Sora Kurusu, The First Artificier

A small little girl sat behind the two little boys, but she differed from them the instant she took off her sleeping rag. She has an adorable set of feline ears protruding from the upper area where normal humanoid ears should be, and a ragged tail that I almost mistook for a feather duster, she also has yellow cat-like eyes. If the boys hadn't mentioned at all about her feline appearance, I might've mistook her for some foreign country's lost princess. But something about her triggered something, and my mouth began to move on it's own...

"Magnus..." I said "Yes?" "I'll take this one..." I pointed my gloved hand towards the little girl, and she pulled back slightly "w-What?" she said, Magnus chuckled "Looks like the one who calls is the culprit, eh?" I immediately recall something "Shut up..." He grins "Well, I'll handle her for a moment..." He took a ring of keys that were lying on the desk. "Why don't you wait somewhere outside the camp, the guards can be quite rude at night once they've had their drinks..." I nod and opened the back-tent flap, I passed through a lot of slave cages. And I finally found my way out of the site. there I stood beneath a tree, it's lush leafy underbelly revealed by bits of moonlight piercing through the top. Surrounding me, there were tiny crystals that poking out from the ground beneath, like they grew from earth beneath 'This tree must be Infused...' I thought, recalling my several readings about magical plants, I recall an instance where some trees grew crystals around itself to protect it from predators, specifically non-elvish lumberers. Then it hit me suddenly "But in order for me to sit under this, I've got at least to be half-elf!" then I sat back down, my mind still wondering 'Perhaps it's possible, I mean I've already inherited this power of mine from the Dark Lord's essence, maybe he was an half-elf...' I looked at the shining crystals, and took out a dagger and said "Dear tree, please let me claim that which is yours, and in turn I shall be on my way..." A small groan of wood came from the direction of the tree, which meant a yes. And so I plucked 5 medium sized ones off the ground.

'This'll come in handy in the future when I'm in tight spots..." I thought to myself "Sorry for the delays..." Magnus came out from the trail, and following behind him was a tiny little girl in rags. "I'll have to head back before the boys figure out that I've been up to something..." He held out his hand and shook my left "It was p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e doing business with you, Otherworlder..." "And with you as well" I said. He pushed the girl towards me "I've already registered your name, all you need now is to speak into the choker that I've installed on her neck..." she chafed her neck, and she eyed me with great suspicion.

I knelt down before the little girl. And then all of a sudden, she blushed red.

"Sora Kurosu..." I whispered, and the choker glowed an aura of velvet. The girl held her neck, as if she began to choke. Which meant the choker really is doing it's job right.

"Glub!" I interpreted from the little girl. She began walking backwards until she trudged on a small rock, and then I held out my hand for her, and instinctively she reached for it. And then the choker loosened a bit. "Seems like it's working..." I said "Well, I guess I'll see you around then, Sir Kurosu..."

Magnus said as he walked back onto the trail, leaving me with my enslaved child. "s-Sir..." she said "where are we gonna go now?" she sniffled her nose. She looked at me with silent eyes, her eyes showing signs of fatigue. "We'll have to go back to the Mining province. If we stay here, there's a chance we'll be kidnapped by the same slavers that serve under the same guy who helped me..."

I muttered under cold breath. And then the little girl nodded "Okay..."

And we both tread off into the forest...

A Rooster's crow pierced my rest in the darkness and then I opened my eyes, my eyes blinded by the light of the rising sun, and the warm embrace of the sunlight hitting me in spots that were exposed. Whilst I felt a soft feeling, a soft feeling in my palms and arms. 'What is this?' I moved my hands around a bit, and I felt warm and mellow. But then I realized something was off here. and I woke up from darkness' embrace.

There, wrapped in my arms and her front-side brushing against mine. Her furry little ears and tail rubbing against my face and left hip respectively. Her hands within the embrace mine, and her hair smoothly rubbing on her body, which apparently was, like in most troupes. Almost n.a.k.e.d.

'Crap. what did I do last night?' I made sure to check if any part of my body weren't stripped, and lucky enough, they weren't. The little girl in front of me is wrapped in my Jacket, I looked at her in amazement 'How...' I got up form the bed, and dusted myself. And then I proceed to look at the little girl who lied alone on the bed, she is wearing my Jacket.

'How is she wearing my jacket?' I placed a hand below my chin, A million questions entered my head. My jacket, back in my old world, immediately killed anyone who even touches it. And that's saying something form a guy who apparently had powers that are originally Inheritable from this world exclusively.

Well, kill is a bit too much. Maybe perhaps it just made them unconscious, because some of them just came out walking normally the next day. But stories of that will come at another time.

But know, the pressing matter is HOW this little child, who I received from a, possibly gay, slave trader just the other evening, wearing a jacket that responds exclusively to me?

And then her little ears began perking up, 'Wait, did she hear me?' then I thought 'No way, I'm speaking with my mind, there's no way she could possibly-' But then she suddenly opened her eyes slightly, and glanced at me. Like I'm some pervert. 'Why is he looking at me like that?' I heard, for a second I almost passed out from hearing those words, but then I thought of a possibility.

'Can you hear my thoughts?' she also retracted from my direction, same as I did when I heard a voice out of nowhere. 'm-Master, Is that you?' she said 'Yeah, it's me...' I responded kindly. Then I opened my mouth, and said: "Why are you wearing my Jacket?"