Fattening up (1)

"Lineage, huh? Are you sure that is the truth?" Destin asked, as his eyes narrowed even more.

'Well, technically, I'm not wrong. I'm just omitting a bit of the truth,' Evan added inwardly.

Sweating with more intensity, he took a deep breath under Destin's scrutinizing gaze before responding calmly.

"Yes."

"Very well then."

Standing up, Destin calmly walked over toward Astrid. Releasing his pressure, he made Astrid and Evan unable to move as their bodies trembled intensely.

As Destin walked closer and closer to Astrid, Evan gritted his teeth as he shouted in his mind.

'No!'

Tracing his finger along Astrid's jaw, Destin showed a menacing grin before speaking in a humourful tone:

"Let's see how long you can keep up the mana consumption of the membrane that's covering your skin."

Shivering after feeling the rotten zombie touch her, Astrid gazed into Destin's eyes with loathing and disdain.

"I'd rather die hundreds of deaths than become one of you disgusting, mindless creatures."

SLAP-!

Astrid's neck was violently whipped to the side as a result of the powerful slap Destin gave her. Crumpling to the floor like a broken toy, she remained motionless on the ground, not moving a muscle.

Seething with rage, the zombie leader growled in a dangerously low voice:

"Do not mention the word 'mindless' in front of me again! Especially if you're describing a zombie."

Sensing the palpable rage that Destin was feeling, Evan groaned inwardly as he exclaimed.

'He is a maniac! He loathes being reminded of his past, where he was nothing more than an unintelligible fool.'

Worried about Astrid's condition, Evan turned his concerned gaze in her direction. Heaving a sigh of relief after seeing her chest rise and fall in a rhythmic matter, he felt the crippling ball of anxiety in his stomach die down.

'She is probably just unconscious after receiving such a vicious blow.'

Gazing at the two bright red marks on each of her cheeks, Evan felt strangely infuriated for some reason. Although he viewed Astrid in a positive light, he wasn't sure if he could classify her as a friend yet.

So it was peculiar to Evan that he felt angry on her behalf.

'Meh, this indignation is probably a result of seeing another captive being abused, especially since she was also part of the same mercenary squad as me. My guess would be a strange camaraderie of sorts, which hasn't reached the level of friendship but isn't far off either.'

Shrugging his shoulders, Evan watched with narrowed eyes as Destin walked up to Astrid's motionless figure and picked her up like a sack of potatoes. Fighting against the pressure with all he had, Evan's veins throbbed intensely in his temple.

He attempted to try to move out of his chair, yet his body refused to budge.

Destin smirked, gazing out of the corner of his eyes at the human who desperately tried to break the pressure surrounding him. He carried the girl's incapacitated figure and placed her body on the old wooden table.

Looking back at Evan, Destin showed a menacing grin to him, which sent another shiver down the mercenary's spine. Releasing his bloodlust, which he always restrained, a tangible shockwave of air pressure appeared inside the room.

Evan witnessed the same red hue which he always used to enhance his capabilities appear on the zombie's pus-covered skin. Eyes widening in the realisation of what the damned zombie would do, he croaked,

"N-No!"

Smirking, Destin spoke in a mocking voice, "I must exact a price, since she dared to be so brazen with me. She needs to learn not to anger me, otherwise, this will be a common occurrence for her."

Raising his hand, Destin conjured a dagger made from his bloodlust. Bringing the weapon down, he sliced Astrid's hands open as a steady stream of bright red ichor flowed from her hands.

With his nose twitching at the scent of human blood, Destin barely managed to restrain himself from pouncing on Astrid.

DRIP-! DRIP-! DRIP-!

Blood dripped down at a steady tempo and stained the ground below their feet red. Biting his lips, Evan tried his hardest to move. Alas, the pressure surrounding him was as solid as being entrapped in quicksand.

Making another slice on Astrid's skin which released another stream of ichor, Destin grinned as he sensed the human he was slicing into stir slightly.

As more and more crimson seeped onto the ground below, Astrid's eyes finally fluttered open. Having received quite the blow from her captor, her mind was still fuzzy as she tried to comprehend her current situation.

'Eh? Why do I feel a stinging sensation in both my palms?'

The stinging sensation brought Astrid a moment of clarity from her disoriented state, as her eyes widened after sensing a warm liquid travelling down her skin.

'Blood!'

As the realization hit her like a truck, Astrid's disorientated state vanished. Gazing upward, she found the despicable zombie looming over, holding a dagger conjured from bloodlust.

Her heart trembled with fear as she found herself bound and unable to move due to the gigantic pressure.

Releasing a scream of suffering, Astrid discovered that after her disorientation vanished, an enormous wave of pain crashed into her. Gritting her teeth, she stared into Destin's eyes, which were full of malice and gleeful excitement.

"Is… that… the best you got?" she challenged, panting after feeling the pain spike a little.

Chuckling, Destin simply moved his dagger near her skin as he replied, "I don't think you quite understand the position you're in, human. Allow me to kindly show you."

Moving the dagger along Astrid's forearm, Destin's body twitched in excitement after witnessing her put up some intense resistance.

'I can't wait to break you, you stubborn human!'

Crying out sharply in agony, Astrid bit her lips, attempting to silence any further cries which came out of her mouth. She refused to allow Destin to have the satisfaction of knowing that she was suffering under his actions.

Sensing a new stream of ichor start to flow from the newly inflicted wound, Astrid delved into the only place she knew which could help her become numb to the pain she was experiencing.

A place she dreaded to enter for fear of being unable to return with her sanity completely intact.