Ray POV.
"Are we almost there, sir?"
"Of course we are just a bit further."
I told the annoying bastard I had hired to drag my captives to the crucifix room.
Actually, I don't think hired was the right word, by the end of this, he would be joining them as well.
But he didn't know that yet, and when he finally did, it would be too late.
He would have already dragged all of my captains directly where I wanted them. I could begin my experiment.
Experiment, the very word sent a thrill through me. In the void, I wasn't able to test out all the theories I had, causing my scientific spirit to be dull. It finally, after nearly 300,000 years of waiting, I could continue on with what I did best, fucking with peoples lives and learning something in the process.
My fingers twitched as I thought about what I could learn from both the crucifixes, and my 10 very unwilling test subjects.
Maybe I could set some of them to the side to test my new swords?
No, I would get other test subjects for that experiment.
After all, if this one worked out how I thought it would I would need all 10 captives to make it even slightly worth my time.
Directing the guy whose name I still didn't bother to learn or even ask for down another tunnel, I thought about how exactly I would do this.
Should I wake the mortals up before putting them on the crucifixes?
Or should I just put them on a crucifix while they were still sleeping?
Or maybe I should toss them all into the room with the crucifixes and tell them all to fight to the death and the one who wins, I will let out?
I shook my head at the last suggestion, know that would take too much time, and besides, that would probably result in some of my precious test subjects dying without serving their purpose.
That would be very, inconvenient to say the least.
Slowly, without my knowledge a grin that would've made anyone who knew the name Raiden from the war of the First Collapse, running in the opposite direction, was slowly appearing on my face.
Thankfully, The bastard who was helping relocate my test subjects was walking in front of me so he didn't bear witness to it.
"Just one more turn here and we will be in front of the room."
I told him, trying to make my voice somehow sound cheerful, and non-threatening, a impossible task considering my voice itself sounded like steel sliding against steel.
"Yes sir."
My daydreams about the experiment I was about to conduct or pushed it aside as I heard the hesitation in his voice.
A displeased frown appeared on my face, don't tell me he was about to turn around now?
Not when I was nearly there, not when I was this damn close to getting what I wanted.
Bubbling anger made it way to the surface, but I suppressed it as I put on a friendly smile.
I walked up beside the man, I would've put my hand on his shoulder, but he was using both of those to hold my captives.
"Is there something on your mind?"
I infuse as much cheer as I possibly could in my voice as I asked a question, but it seemed to have the opposite effect as he shivered at my words.
"No, no, there's no problem, sir."
His words were shaking even more than his body, and I began to realize that I wasn't as good an actor as I thought I was.
Realizing act was up I side in frustration.
My voice liked the false cheer of before, as I spoke my next words.
"if you just believe me for a few more yards, it would've saved me so much damn effort."
Hearing my words, the man seem to realize it was time for him to run, but he was sadly mistaken.
The time for running had disappeared the second he had become one of my captives.
He turned attempting to sprint away, but in less than a second, my foot lashed out Slamming into the back of his knee and sending him toppling down like a tree.
He probably wouldn't have fell so hard if it wasn't for the two men, he carried across each shoulder and the other one he held in his arms, but with their weight plus his own all the breath was knocked out of him as soon as he hit the ground.
"I'm beginning to realize I'm just not made out for this peaceful thing. I don't get it, I was smiling the entire time, I sounded overly fucking cheerful, fuck I even made it look like a job, so what, what gave it away?"
The man didn't respond to my question he just began begging for his life as he tried to push the bodies of my captives off of him.
I wondered why he didn't toss them to the side before trying to run anyway, oh, who gave a fuck.
"Please don't hurt me, please I have a mother back home and I'm supposed to be married in a few days. I'll do anything you want just don't."
His words were cut off abruptly as I kicked him in the side of the head."Just fucking disgusting.
I hist to myself as I pulled both captives off his left shoulder, then his right.
While I hate people who beg for their own lives, a great deal, what I hate more than that is someone begging for the life of another.
It was just Ludacris, if Said person was so damn weak that you had to beg for them to live, then they didn't deserve said life anyway.
Grunting with effort, I pulled the captives along myself, realizing I would have to go back and get the other for that we're still strewm in a corner of the maze somewhere, I growled in an annoyance.
"10 more minutes, if he just believe me for 10 more fucking minutes, I wouldn't have to do any of this."
Glaring at the man on the ground I had yet to pick up, I contemplated if I should just kill him.
But no, that would be a waste of resources, a waste of resources I couldn't afford at the moment.
Yet I would make sure he suffered before he died, then thinking about the way all of these mortals were gonna die anyway I amended my Statement.
I would make sure he suffered more than the others. I didn't bother to pick up the bastard's body, with a kick like that he should be out for half a day at least.
If he didn't die on impact, he should be still alive, maybe?
I shake the thought off, if he died from that kick me thinking about it wouldn't bring him back alive, and if he didn't good for me.
My legs bent as I grunted with effort, pulling the two captives I had in either hand across the ground with no care.
That along with the other one I had over one shoulder, made walking a work out of its own.
"Goddamn, just how did he make it this far while holding this many people?"
I wasn't straining exactly, but that wasn't because these people were light, but because I was unnaturally strong as a first ring.
Yet even I had to put more than just a little effort into dragging these bastards to the room.
So just how had that other motherfucker done it?
thinking back to his physique, he hadn't exactly been small by any means.
As a matter of fact, if I hadn't found him puking, his guts out behind a bar, like I had found nearly Half of my captives, he would've probably been a challenge to take down.
I contemplated turning him into a blood slave, but shook my head at the thought.
I didn't have time for such things, I needed to see just how the crucifixes works today. When I finally reached in front of the room, I dropped the four captives I was dragging, and stood straight, causing the one that was on my back to fall off Before sighing in relief.
" Fucking Finally."
I said to no one, in particular as I stood to my full height, stretching my back in the process.
Then remembering the other four captives, I had to drag all the way here, my relief turned into annoyance again.
Throughout the entire process of dragging the other four I grumbled about how unfortunate the timing wise for that guy to realize I wasn't as friendly as I seemed.
I really probably should learn his name, but what is the use, he'll be dead less than an hour if I have my way.
I was done, dragging all 10 captives, including the fat bastard who was two perceptive for his own damn good, I was actually sweating.
"How the fuck can you call yourself a beggar when you weigh at least 300 fucking pounds."
I said to the bodies laying at my feet.
Then, catching my breath, I stepped into the room full of crucifixes and began to think about how exactly I would get the people onto them.
The 10 smaller crucifixes weren't exactly small at all.
They each stood at least 8 feet tall with the wingspan being 6 feet across, each one of them were made out of gleaming silver with blood red inscriptions that wrapped around them like vines.
Also spikes jutted from the crucifixes at chest, wrist, ankle, and head level.
The ones at where the wrist were supposed to go whereabout 6 inches long, while the one at where a person's chest was supposed to go was about a foot-long.So the problem of keeping their wasn't what I was trying to fix, it was somehow lifting their bodies in the exact right position to hook them onto the spikes.
Normally, any Body in my predicament would just lift each person one by one, using the spike in the chest area to hold them up before connecting their limbs to where they need to go on a crucifix, but
"I'm too fucking short."
I thought to myself as I looked at the crucifixes before looking back at the people sprawled on the floor.
I was just About to trying to start, dragging each person to a crucifix one by one before stabbing their heads into the ankle spikes, before I had an idea. It was very ether consuming, but it was better than nothing. Walking over to one of the captives, I lifted him. Then taking control of the blood in my body I let it continue running which processes throughout me as I slowly use it to float in the air. Using the blood loan wouldn't have been enough, but with me taking control of the iron within it, the job became much easier. Floating towards the nearest crucifix, I quickly yanked his shoulders, making sure his chest was facing the right spike before I accelerated forward.
Hearing the satisfying sound of metal piercing flesh, I knew I had succeeded.
Continuing to float in the air I quickly push both of his arms onto the Wrist spikes before doing the same for his head.
When I was done, I quickly stopped the ether control. When I said it was Ether consuming it had not been a joke.
The simple series of movements had took me no less than 30 seconds, yet those movements alone had cost all of my entire ring.
Considering my ring was only filled to 5% that wasn't a lot, but considering that 5% was all I have to work with that meant I could only attach one person to a crucifix before I was forced to stop.
"This is gonna take longer than I first thought."
I thought, as I sat down to meditate.
…
It took me nearly 3 hours, but I finally managed to put everyone on their own personal crucifix.
Most of the time was taken up by trying to lift the overly muscle bastard who had been helping me before he had said the wrong things.
By the time I was done, I had actually gained a bit of Kingguy from the whole experience.
"At least something good came out of this."
I said, as I looked at the silver mist like energy that dwell around the floor of my soul space as if it was fog.
I was currently meditating after putting the 10th vict cough I mean test subject on his crucifix.
I intended to have all of my ether before trying anything. I would've thought the crucifixes weren't working if it wasn't for the distinct lack of blood.
Even though the mortals were pinned to the crucifixes with spikes, they didn't bleed not a drop, even the pieces of the spikes that stuck out of their bodies were gleaming silver with no blood in sight.
"Now the only question is how to activate them?"
I thought, as I opened my eyes from my meditation, my ring was as filled as it was gonna get.
Somewhere in all of the cultivation I have been doing in the last few hours, I had gained more ether, bringing the total count up to 6% of the whole circle.
"What a great improvement."
I drawled to myself as I saw how much either I had gained.
Wasting no more time I pushed up from where I have been meditating in the middle of the room, a few feet away from the main crucifix.
Looking around at the 10 dead bodies stuck in crucifixes. I had one word for it all
"beautiful"
that was all I could think of when I saw my creation, a creation of pure artistry.
"It would probably look better with a few vital organs here and there, but beggars can't be choosers."
I murmured to myself as I examined each body.
When I realize everything was in place, I sent Ether into the ground.
Realizing I was somehow doing it wrong I tried to feel the pathways of the crucifixes.
The inscriptions on the crucifixes made ether pathways that went through the ground, and, I narrowed my eyes slowly turning to the crucifix in the middle.
"You can't be fucking serious."
I muttered, as I walked towards the main crucifix.
All of the ether that was going to come from the other 10 crucifixes we're going to converge here which means.
"I need to touch the main crucifix to absorb their ether."
With no delay, I put my hand on one of the Scarlet inscriptions along the main crucifix. This time when I channeled my ether, it flowed smoothly into the path made by the inscriptions.
Suddenly, the descriptions on all 10 crucifixes flared bright red before the swirls and sharp lines of an inscription along the ground that converged on the largest crucifix became visible.
Sensing the ether flowing towards the crucifix, my lips curled in a grin, before everything began to go wrong, or right, it was hard to tell.
As soon as I tried to absorb the ether the inscriptions along the largest crucifix which I had my hand on suddenly flared with a light that was nearly Blinding.
My body lifted off the ground of its own accord before I was spun around in the air and pulled backwards." My eyes wide didn't and horror as I realized what was about to happen.
"Oh fuck, n."
My words were cut off by the blood that shot out of my mouth as I spoke, drove through my chest, then my arms flew up to the side of me and impaled themselves on the wrist spikes, and I felt a sharp pain at my skull as another spike pierced it as well.
Something told me if my feet weren't so high above the ankle spikes they would've gotten pierced as well, and just as I was about to sign in relief at that, or at least try to.
Said spikes suddenly disappeared from where they were on the crucifix before seemingly appearing behind my ankles, I felt as they were both pierced, yet just like the others, no blood flow.
Even the blood I had just coughed up, had disappeared mid air.
As soon as my body was fully secured on a crucifix, every inscription in a room flared with light."What the fuck have I done."
I thought, as I saw the bodies of the other 10 mortals slowly dribble until they were turned into ash, not even bones being left behind.
I was just about to use a skill I knew blood shift.
It was a movement skill involving the element blood obviously.
It was a ninth star technique at this body probably couldn't handle, but considering I might die in the next, second who gave a fuck.
When suddenly I felt an influx of ether.
It wasn't overwhelmingly strong, but it wasn't weak either.
I observed it moving throughout my body before it deposited itself within my first ring.
As soon as it was done, the crucifix let me go, and before I knew it I was falling towards the ground, or I should've been.
In less than a flash, I took control of my blood, and I floated in the air, using the ether I had just gained, I flew over the blood red inscriptions before landing outside the room.
I'm marveled at how easy it was.
Before that movement would have cost me maybe half of all the either I had, yet with the increase of what The mortals gave me, it barely cost me half.
My ether had risen to 10% of the entire circle.
A small amount I know, but compared to the 5% I have before it felt entirely different.
Examining the rest of my body, I realized there were no real changes, other than feeling strangely energetic nothing was different with me.
Walking over to the ashes of the mortals, I quickly rubbed them between my fingers before blowing them away on the wind.
"No ether, no ether at all how, interesting."
My eyes bore into the particles of dust on the floor.
Everything had Ether, even mortals and or mundane tools, yet this dust didn't. It was something that would be interesting to study.
Just not right now, a Grin appeared on my face as I thought about the power that flow through me.
It was pathetic, minuscule, not even worth noting in The Great scheme of things.
Yet it was changed, the first real sign of improvement after two years, two fucking years of feeling like I was doing nothing but stagnating.
It showed me a way to gain power. The grin on my face became blood thirsty, and who was I not to take advantage of it?