Chapter 5: A little bit of travel

A warm breeze blows pleasantly in the face, a view opens before the eyes of Chloe's slender figure and mane of blond hair, who is driving a cart pulled by a pair of horses. On the left, leaning against the side, Olga is snoring. The road to Feoh is often used, and therefore it is well rammed and practically without pits and bumps, so even the primitive design of the cart with horseradish depreciation does not prevent us from enjoying the trip. While there is an opportunity to enjoy the peace and quiet before the work that we have to do, it is worth taking advantage of this, which is what we are doing now. Moreover, there is not much time left: it is the morning of the third day, as we are on the road, and by late afternoon the walls of Feoh should appear on the horizon.

We worked out the action plan until late in the evening. My idea was to arrive in Feoh, so to speak, incognito, check into some tavern or inn, look around, figure out what's what and act based on what we see. The most difficult task was, oddly enough, to get inside. Our company is quite noticeable: that two dark elves who can't walk freely around human territories, that I'm with all my stuff and in clothes that don't even remotely look like something that locals can wear. Hence the question arises, and who should we introduce ourselves to be so beautiful so that they will believe us? There are few options, or rather only one: two slaves and a master. In no other case, according to the girls, two dark elves cannot be on human territory. So a young but successful trader Tom Cruise and two of his maids (yes, maids, because officially there are no slaves, but everyone who needs to think quite differently) will set foot on the territory of Feoh, whom he nobly bought out of slavery in Jaffa, a city of slavers, also located close to the border, but already with on the opposite side from the mountains, in the desolate territory of the former Dark Elf empire. According to my companions, this is still a hole where lawlessness and lawlessness flourish, and the main source of income for its owners is a two-legged reasonable commodity. Judging by the way Chloe's face twisted at the mention of this place, as well as if we recall what the Bespectacled Man said at our first meeting, she is quite familiar with the "hospitality" of the inhabitants there. She and I have managed to get a little closer over the past time, but not so much to touch on this topic in conversations, so I can only guess what the girl had to go through.

But I digress. So, after passing through the gate to Feoh, we occupy a room in a tavern or an inn and wait for the arrival of Vult with his army, simultaneously exploring the city and figuring out how they will attack it and what we can do to prevent them from achieving success. You may ask, what are the three of us able to oppose to an armed crowd of thousands? In fact, not so little as it may seem at first glance. Even at home, I am an extra—class fighter, an elite of elites, and there is nothing to say about the locals. I can easily stop at least a hundred, at least two people, if I choose the right meeting place. I don't fully know Olga's capabilities, but she promised that, having prepared herself, she would be able to give out fireworks even stronger and longer than last time in the tower. Well, Chloe, although she does not have magic and is not superhuman, and she is young by elven standards, some 40 years old (pf-f-f, you'd think ... although against the background of the queen, really consider that a child), is an experienced and skillful fighter, and if you give her a machine gun, things can get tricky not much less than myself. So it turns out that we have a small, but very toothy group that, under favorable circumstances and on the effect of surprise, will be able to take out a much larger number of the enemy.

Our legend is sewn with white threads and attentive people will quickly figure out that something is wrong with our company. At least because all rich and influential citizens, as a rule, are familiar with each other, and no one has ever seen Tom Cruise anywhere, and in communication I can easily slip up on well-known trifles due to ignorance of local realities. Some things, of course, were explained to me by the girls, but this is not all, since they themselves are carriers of a somewhat different culture, and in general ideological opponents of the local regime. But, on the other hand, we don't have to play spies for a long time and all the cards will be revealed during the assault, which will happen pretty soon. Therefore, our hastily invented deception is needed only for one time.

The only really weak point of our plan is the fact that I, as a trader, must have money with me, goods for sale and transport in which I will transport it, and if there are no problems with the first and second, there is a reserve of gold for a rainy day in the shelter, like all sorts of things, which can be presented as a commodity, then there is a problem with transport. It just doesn't exist. In theory, we can assemble a cart right on the spot, since there is nothing complicated in its design, we have nowhere to take the horses that will pull it. And here the question is not only in plausibility but also in banal convenience. I can walk as much as I want, but unfortunately, this cannot be said about my companions. Of course, they can travel on foot, but it will be too tedious and long, and we already spent a week on vacation and we absolutely did not want to waste time. The issue had to be solved somehow and we even figured out how: to steal horses. Olga placed her cache wisely, not in the depths of the forest, but closer to its edge, just not far from the road, half a day's journey along which there is a village in the direction of Feoh, where draft cattle are almost guaranteed. Stealing a couple of horses at night would not be difficult, and Chloe and I were ready to do it. Yes, it's not fair to the villagers, but who is it easy for now? Our conscience will definitely not torment us about this, and in general it's for their own good, yes.

It was decided to move out at dawn in order to arrive at the place by the middle of the day, reconnoitre the situation and, waiting for nightfall, get hold of transport under cover of darkness. It should have taken us about a day to do everything about everything, but it still comes out faster than walking, and for the reasons stated above, it's much better, so none of us had any doubts about whether it was worth it.

Fortunately for the poor villagers, we never had to steal anything from them…

 

Flashbakc. 3 days ago. Early morning.

"I can't believe we agreed to this ..." — Chloe muttered under her breath, stomping behind me. She didn't like the idea of stealing horses from peasants the most. And no, it's not because she sympathizes with them, or anything like that. She has no respect for humans, except for me, unless, and then because of exceptional circumstances. These circumstances, combined with Olga's urgent request, forced her to come to terms with the fact that she would have to become a thief for a short time. However, I didn't notice any stupidity or any squeamishness behind her and she understands why we are doing this, but no one can forbid her to grumble about it.

"Yes, I also somehow did not expect that I would ever steal horses in the village." — I half—jokingly encouraged the girl. — "But modern problems require modern solutions. And in general, take it not as theft of someone else's property, but as a walk in the fresh air."

— "I fucking hate gypsies"

What the fuck? I already lost my step when I heard this phrase in my head. One-on-one, like in an old movie that I once watched. Out of surprise, I even missed most of Chloe's answer.

"..and no one should ever find out about it! Nobody!" — The dark elf finished expressively the remark I hadn't heard to the end, after which she saw how I froze in place. — "Kay?"

"Martha ... — I drawled, turning to face the girl who was confused about my behavior and immediately became alert, starting to look around, periodically returning it to me and lowering her hand to the hilt of the sword. — "How do you know this phrase? And don't say it's by chance, I don't believe in coincidences."

"Is there no danger?" — Chloe asked, and when she got my nod, she stopped looking around. — "Then what phrase are we talking about?"

— "I used a well-known expression on Earth, suitable for the current situation, but I did not take into account the reaction of the carrier. Kay, I apologize."

"To hell with apologies." — I began to boil softly. — "Once scientists cut off half of my skull to install a brand-new neuroimplant directly into my brain, and I was quite conscious at that moment, and since then I have been very sensitive to the contents of my head. I barely got used to the fact that you can kill me at any moment, but if you also feel at home in my memory, then this already goes beyond all bounds of decency!"

— "…"

"What?!" — The elf was taken aback, having learned another interesting detail of my biography. — "But why?!"

She jerked in my direction, stretching out her hand to her head, no other way to check if all the "details" were in place. The concern in her gaze even made me feel good.

"To increase combat effectiveness, of course." — I shrug my shoulders, letting myself be felt, and when Inspector Chloe was convinced that my head was intact and the alarm could be canceled, he asked: — "Where did the information come from, Martha?"

"Portable computer. The one that is not with you now. I remotely connected to it and found a library of files of an entertaining nature. Once again, I apologize for not notifying you and for the fact that the joke was unsuccessful." — AI said guiltily. — "I didn't want to make you uncomfortable, just to participate in the conversation. And I am not able to read your thoughts and memories, there are no such functions in nanorobots."

Inhale and Exhale, Kay.

Raise your eyes to the sky.

Well, I wanted to check the tablet, but I was too lazy, leaving it for later, but it was possible to avoid the hassle. A trifle, but still unpleasant. It seems to be relieved... if you do not remember that there is still zero faith in Martha's word, and her statement "artificial intelligence is not capable of lying" I have no way to check. I wonder if she is deliberately imitating emotions, trying to win me over, or is she really experiencing them? I don't like uncertainty, especially if it directly concerns my life and health. But in this case, at least there is evidence, nevertheless it is worth rechecking later. Eh, it would be possible to get rid of her somehow...

"Kay." — Chloe's voice brought me back to earth. — "I don't understand your artifacts very well, except for weapons, and even those are only a little. Is everything okay?"

"Yes, it's all right. Just a misunderstanding, we can move on. — And I continue my way first, and a second later my companion did the same. — "Apologies are accepted, Martha, but in the future, be sure to notify me of everything you do with me and my things, in order to avoid situations like this, agreed?"

"Agreed!" — Martha answered cheerfully.

"And you made a good joke." — I praised her.

"What's the joke?" — Chloe pricked up her ears curiously.

"Will you tell again?" — I asked Martha.

"I fucking hate gypsies," — the AI gave out in the same as an actor in movie, from which I raised an eyebrow and chuckled merrily.

"And? I don't understand what the joke is?" — The elf looked at me in bewilderment. — "And who are these "gypires" and why should they be hated?"

"Not gypires, but gypsies." — Smiling, I corrected the girl. — "You don't have to hate them, but a character in a fictional story doesn't really like them, I'll show it to you later if you want."

"Okay, but who are they?" — She continued to be curious.

"Nomadic people. They are very cunning and is famous for masterfully stealing other people's horses." — I finally explained.

"Tc... I fucking hate gypsies...." — Chloe said.

***

We reached the road by noon. Actually, it was not expensive, as such, in the understanding of modern man. It was rather a wide path running through the forest. We did not go out on it, but moved parallel fifty meters away. It is not profitable for us to meet someone on the way and it will be easier to avoid detection by those who will be moving along this road. We walked at this pace for another two hours until Martha spotted the movement.

"I'm recording movement. The road, two hundred meters ahead." — Martha reported by surprise.

I gave Chloe a sign to stop, and I looked in the right direction. The optical system of the implants automatically zoomed in on the picture, allowing a good look at two covered wagons accompanied by a dozen riders. Everyone, including the cabmen, in chain mail and with weapons: who has a sword, who has an axe or a spear, all have shields, except for three archers. Judging by the opening mouths, they are having fun talking about something, but it is not clear what exactly. Turning on my thermal vision, I noticed the outlines of five more humanoid objects in one of the carts, but they are in an obviously uncomfortable position: on the floor with their hands clasped behind their backs and their legs bent at the knees.I don't know, maybe they do yoga there, or play twister, but it's very unlikely. By all indications, this is not an entirely simple procession. It is necessary to decide what to do with them: to let them pass by or to say hello politely?

"We have tourists here." — I explained to the girl in a low voice the reason for the stop. — "Two carts, there are seven in them, five of which are connected. Accompanied by ten horsemen, all armed."

"What do you suggest?" — The elf immediately got close.

"Let's take a look first. We'll take cover over there." — I pointed my finger at the bushes covered with dense foliage a dozen meters away from us. — "And we'll see. And then we'll decide, okay?"

"Quite." — She agreed with me and we layed down in the place I suggested. A minute later, horse neighing and people's voices were heard from the side of the road, and two minutes later they themselves were heard.

"Slavers..." — Chloe almost growled when she saw who was coming, and it immediately became clear to me who they were carrying in one of the slave carts. Clenching her fists, she looked at them with eyes full of hatred and old pain. And somehow I immediately didn't want to just let them pass by. But what to do with the prisoners? Quit? It is, of course, possible, but Chloe, who has a thing for slavery, may perceive it negatively. On the other hand, there is nowhere to put them, except to drag them with us to the shelter. But they can try to escape. And then those who don't need to will find out about our shelter. Although... we're not there for long, which means there's nothing too dangerous in revealing that place, and I don't think we'll go back there at all. The plus to this is that these comrades just have what we need — transport. And since we will kill them, then the horses and carts can be safely taken away. And it wouldn't hurt for my partner to throw off stress and revenge in miniature. It's decided.

"We need horses and a cart, right?" — I ask the girl in a whisper.

"Yes." — She replied.

"So here they are." — I indicated the subject of discussion with a nod of my head. — "You just need to come and pick it up. Will you cover my back?"

"With pleasure." — The girl snorted, picking herself up, and after a second added: — "Thank you. It's important to me."

"Well, come on." — I smiled, taking a step towards the future corpses. — "We'll leave the main one to talk, and kill the others"

"Got it." — The girl said, getting up from the ground and joining me.

It's time to stretch a little.

 

The slave-trading party moved in a crowded manner, but in a certain order: Five riders in front, five behind, and carts in between, with the prisoners in the front. They moved slowly and at a relaxed pace, so that we still had a couple of minutes to prepare for an attack after making our decision.

"Well, look." — I said, at the same unfolding the automatic rifle, removed from its holder, and passing it into the tender maiden hands of the resolutely determined warrior for bloodshed. — "I'll go in the open, and you'll cover from here."

She is, of course, a very inexperienced marksman: you can't count the two dozen rounds she fired under my supervision while we were resting in the shelter as experience. But she's certainly got talent, and the distance here is easy-about twenty meters to the road. And I'll be safe for her life if I leave her here.

"Okay." — Twitching her ears in impatience, Chloe takes up her weapon and lies down, taking aim at the rider riding ahead of everyone. She does it right. I have little ammunition and nowhere to replenish it, but my lessons with firearms were not limited to that. Within a week Chloe had easily learned the necessary minimum.

"Leave those to me." - I squat down and redirect the barrel of the gun from the beginning of the column to the end of it - "Cut off those who jump to help them or try to escape, but in the direction of the front cart better not shoot - there are hostages."

[Should I turn on  recording?] — My electronic roommate inquired.

[Go ahead.] — After a little thought, I give my consent and a time counter appears in the corner of the eye interface, among other parameters.

— [Tear them up.]

That was the end of the instructions and we set about waiting for the enemy to get closer.

"It's time" — I pat the pixie on the shoulder as the head of the procession reaches our position and immediately, taking a low start, I charge forward, activating my blade as I go and leaping at full speed out of the forest, leaping onto the crest of the closest horse.

The rider, not thinking straight, loses his head, and I'm on my way to the next.

No sooner had the poor animal, toppled onto its side by the force of my legs, fallen to the ground than I caught up with it. Neither a sword nor a chainmail helped the man: the blade, vibrating at a thousand vibrations per second, sliced the upper half of his body clean off, along with a chunk of the weapon. This time I jumped not on the horse, but past it, just far enough to hit him, so I landed calmly on the ground at the same time as the two bandit's bodies I'd killed and turned to the others.

"Who the hell are you?!" — Yelled at me bearded big man, dressed, unlike the others, in a full cuirass and a thick gray cloak of expensive-looking fabric - the explicit leader of the gang. — "Who do you think you're messing with?"

There was a touch of fear mixed with rage in his voice. He'd just seen two of his men torn to shreds in a second, which was understandable. They might even have been friends... but who cares?

"I don't talk to dead people." — The last thought flew from my lips and my interlocutor's face twisted in anger, he was even going to answer me something aggressive, maybe even pathetically ordering my subordinates to kill me, but then Chloe made herself known: the automatic shot, so close, stabbed the unprepared ears of horses like a scalpel, immediately stirring up the animals and making them panic.

And while the men tried to cope with the frightened animals, I took advantage of this and began to act.

The first in line was the head man, and I simply yanked him down by his leg and knocked him out with a blow to the jaw with my elbow.

The dagger I found on his belt left its scabbard and flew into the head of the other victim. The blade went straight into his eye, leaving the bastard no chance of survival.

The last of the front five riders was terrified. He could do nothing as the sword entered his lungs from below in an oblique trajectory. Spitting out a clot of blood, he fell face down on his horse's back, and the animal, left unchecked, ran off wherever it could see.

All the while, gunshots sounded from the side of the thicket, accompanied by screams of pain and falling bodies.

"Die!" — I turn around and see another suicidal man coming at me at full gallop, pointing his spear at me. Idiot. He has lost his last though ghostly chance to hurt me.

At the last moment I remove the body from the line of attack and, grasping the shaft of the spear, throw the fool to the ground. I didn't have to do anything else: his leg was stuck in the stirrup, and a frightened horse and a pleasant ride with his face on the ground would finish the job as well as I did.

I hear the crack of the bowstring. The body itself comes into motion.

[Behind you!] — the warning sounded at the same time as my own reaction. I do a somersault forward, letting the crossbow bolt pass over me, which, not finding its target in my face, flies off somewhere into the bushes.

I look where the shot came from and see the charioteer, shaking with his hands, reloading his crossbow. I've seen that somewhere before...

— [Thank you.]

The spear I hadn't let out of my hand went flying, ending in the shooter's chest.

I listened: there was no sound around, except the sound of the remaining horses and the sobs from inside the wagon. Activated thermal vision confirmed the absence of new foes. The timer froze at the one-minute, eleven-second mark. That's how long it took to kill twelve people, taking into account the time I'd spent running and talking to their leader.

The first thing I did was to tear off a piece of harness from a horse I had caught there and tie up the commander tightly. After that, I checked the bodies of the bandits for survivors: there were no survivors, I had hit for sure, and those who were shot by Chloe, those who did not die immediately, had time to bleed out and take their breath away. By this time the girl herself had managed to come out to me and help with the inspection. A fleeting glance at the next wagon showed a bullet-riddled chaser with legs sticking out of the wagon and bags of unidentified contents. Either slavers' belongings or loot, or more likely both. We'll look inside later. We should look at the prisoners first.

"Oh." — I burst out as I stared into five pairs of frightened eyes. Bound hand and foot, the five dark elves stared at me with fear as they lay at the bottom of the wagon.

[Fixing multiple signs of violence.] — Martha was the captain of the obvious.

[Of course it is.] — It didn't take a genius to figure out what was happening to them from the moment they were caught. Torn, dirty clothes, sticky hair, bruises and abrasions all over their bodies. They hadn't even bothered to wash them after they'd been abused.

Sons of bitches.

No, I guessed exactly what I might see here, and I thought I would be ready for it. But reality showed me I was wrong. I'd never regretted killing anyone... too quickly. Even when we were sent to sweep out the Cultists, who had suddenly decided that mollusks were God's punishment and were rioting and sabotaging cities in their name, I didn't feel that angry. They simply killed their victims, thereby, in their mind, bringing them relief. Here we have the result of the actions of fuckheads who think they can get away with anything.

But they forgot there's always a bigger toad in any swamp.

"Oh, gods..." — Chloe froze for a second when she saw what I saw, and then she rushed to untie the restraints.

"Hush, hush..." — she whispered as she cut the ropes with her dagger in the arms of what looked like a young teenage girl. — "You'll be all right... you're safe."

A sharp U-turn on my heels and in two jumps I get to the tied up bastard.

"Wake up, little fella." — I give him a good slap, and that's how I bring him to his senses.

"А?!" — The would-be corpse twitches in my hands, trying to get his eyes together. A little while later, he succeeded. — "YOU?! What did you do to me, you bastard?! You... K-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h...!"

His jab on his solar plexus made him bend in half and gape like a fish, goggle his eyes, and gasp for air.

"Look." — I put my hand over his mouth and turned him to face the corpses of his associates. — "Your friends are already in the land of eternal hunting."

"Mm-mm-mm-mm!!!" — Muttering, the slave-trader mewled and convulsed in a futile effort to break free as soon as he saw the others' fate.

"Soon you will join them. But first..." — I made him look at my face and turned on the light in my eyes. — "You and I are going to have a productive talk."

 

In a little while. Chloe.

The time since Kay dragged the captured slave trader away for interrogation, Chloe has spent caring for the rescued girls. Having hastily treated their abrasions, washed them with water found in the wagon, and dressed them in the clothes she found too, she tried to gently ask the former captives about what had happened to them.

The girl, more than anyone else, understood how they were feeling, but it was necessary. First of all, for the victims themselves, so they could speak out and not keep everything to themselves.

Tears and hysteria welled up as the two elves vied with one another to vent their frustrations. Even screams, sobs, pleading, and strange noises were enough to hinder the pouring out of tears from where her partner had gone. The bastard's cries, however, caused only joy and gloating satisfaction in Chloe's soul. If time and opportunity had allowed, his fate would have been shared by his accomplices, but they were even lucky, because corpses can't feel pain...

The story of the rescued, meanwhile, was not original: one of the many villages on the edge of the desert was raided by slave hunters, all the male population was put under the knife, as well as most of the women, and those who remained awaited a much worse fate. Once upon a time, when Chloe was a little girl of twelve, the same thing had happened to her home. She wished she could forget that time like a bad dream. She wanted to, but she couldn't. And the unfortunate people she saw before her now only added fuel to the fire that had been slowly devouring her from within for three decades...

Involuntarily, Chloe compared herself and the girls rescued today. Unlike her, they had been enslaved only recently and could still return to normal life. Probably. At least, in their eyes there was still mind and will to live, unlike that broken doll that Mistress Olga had once found. In time, it got better, but a subconscious sense of her own depravity and a maniacal thirst to wash off the dirt accumulated over the years of torment haunted the girl, not wanting to let go. Only an equally fanatical devotion to her mistress prevented her from shamefully laying hands on herself. But even that oasis of stability in her life could have been lost if not for...

"I'm sorry." — Chloe was distracted from her heavy thoughts by one of the prisoners - Eisha, already a grown woman and mother of a girl named Mitra, who was huddled at her side. As the one who most steadfastly endured the ordeal, she assumed the role of a kind of leader among the rescued and actively helped Chloe to bring them into relative order. — "That man... he's not going to hurt us?"

"No." — Tougher than she should have, judging by the trembling lips of the woman, Chloe answered, which she was surprised herself. — "He's... a friend."

You are reading story Kuroinu: Foreigner at novel35.com

A friend? Yeah, Chloe guess. Although, at first, Chloe took the unexpected savior with a fair amount of mistrust, after all, he was human, and she hated humans more than anything else in the world. Besides, he was something subtly similar to herself, according to his reservations, was also deprived of freedom and subjected to torture, was also broken. But, in contrast to Chloe, he didn't seem at all burdensome about it, rather proud and humorous about his past.

[I once had half my skull cut off in order to install a brand-new neuro-implant directly into my brain,] — his recent words came to mind. It was said so casually, as if it meant nothing at all. A trifle, not worthy of attention. The things he said were so disconcerting, they made her question her sanity, but the wonders he demonstrated demonstrated that it was all real. The music alone was worth it.

Another thing that won her over was his attitude: he was not rude, did not treat her with prejudice, talked to her as an equal, not paying attention to her race, was always interested in problems, and was open. Chloe herself did not notice how she began to reach out to him and seek attention, because next to him she felt ... complete?

"Excuse me." — The woman bowed, clearly afraid to anger her saviors. — "I meant no offense, it's just that when he looked into the wagon, he looked very angry."

"Calm down. His anger was not directed at you, but at those responsible for what happened to you." — The girl stood up to defend her companion. — "He would never hurt you, you can be sure."

"Thank you for your kind words, Chloe." — came from behind a familiar voice.

"Kay?" — Abruptly turned on the spot girl. — "Have you already finished?"

"Yes, and our new friend told us a lot of interesting things before he died suddenly." — The man smiled, taking a step closer.

"I hope that scum suffered before he died." — One of the dark elves said angrily.

"Oh, don't doubt it, gorgeous." — Kei turned his attention back to the speaker. — "And I'd entertain him some more, but time is of the essence."

"What's to become of us?" — Asked Aisha, glancing warily at the man.

"We won't leave you in the lurch. But your appearance has slightly disrupted our plans, so we need to consult our superior." — Kay answered and reached into his pocket and pulled out a communications device. He had a second one of the same kind in front of Olga. — "So, it seems that we have not gone far and should get ..."

He grumbled, manipulating with the object in his hands under the incomprehensible looks of the elves, except for Chloe, although she was curious to see how the thing works, which allows to speak at a great distance.

There, the box emitted an intermittent hiss, which after a second was replaced by a voice:  — I think that's it... Can you hear me?

"Crystal." — Kei grinned, twirling the thing in his hand at chest level, and Chloe giggled to herself, noting the reaction of the other girls.

"It's..." — whispered one of them perplexed. — "Magic?"

"Hush..." — Chloe put her finger to the elf's lips.

"You said it was for emergencies, you have something wrong?" — The box, meanwhile, announced.

"Well." — Kay looked up at the sky and grinned. — "We found a transport."

— "That fast? But you weren't supposed to get there until this evening."

" And we didn't. We met a party of slave hunters."— Kay clarified. — "We have their horses and wagons now. Along with five dark elves."

"Now for the details." — Her voice came out of the box, and instantly it took on a steely tone, typical of the queen.

 

Present time.

We delivered the dark elves who suddenly fell on our heads at a fast pace to the shelter, where we were met by Olga, who was in an extremely excited state. There was so much mixed up in the look she gave me when we met that I involuntarily shrugged my shoulders. She looked at me like a starving man for a week on a juicy, thoroughly fried piece of meat, and promised to thank me properly as soon as such an opportunity will present. The objections, reasoned by the fact that it actually happened by accident, were ignored by the proud queen, and I, discouraged by the woman's reaction, was sent away to deal with the carts that we took with us while Olga took care of the saved elves' health.

[You must understand.] — She told me then. — [The life of each of my people is important to me. And what you did today means almost more to me than my own safety.]

It sounded unexpected to me, because I myself did not see anything in what happened that deserved any special attention. Well, yes, I did, but I wasn't the only one there, and not on purpose! Besides, what to do with them was decidedly unclear. Just letting go on all fours is definitely not an option, because nothing good awaits them. And I would not have found such a step of understanding either with my companions, or, to be honest, with myself. Leave them here and leave by ourselves? It would have been possible, at the same time we would have looked after a good base, but the catch is that Chloe and I didn't put the guys who were taking them very carefully. And to be more precise, it's not neat at all, so when the slavers look for them, which I don't doubt at all, they will definitely find traces that lead to shelter, well, it's already clear what will happen to the girls they find there. Changing an awl for soap for them would be the height of cruelty, so the only option left was to take them with us. Well, Tom Cruise is a guy with exotic tastes in the servants, it happens to everyone, but the fact that there will be not two, but seven ... well, if you burn barn down, burn and the house too.

Olga came to the same conclusions, therefore, a few hours later, when I returned, having finished putting our transport in order, I was informed that the ladies were going with us. The ladies, by the way, looked much better, washed, disguised, and treated, they no longer caused pity by their appearance alone. True, they also didn't look like normal and contented girls — the stress from the experience didn't go away, but no one was looking at me like a wolf anymore. But the wariness and a certain amount of nervousness in my presence did not decrease, after all, and it was humans who turn them into slaves, and they suffered a lot. The memories are fresh and only time will help smooth them out. But they almost prayed to the Queen and her assistant, and looked with trepidation, not otherwise, having found out who exactly pulled them out of trouble.

After explaining to the girls the party's policy and what was required of them, Olga sent them to rest, and the three of us spent the rest of the day preparing for the trip, collecting everything we needed and loading into one of the carts — the one in which we would go ourselves, completely freeing the second one for the captives. The very next day, we set off.

 

Nowdays

"Mhm ... " — Olga stirred on the side, touching me in the process and distracting me from my memories. — "Uva-a-ah…"

Turning my head, I see Olga stretching, rubbing her sleepy eyes with her hands clenched into fists. The clothes at that moment stretched in all the right places, instantly riveting my gaze to the impressive forms of the girl and reminding me of the problem that arose not so long ago. The fact is that, being in the service of humanity, I took a number of hormonal drugs, one of which was aimed at suppressing sexual activity. I don't know why they didn't unscrew libido as an unnecessary element at the development stage, apparently something didn't allow us to do it and we still have it. Therefore, so that we would not be distracted by the urges of the reproductive instinct, a special chemistry was added to our diet. But now there is no such chemistry, and my sleeping companion, waking up, found several female individuals suitable for reproduction next to him and began to give me the appropriate signals. I will not say that I was not pleased with his activity, but it still brought discomfort, especially now that there were even more attractive women around me. At the same time, it is impossible to come to them with all kinds of proposals for obvious reasons. In the future, it will be necessary to attend to the issue of satisfying a newly arisen long-forgotten need, but now i need to be patient.

With difficulty I tear myself away from contemplating the charms of the queen and turn my gaze to her face, no longer hidden by her hands, and notice that she is also looking at me. And, apparently, she noticed my attention, starting to quickly adjust her clothes and remove the folds formed during sleep.

"Good morning." — Trying to hide the awkwardness that has arisen, I greet the beauty.

"Morning?" — She asked and looked out, seeing the sun standing at the zenith. — "But it's noon."

"The morning starst when you get up." — I smiled at her and turn away so as not to continue tempting myself with her body. — "But you could rest more, we still have half a day to go."

"Too much sleep is also harmful, it spoils the figure." — She answered me in an instructive tone.

— "I will not say that I am familiar with this problem…"

"Men ..." — Olga pretended to sigh. — "It's much easier for you to keep yourself in order."

In response, I just shrugged, silently accepting the correctness of the interlocutor. That was the end of the conversation and we spent some time in silence, surveying the passing landscapes. At the same time, I constantly felt the attention directed at me with the back of my head. It started from the moment the captives appeared. Olga from time to time cast strange glances in my direction, trying for a long time to see something in me. I couldn't understand what it was and, at first, tried not to pay attention, but the instincts developed during the war did not allow me to simply ignore the fact that I was being watched. And now I decided to find out what is the reason for such strange behavior on her part.

I turn my head and see what I expected — Olga was thinking hard about something, while staring at me. It was not noticeable on her face and you would think that she was just admiring the views, but you can't fool my feelings with this.

"Do you want to ask me something?" — I asked the girl head-on, noticing out of the corner of my eye how Chloe pulled the tips of her ears in front.

"What makes you think that?" — Olga replied, pretending that she don't understand anything.

"All the way you often look at my back. I feel that way." — I make it clear that I didn't believe it and repeat the question: — "Is something bothering you? Maybe I'm doing something wrong?"

"No, it's just ..." — After a long pause, during which the staring game did not stop, Olga replied: — "You took everything so easily that I don't even know what to think."

She began to list her thoughts, gradually raising the tone of her voice: — "Helped us. And you help further, while behaving as if this is a common thing! As if you are not at all offended by the fact that you are almost in the position of a slave!"

At the mention of slavery, Chloe, who was listening attentively to the conversation, cursed, forcing the queen to stop and look down, who, obviously, was aware that this topic was extremely unpleasant for the blonde. And at this time I was thinking about how to explain to them that I just forgot how to live for myself, and to follow some goal, on the contrary, is more familiar to me? Previously, it was the protection of humanity, and now, here are the women who are sitting next to me now.

Or maybe to say it directly? But words remain just words, which means they need to be backed up with something.

"What should I complain about? That my freedom is limited? Show me someone who is completely free. We are all bound by a framework, one way or another. I've been bound hand and foot by debt for as long as I can remember, so" — I spread my hands — "now everything is the same for me."

As for "as long as I can remember," I'm not much, because I also had that very first life, but it's not worth mentioning. The memories from there are no more than a mirage and I'm not even sure that it actually existed at all and is not some kind of experiment or a malfunction in the training program. Yes, many of my personality traits came from there and helped a lot, but still, I became who I am right next to my brothers.

"And I don't feel like a slave." — I continued. — "Knowing that I can't hurt you in any way, you never took advantage of it. You didn't order, You didn't look down on me. You just asked, although many people in your place wouldn't waste money on trifles and exploited me to the fullest. That alone shows you on the good side.

"After you saved us?" Olga jumped up indignantly. — This is unacceptable!

"Here! You are no stranger to gratitude, either." — I raise my finger sententiously. — "And you remember the good. This is your second positive trait, but far from the last."

Confused by my words, Olga looked away. It's a strange reaction for a millennial queen of harsh desert survivalists, but I really like to see her like this. Maybe she's playing, but I doubt it very much, there's just nothing like that.

"Looking at how you take care of your people, I just can't perceive you in a negative way." — I don't stop listing her virtues and nod my head back to where the girls we rescued were riding in another cart, and then I point my eyes at Chloe. — "You're wonderful. And I'm glad that it fell to me to serve you."

"To serve?" — The woman sighed in amazement, staring at me. — "You mean…"

"Is it worth denying the obvious?" — I smiled, looking into her eyes. — "If I had come across some freak with no brakes instead of you, like this Vult of yours, I would have preferred to die, but I got you. And my life is now connected with yours. So there's nothing to be done, I'll have to become the one who will destroy your enemies until there is no one left who, even in theory, can plot evil against you."

What I certainly did not expect was that Olga, as soon as my last words fell from her lips, would overcome the distance separating us in one movement, pressing her chest against me and wrapping her arms around her neck.

"Thank you ..." — they whispered in my ear, blowing hot breath and making a herd of goosebumps run over my skin. — "It's been a long time since anyone but Chloe has spoken to me so sincerely. Some solid sycophants and sycophants, who still did not turn out to be around at the right moment. But you turned out to be. I won't forget it."

And while he was quietly freaking out, his hands fell on her waist by themselves, pressing her even tighter. Burying my nose in thick hair, I inhale the smell of a girl, forgetting for a second who I am and where I am at all. And only after this infinitely long period of time in subjective perception, it dawns on me what position we are in.

Afraid that I might be misunderstood, I want to pull away, but I don't even have time to start, stopped by a light, almost weightless kiss. On the cheek. And this is a good thing, otherwise the hardly restrained hormones would definitely overcome even my self-control.

"Ahem ..." — As if reluctantly breaking the embrace, Olga pulled away from me. — "I've become too emotional.…"

"Yes, I, as it were ... and do not mind ..." — Still being in prostration, I answered, while not taking my eyes off the queen's face. I used to find her a very attractive woman, but now something has changed. It was as if the filter that was applied to my vision and hid the colors of the surrounding world was finally removed and I saw something that I had not noticed before. I think I hit…

And after all, I understand with my mind that the blame is most likely the awakened hormones that make me react like a teenager to a beautiful woman, contact with whom turned out to be a little closer than just acquaintances.

But somehow I don't give a fuck. I've just decided everything for myself — this woman will be mine.

Some people, however, were not up to my far-reaching plans.

[Carrier?] — Like a jack-in-the-box, she emerged from the halls of my mind, or wherever else she's sitting there, Martha. — [Your hormonal balance is disturbed. But I don't understand the reason.]

[It's all right, Martha.] — Mentally smiling and not expecting a trick, I answer: — [I just fell in love.]

[Fell in love? I think I understand.] — In her usual manner, Marta commented on my answer in an even voice. And it was even more unexpected when she gave the following: — [Do you want to mate with Olga Discordia?]

S-s-s! ...What-what?! Well... that's the most... yes, but still!

[Where did such problems in knowledge come from?!] — I was indignant, cursing internally. — [The desire to mate is just one of the signs of falling in love!]

[I'm sorry. I will try to fill in the gaps.] — As if nothing had happened, this troublemaker of my already disturbed peace of mind teleported to me.

[There will be homework for you, so that you don't say any nonsense,] — I muttered, finishing the dialogue. — [you can use the materials from my tablet, since you have access to them… Now get lost!]

While I was engaged in the sexual education of ancient artificial intelligence, only a second passed outside, and no one noticed how I almost had a heart attack. And Martha is a very great fellow that she did not bring this issue to the general discussion, so to speak. There's enough awkwardness right now. I have a worm of doubt gnawing at me that she might not know about something like this, with her capabilities.

Is this trolling? If so, I take off my hat. To shake her neck later, yes.

"I'll remember. Olga sighed, closing her eyes." — But it is important for a ruler to be able to hold his face, otherwise I will completely forget how.

"I understand the importance of this skill." — I accepted the girl's rightness. — "And you don't have to apply it to me at all, but let's get to the main point. Do you agree?"

"With pleasure." — The Queen smiled warmly at me, opening her eyes. Then, in a guilty tone, she added: — "However, for obvious reasons, I can't hold a proper ceremony for this."

"It's okay." — I returned the smile. — "One day we will recapture your Tower, so it will be possible to get down on one knee in front of you, pronounce a pretentious oath of allegiance and listen to your equally pretentious answer. In the meantime, we will do everything to make it possible."

For a while we just talked about nothing, jumping from topic to topic. We didn't touch any serious things, so as not to spoil the mood, which was just great. And some people would also do well to raise it

Chloe, who was listening to us all the time, was quieter than water, lower than grass. Even her silhouette began to seem smaller, so she tried to shrink down to become invisible. That's just that we didn't notice it right away, carried away by each other, for which we both have a fat minus in karma. And here there is something to worry about: a mentally traumatized girl, who was the only meaning of life serving Olga, recently witnessed how I took, in fact, a similar post to hers. And she also saw what I was capable of, which clearly did not add to her self-confidence. Here it's not far to the point that she will begin to consider herself useless or abandoned, and there it's far from anything bad. She will not betray, of course, and will not run away, but She will definitely fall into depression.

I point to the queen with my eyes at the girl's back and see how she changes her face, worrying about her ward. I stop her attempt to call out to Chloe with a gesture, instead heading to the latter myself.

Once behind the elf's back, I put my hands on her shoulders, feeling how the girl shudders with her whole body, from surprise, almost dropping the reins. — "How are you? You're sitting here with your ears hanging out, you won't even say a word. But you and I are now colleagues, I could congratulate you."

"Congratulations ..." — the elf squeezed out of herself dully and that's it. She didn't even turn to me or try to take my hands off her shoulders.

"Well, it won't work that way..." — I sighed and hooked her ear with my finger, making it jump.

"Hey!" — Chloe immediately jumped up on the box, standing half-turned to me and burning with righteous enthusiasm for such sacrilege. — "What are you doing?!"

"Distracting you from bad thoughts." — I replied calmly.

"Yes, what makes you think that something is wrong with me?!" — She went on the offensive. Apparently, she is trying to use the situation to hide her anxiety. But she can't take us like that. — "I just didn't want to disturb you!"

"Oh, is it?" — I raised an eyebrow questioningly. — "And why are you trembling then, like an aspen leaf?"

— "From surprise!"

"Nope." — I shook my head, folding my arms under my chest, and looked at the girl seriously. — "I don't believe it."

Seeing that I was serious, Chloe somehow immediately lost the fuse. Her shoulders slumped again, her gaze drooped, and she sank heavily into the seat, turning back to face the road.

"I'm fine... really." — But she didn't stop going into denial.

"That's not true. Don't try to cheat, it doesn't suit you." — There was enough space on the box next to her for two, and I climbed over the side of the cart and sat down next to her. — "Listen. Whatever you've come up with, get these thoughts out of your head."

"Easy to say." — Chloe sighed unhappily. — "I completely failed as a servant of the Mistress. She missed the attack, and if it wasn't for you, she wouldn't have been able to free her."

"And what?" — I asked calmly. — "Does one mistake negate everything you've done before? I'm dead in general, but, as you can see, I'm talking to myself about everything here. As long as you're alive and can move and think, do everything you can and something will turn out. And I'll help, and Olga won't leave you for anything. The main thing is to keep your ears to the wind."

"Okay... you're right." — A slightly cheered-up girl turned her gaze on me.

"...or I'll have to kick them!" — I added with a big smile, provoking her.

"wh ... why are you attached to my ears!" — Chloe fell for the trick, instantly forgetting about the blues.

"Because they are very cute!" — Smile and wave. And do not forget to shoot with your eyes.

"Idiot!" — The noble elf warrior proudly raised her nose and turned away, thereby demonstrating how bad I am, and in general a radish. She even let go of the reins, covering her ears with her palms. Only the tips of her ears, reddened like a crown, visible from under her fingers, made it clear that she was pleased to hear praise.

"Hee-hee!.. " — Olga giggled melodiously from behind, and I turned to the sound and met her sly smile. — "You look so cute together. You'd make a great couple!"

"Mistress!" — There was no limit to Chloe's indignation.

The blonde elf managed to return to the world of the living and then the three of us talked. I don't think she's completely fine, but rather temporarily calmed down. Such things are not solved by a single sincere conversation, and, in a good way, a long and painstaking work of a psychologist is needed here to help her completely. Unfortunately, I am not a psychologist, so we will solve the problem as best we can: we will try to support and make you feel important.

And in this way, the rest of the way passed until, closer to dusk, the walls of Feoh appeared on the horizon.

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