Chapter 91: Chapter 90: Wasted Time
The group listened to what Lillim had to say. "What if we all sign contracts to give Carl the ability to govern any divinity in contact with us as an extension of his power?"
"You mean volunteer to be a node for his power, like he is for the law of Divinity?" Kyubi asked fluffing one of her tails in thought.
"Do you think it would work to specify "Auto-activate neutralise sensory link from non-faction divinity" or something like that?" Klaire added as she gave the kids the longest good night hug ever.
"Not certain enough to go all in on it." Lillim shrugged. "We shouldn’t underestimate his pettiness either. Slap his hand away one and he might laugh as you get flustered, the second time he’ll rip yours off."
"Great, so he’s a man-child with more power than any one person should have." Carl sighed briefly before it turned to cries of indignation in response to their accusing glares.
In the end the only thing anyone could think was absolutely necessary was getting the materials for the game-breaking option Carl had offered. No one wanted to start all-out war, but it was better to have that plan and not need it.
"Right, well I’m off to work, or did you forget what time it is?"
"Shit, I did, can you not go and I’ll accept responsibility with them?"
"Carl, don’t be stupid, you can’t afford to owe them anything right now."
Carl’s fists tightened in frustration at the ongoing situation, only able to tolerate it at all because he knew she enjoyed the work at least.
Leanna shook her head then said goodbye to everyone and left for the gate-room. "I should go too, Sophie are you sure you’re okay here?"
"Yes Blanc, thank you."
"No worries, I’ll bring you lunch and coffee today." Blanc then turned to follow Leanna, he wanted to make sure Daniel’s cousin who operated it was doing okay so he decided against remote activation.
Everyone spitballed potential ideas for another half an hour, then shifted gears and discussed what their plans for the day were.
Lillim and Kyubi decided to also head out, the new potential they held elevating them to an entirely different priority level.
Carl decided that he should spend the day planning and Klaire decided that she would go and train with Faylorna again.
Gillian needed to get some training in as well and decided to head to Lunelia to fight The Carrion.
Sis wanted to stay with the children and Alisha to get to know them more.
Kon was on semi-permanent survey duty and Alysse was wanting to get started on her next batch of equipment.
All in all it was shaping up to be a normal day.
Then the message came in...
---At Lugaria HQ just a few ---
"Sorry for the delay Leanna, wanted to make sure Liam was getting used to it."
"No, no, no, you do what you need to and don’t worry about my schedule." Leanna chuckled.
"Hang on... Wait, looks like someone’s outside the front door, might be a Lugarian, same ashy skin." Blanc said, clearly a bit nervous after the conversation.
"Don’t worry, I’ll go with you if you want, it’s okay to be nervous about this stuff."
"Thanks, I’m not a fighter and I can’t send Noir out, they might freak out." Blanc was visibly shrinking in on himself.
"Relax Blanc, you aren’t a fighter and you’re all just kids still... I hate this, it’s abhorrent to put kids your age into this situation."
They made their way through HQ and opened the door.
The figure was sat cross-legged on the ground, slumped over. He bore the trademark features of the Lugarian people; Ashy skin, unstyled white hair, tribal markings that looked to be burnt into the skin and a muscular build from the hard life they lived.
"Sorry, my Lugarian isn’t great... Do you need something?" Blanc asked, try to convey meaning through tone rather than the actual words.
"Thirsty.... So thirsty... Too hot..."
"Sure, I ca-" Leanna threw Blanc back into the house by his shoulder.
She was about to send a message to the faction when his aura suddenly burst forth and made them feel like their blood was escaping through every oriface they had. The pain and discomfort was indescribable.
"Do you feel it? The pain of having no blood in your system, it’s excruciating, no?" The figure stood up straight, his hair falling back to reveal ears ever so slightly elongated and Cat slit eyes of blood-red.
He walked over and grabbed Leanna’s hair, lifting her to the level of her eyes.
’Coral, please open your eyes, but stay hidden whatever you do. Try to reach Carl, or my mother, or anyone...’
Coral’s eyes snapped open and Dracula faltered ever so slightly.
"Is this a skill of yours? My wrist feels numb and my mind a bit cloudier."
"Sorry, just wanted to see that regeneration in practice..." Leanna barely squeezed out the sentence without breaking.
"Ah, well I hope your curiosity is sa-" Before he finished, Leanna point every point of her seven digit strength into a kick aimed at his crotch.
The grunt of pain was more than she had hoped, then he grabbed her by the neck with his free hands and began ranting. "The damn sun! This damn ability and that damn scent... You’re one of her daughters aren’t you..."
---Back at Haven---
[ FACTION MESSAGE RECEIVED FROM BLANC: DRACULA IS AT HQ! ]
The response was immediate, decisive and overwhelmingly powerful. Tiamutael immediately gathered and recalled every pet, chimera, householder and Equinox who was somewhere in between all of them.
When they arrived Dracula was holding Leanna by the throat, using her to block out the intense Lugarian sunlight.
"Maybe I should skin you and make you a parasole?" He cocked his head to one side in thought.
"Get off my mum." Carl’s voice was quiet, he could feel the inversion creeping in and clouding his mind. "I won’t ask you more than once more, or maybe I will, not sure yet."
[ GROUP MESSAGE RECEIVED FROM KLAIRE: GET READY, CARL’S GOING NUCLEAR AND I HAVE NO IDEA HOW! ]
"HAHAHA! The "hero" has the villain’s quirk it seems. Amusing, but you’re not quite as intimidating as him."
"No! No! No! Not nearly as scary as a bird in a bush.... Well, why don’t we start a blood fountain to quench our thirst already."
Dracula grinned, then ripped one Leanna’s arms off and laughed in revelry as the blood sprayed over him. "This half-breed whore of Lillim’s might smell disgusting, but her blood certainly feels nice!"
Klaire saw tears in the corner of Carl’s eyes. "Indeed... Warm showers in sunny days are far from unpleasant."
Dracula stopped laughing and eyed Carl suspiciously.
Then Carl stepped forward...
[ GROUP MESSAGE RECEIVED FROM KLAIRE: EVERYONE WHO CAN DEFEND US SHOULD, DO NOT APPROACH CARL ]
"The little hero steps forth now? No, I’ll kill you la-"
Tiamutael, suddenly held Leanna in his arms and Carl raised an arm and waved it from the HQ building to Dracula.
The building burst into bright light that caused everyone to cover their eyes, then they heard Dracula grunting in pain, but they had their own problems to deal with as the ground was melting and even Aldra’s Ice was vaporising immediately.
The steam was managing to dim the light enough for everyone to open their eyes, breathing with relief when they saw Tiamutael had managed to save Blanc from Carl’s attack as well.
"Did he just turn our HQ into a sun?"
"Yes and it is far too much for us to get in close."
"We need to get in there and help Carl!" Before she had even finished they were back on Haven.
Sobbing filled the air, it was Tiamutael. "Sweetie? What’s wrong? You need to send me back."
"I can’t... Dad sealed... My power... I can’t see him either..."
Klaire looked at Kyubi and Lillim who were desperately treating Leanna, tears flowing freely from both.
"Don’t look at us, the only power I have right now is healing."
"Klaire, this isn’t something you can be made about, he isn’t in control right now. He has become a devoted conduit to the law of Divinity."
"What does that even mean?"
[ MESSAGE SENT TO FAYLORNA: I NEED YOU TO COME AND GET ME AND THE OTHERS AND TAKE US TO HQ. ]
[ MESSAGE RECEIVED FROM FAYLORNA: UNFORTUNATELY, THAT IS NOT POSSIBLE RIGHT NOW. ]
"It means that right now, Carl is instinctively manipulating all divinity. He is likely toying with Dracula, dragging out his suffering. The thing about people like Carl, the moment their loved ones are hurt, they become far worse than any monster before them."
"So what? we just sit here and wait?"
"No. We pray to every god on our side that he doesn’t do something he can’t live with. Right now, he is the strongest being in existence and even Margo couldn’t challenge him, the issue is whether or not he finishes Dracula before it wears off."