Armaros watched as the slave, Fanah, was made to stand in front of Bermus as the man dipped a brush into a special ink which had been mixed with the boy's blood as he proceeded to draw a full circle on her, just below her collarbone, and filled the inside with ink as well.
Fanah herself just stood with an empty expression as he did that, not even trying to do anything in response. After the trader was done painting the ink on her, the ink glowed and steam rose from the ink as it started to change as the sound of burning was produced by it.
Fanah barely reacted to that as she stayed still and just looked down at the ink as it took the form of a pole with two snakes intertwined on it as her lips thinned at the sight as Armaros looked at the newly formed crest on his slave.
"What symbol is that?" Armaros asked curiously.
"That is the symbol of the creator of the binding spell. No one knows who he was unfortunately, other than the fact that he created this spell and was a man. He had created this after the war with the demons and considering the time, I am not that surprised." Bermus said with a shrug.
"Right. I'm still surprised by the nature of this spell and how it is allowed to be used." Armaros said as he looked at the man.
"Heh. It's because knowing that they have a way to control their slaves and ensure that they don't rebel against them is a very tempting thing to have. I believe that the Gods also have spells that can accomplish the same thing, but their followers would not use such things for simple slaves." Bermus said with a grin.
"This was a huge help for the nobles, I reckon." Armaros said as he looked at the crest.
"Of course. They didn't have to worry about their slaves turning on them with this spell inscribed on them and it is extensively used to ensure complete obedience from them." Bermus said with a smile on his face.
"Can you tell me the effects of this spell, so that I know everything about its functions." Armaros said to the man as he smiled.
"Of course. This spell ensures that the slave is bound to the master and since it was made using some of your blood, only you can truly order them. When a slave does something that is in defiance of their master's wishes, then it will cause them to feel extreme pain all over the body. They have to follow whatever their master tells them to without question, otherwise they will only suffer. You can also feel where your slave is due to the link between the two of you, and she can do the same as well." Bermus said with a smile as he enjoyed giving the explanation.
"Is it possible for this spell to be used by others using magic?" Armaros asked as it is a legitimate concern regarding the crest after all.
"Due to its simple nature, it is more difficult to tamper with it. While it is possible, not many are actually able to do so. Because of this, whenever someone does try it, the crest will recognise the action and warn you about it." Bermus said with a smirk on his face.
"Quite the useful spell." Armaros said with a nod.
"Indeed it is." Bermus said with a smile.
"Also destroy the rest of the ink which you made with my blood, right now." Armaros said as his eyes were on the ink.
"Certainly." Bermus said as he removed the brush and used magic to burn the rest of the ink up with fire.
"Well, I guess that settles our matters." Armaros said as he looked at the man.
"Of course. If you ever feel the need to obtain a new slave, don't hesitate to visit my establishment." Bermus said with a smile.
"I will remember that. Fanah, follow me." Armaros said as he looked at the slave and walked to the entrance.
Fanah nodded as she followed her new master as her eyes were trained on her master while Bermus watched them go with a smile on his face as he twirled his moustache, quite satisfied with how the trade had gone.
Armaros emerged from the building, as he then watched Fanah walk out as he looked her over and nodded to himself as he gestured for her to follow him as she did with silence. They didn't talk, as Armaros didn't want to at this time and not without being inside his temporary residence. The fact that Fanah didn't say anything about her enslavement was a good thing for him, as a part of him did wonder if she would try anything due to her previous status.
They reached the inn and entered, and it was quite telling that the people didn't react much when he brought her inside, especially when he spotted them notice her slave crest and acting like it was normal, though considering how the society is, it was quite normal for them.
He entered his room and checked to make sure that nothing has been changed as he locked the door and used magic to keep the noise from getting out, as Fanah just stayed a bit away from him as she looked around the room.
"Do you have any illnesses or diseases that you didn't show Bermus due to your captivity?" Armaros asked as he looked at her with full focus.
Fanah just shook her head, though he narrowed his eyes as she hadn't spoken.
"Speak with your voice and tell me." Armaros said to her as she bristled at the order.
"I do not have any diseases Master." Fanah said with slight reluctance.
"Good. Tomorrow, I'll buy you something clothes. What weapons can you use with one arm?" Armaros asked her as he looked at her stub.
"I can use a one handed sword, but I'm not efficient with it." Fanah said calmly.
"Good to know. After I buy you new clothes and armor to use, we will buy weapons as well. Your know your duty, yes?" Armaros said to her as she nodded.
"My duty is to serve you, as I am your slave." Fanah said simply as he hummed.
"Good to know. You can't attack me when I'm sleeping or have my guard down. I'm putting that order up to ensure that you don't do anything, understand?" Armaros said as he looked at the woman.
"You don't have to do that. I am not going to disobey you, I don't have anything to fight for." Fanah said as she looked down.
'Yeah, I doubt that someone like her would just give up. It's better to be safe.' Armaros thought to himself as he looked at her fully.
Her body is impressive, not too large, but more on the lean side, though the musculature is evident and her body is powerful, no doubt about that. And her appearance is also very beautiful and eye catching, once she is rid of all the dirt and freed of her dirty clothes that is.
But that is not his focus, nor her purpose. She had been bought so that he can use her as a companion to ensure that he won't be in the same situation as in the forest, especially not with his current circumstances. And he will make sure that she stays in line and doesn't do anything that would be detrimental to him.
His current focus is to build up money, get stronger, get used to his larger pool of mana and becoming better skilled in combat. And also learn to fight in a different manner, and ensure that he isn't recognised for who he is. A tall order considering the fact that he had been out of his former family territory for only a few weeks at best and he lost his life in Xerxia town due to what had happened.
'As of right now, I need to lay low and grow in power if I wish to thrive in the future.' Armaros thought to himself as he looked at the woman.
"You can sleep on the floor. Considering the fact that you're dirty and we don't have the opportunity to give you a bath at this time, it's best to not being trouble for the inn. You can use the sheets to cover yourself for the night." Armaros said to the woman.
"It's fine. I'm okay with sleeping on the floor without any sheets, master." Fanah said to him with a nod.
"Alright. Make yourself comfortable. Tomorrow you'll take a bath, get fresh clothes, armor and weapons. After that, well I will be going on adventures and you will be my companion." Armaros said with a wave of his hand as he walked inside of his bedroom.
"As you say Master." Fanah said as she watched him leave.
He closed the door to the bedroom, leaving her in the hall as she looked around the room before she sighed to herself before she laid on the floor.
"It's still better than being in that cell. And being an adventurer doesn't sound too bad." Fanah muttered to herself as she closed her eyes.
'My Lord, please, grant me strength.' Fanah thought to herself as she decided to sleep, now in a room since a long time.