{Alex}

  We all ran to the dam through the heavy rain and waited for Meathead. It was cold and quickly soaked me to the bone but would be worth it if I could save my house and Dolls. I frowned looking up at the failing stone structure. It was a mostly cobble stone barrier that looked to be held together by mortar and clay as it stood nearly thirty feet tall and sixty feet across. I doubted I could do it but was going to do everything I would. I was grateful that it didn’t take Meathead too long to reach us, the arms of his green Knight loaded down with bars of metal. I called up to him, praying that he could follow this simple order. From the looks of the dam, it wouldn’t last long enough for me to explain it. “Place it as close as you can to the dam and be ready to get the fallen out of here if I fail.” The last thing I needed was to trip over someone as I tried to escape.

  He did so and everyone started holding hands as I placed one hand on the pile of metal and the other on the dam. Closing my eyes, I felt hands placed on my back, and I started to pull in mana. The flood of mana was quickly used as the mass of iron started to flow like water over my hands and into the dam. Water sloshed over the top and through cracks showing me that it wouldn’t last long. My veins started to burn, and I felt the mana slack off. They were starting to pass out all ready. I hoped that it was just the weak ones that were done for, but my heart started to sink. My models were in jeopardy. I couldn’t have that and started to move the metal faster, drawing on my bracelet. It made my right eye turn red and I could feel the sparks flying from my hair. The rain stopped hitting me, but I could see it run down the wall and on the ground around me. Risking a look up, I could see it was converting to steam over my head. Neat. I thought as I focused more on the metal. The back of the dam was done, and I just needed to build up the front and top. More people started to pass out and I was getting scared. It wasn’t enough. I needed more mana. “Meathead. I NEED MORE MANA!!” I screamed into the rain. The last few passed out and I felt something large press into my back. Then everything went blank as though a bubble stopped the rain as mana lit every fiber of my being. I had the mana of a Knight flowing through my body and it felt amazing. I tasted mint and my nose started running. Nope it was bleeding from both nostrils. My other eye went red and my hair stood fully on end sparks of mana flowing wildly from my hair to my hands. With that boost I quickly finished the dam and felt happy. I had saved my house, my job and my Dolls. Wait, last time I tried something like this, ah there it is. Ouch. I thought as I started to fall back. Everything went black as I faded into nothing.

  I woke up in my bed at home. Everything hurt again. Why do I have to keep waking up like this? Why do I have to put myself in these situations? I have got to stop doing any of this. Next time they can fend for themselves. I thought as pain filled me. With a groan I tried to look around realizing that was a horrible idea. “Welcome back to the world, Hero.” It was Boss. He was sitting by my bed and smiling down at me. I couldn’t feel my mana. I froze and looked at him. Had I lost everything in the hopes of saving what I had? Fuck this hard in the ass.

  “My mana? I can’t feel my mana.” I pleaded it taking more of an impact than the fact that I was nude in bed with another man in the room. I was scared shitless as I looked at the huge shirtless man. He laughed and I wanted to slap him, but I couldn’t move.

  “Relax. You have a mana nullifier on you. Your channels and mana are fine.” He said as he stood. I sighed and relaxed as I looked down at the bracelet on my wrist in place of my battery bracelet. A picture came to my mind that made it all worthwhile.

  SKILL UPGRADED: MANA FORGED VEINS LEVEL 17. YOUR MANA VEINS CAN NOW CONDUCT MORE MANA. THIS SKILL CAN NOT BE UPGRADED.

  I could handle the flow of a freaking knight now. Now all I needed was the mana to play with. It was worth it though. “Why can’t I move?” I asked, starting to feel a little worried. He laughed again.

  “Well, you are a runt, you have been out for a few days and used up every drop of mana in this town.” He said ticking off his fingers like points on a list. “Upside, my brother was stuck in his Knight for three hours.” He laughed hard. I smiled thinking about that idiot sitting there in the dark. “He told me he was planning on getting out to give you his mana but didn’t want to get wet.” Boss said with a growl.

  “Fucking hell. Remind me to slap the shit out of him.” I demanded. Boss smiled and shook his head.

  “Like hell that would do anything to him.” Boss stated with a smile.

  “Okay, remind me to melt down his Knight. Wait, I won’t even joke about melting down that beauty. Okay, remind me to…” I thought for a long moment. “Never build him a Doll.” I said with an evil smile. Boss laughed long and hard as he moved around my room. “Food now.” I said hearing my body protest the lack of anything inside. He handed me a bowl of something, and I wrinkled my nose. It smelled horrible, but I was far too hungry to turn it down. Hell at this point I doubt I would turn down dishwater. I was able to move my arms a little and with each sip, I felt a little better. I drank as much as he let me, and I lay my head back, a little clearer and thoughts moving more easily. I turned back to Boss. “Thank you. How pissed are you?” I asked with a wince. He looked at me blankly.

  “Pissed?” His face was wrinkled in confusion.

  “The metal.” I said looking at my bare far to underdeveloped body. It dawned on him, and he leaned back laughing hard again. I frowned at him fearing the lack of a job that was about to come.

  “Not at all.” Boss said as he slapped my arm. I just blinked at him and winced at the pain of the slap. “The town paid for it. We are just going to run low for a few months. A replacement shipment is already being filled.” I sighed and smiled as I lay back a little more. My things were safe, and I still had a job. “Now for the bad news. According to the mages, you can’t use magic for at least a week and your house is a pig pen.” He said wrinkling his nose at my bedroom. I frowned at him as I looked around at the piles of clothing and slight smell of the room. I had been working myself to the bone and hadn’t had the time to even eat let alone clean. That and I sucked at cleaning and cooking.

  “I need to get a maid.” I growled as I stretched my neck. He patted my shoulder and this time it didn’t hurt.

  “Sorry no one is willing to be your maid here, better off getting a slave. There should be some in the next caravan.” He said and I felt my stomach turn a little at the idea. Being from America, owning slaves didn’t seem right, but when in Rome. He walked over to my bookshelf, his hand on his chin as he looked over at my Dolls. Most had been converted, but some were still just models. I wouldn’t be able to work on those for a week. I wouldn’t have metal to play with them. Fuck me. I inwardly groaned. “These look good. Just need some paint.” Boss said, picking one up and moving the arm.

  “I know.” I said with a sigh. He smiled at me as he moved the hip armor.

  “Mind if I take this one and try to paint it?” He asked and I blinked at him, not sure if he was pulling my leg.

  “Sure. I take it painting, is it appealing to you?” I asked.

  “Why not? I like painting some of the toys for Winter’s Edge.” He blinked. “Wanderer.” He said, slapping his head with his free hand. “We have a gathering in the town to celebrate the end of winter. I paint the toys for the kids.”

  “Oh, we call that Christmas and we exchange gifts. Not just for kids, but between lovers and friends.” I said, nodding to him.

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  “I like the idea of that. Can I get you anything?” He asked, moving to the door and putting the candle out.

  “Goblin cores and maybe a bit of gold. My bracelet needs a major upgrade and I think the town owes me a better mana battery.” I growled at him. He laughed and left me alone to relax. I closed my eyes and let the darkness take me.

  The next evening, I was able to leave my bed and walk around. Everything still hurt and I really didn’t want to move but couldn’t take the tinnitus that seemed to be everywhere. Why couldn’t I have my phone? It had some music and even a Lucid Dreaming audio saved on it. That would have been pointless as the thing would have run out of energy.

  I went to the inn and was greeted by a cheering thrall that scared the crap out of me. Turning around quickly, I hobbled as fast as I could back home. I just wanted to watch some of the townsfolk try out some of my Dolls. This wasn’t fair. I inwardly cried as I slammed my own door feeling a little safer in here. I was safe in my house from all the loud people.

  A short while later there was a knock on the door and I jumped slowly moving to it not sure what was going to happen. “Who is it?” I asked, trying to sound like my normal self. I felt so useless and weak without my mana. I was just a normal human right now.

  “Runt, let me in.” Meathead shouted through the door. I opened it slowly to see the huge idiot standing there in the setting sun.

  “What do you want?” I asked, peeking through the partly open door. He smiled at me and rubbed the back of his head.

  “Innkeeper asked me to come check on you. He said if you were mad, I would be the one you could take it out on.” Meathead said with a laugh. I growled at him and opened the door. “What happened?” He asked and I could see the worry on his face.

  “I don't do well in groups.” I said moving to my couch. He nodded and took a seat in my armchair. Most of my furniture came with the house and I was too lazy to replace anything. He nodded at my words and pulled out a bottle of amber liquid. It was a whiskey. Was this a peace offering for him flooding my body with his Knight’s mana? I took it and went to a cabinet to look for a cup. Most were dirty and in a crude sink. With a shrug I pulled out the stopper on the bottle and took a swig. It was rough and lit my throat like fire as it slid down. I coughed and shuddered as it started to warm my small frame.

  “I know, it’s the good stuff. Innkeeper said it was a gift for saving his inn.” Meathead said with a smile. I nodded and with a shrug took another gulp that went down a little easier. It reminded me of a blend I had back home that I liked on good nights and made me miss my computer. Meathead smiled and reached out a hand. I handed him the bottle and he took a swig before nearly falling out of his chair coughing madly. I laughed and didn’t care if it looked evil, it felt nice. “Fucking hell, Runt. How can you down it like that?” He gasped leaning over. I sat on the couch and reached over for the bottle. He handed it back and it was clear from his expression the rest was mine.

  “Thank you.” I said as I took another gulp. He blinked at me and stood.

  “I’ll tell the others what happened. They should understand. Uncle Fostra was the same way. I once saw him run away from a spring dance because the music was too much for him.” He said and I felt something move inside my chest. What was this feeling? I didn’t like it. He moved to the door, and I sat there for a long moment somehow feeling the house being emptier than before. Moving my desk and started playing with one of my Dolls, the bottle of whiskey keeping me company for the night. It was very annoying that I couldn’t use mana to work on new ones, but I wouldn’t lose everything just to fail at making a Doll. It will be worth the wait. I told myself in the mostly dark and empty house.

  A little over two weeks later I was tinkering on Meathead’s mech trying to make good on my promise to Boss. It was almost done when there was a booming knock on the main door. I turned, hope filling my frame. This would mean new Knights to look at, play with and maybe learn from. The doors opened and three large Knights walked in. I could see that two were badly damaged and would require a lot of work to fix. Licking my chops at the chance to play I looked around. Battery whimpered in the corner as he looked at me. I turned to him and gave him my most evil smile. It fell as I heard Boss cough. Turning to him I frowned.

  “Slave caravan is here. Go get your maid.” He growled and I heard Battery give a thankful cry behind me.

  “I have to work on the new Knights.” I protested.

  “Go get your maid.” He growled. “I can’t have you getting sick.” Boss ordered as he put his hands on his hips making it clear that this wasn’t up for debate. With a sigh, I moved away from Battery and went home. Looking around the house I made sure I had my coins. I wasn't sure how much a life was worth in this world, but I was about to find out. Taking a calming breath, I walked through town to a circle of tents that were being set up. Everywhere I looked, I saw slaves moving around. Most were beast kin and seemed to be mildly underfed. I felt sick walking in here like it hurt the fiber of my being to own another. A fat oily man walked up to me rubbing his hands together. His clothing was clean, bright and made him look like a puffed-up ring master.

  “Welcome, welcome. How can I help you?” He asked gesturing me to follow him. I knew his type. He reminded me of a used car dealer and somehow it felt fitting that he would be selling slaves here and bad cars in my world.

  “I don’t have much money.” I growled at his back hoping to set us off on the right foot. He frowned and started to walk away with a grunt of disappointment.

  “Bealcica deal with him.” He said waving back at me. The most beautiful, sexy, redheaded succubus walked over to me. She had long leathery wings, long ram horns and a cute whip-like tail that seemed to accent the way she made her hips sway. Her hooves clopped lightly on the grass making the hairs on my neck tingle. She wore a tight robe that seemed to press her impossibly large breasts up for full display. This was a trap and not the type with extra downstairs.

  “Hello master.” she purred to me, and I had to fight not to get excited. I wonder how many men gladly put on a collar just for a chance with her.

  “I don’t have much in the way of coin. Do you have a bargain area?” I asked, licking my chops. She giggled and jiggled as she turned, escorting me through the tents. I feared for the man who thought he could tame a woman like that.

  “Are you sure you wouldn’t rather go to my tent for some fun first?” She said looking over one bare shoulder at me. I laughed coldly hoping that she would get the hint.

  “No. Does that ploy work very often to get new slaves?” I asked. She stopped and gave me a very real and very evil grin that rivaled my own.

  “Smart one. Yes, it does. At least one per town.” She said as she stood a little straighter and started walking normally. I shook my head. She stopped acting coy and playful as we made our way to a very dark and shabby tent in the back. Suddenly a messenger ran up to her and whispered in her ear. She looked back at me and smiled as the messenger ran off.

  “Let me guess, Fat Man just told you to do everything to put a collar on me.” I said, giving her my own evil grin. She nodded and looked a little more impressed. “Not going to happen.” I crossed my arms. She gave a real smile and held open the tent as I walked in. The slaves here were broken and shabby. Most wore brown stained linen tunics and had scars covering their bodies. A few cowered back from me and others just sat there, broken looks on their faces. None were human and somehow that seemed to settle my mind a little.

  “What are you actually looking for?” Bealcica asked.

  “Cooking and cleaning.” I said with a huff as I looked around hoping for a pop-up window to tell me what skills each one had.

  “I have two that can fill those roles.” She said as she led me to the back where I saw what could be best described as an orc. She had green skin, small tusks, long black hair that covered most of her heavily scarred face. Her body seemed to be more scar than skin. It was clear she had been through hell. She looked up at me with a broken look in her one uncovered eye. “She has a cooking skill. Not to the level of a noble, but good enough to get by and make sure your belly is full.” I nodded. Bealcica turned and took me to the corner to see something that I had been dying to see my whole life. Cowering in the corner of the tent was a white-haired bunny woman. She looked up at me with scared red eyes as she tried to retreat from us making herself as small as possible. She wore the same shabby oversized tunic that swallowed her up. It somehow made her feel smaller. I smiled at her, and she hid, pulling her ears down over her eyes. It was cute.

  “How much?” I growled through my grin. I knew I must look like a monster but didn’t care. Something in her was triggering something deep inside me and I wanted to… to what? I wanted to protect her. Safe to say this was a new feeling and I liked it even though I shouldn’t.

  “The orc and bunny are one gold each.” I refused to look away from the bunny girl as I nodded.

  “I want both.” I said coldly and the bunny woman looked up at me horror clear on her face. Bealcica nodded and snapped her fingers at the two women. We stepped out into the damned sun, and I paid her. I was given two small, strange coins in exchange.

  “These are their control coins. Whoever has these is able to give them orders. You don’t have to have the coins on you, and they cannot hold their own control coin.” I nodded. The two women started following me. The orc seemed broken, and the bunny was trying to hide behind the orc. I know anything I said now would just be hollow and flat, so I kept quiet as we walked.