Ryo sat there shivering from the cold, unable to sleep. The rain had finally stopped in the middle of the night. Once the rain had stopped, the sailors forced them to bail water out of the ship again. During this is when he'd learned that three sailors had gone missing during the storm. No one had seen what'd become of them, so most guessed they must have fallen overboard. There was also an old human slave that had died during the storm. They weren't sure how he died, but had found him face down on the deck.

As predicted, no one rested peacefully that night because of the storm. There was also about three centimeters of cold water on the floor, which made it impossible to sleep comfortably. Yet, everyone was relieved to hear that they were close to Hewe. According to the sailors, they would dock around mid-afternoon. I think everyone wanted to get off the ship as soon as possible. After that storm, Ryo promised himself that he would avoid getting on a ship ever again. Unless there was no other way, he would rather keep his feet on land.

Just after lunch, the ship finally docked at Hewe harbor. The sailors cheered and called out to the dock workers. The hatch was flung open, and a sailor shouted down for everyone to disembark the ship. Several people rushed towards the sailors, desperate to get back to dry land. Once on the deck, Ryo noticed the state of the ship was a total disaster. In several places, he could see the wood had splintered and some railings along the sides were gone. Thinking back, he thought of the ominous noises he'd heard from under the ship… did that thing cause all this damage?

Sailors, dockworkers, and slaves rushed around the ship, unloading the cargo. Even though no one on the ship had slept that much everyone moved rapidly, with a purpose. Ryo and the rest of the slaves were escorted off the ship and ordered to line up along the pier. Looking around, he could see several humans walking around and a handful of other ships in the harbor of various sizes, mostly small fishing boats bringing in their hauls from the sea.

At the end of the harbor, a flight of well-worn stone stairs lead up to a busy street. Yotul and the short weaselly man guided the slaves up the stone stairs and into the city. The homes and shops that lined the street were made from a rough-looking gray stone, with large black timber beams. Ryo could see several people on the roofs, fixing the thatch that had been damaged from the storm. The busy street led them to the city square.

It was a wide-open space of paved stone, with merchant stalls chaotically scattered around. Hundreds of people were in attendance, running around shouting to one another. The merchants called out details of their wares as they walked, trying to sell them to any passersby. Several races mixed and mingled with each other, buying and selling goods. Ryo could see wood elves, dark elves, snow elves, nords, and even some orcs.

***

Robert scanned the area keenly. He had been to this city before, but reckoned by the looks of it  that it was now home to around ten thousand or so. Life along the northern coast was harsh and dangerous. With the constant threat of sea monsters, raiders, cold winters, and conflicts with other realms, the people here were hardy. From what he'd heard, this city was the last stop before the capital city of Therian. Both cities belonged to the Northern Conclave - a nation ruled by a powerful mage organization called "the Wizards of the Northern Coast".

Before it was called the Northern Conclave, it was originally known as the Dachan Kingdom. Twenty years prior several mage guilds had come together and started a revolt in the country. To his knowledge, the kingdom was already falling apart due to the political infighting between the royalty and nobility. The revolt had sparked the start of a civil war that would split Duchan into three separate nations - the Northern Conclave led by the mages, Sinsa Dukedom led by the nobility, and Dachan Remnant led by the royalty.

After a decade of fighting, the three nations signed a ceasefire. Robert was sure they would still be fighting if it wasn't for the other nations that surrounded them. If they had gotten any weaker, the three would have been vulnerable to invasion from another kingdom, though it was probably only a matter of time before they were all at each other's throat again. They were merely building their strength back up again. Robert gave it another five years before another war broke out.

When was the last time I was in this area? Robert had briefly been in Therian before, but only to run a quick errand for a mage. The city itself was one of the largest and most prosperous cities in the north. There were several mage academies and guilds within its borders, which produced numerous magic scrolls, weapons, equipment, and tools, earning the envy of several surrounding kingdoms and nations. If it wasn't for a few powerful mages, the country would never have survived.

From what he'd heard, most of the mages didn't bother with governing, leaving it to proxies. The mages used the wealth of the nation to further their own understanding of magic. Some lucky, well-connected merchants were able to rise to prominence in Therian. These merchants provided raw materials to the mages, while selling the magic items they produced to the world. The magic trade in Therian was one of the most prosperous in the human realm.

***

"Why did it have to be her?" Grant thought to himself. Of all the city officials he could have met, it had to be Madam Brooke. She was an old hag that loved to make his life harder. Every time he saw her, she would happily display her disdain for him. What made matters worse was the old codger didn't take bribes, this made dealing with her much harder than the others. Putting on his best smile, he gave the woman a friendly wave.

She reminded him of an old crow, with thin shard-like features and a long nose. Her skin was tan and leathery and appeared loosely hung from her angular frame. The old woman's black beady eyes darted around the city. She wore a gray robe that hid almost all of her features. A large wooden walking stick carried most of her weight as she moved toward him.

"Madam Brooke, how are you?" He called out politely.

"Ah, Grant. What do you want?" She grumbled softly, stopping in front of him.

"I'm heading to Therian and was hoping to do a quick auction here before I left." Grant explained to the woman, trying not to let her brusk attitude get to him.

"We are a little busy, why don't you just head out already." She suggested, waving him off.

"Well, I need to organize a caravan and gather supplies, so I have a few hours." Grant calmly replied.

"What do you want from me? Can't you go bother someone else?" The old woman scoffed.

"You know you're the only one I can talk to!" He angrily thought to himself. Ignoring her last statement, but he gritted his teeth and forced himself to keep smiling.

"Madam, I'm only looking to have a small auction." He explained.

"Pay the fee." She shot back, rolling her eyes.

"Of course, but may I ask you to have someone make an announcement for me?" Grant asked, ignoring the woman's attitude.

"Mr. Grant, the town just experienced a rough storm, as you can see. Many of our people are occupied with fixing their homes, or tending to the fields. I don't think many people will come out to your little auction." The old hag said with disdain.

"Why did this old bat have to be so damn difficult!?" He thought to himself. All he wanted to do was be on his way. Clenching his fist, he cleared his throat and said.

"Madam, I understand, but I hope you can consider my request given…" A dismissive wave of the woman's hand stopped him from saying anything else.

"Fine, I'll send a runner if you will stop your nagging!" She chided. 

"I thank the madam for her work, and can offer compensation." He said, clasping his hands together.

"There is no need, just pay your fee at the city hall." She said, turning around and leaving.

"Yes, Madam." He quickly replied, happy to see the back of her.

Gritting his teeth, he waved at the woman as she left him there. City hall wasn't that far away, so he made his way over and paid the fee. With receipt in hand, he made his way back towards his slaves.

Grant's plan was to make a quick sale here in Hewe, gather supplies and wagons, then head out toward Therian, stopping at the villages and small towns between the two. Many merchants didn't visit the rural areas anymore, not thinking it was worth the trouble. The roads were mostly safe, but you still needed to be on the lookout for bandits and monsters. For most merchants, it was better to stay in a city, or travel along the coast by ship.

Yet for Grant, it was a golden opportunity to earn some decent coin. In the Northern Conclave, farmers had to bring their crops to bigger cities. Knowing this, many merchants and businesses raised their prices during the harvest season. They also worked together to force the farmers to sell their crops at a cheap price. It had become a vicious cycle for the farmers.

These rural folk were happy to see a merchant come to them for once. A lot of these people didn't have gold, but they had other things of value they could trade. He could then take whatever they gave him and resell it at Therian, earning himself more profit. Although he never made as much as some of his colleagues, there was less stress and competition involved doing it this way.

In his opinion, the cities, especially Therian, were too cutthroat for him. Grant had heard of small time merchants being found dead in back alleys. Plus, he had built up an excellent reputation with many places along the route. The relationship and trust he had built with some villages prevented any new merchants from stealing his route. With no real competitors, he could charge whatever price he wanted now. He could even match the prices of the cities, and the rural folk would still be happy to pay him. Pushing those thoughts aside, he headed back to where his slaves were being held. After a few minutes of walking, he could see Yotul and the slaves near the center of the city square.

"Yotul!" He called out to the woman.

"Get some slaves and bring over one of the supply wagons and some wooden boxes. Have them build a makeshift stage as quickly as possible!"

The orc woman nodded at him and grabbed a few slaves before walking away. He always hated that damn green tusker, she always resisted his commands. Out of all the slaves he had ever owned, she was one of the most difficult. Grant had to keep a close watch on her, or she would try to defy his orders. If it wasn't for the slave collar, he wasn't sure anyone could control her.

An hour passed until Yotul returned with a wagon. He was about to yell at her, but stopped himself. There was no need to scare paying customers away. He would punish her after they left the city. The slaves quickly built the stage under his watchful eyes. A crowd formed around the wagon, wanting to see what was happening. Not wanting to lose the crowd, he cleared his throat and addressed them formally.

"Hello, good people of Hewe! Many of you may already know me but, for those who don't, my name is Grant." He told the crowd, giving them a friendly wave.

"This will be a quick and simple auction."  He told them, as he paced back and forth.

"If you have any concerns or questions about my products, please ask me afterwards. I will be in town for a brief time before departing. Know that all transactions are not final until your signature is on the slave contract. The price of the slave does not include a collar, which will cost two gold extra. All coins must be from the human realm, or of equivalent weight. Trades for slaves will happen after the auction is completed." Grant explained to the crowd.

"Are there any questions?" He asked, pausing for a time to allow any responses. Not hearing anyone raise their voice, he decided to begin.

"Let's begin the auction!" He shouted, as the audience cheered.

***

"The first slave…" Grant's voice echoed across the crowd.

This was the first time Ryo had seen the merchant who had bought him. He was a greasy, heavyset man with a pig-like face. He watched as the man waddled around, stoking the crowd's excitement. Sweat dripped from the man's face, as his face turned red like a tomato. When the merchant got closer, he could see several stains on his clothes.

As the merchant whipped up the crowd, the line became shorter. One by one, the slaves would stand at the center of the wagon while the crowd placed their bids.

This wasn't the first time he had witnessed such a thing. Despite this, Ryo still had such a degrading feeling in response to being bought and sold like this. Most of the people in the crowd didn't bid and had no intention of doing so, but that didn't stop them from attending. These people treated this auction as some sort of freak show. They pointed and shouted, taunting whoever was up on the wagon. It was one thing to be treated like an animal by your master, but when hundreds of people did the same, it was even worse. When so many people treated you like that, you started to believe it.

It was now his turn to stand up on the wagon. Taking a deep breath, he stepped up onto the box and then the wagon. Standing at the center of the stage, he looked out across the crowd. Ryo could feel their collective gaze on him, sending a shiver running through him. He was only wearing a loincloth, so the entire city could see him. The crowd fell silent, as people pointed and whispered to one another.

***

"Ladies and gentleman, this is from the secret and mysterious island of the kitsune." Grant said, directing his arms towards it.

"All the injuries are superficial and came from the previous owner." He assured the audience, after seeing their horrified reaction to the state of the thing.

"Other than a few marks, it��s very healthy and docile." Grant remarked, trying to alleviate the crowd's fears and doubts.

"All the important parts are free from any marks." He said, pointing to its face.

"The starting price will begin at one hundred gold pieces!" Grant finished, wiping the sweat from his brow with his sleeve.

To most people, one hundred gold was something they could only dream of. He wouldn't have priced it that high if it wasn't for the papers that came with it. They were from a respectable slaver guild in the dark elf realm. Grant had done business with them a few times, and trusted their work. If the papers said he was a kitsune, then he had no reason to doubt it. Seeing the crowd was still not bidding, he cleared his throat and quickly added.

Have you ever heard of anyone seeing a kitsune before? This could be your chance at owning one!

"I hear they don't leave their island, and attack anyone who gets too close."

"All papers have been verified by me personally! This thing is the real deal!"

"He just looks human to me."

"You can show it off to your friends and family, or maybe breed it, the possibilities are endless!"

"Is he really a kitsune? Doesn't look like it to me!"

"I heard they looked like foxes!"

"Yeah! Where's the tail and ears!?"

It was just as Grant feared - the damage to this thing was far too severe for most to accept. He would need to give it some clothes to cover up the scars and marks. If he didn't he doubt he would be able to sell it to anyone, regardless of its rarity. Though maybe some mage in Therian would pay for it, they always sought out novel creatures to experiment on. Most mages also had quite a bit of money, so he might be able to charge a higher price! Thinking about this, he was less concerned about selling it then and there.

"I understand your skepticism but, as I said, all its papers have been verified. He may lack the qualities of the kitsune, but he can still be used for breeding." He explained to the crowd.

Grant was less than optimistic about selling it here, but he still had to try. Who knows, he thought, some rich idiot might be interested. The crowd continued to murmur and gaze at the thing. After another minute of seeing no one willing to purchase it, he waved to Yotul to take the thing off the stage, no sense in wasting time. "I'll just need to remember to buy clothes for it before leaving", he thought to himself.

***

Robert guessed about a quarter of the slaves had been sold. He wasn't surprised when no one tried to purchase him. With a missing arm and considering his age, he would be shocked if anyone were interested. But that didn't really bother him, he wasn't planning on dying as a slave. Once there was a chance to make a clean escape, he would take. All he had to worry about now was Ryo.

In the past, he probably wouldn't have considered Ryo in his plans, but the lad had grown on him. He wasn't sure why, but there was something about the boy. Maybe it was his willingness to listen and learn from him. Kids these days didn't listen or respect their elders anymore. Regardless of the reason, he needed to think of a way for them both to escape.

The other problem now was that when they loaded them up into the wagons, they'd placed the lad in a separate wagon. The wagons left Hewe soon after the auction, heading northeast along the main road. Only traveling during the day, which was smart. Even within a kingdom's borders, you had to be mindful of monsters. Usually, they were only the weaker varieties like goblins or kobolds, yet even weaker monsters shouldn't be underestimated. Robert knew plenty of people that'd died in a goblin trap or a kobold ambush.

During the night the wagons would stop in a village, before heading out the next day. Most of the people out in these parts were farmers, and thus didn't have much coin. Even still, that limp dick merchant was still able to squeeze money out of them. After a week of traveling there were only about fifty of them left. From what he'd overheard from the merchant, they were around a week away from reaching Therian.

He had been looking for a chance to escape but hadn't found one yet. The problem was the blood mark on the slave papers. These papers were used to show ownership and general information. They also had a blood mark from the slave. This allowed mages and the like to track down escaped slaves. If he wanted to escape, Robert would need to figure out a way to get ahold  of or destroy those papers.

***

Everything was going according to his plan, until he was forced to change routes. Several trees had fallen across the path, making it impossible to cross. The storm ended a week ago! Why was the path still blocked?! Shouldn't someone have come and cleared this up by now? He though, as he turned around to head back the way they'd come and find another route. Most roads led to Therian, but he wasn't as familiar with them. Along the way back he bumped into a priest, and his escort.

They told him about a small village not too far away, by the name of Teca. He had never heard of the village, but that wasn't surprising. There were probably hundreds of villages spread across this area. From what the priest had told him, the village had an inn and a road that led back to the main one. After thanking them for the information, he gave them a silver piece, and had his wagons head towards the Teca.

Since he had never heard of the village, he guessed it wasn't very big, probably fewer than three hundred people. It was doubtful such a remote village would have anything of value to trade. He debated if he should even hold and auction there. In the end it was probably best if he still tried. Even if he sold one slave, it would be worth it.

At dusk, the wagons finally rolled into Teca. The homes were of an oval shape, made from wood and dirt. They were scattered randomly, seemingly with little planning. Grant could see the flicker of fires, through the cracks of the homes. Most people were either eating dinner or getting ready for the next day. The only one who greeted him was a sickly cat, looking for food.

Grant spotted a large building at the end of the village with a sign that read "Rider's Inn". He directed the wagons to the inn and had them stop in front of it. A bear of a man walked out of the door and crossed his arms, eyeing the wagons suspiciously. The man was probably a head taller than he was and had arms the diameter of small tree trunks! His thick, unkempt black hair and piercing green eyes gave him a wild look.

"Hello good sir, are you the innkeeper?" Grant asked the man.

"Aye." The man acknowledged, nodding his head.

"Ah good, how much for a single room?" Grant inquired, putting on a big smile.

"A single room will cost fifty copper. Meals and mead are not included." The innkeeper stated bluntly, putting his hands on his hips.

"If you're using the stable, that's gonna cost ya an extra ten copper per horse, feed included." He finished saying.

When he heard the cost for everything he could feel his face turn red with rage. These prices were almost the same he would pay for a room in a small city! There was no reason some shitty little inn out here should be so expensive! Yet, the innkeeper held all the cards, with no other inn he didn't have a choice. He didn't want to spend the night in the cold wagons. Gritting his teeth he calmed himself down and said.

"Oh… uh… fine then."

"Do you know anyone in the area looking to purchase any slaves?" He quickly added, changing the subject.

"Hmmm folks in these parts don't make much." The man remarked, shaking his head.

"Then how are you able to stay in business?" Grant asked the man.

Someone around here had to have at least some kind of coin to spend. If there wasn't any coin, maybe there were some ore or gems or other valuables the locals relied upon.

"Everyone needs a good drink." The man replied, shrugging his shoulders.

"Can you help me get the word out about an auction?" Grant asked, getting down from the wagon.

"Aye, I'll help for a fee." The man said, giving him a wink.

This was to be expected, no one helped out of the kindness of their heart. No matter where you went, you had to spend a coin to make two. It was a common practice to pay someone with influence to make selling a little easier. Either a mayor, a councilman, lord, knight, or whoever held power. In this little village, that person was seemingly the innkeeper.

"Can you send some warm food to my room, with some warm water?"

"Aye, seven copper, and I'll have it up soon." The man agreed, turning around and walking back into the inn.

"Fucking leech." Grant softly muttered to himself after the man was gone.

He only had a few more villages to stop at before arriving at Therian. Whatever he didn't sell, he would be forced to sell at a discount to the mining guild. They didn't pay much, but they took pretty much anything. It was a dumping ground for any slave trader who couldn't sell certain slaves. He didn't want to sell at discount, because it would mean he would take a loss. The other reason being because he hated to visit the mine's foremen. They were a crude and vulgar bunch that forced slaves to literally work to death.

He really didn't care that they were used like that, but he didn't want to see it. Once he had watched a foreman slam a rock into a slave's skull because it was sick. Right until the very end the slave had pleaded for it's life, which was uncomfortable to watch. The foreman just laughed and ignored the slave, and smiled the whole time. Just thinking about it made him shudder, hopefully he didn't need to make a trip there.