Crimson Servant.

Chapter 231: Mist Shadow
Mar Blade ran wildly in the dark cave, her eyes switched to dark vision that absorbed infrared light, and turned into two jumping red dots in the darkness. The memory of being controlled by the mind flayer did not disappear from the dark elf's mind. She remembered every detail of serving that disgusting brain, massaging those slimy pieces of meat with her flexible fingers, and felt happy for pleasing her master with thoughtful service.

Damn monster, she had never enjoyed it so much.

It was certainly a pleasant thing to be able to escape from the control of the main brain, but Mal was not happy at all. While gaining freedom, she was involved in the slaughter of another monster. Yes, the man in the red robe was definitely a monster, like... a collection of nightmares. His psychic power crushed the main brain, the flames he spewed were like dragon breath, and there were those blood spells. Even if she prayed to the goddess Rose, Mal Blade would not feel at ease.

So she stopped praying. Marl Blade was an extreme pragmatist.

The dark elf found an underground river, and she jumped directly into the river, washing her body in the cold water, and getting ashore before the oxygen ran out. Mal took off her wet clothes and piled them aside, curling up naked in a dark corner. She was not worried about sudden attacks, and her charcoal-like skin color would make her as inconspicuous as the rocks in the dark area.

Only then did Mal dare to breathe a sigh of relief, and while waiting for the water to evaporate, she awaited her fate.

She still remembered the orc's fate. The red-robed man's power was like a contagious plague, and she had suffered much more insults than the orc. Mal hugged her knees and clenched her ten toes on the ground. She was in fear. Which part of her would the evil spell burst out from? Would she vomit the red mist? Mal had done her best to save herself, pulling away from the casting distance, cleaning her body, and hiding herself.

But this was not enough to convince herself that she had survived, so Mal began to pray to the gods, not just Rose, but to any god who could save her.

This silence lasted for an hour, and Mal checked her body to make sure that there was no discomfort or destructive deformation. Mal Blade realized that she had escaped a disaster, and a smile of genuine joy appeared on her face.

Now that you have survived, you should think about what happens next.

After returning to Menzoberranzan, she wondered what preparations she should make to regain her position as the second daughter of the Blade family. She had no doubt that her brothers and sisters had left no place for her.

Mal recalled the details of the patrol during which she was captured by the Mind Flayer, wondering how many of them were from other families and how many were from her own family. Her brothers probably didn't have the courage to plan this, they were just the executors, so who was behind it, the third brother, or the eldest sister who was jealous of her being favored? Mal believed that Matron Silna would welcome her back, but she would have to start over again in the ranking of the family.

So many years of slavery made Mal realize that her mistress's love for her was limited. Perhaps her disappearance in the past ten years had made her disappointed in herself.

The dark elf put on his still damp clothes and took out the dagger from his belt to play with it. When he thought of the smug smiles on his brothers and sisters' faces because of his disappearance, Mal felt furious and wanted to cut something.

She needed strength and power to fight against the entire Brad family when she had to. Maybe she could ask for help from the eight ruling families, but when she thought of the slim possibility of a deal being reached and that she would have to face women who were no less dangerous than Madam Silna, Mal felt a headache.

Mar Blade is a special case. She may be the only adult female dark elf noble in the entire dark elf dungeon who has not received the education of the Spider Queen's high priests. The Spider Queen's priests have a noble status in the entire dark elf society, but Madam Silna has been reluctant to allow herself to offer loyalty to the Spider Queen. Since Mar showed outstanding fighting talent under the training of the family martial arts master, Madam Silna has been demanding her to become an excellent warrior like a madman.

Mal Blade is a noble female dark elf noble. Why did she give up her distinguished status as a high priest and become a lowly warrior like those men? Mal never understood this. Fortunately, the mistress has had a special preference for her since then. Even the eldest daughter who has already become a high priest must be courteous to Mal. However, this respect is because of Mistress Silna. Her dignity and status are all determined by the mistress. Mal doesn't like this feeling of being controlled.

After thinking about it, Mal Brad felt at a loss. Secretly contacting her mother and regaining her favor seemed to be Mal's only answer.

The dark elf put away the dagger and turned his attention back to the mine in front of him.

Mal drew out the dagger again and stared warily at the other person who had appeared in the mine at some point.

It was a strange humanoid creature. From its slender curves, it could be roughly determined that it was a female, with a body shape close to that of an adult human. She was wearing a dark green cape and a mask that covered her entire face. The surface of the mask had no bumps and was clean and smooth, like an ellipsoidal mirror. She was wearing light clothing that was convenient for movement, leather gloves, and a white scarf around her neck. The woman wrapped herself tightly, not revealing a single bit of skin or hair. She had an ethereal and elegant temperament, and did not look like an ordinary person.

Mar Blade had not been aware of her presence. The woman stood less than two meters away from her, leaning against the wall for an unknown period of time. She had no hostility, the dark elf thought.

"Who are you?" Mal asked in the most vicious tone.

The masked woman answered in fluent Dark Elf. Her voice sounded familiar. After a few seconds, Mal realized that this voice was her own.

"I am your salvation."

This is not her voice. Her voice would not be so arrogant, condescending and annoying.

The dark elf issued a sinister threat.

"I'll let you scream in your own voice."

The masked woman crossed her arms across her chest and tilted her head.

"You thought you had escaped the Crimson Corruption?"

Mal's heart sank; she had never heard of this term, but her mind vividly imagined the miserable state of the orc shrouded in red fog.

The masked woman continued.

"That is the destructive force that has killed countless lives on the surface. The crimson force lurks in your body. Sooner or later, you will become one of them, a bleeding zombie, or just pure meat."

Mal looked at the woman expectantly, forgetting to retract the dagger in his hand.

"You have a way to save me?"

"Of course, but it will take me some time to lift the curse. During this time, you must follow me and help me do something."

The dark elf agreed, and she couldn't find any better options now. The masked woman's confident tone and extraordinary momentum made the dark elf, who was facing a disaster, have to believe her.

"I accept your deal, this..."

The masked woman calmly came to the dark elf, letting the smooth mask and Mal's face look at each other closely. The dark elf was right, the mask was a mirror. Mal's face and the mirror image looked at each other.

I don't know why, but the face on the mask curled up the corners of its mouth to reveal a smug smile. Why did I look so happy? Was it because I was saved?

The familiar voice appeared in Mar Blade's ears again.

"Laila."

"That's what they call me."

(End of this chapter)