Buzz! Buzz!
In a private compartment of the train, a large mosquito found its way in as it flew directly under the door. Then it buzzed over to a massive man sitting next to a window and settled on his ear.
The man was exceedingly tall and muscular, so tall that his head literally brushed against the compartment’s ceiling even though he was seated. He was at least two heads taller than Val. He wore a black coat that hung heavily on his formidable frame that screamed masculinity. No doubt below the man’s clothes, a figure overloaded with muscles was present.
Buzz!
The mosquito buzzed in the man’s ears.
Listening to the mosquito’s unfortunate report, the man clicked his tongue in annoyance.
“Useless thing! What use are you when you can’t even do one thing properly?!”
The man seemed to be scolding the mosquito. It seemed like they could communicate with each other.
His colossal fingers were as swift as they were deadly, and they lunged forward with an eeriness that defied his size.
The unsuspecting fly, its wings still buzzing with the remnants of its delivered message, didn’t stand a chance.
Within a split second, it found itself ensnared in the deathly grasp of the giant.
A subtle, yet powerful pressure began to encase its fragile body.
In the midst of his unyielding fingers, the tiny creature faced its inexorable end.
Pop!
Its frail exoskeleton crumbled under the immense force exerted by the man, its entrails bursting out in a miniature explosion of visceral gore.
Squelch!
The echo of its last buzz was drowned out by the gruesome squelch of its life being brutally extinguished.
Only after killing his useless pet did the man calm down.
Then using a long-distance cursed artifact, he connected to the person he was both in debt and bound to.
“Mistress,” he rumbled, his voice matching his massive stature, “The mission has failed. The target did not fall for my trap. He did not consume the poison. I failed to assassinate him. What should be my next course of action?”
“Evacuate the train immediately,” The mistress replied to the man in a voice that was as crisp and cold as it was cruel.
“But Mistress, given another opportunity, I am confident in my capability to accomplish the task,” he pleaded, desperation creeping into his tone.
“No, you’ve had your chance. Someone else will take care of it now,” she retorted dismissively.
“I’ve heard and shall comply.”
Though a goliath in form, the man meekly conceded to his mistress’ command.
After all, his will was not his own, he was chained to her every whim.
He could not risk rebellion as her hold over his life was total and absolute!
With merely a flick of her fingers or just a thought, she had the power to end his existence.
It was a chilling realization for a man who was once free, unfettered by any shackles. He couldn’t help but recall how he, a level 5 bloodline user, had fallen so far that he was worse than street dogs. 𝒐𝒱𝗅xt.𝗇𝓔t
He had been ensnared by the mistress’ enchanting allure, a snare he hadn’t seen until it was too late. One night of shared passion with her was all it took to imprison him in this servitude.
The aftermath of that fateful encounter was devastating. He was no longer his own master, but reduced to a subservient hound, heeding her every command, living at her mercy.
Women, he reflected with a bitter twist of irony, were indeed creatures as dangerous as devils.
“Since the mistress had said so, I better leave and get back to accept my punishment.”
Falling to complete a task handed out by the mistress results in punishment.
A sigh of resignation and defeat escaped from his massive chest. The reality of his situation weighed heavily on him. It was a burden he could neither shake off nor fight against.
He then moved towards the window of his compartment. Despite the rapid speed at which the train traveled, he was unperturbed. With a calculated look, he pulled the window open, allowing the gust of the night wind to fill the compartment and ruffle his hair. And then, with an effortless leap, he plunged into the void, his formidable silhouette swallowed by the night, disappearing from the sight of the world he left behind on the train.
Meanwhile, after surviving the assasination attempt on his life, Val did some investigation on his own, but finding nothing fruitful, he returned to the compartment of the train which he was sharing with two others.
Eliana and Lucious were already there.
Val narrowed his eyes as he looked at Eliana discreetly.
‘She seems slightly different since I last saw her. But what caused that change?’
‘Let’s found out.’
Val focused his eyes on her and cast detect.
Immediately, a semi-transparent screen popped up in his vision. It worked since the target was lower level than him.
Name: Eliana
Class: Priest
Danger Level: 1
Bloodline Purity: High
Abilities:
– Holy Magic:
— Healing: Restores HP of a chosen ally.
— Shield Creation: Generates a protective barrier.
— Exorcism: Highly effective against evil entities,
including devils and zombies.
Experience: 0/100
HP: 10/10
MP: 100/100
STR: 8
DEX: 10
Agility: 12
STA: 25
LUK: 50
Val was momentarily frozen in disbelief. The character profile displayed before him told an extraordinary tale. Merely a few days had elapsed since he last saw Eliana, and she had already transformed from a humble nun to a Level 1 priest. But it wasn’t just her promotion that left him astounded. Eliana was now a bloodline user with an incredibly pure lineage, a rarity among many.
High bloodline purity often implied exceptional treatment. Val considered the possibility that the God of Light himself may have aided Eliana in her awakening as a bloodline user. The level of luck she possessed was astronomical, more than any individual Val had met in his previous and current life combined. Considering her extraordinary fortune, it was quite plausible that she had indeed attracted divine favor and experienced an extraordinary awakening.
Mulling over these revelations, Val realized the potential benefits of strengthening his bond with Eliana. “If these speculations hold any truth,” he thought, “befriending her could indeed prove to be invaluable.” The thought echoed in his mind as he glanced at Eliana with a newfound understanding and interest.