Chapter 18

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If I acted reasonably. I just needed to get away from the town, but there was too much unfinished business there. First of all, there was the matter of procuring all sorts of things that would be useful in a hike, or, more precisely, normal food. If I had to run through the woods and swamps again, I'd at least do it in comfort, not by feeding on wild foods.

It wasn't that I wasn't worried about the guards on guard duty, the night guilders, and even the personal enforcers of half the local bigwigs. Rather, I was simply aware that they could be looking for me alone forever. With my stats, my shadow bonus, and my stealth skill, I could crash in the local mayor's private bedroom next to his wife. No one would notice!

The way back was quick and quiet - who was there to catch me and attack me? The few ambushes at the farthest reaches of the town could not have been dangerous to me. They'd been sent to capture fugitives, not lone travelers. In theory, I could even walk past their positions on sheer impudence, and hardly anyone would attack me. Not at the risk of alarming a possible target.

I even felt like slaughtering a couple of the squads that were on the opposite side from the direction of the escapees, but I decided not to risk it. And to temper my bloodlust - just because they were assassins and bastards for hire didn't mean I had to kill them all. Not in the sense of presumption of innocence, but in the sense of the traces left behind and my own psyche, which no amount of heroic titles would allow me to completely ignore the massacre. Let them sit and wait for their targets, and I will go quietly to my goals.

In the town, which is called Ostmark (it's about time I found out, isn't it?), I entered, as before, by shadowstep, to which I am becoming more and more accustomed. I wouldn't say that my "teleport" was as natural to me as breathing, but it was a habit that made my life much easier. In any case, the first thing I did was go to get some groceries.

Cereal, some special road bread that would not spoil or get stale for a long time, road cookies, in case the bread ran out, salt and spices, which were mercilessly charged for as if they were some fucking jewel and not fucking salt, and a couple of other little things, without which life would be much more unpleasant and certainly not tasty at all.

My biggest expenditure was the purchase of a special case for alchemical utensils - lots of glass flasks, test tubes, and other stuff, neatly arranged in pockets and recesses. There was also an ordinary stone mortar with a pestle, only very light, and a couple of special knives for cutting ingredients, but I bought this treasure precisely because I had a normal container for my future creations.

Almost two gold pieces and that was only because my clairvoyance helped me understand how big and unscrupulous they were going to cheat me and put noodles on my ears. After that, I became furious and turned on my inner Jew, literally gnawing my teeth for every penny, minute by minute remembering Aunt Sarah and Uncle Moyshe. It was strange that I hadn't been given a trade skill, considering the rumblings that the man and I used to make. However, I am more important to get the coffer itself, not the skill, which I, for the most part, do not need at all.

As I walk away from the alchemy supply store, I notice the frankly shitty stalking by some lowlifes who don't even have class. I felt like they weren't lurkers at all, but rather commonplace thugs, eager to sell me a brick. My newly activated clairvoyance identified them as the alchemy guild's apprentices, who suspected me of brewing my potions without sharing a small and modest percentage of the profits with the guild. That's quite a misdemeanor, for which they break arms as a first warning, if not immediately the neck.

In principle, the logical conclusion is that such things are too expensive to buy for nothing, and all the normal alchemists who can afford such expenditures are known by name in the town. They weren't even going to attack me, just to keep an eye on me and take note. If I left the city and turned out to be a wandering potionist, then I would leave, but if I turned out to be a new competitor, that would be a different story. I had not yet committed any offenses for which I could be charged. And the purchase of specific instruments is by no means punishable, but only hints at the possibility of taking away that instrument, along with the rest of the money. Most likely, this is how they get rid of unnecessary competitors here, if, of course, they can afford the tools at all. Clairvoyance suggests that depriving an alchemist of a laboratory is the same as cutting off thumbs for a warrior--the inability to do further work, except for the simplest things.

The clairvoyance turn off, and I involuntarily winced at the shooting pain in my temples. I noticed more and more often that this skill is very willing to tell me about completely unnecessary things. It works especially well with low-level users of the System, sometimes pouring whole lumps of information slop directly into my skull. If it worked the same way on the more advanced guys, and better yet, if it could activate at my will, instead of spamming me with random visions, that would be great.

You can't look a gift horse in the mouth, but it still pisses me off. Back on Earth I hated the pop-up banners with ads and getting something like that on my head even in the new world, even craves swearing. Better would have been given another title to sharpen perception, rather than shoving unnecessary crap into the head.

Okay, I admit, this time the bullshit was necessary, and it calmed my paranoia considerably, but it didn't take away from the essence of my grievances. If it hadn't been for the vision, I would have had to grab these guys by the asses to interrogate them on the subject of their interest. Now, let them live, and I'll just go into stealth and continue on the rooftops. It's early morning, shadows are plentiful, and the skill allows me to hide from view.

I left the confused motherfuckers behind me and headed for the nearest wall, which overlooked the swamps. I had to get Ygra and get out of this town. It' too much of a mess, and the fair is already over, which means that my face will be too obscure and unfamiliar to the local society. The likelihood of being suspected of anything is very low, but it is, and I do not want to tempt fate. I'll go for a walk, have a good time, experiment with alchemy, tame Ygra (I'll remember to wear a mask), and then I can go, leaving this town behind. And then I could even try to settle down.

I may have developed my characteristics and skills impressively, but my knowledge of the world and my ability to mingle with the crowd were too lacking. And I'd better master all that before I go to the capital or anywhere else. And I will, I know myself well, an idiot. My ass is going to have an adventure.

The rooftops, by the way, were almost overrun by the local criminals, who were prowling around, especially in the poorer neighborhoods and slums. Apparently, they were searching every empty and abandoned building in search of Lanorsk and his escort who were hiding. All right, let them do it now that they've started, and I'll crawl forward quietly.

Once I was outside the walls, I let out a wry grin. I was still missing my main goal because I couldn't get into the brothel. At least I got the girl from the tavern into bed to get laid, or else it would have been a sad story. And now this tale is not fun - again a lot of time alone with the ogre, from the mere sight and smell of which awakens the inner xenophile.

The search for my companion (or pet, whichever way you look at it) was short. It was enough just to run along the swamp line, using the shadow sphere. Even though Ygra's disguise was still at its best, the swamp was far less saturated with magical power, and the heightened perception helped a great deal. Add to that the fact that I knew exactly what to look for and where to look, and you get a fairly relaxed and problem-free search process. Not easy, because I still had to strain myself, but without unnecessary problems.

Ygra was found deep in the woods in another clearing away from the mud, where she was fornicating with herself. I stopped abruptly, spat, and went on the hunt. By the time she was done, at least I would find something to eat for the barbecue. I can, of course, munch simple porridge, but I prefer to please Ygra, who had obediently waited for my arrival. There should be a quote here about the carrot and stick, but I'm afraid I'd want to kill her with the carrot, too.

The beast caught and strangled by the shadows was of the same species of unicorn swamp boar that we had snacked on earlier. Just before I left for town, if memory serves me correctly, we'd had a snack. Man, I was gone less than four days, and I feel as if I would have left these swamps a year ago! Wouldn't have come here for another year, yeah.

By the time I had dragged the future supper to the ogre's base, she had already finished her satisfaction and seemed about to go hunting herself. I was in luck, for she had intended to go deep into the marshes to catch bigger and tastier things. With her appetite, it would be foolish to blame her for that decision, for she could easily eat the beast I'd brought her in one go, perhaps even with the bones.

In response to my appearance (hurray, I was able to approach her unnoticed!), she greeted me with an incredibly emotional "Y!" and then tried to squeeze me in her arms. I was caught off guard for a moment, unintentionally distracted by the wiggling hemispheres as I ran, but I reacted in time, trivially stepping into the shadows. It wasn't even that her touch could turn my brain off and shift control to another head, it was her strength. Such a hug could reduce the number of whole bones in my body. No, she would be very embarrassed later, I have no doubt, but it would not make my bones feel better.

"Stop! Stop, you stupid animal! Keep your filthy paws off me! I brought you something to eat, stupid! Eat, motherfucking bitch!" That last one was the only thing she reacted to. I meant "eat," if you will. And she kept chasing me almost to victory because she thought (quote marks here) that it was me playing tag with her.

Fuck!

Take me back to Ostmark, I haven't finished all my business, I haven't collected all my problems, I haven't gotten all my kicks, I haven't helped all the idiots, I haven't trolled everyone around me, and most importantly, there's not a goddamn green dumbass there!

I spent half my reserve on shadow steps while I finally managed to calm her down. And I couldn't hit her back, could I? With her resistance, she either ignores the weak attacks, or doesn't notice them at all, and I don't want to do the strong ones myself, because it's inhumane. It's just lovely, really! Why is my only willing slave-subordinate a huge green woman with the intellect of a breadbasket? What have I done to you creatures of destiny that you hate me so much?

"Where are you putting your hands! Get out! Get out! Get, I'll tell you!" Each time I have to strain harder and harder to keep the roasting meat (now with normal spices, not hand-picked roots) from the encroachment of the hungry epic monster.

The only saving grace is that the increased stats allow me to spend less energy and attention on the regular creation of shadowy lashes, which whip at over-initiated grapplers. This wicked creature is not afraid to shake her form at me, and I'm sure she does it deliberately. It's no accident that her gifted skill makes her aware of concepts that her brain is not aware of, even if she doesn't know why she's doing it.

I ignore the offended look sent into my stale heart right after the shadow whipped the "accidentally" framed green ass, which again I began to latch onto... oh you sly ass!

Only high dexterity and concentration help save the meat the moment the ogre accelerated sharply, taking advantage of the fact that I was distracted by her mesmerizing form. It's all right, she's not seducing me, or rather, not in that sense. It's just that the mind of an old huntress noticed that at such moments my reaction is a little slower, and then she decided to distract me and steal the meat that was almost ready.

No, did you see that? I was almost made by a stupid mountain of muscles! And the main thing for what? For the meat, which she will get, and most of it, and the rest of the carcass, which did not go to the frying! Even a fool like her, should understand that she will get it anyway, and just silently wait, and not abuse my nerves, playing plunderer of products

Stop!

I turn my highly "suspicious" gaze to Ygra, who is looking at me carefully and somewhat guiltily.

She looks back at me.

I blinked.

She blinked too.

Was she mocking me all this time by having fun while I was cooking? She was also taking advantage of those rare moments when I did pay attention to her and talk to her? While deliberately pissing me off so she could watch me swear with a bunch of incomprehensible words and jump around, blowing steam out of my ears like a little wind-up Hitler?

"Y?"

Not.

No-o-o-o...

I refuse to believe it! That I, a professional troll, would be bullied by this set of boobs whose consciousness and figurative thinking is only the tiniest bit superior to that of a simple oak stool? That I wouldn't even realize it until my clairvoyance kicked in?

I'd better not think about it, I just won't. My self-esteem is not very high as it is, but after such negative thoughts, it will have to be forged out of the lithospheric plate, if not out of the magmatic mantle of the planet.

"Sit down to eat." I finally announce it and immediately cut off the dirty hands reaching for my cooking. "Wash your hands! Clean! Cleanliness must be in the world! Quickly, I said!"

Dinner (or late lunch, as the case may be) is already eaten, and I don't feel much inclination to go, so I decide to leave tomorrow at dawn. In the meantime, I would like to sort out my collection of herbs and try to make a couple of potions that would be useful. I didn't buy this cumbersome thing for anything, did I?

The kit is really big, and you can't call it light, no matter how hard you try. I had to fasten it separately from the shoulder bag, tying them together tightly. And also wrapped in a piece of cloth, otherwise, it could have damaged the rather high-quality upholstery. Such a detail, of course, would not spoil the thing itself, but it would not look good, which my sense of beauty resists.

I went into stealth, getting away from the prying eyes of the green lady, whose gaze made me feel frankly uncomfortable. It's like with a cat - an animal, but the constant scrutiny is annoying. Ygra is, I hope, a little smarter than a cat, so its constant attention is even more annoying. I hate it when people watch and pry with unnecessary and unsolicited advice. The latter, of course, is inaccessible to Ygra at least because of her low vocabulary, but it's annoying all the same.

The first thing I did was to organize the reagents into special pockets, at the same time getting rid of the threat of mixing them with each other. I even put the most valuable ones into separate glass flasks and even pounded some of them in a mortar to reduce their volume. I even crumbled the long-acquired trophy claws of a pedobear and poured the resulting dust into one of the test tubes.

I also noted that working with mortar, alchemy knives, and other things was as natural as breathing. Apparently, my skill was not only in making compounds, but also in working with alchemical equipment. I didn't even immediately notice how easy it was for me.

I was already nibbling on the bones left by the dead beast, crushing them with her teeth to extract the marrow, and I was busy working on my future medicine kit. I was surprised that the results of my work came very quickly, because of my increased concentration and perception, which are profound stats for an alchemist.

It was pretty easy to make a few combat cocktails, albeit with a serious setback. The last one temporarily increased a random stat by one-fifth of the total value of all stats. Then, however, it reduced all the stats by the same amount, breaking it by all the stats at once, and for twice as long, but I liked the effect itself. If only it were not for the randomness of the effect, it would be amazing.

The healing compositions were easy to make - it was a matter of practice. I knew perfectly well what reagents to use to make them, and my intuition allowed me to easily understand what I could replace and supplement what was missing. A few healing potions and one quite serious regenerating potion were my rewards. At the same time, I made a whole bunch of "pills" for the stomach, poisoning, colds, and a couple of serious antibiotics. With my increased stamina, I didn't need these things anymore, but I couldn't throw them away. I was able to get a few dozen of them in one flask, and I could fit just as many more in there.

At times, I could not understand what was going on at all. I had to quickly toss away an improperly reacting compound that began to rapidly turn into acid. Thank the boobs that I managed to toss it away before it began to dissolve my hands. The hole in the ground was a big one, and even Ygra was distracted from her munching.

There were several strong narcotics, too, which were thrown away without the slightest pity. I don't want them, and anyone who offers to sell them will have his balls cut off and fed to the shadows. Both the offerer and the balls. As for the hallucinogenic slurry, which was rapidly turning into gas, I had time to pour it into a test tube and even seal it with wax. Apparently, this test tube can now be written down like a gas grenade. It was a pity that it would have to be smashed, but I assured all those who inhaled of it would be entertained.

A few more grenades were made using various poisons. The poison itself, by the way, turned out a lot, of all kinds of properties. There were even a couple of teaspoons of some particularly nasty bright scarlet stuff in powder form, which worked in a truly savage way, causing wild, maddening hunger. And then eat till you're bloated, in the most literal sense of the word. After my powers helped me figure out exactly what I had created, I even used shadows to clean my hands of the slightest trace of the resulting substance. If I ever have a real enemy, I know exactly what I'll be poisoning him with.

A separate article was the last piece, also in the form of a gas grenade, only not to kill, but to cause wild excitement and lust. It took the claws of a pedobear, by the way, to create it. Now the main thing is not to break this glass. It's not likely to react until it reaches the open air, so the internal pressure won't rupture it. But there's enough compound in there for a city block. If I want to continue my cupid career, I'll have to toss in some kind of prison or barracks. I'll paint the world in rainbow colors, so to speak.

The work on the alchemy was finished only when the reserve began to show the bottom, as well as the collected reagents. The latter, by the way, were very few and were mostly useless or incompatible things. The work itself seized so that if it were not for the sinking of the reserve of energy, I could work all night long. It was night, because the sun had already set, which didn't really interfere with my perception.

And, unusually, the class ability of the alchemist jumped up, which I didn't expect at all. I used to think that it doesn't grow from such training, though... I was experimenting with making gas grenades, and I even experimented relatively successfully. So I got a little bang for my buck to motivate me to do more.

Creating a compound: 3/5

Allows you to create very complex alchemical compositions from available reagents, instinctively understanding the creation process; allows you to adjust the desired result and understand the purpose for which a particular reagent is suitable; allows you to work with the aggregate state of the resulting mixtures; with luck and effort allows you to create exotic mixtures that can cause complex and long-lasting status effects.

So that nightmare poison came from taking the proper level in the basic skill? I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do with it, but it's very dangerous if it's not triggered correctly. If some super-hazardous stuff explodes in my hands, I'll be a young, beautiful corpse. It's unpleasant, of course, but compared to the problems with dreams and shadows, it's just a laugh. At the very least, I can always step into the shadows, leaving the explosion in the real world.

Alchemy class needs to be developed from time to time. Among my other branches of development, I don't even need to spend much effort on alchemy, but it would be good to master the basics. And I have a suspicion that this class will open with a new side, for which I need to work well with him, to nurture him and get for that relied bonuses.

Okey.

There will be reagents, there will be compounds.

The main thing is to keep myself alive, healthy and functioning to create them.

I didn't really want to sleep, nor did I want to do anything. I had to lie on the ground heroically, not even pulling out a sleeping bag for myself, looking up at the sky, and not doing anything. Or maybe do nothing?

In any case, the mood remained lyrical and a little sad. The fact that it wouldn't be easy to return home was something I had known for a long time, and I didn't really want to, to be honest. I am the kind of person who doesn't get attached to people and gets used to new surroundings very quickly. And this world not only threw me into all sorts of shit, but also rewarded me well for swimming out of it. If only I could just hide quietly in the corner, ignoring the squabbles around me.

But it won't work, no matter how hard you try!

Even if one sets aside the fact that I have to fear for my incognito for the rest of my life, the problem of the summoned and the summoners will not go away. And it must be solved, for the advance for this task, expressed by three mythical classes, I have already managed to take, and to get used to it. I will not say that my conscience will not allow me to screw the employer, because my conscience is fostered and allows me everything. But the employer himself may decide to motivate me. And hiding from the System, while being part of the System, is not even funny.

So let's get our asses in our hands, stop chicken shit, and keep grinding along with the continuous progression. Whatever the assignments, but no one will stop me from resting for a year or two, at the same time gaining local flavor. So let's get a good night's sleep and do some early morning heroics. But I have to keep my hands on Ygra...

Fuck!

She's wanking again!

Well, not exactly, more like just playing with her watermelons while twisting her nipples, but it's pretty much the same thing. It seems that my suspicions about this killing machine's addiction to pleasure are two hundred percent correct. Somehow it's... Yeah.

Suddenly I caught myself thinking that for several minutes I had been watching the buzzing ogre, who seemed to be just getting a taste for it. Even though my mask and the distance, with the wind blowing at my back, protected me from the pheromones, what I saw was enough. It felt strange - as if my skull were being squeezed by a thin layer of cloth, gradually tightening more and more. At the same time, I wanted to keep watching, to get up and join her company, or even to start choking the boa constrictors myself.

The heroic title worked fine, completely suppressing almost all of the effects except, perhaps, the excitement, but even so, I was slowly getting overwhelmed. I was still aware of the effects, and I could turn away at any moment, but it was getting harder and harder to keep my consciousness in my control with each passing second. I guess if I relaxed just a little bit now, my instincts would take over.

I was also slowly getting dumber. No, that's not quite right. I lost the ability to make decisions, that's more accurate - my thoughts began to flow very slowly and smoothly, losing their sharpness. It was as if the crinkles were straightening, and the multi-step mental effort ceased to work. I tried repeating the multiplication table as an experiment but began to quickly lose track of the exercise.

Five by five is twenty-five.

Six by six is twenty-six.

Seven by seven is twenty-seven?

The sensations were not painful at all, and they were even somewhat pleasant, soothing. I was in no condition to speculate, preferring simply to stare at the woman pleasuring herself and to enjoy the view in silence. In such a kind of trance, I couldn't refuse her anything, if she could talk and ask, of course. However, I could just walk up to her and start stroking her body, adding my caresses to those she is doing herself.

Just to let go of control completely, to surrender to the induced fog and let her body do all the work, to please me. Surrender to my feelings and just enjoy myself...

With a tremendous effort, I regained control of my body, looking away from the perfectly smooth dark green skin, the massive breasts, and the dark brown nipples that her fingers were constantly squeezing. Ygra's measured self-satisfaction just grabbed all my attention, pushing my thoughts somewhere deep inside my skull. The lust was there, but its influence was secondary, and it was the gradual suppression of thought that was the main problem.

I think I understand exactly how this skill works. It is not a single wave of terror, paralysis, or emotion, but constant and unrelenting pressure on the psyche. If I want to repel it, it's need grinding up the level and stats, or just getting some extremely specific title, if such a thing exists.

I've been doing a hell of an experiment. This skill is very insidious, even on the Hero in my face. Or is it a consequence of the ring? It would be very much in the spirit of the local System: give some coolest perk, and then add some unobvious, but fucking unpleasant flaws that come out at the most inopportune times. For example, increasing the effect of granted abilities on the Ring's owner.

Or is it just a simple thing, and I'm going into the paranoid mode for no reason? The version with the gradual accumulation of the effect of the skill is still very plausible, and Hero's resistance does not mean complete immunity. Unpleasant, in short. It's doubly unpleasant because I don't know which version is correct.

With a quick step into the shadows or even a "shadow blink," I fall into the other plane and immediately return. Even this short moment in the Shadow is enough to rid my body of all the unnecessary stress and to calm my nerves. My mind, slowed by the long exposure to the naked ogre, regained its clarity, shedding the shroud that had been put on it.

Suddenly.

The very useful undocumented ability of my "teleport". So it also helps me drop the control skills faster? That's something I could and should use in the future. Especially if I ever run into a legendary grade succubus or some other creature that specializes in long-lasting cumulative effects on the brain. A siren, for example. I thought Hans had said something about them when we were walking through the goblin forest.

With the moan of Ygra finally reaching her goal, I roll over onto my other side and fall asleep peacefully, applying more energy to the mask and shadow blanket that covers me.

In spite of the near achievement: Ogrefucker, I was satisfied with tonight. A grinded up alchemy, a trunk full of the products I made while grinding, the discovery of a new facet of my shadowy abilities that the system notifications didn't tell me about, and finally a pretty good exercise in self-control.

Joking aside, I really need to check my resilience more often to see how much it helps me and how fast it grows with levels and stats. It's not because I want to look at boobs again, it's for the sake of the original goal. If someone had told me that I would train my willpower by watching green watermelons, I would have laughed, but look!

T.N. Yeah, of course. For pure science and train of the will power only.

The last thought involuntarily caused a chuckle and a slight smile, with which I fell asleep.

I was in the dream world, looked at the path to Ygra's dreams that had already been trodden, and estimated what it would cost my nearly empty reserve, and then gave up and turned off for good.

I had enough training for today, I could hardly think without another marathon. I'd rather get a good night's sleep.

And I did.

Early in the morning, the good man set out on a long and difficult journey to seek great adventures, glorious amusements, and the glory of war on his head that had not yet turned gray. And he went, and his red but green maiden followed him. And they walked through forests and roads, and there was no end to their path...

T.N. red maiden = beautiful girl, but all wordplay lost in translation

And those berries gave me a real high, didn't they? And they weren't poisonous, as my alchemist's sense told me with one hundred percent clarity. I was lucky there were no cartoons, or I'd be running around right now, fighting the Spacemarines ponies attacking me, shooting volleys of toxic rainbows and bullets cast from the purest friendship.

To be honest, the road was ridiculously easy and so easy that it was even somewhat boring. At least it was dangerous in the swamp, but the only serious enemies here were wolves. There were people, even a whole squad of poachers, but their levels barely crawled to ten. My camouflage and Ygra's camouflage were enough by a huge margin.

I was afraid that without the marshes, her stealth would disappear completely, but that line about the hiding weakening in the woods was true. It was a weakening, but not a complete disappearance. I could see the lady's presence without difficulty, though I could not feel her location clearly enough. Someone with lesser powers, on the other hand, would have a much worse time. Especially when you consider the nature of the swamp ogre, which of course, was a little embellished, but did not change its essence.

If it hadn't been my suggestion before I left for town, she wouldn't have bothered looking for prey, just snacking on unlucky travelers, of which there were plenty in the area. People are as much prey to her as beasts. Only it would be a lot easier to get it, and the meat would be a little more tender.

In short, on the first day we did not manage to meet anyone. We passed by several villages, simply because there was nothing to do there. Only one of them had an inn, and the rest didn't even have such a fleabag.

With our speed, we were moving fast enough not to get bored, and my sphere allowed me to find some prey for Ygra, so she could have a snack on the go. She seemed to like such attention. I even had to teleport out of her grasp once more. No, no, no, that's not why my mother raised her eagle!

Since I had not wasted much of my reserve along the way, and the reagents were much rarer in these places (and not at this speed to look for them), I decided to spend the whole night creating dreams and working on Ygra's behavior. I needed to refresh the old reflexes and teach her a few new tricks at the same time.

To be honest, what I was doing reminded me of some kind of brainwashing. In all honesty, it was. But after my ring, it's all clean and polished, and she hardly has any brains that need washing. But this kind of sleep training really helps me and her. Especially for her - how else to teach the world's dumbest stump how to respond to my commands.

Attack, defense, retreat, waiting, covering me and my covering already for her - all this was worked out in scenarios and tied into one clear phrase. At first, I took full control over her body in my sleep, not letting her act on her own, then I gave her freedom of action and made her repeat it.

The price for disobedience and willfulness was my tragic death.

The payment for the successful and obedient execution of the order was the scene of our peaceful dinner and the rest of our lives.

It wasn't exactly harsh training (certainly not all of it) that limited her natural abilities: personal experience and developed skills made her a very dangerous fighter. Rather, my commands gave her a vector of movement where she could act within her own understanding. In those cases where there was no understanding, it was the hard commands and the reflexes that were hammered into her head that I used.

For fun, I even tied one command to an instant orgasm. It was more out of hooliganism than real necessity. However, I quickly learned, with some surprise, that those scenarios, where the payment for the execution of the order was pleasure, required five and a half times less energy and were understood almost on the first try.

I felt like an idiot, but I pretended that all according to keikaku.

T.N.Keikaku means plan.

To re-run all the scenarios, only added an element of fun in the execution of commands, I, however, have not forgotten. It's not even comfortable, especially if you compare it to the effort already invested.

When the reserve showed a quarter of the remaining stock, I decided to continue normal sleep. Worked really well, developing a response to the most necessary commands in one go. I would have to think about teaching her to talk like that. There is a mind in that head, just not much use for learning coherent speech, but it's.

I'll have the world's first ogre reading Shakespeare by heart.

In the morning, I checked to be sure that the nested behavioral algorithms had taken hold. Not everything could be tested in a non-combat environment, but even what I had was enough for my triumph. The success rate was if not one hundred percent, then it was ninety-five out of a hundred without the slightest criticism on my part.

Ygra could fall asleep on command (for some reason, it was cumming, which I hadn't put into it originally), immediately turning off, and waking up on command the same way. And both triggers she performed with such a satisfied expression on her face that it made me blush. By the way, it was the observation of the poor ogre's instantaneous switching on and off that made me think that the triggers should be made more complicated and tied more securely to my person. Otherwise, someone would just put on an illusion of my appearance and copy my voice, and instead of a killing machine, they'd get a free-sleeping exp. Of course, she still has a sense of smell and hearing, but a good illusionist wouldn't have a problem with that, and I understand that even without clairvoyance. This is a variant I would like to avoid, despite its difficulty - at the very least I would need to know about the triggers from somewhere. The code words themselves, alas, are very simple and short, so that I do not get confused with existing ones.

It would be possible to leave only the battle commands short and to make more complicated and dangerous ones to fall into the wrong hands extremely difficult to reprimand. But where were my brain and its genius ideas a little earlier? That's right! In a very rhyming answer, directly conveying the level of my mental ability.

Guys, I screwed up a little bit.

Okey.

It can be corrected a little after, the road promises to be a long one.

I go back to checking the nested reflexes, going over the ones I can check, no longer stopping to think long and evaluate my actions in terms of correctness. Only the efficiency check, nothing more.

The sleep and wake command, as already mentioned, works as usual. All comments about my shortsightedness, please leave for another time

The command for complete immobility is the same as sleep, but for the brain. The body becomes like an articulated doll. Just in case the noise of a fallen body might interfere, and I still need to turn off the Ygra. It works in normal mode, just as I had intended. I couldn't help myself and fondle the switched off ogre's tits. Afterward, I was supposed to freeze the pheromones on my hands with the energy of shadows. It was as if she had rubbed oil on her skin-the touch felt the same, but the oil hit my brain harder than a bottle of tequila, with which you take a packet of Viagra, all in one shot.

Loss of interest in the outside world - the Ygra just goes into stealth mode, sits under the nearest tree and waits stupidly. The duration is unclear, but I'm sure I'll win a couple of hours this way.

With a kind of shudder, I ordered her to cum, which work also normal. Although I don't see any way to apply this trigger other than simply to praise and reward her for a well-executed order.

Having played enough with a somewhat confused ogre, I decide to stop the fun. First of all, other people's brains are not a toy. I can break them again, and there are not many of them there already. Second, the constant disconnections and awakenings still caused a slight bewilderment in the subject, despite all the pleasure. She was no less happy about it, but she did get a lost look on her face.

I finished the entertainment and ordered to move on to the road, at the same time has managed to lead the hunter to the lone deer, which became her breakfast, while I had a cold shish kebab breakfast.

The sight of the ogre on the move, chewing its prey with its bones, skin, and entrails, made me shudder. With her stomach of steel it wouldn't be a problem, but it ruined my appetite.

The second day passed in the same mode, only there were fewer villages on the way, their fences were higher, and the forests themselves were becoming much more wild and dangerous. All kinds of evil creatures even began to appear, as if ordinary animals were affected by some magical disgust. On the way I killed them, both to gain experience and simply out of disgust at the mistakes of nature. Even Ygra didn't eat them, and that speaks a lot.

Ah no, she was just satiated, and so she's quite an eater. It makes sense, because on the marshes, all the creatures, in some way, belong to the mutants or monsters. Especially the ogres themselves.

We stopped in the late afternoon, approaching a rather large settlement, surrounded by a fence that had even managed to be enchanted somehow. The village itself had its church, a couple of inns, and even a brothel (which I would not go to), and all its inhabitants carried weapons. And the average level was also uncharacteristic of ordinary townsfolk: many had crossed the fifth level, and many got their class, although they were few.

Apparently, and especially according to my clairvoyance, this village serves as a staging point for all sorts of hunters, poachers, and gatherers, farming the nearby forest. Goblins, monsters, and even the undead are sometimes encountered- quite a worthy occupation for those who are eager to earn a decent living. In the woods, there was an assortment of rare herbs, and the monsters were used for valuable and useful ingredients.

But the adventurer's guild, chanted in the innumerable works of the Earth, was not here. And not in this particular village - they were located further away, closer to the more dangerous parts of the forest, in fact, in the territory of uncharted lands. And here the market was held by the inhabitants of the settlement, who were not prevented from holding this market.

For professional adventurers, the booty here is too small and too scarce. For the villagers themselves, who had their little profit from the squads and loners that regularly passed through the place, the increase in their living wage seemed to be quite adequate. And a small amount of experience gained from hunting and regular skirmishes was also extremely useful. Of course, there's always the risk of a sudden onslaught of greenlings, another creepy thing that crawled out of the depths of foreign territories, or any other nastiness, up to and including robber attacks, but for the most part, this village thrives without much worry about the danger of their location. And when you consider the very tasty tax breaks for its inhabitants, a lot of the locals are rolling in butter.

I shook my head, shaking the vision away, and then seriously thought about it. I need to buy some more stuff anyway, but is it worth going through the gate? Over there, in the shade, sits a level thirteenth wizard, scanning the crowd with some kind of skill. And that old geezer over there with the priest's class isn't very optimistic, either. I doubt they'd read my status, not at a sufficient level, but they'd recognize something dark in me, thanks to my shadows. And my clairvoyance, the bastard, is silent and does not tell me a word!

A separate question is the direction of travel. I mean, I understand that I need to move in the direction of the wilderness - there is less order, no questions asked, and a lot of freedom of action. And the influx of new personalities there must be constant and abundant, making it easy for me to get lost in their midst. And no, I don't want to be an adventurer, whatever you may think. Rather open a small shop with alchemy, and it is more for a cover than for profit. And then you can beat the buck and sometimes quietly raid the woods, gradually grinding not levels as interaction with Ygra and dreamwalking, which will find suitable targets.

In general, this idea seems quite workable to me, if only it were not for the obligatory pitfalls. For example, the new alchemist would probably be pushed down. And even well, if they just make him give a share of the profits (I even silently agree to it!) But they might even try to put on conditions of servitude, if not expelled from the settlement. I don't even mention the "silently slaughter" kind of options.

In short, something told me that my days were going to be fun and incendiary, no matter how hard I tried to achieve the opposite. After spitting over my shoulder and knocking on the nearest tree, I decided not to go through the gate or show my face at all. Just go in quietly, get the goods and get out of here. If I was in the mood, I might even leave some money behind. Or rob the local thieves, again, if I was in the mood.

M-da.

For a lurker of my level, looting the stalls at the mall is something unimaginable. Like taking toys away from kindergarteners, or playing shooters with a full package of activated cheats.

But it's better to be overdone than underdone.

And with these thoughts I went forward, gradually gaining acceleration, so as not to be stuck in an open space, no matter how high my stealth was.

I nevertheless remembered to tell Ygra to wait for me and stay out of trouble.

* * *