Merlin's Actions (245)

Ainz had found himself buried in something that felt like… A thick slime? It was a black, thick, viscous liquid that immediately tried to drag his body down like quicksand. Well, it was at least something different from the empty void before, and Ainz has an easy fix for this situation.

A moment, and a flight spell later, and his body was quickly rising up, away from the grasp of what he soon discovered was the same Black Sea that he had seen above ground. Although he couldn't say with one hundred percent certainty that it was indeed it, the likelihood was high enough to consider it a working assumption and be pleased that the information given by Ereshkigal turned out to be true. Being a creature from another world, not bound by life created by Tiamat, and additionally Undead, unbound by the concept of life at all, contact with Tiamat's sea of life had no special effect on him. 

Except finding out that the primordial liquid of life turned out to be quite sticky. A long line of the liquid stretched behind him, only falling down a long while later, hitting the surface with a loud wet slap.

Ainz, however, was less interested in the fact that the Tiamat’s Sea seemed like a living organism that was slowly moving under its own power, as there was definitely not any wind where he was. He was more interested in the sound of Medusa's scream, filled with pain. Though, now that he had the time to actually think about it, recalling the scream, it was difficult to definitively call it Medusa's scream. 

The voice seemed painfully familiar to Ainz, which made his first impulse to stop whatever is causing the pain to someone he cared for. Yet, after a few moments, he realized that the voice was very similar but not identical. The voice was lower, slightly hoarser and rougher, as if Medusa had aged a decade in human years— which is somewhat impossible, considering the unaging immortality of Servants and gods and similar beings.

Even if this voice did not fully match Medusa's, and even if it did not match at all in fact, Ainz was not just going to let it continue… He wasn’t much of a hero, saving the world notwithstanding, but he at least liked to think that he was not that much a sadist that he would ignore someone crying out in pain. 

Flipping in mid-flight, he immediately headed towards its source; after all, judging by the fact that he had heard anything, distance mattered here, meaning it could be overcome without much trouble. Ainz could have used teleportation for faster travel, but it seemed wise for him to approach the unknown gradually, studying the unfolding scene, rather than appearing in an unknown location under unknown conditions.

As he got closer to the source of the sound, the voice grew louder—although from the very beginning of Ainz's appearance in this unknown place, the scream was neither quiet nor distant. It rapidly grew in intensity, quickly turning into a thunderous roar of that of a huge monster, barely recognizable as human, yet still similar to Medusa's.

Even with the unintelligible roar, what was identifiable in the monster's roar was rage—rage born from pain rather than aggression. An endless stream of impotent fury from wounds that made one want to howl, releasing the unbearable internal burning sensation of grievance against the world that allowed you to experience this nerve-racking violence.

Finally, after flying for some time, something distinct, different from the all-encompassing black veil, appeared on the horizon of his perception. A shape.

The distinct figure on the horizon came into view extremely slowly, even considering that Ainz did not restrain the speed of his flight, now realizing that the object he saw was enormous. 

It was huge and incredibly loud, at one point, the incessant howl became so fierce that Ainz stopped hearing it altogether, as his protection from damage activated. He was pleased to find that his body was protected from such damage, otherwise, he would have likely been torn apart just from approaching the target.

Ainz wasn't sure if he should be talking about infrasound or ultrasound at the moment, but he knew that such things, being loud enough, have a tremendous damaging influence on the human body. So, his faux body, vanished in the Abyss, would likely have started disintegrating.

The figure grew larger and larger until Ainz could make out a human figure — now how much the word ‘human’ was applicable at all is undetermined.

A gigantic monstrous creature several tens of meters in size, it was hard for Ainz to say exactly how much at first glance, no less than sixty meters tall. The figure was unmistakably a woman, judging by the upper half of her body, towering above a black mountain that had engulfed the lower half of the body. 

The features of Medusa were easy enough to see in the face of the woman — as well as stark differences from the Medusa that Ainz knew, like the breasts.

Of course, judging the breast size relative to a creature capable of serving as a real kaiju against the backdrop of a battle in some human city was quite difficult. However, one glance at the girl's proportions told Ainz that if this was Medusa, it was definitely in another iteration of her. 

Not that Medusa didn’t have large breasts, quite the contrary, Ainz could confidently assert that he had personally verified fact to the contrary. His Medusa’s breasts were massive – but because of his personal knowledge, he knows that this Medusa’s proportions were completely different.

The second thing that caught Ainz's attention was the girl's hair. It is the same color as Medusa's hair, if longer, fashioned into curls — two of which, as Ainz saw, began to twine into a tight braid about halfway through. 

Gradually, as it reached the ends, changing color until the braid became of black scale, literal black scales, as the hair turned into snakes. Snakes that are snarling and jerking violently in all directions as if it were a living limb of a creature undergoing incredible pain.

The third was the hands of the monstrous Medusa. Which from the elbow down were covered in scales akin to gloves, and instead of human palms, her hands were instead huge claws, currently splayed wide from the piercing this Medusa was feeling.

And lastly was the unceasing scream of pain. Despite the fact that the monstrous roar of the creature could likely crush concrete in its intensity, if this Gorgon had possessed human physiology, Ainz have been hearing heart-wrenching sobs, instead of a roar of an enraged monster. Or perhaps that was just his personal bias speaking.

A quick observation, however, told Ainz that whatever was causing such unbelievable pain to Medusa, aside from simple torture, also performed another function. The black liquid, Ainz felt the black slime trying to engulf him not long ago. If he, for some reason, lacked his flight spell, his own fate would be quite grizzly indeed. 

Especially since he couldn’t have the benefit of actually dying if he was actually stuck inside the black slime like the giant Medusa is.

No, on a second, closer look, Ainz discovered something else. Perhaps the black slime was indeed causing a great deal of pain to the large Medusa, but her screams were not just an expression of that pain, for, every time she shouts, the black slime recedes. 

Upon his closer observation, however, Ainz realized that this Medusa he was observing had a fifth feature, which he had missed during his previous observation. This was a common oversight, considering that this feature was extremely minute, completely inconspicuous against the monstrous form of the paralyzed creature, writhing in its own agony.

A small, barely noticeable figure, almost completely lost against the truly monstrous form of the Gorgon. 

Only by approaching closer, much closer than Ainz would have considered comfortable relative to the vast form of the Medusa, could he discern a single barely distinguishable spot against it. If the Gorgon seemed like a Medusa just transitioned from the category of a young woman to that of an adult, then the figure he just spotted represented the opposite picture. 

Wearing a black, loose cloak that hid most of her figure, the girl couldn't hide her braid, colored exactly like Medusa's hair — both of them. A quick step to the side allowed Ainz to glimpse her face, confirming his previous guess. 

The features of the young girl definitely bore resemblance to Medusa's own, albeit softer and more youthful than Ainz was accustomed to seeing. With her height denoting her youth, which had hidden her amongst the large figure of Medusa, Ainz thought that this small Medusa could have been when Medusa was of high school age? Perhaps about sixteen years old if he was being conservative. 

Considering the same features she shares with his Medusa, Ainz would call this Servant, as a sister of Medusa… If her actual sisters gained a few years added to them, and gained a lifetime worth of attitude adjustment, growing more mature mentally. And yet, despite the fact that Euryale and Stheno actually appear younger, this ‘young’ Medusa, actually exudes a more innocent aura. Perhaps it was because of the extreme softness of her features, making her feel younger instead.

Or maybe it was just because Euryale and Stheno attitude make them appear much older than they appear. A strange conundrum.

However, in a closer examination of the girl's face, unlike the large Medusa, her expression was not frozen in a grimace of pain and rather was looking at things with a detached, cold, and absolutely neutral expression on her face. Nonetheless, a connection between the state of the girl and that of Medusa was definitely there. 

More so, a physical connection—considering that the girl continued to hold something in her hands.

Ainz had to squint to clearly see the object in the girl's hands. It was a relatively small scythe, proportionally sized to the girl herself, had been stabbed into the body of the gigantic Medusa, piercing her just below the ribs, embedding part of its shaft into her flesh.

At least the source of Medusa's painful roar was discovered, and considering how gut-wrenching this roar was, Ainz could also tell that the scythe was more than just a mere weapon in the hands of a Servant. After all, considering its size, the scythe should have been nothing more than an annoying splinter for the monstrously sized Medusa.

Looking at this scene, Ainz hovered in midair before shaking his head, trying to make sense of what he saw before him. He delved to his own memory, quickly recalling what Merlin had previously told him, and realizing the truth of the matter. 

"Using the help of one young girl… A splinter that makes her toss and turn in sleep… Originally, Tiamat was supposed to be awakened after the Gorgon's death…"

Ainz exhaled quickly, assembling the picture in his head, this was what Merlin meant and how he controlled Tiamat. He could understand now why the Wizard seems so reluctant to share this with him… But couldn’t he have just said that it was hard to explain?

Instead of merely killing the Gorgon, Merlin sent a young woman — whom Ainz assumed was another, much younger version of Medusa herself—into the Abyss, to Tiamat, and forced her to eternally torment the Gorgon itself. Or at least for as long as she could, forcing the Singularity into a holding pattern. 

And as he could easily figure out, either because of the girl's powers, her weapon, or the torment itself, the Gorgon couldn't be fully absorbed by Tiamat. Without the full absorption of the Gorgon, Tiamat could not awaken…

Pausing mid-thought, Ainz exhaled—Merlin's actions were becoming clearer in the context of what he had done with Medusa, yet…

Observing the scene unfolding before him, Ainz could only. 

"How am I supposed to fix this?"

***

Dangling her legs from the high parapet and looking down at the slowly churning Black Sea of Tiamat's, sitting under an invisible wind, Jacques silently watched. Shifting her gaze from one wave to another while hearing the distant ongoing celebrations of soldiers who had long surpassed the bounds of what is deemed appropriate for a cultured celebration and were fast approaching the brink of alcohol poisoning. 

Jacques rather hoped that human resilience would prove weaker than their desire to continue the revelry, causing the soldiers to lose consciousness before reaching a lethal level of alcohol consumption.

"Cooling off by watching the gloomy views?" Tomoe Gozen's voice caused Jacques to divert her gaze from observing the languidly colliding waves of the Black Sea. Focusing on the approaching figure of the girl-oni clad in samurai armor, as far as Jacques could tell, marked by both her red eyes and two somewhat large, sharp horns on her forehead, Jacques raised one of her eyebrows in query.

"I wouldn't recommend jumping down."

"Not even on my mind," Jacques responded tersely with a nod at the girl's rather inappropriate jest before turning her gaze back to the panorama of the Black Sea before her. Then back to a small extension standing out against the night darkness with a blazing light and the distant sounds of merriment coming from it.

"Funny, but I do see a resemblance."

"Between what and what?" Tomoe, stepping closer, leaned against the small battlement of the fortress wall, not unduly bothering Jacques with her doubts about the reasonableness of her current position, but still in reach just in case. After all, a plunge to the Black Sea would be instant death…

Still, despite Jacques' appearance as a young and inexperienced woman, she was not in need of Tomoe's excessive zeal in protecting her from an accidental fall.

"Between Tiamat's sea and Humanity." Jacques simply stated, watching the rolling waves beneath her feet before glancing at Tomoe and her questioning glance. Jacques, of course, was more than happy to answer her unasked question.

"Humans celebrate their victory; they've lost comrades but continue to live, tomorrow, new soldiers will arrive, and then they will lose more, continuing on until one side wins. But for now, they will heal their physical and emotional wounds with alcohol. Tiamat's sea has lost part of its creatures and retreated, and now it stirs. Thoughtless minute particles of life coming together, forming new monsters for tomorrow's search for victory… Humanity and Tiamat, both know that this battle hasn't ended, and they continue to prepare for the next one. Such complex creatures, yet similar to the so insignificant minute particles losing their kin and forming a new army again…"

After these words, Jacques fell silent before turning her gaze to Tomoe, raising an eyebrow at her placid demeanor. Most people would be offended when compared to single-cell organisms, after all.

"Aren't you surprised by such a comparison?"

"Surprised, but not shocked," Tomoe exhaled before placing another elbow on the battlement and shifting her gaze to the churning Black Sea below.

"I'm just a commander of the Western Wall forces and a servant-samurai; I wouldn't venture into discussions about deep metaphysics without orders. Especially against an avatar of an Outer God."

This time it was Jacques' turn to be surprised by Tomoe's remark, given so nonchalantly as if just discussing the weather.

"Has Gilgamesh finally brought up my nature?" Jacques glanced at Tomoe, who was slightly bending forward, looking at the distant horizon, before shifting her gaze back. "If so, I must say I am surprised you continue to talk with me so easily. Most people would be more… ‘Animated’ in their reaction, so to speak – or just ignore me entirely."

There really has only been that two extremes in Jacques’ memory.

"No, Gilgamesh didn't mention anything of the sort, but it wasn't too hard to guess, considering your appearance, all those jaws and tentacles sprouting everywhere at your command. One look was enough for me to understand your nature." 

Tomoe rolled her eyes after these words, and Jacques could only chuckle. Her ‘weaponry’ is not exactly the subtle sort. Tomoe chuckled alongside her before she continued.

"However, I'm somehow certain that Ishtar noticed nothing. She was too busy turning Tiamat’s spawn into dust with her bow. Good thing this wall isn't so easily destroyed—otherwise, we would have suffered far more from Ishtar's help than from Tiamat's monsters. As for my dealings with you…?” 

Tomoe paused for a moment before simply shrugging her shoulders. "One way or another, you are my ally, so I see no reason to fear or avoid you. So what's the point in staying silent and watching warily when I could just speak with you?"

"We are allies at the moment," Jacques focused back on Tomoe again. "If the situation were to turn otherwise—it's entirely likely we would be enemies."

"That can be said about all people in the world, including Lord Gilgamesh or the soldiers on this wall," Tomoe stretched her lips into a smile, shrugging her shoulders. "If Lord Gilgamesh were summoned as a Servant in the Holy Grail War—I would also be his enemy. Or if my Master ordered me to fight the people defending this wall, I would become their enemy as well. So, it's safe to say that your situation isn't too unusual at this moment."

"At least they aren't associated with the Outer God, the antithesis of humanity," Jacques shifted her gaze back to the Black Sea of Tiamat. "The Black Goat-Mother is much further from humanity than Tiamat."

"That's exactly why she poses no threat to humanity," Tomoe shrugged her shoulders again at these words, after which she noticed that Jacques's gaze sharply returned to watching her face. 

"Is something wrong?"

"Do you think that the Great Mother poses no danger?" Jacques raised an eyebrow, showing real interest for the first time in a person, or a Servant in this case, who had just spoken such unusual statements.

"I said it poses ‘no threat’!" Tomoe smiled at Jacques, lifting one finger up for emphasis. "If the Outer Gods decided to destroy humanity, then it would face a threat akin to the Beast… No, perhaps even greater than that. But that's the main thing — the Ancient Gods of Space aren't interested in humanity."

Continuing on, when Jacques didn’t say anything contrary, Tomoe raised another finger.

"Yes, they're dangerous and incredibly powerful, but the fact is they are fundamentally different from Humanity, completely separate." Tomoe lifted her gaze to the sky, looking at the stars twinkling high above. 

"They simply don't care about humanity. To these cosmic forces, our existence is as indifferent as our destruction — they won't act to destroy us… Except maybe the Black Prince of Egypt, as far as I know, but he's an exception to this rule, isn't he?"

Jacques paused momentarily, deliberating, then reluctantly nodded. 

Indeed, the Outer Gods simply didn't care about humanity — they didn't interact with the world in the first place. At most, it was a case like Jacques herself, where real people became vessels for the nature of the Outer Gods, but in such cases, it was the human personality and mind that controlled the body and guided it. While the Outer Gods didn't even think about personally intervening in what was happening by their own will. Although they certainly could do so without any hindrance, as proven with the many Servants who used their powers.

Yet, apart from Nyarlathotep, there were few exceptions among the array of Outer Gods, who actually interfere with the lives of Humans. But, of course, Jacques didn't mention their name unnecessarily. 

At least one of them ultimately shouldn't know about his interactions with beings that are so different from them.

“In the original version of the Holy Grail War, only heroes were supposed to participate.” Tomoe placed her hands on the wall before her, resting her chin on them as she stared at the distant horizon.

”At worst a Berserker, and even then heroic in its madness, there were no antiheroes, and of course no villains, only glorified and pious heroes. Of course, the concept of honor and dignity significantly changed over time, yet some things are universal and respected both in the past and in present times. And yet, it was these heroes who were meant to fight each other in the War for the right to possess the Holy Grail — and no one questioned that some Heroes might simply refuse to fight even for a highly cherished wish.”

Tomoe did not need to explain the difference between ‘having’ a wish, and being willing to fight and kill for them. Heck, there’s an entire Class of Servants with no wishes whatsoever… But then again, there are always exceptions.

"Even I would have to acknowledge that should the circumstances be different, the people of this wall, ones that I have fought alongside with in a life and death struggle, could be my enemy… And I don’t have enough false modesty to think that this battle would be at all a struggle." Tomoe tried to smile, but even she understood that it would be a forced one at best. A normal person couldn’t smile honestly when discussing such matters, after all.

"Ultimately, a clash of those who are too different poses no threat. A mountain and a man cannot wage war against each other, even if an avalanche fell on a group of climbers you wouldn’t call that a ‘defeat’, neither is it when miners dug through a mountain, ‘victory’. Problems start precisely when sides stand on equal parity with each other, each and every interaction could be a possibility of conflict where viewpoints differ."

It didn’t take a genius to tell what Tomoe was insinuating.

"Therefore, the fact that you're so different from people probably plays more to your advantage than to your disadvantage." Finding a slightly brighter spot in this conversation, Tomoe’s expression spread into a more genuine smile of relief.

In response to these words, Jacques silently stood up onto the wall, and then proceeded to stand close, looking into Tomoe's face as if looking for something, causing the Oni to awkwardly look away, unaccustomed to such closeness with people.

"How many like you are there in the world?"

"A Samurai?" Gozen frowned—"I don't know about this time period, but…"

"No, nothing so mundane –  philosophers," Jacques looked at Tomoe anew, as if trying to pierce the woman’s essence with her gaze.

"Philosopher? What kind of philosopher would I be? I am just a samurai who likes to speak silly thoughts out loud." Tomoe immediately waved her hands, trying to fend off Jacques' sudden compliment.

"That wasn't a compliment, if you're worried about that." Jacques glanced at Tomoe, raising an eyebrow, before sighing. Although her human part wasn't too strong, how could it be when part of her was a God? But given that the part of her that is an Outer God was absolutely passive, however weak her human part might be, it would still remain dominant. Thus, Jacques could not help but experience a certain emotion as she watched Tomoe's actions.

Simple amusement. 

Amusement at how a seemingly wise warrior suddenly becomes an embarrassed schoolgirl at even a hint of a compliment, as earned as they might be.

"But, discussions on lofty matters nevertheless fall under the definition of philosophy; therefore, you are a philosopher, whether you like it or not."

“Ah, if that's the case, if the question is how many people out there are capable of discussing such topics… I suppose – everyone?” Tomoe paused for a moment, as Jacques gave her a weird look, bidding for Tomoe to explain herself. 

“That is, not everyone can talk about such things easily, and everyone will definitely use different words and speak from different positions, but, one way or another, everyone has such thoughts. After all, every person has some beliefs that they believe in. The ‘lofty’ matters you spoke about… Well, maybe except for very small children.”

“Hmm, understood.” Jacques nodded to Tomoe’s words, then continued, as if in response to Tomoe's previous reflections. 

“I have no interest in people. Each individual one of them, does not interest me – including you.”

Tomoe didn’t even have time to pout in offense before Jacques continued her thought. 

“However, I am interested in humanity as a whole – as a single living mechanism. And it is precisely because of people like you,” 

Jacques glanced at Tomoe before turning and walking away. 

“That humanity is so interesting to observe.”

***

Arthur took several more strikes of the Serpent God, blocking each with alacrity, though not without the physical effects of it reflecting on her. Layers of earth under her feet were ripped asunder from each of the titanic collisions on her blade. 

Of course, Arthur was not one to act as a mere punching bag, as the next attack of Quetzalcoatl was coming – a kick, Arthur tried to seize the Goddess’ leg. Key word, tried.

With a boisterous laugh, the Goddess, thanks to her control over the wind, twisted her legs out of the way and in the same breath, sent a fiery burst of wind at Arthur, further tearing up the ground.

“Come on, amigo, if you want to catch me – you'll have to try harder!” In Quetzalcoatl's voice could be heard childish joy and martial fervor. Despite it appearing that Quetzalcoatl was enjoying the fight, seemingly forgetting about Arthur’s goal of seeking an ally and help – this was not so. 

Even now, feeling Quetzalcoatl's enjoyment, Arthur barely sensed any genuine desire from Quetzalcoatl to defeat her. It seemed that this destructive ballad of theirs, was more like a very intense sparring session where both sides were giving their all, rather than a battle to the death.

Well, death was still a possibility, but that was not the goal.

Arthur couldn’t understand the appeal. It was not that Arthur didn’t altogether like battles – there was something enchantingly attractive about clashing in a knightly tournament with a worthy opponent and showing off one’s capability. But this was not a tourney, no simple spar where two knights sought to improve each other, or even an honorable duel over a worthy cause.

No, this was less a fight and more a performance, a simple mummer’s farce, where Arthur had to do the incomprehensible act of demonstrating her abilities to convince Quetzalcoatl to become an ally. Killing her opponent in that regard, then, is simply putting the cart before the horse. 

Certainly not impossible, as much as Arthur hates it, and Ainz in particular for giving her this mission, it was nothing beyond the King of Knight’s capabilities – very few things are. 

But Arthur would not lie – she was finding the fight to be truly unpleasant.

Fighting Quetzalcoatl was… surprisingly unpleasant. In the sense that Arthur couldn't find the right compromise between strength and restraint to achieve the desired result. Every time Arthur thought she had found it – Quetzalcoatl demonstrated some new application of her abilities, botching Arthur’s attempts in making the fight end with the least amount of damage. 

And it irritated Arthur. No, not with Quetzalcoatl herself – after all, she was a worthy adversary, but instead Arthur was vexed with the situation itself, and the fact that it took so much time. Heck, before she knows it, Angrboda might appear… 

Arthur didn't finish that thought, not because she thought that Angrboda would appear just from thinking about her, but because lightning had struck from the sky. Coming down simultaneously with two fiery explosions on the ground and an attack from Quetzalcoatl from behind. 

That, and because Angrboda was here.

Arthur had to admit that she was impressively quick, her gaze catching sight of the Mother of Monsters in her field of vision. Moreover, Angrboda had already captured her opponent judging by the girl walking beside her with two cat ears poking out from her reddish hair, and who yawned deeply at the sight of Arthur.

Arthur tried, genuinely tried, to suppress the impulse in her mind, but Angrboda's voice deterred all such attempts. 

"Surprisingly, even such a trifle caused you so much trouble… How embarrassing for the so-called Strongest Paladin." Moments later, Arthur could only clench her teeth and, faster than Quetzalcoatl could react, burst from her spot. 

A rising gust of wind slammed into the surrounding monolithic stone buildings, breaking them as Arthur appeared behind Quetzalcoatl. To her credit, the goddess did manage to react, twisting around, but just in time to see the steel fist aimed her way. 

Originally aimed at her back, due to the Serpent God's sudden movement, the fist instead landed on her chest, the force instantly crushing her ribs. Some were broken to the point of becoming powder, some into sharp splinters that eviscerated her internal organs. As if that wasn’t enough damage, the force of Arthur’s fist, hurled Quetzalcoatl’s body forward like a cannonball.

"Quetzalcoatl!" The girl who had followed next to Angrboda immediately forgot about her surroundings and rushed to her friend, swiftly taking a defensive posture against Arthur. 

"It seems some of us understand the term 'restraint'." Arthur threw a cold glance at Angrboda, who merely responded with a broad grin. 

"Interesting way of ‘restraint’ o King of Camelot, considering the goddess I found didn't receive a single wound, while yours is…”

Quetzalcoatl's voice interrupted further banter between Angrboda and Arthur, or more likely the brewing fight. 

"Alright, alright… Now, it's clear you were not just talking out of your ass when you talked about your need to restrain yourself because you didn't want to kill me – I'm touched by such care, amigo." These words marked the first time during the fight when Quetzalcoatl managed to genuinely surprise Arthur, who turned to her opponent with a silent question, only to see Quetzalcoatl’s battered body. 

Fortunately for Arthur's mind, she hadn't killed the Goddess outright, but she had indeed created quite a mess, seeing the massive hole in the Goddess’ body, where internal organs were more pulp than flesh. The Goddess, however, seemed unconcerned or even troubled by her grievous injury.

"So I suppose you need my help and information, don't you?" Quetzalcoatl, stretching her body upwards, ran her hand over her chest which instantly stained her hands crimson, then smiled benignly with unexpectedly sharp teeth and licked her finger, cleaning the blood off of it. 

Her blood crimson smile simply looked positively demonic.

"You can consider my interest… piqued."