Scott had already both benefitted and been partially-thwarted by those mitigating factors before. During his battle with Karsh the damage did not seem lessened due to how they were both low-level and did little damage in the first place. He was sure that they had been in place and caused the fight to drag out a little longer, even so. However, when he and Rhea had been captured by Corpse Rat he had been knocked into critical state by the single swing of a war hammer delivered by a higher level orc. Had those mitigating factors not been in place he would have taken several hundred, perhaps more than a thousand points of damage. In short, he would have popped like a balloon and been rendered into chunky salsa.
The interior of the tent was a strangely modern area. It was clean, well-lit, and somewhat cheerful. A rotund man stood behind a wooden counter complete with an old-timey looking cash register. He greeted them with a hearty wave when they walked in, and then called out, “Welcome honored guests. Whom can I find for you today?”
Scott cringed a little at the whom statement. It readily brought back to mind the fact that they were in a slave dealer’s tent.
Rhea spoke up, “We’ve come to discuss terms regarding a very special sort of purchase.”
“Oh? Have you?” asked the rotund man, a small smile on his lips.
Rhea started to speak again but the man’s eyes widened slightly then his mouth split apart in a soft ‘O’. “You. Would you be the lovely Rhea Ardente?”
The elf girl’s eyes widened slightly as well, and then narrowed. “Yes, I see...”
“Rhea, how do you know this guy?” asked Scott.
She looked to him then sighed. “He’s a player, I think.”
“Yes, yes indeed.” replied the slave dealer. He smiled at them in a jovial fashion then turned to look at Scott. He eyed the blue-haired sorcerer for a moment and then his eyes began to sparkle.
“This man... Is he the one?” asked the slave merchant.
Rhea’s face became slightly reddened at the implication but then she coughed once, “Who he is, is of no concern in the matters that we wish to discuss.”
“He is, isn’t he? He’s the legendary blue-haired boyfriend!” The fat man practically cackled in delight upon realizing who Scott was to Rhea.
Scott’s expression shifted to one of confusion and his nose rankled slightly as though he had smelled something terrible. Silently he mouthed the words, “Legendary blue-haired boyfriend?”
Ero giggled sweetly inside his mind then corrected him. “Shouldn’t that be Legen- wait for it-dary?”
Scott groaned mentally at his goofy little friend. She must have been watching television re-runs that were stored in his memory once more. “Thank you so much, Ero Stinson.”
Her laughter only grew after that. Soon Scott’s mental landscape was bombarded by images of Neil Patrick Harris. Of all of the shows that she could have chosen to review inside his mind, he had no idea why she had chosen the situation comedy How I Met Your Mother.
Rhea frowned at the overweight wholesale people redistributor. “We’ve come to discuss something, and it does not relate to our personal lives.”
“Ah, have you come to perhaps, make a purchase?” he asked.
“Yes.” said Rhea.
“Good, good. Whom are you seeking?” asked the man.
“Mermaids.” said Scott.
The corpulent man blinked then looked to him. “Oh? I did not advertise them for sale. Did my sister send you?”
“Sister?” asked Scott.
“Yes, she calls herself the mermaid queen. The mermaids generally go along with it.” replied the slave dealer.
“The queen of the mermaids is your sister? You’re selling her people into slavery?” asked Scott incredulously.
The fat man laughed jovially then shook his head. “No, I bought them off of those idiot Shar-Shar so that they would not be sold off. I sent that dumb ho several messages, even a few offline, but she never responded.”
“Dumb ho?” asked Rhea.
“Yeah, my sister isn’t the brightest tool in the shed...” said the slaver.
After Scott heard how badly the man had mangled that old saying, he could not help but think that the man’s sister was not the only tool in the shed that could use brightening. “So, you sent her messages and she did not respond?”
“Sadly, yes. She’s probably still angry about my refusal.” he said.
“What did you refuse?” asked Rhea.
“She was a nice girl, quite innocent if a bit dumb. Ever since she took up with that perverted playboy fiancé of hers she’s become something obscene.” he said.
“That... OK, what does that have to do with anything?” asked Scott. The mermaid queen was obscene? It was an interesting bit of news, but it seemed sort of like too much of the wrong information.
“Well, it does after a fashion. The queen, as she calls herself, became enamored of a perverted man with too much money and free time on his hands. Since then she has slipped further and further down the ladder of perversity.”
Scott glanced over to Rhea. She looked to him then shrugged. She did not get the point of this conversation yet, either.
The slaver took a deep breath then sighed. “Her fiancé is one of those people. I’m sure you have heard of them...? They like to be humiliated by their women enjoying the company of other men.”
Scott blinked. “So, he’s into being cuckolded?”
“Yes, I believe that is the term that I would use. She calls it something like a notary though.”
“Netorare?” asked Rhea helpfully.
Scott glanced at her again and she smiled sweetly at him. It was mildly disturbing that the term came so easily to her mind.
“Yes, that’s the one! Well, the pervert is not just satisfied with seeing his lover squealing another man’s name. He convinced her that the only man who could really do it for him is me.”
The room grew silent. The boldness of the statement that had just been stated was a lot to process.
“Can’t you just kill the guy?” asked Scott after a moment. Anyone who could only get off by demanding that his lover have sex with her fat slave master brother was someone who needed serious mental help or an axe to the skull.
“I’d love to, but he has a private army and my sweet naive little slut of a sister to defend him.” replied the slaver. He unleashed a dramatic sigh.
“OK, not to change the topic... Which I really do want to change... What does any of this have to do with the mermaids?” asked Scott. This conversation was a bit outside of his comfort zone and it was obvious.
“Right, well I bought them to return them to my sister. She’s a sweet girl, even if she’s a pervert now. However, those overly excitable girls are eating me out of house and home and my sister hasn’t answered any of my messages.” he said.
How much could a few mermaids eat? Whatever, it did not matter. Scott was more interested in securing their release than hearing about how much of a slut their queen was, or how much the girls ate. “She was offline for a while doing something?”
“Ah, I suppose that must be it. I rarely log out this time of year. Business is booming, after all.” said the slave dealer cheerfully.
“What do we need to do to free the mermaids?” asked Scott. He wanted to get on with things, and this conversation was only confusing the situation.
“Well, pay for their care and housing mostly. Though, there is one other thing.” said the slaver.
“Yes?”
“How do I know that you have their best interests at heart? You claimed that my sister did not send you, and seemed to be aware of her. Yet, I don’t know you.”
“Why would a slave trader care so much?” asked Scott.
The man snorted at him. “You misunderstand my trade, good sir. I don’t typically deal in innocent merchandise.”
“What do you mean?” asked Scott.
“What I mean is that I am part of the labor acquisition and redistribution force. I acquire people of ill-rep
ute and redistribute them among the populace for a nominal fee.”
“You buy and sell criminals?” asked Scott curiously.
“Primarily, yes. Sometimes someone will owe too much money to repay it properly, so they sell themselves into my service for a time to pay the debt off. Mostly though, I buy captured humanoid monsters such as the Shar-Shar who menace the water ways, and sell them to the government or the entertainment guild for arena purposes.” replied the slave trader.
“I see, so the mermaids are something you would not normally deal with?” asked Rhea.
The slaver turned to her then shook his head. “No, I do have a policy of buying the non-monster demi-humans for sale in the market so that they can work off the debt of purchase then be sent home, but I never sell one of them off unless they prove to be too troublesome or refuse to perform simple tasks too often.”
“You try to make it sound so noble.” said Scott.
The fat man shrugged his shoulders. “It’s a living, and a needed service. There are many who sell non-citizens into slavery. I’m one of the few who give the poor enslaved bastards hope to return home.”
He took a breath then continued, “Notice the size of my tent? Do you see any sick or dying people? No. I might not be noble, but I won’t regret my actions at the end of the day.”
“Well, fine... That’s great. What do we need to do to secure the release of the mermaids?” asked Scott once more.
Fatty rubbed his second chin then nodded. “I don’t know you, but you seem honest enough. If you can do some sort of significant service for Eizen, and pay for the cost of housing, feeding, and transporting these overly enthusiastic fish-tailed Jezebels, you can have them.”
“What sort of service?” asked Rhea.
The fat man shrugged. “Anything that will get you a writ of meritorious service from the city. That would put you on the city’s radar, so to speak. If I find out you have harmed those poor enthusiastic creatures, you can be tracked down easier and for less expense since I can put a legal bounty on your heads.”
“Sounds fair, but what would constitute such a service?” asked Scott. He did not like the mention of a bounty placed upon his head, but he was willing to give this a shot.
He thought about it for a moment then nodded. “You could go clean out a bandit group, regain a lost national treasure, any number of things. Ask at the government office. There should be something. A writ of meritorious service is not particularly difficult to receive and it comes with a few perks like discounts from purchases at government storehouses.”
“Do you have one?” asked Rhea curiously. She figured that if a slave trader could get one, anyone could.
“Of course. I sell a lot of monsters to the government. They make for excellent foot soldiers and sailors in privateer armies once their loyalties are secured. Besides that, every single one of my guards has a writ. Despite the profession that I chose, I run a clean and useful operation for this country.”
Scott was still far from convinced about the necessity of the man’s profession, but he seemed sincere in his convictions. They would not be able to kill his guards and he did make an offer that was possible to accept.
“Alright, but is there some sort of contract that we might sign to allow us to trust you more in this matter?” asked Scott.
“I will gladly draw one up! If nothing else, I might be able to see those buxom fish-tailed girls find their way back to the sea safely.” said the man cheerfully.
Scott, Rhea, and the slaver sat down to discuss terms. The contract was an incredibly simple affair in the end. Bring the slaver fifty thousand Fayth, and a writ of meritorious service, and he would release the mermaids into their care. Fail to do so within one month and he would release them into the sea and they could try to fend for themselves as they made their way back home.
Either way, the girls would be released. However, the sea was dangerous and the Shar-Shar might recapture them on their way home. While the queen was busy saving the other five groups of her people, she would not be able to help.
They could try to get a message to the queen, but in the end this was a task that had been left to Scott, Rhea, and Ero. The mermaids were not in danger, and this side quest could prove to be quite interesting in the long run.
Chapter 4: Community Service
There were many things that could be said about the capital of Eizen. It was big for a city on ARS. There were many people of different cultures and species who eagerly wandered its labyrinthian streets. Thankfully, those streets were well marked. It did not take long for the group to make it to the government offices that would be able to help them continue their quest to rescue the mermaids.
“So, this is the government building?” asked Scott. He looked at the local courthouse and could not help but note that the pillars and other features looked like an attempt to recreate a modern version of ancient roman architecture. Little anachronisms such as this endeared the world to the man. It reminded him that no matter how similar the world was to a medieval style culture, it was still built upon pop-culture foundations derived from his home world.
Rhea nodded then pointed to the large glass doors that marked the entrance to the building. “We should be able to find out what we need to do in the lobby. The slave master probably meant for us to check the local quest board.”
“Alright, if that’s what you believe, we should check it out.” Scott smiled at his love interest and she returned the expression with a gentle smile of her own.
Inside the courthouse, they easily discovered the location of the quest board. Rhea looked it over carefully then glanced over at Scott. “We need to increase our levels a bit. We should take quick combat quests for now. Don’t you think?”
“Sounds good. We could pull-off double duty if we performed these quests and did a bit of hunting at the same time.” said Scott.
Rhea looked over the quest board once more then nodded. “Bandit subjugation quests should allow for both things to develop at once. We could also do a few of the package delivery ones since we’ll have to travel all over the kingdom while we train.”
“Good idea. Also, what about these item gathering quests here?” said Scott while he gestured toward high paying quests that asked for specific items to be acquired.
“Definitely! Those don’t seem to have a time limit, so we can do them along the way or after the mermaids are rescued.” she said.
Ero separated from Scott’s mind then fluttered down to one quest in the far right hand corner of the quest board. “This one looks interesting.”
Rhea’s face turned bright red. “Ero, that...”
“You want to be a swim wear model for a bikini competition in White Rock Shoals?” asked Scott.
“Well, do you think we could possibly lose if Rhea and I participated? Plus, the prize money would be great.” said Ero.
Scott looked the information over. “Well, it’s in two months. I suppose if you girls want to do it, we have time to finish up our other business here first.”
Rhea’s blush deepened. “But... Those outfits will be so... lacking in fabric.”
“So? I don’t exactly leave a lot to the imagination normally.” said Ero with a small grin.
“Scott...? Do I have to do this?” asked Rhea.
He laughed then pulled her over for a warm hug. “Why ask me if you have to do it? I don’t own you. Besides that, I’ve already seen you in the best swimsuit ever.”
Her blush deepened and her face began to burn. “T-this is true.... Hey, wait!” she said with excitement.
Rhea pointed at an ignored section of the posting. “Male and female models welcome for separate competitions and events.”
She turned to Scott and a bright gleam appeared in her eyes, followed by a slightly goofy and lecherous grin. “I’ll do it, if you do it.”
Scott shrugged. “Sure, though I bet you have a better chance of winning than I do.”
Ero laughed cutely then fluttered up to her BFF�
�s face. “No, you can win!”
“You think so?” asked Scott.
Ero nodded and then Rhea spoke up. “You do remember what happened on the beach right?”
“Well, true... But I recall most of the focus was on you and Ero.” said Scott.
Rhea laughed a little then shook her head. “Don’t sell yourself so short. You shine and sparkle a bit if you go fish-man.”
“Are you saying that girls like shiny things, Rhea?” asked Scott.
“Sure, especially if they can wear them on their ring finger.” she replied sweetly. The high elf raised her hand and made a rather obvious gesture.
Scott smiled lightly at her then took her hand and patted it. “I’m sure they do.”
She pouted at him cutely then snorted. “Well... Fine.”
“Yes, yes you are.” Scott leaned in and kissed her lightly on the nose.
She blushed once more, slightly, and then sighed. “Stop doing things that make me want to forgive you.”
“You can do things to me that make me want to forgive you, Scott.” said Ero.
Rhea rolled her eyes then scooped up the cute little fairy. “Allow me.”
Ero’s whole body turned a light shade of pink when Rhea kissed her gently on the tummy. “Wow! I’d forgive anything right about now.”
Scott blinked at the strange little scene then shook his head. It was good to see them get along, but he had begun to wonder if they were getting along a little too well. Time with the mermaids might have had a special sort of effect on their relationship that was just... great.
The trio giggled and laughed for a while then accepted numerous quests. It would actually be pointless to speak to anyone about a writ of meritorious service until they had done at least one significant thing for the country. They would find it easier to negotiate such an event if they had a few completed quests under their belt.
Scott had asked Rhea earlier if she had done any quests in the area, but she had not really focused on questing. Rhea was an avatar that Origin used when she wanted to murder hapless animals in the wilderness as a stress release exercise. She had performed few quests other than ones that helped her find specialty equipment. Scott had to accept the fact that nothing was ever too easy. If she had actually already had a writ then none of this would be necessary.
Origin ARS 4 Page 3
