An hour since the last chapter…

Tristan, Royal Capitol, Grayfield estate

 

A large building was coming into Ashton’s view from the small window at the front of the carriage. It was made from the same limestone construction as many other buildings, but this one had a large wooden top floor with large windows. Women could be seen looking out of the windows, most of them seemed frightened as they were scantily clad. Some were pressed up against them naked as men plowed into them from behind. 

 

“Why are we here?” Kumiho asked with disgust as she wrinkled her nose.

 

“I asked Natalay what the worst business that Ashe owned was, and she said it was this brothel,” Ashton said decisively.

 

“Then why are we here?” Kumiho asked.

 

“I like to rip the bandage off in one fell swoop,” Ashton said. “If I am going to live in this world then I need to do some cleaning. This is where I was told the dirtiest spot was.”

 

“Then why did you make Kumiho carry that chest of gold?” Kumiho asked.

 

“I am sure that I will find a good way to get rid of it!” Ashton replied seriously.

 

Kumiho had realized something at the tavern that she had been to, that was that those little gold coins could be used to buy large barrels of alcohol! If she drank enough of it, it made her feel incredible, invincible, like a new fox! Just thinking about it had her licking her lips. She sneakily reached forward with one of her tails as she was about to try to “borrow” some of the gold coins from the chest, but Ashton stopped her by resting his feet on the lid. 

 

“This money feels like it is particularly dirty to me, it came from the second prince and he doesn’t strike me as the caring type,” Ashton remarked. “That means that it needs to be put to something especially good, like suffering women.”

 

Ashton also didn’t want to tell her that he didn’t know the combination to the vault… any of them. There were three in the study and six in the bedroom with a large one in the basement under the dining hall. This meant that he had no money and had been contributing all of the money he had been getting to the wrong purposes. He needed to contribute it in a way to benefit his workers and improve their lives so much that they would never want to leave his employ. 

 

“Alright Ashton, this is going to be like ripping stitches out… but I am going to sleep so much better when I am done…” He said as he took a few breaths to steady himself.

 

“Kumiho thinks you might be going crazy…” She told him.

 

“No, this is one of those things that I shouldn’t have any part of. As a man, I am already biased one way, and if the customer is the one setting all of the expectations it can create a miserable experience for the workers.” Ashton explained.

 

“This is something Natalay would understand. Kumiho thinks it is all stupid.” She huffed.

 

“That’s probably true, but she refused to come to one of these places and I wasn’t going to force her,” Ashton replied. 

 

“Beretta, you said that you can change my appearance right?” He asked.

 

“That wouldn’t be hard? Are you going to sleep with one of the girls?~” She asked this last part with audible excitement that caused him to want to facepalm. 

 

“No… No, I am not going to do that…” Ashton explained. “To understand what I am dealing with, I can’t be Ashe Grayfield.” 

 

Suddenly Ashton noticed that Kumiho had gotten much bigger and this caused him to look at his hands but he saw long black sleeves and white-gloved hands. “What the hell happened to me?!” He exclaimed.

 

“You are inside of me! You said that you didn’t want to look like Lord Grayfield!~” She replied happily.

 

“No! Turn me back!” He commanded.

 

As suddenly as it happened he discovered he had returned to his original size. The contrast of going from being child-sized to an adult caused a sudden sense of vertigo that made him dizzy. When he had suddenly shrunk he had his eyes closed while he was contemplating and didn’t notice. Kumiho didn’t react to him seemingly transforming instantly into the little combat maid then back to his original form. Instead, she took this chance to sneakily crack open a corner of the chest and start scooping out gold coins with her tail.

 

“Kumiho! Stop!” He ordered. “Both of you are so naughty…” 

 

Ashton looked out on the street and saw a younger man who was wearing a brown robe that seemed plain, he had an average face and a kindly disposition with short red hair and freckles on his face. Ashton nodded several times as he looked over the plain man and pointed at him before he commanded Beretta.

 

“Make me look like him!” He said before he felt his body suddenly readjust and he staggered a little in his chair.

 

Looking at his hands, he could see that they were covered in callous and small scars. His arms were the same under the brown robes that were thick and well worn. The man had been younger than Ashton by a couple of years, but on earth, he would be considered fairly average looking. Happy with his disguise, he asked the sudden question that was on his mind.

 

“How does this work? Is there anything I need to be mindful of?” He asked.

 

“I put you inside of his shadow, you are controlling it right now. It is like a second skin that you are wearing and you can feel everything that it does.~ Does this make you want to do anything perverted?~” She asked him, and he immediately shook his head.

 

“What about harmful things or things that might break my cover?” he asked.

 

“Priests have ways to dispel it but standing in the sun or bright light will dispel the shadow.” She said, she then pointed to the ground where a shadow could be seen on the ground.

 

“If they look at the ground the shadow you cast will be different.” She told him after a moment.

 

Looking outside of the carriage where the bright sun was blasting down on the street, he immediately saw a flaw in the plan. “How do I get in if I can’t be in the sunlight?” 

 

“Run really, really fast!~” She told him seriously.

 

“That is going to be suspicious!” He said in exasperation.

 

“Well… you could just take a trip in-side-of-me!~” She said with emphasis on the last part.

 

The image of the people getting dragged into the darkness appeared in his mind, then he recalled how they looked when they came out. “Weren’t they all comatose afterward?”

 

“I might have chewed on them just a wittle bit… I am a growing bunny after all! If you put a carrot in front of me…” She murmured this, but it still sounded like whispering and sent shivers down his spine.

 

Taking a few deep breaths, he threw open the door of the carriage, grabbed the chest of gold, and began sprinting towards the door of the brothel with a determined expression. He threw the large wooden door open using the chest like a ram and hurried into the establishment and checked his disguise. Seeing it was in place he sighed in relief as he looked around the dim entrance room. The first thing that took him was the smell and the dim lighting.

 

The smell of sex was overpowering and he could hear moans coming through the wooden floorboards above and the voices of rowdy men. Alcohol could be seen staining the wooden floor from spills and the smell of cheap wine was predominant. Ashton almost wanted to turn and leave but the sewage grate where the chamber pots were poured was right outside of the establishment. Looking around was what he thought was a bar with mannequins along the walls until he realized they were women who were dressed up and presented like merchandise.

 

Wow… It is much worse than I expected! He had just walked in and he was already considering firing whoever was running the place. The dull and lifeless expressions on the women who were wearing heavy makeup and slathered in perfumes made them seem like the dolls they were supposed to be portraying, and the dainty metal collars only made the image worse.

 

“Sir! Can I help you?” A man wearing formal garb said with a slick mustache.

 

He wore a wig that was powdered and covered his bald head, he was short and pudgy and had a large black coat similar to his boss, Ashe Grayfield, but this one was made from dog fur. He seemed full of himself and his pride was on full display as he wore thick gold coated rings with glass gems that were meant to look like diamonds. Several of his rotten teeth had been pulled out and replaced with gold copies driven into his gums. The man’s eyes were locked onto the chest that Ashton was carrying that bore the royal seal and he ignored Ashton’s black eyes.

 

“We have a lot of great girls to choose from, you can even take a couple of them with you! Why not try some of them out first?” The man pushed before he called out. “Pearl, get over here!”

 

One of the women on the raised platform that went around the outside of the brothel immediately jerked to life as she looked fearfully at the man wearing the black coat. She was wearing a tight corset that cinched in her belly and pushed up her breasts and a frilly-flowing low-cut skirt. Her skin was powdered a flawless white and she had a short black bob cut. He thought she was a human at first until she tried to move quickly on her heeled shoes and almost slipped revealing slightly pointed ears.

 

She had the lithe, graceful figure of an elf but a large bust and the wide hips and full butt that a human did, giving her an almost cartoonish figure. Watching her walk in the large heels she was wearing made him feel sorry for her ankles and hips. Bad shoes led to all kinds of problems when you had gray hairs and they were the foundation for living a long and rewarding life. The only movie he had ever seen that stressed this point enough was done by a Vietnam veteran who lost his legs in combat and became a shrimp fisher.

 

Those are magical shoes… the heel on that thing is almost longer than my hand… how the hell is she able to walk so quickly?! These thoughts crossed through his mind before he shook his head as he looked closer. The makeup around her eyes hid bags and he noticed bruises around her wrists and ankles that she was trying to hide.

 

“How much for an hour?” Ashton asked.

 

“That will be one silver coin!” The gaudy man said in excitement. “If you want to rough her up that will be two! We can negotiate further too if you like.”

 

If he keeps talking I am going to start to question my values on human life… Opening the chest and reaching inside of it he fished out a gold coin and tossed it to the manager and pointed to a woman who looked like a dog walking upright with thick black fur. Her clothes were modified heavily as she seemed to have more than one pair of breasts that could be seen by multiple cups she wore on her front that was red and a short gauzy red skirt.

 

“Does that mean you are also going to sleep with Kumihop at some point too?~” Beretta asked in excitement.

 

“Shut up!” He commanded silently.

 

This caused the dog woman’s ears to jerk and for her to give him a scared look as she paused coming down the stairs. She was going to introduce herself and was working up her courage when he said that so fiercely in her direction that she suddenly clammed up. The girl “Pearl” also seemed much more frightened as she looked at the red-headed man with freckles. She looked over at the dog woman in fear and the two of them started shaking when they thought about what was in store for them.

 

***

Meanwhile…

Tristan, Royal Capitol, Herstal Gunmakers

 

A young boy with dark brown hair was led into a small shop that had guns along the walls that were locked behind thick glass in their wooden cases. The boy could smell the fumes coming from the furnaces in the back and a waterwheel drove an impact hammer that could be heard slamming a piece of metal into shape. The counter was manned by a balding middle-aged man with brown hair and a monocle on his eye with a thick blue vest and tight black trousers.

 

“Welcome to Herstal, what can I do for you?” The man asked politely.

 

“I saw that you are looking for apprentices? I have a great boy here for you to try.” The priest wearing the white robes replied.

 

“Why would a priest recommend someone to gun making?” He asked in confusion.

 

“Because it is expensive! That doesn’t matter! He is one of the most brilliant children I have ever had the pleasure of raising.” The priest said before he turned to the brown-haired boy. “Jon, introduce yourself! Quickly!”

 

The boy stepped forward with the use of his crutch and did a bow at the waist before he announced stoically. “My name is Jon, hello sir. I come from the local orphanage in to-” 

 

“I could tell.” The man said with some disdain. “Your clothes are rough and filthy, you also can’t walk by yourself. What makes you think you can make guns?” 

 

The man was trying to intimidate the boy and he sat up in his chair behind the counter so he could stare him down more intently. Suddenly as the boy was starting to clam up the sound of a gun going off could be heard under the counter that blasted a hole through the wall at the side of the building where it was facing as it went clattering across the floor. It sat smoking on the ground as the man at the counter screamed like a pig being butchered and looked under the dark counter at the front of his pants and saw a line of charred fabric. Grabbing the pitcher on the counter filled with flowers he tossed the plants on the ground and dumped the cold water right on his crotch. 

 

Breathing out a sigh of relief he was interrupted when he heard the sound of an old man and angry footsteps to match his voice.

 

“Bennet, what the hell are you doing in my shop? Are you mad?!” He called as he pushed open the door.

 

His hair was long and fell to his mid-back and peppered with gray overtaking the red and he had a beard to match it. He was short and stocky with muscular arms and legs and dark bronze skin that was wrinkled with age. A sneer crossed his face when he saw the mess in his shop and his eyes stopped on the young boy and more particularly his cane.

 

“What are ya here for?” He barked.

 

“This boy wants to become an apprentice!” The priest insisted. 

 

The old dwarf walked over to a barrel and pulled out a musket with a bit of trouble after using a stool, he walked with a bit of a limp due to an injury sustained on the battlefield. Using one hand he tossed it over to a table carelessly where it rolled onto its side with the hammer and striker facing up.

 

“Tell me why that isn’t firing.” The old dwarf commanded.

 

The shopkeeper sneered and looked at the boy with some disgust. “This will be quite amusing.”

 

The old dwarf narrowed his eyes at the shopkeeper before he muttered something under his breath as Jon walked calmly to the gun and leaned over the table to drag it closer to him. He began playing with the hammer, the trigger, and the striker plate for several moments before he calmly gave his assessment.

 

“This piece is slightly bent so it isn’t letting the flint hit the striker. You can see where the metal is rubbing away here.” The boy said as he pointed to a point on the hammer that was worn.

 

The striker plate was steel, and the hammer was wrought iron, it was being rubbed away by the striker plate that covered the flash pan and the flint wasn’t able to make contact. Due to the way that the hammer swooped forward before swooping back and forming the flintlock, it was bent slightly from overuse. It was a problem that the dwarf commonly had to fix on this particular rifle.

 

“How would you fix it?” He asked.

 

“You can either bend the hammer or replace it with a better one.” The boy replied.

 

“Bennet, get out! I will find someone else to man the counter@” The dwarf commanded. “You figured out how this works based on a flint and steel?”

 

The dwarf showed excitement when he talked to the boy which caused Jon to clam up a bit, but the priest gave him a nudge which caused him to start speaking again.

 

“That’s right. You are just directing sparks into this bowl, I think? That makes the powder go off and the bullet flies out?” He asked in curiosity as he began to try to look down the barrel but the old dwarf stopped him.

 

“Yes! But never look down the barrel of a gun even if you know it isn’t loaded! A lot of apprentices die that way and you never know if a customer is dropping off a loaded weapon!” The old dwarf said even more excited than before.

 

“Bennet, what are you gawking at?! Get the hell out! Now!” The old dwarf roared in fury.

 

***

Meanwhile…

Tristan, Royal Capitol, The Doll House

 

Ashton sat calmly before the two women who were telling him their story, he was the only calm one in the room. The half-elven woman was crying and holding onto the black-furred dog woman who was angrily reciting her tail with snarls and growls mixed in. He was pale and the feeling of numbness he had felt yesterday was creeping upon him the more he heard, but that could be expected. At times he wondered if what he was hearing was real, and he had to keep telling himself that there was an end in sight to be able to bear it and continue listening.

 

“The drugs we use to stop pregnancy is a herb that he buys from an alchemist, but I have smelled it and he gives the girls too much! We all get sick afterward and we don’t bleed every month anymore!” The dog woman said angrily with tears in her eyes. “I knew he would be a slave, but I still wanted to give birth! Getting sold here was the worst thing that ever happened to me!”

 

Her name was Kasha and she had been born a slave. While she didn’t know her parents, she had always hoped to meet them and had dreamed of being able to have a family one day. It was a small dream but it was all she had and it was something she was terrified had been taken away from her. 

 

“If we don’t behave properly, he will make us take this blue powder… if the people don’t get it they get sick and start acting weird… they can’t stop taking it once they are on it and they are forced to act how the manager wants them to.” the half-elf woman said in fear.

 

She had fallen into slavery after she racked up a large amount of debt getting treatment for her mother who later passed away. She was just trying to survive and didn’t want to become like some of the other girls she had seen. Being self-centered and focused on her survival, she had seen many things in the brothel but she was more of what he expected. Most people will just put their heads down and do whatever is necessary to get through a tough situation.

 

“In Galvos, slavery is outlawed but you can never become a citizen there, I wanted to flee and start a family there. I would lose my son at the age of eight but I would lose him here anyway. There he would have had a chance to become a free man…” Kasha lamented.

 

“Rollo hears your sorrows, they are crimes that will damn their souls to a horrific afterlife where they will be tortured eternally,” Ashton said seriously. “You needn’t keep your pains in, I paid solely so that I could take your confessions and absolve you of your sins.”

 

“Why are you doing this though? What god wants the confessions of whores?” The Dog woman asked with suspicion.

 

“Rollo sees and hears all, he doesn’t care about your background as long as you are willing to embrace him,” Ashton replied as if he felt insulted. “Beggars, prostitutes, and even the insane, if you just call out to him he will instantly come running!” 

 

“What an incredible god!” The half-elf woman said with some shock.

 

“All are equal in his eyes and all deserve to be loved and praised. No one should be left out for any reason as everyone has value!” Ashton replied as if reading from a canon. “That is why I implore you to lay all of your pains bare before me! Let Rollo embrace you and feel his love for you!”

 

Am I laying it on too thick here? The half-elf looks like she is having some sort of revelation while the dog woman just seems suspicious of me... Ashton was making this all up but he was starting to give himself chills as he seemed to feel the presence of some great being that seemed to be circling the room. He didn’t know why but every time he said the word “Rollo” and put his feelings into it he could feel whatever was out there getting closer. Maybe my acting is too good! I need to stop making up gods!

 

“When the women start to get too old and aren’t purchased anymore, they disappear,” Kasha told him. “The manager won’t tell us where they go, but it has happened several times since I have been here. Their belongings and everything disappeared with them, the manager told us he freed them, but they never came back to visit us! I suspect he has been lying to us but I am worried what the other girls will do if they know!” 

 

Ashton had listened to everything and it had many of the same traits that were common with illegal prostitution. The main difference is that it was all done blatantly under the laws of the kingdom with no way for the people running it to face repercussions. It was making him feel truly conflicted to wish he was in jail and he had to laugh mentally at the irony of it. He had been the picture of a perfectly law-abiding citizen on Earth and never committed any kind of crime.

 

In his mind, until Ashe was a more respectable person he would never be comfortable wearing that name. While he wasn’t perfect he generally acted for the good of others and he had a record on Earth that reflected that. He could proudly say that he died righteously and lived an honest life. That was how he could maintain his act while listening to such disturbing tales. 

 

A knock on the door sounded that caused both of the girls and Ashton to pause before they heard a female voice call out. “Your time is up, would you like to purchase more?” 

 

The girls looked sad to hear this news and the half-elf woman looked at him with glistening eyes. ”Mr.Priest, won’t you help us out and buy us?”

 

“Yes! Please! You must help us!” Kasha called but she didn’t have the same hope that the half-elf did.

 

A sad smile crossed his face when he thought about the irony of her request since he technically already owned them. But he could leave them with words that carried real meaning and not just false hope.

 

“You don’t need to worry, someone has heard your prayers, and help will come. Maybe even by the end of the day.” He said with conviction.

 

“You don’t need to give us false hope, we have already consigned ourselves to this fate.” The half-elf woman said sadly as she stood up to leave with the beastman woman. 

 

Instead of going on any further, he just gently smiled at them to try to leave them with a good memory. While he wished he could be the savior that the prostitutes wanted him to be, he wasn’t a hero, but he did believe in fairness. A new system had already appeared in his mind and he could see a path forward, but he still needed some information to make it a reality. Watching the two women leave, he stood from the bed and picked up the heavy chest as he started making his way to the door. 

 

“There are only two ways to scrub the filth off of money, one is by giving it to a good cause, or by using it to scrub away the filth,” Ashton muttered as he stood up to walk outside. “This is going to be quite fun I think.” 

 

“Sir! Would you like to try some more women!” The man wearing the black coat called but Ashton ignored him as he walked outside.

 

Ignoring the man he pushed open the doors and stood with his eyes closed and his head facing the sun as he felt the warm rays tickle his skin. He could feel when the disguise went away because he suddenly felt himself grow a few finger widths. Taking a deep breath of the warm air and letting it fill his lungs, he breathed out slowly before taking another gulp. 

 

“Kumiho! Let’s go!” He called before he put on a cold look as he stared at the doors to the brothel.

 

Next Chapter: House Keeping