Questioning

"Jason squatted on the wooden port his sword leaning on his shoulder. He looked at the mysterious woman who was sitting on the wooden planks.

"Alright," he said looking her straight in the eye.

"I'm going to ask you some questions, and you answer them, alright?"

The mysterious woman nodded her head while Jason smiled with a slightly threatening atmosphere behind him.

"Alright, so according to my brother, you might actually not be trying to oppose us like what we had thought before."

Jason looked at Perseus who stood a few feet behind the mysterious woman holding a fishing rod and Arondight in his left and right hand.

He had a slightly concerned expression as he looked at the kneeling woman and Jason who was squatting like a gangster.

Jason didn't really know why he was doing this. But he trusted what Perseus was saying. Perseus had only realized who the mysterious woman was when Jason came charging in. Before he just thought she was a random woman who seemed to be in a sort of strange captivity.

Now Jason was trying to see if she really was a captive or just an enemy.

Jason looked at the mysterious woman again this time analyzing her deeply. Her purple hair glistened as it fell to her waist. Her red eyes sparkled in a crimson color as she looked back at Jason. Her lips looked plump and full, her skin looked like porcelain.

She had a melancholy expression on her face as she looked at him. But for some reason, her gaze seemed to pass through Jason almost like she was staring off into space.

Jason let out a sigh

"Alright, first surrender your territory you are the last rival to Jack."

The mysterious woman shook her head.

"I can't do that"

Jason's eye twitched in annoyance.

"why can't you?"

He asked looking at Perseus with a raised eyebrow. Was this woman really a bird in a cage?

She didn't answer. Jason waited for a few seconds, but she just sat in silence.

Minutes passed with Jason just sitting and waiting. Perseus got more and more suspicious of the mysterious woman as more and more time passed. Was she trying to stall for time or something?

One of the young guild members who Perseus had sent to collect the loot walked over to Perseus happily holding the loot items he got from the drops of the gang members.

"look master!" he said handing him two items one of them was a hard club that gave a small buff to a person's strength and the other one. Well, that was a bit more interesting. It was a collar. A purple one with dark red gems inlaid in them. The collar itself had lots of rune writing on them a small hoop that would allow a chain to go through was on the frount and it gave off an evil atmosphere as Perseus held it in his hand.

Perseus let out a sigh. He knew what the collar in his hands was. He had seen it before. He thanked the young guild member and turned away to walk towards Jason.

He tossed the collar to Jason who quickly caught it in his left hand.

"it's a slave collar" he explained, "it's from the loot of the ripper executives so I think we both know what that means."

Jason looked at the mysterious woman who was kneeling on the ground completely silent staring at the floor.

"Are you saying she might...."

Perseus slowly nodded.

Jason walked over to the mysterious woman and tilted up her chin. She didn't resist but instead looked at Jason with sad and broken eyes.

Jason squinted in confusion as he looked at her neck. There wasn't a collar. Just a black cloth choker.

"Wait a second"

Jason muttered to himself stretching out his hand to touch the black choker.

The moment his hand brushed against the black lace choker. A small reflective shimmer could be seen like a person peeling off a wrapper the image of the black choker disappeared and instead, the slave collar just like the one Perseus held in his hands appeared.

Perseus walked over to Jason

"the owner of the slave collar must have commanded her to not say anything or to give up the territory under any normal means. The reason why she can't say anything isn't because she won't do it. It's because she is literally being forced not to. Am I right?"

The mysterious woman let out a sad smile as she said almost in a whisper

"bird in a cage huh?"

Perseus let out a melancholy look, he had seen other people who had been entrapped in the same situation the woman was in. One of the slaves he had just freed in fact had one. But his situation was much worse his entire consciousness was taken by the slave collar and he became a doll following his master's command.

"was there a reason why her consciousness was left?" Jason couldn't help but ask Perseus.

"when a person's consciousness is taken away, they are just dolls, with no real skills, i would presume the reason why she still has it, is because she has a valuable ability or skill that is needed."

Jason let out a sigh while looking at the mysterious woman

"and Im guessing she can't give us any useful information huh"

She didn't answer, but her eyes told Jason everything.

Jason turned to Perseus

"alright now what?"

Perseus could only shrug his shoulders.

Jason turned to the mysterious woman his eyes filled with uncertainty and a bit of annoyance.

"alright, for now i guess we will just hold her captive"

Once Jason said that a large row of notifications came up in front of both Perseus and Jason.

[you have taken the last remaining leader captive]

[the territory of the mysterious woman has been taken]

[All territories have been taken by Jack]

[Jack has become the new ripper executive]

[stat bonuses have been given to Jack]

[Jack has gained a new title]

[the NPCs close to Jack have gained stat bonuses]

[Jack has become the 13th ripper executive]

[A subordinate has risen to a position of power]

[+1000 points]

[+1 strenght]

[+1 agility]

[+10000 EXP]

Back in the mysterious woman's territory. Jack and the large group of gang members under his command swept through her territory. There were a few pockets of rebellion, gang members who seemed to act like crazed dolls jumping into the ranks and fighting like maniacs until they were eventually knocked unconsious.

Jack let out a frown as he walked down the streets. The people poking out their heads from their broken-down houses looked at Jack with fear. Jack turned to Heheegaboo who was walking slightly behind him with his two chained blades in his hands.

Jack opened his mouth to ask if the scouts they had sent found anything. But a gasp escaped from his body as his body started to tense up.

Jack's head tilted up and his body froze for a few seconds as a bloody red glow started to cover his body.

Jack could still move his mouth though, and he let out a yell of anguish as the red glow covered every inch of his body like a bloody wave.

The process continued with Jack standing in the streets a few minutes passed and then, Jack's body seemed to be released from whatever power made it tense up. A brief red glow came from his eyes and he stood in the streets clenching his fists in both wonder and confusion.

"what.... just happened to me"

Heheegaboo let out a laugh and put his hand on Jack's shoulder.

"congrats! you've become a ripper executive"

Jack turned and looked at Heheegaboo with an even more confused face. To which Heheegaboo quickly explained

"its the rite of ascension for a ripper executive"

"the what?"

Heheegaboo paused and stretched his chin trying to figure out how to explain something like that to a kid. Finally, he raised his hand and pointed at the tattoo on his hand. Jack knew the tattoo well, it was just like the one branded on his back.

Heheegaboo slowly pointed it up.

"the ripper gang is a bit more than just an average gang, though it's not known what or by whom, it is known that ripper executives are given strength that exceeds any normal human. That is why it is sought for so desperately, it's not just the power that it gives, but also its strength."

Jack clenched his fist feeling the power coursing through his veins. He felt like he could outrun any monster now, fight any being and still end up on top. He felt like he could finally be of service to his master.

Heheegaboo nodded towards Jack's left hand.

"each ripper executive usually gets a weapon from their rite, though it is not known what or how. It is known that the weapon will become almost like an extension of their body.

Jack looked down at his left hand see a jagged dagger clenched in it. The blade seemed to be made out of a dark blue crystal. It had numerous jagged teeth on it that shone in the sunlight. The hilt itself was decorated intracity with a decorative dragon mouth opening up on the hilt with the blade coming through it. The handle of the dagger was wrapped in black leather and its end was capped with light silver.

Heheegaboo along with all of Jack's friends and the gang members who stood behind Jack witnessing everything. Started to bow their heads. They were acknowledging the new ripper executive.

Jack stood in their midst looking around at them, even when they were all kneeling he barely stood a few inches above them. But with the aura Jack gave off, he might as well have been a giant compared to them.

He was now a ripper executive.