"In exchange for you joining my pack, I’ll kill the wraith and save as many people as possible."
Floki stared at me with widened eyes, and I could see his hands clenching into fists, but he was too weak to throw a punch. He was just barely flickering on the verge of life or death. The only thing that could save him was the healing ability he would get from joining my pack.
"You! You’re nothing but a pup!" he roared, with spit flying out of his mouth.
It seemed he still had energy to spare. If I was to make him and everyone else a part of my pack, then he would have to submit to me. There was no other way. I thought seeing his people dying around him would do the job, but he was too stubborn.
For that, he needed to experience true fear, just like what I did to Isabella.
But what does he fear?
What would it take for a man like Floki to bow his head?
Just then my eyes were drawn to Selthia fighting the wraith. She was fighting a life or death battle just because I told her to. But I didn’t have to use fear to get her to submit.
...Maybe I was wrong. Maybe it’s not only fear that lets a person bow to you.
For Isabella, it was fear. But for Sylvie, it was love. And for Sylthia, she bowed because I promised to fulfill her greatest need.
This man in front of me... what does he want that I can give?
When I looked at him, I saw a creature that has never been loved. He was a monster in both appearance and personality. I imagine no one has ever truly accepted him for who he is.
I stooped down so Floki and I were face to face. He glared at me. His eyes looked tentatively at my neck as he thought about the best way to kill me.
"Do you know why I want you to be a part of my pack, Floki?"
"..."
"It’s because I need you."
"You what?!"
Just for a second, there was a sign of weakness behind his gaze. Right then and there, I knew I had hit the nail right on the head.
"I said I need you. I could easily kill you and take your tribe members as my own, but it’s really you I want. Forget about Roran and Danzo; you are the one that is important, Floki."
"I am? What are you talking about?"
"It’s the truth, you are the most important piece. I bet no one has ever said that to you before. It’s because they are all fools who couldn’t see your potential, but I see it clearly."
"My father said I had no potential. He called me a worthless monster, not fit to even be seen," Floki said bitterly.
"That’s because he was scared," I said.
"Scared?"
"Scared of the vast amount of potential you have. He knew you would surpass him, and it made him terrified. But I am different. When I look at your potential, I feel happy. That’s why I want you to join me, Floki, as my brother. With me by your side, I’ll make sure no one ever calls you a monster again. I’ll make sure your people love you. I’ll make sure everyone loves you."
That was what I had to offer him.
I didn’t see it at first, but a monster despised by the world only wishes for one thing. And that thing is acceptance. Floki was neither loved by his parents nor the people he ruled over. He killed his father because he wouldn’t accept him, and then his mother turned against him because of that.
These people here may serve him, but I bet none of them even liked him. He never knew what it felt like to be accepted, and now in his hour of need, I am giving it to him. I was accepting him for who he was. I was offering him brotherhood, whereas everyone else looked at him as if he was a monster.
In my eyes, Floki was a valuable chess piece. One that I couldn’t let die.
"Join me, Floki," I said as I extended him a hand.
Floki’s eyes did not hold the same hate for me as they did just a few minutes ago. Instead, he looked to me as his savior, and that alone brought tears to his eyes. He then took hold of my hand and held it firmly.
"I have never had a brother before," he said with a grin on his face. "I accept, my lord."
I smiled back at him and then helped him back to his feet. The moment he got to his feet, I bared my fangs and bit him in the neck. The veins in his neck glowed orange as my werewolf venom flowed to his heart.
Status
+-----+
Name: Floki Lycann
Age: 24
Core level: Lv 13
Race: Skinwalker
Classification: Supernatural Creature
Bloodline: Primordial Gorgon
+-----+
Interesting...
Floki’s race was that of a skinwalker, but his bloodline was that of a gorgon. I assume that gorgon was the bloodline given to all lamia. This explains his unusual physical characteristics and abilities. It was an interesting combination to say the least, the race of a skinwalker and the bloodline of a lamina. And now that he was a part of my pack he would be a primordial.
It was the same for me too. I had the race of a werewolf, but the bloodline of something else.
The question was what?
Floki’s deformity was caused by the gene of his parents. Could it be the same for me? And if that was the case, then why is it that my siblings weren’t affected? Why don’t they bear a primordial bloodline?
Sigh.
I could ponder these questions all day, but I still wouldn’t get an answer. The only way I could figure this out was by leveling up, and maybe then I could unlock something that gives me a clue.
With my added primordial bloodline, Floki will be even more of an abomination. I looked forward to how he would evolve in the future.
"Rest up, Floki. We can talk more later."
For now, I needed to help Selthia stop the rampaging wraith. Currently, she was handling herself perfectly. She had a mixture of long-range water attacks, which were gradually weakening the creature. Not to mention her voice.
Every time she screamed, a sonic blast would erupt from her mouth. She was powerful, alright. Even though she was weakened from being out of the water. Even though she had just learned to walk a couple of hours ago.
Her fighting instincts were something to behold. Plus, I got the feeling she was enjoying herself.
Though I had a feeling that she couldn’t keep this up much longer. Her skin was beginning to pale as small scales began to appear in its place. Her hair was no longer ocean blue; instead, it was gradually getting darker in color.
I readied my claws and took on a partial transformation as I stared at the wraith flying through the air as it dodged Selthia’s sound and water attacks with relative ease. With just a simple kick of my feet, I launched myself through the air towards the wraith.