"Well, that settles that."
The bodyguard grinned to himself and was about to walk towards the door when suddenly his feet froze.
Sensing sothing was off, he slowly turned around.
However, this ti, his eyes widened in shock.
The shift was too sudden and absolute. The clumsy, terrified noble had vanished, replaced by a figure of unnerving calm, deadly poise, and a slight smile on his face.
"My turn," The figure in front of him grinned, and then vanished.
Inferno Serpent [-30 Goodwill Points]
Whoosh
A roaring serpent made of pure, white-hot fla erupted from his fingertip. It coiled around the man with blinding speed, its heat so intense it warped the very air in the chamber.
The bodyguard could only watch in horror as the coils of the dragon swiftly rendered him immobile, rendering him helpless to do anything.
"You... Who are you? What is your objective?" The bodyguard could only spat in fury.
"Oh? You know very well. Weren’t you planning with that shell of yours to subdue so ti back?"
"You are... You are the bastard, Riku?" His eyes widened in realization.
"At your service, Mr. Guard," Riku made a fake bowing gesture and continued. "By the way, could you tell your na? Any na is fine if you do not want to reveal your real na, it is just a bit inconvenient to keep on calling you a bodyguard."
"You really think you have at your grasp with just this? Hah, you were just a boy drinking milk when I had already broken the realms of Grand Master." The man furiously cursed as he tried to free himself from the coils of the dragon.
But unfortunately for him, the coils only got tighter the more he struggled.
"Don’t struggle, Mr. Bodyguard. It only makes the serpent’s embrace warr," Riku said, his voice calm. The fire serpent hissed, its searing heat causing beads of sweat to erupt on the man’s brow. Small drops of blood began to drip from where the fiery scales pressed against his armor.
"Now, let’s talk. Where is the true source of the Crimson Creep?"
The man just sneered, a defiant glint in his eyes. "Find it yourself, asshole."
Riku shook his head. "I was hoping we could do this the easy way." He raised a hand.
Whispers of Unvarnished Truth [-50 Goodwill Points]
A silvery mist flowed into the man. The man was puzzled; however, there was nothing that he could do.
"Now, what is your na?" Riku asked again.
"I am Vyon.." The man spontaneously replied, but his eyes widened in horror as he realized what had just happened. He imdiately bit his tongue hard to force himself not to say what was on his tongue.
"Good, Vyon. Now, where is the source of the Creep?"
Vyon gritted his teeth and stayed silent. He was resisting, his will still incredibly strong. Dormant crimson marks on his skin were now glowing with a bright red colored hue, as if pushing him to the limit.
"Stubborn," Riku sighed. He amplified the spell, pouring more energy into it, while simultaneously commanding the serpent to tighten its grip. Vyon let out a sharp cry of pain as blood began to trickle more freely from under his armor.
"Where... is... the source?" Riku repeated, his voice dropping an octave.
Vyon’s resistance finally broke under the dual assault. "Agh! It’s... it’s hidden... protected..." he gasped, his words forced out between pained breaths. "Underwater... a place... beneath the old city... where the waters run deep..."
"Underwater, where?" Riku pressed. "There are so many water bodies in and around Luxia."
Just as he was about to get the final piece of the puzzle, a look of desperate, final resolve crossed Vyon’s face. "The Society... is eternal!" he roared.
His body suddenly erupted in a violent spray of blood. It wasn’t just a wound; it was a deliberate, explosive release. A thick, crimson mist instantly filled the chamber, obscuring everything from view.
Damn it! Riku thought, imdiately casting a gust of wind to dispel the bloody haze.
But by the ti the mist cleared, it was too late. Vyon was gone. All that remained was a dark, spreading pool of blood on the stone floor and the faint, acrid sll of a desperate sacrifice.
"Bloody Teleportation," Riku murmured to himself. "A forbidden, sacrificial art. It rips the user from one place to another at the cost of nearly all their life force. He’s likely half-dead, but he escaped."
Normally, it would not have been possible for anyone to escape Riku’s spell so easily, but the high-level teleportation spell combined with the Creep’s power appeared to be enough.
He could do nothing but stare at the empty space where the man lay a few seconds ago, a deep annoyance settling in. He had beaten Vyon, but his captive had slipped through his fingers, taking the most vital secrets with him.
Frustrated, he turned and left the branding chamber, striding back through the staircases onto the surface. He had a lead—"underwater"—but the Society now knew exactly who he was and what he was capable of. The ga had just beco infinitely more dangerous.
He was not worried much about himself, but the people around him might be in even more danger.
Clara... He called out.
Riku! You are out. How did it go? Did you learn anything new?
Hearing Riku’s call, Clara finally let her senses out again.
I almost got one of them, unfortunately, he was able to run away.
Riku recounted his entire experience in the underground eting to Clara.
...Just like that, I am out of clues. Riku concluded.
Well, I don’t think that is the case. Didn’t they ntion the old chamberlain? Maybe we could start by looking for him. Clara offered her view.
You are right. His family is in danger as well. We need to hurry.
Riku finally brushed off the annoying feeling and got to his feet. It was important to do what he could.
He did not go back to the Vayne mansion. There would be very little chance that his cover would still hold, and his main purpose of attending the eting had already been fulfilled. He dispelled the spells he had cast on the real Alaric, and then planned his next move.
He needed to find soone whom he could trust and who had a position of power. King Harus did co to his mind, but the king would not recognize him unless he went in his Grand Maximus avatar. Then who else..
Wait a minute. What about that High Archon girl? She seed pretty determined to investigate the creep.
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