“Kill yourself.” Elrianthe replied coldly.

“Forgive me, my lady, but I can't do it. Can I get forgiveness any other way?” Carl replied, trying to be as respectful as possible.

Elrianthe was still under the influence of emotion when she gave him the first order, but fortunately, Carl's control was not strong enough for him to carry out such an order.

Carl's suicide would get her into even more trouble than she was already facing, and her main goal was to escape. She could not afford to make mistakes that could have dire consequences. She had to put her hatred for him aside.

“Tell me who you are, how many of you there are, and where you are.” She demanded.

“We are one of a group of slave traders that was formed after the breakup of our main organization. There are six of us working in this hideout. We are located in the Crow Forest, under the Kaparte Mountains, which are the natural boundary between the empire to the north and the theocracy to the south.”

“Why do you call it the Crow Forest?” She asked.

“According to local residents, the forest is haunted, and numerous crows in the region spy for the witch hiding here.”

“Is that true?”

“Not exactly. The forest is indeed home to many monsters and wild animals, but we have never encountered any witches or signs of haunting. The locals are afraid of the dense forest because there are often attacks on people by monsters. So they made up a myth based on some rumors.”

“Good. I need to know a few more things.”

By taking control of Carl, Elrianthe learned the roles of the various bandits. Two of them are responsible for the safety of the hideout, standing at post and patrolling the area. Another two are in charge of keeping the slaves alive. In this role is Carl, and his companion is Jim, who usually goes to the rest of the slaves. They also have one mage, responsible for communicating with the other groups they work with, as well as calling for help when needed. The last person in the group is the leader, who usually stays in the main hall, but once a week goes to a nearby town on business.

'They are well organized.' She thought.

She had to come up with a plan to get out of there. 'Maybe I should take control of the slaves?' She thought.

“Lead me to the strongest slave you keep here.” She instructed.

“Yes, my lady.” He replied, bowing.

After unchaining Elrianthe, they went to a cell closer to the dungeon exit. The elf's cell was at the very end of the corridor, so no one but Carl could see her. Along the way, passing other cells, Elrianthe looked inside them.

This was her first opportunity in a very long time to see some other face. In one of the cells she spotted an elderly man, barely alive, and in another a young woman whose attire resembled that of a priestess.

When they reached the actual cell, Elrianthe saw something shocking. She thought it was an animal, but it had a very human-like silhouette.

“What is it?” She asked uncertainly.

“A cat-man, my lady. Haven't you ever had a chance to see one?”

'Where would I see such a thing? I'm not from this world.' She thought.

“No... not yet.” She replied.

“This race is already rare on this continent.” Carl explained.

“Then why are you asking if I've ever seen a cat-man when you yourself say they are rare?”

“Elves are long-lived, so I thought... “ He began, but Elrianthe suddenly interrupted him.

“Idiot, I'm only 30 years old.”

“Please forgive me. I didn't know, my lady.” He replied, bowing in a gesture of apology.

“And yet you knew I was a virgin!” She shouted, enraged.

“I'm sorry, my lady.”

“Get out of my sight.”

Carl moved away from the cell entrance and stood at the door, behind which led the stairs upstairs. Elrianthe approached the bars, behind which lay a cat-man.

In appearance, he resembled a Siberian tiger. He wore only pants and was naked from the waist up. His thick fur hid his tough skin, and his figure revealed that he had spent his entire life in hard labor. He was huge, measuring about two and a half meters tall, and must have been incredibly strong.

Elrianthe, looking at him, noticed his powerful arms ending in thick hands that resembled animal paws, but at the same time allowed for efficient and precise manipulation of objects, as in humans. The hands ended in sharp claws, capable of tearing a person apart in one movement if he wanted to. Its legs, also thick and strong, ended in tiger-like paws.

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Despite his enormous stature, the cat-man lay on the ground, barely alive. He was chained up with several chains and had a belt around his neck that limited his strength. He didn't even pay attention to the elven woman who was looking at him.

“Do you want to get out of here?” Elrianthe asked.

The cat-man turned and looked at her.

“Who wouldn't want to...” The cat-man replied. “I'm already doing it on my own.”

“What do you mean?”

“I don't want to live like a slave. The moment I was captured, I made the decision that I would take my own life at the first better opportunity.”

“And how does that work out for you?” She asked innocently.

“Slowly but effectively. Every day I'm getting closer and closer to my goal.”

“Starvation is a miserable death.” She remarked, pointing to a full bowl of food.

“That's all I have left.”

“What if there is another way out?” She said, trying to get his interest.

“Other? I could provoke people to fight, but they won't make money on me when I'm a dead man. They will try to defeat me without killing me.”

“I'm not talking about death. I want to escape from here, and you could regain your freedom if you help me.” She persuaded.

“Escape? From here? Haha... Good luck.” He laughed, then turned back to the wall.

Elrianthe looked at Carl and nodded toward the cell lock. Carl walked over to open the door for her, and she stepped inside.

“Can you uncuff him?” She asked loudly.

“Yes, my lady. Shall I do it now?” Carl asked.

Hearing this, the cat-man turned around again and saw the elf standing right behind him, while the guard was following her orders for some reason.

“What's going on here?” He asked confused.

“This man... He is under my control and will help us escape if you want him to.” She declared.

“You... Are you serious? Can we do this?”

“I have a plan, but I need your help. Otherwise, it won't work. Do you want to try to escape with me, or would you rather die slowly of starvation?” She asked, leaning over him.

Her gentle smile beamed with hope, and the smooth, small hands with which she stroked his head showed her care and compassion.

'He has a nice fur coat,' she thought. 'I've never petted a tiger.'

The cat-man finally snapped as she continued to pet his furry ears, the tips of which looked more like a cat's pointed shape than a round tiger's.

“Okay. I'll help you, but how are you going to do it?”

“I'm not going to lie to you.” She said, standing up. “My skill is mind control, which is how I got this trash to serve me.” She explained, pointing at Carl.

“I will use the same on you. I only ask you to trust me. It will make me stronger, and together we can get out of here. I'll take the spell off you when we get out of here.” She added.

“Since you put it that way, I agree with your plan. I was planning to starve to death anyway, so what choice is left for me?”

Elrianthe smiled. Not only because she had gained a strong new ally, but also because of the message she saw in the conversation.

[ New task ]

[ Enlarge your puppet group: 2 / 5 ]

[ Reward: 200 XP and 2 development points ].

“Do you agree to let my skill take control of you?” She asked again.

“Yes. I put myself completely in your hands, boss.”

< Domination >

[ Using < Domination > successfully completed ]

[ Successful acquisition of a new puppet ]

[ +20xp ]

[ Taygeer Breezetail Level 4 ]

[ Control: 80% ]

[ Task: Enlarge your puppet group: 3 / 5 ]

'Only two more people.'

[ Level 2 ( 145/200 XP ) ]

Taygeer was freed from his chains and the belt was removed from his neck. The cell remained open, and Elrianthe told him to eat and get back to strength so he would be ready for her every call. Carl returned upstairs after informing the elf that he had been staying here too long and that they might send someone to check on him soon. Elrianthe suggested that he act naturally, as he always did, so as not to raise suspicion, and she herself returned to the cell, which Carl closed behind her.

“Damn, we could have still taken over the priestess. Eh. Next time.”

The next day, while Elrianthe was still sleeping, a guard came to her cell with food.

“Oi, wake up!”

Elrianthe jumped up, still tormented by the memories of the past weeks. Although Carl was under her control, the trauma he had inflicted on her would torment her for a long time to come. Something didn't add up, however. Would Carl yell at her?

When she turned around, she didn't see Carl, but Jim - the other dungeon guard, the one who spoke to her at the very beginning when she woke up there.

“What about the other one?” She asked arrogantly.

“I just came to find out.” He replied, looking at her suspiciously.

'Fuck, did he sell me out?' She thought.

“I can see by the look on your face that you know something after all.”

Although Elrianthe tried to remain calm and control her nerves, her shocked expression briefly betrayed amateur acting.

“What did he tell you?” She asked after a moment.

She no longer saw any point in hiding that something had happened, but first, she had to find out what Jim knew.

“Actually, he doesn't say anything. He usually brags about what he's been doing with you, and yesterday when he came back, he went without saying a word to himself and didn't come back until breakfast today.”

'Idiot. He was supposed to behave normally! Was it so hard for him to lie now? He could have said he was banging me into unconsciousness and that was it. Moron. How to explain it now...' She thought.

“Are you going to tell me what happened to your mate, or are you going to pretend to be deaf like that?” Sneered Jim.

“Call him my mate again, and I'll smash your face so badly that you'll beg for a quick death!” Elrianthe threatened.

Calling a degenerate like Carl her mate was a blow below the waist, especially since the memory was still vivid.

“Yeah, right. You can't do shit to me, slut. Since you won't say anything, I'll get you an extra beating from him every day.”

“Why don't you go get him right now? You'll see with your own eyes what went on here.” She suggested, covering a devious smile.

“Sure. I can go get him if you miss him so much.” He replied, provoking Elrianthe, but she didn't let on.

She already had a plan.