The Last Swordmaster

Jack's Ego: Taller Than Mount Everest

I followed Jack through Claude's study, being careful not to disturb too much. "Have you found anything of interest yet?"

"I believe so," he replied back, stopping at a desk. It was made of mahogany, and parts of the demonic language were carved into its top. A single desk lamp sat on it, the only source of light in the entire room. It illuminated the small stacks of crinkled papers underneath it, as well as a few books. Jack held up a particular paper, a letter, written in a beautiful cursive. "This is a letter written to Claude by an anonymous demon leader, promising troops or sacrifices for the summoning."

I snatched the letter, causing Jack to flinch away. "You're eager, huh?" he grumbled.

In that moment, none of Jack's sarcastic comments were registering in my brain. All of my focus was on the yellowed, crumpled, barely torn piece of paper in my hands. What Jack said was true. A powerful demon, Agares, had made his followers pledge to aid in the summoning.  "I can't believe this," I muttered, shaking my head. "Who isn't involved in this?"

"That's not even the worst of it, love. Take a look. Here's a whole pile of these letters, and part of the plan is written here."

"We don't have the time to read all of this," I sighed, gathering the small stack of papers before folding them into the small clutch I'd brought. One didn't fit, so I shoved it into my dress pocket. "We need to get out of here before it's too late."

Jack looked at the desk suspiciously. "What if we missed something, though? There's so much here... who knows what else they have?"

Losing patience, I grabbed his wrist and pulled him to me. "Jack, we don't have time. Claude could come in here any minute."

"Well, boss, if you put it that way..." he grinned, giving me a quick kiss. When I scowled at him, he simply shrugged. "What? You're hot when you're angry."

I groaned and ran to the door, eager to leave the dark room. We slipped out of the door, ready to walk back to the ballroom before we heard footsteps coming our way. "Damn," Jack whispered. "Looks like I really did screw us over with the kiss and sarcasm."

"Kiss," I whispered, my mind spinning as I tried to find a solution. As a last resort, I put my back against the wall, grabbed Jack by the front of his shirt, and locked him into the most passionate, lustful kisses I could muster. Jack quickly responded, grabbing my waist to convince whoever walked by that we were... busy. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Claude's green eyes, pausing when he saw us, unsure whether to leave or go around us.

I shoved Jack away, panting. "Oh, dear, how embarrassing. I suppose that's what happens when you let the wine play with your head," I exclaimed with a laugh. "What a disturbance we caused. Let's go."

We started to walk away, towards the entrance, but Claude stopped me, putting his hand on my left shoulder. Jack turned, but I gave him a wave of my hand, silently telling him to get out while he could. After he'd walked off, I turned to Claude, eyebrow raised. "Yes, sir? Are you going to scold me? I'm so terribly sorry. Energy is energy, you know?"

"Oh, I understand," he replied, eyeing me. "Just a touch is enough. Did you know him?"

I laughed again, a mischievous glint in my eyes. "Did I know him? Of course not! Where's the fun in that?"

"I see," he chuckled. "If you're in the need of something of that nature, you can come to me."

I stiffened in surprise for a moment, so I quickly recovered by grabbing his hand and moving it from my shoulder to around my waist. I brought my face closer to his and looked into his bright green eyes, resisting the urge to gag up my last meal. "I might just have to take you up on the offer soon, sir."