Severus did not enter the cave. He simply laid down anti-Apparition charms and a barrier around it so the Master who had climbed inside could not escape. Then he sat on a stone and decided to wait for everything to be brought to him on a silver platter. From Vitor's memories, he knew there was only one entrance and exit, and he still sensed a magical source in the cave, so he was not particularly worried.
Severus sat like that for about half an hour, chatting with Nagini about future plans. After all, he had one more year of school left, and then he would be completely free, so they were deciding where to go second after France. Severus really wanted to meet that alchemist who should definitely know about the last ingredient for the potion capable of helping Nagini take control of the curse. Just talking with someone like that would be very interesting.
Right in the middle of the conversation, a slightly singed man in dark clothing, with a hood and a dagger at his belt, emerged from the cave.
He is not bad. Such a young Master in this world is quite rare compared to those old men, Severus thought, examining the courier with mild interest.
The Master also noticed Severus, and his heart began beating rapidly. He still remembered how easily Severus had dealt with all the wizards at the entrance to the office, and how even the crystal that was supposed to block mental attacks could not withstand more than a few seconds. But what surprised him most was that Severus had managed to escape the building at all, because after his departure they should have already placed anti-Apparition charms on the building. That had been his agreement with the government.
"So that is how it is. You work with the government. That explains everything," Severus said with a smirk, making the Master flinch and quickly avert his gaze. Then he waved his wand toward Severus, and the next moment shadow spears rushed at him from the tree shadows.
Even though he was amazed that Severus had managed to follow him, the Master had no time to fight. He wanted to leave the country as quickly as possible. He had already received his payment from the government, and he had also taken the gang's gold from the vault in the cave. All that remained was to board the plane waiting for him and fly away. But when he was already approaching the jungle, already smelling the scent of freedom and a carefree life for the next couple hundred years, the next moment he slammed his head into something hard at tremendous speed and was thrown back.
What is this?! Jumping up, panic in his eyes, he stared at the transparent dome. But they said they would not pursue me! Damn! Damn! Damn! They deceived me! You rotten bastards!
"Not bad, not bad. Good level of nonverbal magic mastery," Severus's calm voice rang out, yanking the Master from his thoughts. He immediately understood who had set up this barrier, and cold sweat broke across his body. Such a powerful barrier was impossible to establish alone, which meant other wizards might still be hiding somewhere.
He did not doubt he could beat Severus if he did not get close and did not look him in the eyes, but the thought that at least five very strong wizards might be nearby made him panic a little. He was one of the strongest in the gang, but by nature he was a coward. That was why he chose shadow magic, so he could hide or flee at any moment if the enemy proved too strong. He almost always worked only during the day in sunny weather, and at night only if there was plenty of light nearby, so he could slip into the shadows at any second and strike from them.
"Hey, how about we make a deal?" the Master asked Severus with a smile, deciding to go for a compromise. "I will give you fifty percent of what I found there, and we will part in peace?"
"You? I am alone here."
"Of course, of course, alone. What do you think?"
"Hmm." And at the exact moment Severus paused to think, the Master bared his teeth and snapped his wand up. Dark tendrils burst from the shadow behind Severus, and in a few seconds they wrapped around him.
"Got you! Now YOU remove this barrier, or I will kill this boy!" the Master laughed with a touch of madness, earning a weary sigh from his hostage.
"I told you I am alone," Severus said. Without much effort, he tore the bonds apart and stared indifferently at the frozen Master, who fell silent that very second. "You know, I almost agreed. I thought you were a reasonable person, but you turned out to be the same idiot as the rest."
"Umbra Glans!" the Master blurted, and from every shadow, shadow bullets rushed at tremendous speed toward Severus. If an ordinary wizard had been in his place, he would barely have had time to react, but as soon as the first one came within ten centimeters of Severus's back, it smashed into something hard and simply dispersed, and the rest followed. Not one of them could break through the barrier.
"Not bad. What else can you do?"
"Who are you?!" the Master could not keep the agitation out of his voice, even though he tried to sound as if he had everything under control.
"Huh? Talking again? That does not interest me. Show me what else you can do, or else." Severus snapped his fingers, and fiery arrows began appearing around the shocked Master, too many to count. Flames seemed to cover the sky above his head.
"Wait! Wait! I surrender! Do you hear?! Surren." He did not finish the last word before an arrow buried itself a few centimeters from his leg, and he went silent at once.
"Continue. Give it your all, or I will burn you alive." At Severus's icy tone, cold sweat covered the Master's back, and he said nothing more. Gritting his teeth, he waved his wand, and one by one snakes burst from the shadows with open jaws, trying to sink their teeth into Severus, who still watched calmly as the barrier stopped each attack.
Realizing this was useless, the Master changed tactics. Instead of crashing into the barrier, the snakes began wrapping around it, squeezing with incredible force. At the same second, another snake emerged from Severus's shadow, almost a meter thick, and swallowed the whole cluster of snakes and the Master himself.
But he did not hope for a miracle, because the arrows above his head still had not disappeared. And as if hearing his thoughts, the shadow snake suddenly swelled, and the next moment it exploded, dispersing all the shadows.
"Not bad. Do you have anything besides shadow magic?" the completely unharmed Severus asked calmly, still standing in the same place.
"Why do you need that?"
"I need a servant with your specialization."
"You want me to become your servant?" It finally dawned on him why all this rigmarole had been necessary, and sparks danced in his eyes. I can agree now, and then I will just escape. That is it.
At the same time, Severus, calmly reading his thoughts, could not suppress a smirk. He had not seen such naive bandits in a long time.
"Yes. If you follow me, I promise to help get rid of your legal problems, and I will pay you a thousand Galleons a month. Agreed?"
"Yes!" Without even a second's thought, he nodded eagerly.
"Glad to hear it. Then from this day on, you work for me," Severus said with a smile, holding out his hand. Noticing the apprehension in the Master's eyes, he added, "Do not worry. If I wanted to, I could kill you right now. Relax. We are allies now."
The Master still looked wary, but he had to admit that if he tried to fight and, by some miracle, managed to defeat him, the others would simply intervene. He did not believe Severus's claim that he alone had set up two powerful barriers at once and still calmly fought him, though fought was too strong a word, and he understood that very well.
Finally pulling himself together, forcing a smile, he shuffled toward Severus on cotton legs, trying not to lose vigilance and putting on the look of a broken man.
What a good actor. Severus watched him with a smirk. Now he could finally make out the facial features of his sla, that is, servant, and he could be described in one word: handsome.
He was middle-aged, with a short beard, a mustache, and dark hair down to his neck. His face had not a single scar or wrinkle. Even at their first meeting, Severus had sensed his aura and figured he was about the same age he had been before death, but the serv, servant looked even younger, though for wizards that was not so surprising.
Finally standing in front of Severus, the Master realized with surprise that Severus, whom he had taken for a boy, was taller than him.
"I will be glad to cooperate," he said with a smile, finally shaking the offered hand.
"Me too."
"."
"."
".um. can you let go already?" he asked, embarrassed, looking at Severus's smiling face.
"Of course."
".?"
"A few more seconds."
"What else." But the next moment, feeling magic spreading through his arm, he opened his eyes wide in shock and tried to yank his palm free, but it was useless. "What are you?!"
"Be quiet," Severus said, glancing at him indifferently. He touched his chest with a finger and frowned.
"Aargh! What is this?!"
To his horror, he felt something moving in the exact spot where Severus's finger pointed.
This thing, how could it end up here? Severus's face darkened.
His finger moved upward toward the throat. Tears ran down the Master's face, but for some reason he could not scream. He could only whimper, feeling a sharp pain, as if something were scratching at his chest from the inside.
Gradually Severus's finger rose higher until it finally reached the throat, and the Master's eyes looked ready to pop out of their sockets at any moment, they were so wide.
Finally, after all that torment, something burst from his mouth straight into Severus's hand.
"How could it end up here?" Severus examined the black worm darkly. It struggled violently, trying to break free of his grip, and for the first time since that incident in the Muggle world, anger rose in him from the depths of his soul.
At the same time, the servant, seeing the worm, turned sharply pale and even a little green. He could not believe something like that had been inside his body all this time.
"Wh-what is that?!"
"A Hellworm. It is implanted in the victim's body, and then, at any moment, using the female, they can track it thanks to a certain connection between them. If you kill the female, the male starts eating the victim's heart to ease its grief. Very strange creatures. Apparently someone decided to track you this way," Severus said, pulling out a red potion and tossing it to him. "Drink it. It is a general restorative potion, just the thing for internal wounds. And I need to meet some guests and ask them a few questions." With a grim aura rolling off him, he looked toward the jungle, where he sensed an approaching group of wizards and where the worm was struggling to go.
//===================//
"Chapters on Patreon progress: Currently at;
1. Harry Potter: Satan? Nah, Just My Family Crest = CHAPTER 177
2.Marvel: Cosmic Forger of Infinity = CHAPTER 104
3.Harry Potter: Beyond Good and Evil in the Wizarding World = CHAPTER 155
support me on Patreon for instant access to the 60+ advance chapters: patreon.com/redofic"