By the time Aleks and Lenia arrived back in Kordusk with the new slave in tow, the church bells throughout the city began to ring marking that it was three in the afternoon. There was still ample time remaining in the day and Aleks made his way leisurely towards the slave boutiques which were located in the western side of the city right through the western city gates. It wasn’t necessary to head to another part of the city as all of the slave boutiques and merchants were either in the western area of the city or out of the western gate. This was the only area of the city where slaves were allowed to be sold and it’s also where all of the slave auctions took place. There was a good amount of traffic through the area because of this and one could also find many nobles loitering around or entering and exiting the boutiques and auction houses.
Aleks seemed to be wandering aimlessly, but then suddenly chose one of the boutiques out of the many lining the main road which didn’t appear to have any customers. There didn’t seem to be any reasoning behind his choice and Lenia followed him in while pulling the Orc slave along. They were greeted by an extremely friendly middle aged woman who was wearing an expensive looking black dress that didn’t hide her voluptuous chest. She had covered her face with an excessive amount of makeup and she was gracefully smoking a long black thin stick while welcoming Aleks into her establishment.
Surprisingly, Lenia could sense that she was a low level Advanced Class being from her aura which she didn’t even bother suppressing. Of course, even if she had been suppressing it that wouldn’t have stopped Lenia from being able to gauge her strength due to her significantly higher level. After considering it for a moment, Lenia realized it made sense that she was at an Advanced class. The woman was running a slave boutique and dealt in high class slaves so she would need the strength to do so and of course the wealth she obtained would aid in her own advancement. Although not all such individuals involved in the slave trade would be at such a high level, they would at least need to employ those who could keep the slaves in check whether by numbers or individual power. Most of the time the slaves would be suppressed by the slave chains but there would still be times when it was necessary to use strength.
“Come in, welcome. What a handsome young man you are! I can see you are someone with excellent taste. Oh, I’m sorry but you can’t bring that filthy Orc in here!”
Her mouth twisted in disgust when she noticed the Orc being pulled in by Lenia. The Orc was still in rags and filthy from fighting in the pit. The stench alone was unbearable and this boutique was a high class establishment so it wasn’t a surprise to Aleks that they wouldn’t allow such a slave to be brought into the boutique.
“Hmm, If I pay for a private room will you allow me to bring him in there? I am willing to pay double the amount for the service.”
Once she saw the heavy sack of coins in Aleks’s hand, the woman’s look of disgust quickly changed and she was smiling as brightly as before.
“Of course! For such a distinguished guest I can make an exception. Please, follow me!” She said while winking at Aleks flirtatiously.
The woman led Aleks, Lenia, and the Orc further into the establishment to a private room which was luxuriously furnished. Aleks handed the woman the sack of gold coins, which the woman only weighed momentarily in her hand without bothering to open.
She smiled once more and said, “So what brings you here today? Is there any particular slave you are looking for? What is your type and what purpose will the slave serve? We have many beautiful women who would make excellent maids or bed warmers. Or if you are looking for something a little more… special, I am sure I can accomodate your needs.”
Aleks walked over to a cushioned chair and sat down, crossing one leg over the other and taking a thoughtful pose.
“I haven’t had time to truly take an account of this slave I purchased. I wish to be alone for a while. As for the slaves in your establishment, why don’t you surprise me? Gold won’t be an issue.”
“Okay, I will give you some time. When you are ready, just ring the bell there on the table. In the meantime, I will prepare some outstanding specimens for you to choose from.”
With one last flirtatious look, the woman left the room and only Lenia, Aleks and a very wary Orc remained.
“Bring the slave here Lenia.”
Lenia pulled roughly on the chains which almost caused the Orc to fall, but he was able to keep his balance. She brought him in front of Aleks who was sitting comfortably on the chair. Aleks looked once more in the Orc’s eyes which caused the Orc to lightly shudder. He didn’t know why, but something about Aleks’s eyes caused him to feel an almost primal fear.
“What’s your name Orc?”
The Orc didn’t speak at first and instead grunted. He was trying to hold onto the last vestiges of his pride but another glance into Aleks’s eyes caused him to lose that last shred.
“Grobak.” The Orc growled in a deep voice.
“Grobak, it’s a good name. A proud name, and I can see that pride in your eyes. Do you know why I picked you Grobak?”
Grobak wasn’t expecting to be asked this question and he couldn’t think of any special reason.
“Because I won?” He replied questioningly.
“No. If that was the only reason, there are thousands more like you. Part of it was because I liked the fire I saw in your eyes and your spirit. You were defiant, even while surrounded by enemies. I like that, but that isn’t the most important reason.”
The Orc eyed Aleks cautiously expecting him to continue, but Aleks stopped and only stared at him causing him to sweat nervously. There was something about the man which brought fear and anxiety to him. It was something he couldn’t explain but he had this feeling that something was very wrong with the Human in front of him. He just couldn’t bring himself to respond and just swayed from one foot to the other while waiting for Aleks to finish what he had been saying.
“You’re a High Orc, aren’t you?”
Grobak was surprised and almost shouted out, “How do you know that?”
Aleks chuckled, “I have a special ability, it allows me to see many things. You must be a descendent of a noble family, perhaps even the once powerful royal family of the Orc empire that ruled over these lands. I’m surprised that one of your bloodline was able to survive the last crusade. Didn’t they slaughter every High Orc they could find on this continent? To think that one of your ancestors was able to survive that calamity. And look at your people now, nothing more than savages and barbarians with weak bloodlines!”
“Damn you!” The Orc said in anger. His anger had even overpowered his fear and he attempted to lunge towards Aleks but Lenia’s firm grip on the slave chains held him back.
“Oh, don’t be angry. I wasn’t intending to insult you. As a matter of fact, it is truly a shame what happened to the High Orcs and the rest of the Orc tribes. The Orc empire was worthy of being called an empire and had reached such great heights once. In the end, the powerful ancestral spirits which you all worshipped lost to the power of the gods and many were even annihilated. Only a few remain and their power greatly weakened. I was only lamenting the glory that has been forever lost and the fate of the fallen.”
Grobak calmed down and carefully eyed Aleks to see if he was ridiculing him, but he was unable to determine much by Aleks’s expression. It seemed his words might be genuine and Grobak quieted down. Aleks waited patiently for Grobak to settle his thoughts before speaking once more.
“How would you like to get revenge?” He asked.
Grobak didn’t know what to make of the question and gave Aleks an inquisitive look and grunted.
“To see the rise of the Orcs once more, what a glorious sight that would be. You will be my instrument whether you wish to or not. Lenia, remove the Orc’s chains.”
Lenia didn’t hesitate to follow through with Aleks’s command. She wasn’t worried that the Orc might hurt her master. The Orc was simply too weak to be a danger to him. Once the chains were removed from Grobak’s wrists, he didn’t lunge towards Aleks and instead rubbed his wrists while giving side glances to both Lenia and Aleks. He wasn’t sure what exactly their intentions were and knew that he wouldn’t have a chance against the two if he tried to do anything to them. Just Lenia alone could easily crush him and even though he couldn’t sense anything at all from Aleks, he was scared even more by him and his calm demeanor.
While Grobak was contemplating what he should do, Aleks abruptly stood and quickly approached him. Grobak didn’t even have the time to react before Aleks grabbed his face and said, “You shall be mine!”
“Tower of Babel, activate the ‘Soul System’.”
Soul System activated, target is incapacitated. What is your command?
“Scan target.”
Scanning target… Displaying status… Do you wish to initialize the respecialization menu or do you wish to create a new being?
“Activate the respecialization menu.”
