Chapter 17: Extraction
From afar, Dylan couldn't see any difference. All he saw were the gems exploding one after another in Maggie's hands, causing veins of anger to pulse on her forehead.
The one who looked even more frustrated was Élisa. After watching Maggie break three gems taken from the male hobgoblins, she immediately replaced them with ones from the females, not wanting her to waste everything.
"And to think there are people who can do it on the first try," she muttered, eyes locked on Maggie, observing her every move. "But then, you did say you're a foreigner in this world, so... your slowness is understandable."
Maggie ignored the jab, her fingers tightening around the new gem — a small, violet stone streaked with silver veins. She inhaled air heavy with ashes, trying to recapture that fleeting state of perception. Eyes closed, she dove mentally into the stone.
First came the cold. A black fog clung to her thoughts, sticky, threatening. Negative energy. She pushed it away mentally, like parting a curtain of smoke. Then came the... whispers. Harsh laughter, muffled screams — fragments of consciousness, leftovers from the soul of a hobgoblin female. Maggie felt nausea rise but pushed through.
Finally, at the center, a golden glow pulsed faintly. The essence. She reached for it with her mind, slowly, imagining fingers of light brushing the source. The gem vibrated, emitting a low hum.
"Too hesitant!" barked Élisa. "It's an extraction, not a caress."
A thread of gold escaped the stone, winding toward Maggie's chest. But a shard of consciousness suddenly clung to the flow — visceral rage, a memory of claws sinking into a human throat. Maggie choked back a cry, the connection wavered.
Crack.