Sorry that i did not upload for 2 weeks. Join the discord btw.
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My eyes scanned the screen in front of me over and over again. I have long read and understood all of it, but
[Restriction 2: 'Willing Followers' constitute any entity that agrees to this arrangement knowing the consequences while also not being under the influence of any other manipulation or control-type ability.]
…not being under the influence of any other manipulation or control-type ability.
…of any other manipulation or control-type ability.
…control-type ability.
From time to time I looked at the 'coffins' in front of me, filled with perfectly good slaves, bound by what else if not a control-type ability.
My new ability, 'Absolute Servitude' — on the one hand it seemed incredibly powerful, very similar to the 'Thousand Shadows' Esper ability, or the one the World Tree used.
The limited number of slots is a downside compared to both of them, but my ability does not mention anything about the restriction of enslaving someone stronger than yourself, or even them advancing in strength while I am enslaving them.
All in all, I think that these 2 restrictions are very likely to be the factors that prevented 'Thousand Shadows' and the World Tree from world domination.
A hard cap on the numbers I could enslave is not nice, but I would rather have 255 S Ranks enslaved than infinite Rank A's like Thousand Shadows.
Now where do I find someone willing to donate their body to me???
"Stand up," I said to the slave still kneeling in front of me.
"Yes, Master!"
"Arrange for the transportation of the other coffins to my place. Here's a communicator with the address and some money," I said, as I handed her the small metal cube.
"Of course, Master. Do you have any other task?" she asked patiently.
To which I just ignored her and walked over to the man still waiting for my signature.
"Is the cargo to your satisfaction?" he asked me.
"Yes, it is. Thank you."
Beep
I pressed my finger against his tablet, confirming the delivery. But inwardly, I was distracted, thoughts running through my head by the thousands.
All culminating in one question: If I held a gun to your face and screamed at you to hand me your money, would you count that transaction in itself as voluntary?
Hopefully, the system does define 'voluntary' as having the option to refuse. If it does not, I will have to get a bit more creative.
Funny how things play out — maybe the slaves I just bought will come in handy.
...
...
...
Somewhere deep underground
"Wake up!" I said coldly towards the man that I had bound to the metal chair in front of me.
Well, to call him a man would maybe be a bit of an exaggeration, his clothes covered in vomit and who knows what else.
"I said wake up!" I shouted.
"Uhhggh"
Bam
My kick landed on his chest, as I am definitely not going to touch him directly. I of course showed great restraint, as my leg would have impaled a normal mortal otherwise.
"Ey yo what the fuck ma...."
Bam
Another kick hit him, harder this time, and he started wheezing, struggling to get air.
"Only speak if I tell you to. Otherwise, you can answer by nodding or shaking your head," I explained calmly.
"Do you understand?"
"SUCK MY DI....."
Bam
"Now that that is settled... let me explain why you are here."
"I am an Esper. My ability allows me to enslave others. To keep it short for a drug-addicted dimwit like yourself, if I use it on you, I could command you to do anything, or even take over your body if I wanted to."
I could visibly see the fear in his eyes and chose to savor it for a moment before I unfortunately had to lay my cards on the table.
"The good thing for you, my worthless friend, is that I can only use this ability on willing subjects."
"HAHAHAHHA FUCK YOU HAHAHAHAH" was all I got in return.
Bam
"Unfortunately for you, it does not matter how I obtain your cooperation," I bluffed.
"Even more unfortunate for you, I did not choose you randomly, my dearest test subject," I said, more to myself than to him. He did not seem too bothered by that, confident that he had the upper hand.
Which is true — so good thinking on team drug addict.
"Do you know what this is?" I asked rhetorically, holding up a syringe filled with a transparent liquid.
As always, I did not get an answer, so I provided it myself.
"It's saltwater mixed with half a gram of ethylaminodichlorophosphinate. You see, that's a chemical that has more in common with you than you would think. After all, both of you have a very special relationship with 'Eclipsa.'"
"You in the sense that you take it to get high, and this little piece of magic..." I flicked the syringe.
"...in that it binds with it on a molecular level, turning the normal day-long high into the brutal withdrawal effects in mere minutes," I explained.
And the cursing started again… I didn't bother to even listen to it anymore.
He was about to have the worst day of his life — he knew it, I knew it. Eclipsa wasn't a joke, the drug of choice for most intergalactic junkies. It is described as the most intense feeling of bliss, usually lasting for a day or two.
But when its effects wore off, it was pure hell. Pain, itching, and feelings of absolute dread lasting for weeks. Those feelings are so intense that junkies suffering from them would oftentimes suffer from heart attacks. The second most common cause of death for junkies in rehab is suicide, but don't be mistaken — without those, the fatality rate for quitting without help is over 90%.
There is, of course, a cure for this, but it's simply not something most can afford. The usual progression looked something like this:
try the drug for the first time
spend everything you have on it
die
Anyways, I pierced my prisoner's skin and injected the medicine.
Before getting out of the room, I looked him in the eye, smiled, and said: "Just call for me if you have changed your mind."
"Oh, and don't hesitate for too long... or you might end up like your predecessors. Hehehe."
...
...
...
15 days later
"The police force has entered a state of high alert and has begun setting up checkpoints throughout the city, according to their latest reports. They have assured me that we will be kept up to date as the situation develops," Verdalis reported to me.
"What's the current number of victims?" I asked calmly.
"Unclear, but likely anywhere between 30 and 50. All known victims are drug addicts."
"Any motive, or suspects?"
"None. There is a high probability of super involvement though."
"Contact your father and have him send members of the Super-Containment Division. Even if it's a false alarm, we do have someone on our hands who has shown a strong disregard for life — it's better to be cautious," I slandered myself without so much as blinking.
"Very well."
Do you truly hold me in such low regard that you think I would kill dozens of people just to take over a body? Well, you would be wrong — and also, I took over two bodies.
Anyways...
As Verdalis made his way out of my office, I diverted my concentration back onto the 2 people I have just taken over.
What a marvelous ability, 'Absolute Servitude.' As it was now, I could control all 3 of my bodies at the same time. It takes a lot of concentration — or rather, intelligence — but all of them truly felt like mine. I also felt that I could comfortably control a few more.
Or, as I have done in a few tests, I can remotely order them to do a task, which they will then do. From all I could tell, their whole personality was still there, even though I could alter it with specific commands.
These two were, of course, entirely unsuitable for doing complex tasks on their own, them being drug addicts and all that. But the important thing is that I didn't question their loyalty, just their competence.
Overall, nothing that a bit of oversight can't fix — and not a reason to just pilot them around like meat suits all day.
...
"Stone"
"Stone"
"Paper"
"Paper"
"Scissors"
"Scissors"
"Shoot"
"Yes!"
"Noooooooo... we said best of 3, right???"
"Right?!?"
"Hahaha... no, I can assure you we did not. Now off you go," one of my avatars said to the other one, who looked as if he had just swallowed a fly.
"Tsk. Fine, my damned luck."
...
POV Avatar 2, nickname 'Black Cat'
Glug
Glug
Glug
Carrying a small suitcase in my right hand, I chucked down alcohol with my left. It was, after all, the last bit of alcohol I would drink for decades — likely forever. My last bit of freedom, so to speak.
The double doors to the police station opened automatically for me. The inside was clean, metallic, with a very futuristic look that was untypical of our civilization. Our roots are in magic, after all — this machine-like style is a relatively new development.
I calmly walked up to the receptionist's desk, and before I could even open my mouth, she asked:
"What can I do for you, sir?" I was surprised by her friendly tone — I am a Forsaken, after all, and I absolutely look the part.
Taking a moment to gather my thoughts, I responded calmly.
"You have been searching for me. I am here to surrender myself."
"What crimes are you accused of?" she asked, still quite polite — perhaps a bit scared that I would become violent.
"Murder."
-_-
"This has the hand of one of the victims you have found in it. It also contains a map to all of them you haven't found," I said, as I put the suitcase down on the desk.