The weaponsmith whose name Rey had long forgotten handed him his scythe, and he stared at it as if he had given his newborn a makeover and turned it into a lean, mean demon-killing machine. The blade was the same, but the shaft was all metal, and, as he had asked, the demon had infused his runic skill into it.

  In essence, his scythe was back, but instead of a wooden shaft, it had a steel one, which Rey could use to block incoming attacks without having to worry about cracking it in two. Of course, if the blow was hard enough, it could always bend, but Rey could fix it by himself.

  He gave the scythe a quick spin and a slash and a thrust, and smiled contentedly. There was just one last thing to check. He used Identify on the weapon.

  [Steel Scythe (Exceptional) - Traditionally used for harvesting crops but feared as a weapon of death. In battle, it delivers sweeping, relentless strikes, its razor-sharp edge slicing through foes with grim efficiency. It will do great damage to D-tier enemies and may break if not repaired regularly. Its damage will increase with higher Dexterity. +2 DEX, -1 MA]

  He nodded. "It's good that you didn't lower the quality of my weapon, so now I don't have to rip out your intestines and make a broth with them."

  The slimy weaponsmith wrung his hands greedily. "It's great that you like my work. Now, about my pay—"

  "Not so fast," Rey interrupted him. "There's one more thing that I need to touch."

  "Touch?" The smith frowned along with his friends.

  Rey used Identify on the Runic skill embedded into the metal shaft. The thing about dealing with demons was that one could never truly trust them with anything. So, it was best to check everything, every single time.

  [Gravity's Kiss: Imbued with the essence of Gravitational Attraction. Upon activation, it generates a gravitational force that briefly pulls enemies toward the wielder, disrupting their footing and balance. The wielder can dictate the pull's strength, determining the speed at which their enemies are drawn to them. Close-combat warriors who want to control the battlefield can disrupt enemy formations and force engagements on their terms. Recharge Time: 51 sec. Recharge time can be shortened with higher Magic Affinity.]

  Rey nodded. "Runic skill seems okay. Time to test it out."

  He turned towards Kassi, out of habit. He had his thumb ready to press the runic skill to pull her towards him, like he usually did whenever he got the chance. However, this time she crossed her arms and turned away from him. Rey's face fell, and he lowered his weapon. The others noticed this awkward exchange.

  "I'm sure it's fine," Rey nearly whispered. He reached into his pocket and tossed the demon a silver coin.

  The smith's eyes widened at once. "Oh, how generous of you."

  "Hey, where's my cut?" Noidet cried out.

  "Cut for what? You didn't do shit. I was the one who nearly got burnt a hundred times trying to fix his damn scythe."

  Noidet and the smith argued for a little while Rey just left, and his friends soon followed. After that heartbreaking exchange, it was hard to recover so quickly, but if there was anyone who could hide his heartbreak behind his insanity, it was Rey.

  He pointed his scythe at the Noidet and pressed the runic skill. Noidet flew mid-argument and straight towards him. Rey caught him by the neck with his free hand and placed him on the ground.

  "Oh, there's our tour guide," Rey said. "For a second, I thought you wouldn't be satisfied until the smith handed you a name tag and let you punch in for your shift. Now, the slave markets, if you will."

  "Y-Yes, right away."

  "You should hide your scythe," Kassi said, drawing looks. "Since it's so recognizable."

  "Good point, Kassandra." He looked at his scythe. "Don't worry, this time we'll only be separated for a little bit. I promise I'll bring you out when the fun begins." He put it in his satchel, giving it a nice little tap. When he looked up, everyone was staring at him. "What?"

  "You talk to your weapon?" Filomena asked.

  "And you don't? How is it supposed to take care of you if you don't take care of it?"

  "Says the guy who broke it in half," she replied.

  "Hey, that wasn't me. That was this guy." He pointed in random directions a few times, since he didn't really know where Aearbon was. The Tigerman had been following along on the rooftops using his camouflage skill.

  "Well, you shouldn't have killed off his entire clan," Ajay retorted.

  "Shh," Rey cried. "Slowly, my man, we don't want to remind him of unpleasant memories, and besides, it wasn't me. It was the demons of Terga."

  Noidet paused at that. "You killed off his entire clan with demons, and he's still friends with you?"

  "Well, I did save him from dying twice, so there's that, and he's not the only one whose friends I've killed, and they're happy to be with me."

  The Sniffer frowned. "Who else?"

  "You, of course, silly." Rey laughed and patted him on the back. "We killed all your Sniffer friends, and now, you're willingly helping us to kill all the prominent demons in the city and plunge it into utter chaos."

  "Yes, I'm totally doing this willingly," Noidet replied.

  "You know this makes me wonder if I should go around killing everyone's friends, and then they'll be my BFFs forever."

  Ajay sighed and patted Rey's arm. "Hey, man, how about we just stay focused on the task at hand?"

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  "Sure, let's take over all the slaves and then commit a genocide."

  ***

  The first thing Rey noticed was the smell. The smell of a few hundred unwashed demons was so intense that it made him want to apologize to the horse stable that he had the pleasure of visiting as a kid. It was like someone had left a whole skid of rotten eggs out in the sun, letting it simmer at full blast. The last time he had smelled stench this bad was in the Kingdom of the Sun when he had sold himself into slavery to rob his new master.

  The view was even more horrendous than the smell. Demonic slaves of all shapes and sizes were being sold at auction. Each slave master or their stooge was trying to shout over each other to get their 'goods' sold. Some dealt only in men, while others only in women, but a good few sold both. There was even one that was selling mindless demons.

  Someone would have to be even more insane than me to buy that shit, and that's saying something.

  And the goods were mostly in okay condition. Some of them were missing a leg or a hand, but most had their digits and other body parts intact. Oh, and like usual, they were filthy as fuck, and mostly naked. This also meant that he might get in trouble if he stared too much.

  Hey, what am I worried about? Rey said to himself. We're no longer together. I can look as much as I want. But still, for safety's sake, let's make sure I'm in the clear. He glanced at Kassi, who was staring right at him. Fuck! Why are you looking at me? Look at all the hot dogs on display.

  "Yes?" Rey asked.

  "Nothing," she replied and looked away.

  "You know I can look at whoever I want now," Rey replied.

  "Go ahead. Stare at every single demoness for all I care."

  "Just so you know, I'm only looking to see if they'd be good soldiers."

  "Again, we're not together anymore," she replied. "You don't have to give me any explanation. Stare at whoever you want."

  Filomena snickered along with Ajay, as if there was some hidden joke that only she and her boyfriend were privy to.

  So, Rey surveyed the goods as best as he could, hoping to find the best specimens for his army. More than one slaver called out to them, promising that they had the best demons for the job. Any job. Truth be told, most of them were nothing better than Noidet, which meant they were all around Rank 5. Given their numbers, they would've been okay, but Rey was looking for the good stuff. Demons that would make up the vanguard in his army.

  He fell back to his friends and came really close to Kassi. Their shoulders even brushed together, and that was the closest they'd been in days. Rey paused and stared into her green eyes for longer than necessary. It was like the whole world had stopped. Hell, it could pass him by while he just stared into those mesmerizing eyes.

  Ajay coughed. "What's up?" He received a light elbow to his side from Filomena.

  "Any products that you like better for our army?" Rey asked, pulling eyes away from Kassi.

  Kassi raised an eyebrow. "Products?"

  "Okay, sorry, not products. I meant soldiers. Really."

  "Sure you did," she replied.

  "Does it really matter?" Filomena asked. "We're going to end up taking them all in the end."

  "Now, that's the sort of thinking that I like." Rey rubbed his hands. "But I think it's best that we start with the strongest. Those guys look like they're trying to audition for He-Man, so they should be fun."

  "I don't think you want to mess around with him," Noidet said. "He's Kasmid. He's one of the more affluent slavers."

  "Then he should have some good stuff." Rey patted him on the shoulder and moved for Kasmid and his horde of He-Demons.

  The demons were really buff, as if they were competing for the local Mr. Olympia and had gotten lost and gotten themselves enslaved. He would've felt sorry for them, but they were about to come in handy for Rey.

  Kasmid's guards were keeping a close watch on their master's stock. They pushed away any demon that looked like he was down on his luck. The best part about them was that they were equally as built as the slaves on display. It made Rey wonder if they were also slaves. It wouldn't be out of the ordinary if that were so. It was quite common. Slaves who behaved well and were loyal to their master could be made into guards and even given their freedom.

  These guards were quite well built in more than one way.

  [Demon (Exiled) – E+9]

  [Demon (Exiled) – E+9]

  [Demon (Exiled) – E+8]

  Rey's friends were right behind him, and he had enough money in his pocket that these guards shouldn't give them too much trouble. He didn't know where Aearbon was, but he was surely watching them. The trusty Tony the Tiger would jump in the moment things got a little hairy. Knowing their luck, Fate was already taking off its belt to give them a right spanking, because Rey was number one on his naughty list.

  Rey stepped up to get a closer look at the enslaved demons when a guard placed a hand on his shoulder and pushed him lightly.

  "Your eyes work. Look from back there," the guard snapped.

  Rey wanted to end his miserable existence right then and there, but he just shook his head. "Listen up, I'm here to buy a good stock of demons. These look decent, but I ain't buying until I get a good look."

  A second, bigger guard came over. "What do you plan to do with them that you need a closer look?"

  "Whether I plan to have them fight in the arena or have them shag my brother's wife. What the fuck is it to you?" Rey snapped, getting in the guard's face.

  He was twice Rey's size, but they weren't packing a gravity gun that could flatten them into paste. Of course, Rey didn't mean to start a fight here and now. He just meant to draw the attention of their master, who was lazing about in the corner, whose attention was drawn by this commotion.

  "What's going on over there?" Kasmid called.

  The guards backed up as their master came to address the situation. He looked Rey up and down. Rey did the same to him. The demon was wearing golden rings on each finger and a thick golden necklace with a big ruby. He had a bald spot with short grey hair that looked really dirty and matched his reddish-brown skin.

  "I want to get a closer look at your slaves, but this brute won't let me," Rey said.

  "You can see them from here just fine," Kasmid replied.

  "No, I can't. I always check to make sure any beast that I buy will be worth the cost, and from what I'm hearing, these are the most expensive creatures in the market."

  He threw a look at his friends, and they were getting nervous at all the attention Rey was drawing towards them. But it was all part of his plan.

  "Ask anyone, that my demons are the best on the market. I haven't had a complaint in years. So, either buy them here and now or take a hike."

  Rey shook his head. "I will pay three times the market rate if they're that good, but my friends and I need to examine them up close." Rey could practically see the dollar signs in his eyes. "Just a quick looksy and if they're that good then I'll pay three times the amount you're asking."

  "Do you even have that much money, or is this just a lot of hot air?"

  Rey sighed and opened his purse, where he kept most of their money. Once he saw the silver ingots, all reasoning went out of the demon's mind.

  "Fine, but be quick."

  Rey smirked and motioned to his friends to follow him. Rey walked up to the buffest of them all, who stood a whole head taller than Rey and nearly twice as wide. The demon scoffed and looked down at Rey.

  "Do you want your freedom?" Rey whispered.

  That got the demon to look down mighty fast. He opened his mouth to speak, but Rey cut in.

  "Don't speak and just nod."

  The demon nodded.

  "Good. Then, when I kill your master, you attack the guards, and we'll do the rest. Understood?"

  He nodded once again.

  Rey made a showing of patting him up and down and getting him to open his mouth. He did the same to a few other slaves, passing the same message. Hoping the chance at freedom would be enough to turn them over to their side.

  When everything was done, he turned around and nodded to his friends. Together as one, they returned to Kasmid, who was looking might pleased with himself.

  Rey nodded. "You have a good stock. Let's go make a deal."

  Kasmid laughed. "As I said. How many do you want?"

  "All of them."