Synthetic Survivor: Machine Age - Chapter 150

A single candle was lit inside the dark room. On one side, it illuminated the green skin of the goblin’s face. The goblin was gagged and tied against a chair with its arms gone and legs tied together.

“Goblin,” One said.

A dark figure leaned on the candlelight, his purple eyes shining in the darkness. The goblin’s muffled screams hidden behind its gag proved to One that the monster was, in fact, scared for its miserable life.

“I know you understand the human tongue, I know you do,” One leaned forward, passing over the candle. He was now a few inches against the goblin’s long nose.

“Now, tell me, what happened?” One asked as he removed the goblin’s gag.

The goblin then screamed but One was quick to shut him up by placing his right palm over its ċhėst. The palm then exuded a high temperature that gave the goblin third degree burns in an instant.

“Wagh!!!” It screamed and struggled against its bonds.

“You’re not escaping until you tell me exactly what I want,” One said.

The goblin shook its head, it was a defiant bastard that needed more pushing.

By pushing, it translated to burning and One was more than happy to oblige.

With each denial to answer, One burned parts of its skin bit by bit. And One knew its body would be acting to hold off the pain.

One, however, was one step ahead.

Hailey revealed to him that his body had many uses that he hadn’t discovered despite a decade of living with it. One such instrument within One’s body that Hailey revealed was its ability to mix fluids to form other fluids and then funneling it into a sort of syringe in his index fingers.

This ensured that the goblin would experience all the pain One would endure without it passing out due to shock.

The goblin seemed to be as hard as the hardest rock but only because it knew One wouldn’t kill it. Indeed, One was not going to kill it yet but once he got what he needed, One would immediately kill him.

[It believes you won’t kill it] Hailey pointed out after observing its vitals.

Pain wasn’t going to cut it.

The goblin needed its fear to be pushed over the limits.

What better way to do that than to put it face first against the most terrifying aspect of One’s existence.

His eyes.

One leaned over the goblins face and stared directly into its eye with his purple eyes that slowly glowed brighter.

“Death will follow these eyes,” One said in a voice so menacing it sent shivers down the spines of the knights and Toby who were outside the room.

The goblin, having been overrun with so much fear, it abandoned all the hopes and dreams a goblin would have and cooperated.

With its raspy and childlike voice, it answered all of One’s questions honestly.

“Now, what did you do to this village?” One asked his first question.

“Kill.. pillage.. eat children.. ” It said.

“No survivors?” One asked.

“N-no.. survivor woman in.. water.. killed her..” It said.

[It killed the woman huh, no surprise there] Hailey said nonchalantly.

“Where are the rest of your brethren?” One asked.

“Goblins… went.. go.. boss,” It said.

“Boss? You mean the hobgoblin?” One asked.

“Ye-s… but.. big boss.. over.. at… village… far” It said.

“Big boss? So you have a hierarchy huh, who is this big boss?” One asked.

The goblin refrained to answer for a few seconds but when One drew out one of his energy swords and placed it against its neck, it shouted.

“Big!! Boss….. goblin.. mancer!” It said.

Goblinmancer? One thought.

One then asked his final question.

“Where is this goblinmancer?”

The goblin then suddenly began to experience a seizure. It convulsed and fell against it’s back while still strapped on the chair.

After a few seconds, it began to laugh and its yellow eyes changed from yellow to a grayness that shined similar to One’s purple eyes.

“Hello there,” The goblin suddenly spoke clearly.

“I’m guessing you’re the goblinmancer he told me about?” One said, being blunt that he was aware of this trick.

“Oh you know? Well then, puny hu-” One raised his hand, confusing the possessor.

“First and foremost, I have no time for your silly introduction. I don’t understand why it’s necessary to have a lengthy conversation with your enemy. What? You’re gonna insult me? Me a puny human? Well then, I know that conversing with you will bear no fruit and so I’ll just kill your vessel right here and now,” One said. He then raised his gun and fired upon the goblin, tearing it a huge hole in its ċhėst.

[Dear, was that wise?] Hailey asked.

“Check the magical readings of the surrounding areas and trace the magical trail,” One said. He knew exactly what he was doing.

One had hypothesized that such a magic that used possession would likely involve magic molecules to bound and form a line between the possessed and the possessor.

Without a doubt, Haileh detected the line but it was decaying rapidly. Using some of One’s computing power, she was able to pinpoint the   goblinmancer’s last location upon termination of its connection.

“Excellent,” One said.

[Aw, it’s been a long time since you praised me] Hailey said.

This action ultimately frightened the knights who were already under the effects of his aura.

“Let’s go,” One ordered.

[You could have just used the door] Hailey complained.