The day after Emi found out her parents had been murdered, she decided to go searching for them.
That man had said they ran downstream—away from her home—so Emi thought she had no other choice except to search downstream for them.
Her parents always told her it was really dangerous outside, so Emi never got much opportunity to join them when they went out together, nor was she ever allowed to go out alone.
Feeling exhausted from everything that happened, Emi’s large eyes were clouded as she scanned her surroundings, desperate to seek out what she was looking for. The only thing Emi had focused on thus far was the freezing cold river she was walking beside and her small feet entering the soft snow as she watched where they were being planted while she walked.
The green-covered-white grass bank that she walked on alongside the river was flat and open, but further away on the other side of Emi were large and plentiful snowy trees looking down on everything beneath their frosted branches and they would occasionally drop snow, despite the fact there was no snow falling from the grey sky above to pile onto it.
But it was most likely the soft breeze causing that disturbance.
It was hard to tell whether the empty space beside the river that Emi walked through made her feel unprotected, or if it made her comfortable knowing what was—or wasn’t—around her.
Emi walked at a natural speed for her small stature and continued down on the shallow snow while looking around in no particular arrangement.
Emi walks for a while, being accompanied by the sound of flowing water and the faint noise of leaves gently brushing together from the gentle breeze, when she sees two person-shaped objects over in the distance.
“Is that…?” Emi exclaims before trailing off.
Before she even realised it, Emi was pushing her small legs to run as fast as they can, seemingly under the mistaken impression that time was a matter of necessity.
She promptly arrived at her destination.
On the snow covered grass was both of her parents—Emi’s Mother and Father—lying next to one another with stab wounds through their stomach and heart respectively. The blood their bodies once stored had soaked into the snow they were resting on.
Emi observed her parents bodies for what felt like forever.
“…”
Am I meant to say something? …I don’t understand.
Emi knelt in front of her parents and brought her small hands together to pray—even though she had no confidence they would actually hear it.
In her head was a flurry of thoughts and emotions.
She knelt and prayed on the ground for what could be considered both a long or a short amount of time for this task.
The main thoughts she had running through her head was how unfair everything was. Why did my parents have to be murdered? What did they do to deserve it?
Despite having no confidence they would hear her next words, Emi vowed that she would find who did this and kill them, just like she did the man from last night.
“…”
Standing up after she finished saying her prayers, Emi opens her watery eyes to the sight of her parents resting atop the crimson-white snow. It was clearly a sight no child should have the burden of seeing.
She vows aloud this time, whether to herself or her deceased parents as she looked down towards the two of them through her tear-soaked eyes.
“Sniff… I’ll kill those people for doing this to Mother and Father…” Emi said out loud.
She stood there for a while longer.
The least Emi thought she could do was to properly bury her parents, but the best she could do right now was bury them here where she found them.
So, Emi stepped a foot into the icy-cold river, picked up a sharp stone that suited her small hands, and got busy chipping away at the grass and the roots that grab hold of the dirt beneath it—exposing the dirt.
After an eternity of digging out clumps of dirt by hand and forcing her way through the gradually hardening ground under it, she finally reached a point deep enough. She climbed out of the hole bigger than herself and stumbled as she tried her best to drag them in without dropping them. Once they were both in and straight, Emi pushed the mound of dirt back into the hole, thereby burying them.
At this point the sun had creeped its way down behind the trees ahead—a sign the day was over.
Emi looked at the result of her effort and work, drenched in sweat and darkened with literal dirt.
Her parents are officially gone.
She awoke to the sound of birds at the first sign of dawn; practically freezing from the coldness of early morning, Emi forced herself up and out of the bush she had huddled up in last night.
“I’m hungry.” She absentmindedly stated following the grumble of her stomach.
Emi looks around, but no one is there.
“…”
I need food for breakfast.
I can surely manage to evade starving by using the mushroom knowledge that I gained from the few times I went out with my parents.
I at least know enough not to die by way of mushroom.
“A mushroom only diet is good though.” She said out loud to convince whatever may be listening. Emi was rather knowledgeable about mushrooms as it was most of what she ate, and during the unlikely times that she did go out into the forest with her parents—she even had practical experience.
Positive that she wasn’t the only one thinking that a mushroom only diet was good, she started her mushroom gathering session.
There was no rhyme or reason to her method of gathering mushrooms; it seemed like she would simply imagine where she would want to grow as one, judging by the faint voice-over she gave as she searched.
Emi eventually found a portobello mushroom about the size of her hand.
“Heh.”
After a fierce battle of walking and searching, Emi gathered the mushroom that beamed at her. At this rate, she could maybe have two mushrooms before she died from starvation. Despite that, she gathered about four of the same kind that she stored while she walked by keeping them held up in her bloodied shirt like a makeshift pouch.
Once she finished aimlessly walking around and came across a nice spot to sit, she ate the four mushrooms that, truthfully, she actually spent not too long searching for.
The only problem was she had no idea how to start a fire to cook as her parents always used magic to light it, but it should be fine… Emi thought.
“There is absolutely nothing wrong with eating raw mushrooms.” She said out loud to convince whatever may be listening.
Mushrooms are yummy.
Emi ate the result of her hard work and happened to notice her appearance as she was.
Emi’s torn-up clothes were covered in that man’s disgusting blood and had been damaged during her desperate search through the forest last night. Not to mention the sweat and dirt.
“I need to wash this off…”
The only problem was.
“…The water is basically freezing.”
As it was the start of winter and the water was almost asking to freeze solid, there was no way Emi could imagine that bathing in it would be the smartest idea. After living here her whole life, she might be good with cold temperatures but the water would most definitely be more than cold. Even the hand Emi put in yesterday to find a sharp rock took ages to finally heat back up, not to mention it hurt and went numb.
“I can’t exactly lick myself clean either…”
Well, It will still be really cold, but maybe I could wipe myself clean. I can use my already torn clothes.
While still being unpleasant, the best idea she had was to wipe herself clean using the cloth from her damaged and dirty clothes.
Emi tore the rest of the bottom part of her shirt fully off, leaving her stomach fully exposed. Thankfully it wasn’t cold enough that she would freeze to death from this amount of exposure—her warm body temperature could handle that much at least.
Emi then removed her clothes, soaked and cleaned the cloth in the water, and she then wiped down her face, hair and body.
“…It is still very cold.”
There was no soap, so just using water was the best she could do right now.
After wiping herself down, Emi decided what she would do for the rest of the day.
“I guess I should explore the forest…”
The Forest of Frost was called such because for most of the time, it was extremely cold and always had snow falling from the sky above it; except during summer, when the snow would mostly dissipate. It was a very damp and dull place that had about one palette of colour which filled the landscape with white and grey hues. Surprisingly, it was filled with lush greenery, thick grass, and wide, expansive trees which were sadly almost always blanketed and hidden by a layer of snow. However, it would never lose the colour beneath it, which occasionally, you could see poke out.
The forest would certainly get cold and cover itself in a layer of snow, however it would never freeze over, regardless of temperature. It seems this has something to do with it being a monster haunt and the way mana flows through the ground and air.
Mana…my parents said it was something that fuels magic and they used it to catch fish, so surely that must mean that I can as well.
“But, how do I use mana exactly?” Emi thought aloud while she walked through the busy forest.
At this point it was just after midday, but with how large the branch systems of the tall trees were, it created a blanket that covered most sunlight beneath, making it even colder like it was still early morning. As she walked, Emi hypothesised how to use the mana in her body.
Being able to feel the mana inside me would be a good start right?
“…How am I meant to do that?”
Emi stopped walking to concentrate on the mana that flowed through her body—assuming she does have mana. Slowing down her mind, she tried to feel whatever she could from within her small body, eventually picturing a sort of container, like a small bottle, confining a fog that must have been her mana.
Feeling some semblance of mana, of which she hadn’t yet conceptually grasped, and picturing a small bottle, Emi took the cork out of the bottle to release her mana before instantly feeling a rush of heavy presence and heat exit out from the surface of her own body.
The bottle she sees shortly becomes clear and empty.
Does…this mean I have no mana now?
“That makes no sense… It must come back after a while.”
It all released at once because I pulled the cork right? Does that mean if I don’t do it all the way and instead leave a smaller gap, less mana will release? How am I meant to turn that into magic…?
Many questions float in Emi’s head as she resumes walking.
Magic must need some sort of stimulus to physically manifest. Which means, will I create a fire or something if I imagine creating it by using my mana? I guess I will have to wait until I regain my mana to find out…
Absentmindedly walking, Emi continues thinking about the concept of magic without realising that there was something standing right in front of her.
A large stout animal, twice as tall as Emi and thrice as long, with very short, straight horns that were facing right Emi’s way. In her inattentive state, she only noticed the beast once she got far too close and her subconscious snapped her out of her stupor.
It was basically right in front of her.
“Uh…” Emi shakily forced out.
Emi turns left, leaping as she sets off to run when—
“Dzzzzt!”
Right as Emi started running, the large animal leapt far faster than what seemed natural, travelling right to where Emi was a moment ago, cutting the back of her right leg despite the fact that it appeared to have missed her. She continue running as fast as possible using the most of her physical prowess as a Blue Cat.
Blood escaping down her leg and a shooting pain came from the relatively sizeable gash.
“Hnngh…!” Emi dizzyingly squeezes out.
It slowly turned around and watched her as she began to zigzag among the evenly spaced trees while wincing through the pain from the large cut on her leg, desperately trying to put distance between her and that beast.
“Dzzzzt!”
It dashed once again in her direction with a faintly visible lightning following behind it, this time crashing through a couple trees that were blocking its path as it followed. Emi continues running as fast as her legs could take her.
It won’t be long before she grows exhausted, especially when—
“Dzzzzt!”
The distance she put between her and the beast was closed off instantly as it crashed right into her back with a another dash.
“Gah!” Emi shot forwards with an awkward sound escaping from her.
Digging right into her back was the stout beasts’ snout, with short horns stabbing into each side of Emi’s back as it reached her, it sent her flying forwards. Emi was left coughing up blood, disoriented, and in pain as she desperately tried to lift herself up from the ground where she landed.
Emi crawled back up onto her knees, eventually to her feet, and tearfully glanced at the dreaded beast as it watched the young girl with animalistic, uncaring eyes from the spot where it had just rammed into her.
W-what do I do…? I feel so tired, I can barely stand…
“Dzzzzt!”
Once again, the beast shot forwards, accompanied by a faint blue lightning, and it rams into the front of Emi… At least, it would have, but with all of the might she managed to scrape together, Emi leapt to the side just in time and somehow manage to evade the attack without getting a scratch.
“Huff… Huff…”
Out of breath and riddled with pain and fatigue, Emi clumsily brandished the dagger she still had in her possession and awkwardly held it out in front of herself.
Accepting she had no way to possibly escape the enraged animal chasing her, Emi prepared herself to fight it.
“Dzzzzt!”
As almost anybody might have guessed, the beast once again dashed towards Emi.
This time, instead of running away, the cat-girl pounced as high as she could force her tired, pained legs. The beast stopped where Emi was just at a moment ago as it completed its dashing attack—viewing that from above in the air as she reached the peak of her jump, Emi gripped onto the dagger with all her might and began to fall. Descending upon the beast as it slowly looked to and fro to see where the girl it was targeting went, Emi managed to land on the back of its neck with a clumsy piercing stab; the small blade that she gripped using both of her hands had somehow managed to penetrate the large animal. For a second it roared in supposed pain after the wound Emi inflicted—before disappearing completely.
Emi fell through where it just stood with a thud.
Landing next to her with a sharp, high pitched rattle was the core of the beast.
The sound of short, pained breaths was all she could hear. It was like the world around her didn’t even exist. The stinging pain in Emi’s small, inexperienced lungs as she huffs and puffs the cold, and the early winter air was all she felt and heard. The stinging pain in her back from the short horns, the pain still shooting out from the large cut on her leg from the initial attack; her whole body was crying out.
She had a hazy look in her eyes that could no-doubt barely register anything.
Lightning Bull monster defeated.
Progression: Level 1 to Level 5.
Acquired: Fighting Spirit… Critical Attacker… Quick Dash… Dodge Mastery: Level 1/10… Short-sword Mastery: Level 1/10.
“What…?” She mused out loud.
A knowledgeable female-sounding voice had spoken to Emi post-haste upon the defeat of the large beast she had slain. Unable to register what the voice had said while her racing mind had finally drained itself, Emi limply staggered to her knees and reached for the shining light-blue crystal core that had fell on the ground.
A wave of emotion fluttered through Emi as she stared down at the core she held using her small hands as the perceived pain from her now-healed wounds was still ringing through her body.
Tears began to flow out of her tired eyes; Emi sat up on her knees and sobbed for a while as the sky slowly grew dark from the setting sun.
A few days had passed since Emi had fought the Lightning Bull. From that point, she had discovered a few things. Firstly, if she decided to focus on it, she was able to see her status list, which currently says:
———
—Status List—
Name: Emi Age: 11 Species: Blue-White Cat Level: 6
Status: HP: 30/30 MP: 24/24 EXP: 4/60
ATK: 24 DEF: 6 AGL: 60 INT: 66
Skills: Short-sword Mastery Level 2/10, Dodge Mastery Level 1/10, Fighting Spirit, Cat Reflexes, Cat Agility, Heightened Senses, Night Vision, Slow Health Regeneration, Slow Mana Regeneration, Critical Attacker, Quick Dash
Equipment: [Damaged] Weak-class dagger, [Damaged] Simple clothes
Inventory: 1 Lightning Bull manastone.
———
Secondly, about two days after her fight with the Lightning Bull, she came across a walled in city that looked like it was in the middle of the Forest of Frost. Emi realised that the man she killed must have come from there, so that was one of the reasons she decided her next goal would be to enter the city.
Thirdly, levels are gained from defeating things known as monsters which reward EXP. Emi killed a couple Frost Rabbits yesterday and it increased her level by 1.
Fourthly—and lastly—it’s possible to view more detailed information in the status list, like viewing skill descriptions.
———
—Status List—
Skill details:
Short-sword Mastery
Increase proficiency when using Short-sword, dagger, and knife-like weapons. Move onto next stage when proficiency complete.
Requirement: Use a Short-sword class weapon.
Dodge Mastery
Increase proficiency when dodging. Move onto next stage when proficiency complete.
Requirement: Dodge attacks successfully.
Fighting Spirit
Mental based skill that improves focus during life-and-death situations.
Requirement: Must choose to fight back against the odds.
Cat Reflexes
Cat species-specific skill that improves reflexes.
Blue Cat Agility
Blue cat species-specific skill that increases AGL by two times. Cat Agility skill increases AGL by one and a half times, making Blue Cat Agility superior.
Heightened Senses
Skill that improves all senses.
Requirements: Be born a species that naturally has it.
Night Vision
Skill that improves visibility in dark environments.
Requirement: Be born a species that naturally has it, or train your eyesight in dark environments.
Slow Health Regeneration
Regeneration-based skill that slowly regains health. Can increase in proficiency.
Slow Mana Regeneration
Regeneration-based skill that slowly regains mana. Can increase in proficiency.
Critical Attacker
Special skill that increases ATK by two times.
Requirement: First ever attack done MUST strike the core of a monster and defeat it. Extremely rare skill.
Quick Dash
Movement-based skill that gives the ability to dash forwards. Can increase in proficiency.
Requirement: Defeat a monster with Quick Dash skill.
Note: Proficiency increases from using skills. Proficiency is skill owner’s knowledge and ability when using a skill, can improve skill level.
———
Time to finally figure out how magic works.
Last time Emi was thinking about how magic and mana worked, she was attacked by that Lightning Bull in the middle of the forest. Emi did not want that to happen again, so she decided to learn how magic worked near the river out in the open.
“That should be better…”
If what I said a few days ago about stimulus was true, then would picturing what I want to happen turn it into magic?
“Hm.”
Emi stood out in the open, closed her eyes, held out her hand and pictured what she wanted to manifest.
Heat. Fire. She imagines creating flame while pulling the cork slightly out of the bottle that contained her mana—leaving a small gap. After maybe a couple dozen seconds of focusing, Emi started to feel a small bit of heat exit out from her body just as she was ready to give up.
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
Emi opened her eyes and in front of her extended hand at eye-level was a small fire ball about the same size as her small hand.
“It’s floating.”
As the Ball of Fire hovered in front of Emi, she could feel the mana within her body slowly drain.
“Time to get rid of this.” Emi said, before forcing the Ball of Fire to disperse.
That was a pretty big success, if I do say so myself…
Acquired: Magical Proficiency: Level 1… Fire Magic Mastery: Level 1/10… Fire Magic Mastery, Level 1: Ball of Fire.
“Eheheh…” The young girl involuntarily released a small freakish giggle while the words she had just heard embed themselves into her head.
Does that mean what I think it means…? I can train my Magical Proficiency and Fire Magic Mastery and they will increase when I do? Right? …Right?
With that thought occupying Emi’s mind, she spent the rest of the day practicing her magic by creating Fire Magic Mastery, Level 1: Ball of Fire over and over. This time making it shoot out forwards into the river, until shortly after, running out of mana. Repeating that cycle every time her mana regenerates.
Emi noticed from the first Ball of Fire she made that it slowly drained mana while she continued manifesting it. Assuming that it would cost more mana the larger it was, Emi thought that if she instead shot out fast, dense Balls of Fire, then she should be able to use more.
Unfortunately, she could not make them smaller.
The next day, Emi continued her practice using and controlling mana and magic, and she increased her Magical Proficiency and Fire Magic Mastery to level 5 and level 3 respectively.
Emi found out that she could use water magic in the same manner; all she had to do was imagine the calm and cool of water instead of the violent and heat that was fire—and it worked.
Acquired: Water Magic Mastery: Level 1/10… Water Magic Mastery, Level 1: Ball of Water.
“I wonder why it took less time than learning Fire Magic Mastery…?”
Emi couldn’t do any complex magics at this point and all she could do was use the spells she had learnt from levelling up her element mastery. However, she felt like every time her Magic Mastery level increased, so too did her control and ability with controlling mana and magic. This did allow her to some degree alter the learned spells she could currently use.
“Mana and blood…” Emi curiously said to herself.
A spark of inspiration hit Emi as she was clumsily cutting up a Frost Rabbit. The blood flowed out from the monster and stained the rock it was resting on a dark red; Emi realised that mana might just work in a similar way—though there was no way for her to know whether that was the truth.
Rather than be stored in a bottle, could I instead picture it as something that is always flowing through me…?
When she tried it, the mana escaped her body far more readily than the process of having to open a bottle and adjust the gap the cork left; instead, it was like she could feel the mana easily exit the pores of her skin.
Whether or not mana and blood were related, Emi became far better at feeling and controlling her mana output; It felt like it was a part of her body, rather than something else entirely.
Oddly enough, no matter what she did, her casting of magic always had a delay to it—of about a second. Even as she improved her proficiency, the delay did not change.
Emi levelled up her Water Magic Mastery to level 3 and also discovered that it was possible to use magic from the environment, which in turn used way less mana; Emi could lift up and play with the water from the river that she trained next to instead of manifesting her own. Doing this cost far less mana.
Of course, Emi would also gather food when she got hungry, exclusively eating mushrooms unless she happened to find a Frost Rabbit, which were monsters, but were far easier to defeat. These Frost Rabbits—and all monsters—have the same crystal core the Lightning Bull that Emi struggle to defeat has; the difference between each were the colour and size, and possibly other aspects.
Monsters only disappeared if you damage their core enough. When they disappear, the whole body of the monster disappears, leaving only the crystal core.
Emi unfortunately found that out the hard way when the Frost Rabbit meat she placed in her mouth disappeared while she was messing with the crystal that came from it.
>w<
There was one thing Emi noticed right away when she was observing the city from the tall grass that was still far off from the entrance to the city.
Due to Emi’s excellent eyesight, she was able to see from quite the distance away; it’s because of her excellent eyesight that she was easily able to distinguish the same crest that she saw only a week ago.
Despite the man and Emi’s brief interaction, he left quite the impression.
The crest that the distant soldiers had—the soldiers guarding the one and only gate people used to enter and exit the city—was the same crest that the man who killed her parents wore proudly on his chest.
“…”
There was a lineup of people waiting to enter the city and every so often people would exit the gate either on foot or with a carriage dragged by what was always a type of monster. The people who did exit on foot wore armour and carried weapons and would enter the large forest Emi had spent her whole life in, whereas those who exited the city riding inside a carriage followed the road that continued through the one and only gap that parted the Forest of Frost, and therefore, through the danger the haunt possessed.
There was one exception to this usual scene.
A group of chained beastmen and their captors entered the city as the day neared its end.
“…I guess there weren’t any beastmen entering the city earlier.”
It was only humans.
It goes without saying that Emi, as a beastman, would never be able to stroll through the one and only gate when clearly only slaves were permitted.
The guards would definitely stop her.
Father told me about the slaves. He said they were unlucky beastmen that were forced to do whatever the humans wanted, even though humans were weaker than most beastmen. He said it was unacceptable that we, as Blue Cats, were forced into hiding.
“That means I won’t be allowed to walk through that gate.” She softly said to herself.
“It would cause a whole scene…”
No thanks.
Emi decided she would enter the city by sneaking in.
She waited from her spot in the tall grass near the forest edge and slowly made her way towards the left side of the south wall once nighttime came.
The gap between the haunt and the city wall was quite significant and had to be a distance of a kilometre or so on all sides.
As the city walls were in the shape of a rectangle with only one gate for getting in and out, it got more affluent the further one came north from the gate, as it was considered safer. Naturally, this meant there were more wall-stationed guards the further one went from the southern gate.
I wonder what they would do if they ever needed to evacuate? I doubt the Lord of this place would want to be the last one to leave.
This left one option for Emi.
“…I’ll just jump over the southern wall at the right time.”
Emi crept and crept through the flat grassland that lay around the city. Thankfully it was nighttime and the grass in the flat land around the city was fairly long, so there was no way anyone would bare witness Emi’s stealthy antics. When Emi got close enough to the wall, she patiently waited until the right time—after the guards passed and as the others weren’t looking before she used the Quick Dash skill that she got from defeating the Lightning Bull, as well as her agility to quickly pass by the wall guards, and she reached the other side of the wall.
Her nose twitched from the confusing smell. It was vastly different from the from the cool fresh air she was so used to. This was an unsavoury smell that stayed within the confines of the city walls.
Emi had landed beside the wall in close proximity to a large area of buildings that all looked very similar. Everywhere around her was dark and the only light she saw came from the cracks in doors and from windows.
The half moon high up in the sky was blocked by a layer of clouds, shielding the light and making it impossible for the moon to illuminate the city below. None of this mattered to Emi, the cat-girl who had Night Vision.
“Heh.”
Impressed by her helpful skill, Emi carried on looking around and began walking.
I need to figure out how to hide my ears.
Even though it was nighttime and everyone seemed to be inside, there is no way to be certain that somebody wouldn’t run into her and see that she was a beastman.
The clothes she was wearing may have been ruined, but at the very least her tail was still hidden. In which case, the only cat-identifying feature Emi still had visible was the large blue ears atop her head.
“So…what should I be doing right now?”
Finding somewhere to sleep would be a start.
Whether or not she could find something to cover her large blue ears, she can’t stay up all night, so finding somewhere to sleep became a priority.
As Emi prepared to jump onto a roof to find a comfortable spot to sleep, she heard footsteps close behind her.
“Oh? Did you escape from the slave confinement?”
Emi turned around and was nearly face-to-face with three tall men that looked like they were all maybe around thirty years old. With the two standing behind the one in the middle looking worse for wear, while the one in the centre had an intelligent air about him.
“No. Just going for a walk.”
“Well, you’re a cat-girl right? That means you’re coming with us.” The man in the middle calmly states.
“…No.”
“…”
The two men behind him start walking forwards.
Before they can get to Emi, she runs up the wall and jumps up towards the top of one of the many buildings around her. She lands on the slightly angled roof and continued running across the top of the buildings, using the most of her agility, until she gained enough distance to be comfortable with.
Heh.
“You’re a fast one.”
“…!?”
Emi turned around as fast as possible to the calm voice behind her. Following her instincts she spun her body and leapt back before she even realised there was a fist headed for her stomach. Thankfully, her reaction was just in time and she narrowly escaped the sudden attack.
Progression: Dodge Mastery Level 2/10.
Emi leapt backwards and pulled out her dagger, shakily holding it in front of herself using her left hand.
“…And you’re rather quick-witted.” Coolly stated the man she was speaking to in the alley only a moment ago.
He will just be able to catch up again if I try running…
The man stood perfectly still across from Emi on the rooftop; his posture displaying his discipline while his cool demeanour showed his confidence. With long, straight black hair sitting in a ponytail, dressed in a night-coloured outfit, the man had a presence that showed no openings.
Regardless, it was clear Emi had no other option than to lunge towards the man—and she took a wide slash, swiping her dagger across where he was stood. Her height having the horizontal slash be at around the same level as his stomach. The man hopped back just enough for the slash to miss its mark while also narrowly landing short from the edge of the roof, despite how the low-light and dark should have affected his vision.
“Hmm…” He hummed as he stared at Emi with piercing eyes that clearly did not care for the moon’s illumination.
After knowing her slash had missed him, Emi immediately used her Quick Dash skill, shortening the distance between him and her near instantly, thrusting the dagger in her hand forwards in the direction of his chest.
He responds rapidly by revealing a short-sword from underneath his cloak that he swiftly unsheathed from his waist, and he directly blocked the strike Emi made to his chest.
Snap!
“…”
“…”
Dumbfounded, Emi stood there after the blade of the dagger disintegrated, leaving only the hilt.
The dagger ran out of durability.
“What do you say about becoming my pupil?”
…Excuse me?
She slowly looked up towards the man as soft little tears started to build up in her bright blue eyes; away from her dagger-now-hilt, she stared straight into his.
They betrayed any idea this was simply an indecent ploy.
“What?” She still couldn’t comprehend.
“Want to become my pupil?” Once again he asked.
If the alternative is dying here or becoming a slave…
“Sure.”
With Emi’s answer to his question said, he told her to follow after him. Emi listened, jumping down from the rooftop after him, and the two of them landed on the roughly-laid stone road and continued in the direction of where she first encountered him. Somewhat nervously, she followed him back to what must have been slave-trader territory and she re-met the two men from earlier.
“Umm… Why didn’t you tie her up?” Hesitantly asked one of the men I saw earlier.
“She’s my pupil now, so don’t touch her.”
““What!?”” Exclaimed the two men in unison.
Ignoring the two of them, both Emi and the man carried on walking through the pitch-black and winding alleys, with Emi trailing behind him, until eventually they finish walking and stop in front of an ordinary and out-of-the-way door.
Hmm…
“I’m Emi. What’s your name?” Walking through the door, Emi asks her now-master what she should call him.
He continues walking, obviously paying her question no heed.
Beyond the doorway that the four of them entered through, there was a room full of tables, chairs, and a bar.
Entering this establishment turned the few heads attached to those still awake drinking at this late hour, but after one look, they immediately turned to carry on their conversations from the tables.
Emi and the three men passed through the centre of the room towards the bar that was setup almost directly opposite the door they entered through, which had spirits spread out across the wall; they entered the area behind the bar through the low, square batwing-like door attached to it—Emi’s short height leaving her only about a head above the bar.
They follow along the bar and through a back door that revealed stairs leading down.
“My name is Matthew.” The man finally replies as the door to the back room closed behind us.
“Hmm… Alright, Master Mattie.” Emi says as she walks down the stairs.
“…”
Heh…
The door behind the bar looked like it would simply lead to a small back room, but instead, it was clearly anything but that with what Emi saw upon finishing her descent in the stairway; in front of Emi was an expansive basement that was far bigger than the tavern they all entered through.
This area had many wooden boxes and brown bags—large to small—that had wheat, powder, and various other items haphazardly strewn across the large room, and there were several people going about their business.
There were carriages, weapons, building materials, and further ahead were slaves who were all mostly sleeping in a space that took up less than a quarter of the area.
Beastman slaves were locked in a large holding area in separate cages, with the occasional cage having two or more beastmen together—possibly families. They had beds to sleep on and the beastmen themselves didn’t look like they were being neglected. Majority of them were young, ranging from young children to young adults.
The slaves’ living arrangement certainly wasn’t pretty, but it was surprisingly better than expected.
Accompanying her now-master—Master Mattie—Emi, the two other men, and Matthew enter another door leading to a sizeable hallway and walked down it until they had reached a door by the end. Emi followed Matthew into an office and he sat down on the chair behind the desk.
The other two men that were with them earlier had left along the way, leaving Emi and her master alone.
“Let me explain a few things...” He begins with just the two of them in the room, gesturing for Emi to sit on one of the two chairs on the other side of the desk from him.
Once Emi planted herself on a seat and was comfortable, Matthew began to explain that this establishment deals slaves and sells weaponry; how he is the owner of this place; was once an adventurer; and his goal of overthrowing and usurping the position of Lord of Sour. Matthew went on to explain that he wants to use Emi to aid in his plans.
“Since you are my pupil, I shall give you weapons, train you, and make sure you improve your skills for when it is time to overthrow the Lord.”
“…”
Despite the perplexing situation Emi found herself in the middle of, she was obviously not too concerned about anything Matthew was saying—staring at him with a neutral expression.
“…You will help me, but once your task is done you will be free to do whatever you want.”
“Okay.”
“…”
“…”
It may have gone through one ear and out the other, but still, Emi had listened to everything he said.
Matthew wasn’t convinced.
“Are you really…okay with that?” He asked with a hard to read look.
“…Yes.” Emi timidly answered, unsure what the problem was.
Emi agreed to become involved in an illegal scheme to overthrow the Lord of the city with far too much indifference, which was hard for Matthew to fully accept, despite the fact that he himself was the one to ask; most people choose to stay away from illicit things and that was even more likely when it was a child—that was what Matthew thought anyway.
“How long have you been in Sour?”
“Sour?” Emi said with a head tilt.
“Sigh… Okay, where did you come from?”
Is Sour what this place is called?
From Matthew’s perspective, the cat-girl in front of him was quite suspicious—the problem was that he couldn’t figure out whether that was just him being paranoid.
“I came from the forest.”
It wasn’t like his suspicion was unfounded though; both their coincidental meeting, the fact that a young beastman girl was agreeing to help him like it was nothing, and how she was at least somewhat experienced in combat were all reason enough.
“Why did you agree to help me?”
“…What do you mean? I don’t lose anything from this.” She plainly said.
It simply felt too good to be true, even more so when he thought about how earlier that night he was worried about another certain beastman he picked up only a few days ago, who was about the same age as the girl in front of him. It felt like an offer he couldn’t refuse had been hand-delivered right to him.
Yet logically, there was no way he could give up the chance of having more help just based on circumstantial evidence.
“…Whatever.” He faintly said, as if giving up.
“…?”
I don’t get it.
After their rather unfruitful conversation, Matthew handed Emi a new dagger to replace the one she broke, and gave her clean clothes and a hat to hide away her ears.
Acquired: [New] Standard-class dagger… [Used] Simple cotton clothes… [Used] Newsboy cap.
“Heh.”
“Once morning comes, go to the Adventurers’ Guild and force them to accept your registration, that way you’ll become a permitted beastman. You should be able to find it on your own once it’s day time and people are out.” He continues, ignoring her triumphant sounding noise.
“Alright, see you later Master Mattie.”
The next morning Emi awoke at daybreak and immediately shot up to go to the Adventurers’ Guild. According the Matthew, if Emi became an adventurer then that would allow her to travel to different towns and cities without being persecuted;[1] she wouldn’t have to sneak in, or even need to pay an entry fee.
There wasn’t much other than a bed in a windowless room where Emi spent the night; it was one of the rooms they had to walk past to get to Matthew’s office. It was musty and rather cramped, but it was a place for her to sleep, so Emi had no reason to complain.
“Master Mattie gave me 2 silver coins…” She said to herself, looking at the coins in her hand.
Emi exited the deceptively large building out from the same door she had entered in last night—the door that opened to a tavern—and looked around the now-brightened city alley upon closing the door behind her.
According to Matthew, Emi needed to pay a registration fee at the Adventurers’ Guild if she wished to become an adventurer.
I don’t even know where it is.
Wearing her newly acquired clothes, which thankfully did not have any holes or tears; as well as a cap to hide her big blue ears; Emi arbitrarily decide to go left down the alley in a quest to find the adventurers’ Guild.
Well, left is best…or something like that.
By the time she had successfully found her way through the ever-branching alleyways packed close by buildings and emerged out into the open of a large street, she saw a thin crowd of humans going to and fro what must have be their homes and workplaces.
Having no idea where the Adventurers’ Guild was, she decided to ask someone.
Hmm…
“Hey, do you know the way to the Adventurers’ Guild?” Emi looked up and asked the burly man walking her way.
“Oh…? Are you going to see your Father? The Adventurers’ Guild is just down that way.” Answers the man after looking down at her with a smile.
The man she asked pointed down the road towards the south. I don’t know why he asked if I was going there to see my Father, but she now knew where the Guild was.
Emi looked over each and every shopfront she passed by. For many living in Sour, the shops along the main road may seem trivial, but to Emi it was the first time she’d ever seen anything like it.
Most of the shops she walked by were selling vegetables, dried fruit, or baked goods. It seems there wasn’t much, if any, fresh food because it was now winter, so most of the foodstuffs being sold were more long-lasting. There were more specialised shops here-and-there, like one for second-hand clothes, metalware, and even a blacksmith.
The main street that Emi was walking that extended all the way from the gate to the south and the high-class area in the north, and there was a dedicated area in the middle for carriages to travel on that people mostly kept clear of.
After walking about two hundred Emi-sized steps down the road, she eventually wound up in front of a rather large building that was made from stone with a frame built from wood—it was three stories. She walked up the few steps at the front of the building, and using both hands, she pushed open the big and heavy wooden double-door to enter the Adventurers’ Guild.
Creaaak…
The inside was surprisingly tidy.
Taking into account the fact that adventurers defeat monsters, it wouldn’t be unexpected to think adventurers would tread through the guild with dirt or blood stained on their armour and weapons. But the lobby looked to be treated well.
Emi peaked her head through the doors with a fascinated expression—like that of a curious cat.[2]
The big room was about half full of tables and chairs on the right side from where Emi stuck her head out from; some of the tables were pushed against each other, indicating people had moved them to accommodate larger groups. It had some sort of bar-like area further up and there were a small number of people eating at the tables—so it probably also served food.
The left half of the large room was mostly clear, except for the numerous long standing bulletin boards that showed posters and requests for the adventurers in the guild. These board were clearly separated, allowing people enough space to walk in between and look at the requests posted. There were seven of these long bulletin boards and there were separated by adventurer rank.
Maybe a hundred people were standing around in the left side of the room in groups, most likely in their rank only looking for requests they knew they could successfully complete. The boards were separated by rank; going from F, E, D, C, B, A, and S rank—with S being the highest and F being the lowest. There were many adventurers standing around in the D rank area which was most likely the average rank for the adventurers in Sour, while the A and S rank areas were clearly deserted.
Emi closed the creaky double-door and walked towards the reception-like desk that was ahead, all the while ignoring the questioning looks directed to her from a few of the adventurers throughout the Guild; in particular, the older-looking adventurers.
The front desk was long and split into three parts, each having a receptionist in each one.
Once Emi found her way to the front desk, which was so high that it was up to her chin, she asked the receptionist in the middle window about registering as she peered over the desk with a cute elegance.
“Excuse me…how do I become an adventurer?” Emi asked the lady in the middle window. She had long and wavy bright red hair that went well past her shoulders, as well as a sharp look in her similarly bright red and sharp eyes that bore through Emi—like a predator. She had pale skin.
“—Huh…!? You startled me little girl.” Said the lady receptionist with a mature air, even though she didn’t look a day over 30.
“You said you’re here to become an adventurer?” She asked.
“Yes.”
“How old are you? You can only become an adventurer once you’re twelve years old.”
“…I’m only eleven years old.”
“Oh…? And you didn’t try lying to me?” Bemusedly said the woman.
The lady behind the desk had a brusque yet warm way of talking which gave the impression like that of a wild animal you wouldn’t want to make cross.
“My Mother always said honesty was the best policy.” Emi said honestly.
Master Mattie did say to get them to accept my registration no matter what, but…my age is a problem I cannot fix.
“Can I register as an adventurer even if I’m not 12 yet?”
“The only person who can allow you to become an adventurer right now is the Guildmaster here. I, as a receptionist, can’t break the rules.” She answered in a lively way to emphasise her last sentence.
“How much is the registration fee?” Emi curiously asked.
“The fee is 1 silver coin; and you also have to pass the adventurers test.” Answered the receptionist.
“If I give you 2 silver coins and pass the test, will you let me register?”
Heh…
“Nope.”
It was clear that at this point there was no way that Emi could become an adventurer. Unfortunately, that meant she would not have any protection from persecution and would be like every other beastman that got forced into slavery—except she was not a slave.
“But…if you pay the fee and pass the test, then you won’t have to do it later. Just come back when you turn 12.”
I guess that’s good enough for now. No one will know I’m a cat-girl anyway unless they see my ears or tail.
“Okay.”
“Good. The test will be tomorrow.”
Emi handed over a silver coin to the receptionist and they exchanged goodbyes before Emi turned to leave the Adventurers’ Guild—still noticing a few people taking glances at her as she went to leave.
There was one silver coin left over in Emi’s hand after the matter in the Adventurers’ Guild, so she decided to see if it was possible for her to buy a pair of shoes for that; she was not wearing anything over her feet and the ground was damp and freezing cold.
Now that it had been some time since the sun first rose, there were a lot more people out now than earlier that morning. People were going around Emi in steady fashion because of her slow pace when she walked. There were some swiftly moving past her holding boxes or carrying items to quickly deliver, and others simply walking past carrying their groceries for the day.
It’s because of this that Emi quickly grew tired of the crowd and decided to go back into the comfort of the quiet and cool alleys—it may have been early winter, but the hubbub was making her feel heated.
After walking for a while, Emi emerged from the alley and onto a side-street that was far more grotty and unkempt than the main street she was just on. Slightly to the right from where she exit were about ten or so young girls, obviously slaves from the heavy-looking collars that encased their necks. Still on her hunt for some shoes she could hopefully pay for, Emi walked to her right, seemingly further into the slums of Sour.
Emi passed by the group of filthy and malnourished slaves.
“…Disgusting.” She said under her breath as she looked at the slaves.
“Hey! Who are you calling ’disgusting’, cat-girl!?” Howled a young girl with caramel-coloured hair and dog ears.
Everyone looked towards the beastman slave, then towards the direction her eyes were focused.
“Um… W-what did…you just say?” Emi stammered in surprise as the slaves, the two slave-traders, and some passersby look her up and down.
“I said, who are you calling disgusting, cat-girl!?” She repeated.
“Why are you calling me a cat-girl?”
…How am I meant to get out of this?
“I’m not a cat-girl.” Said the cat-girl.
“Yes you are!”
“I am not!”
Certain that she wasn’t going to get anywhere from talking, Emi turned around for only one foreseeable reason—to hightail it out of the situation.
Emi walked back towards the alleyway she came out from and the moment she turned the corner…she instantly books it!
Unreal!
“Stupid, dumb, idiot mutt!” Emi let out while she ran as fast as she could.
She ran and ran taking turns she hadn’t before, desperate to flee from whatever was the situation she was just in; and down the maze-like route through the randomly-winding alleyways she ran through, when she happened upon a shop that looked—
Thwump!~
Like a cat trying to run without any grip, Emi failed to slow down in time and ran smack bang into the entrance of a small, hole-in-the-wall shop that she had clearly found a little too quickly.
Emi lay on the cold stone brick ground, her head dizzied and pained from the sudden jolt, and her forehead stinging; all while searching hard for breath—when she had a seemingly perfect realisation.
“God, I hate dogs.” She wheezed out.
…I feel like i’m having déjà vu.
Having escaped what felt like imminent danger, she collected herself and climbed back to her feet while vowing revenge on the dog-girl that sold her out.
Emi looked at the doorframe she collided with that, to her surprise, was missing its door, and then stared into the unassuming store that lay behind it.
Behind the tiny counter in the corner of the small store sat a very old lady who had apparently not heard Emi’s mishap.
“Hello.” Emi greeted the old lady after rubbing her head and walking in.
“Do you sell shoes for 1 silver?”
“Mm… Yes there are many shoes you can buy for that much.” She replied in a soft and gruff voice.
I suppose I am in the poor area—not that I know much about this money stuff.
She slowly stood up after answering, leading Emi to some shoes that hardly covered her feet.
On second thought, they didn’t even look like shoes.
Hmm…
“Is there anything that completely covers my feet?”
“Mm… There is one that will go past your ankles. Will that be okay?”
“Mm… Yes.” Emi happily answered.
Once again, she shows Emi to another spot of shoes that this time were far different from what she had just shown her—they were actually shoes. There were many shoes in front of Emi that clearly went above the ankles.
“Mm… This is the cheapest one I have that will fit you.” The old lady says, picking up a pair of dark grey shoes with thick soles. These shoes went well past Emi’s ankles, in fact, they reached the upper part of her shins.
They may have even been a little too big.
I like these ones.
“Yes. These are good.”
“Mm… Follow me.”
Even if the shoes were a little big, that clearly wasn’t an issue for Emi. The old lady lead Emi back to the tiny counter, where she paid a silver coin, and in return she gave Emi her new shoes and a pair of thick cotton socks.
Acquired: [New] Dark grey leather boots.[3]
Walking out of the shop wearing her new boots, Emi soon came to realise her fatal error.
Rumble…
“I’m hungry.”
[1] I use “persecuted” mainly in regards to subjecting a person (Emi) to ill-treatment, rather than hostility—even though technically it should be both. There is no precedent or guarantee that people would stop being hostile towards Emi for being a beastman just because she is also an adventurer, but the ill-treatment factor should be largely removed, or at the very least, disallowed.
[2] I just want to say that I think this is a glorious sentence, considering Emi is a Blue-White Cat. Peak writing.
[3] Yes, Emi got a pair of socks alongside her shoes. However, I don’t want to add an inventory/equipment item like “socks”. Maybe I would have changed my mind if they were really cool enchanted socks…but they are not.