The old woman cackled in delight as she closed her fist and the klevonian's hand exploded in frozen chunks of blood, meat, and bone.
Two of the other klevonians were stunned as they watched their ally fall in agony. The old woman wasted no time moving on them and released a mist from her skin that entered their bodies.
"Take deep breaths!" She said menacingly in a high, scratchy voice as the two klevonians fell to their knees. I was sure she was about to cause them to explode, too, but she seemed to notice us watching and changed her mind to simply knock them unconscious.
The other klevonian with her, her partner, was a guy dressed in a dark green suit with a matching hat and shades. He was skinny, but his body was bent and extended unnaturally as he fought. His name was Procrustes, also known as The Quarterer. He was a 2.5-star threat too, with a base EQN of 42,816,570. He possessed the eutierric Acidic Toxin cintracy and a temp one called Extend that gave him the ability to stretch.
Procrustes grinned, enjoying punishing the klevonians as he whipped one with an arm that acted like an actual whip. The wounds he inflicted on the klevonian left behind traces of a bright green substance that ate through the klevonian's clothes and skin, causing the woman to frantically peel at it until she fainted. Meanwhile, the Procrustes wrapped himself around the last two klevonians like a snake and squeezed them as they were burned the same way until they were forced unconscious.
With each invader dealt with, the Winter Witch gave Procrustes a subtle nod before she headed toward us with a softer, pleasant smile on her face.
I get the feeling she's practiced that a ton before mastering it to ease the hearts of anyone who visits..., Za'Fia telepathically shared uneasily.
"Welcome, dearies!" she said, grandmotherly.
Behind her, her partner began collecting the fallen klevonians and carted them away with an expression that gave me chills.
I was prepared to protest and ask where they were taking them when Avarice stepped into my peripheral and gave me a deterrent look.
That's none of our business. Need I remind you that you have no authority here, and I don't particularly care for becoming a prisoner here, he sent telepathically.
If you ask me, the superstitions about them being a criminal organization might be closer to the truth, Za'Fia commented. Lisa, let's meet the Crest Head, then leave before any trouble finds us.
Or before you find it, Avarice added unnecessarily.
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We explained who we were to the witch, and she beamed with a false glee, clapping her hands together once.
"Oh, joy! Piercy-boy hasn't had a visit from another Crest Head in such a long while! We are truly sorry you had to witness such unpleasantness. Piercy-boy gets many assassination attempts, you see. You make lots of enemies being such an influential figure...," she said, hunched over as if to imply she was helpless. "Follow me, won't you? I will let him know we have visitors."
After that, we were taken to a room within the Crest House in the village at the bottom of the canyon. It wasn't the throne room as I expected. Still, we weren't allowed to leave the room after being brought there. The witch warned us that "Piercy-boy" would be unhappy if we went snooping around his home.
Something told me it would be a bad idea to try to leave the room, so we complied and waited for maybe half an hour before the doors opened and in stepped the Crest Head himself. He strolled in with confidence and a collected air about him. He was tall, wore a dark, sleek suit, had jet black, slick hair, and a nasty aura. Despite his charismatic smile, his aura purposely betrayed him, revealing an underlying sinister nature. His name was Pierce, but also known as The Corrupted among those capable of accessing the bio card database. He was a 3-star threat with an EQN of 523,130,000. He had the eutierric Bio Toxin cintracy that gave him the ability to summon and control a violet semi-gaseous poison that physically weakens those inflicted with it and leaves them in crippling pain. He also had a temp cintracy called Pinpoint that Viraa said made him particularly unpleasant in battle.
Given his energy and his epithet on his bio card, it didn't seem like he cared about being welcoming or putting up a front for officials. I found it hard to believe that no one knew he wasn't to be trusted. No. Every Crest Head knew what kind of guy he was, but no one was able to prove it. Was that how things were?
Out of curiosity, I tried to get a read on him with Heart's Eye, but realized that I couldn't discern his emotions or intentions at all, which admittedly made me a bit uneasy.
That would be an effect of his sacred gift, Strongest Mind, Viraa chided in. It protects his mind from all forms of unwelcome mental invasions and influences, including emotionally-based ones such as Heart's Eye.
"The inheritor of Viraa's Temporal Sight...," he said in envy.
"Ah, you've become a Crest Head now, have you?" Pierce swiped lint from his suit before he sat in a seat across from us. "Please. Sit."
"We'll stand," Za'Fia insisted, crossing her arms.
"You always let your...followers speak for you?" Pierce directed his words at me, disregarding Za'Fia or anyone else.
"I don't control my team. They're my friends. We look out for each other," I responded.
"Friends...," Pierce grinned, but it wasn't cunning; it seemed like a genuine, kind expression at the thought of the word as his aura receded. "My apologies for the way I presented myself. I typically keep my guard up. My crest is too large to run on friendship: it operates with order, with me as its authority."
He gave a small laugh.
"You understand, I must keep a certain appearance, and typically don't care for other Crest Heads interfering with my domain or my subordinates, but you're new. I'm sure there's plenty of aid I could offer you. That we can offer each other. We could become friends, you and I. If you need anything: information, material...I'd be able to acquire it for you."
"What do you say? It's a fair, simple exchange, yes? We could even establish a blood oath if you'd feel more comfortable with that," he reached out a hand for me to shake. He spoke to me simplistically, yet to the point, as if trying to convince a child. I'd dealt with that condescending tone many times back on Earth.
Do not accept his deal. Pierce is not to be trusted, Viraa warned each of us. While it may be true that nothing has ever been proven against him, there are many despicable events that he has been connected to and even more dirty rumors about him. That is why officials refer to him as The Corrupted. Establishing a formal alliance with him will only tarnish your image in the eyes of other prominent figures before you have even begun to build it. That includes figures from other worlds that you may come cross as well.