Even someone as persistent as Stas Ordyntsev understood that he couldn't keep up this pace any longer.
Months of relentless work, during which he had raced against Leviathan's death, hadn't gone by without a trace.
Yes, he had managed to succeed, beating the Grim Reaper at the last moment. However, after such an impressive feat, any job he tried to tackle just fell apart.
His brain simply refused to work, and his reason floated somewhere off to the side.
Confronted with this sad realization, Ordyntsev had no choice but to request a leave.
But the very next second, he faced the fact that he simply had nothing to do. Of course, he could visit a brothel, as he occasionally did when he was at the Citadel.
Fortunately, in this world, venereal diseases were almost non-existent. Perhaps it was because of the locals' obsession with cleanliness. Even the peasants, if they finished working in the fields, tried to wash themselves immediately.
He could also try to attend some theatrical performances. Only his last attempt had left the man with horrible memories.
Watching ridiculously painted men either act like mimes or recite some intricately poetic texts was beyond his strength. Add to that the fact that women were not allowed on stage, so female roles were played by men made up to look like women.
And if that wasn't enough, there were also dances in crudely carved masks depicting demons, dragons, warriors, and onmyoji.
The latter could have been of some interest, but again, the overly lofty speeches spoiled it.
What else was there?
Back on Earth, Ordyntsev adored reading, both educational and entertaining literature. But in this world, it was hard to get anything other than poetry.
He didn't understand poetry even in his own world, not to mention this one.
Moreover, Stas had no desire to rush anywhere and leave his cozy shelter.
Therefore, Ordyntsev had to come up with some kind of entertainment that would meet his high standards and wouldn't involve learning something new.
After a bit of brainstorming, a choice was found. It took a little time to find a scroll with paper, writing tools, and ink.
But cutting the largest sheet properly, making many smaller pieces from the remnants, and then carefully inscribing them with numbers and characters took Ordyntsev a great deal of effort.
The work was tedious and difficult, but Stas even enjoyed it. It had been a long time since he had done something so pleasantly monotonous.
By the next morning, he had finally finished and immediately gathered all the residents of the hideout together.
"What's happened?" Minoru suspiciously examined the broad stone table standing still in the center of one of the vacant rooms, around which many soft cushions were scattered and several mats were spread out.
The table itself was covered with a piece of cloth, under which some angular objects protruded.
Sealing scrolls, in Stas's opinion, were among the most useful inventions of this world. Thanks to them, Ordyntsev had ensured comfort for himself and others in the sanctuary.
Standing nearby, Mari, Kaede, and Leviathan also looked at Stas with interest, waiting for him to speak.
"In one of the scrolls," Stas began, slowly approaching the table and reaching for the cover, "I came across a description of a curious game that can captivate players with its simplicity and yet an interesting idea."
The cloth was neatly lifted, revealing to the gathered a white sheet inscribed with many symbols and squares, on which miniature stone figurines representing various houses stood still.
"I present to you a game called Monopoly."
Stas couldn't help himself and still used his Earth Control ability to train his control, at the same time creating dice, tokens, and figurines of various establishments.
Thus, one could notice an onsen, hot springs, a little tavern, a candy store, and much more.
Stas didn't try to create everything in detail, just outlining the main features and inscribing the names with hieroglyphs.
In the eyes of those gathered, strong bewilderment appeared.
Who would have expected from the eternally rational Serpent that he himself would make a board game? And then invite them to try it.
"Now, I suggest everyone take their places, and I will begin presenting the game's rules."
The explanation didn't take too long. The people and non-humans gathered here were by no means stupid.
Leviathan also wanted to play, but since she couldn't count or read, this became a problem.
Looking at the unhappy snake's expression, Kaede carelessly promised to teach her. For this reason, she got acquainted with "hugs," after which it took her a long time to come back to her senses.
When the game started... In that exact second, Monopoly gained an entirely unexpected layer.
Each of the present possessed certain "superpowers," allowing them to cheat inconspicuously.
Kaede blatantly used illusions in attempts to steal money or an establishment from someone or rob the common "bank."
Minoru, on the other hand, used the thinnest water tendrils that could take on the texture and density of real paper, and only a prana check could distinguish a counterfeit. These same tendrils were quite good at pulling cards out from under other players' noses.
Mari used shadows to mislead her opponents and distract from her own actions.
Stas shamelessly used Leviathan's telekinesis and earth manipulation. After all, he chose to make a stone table for a reason, right?
And then, there were also dice rolls. Since almost everyone present could interfere with its movement, luck played a secondary role. As soon as the die left someone's hand, several mighty forces immediately descended upon the poor object.
Since Levi couldn't understand numbers, Stas sent her a complete picture of what he wanted to get.
Several times, the dice exploded into pieces from the combined pressure, but no one was stopped or upset by this. After all, creating a new die wasn't that time-consuming.
The whole thing was surreal. Being in the hideout, Kaede had removed her mask, so when she laughed, the smile was frighteningly wide.
And it was quite a show to see when the Nure-onna fiercely tried to convince her opponent that she should sell those establishments to her and not to someone else. At such times, she especially vigorously waved the tip of her tail, using it as a third hand.
And Mari's expression, who treated the game as if it were a high-importance operation, was worth the day Ordyntsev spent drawing Monopoly.
"Let me go!" Kaede actively struggled out of Minoru's coils, trying to grab the hair of the smugly sitting Mari. "I saw it was you who stole my fifty thousand coins!"
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"What does it matter," Stas smirked, collecting the scattered papers on the table. "Minoru won anyway."
"I was also close to victory," the yokai pouted. "And if it weren't for one little bitch, I would have won."
"Don't want to disappoint you, student," Minoru smiled. "But you're far from my skill level, as I rank way above you."
"To heck with all of you." Kaede stopped struggling and was, therefore, released. However, all her efforts were nothing more than play.
"I must admit," the ancient yokai curiously glanced at the pensive Stas. "It turned out to be an excellent game. And although I doubted at first, now I see that you were right. We all had a good time. But why, then, are you so sad? I saw that you enjoyed it, too."
"Yes, it was fun. And the sadness... Apparently, some part of the memories of my home returned." Ordyntsev shrugged. He wasn't going to open up, even though this game really stirred up his memories of Earth.
For a second, he felt as if he had returned home again.
"We'll have to play again sometime," Kaede decided, and judging by the barely noticeable nod, Mari agreed too.
Rinako took second place and was thirsting for a rematch, though she tried not to show it.
In general, Mari had mixed feelings.
The fact that she managed to rid herself of that useless ballast, convincing the master to chase them away, was a success she was very proud of.
Or how she noticed the Serpent's doubts and managed to use them - it elevated her to the pinnacle of bliss.
Of course, she didn't deceive herself; her plan worked only because the master had almost decided to do so himself.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have dared to advise anything.
The only thing that slightly upset her was that those weaklings were still alive. Mari was sure that her former subordinates would eventually realize who was to blame for their exile and harbor resentment against her.
And while they were weak, Mari preferred to deal with even the most inconspicuous threats in advance. However, what's to stop her from taking some time in the future to ensure this problem is resolved?
On the other hand, Rinako didn't think she was doing anything wrong. How many times had missions been on the brink of failure because of the mistakes of these bunglers? How many times had she had to pull their asses out of trouble?
Mari thought it was unacceptably often.
The master, in his wisdom, told them to take easy orders to train, but these useless mistakes of Kami managed to screw up even here!
Therefore, killing these fools would certainly benefit her master.
And maybe just a tiny bit to the modest Mari Rinako.
Such a great person as Shiro the Serpent could only have the best and most loyal subordinates, of course, like Mari. The weaklings had no right even to breathe in their presence, let alone join them.
And then, it turned out that her magnificent master had other servants. Worse, female servants!
Of course, a little later, it became clear that at least Minoru, in some way, could be crossed out. The ancient yokai was more of a mutually beneficial partner than a subordinate.
What else is there to say if one glance from eyes so similar to her master's was enough to make Mari afraid to take an extra breath for several minutes afterward.
Such an overwhelming level of power made your entire being tremble with inexplicable fear.
For a warmaster like her, it was difficult to imagine what kind of person you had to be to manage to work with beings of such a level.
The second obstacle was the master's pet – Leviathan. But Mari was afraid to even think in that direction. She saw how the master treated this snake. And if Shiro even senses evil intentions from her toward his pet, her end will be very swift.
In the end, only Kaede remained. As Mari understood, she used to be a regular yokai, but somehow, having been reborn, she decided to follow the master.
They had already met when the yokai helped with their training, but then Kaede didn't say much about herself.
In terms of their "rank," they were roughly equal. Although the news that Kaede, it turns out, helped kill a whole supreme warmaster was exceptionally unpleasant.
Mari, by no means, was going to lag behind! So she had to show her own usefulness as soon as possible.
*****
"Minoru," Stas greeted the lamia that crawled into the room.
The funniest thing was that the ancient yokai could fully transform into a human. That is, hide her tail somewhere and strut around on human legs while reducing her height to acceptable sizes.
But for some reason, she continued to remain in the body of a lamia.
"Shiro," the water spirit suspiciously examined the room, especially the amulet against eavesdropping. "What are these precautions for? What secrecy?"
"Take a seat," Stas hospitably nodded towards the large cushion opposite. "As for the secrecy, it's a very important matter that no one but us should know about. Moreover, I will ask you to swear that it will not leave you in any way. At this point, only two should know, you and me."
"Your words make me nervous, human," the yokai looked around the room again, searching for any hidden onmyodo signs or hidden seals. "What are you going to tell me?" She finally took her place, making sure there wasn't an explosive seal under it.
However, even then, she didn't relax. Shiro the Serpent made you take him seriously.
"And one more thing," to Minoru's greater irritation, Stas ignored her words. "I need to ask you to swear that you won't do anything after I tell you some information."
"I can't agree to that," the lamia shook her head. "There are things that I cannot accept no matter how much I want to. To give such a promise is to risk breaking it."
"Okay," Stas pondered. "Then how about you don't do anything until we discuss it seriously?"
"That's acceptable," Minoru nodded slowly, not taking her eyes off the somewhat calmed Shiro. The water spirit's thoughts frantically darted in an attempt to guess what the healer wanted to tell her.
"I think we should start from the beginning," Stas paused. "You know, when you were telling me about the great spirits, I knew something about them even before that."
"What are you trying to say?" Minoru frowned. The topic of the great spirits was extremely important for any yokai.
If people craved the place of those who stood above them, then for yokai, it was a little different. The great spirits in their eyes were something akin to parents or very close relatives. And the latter reciprocated this relationship, honestly trying to take care of the weaker brethren.
"I, in a way, have already met one of the great spirits," Stas remarked meaningfully, carefully watching the lamia's reaction.
"And... And who was it?" She unconsciously clenched her fists tightly.
"It was the Great Serpent."
"Ah!" Minoru's eyes widened. "You met the lord?! When? Where? Why did he decide to meet with you?"
"Calm down," Stas soothingly raised his hands, calling on Minoru to sit back down and not to loom over him.
Trembling with impatience, the lamia did as he asked.
Ordyntsev waited a bit, making sure that the yokai was controlling herself.
"The Great Serpent came to me in my dreams. And before you say anything, it happened more than once," Stas stopped the yokai when she was already about to say something sarcastic. "Tell me, did your lord look like this?"
Ordyntsev calmly listed the main features he could remember from the horror that had hit his mind.
"Yes, it's him," Minoru looked at Stas with a conflicted expression. She was simultaneously glad to hear about her lord, but on the other hand, she was angry that the Great Serpent had started talking to someone like Ordyntsev. "And maybe you'll stop dragging it out and tell me what he said?"
"And here's where the difficulties begin," Ordyntsev sighed heavily. "Minoru, your Great Serpent is seriously ill. The wounds inflicted by the demon that once tried to break into your world have festered. And, if I understand your stories about chaos correctly, these wounds carry the influence of the plane of rot."
Stas shook his head.
"There's little that can move me, but what that filth did to him almost made me lose my sanity."
With each word of the man, the expression on the ancient yokai's face changed until it turned into a mask of pure horror.
"Oh Kami, we must help him urgently!" Minoru jumped up. "We have to find him and heal him. Where is he? We must…"
"Minoru!" Stas roared. "Snap out of it! Remember, you promised you would control yourself! So why the hell are you behaving like this now?"
"Because my lord is terribly wounded!" The yokai screamed, unconsciously releasing her power. At the same moment, the hideout shuddered, and several small cracks ran along the walls.
Fortunately, Ordyntsev had previously spoken with Kaede, Levi, and Mari, warning them of something like this. At the same time, he reinforced the stone of the entire room. The prana reinforcement will last a few more hours, but that should be enough.
"I know it better than you do! After all, I saw it and almost lost my mind because of it. And if you want to do what your lord wants, you will sit down right now and keep listening to me." Ordyntsev was not asking; he was ordering, forcing the entire essence of Minoru to resist such treatment.
But the healer achieved his goal. Anger at his audacity made her come to her senses and sit down again, searing him with an angry look.
"I'm listening, but by the gods, you better tell me something really important."
"Oh, believe me, I will," a serpentine smile flickered across Stanislav's face. "Have you ever wondered why, out of all the inhabitants of this world - and now I'm talking about the yokai - your lord turned to me? And I'll answer - because he thought I could help him."
"But how does this relate to the fact that I shouldn't tell anyone?" Minoru asked suspiciously. "I can secretly send a message to the strongest water spirits. They won't find me, but they will receive the news."
"I'm glad you asked," Stas nodded with satisfaction. "Now imagine for a second that your lord is not an idiot," he was met with a threatening teeth grinding. "And he foresaw that any other yokai would do just that. So, what stopped him from doing so? Why did he turn to some human? I'll give you a hint. Chaos."
"I refuse to play your games, Serpent!"
"How impatient you are," the malicious irony in Ordyntsev's voice was palpable, and the smile refused to leave his thin lips. The man would have lied to himself if he said he didn't enjoy the whole situation.
Right now, with just words, he made the embodiment of the water element obey him, time after time subduing her own anger. Streams of spiritual power raged around, but the ancient being sitting opposite him was forced to listen to him.
It was delightful.
"The answer is simple. The Great Serpent didn't want other yokai to know about his injury and infection with chaos. Most likely, he didn't want you fussing and trying to save him. Why? There are many reasons, but I lean towards one in particular."
Stas paused.
"Because it's the poison of chaos, born from one of the strongest known demonic entities. What if it spreads to those spirits who come to save him?"
"And why then won't it spread to you?" the lamia demanded an answer.
"Maybe because I can come up with a way to prevent it?" Stas chuckled contentedly. "For your information, I currently possess a decent list of unique knowledge. And I don't plan on stopping. If anyone can deal with a poison like this, it's undoubtedly someone like me."
Ordyntsev didn't suffer from excessive self-esteem; he reveled in it.