know I deserve better.
My body, itching for the thrill of combat, bursts forward as I open my eyes. I hurl a throwing knife at a dummy, the blade plunging through the center of its featureless face.
I crouch low while still moving, unsheathing my longsword and swinging it out. The head of another dummy rolls away with a loud thud.
There’s no desire in me for the final dummy. Instead of a delicate and graceful maneuver, I simply grip my axe and hack away at the entire body until there’s nothing left but shards of its material all over the ground.
I throw down the axe and retreat to the entrance, where I grab a rag to wipe myself off. Sweat drips off of me, pooling into a puddle below me. My callused hands are searing with pain. I clench my fists, relishing in the agony.
Just then, the grating sound of the steel door opening behind me reinvigorates my once-expelled energy. It’s made worse when sweat drips into my eyes, stinging them.
“I thought I told you to leave me alone.”
“Lasta?” greets a familiar voice.
I spin around, seeing Krista standing there uncertainly just past the doorway. Her hands are clasped together as she looks at me worriedly. If she wasn’t scared of me before, then she certainly is now.
The thought of it fills me with pleasure. I want more.
“I… I see you’re in the middle of something here, so I’ll be quick. I just wanted to apologize for my behavior earlier.”
She comes closer, mumbling more words of apology, all of which go in one ear and out the other. With every step she takes, my predatory instincts become awakened and sharp.
“I’m just so nervous about this, Lasta.”
“The time for games is over,” I snarl.
“What?” she mutters, her eyes widening in fear.
