How To Become A King

Tattoo

I use my ring to get the girl on credit, and a small imp carries over a small platter with a knife and ink. I realized what it meant. This society didn't have anything like contract magic, you gave them a tattoo to signify they were your property. However, they did not have as precise and clean tool like we did at home. To make a tattoo, the receiver had to be scarred. The girl looked at me with terror in her eyes, but tilted her head to the side, ready to be marked. I could feel her terror, but for some reason, she chose to be brave.

"Ah, I'll tattoo her at my leisure later. For now, can I register her as mine? I want to take my time..." I say with a glint in my eyes. My subordinates look at me, with shock in their eyes. My words scared them, and I knew it. It seemed to be sufficient for the slave trader as well, he stuttered. "O-Of course your majesty. Put your name and hers on this form. It'll record your magical signatures."

I write out my noble name, Prince Thomas, and then wrote her name using her hand so it would record her magic signature. "The record has been sent to the palace library. I will send the bill to the palace, as you requested. Have a good day, your majesty." He bows as my group exits. "Okay, that's our subordinate secured." "However, slaves cannot register at the guild..." Nick says hesitantly. "I thought as such, so I hid her magic signature with mine." "You can do that, Si- Boss?" Alf asks with wide eyes. "I wasn't sure either, but it worked, so... Anyway, let's get her cleaned up." I turn to Lukas. "Lukas, would you clean her up?" Lukas bows, waves his wand, and the dirt falls from her body. 

I picked up a stick, and drew a simple sword. One stabbing through a clock, one cutting through another sword, one with a jagged edge like a wave, and another with a curved edge, looking like it was cutting through air. I drew a sword with wings for a hilt, and finally a sword that appeared simple, except it had the eye of a monster set in the hilt. The slit eye was basic, but the meaning was clear. "You are the winged sword, I am the sword with the eye. Those with a fire element will receive the clock stabber, those of the earth element will receive the sword chopper, those with the water element will receive the wave cutter, and those with the wind element will receive the air slicer. Put the tattoo wherever they wish, whatever size they wish,  when someone vows loyalty to me. We shall be the nations sword, The Incisors."

"As you wish, Boss." Lukas says. "Good, I shall go first. Place mine like so." I take a bit of dirt and made a diagonal smudge next to my left eyebrow, angling towards my lips. It started at my eyebrow, and ended at my cheekbone. Lukas waved his hand, and the pain sears through me. It slowly sears into place the sword, line by line. I know this despite not seeing it, because I feel it's form through the pain of its creation. I refused to scream, despite running in circles around my servants, gasping for something to distract me. When the pain ceased, my bangs fell over my new tattoo.