On the way to the slavers den, he double-checked the contract, the invoice, and the payment all of which were in order, if the slavers reneged on their end of the deal then he could put in a bounty for everyone at that particular den if he wanted them dead or alive well that depends on how much he was willing to pay, detaining a prisoner was much harder then cutting them down in a bathroom stall and sending proof of the kill.
"Warren you should call for the rest of your men, my puppets aren't any stronger than a level 10 without their own consciousness, they will be strong but wild in fighting techniques so maybe as strong as a class 9 cherub."
"They are already on the way."
Looking around the route seemed familiar, we were headed to the southern district, 'If we get there and its Dale. I'll killem.'
When we arrived at the slave den I could feel my eye twitch, it was as I feared, we came back to the same den from where I bought the earth clan. We walked over and the guards barred our entry, not wanting to argue with them I produced my contract and proof of payment, "I am here to pick up my goods if you try and prevent me from doing so I will be forced to use violence, you all are being recorded at this very moment. If you get in my way I will kill you, do you understand?" my father had told me that sometimes you had to be as overbearing as possible to get what you paid for, and I wasn't in the mood to be fleeced by Dale, again.
The guards lowered their weapons and confirmed the order, one of the guards led me and my group into the den and brought us to a lounge to await the goods. Ten minutes passed without any news, this was unacceptable, they were probably trying to buy time. "Warren where is your man?" tired of waiting I decided to go to the source of the issue and solve it with the simplest method.
Warren's ears twitched before giving his report, "He is close, follow me, young master."
The wolf strode out of the lounge with me and Rin hot on his heels, we went down the hall and made our first left and finally stopped at the third door on the right. "Here."
I walked forward and pushed the door open and strolled right in, taking a quick look about the room I saw one wolf, a fat greasy merchant and low and behold, Dale. All eyes in the room turned toward the door as I led everyone in. Dale opened his mouth to protest but I cut him off, "Shut it Dale, where are my lots?" I produced the contract and proof of payment before he could respond, he shifted from looking at the contract to the wolf.
"Well, you see-" to prevent shit getting in my ears I unholstered my pistol and shot Dale in the knee. The screaming and swearing lasted for a few minutes before I had my puppets pick Dale off the floor, the fat merchant was pale and sweating but he didn't say a word, which probably saved his life. I had anger issues after the whole dragon ate me limb by limb thing.
Walking in front of dale I looked him in the eyes and spoke in as low of a voice as I could manage, "Dale, you have wasted my time, and attempted to steal from me. Now how are you going to make it up to me?" he tried looking away so whipped him in the face with the butt of my pistol. "Focus Dale, what are you going to do to make it up to me?" I left my gun pointing at his crotch.
With a bloodied face and his body shaking I knew he understood that there was a lot at risk here, "w-We have a few other demi-humans in stock-"
Cutting him off again I took the tablet off his arm before glaring at him, "Normally I would believe you Dale but you have made a habit of messing with me."
Scrolling through the stock they had I found the premium goods, there was a group of lamia that was rare to see so he placed them all in the must-have category. It seems Dale had his account linked to the stock, so it seemed that all this would be Dale's treat, oh and he had a 40% discount, I have been working really hard lately I guess it was ok to go on a shopping spree. The werefolk were not the only beings that were sold, there were humans, beasts, elves, and a myriad of other creatures.
Other than the Lamia there was another premium lot available that caught his interest, a small clan of were-jaguars had been caught last night and had only been listed for sale a few hours ago, and the price would easily drain most of Dales' savings. There were only about a dozen of them and they had a special marking next to their lots but they were mine now, I filled out the paperwork, and Dale "decided" that he would pay out of his own pocket to compensate for my lost time. After that, we waited for the attendants to round up all of the new recruits at the main gate, I had my puppets drag dale with us just in case he tried to pull another trick.
There were thirty wolves, six lamias, and nine jaguars they all appeared to be healthy, though they were upset at being slaves they were still alive. The weird thing was they were all female, well all lamia are female, but wolves and jaguars had normal mating pairs. Looking down at Dales' crumpled form I could guess that someone had made a request for demi-human females and certain characters took advantage to go on a killing spree.
After everyone was loaded onto a large carriage it was time to finish our business with Dale. "Pick him up," I gave the order to my puppets, each of them grabbed an arm and dragged Dale over to me.
"Dale, I have to give you a lesson so that this doesn't happen again, do you understand?" Dale started to grovel and beg. I did feel like it was excessive but my father had hammered into me what we do to businessmen who don't honor their contracts.
"Hold out your hand Dale or I will take the whole arm." he shakily complied knowing what would happen, I pulled out my short sword, his hand was spread wide open against the ground. I placed the blade against his pinky finger just right above the knuckle, I breathed in and pushed down. Dale screamed through his clenched teeth before pulling his hand back and cradling it against his chest.
This was a mark of shame for any businessman in our solar system, my father and a few of the topmost leaders of the trading union had come up with the punishment. The number of lost fingers was the same number of contracts broken by that individual, a recording and a written report would be sent to the union as evidence. If you were caught saying that you hadn't done the deed but were found guilty of fraud you would lose another finger. It was painful, simple, and effective.
They were going to do fines at first but any businessman can make money, but rebuilding your reputation was exceedingly more difficult. I cleaned my blade and got into the carriage, Warren and his lieutenants were talking to the rest in the back talking up the offer I would give them. Other than fighting my combat instructor and a few fights I got into at the academy, this was the first time I had brought violence to another person. I sat quietly on the way to the docking station, Rin sat beside me just holding onto my arm.
Warrens' men had been a bit lucky today, there were another fifteen wolves that were purchased and delivered to the tower before we got there, this was great but the shuttle wouldn't be able to hold all of us. For the next hour, we flew back and forth to pick people up from the tower and take them back home. Once everyone had been settled I grabbed Rin by the hand and brought her to my room, I laid with her in my arms until we fell asleep. No words were needed, just someone there to keep the darkness at bay.
The next morning arrived sooner than I had hoped, I still felt a bit numb from yesterday's events, but I pushed through it. I got through that dragon, I can get through cutting off someone's finger. Getting out of the bed was unbearably hard, Rin had wrapped around my body like a snake and pulling her off was heart-wrenching as she made cute little grabbing motions as I pulled her away, I finally got wise and put a pillow in her arms which became her new victim.
I began my morning routine and eventually the numbness faded, after lunch I went and sat under a tree overlooking the practice fields, the wolves were training, there was a nice breeze it was just nice to take a step back from all the stress, I laid back and watched the clouds. As the peace and quiet washed over me I felt a vibration coming from within my body, the sound of a raging fire, and my breath being sucked away by a cyclone. And in an instant, it was over, and I was still staring back up at the clouds. I quickly checked my cultivation, I was back to the late 7th class cherub. My cultivation had recovered, it was just after lunch and I had plenty of time to go to the guildhall and become an adventurer.
Rushing to the garage with my puppets I sent a message to Owen and Warren, they sent a few guards with me just in case I got into trouble. Owen had talked to me about what happened with Dale and helped me send in my report to the trade union over breakfast while mentioning my idea of low profile might need a new definition.
The guards met me at the shuttle and we took off towards the city as soon as it was ready, once we reached the tower two guards stayed with the shuttle while two more followed me and my puppets from afar, they were there only in case something went wrong not to hold my hand. There were a few guild stations, one in the lower, mid, and upper parts of the city. Since I was more accustomed to the middle portion of the city I stuck with it, it was a ten-minute walk to the guildhall but I am pretty sure we cut that time in half. Before entering the hall I turned my robes white with black trim, I was a healer and had to keep up those appearances.
The building was busy but not so horrible that you couldn't get anything done, walking up to the counter there was a beautiful elf attendant in the green vest and white blouse uniform of the guild, most men and women would be hard-pressed not to take a second look if they passed her on the street. "Hello miss, thank you for choosing our guild hall, what can I do for you today?"
'And there it was, a knife in my heart and it was only after lunch, I'm definitely going to have my haircut, it had grown long over the past few weeks and was pulled back into a ponytail. Maybe I should get into a bar fight and get a nasty scar while I'm at it or wear an eye patch? The mental image crossed my mind and I realized all people would see is a sexy pirate girl.
I cleared my throat, "Um, no miss, I'm a boy.", the look she gave me was a classic 'you sure about that?', "And I would like to join the adventurers guild." I finished even though I wanted to take her to the back room and show her that I was, in fact, a man, but now that I was a biomechanical boy with wings it might be best just to let her wonder if it was true or not.
When she heard I wanted to be an adventurer she smiled brightly, "Ok I can definitely help you with that, let me guess assassin or maybe a thief?"
Thinking it over I probably looked like one, the robes I had on were short-sleeved so my arms probably looked like armor to her, gosh could I not have a day where I'm misunderstood? I missed Rin already. I shook my head no, "Healer." the room got a bit quiet as everyone loved to have a healer well almost everyone, some folks just operated better alone, that or their previous healers were stuck up bastards who claimed the majority of the loot by a claiming they saved their lives, even if it was true sometimes but that didn't mean you had to treat your team like crap.
The elf woman was stunned for a moment before she looked around, I followed her not so subtle movements to see the other attendants, they were all busy at the moment before I knew it the elf had grabbed my hand and dragged me into a private room where testing and other questions were asked of new members to understand what rank to place them. Healers would usually be given to teams of higher rank, within reason, as they were needed for more dangerous missions like monster slaying.
Once inside the room she sat me down at a table before sitting opposite of me and my puppets, which she just now seemed to notice, "young sir, you will have to ask these two warriors to wait outside during the testing phase." I chuckled as she thought my puppets were alive. This elicited a frown on her face, knowing that I was being rude I explained that they were my puppets, and basically a shield and sword.
"Did you buy them?"
"No, I made them. I am training in the arts of puppet crafting and manipulation since it would be useful to have extra protection working out in the field."
She nodded and took out some forms which I filled out, she pulled out a clear glass ball which she told me to touch when I did it lit up with a holy light that filled the room, then after the light was blazing heat. A strong wind came next, at first, I thought it was over but then it gave off a tranquil feeling like everything that was wrong would be alright. She quickly took notes and put it onto the form, "Alright so you are Alioth Kadriel Avarith of the angelic race; 15 years old with high affinity for the talents in fire, wind, and soul. Healer class at level 0. A profession as a puppet master, is that correct?"
"Yes, everything seems to be correct, what happens next?"
"Next you are assigned a manager, which would be me, and I will help you get assignments. I will also be your logistics operator if you have things to report or if news comes down from guild headquarters I will inform you. Even though you have a low-level finding you a party won't be an issue, with your resume even a copper ranked team might try and steal you away to keep you all for themselves. So it will be a pleasure working with you Alioth, My name is Settrina but you can call me Sett."
"It's nice to meet you Sett, you can call me Aka." I hoped she would allow me to escape from a certain nickname my mother gave me.
"You look more like an Ali to me" she scribbled something on the forms, I had a bad feeling about that tiny amount of ink. 'Well, that ended in failure.'
Giving her a wry smile, "Whatever you say Sett."
She gave me another warm smile, "See I just knew you would like it. So first you will become a granite level adventurer, I will go file these forms and get you an ID tag it will be just a few minutes. I will look and see if there are any good teams available or missions for healers only." with that she got up and left the room for about ten minutes when she walked back in she came up behind me and placed a necklace around my neck.
"Um Sett, I feel like you're moving a little fast, we haven't even had our first date and you are already getting jewelry for me? I am not that kind of boy." Sett was very beautiful but she was at least in her mid-twenties and teasing her was my way of getting back at her. Of course, I had just underestimated an equal opponent.
She hugged me from behind, I could feel her impressively large breasts push against my back and her hot breath on my ear. "Oh but it is a symbol of my love for you so you are going take it, aren't you Ali?" she bit lightly on the tip of my ear, her hands were wrapped around me, one on my chest and the other just above my crotch. She lifted the necklace for me to see, it was a square stone pendant with an engraving on the front "Healer" she turned it over to show me the other engraving "To Ali, Love Sett" holy shit she was good.
I blushed and she giggled at my expense, she pulled away and winked at me before retaking her seat. I checked my ear just to make sure she didn't damage it. I may not like the fact I looked like a girl but I loved my ears, they were cute and perfectly shaped. The elves had pointed ears but theirs were long and pointed, where they pointed depended on a particular clan and parents traits. Mine was shorter and pointed up and slightly to the back. 'Shit I just admitted I'm cute' Sett had thrown me off my game. She noticed I was agitated and smirked, "Good news Ali, there was a request for a healer to be a part of monster nest clearing, goblins to be specific, medium-sized nest you would be a part of a large party of seven other adventurers. They leave in an hour, so what do you think Ali?"
The idea of my first contract excited me, it sobered me up from Sett's very distracting antics, I sat back and thought of what I needed if I was going on a mission. I had my weapons and puppets with me, I needed the information on the nest, mana potions, and possibly extra ammo. I pulled out my tablet and asked for the guards to rush out to an apothecary and grab some potion and stop by the armory for ammo.
"I need a map and the mission brief, any information you have would be appreciated." After my request, Sett had become all business, she activated a hologram and a map came to life. She tapped on the controls and the names of the adventurers came up with their levels and classes, "Your mission is fifty miles to the west of the city, the nest was discovered yesterday after a band of goblins attacked the nearby town. Three villagers were killed, with a dozen livestock being taken as well. A scout confirmed a minimum of three levels to the nest, the first two levels housed your average goblin, the third level was confirmed to have hobgoblins."
Goblins, four feet tall scrawny little creatures, a single goblin was no issue but they don't come in singles. They came in freaking packs, they breed faster than bunnies and were vicious little things. they were omnivorous but preferred meat if they were well fed then they would roast the meat with fire, if they were truly hungry then they would rip you to pieces and swallow the parts before you breathed your last breath.
Hobgoblins were the advanced version of goblins, taller at five feet with gangly limbs, they weren't that much stronger than a regular goblin but they were wicked smart and devious. They were even able to use the class system, they were sentient with near-human intelligence, they could potentially train the regular goblins though what training they did give to their lessers was only enough to give them weapons, simple and effective.
"Are there any nests close to this one, and are there any rules on firearms?"
Sett expanded the map, "There are two nests within a twenty-mile radius of each other, firearms are permitted during emergencies only but even if you let a few rounds off I doubt you would attract much attention."
Looking at the map, the topography showed that there were hills and a thick patch of forest between the nest, but they were rather close together. It was possible that it was just three entrances into a very large nest, meaning there was a potentially a leader to this brood of goblins.
Reading over the objective of the mission I could relax a bit, we were only clearing the first two levels with bounty potential on the third available. The lower levels would be dealt with by more experienced adventurers, giving the groups the first two levels would allow them to grow.
"I accept. What is the mode of transportation?" as much as I wanted that it would be a shuttle I knew that was impossible.
"BYOM, bring your own mount so if you need a mount I would suggest finding one fast, cause you have about forty minutes till you need to meet up with your party and head out. She smirked at me, probably expecting me to be flustered at the deadline.
I tapped my tablet and messaged the guards at the tower to bring me a mount. Speed and endurance were the assets I preferred as I didn't plan to haul a ton of loot with me. I smiled back at her, "It won't be a problem. Any other recommendations?"
"No I think you should be all set, pass me your pendant" I passed it over, she took out a clear green version of her own and tapped them together, "So Ali, I swear I have heard the last name Avarith before but I can't place where. Care to tell me your secret?"
"Well it isn't a secret or anything, my father was a high ranking member of the trading union and my mother was...well she was a strong seraph." Owen and I had decided to let hope die so that when they returned their enemies would be in the light and they could stay in the shadows and strike a fatal blow at the right moment.
Her eyebrows furrowed but didn't make the connection, that was alright, not many people knew my father and mother, they had the best routes for inter solar system trades between planets but they didn't have a particular product, just the shipping lanes and access to off-world products. Though most of the fleet of ships had been destroyed we still owned a few ships, mostly because if we sold them we wouldn't get our money's worth and they were designed for transporting cargo not many buyers in the market for cargo vessels.
"Don't worry, if you dig into it you will be able to figure it out." while we waited I sent a message to Owen with the mission details. Ten minutes were left before the arranged time to meet we went out to the lobby, surprisingly the other girls in guild uniform stared daggers at Sett. "What did you do to them?" I whispered so as not to draw too much attention.
"Oh, they are upset that I get to keep you all to myself, you see normally you would have filled out your paperwork handed it in and then been randomly assigned a manager, but I stole you away so they are a bit angry though they would've done the same thing. Every manager wants to have a healer in their arsenal, we get paid on your performance so as long as you don't intentionally let your party members die you will do wonders for my career. So, are you ready for your first adventure? You are on the younger side of adventurers, if you weren't a healer you would be doing things like killing slimes or collecting materials from the woods."
I could hear the slight concern in her voice, "Don't worry about me, I have these two iron maidens to protect me even if the party fails, besides I still have to make you my second wife when I get back." With that, I walked to the meeting room with the elf coming after me.
"What do you mean 'second' wife?!"