The House Wars

The King of Diamonds brings to you a five act story, each act consisting of
five scenes. Now, listen well. I write stories to express my creativity, not to
write pointless smut. The reason my stories are posted on this site are
because they do contain adult material, which other fanficiton sites would
frown upon. This being said, don't expect every chapter to have sex in it,
because it won't happen. You'll see it, in detail, every few chapters, so don't
read this if all you want is something you can quickly whack-off to. Thank
you for choosing King of Diamonds brand literature.

~The House Wars~

~Act 1~
~Phantom Overture~

~Scene 1~
~Is This Life?~

Darkness. That feeling of unknowing. That which comes every night and is
to never stop coming. The thing that some embrace, and some fear. In the
case of Arianna DeLeon, it was something to fear. Darkness was the only
thing she had known the past few hours.

Even now, she sat in a dark room, the cold, constricting clamp of shackles
on her hands, chaining her to the stone wall behind her. She sat now, her
arms up in the air because of the short length of the chains. Her clothes
were a little torn, the bottom of her brown shirt torn, ending just above her
belly button. Her chestnut hair was matted and falling haphazardly across
her face. Her once long dress bottoms were torn as well, now resembling a
skirt. She was a girl of fifteen with a pretty, youth filled face. Her eyes
were a beautiful shade of brown, matching her hair exactly.

She wasn't the only one in this cold dungeon though. In fact, she was only
one of over half a dozen. Herself and seven other young ladies were
chained, all unknowing as to why they were there. She however, was
unaware of the number. The rooms darkness impaired her vision,
disallowing her to see past leg length. She knew she wasn't alone though,
the cries of the others assuring her of company.

"Where am I?" One would scream, only to be answered by similar
questions from others. No one had answers, only questions. They all
remained like that for hours, the sounds of fear and worry never fully fading
away.

Suddenly though, light appeared, creeping in through an opening door. The
eight girls turned their attention to the brightness, their eyes still wet with
tears. They all sat silently, looking at the two silhouettes that stood in the
doorway. One was big, around six-eight. The other seemed quite a bit
smaller, maybe just breaking six feet. The two men entered with torches in
hand, the large man knowing where to find the braziers in the room. He lit
the six braziers, and brought fire light to the once dark room.

The large man was black, his shirtless body looking to the other man. He
had tan pants on, a leather belt with a silver buckle, and a sheathed dagger
at his waist. His head was bald, but he had a gruff beard and large jaw.

The other man was younger. He had blonde hair, slicked back with water.
He had a sky blue tunic on, a silver body sash going around his waist and up
over his left shoulder, being kept in place with a golden emblem pin. The
medal bore the image of a crashing wave with storms raging above it. His
left hand held a torch, his right hand resting on the top of his sheathed
sword. His blue eyes surveyed the room, looking at the girls.

Arianna now saw the others. They were all her age, but she knew none of
them. Most of them had torn clothes like her, but some were kept intact.
They all looked worn out, as if they had run for miles. She knew though,
they were exhausted from crying and struggling to escape for so long.

"So Mr. Levicus.. Would you like to begin the inspection?" The large man
spoke, gesturing towards one of the girls. The blonde nodded and
approached the girl, who made a feeble attempt to move away from him.
She had nowhere to go, her back pressed against the wall. The man, upon
reaching her, knelt down and put his hand reassuringly on her thigh. The girl
made another attempt to recoil from his touch, but found it useless.

"Be calm. I mean no harm at all." He said with a kind smile. He brought his
hand up to her face and brushed his finger along her cheek. She girl
however, shot out and bit hardly into the man's finger, drawing blood. He
tried to pull away, but the sixteen year old stayed latched on to his finger,
her teeth sinking deeper into the skin around his knuckle.

Mr. Levicus felt the pain, but dealt with it, keeping a blank look on his face.
"Miss.. You can stop. I am not going to hurt you." He said. The large man
stepped forward, prepared to hit the girl, but with his free hand, the blonde
motioned for him to stay put. "It's alright. I'm fine."

He turned back to the girl with a small smile.

"You can let go." He said. Her bite let up, but she didn't quite let him go.
"Come on." He said again. Finally, the girl let go. He pulled his finger back
and put it in his mouth to relieve the pain. As he tasted his own blood, he
saw some of it on the girl's lip. With his unharmed hand, he wiped it away
and smiled again.

"I understand your position." He said. "You don't know where you are hm?"
He asked, knowing the answer already. The girl was reluctant at first to
answer, but she then have a half-hearted nod. "I thought as much. Well, I'll
tell you. This is an orphanage of sorts." He said.

This caught the attention of all the girls, who now had raging thoughts. The
girl that Mr. Levicus currently spoke to widened her eyes in shock.

"W- What?" She finally spoke. Levicus grinned, happy that the girl finally
spoke.

"Yes, an orphanage. People brought here have suffered the loss of their
family." He said, his smile fading. The girl's eyes began to gather fresh
tears as her lip trembled. "Strength dear, strength." Mr. Levicus said,
placing his hand on her cheek, wiping away a tear with his thumb. "I am
here to adopt for my master, Lady Kareen. You may just be in luck, as she
wants to adopt two." He said smiling.

The girls didn't care one bit. They all pondered the same.

"My.. parents.." Arianna said quietly to herself. "Dead..?" Her eyes shut in
depression and confusion. "But.. how? I.. I just saw them.." It made no
sense.. "I was just with them.. Father and I were going to the market to get
Mother carrots and celery for dinner.." She said to herself, trying to make
sense of all of it. Her mind had an enormous gap in it though. Her
memories ended there, and started again in the darkness. "What the
fuck..?"

All the girls felt that way and said similar things to themselves. The large
man looked around at the girls with a piercing gaze, as if to say to them "Sit
there and shut up."

Levicus however, knew how to handle awkward situations like these. He
removed his hand from the girl's cheek and gave another of his light hearted
smiles.

"I'll give you all some time alone to think. I know this is a heavy situation to
be thrust into... I know it's hard to cope with the loss of loved ones. Believe
me, I was once an orphan too." He said, his smile fading. "Derrox, let's
leave them be for a while." He said to the black man, giving the face a
name. Derrox nodded, and left the room, Mr. Levicus close behind. The
door shut loudly, but this time, the girls weren't left in the dark. The braziers
burned brightly, letting the girls see each other.

Instantly, the cries and questions broke out, just like before. All were
hysterical except for Arianna, who just silently cried and swore.

=======================

Derrox shut the door, and as he thought would happen, was met with the
sound of cries. He rolled his eyes and grunted, walking away from the door
and up a flight of stone stairs. Close behind him was Mr. Levicus. During
the ascension, Levicus tore off a piece of his sash, and tied it around his
bite, easing the pain.

"So. Am I gonna get yer' first name? Or is Mr. Levicus all I get outta' ye?"
Derrox said, a bit annoyed with the general kindness of the man. Normally,
clients he dealt with were in and out jobs. They'd come in, inspect the
health of the girls, pick one, and leave. At the most, it took fifteen minutes.
This guy however, seemed like he would take a fucking eternity.

"So sorry. I'm Dorian. Dorian Tigerhart Levicus." He introduced himself
politely. Derrox grunted again, Dorien's kind manners getting on his nerves.
The two reached the top of the stairs and Derrox opened the wooden door,
leading the two into a lavish waiting room. The room was a bit small, but
served its purpose. Near the main entrance were two long benches, and
directly in front of the door was a desk.

The receptionist, a red headed girl of twenty seven, was busy scribbling
information into a small record book. Derrox placed the torch in a small
holder on the wall and approached the girl. She turned her attention to the
giant and spoke with a sincere voice.

"Has our client picked so soon?" She asked surprised, receiving yet another
of Derrox' grunts.

"No. He broke the news to them that this is an orphanage, and he's giving
them time to deal with the heartbreak." He said. Upon hearing of such a
thing, the girl turned to Dorien and treated him with a warm smile.

"How sweet. Most are in and out. They find which child they want to
adopt, pay, and tell it to them the hard way on the passage home." She said.
Dorien smiled and gave a small shrug.

"It seems like the right thing to do." He said honestly. The girl gave another
smile, then gestured towards the benches.

"You may have a seat while you wait. You can wait as long as you wish
before making an adoption." She said. Dorien nodded in thanks and took a
seat. Derrox on the other hand, silently dismissed himself and left through
the front door.

"What's his issue?" Dorien asked the girl, referring to Derrox. She gave a
small laugh and looked up at him from her paperwork.

"He not a nice guy and doesn't like nice guys." She said, getting straight to
the heart of his issue. "He doesn't like lingering work either. The small fact
that you're giving the new girls time to get adjusted is driving him mad
inside, I'm sure of it."

"Normal adopters don't take that long? This is an orphanage, not a whore
house." Dorien said, a hint of disgust in his tone. The girl sighed, agreeing
with his comment.

"I know. It's sick... I'm positive that a good percentage of the girl's adopted
here are either being turned into maids, whores, or both... But, that's not
something I can control." She said, feeling a bit of helplessness. "So, do you
have a name?" She asked, smiling.

"Dorien of the Levicus House." He said. "And you?" He asked back.

"Kristina. Kristina Albridge." She introduced. "The Levicus House huh?
That explains your emblem." She said, indicating the golden object that held
his sash together. "If I remember correctly, each house has an animal or
something, right?" She asked, interested by the identity of the man.

"Yes. Something like that." He said laughing.

"Don't take it the wrong way. I just don't know much about Houses." She
said, hoping she didn't sound like a bitch earlier.

"Heh. I was merely playing." He said jokingly. "But yes. Each House has a
guardian animal spirit, having to do with an ancient legend." He said,
explaining the bare essentials to the girl.

"So, Levicus... Which animal is that?" She asked.

"The Leviathan, Guardian of the Seas." He said. Kristina instantly made the
name connection. Levicus.. Leviathan..

"How many Houses are there?" She asked, wanting to know more about
this interested subject.

"Five. One for each of the five elements. Ferrix, House of Fire. Levicus,
House of Water. Gold, House of Earth. Seriam, House of Wind. Finally,
Drakon, House of Spirit." He finished. Kristina loved it. She had never
heard this much about the Houses, and was interested in knowing as much
about it as possible.

"What about the Animal Spirits?" She asked.

"Fire has the Phoenix. Water has the Leviathan. Earth has the Golem.
Wind has the Angel. Spirit has the Dragon." He said. "Behind it all is an age
old legend." He said, knowing she'd soon ask about it. And sure enough-

"Can you tell me the legend?" She asked.

"Unfortunately, not at this moment. I am on a bit of a tight schedule and
must get to the adoptions. However, if you wish, I can return on Sunday
and tell you all about it over dinner. Kristina gave another warm smile,
noting the fact he snuck in a way of asking her to dinner.

"That would be wonderful. I'll be here on Sunday, so be here at around
sundown." She said. Dorien rose to his feet and opened the door to the
lower level, dismissing himself for a moment with a smile and a nod.

=======================

The girls had calmed down now, the only noise being the occasional
muffled sob. Arianna's silent treatment broke and she cried along with the
others, unable to hold back her emotions. The whole situation made no
sense. She was with her parents earlier that day, then she just would up in a
dungeon with seven others girls in the same situation.

The door opened, and Dorien entered. The girls all looked up with glazed
eyes and watched the every move of the blonde man. He quietly made his
way back to the girl he was originally with, and once again, knelt in front of
her. This time though, she didn't recoil.

"Hello again." He said softly. She said nothing and remained curled up,
pulling her legs in closer to her body. "I'm afraid I have little time left and
must leave soon. Lady Kareen wishes for two daughters to call her own, so
I was sent to this orphanage." He said to the girls, turning his head to them.
"I know you have all suffered losses, but I can offer two of you new lives.
As difficult as it may be to be brought into a new life so quickly, it may be
the best thing for you... So, who among you will embrace a new world?"
He asked. None answered. Then, he felt a hand upon his. The girl that had
bitten his finger.

As he turned to her, she nodded and forced back more tears.

"What's your name?" Dorien asked her.

"M- Marie." She answered. Dorien smiled and gave his head a small bow.

"A pleasure to meet you Marie." He said. "My name is Dorien. It's a
pleasure." He smiled, the girl giving no reply. Dorien began looking around
the room again, but then his eyes landed on a single girl. Her hair was a
matted, dark brown, but he could still tell, she was beautiful. She also
seemed the most emotionally sound, some of the others still forcing back
sobs. Dorien stood and approached the girl slowly.

Arianna looked up at the man, and standing apart from the others, stood up
upon his arrival. The five-six girl looked up at the man with a blank face.

"What about you?" Dorien asked.

=======================

Alone, in his throne room, sat Abyssot, Emperor of The House of Gold. His
throne room was carved out of solid rock, reinforced by years and years of
magic, making his rock unbreakable. His armor, made of a black steel found only is his kingdom, which he named after himself. Abyssonite covered his chest, shoulders, forearms, legs, and plates of it were placed on the fabric that trailed down the front of his armor. He wore a helmet reinforced by the powerful steel, the shape of two devil-like hands clasping his head, the top resembling a demon biting into his head. The Emperor tapped his finger on the stone throne in boredom.

The immense doors slowly opened, the sound of stone against stone echoing inside the room. A man entered, with four guards on either side of him. He was lean, his body covered with small portions of Abyssonite, only enough that he was protected, but his movement was not impaired. Covering his face was a mask made of the steel. Half of it had the face of a beautiful being, more specifically, an angel. The other half, that of a demon. The man had a long, red ponytail, that went down to his waist.

He neared the throne, bowed, removed his mask, and stood upright. His face was lean and handsome, the kind of face that women would fall for in an instant.

"What do you have to report Christopher?" The Emperor asked his general with a stern voice.

"We have taken their northern trade port." Christopher replied with great pride. "Now, they cannot do business with the arms dealers across the sea. Their northern lands will fall easily now."

"Good. Send the remaining northern battalions towards their fortress and crush it. I want status reports by nightfall tomorrow." He said. Christopher nodded, bowed, and left, the guards following. The doors shut on their own, leaving Abyssot alone again.

"Those damned Seriams... They just cannot leave my lands be. They should know by now that interfering in Gold affairs leads to destruction..." He muttered to himself.

"Oh yes Abyssot... It's all their fault..." A voice sounded. From the floor, a white seal opened, a transparent funnel of spirits emerging from it, spinning like a twister. As they subsided, a figure stood there, dressed in gray and silver robes. He had long gray hair and eyes of pure white. In his hand was a Bo Staff, and on his back, a large shield.

"Welcome Lord Issian. What brings you here? I thought you Drakons kept to yourselves." Abyssot said in annoyance at the presence of the outsider.

"Normally, I do. You know that because of the ancestral laws, we members of the House of Drakon cannot interfere in the matters of the other four." He said. "But, I can still speak, can I not Abyssot?"

"You can, but why waste your breath? If this is an attempt to try and talk me out of the war, your presence will go unnoticed, and your words will fall of deaf ears." Abyssot said harshly. Issian only laughed a bit at the Emperor's words.

"I'm not trying to stop it... We Drakons were the ones chosen by the ancestors to create the laws of this new age. My council and I have trying to devise new methods of settling disputes. We find war... pointless." Issian said, only to be met with laughter from Abyssot.

"Get out of my sight Issian. I have no interest in hearing of your new laws until they are official. Get out of my kingdom before I force you to leave." He said, his words getting more stern as he spoke.

"As much as I would like to see you try and beat me Abyssot, I must be going. Do me a favor though. Consider ending this pointless war and making peace with the House of Wind." Issian said before the same spirit portal opened and took him away.

"I hate Drakons..." Abyssot muttered to himself, resuming his boredom tapping.