The time had started to continue again, I was left staring in a daze as Cassie looked at me in confusion. "Are you okay? You seem to be, out of it." I nod my head and continue talking to her. She told me many things about being a slave, at will. People didn't discriminate against slaves or lower working-class people, she said that they "simply pity us for being put in an unfair situation that we have no control of it." To be honest, I felt the same way. Considering I'm from a race that was enslaved by their people and others, it was no surprise that I would feel affected by this in this world. But I believe anybody with a good thread of humanity would feel a bit uncomfortable. "I just don't want to lose my pay, I need to have my family with me. If that means I have to go through even the most disgusting and horrifying thing ever then so be it." This reminds me of a kid in my old school, one who tried to manage everything but ended up killing himself. You can only hold so much in your hands.
I paid for Cassandra's meal and walk outside the place, the smell of fresh air filled my lungs but I still had a few more questions. Seemingly enough Cassandra was willing to answer as we walk around in this summer heat. "So, the capital. I've heard about it from a friend of mine but I need a relative answer to a relative question so I can help you with your boss."Cassandra nods her head and I ask "Who are the people that had done all that to you and are they a part of the imperial castle or something?" Cassandra sighs and goes into details. "Those people are the king's rogue scientists, the king himself has not given them any orders in years since the species pandemic that wiped out almost half of every species." I nod my head and she continues "The species pandemic, was a pandemic created by the demon king so that demons had more control of the evil continent, however, the rogue scientist's had a leader, her name was Rebecca Rouge and she helped to create the antidote for the sickness, but it came with a price." We stopped at the statue of a woman in a lab coat, she looked fierce, she almost looked like Cassandra. "The price, which was inevitable, she had to be the test subject, she tested on herself and she continuously did so until she got the most effective antidote, her species was a mixture of my species and another ancient species whose descendants remain unknown."
"That is why l they are using me as a test subject, so they can recreate a new her." Cassandra looks down at her feet, I feel as if she has finally understood why she needs help. It's practically insane to try and rebirth a previous species mix using a minor, or a slave for all that matters. A minor going through such things isn't sane. Cassandra looks up at me and starts to cry. I hug her tightly and she mumbles into my stomach. "Why did it have to be me??? Why did I have to be poor and go through this? It isn't fair nor is it normal for someone my age to go through this. Why couldn't anybody help me?" I hush her and rock side by side.
I have to level up, I just must help her. The minute I thought that a screen popped up saying "Side Quest: UNLOCKED! You must reach level 25 before you can go and defeat the scientists!" Now I have something to work towards, reaching level 25 so that I can finally go and beat up those scientists but how will I be able to get to that level???
Cassandra lets go of me and grabs my hand asking me "Would you like to visit my family?" I nod my head and she runs down a couple of alleys, the deeper you get the more pungent it is. We're finally met by a small door where I have to bend down and get under. Cassie is greeted by a child hugging her leg and laughing. The house looked a bit horrible, water was leaking from the ceiling, and dead people's smell was slowly invading my nose. I never knew such a place like this existed, well I did know but I never experienced walking through it. It was… horrid to say the least. The house only hosted a table and an oven. There were 5 dirty mats with no pillows and no sheets.
I go into another room. There you see her mother. She was a beauty, with beautiful gold eyes a soft face, and brown long hair. Her mother was peeling potatoes but the way she peeled them made me fear that she would cut her hand off before she even finished peeling. Cassie walks into the room and greets her mother with a warm smile and a big hug "Hello momma! I've met quite the goodfella ova' there. She is a very good fellow, momma may we please help her stay in our cabbie tonight?" Her mother looked down at her and then looked at me, she smiled widely almost as if she was mocking me. "Well of course Cassandra, I can't just leave some poor girl to die out there can I? Go prepare the mattress and the blankets and then boil some milk with honey and cinnamon, and add extra water!" I nod my head at the mother and Cassandra runs off to go and take out the mattress.
I sit beside the woman and she looks at me again. "Sorry for not introducing myself, I am Larry, and Im the mother to Cassie and her other siblings. Her father's name is Ophie and he is a very kind and wise man, but sadly he is dead."The poor woman I wonder how he lost him "How did you lose him?" She laughs in a sad tone "After hearing about Cassie working that horrible job he stormed up to the capital to go and talk to her employer after that we didn't hear from him since but when we went we saw a lot of blood at the front gates, so we had assumed he died." I looked at her in surprise "Why didn't you take cassie out of her job, it killed your husband and is abusing your child?!" She slams her hands on the table and yells at me "Do you know how many times I have tried to tell that poor girl that the job wasn't for her. That I purposefully made her stay home by poisoning her?! It never worked! Nothing worked, im broke, we are poor and she is working constantly to help us, I can't risk everything when she is working this hard for us?! As a mother, I feel ashamed to even call myself a wife and a mother knowing that I can't even stop my beautiful daughter from doing that job?!"
She starts to weep to put her hands to her face to cover the tears that were falling down her face. I pat her back, so this gives me a conclusion. Cassie's father must be in the imperial labs where those scientists are at. This also means that Cassie had tried multiple times to get out of her job simply from her mother's doings. I tell them her "I'll make sure to get your daughter out of there, even if my life depends on it!" The woman smiles faintly as if not believing me. She wipes her tears and straightens her back telling me in a bubbly voice "I hope you do save her, now let's get to making this dinner, I've wasted far too much time talking." I helped cassies mother make the dinner, we ate and then went asleep. Right as we go to sleep time stops again. The goddess appears in front of me. Smiling sadly.
"So you see what is going on, don't you? You will work towards that goal no matter what. It'll be a hard, pain striving journey that will break you. I fear you'll go insane. I see your future and how it'll play it out. Please never give up. I beg you." I look at her curiously "What's up with all this sappy talk, you're talking as if I'll die shortly?" For a moment her body shook but then she smiles brightly "Of course you won't die silly! I'll make sure that you won't die, no matter what. If the goddess wills it, you must move forward, through heavy fog and thick bulked up blood." She sighs "Anyways you must start training from tomorrow! I'll show you the place you can train at so get some good rest, you're gonna need it." I yawn and stretch my arms before nodding and telling her "Goodnight goddess." She smiles and waves her hand at me before I knew it, I fell asleep but even then when time began to move again I felt a hand caress my cheek and droplets of water on my face. I didn't pay any mind to it but I should've known. This would be the last time my mind would be at peace, in this dirty house with Cassie sleeping right beside me. In this world where even my worst nightmares live and breathe.