A slave's life was a combination of unending, exhausting work and sadness, until their inevitable death. Day after day of back-breaking labor in fields was the entirety of Mar and Ashe's lives. They could not choose thier spouses, nor did they have any method of achieving freedom. Their father died from being worked to death, and thier mother died giving birth to Mar.
"The tobacco farm was going under, fields been gettin' barren, so our Master had to sell to make up the difference. I was to be sent to a coal mine. Damn quick death for me." Mar said between his large bits of roasted lamb.
Ashe swallowed hers and continued, "I was to go to a troop brothel. Same as death, as I see it. So one day we ran, and kept runnin'. I say we must a spent a lifetime o’ luck since no slave hunter caught us."
"Almost starved, nearly got mauled by wolves, and had to bed three guards to get us in the city. Hell of a year that was." Ashe explained with not an ounce of shame. The more they spoke, the more I liked them. One thing I always hated about people was their willingness to accept their fate. But these two threw caution to the wind and chose either freedom or death.
"How'd you end up being thieves?" I asked.
Mar shrugged, "We got hungry, figured we could rob some fools. Got pretty good at it after a while. But it was catchin' up to us. Robbed one of Kent's men. Ain't no swordsman, but I'm quick with a daggar. Ashe, 'ere can take a man's eye out with a knife from a hundred paces."
Ashe polished off the last of her stew with a piece of honey bread. Not even pretending to have any table manners. After licking her hands of grease, she asked, "What a noble like you doin' slumming it in Grenwood. We came 'ere cause the city's a shitehole."
"I'm no noble, just well spoken. As for why I'm here, you already have your answer. I'm a magus." I explained.
They both looked confused, so I explained further, "I'm not a part of the magisterium, a crime technically. I'm an apostate."
The word meant nothing to them, and that was fine by me.
"Aright." They both said.
"Shall we get to shopping then?" I asked.
They looked at each other, confused, before Ashe spoke, "Ain't wearin' no dress."
I shrugged, "You're getting proper armor. Whatever you feel is best."
Then I looked at them, considering, "Have you ever used a crossbow?" I asked Ashe.
She shook her head.
Then I looked to Mar, "Ever use a sword?"
Another shake of the head.
I grinned, "Well, there's a first time for everything."
~
We left the armorer, and both siblings walked to my left and right. Already taking up thier role as protection. Ashe was wearing heavy leathers with a chainmail vest. While Mar sported as much plate as he could fit on his body. A proper breast plate, shoulder guards, and braces. He was solid enough that he didn't seem bothered by the extra weight.
After our meal, we had a short conversation about how they were to behave. Essentially, their conduct while out with me was to be silent and scary.
"That’s yer 'ome. A warehouse?" Ashe asked as I opened the heavy locks.
"Indeed," I opened the door to the massive main area. Even in the day, with the lack of windows, it was rather dark. The siblings jumped as a fire erupted from my right hand, illuminating the space. Mar fell on his arse, and Ashe looked struck dumb. Just for a bit more fear, I increased the strength of the flame until it was three feet high. Mar dumbly got to his feet.
I smiled viciously, "Want to see something else?" I asked.
Ashe said nothing, but Mar nodded. I increased the strength of the pushing field to its maximum and stepped towards him. Immediately, he was pushed back. I continued walking towards him as he was pushed back, the field, throwing him off balance until he collided with the wall.
My eyes flicked between both, and I said in a dead voice. "Do you two understand?"
I could see the fear in their eyes. Only now did they realize how dangerous I was.
Ashe said in an even tone, "We get it. We ain't survived this long by bein' stupid." I stared into her face.
She wasn't very attractive. Her nose was broken and never healed properly, so it was slightly off-center. Her hair was dirty and poorly maintained. But her eyes, though, were clear and focused. Fear was there, but it was controlled.
"Aye," Mar said. His green eyes were determined; no anger or resentment was in them. His stance was firm but not challenging.
'Good, I wanted them to fear but not be so weak as to fall to their knees.'
I dropped my dead stare and smiled, cutting off the pushing field. "Good. "
As if the air had just returned, both breathed a sigh of relief.
"Follow me," I ordered.
I opened the door to my room at the far end. Both gasped as they entered space.
Staring at the magical lights, the large hearth.
"What is all this?" Mar asked.
"A bath, a magical stove, an icebox to store meat, a chill box for fresh vegetables and fruit. An oven." They looked around at all the furniture and finally focused on the bath.
"How do you get this much water?" Mar asked.
"Magic," I smiled slightly.
Ashe removed her gloves and stuck her hand in. "It's so warm. And you bathe every day?" She asked.
"Yes, pick up that wand," I said, nodding to a near copy of the wand I repaired for Derek.
I activated the binding, and immediately it started blowing strong, warm air into her face. She jumped and dropped it.
"Sorry," she said.
I shrugged, "It's for drying hair and the rest of me."
"By all the gods, is this all meat?" Mar shouted as he opened the icebox.
"Aye, now the problem I have is eating it. There's just too much for me alone."
I let them explore the room for a bit, testing the stoves, the barrels summoning water.
"That large room is yours, all this I can make more of, the bath, stove, icebox, everything." Mar licked his lips as he stared at the large chest filled with meat.
"There is a price, though, "I warned.
"Ask it," Ashe said.
"Loyalty," I said simply. "I don't share power with those who would sell my secrets for a few bits. Or who would betray me at the slightest convenience."
"That don't come easy," Mar said.
I shrugged, "True, but everything has a beginning. This is my first demonstration of trust."
Ashe nodded and said, "Lily offered us coin for word on you. After that, two more people came askin' us. Thugs from other gangs, I think."
Mar took in a deep breath, worried.
'Excellent. These two had common sense. And such demonstration demands a reward.'
I said nothing and walked over to my armoire, pulling out the sword I took from the bandits and the now magical crossbow. It was almost the same, except for a ring attached to the stirrup. It had two circuts, one to heat the iron tip of the bolts red hot and another to push the bolt through the ring. Aligning the ring just right was a challenge, but in the end, with my form transformation and forge welding, it was simple to create. The ring was only six inches across. So it couldn't impart significant speed. Somewhere around a 20 to 30 percent increase to the velocity with my strongest unfocused binding. Unlike other heat metal circuts, there was no regulation. The circuit simply dumped as much heat as it could into the iron tip as fast as it could.
"Care to learn the crossbow? You'll find it's a bit more than standard." I said to Ashe and then looked at Mar, "And for you, a proper sword."
She looked at me, confused, "What 'bout Lily?" She asked.
"I reward loyalty with loyalty. As for her, take her coin. I'll tell you what to give her."
"I don't know how to use a sword," Mar said.
I shrugged, "Anyone can learn."
Ashe nodded as she took the crossbow and lever. "So, who do we go see first?"
"There's a place where men always spill their secrets. About time I visited them."
~
Walking with two people who were heavily armed was an experience. People just moved out of the way, unwilling to be caught up in any nonsense.
There was a brothel on this street, little more than a large two-story building with at least twenty working girls. On an eight-day there were precious few customers. Still, though, there were always men willing to spend coin. Like most brothels, a large man...boy, really, by his puffy face and lack of a beard. Stood outside; probably someone's son.
He stared at me dumbly, since I was dressed rather well and was being escorted by two armed people.
"Move aside, boy," I said in my most commanding tone. Anyone who had ever interacted with nobility would know it. And with good sense, the boy bowed and allowed us to pass.
Mar snickered, "That was easy."
"And she tells us she ain't a noble. I don't believe it." Ashe responded.
"Essentially, but I'm here for more than that," I stated.
She raised an eyebrow in surprise, "What more could you want? We are profitable, but only so much."
"Information. Men tend to speak quite a bit while drunk and...empty."
She pursed her lips as if I were a puzzle she couldn't solve. "You're a Magus in Grenwood. Working for Derek, the conclusion is that you're an apostate. Wouldn't want to the Inquisitors to catch you unawares."
"Correct, now you're a sensible woman. How would you assist me in this endeavor?"
She smiled, "It's not whores who have the most information. It's the children you see running around. They see everything, hear everything. I invest quite a bit of coin in them."
I thought back to the many homeless and hungry children running about.
'Why did I not think of that?'
"Whatever methods you have, I will take."
She smiled, "And what do you offer for such a gift. Or do you intend to burn us all until we give you what you want?"
'She's growing confident, no matter. Let her savour her delusions of power. I need that information network.'
"If I thought threats and violence would work, then this conversation would have been very different. As you have already deduced. I have the one thing, not even the Baroness can afford."
From out of my satchel, I pulled a book and tossed it to her. She actually twitched in fear for a fraction of a second before she realized that it was just a book.
"Feel free to choose. You get one item. For the record, I want any useful information. Anything that could threaten the safety of my territory is valuable. I am not Vin or Mark; I'm far deadlier, but unlike them, I'm not ruled by base desire. Give me solid information, and you can choose another item."
In the book, there were drawings of a few items. The magical stoves, ice box, bath, magical lights, and a few other things.
"It's a crime to distribute magical items, is it not?" she said, trying to be casual.
"Quite, if you're not interested, then so be it. No need to bargain."
Of course, she would accept it was too much of a benefit.
"Is this a magical bath? How does it work?" She asked.
"It fills and heats itself. My bath is wider than I am tall and four feet deep. I bathe daily. It's essentially just a large topless barrel. Steven did quite an excellent job."
She would accept, it's too much of a temptation.
Her office door opened and in walked who I was assuming was her daughter, given thier similar looks. She placed a metal tankard on the desk in front of me and poured liquor into the cup. Her dress clung to her quite closely. Though she was thin, she had quite a rear end. I almost wanted to reach out. She smiled at me nervously before leaving.
Diane, the Madam, chuckled as I watched her leave. 'Seems I was caught looking.'
I took a deep draft, enjoying the burning.
"What do you want, Sera?" Diane asked.
"Stability. No robbing and raping, no conflict within my territory. Everyone pays their dues; if they can't afford it, we can work something out. Everyone will get the same treatment. I'll tolerate no rabble-rousers; my crew will handle all conflicts. If you have problems: Customers are not paying or causing trouble. My crew will take care of it."
She licked her lips, "I know most of the people in this district. How about I spread the word for you? Some will fear you and likely agree to anything. But you don't seem to want fear."
I shrugged, "Fear can be a paralytic; too much and it curdles into hate, then it becomes useless. If you want to be my mouthpiece, then make it worth my while to give you such power."
"Can you guarantee the guards will not cause problems, what of other members of Derek's game or rival gangs?" She asked.
"The guards aren't a problem. And I assure you, the rest of Derek's lieutenants know my power. As for rival gangs, they will be killed if they cause trouble. Let's just say Derek isn't willing to let go of the potential profits. I've already killed three of his men."
"Three?" she mumbled. Then her eyes widened, "Lena!"
I nodded, "Turned her to ash in front of all his lieutenants. So now you understand he will be quite generous with me."
Diane smiled, "Shall we discuss details?"
I nodded.
~
After half an hour of talking, I relaxed. She managed to talk me into making two baths, a wine chiller, and a wind dryer. All cheap and easy to make, but invaluable for a peasant. In return, she would work on my behalf to secure my territory, rooting out the ones who cause trouble or rivals to other gangs.
Before I turned to leave, Diane asked, "You know, Sera. I can send my daughter to your home. Women with your preferences are more common than most think."
Normally, I would have rejected, but I was mildly curious, "Does she have such experience?" I asked.
"None, but discovering such things has its own pleasure."
'I've had women offer their sons to me, but never a daughter. How amusing.'
"She seems scared of me," I mused.
"She doesn't know you, my dear. After all, you walked in armed and ready for conflict."
'As amusing as the thought was, I had plenty of work and couldn't afford such distractions.'
"Another time, perhaps. What's her name?" I asked.
"Silvia," Diane said, smiling.
'Bold woman but decent enough to work with. All she wants is to run her business successfully. Someone with ambition, I could understand, even empathize with.'
'Risk upon risk, how long do I have now, five and a half months? Let us hope that the greatest risks bring the greatest reward.'
~
The Madame and I walked into the main room of the brothel to find Mar with a girl on his lap and Ashe by the bar laughing with the barman.
Though as soon as they saw me, Mar practically threw the girl with how fast he stood, and Ashe, with a little more poise, bid a farewell to the man before coming over.
"Enjoy yourselves?" I asked, amused.
Mar laughed nervously, while Ashe shrugged, "I don't mind you two having a bit of fun. But remember your jobs."
"Aye, boss, I understand," Mar said guiltily.
Ashe smirked, "Unlike muh brother, I was watchin' the door."
'Everything's a learning process in the end. No point in lecturing them.'
"I'll put the word out, so you might have a few people dropping by your home. When can I expect deliveries of the items?" Diane asked.
"Depends on how long the carpenters and coopers take. Just send a runner after the orders arrive." I responded.
"Very well, boss," Diane said, smiling.
~
"Cut a deal wit' the whore," Ashe asked as we walked along the street. We were simply patrolling, making sure everyone knew who we were. Once word spread, I wouldn't have to bother with this nonsense.
"Indeed, I offered her the carrot. If she's smart, she'll take it." I said.
"And if she don't" Mar asked.
"Then she gets the stick."
There was a bit of drama ahead of us, which brought us out of our conversation.
"Looks like trouble," Ashe said, nodding to two men harassing the old jewelry seller from my outing with Jenna. Like most assaults in the city, people walked by and did nothing, unwilling to risk themselves for others.
'Excellent.'
"How you want us to 'andle it?" Ashe asked.
One man was screaming at the old woman, holding a dagger, while the other was roughing up the boy.
"Shoot the one hitting the boy with a crossbow, I'd like to see it working. Then beat the living daylight out of them. Stop short of killing, but if they die from their injuries, that's their fault. Can you two handle that?"
Mar laughed, "Beat the shite out of two thugs, please, that's easy as breathing."
Ashe didn't respond, simply unsheathing her crossbow and knocking a bolt. She aimed and, from 30 paces away, loosed a bolt. It was rather interesting watching the bright red bolt fly through the air and bury itself in the man's forearm. Immediately, he fell to the ground screaming as the burning red bolt seared his flesh upon entry.
Ashe chuckled darkly, "I love this thing," she mumbled.
Then she dropped the crossbow, and they both rushed forward.
The two idiots finally noticed us. The screaming man was out of commission for the moment. Ashe and Mar acted like wolves. She kicked the man, carrying the dagger between his legs, sending him to his knees, clutching his jewels. Mar tackled him to the ground, knocking the dagger away, landed on top, and started wailing on him. His gauntleted fists made a bloody mess of the man's face. Ashe moved on to the man, still screaming from the bolt, and kicked him in the head with her heavy leather boots. And just started stomping him into the ground repeatedly.
There was no art, elegance, or honor to their fighting, just brutality.
The people stopped and watched the spectacle as the two thugs were mercilessly beaten.
'If they don't stop soon, those two men will die.'
I shrugged; it didn't matter to me either way.
Ashe sat on the man's chest, pulled a dagger, and held it to his throat, "This here is Sera's territory, you see. Ain't nobody allowed to cause trouble. Understand"
The man whose face was a bloody ruin nodded enthusiastically, "Aye, Aye. I hear you." He said, sounding close to sobbing.
"This a warning, next time you get a bolt in the head," Ashe said with venom in her voice. Then she spat in his face and ripped the bolt out of his shoulder. The man screamed in agony as Ashe got off of him. With infinite wisdom, he ran off, leaving his friend behind.
Mar's man stopped moving, either dead or unconscious. I walked over, completely unbothered by the violence.
"He dead?" I asked.
"Nah, just out of it," Mar said. Then he, amusingly, kicked the unconscious man in the ribs and came over to me, followed by Ashe. The crowd watched in numb silence.
I examined their faces. Fear, anger, but most had a small amount of satisfaction.
Walking over to the old woman who was helping the boy up, I asked, "You two alright?"
The old woman nodded, "Aye, he's just a bit bruised."
The boy who seemed to be mute or just quiet nodded. I dropped a few silver coins on her small stall. "Anyone else causes problems, you send a runner to my house, my people will take care of it."
She nodded eagerly, "Aye, Aye, thank you, Milady."
I picked up two rings and left her.
After I returned to my crew, I grinned and said, "Wonderful work, you two. How about meat pie before we move on to other things?"