The Primal Hunter 7: A LitRPG Adventure, page 33
It took more than twenty minutes before anyone even addressed them aside from the first servant. Jake had noticed many attempts to probe them and observe or listen in, but Jake’s barrier was too good for their bad scouting attempts to work. This wasn’t only because Jake was good, but because the attempts were half-arsed at best.
The door to the room opened, and in came another servant. "The family will receive you now," the woman said courteously.
This choice of words was not lost on Jake, but Carmen didn’t seem to care much as she just got up. Jake had dispelled the barrier when he saw the servant approach and followed her out. Their welcome so far had been less than welcoming… They weren’t even offered tea and cookies.
They were led through the grand mansion and into what Jake guessed was a banquet hall. Jake already saw the gathering of people in the hall before the double door was opened. "Prepare yourself—it looks like they are pretty much all there," Jake said, infusing his voice with a bit of Willpower to only let Carmen hear.
More than fifty people were gathered. Around thirty of them wore suits or dresses and other such fancy clothes, while twenty were guards or servants. It was quite something. Jake saw Carmen steel herself as the doors were opened, revealing the entire hall and the many people gathered. It reminded Jake of the most intimidating job interview imaginable, with all of them just staring at the maskless Carmen.
Now, Jake had expected many opening questions… but not even he could predict this one.
"Child, what on god’s Earth are you wearing?" a woman who looked to be well in her seventies with frilly hair and a baggy dress asked.
Carmen was wearing her combat outfit. Cured leather, metal bracers, heavy combat boots. Generally, she looked ready for a fight at any moment. The only skin she revealed was her face and bare hands. Meanwhile, every other woman in the room wore dresses or other "elegant" clothes.
"Mother, cut her some slack,” another woman cut in. “She must have had a hard time traveling all this way.”
"Doesn’t excuse her lack of proper etiquette," a third woman cut in.
"Also, who is this man?” one of the male residents chimed in. “And look at those… things on his feet. Do the servants not vet any random homeless person who wanders in?"
"Now, now, let’s all calm down," a fourth woman finally said as she raised her hand.
Jake recognized her instantly as the woman Carmen had mentioned was her hated aunt, the mother of her most-hated cousin, Beatrice. To note, Beatrice was not present in the room currently, but Jake saw her in another room off to the side, clearly observing them through some monitoring device. With her was a relatively thin and nerdy-looking man with glasses. He was currently giving her a shoulder massage as she looked at the confrontation between Carmen and the rest of the Salvento family.
"Carmen, it truly is you," the aunt said, all smiles. "I cannot tell you how much of a surprise this is. We had feared the worst when we failed to get in contact with you after so long, and I cannot tell you how happy we are to see you return to us. I am sure that if you work hard, our family can find it in our hearts to forgive you and move on. With the world in such turmoil, isn’t it a great opportunity to give new chances?"
To her credit, Carmen didn’t lose her shit but just stood with a steely face. "That’s it?" she finally asked after a good five seconds of silence.
"Carmen! Be respectful, and do not make this more difficult than it has to be!" her father yelled from across the room. He was red-faced, and Jake noticed how Carmen’s mother was just standing all the way in the back, looking down with tears in her eyes.
"Nothing is difficult here," Carmen shot back.
"She is right," the aunt agreed. "Now, Carmen, I must know, why did you come now? Why come at all?"
The mixed messaging could not be more clear. The aunt was simultaneously welcoming her back with open arms and yet questioning why she would come back as if it was obvious she wasn’t welcome.
"I felt like I had to," Carmen answered truthfully.
"Daft as ever," the old woman—Carmen’s grandmother—said. "After all the trouble you caused, you dare show your face like this again? You dare show up covered in dirt, ignoring all etiquette and social norms by just barging in the door? Without a single apology? You should be on your knees begging for forgiveness from your aunt and your cous—"
"Enough!"
Jake had expected Carmen to be the one yelling, but while the voice was similar, it wasn’t her. Her mother broke out of the crowd and ran towards Carmen as she stood in front of her. "This is… enough!"
Carmen stared at the woman’s back, confused. While it made a bit more sense to Jake, he chose to stay silent as he curiously observed.
"Maura, what in god’s name are you doing!?" Carmen’s father yelled. He looked both worried and infuriated at what was happening.
"This isn’t right or at all what we agreed! You promised—"
"Maura," the aunt cut in, staring down at Carmen’s mother, “think very carefully about what you want to do or say next."
The woman hesitated, and Jake decided to get a little involved. He infused his voice with a bit of Willpower and whispered into the woman’s ear, "Just speak. Do not underestimate your daughter, and share the truth. Have no doubt that the side you now stand on is the superior one."
No one but her heard his voice, and she looked bewildered for a moment, but it seemed to have given her the confidence. She gritted her teeth as she practically screamed, “Why should I trust anything any of you say!? I already lost my daughter once, and I will not do so again! You promised me she would be out of prison within a year and be back with us! You swore you were doing everything, and that as long as we kept our distance, we would be fine! You never did anything!"
"Maura, shut your mouth right now and apologize! Get back here and—"
"No! I am not leaving my daughter again!"
The situation had turned tense a lot quicker than expected. The woman called Maura had only managed to share a few details, but Jake could see Carmen was shaken. She looked unsure of what to do, and Jake placed a hand on her shoulder to calm her down.
Carmen looked up and collected her thoughts. She seemed to make a decision as she stepped forward. "I think there are some things I need to know. Mother, please follow me so we can—"
"Dear, I will need you to stay so we can talk this out," the aunt interrupted her, and Jake saw the guards move to cover the door. "Having you and your mother simply leave like this will just cause issues no one wants, wouldn’t it?"
Jake just sighed internally. What a fucking moron.
And, of course, they just had to make it even worse as the side door swung open.
"Now, what is all this ruckus? Is my retarded little cousin causing a ruckus again and in need of another lesson?"
The cousin entered, and with her was the nerdy-looking man that gave off quite an odd aura. Finally, all the related parties were gathered in one room for the highest-stake game of family feud imaginable.
Chapter 38
A One-Sided Family Feud
Jake’s attention was firmly on the two newcomers, especially the scrawny-looking man. He was thin, pale, wearing glasses, and even in D-grade, he still looked like someone who hadn’t left his basement for half a year. Yet he did have an aura of confidence, and Jake could see why.
[Human – lvl 165]
He was actually higher leveled than Jake himself, and it wasn’t spoofed or anything either. However, even so, Jake got weird vibes from him. His aura was oddly inconsistent, and his mana signature had an odd, well, signature. It was a bit familiar to Jake, but he wasn’t entirely clear where he had felt it before.
The other newcomer was the woman called Beatrice. She wore the kind of dress Jake would expect out of a high-society gala, and she clearly cared a lot about her looks. Jake also felt an aura from her as well as a domain of sorts. His senses heightened, and he quickly noticed how the subtle domain only affected Jake and the other man that stood next to her as well as all the male guards. Somehow, it excluded family members and women. Jake did recognize this kind of aura, as he had seen a familiar one before, though that one had been far less potent and controlled. It was a seduction aura of sorts, and Irin, the succubus, had a similar one.
Her level was also quite a bit lower, to say the least.
[Human – lvl 131]
Carmen looked at the two of them, and Jake saw her one hand slightly shake. Jake did not do anything to interfere, preferring to let things play out how they should. Whatever happened, he would just follow Carmen’s lead, and from the looks of it, there was also her mother around now, who had far more insight into who was a bastard and who wasn’t.
With impressive calmness, Carmen looked at her cousin and scoffed. "You’re still as big of a bitch as back then, huh? Nice guy you got yourself there, by the way. I see you are still at least good at whoring yourself out."
The nerdy-looking guy instantly turned aggressive, but Beatrice held his arm and shook her head. "No need to get mad, babe. She is just jealous. Look at that pathetic guy she managed to drag along."
Okay, why am I getting attacked? Jake questioned but still chose to hold his mouth.
"I understand that the concept of having a man around and not fucking him is foreign to you. Oh, wait, is that why you’re so popular in the family? It wouldn’t surprise me to learn you fucked half your cousins and uncles you—"
"Do not utter another word!" a man Jake recognized as Carmen’s uncle screamed as he turned to her father. "How dare someone like you come in here and act like this!? Didn’t I tell you you shouldn’t have married that bitch and had a devil spawn like her!?"
Jake saw Carmen begin to shake more and more before she finally just stopped. She took a deep, audible sigh as she looked at her mother. "Mom, who here would you prefer not to see dead?"
Maura looked bewildered before she turned afraid. "Please, let’s just leave; I am sure that if we send a message to the authorities, they will—"
"They already locked down the room," Carmen said, sighing. "They don’t plan on letting any of us leave. So, tell me… who do you prefer to leave alive?"
Maura didn’t answer, just looking dumbstruck as she stared up at the rest of her family. Jake saw the cold gazes they sent in return, and Jake honestly found it impressive. The sheer level of cohesion in this family was insane. Even her own husband, Carmen’s father, looked back with disappointment and anger.
"At least you realize the situation you are in," the aunt said with a smile. "Now, we aren’t heartless enough to kill our own family. But house arrest is certainly the least of the consequences you will face. Beatrice, dear, do you have any ideas on how we can involve little Carmen more in the family business?"
The cousin just smirked. "We always need more little whores. We can even take the mother."
"No," Carmen’s father finally spoke up. "I shall handle my own wife."
Jake saw Maura shake as she backed away. Honestly, looking at this entire situation… Yeah, these people had a seriously lacking ability when it came to probing others. Jake took out the beeper he had gotten from Renato and sent a message, more or less making it clear that murder was going to happen.
"You are all fucking insane," Carmen sneered, “and equally fucking delusional to think you can in any way tell me or anyone around me what to do when I am here."
"Heh," Beatrice laughed when she saw Carmen clench her fists. "Are you still doing that silly boxing thing? Think a little girl like you can fight? I thought you had learned your lesson the first time around, but it seems like you need another one? Ah, I just got a nice little idea for where you can work; we just need to chop off those useless arms. I am sure we have plenty of clients looking for a little para-play."
Jake saw Maura look horrified, with Carmen’s father also frowning deeply, but the others barely reacted. He decided to finally get a little involved, as he felt Carmen was about to make her move.
"Excuse me, what am I to do?" Jake asked. Carmen threw him a look, but he just tossed her a glance, and she seemed to get it.
A few people finally looked at him, though they barely seemed to register him.
"You are trespassing and are not family," the aunt spoke. “Guards, apprehend him already and put him in the dungeon for dear Alberto to play with.” Jake instantly guessed the guy with Beatrice was Alberto, based on his creepy smile.
The guards reacted, and Jake threw Carmen a look. She just nodded, so Jake smiled as two men flanked him on each side.
Two heads fell to the ground before anyone else in the room reacted, as Jake now stood with a black blade in his hand. He could have just blown their heads off, but Eternal Hunger hadn’t been fed in a while, so why not use this opportunity?
His display instantly stopped them in their tracks. Carmen’s mother stared at Jake in disbelief as Carmen just laughed out loud, getting the attention of everyone. "Fine. You attacked first."
Carmen stepped down and flew forward with incredible speed. She appeared right in front of her aunt a moment later and mercilessly chopped down on her shoulders. Blood erupted as two arms were severed, and she screamed bloody murder.
Not a single other family member moved to help, instead running away as some of them took out expensive-looking items to defend themselves. Carmen showed no mercy. She moved again and kicked her uncle so hard in his stomach that her foot went through. With a whip, she tossed him away and into a wall, blood flowing down the pristine marble.
"Alberto!" Beatrice screamed, and the man reacted.
That was when Jake learned why the aura of man felt familiar yet also fake. He instantly lit up with red energy as power flooded the room and five summoning circles appeared. He saw that deep below, similar circles appeared, and five creatures were teleported from below.
They all looked humanoid and wore armor and wielded weapons, but Jake felt nothing human about them. The reason why he found the energy so familiar was because he had felt it before—demonic energy. He Identified one and found them all around the same level.
[Demon-Possessed Human – lvl 164]
Now he knew his fate if he was to be captured. He had a fully fledged warlock on his hands, it seemed. It was a class Jake had become faintly familiar with. The demons that were summoned moved for Carmen right away, and Jake remained in place. Alberto kept an eye on Jake, also not moving from Beatrice’s side. Jake, in turn, stayed to protect Carmen’s mother.
Carmen was surrounded by demons in a moment as Beatrice yelled, "Tear that bitch apart!"
Carmen scoffed. "Fucking idiots.” Golden runes lit up on her body, and Jake knew she had finally activated just a few of her boosting skills. "Do you have any fucking idea who I am?"
Golden light erupted as she moved. A possessed human chopped down with an axe, but Carmen just caught it and proceeded to punch the man so hard in his chest it exploded, sending him flying back. Dodging under another blow, she landed a low kick, put another off balance, and punched him so hard that his head was embedded in the stone below.
It was an absolute slaughter. They were simply not on the same level, and Alberto knew this. Jake was aware the man would make a move as he went over to Maura. "Apologies."
He tapped her head and sent in a bit of Willpower, instantly knocking her out with a mental attack. He had a feeling it was better he got involved now. Of course, he still had to ensure Carmen’s mother was safe. And, well… that was a task for the third musketeer.
From above, what looked like a green bullet fell. A section of the roof collapsed as the hawk smashed down and cut one of the possessed humans in two from head to groin before swiftly flying over and joining Jake. Jake had communicated with her the task she had been given as he left Carmen’s mother in the hawk’s care.
Beatrice, to her credit, seemed to notice things had gone south. She looked at Jake and backed away, with Alberto taking a defensive position in front of her. Jake felt that the man had already gathered some energy within his body and could release the prepared skill at any point. Moving to attack would be smart, but… this was not Jake’s fight. It was Carmen’s privilege to kill them.
"Hey… hey, how much is she paying you?” Beatrice asked. “I am sure we can figure something out." She then released her seduction skill at full power, all of it directed towards Jake. He felt the level of mental influence, and it was at quite a high level, if he had to say so himself. Still useless, of course.
"I don’t believe you can offer anything I want," Jake said, shooting her down. " And if I wanted a prostitute, I would go to a brothel."
Beatrice looked shocked, but Alberto was furious. He should probably have expected it, but his comment triggered the man enough to also make his own move. It was a bit premature, as Carmen had only barely gotten done killing the second-to-last possessed human, which was actually respectably tanky with potent regeneration skills.
Jake felt the man’s aura flare as he knelt down and pressed his hands to the floor. The magic responded, and Jake felt a gateway open. Jake briefly felt a connection being established with something far more powerful than anyone in the room as the man fully activated the trump card of most warlocks.
"Demonic Transformation!"
His body bulged with muscles erupting on his body. His skin turned red, and Jake saw a faint mirage behind him of a similar-looking demon. A true demon.
Demons were a rather unique race in the multiverse due to one of the racial skills possessed by all demons in C-grade and above. The Demonic Contract. It was the ability to make a contract with those significantly weaker than themselves, allowing the contractee to pull on their power and, in extreme cases, even allow the demon to possess them or someone else for a limited time, making them far more powerful. This was a very common path to power for demons, and these contracts could take many forms.
