To everyone who complained about a male slave:

You have no faith in author-sama? Plot devices come in every form. Also, no one notice slave overseer called slave "it"?

Besides that, news:

1. Super Mod Volcanoid gave me a scathing criticism of the first chapter, and I agreed with him. Sincere thanks go out to him for the help.

2. Almost 600 followers, nice!

Now, lets finish the slow section and to some training montages!

----------------------------

After paying the attendant at the front, Steel returned down the corridor to the main lobby, feeling a little dirty. He didn't feel bad about buying the slave, if anything he'd give him a better life with a much longer lifespan, but the whole business approach disgusted him. The slaves had no hope for freedom, not even buying their way out due to the magic involved. The fact that it was widely practiced disturbed him as well, he had thought at least the elves were opposed to it, but no, they used human slaves themselves.

'Ironic isn't it' he considered in his mind, 'The orcs may be the most savage, but they don't keep slaves. Well, who knows what they do instead.' He chuckled to himself, he was being such a hypocrite. Then again, it was a game world, so he could do whatever he wanted to do, within reason. His moral conscious didn't bother him about it.

He opened the door to find the first groups of people coming down the stairs from the private auctions. Evidently, it had ended already while he had been browsing slaves. One group coming down immediately grabbed his interest.

He walked over to the Archmage and his retinue and bowed low, "Great Archmage, it is a pleasure to see you again."

The Archmage raised an eyebrow at him, "Ah yes, you are the Scout boy, correct? What brings you here today, forgive me but I did not think this was your kind of. . .environment."

Ignoring the slight jab, Steel continued to smile, "My place is anywhere the wind takes me sir, and the wind of fortune has allowed be into this place. Though I must say, it brings a mix of pain and satisfaction you were the one who bought the wolf gloves today."

A flash of something passed over Archibald's face, to quick for Steel to read, before settling on neutrality, "Yes, well my daughter has a weakness for such things. We are going through a rough patch right now, and I feel it will help smooth things over."

Steel smiled inwardly, he loved the "Listener" title and its ability to acquire new information, "Sir, how about I offer you my services in reconciling with your daughter?"

The Archmage's eye twitched, and with a gesture his retinue disappeared, revealing themselves to be phantoms. He put his arm around Steel and led him over to the wall, bending his head slightly.

"Care to explain young man? I won't let you off easily if you threaten my relationship to my daughter." His eyes literally displayed a flame inside them, one the Steel quickly wished to put out.

He held up his hands, "Peace sir, I have never met your daughter, and have no desire to take her from you."

The old man blinked, stroking his beard with a nod. 'Right, almost forgot he doesn't know." He thought to himself. "So boy, how do you propose I heal the rift with my daughter? Know this, normally I would smite you for insolence as I barely know you, but I'm giving you a chance because I have the strangest feeling you can help."

Steel sent a quick prayer to Milna, "Well sir, I'm guessing your daughter has reached the age where she wants more freedom, correct?" Steel quickly reviewed everything he knew about child rearing, which came from his experiences and documentaries.

Archibald nodded, "Yes, she wants to explore the world, but she's to weak to survive out there. I can't let her leave, but it only seems to drive her away." He sagged, his burden showing on his face.

"Well sir, I very much doubt you can change her mind on that. Wanderlust is an important part of growing up after all. Didn't you yourself go on adventures in the days before your prime, with Captain Harkin and the rest?"

"I did indeed, but I was foolish and made many mistakes. I know the pain they can bring, and I can't explain to her how much it hurts when it happens to her." He shook his head.

Steel cocked his head, "Well then, why are saying she'll be alone?" The Archmage gave Steel a confused look, "Well sir, why don't you travel with her into the world. You can teach her things yourself, and spend more time with her."

The Archmage considered for a moment, than shook his head, "While the idea holds its appeal, my duties here do not allow for such luxuries as exploring. Besides, I'm too old now to be sleeping under the stars." He sighed.

"Well, how about sending her with a trustworthy person? Someone who knows the wilderness, who had survived and conquered it; would that not suffice?"

The Archmage leaned back against the wall, his hands crossed over his staff, "Hm, supervision in the wild. She'd be safe and satisfied, and when she realizes how hard it is, then she will return and be happy. Yes, I quite like that idea." He nodded with satisfaction, "Then it's settled, I look forward to your assistance with this Scout Steel."

Steel's heart dropped, "Um, excuse me sir, I think I may have misheard you. What was that about assistance?"

The mage clapped his hand on Steel's shoulder, "My boy, the reward ceremony proved you can hold yourself in a battle. I can think no better person to take care of her, especially after I do this." His hand glowed and Steel felt something slither into his body.

Status UpdateWarning: A high level geas has been place on youCondition:Immense pain when in physical contact with Mary HighwaterCan only be ended by the original caster

Steel jumped back, alarmed. "Hey, what did you do to me!" He protested.

The Archmage grinned, "Why, I'm just being a responsible father, and I remember being a boy that age." A Cheshire grin grew under his beard, "Now, you certainly will keep up with your responsibilities when you accept."

"But, I'm not going out yet, I'm training at the training hall!"

"Great, take her with you. Show her how tough a person has to be to survive outside the walls."

"I have a new slave to take care of! I can't afford to take care of two people!"

The Archmage wrung his hands gleefully, "Even better, you can show how all the men in the world are animals. You'll scare her right back into the protective arms of her father."

Steel's mouth fell open; the man was impossible to deal with. Now he he knew why Bob talked so funny about the Archmage, the man had an insane thinking process.

Quest ReceivedGuide the Archmage's daughter safely through an expeditionDifficulty: AverageRequirements15 leadership

Survive a major encounter

High intimacy with the Archmage's Daughter

Have a geas placed on you[/tds][td2]RewardIncreased Intimacy with the Mage faction

If the daughter decides to never leave Rostwood, intimacy with Archmage will rise to max, possible additional rewards

If the daughter decides to adventure, a chance to gain her as a companion will ariseFailure Condition:Daughter DiesRefusal of quest:No penalties, geas will remain permanently

Steel face palmed himself. He hadn't been trying for a quest, just a chance to raise intimacy. He weighed his choices.

One the one hand, the quest could be refused without penalties. That being said, the geas spell would remain forever and it was likely the relationship would never recover between the two. He'd avoid unnecessary trouble and be free to train for as long as he liked.

On the other hand, he'd finally get to meet the elusive daughter he'd heard so much about from his Mary. His Mary, nice ring to that. Anyway, he'd raise intimacy and gain rewards on either outcome. The thought of the gloves crossed his mind, this being a much cheaper way to get them.

"One question sir." Steel said through his hand, "When you say "expedition", you don't mean like the last one correct?"

The Archmage looked horrified, "Heavens no, I mean leave the town for a few nights and camp in the woods or something. Well, now that I think about it." He mused, "The dungeon should be almost ready for raids, I think it would be appropriate to take her there for a raid or two."

Steel raised an eyebrow, "Isn't that place dangerous? I thought you wanted her to stay safe?"

He waved his hand, "Please, my daughter is stronger than you many times over. Besides, the dungeon won't be as hard as when it was a lair. Your there to watch over her fears. No matter how strong she is, shes bound to become stressed in that kind of environment, and stress leads to mistakes."

Steel sighed, "Okay, as you wish sir I'll take of her for you. When should I come by?"

The Archmage clapped his hands together, "Tomorrow of course! Bring that slave of yours and take straight to the training hall. Even if that doesn't turn her away, I have high hopes for you young man. I'll be seeing you." He bowed, and disappeared in a flash of flame. Steel coughed and waved the smoke away.

"Why do I have a bad feeling about this?"

-------------------

Mary lay on her bed, bored out of her mind. She was still under house arrest for causing two major disturbances at the tower, and she was finally reaching the point where it felt like real punishment. Well, she thought so anyway. She groaned and pulled a pillow over her head.

A knock sounded from her door. "Who is it?" She asked through the pillow.

"It's your father, I have some good news for you." Came the response.

Mary rolled her eyes. As much as she adored her father, he was way to overprotective and doting on her. It had been fun when she had been younger, but now it was stifling. She sighed, taking the pillow off her face and resigning herself to listen to what he had to say, again. "Okay, you can come in."

The opened by itself, gently resting against the wall. In a tower full of mages, traditional locks were worthless without magical traps and other nasty devices. She didn't normally activate though, not since the last time her father had busted into her room in excitement.

She sat up and put the pillow in her lap, "What is it sir Archmage?"

Her father winced, the coldness in her tone chilling, "Ah, my dear. I think I have a wonderful solution to both our problems. Ah, but first take this gift from me." He levitated a package across the room to her. She took it gracefully, but put it too the side.

He continued, "I know you want to explore the world, and you know I don't want to see you hurt." He waited for her nod of acknowledgment, "So I decided to take the middle path. I'm going to let you leave the city for a few days to experience the wilderness." He smiled at her expectantly.

Mary's mouth fell open in shock. While it didn't sound like a lot, her father had never considered such a thing before for her. She quickly calmed herself, it sounded too good to be true.

"What's the catch?" She said suspiciously, hugging the pillow in front of her.

The Archmage shook his head, "No catch, I just require that you take an escort well versed in surviving outside the wall. He'll take care of you and make sure nothing bad happens to you."

Mary scoffed, "As if anything bad would happen to be." She summoned a dark fireball for emphasis.

The Archmage held up his hands placatingly, "Please dear, that's the only thing I ask. This is for my peace of mind, okay?"

She dismissed the fireball, considering. It certainly was a good offer, one she would likely see again if she refused. "Okay, I'll do it father. Just to make you happy." She smiled at, signaling their fight was over. He sighed in relief.

"That's wonderful dear. Now, get everything ready for tomorrow, though I doubt you'll leave immediately. You'll, er, certainly enjoy his company." His snicker raised warning signs in her head.

"Um, father. Who are you asking to escort me again?"

Her father was closing the door behind him when he answered, "Oh, just the Scout boy who did so well on the expedition. You don't know him, but that Steel is definitely one of a kind."

Archibald laughed to himself as the door locked and the inner wards activated inside, Her scream of "WHAT!" came through as her room shuddered.

He walked away from her room in a much happier mood. Oh yes, that boy was going to be a great help to him.