Slave Trading in the South

[3kul]

BP and Tetsu-ko arrive at the agreed upon meeting place only to find that somebody has already beaten them there, although he has no slave with him. Had he'd already sold his captives, or had he never had any in the first place? That much wasn't clear to them yet, but it was clear that he was using the phone mentioned in the letter, and that could only mean that he was contacting the slave trader.

If the disguised children are careful not to be seen, they may sneak close enough to hear one end of the conversation...

"Hmm...alright then, that was most helpful. My...ahem "friend" should be satisfied with that.

My second question is about the nature of the product you are interested in purchasing. You gave no detail about the quality of the product and how it will affect the sale price. I'd imagine a slave that is barely alive upon arrival is far less valuable than a slave that is delivered healthy. Not to mention no one wants a dumb slave, and if you are truly new to this realm, there are those here to barely qualify as sentient. How does the quality of the delivered product effect the sale price?"

((Hahaha, I'll be quite interested to see the outcome of these two parties in disguise bumping into each other at a place where they're both expecting to find slave traders ))

"Slave trading takes a keen eye, my friend, so to best determine an appropriate price I'll have to appraise each slave brought to me one-by-one, and in person."

"I think it would be very difficult, if not downright impossible, for me to set some universal criteria for slaves, especially given that I have stated that I am willing to accept slaves of all kinds, but as you suggest, there are some qualities that can make a slave more or less desirable, and these will naturally influence their price."

"Generally speaking, I pay better for slaves that are in good health. Injured, disabled, disfigured or ill slaves are far less desirable, as I will incur greater expenses in caring for them. Age is also a factor - for the most part, very old or very young slaves will attract a lower price, but I would probably pay more for a young slave than an elderly one simply because they have more life left in them. Longevity is highly desirable in slaves, as I'm sure you can imagine my friend!"

"Intelligence, you may be interested to know, is not so much of a problematic factor. Some find that a combat slave without much in the way of smarts is much easier to order around, and when it comes to pleasure slaves, well, even if they aren't that intelligent an imaginative master will be able to find some way to enjoy them, I'm sure. I have had many customers who prefer simpler slaves, and some have even returned slaves that they felt were too intelligent."

"I know that I am still seeming a bit vague on the details, my friend, but unfortunately I don't really have the luxury of being picky. A slave trader with no slaves is hardly a slave trader at all, don't you agree?"

[LordPsycho]

"Alright then. I thank you for your patience in answering my questions. I shall return on the morrow with a sample of the product I hope I can supply you with. But then again, that all depends on price."

With that DP steps out of the phone booth, only to be confronted by a dragon and what he could only assume to be a poor slave for sale. Shaking his head, he walks a short distance away, and in a flash of blue swirling light is gone.

[Blackstar Foundation]

DP enters some numbers onto their armband, and a Warp Portal to Training Dojo appears in front of them.

[Swix]

A small distance away from all
this was a solitary watcher, the only thing that physically gave their presence away a pair of bootprints applying pressure to the carpet of soft sand.

This one had a few questions of their own, but unfortunately others had gotten there first. The dragon already with some merchandise.

So the unseen watcher continued to watch and wait.

[3kul]

"Marvellous news friend! I eagerly await your return."

The mysterious figure who'd been using the phone was very quick to leave, though not before shaking his head in disapproval at the two disguised youngsters who were nearby. Was he disgusted with the pitiful 'slave' that was being offered, or was it the act itself that disgusted him? Impossible to tell, for he was already gone.

The phone was silent for a moment, but the instant the hooded figure left it began to ring once more, beckoning anybody within earshot to answer it.

((Just wanted to add that I'm really liking how people are using their items so far, when it's done as seamlessly as this it really adds a rather unique element to the RP.))

[Coolpikaaa]

The two listened in to the phone conversation, temporarily putting aside the act. The whole thing didn't make much sense out of context, but it was better to be at least slightly informed than not at all.

"Alright then. I thank you for your patience in answering my questions. I shall return on the morrow with a sample of the product I hope I can supply you with. But then again, that all depends on price."

Tetsu-ko tensed as the hooded man suddenly turned towards them, and shook his head in disapproval. Had he noticed them listening in, and if so, why was he so mad if he was planning on trading himself? Either way, the shape of a blade at his hip told enough that he wasn't one to be openly questioned. After the man left, not much else seemed to happen though, and it really felt like a missed opportunity.

But soon enough, the phone began to rang once more. Nudging BP to get it, she was soon rejected in a very convincing "I'm not your slave" look. It would be a struggle, but the cord seemed long enough that the dragon could hold it outside the booth.

"Hello?" Tetsu-ko said, immediately flushing at the horrible tone, and silently vowing not to open her mouth again until she was back in a female body.

[3kul]

"Salutations, friend!" The nightmarishly deep voice of the slave trader replies, speaking in a tone that doesn't match up with how he sounds at all. "I am so pleased to see so many people responding to my letters so quickly, truly I have found myself stranded in a most fortuitous place."

"But of course, you are no doubt a busy man, so I shall cease my chatter and cut to the chase: what shall the nature of our business be on this beautiful day?"

((So short! I wish I could have said more in this post ))

[LordPsycho]

((Is is bad that whenever I read the slave trader's lines, I hear it in a deep southern drawl common here in the southern US. Just me, but given my country's history, that's what'd make sense))

[Coolpikaaa]

The Slave trader instantly gave Tetsu the creeps. The way the letter had been written, he kind of seemed like a nice guy, but now coupled with his voice, something deeply sinister had replaced the mental image.

"I need- I have a slave for you. Shall we meet and converse the terms somewhere more comfortable?" She / He said, changing her sentence at the beginning so it better fit the deeper male growl.

((Aggh. Short as well.))

[3kul]

"Your words are music to my ears, friend! Of course, we shall discuss this somewhere a little more accomodating. Please hang up the phone and step away from the booth, I shall open up the entrance for you."

As soon as Tetsu-ko obliged the slave trader and was a safe enough distance from the booth it would immediately rise up from the sand in a surprisingly silent and thoroughly ominous manner. Beneath the phone booth was a relatively large entrance to a stairwell, thankfully large enough for Tetsu-ko to fit into, but only just barely.

Once Tetsu-ko enters the stairwell s/he may be startled by a blue energy field suddenly sealing the exit behind them. It made a crackling sound like electricity but rippled like water... Quite fascinating really, but worrying in that it meant that your only way out was barred off. "Please don't be alarmed, friend - the mirror flux field is only there to keep people out, not in." The slave trader's voice echoed up the stairwell, sounding just as deep and dark as he had on the phone, though he continued to maintain his oddly friendly tone. "You may leave whenever you please, but our meeting will not be interrupted."

Should Tetsu-ko choose to proceed, s/he will find that the stairwell descends a short distance underground, then stops rather abruptly in a well-lit but very empty room. There is no furniture here, no tables or chairs or anything, most likely out of a desire to be cautious - there's no need to give troublemakers something to use as a weapon, after all, or something to hide behind.

Because of how empty the room is the first and only thing that there is to notice about it is the slave trader himself. A twisted black insectoid, tall and slender, with a long barbed tail snaking about. His bulbous head was almost cartoonish in comparison to the rest of his body, but he looked so much like something out of nightmares that it seemed like a very bad idea to laugh about this. His eyes glowed a deep red, and he gestured for the pair to enter the room with one long skeletal hand. In the other, he holds what appears to be some kind of high tech collar.

"Come in, come in, my friend! Let me examine what you've brought for me today!"

[EnDSchultz]

From over a small rise in the otherwise flat terrain, an old veteran of the Dojo hastily approached the slave trader's phone booth. He had initially not brought his product with him, and was now returning with the slave he intended to sell. To the dragon at the booth, the figure beside the Predator appeared to be a six foot human in a full suit of medieval plate armour, but as the pair neared the booth, its features became more clear.

The figure that accompanied the Yaut'Ja at his right shoulder was not a human, but an android: a prototype for an Evil Council black project long since canceled due to the hard times that had befallen the Dojo. Its design was crude but sturdy, as evidenced by it easily being mistaken for a suit of armour at long distances. On its torso a designation was stenciled: "xRCU Mk. I".

By the time he reached the booth, the entrance to the trader's lair had opened. EnD's mask was not present, perhaps damaged or even sold for cash, and so the scowl on his ugly face was quite apparent. Not intimidated by the large scaled creature, he demanded, "I spoke with the trader not long ago, and was instructed to bring my product here. I expect you won't mind me entering first."

The machine at his side just stared at the other party. Its camera-like eyes swiveled to focus on them, but it said nothing.

[Coolpikaaa]

Tetsu-ko did as she was told, backing away from the booth before it rose out of the sand. How deep did this guy tunnel underground? It wasn't that pressing of a matter though, and the dragon quickly snatched up his "slave" holding the boys dangling limbs a good few feet from the ground.

It was important to keep up appearances after all.

Unlucky for them, a rather imposing creature decided to butt in. While thinking how easy it would be to swallow up this intruder and his robot, Tetsu-ko waved at the door, beckoning the two to go ahead.

From up the tunnel, they could hear the slave trader welcoming them in. Them as the heroes, bent on bringing this place down, not some lousy alien and his robot friend.

Tetsu-ko stuck her tongue out as the Predator passed, then plunked down in the sand beside BP, waiting with a scowl.

-CP

((Thanks for the polite PM End, I've edited my post. But just because I admit it's my fault, my characters don't have to love ya' ))

[EnDSchultz]

((I don't expect them to. He's the founder of the Evil Council, and therefore has no obligation to be pleasant. ))

EnD shot a disdainful glance and a low growl at Tetsu and her childish behavior as he passed, and entered the stairwell. The android followed suit, the whining of servos and clanking of its feet against the hard surface a stark contrast to the Predator's surprisingly silent descent.

"Come in, come in, my friend! Let me examine what you've brought for me today!"

EnD dismissed the insectoid's greeting impatiently, unfazed by the trader's ghastly appearance. "Yes, yes," he grumbled, "If you are truly a businessman, I would expect you to to honour your appointments. I was just confronted by a rather pesky and large lizard who was also here to see you." He jabbed a thumb over his shoulder at the stairwell.

"Now..." he continued, gesturing to the machine beside him, "the 'slave' I have come to sell is undoubtedly not what you expected, but it is built for combat, and for the right price, it is yours."

The android turned it's attention to EnD, and close observation would note it shuddered ever so slightly. The term 'sell' may have caught its attention, or perhaps this was just an anomaly in its control circuits. . .

[3kul]

"My sincerest apologies, my friend!" The slave trader known as Mr. Thompson replied, rubbing his hands together and bowing his head in an apologetic manner. "The young dragon out there just seemed so enthusiastic, it is such a rare thing to see in slave traders these days and I did not wish to discourage him."

He looked up to see that his guest had brought a rather unexpected quarry. "Ah, an android..." He seems a little uneasy, and for just a moment he fails to conceal a look of disappointment on his face, but he quickly realizes that and tries to explain. "Yes, well, I must embarassingly admit that I am rather ill equipped to handle mechanical beings... These slave collars that I use allow me to administer discipline through massive electric shocks, but with androids this technique proves to be somewhat, ah... fatal."

Despite his words suggesting that he may not be interested Mr. Thompson still takes the time to inspect the android in great detail. He clicks in a disapproving manner a few times as he looks the robot over, and after several minutes of careful examination the slave trade leans back and gives EnD his analysis in a cold matter-of-fact manner. "Where to begin? The workmanship is so-so, it's obviously intended to be the prototype of something due to the complete lack of branding and as such it's a very basic model - the potential for upgrades is there, but for now it's not capable of very much at all." The breakdown was brutal, a surprising contrast from the friendly attitude that Mr. Thompson had been displaying up until less than 30 seconds or so ago. "An impressive first attempt at robotics, to be sure, but not much more than that I'm afraid."

He thinks for a moment, carefully considering just how much he'd be willing to part with to get his hands on this robot, then shakes his head. Clearly he doesn't like what he sees. "I'll be frank with you, my friend. Desperate as I am for slaves I couldn't take this off your hand any more than 3- No, 250, but even that feels too generous. Thinking about it, you would probably make more money breaking it down for the scrap metal and spare parts."

The price is downright insulting, not even worth the trek out here, but the slave trader is dead serious about this. Now is the time for you to convince him that your slave is worth a bit more, so let the negotiations begin!

[Cirrial]

Two machines resembling mantises, about the size of your average non-Psychotopian house cat, both pour over the letter in front of them.

Joining these machines are an increasing variety of smaller machines, all focusing their optical sensors on the letter.

This small collection of assorted machines backs away from the letter. Their unified mind, their single intellect, their solitary controller, considers.

How does this individual know my name? Or the non-lethal subset thereof. Am I being careless? Have my efforts been noticed?

The Aurichalcite Possibility of Twice a Coral Vortex considers.

This demands investigation. A slave is simply one that serves another, if I recall correctly. I do not require as many bodies as I now have. Perhaps I can afford to infiltrate this operation. But I would risk further discovery. And perhaps harm would come to my experiments.

Being a distributed intellect over many bodies, Aurichalcite rarely fears for its own safety, but for the safety of its own attempts at creations. Losing a body or five if all goes wrong, at this point, is a sacrifice it can afford to make.

It arrives at a conclusion and considers which of its machines to act as the seller, and which as the slave.

It elects to choose a slightly larger mantid machine as the seller. Its rectangular eyes act almost as small screens, to show in slightly glowing light the appropriate expressiveness that sapient beings here tend to look for in eyes. It is otherwise a smooth, sleek shiny white entity, aerodynamic, with four legs and two arms that look far more fragile than they are.

As a slave, it elects to choose a machine exactly the same as the seller. It breaks one of the antenna off of the slave while fabricating the scenario it will use when dealing with the trader and assessing their motives and intent. It may be a simple case of the trader posing no threat - but the trader knows its name. The trader knows it exists. Something is not right.

The two gleaming white machines walk, with Aurichalcite careful to make its slave machine walk with much less vigour and with greater reluctance, to the phone booth marked on the map.

The phone rings. The seller drone picks it up. In a heavily synthetic, modulated voice, it responds.

"Receiving. This is Aurichalcite speaking."