The walls of the Inn weren't necessarily what I was expecting them to be. Warm colors, dark browns, and soft almost creamy tans. Each step I made onto the dark wood floors came a subtle creek of worn vintage wood. A musky scent filled the room, especially around the man who stood behind the counter wearing semi-formal attire. If it came with the job, it was a bit too obvious. A chuckle left my lips as my gaze drifted over the man, a receding hairline and black hair along with a bow tie, dress shirt, and vest. Not only was he dressed to impress, but he was also dressed in a fashion that had a higher chance of charming his customers into trusting him.

Walking inside this place was a sharp contrast to the tavern we had just spent some time enjoying a meal in. The man's attire, relaxing atmosphere, and low lighting made sure of that.

"How may I help you, sir?" The older gentleman behind the wooden counter asked as he was wiping his hand with a cloth. His eyes drifted over me like a hawk, before resting on Keel who was silently standing a pace behind me.

"We're in need of a room for two… You wouldn't by any chance find a facility to wash up in, hm?"

Seeing the gaze he was giving the child beside me, I was sure he didn't like the looks of a demihuman. It was a look of worry that I may give someone who was dragging along an unrelated human kid with me to an establishment such as this. Though there did seem to be another question on his mind.

"You're not going to make this one scream at night, are you? The last man that came here with a demihuman did…" His words felt like a test, "He even bought the sheets afterward." A dark tone fortified this man's voice as he asked his question. As he was placing the cloth down on the counter, he rested his head to the side in curiosity with his gaze fixed on me. "Is this your slave, or your lover?"

A sweatdrop formed over both of our brows, Keel and I exchanged glances once before looking at the man. "The difference?" The words that came out of my mouth made Keel stumble aside, a snicker emanating from my throat. "No need to worry, we won't bother your other patrons. We're merely here on business and need a place to stay for our… Continued…" I rolled my jaw, "Stay in Melromarc."

"Uh, huh..." A disgruntled expression met my indifferent scowl, "As you wish. Your suite has a powder room for you to get refreshed," the man turned his back to us as he reached for a key. Behind him were a number of cubbies made out of wood and mounted on the wall. Putting his hand into one, I watched as he pulled out what appeared to be a brass key with a wooden plaque attached to it with a room number. "Here's your room, on the third floor."

Nodding lightly, I stretched my hand out to grasp it before he pulled it back.

"Three silvers for the night," he declared adamantly.

For a moment there, I just stared at him as I thought, 'This guy really has something against demi-humans…' Letting out a sigh after a few seconds, I took out three coins and placed them on the counter in exchange for the key.

The man gave a smile of contempt before dropping the item in my hand.

With that Keel and I made our way towards the stairs.

"H-Hey," Keel reached over grabbing my sleeve just as I put my foot on the second stair, "What's this about lovers?" For the first time, it looked like her head was being overloaded.

"Nothing of consequence," I had stopped when she had touched me, and simply smiled. "You are my companion. You're too… Young for my taste anyway," I placed my hand on the top of her head. "Though in about three or four years you will end up being at a marriageable age."

"Jack," Keel blinked up at me as my hand rested between her ears, "You're into boys?"

Shaking my head, I didn't like those two teal blue eyes staring up at me as they were. "N...No, No I am not," I breathed out before looking forward.

Keel froze for a moment, "Wait… If it was Raphtalia…" Her entire body shivered in anger, "Has the Shield really been just using her to fight!? He could've been abusing the cute and defenseless little Raphta–" She was cut off as I clamped my hand over her lips.

A sigh left my lips, "Can this wait until we're outside and not amongst other people? For now, let's get to the room and clean up. Dried blood feels horrible in my hair."

"Mhm…" Keel muffledly responded as I then released her mouth and nodded to her.

"Good, plus as we are now, we won't be able to liberate your friend until we're at higher levels… In both skill and power," I knew I had a degree in skill using my Tonfas in close-quarters combat; but there were also the abilities that could be gained as we leveled. Since I was reset to level one, a number of my forms were locked due to the loss of their required levels. "Though you should be relieved, your friend is alive..."

Keel shuffled as she went up the steps beside me, her head lowered as her mind probably went back to last night. The world she had known shattered not once, but twice or maybe even three times. "Why would the shield hero buy the sheets?"

"She probably wet the bed," I shrugged as she made it to the top of the steps, "And from what I saw from the Innkeeper, he didn't dislike her."

"What... What do you mean?"

"Judging by his tone of voice, he was more worried about you than he was me… Despite his words," I shrugged to myself before looking over my companion, a small smile taking my lips. "Maybe we can learn more from him about your friend and the Shield Hero. Later, of course."

Keel secured a serious expression across her face, her eyes set on him, and without a doubt, she nodded. "Once I'm strong enough, Raphtalia won't have to fight anymore. I will protect her!"

"We can't charge in on him all willy nilly," My finger poked the side of her cheek almost playfully as I said this. Turning my head away, we made our way to the second staircase and soon enough the third.

When we made it to our room, I put the lock into the receptacle and twisted it to receive a satisfying click. Withdrawing the key, I opened the door and stepped aside to allow her in first.

Blinking up at me, Keel padded into the room to see for the first time in what could've felt like forever clean sheets and pillows galore. "This is…"

"Better than a wooden panel in a naked cell filled with dust, decay, and skeletons…?"

"Skeletons…" Keel's gaze dropped to the floor, "We left Rifana alone in that cell…"

"Rifana?" I raised a brow at her before walking over to the queen-sized bed and sat down, watching her as she leaned against the wall beside the door.

"She was… She was a girlier girl than Raphtalia," a fond but sad smile decorated Keel's lips. She looked like she was on the verge of breaking out into tears, something she had been holding back on since being rescued. She wanted to appear strong, invincible even though in truth she was weakened by her time in Idol's torture chambers. "She had soft pink hair, perky ears like that of a weasel." She touched the air as if she was playing with the invisible she described, "She died and was left to rot in that cell… I… I thought Raphtalia was gone too..."

"I can't remember much of my past." This I had to admit to as I gestured to the dried blood in my hair, "But I do feel a strange sensation of great loss… One that I have yet to know as to why." My stomach was heavy and even as I searched for answers, sifted through my memories, it didn't come to me.

"You… You came from the very back of that basement," Keel's eyes were pouring tears. From what I could see, she was likely blind as a bat and I could smell the salt of those tears. Even as she stood there with her fists clenched together, she tried not to sob aloud. "You couldn't have just appeared there naturally."

"I don't recall how I got there, but it makes sense if someone had put me there."

"Put you there?" Keel wiped her face with her right arm. "I didn't see anyone…"

"My Tonfa has a portal function when I reach level fifty, and… Vassals can travel between worlds during waves," I placed a hand under my chin, "But there wasn't a wave."

"Wave? Like the monsters that attacked my village…?"

"Yes, most likely." I wasn't quite sure what monsters hse was talking about, but the response I gave was more so instinctually automated than based on my knowledge.

"Then you're from another place… Explains why you can't read, Heh." Keel tearfully beamed a smile in my general direction, "Dumby."

"Hm. You wouldn't be able to read in my world either," I pointed at her with a chuckle.

"Why would I go to your world?" Keel kept a small grin across her lips as she folded her arms over her chest. "My home is here, where Raphtalia and the others that may have survived are."

"Come to think of it… I won't be able to read there either," I narrowed my eyes forward as I caressed my chin some more. "I can't even remember the alphabet..."

"Pfffft!" Keel pointed at me and laughed, her tears drying sticky little streaks upon her face.

"Go wash up," I swiped my hand through the air, gesturing towards the powder room.

Without much of a question, she nodded and ran off to get herself washed up. As that happened I walked over to the window beside the bed and nudged it open. Outside there were more people bustling about, carriages on the move. "How did I get here…" I uttered silently to myself, wanting to know where I had come from. The world that I could hardly recall, but I could easily reference without an inkling of thought. A heavy gaze rested on the Tonfa I raised in front of myself, staring at the jewel.

Only one thought came to mind, 'Protect.'

There was nothing else that came to mind other than to be relentless, to protect a specific target at my discretion. 'Was it my discretion though? Why did I choose the first person I saw? Why prioritize someone I didn't know? Was it because… Was it because it was a kid?'

My thoughts turned into questions, and my questions turned into emptiness for there were no answers on the tip of my tongue. I felt broken, but I didn't know why and strangely enough I didn't care as it was accompanied by a sense of relief. As if I had been tortured and I was finally free of something far too heavy for my shoulders to take.

The only thing that bugged me was that I couldn't remember what it was.

"How long are you going to take in there?" I turned my head but didn't look at the powder room door.

"I just started, sti–Jack!"

A quiet humored laugh escaped from my lips as I lowered my gaze to the bed. There was a small consideration of me taking the floor tonight, sharing the bed with Keel felt a bit off.

My eyes finally locked on the door that wasn't too far away. It was about twenty long paces across the room, if she fell or something happened, he just was within a few seconds stride of her.

"Take your time," I huffed before leaning on the windowsill, looking down at the civilians below.

…

More or less an hour later we had set out after being washed up and ready to set out. Leaving my overcoat behind on the bed with a few coins, I locked the door behind us.

"Jack," the pup was pumped as she ran ahead of me to the railing leading down to the second story, "I want to become stronger!" She was reaffirming her resolve, making a declaration. Seeing those blue eyes shine in my direction, a chuckle was the only thing that left my lips, something that strangely enough reassured her. "So, I want you to teach me everything you know!"

Raising a brow at this as I calmly approached the top of the stairs, my gaze didn't leave the top of her head. "In due time," I poked her cheek playfully before starting down to the ground floor.

Once we made it to the bottom, Keel nonetheless didn't take her time as she went for the door. The soft pattering of the boots that she was given could be heard against the wooden panels that lined the delicate floors.

"Before we fight any monsters, we have to get you a bit more custom to using a weapon." My gaze matched the young dog girl as we were heading out the front door of the Inn.

"Don't I just have to swing it around?" Her eyes lowered to the ground as not to look up at me, but to avoid eye contact. She was remembering the raid on her village, how she and everyone else had been powerless to stop it. Those who could fight back were murdered and those who couldn't, women and children, were taken into captivity.

"A martial weapon needs far more finesse to fight monsters and other people than it does to cut down a branch."

"I-I knew that," A sweatdrop rolled down the side of her face as she finally raised her gaze back up to me, "I just want to fight! I have to fight… Need to..."

A small smile formed over my lips, leaving my scowl behind for the time being as I led the girl along the disheveled cobblestone streets of the capital town. "No need to rush…" Placing a hand on the top of her head and leaving it there, scratching her behind the ears. "Raphtalia may already be fighting the waves, but we'll join them soon."

She couldn't help but lean into my hand as I was scratching behind her ears. A small grin formed over my lips as a look of conflicted contemplation rested upon her face.

"O-oh?" She murmured, "But we'll save Raphtalia from the Shield Hero, right?"

"If she wants to be saved," My gaze remained on her as she seemed to be enjoying the feeling of my fingers on her head. "You can't force her to do anything she doesn't want to."

"But she's too cute and small to be fighting in the waves," Keel pouted, "I will fight for her!"

"You really want to be the man, don't you?" I chuckled as Keel swatted toward my hand in order to get me off of her head. Though of course, she couldn't actually hit me all thanks to the seal, not that I was to mind if she did.

Hearing my words and treating them as praise, Keel nodded with a sense of pride.

"Sadly not all women want a man to fight for them," though I don't remember my past, I was sure that like any other person a woman enjoyed independence. Being treated as a damsel in distress when it isn't quite the case, could be considered quite the insult.

"Bu–"

"So the most you can do if that is the case, is fight beside your friend not just for your friend." I liked how my voice sounded, it was almost wise.

Keel stared up at me as she thought it over, only to beam a big and bright smile, "Okay!"

As we approached the outer gates of the town, the guards gave us a once over, noting the demihuman was armed with a weapon. Though since she was accompanying me, they didn't seem at all inclined to stop her.

Keel and I made our way out into the hilled fields that surrounded the town.

"Follow me," I gestured my hand for her to come with me as I went off the elevated path and into the farming zone. There were a number of red and orange balloons lurking about. In the distance, there were some beginner adventurers farming off of the monsters that inhabited the area.

"Oky~" Keel grabbed her machete's grip before sliding down the side of the elevated path, before coming up beside me.

"Draw your weapon," I ordered and watched as she complied. The smooth noise of the machete's sharp blade sounded as it left its hard leather scabbard. "Take a stance."

Keel furrowed her brows before looking down at her feet, spreading them apart. They were on flat ground, though it was somewhat soft soil and made it easy to lose her footing. She held the weapon out in front of her with the intention to raise it over her head.

A frown formed over my lips. "A machete is used for hacking and slashing," I held my tonfa from the shorter end under the side grip. "The movement of your weapon must be fast, not slow."

"O-okay…" Keel held the weapon out in front of herself in one hand.

"Keep your weapon hand moving," I barked an order, and soon enough she was moving her weapon aimlessly in front of her. "Now defend."

"Defe–" Just then she froze as a gust of wind rushed past her face, my tonfa having been swung in a vertical motion. Her hesitation only lasted for a second before she swatted at the next assault by my weapon, a heavy clang resonating through her weapon. Though I was only a level one, my body and stats had already grown from previously obtained physical training. Keel stumbled back plenty of times as I went one attack after another, getting closer and closer to the young demihuman. Each step forward I took forced her to take a step back in retreat. Her weapon repetitively bounced off the surface of my Tonfa's shaft.

If I was actually fighting her, she knew she was already beat.

"Don't be so stiff!" I shouted, "There is more to defending than just parrying and intercepting attacks. Move your body, this is just practice! Don't be afraid of mistakes."

Keel nodded and attempted to move her feet, though they felt like cinder blocks as seen in her maneuvers. Yet every time before my weapon was about to strike her, I paused and allowed her to take a step back. Soon after we just continued, over and over again.

"Remember, without special skills, my weapon has a much shorter range than you. Your goal is to keep yourself out of my striking range." I hoped my words resonated with her and within the next few seconds, she was trying to keep her distance. Although I believed she had never seen fencing once, I was sure she was picking up a similar style based on my orders and advice.

That was when she suddenly rushed in, taking the offensive.

A grin formed over my lips as I hopped back several times; almost galloping sideways with the sides of my soles clapping together as I did. She was using her own speed to her advantage, keeping light on her feet, she kept pressing.

Though I was able to easily keep up with her movements, she continued to simply press. That was when I pushed forward, causing her to retreat and guard herself against a barrage of attacks focused on her weapon. There were plenty of times where she almost lost grip of her weapon before she retreated even faster. She knew that her current pace wasn't going to help her, it was written all over her face.

Without warning the sound of growling took our attention. Coming to a pause, the two of us turned and looked to the source. Surrounding us were a number of balloon monsters, their angry white eyes glaring at us.

Sweating, Keel wiped her forehead before looking up to me and then to the creatures that looked to prey upon us. "What do we do?"

"Keep them at a distance and put your weight into your swings, if they get too close, bat them away with the flat edge of your weapon." A small titter left lips, "And if you're having problems, just shout."

Nodding, Keel grinned as the balloons bounced towards them. There had to be over a dozen of them all in one place. It was likely their little sparring match had gotten their attention.

"Dual Tonfa!" Using a special skill a white mist quickly left the tonfa and formed a second one in my left hand. Armed with two identical weapons, I battered one of the balloons away in a single strike, feeling as its rubber body briefly bent around my weapon. I grinned at the very sound of it bouncing off of my attack right into another one of its kin.

Twisting in a downward motion, I punted an attacking ball in the forehead before bashing another into the ground with the end of my weapon. Hearing a resounding pop, I chuckled almost fiendishly. This feeling, the feeling of killing something, made a rush go through my entire body.

It felt good.

From the corner of my eye, I could see she was fighting rather well. With the sharp edge of her weapon, she had a better chance of popping her air-filled adversaries.

Keeping at it with strong strikes on my own, I watched as my experience rose with each kill. These things only gave experience in the tens, but we killed numbers of them at the same time in a relatively short duration. Based on experience, as long as we went to good monster grounds, our levels could get above twenty in the next few days. At most, today we could get to at least ten levels.

That was alright though, it was definitely going to help in the coming waves.

"Change Tonfa!" I used my skill to change the weapon to the bladed tonfa from the night before. My weapon ripped through balloon after balloon. Blunt weapons weren't as effective against these monsters as bladed ones were.

Practically back to back, we fought for hours as we moved from one infested patch to the next. We were already gaining levels left and right as we were getting closer and closer to the forest that wasn't all too far away from town. New enemies began to arrive, the Usapil that looked like a mutated rabbit, and the mush which seemed similar to a solid balloon.

With swift swipes of my offending arm, I slashed two of the mush that assaulted me.

Keel with little hesitation, if any at all, hacked her weapon into an incoming balloon. Her downward strike caused the balloon to bend inward for a split second before erupting into pieces of orange rubber.

"Heehe~!" She cheered to herself, reverting to strong two-handed attacks whenever she was faced with a singular enemy. Since she wasn't really fighting human targets or more sophisticated prey, there was very little strategic thinking needed. Strong attacks did their job nicely, especially as one's enemies lined up for the kill.

Picking up one of the orange balloons that had been killed, I glanced over the object. It was useless in the sense that it was lesser material. Whilst there were quite a few things I could make with it, the material was cheap. Aside from that, it was equivalent to one of the monster related forms converted from my previous world for my Tonfa. So taking it was nothing more than making energy.

On the contrary, based on the power-up methods available, I was able to convert the materials and loot into energy. Strangely enough, this energy had a number of different uses with the power-up methods, as they all shared the same pool of energy. While they could be used to unlock otherwise locked skills and new abilities, they couldn't go around level requirements. Each of these methods comes from other vassals and holy armaments that came from my world; a world I don't remember.

Each of the vassals had only one unique powerup method, whilst each of the holy weapons had four of their own. In every world, there were four holy weapons and eight vassals to accompany them. This world likely wasn't any different, but one thing was clear, we couldn't share our methods with weapons from other worlds.

Upon reaching level ten our leveling began to slow down. Though our targets seemed to be lower than our own levels now. Killing Usapil, Mush and Balloons weren't cutting it. Soon enough though we began finding porcupines, gaining interesting [though common quality] loot.

Though out of everything the Usapil pelts and meat were worth a pretty dime, allowing me to collect a large amount into my weapon to be sold later.

"Hey, Kid."

"My name's Keel, use it more!" The pup excitedly bounced in front of me.

"Yeah, I know your name." I chuckled lightly as she didn't seem to see what I had just tried to do. "You want a ball? I can make one."

"A ball?" Keel smiled widely with a tag wagging at her rear as her thoughts went back to the village. Her eyes seemed to glow playfully, but quickly her smile vanished from her face as those memories became dark. Monsters, screaming, and death filled her thoughts. "Yeah… That would be… Nice?" Her head drifted to the side, her energetic nature almost drained in a split second.

"Something wrong?"

"It's just… we were… Playing when the first wave happened, the calamity." Keel's gaze was set on the dirt and patches of grass by her feet.

"That… Must've been a nightmare…" Sighing as I placed a hand on the girl's head, I sighed quietly. Looking over the pretty boy face she had, only to let out a chuckle, "But you'll be the one to make sure that never happens again."

Immediately she shot up happily, beaming once more at the idea of her being the protector. Bringing everyone home and despite what I had said earlier, protecting Raphtalia.

"Perhaps once I make you a ball, you can show me some of your moves at the village." I winked to the demihuman girl before pausing for a moment. Taking a gander I raised a brow, "Did you grow?"

"Hm?" Keel blinked and placed an usapil blood-covered hand on her head and on top of my hand, "I did…" She grinned at me and moved my hand off of her head, "I bet I'll get as tall as you!"

"We'll see about that," I glanced over her current stats before looking to my other Tonfa forms that had been unlocked again due to meeting certain level requirements.

[ Keel Lv. 9 ]

[ Jack Lv. 8 ]

"Why do you want to help me so much…?"

Her words took me by surprise, though the question was to be expected. Though I thought she was going to ask much earlier, now was alright. A faint smile remained on my lips, "It may sound selfish… But I need a reason to live and fighting to keep you alive, fits just that."

Keel blinked at me somewhat skeptically, "That's all there is?"

"I could have saved anyone else from the dungeon… I chose you," I poked her nose, putting a splash of red on its tip. "Plus, I didn't want to be alone if I managed to escape…"

"Why didn't you save the others?" Her mind went back to the other demihuman slaves. Though her mind had been on her friends at the time, her thoughts were now on those who they had left behind.

"Not enough time, plus there were guards at the door. It wasn't as if I could carry the others..." My eyes centered on the twitching ears upon the top of her head.

Cocking her head to the side, letting one ear drift to the side lazily, she continued to stare. It wasn't as if she wanted to start arguing with him. In a sense, she owed him her life though he wanted to put down his own to keep her safe. It was likely a strange sensation for a girl who saw herself as the knight in shining armor and Raphtalia being her damsel in distress.

"Now that you mention it… You went through doors without even opening them… Are you some sort of ghost?"

"You're asking me this now?" I couldn't help but give her a toothy grin.

"Yes! ...Or maybe a spirit or something?" Keel stepped forward and wiped her hands on my red top after she flicked her machete to the side. Blood coated the grass in an imperfect line of gore.

"I'm human," I lightly nudged her hands off of my robe-like shirt.

"If you say so, Sti–Jack." She tried to stop herself from calling me Stick Guy again. Knowing I didn't like it, she bit her lip somewhat expecting to be disciplined due to her previous owner. However, that never came to be as I was not Idol Rabier.

Stijack? Who's that exactly?" I teased, patting her head again.

Keel just lowered her head and closed her eyes partially. Here in the woods where no one else was going to see or hear them, tears silently fell defiantly from her eyes. I could hear the shaky breath escaping her lips as her jaw quivered and as she breathed inward… The fact that she was sobbing silently to herself was evident. Her shoulders quaked with each inhale she attempted to take, soon enough she was forcing her snot to come shooting back up her nose.

"We can head back…" My hand dropped to her shoulder, believing I knew the hurt she felt.

"N-no," Keel sniffled and wiped her forearm over her upper lip as she glimpsed up at me with bloodshot eyes. Those alluring electric blue hues of her irises super contrasted against the bright glossy red scleras. There was no way she could see more than a few feet ahead of herself, not clearly anyway. "Not until we get over level ten!"

"Someone has conviction," I whistled before raising my hand from her shoulder and wiping away the tears that threatened her cheeks. "Let's take a break though, until your eyes get back to normal."

"I'm fine! I can keep fighting!"

"No, you're probably a bit blind right now…"

"A little blindness isn't going to stop me!"

"That's not what I meant," A laugh erupted from my gut, "let's try cooking some Usapil."

"Really?" She smiled up at me although a bit faintly as her stomach began to growl. "B-But we just ate not too long ago."

"It'll be fine," I folded my arms over my chest, "Let's find a spot to put a fire." With that I turned and began to walk away, the girl followed close behind me.

After a short while, we found a clearing in the wooded area. A few fallen trees and hollowed logs making for good benches to lounge on. There also seemed to be a number of usapil and other creatures roaming about. Not too far away there was also a stream of fresh water, oddly enough making the area an ideal camping location.

A small grin formed over my lips as I made my way to the stream.

"Jack?" Keel questioned as she looked up and down the stream, there were a number of fish she could spot near the surface.

"If you want to play in the water and get cleaned up, be my guest." A grin remained on my lips as I gestured to the water, "Just don't go too deep. The current seems rather strong."

Nodding, she hardly hesitated before charging splashing into the water ahead of me.

Meanwhile I began to move up and down the bank picking up stones and driftwood. It only took a few minutes before I had a circle of stones set up with a teepee of wood in the center. With enough kindling, I glanced over the forms of my Tonfa like I had done so many times before.

"Small Torch Tonfa," I activated the form I had previously unlocked. The bladed tonfa I had previously equipped now turned into a cast iron torch with a side handle, a golden flame at the end of it. Kneeling down by the fire, I stuffed the torch within the teepee and lit the kindling on fire.

Soon enough the campfire was set, small bugs and air pockets fervently crackling away.

It wasn't long before Keel returned to my side, looking over the flames that reflected easily within her eyes. She sat close to the fire, especially as a small breeze caused her to shiver.

I could see through her white dress shirt to easily spot the bandages used to bind her torso. 'Perhaps I should get her a bagger and thicker shirt… Thankfully her armor will be done by tomorrow,' a grateful smile took hold of the grin that once kept my lips.

Keel sneezed lightly as I sat down beside her.

"Bless you."

"Thanks," Keel blurted before giving a light cough, clearing her throat.

"If you feel sick again, just let me know. I can get as much medicine as you need," the last thing I needed was for her to succumb to illness. She had more uses than simply fighting, considering she could read the native tongue. Whilst I could use magic, I wasn't going to be able to learn more here until I actually learned how to read.

Keel nodded to my words and smiled to herself as she slowly got herself dried off.

Standing back up, I left her to tend to the fire as I went to find some sturdy sticks and branches. Upon my return, I stuck them in the ground and made a set of spit roasts for the rabbit-like monsters I planned to cook.

Using herbs nearby that I was able to identify, or relate to plants I already knew, I seasoned the usapil meat as it cooked. Wild herbs weren't bad, though some were bitter others were sweet. After I was finished seasoning them, I taught Keel how to time and rotate the rabbit over the fire as well as to check the condition of the meat.

"So…" Keel shifted awkwardly as she sat with her legs bent in front of her as she kept her arms around her knees. "You really don't remember how you got hurt?"

Nodding my head subtly in response to her question, my gaze lingered over the flickering flames of the campfire. "...I really don't remember."

Keel frowned, "Or anything before that?"

"I remember some little things, mostly my parents but names, places and events are either fuzzy or nonexistent. It's… Unsettling to say the least."

"That doesn't sound good," Keel stared at the area of my head that had once been stained in dried crimson. "Is there any way... I can help you remember?"

"I think only time will help," I smiled at her, "But I can always make new memories."

Keel nodded lightly, "Memories with me?"

"Who else is here?" I poked at the flames as I increased the length of my Tonfa, having gone back to the default ornate white form it started with.

"True," She fiddled with her fingers, her eyes on the flames as a smile plastered itself on her face. "Do you think you could… Release me from the slave seal? I don't want to be a slave."

My eyes flickered over her petite form.

"I promise I won't leave you," It was a small plea in her own favor.

"Having that seal protects you from being taken by someone else," I spoke quietly but loud enough to be heard over the crackling of the flames.

Letting out a sigh, as if having expected this, she lowered her head but that smile of hers didn't leave. Her right hand reeled in close to her chest, her fingers coursing over the seal that remained hidden from view.

"Hey Keel, could I have a lock of your hair?" My head cocked to the side as I remained seated.

Her eyes fluttered before narrowing on me slightly confused, "Wha–why?" Though before I answered her, she was already moving her machete to cut off a piece of her hair.

Reaching over she placed it into my hand, "I want to check something…" I uttered as I then held the locks of hair she had cut by the jewel of my vassal weapon. When it gave a hungry glow and devoured the material, I watched as a new notification appeared.

[ Keel Tonfa Unlocked! ]

[ Keel Tonfa 0/20 C ]

[ Equip Bonus: Wanui species companion growth adjustment (small) ]

[ Equip Bonus: Wanui species companion abilities adjustment (small) ]

[ Equip Bonus: Wanui species companion status adjustment (small) ]

[ Equip Bonus: Wanui species companion maturation adjustment (small) ]

My Tonfa appeared to evolve, shifting into a black and white form similar to the husky-like hair Keel naturally sported. A small chuckle left my lips as I lifted it up for both of us to view.

"Is… Is that based off of my hair?" Keel's eyes were wide and still rather red from crying. Yet she could make out the fanciful design as a representation of herself and her race of dog-like demihumans.

"It seems so," I chuckled lightly.

Once the usapil meat was done being cooked, I handed one of them to Keel for her to eat on a stick. The bewilderment on her face at being offered something so big for herself, made me smirk.

"I can't accept a whole–"

"Yes, yes you can…" I nudged her with the food, letting the aroma of the improvised seasonings reach her nose. Her mouth was watering and I could see the excitement building up as she licked her lips.

"Guess I can't say no~" She seemed to chime before less than gracefully accepting the meat as she bit into it and snatched it from my hand. I watched as her teeth tore into the flesh as she was quickly eating away at it.

"Roasted Usapil appears to be really good, huh?" I spoke to myself as I began to gradually tear off pieces of my food and eat.

Not long after finishing I doused out the fire and we went on our way. Warmed up, stomach filled, there was nothing that could stand against us here. A couple hours later and I was level ten, but we didn't stop there. We kept fighting monsters, collecting the furs and burying the meat we weren't eating.

As night came upon us, I had reached level fifteen and Keel was sixteen thanks to the slave and species boosts. Her stats also seemed to grow relatively better than before thanks to adjustments I made using the equip bonuses.

With time left to kill, the two of us made our way back to the Capital Town. The monsters were already incredibly active due to us having waited until nightfall to return.

Balloon monsters after us in swarms, but they were easily taken care of. Out of all the monsters we've faced, they were the weakest of them all. A single swoop of our weapons and they were quickly dispatched.

It took us an hour to return to the capital town, but by then we weren't all that winded thanks to our higher levels. Now we were no longer level one, we could do so much more.

Thanks to us going out for far past the time that my calculations were based on, leveling up was going to be on a whole other level. Though I knew the higher the level we were, the harder and longer it was going to take.

Keel as we were heading in through the front gates was humming happily to herself, mostly because they were even closer to their goal. There was only enough room to make the assumption that she was holding me to my promise. We were going to head over to the village once we were over level twenty.

The one thing I began to notice once more though was that Keel had grown again.

While I knew that Demihumans grew as they leveled up, it was strange to see it on a step-by-step basis. Was she going to grow even more after she slept? A sweatdrop formed over my brow, I could feel it trickle down my left cheek.

As we moved through the market district of the town, I made my way over to one of the stalls that sold and bought monster parts. Once we made it to the store, I sold the Usapil pelts for a large lump sum of silver. Then we made our way toward the in.

"Jack?"

"Yes, Keel?"

"I'm hungry…" Her stomach growled, roaring almost like that of a starved dragon.

"I suppose we could grab something to eat this time," I laughed quietly to myself. "How does another kids meal sound?"

"Mmm…"

"Or an adult platter?"

Keel began to salivate as she kept her eyes on me, "Yes please."

"In that case, I think we might try a place then… It's a pretty good restaurant based on the recommendations written on the map," I gave her a thumbs-up as the two of us made our way down the cobblestone streets.

After cutting through a number of alleyways, we eventually came upon a squish shaped building. It was made of wood and stone, much like the rest of the facilities in the vicinity.

The sound of music and good times could be heard from outside the door. Glancing over the sign above the door, I nodded to myself. It didn't look like there were any signs forbidding demihumans from entering.

So with my hand behind her shoulder blades, I lead Keel into the restaurant.

Quickly just after entering, we were led to a table by the wait staff with nothing more than a welcoming gesture. I glanced over the white cloth that dressed the table, the sterling silver forks, and knives. This place had some good dining decor. Then looked across the table towards the young companion of mine, a thick smile across my lips.

"This place is cool~" Her eyes drifted over the three candlesticks at the center of the table and watched as the flames flickered as she subtly blew on them.

A short few seconds later, a pair of glasses filled with water were placed on the table followed by a pair of eloquent looking menus. Staring at the information, I glanced up towards Keel who was also peering over their choices.

Having noticed I was watching her, Keel raised a brow as she peered up from the parchment. "There's a lot of choices on here," she claimed as she lifted the menu up, "I think I'll go with the garlic-butter steak with mixed starch and vegetables~"

"I'll have the same." I couldn't read the menu and she knew as such.

"Really? I can read the other choi–"

"I'm fine, I'll just have the same," I tittered quietly to myself.

Nodding as she puffed up her cheeks, she put her menu on the table, and we gave our orders to the staff waiting on us as they came back around.