Magic 47

As the morning light awoke Orou the cool autumn breeze blew through the camp, every slave was shivering cold as the simple clothes provided little to no protection from the nipping chill of the approaching winter. He however was lucky as the wool clothing he wore kept him itchy as well as toasty but he felt a bit guilty about his big bro Ro had been freezing. He remembered that he needed to inquire about getting an extra set of clothes so he could get them for Ro as he stretched. He ate his meal with Ro as part of their morning before hugging and going off their now separate ways, Ro to the mines and Ouro to Chang rather quickly as he takes a breath and hurries off towards the tent. As he stepped in he saw two familiar faces, Hashad as well as Chang who seemed to be engrossed in conversation in a foreign language to Ouro, he listened as he stood in the doorway of the tent. He was then motioned to by Hershad as he slammed his palms down on the wooden desk in anger, pulling down his face covering to reveal his face. The man had a look to him, the dark skin that suggested a life that was spent in the sun and maybe even a desert, the three scars over his right eye hinted at a harsh environment, maybe even war-torn but it seemed to be more like an animal than a weapon.

"Come boy, I hear that you were a warrior or something similar in your life before this one. A noble like thing in this culture but I hear you lack memory. Chang knows this too but intends to keep you to himself as a bookkeeper where I intend to make you capable of handling yourself, a bodyguard for Chang so I don't waste manpower. He says you are loyal and you are to be trusted, you possess a high intellect beyond that of normal slaves and if that is so then I don't see a need to treat you like an animal because though a chimp can wield a weapon and be taught math as well as to read, one does not know loyalty. A monkey can be persuaded by a peach or banana but a loyal man will stand like a mighty oak even if chopped down. Chang will be giving you the day off and you will be spending it with me, isn't that right Chang." He wasn't asking but telling Chang what he was going to do with Ouro, a simple nod coming from the man as he huffed and fell back into his seat.

Ouro had a blank face, blinking a few times as he gulped and saw Hershad turn his back to Chang as he began to lead the Ouro out of the tent with a firm, strong grasp on his shoulder. He was confused, he had gone from slave to loyal slave to slave bodyguard. Sure he was loyal, he was told he would be given freedom if he worked his due but he was unsure why that would be considered loyal, only following his moral compass as it had allowed him to survive for so long. The walking ended as they were at the weapon rack as Hershad stopped and gently pushed Ouro forward, his deep and mighty voice welling up in his throat as he began to speak.

"Pick a weapon. There is no wrong choice but I will be teaching you how to use it. Every other day you will be spending a day with me, learning our language, learning how to fight, and earning the respect of my group. Your skin isn't the color of the other men here, you have the tone of the sun dancing within you which tells me that you aren't like the others. I am taking a gamble on you so I expect a lot from you." Ouro gulped, this man was terrifying was rather terrifying as he reached into his outfit and undid the whip from his waist. As he brought out the leather coil to the prying eyes of the man a hearty laugh left Hershad's lungs as his blank face twisted into a wicked smile.

"A man who is always armed is a man to be reckoned. You kept a weapon on you I assume recently, something you've seen a lot of as a slave but never felt the lick of. I know you've kept on your behavior in the mines, a hard worker who came in and became a miner with that friend of yours. The loyalty of your fellow man is hard to gain but unless you can hold onto it is a waste, rather bold of you to show an oppressor your hidden weapon as well. I do however respect it, you're showing trust but now isn't the time to praise but spar. Come with me." He began to walk towards the center of the camp. A few guards sat outside in the clearing, four at the gate, two by Chang's tent, and two in front of the mine. Those not guarding were sleeping or conversing in the yard as Hershad stopped him and stepped about ten feet back as he drew his sword. It was curved, the blade large as he got a wide stance but showed no sign of a flaw in his defense as he stepped forward.

Ouro took a deep breath as he uncoiled the whip, recalling his lessons as he spiraled it around him and got ready for the impending attack. Hershad came in a flash, getting close, he had a foot on the whip as he pulled it from under him. He knocked Hershad off balance again as he took a split second to figure out what to happen as everything slowed down. Hershad was a fighter, close combat isn't an option as the whip would be split in sunder, he could wrap it around his throat but he could cut the whip again. The best option was to continue to use Serpent's Tail to assault from afar, keep distance, and attack.

He stepped back a bit, backstepping as he cracked the whip up his stomach and chest. The crack of the whip caught people's attention as it ripped through the silken black robes. Ouro didn't let up as he transitioned the whip's movement from the body to his hand, cracking it against his wrist as it left a gash, the reaction to the pain causing him to drop the sword. Ouro brought the whip back to Hershad's forearm, wrapping it around his forearm as he constricted it around the limb. A ding went off in his head as Fate began to speak,

"Boa's Constriction learned, Serpent's tail Boa's Constriction being used. This subskill allows for the user to wrap the whip around a limb, keeping control over it and tightening around said limb. It allows some control over the opponent as well as it restricts blood flow, is possible to completely stop flow to said limb"

Hershad smiled as he used the whip to stabilize himself, using his left hand to grab the whip and pull Ouro closer. Ouro dug his heels into the frozen dirt as he pulled back, summoning up the strength of all the mining he had done as he held his ground. Hershad smirked as he walked closer, putting slack in the whip, Ouro responded by putting more tension in the whip as he put his foot on the slack and pulled. Hershad sighed as he raced forward at brutal speeds, a fist came slamming into his face as he grunted and was knocked onto his ass with a groan, the smell, and taste of blood overwhelming his senses as he groaned and laid there with a smile. That was a bit fun, some of the movement just came to him as a shadow blocked the sun.

"That wasn't bad. My arm is numb and purple, you aren't too shabby with a whip, you disarmed an opponent, kept them within your striking range, went to cripple, interesting. Now lets go ahead and work out before I teach you the alphabet in my language. In a week I will only speak to you in my native tongue." Hershad offered his hand as Ouro took it and stood up. This was going to be an interesting time just to earn forty-seven points.