It was an hour later that I asked Lucia to take us to the church, so I could see the Dragon Hourglass for myself. The sky was already starting to cloud over when we made it, which matched the mood I was in as we entered the church, with a seal that depicted the 'Three Weapons' Specifically it was the Sword, Spear, and Bow overlapped with a sunburst behind them. Obviously this place had its favorites.
If only the Shield hadn't proved them right. Regardless, I was allowed to touch the Hourglass, which provided me with a countdown timer till the next wave, giving us a bit less than two weeks to prepare for it, which was good, and another ask soon had me given their holy scriptures, which I sat down with, inviting Lucia to sit down for a moment as I thumbed through it quickly.
The tome was light on details, and mostly just a book of affirmations about the 'Trinity' and the 'Devil', which sounded very Christian to my ears, but otherwise, was completely different. It held the principles of the three attacking weapons, always moving forward, never stopping, and never overreaching, against the sloth and sickness of the Shield, which promoted vile thoughts and the like.
The fact that it came with a lot of racially charged language, mostly about how the Demi-Humans worshiped the thing was interesting. Especially since, unlike the tomes in the castle, this one specifically called the Beastmen and Demi-Humans part of the same race. It still noted there were differences, but mostly told the reader that both were equally inferior to humans.
That was a discouraging read, but when I was done, I handed it back to the nun, and tried my best to smile, as I and Lucia left, a few drops of rain starting to trickle down from that overcast sky, warning people of the downpour that was to follow. I could see a small crowd already moving through the streets, women mostly, gathered around the Himbo of the Spear, who was regaling them with whatever he was talking about.
"They appear to be headed to the Inn, Bard. Should we retire as well? These aren't good conditions for travel, whatever the Sword Hero's words," Lucia said, regarding Ren's stated plan to leave the city. Apparently a guard had seen Shield head out to the area they'd been adventuring in the day before, probably because it was the closest place to find weak monsters, which meant we'd agreed to avoid it, and thus him.
"Not yet. I think we still need some party members. Tell me, Lucia, are there any Beastmen in the Hall that you know of?" I asked, and she looked at me like I'd asked how the sky tasted, before blinking away the confusing, and then shaking her head.
"No Demi-Human or Beastman is allowed to become an Adventurer, not here in Melromarc anyway. It was a royal decree a few years before the First Wave struck. The Queen allowed its passage to help calm fears of a revolt in the northern steppes," she responded, and I nodded. There were Demi-Human villages in parts of Melromarc, small but there, according to a map I'd seen in the castle, but Beastmen tended to live in the steppes area, just south of the mountains there, in small communities.
"If I were to ask if we can get a Beastman party member, would you object to it?" I asked her next, and Lucia, looking at me seriously now, turned away after a moment, obviously considering my question, but doing little else besides, as she tapped her staff's shaft on the stone road beneath it.
"I…I do not hate Beastmen, no, and I've known Demi-Humans like Ray for some time now. They are…not nearly as bestial as some would say. Still, would it not be easier to recruit humans, Bard?" she asked, and I shrugged.
"Easy doesn't always mean the right way. I want a mixture of things in this party. You've given us magic, powerful stuff too," I said the last with a smile, trying to reassure her of how much she meant.
"But we need heavy hitters, and we need them fast. Beastmen level faster than humans, and that makes them the best choice at the moment," I explained, and she seemed content with it, soon guiding me through the streets, as the rain finally began to come down with some power, leaving us not quite soaked, but certainly damp as we turned a corner and found ourselves in front of a circus tent.
Mind, that was only what it looked like to me. It was easy to see this wasn't anything about entertainment, as the rain washed over the fabric, coming off it in sheets to splash against the stone streets, and rippling over a sign that read 'Slave Market' in actually rather pleasant looking colors, as if it were celebrating that fact. Not the most endearing sight, but I steeled myself, and we went towards it.
The inside of the tent smelled awful, enough so that I pulled out the cloth I'd used to cover my face in the sewer and did so again. Lucia did the same with that barrier of hers, as we ventured into the space, surrounded by cages. Within not all but most were bodies, living, breathing bodies. People bound by chains, and staring at us, some with hope, some with fear, and many far too broken to feel either.
"Well, well, I wasn't expecting any visitors today in this weather. What brings a couple like you to the Market today? After a good servant? Or perhaps a third for some fun in the bedroom?" asked a male voice, as a man in a suit that was…positively ridiculous came around the corner of one of the cages, smiling at us broadly, as he looked up and down our bodies, swirling a cane before him.
He was wearing an outfit that made him the ringmaster of this circus. Like, seriously, it had a tophat, a nicely appointed but strangely colored suit, and a pair of spectacles that looked very expensive, especially considering the shaded lenses, which were tech a bit more advanced than what I had figured this world was able to do. The voice was also pleasant enough, but had an undercurrent that made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end.
"Neither. I'm the Hero of the Bow, and I've come in search of party members of the Beastman Race. I have been told that you might have a few specimens that a bit of coin might acquire," I said, keeping my voice nice and level, trying not to say anything out of turn, even bowing my head a little in greeting. The man seemed pleased with it, and smiled broadly and bowed deeply in return.
"A Hero you say? Now that is surprising. Are there not other adventures that might come to your aid? After all, the Second Wave approaches fast, and no one here wants it to land as hard as the first," he said.
"There are adventurers, and ones with ample skill, like my companion here, but I desire Beastmen if possible, and none of those within the locals fit this bill," I responded, and he nodded, stroking his chin thoughtfully, as he began to move away, a motion of his cane telling us to follow.
"You would be right about that sir. Melromarc is quite the Nation, I'm fond of it as any other citizen, but its Beastmen and Demi-Humans leave a lot to be desired. Still, if you're interested, I have a few bits of stock that fit the bill. Are you looking for something in particular? Perhaps something as easy on the eyes as she is hard on the battlefield?" he asked with a grin that was just this side of making me punch him in the face.
I kept my expression neutral throughout, as I looked around, and finally, with a sigh, plucked the string of my Bow. (Sense) activated and pulsed outwards, giving me…not what I expected to find. Normal people in this world had stat sheets, sure, but Levels were Null unless you were an adventurer or like myself and the other Heroes, so I'd expected the same with all of these.
Instead I saw almost a dozen with levels, some over fifty at that! Not one adventurer in this city had one that high. Heck, adding it up, these guys had more all together than the entire Hall I'd been in yesterday, and many were stronger on their own, at least in level, than the Nest Mother. What was wrong with this country? And more importantly…which ones could I afford with what we had.
"Now, to start you off with, let me introduce you to my favorite beastwoman, this lovely specimen hails from a country to the West, and was a warrior there of some repute, before falling into debt and needing to cover it with her own body," he said, smiling again, and tapping his cane against the bars of one of the cages, revealing a tiger woman, one almost as tall as me, with large muscles, and, as she bared them at me, some very sharp fangs.
"Down!" he shouted, slamming his cane against the bars, and causing her to yelp in pain, as something on her body sparked with purple lightning, my (Sense) skill helpfully supplying, as I looked at her, that it was the effect of a 'Slave Seal' drawn on her chest, one that allowed the 'Owner' to exert influence over her, either by verbal commands, or simply by causing pain like the Slave Trader had just done.
"As you can see, we have a few feisty ones on the floor right now, just the sort of fire in their bellies that could help fight off a horde of monsters, wouldn't you say?" he said with that creeptacular smile of his. Looking at the tiger woman, her level was…fifty-six! That was double mine and Lucia's combined! This was going to be an expensive buy if I wanted, and her stat allocation wasn't great, too much generalization for my tastes.
"She's not bad, you're right, but let me take a moment to look around myself," I said, and did just that, literally looking out at the various boxes of stats floating in the air in front of the cages, before catching one that had…three such boxes. There were a few with two, but none with more than that, and that peaked my interest, as I walked over towards the cage, and looked inside.
Within were three NULL level individuals, so they weren't yet adventurers, but they had potential given their stats. They were huddled together in the space, the three bodies pressing against each other, the largest of the three in front of the other two, protectively. That was probably not helpful in the slightest, but it made them feel better, and that counted for something in a situation like theirs.
It was a trio of a wolf, the largest, whose stat spread was min-maxed for strength, and he was big enough that he could probably dead lift my three-hundred pound body no problem. Behind him was a fox with a focus on speed over strength, probably making for a good interference runner. Rounding out the three was a hyena, who had a suspiciously high intelligence stat, and a lot of MP too, though the bar was oddly colored in his case.
"Oh, I see you have an interest in some of our cast offs," said the Slave Trader as he came up beside me, smiling, and then staring at the three in the cage, who backed away from him, but did nothing more.
"Are they new acquisitions?" I asked, and he nodded enthusiastically.
"Indeed, you have a good eye for that, my friend. These boys were brought in shortly after the First Wave. From what the seller said, their whole mud hut village got wiped out by some of the monsters that got left behind by that. They were scattered to the wind, and easy picks for our…'acquisition' team," he explained, rubbing his hands together as if very proud of how efficient his operation was.
"They're ill, and malnourished. The wolf has a small injury on his foot that is already doing badly, and the fox has a tooth infection," I commented, mostly reading off the list of things in the box of stats, with those under 'status effects'. That, rather than being something he objected to, actually had the trade chuckling with delight.
"Oh, the Hero of the Bow does know his beast flesh, doesn't he? That said, you are correct, these are not my best stock, but given that, I'd be willing to part from them at a discount if you take all three. Say...five hundred silver?" he said.
"Too much. One-fifty," I countered, and that smile actually got WIDER at that pronouncement. I was unsure if that was because he knew he got a sale, or if it was because he enjoyed haggling.
"Sir, that would be the same as just GIVING away these fine specimens, ill though they are. Four-fifty is as low as I can go," he responded with another chuckle, and I swear his eye actually 'glinted' at me.
"They'll need training to be of use to me, and that's not something you can do here, and since they've never been turned into Adventurers they're worth less than normal. Two-twenty-five," I offer, and he throws back his head and laughs.
"Three-hundred, straight," he finally says, and I look back over at the trio, the fox and hyena cowering behind the wolf, who looks very unsure of me, as I turn back to the Slave Trader.
"I'll take them," I said, Lucia looking between the two of us as the Trader just smiled at me, and led us off into one of the rooms, to get some contracts written up. It didn't take long, he had them mostly filled out, he just needed my name on a paper or two. Then he left, and within a minute brought in the three Beastmen into the central room of the tent, the trio looking dejected as he did so.
"Now then, to transfer the seal over, I'm going to need a bit more than just some coins. Not much, just a few drops of it," he said, and quickly rummaged around in some cabinets and drew forth a silver tray that had what looked like art supplies, including several bottles, brushes, powders, and a saucer. He quickly did something with all those, and filled one saucer with a liquid that turned into a deep blue, before handing me a knife from the same.
"Some blood, to complete the Slave Sealing process, if you please," he said, and I looked at the thing like it was a viper. I hesitated too, not really looking forward to this, but I was not going to back down now, and sliced into the end of my thumb on my right hand with a wince. It stung like a bitch, and it actually glowed for a moment, showing the knife was special too, as I poured five drops into the saucer, turning the blue stuff into a deep, rich blood red.
"Perfect. And don't worry, I can assure you, that part gets easier with time," he said, as I quickly whipped my hand back and forth, trying to get the stinging sensation to go away. Meanwhile he picked up the saucer and the brush, before walking over to where the three were kneeling. A quick dip in the fluid for the brush, and he used it on their chests, drawing a circle with the liquid, and then revealing that, beneath their fur, they had been marked.
Fire, purple and actually kind of pretty, came from it, and the three grunted in pain, the wolf trying to stand tall and proud, only letting out some noises, but the hyena was openly leaning forward, gritting his teeth. The fox meanwhile had fallen over to the side, and was openly weeping as the stuff did its work, and I tried to be as passive as possible while the Slave Trader stepped back and admired his work.
"Don't worry, the pain passes quickly, and once it's done, those Slave Crests will ensure their loyalty to you," he said with another chuckle as he carefully brought the saucer over, and while I watched, chucked some of the powder into it, the liquid remaining in the dish evaporating into more purple fire, and leaving it perfectly clean as he returned the tray to its place of honor in his cabinets.
"Now then, shall we settle your bill while we wait for them to recover?" he asked, and I nodded, quickly drawing out the money from my pouch, and counting it, just the same as Ray had done, making thirty stacks of ten, and then two more, before pushing them towards the Trader.
"Hmm, why the extra?" he asked, even as he swept his arm forward to collect the money and dump it into something out of sight behind the counter he was standing at.
"Commission, and a tip. Perhaps if I'm pleased enough with these, I'll come back for more," I told him, and that got another 'eye glint' from him. Was that magic? How the heck did he do that?
"Ooh, mayhaps you might be interested in some Demi-Humans then. I have a whole shipment coming in of them from one Lord Rabier in a day or so. Take these for a spin, and please, don't hesitate to think of my services again, if you're in need of…labor," he told me with that smirk of his.
Regardless, he didn't say anything else, just tipped his hat to me, and then walked away, leaving Lucia and I alone with the three. I noticed, as I walked towards them, that like with Lucia, they'd been added to my party list. Unlike her, they were unnamed, merely being shown as being Beastman A, B, and C. They were recovering, and I quickly surfed through the menus on them.
They were in…rough shape. They had skills listed, but were starting at Level One, as they'd just been added to my party, and thus made into beings able to level. Still, their stats were acceptable for the moment, and if what I'd read was true, they would go up even faster than Lucia in that regard, though they would lack the skills she and humans got to compensate for that.
"Are you three fit to move?" I asked, and the three of them slowly rose up, the manacles on their ankles and wrist clacking as they got to their feet…paws…they stood up. Regardless, it was only now that I noticed they were nude, nothing on them save their chains, which was interesting, and made me wonder if that was common practice, given their fur, or because they were slaves.
"We…we are, Master," said the wolf, shaking a little, but obviously not going to fight me on this. I look to the other two, as they stand there, but they nod in response.
"Good. Lucia do you know a spell to keep the rain off us? I don't relish the smell of wet fur when we make it back to the inn," I ask, and she nods, looking at the three like they were live grenades, before waving her staff back and forth above her. A moment later small plates of magical energy appear above us. Barriers of some kind that move with us. It would do.
"Comeon then. We're staying at a place just this side of town. It won't take us long to get there," I order, and my party follows me out, with us passing the Slave Trader as we reach the exit.
"I look forward to your next visit-we're always open," he informed me, and I nod in his direction, before we are out into the drizzle again, and soon making our way towards the inn we were staying at, so I could do some work on my newest party members.
