May, 1st, 2012 A.C, Nightfall
Theon used his summoned skeletons to help remove the tree from the road and then ordered them to go back to the earth, or at least he did so with the ones that Aincrad and Sev could see. Once the road was free, they continued their trip and they were finally to arrive in the compound barely half an hour after the sky got completely dark. They counted themselves really lucky that no aura beast attacked them on their way, attracted by the scent of blood and the noise of the recent combat.
Upon arriving at the complex, they checked in with the security guard at the entrance, and he pointed them to a special pavilion where the slave dealer could “unload his merchandise” so the slaves could relieve themselves, take a shower and have dinner before going to sleep. Theon spent a few minutes with one of the slaves, but when Aincrad asked him about it, he just answered, “I was just curious about something, nothing important”.
Their next stop was the security office. Just like mister Aincrad had said, killing the bandits reduced their value greatly, but even so, Theon was quite happy with the two silver plates and the big silver coin he received, a quantity that amounted more or less to a month of salary in his actual work. One silver plate had flown away almost immediately after taking his reward, as Theon went around the stores in the compound and bought himself new, clean clothes, a new broad sword made of steel to replace his bone weapon, and a hip bag enchanted with space-time magic. Oh, and a bag of gummy bears for Ivy.
Among the slaves there was a girl around five years old, the daughter of one of those who were being transported. The way Aincrad would explain later, underage slavery was illegal and punished with twenty years to life-time slavery. In the case of criminal slaves, their children were sent to a public institution, but debt slaves and willing slaves had the right to keep the custody over their children, as long as one of their parents wasn't actually the legal master of the other.
Ivy, shortened version of Evelyn, had unexpectedly touched something within Theon. She was an adorable little angel, with her reddish auburn hair parted into pigtails, her honey-colored eyes, her freckled nose and the dimples always present around her mouth, given that she was always smiling or laughing. Apparently, her mother had given her permission to walk around the compound for a while before bedtime, as long as one of the people that sat at the front of the truck was with her all the time. The girl had taken well to him and grabbed his hand, guiding him through the compound because apparently these places had a standard layout, or so told him the little chatterbox in her own way.
While Theon was looking at shops, the girl almost didn't stop talking. She was a very active and energetic girl, so having to sit all day in a truck was hard on her. On top of that, the little play time she could get during this trip was boring for her, because Sev the driver was busy with work things and mister Aincrad was old and he couldn't “follow her pace”.
Theon found himself laughing, chatting with the girl, making jokes and trying silly hats or ridiculous clothes in the shop to make her laugh. Her favorite gummy bears were the yellow ones, just like him. Ivy looked around with curiosity when they entered the armory, because her mother had never allowed her to enter a place like that, and Theon had to explain her that this was the shop where they sold and repaired weapons and armor, as well as some utility gear like the transport bag he would end up buying.
While Theon was looking for his own gear, Ivy stood in front of an specific section, with her arms crossed and a serious expression on her face. When he came by her side and saw the sabers, falchions and katanas, she explained: “My birth skill is curved sword, just like mommy's, but she says I'm too young to have my own sword and start training”.
Theon knelt by her side. “Well, I'm sure your mom wants the best for you. I'm not an expert of any kind, but I heard that some children can grow up crooked if they start training physical skills too young”.
Evelyn tilted her head. “But I heard that you are very strong, and you're not that old. Why is it that you're not crooked?”
“Well, I have trained very hard”, said Theon chuckling, “But my birth skill is not broad sword, but barrier magic”.
The girl opened her eyes wide. “You became so strong with just training, or is it because of your Treasure? Oh, wait, it can't be your Treasure because it is just a book. I wonder if I will get a weapon like my parents, but my mother said that she will pray that I don't. Isn't that mean?”
“Well, in this case as well, your mother is wishing for your happiness. She doesn't want you to become a Lost Woman in the future”.
Ivy raised an eyebrow, something that Theon found really cute. “What is that? My mommy is not lost, she's in that building over there, with the other people that travel at the back of the truck”.
He couldn't help but laugh at first, but then he got serious and answered, “A Lost Woman is one who has received a Sacred Treasure that kills. During the years after the Cataclysm people started believing that women with certain treasures attracted the grudges of dead people, and those grudges would kill any man who... er... married one of these women. It may look just like a superstition at first, but supposedly there are registered cases where men died young after marrying a Lost woman. Even in this day and age, most people still believe in such a superstition, reason why almost every Lost Woman spends her life in solitude, without getting to find a husband and get married”. Theon had told a little lie at that point, just because he could not explain to such a little girl that the condition to be cursed by a Lost Woman was not marriage, but sexual intercourse.
Ivy opened her eyes wide. “Is that why my daddy died before I was born? My mommy put a curse on him?”
Theon answered hurriedly, not wanting to make a misunderstanding. “Lost Women do not curse men, it's just that when they receive their Treasure, they also get a curse that infects their husband, no matter if they want it or not. I'm sure that your parents loved each other a lot, the proof is that your father married your mother even though he knew he could be cursed”.
They stayed in companionable silence until Sev came to retrieve the little girl. She gave Theon a kiss on the cheek and ran towards the dark-skinned slave. The young man stood up and went to meet with mister Aincrad after taking a shower and changing into his new clothes. Aincrad wanted to show his gratitude by paying for all of his expenses, but Theon insisted on paying for himself at every point, claiming that he was freeloading enough by joining them on their trip.
They paid for the compound hotel's wake-up service to call them by five a.m, and to have breakfast ready half an hour later. They went to bed, exhausted, and Theon felt glad that he could finally sleep in a bed after six nights of forced camping in the wilderness.
May, 2nd, 2012 A.C, Early morning.
Once they left the mountains behind and they got onto the paved, more leveled roads, Sev was finally able to drive the truck at a steady, faster pace. Inside the cab there was a second row of seats that could be converted into a bunk bed. Theon was sitting in one of those back seats, with his elbow and part of his face poking out of the open window and thinking of what happened last night.
Mister Aincrad cleared his throat. “Well, young Theon, I have been thinking”.
Theon perked up when he heard his name. “Yes, sir? What is it?”
“Well, last night you kept your stubborn stance of paying for your expenses with your own money, and it is something I can understand and respect, but it causes trouble for me: what you did for me, for all of us in this truck, can not be repaid with just a seven hour trip. Lord Muhr can see in all directions at the same time, and he doesn't like people who don't pay the favors they receive in kind, you know?”
Theon felt awkward, not knowing how to answer, but Aincrad kept talking without noticing that.
“So, as I was saying, I've been thinking about it last night and the whole morning today. I have actually come up with a good idea to solve this issue, but first let me get some facts straight, if you don't mind. You said you are in the last year of senior high school, right? That means you are close to becoming eighteen years old, if you haven't gotten there already”.
“I'll be eighteen the fifth of July, sir”.
Aincrad nodded his head. “And, given the mistreatment you have been receiving because of your Treasure, I would say that you have had no luck whatsoever with women, right?”
This time, Theon looked actually sad. “Well, there was a certain someone, but in the end it didn't really work out”.
Aincrad saw the boy's face through the rear view mirror inside the cab, but didn't want to poke his nose into that topic right now, it looked like a fresh wound. “Then the idea I had was right on point; in the name of Muhr, I promise you that when we reach the town where we will be parting ways, you can choose a female life-time slave from my cargo and I will gladly transfer her to you as a slave wife, no matter her market value. Hell, I can even give you a willing slave if she agrees, that way you won't have to worry about taxes and other issues by the time it becomes fifth of July”.
“Mayra...” The name had come out of Theon's mouth before he himself could notice.
The old merchant laughed. “I can imagine why a healthy young man like you would want to have a woman like her. Sadly, I can't give her to you for four reasons: first, she is twelve, maybe thirteen years older than you. Second, she is little Evelyn's mother, and I don't think a young man like you wants to be a father so soon, even more so if it is another man's child. Third, you saw her saber; she is a Lost Woman, and even if you don't mind about these three reasons, she is a debt slave, not a life-time slave, so she doesn't fit into what I just promised”.
“A debt slave? Well, it makes sense to a certain extent. I can't think of such a woman becoming a criminal slave unless someone tried to do something to her daughter”.
Aincrad opened his mouth as if he was going to say something, but instead he searched his bag and produced a semi-transparent rectangle in a frame made of bronze. He winked at it twice in rapid succession with his right eye and the screen lighted up with icons and folders, then he touched the desired one to open it and twisted his body uncomfortably in his seat to pass the artifact to Theon, who was behind him.
"The folder I just opened in the S-Pad contains the info files on all the female life-time and willing slaves I'm carrying right now. If you don't get motion sickness, read them in the truck, ask me anything you want to know, and we can have private interviews this evening with all the girls that catch your attention”.
His first impulse was to try and look for Mayra's file, but he got a prompt from the device as he tried to go to a different folder: “biometric input is required to navigate outside the current folder and the files it contains. The device will block itself and warn the registered owner if the attempt to breach security continues”.
As such, Theon resigned himself and started by reading over the names in the list of files. At first, he felt reluctant about taking a condemned criminal as a slave wife for several reasons, but Aincrad appeased most of his worries by telling him that the slave crest had a certain set of rules implemented, like forbidding any harmful act towards the master, or causing the slave instant death if their master died, everything to make sure that the slave wouldn't cause the owner's death by action or by omission of action. These rules even allowed the master to set up in what kind of situations could the slave use their Sacred Treasure without asking for permission first. Theon asked about the other side of the matter that was on his head: taking a slave wife would mean tying a probably unwilling woman to himself, something that made him feel guilty.
Aincrad smiled, appreciating the boy's naivety. “Well, taking into account that they can end up sold to a brothel, being mistreated in a depraved noble's sexual dungeon, or being worked to the bone the rest of their lives in any kind of heavy industry, I'm quite sure they will be happy and grateful for having the chance of living peacefully as a promising young man's slave wife. In fact, thinking about everything I just said, I would go as far as promising that their gratitude and affection towards you will be genuine”.
Theon read through the files, looking out through the window for a few minutes every time he started to feel the uncomfortable effects of reading while in a moving vehicle. From time to time, he asked questions or simply conversed with Aincrad and Sev, and eventually he reduced the initial eleven candidates to just five. After all, until he actually talked with the girls in person he had no other criteria than their age and appearance to discard them.
They made a technical stop to refuel the truck and let the “passengers” stretch their legs and tend to their needs. Driver and merchant cursed their luck once again, because the young man tending to their vehicle informed them of a faint burnt smell, and when the engine compartment was opened, they found out that a filter had valiantly fought to the last minute to keep the truck going, but in the end it had perished honorably. Aincrad was beside himself with rage, given that such a thing should have been fixed the previous night at the mountain compound.
In the end, the only thing he could do was to wait for the repairs. They were lucky enough that the workshop at the gas station had the right replacement, but the delay in changing pieces would mean that they would arrive in town for a late lunch and then they would have to spend the night there because the next town was too far to make the trip in one go.
Fuming with anger, Aincrad used his S-Pad to connect to the WWAN (World Wide Aura Network) and file a public complaint, claiming that he had paid for a service he did not actually receive. Slaves were guided back into the cargo section and Theon could spend some more time with Ivy while the people at the gas station worked on the truck until they were finally able to get back on the road.
May, 2nd, 2012 A.C, Afternoon.
They finally arrived in a town quite close to the border with the Theocracy, and Sev moved to guide the slaves as he always did, keeping aside the girls who were going to have an interview with Theon, while his master placed a hand on the boy's shoulder and guided him amiably to the nearest establishment to have their awaited lunch.
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“Wow, a town tavern, Mister Aincrad? Not to be offensive, but I expected something more high class from you, or is it that the business isn't going so well?” Theon laughed, hoping that his counterpart would take the joke for what it was.
Aincrad laughed, with a hand still on Theon's shoulder, and pulled the boy closer to himself and whispered: “I'll tell you a little secret of every itinerant merchant: fancy restaurants are good to celebrate that you're back at home, but when you're on the job, taverns for common people not only are cheaper, but they are a goldmine of local gossip. You can learn a lot about how are things going in town, and use the info to stay longer or, on the contrary, leave the place as soon as you can. Oh, and put your sword in your storage bag, many small towns like this one are quite peculiar about outsiders carrying weapons in public”.
Theon nodded to himself, trusting the older man's experience. After putting his sword out of sight and double checking that the clasps in his bag were secured, he entered the tavern with Aincrad and sat at a table in front of him. The locals stared daggers at them for a few moments, but they did their best to ignore it and ordered their meals.
The food wasn't bad, and the rations were quite big, considering their price. With time, people started ignoring the newcomers and went back to their usual conversations. Theon and Aincrad ate mostly in silence, their ears focused on the chat of the locals: a young man lost to an aura beast near the border, a city guard executed for corruption, abusive feudal lord, a priest of the Church who started giving orders outside his supposed authority...
With his plate empty clean, Aincrad lighted a cigar, and giving it a couple deep puffs, he leaned towards Theon and whispered “Well, boy, I don't know about you, but I think I would prefer to spend the night on the road to staying in this place more than necessary, so let's get on with the interviews so Sev and I can scamper from this town, as they say. I even feel sorry for you; the shuttle to the nearest big city comes only once a day, so you... and you new wife, will have to spend the night here, unless you want to keep traveling with us for around three days until we reach the next town with a shuttle stop”.
Theon made a negative gesture with his head, explaining that he was pressed for time, so they moved to a cafe, and when both men had been served their drinks, Sev brought in the five potential candidates, instructing four of them to line up against the wall while he guided the first interviewee towards her potential master and spouse. Once the girl was introduced to both men, Sev got out of the shop and went back with the rest of the slaves.
Claire was an elegant beauty, with ashen blonde hair and big, clear green eyes and a well proportioned figure. From her file, Theon knew that she was less than six months older than him, so he thought at first that she had her hands at her hips in an attempt to prevent the skimpy pieces of cloth covering her front and back from moving and showing too much, but then she raised her voice. “Mister Aincrad, I can't believe you are actually thinking of offering me for free to this kid. I'm a willing slave, but I am a top-class item that could earn you quite the profit. I'm sure when we reach a big city I will catch the eye of a young, rich merchant or even a handsome noble, I'm not going to let myself get caught by a high school student of dubious origin”.
Before she could say another word, Theon raised a hand. “After hearing you talk, I'm sure I don't want you either. Good luck realizing your fairy tale”.
Claire stared at him, wide-eyed and open-mouthed, and finally stormed out of the shop screaming, “What nerve! How dare you!”
Aincrad sighed, mumbling an apology, and made a gesture for the next girl to approach, but the one on the second spot from last practically threw herself at Theon's feet, crying and begging, but Aincrad admonished her. Theon saw her so desperate that he asked the slave merchant to let her talk.
With her emotions still a little out of control, she explained hurriedly: “You are going to take one of us as a slave wife, right? Please, I beg you, take me! I will be obedient, I will always be willing when you want to fuck me, I will also be a good mother to your children... but please, make me yours! If nobody takes me I will be given to the mines in the next stop! I have heard it's like hell on earth, they make you work twenty six hours a day, and when they chain you to a wall the remaining six hours so you can sleep, the guards rape you over and over! Every day like that until you die of exhaustion or lose your sanity and the guards kill you to hide what they are really doing!”
The girl, Willa, was thin on first sight, but she showed fit muscle on her arms, legs and belly. She was quite cute, with her blonde hair cut short, her freckles and her blue eyes. She wasn't very top-heavy, a C cup at most, but she had wide hips and well rounded thighs that showed the promise of a tight, round ass. Her terror seemed genuine to Theon, but something didn't fit in his mind.
“How did you end up as a life-time slave, Willa? Maybe I'm being naive, but at first sight you don't look to me like someone who would earn something like this”.
“Well, the thing is, a little more than two months ago, a group of guys cornered me when I got out of work late in the night, dragged me into a dark alley and tried to rape me, so I... uh... kind of broke them and almost all of them ended up dead”.
Theon's jaw dropped. “You say you broke them?”
Willa raised her hands, making a brief gesture of pain when she forgot that her hands were in chains, so she tilted her head to point at the platinum, moon shaped ear cuffs that covered the outer arc of her ear. “They didn't know because I didn't have the habit or the need to use them, but my Sacred Treasure can raise my strength to the base of six digits temporarily”.
Theon frowned. “Well, that's just self-defense”. He turned to Aincrad. “And doesn't that make her a Lost Woman as well? Her file didn't say anything about such a status”.
“The leader of the group who tried to rape her was the son of a noble, whose wounds were so severe that he won't recover completely even with the use of magic, and about her status, it is actually kind of a loophole in the system: her Treasure gives her the power to kill people, however she isn't a Lost Woman because her Treasure is a pair of earrings and can't be used to harm people directly”.
Willa continued from where Aincrad left it, “I was supposed to be a concubine for the noble brat who tried to rape me together with his minions, but the new laws about the power of nobility came out and they no longer could take custody of someone they themselves had condemned to slavery, so they sold me to Mister Aincrad, encouraging him quite insistently to sell me at the mines in the mountains close to this town”.
Theon made his firm resolution at that moment, but when he was about to tell Aincrad that he wanted to have Willa, a clamor of screams, some of rage and some of fear, cut their conversation and everyone rushed outside to see what was happening. Both men ran, following the sounds, while the slave girls followed behind them as fast as they could with their chained ankles.
They arrived at the main square of the town, where there was already a crowd formed around a smaller group; Sev was being held by two men adorned with the colors and the crest of the city guard. Mayra was half laying on the ground, with a hand on her cheek and giving a killing glare to a fat, stubby guy with sand blond hair who held a staff in one hand, and little Ivy's wrist in the other,
Aincrad told the girls behind him to go directly to the truck and don't show up at the square, and he walked between the people towards his servant and his merchandise, vaguely aware that Theon was following behind him.
As he saw his master emerging from the crowd, Sev shouted, “Mister Aincrad!” but he wasn't able to say anything more because one of the guards punched his ribs and ordered him to stay quiet.
The fat man looked at Aincrad with contempt written all over his face, without moving an inch from his position. When he spoke with his obnoxious voice, he made it sound like he thought he was doing a favor by addressing him.
“Oh, the slave merchant, I presume? Don't worry, in my authority as Feudal Lord of this town and the lands that surround it, I have sent a group of guards to secure your truck until you can give me a private show of your cargo tomorrow evening. For now, we sadly have to take care of this horrible matter in front of us”.
Behind Aincrad, Theon whispered “What a way to say that he's kidnapping your cargo to steal whatever suits him. But why are the guards supporting him in something like this? With the new laws they should be arresting this idiot instead of following him!”
The merchant answered in an equally low voice. “Maybe they are bought. It seems quite clear that he has used his authority to impose an info blockage on this town, and the people doesn't know about the recent change in legislation”.
Aincrad walked forward with Theon still behind him, stopping just a few steps away from the corrupted noble, and spoke to him politely, trying to hide the ire and indignation that burned inside of him. “Good evening, my Lord, my name is Lemuel Aincrad and I am, in fact, a slave merchant. What is this horrible matter you speak of? As I just arrived, I only see my personal servant being mistreated by the guard, one of my merchandise beaten and laying on the ground, and a minor under the legal custody of said slave being taken away from her mother”.
The noble frowned, obviously not used to being recriminated for his actions. Instead of simply answering to the man in front of him, the blond, pig-faced man,raised his double chin, showing a dark red line on his neck, and spoke as if he was giving a speech to the crowd around him.
“Don't you dare go against me, you dirty slave merchant, I am doing the work of the Goddess here! Just look at this! Here we have a woman with a sword at her hip, obviously a Lost Woman!” He started pacing around in his spot as he presented his arguments. “But what is this, she claims that she has a daughter? She's obviously a witch who has stolen an innocent child, or even worse, she bewitched a pure and innocent man to get her pregnant, cursing him and leading him to death”.
The noble kept pacing around, looking at the faces of the audience while he caught his breath. The girl in his left hand looked down in silence, what made him think she was quite the brave little thing. His dark desires raised inside him, urging him to finish this charade and just take her home... take her.
“As such, as any pious follower of the Goddess should do, I condemn this witch to die in fire! As for her offspring, I will take her under my wing to guide her back onto the right path. This is my will as the Feudal Lord, now go forth and accomplish it!”
For a second nobody moved, and Theon took the chance to walk up to the noble, close enough so they could whisper to each other. “Both of us know that what you're doing is illegal and outside your authority”.
The feudal lord showed a disgustingly arrogant smile and whispered back “I am Oliver Voss. I am the only law that counts out here, brat, so be very careful with your words because if you cross me in the slightest I will have you hanged from a stick with your guts spilling out”.
Theon frowned. “So this is the attitude you're going to take? Very well”. He faked turning around, and when the noble relaxed his posture, Theon stretched his arm towards towards Voss, who moved his arm to put Ivy away from Theon's grasp at the same time that he called for his guards. The two men dropped Sev to the ground, but Voss had misinterpreted Theon's goal. Instead of trying to take Ivy back by force, he grabbed the transparent vial on Voss' chest and yanked it away, breaking the thin silver chain used to hang it around the corrupted feudal lord's neck.
Before anyone could do anything, Theon uncorked the vial, letting half of its white, gooey content cover his right hand, dedicating a silent prayer to the gods so he didn't get the content of the vial wrong.
He raised his hand for everyone to see and shouted, “Your feudal lord has lied to you all! A little over two months ago, the Council of Kings of the Conglomerate approved a set of laws to reduce the power of nobility, in order to prevent abuse and the possible rebellions that would come from it! One of those laws says that a feudal lord or a noble can never order for someone to be executed, under any circumstance. If they actually do, both the noble and the executioner will be given death sentence, so the highest punishment a noble or a feudal lord can give is life-time slavery”.
The guards stopped in their tracks, turning to their lord and looking at him with a serious expression. Sweat started pearling Voss' forehead and he took a step back.
“Oh, right, I might have gone a little too far in my pious zeal”. He turned to one of his adjutants, “You, use you curse magic to change that wench into a life-time slave”.
The man in question approached Mayra, placing a hand over the slave crest at the back of her neck to reveal the architecture of her curse, and started altering the lines that formed it. Aincrad tried to prevent it, but one of the guards sent him to the ground striking him with the shaft of his spear. When the adjutant nodded to Voss, signaling that the work had been done, the feudal lord smiled, thinking that everything was back under his control, and Voss promised himself that he would have that meddlesome brat skinned alive.
Theon, on the other hand, didn't say anything during the process, he only stood there, with his hand covered in white goo high in the air, smiling softly.
“Well, now that she has received the highest punishment I can give, I'll take mother and daughter into my custody to...”
“Condemning someone into slavery and then taking ownership or making use of them”, interrupted Theon, “Raising taxes without a written permit from the king, ordering citizens to give more money than the taxes they already pay, asking for belongings or merchandise, trying to force women into giving sexual favors... these and other things are now cause for a crime known as abuse of power, something that is punished with the loss of titles, lands and possessions, going as far as paying with life-time slavery in the most severe cases”.
Another man, obviously a priest judging by his clothes, came out of the crowd. He moved as if everything around belonged to him. The priest looked around at the crowd, looking at the gathered people in the face with an accusing gaze. He sighed, shaking his head in disappointment, and walked towards Theon.
“Young man, why are you so set on saving these sinners?” Without waiting for his answer, he turned to the guards. “And you, what do you think you're doing, letting this heretic live even another second?”
One of the guards stuttered, nervous, “B-but, the laws...”
The priest interrupted him. “Since when are the laws of men above the law of the Goddess? Your obedience should be with the Goddess and the Church first, and then with your feudal lord! How can you pay heed to the words of an outsider!”
Theon slapped the priest in the mouth, staining him with the white substance in his hand, and then he kept speaking while the priest recovered from the surprise. “Did you know that the new laws not only talk about nobles? I bet you knew that there is a new law saying that any kind of meddling in the inner affairs of a country member the Conglomerate, or any attempt at trying to take control over politics, security, economy and so on, will be considered as an attempt of invasion from the Theocracy. You are not the voice of The Mother Goddess on Earth, you are just parasites who use Her name as a weapon to threaten people into submission, to rob them of their will and money”.
The priest looked Theon in the eyes with burning hatred, but said nothing. “See?” The boy said, pointing at the priest. Now he had the crowd in his pocket. “His mouth is stained with white fire, so he prefers to stay silent because trying to say that anything I just said isn't true would set him on fire”.
Voss started hitting a nearby fountain with his staff until it broke. “You all belong to me!” He screamed at the guards at the top of his lungs, “You will do what I say and kill these outsiders right this instant, because I am the Feudal Lord!!” He screamed so hard that his voice broke at the end.
Theon placed his left hand at his hip and spoke again, unfazed. “The city guard has been absorbed into the army, and now they obey the chain of command in the army, not the local nobles”.
The guard who tried to speak with the priest earlier raised his voice: “The city guard is now part of the army? How can that be?”
“Well, in a city of this size, guards now would count as soldiers, veteran guards count as ten-men captains, turn chiefs are now fifty-men captains and the captain of the guard would be a one-hundred-men captain... with all that it means: wages, bonuses, insurance, paid leaves... From the information I've been able to gather, all of that didn't happen here because your previous guard captain was condemned and executed for crimes he didn't commit, only to put someone corrupted in his place, someone who would turn a blind eye on everything the feudal lord, the priest and others would do. For the right pay, of course. The way things are right now, I would bet your feudal lord was planning on giving his lands to the Theocracy in exchange for a rank and the authority to keep treating all of you as cattle”.
The man in front of Theon hit the ground with his weapon. Tears started flowing from his closed eyes as he talked. “I always knew the captain was a good man, that he couldn't have done the things they said... but we are just a little more than a hundred, we aren't enough to face the feudal lord and his private army”.
Theon walked up to him and put his left hand on the guard's shoulder. “The new laws say that a noble can hire private guards, but if their number exceeds twenty percent of the nearest city guard they will be automatically charged with attempting a rebellion. You can arrest him and call the nearest city for reinforcements, because all of you now are part of the army”.
The guard wiped his tears, nodded at Theon with a look of steely determination and activated a flare that hanged from his belt. Voss and the priest tried to run away, but the townspeople gathered prevented them from leaving. Not long after that, more guards came, the one who had spoken with Theon read Voss' list of crimes for everyone to hear, and with the feudal lord chained and screaming, they departed for the guard headquarters, where they would imprison their illegitimate feudal lord and the corrupted guard captain.
Theon helped Aincrad to get up, and as he patted the dust off the old slave trader, he whispered, “Now she's a life-time slave, right? Please fulfill that promise you made in the name of Muhr and give Mayra to me, as my slave wife”.
Aincrad looked at the boy with mouth agape, and thought that she had misinterpreted the boy quite badly.