010 BEING A BULLY
The bouncer's boss, a middle-aged slave trader, emerged from the shadows and replied, "The boy is our slave. We can beat him for any reason or for no reason at all."
Leo's fists clenched, ready to strike the man, but Dassa quickly grabbed his arm. "We don't want to make a big deal out of this," she whispered urgently.
"Please help me," the slave boy gasped, his voice weak and filled with desperation.
The bouncer sneered. "If you want to save this lizard, pay double his worth, and he's all yours."
Leo's face hardened. "How much for the boy?"
"A hundred Silver Dinari," the slave trader said with a smug grin. "Pay up or mind your own business."
Leo leaned closer to Dassa. "I don't have any Dinari on me."
"Neither do I," Dassa replied, shaking her head. "I haven't collected my reward yet for bringing you back."
"Damn it," Leo muttered. "Are we really leaving him here to be tortured for nothing?"
Dassa sighed. "Leo, there are thousands more like him out there. You can't save them all—unless you plan on ruling this entire Koresh empire."
Leo paused, frustration building inside him.
His mind briefly imagined a prompt appearing offering a quest to save the boy in exchange for a reward.
"Don't ask me for a mission. I am only here to taste cocks… erm chicken", Vanessa replied to him, suddenly prompting out to answer his query holding a drumstick.
"Fuck you", he replied.
The slave trader laughed mockingly. "Hah! Penniless moron. Playing the hero, are you? Get lost and crawl back to whatever gutter you came from!"
"Let's go," Dassa urged quietly.
But something clicked inside Leo.
His rage and the harsh reality of Gomora fused in that moment. Without warning, he dashed forward, grabbing the slave trader by the neck and lifting him high off the ground.
The man's face twisted with fear as he struggled to breathe.
"Well, well. I never expected so much anger in you. You should have selected the Fist of Ashura as your starter gift, your power will be ruled by wrath instead of lust if you did so", Vanessa added.
"You didn't fucking say earlier", he replied.
"You never asked when making the pick of your starter gift," Vanessa replied.
"What are you doing? How dare you?" the slave trader gasped, choking on his words.
The bouncers rushed to intervene, but suddenly, they were stopped—caught in an invisible web of magic. The threads, unseen but unbreakable, pinned them in place.
It was the totem's spell.
"I thought you were out of Lust magic?" Dassa asked, her tone laced with curiosity.
Leo's magic didn't rely entirely on Lust Counters. His mana pool replenished naturally over time, but Dassa wasn't wrong—if he wanted to, he could exchange Lust Counters to supplement his depleted mana.
He smirked, meeting her gaze. "I gained some Lust just thinking about you."
Dassa's cheeks flushed at his teasing response, the comment landing somewhere between playful and sincere. She quickly averted her eyes, though a small smile tugged at her lips.
"That idiot!!"
"Get over here!" the slave trader shrieked in terror to his guards, but his guards were helpless.
"We're stuck!" one of the bouncers yelled, panic rising in his voice.
Leo tightened his grip on the trader. "Lizard man, I'm short on cash. Care to lend me some?"
"What?" the slave trader spluttered. "Are you trying to rob me?"
"You can either give me the money now," Leo said coldly, "or I'll take it after I fucking break your head."
"Yes, yes! I'll give you everything. Just let me go!" the trader begged, his eyes wide with terror.
Leo released him, letting the man fall to the ground with a heavy thud. Without hesitation, Leo snatched the trader's money pouch and checked its contents.
He pulled out exactly a hundred Silver Dinari and tossed them at the slaver's feet.
"A hundred Silver Dinari. I'm buying the boy," Leo declared before walking over to the slave, who was still lying on the ground.
"You're free now," Leo told him before handing him the rest of the slaver's pouch. "Get the hell out of here."
The boy looked up, bewildered. "But you're my master now. I can't leave you."
Leo's voice hardened. "Go. Now. While I still have those bouncers trapped. You won't get another chance like this."
The boy hesitated only for a moment before scrambling to his feet and running as fast as he could.
Dassa watched in shock. "What are we going to do now? What did you just do?"
Leo smirked. "Now we run." And they quickly ran.
"Who the hell is that guy?" the slave trader muttered angrily as he scrambled to collect the scattered silver coins.
"I recognize him," one of his men replied. "That's Lilleo Gullee, the heir of the Gullee family. Should we report this to the city's guards?"
"The city guards are useless. But that bastard won't get away with this," the slave trader growled, his eyes narrowing as he watched Leo and Dassa disappear into the distance.
-----
"I can't believe you actually robbed the slave trader in broad daylight," Dassa scolded, glancing nervously around the crowded streets.
"Dozens of people might recognize you. Word will get around."
Leo shrugged. "This is Gomora. When in Gomora, do as the Gomorans do. Be a Bully."
Dassa couldn't help but shake her head, but there was a twisted logic to his words.
"You might be able to pull this off, as the heir of the Gullee family," she admitted, "but your father won't like it. And your uncles—they're just waiting for you to slip up, so they can snatch your position in the family."
"Would they rather see me bully a slaver or get pushed around by one? Don't worry about me, I can handle it," Leo replied with a smirk.
For a moment, Dassa was speechless. "For a moment, I might actually like you," she told herself.
Leo's strange reasoning made sense again. "I didn't expect you to be so bold when I first met you," she finally said with a smile as her fingers gently touched his chest again.
"When you first met me, you were only interested in my Black Coc..", Leo teased, pulling her close and planting a quick kiss on her cheek before he could finish his words.
"..ock".