The captured Commander surpasses expectations

The squad leader Elle had captured, Miriel of the Violet Cedar squad, sat atop a bed naked, meditating. She was in one of the many rooms set aside on the ninth floor as private dungeons before Elle’s captives were broken in and allowed to stay on the tenth floor with Elle. With pale green hair, grey eyes, and a scar beneath her eye, Miriel cast a stony figure.

But the bright pink heart tattoo on her crotch ruined that. It was a Mark placed by Elle that ensured the elf could only do what Elle allowed her to.

Until this point, Miriel had been kept isolated.

But that was about to change.

Elle stepped in, with Miriel not flinching or being distracted in her meditation. “I’ve come for you,” Elle said as the door closed behind her.

“So we can finally speak,” Miriel replied.

Elle was a bit surprised by how calm Miriel was, and hesitated at the door.

“This is quite the structure you have here. The conditions are high class, better than almost anywhere I’ve been. And it seems to be several stories tall. Not to mention, it seems we’re isolated from the rest of the world besides when you come and go.” Miriel’s meditation had not simply been for show. She’d read the flow of the air, the scents it carried, the sounds drawn along with it. Most of the time, the air in here felt artificial, magically generated. But a couple of times, there had been a brief breath of fresh air off in the distance.

Elle was surprised that her captive had already noticed the existence of her Domain.

“Having something like this to come and go from, with supplies and allies, is surely a great boon in your guerrilla war. But a spell like this seems beyond the abilities you showed in that fight. Looking at you now, I can tell you aren’t a mage by trade. Nor is there anyone in here more powerful than you that I can sense. Let me guess, someone gave you this ability, Devil?” Miriel asked.

Elle reluctantly nodded. “Yes, that is the case. So what?”

“That explains a lot,” Miriel chuckled.

Elle raised a hand, claws ready. “Are you trying to mock me?”

“No, I just think it’s funny how similar you are to many of our young recruits. You’re eager to distinguish yourself, throwing yourself into dangerous situations in the hopes of rising quickly.” The smile on Miriel’s lips faded. “But it also explains how, even with the benefit of poison and an ambush, you still struggled to take me down. If you intend to take on Herme, the Commander, or the Lock Mistress, you’ll need to grow stronger.”

Elle’s face blushed red from embarrassment at being spoken down to. This felt too much like a superior mocking her. “I can defeat them. You’ll see.”

“And there you go, looks like young ones are the same regardless of Light and Dark. I’m not saying you have no chance. You just need to surpass your current abilities. And I don’t mean through powerful skills and items, or levels, or even clever tactics. What gets people like you, who wanna rise quickly, is you only focus on flashy and noteworthy improvements. How much daily training do you do? What about archery practice? Sparring?” Miriel looked Elle up and down.

And the self-proclaimed Demon King Elffucker took a step back.

She wanted to retort, but no words would come out. There was truth to what Miriel was saying. She’d spent her time plotting, fucking, or resting. So far, she’d gotten by on the strength of her tactics and abilities. But her opponents were at a higher level than her, and more experienced.

Ultimately, she’d been so distracted by this world’s power system that she forgot about the basics that had carried her through tough times in her previous life. Patience, dedication, and hard work.

Miriel watched the emotions on Elle’s face shift. She made note of the fact that the Devil was unable to mask the emotional turbulence she felt.

“Now, I get I’m magically bound to you now. I doubt I could act against you in any way. But if I stayed quiet, you’d likely get struck down by my comrades. How that would affect me, were I in here when you were slain, I cannot say. I’m no mage after all. Maybe I’d be set free of this Mark and this space you have us in. Or I’d die along with you. I could even simply be trapped here, left to wither away with no hope of escape. But I’d rather not risk any of that. I’d rather make a deal,” Miriel stated plainly.

“What sort of deal?” Elle asked.

“I’ve heard of these Marks and what they’re capable of. How a Devil serving the Dark attained this ability, I could not say. But I’m sure you could easily **** me to give you the information I have and even teach you how to fight if you wished. That said, I have enough leeway to make it difficult for you. Should you ask, ‘Tell me everything you know about this,’ I would be compelled to do so. But I would not be under any obligation to make that information relevant or concise. I could blabber on for hours about the commander’s hobbies as an example. In turn, you could ask me more precise questions that I am **** to answer more directly. But in those situations, you only get answers to the questions you ask, and I would not be compelled to share anything beyond that. Again, I’m sure you could come up with an exhaustive list of questions to get every bit of relevant information out of me. But that would take a great deal of time and energy on your part. However, accept three conditions, and I will freely aid you in this conflict.”

Miriel’s gaze was stern, unwavering. She knew she was at a disadvantage in this situation. Elle could **** her or her allies, use magic to break her will, or any number of other things to get what she wanted. But Miriel’s gaze said that she would fight tooth and nail for every second of it that she could, if it came to that.

And Elle could see that resolve. So far, these elves had been opponents, targets, prey. While it had seemed Miriel was talking down to her, it was different from what Elle had experienced in her previous life. This wasn’t some smug superiority. It was wisdom born from experience. Experience that Elle lacked.

The gears turned in her head.

“Tell me your conditions,” was the only answer she was willing to give for now.

Miriel nodded. “First: If I am to be your teacher, I must be allowed a certain degree of freedom. While I will treat you with the respect owed to someone of a higher station than me, I will be as harsh as necessary in my training and completely honest in my guidance.”

“Acceptable,” Elle replied.

“The second and third will require an explanation of Elven politics.”

Miriel began to explain, Elle finally realizing the full scope of the enemy she faced. This was an entire nation, the most powerful in the world, with its own history and culture. And along with its size and strength came its own share of internal conflict.

At the end, Elle nodded. “I will accept all three of your conditions. As long as I believe you are acting sincerely, you may speak your mind and have total freedom of movement within my Domain. And in exchange for your continued guidance, I shall fulfill my end of the bargain.”