“He… he can’t do this…” I said, my voice coming out with a frustrated tone.

“She’s his property…” The Guild Master responded, slapping my back. “I’m sorry, lad.”

“No… but… he left her. I saved her life.” I tried to reason things out. “She’d be dead if it wasn’t for me.”

“No one asked you to save her life.” The Guild Master looked uncomfortable but said the words anyway. “I’m not justifying it; I’m just saying that you protecting his property doesn’t mean he owes you anything.”

“If he abandoned a sword in the dungeon… and I picked it up… wouldn’t that mean it is mine?” I tried to use their own disgusting logic against them.

“A slave isn’t a sword.” The Guild Master sighed. “They are given a mark of ownership. It’s magical. No matter what, she is still owned by him.”

“So… you’re saying, if someone changed ownership, like… with a slave taker skill, then he’d no longer have a right to her?” I tried to come up with anything to defend myself.

“How do you know of the Take Slave skill?” The wiry man was still nearby and immediately stepped forward as soon as I spoke.

I blushed. “I… um… heard about it.”

The Guild Master shook his head. “Even if you could take his slave ownership, he’d still have paperwork. You’d make an enemy of a noble, and you’d bring possibly the entire nation on your head. I speak this from experience, lad. Stealing a slave is punishable by death. Old Chalm once functioned as a place where slaves could hide, have their curse removed and be freed. They worked outside the law. There is a reason it’s called Old Chalm. It’s nothing but ghosts now.”

“Besides…” The slaver spoke up. “Slave Taker is an extremely rare skill. I’m a level 20 Slave Trader, and even I haven’t unlocked this skill yet. I heard it’s about level 50. Level 75 for the job Slaver.”

“What about the Slave Master?” I asked.

The man blinked. “Now that’s not a job I’ve heard in a long time. Very high tiered. You won’t find many in these parts. The last Slave Master I ever heard of was a hundred years ago. The guy is known as the Slave Hero.”

“Never mind then,” I sighed bitterly, no longer wanting to talk to this man.

“Wait…” The man stopped me with a hand. “My name is Figuro. I’m with the Slave Caravan that passes by. We do a circuit of all the villages every year to pick up those who can’t pay their taxes or have committed a crime. Chalm occasionally pays to free the sick, children, or the crimeless. This year they haven’t the coin to spare and have been a bit less than welcoming.”

The Guild Master sneered. “We tolerate your caravan on the outskirts of our city. Considering our population, isn’t that enough?”

“What do you want?” I asked, feeling drained.

“I have been selling slaves my entire life. I have a good read on people. For example, I read that this noble really wishes to sell that catkin and purchase another male companion to protect him. I also happened to notice he was heading in the direction of my caravan, where I happen to have a bodyguard that may fit his tastes.”

“You’re saying he’s going to sell her? What about his offer for the capital!” As soon as I said it, I felt stupid.

“Likely a lie.” The man shrugged. “By the time you reach the capital, he would have long gotten rid of the catkin. He likely planned to waste your time, put you off, and only reveal he got rid of her much later. Nobles aren’t the type to slit throats or hire thugs. They prefer to torture people more inconspicuously.”

“Then… Lydia?”

“Yes… I was saying, I will return to the caravan now and then make all effort to purchase her at a much more reasonable rate. I’m confident I’ll be able to make him sell. I’ll hold on to her for a few days, giving you time to recall the money. At that point, you can come to me and purchase her.”

“Really, you’d do this for me?”

Figuro shrugged. “Of course, she’ll be sold at a profit. I won’t demand anything unreasonable. I promise you I’ll sell her to you at the market rate. He gets his new slave and thinks he screwed you over, you get your slave back at a reasonable cost, and I only wish for the difference.”

I turned to the Guild Master. He sighed and nodded.

“Figuro is a businessman. He’ll sell her for exactly what she’s worth to him, not a penny more. He won’t screw you over.” The Guild Master explained. “I’ll work on recalling the money immediately.”

“Excellent!” Figuro smiled, “Then… we have a deal.”

I reached out and grabbed his hand. We shook on it. In a few days, I’d have Lydia back.