[What's your name little kitten? Your claws are so sharp, aren't you afraid of hurting yourself with it?]
The corner of his lips rose into a smile as his right hand hugged her body, two fingers entering her trousers, searching for something.
The green-haired girl let out a frightened whimper as his fingers came out of her trousers holding a small knife.
[Here, you won't be hurt anymore.]
He whispered close to her face, his warm breath touched her pale cheeks, then his lips fell on her cheek as if comforting her.
[This bitch! That's my knife! I'm sorry sir, I watch her every minute, I don't know how she got...]
He did not let finish her words, one of his black eyes had turned into a purple colour, taking the shape of a nebula.
The prostitute stared back with a blank expression, before falling unconscious on the ground, making a slight sound in her fall.
The guards outside had apparently heard the noise as they banged on the door asking if everything was alright.
His eye slowly resumed his original shape as its colour darkened.
The door was already locked by him earlier, they would take a few moments to realise the severity of the situation.
[You don't want to talk anymore? Should I just leave you here with those friends outside the door?]
At his words, the girl bit her lips with strength. That action added another layer of charm to her pale appearance. When she managed to reign in the terror from what she had just experienced, she turned her head to stare at him with stubbornness etched into her voice:
[You are stronger than me. Take me away and I'll be yours. Isn't that why you came here.]
His smile froze, one of his eyebrows raised in a complex show of emotions.
[Your assumption is wrong. I am interested in you, but I have no interest in taking a burden with me. I only care for your knowledge...]
His words momentarily paused as his eyes wandered her body with a glimmer inside of them.
[And your body.]
[Then what do you intend to do?! Those merchants will not tolerate anyone touching me before they sell me in your human capital. Only by killing them all can you obtain my body.]
She shouted angrily at him, not caring about being heard by her jailers outside.
[A bit impatient aren't you. And highly manipulative. I don't care about those merchants or anyone for that matter. But it's true that I will not obtain enough if you remain in this place.]
Seemingly coming to a decision, he took her hand and guided her to the locked door that was about to break.
[A trade is a consented exchange between two parties that result in mutual benefit. You want your freedom, I want to know more about you. For two years you'll stay with me, you will be loyal to me only and you will not conceal anything from me. In exchange, after the duration of those terms is over, I'll give you back your freedom and all ties will be cut.]
They stood face to face by the door, they could hear the tumult on the other side of the door and the number of people increasing as they ran in the corridor.
Yet, they both stood there holding hands, one male with a calm face, and a young woman with a serious expression. Their eyes were locked together as if trying to read each other thoughts.
[Fine. If you respect your part of the deal I'll follow you around. If you break them, I'll bet my life and everything to destroy you.]
A relieved smile appeared on Oresus's face. He head came closer to her lips, the warmth from their breath intertwined. Suddenly, the door broke down, sending debris and wood chips everywhere.
He took a step back before glaring at the guards who stood menacingly a few feet away from him.
Without warning, one of his eyes became purple, shaping its iris into a nebula.
"Celestial eye." he muttered while releasing his breath.
All the men that were ready to tear the intruder into pieces suddenly became confused. Their bodies were sending contradictory signals to their brain until they could not think anymore.
Oresus took one step forward, and then everything turned chaotic.
The guards swung their weapons at each other, biting and scratching both animate figures and inanimate objects.
They seemed to have lost all reason, only inhabited by mad violence.
The female elf followed Oresus to the stairs, leaving the chaotic scene behind her, yet her mind seemed to have been deeply affected by it. She could no longer keep her calm when looking at the man in front of her.
When they arrived on the second floor, apart from prostitutes fearfully glancing at the staircase or talking to each other, there was no other person.
What stunned the elf was that no matter how close she was to those women, they didn't appear to see her. As if they could not notice her presence.
It was only when they entered a room near the stairs that she could finally see the mysterious man's face.
Both of his eyes glowed with an exquisite red colour.
Fear and amazement filled her face as she stared at him silently.
[Alright, I'm done. Thank you for your patience and dedication. Here's your reward.]
He took 3 silver coins out of his pocket, handing it to the prostitute that had waited for him in this bedroom.
She was standing by the window, seemingly waiting for him to jump down.
[Please sir, let me go with you.]
The prostitute only spared a glance at the girl hiding behind his back. Her eyes then stared with fervour into his ruby eyes.
[I can do all household chores, I don't need to eat much, I can find food for myself, I can be your slave or anything you want me to be, I beg you, take me with you. I'll work hard and never complain, I'll do anything you ask me to and never will go west if you say east... Only you look at me like that.]
She sobbed as she spoke. Her eyes never leaving his face, using all her energy to find more reasons for him to bring her away.
Only when she realised he had remained silent, calmly staring back at her did she lower her head, tears gushing out even faster, falling to the ground quietly.
[Okay. Come.]
His words broke the silence. Yet, the blonde woman didn't seem to have heard him. Her head was still low, crying in silence.
He then took a set of rings from the treasury chest.
In his homeworld, they were called Dissimulation Rings. They allowed the holder to take the shape and features of a different person. It was imprinted with a predefined figure so as soon as a person took hold of the ring, it would dissimulate his true appearance with a fake one.
Magical Artifacts were rare in his homeworld, only a few select people in his clan owned one. The ones gathered in the Arcas clan treasury weren't meant to be used. They were a piece of history that had a deep tie with previous generations of clan masters.
Oresus didn't seem to care or realise the importance of those rings.
Thanks to them, they got out of the brothel without anyone bothering them. The merchants put their mercenaries on the entrance of the brothel to inspect everyone leaving, but they did not react when their group quietly left.
Both women looked at each other speechless. The voluptuous former prostitute now appeared to be a middle-aged man with a beard and messy hair.
While the beautiful elf now looked to be a female in her fifties with white hair and deep wrinkles on her face. She walked on the street with an arched back, making her experience for the first time how it is to walk among humans without being stared at.
[What am I gonna do with them now...]
Oresus muttered as he seemed to ponder something. The girls were touching their bodies while scrutinizing their appearance.
Slowly realising that their bodies did not change at all and that it was only an illusion.
He gave them a few moments before bringing them away to the inn he stayed at.
As they walked on the street, he observed them silently.
The blonde girl walked with a nervous face, giving glances behind her from time to time.
The green-haired elf, on the other hand, took her time to take in everything surrounding her, especially people.
She would stare at them until they looked at her, then watch with incredulity as they quickly looked away. A genuine smile emerged on her face, happiness squirmed inside her as if it was the most enjoyable experience.
[Do you have names? Or should I name you myself?]
He paused his feet to ask, whispering the last sentence.
[Maia...]
The first to answer was the nervous former prostitute who had just earned the freedom to serve another master.
He nodded at her, then glanced at the other woman who would be serving him.
[And you, do you have a name? What's your status in the elf society?]
The smile froze on her face when she heard him ask about her past.
She seemed to hesitate on her answer before releasing a sigh.
[Castiane. I'm just a regular person, I hunted and foraged plants for a living. What about you, are you an important personage in the human society?]
Oresus stared at her with an amused smile, yet one of his eyebrows was frowning, and not just a little. Yet, Castiane acted as if she didn't notice anything wrong.
[Next time you lie to my face, I'll just break your neck and throw your body in a ditch.]
He turned around with a cold demeanour, hurriedly walking away.
Maia quickly ran after him, ignoring the elf by her side.
Castiane stood in the street with a composed expression, however, her aura was a mess. The elemental energy inside her body was so unstable it threatened to surge into her soul.
After a few deep breaths to calm her emotions, she closed her eyes to remind herself of a few things.
Only then did she run after the duo who had disappeared from the street.
Oresus was sitting on his bed reading the books from his clan. From time to time, he would frown and rub his eyes, or sigh as if something was troubling him.
He had rented two bedrooms in the magical bear inn, letting his two servants share the same room.
He planned to stay in the town a few more days until he had read through all the books in his possession and acquired the location of his next destination.
Near the end of the afternoon, a team of guards accompanied by a mercenary entered the inn in search of someone. It was relatively easy to distinguish a mercenary from a town's guard as one would look at people faces, while mercenaries would immediately search for traps and danger whenever they entered a new place.
It was the same difference between a local militia and a regular soldier. Their demeanour was totally different.
After the group had a word with the inn's owner, they quickly searched through the kitchen and the rooms upstairs.
The mercenary and 1 guard had entered his room briefly, but since he was a stranger in town, he was asked a few questions and had to show his residency permit.
The guard appeared to want to ask more questions but was dragged outside by the mercenary.
The 2 girls living next door did not let anything slip. After the guard saw that it was a couple of middle-aged people, he left without even asking for their permit.
After the guards left, he went downstairs to order dinner to be brought to their rooms.
Late at night the same day, a surprising visitor knocked on his door.
Without opening the door, he knew who it was but he still pretended to be surprised when he saw the elf girl standing in the corridor.
[Come in.]
He did not ask her any question, he just sat on his bed and stared at her.
She stood in the middle of the room awkwardly, not meeting his eyes.
[I...came to apologise for lying to you.]
After forcing herself to say this sentence, she closed her red lips, plunging the room into silence. She stealthily glanced in his direction, only to see his impassive face, his calm dark eyes still staring at her.
[I still... you caught me unwilling to follow you. I must return back to my people, they must have sent soldiers looking for me. I am truly grateful for allowing me to escape those vile merchants, and I did not want to lie to you. I...just need to return...home.]
Oresus's eyes lowered to his hands, his black hair fell to cover his whole face.
After a few moments, he answered in a hoarse voice.
[Then what do you intend to do, break the agreement and leave on your own?]
A strange mood settled in the bedroom. Late a night, only light up by the shining moon, one man sat on the bed with his head lowered, and one young woman stood in front of him, with a complex expression.
[Then leave. You don't want to stay, I will not force you. I regret taking you with me. In the end, I was still fooled once again.]
She didn't seem to know what he was talking about but she could hear the grief in his tone. She bit her lips, clenching her fists, she lifted her head and closed her eyes.
[I...My name is Castiane. I...I used to be our tribe priestess's maid. It is forsaken for us to reveal information about our tribes to outsiders, but I, Castiane, am not an ungrateful elf. I made this promise, I will respect it till the end or I shall no longer call myself a warrior elf.]
She pledged in a firm voice, to herself and to the man who would become her sole master for the next two years.
Oresus's face rose, a thin smile appearing in her vision.
[A warrior, and a maid. I used to have a few maids by my side. Let me see how great an elf maid differ compared to a human one. I'll rely on you to do the menial labour in the future. You can leave now.]
She seemed intent on saying something, but he just waved his hand to send her out.
When she closed the door and entered the room next to his, his whole expression changed.
A frightening chill erupted from his dark eyes, his smile was gone, instead, traces of anger were present.
He briefly glanced at the wall separating them, before lying on the bed to sleep.
Ever since he had arrived in this world, this was the first time he actually slept during the night instead of meditating.
The next day, both he and Castiane acted as if nothing had happened.
She served him his meal with care and would come back to take the tray downstairs. Whenever he sent her out to buy something or asked a question, she would report to him everything in detail.
Only, he didn't ask about elves and she did not mention her home anymore.