6 - Registration

There was silence for a long time after my declared willingness to kill. I knew from previous experience that humans often had religions to dictate their morals as the perceived will of their creators, and within those dictated morals killing was usually taboo. That never stopped humans as a whole of course but from the silence i was beginning to wonder if perhaps Master Victor had a similar moral. It seemed strange to me that humans, a race that were not magical creatures, would even remotely care about the will of their creator.

"It doesn't even tell me your species" Master victor mumbles finally

"I'm a magical creature, so i don't technically have a species" I reply even though he wasn't talking directly to me.

"but i mentioned previously that people often call me a demon or vampire, so, if you would like, you can just decide which of those descriptions you think i'm closer too" i suggest. He simply grunts in response.

We had been walking for a while now, it looked like it might be mid-day inside the dungeon.

"You haven't met any other monsters the same as you?" he asked turning to look at me curious

"No Master. I have seen some with similar traits but none were a complete match" i reply.

"What were your first memories then?" he asks.

"I just existed one day. My planet, i mentioned it was peaceful, so I spent most of my time doing nothing but eating and exploring that world, i was curious about everything. When i was born i had already been gifted the system by my creator, i think i was intended for entertainment, so after a few hundred years of just exploring i got transported to my first ever other world. It was all new and exciting to me, the first time i met an intelligent race. They were called the ----. They were actually very welcoming and curious about me too, i was so childish back then i was very excited" i say laughing at the memory

"The what?" Master victor asks

"Ah, it mustn't be a species you know of Master, it would translate otherwise"

"I see. What was your first encounter with humans like?" he asks. As we were walking i could see something in the distance, like a hole in the space showing a void of inky black.

"On the third planet i went too, there were humans. I wasn't welcomed" i say with a slight chuckle "They took one look at me and started freaking out, they hunted me for a few centuries after that until their technology picked up"

"You don't hold a grudge?" Master Victor asks "Also we are almost at the dungeon exit"

'ah so the abyss is the exit?' i wonder "Why would i hold a grudge?" i ask confused

"Well the human race didn't treat you kindly, wouldn't you want some kind of revenge or at the very least feel annoyed when you see a human now?"

"revenge? on a whole race?" I say confused 'ah, is this how a human would feel?' "Master, from my perspective, humans were just being humans, why would i want revenge against an entire race just for that?"

"so it's like that hmm" he mumbles and walks into the void. Rather than it being empty as it appeared, black ripples spread out from where Master victor passed through, like black water. I followed behind without hesitation, i wonder what it felt like. The liquid void was cool to the touch and felt less dense than liquid giving almost no resistance as i passed through, when i came out from the other side i flinched at the sudden stimuli that greeted me. The area was incredibly busy with people shouting for players to join their party, there were stalls set up on either side of the dungeon entrance with technology, papers and chairs, where it looked like people were making arrangements of some sort, there were also guards standing beside the dungeon entrance. The buildings in the area were complex and plentiful, some looked like skyscrapers. In addition to all the sound being made, the sky was almost twice as bright as the inside of the dungeon and the smells of people and things was overwhelming. I stumbled for a second distracted and overwhelmed by the suddenness of it all, i wanted to throw up, i felt dizzy.

"Woah there" i heard someone say, i felt a hand grab my arm to steady me.

"Ah, thanks" i mumble, i still felt sick but it was better, i turned to see who was by my side

"You still get the tp sickness huh?" the man asks chuckling, he was a little taller than me and looked rough, he was wearing the guard uniform so i was a little surprised he was so friendly.

"...yeah" i reply, not entirely sure what he was asking

"Aaron hurry up!" i heard Master Victor yell, it looked like he had finished some business with one of the side stalls and was beginning to leave the crowd

"Yes Master!" i replied immediately pulling away from the guard to follow after, i saw his face turn to surprise over my words but i paid no attention to it. I caught up to Master Victor quickly.

"What were you doing?" Master Victor questioned when i reached him

"I got overwhelmed for a minute, the guard was helping to steady me"

"Overwhelmed?" he asks clicking his tongue

"Yes master, all my senses are a lot higher than a humans"

"I know that but aren't you used to it by now? why would you get overwhelmed?" he asks annoyed.

"Ah, i got overwhelmed because it was sudden, like an explosion of stimuli. I can handle it if it isn't sudden" i reply

"Right" is all he says

"Master?" I ask

"What?"

"What is tp sickness?" I ask

"tp is short for 'teleport'. People usually get a bit sick when they enter or leave a dungeon because of the dimension jump aka tp. It stops happening after a few tp's though"

"So interesting. Do you mind if i ask where we are going now Master?"

"We are going to a player registry" he replies

"Am i getting registered as a player?" i ask curious

"Shut up, you'll find out when we get there" he snaps. 'he gets angry fast' i think to myself 'Does he just not like me talking? maybe something else is making him angry?'. After a few more minutes of power-walking behind Master Victor, we came to the entrance of a wide building. Inside, there were lots of people waiting in chairs along the sides of the front of the building but almost nobody at the desk. Beyond the front desk there were a row of doors blocking view to the rest of the building. Master Victor strode straight to the front desk.

"How can i help you?" the gentleman asked.

"I need to register this one as a summon" he says gesturing to me. I smile a hello 'so i'm not getting registered as a player then'

"That's a summon?" the clerk asks surprised. I frowned slightly, in most worlds i had visited, red eyes were not a usual color for humans, that alone should have been enough to give me the 'summon' identity.

"I just said that" Master victor retorts

"ahh yes, sorry, name please"

"Victor Henry Steven Ross"

"Player class"

"Warrior"

"Sorry?" the clerk asks confused "how did a warrior class get a summon?"

"Summoning artifact" Master Victor says half growling in annoyance

"Oh right, i apologize for misunderstanding" the clerk blunders embarrassed as he types away on his computer

"Did you give a name to the summon?"

"Aaron"

"and what's the species of your summon?" the clerk asks eyeing me up and down with a slight frown

"It's a demon"

"A demon? With a human appearance?" the clerk queries

"It has a transformation ability" Master Victor explains

"I see. Well, it's finished on my end. You just need to wait to get called so the summon can be evaluated. Here's your number" the clerk says handing a small square piece of paper with the number 8 on it. Master Victor takes the paper and strides over to an empty seat slumping into it and crossing his arms annoyed. 'is it the process that's annoying him?' i wonder as i stand beside him, 'is it even necessary to register me as a summon? i can just use coexistence'.

"Aaron, you're too tall, kneel, don't stand" he demands

"Yes Master" i reply and kneel a smile on my face as i'm reminded of him saying the same thing in the dungeon.

"In future, when you sit would you always like for me to kneel beside you unless told otherwise?" i ask

"Yes" he replies bluntly. I laugh a little inwardly 'what a funny human'. I noticed i got a few odd glances from the people around and could hear them whispering about my odd behavior, some even questioned if Master Victor was royalty of some sort which made me giggle inwardly. I've had many masters before so i was used to this sort of attention, i was mostly surprised how little Master Victor seemed to care 'maybe he actually is royalty'.

"Number 8?" a person called. Master victor stood "Please follow me" the person said. Master Victor began to follow the lady, not realizing i wasn't behind him until he got to the door.

"Aaron what the fuck are you doing? come here" he demands loudly

"Yes Master" I reply springing to my feet and dashing over to them quickly

"what the fuck was that?" he asks as we enter the room. The room had a single bench in the center with a computer and printer on top.

"Master, you told me to sit, i wasn't told until just then to follow you. Your word is absolute remember" i say a little amused. He face palmed with a sigh

"Right, that's because of the dynamic i chose right?" he asks still clearly annoyed.

"Yes Master, and the soul bond" i reply

the sound of a throat clearing caught our attention

"Are you two finished?" The lady asks also a bit amused by the whole situation.

"Yes" Master Victor responds. The lady examines me for a minute

"It's my first time seeing such a human summon. One with fluent language no less" she says, clearly interested

"Well anyway, Aaron was your name?" she asks me. I nod with a smile.

"alright Aaron, please place your hand on this crystal" she says taking out a flat 2cm thick paper-like opaque black crystal from the bench draw and slides it on the top of the bench towards me.

I do as told and place my hand on the crystal, it felt warm against my skin, i also felt a slight tingle as i held it there not really sure what was supposed to be happening.

"Alright that's enough, take your hand off" The lady says so i do. I wasn't sure what i was supposed to be looking for but there was no change in the crystal or my hand.

"That's odd, a summon without mana?" the woman asks looking at Master Victor.

"It's a growth type, i just summoned him a few hours ago" Master Victor explains

"That makes sense. Well anyway, you two can leave now and wait for your number to be called again" she says ushering us out of the room.