《Struggles of a Slave》 Prologue Struggles of a Slave -Prologue- Inside a cage on the side of the street . . . Oh hi there! Sorry I didn''t notice you there sooner~ It''s just that I''ve been busy entertaining all the wonderful visitors of my lovely home. See. I''m a member of the beast-kin tribe. Nothing ferocious like a minotaur or a troll. I''m cute and I have white hair. Also I have red wolf ears and a tail. I''ve had this home for about... A month! A month I think! And all the wonderful people always watch me. Whether I sleep, eat, and even use the bathroom! Well I don''t really have a bathroom since my house only has one room. And it doesn''t really have walls to keep out the wind but just steel bars. Well you can ask how I got into this predicament. But I don''t really know the answer to that too either~ I guess I''ll just give you the rough explanation. Ya'' see~ Beast-kins in this world, aren''t particularly well regarded at all here. So there would often be humans who would try to enslave us. I''m one of the unlucky fellows to have been captured. Well ''fellow'', ''cause I''m the only one that did! I laugh loudly like an evil demon lord. "Muahahahahuehuehu-" (Tio) "Oi brat keep it quiet! Don''t want you want any meals!" (Slater) *Clang* Slater-san who''s sitting beside my home on a wooden chair hits one of the bars with a wooden stick. "Sorry, sorry..." (Tio) This here is Slater-san. He always hits my house whenever I''m noisy. He''s the guy that succesfully caught the magnimous, omniponent me with his perfect trap! The master trap! Indeed no beast-kin of my kind has been ever able to escape from it!!! Fufufu~ To think he would catch one of the rumoured sub-race of the beast-kin a Red Wolf! This man must be very inteligent! I was originally out on a stroll when I saw my childhood friend Senna being lured into a cage with a big piece of meat. At the time I thought she was being lured anyway. Senna''s tail and ears are different from mine, they''re just the regular brown like the normal beast-kin. Me and Senna go way back~ It was when I first arrived at Senna''s village Grenholme, it was just a community of brown furred, wolf beast-kins. Of course since I had red fur, no one would approach me at all, as I was crying while everyone just stared at me. Suddenly a girl moves infront of me, faces the brown-furs, arms outstretched and yells. "Papa, Mama! Everyone! Let''s atleast take care of him! He''s very young and needs help!" (Senna) Well she herself was just 6 at the time too, exactly the same age as me. After that everyone welcomed me whole-heartedly even knowing I was a Red Wolf. Red Wolves during the time of the war with humans were ferocious, Mama and Papa would always bring up stories of their past glories and achievements in battle; the tales of Rega and Valin Regin the Red Shrouds. They said that we were different from the other beast-kin, other beast-kin have already fully evolved but we as a sub-race were still evolving. We were stronger than the regular beast-kin, had superior senses compared to humans, elves, dwarves, you name it! Plus the fact that we keep getting stronger too in time and in practice! So naturally people would be scared of us. But we do have one weakness, we''re very stupid. No one in my home village even knew how to read, write and use magic. Uuu... I kinda wanna use magic... When an unknown disease infected the village everyone just accepted their fates. Oba-san even said "Fufu~ Only a sickness can kill the likes of me after all!" But Mama and Papa made me leave and live in another village before I could get sick. "Tio-kun make sure to drink water and eat lots of meat okay?" (Rega) "Hohoho, Tio since we will not be able to see you grow as a proper Red Wolf Papa will be very sad." (Valin) "But don''t worry Tio-kun, Mama and Papa love you very much!" (Rega) "M-Mama... P-Papa..." (Tio) I started sniffling as I looked at Mama and Papa''s smiles. "Boy, don''t visit us on the other side too early, Papa will be very mad if you do!" (Valin) "Yes Mama will be very glad if you could get a wife first okay?" (Rega) "Fufu, I wonder what kind of woman our dear Tio-kun will be able to get" (Valin) "Ara? Tio-kun''s so cute that every woman will fall in love with him at first sight" (Rega) "Hou, as expected of our boy!" (Valin) If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it."I p-promise I''ll get a wife! I love you Mama, Papa!" (Tio) Mama, Papa, and me were all crying, all of us were in a hug. "I''ll also g-get strong and learn magic too!" (Tio) "Papa and Mama are very happy, grow up to be a good boy yes?" (Rega) Mama was just crying now as she kept hugging me. "Now lad go before you get sick, here''s Papa''s earing" (Valin) "Mama''s too!" (Rega) Then they both put the earings in place on my ears. The doning of earings meants that the Red Wolf has already matured and is ready to leave the village. Usually only done at the proper age of 16 but because of circumstances they decided to put them on me already. "Take care Tio-kun, please be careful!" (Rega) Mama said while sobbing and Papa was hugging her. I left the village of the Red Wolf tribe after that, only the two earings as a momento of my family and everything I left behind. After averting my gaze from Senna I stared at the man in the bushes next to the trap. It''s been 2 years since then and I''ve some-what improved my skills and senses, I also know a bit of magic too, but not really at the level where it''s even considered to be called ''magic''. The trap was simply just a cage with meat inside lifted with a stick and the stick having a rope tied to it. But the scent of the sweet... Succulent... Juicy meat entered my nose. So naturally I pounced and started eating the meat first. After my surprise attack Senna got spooked and wasn''t able to react. Then I felt sleepy from eating the meat~ Dazing off I heard Senna shouting "Tio! Y-You idiot!" Last thing I know I''m here! "Hah..." (Slater) Slater-san sighs. "Got something in your mind Slater-san?" (Tio) "Oi will you quit it with the nicknames!" (Slater) Obviously as you can see Slater-san is more hot-headed than the Red Wolf clan. "Unn..." (Tio) Since Slater-san hasn''t really given me his name after all this time I decided to just get nicknames from what he''s called. I came up with a bunch like Slama-kun, Vema-san, and Master Baiter-sama. He didn''t like that last one too much. I wasn''t given a single meal the whole day when I called him that. So I just decided to take the ''Sla'' from Slave, and the ''Ter'' from Master. Slater-san. Slater-san sighs again. "Seriously, why won''t you get sold already?" (Slater) Nodding I say; "Fumu, exactly why won''t I get sold already!" (Tio) "HA?!" (Slater) Slater-san seems shocked as I answered his question. "Umu, it''d be best that a master-sama buys me already." (Tio) "Hou? Really now?" (Slater) "Yes, since I will get even more meals!" (Tio) I exclaim while slumping down and crossing my legs. "Spoiled brat!" (Slater) Slater-san rises up from his seat to try to hit my dear home again. "Ara... Is it not Slater-san that needs some bit of gold right now?~" (Tio) "Uu..." (Slater) Moving my but I inch closer to Slater-san. "Is it not Slater-san that has a massive debt as to why he made me a slave in the first place?~" (Tio) "This brat..." (Slater) Seeing Slater-san return to his seat without hitting my beloved home. I stand firmly with my hands to my waist as I laugh. "Hohohohoho!~" (Tio) "..." (Slater) I learned all of this since there''s always a bunch of onii-sans the come greet Slater-san each day. Slater-san seems to have gotten a loan from the kind onii-sans since he wanted to start up a business, but he got scammed and had the gold stolen. Slater-san is just some regular man in his 30''s after all! So he can''t really become an adventurer to get gold since he''s just a merchant. He can''t even charm a woman for her purse since he''s a baldy! Afufufufufu~ Stupid Slater-san. If I had that money I would''ve bought all the yummy meat and lived forever just eating meat! Haah... I sigh heavily. I wonder how long I''ll have to stay in this home of mine... "MASTER-SAMA! PLEASE BUY ME ALRE-" (Tio) "Uwa! Shitty brat keep it down already!" (Slater) "Uuu..." (Tio) And like that the time passes by. [Status:] - [Name:] [Tio Regin] [Race:] [Beast-kin] [Sub-race:] [Red Wolf] [Age:] [8] [Occupation:] [Slave] [Level:] [4] [Strength:] [7] + [10] (Racial Trait : Sub-race : [Red Wolf''s Evolution]) [Agility:] [9] + [5] (Racial Trait : [Beastial Reflexes]) + [10] (Racial Trait : [Beastial Evolution]) [Vitality:] [8] + [10] (Racial Trait : [Beastial Evolution]) + [5] (Racial Trait : Sub-race : [Red Wolf''s Vigor]) [Inteligence:] [5] [Magic:] [3] [Skills:] [Sense Pressence] Able to sense pressences nearby + (Racial Trait : [Beast-kin]) Able to sense pressences much farther [Hide Pressence] Able to supress it''s pressence from others nearby + (Racial Trait : [Beast-kin]) Able to supress it''s pressence from others farther [Lesser Flame] Creates a small flame at the fingertip, great for starting camp fires [Beastial Roar] Stuns nearby entities + (Racial Trait : Sub-race : [Red Wolf] Induces panic and fear for a short time [Beastial Strength] Hardens body and claws like iron [Attributes:] (Racial Trait : Sub-race : [Red Wolf''s Evolution]) Continued fast growth, capable of evolution [Beastial Reflexes] Due to living in forests, reflexes are higher than normal + (Racial Trait : [Beast-kin]) Moves swifter than normal [Bestial Sight] Due to living in forests, senses are higher than normal + (Racial Trait : [Beast-kin]) See in the dark (Racial Trait : Sub-race : [Red Wolf''s Vigor]) Red Wolves being constantly at war have a higher edurance, recieved damage reduction [Armor:] [Tattered Slave''s Rags] [Weapon:] (Racial Trait : [Beastial Claws] [Beastial Fangs]) [Accesories:] [Rega''s Earing] [Valin''s Earing] [Gear:] [n/a] - -- - [Name:] (Nickname: [Slater]) [Race:] [Human] [Age:] [36] [Occupation:] [Slave Master] [Level:] [8] [Strength:] [9] [Agility:] [6] [Vitality:] [13] [Inteligence:] [9] + [5] (Special Item : [Fool''s Way Of Being A Merchant] (Read) ) [Magic:] [7] [Skills:] [n/a] [Attributes:] [n/a] [Armor:] [Worn Cotton Shirt] [Worn Leather Trousers] [Worn Leather Boots] [Weapon:] [Small Crude Knife] [Accesories:] [Silver Ring] [Gear:] [Small Bag] [Book: Fool''s War Of Being A Merchant] [Cage : In-use] - Author''s note: Should I keep the [Status]? I just like to put it there because of novelty and I enjoy those game elements. It isn''t even seen or used by the characters in the story but I guess you can say it adds a little more detail since we''re just seeing someone''s point of view every time. Also it''ll give hints about the next chapter or something I guess? Plus it''s not normal for a person to suddenly detail out every thing about someone else. (Well atleast in my oppinion) Well everything aside, I hope we get along well! Enjoy the web-novel and give me your insights! I''m in your care!~ p.s. I''m a weeb and an otaku so I might slip in some -sans and -samas or itadakimasus here and there~ p.p.s. If there are any grammar and spelling corrects please help me out and specify which sentence has then along with the proper spelling and grammar! Lastly and with out further delay! Thank you very much! (.u .'''') Chapter 1 In the middle of the bustle of the city, through crowds of people engaging in trade in the market. An odd duo could be found, one was in a cage and the other was repeatedly beating on it with a club as if clockwork every midday. Nonetheless, this has turned into a routine, people would come when the banging on the cage and yelling would start and leave when it ended, some would even anxiously wait before the time just to see what would unfold. To the people of Thene, this has served as a certain past time to relieve their stress, a time to rest. Living in the desert, just being able to wake up was a miracle. The oasis provided them water and the city provided them security. The people here understand how hard it is to live in the desert, all around them sand, beasts and bandits. Fortunately or not for the duo though, they would never come to realize their accidental popularity. In the cage Tio was restlessly walking about, seeming to be in deep thought while holding his chin, though Tio could probably never do that because of his hereditary idiocy as well as acquired idiocy... But suddenly he came to a stop seemingly having thought of something. Truly. A miracle. "Slater-san~" (Tio) "What is it now brat?" (Slater) Tio called out to Slater who was sitting on his chair his hands gripping the hems of the bald man''s shirt. "Shouldn''t you be gathering more slaves?" (Tio) "I shou- eh? What? Aren''t you in that cage already?" (Slater) "What nonsense are you spouting being one yourself you twat!" (Slater) "I was just thinking, maybe if there were more of us I wouldn''t be so lonely!" (Tio) ''Fufufufu... I will also steal their food and make them my underlings!'' (Tio) Tio''s eyes glint in suspiciousness "......" (Slater) Slater was really dumb founded, he hasn''t met someone like this in all his life as a slaver. Though his life of a slaver wasn''t really that long to begin with. "I really... Should''ve just left your ass there" (Slater) "Ahhh... I still remember that delicious steak!" (Tio) Tio was in a trance, closing his eyes, mouth agape, drool coming out of it. That steak was just too delicious for the likes of him that ever since their fateful meeting that day he hasn''t stopped thinking about it. "Say! Slater-san, will you pleaaaseee give me one already!" (Tio) "Shut up already brat!" (Slater) Clank Slater hits the cage with his mace. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there."Uuuuu..." (Tio) Tio once again fell into thought, this time with an even more serious look on his face, so serious infact that Slater who noticed it was startled. "O-oi..." (Slater) "Slater-san" (Tio) "Y-yes?" (Slater) Tio talked with such coldness that he was a gain startled, the growing bloodlust seeping through Tio''s eyes. ''Scary... This kid is scary...'' (Slater) "Let''s make a deal!" (Tio) ''If I can''t get him to get more slaves then i''ll just have to go for a more direct approach, fufufufufufu.'' (Tio) But with Tio''s sudden energetic proposal everything seemed to have just been a lie. Dismissing everything that he noticed Slater propped up his hand on his chin, possibly trying to look smarter that he actually is. "What is it now?" (Slater) Slater says while giving out a long sigh. Usually when Tio makes proposals like these it would be something outrageous, like promising to suddenly start up a brothel business where in return Slater would have to feed Tio medium-rare steaks on the hour. Of course, how Tio would manage a brothel was undoubtly questionable given his young age and experience. But still, sometimes his ideas would be bright. "I''ve noticed now that Slater-san seems to be single" (Tio) "W-what gave you that idea?" (Slater) "Well aside from sitting on that chair, gawking at women who pass by then suspiciously going to the public bath energetic and coming back bereft of any energy, I haven''t seen you talking to a girl yet" (Tio) Slater''s face pales with Tio''s unexpected observational skills. "Well... T-that!" (Slater) "Truly living up to the name of master ba-" (Tio) Tio was cut off by Slaters piercing glare. "H-hahaha..." (Tio) ''T-that was close'' "Slater-san wouldn''t have to go to the public bath anymore after gawking at women!" (Tio) With a red face up to his ears, Slater tries to deny everything but before he could Tio buts in. "Yes, yes, it''s the mark of youth" (Tio) "That''s why let this Tio help you out" (Tio) "Eh? You will?" (Slater) Still flustered Slater stared at Tio eyes wide open only to see Tio smirk as if planning something dubious and suspicious. "Of course, since this is a deal, you should give me something in return" (Tio) "..." (Slater) ''He probably wants steak doesn''t he'' (Slater) After a long silence Slater finally lets out a sigh. "Fine then, what do you wa-?" (Slater) "Steak!" (Tio) ''......'' (Slater) - - "Okay Slater-san, you can do this!" (Tio) dududududududu As if a boxer in the corner of a ring Tio was doing massages while pepping up Slater. "It''s not that hard, you just have to go up to a woman, say hi and then ask her name!" (Tio) "Is it really that easy? If that were so I wouldn''t be single like I am now" (Slater) "Yes it is!" (Tio) "A-are you sure?" (Slater) Doubt starts to creep up on him and beas of sweat starts to form on Slater''s forehead. "Just do what I told you to do!" (Tio) "Y-yes..." (Slater) "Say it louder!" (Tio) "Y-YES!" (Slater) "Okay, now go Slater-san! Go!" (Tio) Slater-san gathers his courage, stands up and starts walking towards the crowd his bald head glistening in the light. Tio in the cage sheds some tears as if a mother sending her child out of their home into the word for the first time while holding a napkin. "S-slater-san!" (Tio) ''My steak~'' (Tio) Walking through the crowd Slater notices a woman by some merchant stalls, immediately upon taking notice he strides towards her and stands as straight as he could when he finally arrived behind her. "...H-hi" (Slater) Noticing someone talking to her from behind she immediately turns around only to be blinded by Slater''s apparent lack of hair. "Ah!" (Woman) The woman gasps having her sight blinded by light radiating from his forehead and bald head due to Slater sweating. Immediately stricken with fear Slater bows towards the woman thinking he has done wrong promptly knocking his head on hers which has so far tactically blinded the woman. Somehow resulting in her stepping backwards and tripping on her dress then falling into a pile pottery knocking her unconcious. "Ah." (Tio) Tio''s head was totally blank, not that it was uncommon, though some part of him was impressed on how he literally made a woman fall for him, one could say that the woman fell because of him in all honesty. - - The following day Tio wasn''t given any meals at all... Chapter 2 Dammit... Every day it''s been like this, the same thing happening over and over again. Why the hell do I end up going along with it though. If it weren''t for that annoying brat I wouldn''t even be in this situation. Right now i''m bowing my head so low it''s already touching the ground. "You baldy! Shithead!" (Woman) "Do you know who I am?!?" (Woman) Ah shit... It''s that woman I knocked over yesterday. She has beautiful short black hair and dark skin. Her face would be defined as gorgeous had it not been in such an angry state. She''s also wearing a light dress with pants underneath. Sad... It''s not like I was planning to peep up her skirt or anything. Oh... Looks like her face is scrunching up even more. She looks like she''s about to blow her lid off... Haaah... It wasn''t always like this. I was a respectable farmer once. My father has long since passed and my mother has left as well not too long ago due to illness. Being the only child I was to manage our field. But when my crops during last year''s freak drowth withered I wasn''t able to pay the city loan for them. So I had to result to slavery. It was the quickest way to make money after all.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. You just had to capture some beast-kin and sell them. Of course it wasn''t easy. Beast-kin are very much strong. They sell as much as two year''s worth of my field of crops. But a desperate man has his ways, I stole a steak from the butcher''s shop and a sleeping powder from the alchemist''s shop in the capital. Then all I had to do was make a trap my friend a hunter taught me to hunt foxes in the middle of the forest, put the steak in as bait and wait. After a while a young female beast-kin started to approach my trap but it looked like she knew what was going on. Her ears were twitching and she was clearly guarded. All of a sudden though something from the bushes jumped out bumped into her as it did then went for my trap. Of course I pulled the string in my hand just in time to activate it. As soon as I did I pulled out my sickle which I usually used for my crops to intimidate the female beast-kin. It worked and she scurried off. When I went to look at my trap there he was. The person that''d bring me so much misfortune, pain and despair. Sadly it didn''t really went according to plan. I couldn''t pay my debt with a slave so I had to sell him then pay the city office. Since the deadline was coming as well, I thought I just leg it with what I have to Imeseria, sell the bastard there, come back and pay my debt. But here I am... 8 months later... Still here in this god forsaken place. The woman then kicks me removing me from my thoughts. "My apologies, my apologies" (Slater) I look at her with upturned eyes trying to see if my charm works on her. "Oh... How handsome" (Woman) "I''m the one who should be sorry, I went overboard" (Woman) No, actually, that was just in my head. What I see in her face is a look of disgust and pity when she looks slightly above my eyes. Miss, my eyes are a bit further down... That''s my scalp... And why pity... "Young miss, i''m truly sorry, it was not my inte-" (Slater) "Oi slaver! don''t forget about my pots as well" (Merchant) I''m screwed... This is Ahadim, he''s more of a bastard than me. Sells pots like they''re made of gold but in reality just buys ''em off thieves and resells them. Nonetheless he has the backing of the city guards, so I can''t do anything to him. I try my upturned eyes tactic on him too but I get the same reaction. Hey mister... You''re bald too... I continue back to bowing my head down and apologizing earnestly. The woman seems to have been content with shouting at me already and has left. As I heard her stomp her feet and grumble baldy. But the merchant is still here. "It''s 5 gold for the pots and surely that young miss won''t pay me" (Ahadim) I let out a friendly laugh as I stand up and tap his shoulder. "Surely, us baldies don''t fret over things like money yes?" (Slater) But my fellow baldy the merchant only squinted his eyes in anger. "I''ll give you a week, if you haven''t paid me in seven days time, i''ll have you arrested!" (Ahadim) He turns his back on me and walks away just like that. Haaaah... What do I do now? That brat would sell for 50 gold but it''s already been so long since I got him and no one''s even as much batted an eye at him. I''m doomed... Doomed... I walk back to the cage with my chair beside it and hold my head in my hands. Just as I thought i''d have to leave again I heard something from beside me, one that''s been said too many times before. "I''ve got an idea!" (Tio)