NT Rangers - Lad - Lad Gains Acclaim, Group Becomes Workers (Patreon)

“I'll build acclaim and you guys can join as labor.” Lad decided.

“Are you sure?” Kara questioned.

“I guess the rationale would be: If I make a name for myself and you guys join as my people, someone big may try to get to me through you. If you just join as normal laborers you will only face trouble from the other common workers. That is the hope, at least.” He laughed nervously.

“You hope we're assaulted by common folk?”

“It's Orr... The best you can hope for is that the person assaulting you is weak enough to fend off.”

“That's bleak.” Young muttered.
“Maybe it's better that I look like this for the time being.”

Lad looked at her. “For the record, Yeong, I still think you're cute.”

The Aoian's face turned bright red. “Th-than-thanks!” She hid her face in her hands and turned around.

Kai smirked. “How... Is that gonna work if we're Beastfolk and she or 'he' is an Aoi slave?”

“Ah... If Yeong is a slave then she'll have to be mine. You girls can join as laborers with the soldiers. You'll just have to pretend you're Dogs with strange hair colors. Dogs are not that uncommon in Orr, but you may face a lot of unique harassment, sorry...” Lad motioned.
“Yeong, come with me. I need to go buy a good spear.”

She followed him out, wrapping her body in a cloak. “What is the plan? Are you going to try and become a Hero?”

“Hah... I can't. I shouldn't.”

“Hm?” She looked at him as the wandered down the old streets to find a weapon trader.

“You guys wouldn't know, I guess, because you're all outsiders. But I am an Orran born and raised and so I've learned ever since I was young that no Hero has ever come out of Orr in it's history.”

“None!? Why?”

“That's because Orr doesn't raise Heroes it raises Slayers.”

“Slayers?” Since she was still giving him a confused look Lad clarified.

“A Slayer is a person that kills and hunts Heroes. Orr has a rough history. It's everyone's adversary. If Adventurers and Heroes are emblematic of Trysk, Raiders and Slayers are representative of Orr. It's a little nation with no monarchy and history of plundering. Killing adventurers, killing Heroes... That's what these people value.” Lad motioned around to the streets. They were filled with various hard-looking individuals.

“That's crazy! So what we're building is-”

“Infamy, unfortunately.” Lad scratched his chin.
“Considering the target is two Heroes, the Patrician isn't after a Hero to match them he's after a Slayer that can kill them. So we have to be convincing villains, alright?”

“Y-yes...” Yeong looked around.
“Master.” She lowered her voice.
“Feels weird.”

“We can act normally in private.” Lad reassured her.

“By normal you mean-”

“I'll try to figure out how sex is going to work between us with this body you have.” He looked over to see steam coming from her ears.
“You're burning up...”

“M-master you're terrible.”

Lad sighed.

-

Lad equipped himself in a suit of armor with red accents to match his albino eyes. He spun his chosen spear around a few times.
“How do I look?”

“Spooky.” Yeong admitted.
“But also cool. What was that old guy saying about the spear?”

“Ah.” Lad stared at it.
“A spear is a soldiers weapon and in a fight against someone wielding a sword it's a king on the battlefield. I'm guessing he was just showing his respect. That's all.”

“If we were actually going to fight Fin and Fiona Vara a spear would be a good pick, no?”

“We may still have to. We have no idea what they're doing right now.”

As they were leaving Lad heard a commotion. He lead Yeong into a crowd of people surrounding an incident on the side of the road.
“What's happening?” Lad asked someone in the front row.

“A slave stole a sword and is pointing it at his master. Imagine we're about to see a public execution.”

Lad assessed the situation. It was a boy about his age, and a girl that could have looked like his sister if she were better fed. They were both wearing rags. The boy was holding up the stolen sword against a fat Orran merchant. His belly bounced as he laughed.
“Come on, child. Your sister will live a far better life in my care. You should be happy for her. Now hand over the sword.” He motioned for the boy to drop the sword and come closer.

“You're gonna kill me either way so I might as well take you with me!”

“Hey, Yeong. You trust me right?” Lad whispered.

“Yeah. Why?”

The Boy lunged for the merchant. Lad could tell with his improved senses that the Merchant was in no real danger from the scrawny slave. If the slave could actually kill the master it would have been different, but Lad only saw a pointless waste, and an opportunity. As the Slave lunged awkwardly forward to slash the merchant, before anyone else could add he jumped into the middle and kicked the boy hard against the wall, causing him to cough up blood. Lad cursed himself internally.

'I don”t know my own strength right now.'

The crowd cheered as if a heroic act had just been committed. The merchant clapped slowly. “That was quite a skilled act! Decisive.”

Lad nodded. “I just saw something gross like a slave holding a sword and had to intervene. Is the boy yours?”

“The girl is. The boy is as good as dead.”

Lad smiled unsettlingly to the extent that even the merchant seemed taken aback. He licked his lips and stared down at the coughing slave.
“I'd like to see to it in my own time.”

“That is to say...” The merchant began nervously, rubbing his hands together.
“You wish to 'take your time.'”

“You understand me well.” In all the time Lad spent on the street, it was a useful gift to be able to look mad and crazy. That simple act alone could be enough to save ones ass in a bind. Lad used that skill, grinning widely. He opened his red eyes wide.

“Haha... I haven't seen you around. What's your name? I feel like I should remember it for some reason.”

“Lad. I am a Slayer that has been in the East.” There were mutters from the crowd speculating and spreading rumors already just from what they had seen. Such as 'He must have been born aboard a ship.' Lad smiled and stared into the ground at a surprised Yeong that was trying to hide her disgust and hesitation.
“Collect the boy.” Yeong moved forward, biting her lip. As she did her hood fell back, revealing her black hair and eyes, and her pale complexion.

The crowd began to speak again. Yeong could heard.

“A slave from the East?”
“He was telling the truth...”

“Slayer... Maybe it's possible.”

Yeong threw thew boy over her shoulders. He hid his hesitation as Lad said. “Go ahead and take your girl.”

“Thank you! I will remember this favor.”

Lad shrugged. “Don't bother. You were never in any danger. I just wanted to beat that slave, so I should be thanking you, instead.” As he said that the crowd and the merchant cackled like hyenas. Lad left. The whole group of men and women opened a path for him and Yeong.

“Y-you...” Yeong seethed.

“I thought you said you trusted me?” Lad whispered.

“Still, this is too much just to create a reputation!”

“You think so?”

“That girl and that boy... They were like-”

“For that reason you should realize that I'm seething as much as you right now. I have to wait to take care of that fat bastard. Go back to the house and keep him locked up. I'm going to be out all night so just wait for me.”

-

later that night Yeong was starting to have overflowing doubts about Lad. “Should- Should I tell them?” Just as she was wondering that he heard the window inside the room open.
“Shit! Is he escaping?” Instead of seeing the slave trying to escape he saw a pale figure with white hair covered in blood. He stepped through the window and dropped the small frame of a girl onto the bed. The slave gasped and rushed to her side as Lad stepped back.

“I- I cursed you so much.” The boy admitted.
“I'm sorry... Who's blood is that?”

“It smells greasy in addition to the smell of iron, so who do you think?”

The slave dropped to his knees and bowed. “Thank you, Slayer. But why?”

“You guys have to get out of here. Understand? Leave Orr. I'll give you enough to get out safely. Don't worry about paying me back, I stole it off that merchant's body.” he tossed a small sack of coins onto the bed.
“Rest up and leave any night when you are ready.”

Lad left the room. Yeong followed. “I'm sorry I doubted you. I don't know what I was thinking.”

“I mean...” Lad frowned.
“You were thinking the right thing. I hated to even pretend.” He looked down solemnly.
“I can't save all the slaves but you're right, they were just like me and Leto. I couldn't leave it alone.” He looked up.
“Hey, Yeong?”

“Yes?” Yeong perked up. She was distracted because in this moment Lad looked very, very cool.

“Am I wrong in being annoyed thinking that someone created this world... They made the decision to create this world and run it in a way that those two had to be slaves and live in pain?”

Yeong nodded. “We're of a like mind.”

“The ones that made this thing are not good. At the very least, they don't care at all. I'd like to take this thing apart and let all these souls rest if I can.”

“I promise I'm on your side there. I'll help you, no matter what anyone else says.” Yeong promised.

“Come with me.” Lad lead Yeong into his room within the quarters ChesAn prepared.

“W-what are we doing here?”

“What do you think?” Lad just pecked Yeong on the lips at first, then as soon as he knew she was receptive he smiled and kissed her deeper, hugging her around the waist while he pushed his tongue into her mouth. As he pulled away she looked incredibly hot already from just that. He removed her cloak and hood and lowered her onto the bed. Lad stared down at her body. That of a male. Though Yeong had that body, it was not one that was overly expressive of the fact. Indeed, the bulge was small enough to ignore between Yeong's legs. The hips were just wide enough to be suggestive and Lad felt while hugging her that her rear was perky and fit. A waist was not as slender as before and her chest was flat, but that in itself did not make a girl into a boy. None of the parts were overly unattractive but he could not completely ignore his feelings. Those were...