101-110
Chapter 101 - I'll Crush 'em.
Hal gave them more orders before they all went off to start their marathon cultivation. After all, they all had Ten months to make it to the next major realm, something that, had it been told to them before today, they would have claimed with certainty that it was impossible.
Hal turned towards Melinda who had not said a word since their arrival and mostly observed the proceedings. Her gaze might have seemed calm and imperious to the avid observer but Hal could tell she was deep in thought.
Once she felt Hal's eyes on her, Melinda turned her attention to him,
"What are you thinking about?" Hal asked as their surroundings cleared out.
Instead of replying, Melinda reached into her spatial pouch and pulled out a spatial ring which she slipped onto her finger and out if it withdrew what looked like a tablet.
It had a smooth and almost transparent look and runes were etched on its whole form.
The moment she pulled it out, she injected Cosmic energy into it and a voice spoke out if it,
"Be prepared for a visit from the Patriarch's Envoy".
The voice was deep and authoritative but also seemed inanimate. Kind of like what you would expect an A.I ( Artificial Intelligence) to sound like.
Melinda sneered as she gripped the Tablet harder,
"Bunch of assholes. Send your Envoy, I'll crush 'em"
'What's in her hand?' Hal asked Grimoire
'A communication Talisman. Used for communication across Great distances. It is a product of Rune-mastering but a very advanced product. One you should not even attempt at the moment'
Grimoire explained and Hal nodded mentally.
He moved closer to Melinda,
"What is it?" He asked and she looked at him with a slight frown,
"I'm being Audited"
...
Horst Manor
Ford's Study
"Hahaha hahaha," Emily was laughing boisterously as she sat in the chair in front of Ford's Table while Ford stared at her with a shocked expression etched on his face,
"This is no laughing matter," He said in a breathless voice. Breathless from the shock he was feeling.
"No. It is hilarious Ford, you just lack a good sense of humor" Emily said while she tried to hold in her laughter.
At least long enough for the poor man to get a few words in.
"This has absolutely nothing to do with having a sense of humor. Centuries of legacy, stolen right from under our noses and the perpetrator makes fun of us" Ford insisted
"Centuries of legacy?. That trash was legacy?. Oh, this just keeps getting better and better" Emily laughed some more.
Ford had returned from his meeting with the other Family Heads at Edgar castle and then shut himself in his study. Apparently to be alone with his thoughts.
However, Emily could not care less. Having already suspected something big was going to happen today, Emily knew his mood was related to it and so she went into the study and Ford eventually narrated the events to her. Including his suspicion of the other Family Heads.
Of course, Emily knew about the confluence, she had been in Salmon City for twenty years but its location remained a mystery to her.
The first time she had asked Ford, he told her how very guarded the secret was but was still open to tell her it's location as he was still in euphoria at having met her. Emily however lost interest when she realized the vault only held Gold. She had more than enough and she wasn't interested in more.
Besides, She did not find a vault that did not have a single blue gem in it, interesting, and it was not worth her attention.
It was why Ford was sure she had nothing to do with the Robbery. If Emily wanted the location from him, all she needed to do was ask, and even if he was reluctant to give her the information (which he wasn't) it would not be difficult for her to pry it from his mouth.
"This is very offensive, Emily," Ford said as he clenched his fist at her reaction to this pain he was feeling.
Unfortunately for him, Emily was not feeling particularly empathetic today.
"This was done by one of the other Great Family Heads." He insisted. Mostly to himself but Melinda heard it and snorted,
"No, this was done by someone else," Emily said confidently.
"By who?" Ford piped up and Emily smirked,
"Obviously by the 'Malevolent one'" she said with a false gasp of discovery.
Emily's words and tone should have made it clear that she was messing with him, however in that seemingly joking sentence, Ford caught something,
"Do you know who the Malevolent one is?" He asked
"No I don't" Emily answered immediately with a smile that instantly raised the red flags in Ford's head.
She was lying!
"How then do you know it's not one of the Great Family Heads?"
He probed carefully knowing that if he was too direct and pushy, he would not learn anything, even if she did know who it was.
Emily sighed with False melancholy,
"Isn't it obvious, you are all dummies. If one of you had the brains to do this, it would have been done long ago. This was done by someone who only just discovered your 'Well kept secret'"
The emphasis she placed on 'Well kept secret' was obviously to mock him and by extension, the Great families but Ford endured. He wouldn't dare show dissatisfaction anyway.
Her logic on why it could not be one of the other Great Family Heads was a little flawed though. After all, even if one of the Great Families wanted the Gold they would still need a situation like this Auction to get their hands on all Four seals. So in essence. It could very well still be one of the Great families.
All in all, Ford was now even more convinced that she knew who the Malevolent one was, her explanation showed she was speaking with certainty and yet could not explain why it could not possibly go the other way.
He was of course right, Emily was quite sure she knew who the Malevolent one was, however, he could never possibly get that information out of her forcefully.
Emily's voice brought him out of his stupor,
"I'll tell you one thing though, while I do not believe any of you Great family heads is the mastermind, a member of the Great families is working with this Malevolent one.
" So ask yourself Ford and be completely honest. Are you surrounded by your most trusted men, or are there traitors in your home?"
Ford went into deep thought,
"I trust Fidel completely" he eventually said.
"Good. But that's just one man. What of the others?"
With that Emily uncrossed her beautiful legs, stood to her feet, and walked out of the Study with Ford's mood worst now than when she had first entered.
...
A few minutes later...
In a little Hut in Horst manor garden...
Mother and Daughter sat across each other playing a game of checkers. Amelia was in the lead.
"You didn't have to make Dad feel worse than he already did" Amelia protested with a frown as she pushed another piece forward.
"I can't believe we are playing checkers. It's a soft game. We should be playing chess"
Emily said airily as she captured one of Amelia's pieces.
"You always beat me in chess and you're dodging the question,"
Amelia said as she captured two pieces in return for the one Emily had captured before.
"You didn't ask a question. You were telling me off" Emily said with a smile.
"Mother!" Amelia snapped.
"Alright, alright. Maybe I should not have kicked him when he was already down. But you don't need to worry..." Emily trailed off suggestively.
"I don't need to worry about what?" Amelia asked.
"Well, my dear daughter, you see, occasionally, your Father likes to be put down"
Emily's head was cocked to the side slightly and it did not take long for Amelia to realize the hidden meaning behind her mother's words.
"Oh come on! I don't need that image in my head!" Amelia groaned and Emily chuckled.
"Sorry"
Emily did not sound sorry at all and the worst part, she had distracted Amelia enough to capture a few pieces without incurring repercussions.
"That's cheating" Amelia piped instantly,
"It's not. In checkers, just like Chess, you need to always pay attention" Emily smirked.
"So do you know who robbed the Confluence?" Amelia asked.
She had always known how much stock her father placed on the Confluence. He saw it as a legacy, a shared legacy but a legacy nonetheless.
Emily looked at her and grinned,
"Are you seriously asking me that?" She asked as she went on to capture even more pieces.
"What? You don't want to tell me?" Amelia was instantly dissatisfied. Her interest in their game was now minimal at best.
"What would be the point of telling you something you already know?" Emily said with a vague smile as she continued to clear the board of Amelia's pieces.
Amelia went silent for a while and thought more about the chain of events that had occurred at the Confluence.
The only way anyone could have pulled off such banditry was if they were invisible to all senses.
Invisible...
Her lips curved into a conflicted smile.
"Yes I do," She said right before one of her Mother's pieces would be crowned and lay waste to the rest of her pieces.
She had lost but she was more preoccupied with the thought that her lover had just robbed her father. Without a doubt, Theirs was a complicated relationship.
Chapter 102 - It Looks Kinky R-18
Their carriage was already on its way back to the Mansion and Melinda no longer showed any of the previous resentment she held.
Once she told Hal she was being Audited, she returned the Communication Talisman into her spatial ring which she in turn put back in her spatial pouch.
Hal of course did not need to ask before she told him exactly what it meant.
The 'Audit' involved a visit from an Envoy of the Patriarch's. One who would go through the books and make sure all things were going well and the subject was not 'cheating' the clan.
And it was a complete insult.
Whatever she could make in this city meant next to nothing in the grand wealth the family already possessed.
The whole thing was most likely because she had destroyed her Father's mind imprint and was suspected to be very close to releasing the suppression on her Bloodline.
The Envoy would probably be stronger than she was, or at least stronger than they estimated that she was, and aim to humiliate her along with other things.
Melinda was not worried though. Her outburst had been all about the fact that even after sending her here and suppressing her Bloodline, the next step was for her to be humiliated.
And the Audit WAS a humiliation.
No one of the Dane Bloodline had ever being subjected to such.
Only servants and those who did not possess their Bloodline had ever faced such.
Then again, she was the first Dane to ever be banished to a remote city such as this.
The most punishment anyone else should have received was total seclusion in which they were only to cultivate and not show their face in public until forgiven.
"How are you feeling?" Hal asked with a light smile.
"I'm feeling great," Melinda said with so much enthusiasm that Hal did a double back and looked at her closely,
Her smile was wide and her eyes, while looking into his face were also unfocused, so he could tell she was not entirely paying attention. She was thinking of what she would do to the 'Envoy'.
"Do you know who it's going to be?" He asked her,
Melinda shrugged "Who cares?"
"Aren't you being a little too carefree? Hal asked with a mild chuckle just as the carriage arrived in front of the Mansion.
"Well, I'll be damned if I let an envoy who isn't even here yet ruin my fun," Melinda said and grabbed Hal's arm as she alighted from the carriage.
Together the two ran as fast as they could into the mansion and Hal's room.
The teasing had finally reached the crescendo for the duo and it was time to finally climax.
In every sense of the word.
Their hands roamed each other's bodies before they grabbed onto each other as though they could not get enough of the other party.
Which was exactly the case.
Hal's arms were right about her waist and Melinda's arm was around his neck while she also twisted her hands inside his hair as she pulled his face even closer to hers.
Was her infatuated brain so confused that she found Hal even more mouthwatering than ever before?
Why was it that as they mashed lips and kissed passionately, she felt even more lightheaded than she ever did before.?
Was it because she now knew for certain that he was a Devil and it excited her all the more?
Nope!
It was none of that.
He just happened to be the one man who could make her lose her sense of reasoning and make her brain turn into mush just by being close.
Hal was having a bit of a conundrum himself. Gripping Melinda's waist and extending his hands to her perfect buttocks had never felt this good, but...
And there was a 'but'.
...there was a fiery content to the feel. One that seemed insistent on repelling him. It was obviously the last-ditch attempt of the Primeval Virtue Will to cockblock him.
The more he persisted, the more those invisible flames seeped into his very being and inflamed him from within. Any lesser man would give up or try to slowly get used to this hurdle in hope of eventually overcoming it, but that was not the same for Hal.
'Hmph! How dare you try to stop me'
He thought before he made use of Devil energy to try to quell those flames.
All through that, he continued to touch with very light teasing of {Erogenous touch}.
Melinda moaned and twisted her body even harder into him as though I'm the hope to become one with him. In every sense of the world.
Her lips went from his lips to his neck to peck and suckle. Hal had to work to hold back the groan of pleasure that was already very close to his lips as he continued to quell the flames her Bloodline introduced into him.
Melinda of the course should have been mindful that she might be hurting him with her right grips because while his outward wounds had all but completely healed, he was still injured internally.
Unfortunately, any rational thought she should have had, had no way of breaking through the fortress that was her arousal.
Suddenly, she was jerked upwards as Hal lifted her into his arms and she wound her legs around his back while he supported her weight on his strong arms.
Her hands roamed his back and felt its firm muscles.
Her robes had already been lowered to expose her smooth and beautiful shoulders which Hal quickly attacked as hard as he could.
Melinda could feel her thighs moistening at break length speed and she embraced it. She let those juices continue yeti seep out and soak Hal's robes through.
His robes had also being pulled apart so she could rub her hands on his muscle chest and feel his pecs and any other muscled part she could lay her dainty hands on.
The longer they kissed and the longer they touched, so did her arousal continue to increase and she began to grind her pussy against him while she could feel his tool was hard and poking at her from underneath.
Hal moved closer to the bed and dropped her in it before he went after her clothes and exposed her perfect skin only to lower his head and take a nipple between his lips and suck.
"Ahhnnn" Melinda moaned aloud while her arousal heightened further. But her hands were not idle as she gripped his head and held him while he suckled on her nub like a babe.
"Show... Me" She gasped and Hal looked up at her, her nipple still in his mouth. The sight might have looked silly on someone else but Hal, It looked perfect.
His brow was arched in inquiry and the pause in suckling gave Melinda the clarity to be more articulate.
"Show me"
"Show you what?"
Melinda grinned "That you're the Devil. Show me what you look like"
She did not need to ask twice before Hal agreed to her strange request.
His skin turned a bright Crimson and became marked with black lines while his eyes turned pitch black and released a small burst of fogs.
He was prepared to make use of Mind meld so that she would not suffocate from the intense Devil Energy when he realized she had adequate resistance to the Devil Energy's stifling pressure.
Melinda in turn felt the Energy was heavy on her but still bearable. Of course, all this was due to her bloodline.
"What do you think? This happens to be the least of Devil forms" Hal said with a Devilish smile.
"I think it looks kinky" Melinda grinned.
Hal went down her body, lapping along with his exceptionally long crimson Devil tongue that turned every part of Melinda's body it touched flushed in an instant.
He arrived at her moistened thighs in minutes and quickly delved into a lap at those juices and bring her careening to orgasm instantly as she pushed juices onto Hal's about and he drank it gladly.
That she had orgasmed, did not stop Hal from continuing his ministrations as his tongue delved into her moist cave, even as she came down from the high of orgasmic bliss.
His tongue thrust in and quickly found the spot inside her that was guaranteed to make her go crazy (the good kind of course) immediately.
"Ahhhnnnghh" Melinda moaned as she arched her back and thrust her pussy even harder into his lips while she gripped the sheets tightly, clenched her virginal muscles around his tongue, and climaxed once again, squirting more juices into his into Hal's mouth.
When Hal lifted himself from her pussy, Melinda's body became encased in light golden flames and she placed her flaming hands on Hal's tool and began to pump it.
Unlike what the involuntary flames had tried to do to him, the flames coating Melinda's hands brought him nothing but pleasure.
*Fap* *Fap* *Fap*
Melinda stroked with incredible speed and dexterity before she pulled him towards the pussy he had just explored with his tongue.
"Enough foreplay" She groaned.
Hal smiled and infiltrated her body with Devil Energy to implement Mind meld! So as to connect them in more ways than one as he thrust deep into her pussy.
"AHHHNNNNNNGGGHHH" Melinda's moan was so much louder as she had not expected the pleasure to be so intense courtesy of Mind meld.
*Pah* *Pah* *Pah*
As Hal trusted in and out and, Melinda's legs locked tightly around his waist to keep him inside of her and continue radiating mind-numbing pleasure.
The position did not allow Hal to thrust with his usual force but he made do.
Melinda tightened her snatch around his as she spasmed and came once again but this time she did not climax alone as she had Hal dumping his wonderful seed into her in an eruption of orgasmic bliss...
Chapter 103 - Perfect Timing. R-18
As soon as she recovered from the spasm of pleasure Melinda turned them over and grabbed Hal's rod which she began to jerk despite it never going flaccid.
It remained as thick and angry looking as ever. It was such a magnificent sight.
She looked up, a section of her hair covered one of her eyes and cast a shadow on the other. Despite Hal's obvious Devilish look, Melinda seemed more of a subtle, dangerous, and hungry golden-eyed Demoness.
Her mouth opened and she gulped down. Engulfing Hal's rod in the heaven that was the warmth of her mouth.
*Slurp* *Slurp* *Slurp*
*Fap* *Fap* *Fap*
Then She held it within her hand and cradled it while she worshipped it all over with her tongue.
Then she took it back into her mouth once again but this time, she went further than just the mouth and allowed his cock to pass and make it's way down her gullet.
She had a good enough control over her gag reflex and was able to use the muscles in her throat to construct and massage it, even though she still needed occasional breaks.
Hal groaned at the pleasure while Melinda continued to work hard to bring him to spilling his wonderful seed down her throat.
It did not take long before Hal burst his nut and gave the lady what she wanted. Melinda withdrew it enough to receive a large amount of it in her mouth so she could savor the taste before gulping it down.
While she was doing so, Hal left the bed and picked her up in his arms once again but this time his rod did not just poke her from underneath, instead it went straight in as Melinda's weight itself dropped her on it.
Hal's hands were holding her ass tightly as he thrust upwards and she fell downwards, both equally facilitating how deep Hal went inside her.
*Pah* *Pah* *Pah*
The thrusting continued to increase in intensity just as Melinda's squirted pussy juices increased in volume.
*Squelch* *Squelch* *Squelch*
Even with the thrusting and pounding sounds, Her moistened thighs still produced the sound that were music to Hal's ears.
Suddenly, with her legs still around his waist and her arms around his neck, Melinda turned them as easily as nothing so that they both fell right back on the bed.
By the time they landed, her legs were no longer around his waist but folded on either side of him.
Her hands were pressed on either side of his head.
When Hal looked up into her eyes at that moment, he found she looked even more feral than ever as she leaned downwards and took his lips hard while she gyrated her hips against his groin.
All through the process of bringing them down to the bed and changing their position. His cock remained deep inside of her snatch.
"Mmmhhnngh. Oh yesss" Melinda moaned.
She lifted her perfect ass high up until only the tip remained inside of her right sheath before...
*SMACK*
...she fell back down and took the whole length all at once in that quick jab.
Hal groaned as the pleasure of the experience radiated in his whole being.
He initiated {Erogenous Touch} and kept it focused on his cock and the tip of his fingers.
"Ooooohhhhhhhh" Melinda moaned from the sudden intense pleasure that moistened her cave even further.
Hal reached upwards and grabber her breasts to massage the mounds...
"Annngghhhhhh" Melinda's back arched like a bow as she gripped Hal tighter and climaxed again.
As she came down from the high she resumed her thrusts while having a lot of mini-orgasms along the way of course.
Hal's hands left her breasts and went lower grab her ass and add even more pressure to her thrust while he released batch after batch of his seed inside her.
This did not mark the end of their session as the two simply changed positions and continued until they were completely satiated.
...
Horst Manor
Frank stood before his father's study. Took a deep breath and knocked on the door.
When he received no reply, he thrust his head inside and viewed the empty room.
From the little bits of information he had gleaned from some hushed conversations in the Manor, he could infer that his uncle had been injured so it stood to reason that that was where his father would be.
He was right.
After his conversation with Emily who had laughed at his pain, Ford had gone to cousin's wounds to inspect his injuries and lament on how there was not much more he could do.
*Knock* *Knock* *Knock*
The knocks would announce an arrival and Frank would walk in moments later and gaze upon his uncle's comatose state.
Pitiful as his uncle's condition looked, Frank could not help but admit that it might be easier for him to get what he wants thanks to his father's emotional state.
Ford looked up and into Frank's face, that face that looked so much like his when he was younger,
"What is it, son?" Ford said with a heavy voice.
"How is uncle?" Frank asked in a poor imitation of his father's voice.
It was not that he did not care about his uncle, however the way he saw it, his uncle had lived a full life, he even already had children who could continue his legacy.
He, on the other hand had only begun to live his life. He had not even had his first kiss, which to him seemed more important than reaching higher realms of cultuvation.
'I'm sorry uncle, but your life has been full, I however, refuse to die a virgin'
Luckily, Ford's heart was so heavy that he did not notice.
To him, his son was also in deep emotional pain.
'What a wonderful boy. Trying to act brave in front of his old man. Bless him'
"He'll be alright. He's just in a coma" Ford replied while he reached up, from his seated position, to pat his son's shoulder.
"That's good" Frank said in a stifled voice.
'Who cares' he thought before he quickly tried to move past the conversation into his true reason for being here.
"Um, Dad?" Frank said and the change in tone caused Ford's head to snap up to look into his son's face.
"Yes?"
"Well, about the competition..."
"What about it?" Ford asked with narrowed eyes.
"Well... Do I really have to participate?"
Frank said this in the most vulnerable sounding tone of voice he could possibly muster. After all, this was about his life. He needed to take things seriously.
He finally realized what he had done wrong before. Constant pestering could never work with his Father, he needed some subtle manipulations. He had spent a lot of time studying Amelia and was sure he wasn't that bad.
His mother never resorted to manipulation. She did not need to.
She only needed to ask.
Or order might be more accurate.
Ford frowned slightly,
"You should be happy to represent your family, now of all times, why are you acting like a coward?"
Frank gulped,
"It's just that seeing uncle's condition *snifle*, I thought it would be best not to put any other member of this family in harm's way.
"I thought we should band together more. You know, just like a true family should. But *shrugs* maybe I was wrong"
It was almost as though Frank had hit the magic button,
"Yes, we should stick together as a family. We'll let the other Horst scions participate. You should stay at home"
Ford said with misty eyes.
Frank looked solemn on the outside but he was actually ecstatic.
Why did he have to risk his life when Amelia was strong enough to not be threatened by anyone in the young generation?
It was so unfair.
His mother's shameless favouritism knew no bounds.
When he turned to leave in a jubilant mood, Ford's voice came from behind him,
"What does you Mother think about you participating?" He asked
"She wants me to participate, but I'll just tell her you said there was no need"
Frank answered casually and continued to move towards the door with a new spring in his steps.
Unfortunately, with his back turned he could not see Ford's eyes widen,
"Well, then you have to go"
Frank's world came crashing down.
"What? But you just said..." He began to protest but Ford's loud voice overwhelmed his own,
"Forget what I said. You have to go"
"Because of mom?"
"Exactly"
'I don't believe this' Frank yelled in his mind.
'You shameless man, if I'm a coward, then I obviously got it from you!'
....
Back in the Mansion...
Two hours had passed...
Hal was back to human form and the duo were holding on to each other with the sheets covering their lower half but leaving their upper half and by consequence, Melinda's perfect breasts, out in the open as she snuggled into Hal's side.
The sheets were testament to their activities and it's scent was a comfort to the duo.
"Did that make up for time lost?" Hal asked with a chuckle.
"Not even close" Melinda answered, hardly missing a beat.
"But it's a good start" she added with a smile and her hand hand reached into the sheets to grip his flaccid rod and give it a few short pumps.
"So what's next? You stole their Gold, tossed a metaphoric wrench into their relationship and also shook their Hegomony. What's next?" Melinda said with a smile, her hands never stopped their slow massage of his cock.
"We take a break. Enjoy the scenery, savor the victory. The Competition should be the focus now." Hal replied.
"The competition? You want to participate in that pointless event?" Melinda was a little surprised.
When at first the Competition had been mentioned, it seemed reasonable that he participated but now it seemed more like a waste of time.
"It's not totally pointless. I would like to visit Tretch forest again. This time I have a good excuse to be in there. Besides I would also like to see the effect of the recent events on the Great and Plebeian scions"
"You are sure it would have an effect? I doubt they would discuss something so important with their young generation" Melinda said
"They don't have..." Hal began but would be be interrupted by the door flying open...
*Bang!*
In the doorway was a very focused looking Rita...
"So you awoke. Perfect Timing..."
Chapter 104 - High Stakes.
Rita strut into the room and stood right before Melinda with a smirk until she seemed to notice something different about her,
"Your eyes, your hair..." Rita began with a gasp.
"Story for another time. Why did you barge in?" Melinda asked with a smirk of her own.
Rita cleared her throat and released the pressure of her cultivation base to reveal that she had finally broken through to the mid-stage of the Cosmic Armament Realm.
"Suck it. Haha. Who's the genius now?"
Rita was incredibly jubilant and just like the 'cruel' woman she was, Melinda did not bring her down to earth until she was completely lost in the joy of accomplishment.
Rita turned to Hal who had simply changed his position on the bed and watched the proceedings,
"So what do you think?" She asked him.
Hal smiled,
"Very impressive"
*Rustle*
Melinda stood from the bed and out of the sheets to stand in front of her self-proclaimed rival naked as she could be.
Rita looked her up and down and saw that whatever had caused changes in Melinda's eye color and hair length had made some subtle changes in her other features.
Melinda on the other hand was a little surprised that Rita was not that far off from her in terms of beauty. She had obviously been refining Hal's essence while Melinda had been unconscious.
Just as she was not ashamed to stand before Rita naked she was also secure enough to accept that as far as beauty went, Rita was top-notch.
With one hand on her waist, Melinda let out the pressure of her cultivation to show, -to Rita's dismay-, that she was also at the mid-stage of the Cosmic Armament Realm.
Rita was downhearted for barely a second before she said,
"Then there's only one way to settle this"
"And what would that be?" Melinda asked
"A duel. Or more like a practice spar"
Melinda folded her arms below her breasts and took a deep breath as though she was pausing to consider it but Hal knew she had already decided to accept,
"As wonderful as a spar between the two of you will be, I think it's only fair I point out Melinda now has full control of her Bloodline hence the eye and hair changes"
Hal told in a leisurely manner but Rita just smiled,
"It doesn't matter. That's the whole point. Whatever she uses, I'll still win"
"That's some impressive confidence you've got. Not to worry though I don't plan on making use of my Bloodline unless you push me too hard and I doubt you can"
Melinda said with a smile as she put on a lotus patterned tight-fitting clothes that did not constrain her movements.
"Mmph. We'll see"
Rita snorted and walked out of the room but not before blowing a kiss to Hal who was still lounging in the bed with his hands behind his head.
There was a tent firming under the sheets,
"Is it weird that the thought of you two battling it out combined with your quick trash talk is turning me on?" He said with a mild chuckle.
"Not in the slightest" Melinda shrugged with a smile and she left the room as well.
Hal put on robes as well and went after them. On the way, he met Marla who followed to watch the duel.
"Are you feeling good about this duel?"
Marla asked as they walked to the courtyard where the duel would take place.
Hal chuckled at the thought that said courtyard had only just been fixed but it would most likely be damaged again.
"If they want to duel, they should. What I feel is barely consequential in the scheme of things. And I have to admit, it would be interesting to watch."
Marla nodded with a smile. She had spent her time in the Time warped Chamber attempting to form her Cosmic Pearl and finally advance to the Cosmic Pearl realm. She was much closer now but doubted she could breakthrough in one go so she took a break.
The ladies from Pleasure inn, most especially Camilla and Irina had busied themselves with advancement. It seemed as though Marla's speech had a suitable effect.
In the courtyard...
Both ladies faced off with smiles ever-present, if not for the obvious tension in the air, you would have thought they were sharing the good news.
Although that wasn't far off, after all, they had both advanced to the mid-stage of the Cosmic Armament realm and that also counted as good news.
"Practice swords?" Melinda asked with a smile.
"Nope"
Rita replied and summoned her Cosmic Armament, a Sky-blue longsword.
"Oh so this is the serious kind of duel"
Melinda said with a nod and summoned her Cosmic Armament as well.
If Rita was intimidated by the crisscrossing golden veins on the white Sword, she let nothing show.
Hal sealed the courtyard off with an array and provide them with total privacy.
As he watched the two flex their weapons, Hal was sure he was not going to find their duel as comfortable as he had beforehand thought or maybe even hoped.
There was such intensity in their stare that he knew this was going to be, by all counts, serious. The only thing they would not go for is the kill.
"Whoever wins will get Hal for a week. No interference from the loser. What do you think?" Melinda said with a smile
"Sounds reasonable" Rita nodded with a smile.
"Hold on. This all seems well and good but don't use me as a price. It seems more like you are punishing me"
Hal said and all three ladies turned to him,
"How so?" Marla asked the question that they all wanted to ask.
"You are not just cutting the loser off, you are cutting me off too, Regardless of who wins," Hal said with a shrug.
How could they even suggest such a thing, he would not be denied of his beauties regardless of the result of their ego.
All three of them nodded. It seemed reasonable.
"Then bragging rights?" Rita asked.
Melinda nodded before adding "...and dominance over the other in a future threesome or moresome"
"Nice" Rita said with a glint in her eyes...
*Bam!*
...before she dashed forward at Melinda who watched her quick approach and smirked.
Melinda swung her sword, seemingly in an offhand manner but made contact with Rita's as the two were quickly at a standoff with blades crossed.
"Did you think you could catch me off guard?"
Melinda laughed at how ludicrous it seemed to her for Rita to even contemplate such an obvious impossibility.
"It was worth a try. Dominating you in bed while Hal thrusts his wonderful cock into my hungry snatch is much too high stakes for me to not be impulsive"
Rita smirked and pushed Melinda back so that the two separated but were still very balanced. Before long they were crossing blades again...
*Clang* *Clang* *Clang*
There was an obvious difference in both of their styles. Melinda's movement and thrust were warlike. They carried a hint of brutality and a drive to dominate her opponent.
She had been taught by a male but had added her unique flair.
Every swing of her sword seemed light and casual but when they made contact, the strain on the opponent's hand, in this case, Rita's, made it obvious that they packed maximum force.
Even though the moves were meant to be brute, she executed them with impressive grace that Rita could not help but admire.
Speaking of Rita...
Her moves were completely different. She did not fight with Melinda's style of brutality but a tricky and wily type.
She was the kind of opponent you always needed to keep an eye out for.
Her attacks were never direct and her feints were not always obvious, but when they hit their mark, they carried lethality and Melinda did not doubt that had this fight been to the death it would have carried fatality as well.
Even as the two danced and made jabs at each other's body parts, it was clear that Rita had marked her targets which were mostly spots that would incapacitate her opponent and end this swiftly.
On the other hand, Melinda was taking it as a marathon, one in which to deal the maximum amount of damage while simultaneously weakening her opponent.
At some point, their swords were crossed again but instead of aiming for separation as she had done before, Rita grabbed Melinda's sword arm with her left and pulled her closer.
After which she sunk her knees into her midsection.
Melinda groaned but had the presence of mind to take advantage of the proximity and sink her left fist into Rita's side.
The two immediately broke apart and rubbed their sore spots. Just a quick rub of course before they were back to crossing blades.
This time was different, however.
It was as though they had been playing it safe before but had both decided to become serious.
Melinda stretched her hand and sent a Cosmic attack to Rita who reciprocated in kind.
The two attacks canceled each other out but also caused an eruption of dust that was just what Melinda had been after.
Taking advantage of a split second momentary lapse in reaction speed due to the loss of ability to use her sight, Melinda went into the cloud of dust to attack Rita before the other lady resorted to her perception as a cultivator for direction.
When she arrived at the spot where Rita should have been she found it empty.
With a sinking feeling in her gut, Melinda looked up to see Rita standing on the two ring circle of updraft...
"Don't tell me you thought you were the only one who thought of it"
... Rita smirked before descending from the sky with her sword pointed right at Melinda's head.
Chapter 105 - I Win, You Lose.
Rita's strike while impressive bore no lethal will. This whole duel was after all not aimed at ending the life of the other party.
She and Melinda were in the same level in terms of Cultivation strength. The point where they deferred lay in their styles and wits.
All that being said, if Rita really expected to be able to land that strike on Melinda when they were both equal in terms of reflexes then she was a fool. Cocky, Rita might be but Foolish she was not.
Sure enough, as Melinda watched Rita's sword pointed at her, her stance never changed. Instead she leaned back and swung her sword at Rita's.
*Clang*
Their swords met with a ringing metallic sound. In that crossed form, Rita landed and made a swipe at Melinda's leg.
The swipe was easily avoided with Melinda raising said leg, however the moment her leg was raised, she saw through it all.
Up until that moment, every move Rita made had been an elaborate feint. From the sword strike from above which she knew could not catch Melinda off-guard with, to her swipe at Melinda's dominant leg. It had all been to throw her off-balance.
Literally.
The moment Melinda's raised one of her legs, Rita manipulated their deadlock of swords so that their swords were pointed downwards before she collided with Melinda knocked the Golden eyed beauty to the ground.
Or at least she tried to.
The moment there was a collision, Melinda took advantage of it's backwards force and leapt away from Rita. It was very difficult for Rita to regain balance once Melinda was no longer in direct contact with her but she managed.
Melinda was a different story however.
While she had escaped from Rita's planned collision to gain dominance, Melinda was now also without anything to stop her eventual descent to the Courtyard floor.
As the duel was not to the death and they were not aiming to land a fatal blow to each other, there was only one sure way to have a victor which was to declare the first to make contact with the floor with their back the loser.
Rita grinned as she watched Melinda careening backwards, there could be no way Melinda could stop on her own.
Or so she thought.
As soon as Melinda noticed the inevitability of her descent as she continued to step back in an attempt to regain balance, she thrust her sword backwards so that it's blade sunk into the ground.
*Shiiing*
*Bam*
... Those two sounds rang out after each other and Melinda was seen to be leaning against the hilt of her sword in the most awkward yet beautiful angle one could possibly make.
Her back was ached on top of the hilt almost as though she had been impaled.
The posture looked anything but comfortable but it had fulfilled it's purpose and stopped Melinda's back from making contact with the floor and kept her in the duel.
While Rita's eyes widened at this display of resourcefulness and determination, she did not forget her goal in this duel which was to win.
Immediately she pointed to Melinda the moment she had supported herself against her sword hilt...
"Second-grade skill: Cataclysm"
Out of a two circled ring rolled out boulders composed of Cosmic energy and they rolled towards their target.
The skill was merely of the second grade and it's energy was far from sufficient to inflict damage on Melinda neither was it sufficient enough to trap her in place, however, Melinda's precarious position made it so that she would not be able to react in time and once the builders made contact she would fall and the duel would be over.
Melinda while still arched on her sword's hit had not yet been able to make the appropriate traction with her feet to once again regain her standing and as such saw only one possible defense.
"Second grade skill: Cantaclysm"
She used the same skill and the collision of both caused them to cancel each other out...
*Bang!*
... When the dust settled, Melinda was back on her feet and she and Rita were quick to engage each other once again.
*Clang* *Clang* *Clang*
... Went the sound of their clashing blades. The whole battle seemed to have no end in sight.
The two spectators, Hal and Marla watched and studied the combating duo.
The duel provided a situation in which Hal could truly visualize there two differing styles and the advantage and beauty of both.
Sparring with them could never give him such visuals. When the two spar with him, they do it in an instructing manner but this duel brought about their competitive sides.
He could see that even though Rita had claimed she had only learned the 'basics' from his 'Mother', it was still more than enough to contend with Melinda who had admitted to having been taught much more than just basics.
The way Rita fought gave him an insight into the psyche of the one who had taught her and it was obvious that she was someone who excelled in trickery.
"Is it ever going to end?" Marla could not help but ask when the hour went by and the two remained at it.
The whole experience was quite educational to her, however, she could see that without fatality they could most likely go on for hours without one of them hitting the floor. After all, in terms of stamina they were both in the same league.
"It will" Hal said with a smile.
Right at that moment, Rita had grabbed Melinda in a bear hug form and hooked her leg around the other lady's calf in a bid to force her to submit by putting her to the ground.
It was at that time that Melinda's light Gold eyes glowed and her whole form was coated in light gold flames that instantly repelled Rita back...
*Bam*
... Causing her to slide back but she still remained on her feet. Albeit barely
"I thought you said you won't use it" Rita smirked.
"I said unless you force me and kudos to you. You forced me. Now bring it out and let's end this on equal terms" Melinda said and the flames around her burned even brighter.
The statement confused Marla to no end, obviously,y Melinda should have this in the bag.
What could Rita still have up her sleeves?
Melinda turned her head slightly in Hal's direction and Hal raised his hands in a sign of innocence but she just rolled her eyes at the sight.
She turned back to Rita and slashed with her sword causing a crescent-shaped wave of golden flames to burn towards Rita and explode right in front of her in an eruption of dust.
*Booom!*
When the dust settled, Rita stood there, her previous Black irises now in a shimmering purple color while her whole form was coated with purple flames that burned sensually.
Semi-succubus!.
Marla's eyes widened but it should have been obvious.
If Hal could make his men into Semi fiends in hope of improving their combat prowess, it stood to reason that he would do the same for Rita.
Melinda was already aware.
There were few things Hal could truly keep from her.
It was why Hal had informed Rita of Melinda's regained control over her Bloodline because while being a Semi-succubus with no access to an armament put their Bloodlines at the same level of strength which was unique, Melinda had more experience with her Bloodline.
That she had spent years without it had not completely overwhelmed that experience and Rita would do well to be completely alert.
The truth was that Hal did not care who won. It had no real impact on him. They would remain his women.
The only thing that interested him in the duel was the duel itself, the outcome was of no real consequence.
That being said it was still fun to watch and speculate.
"You don't look surprised" Rita noted with a smile as she savored the energy the demonic flames drove through her very being. Empowering her way past her cultivation.
She could now see why Bloodline was a very strong determinant in combat.
Melinda shrugged,
"There's nothing to be surprised about. I would have been surprised if he hadn't done it"
"Will you surrender?" Rita smirked.
Melinda giggled and rolled her eyes "Oh please".
When the two clashed again, this time with their flames attacking along with them, things started to heat up in a literal sense.
The Golden flames seemed disgusted by the demonic energy Rita's flames contained and it showed in the way in which they attacked her. It was vicious.
Melinda was very much aware that taking into account, the origin of her bloodline, there would be little tolerance for anything demonic.
The flames snuck into Rita's body and slowly sapped her strength.
At least It did before the purple flames reacted.
Immediately, Melinda's body began to heat up and her face turned flushed as she tried to suppress the pleasure the flames induced within her.
"Mmmm" She bit her lower lip in a bid to stop the moan before it spilled out.
Rita gasped as she could feel her body weakening but could smell an opportunity in the form of Melinda's arousal due to the demonic flames.
In tandem, both ladies dropped their Cosmic Armaments which vanished in sky blue and white Cosmic mists.
With both hands now free, Rita grabbed the delirious from pleasure Melinda and made to press her to the ground while whispering into her ear,
"I'll be gentle"
Melinda chuckled as her seemingly delirious eyes cleared and she turned them swiftly...
*Bam*
...and Rita's back made contact with the Courtyard floor.
"Took the words right out of my mouth. I win. You lose"
Chapter 106 - Heed MY Advice.
"Damn it" Rita groaned as the purple flames were retracted back into her being.
Melinda grinned and stood up, she stretched her hand towards Rita and the other lady took it and allowed herself to be pulled from the ground.
"I want a do-over," Rita said the moment she was standing.
"No problem. When we're both in the Cosmic Phenomenon Realm" Melinda said with a slight smile.
Rita nodded. She found that reasonable. The moment they both broke through to the Cosmic Phenomenon Realm, she would have her revenge.
"Any chance we can suspend the stakes till then?" Rita asked with an unsure smile.
Melinda chuckled,
"Not a chance"
"It was not truly fair," Rita said in a tone that showed that even she did not believe that.
"Yes it was and even if it wasn't, since when are duels fair," Melinda said before she turned towards Hal who smiled and winked at her.
She rolled her eyes at the display, knowing Hal was insinuating that the Duel hadn't been fair.
The whole event had been quite entertaining but before he could fully indulge, he felt a tug from his soul world and so after taking down the array he retreated into his room.
He sat cross-legged and soon arrived before the two demons who looked slightly sheepish before his gaze.
Hal on the other hand looked completely neutral. Almost detached.
"Umm, How do you feel?" Myra said in an attempt to break the silence that had pervaded since his arrival.
"Same old, same old" Hal shrugged.
Tiberius grunted,
"You just had a run-in with the Primeval virtue. You are anything but okay"
Hal cocked his head in the Fiend's direction,
"It was just her will"
"Lucky you," Tiberius said.
While he did not show it in his expression, Hal knew the demon was right. He had been lucky.
Plain and simple.
Especially since he refused to take an attacking stance. Which he was sure was what Tiberius was disgruntled about.
It was only a matter of time before the volatile demon would no longer be able to hold it in.
And sure enough...
"That was incredibly stupid" Tiberius snarled and his crimson eyes flashed.
"It was?" Hal said in a mockingly surprised voice.
"Yes it was"
"Not from my perspective" Hal insisted with a slight shake of his head.
The darkness in his soul world molded and formed into a short pillar that he rested his arm on.
His cavalier attitude ticked Tiberius off even further,
"And what perspective would that be? Hmm? The one where you were getting your ass handed to you? The one where your whole insides were getting ravaged by Holy light? What-insane-perspective-was-it?"
Tiberius's voice continued to boom loudly in the whole space.
Myra looked from one to the other with a mischievous glint in her eyes.
"My perspective. MINE" Hal yelled and the whole space trembled.
"Nice show of temper. But it's not needed here. You should have used it where it was useful" Tiberius said without showing any hints of having felt the tremble.
*Silence*
It was broken by Hal's musing words,
"Why exactly are you in here?" He asked
"What?" Tiberius was caught off guard.
"You heard me" was all Hal said in reply.
"What does that have to do with anything?"
This time it was Myra who spoke up and Hal turned in her direction and shrugged,
"I was just curious"
"You can ask that another time. For now, stick to the issue at hand..." Tiberius began but Hal interjected,
"But the issue at hand seems to be related to why you are here? But if you want to stick to it, then why don't you start by telling me what it is you don't approve of in my decision"
This time the darkness formed into the kind of chair a Therapist would make use of in their session. Hal sat down and leaned forward with the tip of his fingers touching just above his lips.
Tiberius blinked,
"Are you serious?"
Hal nodded with a smile and the Fiend swelled with boiling anger, the look in his eyes was murderous but it was at that moment he noticed this seemed to be something Hal was after and he quickly worked to calm himself down.
He was right of course. Hal had noticed from past experiences that people with hot tempers if pushed just enough (but not too much lest they react with violence) could be sourced for information.
Information was one thing Tiberius seemed reluctant to give so Hal saw this as an opportunity.
And it was one that could explode right in his face.
Thankfully, other than the pain in here being multiplied, he was sure to survive.
The Fiend turned to the Succubus,
"Is he serious?"
The Succubus shrugged just as clueless as he was.
"Don't be afraid to share" Hal said in a soothing voice that saw the quick return of the demon's anger.
"You want me to share? Fine. You are a COWARD"
Hal's eyes widened and Tiberius sneered in silent jubilation...
'Ah-ha. Think you can get into my head? Think ag...'
"Why do you think so?"
...before Hal answered in a calm tone and Tiberius nearly tore out his hair in frustration.
'This kid's got no fire in him!'
He exclaimed mentally.
Contrary to what Tiberius thought, his statement had an effect on Hal who was also seething inside but he would be damned if he showed that and let the Demon regain balance and a chance to seize the upper hand.
"This will go faster if you answer my questions"
Hal said and wave his hand to firm a therapeutic couch out of the darkness for the Demon to seat in.
Tiberius looked around and eventually sat down with a sigh,
"I asked you to kill your woman. Aren't you even going to react to that?" Tiberius said as a last-ditch attempt to rile up the calm looking Devil Spawn.
"We're dealing with your issues for now. We can talk about those things later" Hal said with a casual wave of his hand.
In his mind, however, he was sneering,
'Yeah we'll talk about it as I kick your ass, you stupid old man'
Tiberius scoffed and lay down on the therapeutic couch.
"Where do you want me to start?"
"Let's start from why you think I'm a coward," Hal said in his ever calm tone of voice.
"Is that not obvious? You DID NOT attack" Tiberius said with wild gesticulation of his hands.
"Yes. To save the life of another" Hal said with a sigh.
"And that counts as cowardly in my book"
Myra blinked,
"By her majesty's word, This shit is getting real"
Hal turned a fraction in her direction before he asked Tiberius,
"What if you were in my position and Myra was in Melinda's"
"Easy. I'll smoke her" Tiberius grunted.
"And by smoke, you mean kill right?" Hal asked.
"Of course"
"Just making sure"
Hal said and turned to face Myra again,
"And you're okay with this?"
Myra smiled in her usual lascivious smile,
"Of course."
'Interesting'
"So you don't form real bonds, do you?" He observed but Myra looked offended,
"Of course we do. We just believe all bonds can be broken in the pursuit of absolute power"
"Is that why you're here? The pursuit of absolute power?" Hal asked in an attempt to be sneaky...
"It's all that matters. That and instructing you on the proper path. One that shows you as deserving of being the son of a Being as great as the Devil Queen.
"Do you even realize how lucky you are? Do you know how many Demons and Devils in the far reaches of Hell would kill to be a true Devil prince but you don't even live up to an iota of what is expected"
...and it worked quite well.
Unfortunately, Tiberius had now caught himself and he looked horrorstruck as he looked to Myra who sighed.
Hal, however, was musing again,
"Corruption, huh? Can't say I'm surprised. It still doesn't tell me the plans of Mother dearest. Tell me, Tiberius, is she truly missing?"
Tiberius growled and Horns sprouted from his forehead. Menacing Blood red horns with sharp points.
"You will not get any more out of me. It seems I underestimated you. You're good, I'll give you that but you are too attached and it will be your doom!"
Myra stood to her feet,
"Tiberius!" She cautioned but the Fiend ignored her.
Hal on the other hand laughed,
"Oh come on T.B. You are living inside my soul rent-free, the least you can do is tell me all you know"
Tiberius narrowed his eyes and clenched his hand so that Executioner appeared and he pointed Hal as he sprung from the therapeutic couch,
"There are things you should not know. Not right now anyway. Heed my advice, Hal, do not be ready to do anything for this booty-calls"
Hal stood from his chair as well and his skin turned scarlet as he took on the lesser Devil form.
As this 'body' was merely constructed, there was no release of Devil Energy but the Darkness I'm his soul World which was born of Devil Energy, reacted to his new form by turning slightly unstable.
"No, you should heed MY advice. Try to corrupt me all you want, I don't care, as long as it does not involve harming those I care about. They are none of your business and you should steer clear"
His Executioner was summoned instantaneously as well by sheer force of will.
Tiberius looked at him long and hard,
"You aren't very much like the Queen"
"From all I've seen so far. That's a good thing"
Chapter 107 - Scavenger Hunt. Part 1
When Hal made that statement, Tiberius took a step back mentally. He realized that as frustrated as he was at Hal's recent actions, he needed to make sure to put his feelings aside for the time being or he could risk alienating him.
And that was not what the Devil queen would want.
"I apologize," Tiberius said as he took a physical step backward.
His Executioner was dispelled as he raised his hands in a form of surrender.
"My first instinct is usually combat. Forgive me" he went on to say and Hal frowned,
The apology was far from enough to soothe his wounded ego but he decided it would do for now.
He had no idea how the two demons were sealed into him or even an inkling as to how to separate himself from them and so for now he needed to be civil.
Reluctant as they were to reveal secrets entrusted to them, it remained a fact that the two could be very useful.
With all this mind, Hal took a deep breath and smiled wildly,
"It's all cool," He said with a sincere tone that was completely false.
The strange thing was that the moment Tiberius saw the smile, he instantly believed the apology to be genuine. It only took him a while for him to doubt what he had seen.
While Hal's actions might not have been considered a Devil norm, his genes were still 100% from the Devil queen and brilliant lying was ingrained in those genes.
Not to even mention the Fiend, the most neutral observing Succubus could perceive nothing from that smile.
"Now can you at least tell me why that psychopathic bitch was trying to kill me?" Hal asked and by Psychopathic bitch, he of course was referring to the Primeval Virtue Will.
At the sound of the question, Tiberius and Myra shook out of their thoughts,
"The Primeval Virtue and the Primeval Devil have been at odds as long as they've lived which is a long time," Tiberius said
"A long time? *snort* what an understatement"
Myra said but Hal could tell she was merely interjecting so he turned back to Tiberius but before he could say a word, the Fiend interrupted,
"Don't ask why. There is no one reason. It's a plethora of reasons to be more exact. They are rivals and opposites. You were attacked because you are her Rival's son. And it doesn't help your case that you were close to her progeny either."
Tiberius said and allowed himself one last disapproving look at Hal which he promptly ignored,
"Is she the one...?" He started to ask but Tiberius interrupted,
"Is she the one that sent the curse Tribulation? No. Sariel had nothing to do with it. Of that I am sure"
"Then who is it?"
"I have no idea," Tiberius said in a level voice.
Hal could tell that he was lying or at least, not telling the whole truth but he shrugged mentally. Tiberius wasn't going anywhere, there was time to find out all he wished to know.
To Myra, he said,
"I think I'm starting to warm up to purple"
"You are?" Myra asked with an overly excited squeal.
"Yes I am, maybe when I wield Essence stealer, I won't throw up," Hal said with a teasing smile.
"I can't wait," Myra said, her eyes glinting with mischief.
Hal nodded with a smile, allowed his eyes to roam her naked and endowed form, and finally with a thought, he retreated from the Soul World.
The two Demons watched him leave and shared a look. Myra opened her mouth as though to speak but ultimately decided against it and kept quiet.
...
Back in his body and regaining consciousness, Hal observed it was already late into the night.
The day had been particularly eventful but he was glad it was over.
After informing Grimoire of certain details of events that had occurred inside his soul world, Hal expected some kind of morale booster but all he got from the ridiculous artifact was...
"My money is on Body possession"
"What?" Hal asked as he stood before the large book in his mind space.
"Well, it seems kind of obvious that the Devil queen wants something from you. I am betting she wants your body" Grimoire said as though he was explaining to a two-year-old that two plus two made four.
Silence pervaded as Hal stared at Grimoire with such an unfathomable expression that the book could no longer keep silent,
"What I'm not allowed to speculate?" It asked in a semi-aggressive tone but Hal just rolled his eyes and snorted,
"For starters, 'your money is on...' ? What money? All you have in you, you siphoned from me and secondly, I was expecting more precision"
"Whoa, do I look like a prophet to you? That I contain immense knowledge does not mean I'm clairvoyant."
Hal shrugged,
"You're the next best thing"
Hal could tell something was bothering Grimoire but he was sure the mood would pass, so he ignored it.
"Oh r-r-really? I am?"
There was something about Grimoire's tone that caused Hal's eyes to narrow but ultimately he ignored it, instead, he moved on to more pressing issues,
"Is there any way I can get rid of the two Demons sealed inside me?"
Hal just could not shake the feeling that he was being watched through those two. Whether they were aware of it or not, he was not sure.
"They were placed there by a Primeval, so no. Not for now. You are going to have to bear with it. Use them to your own advantage" Grimoire told him with a sigh and then paused,
"So do you suspect Body possession?" It asked.
"No, I don't," Hal said with a strange certainty.
"Why not?" Grimoire was taken slightly aback.
"Think about it. Why send me to the Mortal realm which is devoid of Cosmic energy? I would not be able to cultivate and my body will ultimately be of no use." Hal explained slowly and Grimoire hummed in agreement.
"Maybe she's a loving mother who just cares about her son," It said and it was clear it did not believe it.
Hal chuckled but said nothing.
A short while later when he was about to leave his mind space, Grimoire called out to him,
"Just so you know, Not all I have inside of me is from you, I had hosts before you after all"
...
The Competition.
Among the Top Echelons, it was a very useless endeavor. There was no real point to it.
Sure, the winner could bring glory to their family and lay down a statement to show just how powerful that family would be once the Young generation took, however these w, ere all things that hold more traction when there was no civil war on the Horizon.
Even with the city's eventual collapse closing in and all Great families against each other just as they were simultaneously against the Plebeians who remained a collective unit, they all still agreed that the young generation should be spared from the troubles and allowed to mingle and worry about 'Trivial' issues such as who was the most outstanding.
It had been three days since the Confluence had been robbed and the victims of the Malevolent One were mostly conscious with a few still persistently in a coma.
Due to those events, Hector had considered canceling the Competition, However, the Plebeian and other Great family leaders all protested that the competition should proceed.
It was no longer about simply preparing the traditional Salmon Hunt but was now more about soaring the innocents the harsh reality that their city's serenity was about to crumble completely.
This was all Bullcrap and they all knew it. The whole competition was an avenue for a lot of them to carry out their secret plots.
Certain areas were bound to be lax in security during these 'Trivial' events. More on that later.
Hector was not deluding himself that the emotional words all held credence but he was well past caring for the city as a whole.
He would tighten security for all Edgar scions, the others would however have to take care of their youngsters.
If they were all ready to risk their children just for the chance to attack others, then so be it.
-
And so it was that right outside the boundary of Tretch Forest gathered the most talented of the young generation the city had to offer.
While Hector had said all progeny regardless of Background were welcome to this competition as long they had adequate strength to participate, no one expected anyone not from the Great and Plebeian families to dare compete.
All that being said, there remained quite a few commoners in the crowd. Most of them were at the Peak of the Energy sensing realm and others were close to the peak but they still stood to one side and glanced at the Plebeian and Great family scions with apprehension.
"What do you think it's going to be about?" A Plebeian asked an effeminate looking young man who's poise was that of a leader.
The Effeminate young man looked to the one who had asked the question, however when he opened his mouth -to answer or to disparage-, the sound of footsteps drew the attention of all those present...
...and as though guided by an invisible force they all turned to the Young man who had only just arrived, followed closely by a dark-haired girl who gazed at them all with animosity.
Hal was however as jovial as ever as he waved at Alexander Edgar who frowned upon seeing him before chancing a glance at Marla, a glance Hal caught,
"Oh look, Marla. We just arrived and that pervert is already staring at you"
Chapter 108 - Scavenger Hunt. Part 2
Everyone turned to Alexander and his face went red from anger immediately.
What the heck?
Who walks into a gathering and immediately calls someone a pervert?
Besides, how could say it with a straight face when it was clear that HE was the pervert?
Alexander's gaze oo Hal was one of deep hatred that Hal found a little unsettling and out of place, considering they had only met twice.
Alexander was however thinking of when last they had met, during which time, for reasons still unknown, Hal had caused him to feel fear.
Of course, Alexander was sure it was only because of his lingering thought at Hal's callous killing of his brother.
He had spent the last three days convincing himself that it was all psychological and he was back to normal now.
There was no way Hal could intimidate him.
Right?
Meanwhile, those in the crowd surveyed Hal. His clothes identified him as someone of status as opposed to a simple commoner, which explains why he could call an Edgar a pervert with only one female as a backup.
The part that still puzzled them was his identity. Surely someone of his looks and social standing would not be nameless.
Keep in mind that the Young generation had not being involved in the Auction which had been filled with the Adults instead.
Naturally, all males instantly hated his guts and it wasn't just that he had insulted a Great family scion which did not sit well with others from the Edgar family. It was because everything about him immediately made them insecure.
Hal could easily sense their envy and thanks to his Bloodline Advancement, he could feel it in a more literal sense and it only served to please his ego.
Those not from the Edgar family were able to push past those insecurities and appreciate his attack on a rival.
The Effeminate young man stepped away from his group and walked up to Hal who turned to face him as well,
"He IS a pervert, isn't he?" He smiled at Hal who merely cooked his head in agreement but the young man was not done.
Stretching out his hand in a bid for a handshake, he introduced himself,
"I'm Leyton Fidwud, who might you be?" He asked in a polite tone that Hal saw through as fake instantly. Leyton was trying to source out the competition to know who exactly he was dealing with.
Hal grasped the hand in a firm handshake,
"I'm Hal Payne. Nice to meet you too" he said with a smile that was 100% genuine.
He did feel it was nice to meet him. After all, he had just made a fool of the Father three days prior. The son was a fresh... Prospect.
The moment Hal said his name, Leyton's smile froze and he tried to dislodge his hand from Hal's but the latter held it in a tight grip that seemed completely effortless.
Of course, it seemed Effortless because it WAS effortless. They were not in the same league of strength after all.
"Did he just say, Hal Payne?"
"Yes I believe he did"
*Gasp*
Murmurs understandably broke out. No one had forgotten the event surrounding Rad Payne's death and the involvement of his brother who had not been heard of until that very day.
The eyes that now fell on him immediately became anxious. The art of killing was not something so gruesome in the Cultivating community.
The issue lay in the fact that none of them had yet taken a life and the fact that a killer was in their midst was worth attention.
Eventually, Hal let Leyton's hand go and the poor guy stumbled due to the repulse of his pulling coupled with the sudden release. A few sniggers could be heard from the crowd.
"An outcast. You are not really a Payne and therefore not a Great Family scion" Alexander sneered and while the embarrassed Leyton did not like him on account of them being rivals, he had to agree.
Hal on the other hand chuckled,
"You are mostly right but then again according to your Grandfather's order, everyone can compete, so what does that matter"
He wound his arm around Marla's shoulder as he continued,
"Besides, I'm mostly here to spectate. Marla will be doing most of the ass-kicking"
At those words, attention was back on the dark-haired beauty who now smiled at them widely like a predator.
Leyton shrugged off his embarrassment and smiled at Hal with considerable effort,
"Why don't you join the Fidwuds. It won't be wise to go off on your own. It's bound to get dangerous in there"
He said with a not so subtle glance at the commoners. Who despite their numbers were not much compared to their upper-class opponents.
Hal smiled,
"We'll be fine"
"Your funeral" Leyton said in an undertone that Hal heard and ignored.
Alexander sneered while he glanced once again from Hal to Marla.
Hal was about to caution him but Marla beat him to it,
"You're still looking? Want me to gouge out your eyes?"
The words immediately caused the sneer to wipe off Alex's face as he doubled back while Hal chuckled.
"Welcome," said a loud voice that drew their attention to the boundary of Tretch forest where they could still hear the occasional growl of Demon beasts.
The one who had addressed them was none other than Darryl Edgar who remained the most healthy of the victims of the events Three days prior.
Marlon still lay on his sickbed, apparently too weak to stand but Hal knew the coward was faking and merely taking his sweet time to rest properly in preparation of his remarriage or more accurately, in preparation for re-consummation.
By Darryl's side was Hector's trusted man, Karon who would be in charge of the participants' security.
Meanwhile, Darryl continued,
"In a short while, you will be allowed to delve into this forest and brave it's many dangers so I will not do you any disservice by not telling you all you need to know.
"For starters, the Salmon's lair has been reduced to rubble. Whether it was due to an altercation or simply it's own desire, we are not clear but the whole forest has been thoroughly searched and it is nowhere to be found so at the very least we are sure the forest is safe from it"
At this point, Darryl paused and allowed all murmurs and conversation both in whispers and carrying tones to die out before he continued,
"That being said, the Forest, even free of the Salmon is still a danger on it's own. We have selected the least dangerous location for this competition. The Demon beasts here are not above your strength. At least not by too much. So unless you have a death wish, do not go into the Southside."
Human psychology dictates that humans are always drawn to where and what they are not allowed.
You tell a child, "Do not go in there" and he only becomes even more curious.
And that was exactly what Hal was.
Curious.
The tone of Darryl's voice was enough to warn those gathered not to seek out the southside. After all, they were here to prove they were the best among their peers and not to seek an end to their short lives.
'What's in there' he asked Darryl telepathically.
Darryl told him in detail, placing more emphasis to discourage him the more but the more he cautioned, the more curious Hal was.
Human Psychology.
Had never been more accurate.
It was not that Hal had a death wish. He just had certain insights that made him interested in the source of the southside distress.
Darryl continued with his speech,
"A 'small' section of the Northside has been littered with Rune tiles. One hundred of them to be precise. You will find them in different locations. A little hint: They are close to Demon beast lairs with some of them actually inside the lairs.
"To retrieve them you will most likely have to engage the Demon beasts. The moment you realize you can not handle them, step back and do not engage in a pointless struggle. Especially not one that can kill you"
Some commoners in the crowd secretly jubilated.
Hal could tell they were hunters and must frequent the forest to hunt. He had to admit that their expertise would prove useful.
"The Rune Tiles can not be stored in spatial treasures and must be displayed on your person at all times," Darryl said and instantly caused slight confusion.
It was never stated that the tiles could not be seized, displaying them was stupid at best, unless...
"This brings us to the most important part of the competition. Searching for tiles can not prove you better than your peers. Tiles can be seized and are encouraged to be seized.
"And just so you know, each tile is worth 100 Gold coins. The one with the most tiles at the end of the competition wins and even if you don't hold the most amount, you can still exchange the ones you have for Gold."
Eyes widened all round.
The lure was not limited to commoners, all were tempted and Hal could see them already riled up and practically salivating to grab the tiles.
'So they replaced a Salmon Hunt with a Scavenger hunt. What happened to good old fashioned dueling competitions? Very well if you want to give me even more of your money, I'll gladly accept. I am, after all, a generous man first and foremost'
Darryl could see the salivation as well,
"The competition will end at Sundown. Begin!"
The crowd instantly dashed in as fast as they could, Alexander did not bother trying to catch his father's eye cause he knew it was of no importance. His father valued fairplay the most.
Soon Hal and Marla were the only ones left outside of the Tretch forest.
Hal turned to her,
"Shall we?"
She smiled in reply,
"We shall"
Chapter 109 - Earthen Badger
The Mansion.
Melinda and Rita sat across each other in the lounge both holding a goblet of wine.
The two had not said a word since Hal and Marla left earlier in the afternoon to attend the competition.
Their silence was not for lack of something to say. They both simply enjoyed said silence along with the burning taste of the alcoholic brew down their throats.
After their duel, Hal had not allowed a threesome. Engaging the two ladies separately.
When they had asked why?, the pervert told them that he was too 'preoccupied' with the upcoming competition and wanted to focus solely on that for now.
This was an obvious lie. Hal couldn't care less who the most outstanding in the young generation was.
Whatever the reason, Rita was more than ready to wait. She sometimes shivered when she felt Melinda's gaze on her.
Melinda however acted as casual as ever. There was nothing to it.
However, once she was was alone with her thoughts, she could not help but think of this as an opportune moment to perfect disciplinary techniques needed to put unruly lasses in their place.
The two were very comfortable with the silence but they were bound to break it soon.
And sure enough,
"So, you tried to kill him," Rita said while taking a sip of wine.
Melinda rolled her eyes. These last three days, Rita had not let up bringing this up even though she knew it was not accurate.
"There are much easier ways to upset me, you know?" Melinda said with a smile.
"But it's working isn't it?" Rita smirked.
"Barely" Melinda dutiful went back to her quiet sips of wine.
Rita took a deep breath,
"How did a talented girl like you end up slumming it here?" She asked and Melinda gave a sideways glance,
"You know how"
"No, I don't. I know what you've told us"
"Exactly. You know the truth"
"Is it though? I mean who knows who is truly in the wrong? We've only heard a one-sided story from you, surely we need to hear the other parties before coming to a Conclusion" Rit said in a would-be casual tone.
Melinda turned to face her,
"Are you suggesting I'm a liar?"
At this point, Rita's eyes widened in mock surprise,
"Is that what it sounds like? Well, then I guess I really am calling you a liar. How does that make you feel"
The two stared at each other for a full minute before Melinda shrugged,
"You've got a point. If you want to believe my family's side of the story then be sure to do so should you ever meet them"
Rita's face blanked and she gritted her teeth in frustration but Melinda was not done,
"You are free to try riling me up again but it won't work until the terms of the duel are met" Melinda grinned and went back to her wine sipping.
"You are enjoying this aren't you," Rita asked with tight lips.
"Of course I am. What would be the point of a duel if I don't enjoy my winnings?" Melinda chuckled and Rita could not help but agree.
It seemed she would have to accept her fate in terms of this duel. Who knows it might actually be fun. Right?
'I better not hold my breath'
...
Meanwhile in Tretch forest,
The Hunt was on.
In the literal sense of the word.
The moment the participants entered into the forest they spread out and searched for Demon beast lairs, around or in which they were bound to find Rune tiles which were their objective.
"Jack, are you sure you know what you're doing?"
A group of commoners was crouching behind covers to observe the entrance of a cave in which a demon beast was resting at that moment.
The one called Jack was older than most of them, being in his thirties (which still qualified him as part of the young generation). He usually frequented the Forest to hunt Demon beasts and he picked his target knowing this particular beast was not difficult to handle.
The beast was called the Earthen badger and had been a wild beast until quite recently when it acquired the ability to sense Cosmic energy. It was now an Eight stage sensing beast.
Jack was at the ninth stage but was still very much aware that he was barely a match for the beast on account of its physical capabilities.
The others were at the Eight stages, unfortunately, the numbers would not grant them much of an advantage against a beast that completely outclassed them in almost all ways.
But by joining forces with Jack who was a fairly experienced hunter, all should be well.
The real issue lay in the fact that this was mostly a gamble. The lair might not even contain a Rune tile and a struggle with the Earthen badger could very well be a useless endeavor.
"Of course I know what I'm doing" Jack retorted in an impatient tone before he drew something out of his clothes and blew a short tune on it.
He blew for only a short while before a low-toned shuffle followed and an even lower toned growl was emitted from the lair and out came a Badger. Completely unlike any wild badger.
The presence of Cosmic energy had caused an obvious growth spurt and standing on its hind legs, it was as tall as Jack himself.
It's dark beady eyes looked Jack directly, already intelligent enough to know he was the source of the horrid tune that had annoyed it so much.
Jack however hid the tool he had made use of and readied himself for evasive maneuvers so he could get past the badger and into its lair to search for the rune tile.
He was about to begin when one of his companions noticed something and signaled to him, when it failed to get his attention, the companion called,
"Jack!"
"What?" Jack turned as he followed the companion's pointed finger to the Earthen badger's snout.
Held tightly within its sharp-looking teeth was the Rune tile Jack had been hoping to search for in its lair.
Now there was no longer any hope of maneuvering, it needed to be a direct assault for Jack was certain the beast would not let it go easily.
Jack turned to the others (Ten of them) and signaled to begin the attack and they did.
They all ran right towards the beast with their fist packed with the full might of their cultivation bases.
Unfortunately for them, the beast was far from being a fool or a stagnant target. The moment they made their move, the badger could pinpoint their location even if they stood behind him.
It stamped a paw on the ground and a wall of earth rose before one of the attackers who was unable to stop in time and...
*Slam!*
... Smacked right into the wall.
The others were quick to learn from his encounter and keep an eye out for another example of Demon beast peculiarity.
Evading the occasional walls of earth, four of them arrived in front of the badger and surrounded him on all fronts before they closed in and punched out,
*Bam*
*Growwwl!*
At first, they were excited, mistaking the growl as one of pain instead of the annoyed sound it truly was, the beast swiped it's arm round and sent them flying far away from it.
During that action however it had been distracted and that allowed the others (Jack excluded) to surround and attack it with even more ferocity.
Somehow, almost impossibly, they were able to force the badger on the defensive although to be fair, the beast had mostly been on the defensive, this time it was just not by choice.
But even as they attacked, Jack who was surveying the scene could tell it was not going to last long. The truth was that they were even more back footed since they could not level the playing field with the use of skills.
However, they had forced the Beast enough for Jack the hunter and Ninth stager to dash in and deliver the final blow, one the Badger could not sense or defends against.
*Bam!!!*
*Howwwl!"
This time, it was a sound of pain as the beast toppled over was vanquished.
Normally this would be the time when Jack would work on retrieving the pelt and dicing up the Meat for sale but he picked the rune tile instead.
All returns from the Earthen Badger would barely amount to 10 gold coins. The tile was more valuable.
Right when he and his fellows were about to celebrate the score and then seek out other lairs, they heard the sound of multiple tiles,
*Jingle* *Jingle* *Jingle*
They turned and came face to face with well dressed upper-class scions who were there for one thing only as made evident by their pointed stare at the tile within Jack's clenched fist.
The one in the forefront. The obvious leader chanced a glance at the dead badger but was not bothered. Instead, he stretched his hand,
"Hand it over"
Jack sneered,
"Make me"
The young man chuckled with his hand still outstretched,
"Of course, if that's what you want, then I will gladly oblige"
Following his statement, the young man let out his cultivation base to show he was also at the Ninth stage.
Jack readied himself with a show of his strength as well until six more from the well dressed upper-class group released their cultivation base to reveal they were at the Night stage as well!
'...'
Jack despaired.
Chapter 110 - It'll Be Over Quickly
This had to be the worst case scenario. Jack knew he could potentially hold his own against one opponent on his level of cultivation but seven was a different, impossible, concept.
The young man sniggered,
"Is that enough to show you that combat is useless and unnecessary?"
Jack gritted his teeth and gripped the Rune tile tighter as he looked at them closely and then turned to his own companions whom he knew would not really have the ability to offer assistance. The feeling in the pit of his stomach was worsening.
"Hand it over" The young man said again.
"Sure" Jack said "If you can catch me" and he took off into the forest.
The young man and the others with him blinked at the unexpected turn of events.
What the...?
"What are you waiting for? After him" The young man yelled and the Ninth stagers took off after Jack.
Jack could see this was his best bet if he did not want to surrender something he had worked for.
The way he saw things, he had been in this forest frequently enough to know how to lose his chasers.
Unfortunately for Jack however, while his chasers were upper class men, they also frequent the forest with the aim of learning more about the Salmon before the more general and public hunt.
The forest also happened to be a nice place to temper themselves in life and death situations against Demon beasts.
This men were far from being noobs.
They separated and three of them went ahead to cut him off while the other three worked to herd him in that direction.
When Jack chanced a glance behind him and noticed the separation, he could already form an hypothesis on what they were after but there was still one thing he could do.
Break out of the circle.
He changed direction suddenly and went after the one that had been running on his right side. His plan was to use his speed to heighten his strength is that he could quite literally break through that assailant.
The one he went after noticed his approach and his eyes narrowed ever so slightly.
At the last minute, right before impact, the assailant stopped and held his ground,
*Bam!*
The impact saw the opposite of what Jack had been after and smacked him right into the centre where all six could surround him.
Jack stood shakily, wincing at the pain from his broken bones.
"What now?" Sneered the assailant he had just collided with.
There seemed to be nothing wrong with him despite the impact. Almost as though he was a rock.
At this point, Jack knew it must have been the sophistication of Cultivation techniques that had made the difference in their defensive resilience.
There was no need to waste anymore time and risk Jack taking off again, so the one he had collided with wrestled the tile out of his grip.
He inspected it with a grin and then kicked Jack's head for good measure.
When they turned to leave they heard a whoosh sound just as a voice called out,
"Look out below!"
They had barely a second warning after that before a body landed with a loud sound.
The six of them flinched involuntarily before they noticed the body was still very much alive. Not just that, they could even recognize it. Bloody as the face was, they could see it was the young man that had just ordered them after Jack.
The young man was weary and every breath seemed to take a significant amount of effort.
Immediately, they looked around for the one responsible.
They did not need to look far as he was already walking towards them. Using a fabric to clean off their companion's blood off his hands. His smile was so natural looking that had it not been for the blood on his hand, they might have mistaken him as a friend
They recognized him of course, he was Hal Payne who had caused a mild scene just before the competition began.
Looking down at the condition of their bloody companion and the smiling Hal with his now clean hand, it was easy to put things together.
"How dare you?" Asked one of the six.
(Who it was does not matter)
"How dare me what?" Hal asked with a surprised expression.
"How dare you touch him?" Clarified another with clear rage.
"Oh. Well you see, he had so many Rune tiles with him and he kept jingling them like an idiot... You seriously don't expect me to simply ignore such prime target do you?"
Hal said with a slight smile as Marla walked out of the covers of trees to stand by his side and look at the six of them with neutral expression.
*Jingle* *Jingle* *Jingle*
Despite having just called the one who had done this before an idiot, Hal still started jingling the tiles with him. The message was clear.
The act itself was not the reason for the idiocy it was doing such right in front of someone who could take it all away.
It was clear Hal did not see them as a threat.
"What do you think?" Hal asked with a smile and they all looked confused until they realized he had not been referring to them but to the young lady that stood by his side.
"Are you asking me if they are good enough?" Marla asked.
"Of course I am," Hal said as though he had not expected her to ask a question whose answer was quite obvious.
"But... I thought you would choose my targets" Marla asked in a surprised tone.
"I led us here but you have to decide if they are worth your time or not. That's not my decision and I do not intend to make it for you" Hal told her.
"What the hell are you two talking about?" Asked one of the six and Marla turned her angry eyes towards him.
"Excuse me, can't you see we're having a conversation," she said with seething rage.
How dare this idiot interrupt?.
Having been a servant in the past, Marla was not particularly enamored with snotty upperclassmen.
"You injured my friend. Don't just gloss over it because you two want to have a sweet moment together"
This time Marla looked shocked (mockingly so),
"Friend? You're obviously his lackey. Are you just saying friend cause you know he's unconscious and can't hear you?" Marla said before imitating a baby's voice (again to mock the speaker),
"Are you going to go home after this and cross that off your bucket list?"
The speaker backpedaled,
"Lackey? How dare you?"
"Yes, I called you a lackey cause that's what you are. What are you going to do about it?" Marla taunted.
"You bitch!" The speaker raged but Marla just chuckled,
"You kiss your mother with that mouth?"
Somehow, this was the final straw that broke the camel's back as he ran straight towards Marla with his hand clenched into a fist.
Marla revealed her cultivation base just as she punched out with a fist of her own.
*Bang!*
*Crack!*
"Arrrrgggghhh"
The speaker's entire hand was completely fractured right to the wrist.
As he was thrown right back towards his peers and Marla stood in the same spot without taking even a single step back, he could only wonder what cultivation technique could strengthen her body to such an impossible state.
*Bam!*
He fell right at the feet of his companions who bent low to check his condition.
At that time Marla's voice sounded,
"That's it? With all his words, you would think he would be more impressive. What a disappointment. Get up you loser, let's go again"
She said and bounced from place to place with her fist punching out like a Boxer.
Hal chuckled,
"I don't think he can"
"He can't?. Damn it!. If I knew that, I would have done a lot more with the only punch I had" and she sounded truly disappointed.
The others turned to her as the speaker had fallen unconscious right after she had called him a disappointment and essentially dissed all his efforts to cultivate thus far.
They could see the danger where it lay and while it seemed more prudent to not engage, they could not just leave the Tiles with those two.
At least that was what the One Jack had collided with thought as he stepped towards the two.
"I want those Tiles back" It was clear from his tone that he was demanding and not requesting. He would not compromise.
"What's your name?" Hal asked.
"My name is Waldo from the Bale family" Waldo replied.
"Well, Waldo from the Bale family, If you want the tiles, you can come and take them from me," Hal said while still jingling the Tiles.
"With pleasure" Waldo sneered and he dashed towards Hal but Marla stood between them and forced him to pause.
"It's between me and your boyfriend over there. Move aside" Waldo said with an intimidating tone of voice but contrary to what he had expected, Marla swooned and turned towards Hal,
"You hear that? He called you my boyfriend"
"Yes I did, he has good observation skills" Hal chuckled while giving Waldo a thumbs up.
Marla giggled "For that, I will go easy on you"
Waldo blinked,
What sort of couple were these two?
"She's lying. She won't go easy on you" Hal said and Marla nodded begrudgingly,
"He's right, I won't. It's not that I don't want to but I've never done it before and so I don't know how. But I assure you that while it will be very painful, It'll be over quickly"
Waldo sneered as he readied himself,
"I won't be so sure if I were you"
He said before dashing forward once again but this time, his target was the interfering Marla.