In this way Lucy was able to pump Nox for information as they continued their stroll to the Inn.
He told her everything he knew about the ki knights and mages of this world, including power levels, notable figures, affiliations and crests, and even which mage and knight training schools were considered the best.
Of course, every once in a while, he would try to ask a question about Lucy or her background, but each time he'd be distracted by a small show of affection from Lucy.
She'd rubbed, groped, and trailed her hands in suggestive ways that turned the poor knight's thinking processes to mush.
Lucy did this without the use of Compulsion and through pure feminine wiles only.
Truth be told, Lucy herself was taken aback at how easy it was to keep this knight off his toes, she'd wondered had he never been around women before as her seductions weren't very explicit yet elicited such strong reactions from the knight.
'Hmm … he must be a virgin' figured Lucy just as the sight of the Inn appeared on the horizon along with a strange tugging feeling In her dead heart.
'So now eh? Better sooner than later I guess' she thought to herself mysteriously…
"Well thank you much Nox, my residence is just up ahead, I'm fine to walk the rest myself from here" said Lucy as she coldly disentangled her arms from around the knight's impressive bicep.
"A-are you sure? It's no problem really! And this area isn't exactly the safest part of town if you know what I mean…"
Lucy inwardly rolled her eyes at the knight's genuinely chivalrous nature before replying sweetly, "It's okay I'm sure. Today's incident may not have seemed like it, but I can take care of myself"
"N-no that's not what I-" fumbled Nox awkwardly as he tried to explain himself.
"Have a goodnight and thanks again Mr. Leon" Lucy said as she quickly turned and hurriedly walked to the inn alone.
"It was a pleasure Lucy, may fate will us to meet again" he whispered as he eyed her retreating figure before heading back towards the market.
As Lucy's distance to the Inn shortened and shortened, she ruminated over Nox's words.
'Hm I wouldn't mind seeing him again but right now I have more pressing matters'
At this moment Lucy could feel the tugging sensation on her dead heart strengthening.
Though the sensation was foreign and annoying Lucy wasn't worried at all as she knew exactly why it was happening. And it was something she'd been planning on for a while now.
Quickly she finally approached the front door of the 'The Resting Tree', the Inn she made her base of operations.
'Time to sow these seeds' thought Lucy as she pushed the thick wood door open.
'What seeds master?' asked Sera still hidden in Lucy robes.
'You'll see' is all Lucy said in reply as she stepped inside and looked around the lobby/bar of the Inn.
The interior looked the same as always, but the Inn's bar and lobby area were noticeably bereft of customers unlike usually, in fact even the usual barmaids weren't around today.
Lucy's eyes scanned in front of her as she noticed that in the lowly lit room there were only two people present not counting herself.
The old innkeeper was busily working like always behind the front desk while at a booth to the far back right in the bar sat a disheveled Mars.
As Lucy slowly sauntered her way over, not making a sound as she did so, a Cheshire-like grin stretched across her face with every step.
'Checkmate. I knew he'd crumble eventually haha' thought Lucy to herself evilly
'What's going on master? Are we headed back to the room?' Sera asked telepathically with a squirm in Lucy's robes.
'Not quite yet Sera, watch this. Trust me you won't want to miss it' with that final reply Lucy covered the distance to Mars seemingly in one stride.
Mars sat with his head down and his back to Lucy yet perked up unexpectedly as she approached, almost as if he'd sensed her.
Quickly whipping around on his stool his eyes opened as wide as saucers as they slowly drank in every detail of Lucy's face and body.
"A-are you real? Tell me I'm not dreaming!" he rambled almost incoherently.
'Master be careful, this man's thought patterns…they're so jumbled it's almost like static. I-I've never seen anything like this before' warned Sera telepathically.
'Oh, that's simply perfect. He's ripe for the picking now' responded Lucy as she observed Mars's distressed appearance.
Dark circles framed each of his eyes, his once smooth hair was now oily and unkempt, and his once bright eyes were now bloodshot and tired looking.
Suffice to say the once smart aleck mage appeared to now be in terrible shape.
This was a pleasant surprise to Lucy as she didn't expect things to progress this quickly.
She figured it must have to do with her have being a pureblood or perhaps a stressful event had happened to the mage which would have weakened his body's normal resistance.
"Of course, I'm real darling haha" chirped Lucy in response, "what else would I be… a daydream or something?"
With a jolt Mars stood from his seat as he hesitantly reached a shaking hand towards Lucy's standing figure.
'Wow he's really far gone at this point, isn't this a bit too effective?' she wondered to herself, 'this guy was basically born to be a Blood Slave'
Lucy enclosed his shaking hand with her own as she stared deeply into his disbelieving eyes.
"Does this feel real enough?" she asked in a low timbre.
"Yes! N-no. I-I don't know anymore. I-I don't know anything. I can't eat. I can't sleep. Drinking doesn't help and every herb, pill, or medicine I've tried doesn't work. No matter what I do, everywhere I go, I see you! I smell you and I feel you all around me. What's wrong with me? A-Am I going insane?" muttered Mars as he looked around suspiciously.
As Lucy looked at the broken man in front of her, she had no doubt in her mind that he would now make the perfect Blood Slave.
From the moment she found out about the technique in Amara's memories and pricked him with her fang at their first meeting, Lucy had planned this fate for the mage.
He was the first and only mage Lucy knew of at the time and as such she went out on a limb to make him her Blood Slave.
She knew the chances of it succeeding were slim due to him being a mage, but Lucy had to try.
A mage as a blood slave was just too tantalizing a meal for Lucy to pass up.
Blood slaves were exactly what their names suggested. They were literal living food that vampires kept around to have a constant and easy access source of blood.
Vampires usually only chose those they trusted or felt had the best tasting blood as blood slaves. With just a prick of the vampire's fang the process would begin.
Along with hallucinations, insomnia, and anxiety the process would wear away at the psyche and willpower of the person until the vampire could make the first bite, which would make the change into a Blood Slave virtually irreversible.
Of course, this process didn't have a100% success rate as those with strong willpower or of a higher cultivation bodies could usually fight off the symptoms that only lasted a week.
Sadly, for Mars the mage, he wasn't one of these people.
"Shhh I'm here now Mars and I'll make everything all better." Said Lucy as her fangs slightly lengthened at the thought of his electric tasting blood.
"I think I'm in love with you Lucy. That's the only logical explanation for all of this." Said Mars as if he had a sudden epiphany, "B-But we can't be together, I'm already a walking dead man."
He added as he removed his hand from Lucy and slouched back onto his stool.
'Dead man? What is he talking about?'
"What do you mean? How are you a dead man?' Lucy asked perplexed.
Mars wiped his shaking hand through his already oily slicked back hair before answering,
"I recently made a very powerful enemy who's going to become even more powerful any day now. And he's pretty much assured me that I'm the first person on his hit list when that time comes" Mars whispered lowly.
"Powerful enemy? How powerful could they be? You're the captain of one of the top mercenary companies in Port Blackwood… who would dare threaten or could even be a threat to you?" Lucy asked seriously.
'This must be the trauma or stress that allowed his body and psyche's natural defenses to degrade so much! He's either hallucinating or really worried about this foe!'
Mars suddenly made a sharp intake of air at Lucy's valid question.
'I-I have to tell her. At least before I die, she'll know why now'
Running his hands through his hair and turning around in his stool once again, Mars prepared to tell Lucy the truth.