A Loyal Servant (Part 3)

In order to take the red haired slave as his servant Vorbuk's first servant's seal had to be placed on the slave. A symbol like that of a rose encircling a wolf. It was black in color but the shape was beautiful. The seal was placed on the man's back as Vorbuk's mana poured from his hand into the slave's body.

The process was a painful one that the merchant was required to watch over. Before the process of sealing the slave to the owner was a painful one as it mutated the mana of the slave themselves. It was a high level form of magic that the royal families monopolized to their benefit to control the slaves. Without the aid of the slaver merchant through the process the chance of death upon placing a seal on another being could result in death.

"Master, please grant this one a name?" The slave asked through heavy breaths as he kept his eyes pinned to his new master.

If the slave was cleaned up better Vorbuk felt he would be able to rival even females. Vorbuk smirked as he thought of a name. He was not certain what kind of demon this man was but from his attitude he wanted to toy with him. It was a name he found befitting of the slave but at the same time gave him a sense of amusement.

"Serve me well, Ashley." Vorbuk held back a faint snicker as he said those words to the slave.

"Yes, master. I shall do my utmost to serve you." Ashley did not react negatively to the name. For their world it was not a common name so he could not connect that it was a common girls name. On the other hand he simply felt fond of his new name because it had been a long time since anyone had called him by any name at all.

"Am I the only one worried about how the prince is going to take this whole thing? If you bring him back with you wont he get upset?" Princess Isis stepped forward and asked while watching them. Not having been around their group very long she had already understood that the prince liked to monopolize Vorbuk when he could. If they brought back a strange servant Vorbuk bought from a slaver..

Wouldn't the prince get jealous? The princess thought as she stared at Ashley.

Ashley felt like holes were going to burn through him from her staring. For a split moment it was like a dark expression was cast over his face before fading so quickly neither of them had noticed. He did not like being stared at by others.

"We don't need to worry about that right now.. Besides having Ashley may come in use to our group later. The restrictions put on the seal make it difficult to have a reason to not allow him to be around the group." Vorbuk said that but he knew it was only himself that was safe from Ashley.

Ashley held no obligation to keep from killing the others at a moments notice. The only reason for him to not touch them would be if Vorbuk gave him orders to not bring harm to them. Without a direct order to not kill someone Ashley was still free to end the life of anyone he chose to. That was why slaves were still feared by people. The actions of a slave were only kept under control if the master who bought them were able to ensure it was.

I accepted a ticking time bomb. It's obvious he is trying to put up a front that he is kind, but his real intentions are unknown for now.. At the very least he may be helpful but I will have to see for myself when the time comes. Vorbuk pondered over whether or not he made the right choice by allowing Ashley to come with them.

"First we should find something better suited for him to wear. He can't return with us to the palace looking ragged like this," Vorbuk could imagine how the Cista Palace would be in an uproar at the sight of him bringing back someone in dirty rags. "The king would probably kill me to bring him in the palace like this."

"You want to dress him up like nobility so that he will blend in with the palace nobles?" Isis thought about the idea and realized that Vorbuk was considering Ashley's future by his side in the long term.

"When the time comes and I take over the palace in Theapan.. wont I need an aid who can take care of things in different areas for me? He's got the look of a nobleman.. as long as we fix his clothing that is." Vorbuk was certain the man was not weak so he could probably hold his own in a fight. If he was correct in Ashley being from high ranked position in the past it would mean he had knowledge of how to survive among other nobles. Having the servant become his personal aid in the future seemed a suitable task for Ashley.

"I think there was a place not far from here that may have something suited to him." Isis did not question his intention towards wanting an aid because she already knew Vorbuk was speaking of the days after her father was to be killed. It was not a topic she wanted to speak further on if she could avoid it.

"Lets get going so we can get this matter solved quickly." Vorbuk quickly started walking as Isis and Ashley followed up behind him. At the corner of his eye he could see Isis giving off a sorrowful expression.

She really likes to pretend to be strong.. No. If it was anyone else in her position could they still claim so easily how they understand the position their family is in? It is like we are sitting in the calm before the storm. Once the king's banquet is over tomorrow we will all be leaving this place and heading towards Theapan. This calm.. it wont last much longer at all. Vorbuk's mind rambled on as he thought about how his time in Cista was running short.

Ashley could tell the mood between Vorbuk and the princess was quiet and complicated. There was no way for him to understand what it was over. The more he watched them the more he realized on his own that both of them were close but at the same time they felt miles apart.

The servant smiled at them both from behind as he felt he had found an interesting master. His teeth were just barely exposed as a pair of pointed sharp fangs were slightly exposed to the air.

Perhaps.. this master may be fun after all. After all those years of waiting in chains for someone to release me from them.. Finally I can follow someone again. I might be bound to him.. but it's still better then rotting away in the cold anymore. Ashley laughed in the back of his mind as he considered it. Even though he had lost his name, freedom, and had to give his life to Vorbuk it was still better then the life he had lived til this point.

It did not matter to him if he had to kill, plunder, or worse. If it meant he no longer had to be bound to cold chains infused with magic to seal him away he would do anything. Ashley was not a young demon regardless of how beautiful he was. His blood simply kept him from aging and he was incapable of death unless it was directly inflicted by another or by a tragic accident that caused the death. Though there was little that could actually kill him.

"By the way, Ashley, what kind of demon are you exactly?" Vorbuk asked back at him. Now that the seal was in place on Ashley he could not speak a lye if he ordered the man to speak the truth. That was not what Vorbuk wished to do. He wanted Ashley to open up on his own as long as he was willing to do so. It was the only way to build honest trust.

"I am a vampire from the kingdom of Drethia." Ashley's words caused them both to halt in their movements.

The Kingdom of Drethia was a kingdom on the other side of Theapan. It was the farthest of the kingdoms when one traveled east. Ashley was from a kingdom that prided itself on its destructive force and immortality. Vampires were not like those in novels on Vorbuk's home planet. In this world they were able to walk openly in the light of day and they could use their own blood in magic in order to fight others.

Ashley was beautiful and gave Vorbuk a kind front when he spoke to him directly but underneath all that.. he was an immortal that had lived hundreds of years that could drop anyone if his mood shifted in the wrong direction.