Clenching his fists, Kritz widened his legs, mimicking a squat.
Whoosh!
'He vanished?' Hisha thought, closing his eyes so he could rely more on his hearing.
Materializing behind him, Kritz made a kick at Hisha's head.
Ducking at just the nick of time, Hisha did quick successive front flips.
'Seems he really was holding back.' Hisha chuckled in his thoughts.
Kritz stood at a spot as his Sux blazed around him, his claws barred and his fangs growing.
Crrrk!
Boom!
A boulder behind broke upon the combustible contact of Kritz's Sux seething out of him.
'Why do I feel only he can do this shit?' Hisha jokes, hoping for some words from HTC.
[Now you see it, now you can do it, host]
'And risk my Sux depletion? Nah.' Hisha countered, shaking his head.
Slash!
Hisha glared to his side, narrowly dodging yet another attack from Kritz's sporadic attacks.
To Hisha it looked like the more feral approach he took, the more unpredictable he became.
Speaking with HTC was a mistake he didn't want to commit to as he had nearly gotten hit in the process.
'Time to switch it up a notch.' Hisha thought with a cackle.
Materializing a hobgoblin, he held it by its neck.
[8 Sux exhausted]
Scoffing at the Sux he had lost in less than two minutes, he narrowed his eyes at the notification.
'Are you trying to rip me off or something?'
[The larger the mass, the larger the Sux exhausted]
Shaking his head, Hisha brought his attention to the creature in his grasp.
Knowing there would be a struggle just by holding its neck, he wasn't going to take any chance and sustain any scratches
Tearing off its arms, Hisha watched with gleeful eyes the pain that spread out on its face.
"Schhhhheeeee!" It screeched in pain, green blood gushing from its open wounds.
'You're no use here, go give Kritz a hug.'
Throwing it at Kritz, it was no surprise that he watched it get ripped before its full approach to him.
Kritz stared at the lifeless body. With his chest heaving slightly, he glared at Hisha.
[Warning: blood lust]
'Bingo!' Hisha lips broke into a devious smirk.
He needed to be certain of one thing, and that was Kritz's self-control.
After the first instant in the woods had made him realize how prone to blood lust Kritz was to anything he had killed while drawing enough blood.
The same explanation given by his guards that had accompanied him was just about enough reason to speculate.
Whoosh!
Lurching at Hisha, he switched his movement at the last minute, trying out the last trick as the first attack.
'Again? Really?'
Making a round kick at Kritz's stomach at just the right moment, the air in his lungs was temporarily knocked out.
"Ughhh!"
Colliding into some trees as he was sent flying backward.
Hisha wasted no time in allowing him to recover from the hit, hitting away the flying debris.
Grabbing a hold of Kritz's leg, he flung him upwards.
Teleporting and making his way above, he gave a kick which sent Kritz crashing onto the floor.
Boom!
Blowing on the cloud of dust, Hisha shook his head, watching Kritz try his best to get up from the rubble.
'He's severely weakened.'
[He had exhausted half of his Sux and might lose more if he wants to keep this up]
With the glow in his eyes fluctuating, Kritz held onto his head in pain.
His injuries slowly healed, and he got to his feet, searching his surroundings for Hisha.
"Come on, what are those eyes for?" Hisha's voice echoed around the area.
His cackles followed right after.
Bam!
Kritz's face was forced to the side by a punch.
Recovering instantly, he searched for the possible location of Hisha.
"Don't make me reconsider going easy on you, again."
Watching from the shadows and up in a tree, Hisha jumped down.
Kritz stared at the spread-out cracks on the floor, finally coming to terms with what he had endured over a short span of hits.
[He's studying you, host]
HTC put up a narrowing eyes emoji, having a red arrow pointing ahead on the screen.
From Hisha's perspective, he could see through the transparent interface, witnessing the arrow pointing directly at Kritz's eyes.
"You can't quit now, I need to know your limit." He explained, pointing at Kritz.
[Bloodlust subsiding]
Sigh!
He turned his back, walking away in hopes of encountering a wild animal.
'Why haven't I seen any wild animals in these forests?'
[They don't live in the wild as opposed to your world but are fed or cared for in the respective beast's territory]
Bang!
Bang!
Striking his fists on some tree barks, he watched as they dropped to the ground in large crashes.
Trying a sneak attack, Kritz threw two daggers that he had hidden in his boots.
Swissh!
Swissh!
Weaving to the right and then to the left, Hisha looked back at Kritz.
Using his telekinetic ability, he pulled Kritz into his grasp.
Grabbing him by the neck, he forced his will on Kritz's hand, restraining him from moving.
Slamming him into the floor, Hisha tilted his head as he spoke. "Tell me... to what extent does the behavioral change last?"
Kritz's eyes glowed, revealing he was still fighting under the influence of his unpredictable ambition.
'Who made you this way?' Hisha wondered, worried for his friend.
Struggling to set himself free, Kritz let out a yell in pain when he felt his bones get crushed from the tightening grip of the telekinetic hold of Hisha.
"Try to control it!" Hisha yelled at Kritz.
Although he knew there was still no way of making Kritz remember all he had done, he was determined to have Kritz tame the urge.
Snarling at Hisha, he tried to break free from the hold but to no avail.
Leaning on one of the trees, Hisha waited till Kritz exhausted the majority of his Sux.
Feeling lightheaded, Kritz's breathing was ragged as his body reverted to its original state.
Huff!
Huff!
"Finally!" Hisha exclaimed, pushing off the tree.
"What... What did I do?" Kritz stared at the floor, curious about why he was restrained.
'He's really asking such a question at a time like this?'
[Would yours have been any different?]
HTC countered.
'Are you even on my side?'
[I have no choice]
HTC deadpanned with an emotionless emoji.
With those words, Hisha could tell that HTC was merely trying its best to live with his imperfections.
'The feeling is mutual, though.'
Letting go of a confused Kritz, he waited for him to collect his thoughts before asking what he had wished to understand.
"To what extent do you remember?"
Raising his head to reply, Kritz coughed, begging his lord to approach him and assist him.
Shaking his head and folding his arms, Hisha belittled in a tease, "your tricks won't work for me, that'll just be cheating, little Kritz."
Sigh!
Kritz pushed back his hair, letting out a mischievous laugh. "So that means I lost the opportunity to ask that question."
Getting to his feet, he staggered a little, losing his footing and slipping on a tree branch.
Breaking his fall, Hisha raised a brow at the unconscious Kritz.
Facepalming at how easy it was to subdue Kritz, he wondered to what extent could be considered safe in going all out.
'While healing, it's best you rest up instead of getting into action.' He spoke with a hint of warning, looking down at Kritz.
As far as HTC had told him, Vandriks had a useful, yet annoying ability to store up information while being unconscious which would be replayed in their thoughts later on.
Opening up a portal leading to a hallway, Hisha had Kritz held by the collar.
Sigh!
'I still have much to learn in this weird world.'
[...]
Giving a slight nod, he stepped into it.
*****
In the dungeon,
Clank!
Clank!
Hisha's fingers struck the bars of the cage.
His grin had Duergar push back, skeptical about what had brought Hisha back.
"So you know, I haven't forgotten my main goal."
"Your right hand, Vandrik?" Duergar questioned.
Tilting his head at the question, Hisha frowned at the implied meaning. "Do remember I can still have control over your sister if I wanted to?"
Moka's eyes fluttered open as she got to a sitting position and stretched.
The blanket had been pulled over her naked body.
Duergar gasped in shock, shielding his eyes from Moka.
"Lord Hisha?" Moka muttered whilst her cheeks flushed from the thought of what had transpired between them.
Pulling on the blanket to cover her bare skin, she felt something strange in her bubbling.
"Lord Hisha, I don't th–" She called out to Hisha.
Although he had used the mind manipulation pill for sexual gratification initially, he had chosen to change his thoughts on what he could achieve from gaining information from Moka.
With a devious grin, he locked his gaze with Moka, "don't think too much of it, I'm here to help."
Updated from fr𝒆ewebnov𝒆l.(c)om