’What?! That fucking puppet again?! How?! Why?! That’s impossible, unless...’
Jacob subtly moved towards the door of the office and opened it ever so slightly so that he could see into the ballroom next door. Amongst the crowd of partygoers, he could see that the Fourth Young Master of the Zhen Clan was still with his other clansmen, drinking the Wolfe Family’s wine and mingling with others without a care in the world.
The fact that he was still on the estate should have relieved him, instead, it infuriated him.
Three fucking times this detestable young master of the Zhen Clan had made himself a nuisance for the illustrious Wolfe Family, and one time was already one too many.
He had the gall to ruin the treasured Ifrit Fire Heart Crystal that the family had painstakingly isolated and fairly secured. It wasn’t their fault that other people didn’t understand it belonged to them.
When the Marquis de Howlite was announced dead, the family sent in as many people as they could afford to determine the circumstances that lead to this tragedy. Once they had learned that the perpetrators were an old bard and young man, it didn’t take them too long after to connect the latter to the Zhen Clan, who just so happened to have business dealings with him earlier that day! Who cares if an orphan servant girl loses their life for someone else’s twisted pleasure, it’s not like anyone would miss them.
And now, in a moment of triumph and important diplomatic dealings, he used one of his hateable puppets to interfere with their business again! Did he not understand how much time, effort, money and trust was needed to coordinate a bunch of blood hungry gloryhounds to drug and kidnap an entire clan for leverage?!
But the thing that angered them the most, was that this fucking crippled, piss drinking foreign barbarian, didn’t have the decency to die at the hands of their plant, so that their decades long plan for internal civil war would finally pay off.
Time and time again the Wolfe family had underestimated the Zhen Clan and their crippled master, forced to eat crow time and time again because of him.
How were they supposed to know that this hateful youth had the ability to use puppets from a distance?!
’No matter,’ Jacob thought to himself, ’if we can’t break it, we just have to deal with the one controlling it.’
While his father and the other leaders were busy watching Sieger and Gregory fight against Zhen Yue and Zhen Liu’s puppet, Jacob used his aether to send a quiet message to a certain recent hire.
[Yes yes yesssss? Master Jacob?]
[Change of plans. Your prey is currently in the ballroom.]
[Yay, yay, yay! Time to feed!]
________________________________________________
[Milord, the Wolfe Grand Elder has just attempted to coerce your grandfather into a vassal-like position by showing live footage of your clansmen capture, but it went sideways thanks to Nepherage interfering.]
[But it also looks like the Wolfe Patriarch is planning something, since I just felt him release aether in a secret message kind of way.]
’Of course they’re sore, waitaminute, you can detect aether usage?’
[Only when heated, min jarl.]
’Only when...are you still inside of that lamp?’
’Huh...figured someone would have noticed a tiny elephant figure in a lamp by now...’
[People never like to address the elephant in a room, even mammoths.]
In this moment, Zhen Liu swore that was a fucking pun.
[Maestro,] Hurricroak interjected, [There’s a weird hunger driven killing intent coming your way, do I have clearence to deal with it?]
’Hunger driven killing intent? The fuck kind of, oh wait a minute...yeah, you’re good to go.’
________________________________________________
There’s a funny thing about social gatherings, is that the people usually have a presumption of safety, if there are no overarching threat upon them.
A majority of the attendees knew that the Wolfe Family, the Corrada Family and the Zhen Clan had some...questionable blood between the three of them, but the fact that the former had invited the latter two to such a lovely event, a welcome back party too, made them believe that perhaps the three of them got along better than they had been led to believe.
There was absolutely no way that any violence would occur at such a joyous party, especially when there was a clear power disparity, right?
But the thing about overwhelming atmospheres, is that it makes it a lot easier to hide one’s true intentions.
’Just need to get closer, closer, closer...,’ Leech thought to himself as he weaved through the crowd, dressed like a servant. His eyes firmly focused on the man who eluded his grasp just a few weeks ago.
While the cockroach-like bloodliner preferred to get his meals in a direct manner, or after they had weaken themselves in the throngs of battle, that didn’t mean he was unfamiliar with the art of stealth and subtlety. There were many times where he had to take his meals in silence.
’Last time, you took away the little lamb, little fish. But now it seems that tonight I shall feast on a fine fine fine seafood buffet!’
________________________________________________
Hurricroak watched the crowd, trying to find the source of the killing intent aimed at her maestro, until she finally spotted a servant with a tray that didn’t seem to fit quite right with the rest of the staff.
’Oh ho~ Looking for a round two, are we bug boy? Well, unlike last time, I got a few new tricks I want to try out on you. Just need to find a better angle...’
In her diminutive frog toy form, a pair of wasp wings suddenly sprouted from her back, as she repositioned herself to be directly above the hateful cockroach man.
’Hmmm~ I wonder if Pathos would agree that what I’m about to do next would be a good entry for a "wild wrestling compilation"?’
________________________________________________
The young man’s back was turned as his focus was elsewhere, giving Leech ample time and opportunity to reach out and drain him of his energy. However, he did not expect the young man to suddenly address him.
"You know, Mister Cockroach, it’s rather rude to attempt to kill someone when their back is turned towards oneself," Zhen Liu suddenly said aloud with his back still turned, catching Leech off guard and causing him to stop mid grab. "But then again, I suppose turnabout is fair play, isn’t it?"
"Huh? What are you talking ab-?"
Leech had enough time to look up and see the incoming elbow to his face, he did not have enough time to dodge it.
________________________________________________
=Calm down, Pathos. The Godoku Bloodliner’s aether is still circulating. Our lord still has a fight on his hand, so we should do our part and focus. I just finished the internals=
=I’m more partial to silver.=
________________________________________________