The Rogues Who Went Rogue
Chapter 75

Xandar and Greg shared their thoughts with Pellethia, who was more than ready to see it in action. Practice began. When they felt the mental walls beginning to build up, both cousins closed their darkening eyes, letting the manipulation guide them towards the illusion they were being made to see. Pellethia moved from her original spot, walking around them but being careful to manipulate the cousins' hearing so that they couldn't hear her footsteps. Without sight, Xandar and his animal could only rely on their sense of smell, sound and touch. Their ears picked up growls from at least ten creatures, but their nose only detected two creatures within his vicinity. One was moving. One wasn't.

Greg only heard one snarling creature, but it didn't sound like a wolf or lycan, more like a vampire. Scents guided him to a different conclusion - there were two creatures, one who smelled like a vampire was moving in slow paces somewhere behind him, one who smelled like a lycar was not far in front of him.

Xandar opened his eyes, and was made to think he was in a random wolf pack. The imaginary wolves snarling at him were vivid, and the manipulation influenced him to believe that they had killed Lucianne and a few of the alliance members. Anger and guilt flood his being. His tampered thoughts pinned the one in front of him as the leader, who looked unusually large for a wolf.

His claws extended but right before he attacked, his lycan concluded that the scent of the so-called leader matched Greg. They stood in their spot and got thinking before finally coming to the revelation that Lucianne couldn't be dead. Their mate-bond was still intact. He could feel that she was alive. He didn't even feel her enduring any form of pain, neither was she scared. She just felt...curious, and maybe a little frustrated. She was safe. He just didn't know where she was.

Greg's tampered thoughts told him that he had entered a bad bargain with an anonymous business associate who turned out to be a vampire, and was now threatening to kill all his followers after finishing him off. This was a duel, and whoever won had the right to kill the other's followers. He emitted a low growl as he shifted into his brown-furred animal, ready for the fight.

Greg charged at Xandar, and Xandar avoided his attack, letting his cousin fall onto the ground as he yelled, "Greg! Snap out of it!"

But what the duke heard was, "That's the best you got?"

Greg growled louder and fiercer. Greg's claws extended and he started trying to plunge them into Xandar. Xandar continued trying to yell some sense into the duke but to no avail.

Greg tripped Xandar and the king fell on his back. Before the duke's claws went through the king's chest, Pellethia wiped off the manipulation effects. At the same time, Xandar kicked Greg with force at his abdomen, and the duke flew towards Pellethia, who reflexively took quick steps back as she exclaimed, "GAH!"

Some of her people dashed to her but she shooed them back to practice after ensuring them that she was okay. Octavia felt her shock and immediately linked her from the castle study, asking her what was going on.

Once reality welcomed the king and duke, Xandar took quick, relieved breaths as he got up. Greg sat up as he tried to process and accept how misguided he had been to not trust what he smelled. He had to admit that the manipulation was top notch.

The empress somehow knew his weakness...well, one of the main ones. His number one weakness was Lucianne and his people, who were equally important and irreplaceable to him. His second weakness was his ego. In the rogue world, he didn't like being fooled or challenged. If h were challenged, he'd like to win. The Kyltons fooled and challenged him, and look where that got them.

His ego to win the fictional duel and preserve his status made him blindsided to the fact that the scent of his opponent was familiar. If he gave himself a little more time to identify the scent, he would've easily concluded that it was his cousin. He and his animal deduced that they had to prioritize scents over ego and pride, at least in such battles.

Xandar reached Greg and Pellethia, and the king's voice held a hint of concern when he asked, "Are you alright?"

"Fine, cousin," Greg muttered.

Xandar's brows raised in surprise, and he looked at his cousin still seated on the grass as he said, "I was talking to the empress but...I'm glad you're okay too, Greg."

He patted his cousin on the shoulder once as he tried to press back a teasing smile. Greg sensed Xandar's humor from his energy, and it made the animal in his head growl.

Pellethia's eyes sparkled when she said, "That was amazing, Uncle Xandar! How did you do it?"

Xandar shrugged with a smile, "I trusted the scents more than what I saw. It really is better to start off with our eyes closed but I'm not sure if we'll have the luxury of time during battle."

Greg stood from his spot and questioned in annoyance, "Were you even trying to defend yourself, cousin?"

"Why else would I be backing away from you when you attacked?"

"And YOU didn't attack! I could have killed you."

"No. I wouldn't have let that happen, which is why I kicked you away. Didn't you smell me?"

Greg swallowed his pride and admitted, "With hindsight, I did. I just...”

After an awkward and embarrassed pause, Xandar finished for him, "Didn't focus on the scent long enough to match it to me?"

"You could say that," Greg murmured. There was something about the decipios' power that was really beginning to bother him, so he turned to Pellethia and asked, "Do you see what we see? Do decipios like you see the manipulation?" "To a certain extent, we do."

"What the h*ll does that mean?"