Outcast lost in RuneMidgard

by Benji Himura

What will happen to a normal person that suddenly finds himself in the middle of a world where monsters run in the wild ready to attack anyone in sight?

34. Strays

Hi this is Benji Himura I am starting a new fanfic

Hi this is Benji Himura I am starting a new fanfic. I don't own Ragnarok online I also don't own the characters of that story or the plot; taking out the changes that I will make and the characters that I will create. I own Benji Himura and others characters that will show up in the story. It might be violence and sex in the story so if you are underage of seventeen are warned the content might be too improper to your age. Read by your own will and risk. In anyway enjoy the story.

Signed: Benji Himura

"Text"= Talked sentences.

'Text' = Thoughts.

-Text- = Sounds effects.

(Text)= Talked sentences in a foreign language

: Text: = Messages show in an electronic screen or written.

Text: something being recalled, flashbacks, scenes being replayed.

Text: a detail found in a location, scene, person, recording and images that originally wasn't there.

Chapter thirty three: Strays

Elle wasn't really pleased with what she saw, in her years in Rune-Midgard she saw a lot of things, but nothing made her to uneasy as the group people that walked towards the castle. There was ten adventurers, a regular mixed group as many others, a stalker, two lord knights, one high priest, one champion, three snipers, one whitesmith and one biochemist.

They clearly weren't friendly, Elle just knew that, every nerve of her body shouted that to her, and she wasn't the only one, as Layla was ordering the gates to be shut and barricaded. Something was very wrong with the approaching adventurers, Elle feared for the safety of the innocents living on the settlement.

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Atsuko was content, having Benji close to her like that, the two of them just relaxing in a peaceful location far from everyone else, the two of them wearing casual clothes and not adventuring wear, sharing a moment of closeness and affection, that was the kind of thing that she imagined when thinking about love, sure in the past just imagining a mystery man.

"Benji what you will do now?" Atsuko asked to him in a soft tone. "After you are fully recovered." "Not much of an idea." Benji answered. "Most of my long term plans involving myself in the past were ruined before I could do much about it, I am just moving with the flow right now, maybe when I feel like I can finish something I will start some new plan."

Atsuko couldn't really blame him for that, just based on the time that she lived with him and what she learned from the others Benji's life did got upside down plenty of times. "You have nothing that you want to do?" Atsuko asked curious. "A goal or a dream?" "The closer thing that I had to a dream in the past is now impossible." Benji answered casually, he stretches and wraps Atsuko's slim waist with his right arm. "But if I look at my love life I can say that more than a handful of dreams are being experienced." Atsuko chuckled and kissed him. "I didn't mean that kind of dream." Atsuko teased. "But I don't mind them either."

"What you think in starting a family?" Atsuko asked after few moments of silence. "Keep adventuring in a lower place in your life, settle down and start a family?" Benji was a bit surprised but at the same time not really surprised with Atsuko's question, he always got this vibe out of her that she wanted a family. "It sounds nice." Benji answered. "I won't deny that, but I am not sure if people would leave me alone."

Atsuko light moves her head to the sides. "Not retiring, but expending less time fighting and managing things." Atsuko said in a soft tone. "You can appoint people to tasks so you can have more time for yourself. Give some thought about it okay?" Atsuko doesn't wait for Benji's answer before kissing him again; she wants him to nurture the idea for now.

She could feel that Benji wasn't against the idea as he just responded to the kiss; maybe he was just uneasy or uncomfortable with the idea, fearing that he isn't ready for that responsibility. Atsuko could wait more; she had more time to wait for him to get ready.

Atsuko let out a little sound of surprise when feeling Benji suddenly tensing under her, he was pretty relaxed until then, even when she brought up the subject of starting a family, breaking the kiss Atsuko looks at him confused at the cause of his sudden change of mood.

"What happened?" Atsuko asked worried. "Someone entered in my domains." Benji answered while sitting up. 'Domains?' Atsuko thought confused, she doesn't hear people using that word all that often. "You mean that someone is entering in the castle?!" Atsuko asked surprised.

"The area around it." Benji answered standing up and giving a hand to Atsuko to do so, the monk accept the aid and stands up, lightly patting the grass away from her dress. She let out a little yelp when Benji suddenly picks her up on his arms and runs in the direction of the guild.

Atsuko was surprised with his speed, it was by far superior than anything that she had ever ran or saw someone running, it was close of the speed of her Snap skill, and Benji was running as if her weight wasn't even there, Atsuko just makes sure that she has a firm grip on Benji and presses her face against his chest protecting her eyes from the raging wind, inwardly wondering how it doesn't bother Benji.

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Alexis is shocked when seeing the left eye of one of the lord knights explode in blood preventing the knight from killing her, looking on the direction where the stone came they see a very displeased looking Benji staring at the attackers, Atsuko moves and aid the fallen girls with the help of others from the castle, taking them to the safety of the castle.

"And I thought that I would have more time to fool around." The stalker said in a mocking tone. "But given the fact that you aren't wearing armor and is clear that you aren't armed with anything other than pebbles this will be very amusing." Benji calmly steps forward and flicks a stone into the eye of the master smith with the same result as the one hitting the knight.

Armed only with a fistful of stones Benji is calmly flinging them at the attackers with enough strength and speed to cause bad wounds using only one hand. The stalker frowns when seeing his underlings taking hit after hit in the face, arms and whatever other soft and uncovered parts.

"How many times I have to kill you until you stay dead?" Benji asked in an annoyed tone. "Just one is enough, but last time you didn't stay behind long enough to make sure that the job was over." The stalker answered. "I will correct that." Benji commented. "I wonder how." The stalker replied. "You are surrounded and you ran out of stones, and your fuck toys aren't strong enough to stop us. This time you will die! Without weapons you can't do anything!"

"You actually think that I need weapons to kill?" Benji asked casually, before anyone could answer Benji had covered the distance between himself and the high priest, Benji sinks his teeth on the priest's neck before pulling back hard tearing a large chunk of flesh and the artery there, in a fraction of second later Benji takes a second bite in the opposing side of the first bite and tears the priest's neck again.

With a third bite Benji rips the priest's throat before anyone could scream, with a simple movement Benji twists the priest's head breaking the spine before pulling hard on it tearing the head from the remaining flesh that connected it to the neck, and all that in less than two seconds.

Benji casually throws the severed head at the stalker's feet. "You were saying?" Benji asked teasingly with his lips, teeth and chin stained with blood. Benji casually rummages on the corpse while holding it with his left hand and pulls a blue potion from it. "Great it will wash away the taste of blood." Benji commented while idly opening the bottle and using the potion as a mouthwash, and the attackers didn't do a thing.

That until the stalker shouts a command, Benji uses the corpse as a shield and blocks the arrows from the snipers, at the same time he grabs the high priest's grand cross. Benji throws the corpse at the snipers and dash at them, it was easy for Benji to hit one of the confused snipers, it isn't everyday that you are attacked with the corpse of a friend.

Benji let go of the cross as it nailed itself deep on the sniper's skull, shifting his focus to the second sniper Benji punches the guy hard, then Benji grabs the sniper's right ankle, with a powerful swing Benji smashes the sniper against one of the lord knight's and sees with satisfaction the sniper's head exploding in blood against the armor.

Not much damage were inflicted to the knight, but Benji intends to change that, bringing the still alive but badly hurt sniper down the knight again Benji hits the knight in the head, this time the sniper's head fully explodes staining the hurt knight's head with blood and brain pieces. Carelessly discarding the dead sniper Benji grabs the knight's neck and tears the spear away from his hands.

Benji drives the spear on the knight's chest until it erupts on the knight's head, letting go of the fourth corpse Benji looks at the remaining six people, Benji was a bit surprised half minute had passed since he began his attack and no one of them reacted to it well, he was expecting a bit more of a challenge, but he wouldn't complain either, he could see the fear in the others.

Bolting forward Benji grabs the armor of the second knight, with a strong pull Benji tears the knight's armor from his body, then Benji thrusts his right hand on the knight's chest until it erupts on his back, everyone could see the still pumping heart on Benji's hands.

The knight screams in pain and Benji crushes the beating muscle before tearing his hand out of the knight's chest tearing the heart away, Benji carelessly throws the heart away and takes that knight's sword and charges at the biochemist. Benji was counting on fear to buy him enough time to finish them all before they start attacking back, Benji knew that currently taking hits wouldn't be good for him.

The stalker stares in shock, in less than one minute Benji tore through all his companions as if they were nothing more than a bunch of low level zombies, more than half of them using his bare hands. "Now let's make sure that you won't come back." Benji said while looking at the stalker.

Not stupid and knowing that now he has no chance of winning he hides and tries to run away, Benji grinned, he could still see the stalker trying to move away as clear as day. Benji picks up the whitesmith's axe and throws it on the stalker nailing the axe right on the stalker's back.

Falling on his face gasping blood the stalker becomes visible again. "You should have learned with your owner and avoid me like the plague." Benji said while walking to the stalker. "Now where is Juichi?" "Fuck you!" The stalker coughed. "I have plenty of time to deal with you." Benji commented while stepping on the axe and slowly burying it on the stalker making the stalker scream in pain.

Benji tenses and looks at the distance, inside the castle Haruka, Makie, Maria, Aysu and Elle does the same thing, well some of them looking straight at walls, Benji stomps the stalker's head knocking him out, Aliza run out of the castle and picks up the fallen stalker and takes him away.

"Keep Maria and Aysu inside!" Benji shouted to the girls in the castle, Maria's cries can be heard as she is held by Jannine and Karen, Haruka and Makie run straight at the gate, Elle was already near Benji. "Benji-taisho is that…?" Haruka asked a bit short of breath. Benji nodded confirming, before the others could ask anything the group had left through a warp portal.

Atsuko sighed annoyed at that, something wasn't right, Maria was anxious and unquiet, trying to squirm away from Jannine's arms, Aysu was also clearly disturbed but doesn't have an idea of what to do and what is bothering her, and allows herself to remain fidgety where she stands.

"Maybe something like Maria's arrival happened again." Erika said seeing how Benji, Haruka, Elle and Makie left like that and how Maria an Aysu are uneasy, while not fully aware of everything Erika knew part of the story, and she was also there when Maria arrived and recalled the group that rushed out of the castle without any sort of preparation, and now the group was the same, just with the addition of Elle on it.

"It is possible." Layla commented uneasy, if was like how Maria arrived and how Haruka arrived things would be troublesome and Benji wasn't carrying any kind of weapon with him. "We can't do anything other than wait." Atsuko said to the others. "Let's treat the wounded and throw those corpses away." In silence the others nod and proceed to either help the wounded girls or load the corpses on a cart.

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"Where are we?" Haruka asked confused, all that she could see is scorched, hard cracked land, building ruins and what appears to be a desert at the distance. Elle and Makie were also confused at the location, Benji in the other hand wasn't. "We are in the Sograt desert." Benji said while crouching and rubbing the thin dry sand on his bloodied hand removing it from his skin. "Outside the safe area, more or less two weeks from Morroc or any other city."

"Do I even want to know how you know all this?" Makie asked looking at Benji. "I appeared here." Benji answered, he points to the southeast. "I walked on that direction for a long time." Benji could still remember well everything that happened, it was hard to forget that kind of shocking experience.

Dusting the sand away from his hands Benji stands up. "Still it is odd, we are very far from Amatsu, we weren't supposed to feel anyone's presence, yet we did and the warp took us here." Elle said looking around. "And other than us no one else is around."

"Don't group us as no one." Junko said while walking out from a side street. "We also warped here." Next to Junko is a pair of girls, one with long brown hair wearing a long black coat and one with long red hair. "Before anything no aggression between us." The brown haired one said seriously. "A stray is somewhere around, so both of you leave your differences aside at least until we find and take the stray to safety."

"I was going to suggest that." Benji commented. "I am not that resentful to ignore a person in danger." Junko snorted and nodded agreeing, she also wasn't like that. "Given the fact that we are here for less than one minute and I don't see any new faces the stray wasn't located." Junko said. "And to get that kind of feeling all the way to Amatsu and the warp redirect here things are worse than the usual."

Benji had to agree with that, sure none of them had all that much experience with finding strays, Elle never located anyone neither did Makie, both Junko and Benji had located two strays immediately after their arrival and both Benji and Junko had found strays much after their arrival to Rune-Midgard, Haruka didn't had much experience to count on anything in that area.

"What you know about this place?" The red haired girl asked to Benji. "Deadly." Benji answered. "Other than that I don't know much, I wandered a bit in the ruins searching for people or even some kind of equipment or food but there wasn't anything here." Benji points towards a larger ruin. "I believe that, that place is a dungeon, or is directly above one. When I investigated this place on my arrival all my instincts told me to not adventure on that place."

"It wouldn't be surprising if you are right." Junko commented. "That place seems like some sort of shrine or church, the kind of place that holds magic, creatures living there wouldn't be farfetched." "Then what we do?" Haruka asked confused. "Look for tracks." Benji answered. "Whoever is lost here must be looking for shelter or people; see if you can find footprints in the sand, dropped stuff, pieces of clothes, anything."

"We also shouldn't separate too much." Elle said seriously. "Yeah, mobs are lured by the arrival of one of us." Junko added seriously. "We don't have all that many damage dealers here. Just Lucy, Jessica and you."

"I wonder if I killed or will kill all the other damage dealers." Benji commented recalling Bethany and Juichi who is on his death list. "Wait!" Makie exclaimed truly confused. "Didn't you told that you only found Haruka before we met." "Yeah you did said something like that to me too." Haruka added, now she finally understood that odd nagging feeling that she forgot something important that was bugging her for few months now.

"Well I call it tactical misinformation." Benji replied. "Translating he lied." Junko said with a grin, and for that she gets the back of Benji's left hand smashing on her nose. Junko curses and holds her nose, while Benji hit hard, he held back enough to not break her nose.

"You so deserved that one." Elle commented in a tired voice. "Look our situation with Benji was everything but easy, especially between Benji and Junko, they are somehow enemies, if he told you two about me or her you two would want to meet her and that would cause lots of trouble, just leave that behind you, not every outcast like us are good guys."

Benji nodded agreeing with that, other than Junko who was good but did something really bad, the girls that Junko found, Elle, and the girls that he found Benji was still to meet a good outcast. "And this isn't important right now." Benji said seriously. "We have a stray somewhere around this desert and I know very well how dangerous this area is."

"Other than the heat and lack of water what is the danger here?" Junko asked confused but still rubbing her nose. "That would be me." An eerie voice said coming from a growing pile of black sand. "Don't you humans ever learn that I don't like you invading my domains?"

"Easy there queen, we came here just to pick a lost person." Benji said as the others jump startled. Benji pulls a wrapped bar from his pocket and places it on the ground between him and the sand that now gains a monstrous humanoid form. "Is this token enough to grant us passage and information on this time?"

"Sweet talker as usual." The monster said looking at the bar, it takes a deep breath of it and exhales in delight. "Ahh…sweetness…this is different than what you offered in the last time." "Those were my last ones; that one is candy made of several fruits, with even more sugar than those." Benji said with a smile knowing that she will accept the deal. "The energetic value of that is really, really large."

"Once again you has convinced me sweet talker." The creature said reaching to the bar with its flowing hand. "The ones that you look are on that direction, not too far from here." "I humbly thank you for your generosity queen." Benji said with a polite bow. "I apologize for intruding on your domains, we only do so in the rescue of the ones like us who weren't told about your magnificent existence."

"I might overlook those incidents if a token is given to me as you have done." The monster said with what could be called of face almost sliming. "You should hurry, others who live here aren't as generous as I am." Benji leads the group away from there and girls remain in silence unsure of what happened, but aware that if Benji would resort to such flattery and humbling to avoid conflict it was better to just follow his figure.

"What was all that about?" Junko asked once they are far from there. "Why you sucked up to that monster like that?" It was everything that Haruka wanted to ask as well. "She is not the kind of monster that we should fight." Benji said seriously. "And we wouldn't have won anyway."

"Come on Benji!" Junko exclaimed angrily. "Virtually nothing could survive against this group! We have more than enough power to take down any MVP, even four at once if not more!" "I have to agree with her on that Benji." Makie said seriously. "You alone are a match to any MVP."

"But she isn't normal isn't she Benji?" Elle asked seriously, she had this theory of why Benji threaded so carefully around that 'queen'. "She is a legion." Benji chuckled at that, Elle had figured it out nicely. "Legion?" Lucy asked confused. "In the bible, Legion is the name that a horde of demons possessing one man gave to Jesus when questioned his name. Legion means many beings who are one but many." Elle explained. "Am I right Benji?"

"Yes." Benji answered casually. "There are some obscure legends about this living sand queen, some call her black sand others queen sand, but in the reality she isn't sand, what we just saw isn't anything other than a moving colony of ants, each ant of the size of a grain of sand, protecting their queen nested inside that 'body'."

"So what? We fry the fuckers with some spell and it is over." Haruka said annoyed. "They are just ants." "Ants that can eat the flesh out an animal in less than two seconds." Benji said seriously. "Look that legion is by far stronger than anything that we have faced, on the bright side the queen is easily pleased with sweet things filled with calories. She happily trades flesh for sugar. Besides she can't touch outcasts, don't ask me why, when she tried last time the ants that touched me burned, and yes it hurt me as well."

"So a fight with us would cause us serious wounds." Elle commented. "And Benji you think that what we saw isn't everything right?" Benji nodded confirming, true they saw billions if not more ants forming a living mass, but ants are know for having huge colonies, he doesn't want to find out that what he saw is just the tip of the tip of the iceberg.

Junko sighed and decides to let that go, they have more pressing issues than some ants, thought she makes a note of investigating more about it later. "How far the ruins go?" Jessica asked to Benji. "Quite far." Benji answered. "This used to be a large city before the queen happened."

"You mean that the queen killed everyone?" Lucy asked in horror. "Maybe not everyone, but enough people to make the humans that lived here think that fighting for this land wasn't worth the trouble." Benji answered. "The legends say that the black sand ate many and even the strongest warriors couldn't defeat it, after many deaths they fled their city, everything that was left behind that could be eaten was eaten a long time ago."

Everyone notices Benji's sigh, it was clear that he looked for food there and didn't found anything when he was lost there. "And the queen isn't the only dangerous monster here, I heard that there were more than few dungeons around this place, monsters escaped and live here, the queen eats her fill of them, the monsters get stronger as the gene pool loses the weak and sick, you get the picture."

Junko and Elle do understand, that kind of setting would leave only the strongest, faster and smarter monsters alive, and the ones too dangerous for the queen or anyone else to fight easily, monsters that would kill anything for food or fun, a sick kind of symbiosis between the monsters.

"Still you should have gotten better directions from that monster." Junko complained, they couldn't see anything other than the ruins. "It won't help." Benji commented with a sigh recalling what happened last time. "Her distance measuring is way different, when I asked where others humans lived she did point me the right way and said far, but she didn't said how much, plus she doesn't measure distance like we do with meters and kilometers, it is just far and close, this way or that way."

Everyone could understand that, back in Earth in the past it was common that different cultures measured things differently than the others until a universal system was adopted. Benji looks around and finds a taller ruin, he moves to it and kicks it few times, seeing that is reasonably solid Benji easily climbs on the angled structure.

"Anything?" Junko asked when Benji was on the top of the partially crumbled tower. "I think that I saw something dark on that way." Benji answered pointing a little to the left. "I am sure that is moving." "Well it is enough." Junko commented. Benji slides down the ruin. "We will separate in teams and take different streets, it will make our chances better."

"What kind of teams?" Makie asked with a frown. "We have three damage dealers, one healer and the rest of us are supporters, so Benji, Lucy and Jessica with the rest of us, one of the groups will have three people." Junko answered. "To make things fair we draw straws."

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"Elle-san why Benji-taisho and that Junko woman were so annoyed in being teamed?" Haruka asked to Elle, on the draw Benji ended teamed with Junko, Elle and Haruka with Lucy, Makie with Jessica.

"There is a bit of a history between them." Elle answered seriously. "Before Benji made the guild, for a handful of weeks, nothing more than a couple of months Benji was part of a clan, it is something different from a guild, but at the same time similar, anyway Junko was and still is the leader of the clan, Benji joined us, well in a short time he got himself high in the ranks, Junko liked him, Benji had done a lot for the clan."

"Well if that happened why they seem to hate the other?" Haruka asked confused. "They disagreed on something very serious." Lucy answered in a level tone, she was there when it happened. "Shousa opposed something that our leader done, it was something so bad that he tore the ties with us, no one knows for sure what it was, some say that he left with something really important, and that it was something that she wronged. Some rumors say that was an important item for someone or some people."

Elle knew the truth, but decided to keep the details for herself. "It was mostly like that." Elle added. "Junko started out the tearing, she attacked him when they were discussing on a bridge not so far of the clan's castle, he fell from it wounded, later he returned to the castle, you know how Benji is when angry. Do I need to tell more?"

Haruka denies, she could easily see what happened, Benji returned and striked back several times harder before cutting the ties and taking away whatever he took. "So they hate each other for that, well I kind of understand." Haruka commented.

"You don't." Elle said seriously. "There was a great deal of trust between them, Junko and Benji really trusted on the other, but Junko abused that trust without Benji know, and when Benji protested on what she done Junko snapped, she has a temper. What you see is their hurt feelings and different positions on something that both consider important, they won't budge on their beliefs."

"But they are willing to put that aside for the sake of someone in need." Lucy commented with a small smile. "I think that there is a chance of them getting along again, maybe with more time they will work things out." "Perhaps." Elle replied. "But don't get your hopes high there girl, Benji is pretty stubborn and so is Junko, they are too similar in things that make situations like that harder to deal with. Unless they solve that, they won't get along."

"Come on Elle you saw what she was wearing." Lucy said casually. "I know that you noticed that, and that Shousa pretended that he didn't." Haruka was confused and looks back and forth between the two. "I can't deny that." Elle commented. "But Junko is too prideful to accept things, and Benji can be pretty hardheaded as well, he might not apologize either. They hurt each other in the past; they won't just forgive and forget, especially with that still between them."

Haruka is confused and curious, Elle and Lucy aren't getting in details over what is the thing that is left unresolved between Benji and Junko, but was clear that was something pretty major, she really wants to know exactly what it is.

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"So what you were doing that got blood all over your clothes?" Junko asked trying to start a conversation with Benji. "Killing." Benji answered. "There is this guy that is my enemy who sent some goons to Amatsu, I was in the middle of tearing them apart when it happened. I thought that you were peeping on the castle as usual."

Junko sighed, she expected that Benji knew about her watching the castle but at the same time hoped that he didn't. "I do have better things to do as well; I don't keep the surveillance everyday." Junko said casually. "I was busy in the castle. When exactly you learned?" "After I transcended." Benji answered. "I got suspicious then, I got it confirmed later though, since you never did anything other than watch I just let you go."

Junko remained in silence, she did watch more things than she wanted there, as some of Benji's escapades with one or sometimes more than one of his lovers at once, and now that Benji told her that he knew that she was there she was pretty sure that more than few of those times Benji did in those places in purpose to embarrass her.

"If you knew that I was there why you kept having sex with your lovers in the window of the office?" Junko asked in an annoyed and embarrassed tone. "First to embarrass and annoy you, second because turns them on a lot." Benji answered casually. "When you have five lovers you tend to use tricks to make them get off harder and stronger with the least effort that you can to preserve energy, though recently I don't need to save it all that much, for a matter of fact right now I have to use some of my slaves to relieve the excess, the routine of lots of sex everyday is paying up."

Junko is truly embarrassed with his words, Benji is admitting so many shameless things and is not even blushing or bathing an eyelash, but again given to the things that she saw him doing she isn't much surprised that he isn't all that embarrassed, though he seems to be taking a lot of pride in that fact.

Benji adjust his red sunglasses and looks around, he so hated deserts, he had come to terms with beaches and the sand in beaches, but he really came to hate deserts, on the bright side Benji knew that this time he would be able to escape from there without suffering as he did in the past, and if it came to walking all the way to Morroc Benji knew that on his current speed levels he could reach the city in one day.

"This place is too quiet." Junko commented after few minutes. "I can't hear any kind of life in here other than us." "Because other than us nothing here is alive." Benji replied. "And what is alive is under a layer of sand and stone waiting to kill us, I just want to find the stray and leave this place."

Once again Junko saw her attempt of conversation being shot down, and this time she couldn't really blain Benji for it, she knew that he doesn't like deserts and that he did wander on it for a long time almost dying on it. "Are you even armed?" Junko asked after a while.

"When the time comes I will get it." Benji replied. "Until then I am fine like this." Junko understood what he meant, a scream not so far from there cuts any other attempt of conversation, Benji takes out his glasses and throws it to Junko. "Hold on that for me. Benji exclaimed before bolting out of there. Junko grabbed them more out of reflex than consideration; she pockets the sunglasses and runs after Benji, impressed with the distance that he got in those short moments.

Benji summons his Vassala and sees the ground level change, he sees a cliff and the ruins continuing bellow, and bellow him Benji sees a pair young women pressing their backs on a broken wall while a large group of sand colored bipedal lizard like monsters of the size of big dogs are surrounding her.

Benji leaps from edge with the sword held with both hands, he lands on the shoulders of one of the creatures, Benji's weight and momentum is enough to crush the creature to death, Benji strikes down a closer creature cutting it in half. With a side slash Benji kills four more before the monsters retreat few meters as they weren't expecting that kind of resistance and are confused.

Benji quickly glances over his shoulders and sees that the two girls don't appear to be hurt, just very scared. "Stay close to me if you want to live." Benji says to them. "Got it?" The two of them nod affirmatively, he was human and so far he protected them, for them was enough reason to trust him.

Twenty meters above them Junko looks down and sighs, Benji had just jumped down a height equivalent to a small to mid sized building. 'He is even more insane than before.' She thought annoyed, but again she was the one who first made him that reckless, and Benji did land smoothly and saved the two girls.

Now closer to the monsters Benji saw that they are lizard men, clad with crude armors and armed with rusty swords, spears, maces and axes, perhaps things that were scavenged from the ruins, but that was unimportant to Benji as a group of spear armed monsters charge at him with the spears aimed at him.

Benji slashes the spears breaking them easily, in the return slash Benji beheads all the six attacking monsters, but the group was just the first and made the others attack as well, Benji easily dodges the attacks while attacking back sending more and more monsters to the ground, blood being sucked by the dry sand tainting the golden sand crimson.

Junko wasn't all that impressed, she saw Benji killing before, but the fact that he is totally unarmored is something new, turning away from the battle she looks around the area, she won't jump down twenty meters.

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Attracted by the screams the other groups run to the area and find the carnage, Benji carelessly killing the last group of monsters, and he wasn't even breathing hard. Lucy was impressed as he doesn't even broke a sweat on that heat, Junko was moving down a tall wall behind Benji.

"Well at least we can leave this damn place." Jessica commented as Benji cleaves the last lizard man, as she noticed the two young women who are with their backs pressed against a ruined house's wall. "I guess that we all felt the arrival because there are two of them at once." Elle said after analyzing the situation. "With two strays the reaction would be stronger."

"And in what you are basing that?" Haruka asked to the other woman. "The fact that we all felt their arrival, Amatsu is very far from here, so is the place where Junko and the others live." Elle answered. "Makes sense." Lucy commented. When they reach Benji Junko had also arrived.

Now with calm Benji looks at the newcomers, one of them has medium short lightly spiked blonde hair and the other has short and straight black hair, both of them have green eyes, they are quite tall and they are wearing rather common clothes a bit on the tight side being a leather shoes, black pants, a white button up shirt and a black blazer with a emblem stitched on the left breast pocket.

"It is just me or they also look slightly oriental?" Jessica said to the others while pointing to the girls. "I did notice that as well." Benji replied, this one theory of his was getting a tad more solid with that. "Now, now we can discuss their homeland later." Elle said to them. "Now we should reassure them that they are safe, they are scared to death."

"Considering what mister massacre just did I am not surprised at all." Junko commented teasingly. Benji glares at her restraining his will to smack her upside her heat with his sword. "We came here to help." Elle said to the girls ignoring Junko's remark. "I know that you are scared, you have every right to be, but we all have experienced that in the past, we like you two arrived in harsh places."

"What is going on?" The blonde one asked while covering the brunette. "Why we are in this desert place? Why there was those monsters are here and why he killed them all?" "He killed them to protect you." Elle answered in a calm and level, as well gentle tone. "Those monsters chased you and were attacking you two; they would have killed you if they got you. For why they are here I can only wonder as you do, we also don't know why. As for what is going on, well we also don't know much, we have theories going on but no certains other than we aren't on Earth anymore."

"What is your last memory before you two ended on this place?" Benji asked to them, knowing very well that recalling what happened before and what they experienced would help to clear things out. "We were getting ready for school." The brunette answered. "Then there was this loud sound, the next thing that I remember is landing on something hard." "Same here." The blonde added. "What happened?"

"Not much idea." Benji answered honestly. "I haven't figured my case yet, anyway we have more pressing things to worry about now; you two have any other belongings other than your clothes?" Junko agreed with Benji that was a much more pressing issue to worry about, Earth items are imbued with great powers during the transfer; powers that can greatly help those two.

"I have few things on my bookcase." The brunette answered. "Mostly school stuff, but a handful other things." "I have belt pack with my wallet and few more stuff why?" The blonde asked worried. "I explain later." Benji answered. "Any of you lost anything after the arrival? Maybe when running around? Or didn't picked stuff that were near you when you landed?"

The duo is confused, a quick check on their bags show that everything is okay. "We have everything that we were carrying when it happened and there wasn't anything next to us." The blonde said. "Now why is that important?" "Several reasons." Benji answered. "Right now the most is that is the only things that you own."

The duo gave the point to Benji, the measly everyday items in their bags and their clothes it is all that they own now. "Anyway we should leave this place before more monsters arrive." Makie said seriously. "Benji you said that this place is dangerous, so we shouldn't stick around more than needed."

"Yeah." Benji replied with a nod. "If they haven't dropped anything then we are good to go." "Go?" The blonde asked. "But how?" Benji grinned at the question. "It is a kind of magic." Benji answered casually. "You have been wanting to say that for a while haven't you?" Junko asked to Benji teasingly. "Well you are old enough to know that." Elle commented chuckling. "Now that I think about it I kind of feel jealous."

Haruka is clueless as are the others. "What is going on?" Haruka asked confused. "Isn't it supposed to be magic?" "Well it is." Makie answered finally realized what is going on. "So what next you will take countless shots in the chest, die and come back to life?" "I did that with swords, arrows and other stuff more than once." Benji replied. "Now that you mention you did." Makie recalled, she did see Benji pretty banged up in the past. "No 'there is can be only one'?"

Benji chuckled at that, if he had the opportunity he would use that one as well, but since he didn't he keeps that one for later. "That sounds oddly familiar." The brunette commented. "It is from a m…" Benji suddenly spins the sword and swings it hard, they all hear a loud sound of metal hitting something hard, almost like a baseball hitting a aluminium bat.

Far from there something explodes, Benji spins the sword again and tucks it on his belt under his back before driving his fingers on the ground, the girls scream shocked, not only at the explosion, but because the ground is shaking, with a snarl Benji tears a large square of stone from its place under the sand, tipping the girls to the side as he lifts the massive object over his head.

Haruka stares in shock as Benji holds the five by five meters and twenty centimeters thick square of solid stone over his head, sand falls from it as Benji tilts it to the side slightly, covering everyone under the shade of the stone just before a series of explosions roar just above them.

Makie is the first to understand what is happening, Benji tore a piece of the pavement of the ruins and is using it as a shield to cover them from the rain of explosives, the stone is cracking slightly at the series of impacts but holds until they end. With a loud scream Benji shifts his footing and throws the stone away, further away than any logic would accept, bringing the unknown assailants to scream in terror when realizing that the stone is going to land in them.

Benji let out a slight tired breath and dusts his hands with a smile of satisfaction. "You are just inhuman." Elle said to Benji while standing up. "Since when you can lift things by the metric ton?" Junko asked also surprised she knew that Benji was strong but not that strong!

"You know I think that you could do like those guys in the TV and lift models on a platform." Haruka commented in awe. "Now that would be interesting." Benji said trading models by his lovers and maybe his slaves as well. The two newcomers watch in horror, they just saw a man lift a piece of stone that must weight something around one to one and a half tons and throw it away as if it was a pebble, and he wasn't even sweating!

"You actually think that I would be able to swing Atroce's sword without that kind of strength?" Benji asked to them. It made sense for everyone other than the newcomers, the Atroce's sword was massive and heavy, the strain of swinging it would require a large amount of strength to use it in an average swordsman style, and an even large amount in the way that Benji uses it; still it was kind of unreal to see that strength.

"Anyway we should leave." Junko commented. "Actually we should stay a little longer." Benji said seriously. "What?!" everyone exclaimed surprised. "Why?" "Because those monsters were armed with grenade launchers." Benji answered. "That kind of weapon was only released recently, I want to investigate the remains; a mob armed like that is too dangerous to leave alone."

For more that they wanted to protest they all knew that Benji was right, well other than the newcomers, monsters with that kind of firepower aren't common and are surely dangerous, even in an out of limits area, the monsters could easily migrate or decide to attack human towns.

"I guess that you have a point." Elle said lightly annoyed. "As much as I don't like hanging around we can't just ignore this." Junko nodded agreeing. "Okay you two stay close of us." Benji said to the two new girls. "Lucy, Jessica, Makie and Haruka I want you two to stay close of them." Everyone nods and does so.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Elle frowned and Makie scowled when they see the grenade launchers, Benji kept an unemotional mask on, but inside her was as confused and troubled as the two, everyone else was pretty confused, the grenade launchers aren't the common Rune-Midgard type launchers, much less something that looked old as a relic of the lost civilization of the ruins that now they stand on, it wasn't even a breech loading single shot model. It was a black revolving barrel grenade launcher, similar to the ones of Earth.

Benji picks up one of the grenade launchers and after a quick exam he opens the gun. "Ten rounds." Benji muttered annoyed. "And that grenade is twice bigger than the ones available in the market." Makie added. "They look pretty similar to the cartridges of your cannon." Junko commented while looking at one of the empty cases.

"I based the design of those after the design of real grenades." Benji said while dumping all the ten spent grenades. "But these aren't like mine, mine are crude metal balls propelled by a gunpowder load, the grenades here were the explosive kind, the warhead was explosive. Just now my alchemists found an explosive mixture that can be used like thing safely, but still is hard to manufacture the warhead, solid ones are easy to make, but hollows? Those are hard."

"And the rock crushed the creatures and grenades." Elle said while seeing a forearm and hand that weren't crushed by the rock, while everything bellow the half of the forearm were crushed flat. "Whoever made this have more knowledge about guns and explosives than you, to a true technical level to replicate this kind of weapon system from scratch."

"What that means?" Lucy asked confused. "Benji modified existent weapons to make them better, close of the guns that we have back on Earth, while he does possess knowledge about them he doesn't has the real technical knowledge about them, his hand cannon is a prove of that, you know how crude it is because he made it from scratch."

Lucy knew that, it was simple and edging on the crudeness, yes it was effective, but painfully simple and minimalist showing a lack of the technical intricacies of a real gun.

"How more powerful those grenades are when compared to the ones that gunslingers use?" Junko asked seriously. "Half a time stronger." Benji answered. "It doesn't sound much, but is a fifty percent margin paired with a faster rate of fire and accurate long distance firing, adding all that together."

"It is a huge technological gap." Elle concluded. "I wonder if the monsters did these by themselves or someone gave it to them, if was given why." "It was given." Benji said seriously. "They used old and damaged weaponry against me when they were chasing the strays, if they had the knowledge to make this kind of grenade launchers they would have the knowledge to make good weapons."

'Then why someone would arm monsters?" The blonde newcomer asked worried. Benji crosses his arms and let out an annoyed breath. "I would arm and train monsters with the single purpose of turning them into an invading army." Benji answered seriously. "Expendable spearhead troops with low maintenance costs and with a huge moral degrading effect on the enemy. The psychological effects of an army of monsters invading a city or castle would greatly shake the morally of the enemy, being the enemy civilians or warriors, making them an easy target for a full scale invasion of a fully trained and stronger human army that would take over."

"Why it sounds so well thought and planned?" The blonde ask to Benji in a suspicious tone. "You know far too many details for something that you just thought over now." "Dear everyone thought at least once in raising an army of monsters to throw against their enemies." Junko said to the blonde. "And he knows far bit more than most of us about things like that."

"Besides I do think about stuff like that." Benji added. "I have tons of enemies, so I have to think in countermeasures for many possible attack scenarios, including an army of invading monsters sponsored by humans." "So what we do about this?" Haruka asked to Benji. "I say we go away and get back later with more weapons."

"I second that." Benji said casually. "I have a flamethrower back home that can do some nice damage inside tunnels." "Then it is decided we go back and come back in a later date with flamethrowers." Junko said casually while clapping her hands. "No flamethrowers to you." Benji said acidly. "What?!" Junko whined. "Not fair!" The two newcomers look at each other and sigh; they are far too confused to understand what is going on.

"More and more I think that maybe we would be better off in the monster's hands." The blonde commented to the brunette. "At least they were easy to figure……!" She suddenly screams as many hands grab her ankles and calves and pull her down. "Rein!" The brunette shouted while holding on the blonde. "Riku!" The blonde shouted as she desperately clings on the brunette as she is dragged bellow the ground.

Junko, Haruka and Jessica grab on Riku preventing her from being dragged, but before Benji, Elle, Lucy or anyone else Rein is dragged inside a hole on the ground. The edge of the hole crumbles a little widening it. "It must be some kind of tunnel system." Elle commented. "Benji!"

Benji leaps inside the hole and lands a little hard on his feet not so many meters bellow. "It is man made!" Benji shouted, it was a tunnel close to a hallway or a sewer, and he couldn't see any sign of the monsters carrying Rein on either way. 'Still a tunnel this big just a couple meters bellow the ruins it is a bit strange, this place is desert, a sewage system like this wouldn't work.' Benji crouches and looks at the ground, he could see tracks in the sand that give him a direction to go.

"It is safe down there?" Elle asked. "There isn't anything here right now." Benji replied. "Make way we are going down." Haruka said. "But we don't have lights!" Junko exclaimed. "I don't need light to see." Benji commented moving away from the hole, a nice effect of everything that he experienced is that total darkness was as clear as day for him, it was a bit annoying when trying to sleep but was handy in dark dungeons.

"We aren't monsters like you." Makie commented while climbing down the hole. "And I can cast a light spell." Haruka said while smoothly levitating down the hole, one by one everyone enters on the dark tunnel.

"They move rather quick." Elle commented when not seeing any corpses inside the tunnel, Benji dove there as soon Rein was dragged down, and if he hasn't killed anything is because they were outside his sight before he got there. "Yeah, but they went that way." Benji said pointing to the left. "The sand says so, and now I can see the scratches better on the stone."

"Still I don't like this." Junko commented. "We are in their backyard and we are hardly equipped to a rescue mission like this. Look at you my panties are more armored than you are right now." Benji just shrugs at the comment, sure a nice armor was important, but based on the type of abuse that Benji took in the past was also superfluous as he could take large amounts of damage and still fight.

"I don't like of the size of the tunnel." Lucy commented, there was hardly enough room for two people walk side by side with some distance between them and the walls, hardly enough to use long swords or staves. Benji stretches his arms while standing on the middle of the room, looking at where his hands end and the walls he had a pretty good idea of the width of the room. "Three meters and a half at most." Elle said when seeing Benji's gestures. "Five tall at most, not much room for battle or moving down here."

"Far enough for me." Benji commented while producing two long knives, almost swords by the length, both have a one hand long hilt with a ring on the end. It is wrapped with cloth and it has about ten centimeters of cloth hanging from the ring.

It is an half meter long blade, with two edges in the slight curved blade, the blade tip is larger than the middle and get larger again near of the handle, it have a small protuberance in the edge to inflict more damage with the tip of the protuberance and the other side of the edge the larger point of the blade, the tip if the edge is very thin and sharp with a slight turn to upside to the protuberance side, near of the handle is also sharp in the blade with a tips of the blade forming a guard, the part that is turned to the handle is blunt, a larger circle area in the connecting point of the handle and the blade are the main guard.

"Those are new." Junko commented seeing those two knives for the first time. "Not really." Benji replied casually. "I had this one for a long time, I only kept her secret." It was true, it was one of his old designs, heavy, sturdy, sharp and reliable, all that without being too heavy or cumbersome, perfect for close quarter combat.

Benji casually sheathes the two knives on his belt next to his sword. "When you got the sheathes?" Lucy asked surprised, even the sword was sheathed while tucked on his belt. "The same trickery." Junko muttered annoyed, it made her mad seeing Benji using that much better than she does.

"We should hurry." Jessica said seriously, they shouldn't be wasting time while one girl is on the hands of dangerous monsters. With a nod the group advanced with Benji on the lead and Lucy at the rear, with Riku in the middle the group for safety reasons.

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"How annoying." Benji muttered while looking at a spear on his shoulder. "I guess that not even you can avoid every strike." Junko commented impressed that Benji is regarding the spear as something minor as a splinter on his finger, even though the spear pierced through his back. "Still just one wound after seventy monsters is really something."

Benji ignores her and holds on the spear with his right hand just before it enters on his shoulder and tears it from his shoulder with one swift pull. Benji carelessly throws the bloodied spear away. "Benji I could have done it without making things worse!" Elle exclaimed seeing a piece of bone still connected on the spearhead.

Benji closes his right hand hard. "Limiter release, fifty." Benji hissed as his body tenses. "Transgression." Haruka gasped in horror as smoke start to come out of Benji's wound as the scent of burning flesh fills the room. "Shed the old skin for the new skin." Elle whispered horrified as the wound burns itself closed leaving only a scar behind.

Benji take a deep breath and relaxes a little. "Now let's have a nice little chat." He says while walking to a lizard man. "I want you to understand something before we start…" Even the lizard man stares at Benji in horror, first Benji easily killed seventy of his kin with ease; second he tore the spear away and healed as if it was nothing. "If I do this do my OWN body, do you want to see what I will do to yours before you start speaking?" Benji continued with an evil smile.

"I don't know if I get impressed or sick." Makie commented while Benji listens to the lizard man telling him everything that he wants to know. "You should be horrified." Haruka said while looking at Benji's back. "I never knew that he could do that." "Please isn't like he damaged himself on that." Junko commented. "It just hurts. Transgression isn't such a horrifying technique."

Junko turns to Elle. "Benji said that he released to fifty." Junko said to the older woman. "How much he normally runs with, thirty, forty?" "Ten." Elle answered. "And Junko transgression isn't like heal, he hasn't really healed the wound, he repaired the damaged tissue and hasn't recovered."

"Screw that!" Junko exclaimed surprised. "You said that he runs with ten? You can't be serious, I run with thirty five all the time! Any less than thirty and I can't do anything!" "He can." Elle replied. "And he gains the benefits for such high limitation, you saw yourself, and that is why he is that strong. Now Junko if ten percent is leaking to him you really want to imagine how it is at fifty?"

Junko recovers her wits and sighs tiredly. "I really have no chance, right?" She asked in an annoyed and slightly angry tone. "His true level is far higher?" "Yes." Elle answered. "I just want to see his natural healing once the drawback ends." "Okay you people lost me a while ago." Makie says to the two. "What are you people talking about?"

"He haven't?" Junko asked to Elle. "No." Elle replied. "And if you do you will regret it badly." Benji added after killing the lizard man, he had learned everything. "They aren't ready." Junko looks at Benji, then at the lizard man, or what was left of him after Benji turned the top half of his body in pate. "Who am I to question that?" Junko asked casually.

"Good." Benji said with a pleased nod. "Anyway she is on that direction." Benji walks towards one of the several halls that connect to the room that they are in and the others follow him. 'Elle-san what is going on?' Haruka asked to Elle privately. 'A lot of stuff.' Elle answered. 'Look Benji doesn't want you to know yet, so just trust on him on that, he is right, you aren't ready, neither is Makie or anyone else, it is bad enough with Junko, Benji and I knowing about it.'

'But what is all this limiter, leaking, transgression, drawback and true level stuff about?' Haruka asked worried. 'I can tell that is dangerous.' 'And it is.' Elle replied. 'Look the truth is something double edged, we have scars from it and we are still treading in the dark here, don't worry about that stuff, let Benji do it, leaders are supposed to do that. And transgression is nothing more than a technique that Benji possesses, it regenerates tissue that was tore, it is really complex so I won't detail, in short it repairs damaged tissues like bone, muscle, nerves, tendons and skin, though the skin always end crudely.'

'So it is a kind of healing spell?' Haruka asked. 'Something like that.' Elle replied. 'It means that is something that is can be used regardless the fact that he can't heal by natural means.' Elle added to herself, transgression was just what it meant, to break laws, Haruka doesn't need to know that.

Riku was pretty scared with everything, first she and her sister ended on the desert alone and without any supplies, then they were chased by monsters, Benji arrived when they were trapped and killed the monsters, her sister was kidnapped by the monsters and now she is following them into their lair in hope of saving her sister, she can't understand what kind of nightmarish world she is in now.

As much as she wanted to believe that was all a bad dream she felt pain, it was real, for as much as that it frightened her. She just saw a man kill several monsters with ease and total lack of care, get wounded and not show pain, then tear the weapon from the wound and seal it up without using any kind of first aid, and it was all real, all that she hoped is that once her sister is safe is that they can get away from Benji, even thought he saved them she was utterly terrified of him.

"Don't worry so much." Lucy said to Riku, now Jessica is on the rear of the line. "Shousa can be very scary but he is just like that to enemies, to friends he is nice. If there is a chance of getting your sister safely it will be bigger thanks to him." "While I am in bad terms with him, you can take her word on that." Junko added to the scared girl. "He can be a inhuman, cruel, monstrous and mean murdering machine sometimes but most of the time he isn't like tha…!"

"I am sooooo sorry!" Haruka exclaimed in a clearly fake apologetic and clearly unrepentant voice after hitting Junko's head with her staff hard. "It slipped out of my hand." As more troublesome and sometimes annoying lover as she can be Haruka still loves Benji very much and wouldn't let some hussy badmouth him like that in front of her, even though Junko wasn't far off the truth with her words.

"Benji might seem a little scary." Elle said while Junko rubs the sore spot on the back of her head while muttering something about stupid, slutty, masochist and exhibitionist sodomite blonde bimbo. "But wanting or not we all need to become scary to survive here, Benji is just more than others, especially since he is taking the load of others for their sake."

Haruka felt that, it wasn't a barb or a insult, but she knew that Elle just threw that in purpose for her to catch, Haruka could recall very well how things were, while she killed many monsters and killed more than a few adventurers she never soiled herself in the levels that Benji had, and she knew why that.

"This world is very dangerous." Lucy said seriously. "There are so many monsters, so many ways of dying horrible deaths here, all that not even adding accidents, murder and other 'regular' stuff, in our side we have the advantage of developing several times faster than the natural humans of this world, but against us is the fact that we don't arrive ready for it."

Riku listens in silence, Lucy recalled very well how her arrival was, how frightened she was, she had very few belongings with her, the time that she somehow left Earth was the worst possible, she was changing clothes in her gym locker, when she arrived she had just a pair of cycling shorts, a sports bra and a shirt as clothing, and a broom that was next to her locker, no shoes, no backpack with useful items; and how she landed on a undead infested area filled with monsters that she never saw before or after she was rescued by Junko and Itsuki who was with her, but back then Junko's hair was longer and she was an assumed melee fighter and not an long range caster.

While more than a few meters ahead of the girls Benji could hear the conversation pretty well even though they are speaking in a lower than normal volume, first Benji's sense were pretty enhanced after everything, second they are inside a tunnel that made it easier to hear, he wasn't even surprised that Riku was scared to death of him, he did noticed that since Haruka his levels of violence when dealing with monsters during rescues escalated a lot, but he was a little surprised that Junko sort of defended him while offending him, he just keeps listening to the conversation absent mindedly while paying more attention to the dungeon itself.

Haruka did noticed something else that she didn't liked about Junko, first it was the jacket that she was wearing, it was clearly a masculine cut, quite bigger than she was as it hanged quite loosely on her, second it was that Junko's breasts are bigger than hers, closer to Layla's and Atsuko's size, just a touch smaller and Junko's body lines were by far more seductive and curvier than hers.

While all that annoyed Haruka a lot it wasn't what truly bothered her, it wasn't even how she badmouths Benji in every opportunity when he wasn't looking, but it was how Junko looked at Benji when he wasn't facing her, it wasn't the eyes of someone who looks at the enemy, but a look filled with longing and other feelings that Haruka couldn't fully read. Haruka knew that there was something there but she is too afraid of what exactly is that.

The sound of clawed feet on the stone reaches everyone's ears together with the sound of vicious snarling, but before anything could really happen Benji suddenly vanished from their sight, not walking outside the light radius of the torches and light spells, just vanishing.

Lucy and Haruka rushed forward and see a better lithe room filled with heavily armed and unmoving lizard men, in the opposite end of the room Benji is standing casually while using a piece of paper to wipe one of his knives clean. "I think that I know that." Haruka muttered just before all the lizard men burst in an explosion of blood and pieces.

It was just as Haruka foresaw, every lizard men died before even realizing that they were hit, but still stood erect before the bodies finally realized that it was slashed and fell into pieces. Haruka was stunned with the scene; Benji didn't have time for that kind of feat, as he was out of their sight for less than two seconds.

"He just did that?" Junko asked shocked with the small piece of hell that the room turned into. "Elle what kind of speed Benji possesses now?" "Let's just say that is in anime levels." Elle answered casually, still she was impressed, by reason and physics the human body wasn't able to reach that kind of speed, but again nothing that they do after arriving in that world was exactly supposed to be done, so she wasn't all that shocked.

"You are coming or not?" Benji asked to them. Riku was fighting her will to throw up, she was too sick to go across that room, how could someone be ready for such hellish scene with blood, intestines and body parts lying around like that. "I think that we need a little time here." Elle said to Benji. "The newcomer isn't used to this, honestly neither we are."

"I will be going ahead them." Benji replied. "Take this." Junko said while taking out the jacket and throwing it to Benji. Benji grabs it on the air, actually having to move inside the room to get it before it hit the bloodied floor. "It is yours anyway; the shades are in there as well." Benji nodded and puts on the jacket before leaving the area.

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Now alone Benji could just let loose and no longer have to worry about restraint, he swiftly runs through the dark tunnels with light and silent steps. Not more than five minutes had passed since Rein was kidnapped, but many things can happen in five minutes and he was worried.

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"Feeling better now?" Elle asked to Riku after they retreated a bit from the bloodied room. "Yeah, but the scent is really disgusting." Riku replied sited on the floor. "How you people endure it?" "Between getting used and smelling much worse." Makie answered with an uneasy smile as she recalls that she used to be pretty sensitive about that as well.

"As we said this world is pretty dangerous." Jessica commented. "We either adapt to it or die. This place can be quite cruel." Riku notices surprised how everyone remained in silence and haven't said anything about that, letting Riku know without words that what Jessica said was very much true.

"We can't just live in somewhere safe?" Riku asked in a small voice. "Been there tried that." Elle answered bitterly. "It doesn't do us any good, you see we all get some sort of recurrent problem that happens to us time to time. Take Benji as an example, whenever he is getting used to something and his life is getting calmer something happens to ruin that, Junko ends hurting the people that she wants to keep the closest to herself in such way that scars her."

"What about you?" Riku asked confused and a bit scared. "There is this one thing that I want very badly, but I can never get it no matter how much I try." Elle answered honestly. "While these sound like things easy to get along it isn't, Benji after he got used to this world lost the support of the people that gave him the stability, Junko after she trusted on Benji in this extent that I won't describe did things without thinking that broke their relation with drawbacks that I won't detail as well."

"And all that is escalated with fighting, being the attackers monsters or humans." Lucy said seriously. "Very often someone or something for some unknown reason attacks us when our guard is down or when we are unsteady on our feet." "Now that you mention it I think that I did experience some recurring problems." Makie commented seriously, he could recall that every now and then she would lose something important for herself, things that were both valuable and useful for her.

"They are different for everyone." Junko said seriously and a little depressed. "Some are pretty minor, others are pretty bad and the frequency is pretty random as well." Haruka couldn't recall anything like that, she never faced anything that she could call of recurring problems, the closest thing to that was her habit of making mischief to get Benji to punish her in the way that she likes it, it took her sometime to admit that to herself even though she doesn't admit to anyone else.

However Haruka kind of could see the pattern on Benji, based on what she knows about him from what she lived with him and heard from others it was happening rather frequently, first was Mana and Shina leaving, then something with Junko, next what the guild, after the guild Maria, after the WoE it was being attacked and sent to Arunafeltz, after returning to the guild the closest thing that Haruka could classify as disrupting the peace was the sudden attack on the castle and the arrival of the strays, she isn't sure of what, but everything involved lots of combat.

"But once you get used to all the weirdness of this place, or learn to ignore the weirdness this place isn't all that bad." Makie said casually. "Sure there are monsters everywhere, but there are some beautiful places as well." "I can't deny that either." Lucy commented. "Comodo is quite nice, Amatsu is amazing, and there is this nice little lake in Payon that is just perfect for relaxation."

"Amatsu is absolutely fantastic." Haruka said with a smile. "Though the winters can be pretty harsh." "Tell me about it." Junko commented with a sigh, then she slaps her mouth recalling that neither Haruka or Makie know the exact location of her castle, it would be bad if they learned that was around the borders of Amatsu and shared the same climate.

"Well the food is also pretty good if you stay away of the monster made food." Jessica commented. "Yeah, I know that the monster made food gives temporary bonuses but is just too odd to eat something made out of monsters." Haruka commented. "I don't know what kind of people enjoy that."

"In case that you forgot Benji eats monsters pretty often." Makie said teasingly. "Most of the times not even cooked." "Yeah." Junko commented with a nod, she saw Benji doing that before, sure she eats sashimi but Benji takes that to a whole new extreme level. "But you would expect that porings tasted nice since they look cute and jelly like."

Now everyone looks at Junko surprised. "What?!" Junko exclaimed surprised. "I tried it once, they are yucky! And Benji said that he ate a drops before!" "When starving and dying of thirst in the desert after god knows how many days without food." Elle said teasingly. "And he said that it tasted really bad as well."

"But Benji-taisho does eat monsters quite often." Haruka commented, she did recalled Benji eating monsters before, especially in dungeons or when he was wounded or tired. "Atsuko said that he ate a Loli Ruri once." "He does have a liking for female human like monsters on his meals." Elle said recalling that Benji does favor those over beast like monsters or male monsters.

"You know what they say about vampires." Junko commented. "They always goes for virgins of the opposite sex because tastes better." Once again everyone stares at her and Elle smacks Junko upside her head. "You are in a roll today aren't you?" Elle asked annoyed.

"I am just recalling a precedent!" Junko exclaimed rubbing her head, Elle hit the same spot that Haruka did. "Then don't." Elle replied. "Anyway enough with monster eating. There is more on this world than that and this world isn't all that bad once you get used to it."

"But I don't want to get used to it!" Riku exclaimed. "Trust me honey." Jessica said with a sneering smile. "Neither did any of us." Riku instantly becomes silent again and recalls that everyone that she met was in this world by far longer than she was and like her weren't offered an explanation about why and how.

"Anyway we should meet with Shousa." Lucy said after a short while. "Things are too quiet." Now Haruka realized that was truth, they didn't hear anything from the direction that Benji went for a while. "He is fine." Junko commented. "We were just slowing him down anyway, Benji is a solo hunter and we are just hindrances for him."

Elle nodded agreeing. "Most likely he is slicing through the enemy as we speak." She said casually. "He shouldn't be pushing himself like this, but given the gravity of the situation I can overlook it. Trust me girl if your sister is alive he will get her alive, if she is dead rest assured that she will be avenged, at least that he can guarantee."

Junko nods agreeing not so begrudgingly as expected. "Still we should go." Jessica said seriously. "That Rein girl isn't used to this kind of thing as we are, and Benji can be pretty scary." "You do have a point." Haruka commented, she recalled how Benji fights and if wasn't the fact that she loves him and she knows him well, and was rescued by him and fought by his side Benji could be pretty frightening.

"I guess that you are right." Junko said. "Then let's get going. Riku do us a favor and don't look down, we need get across the room." Riku nodded nervously at the idea of walking over the corpses, organs and blood that is covering the room's floor.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

As he hits the ground Benji had to admit that he wasn't expecting to find monsters with machine guns down there. 'But I am thankful for using some of my leftover energy to summon Aliza with some extra armor.' Benji thinks while he hears the human leader of the monsters babbling about fools.

His armor took the entire damage with ease; after all he was using one of his hidden composite armors, one with two middle layers of metal sandwiched between soft armor. 'Let's see, thirty monsters armed with machine guns are between me, the girl and that man.' Benji thought while still playing dead. 'I got two pistols, with eighteen exploding mercury rounds each, thirty six shots, enough to kill everyone and still have some change. I guess that I can use some terror skills to gain extra impact.'

Letting out a dark energy aura Benji slowly stands up to the shock of the laughing man, the girl and to some stent the monsters, it isn't everyday that you see someone take hundreds of shots in the chest and stand up afterwards as if nothing happened. "Shoot me again I am not dead yet." Benji said in an eerie and sarcastic voice.

The surprise and fright was enough to paralyze everyone there, Benji pulls two black pistols from his coat and fires at the monsters, it ended quickly with all the monsters falling on the ground with gaping holes, tore limbs and missing parts of the head or the body.

The man grabs Rein and hides behind her, keeping one arm around her neck and pressing a large silver pistol on her back from behind. "Drop the guns or I kill her." The man said to Benji trying to sound menacing.

"Go ahead and kill her." Benji said in a sneering tone while looking straight at the scared girl and the man behind her. "I don't know her, besides her life is the only thing that is keeping you alive, if you kill her I will just shoot you through her corpse. Alive or dead she has next to no value to me."

Rein was terrified, she thought that he was there to save her, but even in terror she recalled that showing to the person with the hostage that the hostage is important is an error, she knew that she saw someone saying that in a movie once, but being the hostage she can't see the efficacy of that, she wants to be rescued!

Benji couldn't get a really good shot at the man, while possessing a good aim and the distance isn't all that great, the exposed area of the man is minimal, hardly enough to see the eye, there wasn't enough area for him to aim and get a deadly shot, the skull is very hard and he heard about cases of people being shot in the head and the bullet being deflected by the skull, going around it and coming out on the other side of the head leaving an exit wound in an exactly straight line to the entry wound.

Anything other than a deadly shot would make the man shoot on Rein's back, Benji saw the gun, it looked like a desert eagle, the caliber was large enough to any shot in the central mass to be deadly. If the gun was pressed on Rein's head he could try shooting the hand of the man off, but the man was smart enough to keep it covered.

"What about this?" The man said to Benji. "I will walk to the door on my left, enter on it and leave the girl in front of it. What about it? In this way you get the girl and I get out of here alive, it isn't a bad deal is it? In this way we can both get what we want, I will even forget that you killed my trained lizards, I can always find new tools."

The offer wasn't all that bad, Benji knew it, that if he only wanted to get the girl, but Benji also had to put an end to his plans of arming monsters with high grade firearms, if anyone was going to get an loyal army of gunslinger monsters it would be him and no one else!

Rein feels the pressure of the pistol on her back shifting, not in the way that it would if it was moving because the man was adjusting his grip, but because something on it was being moved, she could feel the clicks of the moving parts. She gets air to scream and before she could scream she feels a massive impact on her back, followed by a burning sensation and the feeling of things on her ripping.

As in slow motion Rein could see the bullet flying out of her in a straight line towards Benji, then a jet of misty blood, but before the bullet was halfway between her and Benji, Benji moved, she can't understand anything, she could see his face change in a grimace as he moves to she side, no longer in the path of the bullet and then moving towards her.

Her knees buckle under her weight and Rein's vision blurs, she doesn't see Benji moving beside her and grabbing the man's head with his left hand and he holds on the man's right hand, she barely acknowledges the shrill cry of pain, bones breaking and something tearing.

Benji throws away the semi-decapitated man, he would die, but it would take around a minute for that, a long minute of mind shattering agony and pain, looking at Rein who is flat on her back Benji curses under his breath, she was dead, sure she was breathing with her undamaged lung and her heart was pumping blood madly out of the gaping wound of the size of an apple a bit bellow her right breast, he could see her insides and if he held her vertically he would be able to see through her.

Haruka, Junko, Riko and the others arrive and see in horror Benji standing next to Rein, the blonde was lying in a pool of blood and the wound on her chest was clear to them, even from that distance Elle knew that the girl would die, no healing would save her, not on that moment, maybe if the girl had few levels she would, but not now, and Elle knew that Benji knew that as well.

"Sis!" Riku shouted in horror, rooted the spot unable to move. Junko finds the dying man as he gurgled in agony, she sees the pistol on his crushed hand, she can guess what happened. "Can't you save her?!" Riku shouted in despair to the adventurers. "Don't you people have those inhuman powers?! There isn't anything that you can do?! Anything at all?!"

Benji as everyone else is hurt by the cries, actually a little more than the others. Junko looks at Riku, then at Rein and lastly at Benji, she feels really sorry for the girl, she deserved a chance to live, a chance to live enough to go back to her home. "Benji can't you do that?" Junko asked in a small uneasy voice, knowing all too well how that affected him.

"Please do whatever you can to save her!" Riku begged on tears. "I don't care what it is! Just save her!" Benji looks at Rein and then looks away. "You know as well as I do that the last time that I tried that it failed." Benji said to Junko while clenching his hands in fists.

"That was almost one year ago Benji!" Junko exclaimed. "You know better than anyone else how much powerful you became since then! She deserves a chance Benji!" "Jessie, Lucy." Benji said while turning his back to the girls. "Take Makie and Haruka out and don't let them in unless I say so." "What?!" Haruka and Makie exclaimed surprised as the two girls obey him and easily drag them out of the room without saying one word.

Benji kneels next to Rein and gently lifts her. "Regardless of what they said, of how they begged…" Benji says to the dying girl. "What do you want? I can only offer you a small chance of you living through this, however you won't exactly be human anymore. You won't be the same afterwards, and you won't be ever be able to change back to how you used to be, no matter how much you want it. You will suffer from urges; you will cry, beg, bargain, fight and know that I will stop you time after time, no matter how much you beg for it. What you want?"

Rein weakly mouths yes and then exposes her neck to him, knowing what to do. Benji leans forward and licks some blood from her neck and chin, Junko and Elle watch in silence and fascination, they knew about that ability but it is the first time that they saw Benji using, and Riku was shouting and struggling while held and silenced by Junko. She said for them to do anything that they could, so they are doing.

Benji focuses his remaining energy and opens his mouth as he leans closer of her and sinks his teeth on Rein's white neck, the blonde gasped in pain and her eyes snap open as Benji's teeth tear her skin and flesh until it reaches her artery, then she gasped sweetly as the sensation suddenly changes, the numbness of her body was being replaced by a pleasure that she never felt before.

Riku cries in silence as she sees her sister gasping and moaning as what she could only call a monster drinks her blood in large mouthfuls. Rein's body suddenly starts to spasm lightly and she cries a bit louder. Junko and Elle could tell that the cries weren't cries of pain, but ecstasy.

Then Rein stops moving and mewling, her body goes limp on Benji's arms to Riku's despair, after short moments Rein's body shakes and they hear a deep gasping breath. Benji pulls away from her and while keeping her upper body leaning on his left leg Benji takes out his long coat, he gently wraps her on it, carefully covering her body before he picks her on his arms and stands up.

"Is she alive?" Junko asks in a mix of anxiety and expectative. "For now." Benji answered while turning to them. "I am not sure if it will work or not, just time will tell." "Sis! Sis!" Riku exclaimed while rushing to Rein, tearing herself from Junko's hands. Rein doesn't say anything; she only stares at nothing with half open glassy blue eyes.

"What you did to her?!" Riku shouted at Benji as not seeing any reaction from Rein. "What you asked for." Benji said in a cold voice. "You never heard about the saying 'watch for what you wish for'?" Benji turns to Junko. "You agree with this?" Benji asked to her.

"Yes." Junko answered with a nod, holding her right arm uncomfortably, now that she saw Benji performing that she regretted that she did. "I take Riku and Rein is yours." "What?!" Riku questioned not understanding. "Now things are different." Elle said in a serious tone. "Before your sister was taken you two would stay together with either Benji or Junko to watch over you two, but now that isn't possible. It is clear that you won't settle with Benji, and Rein can't live away from Benji now."

"What?" Riku asked even more confused. "Why?!" "I devoured what was left of her life." Benji explained. "I mixed with mine and returned to her body while healing the damage. She is my slave now, infused with a fraction of my life and powers." Riku stared at Benji in horror. "You really could have worded that much better." Junko commented.

Benji shrugs at the comment. "Anyway Elle collect the guns, three of each, get all the ammo that you find." Benji said to the older woman. "Jessica, Lucy you can come in with them." Benji shouted to the doorway. Instantly Haruka enters on the room and is followed by Makie.

"You two return to the castle." Benji instructs to the two. "Go into the depot three, get some girls to help you two, I want a bed, a table, a chair and a chest of drawers there, now." Haruka was about to protest but Makie stops her. "Not now." Makie said seriously. "For now we obey, later we question." Haruka nods weakly and teleport away from there.

"Jessica, Lucy take Riku away from here." Junko said for them. "Later I will explain to her the situation with more calm, for now I need to discuss something with him." The two nod and hold the protesting Riku and teleport away from the room. "I want to hear from her after something happen." Junko said to Benji in a serious tone. "I need to give Riku some news."

"I will let you know if anything change." Benji replied. "Don't raise her hopes all that high, as far as I know it can end badly at any moment." "I know, I will explain things for her." Junko said. "Want the jacket back?" Benji asked. "No." Junko replied. "It is yours anyway. I was with it just because it was on my reach when I warped here. Anyway, I will grab myself a couple of rifles."

Benji shrugs and let Junko take the guns. After a while she leaves the room as well leaving only Benji, Elle and the still non-responding Rein there. Suddenly several Alizas appear in the room. "I want you all to search for firearms, ammo and anything that isn't natural in a room or is a monster in a half kilometer radius area from here." Benji says to the maids. "Then return to the reverse castle with everything that you find and wait for further instructions."

"Yes master!" The army of maids answered as one; after all they are one, sharing one conscience. Then several Chris appear in the room, half of them holding a large bag. "After Aliza is done I want you all to place explosives in this place." Benji commands to the army. "As far as the fuse cords can go, centered on this room and spreading in every direction and entering in every room that it can, once it is all set all but one of you go, then the last will lithe the fuse and go back to the reverse castle. Is that clear?"

"Yes sir my master!" All of them answered as one before moving out to fulfill their task. "You are sure of this?" Elle asked to Benji in a serious tone. "Yes." Benji answered in the same way. "Whatever it can't be located will be destroyed or buried in the sand. The explosion of the alchemic explosives will weaken the tunnels around the blast radius, with some luck most of the sewer will collapse and bury any secrets with it."

Elle can't really protest against that, any firearms on Earth level was too dangerous to leave it alone, and given the amount of monsters there it was better if the sewers were destroyed, besides with the queen around was better off like that, sending expeditions there would be risky when counting her and whatever other types of unknown monsters that lurk in there.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Atsuko and Layla are waiting for Benji and Elle by the castle's gate and they are surprised by the two teleports, Elle wasn't any different from when she left, other than few specs of dirt on her clothes, Benji in the other hand was with an armored outfit and with weapons hung on his belt, and above everything he was carrying a unknown woman on his arms. What shocks them the most is the absent look on her glassy eyes, totally unresponsive to everything.

"Master what happened?" Layla asked worried. "It is a long story and I will tell you all later." Benji answered. "It is enough to know that things were worse than we wanted and right now she needs my full attention." Layla nodded in silence and so does Atsuko, while worried and curious about what happened they knew that in that moment it wasn't the time to press for answers on anything.

Benji spots Yami and summons her. "Deal with that thing that Aliza took to the reverse dungeon." Benji commanded to the blonde slave. "I want to you to extract everything out of him." "Yes my master." Yami replied without a hint of her usual sarcasm or disdain, she knows that it won't be tolerated. "I already know what to pursue."

"Good." Benji said while walking towards the castle, Rein needed to rest, and Elle would make sure that everything was normal before Benji laid her to rest in the underground storeroom.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

After ushering Makie and Haruka out of the depot turned to room Elle is examining Rein closer and with calm. "Well all the damage caused by the shot was healed with the infusion of life force." Elle said to Benji after examining Rein's breasts and body. "Not even a scar left, even from the bite, you are getting better on the stealing part. So out of curiosity is she…?"

"Virgin?" Benji asked while leaned in a wall inside the room. "Yes, she is. Trust me on this Elle, I can tell. As much as I didn't want to." "So it is true that virgins taste better?" Elle asked honestly curious. "It is a more delicate flavor." Benji answered with a frown and a smile. "Intense as well, but different from a woman, a mature woman has a different intensity and a whole different bouquet…"

Benji hits his forehead with his fist. "Please tell me that I am not comparing blood of a virgin and a woman as if I was judging two different wines…" Benji muttered truly annoyed. "Well you are, not that I am judging you." Elle commented. "I am honestly curious about it and isn't good to repress those, let it out and speak about it, just shutting them off will be harmful if ever surfaces."

"I guess so." Benji said in a tired voice. "Look it is hard to explain, Layla tastes different from Atsuko, Haruka is different than both, there are similarities as all of them have this same strength because they aren't virgin anymore, while Rein's blood is way different. I am not sure if because she is a virgin or because she doesn't have levels."

It was a valid doubt and Elle gave that to him. "So how are you feeling?" Elle asked. "Too well for my liking." Benji answered. "I am pretty sure that I am fully recovered now." Elle would have to exam Benji but that is for later. "I check that later, from what I can tell this girl should be awake." Elle commented. "Maybe she is in some sort of trance, or induced sleep, I am not too sure of anything."

Benji moves closer of Rein and gently closes her eyes. "For now let's let her rest." Benji said to Elle. "After what she has gone through she needs it more than anything." "You are staying here aren't you?" Elle asked while standing up. "Yeah." Benji answered. "I still need sometime to get rid of the taste of blood, and she shouldn't stay alone now, not like this, besides she will feel better if someone is here when she wakes up."

'When and if she does.' Both Benji and Elle thought. "I will send Alice down here with something for you to eat." Elle said. "Real food will help you get over it sooner." Benji thanked Elle and sits in the lone chair of the room after she leaves the room. Saving Rein like that had triggered memories that Benji preferred to no recall of, and he knows very well that Rein won't have a easy life thanks to that, his single comfort on that is that unlike him Rein at least has someone to guide her through the changes that she will experience.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Haruka finds Elle after she leaves the depot and the area where Benji's Valkyries slaves are guarding, Makie is standing near to her as well. "We need to talk." Makie said seriously to the healer. "You know things about our condition and haven't told us about and we want to know."

Elle knew that she couldn't just refuse, but at the same time she just couldn't just tell them everything. "We have theories." Elle says to them. "First, every successful outcast is Japanese or has Japanese blood to some extend, Benji is the one who connected that one."

Haruka and Elle remained in silence, but the information surprised them. "Second, every outcast has some sort of recurring problem that disturbs his or hers life. Junko who is one of the longest cases of outcasts that we are aware of came with this one." Elle continued. "The only case recorded without that is Maria; we are assuming that she is being spared for now because she is too young to deal with it."

One again the duo remains in silence. "Third every outcast has potential to break safeties." Elle said seriously. "However only Benji, Junko and myself know exactly how to bend, bypass, break or disable the safeties, Benji was the one who discovered this and taught us. And now we won't pass this knowledge to the two of you, especially you Haruka, I made some research on you, it was recorded that you killed several adventurers with your spells in combat before Benji sealed you."

"What? How he sealed me?" Haruka asked truly confused, she doesn't recall any kind of ritual being performed to her by Benji, but again many times she was unconscious during or after she had sex with Benji, given that she fainted quite often with hard sex. "It doesn't matter." Elle replied. "You were being too reckless; you killed some adventurers that weren't on the bad side as Benji classifies them when you cast your alabaster fire."

"Well it does explain why when I first used the adventurers vanished from the attacked area and afterwards there was a trail of 'killed' people." Haruka commented recalling the second and subsequent uses of the spell in combat. "Moving on." Makie said bringing Haruka back to the topic.

"That is all that I feel like I can tell you." Elle said to them in a serious tone. "Trust me on this, Benji is doing you two and all the other ones a huge favor here, a favor that none of us had, so accept it silently, none of you are ready for this, Junko pushed Benji too hard, too fast and too soon, while Benji was a willingly participant and I was supporting them in the whole way we all regret that we forced things that should take time, Benji still pays pretty dearly for that. He is protecting you all from some pretty nasty stuff."

"Isn't our right to decide that?" Makie asked angry that her opinion wasn't even asked before those decisions were made. "That is true." Elle answered with a superior smile. "But it is our right to decide in sharing our knowledge with you, and you are here for a while and never realized several stuff that the other us learned much sooner, so without us you wouldn't learn anything. So don't come bringing up rights or duties as reasons to tell you what we don't want to, it is a shared condition between us all, but the knowledge is individual, and without today's incident you would remain blissful ignorant to this until we decided to tell you anything."

Makie couldn't contest that at all, still she was angry that the information was denied to her, but she couldn't do much about it even though much of her want to extract the information out of the healer, her rational mind was the only thing holding her back, some of the reasons is that Elle was there much longer than she is, and Makie can tell that Elle isn't only a passive healer and if confronted she could show things that were better of hidden, another is that if she attacked Elle Benji would most likely beat her up for that. And Makie was well aware of Benji's strength and how superior to hers it is.

"What Benji did to that girl?" Haruka asked to Elle deciding to change the subject to something also pressing. "Shortly he saved her life." Elle answered calmly. "And no I won't explain how, you just need to know that now she has to be under Benji's constant watch in the case of things ending as expected or badly, either way he has to keep her close and guide her, he is the only one who can."

Haruka was frustrated, she was used to being denied secrets, but this was too much for her, there was too many secrets that she was being denied, if she wasn't aware of them it would be much easier, as Elle said to Makie being blissfully ignorant of things was indeed a blessing.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Do you like the room?" Junko asked to Riku while entering on the room where the girl is staying. "It has a nice view, but if you don't like it there is still plenty more that you can check later." Riku glares at the brunette. "It isn't bad for a cell in a tower." Riku spat angrily.

Junko sighed at the reply and puts a tray of food on the room's table. "This isn't a prison cell." Junko said seriously. "I have a dungeon bellow the castle for that, I admit that locking you here was a bit rough, but you weren't exactly cooperative you know it? Anyway if you are calmer now I can answer few questions to you."

"What is going on?!" Riku asked angrily. "What that…that…monster of a man did to my sister?!" Junko sighed again, but she expected that kind of response. "Did exactly what you asked for." Junko answered calmly. "Put your hand on your heart and think hard on what you begged to us before that."

Riku feels her chest tightening at that, she knew that what Junko said was truth; she begged them to do anything at all to save Rein. "What he did?" Riku asked driving back her anger and confusion. "It is hard to explain and honestly I don't understand it all that well either, Benji only did that once before today." Junko said seriously. "And back then he failed immediately."

Junko fishes a stick of carrot from one of the plates in the tray and bites it. "And we don't have any idea of what will happen next." Junko added while munching on the vegetable. "Understand this your sister can die at any given moment, however she might as well live a closer to normal life."

Riku doesn't say anything back to Junko who is dipping the carrot on a white sauce. "And if things go right?" Riku asked worried. "Benji will protect and guide her." Junko answered. "Her life is his now, he paid for it with some of his life, she belongs to him and is this is a success she will understand that and act accordingly."

"She has no choice at all?" Riku asked. "Her choice was dying or become his." Junko answered. "She choose it already otherwise Benji would have let her die, you saw that he asked her what she wished, she wished to live even if as his eternal slave. You came with me for two reasons, first back then you were too emotional to understand anything, second, if your sister does lives she has a really hard patch ahead of her, a patch that will be better threaded without you near her, it will be easier for her, less humiliating."

"What he will do to her?" Riku asked afraid of what could happen to Rein. "Your sister got some of Benji's life, that means that she got the same problems that he does thanks to some things that I did to him, she will need to learn how to deal with a whole new set of desires, instincts and problems." Junko answered seriously. "She will cry, beg, hurt, and do much more things trying to get what she wants, even though what she wants is bad. Therefore to keep her image of her the same that you have now, you shouldn't see what she will do. Showing it to you would only strain or break your relation."

Junko finishes the carrot and allows the information sink on Riku's mind. "Enough with your sister for now." Junko said after few minutes. "Now you eat your food, it is really good, and you need the energy. In two days we will start training you." "Training me in what?" Riku asked confused.

"To be an adventurer." Junko answered. "That is how people call us, anyway, as far as we know, we come to this place to gain powers, since we can evolve much faster than the naturals of this world, don't worry about equipment or anything like that, I will pay for everything until you can stand on your feet."

"Then what?" Riku asked seriously. "Then you can do whatever you want to." Junko answered casually. "Look there is this not so spoken agreement between us, well at least between the ones that I know, we, the ones that are in this world longer will give assistance to newcomers, being that help in their arrival or economical support until they are mature as adventurers and used to this world."

"You mean that I can just leave?" Riku asked surprised. "Yeah, look you aren't a prisoner." Junko said seriously. "You are held for now because if left alone you would get yourself killed or worse, but once you are used to this world you are free to come and go, no strings attached. You aren't forced to be loyal to me, if I earned your loyalty I will be glad if you want to stay, but if you want to leave I won't force you to stay when that time comes."

Riku nodded understanding and wonders what kind of troubles would make someone act like that to total strangers. "So if I said that I wanted to join that Benji man I could?" Riku asked. "Yes." Junko answered. "If he accepts you in his group, you can leave to go there, honestly I wouldn't be surprised anyway since your sister is there and she can't leave." Junko answered. "But for now don't worry about it, worry only in resting."

"What we are supposed to do?" Riku asked. "Beats me." Junko answered with a shrug. "I am here for years and I still haven't found a meaning or a reason for why we were sent here." "I meant as adventurers." Riku replied. "Ahh… well we fight." Junko said casually. "We fight and kill monsters, protect cities from monsters when they are being attacked, essentially we become better fighting machines, if you are lucky you can find other things to do."

"Like?" Riku asked. "Well it depends." Junko commented. "Benji got his guild/harem and he takes care of them with a great amount of care and jealousy, I have this clan but I lost a quite lot of meaning a little over a year ago because something stupid that I did, one of the things that I do is to rescue forgotten classes because their powers and abilities."

"What that Benji being a heavy power type and you being a mid weight speed type means?" Riku asked recalling a conversation in the tunnel after Benji left them. "It means our body types and strengths." Junko explained. "I am quite fast but I lack in sheer strength and endurance, while I am tall and have broad shoulders thanks to the fact that I used to be a swimmer I won't be as strong as Benji."

Junko sighs recalling of that. "Benji's body is naturally strong, sturdy and resilient, you can tell by his build." Junko continued. "That kind of things translates in how easily we can develop particular traits and we get bonuses on them as well. It is a bit complex and we are still figuring things out, I mean we call Benji a heavy power type, but he is really fast and supple as well, he has more things and that makes really unfair because he pays so little on everything."

"Pays?" Riku asked confused. "We get points as we evolve, we distribute them among attributes. What is truly means that we are mystically enhancing our natural attributes." Junko explained. "An example of that is Benji tearing and lifting that piece of the ruin's street above our heads and then throwing it at the monsters, normal people don't do that."

Riku had to agree with that, and she understood, it meant that as they evolved as Junko named it they can get much stronger and develop those attributes. "However it takes time to get on those levels." Junko added. "Trust me, Benji is here for two years." Riku nodded understanding, but now that she knows that she can become strong it gives her comfort in the idea that she might become strong enough to defend herself from monsters.

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"Hey I heard that there was a mess here earlier today." Juliet said while walking towards Atsuko and Layla. "Is that true?" "Yes." Atsuko answered. "Benji dealt with it a long time ago." "And where is he?" Juliet asked casually, her order made some candied limes and she was there to give some to them, that bit of extra courtesy between the two groups made everyone feel closer. "I got some stuff that I brought for your guys."

"According to Elle he is busy with this girl that he rescued earlier today." Layla answered while taking the offered jar from the knight. "Still it amazes me that you out of all people make stuff like that." Atsuko commented while seeing the conserved fruits. "Honestly I thought that the diamond order was a full battle inclined order."

"Why that?" Juliet asked actually surprised with that. "I mean it is a known fact that convents and other church buildings like that make their own stuff and even sell them out, besides we don't fight all day long every day, we need other means to survive as well."

"Still is odd." Atsuko commented. "I kind of like of the idea." Layla chimed. "Having more skills than combative ones is good, plus making things like this is an assured source of income." "And nice winter provisions." Juliet added. Atsuko couldn't deny that, but still felt wrong, for her adventurers should live by fighting monsters.

"And my superiors said thank you for the cherries." Juliet said to them. "You should thank Benji for that." Layla replied. "They are quire good aren't they?" "Yeah, we made some really good cakes with them." Juliet answered happily. Atsuko sighs and decides to leave; her image of adventurers and knights is crumbling because of the two.

Atsuko knows how to cook but she wouldn't say that loved cooking, though she admitted that she liked when Benji ate and praised her food, but was clear that the two knights shared a liking for it as they continue to chat about food and cooking. She spots an Alice leaving the dinning hall pushing a cart filled with covered plates.

Atsuko knew that she was taking food out, that thing was made to allow the maids or the guild girls take food to other locations without risking spilling, normally the destination was Benji's office, but the Alice was moving on the wrong way. "That is for Benji." Elle said after she noticed Atsuko as she leaves the dinning hall. "Because he is watching over the girl she will be taking down some food for him, he used a lot of energy today."

"We are still not allowed to go on that part of the castle?" Atsuko asked to the brunette. "Yes." Elle answered. "Things are in a delicate phase right now, Benji and I hardly know what we are doing, so the least interruptions or distractions better." Atsuko nodded understanding.

"And Benji said that he might call one of you later." Elle added. "Stress relief." Atsuko nodded with an understanding smile, knowing very well what Elle meant as stress relief. "Just answer me this." Atsuko said seriously. "Is he hurt?" "No he isn't." Elle answered honestly. "He is fine."

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"No change?" Elle asked to Benji as she enters on the depot turned into bedroom. "Not at all." Benji answered while stretching, almost one entire day had gone by and there weren't signs of changes on Rein. "Well we should give her some more time." Elle commented. "She isn't a monster and the process is different as well."

Benji nodded agreeing. "And you should take a break." Elle added. "I know that you only spared a little time yesterday to be with Layla, and as much as we know how it relaxes and improves someone's mood, we both know that you didn't that for those reasons. How much energy you got from her?"

"Not much." Benji answered with a sigh. "Around three percent." Elle knew the amount that he meant, while it sounded little it was quite much. "And Layla isn't showing any kind of drawbacks." Elle commented amazed, that was far beyond a knight's improved recovery. "So sex is indeed a source of great power."

"You doubts of thousands of years of mysticism and superstition of several different and unrelated cultures?" Benji asked teasingly. "Sexcraft, the power of sex or just ritual sex is mentioned in several different cultures that never had contact between them. That is more than a coincidence right?"

"Now I believe, but I am surprised that you actually do that." Elle replied. "I try not to, but in the past months it was their energy that healed me." Benji said seriously. "The energy is exchanged in the process, charged and liberated on the climax, the brunt of it is taken by the female, all that I do is tap on it."

"So it feels any different?" Elle asked curious, those supernatural things always arouse her curiosity. "Normally when I do that they get stronger, longer, more intense and almost every time multiple orgasms related to the pleasure of the 'kiss'." Benji answered. "Thankfully I don't feel anything like that, if I did I am not sure if I would stop."

Elle nodded understanding, the 'kiss' as Benji called the process of sucking energy out of other beings was extremely pleasurable, once Elle experimented and had Benji sucking her energy, it felt like sex but without sex, it only got more intense as more energy Benji stole from her, and she recalled how badly she cried when Benji stopped, all the pleasure that snowballed inside her stopped growing and she could still feel it after a long time after he stopped.

Her best guess about why it feels so good is that is a trapping mechanism, if it hurt the victim would fight back making the act hard and potentially dangerous, but if feels good the victim's struggle would be much smaller and eventually the victim would surrender to the predator, the ultimate reward for that is a climax that Elle can't imagine the intensity just as the last bit of energy is drained out of the victim, a final and very fatal ecstasy.

And on Benji's side it also felt good, Benji couldn't describe the sensation for her as she couldn't pinpoint the feelings herself, but Elle is sure that for Benji stop on the middle of the 'kiss' required a huge amount of willpower. Elle was fascinated with the newly discovered process that Benji told her about.

"How much energy you have now?" Elle asked. "Around twenty percent." Benji answered. "Before the battle I was around seventy and something." Elle nodded understanding, it was a huge lot of energy, and given the fact that even Benji's natural spiritual energy production was halted thanks to his watch, all that energy was taken from his lovers through the months, which improved his condition.

Elle then recalled that she got distracted with the new information, she mutters something about being too easily distracted and looks at Benji. "You need to rest; you are still wearing the same clothes that you were yesterday." Elle said seriously. "I know that you are being careful and considerate, but you need to rest as well, the strain isn't good for you even thought your body is fully recovered."

"I am fine." Benji replied. "Look I am used to this kind of thing, my body won't deteriorate without few hours of sleep. Besides just god knows what she will do when she wakes."

Elle was aware of that, Rein got Benji's powers, that also means his 'desires' and affinities, Rein would seek for energy, lust for it and she is far too inexperienced to ignore that, Elle knows that Benji is waiting for Rein to try to attack someone, it will happen, the issue was when.

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Rein wakes feeling hot, uneasy and with an odd mix of tiredness and restfulness. She first notices that she is inside an unfamiliar room, that she is dressed and resting on a soft bed, and it was then when she gets a little relaxed that the memories return to her. Sitting in despair she starts to feel her right breast and chest, she let out a sigh of relief at the fact that there wasn't anything there, but that was odd as she recalled very well being shot there.

"At last." Benji said after the girl started rubbing her own breast, a bit amused that she haven't noticed him yet, he was big and he was wearing strong colors. Rein let out a yelp of surprise at his voice and presence.

"Master?" Rein replied questioningly, and inwardly wondering why she called him like that or why felt natural to her do so. "Yes." Benji said, not truly surprised with how she addressed him. "I was starting to get worried since you haven't show signs of recovery until now. How are you feeling?"

"Considering that I was shot quite well." Rein answered, and then she recalls something else and touches her neck. "It healed along the one on your chest." Benji said with a smile. "And no I am not a vampire." "Then how?" Rein asked confused, what she recalled from him matched really well what vampires do, other than walking on the sun. "It is hard to explain and you won't understand it right now." Benji said casually. "At the moment we have other concerns, are you hungry?"

"Now that you mention it." Rein replied feeling her stomach hurting a little. "But at the same time isn't like I am hungry." "It doesn't matter." Benji said while picking a tray of food from a cart next to the table. "Shove it down if needed." "Yes master." Rein replied uneasily while taking the offered tray.

The food looked really delicious, rare steak, onions and lettuce salad, rice dumplings and rolled leaf vegetables, but other than the bleeding steak nothing else attracted Rein's attention that strongly. When Rein tries to swallow it down she starts to cough. "Keep it down." Benji said in a strong tone, he knew so well what she is going through.

With a loud sound Rein swallows down the piece of meat. "Why it is like this?" Rein asked confused. "I like beef, but why my body responded like this?" "Is a side effect." Benji answered seriously. "While you haven't devoured energy as I did to you, I transferred to you a nice amount of it, along with that fact you gained some of the problems that I have."

"You are allergic?" Rein asked tentatively. "Hell no!" Benji exclaimed. "I love meat, trust me by choice I would be carnivore. Once you devour energy your body too quickly adapts to it and make you hunger for it, you lusted that bleeding steak hasn't you?" Rein nodded weakly. "Blood is one of the means of finding raw energy." Benji added. "You know by instinct how to find the energy and hunger for it."

"Then I want to drink blood?" Rein asked confused, sick and worried. "Yes, and trust me, when actively sucking energy through blood it tastes delicious." Benji answered. "Otherwise isn't all that much. Anyway I don't indent to let you turn into an energy sucking monster, so keep eating or I will shove the food down on your throat with a stick."

"Yes master." Rein replied scared of him, she can tell that he will fulfill his threat if needed to. "And I will eventually teach you how to control the hunger as well how to devour energy." Benji said while sitting on the table. "That kind of thing is a last resort that you should have to use on emergencies only, and once you get used to it you eventually subdues the hunger and it becomes fully voluntary with no sudden lusts."

Rein admitted that it sounded good, and seriously wonder why she is taking all that so naturally, after few moments of pondering she risks it as something that she got from him on that mysterious energy thing, not knowing how right she is.

After a while Rein stops eating. "Where is the restroom?" Rein asked embarrassed. "See the curtain on that corner?" Benji answered pointing to the furthest left corner of the room. Rein nodded positively at that. "In there you will find a portable toilet, toilet paper and a trash can." Benji continued after getting the affirmative nod. "Use it, next to it there is a barrel with ash, when you are done throw two pails of ash in the toilet."

Rein gets even more embarrassed than before. "Is that standard?" she asked with her face crimson. "No." Benji answered. "It is specially for you, at least that one, we do have others like that for use in other situations. Toilet in here are quite close of the norm."

"Why?!" Rein whined, if toilets were close of what she was used to why he pushed that on her. "Because I won't let you use the common restroom." Benji explained calmly. "You are a risk, until I am sure that you aren't a risk anymore you will get the commodities back."

"Why I am being treated like an animal?" Rein asked in confusion and shock "I am being caged here?!" "Yes you are caged here." Benji answered. "But not as an animal, understand this, I have one hundred people living two floors above this room, I am responsible for all of their lives and safety while they are inside this place, letting you walk freely in your current state endangers everyone of them and you as well." Rein could understand that, she really could, and in other situations she even agreed with that, but not when she was the one arrested!

"Look this is temporary." Benji added. "And if makes you feel better I was in a similar condition as well, you are lucky because now that I know what to do you have comforts and experience that I didn't had when I suffered from this." Rein feels her anger withering away, how she could feel angry when comparing things like that, sure she was in house arrest, but the room was quite comfortable, the food was good and she is being treaded well.

"How long I will stay in here?" Rein asked in an apologetic voice. "Until I am sure that you are able to walk around without attacking anyone or anything that shouldn't be attacked and sucking them dry." Benji answered. "As long as that takes." Rein frowns at the idea of staying there for so long.

"If you have the same problems why you have that much freedom?" Rein asked feeling a little angry. "Who is stopping you from sucking people dry?" "Fair question." Benji said casually. "No one other than me is what stands between me and a feeding frenzy. However what it took me a rather long period of time to gradually experience will happen to you very fast and hard, that difference is what separates us in the treatment, and the fact that I learned how to deal with the thirst, even though it is still there."

And it was an argument that Rein couldn't find words to contest. "I was in isolation too when it first happened." Benji explained. "I almost went insane with the desire of getting energy along with other things that I won't explain now, it took me a while to subdue it and learn how to keep the control. And if makes things better have made a rough and still under development schedule over what we will do about this and other stuff, including outings."

It did make Rein feel a little better. "Any previews?" Rein asked hopefully. "Or an idea of what to expect?" "Nothing new for the next couple days, other than a medical check up later today." Benji answered. "This first week will be observation only, I never did this kind of thing to anyone, well this is the second time and the first that it actually worked, so I don't know much of what is happening or might happen."

It was a sensitive worry and Rein had to accept it, in his place she would do the same. "Other than medical check ups if deemed needed, and I will be here all the time to make sure that you don't try eating the doctor." Benji said in a half casual and half serious tone. "The only other person that will enter here will be one of the maids who will collect the contents of the toilet once every two days and will be bringing the food down here every day."

"With you here to make sure that I don't eat the maid." Rein said in a lightly annoyed but mostly teasingly tone. "Yup." Benji replied playfully with a nod. "And feel free to lick the maid as you see fit, she will like it." He added teasingly. "They taste good." Rein blushes madly at Benji's not subtle remark, trying to deny very hard the fact that part of her mind actually considered the option.

"Do I even want to know how you know that the maids taste good?" Rein asked embarrassed. "I eat them regularly." Benji answered teasingly. "Is what makes my hair shiny and glossy." Rein chuckled at the perverted joke and relaxes a little, wondering if things will be better than it sounded.

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"I knew it." Elle said while looking at Rein's open mouth. "She is starting to grow fangs, her rate is several times faster than yours." Rein is just confused and embarrassed and keeps her mouth open while Elle speaks to Benji. "At this rate we will need to feed her with calcium supplements."

"We do have the eggshells powder that I keep around and feed to Maria." Benji commented. "It is pure calcium supplement, regular intake will compensate the changes." Elle nodded agreeing, it was clear that the bodily adaptations that are connected to the strengthening of the body to the stress of the power requirements of a life of fighting and adventuring was happening too fast for regular food to cover the new needs.

"Do I have to stay like this more?" Rein asked with her mouth open. "You can close it now." Elle answered. "From what I can tell you are perfectly fine, but with higher nutritional requirements and clearly a bit thinner than before, we will adapt your diet for such case, and the number of meals will increase to five, three main meals and two inter meal snacks."

"I can live with that." Rein commented. "But that eggshell thing sounds nasty." "Actually is quite tasteless." Elle replied. "The eggshells are dried in a oven, then turned into a very fine powder with the use of a mortar, the powder is added to food or drinks. Benji feeds that to an seven years old, so if a child can eat it so can you."

Rein couldn't counter that, if she did she would sound more immature than a child. "Well I am done with the exam." Elle said casually. "I want check her up again in two days to see if there is any progress." Benji nodded at that and watches Elle leaving. "Can I at least get a book or something?" Rein asked to Benji who is about to leave as well. "And when I can bathe?" "I will get you a book, and on the bathing I will call the maids and bring in the furo that we bought yesterday." Benji answered.

"Furo?" Rein asked confused. "A Japanese bathtub." Benji explained. "Well is a rather simple one anyway, I will explain with more details when it is here." Rein nodded and watches Benji leaving and shutting the door, at least she had deck of cards to entertain herself.

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Benji relaxes a little on his office, Rein seemed to be taking things well and hasn't shown any signs of bloodlust yet, it was a good thing. And for his lovers it meant a time that they can expend with him, thing that they eagerly do. Benji was seriously considering moving the office to another room and keeping his current one as the private one, given the fact that it was the spot where he mostly relaxed in the castle, leading from the other spots.

Maria happily bursts into the room clad on her swordswoman clothes. "Benji!" Maria exclaimed while running towards him. Layla chuckled at the girl, and is inwardly content that they were just being there idly amusing themselves with their own pastimes.

Mari jumps on Benji's lap and hugs his chest. Benji puts the book that he was reading down to pay attention to the little girl. Layla returns to her ikebana, Atsuko continues with her chess game with Erika, and Haruka keeps writing things down on her spell book.

"I am sorry." Alexis said when entering on the office. "I was speaking to Teresa and Maria just ran when I was distracted." "It is okay, as long she is behaving out there some mischief can be allowed in here." Benji replied casually. "Any problems?" "Nothing at all." Alexis answered. "I will be leaving, Raki still wants to level some more."

Benji nodded understanding, Raki seemed determined to go through the multi-classing as fast as possible while Maria was taking things in a more leisurely pace, and for the moment is telling Benji how her day was, the whole Rein's arrival incident long forgotten.

Benji listens to the girl's tales of adventuring as he normally does, for him was a good way to just slow down and take a breath, remind himself that life isn't only about hard stuff and can be quite bright, and Maria was quite cute in her pinkish colored swordswoman outfit and the black cat ears that he gave her.

Benji knew that it was too otakuish of him to give her that, but Maria did liked his cat ears and was quite happy when he gave her a pair, plus was cute, he was after all an anime fan, he wouldn't just deny his roots like that, even with the amazing powers that he gained, it was his otakuness that allowed him to mentally adapt to the situation and understand what happened.

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Rein looks at the bathing implements that were taken to her room, she was really uncomfortable in using them, especially the so called washing area, with was a inclined wood deck where the water would run to a corner and fall on a large bucket, fitted inside it is the furo itself, a large barrel shaped tub now filled with warm water.

As Benji explained she was supposed to wash outside the tub with water from a barrel next to the washing area, adapted to have a crude shower made out of a bucket, a valve and a showerhead. The washing area has waterproof curtains surrounding it giving her some privacy, but she still can't make herself bath on that hellish device.

Only the fact that Benji said that the water would only be changed in the next morning prevented Rein from bathing as she was used to, and since was the only way for her to get herself clean, and she was starting to smell a little, she resigns herself on bathing there.

'At least I have soap here.' Rein thought slightly annoyed with the fact that she has to ration water to have enough warm water to shower and bath. The floor was proving to be rather slip proof, so she eventually relaxes and scrubs herself with more concentration.

Outside the locked room one Aliza and one Alice are quietly waiting, they were assigned to deal with Rein's needs in terms of refilling the tub, taking away the dirty water as well cleaning the toilet's reservoir, all that under Benji's watchful eyes to prevent attacks, but for now they are alone with two Valkyries since Benji left to give Rein privacy to bath.

Half an hour later Rein calls the maids, who call Benji, while Rein locked the room from the inside with a bar the room was also locked in the outside with the key, the inside lock was just to please Rein's sense of privacy and security. And in ten minutes the two maids take away the waste water barrel away after thoroughly drying the washing area, they also take away Rein's dirty clothes.

"If this keeps up for a long time I will get really mad." Rein said to Benji, it was very inconvenient to live like that, always under Benji's eyes, isolated from everyone else in a rather well lithe but windowless underground room. Benji knew that was inconvenient and quite annoying, but it beats the cell like room where he locked himself on, Rein even had a bed and all that he had was some padding!

"As I said this is something that will take time." Benji replied. "Look we will get things more comfortable as we move forward, think like this, four days ago this was just a empty depot, now it has every comfort than most of hotel rooms of this world has to offer."

"Other than windows, freedom, privacy and entertainment." Rein muttered. "You have privacy here." Benji replied. "The only time that you don't have privacy is when someone else is here and I come in with them, and when I am here to check on you." "What about the two guards outside?" Rein asked.

"They are here for your protection." Benji answered. "As well to protect everyone else, they keep everyone else away from here, and if something happens to you I will know quickly. And aren't they the ones whom you ask for things when I am not around?"

Rein couldn't deny that, whenever she needed something she called the guards and told them that she wanted something and one of them leaves to tell Benji about the request, which normally ended with Benji entering on the room after a while with the requested stuff.

And after two days like that the room was a little lively than before, but that was because one of the maids brought a bamboo vase with flowers, few books and a couple of one person games there to keep her busy. "I kind of wanted to stretch my legs." Rein said with a sigh, she was awake for a little less than two days and she was already tired of being coped inside the room.

"I can arrange some walking time." Benji replied. "But I am pretty sure that you won't like of the conditions." Now Rein is unsure if she wants to ask what those are, but the desire of going out was bigger than her fear so she asked. "What are the conditions?"

"One, I would be with you." Benji answered. "Two, you would be chained…" "Chained?!" Rein exclaimed. "You mean like a dog or something?!" "Pretty much." Benji replied. "It prevents you from running away if you suddenly goes crazy."

And as much as she wanted to protest Rein can't as she recalls that the whole purpose of her isolation was to prevent her from attacking people or rampaging, but the idea of being walked like a dog was too humiliating and unsettling for her to just endure silently.

"Anyway I will arrange the chains." Benji said seriously. "Even if you agree with it, we will only walk at night, when there is less risk of meeting someone." Rein nodded agreeing, it would give her time to think about it, or at least silence the part of her that is screaming 'murder' on her mind, as quite much of her mind had made up her mind in accepting being walk, she was already calling him master anyway, how different that was from accepting stuff like that.

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Rein felt worse than she imagined that she would, when Benji mentioned chains she thought that would be something around her waist and perhaps hands, not a steel collar and a chain, she couldn't shake the feeling that she was on a leash, but at least she is seeing some other place than the depot turned into room.

"If wasn't for the leash this would be rather nice." Rein said while gazing at the large 'garden' of the reverse castle. "I feel like a dog taking a walk." Benji held back a chuckle and wonders how she would react if he mentioned that he did brought some snacks as well.

"I just can't believe that something this large can exist underground in such anachronologic world." Rein said in amazement as she takes in the sheer extension of the entire area. "This underground area is natural, other than the castle." Benji explained. "The rocks on the ceiling give out light naturally; they are quite amazing as well, as the intensity varies during the day, and that allows the plants to grow down here."

"And you have no idea of how that works have you?" Rein asked to Benji. "Not at all." Benji replied casually, he had long given up on understanding Rune-Midgard, he might be an otaku and adaptable, but he wasn't a scientist, he was fine in leaving certain mysteries as magic, especially the ones related to why none of his lovers are pregnant, a fact that he is glad about and other things that makes life easier.

Rein could feel the same, with so much going on with her, especially that annoying growing thirst that isn't going away even when she drinks a lot of water bothering her, so just not trying to figure out small details and taking them for granted feels okay with her, besides the reverse castle as Benji called was too damn beautiful, why keep her mind filled with pointless issues when she can take in the scenery?

'Maybe the walk isn't all that bad.' Rein mused silently, the chain made a very soft almost bell like noise and not the usual chain sound, she could get used to it, it wasn't all that heavy, the collar was padded and silky, Benji was walking on her pace so the chain was reasonably loose and she was getting yanked when walking around, she could live with being 'walked', though she wonders why she feels like Benji has experience on that area.

Rein had to admit that the area is beautiful and can only wonder on the beauty of the outside, if the hidden castle was like that then the outside must be even more beautiful. Benji just let the girl stretch her legs for as long as she wants, if she is happy then it was okay, it would push back feelings that she wasn't ready for yet.

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In the end of the first week Junko was a bit pleased, Riku developed well and is progressing rather quickly, she also got news from Benji about Rein, making Riku much more pliable and content, but mostly she is worried being that the reason that she is outside the gates of the Silver Moon castle so late at night.

Junko isn't surprised in seeing Benji walking out of the gates, but she is a bit surprised in seeing a leashed Rein with him. The door next to the gate is shut and Benji let go of the chain. "You can walk around for a while, you are not to lose sight of the castle or run towards houses or the tree line." Benji says to the blonde. Rein just nods while wrapping the chain around her arm, she was too content in being allowed to stroll around alone to mind restrictions, even though she will follow them, all that she wants is to take in the scenery and night air.

"Can we talk?" Junko asked to Benji. "We can." Benji replied. "Let's take a walk." Junko nodded and they walk towards one of the out of limits area, Rein looks around and takes the other way.

"We really need a way to contact each other more commodiously." Benji commented, not that he minded the chat system that adventurers get along the safety, but sometimes it was really inconvenient. Junko nodded agreeing, it was a pain to get by only with the chat system, or on her case the mystic silent alarm that Benji has around the place.

"So why the visit?" Benji asked as they stroll around a small trail between the cherry trees. "Normally you stay away or call me from your place, if is about her the conversation won't start."

"It isn't about her today." Junko replied seriously. "I got few things in my mind and honestly you are the only one who I can discuss with." Benji knew that was serious and was related to their stay there, while also knowing that Junko confided everything with Itsuki, including their origins, so if was something that Junko wanted to discuss with him and not Itsuki then was very serious.

Benji nodded lightly. "What is it?" He asked. "You think that we found every stranded one?" Junko asked seriously. "That we, you and me know every single outcast from Earth?" It was a serious question, Benji knew it, and he also knows the answer for it very well.

"No." Benji answered in the same way. "Honestly Junko at the best we met around ten or twenty percent, if that much. Hell I even killed one a little over a year ago and am trying to kill another one right now." That shocked Junko, she doesn't give a damn if Benji massacres natives from Rune, but killing people that came from Earth like they did was wrong, but seeing Benji's face Junko felt too scared to voice the wrongness that she is feeling.

"They aren't like us Junko." Benji said in a level tone. "I know the two of them, they are rotten to the core, they don't care for others, and trust me on this Junko the one that I want to kill right now left me to die in the desert when I arrived."

Junko remained in silence, she couldn't contest that, she heard the tale from Benji back when he was part of her clan, but Benji never mentioned that the stalker was from Earth, however that feeds the theory and fear that Junko is feeling, there was more like them there and certainly not all of them are good or even lucky to be found by either kind adventurers or outcasts. They are just the one of the tips of the iceberg and they can only wonder how many more are 'lost' in Rune-Midgard.

End of the chapter thirty three:

Author explanation corner:

Attack to the castle, domains and feelings: I needed to start to introduce a major enemy on the story, originally the enemy was going to be the stalker of the group but it felt too lame to have him killed so soon, so the stalker changed to a important underling of that main enemy. Juichi, the name asked by Benji to the stalker is the name of the enemy, more about him later.

By use of magic Benji can feel when ill intended trespassers invade his domains (castle, surrounding area and other locations), I won't explain the magic now. Elle felt the ill intent from the group because she is sensitive to energy (being a healer/doctor made her sharp in feeling when things are wrong).

Now the killing of the group, nothing more than the use of stones and enhanced strength, as well the real physics of things. I admit that the priest was gory, but I had that scene bugging me for a while, but the effect was good, I mean the shock of seeing someone killed like that is huge.

Arrival of the sisters: Another scene that was bothering me, god how it was bothering me. Anyway, it is the first know arrival of two people at the same time, therefore the arrival feeling was much stronger to the point of affecting warp spells (well there is more to this but it will be explained later, wait for the next chapter).

The arrival of the sisters was there also to show Junko doing a bit more than stalking, as well to explain few things and show new abilities and characters. This arrival marks a point of the story where more theories about outcasts will be explained, of course some of them might be wrong and others right.

Originally there would be more battling and killing on this part of the story, the sand queen would be developed a bit more, but I removed it, the chapter is long already, a long dungeon exploring in the church like building would make it even longer. I would also show some of Junko's powers but in the end I removed that as well, it felt better to keep them hidden a little more.

The monsters are the generic lizard men type, not very smart but quite strong, trained and equipped by the man inside the dungeon they become a real threat to anyone unprepared. I won't detail more because it wasn't learned by the characters yet. So no explanations for why the man had military grade stuff with him.

Rein: French for rain, I had decided to show a different side of Benji's enslaving skill, in her concept she was going to be the one to show it, so she was going to be deadly wounded anyway. She is the older of the two sisters, the blonde one.

As explained in the chapter Benji stole her spirit/life force/soul call however you want, and after mixing with some of his he managed to save her life, the price is now that Rein is totally dependant of Benji's life to live and is by nature and instinct submissive towards him.

A second benefit from that other than not dying then is that she now have the same set of powers that Benji has (including unseen ones) all in a much lower level (remember Benji is high level, she just gained some on the trade). However that also means that she got some problems that Benji has, as the bloodlust in combat and everything else named on the story.

Riku: The younger of the sisters, her concept is simple, I need to show more of Junko and having good reasons for Benji not to kill her in sight, so Riku was created to counter Rein and act as a link between the two, as well as a excuse for the two discuss and bring up past issues that I have to explain sooner or later. More about her later.

Lucy and Jessica: Two more outcasts that Junko met, Jessica was on the clan much before Benji joined, Lucy was found shortly before Benji joined the clan. They are melee fighters, I won't explain much about them now, and unlike Benji, the two don't have much knowledge about outcasts and the theories developed about them.

Benji suddenly appearing with weapons from nowhere: Skill to be explained later.

Transgression: Unique skill, heals physical damage, do not recover lost HP.

Drawbacks: As mentioned a lot in previous chapters Benji's watch cuts his natural healing as a counter for the massive boost that it gives, so all the healing that Benji can get is from outside sources or magic, he also can't regenerate SP on this phase.

Limiter: Explanations later.

Recurrent problems: Well while I was writing the idea just came, and it does explains quite well why whenever there is peace in Benji's life for a long time something happens to change that. Other problems will be shown later.

Benji with armor: I was going to show the girls meeting with Benji and finding him comfortably sited on a chair while sipping some wine with an Aliza standing next to him with a tray, but in the end I removed the scene since I needed Benji to be alone to get the scene with Rein wounded right. Benji summoned an Aliza while 'off-screen' and got some armor and weapons from her.

Energy draining, enslaving humans: Since I wanted to show the possibility of failure I kept Rein in shock/sleep/coma for few days before she snapped out of it, I won't explain when Benji first used this right now.