Unknown location.
- "So, where is this damn bloodsucker taking me this time?" I wondered as I passed through the now familiar kaleidoscope of colors.
On this journey to another world, I set off alone, which was probably the best possible outcome. However, I had to remotely persuade Tia not to come with me, and fortunately, she agreed. There is nothing to say about Morgan, because, of course, I didn't tell her anything and asked the other Servants to do the same. Well, the source of mana for the Servants was Tia, thank her for that, by the way.
Returning to Zelretch, we came to some agreement between us. As it turned out, Death was still looking for me, and only this annoying bastard stood between her and me. He backed up this argument by saying that the world I was currently heading to would soon meet its end, through his fault, of course, and that I, as payment for my services, would have to deal with it.
I clicked my tongue and crossed my arms.
On the one hand, this bastard, who never explained why I had visited the past world, was entertaining himself at my expense, but on the other hand, he was doing me a favor. What would come of it? I didn't know, but something told me that this asshole had something special in store for me.
And yes, of course, he didn't say which world I was going to.
Finally, at the end of the endless space of the kaleidoscope, a crack appeared, and a few seconds later, I was blinded by the light from the other side. When I found myself in place and my eyes scanned my surroundings...
I slowly closed my eyes and took a VERY deep breath, sending a wave of cold through my lungs, my muscles relaxed, and my heart paused for a moment. And then...
- "WHEN I SEE YOU, YOU UGLY, SLIMY, EVIL, CUNNING PIECE OF ROTTEN, STINKING, TASTELESS, DISGUSTING DOG SHIT, YOU'LL BE..."
But I was interrupted...
- "You're loud. I like that. Want to join me?"
I slowly turned my head toward the source of the voice and stared at him. My gaze seemed to tell him that he was already dead.
It was a tall, muscular, and, most importantly, obviously dead piece of meat dressed in leather armor, a long cloak, and a shoulder pad with a dog's head symbol.
So what was it about my surroundings that made me so angry? In a fairly spacious, apparently throne room, there were a bunch of other creatures besides this walking corpse. But that wasn't the reason, it was something else. What exactly?
A few meters behind me, lying on the floor, was an almost naked unconscious elf, apparently dark, judging by the color of her skin, white hair, and long ears, covered with some kind of white semi-liquid substance. Four red, orc-like creatures, also naked, were hovering over her. Behind them stood a large crowd of shabbily dressed people with swords at their belts and no armor whatsoever, which made them look like cannon fodder or a bunch of extras.
In front of me, at the end of the throne room, where the throne stood, was a familiar undead corpse with a smirk on its face. Standing beside it were two others, one with a grimoire, a staff, and glasses, and the other with a fancy straight sword.
And just a couple of meters away from me, almost lying on the floor, was another dark elf with black hair and golden eyes, breathing heavily, exhausted but looking at me with hope, dressed in what I would call the epitome of fetishism and vulgarity — a thong made of a pair of strings thinner than thread, a corset with an extremely low neckline, long fabric sleeves, and purple boots. And yes, she was also covered in the same substance as the first one.
Her gaze, directed at me, was such that it seemed as if all her hope was standing right in front of her in my face. As if I were the only one who could help her... though I didn't care.
- "Swallowed your tongue?" the corpse sneered at me, then turned his gaze to the elf in front of me. "And you called him to save you? A fitting end for the proud and used queen of the dark elves, Olga Discordia."
- "Please... help..." she begged, almost whispering, her voice trembling. "Please..."
I raised an eyebrow.
My anger toward Zelretch slowly subsided, allowing me to consider the current situation.
So, I could say with certainty that this overgrown mosquito had sent me either into a dark fantasy or a hentai. And the first thing to do would be to gather information. Of course, I was definitely annoyed by the whole situation, but the agreement was still in place.
- "What do you offer in return?" I asked the elf girl whom the corpse had named "Olga Discordia."
- "I..."
- "Why are you listening to this used piece of meat, good only for entertainment?" the corpse interrupted her. "I can see that you are at least not stupid, and I offer you more than she does. Join us, and if you prove useful, you can have any woman in my empire of sex, be she a common woman, a princess, or even a goddess."
I silently shifted my gaze back to the elf.
- "Your answer?"
- "...Everything... Everything I have..." she replied, and I thought for a moment.
From a practical standpoint, she was my best option at the moment. The elf was a queen, and since she had summoned me in some capacity, she could provide me with more opportunities in terms of information. In addition, she was in a dire situation and would therefore give me anything I wanted.
As for the corpse... I doubt he could answer my questions. And in general, his self-confidence annoyed me a little. Not in a good way, like Gil, but exactly the opposite. And so, the choice was obvious.
By the time the decision was made, the elf had lost consciousness. With magic, I lifted the bodies of both elves and carried them to the end of the hall, cleansing their bodies and covering them with a closed field. Seeing my actions, the corpse raised an eyebrow and looked at me with interest.
- "So you're a mage?" he asked. "Now I can see that you'll make an excellent Black Dog. Join us, and you can take these elves for your own personal use."
- "Hey, Vult, you promised to give them to us!" came an angry shout from behind.
- "Shut up!" shouted the one standing next to the corpse. "Vult is the leader of the Black Dog, and everything will be as he decides!"
- "Leave them, Hicks," said the second, apparently a close associate of the corpse with a staff and a grimoire, stoically. "It's useless."
- "I already know that, Kin. No need to remind me," replied the first. "There must be order in the ranks, and I support it."
- "Yeah, yeah," said the second indifferently.
- "Be quiet. Right now, I'm only interested in the mage," interrupted the corpse, causing me to roll my eyes. "This is my last offer, mage. Will you join me?"
- "Heh, you're too annoying for someone I'd want to join," I sneered and raised my right hand, causing the corpse to become alert. "Plus, you're gloomy and, most importantly, really stupid."
Before he could respond, there was a snap of fingers throughout the hall. Instantly, scarlet flames burst forth from the floor, turning almost everyone present to ash in a second and piercing the roof of the building, causing it to crumble, burn, and collapse.
Only three people remained untouched, apart from the elves, of course, and they were standing in front of me. The mage began to prepare an escape spell, as I could see, the second assistant drew his sword, and the corpse now looked serious, cautious, and tense.
- "You're already a dead man, how are you doing?"
- "I…"
- "It doesn't matter," I interrupted him. "But I don't know where you might be needed yet, so you can live. And don't think you can hide from me, escape, or anything else. You're going to die anyway, understand?"
- "You'll regret this, mage," the corpse threatened, and just then his henchman finished casting the spell, and the three of them disappeared in a short flash of light.
- "Yeah, right," I shrugged to no one in particular, then turned my gaze to the elves, the closed field blocking the falling rocks from their heads, and the collapsing building.
One of the walls had completely collapsed by this point, allowing me to see the landscape beyond the building. It was a dense green forest and a relatively wide beaten path, but nothing else. And since that was the case, I simply chose a random spot and teleported there with the still unconscious elves.
Laying them on the grass and covering them with a soft blanket I had created, I sat down on a fallen tree and made a cup of coffee, then took a sip.
There was no need to rush; let them rest, and then I would question them.
Of course, I could have looked into their minds, but for some reason I didn't want to. Now all I could do was wait and take a look around.
- "Let's see what kind of world I've ended up in, huh?"
-0-
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