Chapter 153: A Familiar Sight (1/2)
All mirth disappeared from Mike's face. ”Death can come in many ways, some more pleasant than others. I am well acquainted with your kind's regenerative abilities, and I can make this take an awfully long time, should I wish to. Now, I have a few things I'd like answers on. How long it takes to get those answers will influence how merciful I feel.” His quiet, mana-infused voice echoed through the cavern.
Shuddering, the Vargul averted her gaze. ”What do you wish to know?” She spat.
”Well, first and foremost. What is the ability you used to control the goblins?”
Glowering at him, she answered reluctantly. ”It is called Harmonic Domination, a skill unique to certain types of vampires. With it we can influence the minds of lesser creatures and even direct their actions.”
”You use extremely high pitched sound to accomplish this, correct?” Mike asked curiously.
The Vargul nodded submissively, before exploding into action, claws reaching for the offending mage in an effort to tear him into pieces. He had been expecting something along these lines, and had already prepared accordingly.
Barbed spears of obsidian erupted from the ground impaling Penelope in multiple locations, holding her suspended in the air. She screeched in agony and frustration.
”I told you. I'm quite familiar with your regenerative abilities. Speaking of which,” He sent a wave of flame along the spears, searing her injuries shut around them, and eliciting a horrifying shriek of pain.
”Now, I still have a few more questions, so tell me, is your ability permanent? Will those affected by it remain as they are?”
Huffing in long gasping breaths, the Vargul fixed him with a look of rage, tinged with a great deal of fear. ”It fades in a day or two, depending on how powerful the affected creatures are. Unless I renew the effect, that is.”
”Alright, moving to another topic, how much contact do you have with others of your kind? Do you answer to any higher power?”
This elicited a pained laugh. ”Do I look like a pure breed vampire to you? I'm a Vargul, an outcast who failed to make the transition properly. It is only by virtue of his mercy, that my sire has not yet tracked me down and killed me for the shame I bring him by existing.”
”I fail to see why you would be such a shame. Although you may not be a true vampire in the traditional sense, you have achieved a powerful form while maintaining your consciousness. Surely that reflects well upon you.”
Penelope gave a dry laugh that morphed into a grunt of pain. One of the spears was lodged slightly below her diaphragm. ”That is the only reason I was allowed to live in the first place.”
”What was your plan here? What were you trying to accomplish by taking control of a bunch of goblins.”
She hesitated, before answering quietly. ”I needed a supply of fresh blood to sustain myself. Once I acquired the Harmonic Domination skill it was a simple matter to turn this band of wandering goblins into a self-replenishing source.”
”The evolved varieties?”
”I would shrug if the situation permitted it, but Goblin Warriors provide much more blood than their smaller cousins. Forcing them to train proved to be an easy way to force them to evolve.” Penelope answered.
”So, creating a small army was secondary to providing a long term food source for you? Do you expect me to believe that?” Mike asked scornfully.
The Vargul scoffed, an unusual process due to her elongated jaws, ”Believe it or not, it's the truth. Ever since I failed the transition and became trapped in this form,” She growled in disgust, ”I have hoped for nothing, and dreamed of nothing. All that awaits me is death, if not by your hand, then by another's in the future. It matters little.”
”What of your sire? What can you tell me about him?”
She sneered, ”You have no clue how vampire society functions, do you? Prospective vampires are watched for years, then approached quietly and given the offer of immortality. Should you refuse, a quick death follows, but if you agree, you are taken to one of their safe houses and stored until it is time for your transition. Normally, you wouldn't see your sire until it was time to conduct the rite. However, mine was different.”
She paused then, eyes fixed on the floor. When she resumed, her voice had taken on a husky, emotional quality. ”I still do not know his name, but he came to my cell, spoke to me, and calmed my fears. He was so gentle…. When it came time for the transition, I thought I was prepared.” A throaty chuckle followed, ”What a fool I was…”
It seemed like she was telling the truth. Either that, or she was a truly accomplished liar. He stared at the Vargul, feeling a fleeting sense of pity. Whether or not she chose to become a vampire in the first place, turning into a monster like this was probably a harsh blow. Although, it was hard to forget that she was a killer, even if it was in the process of defending her home.
In any event, it seemed as if this creature had no connection to whatever organization had tried to kidnap him. Or if she did, it had long ago separated itself from her.
”Very well, I have but one question left in need of answer.”
Penelope simply looked at him, reacting only when he placed his hand on her head. ”What are you doing?”
”I'm curious. Can this condition of yours be cured?” Mike asked quietly as his hand started to glow. Trying to push his mana into the Vargul's body, he immediately felt a powerful resistance, as if her very essence was trying to fight against his influence.
[Hm. It seems this state is considered unnatural somehow. I wonder…]
Mustering every ounce of his willpower, he forced his mana through the resistance. The Vargul immediately began to writhe and screech in agony. Ignoring the slight pang he felt at inflicting this kind of suffering, he went on pushing, trying to identify the source of the strange sensation. The spear wounds were obvious, and as he worked his magic, he avoided them. However, there was some kind of pervading ailment that seemed to permeate the creature's very essence. It was this he attacked.
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At first the strange energy was probing, doing little more than brushing on the edges of awareness, but then it stabbed forward, burning Penelope from the inside. Agony swept through her very being, drowning out all other sensations.
She thrashed, screamed, did everything in her power to escape the pain. The taste of blood entered her mouth, and she couldn't tell if it was hers or not. The suffering reached a new level, and thankfully her consciousness finally fled.
The next time she awoke, it was unclear how much time had passed. She was lying face down on the cold stone floor. It hurt to even breathe, and she spent an unknowable amount of time building the energy to lift her head. Within the limited radius of her vision, she couldn't see any sign of the mage or his adventurer companions.
[Is he sparing me?]
She tried to bring one of her wings forward, and use it to push herself off the ground, but she was having trouble doing so. Her body felt strange, like it was no longer her own. With a fair amount of finagling, she finally managed to plant one hand onto the ground in front of her, and used it to lift herself.
...… hand?
Her gaze focused on the copper-skinned appendage, unable to comprehend what was happening. Suddenly she recalled the words of the mage before the pain blotted everything else out.
[Could he really have-]