[Laertes Withergaiden has been slain]
[ 1 Aether]
Vale quietly stared at the blade he held as it got lodged in the man’s face, killing him instantly.
Vale’s face contorted into an unsettled grimace as he watched the blood flow from the wound onto his blade and down the rock he’d been enclosed in.
’Co on, Lust! Muddle my feelings! Trample on them! Hide my humanity!’
Vale stared as the river of blood continued to flow.
He waited and waited for the proof of his carnage to be erased and swallowed by the dungeon. But it seed this sin was here to stay. The boy’s body did not disappear. It only had an Aether core at most; while bits of the man’s body contained rogue Aether, it was by no ans an Aether construct.
Laertes’ corpse remained motionless with its dark brown eyes open, as if still staring at Vale.
’Co on!’
’Why do I feel bad, now!’
’I haven’t felt like this before!’
Vale could have let Salo, Xina, Stacy, or even Toy deal the final blow; however, he knew killing a human, one of his own kind, was a hurdle he needed to jump over one day. So, he decided today would be the day.
He wasn’t expecting to feel anything... as he hadn’t before... Well, he didn’t. Not until he started talking about the girl he so desperately wanted Vale to have ’rcy’ on...
It was a misguided rcy, as Vale currently did not possess the capabilities to take on a village nor the ability to enthrall a multitude of people. Still, Vale understood the sentint — he understood it well.
All too well.
Vale looked toward the nearest Workers and gave them an order, and walked away.
"Dig him out..."
Xina, observing him, walked up and stood nearby.
"Sothing wrong, Master Vale?"
Vale stopped and stared at Xina, seeing his pitiful expression reflected in her gemstone eyes. His pink eyes were glittering dimr than ever before. As he stared at her, he couldn’t help but study the delicate yet firm and icy owl’s face...
A face nearly identical to Fleur’s.
"Nothing... nothing at all."
***
It didn’t take long for the Workers to free the corpse from its prison. And, as Vale expected, the body remained. Perhaps it was also only the beings summoned by the system. Maybe not. All he knew was what was in front of him.
Vale ordered the Workers to cart off the body and leave it sowhere outside of the dungeon, outside of his sight, but not after stripping it of all the valuables.
They have real clothes now! And so iron links!
’Yay... Tch.’
Vale wasn’t in the state of mind to celebrate, but that didn’t an his mind was in pure turmoil. No, at worst, he was just in a bad mood.
Lust would make him forget these throes in due ti, but that ti needed to co quicker...
***
The following two days passed without many events happening.
The details of Vale’s days had beco pretty quotidian, but that’s not to say it was boring for him.
He’d wake up, train while his Workers mined, Salo and Toy would collect materials, bringing ho the occasional shard for Vale to absorb, Xina would guard the entrance, and then, when night fell, Toy, Salo, and Vale would farm so Satisfaction points.
Xina had yet to join them in such an endeavor, but Vale didn’t really want her to. Not that he wasn’t attracted to her... But he saw Fleur when he looked at her. He couldn’t bring himself to...
And, as for her relations to the others... Xina couldn’t even get close to them, or they’d kill each other. Plus, rather than grow closer and forgive past grudges, the two’s hatred for each other seed to neither rise nor decrease.
They interacted as little as possible, and Xina stowed herself away when the group did anything intimate.
While statistics would dictate Xina’s reaction as abnormal, she was probably the only normal inhabitant of the Dungeon of Lust — aside from her inability to change her expression. Still, it was her normalcy — the other novelty — Vale didn’t want to tarnish.
Well, the girl was by no ans normal.
Her hubris when interacting with anyone other than Vale was a little hard to tolerate. The owl was bullying poor Toy at every opportunity. Not that Salo ever let Xina get those chances.
Four days had passed, and not a single ti had Toy and Salo left each other’s side for more than a minute or two.
As for their progress on the dungeon... it was going swell.
Every imp except one had beco an Ergent Miner, and there were a few more Ergent Builders. Neither Larry nor Sizzy had upgraded yet, but they were definitely close to doing so.
As for Stacy, she’d taken a weird following to Salo and started calling her mother, but other than that, she’s made so minor improvents in her swordplay. But the biggest thing she contributed was constantly sparring with Vale while Salo was gone.
Vale’s own competency in battle had improved quite a bit, and he was starting to grasp the concept of the golden an Salo alluded to. He made fewer mistakes and actually made use of the strength a Vice-class should have.
As for Xina... she hadn’t been doing much but watching. Of course, that was her job. She was the gate guardian. It wasn’t like Vale or anyone could spar with her; the woman didn’t know how to fight with a tool. With her abilities, she didn’t need to. She was a walking calamity.
However, that ca with its own issues.
She couldn’t collect materials or touch anything.
So, watching was literally the only helpful thing she could do; at least until an enemy erged.
As for attempting Level 2...
The ti was coming.
After the Workers put the finishing touches on the initial maze, they would attempt it. And, if possible, Vale would finally use his ability... He’d try to charm an attacker.
Mainly... his target would be the ’Nascent Monster...’
Assuming relations with it were possible... And if they fit his taste.
Not that Lust had a taste for anything other than unbridled pleasure.
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