Path to the Apocalypse

Victoria and Calvin had lunch together, before he had to leave for his lessons with Maurice, while Victoria focused on meditating on her Bladework Rune. Already she was searching for the epiphany that would lead to the Rune's advancement, but she really had no idea where to even start with this one. Bladework was just about using blades, right? What deeper meaning could there be? She still had a bit more of the Rune to comprehend before she reached that point, but she couldn't help but worry about having her progress stalled again. She'd been lucky running into Ursa with her Design Rune, but she couldn't count on happenstance every time she needed to advance a Rune. The problem was… how was she supposed to know what she didn't know?

Victoria was considering the issue, when Ursa contacted her. *Victoria, I have a question. How am I supposed to spend my points?* He sent her. He'd accomplished most of his tasks yesterday and today, building up a decent amount of points, but he had no idea what to do with them. All his status page had were these stats, but he wanted to put his points into his cultivation. Should he save them for when he needed healing?

Victoria frowned, wondering why he was asking her, when she smacked herself in the forehead, remembering she'd forgotten to actually set up his system! *Right, sorry, I forgot- just give me a minute.* She sent back, opening up the system. She stared at her own status page for a moment, before waving it away. She wouldn't change that one, keeping the stat options open for herself. Instead, she'd create a new cultivation page for Ursa and anyone else she gave the system to in this world. Victoria considered the empty page for a moment, before starting with the basics. She made three entries, Spirit, Qi, and Essence, showing the amount and the capacity, allowing users to increase the amount using points. For the moment she didn't add the option to increase capacity, considering how it would look if a bunch of people with outrageous capacities started popping up. The point of all this was to be able to spread the system while remaining under the radar, so she couldn't let her users do anything too unnatural. Victoria thought for a moment and also added the skills page to the cultivation system. She then added the point total and healing button to the system page, finishing it up. It was minimal, but Victoria felt this would be more than enough to give users a boost. *There, how's that?* Victoria asked. *You can spend points on either increasing your Spirit, Qi, or Essence, or to increase your comprehension of your skills. Let me know if you have any ideas for anything else I should add.*

Ursa blinked, opened up the system, moved to the skills page, and blinked again. *I- I can increase my comprehension? I thought- how does that even work?!?*

*Uh… I'm really not sure. It doesn't directly give you knowledge or anything, it just kinda makes things easier to understand, so it all just sort of clicks.* Victoria explained.

*But- But how?!?* Ursa repeated. He just couldn't wrap his mind around the idea of these points actually having the ability to grant understanding. He could get these points making him stronger, adding to his cultivation, or even changing his appearance. These were things many Cultivators could do as long as they acquired the right Runes, but this… this was altering a person's mind! How much power did these points have!?!

Victoria shrugged helplessly. *I honestly don't know. Points- I've learned not to question what they can do. Sometimes there are requirements, but pretty much anything I want them to do, they can.*

Ursa shook his head in disbelief, before pausing. *Then… could they give me the ability to actively cultivate?* He asked tentatively.

Victoria paused herself, thinking about it. *Probably? Hold on.* She pulled the system up again, adding a cultivation method entry with two options: automatic and manual. She raised an eyebrow when she noticed the change only took a single point, which seemed pretty cheap, but then again, how much did the system really have to change in the first place? Best not to question it. She quickly sent the updated system over to Ursa. *Try that.*

Ursa stared at the new entry warily for a moment, before spending the point to switch it, flinching slightly as he did, before pausing. *Huh… I don't feel any different…*

*Try meditating?* Victoria suggested.

*How do I do that?* Ursa asked.

*Just concentrate on your Runes.* Victoria explained.

Ursa nodded, finding a quiet place to sit, closing his eyes and focusing on his most advanced Spirit Rune. Immediately he felt Spirit flow into him, and his eyes popped open. *It worked!* Ursa sent over to Victoria.

*I figured it would. I've never seen the system give a point cost to something it couldn't do.* Victoria replied.

*This is amazing!* Ursa cackled, returning to his meditation. He could actually make progress! Normally, Rune Beasts' cultivation would increase constantly at about a tenth of the speed of a human Cultivator. As long as the Cultivator cultivated for more than a few hours, their cultivation would rapidly outpace the Rune Beasts. As their cultivation increased, Cultivators could regularly spend days in constant meditation, leaving Rune Beasts far, far behind. Additionally, this didn't account for the rate at which they could acquire Runes. For Rune Beasts, it could take years for a Rune to advance, even at the Initial stage.

*Good luck.* Victoria chuckled, shaking her head, cutting their connection, and returning to her own meditation. They both had to get stronger.

*

Over the next few days, Victoria continued her daily routine, focusing on getting stronger. Meanwhile, Ursa began to form connections in town, joining the Hunter Guild, spending time in taverns, making acquaintances, all in preparation for the arrival of his handler. It was only a matter of time before she tracked him down, and when she did, this was the place she would stay while she searched. Ursa needed to develop a network to keep an eye out for her. Of course, neither of them had any idea what they'd actually end up doing once Ursa's handler actually did show up. They needed to figure out which sect she belonged to, but the details on how they were supposed to do that were fuzzy. It wasn't like they could just ask her, and they weren't strong enough to beat it out of her, at least not yet.

After Calvin mentioned her birthday, Victoria began to notice the signs of preparations happening. The banquet hall was being decorated, entertainers were practicing in the courtyard, the servants were rushing around like chickens with their heads cut off… Victoria really should have noticed something was up earlier. "So, this party… I don't actually have to go to that, right?" Victoria asked Maurice during one of their lessons.

"Your birthday party?" Maurice replied, raising an eyebrow. "Why would you not want to go?"

"Because it's a party. I don't like parties." Victoria grimaced. "Especially not parties focused on me."

Maurice blinked at her a few times, a puzzled expression on his face. "How- how do you know that? You- are you beginning to recover your memories?!?"

"Huh? No! No, I just know what parties are and who I am, and those two things do not mix well. A bunch of people pretending to like each other, making small talk, dancing…" Victoria shuddered. "I don't even remember these people! It's just going to be an entire night of awkward conversations and people looking at me weird."

Maurice sighed. "Even if that is the case, you won't be able to avoid socializing with these people forever. What will you do when we go to the Capital for festivals? Avoid everyone?"

"Sure?" Victoria shrugged. "I mean, I'm shooting to enter a sect, right? I probably won't see these people after that. Why form connections that won't last?"

"What if you don't enter a sect?" Maurice asked.

"That's not going to happen." Victoria retorted with a frown. She would be forced to join the Hidden Blades, no matter what. At least she didn't have to worry about marrying that Duke.

Maurice frowned at her, before pausing thoughtfully. "Well, I suppose you have a point there… With your talent, I can't imagine any sect rejecting you."

Victoria froze. "Uh, yeah, that… So, I don't have to go to the party?"

Maurice chuckled. "Ask your mother. See what she says."

Victoria sighed. "Damn it."

The days continued to pass, until finally it was time for the party. That evening, the guests began to arrive, carriages flowing into the town, making their way up to the castle, dropping off their passengers before making way for the next carriage in line. Meanwhile, Victoria was forced to stand by the entrance, greeting the guests with a polite smile along with her parents, wearing a dress for the first time in a month, adding to her discomfort. Thankfully, the guests kept coming, preventing anyone from lingering for more than a few moments. They simply entered, passed the servants their gifts, greeted the family, and moved into the banquet hall. That is, until the Duke arrived.

"Duke Duhallis. I'm glad you could make it." Albert greeted a handsome young man as he entered.

"Marquis Tyverus, I wouldn't dream of missing the birthday of our fair Lady Victoria." Duke Duhallis replied with a grin, shaking Albert's hand as an attendant brought a large gift in behind him, handing it over to their servants. "Lady Melissa, a pleasure as always." He turned to Melissa, giving her a quick peck on the back of the hand, before turning to Victoria. "Lady Victoria… You become more beautiful each time I have the pleasure of laying eyes on you." He complimented her, taking her hand and laying a heavy kiss on the back.

Victoria resisted the urge to wipe the back of her hand on her dress as she quickly took it back. "I apologize that I cannot return the sentiment. As you may have heard, I recently experienced an accident and lost much of my memory."

"Truly a pity." Duke Duhallis sighed. "But I hear your misfortune has a silver lining! You've proven to be quite the cultivation talent, haven't you?"

Victoria nodded with a slightly smug grin. "I have."

"Indeed. After just a month, she has already formed her Spirit Core, as well as acquired an Essence Rune." Albert added proudly.

A strange look flashed in Duke Duhallis's eye. "How impressive." He commented, before turning back to Victoria. "Then I shall see you inside. I look forward to at least sharing a dance, if not an engagement." He added, before turning and heading into the banquet hall.

Victoria watched him go with a strange look, before turning to Melissa. "So he's pissed, huh?" She muttered under her breath.

Melissa resisted the urge to laugh as she leveled a stern glare at Victoria. "Be polite, dear."

Victoria just rolled her eyes as she returned to greeting the guests. Finally, the last of the guests arrived, and they followed them into the banquet hall, walking to the head table, taking the middle seats, Melissa on Albert's right and Victoria on his left. "Welcome to my daughter Victoria's fifteenth birthday!" Albert announced. "I thank all of you for coming and joining us for this joyous occasion! As you all may have heard, the past month has been a series of ups and downs for my family. Due to an unfortunate accident, Victoria lost her memory, but she also Awakened, opening the path of cultivation to her. As she struggled to adjust to a world that seemed strange and new to her, her talent blossomed, showing a remarkable gift for comprehending Runes, assimilating her first Rune in just a week! As her cultivation progressed, it became more and more clear that she was destined to be a Cultivator, which, unfortunately, means we must delay her engagement to Duke Duhallis, adding a bitter taste to even this joyful happenstance. Nevertheless, this day is a day of celebration! At the young age of fifteen, Victoria has shown that she has limitless potential, and a bright, glowing future ahead of her! I welcome you to celebrate with us, helping us make it clear to all the pride and joy we have for our wonderful daughter!" The room erupted in applause as Albert finished, raising his glass in a toast, before taking his seat.

Servants began to flow into the banquet hall, bringing out the food. As they did, entertainers began their performance in the center of the room, keeping the guests distracted as they ate, though it seemed as though they didn't need much help with that. After learning of what Victoria had experienced, the guests seemed more interested in studying her than the entertainment. "People are staring." Calvin whispered from her left, looking around the room with a frown.

"Ignore them." Victoria whispered back. "People are drawn to novelty. Once it becomes old news, they'll go back to normal." She commented, failing to take her own advice as she shifted uncomfortably under the weight of all the gazes. She just tried to focus on her food, hoping this would pass as quickly as possible.

Once dinner was over, a band emerged, beginning to play as the dancing began. As the guest of honor, Victoria was obliged to dance with anyone who asked, a series of perverted older men whose hands strayed lower than strictly necessary much too often, awkward young men with sweaty hands and stiff movements, and the Duke. Practically every other dance he would replace her partner, sweeping her back onto the dance floor as she groaned and rolled her eyes. The man was insufferable. Even if the old Victoria wasn't a lesbian, she couldn't blame her for not wanting to marry him. He acted like the whole world should be enamored with him, droning on about his various accomplishments, which were nothing more than overblown hunting trips where real Hunters had done all the work before letting him land the final blow.

"For fucks sake, do you honestly believe killing something that can't even fight back anymore is some kind of achievement?!?" Victoria finally exclaimed after the fourth time he told such a story.

Duke Duhallis froze. "Excuse me?"

"No! You are not excused! What kind of man can spend an entire damn day watching someone else do something, and think 'yeah, that's my accomplishment'?!? What level of narcissistic entitlement is that!?! How delusional do you have to be to think killing something you didn't track, didn't trap, and didn't even fight is something to be proud of?!?" Victoria finished, before pausing as she suddenly realized how quiet the banquet hall had become. She hesitantly glanced around, noticing literally everyone staring at her with wide eyes.

Albert coughed, drawing everyone's attention. "I believe it is time to serve the cake. If everyone could return to their seats?" He announced, cutting the tension as everyone quickly moved back to the tables. Victoria flushed as she rushed to her seat, kicking herself internally. What was wrong with her? All she had to do was ignore the idiot! Was that so hard? But no, she just had to open her fat mouth. Fuck! Melissa was going to kill her.

The servants had to scramble a bit to get the cake ready, but Albert had only moved the time up a little, so people barely noticed. AJ was working hard to sooth the Duke in the meantime, both of them occasionally shooting dirty looks Victoria's way as they whispered between each other. Victoria just ignored them. *At least those two are bonding.* She grumbled internally. *If they both hate me enough, maybe the lack of engagement won't hurt AJ too much.*

After the cake was served, it was time to present gifts. The servants brought them in one by one as the gift givers announced them proudly. Mostly the gifts were minor things, jewelry, clothes, trinkets, all manor of useless things Victoria had absolutely no use for. Duke Duhallis was the worst though, gifting her the 'trophy' from one of his hunts, which after her earlier outburst caused the entire room to lapse into silence again. What was he thinking in the first place? What use did she have for a wolf head? Maybe if he'd given her the things core she'd be grateful, but a head? Did he know women at all?!?

Thankfully, once the presents were done, the night was over. Victoria once again had to wait by the door and bid each one of her guests goodbye, as well as thank them for their gift. Fortunately, with all the awkwardness of the night, the goodbyes were brief, especially Duke Duhallis's. He barely even acknowledged her before rushing out. Finally, as the last guest left, Victoria could finally leave and get out of this stupid dress! She practically ran to her room, already loosening the ties as she pushed the door open, kicking it closed behind her. Then suddenly, she froze, whirling around, eyes widening as a figure stepped out from the corner, moving between her and the door.

"Oh no, please continue. It'll save me the trouble of ripping it off you." Duke Duhallis chuckled malevolently.

"What- what are you doing here?!?" Victoria exclaimed in confusion. Hadn't he left? Why was he in her room!?! What was going on?!?

"Your brother let me in." The Duke commented lightly. "Such a loyal friend. The moment your cultivation talent became clear, he knew something had to be done. The engagement was no longer a possibility. But a marriage? That would be inevitable if certain… conditions were met. The two lovers, separated by their disparate paths, made love one. Last. Time. Before they must say goodbye to each other forever. But, by some miraculous twist of fate, a baby was made that night! A pity that she had to give up her ambitions, but her joy at motherhood completely eclipses her disappointment! An enchanting tale, don't you think?" He eloquently stated as he slowly stepped closer and closer to Victoria as she backed away.

"You- you think you're going to get me pregnant?!?" Victoria asked incredulously.

"I'm sure of it." The Duke grinned. "Both you and I have been taking fertility potions for weeks now. All we have to do is consummate our union."

"Fertility potions?" Victoria muttered, confused.

"In your lunch, every day." The Duke chuckled. "Your sweet little maid made sure of it."

"Beatrice?" Victoria frowned. Why would she do that? For AJ? Victoria shook her head. It wasn't important, at least not now. "Look, I don't know what you think is going to happen here, but we aren't sleeping together, and I'm not getting pregnant." She stated with a flat glare.

"I don't think you have a choice." The Duke growled, lunging forward to grab her. Victoria snorted, sending points to her arm as she lashed out, sending a palm straight to his chest. The next moment, she felt hands grab her by the shoulders, picking her up and throwing her onto the bed. Victoria's eyes widened as she stared at the perfectly healthy Duke. He snorted, rubbing his chest. "What? Did you think you were the only one who could cultivate? I may not be as talented as you are, but I have had more than enough time to advance to the sixth stage of Core Strengthening as a Qi Cultivator."

Victoria's breathing quickened as she scrambled back on the bed. "St-stay back! Help! Someone! Rape!" She screamed in a panic.

"Do you really think we wouldn't account for you screaming?" Duke Duhallis asked incredulously. "The entire wing is empty, and a dampening tool has been set up to prevent any sound from escaping. Tonight, it's just you and me."

"Why are you doing this?!?" Victoria asked frantically as she watched the Duke climb onto the bed, seemingly enjoying her panic and he slowly approached her.

"Why? Because you are mine! Ever since I first laid eyes on you, I knew you would be my wife!" Duke Duhallis answered with a crazed look in his eyes. "Such beauty, such innocence, nothing like the sluts who infest the Capital. I would make you my perfect little lady, my cherished gem, slowly teaching you the joys of womanhood, the perfect little worshiper at the altar of my cock. But no, you just had to resist. So now, we do it the hard way." He snarled, grabbing Victoria by the ankles as she tried to scramble away, pulling her under him as he trapped her beneath his body, reaching under her dress. "Instead, you'll be my little whore! I'll break you, fuck you until all you can think of is my cock, ramming into your tight. Little. Pu- ulp!"

Duke Duhallis's hand had just wormed its way into Victoria's underwear, fingers rubbing against her crotch feverishly, as she turned away and closed her eyes, terrified of what came next, when suddenly he was gone. Victoria cracked an eye open, before sitting up in shock to see Ursa standing at the foot of her bed, holding a struggling Duke Duhallis by the back of the neck, a good foot off the ground. "Forced mating is frowned upon in your culture, yes?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at Victoria.

Victoria stared at him dumbly for a moment, before her eyes began to water and a sob choked out of her. "Thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She exclaimed, jumping up and hugging Ursa tightly, the images of what she'd been spared running through her mind as relief flowed through her.

"I'll take that as a yes." Ursa grunted, patting her on the back awkwardly. "So… what should I do with this then?"

Victoria turned to glare at the Duke, all her fear quickly turning to rage inside her. How dare this asshole try to rape her! How dare he think he could force her into marriage! How dare he try and get her pregnant! She didn't think it would have actually worked, since she'd used her system to turn her cycle off, but still! The sheer audacity of even having the idea! If Victoria didn't make this man pay, she would literally have a stroke from sheer amount of unreleased anger. "Make him wish he was never born!" Victoria spat viciously, the accompanying task popping up in the corner of her vision, barely noticed as Victoria was consumed by her fury.

"You don't dare to hurt me!" Duke Duhallis choked out with a viscous glare at Ursa as he struggled to tear his hand from the back of his neck. "If you do anything to me, I will ruin your family! If I'm killed, the king himself will avenge me! My life crystal is safe in the palace! If I die, the king will immediately know who did it! You will never be safe!"

Victoria frowned, raising a hand to stop Ursa. She wanted her vengeance, but not if it would hurt her family. Even if they weren't exactly close, they still considered her family and did their best to love and accept her. Well, most of them. Victoria's eyes hardened as she remembered AJ's part in this. If she didn't cut his dick off and feed it to a- Victoria paused. Cut his dick off? Or maybe just get rid of it? Change it into something else? Victoria eyed Duke Duhallis, a grin oh so wicked spreading across her face that he froze, paling slightly, knowing that that look couldn't mean anything good for him.

Victoria quickly reached out, poking the Duke in the forehead. "Why did yo- what in the name of the gods is that?!?" Duke Duhallis exclaimed as the system appeared.

"First, disable all buttons." Victoria muttered to herself as her gaze unfocused, pulling up the Dukes status page. "Transfer of sixty-nine points, and… confirm." She made the selection, her anger forcing through Duke Duhallis's resistance, making the points perform her will.

"What are you- ah! Ah! Ah!!!" Duke Duhallis began to scream as his skin began to shift and peel. Ursa's grip slipped, letting him fall to the floor as the skin on his neck sloughed off, his neck becoming slimmer and more delicate. His waist slimmed as his chest bulged and his hair lengthed. His voice, screaming in shock, turned higher pitched. He scrambled to his feet and his pants fell down his long, slim legs, revealing a round, perky butt. "What- what have you done to me!?!" The terrified looking woman asked in horror as she scrambled to pull her pants back up. "I- am- am I a woman?!?"

"Yup!" Victoria grinned proudly, a vicious glint in her eyes. "I think I'll call you… Foratuna. Foratuna Richards." She snickered evilly at the crude pun, enjoying the Duke's misfortune.

Foratuna just stared at her, dumbfounded, not understanding how this night had gone so wrong. This was supposed to be the night he fixed things! That he put things right! And now- now- he didn't even know what now! He was a woman! How- how did that even happen! What did she do to him! What was this strange window in his vision? Why was it blinking?!? He glanced at Ursa, before suddenly attempting to dash away, going to leap out the window, but Ursa quickly caught him, though he treated him a lot more delicately now.

Victoria frowned. "Damn, right. She still has her cultivation." She muttered to herself. Even if she was a girl, now, if Foratuna escaped, it could still be a big problem for her and her family. "If only I could seal or drain her cultivation somehow." She frowned, considering the problem.

Ursa shook his head. "Such things are only possible for advanced Cultivators. Your energy needs to be pure enough to enter someone else's body to accomplish such a thing, in addition to acquiring the appropriate Runes."

Victoria nodded, sighing, before pausing, eyes widening. Weren't points pure enough to enter a body? Every time someone gained points, or she transferred them to someone, they entered their body! Victoria shot out a cloud of points, sending them into Foratuna's forehead. Or at least, she tried. Just like when she attempted to use someone else's points, Foratuna's body resisted her points. She grimaced as she forced them inside, searching frantically for the core she knew had to be there, only to groan as she remembered the Duke was a Qi Cultivator. She quickly sent her points down to Foratuna's chest, finding the Qi core and wrapping the points around it. Foratuna and Ursa stared at her, confused as to what she was thinking about, when Foratuna's eyes widened as she felt her Qi begin to drain out of her.

"No. No! What are you doing! Stop! Stop!" She cried, twisting and kicking in Ursa's grasp as she panicked, feeling herself get weaker and weaker as the Qi drained away.

Victoria mercilessly watched her struggle, a slight grin on her face as her points continued to grow, feeding on Foratuna's Qi. A cold look came over her as she pulled up the system again, feeling that just turning Duke Duhallis into a woman wasn't enough. Sure, it disguised him, keeping them from bringing trouble down on Victoria and her family for whatever they did to him, but being a woman wasn't a punishment. Victoria was a woman. No, she needed to do something… more. What was the Duke ranting about earlier? Turning her into a whore? Making her worship cock? That sounded promising.

Victoria created a new page specifically for Foratuna, frowning as she considered what parameters to add. Horniness seemed obvious, but making her a woman wouldn't change her orientation, that would just make her want women more, right? Not exactly what Victoria was going for. Or was it? Wouldn't it be better if Foratuna was disgusted and ashamed by whatever she was doing? Oh! Shame! Add that to the list. Still… What was she supposed to do about her orientation? Keep her attracted to women? Change it to men? Maybe both? Did it matter? Foratuna's wants weren't exactly a factor in all this. She just had to do whatever she was told. She had to be obedient. Yeah, obedience… add that to the list too. Victoria considered the list for a moment, before shrugging. That should be a good start. She could always add more later.

Once the parameters were in, Foratuna's values popped up.

Horniness: 3

Shame: 1

Obedience: 0

"Huh… Those values are pretty low." Victoria muttered with a frown. Were they just cheap or did Foratuna just naturally have low values in the three stats? Victoria could see that being the case for Shame and Obedience, but Horniness? Pretty sure Duke Duhallis was plenty horny. "Hmm… what if?" Victoria made a small adjustment and the values changed.

Horniness: 3.44

Shame: 1.24

Obedience: .44

"Hmmm… didn't really help." Victoria muttered. "Fuck it, let's just put them all at ten, see what happens." She shrugged, adding points to take each one to ten, forcing through Foratuna's will again. Foratuna was still struggling against Ursa's grip, when she froze, eyes widening as her face flushed. A low moan escaped her lips as she squirmed uncomfortably. Victoria raised an eyebrow at the sudden shift, before glancing at Ursa. "Let her go." Ursa looked between the two of them weirdly, wondering what was going on, before doing as Victoria asked, releasing Foratuna. "Don't move!" Victoria immediately ordered as Foratuna began to scramble away the moment Ursa released her. She immediately froze, looking back at Victoria with wide eyes, before she hesitantly began to creep away again, seemingly struggling between her need to escape and this strange compulsion to do whatever she was told. Victoria frowned, quickly adding another ten points to the obedience stat, forcing her to come grinding to a halt with a pained expression on her face. "Come back here." Victoria ordered, and Foratuna slowly moved back to her original position, biting her lip and glaring at the floor. Victoria still wasn't quite happy with the response, so she immediately added another ten points to the obedience stat. "Jump." Victoria commanded, and Foratuna immediately leapt into the air as high as she could, hitting her head on the ceiling, letting out a pained cry as she came back down, clutching her head. "Much better." Victoria grinned, her task completing as she did.

"What- what did you do to her?!?" Ursa asked, eyes widening in horror as he watched Foratuna become more and more obedient.

Victoria shrugged. "I just made her more compliant."

Ursa eyed her nervously. "Can- can you do that to me?"

Victoria paused. "Well… yeah? I wouldn't though. Unless, you know, you tried to rape me or something. Then all bets are off. I will destroy you. Though…" Victoria glanced at Ursa, looking him up and down. Duke Duhallis was a spoiled noble who barely worked a day in his life. Ursa on the other hand was a War Bear who had risked his life time and again in battle, as well as when he escaped his handler. Victoria had a feeling breaking through his will would be much, much harder. "Just don't do anything like that, alright? I like you as a friend more than an enemy."

Ursa blinked at her, before nodding stiffly. "Understood." He then glanced at Foratuna. "Then… What are you going to do to… her?"

"The real question is what are you going to do to her." Victoria chuckled menacingly. "And the answer is whatever you want. She won't- she can't resist. Anything you tell her to do, she'll do. The rest is up to your imagination. Or, if you prefer, I could leave her in the streets, naked, and let fate decide what happens to her. Track her down in a week or two and see what state she's in."

"Y-you're a monster!" Foratuna cried, staring at Victoria with wide, terror filled eyes.

"And what does that make you?" Victoria spat, glaring at her. "Isn't this exactly what you wanted to do to me? Break me, turn me into a mindless, obedient little fucktoy? The only difference is I'm better at it!" Victoria growled as she stepped closer, reaching out and grabbing Foratuna by the jaw, lifting her up as she glared into those wide, fearful eyes. "You will do anything anyone asks of you, no matter what it is, without complaint! And you will love it, and hate yourself for loving it! All because I want you to! From this point on, Duke Duhallis doesn't exist! You are Foratuna Richards, and you exist to serve! Do you understand?"

Helplessly, Foratuna jerked her head in a nod, tears streaming down her face. Every word from Victoria was like a thunderclap of judgment she couldn't resist, shackles that caged her mind and forced her to accept them. Even as she cried, a small thrill grew in her heart, eager to do whatever she was told, which only increased her shame, causing more tears to flow. Victoria studied her for a moment as she watched her go through this internal struggle, before snorting and dropping her. Her points finished draining her Qi, boosting Victoria's reserve by over six hundred points. Victoria considered them for a moment, before opening up Foratuna's system again and increasing obedience to fifty, along with the other two. She wanted to make sure she couldn't resist, and she now had points to spare.

Finally, Victoria let out a long, satisfied sigh, her anger pacified, for the moment. She then paused, turning to a very nervous looking Ursa and raising an eyebrow. "How did you know I was in trouble?" She asked, a hint of wariness creeping into her voice. Had he been hanging around her room? Why? Victoria couldn't help but remember a certain task of his as she eyed him suspiciously.

Ursa's eyes widened as he saw the suspicions running through Victoria's mind, rushing to explain. "Your- your thing told me!" He quickly replied. "It- it gave me a task to save you and a map appeared, telling me where to go. Numbers also showed up and began counting down, so I rushed here as fast as I could."

Victoria froze. "Oh yeah, it does do that…" It was another of Jessica's additions. Emergency tasks that gave the users a direction and time limit. She figured the emergency task wouldn't be very effective if the user had no idea where to go or showed up after the emergency was over. Victoria's heart ached slightly as she sent a silent thank you to Jessica, hoping that whatever happened after death, she was happy. Victoria wallowed in the emotion for a moment, before shaking herself and taking a deep breath. "Alright then… you take her back to your room. Do with her what you will." She ordered Ursa, Foratuna's breathing quickening as she did, though Victoria couldn't tell whether it was from excitement or fear… probably both.

Ursa glanced at Foratuna, unable to prevent certain thoughts running through his mind, getting excited himself. While the way this situation had come about terrified the living shit out of him, having a female to mate with regularly was just what he was looking for. This… hand nonsense was getting on his nerves. Still, he hesitated slightly. "Are you sure about this?" He asked, turning back to Victoria. "I'm not completely clear on human customs but… this seems extreme."

Victoria frowned. "I didn't ask for your opinion. If you don't want her, I'm more than happy to find someone who does."

Ursa hesitated, before shaking his head. "No, I'll take her. I just wanted to make sure this is what you want."

Victoria rolled her eyes. "Just take her and go. I have someone else to deal with." She growled, turning to leave.