Chương 196: Chapter 193 - Who’s the psycho here?

Clara had not enjoyed having blood rush into her head for the past twenty minutes. She was pretty sure that it could kill you but she was so mad that she couldn't help but keep yelling at Pinkie.

"Pinkie! Let me down this instant!" There was a blur above her and she saw Ryan up at the ceiling for a moment. He cut the ropes free, letting her free fall from five feet off the ground, head first.

"Ahhh!" Ryan had somehow landed before she hit the ground and broke her neck. He put her down and stared down at her as she lay there, cocooned by ropes like a chrysalis.

"What's going on?"

"I'm trying to housetrain Pinkie." Ryan's face of absolute confusion was priceless." What?"

"She has no manners, she sharpens her claws on the walls, and harasses other people for no reason. Pinkie needs to be housetrained or she can't be here." Her explanation did not help Ryan in his understanding at all. He simply repeated himself with the same dumbfounded expression." What?" Ryan started looking at her with genuine concern then turned to Pinkie. The dragonslayer shrugged with confusion herself. He turned to the others and they were all shaking their heads.

Even Barry didn't seem to have an answer to what was going on. Clara slowed her speech to explain it to them.

"Housetraining Pinkie is important, okay?" He ignored her, as if she was someone in an insane asylum babbling away while in a straitjacket, which she kinda was. Ryan frowned then turned back to Pinkie in realization.

"Pinkie, do you know if the fumes from the wakening miasma causes insanity in regular humans?" Pinkie clicked her teeth.

"That might be it." Ryan borrowed Pinkie's phone to call a number.

"Sorry, this is Ryan. Yes I know I'm calling from Pinkie's number, can you just tell me if there's anything about the wakening miasma that might cause mental defects in ordinary humans?"

"Hey!" Ryan ignored her and continued to talk on the phone.

"Uh-huh, are you sure? Sorry yeah, it's Clara, she was in an enclosed room with a bucket full of the stuff. Okay, if you're sure…" He hung up, then eyed her weirdly. Despite the phone call with [Witch] Grettfield, Ryan still left her in the rope, though at least he seemed to understand that she was trying to play an angle. Her hopes rose.

"Clara, if I let you go are you going to keep doing crazy things?" Apparently he didn't get it at all.

"Listen to me. Argh, Pinkie, can you leave the room so I can talk to Ryan in private for a bit?"

"No." Pinkie declined.

"This is entertaining." Welp. Ryan's not going to let me do anything if I don't explain myself. It might make it better actually? At the very least Pinkie was now looking at her like a funny object of interest than just another piece of furniture to hit around. That was progress, she thought. Clara took a breath.

"Ryan, you're wrong about Pinkie. She's not a psychopath."

"I'm not?" Pinkie was the most confused by Clara's statement. Which might have been funny at another time, but Ryan was now more concerned than ever with her mental state. He kneeled, trying to talk slowly to her.

"Clara, she eats people."

"Yeah but she's not like a psychopath." Ryan was starting to get that she wasn't insane, or at least Clara was hoping that was the case. He turned around to Milo.

"Milo, can you search up psychopaths for me? How do you describe them?"

"Uh, lack of empathy."

"Check." Ryan said and Pinkie nodded.

"Impulsive behavior." Pinkie clawed at the marble walls, cutting cleanly through them. Ryan nodded appreciatively at the demonstration.

"Antisocial behavior." Pinkie nodded her head rapidly.

"Most people are weak meat."

"Superficial charm—" Milock quickly looked away when Pinkie glared at him. He cleared his throat.

"And uhh a lot of lack of guilt."

"Check." Clara was beaten down by facts that were easily searchable online. It didn't help that Pinkie herself seemed to actually take pride in being one. Ryan eyed Pinkie weirdly.

"Don't psychopaths get offended when called one? Pinkie grinned.

"Why would I get offended by what prey calls me?" Ryan considered it for a moment, then shrugged.

"Fair enough." Clara was exasperated, they had gone into the weeds of the definition but that wasn't what was important!

"Okay, fine! Pinkie might by strict definition be a psychopath, but that doesn't mean it's black and white. She has people she cares about, and uhm." Clara knew what she was trying to do but couldn't say it out loud without potentially alienating Pinkie and pissing her off. It was something she noticed while hanging around the shapeshifting dragonslayer for a bit. Okay, yes, Pinkie was a psychopath but by that definition, so was her family's pet cat Mr. Tabby.

He had been a grumpy old fart that liked to harass everyone and cause thousands of dollars worth of damage wherever he could. But that was also where Clara thought she could treat Pinkie the same. That was the feeling Clara had from Pinkie… it was that she was like her old cat. That was the difference between her and Ryan. After seeing the contract the Secretary had sent over, Clara had figured out one thing. Ryan was trying hard with logic and rules to make sure Pinkie didn't kill everyone.

Clara wanted to do it differently, she wanted to get the temperamental shapeshifter to like them instead. That was the thing about Mr. Tabby. Once he thought you were his human? He would protect you with his life on the line. Clara… just didn't know how to make a temperamental shapeshifter like her. Ryan could at least sense the determination in Clara's eyes.

"You're not going to drop this are you?"

"There's nothing to drop! I'm doing the right thing." Ryan rubbed his forehead, not expecting to have to deal with this.

"Pinkie, if Clara keeps doing weird stuff are you going to attack her?" Pinkie actually thought about it for a moment. It made her sweat a little bit.

"No, it's entertaining so it's fine." This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. See? It was totally working. —— A couple minutes later. Clara, Ryan and Pinkie were outside of the interrogation room. Ryan looked at her sternly.

"Clara, I really think you should stay back with the others."

"No, Ryan, I want to see it through. I think I owe it to Mirelda."

"Are you sure?" He gave a look that indicated that he believed something was likely to go wrong. Possibly that Pinkie might lose her temper and eat Mirelda in front of her. Clara clenched her jaw and resolved herself.

"Positive." When they entered the interrogation room, Mirelda was sitting by a table with two pages of text in front of her. They had brought in a table and some more comfortable chairs to sit in. She was, of course, still chained. The [Witch] had been reading the document that the Secretary had written up after Ryan's suggestions. The main points were rather simple: The Secretary would act as a mediator between all parties signing the document with her skill: [Verified Contract].

Upon all three parties signing the following clauses would go into effect. Witch Mirelda will truthfully divulge which hex has been placed on Pinkie immediately. All three parties will not take aggressive action against one another. No parties in this agreement will reveal any part of this contract to anyone outside of it. Any violation of the main clauses will immediately have the Secretary warn all parties involved of the violation that has taken place.

If it is found that Pinkie has violated the contract, then the Witch's Coven will be warned. Clara saw the logic behind the contract. Ryan was trying to convince Mirelda that even if Pinkie ate her, it would still give an early warning to the coven in the end. Further, the Secretary's contract might be the only thing that Pinkie actually respected. Ryan sat opposite of Mirelda as she read the rest of the fine print. Pinkie stood in one corner of the room while Clara stood in another. He leaned in.

"Hello Mirelda. I've come here for you to sign the document." Mirelda just shook her head.

"Please, I told you all I can. Convince her that I don't know more." Mirelda was somehow more nervous than Clara had ever seen her. As if she could tell Ryan was confident in getting her to sign the document. Clara still couldn't see how that was going to be possible, and part of her insistence in being here was to see just how Ryan was going to do that. She knew Ryan was intelligent but something like this wasn't something she really associated with him.

Though one look at his face and you could tell that this wasn't the person he showed around his friends.

"I understand that you're being loyal to the coven. I'm not trying to get you to betray them, I'm just trying to get you to understand that you were betrayed first." Mirelda's brows furrowed.

"What do you mean?"

"Did you think that maybe you were put in this position on purpose? That you're exactly where the Witch Tyrant wanted you to be?" All three of the people in the room's eyes widened as they digested his words"That's a-absurd—" Ryan interrupted her.

"Who provided Pinkie's wing to the entire Witch's Coven as a snack? Who made all of you into a target? What are the chances that me and my team visit San Kingsgrove near when you were caught? That's an awful coincidence isn't it?" Ryan sat back, his voice quiet and contemplative.

"In my experience, these coincidences always have the Witch Tyrant's dirty fingers all over it." Or the Manager, Clara thought, but Ryan didn't go there. Mirelda shook her head.

"The Witch's Coven is the the Witch Tyrant's confidants, she would never betray us—" Ryan sighed in exasperation, interrupting her once again.

"We've already talked about this Mirelda. Everything is on the board if it means furthering her goals. You could have been placed here to test me, or it could have been that you were bait for Pinkie to start a full on war against the coven." It made sense. Mirelda had said her mentor [Witch] had abandoned her. Clara understood that was normally a sacred bond that wouldn't be so easily thrown away. What else was Mirelda but bait? Mirelda was still in denial.

"She wouldn't. We are separate and can't interfere—""She has tortured a soul until all it could do was writhe and scream in pain. She's out there killing guardian deities and directing genocides—""But that didn't happen!"" Because I was there to stop it. And I am here now." Ryan spread his arms, he said it with so much confidence that Clara had to believe he had practiced it. It was also the most arrogant thing she'd ever heard. Even Mirelda had been entranced for a moment before shaking her head quickly.

"You don't know what she's planning! You couldn't possibly know what she's planning!"" Oh, but I do know. Either Pinkie eats you then starts hunting the rest of your coven… or she gets her Legend, then starts hunting the rest of your coven. You've seen a partial manifestation of Pinkie's Legend at the City of Defiance. What do you think happens when she finishes it? Not a single one of your coven will ever sleep soundly again."

Pinkie grinned from her corner, her sharp pointy teeth crackling with lightning, confirming everything Ryan had just said.

"Do you see it now, Mirelda? Maybe the Witch Tyrant's hoping the war with your coven is what pushes Pinkie to solidify her Legend, or maybe this is all just a test for me to see if I can avert disaster and add to my achievements. Either way, you're all just pawns." Apparently, it was making way more sense to Mirelda than Clara. She raised the stub of her arm, trying to cover her mouth with a hand that was no longer there.

"Oh Manager's Abode."

"Welcome to the board Mirelda. Did you think you could just hide in your little forests and do nothing? The Witch Tyrant will do anything to raise her chances at bringing her daughter back. That includes throwing her most loyal followers into the jaws of a dragon." Ryan grinned as he leaned close.

"Feels different when it's you, doesn't it?" Mirelda's shoulder sagged, as if accepting the outcome already.

"I-if that is what the Witch Tyrant wants, then let it be so. The Witch's Coven is more powerful than you can imagine, we—uh…" Mirelda's voice trailed off as Pinkie started to step forward. Her teeth were bared, ready to eat the morsel in front of her and start the war in full. Ryan put his arm back to tell Pinkie to pause. He stared at Mirelda for a moment, then he sighed.

"Here's the thing, Mirelda. Pinkie by herself is a blunt instrument." He turned to stare at Pinkie's slitting eyes.

"A very dangerous and scary one, yes, but a blunt instrument nonetheless." Then he turned back to Mirelda.

"But you forget, I'm also here. With Pinkie as the brawn and with me as the brain?" Mirelda's eyes went wide.

"Why would you make us an enemy?! I have already told you, we will not do anything to you because the Witch Tyrant is directly involved! If you become hostile that will stop!" Ryan scoffed, his laugh hollow.

"Didn't I say? You're already on the board, Mirelda. You're part of the group that will listen to the Witch Tyrant's bidding no matter what she does. I might let other people live, but all of you know exactly what's going on. For people like you, I won't show any mercy." It was a blatant declaration of war that made Clara's heart skip a beat. The side of Ryan he only showed to his enemies and hid from his friends. Clara knew he was skipping details in the after action report, and seeing it was different.

Mirelda, for her part, did not say anything useless like 'are you delusional?' or 'we have dragonslayer tier [Witches]'. All she saw was a calm and confident Ryan that meant every single word he meant. The Witches told stories about rising stars all the time. How had Artigan been portrayed to the coven? Ryan did have a ruthless streak. A monstrous strategist or a genius adapter? Clara didn't know but she knew he skipped details in his after action report to make himself sound more sane.

She did not believe that he simply convinced Tar'el into helping by making fun of him. So much left unsaid in his stories that the only thing Clara had connected was this: Ryan could predict and manipulate people as well or even better than she could. The difference was that he was very willing to use it to his advantage. To further his goals. Clara just wanted to know just how much he was consciously doing it. That was why she was here, she needed to know.

For now, in her eyes, Ryan didn't seem much better than a monstrous [Dread Revenant], brutally beating up everyone that was in his way.

"The truth is, Pinkie's already damn close to her Legend. She'll probably get it with or without destroying your coven. Me? The Witch Tyrant wants me to develop a Legend with my [Veilpiercer Assassin] class." He leaned in, his voice dark and domineering.

"Tell me Mirelda, what better way for me to earn a Legend than by going up against a group of hidden [Witches], dragging them into the light and killing every one of their matrons?" Clara had no idea if that was true. Judging by Mirelda's reaction, Ryan's emotions must have shown he was saying what he believed. The [Witch's] lips were shaking as she finally came to the cold conclusion he had when he saw her. It was all a trap and you didn't see it.

Ryan laughed at the continuous damage he was doing to Mirelda's mental state.

"Sounds like [Witch] Grettfield might have been the smartest one out of all of you. She understood where the ship was sailing and jumped off before it sank. The question is, how do you want this to end, Mirelda? All of us screaming as we try to kill each other? Or maybe we pass each other by in a show of mutual peace?" Mirelda went back to read the contract again. A part of the clause that seemed so inconsequential was more important than ever.

'All three signees will not take aggressive action against one another.' It wasn't just Pinkie and Mirelda in this agreement, Ryan had been included. A mere fifth realm interjected himself as important as any of the three parties in the contract. And he'd planned all of this. Ryan turned around to nod at Clara, perhaps sensing her fear like she knew he could. His expression softened and turned back to the pale [Witch]. Then he sighed.

"You know, Mirelda. I used to look up to the Witch Tyrant too. I still do." Mirelda looked up at him in surprise. As if unable to believe that someone who was threatening the Witch's greatest confidants could look up to her. Ryan stared at the wall behind Mirelda, wistful.

"The more I see of the world, the more I realize how much she's done in the background to keep it peaceful. To make it a better place for all of us." Mirelda seemed to have regained her voice.

"Then why do you detest her so?"

"I hate what she's become. Every single part of her is a compromise of her previous self, of everything glorious she's built… I don't hate her, I hate what she represents, do you understand?" Mirelda flinched at the raw emotions emanating from Ryan. He glared at the wall around her, as if blaming the entire world for how it was.

"The question is Mirelda, who are you? Someone who worships the Witch Tyrant to the point where she can do no wrong? I empathize with her loss but the Xie Lihua of old would have been the first to stand up against the Witch Tyrant of the now. So I ask you this, where do you draw the line, Mirelda? Throwing children into deathmatches? Genocide? Using your most loyal followers as fodder?" Mirelda's voice was quiet, lost.

"I don't know."

"Well, I know where I stand. I stand for the dream that she built." Ryan remembered something, then laughed in self deprecation.

"Even if it was just an illusion." —— The three of them left the room, leaving a flustered Mirelda behind as she sat in front of a document. You could see her resolve waning. They had decided to leave her to stew in front instead of pressing her further. As the door closed behind them, Pinkie whistled in appreciation.

"I saw what you did with your aura, and you called me a psychopath."

"I meant every word I said in there."

"Heh. I think that makes it worse."

"Thanks Pinkie."