"Wake up already sleepy heads," I said.
The two slaves groaned and mumbled loudly. Slowly, they stirred themselves back to full consciousness. They looked around themselves and found out they weren't at the same location anymore. They noticed their wounds were still present and their attires still had their ruined form.
I'm sure they were surprised that I didn't heal them or fix their clothes. But why should they be? I was their master, not the other way around. Plus, I already decided not to use Hex for a while, though there were still items that I could have used. There's also the final reason. Well, let's hear what they had to say.
"We are...?" Talia asked, looking around the unfamiliar room.
So they wouldn't address the matter of their current state, eh? Smart ones.
Shamac also had a strange expression on his face, but he refused to speak about the room. He was more interested in another matter.
"Master, what happened. Who won?" He asked me.
Talia heard this and her face immediately changed and clouded over. It must be because she failed, despite her power-up.
"We are currently at the apartment of one of my friends," I said to them, answering Talia's question.
They both looked surprised. They must be surprised due to my choice of words. Well, that much was expected.
"As for who won, no one did."
The both of them had surprised expressions.
"No one? But that means..." Talia said.
"Yes. The both of you passed out before a winner could be decided." I said.
Talia heaved a sigh of relief when she heard this. Shamac looked disappointed at himself. It must be frustrating. After all the effort he put, he still couldn't beat her.
"However, I have to admit. Based on the events of the battle, If I was to decide upon the winner based on performance, I'll pick Shamac."
Talia's eyes widened when she heard this.
"B-But why? He clearly struggled when fighting me. If not that I ran out of time, I would've..." She protested.
"Excuses" I cut her short.
She shut herself up when I spoke.
"In terms of power and overall advantage you, Talia, were superior. However, Shamac's skill and good use of what he had was vastly incomparable to yours. If you had been more earnest, perhaps the fight would have turned out differently. You weren't prudent and cautious, since you were more powerful. You recklessly used your essence, shortening your time even more. Your attacks lacked efficiency and you had no proper defense" I said to her.
She looked sober when I mentioned these.
"If not for the drawbacks of Shamac's form, he would have won. Yet do you see him protesting over the stalemate? That alone proves him to be the winner" I added.
Shamac remained expressionless, however, he also had something to say.
"You shower me with undeserved praises master," He said.
"Of course. It's good you know" I said.
"It took you too long for you to realize the other advantage you had and for you to utilize your Shapeshifter abilities. Though I already observed that you can't properly use the two of your variant abilities simultaneously, you'll need to work on that. Combining those two efficiently will be your greatest weapon in the battles to come" I said.
"I understand. Thank you for the advice master" He said earnestly.
I can't say I was displeased with that.
"Now that we have that out of the way, there's something I need to tell you" I addressed them both.
They both had expectant looks on their faces and waited for the words I have to say. Well, it was going to happen anyway, might as well just have it out of the way.
"By this time tomorrow, I'll be in control of this entire town," I told them.
"W-Wha- How is that possible?" Talia let out in surprise.
"M-Master, are you serious?" Shamac asked.
"Yes, of course," I said.
"Then master, what do you need us to do?" Shamac asked earnestly and excitedly.
Talia also nodded her head with him in agreement and looked at me expectantly. Stupid girl, and yet she was asking me how possible it was for me to control a measly town? Even Shamac had a better perception of my person and capabilities than her at this point, and she has been with me the longest.
He knew very well what I was capable of, at least in the little capacity of his knowledge. As much as I would like it for them to be by my side when it happened, they would serve more useful purposes. "The both of you will be captured and tortured by my friend, until finally, I obtain you back by some miracle tomorrow." I said to them.
"Wha-?" Talia asked in confusion.
"Look around. I said this is the place of my friend, didn't I? Well, that is according to the narrative." I smiled.
"Narrative? Master, I don't under-"
Before Shamac could complete his sentence, I drove my fist deep into his gut, forcing him into unconsciousness. He gagged and fell immediately.
"Hexarion, what's going on? What are you-?" Talia protested, a bit scared from the tone of her voice.
Without any warning, my hand lunged at her in a flash.
Grabbing her throat, my grip tightened around her neck and lifted her. The pathetic girl clawed my hand with a sad and shocked look on her face while choking.
That irritating face riled me up.
Maybe I should tear off the skin on her face... No, that's too far.
Tears were welling up in her eyes while she drooled from the lack of oxygen..
"I know this makes no sense to you, but that doesn't matter to me." I smiled, a casual one to be frank.
Explaining would be a waste of time anyway. Just do what you always do Talia... Be pathetic.
Her hands that had gripped me loosened before dropping. Her head tilted to the side, knocked unconscious.
Once I released my hold, she fell to the floor, her head banging on it and resulting in a loud thud.
Well, she'd be fine. Fairies were famed for their sturdy skulls, after all. And I'm sure hers are exceptionally so.
I walked away from them and opened a portal in front of myself. The purple rip in space warbled in front of me and I slowly entered. I looked back at the two of them and smiled before entering the portal and disappearing from the room.
"Let the games begin"