It had been a day since Kate had started following Vincent. She was almost completely convinced by now that she had been completely scammed. There wasn't a single other person in their organization and he was actually planning to apply to mercenary camp.
However she still followed him as she felt a odd dense of sympathy for thew poor bloke. She wanted to be a queen that reigned supreme and united all beastmen and this guy dreamed of crating some super-shady all powerful secret organization. He was probably as insane and delusional as him.
Also the guy was strong all right. Moreover, the way he gave death threats and attacked people was extremely cool and amazing. He was also a good teacher.
A group of bandits were camping out in the open.
Vincent and Kate walked into the clearing, completely exposed and unarmed.
Some of them looked over and whistled "Looks like we have some fresh meat."
"Can you believe they walked right up to us!"
Vincent ignored all of them and looked at Kate and asked,
"Do you remember the best way to make someone do what you want them too?"
"Give them the feeling of pure terror! Threaten to kill someone close."
Vincent's gaze softened for a second before going back to his usual self.
"No, girl that is only for kind folks. Out here in the wild, people only care about saving their own skin."
The bandits didn't take kindly to being ignored "Hey quickly leave all your valuables here if you want to live!"
"Yeah! Leave the little girl too, such a cutie will fetch us a lot."
Vincent continued as if he couldn't hear them,
"Pure terror is when you let someone believe they are in control only to have the ground pulled out from under them. The moment when they realize that their power is just an illusion and their world crumbles around them. The moment when they realize that they are completely in the enemy's palm, when they realize there is no hope of resistance, is pure terror."
The girl nodded her head vigorously, then smiled darkly. Of course crumbling their worlds would surely be a pleasurable situation.
"Then Observe- the power of face slapping!"
"OY! I will count to ten and if you don't do as we say, DIE!"
Vincent tsked "No class at all!" Shaking his head he looked at them with a face full of sympathy.
"I am afraid that you folks haven't understood the gravity of the situation here."
"If you really want to live, give ME all of YOUR money and I would let you go."
"Hahahaha! Looks like this guy's brain has short-circuited due to fear!"
Vincent continued "See that Katie, they currently believe they are in control that's why they are spouting stupid lines that seem to come straight out of a crappy novel. A scared person will have a scred expression, these nitwits cannot even fathom that someone else could be stronger than them."
He snapped his fingers and well the camp they were sitting in moments ago was blown up. A geezer of piping hot lava seemed to rise to the sky and fell back down annihilating a lot of their surroundings.
"Now I have taken the ground right from under their feet!"
"I thought you meant figuratively when you said it, not literally."
"This just doubles the effect."
"The thugs scrambled in panic and immediately activated their magic barriers."
"Cheap tricks, but now you won't be able to harm us."
"Do you really believe that yourself"
"Vincent unhurriedly stepped towards them, he seemed to be a devil ripe from the pits of hell.
He smiled calmly and sincerely at them.
"Now, if you don't listen to me I will blow all of you up, in a brilliant explosion."
"Katie have you ever seen fireworks"
"I did once when i was really young."
"Would you like to see some again"
"Yes!" she clapped her hands in pure happiness, then proceeded to look at the bandits with excitement "Are you going to send these poor uncles up into the sky?"
"Wait! Don't kill us! Here take everything we have!"
"Please let us go! We will do anything for you!" they pleaded miserably.
"Look, they really are spouting lines that seem to come out of a crappy novel. The power of terror is really strong!" The girl nodded her heads as her eyes glowed in deep understanding. She seemed to have been enlightened.
Looking at those seemingly innocent eyes the thugs couldn't help but feel another chill creep up their spine. Devils! Hellspawn! These guys were too terrifying.
"Don't think too much. The author was probably too lazy to give such cannon fodder characters any decent lines"
"..."
"Here, please take everything! just spare our lives." one poor guy even seemd to wet his pants as he broke down into tears.
"How about we let them go Vincy, they seem too pitiable"
"You think so too! Yeah these guys are no fun. I will show you fireworks later!"
"It's a promise!"
The thugs seemed relieved as if they had been blessed by the heavens. Leaving all their stuff they took the first opportunity to flee.
"That was fun!" Kate remarked after they had left. "We even got a lot of loot."
"I hope you paid attention to the lesson! I will not bother teaching you later!"
Kate sighed, there seemed to be something really wrong with this guy. At one moment he would be all crazy and cool. The next he would become a naggy stuck-up bore.
"Ya! Ya! I remember! Also don't forget your promise"
"Don't worry I always keep my word!"
"Yeah right!"
"Here!" Vincent said as he threw a few bags in her direction. "Carry this stuff, errand girl!"
"Damn! I am not your errand girl. Don't take advantage of me!"
Darn it! Why was she even still following this bastard. Shaking her head in frustration she followed on nonetheless.
----
Vincent thought back to the their recent robbery. Whenever he was in the middle of a fight, his old persona seemed to slowly resurface, but most of the time still acted like a Martin- a stuck-up bloke.
Vincent sighed, driving away his unpleasant thoughts his mind drifted back to his early adventures with the Anarchists. How they went threatening world governments into giving them supplies, abolish slavery and other stuff. There was this once time they had threatened to blow up a whole city if all their inhabitants didn't dye their heads hot pink. Though it was later revealed to be just a diversion strategy, everyone had done it as the anarchists were believed to be a bunch of crazy lunatics anyway.
Those were the good times...
Anyone interested in a flashback, then do tell! I am mostly planning to shift the focus back to Lucas in the next chapter anyways and his art of misdirection.
Stay tuned and keep voting!