"You're one feisty little brat, aren't you? Even with that mask I can tell you're not even in your 20s. But to answer your question, once you enter into the cell you'll understand. As for why I have no slave collar, that answer is just as simple! I can remove them even if I'm enslaved. In other words, they don't work on me, hence why I'm stuck in this special cage back here." The old elf smirked a bit looking at Kayn's astonished face.
Kayn was amazed that the old elf could remove the slave collar after it had already been put onto him. The elf must have some secrets and Kayn wanted to figure them out before releasing him.
'So, he can remove the slave collars and is in some kind of special cell. Wait, he can remove slave collars! That means he must be-'
"Old man, are you an enchanter?" Kayn asked with excitement on his face.
"Ah, now he figures it out. Yes, I'm an enchanter. Most people call me the Traveling Chantsman, but that name is ridiculous so Enchanter Rowen is preferred. Also, your thoughts on this cell are probably accurate as well. It seals my core and reduces the body's strength. So even if I wanted to, I can't break these metal bars."
Rowen wasn't exactly pleased at being treated without any respect by a child, but what could he do? He was stuck in this cell and at the whims of this boy, he was desperate to get out.
"Well Enchanter Rowen, it's nice to meet you, I'm called Shin. Now, you don't seem to be a malicious old man, but I want some assurances before I let you out. I will free you in exchange for your help in removing the slave collars from the others. If I can just set them free from here to go back to their homes or wherever they want to go, that would be best."
Kayn wanted to have Rowen neutral with him and a mutual exchange was the best way he could think of to prevent the old man from attacking him once he was released.
"That's easy! Easy I tell you! Now get me out of this cage and we can all be on our way. These bastards stole all of my stuff from my carriage while I was moving towns so I have to start over. If it makes you feel better, I'm an artisan, I don't fight. I can swing a sword and cast a spell or two yes, but how do you think that rag tag bunch could capture me so easily?"
Hearing Rowen state he had no money or items of value, nor could he really fight, which Kayn thought was probably a lie, gave him a new idea.
"How about one more opportunity for both of us then, before I release you. All of my items are hidden currently, but I would like to make a request of you. I will pay you a generous amount of money if you can turn the C-class Shadow Panther behind me there into a mask of my design.
"It must be enchanted to self-adhere to my face without any strings or mechanical attachment. The eyes should be veiled from the outside, meaning my vision isn't affected, but others won't be able to take a good look at my eyes. It must also be able to attach to my hood to prevent the hood from falling down. Lastly, if possible, a distract function, meaning that people will naturally not notice my presence as much or they won't bother to look at me for long.
"As for looks, a simple featureless mask of all black is fine. However, where the eyes and mouth are, I would prefer a white crescent shaped smile for the mouth and two upside-down crescents for the eyes, easy enough right?"
Looking at the red glow coming from Kayn's eyes appear to be smiling gave Rowen the chills. He wasn't sure what this kid in front of him was planning, but if the requirements for the mask were any hint, it wasn't good.
Rowen's right eye was also twitching because this wasn't going to be a simple one-day project like he thought at first upon hearing the beginning of the boy's request. The first requirements were easy, especially since the shape and colors were easy, but the distract function wasn't something he was too familiar with.
But, unfortunately for Rowen and fortunately for Kayn, Rowen really needed some capital to start up his business again.
"Fine, I agree to your request, but the distract function may not work how you picture it and it may take a few days to get everything in order. However, if you want the distract enchantment to be any good, you should hope that the panther there has a core stone formed.
"The enchantments I make into the mask's structure should be able to meet your first few requirements easy, but the darkness from a Shadow Panther stone core would provide a great benefit to them and especially help with the distracting property you described.
"Also, aside from the money you have promised, you must kill that panther because I won't. I'll only dissemble it for the parts I require for the mask. Deal?" Rowen asked with a serious face.
He himself didn't fully trust this boy not to try and hold him captive for his skills, but it was a risk he had to take. He was already stuck in a cage with no food or water, he would die sooner than later if he didn't agree to the request.
"Deal," Kayn bluntly said as he walked away from the cage and towards the Shadow Panther. It may be a C-class beast, but it was currently inside a sealing cell and chained down. All Kayn had to do to dispatch this beast was wave his hand as a giant spear of earth flew into the cell and landed straight inside the beast's skull.
Killing a sitting target that couldn't resist at all didn't exactly feel right to Kayn, but he wasn't going to give up this opportunity. The materials from this panther would be perfect for the type of mask he wanted. Now, it would rely on how skilled this Rowen actually was.
After killing the panther in one spell, Kayn turned around to walk back to Rowen's cell only to notice the look of confusion and bewilderment on his face. There was also a trace of fear since Rowen knew that he was basically a sitting target as well since he couldn't do anything inside of the cell.
"Now, since I don't fully trust you, I'll let you out, but you won't get any money until you've completed the project. We will go outside the camp and find a cave or wherever you please for your work. However, I will leave you alone for three days and then come back. If you're gone, you're gone. If you attack me, I doubt you would fend well seeing as how these guys captured you in the first place."
Kayn could only smirk behind his mask as Rowen's face scrunched up a bit at the last comment Kayn made.
Kayn opened Rowen's cell and gestured for the old elf to walk in front of him. They first had to deal with the slave collars, so instead of stopping by the shadow panther's cell, they continued outside of the building.
Kayn assumed that Rowen would need some food before he started working, so he pulled out the small bit of jerky he brought with him to the camp before giving it to the old elf.
…
Approaching the group of people who until a few hours ago were slaves, Kayn was surprised to see them munching on some food. Though thinking about it, a few of them were in decent shape and probably went back into the camp to scrounge for some food.
"Line up in an orderly fashion please, our elf friend here will be removing your collars one at a time. After it's removed, I don't care what you do or where you go. Just don't cause trouble and you won't receive any. If you have nowhere to go or don't know your way home, I will come back to this area in a couple of days. If any of you would like to travel with me then, I will be heading to Myrem."
Kayn spoke with a monotone voice as he really didn't care what happened to them, he just wanted to get Kinzie healed, get his new mask, and go home.
"Myrem you say?" Rowen spoke with a bit of surprise. "My great granddaughter lives there! I wonder if you know her. She's an adventurer and should be at least D-rank by now! I'm so proud of her being so young, yet so talented. I haven't seen her since she left though. Granted I travel around a lot myself, so I only saw her a few times as she was growing up." Rowen spoke with a bit of excitement in his voice as the group of people began to line up in front of him.
Kayn almost couldn't believe the amount of information this old man just willingly revealed about himself with zero prompt. Not to mention the familiarity with which he spoke.
Kayn's eyes widened a bit as he thought of a possibility though, but soon he shook his head at the thought. 'There's no way it's Kinzie right? I know I've seen at least a few other half-elves at the guild hall. Plus, this old man probably has a pure blood granddaughter, maybe I just haven't seen her. No need to think about it.'
Kayn just ignored this thought as he made himself a chair of earth and sat down to rest while he waited for the old man to complete his work.