25

The main drawback to this toxin was how easily people could be snapped out of the hallucination. A single injury would be enough to bring them back to reality. Keeping myself in control enough to stop myself from injuring an opponent was difficult. Especially since the hallucinogenic properties of the poison didn't kick in right away. The dosage was tricky as well.

Too much, and the hallucination would run its course too quickly. Too little, and they might realize they were being tricked. I grabbed the lords head before it could hit the ground as it separated from his body. This would get me all the fear I needed for the time being. I'd have to drop it at some point, but rumor would spread just fine without me needing to do much of anything about it.

All I had to do was show up, and people would talk. I blinked back into the lord's banquet hall. I'd regenerated a good amount of mana while the city lord was fighting a ghost. I was still using more mana than I wanted to, but at least now I had managed to stabilize the eye of the storm spell. It was now sustaining itself entirely on the mana of the world around it.

As long as the spell didn't take any attacks I would be able to maintain it like this until morning. I planned to end all of this in an few hours. I tossed the head a the other nobles.

"My offer still stands," I scanned the room knowing full well that Sekka, and my double had already left, "I had hoped I could get that merchant back for attacking me before, but I'll settle for your heads instead."

"No no no," one of the stronger nobles whined aloud, "You can have all my slaves." His voice gained a bit of strength then, "I'd rather live. You can have all the slaves you want."

The other nobles clamored to agree as well. I smiled brightly behind the mask. The squint of my eyes probably gave away my joy.

"I'll need someway to keep you honest," I blinked across the room so I was within feet of them, "I could call the wolf here, but I'd prefer an even better guarantee that you won't pull anything."

I started formulating a rune that would allow me to detonate it at will. The thick magical lines were easy for the nobles to see. This kind of rune casting was difficult for me to learn at first. The lines were thick because I was creating multiple rune circles at once. Charging them at the same time as I was creating them.

The circle cycled the mana into the rune while the rune gave the mana instruction. This rune would have a secondary command running through it that would allow me to detonate it at will. I chose to charge the rune with the fire element. Fire was an element that just about anyone could use. I'd used a trick I didn't want them to know about just yet.

They might be able to figure it out by looking at his body later, but it seemed as if most of their medical know how was based on magical abilities, and knowledge. They might not be able to detect an organic poison. Then again their magical knowledge was much higher then that of humans. They might be able to do things I hadn't seen before. I swung the lord's blade experimentally a few times.

Inspect had shown me that this was a blade forged with divine energy. That meant that there were even more elves that could use divine energy, and were expert blacksmiths as well. I wasn't willing to take Sekka's word alone since he was only exposed to a small circle within the elven society. I flicked my wrist experimentally. The blade was heavy, and the elves around me seemed surprised that I could move it so easily.

"You've volunteered your slaves up in exchange for your life," I flicked the blade under his chin, "You'll go first."

The runes I'd been creating spread out, and embedded themselves into all the nobles in the room. I grabbed the noble tightly by the shoulder. Blinking him along with me as I moved from the banquet hall to the lord's house. I blinked Sekka into my spot. He'd had plenty of time to change into his outfit, and I'd already dissolved the double.

I assumed that they would be surprised by the change of people in charge. I walked through the front doors of his manor. He seemed surprised that I knew where he lived.

"You really think I wouldn't scout the area beforehand," I smirked as I cut down the elf that attacked me.

I made the sword disappear a split second later. It was heavier than I liked.

"Stand down," the noble shouted.

I could tell he was more afraid for his own life then that of his guards. He was worried about the rune that was draining away some of his mana while it was imbedded in his back.

"He can kill me at any time," he turned around to show his guards the rune that was glowing on his back, "He just wants my slaves. Bring me every slave."

"You do realize the rune won't go away until this whole assault is over," I leaned closer to the noble.

"My best chance of survival is behaving," he looked at me with some hatred in his glare.

I wasn't all that surprised. He wouldn't pull anything while I had his life in his hands. I was going to steal every single slave he owned. It didn't take long for his personal guard to gather up all the slaves in the manor, and bring them here.

"Are these all the of your slaves?" I asked once they were brought to me.

"Yes," he lied.

My mana came down on him like a hammer. I didn't use any gravitational manipulation. It was pure power.

"What part of this makes lying to me seem like a good idea?" I barely kept the snarl out of my voice.