“Uh, no. Not ready yet. Why don’t we have a seat here first?” I said to a bench outside of the portal. I did not want to go into a portal blind with minimal knowledge. “Start with the currency, please. What are your stones? Why do the Horde use them over coins? And how much do we have vs how much should we expect to expend in currency.”
Roz impatiently seated herself beside me. “I will try to be quick master because the competition starts in an hour. I have been able to adjust Horde time to your time. Horde uses twenty eight of your hours into their twenty hour day. On that issue, easy math and you are good to convert.” Roz said with an ugly smile. Well her teeth needed cleaning. I had mostly been picking mine clean when I can but she never did. Her eyes did note a smug satisfaction at achieving a time conversion. “The Horde utilizes stones for currency. If you want to know why stones… I know not. I do know they have aura inside them. If you are a shaman, they incredibly value this currency for its power, the same for the cyclops. The orcs and ogres can use some of that aura to buff their strength but it is not as impactful. Where the stones are filled, or how I can guess. The gods or slaves giving aura into the stones to keep the economy fueling. Now if I was to pick the two I would select slaves, and when they die part of their souls go into the stones. The more aura from souls the larger the stone, the more value it has. Banks measure in the raw souls that stone contains. Most vendors utilize a soul number. Some still use the stone brackets with scales to establish fair trade. ”
I paused here at this point. “Okay, I was not expecting this but it can work in my favor for certain. Hand me a low value stone.” I said and she removed her backpack. It was stuffed full of stones and I was handed a small one. Now I feel it was important for me to stop thinking of them as simple rocks. These were square chips of hard stone. It seemed like granite. I could not verify but it looked exactly like granite. So these granite stones had one rune on them. I reached in and grabbed a larger stone and compared them. It was denser, heavier, and in this small stone, I could sense the internal aura that it contained. It would take a lot of these to buff my considerable aura in purple magic. Yellow though was weak, even so, I decided to place the slabs back into the bag. Maybe after I freed slaves I could start to suck up aura to improve my aura pools. “Okay, I will save the aura in these for now. Transition into the value of these compared to the male shamans, the goblins, and I want elvath as well as dvaren.”
Before Roz could answer I dug into my bag to pull out a pen and fresh paper. I handed her three more bibles to stuff into her bag thinking she may need them to bargain.
“If we keep selling these, then the market will eventually collapse. It does make sense to bring a few more. The only thing worth less than a goblin is a common animal. Many animals are worth more than goblins. Following so far. Good, even the Horde sticks goblins at the bottom of the value meter. Shamans it depends, and you are going to hear it depends a lot. You drastically overpaid for me. Let me go over the names of the stone type. The biggest is a slab, and it contains an immense amount of aura. These are either platinum as the most then diamond as the next. Then there is the chunk of stone, these are your sapphire then ruby. Then last is the slate or chip of stone. The most common. They come in three types. From high to low it is emerald, garnet, and topaz. Now, even though these are gem names, every stone must be in granite. It binds the best with the magic. A topaz the lowest stone in value is the smallest and empty with a proper rune ready for filling. Did you follow that? If not it is okay. We will be using a bank contract on Kikra with soul numbers on it.” She said and handed stacked out seven stones to display each one. There were three stages to stone growth and varieties inside each stage. Got it. “Great! Okay now knowing what for instance an emerald stone is worth is… it depends. The Horde are many species combined for a single effort. What a goblin values, to what a cyclops values are infinitely different. With time you get a rough idea though and bartering is more than acceptable, it is a requirement. A smart vendor will try to get you to mention a stone amount first. That is the first dance around the barter. Where we are going, I suggest we simply buy at the buyout amount which is overpaying generally. This will result in smoother transactions and it will get you additional business while potentially open more doors. An overpaying desperate client brings drool to most vendors. We can afford it trust me. So you wanted dvaren. The little stout warriors with long beards and ugly faces?”
I held in my laughter at this comment. Beauty was in the eye of the beholder after all. “Yes they are master crafters and I could use the warriors too. I studied the peace accords, if I take slaves they can pass through the barrier with weapons and not count.” I said and her eyes widened.
“You crafty… human. Well, the warriors are more expensive than crafters. Crafters and breeders of dvaren are not terribly expensive. For ages, many of the most ruthless and successful cyclops families have gained their wealth by breeding dvaren. There will be many for sale today, and you will have no problem buying any type you want. Expect to pay more for the warriors by ten to one over the breeders though. The crafters about three to one over the breeders. I will handle the transactions. You will be another slave to our pretend higher master. That is our cover story. And true, I will not say who we serve and neither will you. This is acceptable and while there may be some additional questions, it is very common.
“The elvath are another story. The elvath fought the Horde to near extinction. The only ones who ever surrendered into slavery were the young. Over the years the males died in battles demanded by their masters. They were exceptional in their abilities. The stock was not managed well. The females rarely breed, it is if they were cursed from impregnation from other species. Well, we cannot afford a male but there is an opportunity to potentially win one. I will go into that next. The female elvath are numerous. They were never trained for battle and refused to be converted into warriors. When the cyclops tried they would rather violate their slave bounded contract and die. That was quickly stopped as they were still valuable. They make excellent seamstresses, cooks, and any job really that most females are associated with. A female elvath is around the same price as a dvaren male warrior if not more. Even if you overpay you can afford many thousands of each. If I use these three books many more. Speaking of which you should not bring the rest just in case it is inspected.
“You will see many more species. The trade fair will be the largest of its kind with thousands of types of slaves for offer. There are even female dominated fighting species, again they cost more than the breeder males. You will have many options and I will try to go over them. If your goal is elvath, dvaren, and human then there should be enough stock to spend this fortune on. While it may raise some eyebrows if you take a losing deal it will not matter to the seller. Only the stones matter and not the slaves.”
I nodded at this. It did help clarify some things. “I want to know about this event that is drawing in all the crowds.”
“Of course master. The event is a bracketed one vs one winner take all. The prize at the top is an old male elvath. They are rare as I was mentioning and almost every elvath breeder will desire him. You could buy ten thousand dvaren warriors for his price. The problem is the entry fee. The entry fee is steep. Roughly two bibles or four thousand dvaren warriors for just a chance of winning. So there will be a competition, but it will be short from a lack of entries. Most cyclops will field ogres, they are the standard for arena combat. Part of the reason why is if they are defeated and survive the wounded ogre can regenerate over time. I think you should compete. Your body would be returned to us even if you lose it is in the contract. With your uniqueness, I think you can easily win.”
I glanced around and saw Bella talking with Trish and her father not too far away. “Bella, run to me!” I shouted at my wife, and she jogged over. “You are coming with me. You will stay quiet and in my shadow. I know… I believe in you Bella and I need a healer. Add hiring one to follow me around to my list.”
Duke Riza approached with Trish at his side. I handed him my bag with the extra bibles. We said our farewells and I ordered Roz to take us to this trading world full of slaves. A portal spun up behind her and I watched its perfect formation. The goblins were forced in first. I followed them with Bella and finally, Roz followed me. Then there was blackness.
CHAPTER 16
We stepped into a new world that Roz called Kikra. The sky was green and there were no clouds. I did notice the bloated sky carriers called the Biponi that the Horde had tried to use on Vin. Bella immediately vomited from the disorientation. A few extra heaves and she stabilized. I focused on our surroundings and noticed we were in a landing pen. There was shit everywhere, the stench was awful, and I wanted to join Bella in vomiting. The goblins we arrived with for our slave quota did not care. They formed small groups and relaxed. This was probably normal to them.
Large wooden walls enclosed us and Roz was approaching a side door. I could see mere glimpses of traffic outside the walls because of the haphazard construction. An orc guard was watching over the doorway and he beckoned a shaman his way. Roz spoke in Horde to the shaman, and a spell was cast from the goblins to the shaman. I studied it briefly. It transferred ownership until the sale. Which I wanted those goblins for their hearts and protein. The door swung open and Roz led us into a crowded walkway.
“All the different species…” Bella gasped and froze. I scooped her up in my arms and carried her. “Sorry, it is a lot to take in.”
She, of course, was right. There were Horde everywhere. Sprinkled among them were alien life forms I never could have fathomed. There were bipedal birds, quad legged centaurs, and even fairies flying. It was indeed a shock and I knew I had to stay focused. Roz was on the move and I kept us right beside her as she navigated the loud boisterous crowds. There must have been a million Horde crowded on the wide road. Vendors sold food, trinkets, drinks, and slave equipment. The entire area was thousands upon thousands of giant wooden pens. There were viewports that could be opened to inspect the potential slaves for sale. Signs hung from points near the viewing area.
“What do the signs say, Roz,” I asked and pointed. She waved me over and pointed at a sign with a questioning look. “Yes, translate that please.”
“These are fodder slaves. Lowest of the lows. This one says, for sale three hundred orcs, minimal fighting skills, not tested in battle. Opening bid three topaz. Buy out fifteen topaz, which is high on purpose. These will go for five topaz tops. In souls that is five thousand souls. They barter down here and accept stones. Most higher quality slave sales have zero barter, it is bid or buy, and souls with a bank guarantee are the only currency accepted. That is all. These orcs are younglings disguised as warriors. You would buy these to let your dvaren get experience. If you wish to compete we must hurry though. We can shop for slaves later.” Roz said and kept going.
I realized I should have brought Derfran, or at the very least practiced to learn Horde. I did not like having to ask for help to translate text. I wished the darn wooden walls were not so high, they obstructed my view of everything else. Ten minutes of fast walking later and we exited the tall wooden pens.
The sight before me was mind blowing. The largest arena I had ever seen dwarfed us. It was so tall and wide I was amazed I had missed it from in between the pens. It was built of stone, the crafters who built this were not Horde. To prove my point high in the air I saw my first dvaren. A team of them were repairing a section of marbled wall. This structure was beyond impressive. There were large arched entryways where viewers by the thousands streamed past. I realized I had zoned out and lost Roz. I quickly located her and raced to catch up while I still carried Bella. I wanted to study the arena more but Roz was on a mission.
She barked at a large cyclops in a loose black tunic who frowned at her. When Roz pointed to me he roared in laughter and went to hit her. His clawed meaty hand stopped as my contract flared and he realized someone's power protected her. This wiped the smirk off his face. Then his jaw dropped when Roz handed him two bibles for entry. He scoffed and muttered but allowed our entry. Behind the gray large cyclops was a tunnel down into the earth. It was lit by torches and utilized large shallow stairs over a ramp. The dramatic flair of the exterior transitioned into a drab dungeon type feel.
Roz led us down and stayed silent until we were alone in the tunnel. “We are lucky. We are technically late. There were only seven entries in this event that barely covers the cost of the male elvath. They still make enough off side sales and expensive seating sales. General admission is free to drum up hype and force the wealthy to isolate themselves behind pricy viewing booths. You are the eighth. Win three times and you win the event.” Roz said and turned into a preparation room at the end of the tunnel. We had bypassed large caged rooms where contestants got ready. Each door had a lock on the outside. For a free man like me, this was unsettling.
Everything was ogre sized. The seating, the doorway, the available weapons, and even some armor. I went to the wall of weapons and found a nice double headed greataxe. It was larger than the one I had in Fernlan but crafted to perfection. I yanked it off the rack, got distance from Roz and Bella and twirled it around. Yup the balance was divine. I looked at the shaft and sure enough, dvaren runes were etched into it. I laughed then at the irony.
“What has you so amused husband?” Bella asked as she struggled to find a comfortable place to sit.
“This is dvaren crafted, and I am going to use it to kill Horde. That is delicious to me. My soul yearns for combat. My blood is already pumping. How long until I can kill?”
“Master your match is up next, you face Marika the destroyer. He is favored to win the event. An ogre of renown across many worlds. If you can best him, the others will be easy.” Roz said and she sent me the terms of my contract for the event. “He is a cautious fighter and smart for an ogre.”
I studied the contract and had a new laugh at the loophole I found. Roz raised an eyebrow. I ignored her and continued to warm up. I had enough of watching Bella struggle to seat herself and chopped the legs of a chair down to reduce its height. She shimmied up and into the chair that made her look tiny. She gazed down on me and thanked me. There was some commotion from a cyclops outside my room.
Roz said it was time to go. I kissed Bella goodbye and told her to rest. Roz wished me luck and I followed the grey skinned female up a ramp. She motioned me forward. When we reach the top, I stepped onto the hard packed arena floor.
Hundreds of thousands gazed down on me as an announcer shouted a few words about me, the challenger. The crowd snorted and scoffed at my accolades. No idea what they were and most certainly this crowd was not impressed. The arena was oval in shape and a few miles long as well as wide. Far more room than needed for two contestants. If I had to guess there were formation battles that were fought in here. I studied the walls and saw no weapons sticking out. There was also no cover anywhere. It would only be me and my foe. A battle of skill.
When the crowd quieted over my disappointing entry the announcer shifted to introducing Marika. I watched the twenty five foot ogre, the largest I had seen yet, entered the arena. There were more scars on this ogre than untouched flesh. He rippled with muscles and carried a sword with a shield. His only armor was a chest plate over the front of his torso. A long leather kilt covered his privates. My shield was on my back and my sword on my hip. This mighty warrior would chop through my shield with ease. I was going to have to keep it on my back.
The lengthy accolades of Marika finally came to an end and the crowd stood in ovation. There was silence from a new announcement and a bell rang. Perfect, I understood what that meant. I walked to the middle taking my time. Marika was bored and sprinted my way. Once he was a few hundred feet away, he slowed to a walk as well. He spoke to me in Horde. When I shrugged he swapped languages a few times. I never understood him. When he realized there would be no dialect he readied himself. His shield tight against his left
side and his right hand poised to strike with a nine foot long sword.
When we reached a few dozen feet apart he charged. The first thing I noticed was for a massive ogre he was still very fast. He was not respecting me as a worthy foe. Or maybe he wanted to give me an opportunity. He closed the distance and thrust his shield for me, his sword carved the optimal space I would move to. Which was further away. I did no such thing. I poured immense amounts of aura into my body and shot between his legs. His forward momentum too much to adjust in time. My swing of attack carried so much force it was a blur as I dismembered his right leg below the knee.
Marika went to spin to face me when his leg gave out. I bunched my foot into the compact floor and launched myself after him as he toppled. He was focused on catching his suddenly falling body while screaming out in pain. I landed on his back, my aura propelling me faster than he could fall. As we hit the ground I swung for the back of his skull. There was a sickening crunch as my weapon embedded itself into his brain. It all happened within three or four seconds. I was so fast I was certain most would not have followed my movements.
The crowd was hushed as most were able to figure out I had killed Marika on the opening exchange. I wretched the axe out of the brains and embedded it into the compact dirt with such a force the ground cracked and a shockwave from the impact washed over the crowd. I unsheathed my sword dramatically. I pointed it to the sky while I walked on the corpse and then plunged it into the back of Marika. I then realized his heart was on the other side of his body. I dove my sword in again and sawed thick bones to get to his heart. The problem was my sword was a shitty saw. I went back to the greataxe and swung wildly to smash the ribs protecting the heart. I must have looked mad and I delighted in the gore being strewn about.
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