Chapter 2

Early afternoon, in the forest on the way to the Hollow Innocents' valley settlement.

*BANG! BANG!*

"...Blurgh!"

"All right! I got it pinned down! Violet, do your thing!"

"Roger that! ...Eeeiii~! "

*ZZZAAAPPPP!*

With a burst of bright blue, magical light Violet lets out a cute little shout to down the small group of vaguely humanoid shaped green slime creatures with her 'mazio' spell, a small low level and group targeting lightning attack.

"...Whoa...!"

"Haha! I'm totally awesome! Go me~! "

Seeing the attack not only land, but finish the group off right then and there, Ley took a moment to really take in the sight of the extra crispy slime monsters slowly crumbling away as he once again took in the odd sensation of absorbing 'experience points' through his GUMP while his pixie partner put up a little 'V for victory' as she flew around in circles for whatever reason.

"Man, but slimes? Really? Talk about basic..."

"Huh? What are you muttering about? What about slimes?"

Ley just shook his head. "Don't worry about it. Just thinking out loud. Anyway, great job! We make a pretty good team, huh?"

"Yup! You shoot and I zap! Best combo ever! Though, I kinda wish we had someone on the front lines though..."

Ley nodded. "True. Well, let's just keep being careful and continue avoiding any really tough fights for now, yeah?"

"Mm! Works for me! Alright! So if we keep up the pace and don't run into too many fights then we should be able to reach the Hollow Innocents' settlement by late afternoon at the latest," Violet happily said as she was flying a little ahead and leading the way.

"Huh. For 'another world' full of demons, magic, and strange technology from who the hell knows where, the place doesn't actually feel too different from my old world..," Ley muttered as he took in the scenery around him while they made their way through the woods.

"Really? So what was your world like then?" asked the very curious pint sized pixie.

"Well, for one thing, demons and magic were pretty much just make believe things that you'd only ever hear about in stories or see in fiction."

"So, only humans lived in your world?"

"Well, besides other animals and stuff like that, then yeah. Just plain old humans like yours truly,"

"Huh. That's, honestly hard for me to imagine too, honestly."

"Haha! I bet."

"But, you really aren't bothered by all this, are you?"

Ley shrugged. "What can I say, humans are just adaptable like that."

"Yeah sure, if you sa-"

"...Eeii!"

*BOOM!*

"-SSQQUUEEAALL!"

"...Kyaa!"

"The fuck!? What was that!? Is someone being attacked? Actually, didn't whatever that was sound like it came from really close by!?" Ley said as he looked around, trying to get a better feel for where the commotion was coming from.

"Over there, look!" Violet said as she pointed over to a spot past some trees further ahead and slightly to their right. "It looks like they're getting attacked by some Zhu Tun She!" She then turned to Ley. "So? What do you wanna do?"

"What do I wanna do? Wait, why are you asking me?"

"... Because you're my Contractor? Oh, but better decide quick though."

...

Ley shook his head as he got his GUMP ready. "...Ugh. Not really anything to do but help, right? I mean, I'm not that terrible a shithead."

"Okay~! Then surprise attack time it is! "

- A little earlier -

"...Hey. Are you sure we're going the right way?" asked a blonde, cat-eared girl following behind her long, pointy eared and pink haired friend/guide.

"Mmhm. This forest path is the quickest way to the settlement I told you about."

"Right. And you're sure they can answer my questions?"

"Well, if nothing else, they can answer whatever questions you might have better than I could."

"... I sure hope so. But seriously though. Thanks for showing me the way, uh..."

"Elf. And don't mention it. I was headed that way myself anyway, so it's no big deal."

"...Ugh. This whole not being able to remember anything thing really, really sucks...!'

"What's wrong?" suddenly asked the pink haired elf named... Elf.

"H, huh?"

"You just looked like you were really lost in thought."

The blonde cat-eared girl just let out a small laugh. "Yeah. Just, still trying to make sense of this whole situation, that's all."

"I see. Well, try not to stress out about it too much and...-!"

"Hm? What's wro-"

"-Sshh!"

"...?"

"...There! Eeii!"

*BOOM!*

"-SSQQUUEEAALL!"

Focusing on the bushes ahead of them, the pink haired elf quickly swung her hand down and let loose a blast of non-elemental energy at it and causing several, now very angry, Zhu Tun She demons to jump out at them.

"What the hell are those things!?" the blonde catgirl all but shrieked as she took a few steps backward from the disgusting sight in front of her. However, it wasn't just the three lizard pig demons that freaked her out either, it was the sight of what her new friend just did too. "Whoa! Was, was that... magic!?"

"Hm? Yes, but save the questions for later! ... Here they come!"

"Wait, what! Oh, oh crap!"

Before the blonde catgirl fully registered what her pink haired elf friend was saying, her senses picked up on the aggressive, malicious intent directed their way as the three lizard pig demons barreled towards them, causing her body to move on pure instinct and just barely evade being struck by a running charge as she landed on her behind with a thud a few feet away.

"...Kyaa!"

And that was all it took for one of the demons to turn its attention her way as an ominous red glow began to envelop it while glaring menacingly at her, pinning her down with its vicious gaze.

"...!" '...Oh shit! Ohshitohshitoshit! These things can use magic too!?'

Her eyes widened as small spikes of ice began to form in the air just in front of it and pointed at her like missiles, causing her to shut her eyes and cross her arms in front of her out of sheer, fear fueled reflex.

"Hey! What are you doing just sitting there like that!? Hurry up and run!"

"...I, I can't move...!"

"...!" 'Are you for real!?'

'...Oh, I am so screwed...!'

But, just before the demon's spell could finish forming and fire off, it was interrupted by two newcomers and what sounded like a loud gunshot.

*BANG!*

xxx xxx xxx

"Okay! I stopped the gross looking lizard... pig... thing from firing off its spell! Violet, you're up!"

"Leave it to me!"

A second later, a flash of lightning struck the confused Zhu Tun She and sent it hurling backwards into the other two the pink haired elf was busy keeping at bay with her own magic, getting finished off in the process.

"Hey, you! Get over here!" Violet shouted over to the now confused but still panicked cat-eared blonde.

"...! R, right! Okay, okay! Just, just give me a second! Ugh, seriously! What the hell is up with this place!"

"...?" 'Wait, why is she acting so confused and scared even though she looks like that. Is she not a demon then? But, she's got like, actual cat ears and a tail though? Is she someone from another world or something too?' Ley couldn't help but wonder about the strange catgirl running their way and quickly ducking behind him as he and Violet helped support the pink haired elf take out the last two Zhu Tun She. 'Well, whatever. I can ask her about all that after we finish dealing with these ugly ass lizard pig things...'

After a few more minutes of Ley firing off his GUMP from the rear while Violet and the pink haired elf fired off several volleys of wind and lightning spells in their improvised pincer attack, the impromptu battle party seized victory and the last Zhu Tun She gave one last weak and pathetic squeal as it fell over dead, which was soon followed by the still odd feeling of 'experience' rushing into his body through his GUMP.

'...Man. I dunno if I'll ever get used to how weird that feels... Anyway, now that that's over with...'

"Hey, Ley! Stop spacing out!" Violet prodded while lightly flicking her Contractor in the forehead. "Jeez. You do a lot of that, don't you? Anyway, we saved them, so now what?"

"...Huh? Oh, right. Um, I... don't know? I uh, I didn't really think that far ahead..."

"...So you just decided to help us for no reason?" asked the equally confused pink haired elf, joining in on the conversation now that she saw that their saviors meant them no harm. "...And, are you a human?"

"Er, yeah. I guess? I mean, I couldn't just not do anything when I saw you two getting attacked, right? Well, I mean, I could've... but yeah, no. As for being a human? Yeah, I am. Name's Ley by the way."

The pinkette elf nodded, seemingly accepting Ley's answer and deciding to move the discussion along. "I'm Elf, and thank you agan for helping us."

"Um yeah. What she said! Thanks! Thanks so much for saving us!" added the blonde catgirl as she moved to stand next to Elf.

"Sure, no worries. By the way, you," Ley began, looking over at the blonde catgirl.

"Hu, huh? Me? What's up?"

"...Are you a demon like Violet and your friend there? Sorry, I only asked because, how do I put this, you just don't really act like one. A demon I mean. Which is kinda weird to say, what with the actual cat ears and all that."

"...Huh? Demon? ...No? At least, I don't think so...? Though, um... I can't say for sure...? Look, I dunno...!"

"Uh, what? ...How, how do you not know whether you're a demon or not?"

"... To be honest, I didn't even notice I had the ears and tail until Elf here pointed them out, so..."

"She has amnesia, apparently," Elf clarified, noticing the very confused look on Ley and Violet's faces.

"... I see. Well, do you at least know what you're name is?"

The blonde catgirl shook her head. "Nope. Elf here said that I look like a werecat though so I guess I'll go with that for now? ... Kind of a crappy name to be honest, but it'll do I guess."

"Right, well nice to meet you, Werecat? And you too, Elf," Ley said with a nod, finally getting used to the weird naming conventions demons seemed to have. "Okay, so now that we have that out of the way... What are you two gonna do now?"

"Oh! Elf was guiding me to some settlement she trades with. Where the um, Hollow Innocents live? Elf here said that they could tell me more about this world... y'know, since I don't seem to remember anything," Werecat replied.

"Whoa, that's where me and Ley are headed too! Then, wanna travel together?" Violet cheerfully added, a little surprised that they were headed in the same direction.

"...Oh? You're headed that way as well?" Elf asked, eyebrow slightly raised in interest and curiosity.

Ley nodded. "Yeah, and for pretty much the same reasons too. Y'know, since I don't really know anything about this world either. So? You okay with traveling together with us?"

Elf nodded. "You saved us after all. Besides, Werecat seems to be quite attached to you now for some reason."

"Huh?"

Ley then noticed the blonde catgirl shyly holding onto his jacket.

"..."

"...When the heck did you get there? And how the hell didn't I notice!?"

"...She can be pretty quick and sneaky, yes."

"Hey! her ears are twitching and her tail's all swishy like! She really does seem to like you Ley!" Violet commented as she happily flew around in circles around and causing said werecat to blush in mild embarrassment. "Aaawww! she's so cute~! "

"...Well, I am a cat guy and love cute girls, so works for me," a slightly teasing Ley said with a shrug as he gently patted Werecat's head.

"...~ "

*rub, rub, rub~ *

'Holy crap! She's even purring like a cat! Damn! Oh, but I better not say anything about it. Especially with her face all red like that. Man, this whole situation is nuts...!'

"I've never met a human before but, based on the stories I heard, you are certainly very, very strange even compared to the ones in those stories..," commented a perplexed Elf busy trying to figure out the mystery that was the human standing in front of her. She then turned a glance at the snickering Violet floating next to them. "By the way. Is it true that he's your Contractor? He's not your Summoner? What's the difference, and is he the one who gave you your name?"

"Wow. That was a lot of questions all at once..," Violet commented as she tried to process everything Elf rapid fire asked. "Um, just give me a second..."

"Is your friend always like that?"

"You mean her being the super curious type? Yeah, pretty much. Though, she wasn't that bad when found me," Werecat confirmed, recalling the first time the two met after she woke up and realized she didn't know where she was, how she got there.

"I see. By the way, Elf?"

"Hm? What is it?"

"You mind telling me a bit more about this world while we walk? See, Violet here already told me what she could but, it never hurts to learn more while you can, y'know?"

"Well, I'll certainly do my best. By the way. As a general rule, except concerning the abnormally rare, powerful and ambitious among our kind, demons generally don't bother paying much, if any, attention to areas outside their usual hunting grounds and homes so you'll need to keep that in mind from now on. Ah, but I'll be asking you questions in exchange, okay?"

Ley nodded. "Sure. that's fair."

"Then, do you mind if I go first?"

"Hm? Yeah, why not?"

xxx xxx xxx

Scrapyard Valley - Hollow Innocent Settlement chief's home.

"Well, if nothing utterly ridiculous happens, then today should be the day..," remarked a silver eyed beauty to herself as she looked out her second floor bedroom window facing the village below while thinking about the things to come. 'And then there's the matter of those two human girls too... Well, let's just see how things play out first for now. Anyway, I better get going and meet our guests.'

With a sigh, the silver eyed village chief made her way downstairs to get ready for a very important encounter.

xxx xxx xxx

"Oh! I think I can see the settlement off in the distance, look!" Werecat excitedly pointed, her tail swaying about happily in sync with her cheerful mood.

"Wait, really? ... Huh, I can barely make anything out myself," Ley said, eyes squinting and trying to focus as hard as he could on where the blonde catgirl was pointing before turning to ask if Elf and Violet could see the settlement. "What about you two?"

"Nope!" was the little fairy's instant reply.

"...I can, but not nearly as well as her I'm afraid," Elf said.

"...I see."

"Elves and werecats, as well as other demon tribes who survive mainly by hunting more generally, tend to have enhanced senses like sight and/or smell. For example, my kind tend to be especially sensitive to sound and any changes in the ambient ether around us," Elf explained. "We also have very good eyesight and kinetic vision as well, though evidently not nearly as developed as a werecat's, or other beast type demons for that matter."

"Huh. Well I guess that makes sense. Or at least, that's how it was in the stories I remember about elves and such," Ley said as he recalled the many games and other stories featuring elves and demihumans.

"Didn't you say that demons didn't exist in your world?" Elf asked, a bit confused.

"Oh, they don't. At least not as far as I know anyway," Ley confirmed. "But, that doesn't mean that we didn't have legends about them. See, for better or worse, humans are the type to constantly be dreaming of the impossible for one reason or another. Like, to explain things we don't understand or because we wished they really 'were' real."

"Humans are very strange creatures," Elf concluded after hearing Ley's explanation.

"Yeah, but that's what makes them so interesting, y'know?" Violet cheerfully said. "After all, that's why I made him my Contractor! I'll never be bored with him around!"

"...Hmm."

"Guys! Heads up! Someone's coming!" Werecat said, getting everyone's attention.

"..Eh? Really?"

"Yup!"

"Ah, it's Chief Xelena, the leader of the settlement," Elf added after spotting the figure of a fairly tall, red haired and grey eyed woman who looked to be around her mid-twenties or so slowly headed their way flanked by two taller lightly armored and armed men. "How odd. I didn't expect her to come and meet us herself, or perhaps it's a coincidence? Well, regardless, this works out for us."

xxx xxx xxx

'Oh? Looks like there are more with him than were in my foresight... An elf and a werecat hm? I wonder. Is she the same elf who comes by to trade with us from time to time? If that's the case, even less reason to be worried then,' Xelena observed the group of four. 'Still, that man will make the third human I've met just this month alone. And here the stories always talked about them showing up being such rare events too.'

"Chief?"

"Oh, she's got that look on her face again."

"Hopefully she's not scheming anything or I might actually start to worry for the four newcomers..."

"Hey now, I take offense to that. I was just thinking how lively that bunch looks, especially the pixie and werecat there," Xelena protested.

"...Right! Sorry chief!" apologized her two guards in unison and eliciting an amused chuckle from Xelena.

"Anyway, there shouldn't be any issue with them, but keep on guard just in case."

"Yes!" x 2

'Now then. Let's see just what sort of guests you all turn out to be, shall we?'

xxx xxx xxx

"Violet and I regularly trade with them, so unless directly addressed, I think it would be wise to let us handle the bulk of the talking for now, agreed?" Elf proposed.

"Works for me," Ley readily agreed.

"Same here. You two totally got this!" Werecat added with an enthusiastic nod that just screamed of happily letting her friends do all the hard work if she could get away with it.

Elf just chuckled before turning to Violet. "Are you ready?"

"Yup~! "

"Alright. Here they come."

Just as Elf finished saying so...

"Hail! And what brings such an interesting party our way today? Here to trade again?"

...the group of four were greeted by a party of three Hollow Innocents with the woman from earlier in the lead.

"Hey there! You actually remember us?" violet asked.

The woman nodded. "Of course I do. There aren't too many pixies, or elves for that matter, who go out of their way to trade with us after all. If anything, I was more surprised to see the two of you together, and with a human and werecat too no less."

"Huh? But you guys look as human as I do though?" Ley commented, a bit confused now that he actually saw these Hollow Innocents Violet, and later Elf, described. He knew, at least in his head, that Hollow Innocents were not human but, in all the ways that mattered aside from the color of their eyes and hair, it was just too hard to spot any other real differences between them and himself.

"Haha! Fair enough! But trust me, we aren't human. Call it a difference in our auras, if you like. I'll explain the finer details another time, I promise," the woman explained, chuckling a bit at the confused look on Ley's face.

"...Huh, well okay then."

"By the way, these two I'm familiar with, but what about you and the werecat next to you? And how did you four come to travel together in the first place, if you don't mind my asking."

"Oh, um... Well, I don't really know how or why I got here, just that I woke up in Violet's place. After talking with her a bit, she suggested I pay you guys a visit to learn more about this world and well, one thing led to another and we met Elf and Werecat here," Ley explained.

"...Violet? Do you mean the pixie?" the Hollow Innocent chief asked, pointing at the blue haired fairy hovering happily next to him.

"Yeah. Named her and then formed a contract after I found this GUMP thing here," Ley replied as he held out his GUMP to the three surprised Hollow Innocents.

"... 'Contractor' and not 'Summoner'? How odd. Well, we can get back to that later. What about you?" the chief said before turning her attention to the blonde catgirl.

"Um, er... pretty much the same story as Ley here actually. Except I dunno for sure if I'm a demon from around here or somewhere else."

"...What?"

"She has amnesia and I was the one who found her and suggested she come see you, which is what led to our two parties crossing paths and traveling together," Elf clarified.

"... I've heard of coincidence, but this truly a bit much," muttered the Hollow Innocent chief. "To think that you all would suffer more or less the exact same set of circumstances, come up with the same idea, and then run into each other at around the same time..."

"When you put it like that, it really does all sound a little too perfect huh," Ley admitted, scratching the back of his head. "But look, that really is how things happened."

The chief just chuckled. "Now how did that old saying go again? Ah, right, sometimes 'truth is stranger than fiction'. At any rate, I'm guessing you're all wondering why we're here as well, perhaps?"

"Well, yes actually," Elf admitted now that the chief brought it up. "Or more precisely, how did you even know to come meet us here in the first place?"

"Hm, I think it would be better, and faster, to discuss the particulars of that little mystery back at the settlement," the chief suggested. "Plus, what I have to say involves you in particular."

"Huh? Me?" asked an understandably confused Ley, pointing at himself.

The chief nodded. "Indeed."

"...Err..."

"I suggest we go and see where things go for now," Elf said. "Besides, I don't think we have any real reason to refuse or worry about so long as we don't do anything to provoke them."

"...Right."

"Don't worry, it's nothing to be too worried about, I promise," the chief added, smiling reassuringly at Ley and the others.

"Alright then," Ley said with a nod before following after with Violet and the others.

xxx xxx xxx