Gryff the Griffin Rider 2

by Marcus Sloss

  Duke Riza reflected on this then answered. “I want to see what the universe holds. Seeing that elvath should not have shocked me. You can them elves or elvath?” He asked and I said elvath.

  When we reached the portal Roz awaited us with three sacks of stones. I was interested to hear how her trades went. When Riza and I got close enough she spoke.

  “I had to portal a few times to get the deals done. I can move us back to Kikra and then return with no more than a few thousand souls today. It will have to do. I will then need to recover with my harem for twenty four hours. We can probably purchase more than I can move today and pay storage with handling fees. After I recover I can move probably twenty thousand a day, maybe more. You have enough in stones here now to be buying a lot of slaves. Let me start with the male elvath. That guy was a conceded asshole. I don’t think he would have gotten along with you. You are a killer, and a savage to be certain. You also are nice and cordial. That elvath loved to swear which I noticed you avoid. I traded him to a breeder family that is renowned for its stock. They said they had many female elvath for trade, but on an isolated planet called Entria. When you are ready there are five thousand female elvath waiting to conclude your deal. You can always revert the deal to souls instead, but we got more females worth of value than raw currency. If that makes sense. I politely refused a tour because I needed to conclude the arena business and told them I would return soon with another servant to help select the females.

  “The arena went to a rival arena master. I sold it cheap and he jumped at the offer. Literally jumped with joy. I cared not and I wouldn’t if I were you either. You got twenty bibles worth of stones for that stupid colosseum. I transacted quickly and was out before someone could protest. The funds, unfortunately, have to sit in escrow for fourteen days. There is still plenty to utilize for my bible sales and the little I won from gambling on your victory. You showed no fear in losing so I thought it was a good bet.

  “There was an adverse reaction to you winning the event. Human slaves have soared in value. I am sure they will plummet again, but for now, I would avoid buying them. It will take time for slavers to learn not all humans are as mighty as you, master. If you are ready we can tour the elvath planet or go tour the general sales. Do know the tour will be lengthy and you may miss out on some sales in the general market. The event did bring a lot to the market. There is a bank I can take us to. They will hold our funds in reserve for a fee and that way we don’t have to trudge around with three bags of stones. I wanted to do this first but did not have your permission.”

  I grumbled and mumbled to myself. Upset that buying humans was inopportune. It was my goal to free many from slavery not increase their desired worth. Duke Riza noticed my frustration and stayed quiet. It irked me how something so drastic could occur with my single impact.

  “Bank first, then open market. We can always tour the elvath planet Entria at any time. I am most curious about it all.” I said to Roz. She ejected her magic into a portal and we stepped through.

  ∞∞∞

  A new landing pad greeted me as we returned to Kikra. There were no large obstructive walls or doorways to pass through. Instead, there was a giant square with thousand of smaller squares. The openness and the deafening crowd noise of the millions of Horde was slightly disorientating. Shamans were each on their own pads, ferried small groups, back and forth. There were thousands of Horde moving from the insertion area and onto the clogged roads. Shamans, cyclops, orc chieftains, and the odd alien were in the midst of the crowded streets. A few brightly colored aliens brought contrast to the green and grey skinned swarm.

  Roz led us off the pad as she lugged the three sacks of stones. I snatched two and handed one to Riza. She immediately sped up. The Duke never hesitated, he kept pace with us not letting the mass of enemy mixed with unique aliens deter him. We headed straight for a large five story wooden structure. Unlike the block colosseum, this was finely carved wood. As we walked up the set of stairs I noticed the columns were a cedar wood that danced with swirling colors. Projecting from each support cylinder was intricately carved mermaids and ferries. The art was exquisite and the detail was incredible. I realized I had dropped back behind Roz and caught up.

  We walked under a wooden arch with Horde writing on it. Inside the structure, the layout was organized and meant to speed the process. The back and two side walls contained hundreds of tellers. It was all cyclops, not a single other species worked inside. The three of us clumped into a line and eventually reached a director. A teller location opened up and we were pointed that way. The Horde upper society certainly was efficient and I had to realize that they had billions of years to perfect these things.

  Roz spoke with the young cyclops teller in Horde who nodded at her words. We were asked for our bags and a supervisor ensured everything was legit. Once verified the more important cyclops dropped our sacks into a hole in the groud which traced yellow magic to a document in the teller’s hand. Roz was given a stiff contract sheet with our balance on it. We were shown the door quickly. The entire process done in less than two minutes.

  We walked out of the build and found a quiet spot on the plateau before we needed to go down the stairs that Roz led us to. By quiet I mean less deafening. This place was so busy with so many beings it was staggering.

  “Okay master, I recommend a tour of the dvaren first. Since they are a species you desire. Any objections?” Roz asked.

  “This place is so busy. I never dreamed that slaves brought this much trade,” Duke Riza said and then pointed to a centaur type creature. Horse bottom with an orc top. “What is that?”

  “That is an Ortaur, they breed slowly so are not common line troops. There lack of magic, and tactical skill puts them into a unique category. They are generally one step above the orcs in value because they can move quickly. They make terrible slaves due to breeding, comprehension, and general behavior reasons. They do manage goblins well, but most creatures can handle goblins.” Roz said and since we had a fairly quiet spot she went into teaching mode. “Those are the Barish, they are great arena combatants for smaller scale battles. The six arms make them hard to counter with only two. They can find an opening in most defenses. They breed decently well but fight their own kind and even Horde when in a battle rage. Those ferries, the dainty little smiling fliers. Yeah, those are Farni, and they are right bitches. They are bloodsuckers. If you manage to convert one to a slave they almost always kill themselves eventually. You rarely see them during invasions because they bolt off to hunt and don’t follow orders. The ones who settle down are fantastic at breeding goblins though. They produce the most goblins probably of any species. I think it is because the can move so quickly to correct any improper slave behavior. Goblins are dumb, but if taught enough times, will slow if not cease mistakes.

  “Let me see… Oh, you will not see many of these here. That is a Muniavra. Part lizard part troll. They are great in water, well far better than most Horde. I wonder if they brought some water creatures for sale. The Muni as we call them are sea herders. They manage a few of our aquatic monsters very well. They are probably here because of the event and the big sales day. Okay, that is enough for now. The dvaren will have their own section. Let me say this now in case it gets too loud. Do not complain about the conditions the slaves are in. That goes for both of you. Also, expect to only hear Horde and for me to treat you as subordinates.”

  We joined the swift moving outer section of the road and got caught up in the tide of Horde flowing the direction Roz wanted to go. I was thinking that being this jammed between bodies, there would be more fighting. It must be regulated tightly because, while people bumped and jostled into each other, no one angered to battle. The road passed other banks until all I saw was restaurants. At the start of an opening junction, there were additional vendors with large ads displayed over their stores. These sold whips, collars, chains, and about every accessory imaginable to a slave owner. The wide road transitioned into an intersection s
o large that Roz said this was the central location that led to all slave displays in this city. This intersection had a dozen wide roads that spiraled off the main circle. It was at this point I realized each road went to display a certain type of slave. We passed all these and did not head for the junctions toward the tall wooden pens. I noticed orc chieftains, ogres, and shamans headed down that road. Instead, we went up a wide ramp where it was mostly cyclops and a few shamans. This is a good time to disclose all this transition is through lots of walking. A lot of walking, so much that even the decent shape Riza was complaining. The planet was large and the slaving that occurred here was a major business. Evident by the sheer scope of the displays. The ramp we went up was hundreds of feet wide. As the slope progressed farther from the central part there were eight smaller roads options. Each divergence held a sign indicating something in Horde.

  The bustle of the one road quieted as the Horde flowed down the side paths. Roz felt this was a good place to catch our breath and instruct us. “You will notice these signs. This is a pricey path. All eight of these roads are for dvaren. You need to understand something. Humans roughly battled for a dozen years before either winning or surrendering their planets. Dvaren took millions of years to conquer and dig out of their deep homes. That was over a billion years ago. They owned hundreds of thousands of planets when the Horde collided with them. That is a good way to term it too. They brunted all our invasions for a very long time. Eventually, our supplies, numbers, and tenacity won the day. There are many variations of dvaren today after all this time and selective breeding. There are longer lived ones, some with a shorter stature, others that are quicker breeders and so forth. These eight roads represent the price difference per soul. The top road is mighty seasoned warriors. The bottom row, old and infirm, no longer able to breed. They can still shovel shit or knit and before they die, they can be converted into souls. I recommend we start at the top and find you a set of warriors. Then match them with a set of breeding females with some skills. If you see something you want, buy it out. It will cost you more but again, who cares. This is your soul number from the bank. All the stones come down to a single valuation point. One soul is the equivalent to one orc soul sunk into a stone. Your balance is six million three hundred thousand souls. There if forty three million souls in escrow from the arena win so you can buy even more when that clears. No one will lend against it though so don’t bother trying to overspend this six point three million. When we get into the viewing areas I will show you how to read the price on the buy it now option.”

  Riza stayed quiet and Roz waited on me to say we should move. I indicated for her to go forward. I was expecting the road to lead to wooden pens. Instead, it opened up to large plots on a lower level thirty feet deep. This reminded me of a zoo enclosure from Swan. I walked to the first pit and it was a mile wide by three miles deep. We stood over the brigade of dvaren who wore black and golden armor that was thick metal. A few sparred while most rested. In total there had to be a thousand in here. Waiting to be purchased and sent to some distant battlefield.

  “Five hundred thousand souls for a veteran squad of dvaren. These are accustomed to putting down rebellious chieftains and setting an example to other orcs. They have over six successful campaigns under their belt.” Roz read the sign for us. Not many were viewing these. “Here on the sign is the buy them price. Then here is the current bid. The board contains contract magic and the bidder is anonymous. Rules of the planet. If you wanted, you could bid over the three hundred and twelve thousand souls. Merely need to bid a thousand more and then all other bidders on this contract are notified and able to compete.”

  “Damn, that is efficient. Where would you use these Gryff?” Riza asked.

  “They could stall a Horde invasion while griffins cleaned the back lines. Or I could send them to guard vital areas or resources… I want to save them all, but obviously, I cannot yet. My goal is to keep buying all I can from here until this market dies. If that is even possible. We have the space on Vin if we settle them between our cities. I checked the contract law of the peace accords. They do not qualify as humans with weapons and avoid our restrictions. I don’t think a slave race has ever bought slaves after a peace accord. Or the originators of our accords were new. Who knows, I am on a tangent. Next, please.” I said and Roz walked us to another pit on the other side of the road.

  It was the same thing for the next four rows on both the left and the right side. Eight companies of awesome orc killing dvaren. Each with heavy armor, great formations, and angry mean demeanors. That ninth pit was different. Finally.

  “Three hundred thousand for five hundred monster hunters. These dvaren and desert bred to handle the heat. They can handle orcs rebellions but prefer to hunt creatures. Includes nets and tools for capturing beasts.” Roz said as I viewed the troops.

  Sure enough, these dvaren were different with short beards and tanned skin. Instead of hard compressed battle lines, they were wearing light armor that was leather only. A few held extended long polearms and pikes, while other readied nets. Sure they were training on mock animals but you instantly got a different sense of purpose. Alas, I had not visited my desert biome cities. I had no idea if I could utilize these troops. It was highly likely I could, so I would probably pick them up at the end.

  I shook my head and said next. We moved across the road and saw another desert unit. We moved further down the road covering another mile to see the next pit. It was a winter unit this time. They wore thick furs of white. Their beards long and frosted. Somehow the biome in the pit was frozen to reflect the tundra. They trained on fake yetis in the snow.

  “These white beards are three hundred thousand for three hundred. Ha! The sales pitch is funny. Listen to this. These dvaren stomped our yeti uprising so thoroughly into the ground. None can be found. With our problem solved, they are back up for sale. That is promising probably why they are so expensive. Bid is already over two hundred and twenty thousand with half a day left.”

  Riza and I looked at each other and he nodded at me. “Buy them before someone else does. I sure hope there are more on the other side.” I said as I watched the yellow magic swirl from our bank statement and into the contract board. The sign changed to a single word.

  “Okay, they are yours to command. There is an extensive tunnel system underground. I will have them moving to a portal zone now to await removal from this world. Let us cross the road.” Roz said as I watched the lead dvaren realized his contract had changed.

  The dvaren commander wore a yeti skull on top of his helm and he hollered at his troops to assemble. I wanted to watch the rest but we moved on. We walked a hundred feet across the road that was making more sense for its size. If there were tunnels under the ground then these wide walkways were probably routes for slaves. When we arrived at the next side I was disappointed. There were jungle dvaren. The last two were mountain dvaren. This got me thinking about the golems. Of the two options, I picked a small company. Only a hundred dvaren priced at seventy five thousand souls.

  I watched the sign change to sold and observed the company of dwarves. They wore a mix of cold weather gear they would hate by the lava fields. They did have warhammers, where the other larger unit had shied and axe. These were more creature focused than the other ones were. When they entered the tunnels under my feet and disappeared Roz lead us to a new eight way connector. She selected the fourth road.

  “This will be females in prime breeding age. Each will have a specific generalized tasked they have perfected, but they are not dumb animals. Dvaren women are smarter than males, merely not as sturdy in battle. You have four hundred males. Remember I can always come back for more later if you overbuy what I can move today. See this first group are field workers.” Roz said and pointed to the sign.

  I observed female dvaren for the first time. They were four foot tall plump cuties. Not my thing but I was expecting hideous bearded women. Nope, they fought to display the most bust and had rosy cheeks that matc
hed warm smiles. Not bad on the eyes. I saw Riza’s eyes widen. I was sure some shorter men were going to be decently enthralled. There were so many of them I had issues trying to count them. Unlike the nicely aligned soldiers, these females were constantly moving.

  “These females are great at tending the land. They can produce up to ten offspring before they should be retired and none of these for sale have birthed more than one. Their offspring still in the group. One thousand of breeding females for one hundred thousand souls. You can see a few females nursing. They should live to nine hundred to twelve hundred of your years, assuming nothing violently murders them. So ugly,” Roz scoffed and the Duke joined me in a laugh. “The only thing uglier are those dainty tall elvath. I have good taste, don’t judge me.”

  Roz turned her nose up and led us to the other side. More farming women.

  “Will we see much diversity here?” I asked.

  “Sure animal tenders should be next, then breeding seamstress group, male and female brewers, and finally a mix of smiths. That should be male and female smithies at a three times premium over regular workers.” Roz said.

  I was curious as to what animals dvaren attended and should not have been surprised. Five hundred females in the next pit watched over yakin. Twenty five hundred on the other side. They were at that same ratio of one hundred souls per slave. So three hundred thousand for the three thousand. Roz kept asking if I wanted to buy them but I needed to see how much elvath and the smithing dvaren were. The next two pits were female dwarves sewing sails… That answered a question of mine. There were no ale brewers on display and Roz assured me the next largest market or direct sales for them were possible. Finally, we approached the billowing smoke of the smithies. One pit had already reached full buy out price and the other was climbing. It was a thousand dwarves sixty percent female asking four hundred thousand buyout. Roz scoffed saying it was too much for mere smiths. I told her to buy them. The sign erased and wrote the term in Horde for sold. A few cyclops bidders overlooking the pit grew frustrated.