“My bad, I think I got a little carried away there.”

I troublingly blurted out to Lily while entrusting my back on the wall outside my living quarters. Behind the hideous mask that was supposed to strike terror upon the prisoners, almost all of my facial muscles ached after laughing for so many many times. Even though acting was out of my expertise, the role unexpectedly suited me well which made me think that I had potential in villainous roles.

“You're scary good Big Brother Seth! Your acting was perfect!”

Lily highly praised me but her face showed a subtle hint of fear. Nevertheless, she beamed a radiant smile and raised a big thumbs up at my performance. Being covered with only a towel, I was worried about her being cold despite the fact that the temperature regulator inside the facility was running well.

“Is that so.”

Unsure if I'm going to be happy after receiving a high evilness rating, I let out a troubled laugh at Lily who seemed to be quite experienced with drama plays.

“But it's still not over so don't forget your lines okay. “

“Alright, I'll do my best.”

The act hadn't reached its ending it seems, Lily reminded me. Direct confrontation with that self proclaimed princess and her underling was the next scene in this orchestrated play. Lily, their angelic savior, would magnificently help the prisoners from the evil clutches of the psychopathic house owner. A typical story that would usually end up with the victims, voluntarily giving their unwavering trust to their savior. The good cop and bad cop interrogation tactic was ingeniously adapted in this routine as suggested by the acting and writing prodigy, Lily.

Not wanting to further delay the series of pre-planned events, she briskly walked towards the direction of the surveillance room which was temporarily used as an interrogation room. The hem of the towel fluttered as if it was the cape of the heroic Lily

She's undeniably better than me when it comes to human interactions.

I readily admitted my defeat to Lily who was far more superior in this field. Being cooped up inside this warehouse after so many years negatively affected my communicating skills. In addition, the discrimination of most of my colleagues limits my interaction with other people. Lily on the other hand, seemed quite used to it and could easily think of scenarios that could benefit us.

This place is dangerous.

After confronting both the monstrous bear and that illusionary psychopath of a lady, I could safely say that dying in this place wouldn't be unusual at all. Every living being inside this forest should be considered dangerous until proven safe. Falling easily into that category was the princess and her band of slaves. She suspiciously proclaimed herself to be a princess and also invaded the grounds near the warehouse without permission. If we made contact with them without the necessary precautions, our position would certainly be at a disadvantage.

“We need more information.”

I calmly declared to myself the best solution for our problem but still couldn't help but be worried about the future. It wasn't an easy task especially with the place we were currently at. Nonetheless, there's a high probability that these outsiders could provide the necessary information.

After waiting for a few minutes I also walked towards the direction Lily went. Contemplating with each step I took, I slowly made my way. The surveillance room wasn’t that far from my room but I took my time, allowing Lily to do her part.

Now it’s my turn.

I readied myself once I saw the fully opened door that emitted a sweet aroma that tickled my nose. The toxic gas that was pumped in the room wasn’t deadly but could put a person in a state of euphoria and eventually unconsciousness if continuously inhaled. Lily battled the colorless fumes of the chemical compound Nitrous oxide, and made her way into the center of the room.

I should’ve cleared the room first.

Brave enough to enter the room without even a single olfactory protection, Lily’s gait soon became wobbly. An amusing spectacle that made me chuckle while under the face of a clown that was similarly expressing its joy with its creepy smile.

“I’ll remove the restraints so please don’t move.”

Lily gallantly said to the princess that was helplessly strapped into a chair. She repeatedly fiddled with the locks that kept the straps in place but failed to even unlock one. An excessive amount of effort was purposely showed to Catherine, but it was all in vain.

“Behind you!”

The princess alarmingly exclaimed to Lily after seeing me enter the room. Her crimson hair that was previously glowing was now back to its original state but her eyes still showed an undying blaze. For some inexplicable reasons the princess appeared to be unaffected even after inhaling laughing gas in hazardous quantities.

Is it some kind of bioluminescence?

That phenomena certainly looked like bioluminescence. But to think that a human could exhibit a trait that only animals could normally possess, a different path of evolution must've taken place. Furthermore, the trick performed by her attendant was also mind boggling. To control fire in such a sophisticated way, a complex process must be behind it. All in all, both of them weren't normal humans despite the fact that they looked the part.

Even though the part of room, where I was at, was poorly lit. My hand instinctively searched the wall where the switch of the exhaust fan was installed. With a flip of the switch, the suffocating air that carried a mouth watering sweetness was flushed out and replaced by fresh forest air.

“Well, well, well. What do we have here?”

A line that could be considered a standard in an antagonist’s script came out from my mouth. While being supported by the voice alteration feature of the mask, a frighteningly deep voice was made artificially. A homemade villain was created from scratch but it should safely pass the minimum requirements for an average bad guy.

With each slow step, I neared both Lily and Catherine. Consequently showing my whole body that didn’t look intimidating at all. My usual work clothes beneath a pure white laboratory gown were shown to the savior and the captive. The mask completely covered my head, concealing every inch of my skin and the conspicuous color of my hair. Only a pair of diagonal slits, which was intended to look like delighted eyes that were narrowed to their limit, aided my vision.

“If you intend to hurt them, you’ll have to get through me first!"

Lily protectively spread her arms wide, showing her firm resolve to save the princess and her attendant from the evil me. Her expression felt so genuine that I inadvertently clapped my hands in admiration. Even though my real motive was to praise her, my actions further convinced the audience that I am really an authentic scoundrel.

*Sigh* Let's get this over with.

It certainly felt that if I continue with this act, things would be much more troublesome. Besides, I am already tired and had to do a lot of other things. Ending it as early as possible would be the best choice for now.

I stopped my advance in front of Lily and proceeded to stretch my left arm towards her. It looked as if I’m going to strangle her neck which made Catherine furious. Flared nose with her face reddened in fury, the princess definitely didn’t look like a princess to me. She kept on hurling unknown words at me while wearing an annoying face, trying her best to insult me through bad mouthing phrases that I couldn’t even comprehend.

!!?

I didn’t paid much attention to the flailing princess in distress and continued with my next move. While being dangerously close to Lily, my hand was opened to its limit. Exaggerating it as much as possible in order to increase drama, I clenched my fist without any warning. But as soon as the hand descended on Lily’s head, an anticlimactic pat to the head was done.

“Alright, if Lily says so.”

Even though my voice was frighteningly deep, it carried an inexplicable heartwarming feeling. Which made Catherine, who was on the verge of exploding in anger, utterly confused. Lily on the other hand, blissfully squinted her eyes at the gesture that carried positive energy.

As for me, I unknowingly formed a warm smile beneath the mask. Not only did Lily showed an exceptional performance but also perfectly executed each scenes with me as a supporting actor. Although deep inside, I’m the gladdest to know that this stressful play had already closed its curtains.

____________________________________________________________________________

The usually quiet and empty kitchen felt cramped and stuffy all of a sudden. Previously used by only me and Lily, it only had a small table, two metal chairs, one sink, a row of elevated cabinets, a stove, one refrigerator, and counters that contained appliances that were common in modern households. Once spacious enough to let Lily run around it freely, the floor area narrowed due to the increased amount of people. Replacing the small table was a rectangular work table that I moved here to accommodate the uninvited guests. Presently, seven chairs were lined up near the table with me positioned at one of the short ends. Lily was seated beside me while the captives were at the far opposite end of the table. Catherine, being the leader of their group, was given a seat that directly faced me. It looked as if we were having a business meeting with our side clearly holding a more dominant position.

“I’ll be starting the discussion regarding the future of both parties.”

I formally announced, through my normal voice, the agenda for today’s meeting. Further alteration of my voice wouldn’t do me any good especially since this was a negotiation that was supposed to be peaceful. During that entire time I was wearing the battle armor that I painstakingly made. Being covered fully by the armor gave me enough confidence to confront the intruders that were obviously unrestrained.

Originally, I opposed the idea of making contact with outsiders but after my encounter with the princess and her attendant, I could safely say that they were normal living beings. The lie detection device that I purposely attached to them was in fact a medical instrument to measure both the brain waves and the flow of blood from the heart. Although unsophisticated, It could safely determine if the both of them were really human beings. In addition to the emotional swings they showed during the trial, the instrument’s findings showed normal results. Even though there were some peculiar differences between them and a normal control, I was convinced that they were indeed human beings and not supernatural creatures that only wear human skin.

“The things attached to your necks will discharge electricity if any of you tries to disobey or attack me.”

In place of the bindings that previously shackled them into place, eye catching collars were fitted on their necks. They were shock collars that could be remotely triggered whenever a captive presents a threat to both Lily and I.

“............”

The opposing party began to notice the significance of the collars after hearing my words. Despite the fact that they should only know the language of their respective races, their gestures signified that they understood every word I said. Truly an unusual band of individuals, seeing that everyone of them had unique characteristics that wasn’t short of fascinating. Their names and races were already known to me since they carelessly divulged information right in front of the warehouse.

Elves, dwarves, and beastmen. Races that were commonly heard in old fantasy novels and role playing games. At first, it sounded ridiculous to me but after seeing them in such close proximity, I was convinced that they weren’t lying.

“Don’t yank it too much or else-”

“Eeeeeeek!”

.

.

.

.

“-that’ll happen.”

The princess impatiently pulled the collar that looked fragile enough to be forcibly removed and was electrocuted as a result. Her whole body shivered due to the nerve impulse created by the electricity but still she remained conscious. Wanting to snap out of its aftereffects, she shook her head vigorously and proceeded to fiercely glare at me.

Is she really a princess? Or maybe she’s barbarian princess of some sort.

She probably still hadn’t moved on from the tormenting that I subjected her into, justifying her inextinguishable hostility towards me Surprisingly, her body endured such a high voltage shock as if it was just mere static electricity. It certainly looked like the princess possessed a body that was strong against physical harm but was weak against mental attacks.

Contrary to the princess’ rash behavior, the other slaves were timid in a sense that they would just glance at the collar without touching it. Since they didn’t suffer any form of tormenting from me, their behaviors weren’t extreme except for the attendant of the princess.

“DON'T KILL ME PLEASE!”

He panted heavily and would shout the same line over and over as if he was a broken record. Easily shattered into pieces with only a few nudge, his willpower was as fragile as a thin sheet of ice. He cupped both his ears tightly, refusing to listen to the words that came out from my mouth.

“Get yourself together Geraint!”

The princess, who shouted at a similar volume, attempted to pacify the wailing attendant. Even though it sounded like they were just shouting mindlessly at each other, the attendant whimpered in response and eventually quietened down like a puppy who was obeying his owner’s order.

I really need a noise cancellation feature in this thing.

The excessively loud exchange, between the princess and her attendant, suddenly reminded me of something that became even more important by now. Even though the meeting was held in order to start negotiations between the two parties, not a tad bit of progress was made whatsoever.

“The princess told me that all of you were brought here as slaves, was that correct?”

Wanting to return the meeting back to its original track, I cut straight to the point and told everyone the question in a very serious tone. Troublesome as it may look, extracting information without the use of force would yield the largest amount of data and could also gains us companions that could be relied on the future. But if by chance they weren't creatures that had sane reasoning, I wouldn't hesitate in formulating a torture routine that could kill if necessary.

“............................”

Although silence was the first to answer, their differently shaped ears were noticeably perked up. Finally, the meeting had started to progress even a little after seeing that the majority of them were seemingly interested on what I said just now.

GROWL~

Short lived the silence was, replaced by a thundering sound of stomachs rumbling in unison. Being deprived of food while on a long journey was a usual case for slaves if one would think about it. Not having energy to answer back, the slaves uncooperative behavior was understandable. A foreseeable predicament that could easily be resolved.

In front of that realization, I couldn’t help but facepalm in frustration. While Lily, who was quietly listening to us, chuckled in amusement.