The red-haired elf seemed to genuinely mull over my words for a moment. He seemed to be interested in what I had to say, and I was glad. I corrected my glasses that were knocked off track when I was punched in the face by his masked ally.
"And what could you offer me?", he asked, curiosity in his gaze.
"It was thanks to your boy that I was able to come up with this suggestion, so he should be praised rather than abused.", I said. I gauged his interest in my words before I continued, "Your goal is the complete eradication of the Angea House, correct?"
While there was no verbal confirmation, the shit-eating grin plastered on the man's face was more than enough to let me know that I was correct. It was only natural that I come to this conclusion since his subordinate came out and said it. If it was not true, he would have denied it once I brought it up. Instead, he punished the man with physical violence all while lamenting his association with demi-humans.
Now the fact that he said "demi-humans" rather than speaking to him specifically was interesting to me. Narrowing my eye at his masked associate made me question her race as well. Just why was this elf aligning himself with demi-humans if he doubted their competence?
"That is something that we may have in common.", I added which brought a look of surprise to his face.
"Surely you are just saying that to save your own skin. Cornered dogs will bark in defiance once backed into a corner.", the man replied.
"Take a good look at me. Just as your man said earlier, I bore the sins of those who came before me. The moment I was born in this world I was declared a demon, and I am not foolish enough not to recognize my place. I have attempted to defy your attacks, yet here I stand with my future residing squarely in the palms of your hands."
"You belong at the very bottom of our society, yet despite its treatment of your kind, you allow Clarice Von Angea to hold your leash. It is foolish for you to align yourself with a dying breed."
"I agree. The Angea is finally getting what they deserve, but unfortunately, it isn't happening quickly enough.", I said, analyzing his features.
"You still haven't told me your offer. I am beginning to believe that your words are empty, and there is nothing that you can offer me. Your life, meaningless as it may be might end up forfeit."
The man's words were a clear threat to me. Whether or not he saw through my attempt was questionable, but I continued that action. He gestured toward me and sure enough, his masked badass approached menacingly.
"Your words may be true, but I request that you continue to entertain me for a while longer.", I say, holding my hand out as a plea of some sort.
He seemed to regain his interest, so he gestured for her to stop her approach. I took that opportunity to just get straight to the point.
"Your organization may have spies watching her every move, but she is incredibly vigilant about who she brings inside of her inner circle. They can obtain only so much information while looking from the outside. I can provide another point of view. Your patron may be aware that I am one of the few individuals who reside inside of it. Clarice trusts me, and with that trust, I could be useful.", I shot the man a serious glare as he weighed the merit of my words. While he seemed to gather his next statement, I reminded him of the obvious.
"That is as long as I live."
With his hand, he gestured for his masked associate to return to his side, and she did so without hesitation. Her unreadable face was blotted out by the owl design. I wondered just what thoughts flowed through her mind as well. I was also curious about the reason that only she covered her face.
"Hmm- So you are offering to perform espionage for us? A man of such little skill would find it difficult to deliver Clarice Von Angea to us.", he remarked in a scolding tone.
"On the contrary, skill isn't much of a factor when you have the trust of your target." I countered.
Despite my timid and defeated appearance, confidence oozed from my every pore. I could sense that I was beginning to earn a bit of his favor, but I still needed to remain vigilant. This man seemed to have his decisions swapped on the whims of his amusement.
"With your permission, I could feed your organization the movements of Clarice and even influence her actions to a certain degree. It would not be difficult in the slightest since I have considerable sway."
"You would turn against her even if you are aware that your actions will result in her death?", he questioned with a skeptical glare.
I nodded my head and placed his focus on my deteriorating condition. Upon connecting the dots that I was drip-feeding him, I fought the devious smirk from appearing on my face. I could tell that he was seriously considering my words. No doubt, I seemed desperate enough to sell out Clarice in the state that I was in.
Any reasonable person in my situation would do it if they valued their life. That is unless they don't possess a variant of that dreaded self-destructive loyalty.
"If the cost of my survival is for me to wag my tail for a new master, then so be it. I value my life, and I will do anything to safeguard my future. I do not wish to die here, so please consider my offer. I beg of you to allow me to join your cause. I too, useless as I may be, can be a useful tool to bring about the complete eradication of the Angea Household!"
'And...Bingo! Hook, line, and sinker.'
The man's reaction finally told me what I needed to know. He believed that I would spy on Clarice for him and his organization.
"So be it! You answer to me now, and as you can see I will not tolerate any failure.", the red-haired man said.
His face showcased a mischievous grin as his mind raced with the devious plots he likely would force me to carry out. That is the natural progression of things once you give power over you to a man of this caliber. I imagine that he is leagues faster, and possibly stronger than his present allies, but at my best, he is far inferior to me.
"Rest assured that I will see out any of your orders without hesitation. Just give me two months, and I can bring you everything there is to know about my current patron. I'll even be responsible for her disappearance as well if ordered. Clarice would disappear similarly to Lady Ana and her daughter."
Satisfied with the result of this encounter, the red-haired elf crossed his arms. He studied me with scathing scrutiny before relenting. I imagined the combination of my wet hair, and bloodied features played a huge factor in convincing him that my defection was legitimate. It was unfortunate for him that this night would likely be marked as a huge what-if in the history of this land.
Without missing a step the man turned his back to me and headed back toward the town of Oa. I had no clue about the reason he was heading that way, but it wasn't as if it mattered much to me anyway. After all, I needed to retreat for this area and allow myself time to reflect and repair.
"I will be in touch soon enough, so don't bother attempting to skip town. My allies have the scent of your blood, and they have an impressive memory. There is no escaping the deal that you've made tonight.", he says as he begins walking away.
With my gaze filled with caution, I watched as his masked subordinate picked up their weakened comrade. She helped him to his feet before quickly falling into line behind him. There was something peculiar about the woman, and it wasn't just her mask. She seemed to analyze me a bit longer than her superior as if she were waiting for me to make a misstep.
I didn't do such a thing and she was likely aware that I would likely not. Her hesitant gaze meant nothing to me in the grand scheme as I now saw a path to complete what I sought to accomplish. I didn't plan on sticking around to see whether or not he would change his mind. Their leaving was an indicator that it was time for me to depart. I have no interest in waiting for the next person to attack me either, so despite my injuries, I moved to Lannister's location in the bushes,
"Hurry up before I have to fight another challenger."
The young boy seemed completely afraid of the current status that I was in. I wouldn't blame him either. Seeing the man who lectured him about the various ways of obtaining strength get seemingly killed would be jarring. Regardless, he was still too small to resist even if he wanted to.
I gripped the young boy by his collar before holding him underneath my arm like a package. My body creaked and begged me to rest, but this was no place to do so. I took a quick glance back and hoped not to see any of the previous attackers.
"Brace yourself. Things might get bumpy."
With that said, I mustered all of the strength that I had and leaped away into the treeline. I navigated the branches, bouncing like a rabbit across a plain. With my arm full, I made use of my tail when it was necessary to preserve my balance. It proved to be difficult to reach the gate of Astana, but I chose an unorthodox way of entry.
It would be illegal in this world, but fuck it anyway. Jumping from a tree, I checked the condition of my passenger to make sure that he was doing well. No words were needed for that confirmation. I managed to locate a clearing in the forest away from the main road into the city. It was there that I decided to take a breather and examine my torso injury.
It was just my luck that the area once again reopened due to my strenuous activities. The stab wound cut deep, and all things considered, I should be grateful that I was able to move much less jump for miles. Any regular human would have likely keeled over during the journey if the initial moments of the stabbing weren't their last.
Standing before me was the glorious wall of Astana, and half of a mile to the west was the gate that we departed from at the beginning of our journey. I could only sigh at the conundrum that I now faced.
I would not be so foolish to attempt to enter through the gate as a bloodied mess. From my position there seemed to be a minimal amount of guards stationed at this specific portion of the wall. Whether it was due to the increasing rain or the time, I sensed that this was an opportunity. I had to make my decision quickly as the longer I gauged the distance the more energy I seemed to leak.
I have to return to the inn and recuperate from this encounter. It was only then that I could formulate a plan to make sure that red-haired elven bastard would regret making a deal with The Devil.