A Companion's Promise

"Now, please cut your hand with this knife and fill this with your blood," Ghulam asks, then he gives me an adorned dagger and a small bowl. "If you can't do it yourself it's not a problem, Sebastian will do it for you and immediately heal you."

Nah.

I cut my hand.

FUCK! IT HURTS!

My face cramps, but I manage to retain my dignity and hold back the tears of pain.

I fill the small bowl with my blood, then Sebastian chants something and touches my hand. A faint pleasing cold covers my wound as the pain stops, then he releases me, and it looks goods as new.

Is this a thing that all butlers must be called Sebastian?

The old man Sebastian gives the bowl to Alissa, then she immediately brings it to her lips and drinks my blood while Ghulam chants something.

"[

Contract of Servitude

]," he whispers and touches Alissa's head. "Now, point the location where you want the symbol of slavery to appear. It'll be a small circle with your name on it, but If you don't want to show your name I'll hide it."

"It's okay to show. Put it on her left wrist," I respond.

She's right-handed, so it shouldn't show too much.

Ghulam gently grabs her wrist and chants. "[

Mark of the Master

]," he casts, and a faint light shines from between his fingers.

He releases her and shows to me that a small black circle has appeared, and I read "Wolf Ryder" written in Andraste with small letters. Around the black circle, there are a few letters from an alphabet I don't recognize.

"Now, do you want any additional spell? For you, it's for free," Ghulam offers with a gentle smile.

"Only the speech limitation."

He touches Alissa's throat and starts chanting again. "[

Tongue of Obedience

]," he casts, then a small orb of light comes out of the tip of his finger and enters her throat.

He smiles graciously and turns to me. "There, now she won't be able to tell others about anything you consider a secret. Anything else?"

I smile back. "No, thank you."

He gently nods and says, "Then it's done. I really appreciate doing business with you, Mr. Ryder. Though the letter only allowed for a discount this one time, I'll gladly do business with you again." His charming smile now seems like the devil's.

"I'll certainly come back," I happily admit. I've crossed the point of no return, so there's no reason to say no anymore.

He makes a signal with his hand, and Sebastian comes forward. "Here's the gift we give to anyone who buys one of our women." -The butler hands me a ring- "It's a Ring of Fertility. Put some magic into it, and the man or woman that wears it won't be able to impregnate or get pregnant." Ghulam smiles kindly, his words cause a chill to run down my spine.

He stands up and nods respectfully, then Sebastian picks up the documents I signed and the gold, then they both leave me alone with Alissa.

"Master, may I change to my other clothes now?" Alissa respectfully asks and looks at me with a neutral expression. Her voice has the perfect pitch to my ears, not too high, not too low.

"Y-yes, please do," I respond awkwardly.

She immediately pulls up her one-piece, and she's not wearing anything below.

GAH! Too much stimulation.

Even though I want to see, I'm not in the right state of mind to stare at her.

She changes into the normal clothes Ghulam gave to her: a white and slightly loose shirt, black pants, and some cute looking black shoes. I could only stare at her feet, and god, even they are cute.

"I'm ready now," she says in a low tone.

"Then let's go."

-

We silently make our way towards the inn, and she walks slightly behind me, but still pretty close. She maintains a neutral expression, but at least she doesn't look sad.

I don't know what to say. Am I supposed to make a conversation? I guess not since I'm her master now, so I don't need to be her friend, but it'll be lonely if I'm not friendly. I guess there's no need to rush or force anything, we'll get used to each other with time.

We get to the inn, and I talk to the innkeeper.

"I'd like to change rooms. I need one for two people, now," I request.

"Single bed or double bed?" He asks, then he glances at Alissa and fails in containing his smile.

Please, stop. I'm already embarrassed enough.

"Double," I respond nervously.

He nods gently and hands me two keys. "Second room on the second floor. Remove all your things from the safe, then return the key to me, please."

"I don't have anything in it, so here's the key."

After that, I immediately go towards my new room.

It's almost mid-day, and I'm starting to feel hungry, but I want to talk to Alissa in private first.

We enter the room, and I just fall face-first onto the bed. My nerves are killing me.

What did I just do…? I'm a slave master, now…

I turn around and look at her. She's just standing there, looking at me with her calm and neutral expression. I guess she isn't going to do anything unless ordered.

I clear my throat and say, "We're going to be living here… and we'll be sharing the same bed. You can come, sit, or lay down if you want. I don't want you to tire yourself by standing all the time."

She nods respectfully and obediently responds, "Yes, thank you, Master." I notice that her tail is standing still.

I pat the bed. "Then come and sit beside me."

"Y-yes."

What was that?

She has been calm and collected so far, but that voice just now wasn't congruent with her expression. Is she a master of poker face?

She sits beside me in a lady-like way and starts observing the room.

I sit up and gently grab her hand, making her twitch in reaction, then she looks at me curiously.

I knew it, she's tense and scared, but she looks so cute I feel like teasing her. Oh god, my shyness already went away, and the sadist is coming out.

"Well then, what have you heard about me?" I politely ask as I enjoy the softness and warmth of her hand.

She obediently responds, "Seigneur Ghulam said that you're a powerful and upcoming adventurer. You've gained the favor of someone with influence after saving them and showing your valor. Now you're in need of a companion for fighting, and that's likely why you bought me. I'm sorry, but he didn't say more than this."

Nour, please, that's too much.

I release her hand and massage my neck awkwardly as I say, "There's… no need to be sorry." -I shake my head in tiredness- "Well, then. The first thing I want to talk about is that I have a lot of secrets. That's why I bought a Blood Slave: I need a companion that can keep a secret."

She turns her body to face me, and her orange eyes stare onto mine with her full attention. "Then there's no need to worry about it, Master. Please use the [

Tongue of Obedience

] as you wish, and your secrets will be safe even during torture."

"No, no, no, no" -I look away for a moment as I cringe slightly- "There's no need to go that far. My secrets are just things that will attract attention, and I don't want it, at least for now."

Those were dangerous words, Alissa. Nobody is going to get hurt because of me.

"I see… I think I understand." She looks away and puts a finger on her chin.

Cute.

"Master is powerful, and other people might want to try to use you or interfere with your business, so you want to hide this power. Is that right, Master?"

I smile at her cute expression and nod. "That's right, it's like that. Now, we aren't leaving the town for two days. Today, I want to buy your equipment, and tomorrow, I want you to train at the hunters' guild to get used to it. If I'm lazy, we'll rest for a third day, and then on the fourth, we'll work again."

"I'm alright with whatever you wish, Master." She smiles back.

Oh, god, that's even cuter, please stop.

"Also… there's something I'm dying to do… can I touch your ears and tail?" I childishly ask her with puppy eyes.

She stiffens, making her fox ears perk up, then smiles shyly. "Y-you don't have to ask… but please be gentle, they're sensitive." She blushes and lowers her head for me.

Her fox ears are on the top of her head, and she doesn't have human ones. It looks weird if you pull back the hair, so I guess that short hairstyles aren't really a thing with wereanimals.

I rub her ears and I get filled with bliss. They are made of a very soft cartilage, and along with its furry parts, they're very comfy to touch.

Her hair makes even me envious. It's so soft to the touch and glossy. It flows perfectly when she tilts her head just slightly.

After getting enough of her ears, I tell her to turn around so that I can play with her tail. I notice that it has vertebrae, so she can move and wag it the same way a dog can, and its fur is even fluffier than that of her ears.

I want to hug it! Animal ears, animal tail, kemonomimi! This is really a Japanese game.

"A-ah… Master. Gentler, please," she whispers.

"Sorry, does it hurt?"

"No, it's just sensitive, and it tickles a lot," she responds while squirming.

Thank god it isn't an erogenous zone… Wait… some people also do erotic things with places like the armpits or earlobes. Just because it isn't immediately erotic, doesn't mean it can't

become

erotic.

I stop playing with her tail and say, "I'll get you a very good brush. We need to keep this tail and your hair as beautiful as possible."

She nods respectfully and shows a small smile. "Thank you, Master. I'll take good care of them."

I hug her from behind and pat her head. She freezes, then gradually relaxes, melting in my arms.

"I'd also like to help care for it myself. It feels good to touch," I whisper in her ear.

I used to brush Lily's hair once in a while. I liked to help keep her pretty for me.

I keep patting her head and ears for some time, and it seems to help us a lot in calming our nerves. I also can't deny that it feels good to hug a girl like this.

Her perfume has a faint fruity scent that feels slightly nostalgic, and my heart tightens as I try to grasp onto this nostalgic feeling.

I have to buy her more perfume.

After a few long and comfy minutes, I stop the patting and release her, then she almost falls down on her own. She must've gotten sleepy.

"Nah?" She lets out a small sound in surprise.

Stop with the cuteness.

"Let's go out and eat lunch," I gently suggest, and she nods silently while blushing.

-

I find a nearby restaurant and ask for a table for two. I sit down, but she remains standing by my side.

"Please, sit," I motion. "We'll eat meals together from now on."

This must be standard slave behavior that I need to nip in the bud.

She blinks in surprise for a moment and asks, "Is it alright, Master? I'm a slave, so I don't need to be treated equally."

I purse my lips and respond sternly, "Well, I want a companion that I can trust, not just a slave to order around, so I'll treat you equally."

She stares at me for a moment, then nods and smiles gently. "Thank you, Master. You're very kind." As she sits, I see her tail sway a little.

Being called "Master" is making me feel uncomfortable, but it also tickles a part of me that I didn't acknowledge before. Is it alright to let it come out of the dark?

Bah, screw it. I already said before that I'd abandon things that were holding me back.

I don't want to deal with her choosing a simple meal because she's a slave, so I order the same for both of us, but when the meal comes she hesitates.

"You also don't have to wait for me to start eating," I promptly say.

And so we dig in.

-

After our meal, we go out and talk as we walk.

I start counting with my fingers as I enumerate what we need to do, "First, let's buy you a pillow, some proper blankets, spare change of clothes, a hairbrush, a toothbrush, and spare shoes. We'll go to a first-hand store because I don't want to see you use hand-me-downs."

She seems slightly concerned with the amount of stuff we have to buy and frowns as she questions, "Is it really alright to treat me like this, Master? I'm a slave, and I'm trained to have strong endurance, so treating me softly might… negate this training."

I can't resist and entwine my arm with hers because I'm starved for skinship, then I pat her hand as I answer earnestly, "Yes. I'm sorry if your training ends up wasted or dulled, but we'll lead similar lifestyles, so I don't need you to retain your 'endurance'… Think of it like this: giving you hardships makes you tire more easily, which means you're more likely to die in battle. If you die, I'll be wasting the money, the huge favor I used to buy you, my feelings will be hurt by losing you, and my time training you will be wasted. So, this is why we need to keep you happy and well-rested: You need to be always at your best performance so you don't die or disappoint me.

"I'll give you two rules: the first one is 'don't die' because I don't want you sacrificing yourself for me; the second one is 'let's never get into a situation where someone needs to die' so you won't even have to think about sacrificing yourself for me if we don't even get in a situation that needs it. Now, do you understand your value to me?"

She turns her face away and reflects on my words seriously.

We continue walking in silence for a minute, then she turns to face me again and nods energetically. "Thank you, Master. I understand," she finally responds with determination.

Did that make you emotional? Well, I don't think that my philosophy makes me a "good person" because I still

bought

you… and I'm going to abuse you tonight. Might be even earlier if you don't stop acting cute.

After getting the essentials, I decide to buy her a simple but cute white, frilly dress. I'd like to buy her more, but money is short, and I need to buy her equipment.

I thank the God of Luck because I find a cheap perfume that I can give to her. Later on, I'll definitely get her a more expensive one like mine.

Damn, I feel like I want to dress her up like a doll the same way I used to do with Lily.

This time, I grit my teeth and don't buy a high-quality sleeping bag, but we buy a larger one for both of us.

Then I get her Young Ogre leather armor. It's a red-brown color, it's tougher than Hobgoblin leather, and it's also very flexible, which is good for an archer.

We get her a cheap iron short sword as a personal defense weapon, then we buy a good composite bow because it's compact and deadly. On the matter of bows, we can't hold back because archery is her main way of killing.

Warbows or longbows are a bit difficult for her to use. Sure, the penetration is unparalleled, but she has problems fully drawing them. She isn't a standard army archer that fights at long distances and whose job is to cover an area with arrows. She's a hunter, which means she needs to draw fast and accurately, so penetration isn't

that

important.

I sell my old equipment, but it's pretty shitty, so we don't get much money in return. I buy an upgrade to my shield: a black heater iron shield. It's slightly bigger and of a higher quality iron than the previous one.

My previous shield has three dents and a nasty scratch from the fight with the Orc Headhunter, so we'd need to spend money to repair it, anyway. The damage makes the smith curious, so I tell him how that happened, and he gives me a small discount in sympathy.

Alissa's [

Item Box

] isn't big, so she only keeps her arrows there and some small personal items, like the toothbrush and hairbrush.

Now that we bought what we need, we go back to the inn, then I reserve a room for us to take a bath, together.

-

We enter the room, and I lock the door behind me. The reserved bath is rather small, and it only has a simple wooden bathtub for a maximum of three people.

"I'll wash you, Master," she volunteers, but I see that her tail is stiff.

She starts taking her clothes off, and I just stare at her. No man should ever look away when a woman undresses.

Her nakedness is instantly arousing. Her body is very athletic, and she's slightly more muscular than me. Her breasts are a bit small, but I don't know the size. Perhaps it's C? I just know they're perky and cute, and they'll fit nicely in my hand. Her bush is actually orange, and I see that it's well kept.

She comes to me and her steps become awkward once she notices my stare.

She grabs my shirt and pulls it up, then she unfastens both my belts and pulls down my pants. She hesitates for a moment, then leaves my sword on the ground and undoes my shoes.

"You don't really have to do it like this, I can undress myself," I say, slightly amused, but also feeling a bit awkward.

"I want to do it, Master," she diligently responds.

Oh, boy, don't say things like that. I'm already excited.

Then she pulls down my underwear. She's crouching, so it's right in front of her face in its full glory. She stares at it for a few seconds then gets up.

She leads me near the tub and grabs a bucket of water, then she makes me sit on a stool and starts to wash my body with the soap and sponge the receptionist gave us.

Her hands are delicate and she moves with certainty, eliciting a faint groan of pleasure from me as I close my eyes and enjoy it. She certainly knows how to wash.

She washes my face with such delicacy that it's almost like she's just gently patting it, but I can still feel it's effective at cleaning my body. This is heavenly.

Then she washes my front. There's no way around it, she has to come in front of me, and she touches my dick.

"E-excuse me, p-please tell me if it hurts," she stutters, her voice trembling from the nervousness.

She pulls back the skin and rubs the sponge on the head with even more delicacy than my face. It's so stimulating I have to control myself from pouncing on her. I imagine her tightening her grip and giving me a handjob, and my dick twitches in her hands.

Suddenly, it finishes, and now she's done washing me.

"Now it's my turn," I say with a husky tone.

She swallows heavily. "You don't need to concern yourself with me."

"But I'll enjoy it." I smile mischievously.

She immediately nods, and we switch places.

"Sorry if I'm not as delicate as you, I'm not trained in washing others," I wryly inform her.

"No need to apologize for it, Master. You're allowed to enjoy yourself," she replies earnestly.

Ohohoh! Then don't mind if I do!

Her skin is soft, and there's absolutely no hair on her arms and legs, so my hand just glides along her perfect skin. I can feel the hint of muscle in her athletic body as my fingers trace her abs. It's a mix of toughness and softness.

Seriously, what is going on in this world? Nearly every person I've seen can be considered beautiful. It's just… "weird."

Now, look at her. Her skin is so perfect it makes me worried. Where are her veins? Does she even have veins? It's like she's artificial, and it's unsettling me.

She tilts her head adorably and innocently asks, "Something wrong, Master?"

I wipe away the stupid thoughts, then I smile mischievously. "Nothing… it's just that your skin is too perfect."

"Don't exaggerate like this, Master…" Her voice seems a little sad, but her tail twitches.

"I'm not exaggerating, but whatever…." I shrug and continue washing her.

As I slowly caress her skin, I leave her tail and ears alone. I don't know how to wash them, I'm sorry, Alissa. But I take special care of her hands and feet. They're just so small and cute.

Then I start working on the best part that I left for last. Her breasts are soft and bouncy, a delight to my hands. Lily had small ones, so I don't know what bigger breasts are supposed to feel like. I guess this is like jelly? I can't describe them perfectly, but I sure can enjoy them. Flat is justice, anyway, so size doesn't matter.