The shady guy before me continued to stare me down, an inscrutable smirk on his face. I couldn't have ignored him and kept walking. He was obviously talking to me, and I had already acknowledged him by stopping instead of walking past. He had me.

I turned to look at him properly, getting a better picture of what he looked like. He was exceedingly short and stout, wearing an old-timey suit, complete with coattails and top hat. He looked like an evil baron. "Sorry," I said, my face neutral, "But I don't want whatever you're trying to sell me. Bye."

I moved to walk past, but he continued talking. "You need people, don't you? People you can trust. You won't find any in this town. None who will work with you, at least." I turned to glance at him. "I can help you with that."

The offer was intriguing, but I didn't know what it entailed. "I don't know what business that is of yours." I didn't want to give him any sign of actual interest. If I did, he'd only double his efforts to convince me. "Besides, I don't have the funds or desire to hire any sort of money-grubbing capitalist." A bit hypocritical, given how much thought I'd given to setting up an income, but it was true enough.

The man chuckled. "Of course not. I don't deal in recruitment. My services are something much more valuable."

I cocked a brow. "Oh? And what might that be?"

His grin widened. He had me now, or so he thought. Still, I was interested enough to give him a chance, at the least. "Interested?" He asked, sliding over to me.

Rather than answer, I stepped back. "Back off. We aren't friends." He chuckled at that.

"I like you, kid. Like I said, I deal in something more valuable than blades for hire. That is to say," He paused, as if for dramatic effect. He even spun his walking stick in the air. "I deal in slaves."

Instinctually, I was shocked. Of course, in medieval settings like this, slavery wasn't necessarily an odd thing, but it was one thing to see it in a game and another to have it offered to you in person. My immediate image of it was people in chains, getting whipped and forced to work. It wasn't a pleasant image. "They're bound by powerful magic." He told me. "If they attempt to disobey or attack their masters, the magic will activate and cause pain. If they continue trying, the magic can outright kill them, though the pain is usually enough of a deterrent."

Still… I needed someone I could trust. Really trust. Someone who would be physically unable to betray me pr steal from me was rather tempting, even to my modern sensibilities. "I guess it couldn't hurt to hear you out," I said, to his obvious pleasure.

"Follow me, sir." He led me down a shady back alley. The further we went, the more sketchy characters I spotted. The sounds of rattling carriage wheels and boisterous laughter that could be heard back on the main streets was replaced with the sounds of fragile things breaking and various screams. Even this castle town had an underside, it seemed.

We rounded a corner, and found ourselves in a large open area occupied by something like a circus tent. "Right this way, sir." The man said, leading me towards the tent. His stroll was weird, almost jaunty. It was like he was skipping, but I didn't know what type of person could be so joyful in an atmosphere like this. I entered the tent behind him.

The place smelled, that was the first thing I noticed. The smell of rot and general filth hung heavily in the air, almost tangible in how thick it was. The place was filled with big metal cages. It was dark, but I could see the silhouettes of humanoid figures moving around inside of them. "Listen," I said, keeping my face neutral despite the surroundings, "I don't tolerate tricks or scams. If you're planning on doing something untoward, forget it."

He chuckles. "Of course, of course. You've already got that sort of reputation with the merchants around town. To be honest, I had originally approached you in hopes of getting you as a slave, but I've changed my mind."
My eyes widened. I really shouldn't have been surprised, but I was. Still, his frame wasn't very imposing, so it didn't worry me too much. I wouldn't let him enslave me, so who cared if he wanted to? "That so? What made you change your mind?"

"I got the feeling you'd be a great client." Ugh, that sent yet another shiver down my spine. This guy was bad news, for sure. I decided not to ask him to elaborate on what made me such a client. I knew I wouldn't like the answer.

"Well?" I said, looking around the tent, "Aren't you going to show me the wares? Let's get this pitch of yours over with."

He gestured for me to come further into the tent, leading me towards a specific cage. "This one," He said, as he pointed at the cage, "Comes with my highest recommendation." Inside the cage, a fur-covered humanoid that had to be at least seven feet tall roared, slamming its claws against the metal cage.

"It's not human." I said. No shit, Naofumi. I wished I hadn't said that, but it was too late.

"No, it's a beastman. It's sentient, though. For all intents and purposes, even if it isn't human, it is a person." A beastman. Not human, but still sentient.

I turned to him. "Could you elaborate? I'm still very new here." Occasionally, as I'd walked through town, I noticed certain people with animalistic features, but there weren't many of them. I'd chalked it up to just being a fantasy thing and had moved on, but it was odd.

"Yes. Demi-humans are technically human, but are different, in obvious ways, like their ears and tails, but also in more subtle ways in how their bodies function. Beastmen are a subclass of demihuman who are especially bestial. Both of them are seen as less than humans in this country, so they are discriminated against. Of course, human slaves would not be tolerated, but beastmen and demi-humans are not technically illegal, so I only keep those." He chuckled. "If you wanted a human slave, you'd have to go somewhere like Siltvelt, of course."

I filed that information away for later. Siltvelt was a country where humans could be enslaved. I wondered how one might get to such a country, but decided now wasn't the time to probe for such information. Still, the idea that they weren't human made their being in cages slightly less distasteful.

"Now, all of these slaves have been given a slave crest. That slave crest can do many things, but at its most basic, it prevents them from disobeying or attacking you. It will automatically punish them if they attempt it. Also…" He turned to the werewolf-like beastman in the cage and snapped his fingers. Immediately, a shape on the beastman's chest began to glow. It let out a shriek of pain, slapping its hands into the bottom of a cage. After a moment, the shape faded, and the pain seemed to as well.

"Punishment at the snap of your fingers, as easy as that. The pain steadily ramps up the longer you keep the seal active, and it can kill the slave from shock if used too long or too frequently, so keep that in mind."

It was pretty horrifying magic. It would totally allow you to subvert someone's will, just by applying it. If he had somehow managed to get one of those on me, it was game over, whether I liked it or not. "So, if I purchase a slave, I will be given control of the slave's crest, correct?" The slaver nodded.

"Of course. Once purchased, you will be the only one who has control over the crest. I will remove my own control, naturally." I nodded. Naturally, if he could still control the slaves after buying them, there would be concerns that he could scam you by forcing the slave to return to him or something like that. "There will be a brief ceremony necessary after the purchase, to transfer that control."

"Well," I said, "How much for this one?"

The slaver hummed. "You must understand, beastmen are very powerful combatants, especially one this high level. I'll need fifteen gold pieces." I scoffed. He knew when he showed me the slave that I couldn't afford it. He was showing off.

"I'll keep that in mind." I said. We both knew I didn't have the cash to buy it, but I didn't need to say it out loud and confirm his suspicions. We were both making bluffs. He was showing me his most expensive slave, so that I'd impart some of this one's quality onto the others, and I was hiding how much money I had, so he wouldn't be able to play around my budget. "Why don't we check out some weaker ones? I'm so low level, I have no real use for this slave. Besides, I want to train the slave myself, if I purchase one at all."

The slaver nodded. "Of course, of course. Follow me, then."

Before he could do anything, I quickly added, "I require one that is of sound body. No serious injuries, understand?" He nodded, and I followed him deeper into the maze of cages.

"Sir," He said, curiously, "We have slaves for battle, or labor, but I have heard rumors of your proclivities. Would you like me to show you our… pleasure slaves, first?"

"I didn't do that." I said, arms crossed. "I have no need for a useless thing like that. I need one that will be suitable for use in battle. I don't need an expert warrior, but one I can train, at least."

The slaver chuckled. This slimeball was really starting to get on my nerves! "That so? So the rumors are false, eh? Very well. Follow me."

He continued walking, and soon enough, we entered an area filled with smaller, weaker looking slaves. Children and teens, mostly. I had to purse my lips and force myself not to look as disgusted as I was. "These will be our most economical slaves, sir. They're all very low level."
I shrugged. "So am I. I will train them with me." He nodded.

"An interesting perspective, for one so distrustful." I didn't respond to that. What is there to distrust about a slave? I'd seen how powerful the magic was. They wouldn't betray me. Ignoring his presence, I began to walk around, surveying the slaves. I saw a young man with rabbit ears, his arm twisted in an odd direction. There was a positively tiny girl, shivering and coughing, with dog-like ears tied above her head and a puffy tail standing straight up from fear. A lizard man with shifty eyes, who looked like he wanted to kill someone. There were many others, as well. Every single one of them looked downtrodden and miserable, and who could blame them?

The slaver was saying something about prices and such, but I didn't care. The most expensive slave in this area was less than the amount of money I had on me, and the breed or gender of the slave did not matter to me in the slightest. I spent a bit more time pacing, and came to a stop in front of the female with the puffy tail.

I squatted down in front of her cage, looking at her for a moment. She was haggard, and her face was sorrowful. She moved back to the back of the cage when she saw me, but didn't say anything.

"Why is she so quiet?" I asked, continuing to study the girl.

"These slaves are punished when they make too much noise." I wasn't sure what to make of that. Did that mean these slaves were well trained, or that he couldn't train them at all? It was hard to say.

"Tell me about this one." I stood back up, moving away from the girl's cage. The slaver nodded, though he was giving me a peculiar look.

"She's a racoon type demi-human. Costs 30 silver. She's level one, so a total blank slate. I've only had her for a little while, but she was a slave before that. She's been sold a couple times, before she ended up with me. She's a raccoon type, so she's not going to be very popular. A fox type, or a cat type, those would be much more expensive."

Interesting. "Tell me about her. Why has she been sold so much?"

"Apparently," He continued, "Her first master captured her after some disaster. He got his kicks torturing demihuman slaves, but got bored of her. Obviously, being tortured for a long period of time didn't leave her in the best of health, so she wasn't much use to her owners after that. She has panic attacks in the night, and some sort of illness that makes her cough."

I nodded, taking it in. If she'd come from that sort of background, it was natural she'd have panic attacks. "How long?" I asked. "I mean, how long do you think she's been a slave?"

He hummed. "Well, most likely less than a year, as far as I know."

I couldn't stand the sight of her. She looked so pathetic, and frail. Her eyes were terrified, as she looked at me, but she made no attempt to flee or fight. She was totally resigned to her fate. "I'm buying her." I told the slaver firmly. The girl seemed even more scared to hear that.

Internally, I tried to rationalize. I wasn't just buying her because it hurt my conscience to leave her. She was a blank slate. If I trained her, she'd be useful. That was what I was telling myself. Then again, what was so bad about a hero buying a slave to give her a better life? That seemed pretty damn heroic to me, and if I wanted to make a good impression on the people of this place, freeing slaves for no reason other than wanting to might be a good thing.

The slaver opened her cage, and fastened a metal collar around her neck. She had her hands clutched to her chest in fear, looking up at me with wide, watery eyes. To be honest, I didn't really believe I could make such a small girl useful in combat, but I had to try. He attached a chain to the metal collar, and was now leading the girl towards the exit of the tent. I followed close behind. On the way, he called a worker to grab some pertinent items that would be needed for the ceremony, or so I presumed.

We were led out into the alley, and once again into a door, leading us into a small office. A dish was set down on a table, and filled with ink. Then, the slaver handed me a small knife. "You need to mix some of your blood with the ink."

I grabbed the knife, and pressed the tip into the back of my hand, making a small cut. I then let some of the blood drip into the ink dish. The slaver grabbed a brush, using it to mix the ink and blood together. All the while, the young racoon girl was watching on, with wide eyes, her gaze moving from me to the slaver and back again.

The slaver dipped the brush into the ink, and turned to face Raphtalia. She gasped, instinctively wanting to move back just from how malicious his gaze was. I didn't blame her. I was creeped out by the guy, and he seemed to like me. He pressed the brush to her chest, and painted a circular symbol onto it.

Once the symbol was complete, it began to glow and spark. She yelped, her eyes clenched shut as she was forced to her knees by the pain of the ceremony. I didn't avert my eyes. I was the reason this was happening to her, I had no right. The pain continued for a moment, but as the glowing subsided, so did her screaming. A popup appeared in front of my face.

New Slave Registered: Conditions as follows

Then, a window full of different conditions popped up, each with a box to check next to them. Seemed like they were different rules I could impose upon her crest. There were way too many for me to actually look through all of them right then. Instead, I just made it so she wouldn't be able to disobey or attack me, and left everything else unchecked. "If I want to change the conditions later," I asked the slaver, "I can, right?"

"Why, of course. You can change them whenever you want." I nodded. I'd worry about it later, then. I grabbed my money pouch, and set 31 silver down on the table. I grabbed the slave's hand, then, making a point to be gentle about it.

"Come on." I said, turning and leading her out of the room. The slaver was counting the money as we walked.

Before we could leave, he called, "You left an extra silver, friend. There's 31 here." I nodded.

"You were going to ask for it anyways. For the ceremony, right?" We exited his office to the sound of boisterous laughter. Obviously, my assumption had been correct. I could have stayed and bantered back and forth with him, but I wasn't in the mood to spend any more time with the slimeball than I absolutely had to. The slave walking behind me looked miserable as she stumbled along the road. I didn't really care. I pulled my hood and balaclava up as we left the slaver's tent, though, just in case.

I led her out of the darkened alleyway, and back out into civilized society. Once I felt like we were in a safer place, I stopped her. Squatting down in front of her, I looked into her eyes and asked, "What's your name?" She turned to face away from me defiantly, obviously not wanting to answer the question. That was a bad idea. As soon as she defied my order, the slave seal activated. She let out a pained yelp, clutching at her chest. The pain would only ramp up from there.

It only took another moment for her to give up on her pride and answer me. "Raphtalia," She yelped out. The seal immediately faded, which meant there was no chance it was a fake name. Raphtalia. Once she told me, her name popped up in my party menu. In the upper left corner of my view, I could see her status just as clearly as I could mine. Magic, HP, and level. Oddly, I had a third bar, SP, that she didn't have. Probably something only heroes had. Or maybe only humans? That seemed less likely to me, though.

"Raphtalia," I said, resting on my heels, "Listen to me." I waited for her to make eye contact with me. "I did not purchase you to abuse you. I don't know what your previous masters were like, but I do not want to be like them.

I grabbed her hands gently. "I want you to help me. To be honest, most people don't like me right now. They think I'm bad. And I can't go on my adventures alone. That's the reason why I bought you." The terror in her eyes had momentarily become confusion. "I don't like the idea of owning a slave, but I can't trust you right now. I'm going to leave that," I poked the crest on her chest, "On you for the moment. Once I can trust you, I'm going to take it off. Without a doubt, I will. When that day comes, you'll be strong, and you can do as you please."

Her eyes seemed to be staring into my soul. She was trying to figure out if what I was saying was trustworthy. "Trust me, or don't. I don't mind either way. I will keep my word, though, you can count on that. I hope you're ready to help me out until that day comes."
I was about to stand up, when she opened her mouth. "...Why?" She asked. I didn't say anything. I didn't know what she was asking, to be honest. "Why would you buy me, if you were going to let me go eventually?"

I paused, and thought for a moment. "Because I'm selfish." I said, patting her head between her ears. It was true, to be honest. I wanted to have a slave, someone who absolutely would not betray me, but I also wanted to have the moral absolution of freeing that slave. As if that could somehow neutralise the first sin.

I grabbed her hand, before turning. "Let's go. I've got a room at an inn near here. We'll get some good food and sleep before we head out."

"I don't know what you mean!" She said, scrambling to follow me. I shook my head.

"That's alright," I told her over my shoulder, "I'm sure you'll understand eventually. Don't worry about it for now, Raphtalia."