The bread was, indeed, very good. But the stew was just as good. I had no idea what meat was used but it was the same color as pork. I decided not to think to hard on it as I may not want to know what kind of animal or monster I was munching on. This world did seem to have carrots and potatoes though. That or vegetables that both look and taste exactly like them.

  I ate the food quick. I was so used to hunger pains that I hadn't even noticed that I was so hungry. It was as I was placing the tray out into the hall that I found Fenny. He was about half my height and skinny as a rake. That didn't seem to affect his strength at all, however. He carried the large tub of steaming water like it weighed nothing at all. Like his mother he had scales but his were more of a sea blue and his eyes were red much like my own. I suppose that explained why no one had made a fuss about my eyes yet. Though my eyes were not slitted and seemed to be a darker red.

  "Let me just put this down in yer room miss." The boy said softly. He wore a kind of serious look that made me want to smile. Like he was trying to be more grown up than he was. "Ma says I'm to come get it in the morning. So, you have a good night Miss." He said, gently placing the basin on the floor near the door just inside the room.

  "You as well Fenny."

  He gave me a small smile then excused him self. I was closing my door when I heard a woman shout up the stairs for him to hurry it up. My good hearing also picked up the boys irritated mumbling. I laughed as I shut the door, locked it, and stripped out of my meager grey cloths, the cloak already hanging on the coat rack. I took a few minutes to enjoy just getting clean with the hot water and one of the towels Fenny had carefully laid on the table.

  Once I was done, I decided to give my cloths a little was as well and used the water to scrub the dirt and slime scum off them as best as it could. Wringing the water out took longer than the washing had. I mostly just hoped that they would be dry enough when I got up that I could where them. Normally I wouldn't be too keen to sleep naked in hotel sheets, but my keen demon nose told me that these were clean. Besides, I was too tired to care.

  I hung the grey cloths, as well as the wet towel, on the coat rack to dry and fell back, naked, on the bed. I was tempted to just go to sleep but figured I should at least glance at my grimoire before I went to La La Land. So, begrudgingly, I got back up, flicked my long hair out of my face and made sure I didn't step on my own tail as I went to the table and used a match to light the candle there. I reached into my bag, snatched up the little book, and settled back into the bed on my stomach with the leather-bound book on the pillow.

  For the first time I took a good look at the cover. On it was etched a stylized dragon and the words: Taming Magic. I smiled and my tail flicked out behind me. That sounded promising. I honestly had no clue, other than the methods that would be used to tame the monsters themselves, what kind of magic Tamers would even use. With any luck id be at least getting a little peek at that now.

  I undid the leather tie holding the cover shot and carefully opened to the first page. I was surprised to see that it seemed to just jump right into it. There was no cover page nor a table of contents. In bold italics at the top of the page was the header: To be a tamer.

  To be a Tamer:

  The first thing one needs to know about being a tamer is that it is a labor of love. If you go into this line of work think of simply forcing some strong monsters into being your partners, then taking the world by storm than you should probably investigate finding another line of work.

  While a person can, technically, subjugate a mid ranged Monster or lower into serving them the over all effectiveness of this one-sided partnership is minimal at best. Al through out history, the strongest tamers have always been those who take to the profession with an open heart and a eager willingness to grow and learn alongside their monster partners. Also, even if the tamer has the mana capacity to tame the higher A rank to SS ranked monsters, it would be impossible to force those monsters into a taming pact.

  A true tamer usually takes one of two routes to gaining power. The first is to start out by taming several E or even D ranked monsters. The lower the rank and the higher the mana capacity of the tamer, the more monsters that can be tamed at one time. Once the tamers has a handful of these lower ranked monsters they then use them to wear out and them make a contract with a higher ranked monster. Depending on the tamer's mana levels, usually the lower ranked monsters would then be released from their contracts.

  This cycle continues till the tamer reaches a rank of monster they just don't have the mana to control. The average cap for a tamer is either one or two B ranked monsters, or an A ranked one. However, in extremely rare cases there have been tamers who are able to tame the coveted S ranked monsters. To achieve this is to put yourself in league with some of the greatest tamers of all time such as the great Elien, an elf tamer who worked with her partner Sorphina, the legendary S ranked, named monster: a winged unicorn said to be able to captivate all who laid eyes on her.

  I mulled that over for a moment. I didn't much like the idea that, in order to tame more monsters and higher-level monsters, I would have to abandon those I had already bonded with. Also, I didn't want to tame things like slimes... I had a feeling that anything under a C rank wouldn't really be what I was looking for. I wanted a partner not a pet and slimes would only be go as pets...

  I didn't think it would be too much trouble for me to have at least a few higher ranked monsters. Kradiff said I would have a very high mana store within me both as a demon and as a soul transferred over from Earth. Hell, he put it in my head that I may one day, even tame a dragon! I'd imagine that massive flying, fire breathing, lizards would be at least S ranked if not SS ranked...

  What I really needed was to figure out the difference between the monster ranking system. So far, the only frame of reference I had were the slimes I had fought earlier in the day and they were way week. In fact, monsters aside, I didn't even know where my own powers or limits stood in this world. I had no doubt hat if I was back on Earth, I would probably be the single strongest and most terrifying being on the planet. A bit of a scary thought really. I truly would be a demon there. But I had a strong feeling that I wasn't near the strongest here. Not in a world of monsters and magic.

  I glanced back at the book and started swishing my tail about slowly. I had it wrapped around me all day and now it felt rather cramped. It was odd having a limb I never had before, and it was kind of hare to control it. The thing seemed to work better when I used it sub consciously rather that focus on it. My eye caught on a phrase in the grimoire 'the legendary S ranked, named monster'.

  Was 'legendary' another class or was this Sorphina just very famous. Also, what was a named monster? Wouldn't all tamed monsters have names? Other wise how would you be able to differentiate them. If you had six monsters, would you just call them by their race? What if you had multiple of the same monster? You couldn't just call them all Slime, right?

  Shaking my head I decided to continue reading. Maybe my questions would be answered the farther along in the book I went. All I could do was read ahead and find out.

  The second way tamers tend to grow is to hop right into taming higher ranked monsters. By this we don't mean A ranked or anything. But perhaps they would get a respectable C or D ranked monster. This would not be easy and not recommended for those unused to dealing with monsters. The ones who tend to take this method are those who switched from specializing as a mage or some such. Those that can handle such a strong monster with out the aid of a smaller monster. No novice should ever attempt to tackle this way of taming alone. More than one over ambitious new tamer has died in the attempt.

  However, if this is the way you intend to take you should first go to a guild and have your mana evaluated first. It would be negligent to assume you have enough mana to tame such monsters. If one attempts to tame a monster above their mana limits it would kill them on the spot, draining every ounce of mana on the spot. Taming is an art where one needs to know themselves as well as the beast they hope to ben to their will.

  This grimoire will be an indispensable tool for a would-be tamer. With it and a true love of your craft you will no doubt rise to a class of tamer that will have you recognized world round. This text will take you through the basic first, things that any taming instructor would know and impart on their students such as the circles and arrays used to bind monsters to you, basic spells to heal, enhance, and aid your monsters in battle, and the best way to fulfill the needs of your monsters. For optimum results it is suggested that the would be tamer also posses at least a few tamer compendiums or grimoires that list he statuses of monsters. When it comes to taming knowledge is power.

  I sighed and closed the book, my eyes to dry and heavy to keep reading. 'knowledge is power' hu? Ugh! I hated studying. I smiled to myself; I was still getting excited. I was going to be a tamer. I had my heart set on it now. Not only was I going to be a tamer, but I was determined to be the very best. I don't know who Elien the elf was but she wouldn't be in the top spot for long. I'll be number one!

  When I awoke the next morning, I was extremely confused for about fifteen seconds. One, I was in a reasonably comfortable bed... I could hardly remember the last time that happened. And two, I had a tail. That was the hardest one to wrap my head around for about ten of those fifteen seconds. Then it all came back and I could hardly believe that it had been less than a day since my life ended. So much had happened that if it had all taken place over a week I wouldn't have been surprised.

  Still, once it sunk in that I was, indeed, in a new world, in a new body, and living a strange new life, I stretched and slid out of the bed. Still nude from the night before I stumbled over to the coat rack to check on the cloths. Pleased that they were dry I slipped into them as well as the sandals and sat back on the bed. Time to take stock of my circumstances and make plans for the day.

  Priority one was to check and see how much money I had to work with. I needed a minimum of three copper a day to continue staying at the inn. True, it was rather nice weather out and I was more than used to sleeping outside, but I was not very comfortable with the idea of some unknown monster sneaking up on me. Not to mention I was sure creepers existed in this world too and no doubt they also had magic or super strength. I was not looking forward to sleeping unprotected till I was sure in my ability to defend myself.

  With that in mind I fished out my coin purse and emptied the contents onto the table. I still had thirty-five copper, plus what I could get for the slime magistones. If I went back out and made sure to fight more monsters, preferably stronger ones than slimes, I should be fine for living arrangements for the immediate future. But I would need to find a way to get more money than what slimes could bring in. My flimsy cloths were not what you could call armour of any sort and once the weather turns cold, I would need warmer cloths too.

  So for today the goal would be to get to the Adventurers Guild and sell them my magistones and also get my mana evaluated, what ever that meant. The grimoire made it clear that I would be a fool to not have it done and then find myself in a dangerous position. I was confident that unless I attempted a B-rank tame or higher I should be fine. But it maybe good to get this evaluation done no matter what. Any amount of personal information about my new body surly couldn't hurt.

  That decided I repacked my bag minus six copper that I intended to leave with who ever was at the bar for my room. Slipping on my Sandals and cloak I flipped the hood up, made sure my distinctive hair was covered and that my tail was safely curled around my waist. So far, I hadn't been found out as a demon but there were parts of this new body that couldn't be explained away the same as my eyes may be able to pass. Especially if those features were seen as a unit. I was bummed I didn't have wings but perhaps it was for the best. Wings would be near impossible to hide.

  It was still pretty early so I wasn't to surprised to see that the streets were nearly empty. The bar had a few patrons who looked to be nursing hang overs too. When I gave the girl- a little older looking than Breena had looked but this one was human- my six coppers I also asked for directions to the Adventurers guild. Apparently, it was dead center of town in the market square.

  I continued down East Road at a relaxed pace, enjoying the fine weather and the sounds of a city slowly waking up. It didn't take too long for the poorer houses to my left to start to come to life: Mothers coming out with the was, men in work cloths kissing wives good by for the day, and small children making nuisance of themselves. The right side was distinctively quieter so I was caught off guard when I nearly ran into a man there while watching the variety of families on the other side of the road.

  "Whoa there!" Said the man as I nearly crashed into his leather clad chest. He was nearly a head taller than me I noted as I looked up to see his face. He gave a little start at first when he saw my face but covered it up with a kind enough smile swiftly. "Best to keep your eyes ahead miss." He chuckled.

  I was probably blushing when I said, "Sorry about that." I wasn't the type to be so clumsy and absent minded. A by product of being always on alert, suspecting to be mugged or worse.

  "No problem at all." He said with a rather dashing smile. He was handsome with bright blue eyes, wavey gold brown hair, a square jaw and just a fine dusting of five o'clock shadow. He was broad shouldered too, which was kind of my thing. He fit well in what was clearly the guards uniform of blue tunic and leather armour. "Can I help you on your way miss?"

  "Oh, um, that alright. I was told that the adventurers guild was just up ahead so I should be fine on my own. I'd hate to disturb your work."

  "Helping the citizens is my work." He said cheerily. How could someone be that bight this early in the morning?

  "You groping the ladies again Wells?" Snickered a second man.

  I stepped away for the brown-haired man who I assumed was Wells and saw that the newcomer wasn't alone. Three new men in guards' uniforms seemed to have just exited a large stone building that, now that I looked I could see that it had a shiny golden placard next to the heavy wooden door claiming that this was the Garrison for the Bellana guard. The one who spoke was even taller than Wells with high cheek bones, straight blonde hair, and dark eyes. The other two were only a little taller than me; one had bright orange hair, a round face and massive muscles and the other was blonde haired, blue eyed and sported a smile that made his lined face look younger.

  "Hardly." Drawled Wells. I could tell immediately that wells did not like this new man at all.

  "Hel-"the man stopped mid introduction when he saw my eyes and his already grim face turned down right dangerous. "Oh." He said in a frosty tone. "Is there ever a time your kind aren't prowling the streets."

  There was a set of gasps from the other two mystery men, and I saw Wells' hand twitch, like he wanted to grab the hilt of the sword slug at his left hip. I was immediately wide awake and on guard. This man clearly didn't think I was what I was. The fact that he implied there were many of 'my kind' about made me assume that he thought I was a Beastmen.

  "Only the same time your kind are sir!" I said in such a cheery voice that there was no way that I could be accused of being a snot, which is exactly what I was being. Hey, I was a bitch, no one ever said I wasn't. "Sorry to affront your delicate eyes so early in the morning. Total shamefulness on my part."

  I was met with the expected slacked jawed faces this attitude usually produced. All except one truly pissed off blonde male that is.

  "How dare you!" Snarled the man and Wells took a step-in front of me. "You animals are-"

  He was stopped when a fifth man opened the barracks door. This man was a behemoth. He had to be nearly seven feet tall and I was impressed he could fit his shoulders out the door. He had dark brown hair and a well-groomed beard, hard grey eyes, and a square forehead. It was like they couldn't get a uniform to fit him, as it appeared that his massive body was about to bust out of the one, he was wearing. I could see the massive hilt of a sword peaking out over his shoulder.

  "Is there a problem here gentlemen?" He rumbled. The men looked nervous, but I just smiled at him sweetly. "The morning shift has only just begun and already my men are getting rowdy?"

  It looked like Wells was about to say something, but I decided to speak up first. "No sir. Your men were just pointing me toward the Adventurers guild! I'm afraid I have yet to get his name but this handsome blonde fellow here was particularly helpful!" I saw the shock and supressed rage flash over his face as I continued to speak to the clear man in charge here. That man was looking down on me with suspicion. "I don't mind at all as people like me are open like that, but you may want to explain to him that such open flirting may be taken the wrong way by the Nobel Ladies. I'd hate for such a fine gentleman to get in trouble just because he was friendly."

  "...Indeed." Growled the captain, or what ever boss man title he held here.

  "Anyway, I really should be on my way. I have already kept you all from your duties and that's just plain disrespect on my part. Please, stay safe out there sirs!" I waved cheerily, making sure to flash the bastard of the group a very toothy grin and walked off.

  "Wells, make sure the lady gets to the guild without incident wont you?" Growled the captain behind me and I nearly groan. So much for getting away Scott free. "You assigned to that area today anyways."

  "Yes sir!" Saluted wells and hurried to follow. We walked together in awkward silence for a minute or so before he spoke. "I know Vincent is a complete scum ball miss, but you should not have angered him like that..."

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  I shrugged. "I've delt with men like him plenty of times before."

  Wells sighed. "Yes, well, Vincent is a noblemen miss. He is working in the guard because his father wanted him to learn 'responsibility', which is rich man code for making connections in the guard... He could retaliate and get away with it quite easily." He genuinely sounded concerned.

  "My name is Sin, not miss. And nobleman or not I am sure I'll be fine."

  "Sin..." he shook his head in confusion and continued with his argument. "Given it is the adventurers guild you are headed to, I will assume that you are an adventurer, but even that would not keep you safe once a nobleman has it in his mind to make an enemy of you."

  "Oh, I wouldn't beat him up." I said with a smile. "Though I can say with a strong confidence that im sure I could. No, the best way to deal with snooty stuck-up blow-hard is to deal a nice dose of public humiliation. If that doesn't work than I might beat him up."

  Wells groaned. "Just so you know, threatening a city guard is a criminal offence..."

  I couldn't help but laugh. "My bad." I could see that the road opened ahead. That must be the market square. "Looks like we are about there. You can go ahead and attend to your duties."

  "You seem awfully desperate to me rid of me Sin." Chuckled Wells. "Sorry, but I must stick with you. At least until we get to the guild. What the Commander says goes."

  "Not sure what his mother fed him growing up to make him that big..."

  Wells let out a bark of laughter. "The garrison has been asking ourselves that for years. So far, the best theory I have heard is that he grew up eating dragon steaks."

  "Well, if anything could do it would probably be that. So that other guy with the sour face," I said once the laughter died a bit. "I take it he has a thing against non-humans?"

  Wells' face darkened a little and his shoulders slumped. "Mostly Beastmen as far as I can tell. You would think, with the owning of beastmen slaves having been abolished nearly one hundred and fifty years ago, that people would stop with it all already. Vincent's family were once slave traders a few generations back and their distaste for the race still lingers I'm afraid."

  "It's fine. I am used to people giving me dirty looks and nasty words." I could only imagine what Vincent would say if he knew I was a demon. Beastmen prejudices may be on the decline but from what I understand Demons were probably only pardoned recently. No was as good a time as any to do some fishing on the topic. "I'm sure demons have it harder than beastmen at this time."

  "Hmm. I guess. Even open-minded people are not sure what to make of demon kind. Especially now, given that rumors are floating around that the Demon King may be making his return at any time. When he does, I'll be willing to bet the bad intentions will only get worse. Luckily free roaming demons a few and far between."

  The coming of the Demon King huh... No doubt he has already come, who ever he was. Why else would the heroes have been summoned after all. This place, even with its flaws, seemed so peaceful. It would be a real shame for it to al go up in smoke just after I got here.

  "I wonder why there are so few demons here. I mean, I have no idea what the demon world is like but if they are, indeed, such a brutish race than id imagine their world must be just as rough. You would think they would want to come here."

  "I asked a fellow in the red Ravens that very question once. He told me that there isn't much written about demons. But from what he could find out about them, demons lose a lot of their magical power when coming here. They keep their physical strength but not their control over mana. Or something like that."

  "Red Ravens? "I asked, confused. "Is that like an intellectuals club or something?"

  Wells let out a loud enough bark of laughter that several people turned t stare as we entered the massive market square. It was mostly empty, but some stalls were beginning to be set up. And even though it was at least a foot ball field away from me I could make out the large statue of the hero Lect. Several birds took to the sky, and I saw a young boy dash past holding what might have been a stack of newsletters.

  "Have you been living under a rock miss Sin?" Wells continued to laugh. "Sorry. The Red Ravens are one of the nine Royal Squads. The elite of the elite filled with high skilled mages and warriors. Though, the Red Ravens are often seen as the bottom of the barrel. But their head quarters are close to the city here, so we see them often enough. The man I am speaking of is a rather skilled enchanter who also has a deep love of reading. If ever I have a question about some obscure subject, I tend to ask him when I see him. He is full of strange facts."

  "Maybe I will have to keep my eyes open for him then. I am awful as studying myself..."

  "Ha ha. Well, if you need to find one of the Red Ravens, they are simple to pick out in a crowd. All the Royal Squadrons have colored capes and the Red Ravens are a bright scarlet colour. And to be honest they are all a bunch of misfits, so they tend to stand out that way too."

  "Good to know."

  "Well, here we are, safe and delivered unharmed. This is the Adventurers guild. It's the largest guild in the city and its often very busy."

  We stood outside a tall stone building with large, fogged glass windows that reached at lest two stories high. There was already a small crowd milling about outside despite the early hour. It was quite the eclectic mass of interesting characters. A mix of all races dressed as knights or in robes and witches' hats. Three women all in separate groups wore next to nothing at all. Had this been a video game that I would have let that pass, but given this was real, how the hell was a bra and panties supposed to save you from harm. Surly magical enhancement could only do so much for armor?

  "This is great, thank you Wells." I said giving the man a slight bow.

  "Not at all. I was headed this way all the same, as the commander said. I'd suggest sticking to crowded areas while in town Miss Sin. I'd rather not have you caught unawares by Vincent if he decides to be truly offended."

  "Yes, I will keep that in mind. However, if you see him again and he seems beaten up... it wasn't me." Laughing at the mans long suffering sigh I ascended the short stairs to the large, open entrance to the Guild.

  The inside was quite a sight if I had to be honest. Years of watching anime when I could put an idea of what a guild hall would look like, and this place was that but more. I had expected something that looked a bit like the main floor of the birch Tree Inn but with a reception desk rather than a bar and perhaps a notice bord of some sort for jobs the adventurers could take. This place however was far more extreme. For one thing, it was a two-storey stone building with very high ceilings and the glass windows that let in a great deal of light. The main room of the lobby was massive with scattered round tables and along the back wall were many alcoves with receptionists in them. People were lined up before the receptionists and I could see paper and packages moving between alcoves behind them. Was this place a kind of post office too?

  The biggest surprise other than just the sheer size of the place were the notice boards. There were a great many of them along the left and right walls of the building and even more people were crowded around those. Clearly this guild got a lot of work. I wasn't entirely sure what I was supposed to so I decided to speak to one of the receptionists. I chose the one with the least number of people and waited my turn.

  "Good morning!" Chirped the lady behind the counter once I stepped up. Her hair was an interesting shade of pale orange and she clearly sported cat ears and an orange and white stripped tail. She was dressing in a uniform of grey skirt and a white blazer with a maroon bow tie at her neck. "Welcome to the Adventurers guild. How may I help you?"

  "Yes, good morning. Um, I was hoping you could help me. I am new to all this so forgive me if I seem quite uninformed. I was told that if I wanted to sell some Magistones that I had to bring them here. Also, if I wished to hunt any higher-level monsters with out a license from this guild..."

  "Oh yes! You are quite right Miss. It is illegal to sell magistones anywhere but at a guild. It doses not have to be an adventurer's guild, any official guild would do. But in order to hunt higher level monsters you do indeed need to get a license from any battle-oriented guild. So, places like the merchant guild or the healer's guild would not do. So, I take it that you would like to apply for a license then?"

  "Yes please."

  "Very well. First, I must inform you that it will cost ten coppers for a beginner's license. Some one holding this license can take on F and E class Jobs at any adventurer's guild. In order to upgrade you licence you first need to have your power level re assessed and you will have to complete at lest ten E class jobs with the guild."

  "Sure, that sounds fine." I got my money out and handed the clerk ten copper. "What does it mean to have your power level reassessed?"

  "Oh you haven't had that done before either. That fine, many small towns do not have the means. It is something most guilds offer free of charge. Once I process your payment, I will escort you to a special chamber. Within the chamber is a very large magistone set withing a special pedestal. Placing your hand upon this stone will activate the assessment spell. The spell will allow you to check your status at any time simply by touching the invisible magical array that will be place on the back of your left hand. No one will be able to see this information but you as such things can be veery confidential as I am sure you can imagine."

  "I take it there is something in this assessment the guild needs for my licence?"

  "Yes. There will be a particular score given to you on the list you will see. It will be labelled 'power'. This number considers all of your different stats, averages them out and calculates potential. This number is mainly needed for when you wish to advance to the next leveling licence. If your power level meets the required number than when you go to update your license you will not first need to take the assessment test. All you will need is the required number of jobs completed to prove that you have gain the needed job experience to begin taking on my difficult challenges."

  "Okay, that makes sense, I guess. Will this power number be kept private as well? Just between myself and the guild I mean?"

  "It will not be made public no. but it is made available other official bodies, such as other guilds, the Royal Squads, and the military garrisons through out the country. This is done to make it both easier for you to apply for other jobs or licences without having to continually take the assessment and fill out the paperwork, as well as keeping the kingdom aware of the strength of its citizens. Though in all honesty, these numbers are rarely checked by anyone but the guilds during a person's application. The only time the garrison will check this number is if you are found guilty of a crime. They then need the number to know what level of prison they may need to send a prisoner to."

  "I see." I didn't like that much but it sounded like there wasn't much I could do about it. I would just have to hope I didn't get caught doing anything illegal. I was aware that thinking I shouldn't get caught rather than deciding just not to be a criminal was a little messed. Why change me now? 'That makes sense as well."

  "Right!" she said with a bright smile. "Well, if you will just follow me, please."

  I was led to a door just to the left of the reception desk, beyond which was a long hallway. The cat lady claimed that behind most of the doors we were passing were various offices. "This one is where Magistones are evaluated, oh and here is where were sort through which jobs should go to which Adventurer class!" And eventually we made it to a door that she held open for me.

  The evaluation room was not very large, and it was also not very bright. As the lady shut the door behind me, I saw that the only light was emanating from the magistone. And what a stone it was! The thing was at least the size of a large watermelon. Its pearlescent surface seemed to swirl like it held a white, milky liquid filled with sparkles. The pedestal it sat on was only remarkable in that it was made of metal and so far, I had only seen larger structures made of wood or stone.

  Nervously I stretched out a black clawed hand toward the stone. I had no reason to assume that this would not work for me the same way it worked for everyone else. After all, this body was made here on this planet. It was just my soul that was not from here. Would that matter to the stone? I didn't think so, but I was probably the least qualified person on the planet when it came to these things. My fingers brushed the surface, and I gasped when I realised it was warm.

  I slid my hand over the warm surface and the light got slightly brighter. I watched, fascinated, as a blue-black magic circle appeared on the back of my hand. Hu! Fancy. I withdrew my hand then used my right hand to wave over the spot the circle was slowly fading from. It burst to life again and, I shit you not, an actual status window appeared hovering over my hand... like from a damn sci-fi movie.

  Once the initial shock wore off, I took a closer look at the information there:

  Name: Sin

  Race: Demon

  Titles: One Blessed by the Divine, Demon Queen, Mana Keeper

  Profession: Tamer

  Health: 1000 Mana: 20,000

  Phys attack: 150 Magical attack: 30

  Phys Resistance: 150 Magical Resistance: 100

  Speed: 60 Stealth: 50

  Dexterity: 50

  Special attributes/ status effects: Poison resistance 25% (Demon Queen), Fire resistance 25% (Demon Queen), immunity to mind control (Demon Queen), Demonic supremacy (Demon Queen), Mana consumption -50% (Mana Keeper), Linguistics, Devine acceptance (One Blessed by the Devine), Mana Pool -80%, Magical Attack -80%

  Special Skills: Skinning +10% (Tamer), Harvesting +10% (Tamer)

  Power: 80

  I stared at the information in utter confusion. I had no idea what normal stats were supposed to look like, but I felt many of these numbers were way above what a beginner adventurer would have... Like 1000 health? Or how about 20,000 mana?! I knew I was supposed to have a lot but that seems extreme. Ad to that the fact that I apparently had a status debuff that knocked 80% off both that already insane mana pool and off my magical attack. I could only assume that was because I was a demon and no in the demon realm. Wells did just say that demons didn't like coming here because it trashed their stats. But 80%? What the heck. How strong would I be in the demon realm? Surly even demons didn't get these insane numbers.

  And what the heck was with the titles? One Blessed by the Divine I guessed was because I was reincarnated by Kradiff. And judging by the buff listed as being bestowed by the title of Mana Keeper, I would assume that was because I was from Earth. Kradiff did say that those from earth were far better with their mana. Still, 50% seemed large too.

  The single most disturbing thing on this status window was, by far, the title of Demon Queen. Me, a demon queen? What? What the hell was a demon queen? I heard about the Demon King but nothing about a demon queen. It better damn well not mean that I was supposed to be, like, that monster's wife or something. Or that I was supposed to be the new demon king, though because I was a woman the title got changed to demon Queen?

  My head was spinning from confusion and mild panic. I took a deep breath and shook my head. Okay, nothing I could do about it now. Kradiff most assuredly did not say anything about me having to be the big bad demon king. I'm sure that can't be the case. I mean the reason the heroes were summoned, and I got killed in the first place was because he was already resurrected right? And if it was some sick joke that I was destined to be his wife... then fuck that. I would be straight up 'nopping' out of that right here and now. No way would I ever agree to that so I guess the big bad demon king would just have to live with being single.

  I rubbed at my budding headache and shuffled out of the room. The reception lady was still there and smiled at me encouragingly and perhaps a little worried too. I guess I must have looked pale or something. "All set?" She asked gently.

  "Yes, good to go I think." I said, trying to slap on a reassuring smile.

  "Alright, lets get you back to reception so you can fill out that paperwork than."

  The paperwork was straight forward in the end. They wanted to know my name, title (Optional) witched I nopped out of, profession, and any skill sets that I may want the guild to be aware of in case specialized jobs came in. I asked the lady and there was no need to write down profession specific skills as those would already be assumed, so I left that blank as well. The last line was for my power level, and I scribbled in the number '80' wondering if that was average or high. It wouldn't be low, not with the stats I had. But maybe my smaller numbers brought it down to an average number.

  I handed the woman the sheet of parchment.

  "ei- eighty?" she asked, surprised. High it was.

  "That's what the spell says..."

  "I believe you. These forms an imbued with a spell to prevent false hoods, just as any government document is." Well, that would have been nice to know. "I am just shocked I suppose. Its not a number you see in beginners. With this power number you will not have to take the exam for quite some time. You still must do the number of required jobs for each licence though."

  "I understand."

  "And you are a tamer! That is also a shock. Only because I haven't seen it before. People usually just go the summoners route theses days."

  "I have been told that before. I don't have a partner yet, however. I am hoping to find one soon."

  "Hmmm... well if you need a monster partner and you have a beginners license, then I suggest heading to Caster's Wood."

  "Is that the forest to the east? Because I traveled through there to get to Bellana and all I saw were slimes."

  "Oh no. Caster's Wood is to the northwest. Many beginners head there for their first jobs as it's a prime location to find the herbs the herbalists and alchemist ask for on the job boards. The forest to the east is bordered by several small towns and farms and so the monsters get cleared out quick."

  "Alright, thank you. I will look into that."

  "Fantastic! Now, if I remember correctly, you had some magistones you wanted to hand in?"

  In the end I managed to get fifteen coppers for the stones I had. Not much. Once she processed the stones, the receptionist put her hand over my left one and the magical circle lit up again. "There now your status will reflect your Adventurer class as well. Good luck out there Sin the Tamer!"

  I left the adventurer's Guild more confused than when I went in but at least I accomplished what I needed too and had a direction to go. I looked at the thin sheet of parchment I held in my hand. On it was a job request that I decided I could attempt while also hunting higher level monsters in Castor's Wood. I hoped to find a monster to make my partner as well. As a tamer, I really had to get on that. I mean, a tamer without a tame was pretty much not a tamer, right?

  This job I got off the E class job board. I could have just tried out the F class ones first, but I was confident enough in my abilities to know I could handle the E class. Especially since this one was just a collection job. All I needed to do was collect twenty of some healing herbs called Savio Root. Luckily the posting had a little drawing of what those looked like so it shouldn't be too hard to get my hands on. Plus, this job paid two whole silvers. With any luck that would be enough to get me at least a little gear. As of right now the only reason I could even risk going into that woods was solely because I was a demon and my very skin seemed more durable than most other races. Going forward I would need something stronger. Not to mention a weapon. Not that I had any clew how to wield any kind of weapon...

  Nothing I could do about it at this moment. I clearly had many things I needed to accomplish and the best way to do that was to head to Castor's wood. It irritated me to head out with exactly no preparations at all. That was a good way to get killed, but I didn't see any way around it.

  I glanced back at the guild as I walked away. I noticed that many people inside were working together to do their jobs, forming parties. If I had more confidence in my scotia skills, I probably could have tried to join up with one of them. I had the shear physical power to at least make myself useful after all. But given my sorry looking state no one would believe I could do what I claimed. In order to get on the team, I would have to reveal I was a demon. That in and of itself would probably turn most away and it would mean pretty much letting the whole city know who and what was. Best not to do that.

  And with that depressing thought I made my way through the Square. It was now getting steadily busier with fruit and veggie stalls popping up all over the place. I decided to stop at the fountain in the center and get my first look at what a previous hero looked like.

  In all honesty, Lect seemed an imposing figure. I couldn't tell his true height, as the statue was larger than life size, but he seemed well built under leather and mail armor. His hair was long and held back in a tail, his vacant statue eyes looked off into the distance while he seemed to be wearing a cocky smile. At his hip was a long thin sword with an ornate hilt and sheath and a small shield was slung across his back. If someone told me that he came from Earth without me already know that it was fact, I may not have believed it. He looked like he belonged here.

  As I continued my way toward West Street, I thought about the new heroes. It has only been one day, but I was willing to bet that their experience was turning out to be much different than mine. They were most likely in the capital I would say, maybe even in the palace. Id even bet they were being treated like the heroes the people were hoping they would become. But I also be they were much angrier and afraid than myself. I had nothing left to grieve back on Earth, also I had a god give me a bit of a rundown on the situation to begin with.

  That poor kid I was about to pickpocket... What kind of crap was he having to deal with right now. Still, unlike me, he had company. Surly the other four people were looking out for him. I truly hoped that they were older and wiser. People that had good heads on their shoulders and could help the kid through this. Because the people here were going to expect that kid to kill. To kill monsters and at least one demon. Maybe even more... Here, fifteen or so may be seen as an adult but I bet that kid never once thought he would ever be in a situation where his and other lives were on the line.

  There was nothing I could do for him or the others at any rate. And even if they did show up and ask for my aid in slaying this Demon King, I honestly don't know if I would agree to it. I just wanted to live my life the best I could. I was no hero. I was a demon.