I had finished with selling my goods so I guessed it was time to search for answers. First thing first, though, I had to find a healer or something to heal me. The wounds from my previous battle were still hurting somewhat. I asked around and quickly was pointed a healer. I entered the shop and was immediately greeted by an old woman who was sitting at a table.

"Hello there! Welcome! How many I assist you, young lady?" 

The woman smiled at me, which really displayed her laugh lines. I showed her my cuts and she immediately gasped. 

"Oh my! Those are quite terrible! Come here and let me see."

I strode over and sat at the table, she pulled up the table and first examined the wound on my arm. She held my arm with both hands and only then did I notice some strange markings on her hands. What are those? She covered my wound with her hands and suddenly the markings on her hands started to glow. I could feel a warm sensation on my arm. It sort of tickled. Soon the glowing stopped and she reeled her hands back to show that the wound was completely healed. 

"Wow." I muttered. That was amazing. 

"Is this the first time seeing such a thing?" Asked the woman.

I simply nodded and she said. "Well, it's a common thing here, Where did you say you were from?"

"I didn't." I answered. It probably wasn't nice to be closed off like that but I didn't figure it best to tell her that I was from another world. "Well, it's only given to someone of the church." She raised her hand and showed her marks. 

"These show that the person has the ability to healing others with blessings"

"I see..." I said. So that's what there for. She healed my wound on my stomach. There was still a small tear on my vest from before but at least, the wound was healed. With that, I looked up to her and asked "How much?"

The woman looked surprised by my question and said. "Well, it would seem unfavorable to charge such a lovely young lady so I'm quite fine." I knew she was just being nice, but I still said. "I appreciate the offer, but I'm not looking for charity." 

The woman had another look of surprise and I felt a little bad for saying it but I was still a bit bitter over the recent happenings. I pulled out five coins and said. "Is this enough?"

She looked at the coins, then me and said. "I guess you haven't had many good things happen to you recently."

I stifled a scoff. Yeah, that about summed it up. I sighed and nodded. I was about to add something before she took the coins and placed them in my hands, she looked at me and said. "Kindness is a fleeting gift that is not giving often, the world has a way of taking that kindness till it no longer exists in people. You should allow that kindness to be given every now and again." 

I was taken aback by the old woman sudden burst of wisdom. I thought about it and she was right. I had allowed the men to take my upbeatness and make me bitter. I wanted to be treated like an equal but if I stayed like this I would surely become worse than those men. I paused before saying. "I suppose you're right, I just haven't been myself lately. I apologize." The woman beamed and said not to worry about it. I thanked her and made my exit.

.............

When I left the healer I had pondered where I should begin, it seemed that the poorer district would be a likely place to start so I begun to make my way there. I had found the poorer district or the 'Graytown' as it was called. I walked on the street for about ten minutes before I seen something in the distance. It was under a bridge and as I got closer I realized the it was an market, there was cages, but I couldn't see what was inside of them. I got closer and suddenly something stood up in the cage and I noticed it had a humanoid shape, it hit me that it didn't just have the shape, it WAS a human. 

"Oi! Don't get any funny ideas about releasing them you hear?" The voice came from my left, I turned to see a short and fat man standing by a cage. He approached me and his face became one of realization. 

 "Teela?" The man asked. 'Huh?' I thought. Who's Teela? He got closer and a smirked played on his plump lips. "Teela, it is you. So what happened? Couldn't take the cold harsh world and came crawling back for forgiveness?" I slowly grasped what he was saying... so.... my name... no this body's name... is Teela? Why did he know me? I looked at the cages with people in them and the answer hit me hard. Don't tell me I was a... 

"W-who are you?" I asked, but I feel I already knew the answer. 

He tilted his head and said. "You playing dumb or something?" He noted my stuff. "Where'd you get that stuff? You stole it?" My anger flared. "I did NOT steal ANYTHING you FAT FUCK!" I spat. He was clearly taken aback by my hostility and sneered. "WHO GAVE YOU THE RIGHT TO TALK LIKE THAT TO ME!? YOU! A MEER SLAVE!?" I fell silent. 'Slave?' So it was true... I was a slave... 

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

"Pork! This bitch of a slave needs to be punished for abandoning her place and talking back to her superiors. Give her proper treatment!" 

An enormous man appeared brandishing a large wooden club with spikes adorning it, dried blood crusted the club. I looked at him and said. "So you're his bitch huh?" I felt a bitterness rising in me. "You kill any slaves with that club?" He raised his head before saying "Indeed I did." My bitterness tripled as he revealed this without so much as an ounce of sympathy for his cruelty. 

I unsheathed my sword and said. "Well then 'Pork' how about I see if I can make you squeal like a little bitch?"

'Pork' Threw his head back and boomed with laughter. "You think I would sink to your le-" I didn't give him a chance to finish as I quickly raise my sword and brought it down on his hand. His laughter died in a second as he looked down at his hand, which was lying on the ground grasping the club. 

"AHHHHH! FUUUCK!" He cried out, holding his stump. He jerked his head to look at me, roared and charged. I held my ground and ran him through with the sword. His knead over with his head lowered, "damn, damn, damn" He muttered, he was probably going into shock. I raised my sword and swung it down, 'Porks' head rolled away leaving his body twitching. I turned to the fat pig, who's face was one of shock and disbelief. "H-how the hell...?" 

I picked up the club with the hand intact and turned to him. He realized his situation so he turned to run. I grasped the club with both hands and threw it at his legs, a crunch sound echoed out as he was reduced to screaming out in pain and rolling around holding his leg. I walked up to him and knelt over him, I grabbed his collar and raised his head. "Don't hurt me... just don't..." 

I shook my head, 'what a pitiful man indeed' I slapped him to gain his attention. "I won't hurt you anymore if you tell me what I want to know." 

He was shaking but managed to sputter "W-what do you want to k-know?" He asked. I asked the most simplest question there was. "Who am I?" He looked at me for a few seconds before saying "You lost your memory or something?" I answered "Yes." I was hoping to just get past this and find the truth. He let out a shaky breath before saying "Well, I don't know everything about you. I simply found you on a street. I thought about leaving you as you were pretty sickly, but by some divine intervention, I guess you could call it, I took you and fed you. I never would have guessed that you would turn into quite the looker. I had you do things like manual labor to toughen you up a bit. But the day I was going to sell you, you took off." 

I took in the information slowly... so I guess I was a runaway after all. I still didn't have all the answers but by now... I didn't care anymore. 'Would finding out really change anything now?' I guessed not.  

I spotted keys on his person and grabbed them. "Hey! W-what the he-" I cut him off by giving him a deadly glare. 

"I suggest you take off, or should I say, limp off." He took the advice and started limping away.

I moved back to the cages and started unlocking them. "Teela? Is that you? You've... changed." I could see that there was about seven of them, two girls and five women. One of the older woman, about in her late thirties, stepped forward. 

"What are you doing?" She asked. I looked at her and said "Freeing you, what does it look like?" She shook her head and said. "You really think that you simply solved everything by freeing us?" I paused at her question, 'what is she talking about?' "Should you be a bit more grateful, I'm helping you." I injected. She scoffed and said, "It's true you freed us but did you ask 'what next?'" Before I could answer she continued "Where are we going to go now? Who's going to take care of our needs? Do you think anyone's going to want to take in a bunch of slaves? How are we going to survive now? That fat pig may have been greedy but he at least fed us."

I felt suddenly cornered by her overwhelmed questions, the more I thought about it the more I realized she was right on some level. As disgusting as that fat bastard was he at least gave them somewhere to sleep. Now that they were no longer slaves where would they stay? I didn't have the money to take care of them and I doubt other people wanted to be bothered  with them. 

I acted before I thought and now they were going to suffer as a result. "I'll think of something." I said

The older woman didn't seem convinced "I'm sure you will" I finished freeing them and now stood there thinking of how I would help them. There was only one preferred way to help them, get a piece of property. Easier said than done. I asked them if there was a place they had a place they could stay for awhile. The older woman said there was. I parted ways to find them a new home. 

...............