The prisoner had tensed shoulders as they stared at me with dark eyes. The mortal man, fettered and limited to one chamber, looked as if he could break free and intrude on the place I was inhabiting.
“Warlord Rex? I came here of my volition,” I said with a smile. “Now, I won’t repeat myself again. What do you plan to do now that you’ve gained intel on your enemy? Escaping your confines should be as easy as inserting thread through a needle.”
The man frowned at my analogy. “That’s not the- you know what? Forget it. How do you know I’m able to escape? As you can see, I don’t have any weapons or tools.”
“You’re sitting on a stool, aren’t you? That’s the only tool you’ll need.”
His face lit up with surprise as he let out an amused chuckle. His laughter ended, and we could feel the vibrations from the clanking metal as it rushed toward us. In my sight were two guards, both holding a longsword.
“What’s so funny, eh?” Hugo said, leaning forward.
“I think this one has gone crazy from captivity,” replied the other.
“You might be right, Horford. You scum better quiet down or else I’ll reduce your food portions!”
To strengthen the severity of his warning, Horford banged his sword against the steel bars, producing a loud and clear sound that spread across the entire prison. Both guards shared a laugh as they returned to their posts. Taking a mental note of what to do with those two, I listened as the bound man talked.
“You’re not normal, that much I can tell. Your demeanor is relaxed for someone in the same position as I, which leads me to believe that you wanted this to happen. You also have an idea of who I am and are probably expecting something out of this. If I may ask, what is it you seek?”
While smiling, I pointed at the stool he was on. “Escape right now and I’ll answer your questions, oh officer of Warlord Bazark.”
The officer smiled smugly as he titled his head back and removed a hair tie from his pocket. He quickly secured his hair and drew in a deep breath. Eyes brimming with determination, the man hunched over and snapped twos leg off the stool, causing a loud crack to echo across the stone walls. Hugo shouted, and the sound of their armor grinding together was like thunder as they dashed towards our location. Horford was the first to arrive, turning his attention to the other prisoner.
“Didn’t I warn you about making a-“
Warlord Bazark’s officer threw a glowing stool leg directly at Horford’s nose. Blood splattered and a whip-like crack erupted soon after. His heavy body slumped over as his head ricochet off the steel bars. Hugo, who was nearby, watched on in shock at his fallen comrade. The office was about to throw another one until I intervened.
“Allow me to interject.”
Raising my palm at Hugo, I used the mastery [Blood Manipulation] on Hugo. Lowering my palm caused Hugo to awkwardly bend his body, thus allowing him to dodge. The stool leg splintered into a wall nearby while I commanded Hugo to reach into his leather bag. The man followed the instructions given and removed a circular metal ring containing keys. He shambled toward my cell and unlocked it with clenched teeth. Once open, he shuffled to the corner of the room and bent down, unlocking my chains.
“W-What s-sort of magic is this?!” Hugo gasped as each of my chains clicked. With a wave of my hand, I clamped his mouth shut.
“Dogs aren’t allowed to speak.”
After a few moments of undoing the shackles, I was eventually liberated. I rose from my seat in a composed manner, rubbing my wrists, and I walked towards him with a half-smile as I put my hand on his face. That was when I activated a mastery I’ve put off on using: [Soul Snatch]. Demos offered me the opportunity to use his skill temporarily. As implied by the title, I have the power to take over and manipulate a person's soul and body. Their life would be in the palm of my hand, and there was nothing they could do to get out of the situation unless their souls were freed, or the duration had ended. The resemblance to how I manipulate a body with their blood is remarkable, nevertheless [Soul Snatch] is a challenging ability to protect against. Only those with a powerful soul can prohibit their own from being taken.
“You are to stop anyone that wants to access these prisons. Do you understand me?”
Hugo’s eyes had dimmed, leaving his soul under the power of another. Hugo's internal sense was still present, struggling to regain its prior control. He is a prisoner in his own body, watching at the sidelines as something else entirely takes the helm. At my command, the new Hugo nodded. Certain that there would be no complications, I departed the cell with him. Warlord Bazark’s officer was waiting for me to unlock his.
“You’re able to control whoever you touch? That’s quite the frightening power,” he said as Hugo bumbled over with a set of keys.
“Oh? Are you perhaps interested in joining this-“
“I refuse,” he said immediately. “So, what will you do now that you’re free? You’re not the usual Albaniqe I’ve come across, and I’m guessing you’re here on important duties.”
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
“It’s best not to pry.”
Hugo had already unlocked the cell and the prisoner’s chain. After his release, he reached his full stature and spread out his aching body parts as he proceeded ahead serenely. When we were together, the red light that had been emanating from his hand a few moments ago suddenly disappeared without a trace.
“I’m surprised you can use Qi adeptly. Infusing that energy with an object like a stool leg isn’t an easy feat.”
He narrowed his eyes at me and frowned. “You know what Qi is? Seriously, just who are you?”
I ignored the man and pointed at the far end of the dungeon. The hallway was extremely cramped, which only allowed five individuals to traverse it, and the smell of the hallway was comparable to the dull fabric we were given. The stone floors were uneven and covered in a layer of dust, making it easy to slip like one would on a waxed hospital floor. A lack of windows and ventilation systems made the space quite cold, but it was not an issue for me, given my stature. At the far end of the lines of cells was a stairway leading upward, blocked by a wooden door.
“This is what I want you to do, officer of Warlord Bazark. Return to your post and converse with your leader. He will tell you about your next course of action. It is important that you communicate the Marauders' plans to him. I will stay here and finish my business in Arago.”
The man stared at me dubiously. “Okay… What abou-“
“Shush, I’m not done speaking. I want you to send Warlord Bazark a message. Tell him that once you invade Arago, spread the blood of your enemies around the city of Arago as a circle. Make sure the blood stains are connected so that Xalan, the god of blood, can accept it as an offering. If you fail this simple mission, you and the Liberators will perish by her hands. Do you understand me?”
When I had finished my explanation, the man could only stare at me incredulously. His mind was likely processing a multitude of possibilities with the data he had been presented. It was similar to witnessing a hamster on a wheel functioning vigorously to power a generator. Sorry, little mortal, but I don’t have time to waste waiting for you to spout a few words.
I snapped my fingers in front of his face and said, “I will assume you understand the assignment I have graciously handed you and will deliver excellent results. Now, Linark, good luck in escaping.”
“…Wait, how do you know my-“
His last utterances did not penetrate my ears as I had already sprinted out of the dungeon's oppressive environment. The area was transformed from a dark cobblestone corridor to a small shack connected at the end. It had the same luminosity, with some table, chairs, and lanterns. Outside the glass panes were pitch-dark, but with [Night Vision], the shack was nestled next to a large perimeter gate, very similar to the outer gates. Since this was the dungeons of sector D, a checkpoint to the next sector.
“How lovely…”
I advanced to the entrance of the shack and carefully opened the door to observe the outside. Across from the shack was a weathered brick building much bigger- large enough to accommodate fifty men. A few meters away was a gate constructed of metal latticework. Two sentries were positioned at the helm, surveying the deserted, cobbled streets of Arago. On top of the gate was a parapet. By doing a brief calculation in my head, I concluded that the distance was manageable without alerting the guards. Searching the vicinity once more, I leaped on top of the shack and jumped over to the parapet. I reached up and held onto the edge, then I climbed up. The guards observed nothing out of the ordinary and remained in position.
My eyes scanned across the gate and settled on the Arago palace. Without a break, I hastened along the rampart, the rush of wind pounding my face until I got to the middle of the city. Compared to the outer edge, there was a sizeable increase of guards patrolling. I counted three guards on each sector gate, and around ten standing firm in front of the main gates.
“Tight security like this wasn’t present earlier in the day. Is he worried about someone intruding at night? What a coward. You call yourself a Warlord? Don’t make me laugh. I don’t remember Warlords being this scared of a possible assassination. They would relish the thought of snapping an intruder’s neck between their soles. Either my memory has gone bad for Warlord Rex in particular is-”
A dark shadow passed by my peripheral vision. When I turned my head, I observed long tresses flowing as they ascended the northern wall. Then, in a flash, they were gone. It must’ve been Linark. That mortal better be heading toward his own troops to inform them of the events that transpired. All I can do is pray that the mortal doesn’t ruin my plans.
“Enough standing around. It’s time to meet Warlord Rex.”
Pinpointing each guard’s location, I brought forth a dagger of hardened blood; the source originating from my body. In one bound, I catapulted forward at the three nearest guards. One of them heard my footsteps and spun on his heels. Before he could face me, I threw the blood dagger, and the weapon pierced through with no effort. His body hung over the parapet as the leftover guards cried out. I manifested more daggers and killed the others in under two seconds. They crumbled into a heap of lifeless suits of armor.
I soared through the air and gracefully flipped over the gate before my feet touched the soft, lush green turf. The sound of a sprinkling fountain echoed in the night, and beneath my boots was the crushed stem and scattered petals of a dark rose. I scaled the spiked black gate and silently approached the palace, the torchlight from the walls dancing off the majestic structure. With one powerful motion, I was able to seize the terrace railing and pull myself up. In a bent position, a six-foot door existed in front of me, with a glass pane in the middle. A light shade of yellow shone through the covering. Creeping slowly, I turned the knob. It was locked.
“To hell with it. Why should I slink around?”
Cocking my leg back, I thrust it forward and burst the door off its hinges. It skidded across the room, breaking into a million pieces as debris scattered across the gold tile. As I entered the room, my footsteps bounced off the walls as I inspected the area. The room was vast and extravagant, furnished with opulent furniture as expensive as the finest jewelry in all of Earthiens. A chandelier composed of glass and lit candles was suspended in the center of walls that featured a detailed design of roaring lions. Placed by the wall was a canopy bed, which took up half of the room. Red sheets hid behind embroidered silk hangings, and on top of those sheets stood an upright naked man and two women in his arms. The three people were on the verge of screaming until I launched forward with my palm facing forward.
“[Blood Manipulation].”
Their bodies went rigid, and they all fell limp on the bedazzled bed as they stared on in horror. I towered over the group, my feet sinking deeper into the mattress. With a smile on my face, I transformed into my original appearance. The man went slack jawed, and his eyes widened even more at the sight.
“Hello, Warlord Rex. I don’t have to introduce myself since I’m sure you’re quite familiar with the gods. Because of that, you better unclog those filthy ears of yours and heed my words.”