“Go wash yourself, you stink.”

Joe tossed a bar of soap towards the terrified demi kneeling right before him. True heal fixed her body in a blink while purification took care of the dead rot eating at her body.

“And your interpersonal skills suck.”

Neira retorted.

“Don’t mind that asshole of a master. He’s only good when you need a fuck. The rest you’ll have to figure out on your own.”

“ Come, the water’s ready and you really need that bath.”

They left the room though the smell remained.

Joe opened a window. Not that he believed it would make a difference. It didn’t. Pungent smell of blood, rotting flesh and soiled demi does not go away that easily.

“So, what am I gonna do with you?”

The motionless female body occupying his table provided no answer. Only her swaying chest separated her from becoming a perfect corpse and that he wished to avoid.

Easier said than done. The woman had her eyes gouge out and her tongue… judging by the burn marks… he had doubts if he could salvage this one. A shame. She was a nice, large B cup. Almost C. Her figure would be perfect for advertising his wares and her bow would come in handy.

“I am saddened that you have no will to live left. To that I have no cure. If it is of any use, I promise you shall suffer no more pain.”

“Sleep. Sleep deeply and do not wake up. That is my order.”

Instantly, her consciousness faded away, leaving behind the tortured body.

Battling with his thoughts, Joe picked up a wet, soaped cloth and begun whipping clean the elven body. Anger boiled within his veins. How could someone be so barbaric? Not only they raped this woman, they mutilated her and left for slavers to pick.

No feral beast would ever think of such cruelty. They killed swiftly and only when they had to. They did not hunt for sport.

Careful not to upset any wounds, Joe washed her face and long, once beautiful hairs, now mated with dirt, dried semen and blood.

“Can you help her?”

Neira’s voice shook him out of his daze.

“No. Her mind is broken beyond what my current skills can handle."

“Is it? Or are you just too scared to use them? Afraid to pass a border you set yourself?”

“That is why you bought her, isn’t it? To test those skills.”

“Don’t give me that face human. I know your kind well enough to recognize the fever that burns within each of you. The eternal need of excuse. To push the blame away.”

She took his face in her palms.

“I care not what choice you’ll make as long as you make one. For not choosing is the worst sin, the way a coward would live his entire life and I have not given myself to a coward and I shall not serve one.”

“A speech worth of a D cup, shame you’re only A flat one.”

He pulled her closer and rubbed his face against her chest.

“Go, make sure the knight kills off any flees she might had. I don’t want a repeat of the Brawny Inn.”

“Hai, hai master.”

Hissing at the mention of that name, she turned around and left after slapping his butt.

Was it the prickle of her claws on his behind or her words, Joe wasn’t sure. He placed his palm Over the elven heart and spoke.

“Harvest”

And then everything went black.

“Oh dear, oh dear... one... two... one... two... one... two... three... does this even work?”

A familiar meek voice called out within the darkness.

“Depends what you were aiming at. If you were after turning off the light then I would call it a success.”

“Oh! You’re here!”

Something slimy poke his face then some more slimy unmentionables wrapped itself tightly around him.

“No death hugs please, I’m not ready for that meeting.”

“My bad, my bad. Better?”

The pressure lessen considerably.

“Yes, thank you. Now, if I may be blunt, who are you and where am I?”

“Well... you see... there is this... ummm... kind of... emmm... issue.”

“Not interested.”

“H-hey! You don’t even know what it is!”

“I’m talking to a disembodied voice in the dark while being held hostage by a tentacle. The said voice wants me to go on an errand... Should I continue?”

“Uuuu...”

Small sobs came from... somewhere.

“Uuuu... I t-thought... I thought you would at least listen...”

Large, car sized teardrops begun falling from above. Joe almost drowned within one.

“Alright, alright! I’ll listen! Just don’t cry... Please, I don’t wanna die yet.”

“Y-you mean it? You’ll listen?”

Did he have a choice?

“Yes, I’ll listen. So, what’s this all about?”

“Well, how should I put it...”

“Once upon time there were nine good friends. They were awesome friends, strong friends. They had many amazing adventures together. They felt nothing could stop them. And that was true.”

“They lived happily in peace until one of the stupid summoners decided to play god and opened a portal into one of those really, really bad places. Bad for him, he died.”

“Many disgusting things crawled through that portal including the one that ate him.”

“The friends, knowing what happened, set forth onto another adventure.”

“They battled many disgusting things slaying them on the way towards the portal.”

“When they found it, they discovered it could no longer be destroyed from their side. The doors had to be locked at the same time from both sides.”

“Four strongest of them boldly passed through the gate and while fighting the nightmares found on the other side they locked the gate from there while at the same time five remaining friends did the same on their side, sealing the fate of the four that passed beyond.”

“While they were busy crying in grief, “it” came from the shadows and ate one of the remaining friends. The four that survived, battled “it” but they were too weak to kill “it”. They forged heavy chains and bound it, deep, deep underground, in a place no one would find “it” and from which there was no escape.”

“All was fine and good for many, many, many... for a long time... very long time...”

“Anyway, “it” escaped few months ago... and, ummm... you see... it would be nice if...”

“You want me to kill it?”

“No, no! Of course not! Empire will surly summon eight holy warriors from a different world. Each with awesome overpowered cheat skills and all that. No I don’t want you to fight it.”

“Well it would be nice if you could finish it off if the heroes would botch it, they sometimes do, but what I want from you is different.”

“You see, bad things are sure to happen when “it” is concerned and a lot of people will suffer.”

“Heroes are good for doing amazing flashy things and all but they really suck when it comes to the ordinary. They can slay a monster but they don’t really care how many lives of ordinary people they trample in the process. I want you to make sure that this time around, as few people as possible should have a meeting with D.”

The voice went silent tho Joe was sure that somewhere in the darkness a pair of troubled tentacles fidgeted.

“Oh! I almost forgot!”

“Yee who follows my path, embrace thine destiny! Yee calleth and I shall answer! From onwards be thy known as Dark Sage!”

Something slimy poke his forehead.

“And while we’re at it.. could you... pray to me? Like... at least sometimes? It would make things simpler.”