BXBX NOVEL Chapter 154: Mechanical Monologue
They descended in silence into the deeper levels of the hotel, Griffin's private sanctuary, where secrets and horrors lay hidden from the world above. The things Griffin doesn't want seeing the light of day.
They reached a heavy, reinforced door, its surface marred by countless scratches and dents. X stepped forward, unlocking it with practiced efficiency.
The door creaked open, revealing a dimly lit chamber. The scent of blood and despair hung thick in the air. Chained to the wall, bloody and battered, was Lucien, leader of the now captured Maguire coven.
Griffin moved with a predatory grace, his mechanical voice echoing in the confined space. "Ah, Lucien," he began, taking a seat in the lone chair at the center of the room. "Let's continue our little chat from where we stopped, shouldn't we?"
Lucien groaned in pain, his eyes barely open. Griffin hummed, his gaze cold, almost detached.
"Let's see. Did I ever tell you about my first encounter with the Ascension well?" he started, his tone conversational, as if they were old friends reminiscing.
X stood to the side, his eyes never leaving Lucien. Inside, his hatred burned with every word spoken as he listened to the voice of the man who held his life in an iron grip.
But outwardly, he was the perfect servant, obedient and silent.
"When I was a young fourth ring vampire, I sought the Ascension Well, just like every other vampire with ambition." Griffin continued. "I followed the trail all the way to First City and settled here."
"A I searched, I wondered what it could be a metaphor for. A human with very powerful blood? An ancient ritual? A mythical place that exists only in our hearts? I had many theories." He chuckled, a hollow sound.
"Imagine my surprise when I discovered it was a literal well."
Griffin leaned forward, his eyes gleaming with dark amusement. "I was eager. I took a drink from the well, and it made me anew as a fifth ring vampire. A vampire stronger than the norm."
"Yes, I'll have a harder time ascending to sixth ring than those who ascended normally but who cares? I broke the barrier to godhood. I now stood among the powerful as equals."
He sighed in nostalgia. "Good days. Good days, man."
He focused back on the chained man. "But have you asked yourself, Lucien Why is the well is so valuable?"
Lucien's only response was another groan of pain. Griffin sighed theatrically, the sound, like something out of a horror movie.
"The Ascension Well is the fastest way to ascend from the fourth ring to the fifth. Any fourth ring vampire can do it, even with half the vitality needed for the ascension."
"Just a very, very long drink, and voila! Fifth ring. Of course, it's not that simple, but you get the point."
"The main thing, however, is the fact that whoever controls the well controls the rate of ascension in First City. They control who gets to cross from the mundane to godhood and that's a lot of power in the hands of someone who won't be me."
Griffin's voice hardened. "And I can't let the well fall into the hands that person. That must never happen."
All was silent for amoment, before Griffin continued. "I went to look at the well recently, ang guess what I found. They've moved it! Away from prying hands."
"And as I was searching for it, I came across some really interesting information. Silent Hand knows where it is." He grinned. "So, I know you know its new location, Lucien. Tell me before it's too late."
Lucien groaned again, a sound of sheer agony. Griffin's expression turned mockingly apologetic. "Oh. I forgot about that. X," he turned to the masked man, "parch his throat."
X moved forward, his hands steady as he provided Lucien with just enough blood to heal his wounds but not enough to restore his vitality.
He hated this role, hated being Griffin's instrument for whatever task he desired, but he performed his task with a cold efficiency born from years of practice.
"Where is the well, Lucien?" Griffin asked again, his tone deceptively gentle.
"I don't know," Lucien croaked, his voice weak.
Griffin chuckled, shaking his head. "Come now, Lucien. We both know you're lying. Where is it?"
Lucien's denials continued, each one weaker than the last. Griffin's questions grew more pointed, his patience wearing thin. Finally, he sighed, rising from his seat. "It seems you still need more time to think."
Lucien's eyes widened in fear, his voice pleading. "No, please, I really don't know where it is! I'm telling the-"
Griffin turned to X, his mechanical voice a sharp command. "Help him think, X."
X's hands clenched at his sides, the orders cutting through him like a blade. But he stepped forward, his face impassive behind the mask.
Lucien's pleas turned to screams as Griffin left the room, his mechanical voice echoing down the hallway.
As X moved to carry out Griffin's orders, a storm of hatred and resentment raged within him.
He despised this role, despised Griffin, but he was bound by forces stronger than his will. His movements were precise, his actions methodical, but each moment fueled the fire of his resolve.
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One day, he vowed silently, one day he would break free from Griffin's control. But for now, he was trapped, a prisoner in his own life, forced to serve the man he loathed.
His thoughts turned to Ezra Matten and his blood debt. His lips curled into an unseen smile.
"Patience. Patience is the key." He muttered to himself.
He began humming the words to A X E's newest song as he worked, the sound calming him.
"Under the neon lights, where dreams ignite. We're stepping out tonight, feeling so alive." He hummed as he cut here and burned there. Lucien's screams were like the perfect instrument to back up the music. "Got the whole world in our sights. Gonna take a chance, gonna roll the dice."
He was well aware that he was mad but his days of madness were now numbered.
"Come on, come on, baby, don't you see? We're going all in tonight, just you and me."
Ezra Matten was the key.
The key to his freedom.
"Lights are shining, hearts are racing free. Come on, come on, let's make it history!"