Armaros walked into the establishment of the slave trader in the town after much contemplation as he sighed to himself as he did so. When he entered he was greeted to the sight of a portly man dressed in noble like clothes and wearing black round glasses and a thick moustache, sitting quite distinguished despite his profession.
He himself had covered himself in a black cloak and also covered his face as he entered, while looking at the guards inside the place which numbered 4 and all of them had weapons as their focus was on him from the moment he had entered.
"Ah, a customer. Welcome welcome." The slave trader said with a smile as he walked in front of him.
As the young boy had observed, the man was portly in statue wearing dark coloured good quality clothing which gives him an air of importance and nobility. A thick moustache and brown hair atop his head, with a top hat to complement the look alongside black round glasses which hid his eyes. The thin wooden walking stick in his hand was also decorated as well.
"Your two guards at the front have already checked me." Armaros said to the man as he kept his smile.
"Of course of course. I trust my men after all. But, I would appreciate it if you could show me your face, I like to know the face of the ones to whom I sell my products." The man said to him with an unchanging smile.
Armaros just nodded and removed the hood from covering his face. What greeted the men was the sight of a boy with dark brown hair, green eyes, fair skin and a scar that started from below the left side of his lips and went diagonally up right near the left side of his left eye.
The scar was of course of his own making, to further differentiate himself from his own identity, and having a scar as an identifying feature is a good one in his opinion. So while it did hurt to create the scar, he didn't regret committing to it. Having scars on his face was the least of the worries for him considering his situation as a whole.
The trader let out an "ooh" when he saw the face as he looked at the young man in front of him as he knew that the boy looks quite handsome.
"Now isn't this interesting. You're quite the looker young man, though I think it would've been better without that scar on your face." The trader said to him with the same smile.
"You can't have everything. But I came here to get a slave so I would like to look." Armaros said to the man as he kept his smile.
"Of course, Sir Bermus at your service. Please follow me." Bermus said as he gave a short bow and then gestured got him to follow.
Armaros followed as the portly man lead the way as he glanced at the guards as they stayed in place and the two passed through a doorway, from where he now found himself in a large room with cages, and slaves in them.
There were a lot of cages, of different sizes and of course, a lot of slaves in them as well. Some cages had a group of slaves, while other's held only one. But the thing that was consistent with every single slave was the collar around their necks which signifies their current state.
Men, women, children, all wearing poor clothing, and it didn't seem like it was only humans. He also saw Zoans, Elves and Dwarves amongst them but he didn't look at them as he followed the man.
"As you can see, I have a lot of products for you to purchase and not just humans. For example, that is a Rhino Zoan, his large frame would be perfect for a berserker or tank in a party and he also has great use outside of battle as well." Bermus said as he introduced the imposing slave.
"And how much does he cost?" Armaros asked the man as he walked.
"Considering how lineage and how healthy he is, I would have to say that he costs around 5000 Quartz, after all, I do have to ensure that he is in good condition." Bermus said with a grin.
"And if I have to guess, he is one of the best slaves you have in your grasp." Armaros said as if it were a statement.
"Well of course, I do want to show you more of my prospects should you ever feel the need to purchase more in the future." Bermus said as he walked.
'Showing me one of the best slaves at hand is a good strategy for business.' Armaros thought to himself as he walked with the man.
"Well, I do not have the money for buying a slave of his calibre. Can you show me the more low end slaves you have? I wish to get one on the cheaper side, but also competent enough to use in battle." Armaros said to the man as he nodded.
"Of course, as you wish." Bermus said as he led him to another section of the large room.
There inside of the cages were more slaves, but it was evident that their condition was a bit more grave than the ones that he had passed. Most were dirty and looked weak and not as robust and healthy as the previous ones, and some even had damage in their bodies on top of that as well.
"There are a fair amount of slaves in hand that would match your needs. There is one slave in particular which might be pretty handy in combat, though I don't know if you will be interested in that one." Bermus said which caught the boy's attention.
"And why is that?" Armaros asked curiously at his words.
"Perhaps you will understand once you see her." Bermus said to him as he raised his eyebrow a bit.
The man walked without stopping as Armaros followed, his gaze on the slaves as he saw their states but kept silent, knowing that he cannot do anything for them due to his inability to do so.
Soon the trader stopped in front of a cage and Armaros stood beside the man and looked at the cage as well, and his eyes widened when he saw the slave inside of the cage.
Inside this particular cage is a woman, one who seemed to be quite older than he is, perhaps older than 20 years if he was correct in his estimate. While she is dressed like the rest of the slaves, even having the collar around her neck, it was evident that she is different from then due to the fact that she has a muscular and toned body.
Her stomach has a six pack, her legs are also toned and muscular as well, her shoulders were also trained and her arm was also muscular as well. There were some scars visible on her body, over her stomach, one small one on her left thigh and another that went right over her right eye, though the organ itself is unharmed.
As for her appearance, she is dirty like most of the slaves in here, though he did find it endearing to be honest with how fit her body is. She has lightly tanned skin, brown hair that flowed down her back and light brown eyes. And he is sure that if she were clothed in good clothes, she would look quite beautiful as well.
And while he did see why Bermus said that she would be a good slave for combat, it was also clearly obvious why she would not be a desirable slave for a normal person.
"I'm sure that you already understood why I said you might not be interested." Bermus said as he looked at the boy.
"Yeah, her entire left arm is missing." Armaros said as he looked at where her left arm should have been.
"She was a fomer member of the knights in one of the cities of the empire. A famed warrior knight known for her prowess in the use of a great sword with two hands. Arguably, she was a powerful warrior and was known for being quite chivalrous." Bermus said before he chuckled mockingly.
"So, what happened for her to be in such a state?" Armaros asked as he glanced at the portly man before looking at the woman.
"She was accused of having committed traitorous acts against the Duke of the city and they found evidence that she had done such things. She was stripped off of her title and position, before she was turned into a gladiator for the entertainment of the masses. She was known to have fought fiercely in the gladiatorial rings for a time. It was in one of those matches that she had fought an opponent much stronger than herself, and she lost her arm in the battle." Bermus said as he twirled his moustache.
'If I have to bet, the opponent might have been from the Duke, or those who had accused her. Of course, there is a chance that she was actually thinking of doing such a thing, but I don't have the full picture so it's better to keep my opinions to myself, at least for the moment.' Armaros thought to himself as he looked at the eyes of the woman, which looked quite empty and hollow as her gaze is on the floor as she is slumped in the cage with her back on the bars, though she did twitch when Bermus talked about her arm.
"Without one of her arms present, she was unable to use her full might and so she lost all of her strength in combat, and wasn't able to rise anymore in the gladiatorial rings, which is why she is in my grasp. Alas, none wants to buy a damaged slave like her, especially since she is one which has lost her fangs. She isn't even desired as a prostitute due to her not having an arm, and her muscular appearance is not desirable to men." Bermus said with a smirk as he looked at the woman.
"I see." Armaros simply said as he looked at the woman.
'Her fighting style was two handed great sword which is now inaccessible for her. She has a tone and powerful body, but the balance is off due to losing her arm and she is not as strong as she was in the past. Which means that if she were to try to kill me, I would be able to subdue her and kill her easily. And she could also act as a distraction if I needed to do so.' Armaros thought to himself as he analysed the woman.
After all, while he did want a slave, the reason he wanted one was for a companion that he can trust to use for his ends, and a slave which he can put down when they became dangerous is the kind that he wanted to have, not one who is strong.
Even if they are bound as a slave, there was no guarantee about that fact, so he wanted a slave who is weaker than he is and one that he can kill when the need arises. It was cold and merciless, that he knew, but as per his situation, that was the best course of action in his eyes.
"What's her name?" Armaros asked as Bermus glanced at the boy.
"Her name is Fanah." Bermus said with a smile.
"And how much is she worth?" Armaros asked as the man's smile widened.
'Interesting.' Bermus thought to himself as he smiled.
"Since you are buying from me for the first time, I shall give her at a discount, not to mention the fact that you are also helping me by taking her off my hands. She will sell for no less than 200 Quartz." Bermus said with a smile.
Fanah moved a bit as she heard the exchange as her eyes moved to look at the two people who were talking in front of her cage as she took them in. One is the trader who has her in his grasp, and the other a young man who is a buyer.
Armaros grabbed the money from the pouch and gave it to the man as Bermus opened his left palm as the money fell in his hand as he smiled as he created a translucent platform on which the money fell. But when he finished counting the money he looked at the man with a confused expression.
"There are 300 Quartz in here young man, that is a 100 extra from the money for the slave." Bermus said as he looked at the young man.
"That is the commission for selling this slave to me and for the good service." Armaros said as he smirked slightly to the portly man.
"Oh, a young lad who knows about that, that is quite rare. Usually they just buy the slaves and think that that's it. I am quite pleased to have done business with you young sir, may I have the fortune of having you as my customer in the future, Mr...?" Bermus said with a smile on his face as he looked at him while waiting for an answer.
"My name is Agares. It is nice to make your acquaintance Bermus. May we have an amicable relationship in the future." Armaros said as he slight smirked at the man.
"I hope for the same." Bermus said with a glint in his eyes and a wide smile.
'This might turn into a good investment.' Bermus thought to himself as he smiled at the young man as Fanah watched the exchange as she closed her eyes and slumped in her cage.
'Heh. I don't even care anyways.' Fanah thought to herself as she sat there.