Dungeon of Niflheim

110 Chapter 110: Slaves

Smash!

The sound of glaive on flesh didn’t not happen instead it was akin to metal on metal.

Smash!

Several more metallic clashing sounds happened a moment after the first.

The young boy and girl opened their eyes, they were confused, they were still alive.

They looked at one another blinking rapidly before looking up at Frost asking why this was so.

“Haaaaaa” Frost sighed deeply before once again kneeling to bring his face level to the girl’s.

“I’m not about to kill some defenceless little kids especially when they’re still full of fighting spirit.” Frost gently rubbed their heads while smiling warmly. He cleaved apart the chains that bound the two kids to the room. Severing them from their jail.

Even if he couldn’t aid with the slave chokers or that malevolent tattoo, he wasn’t alone. Ryuu was a very experienced and adept mage so surely, he’d be able to help and even if he couldn’t Maya might.

.....

‘These kids are giving up too easily.’ Frost was learning that he was quite a softy when it came to these things. He always seemed to be helping kids out recently, Leo and Luna, that child waiting in the cold outside the Northern gate and now these two kids.

‘Haaaaa I really am too soft, I’m supposed to be a dungeon core, why do I care so much about what happens to all these kids I come across.’ He shook his head lamenting his own kindness, forgetting the fact that he just killed and devoured the life essence of dozens of people to get here.

“Wait here” The girl and boy nodded their heads still slightly stunned as Frost stood back up and left the room, leaving them alone to take in their current situation.

The young boy and girl looked at one another before lifting up their now much lighter and no longer constrained arms. There was nothing physically tying them to this room anymore, all what was left was the remains of the shackles on their wrists and the grotesque choker that still gripped their necks. However even without a physical chain, they still couldn’t leave this room. No matter how much they wished they couldn’t leave, at least by their own volition.

The magic crest tattoo on their neck was the result of a banned and greatly forbidden practise that was created by the Church of Light centuries ago for when they wished to enslave non-humans. The magic and research involved is considered one of the most abhorred and hated things developed by the Church of Light especially by those of the beastmen countries whom it was originally created to be used on.

This magic crest takes the slave status to an ungodly level. The victims would be bound to being slaves for their entire lives with no way to remove it. And not only that, their liberties and freewill will all be but snuffed out after being contracted after the first couple months. The slaves would not be able to survive without frequent input from their masters. Slowly their unconscious body functions would no longer happen, without orders their bodies would not even breath by themselves. It was a horrible practise chastised by all nations across Nova, with those linked to it even slightly, being condemned to the worse possible punishment.

This slave tattoo was branded upon these two children less than a week ago, so they still had some disobedience and personality but in the coming weeks they’d become mindless robots without a conscience, following whatever their masters ordered them to do even harm and kill themselves.

Back when the Church of Light was at the peak of their power it was said that they forced their beastmen slaves to kill each other for enjoyment.

Frost walked out of the room with purpose, he needed to find Ryuu before anything else.

“Ryuu! I need a hand!” Frost cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted loudly, this would be faster than searching.

Frost’s shout got Ryuu’s attention almost immediately, less than a minute later he could see Ryuu speeding across the air while carrying Luna in his arms who had an embarrassed look on her face. She turned away burying her face into her father’s chest refusing to face Frost.

‘That’s pretty cool.’ Frost however didn’t even notice her actions since he was focused on how Ryuu arrived. He was riding the air; streams of wind were being funnelled from his feet allowing him to glide and float 2 feet off the ground.

Ryuu was using the 3rd circle air spell [air walk] like it was nothing, rubbing it in everyone’s face about how good a mage he was. Frost’s lips twitched in irritation. He struggled to cast even a 2nd circle spell, yet Ryuu was able to constantly use a 3rd circle movement spell to carry his daughter around, talk about lavish.

“What do you want Frost it better be good to interrupt daddy-daughter time buh!” Ryuu received an elbow to the gut before she shuffled out of her father’s grasp and towards Frost. She kept her head down and walked right by kicking the ground in anger as she did.

Unfortunately, Frost didn’t have time to enjoy the antics of Ryuu and Luna.

“It’s serious Ryuu, I need your knowledge.” Frost had a serious expression as he spoke.

“....Show me” Ryuu felt Frost’s intentions and transformed back into the able bodied court mage.

“I found two young slaves, but their situation seems a bit peculiar.” Frost then led Ryuu inside to examine the young boy and girl, they made Luna stay outside since it may be distressing for her.

Ryuu and Luna’s side of the vault like Frost guessed was filled with magic devices, skill books, weapons, armour etc... but it also contained Adam’s exploits if you will. Ryuu was forced to harshly cover his daughter’s eyes and nose when they stumbled across the room filled with dead and naked slaves. After ushering his daughter away to the side, he inspected the room and found 2 women who were still alive quivering in fear. But after a quick coaxing he was to calm them down slightly, they told him that all of Adam’s slaves were in this one room meaning that the two of them were the only survivors, so when he heard Frost’s problems he was confused.

‘Those two women didn’t seem as though they were lying.’ When Frost led him to a hidden room that was clearly protected by an illusion array his questions grew as did his frown.

“Here” Frost pushed open the door and revealed the young boy and girl to Ryuu. They instinctively backed away when the saw someone other than Frost enter.

“They are...” Ryuu’s eyes opened wide the moment he saw the two young children; he recognised their race, and he was amazed.

“Phoenix kin, they’re phoenix kin, this is the first time I’ve ever seen them outside of books.” Ryuu moved in close to the children his eyes filled with excitement. But the two kids moved backwards in fear, they’d seen similar looks in the people who captured them plus if he touched the wrong place they’d be shocked with mana from their choker and slave tattoo.

“Hahaha” seeing his mistake Ryuu laughed awkwardly and rubbed the back of his neck as he tried to cool down his excitement.

“Eh?” His expression suddenly became deadly serious, killing intent and his aura started to seep from him, pressuring Frost and the kids. Ryuu caught sight of their chokers and more importantly the glowing tattoo on their necks.

“Adam you bastard!” Ryuu was furious and inwardly panicking, using, or even being remotely involved with slave tattoos was a serious crime, it would involve not just the attention of their empire but those of their neighbours, that was how much the Church of Light was feared and dreaded. Plus, the Northrend empire was a non-race biased empire wherein all species had equal rights, their slave laws and attitude to anything in regards to the Church of Light and the Holy White empire was very strict. The fact that Adam a mere Baron in the Furano viscounty was involved with slave tattoos was a great threat. It meant that a dangerous group of people was involved in this situation, and it could no longer be regarded as an in house problem.

Ryuu frowned as hundreds of problems flashed through his mind, he’d need to report this to Douglas and then to government and royal family, Northrend may even be put on alert.

Ryuu’s aura and killing intent continued to leak causing the two young kids to collapse from the pressure, falling prone.

Frost stepped in at this point.

“Ryuu!” He clasped onto Ryuu’s shoulder with force to bring him out of his delusions.

“Ugh! ....Sorry” Ryuu smiled gently toward the two children trying to appear as friendly as possible, but it didn’t work, the kids shivered and backed away causing Ryuu to sigh.

“Can I come in yet?” Luna popped her head through the door, she felt something was wrong when she felt her father’s aura and killing intent.

With the third new person entering, the two kids instantly locked onto her, wary of her intentions.

“.....” Luna saw them and was silent, before her eyes and lips turned upwards.

“So cute!” She gasped before rushing into the room, shoving passed Ryuu, knocking him to the floor. Not caring about the kids fears Luna barrelled into them and wrapped the two of them up in her arms for a bear hug while rubbing her cheek against theirs. She was a sucker for cuteness and these two children were the epitome of cute.

This was probably for the best, afraid of her at first the kids tried to pull away but eventually they grew to like it, sinking their heads into Luna’s chest, even letting out a few tears. They hadn’t been treated so nicely in so long they had forgotten how love felt. Luna gave them the first bout of happiness they had in a long time.

Ryuu watched this scene and smiled before dragging Frost out of the room, he didn’t want his daughter or the two kids to hear what he was going to say.

“How much do you know about slaves?” Once out the room Ryuu asked in a depressed tone, this wasn’t a cheery subject but one they needed to talk about.

“Honestly not much, I know that slaves are usually criminals paying off sentences, P.O.Ws or people who couldn’t pay off their debts, but these kids don’t fit into any of those categories.” Frost gave off what little information he gleamed from Leo and what small part of ingrained knowledge Dark had granted him.

“Haaaaaaa” Ryuu sighed deeply, talking about this without alcohol won’t be easy.

“Usually that’s the case well legally, that’s how one becomes a slave and within Northrend and most empires and countries in the Yangmir continent it is forbidden for children to become slaves. However, through illegal means the underworld and less savoury characters don’t follow these rules.” Ryuu found a chair nearby and pulled it out to sit on, this was going to be a long explanation.

“Slaves become slaves when a slave choker is placed upon them. This is a magic device that requires someone with slave magic to activate. Through the government there are official slave merchants that are regulated by these laws and are generally seen as another type of business. Slaves in Northrend are treated pretty well after all and once they’ve served their sentence and or paid back their debt they can return to regular society.” Frost nodded along as Ryuu spoke, Leo had informed him of some of this.

“Slave chokers force a binding contract between the slave and their assigned master, preventing them from harming them and having them obey the masters orders. Masters are thus required to care for and provide for the slaves while they are under this contract. Of course, under Northrend law these contracts are quite lenient, preventing the master from harming the slaves, ordering them to commit crimes, depriving them basic living requirements food, water, shelter etc.... but when unregulated slave merchants are in play, these protective covenants no longer apply.” Ryuu gritted his teeth in anger. Douglas, him, Bastion and Sebastian worked hard to reduce the crime rate within Furano, unregulated slave merchants were high on their list to eliminate.

Ryuu went on tell Frost about slave merchants and how their magic and the chokers worked in more detail.