II

"C'mon, keep up."

I was trailing behind a bit, my curiosity of the buildings around me seemed to take more of my attention than the man infront of me.

"Watch where you're going."

He sighed as I bumped into him.

I hold my head in a bit of pain, having bumped into a part of his shield.

Walking into a store and what seemed to be a black smith he ushers us through.

"Shield kiddo? What brings you here? Huh?"

He walks up to the counter laying down money on the counter.

"I came to pay back what I owe, also. Show me some cheap weapons and clothes, I need them for these two."

The bald man only sighs in response leaving us to change into the clothes he gave us.

-:-:-

I stared at the clothes intently, my eye twitching occasionally.

'You're joking, not happening.'

It was a maid outfit, well something more along the lines of a battle suited one. The modifications gave it light armour and manuverability.

'No way i'm wearing this.'

I refuse to wear something so... life changing, i feel like wearimg it would make me admit to now being a slave.. I was a free adult in my past life after all. The memories and slivers of past events I experienced passed through my mind.

Till finally I woke up in that cage, in a body much different from my last and no voice to protest.

"Hurry up in there!"

I flinch in response the mark on my chest glowing a bit as I hiss in pain.

I start putting on the clothes. Even if I didn't want to, I had to give into my current circumstances.

'I'm guessing the original owner of this body died in that cage.'

My eyes sulk from the thought, it certainly wasn't a pleasant one. A young girl dying far from her family due to being locked up in slavery, I didn't like it one bit but it's the way this world was.

'And I can't change that.'

Finally done putting them on, I walk out of the changing room. The racoon girl coming out at the same time from the one beside me.

'She said her name was raphtalia right?'

"Raphtalia, cat. Take out your knives."

He pulls open his cape, revealing balloon monsters hidden underneath. He grabs two and holds them up infront of us, we were both taken aback.

"H-huh?"

"Stab them."

She flinches while I just look at it skeptically.

'It certainly was a monster but it didn't seem too sca-'

It immediately chomped at me, almost biting my head off. I ran behind raphtalia holding my knife out in fear.

'Nevermind! They are scary what the hell!'

"Don't hesitate, it's an order. Obey otherwise it'll only bring you pain."

The mark on my chest glowed a painful purple as shocks of pain traveled through me, seemingly raphtalia was getting no less.

I hold my knife, stepping forward and thrusting it right through. Popping the balloon monster instantly.

"C'mon! Put your back into it!"

I take deep breaths trying to calm my nerves as I see him encourage raphtalia. She presses forward, stabbing her knife harder than before. Popping the balloon monster as it's skin floats to the ground.

His attention perks up as he stares into air.

'What's he looking at?'

"I also got experience points?"

His faced shifted to confusion as he looked at the air curiously.

'Exp?'

I wasn't sure what kind of face I was making, but it had to be weird given the face he was giving me.

"Yeah, you registered them as your slaves. Which is considered part of your party, party's share experience points. Don't tell me you didn't do that with the missus before?"

His face darkened as he scowled, I was confused on the situation but just left it alone.

I was much more curious about the whole level thing.

"Alright, from now on you two will be my swords."

"Your... swords?"

We both looked at eachother confused.

"Yeah."

He walks out of the shop, waving the baldy off as he prompts us to follow.

"I can't fight on my own, i'm more geared to defense. However, you guys aren't."

We stop at the gates, a wide open field spread out before us. His green, emerald eyes stared into mine.

They looked lost, and sad. Like they weren't actually looking at me, but what I was.

-:-:-

"Raphtalia!"

"R-right!"

He holds back the balloon with his arm, shoving it forward toward Raphtalia's charge.

With a swift motion it pops.

Meanwhile I was following close behind gathering the skin.

"Nyx."

My ears perk up, I run over to him and lift up the pile of scraps for him to grab.

He takes them and insterts them inside of his shield, it made a weird green light as they dissapeared.

"Good job."

I feel warm and fuzzy as he pats my head, I glare in protest as he only snickers.

'I hate this.'

My tail betrays me as it sways from affection.

"M-master!"

Raphtalia walks up shyly, he pats her too.

'Damnit! I'm being treated like a pet!'

I shake my head in realisation. I had to escape this brainwashing somehow.

"Nyx, it's your turn to hunt. Raphtalia, you collect the scraps this time."

We both nod, Raphtalia giving a soft hum.

Master had cured Raphtalia of her sickness by now, and given me the name Nyx.

'Fitting of my hair colour I guess.'

I fiddled with my hair as my ear twitched, keeping keen to watch out for balloons.

It's been about a week, since we've been with master. Our routine has been pretty simple, hunt, level up, sleep, and repeat.

And right now, me and Raphtalia were on shifts as we headed to a nearby field.

"Nyx!"

'Hm?'

I stopped, turning around I see her ears twitch as she holds the skin of some baloons I killed. Master was fidling with his shield a little behind.

"Can you believe it, our new master is the Shield Hero!"

I tilted my head in response. The sight of her covered in blood from a rabbit as he revealed his big secret came to mind.

'The Shield Hero huh.'

"Don't tell me you didn't know!?"

Her face was full of shock, her tail stiffening as her ears perked up. Her tail waved about as she got excited about master.

I wasn't really paying much attention, but she talked about how the shield hero was the kindest of the heroes. He was supposedly a friend of us demi-humans.

Which made it hit home that I was no longer the same person I was before. I was a small cat girl in a world of dungeons and dragons.

I'm no longer the person I once was.

I stand expressively, remembering what I assumed I looked like before I died.

'But wait...'

What did I look like?

Searching through my thoughts and memories I found nothing, my past name, mt family, what I did, who I was, my country. The knowledge was there but anything person specific was gone.

My pace slowed as I fell into thought.

'Who am I?'

"Uhh, Nyx?"

I jumped.

'I forgot they were here!'

I walked forward, my pace increasing out of embarasment. I shook my head, shaking off the thoughts.

'I'll just live this life to make up to those missing memories then.'