What a hangover. I'll never forget that party, though I don't remember much after having the fourth cup.
When I arrived, all my colleagues but Arnes were waiting for me. They were so anxious to get inside the Afrodita. The Afrodita was a nightclub where customers could also have dinner before starting drinking and partying. It was designed as if it was an ancient Greek temple, and waitresses wore Greek robes with no underwear, which incited customers to arrange extra-official services with them if both parties agreed.
I had booked a private space where we could be alone and enjoy the meal. We asked for the best wine and the best ox meat. We used that time to remember each of the combats we had had to face during the season. Severus and Wert expressed how they felt after having completed their preparation; they had to face their first official opponents in three months and the rest of us tried to advise them as best we could. I had been with them during the whole season and I knew they were ready to initiate their careers in the capital; Severus above all.
After dining, we joined the party in the VIP room. There were plenty of hot girls who just dreamt of lying with black stings; however, not only were there girls eager to lie with us but also Lawyer's stings. Three of them—Frank, Homer and Vincent—were there, sat at the bar while having some drinks.
Frank was one of the best stings in Lawyer's ludclub. He was my age, but his hair was darker and his eyes green. He used just a sword when he fought in the arena and once stood the champion of Maybestring, capital city of Mercyland.
Homer was a bit older than me, and very skilful at fighting with two axes. His skin was black, his head almost shaved and his muscles looked sculpted by gods. He was the only black sting from Rockland who fought for a ludclub in Mentrish at that time, and it was a success for his county considering that very few Rocklanders had signed for a Mentrishian ludclub since black sting contests began. The reason why there had been so few black stings was the fact that the black race was considered inferior; although such an affirmation had never been officially stated.
Vincent was a twenty-four-year-old spearman whose origin was Great Virtue, Whiteland. He was thin, but very tall and blond. I had fought him that season in the round of eight and, as he performed well, I decided to let him live.
The three were surrounded by some fanatical girls who were looking for something other than their autographs. I approached them to greet them. We were rivals, but we respected each other.
"Good night, Frank. I see you have good company," I broke the ice.
The girls couldn't believe it was me, the national champion, the one they desired the most.
"Hi, girls. Would you like to have something? Everything's paid," I offered them.
The girls smiled, but didn't say a word.
"Look at who's here, guys. It is the great champion of Mentrish. Should we congratulate him on his lucky victory?" Frank satirised.
"Lucky victory?" I laughed. "Did you watch the fight? Your colleague, Theodor, stepped into the arena believing he had already won, but it wasn't so. There was someone awaiting him; someone better."
"Glory doesn't last forever, Exeus. Remember these words. Lawyer will find a real champion for this season. Your end is closer," Homer declared.
"Thank you for your words, dudes. I really appreciate your honesty, but I fear you won't see your wishes granted," I dissented while looking around. "By the way, I see you're getting too stressed, I think I'll keep these beautiful girls with me and my colleagues. Is that okay?"
All three looked at me with such disdain.
"Come on, ladies. Fun awaits us," I suggested as holding my hand out.
From then on, everything was insane. I brought two of those girls to the private room, so that we could get friendly. They let me do everything with them that I suggested as they didn't stop saying, screaming, that I fucked like a god, which really turned me on.
After fulfilling such a purpose, I went back to the party to rejoin my colleagues and have some more cups. I don't remember what else could happen later.
***
As I have already said, I had a brutal hangover the next morning. I woke up at home, on my bed, alone. I got into the shower to see if some cold water could resurrect me. It couldn't. Then, I took some painkillers and began to feel better by lunchtime.
I didn't do anything profitable that day. I just checked the photos that Severus sent to me and published some stuff on my profiles for some of the social networks. The number of people following my publications had almost trebled since I became the champion. "My path towards glory and fame has just begun", I thought to myself.
From when I woke up the following day, I started worrying about my meeting with Leader Oldus and Minister Swansea. I had to give in to their demands if I wanted to fulfil my true purpose without incidents. However, I didn't trust their words. The fact of leaving school when I was so young made me lack some fundamental knowledge in terms of culture, history, economics and many other pieces of knowledge which would help to decide on a country's welfare. If public education were totally removed from the system, citizens would turn into totally ignorant beings; a fact that would give Oldus a big advantage since he would have total freedom to act without facing any opposition.
I wasn't going to be one of his puppets. I wanted to know what I was getting involved in, and up to what point everything Oldus had told me was true. Thus, I decided that I was going to spend my month off in a library, where I could read about the worldwide distribution of natural resources, among other issues. Was it true that there were plenty of them in Sapagna and that they had become the focus of attention for Sapagna's adjacent countries? It was time to figure it out.
I drove to the National Library, which was the most complete one in Mentrish. Everything you might be looking for could be found in there, either on-screen or printed. It was spectacular. There were twelve floors, each one of which was specialised in a particular subject. I went up to the fifth floor, the specialities of which were biology and geology. I approached a librarian who was sitting there, in front of a screen, and asked him about what I was looking for. He led me to the area where I could find what I needed, and then left. I started checking books, but none offered the information I was looking for. I didn't understand.
I went back to where the librarian was and explained my situation. He didn't understand either, so he checked the book registration on his laptop.
"I'm sorry, sir. I don't understand, but all books dealing with such topics have been removed from libraries throughout the country," the librarian reported.
"What reason could there be for such a deed to be carried out?" I faked my surprise as if I didn't know Oldus' plans.
"I cannot tell you more, sir. I am sorry," he apologised.
"Is there anyone who could?" I insisted.
"Well...I...I'm not sure, sir," the librarian hesitated.
"May I meet the person in charge, please? I'm really interested in reading some of those books," I asked him, using a much more serious tone.
"She is not here at the moment as far as I know; so...I think I cannot help you," the boy replied.
"I fear I have to insist. Do you know who I am, boy?" I persisted.
The librarian shook his head.
"I'm Exeus Wildfred, the current national black sting champion. My good friend, Leader Christopher Oldus, would not feel very happy if I told him about the inefficiency of his local government employees, would he?" I menaced him subtly.
"Oh, I am really sorry, sir," the state worker reacted straightaway. "I will call the person in charge immediately. Wait a moment, please."
He phoned someone and, after a short conversation that lasted for less than a minute, he asked me to follow him. He led me to the twelfth floor and knocked on the door of the office that was at the end of the corridor.
"Come on in, please," a female voice said.
"Excuse me, Ms. Dalloway. This gentleman wishes to talk to you about the books that were removed a few days ago," the boy announced to the woman who was sitting behind the table in her office; a red-haired beauty in her thirties to forties, wearing glasses, and looking very formal due to both her hair up and her outfit—white shirt, gray blazer, and black, gray, white, and red plaid skirt.
"It's okay, Tom. You can go," the woman in charge said plainly.
"Thank you, Ms. Dalloway," Tom replied.
The librarian told me to go in and then left.
"Great Exeus?! I cannot believe it! There's a black sting in my office!" Dalloway exclaimed at the same time as she stood up, utterly excited.
"Not any black sting, my lady, but the current champion," I clarified, noticeably proud.
"Of course! I know everything about you. I bet on you, in fact, and usually win. I was also there, in the stands of the arena, cheering for you," the woman assured as looking me up and down.
"I'm glad to hear that, and thanks for your support; but I am not here to talk about such things, Ms. Dalloway. Some books have been removed from libraries and I am wondering why, for I am pretty interested in skimming through some of them. By chance, all of them deal with the same topic: natural resources. What a coincidence, don't you think, Ms. Dalloway?" I expounded sarcastically.
"Leader Oldus himself gave the command for such an action. He didn't state his reasons," Ms. Dalloway admitted.
"I think I know the reason," I let her know while approaching her, "but I would like to check it out by myself. Where are those books? Do you still have them?"
"I have them," she admitted as holding and caressing my arms, at the same time as her face approached mine, "but I won't give them to you unless you do something for me," she whispered in a voracious tone.
No more words were needed. Without further ado, we started snogging. I took her and put her on her desk while hitching her skirt up in order to enter her, making her moan loudly enough that all offices around could certainly hear her.
After spreading my seed in her, it was time for her to keep her word. She opened a box that was next to her desk and took the books out.
"I can't do what I'm about to do; so, I expect you to exercise maximum discretion and to bring them back to me when you have finished with them," Ms. Dalloway made it clear.
"You will have them back, Ms. Dalloway. I always keep my word," I promised her, giving a faint smile.
"Oh, please, call me Sophie, Exeus. We are close enough now," she told me, smiling too.
I took the books and left her office after thanking her for the risk she was taking. She had flouted the rules risking her position, or even something worse, just to feel me inside her. It was totally insane, but it looked like we both loved it.
When I left the office, I bumped into Tom, the librarian, who was waiting for me so that I could be led out.
"Everything fine, sir? Did you find what you were looking for?" he asked with a mischievous smile.
"I did, Tom. Not only what I was looking for, in fact," I replied to the state worker, who took the lead as we both laughed on our way to the entrance hall.