Mature Content Warning: Trading cute girls as though they were things.

Author's notes:

By the way, this first novel has about seven more chapters. If you see errors, please alert me. Thank you.

Chapter 10: Just another day.

Nina sat in the chair with Apollo, the Ancient Beast, in her lap. She had come to that room and sat in that chair every day. She would often sleep on the floor nearby. Sometimes she would sleep in the chair. Her master was still injured and had nearly died several times in the Oldtowne hospital.

While he did have a strong constitution and seemed to have a high-end healing rate for a normal human, he was still not capable of being healed by the methods available to a Demi-Human. At least, they did not with work with great effectiveness.

The Nurse on staff that had been assigned to him had rapidly cast regeneration spells, but the damage had been too extensive for such a standard tactic. His body and spirit had taken a severe beating and it was returning to its status at a slow rate. It was a miracle he hadn't died before reaching the hospital.

Normally using such high powered spells would have healed him almost completely within a few minutes, an hour tops. However, it seemed as though his spirit was resisting the outside force attempting to heal it.

It was as though Scott rejected the magical healing to the extent that even a high-end full-regeneration spell only acted in the fashion of a low level minor restoration.

Later it was revealed that he was not actually resisting the magic so much as absorbing it. His spiritual etheric matrix was extremely diminished. The weakened state of his soul had barely qualified as actually being a soul at that point. It held on so tenuously that any further damage would have caused his total spiritual disintegration.

Something had completely drained his mana and seemed to have drawn directly on his soul's core energy to try and replenish it. No one else had suffered such damage, and the hospital staff was at a loss regarding exactly why it had happened to the man.

Once they'd figured this out they ceased the usage of spells save for a lesser regeneration spell, and began a potion drip. His medical records showed that he had some minor capacity to accept benefit from them and they were safer that high-end magic.

As the steady hum of the life support equipment droned on, Nina absently stroked the cat's back. She had steadfastly refused to let the establishment experiment on her new friend citing that he was a unique magical specimen belonging to her master.

It was the only thing keeping Apollo from being drugged and probed. He was a creature that had never been seen before. There were no cats with fabulous hair in the world. The hospital staff relented, but they did insist on a sample of his fur.

Who knew, maybe they could eventually patent his genetics and fill the world with such beasts? Someone could become quite wealthy by selling off locks of hair from such a creature.

"Nina, he'll be ok. I'm sure of it." said Apollo to his charge, and friend. The cat had slowly begun to remember more about her from the days before establishing a colony in this solar system He was technically an advisor to the Selenite queen, but he was a member of the house of Ceravi and the despondent girl in the chair was someone he had pledged his life to long ago.

The blond Demi-Human sighed softly and stroked his fur a little more. Her master was hurt badly, and it was her fault. If only she had been stronger, faster, better. If only...

As the despondent girl continued to blame herself for Scott's current situation, the man in question spent his time dreaming.

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In a small meadow in the height of spring birds were singing and butterflies flitted about. The raw beauty of this place touched the world weary heart of a shadowy figure of a man. Scott rested against a large oak tree and soaked in the utter peace and tranquility.

He felt tired, so very tired. The constant urge to simply lie down and sleep had stayed with him since the moment he had first opened his eyes in this place.

He didn't know how he had gotten here, or why, but he knew it was his place. This space beyond the angry bitter world was a place for him alone. He felt safe here, as though it were some indefinable part of him that was always there.

He wasn't sure of many things in his life, but he knew peace for a while. That is, he knew peace until the time when memories began to assault his awareness.

Memories of death and destruction, thoughts of an ancient kingdom torn asunder by war and greed, came to him. Were they things that he had written about; or true events? He did not, could not, know. After a time his thoughts turned to more modern thoughts of love and hope, for those thoughts to inevitably return to violence.

Over and over in his mind's eye he would relive these moments of joy and watch them be torn apart. Constantly one single thought would repeatedly occur. If only I had been stronger, faster, better. If only...

This mantra of the mind penetrated his thoughts deeply until a time came when he eventually relived the moments leading to his current physical trauma. Scott opened his eyes wide in this paradise he found himself in and then he knew. He was hovering on the edge of death, it was the only explanation. He felt it to be true. Nothing else made sense.

This beautiful place he found himself in was his last refuge from reality. The center of who he was. He understood, and in knowing began to take action. No more did he rest leisurely, but instead he trained.

Scott trained in this timeless place without pause or respite. He did not know hunger, or pain, or exhaustion. Only the drive to become stronger, ever stronger, remained.

In this place inside his mind, he willed opponents for himself. He fought them with everything he had, and continued without pause. He would not give in to the temptation to simply sleep. He now knew what that temptation had really been. It would have been his last conscious act in this world.

As the days in the outside world passed unknown to him, he would face many thousands of battles. He constantly forced himself to continue on. He must be stronger. He must be faster. He must be better. There were people counting on him.

Eventually, his thoughts centered around one thing. The one missing piece of the puzzle, the reason he had been next to useless during that fight. He thought of the magic that he lacked. It was the one thing seemingly denied to him.

He knew he had a strong magical force within him. It's one of the only reasons he still lived. Stubborn determination only goes so far after all.

His struggles with his imaginary opponents ceased, and he focused on all his acquired mystical knowledge. He attempted to will himself more powerful magically.

No matter what spells he tried, or techniques he envisioned, he could not touch that core of power. He was denied the one thing that could have made a difference in his last battle.

Finally he said aloud. "Dammit! What's wrong with me?"

Scott stood there, his head hung in shame. The secret, for the moment, would elude him.

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Two weeks later...

Scott smiled up at Nina's fussy attempt to make him more comfortable. He still had to stay in bed for another week and rest according to the doctors, but at least he was conscious now.

"Don't ever scare me like that again!" exclaimed Nina as she fluffed his pillow, inadvertently smothering him with her breasts. His gasping for air gave her the wrong idea though and she giggled out, "Master! I know you need to tame me and SOON, but you're still injured!"

Scott groaned softly under her boobs and she giggled again. She'd have her master back and taming ready in no time.

Apollo hopped up onto the bed with Scott and settled on his chest purring. He'd been trying to get to know the guy Nina was hanging around with since he'd woken up. Though, it was slow going. He felt it necessary to pretend to be a normal cat for some odd reason. What normal cat has long luxurious hair?

Normally he would have tried to be as secretive as possible, possibly even remove them from Scott's general area of habitation altogether. Nina had adamantly refused to be separated from him, so he had no choice.

The man gazed down at the Selenite cat then stroked his fur. He had always loved cats back home even if they were devious little hairballs bent on conquering the world.

"So, they let you stay in here despite the usual 'no pets allowed' stuff hospitals have?"

The cat gazed at him curiously then meowed. Scott smirked at the obvious attempt to continue acting like a normal cat. He had heard the cat talking, and he had regained a scant few memories of a time and place that might never have existed. The cat featured in those memories. If the little furball wanted to pretend to be normal, or whatever normal passed for in this perverted world, it was fine.

"Well I guess they think he's a good little kitty?" asked Nina nervously. She didn't like keeping secrets from her master.

Scott chuckled then said, "Yeah, probably. Either that or they don't know what the hell he is and figures he's just some sort of random furry mascot or something."

Apollo sniffed disdainfully and swished his tail about. Keeping quiet might be harder than he thought.

Their musing and good natured conversation was interrupted a moment later by knock on the door.

Nina opened it and revealed an older man wearing a sensible set of traveling clothes, and a sword sheathed at his hip. It took Scott a moment to recognize the man. However, he did finally put the face together with a name.

"Ah, thank you for allowing me entrance good lady of the house." the man said amicably. He was ever the gentleman.

Nina blushed and stepped back. He'd already scored a few points with her apparently.

"So, what brings the guild leader of Oldtowne to my room at the ungodly hour of two in the afternoon?" asked Scott casually. He reached over and started to stroke Apollo' back. The tenseness in the cat at this new arrival was not unnoticed by the man.

Aaron, the older gentleman in question nodded. "To the point I see, a good quality in our journeyman members."

Scott blinked at that. Last he checked he didn't even qualify as an apprentice yet. He was still in the initiate stages. "Well, I suppose it is... for them."

The old man quirked an eyebrow and mentally noted that the boy didn't miss a beat. If Scott had heard those thoughts he would have pointed out that he was nearly thirty years old. Though, Aaron could readily have countered with something about him still being in diapers when he was over a hundred. Ah, the blessings of longevity for certain meta-humans.

"Yes, it certainly is. At any rate, I thought I'd come to check up on you personally and deliver the good news of your appointment to journeyman." stated the man lightly.

Scott nodded at that, but was suspicious. It occurred to him to wonder why the guild leader had taken a personal interest in him.

Aaron seeing his suspicious gaze chuckled and said, "That and of course let you know that we've at last located a few suitable Demi-Humans to add to your team. I brought the data-pad with their type names and information, as well as the ball the one you choose will be placed in."

Nina frowned slowly. Suddenly the dapper old man with the winning smile was becoming annoying. She knew eventually she'd have to share her master. She didn't expect it to be today!

"I'll pass." said Scott simply.

The old man blinked slowly trying to comprehend that. Someone was turning down a free Demi-Human? "I'm sorry.. I'm sure I misunderstood. Did you just turn down a promotion?"

"I have to accept a random new person on my team to be allowed to go up a rank?"

Nina unconsciously slipped a finger along her golden chain weapon. She wouldn't hurt such an innocent seeming old man, not really...Right?

Apollo was attempting to decipher what was going on in the conversation. He'd learned quite a few things from Nina about Demi-Humans. Not that he believed much of it. Yet, to hear someone so casually attempt to give a person to another was more than disturbing.

"You have to have at least two Demi-Humans in your team to go beyond apprenticeship. A journeyman member undergoes far more dangerous assignments than previous ranked members." said the man simply.

Scott sighed and said, "I'll tell ya what, I could care less about promotions... still let me see the pad. If there's someone that I think would benefit from working with us I'll talk to my team about it."

Nina pouted sadly. Well, there you had it. She just knew she'd have a new harem sister. Though, now that she thought about it, it might not be so bad. At least she'd have someone else to talk to besides Apollo if her master was busy.

The man smiled lightly and approached Scott, but before he handed him the pad the younger man asked, "Hey, wait. Wasn't my starter Demi-Human privilege rescinded so I could get equipment instead?"

Aaron nodded, "Yes, of course it was. However, the guild heads convened their quarterly meeting just yesterday. One topic was advancement of rank. Your name came up due to the mission you'd completed."

Scott nodded. "So?"

The old man continued, "When asked about what else you'd done, a report was shown citing how you knew a little of the nature of these new Fiend Demi-Humans."

Aaron suspected he knew far more than he let on, but that is neither here nor there. "The point is that with your statements that only high-end magic can harm them effectively your candidacy for promotion was accepted."

The younger man considered this for a moment and nodded. Apollo, though, widened his little kitty eyes at the man he was sitting on. How could he have known that?

Scott held out his hand for the data-pad and Aaron handed it over. If they wanted to promote him for saying something obvious, that was their business. Besides, he had held back a tidbit of knowledge because he did not know if it was true. It was not just magic that caused an effect. It was the emotion behind the magic. At least, that is what his bizarre memories told him.

He rooted through the fifteen names and types listed. After reviewing them he nearly decided not to worry about it. One profile caught his attention, though. At first he didn't know just why, but as he gazed at the information something inside him clicked.

"This girl? She was orphaned and raised on the Dellas ranch a few miles from here?" he asked casually.

The older man glanced down at the pad, and nodded. "That is what it says..."

Scott considered a moment. What were the odds that he'd found another piece to the puzzle this soon? Worse yet, could he risk not checking into this?

Nina became curious and wandered over to see who they were talking about. She noticed a tall Demi-Human with a ponytail, nothing seemingly out of the ordinary for her breed.

"Orphaned when the plane her parents were on went down?" she asked sadly. She knew what it was like to be all alone in the world.

Scott took that as an admission of acceptance. Then he glanced down at the cat. "What do you think kitty? Think we should add another lost soul to the group?"

The cat stared at him for a moment, and seemed ready to say no with a hiss. Something in the man's eyes changed his mind though and he simply mewed.

"Well then, looks like we have ourselves a new teammate."

Aaron nodded. The young man's leadership style was strange, but hey whatever worked for him.

He coded in the information, and then excused himself to go finish transport via the training center next door.

"Master..?" began Nina.

Scott nodded, "Don't worry Nina. Please just trust that I know what I'm doing. I have a feeling we may need the help in the near future, and besides... I don't think any of us here can say we don't know what it's like to be all alone in the world."

Apollo rrawled softly then swished his tail while the blond girl hugged him. At least this strangely familiar Scott person seemed to be a nice guy. Couldn't fight worth a damn, but nice.

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