Devil and Candlemaker
"Everyone knows about heroes, adventurers, nobles; people that matter. No one remembers the name of those shunned, or their descendants. Especially when their crimes were severe enough to sell them to Melromarc's enemies. Don't worry, though. Master has only one directive for me: serve the Shield Hero, kill any that wish him harm." F/F romance, slavery, dark themes.
All warnings placed in chapter 1 are in place for the duration of the story. I won't bog this down by placing anything more than chapter-specific warnings here.
Second Arc—Everything is a game, you need only decipher the rules
Chapter Twenty-Three—One Star Copper
8-8
Buildings are so tall they blot out the sky, leaving only a blue streak overhead. Paints are bland, muted, to not draw attention to them. Yet curtains and doors are all intricate and bright, almost as if to say building's contents are far more interesting than the walls built out of necessity. Windows are quite small, but they're so clear I can see even through the dust clinging to them.
Signs hang over all doors, though I can't make heads or tails of what they say. It almost looks as if each sign bears five different scripts? I'm unsure what to make of that, and whatever magics translates spoken word utterly fails at doing the same for scripts.
Streets are so smooth, smoother even than my Lute and Castle Town, as if the streets are one stone and all else is built around it. The people—all Humans with lightly tanned skin and Q'ten Loan features, though some are more tanned than others—wear dark poofy pants with a bright overcoat that reminds me of a skirt, almost, the way it just drapes over the people.
And there are these funny wagons that seemingly pull themselves, itself with windows so that the passengers might look out at the world as they go; they're sluggish and there are still wagons I recognize, allowing our wagon to mostly blend in, but it's a curious magic these people have just the same.
Even the beasts they ride here are so strange. Not broad enough to remind me of oxen, and lack the horns to boot. They have these strange, dull teeth—as if they wouldn't harm a fly. And bulbous eyes on the sides of their heads. Not very strong either. Most wagons require two or three of the gentle beasts. And they have these sleek, smooth tails, too. They're like nothing I've ever seen.
My people and I, we drink in the strange and alien sights as King Choros's warrior leads us through the streets, through the crowds that find Chandelier every bit as strange as this…horse they ride.
What's stranger still, is how cold it is, even now. We, my people along with every denizen of this city, are covered in thick furs and gloves and furred hats to keep us from freezing. Though, to be fair, my flock of filolials are shivering somewhat, as are Ginad's pups. Even little Tallow and Wick aren't too impressed with the weather just now.
"You gotta keep to right," the warrior explains, pulling up beside Chandelier with his…horse. Chandelier gives the mammal a sidelong glance, no doubt already having judged she would come out on top if they fought. "Most everywhere in the kingdom, you keep to the right side of the road. But there are some places that still drive on the left. It's…well, I play it by ear mostly."
"What are those?" I nod to another strange wagon.
"Motorized horseless carriages." He nods to the driver and waves to the excitable youth in the cabin, pointing at Chandelier—both the warrior and the boy are intrigued with my fowl, it seems. "Fairly new, but popular. Just a heads up. Public displays of affection are discouraged here. They're fine and well in private, encouraged even. But only the very young and very old get away with that in public."
Little different than Q'ten Lo. I nod. The tonal shift is peculiar, though.
"There are laws against entering businesses armed. They all have a closet as you enter with someone standing guard at all times. If you do not stow your weapons, you'll have a problem."
"And I get around this…how?"
"By sending someone inside that isn't armed. There are no exceptions." They can't exactly rewrite laws and customs for me. "Slavery is legal for nobility only. All lowborn are forbidden from it, and mind your manners with the slaves. Many in Ulaan are serfs, that is to say Great Khan's slaves who work for the good of all."
8-8
The Adventurers Guild Hall is little different from every other building around it. I have no idea how to even begin differentiating between them all—luckily King Choros's palace is its own Quick Travel location.
X-X New Quick Travel Location! X-X
Adventurers Guild, Ulaan Chapter
X-X
I'm unsure how to feel about it popping up as if reacting to my thoughts, but I am grateful Quick Travel is an option. The city's so big, I don't doubt I'll get lost here at least once a day.
Interestingly, there's a lot in front of the building littered with parked wagons and those…funny carriage things that pull themselves. We pull into the lot and the warrior shows us how to arrange our wagon to take up the least amount of space possible.
"They've got an in-Guild pub and apartment complex. Only members allowed, of course. So once you're registered you can inquire about that and the stable for your…falafels?"
"Filolials," I correct. To be fair, he's only gotten it wrong a half dozen times. "Just call them fowls."
"Fair enough. Dunno if they'll take your…two-headed dogs though." The warrior looks rather dubious as Ginad pets his little darlings. "Anyway. You won't have an issue entering armed."
I fasten Chandelier's reins around a flimsy-looking rod, mostly for the warrior's sake—Chandelier is well-trained, so she'll only come running if I call her. Ginad takes his time getting everyone situated, and setting out buckets with water and something to snack on, so they'll be on their best behaviour.
"You two, with me." I nod to Stellar and Crayn. "The rest of you will wait here." Of course, Lyraynna and Zaan don't follow that 'suggestion', keeping on my flanks and nudging my babies closer to me.
The place really is impossibly large. If I estimate correct, it's at least thirty storeys tall, and no less than seventy metres wide. We could live our entire lives inside there, and still not feel cooped up.
The on-duty guard takes a look at me. I nod, he nods back. Our guide produces a Two Star Silver pendant, little different from the ones I'm used to, and introduces me as a potential recruit. The guard shoos us inside with little more than a tilt of his head.
Door slides into wall, sandwiched between layers of stone. Utter chaos greets us. Steel and fangs bared, maces thrashing against shields and plate armour. Growling, though not as guttural as from true wolves. It all brings a special smile to my face.
"KNOCK IT OFF!" the warrior bellows loud enough to freeze them all in place. One of the adventurers even falls from the chandelier, crumpled onto the floor and clearly missing his intended target. "Got a VIP with me. Is this the kind of introduction you want to give her?"
"To be fair, Maral. If she sticks around, she'll be seeing this more often. Best she—"
Maral, apparently, fixes the black-eyed adventurer with a stare that has him choking on his own tongue. He walks, and the crowd parts before him, leading us to the front desk. Sigh. Of course the clerks are wearing skimpy black dresses—who comes up with that? Everyone in this city wears puffy skirt-coats, and these two look like they'd be at home on the beach in Cal Mira.
"Sechen. Lady Candlemaker. Her son, Crayn. Her daughter, Stellar. They're here to apply."
"Of course, Lord Maral." The clerk, Sechen, produces a strangely thin piece of parchment—and pearly white at that. "Lady Candlemaker. Please fill out this form and sign it with a drop of your blood. Please know that slaves are not permitted as adventurers."
I nod. Little different from what I know. I take the form, curious that I can actually read this. Hmm, likely enchanted. I accept the featherless quill, muttering about all the strange and weird things in this city as I fill in my full and proper name and title, signing on the dotted line. I tap my pointer against the dagger Sechen holds out for me, spilling a drop of blood over my signature.
"What…even is that?" Maral looks at the flimsy parchment as I mutter the words for my overly taxing and underwhelming healing spell. It costs four MP, and only offers one HP, but at least I stop bleeding. Honestly, even this is dangerous when I've but eight HP separating me from the grave.
"Hmm? My handwriting?"
"What's it even say?"
I smile, grateful he can't read it. "My proper name and title. Come come. You two as well."
"What name shall your pendant bear?" Sechen asks, trading my filled in parchment for two new ones.
"Candlemaker." I help Crayn first. "Remember, sweetie. With a 'Y' not an 'I'. And your middle initial is enough for these forms." He nods, writing his name properly and dripping his blood on his signature. I cast the healing spell to keep him from bleeding out. Stellar is quick to fill out hers as well.
"And your pendants? Which name shall it bear?"
"Crayn S Lyght. That's C-R-A-Y-N, L-Y-G-H-T." Kill the mood, why don't you.
"Stellar C Lyght." Sigh.
"Now now. It's quite common for…" I trail off as two pairs of pink eyes beg. Sigh. I hold up my hands in surrender.
"Lady Lyght, huh." Maral looks far too amused just now. "Baroness?"
I offer a smile, accepting my pendant.
"It will need a drop of your blood." Sigh. Of course it does. Everything requires blood. After sacrificing another HP and all my MP to heal myself and my babies, I turn my attention to the notice board. Sewer rats, sewer spiders, sewer urchins. Hmm, each pays twenty silvers—more or less what I'm used to. I take all three, making a showing of offering one to my babies to keep anyone from making a fuss about it.
8-8
X-X New Quick Travel Location! X-X
Candlemaker's apartment, Adventurers Guild, Ulaan Chapter
X-X
The 'apartment' isn't spacious. Not when you're used to a manor fit to be called palace. Front door opens into a modest sitting room, completely empty, save the carpet—strangest name if ever there was one. Not so much circular as octagonal, with a door in each side. The one opposite the front leads to a tiny balcony.
The kitchen is tiny, barely enough room for one person in there, and has this strange stove with four…burners Malar calls them—at least there are plenty little closets with space, but I'm unsure why 'cupboard' aptly describes them. And a tiny tub of some sort, with…the strangest of magics that calls on a fountain as it pleases. I'm unsure how to feel about that, given Malar says not to run it too much or it could get expensive? They charge you for magic here? How would one even track such?
Next to the kitchen is a pantry, filled with empty shelves and more cupboards, some on the ground, others hang from the ceiling.
The bathroom stinks something awful. I'm unsure why the steel-looking chair in there holds water, though I can guess given it stinks of long-soured human waste—a few cleaning spells solves that right quickly. There is a tub in here, though too tiny to rightly bathe together.
The final four doors each lead to tiny rooms—bed chambers, I suppose, each with those strange sconces I can't make sense of. To be fair, they're each the size of the kitchen, but I'm just used to so much more than this. Either way, it's a decent place to start.
"To tide you over until you start taking jobs." Malar offers me a leather pouch with a strange metallic mouth. He pulls on the even stranger rod, opening the mouth with a ZZZzzzirrrp sort of sound, revealing a medium silver, ten small silvers, and the rest in assorted coppers. "It should be sufficient to furnish the place, if you're careful. And…"
Malar: "Please feel free to contact me if ever there is need of it. Night or day."
I add Malar to my Friends list, nodding in thanks as I read the first job notice properly.
X-X New Job Accepted! X-X
Kill 20 sewer rats: 0/20
X-X
Those popups are insidious. And pervasive. And I really need to figure out how to get rid of them. But. I'm curious that they track the job themselves. I check the second.
X-X New Job Accepted! X-X
Kill 20 sewer spiders: 0/20
X-X
X-X New Job Accepted! X-X
Kill/enslave 5 sewer urchins: 0/5
X-X
Kind of them to offer suggestion I may enslave them off the bat, and get paid for it. But more curious is that I've taken three simultaneously—if they can track my progress, they're apt to track how many jobs I take. Best keep an eye on that.
I load the party menu, curious how to handle levelling.
X-X Party Menu! X-X
Groups: 1/3
Party members 1/4
Candlemaker Lvl 1 (8/8 HP)
X-X
Hmm. Different party compositions, with hard limits. That's new. I shift things around, setting Stellar and Crayn as Group Leaders, with me in the main group, and split my party over the three so we each have support, if we theoretically split up like that.
X-X
New Skill Unlocked: Party Master
X-X
New Menu Unlocked: Tasks
X-X
New Job Unlocked: General
X-X
Hmm. Interesting.
Party Master: Change party composition at will. Summon your party members from any stronghold at will. Higher levels allow for greater XP sharing bonuses for active and inactive party members.
Tasks: Assign Tasks to your troops, martial and civilian alike, and track their progress remotely.
General: Head of an army, your army. Who has need of directly engaging the enemy when you could order someone else to? Tactics is the name of the game, and high-level Generals can lead sheep into battle and come out victorious!
"Alright. Archer, Ginad, Grin, and Tayrend. I want you boys bringing up our things. That," I point to one of the rooms at random, "is our armoury. Deela, Bry, and Hope, I want you studying and minding Luna. Crayn and Stellar, I want you training. Lyraynna and Zaan, you're with me."
8-8
The sewers. They're little different from any other, really. They're dark and stink something fierce. Only, unlike before, my senses aren't nearly as sharp. Like, at all. I keep my fans at the ready with Zaan behind me and Lyraynna in front as we make our way through.
I don't even have my Tortoise Shell Cracker, not with my pitiful fan mastery; just a 'Nutcracker' watered-down variant. It'll suffice, for now.
My ears perk up, eyes straining to see in the pitch black. The corridor is wide, with a ditch running down the middle filled with refuse. Every dozen paces, light and the sounds of traffic and a busy marketplace trickle down through manholes.
Scanning every little thing, I try to spot my targets before they spot me.
X-X
New Skill Unlocked: Scan
X-X
New Menu Unlocked: Bestiary
X-X
That's an actual skill? As in one that needs to be trained? I check it, and indeed, Scan is currently level one, if slightly trained.
X-X
New Enemy Spotted: Sewer Rat (lvl 4)*
Bestiary Updated
X-X
New Enemy Spotted: Sewer Cockroach (lvl 4)
Bestiary Updated
X-X
Sigh. Not even the spiders I need. I aim for the nearest monster's skull and strike my fan.
Rupture-Stance Rondo: Nutcracker.
The rat's eye explodes. Instead of dropping dead, the monster and his little friends charge us. I just keep lashing off nutcrackers, XP trickling a little at a time. Thirty-nine XP. Not even Exp—no, the 'E' must be too chic. Sigh.
Ugh! No sighing down here. Gods, the stench is worse than I remember.
X-X Job Update! X-X
Kill 20 sewer rats: 5/20
X-X
Sigh. Fuck! SORROW! Repulsive!
X-X
New Skill Unlocked: Selective Sense
X-X
That should prove useful. I focus it and tune my nose out as I walk over to the corpses. Naofumi liked feeding things to his Shield, so my Fans shouldn't work any different, right?
I grab the first rat I encounter and press its twitching snout against Fan's gem. Light fills the sewers—a deep blue, quite bright.
X-X
New Menu Unlocked: Fan Hero Skills
X-X
New Skill Passive Unlocked: Rat's Map
X-X
Curious, a network of little symbols pops out this time, and thirty-five XP blinks up as well. Hmm. I'll go through that later, but I should keep some rat parts for my babies, to help them level quickly.
8-8
X-X
New Skill Unlocked: Spider Thread
X-X
New Menu Unlocked: Traps
X-X
New Skill Unlocked: Envenom
X-X
New Menu Unlocked: Poisons
X-X
Well, if that isn't useful, nothing is. Will need to ask Naofumi if he unlocked these. Sure, I don't meet the requirements to use them, but that won't last long. Either way, that's the last spider I need for this job—I shift the active job to Sewer Urchins.
An illusionary map fills my vision, plotting out the parts of the sewers I've already explored, thanks to Rat's Map. The walls are all blue, with the questionable liquids in the gutter spotted cyan—I think that's to demark liquids, but brown would be more accurate this time.
The red map marker isn't too far away, and I seem to have passed them en route. Interesting.
We head that way, after stowing spider fangs and the sticky gooey thing that makes the silk—when I have a proper manor again, I'll try to enslave a few spiders to make silk—I suspect it won't sell well, but it should prove useful for something.
I stop dead, Lyraynna and Zaan stopping with me. Curious. There's nothing here, just another empty stretch of sewer. But the map shows there's something beside me, and the red dot is precisely just beyond this wall. Curious, I knock on it—a hollow TOCK TOCK TOCK greets my ears.
Zaan sticks his spear into it, poking around until something clicks. Nothing happens, so he pokes around some more—a shifting, scraping sound shows something moves. The all moves, almost like a gate opening. Light. Dim, but brighter than the rest of this place. Five beings sit around a glowing orb, shivering from the cold—their rags tell me all I need to know.
X-X
New Enemy Spotted: Demi-Human (lvl 4)
Bestiary Updated
X-X
I stroll into the alcove. Four Demi-Humans, indeed, with their tails so matted I can't tell their race and ears pressed down on their heads I can't see their silhouettes. Then again, I can't see much more than silhouettes at all—the light is only just enough to know they're there. Why?
"I don't want to fight." My words barely seem to spark reaction. They just keep huddled together. "If you come with me, I'll take care of you. I promise."
Still no reaction. I look to Lyraynna, she starts hissing—a proper hiss that sets my hairs on end. The five Demi-Humans back up against the walls, growling back. Wolven, huh.
"Do I have your attention?" I ask.
"Take whatever ya want, ya filth. But we ain't goin' alive."
"Please don't do this." I cast the cleaning spell and fish out some jerked meat we brought with us. "I can take ca—"
The speaker transforms, shifting into a werewolf form—lithe, built for speed, and clearly enraged.
X-X
New Enemy Spotted: Lycanthrope (lvl 6)
Bestiary Updated
X-X
I move slower, showing the meat I fish out. And I toss it to the Lycanthrope, he catches it in his maw, wolfing it down.
"If you think to scare me, you've failed. Calm yourself, come quietly, and I will take care of you. But if you continue to bare your fangs, I will kill you where you stand. The choice is yours."
The Lycanthrope takes a step back, still growling, lips pulled taut against his gums. He barks, tail wagging for some reason. Ears are low, ear-tips pointing away. He's afraid?
I fish out more treats, tossing one to each of his people in turn. Frightened though they are, food is still food and they gobble it down.
"I'm a noble. I can take you as my slaves, allow you to walk in the sunlight, up there." I point up to the city. "You'll never know hunger again."
One of them, a tiny one, barely half my height, comes forward, arms held out and making a gimme motion.
"You still hungry, huh?"
The child nods. I reach out, cast the cleaning spell to make them less of a mess, and offer another treat. They take the treat with one hand, and take my hand with the other, cupping it against…well, her crotch, I guess. As if to make her point clearer, she guides my hand up her shirt, to cold, clammy skin—did I only clean her clothing?
"You'll come with me?" She nods. "Good. Any others?"
The Lycanthrope pounces, getting Zaan's spear pressed against his throat and Lyraynna's sword against his chest. Why do the Chiefs always give me hell?
"I'm sorry you feel that way." My fan reaches out, aims for his eye even as it widens with fear. "Rest well."
"Please!" The little girl in my arms begs, him not me. "Please. Don't."
The man walks forward, letting both blades pierce him. Death is, indeed, a viable option. At least let it be painless.
Rupture-Stance Rondo: Nutcracker.
Lycanthrope falls limp, a hole in his skull. Four-hundred XP filters in, bumping me up to level two at last. With my guards holding him in place, I carefully feed his corpse to my Fan, snout first.
It's with a morbid fascination that I watch this proud creature disappear into the void beyond Fan's gem, one little bit at a time, the alcove wreathed in a now seemingly demonic light. It's no different from before, of course, it just strikes me as such.
X-X
New Skill Unlocked: Beast Transformation
X-X
New Menu Unlocked: Crafting
X-X
I also get a string of recipes, from boots to trousers to shirt to amulet to rings to necklace to male undergarments, along with all the materials to craft them—all Ulaanian Merchant cuts with the slit for Demi-Human tails, all once of the finest quality. And I get another fifty XP for it. Merchant, huh. I'm guessing there's a tale there I'll never hear.
"And the others?" I ask, shoving the last of the Lycanthrope's claw into Fan's gem. The light dies down, but the darkness no longer hides how utterly freaked out they are. The little girl in my arms, so desperate to keep on my good side, leans back against me and slips my hand into her undergarments, letting me do as I will with her. I pull my hand out, petting her head to show I'm pleased.
Two more pounce as one, Zaan rushes ahead, his spearhead glowing bright as it cleaves through them both in one swing. We get drenched in blood and gore—lovely. I cast the cleaning spell on myself and my new acquisition, and Lyraynna helps feed every last bit of both corpses into Fan's gem, scoring me a range of new outfits, two hair accessory recipes, and women's undergarments recipes as well. Sad, but such is free will.
"And you?" I ask the last one undecided, still practically glued to the wall. "My people will not hurt you if you come peaceably."
"Please," she says, breathing ragged and clearly afraid. "Please. Don't hurt me."
"I already said we won't, if you come peacefully. Will you come or won't you."
"Could…" The girl still doesn't move. "Could I have…another?"
"You're hungry?" I ask. She nods. In this lighting all I see, even of the girl I've claimed, is their silhouettes. But it's enough for some things. I fish out another treat and hold it out. "Come. You may take it."
8-8
I leave the sewers richer than I entered. Not that I found a single coin, that the drops were worth mentioning, or that the jobs pay out automatically, but with all the XP I've gained for my people, all the recipes I've unlocked and—after feeding every last piece of furniture in that alcove to my Fans—all the building recipes and materials?
The sun hangs low in the sky, no doubt late afternoon after all that. I call up my Crafting Menu, finding a list with submenus. Furniture, Clothing, Accessories, Consumables, Homesteading. Yeah, I'm starting to understand why Naofumi fed everything to his Shield. You just never know what it'll unlock unless you try.
My newest acquisitions squint, seemingly unused to being in direct sunlight. I cast the cleaning spell on the lot of us, one by one, careful to clean clothes and body and everything just in case. The new girls are both rather plain-looking with black hair and tails. Both wolven types, likely Lycanthropes as well. Not that I mind—Bry's sweet, and she never gives me any trouble. Their clothes leave a lot to be desired—both with their ratty look and the holes that clearly leave them feeling cold.
Jobs Menu confirms all three are complete and ready to turn in. I'll call this a very successful day. We simply walk along, taking the snail route back to the Guild Hall, so Rat's Map can do its duty.
8-8
"Yes, we do offer Slave-Crest services," Sechen assures me, already fishing out the all too familiar bottle and brush and little knife she used earlier. Not missing a beat, my new acquisitions tear their already tatty dresses, bearing their chests. The remnants of ink there tell me something is wrong. "Oh, it's quite common. If you don't apply the crest properly, the ink freezes and breaks the curse. Just keep them warm and you won't have a problem."
Ah, their previous masters were utter scum. Not something I worry about.
My new slaves suffer their branding in silence while I fish out the three job notices and lay them out. The other clerk—I seem to have a habit of only knowing one of them by name?—looks at the notices, peers at me, and nods as my Jobs Menu flashes into my vision, confirming they're turned in. She fishes out six medium silvers and lays them on the countertop for me, along with a book?
X-X Acquired New Slave! X-X
New Menu Unlocked: Slave Orders
New Status Added: Slave Pact
New Status Added Noble Birth*
Slave added to Party
X-X
"As thanks, for a speedy delivery. The more jobs you do in a single day, the greater your bonus. Please take as many as you can handle."
I nod, wordlessly thanking her as I check the book. Can't read it, of course, and it has no pictures.
"Ah. Illiterate."
I glare. "I can read and write in six languages, this isn't one of them."
The clerk looks away, embarrassed.
"New around here, I see." Sechen takes over, smiling to set me at ease. "Forgive my colleague. Literacy is fairly uncommon, especially among Adventurers, so it's easy to jump to that conclusion. Please peruse these easy to follow guides on the local languages and scripts." She lays out fifteen books, all of that flimsy parchment I can't make sense of.
Hmm. This one's in kanji. I'm not sure why it is, but it's likely from Summoned Heroes of the past, or something. Another is written in Melromarcan. Yes, most useful, both of them.
"How much?"
"As an apology, you may select any one for free."
"You've my thanks." I take the Melromarcan one, pocket it with the bonus book, bow properly to her, and move right along. My new slaves don't hesitate, even while showing more of their cleavage than I'm comfortable with.
This world's little different from the one I left behind, all sins and salvations tallied. Though, a most curious conversation takes place as we make our way to the stairwell.
"Please don't insult the Fan Hero again."
"The what?!"
"You heard me."
"How would you—"
"The book she chose."
Sigh. Should've taken kanji. What a stupid situation.
8-8
Bomb slips into Fan's gem, unlocking another recipe. Health, mana, and skill potions pour into Fan's gem, unlocking Consumables Menu with yet more recipes. I even slip the vials in there.
More and more and more. Everything we can spare one of, if it's non-living, it goes in there.
X-X
New Menu Unlocked: Enchanting
X-X
New Skill Unlocked: Enchanting
X-X
New Enchantment Recipe Unlocked: Enhance Agility, Enhance Evasion, Enhance Parry
X-X
New Crafting Recipes Unlocked: Battle Fan
X-X
Me: "Did you know that if you feed something enchanted to your Shield you can learn the enchantment?"
Naofumi: "You've been there barely a day!"
Me: "Then I assume you haven't fed it clothes, doors, or furniture. Because that works too."
Naofumi: "Did you unlock Modify Bioplant? Just feed it a seed, though it unlocked with a plant monster thing for me."
Me: "Couldn't hurt to try. You've unlocked the Copy System already?"
Naofumi: "Yeah. La Matrish."
Me: "Thought so. Feed it weapons and armours. You can craft those too, if you've already fed it the required materials. And get some spiders and rats fed to it, gives you unique abilities you can definitely use. Find them in the sewers of Castle Town. Low level job if you want to get paid doing it."
It takes a while before I realise he's not answering, so I fish out the spoils and offer them to Crayn and Stellar, feeding the rat and spider parts to their weapons. Their eyes go wide.
Naofumi: "Slave ink. It unlocks new skills to affect your slaves specifically."
Me: "Take bandit jobs. You can feed all their gear, clothes, and even their forge to your Shield. Unlock Homesteading options, if you the mood strikes you. And you can claim their stronghold as your own and take them as slaves if Her Highness approves."
Naofumi: "Check the markets. Everything they sell is worth trying. And what weapon did you get?"
Me: "I'm Fan. Stellar's Staff. Crayn's Hunting. Luna's Tome. And if you want a quick clean-up, you can feed every last bit of the monsters to your Shield. Use the materials for something else. Did you unlock the Bestiary Menu?"
Naofumi: "Yeah. You get the Fungal and Flora Menu?"
Me: "Not yet. Gotta go. Furnishing my apartment. Don't forget those grimoires I left. Those skills will prove useful."
8-8
I sit to the low table on the soft, clean sewer rat pelts, looking around at our humble abode. No art hangs on our walls, but the bedchambers have beds and closets. The armoury is littered with arms and armours, and Zaan keeps polishing and sharpening them as he pleases.
Tayrend stands on the little balcony behind me, already fashioning little traps for local birds—Ginad helps him, so they'll figure it out.
Lyraynna and Hope organize our pantry, ordering Archer and Grin around as they please. An enticing air wafts out of the kitchen—I'm not sure what Deela's cooking, but it smells divine.
Luna's busy running away from her tome once again, cackling with glee as Stellar keeps picking her up and swinging her over it.
It's all alien, yet oh so familiar at the same time.
The sound of rain stops. A clap echoes from the bath room, two very naked slaves come out wearing only nervous smiles and a red handprint on their bottoms, about Bry's size.
Crayn's eyes drink in the elder of the pair, from head to toe. From the slight bulge in his trousers, his thoughts are more than obvious.
"So, mama." Stellar wraps her arms around the younger of the pair, hugging her from behind. "What are we doing with these two?"
"You," I nod to the elder, "will serve Crayn. And you, Stellar. Bear in mind," I look to Crayn, pinching his chin and tugging his attention to me, "if you stick your little dagger in her, you accept what comes out nine months later. I will force you to raise said child, whether you're ready or not."
"Unn." Crayn nods, looking to the naked slave once again. "Could…you teach me how to please her?"
"Very well. Why not start by asking her name?"
Crayn beckons to his new handmaid, and pats the table in front of him. He smiles as she saunters over, but that turns to a grin as she sits before him, one leg to either side of him.
"You are bound to my mother, not I. You may deny me anything you wish, without reason or explanation. Alright?" Crayn does me one better—no, from the way she relaxes entirely, he does her just right.
"Unn." The girl nods, cheeks flushed.
"You may call me Crayn. And I might call you…?"
"Come on." Stellar nudges the other slave, all but dragging her into her room. "It's cold, and I don't want you catching a cold, okay?"
Yes. My babies most definitely want to do right by their slaves—better than the hands we were dealt.
8-8
End Chapter Twenty-Three
8-8
A/N: You know, Wheel0fDawn, I'm unsure if you're right or not. Sorrow has been warmly received. But you're right about her track record. Who knows how this will proceed. XD
Now. We've got some basics hammered out, and Naofumi is getting all the support he could ever want, even with Sorrow in another world. What say we have some fun then?