Undead Beast Master: Living Solely for My Desires

"Oh what's this?" the prideful one mused. "So you sneak into the center of our headquarters and dare threaten us?"

Zaroth met the gaze of the elf unfazed. He didn't really know what the best course of action was, but during his short life he had been taught one thing: if you make yourself as powerful as possible there was a much higher chance that things went your way.

Besides, he was strong enough to do whatever he wanted—and get away with it.

"Sneak in?" he scoffed, making his voice as loud as possible. "Your subordinates kidnapped my party and you have the audacity to say that I sneak in? You are the ones that invited us."

The naked elf chuckled, gaze moving to the prideful elf. "He has a point, you have to admit that."

The envious one stood up. "Still, when one speaks with us there is the minimum amount of respect required!"

The Beast Master shot him a look. "Respect is earned, not given for free, and all up until now I have seen is you looking at the seductive elf with disdain, most likely because she doesn't want you."

A loud thunderclap echoed in the room as the fat one exploded into laughter. "Oh, I didn't know that humans were such fun creatures!"

"Can't you keep it down? I am trying to sleep," the sleepy one complained.

The room descended into pure chaos, the leaders of the elves starting to speak over one another. Zaroth, meanwhile, maintained his air of superiority like a true veteran.

Vera stood a few feet behind him, not near enough to distract him and not far enough where she could be attacked before he had the chance to help her.

Poor Ari, meanwhile, looked like she'd seen a ghost. Pale as snow despite her brown skin, she stared at the floor, frozen in horror. Her grandfather had told her these humans were "special," but this? One of them was talking back to the Inner Circle... no, insulting them outright! What side was she supposed to be on now? Either way, she was completely screwed.

"ENOUGH!" the prideful one roared, silencing the whole room.

The Beast Master's eyes narrowed. 'Just as I suspected, he is the highest standing among them.'

"Let's stop acting like children," the prideful elf sighed, massaging the bridge of his nose.

"You are right, I can see why you would feel threatened by us," he admitted. "In a way we did kidnap your party and surrounded them with our strongest members. But do not get the wrong idea, we wish for cooperation between us, not hostility."

With an arched eyebrow Zaroth questioned, "You want to cooperate with a person that is part demon?" He found that weird. He knew that there were elves like Sira, Night, and Ari that didn't mind him being part demon. They, however, were the exception, not the majority.

"We don't care about that, sweetie," the seductive elf butted in. "Not to mention that you being two races at once makes it even better. I wonder what is the taste of your s—"

"SILENCE!" the prideful one shut her up.

Gritting his teeth, he continued, forcing his emotions down. "All we want is your help, Fragment Barriers. We want you to free something."

"What is it?" Vera spoke up before Zaroth could. The elves blinked at her sudden boldness.

"Our leader," the elf in the middle continued. "He… is just like you, a Fragment Barrier, despite not being a human. As a result, he has begun to change into… a demonic form of an elf."

'It all begins to connect', Zaroth mused, eyes narrowing. "So is that your so-called leader the reason your continent is under constant attack by demons?"

"For the most part, yes," the elf confirmed his theory. "He's lost part of himself to the Fragment. The rest of him remains… but barely. We believe that if he meets other Fragment users, like you, there's a chance he can be saved."

"Where is he now?" Zaroth asked.

The prideful one grimaced. "On the neighboring continent. He's being held by the second elven branch. They believe he's too dangerous and are trying to eliminate him."

'So that's how it is,' the Beast Master realized. 'Once, the elves had been united, but after their leader descended into madness the race split. Should they free him despite his demonic form or kill him, unwilling to take the risk? Sira and Night must have gone to the human continent in search for Fragment Barriers, believing that only we can kill one like us, while this branch of elves wants our help to free him, not kill him…'

Now, with most of the picture clear in his mind, he was presented with a choice. Does he keep the promise that Vera had made to Sira and Night in exchange for saving his life and kill the elf leader, or does he free him?

"Three conditions," he spoke up, making the elves tense up. "If you can grant three of my requests, then I agree to kill it for you."

The prideful one nodded; he was willing to pay any price the human named.

Before Zaroth could speak, the seductive elf beat him to the punch. "I agree. I will sleep with you, there is not even the need to ask, dear," she said, her cheeks visibly blushing.

The Beast Master glared at her in disgust. "Not sorry. I refuse. I don't feel attraction to whores."

The next second Zaroth found himself under attack. It wasn't the naked elf though, as she didn't seem to mind his remark. Instead, it was the envious one that had been enraged when the human had degraded her with his words.

Zaroth raised his arm shrouding it with his Darkveil skill. A second later, a wave of fire burst around his grip, halting the elf's attack mid-strike.

Before he could counterattack, a blast of energy shot the elf backward, slamming him into his chair.

"YOU FOOL!" the prideful one roared, manifesting a sword of pure energy from his hand.

In a second's time, the envious one was pinned to his chair, blood trickling from his mouth, though it didn't look as if he was concerned about his well-being. An attack this weak wasn't going to kill him.

"I apologize for his foolishness," the prideful one said, bowing slightly.

"I will overlook this, but the conditions rise to four," Zaroth spoke, happy that he could capitalize on the situation.

"As you wish."

Grinning, Zaroth raised a finger.

"First and foremost, I'm cursed. That curse needs to be lifted before I even consider helping you. Non-negotiable."

He rose a second finger. "Second, your powers, the Will of the World. I want to be taught how to use it and how to progress in it."

A third finger joined the others. "Third, the runes: how they work, their theory, laws, and real-world applications. Teach them to me and my companion in detail."

The grin on his face twisted into a menacing smile as he pointed to the envious elf that was still pinned to his chair.

"And last but not least, I want to kill this bastard."

Silence fell in the chamber. Tension crackled in the air like a brewing storm until, finally, the prideful one broke it.

"We apologize," he said, voice tight with control, "but even if he is an idiot who cannot manage his emotions, we still need him. We cannot allow you to kill him. However, I promise you this, I will personally make sure he feels a mountain of pain."

'As I thought,' Zaroth mused. He had doubted they would allow him to kill one of their own leaders.

Things were still working in his favor. The moment they refused one of his demands, it meant the remaining three had to be granted otherwise, they risked him refusing to free their leader.

"For your first request," the prideful one said, breaking Zaroth from his thoughts and glancing at the seductive elf, "we can fulfill it, with her help."

Zaroth raised a brow. 'So, she does more than just use her body for seduction...'

A smile curled across her lips as she teleported next to him in a blink.

The Beast Master wasn't surprised. It seemed many elves possessed teleportation abilities. Hers was simply more… direct.

With a warm smile, she reached out and placed her hand gently on his head. Zaroth allowed it.

Immediately, a surge of foreign power entered him, sinking deeper, probing the very core of his being. It touched something hidden within him, something ancient and sealed so tightly he hadn't even realized it was there.

"Done," the naked elf exhaled softly, removing her hand. "It was a nasty curse... but in the end, nothing stands before me. Still—" she tilted her head curiously "—there was a seal layered over it. Who put it there?"

Zaroth narrowed his eyes. "Why does that matter?"

"It's just... if someone was capable of placing such a strong seal, they could've removed it anytime. But they chose not to."

Her words made Zaroth's heart sink. His eyes darkened.

'Sira... Night...'

They had told him the curse was beyond them.

But it wasn't about saving him.

It was about manipulating him.

They'd used his curse to ensure he came here. That was the real reason.

'Not that I wouldn't have come without it… but still.'

He was going to remember this, that was certain.

With her task complete, the naked elf teleported back to her chair without another word, prompting the prideful one to speak again.

"As for your second and third requirements... very well. It goes against our traditions, but we will teach a member of another race how our power works."

Unable to suppress his satisfaction, Zaroth let a large grin form on his face.

'Success,'