It tells something about a city when a man wrapped in a bed sheet and accompanied by a nude Demi strolls down the street and not a single person they pass gives them a second look. Regardless of that Joe felt naked and Neira… well, lesson learned. There is no such thing as nude Demi. Shaved? Maybe. Nude? Nope.

”What?”

Did she got a notice or something? Every time he put his eyes on her staring for too long, she knew that.

They spend three days at a hot springs resort. Five in total but since they were out cold for two days in a row, Joe ignored it. The pleasure had cost him twenty gold coins. Food and a private bath included. A money well spent since the bath had a nice healing effect, the meals were filling and the service didn’t give a damn what he did in his room as long as he wouldn’t bother any other guests. A big plus. Unfortunately staying there any longer would be a waste of his limited resources and might prove lethal.

Shitty excuse for a tin can left them with a measly sum of one thousand gold and something told Joe it would be beneficial for their health to put as much distance between them as possible before the ex-owner notices what else was missing.

”Feeling any smoke? Molten metals?”

”Looking for a Blacksmith are we?”

Neira’s nostrils flared while her ears twitched.

”An armorer would be more like it but we may start with a blacksmith and go from there depending on what we find.”

”There’s one nearby I can hear the hammers.”

”Then lead the way.”

”Hai, hai!”

Her ears twitched again, pinpointing the location of the distant sound.

”This way.”

Joe fall in, following two or three steps behind her, watching her hips sway with each feline step she took. Now that he thought of it, direct daylight made her look completely inhuman. Large feline eyes, sharp claws on hands that looked more like paws, head and tail akin to that of a fennec fox and what bothered him the most, less then miniscule A cup.

A woman with needs.

Read the title she got after last night… A woman. Joe scratched his head. Well, she kind of had a humanoid bipedal frame and his plug fit her socket snuggly but that was about it. There were no more similarities. He’d rather classify her as a monster girl…

*DING*

Notice: Demi are not monsters. With a rich culture dating back more than fifty thousand years before first human settlements, they are the oldest race of this continent. Contrary to the human meaning of their race name, Demi does not mean “half” and there never was half-human half-beast hybrid. They are an entirely different species that cannot interbreed with humans while the true meaning of their name translates as “Awake” or the one who is conscious.

*DING*

WARNING! Never imply or outright call a Demi an animal. That is a grave insult which may result in your painful death.

Oh-khey… That was good to know. Joe moved his eyes from the fluffy rump towards the shield, hammer and swords sign hanging from a post near the open-air smithy. Inside, a black screened, wry man smacked a glowing hot rod into submission. Left and right piles of rusted swords and broken armor waited for their turn.

”Morning, are you open for business?”

The man stopped and gave them a stern look.

”And yer going to pay me with what? Piss? I don’t do credit.”

Joe tossed him a golden coin and watched as it disappear in the giant hand. A moment later the blacksmith gave him a much longer, second look.

”Come in.”

He put the glowing rod into a bucket of water then cleaning his hands on his apron, he lead them inside.

”What do you need?”

”I’d say chain set for her with additional plate for the upper torso and reinforced gauntlets with inner padding. Also a pair of armored long boots and a sword. If you have any undergarments we’ll take a look too.”

“As for me a brigandine, vambraces, sturdy boots and some leg armor. We might be up against some biters.”

”Yer heading north eh? Then she’ll need a collar and a muzzle. You won’t get past Lakata without it. Imperial decree, all slaves are to wear a collar with master’s insignia and Demi slaves within the city must be muzzled. City watch is under orders to kill anyone disobeying the decree.”

”Then I’ll take those too. Show me what you have.”

With a shine in the eye the man begun dusting out some old boxes and poking through cloth wrapped items, from time to time setting one aside. When he gathered a considerable pile, the blacksmith came back and the fitting started.

Neira stood stretching her arms out while the men fiddled with this and that while her annoyed tail swished back and forth. First they made her wear a padded cotton vest but quickly it turned too hot for her. Putting the mail directly over her fur was no good either as it got stuck between the links and each movement made her loose some hair. After an hour or so, they settled for a short, white leather qipao. On that came a set of chain chausses buckled to a belt, a hauberk of scale mail, full plate gauntlets and a cuirass with pauldrons. They finished it off with long leather boots that incorporated greaves, poleyn and sabatons.

”What do you think? Comfy in there?”

Joe knocked at her armored chest making a laud ding. His knuckle hurt.

”What do I think…”

First time in years somebody asked her that.

Neira bounced on her toes for a bit getting the feel of this additional mass on her body. The boots were intriguing, she never wore such and the long heels made standing comfortable as they took the load of her toes. She made a quick spin followed by several high kicks and few fast punches. Her fist swished through air with added weight. It felt pleasant.

”Mind if I take a swing at that thing?”

She pointed at a leather punchbag hanging by a chain from the ceiling. Joe looked at the blacksmith.

”That’s the idea behind it. It’s reinforced with magic. Level ninety paladin barely made it sway.”

Suddenly there was a familiar glint in those inhuman eyes…

”Don’t you even dare. No more than fifty percent of your power, that’s an order.”

He had no idea what her attack would do to that thing. Just with the gauntlets her stats turned scary and her I’m up to no good, slightly winked stare made him nervous. The woman had some crazy ideas and some very sharp teeth.

”Eighty. I’ll be super careful.”

Her lips looped into a kiss.

”Fifty and not a pip more.”

Joe sworn to himself years ago that no amount of sweet talk would ever sway his resolve.

”Seventy? That’s not even punching anymore…”

She did a big sad, kitten eyes with ears half dropped.

”Fifty.”

No! He would not yield!

”Lookah , mastah! Noh panthies!”

She raised the rim of her mail and spread her legs.

*DING*

Notice: You give in to your perverted nature and feast your eyes with the provided view! Mood +100 For out-perverting her master, your slave receives: Master’s Affinity +10, XP +1% for one hour

As if there was anything showing!

*DING*

Through special action new skill was created! Noh panthies added! ”Lookah , mastah! Noh panthies!” Skill effect: For every slave sans underwear in your possession you receive: HP+1%, MP+1%, Stamina+1%, Recovery Speed+1% Every slave under the effect of this skill receives: HP+5%, MP+5%, Master’s Affinity received 2x Effect area: Line of sight. Spontaneous flashing may cause additional non stacking effects.

”Fifty five percent and let’s get on with it before I get any more weird skills. There are few more shops I want to visit.”

Joe buckled his brigandine and hastily pulled on his leather pants and boots. He suddenly had second thoughts screaming at him to run while his third thoughts urged him to run faster.

”How much?”

”Three hundred gold for two sets of armor. Four hundred if you take the sword.”

The blacksmith did his best to snuff his snicker as he put the blade in Joes’s hands.

”Analyze”

*DING*

Sharpened Common Sturdy Sword Made from a piece of a damn tough steel and recently sharpened by a Tier V blacksmith. P.Att 429 How to use Pointy end goes into your foe, do not eat. Requires Sword mastery level 1 or higher Durable Will not break even if struck with something hard. Unless you try very hard. There are limits to what this thing can take.

Judging by what he read so far in the screen’s manual, that was a good sword.

”Haarrrraaaah!”

Roaring like a beast, Neira made something akin to a body slam against the bag. When her fist met the target, bright flash filled the room while clouds of dust raised off every surface. For a moment, several lines of runes shined around the spot she hit, dissipating the energy but the punch bag did not budge.

”Yeah, we’ll take the sword and the slave gear.”

He shoved it into his item box and counted off the required amount of money.

”Let’s go.”

Neira’s ears were twitching, listening to a creaking sound only she could hear. Obedient, she followed her new master.

Several streets away, her ears picked up a sudden scream of a blacksmith, quite recently made homeless. A plume of dust hanged in the direction from which they came…

Thankfully for them, the city was large and they got lost in the sea of alien faces.

”You thieving useless bitch! Where is my money?!”

”Oy…”

Neira froze and shivered. The sound of that voice was burned into her mind after so many years of abuse.

”I said, where is my money bitch!”

Screaming knight, pushed his way through the silent crowd, his eyes burning with fury. Neira shrunk and trembled. She did bad. She was a bad, useless bitch. Master will punish her…

*DING*

Notice: Slave Codex: IV. Protect yourself You are under attack. By the order of your master, you shall defend yourself with the best of your abilities. All power limits removed. Lethal force authorized.

Neira screamed as the seal of obedience activated forcing her body to move against her will. Powerful white rune burned brightly through her fur on her forehead while her hand shoot up to intercept the fist aimed at her face.

”What the…”

The knight cursed as the bitch he pummeled so many times before, locked his had in an iron grip, stopping his whole momentum.

”How dare you bitch!”

He threw another punch with his free arm but she grabbed this one the instant it entered her reach.

“So weak…”

She whispered, staring at the man’s face in disbelieve. His body felt so weak and defenseless against her own strength. Had this piece of trash really did all those things to her?

”You filthy…”

Hervigor lost his voice mid-sentence as an armored boot smashed his crown jewels. His eyes went sideways, his mouth foamed and a laud “ouch” went through the crowd. The kick lifted his large fat body no less than a feet of the ground. Empty shell of a man clattered to the ground inside a badly dented armor.

One hit. All it took was one hit.

Neira stared at the nightmare that destroyed her life, laying beaten at her feet. And all it took was one hit.

”Are you done?”

Someone addressed her. Someone wielding total power over her life. Someone new. Even though voice sounded stern, she knew it was kind.

”Hai, hai, Master.”

”Good. There’s a fountain there, go cleanup that blood.”

”Hai!”

Smiling as if nothing happened the Demi walked away. Above the body Joe saw a familiar face in speckles black robe.

”Is he dead?”

”NOT QUITE.”

Disgusted, she poke the knight’s leg with the tip of her boot.

”CLOSE BUT NOT QUITE.”