Forming the Clan
AN: If you missed the author's note at the end of the last chapter, this was originally part of the first chapter, but I decided to split it, to make it more readable. I edited the chapter, so that the formatting is fixed, a long with a few minor changes.
The people on the street were visibly angry at my presence as I walked down the streets of the capitol. I wasn't going to let them intimidate me, however. I wanted to make contact with the few stores I interacted with. The apothecary was probably out of the question. The old man was nice, but I probably did not leave enough of an impression on him to not believe the rumors circulating around. The witch and Erhard were probably okay. The poison shop owner would probably still sell me his wares, he seemed to be fine with the seedier side of the world.
The first stop is to the witch's shop. I knock on the door to announce my presence. She looks at me intensely. "You know they say you raped that girl. A bunch of baloney if you asked me. Just from our one conversation I could tell you weren't the type. Your magic was not innocent in nature perse but never malevolent. Not to say all magic defines people, but your magic was very telling."
"Well, I am glad you are not like other sheep, that believe everything without evidence."
"Yes, well I like to think I was cut from a different cloth. Now what can I do for you?"
"Not much, I just wished to make contact to see where we stood. Magic is still going to be my main weapon out there, so I needed to make sure that my contact for all things magical was still willing to do business with me."
"Do not fret dearie, I will make my wares available to you anytime."
"Thank you, I bid you a good day." She waved me out. I give her a quick bow before making my exit. The next person on the list is Erhard. I just manage to duck out of the way of a flying axe, as it embeds itself in the wall next to me.
"You are so lucky that we talked extensively yesterday, or I wouldn't have missed." Erhard says from the counter. I chuckle as I grab the axe handle and pull it from the wall. I gently place it on the counter.
"I am glad to see you believe in my innocence."
"Yeah, well you made a big deal about protecting others and your concern for slaves. It would make little sense for you to then go out and rape someone." He rubs his tired face. "What are you going to do about it?"
"Nothing, the political sphere in Melromarc is too corrupt. Too many with ill intent towards me just for being the Shield Hero, have power here. I'm sure that even if I proved my innocence beyond a shadow of a doubt, some will still see me as the devil. Besides I am not necessarily the most innocent person." I admit.
"Meaning?"
"Well in my world I belonged to a clan of thieves. We were known for targeting those that were corrupt and had a lot of money. We took everything that they stole from others and gave it back to the people." Very Robin Hood, but he wouldn't understand that reference.
"I suppose stealing from thieves doesn't make you any eviler. You any good?"
I smiled and showed him the hammer that I stole from his belt. "Yeah, I am a Master Thief."
"Damn, I was watching you the entire time. That level of skill is quite impressive, if I am being honest."
"It gets better!" I take all of the armor and weapons out of my shield. "With this thing, I can target anything, and no one would know that I even took it."
Erhard left out a whistle. "Is this all from the armory in the castle?" I nod. "It has to be worth a couple thousand gold."
"3690 gold to be exact. I was given the ability to know the exact monetary worth of anything I look at, when I came to this world." I then went about resealing everything.
"I am sure that will come in handy, when it comes to buying and selling things."
"Yeah, now I just need to find a fence to sell it all too. I debated keeping some of it just for my party members or just as materials, but I kind of need the capitol. I could have you do something with it, but I doubt you want to be involved with all of this illegal conduct."
"You would be right. Come by something I could work with by legal means, and I will be fully willing to work with you."
"Do you happen to know if there is an underground scene here in the capitol?"
"There is, but I don't know where. All I know is who you can contact to find it. He sells slaves in a tent, so he isn't hard to find." Erhard wrote something down on a piece of paper, and passed it to me. "Go to that location, and he will likely find you before you find him."
"Thanks, hopefully I will find all that I need." Erhard, just nodded and gave a wave. It was quick work to make it to the south district. I looked around for a bit before I finally spotted a tent. I entered to see a lot of crates filled withs as many as three slaves or as little as one. So far several of them looked severely ill or injured. The rest looked somewhat in okay health but were clearly depressed. "Good evening good sir, are you here with interest in my wares." A short man wearing a suit with purple feathers walked out of the shadows.
Despite dealing in slavery, I didn't get an evil vibe from him. He was just a business man, and his business happened to be slaves. I made sure to steel my resolve; I couldn't afford to allow my true feelings to be seen. "Yes, I heard that you can sell me all manner of slaves. I am currently in need of a party to help with the Waves."
"Ah yes, as a Shield Hero, you would have very few offensive capabilities." He grinned. "Come, I have just the thing." He guided me to the back and stood in front of crate nearly covered with sheet. When the Slave Trader, removed the sheet to reveal an aggressive werewolf. The werewolf lunged at the bars of his cage and barred his teeth. He snarled and attempted to snap his jaws at us. "This is a level 75 beastman. He was an excellent fighter in the colosseums at Zeltoble. I believe he is more than what you are looking for." The Slave Trader smiles. I scanned him and released an internal sigh. My sight didn't equate a value to him, meaning it didn't recognize other conscious beings as merchandise. Appraisal, only confirmed the information that the Slave Trader gave me initially.
"How much?"
"75 gold!"
"What's wrong with him?" I ask.
"I beg your pardon good patron; I will have you know that there is nothing wrong with this specimen." The Slave Trader insisted, still maintaining his smile.
I stared at him unamused. "You expect to believe that a level 75 beastman with lots of combat experience is only worth a measly 75 gold. I have seen weapons worth more than him." I leveled a glare at him.
The Slave Trader only giggled, "ah a sharp eye you have Shield Hero. Yes, he got injured in his last fight, crippled his ability to fight effectively, and so he was sold off."
"What was the debilitating injury?"
"Ruptured kidney, cost too much to fix, and left an opening that other fighters exploited."
"Are all of your 'wares' damaged?"
"No, of course not. It is usually just a test to see how perceptive my customers are. I show them him, and if they buy it, then they will only be shown this paltry amount of my collection. I have more in the very back. Are you interested?"
"Yes." With that he led me away, to a section in the back, that contained a fair few more slaves all in various conditions. I could hold it against the Slave Trader, but it was likely that he bought these slaves in these conditions. I guess you could say that him buying them was a small mercy.
"Is there anyone you are looking for in particular?"
"Kids."
"Kids you say. Do you mind if I ask why?"
"Kids are easily taught; they can be trained to be far more effective fighters than adults just learning to fight now. Plus, with demi-humans and beastman are being tied into their level, they will mature far faster, so they won't be much of a hinderance."
"Quite the thought-out answer. If it is kids, you are looking for, I only have two." He guided me to two side by side cages. "The first is a tanuki demi-human, although she is awfully sick. I predicted she won't make it till next week. The next one is quite the specimen, a gorgon male. He is still a fair bit weak, but his petrification ability still works."
"How much?"
"For both I would say around 80 silvers. The girl is worth around 25, and the boy 55."
"Here are 100 silvers then."
"What is this my good sir?"
"Think of it as a commission." The Slave trader, opened the cave and ordered them to wait by my side. He asked me to wait for a bit, while he got the materials to do the sealing. I looked at my new party members. The girl was very rough looking. She was incredibly small and skinny, and had a strong cough. Her fur was matted and her skin dirty. The boy was bigger, but not by much. His snake hair was limp and they barely moved. He was blindfolded as well.
The Slave Trader came back, and sat the girl down first. "First I have to remove my seal." He poured a drop of liquid on the slave mark, and the seal disappeared. She could have run and fought back now that she could, but she had either no energy for it or no will for it. "Then I need to get some of your blood to mix into the sealing ink." He handed me a knife, and the knife cut into me drawing blood. It stung a bit, but like with the knife at the guild, the wound healed instantly.
The slaver mixed the solution, and then painted the seal on the girl's chest. He then activated, and the girl cried out in pain. Her scream wasn't pleasant. The Slaver then repeated the process with the boy. His sealing went along more silently. Once the sealing was over, I looked over at my status, and found them to be in my party as Slave A and Slave B. I would have to fix that quickly.
They were both level 1, but their stats were rather atrocious. Aside from the Magical Attack of the boy, there wasn't anything really impressive. "Now was there anything that I can do for you fine sir?"
"Yes, I am looking for a fence, and was told you could be of service."
"Ahh, well of course. I buy anything of value, so do you have anything to sell?"
"As a matter of fact, I do." I release the contents from the vault onto the floor." The loud crash made my slaves jump a bit.
"This merchandise is quite expensive, and of good quality. Where did you get it?"
"I am to believe that you know how to maintain confidentiality, yes?" The Slave Trader nodded. "Then I got it from the castle armory." This made him smile from ear to ear.
"I knew there was something that I like about you, and I only feel more impressed the longer we interact."
"Yes, well this merchandise is worth 3690 gold, but I will sell it to you for 3600."
"You seem to be very knowledgeable of the worth of things."
"I have a power that lets me know the exact monetary value of things." This caused the man to squeal in excitement.
"What an amazing gift to have." The man motioned for a group of unchained slaves to take the merchandise away. "Come follow me." I followed him to his office, with my slaves following behind me.
The Slave Trader flashed his magic on a safe in his office, and carefully counted out the amount for his payment. "Here is the 3600 gold as promised. But I wish for a little bit more." I absorbed the money.
"What is it that you want?"
"I wish to enter in a contract with you. You will buy exclusively from me and sell exclusively to me."
"Meaning all manners of merchandise, or just those that you specialize in."
"Just the ones I specialize in."
"That is fine, although I wish to stipulate that I may be able to pay in the form of products."
"Ah do you believe that you have a service or product that would equate to my wares."
"I believe that I do. I have access to several shields that increase the effectiveness of the poisons that I make. Meaning even rather weak poisons that I make still hit hard. In addition, I have access to legendary quality holy water."
"You do? Do you mind showing me?" I nodded and looked around. There was an empty tub in the office. I held the shield over the tub, Holy Gush. The tub filled quickly before the skill died out. The Slave trader inspected the water, and smiled. He grabbed a knife from his belt and cut into his arm deeply, before sticking it into the water. If you blinked, one could miss how fast his skin stitched back together.
"Holy water of this quality is worth more than all of the slaves in the first room together, and that is just from one vial let alone a whole bath tub. I believe that we do have a deal my good sir. I will write up a contract." He quickly grabbed a piece of paper and wrote out the contract.
"I want another stipulation."
"Anything my good sir."
"I wish for you to sell slaves exclusively to me."
"I of course don't mind, but is there any reason?"
"I once belonged to a clan, with many members. But the likely hood of getting back to them is very slim. So, I wish to create my own." The Slave Trader just nodded, before writing more on the paper. He signed it, and then handed it over to me. Using Appraisal to make sure everything was in order, I signed as well. I had worked out that the Slave Trader is a fair businessman, so I wasn't really concerned. "Well now that we are partners, my name is Naofumi Iwatani."
"Beloukas."
"Now I wish to purchase all of the slaves you have in exchange for two tubs full of Holy water."
Beloukas grinned from ear to ear. "I think it will be best to start from the beginning, yes?" I nodded. He guided us back to the first room, and started the process of unsealing and sealing all of the slaves in that room. There were twenty slaves, so the process took a fair bit of time. With him busy, I took the time to get to know my slaves.
"What are your names?"
"Raph-raphtalia." She says with a small stutter.
"This one's name is Asudem." The boy whispered. So, Medusa backwards, not the most original but on brand if nothing else.
"I am your master Naofumi Iwatani. However, I wish for you to treat me as and older brother of sorts." This caused them to shift uncomfortably. "I know that you have probably had difficult lives, and have no real reason to trust the kindness that I am portraying, but I promise you have nothing to worry about. I bought you out of desperation more than anything else.
When the sealing was done, I had twenty new slaves in my party. My status showed an error, and told me to check back in a day. I gathered all of the slaves in a ring around me. They were all worse for wear, but I would use Holy Gush on them once, I have gathered all of them together.
"Hello all, if you weren't already aware, I am your new 'Master'. My name is Naofumi Iwatani, you are only to address me as Naofumi." A faint purple glow enveloped them. I suppose it is the seal registering it as an order. "I have bought you all because I need help. As you can tell by my shield, I am the Shield Hero," this got many gasps and near bows. "I am buying you all with one singular purpose in mind. To rebuild my clan. What does it mean to be a part of my clan is rather simple? We do what we need to in order to protect one another. If it helps you can think of us as one big family, with me at the head. As I am responsible for fighting the Waves, I require everyone to pitch in on this endeavor, whether this means providing your sword, magic, or skill sets."
"What happens if we don't want to do any of those?" The werewolf asks gruffly.
"Hmm, I am not in the business of forcing people to do things against their will. I understand this sounds hypocritical seeing as I am buying you as slaves. If you truly do not want to do either option, then I can release you. But understand that it is the slave seal that protects you all. As you are my slaves, this gives you protection from becoming slaves to other people, who would be far crueler to you."
"We could go to Siltvelt, or Shieldfreeden." He countered.
"Perhaps, you could. Say you manage to traverse all of Melromarc, avoiding being captured and enslaved, who is to say that Siltvelt or Shieldfreeden would even accept you. It has been nearly thirty years since the war, Siltvelt may not see you as citizens. Siltvelt has a blood superiority, so if you are not a part of the four main species, then you will get no special treatment. Shieldfreeden, would be better, but it is still not a guarantee, that they will take you in."
The werewolf was starting to understand that he had very little options in this world. "I will follow you for now." He says kneeling. Taking cue, the other slaves kneeled as well.
"I am glad you have agreed to aid me in my quest, but we have a lot to do today, so please keep up." We returned to the area where I bought Raphtalia and Asudem, and we sealed the 18 remaining slaves in that room. These ones were far more compliant. I asked if there was a bathing area, where I could heal them in. Beloukas, guided me to a large bathing area. I instructed my slaves to enter the large pool like area. One Holy Gush later, and they were all enjoying the healing effects of the water. "You can all stay here and heal up, while I browse more. I turn to address the Slave Trader, who was grinning ear to ear. "If you, would I would like to see your other stock."
"Certainly, this way please." With a guiding hand he led the way to a completely separate section blocked off by a couple of crates. The Slave Trader hit the crates in an interesting sequence and the crates moved to reveal a set of stairs. Interesting, so he keeps everything of importance underground. Is there perhaps a series of tunnels underneath the city?
The Slave Trader beckoned to follow me. A five-minute walk and we arrived another set of stairs. There was no entrance, however. The Slave Trader tapped the ceiling in a specific order and the ceiling opened up. Jotting up the stairs, and we were in a similar tent as before. However, unlike the last one, there were no crates. All of the slaves were chained to a singular post, but for the most part seemed to have mobility and necessary provisions.
I will admit my opinion of the Slave Trader went up a little, at least he didn't treat all of the slaves terribly. The slaves were curious about me but made no move to interact with me. Like before there was a large variety of demi-human/ beastman species. "Tell me about them." I ordered.
"These slaves come from outside of Melromarc. They are in a much better condition than my other merchandise. Some of them have specialized skills that make them highly sought after." There were around forty slaves here as well. This would bring me to a total of 80 slaves. It was nowhere near the size of my previous clan, but it would do as a nice basis.
The sealing went far more smoothly than the others. There was no resistance, and all of them were in perfect condition, so I didn't need to heal them as well. I gave the same spiel as last time, but I felt it was not needed. They then joined the rest of the slaves in the bath in the other base. "Shield Hero, I wish to include these monster eggs as well. The value of two tubs of Holy water of the quality you produce, will more than cover the cost as well."
"Monster eggs?"
"They were for a lottery game I was going to set up." He brought me to a crate with 30 eggs in it. "Each egg is worth 100 silvers, and they are randomized on what you get. The guarantee is at least a Filolial."
"Those are the bird like creatures who are used to pull carts." I confirm.
"Yes, very useful creatures. Especially since you have a large entourage now. But there is a large variety here. As I said you are guaranteed at least a Filolial, but you can get anything up to a dragon egg." He smiled.
"Thank you for them." I look over at the eggs, and am surprised to find that I know the monetary value of them all. I guess that pets could have monetary values, then the same applies to the monster eggs. There are some that are worth very little money, of which I am sure they are closer to the Filolial end of the spectrum, but there are three that are worth quite a bit. One is worth 630 gold, another 210 gold, and lastly 483 gold. They were worth so much more than every other egg in the batch, that I knew they had to be rare. I believe I will keep those eggs for myself, and let the others have the rest.
The Slave Trader says he has to get some special ink for the eggs, and that he will be back. It gives me some time to explore other wares. It is usually just rare weapons or trinkets, that I have no use for at the moment. I need to find out what everyone is proficient in before I decide to buy weapons. The trinkets were tempting, and I have built enough 'credit' to probably snag one ore two. But I wanted to have a solid plan before I start throwing jewelry at people.
Which is why I need to create a list of every slave that I have. Plus, all the eggs, rounds out to 110 slaves. I need a base. Luckily, I had more than enough members to create a guild. The tricky part would be picking a place to build a guild hall. I didn't need to be big, but if I can get more land for a cheap price, it would be worth it to take it. However, proximation to others would be a deciding factor. Having a clan primarily made of demi-human/ beastman, puts a huge target on my clan's back. Humans would target us simply out of bigotry. My negative reputation would only entice them more, because they could get the King's backing. Quite the tricky situation, it makes me appreciate how well Kiko ran the Sato clan.
I only had 3600 gold and 698 silver. It should cover what I need for now, but I will have to think of ways to generate more income. The obvious answer would be to steal, but that is easier said than done. Most of my heists were team efforts, and these slaves do not have the necessary skills to steal without getting caught. And action that brings my clan into the light is a bad one to take. The longer I can keep us in the shadows the better.
I quickly compile a list of expenses in my head. The primary thing would be provisions and weapons. Without food, the clan would starve, and without weapons we would die. Weapons would allow us to protect ourselves, as well as hunt. Armor was important as well. Beyond the basic needs I was going to get each of them tested for their magic affinities. Adding magic to our repertoire would only further our protection.
It costs 75 copper per customer with 80 customers, that is 60 silvers. Plus, I would need to buy grimoires. Luckily, I could double up because 50 silver for the same grimoire is just ridiculous. I also wanted to pick up project crystals. The crystals could be used as a make shift camera. If our winged members were to strategically place them in the forest, we could keep an eye on the more worrisome monsters. It also can alert us to an attack from others, which will give us the necessary time to launch an effective defense. Thankfully they are rather cheap at 10 silvers a pop. Honestly it was crazy how cheap they were when they could be used in such useful ways. I think 25 would do, so 250 silver.
Beloukas sealed all of my eggs for me. I in return filled two tubs with Holy water. With our final transaction, done Beloukas sent me off with two vials of sealing solution, one for the slaves and one for monsters, as well as the seal breaking solution. I absorbed them and got three shields.
Slave User Shield
Equip Bonus: Maturation Adjustment (Small)
Monster Tamer Shield
Equip Bonus: Maturation Adjustment (Small)
Seal Breaker Shield
Skill Unlock: Seal Breaking
Seal Breaking: Allows one to break seals that user is familiar with.
Well, the first two were fantastic shields. The slave user shield would allow me to make my slaves stronger quicker, which is a great thing to have. And since the shield is slave related, I assume anything that is slave related would increase the shield level, such as fur. I could level it up by just asking them to groom themselves. The Monster Tamer Shield is awesome as well, it means that those three eggs would mature and grow strong quickly. I saw some uses for the last shield, but since it depended on my overall knowledge of seals its utility was low for now.
I bid Beloukas a farewell, and go to reclaim my slaves. I hand the eggs to an Orca demi-human. I make sure to keep Asudem and Raphtalia close to my side. Then it is off to the guild. The first thing about becoming a proper clan is to establish trust and loyalty. Not only to me, but to each other. As slaves there is an inherent loyalty to one another, but if push came to shove, I am sure some of the more tortured slaves would sell another one out for protection.
I started talking to a few of them, as we made our way to the guild. They were receptive to my questions, but I wasn't able to gleam any real information from them, as my focus was on the people. The instant people started to notice a group of 80 demi-humans/ beastman they were on instant alert. I noticed several people grab for weapons. Using people's wariness to my advantage, I successfully kept people at bay.
Thankfully we made it to guild building with no problems. However, it didn't stay that way, as many of the adventures were on their feet ready to fight at the mere sight of us. Thankfully the clerks were able to persuade them to lower their weapons. I found the clerk that helped me last time, and he greeted me with a smile. I was generally surprised, that he wouldn't hold any animosity towards me, but I wasn't going to fight the subject. "Good evening Softpaw, how may the guild help you today?"
"Good evening, I am here to register 80 adventures, and if possible, register a guild as well."
"Oh my, that is quite a lot. If you don't mind, I can rent a private room for us to use, so that we can do this quickly." He offers. I nod, and we all follow him up to a large room upstairs. There are thankfully enough seats for all of us. It took a moment to convince some of the more depraved slaves, that they were allowed to sit. I ordered some food to be brought to our room. Thankfully food was free for any adventurer, a perk of being with the Guild. I had the clerk explain everything about being an adventurer. He then passed out all of the papers that needed to be passed out.
The food came in, and I used it as an excuse to have everyone eat, while I helped them fill out the paperwork one by one. This way, I could start putting names to faces, and getting an idea of the makeup of our group. It took 45 minutes to fill out all the paperwork. And I cataloged all of my slaves with their species, their name, and their adventurer's name.
Slaves
Dog: Irene/ Justine
Dog: Kelt/ Black
Dog: Serene/ Calamity
Dog: Clair/ Devastation
Rabbit: Victoria/ Vice
Rabbit: Tren/ Helm
Jackal: Krys/ Cryo
Snake: Velemosa/ Venom
Snake: Seloma/Viper
Gorgon: Asudem/ Tremor
Orca: Mir/ Tempest
Orca: Lyra/ Kraken
Werewolf: Covu/ Dread
Racoon: Raphtalia/ Pressure
Lizardmen: Ataly/ Vice
Manatee: Trit/ Splash
Shark: Wema/ Herculean
Penguin: Awie/ Quill
Penguin: Pelor/ Atlas
Kitsune: Veela/ Fire
Kitsune: Veemo/ Water
Gazelle: Ris/ Horn
Kangaroo: Ople/ Kicks
Monkey: Gule/ Swing
Monkey: Dray/ Swoop
Monkey: Hirk/ Slide
Sheep: Baa/ Baa
Elephant: Wilk/ Kilw
Pig: Lofo/ Krew
Owl: Fla/ Yin
Owl: Fle/ Yang
Ram: Urt/ Bash
Panda: Elo/ Forest
Panda: Ume/ Bamboo
Mole: Bun/ Bun
Mole: Ban/ Ban
Mole: Bon/ Bon
Mole: Bin/ Bin
Rat: Joy/ Shadow
Rat: Happy/ Rain
Rat: Jubilee/ Smoke
Sloth: Joooooop/ A
Sloth: Errrrrrr/ B
Porcupine: Spike/ Pin
Pangolin: Slly/ Roller
Armadillo: Tine/ Ball
Flamingo: Weth/ Feather
Flamingo: Drape/ Stance
Flamingo: Peller/ Beak
Duck: Hyne/ Hint
Duck: Gyne/ Clue
Duck: Fyne/ Answer
Duck: Pyne/ Solution
Centaur: Volt/ Volt
Centaur: Dash/ Dash
Cheetah: Chara/ Wind
Cheetah: Nore/ Earth
Ferret: Yon/ Beta
Otter: Denka/ Cackle
Otter: Xera/ Chuckle
Turtle: Piw/ Zero
Squirrel: Qure/ Beam
Peacock: Volencia/ Vanity
Hamster: Brutus/ Behemoth
Bison: Gring/ Charger
Rhino: Uve/ Stampede
Bear: Nuresi/ Ice
Bear: Sam/ Sam
Eel: Leek/ Electricity
Frog: Leap/ Leap
Frog: Jump/ Jump
Komodo Dragon: Claw /Raptor
Bee: Stinga/ Queenie
Mantis: Welsa/ Chopper
Spider: Bur/ Weaver
Scorpion: Prism/ Stinger
Dolphin: Eris/ Radiance
Bat: Merlo/ Sonar
Bat: Xin/ Screech
Alligator: Kiv/ Scale
There was a clear split between those who cared about their adventure names and those that did not. Even though I now had the names of every member of my party, not many of them stood out. Only four really stood out. Irene because she was one of the older demi-humans that I owned. Despite being in a similar state as my other slaves, she was very composed. Covu, was my strongest slave by far, with tons of combat experience to boot. Asudem and Raphtalia were the only children in the group. Everyone else didn't have as strong of a first impression. At least everyone has had their fill, and we can no move onto the next order of business. Creating a guild. "So, what is the first step to creating a guild?"
"The first step is to gather a group of at least 40 members, which you have already done. The next step is to create a name for your guild and a symbol." The name was obviously the Iwatani Clan. There was a bit of confusion, but I reiterated that when I meant we were going to be like one big family under me, I meant it. And thus, everyone would become an Iwatani. The symbol was that of a rock valley, a very literal translation of my name.
"Okay the next step is to select land." The clerk brought a roll out and unrolled it across the table. "The red zones are zones that are already purchased. Yellow zones are zones we have no jurisdiction over, and green zones are good to purchase. There are prices denoting how much an area cost."
"How does the guild go about getting land?"
"Hmm, we have a charter with the Monarchy. In exchange for rights to land, we are taxed 60% of the commission fee. Yellow zones are zones that are directly tied to the Monarchy, so any cities or land owned by lords. The green lands tend to be lands that are wild." I nod and look over the map.
The map is extremely detailed down to the type of monsters that live in the area to the fertileness of the land. Scouring over the zones, I grimaced as most were at least 1,000 gold for just one acre. These zones were closer to civilization and had useful things such as mines or fertile land.
Making my way across the land, I notice something odd. Seaetto territory was a green zone, all 500 acres of it, and the price for said land was extremely cheap, only 5 gold per acre. That is extremely suspicious. "I thought you said land owned by lords was designated as a yellow zone and therefore not purchasable?"
"Normally you would be right, but when the Seaetto territory lord's death there was no one to take over the lordship. The Queen decided to sell the land to us. We found it odd as well but did not question it." This makes it even more suspicious. The Queens actions since I have arrived have made little sense. I mean I understand her going to placate other nations, but why did she even let her husband summon us all in the first place? She is the one in power she could have stopped this. And to sell Seaetto territory? Her and the previous lord were on great terms, so much so that the Seaetto territory was going to become its own country. Something wasn't adding up, but I couldn't figure it out until I knew more.
"And why is the land so cheap? The price for one acre is 1/200 of the price of other green zones."
"There are multiple factors that contribute to the price. First things first we look at the fertility of the land. Despite being having access to the sea, most of the land was ravaged by the first Wave, and then the humans who stripped it of anything valuable with no lord to protect the lands. In addition, after the land was stripped a hoard of high-level monsters moved in. It is not completely dangerous, as any competent adventurer could hold their own, but it played a factor. The last factor is due to the fact that this land used to belong to a demi-human supporter. Demi-humans thrived here before the wave, and most humans have deemed the land deplorable due to this fact. All these factors have made the land extremely undesirable, so we lowered the price considerably, in hopes that someone would buy it." The clerk man explained.
500 acres at 5 gold an acre means 2500 gold for the entire land. Ugh that is a lot of money. I initially didn't plan to spend more than 2000 gold, just enough to buy a couple acres, but this was a chance of a lifetime. It would only leave me with 1,100 gold, but in return, I would control all of Seaetto territory without having to be the lord. It is a loophole that I would be willing to use. But what of the high-level monsters. Covu is the only one that could fight them and survive. The Holy water had done him well, and he was now in tip top shape, but still he was only one person.
I look at the map again, most of the monsters seem to be located away from the sea. So, if I took a boat, we could settle near the seaside and be able to live without too much risk. We can then make calculated adventures to gain necessary combat experience. Once the clan levels up, then taking the rest of the monsters out would be no problem. I pull up World Map, the nearest port is about 60 miles west of the city. If we were to walk that it would take a lot of time, plus we would be sitting ducks to any attacks. So, it would behoove us to rent caravans, that we can use to travel quickly. Once we are at the port, we should be safe.
The only problem is I don't know how much money it costs to buy a cart. The carts I saw in the city were small and could only hold around 5 people. Including the driver that is 6 people per cart. That is a total of 13 carts, which could be expensive. Plus, however much it would cost to ferry us all. 26 of my slaves had aquatic or flying capabilities, so I wouldn't need to pay for them. In fact, 7 of those 26 slaves could fly, so that would eliminate the need for a whole cart. This would save us money.
I could ask the faster slaves such as the cheetahs to do reconnaissance to make sure that we won't get ambushed. I won't know how much this would all cost, but hopefully I will have enough. I suppose I should hold off on magic and weapons for now. Once we have settled, I can put a marker there for easy access. And if I set the last marker at Erhard's then I could be in the city no problem.
"Okay I would like to purchase all 500 acres of the Seaetto territory." I pull out the 2500 gold coins and slide them over to the clerk. The clerk accepted the money and before my eyes the green Seaetto territory turned red, and had our clan scrawled across it.
"Now that this is done, we just need to take care of a couple more things. First you need to have everyone sign this document, register that they are guild members. You will then be transferred ownership, so that you can recruit more members. After that we will go over the rules of being a guild, sound good?" He says while handing over the paper. I quickly sign it, seeing as it had no words on it, must mean that it is just a list. I pass the page to Urt, who is to my immediate right.
"Please proceed."
"Okay I have told you of all the protections that you gain from becoming a guild, but here are some of the rules. Every year, we will tax your guild for 20% of your fiscal earnings. It doesn't matter how much money you have in your coffers 20% will be taxed. This is a fixed rate, so that small guilds can form without the fear of having to disband due to lack of funds. Next, you will have a coffer account here at the guild. You can access this from your interface. A feature that will allow you to transfer money from that coffer has been added once you sign the registration form. However, while any one of you may add money to the coffer, only the guild master can take money out. The guild master, I assume is you Softpaw?"
"Yes."
"Great. It seems that you have all signed the registration." The clerk pulled out a stamp and stamped the top of the page. As soon as the seal was on the registration everyone began to glow and in various parts of our bodies, the guild mark appeared. As I did not immediately see mine, I assumed it was somewhere beneath my clothes. I opened my interface and saw the new features added to it. There was a chat feature near my log, with all of our names. I opened World Map and found 81 guild marks in the Guild Hall. Cool. "With that this completes our business for the day. Feel free to stay as long as you need." He then left.
I turned to my slaves, "Okay so here is the plan. I just bought all of Seaetto territory, are any of you familiar with this territory?" Five hands raised up including Raphtalia's. "How are you affiliated with it?" I ask them.
Serene spoke, "my village was located in the Seaetto territory. When the Wave hit, our village was nearly destroyed. Us survivors tried to rebuild our home, but then royal knights came and enslaved us. Anyone that fought back was killed on the spot. Not many of us were sold to the same masters though." I looked around and saw similar sentiments from the other four. Raphtalia was crying, and I motioned for Qure to comfort her. Thankfully the Squirrel was able to do so successfully.
"While it is despicable what the royal knights, there is not much we can do about it at the moment. Right now, we lack sufficient funds and firepower in order to do much of anything. My plan is to buy 12 carts and the accompanying Filolial. We will ride to Riber, which is 60 miles away. From there we will take a ferry to the point of Seaetto territory to avoid the high-level monsters. We will settle there, is this agreeable with everyone?"
"What are we going to do about ambushes?" Peller asked.
"We will have two reconnaissance teams. This should take three hours to do so we will do rotations of 30 minutes. Chara, Nore, Dash, Volt, Ris, and Urt will be our ground reconnaissance. Two of you will run ahead and make sure that no one is setting up a trap for us. After thirty minutes fall back and let the next two go. Fla, Fle, Weth, Drape, Feller, Stinga, Merlo, and Xin will be our air reconnaissance. You will spread out about 500 feet from our caravan in a half-circle. You will make sure that no one is attempting to attack us from the other three directions. If you get tired, take a rest on one of the carts."
"How are we going to pay for this? You spent a lot of money to buy the Seaetto territory." Irene asks.
"I still have 1,100 gold and around 700 silvers left. While buying 12 carts might be a bit on the expensive side, I don't expect it to cost more than 300 gold. When it comes time for the fairy, 26 of you are aquatic or flying demi-humans/ beastman, so you will travel through the water or air to conserve funds. I expect that the fee for a person is around 50 silvers, and the carts will be around 5 gold, so I should have enough to cover the ferry fee. Once we settle in the Seaetto territory, we will rely more on nature than anything else. Is this agreeable?"
"Yes, but you said that we have to fight the Waves how are we going to fight without gear or money?" Claw asked.
"Weaponry and magic will come later. Once we have settled, I can set a marker. I have a shield that will allow me to teleport anyone in my party to a previous marker, which I set up in Melromarc. Right now, I have one at the Three Heroes Church, but I will set one up at the weaponsmith that I know. Any money we have left will be used to buy basic equipment and magic. We will then teleport back. I can sell the Holy water for a high value. Afterwards groups will be formed to effectively scout and hunt monsters. The remains will be used to buy more advanced weapons or necessities. Anything else?"
"What will those who do not want to fight be doing?" Jubilee asked.
"I have need for every skill. Those who do not wish to fight will be tasked with learning different skill sets. I know for sure that we need people dedicated to agriculture as well as construction. Others can focus on crafts, such as metalworking, carpentry, poison making, medicine making, etc. Your skills will be used to provide or protect the clan. Does this seem fair?" No one objected my plan, so it was time to move onto the next portion of the plan. "Okay then I want you all to stay here while I go and buy the carts. Covu, protect everyone and use deadly force if you have to."
"Understood." I make my way out of the guild hall. I quickly make my way to Erhard and place my marker in his shop. I ask him for directions to a shop that sells carriages, and there is one outside of the city. Great, well I would rather we all didn't travel so out in the open. I guess we will have to get disguises. Thankfully most of my slaves can cover up their non-human parts with a cloak. Also, we will need face masks to hide feathers, pincers, and such.
All of this can be acquired at the tailors. I hide my identity with a simple cloak I borrowed from Erhard. She greets me, and I give her my order. She is quick to find all I need. Since money was tight, I settled for simple cloaks and masks. The masks were one copper, and only covered over the nose. The cloaks were two coppers, and relatively simple. 240 copper later, and I had all I needed. This left me with 1,100 gold 696 silver and 60 copper. I will need a way to convert some of my gold into silver, for convivence sake. Which made me think of the coffer feature added to my interface.
The feature had a converter, which was great. I took the 100 gold and converted it to 10,000 silvers. I like the large number, it made me feel like I had more money than I did. With that underway, I made it back to the guild hall. Thankfully no one had done anything to my slaves. "Okay, the cart shop is outside the city. I bought disguises so that we could travel outside less conspicuously." I unloaded the masks and the cloaks. "Grab one of each. Once we are dressed, we will spread out along the street, so it doesn't look like one giant crowd. Thankfully the streets are still pretty busy even though it is 6:00 at night."
We all move out. The night helps conceal us better, so there are no problems getting out of the city. I find the carriage seller pretty easily. "Hello good sir, I was told that this is where we could acquire carriages."
"You were told correct lad. I sell carriages for 300 silver, an extra 400 silver, if you want a Filolial as well."
"Okay we will take 12 carriages with Filolial." It cost 8,400 silvers, but we still had plenty left, which incredibly smaller than my initial estimation. The man to his favor made no expression at the large purchase. I was able to pick the twelve I wanted, and I choose the ones that came with a linen roof, and a bit more space. With the extra space I could have bought less carriages, but it wouldn't hurt to have more. I would need to seal these Filolials, but that could wait until later. At least they seemed docile enough.
Those who weren't apart of the reconnaissance teams loaded into the cart. I jumped into the driver seat of the cart. My World Map was open to keep an eye on my members. If we followed the road, we would be safe from any monster attacks. Then we were off.
My paranoia paid off, as we successfully managed to avoid three patrols of royal guards, and four bandit parties. I am unfamiliar with the patrol routes of the royal guard, but it seems excessive to have three patrols around the same area, unless they were looking for something in particular. My reconnaissance team also managed to clear the route of any monsters for us. Since they were rather weak, even they could take them out. I had them collect anything they killed.
I had Claw skin all of the game, as he used to be a cook slave. The meat was stored in my inventory for later, while the rest of the materials were absorbed to create shields.
Orange Small Shield
Equip Bonus: +2 Defense
Yellow Small Shield
Equip Bonus: +2 Defense
Red Small Shield
Equip Bonus: + 4 Defense
Usa Leather Shield
Equip Bonus: +3 Agility
Usa Meat Shield
Equip Bonus: Dissection ability +1
My defense stat raised by eight and my agility by three making them 89 and 24 respectively. I was glad that some of the most basic monster drops gave me decent stat buffs. I would assume that more powerful monsters would give me better shields. I wonder if the material I can get from my slaves would make any new shields or will it just update my slave shield.
When we arrived at the port town, it was 9:00 at night, so there was no ferry's running at the time. We would have to wait until morning. Rather than staying at an inn, we stayed in the surrounding forest. We used the carriages to create a border around our 'camp'. Then I had a giant fire built in the middle and cooked the meat. There was enough for us to be satisfied. I then had us all wash up in a nearby river. Women and then men. While they cleaned up, I asked them to collect any materials such as nails, scales, and hair and set it to the side.
I was a little upset that there wasn't any soap to wash with, but beggars could not be choosers. Stripping my clothes, I found my guild mark near my waist line. It was green and about the size of my hand. Bathing with the other males was an interesting experience. The mixture of human and animal physiology was interesting. What I found interesting was the distinction between demi-human and beastman. Like why where beastman more animal, and demi-human more human.
When all of us were done I had a nice pile of materials for my slave shield. "Why did you want this stuff anyway?" Gule asked.
"Well after absorbing the sealing liquid, I gained a shield that would help improve my slaves. I figure that if I absorb material from you all, I can strengthen the shield, so that you all can get stronger faster." I started grabbing handfuls of the material and letting my shield absorb it. Once I had absorbed it all, I got a notification that my shield updated.
Slave Shield IV
Equip Bonus: Maturation adjustment (Large) Slave Status (Large)
Animal Kingdom Shield (Legendary)
Equip Bonus: +20 on all stats
Skill: Animal Guard
Animal Guard: Grants a 100% increase to all defense related stats for 10 minutes.
Oh my gosh, while the first shield is great, the second one was a fantastic addition. I couldn't have imagined that absorbing the material from my slaves, that I could get a legendary shield. I felt power flow through me as all my stats increased. My attack stat was now 45, my Magic was 43, my Vitality was 6060, my Defense was 109, my Magical defense was 88, and my Agility was 44. I wasn't defenseless anymore, sure my attack stat probably won't do much, but Animal Guard was a very useful skill, as it can help make me even more untouchable. I was kind of surprised that besides the stats that I was specializing in the rest were pretty balanced.
I explained this to my slaves, and they seemed very pleased with the outcome. Not only would they get stronger faster, but now we had more skills that would protect us. "So now that we are all settled and we have eaten, tell me about yourselves?"
"What do you want to know?" Welsa asks.
"Well, anything really. You can tell me about yourselves, or just demi-human/ beastman in general. I have read about the subject, but it was from the perspective of a human, and I have reason to believe that there is bias."
"Most of our history is lost, however the women in my family worked to preserve as much of it as possible." Irene stated. It must have been luck on my part, that I had Irene in my group now. I gestured for her to begin. "Well, it is best to start from the beginning. Demi-humans/ beastman as you humans like to call us are known as Animalia, we are from Eden, now known as Siltvelt and Shieldfreeden.
We Animalia contrary to popular belief are not the byproduct of animals and man, but rather we exist as this. Unfortunately, we weren't perfect, we couldn't distinguish our animal instincts and human rational, which left us as little else than monsters. But a goddess saw something in us. Juvira the goddess of the sun and moon, saw what we could become and bestowed us magic. The gift of magic helped meld our animal sides and our human side in a perfect blend."
"Goddess? Does this mean that there is more than one god?"
"Yes, to be exact there are six original gods; Vik the God of Light and Dark, Kor the Goddess of Fire, Lisery the Goddess of Earth, Porm the God of Air, Byir the God of Water, and Zix the Goddess of Lightning. These six created the council of nature and helped meld the world. All other gods and goddesses are the sons, daughters, grandsons, and granddaughters of these six. Juvira in particular is the granddaughter of Porm and the daughter of Vik. She doesn't necessarily have any power amongst her fellow gods, but since she gave us magic, we hold her most precious." Fla spoke, apparently before she became a slave, she was training to be a priestess in Siltvelt.
"The other gods don't get jealous. In my world, religions with multiple gods tend to have a few that get jealous easily."
"Yes and no. We treat all gods with the same respect, but we thank her first as we are basically her creations." Fla replied.
"What happened after gaining magic?"
"Well magic had several effects on the Animalia. Besides giving us the ability to bend the world to our desires, the first is that it changed our physiology. The magic changed our physiology to favor either human or animal depending on what an Animalia was lacking. If you were lacking reason, you became a "demi-human." If you lacked animal instinct, you became a "beastman." Irene continued.
"So, magic gave you the traits that would benefit you the most."
"Indeed, this is the reason why some of us can pass off as human. Take me for example, I do not look like a dolphin, but that is because dolphin features would impede my ability to maintain human form. Instead, my vocal cords resemble a dolphin, my respiratory system resembles a dolphin along with a blowhole at the back of my head, and I can secrete a film to be more water resistant." Eris explained.
"That's amazing, it is like you all get the best of both worlds. What else did magic do for you all?"
"Magic also allowed us to balance our instincts and rational, so that we could become functioning Animalia. Now that we could reason, we became less savage. Animalia started creating enclaves, or tribes. Usually, they were all a mix match of different Animalia, but every once and awhile alliances would form."
"Can you describe what it was like to like in the enclaves?"
"We were a peaceful people, that worked in tandem with nature never taking too much or too little. There was very little discrimination whether it was due to race, sex, or sexuality."
"Why was their little discrimination between sexes. I mean I know it is a desirable trait, but surely some animal instincts must have carried over."
"The answer is magic. Magic also gave men the ability to bear children. Since men could bear children there was no discrimination of Sex. Since men could bear children, it mattered very little who you had sex with because anyone could bear children with anyone. And as for race, well we are a community-based species. Often instead of individual raising children, children were raised together with each other."
"Wait if magic could give Animalia men the ability to bear children, can human men as well?"
"No, because our magics are based in different divinities. Juvira gave us magic to improve our lives in any which way it sought fit. Humans on the other hand tap into the magical aura that is naturally present in the very air we breathe." Drape supplied. Drape was a student of magical theory in Shieldfreeden, before he became a slave.
"Oh, I see thank you. Please continue with the story."
"Yes, we were a peaceful people, however we were not without our troubles. The Waves were a real threat, so we needed to arm ourselves to deal with the onslaught of monsters. However, they never seemed to give us any real trouble. Until 1000 years ago. A monster showed up that we just couldn't defeat. It ravaged through our forces; we were just able to retreat in time. The Animalia hid from the monster in the encompassing forests. But without the defeat of the monster the Wave did not close.
A couple months of running and hiding and an event that we called the Terra Cataclysm happened. The Wave closed suddenly, and the Animalia rejoiced. But then the world shook and split. And it was described as if the land was moving itself. When the Terra Cataclysm was over Eden was surrounded by new land that was never seen before. These lands were the other nations, Melromarc, Zeltoble, Faubrey, etc."
"It sounds like a large-scale continental drift."
"What?"
"It is when tectonic plates shift and break up the land. It usually results in large landmasses moving away from each other. But it is usually a slower process. Perhaps there was some magic to aid in the speed."
"It makes sense seeing as the Terra Cataclysm happened suddenly after the Wave closing."
"Do any of you know why the Wave closed?"
"It was initially believed that it was due to divine intervention. During the last Wave there was a lack of godly presence. It was assumed that the gods were fighting for us and won. But what came next made us skeptical." Fla provided.
"What happened?"
"Humans. After the Animalia had managed to get their bearings together it was not long before humans started making contact. They were friendly at first, bearing gifts and pleasantries. The Animalia being a peaceful people welcomed them with open arms. The humans started to migrate into Eden and settle. The Animalia helped them live off the land. But it wasn't long before problems begun to arrive. There were rumors of complete enclaves disappearing overnight. The humans were questioned but claimed innocent. It became clear what was happening once an army of humans arrived in Eden.
They believed us to be savages and brutes because we lived differently. They didn't like the freedom that the Animalia showed. Some believed women to be subservient and that relationships should be man and women only. They saw that we wore no clothes and called us uncivilized. They saw evidence of our religion and called our gods false.
The army claimed a large portion of Eden for the humans. The Animalia tried to fight back, but with the infinite supplies of several countries, they had no chance. Anyone that fought was killed or enslaved. The humans gave the Animalia two options move to across the river or stay and become citizens. Most of the Animalia decided to move, but a fair few decided to stay to keep in touch with their roots. Those that stayed were stripped of their identity, forced to follow the rules of the humans. They were forced to stand idle as the humans desecrated their lands for the sake of money.
Those that chose to leave were also in peril, as sickness plagued them. 30% of those who made the journey died before they made it across the river. But at least they could live their lives the way they did. The Animalia became closer as they had to rely on each other to survive. For a few years there was peace, but the Human's greed was too great. After sucking the lands dry, they turned their attention to the other side of the river.
Despite promising to leave the Animalia alone, they invaded killing thousands and displacing the Animalia even more. What was worse was some of the Animalia that stayed had become unrecognizable. They had joined up with the humans and they had become corrupted, tainted.
But there was nothing to be done, if they fought, they would die. All the Animalia could do was pray. It was a dark time, for there was no answer from the gods. Many felt that they had been abandoned. In fighting began amongst the remaining Animalia. It was like a parasite had infected them, and they were being consumed. When all hope was lost, Juvira finally helped them." Throughout the story I couldn't help but make connections to stories of imperialism. Especially American history in regard to the Native Americas.
"She used her power to erect a mountain around Eden, blocking access from other countries. It was all she did, but it was enough. The Animalia understood that without the resources from their respective countries the humans were powerless. A bloody and brutal war broke out as the Animalia reclaimed their lands with a ferocious fury. At the end of the year the Animalia had won. Every human had been slaughtered as well as any Animalia that sided with them."
There was a brief pause in the story. It was obvious that history had not been kind to the Animalia. "The war had consequences. The first example was the Animalia seemingly lost the connection to our gods. No one knew what happened, but they couldn't feel them anymore. In addition, the Animalia had become corrupted, poisoned by human nature and unable to be the peaceful beings they once were. There were several factions that broke out, as they all tried to move on. Four tribes came out on top and Siltvelt was born. However, the ruling body of Siltvelt was corrupt, believing in blood superiority. They ruled with an iron fist and controlled nearly every aspect of life.
Eden now known as Siltvelt was hungry for revenge. But the Animalia understood that they would be no match against humans as they were. Siltvelt became entirely militarized. All animalia were trained to fight. Those that couldn't were forced to pick a supporting craft. There was also a large focus on reproduction. The human populace outnumbered the Animalia 100:1. But the ruling body of Siltvelt wanted to preserve the bloodlines. So, Animalia were only allowed to mate with those of their own species."
"Wait before you could mate with anyone? Does magic help with that?"
"Yes, we Animalia can mate with any other Animalia. Say a cheetah animalia and a centaur Animalia mated, and it resulted in a child, well the child in question would either be a cheetah Animalia or a centaur Animalia. There is no mixing or features or anything like that. And if a human mated with an Animalia, then the child would always come out as Animalia." Wow their magic really threw genetics for a loop. I motioned for Irene to continue the story.
"100 years passed and Siltvelt was finally ready to wage war. The humans were unprepared for the onslaught. Siltvelt waged war with all the other countries equally, and for the most part was able to maintain their driving force. This was until the human nations were able to band together and start pushing back. Not to be outdone, Siltvelt pushed back with even more vigor.
But as the fighting continued moral dropped on both sides. Q'ten' lo was the first country to declare neutrality. They isolated themselves from the world wanting no part in it. With the combined force of Faubrey, Zeltoble, and Melromarc they were able to bring Siltvelt to heel. Rather than be forced to face the consequences Siltvelt retreated to their territory reclosing the entrance. The Animalia that remained were taken as prisoners of war. Zeltoble made their prisoners slaves and made them fight in the Colosseums. Faubrey made their prisoners slaves, but Melromarc just killed their prisoners of war.
As the years went on Siltvelt would come out again and attempt to subdue the humans, but they were always met with the same results. About 300 years ago a faction of the Siltvelt was tired of fighting. They split from the main force and created their own country known as Shieldfreeden."
"Why was it called Shieldfreeden, if the Animalia didn't like humans?"
"Well, it had to do with the philosophy of the Animalia. They were tired of fighting humans and wished to work with humans. They created a border between themselves and Siltvelt, and then opened the border to the rest of the world. Humans were cautious of the Animalia, but since the Animalia stayed within their borders they were mostly left to their own devices.
Melromarc wanted to know what they were up to and so they sent the Shield Hero to engage us. The Shield Hero was kind and listened to the plight of the Animalia and decided to help them. The Shield Hero helped negotiate with the other countries on Shieldfreeden's behalf. It was due to the support of one of the cardinal heroes that the other nations became more receptive to the Animalia in Shieldfreeden. As thanks for all of her work, the Animalia named their country Shieldfreeden."
"But what about Siltvelt, why do they worship the shield heroes?"
"Siltvelt understood that they were in a corner. They had no allies and their armies only grew smaller the more the waged war. They contacted the Animalia in Shieldfreeden, looking for allies, but Shieldfreeden refused to help, fearing they would be brought back into war. Shieldfreeden asked the Shield Hero to help in their steed.
Siltvelt was averse to the Shield Hero coming to their country, but if anything happened to the Shield Hero then the Waves would get worse. So, they let her in. The Shield Hero met with the royal body and offered them advise on how to run their country. She was laughed at but some of the royal factions agreed with her. Their country was suffering, because a lack of food. Natural resources were running low, and the economy was at an all-time low. With this in mind the royal body was willing to hear her out.
She started from the ground up reorganizing the country. Anyone that didn't wish to fight was to become a farmer, which was ten percent of the population. Apparently, the Shield Hero was raised on a farm, so she understood how to not only farm, but to raise the fertility of the land. Within a short season crop were in abundance.
She then took 30% of the army to help reshape the land. She built dams and dugouts to redirect running water to where Siltvelt needed it. Had trees planted so that there was more wood. She had soldiers use earth magic to find mines, so that they had access to precious metals and ore. The 30% then rejoined the military.
When that was done, she encouraged people to learn crafts and skills. Those that could successfully learn a skill or craft would become part of the working class and were exempt from military labor. 40% of citizens became a part of the working class. With this Siltvelt was able to start generating goods. The royal factions didn't like that their military was reduced by 50%.
However, the Shield Hero was able to open negotiations with other countries. Zeltoble was interested in the ore that Siltvelt was manufacturing. Faubrey was interested in the excess crops that Siltvelt was producing. As for Shieldfreeden, Siltvelt offered a treaty, of non-aggression. Melromarc wanted no part of Siltvelt's rise in popularity. Siltvelt and Melromarc were the most antagonistic. There was relative peace from then on, every 50 years or so there would be a war, but for the most part there was peace." Irene finished the story.
"Ah so this is why I am loved by Animalia countries, but not so much by the citizens of Melromarc."
"Yes, the citizens of Melromarc hate all things Animalia, so much that they didn't even want us in their country. This is why slavery here is relatively new. The only other country that still practices any real form of slavery besides Melromarc is Zeltoble, and that is usually just prisoner-based fighting. The Queen has taken many steps to help elevate the status of us Animalia, but her citizens are not easily persuaded." Irene supplied.
"The story was very informative thank you." Irene nodded in acceptance. "But it didn't really tell me much about your culture. Like for example you mentioned that children are raised in communities or that you don't wear clothes can you expand upon these things."
"I believe I can answer these things." Denka stated. "I used to teach our culture extensively in Faubrey, before I was ambushed by some adventurers from Melromarc looking to make some quick coin." She stated bitterly. "The first thing to realize by Animalia, is that we are inherently tied to our levels."
"I know a bit about that, but something about the way that you said it, has me thinking there is more to it than I think." I asked confused.
"It is exactly as I said. Animalia's levels can affect how we grow. Animalia will grow congruent to their level until they reach majority at 18, in which they will grow normally from then on."
"So, theoretically a newborn can become an adult in a matter of hours?"
"Yes, it is why our military prowess is so frightening, because we can effectively create more soldiers in a few months that human nations can create in years."
"But what about maturity? How can newborns handle becoming an adult so quickly?"
"Magic put safeguards to protect our minds. So, say if Raphtalia were to suddenly level up and become an adult, her mind would be that of an adult despite being ten years old moments ago."
"Some of you are adults, but your levels are low. Does this mean that if you don't level you age like a human?"
"Yes, if we do not level, then we will age like a normal human."
"What about children between humans and Animalia are they affected as well?"
"Yes, because their Animalia ancestry is dominant over human ancestry."
"Does this mean that if your levels were reset, then you would essentially become children again?"
"I am unsure, I know that some use the Dragon Hourglass to forcibly reset their levels, but it is not something that Animalia actively practice." I nod. "Anyway, back to our culture, Animalia of the past didn't wear clothes. We come from nature, and so clothes did not exist. We have built in defenses to deal with weather, so there was never any need for them. Clothes were forced upon Animalia by the humans. The Animalia of now are pretty split on whether to follow this tradition or not."
"If you do not wish to wear clothes that is fine, however only when in the safety of our own. When in the presence of outsiders, it is just safer to blend in. Of all my slaves only a select took up the offer, they were the ones not native to Melromarc. I suppose if one did not grow up with the custom, then it would be difficult to follow just because your ancestors did it. Nudity was something that was both novel and not. I am used to being surrounded by other men naked due to bath houses, but not so much women. But since I saw them as family there was no issue.
"Thank you it means a lot to us that you will adhere to our culture."
"It is no problem, I am a very tolerant person, as long as you are not hurting or discriminating against anyone, I do not care what you wear, believe, or think."
"Still thank you. As for religion, it has been 1000 years since we have had contact with our gods, but it doesn't mean that we have completely given up faith. There are still temples in Siltvelt besides the Shield Hero church."
"Perhaps when we settle down, we can build shrines. I am not religious myself, so it is not like it is against my beliefs. Besides your magic is evidence that at some point your gods did exist."
"Haha, perhaps we can make a converter out of you." Fla said.
"Perhaps." There seems to be general content at my statement. "So, tell me more."
"As you know we don't discriminate based off race, sex, or sexuality. But the reason runs deeper than just males having the ability to conceive. See Juvira gave us magic on the Summer Solstice, and we didn't gain reasoning until the Winter Solstice. Because of this, those two days have a lot of cultural, religious, and magical meaning. On those days we are at our best. Our magic is stronger, our bodies are stronger. Everything about us is improved. Including fertility." My eyes widen, as I started to connect the dots. "Since we didn't have much reason for fighting, we celebrate these days by mating. We call them Heats."
"I am assuming it is not like animal heats, where biology takes over and you all mate like crazy?"
"You assumed correctly. There is a lot of cultural and religious significance attached to Heats. It starts on the night before the solstice. Everyone gathers around and bathes in the water blessed by the priestess in Juvira's name. The water has healing properties and purifies both our bodies and our minds. This means that for the duration of heat, we cannot get sick or have impure thoughts. Contraception is forbidden during heats, but because of the bathing ritual, there are no problems like sexual diseases." The concept of a pure mind and body is mind blowing. It means that for the duration of Heat everyone who participate can only be compassionate and loving. I am starting to understand why Heats are so important.
"Does it have to be water that is blessed by Juvira specifically or can it be any holy water? I ask because I have a shield that will produce holy water on command."
"It has to be blessed by Juvira, but usually it is regular water that is then prayed over. So even if you use your holy water, once we pray over it, then magic will take its affect." She paused before continuing the story. "After that Heat will proceed for the next five days. It is believed that in the past, everyone mated with whoever they wanted as many times as they wanted. This made paternity hard to tell. It is why we do not discriminate against race, as most Animalia have different race parents. It is also why we raise children in groups rather than individually, as one child could have several different possible parents. So as to feel closer to one another we raise them in groups."
"That makes sense."
"It does doesn't it. But Heat isn't just about mating, no there is also a community building component. Some Animalia will not participate for one reason or another, and their job during Heat is to serve. They play music, cook food, have dances. Those that are participating split their time between mating and intimacy. Say for example, that I chose you as a mate, we are not just mating to create a child, but to connect with each other on a deeper level. This is where intimacy comes into play. Often, we would do this by holding each other, caressing each other's bodies, dance, sing, enjoy the moments with each other. Then we would part and start the process all over again."
"It sounds like a really nice tradition. What happened to it?" I ask picking up on how she looked sad when describing it.
"Humans did, with the corruption of the Animalia, Heat wasn't the same anymore. Siltvelt tries to maintain the traditions, but they are a blood supremist society. During Heats Animalia are only allowed to mate with others of their own species. In Shieldfreeden, where they are not traditionalist, Heat is just a time for them to mate like crazy. But because they do not adhere to the rules several problems arise. Sexual diseases are common, and because they are not pure of mind, sometimes humans or Animalia will use Heats to trap others in marriages that they do not want."
"It is how I became a slave. During Heat, a human trapped me in his basement and raped me for five days, before I managed to escape. I was afraid that he would find me, so I fled Shieldfreeden with my sister. We were captured almost immediately after I crossed the border. Due to my master's cruel treatment, I miscarried." Veemo said somberly. Veela rubbed circles in his back trying to comfort him.
"I am sorry that you had to go through that. In my old clan several members had at one point or another experienced rape. They told me that while I couldn't do anything for them physically, just being willing to listen to their story and believing them gave them much mental comfort."
"It is fine. I heard that he was killed when he tried to do the same thing in the Heat after. I guess he underestimated the Animalia he tried to steal." Veemo said with a slight maniacal grin. I just nodded.
"Well then, as long as you are with me, we will practice Heat properly. The Winter Solstice has already passed, so we have four months before the Summer one."
"Really?" Fle asked.
"Yes, Heat is a part of your culture, which makes it part of my culture. If I am to be head of this family, I must see to the needs of my family members. I see no reason why we cannot practice it the way that it was meant to be. We might have to tweak it a bit when it comes to how many people you can mate, at least until we can get more people."
"That's wonderful!" exclaimed Tine. "I can't wait for Heat, most of us have not had great experiences with Heat. I am excited to actually enjoy it."
"Well, I am glad that I can do this for you all. You might be my slaves for now, but once everyone can properly defend yourselves, I plan to free you all. My hope is that I will be able to build a place in this world. Not just for me, but for all of us." There were smiles all around. "Now I suggest we get some sleep we have to be up in the morning. We can continue this when we settle in Seaetto territory." The fire was put out, and a rotation was set up to stand watch. Everyone else created small piles to sleep. It felt weird to sleep kind of on top one another, but there was also a warmth there that I liked. It didn't take long for sleep to capture me.
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The Next Day
Baa shook me awake; I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes. My mouth felt like something died in it. Before talking to anyone, I went to the river to wash it out as best as I could. Not to self-invest in toiletries. I used a nearby stick to rid myself of any plaque, as well as a leaf, that I identified was safe, to scrape my tongue. I gargle water a bit making sure, that I covered every inch before spitting. I turn to see Covu looking at me. "What?"
"You know there is a spell for that right?"
"How was I supposed to know that. I arrived in this world literally five days ago." I asked both a little defensively.
Covu just chuckles at my misfortune. "I will teach it to you on the ferry ride over." I nod before rejoining my party. It seems last watch took the opportunity to gather some food, so we have a quick breakfast before donning our disguises and heading out. Thankfully the port town of Riber is used to a lot of traders, so no one questioned our caravan. We made it to the port as a ferry was being boarded. I parked my cart near the ticket master. "How many tickets sir?"
"I need 55 passenger tickets as well as 12 carriage tickets."
"A passenger ticket is 20 silvers, and a carriage ticket is 35. That will be 1,520 silver sirs." I hand over the correct amount." When he turns to put the money in the safe, I motion for those flying and swimming to exit the carriages. I now only had 776 silvers. Thankfully the prices were a little cheaper than expected. When the ticket master turned back around, he gave us our tickets. I handed out the passenger tickets while pocketing the carriage tickets.
We rode up to the ferry and flashed our tickets before we were allowed on. I took the time to discreetly master some of my new shields, starting with the ones I could master quickly. Moving the shield to my back, made sure that it stayed concealed by the cloak. Once on bored we had to wait another hour before we got moving. I spent my time reading my grimoires. I wasn't going to attempt any magic, but I wanted to be able to understand how each spell worked on a fundamental level. Drape was a big help in explaining the concepts to me.
When the ferry started to move, I put the grimoires away, and focused on interacting with my group. We had splintered into small groups of five over in a corner. I slowly made my way around the room integrating myself, where I could. Raphtalia and Asudem stuck to my side like glue, like I instructed them to. While my relationship with everyone was important, my relationship with those two were most important. To fight together meant we needed to be familiar with each other better than most. But I made sure to interact with everyone still. Asking them to tell me their stories, and how they got to be where they were was actually quite interesting.
I came to realize that they came from all different walks of life. They came from all different nations. Some were rich, and some were poor. Some were students, other laborers. A few were in the military, while others were farmers. Some were actually older than I expected. Covu was 54 years old. He was a miner in Zeltoble, before he was accused of stealing ore, and was thrown in the colosseum. Others were younger than I expected. Asudem was six. He was hatched into slavery. His mother was a sex slave for his master.
Overall, it helped me make deeper connections with my party. Other than their stories, I started to catalogue their skills and wishes. Of the 54 Animalia with me 22 had magic, or at least used magic. While only Covu had actual battle experience a fair few of them were familiar with weaponry. I had assumed that when I bought them that they wouldn't have combat experience, but I forgot that not all of them were born into slavery. Some had whole lives that they lived.
Before I knew it, the ferry had docked into an old port in Seaetto territory. We got off and were quickly joined by the remaining party. We set off, as we had an entire cliff to climb, which took us an hour. The place we were going to settle turned out to be Raphtalia's old village. She wept many tears, over the state of her old home. It looked terrible, but at least the castle looked to be mostly intact. The place would need a lot of work, but it was doable. "Okay everyone split into groups. Those that can use earth magic, erect a border about 1000 feet out. Everyone else pick a house. If you can salvage anything do so, if not tear it down. If you find anything of value, let me know." I clapped my hands and we got started. This wasn't much, but it was going to be our home for the foreseeable future, so it is time to set up shop.
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AN: Hi all, a few of you expressed your concern about all the additional characters that I put in, but do not be worried. Just because I named them doesn't mean they are important to the plot. Some of them will be, but most will just fade into the background.