Devil’s Doll Reincarnation | Chapter 4 | The Soulless

Like usual, it was a boring day. I’d much rather be at the old manor than this stinking council, but I can’t disagree with the pay... I had come to this quiet little town so I could become more powerful. Everyone here just calls this place the village since no official name was given. We are, after all, in no man’s land territory. The two warring kingdoms bordering each side of us both think we’re all going to die sooner or later. So, they both have no reason to spare any effort naming us, and nobody here has the right to. As much as I’d like to dilly dally here, the security is stricter than I thought, due to the war, and the damned mayor keeps shoving tasks onto me. “You’re a smart man Quill, surely you’re up to the task?” He told me.

Ohh, how I despise that guy, thinking he can push me around of all people. I used to be a noble for fucks sake, yet he’ll treat me all the same anyway! Obnoxious bastard. I haven’t even had a single chance to capture another soul all month…

… That is, until today.

The old woodsman from the Southern forest had scheduled a meeting with the council. And who of all people had the task shoved onto them? Why me, of course. The casually clothed man trotted into my office, leaving muddy footprints trailing behind him. The exited smile on his wrinkly face only further irritated me. What had this buffoon come to talk about? It was probably something related to his ridiculous hobby again, wasn’t it?

This old man must surely be on the verge of going senile, to have quit his job as a woodsman just so he could pursue his vision of saving his lost child. “I saw her in my dreams!” he said to me, begging me to lend him the cabin, in the woods, for his pet project. I could barely hold in my laughter during that time, even with him grovelling right in front of me I found it hilarious how he truly believed he could build his dead child a new body. Even now his uneducated understanding of magic was enough to make me snicker.

He said he might be able to put the child’s soul into a replacement body, claiming he could fix everything if he worked hard enough. Even though highly trained mages have been trying to regain the lost technique, of transferring the human soul into objects, for nearly five hundred years. Even though I knew this, I of course gave him the cabin with a kind smile on my face. Expecting another joke to come up in a few months.

I didn’t however, expect him to actually succeed.

Yet, there is one thing he hasn’t realised. And It’s quite ironic really, seeing as I devoured his daughter’s soul. I was also the one who burnt down his house during the first few weeks I was here. You’d think he’d be more suspicions towards me, but nothing! That immature soul wasn’t even very filling. I only came back to see how the mother was doing, yet she died baring that worthless child. Ohhh, how I wish that woman was still alive, so I could wrench her juicy soul from her body myself. A soul like that would’ve added at least thirty more years to my lifespan, and it would’ve also strengthened my magic to previously unheard-of levels. Absorbing the souls of my enemies… quite a unique trait in my lineage, if I do say so myself.

I mean, I took the souls of my family members by the time I turned 20, but that doesn’t matter. I only made it to this position from the combined powers I gained from them anyway, so I guess some thanks is in order…

…nah.

What matters right now is that the soul of this old man looks incredibly succulent today. He’s been babbling on about how his doll came to life, so maybe his new-found happiness has enlightened his soul. Perhaps I’ll take the soul inhabiting the doll too? Judging from what he’s been spouting for the last few minutes, it sounds like the being inside it hasn’t figured out how to move with magic yet.

Hmmm… I guess I’ll make this quick. Clapping my hands together I gained Geralt’s attention with a start.

“Okay Geralt, my good friend. Let’s go see this doll then, shall we? We’ll measure its sentience level and see if it’ll be accepted by the villagers.”

“Ah, yes… of course Mr Anderson, let’s go.”

He mustn’t have been expecting me to speak up all of a sudden, but I just couldn’t contain myself. It’s been months before anything interesting happened here, and finally some action has come my way in this godforsaken place. I’m pretty sure this procedure will go smoothly, unlike the last one. Well, anyway, Geralt and I left my office with haste and left the council building through its main hallway. Along the way, I waved to some of the villagers who greeted me as they walked by. After we got a good distance away from everyone else, I started asking some questions regarding the doll and what it looked like.

The old man said that it was only as tall as his waist, and wore a simple white dress over her pale white porcelain body. It was amusing how I could clearly see the displeasure he felt, whenever I referred to the doll as it. What really amazed me however was that he claimed the doll’s hair had changed from black to white.

I’ve never read any records of something like that occurring. Did this lucky idiot somehow manage to summon a semi-conscious soul? Or even worse, a demon. Usually it will just give the artificial body a mindless soul that had degraded in the, ever so murky, rift pool for too long. They were only capable of simple commands and orders, and were completely loyal to their creators. It really makes me wonder how much power is stored away in this new one I’ll be seeing soon…

Well. One can only take it to find out, right?

Quill Anderson [https://thesuspenseblog.files.wordpress.com/2017/11/evil-villain-1-eyes.png?w=300&h=482]

Geralt had told me to go on ahead until I reached the foot of the forest, something about forgetting the parchments he brought with him. They only had some simple designs of the doll, and the runes and magic he had cast on it. So, I don’t see why he held them of such importance. I mean, after all, he already succeeded, right? The work on the doll designs were of a much higher quality than the runes and incantations he had written down too, quite the half-assed attempt at reviving your daughter huh?

“So, Geralt. Have you only been working on your project, or was there something else? I can’t lend you that cabin out of the goodness of my heart forever, you know. Especially since you’re not even paying me for it.”

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

“I have been doing other things too, rest assured, I’m not just wasting space. In fact, I’ve been teaching the mayor’s daughter how to sculpt and paint. She’s very enthusiastic about it, and I’m certain that she’ll surpass me in skill any time now. She’s currently babysitting the doll, trying to teach it how to talk I think.” Oh really? It sounds rather tame doesn’t it?

And, oh yes that’s right. Hasn’t someone been going back and forth from the village to give this guy supplies. Now that I think about it, it all makes sense. I was expecting the mayor to kick the old geezer out, even before I did, but the time never came. Such a wonderful opportunity has come my way, it’s not every day that I can snuff out two irritating flames in one go, and get some sweet, sweet payback.

It had taken the two of us about ten minutes to actually get within viewing distance of the old shack. From the strength I’d gathered over the years, it was a literal walk in the park for me. Geralt seemed to know what he was doing, with his many years of experience backing him, he didn’t show a single sign of growing tired.

“Mr Anderson, I’m quite impressed how a skinny lad like yourself managed to make it out this far; without a single break even.” He praised me over his shoulder, an impressed grin showing off his bright whites. I wonder how he would feel… if I told him that I was at least sixty years older than him?

“I don’t quite understand why you always wear that dark cloak either, it makes you look so unapproachable, yet you’re one of the kindest people I’ve met. Personally, I think you’re trying too hard, and a lot of people in the village have become worried for your health.” Geralt had turned around, balancing himself on a large tree root. The extra height it gave him allowed him to look far out into the forest, but instead he was staring straight down at me, with a contemplative look on his face.

Does he honestly think so highly of me? You people need to worry about me for a whole other reason... It’s sickening if I’m honest, but it’s nice to know that I’ve fooled everyone in the village to a certain degree. It’s a good boost to my confidence. I’d hate it if all my hard work pretending to be a nice guy was wasted, all this effort would be for nothing.

…

“Alright… I’ll consider taking a break when we get back.” Flashing him my well-practiced smile, I saw a hint of worry on his face before he turned around. I can’t help thinking he’s losing his trust in me… I’m not enough of a people person to understand, unfortunately.

As Geralt took one foot off the big root to step down, a blinding light shot out of the cabin’s windows. Soon after, thinking that the ordeal had ended, Geralt stood back up from being knocked over. Only to have a massive explosion erupt from within the cabin, sending shards of glass and wood flying towards us. I ducked for cover, but Geralt wasn’t fast enough to get out of the way. A gust of strong wind screamed past, shaking all the trees, sending more debris everywhere, and lifting Geralt from the ground, launching him backwards onto a bed of roots. It’s just not your day today, is it?

I peered over the top of my cover, eyeing the still intact, strange blinding light as it slowly faded away until it was as if nothing had ever happened. The only evidence of the incident were the broken windows.

“What the fuck… was that…” I muttered, completely astounded by the wave of energy that had just assaulted me. I must see what caused this explosion of power.

Emerging from my safe spot behind the root, I started sprinting towards the cabin. Looking back, I could see Geralt’s horrified face. Not from my actions, but the shocking revelation of who, and what, was in the cabin. His precious doll, and the mayor’s daughter. While he was busy strugglingly trying to get up off the ground, I was already at the opening of the blown open door.

The first thing I saw, the moment I stepped into the room, was the rumoured doll grasping tightly onto a book. The doll had an emotionless face that struck me as nostalgic, it resembled a human’s, but it gave off an unnatural feeling. It was too perfect, and surely there had to be something special about this thing. Shaking my attention away from the doll I continued with my original task, as I had not nearly enough time to stop and admire a dumb doll. The mayor’s daughter, Anna, was cradled up against the other side of the room, and I couldn’t allow this small window of oppotunity to escape me.

Almost sliding over to her in glee, I held her head up from the ground with one of my arms, allowing her to breathe easier. The girl was still conscious, the first thing she did made that clear. She immediately stared at the doll with a look of concern and apprehension. So, she really does like the doll, I sighed, and then gave her a grin. Saying the words of power to activiate my unique ability, I finally sealed her fate. Holding out a vial I watched as her essence drained away, leaving a fog like substance inside the glass tube. As tempting as it was to consume it right now, I believe these is more important things to tend to. Such as removing any witnesses. I can’t elaborate on whether the doll is sentient or not, but a little jolt of pain should do the trick.

Standing up I cast a simple spell of cleaning to brighten the place up, removing the strangely shaped burn mark on the wall, and the unnatural gloom about the place. The thick book the doll was holding practically required its whole body to get a firm grip. Looking closer it seemed to be an old magic book of some kind. Curious, I pulled the book towards me using simple telekinesis, gradually jostling it out of the dolls tiny arms with ease. I then peeped at the title. Oh! It’s an old classic. The Protective Barrier Collection by The Old Scriptures. I’ve heard a lot about this group, they specialised in the occult and were very popular exorcists back in the day. Sliding the book into my cloak for easy reading later, Geralt finally burst into the room, allowing me to I let out a silent breath of relief.

How fortunate it was that he didn’t see me in the act, seeing as I literally just killed someone so very close to him.

Geralt rushed over to cradle the girl in his arms, his soul looking more and more delectable as he further let out his emotions. I decided taking his soul, too, was the best course of action, as soon as I finished experimenting with his doll. All I have to do now is dispose of them, and I’ll have free pickings of three different souls in one day. The last time something like this happened was when I walked through the aftermath of a battlefield, three soldiers were still alive and begging. Just ripe for the taking. I didn’t question how they survived the Devil’s army, and I honestly didn’t care. Ohhh, such glee…

Now, what’s a good way to remove this doll, without the old coot trying to stop me? And as the man looked up at me for answers, I thought of something great…

“It did this.” I said, pointing at the doll while trying to sound as convincing as possible.

In the corner of my eye I saw the gullible dolt took the bait, and now all I had to do was enact righteous justice, as they say, here and now. I walked up to the doll and it payed me no attention, instead it was just staring, fixated on the old man’s horrified expression. The look of betrayal was a bright as day, and it made me feel so alive.

Even as I stood right above the doll it completely ignored my existence. Well, how about we try that experiment then? Concealing my ecstatic smile with my back turned to Geralt I then slammed my boot onto the doll’s arm, shattering it with ease, and releasing a satisfying crack. This experiment proved the doll really was sentient, as it thrashed around holding its broken arm. It’s screams sounded so nice. How smart was this thing, I don’t know, but I guess we’ll just have to experiment more then, won’t we.

As I was relishing in the moment, everything suddenly went sideways and a painful sensation ran up my back. I tried to look up, and I spotted the bottom half of that old man’s figure before getting kicked in the stomach. Although I was rather sturdy compared to other people, his kick still managed to knock the wind out of me. A horrible taste of iron was welling up from the back of my throat. Looking at my sides I could see long pieces of sharp wood sticking into me…

How. Dare. He.

I slowly yelled in my mind, nobody has ever treated this way. Nobody has ever managed to even knock me down! Even though... as much as I wanted to kill him now... I couldn’t hold out against the onslaught of kicks and punches, resulting with me getting me knocked out cold for who know how long. But one things for certain. I’ll slaughter this man in the most painful way imaginable... by taking everything he loves, and then finally ending him.