Chapter 39 - Pulling a Lady Anise

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We left the village immediately after the trial, only passing by Holiés home briefely to fetch my horse and a few of Holiés’ clothes. There we only saw Clementine as Clarisse apparently refused to come out of her room. Once we resumed our trip, the people who knew Holiés seemed conflicted at his departure as we walked the unpaved roads that led out of the circle of houses and towards Vilfori.

“So, what now?” Holiés asked me once we were outside of the village.

“Now we have to look for a slave trader, then we’ll leave towards Dulsalies. Maybe I’ll pass by the guild while I’m at it,” I said.

“You’re sure this is going to work and I won’t end up in an auction or something, right?” he asked me, a bit worried.

I sighed and said, “don’t worry, I asked someone trustworthy before proposing all of this to you.”

“And let’s hear, how and where did you find someone to ask those things?”

“Can’t you trust me a bit?”

“We’re talking about spending a life in slavery here!” he yelled at me.

“Well, I can always decide to cut off your neck here and now if you preferred that.”

He just gulped and remained silent.

“Good, I see you understand.”

We spent the rest of the trip to Vilfori in silence, though Holiés’ worries obviously hadn’t left him.

When we reached the gates I was about to just walk in as usual but a guard stopped Holiés by grabbing his arm, asking, “where do you think you’re going?”

I immediately reached the guard and said, “excuse me, I’m the guard of that criminal, is there any problem?”

The guard, a burly man in his fifties with white streaks in his short beard, looked at me, wide-eyed, and said, “Lady Fortuna! I’m sorry, I didn’t know. Still, even if it’s you, I still have to ask you to show proof of that and that he isn’t a run-away.”

“Oh, sure,” I said, opening my storage and taking the papers filled by the village chief during the trial, “here is the verdict of the trial. I was about to take him to a slave trader to have his punishment finalized.”

The guard took the papers from me and, after reading them with some difficulties, said, “everything seems alright. Do you need help with escorting him?”

“Well, I don’t know where to find a slave trader here in Vilfori yet, and if the town’s guard will be more at ease by having someone accompany me I certainly won’t refuse.”

“Very well, can I ask you to wait here for a minute?”

“Certainly.”

“Thank you,” he said, before leaving inside the guard cabins next to the gate.

“You don’t even know where you’re going to have me enslave!” Holiés whispered to me, angry.

I waved him off and said, “those are just details.”

“How is the slave trader just a detail in me getting enslaved?!”

“Don’t worry, trust me.”

“It’s becoming more and more difficult, you know?”

The guard I spoke to before came out of the cabin at that moment with another, younger guard, who was visibly yawning.

The younger guard went to take the other’s place next to the gate while the older one came up to me and said, “if you want, I’m free to accompany you to one of the registered enslavers.”

“Yes, thank you,” I said with a smile.

He nodded and said, “please, follow me, then.”

He started walking and we followed him. First he went towards the main square, but he turned just before reaching it to go towards a small street, where he escorted us up to a door that had “Fred’s collar, enslaver and slave trader” written on it.

“Thank you very much, I think I can manage from here,” I said, tying my horse on a pole outside of the shop.

“Sure, feel free to ask the city guards if any trouble arises, Lady Fortuna.”

I shoved Holiés inside the shop and entered behind him.

Inside the shop we were met by two couches with a coffee table between them on a large carpet, on the coffee table there were a magic lamp, a few pieces of paper and an inkwell with a quill next to it. A beautiful girl in her early twenties dressed with a grey skirt that reached her ankles and a white blouse was standing next to a door that lead to the rooms in the back. When she saw us enter she walked up to us and said, “what can I do fo you, dear customers?”

“I came here to have this man here turned into a slave as punishment for a crime,” I said, pushing Holiés forward a bit.

She bowed and said, “Very well, I will inform the master immediately, in the meantime, feel free to rest on one of our couches,” before leaving for the door in the back.

“This is a surprisingly nice place,” Holiés said.

“What were you expecting, a dirty basement filled with cages and excrements?” I asked, sitting on a sofa.

“Yes, actually,” he said, sitting next to me.

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“That would make the customers run away.”

“Fair enough.”

We heard the door to the back open and we turned to see a man in his sixties, with a wide, hoodless, beige robe decorated with black drawings that covered most of his figure, with a white shirt barely visible underneath it near his neck.

“Good afternoon, I’m Frederick, the master of this shop, how may I help you?” he said.

I got up from the couch and said, “good afternoon mister Alfred, I’m Fortuna Tullius, I’m here for turning this man into a slave as punishment for his crimes.”

“Please, Lady Fortuna, no need to get up to greet an old man like me, please, sit,” he said, before eyeing Holiés who was still sitting.

I sat back on the couch and Fred followed sitting on the couch in front of me.

“Could I please see the papers of the verdict?” he asked, taking out a monocle from a pocket.

“Certainly,” I said, giving him the papers I had shown the guard before.

He took them and read them for a bit before saying, “do you confirm to have been the judge at the process, Lady Fortuna?”

“Yes, is there a problem with it?”

“No, no problem, just a formality. I would have to request a document of accompaniment or a permit signed by the local guard if you weren’t one of the original signatories of the document,” he said, before giving a sign to the girl, who immediately went back behind the door.

“Oh, I see.”

“Well, we can proceed. As by law, for the escorting services, you’re also entitled to a portion of the money from the slave’s sale. Where would you like it to be deposited? It could take a while before he’s sold.”

“Actually… I’d like to buy him myself,” I said, a bit hesitant.

He lit up and said, “oh! Why didn’t you say so immediately?!”. In that moment the girl returned with some documents, he saw her and told her, “we have a Lady Anise here, get the other documents,” to which the girl immediately turned back.

“I’m sorry… a Lady Anise?” I asked, perplexed.

“Lady Fortuna, you're not the first noble to save a favorite toy from the executioner like this, we in the trade like calling a situation like this a “Lady Anise”, after the now defunct Lady of The Valleys, peace to her soul,” he said, looking up for a second, “who had her lover saved from the axe. It’s quite the touching story, you should ask a bard to sing it for you once, it’s pretty famous too.”

“I… I see.”

“But enough small talk, I’m sure you don’t want to waste your time here,” he took the papers from his assistant who had just returned, “I just need you to sign here, here, and here,” he said, pointing at three lines on the handwritten documents, “then it’s just a matter of paying two gold coins for taxes and retribution to the,” he looked at the verdict of the trial, “family of the deceased, it’s the minimum allowed by law, I’m afraid, plus the three silvers for my services.”

“Sure,” I said, and signed the documents, not before giving them a quick read, before taking the money he had requested out of my storage.

“Perfect, now if Mister…” he looked again at the verdict of the trial, “Holiés would follow me for a moment, we’ll conclude the procedure in no time.”

Holiés looked at me unsure, to which I gestured him to get up. He sighted, stood from the couch and went to the back room with the slave trader and his assistant.

A few minutes later the assistant returned and asked me, “the master asks if you’d prefer a collar or a mark, and, in case you choose the mark, where you’d like to have it placed.”

The question was a bit unexpected but I still managed to answer, “a mark… on the back, I guess?”

“Very well,” she said, before leaving again.

They all returned after a couple of minutes and the slave trader said, “we have finished the procedure, if you want, you’re free to go. I have to ask you to leave here the copy of the verdict for registration though.”

“Oh, sure.”

“Thank you, Lady Fortuna.”

“No, thank you, Mister Frederick,” I said, getting up.

“I’m just doing my job, Lady Fortuna,” he said, with a light bow.

“Well then, have a nice evening.”

“You too, Lady Fortuna, and I hope we’ll be able to do business together again.”

“I will contact you if I ever need a slave trader in this area again.”

“It’s much appreciated.”

“Goodbye,” I said, and left the shop with Holiés.

“That was… intense,” he said, once we were out.

“Was it painful?” I asked him as I freed my horse, that was luckily still there.

“No, no, I didn’t feel a thing as he… enslaved me, I meant him. That guy sure likes talking.”

“Yeah…” I said, as I started walking.

“Well, what now?”

“Now, we’re going to the adventurer’s guild, then rent a room for the night, and tomorrow we’ll leave for Dulsalies… finally.”

When we arrived at the guild I left Holiés outside with the horse and entered alone, hoping it would be quick.

When I reached the counter I found a man in his thirties waiting at it instead of the usual girl. Not for long though, as, as soon as I was about to speak, the girl who usually manned the counter came in running and shoved him away shouting, “good evening Lady Fortuna!” with a short breath.

“Good evening… Is he alright?” I said, pointing at the guy on the floor.

“Yeah, sure, what can I do for you today?” she asked, with a beaming smile as a drop of sweat ran down her cheek.

“Tomorrow I’ll leave for Dulsalies, I wanted to know if there were any quests I could do down the way.”

“Oh,” her smile disappeared, “you’re leaving already?”

(I didn’t do anything with this girl, right?)

“Yes, I’m going to spend the night in town then leave tomorrow morning.”

“Will you be staying at the Oak Keg again?” she asked, her smile again on her face.

(Ok, something definitely happened. Dammit I have to call Raziel again.)

“I think I will, I’m probably going to spend the rest of the evening there too,” I said, still not too sure about what happened with the girl in front of me.

“Perfect!” she said, clapping her hands.

“Anyway, what about those quests?”

“Oh! Right! The quests…” she said, before starting to look through the large folder that held the quest sheets.

“There are a few quests nearby but they have to be completed here at the branch, if you want quests you can complete at any branch I can make a short list of bounties for monsters and criminals that are known to be in the area you’re going to pass by.”

“Are they any different from quests?”

“Not really, just that you don’t have to accept them officially, it’s more of a first come, first serve thing. Whoever kills the objective can claim the reward at any branch.”

“Oh, that’s perfect. Can I have that list then?”

“Well, I have yet to write it, how about I give it to you at the inn?” she said, winking.

(Really, what the fuck happened?)

“Oh, ok, well, see you later then-”

“Wait! I should probably tell you before I forget,” she said, looking a bit troubled.

“What happened?”

“The guild issued a warning to all travelers not to pass near the ruins of the black castle until an investigation of the area has been done. Apparently there have been sightings of undeads in the are.”

“Oh, could I take part in that investigation?” I asked, honestly curious.

“I’m sorry, but the quest hasn’t been issued to our branch so I can’t register it.”

“Oh, I see… Well, thanks anyway. I’ll see you later, honeylips,” I said, leaving the beaming girl behind me.

(Dammit Luck! You did it again!)

I got out of the guild to find Holiés still waiting with my horse, I don’t know what face I was making but he asked, “hey, what happened in there?”

“I need alcohol.”