I felt extremely relieved about seeing Celeste. She was my slave still, so if she had died, I was certain I'd be notified in some way. I supposed I needed to work on Slave Master a bit and gain some of the skills that allowed me to track and control slaves. Then again, I had a distinct feeling that by getting the higher tier job Slave Master, I had skipped some of these basic skills. The reason I didn't have a simple skill locator was that it was rudimentary. It was like me with White Mage skills despite having no Mana Control. I was putting the cart way before the horse. At some point, it'd be nice to gain the slaver ability so I could learn basics.
Anyway, she was in front of me now, I wasn't going to lose her again. "Celeste!"
I immediately ran out ahead of the party. It might be a little reckless, but I did scan my map with Detect Trap and Sense Life before I ran. There was nothing that should be able to threaten my life. I could sense her life in particular. She was a lot brighter than anything else on this level. I found that brightness often coincided with level. Brighter creatures tended to be harder to kill than dimmer monsters. That was how I tracked the boss on level 15. He could hide, but I sensed his life force and it was always stronger than the other ghosts. There were exceptions to this. An extreme injury could lead to weaker life force. Celeste was just about as bright as my own life force, which meant to me she was healthy.
"Master!" The two girls called out worried and started chasing me.
I had already spun around the corner though. At the end of the hallway was Celeste. She spun back and made a noise of surprise. Suddenly, I felt an air attack being sent my way. Before, I wouldn't have been able to tell, but with Mana and Air Control, I was much more aware of magical attacks now.
"Watch out!" I gave warning to the girls behind me and then rolled under the air attack to avoid it.
They ducked around the corner to avoid the attack. As for Celeste, she spun around, and it looked like she was going to run. This time, I wasn't going to lose her again. I hated it, and I didn't want to use it, but after over a week of being separated, if Celeste still wasn't over this, she gave me no choice.
"Stop and come here!" I put the Order Slave skill into my voice.
The fairy ignored me, spun to leave, but then grabbed her neck like she was being choked. I flinched at the pain she was experiencing, but I wouldn't back down now. We'd talk about it. I would free her once the dungeon was finished, but I wouldn't allow her to run off on her own and be hurt. Finally, she turned back, and with a lowered head, started approaching me.
I felt the two girls finally come to my side. Miki stood on one side while Lydia stood on the other.
"What is it, Master?" Lydia asked, looking at the fairy approaching us.
I gave the best smile I could. "I can finally have you meet her. Ladies… this is Celeste."