I opened my eyes slowly. The morning sun forced its way through the gaps in the shutters. My internal reactor worked silently. I took a deep breath and stretched on the mattress. My shoulders popped with a dry crack.
Shnee was lying right next to me. She was awake. Her hands clutched the edge of the blanket. She stared at me with diamond eyes. She instinctively cowered, seeking protection in my shadow after months of captivity.
"No nightmares?" I asked calmly, scratching my neck. "First time in years," she whispered, her voice trembling slightly. She breathed a sigh of relief, moving closer. She felt that as long as she was in my reach, no chain would ever touch her skin. "There will be more. Get up, darling. We have a city to take over," I threw with Brazen chill. I yawned shortly, placing my bare feet on the cold boards.
We went downstairs. The tavern smelled of burning wood. Elena was wiping the oak counters. I stood at the bar, slipping my hand into my coat pocket. I pulled out a handful of silver coins. The sound of hitting metal echoed in the empty room. "For board and rooms in advance," I announced. "Take care of this place. Today we have field work". Elena smiled with authentic gratitude.
We stepped outside. The muddy streets of the Lower City smelled of the gutter. I walked at a slow pace with my hands in my pockets. Shnee stepped right behind me. Her silk dress rustled quietly. I ignored the whistles thrown by local drunks.
I kicked open the rotten doors leading to Silas's office. Inside, it stank of old tobacco. The merchant sat behind the desk, counting copper coins. He looked up. He saw the elf standing behind me, and his pen froze in the air. "Fuck, Dave. What kind of marvel did you drag to my hole?" Silas wheezed. He wiped his bald head with a dirty sleeve. "She has eyes like someone who can rip your guts out. Did you grab this from that bloated pig, Malcor?".
I fixed a cold gaze on him. "This is Shnee. My first foundation," I cut off firmly, extinguishing his gutter jokes. I adjusted the collar of my coat. "Listen carefully, Silas. We move to specifics. You start buying local debts in the Lower City. You buy failing warehouses and take over promissory notes. You will flood this city with my silver. We tighten the noose on the local economy".
The merchant opened his mouth. He quickly processed this brutal logic on pure logic. "Golden deal. I am in," he muttered, smiling cynically. He leaned back in his chair. "But since I brought up Count Malcor... this fatso is jumping too high. He blocks my smuggling routes to the east. The Guild threw five gold coins for his head. He barricaded himself in his fortified villa on Noble Hill".
My smile became predatory. Five gold coins was massive capital in this hole. My blood beat faster. "Five gold coins for utilizing trash?" I snorted with amusement. "We are paying him an unannounced visit".
A quarter of an hour later we stood at the foot of Noble Hill. The contrast between the gutter and this district was painful. The streets were paved with clean stone. Malcor's villa resembled a fortress. Four guards in decorated armors stood before the massive gate. "Out of the way, commoners!" shouted one of them, spitting on the pavement. "No vagabonds allowed here! Fuck off!".
I did not even slow my pace. I did not play with drawing weapons. My mind evaluated the weight of the iron gates. I used hard telekinesis. Instead of looking for padlocks, I simply grabbed the hinges with an invisible force. I jerked brutally. A deafening roar of tearing metal resounded. The giant gates were ripped from the stone. The multi-ton steel fell with a crash, throwing the guards back with the rush of wind.
We entered the courtyard. The alarm bell rang loudly on the walls. Dozens of mercenaries poured out of the barracks with drawn swords. I prepared for a quick slaughter, but I felt a gentle touch on my forearm. Shnee stepped closer. "Dave... do not kill them," she whispered. "They are just paid guards. I only care about Malcor. Let's break them quickly".
I looked at her. My internal compass agreed instantly. Killing pawns brought no glory. "Sure, darling," I murmured with a relaxed smile, opening the mental valve just a fraction. "We will apply blunt force. Zero torn spines".
The mercenaries rushed forward with a scream. Shnee moved first. Instead of cutting, she reversed her rapier and used the steel pommel. The girl in the silk dress looked like a piece of art, but her movements were ruthless. She closed the distance and struck a man in the temple, knocking him unconscious. She kicked another under the kneecap, breaking the joint. She released a fraction of frost mana, freezing the boots of the remaining mercenaries to the pavement. Perfect optimization.
I walked through the center of the square. A mercenary jumped at me with an axe. I yawned. I focused pure kinetic energy in my body. I struck his solar plexus with an invisible force. The breastplate buckled inward, pushing the air out of his lungs. He fell to his knees, gasping for breath.
Another thug tried a sword thrust. I caught his torso with telekinesis and threw him against the wall. His body bounced off the plaster with a dull thud. "You hold this sword too loosely, blockhead. Zero balance," I murmured to the next falling man. I waved away a fly buzzing near my ear.
In less than a minute, the courtyard was covered with groaning men. Count Malcor stood at the top of the marble stairs. He saw the neutralized guard and my relaxed steps. He turned in panic and started to run. I compressed energy in my calves. I jumped the entire length of the stairs in one bound. I landed heavily right in front of him. The Count stumbled and fell to his knees, begging for his life and offering his gold.
I opened the pores on my right hand. Sapphire Slime spilled onto my fingers. I forced the raw matter to change shape. The blue mercury darkened, forming long claws known as Abyss Claw. I did not say a word. I framed his shaking silhouette with the fingers of my left hand. With Brazen chill, I drove my right hand straight under his soft jaw. The claws entered his brain. I twisted my wrist ninety degrees, turning his nervous system into gray mush.
The pig stiffened, his eyes rolling back. I pulled my hand out. The fat corpse collapsed onto the carpet. I wiped my hand on his silk coat. "Downstairs," I threw to Shnee.
We went down to the basement. It stank of mold. At the end of the dungeon, three figures cowered behind iron bars. The oldest one with dark skin shielded the younger ones. A young Nekomata and a terrified Tiefling. I approached the cage. I tore the rusted lock with telekinesis. "You are free. The pig is dead," I said calmly.
Shnee stood behind my shoulder. Her gaze fell on the prisoners. She saw the dark skin of the elf. Her aristocratic habit reacted immediately. She spat quietly, turning her head with disgust.
I stopped. I caught this grind instantly. I turned around slowly. My aura flared for a split second. A murderous pressure filled the narrow corridor. The air hardened, taking their breath away. "Shnee," I threw in an icy tone. "There is no place for racial prejudice here. Only loyalty matters. Understood?".
Her trauma hit in a fraction of a second. The fear of rejection took over. Terrified of losing her only foundation, she cowered instantly. She dropped her gaze. "Of course, Dave. I apologize," she whispered submissively.
The dark elf in the cage looked at me with a sharp spark of respect. She understood the hierarchy on pure logic. Luthia recognized a predator who dictates the laws and provides protection. We left the estate and visited a tailor in the city center to wash away their gutter dirt.
At noon, we sat in the Golden Griffin. Elena put a pot of goulash on the table. Luthia took the stolen ledgers from my hands, scanning the lines with cold logic. "This fat pig worked with the Crimson Trail guild," she said firmly, putting the parchment down. "They hold the rest of the girls in a forest camp".
I rested my elbows on the counter. My smile became wide and filled with butcher's enthusiasm. Free personnel and a new target. "Rest today, Shnee," I threw loosely. "Tomorrow we go break bones".