Lodge of Pleasure

* * *

Sometime after meeting Tia.

* * *

Eternal was still feverish from the assassination of the Second Prince. I, my new long-eared companion, and the rest of the team were sitting at home, ready to climb the walls out of boredom. Everyone was doing what they could to keep themselves busy. In particular, one former bandit had clearly set herself the goal of stirring up a dark druidess, who had almost fully recovered from the assassination attempt and my extreme treatment that followed. And now, as if by accident, she began:

"Yeah, tell me Tin. You can't live without rescuing some long-eared damsel in distress?"

At the moment, we were all sitting in the living room on the first floor after breakfast. Including Tia. When she heard Tia say that, she put her tea cup aside and looked at me questioningly:

"May I ask what was meant?"

"Well, after we blew the hell out of the secret fortress..."

Taria told Tia the story of how I had, without expecting it, carried out an operation to rescue an elven woman and kidnap the Crown Prince of an entire country at the same time. After her story was over, Tia, who had been listening very attentively and had asked a couple of clarifying questions, looked at me and said:

"Tin, can I talk to you in private?"

I shrugged and followed Tia into the kitchen under Taria's suspicious gaze. When I closed the door, the dark druid turned to me and said with a serious face:

"You were really able to find the Daughter of the Stars who was kidnapped by the Sorz from the image given to you by her father alone?"

"Well... yeah."

Tia pondered for a couple of seconds, then said:

"Can I ask you to try to do something like this again?"

"Um... Did you have someone kidnapped too?"

"A distant relative on my mother's side had disappeared a few years ago. Ardelia was a healer, but she treated not so much the material body as the energetic one. She had been summoned to help a patient in a human city-state friendly to the Eternal Forest. That's where she disappeared, right from under the noses of her bodyguards. They searched for her, but they couldn't find her. The trail led back to Eternal, to an organization known as the Pleasure Lodge."

"That's a nice name. Is it some kind of high-end brothel?"

"Not really. Not much is known about it reliably. Its members are very careful to keep their secrecy. There are a lot of rumors but not a lot of facts. As far as we've been able to find out, it is a kind of private club where you can buy or sell an elite sex slave or use her services. But this is not entirely reliable information."

"Do you think your relative could still be in the Eternal?"

There's not much hope for that. She could have been sold elsewhere a long time ago if the information about the Lodge was true. But it's worth a shot.

When she finished speaking, Tia looked at me, waiting for an answer. Well, actually, why not give it a try? I don't think we'll find anything, and Tia doesn't think we will, but, after all, a little practice for clairvoyance wouldn't hurt. And it might help dispel the boredom.

"Give me an image of her. As complete as you can."

"Thank you, Tin."

We must have looked pretty strange from the outside. Sitting across the table from each other, leaning forward, foreheads touching, eyes closed, hands clasped. In fact, it was more comfortable for me and Tia to work that way. Even with two of us, supported by a couple of special mirrors, it wasn't easy to see in the Eternal. They were still looking for us. Not as biased as in the first days, but still. Cautiously, slowly, we probed the capital. The most important thing in our difficult endeavor is to find a lead. Anything at all. Only it does not want to be found.

An attempt to find the Lodge directly had been fruitless. There were plenty of rumors about it, and even undercover as a Gardener in the Eternal, Tia had heard a couple of them. And it wasn't hard to find them in the infosphere either. But judging by what I've managed to "see" so far, these rumors were just that, rumors. Or rather, not quite so. Rather, it was something similar to the ability that one of the orcish women in the Green Tits tribe had gotten. Someone would start a rumor about this place on purpose, and it would travel by word of mouth, gaining new details, embellishments, outright lies, and fabrications like a snowball. At the same time, such a rumor began to play the role of both a "lightning rod" and a "system of interference" for the seers who would try to find this "Lodge" based on it. And this system worked so well that it could really take even a trained seer in the wrong direction. Or even lead him into a specialized trap.

All that said, this place was being covered by some pretty serious people. Or non-humans. In theory, I could try to trace the rumor back to its "source." But alas, very quickly, I became convinced this was a path to nowhere. Sooner or later (more likely later), I will either end up in a grave or in someone who has had his memory wiped clean so he doesn't remember where he heard the rumor. Or remembers, but the memory is false. And it leads straight into a trap for the Seers. In short, it's a challenge, even for me. But all the more interesting. And, importantly, it's really an opportunity for a little distraction, which is also important. Since the forced sitting at home was already getting on my nerves.

I stopped looking for the "Lodge" itself and focused on the image I'd gotten from Tia of a relatively young (only a hundred and fifty years old), short elf with long silver hair, azure eyes, and a pretty face. Her image had a warm and affectionate healing energy that could be harsh and painful. I began to look for her, just as I had looked for the daughter of the Dawn Forest Seer. I find nothing. Tia helps me to the best of her ability, but the results are nil. I don't feel a single response. I find no reflection, not even the most fleeting. Keep looking. The eternal big one is not easy to probe, especially since we have to proceed with caution. After another half hour, the dark druidess calls a break. I agree with her mentally, and we break contact.

While I analyzed the image once again, Tia managed to brew us both some kind of tonic drink, especially for seers. It tasted a little bitter, but it did its job - the fatigue from using clairvoyance was wearing off. Then I sit down across from Tia again, and we form a circle of two seers again. And we search. Looking for the slightest sign of someone who's been missing for quite some time. Someone who may not even be in the Eternal. The two mirrors sing softly to me, reinforcing my search. Tia isn't too comfortable around them, but she endures and helps me as best she can. We search. Going through dozens and hundreds of reflections. Nothing. Silence. Not a single mirror, not a single glass, not a single polished surface reflects the one we're looking for. Not a single response. After an hour of intense searching, I got a thought pattern from Tia. Failure. Suggesting we stop searching. In return, I suggest we search some more. Agreed.

After another hour, I was close to agreeing with the dark druid. The more I counted the thousands of reflections I'd sifted through, and the results were nil. The epiphany came when I was ready to give up. I shared my idea with Tia. She agrees after a short thought. Then we take a break until evening. And at night, after midnight, we search again. Except we're no longer looking for reflections but for dreams. We're looking for people who've seen her. Or knows about her. Even a tiny imprint. Again, slowly sifting through the dreams of hundreds, then thousands of people. An hour passes in a fruitless search.

And then I get a response. Faint, barely perceptible, but very similar to what we're looking for. I look closer. It's a very high level of match. I start targeting the sleeping person in whose dream I'm picking up the image of Tia's missing relative. And then I run into a problem. The man in whose dream I'd picked up a response wasn't an easy one. And he knew how to protect his dreams. Or rather, he knew how to protect them. At least three good enough protective amulets of the Dreamcatcher type, and two stationary artifacts that created a kind of barrier specifically against Dreamwalkers, were located in his house.

It presents a dilemma. Theoretically, I could penetrate his dream. But I'm afraid I'd have to use too much energy to do so. And that might draw some unwanted attention from a kindly grandfather that even the gods fear. Having localized the target, I broke contact with Tia. Opening my eyes, we stare at each other for a second.

"What do we do next?"

"I suggest we pay him a visit. Just the two of us."

After thinking for a second, Tia nods in agreement.

"When?"

"Right now."

We went down to the first floor, where the rest of my world-saving team was playing cards.

"We're going for a little walk. We'll probably be back by morning."

"Ts. You didn't take me on romantic walks around the city at night," Taria pouted theatrically, looking at Tia and me resentfully.

Rolling my eyes, I walked outside with Tia, who was once again very skillfully disguised as a simple townswoman.

* * *

Mathien Lagash was a level thirty-four with two rare classes: Chimerologist and Alchemist. He lived in a nice mansion in a good neighborhood of Eternal and had a reputation as a high-class expert. Everyone knew his creations were synonymous with the word quality. Which accounted for their high cost. What the vast majority of people around him didn't know about him was that in addition to his main occupation, he had a side occupation, a secret one.

After sleeping for a couple of hours, Mathien woke up well past midnight. Then he dressed leisurely, went down to the first floor, and had a little refreshment. Then he carefully checked that the mansion's defenses were working properly. Only after that, he went down to his laboratory, which was in the basement of the mansion. He walked past the tables filled with all sorts of alchemical devices to the far wall. Touching a particular pebble in the stonework with his amulet ring, he waited a few seconds for the illusion to dissipate as tightly and faithfully as possible and then walked through the resulting passage. As soon as he did, the illusion reappeared behind him, safely concealing the secret passage that led to another laboratory.

In the center of this laboratory was a bed on which an unconscious, naked girl was fixed with numerous wide leather straps. To be precise, an elven girl. Tall, slender, athletic build with dark, long hair, large breasts, porcelain white skin, and a pretty face. Next to her, on a special stand, was a creature that looked like a lump of flesh from which grew a dozen long, flexible tentacles as thick as a finger.

Several of these tentacles, ending in suction cups, reached for the girl's head, where the hair had been shaved in several places to accommodate them. One penetrated her mouth. Two more tentacles wrapped around each of her breasts and covered her protruding nipples with suction cups. Three tentacles reached for her crotch. Two penetrated her while the third sucked on the bead of her clit. She was unconscious at the moment, though her chest was heaving, her whole body glistening with sweat, and her eyes were darting from side to side under closed eyelids. Mathien came up to her and looked her over, then seated himself in a chair placed beside the box and began the preparations for his work. At the same time, he was conversing with the unconscious girl:

"Hello, my darling. How are you feeling? You're looking much better. You're not twitching anymore. And your breasts have grown! I see my alchemy has done you good. I'm sure I'll soon be able to introduce you to my friends. I'm sure they'll like you. As I'm sure, they will like you. But first, I need to perfect you. Let me take a look at you now."

The chimerologist's cheerful voice did not match his actions. Mathien took one of the creature's free tentacles and brought it to his temple. The Chimerologist considered this creature to be one of his best inventions. In fact, it was a multifunctional medical device, the purpose of which was to correct the patient's consciousness by a rather unusual method, developed personally by Mathien, which he was also rightfully proud of. It was based on chemistry and knowledge of anatomy.

First, the "patient" was induced into an artificial coma with the help of a specially selected alchemical composition. It was administered by one of the tentacles so each of them in the center of the suction cup had a long and thin enough needle and could work as a syringe. And the composition could be poured directly into the creature's funnel-like mouth. Then it directed the composition into the desired tentacle. With the help of the same drug and tentacle, the creature could induce in the patient the most realistic dreams, affecting directly the necessary parts of the brain. In these dreams, the patient retained the full range of all physical senses. Another special tentacle allowed Mathien to "connect" to the creature, allowing him to control the creation of the victim's dreams.

And then it's a matter of technique. We create the necessary dream, and then with the help of other tentacles and drugs, stimulate the right parts of the brain, getting the victim to react positively to the right things. Or negative. Yes, the method is troublesome and costly, requiring great knowledge in the field of medicine, anatomy, and chemistry, but it gives huge advantages in certain situations. And most importantly - reliable! You can't go against your own brain. Yes, the higher the level of the "patient", the more powerful drugs are needed, but this, as they say, is a matter of technique. He always said that chemistry is a great science, and it should be respected! The proof of this was a solid record of "patients".

Another nice feature of its creation was the ability to delegate the care of "patients" to it. It fed them, cleaned them with its individual tentacles, massaged their muscles, in a word, took care of all the chores. This made the chimerologist's life much easier.

"Let's get started," Mathien exhaled, pressed the tentacle of his creation to his temple, and closed his eyes. A brief stab of pain, and the world went dark. A few moments later, Mathien found himself in the middle of a spacious room that looked like a luxurious bedroom in a palace. On a huge four-poster bed, his patient was on all fours, being roughly ass-raped from behind by a thin young man with a very unpleasant face, holding her hair and occasionally spanking her red buttocks.

"You like that, you eared bitch?"

"Noooo..."

"Liar!"

Another resounding spanking elicited a moan of pleasure.

"You say you don't like it, but you moan like a cheap whore! All elves are like that!"

"It's... nooooot!"

"Hahaha, you know it's true!"

The man continued to fuck the elf, speeding up sharply. Leaning forward, he pounced on her, grabbing her breasts with his hands and twisting her nipples sharply, eliciting another moan of pleasure. Watching from the sidelines, Mathien smiled contentedly. The "Nasty Aristocrat" simulation always worked perfectly. With the remnants of her former mind, the elf knew what was being done to her was repulsive. But the calibrated stimulation of the right parts of her brain and erogenous zones did the trick. She was used to the pleasure of being raped by humans. It didn't matter which ones, and it didn't matter how. She had grown to love sex with them. She loved being humiliated. Being forced to do obscene things. It won't be long now. A week at the most. If he increases the dosage of the drugs, maybe two days. Too bad he didn't have time to prepare her for the annual auction. She'd be worth a lot more money there than if he sold her privately...

Suddenly, the room went dark, and everything disappeared. Mathien was alone in the middle of the darkness. What the? The chimerologist tried to pass out, but it didn't work. The next moment it was light again, and Mathien realized with horror that he was shackled in the middle of some prison cell. The chimerologist tried to scream but found his mouth gagged.

"Oh, I have a new roommate."

A deep male bass made the chimerologist wince. The next moment, a huge orc, over two meters tall, emerged from the darkness in the corner of the cell.

"My name is Hrad. But everyone calls me Meat Bludgeon."

"Hmphh!"

The orc approached the shackled Mathien and affectionately placed a large hand on his shoulder.

"It's not because I fight with a meat bludgeon, but because I have one part of my body that looks like a meat bludgeon."

"Urhmhmh!!!"

The orc ran a finger fondly over the chimerologist's cheek, leaned close to him, and spoke confidentially:

"I don't want there to be any misunderstanding between us from the start, so I'll be blunt. That's my dick."

"Arhrhrhrh!!!"

After making sure the chimerologist was securely connected to his own creation, I turned my attention to his victim. Twenty-second level, a rare class of Florist. My clairvoyance told me that Mathien had purchased her from the Lodge and that they had bought her from the Alishans, with whom the Lodge leader had strong ties, despite the strained relations between them and the Imperials. As they say, just business, nothing personal. The elf was still unconscious and breathing heavily. Yeah... her situation was worse than the big-eared one I'd rescued from the Sorz. That one had been brainwashed much worse. Good mentalists can fix most of the damage, though. Covering her with my own cloak, I turned to see Tia standing at the entrance to the secret part of the lab:

"She'll live. It'll take a long time to fix her head, but a good brainiac can do it."

The dark druidess nodded silently:

"What we gonna do next?

"Next, I'll do a little digging in his head. Just let him enjoy a little of his own creation first."

Tia looked intently at the convulsing chimerologist entangled in the tentacles of her own creation, then a faint smile appeared on her face:

"I think we can take our time. After all, it's still a long way from dawn."

It took me a little over an hour to get all the possible information out of the chimerologist's head. And there was a lot of it. Mathien, known to the Lodge as Brother Martel, was a longtime member. A VIP, you might say. His services were very highly valued and very generously paid. The "Lodge" itself turned out to be a very versatile organization. It bought, sold, trained, processed, and repurposed elite sex slaves. Of course, it also allowed trying the goods in action and, at the request of the client, could satisfy almost any of his requests. She also organized various entertainment events for its members. Although, as far as can be judged from the memories of Mathien, quite frank darkness in the "Lodge" did not practice. After all, in the "Lodge," all decent people just want to rest and relax. Or treat themselves to an expensive toy. So what if these toys are alive?

His absolutely sincere attitude toward the girls he treated as objects reminded me so much of his attitude toward the Shackled that I wanted to feed him to the Shadows. I limited myself to the fact that I had naturally processed the chimerologist for essence after he had had time to fully appreciate the delights of his own method of brainwashing. Tia, standing next to me, raised her eyebrows in surprise:

"Tin?"

"It's okay, it's necessary. I got all the information out of his head."

"What we gonna do now?"

"Now? We'll take this big-eared one back to our house first, let it stay with us for a while. And then we'll get ready for the visit to Lodge."

"When?"

Tomorrow night. They're having their annual auction there. Most, if not all, of the Lodge members will be there. Our poor chimerologist was worried about not having time to finish his next masterpiece.

"You have some kind of plan, I hope?"

"I have some kind of plan. I'm sure you'll like it," I smile contentedly at the dark druid, who clearly didn't understand the reference.

When we got home a couple of hours before dawn, we found no one had gone to bed. Everyone was waiting for us to return. Taria rolled her eyes theatrically when she saw my burden:

"I knew he'd come back with another big-eared one? At least with this one, I can appreciate elf boobs?"

Ignoring her, I carefully lay my burden on the couch.

Hans, Losius, keep an eye on her. She shouldn't wake up, but just in case. If she wakes up, sedate her with this tincture.

After which I turn to the former bandit with a sly smile on my face:

"Taaaria..."

"What?" the blade dancer was wary.

"Didn't you complain about me not taking you on romantic dates? You'll get it tonight. I've already picked out your outfit, by the way. You just need to do your makeup."

After sunset, a closed carriage pulled up to a private mansion surrounded by a high fence. A fairly high-level guard at the gate checked the arrivals, made sure they had clearance, then opened the gate and let them in. After a while, another carriage pulled up. Just as closed. Then another. Anywhere else, something like this would have aroused at least curiosity in the neighbors. But not here.

The reason was simple. The mansion was fenced and well-protected in every sense of the word and belonged to a healer who was well known in certain circles of the Eternal and had reached the fortieth level. A healer who was one of the best experts on diseases and curses that were sexually transmitted or somehow related to them. For obvious reasons, the vast majority of his patients arrived incognito. After all, no one wants to be found out about his bad ailments. Especially people with money and connections. That's why this place was so well protected from all sorts of seers.

At midnight, another carriage pulled up to the mansion. He held out a small, flat, coin-like amulet to the guards, who checked it to make sure it was authentic. At the same time, their actions were duplicated by some pretty good stationary scanning artifacts embedded in the arch of the gate. Only then did the guards let the carriage through. The carriage drove up to the central entrance, where two people in dark cloaks with hoods got out of it. Then the carriage drove off at once. The passengers made their way to the entrance. As they climbed the steps, they knocked on the tall, massive doors. Nothing happened for a few seconds, then a small window opened, and a pleasant female voice was heard:

"Who are you here to see?"

"To Dr. Othramer."

"Do you have an appointment?"

"Yeah, we have a midnight appointment in the red room."

"Come in. please."

The doors swung open, and the two stepped inside. A young girl dressed in the white robes of a healer and accompanied by four stout men greeted them in the lavishly furnished hallway. The guests presented the same amulet. The girl handed it to one of the men, who checked it carefully, then nodded and returned it to the guests. At the same time, the guests were checked by another pair of scanning artifacts disguised as statues of monsters at the entrance. After making sure everything was in order, the girl smiled and said:

"Please follow me. The doctor is waiting for you."

The two cloaked men followed her without a word. No one noticed a couple of small seeds that fell to the floor and were lost in the pile of the luxurious carpet. The girl took the guests to one of the side corridors and then stopped at a closed high door. She knocked briefly, waited until the door opened, and then smiled at the guests:

"The doctor is waiting for you. Have a good evening."

The two cloaked men went inside without a word. Behind the door was a staircase, lit by magical lights, leading downward. After what felt like two floors, they stopped in front of another closed door. It opened immediately in front of them. Behind it was a small room. It was decorated in black and red colors. There were three people here. A tall, slender man in expensive dark red clothes and slicked-back hair stood behind a counter with an open book in front of him. Twenty-second level, rare class Master of Ceremonies. The top half of his face was hidden by a gilded half-mask, while the bottom half had a polite smile on it. Behind him were two tall, muscular guards with faceless white masks that completely concealed their faces.

"I welcome you to the Lodge of Pleasures!" The master of ceremonies said solemnly while discreetly activating the scanning amulet.

One of the guests threw off his dark cloak, hanging it on his arm. He was a man dressed in expensive clothes, with gray but thick enough hair. His equally gilded half-mask could not hide his well-groomed white beard and luxurious mustache.

"Greetings, Brother Diangel. It's good to see you in good health."

"Brother Martel, what a pleasant surprise. I didn't think I'd see you tonight."

"I couldn't miss such a momentous occasion. Of course, I had to work hard to be on time for the annual auction, but it was worth it."

"What good news! So today, we'll be able to see your next masterpiece?"

With these words, he turned his gaze to the second guest.

"That's right. I wouldn't want to show her to anyone just yet. I want to surprise everyone."

"I see. Do you want to organize her debut performance?"

"Yeah, right before the auction, if that's okay."

"Anything for you, dear Brother Martel. For now, you may go to the Main Hall. There are still a few guests. Or, if you prefer, we can prepare a private room for you and your companion?"

After thinking for a few moments, Brother Martel nodded:

"Yes, if you'd be so kind."

"I'll make arrangements immediately. The room will be ready shortly. Any special requests?"

"No, as usual."

"In that case, I dare not detain you any longer, Brother Martel. Enjoy your evening."

Nodding, Martel put his arm around his still-cloaked companion's waist and headed for the corridor behind Diangel. It was quite long. It was lit by sparse lamps, creating a romantic twilight. There were no visible doors. As the guests walked along, they were once again checked by several scanning artifacts embedded in the walls. The corridor ended in a rather large semicircular hall, two stories high. In the center of it was a fenced stage, lit by special lights. Next to it, there was an orchestra playing rather pleasant and relaxing music. All the musicians were dressed in black and red clothes and white full masks.

The air was lightly scented with expensive incense. Several dozen tables, sofas, and armchairs were arranged all around the hall, which was immersed in the same romantic twilight. About half of them were occupied. It was difficult to make out most of the guests, but they were overwhelmingly male. They were all dressed rather richly, and each had a half-mask on his face. Most were silver. Some were gold. And almost everyone had one or more companions dressed in varying degrees of frankness.

There were three other corridors leading from this hall besides the corridor through which Martel and his companion had come. One led, according to the chimerologist's memories, to separate rooms where the guests could have a pleasant time. The second led to the arena, where various entertainment events were held. And the third led to the service premises, where the chimerologist had never been. While he and his companion went to a free table, many of the guests saw them off with interested glances. Having chosen one with a luxurious sofa, Martel made himself comfortable and looked around. His companion immediately sat on his lap and began to demand attention. Grinning, Martel placed one hand on her lower back and stroked her leisurely through his cloak. He kept looking around, occasionally covering his eyes.

After a while, a slender young girl came up to them, swaying her hips spectacularly. She wore only black knee-high boots, a corset that did not hide her third-sized breasts, a black cloth half-mask, and a thin leather collar with small metal spikes. Her dark hair was gathered in a large bundle on top of her head. Smiling politely, she asked in a languid voice:

"Would the gentleman and his companion like something to drink? Or a snack?"

"Royal Cherry. With ice."

"As you wish. If the gentleman needs anything, I'll be happy to serve him."

She ran her tongue seductively over his lips and left, still swaying her hips. The girl sitting on his lap intercepted Martel's gaze, which was directed to who knows where, made a displeased face under her cloak, and pinched him. She received a slap on the lower back. Meanwhile, the room was gradually filling up with guests. With few exceptions, all the guests were rich, if not luxuriously, dressed men. And all were in the company of at least one female companion, who were also all very attractive, though some were quite exotic-looking.

At some point, a short, plump man dressed in expensive clothes and wearing the same golden half-mask approached Martel. He was accompanied by two dark-skinned girls dressed in leather garments that were fully covered but tight as gloves, emphasizing their voluminous forms. Their long hair was braided into many small pigtails. The man smiled broadly and sank heavily onto a vacant spot.

"Brother Martel, what a pleasant surprise! Haven't seen you in a while. Working on a new masterpiece, I suppose?"

"It's good to see you in good health, Brother Ondrelle. Indeed."

"And who are you hiding under that cloak?"

"It's a secret for now."

"I hope I can get you to share it," the fat man chuckled.

"Oh, don't worry, Brother Ondrelle. You'll soon be able to appreciate it. I want to give it a debut tonight before an auction."

"О! I'm looking forward to it. After all, your name has long been a mark of quality....."

At that moment, the muffled music stopped, and a quiet ringing sounded. All the conversations in the hall were silenced, and Diangel came out onto the lighted stage and, coughing, spoke, amplifying his voice with a special amulet:

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"Dear brothers and sisters. I am happy to see you all here this wonderful evening! A very exciting program awaits you tonight! We will begin with the much-loved competition of our lovely warriors! I remind you that you can place your bets strictly before the fight. After the fight, no bets will be accepted. Then, after a short break, some of our brothers will introduce their new charges. I assure you, there will be plenty to see! After that, our annual auction will take place. All items bid on by our organization have been quality checked. Items offered privately by our brothers and sisters will also be held privately responsible to the buyers. Of course, everyone will be allowed to try out their new purchases. As a reminder, if anyone has any special requests or needs any specific materials to try out, please let us know in advance. Our assortment is huge, but sometimes even that cannot quickly satisfy the needs of our guests. That's it. I dare not distract you any longer. Enjoy your evening. After all, that's what our box is for!"

After bowing, Diangel left the stage to a smattering of applause. Muffled music played again in the hall. Brother Ondrel rose abruptly to his feet:

"Oh, I completely forgot! I need to make a bet right away. By the way, Martel, would you like to bet on my girl? I believe she's got a pretty good chance!"

"Hm..."

Martel scratched his chin thoughtfully, then said:

"Who's she gonna fight?"

"With Snowflake!"

"Wow! With the reigning champion? I don't know."

"Think about it! Snowflake is good, yes, but I've trained my girl pretty well too!"

"Hm..."

"Let's do it! Let's make a bet! If my girl wins, you give me the first night with your mysterious girlfriend. And if she loses, you can have any of my beauties for three days?"

"For a day, but both of them."

"Deal!"

The men shook hands, and then Ondrelle hurried to submit his application. Martel remained seated with his companion on his lap, looking around the hall. His gaze slid over the guests and their companions, over the maids, dressed only in boots, corsets, masks, and collars. The semi-darkness of the hall did not hinder him but only helped him. At that moment, a servant girl approached them with a drink. With a graceful gesture, she placed a tall glass of dark maroon liquid with a couple of cherries in it in front of Martel so he could properly appreciate her third-sized breasts, and in a languid voice she said:

"Does the master want something else? Or someone?"

"Not yet. Thank you."

"It's a pleasure to serve you, sir."

With a seductive lick of her lips, she turned and walked away. Martel grinned wryly at her and took a sip of his glass. The drink tasted very pleasant, with notes of some other berries and fruits in addition to cherries. Rolling it in his mouth, Martel swallowed it with pleasure. After that, he took another sip. At that moment, a tall man in discreet black clothes with a golden mask on his face quietly approached his table. His mask was full.

"Good evening, Brother Martel."

When Martel saw him coming, he straightened up sharply, nearly knocking his companion off her feet.

"Good evening, Elder Brother! To what do I owe this honor?"

Forty-fourth level, rare class Slave Trader and epic grade Intrigant.

"Well, how could I not welcome one of our finest craftsmen?"

His voice was quiet and trustworthy. He sat down at the table opposite Martel and said:

"I have to admit I didn't expect to see you here today. I thought you'd be working on your new masterpiece for at least another week."

The face in the golden mask turned to the girl who was still wrapped in the dark cloak.

"Maybe two. Given your unconventional methods and who you've chosen as your material... Are you sure there won't be a hitch with her?"

"Absolutely, Elder Brother! I can vouch for it. It's perfect."

"I'll be truly glad if that's the case. It would be a shame if your impeccable reputation was tarnished by being in too much of a hurry....."

"I assure you, Elder Brother, it's completely ready! You know how much I value my name."

"Well, if you're sure about her, then my assistants will be expecting her fullest possible profile from you. Without it, we can't let her go to the auction."

"I've had it ready for a long time, Elder Brother! If you want, I can give it to you right now so you can familiarize yourself with it."

"Always a pleasure to appreciate your new masterpiece, Brother Martel."

With these words, Martel took out a small, unsealed envelope from his inner pocket and handed it to Big Brother. He opened it and took out a small sheet of paper filled in with scrawled handwriting. After running his eyes over it, he looked at Martel:

"Is all the data accurate?"

"Absolutely."

"Impressive. You've managed to create a masterpiece."

"Thank you, Elder Brother."

"I'll get this list to my assistant. He'll make the arrangements. I think you can get at least 10,000 gold for it if the bidding goes well. Or even fifteen thousand."

"To tell you the truth, I'm counting on seventeen."

"Even so?

"Oh, I assure you, she's worth it. Wait until her debut. I assure you, Elder Brother, you won't be disappointed."

"I'm intrigued. I'll look forward to her performance. Have a good evening, Brother Martel."

With a short nod, the man rose to his feet. At that moment, a maid came to the table. She bowed to the elder brother and said politely:

"Brother Martel, we have prepared a private room for you. Shall I notify you of the start of the fights in the arena?"

"Yeah, in fifteen minutes."

"As you wish. Please follow me."

Martel and his companion followed the maid. There was an empty glass on the table. No one noticed that it contained a couple of seeds in addition to the cherry pips, which were indistinguishable from them in the dark.

"Please enjoy your evening. If you like, I or one of my colleagues can keep you company," the maid said politely as she opened the door to the private room.

"No, thanks, I've had enough of my girl for now."

"As you wish."

After bowing, the maid left, and we went inside, closing the door behind her. The room, unlike the outer rooms, was decorated only in red colors. There was a large bed, a couple of armchairs and a couch, a huge bronze bathtub, and a couple of cabinets and dressers. My clairvoyance immediately told me that they held various outfits, as well as a wide selection of sex toys and various oils, aphrodisiacs, and other love alchemy. Reluctantly, I walked over to one of the chairs and sank into it, covering my eyes. Taria, meanwhile, had shed her cloak and sat playfully on the edge of the bed, watching me expectantly. After a moment, making sure I'd isolated the room, which had three listening and peeping artifacts, I opened my eyes and nodded at her:

"Clear."

"Wow, you picked a hot spot for a date, Tin!"

"I agree. It's a hell of a place. Plenty of security. And the defenses are so strong. You could take on a small army. Especially against the seers, it's very well protected. It's almost impossible to find this place without a lead."

"Ugh, come on! That's not what I meant."

Standing up from the bed, Taria swayed her hips seductively toward me:

"What shall we do now?" The former bandit said with a sly smile.

"Taria, it's not a time..."

"Oh, come on, you fucked Hestia at the Stone. She told me so herself. So that's it, I don't care!"

With those words, Taria knelt down in front of me and began to undo my pants. Fuck her! She's fine, and I have to maintain the disguise on her and myself, and also probe this place... Ahem. Eh. Covering my eyes, I feel the blade dancer's soft lips touching my cock. Okay. I could use a little break. Otherwise, it will be a natural anecdote. Only Kostik can visit an elite secret sex club and leave there without getting fucked. Leaning back, I spread my legs wide and put one hand on Taria's head, guiding her movements. Satisfied that she'd gotten me to have sex, the ex-gangster began to work her tongue hard. For a few minutes, I just enjoyed Taria's skillful tongue and lips and then finished. The satisfied hooligan wanted to continue the banquet, but I gestured for her to stop:

"That's enough. We're not here on vacation after all."

"Ts. Okay..."

After I cleaned myself up, I settled back into my chair and continued to carefully probe the place and its visitors. This was going to be tough. Taria, meanwhile, was looking through the local stash. After about half an hour, during which the former bandit had studied the whole range of goods and was obviously going to take a couple of souvenirs with her, there was a knock at the door:

"Sir, the competition will begin in fifteen minutes."

"I'm coming!"

When we left the private room, leaving a couple of seeds and one small shard of the mirror there, the master of ceremonies was already back on the stage, where he solemnly announced:

"Brothers and sisters! The competition of our lovely warriors is about to begin! Please proceed to the next room! I remind you that you do not have much time left to place your bets. Once the competition begins, no bets will be accepted."

I hugged Taria, who was snuggled against me, and headed toward the corridor leading to the arena. The room where the competition was taking place looked like a circus arena. Except that there were no tiered benches along the walls but comfortable armchairs and sofas arranged in three tiers. At the entrance, all the guests were greeted by two servant girls who directed everyone to their seats. I got a seat on the opposite side of the entrance on the second tier of three. As I made myself comfortable in the huge chair, I involuntarily appreciated the quality of the furniture. Taria immediately settled back into my lap.

The room, like the previous one, was semi-dark, and the entire interior was decorated in black and red colors. The magical lights and scented candles were artfully placed, creating a very intimate atmosphere. Taria immediately tried to take advantage of it by taking my hand and placing it on her chest under her cloak. I grinned and snuggled into her, caressing her main caliber while looking around lazily. Most of the guests had already taken their seats, and the last of them were just coming inside. When in a few minutes everyone was seated, Diangel came to the center of the arena and said in the same amplified voice:

"So, brothers and sisters, now you can enjoy the exquisite spectacle of a duel between two magnificent warriors: Tiger Lily and Sand Cobra! Last chance to place your bets!"

A few of the guests, who were hesitant about who to bet on and how much to bet, made up their minds. Then Diangal said solemnly:

"All right, the bets are in! Let's give it up for Tiger Lily!"

A tall, muscular, athletic woman with luxurious black-red hair gathered in a huge ponytail, yellow eyes with vertical pupils, cat ears, and a long, flexible tiger tail entered the arena with a spectacular gait. She had no clothes on, so everyone could see her in detail. Her breasts were a B-size, but they suited her, looking very organic on her lean body. When she entered the arena, Tiger Lily ostentatiously played with her muscles, showing off in front of the guests, which caused an approving whisper. Covering my eyes, I stare at her for a few seconds. Twenty-third level, rare Jungle Warrior class.

"I remind you that the Patron of our beautiful warrior is Brother Nardel! Tiger Lily is an experienced and skillful warrior, but we don't know what to expect from her opponent. This is her debut. Let's give it up for Sand Cobra!"

To the applause and amazed whispers, a Lamia with a long, almost two-meter-long tail crawled onto the stage. Her human half looked like a dark-skinned girl with D-size breasts, long brown hair in a thick braid, green snake eyes, and a pretty face. The scales of her tail were wheat-beige in color, with flecks of brown spots. Sliding gracefully into the arena, she folded her tail in a ring while she raised herself upright and smiled broadly. Literally wide, opening her jaw almost a hundred and eighty degrees. The two long upper fangs became visible to all comers at once. And a huge, at least thirty centimeters, split tongue, which she playfully vibrated, causing approving whispers. Twentieth level, rare class Desert Huntress.

"The Patron of the beautiful Sand Cobra is Brother Altarel. I even dread to imagine the price he had to pay for this gem of the desert!"

While Diangel was announcing the rivals, the two girls were leisurely walking in circles around the edge of the arena, flaunting themselves in front of the spectators and defiantly ignoring each other. After making two full circles and letting everyone enjoy their predatory grace, they froze in front of each other.

"So, I remind you of our rules! Only non-lethal techniques and class or racial abilities may be used in combat! No artifacts, no battle alchemy! Combat lasts until victory and without interruption! All right! Here we go!"

As soon as Brother Diangel gave the command, the two warriors rushed at each other. Lilia tried to grab her rival by the human part of her body, but she was unexpectedly fast and agile. At the last moment, she threw herself almost to the floor and managed to slip between her legs. Lilia tried to jump back, but suddenly the snake's tail tip wrapped around the ankle of her right leg and pulled her down, causing her to fall to the floor. She managed to put her arms out, but at the last moment, the lamia forcefully pulled her leg up, forcing her to stretch out on the floor. She then lunged at her from the back. The tigress managed to roll over but was unable to dodge. It was a fierce struggle, but the lamia had a clear advantage in the fight on the floor.

For a few seconds, everyone watched a ball of snake coils, legs, arms, and a tiger's tail. After that, the arena was filled with a satisfied hiss and a snarl of impotent anger. Lamia managed to entangle her opponent in tight tail coils, pinning her arms to her body and preventing her from moving. Tiger Lily snarled softly, tail thumping and kicking her legs, but she could do nothing.

"Wow! Who would have thought the fight would be over so quickly? In my opinion, brothers and sisters, the winner is clear! Sand Cobra has won one of the fastest victories in the history of the Lodge of Pleasure. And can enjoy her trophy to the fullest!"

To the applause, the satisfied Lamia leaned down to her rival's face and swiped her long tongue across it. The tigress growled and tried to turn away. To which Cobra, with a sly smile, clamped her defeated rival's nose, lightly squeezed her coils, and forced her to open her mouth. Which she immediately covered with a kiss. She opened her mouth so wide that she covered half of Tigress's face at once. She only mewled desperately and kicked up her legs.

After thoroughly exploring her rival's mouth with her tongue, the Lamia pulled away, letting her take a convulsive breath. Then she shifted her attention to the lower part of her body. With her face close to the crotch of the Tigress, who had stopped kicking because of the increased pressure of the tail coils, she gently ran the split tip of her tongue over it, causing the audience to murmur in approval. She tickled her defeated rival with her tongue for a few minutes before she put her mouth on her crotch and penetrated her. Judging by the way the flushed and breathing tigress twitched, the lamia had penetrated to its full depth.

Biting her lip, Lilia tried to hold back, but soon she moaned loudly and finished to applause. The satisfied lamia wiped her face and then re-braided her opponent, who was no longer resisting. With her back against her, she began to play with her breasts while the tip of her tail penetrated the tigress between her legs. At the same time, she licked her defeated rival's face diligently, occasionally penetrating her mouth.

Forcing her opponent to finish once more, she left her lying on the arena floor with a satisfied hiss and crawled into the stands to the golden-masked man sprawled on the huge couch in the first tier. Curled at his feet, she laid her head on his lap, earning an affectionate pat on the head. Meanwhile, her rival was carried out of the arena. Diangel continued:

"An unexpectedly short fight, but what a sight, brothers and sisters! It's not often you get to see a lamia in action, even at the Lodge of Pleasure. Next up, the reigning champion Snowflake and Mighty Tara will face off! Will the former champion be able to get her revenge? We're about to find out! Let's welcome our favorite Snowflake!"

To loud applause and shouts of approval, an elven woman entered the arena. She was of medium height, slender, with snow-white skin and silver hair in two long braids. She had a faint smile on her pretty face, but her azure eyes were cold and intense. It wasn't hard to recognize her as a distant relative of Tia. Against the same Tiger Lily or Sand Cobra, she didn't look like a fighter at all. But appearances can be deceiving, and she was a prime example of that. Covering my eyes, I probed her with clairvoyance. Twenty-eighth level, the epic Spirit Healer class, and the rare Illusionist class. It's an odd combination of classes. His clairvoyance immediately told him that the second class had already been imposed on her by her new masters. Meanwhile, the elf walked around the edge of the arena, showing off to the audience, and Diangel continued:

"I would like to remind you that the patron of the lovely Snowflake is Elder Brother himself! I don't think it's wrong to call her the jewel of his collection! She has only recently entered the arena, but she hasn't lost a single time yet, having won ten consecutive victories in a row! But could her luck be turning against her tonight? Let's give it up for Mighty Tara, our former champion!"

To equally approving roars and loud applause, a real fighting woman entered the arena. Why she was nicknamed Mighty was anyone's guess. Tall, muscular, with a short lock of blond hair, she literally radiated brute physical strength. Twenty-seventh level, an uncommon Warrior class, and a rare Destroyer class. As she entered the arena, she began to defiantly tense her muscles. She didn't even look at her opponent. It looked like she was putting at least half of her characteristic points into strength.

"The patron of Mighty Tara is Brother Ondrelle, whose love of large women is well known to us all! I wonder if she will be proven right today. We'll soon find out!"

After letting the spectators admire the warriors, Diangel said decisively:

"So... Fight!"

Unlike Tiger Lily, Mighty Tara did not rush into the fray. Instead, she moved cautiously on bent legs toward her opponent, who stood at the edge of the arena as if nothing had happened, shuffling from toe to heel with a perfectly calm expression on her face. In contrast, Tara was tense, glancing around every now and then. Taking a few more steps, she suddenly lunged, not at her opponent, but to the side. A moment later, the half-blurred silhouette of the elf flashed in front of her, and her mighty arms tried to grab it. But it was only air.

At the same moment, another Snowflake appeared out of nowhere behind Tara and stabbed her in the back with two fingers under her left shoulder blade. The deceived rival roared in pain and turned around, trying to catch the elf, but she was no longer behind her. The woman jumped back and began to stretch her left arm, looking around. Meanwhile, the Snowflake who had been standing there, shuffling from foot to foot, moved toward her rival with a dancing gait. Tara gave her a tense glance, then continued looking around, kneading her arm.

She didn't pay attention to the approaching elf until the last moment, and then, she lunged at her. To almost everyone's surprise, the elf suddenly crouched sharply, letting Tara's arms slip over her, and stabbed the warrior in the stomach with two fingers. She wheezed and recoiled as if she'd hit a wall. To her credit, she recovered almost immediately, but it was too late. The elf had disappeared again. Only to reappear a moment later at the other end of the arena. Growling, Tara straightened up, breathing heavily. Gritting her teeth, she looked around with desperation in her eyes. But it didn't help. She missed another blow from the elf who had appeared right in front of her. It wasn't the Snowflake that had appeared in front of Tara, but the one that had appeared to her left at the same moment. The warrior collapsed to her left knee, moaning in pain.

An interesting synergy of classes. Ardelia's sense of her opponent's energies allowed her to influence her opponent's perception, making her illusions as authentic as possible. And to make pinpoint strikes to the energy points of the body, breaking muscle control and coordination. The fight was already effectively over. The elfess threw a few more blows to different parts of the warrior's body and then took a step back. After admiring her opponent, who was breathing heavily, standing on one knee with her arms hanging limply and her face twisted in pain, she snapped her fingers defiantly. Then the woman twitched, wheezed, and collapsed on all fours.

Tara tried to move, but she couldn't move a millimeter. Snowflake walked over to her, stroked the curl of her blond hair, and then sat on top of her. Turning to face Elder Brother, who was sitting on a separate chair in the upper tier, she spread her legs wide, half-closed her eyes, and began to caress herself leisurely to the approving murmurs of the audience.

"Well, Snowflake has definitely won a convincing victory and is now enjoying the fruits of it! What a delightful sight!"

The elven woman, who paid no attention to Diangel's words, continued to caress herself. She kept her eyes on her patron. At the same time, her rival, on whom she was riding, turned red with tension, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't move even a finger. Only blinking and breathing heavily. Meanwhile, the elf began to penetrate herself, first with one and then with two fingers. Still keeping her half-closed eyes on her patron. He watched her closely, leaning back in his chair and folding his arms around his waist. After a couple of minutes, Snowflake moaned softly and cummed, showering the arena floor and her defeated rival with her love juices. Afterward, she rose gracefully to her feet. Wiping her hand on her helpless rival's short hair, she lifted her to her feet and ran the tip of her index finger along her spine from neck to tailbone. Then slapped Tara's buttock sharply and savagely. With a loud cry, the defeated warrior collapsed to the floor, simultaneously experiencing a powerful orgasm and wetting herself.

Smiling contentedly, the elfess kicked her over onto her back and stood on her stomach, looking the defeated warrior in the eyes from top to bottom. Snowflake left the arena to applause and cheers of approval. In doing so, she intentionally stepped on Tara's face. She went up to the third tier and sat on the lap of Elder Brother, who embraced her and began to caress the elf in different places. The Mighty Tara, who had not recovered, was carried out of the arena by four sturdy men in dark robes with full white masks.

"What a fight, what a fight! I wonder if there'll ever be one to defeat Snowflake. In the meantime, let's welcome our next warriors...."

After Snowflake and Mighty Tara, there were three more fights. They were notably inferior to the first two in terms of spectacle, although the outcome was similar. The winner, to the cheers of the crowd, had the defeated as she pleased. After the final fight, everyone was invited back to the Main Hall, where several tables with snacks and drinks had already been set up. I took a couple of glasses of Royal Cherry again and sat down at the same table with Taria. But before I could take a sip, a frustrated Ondrelle came over to us:

"Damn it! I was sure. I was sure Martel! Tara had practiced so hard! Specially trained to fight that pointy-eared woman! Why couldn't she see her illusions?!"

"If I had known..."

"I've lost so much money, and now I have to heal Tara... Well, that's not your problem. Lua, Mau, tonight you serve Brother Martel. Enjoy. I'm gonna go get something stronger!"

"Wait till you see my new girl, and you'll be cheerful! I guarantee it."

"Huh, I'll hope so...."

With those words, the fat man walked away to the drinks table, and his two black leather-clad companions looked at me questioningly. My clairvoyance immediately told me that Taria had already thought of several ways to use them. Ugh, damn it. I silently pointed them to the chairs next to me and took a sip from my glass. Mmm, it tastes amazing. When I finished it, a man in a white mask came up to us and said in a quiet voice:

"Elder Brother asks, will you need anything for your companion's debut?"

"Yes, please..."

Half an hour later, when all the guests had eaten a snack and withdrawn from the emotions they had experienced, the music stopped again, and a quiet chime sounded, and Diangel appeared on the stage of the Main Hall.

"Brothers and sisters, I hope you have had time to refresh and rest! For now, comes the centerpiece of tonight's event! Our annual auction! But first, you will be presented with some of our brothers' new creations. And we'll begin with a new masterpiece by our beloved brother Marthel!"

A figure wrapped in a dark cloak walked onto the stage to the cheers of approval. Then, to the beat of a drum, she elegantly threw off the mantle, and the audience exhaled enthusiastically. On the stage stood a tall elven woman with long curly brown hair, a charming face, and breasts quite large by elven standards, DD size. She was dressed in the translucent silk robes that Alishan dancers were fond of. Or rather, they are loved by those who can afford to look at them. Walking across the stage and allowing everyone to enjoy her beauty, the elfess stood in the center. She stood motionless for a few seconds, then the cheerful music started to play, and the beauty began to dance, instantly catching the rhythm.

A murmur of approval spread through the hall. She danced perfectly, performing complicated pirouettes and dance pas. At the same time, she showed great flexibility, bending almost in half when necessary or sitting on longitudinal and transverse twines. And all this in a fairly fast musical rhythm. Refined movements, grace, seductive curves of the body. All this attracted the eyes of all who were in the hall. In addition, the dancer slowly began to get rid of some of the clothes, becoming more and more naked. At the same time, the rhythm of the music increased, and the elf's movements became more and more rapid. Hundreds of eyes followed her breathlessly. Everyone who was now in the hall looked at her. Finally, only silk panties and bras were left on the dancer. Another pas, the music soared, the bra flew away, and the audience revealed a magnificent breast size five. Which everyone in the Main Hall was now staring at. Except me.

In the next instant, several events happened at once. Everyone who didn't have powerful mental defenses fell into a stupor. They were mostly maids, guests' companions, and other servants. There were only a few of them among the guests. At the same time, there was the clinking and crunching of cracking glasses and flutes with drinks. Hundreds of shards rained down the deceptively soft impact of the Dream on the guests of the Lodge of Pleasure. Whose defenses at this very moment were trying to fend off the command of the dancer hypnotizing their breasts. Most of the amulets and various artifacts could not withstand such an overload, and their owners either fell asleep or continued to stare at the elven woman shaking her tits, who, with a satisfied smile, continued to stand on the stage in the light of magical lamps.

The few guests whose defenses had withstood the first blow didn't even realize what had happened yet. They had just enough time to panic and try to do something when suddenly, their shadows came to life. Thin but deadly ribbons braided their owners, finally overloading the defense of the guests, which was not designed for such powerful and diverse loads. After that, they either fell under the influence of hypnosis or fell asleep. Only one person had a powerful and good enough set of protective artifacts, which was able to withstand all three blows. A disposable protective artifact flashed in the sunlight, casting out the Shadows and illuminating the Main Hall for a moment while its owner frantically tried to figure out what was going on and what to do. There was no way to raise the alarm.

Three different defense systems, made by high-level craftsmen that could withstand the assault of a small army and tied to him, did not respond. None of the dozens of contract spirits came to his call. None of the four battle golems hidden in niches behind the false walls went into battle mode. The stationary battle artifacts embedded in the walls, disguised as lamps or furnishings, did not respond. Elder Brother looked around in panic, not realizing what was happening. When he turned around, he saw one of the guests walking toward him leisurely. Recognizing him, Big Brother shouted, trying not to sound afraid:

"Martel, what the..."

The guest seemed to ripple for a moment, and then a shadowy figure with an eerie white mask on his face replaced him. The Elder Brother recoiled, almost stumbling. With all his being, he felt a terrible hunger, a fierce anger, and a hatred for all living things that came from the creepy creature. Animal horror flooded his consciousness. He turned around and tried to run, trying to get to the quarters where his office was located. There he could save himself! He had already reached the doors when they suddenly swung open in front of him. At the last moment, Elder Brother stopped, looking at the man who had come out to meet him in astonishment. He was immediately struck in the jaw with a powerful fist. The expensive gold mask, which was an expensive multifunctional artifact, flew away with a crack. Beneath it was the face of an elderly man of aristocratic appearance, with short-cropped gray hair and a lush mustache. He clutched his jaw and jerked backward:

"You..."

The tall elven woman, dressed in druidic combat camouflage, stepped forward with a completely calm face and kicked again with unexpected speed. With a howl, the man grabbed his bottom and fell on his back. He tried to crawl away from her with a panicked wheeze:

"Wait! Wait! We can make a deal. I've got... Aaargh....."

Thin but incredibly strong stalks, growing from a single seed dropped on the floor, rushed toward Elder Brother, instantly braiding around him and beginning to penetrate him through his nose, mouth, ears, eyes, and other orifices. The man convulsed in searing pain as the stalks sprouted through him. The elven woman standing over him stared at him for a few seconds before moving an eyebrow, and the stalks released hundreds of poisonous spikes. The man twitched one last time, after which his body rapidly began to turn to humus. The elven woman turned around without a word and headed away. There, at one of the chairs, sat her relative, who, with a blank expression, continued to look at the stage, where another elfess was still shining her tits. Or rather, not an elf, but a very pretty human woman.

"Well, it's definitely been a good night," said Taria, reluctantly, as she began to get dressed.

"What are we going to do now, with all this?"

The blade dancer circled the Main Hall of the Lodge of Pleasure, where a total of several hundred people were lying in a huddle. That's a good question. Why didn't I think of it before? I had an idea of what to do with the guests, but I hadn't thought of what to do with their companions and the workers here.

"Well, I don't know."

"Why don't we keep them? At least a couple of them?" said Taria hopefully, carnivorous eyes devouring the pair of girls that lay snuggled up to their masters.

"Yeah, we'll put it in our house and open a brothel."

"Then let's send them to Green Tits. We can't just abandon them, can we?"

You can't leave them... Eh, I didn't have a problem. Now I have to figure out where to put nearly fifty sex slaves. Hmm... Why do I feel like I'm doing something wrong? Yeah, no, this is bullshit. Kostik, Kostik, savior of the beautiful elfess... Oh! Speaking of which.

"Tia? Are you all right?"

The Dark Druidess had been sitting on the floor for about five minutes now, resting the sleeping elf's head in her lap and stroking her hair affectionately. As I approached, she spoke softly:

"Absolutely. It's not the first time I've lost someone I know."

Setting Snowflake down on the floor, Tia rose to her feet and looked at me:

"Thank you, Tin. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. It really means a lot to me."

The druid gave me a small glimpse of herself. I could see that she was grateful to me for finding and rescuing her distant relative. And for giving her the opportunity to kill her kidnapper.

"You're welcome. How is she?"

"The Ardelia I knew is gone, Tin, and has been for a long time. Her mind was completely warped and twisted. I knew this would happen, but there was still a spark of hope....."

"Hmm..."

As I looked closer at the sleeping elf, I caught a glimpse of something strange. Something incomprehensible. Her current image, in my perception, was markedly different from the one Tia had given me. The change was visible, so to speak. But she still had that same pure and unclouded image, full of warm, healing energy and life. Only it was as if the image was shining through a clouded glass.

"Tin?"

"Wait a minute. Something's not right here."

I leaned toward the sleeping elf and began to probe her mind, using the shard of the mirror I'd brought. The dark druid stared at me for a minute, trying to figure out what I was doing. Finally, fully convinced of my hunch, I straighten up:

"I have good news for you, Tia."

"Which one, may I ask?"

"Her mind is alive. I mean, her old mind. You see, her master was a great aesthete. He wasn't interested in making her his plaything. They didn't erase her old personality but wrote another one, with the ability to switch between them. And when she activated her original personality, she got all the memories of what she had done. This gave him a special pleasure, first to make her satisfy his desires and then to return her mind so she would realize what she had just done. The trigger for regaining consciousness was a certain word combined with a gesture. It won't be easy, but a good mentalist can remove her slave personality. In principle, even I can do it, though not quickly..."

Tia glanced at the pile of compost that was already covered in grass and flowers as she listened to me. Why did I get the distinct feeling that Elder Brother was lucky to be dead?

"Thank you, Tin, but I don't want to have to ask you to do this too. You've done so much for me already. Let my former kin take care of it. There's a permanent diplomatic embassy in Eternia. We should take her and the other Daughter of the Stars there. They can help them there."

"Hmmm... Maybe they'll help the other girls too?"

Tia thought for a moment, then said carefully:

"I guess for rescuing the Daughters of the Stars, they could really take care of the prisoners here. Especially, since Ardelia wasn't the only elf here. Especially if you ask them to," Tia said with a hint.

"Oh, don't worry, I already know exactly who's going to ask for them," I chuckled, mentally smiling at the idea born in my head.

"You sure, Tin? Can't we at least keep this snake? Look how nice it is," the blade dancer said in a complaint voice.

"Taria! Leave that snake's tits alone! Don't touch the tail! Goddamn it, don't spread those scales! Stop fucking around! We've got a lot of work to do, and dawn's coming! Come on, girls. Let's get to work."

With obvious reluctance, the blade dancer rose to her feet but still gave the unconscious lamia's chest a couple of final squeezes. Afterward, we got to work. There was a lot to do but not much time. I took care of the lodge members. Tia takes care of their companions and the maids who were treated by the brainiacs. Examining several of the guests, I noted one oddity. Four of them were already effectively dead. Taking a closer look, I realize there was a very clever protection system implanted in their brains. Which, in case the bearer was under mental influence, completely burned out his mind. Interesting... Ah, no time.

I finished turning all the guests into brainwashed vegetables, and together with Tia, I went to the service premises. There I was met by a natural jungle, but it was already dead and rotting.

"Was there a problem?"

"No. The surprise factor played in my favor. And your shadows and mirrors helped a lot."

After reaching Big Brother's office, past several rooms with guards already turned to humus, and cracking some pretty good security, I realize I've found a Klondike. For a blackmailer. The late lover of blonde elves had very big connections. And a lot of influence. In fact, he had a lot of dirt on all the members of the Lodge. And not just them. Many people in Eternal used the services of his organization, even if they weren't members. Some of them didn't even know who they were working with, acting through intermediaries. And not only in Eternal.

He had contacts in Alishan, the Empire of Arms, and even Sorz and Melareth. Well, the old man was very active. My clairvoyance told me that it wasn't all his doing. The current Big Brother was already the fourth leader of the Lodge. There was also a decent amount of money in silver and gold, as well as some very good artifacts. Except they were bound exclusively to the deceased. Of course, it was possible to reconfigure them, but it was troublesome and painful. And I didn't really need them.

"What shall we do," Tia inquired.

"I suggest you take the dirt and stash it somewhere. Maybe someday, we'll get our hands on some live toy lovers. Besides, as far as the elf lovers are concerned. We'll pass it along with the girls."

"It's a good option."

"Well, let's get to work. I have to go to the elf Consulate."

* * *

"Big ears! Big Ears, stop sleeping!"

Fianrel, a level thirty-eight, epic Consul and rare Negotiator, opened his eyes and abruptly sat up in bed, flicking his fingers to light the lamps. After which he froze. On the chair next to his bed sat a hideous-looking goblin with huge ears, a long smoking pipe in one hand, and a bottle of collectible wine from the Consul's personal bar in the other. He took a sip from the bottle and looked at the elf with yellow eyes.

"'ello, Big ears! My name is Kickass! 'ave you 'eard of me?"

Fianrel sat motionless for a few moments while the experienced diplomat and negotiator's brain went into emergency afterburner mode. In that instant, he realized several things at once. This creep had broken into his bedroom. Bypassing all levels of embassy security. Without raising an alarm. By breaking into his bar. That's too bad. Wait, did he say Kickass? In a fraction of an instant, his brain produced the now almost forgotten information sent in an informational letter months ago.

"Good evening. Are you the same Kickass who rescued one of the Daughters of the Stars from Sorz captivity some time ago?"

"Yeah!"

The goblin, who nodded his chunky head contentedly, took another sip from the bottle, which was worth hundreds of gold coins.

"In that case, what can I do for you?" The Consul of the Eternal Forest said with the utmost politeness, sitting in his bed in his nightgown in the company of the ugliest goblin.

"'ere's ze fing. I was passinn by fis town of yours, on my impor-an business."

Taking a drag on his pipe, the goblin let out three neat rings of smoke and continued:

"I decided to come in an' see wha- it was like. I didn't listen to my father's advice: "Don't go," he told me, "into 'uman cities, you'll find nothing but a beggar. And drunkenly I wandered into a bad place, where I wasn't invited. But I'm Kickass, I'm never called, I come myself!"

The goblin let out another ring of smoke and continued to tell the consul, who listened with an attentive expression. Except that the tips of his ears twitched a couple of times from the goblin accent.

"I went in there, and there was something that even in our camp younlinn don't do, even in the wildest frenzy. Well, Kickass couldn't stay away, so I put things in order there, oh, I did. Why are you here? I've come to see you, Big Ears! They had a lot of girls in that place. They 'ad big ears, too, yeah. Their ti-s are smaller than the one I rescued before, but they'll do. I took them all to a warehouse, not too far from that place, and left them all there to sleep and dream. You take care of them, all right? All the girls, not just your eared one, okay?"

The Сonsul was silent for a moment, after which he said politely and slowly:

"I guarantee you, dear Kickass, we will take care of all the girls you have rescued. They will all be given food, shelter, and support. May I ask..."

"That's fine," interrupted the satisfied goblin.

"I didn't know what to do with them. I couldn't take them to the camp, my Lyalya, who is good but jealous. She would eat them all. She would have eaten our children, too, if Kickas hadn't been watching, but she's a beauty! Want to see it? Look how beautiful Kickass's wife is. No one else has one like her!"

In the next moment, the image of a huge, fat three-meter-long swamp ogre with dark green skin, huge tits-bags up to the middle of the belly, arms up to the knees, huge claws, and big fangs on a flat face with small evil eyes, which read the complete absence of any mind, only instincts, appeared in the consul's bedroom. Her long dark hair was gathered in a sort of bundle and thickly smeared with swamp mud. On her belt hung a huge bag of coarse cloth, where a dozen small goblins lay.

"Isn't she beauty, huh?"

"I have never seen anything like it before," said the Consul, who had to use all his many centuries of experience to hold his poker face at the sight of such "beauty."

"Yeah! This is not your skinny, big-eared girls, Lyalya's got something to grope! Well, see you later, Big Ears, I'm off. Kickass has a lot of important things to do!"

With those words, the goblin jumped from his chair, tossed the empty bottle aside, and, in an incredible leap, dove straight into the mirror that hung in the consul's bedroom. Instead of shattering, it went in waves and completely engulfed the goblin, then returned to normal as if nothing had happened. Fiandrel sat motionless for a few seconds, then did something he hadn't done in a hundred and thirty years. He shouted so loudly that he woke up the entire consulate.

On the other side of the Eternal, a tired and exhausted Summoned pulled both hands out of the huge mirror in the attic of his rented house and collapsed tiredly to the floor. Dispelled the boredom, they called it.

* * *

The next day, in one of the offices of the Imperial Palace.

"Is this information accurate?"

"As far as we've been able to find out through our agents at the Elven Consulate, yes."

Sitting behind an expensive desk, a man dressed as a high-ranking official drummed his fingers grimly on the desk, glaring at his subordinate.

"What's up with our agents at the Lodge?"

"As far as we've been able to ascertain, everyone's bookmarks worked properly. There's no trace of them leading back to us."

Check everything, but as discreetly as possible, without attracting attention. Try to get our people from the Eyes to investigate. Ideally, this case should be hushed up.

"We'll do our best."

After bowing, the man (was it a man?) left the office, whose master immediately activated an additional protective barrier and became even more gloomy. They were so close. Infiltrating the Lodge with their puppets was not easy. Marius, that old son of a bitch, was very cautious, and there was no way to get close to him. But not so long ago, they managed to "recruit" several influential members of the "Lodge," so they did not remember it. Shortly, all its members and its leader, with all his huge connections and influence, provided with no less huge compromise, were to be recruited one by one. Now, they're all dead. Or rather, not all of them, but those that survived have turned into drooling vegetables with their brains completely burned out. So much effort, so much time, and resources wasted for nothing. And all because of some goblin who came out of nowhere! In a voice full of sadness and longing, the owner of the office said:

"Sovereign will be displeased.

* * *