1 | cardiac arrest [darkling]

twentytwo

"WHY EXACTLY DO YOU WANT to meet him? Like why?" Adrian asks in annoyance as he leads the three Grishas to the tent where the General is awaiting them. Nyx stays silent, not bothering with answering his question.

"How about you mind your own business boy." Zoya scoffs, making Adrian glare up at her.

"I'm the reason you three can even meet up with him, so show a little respect." He huffs, crossing his arms over his chest. Nyx rolls her eyes at their childish attitude, not even bothering with them.

"And how have you deserved my respect?" Zoya asks, making his glare intensify. Nyx sighs as they get closer to the tent, stopping a few steps away from the entrance.

"Just do what you're supposed to do." Nyx says to Adrian who huffs and goes to one of the guards, starting to explain the situation.

"Do you really think this will work?" David asks as he stands close to Nyx, clearly nervous about this whole situation.

"It better. Because if it doesn't, I don't know how else we'll do this." Nyx says honestly and David takes a deep breath to try to calm himself. Adrian turns around towards them and nods towards the tent, making the three follow him inside, not paying much attention to the guards.

In the middle of the tent is a set up of couches, neatly decorated with small pillows. Nyx bites her tongue to stop herself from making a snarky remark on this. In between them and the set up, General Zlatan is standing - with a smile that is meant to charm everyone - and four guards surround the inner walls of the tent.

"I have heard that you have information concerning the sun summoner. Please, have a seat." Zlatan gestures towards the couches and Nyx nods in sign of gratitude. Adrian steps back, standing on the side as the three Grishas sit with Zlatan. Nyx sits face to face with Zlatan, while David and Zoya sit next to them. "So what can you tell us?"

"It's not much. The Darkling is looking for an amplifier for her, the Morozova Stag to be more precise." Nyx explains, making him let out a chuckle of disbelief.

"You expect me to believe that? The Morozova Stag is a children's story." Zlatan scoffs, among her shrug.

"I don't care if you believe me or not. But once he finds it and puts it on her, her powers will ten fold. Her powers right now is just a grain of sand in the vastness of what it can be. Once, she has the stag, they will be unstoppable." Nyx says as she leans forward and he raises an eyebrow. "He will kill you."

"He can't kill me." Zlatan chuckles arrogantly and she gives him a look of disbelief.

"Your fate is to die. Whether he kills you or I do. Does it really matter in the end?" She asks nonchalantly, leaning back against the back of her seat. The guards straighten up and stand on high alert after hearing her words.

"Have you come here to threaten me?" Zlatan snarls and she shrugs again, acting all nonchalant about this. She can see Adrian look at them in shock from the corner of her eye, but she doesn't pay much attention to it.

"It's not a threat. It's a fact. Here is the thing, you're powerless compared to the Darkling. He'll have you killed in seconds, I won't deny the fact that I can too. So what is the difference between him and I, you wonder. He'd destroy your armies, I'm going to use them." She hums calmly and he scoffs, glaring at her.

"I'm going to have to ask you to leave." He snaps as he jumps to his feet and she rolls her eyes.

"I don't think so." She says and with a swift motion of her hands, she decreases his heart rate. The guards realising she's Grisha point their arms at her, but Zoya uses the wind to disarm them. Zoya and David stand up, moving to stand in front of the flap that separates the outdoors from the indoors.

"Here's what's going to happen." Nyx sighs as she stands up and walks up to Zlatan, making him take a step back and fall on the chair. She leans forward so that they're eye level. "You're going to die and three of your guards will too. One of them, will take your position."

"Why are you doing this?" Zlatan asks in panic and she smirks, as she straightens up.

"Vengeance is a powerful motive. Don't you think?" Nyx asks rhetorically, before glancing around the tent at the guards who look at her in fear. "Enough chitchat. Let's get down to business."

"You won't get away with this." Zlatan exclaims, but she ignores him as she keeps her focus on the guards.

"Anyone want to be General?" She asks the four men, none of them dare to move as they look at each other, all except for one. He steps forward, clearly nervous and afraid to have stepped in a trap. "Good."

"You can come with us." David says as he motions to the guard to come to him. The poor otkazat'sya, nearly trips over his own feet as he makes his way across the tent.

"As for the four of you. I'll make your deaths not too painful." Nyx hums softly and with simple hand motion, she crushes all their hearts, making them drop dead. She glances down at the body of Zlatan and sighs, before turning to Adrian. He is shaking in fear in the corner of the tent. "Go fetch someone in charge."

Wordlessly, he runs out of the tent and she starts to consider the possibility that he might not come back. She shoves that thought to the back of her mind as she turns back to the dead body of the General. Grabbing the head by its hair, she grabs the sword out of its sheath, before turning to look at David.

"Close your eyes, please." She smiles softly and he doesn't argue as he complies. Turning back to the dead body, she uses the sword to decapitate Zlatan. Blood splashes against her, but she doesn't mind it as she drops the sword and holds up the head. "I like him better like this."

"This is gruesome." Zoya scoffs as Nyx turns to look at her.

"We've seen worse on the battle field." Nyx reminds her, just as Adrian walks back in with another man. The man notices the head of Zlatan and gasps.

"What have you done?! Gua-"

"No. No. Enough of that." Nyx drops the head and calms the man by reducing his heart rate. "Here is what you're going to do. You're going to take your General's head and get it delivered to the Grande Palace. And if you try anything, I will find you and kill you. Off you go."

The man rushes to take the head and leaves the tent. David opens his eyes and makes sure to keep his eyes on Nyx rather than the headless body behind her. The blood on her having started to dry up and darken.

"Well, that's enough for today. Don't you think?" Nyx asks the guard, who nods his head with fear. "What's you name?"

"Vi... Viktor Fedorov." He stutters and she smiles warmly, patting his cheek softly, making him flinch.

"Well, General Fedorov. Here's how things are going to work. You'll do everything I tell you to do. You are only a pawn in this game of chess, okay?" She asks and he nods, gulping nervously. Her focus shifts to Adrian and she sighs. "Ah, I'm sorry kid. You had to see this. You should go home. Don't say a word about this to anyone, understood?"

"Y... yes." He nods, before leaving the three Grishas and the new general. Nyx smirks at David and Zoya, who smile happily at their success.

"Now we can get started."