AN: Hello again, my gentle perverts. We are back again with another lovely installment of I Hate You Master.

Enjoy!

Chapter 2.2: Battling Beauties

Room and sensitive items secured, John set about the next step in his grand plan to earn a living. He decided to document Kara's current power level once more to see if there were any changes since the creation of her profile.

Kara stood still as he scanned her with his strange little device. She'd seen only one other like it to date and then only at a distance. He took stock of her statistics among other things so that he could determine how effective she might be in combat. The Steel Valkyrie would prefer to prove herself in combat rather than be scanned, but she understood the need to gather intelligence and to verify a combatant's strength and resources.

While her master played with his scanning equipment, she thought back to her recent life. Living on a ranch proved to be peaceful, too peaceful. She desired combat and a chance to prove her skills. There were occasional training sessions and defensive sweeps of the farm perimeter, but most of her opponents proved to be lackluster at best. She would never be properly challenged living such a life.

Her current master seemed like a fairly typical non-combatant. She could tell by the way he walked, talked, and breathed in general. He was not well-versed in the arts of war. She did not expect much from a human in the first place, but at least he wasn't particularly demanding at the moment. She did not take well to those she deemed bossy. A special dispensation was allowed in this case since he technically was her boss. That did not mean she would give up her pride as a soldier, however.

John said, "Hmm."

His vocalization caught her attention. Kara glanced at him briefly then looked away. Surreptitiously, she continued to observe the man who would tame her. Once a bond formed she would not want to serve another unless they also broke the former connection and formed said bond themselves. That was the most dangerous aspect of being a free Demi-Human. The bond made all Demi-Humans feel a certain level of subservience to their master in some respects. It would be entirely too easy to fall into a habitual desire to serve this man based solely on biological imperatives. That was the reason she stipulated the maximum of three tours in her contract.

By law he could not force her to stay with him beyond that point unless she chose to create an entirely new contract with him. It was an out for her if he proved to be intolerable and difficult to get rid of via a convenient accident. Such an unfortunate situation would be a black mark on her service record, but at least she would be free of a bad situation.

John nodded to her and said, "You have improved since your last scan was taken."

Kara was not surprised. The information in her file was over three months old at this point. She was still curious, however. "How so?"

John considered telling her that it did not matter, but ultimately he did not care to have an argument and it was nothing major. "Come see."

The machine Demi-Human moved forward to look at her information and noted that her physical stats had increased overall, though her mental and spiritual stats remained the same. Her specialized armor system, an inherent power that could be activated at will, granted her defense that was more than four time higher.

Name: Kara

Race: Demi-Human

Level: 13 (367/1300)

Breed: Steel Valkyrie

Age: 22

Hair Color: Black

Eye Color: Blue

Height: [6'|183 cm]

Weight: 154 lbs|69.85 kg

Bust: 46 E

Blood Type: O+

Grade: Combat

Education: Home Schooled (High School Graduate level)

Citizenship: Free Demi-Human under contract

Evolution Tier: Second

Family: Machine

ENHANCEMENTS

[Improved Firearm Control II][Plasma Drive: Weapon Materialization III][Bio-Armor Materialization II]

Special: [C-1 Plasma Drive: Upgradeable]

ATTRIBUTES

Life Force: 430 Mana: 190

Attack: 25 M. Attack: 11

Defense: 27/102 M. Defense: 11

Strength: 56 Agility: 78 Resilience: 52 Vitality: 43

Intellect: 14 Charisma: 13 Will:15 Spirit: 19

ABILITIES

Firearm Mastery: Level 64 Unarmed Combat: Level 13 Swordsmanship: Level 20

POWERS

Call Armor Plasma Saber: Level 6 Plasma Cannons: Level 43 Overload

BIOGRAPHY

Kara is a Steel Valkyrie currently under contract to John Dean. As a Steel Valkyrie she has a plasma drive that is capable of being upgraded for further power and proficiency. She has not distinguished herself.

[--]

Kara noted her statistical changes and nodded. It took six years of working at the ranch before evolving into a Steel Valkyrie from a Gunner. It took her another year to reach level thirteen again. In an active tamer's harem she might have level might be in the high sixties at this point. That factor was the main reason she wanted to contract with such an individual. She was uncertain why the scanning device cited the size of her breasts, however. Briefly, she considered whether or not they should be a point of pride.

"Yes, I have improved," she stated in a monotone voice.

John nodded at her and shut down his equipment. There was a bit over an hour left until it was time to head to the main building and meet up with his sweep team. Unfortunately, this meant that he was alone with her for that amount of time. What exactly did one do with a biological machine animal?

A fusion of girl and machine, the Steel Valkyrie breed was known to show little in the way of emotion unless they genuinely liked or disliked a situation. Cool under fire, that was the epitome of the breed's nature.

There was a certain issue he had to deal with, but he found the concept rather distasteful. It needed to be addressed, however. John attempted a pleasant and concerned expression that left much to be desired. It was a work in progress, after all. "How are you feeling?"

"I am fine," said Kara without emotion.

He sat on the bed and considered what else to do. He knew that he would have to tame her soon, but he was uncertain about how to start such an endeavor. Did it involve some sort of music, and perhaps special oils? His studies on the matter left a great deal to the imagination, and offered far too much variety in the decision making process. In the end he simply chose to ask her. "Do you need to be tamed?"

"I am fine," she stated coolly once again.

Proper taming would not be outside of her current interests, but she did not particularly desire her master at the moment. She was technically his property while under contract, but that did not mean that she respected him enough to actually desire his touch. She would have at least a week before taming and the forging of a bond would become a necessity. If he told her he was going to tame her she would have to allow it. However, at present she did not have to since he'd asked instead of instructed.

"Good. Since that is taken care of, let's go get something to eat and meet up with our team leader." John stood up and began to collect his gear.

The body armor purchased for himself was a basic riot kit. There was nothing fancy about it. The kit included a Type IV anti-ballistic chest and back plate attached to leather armor crafted by the Northern Concern Group. The NCG was well known for its armor systems. Unfortunately, the price of such systems were well known as well. He'd settled for a basic armor with no bells or whistles. There were shin guards, boots, and forearm guards as well. The helmet slot was taken by his scanning equipment, but it was rated as a type V anti-ballistic rating anyway. It was his best piece of armor.

Armor, or at least damage resistant clothing, was very important for tamers. While some chose not to wear it, citing the fact that their Demi-humans were the fighters, those same individuals were often the largest part of the killed in action statistics put out every year. Anyone who went into the wilderness expecting the wild demi-humans to focus solely on their harem was an idiot. The scent of a male in the area would drive those overly amorous she-beasts into a frenzy. Even a human woman would cause a similar situation, if she was ready for love, as some might put it.

"Yes, master," replied Kara lightly.

The mildly dynamic duo left the room after gearing up. John wore the backpack with their supplies since he wanted his combatant partner to have a free range of motion. The supplies were heavy to the man, but he determined that he might as well get what he was paying for in regards to the girl. She was not hired to carry luggage. Her duty was in the fight, and nothing else.

The dining facility was alive with people laughing and carrying on in their obnoxiously social manner. The high school class currently in attendance was roped off from the rest of the tamers and hunters. Whether it was to put them on display, like the noble monkey, or to protect the rest of humanity from their uselessness was anyone's guess. John took a moment to consider which option was the most efficient use of time.

The overly loud and rambunctious little snots considered themselves tamers. Yet, neither of them was officially a tamer, yet. Even John out ranked them. It was a sad state of affairs when such a thing was the case, but it was still the reality of the situation.

John eyeballed the unruly teens for a moment then sighed heavily and headed toward the buffet line. He did not want to waste further time on the consideration of such creatures. Even Demi-Humans were superior to those things, at times.

One of the things he wished to avoid, however, was catching to attention of someone who'd actually become a legitimate tamer. It could go badly, due to the location.

His concerns were noteworthy. They did not even reach the purchase line before someone called out, "You! I challenge you for that Steel Valkyrie."

John sighed loudly then pressed one finger to the side of his nose, while another pressed the space between his brows. The stupidity of it was mind-boggling. While it seemed entirely sensible that a strong tamer should have easier access to higher grade Demi-Humans, the challenge that the annoying little shit just gave out was archaic and frustrating. It might also lead to the worst case scenario. Another tamer might steal away his hard purchased contract partner.