This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.
The original was posted on /r/hfy by /u/vehino on 2024-09-07 09:42:32+00:00.
Chapter theme: CRIM3S - lost (youtube.com)
Chapter 32.
The Witch of Appraisal.
As soon as I saw that Nick Pankratz was hale and hardy and completely free of our influence, I immediately realized the full scope of my error.
I’m an idiot. There are no other words for it. An oblivious buffoon walking blindfolded through life with as little awareness of the world’s potential dangers as a toddler in a sand box.
“Surprised to see me?” Pankratz smirked. “Looks like you didn’t take Cassie into account, huh?”
That was exactly what I’d failed to do. I’ve been so taken with my own class and progression that I didn’t pay enough attention to the trouble that other classes could present. Specifically, Cassie’s. All along I’d been referring to her as a healer, thinking of her as nothing more than a mere mender of wounds. But healer isn’t a class, is it?
It’s a role.
Her class title was priestess. As in a practitioner of divine arts who used her prayers to bring succor to the injured and ailing. She wasn’t much of an offensive powerhouse, but she was literally blessed by the heavens. And that came with considerable bonuses, one of which was immunity to mind control and the ability to cleanse diseases.
Technically, becoming enthralled by our blood arts could be considered an infection. Something that Cassie could counter perfectly. She’d faked being mesmerized by Rachel and lay perfectly still while Schulz watched over her, waiting for an opportunity to heal Pankratz and escape. And that moment had come while Rachel and I had slept under the effect of the siren’s blood we’d ingested.
Stupid, stupid, stupid.
“Where’s the dog?” Pankratz asked as soon as we were cuffed, and our weapons had been secured.
Schulz stood invisibly to our side, waiting patiently for me to give the order to attack. His animal instincts, untainted by siren’s blood had warned him that something was amiss, and in his alertness, he’d activated [Stealth] before exiting the fracture.
Wasn’t he just a clever little thing?
“I didn’t see him when we came out,” I said sorrowfully. “Poor guy must have been caught in there when it collapsed.”
“Shit,” swore the gunman standing beside Pankratz. “I wanted to see how big of a gem we could carve out of that thing.”
Rude.
In addition to that fellow, there were four other fresh faces here. I recognized some of them from the day of that school outing. Three of these people had been in Pankratz’ four-man squad. That meant the extra must have been one of Cassie’s teammates.
Interesting. I’ll have to make a note of that for later. In the meanwhile, time to play the part of a helpless prisoner.
“Excuse me?” I said, using an offended tone of voice. “That thing was a friend of mine.”
“My condolences, asshole,” he said with a sneer. “Next time I suggest you buy a cat. They’re easier to take care of.”
“Coop, be nice,” Pankratz said smugly.
“Yeah, Coop. Be nice,” I said with a frustrated glare. In response, the boy flipped his middle finger my way. I grinned and bore it, certain of the knowledge that by the end of the day our positions would be thoroughly reversed.
This was the second time that Pankratz and Cassie had caught me unawares and bound me like a common criminal. Mark my words, there would not come a third time. I had thoroughly learned my lesson, and the time would soon come to impart one to them in return.
Rachel picked up on my confidence and seemed to calm down. The adrenalin that had surged throughout our bodies when we were caught had cleared away any of the remaining fog in our heads left over from last night’s deeds. Now she was staring intensely at Pankratz and Cassie, with wide, urgent eyes that could be mistaken for being fearful at first glance.
It was the very opposite of that emotion, however.
That was going to be a problem.
“Be very careful with these two,” Cassie warned the others as Rachel, and I were pulled roughly to our feet. “These two are aberrant. They can deliver some kind of infection via blood transmission that overwrites free will.”
As Cassie spoke, Rachel continued to stare at her. I could feel the hostility my daughter exuded almost as though it was a physical force. As I thought before, this was absolutely going to be a problem.
Rachel was deliriously angry with the other girl. If it continued to build, she’d be as drunk on rage as she had been on that siren’s blood. All her ire was focused on Cassie, and I could tell from the way my daughter was gently running her tongue along her teeth that she very much wanted to tear the healer’s throat out with her bite.
“Stay in the moment, Rachel,” I urgently whispered to her while our captors engaged themselves in conversation. “Keep your anger in check.”
“She stole him from me,” she replied hatefully. “That little cow took what was mine.”
“Rachel, you’re in human form now,” I said in a futile effort to placate her. “There’s no reason for you to feel so angry. Remember, we’re beneath a sunny sky…”
“She needs to give him back. I’ll kill her slowly if she doesn’t return him at once,” Rachel growled.
Ah, vampiric hierarchy. What a time for you to show up again.
I’m being sarcastic. This is actually horrible timing.
I believe I’ve mentioned vampiric hierarchy before, yes? Our innate compulsion to dominate our surroundings and bend others to our will. Weeks ago, it compelled me to slaughter a Goblin lord for refusing to bend his knee to me. Now, it was compelling Rachel to murder Cassie for cleansing Pankraz of his enthrallment. I’ve known for centuries how powerful our need for hierarchy was, but before this moment, I never realized it was strong enough to influence our behavior even when we weren’t using our Vampire Lord class.
Although Rachel was perfectly human at the moment, she still felt the loss of having her lesser kin taken away, and because of it, she wanted Cassie’s life as payment. Our vampiric hierarchy was clearly something that went beyond the boundaries of mere flesh. If we had them, I’d say it was imprinted on our very souls. A fascinating development to be sure, but the timing for this realization was beyond inconvenient.
“Rachel, it was Pankratz. Does he really seem worth all of this?” I asked her. “Just look at him! What a dope!”
“He was still mine. She had no right! I have been slighted,” she replied tersely.
Damnation. The thing about it, you see, is that Rachel was perfectly correct in her sentiments. Her rights as a creator had been encroached upon. It didn’t matter that Pankratz was a fool and that she hadn’t wanted him to begin with. The fact remained that he had still taken her blood to the point where they had bonded. He had been hers. And Cassie had unthinkingly used her powers to destroy that connection.
As Rachel’s lord and creator, I had no right to intervene. My child wanted justice, and it was hers to pursue. By human logic, this would probably sound thoroughly insane, but more often than not, Rachel and I were monsters. Our ways are not exclusive to one path.
Cassie had inadvertently started this feud, so she’d have to deal with the repercussions. My hands were truly tied. In the meanwhile, I had to direct Rachel’s focus toward our more pressing needs.
“Rachel, save it for later,” I urged her. “Now isn’t the time.”
“I want her now,” she said.
“Control yourself!” I snapped at her. “Timing is everything. Go for her now, and we’ll both die. I need you to take a breath and be ready to act, okay?”
Rachel closed her eyes and breathed deeply for a long count of ten. When she reopened them, she nodded at me. “All right. Okay, I’m good. Sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry,” I replied. “You’ll get what you want soon enough. Just wait for my signal…”
__
“Blood-based mind control. That sounds disgusting,” said one of our other new escorts as they marched us into the center of town to await transportation to Gardenia. The speaker was a sour-faced brunette who looked as though she wanted to use her pistol to put a hole through both of our foreheads. “I really hate dealing with freaks.”
“Keep it cool, Cindy,” said Pankratz. “The payday we’ll score off turning in a couple Abbies will be worth it.”
Aberrant. A term I would later learn meant that we were hunters who possessed unique classes that were uncontrollable. It’s not the nicest thing I’ve ever been called, nor is it accurate. Well, for myself anyway. Rachel still had some issues with her temper. But she was working on them. That mattered, right?
“They better keep their plasma to themselves then,” grunted Coop. “If I see one move that I don’t like, it’s click-click-boom.”
“You don’t need to worry about our blood,” Rachel retorted. “Worry about yours, once it’s pouring out in the dirt.”
“She squeaks pretty loudly for such an itty-bitty mouse,” snickered the spearman, a muscular fellow who equaled Pankratz in height. “Where do you get your confidence, little girl?”
“Don’t tease her, friend. She bites,” I warned him.
“We’re not your friend, aberrant,” said the swordsman. “Keep your mouth shut.”
“Why don’t you want to be friends?” I asked. “I’m an interesting guy...
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