TRIVIA

  Population: +/-600,000

  Races:

  Humans 45% (slaves)

  Goblinoids 28%

  Orcs 2%

  Others 25%

  Languages: Common, Draconic, Goblin, Infernal

  Khort Desert

  The Khort Desert lies north of Ulderren, with the Long Shadow Mountains and the Frostfang Mountains marking the border between the two regions. On all other sides, it is bordered by water, with the Gray Bay to the south, the Bay of Ulderren to the east, the Raging Sea to the west, and the Sirensong Channel to the northwest, with the White Isle and the Grey Isle crossing them.

  Geographical Features

  The Khort Desert comprises mainly three types of terrain: mountains, badlands, and plains. The southern border of the Khort Desert is the most mountainous, with the Stone, Long Shadow, and Frostfang mountain ranges. North of the mountains, in the center of the Khort Desert, arid lands predominate. This area is known as The Labyrinth, due to the canyons and caves found here. Beyond The Labyrinth are plains and deserts composed of black sand and obsidian dust and rocks.

  The Khort Desert is a highly volcanic region, with lava flows and volcanoes common throughout the region. The most notable volcano is the Lake of Fire in the southwest, whose crater is almost 8 km in diameter.

  Little vegetation grows in the Demon Deserts, with the exception of blood moss*. Demon grass** grows naturally in the Khort Desert, savior rock*** occurs in the Labyrinth, and marshes are common near the coastal regions of the Khort Desert.

  *Bloody Moss: This is a tall type of moss, 1m to 1.5m tall and forming clumps of 2-3m in diameter. Its name comes from its dark red gradient color.

  **Demon Grass: This is a plant known for its strong sulfur odor, which keeps most grass eaters away, with the exception of one.

  ***Saving Rock: This is a rock that magically attracts water from the region, forming a natural canteen. It has a porous and fragile consistency and can be easily broken or pierced. Because of this characteristic, it has saved the lives of several adventurers lost in the Labyrinth.

  Society

  Two great barbarian cultures occupy the Khort Desert. The Graash-Urk orc clans reside in the Labyrinth, a large network of canyons, where they work under the orders of the Rakshasa Lords. In contrast, the Tribes worship the Fallen, resulting in a violent and bloodthirsty society. The Graash-Urk consider it their duty to keep the Fallen imprisoned, the Tribes exterminated, and violent conflicts between the two cultures are common and constant. Both societies are largely based on slavery. Every year, bands of raiders leave the Desert to raid settlements near the border. In addition to being a labor force, slaves are synonymous with status, power, and prestige.

  Demons

  Although most visitors encounter only the humanoid inhabitants, the real power here is the demons. There are two major diabolical factions in the region: the Lords of Ruin, a vast society of rakshasas based in the city of Kala, and the Brides. Twelve witches with demonic patrons, both factions vie to be the dominant force when the Demon Emperor returns.

  -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  TRANSFER SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED, REMOVING THE CUSHIONING SYSTEM.

  I open my eyes and see that I am in a cave, and what a cave, THE PLACE IS HUGE!!!! I am in a small clearing, with a few scattered trees around me, an unknown species, I think I can recognize a jackfruit tree at most. From the elevated position on my right, after a slope about 100m long, there is the entrance to a cave that is at least as tall as a 20-story building. The mouth of the cave has a slightly oval shape. On the left side the slope is steeper and has more vegetation, followed by a section with large blocks of dark gray stone, which is the entrance to another similar cave. In the ceiling of the clearing there is a very large opening for light to enter. From where I am to there it must be about 20-30m from the mouth in the ceiling. I notice all of this in a few seconds. Ahh, there is also a body in the clearing, and the smell….

  All the feelings I should have during the integration; anger, fear, anxiety, anguish hit me at once. It must be the same feeling as someone realizing they are going to be run over a car. Everything is very fast and very intense, added to that the acidic, humid and sweet smell of the nearby corpse, because there is no other explanation for this smell coming from the body. I fall on all fours on the floor vomiting a beautiful rainbow, like those that appear on manga. Only not.

  If bile is not a pretty thing, demon bile on an empty stomach is much worse. After a while, the contractions and the roller coaster of feelings pass.

  “Sis, what was that?”

  SIDE EFFECT OF THE DEACTIVATION OF THE CUSHIONING SYSTEM.

  “Why didn’t you warn me?” All the anger I wanted to feel towards her I now have. Small victories, they are what make life bearable.

  YOU DIDN’T ASK.

  Think of a hatred that rises in your belly and explodes in your ears. I get up from the floor, take three deep, slow breaths, taking advantage of the fact that I'm alone, I mean, I think I'm alone. I curse SIS until the tenth generation and to top it off, I kick a rock the size of a walnut. Two things happen. First and most important, some of my anger dissipates, second, I have crow's feet. My attention is diverted to my body. Concrete gray skin, although it looks more like soft leather. Fingers with claws, a tail with scales and a tip shaped like a card's suit, a heart, wings with feathers, and to top it off, my best friend is there, beautiful, majestic, imposing, waiting to be adored. A belly full of cumin and muscles without a gram of fat, Bruce Lee style. Yes, my body is glorious, perfect, a piece of bad road, with no stop signs... something is not right. I've never been a narcissist, could it be because I've never had a perfect body before? A mirror, what I wouldn't give for a mirror. I run my fingers over my face, thin chin, thick eyebrows, lips neither thin nor full. Oops... all my teeth, the front teeth are canines. White hair that would make a shampoo commercial envious, light, fine, perfect. I'm completely naked, but I don't find it uncomfortable.

  Strange, I've never had these kinds of thoughts before.

  Focus!

  I pinch the base of my nose with my fingertips, correct it, I try to, but the claws won't let me, they almost poked my eyes out. Okay, I'm going to have to change my nervous tic, I lower my hand to my chin and tap my lips with my index finger.

  “Sis… From now on I'd like you to tell me about things like this, knowledge that you have access to and that would be beneficial for me to have knowledge of without me having to ask. You know, a little proactivity. Another thing. Why did you become a voice in my head?”

  STANDARD BEHAVIOR ADJUSTED TO CUSTOMIZED BEHAVIOR. INTERACTION VIA VOCAL INTERFACE: DEFAULT SYSTEM CONFIGURATION. POSSIBLE ASSISTANT CONFIGURATIONS ARE:

  AVATAR+HUD+VOICE+SOUND ALERTS

  HUD+VOICE+SOUND ALERTS

  VOICE+SOUND ALERTS

  SOUND ALERTS

  OFF

  “Avatar?”

  AT THE MAXIMUM AVATAR CONFIGURATION GENERATES A VIRTUAL IMAGE OF YOUR DESIGNATED ASSISTANT. POSSIBLE AVATAR OPTIONS ARE?

  SHAPE CHANGE; DRAGON, FAIRY, FLAMING SPHERE, CROW, FALCON, FROG, RAT, SNAKE.

  SIZE CHANGE; FROM SPARROW SIZE TO STANDARD HUMAN SIZE.

  “In short, you become a familiar, Harry Potter style. Hahahahah. I choose fairy, smallest size possible, if possible I would like your image to remain the same, but with dragonfly wings, is that ok? Another thing, can you set it to, Avatar+voice+alerts?”

  In front of me appears Sis the size of Tinkerbell, a little bigger maybe, the dragonfly wings look perfect matching the suit.

  CUSTOMIZATION COMPLETED. AS REQUESTED, USE OF THIS FUNCTION RESULTS IN CONSTANT CONSUMPTION OF ESSENCE, ESSENCE ATTRIBUTE 4(6).

  “I understand. But I pay the price for having you by my side always without thinking twice. Changing the subject, where are we?”

  AS YOUR ASSISTANT I CAN ONLY PROVIDE INFORMATION ABOUT THE SYSTEM, GENERAL KNOWLEDGE, INFORMATION, LOCATIONS AND PERSONNEL ARE NOT PART OF MY COLLECTION. BUT AS SOON AS YOU ACQUIRE NEW KNOWLEDGE IT WILL BE PART OF MY COLLECTION, THIS FUNCTION IS CALLED BACKUP. YOU CAN ACCESS THE BACKUP AT ANY TIME AND EDIT IT WITHOUT ADDITIONAL COST.

  I look at SIS, now my personal fairy and I can't contain myself. "Can I call you Tinkerbell?"

  763,888 USERS SELECTED THIS NAME.

  I don't know why, but I think SIS trolled me. As I calm down, I look around me. It seems like I'm in a huge cavernous system. An opening in the ceiling lets in light, humidity, and rain. This is how this path was formed inside the cave. I look at the floor and see that a circle with characters has been drawn. Behind me is a stone carved in a phallic shape, two heads bigger than me. It looks like dark glass, an almost black brown. I know what kind of stone it is, but the name escapes me. On the opposite side of the stone is the body. In front of the body are what appear to be offerings: a ceramic jar sealed with wax and a pot with something that has already dried. I try to get out of the middle of the circle without stepping on the lines and characters scratched on the floor. I cover my nose and approach the body. It is swollen, covered in flies, and has black skin, like India ink. Its hair is also black, dirty and tangled. It is wearing a beige nightgown with dark stains, I think old, dried blood. The body is face down. He has no shoes, his right hand is holding a knife, the knife has a slight shine, as if it were fluorescent, the woman, I think it's a woman, also has a leather bag, the strap goes over her shoulder and crosses her back. Should I take the knife or not? Like any normal person, I don't like being around corpses, the memories of seeing my parents in the morgue still give me chills. On the one hand, I remember that I have no skill with weapons in general, except for shooting with 4.5mm air guns when I was a teenager, a crossbow I bought on impulse, which if I used it for a year, if that was a lot, I don't think that counts. On the other hand, a knife isn't just for fighting and besides, it seems to be magical. I approach, holding my breath and pull the knife out by the blade. As I imagined, the hand is holding the knife firmly, Rigor Mortis. With both hands I release the knife finger by finger. The fingers are soft and cold, and when I unfold them, they make a cracking noise. Disgusting. At the end of my breath, I forcefully pull the knife that was still held by my little finger. I move away in a hurry and fall on the circle drawn on the floor, tripping over the offerings. If shit was going to hit the fan, it did.

  “SHIT!”

  I was waiting for lightning to strike my head or for the gates of hell to open beneath me.

  Nothing.

  With relief I let out a breath and the smell of the corpse comes back with force. I have to get out of here. I stand up, spread my wings and try to fly by jumping. As they say, no one ever succeeds the first time. I think flapping my wings while jumping might help. Consciously using muscles I never had, my wings start to flap harder and faster, I feel my body lift a little off the ground. I slow down the flapping, return to the ground, crouch down and gather all my strength, jump and flap my wings.

  I AM FLYING….YYYYYEEEEAAAAHHHH! BABY.

  Have you ever seen a fat chicken flying? That's me, it's not pretty, but it works. I think that's what a 2 in athletics means.

  I flap my wings and fly awkwardly, I climb up to the edge of the opening. It's going to be a close call. I used my last strength and managed to cross the edge of the opening and fell to my knees about 5m from the edge. My breathing was fast, the hot air like an open oven entered my dry throat. I stayed like that until I felt better and got up.

  “SIS, 6 in the luck attribute is a high value, right?!”

  CORRECT.

  “So why the hell am I in the middle of the desert?” Looking around I saw that I was surrounded by a desert of arid land, in the distance I saw mountains, it could be a mirage, judging by the position of the sun it must be between 11-13 hours, if this planet follows the 24-hour Earth pattern. 12 moons in the sky, yes I am not on Earth. Finally, I looked at SIS who was hovering to my right side at the height of my shoulder.

  MALLUS, MY INTERFACE APPEARS TO YOU, BUT I DON'T HAVE SENSORY ORGANS, I AM JUST A VIRTUAL IMAGE. I DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO THE REAL WORLD. THEREFORE I DON'T HAVE INFORMATION ABOUT WHY YOU ARE IN A DESERT.

  “Let me see if I understand. You don't perceive or have access to anything that happens in the real world? You are only visible and audible to me?”

  DOUBLE CORRECT.

  “So if I asked you to turn the page of a book, pick up a feather that fell on the ground nearby, you couldn't do it?”

  CORRECT.

  “So when I talk to you, from another person's point of view I seem to be talking to the void?”

  YES. YOU CAN USE OUR MENTAL BRIDGE TO COMMUNICATE WITH ME.

  “That will require training. Changing the subject, why do I have feathered wings and not bat wings like the classic images of demons?” Not that I'm complaining, I liked the wings, just the hooves that I still have to get used to.

  THE SYSTEM MAKES RANDOM CHANGES TO ALL BEINGS, THIS HELPS SOULS TO CREATE INDIVIDUAL IDENTITIES. IN THE CASE OF DEMONS, THERE ARE WINGS IN ALMOST ALL POSSIBLE COLORS AND MODELS.

  Naked in the desert, without water or food, why don't I feel warm? "SIS, do demons die of thirst? And because I don't feel warm, does it have anything to do with me being a demon, an immunity to fire?"

  DEMONS DO NOT DIE OF THIRST, NOR OF HYPOTHERMIA OR DEHYDRATION. AS FOR FOOD, YOU LOSE ONE ESSENCE PER DAY. WHEN THE VALUE REACHES ZERO, YOU GO INTO A FRENZY AND TRY TO SATISFY YOUR HUNGER FOR VITAL FORCE IN THE CLOSEST LIVING BEING. IN THIS STATE YOU LOSE A BODY POINT. WHEN BODY AND ESSENCE REACH ZERO, YOUR CORE FALLS TO THE GROUND INERT UNTIL VITAL FORCE IS INJECTED AGAIN. IF YOUR CORE IS DESTROYED, YOU WILL CEASE TO EXIST, YOU WILL FINALLY BE DEAD. YOU DON'T FEEL HEAT, BECAUSE YOU ARE A MATERIALIZED SPIRIT, YOUR BODY IS A SIMULACRE OF ENERGY. THAT'S WHY YOU DON'T FEEL HUNGER, THIRST, COLD, HEAT, BY DEFAULT. BUT YOU CAN CREATE THE NERVES TO FEEL THESE THINGS IF YOU WANT.

  “4 days. It could be worse, not feeling thirsty, hungry and hot in a desert helps a lot. I feel less in need.” Talking to myself, I’ve been doing that a lot in the last few months, I need to find a human, elf or any intelligent settlement in 4 days. When you’re lost, any direction is good. I keep walking towards the “mountains”, illusion or not at least I’m not going to keep going in circles. You might ask me, why am I not flying? Because it’s more tiring than walking. My legs hurt and my wing muscles hurt even more. The ground stretches out in all directions, dry, on the horizon the air is so hot that the ground seems to ripple like a rough sea, my only companions are SIS, who is not at all social, a vulture, who is following me through the sky, higher than I can reach. The sun is already a hand’s breadth from the horizon, I feel like I’ve never walked so far. I walk for a few more hours until it gets dark. A sky with a starry night, and beautiful, with a full moon, romantic. But with 12 moons of various colors and sizes, it makes your ass fall.

  My night vision is very good. The only difference is the lack of colors. I lie down on the ground as best I can and look at the sky. Reflecting on everything that has happened so far.

  “SIS, do demons sleep?”

  DEMONS ARE A CATEGORY OF SPIRITS. BY STANDARD SPIRITS DO NOT SLEEP.

  The night will be long. Then in the middle of the night I hear a low, hoarse male voice, like someone who has slept too much and has a dry throat. “Follow the glow.”

  I get up quickly and turn to where the sound came from. Nothing. He stood still, actually paralyzed with fear, I am in an open field, at night, alone and unarmed. Time drags on, my simulacrum of a heart pumps the blood that I do not have with strength, time passes and nothing happens.

  “Am I already going crazy?”

  More out of fear than anything else, I jump into the air and take flight, moving away from the place without direction. During my short flight, I see a faint glow, and I head in that direction. In a few minutes between flying and walking, I get close. I try to be discreet. There are many dangers in the desert, weather, animals, but I imagine that here, as on Earth, other people are the most dangerous things.

  Crawling along the ground, I get about 50 meters from the bonfire, where a person sitting and covered with a cloak, with a dull red aura. Whispering, "SIS, dull red aura is a bad person, right?" My little fairy, next to my head and a little ahead, turns around with her wings buzzing.

  YES.

  "How do I use my powers?"

  YOU FOCUS ON THE PRESENT IN QUESTION AND IT ACTIVATES THROUGH YOUR WILL.

  "Which of my powers can be used on other people to benefit me?"

  DRAIN OF VITAL ENERGY

  INFLUENCE

  COMPULSION (LUST)

  “Influence - You will wake up and welcome me as an old friend and answer all my questions!”

  I feel like I have thrown a lasso at an ox. I feel like the lasso has caught him, he struggles against it, but he is tired, hungry and sleepy. Soon the lasso tightens and the fight is over. I get up and walk to the campfire. The camp consists of a small fire to ward off the cold of the night, a furry leather rug thrown on the ground. The being in question is wearing beige clothes, I don't know if it is the actual color of the fabric or dust, leather boots, a dark gray cloak with ragged edges, a long knife is on his right side and a short bow on his left side, both on the ground, near the bow a quiver with 5 arrows and a worn leather backpack.

  The being in question is humanoid, its body covered in black fur and its face looks like a humanized Rottweiler. “Good evening my friend, may I sit down?” His eyes widen and he throws himself on the floor, prostrating himself in front of me. Okay, this is unexpected.

  “Honorable, my bonfire and everything I have, if I had a sacrifice, I would give it to you right now, these filthy eyes are not worthy of your beauty.” His voice, clearly not human, both in its sound and in its cadence. He stood up and offered me his place on the leather rug. All this with his head down and without looking at me directly. I look at him and pretend I understand everything and go with the flow. When in Rome, do as the Romans do. I sit down in the place offered.

  “Tell me your name, your race, where we are, what were you doing here and where are you going?”

  “Honorable, Vrog, hunter, son of Graz, hunter, called me. I am a Hobgoblin of the Lomar tribe. We are in the Khort Desert, in the Demon Lands, to the south are the Labyrinth and beyond the Frostfang Mountains. I am hunting, but without much success. I am also after the Orcs who attacked our tribe a few days ago and destroyed us, took prisoners and all our slaves.”

  “Slaves, tell me more about them.” I didn’t like this dog very much before, now I like them even less.

  “Honorable, our tribe has 6 slaves, 4 for work and 2 for breeding.” He says this like someone talking about the qualities of a fruit.

  My stomach turns. “And what did you intend to do when you found them?”

  “I would ambush them at night, they have two wagons pulled by uruks, so they have to travel through the Labyrinth, there are few routes that a wagon pulled by uruks can pass through and all the points with water and a cave to spend the night are known. I intended to kill them while they sleep, recover the cargo and the slaves and use them to enter another tribe.”

  “How many are there?”

  “7, but 2 of them are badly injured and they didn’t have a shaman when they attacked us.”

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  “Sleep, we’ll leave at first light. I’ll keep watch. Why do you call me Honorable?”

  He looks at me with the most goofy face possible. “Why, Honorable, you are one.”

  I realize by the sound coming out of his mouth and mine that we’re not speaking English, French, Spanish or Portuguese, much less Japanese or Koran. “What language are we speaking?”

  He raises his head, looks at me and quickly lowers his head again. “The sacred demonic tongue, Dezmonia.”

  “Hhhummm…sleep.”

  He lays down straight on the ground and within seconds he is snoring. I want to kill him right now, but not yet, he can still be useful.

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  The sun has risen and I'm in a terrible mood. Slaves and the word procreation have been hammering my head all night, and then there's that hoarse voice again, talking about brightness.

  FUCK

  We get up and head to the Labyrinth. Along the way, I ask questions. The Demonic Lands are the northwest part of this continent. This region is ruled by goblinoids and Orks. The goblinoids are divided into several tribes, divided by race, such as goblins, Hobglobins, and Buggbears. The goblinoid tribes obey a conclave of 12 Witches. The witches have patrons, conjured demons, who act as their consorts. That's why Vrog called me Honored, he thinks I'm the consort of some witch. So that corpse must be that of a witch. What the hell happened?

  The Orks obey the Rakshasa Lords, spirits who are enemies of all types of demons. Not that they are on the good team, certainly not. They are just as bad as the demons, the problem is resources, in this case, mortal souls. They fight over the same resource. It's getting better all the time.

  Beyond the mountains are the civilized lands. In short, I have to cross the mountains.

  Another thing is that goblinoids and Orks also fight each other for another reason. Procreation. Both of them do not have females, they were races created ages ago by the first Demon King. They reproduce using the females of other races. To get them, they attack pioneer settlements at the base of the mountains and once a year they cross the mountains and pillage everything in sight.

  As soon as Vrog is no longer useful, he will cease to exist. Goblim Slayer was right.

  During our walk I see a reflection on our path, when I get closer I see that it is a red stone, with a strange shape, half buried. I soon see that it emanates a dark red aura with light black flames. Evil and magical. When we get closer the owner's voice speaks in my ear. "Take it!" Someone definitely licked my neck. I turn around in pure reflection and run my hand over the back of my neck. Dry as this desert.

  "Vrog, dig up this stone." I point to the strange red rocky protrusion. Vrog promptly kneels down next to the stone, places his backpack on the ground and takes out a stick. Using the stick he begins to dig. The stone was not very buried and soon a shallow hole was opened. Vrog finishes opening the hole and prostrates himself again to me.

  "Honored One, I cannot touch this sacred object, only the Great Mothers and the Honored Ones have this permission."

  Inside the shallow hole is a phallus, made of a rock, a red crystal. And the stylized form, but it's all there, head, body and balls. The thing is the size of my arm. What am I going to do with it?”

  “Take it or suffer the consequences.” This time the voice comes from the crystal on the floor.

  “SIS, my patronus. Does it have any symbols?”

  YES. ITS CLASSIC FORMS ARE: Mana serpent, phallus, male of any species wearing a necklace of balls.

  “Sure… now I'm going to have to walk around with this thing.” What can I do, I can't cry over spilt milk. I was the one who chose to be an Incubus, and it looks like if I don't take this thing someone will be very pissed.

  “Vrog, give me your backpack.”

  He stands up and hands me his backpack. Now that we are standing close to each other, I notice that he is as tall as my stomach. I don't know if he is short or if I am too tall. I pick up the backpack, turn it over and throw all its contents on the floor. I bend down and pick up the Christ and put it in the bag. He gathered his things from the floor and made a bundle with the leather rug. We continue on our way. We finally arrive at the indicated location. There are still a few hours until the supposed caravan arrives. We are at the top of the canyon and there is no way down to the base of the skull without someone rappelling or being a mountain goat. While we wait, I learn more about the region. In addition to Orks, Goblinoids, Rakshasa, Witches, Demons, the place has Kobolds, Serpent People, Lizard Men, Ogres, Trolls and Wyverns. It seems that there are no Dragons in the region. Shortly before night falls, the wagons arrive. Two rustic carts, covered in furry, spotted leather, the two wooden wheels are made of planks held together by a metal hoop, a long, thick crossbar connected to the middle of the cart extends in front, on it two large, strong, furry animals with deer antlers are pulling each cart. In each one there is an Ork guiding the carts and the other three walk alongside the carts. They stopped near the entrance to a cave.

  Without thinking much, I use my gift.

  “Influence - Why do I have to share?” I throw the lasso at the last Ork in the group. The lasso closes almost automatically, it seems that someone had already been thinking the same thing. I do the same thing with the first cart.

  From the top of the canyon I see the last Ork come up behind his companion and with a sudden movement he pulls the war axe from his belt and brings it down on the unprotected head of the Ork in front of him. The male stabs in the skull, which falls without making a sound. The Ork who killed the other turns to the nearest cart driver and advances. The cart driver also draws his war axe and jumps, letting out a war cry towards the Orks on the ground.

  In front, the first cart driver grabs a two-handed club that was behind him, inside the cart, and takes advantage of the fact that the other Orks who were nearby turned to see what was happening and brings the club down on his head. He dies without even knowing why. The Ork who killed him first dodges the cart driver's attack and he falls to the ground face down. The Ork unceremoniously swings the axe at the middle of the fallen Ork's back, twice. He is about to hit for the third time when he notices movement to his right, and the surviving cart driver comes running towards him. He manages to hold the handle of his axe with both hands to block the male's downward blow. But the Ork cart driver's momentum is too great and the two collide, falling on top of each other. The Ork cart driver drops the club and pulls out a knife and the two start fighting, holding the knife. The cart driver is on top and tries to put the knife in the heart of the Ork who is below.

  I look at Vrog.

  “Influence - Trust me.” Wow, I didn't even feel the noose...it was direct. I don't think I even needed to use power. I get up and grab Vrog by the armpits and together we throw ourselves down the canyon. I flap my wings like I've never flapped before and when I get close to my target, I throw Vrog. He falls on top of the two Orks who are still fighting. Vrog fell on top of them from a height of about 10-15m. It made a dull noise, a dry thud. A few seconds later I land and as a famous aviator would say, if you land and come out alive, it was a success. My landing was 30% landing and 70% fall. I still have to get used to having 7 limbs. Half rolling, half scraping on the ground, I stop and get up. I check if everything is okay. No scratches, no injuries, nothing, being immune to normal weapons seems to help in falls. I go to the 3 bodies. The Ork cart driver managed to stick the knife in the heart of the other Ork. Vrog fell hard on the cart driver and it looks like he broke his spine and Vrog's neck is in an unhealthy position. I confirm that their aura have gone out and I leave the 3 together for now.

  I look at the first cart and see that it is full of sacks, I open one, it seems to be full of some kind of potato, I open another and it is full of some kind of dried and smoked meat. I go to the second cart and in it are the slaves. A Lizardman, a handsome red-haired Elf, a catman, a tall, thin elf with black hair whose face is marked by an ugly burn, and two humans: a small woman with short brown hair and dark eyes, and a strong, bald man.

  None of them look at me. I've never seen people so defeated and apathetic. "Hello?!"

  The only one who shows any reaction is the Lizardman. He looks at me and quickly lowers his head.

  "You, Lizardman, what's your name?" I say in the calmest voice possible.

  “Honorable, this slave has no name, but he was once called Medrash.” He says this without looking at me.

  “Okay, all of you, get off the wagon, we’re going to camp here for the night, if you’re hungry or thirsty you can get supplies from the first wagon.” I move away from the entrance of the wagon and realize that the Lizard Man is speaking to the other slaves using another language, one that I don’t understand at all. This is going to be a problem.

  As they get off I see their auras. Lizard Man (dull orange), Red-haired Elf (bright orange), Cat Man (dull orange), Black-haired Elf (dull blue), small woman (bright orange), strong bald man (dull orange).

  They are all wearing dirty, patched rags made of a fabric similar to those used to transport coffee. Why did I have to remember this now, coffee, cheese bread, French bread with butter.

  FOCUS!

  So the only one I can't say is on the bad side of the force is the Elf. "My name is Mallus, and from now on you are no longer slaves." Silence, all that was missing was the wind whistling and a dry bush rolling by. I look at the Lizard Man. "Medrash, tell them what I said and tell them to prepare camp for the night. After you collect the Orks' weapons and valuable items, come to me." I think it will take a while for them to believe me.

  Medrash gives me my commands and they divide up the tasks, the males will release the animals after guiding the carts to the cave and collecting the weapons and the females start preparing the fire and food. I take flight and go to get the backpack with the sacred crystal. From up there I see nothing nearby, no fire and nothing moving in the sky other than the moons. I descend, and after a few minutes Medrash comes to me.

  “Honorable, the animals are already safe, the weapons and useful things are in the supply wagon.” He says this with his head down. I can smell his fear, it looks like cinnamon.

  “What language did you use to speak to the others?”

  “Imperial Talay, Honorable.”

  “Does everyone speak this language?” If so, it will make my life easier.

  “Everyone who lives in the Talay Empire speaks it, Honorable.”

  “But we are not in the Talay Empire, right. What other language is used more besides this Imperial one?” Of course it would not be easy.

  “No Honorable, we are in the Demon Lands, beyond the mountains. The most spoken languages ??here are Goblish, Orksh, Dezmonia and Draconic. In the Talay Empire, in addition to Imperial, they speak Draconic, Elven and Celestial. In the Romani Empire it works the same way, their accents pull on the R.

  “Just to confirm what race you are?” He looked at the others and they were almost done, the fire was already lit and the males were already close to the fire. I notice that the human female tries to look at me furtively, but without success in going unnoticed.

  “Medrash, you will be my interpreter and you will teach me Imperial Talay until we cross the mountains.” I try to say this in the least aggressive way possible.

  “As you command, Honored, I am Draconian!” He bows.

  We approach the fireman and immediately everyone prostrates themselves. This is going to be difficult.

  “Stand up, I told you, you are no longer slaves. We are now traveling companions until we pass the mountains.” I try to use a light tone and reinforce a smile. The mortals look at each other and I feel the female looking at my best friend. All together and close to each other I smell dirty bodies, fresh blood, from the Orks, the smell of cinnamon and fear, a new smell, mango, the smell of lust and it comes from the human female who can't stop looking at my besta friend. I cover my nose with my fingers and take 3 steps back.

  “Medrash, ask him to introduce himself to me.”

  Medrash, 3 steps away from me, looks at his fellow captives and translates. Introductions soon begin.

  Red-haired Elf: Riardon, elf, warrior, captured 4 years ago.

  Catman: Stargazing, Pant, warrior, captured 6 months ago.

  Black-haired Elf: Jelen, elf, herbalist, captured 10 years ago.

  Small woman: Margery, human, prostitute, captured 2 years ago.

  Strong, bald man: Roger, human, peasant, captured 4 years ago.

  “Riardon and Stargazing, take the Orks’ weapons and use them. Does anyone know a way to cross the mountains?” Riardon raises his hand.

  “Honorable, I know a trail, it would be better to use it than the paths the tribes use to cross the mountains.

  “Riardon and Estrelas, get the Orks’ weapons and armor. Does anyone know a way to cross the mountains?” Riardon raises his hand.

  “Honorable, I know a trail, it would be better to use it than the paths the tribes use to cross the mountains.”

  I clap my hands, everyone is startled. “Sit down and eat, this is an order.” I didn’t like doing this, but it will take a while, apparently, for them to believe they are free. I move further away and try to sit down. I’ll tell you what, sit comfortably with a tail and wings that span 6m. They do as ordered.

  “Hunger, offering.” The damn whispering voice and licking the back of my neck. Son of a bitch!

  Okay, I get it. Before I can say anything, female, Margery comes over carrying a gourd with something hot. She prostrates herself in front of me and places the gourd in front of me. The smell of mango hits me hard, my friend starts to wake up.

  “Thank you. Go eat with your companions.” Since when did I start treating others as mortals, males and females? She gets up and goes to the fire, her smell of mango weakens, a little.

  I pick up the crystal, refusing to call the object in question by its name. It is warm and I feel a slight pulse. I want to throw it away. But my common sense tells me not to do that. I place the crystal on the ground, position the gourd with food in front of the crystal, and draw a circle on the ground around the two objects. “For you….eehhh…thank you!?”

  “SIS. Besides physical and nutritional characteristics, which come with the chosen race. What else comes in the package?”

  SIS, IN ADDITION TO WHAT YOU ALREADY MENTIONED, CERTAIN TRENDS COME WITH EACH RACE. FOR EXAMPLE: ORKS ARE BY NATURE PRONE TO VIOLENCE AND GIVING IN TO THEIR BASIC INSTINCTS, AS ARE THE GOBLINOID RACES. ELVES TEND TO BE MORE CALM AND CONTEMPLATIVE, DWARFS ARE NATURALLY FEARFUL, HUMANS ARE NATURALLY CURIOUS.

  “I have noticed in myself certain thoughts that I did not have before. For example, I thought of the slaves I met recently as mortals, male and female, and not as people.”

  DEMONS ARE KNOWN FOR THEIR PRIDE, TENDENCY TO DESPISE OTHER RACES, AND TOTAL INDULGENCE TO THEIR DESIRES. YOUR RACE CAN BASIC INFLUENCE YOUR BEHAVIOR AND INSTINCTIVE REACTIONS. BUT AS YOU ARE A USER, YOU HAVE THE CAPACITY TO GO AGAINST THIS MORE EASILY. FOR ORDINARY BEINGS IN THIS REALITY THIS IS VERY DIFFICULT.

  “Could there be a good Ork or goblin?”

  ONLY IF HE WAS A REINCARNATED BEING LIKE YOU. THE RACIAL TENDENCIES, THE ENVIRONMENT, THE SOCIETY WHERE THEY ARE BORN MAKE THIS PRACTICALLY IMPOSSIBLE. IF THIS OCCURRED NATURALLY, HE WOULD BE ELIMINATED AS A CHILD. HOWEVER, A REINCARNATED BEING COULD FIGHT AGAINST THESE TENDENCIES. BUT IF WE TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THE TYPE OF SOUL THAT CHOOSES TO REINCARNATE INTO A BEING LIKE THIS BY THEIR OWN WILL, THE CHANCES OF SOMEONE WITH THIS TYPE OF RACE, WITH GOOD TENDENCIES AND THE SAME OF THREE METEORS FALLING IN THE SAME PLACE AT DIFFERENT TIMES.

  “I understand. In my case, my sexual tendencies and frustrations led me to this, I have already accepted it. But apart from these details - SIS raises her right eyebrow when I say details, what a mean, beautiful, perfect woman...enough - I have never seen myself with a racist asshole who steps on others. So I can fight against this, right?” I really hope so, sexual indulgences between conscious people who agree to participate, I don't see any problem, sex [and well...let he who disagrees cast the first stone.

  CORRECT.

  “Then I want you to set an audible alert whenever I say the words, mortal, male and female.

  WORD SENSOR ACTIVATED, AUDIBLE ALARM SET.

  “Thank you SIS!”

  Medrash approaches “Honorable, I will prepare for bed, everything was done, as ordered, do you need anything?”

  “I was informed that there were 7 Orks in the caravan and hobgoblin prisoners. What happened to them?” I have a suspicion, but it is better to confirm, so as not to have unpleasant surprises later.

  “The prisoners were tortured and killed, on the first night after the attack, the next night the 2 injured Orks died or were murdered, I can't tell, when I woke up they were already thrown near the camp.”

  I notice a certain air of pleasure when Medrash says that his former masters were tortured.

  “Well, one less problem, no one will miss them anyway. You can go to sleep.” It's sad to see someone so broken. I've seen movies about it, but seeing it in person is something else.

  He nods and retreats to the campfire.

  The former slaves lie down on the ground and are soon asleep.

  In the end, I manage to find the best possible position. Like a statue of the River God, I found it perfect, a position worthy of my beauty, my abdominal muscles are well illuminated by the light of the fire, my best friend lies on my leg, powerful and imposing, my wings form a cover, like an awning. And my tail doesn't bother me. Speaking of which, you notice that it keeps swinging without me even noticing. The little stones on the ground don't bother me at all either. Small victories, always. My thoughts wander to everything that happened. Let's talk about the Orks, you know, the Orks from Warcraft, muscular, with lower canine teeth and green skin. Nooopss. Sa the Orks from Lord of the Rings, both versions, gray skin, pointy ears and skinny, or Uruk-Hai. Nooopss. Think of a 200 kg boar, hairy, with two pairs of tusks coming out of its lower jaw, a short, pig-like nose, short ears and now put it standing up and with hands with three fat fingers. There you have it, now you have an Ork, and as a bonus, you get a smell that smells like someone who has never taken a bath other than getting wet in the rain. Repulsive. Orks and hobgoblins are on my list to kill whenever possible.

  A while later, I see someone get up, the smell of mango is strong. Margery approaches, she kneels on the hard floor, an arm's length away from me, she pulls off the few rags that cover her body over her head. The marks of a hard life are everywhere, scars from cuts, stretch marks from pregnancy, breasts that have fallen from breastfeeding. The smell of mango is stronger than the smell of a dirty body.

  I try to contain myself.

  She reaches out and touches my member.

  My conscience screams. STOCKHOLM SYNDROME!!! My best friend wakes up, glorious imposing, Margery licks his lips, my best friend responds, they get bigger and harder. He shuts off the voice of my conscience like a strong wind carrying a feather. I extend my arm inviting her. She comes, and in seconds we are making out wildly. My instincts speak louder. Without even thinking, do I activate it?

  Vital Energy Drain

  “Influence - You are mine!” The bond [and practically sucked by Margery

  Lust Compulsion

  Desire Reflection - The image of an elf wearing fine clothes, short straight blond hair, a remarkable face and athletic build appears in front of us. She looks at the image that appears and lets out a little scream of pure pleasure.

  I quickly use Mutable Form - I take the form of her male, *PPPPEEEEHHH, RIGHT, the elf of her dreams, someone she loved very much but lost.

  Realistic Form - every detail identical to her desires and memories, smell, small defects and scars.

  I realize that the Draconian woke up with our moans, but he soon goes back to sleep. Still making out, I get up, this only serves to deepen our intimacy.

  “Take me with you!” the crystal whispers.

  That was all I needed, a voyeur crystal. I pass my tail through the crystal and take it with me as I move away. After about 20 meters from the fire, I stop and place the crystal on the ground. I feel her life force fading away, she won’t last long if I continue. Just before her aura fades, I make her separate from me. She can’t even resist. I place her body on the ground and watch her spasm, letting out weak moans with her eyes closed. A little while later, she calms down and falls asleep. A few more seconds and I would have sucked her like a melted mango ice cream.

  I feel completely refreshed. It was the best sex I’ve ever had in my life, multiplied by ten. It’s very easy to get lost in that, it was a close call. I was lucky it happened before I was really hungry. My first time doing drainage and it almost turned into murder. It hit the post and went out.

  BEELSHAMOR SENDS GIFT - MIND LINK, REGENERATION AND HEAL

  “WWWEEEEEHHH!!” Right after the surprise with the system's communication, I feel like I'm falling.

  TTTTAAAAA….VVVVUMMMM….TTTTUUUMMM.

  I feel like I fell from somewhere very high and fast. In the blink of an eye I'm in my white room from before, with the same oval wooden table as before. This time the ambient light has a pulsating lavender. Strangely comfortable, there are no armchairs this time. I waited for the door to appear and someone to enter.

  Instead, something starts to materialize like in Star Trek, until the noise is the same. At the end of the process, a snake about 20 cm long and 2 fingers in diameter appears… it is translucent lilac with lateral lines running lengthwise, a neon purple. Ruby eyes stare at me.

  “Finally we found it, my son.” She says in a whispering voice that licks the back of my neck. “

  “Beelshamor?”

  “Handsome and smart, as expected of my sons.” He finishes the sentence and gives a mocking laugh, I think he’s trolling me.

  “Your son? I don’t think so, my mother died and only knew my father her whole life. And here I chose to be what I am.” Son of a snake? Seriously?

  Again the mocking laughter. “Child, all the demons of lust are my children, even those like you, reincarnated. If I didn’t see potential in you, I wouldn’t have adopted you.” The serpent begins to undulate through the air, circling me, evaluating me like a horse or a new car.

  “I thought this was the SYSTEM’s responsibility.”

  The SYSTEM, as you call it, is the air we breathe, like gravity, but we the Gods are the ones who authorize things. If one of us were against it, reincarnated ones like you wouldn’t be sent home.

  “Okay. Let’s get straight to the point, what do you want?” I like this snake less and less.

  “As you know, I am your patron, it may seem incredible, but patrons…. SPONSOR… - dramatic pause, followed by a laugh. A tear fell from the serpent's eyes - eons, and the joke is still good. But as you may not have noticed, your offering and your quick little ritual in my honor, we can improve, it was very fast, but why the rush, right? Coming back, I gave you gifts, very useful and I can help you more. Unlike your friend, SIS, I can interact with reality, provide general knowledge about this reality, give advice, be a friend and maybe even something more in the future, - the naughty girl winked at me, WINK. Offered!!! - For example, I can help you control your energy drain.”

  “And all this you would do out of the kindness of your heart?” Hhhaammm….hhaammm…I know.

  “Handsome, insightful, and a comedian. I love him! But…it’s…obvious…that…no. All of this would be provided by a measly minus two points of Essence, permanent. A trifle, I guarantee.

  “Two? That way I would have to feed myself every two days. Can we postpone this until after I get over the mountains?” No way, I’m already burning the neurons I don’t have on how I’m going to last this whole trip to a nearby city.

  “You’re right, yes, two days is too little, it goes by fast. But you’re doing a few things. First, as your patron, I’m interested in you growing up, getting strong, building a temple for me, expanding and spreading my church, bringing in many followers, and having orgies for eternity. Second, if you die I get nothing. Third, you have an attribute like all reincarnated beings, which is very useful.

  Lucky.

  Add your beloved and handsome patron, who will guide you and give you great advice, plus your luck attribute. Trust in DAD, everything will be fine. That kamikaze chicken flight you did and still managed to kill three enemies at once, is a good example of how your luck works. So, deal done?”

  “Sis, what do you think?”

  HE IS YOUR ONLY PATRON. THAT'S ALL I CAN SAY. RELATIONS BETWEEN PATRONS AND THEIR TUTES ARE OUTSIDE THE SCOPE OF THE SYSTEM.

  “Can I break this deal and get my Essence points back again?”

  “Yes, but once a deal is broken, the same deal will not be offered again.”

  Having someone else helping me, and that someone being a deity. Tempting.” I think about the pros and cons for a few minutes. I’m more lost than a blind man in a shootout, without allies, SIS, it helps very little. HHHHAAAAAAAaaa, who am I kidding? “Deal.”

  “I knew it! May our relationship deepen and bear much fruit.” Then, as fast as a wasp attack, the snake bites me. I feel it sink its fangs deep into my neck. I feel my essence being sucked out. If that's what someone feels when their essence is drained. It really is cowardice, the person gives in easily and will do anything to feel that way again. Of course, I only had all these reflections a long time later. At the time I was in ecstasy and when I realized it I was back in the same position I was in, it doesn't seem like much time has passed, if any at all. Ouch...what a trip, I put my hand on my neck and I don't feel any pain, bruise or scar. Interesting.

  “The bite I made, on you, was on your spirit.”

  To my right is the snake, translucent, floating, undulating, as if it were swimming in a gentle invisible current. I look to my left and it's there, at shoulder height with its soft buzzing of beating wings.

  “SIS. Is there any way you can set an alarm when the vital energy levels of someone I am draining reach critical levels?” I lie back on the floor in my divine pose.

  I CANNOT NOTICE EXTERNAL THINGS.

  Damn. I'm going to have to think of something. “SIS, how long does it take for a person to recover their vital force?”

  NORMALLY A WEEK, IF THEY ARE HEALTHY AND EATING AND RESTING WELL. SICK PEOPLE, EATING POORLY AND IN STRESS MAY REQUIRE LONGER.

  Suddenly a flea bites my ear. “SIS, is the time system here the same as where I came from?”

  NO. BUT I DON'T HAVE DETAILED INFORMATION ON THE TIME COUNTING PATTERN.

  Has anyone ever seen a snake coughing? I just saw one now. “Beelshamor?”

  “I can help you with some of those things.”

  “What, for example?” A smiling snake, what have I gotten myself into?

  “Better than an alarm, LOL, alarm, that was a good one.”

  “I'm glad you're having fun, my beloved patron.” I say in a sarcastic tone. It feels so good to be able to do this.

  The snake opens its smile wider, its fangs dripping. “Beloved, I liked that, I allow you to call me that child.”

  “I was joking.”

  “I know, but I'm serious. Let's do it like this, if you're satisfied with what I'm going to say you'll call me that from now on.”

  “Seriously, don't you have anything else to do, I don't know, take care of your faithful?” I tap my index finger on my lips.

  “I am a deity and I do a lot of things at once. And you are one of my followers. If you haven’t noticed yet. So? Do you agree to the bet?”

  I shake my head, sighing. “But I have to be satisfied.”

  “First, we can make a control pact, which would work like this. You would never accidentally drain someone to death and you would always know the limits of each living being and when would be the most appropriate time to drain someone you have already drained again. But on the other hand, you could never drain someone to death, even if it was to save their life.

  Second, this place, this planet is called Dhah`ar, it is much bigger than Earth, its cycle or as you call it, year, has 400 days, divided into 4 seasons of 100 days, 10 months each month has 40 days, each week has 10 days, each day has 30 hours, 15 hours of day and 15 hours of night, 1 hour has 100 minutes and 1 minute has 100 seconds.

  Third, with the gift I gave you, Mind Link, you can communicate with anyone without needing to learn a dozen languages.

  Fourth, using Spiritual Pact + Influence, you can create a group of... companions who would never betray you.

  Fifth, using Spiritual Pact you could grant your companions the gift of regeneration among other things. I know several people who would kill to have this power.

  So, what did you think of my advice?”

  Doing so, I was surprised, I didn’t like it, yes. I’ve never been a sore loser. I give a short laugh. “I accept the pact about draining. My beloved patron.”

  The serpent comes undulating towards me and coils itself around my neck. “We’ll get along very well, child.” It speaks in my ear, and then immediately stings my ear. The sensation is the same as when you pierce your ear.

  “Heeeeee. You could have warned me before you did this, and by the way, why did you do it?”

  “Pacts are always signed with blood. In your case, spiritual energy, but the logic is the same. As for warning, stop being a crybaby, it was just a little prick.”

  “Are you going to stay wrapped around my neck?”

  “Yes, it’s warm here and if I get sleepy I can hide in your hair.”

  “Do you sleep?” I ask incredulously.

  “No, I’m a spirit like you, but it was funny to see your reaction.”

  “You’re funny. And don’t lick the back of my neck and my ear. Be warned!”

  “I didn’t even want to.” She says, imitating the tone of a petulant child.

  The night goes on and I start asking general questions about Dhah’ar. The conversation is long and productive. And in the end it was agreed that I will call Beelshamor, beloved, when he does something that pleases me. And calling a snake by the name of a God can get me in trouble, so we agreed that his avatar will be called Beelshamor*.

  Amor.*

  *Amor in Portuguese means Love.