Chapter 82: Recruits [Part 4]
The whole matter with the insurgents was done quickly and without much trouble.
Against a force that barely knew how to deal with mystics and whose knowledge of them was severely limited, the results of such an encounter were obvious to say the least.
But that did not mean that the encounter was without merit.
Within the manor, Richard stood next to Cindy as the two observed a group of women huddled up in the basement.
As one would expect from the manor of a centuries old witch, the basement was not a place that was filled with furnaces or other devices that would maintain the upper floors.
Instead of large indoor hearing systems or water pipes, the basement was like an underground prison.
The whole manor was basically a medieval mansion disguised as a modern manor. But unlike modern structures that had large systems, the manor was supported by magic and mystical formations.
This reduced the amount of space wasted on technological systems that did little to stave off the cold and gave more space for large underground prison systems designed for both training and punishment.
Of course, Richard had already stopped the practices that Morgana had used to maintain both the loyalty and strength of her followers.
A modern man like Richard thought differently and the methods he had cooked up to improve the individual strength of his people were more consistent... if he could perfect it.
"Are you ready Maiko-chan?"
Richard turned to the tall woman next to him, she was the yokai that was obsessed with Karen Tamashiro. After everything that happened, she was now part of Richard’s group and she had arrived here with a report on the current state of Japan and also to help in an experiment.
"All I need to do is make a pact with one of those women, correct?"
Maiko stared at the women huddling in a corner of the cell.
They were all staring at her with fear in their eyes as she expected, after all, she did not take her human form and instead used the monstrous yokai form to appear before them.
The form did not only change her appearance, even her voice and aura changed.
It was difficult for even some of the western witches under morgana to stare at Maiko much less the regular humans who were to become test subjects.
But among them, one woman was able to keep calm- though she was not in the cell.
"It’s up to you Maria"
Richard turned to the woman next to him, Maria de Guzman who was now dressed like an actual witch as she stared at her former comrades.
All the "good ones" in her group had already been transferred to a better holding cell and the women before her were the rotten bunch among the group.
Maria’s eyes had lost color, she had controlled her emotions which allowed her to make a decision but even then-
"Her, that bitch is a former volleyball player, she failed to reach the standards and became an activist. She also is an abuser, she loves taking advantage of others and turned some of her friends into sluts who she sold out to the captain and the others"
Maria pointed at a woman who was particularly tall amongst the group.
Not only was she taller than the rest, she was also a lot more... "healthy" than her companions.
"There’s no need to confirm your allegations with the way she looks right now"
Although they were taken by surprise, the attack was brutally efficient and only the men were handled roughly.
The women were all taken away in one fell swoop along with the "good men" in the group.
The prisoners were treated more harshly but most of the women were not harmed whatsoever.
Still, some did end up soiling themselves- it was an expected outcome since they were getting kidnapped by monsters after all.
Yet, despite all that, the woman Maria pointed too was really just a bit too... clean.
Everyone else had faces covered in paint, mud or dirt. Their hands were callused and one could see the wear of their extended jungle excursion on their body.
Yet, the tall woman looked like she was just out on a hike.
"She monopolized the healthcare products, she’s responsible for managing them because she’s the captain- Jon’s favorite"
Maria’s explanation shed a bit more light onto the situation.
Richard did not need any more explanations as he nodded at Maiko who understood what the woman had done.
"Consider this retribution for your sins"
Maiko declared as she closed in on the tall woman who tried desperately to escape but the chains on her arms and legs prevented her from doing anything.
"We don’t want her to use the power to escape or do anymore evil, so just possess her or something. You remember the trick I taught you?"
Richard’s voice echoed in the cell, Maiko nodded in affirmation before extending her hand towards the woman.
"NOOOOOO!!!"
The woman desperately screamed, her future was bright... before she fell into this mess- no, before hse joined the stupid movement!
She was supposed to be a famous volleyball player... she had people taking photos of her even when she was just out on the beach.
Her images were spread online and she was labeled a "Volleyball Babe" until she was kicked out of the team because of her poor results.
Couple that with even poorer results in her studies and she ended up being just another one of the many students attending university.
Her sports scholarship was gone, everything was gone-
She had to start working just to keep up with the school fees that don’t seem to end. All of that culminated in her joining the activist group.
It wasn’t a choice made out of a desire to help the Filipino people, she was simply offered a salary to participate.
Her face was still famous and her image was attractive enough to immediately get likes and tons of engagement.
Yet even her looks were still overshadowed by Maria, a newcomer who joined willingly out a desire to "help people".
Women like Maria were the type that she hated and their stint in the jungle was her opportunity to shoot back at the bitch that stole what little pride she had left in herself!
But who would have thought?
The greed of the bastard Jon led them to make an enemy out of a group of monsters!
Why did she have to go through this?
Where did she go wrong?
The woman thought such things but it was then that she heard a voice echo in her head-
’Why indeed? You should have achieved greatness, you should have been the best! The world should have been bowing to you and yet-’
The whispers in her mind were extreme but they were also enticing, soon, the woman’s struggles vanished as Maiko’s shadow enveloped her.
The tall yokai turned into a pool of black sludge, the sight of the sludge enveloping the woman made everyone else in the cell shudder.
On one hand, they were happy that they weren’t the ones being attacked.
On the other- the sight before them was like a premonition- no... an example.
This is how you will end
It was as if Maria was telling them that, they turned to Maria, their gazes filled with fear and a plea.
But their wishes fell on deaf ears and blind eyes as Maria simply stared at them emotionlessly.
When she raised her hand as if trying to point at someone, all the girls panicked and clustered together.
They each desperately tried to hide behind another but all that did was put a smile on Maria’s face.
The mocking expression she had angered some of the more prideful women in the group but the sight of the strongest among them getting devoured by black goo forced them into silence.
Richard did not bother to talk Maria out of her antics, this could be considered as part of the control and power that he promised her.
But Richard was ready to stop her when she went too far but it seems like Maria was more aware than he expected.
She kept her psychological attack at the edge of disbelief and madness.
Maria didn’t want her targets to go crazy and avoid the suffering they SHOULD experience. But at the same time she had to maintain the pressure, she was not making a joke nor was she simply acting.
Somehow, Maria was able too use high level psychological techniques to control her targets, something that even Richard dare not say he could.
Conceptually, Richard could understand how its done. But in practice?
Reading your target emotional state was hard enough, Maria was doing it to a crowd and reacting actively to their reactions.
"She would make a fine torturer"
Richard was unable to hold it in as he commented while staring at Maria who was causing their prisoners suffering by simply existing within their line of sight.
"She has talent, who knew you had such a good eye"
Cindy answered Richard while praising Maria.
"Nah, I just had a gut feeling that she would be extremely helpful"
Richard responded to Cindy while shaking his head. While there were things which he could predict, assess and deal with himself. He was no God-
If anything, Richard knew full well that he had his own limits which is why he delegated tasks to others.
Not because he was lazy but because it was the most efficient way to split labor.
As they were conversing though, a change finally occurred in the black puddle.
Richard stayed silent as he waited for the being that emerged from the pool to completely manifest itself.
Yet, out of all the possibility, the one that came true was something even Richard could not believe actually happened-
"Dada?"
What used to be a tall former athlete was now nothing more than a toddler but the toddler had the facial features of Maiko and it had the aura of the yokai.
While Richard was stunned at the scene, Maiko appeared from behind the child and Richard immediately said-
"Does anyone want some milk?"
