Reborn 1-5

by D. W. Jackson

  First, Ash found the bags of coins and counted them to make sure they were accurate then placed them in his inventory. Seeing the coins added didn’t seem as fun as when he was at the merchant guild, but it was still nice to see the numbers go up. Now Ash had a total of 230 platinum, 2642 gold, 18631 silver, 1654 copper, and 1102 iron pennies in his inventory. Other than that he also had 163 platinum, 89 gold, 41 silver, 64 copper, and 11 iron pennies in the royal bank. Add the 49 platinum and 50 gold that was still waiting to be transferred, Ash now had more coin then he could think of how to spend.

  With the gold stored safely in his inventory, Ash started to check some of the other items in the vault. Most of it was paintings and small carvings that Ash was sure cost quite a bit, but he had no interest in them. Among the items there were two pieces of armor and three weapons.

  [Dragon Skin Gauntlets: durability 25/25, defense +10, magical defense +5, strength +1, endurance +2]

  [Elven Gloves: durability 15/15, defense +5, agility +2, stamina +2.]

  [Shadow dagger: durability 20/20, attack 10-13, agility +3.]

  [Dragon Heart String: bowstring made out of a dragon’s heart. +5 magical attack damage added to arrows.]

  [Wrath Spear: durability 30/30, attack 26-34, strength +4, stamina +6, endurance +3, spirit +2.]

  Other than the dragon skin gloves, there was nothing Ash could use, but he was sure that Yuki and Shina would enjoy the other three as gifts. The real question was what to do with the spear. Ash figured it would come in handy in the future, so he put it in his inventory along with the others.

  5-4

  Ash locked back up the vault and walked up the stairs and started to explore the mansion. The mansion was set up much like Emelia’s and Ash was starting to think that it was the standard layout for a house in this world. There was a study in the right section of the bottom floor. The kitchen was located behind the dining room while a meeting room was located in the left section of the building. At the very back of the bottom floor was the servant’s quarters. The second floor was the rooms for guests and family. To the right were the ones Ash guessed were for family and was where his room was. Emelia had fifteen rooms on the second floor and ten on the third floor while he only had twelve on the second floor. It was still far more than he needed.

  When he moved to check the servant’s quarters, he was greeted by the maids who lowered their heads and bowed, then he was tackled from behind. “Master, welcome home,” Yuki said, nearly knocking him to the ground.

  “Master, you should have let us know that you have returned,” Shina said in a disapproving tone. “Also, Lord Zelan arrived while you were out so we showed him to a room that he could use during his stay…I hope that is ok with master.”

  “That is fine,” Ash said, having almost forgot about Zelan himself. “Where are your rooms?” Ash asked as he looked down the narrow hall of the servant’s quarters, only seeing four narrow doors.

  “Our room is the last one, we share it with one of the other maids.

  Ash walked down and noticed that there were only two beds and barely any room to move around. “There are thirteen people trying to live in these four small rooms?” Ash asked astounded.

  “It is not so bad master,” Shina replied quickly. “We only need to use them to sleep in.”

  “I want you to gather all the slaves in the meeting room,” Ash said as he turned and left.

  The meeting room had a long table just like the one at Emelia’s, but it was arranged differently showing the way its owner thought. The large chair at the end had no chairs placed near it, so as to claim that no one was good enough to sit at his side. Ash didn’t like it, but with the way the table was made, there was little he could do about it.

  Soon all the slaves, as well as Allice’s brother were brought to the room. “I wish to talk to everyone today about your future,” Ash said and everyone’s face darkened except for Yuki and Shina, who were still beaming. “First, who was in charge of the manner’s daily expenses before?”

  “That would be me master,” an older woman in her late thirties said, bowing while holding a worried expression.

  “What is your name?”

  “Gilda master.”

  “Gilda, how much are the monthly costs of the manor?” Ash asked as he took out a piece of parchment.

  Gilda lifted up her head and looked at the celling then lowered her head to look at Ash. “The previous master spent about two gold a month on food and other household expenses.”

  “How much was set aside for your personal expenses?” Ash asked after making a mark on the paper.

  “For us…None master. We ate the leftover food, and we used the master’s discarded clothing and cloth to make our own clothes,” Gilda said slightly with a slightly puzzled face.

  “I see…Is there anything else you think I should know about the operations of the manor?”

  “Nothing I can think of master. Unless you plan to host parties, the expenses are typically not much.”

  “Gilda, since you seem trustworthy, I will put you in charge of the other slaves. That is except for my personal slaves,” Ash said as he pulled out small coin pouches and filled them with coins from his inventory. Ash put in 1 platinum coin, and 100 gold in the first pouch while putting 100 silver, and 100 copper in the second pouch.

  “I want you to use this for daily expenses,” Ash said handing over the bags to Gilda.

  “Master, are you sure? Before Master Tellamor made us write a bill of purchase for anything and he would pay it himself,” Gilda said as she took the bags. When she opened one, her face turned white. “Master isn’t this too much?”

  “You will learn I am nothing like your previous master,” Ash said in a cold tone, making Gilda involuntarily taking a step back. “First, I want the servant’s quarters to be changed. There are six rooms on the second floor’s left side that are empty that you can use. Yuki, Shina, and Allice as my personal attendants can use any of the four remaining rooms on the right side. From now on, I also want each person each month to receive ten silver to use however they please. You may be slaves, but I still believed that you should be paid according to your work.”

  Gilda slumped down to the floor hearing Ash’s words and started to weep. Ash thought he might have done something wrong, but then Gilda raised her tear streaked face and looked up at him with a warm smile.

  “Now, I will move to the study and I want each slave to enter one at a time so that we can find the best use of his or her talents. Gilda and Shina, I wish for you to stay with me while we go talk with the slaves so that they will be more at ease.” “Allice,” Ash said remembering the young girl.

  “Y-yes master,” Allice said with a slightly agitated face.

  “I want both you and your brother to come to the study as well, along with the other slaves so that we can find a place for each of you.”

  “Yes master.”

  Ash moved from the meeting room into the smaller study with Shina and Gilda. Yuki complained, but Ash told her that she already had a duty and the room was too small for too many people. Yuki wasn’t happy with his answer, but she followed his orders without pouting.

  The first to enter the room was Allice and her brother Aaron. Ash had them sit in small chairs on the other side of his small desk while Shina stood on his right and Gilda on his left. “I need to hear what you and your brother can do?” Ash asked with a stern face.

  “Master, I know how to clean...And I worked as a server at a bakery for almost half a year,” Allice said in a worried tone.

  “Then as I decided before, you will be my personal attendant. Unlike the others, you will receive five silver a week for spending. I expect you to use this money however you please, but I also expect you to keep yourself clothed in something other than rags,” Ash said, having already decided what he would do with her. If he could, he would give her the money to free herself, but nothing she could do would reduce her time as a slave so the best he could do was make it sligh
tly better. “Now Aaron, what do you know how to do?” Ash asked the young boy.

  “Master, I am sorry my brother can’t talk,” Allice said with a worried expression. “He and mother got sick two years ago. Mother died, but Aaron lost his voice. The people at the church said that since the damage was not fixed quick enough, it was impossible to cure it now.”

  “I see…Then I will offer him a job that he can do even without a voice,” Ash said thinking hard. “Gilda is there any way to have him taught by the maids here?” Ash asked the lady at his side.

  “Yes master. We are already teaching little Milly,” She said warmly.

  “Aaron your fist task is to learn. Other than that, help out where you can. I will pay you ten silver a month like the slaves, but I do expect you to work to earn it.”

  Aaron looked at him with the same sharp glare he had given him since they had met, but he nodded his head in agreement. “Now then, you are dismissed.”

  The next two to enter the room were the male slaves. First was George, and the other was Yaren. Both men were purchased to be guards of the manor and were level 16 and level 19 warriors. Ash had them continue the same work, but told them their main job was to not only protect them and the manor, but the other slaves as well. Both of the men were slightly surprised by his order, but bowed nonetheless.

  The next two to enter were the two young ladies who had worked at the store within the city. Their skills were merchant related so Ash made them Gilda’s aids. Next were the four maids Gina, Jennifer, Ashely, Yvonne and the head cook Kristi who kept the same jobs. The last person to enter the room was the young girl of the panther tribe, Milly. Her dark black pointed ears and long slick tail hung down like Yuki’s did when she was in trouble.

  “Milly, what are your skills?” Ash asked in the nicest voice he could muster.

  “Ummm…I can carry stuff for master,” Milly said in a cute voice.

  Seeing the cute actions of the little girl, Ash couldn’t help but smile, but Shina was hit even harder as she jumped forward and hugged the little girl. “Master can I keep her?” Shina asked as the small panther girl tried to escape from her grasp.

  “First let her go,” Ash said, trying not to laugh.

  “Mou…” Shina pouted but let the struggling Milly go.

  “Milly, right now Gilda said you were learning. What are you learning?” Ash asked.

  “Umm…I know my alphabet…And can count to ten,” Milly said with confidence, making Shina shift around as she fought not to hug her again.

  “Then when you are not learning, I want you to help Shina,” Ash said and the little girl looked at the older fox woman and pinched her lips. “You see, Shina never listens and is always playing around, so I need someone to watch over her. So for now on, you will be her boss,” Ash said hiding his smile.

  “Master…Mou,” Shina said switching between smiling at Milly and pouting toward him.

  “Shina, for now on you are Milly’s helper,” Ash declared with an evil grin.

  “Milly, would you please take Shina and show her what she is supposed to do?” Ash asked with as serious an expression as he could muster.

  Milly looked at him then Shina and stuck out her chest, “Follow me,” Milly said with a cutely serious face. Shina pouted, but still followed behind the little girl with her red tail swinging lightly from side to side.

  After settling everything with the slaves, Ash went over the new rules with Gilda. It took a while for Ash to get her to understand that for now on, unless there were guests, the slaves were to eat dinner with him. By the time he finished, it was already dark so Ash went to find Yuki who was currently on the second floor with Shina and Milly while they played on the large bed in the center of the room.

  “Master!” Yuki yelled when she noticed him watching them from the doorway.

  “Yuki, Shina I am glad both of you are here. I have a gift for you,” Ash said pulling out the piece of armor and the three weapons he had gotten in the vault earlier. Yuki, for you I have a pair of gloves and a new bowstring. For Shina a new dagger,” Ash said, handing over the new equipment.

  “Who is the spear for master?” Yuki asked, looking at the spear with sparkling eyes.

  “I don’t know what to do with it yet. Do you want it Yuki? I thought that you used the sword and bow?”

  “Umm…I thought Tina might like it. She really likes the spear.”

  “You are about to take the test for class advancement soon right?” Ash asked as he picked up the spear. Ash had wanted to save it in case he got another slave that could use it as a weapon since its stats were even better than his sword, but looking at Yuki he found it hard to tell her no.

  “Yes in a few more weeks we will be having our second advancement test,” Yuki said her eyes still stuck to the spear.

  “Then if Tina and you both pass, you can give it to her as a congratulation gift,” Ash said, putting the spear away. “For now, I will keep it put up. Remember though, both you and she have to pass.”

  “We will master, I promise,” Yuki said clenching her fist.

  “Sister can fight?” Milly asked as she watched Yuki put the new bowstring on her elven bow.

  “Fufufu…not only can Yuki fight, but this older sister can as well,” Shina said, holding her dagger proudly.

  “Older sister,” Milly said pointing at Yuki, then she pointed at Shina. “Younger sister.”

  “Mou…Why am I the younger sister?” Shina asked with her ears dropping.

  “Master said I am the boss so you have to be younger,” Milly declared while putting her fists on her hips.

  “Master,” Shina said in a pleading voice.

  “You heard the boss, looks like you are now the younger sister,” Ash said covering his mouth with his hand to hide the large smile that spread across his face.

  5-5

  The next day Ash’s routine returned to normal or as close to it as it could considering his new home. He was woken by Allice early in the morning and then ate breakfast with everyone. The first meal was awkward as all the maids kept fidgeting with their food unsure whether they should eat or not.

  After eating, Ash moved outside to work on his katas while being followed by Shina and Allice. When he finished, he sat to take a break and Shina tried to bring him something to drink, but Allice took the small jug away from her. “I am his attendant,” She said sternly as she handed over the jug along with a dry towel so Ash could wipe his sweat.

  When Ash started to leave the manor, Allice tried to follow him. He stopped her, telling her that he was headed to the labyrinth.

  “Then I will go with master and wait outside for him to finish.”

  Ash tried to explain that he didn’t know how long he would be fighting, but Allice refused to budge on her decision and eventually it was Ash who gave in. When they parted at the entrance of the labyrinth, Ash gave Allice two copper coins so she could get something to eat when she got hungry. She tried to refuse, but Ash pushed them into her hand then touched the plaque and warped into the labyrinth.

  Ash went straight to the fourteenth floor. Now that he knew how to kill the clematis flowers, they weren’t much of a threat. Even so, he wanted to get as many abilities as he could from them. Sadly unlike the other levels, there was not as many flower monsters. They seemed to be spread out, but they were to kill as long as Ash used his fireball ability.

  Even though it only took him a minute to kill the flowers due to their low number, it still took him half the day to find and kill enough before he heard the welcomed “Tring.” Letting him know that he had absorbed enough of them to gain an ability.

  [You have reached 100% absorption level for the deadly clematis. Abilities available; poison vine whip (active).]

  “Tring.”

  [You have been randomly awarded poison vine whip.]

  [Poison Vine Whip: cost 40MP. Call a vine dripping with paralyzing poison to strike your opponent. Level 1-0%.]

  With only half the day gone, Ash decid
ed to move further into the labyrinth. Due to his skills and how far apart the flower monsters were spaced, Ash was easily able to reach the boss room without having to fight again. Thinking again how mismatched some of the floors were, Ash walked through the large door leading to the boss.

  As the darkness cleared, Ash found himself looking at a larger version of the flower he had killed earlier. The only real difference he saw was that the flower in front of him also had a sharp row of teeth at its center.

  Ash was confident in his skills and stats, but he still approached the monster carefully. As soon as Ash took his first step forward, the flower let out a roar and a number of vines appeared out of the ground lashing out against him. Not only were the vines thicker than before, they were dripping with the same black liquid as before.

  The vines were also slightly faster than the ones of the smaller flowers, but it was still far from his speed. The only thing that made it hard was the number of vines that were attacking him. Sometimes the vines would disappeared and burst from the ground, but as long as Ash paid attention he was able to dodge them.

  At first Ash killed the vines, but the second one died another appeared to take its place. That only left Ash to fight the main flower to do any real damage to the creature. The problem was getting close. The flower itself couldn’t move, but as soon as he grew close, all ten vines would appear in front of him forming a wall.

  Ash tried to attack with abilities from afar as well, but whenever he launched a fireball, one of the vines would intercept it. In the end, Ash was forced back each time without the main body of the monster receiving any damage. After being forced back for the fifth time, Ash took his time as he watched how the flower and the vines acted.

  It was then that Ash noticed that the flower had ten petals and each time one of the vines moved, one of the petals on the flower would shift slightly. At first it merely looked as if the wind was blowing them, but since the air in the room was as still as night, Ash knew that couldn’t be the case. Finding this knowledge didn’t help him much, but it did give him a slight warning before any vine could attack him.