Samuel
Naesala Iarzana
Terresol's Forest


That was when the men suddenly seemed to have noticed his presence, causing a few heads to look up at him. However the one who was still harshly gripping the elf's face made no move of letting go and the pressure only increased the more the elf struggled, earning a louder whimper of pain from him.

"You wish to buy this creature, lad?"

The gruff man seemed quizzical at the statement and eyed the man.

"You sure you have enough to even afford this creature?"

He, Gilbert, asked again as he waved a knife at the elf's face, as if taunting and mocking it.

"It really does depends what you want it for. For a fool to use in labour I may charge you quite cheap but..."

He let go of the elf's face before gripping the front of the tunic and yanking him up, the chains jangling against each other.

"If you're talking about making use of its body, it would be rather expensive."

The men chuckled at what the leader said, Gilbert cackling as he traced the tip of his blade down the side of Naesala's face, a glimmer of greed seen in his dull grey eyes.

"He became such a fool, he probably make it easy for those who might wish to bed him."
David
Lei Linas
Forest, Terresol

"I intend to use him to carry the heavy loads. It would be useful having someone who can do the heavy lifting for me. He is sturdy enough to do the work." 

Lei did his best to avoid looking at the elf as they roughly handled the poor lad. He could feel his anger rising in his chest and it took all the strength he had not to summon any of his flames. He pulled a pouch of gold coins from his belt and pulled it open, revealing the shimmering coins within. It should have been enough but if this wasn't the case the inventor had more goods in his carriage to spare, consisting of metal, food, supplies and other useful items of trade which he intended to use in his craft but trading it all for a single life was much more important than his work.
Samuel
Naesala Iarzana
Terresol's Forest


Gilbert seemed rather disappointed at the answer but the greed shone even brighter when he saw the pouch of gold coins. He didn't think the shabby looking lad was actually quite rich.

Giving the elf's face a long disgusting lick, he shoved the creature away from him, making the elf falling against the ground.

"He's just a fool, I've been wanting to get rid of him but since you show so much interest...100 gold coins for the fool."

It was practically a scam, Naesala clearly remembered that the man had lowered his price to a measly price of 10 copper coins, wanting to rid off him seeing how much loss he had brought upon their business when he was often returned back to the slaver.

He hid his scowl behind his terrified expression as he scrambled over to the human and crouched down behind him, holding his pants as he attempted to hide himself away from the group, shivering in fright.

Gilbert then fished out a paper, indicating the proof of his purchase of the slave as well as the ownership over it. Waving it tauntingly at the man, he made a gesture for the man to pay up.

"I have big business to run, kid. Are you having the elf or not?"
David
Lei Linas
Forest, Terresol 



The craftsman was disgusted by the man's crude gesture. A group of flames briefly ignited behind  the pyromancers back, away from the view of the lowlives who treated Naesala so horribly. 

Once he heard the price he named Lei gripped the pouch of coins a little tighter. That was basically everything he had. He was sure this was a scam. The pyromancer felt that trying to compromise for a lower price might get him into more trouble so he sealed the pouch of gold and held it out towards the man, acting as if he were clueless about how slaves were really priced. 


"It's a deal." 


As soon as the man reached for the bag he would pull it back slightly and extend his other hand for the certificate first.


 "Shouldn't I sign this before I pay?" 


He made this gesture seem innocent and clueless. Lei was quite the actor so this performance was almost flawless. His young and naive features surely added to playing the part.
Samuel
Naesala Iarzana
Terresol's Forest


The man gritted his teeth but decided that the other was merely someone who didn't know the rules well so he handed over the certificate but his friends had their weapons out, clearly expecting a fair trade.

"Of course, I could care less about the fool."

He said as he held his hand out for the bag of gold. Naesala dares not make a sound when he suddenly saw the flames that ignite on the man's back for a brief moment, causing him to freeze in fear as he fell back.

Noticing he no longer had attention, the elf was quick to hide at the other side of the carriage, curling up into a ball and burying his head against his knees.
David
Lei Linas 
Forest, Terresol 

Once lei had the certificate he handed over the pouch of 100 gold coins. Once the trade was done Lei thanked the man and headed back to his carriage to check on Naesala who had scampered to hide behind it.

 He noticed that he had seen the fire on his back and was worried that he had grown afraid of him because of it. He sure hoped that he wouldn't tell anyone...

"You should be safe now." He whispered over to him and opened the door for him to enter the carriage. 
"We should get going before they change their minds." He whispered again softly, hoping those slave traders would just leave.

 He knew traveling was going to be difficult since he no longer had money to purchase any food. He hoped that his supplies would last him and Naesala until he gets his hands on more money. He still had to drop off his supplies at his workshop back in Azarya, it was going to be a long journey. Hopefully he could help a few people make some repairs to their carriages or other pieces of machinery to earn some coins.

While lei stayed standing outside he looked into his carriage he sneakily and peaked through the opposite window to see if those thugs have left yet.
Samuel
Naesala Iarzana
Terresol's Forest


Without anyone actually noticing, Naesala had managed to get his hands on Gilbert's own money pouch when he was manhandled earlier though he really doubt the man would realised the loss of it seeing how he now have a bag of gold.

Seeing the exchange, he knew for sure now that the human was his master. Peering at the open door curiously, he stood where he was for a moment before he quickly went in, pressing himself up at a corner. The thugs themselves chatting away happily as they divided the money among them.

As the elf watched them from the window, he then turned to the human and lightly tugged at his sleeve, giving the man a wide grin before he hold up a grey money pouch that he had stole earlier.

Most likely it contain a few gold coins and a handful amount of silver and copper coins, no doubt it should be enough for their expenses. The elf seemed proud of what he did as he pushed it into his master's hand.

"Naesala got it for master... Is it a good job?"
David
Lei Linas
Forest, Terresol


Lei had climbed into the carriage after Naesala, closing the door behind him and sighing softly in relief. Lei scratched his head as the thugs enjoyed the gold. He knew things were going to be difficult without money. He hung his head low for a moment as he tried to think. One he felt the tug on his clothing and he looked over at Naesala curiously. He saw his smile and then the grey pouch of coins. He frowned slightly when he realized what was going on. "No, that's not good at all." He whispered in an unsettled tone, looking towards the thugs with a worried expression. He shuffled past the luggage and walked to the small sliding door that led to the horses. He sat down and picked up the ropes, making the horses move forward at a steady speed to avoid any suspicion. He was sure that giving the cash back to the thugs might just cause them to give the elf another beating.


Once they were far enough away, Lei looked over his shoulder to see Naesala in the carriage. "You shouldn't steal. I know you mean well but stooping down to their level will only make things worse." Lei sighed and brushed his hand through his hair, hoping that the elf understood what he was getting at.


"Are you ok though? They hit you pretty hard back there..." The craftsman listened carefully for a response, worried for the man's well being.
Samuel
Naesala Iarzana 
Terresol's Forest


Hearing the apprehension, the elf merely smiled even wider as he then rested his head against the carriage wall, his gaze narrowed for a moment before he hummed.

"Naesala knows, master. But there are times where it can't be helped. If master can't do it, Naesala will do it but only when it's needed."

His words almost sounded philosophical but his childish demeanour only got rid of any doubts that the human supposedly have.

"Mhm! Naesala is fine! Better than big man using that very hot metal on me!"

He nodded to show that he was fine before he hung his head low and moved his hair aside to show the burnt scar at the back of his neck, though it was slightly blocked by the metal shackle.

"Big man say Naesala cannot use magic on Naesala."

He soon added jovially, as if whatever he had been through was just a painful little game to him. Indeed he never would have scars if he was allowed to heal them but no, it seemed to have brought more joy to those that own him.
David
Lei Linas 
Forest, Terresol

Lei looked surprised as he heard those words coming from the elf. He even had to look over his shoulder to verify it was really him talking. He returned his eyes on the path ahead of them and stayed silent. He knew they needed the money but he felt it was wrong to spend that which has been stolen. 

"Wait, what?!" A few flames briefly ignited along his back again, revealing his anger towards those who hurt Naesala.
"They burned you?" Lei looked over at the other male with worry in his eyes. Once he saw the scar he frowned and looked forward again. Some small flames lingered along his back, causing the Pyromancer to pull off the coat and set it aside. He didn't want to burn one of his favorite jackets to a crisp. He was left in a black cloth top which held leather padding along his arms, shoulders and back to compensate for the flames which continued to linger on his body. He didn't make any more efforts to try and hide his abilities from Naesala, knowing he had already seen the fire earlier. He had to trust that he wouldn't tell others of his power over fire.

"So you cant use your spells on yourself?" Lei asked while keeping his eyes forward, coaxing the horses to make a turn and head towards the kingdom of Ibethiel.
Samuel
Naesala Iarzana
Terresol's Forest


The elf was almost touched at the amount of concern he was getting that the feeling almost felt so foreign to him. However he only grinned giddily, his attention seemed to be on the flames that were dancing across his back.

"Ooh!"

He said in awe as he watched the flames, it's orange light reflecting his brown eyes, giving them a slight orange hue. Hearing the question, he shook his head.

"Naesala can use but big man doesn't allow it."

He answered as he decided being in the carriage was boring and decided to join the human outside, sitting beside him as he then looked around, awe at the sight of the scenery around him.
David
Lei Linas 
Forest, Terresol 

The craftsman rolled his sleeves up to his elbows as he let the horses follow the path. He looked over his shoulder to see Naesala admiring his fire, causing the pyromancer to smile. He was glad he wasn't afraid of him, most people usually were. He looked towards the sky while they continued their travels through the forest and noticed the sun was beginning to sink lower. They should probably prepare a camp soon. 

Lei sighed softly, clearly relieved that there wasn't some strange magical seal forced onto Naesala. He had no clue of such a thing even existed but he could never be too sure. 
"That's good to hear. The good news is that big guy isn't around to beat you down anymore. You can do what ever you want with your magic but please don't let other people see. In most places magic is banned, so its best we keep it secret from everyone, ok?"
Samuel
Naesala Iarzana 
Terresol's Forest


The elf expressed his surprise at the statement said by the man that he turned to look at the human with unblinking eyes, staring at him for a long while before he asked.

"Master won't return me to them?"

He had only so far used his magic when he was ordered to and is usually within the confinement's of the mansion or a building, away from preying eyes but nonetheless he nodded.

Seeing the sun go down, he lightly curled his toes up. His soles were very much still injured and the marks that marred his arms and legs only seemed more prominent beneath the setting sun.

"Master have magic too? Master have fire."
David
Lei Linas 
Forest, Terresol

"No, of course not." Lei looked at him with a raised eyebrow. 
"I spent all the money i had just to free you so of course I'm not going to put you back in a cage... Also, you can just call me Lei. Just see me as your friend, ok?" Lei smiled at him and pat his shoulder as a friendly gesture. 

As the golden rays of the sun began to shine past the trees Lei pulled the carriage into the forest, moving a bit away from the path just in case someone passed. He really didn't want to run into any more dangerous people so he hid the carriage well in the dense forest.

"Yes, i do.. But i only use it for work." Lei smiled at the elf then tied the reins around the iron handles in front of the front coachman's seat. The pyromancer moved back into the carriage to get some things from the back and found some spare clean clothes that might fit his new friend. 

"Hey Naesala, come here. I got something for you."

When the elf came over he handed him over the clothing consisting of a dark colored top and some pants. Unfortunately he didn't have any extra footwear but that wouldn't stop the inventor for figuring something out. He did notice that his feet were pretty mangled especially after his ankle was slashed by that whip. He was already preparing some medical supplies to treat his wounds.
Samuel
Naesala Iarzana 
Terresol's Forest


The elven kin continued to watch the surroundings, almost as if he had not heard what Lei previously said, though he did jolt when he suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder.

Looking back at the man when he was called, he went back into the carriage, his chains and shackles bumping against each other as he blinked a few times at the clothes given to him. 

Looking up at Lei then back at the clothes, he repeated the actions a few times. Seeing how the man made no move to give him some sort of privacy, he assumed that there wasn't a border of shame implemented between them.

Setting the clothes aside, the elf slowly lifted up his dirty tunic and strip himself off it, revealing his scarred skin that ruined the smooth and almost perfect appearance of his. Accompanying the whip marks were bruises as well but Naesala seemed to pay no mind to it as he then slipped on his new clothes, almost with a bit of difficulty with the shackles getting in the way.

Shaking his hair out of the collar of the top, he proceeded to kneel down beside Lei and watched him.
David
Lei Linas 
Forest, Terresol

Lei had turned around to look for something in the neatly stacked crates in the carriage, unaware that he elf was beginning to change his clothes, that was until he heard the sound of his chains clinking and rattling about. Lei's calm movements grew a little stiff as he kept himself from looking around, continuing to gather the items he needed from the box he had opened. Once the rattling stopped he was sure that Naesala had finished changing. He slowly turned to face him, cautious to avoid seeing anything he shouldn't just in case he was wrong about the elf being completely dressed. The pyromancer was relieved that he was fully clothed now and opened the door of his carriage. He gathered the items and put them in a bag before hopping out. 

"Sit here please" He patted the floor of the carriage doorway and unfolded the steps for him to rest his feet on. 

"Im going to remove these cuffs ok? So please stay still." He pulled the wire he had earlier out of his pocket and gently started picking at the locks. He looked very focused as he was doing this and didn't take long until the first lock clicked open. Lei smiled as soon as he saw this and set the cuff aside while he worked on the next one. It looked like he knew exactly what he was doing.
Samuel
Naesala Iarzana 
Terresol's Forest


His eyes followed after the man that hopped out, not moving until he was asked to. Obeying the order, he went over to the doorway and sat down before he slowly rest his feet on the steps.

He had on a curious expression when the man told him to stay still and his eyes widened when he then proceeded to unlock the first cuff. There was a total of six shackles around him, by his wrists, ankles, neck and waist. A thick and heavy round shackle on his neck and waist as if to prevent and limit his movement.

He only rested his chin on his knees as he watched the man pick the locks, unusually quiet.
David
Lei Linas
Forest, Terresol

It took lei some time to get rid of the ones on his ankles and wrists but he seemed to be speeding up as he kept going. He was strangely good at picking locks... 

Eventually all that was left was the one on his hips and neck. He had to hold his shirt up to pick at the lock on his hips, tucking his shirt behind the metal gently before he started working on it. It didn't take Lei any longer than a minute to get it off and toss it onto the grass. 

He stood up and stretched his back, groaning softly as he relieved himself from standing in a strange hunched over position to get rid of all those locks. 

"Hoo! Okay! Last one!" He was very enthusiastic and eager to get the last one off, even jogging a little in place before he gestured Naesala to lean closer to him while he reached for the metal contraption on his neck. 

"I'm going to have to clean all your wounds. I don't think there's any lake or clean body of water you can bathe in yet so that's going to have to wait. I think there is one a couple of hours up the road though. We can get to that lake tomorrow morning. Maybe we can even catch some fish to eat."
Samuel
Naesala Iarzana 
Terresol's Forest


With each shackles removed, the elf moved his limb as if feeling some sort of refreshed freedom he had never felt before, staring at his bare wrists and ankles in wonder. With each metal tossed to the grass, his eyes would follow.

Seeing the gesture, Naesala obediently leaned forward, few strands of hair falling off his shoulder, his face inching closer to the man's and he lightly tilted his face upwards to let him have better access to the shackle.

"Naesala thanks Master. Master is a good person."
David
Lei Linas
Forest, Terresol 

Lei focused on taking the metal shackle off his neck, picking at the lock for a few moments. 

While he was doing this he looked up at the elf as he spoke. Lei paused for a moment and gave him a gentle smile. 

"No problem. Im happy im able to help you out." 

Lei twisted the wire and the metal brace clicked open. He gently pulled it away and dusted off his hands. 

"Hey, you can call me Lei now, remember?" The pyromancer gave him a small smile before taking a clean towel from his bag and soaking it in water from his jug. He handed it over to the elf and pointed at his own neck. 

"Use the towel to clean up your neck. Just in case you have any wounds there." 

While he let Naesala do that he crouchsd down by his feet and gently started washing the blood and dirt away from his wounded soles. 

"This is going to sting a little but i need to do this. Your feet might get infected."
Samuel
Naesala Iarzana
Terresol's Forest


Naesala only tilted his head at Lei when he was reminded he was able to call the other by his name yet it almost seemed as if he didn't understand the order and only blinked innocently at him.

He blinked again when he was handed the towel and nodded, taking it before he was rubbing it rather roughly against his neck, causing dried up wounds to reopen again but with only very mild bleeding, making his neck look red.

When his feet was getting clean, his toes would curl up at times when he felt discomfort, whining softly as if he daren't make too loud of a sound. Few times he had attempted to pull his feet away, sometimes his leg jolting and shaking.
David
Lei Linas 
Forest, Terresol

Lei noticed his pain and did his best to be as gentle as he could all the while working quickly and as efficiently as he could. He was no medic, the information he knew about first aid was basic and pretty limited but he did his best none the less. Once the wounds were clean he pulled out a bottle of clean alcohol from his bag and grimaced when he looked at the bottle. He looked to the side and wondered if there was a better way to disinfect the wound and soon realized the elf had healing magic. Lei smiled at this realization and stood up to look at the man seated in his carriage. 

"Do you think you can heal your own wounds?" Lei was also very curious about Naesala's power. He was curious to know how potent his magic was and if he had the stamina to pull the spells off well enough to heal all his injuries. 

"But-" Lei raised one of his hands up slightly to stop him just in case he was about to start healing himself. " Dont do it yet, im just curious if you can." He wanted to be strategic about how to go on about this. He wanted to check on all the possible injuries on the elf's body and decide which wounds required more attention.
Samuel
Naesala Iarzana 
Terresol's Forest


At the question, the elf looked down at his injuries before he looked back up and nod.

"Naesala can but need time."

Sure he can heal wounds and even broken bones but it depends as to how long he spend using the magic to heal them. Like a broken leg need three months to heal naturally but with magic, he can use a month to heal it that that provides if he gave intensive care and heal it with magic for a 8-10 hours a day.

He was about to heal himself when the man stopped him, causing him to tilt his head so he put down his hands.

"Naesala have been taught to be good in magic to make Naesala mar... Market... Marketable..."

He said the last word with much difficulty but grinned when he got it, smiling at Lei with nothing but childlike wonder in his eyes.
David
Lei Linas 
Forest, Terresol 

"Hmm..." Lei crossed his arms as he thought about what he was told. 
"Do you have any serious injuries like your wounded feet? I'm thinking its a good idea to focus on your feet since you need them to walk but if there's something else that's more important to heal could you show it t me please?" 

He took the towel out of Naesala's hands and started gently cleaning the elf's wrists. Once he saw the blood on the opposite end of the towel away from the wrists he looked up at the other man's neck, seeing the small wound that was there. He leaned a little closer all the while keeping some personal distance for the Elf's sake. He wanted to know if he had to stitch the wound or not. He hoped that he wouldn't have to do that since it would be quite an unpleasant experience for the elf who had already been through so much.
Samuel
Naesala Iarzana
Terresol's Forest


The elf merely blinked, unable to comprehend, almost confused at what the man was saying so he only looked at the whip marks on his body and lightly scratch at his neck.

Most of his injuries were only at the epidermis, nothing too deep after that. Seeing that the he was fine, the elf shook his head.

"No...?"

He answered quizzically, blinking at Lei with a tilt of his head.