No danger awaited us in the new world; I had been very wrong in my assumptions. Instead, warm and bright sunshine gave us a welcoming hug. After the soft twilight in Godly Realm, this abundance of light hurt eyes. We were standing midst wast, green sea. Flowers of all colors and sizes swayed in the waves peacefully passing by. Smaller and bigger islands of trees were seated here and there. Light blue sky with seldom groups of white clouds neatly marching overhead stretched as far as one could see. The wind was soft and refreshing. This place was different, but not much. As if someone looked at the original and made the things right.
Moved by the excitement I make my first insecure step in this unknown world. My first step in the role I am now fated to play. Brand new chance has been given to me and a very different strength is now my ally. As they say, with great power comes great responsibility.
The first grand thing I do to celebrate this new beginning is tripping on some white rocks. With the grace of a log, I fall face down in the dirt, my head barely missing one of the silent soldiers. These stones, my first foe, have encircled us. Well hidden in the knee long grass they easily got the upper hand, a flawless victory. They are all around, no way to escape. The grass, I am now in a very close relationship with it. It's lush and soft enough for a non-lethal touch-down, maybe even something more pleasant, but its taste properties do not match my preferences.
I slump up and warily glance back at Shea. Maybe she did not notice my faulty dance move. She stands casually looking out for anything dangerous that could be lurking in the lush foliage. She has her bow ready for action. There do not seem to be any human beings or beasts to be seen anywhere. The current situation looks calm and secure.
There is this one feat I am terrified to proceed with but despairingly want to get done with as soon as possible, before something happens and I have lost my chance. There is something I need to make right, if possible. I want to have some fun with my companion. She is a slave, she can't say no to me. She needs to obediently do all I will say her to. Honestly, I was thinking to wait until we get to some more civilized place, with at least a bed, but I do not want to wait. I do not think I can endure it for that long. The grass is soft enough, I just need to make sure she does not hit against something if it gets rough. Shea has noticed me closing in on her and looks questioningly.
- Stand still, please! There is something I want to do - I order and without hesitation lightly touch Shea's delicate neck. She jolts from the sudden touch, but obediently stays still, only slightly raising her head up. The black ring blinks three times, then stays on the surface. It is reacting to me, the owner, its ruler. A window named "Contract options [Moderator]" with a list of "Yes"/"No" entries and some other controls appears in front of me. I disable a few while leaving others unchanged. Then, modify the values of some numeric settings. I do it all as swiftly as I can, in a few seconds. It's enough to simply look at the control and think of the desired value to change it. I can see through the semi-transparent window Shea's eyes filling with angst.
- I do not intend to hurt you. Please, don't be afraid.
My hand is only that long. I have to stand up close. The tip of my finger can feel her heart racing. For every two beats of mine, hers makes three. She must be truly frightened by my draconian actions. All intelligent animals instinctively want to protect their neck. Her eyes are clouded with dread, as unwillingly waiting for execution. It is a natural reaction, I am doing something that classifies as aggression, and she has no means to protect herself, but I feel a little tiny bit hurt.
Unexpectedly my mind jumps in a weird direction. Is it the bright daylight or the close distance but those peachy cheeks suit her. These large eyes, tiny mouth with light pink lips and sharp chin. Was she this cute all the time.
I suddenly remember the sweet smell of freshly cut fruits and berries. I can swear that I almost feel the taste of peach in my mouth. If I am this hungry, I need to find something edible soon. This hallucination is so real, that it does not let go of me. I struggle, but somehow overcome it and switch my focus.
- This should help you feel a little better. It's not much but should make the burden lighter. I am very sorry for all this situation - I step back and wait for at least some tangible change. My eyes are desperately searching for any difference in at least something.
- What you think you are doing! - An instant slap lands on my face. The aftertaste tingles so sweet that I do not want to open the eyes. This is unbelievably different from what I remember. Why do I feel like I am liking it.
Silence takes a seat between us. Shea first looks at her hand, then at my red cheek, then once more at the hand. She is bewildered by her own action.
- Great! It seems to be working! - To brush off the whole situation I respond as cheerfully as I can. I smile! No doubt, I am contempt about my success. I look stupid. Certainly, I look stupid. Smiling, contempt and stupid.
- I... I did not mean to... I do not understand!?
- Of course, you did! That's the beauty of it.
- No!... Yes... But the collar?
- You are free to do what you want now. The collar is still there, I can't do anything to get rid of it, but it should not interfere with your life as much as it did before.
I am waiting for my words to fully reach the depths of her mind. Finally, tears start to roll down her cheeks. These are the tears of discernment. Happiness from being freed of a life in shackles is overflowing. Or so I would like to fool myself. Shock and fear from suddenly becoming a pawn in fate's cruel game are mixed in too. I feel disgusted by myself. I clearly lied to her, even if some truth was said. What garbage am I thinking - she is not free, merely freer. Her shackles are still there, just looser and with soft padding, as to not press so hard.
- Thank you...
I can clearly imagine two ways how to act right now. There is an option to give her a supportive hug or do nothing. I can not do the first one, thus I am left simply becoming more and more annoyed with this tear outpouring. Unable to stop it and unable to go and do the next thing in the to-do list I am amazed and annoyed at the same time.
- Sorry... I am a nuisance.
Shea tries to brush away the tears that do not intend to stop running. I can not lie. I can not tell the truth.
- You are amazing... Ignore me.
With that, I leave her. Shea sits down on one of the stones, still uncontrollably sobbing and still frantically rubbing her eyes with fists.
***
I take out the book given to me by the Goddess. It is a large and heavy book with sturdy covers. There are some symbols engraved on both of them, but I do not recognize any of the weird shapes. The moment I lift one of the covers, bubbles of white light shoot out startling me and fly in all directions. After landing to the ground, some of them spring up and charge back to the book, others jump from one place to another. Images, tables and texts start to fill the empty pages that appear from nowhere on their own, one after another. These bubbles never move past a distinct distance, always swiftly changing the direction when nearing the invisible border.
Lured by the sight, our Elfen princess stands up and comes closer. A whole bunch of the bubbles form a big exploratory squadron, zip towards her and start to dance all around. Sun and wind are playing tag in her long hair that now seems to be of pure gold. She seems to have completely recovered from what happened a moment ago and is wearing a pleasant smile. Large, blue eyes are filled with childish excitement. I feel truly blessed by her ability to recover so fast.
- So many! First time I see so many ancient spirits in one place. - She tries to catch one of the bubbles, but it runs away - Elfen temples have a few, but so many! Just who are you?
Ancient spirits or not but these shining bubbles surely love Shea. After zipping around and evading her attempts at catching one, these little warriors go on full-blown offense. In short time Shea's expression goes from mischievous to surprised, to uncontrollably giggling, as the bubbles assault her body.
- Hey, what you doing! No, not there! Stop that! Matsuda, help me!
I love the new Shea! There is no comparison to the previous version. "Thank you for the sight!" I think to myself slowly closing the book. Light bubbles, as if understanding what I am doing, buzz back, leaving their victim alone. Shea is gasping for air and barely can stand.
After taking back control of her own body and calming down a bit Shea comes closer and silently looks me directly in the eyes, like looking for some kind of answer, making me quite uncomfortable and emotionally challenged.
- I don't know what you did to the collar, but I am grateful.
I nod in acknowledgment.
- You are a perverted, insensitive jerk, but a good person - she proudly adds.
- Thanks! You are welcome! Why perverted though? - I am slightly confused by that last remark.
- You have been very clear about your intentions from the very start - Shea lowers her gaze and answers while looking down at her boots. Her attitude is quite opposite to the one a second ago.
- What intentions? - I am more and more out of sync with what she is saying.
- Don't make a princess say that.
Before I can respond, an arrow from Shea's bow rushes between my legs sending a stream of electricity through my body. Legs almost give in under my weight.
- Now we are even - She lets out a proud giggle.
Something long, black, shaped like a worm is squirming on the ground behind me. It is nailed to the ground with a wooden arrow.
- What is it?
- Mana worm. A parasite that sucks mana out of living beings. They are nasty, but rare, demonic creatures. It is unusual to see them in areas like this, so far from their natural habitat of caves and swamps.
This was a timely reminder that this is not a walk in a park. This world is a dangerous place, especially the caves and swamps it seems. Note to me - keep away from swamps and caves.
- You might want to step back - I say to Shea showing her the book.
The effect is immediate. With a deeply concerned look on her face, Shea steps back from my side. Her memories of what had happened just a moment ago are still fresh. When she has moved away far enough I nod and open the book. Light bubbles once again jump out and rush to do their job. This time, most of them first stick to the mana worm, whose jerking has already ceased. When they seem to be done with it, I use «Consume» and the body disappears without a trace, leaving behind only pieces of a shattered crystal and the arrow sticking out of the ground. I am rewarded with 5Ls for doing so. After some time all the light bubbles finally return to the book and stay there. I close it and turn to the girl cautiously looking in my direction. I ask about the crystal.
- It's a life crystal. All living beings have one. If it is destroyed, the animal immediately dies. Elfen have one too - she explains and points to the middle of her chest. Armor in that area looks much tougher. I had assumed it was done to protect the heart.
The number of my Ls has reached a staggering 2837. I've been receiving small amounts for each piece of information I gather using the book. I'm still the poorest Mao in the world, but now there are a few things I can do. First I open the Shop and buy a new set of armor for my Elfen princess. I take one named "Armor female medium with pants". My heart is crying, but I can't suddenly switch to a skirt. Besides, it looks like some protection to the legs will be a good idea if these worms are around. I wonder if "medium" was the right choice. She looks like "medium" by the standards I am used to.
I hand over the new set of armor. Before I have a chance to turn away, Shea has already changed in it. It is a much sturdier looking set giving much better protection and the fit to a female body is much, much better.
- This feels so much better! I thought I will die!
Next, I look at her bow. It is small and looks light. In a sense, it's a good match with the petite build of the user. Shea certainly has the hands of a princess. They do not look suited for holding a big, heavy weapon. The only two weapons I have seen her using both seem to be magical.
- Have you ever used an Elfen bow?
- A few times. I was supposed to receive my own a long ago, but my father would not let me.
- Did you want to switch?
- I would love to! The one I have now is a plaything for little kids who just started training.
The bow in her hand starts glowing, then changes the shape growing slightly bigger. Its new body is decorated with much more intricate inscriptions and now there are two small crystals near the middle.
- How? - Shea looks at her new bow, then me - Only Elfen know how to make these. No other race has ever been able to imitate Elfen craftsmanship.
- It's a small gift. If you help me, I will do my best to help you. And I don't mean it as some sort of slave's duty, the choice is all yours. You can check the staff too.
- Elfen staff! With this, I can do so much more! Thank you so much!
- I have one more present - I show Shea a delicate diadem with a rose in the center. The description said it's something specialized for Elfen.
- Sacred diadem of Last Rose! It is so rare that only priests receive one. Is it even acceptable to give such an expensive present to a slave?
- You are my companion, not a slave. The stronger you are, the more likely we will stay alive. I feel bad about it, but in exchange, I must ask of you to protect me.
- I will! I will protect you with all I have got! You have given me so much - first freedom, now the strength.
- What I have done is not such a big deal. This is nothing in comparison to taking all from you.
- It is! I was never free in the first place! Only thanks to you I can stand here and talk to you. You gave me freedom. Now you even gave me the strength to protect myself. - Shea notices my uneasy expression - Sorry... It's important for me to properly show my gratitude... I got too emotional.
I put the diadem in its intended place. Could it be that I bought it just for this moment, not the bonus stats it might hold. I've not been so excited for ages. Other worlds are the best! - Help me and don't leave me, then we are good.
The moment I put it on, "+10" appeared next to the item's name. I wonder what it's all about.
Elfen Shea (slave)
Life - 1100 (+1500),
Mana - 2400 (+3000)
Stamina - 210
Physical attack - 110
Physical defense - 130
Magical attack - 345 (+300)
Magical defense - 420 (+500)
This diadem is something. With this, we might see the next morning. Speaking of the morning, - We should find a suitable place to pass the night. Can you suggest something? I don't know what dangers await us in this place.
Shea stands intensively thinking for a while, then insecurely suggests - Elfen warriors use trees to pass the night.
- Then we will do the same. Can you find a suitable one?
- I could if I were able to use Falcon Vision. I never learned it. I feel so stupid - Shea's shoulders droop and she looks down.
- Do you remember the chant?
- Ancient spirits hear my call. Take my eyes to the skies, but I always failed.
A black, thick arrow with a symbol similar to a bird engraved on one of its sides appears in Shea's hand.
- I did it! I did it! - Shea proudly shows me the decorated arrow - I thought I would fail.
That's the way a story needs to be. I smile back at her - That's my companion! You did it!
She puts the arrow in the bow, raises it up and stretches the string to the maximum. Swoosh and the arrow goes up in the sky. Somewhere there where it had disappeared from the sight, a black shape appears in the sky. It is so tiny, that almost impossible to notice unless you look for it. A black falcon gracefully circles the sky. Shea is standing with her eyes closed. I am looking around for any danger and enjoying the landscape.
- So beautiful! First time I see the world from up here. All looks so small, so different. We are like grains of sand in this green ocean. There is a lake to the left and a swamp to the right. The rest is a wast grassland with tree clumps here and there. I see a few suitable looking ones. If we move fast, we will reach the closest one in a few hours. It is odd how barren this plain is. I do not see any animals or beasts. This place looks abandoned, lifeless. Nothing like the grasslands in Elfen lands.
- We need to go in that direction - Shea opens her eyes and points somewhere to the left. The black dot is still above us. We start walking. Shea is leading, I follow in suit and thoroughly enjoy the view.