The Don and The Frold Fortress II

"Now then, I don't know how to sneak in without alarming the enemies. Does anyone of you possess a special ability or know a unique spell or two?" inquired Hermes. "Oh, oh. Me, me, Meili has a special ability, master~!" Meili replied in ecstasy.

"Good, what kind of ability do you possess?" Hermes looked at her with a death glare. "Hiiiek, Meili... Meili knows concealment. It is a unique spell that is seldom used for espionage, master. I assure you that Meili's ability is second to none," Meili pounded her chest proudly.

"Oh, really? Second to none, huh? You're tripping us. Are you highly confident about your so-called 'special' ability of yours, Mei-li~?" slime folded her arms across her chest, and she sarcastically mocked her sister. "Of course, Meili is telling the truth. Who do you think I am? I'm the informant. The most useful messenger above all," Meili proclaimed as she defended her statement.

"If you are really assertive about your proclamation, then demonstrate it. Do it. Make yourself useful tonight. Action speaks more words than a hollow-hearted statement," directed Hermes as he lifted her face to look at her pupils. With his intimidating glare, the informant gulped her saliva out of fear. "Kuuh, I, I, I won't disappoint you, master. Meili will do her best for the master!" she declared with a shaky lip.

'To be honest, I am scared. Really scared about these familiars. However, I have to deceive myself first, and took the initiative to manipulate their movements, so that I could control them of my free will. Die for my sake, not for themselves. Meili, without a doubt, is absolutely adorable to bully. But I don't want to be deceived by her cute looks. One mistake, she will devour my soul like the other poor bastards,' Hermes proclaimed inside his head.

"Stop shaking like a child. You're an old tiny thing that has lived for a thousand years," directed Hermes promptly. "Y, yes, master!" Meili was bewildered for a bit, but she immediately stood firm like an infantryman on the battlefield.

"Meili, show your loyalty to me. Prove yourself. Beat the enemies at my will. Or am I only the one who is looking forward to seeing your true potential as my 'devoted' pet," avowed Hermes with a sinister tone. "No, no, Meili loves master. She will demonstrate her ability to show my utmost love to master!" Meili proudly proclaimed.

'Last time, you loathed me to the core. Now you turn into a stupid stan, Meili. My goodness, what the hell is wrong with their heads? Hopefully, the trolling bastard won't add another quest that I should adopt another little monster as my familiar. Two monsters with a weird fetish and creepy obsessive traits are really a pain in the ass,' Hermes heaved a sigh.

"I must attain a 100% accomplishment rate or at least above average. Or else, I will receive the same punishment as before. I don't want to experience that hellish, brutal sensation again," Hermes clicked his tongue. "We will make sure we won't fail you, master~!" slime assured promptly.

The young Don gave the signal for them to transform. The slime turned back to her mask, whilst Meili turned into a small letter.

"Perform your duty properly. Let's end this quest before the duration period ends," Hermes reminded as he put on the mask and tucked the letter in his chest pocket. "Affirmative!" both of the girls replied in unison.

...

In the parking lot, the coachman slowly disembarked his cargo out of his transport.

He heard a sound of a footstep behind him. Assuming he was sent to aid him in carrying his cargo, he feigned no mind of his presence.

'Only one person? Wait, is this alright? Last time, they sent seven men to assist me here. But tonight, it is only one? One fuckin' man? This fucking nut heads, don't tell me they were still mad at the last little boy that I delivered for them to fuck up? Hmm... Well, I can't blame them if the little boy is a defective product. But all I know is Elder Arak fucked him up first before he gave it to his subordinates, though. My goodness, I should probably kidnap a new boy next time. Good grief, I pray Elder Damaso will pay triple for this,' the coachman clicked his tongue in disbelief.

"Those goddamn nut heads... Hays, I don't have a child for you to fuck alone. Soloing it will only ruin their smooth skin at a young age. You should consult first for approval from the elders. Sending only one person to assist me here? You gotta be kidding with me."

The person behind him remained silent.

"Don't tell me you're deaf? Goddamn it, I should probably take two guards together with me earlier. It is a mistake of sending them off inside with the sacrifice."

'My goodness, the subordinates of Elder Arak are really terrifying creatures of the same feather. Love to fuck little boys below 12 years of age. Torment them to death. Wait, does this guy become deaf after he sucks the male products to dry? Maybe there is a disease like STD spreading across of this fortress, lol,' the coachman crept out upon imagining it.

As he closed the trunk, his heart was stabbed by a shadow blade.

"W, wait, what... the... fuck?" the coachman shifted his head to face his assassin. "Sssh... Good night," Hermes pressed a finger on his target's forehead, and then, his slime began to absorb his soul.

"Kyaaa, I love it. The soul of this lower lifeform is a fine dish," Slime rejoiced upon eating her victim. "Meili is envious. I was the one who stabbed his heart, but sister stole my prey," saddened the informant.

"It appears they are planning of something extravagant, master," Slime commented as she looked at the crates on the surface. There were a dozen of wagons in the muddy parking lot. "Meili, make sure your shadow papers will remain intact on my shoes. I don't want to leave a single trace of my footprint on this surface," directed Hermes as he walked away from his first prey tonight.

The corpse of their first victim dried out before it turned into ashes.

"Like the master and his subordinates, huh? What is his title again? Arak the Great Tamer? Naah, he is unworthy of the title. That Arak... His title should be 'Arak the Gay criminal pedophile' of the century. Society or the whole community will condemn your heinous act against the male children. You should be executed by guillotine. Condolence to the families of the victims who truly cherish them. Henceforth, your radical hobbies should end here. Goddamn it, if he is the commander-in-charge in this place, everyone is similar to their leader. Disgusting freaks. Not only your guys are addicted to it, but your people are also destroying the youth that could be useful for civilized society," commented Hermes as he shifted his gaze to the gate. "In other words, we will rip their soul apart and eat slowly their body parts with their eyes open until they implore us to die instead, master. Am I right?" slime prodded. "Y, yeah, and we will make sure they will pay for their deadly sin by gobbing a lot of male children for a thousand years. These disgusting elves should be disposed of immediately. Pest termination is my specialty anyway," Hermes asserted firmly.

'These people must die and burn to hell immediately,' Hermes declared. He clenched his fist tightly as he reminisced the image of the twin children of the Camelia household.

'I won't let them touch those children at all cost. Not on my watch. Heh~ don't they know who they are messing around with tonight? I'm Aljen Mura, director of that fuckin' studio. Ah, no, right now... I'm in a different body. I'm Hermes... Hermes Archnemesis in the flesh. I'm one of the villains of this game,' Hermes smirked.

The two gatekeepers sensed something behind their backs.

"Hey, do you feel something?" Gatekeeper 1 shifted his gaze behind him whilst maintaining his position. "Hmm? I feel the same thing too. But I don't see anyone behind us, though," Gatekeeper 2 responded.

"Tsk, we are already a thousand years old, but we always feel something behind us. But honestly, it feels different from before. This sensation... This feeling... I don't know how to differentiate the pressure of the cold breeze and the enemy's presence. Damn it, this job is really boring," Gatekeeper 1 kicked the rock on the surface. "Well, at least we have a job. Frankly speaking, you are not the one who feels left out in this place. I haven't received any promotion for the past few decades, though," Gatekeeper 2 heaved a disappointing sigh.

"That's why it is unfair. I don't know what the higher-ups are up to tonight, but hopefully, they'll see my true worth as a warrior. Not a gatekeeper of this remote hideout," disgruntled Gatekeeper 1 as he stomped his spear on the ground out of frustration. "Hey, hey, keep your voice down. I don't think I can cover your ass once one of our superiors hears your complaints. Snap out of it, will ya," Gatekeeper 2 comforted his companion.

"Man, do you think the Lord will come back?" asked Gatekeeper 1, worryingly. "I, I don't know. It's already night, and I haven't seen a flesh of his skin, though," Gatekeeper 2 scratched his nose as he responded.

The two guards shifted their gaze in unison at the forest.

"He must be staying at the temple, I suppose," Gatekeeper 1 rested his weapon on his shoulders. "Maybe, who knows? Well... Our only job is to wait and see who is coming in here, though," Gatekeeper 2 shrugged his arms off.

The cold breeze coming from the forest hit their bodies. The two guards shivered in cold thereafter.

"Man, it's fuckin' cold out recently," Gatekeeper 1 complained. "It is because it is a winter season, dumbass," Gatekeeper 2 giggled.

"Hey, shut it. It is not funny, you know," Gatekeeper 1 clicked his tongue. "C'mon, I'm just kiddin'," Gatekeeper 2 tapped his companion's back twice.

"Once our shift is done, we should fuck a male child in the dungeon," Gatekeeper 1 urged. "Yeah, yeah, we will. Want some threesome? Naah, I'm just messing with you. Don't look at me with disgust," Gatekeeper 2 burst into laughter.

Suddenly, a sound of a stick cracked nearby. The two elves formed a defensive stance in the direction of the sound.

"Hey.... you heard something?" asked Gatekeeper 1. "Yeah... I heard it loud and clear," Gatekeeper 2 pointed his spear at the location.

The two of them remained in their spot.

"Who's out there? Show yourself," Gatekeeper 1 demanded. "Identify yourself. Don't you know that this is a restricted area? Don't make us count on three to drag you out!" Gatekeeper 2 added.

"Damn it, I didn't think this will happen eventually. I should alarm the others about this. We're supposed to be working as a guard of the Verdugo family in disguise. Not for the second root. We should raise their flag first," Gatekeeper 1 proposed as he realized they forgot to pull up the butcher logo of the Verdugo crime family.

His companion realized their mistake too.

"Damn, I hope it is not the member of the family. Remember, it is a crime not to raise the family's main flag in this place," Gatekeeper 2 gulped his saliva.

"C'mon, don't say like that. If our disguise is exposed because of us, we should do something to prevent it to happen, you know," mumbled Gatekeeper 1 as he moved two steps forward at the location. "Hey, hey, you're serious? Don't go into the dark. We're not sure if he is alone or not. Just do what you said earlier. Alarm everyone before it is too late," Gatekeeper 2 suggested.

"I see... Now it makes sense you are all living comfortably on this island," a young voice crossed their ears.

"Kuh!"

"Kak!"

The two of them were bewildered when the masked teenager appeared in front of them in an instant.

"Ene—! Goagh," Gatekeeper 1 was stabbed on his forehead by a shadow paper blade.

"Partner! Goobgg?" Gatekeeper 2 was unable to make a sound.

A black miasma stopped his mouth to speak.

The young teenager placed a finger on his lips.

"Sssh, be quiet. I'm just going to ask you something really quick."

"Hmmm?" Gatekeeper 2 opened his eyes in surprise as he recognized his appearance.

It was none other than Don Hermes Archnemesis.

"Oh, ho, you know me, huh? That's convenient. I don't have to introduce myself," Hermes lifted the body of his enemy without touching him.

The young Don realized something.

"Meili, remove the seal from his mouth," directed Hermes as he stuck his hands in his pockets. "As you wish, master~," the informant followed obediently.

"Kaah, Kuk, gah, gah! W, w, why are you here?" asked Gatekeeper 2. "I'm just visiting since it is a good place to level up," Hermes pointed out with a death glare.

"But the Verdugo clan will never forgive you for attacking this place. This is the remote area under the protection of the crime family, you know," Gatekeeper disgruntled. "Wait, the Verdugo clan controlled this? That's new," Hermes was curious.

"Yes, we're a member of the Verdugo clan. We're working with the caporegime Pa... I mean... You're not allowed to step in this area!" Gatekeeper 2 added. "If this is an area under the protection of this family, are you telling me this is... the Flord Fortress of Scily Island?" Hermes's eyes opened wide in surprise. "Yes, young man. You're correct. This is the dungeon of the crime family," Gatekeeper 2 nodded.

Hermes contemplated his position.

'This is bad. This is supposed to be attacked by the selected female playable character in the secret arc of the game. This fortress is connected to the fifth district secret tunnel. Wait... are the Verdugo clan and the Second Root working together? That is nuts. It can't be. The Donna of this family is a fuckin' racist who looked down on other foreign culture except for Italia.'

"Hey, release me, lad. How dare you killed my companion, huh? Say something, you fuckin' piece of shit. How could you— Hmm?" Gatekeeper 2 was slapped in the face before he could finish his sentence. "Shut it, you're not allowed to question me any further. I'm the one in-charge in this place. Not you. Know your place, you dimwit," Hermes slapped again the guard's face on the same spot.

The guard welled up with tears.

"H, h, how can I help you, sir?" Gatekeeper 2 turned into an obedient dog instantly. "Tell me the number of your active members inside. Spill it out. I want the exact numbers. Don't add the prisoners inside of the dungeon. I don't have time to play a hero of saving them. There is a female protagonist who does the job for that event, though. Now, tell me," Hermes urged.

"S... S... Seventy... No, around eighty-six men including me, sir!" Gatekeeper 2 stuttered as he responded. "That many?" Hermes was astonished to hear it. "Yes, sir," Gatekeeper 2 confirmed.

"Then, you guys are working for the cult? No, you're just a subsidiary company of that organization, though. So... Tell me... All of you are elves, right?" quizzed Hermes with a sinister tone. "H-h-how did—?" Gatekeeper 2 flinched, but he shut his mouth upon seeing his terrifying aura coming out of his body. "You don't ask questions. I'm the interrogator between us. You're allowed to speak when I permitted it. Tell me, all of the guards within this place are... elves, right?" Hermes demanded a quick answer.

Without saying a word, the guard nodded. This made the young Don fall into despair behind his mask.

'Fuuuuuck, you guys completely screwed the plot of my game!' Hermes raged.

"Kyaaa! Eighty-six raw souls? Kyaaa!" slime rejoiced upon hearing it. "Oh my goodness, we will accumulate around ten digits since these elves killed a lot of people during the decentralization and civil war period," Meili panicked in joy.

'Fuck, this is really bad. Really bad,' Hermes was displeased inside his head.

The young Don wasn't worried about the number of people. He wasn't even concerned that those poor elves would become the raw materials to level up these two little creatures. He was vexed to realize that the plot was different from what he ever imagined.

'This fortress should be handled by humans. Not elves. What if the female protagonist faces them? They won't be able to handle them in the beginning. This fortress is hiding the second relic of the past somewhere here, as well. If the village is keeping the 'Evil God Armor' somewhere within their territory, this goddamn place is hiding the 'Evil God Gorget' of the past civilization,' Hermes clicked his tongue.

The 'Evil God Gorget' was a hundred thousand-year-old ancient relic which possesed a normal ability to manipulate the body's temperature of its owner.

According to the legends, the relic was the most valuable and priceless gift of the Evil God for the beloved chosen one. It was also the apple of the eye of the deity.

Additionally, it contained a special and rare passive support system for users exclusively. However, there were zero players who were interested to look for it due to its minor function to assist them in the battlefield.

Why do you think? According to the first player who discovered it, its function was useless in the PVP battle. It was only enchaning its muscle defense within a few seconds, increased the mental psyche against mental fatigue with a low cool down reduction rate, and its healing ability was only useful for the player's party members when it was in a cold environment.

Although it sounded the relic looked defective for mortal combat, it had a good aspects to reconsider. For example, the special buff of the relic was preventing the user to be detected by a mystical dark beast inside the dungeon. But nevertheless, it was useless against high-leveled human mages with tracking ability. The item might contain a basic nullification ability or concealment attributes that was useful for the beginners for a short while, but it was ineffective to be used for battle against powerful dark monsters with a high level of catastrophic damage within their domain. Therefore, there was no point for everyone to collect it.

At the very least, the reversed harem always had a healer and a fire mage among her crew, so technically speaking, the relic was no longer needed in the end.

"I'm going to leave it behind. That item or relic should be owned by one of the twelve ladies. I don't give a shit about it anymore," Hermes muttered aside.

"Master, what should we do about this raw material?" asked Meili. "Kill him. His worth has already expired," Hermes directed as he turned around.

"W-w-wait, ggaaogh," Gatekeeper 2's body dried out and turned into ashes. His body vanished in thin air. "Kuuuuh~, I love the taste of chicken elf. Hopefully, they use more drugs, so this guy will turn into a slice of high-grade soul meat," Meili consumed the soul like a donut.