Alek watched a wolf slink through the woods. He wasn't worried. The wolf knew he was there and was keeping its distance. Animals tended to run when you could throw fire at them anyway. He could have come out here after leaving his meeting with Emixie a few days ago, but he had been a bit flustered and hadn't opened the site map of his land. It was a little drizzly out today, but he had nothing better to do. Finding the place wasn't hard. The whole forest was dotted with square piles of rocks, the foundations of old buildings that had been out here before the river moved and the town followed. His plot of land had a tower, which was now an empty cylindrical shell with a pile of debris at the bottom. Easy to find, but not much to look at.

He watched as another wolf circled by. His hand moved under his cloak and undid the strap that kept his short sword from falling out of its sheath. He still wasn't concerned about the wolves, but he was getting the feeling he was being watched by something else. Alek drew the sword while stepping forward, spinning around, and dropping down into a defensive stance. The person behind him made no move, though the wolf at their heels flinched. Alek waited. Expecting the person to either move or speak, or for the other wolves to move, but nothing happened.

"Who are you? What do you want?"

They tilted their head. Decorations made of rodent and bird bones on strings swung from the sticks tied to their horns. Tiefling probably. They were terribly dirty and wrapped in a cloak that was either made of, or covered in moss.

"Baron's land." They said in a voice that didn't really help determine gender or disposition.

"The baron is dead. It's Lady Emixie Malssenin's land now. Except this spot which has been deeded to me." Alek lowered his sword a bit, but still kept conscious tabs on the three wolves.

"Forgot. This is yours?"

"Yes."

"Mmmm." With that said, they turned and started off into the woods. The wolf at their heels following close behind.

"Hey! Are you the wizard's kid?"

They stopped, turned slightly to look back at him, and maybe nodded once. It was hard to tell. If so, they, or she, really was off-putting. How had she snuck up on him like that? He wasn't distracted. Well he had been keeping tabs on the wolves, but if anything he should have been more aware. Fucking weird. To be perfectly fair, he'd never stayed in one place long enough to learn how weird any one place was. Maybe this kind of crap was normal.

***

Vell lowered his spyglass and considered his options. The following few minutes were either going to go really well, or he'd be burying a couple bodies.

"Two people in a cart. Looks like a Tiefling and a Tel’ani. Keep with the toll road scam, but bring Leo up."

His boys went about setting up. The toll road scam was the bread and butter of the operation. Sit at a booth along the road and charge travelers a reasonable amount under the guise of working for the baron. The more legitimate the scam seemed, the more no one questioned it. It didn’t fool the traders that traveled the road regularly. They either hired mercenaries or accepted the toll as the cost of doing business. Lone, never before seen travelers, tended to be hit or miss. Either playing along, or fighting. Fighters lost everything. The approaching cart was a special case though. Vell owed it to Leo to find out if the Tiefling would be willing to join them. As the cart got closer he realized it was two Tieflings. One male and one female. A couple maybe. That was a new one.

"Ho the road."

The man driving slowed his horse and brought the animal to a stop alongside the shaded booth. "Normally that's shouted from a wall or gate." Said the Tiefling man with ram-like horns, gray skin, and yellow eyes.

Vell shrugged. "Got to have some fun out here. Gets boring. Where you heading?" He motioned for Leo to check the cart. The two travelers taking little interest in their fellow devilblood.

"Kyne's Port. Coming from Lydia." Said the man.

Vell nodded as he watched Leo, who shook his head indicating that the cart was empty. "Toll is three silver per traveler, or five per cart so long as you aren't stuffing it full of people to avoid paying as much." That was part of the legitimacy of the scam. Discounts were common if people traveled as pairs or were clergy.

"The man nodded and fished out the coins. "A bit steep."

"You'll have to take that up with the baron."

"Baron is dead."

A challenge statement. This was common. "You caught me. Afraid I don't know what the kid's name is, but he'll be made Baron soon enough."

The devilblood stared down at the five coins in his palm. A moment later he started shifting them around as if deciding what to do. That wasn't good.

"What are you doing in Kyne's Port?"

"Picking up supplies and a few Anorian contracts if possible."

He didn't stop playing with the coins. Vell made a great effort not to look at his crossbowman, instead he shot a look Leo's way. The Tiefling on his side shrugged. Just before he tried saying something else the man on the cart let out a long sigh and held out the coins.

"Honestly torn. I don't really care, but I have to ask myself, what would Wrath do?"

"Wrath? You mean the hero?"

"Mmm, yes."

Vell felt a little weird about that as he took the coins. The guy was starting to concern him. He clearly knew what was going on and was on the fence on whether or not he was going to fight it. The woman made absolutely no move. Her expressionless face didn't even seem to register the conversation.

"My understanding is that he jumped off a cliff like a moron."

The man gave him a pained smile. "Part of me was hoping you'd say something like that."

Vell watched as he lifted a hand, twisted his fingers, and with a flick of his wrist and a word, sent a fucking bolt of fire flying out towards Vell's hidden bowman. Fucking hell.

Vell stumbled backward, drawing his sword and reaching for his shield stashed behind the booth. Leo came around the cart, mace in hand, and Vell's other men were moving in. Unfortunately he could hear his bowman screaming in pain. The devilblood launched himself off the cart slamming hard into one of Vell's boys and rebounding towards Vell himself. Vell abandoned the shield and swung at the man who turned his back to the blade, for a brief moment he thought that the fight was over right there, but his sword made a metallic clash and the bastard bent with the blow. He snapped his fingers as he turned and a blade suddenly appeared in his hand. Vell paired the guy's swing and received a boot to his chest as a counter. He caught his footing, but the Tiefling had turned with the kick and was heading straight for Leo who was in turn running at his fellow devilblood, mace held high and a battlecry escaping his open mouth. The man made no sound as he dodged Leo's telegraphed swing and stuck his short sword through Leo's throat. He turned, glanced at Vell, and apparently decided to take on a different person.

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Callus didn't like the way things were going. His boss and fellow crew were in a fight for their lives against someone who clearly knew what they were doing. Callus wasn't terribly brave, but neither was he stupid. The fastest way to end this fight was to force a stop and the girl was the only one he was going to be physically capable of taking on. Callus was also good at moving quickly and not being noticed, so moving across the road and jumping onto the cart was little issue. He leaned into the girl, pushing his knee into her ribs and holding her with his knife to her throat. He was going to yell for a halt to the fight. Had fully intended to at least, but the woman's large reddish brown eyes gave him pause. She smiled.

"You want to stab me with that? Or something else?"

That last part came out in a pur. She opened her mouth, running her tongue across her lips. Yes he did want to stab her with something else. He took a brief moment to appreciate the innuendo before quickly sheathing his knife and frantically working his belt undone. A gurgling cry caught his attention and he watched Dave hit the ground, bubbly blood foaming up from a horrific wound to his throat. Callus looked down at his hands on his belt. What in the hells was he doing? He was supposed to be taking the girl and using her to stop the fight. A full force punch to the balls sent him careening off the cart. The pain of hitting the ground drowned out by the anguish radiating from his family jewels. He saw the Tiefling, blood dripping from the short arming sword in his hand. Callus had the sense to run, but a force and sharp pain forced him into the dirt face first. He had been hit by a firebolt. That explained why his back burned with pain, but as he tried crawling away he could feel something moving. Like a heavy arrow or a javelin shifting around as he tried in vain to force himself along the ground.

"He would have asked you to surrender."

A boot to his back pinned Callus to the ground and he let out a scream as the thing in his back was torn out. Callus felt something press against the back of his neck. He cried. In pain. In fear.

"That's what Wrath would have done."

Alek opened and closed the spyglass again. "This is nice. I'm tempted to keep it. Too bad I live in the woods."

"Is it valuable?" Raiah asked.

"Yeah. Probably better off selling it."

Raiah still hadn't left the cart as Alek went around and looted the bodies.

“They probably have a camp close by. We should take a look around.” He looked at her, she made no move. He sighed. "Got it. I'll look for the damn camp myself."

***

Alek wandered the shaded market stalls of the slave auctions, ignoring the lines of Tel'ani and the few war captives that were only this far north because someone thought they'd make pricy concubines for the nobility. The Anorian contracts were a bit light as well and he wondered if he'd be leaving empty handed. Main stage had a few of the maid types and whores, but was largely populated with fit men looking for work on the docks or ships where they'd be trading a few years of their lives for a chance to learn a language, some skills, and see the world. Then there was the back row. Now that was interesting. The whole lot were chained to the decking and each one had the same symbol Un had, branded onto their necks.

"What's with the symbol?" Alek asked in Ityean while tapping his neck.

The man chained to the deck looked up in surprise, likely not expecting someone to speak to him in his own language. "Ah, it mean exile. If I am found in Anoria again." He made a chopping motion with his hand. "They take my head."

"What did you have to do to earn that?"

He shrugged. "Lose a rebellion."

"In Mizu? I thought that happened a while ago."

"Mizuyamachi, yes. We were the wounded that needed to heal enough to be moved. Skilled enough to matter I guess, but not enough for magical healing."

"Alright, what is your skill set?"

"Glass blower."

Alek nodded. "That is a good skill set." He considered setting up a Glassworks, but rejected the idea. Good profit, but too much to set up and keep running.

"Is a good mix of useful and artistic. To be useless destroys a man's soul, but to be dull does as well."

"Hmm. I suppose. I can not use a glass blower though. Good luck."

"I'm sure I'll find gainful enslavement somewhere." The man gave him a smile that seemed genuine, but held a bitter edge.

"What is with the chains?"

"Oh, we are all very dangerous, you know. Unwilling contracts pulled off the battlefields."

Alek moved along the row. He had to consider the baggage attached to each one of these people. Clearly the first man hadn't been kidding about this group having been more seriously wounded. Some people were missing limbs. Alek passed on a silversmith missing most of the fingers on his dominant hand.

"Carpenter, Akumajin."

"What have you worked on?"

The guy was whole, as far as he could tell, and human. Shorter than average, but that was normal for an Anorian. His hair was short and dark. His skin, sunsoaked and a bit leathery.

"Houses, shops, apartments, barns. Did a smithy once. Couple shrines, a grain bin or two."

"And why has nobody bought you?"

He gave Alek a weary smirk. "Because I think it is only fair to inform you that I have no intention of upholding my end of the contract."

Alek could practically feel the seller on the next stage wince with those words. Shit, Alek like the guy already. "Not a fan of forced servitude?"

"Would you be?"

"No, but I also would not let a potential buyer know that."

He shrugged. "Seems wrong not to."

“So what is the problem with the contract? Too restrictive?”

"Probably. I haven't seen it. I need to go back to Anoria as quickly as possible. I won't be staying."

"I thought that brand meant you would be executed if you were caught back in Anoria."

He nodded sadly. "Yes. That is a risk, but I am not willing to leave my family."

"Hmmm. I have seen enough to know that is a normal reaction. Can not say I feel the same. My parents abandoned me when I was six."

The Anorian wrinkled his eyebrows. "Why?"

Alek tapped one of his horns. "People here are not so fond of Akumajin. Especially if they are not Anorian."

"But your parents? I could never leave my kids."

Alek shrugged. "What if you moved your family here?"

"Ermm. Not sure I want to bring them to a place that hates Akumajin."

"I would say that is a fair point, but are they safe where they are at now?"

The look on the man's face said "no." "Would be best to move them to another kingdom."

"They do not have the money do they?"

"They do not."

"So here is my offer. We will rewrite your contract. You serve me, permanently. I will send enough gold that they can travel here. And they can choose to come or use the coin to move inside Anorian."

"And why such a generous offer?"

"I could buy your contract now. I am attempting to purchase your soul."

The Anorian frowned. "Not soul. Spirit maybe, but not soul."

"Hmmm. Might be a dialect issue."

"Could be. What's a bridge?"

"A structure that spans a gap."

The Anorian nodded sagely. "You speak very fluid Imperial. I don't speak Imperial. I suppose you find it odd that I eat soup with a bridge."

"If you accept my offer, you will need to learn Trade Common and when you think you understand it, I will switch to Port Common and watch you try to figure that out."

"You should meet a southerner."

"So, are you interested in my offer? Or should I move on?"

Saito Lin Saigo was fucking expensive. The contract was fairly priced. The lawyer wasn't bad. The box of money plus the money to get the box to its destination and all the associated fees and insurances was mind boggling. When it got to Saito's family, if it got to Saito's family, and if Saito got word back, that kind of loyalty was almost impossible to buy. Alek wondered if Wrath would be upset with him for taking advantage of the situation or proud, misplaced pride or not, of Alek's appeared altruism. Regardless, Saito was expensive. The farmer, Mai Fah Sung, was damn cheap. Dealing with Saito's issues took most of the day and Alek found Raiah waiting for him, which was welcome. Less welcoming however, was the fucking dog she had following her.