“I still think this is a mistake,” Kulgar grumbled. He finally calmed and sat down on the robust wooden chair. It creaked under his weight augmented by his steel armour he seldom undressed in public.

“Well, just suck it up. As you said, he is weak. The Choker of Prevention works. The priest from the Staumaz’s Church confirmed it. It is just a slight interest. The moment the attention fade and Ruo’Kut will find another plaything, you can get rid of him with ease,” Dargan placated his brother. He opened a cabinet behind him and pulled out a large, opaque, glass bottle. “Come on, brother. Let’s drink! The show was a success. We got rid of one of them, the disgrace got killed by a human, where I must admit I would rather prefer the rats than to die by human’s hands,” he scoffed, death by a human… disgusting, “and…!” He stopped talking, forcefully prolonging the pause. He slowly poured the wine into cups and handed his brother one.

“And what? Come on, Dargan, don’t keep me hanging there,” Kulgar said impatiently.

“Well, Ssirza said something about a nice reward for finding something interesting,” Dargan whispered. A devil’s rewards were always good. Even small gifts could tip the balance to his side.

“Heh, I see that the friendship with a devil is already paying off, huh, brother?” Kulgar chuckled. Then they raised their cups.

“So for what we are drinking today?” Kulgar asked his elder brother.

“As always! Money!” he replied with cheer.

“And a good battle!” Kulgar cheered too. They bottomed up the cups and threw them over their shoulders. “You know, you should really need to deal with that wood. It’s an inferior material. The steam and steel brother! That’s what’s moving the modern world today!”

“Aaah, let your brother keep his little quirks, young one!” Dargan graciously laughed. “Come, let’s go meet the Sisters! From a good source, I know they are looking for a mate!”

“HA! I will show them a mate!” Kulgar laughed again, his worries slowly fading away. However, the nagging voice in the back of his mind still bothered him. The human… His battle-hardened instinct told him something is going to happen to him.

⌬⌬⌬⌬⌬⌬⌬⌬⌬⌬

Back at the cell, a wall on the opposite side of the toilet hole slid into the ground and an orc, fully encased in plate armour entered.

Vladimir was kneeling on the ground with closed eyes and breathing deeply. If the orc wouldn’t know better he would think that the human meditated. Problem was that the meditation techniques were closely guarded secrets, only opened to wizards and priests.

He poked the man with the sharp tip on his left sabaton. Vladimir woke up and growled, “what do you want?”.

The orc confusedly blinked as he understood him. The person before him spoke a perfect orcen. Something that should not be possible.

“So? Will you stand there for long or are you going to tell me what you want?” Vladimir said, annoyed with the interruption. He was just replaying his childhood, his mom, his dad and the brute had to interrupt him in the best.

The orc stifled, anger overcoming his curiosity. After all, he was a warrior, not a researcher or wizard. “Filth!” he yelled and grabbed his head with one hand, raising him before his eyes hidden behind the barbute. “Don’t get cocky, trash. Devil Ssirza The Book-Finder wishes to examine you. And as you can clearly understand the glorious orcen language, you will listen to me well,” he said with a menacing tone. “Do not speak, unless asked. Always speak the truth. Grovel. If not, you die a coward's death on a spike through your ass. Understood?” the guard yelled like a drill sergeant back in the Earth’s SAS camp.

Vladimir considered for a moment he would attack and tried to run away. So he used the [Analyser] on the orc.

[Armored orc, guard

Level: 15

VIT: 225

CAC: 18

ISS: 10.2

NSS: 12.1

MPA: 3]

[Vladimir D. Svoboda

Level: 1

VIT: 5.33

CAC: 1.10

ISS: 1.00

NSS: 1.05

MPA: 2.00]

“That was the stupidest idea you ever had from the day you decided to go on the climbing trip on Kilimanjaro…” Loony cackled. “Really, for a genius you are a moron sometimes.”

“Shut up,” Vladimir uttered, not realizing loud enough for the orc to pick it up.

“Heh, you have some spunk, filth. Maybe, you are not such trash,” the orc got more amused than angered, “for a human at least. I heard you got a nice fight at the Coliseum. Too bad I could not see it, but others said it was funny as hell,” he lamented as they walked through the dungeon illuminated by light crystals freely laying on triangular prominences on the wall.

The engineering of this place was at a high level. Vladimir simply marvelled at it. It would be expensive to make it on Earth, not to talk about the material. Granite, marble, steel, bronze, silver, gold… And it seemed so mundane here. He could imagine that this city would be taken apart by Earth capitalists. He concluded the city had to be sitting in a resource-rich area.

They zigzagged through the vast dungeon, missing open cells occupied with sleeping, eating or copulating goblins and strange beasts, torture chambers, with strange tools and tables. They missed even a sex dungeon, occupied with lasciviously clothed orcs, moaning while playing their fetishized games.

Peculiarly, no pipes were in the open. He could hear the constant hissing, clanking and flowing water all around him. The dungeon was warm, proving the presence of pipes distributing the heat.

He realized that the orcs and goblins were nocturnal beings and preferred dark and underground. They should have evolved like dwarfs, wide and short. It seems that somewhere it went haywire and they evolved as two meters and half brutes. Mana? Ki? Energy? Orcs are only evolved goblins? Would make sense, but these speculations meant nothing right now. He would need resources, power and time to research this mystery.

“Yeah, even I have to admit it’s strange. However, in this place, the physical laws, evolution laws and other laws are probably getting constant trashing. Magic, Ki, Lifeforce, Essence that allows you to evolve. Right now, you should consider how the fuck WE ARE GOING TO SURVIVE, IDIOT! So, please, STOP marvelling at their architecture, stop wasting time with creating USELESS speculations, and I don’t know… Make a plan to persevere our little, fragile life! We are not going to die! I won’t permit it!” Loony shouted as he got hysterical.

“Oh God, stop yelling! Fine,” Vladimir sighed as he yearned the D-Join drug. Really, a person doesn't realize the greatness of modern medicine. Hopefully, he will find some substitute.

He returned from his little detour and started to think of what to do. Alas, before he could begin, the orcen guard stopped before a big, decorated, silver gate.

“We are here, filth. Remember the rules. You are nothing more than a slave, even lower than goblins. If you survive, we could maybe see each other again. I like your spunk,” said with a simple nod. Then he grabbed a large knocker and banged.

“Thanks, I guess…” Vladimir half-heartedly replied.

The door slowly opened without a single squeak, which Vladimir kinda expected. A scrawny goblin peeked through and examined the visitors. He closely observed Vladimir and nodded. The orc left without a word and the goblin beckoned the man to move inside. He was joined with another two larger and more muscular goblins.

It was a laboratory with a side room, probably an office. It was a circular room, 12 meters in diameter. The floor was warm and made of marble tiles with a slight angle, descending to drain on the side. In the middle of the room was a clean, steel table in the size of a human. Either they prepared something special for him, or he was not the first human here. Above it was a large light light crystal with a giant lens under it. A smaller table loaded with tools, ranging from scalpels and saws to coloured vials and bowls with mashed herbs, was on the other side near the head.

“Aaah, excellent. Hmm, what a nice specimen. I wonder how are you so weak? I don’t feel magic nor ki from you. Most peculiar. As I heard you were fighting fairly good at the Coliseum. No matter, I will have my answers soon. Hello, I am Ssirze,” a human-like, slightly high voice rambled from the entrance to the probable office. A small being came to light, showing himself in all of its glory.

The first thing Vladimir noticed was a pair of crimson eyes. Not that they had crimson pupils or sclera. They were quite literally glowing crimson. The devil had three golden horns, pointing straight upwards. Otherwise, he was bald, showing silky white skin. His face was clean, without a wrinkle or flaw, dominated by eyes, an aristocratic nose and full lips curved in a slight, arrogant sneer. His ears were long and pointy, almost like elvish.

He was tall around one meter sixty centimetres, wearing a simple white toga, with a pouch hanging around his waist and sandals on his feet with three large fingers.

He also had four long arms with six thin, long fingers and prepared for dexterous and flexible movements. The nails were carefully taken care of, clipped as if prepared for surgery.

[Analysis partially complete: Reason: Natural magical radiation prevents proper penetration. Recommendation: Get stronger, peasant.]

[Ssirze, The Book-Finder

Level: ???

VIT: ~2000

CAC: ~100]

“So, do you like what you see? I certainly hope so. Today we will only get to know each other as I have other duties to attend. Aaah, so many things to do, so little time left for hobbies…” he sighed. He moved before Vladimir, observing his body. Then he sneered and suddenly bellowed, “KNEEL BEFORE YOUR MASTER, YOU FILTH!”

Vladimir twitched and knelt without choice. The power of those words forced him down, and he could even fight it. He frowned.

“Good good. This is where you belong. Slaves, strap him on the table. Let’s not waste any more time,” he ordered and happily skipped towards the table.

The muscular goblins grabbed Vladimir and did as ordered.

“Now, little human, what secrets are you holding,” the devil cackled and took one of the vials. He poured into Vladimir’s mouth and forced him to swallow.

[Analysis complete; Truth serum. Hallucination inducing agent found. Unable to filter. Antidote not found.]

[Encyclopaedia updated: Serum of Distortion.]

⌬⌬⌬⌬⌬⌬⌬⌬⌬⌬

Two hours later, Vladimir woke up back on the granite slab in his new cell. He remembered everything from what could only be said was vivisection. He locked the memories of him being dissected away with a note: ‘Vivisection, do not open.’

[Resistance: Cutting trauma gained a level]

“Hmm… Seems it worked out. Great! Now, unlock your memories by saying The Loony Is Great!” Loony said.

Vladimir ignored him and unlocked memories he locked away. A truly useful application of his Encyclopaedia. Especially when they force you to tell the truth. What you do not know you cannot say. He prepared when he was alone in the cell. The meditation sub-technique Focus had a great synergy with the Encyclopaedia and it went surprisingly easy.

“The Loony Is Great!” Vladimir repeated in his mind and was flooded with his memories. He opened his eyes and looked around. There was again a meal and filled the canteen on the table. “Can’t believe I agreed to that stupid password…” Vladimir uttered.

“Cranky again?” Loony sneered.

“Give me a break, Loony, not in the mood,” Vladimir replied, exasperated. He did not feel hungry, so he did not even bother to stand up.

“Well, we meet again, crazy human,” a familiar voice echoed in the cell.

Vladimir jumped up and saw the goblin. He saw him die by his mother’s hand. “You died!” Vladimir cried in surprise as his eyes bulged.

“Heh, crazy human. I was sentenced to three humiliating deaths. They won’t let me die so easily. Wait… How can you understand and speak perfect goblin? Hmm. It’s the same as that woman, Adele...” The goblin curiously voiced, his gears in head furiously turning.

“Uh oh… Choose well, knighty-boy. Potential ally, a spy or a hallucination?” Loony cackled.

“Secret,” Vladimir decided. The goblin shrugged and an awkward silence fell in the cell.

“Vladimir. You can call me Vlad,” he said staring at the goblin.

“Sou’Rek. And you can call me inquisitor. Or Sou’Rek,” the goblin replied after a bit of contemplation.

“Wait, what?” Loony burst in laughter. And Vladimir soon joined him too after he failed to hold his laughter.

“Why are you laughing, human?” Sou’Rek asked, confused.

“Sou… Sou… Sou’Rek! HAHAHAHA!”

“So? That is my name.”

“It… Means… Scrotum! In… My… Native! HAHAHA!” Vladimir was able to barely put together a coherent sentence.

The goblin first blinked a few times before it hit him. He first reddened to a shade of tomato, which created quite a contrast on his green face. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, not knowing what to say.

Then, he started laughing too. Meh, whatever!