POV - Water Collector Oren - a different instance of the 5th floor

"Did you check your gloves, newbie?"

"For fuck's sake, Oren, of course I did. You've told me only fifty times in the past few days."

I ignore the harsh words from the young man and watch as he dips his gloved hands into the lake, it’s poisoned as are most of the water sources, and the elbow length gloves are meant to help with that.

"Do you have enough mana to fill the entire vial?"

"Just so-so," he answers, and I nod.

I quickly check the transmitter, but it's quiet. Our scouts would warn us if any dangerous animals or monsters were heading our way. As always, I can't help but feel afraid when I’m outside the Sanctuary. But there is no helping it, we need the water, what I'm doing is extremely important and…

(Human, can you hear me?) speaks a soft voice inside my head.

I quickly send a warning to the scouts with our transmitter.

"We have company," I shout to Sevil, and he quickly jumps to his feet.

The voice speaks again, (I mean you no harm.) That voice is soft, not threatening, and it sounds young. Like a young boy around ten years of age.

With a spear in my hand, I start backing away from the lake and the forest, and Sevil moves behind my back.

"Show yourself!" I shout and squeeze my weapon.

(As you wish,) the young voice replies, and the trees in the forest start moving.

I freeze on the spot, unable to move, and watch as a massive black body pushes the branches and smaller trees apart as it enters the clearing. It is a wolf. A wolf twice my height. His fur is pitch black without any hint of color in it. It has a beautiful shine to it.

Each of the wolf’s steps is elegant and every movement it makes sends an impulse through my body telling me to run. The monster itself is trying to not look threatening as it stops nearby, and his calm golden eyes stare at me without moving closer.

(Do not be afraid, human,) once again, the young voice in my head implores. Only then do I realize that it really is the wolf talking. A wolf with such a young voice. Could it still be a pup? There is no way; he is already so big!

"W-what do you want?" I manage to choke out.

(I speak on behalf of my master.)

"Master?!" A creature like that has a master? How terrifying a being would it have to be!?

Slowly, the black wolf lowers its head, and only then do I notice another animal sitting between its ears. That animal is much smaller, barely reaching my knees. It's sandy yellow with white markings. It has four short legs. Its tail is almost nonexistent. But even to me, the creature looks cute.

The terrifying wolf's master just blinks a few times, its face almost looking as if smiling. The golden eyes of the wolf move upwards, and it seems like it's communicating with its master.

(Human, my master requires… food.)

"D-do you want to eat us?" I gulp.

I know it's useless, but I still try to bluff with the weapon in my hand. In the worst case, I will buy some time for Sevil to run away.

(Master doesn't eat humans, human,) once again, the youthful voice of the black wolf speaks.

It takes a step closer and lowers its head a bit more, (Of course, in exchange for your food, the master is willing to pay. I hope you realize how benevolent the master is!)

As he finishes, the small creature with short legs starts floating in the air and heading towards us. Its tongue is sticking out slightly, and it moves extremely slowly, yet the black wolf looks at his master with eyes full of admiration.

Only now do I realize that its master is wearing some clothes with plenty of small pockets. The quality of the cloth seems to be better than anything I’ve ever seen in my life. And from the black wolf, a few full bags are hanging.

The master stops just a short distance away from us, and then purple mana radiates from its back, taking on a different shape. That tendril of purple mana reaches into the pockets, and the creature puts things on the ground in front of us.

There are pieces of glass, pretty river stones, and some crystals without any worth.

(Asshole,) a different voice sounds in my head. It's calm and sounds maybe even younger than the black wolf. It's the kind of voice that makes you drop your guard.

But why did it call me an asshole? Have I insulted it somehow?

I gulp, but my throat feels dry, "I will contact Darren; this is way beyond me."

(Leader of your pack? Do it, human!) The black wolf moves closer too and lowers its head, sniffing at the pieces of glass and stones on the ground. Its eyes meet with the eyes of his master, and they seem to be communicating again.

(I have received wisdom from my master! I shall not call you human anymore!)

That's weird.

(I shall call you an asshole starting now!)

What?

 

---

 

"Poor little girl, why hasn’t she run away from you?" the old granny at the top of a skyscraper asks.

She is done healing Vega. There was an accident with Vega's Kinetic Demon heart. She practiced on her own and pummeled her body to the point where I had to rush here to heal her. So now, the little half-demon is avoiding my gaze as much as possible. She seems to be ashamed and worried I might be angry.

To be honest, I couldn’t feel more different. Sure, she risked a lot, but it reminds me of myself constantly losing my limbs because I had Lily to restore them.

Good old times. Damn, I bet I lost enough limbs to build another Nathaniel.

The effect field that was trying to put us to sleep is gone, so I make the decision to stay a bit longer. I observe the insides of the house and through the window, I see the garden on the rooftop and a view over the city. Granny really picked a nice spot.

"Do you know anything about the Sanctuary, the war, and other things?"

"A thing or two, but nothing you wouldn't be able to get from Darren," she snorts and offers some food to my disciple.

Vega eats it only after I nod. She seems to like it, so she politely thanks and even plasters a fake smile on her face.

I have noticed it before, but even after almost two days in the Sanctuary and a few visits to the granny, she hasn’t opened up to any of them. That's what they get for picking an extrovert class.

"Where do they get all the food?" I ask.

The granny freezes, her expression changing multiple times in the span of one second until it becomes an emotionless mask.

"I don't know what you are talking about," she says simply.

"That's it?"

"Yes."

Vega sits next to me and looks up, her red eyes curious. I gesture to her letting her know that I will tell her later.

When I stand up to leave, the granny doesn't say anything, nor does she try to stop me, and my disciple and I leave. I jump over the edge of the building with Vega holding onto me.

"Are you angry?" she whispers, her face pressed against my chest.

The cheeky little thing is probably listening to my heartbeat. I’ve long since noticed the weird fascination demons seem to have with hearts.

"Not really, just be more careful next time," I don't have to urge her more. You learn the best lessons when you can feel them on your skin.

Vega messed up and got terribly hurt too. It's not something she would forget and it's more effective than me constantly reminding her.

She listens to my heart a bit more and then looks up, a smile on her face. The little half-demon seems to have confirmed the truths of my words by listening to my heart.

"Are hearts that fascinating to your people?" I ask her.

"Yes," she nods. "It's… a feeling. I can't explain it very well. Demons with strong hearts are admired. They are rich, powerful, and respected."

"Do you want that?"

"S-should I not?"

"I mean, it's up to you, but let me tell you a few things. Being rich might be fun, but I think you would find it just as boring as I do. Yes, pretty clothes and a house with a nice view are good to have, but in the end, they are just things."

I push us higher and slow to a walk across the top of one of the skyscrapers. Over the horizon, the sun is already setting, the last light disappearing and the city turning dark. Clouds form in the sky and it's about time for mana rain.

"As for being respected. I don’t think it matters. What matters is how you see yourself, disciple. That opinion is the most important. I know you are still young, but you will learn with time, even though you might not believe me right now."

"Then what does master want?"

"It's simple, power." It starts raining, but my barrier protects us.

In the dark city around us, only the tiny blue lights of the raindrops shine, and when they crash against the barrier, there is a small explosion of color. It's pretty.

"I want power, personal power. The one I can consider mine that no one can take away from me. A power above everyone else."

My eyes meet those deep red eyes, and she asks, "Why?"

"Because if you are powerful, you can do whatever you want. You can travel and explore places like the bunker we are currently staying in. You can go where you wouldn't be able to otherwise. You can protect yourself and the people you care for."

"So I need to become powerful?"

"Minion, I told you that you shouldn't care what others think, not even me. Find what you want to do and what makes you happy, and then put your entire being into reaching that goal. Bleed, hurt, sweat, push until you feel like breaking apart if needed. Because only then will you be content, even if you fail."

"Is that what master is doing?"

"Why are you asking?"

"I know nothing about the master."

"I told you before, most of the things I'm teaching you are my own theories…"

She interrupts me, "I didn't mean that. What is the master's favorite color? What food do you like the most? What is your favorite skill, things like that."

That's so silly I can't help but be amused. Ever since the start of the tutorial, things like that haven’t mattered at all. Well, other than my favorite skill.

We exit the city, and while heading towards the Sanctuary, I answer, "My favorite color… I would say gray or black, but I'm not too picky. As for food… maybe pizza? My skill…"

Vega interrupts me again, "What is pizza?"

I look down at her, and with her ear pressed against my chest listening to my heart, she looks up, Her red eyes curious.

"It's like bread, in the shape of a flat disc. You bake it in an oven, and you put different toppings on it. Cheese, salami, meats, you add tomato sauce, that kind of thing. Minion, would you believe that there are maniacs who like them with sweet fruits on top? If you ever meet such a person, avoid them."

Even without fully understanding, Vega giggles, "I would like to try pizza sometime."

"That would be nice. And what's your favorite food?"

"Mine?" she pauses as if surprised by the question and then thinks for a bit. A small smug smile takes over her face, "When I was younger, a few kids from the street called me to join them. They wanted to steal some things from a merchant. I knew they wanted to steal and run leaving me behind to take the blame, but I still joined them."

I use [Redistribution] to absorb kinetic energy from the rain in a massive area around us. That makes Vega pause, and with big eyes, she observes as the falling rain slows down to a crawl.

A weird silence filling the area around us, "Pretty," she whispers and continues, "I still joined them because I was hungry, but I tricked them. When they started stealing, I stayed behind and let them distract people. One of the merchants nearby went to see what was happening. He left just for a second, but I stole a small sack with some sweet candy."

She stops, eyes bright and remembering the moment. She pushes against my chest, and I can feel the warmth of her small body.

Vega smiles at me, "I ran and ran like never before. I ran until I couldn't breathe, and even then I was smiling. Then, in one of my hiding places, I ate all the candies. All of them, alone!"

Even while entering the Sanctuary, I ignore the guards and listen to my silly disciple.