At some point, I wake up again. I have no idea what time it is, though it is light out at least. I sit up, and then there's a hand on me. My eyes crack open to see our healer. He must have healed me. I know revival magic is a thing, I didn't realize he could use it...

“You look like shit,” he says. “I'm glad I made it though.”

“I died,” I croak out, my throat still sore.

“Not quite, but you got this close. Had to throw a real big heal to to save you though.”

“Oh.” I guess I didn't quite die after all. That's... good? I'm still too shocked to really process it, I think.

“Come on, drink,” he helps me sit and drink some water, and I quickly start to regain my strength.

It's not much longer before I'm able to stand again. “You were out for a couple hours,” one of the bigger tank altraska tells me. “We should be finished up by the end of the day.”

“Still...” One of the other magic-users, a bunny-altra woman looks at me uncertainly when she speaks up. “It looked like you got pinned by that goblin. I get that you're new, but I've fought plenty of humans before. You shouldn't be that weak. That's not normal.” There's a round of agreement as the party all comes together.

I lower my head. I shouldn't be so weak. Not just physically, but mentally too. I totally panicked as soon as that goblin came at me. I couldn't even form a proper spell. If I hadn't panicked, I could have at least delayed it long enough to avoid it tackling me and stabbing me like that.

Thinking so, I stare down at my arm. The claw marks are all gone thanks to Keane's healing magic. They didn't scar, but my skin is still bright, inflamed red around where it's nails dug into my flesh. I can still feel it when I think back. The panic and terror. This is why otherworlders don't stay. Fighting is terrifying.

Especially when you're abnormally weak, enough to get pinned by a single goblin, apparently. Is it an otherworlder thing? Are we actually just that weak compared to the inhabitants of this world?

I want to cry. To curl up and disappear. I'm not like the others, I'm staying. I've already decided this is my new life, there's nothing for me to go back to but a broken family, homelessness, and a slow decline into death.

Working at the bar has been infinitely better than that. Better than this too. I should just go back to doing that. It's not perfect, but it's a life, and I enjoy it enough. No monsters trying to kill me.

Just slavers trying to kidnap and enslave me.

“Hey,” the healer suddenly calls, bringing my attention back to the present. “I had to burn a low grade magic crystal to save your life, you do need to pay for it.”

My breath catches. That's right. I remember someone mentioning something about powerful magic needing special materials to cast. “I-I don't have any money,” I choke out.

He shrugs. “That's fine, wouldn't expect you to, brand new otherworlder adventurer,” he points out. Right, duh. “We'll just form a temporary slave contract until you pay me back.”

My heart stops. I feel like I'm choking. Did he just-?!?!

It takes a moment to force my brain to accept that he really just said those words. Didn't I come out here to avoid becoming a slave?

“B-b-but why?” I stammer.

He cocks his head. “So I get my money back, obviously.” I gape, unable to come up with any response to such a ordinary sounding reason. How can he have such a rational sounding reason to bring up slavery?!

I turn a pleading gaze to the others, but they all just shrug like it doesn't matter. Why doesn't it matter to them?!

Then one speaks up. “Ugh, I remember when I was debt-slave for a month, really sucked.” This... this is normal to them... I mean yeah, I can understand owing him a debt, but why the slavery? Can't I just promise to pay him back? What else would I do?

Run off into the wilderness, obviously, I finally realize. Because the fight or flight part of my brain is demanding I do that right now.

“Come on, no need to freak out. I don't know how you did things in your old world, but how did you ensure people paid their debts?”

“We, uhh...” I stammer stupidly, trying to dredge up the knowledge from my locked up brain. “We promised to pay them back, and... I think the government enforced it or something...”

“Government? Not much point to that when every other town rules itself,” he chuckles. “What, you expect me to take you at your word? Let you run off to another town and leave me poorer for saving your life? I'm a realist, I wouldn't last as a healer if I lived that way.”

“Oh...” Things really are different here...

“Come on, it's not actually that big a deal,” he sighs. “Not like real slavery.”

Everything he's saying sounds so reasonable. What if he's just trying to trick me? What if it's all lies and excuses and the moment he has that collar around my neck...

Part of me wants to challenge his claims. But I don't know enough. I don't know how greatly contract slavery differs from ordinary slavery to be sure of his motives. But then I look around again and... Oh, I get it. It's like that again.

I don't have a choice in this. Besides accepting, my only other option would be to flee. Straight through the circle of powerful adventurers looking down on me for even thinking of running out on my debt toward this man who literally just saved my life.

If I ran, they would crush me. The end. It doesn't even matter that we're still talking about this, my freedom is already long gone.

“Ok.” I croak out, trying to keep the tears out of my eyes. “What do we do?”

The dog-altra digs in his pack for a bit, then draws out a dark gray magic crystal. He speaks in an even voice, like he's done this before. Well, I'm sure he has, he mentioned that earlier. “Activate Slave Crest Contract. The slave agrees to pay six gold for her freedom.” Six gold? I... I didn't realize it was that much!

Ok, no, that's fine. This is fine.

I'll make three gold when we turn in the quest, and I have a little more than three gold saved up. I'll pay him back as soon as we return to town. It will burn through almost all of my savings, but I'm still alive and still... not exactly free. But I will be as soon as we get back!

But the healer isn't quite finished yet. “The slave will incur further penalties for any of the master's supplies that she requires.” That... ok, that's not so bad. As long as I don't need him to give me anything, that won't be an issue, right? I already have my pack with all the stuff I need for the trip back, and we've basically finished clearing out the goblins already.

Ok, this is still fine.

Keane extends his hand toward me with the crystal in it. “Just relax, it'll be fine,” he says. Why does it make me believe it less when he says it? With his free hand, he pulls down the front of my tanktop a little more, one of the shoulders already cut through from the goblin attack. He reveals a good portion of the intricate, swirling magical tattoo sprawled across most of my chest. I don't even have the presence of mind to blush from the very near exposure or his hand resting on my breast as he holds the fabric aside.

Then a magic circle forms, just off my skin, and I shiver. With a faint shattering sound, the crystal crumbles away, sinking into my skin to join the markings already there. I grit my teeth, the magic burning its way through me. Deep breaths, deep breaths... I shake, but a couple other adventurers grab me and hold me still.

The gray joins the glowing blue, snaking here and there, and I immediately feel... something happening.

It's like a great weight crushing in on me from all sides. Absolute oppression that makes my knees go weak, so one of the adventurers holding me needs to catch me, to keep me from falling. It makes it hard to breathe. If I felt weak before, now I'm totally helpless.

I'd like to say the feeling abates, but it... doesn't. It's more like, I slowly grow accustomed to the world around me feeling smaller, more enclosed. Like invisible, claustrophobic walls pressing in all around me.

It makes me anxious. A dull anxiety that won't go away. It just sits at the back of my mind, a constant reminder that I no longer belong to myself. I'm beholden to another, who can decide my fate on their whims, again.

“Alright,” Keane nods at the mark, then pulls a collar out of his bag too. I flinch, but my feet are like lead and there are still hands holding me from behind. I can't even attempt to argue. Can't speak up at all, as he brings it to my neck. It's dark, glossy black, like some sort of crystaline metal. There are a few uneven parts and imperfections, but for the most part, it's a simple onyx colored band.

The dog-altra closes it around my neck, latching it at the back. With a tiny electric pop, it shrinks to fit my neck. It feels pretty smooth and comfortable.

Fuck why does it feel comfortable?!

While I'm still berating myself, Keane begins to speak. It's hardly more than a rolling mutter, but he's standing close enough that I pick it up.

“Set slave punishments: Disobedience, minor. Lying, moderate. Betrayal, severe. Running away, severe. Harming master, severe. Killing master, death...” he rambles on in a low drone for a few seconds, one after another so quickly that he has definitely done this a lot before.

He's definitely had a lot of slaves before. Human slaves. He's totally tricking me, I'm never going to be free again. He'll make excuses or won't accept my payment or something or make crazy demands or make up reasons to lump more debt on me....

I'm choking on my anxiety when Keane finally speaks up again. “Alright, we're all done. Let's get back to work.”

Just like that, our party gets back to hunting goblins. I take up my usual position near the middle as we scout for a while, fewer and fewer stragglers from the original pack making their appearance as we search.

It's... too ordinary.

I've technically become a slave, sort of, at least temporarily. But everyone just moves on like it's no big deal, Keane doesn't even mention it again. That helps me calm my frantic heart a little.

Makes me think this is ordinary for him, just a way to ensure a debt gets paid. The only real difference is the somewhat more smug look on the racist altraska's face when he looks at the collar around my neck.

The collar... It's too comfortable and form fitting. I keep finding myself reaching up to touch it. Which only causes a pulse of uncomfortable heat in my chest. I think that's one of the slave punishments Keane set.

I don't think I'm supposed to touch the collar.

Without further issue, we finish off the goblins. As soon as it's done, we start on our way back to town. After a day of walking, I manage to work up the courage to talk to Keane again. “Hey, umm, I wanted to ask why I owe you six gold,” I hesitantly ask, through my obvious fatigue.

“Ah, five gold for the low-grade magic crystal. One gold for the slave-crest materials,” he responds matter-of-factly.

“Oh, ok.” I go quiet after that. Even though it seems like nothing has changed, it feels really awkward trying to talk to him now that he basically... owns me...

Temporarily, I remind myself again, and start to rub the surface of the collar anxiously before that uncomfortable feeling makes me stop.

To keep my mind off of everything, I keep practicing my magic on the return trip. I'm definitely getting better. Even though my Rank hasn't increased, I can manifest almost twice as many elements at once as I could to start. I'm sure of it now, it's not a matter of skill or technique, or leveling. My magical potential itself is definitely increasing as I keep using magic.

But that doesn't mean my skill level isn't increasing too. No, now that I'm used to the way the elements all move and change, I'm getting a lot better at linking them all up into stronger spells, especially when I try to do it on the fly for maximum effect.

I'm glad that my one skill from playing video games all those years is truly coming in handy now. And it will only get better as my magic power catches up with my ability to control the magic. Despite the intricate nature and all the moving parts, I could probably maintain a lot more of them at once, if only my mana capacity would support it.

It's doing a lot to solidify my thought that Synergist is a long-term investment. I'll definitely get strong later. My weak early levels won't last forever.

Unfortunately, that brings my thoughts back to my current predicament. I scan myself.

Yumi Slave Rank: 0 Race: Human Job: Offensive Magic Class: Synergist Style: Finesse Focus: ?

Slave crests inhibit the growth of anyone who has them. I think it had something to do with them marking you as being unworthy of your celestial's notice or something. I have to get rid of this slave crest so that I can grow properly again if I want to eventually reach that point where I get stronger.

Until then, I just keep casting magic to get my magical power to grow. At least that doesn't appear to be impacted by the crest, as far as I can tell.

After one particularly complex spell, consisting of flaming rocks splitting into multiple pieces to bombard a large area, that bunny-altra mage calls over. “If you've got enough energy for magic, stop falling behind.”

I squeak out an apology, chasing after her pretty robes with glowing runes all over them to catch up to the group again. While I pant and stagger, she says, “your magic sure is flashy, why is it so weak?”

“Good question,” Keane speaks up all of a sudden. “Slave Status.” Everyone else perks up, but... what?! He can do that?! No, duh, of course he can do that, that's how slave crests work but, but... But still!

My half-shocked confused outrage is cut short when Keane's head snaps back to me all of a sudden. “Yumi.” His face and tone immediately make me shrink down, trying to make myself as small as possible. “You're a human, you can choose how to distribute Pannatir's magic to strengthen yourself. You never did.”

I sputter confusedly for a few seconds before Keane calls, “Show Slave Status.” That draws nervous grins from the rest of the group for some reason, and the next thing I know, I'm seeing a big window full of information.

Yumi Slave Rank: 0 Race: Human Age: 22 Job: Offensive Magic Class: Synergist Style Finesse Focus: ? Health 35/48 Stamina 15/65 Mana 2/59 Status Strength: 33 Vitality: 26 Stamina: 55 Agility: 22 Mind: 386 Magic: 4 Remaining Potential: 100 Skills Speech: 65 Reading: 56 Math: 55 Logic: 62 Serving: 15 Cleaning: 11 Magic Casting: 2 Magic Weaving: 5 Traits Work Ethic: 66 Self-Esteem: 29 Loyalty: 34 Devotion: 30 Adaptability: 26 Integrity: 24 Obedience: 55 Restraint: 64 Sincerity: 45 Respect: 44 Charm: 15 Pride: 35 Trust: 16 Anxiety: 14 Hope: 15 Fear: 10 Misc Slave Rating: A

I stare at what is essentially a character stat sheet. And of all the information to surface first, the words that come out are, “I'm not twenty two!” No, that's really not important right now. Why is my Magic rating a 4?! No wonder why my magic is shit!

But the reaction from the others is completely different.

“Oh shit!”

“Woah!”

“Seriously?”

I don't understand their shock. Which part is it? I'm not even entirely sure what I'm looking at, at first. I'm still looking at different parts to get the translations.

“Fifty gold for her,” the racist lion-altra suddenly offers.

He- wha- no- but- no!

“Not selling her,” Keane says with a shake of his head. “Remember, she's just a temporary slave until she pays off her debt, you'd be wasting your money.”

“Not with a Status like that!” the mage woman scoffs.

“Wh-what?” I ask, confused without any context. But they don't pay me any mind, the mage harping on.

“You sure she's an otherworlder? Those are the Traits of a bred slave!”

A... a what? I'm starting to panic, fidgeting with my collar again, even though it's always unpleasant.

“Not the point I'm trying to make,” Keane comes again. “Besides, I'm not a piece of shit who would sell some poor otherworlder into slavery to make a quick coin.” That mostly shuts the others up, then he turns back to me.

What he said really helped me calm down. So he's not going to totally take advantage of his power over me? Especially now that it's apparent I'm worth something as a slave for some reason?

However, his look hardens, and I tense up again. “I was trying to show that it looks like she hasn't touched any of the potential given to her. Just look at your Magic!” I growls at me, forcing me to hunch down even lower. “You probably came from a world without any magic, to have Magic power like that. You're lucky Pannatir gives humans the ability to choose their own development, because otherwise you'd never amount to anything, choosing the class you did.” I'm practically cowering as he continues to scold me.

Then Keane turns away and takes a few steps, saying something even worse. “There's no way you'll survive long like this, I'll distribute these for you.”

I open my mouth, desperate to say something, but, but...

I have to. My future depends on it.

Even if he has control over me now, it's not permanent. I just owe him a debt.

“Please.” I squeak.

“Hmm?” He half turns around.

“No, please.” I'm choking on my words, my chest starting to burn. “Don't use my points.” I need those.

He opens his mouth slightly, then his look turns stern again, and my desperation fueled resistance flees. I start to bow my head, but the bunny-mage woman slaps him lightly across the chest.

“She's Obedience fifty five, she'll never speak her mind when you've got a look like that,” she chides him.

He's actually flustered for a moment before he clears his throat. “Sorry, right. I'm not exactly a slave master you know. Yumi, what do you want to say?”

I gulp, silently thanking the woman as I find my voice again. “I... well, umm, so... I wanted to train my magic without using my 'points,' or uhh,” I'm still stumbling over the Panir words and mixing in English gaming terms, despite my rapid advancement in the language lately. “What I mean is... I think I'll get more out of it because, uhh, scaling. Like, I think my Class gets stronger later.”

I finally hit my stride, my voice picking up just a little confidence. “I don't want to use too much of the potential Pannatir gifted me just to bring my Magic up to the level of my other abilities. My magic potential is really easy to grow naturally right now because it's so low. Just practicing some more should let me raise it significantly without needing to invest anything into it. Then I can use that free potential later, when each point is worth more.”

When I finally finish, there's a whistle from someone in the group.

The woman smirks. “Looks like that four hundred Mind isn't just for show.”

“Otherworlder or not, she thinks like a human,” the racist lion snarks angrily.

“Mm, I have to agree,” Keane says with a frown. “Saving potential for better gains later just gets you killed now.”

His refusal is like a crushing blow straight to my heart. So he won't listen to me after all. He'll dictate my life on his own terms, just like everyone else...

“B-b-b-but,” I sputter, and clutch at my chest when a wave of heat rushes out. Why am I doing this? I shouldn't be, he already made his decision. But this will determine my whole future! You can't throw frontloaded power on a long-term carry or they wind up useless in the end!

I could never say anything to my parents, but now...

“B-but, please? Please? We won't be fighting anything anymore. I just want to practice, please?” I plead desperately through the hot discomfort, before I lose my nerve.

“Come on, Keane,” the bunny-woman sighs. “Just look how desperate she is.”

He hesitates, but then he sets his shoulders. “I won't watch an otherworlder die in front of me because she focused too much on the future and not enough on the present. That's final.” With his declaration, my words die in my throat. Then he says, “Distribute Slave Potential,” and I feel something in me change. I get stronger somehow, my heart sinking through the ground...

But, no, wait... This feeling... What did he change exactly?

I want to check that Status, but how do I do it? It's different than Scanning myself, apparently. I try turning my attention on myself sort of... differently than the way I Scan. I don't know what I'm doing so it takes some time, but I eventually get it to work.

When the window comes up in my view, I skip the other parts, only focusing on the important one.

Status Strength: 33 Vitality: 50 Stamina: 55 Agility: 22 Mind: 386 Magic: 4 Remaining Potential: 76

He... only boosted my vitality? When I look up at him again, he huffs and turns his back on me. “I told you I won't watch you die. Then I won't get my money back.” A smile spreads over my face. I end up dashing straight forward, hugging him from behind as he walks.

“Thank you! Thank you so much!” I gush. He actually listened to me! He cared enough to listen to what I had to say!

“H-hey!” he barks, our legs getting tangled up. He nearly trips, going staggering a few steps before he regains his balance. I end up tumbling face-first into the ground, but it doesn't do much to subdue my enthusiasm. Most of our party shakes their heads in amusement, while the lion-altra scoffs and says something about slaves.