Page 22 of Steel & Thunder
“That is about 178 centimeters, correct?” Uhhhhh.
“I think?” He’s better at math than I am if he pulled that number out of nowhere.
He chuckles but says nothing, just writes in the number. “Weight?”
“I’m not sure. Used to be like 220 pounds? A lot less now.” I look down at my flat stomach and lack of muscles. Then I remember he asked me about centimeters, and I have no idea how that relates to pounds. “Honestly, I have no clue.”
“That is alright. I will make an estimate.” He looks me up and down for a moment before jotting something down. “Other than your clothes and weapons, were you carrying anything out of the ordinary? Any magical items or things like that?”
“Uh, no. Some granola bars and jerky? There was a bedroll too, I guess.” I don’t exactly have a ton to my name at the moment.
“Hmmph,” he snorts a laugh. “Reason for visit. I suppose I could just write ‘theft’...”
“We didn’t come here to steal anything!” Theft my ass.
“Right.” He looks thoroughly unmoved by my defense. “So we found the five of you in the ancient elven ruins on our lands...sightseeing?”
Good point. “...Sorta? We didn’t know it was your land,” I explain. “People in Holbrooke told us about it. They mentioned some ‘orc camps’ but nothing about this city, or that the ruins were yours. Honestly.”
“Ah, Holbrooke.” He starts writing something else down. “That town has sent more than one group of adventurers on a fruitless venture out here. Though most of them did not attack us without provocation.”
“...Okay, the guy who attacked you with that fireball is a dick and not my friend.” Seriously fuck Nate for getting us into this. “The rest of us aren’t like that. I’m not like that.”
He pauses his writing for my answer.
“Hmmm.” He doesn’t seem impressed with my explanation. I probably wouldn’t be either, but I still had to try. “So then why did you all travel here?”
“Um, to see the world and explore?” Definitely not to run away from or avoid anything back home. Though I’m sure they’d all get a real kick seeing me on this side of the law.
He looks even less impressed with that explanation. “We will just leave the expected date of your departure blank for now.” He scribbles something at the bottom—a signature?—and adds the paper to the pile of others that he’s finished. “Only one form left.”
I guess this is the form that officially marks me as his slave. It’s surreal to watch this giant mountain of a man calmly filling out paperwork to turn me into his house pet.
“What does this do exactly?” I ask like I don’t know, which I kinda don’t.
“It is a declaration of ownership. Of you,” he adds the unnecessary clarification. “It states that you are my property, that you are expected to obey my rules as if they were the laws of the city, and that you are to be returned to me in the event that we are separated.”
“Great. Like a dog.” I slump back in my chair.
“It is not entirely one-sided.” He puts the paper down to look at me. “It also says that I am now responsible for you. That I will keep you fed and sheltered. Ensure you remain healthy. That I will not be cruel or inhumane.”
“Wait, it actually uses the word inhumane?” Because there’s no way it does.
“I am paraphrasing,” he tells me flatly.
“...Still your slave.” I sigh and he shrugs his shoulders in response.
“One final thing to do.” He reaches down into his pocket and pulls out the knife he used yesterday during our match and in the shower afterward.
He brings the knife to his other hand and uses it to prick the very tip of his ring finger. I see a small droplet of blood well up immediately. He then brings his finger to the paper, tapping it against the lower-left corner. Suddenly and with a hiss, words in red burn their way onto the paper.
“What was that?” Blood and magic together freaks me out.
“The paper is enchanted.” Well duh. “The blood acts as a signature. It is much harder to forge your blood than it is your name.” He nods in my direction and holds up the knife, handle first. “Your turn.”
“I have to sign that paper with my blood, too?” Uh-uh, no way.
“I am afraid so, pup.” Same nickname from yesterday.
