Page 416 of Light Leech

I burned my agility mod and jumped over the beast as he charged into the table and some of its occupants. Anyone else who sat decided it was no longer such a wise idea.

I had a second to spare before he charged again

I touched the glass, my hand against hers with a thin veil of glass between us.

“I broke Dokkaebi’s mod lock.” Ralia’s green ghost within it smirked. “Give ’em hell, Pet.”

I felt an inner lock open. The full strength of my agility mod was back. After ascending on the lake of wine, I thought I had destroyed the lock completely, but I was wrong. This was the full return. I knew the others were likely feeling the same freedom from Dokkaebi’s constraints that had held us back ever since returning to the Republic.

Ralia’s light dimmed a touch, but she remained pleased. She was breaking Dokkaebi, but it was costing her.

I burned my reserve to fuel my next move.

Most of the room fled, save Don and a few more who raised their light pistols.

They shot at me, though a black veil of light deflected them at each other.

Kim-Dokkaebi slammed into me, tossing me into Don. I felt some of his ribs break as we collided with the wall.

But what did that do to her? Is she still alive?

“Focus, bakuh. We have a beast to slay.”

I stood, though Don remained beside me with blood already pooling next to him. The impact hurt, but I was left with more of a numbing sensation thanks to Zhu’s light barrier.

“Back in here!” Kim–Dokkaebi shouted. His fleeing council members stopped where they were and pivoted with blank stares.

Can you feel them?

“What? No, you bakuh!”

Can you see if they are neurolocked like I was?

“I already told you, I cannot. Your observation seems a sufficient conclusion.”

Do any of them have free will? Did any of them come here on their own accord? Were they lured in like us?

“What do you expect me to say?”

That you do not understand.

“Yes.”

Why aren’t they moving?

“Stand down, PetNab,” Kim–Dokkaebi said.

“Why would I?” I replied.

The council members walked slowly towards me.

He pointed at the prism. “That is not your friend, but the form a virus is taking to manipulate you. If you choose to fight me, we both lose. You a life, me a resource.”

“Then why did you lose your mind and destroy that machine?” I let Zhu’s light envelop me.

The council members stopped a few feet before me and formed a line between me and their controller.

He scoffed. “For this.” Bolts of ghastly light, shot into the prism, draining the excess light in his body.