It was dusk, the next morning. There were no birds chirping, there was nothing warm about the day.
Jack's eyes opened, his head buzzing as if it were its own alarm clock. His eyes glared towards the ceiling of the familiar room. Cassandra's Tower.
In the nude and caked with sweat, he would wipe his face with the palm of his hand, tasting the salt on his skin. He licked his lips and slipped off the side of the bed. His eyes wandered over towards the small form tightly tangled in the sheets. A brow raised as he watched her let out a soft moan.
No, he hadn't done anything with her yet. He still needed to be able to walk the halls, to be told the time of day. He let out a soft huff, but still she was one rowdy teen.
After discovering the art of cuddling, she continued to want it more and more. The feeling of warmth was something he enjoyed as well, but she was just overkill.
Shaking his head at this, he made his way over to the window, the light from the sun shining deeply upon him. His eyes stared out to the open world. His plans would be set in motion soon.
The arrest and detainment of the Merchant Guild Master was only the first of many. He needed to liquidate the funds of the corrupt, make them his own, fix the city and turn the populace to his side.
He had all the tools he needed, all the tools he currently desired. Now he just needed to use them.
"Kline should be here soon… IF not already at the front gate..." He'd utter quietly to himself as he recalled the conversation he had yesterday with the slaver.
Today would be the first day he would use Devour or someone from this world. A world so unknown to him that he had to look at a map to know where he was. Even then, being able to visualize was a bit harder than the originally intended game system. He was just rather thankful that this avatar stilled worked as it did in the game and made the transition much easier.
So as he turned his head and looked over Cassandra once more, he pursed his lips, watching her as she subconsciously felt the warm spot he had left in the bed. The light groan of disappointment that there was no warm body there.
Jack shrugged and walked over to the bed, reaching over and running a hand down her bare back. She had undressed herself in her sleep. Her white nightgown beside the bed, and her frilly bloomers at her feet under the covers.
Taking a step back from the bed, Jack would reach into his inventory and pull out a simple black and brown hemp tunic, a set of legendary deep blue hooded robes framed in vibrant silver trim that cut off right over the knee. He pulled on a pair of slacks, and a pair of his signature hard leather armored boots.
Making his way to the door of the room, he pressed a hand against it and turned his head to look at the bed again. She was laying on her side, hugging the pillow.
Her head was turned towards him and her eyes were open, staring at him with this pout of a face on her.
"I'll be back, eventually, okay cuddle buddy?" His voice wasn't assuring and if anything, it sounded sarcastic and sadistically teasing. Yet that didn't seem to matter to her.
Immediately she had shot up, with that pillow hugged to her chest, standing onto her knees with her legs slightly spread excited, "Cuddle buddy!?"
Before he even got the full body shot, Jack was out the door, letting it slam shut behind him.
He didn't b other taking the normal way down. Rather than cutting through the rest of the castle, he just Jumped over the side of the narrow bridge leading back to the main complex.
It took him a matter of seconds to land in the North West Vine Gardens, his wings spreading from his back just a moment before landing to slow himself down. Landing with grace, his heroic landing was witnessed by absolutely no one.
The vines were dead, it was winter.
Jack made his way down the gravel lined pathway and onto the main avenue leading out of the Castle's central plaza. Once he made it to the front gates, his wings retracted into his back, a multitude of early morning guards gasping in awe at the sight that had vanished before their eyes.
"Morning!" He nodded his head to them as if it was just something natural, winking to one of them even, despite not having a smile on his face or a cheerful disposition
"Good morning Lord Graham!" One of the Guards replied with a tense tone, seemingly knowing of his existence. It was likely the Lord of the Castle who described and made sure everyone normally within the grounds was to recognize him.
Jack paused for a moment hearing this and gave a two finger salute, one which was more playful and meaningless than anything else.
Once he made it to the front gate he'd approach the small door built into the larger one and opened it on his own. Using magic to lock it back up afterward. Just as he took two steps away from the door, he came to a halt as from the corner of his eye he saw someone wrapped in scruffy old grey cloak, shielding a clean face and concealing a slight limp.
Turning his body to face the two beings who just arrived, Jack raised a brow at the small elf, and then towards the masked man standing beside her. "Oh? You've been waiting long?"
"Not at all actually..." The Masked man just stared at the robes the man seemed to be wearing. They were magnificent, bringing out the black hair with the purple highlighted strands. His fingers tightened around the shoulder of the young looking girl in his grasp who tried to shrink away.
Her head was pitched forward, looking to the ground. She dare not look up at him, allowing the shadows to conceal her fragile expressions of fear of the even taller man.
"Don't be shy now," Kline laughed lightly looking down to her, knocking the hood off her head. Revealing an asymmetric bob and the soft pink eyes. Yet she still decided to keep her gaze downward.
"This is your new Master… Jack Graham," Kline pushed her forward towards Jack, a wide grin across his lips as he had finally gotten rid of her.
When Kline had said his name, the girl blinked several times as she hobbled on over to him. Then slowly raised her head, squinting from the light of the early morning.
She stared up at him with this strange familiarity that Jack couldn't quite place. The fear that had been emitting from her just moments ago was gone. Her hands came out from beneath the raggedy cloak and wrapped around his waist and legs, embracing him.
Jack just stood there, expressionlessly, letting his arms dangle there for a moment.
When Kline went to step forward in an attempt to pry her off of him, Jack raised a hand to stop him. "Come inside with me," He'd gesture towards the gate doors and they'd open like magic.
When they went to move, she still clung to him with such a grasp, that it was like she was hugging one leg as he was trying to move. Much like that of a child. Yet the moment he gave her a slight nudged with his two fingers from his right hand, she let go and looked up at him.
She was smiling, a single chipped eyetooth on the right side, whilst the rest were perfect despite being stained with the grim of maltreatment.
Who was this girl who could smile up at him just because of his name? Reaching down he would pick her up and lug her over his shoulder, like a bag of flesh, before continuing into the castle grounds.
The door would close behind them at the hands of the local Guard after Kline entered behind them.
Once they entered the foyer, Jack would slowly put the girl back down onto her bare feet.
"So," Kline clasped his hands together with a wide smirk across his lips, "What is it you'd like to talk about Lord Graham?" He was definitely eager to do business.
"I want to know, everything, you know. Will know and have known." Jack said as he turned around and looked over the man for a moment. "I want to be able to do what you do. Know who you know, or had known."
Kline raised a brow at this, not quite sure where this was going or what kind of nonsense he was talking about. "I'm sorry… Uh..." Clearing his throat, "I'm not following."
Jack shrugged, "You don't need to follow." Placing a hand on the man's shoulder, he'd give the businessman a crooked smile. "You just need to die."
The half elf slave's smile slowly faded as she reached up to grasp at her magic mint colored hair. She watched as Jack cast one of his special class spells, known as 『Devour』.
This particular ability allowed him to absorb others, physically and mentally. It had a short cooldown and could be used via physical contact once cast. The general design of this ability allows him to surpass certain limitations that were in the game world. Now it was in this reality as well, ultimately allowing him to have more primary classes, skills and abilities normally allowed.
What is most remarkable about this ability, is that he learns everything the target knew.
Starting from the shoulder Jack's hand was on, Kline began to crumple like aluminum foil. His body being crushed while he was still very much alive.
Screaming of agony, pain, only lasted for a mere second or so only to be followed by the sound of crunching bone and splitting flesh. In the end, there was nothing left. There wasn't even any blood on the floor, anywhere.
Kline was just… Gone. Jack had absorbed him, sucked him up, as if he had become a cube of jello.
Jack's mind was going a million miles a second. Thoughts, ideas, memories, knowledge. Everything that Kline once knew was flowing into his mind.
The Black Market, the smuggling rings, human and elf trafficking. A complete memorized map of the known territory, as well as the secrets places most would overlook for valuable stashes.
Kline's mind was a treasure trove of information, including the true name of the Supreme Sorceress and the fact that this slaves father… Never made it across the border alive. He had been killed, silenced, soon after handing over the child.
The thoughts that Kline had for her, the impulses he refrained from doing. He knew all of it, all of the sick and twisted things he could and would've done in time, if she hadn't been the daughter of the Sorceress.
Jack took in a sharp inhalation through his nose before letting out a slow and cool exhale through his mouth.
Calm was the one thing he remained the entire time as a strange sense of Euphoria passed through his mind, one which was hard to control.
The illegitimate child of the Supreme Sorceress just stared at the silver mask that laid where Kline once stood. The man who had brought her such hardship, pain and agony suffered the same in just a mere second before disappearing from the world.
Her eyes traveled over to Jack with her jaw slackened, six wings sprouted from his back, showering her in divine light.
One step, two step. She was wrapping her arms around him once more, looking up at him with her chin pressed against his torso.
Jack looked down at her as she had her self wrapped around him. "Why do you keep doing that?" His tone was monotonous, but despite how cold his eyes appeared to be, he didn't mind it.
"Mmmm..."
He couldn't quite tell if that was a moan or a groan, but she didn't open her mouth, though her smile clearly vanished. What did she want him to do?
As he reached down and tugged on the cloak, he'd quickly see there was nothing underneath except for scruffy old worn wraps. Otherwise she was entirely nude beneath the cloak, it was clear she had been given to him by Kline for simply one purpose, as she wasn't equipped with anything else.
"Since you're not going to answer me, let us find a nice empty room… Shall we?"