Meanwhile, in Arenam... (Patreon)

Omak, Brinar1992, canon.

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In the intervening months, Arenam has changed. Not so much externally (though there were external changes as well), but rather internally. It has become, as clichéd as it sounds, better. And this was true of all aspects of life in the town. The changes did not happen in one day or even one month. They were accumulating gradually and were not too noticeable to the average person. But newcomers, especially if they had been to this provincial city and even relatively recently, would have noticed the changes immediately.

The first and most important thing that struck the eye was the amazing cleanliness that was not common in most human towns. The Town Council, headed by the Mayor, unexpectedly organized a separate service that would take the garbage and waste out of the town and keep the streets clean. The idea of its creation was not new, but there was no money to implement it. But then, lo and behold, they found it. And, even more surprisingly, not only did they find it, but it went to the very thing for which it was collected and allocated.

The system of sewer tunnels under the town had been thoroughly cleaned of the trash that lived there ( nothing serious, but there was a lot of low-level crap) and repaired and was now working properly. A special septic tank had been set up at the place where the sewage came out. Here the waste underwent an accelerated decomposition and purification process, which was handled by representatives of the Druid Circle hired specifically for this purpose. What could not be flushed down the drain was no longer thrown out of windows or doors into the street but was taken out of town in carts, two dozen of which drove around every other morning, and there it was either burned or also turned into rot and mulch, which were then taken to the surrounding fields and farms. The old-fashioned way of throwing garbage directly into the street was subject to fines and not a small fine. Or a whipping, whichever one is preferred.

Many people were unhappy about this at first, but they quickly came to appreciate the benefits of such cleanliness. The rest of them had it beaten through their asses by the town guards with birches. Or through their wallets. Which way was more painful was hard to say.

Another thing that immediately caught the eye of visitors was the disappearance from the streets of beggars, the homeless, the hapless, and the vagrants who have always been plentiful in human towns. In any other case, such a total disappearance of the urban underclass is cause for immediate alarm, and the town Guards, Adventurers, and private armies of Merchants and Aristocrats are to be called to arms. But in this case, the reason for the disappearance was not another deadly beast or an insolent sect/cult. It was the fact that the town had opened three dormitories/shelters at the town's three largest temples. It was also an idea for a long time, but somehow there was never enough money even for one. And then, lo and behold, there was money in the town treasury for three shelters at once. And, again, surprisingly, almost all of the money allocated went to the construction/repair of the buildings and the purchase/production of the most basic but necessary furniture and clothing.

It was to these shelters all the above representatives of the town's bottom were assigned, by decision of the city council, on a voluntary-forced basis. Those who did not want to give up their life on the street because of their class (there were four of them in the city, three vagrants and one beggar) or for other reasons were politely but insistently asked to move to neighboring cities. They did not give them money to move, but they provided them with new clothes and food for the trip.

The others, again by force, were washed, given new, simple but good-quality clothes, fed, treated, and actively recruited for socially useful work. As a matter of fact, a large part of the newcomers were now engaged in keeping the town clean and orderly. Some helped with household chores in the church to which his dormitory was attached. The homeless children were divided between the two temple schools by a decision of the Town Council, for which, again, money was found. There they were taught not only literacy but also the basics of various crafts.

The strongest, healthiest, and fittest boys were assigned to a company of young recruits, as the Burgomaster had nicknamed it, created under the city guard. From there, when the children reached the age of sixteen, they were assigned to the town`s craft guilds as apprentices if they had shown proper zeal in learning the trades. Or town temples if the latter wished to dedicate their future lives to the service of one of the celestials. The young recruits of the company were either waiting for the imperial army or further service in the ranks of the city guard.

It is clear that life in the army, in a craft guild, or as a temple servant is not the most pleasant for a newcomer without connections or patrons. But it was certainly much better than what awaited these children on the streets of the town. Most of them understood that. Those who didn't want to leave the streets ran away at the first opportunity, but there weren't many of them. In any case, they did not return to their former occupations, for it had recently been unanimously decided by the Arenam Town Council begging and vagrancy were banned within the town. Anyone found doing so was either sent to a shelter or expelled from the town.

The appearance of the town itself has also been transformed. Most of the streets were repaved, removing numerous gaps and potholes. Well, at least all the main streets were repaired. For years the Town Council had fought with the Stonemasons Guild, and they still couldn't agree on a price. And lo and behold, they did. And the Town Council had splurged on lighting not just for the center of the city but for all the broadest streets, including some of the less affluent ones.

Speaking of which. One of the streets that had been part of the city's slums, and had a well-deserved bad reputation, was demolished and replaced by several new, rather tall and large, revenue houses that would become the property of the Town Council and another source of income. The inhabitants of the demolished hovels were temporarily assigned to the town's new shelters, with the promise of a room in each of the new houses. And for some reason, ordinary people believed that the Mayor would keep his word. And rumor has it around town that he plans to rebuild all the slums little by little.

The town's guards also changed for the better. Some of the guards, for a variety of reasons, decided to retire or change their line of work. And some just suddenly left this world for the most natural reasons, completely random and not suspicious. Some got drunk and fell asleep in a snowdrift. Others slipped on the icy sidewalk and bumped their heads badly. Anything can happen in winter on the dark streets of the town. But somehow, strangely enough, the most unflattering representatives of the town guards left the ranks. And those, frankly speaking, its leading representatives, who still had some decency and desire to protect the law and order, suddenly got opportunities for career advancement. And somehow, it suddenly turned out that Arenam's town guards, though reduced in number, were increasing in quality.

Guards started doing exactly what it was supposed to do. To keep order and law in the streets of the town. Patrolling not only the wealthy sections of the town but also the poor neighborhoods where she'd never even gone before. The guards had been helped in no small measure by the fact that, by some divine miracle, they'd had their equipment, armor, and weapons updated to the latest standards. They are also noticeably better fed. Or rather, the quartermasters just began to give them in the barracks mess tents everything they were entitled to according to the approved standards. A similar thing happened to their salaries, which were now paid in full and without delay (well, exactly, Miracle!). The townspeople were surprised to find that the streets of their town were noticeably safer. And a man drunk in an inn now had a much better chance of getting home, not just alive, but not even robbed.

Also, with the help of the Guild of Healers and Alchemists, four small and one large hospital was opened. They had also been planning this for a long time. It seemed to benefit everyone. For the Healers' Guild, it was a permanent practice for the newcomers, allowing them to get their hands dirty, hone their skills, and even earn a level or two. For the Alchemists' Guild, it means stable orders for medicinal goods. For the town, it was a noticeable improvement in the epidemiological situation. But it all came down to money. Or rather, that no one, as always, wanted to pay for the common cause.

But not so long ago, the money was found, and again, well, by some miracle of some celestials, it was not stolen. Several buildings in not very good condition were bought. Good repairs were made. The necessary furniture, stocks of medicines, and tools were bought. At the appointed time, the clinics were ceremonially opened by the representatives of the Town Council, and they began their work. And the citizens of the town quickly appreciated their usefulness. Petty medical care in them was provided free of charge to all the townspeople. More serious care was provided at quite reasonable prices. If the petitioner still did not have enough money, he was allowed to work on the treatment, either for the benefit of one of the guilds or the Town Magistrate, after he had received medical care.

There were positive changes in the Guild of Rose's establishments as well. Actually, the Guild of Representatives of the oldest profession in the town had only two establishments, the most presentable and expensive. The others were private shops with "goods" of dubious quality, which mostly belonged to the representatives of the Night Guild. But not so long ago, again, quite unexpectedly, most of the brothels in the city had closed, barely a third of their former number remaining. But all those that remained were officially part of the Guild of the Rose, and, moreover, the Town Council had decreed that only the aforementioned guild was now authorized to provide known services.

This, strangely enough, had the most favorable effect on the quality of services provided. It is not clear where the money had come from, and all the buildings where the well-known services were provided were renovated, new furniture was purchased, and... everything else necessary for work. In addition, representatives of the Healers' Guild were now regularly examining all the workers, providing necessary treatment. Also, all visitors were now checked by the Guild member on duty. In addition, there were regular supplies of cosmetic alchemy from the Guild. And no less important was the noticeable improvement in the situation of the workers, who were now officially part of the Guild, with all the resulting benefits, rights, and guarantees. Up to the fact that the Guild of Rose bought one of the apartment buildings, renovated it, and converted it into a dormitory for its workers, who did not have their housing.

The price of living there was almost symbolic. The price to pay for all this, however, was the increased price tag for the services of the Guild of Rose, but in the opinion of most of the town's inhabitants, it was more than worth it.

It is clear that such changes to the town were not to the liking of all its inhabitants. First and foremost, the criminals and all those associated with them were unhappy. Deprived of its main recruiting base of youngsters in the form of street children, as well as of income from brothels, it could not but say its weighty dissenting word. And everyone was waiting for the underworld to start putting all sorts of sticks in the wheels of the mayor's undertakings and knives under the ribs of their executors. Only, to the surprise of those who had expected it, the underworld of Arenam did nothing of the sort. For it, too, has changed, and very much so.

At first, it wasn't noticeable. It was just that the various town gangs had become a little less greedy, a little less violent. They were actually doing something to help ordinary people. And then there were some dramatic changes. The key event, the trigger for all that followed, was that in nearby Tavimark, where most of the criminals who tacitly controlled the Arenam criminals lived. One day they were almost all slaughtered. Not by humans but by beasts and monsters that had fallen from the catacombs. From the very same catacombs where the criminals hid, fearing that the city guards had decided to give them a sudden night of long knives. Thus, a sudden vacuum of known dimensions was created in the underworld. All who wished to do so immediately rushed to fill.

And they all forgot about Arenam for a while. They had no time for the provincial town. When the redistribution of spheres of influence in the criminal world ended, and the new leaders managed to either kill or agree with most of their rivals-partners in the dangerous criminal business, it suddenly became clear that there had been no news from Arenam for a long time and the contact amulets of their leaders had been suspiciously silent for a long time. But the hell with the news. The most important thing is that the money from those who were appointed Watchmen for Arenam from the underworld had stopped coming in.

Intelligent men were sent to find out why, and they soon conveyed the following message to the new authorities in Tavimark through the amulets of communication. If you translate its meaning from the criminal lexicon into human language, its essence was as follows. There is now a new Master of the Underworld in Arenam. A certain Red, formerly in the brigadier, at one of the former leaders of one of the gangs. He would not meddle in the territory of his competitors, but for those who strayed to him, he shows no mercy. He's not going to pay anyone anything, either.

After that, the connection was cut off, and no one else responded to the amulets. When the new chiefs of Tavimark's underworld received such a message, they weren't too surprised. It happened from time to time. Someone decided they could bite more than they could chew. It happens. As a rule, it ended up with a bite stuck in the throat, with fatal consequences. New men were sent in, just as intelligent as the first, but in a slightly different area. They successfully made their way to Arenam and disappeared. Without a trace.

The underworld of Tavimark concluded, only, as it turned out, not quite right. Those in charge of selecting and equipping the men sent to settle the matter were punished (a couple of them even got off) for underestimating the enemy and began to prepare a second team, in all seriousness. And they started by deciding to find out what was going on in the town. But attempts at reconnaissance only confirmed the extent of the threat. The spies sent to Arenam were, to all appearances, quickly identified and disappeared shortly after they arrived in the city. Attempts to "see through it" yielded nothing but vague images of battles between various gangs. But nothing that could lead me to this incomprehensible Red.

After that, two well-coordinated fives from the Assassins' Guild were hired for very large sums of money, at least level twenty-eight. The leader was even thirty-five. Each of them was an acknowledged professional in his field, ranging from hacking into security systems, surveillance, information gathering, analysis, creating poisons, ritualism, and actually killing. They were very well equipped. They were given quite detailed information about possible adversaries. Generously paid and dispatched.

And then things didn't go the way the underworld leaders had hoped. The teams successfully reached Arenam. They confirmed successful infiltration. They confirmed access to Red. They confirmed the start of his exploitation. And then, overnight, one of the leaders of the Assassins' Guild of Tavimark and three of the new criminal bosses who'd been most infuriated by the stoppage of money from Arenam were killed. All of them died, along with their closest subordinates. The unidentified men worked cleanly, without witnesses, and demonstratively brutally. Just like the assassination guild pros sent to Arenam liked to work.

The underworld respects strength. After such a demonstration, the surviving ringleaders were visibly cold in their desire to put the incomprehensible insolent in his place. All the more so when more urgent matters arose. In particular, the need to re-divide spheres of influence. Find out how this incomprehensible Red managed to turn over the pros sent to his head will be possible later. Right now, it is urgent to take over the shares of the deceased competitors. Before other competitors do it. Especially since all the surviving ringleaders got indirect confirmation through their informants that it was someone of the still-alive partners involved in the death of their colleagues, and as if not in cahoots with this incomprehensible Red.

In the confusion that followed and the wave of murders, frame-ups, and poisonings, no one thought such retaliation was too steep, even for two well-coordinated groups of professionals from the Assassins' Guild. They could have eliminated one or maybe two of the dead, especially if they'd started working on him right away instead of going to Arenam. But to kill four people at once, and with their people, and on their turf, without any help from anyone else? Too cool. They couldn't have done it without the help of someone powerful enough. Well, it would be more accurate to say that someone had thought about it but had chosen to keep their valuable thoughts to themselves. It's safer for the head.

Meanwhile, the leaders of Tavimark would be very surprised to learn what happened to their colleagues in Arenam. It all began with the fact that soon after the famous events in Tavimark, there was a real gang war in the city, which broke out literally on the spot and unexpectedly for everyone. The gangs, their former partners and rivals, fought to the death, disregarding years of agreements and unspoken rules. Squads of different gangs ruthlessly slaughtered each other and smashed caches and stashes of competitors, not sparing trump cards and consumables from untouchable supplies. And as a result of the outbreak of war killed not only representatives of the underworld but also some quite respectable residents of the town, at first glance here in no way related to the criminals.

And somehow, it happened in the course of a short but very bloody fight. Somehow amazingly, most of the criminal elements of all stripes and levels, from rank-and-file thugs to gang leaders and their patrons, were mowed down. And the latter, no doubt, would have realized that something was wrong and would have tried to stop the senseless and unnecessary massacre. They would sit down at the negotiating table and try to somehow resolve the conflict, which was disastrous for everyone. Even if not them, then their first deputies. Except that, again, none of them did. It is unclear why. Maybe they just didn't have time because the gang leaders and their patrons were killed in the first days of the fight. And no guards, no stationary protection of shelters, no artifacts saved them. And yet none of them was economizing on security. But somehow, it turned out that all the precautions were not enough to save the lives of the bosses of the underworld.

In the end, it suddenly became clear to everyone involved that the only gang that was any good after the almost complete mutual self-destruction of criminals was the gang of a certain Streve Lance, better known as Red. After the former ringleader was strangled in his lair, he was the only one of his closest associates left alive. He quickly oriented himself and took his place, successfully disposing of all those who wished to challenge his position. After that, the new gang leader declared himself the new Night Master of the city and began to actively take over all areas of the criminal world, ruthlessly crushing dissenters and subjugating their business.

And so it turned out that there was no one to oppose him since everyone who could have done so had already successfully killed each other. Although some dissenters were found, and even tried to resist somehow. But they very quickly also disappeared or abruptly changed their minds and joined him. In less than a month, the new Nightmaster was firmly entrenched in his position, becoming, in fact, the sole head of all crime in Arenam. And, even more surprisingly, he was a surprisingly agreeable man, something I'd never seen before. Red was surprisingly quick to find common ground with both the Mayor and the new Head of the Town Guard, who also tacitly acknowledged his right to command the heavily thinned Night Guild.

There was, however, one side of the criminal underworld that didn't participate, in any way, in the internecine fight of criminals and which somehow no one even remembered. The only survivor of the five bloodsuckers somehow mysteriously managed to stay away. She was remembered only at the gathering, where the few surviving criminals who still had any influence gathered to officially "crown" Red. It was there the new Night Master stunned everyone by declaring that the vile creature was under his thumb. And in general, it is on a very short leash. Then, in front of the amazed criminals, he confirmed his words with deeds. At his command, a pair of Red's assistants led the aforementioned bloodsucker, dressed only in black knee-high boots, into the room where the meeting was taking place.

Then the new Night Master of the Arenam sprawled out in his chair, took his cock out of his pants, and, without saying a word, pointed it to his guest. She knelt silently in front of him, fixing her long hair so that everyone could see better, and began to suck the fairly grinning man diligently, demonstrating skills worthy of the best representatives of the Guild of the Rose. Admittedly, there was a lot to be shocked about. And the criminals were, in fact, shocked. Starting with the appearance of the creature, which a dead man would have hard on to, and ending with its absolute obedience to not the most, let's face it, high-level man.

To be fair, a few of the criminals at the meeting had the idea that letting such a creature suck anything, whether blood or semen, was a VERY shitty idea. But for some reason, no one voiced it, and then everyone forgot all about this nonsense. As well as the fact that after Red, his tame creature served several more of the highest-ranking criminals. But what remained firmly in the minds of the new subordinates of the crowned Red was that the bloodsucking creature was under his thumb and did not dare to squeak without his permission, and was generally not worth attention.

After all these events, which passed unnoticed by most of the town's residents, including those who should notice such things, the criminal world of Arenam has also become noticeably better. Under Red's strict control, the criminals have abandoned the dirtiest ways of making money. Any few dissenters either changed their minds very quickly or disappeared. Robbery and theft practically ceased. The amount of "protection money" taken from merchants has decreased noticeably. Some of the least well-off, who had nothing much to take, were exempted from it. If anyone from the outside could assess the changes that had taken place in Arenam's criminal underworld, they would probably describe them in two words: "Crime is dead." Practically dead.

Some of its manifestations still existed, such as smuggling and the black market, which was also pretty much dead, but against the background of other cities, it was not even funny. And any attempts of activity by "visiting tourists" were harshly and quickly suppressed. Moreover, in some amazing way, none of the locals tried to move Red and regain their lost sources of income.

Or rather, a few not very clever and not very high-level criminals tried. More precisely, they simply hinted at the possibility to their colleagues. After that, they simply disappeared. Everyone who needed it understood and was no longer outraged. All the more so that, again, in some mystical way, yesterday's foreman was able to get his hands on a large part of the money of the deceased Night Fathers. How he managed to get to their stashes and caches was a mystery. But the fact remained that Red had enough money so far, and he paid his subordinates enough so that no one would ever think of going against him. Though the loyalty of his inner circle was not due to money, but neither Red nor his cronies knew that.

A no less surprising thing happened in Arenam in the spring when one of the legal slavecatcher teams had been coming to the city to buy goods. They were astonished to find there was almost nothing to catch in the usual "grounds." However, it didn't take them long to be surprised.

So literally the next day, an elite platoon of city guards, along with some of the best fighters from the Grimmentrei Temple and its Abbot, as well as three of the highest-level adventurers from the local Guild branch, stormed into the large private house where they were staying whenever they came to town. The Slavecatcher, who had never expected such a thing, had no time to make a serious resistance.

While they were being tied up and shackled, they screamed that they were honest traffickers of "live goods," that everything was legal and paid for, they had all the paperwork. At about that moment, one of them, the former First Deputy Commander, had managed to snatch an enchanted stiletto from its shield container, which reeked of Darkness and Madness a mile off. Before anyone could react, he jabbed it into his heart, turning himself almost instantly into a creature of the Darkness. It was a creature of darkness, but fortunately, the Temple's fists, led by the Abbot, managed to put it to rest very quickly, crushing it with the power of Heaven. It only had time to kill a couple of Slavecatchers and hit their brains with a wave of madness which was successfully leveled by the servants of God.

After that, no one listened to the cries of the even more fucked-up Slavecatchers. The house they occupied was thoroughly searched, and they found a considerable amount of paraphernalia and artifacts for dark rituals. In the basement, they found a secret room with a ritual circle and the remains of several people who had apparently been sacrificed to the darkness.

After that, all the surviving members of the crew found themselves in the stocks themselves. After a very quick and revealing trial for illegally practicing witchcraft with sacrifice, most of them went either to the town jail or the slave market. Only the highest-ranking and most important of the Slavecatchers were sentenced to execution. Except that it was carried out very quietly, almost without any witnesses. It looked more like they were simply "disappeared."

A similar fate befell the illegal Slavecatchers gang that came to town disguised as merchants. In the sense that they, too, simply "disappeared" one night with almost no witnesses. Characteristically, they, too, were pretty surprised before they disappeared. Both the absence on the streets of most of the usual "goods" and the disappearance of the vast majority of their contacts and patrons. After that, there was, somehow, no one in Arenam who wished to obtain "live goods." Surprisingly, there were fewer of them in those places. They just disappeared somewhere during the winter. It's a mystery.

Such amazing changes have occurred in the ordinary provincial town of Arenam. But what was the reason for these strange changes?

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Janet was a pretty smart woman, good at counting in general and money in particular. The uncommon Accountant's class, taken at level ten, contributed greatly to her natural talents. She also had the business acumen she'd inherited from her halfling father. Now this short, plump, but in her own way pretty woman, dressed in a solid dark-blue closed dress, sat behind a huge desk in a deafened office in the heart of the town's magistrate's building.

This particular room was one of the most protected and securely shielded in the whole building. Because this was where they worked directly with real money and securities. Dozens of documents, contracts, promissory notes, invoices, bills of exchange, and ledgers were laid out on a huge table in front of Janet. Hundreds of silver and even gold coins stood neatly stacked on the table, carefully sorted according to denomination, weight, and type of coinage, as well as those still waiting to be minted. One person could not cope with such a volume of work, even with a specialized class. So her only daughter sat next to Janet, just as short and plump but a bit prettier. In the light of the quality magical lights, she was examining, with the most serious expression on her face, another document that was the tax return of a branch of a trade guild, checking it against other records.

A rare Financier class, taken relatively recently by a happy-go-lucky girl, made it much easier to navigate tax returns, treasury reports, and other documents related to money.

And, it would seem, Janet should have enjoyed life. Not long ago, she was essentially a nobody. And now, in fact, she was in charge of all the town's finances, having assumed the position of Chief Treasurer of the Magistrate. It was she who distributed the money for all those projects of the mayor's that had so improved the life of the town. Her immediate superiors, in the person of the Mayor, are very fond of her. Her experience is simply unbelievable. She has gained three levels in the last two months, reaching the seventeenth. Her daughter, working beside her, got the coveted tenth level and a very good class, guaranteeing a decent job under almost any circumstances. Her financial well-being was now practically worry-free and allowed her to look to the future with a fair amount of optimism. But instead, the woman was afraid. And the fear, little by little, was growing stronger every day.

The reason for this woman's fear lay in how she ended up in her current position. Until relatively recently, she had worked for the city's bloodsuckers who ran an illegal amulet market. She worked for them because she had no other choice. After her father's kin had turned their backs on her after her parent's death, not wanting to see the half-breed mated a lovable halfling on the side with a human woman, she had to make a living. And the nocturnal creatures needed someone in charge of finances since they didn't want to bother with that themselves and who would be completely dependent on them. In this aspect, Janet suited them completely. The work wasn't the most difficult, mostly accounting routine. At least some experience dripped slowly but surely. Even the creepy bosses as such she hardly ever had to meet, which pleased her immensely. Even one meeting with the old Patriarch of Bloodsuckers was enough for the rest of her life.

And then everything changed. Someone had slaughtered most of the creatures, leaving only one of them alive. At first, Janet seriously feared she would have to look for a new job. But all turned out well, the new boss stayed afloat in the murky waters of the criminal world, and Janet's work was hardly affected by what happened. And then, one day, whether beautiful or terrible, her boss came to her and announced that Janet would now have a new job. At the town magistrate's office.

At that moment, the half-blood woman was not just surprised but rather dumbfounded. Both from the sight of her mistress, whom she remembered quite differently and from the fact of the transfer, not understanding how it was possible at all. But what seemed like a dream turned out to be a reality. The next day Janet went to the town magistrate, as her mistress had instructed her. There, she was greeted courteously and escorted to the office where she now sat. After which, her predecessor, for three days, politely and lucidly conveyed all matters and show the ropes. After that, he said goodbye to her warmly and went to a well-deserved rest, thanks to the fact that the uncle was quite old.

It took Janet a week to get a full understanding of the business, and she spent a week in this office, even sleeping here. Who would have thought that the financial affairs of a small town like Arenam would be so intricate and complicated? And this despite the fact that her predecessor had told her everything he could, showing her everything, and kindly handed her not only the white books but also the black books of the town. She had to ask permission to involve her daughter, to which the Mayor, to Janet's great surprise, gave the okay and officially enrolled her in the staff. From the very first day, he behaved with the newcomer in a very friendly, almost fatherly way. So did most of his colleagues.

No one even expressed indignation that an obscure half-breed with no connections ended up in one of the most bread-and-butter positions in the town. The queue of those wishing to sit in it began at the gate of the magistrate and went all the way to the town gate. Moreover, when Janet had more or less sorted out her current affairs, the Mayor gave her a clear order to "dig under everyone." That is, to ferret out any financial discrepancies and deficiencies, despite titles, ranks, and positions. The astonished woman was at first seriously afraid to carry out this task for fear of being extreme. But after she uncovered four cases of tax evasion and three cases of fraud on the city's property, and no one said a word to her, Janet became bolder.

And the first thing to do was to take care of the dearest relatives on her father's side. The Zhdryzhnevshski clan had a small permanent presence in Arenam, and most of the woolly legs lived in the nearby countryside, growing vegetables and root crops of the highest quality. Which, as Janet found out, they sold to customers at much higher prices than the paperwork used to bring them into town. And this discrepancy had been going on for a long time, allowing the halves to save a lot of money on duties.

All this she with a vindictive pleasure carefully calculated, checked, double-checked, and brought to the report of the Mayor. He, interrupting the current affairs, carefully studied everything, marveled at the final sum, and then sincerely thanked Janet. And immediately summoned the head of the town guard to his office. Already in the evening, the new head of the treasury learned that the relatives who had turned away from her had begun to have very serious problems.

To solve this halflings had to pay a very considerable sum in silver and gold to the city treasury. A sum far over their profits from the frauds. As a sign of, so to speak, full awareness and remorse. And she knew for sure that the Zhdryzhnevshskis knew exactly who to thank for the sudden depletion of the clan treasury. Nor had she received any offers to "turn a blind eye" to certain uncovered financial frauds. This could not help but be alarming. In fact, that was the first alarm bell. The second, not even a bell, but a real alarm bell, was the realization of what was happening to the town.

Janet, as has already been said, was not a stupid woman. Especially when it came to money. So when she found herself in her new position, she quickly realized a very frightening fact that was very hard to believe, but it was true. The Magistrate had stopped stealing.

The Mayor, the members of the Town Council, their assistants, and their immediate family members simply ceased to see the town budget as part of their personal budget. All the money collected in the form of taxes, duties, and fines from citizens and visitors went straight into the city treasury at a rate of almost one hundred percent. Such pennies stuck to their hands that it's not even funny.

The mere fact that the town's officials switched exclusively to official salaries increased the town's budget almost tenfold. As if this were not enough, almost all of the town's wealthy and respected residents, such as the guilds and provincial aristocracy, suddenly became patriotic. This was expressed in regular donations to the town treasury. Which further increased the city's budget. And with all the tax evasion and other money laundering that Janet had uncovered, the amount piled up in the town's coffers would have made any small king show respect. Or a big duke. And Mayor began to spend it all on what it had been intended for. For the needs of the city and its people. At least that part of it did not go in the form of taxes higher to the capital and the imperial treasury. That even earned him a whole level and get close to getting another one.

But all this splendor did not fit in Janet's mind, for she had no idea, she was sure, that the culprit of what was happening in Arenam was her superior. And that was what made her really frightened.

In any other situation, she would have rushed to the temple of the same Grimmantraeus long ago to report that the town was under the secret control of a creepy creature. But for some reason, she couldn't even imagine this same creature was doing for the town all the things the people who ran it were supposed to do but which they didn't. In a few months, she had done more good for it than she could have even imagined. Under her stewardship, life was better for everyone. And that was trivial in Janet's mind. THINGS don't behave like that!

If all the beggars and homeless were not in the new shelters but to feed her, she would understand. Terrified, but she would understand. If all the money raised went into the bloodsucker's pockets for her own needs, she would understand, too. It would be perfectly understandable. But for now, as far as Janet could see, if anyone went to feed the town's new secret mistress, it was exclusively criminal elements. And that was the main reason why she continued to go about her new business, taking the time to inform the servants of God about the true state of affairs in the town. And who knew if she could do it, or if she was just another "disappeared"? With a shake of her head, the woman shook off the oppressive thoughts, and with renewed vigor, she began to read the financial records of yet another trade guild, looking for deficiencies.

Meanwhile, her immediate superior, and the main culprit of the changes in Arenam, was, at the moment, in a luxurious city mansion located in the heart of the city. There, behind a high fence under the protection of a very high level for Arenam guards, on the top floor in a huge, luxuriously furnished room, very securely protected by two different stationary barriers and numerous enchantments, was an inspector from the capital. And he was in a very bad mood.

The reason for the bad mood of Darius es Klodr, the possessor of the thirty-fourth level, the rare Diplomat class, and the epic Ambassadors of the Emperor was the result of the revision. He had arrived in Arenam three days ago, having made the long journey from the capital. He saw the mission to this backwoods place solely as a punishment, and he was not far from the truth. However, it was his fault. You should not pay attention to married ladies whose husbands are noticeably higher than you on the steps of the Ladder of Eminence. So Darius' uncle and patron had to send his nephew to the outlying provinces for an audit. Officially, to assess the situation there and to make a report on how well the local authorities served their emperor. In fact, to save him from the possible consequences of an extremely ill-considered affair.

It is clear that after the Eternal, it was impossible to perceive a trip to this wilderness as anything other than an exile. Especially since he couldn't take most of his usual entourage with him. There could be no normal entertainment and no worthy interlocutors unless you counted the local aristocracy as such. Which inevitably meant excruciating boredom.

The only thing that comforted Darius was the possibility of collecting some money as payment for "turning a blind eye" to the misdeeds of the local authorities. And he was going to make that amount as large as possible. Except that the capital's official was sorely disappointed, bordering on shock. To begin with, the town appeared far better than he had been told and he had expected. It was clean and well-maintained, with no gangs of street kids or crippled beggars on every corner.

He was greeted, of course, by the mayor and the company of the town guard of honor. And to their credit, they made a more than respectable impression, especially in their new ceremonial armor, polished to a shine. Arenam caused Darius to associate it with one of the city-states that had been the unspoken satellite of the Eternal Forest, which he had visited by the Emperor's will. Clearly, there was much more cleanliness and order, and the sidewalks and streets were almost licked clean, but by the standards of the imperial outskirts and what he saw was a tremendous achievement.

Further stay in the town only reinforced this impression. The town was good, and Darius found nothing to scold in. Which in itself was nonsense! This was not his first such trip, and, for that matter, he knew how to find the carefully concealed sins of those he inspected. But here, as they say, the scythe struck a rock

There was nothing to complain about in Arenam! Wherever he went, whatever he wanted to check, everything was in relative, if not total, order. The Mayor reported to him constantly and accompanied him everywhere with a smile on his face. As if Darius does not see it!

And it would seem that he should have been pleased, and he would have written the most praiseworthy report possible. But, in fact, he was ready to howl like a wolf. Because the main goal, to make money for himself and for his uncle, who had covered him, was simply not achievable. At least not by legal means. Which pissed Darius off the whole time. But tonight, at least, something had changed for the better. Apparently, the burgomaster, who had managed to annoy the inspector with his smile and inability to nag him, felt something and decided to brighten his stay. How else to explain the fact that this official deigned to send to the door of the manor occupied by Darius a sumptuous dinner, cooked at the level of the capital's institutions, as well as a couple of very seductive girls?

Of course, both the food and the escorts were carefully double-checked by Darius' guards, but no surprises were found. A dozen different dishes and a dozen bottles of quite decent wine accompanied the guests to Darius' chambers. Where they were checked once again by the direct bodyguards of the auditor. No threat was detected, and they were allowed inside.

And, he must admit, this unexpected gift brightened up Darius' evening. The food was excellent, and the two ladies sent by the Mayor were not only very attractive (especially the one with practically white skin) but also very pleasant conversationalists. They admired Darius' tales of life in the capital so genuinely that he almost believed them. And that speaks a lot. And needless to say, in bed, they were also above reproach. At least the one with the white skin. Her friend was good-looking, too, but Darius was more attracted to Snowflake, as he christened her. He liked her so much that he even gave her the lead in bed, even though he preferred to be on top.

And he was right. Snowflake was above all expectations, and in one elegant move, she got rid of the expensive black dress, which contrasted favorably with the snow-white skin, and took Darius to the huge bed, where she immediately got down to business. As soon as his cock was in her mouth, all thoughts of the revisor's head immediately flew out, giving way to the pleasure of the incredibly skilled tongue and sensual lips of Snowflake. She smiled merrily and looked into the eyes of a happy moaning Darius and played with his cock for some time, swallowing it whole, sucking just the head, then running her tongue along the entire shaft. The Emperor's ambassador sensed that he was close to climax. He clenched his teeth and buried his hand in the woman's silken hair, trying to guide her movements.

He didn't take his eyes off Snowflake's amazing eyes for a single moment. He was not able to stand it much longer, and soon Darius cum violently into her mouth. She swallowed his seed without a problem and, with a satisfied smile, licked his still hard cock, while the auditor was recovering from his orgasm. After that, he feels sudden weakness, but very pleasant, something that had never happened to him before. He finally surrendered to Snowflake, and she did not disappoint him by doing everything herself.

In one elegant motion, she saddled herself with Darius, guiding his cock inside her. Then, getting comfortable, she began to move her hips rhythmically, squeezing him with her gut. The inspector only moaned softly, still not taking his eyes off hers, not even paying attention to Snowflake's seductive breasts, which were swaying in the way of her movements. She seemed to be asking him something, but Darius ignored it, completely mesmerized by her eyes. So engrossed were they that he didn't even attempt to reach out his hands to so close breasts. Or was it an incomprehensible but pleasant weakness? What difference did it make?

Gradually, all thoughts left the revisor's head. Only Snowflake and her beautiful eyes remained. At one point, she leaned back, leaning on the bed with her hands, and stretched her legs forward, sinking her bare feet into Darius' face. In any other situation, at the very least, he would have resented such impertinence, and surely some, albeit clearly very expensive, whore would have been in serious trouble. But right now, he didn't seem to be in any way repulsed by it, as if it were a matter of course. Smiling contentedly, he began to lick Snowflake's fingers, which she literally shoved into his mouth. He still didn't take his eyes off hers.

He couldn't tell how long this pleasure lasted. Just at some point, another wave of pleasure came over him, followed by more fatigue. There was no thought left in his head. He seemed to see Snowflake's worried face in front of him. Then it disappeared, but soon it reappeared in front of him. In the next moment, Snowflake put her lips to his mouth, thus pouring something into his mouth. Some vague thought flashed in the back of his mind, like the idea that you don't kiss whores on the lips, especially if they've just sucked you off... But that thought disappeared before it was born. Instead, his mouth and throat burned with fire, tears came to his eyes, and a wave of pleasant warmth began to spread through his body. The weakness receded a little, and his head began to clear a little.

But no sooner had Darius begun to think clearly than Snowflake reappeared before his eyes. Or rather, one of her extremely seductive parts. For a few seconds, the Emperor's ambassador had the opportunity to admire her slender legs and perfectly manicured crotch without a single hair on her snow-white skin. Surprisingly, she also had not a drop of his semen on her, even though he had just cum into her. But again, before this or any other thought could even enter Darius' mind, Snowflake's incredibly inviting bosom moved abruptly closer, dropping down onto his face.

All thoughts disappeared again, replaced by a single but very simple and understandable one. Licking. Darius began to do this with pleasure, not thinking about anything else, enjoying only the silky smoothness of Snowflake's skin and the scent of obviously very expensive perfume and body oils. How long it lasted? Again, he couldn't tell. Just for a moment, his face was squeezed by her hips especially hard, and then Snowflake disappeared. For several minutes the auditor just stared at the ceiling, breathing heavily. Then the beauty, who happened to be beside him again, gently helped him to sit up and then to get up and walk to the chair by the table, where there was still plenty of food and bottles of wine. Those fifteen steps were not easy for Darius, as if he had run all the way from the Emperor's palace to the capital's manor on his own two feet, and now he was climbing a mountain. Ugh, wow, how the hell did she get rolled him? Maybe he should take her with him as an official bed warmer.

Darius could not finish the thought. Once in the chair, he almost immediately switched to one of the untasted dishes and one of the bottles of wine. Next to him, in a neighboring chair, was Snowbird's companion, whom he had never "tried." Anyway, one was enough for him. It seems she asked Darius something, but he did not pay any attention to it, answering something without thinking, completely focused on the food, very tired but completely satisfied.

* * *

But his deputy, who had come to Arenam with him, was in a less than gracious mood. Rather the opposite. Vilana Riel, the wielder of level twenty-seven, the rare universal class Agent, and the epic class Liquidator were in a state of wild, animal terror.

The representative of the Eye of the Emperor tacitly included in Darius' retinue for the occasion and only nominally subordinate to him, was at the moment sitting as she had been born in an expensive chair with armrests, tied to it by the wrists and ankles with thin silk ropes, none other than from the props of the Guild of the Rose. Her mouth was gagged with a gag from the underwear of the scoundrel who was now playing with Darius.

Of course, an Eyes operative of her level would have easily broken free of such captivity, especially since the rope was not enchanted. If she hadn't stripped naked herself, removing all her weapons, including her secret one and protective amulets. If she remembered how to do it at all. If she remembered how to use her class skills and abilities. But she'd forgotten all that after one single glimpse into the eyes of the creepy creature that had so cleverly pretended to be human and managed to fool all the guards. The creature, which was clearly, in mockery, left her able to think and realize everything that was going on but unable to do anything. Only to fidget helplessly on the chair, bare-assed and shaking with fear, looking at what was going on around her.

And, in fact, what she saw made Vilana even scarier. For she was a fairly experienced Eyes agent. By no means the most high-level or influential, but forty years of service in one of the continent's most powerful intelligence services is substantial experience. She had seen a lot during her tenure, and she knew a lot. And so what she saw now made her all the more afraid.

Vilana had a pretty good idea of what real bloodsuckers looked and acted like, not this... this one. If Vilana had been asked to give her professional opinion on this thing, she would have guessed that the creep that had just sucked Darius' dick had been in the hands of a high-level Whoremancer. Or a Bimbomancer. Or, more likely, both. And probably a very good Alchemist specializing in body modification. There was no other way to explain the fact the creepy monster-looking creature looked better than the many Seductresses in the special Eyes division Vilana knew. And the fact that instead of "drinking" Darius, she sucked him off so much that the moans and grunts were all over the room. And now she was riding him. Bloodsuckers don't act like that. Normal bloodsuckers.

It was even more shocking and frightening when, through a veil of horror and panic, she realized what the creature was actually doing. It was impossible not to realize that she was interrogating the unthinking Darius.

She questioned him in detail about the purpose of his visit, his connections, patrons, and acquaintances in the capital - in a word, literally everything that was related to his work. And her companion, who came along with the creature, who was apparently human, was carefully writing it all down in a large notebook, sitting at the table with food. She had only her shoes on, too, but that didn't bother her.

Beside her in the chair next to her was Darius' senior bodyguard, spreading his legs wide and looking up at the ceiling. A sturdy man of large build, the owner of the twenty-ninth level and a class of Bodyguard of rare grade, as well as an equally rare version of Intercessor. Alas, neither the right classes, nor the relatively high level, nor the good defense did him any good. He, like Vilana, was completely naked; all his clothes, protective amulets, and weapons he had removed and stacked neatly in the corner of the table. Only they did not tie him up and leave him awake. So Bernard just stared at the ceiling, very slowly and sluggishly jerking his cock. Which, by the way, was ridiculously small for a man of his size.

Next to him, in another chair in the same condition as Bernard, was Darius's bedwarmer, the only one he'd been allowed to take with him. The pretty girl, with her long brown hair, slender body, and obviously enlarged breasts with the help of alchemy, was also staring up at the ceiling, and she was sluggishly hand-jobbing, biting her plump lips and twisting her nipples with the other hand. And Vilana's assistant and protégé, William Riel, a clever boy who, despite his young age, has the class of Detective already and who was her third or fourth cousin, was in the same position as she was. That is, aware of everything, tied to a chair, naked, and completely helpless. Unless, as an added humiliation, not otherwise, the creature had put on his head the black silk panties she had taken off Vilana. Like his boss, all he could do was watch in horror at the creature's captivity, awaiting his fate. And he waited.

After the creature had played with Darius and turned him over to her assistant, who continued the interrogation, it turned its attention to William. The creature wiggled its hips seductively as it slowly approached the prisoners, allowing them to examine its body, altered by some headless lunatic, and then licked its lips defiantly, revealing its thin but very sharp fangs. William shuddered, but there was nothing he could do.

The creature smiled happily, enjoying the effect it was having, and in a matter of seconds, untied the boy, who immediately tried to rush to his things, where the alarm amulet was, among other things. But immediately was trivially picked up under the armpit by the bloodsucker, who carried him to the bed like a kitten, in the other hand holding the silk ropes. She paid no attention to the screams and kicking of the terrified boy. For a brief moment, Vilana thought that someone might hear his screams, but it was immediately extinguished. She'd tested the sound-suppressing charms in the room herself. No one would hear anything. And even if they do, Vilana personally does not doubt that the rest of the guards have been worked over by the creature as well. So all she has to do is watch.

Watching the contented creature tie desperately kicking William's hands to the head of the bed. Then she lay down on top of him, pressing her whole body against his, and began to slowly lick every millimeter, moving from his neck to his chest, from there to his stomach, and even lower.

Quite quickly, the creature put William's fighter at attention with her tongue, and then she pulled back and changed her pose. She sat down on the boy's face, made herself comfortable, and then tucked her long dark hair behind her back to get out of the way, leaned over to his cock, and slowly took it in her mouth, causing a muffled mooing. What followed was pretty much the same thing that had happened to Darius earlier. The bloodsucker took her time sucking on the boy's cock, playing with his scrotum with one hand, squeezing it a little, then kneading it.

Except unlike their nominal boss, the kid knew who was sucking him off. And what teeth were within millimeters of his fighter. Judging by the way he twitched a couple of times, wincing in terror, the damn thing let him feel them. But it didn't bite. Instead, it brought the boy to orgasm rather quickly. At the moment when William cummed, she literally swallowed his cock whole, sucking on it as if trying to squeeze all the seed out of the boy. Carefully cleaning the boy's device of the slightest droplets of semen, she leisurely pulled away, got up, and slowly, with incredible pleasure on her face, licked her lips, swallowing everything that William had flushed into her mouth. In her mind, Vilana added to the list of sick bastards who worked on this creature and a high-class Chimerologist, who must have instilled in her the traits of a succubus or someone similar. Because there was no other way to explain the fact that instead of blood, this creature, obviously not pretending, with pleasure drank the SEMEN of its victims, Vilana could not.

Meanwhile, the contented creature had snuggled up again with a visibly pale and flabby William and began cooing something in his ear. He even said something back to her, but Vilana, despite her not bad Perception, could not understand anything.

Only once or twice did the creature give her the strangest looks. Apparently, having learned all she wanted, she began kissing the boy, who protested by mumbling but was unable to stop it from exploring his mouth with its tongue. When she'd had enough of William, the bloodsucker gently took him by the chin and forced him to look into her eyes. The boy twitched and collapsed abruptly. For a moment, Vilana was afraid that the creature had killed him, but no, it seemed to have just brainwashed him, like Darius. Because after that, the creature immediately untied him, and William slowly, very lethargically, rose to his feet. Then he walked drunkenly to the table, where he collapsed into a vacant chair and pounced on his food. He looked rather pale, even though the creature did not seem to drink blood from him. The creature itself, still wiggling its hips and tits, approached Vilana.

Stopping in front of her, she scrutinized the agent from top to bottom. Why, that appraising glance infuriated Vilana, making rage eclipse fear for a brief moment. Vilana was not a beauty compared to the other Eyes Agents working through the bed. Tall, slender, and even lean. She had small, B-size breasts, an unassuming appearance, and short, boy-cut hair. Against the incredibly spectacular creature in the guise of a human, she looked not just pale. She was invisible. And for some reason, this fact, which had never bothered her in the slightest, naturally infuriated Vilana. The fear, however, almost immediately returned when the creature, with a couple of movements, untied the restraints but left the gag. Unlike William, Vilana didn't rush anywhere. There was no point. Instead, she stayed where she was, waiting. The creature apparently appreciated this because instead of dragging her to the bed, she said:

"Stand up. Follow me."

Vilana felt no effect but immediately obeyed against her will and walked obediently to the bed following the creature, trying not to look at her seductive ass, which literally attracted her gaze. She didn't even think about trying to rush to her clothes. Or rather, she thought about it but immediately dismissed the idea. Useless, it would only make things worse. Especially since her body didn't obey her. Bringing flopping barefooted on the floor agent Ochi to the bed, the damned creature, instead of putting her there, tied her hands to one of the pillars which were attached to the canopy. After which she ordered:

"Bend over. And spread your legs wider."

In her mind, cursing the hateful creep, Vilana obeyed against her will, awaiting her fate. As she assumed a humiliating pose, like a cheap whore, she heard the bloodsucker pull up one of the chairs behind her and sit down on it so the agent's crotch should be just in front of the creature's face. After a moment, she felt her captor's hands on her buttocks. She squeezed them a couple of times masterfully. And a moment later, she felt the creature's tongue on her bosom, which was very long, flexible, warm, and very, damn it, pleasant!

With a humiliated moan of pleasure and humiliation, Vilana slammed her bound hands against the pole, grasping the damn gag with her teeth and squeezing her eyes shut. The creature, ignoring the sounds the agent made, licked her bosom diligently, gradually penetrating deeper with her tongue, sucking every millimeter of the intimate area, especially the bead on her clitoris.

Vilana had lovers, male and female. Both at work and in her personal life. Not that she had much experience in bed compared to some of her colleagues, but she had experienced oral caresses from both men and women. And now, burning with shame, powerless anger, fear, and humiliation, having already chewed through the teeth of this cursed underwear of the cursed creature, she could say one thing: no one had ever licked her like that! The bloodsucker was clearly enjoying her position, deliberately intensifying the oral caresses, then slowing down, not allowing Vilana to cum. But it could not go on like this for long. The long lull on the personal front and the incredible skill of this damned creature had an effect. She came violently, pouring profusely into her tormentor's mouth.

To her surprise, the creature, instead of pulling away, sharply pressed her lips against her crotch and greedily swallowed everything that poured out of the agent. Soon the agent felt a pleasant weakness that nearly made her legs buckle. Shivering from the orgasm she experienced, breathing heavily, and leaning on the pole, Vilana still managed to formulate a single thought in her head: this creature was definitely crossed with a succubus!

She was not allowed to elaborate further, for the bloodsucker removed the gag from her mouth, untied her from the pole, and pushed her carelessly onto the bed. A moment later, it piled on top of the agent. One of the creature's hands slid between Vilana's legs, and the other began to maul her breasts masterfully. To the agent's surprise, her body was not cold at all but warm and pleasant to the touch. Her deceptively gentle grip was incredibly strong. Even if it hadn't been for the weakness that pervaded her body, it was unlikely she would have been able to break free. In the meantime, the creature pressed down on the agent and began slowly kissing her neck, making the victim freeze in fear. The bloodsucker, on the other hand, deliberately taunted the agent, letting her feel the touch of its sharp fangs on her skin a couple of times. But not once did she even scratch them, leaving a couple of hickeys instead. Then she moved her lips closer to Vilana's ear and whispered languidly:

"And you're very tasty. Especially down there. Not as good as that charming young lad or young man, but quite good."

With a hiss, the agent found the courage to mutter:

"Fuck you, bitch!"

To her surprise, the creature giggled in response and pressed Vilana even harder against her, pressing a pair of gorgeous tits into her back. Then she whispered in the same languid voice in her ear:

"Do you want to fuck me? Perhaps I'll even let you. By the way, did you know that this handsome boy has feelings for you? He fantasizes about you quite often on long, lonely nights. And you don't see it at all. But that's okay. I'll fix it."

"Fuck you...

She was unable to finish as the creature forced her to turn to face her and dug its lips into her, penetrating her mouth with its tongue. At the same time, their eyes met, and all thoughts vanished from Vilana's mind. All that remained was her and her incredibly inviting body. There was nothing else in the whole world that mattered. None. No. Thing...

She sat back in her chair and licked her lips. It had been a difficult night but a very pleasant one in every sense. It was now beginning to dawn outside the window, but she couldn't see it indoors because all the windows had been curtained in advance. She had managed not only to get to Ambassador of the Emperor but to learn a lot of interesting things from him and his entourage. It was also a very good refreshment, which was especially gratifying.

It's even a pity that we can't keep this young man for ourselves. Alas, his disappearance would bring too much trouble. Yes, and He told her otherwise. But a little pleasure can be afforded, especially since she had to expend no small effort to deceive the guards. So she allowed herself just a little, just a little. Well, maybe not quite a little. In any case, she got it right with one of the potions she'd been given.

And now, a completely exhausted but satisfied young man is lying on the bed in the arms of his living toy. She did not even "try" it, given the low level. She didn't even taste the older bodyguard either, just tasted it. But Eye tasted pretty good, and so did her pup. She was conscious again now but unable to move or speak. All Eye could do was stare in her direction with hate-filled eyes, leaning on the table and spreading her legs wide. While her assistant was fucking his boss, simultaneously recounting to her all his obscene fantasies about her.

Before she leaves, she will carefully adjust her memory of tonight, just like everyone else. But she will leave the power over her boss to the boy, even if he doesn't realize it. Just sometimes, he'll offer his boss a "stress reliever." She won't mind.

Simple commitment-free sex between a boss and a subordinate. Hardly anyone would have any questions. The possibilities of such games with people's minds, which he gave her, brought almost as much pleasure as a good "meal." At that moment, the lad had once again cum in the helpless boss and tiredly sank down on her, not stopping to whisper his obscene thoughts in her ear. She turned to her assistant, who not so long ago finished recording the readings of the Eye, and now allowed herself a little snack with the remnants of dinner. The twentieth-level and rare class Analyst used to serve one of those who tacitly controlled some of the criminals in Arenam. Now she serves her, making it easier for her to secretly control the town.

"Are you done?"

"Yes, Mistress."

"You've done a good job. After you eat, you can have a little rest with one of them. Then, we'll leave."

"Thank you, Mistress!"

* * *

Darius es Clodr left Arenam a week after his arrival with the best impressions of the city. There were two reasons. The first was the town itself, which turned out to be a very pleasant place. And the second was a more than generous "gift" from the Mayor in the form of a considerable amount of gold. And that's not to mention the sumptuous dinner and a couple of gorgeous escorts, which so drove Darius away that he slept all day. So he made his report as positive as possible. And, pleasantly enough, he didn't even have to lie. If any of his detractors tried to convict Darius of lying, it would be very difficult for them to do so. Eh, if only all the towns in the Empire were like this one! With these thoughts in mind, the Emperor's ambassador began his journey back to the Capital. And the one who had left him such a pleasant impression of the city continued to do the bidding of the One who had become everything to her.

A good-looking high-rise building in the not-so-wealthy Arenam neighborhood has recently undergone significant changes, unnoticed from the outside. The protection, especially against various clairvoyants, has been much improved. The basement has also expanded and deepened by an order of magnitude, becoming a natural prison with cells of varying levels of comfort. There, in the basement of the building, were her chambers.

At the moment, the secret benefactress of Arenam was busy working with numerous documents that required the attention of the secret mistress of the town. Her mood was not a cheerful one. Her heart was tormented by a feeling she had not experienced for a long time and which she had successfully forgotten. But which came back after she had met him. A feeling of deafening longing and sadness. She remembered his only words. She dutifully did everything he told her to do. Took care of the worthless little people who populated this miserable little town. She got rid of most of the parasites from among the people who oppressed their less courageous fellows. Some of them now sit here in the cells and serve as food for her. She turned the remaining parasites into her obedient puppets. She forced those humans at the helm of this brainless herd not only to shear them but also to take care of their sheep. Destroyed or discouraged all those who were going to take the place of the annihilated parasites.

For this, she was tried several times to be killed, but fortunately, her enemies had no idea of the power He had bestowed upon her. Some of the assassins sent after her she gladly "drank". Some that were most useful now serve her, sometimes brightening her loneliness. There are no new obvious threats now, and she now has complete control over all the major areas of life in this little town. A small town, which she now could "take away" in one night, if not entirely, then almost completely. But which she instead protects by doing his will! So why is he silent?! Why are the mirrors, obedient to his will, silent?! If he had only wished, she would have thrown this whole city and its worthless inhabitants to his feet! What on earth was she doing wrong?! The lack of understanding of this led her periodically to a state of deaf boredom, turning into powerless anger and rage, which she allowed herself to "drink" another parasite. Fortunately, she had quite a few of them so far.

But a couple of months ago, during another fit of impotent rage, she wondered if he expected more from her. What if he needed other servants? That he could also bestow upon her or that misty creature? The thought of the one into whose power she had been put by his will made her want to kill someone again. How was she any worse than that brat of the Mist?!

After calming down and thinking it over, she decided to give it a try. After all, what did she have to lose? After that, she selected from among her puppets the most valuable, both in terms of classes available and levels gained. Now, at least twice a week, they all spend their nights together in her chambers, in front of the mirror. Completely naked and with signs around their necks, like the ones they hang in the markets for slaves. Where their statuses were detailed and why she had made them her puppets. Today was supposed to be just another such review. But just if that's the point! What on earth is she doing wrong? At that moment, there was a knock on the door, and she, distracted from her sad thoughts, uttered:

"Come in."

The door to her chambers, where she worked with the documents, opened, and a young boy, who was the nephew of one of the eliminated criminal bosses, walked in. She kept him alive by making him one of her puppets for his good looks, good health, and very good "taste."

"Mistress, Lady Shaala has finished making the ritual circle on your order..."

The lad was still saying something, but she was no longer listening. For suddenly, a new conjecture pierced her. What if? No, it couldn't be! But what if? No, it was impossible! Though maybe that's why he wasn't. There was a handsome young man among his companions who had slaughtered the Elder and the Brothers! Is it possible? We must try! With a sharp wave of her hand, she interrupted the puppet in mid-sentence.

"Mistress?"

"Listen carefully! Tonight..."

That night in her chambers, she gathered her puppets not only of the female sex. But also several of the most handsome young men. Also naked and with signs around their necks. Maybe at least that will make him pay attention to her. Well, because she doesn't know WHAT else she has to do anymore!

* * *

Avada Kadavra: Eaaaan! Breenaaar! Come to your senses, you fiend! You can't be that cool, or the universe will collapse from too much awesomeness!

This is so cool, omak, that I just couldn't have come up with it better myself. In fact, more than three-quarters of what I planned to write about Arenam this omak showed, especially concerning the methodology of the creature left with large-scale instructions. If not exactly one-to-one, then it is very close to it, very close.

Actually, it is easy to recognize omak as a canon and to canonize it in every possible way, correcting only a few small things.

First, the number of homeless people is not really that high, especially in Arenam. This isn't the capital, where they're in bulk and can't be kicked out in time. And it's not in the south, closer to Alishan, where it's warm and relatively prosperous (the breadbasket of the Empire) enough for homeless people to survive in numbers.

In Arenam, alas, it is cold, especially in winter, so there are not many homeless people. But there are a lot of poor people who live formally in their self-built shacks in the suburbs, in the slums, or wherever, but who can't make ends meet. It would have been easy to put them in shelters to free up the city area and tear down those favelas.

Actually, it's quite similar to the Middle Ages, where the poor and the beggars were not particularly tolerated, though there was a certain percentage of them anyway. In most cities of Alurei, they are not tolerated either, but there are places where they are already tired of getting rid of them and consider them inevitable.

In general, the shelters were filled with people, all three of them, including the "juvenile" shelters. There even the poor parents themselves would give up their children, giving them up in word and deed, for the slightest chance that they would have a normal life, and the parents themselves would get rid of the extra mouth. Yeah, what's more, 90 percent of those parents would have only had the opportunity to get rid of the mouth, and then they would have had it no matter what. Those same slavers parents often sell their children - a harsh life in a harsh world, especially if there's no chance of feeding another child. It's just like the real story, only even cooler and adjusted for the magical setting.

As for the three clinics, it's also worth specifying that this is quite possible and not even too excessive for provincial Arenam - healers are always in short supply, and injuries that will heal themselves with time, but better now so as not to starve later, appear regularly. Especially if you do "small hospitals" with just couple or three classless healers, backed up by a single class wielder and another fifteen nurse-men on hand.

That's probably the only flaw I can think of. The rest fits the world's lore a hundred percent.

I was especially pleased with the work with criminals, which is roughly how I imagined it. The creature knew a lot about covert work and agents before, and after the order of MC, she took to studying profile literature in earnest. With her new abilities, motivation, and access (thanks to her abilities) to books not for everyone, she can perfectly organize a cult, a secret order, or, God forbid, non-stealing officials.

Even a certain overkill in terms of decorating one's life, which is bound to cause questions or even alarm if one gets caught with an eye and a skill, also fits the essence of the order and the nature of the creature. The slight (or not slight) loss of caution is logical - there's the increased strength from the Ring, and there are the effects of the distortion from Hestia, which did mangle the brain a bit, no matter how hard she tried to achieve the opposite, add to that the pumping of essences from which even the bloodsucker adapted to such shook the roof.

There's the fanaticism, there's the fixation, and there's the thoroughness with which she approached her work.

It is possible to trace such actions, and if Arenam weren't such a shit hole, it would still be noticed. And after Eternal, with his paranoia, it's not going to be easy, or even difficult, to shake off all the checks.

The situation with the messenger deserves special attention because he will be checked for influence in every way, so it's dangerous to mess with his mind too much. Even now, without leaving much of a trace in his head, she is still at risk, especially if they check a little more carefully and also immediately after his return. In principle, the power of the joint gifts of the Ring and the Mist was enough to give the kind of affirmations that would not show up on an ordinary or not-so-ordinary check. But the essence pumping, on the same check, will show up with a guarantee.

Snowflake's only hope is that until her victims get there, until they talk to everyone, until this and that, the traces of suction, ha-ha, will dissipate. Here's a bookmark, albeit complex and subtle, in the mind of an Eye that is likely to emerge. No, it will. The traces of interrogation and other influences will not emerge (if they are hidden), but the bookmark is guaranteed - the eyes are checked by artifacts and mentalists who are on contracts and oaths, and the antipodes of slavemancer and whoremancers, too, are sometimes involved in such inspections.

Here it is good that Snowflake put a bookmark from the category of "for fun." With a high guarantee, even if this construction is found, they will check the "beneficiary", who is her assistant and who is not involved and himself partially a victim, and then think of a kind of revenge for some offender or a competitor. From the category: neither to kill, nor to cripple, nor to whoring until the end, but to spoil him, her or them seemed just right.

It may pass. If there is not a big failure.

The humor in the Omak is just great, from the assumption that Kostya shouldn't even know about to avoid spraying bloodtits, to the quintessential surreal nightmare - the Magistrate has stopped stealing. That's where the horror is. Lovecraft rests.

The creature's thoughts are conveyed truthfully and understandably, though I suppose she understands deep down the reason for ignoring Kostya. It is simply too humiliating and painful for her to admit to herself that she has been subjugated and forgotten, even though she is a creature. It's not like she's a Giver, who quietly gets high from contempt and disgust, as well as from her own humiliation. No, she will set herself tasks, reveling in the purpose assigned to her, in the process of fulfilling it, and in the knowledge that she is carrying it out.

She will not stop putting the proposed toys for her master in front of mirrors, though, which may lead to more twists and turns. Especially when MC notices, evaluates, and sees among the ladies all sorts of bisenens, and then it comes to him. He can, of course, take the situation with humor, but it would be better for Taria never to find out about it.

Thank you, Brinar, it was a pleasure to read such thoughtful work. It's a shame that I can't pay you back, but I'm quietly clearing out the piles of work and hoping to finish the chapter this year. And yes, from the looks of it, it will be, if it's smaller than this one, it won't be terribly much smaller.

Yes, I remember saying that I thought the second interlude would be shorter than the first.

That's what I once said about the 12-page chapter standard, too. :(

P.S. That reminds me. In normal life, Snowflake is not cold as a corpse (she's a bloodsucking bug, not undead), but she's cooler than people. And she warms up not so much from sex or nourishment but from the use of her abilities - her internal essences bubble and boil and warm her body. The ring's gifts can, of course, be different than the usual vampire techniques, working on different principles... but exactly what they can. The ring itself embeds the gifts into the essence of the recipient, so "wiring" the new abilities to the usual "reactor" for this type of creature fits the pattern quite well. In the same place Hestia and her mist, the threads of the Giver, and even, in part, the pheromone system (working on the sky-high stamina, and pure body power) of Ygra.

Taria and the original Hestia are exceptions because their body/energy/essence was standard and unaffected by anything serious, so you could put anything on them.

brinar1992: smiling contentedly

I'm glad you liked it!

I'll tell you a secret, the original idea was to write about a longing vampire, who sits in her lair sucking from the prisoners, you know what, and is sad about the fact that Kostik forgot about her, and she is trying so hard for him, all so miserable. In the process, she gets the idea to collect for Kostya female candidates for "ringing". And then the male too.

That's just when I sat down at the keyboard, it turned out sixteen fucking pages of solid description of the beautification of the town, without even a hint of any normal PWP :(

But still managed to steer in the right direction, although, originally the PWP was conceived with the prisoners, not the Emperor's Ambassador