The Phoenix - 065 (Patreon)

Chapter 065 – End of the Deal

[294 AC]

Seeing cart after cart filled with gold arriving before him on the Plaza of Pride, Krasnyz mo Nakloz' eyes shined with incredible greed and excitement, the fat on his body being sent into motion due to his strenuous breathing.

At first, he hadn't been sure if that foreign noble really possessed enough wealth to buy all the Unsullied in the city, but seeing proof of his wealth made him realise that this was his chance to rise above the other Good Masters in Astapor, maybe even become the sole ruler of the city.

Ever since the Red Temple ruled over the south-western part of Essos, Astapor's business had taken a great hit, as it had been Myr, Tyrosh, and Lys that had bought the most Unsullied from the city to fight over the Disputed Lands, while Volantis' nobles had likewise spent great sums for Unsullied guards.

This transaction would be able to rekindle the city's economy and with him as the mediator of such a large deal, Krasnyz knew very well the benefits and power he would receive.

Turning his head, he looked at the black-haired, purple-eyed man that was the source of this wealth, his white-haired female guard to his right, while the slave, he had forced Krasnyz to hand over, stood to his left.

The Good Master though wasn't angered at this slight, as one slave, no matter how competent or beautiful, was nothing in comparison to the riches he would receive from this business venture. And for all his faults and weaknesses, Krasnyz was nothing if not capable when it came to seeing the big picture.

Behind the man, he spotted a well-dressed black-haired boy and a white-haired girl, along with several other guards wearing the same black leather garments as the one besides his buyer.

“I suggest you have your men check the goods, so we can both receive what we came for and bring this transaction to an end.”, his buyer suggested in an even voice, though there was something in his tone that made it hard to disagree with him.

“Of course.”, Krasnyz replied, gesturing for his scribe slaves to move forward and inspect the amount of gold to make sure everything was in order.

"Let's enjoy some refreshments while we wait, shall we?", Krasnyz suggested, and with another gesture had a few small tables set up with different sorts of alcohol and fruits.

The man's purple eyes though were fixed on the roughly 14.000 Unsullied, of whom only around nine thousand were fully trained, while the rest were still boys.

“They are the best you can buy and I am sure you will be satisfied with their performance, though maybe you want a demonstration of their discipline?”, Krasnyz asked, already thinking about the best way to show the Unsullied's absolute obedience and discipline.

“No.”, his buyer replied simply, his violet gaze bearing down on the obese slavemaster.

Seeing the man was not one to enjoy small talk or conversations in general, Krasnyz simply stepped back and discussed some minor things with the other high-ranked Good Masters, while leaving his buyer to his silence.

It was a few minutes later when his scribes finally finished their work and confirmed that the agreed-upon amount of money had been brought forth and that the transaction could proceed.

Approaching his buyer once again, Krasnyz grabbed the golden decorated whip that had been fastened to his belt and extended it towards the black-haired man.

“The owner of this whip owns the Unsullied. Take it and our deal will be sealed.”, the obese Good Master stated seriously, trying to suppress his excitement, though the greed shining in his eyes betrayed his tone.

“Mhm.”

The man simply gave off a hum of agreement, as he grabbed the whip with his left hand, before moving forward to address the Unsullied.

“Unsullied.”, he spoke with a raised voice, holding up the whip, as he ordered, “Two steps forward.”

The eunuch soldiers didn't hesitate to follow his command and a few other simple ones, as Krasnyz gestured for his slaves to cart away the gold, his mind already thinking of a few strategies to gain the most benefits from this transaction.

Seeing his buyer turn towards him again, Krasnyz planned to flatter him some more before saying his goodbyes. But before he even got the chance to do any of that, the black-haired man unsheathed a slivery longsword from his female guard's hip and with one fluid motion swung the blade down on Krasnyz's neck.

Neither the obese Good Master, his guards nor anyone else could react fast enough to such a  sudden move and before another syllable left his lips Krasnyz mo Nakloz lost his head to a man he didn't even know the name of.

…

Watching the fat slaver collapse in a heap of meat, blood spraying over the terrace, Phenex' eyes displayed perfect calm.

He didn't give the other Masters or the dead man's guards the chance to react, as fire erupted from his eyes and pressure descended on the Plaza of Pride, freezing the Good Masters and their guards.

Turning back towards the Unsullied, Phenex turned the whip into ashes and he addressed them once again, his body slowly morphing into a fiery figure: “Unsullied. I am Phenex Firestar, the Red God of Volantis and Ruler of the Blessed Cities.”

Columns of fire spread around him as he lost his humanoid shape and transformed into a giant flaming bird, his blazing wings and titanic body practically taking up the whole sky above the Plaza of Pride.

"I came to Slaver's Bay and Astapor to give you the opportunity to strike down the Masters and end their cruelty. Now, you will have to decide if you want to take this chance and become more than the slaves they see you as, or if you want to stay as you are – mindless blades in the hands of the unworthy.", his ethereal voice echoed in the minds of the Unsullied.

The next moment the flames composing his form contracted and receded, until his mortal flesh reappeared and his figure slowly descended to the front of the lined-up Unsullied.

“If you want to be freed of your current fate, then follow me and slay every man that holds a whip in this city. Spare no one that dared to chain up another human. From today onwards, there will be no more Good Masters in Astapor.”, Phenex ended, his calm voice echoing through the Plaza of Pride.

A moment of utter silence descended before suddenly the first one of many Unsullied stepped forward and drove his spear through the chest of a Good Master that was standing nearby.

It wasn't long before the blood of slavers colored the streets of Astapor, while Phenex' figure danced amongst them, a blade in each hand as he harvested the lives of one Good Master after another.

The Unsullied followed him on his massacre, silent in their choice but their eyes aflame with vengeance and passion.