Chapter 610 Power Scales.
Alcott stood in the living room, handing the flute to Arad, "Can Doma disable the negative effect?"
Arad took the flute and looked at it, "A cursed object. Holding them always feels weird."
"[There was a jester that used this flute to lead rats out of a village. He was the one who brought the rats in the first place and used that as a scam to extort money. I was there, in an inn, so I chained his soul to the flute, creating the cursed object.]" Doma explained through a mouth appearing on Arad's arm. She smiled, "[That would teach him a lesson, not that he's alive to learn though]"
"What was his name?" Alcott asked.
"[I never asked or cared. I just boxed him up. Now that you mentioned it, I don't even remember if he was a man or a woman, a human or an elf. It's been a long while.]" The flute started rattling as a black gust of smoke gushed from it, getting sucked into Doma's mouth. "[Without the negative effect, the flute's power got a bit weaker. It can now only control unpowered people, and the strain gets dumped on the user's mind, resulting in a headache. Isdis would be able to control around twenty people with it,]"
Arad walked toward Isdis and gave her the flute, "Use it well,"
Isdis took the flute, staring at it with a confused face, "Would it work?" She looked around, her eyes stopping at Tina.
"You can test it on me, but nothing embarrassing," Tina replied. Isdis would have tested it on her maids, but those two are trained assassins responsible for guarding her. They should be too strong for the flute to work on them.
Isdis put the flute on her lips and blew in it. A gentle tune filled the room as she stared at Tina. "I don't feel anything," Tina looked a her hands, "Is it working?"
"[It is,]" Doma giggled, poking Arad's mind. "Tina, can you bring us something to drink?" He said based on Doma's instruction.
Tina slowly turned toward him with a passive face, "Sorry, but I'm busy now."
"Busy with what?" Arad asked.
Tina ignored him, turning back toward Isdis to check if the flute was working.
"[Even she won't realize the spell is working on her. Right now, and based on what control Isdis wants, Tina thinks she's Isdis's maid, and she would ignore orders from anyone else, the same way she'll ignore an order from a stranger.]" Doma explained with a giggle.
Isdis stopped playing, but Tina didn't get back to normal, "I need to release her manually," she then played a small tune, releasing Tina from the flute's grasp.
Tina blinked twice, her face burning red as she turned toward Arad, "Master Arad, sorry for earlier..." She cried, realizing she just rejected an order as if it was natural. She quickly turned toward Isdis, "I said nothing like that!"
"Don't worry, it isn't a problem," Arad smiled, "Now we know the flute works, and that the affected won't realize they are controlled."
Alcott sat on the couch and pulled another object from his pocket, a chalice filled with spikes, glowing with power.
"Eris, this is for you," Alcott called with a smile on his face.
Zephyr sighed, "I'll not even ask again,"
"Don't worry, this one is safer. A bit." Alcott laughed.
"The Elder blood chalice. Wasn't that supposed to be in Vlad's castle?" Eris who stood at the kitchen door stared at him, confused.
"It was until I went there years ago and took Ginger out." Alcott sighed, "I did think I killed the bastard then, but he seems to have survived."
"Vlad is like a cockroach. He always finds a way to come back. That's why he ruled the vampires for centeries." Zephyr sat on Arad's head, "I hate to think about it, but there is a chance he survived your Ho-white nova."
Arad started thinking, "Even if he did, I would have weakened the vampires to a point they never were at before. Stranded, landless, and rankless. The abused lands around them would find a chance to thrive and fight back, and soon, their legacy as the night's horrors would end."
"It might have already ended if Vlad died, but if he didn't," Zephyr looked down, green magic sparking in her eyes, "I'll deal with him if he returned. You protect everyone."
"Can you even fight him?" Arad looked at her, "Is wind effective against immortal vampires?"
Zephyr turned toward Alcott, "He doesn't seem to realize it yet," She said.
Alcott sighed, "Arad, even if everyone here banded together. We won't stand a chance against that little spirit on your head."
Kinryuu nodded in the back, "World powers are creatures that can end the world or have an ability that allows them to do that. Zephyr there is one,"
[Atmospheric collapse] Zephyr flew to Arad's face and stared into his eyes, "I take the entire air of the world and crush it down on the surface, flattening everything. I can even absorb or change its composition." She waved her hand and Arad could feel an extreme pressure building on his skin. "I'm not even trying, and I could flatten you to the ground and everyone here if I felt like it."
"Humph!" She shook her head, cancelling her magic, and flew into Arad's chest, hiding inside his shirt and poking her head out, "Since I'm a peaceful free spirit, people tend to forget and underestimate my power. Especially the short-lived humans."
A mouth opened in Arad's neck, smiling, "Want to test it out? I can create a powerful lamp using the rotting corpse of the great wind spirit."
"Curse witch Doma," Zephyr smiled, "If you took full control of Arad's body, I admit that even I might have some troubles tying him down, but I'll still win."
Vasilissa opened her eyes, sitting up, "Are you okay?" Alcott asked.
"Yeah," She looked at the chalice, "Explain to Eris how to use it," She said, before looking at Arad, seeing Zephyr and Doma glaring at each other.
^Zephyr fighting Doma? A close fight,^ She thought, ^But Zephyr would win in the end. Doma lacks in mana capacity compared to someone who's tuned to the wind of the world.
She cracked her neck, ^But about Vlad, I don't sense him anywhere in the world, but if he's hiding somewhere and dares show up. I'll pull him up to space if Arad can't handle him, then take my time showing him why no one messes with Orion.^
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