“Since the danger is gone, come with me.” The foxkin prettyboy gestured with a large smile.
He seemed like someone I could trust, but that was exactly why I was suspicious of him. I didn’t know this guy at all. He could be anyone. There was a chance he didn’t even look like how he appeared. After all, our forms were made up of our souls. In general, this reflected your actual appearance, but I had experienced too much in this world not to think that there might be a person who had the right set of skills to be able to take any form they wanted in a soul dungeon .
“Where do you want to take us?” I asked.
“Hmm?” He seemed surprised I hesitated over his offer. “That’s right, you’re new here! This place is filled with perils, just look at that shadow monster I destroyed! They threaten everyone who shows up here. That’s why I and a few others have been rescuing who we can. There is a city not too far from here with walls that keeps the shadow creatures out.”
I pulled up the Map. It seemed to treat this area like a physical place and had started mapping out the region immediately around me. If there was a city, it was a bit too far away for my mana to reach. After thinking about it a moment, I gave a nod, taking Alysia’s hand. She blushed slightly as I started to guide her as I followed the foxkin. It might seem weird, but after being close to Alysia for so long, I rather preferred it that we remained in contact.
The foxkin man seemed to look at our hands touching, and he made a strange expression before turning away and saying nothing more about it. The pair of us glanced at each other but then continued to follow his steady stride. I didn’t see any more of these shadow creatures, but I did detect them on my map. They were remaining just out of sight as if they were afraid of us… or perhaps they were afraid of this guy.
“Excuse me, what is your name anyway?” I asked.
“People call me Master.” He laughed.
“Master… Hero?” Alysia blinked.
“You like it?” He asked, smiling at her. “I could be your Master if you wanted.”
Alysia froze in shock at his sudden offer. I moved slightly in front of her, shooting him a glare.
He threw his head back and laughed, and then shot me a grin. “Maybe, for now. However, don’t blame me if she decides she wants me instead.”
“That would never happen,” Alysia responded, although she was blushing.
I knew part of her embarrassment was because this guy was so attractive, and that annoyed me. Even though he made such a move, why couldn’t I shake the feeling like he was trustworthy? I knew Alysia had the same feeling, which made him even more dangerous.
“Okay, Hero…” I wasn’t going to call this guy Master. “Do you know what is happening?”
“Of course. Souls are being taken and dropped into this world. It is my job to protect those souls until the day I can free her.”
“Free her?” I blinked, surprised that he spoke so certainly.
“Yes…” He nodded. “Somewhere deep in this dungeon, there is a woman who is trapped by a terrible curse. She’s a foxkin beauty. Once I’m able to get together a group of sufficiently strong warriors, I plan to go on a quest to free her.”
“You really know about Miki?” I was shocked.
Most people should have just known Lady Death. To them, she would have been a specter of evil. For this man to both know Miki and want to save her, I didn’t know what to say.
“Of course, I know her.” He sighed. “She’s the love of my life.”
He made a fist. “Once I save her, I’ll make her my woman and %^$& the crap out of her!”