Pressing for the Truth

+++ +++ +++

Author's comment [19.11.2021] archived in the auxiliary Volume

+++ +++ +++

[Notice: The target is currently in disguise as a human. Successfully revealed the target's true information with 'Advanced Identification']

[

Name: Raos Luzeir Faramus

Race: Mind Flayer

Strength: Stronger than user

State of Mind: Concerned

]

The information revealed by the system was at best sparse but it was enough to make a simple fact more than clear: Rao wasn't human! He was a mind flayer! A monster, well known for its evil nature and its diet of intelligent creature's brains.

"Why I'm levitating a living boar?" Rao repeated Riva's question from before. "Of course I brought it for your meal." With a wave of his hand, he levitated the boar next to her.

Riva ignored the struggling boar. She had drawn her sword.

"Haste"

The skill was working again now that the system had returned.

The next second her blade was pointed at Rao's throat. He didn't even flinch. Instead, he smiled and waited for Riva's next action.

"I'll ask one final time, what do you want with me?!" Riva pressed. "And don't you dare cast another one of your mind-spells. I've had enough of that shit!"

Riva was observing Rao closely and caught the short instance where he displayed confusion and then understanding only to return to his mask of perfect calm.

"Stop playing with me!" She pressed her sword closer to his throat.

"You can put that down and we'll talk."

Riva tightened her grip on the sword handle in response.

"Not feeling like answering. Then let's start with a different question. What made you think I needed a living boar as food?"

"Wouldn't you need it to be alive?" Rao replied calmly.

"Why would you think that?" Riva pressed on.

"Don't undead need life energy for sustenance?" Rao sounded a bit confused. "I know you're an odd one but even you should require it."

Riva wasn't that surprised by the fact that he'd figured her out. She had had the hunch for a while.

"How did you figure it out? And since when?"

"That you're undead? Since we met in the forest."

"Why did you toy with me? What were you planning to do? Weren't you planning to eat my brains in the end?"

Rao didn't hide his surprise this time around.

He swiftly made a motion with his hand and an invisible force grabbed Riva by the throat and lifted her off the ground. He didn't pay any more attention to the sword pointed at him. He didn't need to because it was met with an invisible barrier before it could do him any harm.

"What do you know?! How?"

This time it was Riva to remain calm and smile.

Rao stared at her furiously.

She stubbornly met his gaze.

…

They were staring at eachother.

…

Neither averted their gaze.

...

It had turned into a staring contest!

...

First one to blink would lose.

…

Riva's eyes were growing dry. As an undead, this was of little concern to her.

"Ha-hahahahaha!" Rao averted his gaze, he laughed maniacally.

Riva was freed from the force holding her.

"You lose!" She declared. "You were the first to avert your eyes!"

"You're really something. I'm not disappointed. Not one bit!" He held his chest gasping for air following his laughing fit.

Next, he summoned a table and two chairs made from the cave's stone with a simple gesture. Then he beckoned for Riva to sit with him.

"What made you so sure I wouldn't harm you? After all, you have long since realized I am far stronger than you."

"Several things really, for one you had many chances to kill me but never did. Then there was the fact that you were trying to force a bad relationship with the guild. Doing so would only be relevant if you intended to let me live past our little mission and probably a good bit longer. Otherwise, your actions wouldn't make much sense." Riva explained.

"Haha, indeed, you've got a good head on your shoulders. It's part of what makes you so damn interesting." Rao nodded.

"Then there was the fact that you were concerned for me when I started acting strange. I doubted you in the beginning but when you returned with live prey it was clear." Riva continued.

"Wouldn't I have done that to preserve your mental state? It's well known that I would prefer an intelligent being over one that has lost its rationale?"

"True, you might have done that to keep me sane. You were risking me catching on to the fact that you knew about my circumstances." Riva agreed. "I knew for a fact that you had something planned for me but you had yet to make me your thrall. Right those guys with you should be thralls, right?"

"Yes." He nodded.

"So, up to here, you didn't take any actions to control me. You could have made me a thrall, used your mind manipulation spells, or simply forced me with your strength and knowledge about my true race."

"I was unsure if all this was just a game for your enjoyment but the fact that you risked revealing yourself and didn't choose another roundabout way of concealment made me take the gamble and confront you." Riva continued.

"You could have pretended to not notice anything, wouldn't that have been safer?"

"Yes, I chose to do this in the beginning. But I hate being manipulated. Yes, you're stronger, but I don't want to be your willing puppet!"

Rao smiled at her declaration. It was his first genuine smile.

He held out his hand and said "Let me reintroduce myself, I'm Raos Luzeir Faramus, a mind flayer. It's a long story but I left my home dungeon and now work as a monster researcher."

Riva mustered him in surprise but accepted his handshake and answered "I'm Riva, a recently risen undead, I'm looking for revenge."

"Revenge on those that killed you?"

"Yup! But I've told you more than enough. It's time you explain yourself."

Rao paused, apparently mulling something over.

"First off. You've misunderstood me somewhat. I can't deny that I've been guiding your actions to an extent but I had no concrete plans or plots regarding you." He started explaining after a while.

"As I've said I am researching monsters or more specifically their mutations. You should know, most monsters are subject to their urges, instincts, and their oftentimes unique diet."

"As you're likely aware undead grow insane with their desire for life energy. Not dissimilarly my species requires and seeks out the brains of intelligent species for sustenance. In both cases, we seek this special diet because we need to substitute for the things we're inherently missing."

"Objectively there's nothing wrong with it but in reality, it's a craving that warps the beings into the creatures that are perceived as evil. Hence they are classified as monsters by the races that are more fortunate. They end up being mercilessly hunted and persecuted."

"But then there are exceptions to said monsters, like you and like me. We have mutated in a way where we are no longer ruled by our desires. We can even seek alternate ways to keep ourselves fed! Ways that are less risky and destructive."

"My question has always been, what if there was a way to ensure that all suffering monsters could free themselves from their instinct-driven lifestyle?"

Riva attentively listened to Rao who was explaining his research subject with great passion. She finally felt him being truthful and sincere with his words. A stark contrast to his sarcastic and playful behavior from before.

"I didn't expect you to be this big an idealist." She finally commented.