Grand Ascension-Chapter 86: Lure Him Out

"Mark... Kane." Mark answered.

Cheryl looked at Mark, her expression bland. "What route are you working?"

She could feel his Ashe, and knew he was a warrior. However, she had to be sure. This was a test interrogation to make sure he was fully under control.

Some people had charms that could help them against these sort of practices.

"I am a warrior." Mark answered the same blank look on his face.

Cheryl nodded then turned to Bol, a smile on her face, her usual giggle popping up.

"Hey, Hey, what should we make him do?" she asked, a devious plan forming in her head.

Bol shook his head. "Nothing, He might be useful later." He turned to look at Mark, considering what type of questions he might ask.

"Mark what are you doing late at night here?" Bol asked.

"I came to sleep." Mark answered.

Sleep? why would someone like you, who does not look poor one bit sleep here. smells fishy.

"What else?" He asked.

He knew that under Cheryl influence, the Target was only going to answer whatever it is he was asked. To get more, you had to push for it.

"I had to observe this place, see if anything bizarre happened."

Bol’s eyebrows raised, he threw a glance to look at Cheryl who was as surprised as him.

Why would a mystic observe such a place? They would not, unless..... unless they patrolled.

"Who do you work for?" Bol asked.

"The VEB, Naija city branch. " Mark answered without a thought.

hmmmm! Make sense, agents of the VEB usually patrol day and night. They patrol looking for supernatural phenomena, failed initiations.... that they had to take care of.

That usually happen, but they rarely go for one place only. So why is he in here?

Unless they are already onto our prey and are looking for him.

"What are you observing?"

"---" Mark did not answer.

"What is happening?" Bol asked Cheryl who was looking at her porcelain doll.

"Nothing, There is nothing amiss." She poured her Ashe into the porcelain doll. "Try again, differently this time."

Mark’s failure to answer the open-ended question was not unusual. Cheryl’s Puppeteer’s Dominion, the Sovereign Marionette skill, worked through her porcelain doll as a resonance vessel.

Once she absorbed biological material, hair, skin, blood, the doll extracted the resonant signature embedded within the matter and created a permanent entanglement channel with the target.

This allowed her to impose her intent through the doll, overriding Mark’s nervous and mystic systems through Will Insertion. A massive, dark, eerie energy flooded his body, not as possession but as suppression, a Dominion Manifestation that smothered his autonomy. However, the control was not absolute.

Open-ended questions like "What are you observing?" forced Mark’s mind to engage actively, to construct a narrative, to pull specific details from memory and organize them into coherent speech. This created resistance.

Cheryl understood what to do directly. Which is why she poured more Ashe into the porcelain doll, reinforcing the resonance lock. She knew the problem was not her control.

People had counter measures to skills like hers, protection charms, Therapist Healer Practitioners of a higher grade... 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Bol nodded, he understood what Cheryl meant by differently.

"Only answer by yes or no. Is what you are Observing a person?" He asked.

"Yes." Mark answered, with no resistance this time.

Bol nodded. Good. The yes-or-no structure was working. He glanced at Cheryl, who gave him a small nod. The doll pulsed faintly with her Ashe, maintaining the entanglement.

"Is this person a mystic?" Bol asked.

"Yes." Mark answered again, his voice flat, even flatter than earlier.

Bol’s mind raced. A mystic being observed by the VEB in a shelter. That narrows it down for us. They are looking for someone specific. Someone recent. Someone interesting enough to warrant surveillance.

There is only one option here.

He leaned forward slightly. "Is this person’s name Makun?"

Silence.

Mark’s mouth opened, but no sound came out. His body stiffened. His eyes twitched, pupils dilating slightly. The dark energy surrounding him flickered.

Bol’s eyebrows raised. Resistance. His jaw tightened.

If there’s resistance, then maybe he really is the one we’re looking for.

He repeated the question, slower this time. "Is this person’s name Makun?"

Mark’s lips trembled. His body shook faintly, it was as if something inside him was fighting back. A battle of control over his body. Then, finally, he spoke.

"Yes."

Blood trickled from his nose.

A thin red line ran down his upper lip, dripping onto his shirt. But Mark didn’t react at all. He remained still, his eyes blank, not even blinking, He looked just a like puppet, but the blood kept flowing.

Bol stared at him, then turned to Cheryl. "What just happened?" He asked.

Cheryl tilted her head, studying the doll in her hands. "He has a protective charm, or a failsafe. Something triggered when he confirmed the name." She giggled softly. "But it didn’t stop him from answering. Just hurt him a little."

Bol nodded slowly. That made sense. The VEB would protect their agents from interrogation. But the charm wasn’t strong enough to override Cheryl’s dominion completely. It only punished Mark for answering.

He turned back to Mark, "Where is Makun now?"

Mark’s mouth opened, then closed. More blood trickled down. He didn’t answer.

Bol cursed under his breath. The failsafe was blocking deeper information.

He could have a guess Makun was at the shelter because Mark was going to enter the shelter for Observation.

However as professionals, they put confirmation above everything else.

He stepped back, thinking. Then he turned to Cheryl. "Let’s use him to lure the guy out."

Cheryl’s eyes lit up. She giggled, this time, louder her usual playful tone returning fully. "Finally! We found him!" She clutched the porcelain doll closer, her fingers tracing its surface. "This is going to be fun."

It was a relieve to her somewhat, This meant they were going to complete their mission and avoid trouble.

Bol ignored her excitement. His mind was already working through the plan.

Mark is a VEB agent and he is observing Makun. That means Makun is more than likely in the shelter. Do they know each other? If yes then its easier, If no then its complicated.

He has to bring Makun to us, then we dispose of him. Erase the possibility of VEB pursuing us.

They didn’t need Mark to tell them where Makun was. They just needed Mark to bring Makun to them.

Bol proceeded to ask some questions, confirming Mark knew Makun. Together with Cheryl, he devised a plan

"Lure him out," Bol ordered Mark through Cheryl, after having decided on a plan.