These totals can't be right. I run the math again. Vance is rooting around for the keys. Randan is emptying the coffers into his bag, looting from slavers is quite lucrative. Reading from these books I can start to understand why.

  “Ever feel like we're in the wrong line of work.”

  “Ah, but I never qualified for any better, ‘sides, I get to put down scum and be praised for it.”

  Vance always did enjoy the physical violence portion of adventuring.

  “Not many lines of work where men like us can get a pay day and not need to do anything for a month.”

  And starve the next three looking for another score. It's been a year since the last bandit hold, and looking at Randan's bag, we may have bought ourselves two months of time. I snap the book shut, it was a list of their clients. I think it's time to move on from the adventurer life. I walk over to Randan, slap him on the shoulder. I ignore mother's whisper for now.

  “See the logic of my argument without emotional consideration.”

  I push the mental compel into him, Vance will follow anything Randan decides. That he hasn't been noticing my little adjustments just makes things easier.

  “Randan, you see how much they still had left, and they were sitting on people ready to make more.”

  Randan looks at the bag, feels the weight, “You're not suggesting?”

  “Aren't you tired of the feast and famine, Randan, I've been going over these books, there is no famine here.”

  “Tell that to the ones in the cages.” Vance made himself snort. Still looking for the keys

  I narrow my eyes but press on, the compel I place still holds. “Finding villages has to be easier than tracking down slavers and bandits, there are more of them.” A region can only sustain so many bandits before they starve themselves, or bring the local lord down on them. Better to be a necessary business for nobility than to hide from them.

  “Frank, I get what you're saying but these slavers were established, they had clients, we would be as bad if not worse to start as fresh slavers as we are now.”

  Good not outright rejection, I had hoped he went this path. “I would agree but these slavers were meticulous, they wrote down their clients, they already have another buyer on the way. We could just continue it.”

  “Aw, come on Frank, selling the book alone gets us plenty from the guild.”

  Vance still hasn't found the key, but he seems insistent on trying to get in my way. He never was one for investment, getting him to save for better gear was always my job. Randan is seriously considering it, I don't need to point out anything anymore.

  “Vance find that key already, we'll need it before our clients arrive.”

  “You can't be seriously considerin’ this Randan, blokes like us come and kill slavers.”

  I smile, clapping him on the shoulder, “‘Blokes’ like us also die to slavers just as often, Vance.”

  There is no need to compel him, Randan will get him in line.

  “And to bandits, monsters, and other blokes. Frankly the list might be shorter for slavers.”

  Randan came to the conclusion I wanted. I smile.

  -----

  “You're not who I spoke to before.”

  “Unfortantly boss had a bad run in with a former lover, we've been scrambling ever since to right the ship, so to say.” Randan always was our talker.

  The nobleman doesn't really care what the reason is, just as long as he gets the headstart for his child. Get ten more intelligence into your child and they take one less month to teach how to talk in proper sentences, three months less to start reading, and perhaps a year earlier for gaining that combined [Common] skill, should they beat their child enough. He won't ask questions.

  “I need enough for three levels, starting from level three.”

  Nobility that is both cheap and too lazy to do the math. He needs forty-six exp. Five of the products then. I leave Randan with the noble. We have the soon to be leveled kid standing against the wall.

  Vance is at the cages, his hands are shaking. I walk up to him and touch his shoulder.

  “Just got to do one, after that it gets easier.”

  Vance nods at me, the tremors in his hands are less. He opens the cage. I compel the first product verbally.

  “Stand against that wall.”

  The product gets against the wall that has the rich kid on the other side. Vance throws a rock, he misses the first and second time, the third a glancing blow. Vance looks at me with hollow eyes.

  “If you don't make it quick, it will be worse.”

  The fourth rock does not miss.

  -----

  “They are just product.”

  Every morning, I start with that compel. It's for the best. I'm sure if I do it enough it will become a permanent part of myself. I feel it's a geas on Randan at this point, Vance only took a week. It's easier when they ask you for help. Makes them more open to it. Harder for compelling one self though. You know it's a lie.

  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

  We just finished selling the last of the product, so we decided to go back to our favorite bandit keep. It always seems to fill up with ruffians every year, always some foolish young buck pulls his gang to it. Instead of the usual slaughter and looting, we will be doing some recruiting. Randan doesn't even think I'll need to use my magic. I know at the very least to make sure they're somewhat compliant.

  -----

  “You are to have a dozen ready in two months.”

  We don't have product at the moment and he wants a dozen. Nobility and their demands.

  “Procuring that many in such a short time would be dangerous, any village with that many ready to improve would most surely alert the local adventurer guild.”

  The Baron looks cross at Randan, “Getting their attention would be an issue, is there nothing to be done?”

  We're all rather quiet, Vance surprisingly was the first to speak. “You can't get a dozen without alertin’ anyone unless they're desperate enough to sell ‘em to ya.”

  Randan starts giving a rather annoyed look at Vance, one that says to shut up. The baron on the other hand seems thoughtful.

  “If I were to manufacture such desperation, can it be done?”

  Randan blinks at that, “Buying them cuts into our margins, will you be making up the difference my lord?”

  They continue to negotiate rates, I think to myself what will happen if we fail. The thought been coming up more often, our successes have garnered more attention. To take a dozen, if we're found out they will hunt us.

  -----

  Sam went to talk to Randan, I am leading the product to her cage. I am curious though. I fish out my status stone, and apply it to her skin. Just as I saw in the hut she does have a status screen, but I can't read it. Three common skills, she didn't get this screen because of that language, how is she only level five? An inherited is the only possibility. I put the stone away.

  Sam approaches me after I finish securing her in the cage.

  “We have to get moving, boss said we spun up the hornets' nest with the last grab. Apparently the nearby town’s guard been mobilized to hunt for us as well as a bounty been placed at the local adventurer guild.”

  Whose fault was that. It must have been showing on my face, Sam closes the distance between us.

  “I don't need you telling the boss about her adoption, do I?”

  “Not a word.” I grasp his arm.

  “Frank won't betray me.”

  These last few compels have been exhausting, I look at the cage with our latest product. Might be worth more than just being part of a dozen. That we already are on the move again is tiring.

  -----

  The girl resisted me, it was the second time. I would have forced the issue but I already know enough. I get close to Randan still clutching my ears. When he says something I grab his arm and lean in.

  “The girl is useful as a hostage.”

  It latches on, but not fully. Randan still has his doubts. He sends Vance off to scare her. Vance is likely to overdo it. I wait at the top of the stairs, ready to muddle Vance enough so Randan doesn't get ideas. When he doesn't return, my curiosity starts to nibble on my mind. I dare not go down there myself, Randan's elf knows who is who just by their footsteps. She made it harder to do compels, everything has to be by touch now. I spot Sam.

  Giving the customary shoulder pat, “Have you seen Vance?”

  “He's been down in the basement too long.”

  Controlling Sam is much more about putting the thoughts into his head, instead of giving him commands. Errant thoughts like this make him more compliant.

  “I think I might know where he is.”

  He walks off towards the stairs, I head back near Randan room. Whatever he finds he'll report to Randan, not me.

  -----

  “Who the fuck is she?”

  This isn't going well, Randan needs a reason to keep her alive. “The breastplate woman adopted her.” Sam is giving me a rather murderous glare.

  “You're telling me that you brought a Maxwell adopted brat here, that family full of mind fuckers, if they're adopting a kid that must mean she a possible mind fucker too.”

  Yet, he works with me who has been reaming his mind for years. I best throw something out there so Sam doesn't get in my face again.

  “You can't force someone to kill themselves, certainly not at a child's level.”

  I could think of a few ways. But such things require years of training.

  “Well your going to be one feeding her now Sam, its your fuck up, now you get to keep our hostage alive.”

  After Sam leaves, Randan turns to me.

  “Vance was like a brother, this whole Hotna business is making things fall apart.”

  He was not really talking to me, he stopped that after I got the product idea stuck in his head. A part of him knows I've been doing things to him. Another part, craves me to continue so he can live with it. I give him a hug. The situation calls for it, and it will shock him that I actually gave him one. Perfect.

  “Including Sara in with the other products would be a waste.”

  It may take a few more applications but it will do.

  -----

  “I don't see why I have to be here for this.”

  I compel another product to go stand in the target range for Hanki.

  “You're their representative, shouldn't you feel the need to shoulder some of this guilt.”

  I don't really care, it's just having a familiar face makes the children more pliable. More pliable, less mana. Randan taking up more and more of my reserves.

  “My obligation died with my son.”

  Vancea removes the corpse, I send another child. I click my tongue, my daily compel is losing its effect. Product, that is all they are.

  “Don't you click your tongue at me.”

  “Stop talking to me, wait here and smile.”

  I had lost my temper and verbalized it, but it doesn't matter, Albert's presence works better the less he talks. He comes to his senses after the last product has been taken care of.

  “How dare you!”

  “Albert, it's about time you go join the other product at the range.”

  I want to see it, the dawning that we are killing him too. He was too much of a pain in our collective ass to not relish this one moment where his mind breaks. I'm not disappointed, I already have him by the arm, he knows he can't get away. It's glorious. But after he wets himself, my fun becomes disgust.

  “Walk over to the firing range, Albert, make sure to smile for Hanki.”

  System knows the boy needs it.

  -----

  Everything falling apart, I don't have enough mana to keep everyone here. I assume what the girl did to Vance, she doing to us here. My plan to find someone to buy her seems more and more likely to be a solo act. I spread the idea of a miasma, if only to muddy the waters. They trust me enough that they don't reject it out right. Except perhaps Sam, but compelling one instead of the entire camp is still preferable.

  “Someone attacking the camp!”

  My eyes widen, Sam missing, it falls to me. I give them instructions that should clear a path for me. Least they can do in the end. I head towards the stairs and see Sara walking towards me.

  “Sara Sleep”

  I'll have to carry her out. She resisted it, but how. Mother whispers to me, she's level eight! Doesn't matter, I just need to make sure to put my all into it. I feel a pressure coming from her, if she gets closer I'm not sure what will happen.

  “SARA STOP”

  She is still getting closer, there is a pain in my face, I don't have time to figure out what's happening. I bellow my next compel, she will obey.

  “SARA—”

  My back arches, there is pain between my shoulder blades. As my heart beats, it tears itself into whatever in my back. I'm on the ground and Sara above me. I am nothing.