RE:volt! Chapter 34: Problems with Puberty

  Under the moonlight sky, Ark paused, scanning the nearby surroundings.

  “So…. where's that thing you wanted to show me?” Ark asked, standing outside by the perimeter that separated the combat thralls from the rest of the camp.

  It was a secluded local, the edge closest to forest that didn't extend to any of the Helper patrol routes and kept away from the barracks.

  The boys surrounded Ark, boxing him in, cutting off his open avenues of escape as they creeped him toward the fence.

  “It's right by the fence. Just over there by the tree.”

  “The tree? Are you sure?” Ark said, playing along and innocently turning his back. “Is it safe?”

  “Yup.” Another boy added.

  “Yeah it's right over… HERE!” Axel shouted before shoving Ark into the fence.

  Ark hit the wall, his collar whining to life and immediately zapping him with enough electricity it sent him to his knees, the boy letting out a cry of pain as the other three laughed. Ark tugged at his collar, his body being hit with electricity that did…

  Nothing.

  But the boys didn't know that so Ark decided to play along, pretending to be hurt while Axel began to rattle off about Ark's place and how he was just a scrawny runt that didn't deserve the attention he got from Thirty-Four.

  “My place huh?” Ark said before suddenly standing back up, the boy holding a bored expression on his face as he used the fence to rise to his feet.

  The trio stopped laughing, all of them watching as the collar around Ark's neck was visibly activated yet the boy showed zero signs of pain thanks to the Mana circulating around his neck and to his eyes.

  “Kneel.” Ark said, the word coming to him naturally as his dragon's eyes activated, forcing the trio to their knees.

  As the trio knelt, a sudden feeling of euphoria took hold, a giddiness that sent a tingle across Ark's body that made his body shake with delight.

  “I-i can't move!”

  “What's going on?!”

  “Huh!”

  “Silence.” Ark hissed, standing over the three who quickly shut up. Axel began to rise, but ultimately stopped, the teen unable to resist Ark’s order.

  “You like bullying huh?” Ark said, with Axel shaking his head. “No? Really?”

  Ark kneeled down, staring at Axel. “You wouldn't be lying would you?”

  Unable to resist, Axel nodded his head enthusiastically, replying to Ark to the best of his ability.

  Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  “Ah… so you are… not to worry, we can make a truther out of you.” Ark said, reaching out and yanking the boy's collar, pulling him toward the fence as his friends looked on in horror.

  ****

  Sitting on his cot under the glow of an afternoon sun, Ark exited from the reality sphere, another boring lecture on spellcasting gone and done with.

  “Hmm. I can see why that prick liked being king so much.” Ark said as a bruised up and burned Axel and another injured boy messaged his dirty and calloused feet.

  “S-s-sir?” Axel said, confused by the words uttered by Ark, his head moving to the side to avoid the fresh burn marks on his neck.

  “I wasn't talking to you. Did I tell you to stop?” Ark said, glaring at the two boys who flinched and went back to massaging.

  “Food.” Thirty-Four said, shoving a boy awaiting Ark's command out of the way as Isa, the boy numbered Sixty-six looked on with confused fascination.

  What the hell happened last night?! Isa said to himself, watching as his friends practically tripped over themselves to serve the boy younger than them all.

  Thirty-Three stood in the corner, watching as everyone gathered around Ark.

  “What in Roland's name is going on?” Sixty-six said, cocking his head sideways.

  “First time?” Thirty-Three said, observing with the boy. “He has this effect on people.”

  “Aren't you the alpha of this barracks?” Sixty-six asked, causing Thirty-Three to grumble. “What? Did I say something wrong?”

  “No.” Thirty-Three spat before walking off.

  Sixty-six walked across the barracks, moving to stand in front of Ark who raised a brow.

  “What the fek is going on here? Why are you rubbing his feet?!”

  The trio immediately turned away, unable to make eye contact with their friend and working harder despite their former leader ordering them to answer.

  Sixty-six’s eyes went wide, his pupils focused on the bruises and scrape marks the boys were covered in. However, what seemed to upset him the most was the burn marks around Axel’s neck.

  “Who did this to you?!” Sixty-six demanded, although he had a guess on the answer as he glared at Ark picking at his nails.

  Thirty-Four glared back, scowling at the boy with the two locked in an angry staring contest.

  “Down girl.” Ark said smugly, staring up at the teen and smirking. “I did this. Got a problem?”

  Sixty-six's face scrunched up, the burned scarred teen immediately puffing his chest up and glaring at Ark.

  “What? These mutts attacked me last night. Three to one. Quite an unfair fight if you ask me.” Ark said before kicking one of the teens away. “Be lucky I didn't throw them over the fence. It was interesting watching your friend Axel here scream as I put his neck to the fence tho.”

  “You bastard-!” Sixty-six moved to attacked only to be intercepted by Thirty-Four.

  Or would have been if Ark didn't react first and pushed Thirty-Four back as he sailed passed, headbutting Sixty-six in the face and knocking the boy off balance.

  Immediately, Ark went to pummeling, punching the teen with sadistic glee as a strong urge to dominate encapsulated Ark's entire being.

  Sixty-six hit Ark back, but between the ecstasy of winning, the feeling of skin hitting skin, and the warmth of another creature’s life force dripping off his hands, Ark didn't feel a thing.

  “Ha! Ah ha! AHAHAHAHAA!” Ark began to laugh, hitting Sixty-six with so much strength he the boy's head knocked to the side and left him unconscious. However he didn't stop there, he kept going, punching even as others tried to stop him.

  Suddenly Ark was airborne, grabbed by the scruff of his neck and thrown so hard he bounced off of a nearby wall and landed in a heap.

  Blinking, Ark's red filled vision shook as he climbed to his feet and growled, glaring at Bruno and a group of helpers that were saying something, words that Ark couldn't hear.

  He could see Bruno angry, the man barking at him.

  Scum.

  Ark's fist balled, his mouth peeling back to reveal fangs that-

  STOP YOU MONKEY! Irelix spat, materializing in front of Ark just as he was about to inject mana into his system from his core and ruined years of prep. Fortunately Irelix was there, the dragon stopping Ark’s mana flow before a disastrous situation could arise.

  Ark blinked, regaining himself with his face contorted.

  “What?” Ark muttered in confusion before Bruno's fist connected with his face.