“Master.”

*Shwip”

“I-I-I-I’m Sorry.

*Shwip*

“I'll do better!”

*Shwip**Shwip*

Kasandra watches as a whip made of leather and metal strikes the air and slams down on a cat demihuman cowering naked on the floor, squealing for mercy the entire time.

But her master, Antos Renish, shows little as his hand moves up and down, the whip striking the poor girls back, ripping and cutting skin with each loud impact.

*Shwip*

“You did not swallow! Do you believe yourself better!”

*Shwip*

“You spat out what I gave you!”

*Shwip*

“You are just a fuckin slave and nothing more!”

*Shwip, Swhip, Shwip*

The strikes continue as her naked master continues to abuse the [slave] next to his bed.

A [slave] he had ordered to suck him off.

Kasandra's tail is wrapped around her leg, shaking after every cry of pain the girl screams.

Only after the [slave] is caked in blood does the master stop his torture.

His hand drops the whip as he turns to me, a smile on his face and an erection between his legs.

“Kasandra. Undress and suck me… and do make sure to swallow.”

Nodding, Kasandra starts to remove her clothes, knowing that the master prefers his women completely naked.

But her undressing has been interrupted by the master's room door being violently opened.

“Antos! We have a fucking problem,” yells a rather large man as he wobbles through the door, finally noticing the situation he just barged in.

Antos turns away from Kasandra, looking at the overgrown pig he had picked to lead the towns guards. A strand of annoyance passes the masters face before he speaks.

“Speak. What happened.”

The [Lieutenant]’s eyes move away from the unconscious girl's body, then to Kasandra, and finally on Antos’ naked form, his erection noticeably smaller.

“A trader came into town like he owns the place. He refused to pay the entrance fee and now he is staying at Alfonso’s Inn.”

“And why didn't you have the [soldiers] enter and force the man to pay?”

A frown forms on the big mans face as he takes a gulp, trying to avoid the master's penetrating gaze, ”cause he has over forty [Mercenaries] and a [Mercenary captain] of level 86 in there.”

Antos expression quickly changes from rising anger to curious and intrigued. His town is too small and out of the way for such high-level people to visit, especially armed with enough mercenaries to stop any force he can muster.

“And that [trader] is with them?”

The [Lieutenant] shakes his head, ”No, he is in the town square, selling his overpriced goods. All of the [Mercenaries] are inside the Inn.”

A smile forms on Antos face as he moves and grabs his clothes.

“Good. Get your highest level [soldiers] with horses and meet me at the mansion’s front gates. We will be visiting this [trader] as soon as possible.”

The [Lieutenant] nods, running out and bellowing names while Antos quickly puts on his clothes, sex all but forgotten.

After a moment, he is all dressed and turns to Kasandra, ”Why the fuck are you standing there. Put your clothes on and get dressed.”

“Yes Master,” Kasandra replies, putting her pants and shirt back on while her tail fits through a hole.

“Follow,” Antos yells as he exits the room.

Kasandra, not having many clothes, not even shoes, grabs her staff and runs out, moving behind her master, traveling through a hallway and finally getting near the entrance. Exiting out, Kasandra notices several horses and men standing next to the town stone, a place where people can enter to obtain a class or obtain information about their own class.

For a fee, of course.

Seeing Antos, the [soldiers] mount their horses while awaiting for Antos to mounts his own, a strong white breed he had obtained from another [slaver]. Mounting her own horse, Kasandra soothes the animal with her hand, the horse acknowledging her soft and careful touch.

Animals, Kasandra find them far better than other people. Many times when she had not been needed to please the master during the night, she found herself going to the stables and petting the animals. They were always so happy and caring, even more so when she offered dried fruit to them.

With a loud “Hiya,” the horses start to move, heading towards the direction of the trader's corner, a place that no longer bustles with trade as it used to.

_____________

Moments pass, the sun slowly starts to set, barely peeking over the buildings as the group of riders enters the trader's location.

Kasandra looks around and finds a stall with many items on them. Two bear demihumans stand strong in resplendent armor as a bunny and cat demihuman stand behind the stall in maid outfits, clearly in charge of selling the goods.

[Slaves] selling goods is a very confusing sight for Kasandra to see. Being able to count is something rarely seen, let alone to read and write. Something Kasandra has never learned to do.

The master dismounts and everyone follows suit, heading towards an older man leaning on a cart.

But Kasandra ignores the man, her eyes focusing instead on the old fox demihuman standing next to him. Out of all the demihumans, the foxkin as they are called, are the rarest breed, all due to the rarity of giving birth. Even rarer are the males, which almost never show up.

But what makes them more unique and sought after as [slaves] are their potential to use magic far better than any human ever can. Having a mana pool and regen rate double that of your average human [Mage], they find themselves usually being very well taken care of similar to quality goods.

The other fox’s gaze meets her own, causing a slight bit of fear to creep down Kassandra’s tail as the sheer confidence of the older woman makes Kasandra want to back down and submit.

“What is his level?” her master asks the fat one who wobbles next to him.

“[Analyse],” the fat one calls out, activating his skill, A skill kasandra knows is the only reason the man was hired.

“It’s not working.”

A confused expression crosses Kasandra’s face after hearing those words. Never in her life did she know that a [Analyse] spell could fail. Even her former master, who was a [mage], did not even hint it could fail.

“What do you mean it’s not working? How does it not work?” her master calls out, also confused.

“S-sir, I don't know. My skill just isn't working. I don't know why,” the fat one answers out, stuttering with his words.

Her master becomes angry, turning towards the individual they attempted to gather information from, his face becoming red, ”How are you blocking [Analyse]? That shouldn't be fucking possible.”

A feeling washes over Kasandra, a feeling she had felt before when her master had been very angry, usually towards someone else.

“Answer me!” her master yells with such force, causing her to shake in fear.

But to Kasandra’s surprise, the bearded [trader] merely stops leaning on the cart, seemingly relaxed. With a slight nod of his head, the other fox demihuman moves behind him, a relaxed expression on her face as well.

“Making demands after you attempt to manipulate me is a rather pathetic display of power.” the trader speaks up, shaking his head, ”and to answer your question, there are many enchanted items that can quite easily make an [Analyse] spell fail.”

Her master’s face goes red at the insult, his anger now on full display, ”Pathetic Display! You dare insult me.” her master yells, a smile identical to when he tortures [slaves] moves to his lips, ”It seems you need to be taught a lesson of respect. [soldiers].”

At his call, the men around Kasandra unsheathe their weapons, moving towards the trader who doesn't even react, a bored expression still on his face. An expression which causes her to feel very unsettled.

“Beros,” the [trader] calls, eliciting a huge seven-foot tall armored bearkin to run between the Masters [soldiers] and himself.

The bearkin, another rare species of demihuman, stands tall with heavy white steel armor. He quickly unsheathes his sword, a massive thing as long as her leg. Then he retrieves his shield from his back, its size and weight dwarfing her probably by several times. As he attaches the shield to his left arm, Kasandra notices that the shield has colored lines moving from its center, outward. At the center is a small ruby crystal.

The [soldiers] stop their engagement, wary of the bearkin standing menacingly, dwarfing them all in every way.

“Stand Aside!,” her master yells, pressure leaving his voice, striking the bearkin, who only stumbles slightly, shakes his head and continues standing, prepared.

“MOVE!,” another wave of force, this one making her teeth clench.

But to her surprise, the bearkin doesn't even flinch, his eyes revealing a deep anger that makes the hairs on her tail stand up on end.

“Kasandra!,” her master yells, causing her to yip and jump.

Her master points, ”Set him on fire!”

Nodding, I move in front and put my hands out, away from my chest. With a deep breath, I call out my mana as I activate my skill, ”[Fire Blast].”

A ball of flame forms between my two hands, condensing my mana before thrusting away from me, flying towards the armored bear. My spell, [Fire Blast] is a stronger variant of [Fire Ball] which completely covers up someone in flames when struck, making the spell even viable against armored targets.

But to my surprise, the shield seems to ripple, taking my spell, lowering its power before it smacks the shield, barely even spreading the flames. The shield holds no scorch marks nor any signs of damage.

Even her master, who was angry before, starts to show signs of fear.

But it doesn't last long as her Master's temper rises up once more.

“Its only one person. Everyone, surround and attack him,” he yells, his aura exploding as the [Soldiers] gain newfound bravery.

They immediately rush the bearkin, quickly surrounding him.

Kasandra, looking towards the [Trader], finds the same bored look on his face, seeming to find this whole display uninteresting.

And that is all Kasandra needs to know that this whole idea of her masters was horrible.

One of the soldiers rushes behind the bear, attempting to strike him with his ax.

But the Bearkin spins around, and instead of blocking, dodges to the side, forcing the heavy ax to strike air, slamming into the dirt road with impressive force.

And just as fast as he dodged, the bear’s arm moves and positions the side of his shield, ramming it into the guy's neck, breaking his windpipe and forcing the [soldier] down.

The [soldier] immediately grabs his throat, trying to intake air, but failing as his body quickly finds itself no longer able to breathe. Only a moment passes before his struggles stop, the [soldier] lies dead on the spot.

“Idiots! Attack him from all side!” her master yells, eliciting the [soldiers] to engage.

And engage they did, some activating skills like [Heavy Strike] or [Power Strike]. Others just attacking, aiming for joints.

But all of it fails as the bear activates several of his own skills, his deep voice rumbling powerfully, ”[Gladiators Zone],[Quick Movement], [Enhanced Armor].”

Like a maelstrom of power, the bear moves faster than ever, his armor gaining a slight glow as he moves his body, taking most of the attack’s head-on to his armor, only shifting his body to redirect any strikes away from the joints while his shield is used to block the [Heavy Strike] and the sword is used to block the [Power Strike].

Weapons glance off the steel, not even leaving a scratch as the bear reacts quickly, his shield slamming downward after the block, impacting a [soldier] which was aiming for his legs while the sword flicks out, beheading a soldier and cutting through the leather armor of another.

Without even stopping, the bear engages quickly, kicking legs, breaking ankles, elbowing another, headbutting a third, which seems to indent the [soldiers] unarmored head.

The bearkin moves towards a [soldier] that is getting up. He lifts his sword and attempts a downward strike.

The Soldier raises his sword, attempting to block with both hands.

Unfortunately, the sheer strength of the bearkin and the far better steel of his enchanted sword breaks the [soldiers] weapon, allowing the blade to continue on, unimpeded, ripping into the [soldiers] chest, dismembering the poor man's lungs.

All of this happens within a moment as Kasandra watches the eight [soldiers] all get killed off within what feels less than a minute.

“Level 86 [Guard],” the fat [lieutenant] calls out, having activated his [Analyse] skill without Kasandra noticing.

The [guard] in question, moves around, stabbing all of the [soldiers] bodies, making sure they are all dead before cleaning his sword of blood on another's clothing.

Fear. She has seen it before on [slaves], felt it numerous times herself. But this is the first time she had seen it truly on her Masters' face. All his confidence and anger is completely gone as he stares at the gory remains of the [Soldiers] he had ordered to die for him.

Kasandra wasn't ordered to fight, to engage, and she was utterly glad she wasn't because she is quite sure she would be dead or dying right now.

“So Antos, what will it be?”

Turning her head, the [trader] looks to her master, a smug smile on his lips as the fox takes his side.

Without any warning, Antos panic's, turning and running towards the horses.

And right as Kasandra turns around to follow, a spear of ice flashes past her head, ripping into the chest of her master, passing through and laying his organs across the dirt ground.

Turning around quickly, Kasandra finds the other fox, her hand extended out, bits of frost falling off it.

Their eyes meet and Kasandra’s ear’s flow down, tail going between her legs instinctively as she completely submits to the older women's penetrating stare.

_____________

To Rathos, he found the whole fight rather… boring. The fight was the equivalent of a trained experienced [soldier] who had seen and experienced war, fighting children without a class.

It was… rather distasteful to watch. He wonders how nobility is able to stomach such violence in their bloody arena’s, forcing [slaves] without any combat training to fight to the death.

Disgraceful is what it is.

Rathos eyes move from the corpses, towards Beros.

Though it does have potential in creating some of the most powerful fighters around.

Sighing loudly, Rathos moves towards the two people left alive. The scared fox girl and the shaking [Lieutenant], who has fallen on the ground, seemingly getting ready to grovel.

And grovel he does.

“[Trader] Roth, I am but a humble [Lieutenant], charged with protecting this town from those that wish to cause trouble. But even I must adhere to the ruler of this town. I was merely doing my jo----”

The [Lieutenant] stops as Rathos gives him a look that could kill, of a man who had seen true groveling. Rathos speaks up.

“It’s possible you are telling the truth, but I am not certain… and I do not take risks.”

Rathos pauses, but only for a moment.

“Henrietta.”

The head [Maid] and level 56 [Water Mage] extends her hand.

The [Lieutenants] eyes widen, ”No please I--.”

“[Ice Spear],” Henrietta says as a spear of ice forms in her hand, quickly accelerating and penetrating the man's skull.

Her hand moves back down as the fat man's body strikes the ground, dead. Henrietta had been averse to killing before, but she had hardened her heart, to protect her mistress from both current and future problems.

Regardless, killing two people by her own hand is not something she can easily forget, thus, it will require a long snuggle session with her mistress.

Moving away from the dead body, Rathos finds himself making eye contact with the slave named Kasandra, who, as can be expected, is shivering in fear. The fact that the girl is still alive after her master had died means that her collar, a boring brown thing, is more than likely not enchanted.

“Henrietta, would you be able to train her?” Rathos asks, eyeing the fox with a curious look.

Henrietta turns to her master,” Why? Do you wish to have her join us?” she asks curiously.

Rathos smiles, enjoying the way Henrietta speaks to him, showing respect but also unafraid to ask questions.

“Mhmmm, she is very capable. If I am not wrong of her age, then she is a level [42] mage at the age of sixteen. I can only imagine how many levels she can obtain in several more years.”

Kasandra’s tail slowly extends, her fear slowly abating.

But that doesn't last long as Henrietta looks to the fox, who immediately goes back to becoming scared.

“I can… though I do find it confusing that she only has a [mage] class instead of [Fire Mage]. She is clearly a fire type.”

Rathos hands come to his lips, thinking.

Indeed, all fox demihumans have an element. By the color of her tail, she should have been offered the [Fire Mage] class… unless.

“Kasandra!” Rathos yells, causing the fox girl to jump slightly at the call of her name.

“Were you ever offered the [Fire Mage] class?”

Kasandra nods quickly,” Yes master.”

Rathos waits for the explanation, but Kasandra just continues to look at him hopefully.

Luckily, Henrietta is always there to take charge of his blunders.

“Kasandra dear, please explain the reason in which you refused the [Fire Mage] class.”

The fox kin moves her head away from Henrietta, unable to make eye contact with the older lady.

“My master… my old master… he told me to take the [Mage] class. He did not ask what classes were offered.”

Rathos nods, now understanding the situation.

Her master was an idiot.

“Well then, as of right now, you will be joining me as my servant. Henrietta here will be responsible for your training.”

Rathos turns to Henrietta, ”But before that, we will go back to the inn and have the [mercenaries] accompany you to her masters former home.”

Henrietta curtsy's before turning towards her other [maids] and [Guards]. ”Pack up, we are heading back to the inn.”

Immediately, the two [Maids] start to pack up, placing all the supplies on the carts while Rathos himself moves towards the horses, using his aura to reel them in.

All of this happens while a crowd of people, both [slaves] and [slavers], gawk at the sheer brutality of the situation. Of how their own town leader was so easily killed off. None dare come any closer, all waiting and hoping that the corpses are not searched for items.

Unfortunately for Rathos, not searching the corpses will spill even more blood when he leaves.

_____________

Several hours pass as Rathos finds himself sitting in an Inn.

“I would have preferred that that man lived,” Alfonso explains, sitting across from Roth, an exhausted look on his face.

Apparently, feeding and cleaning an entire company of [Mercenaries], [Maids], and [Butlers] is not an easy task. The only saving grace was that the [Maids] and [Butlers] under Rathos were happy to assist in the task. It was surprising and greatly appreciated.

Even more so was the fact that his [slaves] were never mistreated by any of the [Mercenaries]. That was quite surprising for Alfonso as his slaves have been roughed up many times before.

“As much as I hate the man’s guts, he actually gave this town some organization. He paid off the [Bandits] and left the business alone as long as he got payment.” Alfonso continues, explaining to Rathos.

But Rathos, though he takes pity on the man and this town's situation, he cannot risk leaving anyone alive that could stab him in the back.

Sighing loudly, something he seems to have been doing often lately, he grabs the drink in front of him and gulps it down, looking around the Inn, barely any [Mercenaries] were left here. Apparently, looting a town leaders estate is far more interesting.

“Sorry, but I do not take kindly to being robbed,” Rathos explains, placing the cup back down.

Alfonso places his hand on his face, rubbing it, ”I understand that you wish to leave early in the morning, but I would very much prefer you stay for a couple of days here at the town. I am even willing to waive the fee completely for your stay.”

At those words, a curious look crosses Rathos face, ”Waive the fee? What exactly are you expecting to happen in a couple of days?”

Alfonso tightens his hand in a fist, taking a deep breath. His senses telling him that lying would not be beneficial to him.

“A [Bandit Leader] by the name of Karron will be coming to this town for a tithe. He will demand payment, and if he finds out that the town is leaderless, then we all will be sacked. Your [Mercenaries] would be very useful in driving him off.”

Rathos nods, understanding the situation. It seems that Gen’s [Mercenaries] know how to keep their mouths shut, apparently not having divulged any information about himself and what had happened on the trip here.

“You don’t need to worry. We met Karron a couple of days ago, he attacked my caravan and failed. He’s dead and so are all of his men. None were left alive.” Rathos says matter-of-factly.

Alfonso’s eyes widen. Karron was the main reason that his town was never able to grow. The town was constantly forced to pay coin, never allowed to fully grow.

But now, with him dead and the town leaderless, everything changes.

Alfonso quickly stands up, his eyes glazed, thoughts going everywhere, ”I… I need to speak to several people. I thank you for this information.”

And like a man bursting with newfound confidence, Alfonso runs out of his own Inn, leaving Rathos rather confused… and slightly upset. He really wanted to get more information about the situation deeper in.

He sighs and grabs his cup again, finding that it was empty… and there was nobody now to refill it.

_________

Morning came and Rathos finds his caravan ready and waiting to leave in front of his inn. All is ready and the [Mercenaries] are mounted. His daughter is safely inside the carriage with Henrietta and Kasandra.

But before he enters the carriage, he is interrupted by Alfonso who runs out of the inn, looking very different, as though a skill like [Brave Heart] was activated, improving his confidence and looks significantly.

Alfonso stops before Rathos and extends his hand, ”Roth, I want to thank you for staying at the inn. You may not realize it, but you have changed this town significantly.”

Rathos, though not sure what the man means, takes Alfonso’s hand and shakes it.

“I am happy my presence was helpful.”

As Alfonso retracts his hand, a frown comes to his face right before asking a question. ”I understand you are leaving, but would it be possible for you to do me a bit of a favor?”

“Depends on what it is.”

Alfonso’s hand comes to his face, stroking his beard, ”Well, I have a daughter… her name is Scarlet and she left possibly twenty years ago… she was a [soldier], and last I heard, she became a [Lieutenant]. But that was a couple of years ago… If you see Scarlet, tell her that I miss her.

Rathos nods, the request rather easy, though the chances he will even cross her path are slim to none.

“If I see her, I will tell her,” Rathos says, turning around and mounting the front of his carriage, taking the reins.

_____________

Several hours pass and the town is no longer within sight. The road is rather barren with few trees, but if what Henrietta had explained to him, it will become filled with trees eventually.

At this moment, Gen shows up on horseback, moving next to the carriage.

“Are you sure you don't need us a bit longer?” Gen asks

Rathos shakes his head, ”No Gen. Where I’m going, there will be little money for you to make... and thank you for escorting me out of town.”

Gen laughs and shakes his head, ”Ha, you say that but you gave us all of the loot from that building. Granted, it wasn't very good, but my men are still happy.”

Rathos nods, the decision to let the [Mercenaries] keep what they found at Antos estate was a good choice considering none spoke of himself actually being a [General]. A truly impressive amount of self-control for a company so large.

“Well then Gen, this is goodbye. Please circle around and avoid the town if you can.”

Gen nods and flicks the reigns of his horse, turning and accelerating quickly, his [Mercenaries] following behind him.

Rathos sighs, his mind thinking on what he will do. Hopefully he can get an easy job, something that doesn't involve combat.

“Hmmm, maybe I can become a [Shopkeeper]”