With no one to disturb her and liquid energy to rouse her spirits, Ruxin silently sorted through the landlord's memories, arranging wires from a tangled mess.
An hour later she stood up and paced towards the floor-length mirror near a vanity table. Understanding flooded her after the assimilation. Ruxin finally understood why she was sent to the mindscape before being given control of the body. It wasn't some sadistic inclination the original owner had for she, Augusta, was kind to a fault. Augusta simply wanted to see Ruxin's choice. How would another answer when given similar problems?
The emotional manipulation was distasteful and unlike Augusta, though. Ruxin sneered. She knew herself well and knew that she would never lose a second of sleep over the deaths of the people conjured in those illusions. Best friend, lover, family? They'd love her dead so why would they deserve her care? Artificial emotions must have been implanted in her to make the choice more heartfelt and difficult. As for the child... she never had one so the illusion substituted in an orphan she sponsored because of his talent. She could count the number of times they met with one finger. It was laughable, really.
The traps were natural, self-defensive mechanisms to prevent the casual intruder. In actuality they were pretty dumbed-down for Ruxin... had she been a vampire, that was. But she was human so it was a miracle she survived, albeit by the skin of her teeth.
And now, she had control of a body that was not hers.
A lethal beauty stared at her in the silver glass mirror. Her silky, pale blonde hair settled on a perky butt, the cheongsam-looking dress hugging every curve from a generous bosom to a tight waist to strong, shapely legs. Everything about the woman was stunning but the first thing you would see when you looked at her was those sharp eyes. They were a crimson so cold anyone would think thrice before messing with her.
Yet beneath the dangerous skin was just a foolish, foolish mother.
This was a mana-filled world with supernatural creatures. Spirits, beasts, undead, fey once ran amok the lands but infighting, natural selection, overhunting and other causes drove the nails into their coffins and they vanished from public eyes.
The landlord, Augusta, is the ruler of a fallen moonpeople clan.
—Ruxin: What we call vampires.
—Vois: Why do mortals feel the need to name everything?
Augusta foresaw the rising dominance of humankind and preemptively led her kin to blend into human society. With their natural gifts and talents, they solidified a position in no time. However, the hard-won peace and prosperity shred to pieces when her precious son stabbed them in the back.
He stole the clan's heirloom, the Rheinhart, for the human girl he fell in love with.
Tall trees attracted wind; as one of the most illustrious clans before going into hiding, those in the know had been keeping a lookout for survivors. On top of that, it attracted many covetous eyes in its years of flourishing in the human world.
Thus its old and new enemies banded together in its moment of weakness. Without the magickal heirloom to keep wolves at bay, the legacy of thousands of years fell apart.
... Along with its keeper.
Ruxin thought about her mission objectives.
Keep Rheinhart from hands of the unworthy.
Prevent the collaborator from leaking further information.
To her knowledge, the Rheinhart was in no better hands than Augusta's, but this body was close to expiry. Since the mission was "Save the Alcmene Clan," she doubted that it meant keeping it safe for two short months. Whatever semblance of safety she fought for it had to be enduring and lasting. At least she assumed she got it right. This dumb voice and its dumb rules!
Anyway the heirloom was only passed down to leaders of the clan and this meant that she had to find an heir, a worthy one at that. Yet another vague word. Strength, intelligence, charisma? What constituted 'worthiness'? Perhaps she could only judge through her own values.
As for the collaborator... till her death, Augusta didn't know who it was. To be precise, the trusting woman never suspected there was one. Someone in this household betrayed her? The idea was absurdity itself! At least to Augusta, it was. And not without reason.
Researchers never figured out the ins and outs but born moonpeople had an innate loyalty to their kin and indifference to everyone else. In some it manifested as disdain. In others, callousness. In any case betraying their clan would be the last thing on their minds.
Made moonpeople, on the other hand... the Red Sacrament that changed the very fibre of their being also infused an unbreakable fealty to their maker. Till their end, they were unable to go against commands or harm their masters. To put it nicely, they were given a second life at the cost of freedom. To put it in Ruxin's words, they were condemned to devout servitude with no way to back out or protest.
A person like Ruxin would rather die than put herself in that situation.
Which brought to mind why Vois' people, seemingly all-powerful and disdainful of 'lower' beings, merely enslaved the souls of the Placeholders. Surely they had the means to do the same for their minds? Ruxin didn't believe that extensive indoctrination was harder than, say, time and space travelling. But she'd shelve that thought for another day.
The sun had set and the room lost the warm, orange hues but Ruxin strangely felt more comfortable in the shadows.
Ruxin followed Augusta's memories and dragged herself down a long flight of stairs and to the dining room on the ground floor. In actuality she considered skipping the meal. Although confident she could masquerade as Augusta, everyone had an ingrained conduct and bearing. Anyone observant who knew the original well could easily tear off her mask. The silver lining was that Augusta was a collected iceberg. Her words were treasured like dragon eyes and her emotions never showed on her face.
Ruxin could only hope body memory was a thing and any flaws would be attributed to her poor health. She badly needed sweet, sweet sleep but the clock was ticking and gathering information had to take precedence.
Time to meet this son of 'hers'.
YOU ARE READING
The Placeholder (World Hopping)
Adventure"You heartless bitch!" "Tut tut. Language, my dear. Better heartless than hurt like you, don't you think?" Ruxin thought she would live to the maximum lifespan but who knew a moment of thrill seeking would result in her demise? But the dice of fate...
