Chapter 07
Damn! If we had planes i would have already been there for a good while! I need to somehow fix this lack of transportation methods in the future! Perhaps in this world…
-Zaarek, is there any kind of teletransportation magic in this world? - Just then i notice that i am interrupting a conversation between him and the dwarf.
-Well, there is, but it is so hard that it is almost impossible, there must be two identical complex portals, and the mana usage is huge. There is one in Yateerj, it connects to the Capital.
-Yateerj? - That’s one unfamiliar name for me.
-Oh yeah, you don’t know, Yateerj is the administrative city of the Demon Empire in the North Continent, the portal connects to the Capital in the West Continent. The portal takes three months to recharge on ambient mana once used, with magicians help, this time can be shortened to as low as three days.
-It would be wonderful to have one of these! If the recharge time is good enough, you two would even be able to have vacations once in a while in your homelands! - I say that in order to make they look forward to this too. Wort’s eyes lit up hearing that, there is no noticeable excitement with Zaarek, though.
-Aren’t you happy with the possibility of going back home? - I ask him.
His mood darkens. - My family is dead, when i woke up from the explosion i created i noticed a slave ring in my hands. The demons sold me as a slave as punishment for what i did, destiny worse than death for someone as prideful as me. Why would i want to go back there?
-If it makes you feel any better, death is not the end, i speak from experience! Your family might be in a better place.
-Well, it doesn’t. - The demon says with annoyance, and an uncomfortable silence settles in.
As we went farther north the cities were becoming smaller, until the point you could only call them villages at most. When it was already becoming dark we stopped in a small village to spend the night.
Getting out of the carriage, the driver headed to the inn to book our rooms, i took a small look around. Farmland, farmlands occupied the fields until the forest in the distance. A small river could be seen behind the city, and from the wooden buildings, most of them were houses, a small inn could be seen next to some general stores. If you take all of that and add a dirt floor to the streets, you get the image of a city you don’t want to live in. I bet there were no schools, and the inn was everything you could expect of entertainment out of this city, acting as a bar.
Entering the inn i could see it was fairly crowded, but we still managed to get a table for ourselves. In a few minutes a waitress came to our table and we ordered some food, Wort was eager to ask for Ale, lot’s of it.
-Hey brat, how much for the dwarf? - A soldier stopped in front of my table and directed those words at me.
I look at him. - 25 gold.
The guard looks annoyed, he takes my plate away from me and places his hand on the table, keeping me from continuing my meal.
-28 gold coins now - i signal to the demon to lay low, his muscles had contracted indicating that he was about to stand up.
-Look brat, the Lord of this city himself wants to buy the dwarf - he points to a corner of the inn, where a fat man in fancy clothes was seated surrounded by four other guards, he was willing to pay you 2 gold coins, but now the price has dropped to one. - He then unsheathes his sword - do we have an agreement?
-No - i say, i wanted to see how far this would go.
The man brings his sword back, but before he gets the chance to swing a voice screams from the corner of the inn telling him to stop.
-You idiot, if you kill him the dwarf will die too! - The Lord gets up and starts walking our way.
-My name is Vokier Gallymane, son of Ashex Gallymane, and the future lord of Jogark. Knowing this information, will you still keep bothering me knowing of the consequences?
-Boy, i was going to let you go since you are just a kid, but if you are still unwilling to - The Lord was giving his bullshit speech when a dagger went flying through his throat. As a habit from my past life, i always carried two hidden blades with me wherever i went.
-Zaarek, immobilize the others - i order the demon, and walk to where the lord is, pulling the dagger out of his throat and using some healing magic. Since i avoided his veins, he could still be saved.
-Right now my friend is immobilizing your other soldiers, i can kill you whenever i want, so don’t do anything stupid, ok? - I talk to the man that was on the floor.
He tries to stang, ignoring my words, and i kick him, sending him to the ground once more.
-The only reason i spared you is because i think we can come to an agreement, now, if you keep on ignoring me and i think that is not possible, i will kill you, are we clear?
The man nods and stop moving, he looks at me and i can clearly see in his eyes the disgust of me, he is clearly thinking of ways to make me pay for it. It doesn’t matter if he has no means to do so.
-Now, knowing of my position as a noble you tried to forcefully take one of my properties, this alone can be punished by death, since my father is a close friend to the king, he can easily plot so that your family will not inherit this city if you die. So i think you should be asking me: what do you want me to do for you so that you forgive me?
I stare at him, but i hear nothing, the inn is dead silent.
-I’m expecting you to say that, you know?
The man looks annoyed, but as i lean my dagger’s blade by his neck he finally finds enough motivation to start talking.
-What do you want?
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I smile. -Good, you can talk! What i want is compensation! You tried to take away from me a very skilled slave worth 6 gold coins! I want you to pay me that much so that the subject is forgotten!
He gives me a murderous stare, after all 6 gold coins is no small amount. Even for a normal noble it is not a small amount to just give away, if we take into account that he rules such a shity city here in north, it must be close to all he has.
-And i am in no mood for ‘buts’ or negotiation, i could have you killed and you know that, so, can we get this done or not?
In a few minutes we are all walking towards the biggest house in the village, Zaarek has putten the guards to sleep, but it’s not like they would mean any threat for us.
-Honey, you’re home early! Who are these people with you? - A fat woman greets us as we enter the house.
-Zaarek, could you put her to sleep? I get the feeling she is the hysterical type.
-No need to ask, Vokier, i was about to do that. - He moves his finger and the woman begins falling to the floor, he holds her and gently lay her down.
-Relax, she is not harmed - i speak to the lord, that is giving murderous stares towards the demon, and looking concerned to his wife.
A boy comes down the stair, he seems to be 12, or something like that, the demon does the same to him, and we start the negotiations. The lord walks to a study room and opens a safe that was hidden behind a paint, from there he takes 3 gold coins and 80 silver.
-This is all i have, are we done?
-Of course not, i get the feeling you are the kind of person who has slaves, if you can’t finish the payment with gold, i will accept slaves… If you have none, i think i could put a slave ring in your son and take him as payment.
-You are mean, kid! - The dwarf comments.
-Ok, ok! There is a slave i bought to give to my son in his birthday next week! She is worth the rest of the money, so leave my family alone!
The man takes us to a room besides his study. The room is small and we can smell the mold as the door opens. Inside there is a girl, she seems to be 14. She is sleeping in a straw bed on the floor, and wakes by the noise we make. As she sees her master, she tries to hide behind her blanket.
-Hello girl, you are leaving this house today, congratulations!
We do the ritual to change ownership over her, and i leave to spend the night at the inn leaving behind a warning that if he tries to get vengeance on me i would kill him and his family. The next day we head to Jogark, that is only two cities away, as if nothing had happened.
-So girl, what is your name?
She stays quiet.
I sight. - Hey Wort, doesn’t she remember you of someone? -I start laughing, Zaarek giggles at that.
-So, are you going to give her the same options you gave us? - Zaarek then asks.
-No, while you are skilled and reasonable people with whom i can negotiate and do business with, in a relationship that both sides win, i don’t think it will benefit me to give her these freedoms i want to give you two. Try to understand, i’m not a hero whose objective is to roam the land while freeing slaves.
-I understand - he says - i too had slaves when i was a free person, i was just curious.
I then turn to the girl, who at first didn’t understand what we were talking about, but as she grasped some of the meaning, she became rather curious.
-You heard Mr. Zaarek, he and the dwarf are going to receive treatment as if they were free people, speaking to the demon i am thinking of releasing them once we close a soul contract. - The dwarf’s attention has been picked, as he wasn’t aware of those facts.
-Unfortunately i don’t think of giving you the same treatment, as i said before, i’m no hero, but we can either have a good or a bad relationship, so, what is your name?
-Why should i say my name to a kid? - We got surprised as the girl spoke for the first time, her voice was really beautiful, it’s like it was massaging our ears. If we add that to the fact that she is good looking, she could be really profitable if working in an inn. She had long blond hairs and green eyes, her skin was covered with dirt, same as the poor fabric clothes she was using, but if this last two problems were taken care of, with her breasts that were in a good size for her age, she would be a good material to work on.
-Because if you behave well you can be famous and rich - as i finish my sentence i can see the next city in the distance, by my calculations that must be Jogark.
-Why should i believe you? - The girl tries to ruin my mood, damn, she really reminds me of the dwarf.
-I don’t care, you can be either rich and famous or poor and famous, my plans for you won’t change. Damn, why do people think i need to try to convince them? - I let my frustrations out.
As we close to the city i order Zaarek to cast an illusion spell on the girl so that everyone but me sees her as an ugly old woman. I don’t believe the lord of that city is going to be happy if the man that is supposed to marry his daughter arrives with a pretty slave by his side, even if it is normal for whoever can afford to have sex slaves.
-You don’t speak to anyone unless i tell you to - i tell the girl - tell me your name.
-Tyffa.
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Next Chapter we will get to know the city of Jogark. What awaits Vokier?