The Spider Queen

(Hydra Star System- Unnamed Planet)

(Headquarters of the Calypso Brotherhood)

What is the difference between good leaders and great ones?

Some would say intelligence while others would say authority.

There are many answers to this question but for the members of the Calypso Brotherhood there was only one reason why they followed their captain.

Fear.

No other emotion could bring together a crew of thieves, murderers and rapists to join under the same banner.

Captain Kohli had managed to unite most of the surviving pirate crews from Planet Calypso and taken them under his command.

The forces led by Duke Peterlor were still searching the Hydra Star System for any traces of the escaped pirates so for now they had to lay low.

Fortunately, there was a barely habitable planet hidden deep inside an asteroid field that was the perfect hideout.

A town had been hastily constructed where the pirates would live until the heat died down.

In the middle of this makeshift town was a magnificent temple that seemed out of place amongst the wooden shacks and shoddy buildings.

Its white columns extended over sixty feet in the air and the roof of the temple was made from rare and precious metals.

Statues of a faceless man standing proudly while holding a stone tablet were scattered around the front of the temple.

The scent of raw sewage, filth and alcohol filled the air, and the streets of the town were completely disgusting.

And yet around all the roads leading to this magnificent temple were surprisingly clean.

Most of the pirates did not dare to wander too close to the building.

Whispers and rumors had spread that those who entered the temple would never leave.

A middle-aged man was currently walking towards the entrance of the temple with a grim expression on his face.

He was clearly out of shape and his belly jiggled and wobbled with every step that he took. He wore a simple pair of brown pants and a faded shirt that had several stains on it.

Despite his humble appearance he was Kohli's second in command. A man named Theon Rason who was wanted across ten different galaxies.

In his youth he was known as the 'Noble Butcher' for his involvement in a terrorist incident on planet Hyren.

Theon took in a deep breath to calm his nerves and then entered the temple before his newfound courage disappeared.

He walked through a long and winding corridor until he arrived inside a grand open hall with a throne made from human bones placed in the middle of the room.

This hall was dimly lit by a wall of torches that barely illuminated their surroundings.

Theon's nose wrinkled as he smelled something foul.

He peered closer at the shadowy corners of the room and what he saw made him unconsciously take a step back.

There were dozens of corpses wrapped up in iron chains. It was impossible to tell the gender of the deceased as virtually all the flesh from their body had been stripped away.

Theon sniffed the air once more and finally recognised the awful scent that was entering his nose.

It was blood.

He was now beginning to regret coming here. Why the hell had he been foolish enough to disturb the boss?

Theon knew better than anyone that Kohli was no longer the naïve young man who acted like a rich second generation on planet Calypso.

No… he was something far darker now.

"Are you afraid to approach me?" a seductive whisper came from behind the throne.

An average looking young man emerged from a pool of blood on the floor and spread his arms outwards.

He was completely naked, and his skin was a pale and sickly colour. What was shocking about his appearance was his eyes that were completely black.

Nasty boils and moles covered his body from below his neck. These fleshy growths oozed yellowish pus that sizzled as it hit the ground.

"Please forgive me young master," Theon bowed respectfully and desperately tried not to let the disgust show on his face.

He would die if his eyebrows furrowed even the slightest.

Kohli was convinced that he was the handsomest man in the universe and by the gods…

He was prepared to kill anyone who disagreed.

"What brings you to my palace?" Kohli chuckled darkly as he gazed at his subordinate with a strange glint in his eyes.

"I have compiled a list with the remaining resources for our organization. This month showed a decrease far greater than what was expected," Theon explained humbly.

"The enforcers have already identified several suspicious individuals who may be stealing supplies from the…"

Kohli held up his palm and Theon instantly shut up without even a moment of hesitation.

He did not know why his young master did not want to hear the rest of his report but his ability to read Kohli's mood was the only reason why he was still alive.

"What is power?" Kohli suddenly asked in a casual tone.

There was a brief moment of silence in the hall as Theon pondered what he meant.

"Um… strength… cultivation strength is power?" Theon hesitantly replied.

"Power is indeed strength… but it is more than that. Power can only be wielded if one has the vision and ambition to match it!" Kohli fervently spoke.

He began to furiously scratch the boils on his skin which caused them to burst and release a foul mixture of pus and blood.

Kohli smiled as he continued to tear apart his flesh with his own bare hands. There was no indication on his face that he felt any pain.

Perhaps for a monster like him… pain was merely something to be savoured and enjoyed.

Kohli smiled lovingly as he spoke in a sweet tone, "I should hate Duke Peterlor… I should hate the man who killed my father and forced me to flee my home."

"But he showed me just how small and insignificant I truly am."

"How foolish I was to dream of ruling some backwater planet when the universe could be under my control."

"Duke Peterlor…"

Kohli's eyes shone with an eerie light as an expression of reverence and worship flashed across his face.

The tips of his ears turned red and his lips gently curved upwards. The heavy scent of blood got stronger as Kohli clasped his hands together.

"I want his power… I want his strength… I want his everything…" Kohli hoarsely whispered as he sat back down on the throne.

His second in command was frozen in fear as he realised that his captain had slipped into one of his fits of madness.

There was nothing he could do now except not make any sudden movements and pray that Kohli would regain his senses.

Time slowed down to a crawl and the only sound that filled the hall was Theon's heart that kept beating frantically.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Kohli sat on his throne of bones and stared off into the distance. What mysterious thoughts ran through his mind were impossible to guess.

"You can leave now," Kohli ordered calmly.

Theon bowed his head in respect and then fled the hall before his master could change his mind.

Kohli waited for a few minutes until he was sure that Theon had left the temple and then pulled out a stone tablet from beneath his throne.

This stone tablet was covered with a mysterious writing that was in a language that he could not understand.

The mysterious writings would occasionally glow red and a vision from beyond the void would enter Kohli's mind.

This was the source of his power. This was his blessing.

His divine gift sent from the gods above to make him the true ruler of the universe.

He owed everything and would do anything to repay the great being that had given him the ability to transfer the qi energy of those he killed to himself.

But now his level had stagnated. He remained stuck at the boundary between the qi tide stage and the void stage.

Absorbing the cultivation levels of qi body and qi spirit cultivators no longer had any effect. He needed more.

"Please… show me… show me the path…" Kohli prayed sincerely as he closed his eyes and stroked the sides of the stone tablet.

Dark whispers and voices entered his mind and suddenly the hideous man let out a horrifying scream.

The walls of the hall shook as a tremendous spiritual pressure erupted from Kohli's body.

He saw it! HE SAW IT! HE SAW IT ALL!

A fierce hybrid warrior appeared in his visions. She was over seven feet tall and possessed four bladed appendages.

Her golden eyes, pointed ears and sharp fangs were all traces of her inhuman lineage but for some reason Kohli felt that she looked a bit familiar.

No… impossible!

Kohli opened his eyes in shock and his body shivered in ecstasy. He quickly powered on his communicator and checked the Virtual Net.

The hybrid daughter of Duke Peterlor was the identity of the mysterious woman in his vision.

Kohli licked his lips temptingly and burned the image of Sophie Peterlor into his mind. The great being had shown him the path to the void stage.

Only the cultivation of a divine vessel could repair the stone tablet. Perhaps it was a poetic form of justice.

Duke Peterlor had killed his father so….

He would kill his daughter.