’Hard. Way too hard... What's wrong with these people? Making weird and overly complicated stuff...’ But the worst was that I had no idea what to do to the damn thing to make it stop working.

I from the past would have laughed at me from present as to how I wasn't even able to break some mere enchantment while I just claimed that I was able to make them. And even worse was that I couldn't even back down anymore. The fluff was relying on me. 

” Hey... I know that you don't know how this works but any information could be useful right now. Tell me all you know about the collar. Maybe the slavers did something to it sometimes... Or, I don't know... Everything is useful right now. ”

After that, the silence descended again while she seemed to think hard for anything useful. 

” Ron was forced to put his mana in the collar daily or it will explode. I don't know if that helps somehow. ”

’Who's Ron? And the collar would explode? That means that if the collar explodes... Holy crap... I'm in danger as well...’

” Think of everything else you remember while I search for a solution here... ”

” Mm. ”

Instead of searching aimlessly as I did earlier, this time I tried to search for the place where Ron had to put his mana.

” I think I got something... Also, you didn't tell me how did you end in this situation. ”

With a collar that would explode in a day, she couldn't run too far from her masters. That meant that she could potentially be followed by them and that was really dangerous. For both of us at that.

” Before to escape, I destroyed the controller that was linked to my collar. They can't follow me anymore even if they are still alive. ” she said while looking at me with a knowing eye.

Okay... the situation was more complicated than I imagined... There was something that was linked to the collar? Maybe for that was the receptor... I liked the thing less and less as I learned about it. 

” I will deactivate the receptor too. Doesn't matter that you already destroyed the controller; it's better to be safe. I don't want surprises and I think you do not either. ”

” Mm. ” she nodded at my statement and I resumed my work.

The correct spot that would make the collar explode should have been linked to the receptor. I had to analyze the pattern and find where was going the mana that Ron was feeding to the collar. 

” How had you ended in this situation in the first place, Fio? If it's not too much to ask. ”

” The slave traders. After they kidnapped and put the collar on me, I switched some owners before to be sold in this country that allows slavery. ”

’Yeah... The country allows slavery... I’m probably fucked up already...’

The country was allowing you to have slaves and I literally asked a runaway slave to bring me to a city... I could not see that ending well no matter how I looked at it.

” You said you are lost in this forest. Did you cross the border from Brigandia without knowing? We are quite close to the borer here. ”

Or... maybe I was not fucked up just yet... What she just said smelled like a big and fat opportunity to me.

” Now that you mentioned it, I think that's possible. Maybe I messed up things much more than I expected. ”

” Mm. You're an elf, but not even that will stop these garbages to catch and sell you to some nobles on the black market. ” she said, paused for a moment and looked like she was considering a variety of factors after which continued: ” If you can help me with this collar, we can go together to Brigandia. We are not too far, maybe a week worth of time if we avoid the main road. That was my original plan anyway... ” 

That was it. My clueless and fluffy source of information. I already started to see the light at the end of the tunnel. 

” Thanks, Fio. I think that's the best solution at the moment. ”

*ZzzZzzz* 

” What happened? ” her eyes widened while looking frantically at me for an answer but I was even more scared than her. Clueless too.

At least she wasn't aware that I had not much of an idea of what I was doing to the collar. The real problem was that I was knowing that. I couldn't lie to myself after all.

” Don't worry... I know what I'm doing. ” I reassured her since it was better for both of us if she was calm.

” A-Are you sure? The collar is making a weird sound. ”

’I can hear it as well... Thank you very much.’

” Stay calm and don't talk right now... I'm focussing on the collar and you are distracting me. ”

In other words; shut up fluff. I had enough stress to deal with even without your questions. The surplus wasn't needed.

Turning my attention back to the collar, I resumed the work. To break things at random would be stupid so I started to follow the source again and observe what just happened.

After locating all of the mana circuits connected to the receptor and transmitters, I started to sever all of them. When a pattern would start to activate, I would severe it. The collar would glow sometimes but that was all. 

While severing all the things that tried to activate, the glowing and occasional buzzing sounds faded away completely and I could see that the collar was pretty much messed up to the better part of it. 

I stopped there. I did not know what else could I safely mess up without activating the collar by mistake. And judging by the way the collar was looking I thought that I did a pretty good job.

” That's all, I think... I can't risk taking it down from your neck but that's all... It will not explode anymore. ”

I hope that at least.

” Thank you. ”

And that was all. She was looking at me and I was looking at her... I had to break the ice again and say something.

” I was cooking some wolf meat before you wake up so we can eat... If you are hungry, of course. ”

I pointed my finger to the meat, or at least what was supposed to be meat. The fire already transformed my meat into some black thing.

” Yeah, I think that I'll have to prepare another one... ”

I awkwardly took another piece of meat and throw away the charred one. The fire started to fade so I added some wood as well.

She looked at me the entire time without saying anything. I was feeling awkward so I suggested for her to take a spot close to the fire.

” So Fio, it's better to stay here for today and make our way to Brigandia tomorrow... The night is would fall soon so it's safer that way. ”

She nodded at me and said nothing. 

” You are not a talkative one, aren't you? ”

” I'm surprised that you are actually... I heard that the elves rarely spoke with other races. And that is said for the ones that are leaving the forest and live outside of it. ”

And so, my race fucked me once again. My fluff was probably thinking that I was a weirdo even among my peers.

” I did not talk to someone for quite some time so that's why. And I talk normally with other races as well. ”

” Oh, so that was the reason... I came across a weird one then. ” she said while looking at me with a straight face.

”...”

That was plain out rude. She was not even hiding her thoughts. 

” Whatever... Here, take a piece. But be careful since it's still hot... And unfortunately, this is all I have at the moment. ”

She took the piece of meat while looking suspiciously at me. If I did something wrong again, I did not even care anymore. I took my piece from the fire, waited a few seconds to cool down, and bite on it. 

All the way while she stared at me the whole time. Was she thinking that I was planning to poison her with that? Waiting for me to eat first? After the whole experience from earlier?

” What are you looking at? ” I asked her since I had to know.

” I still don't understand why have you done so much for me. I have nothing to repay you with. ”

That was a reasonable question... Sincerely, I did not know what to tell her either. It would be weird if I told her that the main reason was her fluffy tail or ears...

I took another bite from the meat and glanced intently at her. The meat was simple, there was not even salt on it but was better than nothing.

” Don't worry about it, you will have opportunities to repay me on the journey and maybe even after that. ”

I had spread my seeds like the good farmer I was. To make her think that she was indebted to me; which she really was. After that, all that was needed was for them to grow... And without suspecting anything, my little fluffy would be mine.

’Goddamnit, I feel like a villain... I can't believe that I want to take advantage of a poor girl—

” Also, I didn’t know that elves were eating meat. ”

*cough* *cough*

’Oh no... I screwed it again.’