Even with Lucy’s mentorship Lavinia didn’t understand everything about her and their groups purpose in these caves, this dungeon. Lavinia knew action more than words and so many of her teachable moments have been accompanied by action or the threat of action.

“…or die.”

She recognizes a threat when she hears one, it’s different from the growls and pacing of a challenge, it’s different because of who’s behind it. Henry— the Berserker’s Chosen as she understands it— a dark haired man shorter than even Lucy wields no weapon. His torn shirt billows in wind that seems to grace him alone and his eyes hide the reason a Berserker like Nei would shut up in his presence.

His final words press against Lavinia as his gaze passes over her to Lucy and Ken. Lucy presses down on the worst of his wounds but whatever was keeping him alive this long seems to be wearing off as more of his bone crack under his own weight, forcing him to sit, vulnerable and defeated.

“Lucy?” Lavinia calls out hoarsely, her voice and use of tongue still not developed, but Lucy answers regardless.

Lucy nods knowingly and releases Ken to his wounds, he winces at her absence. “If Ken were…more conscious, he’d tell you that he’d never surrender to your ilk. Yes, I know what you are, how couldn’t I?”

Henry scowls, “What I am has no bearing on the game, last chance, surrender the familiar to me or lose.”

Lucy beckons and Lavinia grasp her hand, feeling it go numb to sensation as a cold power strains through her pathways. “This is more than a game or a test, it’s more than that to Ken. Someone like you cannot win, you mustn’t. Lavinia would only make you more arrogant and dangerous, I won’t do it.”

Henry dashes forward, his arm a spear that bursts through Lucy’s chest, stealing her heart out on the other side, “Die then.”

Crumpling to her knees Lucy squeezes Lavinia’s hand, the ebbing power coursing through sets it ablaze as she rasps, “You have to know…Lavi..”

“Lucy?” Lavinia listens intently, bearing the scorch in her hand, arm and Crystal. She watches with wide eyes as Lucy’s head bounces off the floor, her chest pooling out a river of blood that stains her feet.

{Soul Bond Severed}— Familiar; Master Lucy McNil

Latent Attribute Triggered!— +10EP to [INT] Attribute

[INT] Perk {Inspect} Attained!

The words make perfect sense for once, but the first paralyze Lavinia in place. Her feet soaking in her master's blood, watching her eyes dry out in the open air.

“Come here now, demon Lavinia, you will serve a new master.” Henry says, tossing Lucy's still beating heart aside. Snapping his fingers at Nei he points at Ken breathing laboriously, “Finish that one and feed him a vial, tired of hearing him breath.”

Lavinia looks up at Henry and he smirks down at her saying, “I see she put some sense behind your eyes, perhaps too much.”

“Urk!” Ken groans at his chest caving in from Nei’s palm.

“Inspect.” Lavinia whispers under her breath, she watches Henry as her eyes light up with a flare. Through new lenses her vision of Henry changes— his left eye reveals its unnatural truth, a bony socket with nothing more than a rotted eyeball rolling around glowers down at her. His hair burns with a grey aura unseen by the naked eye and right above his head—
{Level 20— Soul Reaver}

“Reaver.”

“Yes, and you are a demon, a vampiric beast of Reais. My new pet.”

“No.”

“Yes, or do you wish to die as well?” He bends on one knee, letting Lavinia look down on him for once as he smears Lucy's blood all over her cheek.

Lavinia shivers, pulling away from his touch. He glares and snatches her chin, setting it straight whilst nearly breaking her jaw he continues smearing Lucy’s blood over her face, “You will find I’m far more accommodating to your needs, Lavinia. You and I have special needs, all this time with those fools, you’ve been starved of growth. True growth, not this artificial, forced nonsense. You know what I’m talking about don’t you?” Mouth forced shut, Lavinia can only grunt a forced affirmative. Henry grins.

Nei steps up, head tilted in deference, “Their souls await you, Lord Chosen. Should I retrieve our Caster for resurrection?”

Henry doesn’t look away from his work on Lavinia’s face, the random smearing of blood has taken on a pattern Lavinia’s yet to decipher, “No, we never needed a Caster anyway. The Sniffer is a loss though, I cannot revive that to be useful thanks to the System, but we can always steal from another group.”

“Yes Lord. And what of the demon? Will it join us?”

This time he smirks up at Nei, shaking his head he adds a final stroke to his bloody tapestry and says, “I can’t make familiars, only thralls and you’re too dumb to make familiars either. Keeping her here through intimidation might work, but this dungeon was never meant for her kind. She belongs out there with the rest of her cannibalistic ilk.”

A spark of hope ignites within Lavinia at this. Would she live?

As if reading her mind Henry chuckles, “Don’t get too excited, Lavinia. Lucy was right to subjugate a demon like you, it simply wasn’t the right time or place. But I’ll learn from her mistakes, you will serve me in the end. Oulkirak!”

{Soul Bond Active}— Curse Marked; Master Henry Vanavil.

At the single word Lavinia breaks down screaming as the blood smeared into a pattern of short curves eats into her face. “Ah! Ah! Stop! Make it stop!” She slaps her hands over her face, rubs dirt all over but nothing except the snap of Henry’s fingers makes the agony stop.

“There, a leash for the pet.” Henry says with a smile, returning to his pleasant visage. “You’re free now, Lavinia, go out, eat, prosper. I will conquer these dungeons and earn dominion over all of Yetraltiz. And when it is time, I will return for you.”

***

Name: Lavinia

Race: Demon

Class: Vampiric

Age: Immortal – 57days.

Crystal Essence: [Pink]- Lvl.5— 29.01ESQ

[Available Essence Points— 0]

Faith:25

Agility: 19

Intelligence:10

Perk: {Reais Smite}, {Blood Rush}, {Wave Shot}, {Crimson Blink}, {Inspect}

Soul Bond: Curse Marked; Master Henry Vanavil.

***

Freedom isn’t like she remembers. Maybe because she isn't free, not truly.

Henry took Ken’s corpse, touching it the way Lucy touched her till Ken rose up and marched further into the dungeon with them. He didn’t spare a glance at Lucy or Lavinia in this new life, ignoring all else to trail mindlessly behind Nei.

Lavinia sits beside Lucy’s maggot infested skull and corpse. A familiar hunger creeps on Lavinia after over a week of subjugation and change. A hunt would be delicious but with much of her strength spent fighting against Henry and Nei, recuperating before any other encounters is the safest bet for now.

Before Henry pulled her heart out, Lucy triggered a new Attribute for Lavinia to get used to, but thankfully, it’s a vital one. With the perk {Inspect}, Lavinia looks forward to exploring the world beyond the dungeon, but more than anything, she looks forward to leaving this room in particular.

The energy Lucy imbued in her last moments still lingers, swirling and transforming into usable Essence within Lavinia’s Soul Crystal making it so she could start the journey to the stream and the cave entrance now. But through whatever compulsion, Lavinia decides to wait it out in here with Lucy. Until what’s left of her former master is devoured wholly by the maggots, worms and all their friends.

The first day was uneventful. Henry left. Lucy’s blood dried up and at the end of the day a sick scent emanated from the gaping hole in her chest. Lavinia roamed the cave section applying {Inspect} on the rocks, their obsidian glaze shimmered in the dying lantern light, throwing colourful shadows onto the walls. {Unrefined Gestalt}— Mana Conduit

The rocks as a Mana Conduit made some sense to Lavinia. She recalled the power Lucy manifested, the power that coursed through her and the power Henry’s decapitated Caster used in puppeteering the rocks into a fierce serpent. All were channelled through some use of their staff. The rocks themselves tasted akin to Lucy’s staff, an object lying beside her now with no one to inherit it.

Ever mysterious, the staff resists her attempts to {Inspect} it but even without knowing it’s true nature, Lavinia’s newfound intelligence has her understand the power Lucy compelled to use it, that alone is evident when she tries to carry it. Through brute strength alone, Lavinia manages to wield the long, six sided staff like a club or pole. It's crude compared to the elegance Lucy brought to it, but whatever power this ‘mana’ is, Lavinia hasn’t the slightest bit of it to use wielding the staff as Lucy would.

As the second and third day pass without incident and Lucy continues to decline. Lavinia watches as the little bugs form a colony within her master, hatching new eggs and reproducing faster than she can keep count, and not for a lack of trying. Lavinia’s Essence and strength recovers as they grow and she comes across the Sniffer’s corpse, the one she accidentally killed.

Looking back on it now Lavinia questions whether it was an accident, was there some other way to defeat the then fat, horrid beast without fully unleashing her strength? Would Lucy be alive now if it weren’t for her killing the beast?

A shiver runs through her as she recalls Henry— no, she decides, it wouldn’t have mattered whether the Sniffer were alive or dead, if Henry wished, he would’ve ended all squabbles without Hei battling Ken or even their Caster unleashing the rock-serpent on him. It was a trap from the beginning, in every sense of the word.

The corpse of the Sniffer itself rots with puss and repugnant bile, offending even her demonic senses. “Inspect.”
{Source Guide}— Grade 1

Unsure what that means, Lavinia lets the rotting beast be and returns to Lucy’s side.

On the fourth day Lavinia questions her decision to stay with Lucy, standing over her corpse it dawns on her that the maggots, centipedes and friends won’t devour Lucy as quickly as she would nor is Lucy rotting as fast as the Sniffer. And so a new thought occurs—

“Should I…eat…that?”

It would make everything easier for her. End the ravenous hunger and satiated her curiosity— she’s never eaten a human before, how would Lucy taste? Would she gain any more powers from devouring her master?

“No, Lucy. Better fresh.” Lavinia says, deciding not to tear a bite by the learned fact that a fresh kill makes a better meal.

On the fifth day, Lavinia’s cavern has its first visitors since herself and Lucy. Three humans enter, exploring the cave with bright unnatural lights in one hand and simple weapons in the another.

Having had her fill of humans, Lavinia scampers off onto the ceiling of the cavern. Digging her claws as deep into the crystal rock surface as she can she lets herself hang from the ceiling, lower half dangling freely as she watches the humans cross the bio luminous cavern below.

“Boy, this place is wreck.” A woman says, pointing her strange light around the cavern.

“Yeah, two teams must’ve met here, might be some lingering still. Stay close.” The tall man at the head of the team says.

“The Sniffer doesn’t want to come along! Ugh, I hate this job, someone switch with me?” the last, a shorter male with a chain leash on a living Sniffer.

The female’s scoffs, shaking her head at her teammate before moving on, “Have you tried the treats?”

“Treats? You mean last night’s dinner? We’re all out!”

“Shut up, both of you.” Their leader commands, coming upon Lucy where Lavinia left her. He shines his light on her, putting the maggots and their friends on full view as they carry on digesting Lucy. He kneels beside her and closes her gutted eyes, shaking his head as his team gathers behind him.

“A Caster.” The female says, clinging onto a staff of her own.

“This wasn’t too long ago; I’d estimate about a week.” The leader says, standing upright, “But there’s something else, there’s an indent in the dirt beside her head. That indent hasn’t filled up with moss or any of the insects. Either there was an object there or someone’s been sitting her corpse.”

“What? Why would anyone watch a corpse?” The male asks, dragging the Sniffer along at last.

Their leader doesn’t offer an answer, looking around all the wrong places for said someone instead.

“I don’t like it here.” The Caster says, “But, we should bury her at least, I think if I were found like this…”

“What do you think?” The leader addresses the Sniffer’s handler.

“I think I could use a break.” He says, already finding a rock to tie its leash around, “But sure, I’ll help.”

Lavinia glares as their Caster manifests that power through her staff, tapping the earth with it she has it rumble and give way, sinking into a hole wide, deep and long. Sighting them pick Lucy and her staff, Lavinia snarls and lets go of the ceiling, plummeting at speed and unseen until—

“Watch out!”

“Hiisss!”

Crashing onto the pair before the leader can do more than raise alarm, Lavinia rights herself atop the Sniffer’s handler, keen of the creature’s growl behind her she bursts with Essence and makes to crush the handler’s head, “Reais Smite!”

“Aegis!”

Lavinia’s smite lands heavy upon a shield summoned from thin air, the startled handler scampers away underneath his leader’s shield, whistling as he does.

A terrible growl announces the Sniffer's freedom. Their leader faces her and their Caster swells with power, yet Lavinia stands unfazed under their blinding lights, “No, Lucy. Don’t…hold her!”

“It can speak?!” the Handler screams.

***

Cornered between three humans and their Sniffer, Lavinia remains defiant, snarling and hissing as much as the Sniffer pacing behind her. Having starved this long, she’s prepared to eliminate the wilding creature first and foremost, take a bite out of it and kill its owners.

Yes. And then Lucy would be safe with her.

The Caster and Handler glower at Lavinia, their strange lights shining in her eyes, “What is it?” the handler asks, cautiously looking over to the leader who’s standing with his arms folded.

“A demon.” The Caster answers, brows furrowed and staff levelled at Lavinia “Don’t underestimate it.”

Waiting for them to make the first move, Lavinia edges closer to Lucy— her staff lies nearby and with it she can crippling damage to the Sniffer without spending Essence; best used against the humans. Raising a hand up to block the light in her eyes, Lavinia catches a proper look of their leader, finding him wearing the same knowing smirk Henry sported.

“Yes, let’s not.” He says, glancing at his teammates with a broadening smile, “But let me try something first.”

Already he’s displayed some shield ability so a frontal attack on him would be a waste of time if she can’t beat his speed. With {Crimson Blink} she can sneak up behind him, but with her pool of Essence Lavinia can only afford one use of the perk and even if she succeeds that leaves the Caster and Handler unaccounted for.

Biting her lip Lavinia comes to terms with the stifling fear in her throat and in her nervous feet that finally graze Lucy’s staff. Their leader crouches, putting himself below Lavinia and looking up to her with a smile, he reaches out and Lavinia snaps to—

In a single twirl she picks the staff of the floor, the Handler whistles and the Sniffer roars out at Lavinia, its jaws splitting open as it descends. Using the momentum from her twirl, Lavinia swings the staff from the ground and into the Sniffer's lunging side, viciously smacking it aside, several of its ribs crack at impact before she sends it flying to whimper.

Eyes darting to the next opponent, Lavinia spots the Caster muttering something and deepens her sneer. The Handler yowls in surprise as she sprints past he and their grinning leader, spring loading into a high jump she launches herself over as the Caster unleashes a flurry of ice spikes from the tip of her staff she narrowly escapes. Landing behind the Caster she uses the length of Lucy’s staff to sweep at her legs but she hops away. Channelling her mysterious power the Caster lands and taps her staff and sends a quake through the earth Lavinia stands on.

Rattled and thrown off her footing, Lavinia loses her grip on Lucy’s staff, reaching out for it but finding a waiting ice spike instead. She shuts her eyes and waits for the final blow but hears the spike shatter instead. The earth beneath her stops rumbling as well and sensing someone looming over her, Lavinia has a peek—

Their leader stands over her with his shield splayed wide and covered in sliding shards of ice. “I said, let me try something first.” He says with a tone.

“I’m sorry! It’s a demon and she said not to underestimate it so I didn’t!” Their Handler grumbles as though he did anything of use.

The Caster watches closely, her eyes pinned on Lavinia as she speaks, “Well, if you’re going to try something then do it quick, this demon is ready to die defending whatever it thinks this is.”

“Exactly.” He says with a snap of his fingers. He picks himself off of Lavinia, looking down at her with a smile he steps back and offers his hand, “Hello, my name is Jeriko, what’s yours? Do you have one?”

Lavinia regards his outstretched hand, sniffing at it and resisting the urge to take a bite she refuses to take it and slowly pulls herself upright, “Lavinia.” she says, repeating her name to someone beyond herself and Lucy for the first time.

Keeping his hand to himself Jeriko grins, “Lavinia, that’s a good name.”

“Lucy…Lucy made Lavinia?”

“Named? Do you mean she named you?” he says, pointing over at Lucy’s corpse.

Lavinia nods and hurries over to Lucy, pulling her back to where they pick her up and even peeling her eyelids back. The three humans share a troubled look, then a pointed one at their Leader.

He nods and keeps up the approach, “Lavinia, who is Lucy?”

At the question she stops. It’s not something she’s given thought to before this very moment. Who is Lucy? She’s asked herself who Lavinia is, Lavinia is herself, different from the one before, from the unspoken demon who hunted all its existence. But Lucy? Of course, Lucy was

“Lucy…Master.” She says, finding it to be the most appropriate answer. That’s who she is, the woman that tamed and named her.

“Did she say you should keep watch here? Is there someone coming back soon? A Chosen perhaps?” The last question Lavinia knows would change whatever amicable relations are happening now, fortunately the truth is the truth.

“No. Lavinia and Lucy all.” She says, falling back in place beside Lucy.

“They’re all dead then.” The Caster says, she points at Lucy’s staff rolling back and forth on the floor, “That’s a brilliant staff, I need it. We need it.”

“No! Mine!” Lavinia springs back up with a snarl, flashing her claws once more.

The Caster ignores her and continues talking to the leader, “There’s nothing here but a rather…dangerous demon and a very good staff. Let’s do ourselves a favour? Just this once, please Jeri!”

“No, you asked we bury her and that’s what we started, lets finish that and respect what she left behind.” He says, going to pick the staff.

“She didn’t leave a Gestalt Grovestaff for a demon!”

“What if she did?” their handler starts, shrugging with one hand stuffed in a pocket and the other guiding his strange light around the area. “Even if she didn’t, killing the demon for protecting their old master's corpse feels…cruel and unnecessary.”

“It is.” Jeriko says with a pleased smile before presenting the staff to Lavinia, “Keep it close, it’s what’s left of Lucy. But we can’t let her stay up here, rotting outwardly for any passer-by to see and piss on. We have to bury her.”

“Do you think a demon understands any of that? It’s barely old enough to know it’ll die in here.” The Caster grumbles.

“I understand.” The words come clean, sound and without a stutter from Lavinia, surprising the humans, “Lucy rot faster, better in dirt.”

“That’s…not the logic I was going for but it works.”

***

The Caster sprinkles some dirt in the hole Lucy rests in, whispering incomprehensible words before nodding over at Lavinia. They said she could toss some dirt in as well and tell Lucy anything she wanted, as if she would hear it.

It didn’t make sense but so far these humans have been the first to help, they dug the hole and even made Lucy look like she did before, a bit so. Lavinia sprinkles some dirt in the hole as well, it gathers all over Lucy’s legs, spilling onto her torso until Lavinia’s hand is empty. Now for the words— Jeriko’s smile persists though the Caster frowns slightly, waiting with her staff in hand to seal the grave and set Lucy to rest.

Searching her mind Lavinia’s hand falls by her side, forming a fist as the right words make themselves known, “I…I can’t eat that.”

The team share looks for a moment before the Caster clears her throat and taps her staff. The pulled earth drips back into the hole with lamina flow, the Handler stabs the grave with a slab Jeriko cracked off the Unrefined crystals, he’s etched onto it a single word; Lucy.

“Feels like there should be more on there but…yeah I’ll stop talking.” He dusts his hands off and handles the Sniffer.

“Personally, I won’t stop talking about how letting a demon have a GroveStaff instead of your own Caster is bull.” The Caster tosses her chin at Jeriko who deftly ignores her as he approaches Lavinia.

Hands set behind his back he stands by Lavinia at the foot of Lucy’s grave, “We’re leaving now, I’m not sure what you think of humans but I know what humans think of you, of your kind. But, I don’t think that way and neither do they. Would you help me understand something?”

Lavinia’s ear perks from the hood of hair on her head and he takes it as a sign to press his request, “What happened here? What happened to you, to Lucy’s team? Who did this?”

Ear drooping, Lavinia remains silent, staring off at the impromptu headstone and the name scratched into the refracting crystal. Lucy. It’s been three weeks since they met and barely a week since she died, now sealed in dirt with the maggots and friends to graze on her corpse.

Lavinia breathes without threat of utter annihilation, only now recognizing her freedom.

Jeriko grunts a sigh, “Look, I know you’re smarter than you let on. I know you understand me. We’re going deeper into this dungeon and I want to protect them.” He crouches by, Lavinia, laying a hand on her shoulder as he peers at her, “Please say something.”

“Soul Reaver.” She starts and Jeriko’s eyes widen, “Berserker Nei and the Soul Reaver, Henry. Henry killed Lucy, Nei killed Ken. Henry...cursed Lavinia.” Her hands rise to graze the marks scarred onto her face.

Jeriko nods intently, waiting for more words from Lavinia but she only tightens her grip on the Grovestaff and kicks the foot of the grave as she turns to leave.

“Thank you, Lavinia.” Jeriko says, smiling bright as he has since they met, “That knowledge is invaluable, I’ll avenge Lucy on your behalf.”

At this she stops walking off, tilting her head as she asks, “What is…avenge?”

Scratching his head at this one, he says, “Well, it’s when you give back the evil someone has brought into the world, it’s when you punish people for taking away loved ones, or bringing ruin to you. Revenge…I…it may be a human thing.”

Lavinia hums, casting a glance over at Lucy’s headstone, “Punishing Lucy?”

“No, punishing Henry for taking Lucy away. For hurting you too.”

In the end Lavinia shakes her head, walking away without asking of more from Jeriko and before he can think of more to ask of her. Their goodbyes fall silent in the sea of thought Lavinia delves into as her feet carry her back up the path she came down a week ago.

The scent of rotten meat permeates as she passes under the balcony Lucy meant to cook, a last dinner Ken and she never had. Under the balcony a corridor curves out of the darkness, more of the usual glowing crystals stick out here instead of the caverns glowing shrubs.

Lavinia looks up the balcony and then down the corridor ahead of her, two ways leading out somewhere— hopefully out where she can hunt a proper meal for herself. She takes the corridor over reliving the camp site and the grotesque stench of spoiled reptile stew.

“Avenge…revenge.” She says to no one as she stomps down the inclined corridor, tapping the Grovestaff in little puddles of water as she goes. The word’s contextual meaning is evident to her, Lucy made sure she could understand things like these with her last moments.

But why? What was the purpose of any of it? Why did she feed her that rock? Why did Lucy sacrifice her life instead of handing her over to the Soul Reaver? It wouldn’t have mattered if Henry decided he’d domineer over Lavinia like he’s promised he would return to do. Does her sacrifice even matter now?

“Avenge.” She whispers again, the echo of the corridor carries her soft voice out an opening where light and a strong scent of salt and ore waft through. Maybe Lucy knew it wouldn’t matter and that all that mattered was Lavinia knowing enough to someday avenge her.

If that’s what she wanted, Lavinia isn’t sure what to do against a human as strong as Henry and since Lucy died, she wonders more if any of her obedience was true. The memories before Lucy and Ken, the wild rages of the young demon she was remain clear in her mind, as clear as how much they hurt that demon as well.

“Revenge.” She says again, speaking loudly as she reaches the steep end of the corridor. If anything, Lavinia would’ve first gotten vengeance on Lucy and Ken, righted all the evil and hurt they brought on her. Alas, they’re gone and with them every opportunity she didn’t know she had.

Beyond the corridor, Lavinia’s splays her feet into the sand covering every inch of land around. She wanders out, enjoying the cold breeze and the boundless sky above and the feel of the sand between her toes. Ahead, a crashing tide of water splashes against the sand, as if threatening Lavinia with its presence.

Its roar stops short of the beach head and using {Inspect}Lavinia learns its name— [Ruishia Sea].

Breathing in the cool salty air, Lavinia readies herself for a new hunt— an unending hunt for strength beyond what she knows. “Soul Reaver, Henry Vanavil.”

Believing his words, Lavinia is sure she’ll meet the human again and that day she’ll have to fight to preserve the freedom he granted with Lucy’s death and fight for the wild demon she was to return, to enjoy the slightest slice she does now without anticipating subjugation.