"Don't be a baby. It will work. Trust me." Mistress Rebeccah tries to convince the man with messy long hair and an unkempt beard. Usually, the Mistress won't even try hard to convince someone, most likely use blackmail or manipulation.

"No fucking way. You promised that not a hair on my head will be harmed if I come with you. What you're trying to propose will not only harm my hair but my body as a whole when I get captured." The man argued.

"Believe me. This is the only way you have a chance to get out of this alive." The mistress looked concerned as she sighed deeply before revealing what she told me the day they escaped from the initial fight which is also the reason the Mistress decided to break their seal and escape the Organization. Looking unusually serious, the Mistress explained. "You do know that even if by some miracle, your party rescue your companion, your elf friend will most likely kill you."

The man was surprised when he heard the Mistress's word. He then stutters a reply. "I know that Alora doesn't like me much. Fired an arrow or two at me. But I don't believe that she would kill me. Her party wouldn't let her."

"Her companions might disagree, but they are not in a position to stop it." The Mistress said as she walks towards the window. As she gazes to the forest, she continued. "How much do you know of your Elven friend?" She asked.

"They are not my friend per se. I fought them when we first met and I got captured. Your Organization's attack and kidnapping of their party member forced them to need my help, so… Here I am." He fidgets as he explains. A clear indicator that his position in the group is shaky at best and he is not sure that the elf wouldn't kill him. "But they promised me that they will make sure that I will be safe once the rescue mission is over."

"Like the promise I made to make you come with us?" The Mistress teased the man like she usually does. It is one of her hobbies, teasing people to get a laugh out of it. That is why I ignore her when she tries to tease me for I know that if I show a reaction, she will tease me harder. Seeing the man frown, which the Mistress likes to see, she then answered while smiling mischievously. "Oh don't look at me like that. Consider this a lesson. Giving your full trust to someone is stupid. You might say that this will make others see you as a dependable friend or colleague, but in reality, it just makes you seem gullible. As long as we are human, people will always try to use one another to reach their goal. A friend is just a person who trades friendship for your benefit. By the Gods, even parents will use their child to further their own goals." She said with eyes full of melancholy. Her voice breaks a little as she finishes her thought "You need to be vigilant, see through their ploys, and use it to your advantage. That is the only way you will survive in this world."

As if he was unsure if he should voice out his thoughts, the man answered reluctantly. "So… You're saying that I should not trust you?"

The Mistress chuckled at the man's question as if to shake the sadness from before. "Of course. I lied to you earlier didn't I? What I am asking of you is not your unconditional trust. Let's just say that what I am proposing to you is for our mutual benefit. We want to break our seals and escape, for that we need a big enough distraction that will surely get the Elder's attention. On the other hand, you need us if you want to have a chance to get out of here alive. Even if the said chance is small, it beats having your death all but a hundred percent certain."

The man paused as he ponders on the Mistress's words. Gathering his thoughts, he asked. "How can you be so sure that they will indeed kill me once this is over?"

The Mistress crossed her arms and smiled. If there is something her Mistress finds delight other than teasing people, it is when her brilliant mind is being revealed. A well-known story about her childhood, which was shared by my previous master whenever he is annoyed by her, is that she grew up under the shadow of her brilliant sister. Couldn't get any affection from her parents due to them doting over her older sister, which is why she became lazy. Only relying on her natural talent and her family's name to stay in the good graces of the Organization.

But that was what the Mistress wants them to think.

After spending a couple of days with her. What I discovered about her surprised me. Contrary to the popular belief, the Mistress is a hard worker. As soon as we came back, she buried herself in her research, formulating plan after plan to achieve her goal of freedom. Not only was she brilliant, but she was also bold, which was evident when she used even a senior member of the Organization, Mistress Mariam, in her devious plan to distract the Elder and steal the book of seals, and now that she had it, she was even able to create a Seal Breaker to counteract the seal put on us by the Organization in just a few minutes.

I thank the Gods for giving me such a wonderful Mistress, who is a complete contrast to the brute, which is my previous master.

"Unknown to you, your dear elven ranger is a high born. Evident from the Blood Seal on your left hand. You see, that is a Seal only thought to the members of the Noble Houses of the Elven Kingdom. What might also be unknown to you is that the Elves have deep-seated hatred with anything related to the Void. Which is the Energy sealed inside you. They are relentless in their mission of eradicating it from the face of Astera. Trust me. Even if you are friends with the Elven Council, they will not think twice to kill you in killing you once they find out what you have inside of you, and they will. That means, your Elven friend will most likely kill you even if her companions disagree. It's in her blood."

"Then why didn't she kill me yet?" The man asked.

"From what you said before, she did try. But since you are right here, still breathing even after a week of staying with them, there is only one explanation." The Mistress paused for dramatic effect before continuing. "You are being used as bait to lure us, the Organization, out."

"Bait? How does having me as a bait to lure out your big ass group of spell flinging Mages help us out? The party who captured me is composed of only a few people and having me in their group paints a target on their back which makes them as good as dead if they clash with your Organization. Hell, they just need to send you and that crazy bitch who attacked us from before and you will most likely wipe us out without much effort." The man would be right if their group was the only people present here to oppose the Organization. But the Mistress knew better than to assume that is the case.

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

"That is if your party is the only one who is opposing the Organization. Tell me. You've been alone in the forest for months, then why hasn't the Rangers caught you already? I reckon they won't even drop a sweat in killing a lone Void-touched, especially one who is not yet familiar with his power. But here you are. Still breathing. Have you met Elves other than that Ranger of yours?" She paused as she looks at the confused face of the man. "Judging from your expression, I guess not. You see, other races are usually not allowed inside the Elven Forest other than, you know, Elves. If other race enters the forest, they will be intercepted by an Elven Ranger and sent back out of the forest. The weird thing is, the Organization has been here for almost a month without having sighted a single Elf. That is why when Mariam went back with the news of an Elf sighting, everyone was on edge. But after sending a few Scouts to patrol the area, we didn't receive any news of Elves other than your Ranger. That is when the Elder deemed it safe to send our group to capture you. But while we were fighting inside your camp, I felt something odd. An odd feeling that someone was watching us. That is why we quickly retreated."

"What are you trying to imply?" Not being able to connect the dots, the man asked.

My master rolled her eyes and sighed before answering. "I am saying that the Elves are using you as bait to capture at least one of us alive to find out where our base is. Why else would your elf friend fight only to incapacitate instead of outright kill? With her skill, she could've killed my sweet Weylin over here with ease. But instead, she targeted her tendons and other non-vital areas." She then looks at me and smiled sweetly. "Which I deeply appreciate, since it kept you alive darling. Don't frown now."

I quickly wiped the frown which I didn't know I am doing, from my face. Why am I frowning? Am I upset upon hearing that the Elf outclass me? It should be understandable, she lived for a far longer time than me, the Mistress said so herself. But if I'm not upset, then what is this heavy feeling I have in my chest?

As I am trying to understand what I am feeling, I was suddenly jolted back to reality when I heard the Mistress call my name.

"Weylin. Are you alright?" After seeing me nod, she then sighed in relief. "You zoned out for a second there that I thought your seal is activating. Anyway…" She then turned towards the man, "I need you to stand over there. Once I put the last rune and activate it, it will take a few seconds before it will work. A delay reaction if I say so myself, in which I will use this circle to transport you somewhere safe to make sure that the Elder will not find out that we had a hand in this."

The man seems unsure but still decided to step on what seems to be the Mistress' teleportation circle. "So you're sure that the Elves will come rushing in when they think that I might've broken the seal and clash with the Organization?"

"As I have said multiple times, yes. Then you can use the chaos that will ensue to escape. I suggest you go west, far from the Elven territory." The Mistress suggested.

"But west of here is a cliff. How do you propose I go that way?" The man asked with an annoyed expression on his face.

"There's a river down there. I think it is deep enough that you might survive if you fall into it." The Mistress teased the man. Seeing him frown deeply, the Mistress chuckled before speaking once more. "Oh don't look at me like that. I am just suggesting a direction. I didn't want you to jump off a cliff. Do I look like a monster who would want that?" Seeing the man was about to say something, she cut him off. "Wait, don't answer that. You could escape through the forest, it will be dangerous, since you will be on the Elves' turf, but if you head north you will find a narrow pass. Follow it and when you reach the end, go west and cross the river that leads to the waterfall. Once you're out of the Forest, it will earn you at least a weeks' worth of time before the Elves could send people to chase after you. If you keep heading west, it should be enough time for you to reach the City of Dumars if you hurry enough. Once you're there, go towards the large largest building in the City Square, show them this and tell them you were sent by Lady Frey, after that you could ask them for supplies and gold that you will surely need. Before you even ask, they will give them to you, no question asked." The Mistress handed him a token.

The man took the token and put it in his pocket. "Thanks. Any more reminders before we do this?"

The Mistress smiled softly and touched the face of the man, which made him flinch and made the Mistress chuckle. "Nothing. Just do your best to escape. Who knows, our paths might meet again once we are both free. If it does, maybe we could travel the world together. The world is vast and it would be dull to travel with just these two. It would be delightful to have you accompany me. What say you?" The Mistress asked in a sincere tone. This is the first time I saw the Mistress like this. She did say that she like the man, he did make her laugh, the first time she laughed at a joke made by another person, not due to her pranks and teasing. But I didn't expect that she 'like' him.

The man's face flush red and turned his head down, probably to avoid the Mistress' gaze, which only made the Mistress chuckle softly.

The man quickly walks towards the circle, waiting for the last rune to be drawn over his seal. The Mistress held his left hand and slowly drew the last rune. Which only made him flush ever redder. Once she was done, she gave him a quick kiss on the cheeks before activating the Counter Seal on his arm and the magic circle he is standing on simultaneously. Just like that, with a surprising look on his face, the man vanished from thin air, transported somewhere inside the camp.

"It's fun teasing him." The Mistress laughed softly before going inside the magic circle she drew in the middle of the room. "Okay! Let's also get ready. Once, huh… I forgot to ask his name. Quite rude of him. He knew mine." The Mistress pouted before shaking her head.

Interrupting her musing, I bowed before her "Mistress, permission to speak." Something was weighing in my mind, so I asked my Mistress before we get ready for the breaking of the seal.

"Oh? Does my sweet Weylin want to speak on her own volition? Are we finally bonding as friends?" Without the man, her teasing nature is now pointed at me. "You always have my permission to speak darling. Do go on. What's on your mind?"

"The token you gave the man, isn't it Mistress Mariam's?" I asked.

"It is. The one I told you to get from that witch's room. You might be curious why I gave it to him no?" I nodded upon hearing her answer. "I gave it to him in case he gets caught before the Elves rushes in. They would not be able to escape with him in tow, but in case they do escape, it will at least put Mariam in hot water, making the others think that she had a hand with the chaos that will fall upon this base. The thought of her getting punished by the Elders would be hilarious." The Mistress smiled devilishly before softening up to her usual cheerful expression. "On the other hand, if that guy indeed escapes, it will help him much on his journey. Who knows, we might even really meet him one day. I wouldn't mind taking him with me. He's fun."

Mora then stepped forward and also bowed to the Mistress, "I also want to ask something." He said.

The Mistress shows a slightly annoyed expression on her face before quickly changing back to her usual demeanor, "Do go on. But this is the last one. We're on a tight schedule."

"Thanks, Mistress." He then straightens his back before asking. "I am curious to know where you sent him."

"Oh? Curious aren't we?" She smirked before answering. "I sent him to the Dining Hall."

"The Dining Hall?!" I exclaimed in surprise. "But the novices should be having their dinners right now, aren't they?" To my surprise, I couldn't help but ask. I quickly bowed my head in case I offended the Mistress.

"Wow. My sweet Weylin not only asked me a question today but also showed emotion. Today must be a good day. Why is my dear Weylin so expressive today I wonder? Do you also like him? Wow, a frown. Two emotions in one day. You're on fire. We have to have him if he can make you show this much emotion. But let me warn you. He's mine." The Mistress smiled.

I didn't even know I frowned and quickly reprimanded myself. A tool must not have emotion. A tool must only be there for her Master to use. I then walk towards my spot in the magic circle, to stand there quietly.

"Ohhh… Don't be like that sweetling. How about I share him with you once in a while? Hmmm. No reaction? Okay, I won't tease you anymore." I was finally able to relax now that the Mistress lost her interest in teasing me.

"You lied to him. You said you will send him somewhere safe. Yet you sent him to the dining hall where a bunch of novices could group up and catch him? Wouldn't that go against your plan? Even if the man is a talented fighter, he will face at least a dozen or two novices there. He wouldn't stand a chance." Mora exclaimed.

"First, I told you that you can only ask one question. But since I am in a good mood, I will answer your second question. Yes, I did lie. In my defense, I did tell him earlier not to trust me. It's his fault. Also, I think he could escape there. I've seen him fight. Not only is he quite a good fighter, more importantly, but he is also creative. You should know that. You fought him. I don't expect him to fight them all. I expect him to run and make the novices chase after him. That will surely make a big ruckus, which is the thing that we need." She stated as if it is a matter of fact. "No more questions. Go to your positions. Any second now Elder Maximillian will make his move. When he does, I will break our seal and get the hell out of here before the Elves arrive." The Mistress ordered.

This is exactly what the personality of the Mistress is. Playful, but cruel. I close my eyes and offered a prayer to the Goddess Luna, the Merciful, may she have mercy on that man, for my Mistress can be cruel sometimes indeed.