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Surprisingly, Ruby took up learning about sex pretty quick
"Oh, so it's like that" She gaped "So you mean, my dad put his-"
"Yep"
"In my mom's-"
"Yep"
"Then she got pr-"
"Yep"
"And-"
"Yep"
Ruby's a smart girl, it took only several minutes for me to teach her about it
Tai would definitely thank me for giving Ruby the Talk instead of him. makes the whole thing a lot less awkward between father and daughter am I right?
"You know" She smiled at me "Back then, Dad used to tell me a story about how a stork delivered little me to him and Mom in answer to their prayer of having a baby. I felt so stupid now"
"Haha. He did that for your own good" I shook my head "You're still too little to learn things like that back then"
"But I drink milk back then!"
It seems even when she learned of the mature stuff, Ruby still retains that pure and innocent Aura around her. How precious...
In a moment of wistfulness I looked to the side, before seeing something odd in the distance. The moment I see what it is, I froze
My feet halted completely and my eyes widened
"(Y/n), what's wrong?" She must have sensed the change in my attitude and looked at me worried, before gazing in my direction. Ruby started frowning as she caught sight of what I'm looking at
"Ruby" I stated, as calmly as I could "Is Faunus slavery common in this area?"
She seems uncomfortable
"It is, but it's also common everywhere" She answered "Personally, I'm against it, but there's nothing I could do about it without getting my family involved"
The reason I asked her that question lay in front of my eyes
One young cat girl, wearing nothing but a piece of rag on her body and a collar being put on her neck. Walking in front of her is a burly man, who's holding a chain which connected to her collar
The man is currently whipping her in the middle of the market, yelling curses at her for daring to go against her master
She has two black cat ears atop of her head, and a pair of amber eyes can be seen through the blood on her face
Though the young girl's face is covered in dust and sweat, I could still recognize her as no one other than Blake Belladonna herself
A million thoughts raced in my head at that moment
Why is Blake here? Why is she a slave? Is Kali and Ghira dead? What about Menagerie? Does it still exist here or someone took ownership of it? Where are the other Faunus? Did they get turned into slaves like her too?
So far, my knowledge of this world still remains a mystery. I can't decipher what's right and wrong anymore. It's like a messy combination between Feudal Japan, The word of Remnant and who knows what other culture is thrown into the mix. For all I know, some of the existing characters in canon might not even be alive here anymore
That means, if I can get to Blake...I'll be able to learn more about this world and just what the hell had happened to it
My chaotic thoughts were interrupted as Ruby grabbed me tightly by the arm, pulling me slightly in another direction
"Let's go" She silently plead "I don't want to watch this anymore"
“Ruby, you go home first”
"But-"
"Go home" I repeat "I have some business to take care of"
As I said this, my eyes never leaving Blake even for a single moment
Reluctantly, Ruby let go of my hand and walked back, though not after she'd sent me a worried look
Now alone, I started walking toward the man. I secretly grabbed a tengu mask on a nearby stall to conceal my face just in case someone decided to memorize my face. For convenience's sake I also took a stack of paper on the same stall as well
I'll return the mask to the shopkeeper when I'm done with this. As for the papers...that will depends
"Hello there" I cheerfully announced as I walked up to them "May I ask what you're doing here?"
The man looked up at me with his bloodshot eyes while Blake stays silent, still kneeling on the ground with blood seeping from her wounds
"Just an inobedient animal who refused to follow it's rightful owner" He snarled "Unless you'd want to pay for her, I'd tell you to fuck off and leave"
Ho, how aggressive
"And what if I want to buy her?" I asked, adjusting my mask "How much?"
"15,000 Lien"
"A bit expensive, don't you think?" I feigned annoyance "I'm an expert at this, and I tell you she only worth 10,000 at best"
"Bullshit. My slaves are of the highest quality" He boasted arrogantly "Take a second look at her. I'm sure you'll change your mind"
Good, he took the bait
I wiped the Faunus's blood off her face, revealing...
Yep, it's Blake alright.
Now there's no need to hesitate anymore
"It seems I was mistaken" I smiled pleasantly "What a beautiful face! She's definitely worth the money you've placed"
"See, What did I tell you?"
"Indeed. Here is your money" In a flash, I pulled out the previous stack of paper and threw it into the air "Try and catch them if you can. It's real windy today!"
"Wait-" The man's hold on the chain were let off as he tried to salvage the "money" fluttering in the air
In that one single moment, I snatched the key from his waist, inserted it onto the lock holding Blake in place, and twisted it
The steel collar snapped open smoothly, allowing me to scoop her into my arms and dashed to the opposite direction, completely throwing the man off-guard as he tried to grab for us
As for Blake herself. Her eyes widened in surprise as being suddenly moved like that. She clung to my clothe as tight as she could in a momentary reflex
"Thieves, catch them!" the slave-trader pointed at us in fury, and I could see several guards already moving toward us in the distance
"Well, this is troublesome" I muttered, leaping onto a nearby rooftop with the cat girl still in my arm
Now, to get somewhere quiet and figured just how much this universe had changed
<><><><><><><><><><><><>
"This place here should be safe" I said, lowering Blake onto the ground
We're currently near the wheat field at the edge of the village. The terrain here made a good cover for us, given the amount of bamboo trees there are surrounding it. It would take more than just a little focus for an outsider to notice this spot
I accidentally found out about this place after trying to find somewhere to piss during practice. It had come in handy for me so far as a secret spot
Sometime the weirdest of spots can be find in the weirdest of moments
"...Who are you?" She asked warily, after finally setting for a place to stand
"Who am I does not matter" I think about it for a second "Though you can call me Tengu if you want, that's the name of my mask anyway"
"Tengu-sama, may I ask for what purpose did you want to free me from that man?"
"Another irrelevant question. All you need to know is that you're free right now, or are you getting suspicious of me?" I raised an eyebrow
"No, that's not it" She protested "But, saving me without any reason is hardly believable. You must have something you want from me, else you wouldn't get through all the trouble of getting me here"
That's pretty sharp for a young girl. I can tell she's going to be troublesome in the future real soon
I slowly nodded "Indeed, there is one thing I want to make sure"
"What exactly happens to Menagerie?" At this Blake blinked, several emotions flickered across her eyes in that one moment
"Menagerie is no more. The Kingdom of Mistral razed it to the ground in the last war"
Wow
As I expected, there's some major difference between this world and canon. For once the island is completely absent, I guess that's the reason why Faunus slaves are a common thing here
Which makes perfect sense, honestly
When you've pillaged a village's resources and raped their woman after killing their men, what else is left for you to do? It's easy, you take the children in and trained them as their vessels, then either let them serve you or sell them to a slave-trader
History have shown time and time again just how ruthless and cruel human could if given the chance. Without consequences of their action, they could, and would commit the most heinous of things without hesitation
It's horrible and inhumane, but such is the sad reality of the world
"What about your friends and family?" Her eyes darkened
"They are dead"
Oh. My apologies. Anything else?
"My parents were executed for being the leader of our island" She gritted her teeth "Ilia got a shot in the chest by the Mistralian invaders while she's trying to buy time for us, while Adam died protecting me from them"
"And yet you still get caught" I pointed out, which makes her lowered her head in shame and self-disgust
"If only you have been stronger at that time, they wouldn't have to die such pointless deaths" I remarked helpfully "Such a shame that you're so weak"
Sacrificing themselves to save her, Blake should be happy she got friends like that.
She should have treasured them
She should have protected them
She should have trained herself to fight for them
And yet she didn't, she ran like a crybaby, expecting others to help her. How disappointing
"Answer me, Belladonna" the girl looked up as I called out her full name "Do you want to have revenge?"
I smiled "To strike back at those who hurts you, paying them back for the sins they've done. Do you want them to suffer just like your people did?"
"Of course I do, but I'm too weak to do anything"
"If you're weak, then become strong" I stated matter-of-factly "You have nothing to lose anyway"
"I-" Blake hesitated "You're right"
At this moment it struck the young girl just how stupid she'd been. Instead of putting up a fight, she gave up to fate and sank herself in sadness and despair. Her family will be ashamed to see her in such a state
"I won't let their sacrifices be in vain" She said, her voice much firmer this time "I will avenge them, and lay their spirit to rest"
Adam, Ilia and her parents would have wanted her to do that, not for them, but for her. That she is sure of
"Thank you, Tengu-sama for helping me" She bowed to him, her head touching the ground "I owe my life to you"
My eyes widened at this
"Wait, uh..."
"It's Blake" She provided
I knew that already, I'm just too shocked to properly say anything. At least she won't question me when I'm using her name now
"Okay, Blake. You don't owe me anything" I said, waving my hands around "What I want from you, I already have. It's fine to leave"
"So...the reason you want me is for information about Menagerie's current status" She asked puzzled
"Yes, what the hell do you think I want from you?"
Blake averted her eyes
I sighed
"Well. Now that I have no use for you, you're free to go"
"Thank you, Tengu-sama" There was a pause as she looked straight at me, her eyes serious "I will repay this debt someday"
"As I said, It's mutual benefits for both of us" I said and turned around "I suggest you hurry up before night falls. Take the path to the mountain to your left, it'll be safer for you"
There was barely a sound behind me. When I turned around, Blake Belladonna was already gone
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