We don't have much time so I tell the girls to leave, it's late in the morning and I need to make him talk soon.
I asked the girls to leave I started walking out of the room and went to get food to take back to the prisoners' room, after that, I went to Diana and took the knife she was using.
The truth is that the prisoner wasn't passed out, he just couldn't move due to the poison, so he listened to everything we said, but that doesn't matter.
The poison's effect will weaken over time, and now it's only about twenty minutes before he's able to speak again, I decide to talk to him while I wait.
I tell him how I'm going to use the knife I'm holding to torture him, I also tell him the order in which I'm going to start cutting and how I'm going to make him see me eating his organs and flesh without being able to do anything, I'm even sincere and I say that he's going to die anyway the only difference is whether he's going to die a slow and grotesque death or it's going to be a quick death, and at the most horrible points of my speech I made sure to smile at him as innocently and sincerely as possible while wearing my skill [ Intimidation: 1 ] to make him as terrified as possible.
Ding!
<[ His skill leveled up [ Intimidation: 1> 2 ] ]>
After doing this for a few minutes and he regains the ability to speak I call the girls back to hear his explanation, after all, he seemed very happy to tell him everything he knew as long as I gave him a quick death.
When I meet the girls I tell Ibuki to stay behind and go cut meat for lunch, and I tell Érica to use her telepathy spell on me and Diana so we can talk without the prisoner noticing before we go inside.
Ding!
<[ Telepathic link format with a member of the Érica party ]>
.
<[ Telepathic link format with party member Diana ]>
As soon as the girls enter the cave room the man starts talking in a hurry with a pale face and crying, I really didn't expect a killer to be so scared that even a little conversation of mine would scare him so much, even if I really did. If all that I said with him was worth it, I expected a bit of resistance, what a disappointment.
I'm not such a good person to pity or pity a murderer and kidnapper, only a silly person would do that, even in my old world I was in favor of the death penalty for willing murderers like this.
"I say whatever you won't just get that thing away from me." (Viper)
"..." (Diana)
"..." (Érica)
The two look at me not knowing what I did to him to make him so scared, since he doesn't have any wounds on his body, after all, most of what I said was just acting to scare him.
"Don't look at me like that, I just said some of the things I was going to do to him, I didn't expect him to cooperate so easily, it's really disappointing that I don't even get to play with – I mean interrogate him." (me)
I speak innocently and leave suggestions showing that I was going to do everything I said and a lot but as an act to scare him even more, just to make sure he doesn't lie to us.
"I'll tell you anything but I beg you, don't leave this thing alone with me again." (Viper)
"(Diana ask him the location of their base.)" (me)
"(Yes master)" (Diana)
"If you want a quick kill then tell me the location of your group's base or I'll let my master spend the rest of the day with you." (Diana)
"I talk, I talk, they're two hours' drive from here, in a cave similar to this one that has an X-shaped scratch on the left outside the cave entrance." (Viper)
"(Érica ask the number of your group and if they will all be there.)" (me)
"Tell me your group number? And remember if the number isn't right when we get back the master will make you want to be dead." (Érica)
"I PROMISE THAT I WILL TELL EVERYTHING I KNOW, PLEASE DON'T LET THIS THING COME NEAR ME AGAIN." (Viper)
"Then answer the question." (Érica)
"There are eight in total including me and the boss." (Viper)
"They should all be there but the boss, he said he was going to town to get the information on the next target for kidnapping, he should be back around dawn tomorrow." (Viper)
"(Diana ask the other members' jobs and races.)" (me)
"Tell me the races of others?" (Diana)
"Four of them are Humans, one is Tiger Beast Man and the other a Dwarf." (Viper)
"(Ask about the leader too.)" (me)
"What about your boss's race?" (Diana)
"I don't know I swear no one knows he never takes that mask off, no one has ever seen his face, and his voice is modified by a spell on the mask." (Viper)
"I also want to know about your work?" (Diana)
"The four humans are thieves, the Tiger Beast Man is a fighter and the Dwarf is a warrior." (Viper)
"What about your boss?" (Diana)
"I don't know the boss doesn't let anyone know anything about him, but the way he moves he must be a kind of Assassin." (Viper)
"(Érica asks if everyone else is going to be there, and asks where is the watchman who will surely be watching.)" (me)
"Are they all going to be in the cave today?" (Érica)
"They'll all be there, before the boss leaves he told us to wait for him in the cave, I just went out to get some food but I said I'd be back at nightfall." (Viper)
"Where is the watchman is hidden?" (Diana)
"..." (Vibora)
"It stands in the branches of a tree that has three boulders underneath." (Viper)
"(Érica ask about the shift change.)" (me)
"Tell me about the watchman's shift change." (Érica)
"The change of shifts takes place every three hours, one leaves and the other enters the cave." (Viper)
"Alright, I guess that's all, you can leave now Érica and Diana." (me)
Ding!
<[ Telepathic link disabled with party members ]>
"Yes Master." (Érica)
"Yes Master." (Diana)
"WAIT YOU PROMISED ME THAT IF I TOLD EVERYTHING I KNEW I WOULD HAVE A FAST DEATH YOU PROMISED." (Viper)
"You don't have to worry, I won't do anything to you, I just want to ask you one last thing." (me)
"The cave has how many branches and rooms? And which one will I meet your friends in?" (me)
"There are only two rooms inside the cave, the first is where we meet and the other at the back is where everything we have is." (Viper)
"Is everything you stole in the cave or do you have another hiding place?" (me)
"I swear it's all there, everything we stole and all the money we make from selling slaves and stolen items, it's all there." (Viper)
"Very well now I'm going to poison you and leave you here with a watchman outside, if I don't come back he'll do to you everything I said so I hope you haven't lied."
"EVERYTHING I SAID IS TRUE, I swear it." (Viper)
I go to him and bite his neck and start sucking his blood, just enough to make him anemic and weak, then use my paralyzing venom to immobilize him, which should make it impossible for him to run away today.
Ding! Ding!
<[ His skill leveled up [ Weak resistance to paralysis: 6 > 7 ] ]>
.
.
.
<[ You have acquired the bloodline [ Human: 8% ] ]>
With him unable to move I leave the cave and join the girls in the cabin, I want to discuss some things with them but first I check the status of the three.
It reminds me that until now I haven't checked them out.
<[NAME: Érica
RACE: Lesser Demon
LEVEL: 37/150 EXP: 194/197
LINEAGE: [ Demon: 100%]
JOB: [ Fire Mage Novice ]
WORK LEVEL: 8/30
WORK EXP: 130/158
WORK HISTORY: [ Apprentice Wizard: 10/10] [ Novice Wizard: 20/20] [ Adventurer: 25/25]
HP: 60/60
MP: 153/153
Stamina: 50/50
Strength: 35
Dexterity: 70
Agility: 57
Defense: 29
Intelligence: 95
magic defense: 81
Charm: 93
Luck: - 15
CONDITION: HEALTHY
TITLES: [ Former Noble ] [ E-Grade Adventurer ] [ Novice Mage ] [ Slave of Zenos ] [ Demonified ] [ Corrupted ]
]>
-------‐--‐-----------------------
<[ NAME: Diana
RACE: Wolf Man-Beast
LEVEL: 52/450 EXP: 350/378
LINEAGE: [Wolf Man: 100%]
WORK: [ Swordsman with two swords ]
WORK LEVEL: 8/50
WORK EXP: 43/280
WORK HISTORY: [ Apprentice Martial Artist: 10/10 ] [ Martial Artist: 34/34 ] [ Apprentice Swordsman: 10/10 ] [ Adventurer: 25/25 ] [ Novice Swordsman: 20/20 ] [ Swordsman: 30/30 ] [ Novice two-sword swordsman: 20/20 ]
HP: 100/100
MP: 33/33
Ki: 98/98
Strength: 84
Dexterity: 76
Agility: 91
Defense: 53
Intelligence: 37
magic defense: 28
Charm: 88
Lucky: 23
CONDITION: HEALTHY
TITLES: [ Novice Martial Artist ] [ Grade D Adventurer ] [ Double Sword Swordsman ] [ Combat Genius ] [ Familiar of Zenos ] [ Incarnation of Beasts ] [ Ki User ]
]>
The girls are stronger than me, so there shouldn't be any problem, Diana told me that she got a lot stronger after becoming my familiar, Érica also told me that after being Demonified she became a lot stronger.
In Diana's status, I see that STM has been replaced by Ki, when I ask about this she told me that Ki is energy that represents the purest form of physical energy, it replaces STM while retaining the same properties and can be used for both defense as for attack.
It seems to be a type of energy, she told me it's the best energy for melee warriors to use, it infuses energy and elements into the body to increase power.
The explanation Érica gave me was that magic is energy used outside the body and Ki is an energy to be used inside the body.
Diana said that she has been trying to awaken her Ki for years, but only managed it a few days ago, she said that she felt that after becoming my Familiar the process of converting STM into Ki became easier.