A Rattling Monster

Chapter 77: Problem from Another World

I followed that powerful man for quite a long time. But in the end, he passed out after running at full speed during at least 5 kilometers. His stamina was good, but his sense of direction was pretty bad. In the end, I returned in front of that old mansion. Just for that, I ask number one to pierce his heart. He could have to lead me anywhere else, but he decided to faint in front of the only place I have no business. It's like fate is paying with me, to see if I will really enter a haunted house or not. The answer stays the same, no.

Wooshoshoshosh

That was the sound of a cold wind coming from the very place I want to avoid. You know that by doing this, no one will want to enter your mansion? That's making everyone run in fear. This time, since I have really nothing else to do, I try something new. I target a beggar that was a little too slow with my [Nightfall], surrounding him with shadows. Shortly after, I can see him stumble and fall to the ground. I ask number two to pick him up and bring him to me. Seeing that he doesn't wake up, I ask number two to slap him. After that, the human finally is awakening, and visibly terrified.

As usual, number one speaks for me.

-Dareen, Joe.

-I-I-I don't know, I I know nothing, please, please good sir, let me go.

Seeing that our presence is not enough, I ask number one to cut his arm. The scream can be heard from a very long distance. I didn't expect such a feeble man to be able to produce such a sound.

-Daree...

-Ok, ok, please, stop. I will tell you what you want, just stop. For the love of Aria. I don't know where is the base of Old Man Joe, but I know where Dareen can be seen. I, I, I can even lead you to him. Just please, spare this lowly life.

And he kept mumbling and mumbling, even crying. Number two lightly shake him, to stop this incessant noise. Finally, a little bit of peace. After that, and understanding that we were expecting him to do what he told us, he points a street with his finger. He keeps doing this until we see a little house. I mean, it is really a small house and just a single house. Not a huge house like Oktar, or the successions of houses that Shadow possessed. Just a small house, even a little broken. We all turn toward the beggar, wanting some answers.

-It's true, it's where Dareen live. Really good sirs, it's here. Just ask anyone, it's really here.

But that doesn't make any sense, it is impossible for one of the heads of the slums to live in such, thing. But as I get near, I see more and more green hooded men. So the information is true, or at least, it is part of his organization. Number two quickly behead the beggar, and we begin our approach to the little house. Everyone that hasn't fled is looking at us. I guess I will need to kill more than just one person to make them flee.

Right in front of the door, I stop our progression. Even after carefully watch the windows, I have not seen anything moving. I order number five and three to walk around the building, to see if there is something special. But after they come back, they have seen nothing that can be described as special. But I still have a weird feeling, that something is not right.

I turn to see the faces of the humans inside the crowd, some are scared, some are terrified. But none of them are the member of the gang. No, they are waiting for something. But what? Us to enter the house and surround our group? The massacre at the plaza in front of the base of Shadow is an example of what will happen. And there is not a lot of hopeless people nearby, not a lot will throw away his life just for some gold.

I back away from the house, just in case, and seek shelter in a street small enough to only let two people walk at the same time. That way, if they try to surround us, numbers will be useless. After that, I ask number five to go near the door, and violently knock on it. He tries to do his best, but he doesn't manage to destroy it. And now, the faces of the gang members are white. There is definitely something with the door. Can they have put a trap behind? Or maybe even plant a bomb on it? As for the bomb, I don't really think it is possible, except for the dwarf, I have not seen an explosive. But I have seen a lot of vials, so the possibility that one is filled with an acid or a poison is very high.

Well, even if trying to use that against me is both foolish and useless, they can't know that. And my skeleton warriors are immune to anything that can be contained inside a potion, except an acid. So, opening this door won't be deadly, but if it really is something that can dissolve the clothes of my undead servants, then it is worse than death. And I can't risk that. I definitely can't risk that.

So to prevent anything from leaking, I approach the house and stop when I am at one meter from it. Then, I create two walls of shadows with [Nightfall]. After it, I throw an orb of acid on the door, to see what was the trap. Following that action, I see a deep green cloud inside the house. So it was definitely a trap. I don't want to know what is inside this cloud and its effect. Even if I am resistant to diseases and poisons, I have nothing else, so if it's a potion targeting the mind, I will be helpless.

Just to be sure, I throw three additional orbs inside, destroying whatever was left. After that, I cancel my two walls, letting the crowd see what happened. Well, they probably won't really understand anything besides the disappearance of the door, but for the hooded men, it is a dreadful news. Their trap was destroyed, and I am still fine. I can see them run away the moment they realized the truth. Shortly after, nobody can be seen around me and my skeleton warriors.

But that means something else, something that only the citizens of the slums know. I am still a foreigner that can't manipulate this rotten society as I wish. But they can, I don't know how, but they manage to convince the population that even if they are caught, they have to lead me to this house. That beggar would have done anything to save his life, but he still didn't betray Dareen or whoever is in charge of this part of the slums. Even if I am considered as the shadow of death, reaping the lives of anyone that cross my way, I am still not feared enough.

So I guess I will have a really hard time finding his base with the terror that he has instilled inside the heart of the residents of the slums. Contrary to the guards or the church, or even the haunted mansion, no one will approach the demon that rules this empire. Or even lead me to it, because even if I killed one and make the other run, two are still standing strong enough to prevent any rebellion. And the army inside the two fortresses were the loyal soldiers, not the entire force. I bet right now, Shadow has still more than a hundred gang members, that were demanded away from the base or doing some errands.

As for Oktar, it is probably the same thing. But since their leader is dead, they will be absorbed by the three other chiefs, or maybe only two others right now. Shadow won't have anything to offer with his base broken and his core members dead. I just need to

(Ok, take the second street to your right.)

Oslo! You are back, how was the thing on your planet?

(Bad, worse than I thought. That bastard Krieg use the time where I still don't have a Demon King to infiltrate my world. I can still manage to fight back and defend my world, but I really need you to wreck his forces here. But since you don't have some advanced skeletons, I can't ask you this. That's why in the following days, you have to slaughter everyone in the slums, no matter the consequence. After, you have to return to the desert and destroy his base. We can still come back here, but if we don't do that quickly, you will lose my support, for good this time.)

If I truly don't need to care about the consequences, well, I have a lot of things I can finally do.