Arc 2: Chimera

Chapter 25: Infiltration Part III

 

Darwin didn't think he would end up in a fate that was worse than death.

Like most people in the world, Darwin did not have much Resistance to protect himself against Psychic Magic, though somehow, it was high enough to leave a figment of his own consciousness floating like a ghost attached to his body. Unbeknownst to him, the constant exposure to Enchanted items and weapons had improved his otherwise ordinary constitution, making it quite impervious to the common debilitating Spells. Unfortunately, he was up against a Lust Demon who specializes in such techniques, not to mention a Hero armed with Level 5 Psychic Magic and an Ability that more than encouraged its use.

"Hero Ability: 'Motherly Embrace' - Entrap a certain number of targets within thick and bulbous vines, preventing them from moving and casting Spells. All bound enemies will be more susceptible to Psychic Magic. The vines are susceptible from outside attacks with limited stamina. This Hero Ability can only be used once per day."

Reduced to a small spirit-like entity that hovered above the head of what was once his body, Darwin watched as the traitorous brat Paul read from a parchment.

The eyes of the young man almost glittered, as if seeing a precious treasure at first glance. "This means that anyone trapped in those vines can be easily Controlled!"

"According to Lord Haruki," said the black bird perched on the boy's shoulder, whom Darwin concluded was some kind of Summoned Familiar with the ability to speak. "It is not limited to the Magic casted by Lady Avon. Anyone else can benefit from this 'buff', as he calls it."

Paul nodded, his expression full of amazement. "I wonder how Lord Haruki could determine a person's Skill so accurately. He's even more powerful compared to that 'Selector' tool from the guild."

As a man whose innate talent was in assessing people, Darwin had to agree, even if the other person was the leader of his enemies. That Haruki was the boss was obvious - Darwin was savvy and smart enough to gather the clues around him, not to mention they keep calling him "Lord".

Even that damn "witch" who confused and tortured Darwin agreed wholeheartedly, revealing her real skin of a sultry-looking woman with a constant seductive air around her figure. For some reason, she was greatly attached to his former errand boy, crooning sweetly and referring to him as her "son".

"Lord Haruki is indeed great and magnanimous." The extent of worship in the witch's eyes was clear to see. "He is even merciful to grant absolution to the sinned creatures of this world."

Paul usually avoided her at all times, but now he endured the discomfort to ask. "Are you talking about the Chimeras? Is Lord Haruki truly attempting to sway them on our side?"

The news put spirit Darwin into a state of dumbness, but the conversation still continued, already confirming his guess that his current body wasn't visible.

The avian Familiar breathed out a very human-like sigh. "No one could fathom how Lord Haruki's mind works. We can only trust in his vision and do our part."

"Naturally~"

"Yes, you can count on me."

After giving out a positive reply, Paul turned to the body behind him, which stood crooked like a stringless marionette. The fragment of Darwin's consciousness watched as the boy sneered at his former figure, the disgust so apparent that it made the wisp-like spirit tremble in anger.

"So, what do we do next?"

Everyone - plus puppet-like shell Darwin - had already made their exit out of the White Chrysanthemum Inn, making sure to clean the room like nothing untoward happened to its former occupant. Darwin had to give a thumbs up at their very detailed actions of disposing evidence and erasing traces, no doubt as ordered by their very impeccable boss. He now had a very positive opinion on this "Lord Haruki", who was no doubt a man who knows his way around the shadows, just like him.

Presently, the group were now hiding in Paul's house. Calling it a "house" was already generous, since to Darwin it was closer to a poor man's hovel, one that would stunk from the rubbish inside and out. It was a good thing that his spirit form had no sense of smell, otherwise he would have left without sparing a second glance.

Unfortunately, even if he did so, Darwin could not stray far from his body. Although he hadn't tried it out - with him being constantly worried about what might happen to his body - he would soon learn that his out-of-body experience was not that of a real soul splitting from flesh, but more of a reflection spurred on by his consciousness' innate defense systems, allowing him to keep the deepest recesses of his mind even when under the thrall of others.

If Haruki was here, he would have identified this technique as low-level Skill from the Monk profession, "Mind's Eye". Unlike the more powerful and cost-effective "Soul Projection" that forcibly ejected the consciousness from the flesh and allowed to roam around under certain limitations, "Mind's Eye" was either used to guard the sleeping body in hostile or uncertain situations or to absorb knowledge by reading or meditating whilst still having a good rest.

As to why Darwin had this Skill without him knowing much about it, the answer would soon present itself.

In response to their next plans, the bird adopted a scrutinizing expression. "We should be able to call for the other guild leaders if Darwin calls for an emergency meeting."

Paul had an understandable wary look on his face. "You plan to capture all of them in one fell swoop?"

If his spirit form could laugh, Darwin would probably be chuckling nonstop. This bunch of fools were underestimating the elite of the Shifting Sand. No matter how powerful their Spells and Skills were, with only three of them, the guild could win with just sheer numbers! Not to mention they had been geared with a lot of good equipment nowadays, plus they had an ace that would only appear when they were in trouble!

Of course, these things that Darwin was thinking about were already spilled to the Demons. It only took a simple order from Avon for the Mind Controlled man to tell them everything he knew. However, the guild was craftier than expected, making it so that all the leaders shared power and responsibility, but the information behind their respective roles and tasks were tightly hidden from the others. As it stood, no one boss in the Shifting Sand could abruptly change anything significant without the approval of the rest.

And as Darwin expected of this bunch that had been trained by a fellow conniving mind, they were a little apprehensive at the uncertain situation.

The bird's tone was reluctant but determined none the same. "We have little choice in the matter. If we don't move forward and ascertain the truth, Lord Haruki will continue to have a difficult time on his end."

This statement seemed to have spurred on Paul, who shed the last bits of unease on his face. "You're right, Raven. We're sending ourselves in the middle of the enemy's territory, but isn't this situation the same as Lord Haruki's right now? And there's three of us while there's only him out there. We have to be as bold as him!"

"Child, you are so cute~" The woman called Avon glomped on the boy, making sure her ample breasts were squeezed onto the face. "Taking after Lord Haruki, you are in the right path to become Mother's favorite son~"

Darwin's spirit form trembled at the seemingly sweet yet strangely sinister words from the witch. As a man who experienced both the highs and lows, he was very aware of the things known as fetishes and this woman was definitely obsessed with a perverted fantasy of her own. Heck, the guild boss was even feeling slightly sorry for Paul, who had to grit his teeth and accept the unwanted affection.

"M-mother, the world is too big and too vast. Surely, there are many more wonderful sons you can favor?"

Whatever result Paul hoped for in his carefully chosen words, it was not the woman's eyes glimmering with tears and adopting a fascinated yet helpless look. "My dear, you are such a kind boy! Sacrificing your own happiness so that others could share it, how could you be so benevolent? Don't worry, even if Mother finds more sons, you will always have a special place in my bosom."

The aggrieved look on the boy's face was so priceless it made ghostly Darwin forget his predicament for a moment.

But only for a moment, since the rest of the hours that passed by were spent worrying over and over again. However, Darwin found himself torn between being concerned for the organization he had brought up so tirelessly for these past few years and rooting for these underdogs who were aware of the dangers but continued to press on.

Darwin didn't know why, but Haruki could easily explain his seemingly unanticipated change of heart. All Humans were susceptible to Corruption, but each person's own upbringing, personality and ambitions were as myriad as the vices that every Demon represents. In a creature's Status screen, "Affinity" dictated which among the seven Virtues and seven Sins one was prone to assimilate in. And unlike Demons who cannot escape the one and only Sin enslaving their fate, Humans could empathize with any.

Since Paul had vowed himself eternal purity, his Affinity for Lust should be nil. However, Avon had claimed his body since, so it grew a little bit. Still, it wasn't enough for him to easily convert to the Luxuria, but the Demon Lord found use in him and utilized his powers to subtly manipulate his carefully hidden ambitions to find a place in the faction. Any other Demon King would find the process unnecessary and cumbersome, but Haruki's high Charisma and methodologies unexpectedly placed a sense of fan worship on his followers. And in the company of idol-crazy Raven and perverted Avon, his admiration for the Lord of Lust only continued to magnify.

On the other hand, Darwin always had high Affinity for the Lust faction. The man always feigned a superior aura that could not be touched, but he was as perverted as Avon in his pursuits of the flesh. The fact that he had a reserved room in the White Chrysanthemum Inn was quite telling of his true nature. Even though he was in spirit form due to the forced activation of Mind's Eye, spending time with the Lust Demons had slowly eroded his inhibitions and took him one step closer to being fully Corrupted.

The two Demons and one Corrupted Human boy were unaware that their actions and words had gradually converted another person to the Haruki cult. They were busy thinking of possible reasons to call for an emergency meeting, when an unexpected pie suddenly fell from the sky.

Paul's shock mirrored that of spirit Darwin's. "Mead had called for all the Guild leaders?"

"They say it's an emergency meeting," replied Darwin's body, devoid of the superior air he once adorned himself in when he spoke to the guild member that looked for him. While the real Darwin was still reeling at how his puppet version could replicate his behavior so thoroughly, Paul looked quite acclimatized to it.

"This sounds like a trap to me," said the bird, still occupying the boy's right shoulder.

"It's definitely a trap," replied Paul with a heavy sigh. "Especially since we don't have many clues to this mysterious lady boss' identity."

Avon was uncharacteristically serious as she pondered with a thoughtful hum. "It seems that this 'Mead' had already seen through our small moves."

The boy was surprised and a little apprehensive at the woman's sudden change, but the bird sounded eager. "How do you figure Lady Avon?"

"Lord Haruki had mentioned the existence of the Human Hero known as the 'Hundred-Eyed Alchemist'. It was written in the recent missive given by that damn Monad." The woman then clenched her teeth, as if aggrieved. "Why does he have a private telepathic channel with Lord Haruki?! I'm so mad that I can't become Lord Haruki's Consort, huhu…"

And as usual, Avon used the situation to drape over Paul in a sorrowful mood. "Son, you must comfort your mother, huhuhu~"

"The missive?" Raven ignored the other two's wrangling and wrestling of arms and hands, remaining unshakeable in her perch. "Ah, I see. This 'Alchemist' was the creator of the 'Selector' that the Shifting Sand guild uses, I believe. Now that I think about it, Lord Haruki and Consort Monad made great efforts to detail the so-called Scholar's Skills and Abilities…"

"Hero Ability: 'Insight's Refraction' - Summons invisible eyeball-like sentries that can be maneuvered within a certain circumference from the user. Sight and sound can be automatically sent from the sentries to the summoner. However, each contraption has limited life and can be destroyed. Ruined sentries can be reconstructed after twenty-four hours. The durability and number of sentries, as well as the operating distance and cloaking Ability against foes, depends on Ability Level."

"Since Lord Haruki cannot use most of his powers due to a Seal Spell, the specifics such as the distance and number are unclear, but what was mentioned so far are comprehensive enough."

The robot-like tone from Avon almost shadowed the fact that she could recite statements she memorized word for word. Paul and spirit Darwin were astounded, but Raven ruffled her feathers excitedly.

"As expected of Lady Avon," crooned the bird. "With this information on hand, the only suspicious venue where we could be tracked is the White Chrysanthemum Inn. After all, it's the only place where we showcased our abilities."

"Are you saying that the Inn has a hidden connection to Mead and the Shifting Sand guild?!" Current employee Paul had a dumbfounded face. Ghostly wisp Darwin wasn't any better - even he didn't expect such a connivance!

No wonder all of the Shifting Sand bosses and elites had reserved rooms in the whorehouse, even those that didn't like prostitutes! Either it was used as a means for Mead to control them or a secret place to communicate. If his current form had teeth, Darwin's would have been crushed with all the mad grinding he would be doing. He was kept from the dark - an all-important boss like him!

Mercilessly though she didn't know, the business-like Avon poked into his grievances once more. "It seems our boss Darwin here isn't privy to that information. This Mead character is very careful, but she must have her reasons. The fact that she called for us instead of ambushing us while we were stumbling in the dark means that she is gearing up for the negotiation table."

"One thing's for sure, though," stated Paul, adopting a somber and stern look, his fresh face marked with little hints of maturity, easily accepting the possibility that even his so-called "part-time" job was something his "full-time" workplace had readily arranged for him.

"The 'Hundred-Eyed Alchemist' from the Nit Magedom, the Shifting Sand guild and the White Chrysanthemum Inn of Stonecutter's Village, and finally, the Chimeras dwelling in the Extollan Wastes. Within these four distinct forces, someone is tightly holding the puppeteer's strings."

"The big question is why 'they' had to go to such lengths." Raven's bird-like irises took a sharp glint as she placed a theory on the table. "Are they after the Chimeras, like Lord Haruki?"

"The Chimeras are definitely in the center of this storm," said Avon in a tone full of confidence, yet edged with a hint of helplessness. "Even Lord Haruki knows this, especially after taking out his and Monad's doubts. Unfortunately, even they couldn't predict the real reason for this entire farce…"

Both boy and bird wore alarmed expressions.  "Have you figured it out, Lady Avon?"

"The real enemy behind the scenes…" In contrast to the two's anxious faces, the Succubus slowly revealed a haughty and contemplative look.

"Haha, it's been centuries since I faced such a worthy opponent. Let's see how far your schemes can last, my dearest little spoiled brat of a child~"