003: A Devil’s Whisper
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He was met with a still silence.
The man's eyes remained unmoved, still fixed on his eyes. That man ignored the fruit as if it was nothing but mere air even though it was right in front of him.
Sensing that nothing would change no matter how hard he tried, he scoffed.
"You are dying anyway so what's the use of silence?"
Yet, the man didn't reply. And so, he continued on.
"Why not take this chance and live? This is your final opportunity to cling back to your life."
And yet, the man's eyes did not waver. Astel crouched and leaned his head closer to the man. With a slight tinge of smile, he spoke.
"Think of it as a barter, a trade. In exchange for your servitude, I will grant you this food, or rather, a second chance in life."
But the man still remained unmoved.
'Was this the wrong option? Should I have chosen another way to persuade someone?'
Astel thought inside his mind. But he shook his thought off. Perhaps, it was not food that concerned the man. But something more.
Something he regretted.
Remembering the expressions of this man before him within Meros Visconti's memories, it could be. No, it should be.
With that, Astel smiled. Like a devil, he whispered to the man.
"Then, how about this? As an exchange for your life, I will help you grant your wish."
He further moved his head near the man's ear. He placed his mouth exactly to where the man's ear was, just so he could hear his words as clear as a mirror. With a soft, yet bold voice, he continued his whisper.
"Money? Influence? Women? Or..."
He knew those didn't matter for the man. After all...
"... Vengeance."
He saved what the man wanted for the last.
"... Ahh... ahh..."
His temptation proved effective. The man who continued to remain silent, replied, his voice hoarse and cracked. Though Astel could not see the man's expression, he saw the man's shoulder quivering at his words.
Taking this as a chance, he continued his words.
"I can help you do that. All you need to do is live."
He leaned back from the man's face and looked at the man's expression. A slight, yet noticeable expression of fear. Then regret. Then dread. The man's mouth moved uncontrollably, producing the same words over and over.
And like the villain he was, he didn't comfort the man. Instead...
"If you die, then you will not be able to exact your vengeance. Those people will gloat at your disposal, doing the same things they did to you. They will live in a ripe old age knowing they have enjoyed life to the fullest while you rot and die in this place, like a garbage thrown away after they were deemed as useless."
He roused the man with provocation. He let the man thought of the many futures his imagination could imagine. He plunged his words deep into the man, sinking it like a bite from a snake.
"... Ahh... ahh..."
The man shuddered. His voice slightly grew bigger as he thought about the words of the devil before him.
"Do you want that to happen?"
Astel continued on, stabbing the man's already wounded heart with his dagger made out of words.
"Do you want those who did this to you enjoy things as they see fit?"
"... Ahh... ahh... ahh..."
The man's eyes convulsed. Perhaps he was seeing things or not. Astel didn't know. Nor cared.
"Do you want your revenge? Or not?"
Astel grinned, bearing his teeth like that of a fangs of a predator.
"Re... re... re... venge..."
The man stuttered in reply.
"Then live."
Astel said.
"The only way you can enact your vengeance to those who struck you is by living. So if you want to get your revenge, then live."
Placing the fruit the man once ignored back to the man's vision, Astel lightly smiled. Though it was a simple smile, it was like of a manifestation of evil within the man's eyes.
How could be someone's smile be this evil? The man's mind thought. Yet, it didn't matter as the man's ears and eyes heard and saw the words coming out from the evil before him.
"I will give you two options: You will rot and die in this very moment and time, making those who struck you down live. They will be happy and gloating for all their lifetime, feasting until the very end of their lives."
Astel halted for a brief moment before continuing.
"Or, you will take this apple and become my servant. As an exchange for your servitude, I will help you seek your revenge and aid you in your quest to find and kill those who did this to you."
Like a cliched third rate film. thunder struck the land. The sky boomed as his words ended. The skies glowered as it lit up in response to the roaring sound of the thunder.
The rain became heavier from the man's point of view. Perhaps this was the turning point in his life, his change; his salvation; his demise. Perhaps this was his fate, to encounter this man who would change him for better or worse. However, this was also his final decision, as he could already hear the bells of death approaching his way.
The man's words was right. Perhaps on his death those bastards would gloat and feast as they continued to torture his mistress. Perhaps they would live to see their hairs turned white, their skin wrinkled. Perhaps they would know that they had lived their life in content, ignoring those who they had ruined and tortured.
Perhaps... perhaps...
No! This cannot be!
They... they... they...
They...
They must pay. They must.
He had to live. He had to take his revenge for those who had fallen. He had to take his revenge for those who had lost. He had to.
He had to.
He had to.
He had to live. Even if his soul was the price. Even if he had to sell his body to the devil. Even if... if...
If... his life was the price.
Just so he could take their revenge.
Knowing that time was against him, he had to act. Fast. And so, he tried to lift his fingers up.
But he couldn't.
The rain was simply too heavy for him. It pressed the entirety of his body down, like a hammer.
Astel, who saw the man's trembling fingers, smiled.
'Take it.'
He looked at the man's fingers. It continued to struggle, quivering as he tried to lift them up. However, as if an unknown force was helping the man, Astel saw the man's fingers moving higher and higher, albeit slowly. However, slow or not, he was content.
After all, he already knew the exact answer of the man. The remaining thing he needed to do was to touch the apple on his palm.
Thunders continued to waged their war against the earth, roaring their cries everywhere. To some it might be just a normal occurrence. But to the man...
It was the beginning. His change. His revenge.
The marked days. Their endings.
Trembling, the man took the apple from Astel's hand. Astel nodded as the man slowly placed the apple before his mouth, his teeth sunk into the apple's juicy insides.
"From this very moment on, you will be my first servant, my first follower."
Astel looked at the man. He was eating the apple without any manners, leaving pieces everywhere. He was like that who was starved off for days on end.
"You will be my knight, my protector, and my guard. Do you accept?"
Hearing his words, the man slowly moved his eyes to Astel's gaze. And after a brief moment of silence, his head slowly nodded.
Astel smiled at the man's answer. He stood up and moved his hand closer to the man.
"Come. Let's not dwell on here."
Slowly, the man took Astel's arm. Astel slowly lifted the man up amidst the cold, heavy rain. Then, with a short inhale and exhale, he placed the man's left hand on his shoulder while placing his right arm to the man's waist.
He supported the man as he started to walk.
Dragging the man away from the street, he started pondering. He had to take both of them to a shelter, somewhere safe. He needed a place where the two of them could temporarily live for the time being.
And for that, he recalled Meros Visconti's memories.
He led his feet to a place he saw within Meros' memory. Northeast of where they were currently at was an abandoned church. It was once known as the heart of the Seventh Lane, but by the time Meros Visconti got to this place, the church was already abandoned. Countless beggars took the once holy site as their own home, marking areas of the church as their own territories.
However, what others didn't know was that underneath the church was a massive cave. A tomb. A crypt. Meros Visconti first encountered the area after lurking near the church. While exploring the massive underground complex, he found it to be desolate, untouched. No one bothered to live here, nor cared about its existence. It was waiting to be discovered, and discovered it was.
For some reason, Meros did not share this findings of his to the others. But this action of his proved beneficial for Astel and the man. If not for Meros Visconti, perhaps he would had sought another place.
For the first time, Meros did something useful. And for that Astel was glad. Him on the other hand...
Coughing, he continued to drag the man away. On his way through the middle of the slums, he noticed the man walking slower and slower. He looked at the man, his eyes growing weaker as seconds passed by.
The situation was not good. He had to hurry.
Moments continued to pass and before long, he was in front of the church. He looked at its half-ruined state, with glaring holes everywhere, particularly atop the church. Windows were shattered and broken, with the remains showcasing how colorful the windows would be if they were still intact. The church's door was also battered, full of holes and cracks.
The residents of this once glorious building tried to cover up the holes by patching it with ragged clothing from within.
Astel did not head towards the church. Instead, he walked towards the back of the church. There he saw destroyed buildings everywhere. The church's well and garden were also not spared, as evidenced by their current state. Astel continued on until he saw a destroyed building with rubble surrounding it.
Upon a closer look from the destroyed building and the pile of stones near it, the building was once a tower of some sort.
Making his way through the large boulders, he entered the remains of the tower. Inside, he saw more rubble but this time much smaller. He placed the man's back against the wall before dusting the stones away with his bare hands.
Eventually, Astel saw a rectangular hole covered in rusted metal bars and wood. He heaved for the air before pulling the bars and wood up with all his might.
Soon enough, the hole was open for him to see. He saw a stair of stone leading down to the darkness that loomed inside, alongside nothing but stones and the corpses of others waiting before the two of them.
Perhaps this was one of the reasons why no one made this place their home. The underground was simply too dark. And eerily silent.
But, he had no time on pondering about useless information. He lifted the dying man's body up and carried him down, descending to the catacombs. Upon making his way down, his feet touched a water that remained inside for an unknown amount of time. His vision was also overtaken by darkness, similar to the beyond.
From this very moment on, all he could do was to rely on Meros Visconti's body. In the past, Meros visited this place numerous times, reaching many different places in each of his every attempt. Astel could only hope that Meros' body remembered the paths Meros took before he died.
Fortunately, his body did not fail him. His body led him to unknown passageways he could not see, twisting corners and moving up and down. His body continued guiding him until he saw faint glitters of what could be seen as distant stars across the galaxy.
They were gemstones, buried underneath the earth. Astel walked closer to one of the gemstones and saw its luster, colorful glow. It resonated at the same time as other gemstones, twinkling and flickering.
He looked around the area. Traces of mining could be seen as there were tracks of wheels within the earth. Most of the walls around the place had holes on their surfaces, as if something was pluck and struck out. Looking at the gemstones, it made sense.
For him, this was a good enough place for the two of them. A comfortable area out of reach by others. A place where he could formulate and plan his future actions.
He looked at the man. His eyes were closed. He checked the man's back with his hand to check if he was still breathing.
Fortunately, the man was.
Relieved, he laid the man down to the earth, before stretching his shoulders. He sat on the opposite side of the man and closed his eyes.
Once the rain passed, he had to quickly work, lots of it. He had to exercise up his body while at the same time, steal items that could prove useful to him. He had to get a quick source of income as well, as simply stealing was not worth in the long run.
The city's patrol guards would definitely try to get rid of him if he got infamous enough from thievery and put him in bars, dooming him and his entire plans. And for that, he had to quickly act.
And once he stabilized his life somewhat...
Hmm...
He had to persuade others into his servants, his cultists. And at the same time, increase the scope of his operations. He would need to change the location of his main area of operations as well, from a cave to something much better.
But for those to work, he needed another source of income. Bigger and lucrative.
Gambling? No, gambling was always in favor of the host. If he were to do just that, he would only lose in the end. He could be the host, yes, but only for a much later time. For the time being and for the oncoming future, he would have to spend his resources and time into something much more valuable.
Making others do the work for him? Good enough, but it would drastically limit his actions. They should be his eyes, spine, and hands for executing his plans, not mere workers.
Pillaging and raiding? It would only bring him infamy and enemies both in the short and long run. Unless he had a reason to, he would rather stay silent than make others into his enemies.
Hmm...
What could be a good option?
He recalled this new world. Technology was simply... bad, to say the least. It was worse than his world which was reduced to the era of barbarism, the time where men became wolves, resources valuable as gold. However, the technologies of his world could prove useful in his plans.
He could introduce things that could be considered as advanced in this world and sell those for a hefty profit. And once he got profit enough to maintain his fledgling organization, he could spent the excess money on much more costly missions and plans.
Hmm, it wasn't too bad. Nor good either. It was good, yes, but that plan simply reeked of absurd dreams and fruitless hopes. It was not certain that the people of this world would like the technologies of his world, or even understood how to fully make use of them. It was full of uncertainty and doubt, a future he could not control.
He hummed. He should think this for another time, once he got powerful enough. Right now, he was only dreaming things similar to Meros; chasing after a star.
Stopping his thoughts altogether, he peacefully sat in place. Eventually, he slept, marking his first day as Astel Meros Visconti.
It was a hectic day, even for him. Being revived, made as a slave for someone, then had to make plans all for someone else. It was something he himself had not expected.
The pinnacle, ultimate existence. Now, a slave chained to a body of a beggar with no identity.
What a twisted manipulation of the so-called life.
An unknown time passed. Astel, who was sleeping, woke up after hearing the rough breathing of the man on the other side.
"You're awake."
Astel said as he looked at the man. The man weakly looked at the walls around the two them. The glittering of the gemstones did not appear on his eyes as his brain was currently wracked with numerous questions.
"... Where... am I?"
The man said in a hoarse, dry tone.
"Underground."
Astel replied as he stretched his arms outwards.
"This is our place for the time being."
Then, he looked at his hand. The food he stole earlier was still there. He looked back at the man and continued his words.
"Hungry?"
The man weakly nodded.
"Take it."
Said Astel as he handed a loaf of bread to the man. The man took the bread in reply, eating it in silence. Astel followed the man and also ate the remaining bread on his hand.
On the middle of their silent eating, Astel opened up his mouth.
"After this, we'll have to get food for ourselves. You will come with me."
The man knew what Astel meant. However, he simply nodded.
"The merchant buildings the Fifth lane should suffice. We'll get those stockpiles of bread and wine under the night."
The man nodded.
"... Okay..."
"If we're lucky, we'll also steal some valuable items, such as clothes."
Astel eyed the clothing of him and the man. It was shabby and dirty. The odor of the two constantly permeated his nose without his consent. And as a person who had reached the peak, he could only endure the stench for so long. He had to change their clothes, whether the man liked it or not.
Again, the man simply nodded. Astel didn't know what was going on inside the man's mind but he paid it no heed as he continued his speech.
"And after that is finished, we'll head back to this place. Understand?"
"... Yes."
"Good."
He smiled.
"We'll go up after we finish our food."
He said as he planned their actions inside his head.
Also, I do think that scene where he begins tempting the man was a bit too forced. But when rereading it over and over as a reader, doesn't feel like it. Hmm...
Secondly, I had to choose a place. I thought of two places originally, mainly the church and a tower. But on the middle of my writing, I had to do some actual thinking. I thought, "Hmm, I need a place no one entered before and those two doesn't fit the criteria." After all, imagine that you're a vagrant, obviously you'll want a home for yourself, right? Then imagine you, a vagrant, but had a body multiplied by ten thousand. Doesn't feel as simple now.
Then I thought of an underground. No one gives a damn about undergrounds. No one even bothers to enter them unless that someone is a deranged person, miner, or a person sheltering from a war.
In the end, I combined the church and the underground together, creating the catacombs. Good area too. Should prove quite useful in the long run.
4
If I got sent into a medieval world with a knowledge of my choosing I would have taken a job as a sailor or a doctor, tailoring is also one job that is always popular in all times and pays well if you are lucky.
What about you guys?
If I got sent to a medieval world? If we're talking medieval Europe-style, preferably, a mercenary. That way I could just show up in one of battles of Italy-like nations, stand up, and get paid. No risk involved whatsoever lol.
On a much more serious note, I would choose to be an artist, like a painter or sculptor. Since I would get to have a knowledge my choosing then I could just recreate or mimic those world-class arts by artists from all periods of time.