Despite the condition of my armor I decided to wear it anyway. Tying up the straps and loose bits as best as I could. I looked like a fashion model, promoting the world's most ridiculous piece of clothing. I even imagined all the ooh's and ahh's from the imaginary crowd around me. I got a few odd looks from the other members of the group.

In hindsight, I should have been paying more attention, instead of daydreaming and fiddling with my armor. Then perhaps I might have seen the arrow streaking towards me in time to dodge, instead of taking it in the knee. I was so surprised that the pain didn't register at first. A ridiculous thought that my days of adventuring were over, ran through my mind before the pain arrived. Falling over saved me from being hit by the next arrow.

The arrows were being fired from quite a distance away. With my wounded knee, I was at a bit of a disadvantage. Good thing I still had my staff. I managed to lever myself up, knocking arrows aside as I hobbled to cover. I ended up taking two more arrows, one skimming my side, leaving a shallow cut, and the other impacting my armor but failing to penetrate. A good thing too because it was right where my heart lay.

I could hear the others rushing up to assist, well rushing was an optimistic term for their fast walk. They had all the time in the world to find cover and use it to close in on the attackers. Speaking of cover I finally found some. I yanked the arrows out. I guess the one that struck me in the chest went a bit deeper than I thought, a spurt of blood coming out as I removed the arrow. I cast Rejuvenate, feeling the wounds begin to close.

My anger bubbled over and I snapped, my vision going red. I never really believed the stories of people that used this as an excuse to justify their actions. I guess I couldn't call them liars now. All this built-up rage needed an outlet, and now I had a target. For their sakes, I hoped it wasn't humans. Not that it mattered, they had to die for my anger to be sated. I let out a primal scream, sprinting from my cover. I dodged the incoming arrows as I closed in. My quarry was now in sight.

Orcs, at least a dozen of them. Perfect, I could get some revenge. These looked a bit different than the ones I met earlier. I used Identify as I ran towards the creatures. They continuously shot arrows my way to try and stop my mad rush.

Blood Clan Orc | Ranger | Level 9

I decided not to wait for my fellow "Allies", instead, I wanted to sate the beast inside my chest. My mana was full so I did something I wanted to try for a while. I wasn't oblivious to the possible danger as I layered water and lightning damage on my staff, I just didn't care in my current state. A halo of crackling energy dripped from my staff.

I ducked another arrow, casting Blink Step to close with the archers. The orcs were on a slight bluff overlooking the path. I activated Earth Fist to launch myself up the ten-foot embankment. As I landed my staff slammed down, releasing Seismic Strike. This disrupted the Orcs long enough to implement the next step.

My staff turned into a blur above my head as I cast Eye of the Storm. Lightning, wind, and rain ripped around me, blocking out everything from my sight. Occasionally I would see a dark form hurtling through the maelstrom of wind and rain but that would soon disappear, swept away by the tempest. I kept this up for a full seven seconds until my mana ran almost dry.

As the spell dissipated I could see the destruction. The area was a complete mess of broken trees and scattered bodies. They weren't dead yet but they were all suffering from the stunning effect of the lightning that raged through my storm. I went to each one, slamming the bladed end of my staff into vital areas. One strike was usually enough to finish them off, my spell having injured them quite a bit. I finished off the last one just as my cohorts arrived on the scene.

The short brutal fight had drained my mana and stamina. I gave the group a baleful look to make them think twice about trying to capitalize on my weakness. The three took a step back. If it was out of shock or fear I didn't much care. My rage had been sated for now. I still felt it simmering below the surface, demanding to be set free again.

***

Gus, Vivian, and Rufus took a step back from the newest addition to their party. Gus thought the man was honestly, just terrifying. They knew he was a significantly higher level then they were. But still, who just runs into a group of twelve attackers? They had been forced to stop and bear witness to the destructive spell Paul released, grabbing hold of trees to prevent being pulled into the vortex, along with the orcs. This wasn't their first encounter with the Orcs so they knew the creatures weren't a simple pushover. Yet Paul had managed to kill all twelve in less than thirty seconds with what they assumed was one spell, not having witnessed him dispatch the injured.

Initially, the group had given Paul the cold shoulder, after his less than warm welcome. Gus could understand it, the four of them, William included had been larper's for years before the System arrived. It was why he got to choose his advanced Barbarian class. The group had thought nothing of it when their supposed friend had talked them into putting on the collars. He sold them as enhancement devices and part of his class. Of course, they were furious when they found out what they truly were. William had defended his actions, showing them what awaited otherwise. After that, they agreed it was the best option at the moment.

They stuck together, eventually meeting up with the larger force of Black Dragon disciples. It was only then that they realized the situation would never change. They had all been lied to, even William, now being told there was no way to remove the collars. Luckily, through William's own merit he managed to keep the group together.

It was a surprise when a fourth slave was added to the group. Gus chose to greet the newcomer, hoping to ease his transition but that had been a mistake. The man turned on him in a blink. The group should have realized then, the anger that stirred in the man's heart. William made the situation so much worse, acting like an ass to the man by trying to take gear. Gus understood why, storage rings weren't cheap, and William had spent his credits outfitting the group.

But that was in the past. It was easy to see the anger bubbling away in Paul. One glance at the fiery eyes was enough. It felt like the fire wanted to devour you whole, and that's why the group took a step back. For fear of being sucked into that churning oblivion of hate. Gus wanted no part of whatever violence this man was capable of, making a silent oath to stay out of his way. Little did Gus know this oath was binding and superseded all other orders.

***

I just glared at the group, daring them to try something. I was low on mana and a ripe target after the fight. I suspected they might try to kill me outright at William's order but instead, they took a step back. That likely meant William had given no such order. I eased my battle stance a hair, letting the tension drain from my body. If they weren't going to fight me I could relax a bit and recover my mana. It didn't mean I trusted them though.

William walked up a few seconds later, inspecting the scene. The man only raised an eyebrow. Like he had seen much worse before.

"Hmm, I guess you're good for something," the man said dismissively as he searched the bodies.

I saw him pocket a storage ring, looks like the man finally got what he was after. In a surprise move, we all got some credits, about 150 each. I guess he had his party set to share credits. It helped explain why the others seemed to like him so much. I doubt most slave masters did things this way.

We continued our patrol, running into two other groups of Orcs. This area appeared to be their hunting grounds, or we were close to a settlement. Unlike the first group, these other two groups consisted of a mixed bag of hunters and bowmen. They were also lower-leveled, more in line with the ones I ran into farther north. Since my rage was bottled at the moment I just decided to go spell less, practicing my martial forms while I carved through my targets. It was therapeutic, the ebb and flow of battle and I lost myself to it. Finally, I was able to feel something other than rage and pain in days.

I was broken out of the joy of combat when William issued an order. It would have ended soon anyway, the last orc falling to the husband and wife.

"Alright, we went far enough out on patrol today, time to head back to camp."

I had to resist the urge to try and strangle the man as my rage flooded back in to fill the void. I managed to bottle the emotion before I did something stupid. Instead, I marched back to the campsite and my mistress. Each step closer made me feel like someone was piling weights on my back. I could only hope she was in a good mood.

***

William had fallen back with his three friends, Paul oblivious to anything around him as he plodded on back to camp.

"So, what're your threes take on our new addition?" William asked.

Vivian the first to respond said, "Fucking terrifying."

The other two nodded.

Rufus added his opinion, "It feels like the man would cut us down in an instant if given an opportunity. Just what did he suffer before they collared him?"

"I don't know and I'm not going to ask, you did hear who he said his master was, yes?"

"Some woman named Cotton?" Vivian replied.

William almost choked at this, "Some woman, oh my god, careful where you say that. This "woman" is the one in command of this force."

They just looked back at him in horror then looked at Paul's back.

"Now, I could try to get him reassigned but I have a feeling that's not going to fly with the upper brass. So despite our misgivings..., yes I have them too, we are going to have to learn to get along with this man. Just his buffs alone are worth the effort. And who knows, maybe the man will get himself killed and we can wash our hands of the whole thing," William said, ending the conversation by ordering the three ahead to keep an eye out. Paul wasn't as he seemed to be lost in his own world.

William knew if he let the man die needlessly a ton of shit would roll down on top of him. He was a crafty piece of shit, managing to trick his three best friends into being slaves, but he wasn't without caution. All good things came to those who wait.

***

The group arrived back in camp without any more encounters. William ordered me to return to my mistress and rejoin his group at sun up for advanced scouting. A way had been found to cross the river and we would be breaking camp and heading out tomorrow. I followed my orders, returning to Sharla.

"Gah, you're hideous, you can't expect to represent me properly wearing those rags. Go, find the quartermaster, and get issued some armor. Also, wash up, you smell foul."

"Yes Mistress," I said, turning to head out of the tent. It had been the best outcome I could have hoped for. While she wasn't exactly in a good mood, at least she wasn't angry at the moment.

I hadn't met the quartermaster in person but I had seen him a few times. It was enough, I wandered around a few minutes until I located the large tent labeled supply. I pulled back the flap and headed inside.

"Yes?" a skinny man with flinty eyes said, closing a book he had been reading.

"My mistress sent me here to get new armor."

The man glanced at my tattered armor, "We don't have much. I have another leather jerkin. If you're handy at all, I have some metal to reinforce it," he added, pointing to a bucket of metal scrap strips too small to use on a decent armor. Next to it was a bucket of rivets.

This did give me an idea and I swept both buckets and a hammer into my ring, the man said nothing. He knew who my mistress was, even if I was just a lowly slave. He handed me a basic leather jerkin, just like the first one I purchased from Frathsar. Looking around I grabbed a needle, some thread, along with cloth. Of course, the only color cloth and thread they had was black. I wasn't an expert at sewing. I had learned just enough over the years to get by, patching some worn clothing. I was a thrifty spender back before the System, preferring to fix clothing rather than buying new stuff.

I wandered out of the tent, the quartermaster not questioning my choices, and headed off to take a bath. Sharla had not given me an order or time to return, so I was going to make the most of my freedom.

The bath in the river was cold but refreshing. Plenty of other people were taking advantage of the water to clean themselves.

After my bath, I went to find a quiet area. I found what I was looking for between two tents. After I piled up some crates I had a nice hidden work area. I didn't expect my rune crafting to stay secret forever but I still preferred secrecy if I could find it.

It had been some time since I had the chance to work on rune crafting. Thinking back on it brought up the memory of Fiona and me at my house. It hurt to think back on a happy memory, I squashed the feelings down as a tear slipped from my eye. I couldn't afford weakness right now.

Instead, I dove into carving runic patterns on the tiny metal plates. Making sure to leave the area for rivets clear. I finished the first small piece.

It looked like a piece of Celtic or Norse jewelry, surrounded by the familiar knot design. For this specific design, I choose the trinity knot, without the additional ring in the design. It felt right adding the design to my carving. I wasn't sure if it added anything to the strength of the runes. I could verify if the design worked and test some other options later.

I decided on three runic symbols to use on the plates, the symbols for protection, strength, and power. Instead of drawing the trinity knot and filling it with the symbols, they repeated making the pattern of the trinity knot. I knew there were more advanced knot designs but this seemed fitting. I used Identify on the piece of metal seeing that it was indeed successful. Now I just needed to do it another fifty times or so and put it all together.

Rune Crafted Leather Brigandine

Quality: Average

Armor: 18

Slashing resistance: 40%

Stabbing resistance: 40%

Magic resistance 15%

This metal-reinforced leather brigandine was crafted by a novice crafter with subpar materials, each plate was painstakingly rune crafted to improve the protection of the armor

Despite all the metal, this piece was still lighter than my old armor, making it easier to move in. It was also covered in a layer of black fabric, held on with the same rivets used to hold the metal plates. I used a bit of ink I had from my carving kit to blackout the rivets a little to keep them from standing out so much.

Congratulations for crafting your first set of average quality armor, you receive 1000 XP

After seeing the notification I lifted the piece up, looking it over. It wasn't bad for my third attempt at armor. I needed to get a book on armor designs to see if I could improve my skills. I slipped the leather on. The metal plates were sandwiched between the leather and the outer layer of fabric, making it look like I was wearing padded armor. It felt ok, better than my old armor for sure. It also didn't clank quietly every time I moved, so that was a plus. I looked up to see that it was almost dusk. I cursed, quickly putting the armor on and heading back to the tent.

I arrived in a few minutes heading inside. I was in luck, Sharla wasn't in the tent. I went to my bedroll and sat cross-legged until she returned. I knew better than to fall asleep without her allowing permission. Sharla entered a few minutes later, looking a bit miffed. I needed to be careful not to stir her ire.

She looked at me sitting quietly, then at my armor. Shit, in my haste to return I forgot to remove the armor.

"Come here," she said, eyebrow raised.

Hopefully, she would just think I was good at sewing.

I did as commanded, rising to approach her. When I got close I stood perfectly still, my face neutral.

She ran her hand over the armor, feeling the plates underneath. Then she gripped the leather sliding her hand up behind it and against my body. I forced down a shudder at her touch.

"I didn't know we had armor this nice, has the quartermaster been holding out on us?" she said to herself.

"Take it off and let me get a better look at it."

I complied with her command, unbuckling the straps and holding it out for her to inspect.

"Its a bit rough. I think you can do better on your next attempt, I can't have you making shoddy armor for me," she said, finishing her inspection.

Good, maybe if they thought I was an apprentice armorer they wouldn't dig deeper into my other crafting.

"Yes, mistress," I said in rote reply.

"Hmm, anyway off to sleep, we have a big day tomorrow," she said, waving me to my bed.

Relief flooded my body after I heard these words. I made sure to keep any emotion from my face. I didn't want to give her another reason to discipline me.