*Chamber of Choices:

Available Evolution Sub-races;

-Mutant Insectile Parasite

- Blood Poison Parasite

- Nest Rex Parasite

Unlockable Evolution Sub-races:

-Pathogen Parasite(Acquisition of [Disease Resistance(Passive Lv5) or higher])

- Black Blood Parasite (Possessing a progeny of an original Vampires) or (Acquisition of [Blood Curtain(Active)]

- Wither Magick Parasite (Acquisition of one of the following skills: [Mist of Decay] - [Magical Decomposition] - [Putrefaction]) and (Consuming the blood of a progeny of an Original Vampires)*

“Say, Exactly how strong are Armen and Amare? Relative to yourself.”

Arthur was pacing around the inn room as he pondered about the Wither Magick Parasite unlockable evolution sub-race. As he had previously suspected, by possession the Bloated Murderer, a new sub-race appeared, but, unfortunately, there was one last requirement left.

To make matters worse, it was a significantly difficult one to accomplish, especially after he had witnessed firsthand how powerful Armen and Amare actually were.

“I have never fought a real vampire, so to speak. Therefore, I can’t give you an accurate answer, Master. However, in terms of raw, physical strength, Armen is considerably superior to his younger sister. While taking that into account, I can probably fight him for a bit, but, ultimately, I’ll be killed. Of course, that applies only if Amare is absent.”

“So Armen is stronger?”

“That’s debatable. Amare’s powers are more oriented toward magical spells rather than close-quarter combat. Each has their own advantages.”

After giving an answer, the maid eyed the parasite with a slightly troubled expression.

“Master, I hope you’re not thinking of actually confronting them.”

‘Should I give it up? Even if I need only a single drop of blood, the risks are far too great.’

Arthur had achieved his main objective and was relieved. But, it would be a waste to not push one last step and try to evolve into the Wither Magick Parasite.

*[Wither Magick Parasite: Of the ‘Armament Magical Type’, commonly known as Wither Parasites, are in abundance only in the original homeland of the Parasite Race. Like their Mutant counterpart, Wither Parasites are capable of possessing any corpses and benefit greatly from decomposed or rotten corpses.

-Gain 50% of a target’s stats and all their skills.

-Vulnerability to the following: Light and Purification Magic - Lightning-asped magic.

- Addition of the following skills: [Wither Touch] - [Enhanced Spell] - [Infernal Cry].*

While disregarding the disadvantages, which were present but differed in other available sub-races, the other benefits enticed Arthur. The System did not deign to provide explicit details about the three skills, however, based on the name, it wasn’t difficult to guess.

“You might be right, it’s too early for that.” He sighed and sat down, musing over the next plan.

“Though, I want a bit of those Blood Crystals. I think I might need to call Mort here just in case.”

“Master, he is an undead… a strange talking undead. There is no place we can hide him. His presence will draw attention to us. Also, the Duke, or rather, the Militant Syndicate as a whole, does not tolerate Necromancy at all and would go to extreme lengths to dispose of any sighted Undead.”

“Hmm, I’ve read about that. The invasion of the Death Legion, yes? Quite interesting, that one. Anyway, I’m willing to risk it and bring Mort into Blackcrest. He and the rabbit could prove useful if not invaluable for our next little ‘adventure’.”

Evelyn, still disagreeing with him, snorted and pulled her eyes away from him. “Maybe if Master would grace me with more details, I would feel at ease. While the Blood Crystals sell for ludicrous sums in Black Markets, I don’t see why we need them, after all, we do not lack for Gold.”

“Self-empowerment, I would say. That, and experimentation. Blood Crystals are, in essence, crystallized blood infused with pure Mana, thus giving it a solid crystalline form. I believe I read that, upon consumption, Blood Crystals can elevate one’s Magic.”

“The consequences make the process not worth it. Even at desperate times, they are rarely used.”-Evelyn

“I know that, but the side-effects can be ignored if the subject is an undead or a vampire. The former have dysfunctional bodies that are highly-resistant to the Mana Destabilization caused by overconsumption of Blood Crystals. As of the latter, they have an unusually large Mana Reservoir and getting infused with Blood will undoubtedly reap them benefits, which is why Armen and Amare are working so hard to satisfy their employer.”

Evelyn was about to retort but no words escaped her lips, she sat there, oddly silent for a couple of seconds. However, her body suddenly twitched then an ominous grey light shone from the area between her left breast and left shoulder.

The maid clenched her fists and bore through the unexpected pain. Eventually, she couldn’t resist and fell backwards on the bed, her face pale and forehead sweaty.

Instead of asking pointless questions like ‘are you alright’, Arthur approached her and checked the strange grey light, which pierced through her clothes and took the shape of a circular rune with unfamiliar symbols inside of it.

He helped her properly lay on the bed and, upon softly touching her forehead with the back of his hand, felt the freezing sensation.

“I’m fine.”

She said with gritted teeth and heavy breathing.

“You certainly do not look fine. Don’t move, just rest a bit.”

As she tried to get up, he pushed her back down and motioned for her to lay there, which she did while glancing at the still glowing grey light.

“Since you’re not going to explain, I’ll refrain from asking. Do you need something? Anything?”

“...”

After a momentary silence, she took a deep breath and, still looking weary, muttered, “Eld Grass would help.”

“Eld Grass? Alright.”

He took some money with him and left the room thereafter, heading directly to the nearby Apothecary.

…

A Short while earlier.

“Argh!”

“...”

Jack and Rebecca could not even finish their meal as they were assaulted by excruciating pain. Their hidden tattoos, unlike Evelyn’s, shone with a mysterious black light, alerting both of them.

Although it lasted for half a minute, it left both of them exhausted, they even lost their appetite. Gloomy and shocked, they looked at each other and felt the slowly disappearing burning sensation originating from the tattoo.

“You had to jinx it, didn’t you?” Jack glared at his friend while letting out an annoyed grunt.

“How is it my fault? I couldn’t have known!”

Before the two could even finish their conversation, the door to the room creaked then opened. A couple of paces away from them stood a slim and tall man fully clothed tight black clothes, a mask covering his mouth and nose.

The most distinguishing features was his scarred right eye and his long snow-white hair. His unexpected and sudden appearance startled Jack and Rebecca, who stood up and performed a military salute.

He swept his gaze across the two then, with a low and frigid voice, said,

“Number 24 and Number 34. You have a new mission.”

While Rebecca kept a straight face, Jack had a deep frown and didn’t look that pleased with the mysterious man’s visit. Still, he did not act out of order and maintained his silence.

“You are to eliminate Terden Sidus.”

“What?”

Jack unconsciously blurted out only to receive a chilling glare from the man.

“Assassinate the Duke? I don’t think we are capable of d-”

“I’m not asking, Number 24. This is a direct order.”

Rebecca subtly nudged Jack, who solemnly nodded and saluted again. The slim black-clothed man turned around, about to leave, but he stopped at the edge of the door and half-turned his head.

“Number 14 has removed her mark yet I can sense her nearby. Did you meet her?”

“No, we did not.”

“..."

“Is that so?”

The man disappeared out of view moments later, finally giving Jack and Rebecca time to breath and process what had just happened.

“Who do they take us for? No contact for 6 years then this?”

“Calm down, Reb. We cannot shirk from our duty… but the fact that he sensed Ev worries me. Alas! It’s too late to warn her by now.”

“Do you think she’ll be given the same task?” Hesitantly asked Rebecca, looking a bit sad.

“Most likely. We have to think about our mission… How in the blue hell are we going to kill Terden? Fleeing is not an option and we don’t have the means to kill our target, not with his hidden protectors lurking around, and that’s excluding his outrageous individual power. This is doomed from the beginning.”

“Then why did we receive such an order? Do they want to dispense with us?”

“I don’t know, Reb. I really don’t know. It would be best if we stick together for now… and let’s start packing.”

***

Five minutes after Arthur had left, the sole window in the room opened on its own and the white-haired man appeared, his remaining eyes focused on Evelyn.

The maid had got back on her feet with her twin blades in hand, but, unlike before, they were enveloped in a milky-colored translucent energy.

“Number 14. It seems you have been unsuccessful in removing your mark.”

Even though she was menacingly glaring at him, the man was unperturbed and did not bother taking out his weapon. Seeing her gasp for breath and look exhausted, on the break of collapse, he sneered,

“You should have known the consequences of insubordination. Still, since you belong to the second generation, we are being benevolent and chose to grant you a chance for redemption. Your task is to eliminate Terden Sidus.”

“I’m not doing anything for you.”

“...”

Seeing her visible adamance, the man chuckled and paced around, curiously inspecting the corpse of the Bloated Murderer lying in the corner.

“The South needs its people… its formidable agents. Will you really turn a blind eye? You, Number 14? Honestly, when I heard of your desertion, I almost couldn’t believe it.”

“...”

“Always with the silent response, as is your wont, but nevermind that. Terden Sidus is to be your target.”

“Why do you want him dead?”

The man turned to face her, his remaining eye, grey-ish in colour, had a cat-like pupil.

“You are to follow orders, not question them.”

Evelyn snorted in response, her blade criss-crossed near her chest and ready to unleash a devastating blast if he got any closer to her.

“I heard that Marjory Na Xivia is launching an offensive on the South. Terden Sidus is colliding with the Vampires so you want him dead, right?”

The man, as expressionless as ever, did not offer any response. He vanished into thin air.

“This will be your last chance, Number 14. Failure will not be tolerated.”

Even after his departure, Evelyn did not drop her guard. She kept standing, blades in hand, barely fighting the strong urge to collapse on the floor and get some much-needed rest.

When she finally lowered her weapons, she heard a chirping bird which flew from outside and circled the room before descending near the corpse.

“For a maid, you sure are bad at following orders. I told you to rest.”

“It’s rude to eavesdrop, Master. I thought you were going to the apothecary.”

“Oh, that?”

An ugly smile plastered itself on the man’s disfigured face as he scoffed.

“You didn’t think I was that stupid, did you? I mean, it was obvious you wanted me to leave. Also, just so you know, Eld Grass is used to treat Anemia, which is mainly caused by blood loss. If you’re going to lie or offer an excuse, at least do it right.”

Apart from her usual, inscrutable gaze, the maid did not deign to respond, which did not deter Arthur from continuing,

“I got to learn new things about my dear Evelyn, which is always a good thing. More importantly, however, is that you seem to be in a pickle, yes? That man was quite frightening.”

“He will be of no consequence, Master. I assure you.”

“Oh, I’m not worried, far from it. In fact, I’m hoping we can make use of him.”

“...”

Upon seeing her expected reaction, the parasite burst out in laughter.

“Why the long face? From what I’ve heard, I can easily conclude that he’s from your homeland, but don’t forget he is in enemy territory and, if we play our cards right, we can use and get rid of him. Two birds with one stone. You’ll be worry free and I get what I want. What do you say?”

As she sat back down and hid her blades, Evelyn let out a long sigh as exhaustion was washing over her.

“What do you intend to do, Master?”

“You really want him dead, huh. So, he clearly doesn’t like the Vampires and wants the Duke dead, therefore, supposing Terden doesn’t know of this, we will begin by informing him… through subtle means, of course. Then, we play our favourite game: waiting.”

“How will that help us kill him? I don’t understand, Master.”

“No rush. A strong person like that… isn’t he perfect to face the Vampires? I plan to pit them against each other.”

“...”

“How? You might ask. Well, steal their prize and make it look like it was his doing. Considering they were desperate enough to kill the Bloated Murderer, I see no reason why they wouldn’t do the same for your ‘friend’.”

“He’s strong, Master.”

“Stronger than the siblings combined?”

“...”

“Exactly.”