She blinked, and he was gone. No signs of movement, no trace or afterimage. Just gone.

"Don't move." Faust's voice sounded low and almost hoa.r.s.e directly behind her, so close his cigarette-scented breath stirred the crimson hair on her head. Li Mei immediately tried to turn, but it was as though his words created the strongest chains that bound her in place - she couldn't so much as twitch a muscle, much less try to escape.

The next moment Li Mei heard a metallic click as a black band clasped itself shut around her neck, its surface molding itself seamlessly against the contours of her flesh until there wasn't room for so much as a hair to slip in between her skin and the strangely smooth metal. Warmth bordering on a level just below discomfort flooded her entire body. Heat gathered at her fingertips, rus.h.i.+ng up her arms to congregate on the 44 tattoo.

Around the number 44 on her left arm was a circle of strange foreign lettering that neither Li Mei nor 44 herself could understand. As the heat built up and threatened to burn her flesh from the inside, Li Mei saw the lettering peel off her skin like it had only been ironed on in the first place. The letters rose into the air, hovering in a disorderly cloud.

Some of the lettering vanished into sparkles of white light, replaced by new letters of different shapes. They marched toward her neck, settling onto the metal band that suddenly felt scorching hot. By the time her body and the band both cooled off the lettering was no longer discernible to the naked eye.

-----

[Notice]

The terms of your [Enslavement Bind] have been altered.

-----

-----

[Enslavement Bind]

A magic spell binds you. You are compelled to follow direct orders from your Owner. You will accompany your Owner and a.s.sist with his tasks unless ordered otherwise.

Owner: Faust

Standing Orders: You will do everything in your power to survive. You are encouraged to speak freely and share your opinions and requests with your Owner.

Standing Restrictions: You may not reveal any secrets your Owner shares with you in confidence. You may not conspire to kill your Owner. You may not through inaction allow your Owner to die at the hands of his enemies. You may not attempt to end your own life. You may not inform anyone that you are a slave if they are previously unaware of the fact.

-----

Faust recited the orders and restrictions one by one, each word hammering a nail into Li Mei's coffin. Cold sweat dripped down her temples. When the man finished speaking, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

Encouraged to speak freely?

Li Mei let out a string of profanity so foul it might have burnt the ears of a lesser man. Faust chuckled and once more sat on Li Mei's favorite rock, leisurely stretching out his long legs. His cigarette burnt away to ashes, but the smell of acrid smoke lingered in the cool night air. "That's not very polite language for a young lady."

"You want me to speak my mind? I'll speak my mind! F*ck your mother!"

Faust paused for a moment in the middle of pulling out another cigarette, heavy eyebrows raised in surprise. "Where in the world did you learn to talk like that?"

"There's no charity etiquette cla.s.ses for orphaned slave kids you walking composite of ashes and cancer!" Li Mei breathed heavily, glaring at the handsome young man as he ever so slowly put the cigarette back in his pocket with an awkward expression on his face. "I'm a person, not a piece of property! Am I supposed to be touched and grateful that I've been so magnanimously allowed to have opinions?! Oh good, I can make requests of my master, what a glorious and kind man that he allows me to have wants and needs! Go soak your head you pompous-"

Li Mei went on an agitated tirade until her ribs ached too much to speak, doubling over in pain. Faust leaned forward, resting his palms on his knees. "You will suffer. You will be broken, heal, and broken again. You will hate me more than you already do, which I'm sure is difficult to imagine at this moment. But I will make you strong. I promise that. Now open your mouth."

Faust flicked his thumb, launching a small purple bead that landed squarely on Li Mei's tongue. It dissolved into a mist that flowed easily down her throat like a breath of fresh air. The pain in her ribs alleviated, some of the lingering yellow bruises on her flesh fading away to nothing.

"You can move now," Faust said as he strode leisurely toward the cave, hands in his pockets.

By the time Li Mei caught up, the enormous gash on Bao's side was slathered by a greenish foam that bubbled and hissed, the aroma of medical herbs making the air thick and heady. "I am a man of many talents," Faust said, his tone and expression proclaiming the statement to be humble and trivialized. "But medicine has always been my specialty."

Li Mei ignored him, taking her place at Bao's side when she saw the fera's gold eyes flutter open. He chirped weakly and laid his head on her lap, flicking his ears back and forth.

"The fera is yours, we'll bring him with us. Your murder of the slaves will be our little secret, judging by the intel I've gathered they had it coming. I'll even let you keep that storage artifact you stole - that's how you moved the plinths, I a.s.sume."

Li Mei glanced up, but Faust had his back to her so he missed the odd expression on her face. 'Storage artifact... Judging by the name, they have something like my Interface's storage in this world? That's awful convenient.'

"Adalrich Agilo, my false ident.i.ty, is a leading researcher working under an organization called Oriole. It is divided into several sectors developing many different kinds of technologies. The estate you've lived on for the past ten years of your life is a cover for Sector 9, in charge of researching and producing serums intended to... Well. Super soldiers is the simplest explanation I can give. You're clever enough, but your education is lacking in too many areas for me to divulge any details within your scope of understanding. We'll fix that soon enough.

"There's a lot of compet.i.tion for resources and prestige between the sectors. Within the next few months the estate will be attacked by a coalition of sectors who envy our recent progress. It won't be pretty, but it's a good opportunity for me to make Adalrich Agilo disappear. I've learned all I can from Oriole, it's time to escape before they realize what I've been up to."

Li Mei narrowed her eyes, countless questions swirling in her mind. In the end she sorted through them all and chose the most pertinent query to voice: "Why me?"

"You're young. Intelligent. Resourceful. Cunning. Ruthless. And most importantly unable to betray me. I've been looking for a disciple for awhile, and you have enough potential to pique my interest. You're barely halfway to Rank 1 and you took down a Rank 2 verasus with that little fera."

"His name is Bao," Li Mei snapped, petting the fera's face with a gentle touch that didn't match the venom dripping from her voice. A chill settled in the pit of her belly - he knew about the verasus, he knew where they were. Had he been watching them all along? The thought of being under surveillance by strangers made her skin crawl. People watching, waiting, judging, and she had no idea! Being on the losing end of an information war was unpleasant.

"Bao, then. Both of you have talent, I want to see how it plays out. And potentially make use of you. The stronger you are, the more helpful it will be." Faust stuck an unlit cigarette between his lips, turning just enough to glance at Li Mei over his shoulder. "I'm skilled with medicine, magic both offensive and defensive, seven different fighting styles, ancient history, geography, zoology both natural and magical, item identification, arrays, enchanting, and alchemy. I speak more than a dozen languages fluently enough to pa.s.s as a native. I'm willing to teach if you're willing to learn. What interests you?"

Scan revealed he wasn't just bragging. His Rank 7 rating alone made him a valuable teacher, even if he was a sc.u.mbag who owned slaves. If he was going to teach her, she was going to wring him like a wet sponge for every drop of useful information she could obtain!

Li Mei's eyes sparkled with greed and antic.i.p.ation. "What interests me? Everything!"