Two Years Later

The shop stands on a fairly nondescript street in the business district of Merekeep. While it’s not in a truly prime location, it’s close enough that people who want to visit won’t have to walk far. I could have bought a more expensive building using the Rainstopper Sect’s money. However, I preferred to keep us out of the way as much as reasonable. After all, this is going to be our secret base. It wouldn’t do to be near a busy street.

Going up to the door, I put the key in the door. As I push gently, it swings open.

*Creak*

“Well, Meera. What do you think?”

“It’s...nice,” My old enemy turned henchwoman comments. Poking her head inside for the first time, she looks around and then steps inside. “But isn’t a bit…empty?” I follow her through, letting the door swing shut behind us. Within the shop, there’s just a bare space. I have a bunch of tables and furniture ordered already. As well as various other custom things like a cutting edge, magic-chilled glass display case to make my shop uniquely different from anything else in Merekeep. But that’s a ways off.

“More stuff’s coming,” I reply. Brushing my hands over the countertop which was just finished last week, I wink at Meera. “It’s going to be great. Don’t you think?”

“Boss, I get why we need a cover identity,” Meera pauses, thinking for a moment. “But why are we putting so much effort in this? Couldn’t we have just bought any old shop and pretended to run it?”

“Heh…yea. I suppose we could.”

“Then why…all this?”

“Well, Meera.” I rub my nose awkwardly. “A long time ago, I used to think a good cover story was to blend into the crowd. No one can suspect you if they don’t know you exist, right?”

“Mhm! That’s how Rainstoppers do it usually.” Meera flicks her hand and a knife jumps into it out of nowhere. She spins it around and mimes cutting a neck before it disappears again. “In and out. Nice and quick. Before they even know we’re there, PAH! Heads are on the ground. That’s the Rainstopper special!”

“Err…yea.” I take a step back from her. “That’s a great plan…for an assassination. But what if there’s a lot of targets?”

“Easy! We take em all out!” Meera proudly puffs out her chest. I check her measurements. Mmm…I hope I got the uniform right. “Secthead Romy was the best at multi-contracts. Like lightning from a clear sky, anyone that saw her was dead before they could scream! One time she took out one of Geisha’s generals…in the middle of his whole army…brutal…”

Hey, my auntie’s a nice person!

Well maybe there’s some things I don’t know about her…

“Yes, yes I get it!” Holding up my hand, I sigh. Meera’s a better schemer than most of the braindead assassins in the Rainstopper Sect. But her brutal upbringing has resulted in a rather…unique way of approaching things. I can’t help but wonder what she would have been like if it wasn’t for the Sect’s brainwashing. “But we don't have Romy right now. And even if we did, I'm not sure it'd be enough. This city’s way too strong for our current forces. Think about it. Even if we discount the Daggas-Clan, Selena, AND her lieutenants, there’s still the Omniscient Guard! Which is bigger than the entire Rainstopper Sect! Plus they serve the Lord of Merekeep…which means the Guard is basically Selena’s personal army!”

“Well…well…we’re better than them! Let’s see them fight us one on one!” Meera’s eyes are getting a bit annoyed. She hates it when anyone questions the Rainstopper Sect’s power. “They might have numbers but we have Jarshan…and…errr…well the Council’s dead…but Elina’s here! Plus there’s all the assassins out right now on missions. If we call everyone back we could take em for sure!”

“Okay. Sure. Say that’s enough to take on the Omniscient Guard.” I hold up both my hands. And close one into a fist. The other remains open. “Now…what about Merekeep’s Upper Houses? Each of them is bound by oath to protect the city, even if they frequently work against each other. And from what Jarshan’s told me, their combined forces are stronger than the Omniscient Guard and the Daggas Clan put together. How do you propose we deal with them?”

“Uhhh…” Meera’s voice stutters. She waves her hands about wildly. “You have magic right! Aren’t you always reading Raingod Adam’s notebook? Can’t you do something? I heard Ancient Magic can destroy whole armies. You could do that…right? Just say few words and ka-boom!”

“Meera…I don’t know Ancient Magic.” Smirking, I laugh at the disappointment on her face. Reaching into my coat, I stroke Raingod Adam’s notebook fondly. “And even if I did, it takes an entire battalion of Royal Mages to make the calculations required for a successful cast. Just for kicks, let’s say I knew Ancient Magic. And I had a battalion of Royal Mages on my side. The fastest cast time for Ancient Magic…in all of recorded history was like an hour. That’s a long time to be standing still. Don’t you think people would notice that much mana gathering? Every assassin in the city would be out here trying to kill us within ten minutes.”

“...Fine.” Meera grumpily crosses her arms, conceding the point. “Okay, Merekeep is strong. I still don’t see how opening a cheese shop is going to help take this place down!”

“You just need to open your mind.” I go back to the door and look out the window. The street is nearly empty at this hour. All that’s visible is various businesses and apartments closed up for the day. “Merekeep as a whole is invincible. But this place is hardly united now, is it? While the leaders of the Upper Houses are nominally bound to defend the city, if we give them a reason to turn from Selena’s side…or if we can find her alone, then she’s just one woman and her clan.”

“Boss, isn’t that a bit sneaky…?”

“Mhm. There’s just two problems.” I turn away from the street and go back to Meera. “One, Selena rarely leaves the palace. And if she does, it’s with her strongest lieutenants. Thus assassinating her is unlikely. Two…we’re outsiders. If anyone recognizes we’re from the Rainstopper Sect, they’ll definitely report us. Turning people from Selena’s side is going to take a long time. They’ll be looking for suspicious foreigners in the city so we need to have an airtight cover story! People have to believe we’re just regular merchants trying to make a living. That’s why I’ve put so much effort into this shop. Who’s going to believe that Myrr, a master cheesemaker, is actually an assassin? The better our cheese, the less likely anyone will doubt our story. And even if someone does doubt us, everyone will tell them it’s impossible! I mean look at me. Would you believe I’m an assassin?”

“Hahaha!” Meera takes one glance at my new, custom business clothes and laughs. For some reason I feel a bit insulted. “True! True! No one will believe a shrimp like you can kill anyone with your Qi control...it's so weak ahahah!”

…

Well, you could at least lie a little bit…

“Yea, Meera…anyways, you see the point, right?”

“Okay, okay! We need the shop. I get it.” She stops laughing and curls her lip so her chipped canine shows. It’s a killer smile. “But, how do you plan on getting the Upper Houses to turn on Selena?”

“Oh…it’s very simple.” Moving closer, I turn my back from the window and start chanting. In my palms, a pale-white and blue Icebomb grows. Meera knows what it’s capable of. Over the years, I’ve learned to make them so strong that even a high-level assassin won’t like a direct hit. “Let’s say everyone that does business with Selena dies. Each clan she’s in league with, no matter how powerful, or influential, starts to get hit by one of these every week. We’ll take our time, put them in places that can’t be defended. Their barracks, shops, anyone that so much as sells the Daggas a rusty knife gets paid a visit.”

“If you do that…” Meera’s eyes widen. “Gosh, Boss, that’s a dirty way to fight! I’m not sure if the previous Raingods would approve…”

“Heh. So? Since when are you afraid to fight dirty, Meera? Or have you forgotten how we met?” I smile, wondering if this is the first incident of my revolutionary style tactics in this world. Meera blushes as she recalls the little scam she tried to pull during the Trials. “Eventually, everyone will get the message. Work with Selena or the Daggas…and bad things happen. Merekeep’s clans aren’t a loyal lot, Meera. Lords change all the time. Selena killed the last one when she took over. If her position weakens, some of the Upper House leaders might try to do the same to her! We might not even have to act!”

“Heh…I hope not.” My newly briefed accomplice giggles dangerously, putting a hand over her mouth. “I don’t want anyone else to steal my glory.”

“It’s about winning, Meera. Not glory,” I reply.

“Sure…sure.” she grumbles and tries to hide a depressed look. “Anyways, this is a big shop. We can’t run the whole thing ourselves. Do you want me to send for some people from the Sect?”

“No, Rainstoppers are too conspicuous. It’s obvious that you’re all trained in Qi techniques. And if we have a bunch of foreigners enter the city, people will notice.” I tell her. Carefully, I cancel the Icebomb in my hand and let the raging energy inside dissipate. Walking over to the door, I hold it open and wait for her to join me. “We do need staff though…and I think I have solution. Did you know this city’s economy depends on slave labor to do pretty much anything outside of killing?”

“Peh, so lazy, relying on others to survive!”

“Yep. But it works in our favor. There’s a whole lotta people who dislike Merekeep just as much as we do. And the best part is…they’re cheap! Tell me, Meera. How do you feel about Demi’s?”

#

“Right this way, good sir. I’m Master Ito, please feel free to ask if you have any questions!”

The kennels of Merekeep’s Demi-Bazaar are a distasteful place. Walking along with one of the slavers ‘Masters’ (they really like that name) who owns this shop, I have to wrinkle my nose at the odor. It’s obvious that they’re using something similar to Asha Wood to cover up the smell. However, it’s not enough. The foul, lingering stench of early death and bodies left to rot makes me want to gag. The Slaver is careful to show me only his premium goods since I need Demi-humans who can still function. He knows I have money and is careful not to show me the darker side of the kennels. Even still, I catch little hints in the way the Demi’s retreat in his presence. Not to mention the coiled whip in his belt. They’re terrified of him.

Ugh, so uncivilized. But I suppose that’s how this world functions. Growing up in a human kingdom, I didn’t realize how bad it was because Geisha has a treaty with the Demi-Kingdom of Lissel to not create more slaves. Well, treaty is a nice way of putting it. Apparently the Demi’s in Lissel once invaded and forced Geisha’s monarch to stop the slave trade…by force. Our current war, that Mark got dragged into, is just a continuation of that conflict. Regardless, Merekeep is a ‘free’ city which doesn’t belong to either kingdom so it’s legal to take and sell slaves here. I'd bet most of the Demi slaves I met in Geisha came from somewhere in this city.

“Well, sir, here we are!” The Slaver gives me a dirty smirk. He’s not overtly ugly, but the callous way he glances at the slaves leaves me with no doubt what he’s like on the inside. The underlying stink of feces and stale urine becomes increasingly hard to hide as we move closer to a set of cells. The inhabitants inside these premium cells are new arrivals, or ‘fresh meat’ so to speak. Most of them seem somewhat lethargic, although a few of them come to the bars and reach out to me. They flinch when they see the Slaver beside me. Most fearfully scurry back into the shadows. However, a few bold ones remain, desperately calling out to me. The Slaver frowns, displeased, and shoos them away, “Back! Back, you filthy animals! Apologies, good sir. I’m afraid we don’t usually sell fresh goods. They’re a bit hard to control. Are you sure you want a new arrival? Those who’ve taken our service ‘course’ are twice as good in bed…and they will never say no-”

“No. I don’t need one of your broken toys.” I sigh, wrinkling my nose. Peering into the new arrival cells, I find hordes of Demi’s. By far the most popular breed is Demi-Cat, but several groups of Demi-Raccoons, Demi-Dogs, and even Demi-Goats and Demi-Rats are present. A couple are obviously families, while other cells contain just small groups of children. They meet my eyes with fear, but also a sick kind of twisted hope. As if I might rescue them from this place…by purchasing them. For all they know, I might be a horrible master who will mistreat them worse than the Slaver. Yet they desperately reach out to me hoping for something better anyways. Lesser of two evils I suppose. “Can they count? Do you have any Demi’s that went to school?”

“S-School? Ahem!” The Slaver chokes for a second and tries to hide it as a cough. Though he keeps his expression neutral, I’m quite good at reading faces. He’s reevaluating his opinion of me. “Apologies, sir. I was a bit taken aback by your question. There are no schools for Demi’s in Merekeep. I can probably find one or two in my stock that would be able to count past ten…but good sir…these are…animals…we’re talking about. They’re not really suited to anything beyond elementary mathematics.”

“Ehh?” I grumble, feeling a bit letdown. “Only one or two?”

“Well, I do know someone who deals in House Slaves for the Upper Houses.” He glances down and checks out my new business clothes one more time. Eventually, he smiles and his slimy eyes regain their fake cheer, “I’d be happy to refer you…there’s just one little thing. I hesitate to even mention it, to such a fine gentleman as yourself, but I wouldn’t want any misunderstandings…”

“Just say it.”

“Well, forgive me good sir…but you are aware that Demi’s who can imitate humans like that are…rare?” The Slaver rubs his fingers together and gives me a fake laugh, “You have to take them at a young age, while they’re still pliable and train them for years. And there’s no guarantee of a good result. Not many Masters are willing to take on the risk. Considering the quality of his stock, my friend almost exclusively deals with the Upper Houses. You’d never really be able to talk with him if it wasn’t for my referral…”

Ah, I see what this is about. You want your cut.

“Master Ito, price is no object.” I nod at him. “So long as they can perform. Naturally, if he were to have a suitable specimen, I’d be happy to pay you a referral fee. How does fifteen percent sound?"

“E-Excellent!” The Slaver turns around and beckons me to follow. “Right this way then, sir-!”

“W-Wait!” A voice interrupts us from a nearby cell. We both turn around in surprise. There’s a female Demi-Cat inside. Maybe sixteen or seventeen years old. Her eyes are muddled, but the desperation in them is clear. She pushes her fingers through the bars and begs, “I-I can count! Not very much…but I can learn! Please take us with you-!”

*CRACK*

“Don’t lie, you filthy animal! None of you are house trained!” Master Ito flicks out a whip from under his robes and sends it flying towards the bars. It smacks against the Demi-Cat’s fingers and she gasps. Retreating back into the cell, the girl fearfully cowers. Master Ito apologizes, “Heh, sorry, sir. I told you, the fresh meat is hard to control. I’ll be sure to discipline this one later…properly. Now then, please, my friend is just next door-”

“No…no…hang on.” I hold a hand out. She said she could count. Walking over to the cell, I observe the Demi-Cat inside curiously. She watches me with filthy hair and bloodshot eyes. “I’ll give you a chance. Show me you can do it. Count backwards from a thousand.”

“...” The girl stares at me fearfully. However, when she sees I’m serious, she ignores the slave master’s frown and begins to recite, “1000, 999, 998…”

Well well well.

You can count fine.

Hmm was the Slaver trying to scam me…or are you just special?

“What’s your name?” I ask. The girl behind the bars becomes extremely nervous. I smile at her and she shudders. Oops. Is my face that bad?

“K-Kisa, sir.” She replies.

*CRACK*

“He’s a Master, you stupid animal! Address him properly!” The slaver yells behind me and she recoils. I sigh, fed up with this whole charade. He turns to me and shakes his head, “This one doesn’t have any manners, good sir. You don’t want her. But my friend’s stock…now those are real House Slaves! Absolutely loyal, worth every coin-!”

“Enough, I want her.” I hold out a big sack of money to Master Ito. “Will this do?”

“T-This much? I mean…absolutely! Sold!” He says, overjoyed. I’m fairly certain I just overpaid by a lot. But I’m tired. And the smell here is making me nauseous. Or maybe it’s the people. Slavers...ugh. While I’m contemplating how oddly backwards this world is, the Slaver has changed his tune one-hundred eighty degrees. Now that I’ve spent a bunch of money for her, this particular slave has mysteriously become one of his best products. “You won’t regret this purchase! She’s absolutely healthy, and able-bodied! Also quite pretty once groomed. I’m sure if trained properly, she’ll be able to serve all your needs. Seeing as you’re a new customer, I’d be happy to assist in educating her. Give me two weeks to teach her obedience-”

“No. I’d prefer to teach her myself.” Handing over the coins, I motion for Master Ito to unlock the cell. “If she rebels I won’t hold you responsible. Now please unchain her.”

“Ah, of course!” He finally shuts up. “One moment-”

“W-Wait!” My new Demi-Cat interrupts as the Slaver goes to unlock the cell. She comes right up to the bars again. “My sister! Please don’t separate us! Buy her too!”

“Demi!” The Slaver roars. His face turns dark and he narrows his eyes. “What did I tell you about addressing a Master? Do not mess this up!” Despite his angry tone with her, when the Slaver turns back to me, I can tell he senses an opportunity to make a profit. He smiles greedily, “Good sir, as it so happens, this one is part of a set! Would you be interested in buying the other one as well?”

“Oh?” I don’t really need another Demi yet. But... “I suppose taking a look can’t hurt. Where is she?”

“Right across the hall.” The Slaver grins nastily. “I thought the kit would appreciate being with others her age.” He leads me across the hallway. A bunch of children are watching us, stuffed inside a tiny cell. They scatter as he approaches, hiding in the corners. The Slaver taps a finger on his chin, “Mmm, what was her name? It’s so hard to remember, my inventory all blurs together sometimes. Sorry…I think it was…Nit…Nya…yes that’s it. Which of you is Nya! Come out here!”

“H-Here!” A small Demi-Cat shivers and steps into the light. As she comes out I startle. Scrappy and dirty, Nya’s tawny hair is all messy like a hedgehog. It kind of reminds me of Glacia. But her size and build is just like Natalia used to be. For a second my brain actually glitches and superimposes my sister’s face on top of hers. However, the illusion fades after a second. Though they look similar, it’s not quite the same. The girl’s fuzzy ears twitch. One’s crimped slightly. She comes up to the bars, watching us carefully the entire time, “I’m Nya.”

“Well, here she is. Let me go unwrap your other purchase, sir.” The Slaver walks back to Kisa’s cell and leaves me alone with the girl. “Do let me know if you’re interested in making another purchase, good sir!”

“Hi, Nya, my name is Myrr.” I bend down to peer at the tiny girl. “Are you Kisa’s sister?”

“Mhm, mhm.” She bobs her head and my jaw drops. She really does look like Natalia. “Kisa is Nya’s big sis!” Ugh…she even talks like her too.

“How old are you?” I ask.

“E-Eleven,” Natalia, I mean Nya replies hopefully, “Are you going to adopt us, Mister? Please buy us together!” She stands up straight and tries to make herself look taller. It just makes it easier to see how scrawny her malnourished body is though. Oh God…if you didn’t have fur you’d just be a pile of bones! “I’m stronger than I look! I can carry a lot! And Sis works very hard! We won’t let you down!”

So young…just like she was…ugh…what are the odds you’re so goddamn similar?

“Err…let me think on that,” Standing up, I turn away from Nya and go back to the Slaver. For some reason, my heart is racing. Once I saw the hope in her eyes, I suddenly felt like buying her. Ugh. Ugh. Ugh. I really shouldn’t be spending money on someone who can’t work. But I mean…owning the whole family will make them easier to control, right? It’s not like I want to help her or anything. Yea, I’m just making sure that my staff will stay loyal. Nothing more…nothing less.

Back at the other cell, the Slaver is taking the big sister outside.

“Ah, so what did you think, good sir?”

“Please, Master!” Kisa begs when she sees me, “Will you buy Nya too? She’s only eleven! If I leave her alone in here…she’ll never make it! Please don’t separate us!”

“Mmm, I saw her.” Playing it cool, I wait until the Slaver has removed Kisa’s collar. Once he hands her over to me, I ask her, “Can your sister count?”

“Y-Yes…a little?” She says quietly. Her voice fades to a whisper at the end. I know she’s lying, hoping I’ll buy her. Seeing the disbelief on my face, Kisa becomes desperate. She drops to all fours, tail flat on the ground, and puts her hands on my boots. Pressing her forehead to the filthy floor, she repeats, “Please! Kind…wise…Master! Buy her too and Kisa will do anything you ask!”

“Well, Kisa.” I sigh, squatting down to meet her at eye-level. Down here, the Master can’t see my face. I wink at her. Come on…figure it out. Kisa’s eyes widen as I mouth to her ‘play along’. Turning back to the Slaver, I pretend not to be interested in purchasing another slave, “Listen, I’m really quite sorry, but I happen to be out of gold at the moment. As much as I’d like to keep you together, I’m afraid I only need one of you right now-”

Despite all the Slaver’s talk of Demi’s being dumb animals, the girl at my feet figures out what I want from her instantly, without me saying a single word. She throws an epic fit-

“Please don’t separate us!” Kisa starts screaming as I tug on her arm to go. She yells desperately to her sister’s cell across the hallway, “Nya! I’ll be back! I promise! They’re not going to separate us!”

“S-Sis?!” Her tiny sister realizes that something’s wrong. She rams herself against the bars. “SIS! NO! You can’t do this! Don’t leave me! I don’t want to be alone! Buy me too! BUY ME TOO!” Amidst the commotion, an increasing number of Demi’s come to the front of their cells to watch. The Slaver’s face grows darker and darker and a bead of sweat appears on his neck.

*CRACK*

“BACK AWAY! ALL OF YOU!” Master Ito roars at the commotion. Lashing his whip in the air menacingly, he stares down all the Demi’s in their cells. “This one’s been sold. As will some of you…if you’re lucky enough to attract a Master. This is a good thing. She’s going to a better place. Now, make another peep and I’ll send you all for disobedience training!”

“Please, Master!” Kisa begs I pretend to drag her away by the elbow. Her wide cat-eyes implore me to help. It’s one part act, two parts real fear. “Nya’s smart like me! I…I’ll teach her to count! I’ll do anything! Don’t do this!”

…

…

…

Relax. I’m just getting a better price.

He’s going to scam the crap out of me if he knows I’m interested.

“Wait.” I hold up a hand. And stop by the exit. Turning around, I irritably grumble, “Master Ito, do you think you could give me a discount on the little one? She’s not very useful, but I don’t want to have to listen to the big one whining all night. I’m a bit light on coin, perhaps you could do me a favor, between gentlemen?”

“Oh?” The Slaver is closing the cell already. He turns around and sees the coppers in my hand that I have left after purchasing Kisa. “Mmm…good sir, you know, some people really like the little ones. But I suppose I could give you a discount. Just this once, between gentlemen…hehe.”

“Excellent! I knew I could count on you!” I hand my last bit of pocket change over, hiding my disgust. I really shouldn’t have given him all that money earlier. Basically, scammed myself. Good thing I didn’t show him I was interested in Nya. Look at this scumbag’s face. He’d charge me a fortune! Smirking ever so slightly, I incline my head. “A pleasure doing business with you, Master Ito!” It feels kind of repulsive smiling at this piece of human trash. However, I manage to keep a pleasant expression on my face while he unlocks Nya’s cell and brings her to me. The little girl is terrified, but when she sees her big sister, she stops struggling. The Slaver chuckles, seeing how docile the two Demi-Cats have become-

“Hehe, please don’t forget who gave you such a good deal, next time, sir! You can pick up their papers at the front. Until we meet again…please enjoy yourself…thoroughly…hehehe!”

…

…

…

You know, I’m not really sure why I don’t like you so much. It’s not like I care about slavery. Or your mistreatment of Demi’s. Definitely not. I’m no hero. If I had to guess…It’s probably how fake you are. Like those gold diggers in my past life…tch. Yea, that must be it. I just don’t like your attitude, trying to scam me. One of these days, I think I will come back here. And on that day…I will enjoy myself thoroughly. You can count on it…

Maybe I’ll put a collar on YOUR neck.

Bloody slavers.