Chapter 91: 89
A bucket of cold, I would even say icy water pulled me out of the depths of unconsciousness. As soon as my consciousness "turned on", it immediately threw up the latest memories, explaining my current situation.
The "Crystal" Palace, Edward's betrayal, stupidity, and there's no other way to call it (unless, of course, he was in "his" self-awareness), Ala. Well, my captivity is like the icing on the cake.
Scrolling through the latest events did not take much time, literally a second and a half (during the "sleep" my mind was able to fully recover, from which it began to work as usual). Opening my eyes, I examined the room I found myself in, as well as my position in it.
A half-naked figure hanging on chains above the ground. Hands and feet are stuck, the coldness of metal is felt on the neck. All around is a once stone box two by two meters, which has now become "crystal".
Opposite me, namely I was hanging on chains, was a "former" comrade. An evil grin, protruding fangs from under the lip, an animalistic glint in his scarlet eyes. In his hands he held a crystal bucket, once made of wood, from which he apparently doused me with water.
— And why did you have to do it manually? — tried to lead him off the already planned path of "behavior." "Wouldn't it be easier to use a special spell?" Or make a dead man do it? It is not the business of a ruler to engage in such a dirty and inappropriate matter.
- What about the surroundings? - The vampire accepted the rules of the game. - A torture room, a position that you cannot envy, awakening from the water that was poured from a bucket by your tormentor. Doesn't that put you in the right mood? — in the end, Ed pretended to be offended, but I feel like he's having fun.
After a short silence, I still nodded my head at his words.
"I think you're right," he nodded again, but this time much more slowly, without lowering his gaze from the figure of his "executioner," tracking his reaction. "There's really one little problem," interest flashed in the vampire's eyes. "Because of the material from which the room consists, as well as all the objects in it, there is no darkness that causes fear, there is no darkness that brings horror. Well, judge for yourself, in which torture room is it almost as bright as day? Where else can you watch the dance of moon rays?
"Well," the vampire said slightly sadly, sending the commemorative bucket into the wall with a wave of his hand. That collision could not be sustained and shattered into small pieces, like a real piece of ice. — I was wondering what was missing? But it turned out to be much more banal - Ed's shoulders sank, and he himself was enveloped in an "aura" of sadness. In emotions, his interest and fun only flared up more, as if before they were just smoldering corners, and now the bright flame of a fire.
"Well, how old are you?" he tried to "support" the "drooping" vampire. Damn, mana is uncontrollable. Something is sucking it out of me. But what? Shackles? Room? Or something else? We need to find out about this... - People don't become Dark Lords right away. You practice, work out the settings, the surroundings, the light, and you see, an exemplary lord of darkness emerges.
Ed, playing along with my speech, became more and more "alive" with every word. The sadness disappeared, the figure straightened, determination lit up in the eyes, and another smile played on the face. If it weren't for empathy, I might well believe the vampire's incredible acting skills. And no, I understand that his behavior is too provocative, which causes some rejection and suspicion, but I am not able to convey in words the feelings that his movements, micro shakes of his head, a slight wave of his hands cause... And much more. It's immediately obvious that more than a dozen years have been spent on this, or maybe he just has talent.
- Right! - Ed cried out emotionally. - I'm still young. I have everything ahead of me. There will still be time to hone your skills. It's true that I need a consultant who can help me in this difficult undertaking," then his gaze seemed to accidentally fall on my modest person. - Exactly! Rejoice! For your clever speeches, I proclaim you the right hand of the Lord of Darkness!
- Can I do it with my left hand? "I don't want to be right," I tried to knock him out of his thoughts, but alas, to no avail. It might seem that his question is just another game, but no. Unlike other speeches, now he is more serious than ever. Apparently he really wants to "lure" me. But why? - And about your proposal... You understand, this cannot be solved quickly. You need to think it over, read the employment contract, what if there are any pitfalls?
Apparently this was not what he was waiting for. The mask of a good-natured and cheerful person fell from his face, revealing his true nature - a tough, even cruel, intelligent man who, for the sake of his goals, is ready to give up his best friends, and also, possibly, love. Too bad his emotions towards one necromancy were ambiguous.
"It's not for nothing that you became an apprentice at such a young age, Calder," Edward began calmly, lazily, like a true aristocrat. The movements became much smoother and more graceful, and that pomposity and restlessness disappeared from them. "Now I understand why Poppy paid attention to you." It's a sin to miss such shots," with a wave of his hand he "grew" an ice throne right from the floor, on which he carefully sat down.
There was silence. I, hanging from the ceiling, looked at the vampire with some expectation, and he, sitting on a kind of throne, was thinking about something, watching me.
"If you weren't an apprentice of metamorphism, it would be much easier," Ed began, as if communicating with himself. - Turned into a vampire and that's it, you're in my power, but alas, alas. This option is definitely not for us.
An icy wind blew through my body. What Ed said is a direct hint of my complete submission. Vampires have almost complete power over only converted chicks. From a banal emotional attachment to complete control of thoughts and hormones. The government is too strong and has a backlash. Once a chick dies, the "father" or "mother" will feel incredible pain.
Of course, once the connection has been transferred, the connection weakens and almost completely disappears, but this process depends on many factors. The strength of the "father" and the chick, the emotional connection, the interest of the "father" and much more. I don't know the whole picture, and no one knows, except perhaps the vampires themselves.
"Tell me, Kol," the vampire said, finally looking at me. — What must happen to a reasonable person for him to betray everything: goals, dreams, ideals, for the sake of something completely different? Something more?
Hm. And how he plays! It's so good that I feel emotions. Even though I don't fully understand them yet, but at the moment it's clear to me that now the noodles will begin to wrap around my ears. No, most likely not, he will play with facts so as not to tell the whole truth, but not to lie. After all, magicians quite often, purely subconsciously, sense lies.
"An emotional situation that destroys the picture of the world," I finally found the answer to his question.
I wonder what prompted him to betray? I hope it's something serious.
"Yes, you're right," the vampire nodded somehow sadly. - Let's do it this way. I'll tell you a story, and you listen carefully, okay? — a neat nod on my part. - Well, listen...
For the next half hour, Ed told in all colors, without missing a single detail, how he came to live like this. In short, the following comes out.
One day, a vampire saved a person who later turned out to be Susan Crystal. Why or from whom, history is silent. But then he saved a girl and gave her shelter. However, Ed himself was a mercenary and was part of a group, which imposes certain restrictions and responsibilities. So, without thinking for a long time, he brought the girl into his squad.
Lo and behold, Susan turned out to be not an ordinary girl, but quite a promising necromancer. Some of the most powerful necromancers in the guild took on the task of training the girl. The training was complete, which is why the girl was taken away for ten long years.
As time passed, the vampire had already forgotten about her, but she did not forget about the vampire who saved her. And after the allotted period of time, Susan returned to the squad, but as a full member.
It was at that moment that Ed realized that he had fallen in love. But this also happened to his best friend, Al. A war began for the girl's attention and, as you might guess, the werewolf won. I don't know how this idiot assured her, but it happened that way.
The poor soul of the vampire could not stand it, so he decided to get even with them, becoming the new Dark Lord. By this he wanted to show who was more worthy of the girl's hand.
Haaaaah. And it's all? Somehow weak. Apparently something was reflected on my face, since the vampire instantly became serious, and annoyance crept into my emotions.
- well, it didn't work out. "No problem," Ed stood up from his seat. The throne with Christ of broken glass disappeared. "It didn't work out well, so we'll do it differently."
Having said this, he left the room. As soon as it closed, I felt that mana began to be pumped out at double speed, leading to exhaustion.
In an instant, the world lost its colors, and a sucking feeling of lack of something appeared in the body. Apparently this was Ed's plan. No magician likes exhaustion; for them it is one of our pleasure bars. But alas, he miscalculated. I got used to this feeling a long time ago. Too often I purposefully pushed myself to the point of exhaustion. All for the sake of development.
My regeneration could barely cope with this onslaught, but it still worked. Well, at least everything is fine here.
So, since there is free time, why not reason. There is only one topic on the agenda: What did I get out of the vampire's story? I'll start in order.
First, one of the reasons, but not the main one, was undivided love. Apparently I didn't get the same emotions that the vampire felt for the necromancer.
Secondly, he masterfully hides his true motive. And how did I know about this city, as well as Lich? Moreover, the dragon brought him here without harming him in any way. Here, either he is on the same page with Ed, or the vampire has subdued him. Well, didn't you think that the dragon-lich would just let his prey go? It's too unrealistic.
Third, he needs me for some reason. Not even that, rather, he needs someone who will voluntarily follow him here and now. Why? Interest Ask. Perhaps this is needed for some part of the plan, or maybe something else, no idea.
Fourth, he is a Mentalist. I learned this not from the conversation itself, but from the whole situation. The first warning sign was Al's behavior. He walked here until the very end, with the tenacity of a ram. And even in front of the vampire himself, he did not suspect anything. And you must agree that this is at least suspicious. No, it is quite possible that he himself is a fool, but I doubt that the cunning half-goblin would put a fool in his place.
And who, if not his best friend, could secretly attack a werewolf and rinse his brains? That's right, only him. Although Susan could have done this, the vampire's emotions are too intense if he just mentions her.
Another detail prompted me to do this. During the conversation, the vampire "followed" me. It was as if he was probing me, as well as my emafon. And no, this is not empathy, but just a slight scanning of emotions. I skipped this stage because it was unnecessary; empathy can cope with this perfectly.
The door suddenly fell off and Ed walked into the room, striding widely, carrying some kind of bag. Walking around, with a wave of his hand, he created a "crystal" table, on which he placed his burden. Here is another detail that confirms the theory that the vampire knows this place. In my magical vision I clearly saw that he was giving the command to "grow" this table. The magical impulse went from a pile (it looked like a medallion or something in an inner pocket) straight into the walls of the castle, and from there somewhere deeper.
"Eh, I didn't want to bring it to this, but..." the vampire sighed sadly, taking out a leather roll of something from his bag. Having opened it, he let me observe what was there. Scissors, needles, scrapers, cutters, pliers, hammers, nails and much more. These were torture instruments. "I think, having felt their effect on yourself, you will change your point of view," Ed said softly, with some kindness, taking out the needles. And it was not a simple instrument, I saw how brightly the magic burned downwards, flowing through the runes.
Now I understand what exactly he needs... and it's clear why me.
"Don't lie to me, and also to yourself," I said calmly, following his emotions... the whole answer was hidden in them. "You needed someone obedient who wouldn't raise objections." None of the squad would be like that, since they are quite strong both magically and mentally..." the vampire began to be filled with sick joy. He enjoyed what was about to happen. — From Al's behavior, I realized that a mediocre Mentalist had worked on him. This Mentalist couldn't completely rewrite the victim's mind, so he just put a few bookmarks. You don't need this, you need someone who will carry out all the commands. As an example, a voluntary victim... - Bingo! I felt the shock in his emotions, that's for sure. — After all, overcoming the death guard is one of the most difficult areas of mentalism. I immediately remember your words about turning me into a vampire. After all, chicks can be ordered to do anything, right? But you can't do this, you couldn't convince either. There is only one thing left to do - to break his personality, creating an obedient dummy - an animal grin stuck to his face. - I have only one question. Why are you doing this, since you agreed to the terrible pain of losing a chick, especially a converted one?
Seconds ticked by. I looked at the vampire with interest, and he, with an animal grin, clutched the needles in his hands. Finally, having come to his senses, the vampire dissipated with some kind of crazy laughter.
"Ahahaha," his laughter seemed to shake the whole castle. "I can't believe you guessed." Very interesting. How I want to know how exactly you came to this - what... - But alas, there's no time for that now. — The vampire shrugged guiltily. - Yes, you turned out to be right about everything. At the beginning of the year, I pushed the group to travel into this wasteland, insisting on a new member of the squad. But who could have guessed that Poppy would send her promising but not experienced student with us. Only after realizing this did I understand—if not this time, then never—how he was crushed. It seems that he is not entirely healthy... in the head. - Regarding the last question... Don't worry, you'll find out before you die...
With these words he stuck the needle under my nail. Fortunately, I turned off the sensitivity of my body, so I don't have anything...
"I forgot to say," Ed began as if remembering something. — These needles are not quite ordinary. I know that Changelings can switch off nerve endings. It is for people like you that these "tools" were invented. They project all the pain onto the mental shell, that is. - Enjoy.
A snap of my fingers and my mind was flooded with pain. Uncontrollable, destroying all blocks, incredible pain.
This will take a long time…
That was exactly my last thought...
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