Chapter 375: Dangerous thoughts of a simple mind
Trapped in a spacious cage in a dark and stuffy space, surrounded by many slaves, Ned did not feel sad. On the contrary, he was smiling like a child who had received a long-awaited toy.
The last time he felt such excitement at the place he considered his home in the Forbidden Forest was when his Master asked him and two others like him to distract the attention of numerous creatures by creating chaos.
Just like then, now his Master has given him complete freedom of action, allowing him to do whatever he wants, without putting any restrictions.
Ned looked around with interest. Then he raised his hands and looked at them.
Ned now looked like a young man with brown hair and green eyes. His facial features resembled his Master Idan, as did his physique.
After his last awakening, Ned noticed some changes in himself. At first, he couldn't figure out exactly what had changed in him, but over time, he managed to realize some of them.
First of all, before he didn't care who he turned into — a male or female being. However, after waking up, he began to feel some embarrassment, taking the form of female beings, and began to lean more towards the images of male representatives.
Ned gradually began to realize himself as a male being, and not as a being without a gender.
Secondly, although Ned was born as a chaotic being who absorbed the energy of madness, and did not have a definite appearance, he never perceived any of his appearances as true. He had no preferences in choosing a look — he took the one he considered necessary at the moment.
More often than not, he had been taking the form of a black fox lately, realizing that his Master liked this little fox. That's how Ned tried to get his attention. However, he did not consider the dark fox's appearance to be his true form.
However, when Ned woke up, he found that he not only felt like a male being, but also began to identify himself more and more with the image of his Master.
He understood that it was probably the effects of an ability that his Master had used, an ability known as "Avatar". Using this ability, his Master used Ned's body as a vessel to project himself.
"It was a strange and unusual feeling.", — Ned said in his mind.
Not only did Ned take on the form of his Master, as he had done many times before, but this time it was different. At first, his thoughts seemed hazy, but then they somehow connected with his Master's thoughts. Ned could not only communicate with him, but also see the world through the eyes of his Master.
In a short time, Ned was able to experience everything his Master felt. Not only did he experience what happened that day, but he also learned about his Master's life before they met. It was something unusual for him.
Instead of being afraid that his consciousness might be replaced by the consciousness of the Master, Ned wanted more. It was an unforgettable experience for him.
For some reason, it seemed to him that this was exactly what he was born for. Without realizing it, his simple thinking had already begun to wander in a dangerous direction, and he began to think about not only adopting his master's appearance, but also his personality.
Ned did not seek to replace his Master and take his place. He just wanted to become like Idan and help him.
Shaking his head and pushing away the strange thoughts, Ned, still with a big smile on his face, got out of the cage, attracting the attention of the slaves.
They all stared at Ned with undisguised surprise.
Ned wasn't dressed like a slave, but in a beautiful adventurer's outfit that emphasized his virtues. The beauty of his Master, which became even brighter after his promotion, was passed on to him.
However, what struck the slaves the most was the lack of a collar around Ned's neck. This immediately made it clear that this unusual white-skinned youth was not a slave.
Feeling neither embarrassment nor fear under the gazes of the slaves, Ned confidently took out a bunch of unusual keys from his pocket, which his Master handed over to him, making it clear what to do.
These were the keys that belonged to the guards that Idan and Essora had captured. With their help, Ned was able to open several cages where slaves were kept.
Until the guards of the Trading House discovered the disappearance of two guards and his Master, Ned quickly found the right cages and freed the prisoners. However, despite their freedom, the slaves were in no hurry to leave their cages, realizing that a simple discovery would not be able to save them. The main problem was the collars that still adorned their necks.
"Hey, whitey," called one of the big slaves, whose cage Ned had unlocked.
"What about this?" he asked, pointing to the collar around his neck.
Ned, looking at the collar, did not stop smiling.
Under the surprised gazes of the slaves, his appearance began to change, and a creature resembling the local rulers appeared in front of everyone.
A beautiful black-haired beauty, who also had a wide smile on her face, approached the slave and asked him to bend down with a gesture of her hand.
The slave, seeing the beauty, slowed down a little from fear, but, remembering that it was the same guy who turned into this beauty, he leaned forward.
Although Ned was starting to dislike taking on the appearance of women, there were no other options in his current situation. Besides, most of the creatures he copied were female.
Ned, transformed into Sierra, a Dark Valkyrie of legendary rank, touched the collar and, using the power of darkness, destroyed it in a matter of seconds. She did not allow the collar to harm the slave on whose neck it was hanging, completely bypassing the burglary protection measures.
To Ned's delight, Sierra possessed a wealth of knowledge and abilities, among which were the skills to crack magic seals and collars of this type. For Sierra, a Valkyrie of legendary rank, such low-quality collars did not pose much of a problem.
When the collar disappeared from the slave's neck, he immediately felt his suppressed powers begin to return.
"Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha!" he burst into loud laughter, attracting everyone's attention.
Seeing what had happened, all the slaves, whose eyes had long since dimmed and lost hope, finally lit up with a new flame.