The Wanderer's Rebirth: Other Paths

*Pre-Dawn*

She woke up with a start, then briefly panicked when she found that she was in an unfamiliar room. Looking around, she slowly got her breathing under control as she saw the other girls in the room with her. There were sixteen of them in the room, sharing the eight bunkbeds that their… new master had made for them.

She looked down at her clothing and frowned, not very happy that she’d been sweating in them; yet not comfortable enough to risk sleeping without them. She plucked at her damp top, and again wondered at just how smooth it felt to her. Which, really, was saying something because she was used to silk.

Shaking her head, she slowly sat up, happy that the bed hadn’t creaked at the movement. She then scooted to the foot of the bed where the built-in ladder was found and quickly descended. Once down, she checked on her bunkmate, a young Night Elf. Seeing her still asleep, she stood up and looked around again, wondering what had woken her.

After another few moments of listening, she felt a strong surge of mana coming from outside. Frowning, she carefully walked across the sequoia floor, once more glad for the lack of creaking. Though, given how new everything looked, perhaps it was just a matter of time before they did start creaking.

She quickly dismissed those thoughts as she somewhat regretted not having asked for slippers when her… owner had made them their clothing. The floors were a bit chilly, though she had to admit that going barefoot always felt more comfortable to her, chilly floors notwithstanding.

The strong pulse of mana came again, drawing her out of the room and towards the front of the “house”. She barely took in the details as she went, more drawn by what she was feeling than her curiosity towards her new home.

Once at the front doors, as quietly as she could, she turned the doorhandle, then slowly eased the door open, hoping that the hinges were well-oiled. Once more, the lack of sound relieved her as she slipped out the front door and turned to the right. It was there that she felt the strong pulses of mana, so it was there that she crept.

When she reached the corner of the house, she slowly peaked around the corner to see what was going on. She hadn’t heard much beyond some… dragging sounds. Maybe a bit of tapping. She wasn’t sure, though. So, when she finally saw what was causing the odd sounds and strong pulses of mana, her jaw dropped.

There, standing in the same kind of odd clothing that she’d seen him in the day before, was… her master. She frowned, still very much salty about having been taken as a slave. Not to mention having to think of another person as her “master”. Owner was more like it.

Shaking her head, she instead concentrated on what he was doing.

She watched as he… danced? Or maybe he was going through some sort of martial art stances? She wasn’t sure, but as she watched him, his movements seemed to coincide with how the materials were moving around what appeared to be a new construction site.

Well, an almost finished building, if she was being accurate. Which meant that he’d built it after they’d gone to bed.

She frowned as she watched stone flow into place, then as plank after plank flew through the air and affixed to the walls or floors. She couldn’t quite make out how the boards stuck in place without falling down again, but stick they did.

She looked up to the sky again and found that it was already almost dawn. Which meant that he’d likely been working all night at this point. But why?

Looking around, she saw what appeared to be iron-topped counters sitting off to the side. Well, not quite counters, as they had a bit of a weird shape to them. She did spot a few very large stoves, though, along with several long tables and benches to go with them.

Is he making a mess hall? She wondered as she then spotted several huge pots sitting next to the stoves. That must be it, she thought, silently nodding to herself. But, why didn’t he have something like that before? Surely it took a while to save enough money in a small village like this. So, why hadn’t he already built a mess hall?

A few other thoughts flitted through her head as she watched her new owner work in his unusual way. It was oddly… cathartic, in its own way. She marvelled at just how much mana he was able to use, and keep using. From the [Stoneshape]’ing to the [Telekinesis] that he was using, she was sure that if she were the one working, that she’d have run dry by now.

Then the stonework seemed to finish, also causing his odd movements to come to an end. From there, it was pure [Telekinesis] moving around everything. Soon, the floorboards were all in place, confusing her a bit because she still hadn’t spotted any nails being used.

But when the large… counter-like things were lifted into what she guessed was the kitchen, the floors supported the obviously considerable weight without shifting even a hair’s breadth. Then a bit more framing went up before everything seemed to pause.

Frowning, she wondered if he’d finally run out of mana. But then stacks of… something came into being beside him, shocking her so much that she almost gasped out loud. Clamping her hands over her mouth, she watched as the stacks of… insulation? Surely that’s what it was, for there was no other reason to stuff the stuff into the walls like that before more planks flew into place, sealing the stuff inside.

And on and on it went until she was amazed when dawn’s new light fell upon a finished structure that matched the main house in theme. She was still astonished at how fast he worked, let alone with how he’d produced most of the materials that he worked with. Like the glass that was so clear that you couldn’t even tell it was there unless it caught the light in just the right way.

Then he stretched out, yawning. It was such a… normal thing to do that she had to blink. It wasn’t the image she had of an immensely powerful caster of some flavour or another. It very much reminded her of a young man finishing work for the day, satisfied with the fruits of his labour.

“Oh, hi,” he said when he turned around and spotted her.

She quickly stood up straight as she realized that at some point during the spectacle, she’d stepped out from around the corner of the house to get a better view of what he’d been doing.

“Hello,” she replied meekly, bowing her head so that she wasn’t looking at him directly.

“Ah, right,” he said, shaking his head and sounding… resigned? “Could you come here please?” he asked politely, startling her quite a bit.

She looked up to see him waving her over to where he stood beside a small round table and two chairs that hadn’t been there a moment before. Now hesitant, she slowly crept forward until she was about six feet away from him. He then motioned to the chair closest to her.

“I’m sorry, I cannot sit before my master does,” she said softly, once more lowering her head to avoid eye contact.

She heard a sigh, then saw him step over to the other chair and sit.

“Better?” he asked, sounding exasperated.

Blanching slightly, she quickly stepped over to the other chair and sat, not wanting to provoke her new owner so shortly after having been purchased.

“Yesterday was a bit of a blur, so I can’t remember if I introduced myself to everyone,” he said, sounding… apologetic? “I’m Joram. What’s your name?” he asked kindly, shocking her more than a little bit.

“I am Shae’ra,” she replied softly, for that was what owners liked, didn’t they?

“A pleasure,” he said, nodding. “So, Shae’ra. What did you do before… this?” he asked, making the last word sound oddly… distasteful.

“I… worked with plants,” she said, not quite comfortable with her new owner, however odd he might be.

“Would you like to continue working with plants, then?” he asked as he retrieved a small pouch from somewhere.

“That would be my wish, yes,” she replied, not quite sure where the conversation was going. But if she could continue her work with nature, she would be very glad for it.

Joram nodded at her as he rummaged through the pouch, causing faint metallic clinking to accompany the early morning birdsong.

“S. H…” he muttered, then seemed to find what he was looking for and smiled. “Sorry, still not used to this language yet,” he said, confusing her greatly as he held out his hand as though he wanted to hand her something.

She was very reluctant to comply, but at the same time she didn’t want to anger her new owner. So, she slowly reached out her hand until it was just below his own very large hand. Then he extended his other arm and brought his left hand under hers as his right hand pressed a warm metal object into her open hand.

Then she felt him circulate mana through the metal object in her hand, and her jaw dropped. He withdrew his hands, letting her see her slave token. Instead of the new and polished look it had had yesterday as the slaver had handed it to Joram, it was now dull and almost lifeless.

“If you’d like to stay, you can,” Joram said, smiling. “It’s up to you.”

Shae’ra just stared at the strange young human, not able to process being set free. She watched as he nodded to himself, then got up, saying something about needing to start on breakfast before he headed into the new mess hall.

She sat there as her mind whirled about until she felt someone flick her forehead, snapping her out of her thoughts.

“Too loud.”

Shae’ra looked over and saw the white-haired foxkin that had been with Joram since the first time she’d seen him. She was, quite frankly, stunning… and also had nine tails. That was when she realized that she was likely one of the legendary Spirit Foxes who’d transformed into elvenoid form.

“Something like that,” she said, then sat in Joram’s old chair. “Glad you caught on.”

“I’m sorry, I don’t know your name, revered one,” she said apologetically.

“I’m Asami Miki. The other one who was with us is Myra Manelle. You’ve met Joram,” she said casually as she stared at the mess hall. “Man, he does some pretty crazy stuff sometimes,” she finished, shaking her head.

“You could say that again,” she said faintly, astonished at how approachable Asami Miki was.

“You’ll be fine,” Asami said, shaking her head. “Also, you’ll find that he’ll almost constantly surprise you. If you stick around, that is.”

Shae’ra blinked, then blinked again as her gaze dropped to the token that was now sitting on the table in front of her.

Since she’d been… taken last month, she’d felt nothing but despair. She’d watched as other women and girls had been purchased, while others had been added to the slave caravan. She’d wondered when her time would come, when she’d be taken away from the others. When she’d be… defiled.

“He’s not like that, you know,” Asami suddenly spoke, startling her out of her dark thoughts.

“I don’t know, though,” she said, shaking her head. “Are you a slave? Did he catch you? Buy you?” she asked, now intensely curious, almost manic in her need to know more about Asami Miki.

“Mmnmmm,” Asami hummed as she tapped her cheek with a finger. “I’d say that he captured my heart rather than captured me.”

Shae’ra stared at the Spirit Fox, stunned.

“How could a human capture your heart?” she spluttered, not understanding how such a thing could happen.

“He’s comfy,” Asami replied with a shrug, then continued when she saw her furiously blushing face. “One of the girls in my skulk told me one day that she’d come across an interesting young man. So, I had her bring him to me. From there, I could feel just how… unusual he was. How… comfy it felt to be around him.

“So, I laid on him and took a nap. Then, when he fell asleep, I went through the Change, and here I am,” Asami said with a smile to ease the words that nearly broke her brain.

What?! How? How?! She silently wondered, then got another flick in the forehead.

“Too loud,” Asami chided her, causing her to flush in embarrassment. “He’s a good kid. I like him. You’ll like him too. But I have first dibs on him. So, there’s that.”

Those last words finally broke something in her, causing the world to fade from view.

* * *

Myra woke up, stretching out as she did. Her tails extended straight out, quivering as she finished stretching. The after-stretch bliss washed over her then, causing her to slump back down into bed, deciding to lay facing the door instead of the huge windows.

Then she blinked, then blinked again in confusion as she took in the sight of the three demons Joram had bought the day before laying on the floor by the door. With a blanket draped over them.

Her first instinct was to fry the lot of them. Her next impulse was to scream for help, but she clamped down hard on that one. Who knew what Paths they’d taken? They could, in all likelihood, kill her before help could arrive.

Her next thought focussed on the blanket they were under. It was obviously one that Joram had made, making her think that Joram didn’t care that they were there. In fact, the presence of the blanket made her think that Joram was entirely too kind.

Who doesn’t chase out three women who’ve snuck into your room at night?! Let alone demons!! She thought, once more growing a bit angry as those thoughts stoked her inner fires.

Then motion above the door caught her attention, relieving her stress as she realized that it was Geeves. Which meant that Joram hadn’t just left her alone in a room with three demons. She quickly twisted a bit to look over her shoulder and, sure enough, Asami was also gone. Which probably meant that she, too, didn’t think that the demons would try anything malicious….

Rolling back onto her left side, she studied the three demons in greater detail. They were all “young”, probably closer to her age than anything, though the one that looked like an elf might have been much older than them.

Said elf looked like a dark elf, though she had silvery-lilac hair, and was sandwiched between the red-haired succubus and the raven-haired erynese. A dark elf whose ear was currently being nibbled on by the succubus.

Myra blushed slightly at the sight, then a bit more as the dark elf made a few funny sounds. For her part, the succubus seemed… hungry. A suspicion that was proved correct when she bit the dark elf’s ear a bit too hard, making her cry out in pain.

The dark elf’s eyes shot open as a hand came up and slapped the succubus away, instantly waking her up. The commotion then woke the erynese, who looked around, bleary-eyed, before beginning to panic as she realized where she was.

Then the three of them saw her in bed and froze.

“Hi,” she said, waving at them lazily as she sat up in bed. “Have a good sleep?” she asked sweetly, smiling at the three of them as the dark elf rubbed her ear.

Each of them paled at her words, instinctively pulling the blanket a bit higher as they shrank back.

“Yes,” the succubus eventually murmured, the first of the three to regain her composure. “Sorry for the intrusion.”

Myra shook her head, wondering what exactly had brought them there.

“Well, let’s get up and get ready for breakfast,” she said, still smiling, for a smile always helped to ease tension.

They blinked at her, then nodded. So, Myra got up and made her way over to where the changing screen was and quickly got dressed for the day. By the time she was finished, the three demons had gotten up and folded the blanket, the erynese holding it like she didn’t know what to do with it.

Not really caring about the blanket, she motioned for the three demons to follow her. Once out in the hallway, she noticed that a few foxes had already gathered around the door, waiting for her to show up. She smiled a bit wider seeing them, and picked up one of the younger ones before heading down to the dining room.

Once there, she paused and looked around, wondering where Asami was.

“Hey, do you know where Asami Miki is?” she asked the young fox in her arms who looked up and her for a moment before nodding at her. The young tod then looked towards the front of the house, back at her, then back at the front of the house. Taking the hint, she headed that way, the three demons once again following along behind her.

Following where the tod’s nose was pointing, she soon found herself outside. There she found Asami sitting at a table with an elf. An elf who was sprawled face-first on the table as Asami idly rubbed her back. What was more surprising, however, was the new building a short distance away from them.

“Morning,” Asami greeted them with her usual smile.

“Good morning,” she replied before getting to what she wanted to ask. “What’s up with that?”

“Joram, wisely, made the new girls a ‘mess hall’,” she replied with a smile.

Before she could respond to that, she was interrupted by the erynese gasping in shock. She turned to see what had elicited such a reaction and saw her pointing at the elf on the table.

She really didn’t know what her deal was, especially since they’d all spent time together the day before. But then she noticed a dull metal token on the table and frowned.

“What’s that?” she asked Asami, pointing at the object of interest.

“Oh, that,” Asami said, poking the token with a finger. “That was Shae’ra’s slavery seal,” she replied casually, scoring a critical hit on the three demons standing with Myra.