“Items?” asked Scott in a snarky manner. He knew what the man had meant by that and did not appreciate it much.
Rhea reached over and quietly took his hand. It was a small show of solidarity, but a welcome one.
The crowd cheered lustily when a busty woman was led on stage. She wore a simple sheer gown that left little to the imagination. She smiled and waved happily to the crowd. “Hello, potential masters!”
Several people in the crowd cheered once more. The curvaceous woman waved to each of the louder sections happily before she spoke again. “My name is Maria. I am trained in the arts of song and dance... Won’t you let me please you?”
“Hell yeah!” shouted a man with the head of a crocodile. “Please me first!”
Several people in the crowd laughed at the overly excited walking handbag. None of them really blamed him.
The show continued by having Maria sing and dance on stage. She writhed around in the most scandalous of ways before accidentally causing her gown to slip slightly down along the shoulder. She exposed a great bit of her breasts and acted as though she was greatly embarrassed. However, just before the bidding started she turned back and winked at the crowd.
“We’ll start the bidding at one hundred thousand Fayth. One hundred thousand to stake a claim on this lovely creature.” called out the trader.
Crocodile-head immediately raised his hand and shouted out his bid. The trader did not even get a chance to ask for other bids before another man on the far side of the crowd called out a bid of his own. Soon, dozens of people called out their own bids. Maria’s price rose to over three million Fayth in the blink of an eye.
“Alright, we have three million five hundred fourteen thousand...” said the trader.
“Going once...” he continued.
“Going twice...” he said after no one responded.
Gambol called out. “Three-point six million!”
Crocodile raised it immediately to three-point-seven. Gambol countered with four million.
Maria’s eyes danced back and forth as she saw two men arguing over the right to own her. The trader kept taking bids and soon pointed to Gambol. “For the price of four-point-three million Fayth, we have a winner! Come collect your property, sir.”
Scott stared at Gambol for a moment. But the man did nothing but flash him a cheeky grin, before he wandered off to the side to pay for his purchase.
Rhea chuckled softly. “Well, Gambol certainly has some explaining to do to my sister.”
“Are they really together?” asked Scott. He could not fathom a man buying a woman at auction, much less buying someone when he already has a girl that he wanted to be with.
“They’re weird. I doubt Theta will care much; she’s sort of a free spirit like that. I do wonder why Gambol bought her, though.” said Rhea.
“Can I buy someone?” asked Ero cutely.
“No.” said Scott and Rhea at the same time.
“Aww.” said Ero in disappointment.
Crocodile-head glared hotly at the stage. He had wanted to be pleased, but had to watch the ninja master receive a sexy hug from the dancer.
The next slave up for sale was male, and a dwarf. The trader spoke highly of his craftsmanship skills. The dwarf berated the crowd and told them that they were all pathetic. However, when a beautiful heiress purchased him, the dwarf calmed down and actually giggled like an idiot. Somehow, he seemed happy with his new mistress.
Gambol returned by the time the next slave went on sale. This one was a male Minotaur. He was cited as a powerful warrior capable of crushing even the toughest monster with his war hammer. The Minotaur eyed the people in the crowd then said, “A woman should buy me.”
“Why is that?” called out an older woman who wore far more make-up than clothing.
“Woman, a beast isn’t the only thing I can smash with my war hammer.” The Minotaur whipped his hammer out and showed it to the crowd. The head was massive, about the same size as his torso.
“Sold!” cried the older woman to the enjoyment of the crowd.
The trader laughed merrily then waved her off. “The bidding starts at eighty thousand Fayth.”
The Minotaur’s bid-rate was fast and furious for several minutes and he ended up being sold for a little over six-million Fayth. The older woman had won the bidding and then ran up to pay for her new purchase. As soon as she paid, her new slave reached over and pulled her toward him. “Prepare yourself.”
“Unhand me you muscular brute!” cried the woman, though she smiled the entire time.
“I’ll use my hands any way I like...” He slung her over his shoulder then slapped her on the ass.
The older woman laughed merrily then pointed the way home. She was ready to see what special skills he possessed in the usage of a mighty war hammer.
The festivities continued well into the night. Dozens of premium slaves, actually players looking for a unique start in the world, were sold off to the highest bidder. Most of them went the innocent girl or beastly male route, but many of them also blatantly cited their sexuality. No mermaids were shown, so it seemed that Gambol was correct.
Speaking of Gambol, he purchased four different female players during the festivities. They clung to him in an overly slutty manner, and he did not seem the least bit upset by that fact. Rhea could not stand it anymore, so she asked him what was going on.
Gambol grinned at her. “Well, if you must know... I’ve never had a girlfriend... and well... Theta wants to know that I have a certain level of experience before she allows me to embarrass myself.”
Scott blinked at the ninja master. “You’re saying that she wanted you to go practice that?”
“Ain’t love great?” asked the ninja master.
Rhea rolled her eyes. “Only in my family... I swear...”
“Oh?” asked Scott. His single syllable question opened up a flood gate of responses from Rhea.
“Well, my mother is a goddess of love and fertility... she really stresses the fertility part. All of my sisters have this weird desire to make certain that any man they end up with can prove their manhood. Even Shara got caught up in it, and she’s not even biologically related to our mother.” said Rhea.
“Yeah, Rhea’s the black sheep of her family.” said Gambol with a grin.
Rhea snorted then looked down. “I can’t help that... I took after dad.”
Scott squeezed her hand then smiled. “Why look so down about it? I can try to be extra special fertile just for you.”
Rhea blinked then shook her head. “So stupid...” she said, before she turned and kissed him gently on the cheek.”
“Aww, master... look.” said Maria before she snuggled closer to Gambol.
“I can be fairy fertile for you, too!” exclaimed Ero before she fluttered over to stand on Rhea’s shoulder.
“Gee, thanks Ero.” said Rhea lightly.
Scott laughed softly. “I just had the image of both of you pregnant in my head. I would end up even more outnumbered. I just know it.”
Rhea and Ero both reddened slightly in the face. Even Ero, the constant seeker of interesting things had been slightly embarrassed by the thought.
“Scott’s thinking about getting me pregnant? I’m going to have a little girl?” asked Ero softly. Her eyes shimmered softly and she giggled in a sweet and gentle manner. “I wonder what her name will be?”
“I’m still so young, but if it’s with Scott...” said Rhea. The light danced and shimmered in her eyes as well.
Scott took an involuntary step back from the two overly happy girls. He had been joking, just joking! Why were they sparkling?! Why did they start to glow in the dark?
He looked to Gambol for something resembling masculine support, but the ninja master was busy with his newly purchased harem. He had special skills to learn that had nothing to do with lore crystals.
“Oh... damn.” said Scott as Rhea and Ero both looked at him at the same time.
“Wait! Wait! It was a jok
e?” Scott flailed his hands around rapidly.
Several seconds passed after that while Scott fended off the giggly advances of the girls in his life. The trader said, “Going once... Going Twice...”
“Sold to the legendary blue haired boyfriend!” called out the trader.
“Wha-?” asked Scott as a spotlight shined down upon him.
Everyone in the crowd was looking toward him. On stage a wolf-like man with blood red fur glared resentfully at his new master.
“So, you’re my master? Feh! Didn’t I say, a woman should buy me?” asked the wolf-guy.
“Master?” asked Scott stupidly.
“You can pay for your purchase at the podium! You won’t be sorry. A blood tracker is one of the finest hunters in the world, though why a man would want to deal with one is beyond me.” said the trader.
Scott continued to stare at the blood red wolf-man for a moment. “Well damn.” he said. This was an utter surprise.
**
Tempers flared briefly as Scott and the slave trader had a discussion about what had just happened. Scott insisted that he had not made a bid. The trader insisted that he wanted to be paid.
“I’m telling you I didn’t want to buy that guy. Who has six hundred thousand Fayth to spend like that!” exclaimed Scott.
He was not as bothered by the auction anymore since he knew that the people on sale were there by choice and were essentially immortal beings playing a game. However, he was quite annoyed about owing the trader six hundred thousand Fayth. He would be bankrupted once more. Sure, he could not take that money with him anyway once he left this server, but he could use it here until that time.
“Be that as it may, you are the registered winner of the auction. You are obligated to pay.” said the trader.
Scott growled at the trader briefly then sighed. “Fine, but you did not seem like the type of person who would pull something like this. It’s good to know.”
“Oh, what do you mean? You came to an auction and made yourself known through a time-honored practice of attention grabbing.” said the trader in a slightly defensive tone of voice.
“I wasn’t even looking at the stage. If two people were fighting to the death out there, would you consider that a bid as well?” asked Scott.
“Of course not.” the trader placed a hand to his chin then nodded slowly. “I see your point. However, I can’t just let this go. My reputation as a trader is at stake.”
Scott chose not to tell the man what he could do with his reputation. Instead of that, he opted to try a different tactic. “I wonder what your sister will think of him.”
The trader leaned forward. “Oh? My sister?”
“Yes, my little group has business that will keep us from having any other members join up on a long term basis for now. I figure that if I give him to your sister, she’ll have someone else to help protect her mermaids and possibly even keep them busy during the full moon.” said Scott.
The trader made a slightly strangled noise then coughed once. He said, “That sounds like something she would find useful. However, I just realized something about the blood tracker that you purchased.”
“Hmm? Is there something wrong?” asked Scott with a faux-curious expression. The trader was being quite obvious about his change of heart. If his sister got ahold of one of his premium slaves she would be able to know a good bit about his recent dealings. Unlike normal slaves, the premium ones were only kept in cages if that was the sort of thing that they were into for the sake of roleplaying. The others were allowed to roam free until the day they were sold.
While it was possible that she would send someone to simply purchase such a slave, it was more likely that she wouldn’t. Scott highly doubted that the man allowed the mermaids he was looking after to roam free. Since they only had legs at night during the full moon, they were completely incapable of roaming around on their own most of the time anyway.
The blood tracker was a different story. He had heightened senses of hearing and smell that would let him know many things that some might miss.
The trader paused for a moment then sighed. “Honestly, no. I would just prefer it if you would not trade him to my sister.”
“Well, you could always make a trade.” said Scott.
“A trade? Are you referring to the mermaids?” asked the trader.
“Yes, of course. If I pay you for the guy I just accidentally bought, you can buy him back for the price of the mermaids.” said Scott.
“Well, that would make the books balance out normally. There’s a problem with that, though.” said the trader.
“Oh?” asked Scott.
“Yes, I am more than happy to do as you suggest but we have a contract. Remember the paperwork that you signed?”
Scott nodded. “I do. What about it? Can’t we draw up a new one?”
“No, not really. Normally yes, but I had you sign paperwork that includes a morality clause. I can’t release those mermaids to you under any circumstances unless you have a Writ of Meritorious Service.” said the trader.
“Could you release them to someone else and then have them trade with me, and in turn trade the tracker back to you?” asked Scott.
“I like the thought, but it ends up being the same thing. Besides that, if I place a requirement like the need for a Writ of Meritorious Service on someone, I have to keep that same restriction for anyone else interested in those mermaids.”
“That seems like an odd restriction.” said Scott.
The trader shrugged his shoulders. “My hands are tied. There is a law in effect in Eizen that requires fair and equitable trade practices. I can’t require something from you and not require the same thing from another person unless it includes something minor like a small monetary discount.”
“So, no matter what I’ll need a writ?” asked Scott.
“If you know someone who has one, we might be in business. Otherwise, I can’t make that trade. I run an honest shop. In my line of work, in this city, I have to.”
Scott frowned. It would be so simple if he could just get around that damned writ! Sure, spending so much money would be like a punch in the gut, but what was he going to do with it? He can’t take it with him to the other server anyway. He might as well do some good with it.
“What do we do then? I need to get those mermaids home, but the city is taking its sweet time in giving us that writ.” said Scott.
“How much have you done for the city?” asked the trader.
“We’ve killed off hundreds of monsters, taken down smugglers and done who knows how many random messenger missions. I honestly forget how much we have done. We’re currently trying to finish a mission to subjugate some well-hidden bandits.” said Scott.
“Well hidden bandits...Hmm?” asked the trader.
“Yes. We can’t seem to find them.” admitted Scott.
“Ah, we might have a solution at hand my friend.”
“By all means, do tell.” said Scott.
The trader tapped his nose with his forefinger. “The blood tracker race is the best race of hunters in ARS. Their entire thing is hunting and tracking. If he can’t find your bandits then it is not possible to do so without magic.”
“I suppose we could use him for a while to that purpose, but once I have the writ I would be out well over half of a million Fayth as you agreed to release the mermaids to my custody anyway.” said Scott.
“No problem. I’ll buy him back, as long as it has been at least twenty-four hours. That would be minus the ten percent handling fee, though. So, you’d be out sixty thousand Fayth.”
“Sixty thousand, huh?” asked Scott thoughtfully. Maybe he should just dump the wolf-guy on the mermaid queen then remind her where her people were. It would cost more, but he would feel less irritation.
“That is actually a reasonable rental fee for such a slave. I did not exaggerate when I said that they were the best trackers in the world.”
It was the best deal that he would be able to make in
the situation and honestly sixty thousand Fayth to finish this quest was small change. He had made that in one day of hunting recently. The sooner he herded the mermaids back to their home, the sooner he could finish training and begin the destruction of Corpse Rat.
“I’ll have to confer with my people, but I suspect that we have a deal.” said Scott.
The trader released a sigh of relief. “Good, and I hope so. I don’t want to force a slave on anyone who does not want one. That’s barbaric.”
Scott blinked then quirked his eyebrow. Barbaric indeed. He certainly would not want to cause such a fine upstanding citizen as the slave trader to feel bad about himself.
Chapter 9: Bandit's Cove
A low, threatening, growl echoed across the clearing. Scott rolled his eyes then glanced over to Rhea. His beautiful elven companion shook her head. There was nothing else that could be done about it.
The blood tracker snarled at Scott then eyed Rhea in a lustful manner. It was obvious what he was doing, though it would be less annoying if he wasn’t a player pretending to be from the tribe of the blood trackers.
“Stop that stupid snarling. You wanted to get sold at auction and I’m getting tired of your passive aggressive bullshit.” said Scott. The furry wolf man had made lots of aggressive noises, but he had not once attacked.
The wolf man snarled hotly at Scott then showed him his fangs. Scott rolled his eyes then raised his hand. “You really want to do this? If not, just shut the hell up and come on. The sooner we’re done, the sooner you can be bought by someone else.”
Yellow eyes flashed and the wolf man made his move. He ran forward then leapt at Scott. The sorcerer did not even bother to dodge. He simply raised his arm.
Sharp fangs bit down on his arm with great force and the blood tracker began to worry it back and forth in an effort to bite Scott’s arm off. After a full minute of making that attempt he looked up at Scott and saw only a bored expression. He had not taken a single point of damage.
The blood tracker let Scott’s arm go then sighed. “You’re no fun, you know that?”
Origin ARS 4 Page 8
