Chapter Twenty-One: Hard Conversations

Serena had been onto something. I could definitely get used to this. I hardly needed a blanket when I woke up in a sea of limbs and warm flesh. Noelle had a death grip on my chest even in her sleep. Serena had managed to once again throw herself over me, though she’d buried her face in my neck this time. Rhallani had somehow ended up completely perpendicular to the rest of us, draped over my waist with her breasts pointing towards the ceiling.

Rhallani and Noelle were still snoring softly  when I woke, but I was a little alarmed to realize that Serena was wide awake. It took me a bit to get her to come out from being buried in the crook of my neck, and when I did her eyes were red-rimmed.

“Hey,” I cupped her cheek and she closed her eyes and leaned into my palm, “hey, Serena, what’s wrong?” She shook her head and tried to dive back down, but I twisted and caught her face in my hands, peppering her with kisses until she started to calm down. “Talk to me, please.”

“It’s nothing,” she said in a tone that very clearly said it wasn’t nothing, “it was just a bad dream, that’s all.”I gave her a peck on the forehead. “If you’re sure. I’ve got more than a little experience with them, so if you want to talk then I’m here.”

She nodded and laid back down, but she at least didn’t hide her face. Something had seriously spooked her, and I very much wanted to know what. I knew better than anyone not to push, though, so I just held her until the others started to stir. Rhallani stretched shamelessly, flaunting her bare breasts in the clear hopes I’d take the bait. Between Serena and the conversation I needed to have with the three of them, I wasn’t really in the mood.

She must have been able to tell, because she pouted and snuggled into me and Scarlet. “Now will you tell me what happened last night?”

Serena shot me a questioning glance, and I sighed. I pushed myself up so that I could sit against the headboard, which was enough to jostle Noelle awake. She gave an irritated hum before twisting to sit in my lap, glaring at Rhallani for making us move. Serena followed me, curling up so she could lean her head on my shoulder.

“First things first, I have a confession, Rhallani. Something I’ve been hiding from you.”

She paled, but other than that she hid her expression well. “Alright.”

There were no words I could use to soften the blow, so I merely drew the book I’d taken from the tower out of my storage and handed it to her. She started with confusion, then she opened the first page and her face lit up. A moment later, the repercussions of what she held hit her, and her expression fell. Her brows knit together and she looked at me with barely concealed hurt in her eyes. “Why?” was all she asked.

Serena watched with curiosity and confusion, but seemed content to wait for answers. I forced myself not to look away from Rhallani, though. “Because I knew Valethar Karn, and when I saw the book, I panicked.”

“But I don’t understand, why would you…” She leafed through the book, then she looked at me. I could see the wheels turning in her head, trying to fit the pieces together. Her eyes went to Scarlet, then they drifted over the scars on my body and her eyes widened. With shaking fingers, she flipped to the back section of the book. She went page by page until she got to a spot where two had been torn out. Two that were still in my inventory, and would stay there until I decided whether or not I should burn them. I knew she understood the second she saw the torn edges.

She dropped the book like it had burned her, tears in the corners of her eyes. “You didn’t—the whole time in that tower and you—” Her eyes went wide again and she wrapped her arms around herself. “You didn’t know. Not until the last room. That’s why you reacted the way you did. When you found this.”

I nodded, but Serena was still very confused. Noelle wasn’t doing much better. Serena cleared her throat. “I’m sorry, I’m lost. What am I missing here?”

Rhallani looked to me, unable to find the words. “Valethar Karn,” I started, “was a genius wizard who spent his life learning everything there was to know about rare classes. What their names were, their abilities, and,” I put a hand at the small of Scarlet’s back, “how to force them onto people.”

Rhallani started turning green, and Serena’s hand went to her mouth. Noelle just stared up at me with unblinking eyes. “He’s responsible for the theory and the practice behind what was done to Scarlet.” I’d decided not to use her true name until she gave me permission or told the others. “I know about her class because I watched him make a Tormented Berserker once before, not long after he succeeded in giving me the class I have now.”

You could have cut the silence in the room with a knife. Noelle was so tense I worried she might snap, and Serena’s fingers curled against my skin. Rhallani just looked at the book as if she hated it as much as I did. She went back to turning the pages. “Then all these other classes…”

“Most of the information gathered in that book exists because of what he did to people I cared about,” I confirmed with a gentleness I didn’t feel. “Even before Grimsbane fully rose to power, the world was not a nice place. Corruption and darkness ran rampant, and there were any number of kids born to families that couldn’t afford them, didn’t want them, or had left them behind in some form. He found and bought those kids, kids that wouldn’t be missed by anyone, and he experimented on them.”

“He forced them through trials. Hurt them and mutilated them and made them fight monsters and each other all in the pursuit of drawing out and learning of rare classes. When he’d learned all he could, if they weren’t useful to him, he disposed of them. Like garbage. That book is a testament to the suffering of the closest thing I ever had to a family before the three of you.”

The words had been easier to say than I’d thought, but that didn’t make them hurt any less. “I’m sorry, Rhallani, for hiding it from you.”

She shook her head adamantly. “No, you have no reason to be sorry. If I’d have known how he knew what he did, I never would have gone to that tower.”

I smiled, though I didn’t feel it. “If that’s the case, I’m glad you didn’t know.”

Her lips curved a little, but her face remained pallid. “We should destroy it. No knowledge is worth what your friends went through.”

“For a while I wanted to do just that, but I changed my mind.” Rhallani looked to me in surprise. “A lot of people I cared about went through hell so that book could get filled, and I’ve decided that destroying it would be like spitting on the memory of that. I think—” I tried to shove away the emotion that colored my voice, “—I think that the best thing I could do to honor that memory is to use their sacrifice to help people. People like Scarlet, here.”

Noelle jerked at that, but she didn’t say anything. “Rhallani, I have a job for you,” I said.

Rhallani looked at the book again, then she set her jaw. “Name it.”

“I want you to go through that book and help Scarlet find a new class. We won’t go to the extremes listed, but hopefully we can do enough to nudge her in the right direction in time for her upcoming class evolution.”Noelle looked to me with wide eyes, but Rhallani nodded. “I can do that. Of course. Helping her with a class sounds like something I might enjoy a lot.”

I smiled. “I thought you might. Once you do that, we’ll go shopping. Make sure everyone has the proper gear moving forward, Scarlet included.”

I looked down at Serena, who was staring at the bed in front of her. “We’ll go get some basic supplies while these two do that. We can also get you some clothes that fit right,” I gave her breast a squeeze, and she squeaked and flashed a smirk at me.

“Sounds like a plan, but…” She started chewing the inside of her cheek.

“Hey,” I jostled her enough to get her attention, “none of that. This is a no hesitation zone. If you’ve got something to ask or say, then say it. No judgment, no anger.”

“I—I want to—” The hand not wrapped around my waist gripped the bedsheets so hard they might tear. “I want to go to the pens,” she said softly.

That was a surprise. One none of us were expecting, judging by the spikes of fear I felt from both Noelle and Rhallani. “Alright,” I said carefully, “but only if you tell me why.”

She shuddered. “I know it’s horrible to even ask this, but would you consider claiming another demi-human if we found one in a similar situation as Scarlet?”

I ran a hand through her wonderful golden hair. “We can’t solve all the worlds problems at once,” she looked away, so I gently pulled her chin back, “but that doesn’t mean we can’t solve the ones in front of us. If it’s what you want, we can at least go look around.”

Rhallani looked green again. “Why would you ever want to go there?” she demanded.

Serena pulled away and hugged herself. “I—I had a nightmare. One where I was in the pens and men could come in and do whatever they wanted to me. It was…vivid.” Now I knew why she’d been so out of it this morning, though I almost wish I didn’t. “I just can’t imagine the thought of someone suffering so horribly while I’m sitting here comfortably sleeping with the man I care for.”

She let me pull her back into the pile, then so did Rhallani. I pulled all three of them in close. “Of course we can go, then.” I kissed her forehead, then Rhallani’s. “And of course you and Scarlet don’t have to come. Me and Serena will go while you look through the Compendium.”

Both Noelle and Rhallani relaxed when I said that. “You know, if you keep picking up strays,” Rhallani said, “You might want to consider buying an extra wagon so they don’t all have to walk.”

That wasn’t a half bad idea, but it could wait until later. “I was going to wait until we got to the capital,” I said slowly, and they all turned their attention to me, “but there’s no real reason I can’t start building a household now. I’m going to need one before all is said and done, and I can’t think of a better way to fill it than by helping people in need.”

Serena gripped me tightly with a smile finally breaking through and Rhallani beamed like she agreed very much. I gave them both a kiss, then planted one on Noelle’s head, and sat up. “Alright, so that’s today’s gameplan. Let’s go get some breakfast, then Scarlet and Rhallani will come back here and start combing through the book while Serena and I head into town.”

# # #

Eike Feng was in a mood. Three months out here in the sticks and he hadn’t seen head nor tail of his quarry. Bad enough he had a whole camp of idiots and ruffians to try and keep hold of, but Feng’s employers had him out here looking for a needle in a haystack. What was worse, something was out there killing all the damn blightwolves he’d been spent months luring up here, and the charm his employers had given him only glowed for a grand total of about twenty seconds across two separate occasions. He figured the sword was somewhere in this godforsaken city, but he had no clue how he was going to find it.

He knocked back another pint of ale, much too drunk for it to still be this early in the afternoon. They’d only used four of the damn cat-ears so far, but already they were down to their last one. He’d have to see if there were anymore in the pens. Not that there were many more blightwolves left in the area. His scouts hadn’t seen the alpha prowling around either, and he shuddered to think there was someone out here who could kill one of those bastards without losing half their men.

He was in a foul enough state that he nearly bit the head off the sap who plunked down in the seat across from him. He only paused when he noticed the fineness of the armor the man wore. Then, once he’d used his poison cleansing skill to banish some of the stupor he’d drunk himself into, he thought something about the man was familiar.

“Eike Feng, head of the Scorpions, if I’m not mistaken,” he said.

Feng growled. “You trying to get me caught? Fucking moron. Get out of here before I gut your sorry ass.”

The man crossed his arms. “Fine, I’ll take my coin elsewhere. It’s a shame, though. I’m angry enough right now to grossly overpay for your services.”

That gave Feng pause. He’d lost a lot of money on this expedition so far, and if he couldn’t get that sword he stood to lose a lot more. Taking a job from this rich little prick could certainly swing the odds in his favor. “And just who the fuck are you?”

“Fel Vossen.” The man made no move to extend his hand. “You’ve done some work for my uncle.”

Ah, the Vossens. A bunch of heartless womanizers, the lot of them. Plenty of business in them since they had more money than they knew what to do with. “Alright Vossen, I’m listening.”

The brat’s smile could curdle milk, which meant he was probably a good business partner for men like Feng.

“There’s a caravan in town, and I want you to hit them and hit them hard. Do whatever you want with the rest of them, I just need you to make sure a specific one bites the dust.”

Revenge, huh? Still, if the boy could give him all the caravan’s details, it might be well worth it. “What are we dealing with, then?”

Vossen started rattling off the members of the band. The one group might prove trouble, but the knowledge of some rare golem intrigued Feng. An artifact like that would net him a lot of money. His interest was piqued further by the Nekomata since he still needed to replenish his stock, but when he got to the man he needed killed Feng made his mind up.

A shadow magic user. Not something Feng had come across often. If it was the same one from Listone, then he owed the boy some payback for killing four of Feng’s men. They’d been idiots, but it was a matter of principle. Feng took the job, and Vossen was thrilled.

At least Feng now had something to look forward to. This was a job he could handle in his sleep.

# # #

After giving Rhallani some guidelines to follow when class searching during breakfast, Serena and I headed out. We decided to get our purchasing out of the way so we could spend the rest of the day on the Pens and anyone we might encounter there, but I could tell it was weighing heavily on Serena’s mind the entire time.

We stocked up on rations, healing and mana potions, and I replaced the basic weapons that had been lost to the blightwolf blood. I wanted as wide variety of weapons as I could manage since I had no weapon-specific skills. At the request of both Rhallani and Serena, we also tracked down an extra large, heavy duty sleeping bag. It would be inconvenient to travel with it except for the aforementioned pocked dimension, and as ingenious as Rhallani’s double bag method had been getting one we can all share sounded like a much more pleasant option. Just in case, I grabbed three, as well as two tents that were larger and nicer than the one we’d been using. I had the money and the storage, so why not? Then it was just some odds and ends for the near future and we were set.

After that we went clothes shopping, but Serena was determined to only get plain, basic clothes. She assured me that, until we were in a position with more reliable income, she’d rather use my [Armor of Shadows] than spend the chunk of change it would take to outfit her in anything similar to her previous gear. I had to say, clothing that fit made a large difference. I didn’t think it was a coincidence that her pants were so tight I could see every curve of her lower half, nor did the tight-fitting tunic with the low cut escape my notice. I was hardly going to complain, though. Especially not when she strutted out of the store and flashed a smile at me over her shoulder.

Her playful mood didn’t last long after that, though, so I figured it was finally time for the Pens. The ones in Anford were a step above those in Listone. It was a multistory building with three dedicated desks and at least a dozen people running around inside. We managed to flag down an attendant who suddenly became very helpful when she learned of my status.

Now that I was slowly getting used to the idea that, for now at least, life as a servant under me was a better life than many demi-humans led normally, I commissioned two dozen collars primed with my mana that could be equipped outside of a guild setting. I was warned that the recipient would have to imbue the collar with their own mana voluntarily, and that there were tests to see if it was done under duress, but I didn’t think either would ever be an issue.

There was also the small matter of actually paying the claim for Noelle, who was listed simply under the name “Seraphim,” since Rhallani had merely sent the bill to my account back in Listone. We had the funds, so it was no issue.

After that it was a matter of deciding which blocks we wanted to tour. The Pens served as a jail for demi-humans, so there were sections that held actual criminals. Murderers, rapists, and others that we had no interest in trying to lay claim to. After some brief debate, we decided we’d take a look at the area that held those who’d committed lighter crimes. Petty theft, loitering, and those who’d had grievances cast against them severe enough to warrant incarceration.

When we started walking the cells, it quickly became apparent that Serena was disgusted by the conditions. She was even more angered when I told her that these cells were miles above the cold dank cages we’d seen in Listone. She quickly wrapped her hand in mine and stayed glued to my side for the rest of the trip.

Immediately I knew we were in trouble. The problem was that there were so many that I wanted to help. Too many. Sad eyes and dejected postures haunted every cell, but I knew I had to keep an eye out. These people were in a bad place, but many of them simply seemed disinterested. I would help them someday, but there could very well be someone here that needed my help now. I was being hunted, and I was a magnet for trouble. I needed to find someone I wouldn’t be dragging into more danger than they were already in.

In this cold part of the world, we passed mainly Dwarves and Elves. There were a few Lycanines here and there with wolflike ears and tails, but most of their angry snarls ran a little too close to the muzzles of the blightwolves. Plus, with their temperament, I didn’t want them around Mai. I knew dangerous people when I saw them, demi-human or not. There were a handful of Tieflings and a single Oni, but from the looks in their eyes and the information posted outside their cells we decided against it.

It was near the back that one of the occupants called out to us.

“Excuse me, master,” she called. Ignoring the bolt of emotion that came from the name, I looked over the Kitsune with a critical eye.

She stood with her hands behind her back, pressing out her chest which was rather generous considering her shorter stature. She had risen on her tiptoes a bit, so I guessed she was probably a tad shorter than Rhallani. Two fox ears stuck up from her head and a long bushy tail hung behind her, both black as night and matted with dirt and who knew what else. She put on an eager face, but from the limpness in her tail and the desperate look in her golden eyes I knew it was a front. Something that immediately caught my attention.

What she said next, after seeing I’d looked her way, intrigued me more. Not because of what she said, but rather because of how she said it. “If your tastes are for girls like me, then I could make you feel good.”

Serena’s hand tightened around mine, but I kept my face blank. A blatant proposition, but I could see how much she wanted me to say no in her eyes. I could feel her fear that I’d take her up on it. That I’d use her. I was willing to bet that if her hands weren’t clasped behind her back they’d be trembling. When I saw the marks on her neck and the handprints on her slender legs and forearms that stuck out from under the rags she wore my brows drew together even more.

I looked at the info card outside her cell. She’d been arrested for theft in the markets. One look at her and I was willing to bet she’d been stealing food to survive. Hardly a reason for someone like her to suffer in a place like this.

“No, thank you. I prefer my partners to be completely consensual.”

Relief. Immediately hidden, but it had been there. “Are—are you here to claim someone then?” she asked.

I let go of Serena and crossed my arms, and she seemed to shrink. She didn’t look away, though. Under the desperation I could see a fire in her eyes. A strong will forged by a tough life. “I am.”

Her nose wiggled, and I realized she was scenting me. Kitsune, like most of the beastkin, had very sensitive noses. Kitsune doubly so. Depending on her heritage, it was possible she could smell more than scents, too. I knew a Kitsune who could smell lies once, and I’d always been fascinated by the race.

She gulped. Her ears twitched and her tail swished side to side ever so slightly. “T-then you should meet another Kitsune. She’s a bit further down. She’s super smart, and she’ll be very useful to you.”

That made me raise my brows in surprise. I’d been sure she was about to ask me to claim her, but to ask me to claim someone else…

She reminded me of someone. A painful memory that meant I wasn’t leaving this girl in this cell if I could help it. “I’ll look into her, but under one condition.”

Her tail stopped moving. “Whatever you want, master.”

“Not master. Never that.” She flinched even though I’d tried to keep my voice calm. “I want you to tell me why you tried to get me to use you just now.”

Her eyes widened, and her tail dipped until it was between her legs, curling so it didn’t touch the filth of the floor. “B-because I wanted it. I’m a slut.” The words were spoken more like a condemnation than a confession.

I took a step closer to the bars. She shrank back, but her feet didn’t move. “You’re not a very good liar.”

“It’s the truth.”

“It isn’t. I can see that much in your eyes.”

Her pupils quivered, and she sniffed again. I saw some color in her cheeks, but she didn’t look away. “It’s my sister,” she said quietly, her eyes flitting to the attendant. “I bribed the guards so Patrons would have to walk past me before they got to her. If I take care of them, then they’ve got no reason to do anything to Ko.”

Fuck. Fuck. I didn’t say a word until I’d quashed the memories down. Of two girls—two sisters—lying in their own blood. Both killed by a man I should have protected them from. One when he’d abused her, the other when she’d tried to avenge her sister. I closed my eyes until the memory was gone and I was back in control. It was difficult, especially when my mind drifted to how exactly she might have bribed those guards. “What’s your name?”

“Tsuki, mas—um, mister.”

I nodded, then turned to the attendant who had been watching the entire interaction with a passing interest. I knew they were trying to come up with a way to get me to claim both girls. Not out of sympathy, but because it meant double the commission. “Please take Tsuki to the front. She’ll be leaving with me.”

“Wait, no!” Tsuki protested. “You promised!”

“I did,” I told her. “I’ll be going to collect Ko next, don’t worry. I wouldn’t split you two up for any reason. You can call me Ren.”

Her eyes went wide before filling with tears. They didn’t fall, though. I could see it in her face. The look of someone waiting for the rug to be pulled out from under her. I knew nothing I could say would reassure her short of producing her sister, so I nodded to the attendant. “You can wait for me up front. I’ll collect the other and head back.”

The attendant shrugged, then opened the cell. Tsuki walked out, still in a daze. The attendant grabbed her by the arm, but her grip softened after a glare from me. I held my hand out and she took a single key off the ring and told me the cell number.

When I looked at Serena, she was practically glowing. “I’ll go with Tsuki, make sure they don’t hurt her.” She gave me a quick peck on the cheek and followed the attendant to the front.

I waited until the three of them were out of sight, Tsuki looking over her shoulder at me the entire time, before I headed to Ko’s cell. Was this a coincidence? Meeting two sister’s whose tale was so much like someone I’d failed to protect? We’d never have come across them if not for Serena’s nightmare. Had the nightmare been a message from Allura now that she was a priestess?

And if it was some kind of message from Allura, then why? Was it meant to be some kind of morbid reminder of what I’d been through? Of what I stood to gain if I kept up my end of the deal? Or was it another olive branch? A chance to almost literally do what I couldn’t before? Some kind of ploy to help convince me that things could be different this time. Or maybe it was something else. Maybe these twins were capable of something I’d need in the future. There were too many possibilities and no way to confirm any of them, so I set the question aside for now.

More and more questions seemed to be piling up by the day. All I knew was that my protective instinct spiked when I got to Ko’s cell. She was the spitting image of Tsuki in every way, except her fur and hair were the color of freshly fallen snow. They would be, at least, after a bath or two. She sat huddled in the corner with red-rimmed eyes and streaks in the grime on her cheeks caused by tears. Her tail was wrapped around her, and she clutched it like she feared someone might take it from her.

“Hello,” I called softly.

Her eyes drifted to me, the same gold as Tsuki’s. Her brow furrowed and her ear twitched, then she sniffed the air. Immediately her features twisted in horror. She trembled violently from head to toe, pushing further back into the cell and hiding her face in her tail. Raw fear rolled over her in waves. I didn’t know what she smelled on me, but it fucking terrified her.

Well, that’s not how I saw this going. “It’s alright, I’m not going to hurt you.” I unlocked the cell, and she whimpered. She peeked at me over her tail with tears in her eyes. “Ko, right?”She jerked. “You—you know my name?” Her voice was muffled by the tail, but I could hear the disbelief and confusion.

“I do.” I stepped inside the cell and crouched down, but drew no closer. “Your sister told it to me. Do you want to see her?” She clutched her tail even tighter, but she nodded. “If you come with me, you never have to worry about getting split apart again.” I held out a hand.

She stood slowly, and I noticed that while Tsuki was bruised, battered, and filthy, Ko was just dirty. “Ryoko,” she said. “My sister calls me Ko, but my name is Ryoko.”

“Alright, Ryoko. What do you say we go see Tsuki now? Then we can get you all cleaned up, into some real clothes, and get you as much food as you want.”

Her ears perked up and the tip of her tail twitched. Her stomach grumbled loud enough that I could hear it. She stepped closer, then stopped. “Food?”

“Sure. What do you like to eat?”

“Berries are nice. And chocolate.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “Alright, then we’ll get you some of both.” She stepped so that she was just out of arm’s reach, and I lifted my hand a little.

With one arm still sunk into her tail, she tentatively reached out and grabbed my hand. I didn’t move right away, and she seemed surprised at my gentle touch. She wrapped her fingers around me as tight as she could, and I stood. When I did, towering nearly a foot taller than her, she shrank a little. “It’s alright. Come on.”

We started walking back, her death grip on my hand never wavering. Every so often she leaned over and sniffed me, but each time she only grew more confused. “You smell…strange.”

“I promise I bathed this morning,” I told her with a chuckle. After what we’d done last night, not even Rhallani’s magic could get us clean.

She sniffed again. “Not that kind of smell. You smell like malice, but… not like you are malicious. Like you spent so long around it that the stink clung to you and won’t let go.”

Well that was no surprise. At least I knew why she’d been so terrified. If I met someone who smelled at all like the sick bastards I’d spent my life surviving and fighting then I’d have been scared witless too. “And your sister? Would she be able to smell that?”

She shook her head. “Ki can’t smell malice. She smells the good things. Happiness, kindness, contentment.”“And under all that malice? What do I smell like?”

She leaned in and took a deep whiff. She finally let her tail go and it fell to swish behind her. It wasn’t hanging straight down, and I couldn’t sense as much fear, so at least she was starting to do better. Even if only a little. “You smell like…despair, but its old. Like you spent so long in it your soul just gave up on making the scent anymore.”

Well that was heartening. Not exactly surprising, either. Still, if it was old, then maybe that meant I wasn’t the same person I used to be. Whatever the case, she seemed more comfortable now. When we walked through the hall with the Lycans and the Tieflings, though, she clung to me. Her free hand gripped the hem of my shirt tightly, and her tail wrapped around my waist while she hid behind me.

Then we hit the front of the building and she let out a soft cry. I followed her eyes and saw Tsuki, looking at her sister with a tear-filled gaze. Ryoko took a step, then froze. She looked at me pleadingly, and I released her hand. “Go on,” I urged.

Ryoko shot forward like she’d been launched from a cannon. She became a white streak that bowled into her sister, and then they were holding one another tightly. They buried their faces in one another’s shoulders and their tails wrapped around their waists.

I let them enjoy their reunion under Serena’s watchful eye while I filled out paperwork and paid the fees. There was no next of kin listed, so the guild didn’t bother with notifications. We managed to separate them long enough to get the strips of black leather around their throats, and as soon as I did Tsuki threw her arms around me. “I knew you smelled kind,” she said softly.

I patted her head with a laugh. “Come on, I may have promised your sister a bath and some food.”

This time, both sisters' stomachs grumbled in unison.