Chapter 12

Name: Lavinia

Race: Demon

Class: Vampiric

Age: Immortal – 57days.

Crystal Essence: [Pink]- Lvl.5— 29.01ESQ

[Available Essence Points— 0]

Faith:25

Agility: 19

Intelligence:10

Perk: {Reais Smite}, {Blood Rush}, {Wave Shot}, {Crimson Blink}, {Inspect}

Soul Bond: Curse Marked; Master Henry Vanavil.

***

Freedom isn't like she remembers. Maybe because she isn't free, not truly.

Henry took Ken's corpse, touching it the way Lucy touched her till Ken rose up and marched further into the dungeon with them. He didn't spare a glance at Lucy or Lavinia in this new life, ignoring all else to trail mindlessly behind Nei.

Lavinia sits beside Lucy's maggot infested skull and corpse. A familiar hunger creeps on Lavinia after over a week of subjugation and change. A hunt would be delicious but with much of her strength spent fighting against Henry and Nei, recuperating before any other encounters is the safest bet for now.

Before Henry pulled her heart out, Lucy triggered a new Attribute for Lavinia to get used to, but thankfully, it's a vital one. With the perk {Inspect}, Lavinia looks forward to exploring the world beyond the dungeon, but more than anything, she looks forward to leaving this room in particular.

The energy Lucy imbued in her last moments still lingers, swirling and transforming into usable Essence within Lavinia's Soul Crystal making it so she could start the journey to the stream and the cave entrance now. But through whatever compulsion, Lavinia decides to wait it out in here with Lucy. Until what's left of her former master is devoured wholly by the maggots, worms and all their friends.

The first day was uneventful. Henry left. Lucy's blood dried up and at the end of the day a sick scent emanated from the gaping hole in her chest. Lavinia roamed the cave section applying {Inspect} on the rocks, their obsidian glaze shimmered in the dying lantern light, throwing colourful shadows onto the walls. {Unrefined Gestalt}— Mana Conduit

The rocks as a Mana Conduit made some sense to Lavinia. She recalled the power Lucy manifested, the power that coursed through her and the power Henry's decapitated Caster used in puppeteering the rocks into a fierce serpent. All were channelled through some use of their staff. The rocks themselves tasted akin to Lucy's staff, an object lying beside her now with no one to inherit it.

Ever mysterious, the staff resists her attempts to {Inspect} it but even without knowing it's true nature, Lavinia's newfound intelligence has her understand the power Lucy compelled to use it, that alone is evident when she tries to carry it. Through brute strength alone, Lavinia manages to wield the long, six sided staff like a club or pole. It's crude compared to the elegance Lucy brought to it, but whatever power this 'mana' is, Lavinia hasn't the slightest bit of it to use wielding the staff as Lucy would.

As the second and third day pass without incident and Lucy continues to decline. Lavinia watches as the little bugs form a colony within her master, hatching new eggs and reproducing faster than she can keep count, and not for a lack of trying. Lavinia's Essence and strength recovers as they grow and she comes across the Sniffer's corpse, the one she accidentally killed.

Looking back on it now Lavinia questions whether it was an accident, was there some other way to defeat the then fat, horrid beast without fully unleashing her strength? Would Lucy be alive now if it weren't for her killing the beast?

A shiver runs through her as she recalls Henry— no, she decides, it wouldn't have mattered whether the Sniffer were alive or dead, if Henry wished, he would've ended all squabbles without Hei battling Ken or even their Caster unleashing the rock-serpent on him. It was a trap from the beginning, in every sense of the word.

The corpse of the Sniffer itself rots with puss and repugnant bile, offending even her demonic senses. "Inspect." 

{Source Guide}— Grade 1

Unsure what that means, Lavinia lets the rotting beast be and returns to Lucy's side.

On the fourth day Lavinia questions her decision to stay with Lucy, standing over her corpse it dawns on her that the maggots, centipedes and friends won't devour Lucy as quickly as she would nor is Lucy rotting as fast as the Sniffer. And so a new thought occurs—

"Should I…eat…that?"

It would make everything easier for her. End the ravenous hunger and satiated her curiosity— she's never eaten a human before, how would Lucy taste? Would she gain any more powers from devouring her master?

"No, Lucy. Better fresh." Lavinia says, deciding not to tear a bite by the learned fact that a fresh kill makes a better meal.

On the fifth day, Lavinia's cavern has its first visitors since herself and Lucy. Three humans enter, exploring the cave with bright unnatural lights in one hand and simple weapons in the another.

Having had her fill of humans, Lavinia scampers off onto the ceiling of the cavern. Digging her claws as deep into the crystal rock surface as she can she lets herself hang from the ceiling, lower half dangling freely as she watches the humans cross the bio luminous cavern below.

"Boy, this place is wreck." A woman says, pointing her strange light around the cavern.

"Yeah, two teams must've met here, might be some lingering still. Stay close." The tall man at the head of the team says.

"The Sniffer doesn't want to come along! Ugh, I hate this job, someone switch with me?" the last, a shorter male with a chain leash on a living Sniffer.

The female's scoffs, shaking her head at her teammate before moving on, "Have you tried the treats?"

"Treats? You mean last night's dinner? We're all out!"

"Shut up, both of you." Their leader commands, coming upon Lucy where Lavinia left her. He shines his light on her, putting the maggots and their friends on full view as they carry on digesting Lucy. He kneels beside her and closes her gutted eyes, shaking his head as his team gathers behind him.

"A Caster." The female says, clinging onto a staff of her own.

"This wasn't too long ago; I'd estimate about a week." The leader says, standing upright, "But there's something else, there's an indent in the dirt beside her head. That indent hasn't filled up with moss or any of the insects. Either there was an object there or someone's been sitting her corpse."

"What? Why would anyone watch a corpse?" The male asks, dragging the Sniffer along at last.

Their leader doesn't offer an answer, looking around all the wrong places for said someone instead.

"I don't like it here." The Caster says, "But, we should bury her at least, I think if I were found like this…"

"What do you think?" The leader addresses the Sniffer's handler.

"I think I could use a break." He says, already finding a rock to tie its leash around, "But sure, I'll help."

Lavinia glares as their Caster manifests that power through her staff, tapping the earth with it she has it rumble and give way, sinking into a hole wide, deep and long. Sighting them pick Lucy and her staff, Lavinia snarls and lets go of the ceiling, plummeting at speed and unseen until—

"Watch out!"

"Hiisss!"

Crashing onto the pair before the leader can do more than raise alarm, Lavinia rights herself atop the Sniffer's handler, keen of the creature's growl behind her she bursts with Essence and makes to crush the handler's head, "Reais Smite!"

"Aegis!"

Lavinia's smite lands heavy upon a shield summoned from thin air, the startled handler scampers away underneath his leader's shield, whistling as he does.

A terrible growl announces the Sniffer's freedom. Their leader faces her and their Caster swells with power, yet Lavinia stands unfazed under their blinding lights, "No, Lucy. Don't…hold her!"

"It can speak?!" the Handler screams.