The Great Play

Mina had her blade at the man's throat, her intention was to kill him until a better plan appeared in her mind.

"Do you work for Melody?"

The man paled.

"H-how do you know that name? Has that elven bitch been giving out information somehow?"

Mina touched his throat with the tip of her blade.

"You'll be free to go, but I have a special condition. You see this snake? This is Suriza."

[Gigas Venom Cobra has accepted the name, Suriza. They have accepted joining your main party.]

Suriza had accepted without thinking about it, but her eyes flew towards Mina's a moment later. She almost looked like she would cry, but Mina just gave her a quick wink.

"Now Suriza is gonna be set around your neck. I want you to take her towards Melody. If you do this, I may spare you."

The man couldn't even disagree with what Mina had asked, but his glare said everything. He would betray them instantly. With that, Mina began to swipe her hand through his clothes. Attempting to find any concealed weapons, she was quickly able to remove three. This included a basic steel broadsword that he had when he fell from stealth. The other two, a pair of steel daggers, were hidden within his boots.

"Now, I'll give you this to protect yourself. Suriza also has permission to tear out your throat if she feels like she's in danger."

Handing over a black blade, the man finally got to his feet. Suriza was already around his neck, quickly taking position while Mina was removing his weapons. He darted off, prepared to betray them with weapon in hand.

"Oh, little one. You're Chisana. I don't want you going around nameless."

[Lesser Cave Bat has accepted the name, Chisana. Chisana has agreed to join your main party.]

Mina smiled as the bats tiny voice squeaked out.

"I don't even know how I could see that..."

Fubuki booped her with her large nose.

"The blessing given by Mina is incredible. It's so much easier to get stronger, plus we can track it! Evolution is enhanced as well. It's amazing!"

Mina smiled, waving the girls off.

"Make sure to stay close. We may need the help."

Fading away, Mina reopened her eyes within her Sword Body. The very sword she had given to the man. He was sprinting hard and panting heavily. She could see how disgusted Suriza was and she couldn't blame her.

'I'll need to hold her after all of this. She will need it.'

It didn't take them very long before they saw a large open clearing. A few tents had been set up within the area. Noticing this, Mina smirked. Suriza already knew what to do. In one quick movement, her teeth pierced the man's neck. Crushing his wind pipe, he couldn't even scream as Mina appeared in front of him and pulling away her blade. On swift thrust, piercing his chest, and he fell in a nasty mess.

"Suriza... you're getting rewarded. That was gross."

The snake coiled around herself, looking mighty disgusted.

"That'll be nice. I definitely need a stream to clean myself off in, whether it makes me sick or not."

"Ay, no freezing your little scales now."

Suriza seemed to pout a little.

"I'm not even little..."

Mina smiled, waiting for the rest of their group to appear. Before they could even arrive, a dagger flashed through the treeline, burying itself behind Mina. She looked down, realizing it would have killed her.

'I'm like a lagged out video game character. Ha.'

A soft voice came from within the trees.

"Who are you? How did you get here?"

Mina looked around, her mind processing the events.

"Are you the elf slave?"

She could hear an audible squeak of shock.

"So you are. Well I'm only here because I have need to get rid of whatever endangers my people. You... you aren't a danger. I know you're only being controlled, so I'll try to not hurt you."

The voice returned, somewhat closer.

"Slave collar. If it's removed or destroyed, I can regain my freedom. I could return home! My name is Rin, I'm nothing more than a tracker here, but back home I was with the elite guard of the royal family. Who are you, young elf?"

Mina smirked.

"I'm Mina, though I'm not exactly an elf. I'll be trying to avoid you, as that collar may be programmed to harm me or even you."

"Okay. Just be sure to take care of business and be done with it."

'She can't tell me to kill her owner. Seems fair, that'll probably trigger something bad.'

Mina neared the edge of the camp, noticing many were still sleeping. Rin was on lookout duty, so she was pretty much exhausted.

"Mina, that woman... she was forced to satiate the lust of another."

A sudden pounding resounded within Mina's heart.

'Forced? The bruises... the black eye... my swollen face. Kat...'

Shaking her head, Mina forced those thoughts to retreat.

'I'll find you Kat, whoever you are. I'll find you and make sure I know what our relationship was! If you're my enemy, I'll break you apart. If you're my friend, I'll gladly accept you. If you're more... my heart may be able to take you back.'

Mina felt a tear drop, but she steadied herself as she began to head into the camp. It didn't take long for a sudden barking to erupt from within, but a growl from behind shut them up quickly. Looking back, Mina saw Fubuki. Her growl was the way that [Wolven Dominance] activated when it subdued other hounds.

'Someone probably woke up. I'll need to take care of Melody quickly. She won't be easy if she's awake.'

Mina went straight to the grandest tent, her eyes falling on the names body of a beautiful woman. She seemed to be in bliss, her clothing thrown to the side as if she had just finished ravishing or being ravished.

"Mina... that is the one who forced her."

Suriza spoke incredibly quietly, but Mina realized she heard what the text had said to her instead. It seemed they could silently communicate with the message system while close together to hear each other.

Mina glared at who she believed was Melody, tossing her dagger inside. The blade neared the woman, suddenly clanging to the ground.

"Did a meager assassin really think it could kill me? Haha, you're even a beautiful little elf. Exactly my type."

The woman was sitting up now, her eyes perverted as she stared at Mina. The dagger was at her feet, but Mina smiled wickedly.

"Are you Melody?"

"What of it? You'll be warming my bed soon."

Flashing forward, The woman became defensive but Mina vanished from sight. The woman stepped over the dagger, straining her eyes to find Mina.

"Big mistake."

--

Thank you,

JScott and croix!