"Heh, looks like it is useless, eh? I guess I should have finished you off right from the beginning."
"Now, die."
Before the words fully left his lips, the dense red mist in the cave like basent surged. Tendrils of the viscous, tallic-slling haze, far more concentrated than any Riku had seen before, lashed out like sentient whips, aiming for Lila and Elara, who were still within their protective barriers.
Air Cutter! Air Cutter!
Sharp, almost invisible blades of wind shot forth, slicing cleanly through the incoming tendrils. Each severed mist-whip dissolved with a faint, sighing sound.. Multiple casts of these flying air blades went out, cutting through the tendrils before they could reach the girls.
"Impressive reflexes, surfacer," the Impostor rasped, a flicker of surprise in his crimson eyes as his mist attack was neutralized so easily.
"But that won’t save you."
With a roar, he abandoned the ranged attacks and focused. The red mist now gathered around his hands, forming sharp pulsing claws. With that, he lunged, his movents unnaturally fast for his ravaged form.
"Let’s see how you handle this up close!"
Feather Feet. (-5 Goodwill Points)
Body Strengthening (-5 Goodwill Points)
Riku quickly cast two spells in quick succession as he turned to face the man.
Not wanting to injure the man, his primary focus was on evasion. He sidestepped a wild swing, the Impostor’s Creep-enhanced strength evident in the way the air whistled past. He deflected a clawed hand with a quick forearm block, careful not to inflict any serious damage but equally careful not to let those blighted limbs touch him. The body might be Elara’s father’s, but the intent was purely hostile.
He weaved and dodged through a flurry of blows, allowing himself to be pushed back slightly, feigning more difficulty than he was actually experiencing. He needed the Impostor to keep talking, to reveal more.
The Impostor pressed his advantage, a savage grin spreading across his face as Riku seed to be on the defensive. He unleashed a powerful, downward strike aid at Riku’s head. Riku twisted aside at the last possible second, the Impostor’s knuckles grazing his shoulder, sending a jolt of unnatural coldness through him despite the miss.
"You’re strong," Riku grunted, as if winded from the near miss, steadying himself. "For soone supposedly dying of the Creep. What’s your secret?"
The Impostor laughed, a harsh, grating sound. "Secret? I guess it would not hurt if a dying man like you knew a bit."
"The Creep is the secret, fool! You think it’s just a sickness? It’s power! It’s control! It strips away the weakness of the flesh and makes one a perfect vessel!"
"Your strength is coming from the Creep?" Riku asked with surprise.
"Of course. Do you think that the mortal who had this body could ever reach the power the body is currently displaying without the Creep’s enhancent? Haha, the mont we saw him resisting the creep and trying to pull that girl out of the mist attack, we knew that he would be the perfect specin for our future tests."
"You... Papa..sob sob" Elara, hearing this new revelation, could only sob in despair.
For a brief second, Riku’s anger returned once again. His eyes turned frosty when he saw Elara crying and the man laughing, oblivious to the pain and suffering he was causing others.
A re puppeteer had such audacity?!
Ding!
[Emotional instability detected. Warning the host to control his emotions as soon as possible, lest you lose control again.]
I know. I can’t do that again.
Cast Mind of Serenity (-20 goodwill points)
Goodwill Points Remaining - 155
A calm breeze imdiately hit his mind, and his emotions stabilized.
This is a good opportunity to get more information out of this puppeteer. I must play him so more.
With that in mind, Riku started instigating the puppeteer again.
"You ntioned that the Creep could be used to control the man. The why is everyone who is getting it in the outside world just dying to it, and why has there been no such reports?"
The Impostor, sensing weakness, pressed forward, a triumphant sneer on his face. "The epidemic? Hah! A beautiful ruse! A necessary distraction! It allows the true work to proceed unhindered."
"What do you an?" Riku probed.
"Our researchers had long discovered this miraculous entity that could interact with humans and make them limitlessly stronger. However, we needed to conduct extensive experintation. That is why we spread this diseased version, so that our researchers can conduct research on the Creep legally, without fearing retaliation from that old bastard Harus III."
"What? You sacrificed so many innocent lives for your selfish research?" Lila asked in horror. She could not believe what she was witnessing in front of her.
"Hah! It is their great honor to live and die for such a great cause. The creep enhances strength, endurance... and most importantly, it makes the mind pliable, open to... suggestion. A perfect army of puppets. With such a strong force, who can be our opponent?"
"Who are you working for?" Riku kept probing. Under the effects of Mind of Serenity, Riku was already doing the best thing - to collect as much information as possible, and analyze it later.
"You ask too many questions for a dead man!" the Impostor snarled. "However, I can entertain you one last ti. Our society of blood will reshape the entire world, starting with this city. As for the main person behind the scenes - you are not qualified to know."
"How is it that magic is unable to affect the creep?" Riku continued calmly.
"That is enough!" Finally, the Imposter snapped.
"You have already learnt too much. Just cause I was feeling a bit generous, I decided to satisfy a bit of your curiosity. Now, all of you can be in hell together."
The man threw his head back, and the crimson marks on his body pulsed violently. The hundreds of Creep-stones piled around the room began to resonate, the red mist thickening, swirling into a vortex around him.
"Now, be consud by the society of blood! "Raging Mist"
With a deafening roar, the entirety of the red mist in the vast chamber surged towards Riku and the girls, a tidal wave of blighted energy.
Riku, however, simply smiled.
"Sigh, looks like that is it. Now, it is my turn."
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