Opening his eyes, the first thing Scout Jones sees is a person that keeps alternating between a man and woman. That person is arguing with the Demon who lives just outside the walls. The embodiment of sex appeal that everyone is talking about.

Taking in his surroundings, the Scout goes from scared to terrified as he realizes where he is. Inside the home of the Demon and her foul-mouthed companion, Scout Jones gulps.

"It's not my fault you can't keep the illusion up when you move. You'll just have to practice, Hiro." The blonde, monster killer replies before locking eyes with the now-awake scout.

"Great! You're awake. Hi. I'm Bathilda," she takes his hand and shakes it vigorously as the man behind her waves an ever-changing arm in the air. "I'm sorry for scaring you before. I didn't think you would just collapse. I've checked you over though to make sure your vitals are ok and you're all good I'm happy to report."

Noticing the scout's eyes alternating between herself and the man behind her, Bathilda continues talking as she's finally happy to have the opportunity with someone new. "This is Hiro. Ignore his complaints. He's just a little sore that he can't make himself look the way he wants to at the moment. He's actually a man trapped inside a woman's body. Would you believe it? Now you know us, who are you?"

Bathilda's eyes sparkle in anticipation as the scout begins to sweat profusely. The woman named Bathilda seems quite kind, but after witnessing her destructive power on more than one occasion Scout Jones can't help but feel scared. It doesn't help when the other scouts talk their own sightings of Bathilda up to exaggerated degrees.

"M-My name is J-Jones Jones, but everyone calls me Jonesy, Mam. Miss? Lady!?" He stumbles at the first hurdle. Just being in her presence is enough to terrify even the most steeled of hearts and minds.

"Bathilda is fine. Also, you don't need to be so afraid. We don't kill people, you know? Just monsters." Trying to calm her one and only patient, Bathilda places a reassuring hand on Scout Jones' arm. Unfortunately, this frightens him even more and the man recoils in terror." Why are you so afraid of me? I don't look that frightening do I?"

Creating a hand-held mirror, Bathilda examines herself to make sure she hasn't turned into anything as terrifying as the man's reactions would dictate. Beautiful eyes, the colour of crimson star back at her and she smiles ecstatically. Her hair falls and shines like silk made from rays of the sun. Bathilda can now compare herself to the women that she used to see on front covers of magazines that litter the Earth she came from.

Realistically, Scout Jones should still be drooling from her feminine allure. Not wetting himself from fear. Staring at the floor, the man finally explains why Bathilda is so feared by the people of the town. "N-No, Miss Bathilda. It's just you're surrounded by such dense-purple mana it's hard to comprehend."

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

"Purple mana?"

"It might be because of your Aura," Hiro suggests, phasing between a stoic man and his Bathilda-lookalike form.

"Aura? What Aura? Do I smell?" She asks, lifting up her arm and smelling herself. "I bathed this morning though."

"Not Aroma. Aura. On my world, it was a mystical power that naturally surrounded the body. It grew as you grew and sometimes, if strong enough, other people could sense your Aura. This man just called it Mana though, so I'm not sure if it's the same. Plus this is a completely different world." Bathilda was nodding along in understanding until Hiro ended in uncertainty.

"How can I make it so that you're not afraid of me?" She turns back to the scared scout hoping he might know a way to solve the problem.

"D-Don't you have a skill to control your mana? Everyone leaks a little bit of mana, but yours is insane." Feeling scared to help in case it ends in his death, even though Bathilda told him they don't kill people, Scout Jones' eyes never leave the floor as he asks what he would call an obvious question.

Bathilda looks through her skill list, but comes up empty. She doesn't have a skill to control the amount of mana that she naturally emits from her body. She also doesn't have any skill points remaining to purchase the much needed Mana Control.

What she does have, however, is Max-level Creation Magic. "I don't know if this will work or not though," she says as white light appears in the palm of her hand. It lasts only a second and once it has gone, a diamond ring is left in its place.

(Bathilda's) Ring of Control

Price: Incalculable

A beautiful ring that absorbs the Aura of its wearer. Simple yet elegant for all occasions. Wil break after reaching the maximum amount.

Current Consumption: 1,954/1,000,000

Sliding the ring onto her finger, Scout Jones's jaw almost hits the floor as the intense aura around the demon fades away. Only the beauty when she first opened the door remains. "Holy Fuck!"

"Can you see me better now?" Bathilda asks and a nod is given in return. Now that Bathilda finally has a chance to talk herself up, she's not going to let the opportunity go to waste. "I've been waiting for someone to come and talk to me for a while now. You see, I'm a Healer and I came here specifically to provide aid to your town."

"You did? What of the other cities and towns? Did you pass them on your way? Are they still... OK?" His face shows his concern, but unfortunately they travelling twosome haven't come across any other living soul. Other than the now-soulless monsters that is.

"Honestly? Yours is the first town I've come across since leaving the cave."

"Cave?" Concern turns to confusion as his brows furrow at Bathilda's sentence.

"It's not important. Why did you ask about other towns?"Moving the conversation back towards information she needs, Scout Jones shakes his head in disbelief.

"Seriously? The level of monsters rises by the day. The world had been on the decline ever since the Demon King's resurrection. How do you not know that!?"

Not only does that shut Bathilda up, it also stops Hiro from playing with himself. As though they're linked, and even if they weren't, they both answer in unison.

"The Demon King!?"