Capítulo 16: -The Caravan
A/N: I noticed this a while ago, and I'm just making this clear, the place that Lia comes from is called Rovsta. Not Rovasta. It's a typo that was corrected on my computer without me knowing. I apologize for any confusion.
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Lukali was right. Lia hated this.
The supposed 'someone' that Lukali had mentioned was in fact a slave trader. Someone whose job Lia loathed with all her being.
Since Rovsta had banned salvery long ago, since the first king, Lia had never come face to face with slave trading before. But even then she knew the details of the trade.
And more than anything, she hated it.
The constant feeling of watching families torn apart. The longing for their touch, even knowing they sold you off. The feeling that you were nothing more than someone else's possessions.
But whenever she pictured a slave trader, she always saw herself standing before some fat, ugly, arrogant rich man who never took other peoples lives into account.
Never, in her wildest dreams did she expect to see a plum man, with a curved mustache and a bright big smile on his face.
Not to mention the number of 'slaves' who danced happily in the back of the caravan's.
"Lukali?"
Unable to hold herself back, she desperately reached out to Lukali for answers.
From where he sat at the front of the caravan, speaking with Totlac, the slave trader, he turned his head at the sound of her voice.
"Hm? You ask for something?"
While Lia didn't care for being rude to a Slave trader, she knew better than to insult the man who was giving them a ride.
"Your friend. I'll be honnest, this wasn't what I thought a slave trader would look like."
She was hesitant with her words, worrying that she would end up saying something that would hurt him.
Instead, however, she was surprised to find Totlac laughing at the sound of her words.
"Slave renter, little one."
He said, as he bobbed from side to side to the rough road.
"What do you mean slave renter?"
Behind them, in the other four caravans, attached by a tethered rope, the men and women laughed and danced away inside each of them, along with the sound of music.
If Lia hadn't known better, she would have suspected them of being some sort of circus.
"I'm no slave trader girl. I don't sell slaves, I rent them."
"What's the difference?"
He only responded with a hearty laugh, and continued on leading the donkeys forward.
Lukali, present for the whole encounter, spoke on Totlac's behalf.
"A slave renter is someone who simply loans a person their slave to do some task for them. Basically like paid labor, only the owner is the one who gets paid."
"So, you don't sell slaves. You just lend them out to be used by other people."
Still, Lia was confused.
"Again, I ask, what's the difference?"
To this, Totlac only shook his head, while Lukali continued explaining.
"The difference is, that depending on the owner, the borrower cannot harm the slaves, or overwork them. Essentially they're just normal workers, who get paid. Only -"
"Only the owner is the one that gets paid."
Lia said, finishing off Lukali, who smiled at her understanding.
"Yes. Only, Totlac pays his slaves, and they get to live comfortably. He gives them the choice of working for him, or being set free."
"Then why don't they just go free?"
Lia asked, her eyes panning back to the caravans where she could hear more laughing.
Before Lukali could answer, Totlac placed his hand on his shoulder, stopping him from saying anything.
Instead, he spoke, his voice merry and jolly as it always had been since Lia had met him. Almost like the feeling of an uncle.
Thinking this, Lia was suddenly saddened by the thought of her uncle having to deal with their parents and siblings with Al Shir, all of whom thought she was dead.
"A lot of slaves are sold then bought by slave traders at the slave markets. Take a guess where most of those slaves come from."
Lia didn't need to think long. She already knew the answer.
"Families."
"Correct."
He confirmed, a trace of sadness lingering in his once jolly voice.
"Most of them chose not to leave, either because they have no one to go back to, or they have nothing to start them off. That's why they stay."
To Lia it did make sense. In many ways, they seemed at least to be living happy lives with Totlac, but that didn't mean Lia liked him.
If anything, she just judged him a little less.
'You really hate slavers don't you?'
Ignoring Cain's obvious remark and question, Lia's thoughts drifted back to the task at hand.
The Hunt.
Not only was the information regarding the spiders vague, it also didn't give any pointers on how to defeat them. Meaning, she was going in blind.
The most likely option for her to take would be the bottleneck tactic that she had previously told Lukali about.
It was a tactic that had been used several times by military generals throughout the continent, however its usefulness died down when summons were starting to be used on the battlefield.
From holy creatures that were once worshiped, to weapons of mass destruction.
Thus was the history of summons.
But even then, the bottleneck tactic and its effectiveness were still useful to those who hunted monsters.
Though they were called other names throughout the continent, hunting monsters was still a job no matter where you went, so it was no wonder that people around here had heard of it.
"Lukali."
If Lia wanted to know how best the tactic could be used, she needed to scout out the area beforehand.
"How much farther till we get there?"
Lukali turned to Totlac to ask, his expression giving away his curiosity.
All Lia could hear, however, were the quiet and subtle grunts from the man, as Lukali turned back to her.
His expression was not something she was hoping for.
"Well…The path that we need to take and the path that Totlac is taking are two different ones. So, to ensure that we both get to where we need to go, Totlac is taking a separate route."
Lukali avoided eye contact as he scratched the back of his head.
"A route that may put us a day behind schedule."
Outwardly, Lia didn't show any signs of distress or anger, which surprised Lukali, who now felt bad about the situation.
Inwardly, however, Lia was continuously cursing the slave trader and Lukali both.
'Calm down Lia. We're in no rush.'
Instead Lia frustration only grew several nights at the sound of Cain's voice.
'Says the man who was stressing to me about the importance of time management.'
If things continued on for another day, Lia was afraid that someone else might take the bounty.
Of course there were probably other Silver Tail Spiders out there, however, none were as close as the Silver mines spiders.
Even then, the difficulty of this hunt was a cut above the rest.
A C class beast wasn't as difficult as she would have imagined, but then again, for someone of her level, a beginner no less, to be taking on a beast of that magnitude.
She'd be lying if she said she wasn't afraid.
But what made her more afraid was the idea of someone else taking the hunt and the beast out from under her nose.
And she could only guess it, but after her little encounter with the thugs back at the guild, more than likely she would be targeted by other people like them.
Summoner haters.
'Cain, if someone takes this hunt away from us…'
'It's fine Lia. If someone does, we'll just move on.'
Still, Lia wasn't convinced.
Sensing this, Cain sighed.
'Lia, I get the importance of getting a foothold where it matters, but your impatience is a key for mental destruction. Focus on the task ahead, and in doing so, you'll get what you're looking for.'
Turning over the gears in her head, Lia thought deeply on Cain's words and came to one steady conclusion.
He was right.
'Alright, fine. I'll stay calm.'
To Cain, Lia only seemed like the type of person who would be able to resist anything. Afterall, she had been doing so her whole life.
But inevitably, he couldn't take away the emotions of humans. Their anxiety, their worry, their fear. He knew what those emotions could do to a person, but he also knew how much they could help them.
'Don't be upset. Your worries are well justified, but unneeded. That being said, they don't have to drag you down. They just have to act as a reminder of what can happen when you lose your cool.'
'Right.'
Lia breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that she had someone like Cain to help her worries.
She didn't want to admit it, but it felt weird having him there behind, when that spot at her back used to be vacant.
She had people throughout her life standing by her side willing to offer their support, but never watching her back, ready to fight for her when it mattered.
Cain, however, the moment he entered her life, filled that spot immediately.
Suddenly, snapping her out of her thoughts, the caravan stopped abruptly.
Glancing up, she realized that they were now off the main road, and had stopped by the edge of a forest.
As the rest of the caravans came to a halt, Lia could see over a dozen people getting out of the back of the caravans.
Some were laughing, carrying glass bottles and acting drunk. Others were drowsy and already seemed drunk.
"Why have we stopped?"
Lukali hopped down the back of the caravan, offering his hand to Lia who continued looking on in a confused manner.
"We're stopping for the night. The horses need rest, and so do the rest of us."
Ignoring his hand, Lia hopped down off the back herself, taking careful notice of their surroundings.
She wasn't too happy about stopping so soon, but she knew better than to push Totlac any more than she might have already. So she just quietly fussed about it to herself.
"How much farther are the mines?"
This time, she avoided asking Lukali and just asked Totlac directly, who was busy helping set up a tent.
"Hmm, about fifteen miles."
Upon seeing Lia go into deep thought, he chuckled to himself.
"You're welcome to walk the rest of the way, but I wouldn't. Night creatures are often more vile than day time monsters."
Lia wasn't planning on walking the rest of the journey, especially given that it was only fifteen miles away, but Totlac's comment about night creatures sent chills down her spine.
It only solidified her resolve to not question him again.
"Here Lia."
Unknowingly to her, Lukali had gathered a spare tent and sleeping bag, offering it up for her.
"Since we're heading out early in the morning, it will be best if you get as much sleep as you can."
However, Lia refused it.
"That's fine. We need someone to keep watch, so I'll do it."
Her actions surprised Totlac, who stopped pitching up the tent, and looked to her with worry in his eyes.
"Are you sure about that? We have people who can help."
Lia shook her head.
"No. That's alright. We'll pull shifts, so let them get some rest."
Seeing her determination, Totlac could do nothing but agree to her request.
"Alright, but be careful."
As he left to continue his work, Lukali caught her attention and pointed to an area along the tree line.
"I'll set up your tent there, so when you're done you can get some rest."
Lia thanked him, and moved to the fire pit that was being built, catching the eyes of two slaves who were attending to it.
"What brings you so far from your tent?"
One of the slaves asked.
Even though they were slaves, Lia could not see the unmistakable look of raw flesh bands on their wrists. A common sign of slavery.
'He must have been truthful to his word. They don't seem too untreated.'
Lia smiled and explained to them what she was doing, taking careful note of what appeared to be small tattoos along their arms, telling her they were from the southern Safar lands.
'They're a long way from home.'
"If you want to get some sleep now, I can keep watch. That way you won't be up all night."
The two Safarians looked at each other, before silently agreeing to her decision.
"Alright, but call us if there's any trouble."
"Will do."
Before they left however, one of the Safarians handed Lia one of their weapons, as a means of protection.
It was a long and wide blade, curved towards the middle, and grew wider as it curved into a point. A symbolic blade that the southern Safar lands were known for in their deserts and oasis.
Lia however, did not marvel at the blade, and instead she thanked the owner and promised to return it come their shift.
However, he politely refused.
"Don't worry about it. I heard you were heading to the silver mines on a hunt. I also noticed that you didn't have a weapon, so I thought this would suit you."
"But it's your sword. I couldn't possibly -"
"Don't worry. It's a spare, I have tons more that are better than that one. You can keep it."
At this time, the other Safarian, noticing their conversation, intervened by poking at her comrade.
"This guy is a weapon fanatic. Spends his entire salary on them, so don't worry about returning it and keep it for yourself."
"Hey I'm not that big of a weapon fanatic. I just like to defend myself and feel safe."
"With twenty swords, spears and the likes?"
He groaned as he realized that he wouldn't be winning this conversation any time soon.
As they left, Lia's eyes passed back over the blade the Safarian had given her.
True to his words, the blade was rusted in some places, and dull in others. But nonetheless, Lia was grateful. Without any money, she had been unable to purchase a sword in the main street market palace.
She had expected to be going through this hunt with only summoned creatures by her side. But with Lukali there, she could only limit it to one summons throughout the whole hunt, not wanting to reveal Cain's hidden talent.
She felt it would give her an edge over the competition in Morden.
That being said, it wouldn't do her much good against a horde of spiders. At least that was what she feared would happen.
Any type of insect like monster was never alone unless it was some escaped test subject or captured creature.
Her master, Al Shir had taught her a thing or two about monster species and their habits, but only the bare minimum she would need.
He probably didn't expect her to leave the castle with her family still in charge.
'No one ever plans for me.'
She heard a voice say in her head, and instantly she could sense Cain was smiling at his own words.
'Egotistical much?'
'Don't blame me. At least I know what type of cards I can bring to the table.'
Hearing this, Lia sighed, her expression giving way to exhaustion.
Both mentally, and physically.
'Maybe I should have just gone to sleep.'
It was too late now however, as Lia could see the last remnants of people entering their tents, and the only remaining glow of light came from her fire pit.
She was now alone.
Only the night kept her company, as she too felt the chilling bite of the cold night winds.
But she kept her attention focused and locked on the forest's edge, the dirt road, still within sight, and the rolling hills.
She watched the winds blow through the tall grass, creating glimmers and shining waves that passed over the hills with ease.
There was peace in the air, that accompanied the silence of the night.
It was peaceful.
"Enjoying the night air?"
The sound came from nowhere, breaking the silence, but still Lia did not show any signs of surprise.
Cain's sense had become her own when she signed the contract, so she could easily pick up something foreign in an expanse of something else.
A noise, within an ocean of silence.
"Hello Totlac."
Sitting down next to her, Totlac didn't respond for several minutes, just casually staring into the fire, watching it with wonder.
He too, Lia could guess, was enjoying the peace that the night offered out to her.
She didn't interrupt, nor did she intrude on his moment of peace. She simply waited.
Finally, he took his eyes away from the fire, but still avoided her gaze, glancing up to the star lit sky.
"Do you mind if I tell you something?"
Lia's ears perked at the sound of this.
"What would you like to tell me?"
With a deep breath and a heavy sigh, he responded, his voice carrying a weight, multiplied by the peaceful atmosphere they were in.
"I'd like to tell you a story."
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