Authur's Note: Yes, I'm back with another one of my Gimmicks. I'll just spare all the dopey explanations, and just get right to the good stuff...
Part 1: In this part, A Beautiful Rogue makes a strong impression on a Wagon Driver...
The wind whistled through the forest, as a Wagon made it's way slowly down a narrow dirt path. It squeaked with every bump, and rocked almost every second. It was covered by a black tarp made of thick cloth. With each bump the wheels threatened to break off, but they still held strong. The driver kept his horse to a slow and steady pace to make sure the wagon didn't fall apart from under him.
He scanned the forest from left to right almost as if he was expecting something to go wrong. Every gust of wind rustling the nearby bushes would turn his attention. Each time he'd feel his heart rate increase, and then recede once he realized nothing was wrong. This forest was old, and ancient, and it held many horrors that were always biding their time.
As if wild animals weren't bad enough, there was talk of bandits on the road as well. He knew he didn't have anything of value in the wagon. At least, he didn't have anything they might find valuable. His thoughts on the matter were soon cut short by an arrow flying right into the backrest beside him.
“Ugh!” He yelped in shock, and stopped the wagon. He looked around, but couldn't see anything.
“Step off the wagon, and do as I say, or the next one goes right between your eyes,” A female voice demanded. The Man was breathing heavily. He just gulped and nodded yes. “Good, now step off the wagon, and put your hands on your head,” She then ordered. The Driver did as he was told. He was now just hoping whoever this was would at least reveal herself.
A Female Figure a little over five and a half feet in height finally stood up from behind a bush. She was dressed in a green and brown outfit of fine cloths and leathers with a mint green cloak draping behind her. Her brilliant silvery eyes gleamed over A tight fitting green cloth mask that covered her nose, mouth, and chin. Her raven-colored hair looked to be braided on the sides, and tied into a ponytail in back.
The Driver just looked at her in awe, as she cautiously approached him. An arrow knocked on a curved bow in her hands. As she got closer, the man spotted her pointed ears.
“You're an elf,” He said, before he could stop himself.
“Very good, Human,” She grunted, Her voice muffled slightly by the mask on her face. Once she was close enough, she retracted her arrow, and set her bow down. She then pulled a dagger from a sheath on her thigh. She patted the driver over, as if searching for something.
“Is this a robbery?” The man asked her.
“Yes, it is,” The Elf Lass answered. She cut a pouch from his belt that jingled with the sound of coins. She pocketed the pouch, and then continued helping herself to whatever else she could find.
“You've taken all I have,” The Man stated. The lady quickly faced him with the tip over her dagger pointed right between his eyes.
“And you humans took everything I had!” She barked. “Turn about is fair play as far as I'm concerned,” She then growled, and then began to check the wagon.
“I took nothing from you,” The Man insisted.
“Maybe so,” The Elf snarled, as she saw that the wagon was filled with nothing but lumber, iron fittings, and tools. Nothing of value for her. She then spoke a few strange words, and before the Man could react, he felt tree branches wrapping around his wrists, and ankles.
“What in the-” He started, now seeing what was happening to him. He looked at the Elf with a horrified expression. She just clasped her hands behind her back, and a smile could be seen gleaming in her eyes. The branches pulled the driver against the tree truck, and held him in place. He then watched in horror, as the Elf waved a hand, spoke a few more words, and tree roots were on the move. The roots coiled around the wagon, and tore it into several chunks of loose wood. Almost as insult to injury, She sent the horse away as well with a few loose pieces of debris trailing behind it.
“Why are you doing this to me?” He asked. She just leered over him.
“An eye for an eye, Human!” She snapped. “Thanks to you humans, and the destruction you bring wherever you go, I no longer have a home! I no longer have a family! I no longer have friends! I'm alone, and just trying to make my way through a cruel world!” The Elf ranted. “You're lucky I don't kill you!” She then spat.
“You can't just leave me here like this!” The Driver begged.
“Don't worry, you'll be able to get yourself free with a bit of effort, and by that time, I'll be long gone,” The Lady told him, as she reclaimed her bow. “We shall not meet again,” She then claimed, and with that, she gave him a quick wave, and took off into the woods. The Man was in awe of how she glided through the bushes almost like a ghost. They seemed to just accept her passage, and did not rustle as she passed through them. Within a moment or two, she was out of sight.
The Driver's expression changed from fear to impressed. Sure enough, with each tug, the branches grew weaker, and within a few minutes, he had pulled himself free of his bonds. He then looked on in the direction that The Elf ran.
“I wonder what kind of beauty is hidden behind that mask?” He asked himself. “And we will meet again,” He then stated in a whisper. Not with anger, but with sinister glee in his voice.
A few hours later...
The driver had to walk the entire rest of the distance to his destination. It was a fairly large town at the edge of the forest. As the Driver walked down the street, he heard a few doors opening from the nearby tavern. Two Men ran outside to greet him.
“Well Flint, where's the shipment?” One of them asked. He was a portly, but also tall man of about fifty years old with hair that was just beginning to turn gray.
“I'm sorry, Lord Garret, but An Elf ambushed me on the road, and She destroyed the wagon,” The Driver answered.
“For what purpose?” the Aging Man asked.
“The short story is revenge of some sort,” The Driver answered.
“Ah, likely the one who escaped the raid,” Lord Garret then stated, as if now understanding the situation.
“The What?” The Driver asked.
“About a month ago, an elvish village, to put it lightly, didn't like us expanding our territory so close to them, so The Baron took care of the problem for us,” Lord Garret explained. Flint nodded in understanding.
“We could send out a search party to bring this elf to justice, Father,” the other person suggested. He was a young boy of about maybe fifteen years old.
“No, She's likely long gone by now,” Lord Garret pointed out. He then thought for a moment. “Son, send word to Captain Remus, and tell him to bring a small raiding party with him,” He then told the boy. The Boy nodded, and walked off down the road.
“What's the plan?” Flint asked.
“We set a trap for her, we catch her, and bring her to justice,” Lord Garret answered, as if it should have been obvious. He then eyed Flint a little bit. “Do you think she'd fetch a good price?” He then asked.
“You could get a thousand coins for her eyes alone,” Flint stated, remembering The Elf's steel gaze behind her mask.
“Hopefully we can capture her within a few days,” Lord Garret said, in a hopeful tone. “The Market starts within a week, and I want her ready for the block before then,” He than stated.
Elsewhere in the Forest...
The Elf padded her way through the foliage for what felt like hours until she finally stopped. Surely she had to be far enough away to avoid unwanted pursuit. She sat down at the base of a tree briefly to catch her breath, and removed the mask from her face. Her thoughts drifted to what had just transpired. She just shook her head, and focused herself.
“I did it for my people,” She stated, and then continued her journey.
Anyone else would likely have been lost and delirious in the depths of these woods, but The Elf seemed to know exactly where she was going. Night had finally fallen, and she arrived at what looked to be a small campsite with a small bed made of leaves underneath a bush for shelter. She placed the pouches she had stolen under the bush, and also placed her bow, dagger, and arrows inside the bush as well.
The Elf turned to a small patch of sticks that she had gathered up, and with a quick word, a fire had started. She sat down, and held her hands to the flame for a moment, when a small gold amulet fell from her belt. She picked it up and just looked at it, on the back was a message...
“My Sweet Sarah, May the winds guide you down the right path.”
Sarah started to tear up at reading this again. She held the amulet close to her heart, and closed her eyes, as if remembering something painful. Remembering something she lost...
* * * *
“Sarah! Wake up!” A woman's Voice was shouting. The Elf looked woke up from her sleep to see one of her kin looking at her with frightened eyes.
“What is it?” Sarah asked, just as a rush of fire erupted right outside their house. Sarah sprung to her feet, and cast a quick spell to switch from her night dress to her outdoors clothing. She opened the door, and the two elves could only look on in horror. The streets were flooded with people on horseback storming the village. Houses were being torched. While many elves that weren't being put to the sword were being scooped up, and taken captive.
Sarah, and the Other Woman made their way from the house, and did their best to hide from the invaders. Some of the elves were able to take down some of the raiders with a few well placed arrow shots, but the sheer number of humans eventually caught up with them, and they were soon shot down. Some of the magic users tried to rally the trees to stop the invaders, but the trees were lit ablaze as well.
It wasn't long before the invaders caught sight of the two elves trying to escape. The Two Ladies made a run for it. Their only salvation was the thick foliage of the woods where they could hide, and silently run further. The Other Woman had to stop briefly to avoid being crushed by a falling tree, and this allowed the raiders to catch up wit her.
“Mother!” Sarah called.
“Run Sarah!” Her Mother shouted back before she was taken. Sarah did as she was told, and ran for her life. Something took hold of her foot, and she tripped. She turned her head to see one man had gotten a hold of her foot. As the Man tried to reel in his catch, Sarah drew her knife, and slashed the Man across his face. The man let go of her, and clutched his face, as he howled in pain. Sarah didn't waste a moment. She got back to her feet, and ran into the woods.
* * * *
Sarah just blinked. It was a memory she couldn't let go of. It was what was driving her right now. Revenge for what these humans did to her, and everything she cared about. Sarah undid the ponytail in her hair, and let it flow loose. She then put the fire out, and then crawled under the bush.
“I'm sorry, Mother,” She lightly sobbed, and then drifted into an uneasy sleep.
Authur's Note: I know the prefix says (F/M), but that's just for this part. there gonna be a little some of everything in this, so i'm just gonna prefix each part.
The Maiden and The Sorcerer (F/M) (M+/F) (Mgc/F) Part 4 posted
The Maiden and The Sorcerer (F/M) (M+/F) (Mgc/F) Part 4 posted
Last edited by chaos846 7 months ago, edited 4 times in total.
Looking forward to reading more!
Part 2: In this part, The cycle catches up with Sarah, and Lord Garret's House may have a leak.
Unknown Location...
Two men had entered what looked like a Wizard's Laboratory. One had untidy shoulder length hair, while the other had long hair pulled back into a ponytail. The first man was dressed in all black from his trousers to his shirt to a thick leather vest. The other bigger man had on green trousers, but he chose to just wear the vest by itself.
Within the Lab, A Man was leaning over a book. He was tall, but not too tall. His light brown hair was combed nicely back, and he wore a simple gray robe that did not reflect his status.
“We have our next target,” The Mage stated. “Our informant has told me that Feldmen's Post might be running a Market,” He then explained.
“Feldman's Post,” The Big Man repeated. “Isn't that Lord Garret's Land?” He then asked.
“I guess Baron Henry is branching out to the west now,” The Man in all black stated.
“We don't know for sure, so I'll send Damion out to check on it,” The Wizard then claimed.
“Theon and I will be ready if he reports back with a positive,” The First Man said, and his larger partner nodded yes with him. The Wizard nodded back, and the men parted ways...
Feldman's Post...Two Days Later...
The everyday bustle of the city was broken when about six men on horseback had arrived, and were headed towards Lord Garret's House. Lord Garret himself was waiting for them at the steps. Four of these men were dressed in thick leather armor where as two bald men were dressed in crimson and black robes with a gold ring on each finger.
“Captain Remus,” Lord Garret greeted, and the two men embraced in a brotherly hug. “how are you?” He then asked.
“Doing fine,” The Captain stated. “We heard about your elf problem,” He then said.
“If it's the elf I think it is,” One of the other men snarled. The Captain looked over at him.
“Easy there, Victor,” He commanded. Victor stood out from the others with a long scar that stretched under his eye, and across his nose.
“We plan to trap her by luring her with another wagon,” Lord Garret explained to The Captain.
“Sticking with what works,” Captain Remus said, with a smirk.
“I trust you and your men can be discrete?” Lord Garret asked.
“that will not be a problem in the slightest,” The Captain stated proudly. “What's more is that Shu and Sum have been working on a special weapon that will finally get the anti-slavery movements off our backs,” He then stated. The Two robed men revealed a pair of shackles and a piece of ordinary linen cloth.
“All I see is a simple set of restraints,” Lord Garret said.
“Oh, these are not simple in the slightest,” Captain Remus told his friend, with an evil gleam in his eyes. “If these do what we want them to do, The Kingdom will have no choice but to accept our way of life,” He then stated.
“I think this Elf will be a fine test then,” Lord Garret then said, and both men shared a chuckle.
Lord Garret, Captain Remus and his men all made there way to the stables were a wagon filled with some broken weapons was waiting for them with a horse already hitched up to it.
“Where the hell is Jonah?” Lord Garret asked. Jonah must have been the driver intended for the wagon, but he was nowhere to be seen. “Jonah!” Lord Garret called, but got no answer. Everyone then looked around, but no one was responding to the call. “JONAH!!!” Lord Garret called louder, and this time got a response. Out of the stable house, a young man came rushing out to meet with His Lordship.
“Yes M'lord,” Jonah greeted, and quickly took a knee. Lord Garret smacked him across the face.
“Next time you don't respond, I'll have you licking the shit from my boots!” Lord Garret seethed at the young man.
“V-v-very sorry, M'lord,” Jonah stammered, and was visibly shaking with fear.
“Whatever, anyways, take this wagon to the next town. You'll have to take the road through the forest,” Lord Garret instructed. Jonah nodded yes, and hopped onto the wagon. He grabbed the reigns, and the horse began to pull the wagon out of town.
“And now for our part,” Captain Remus stated. Shu began speaking a strange tongue, and a few seconds later, all six men had vanished from view before everyone's very eyes. “We'll be back with the prize,” His invisible voice then said. Lord Garret watched in awe as the Men's Footprints began shifting in the direction the wagon was traveling.
* * * *
Two days had passed since Sarah had destroyed the wagon. She knew she couldn't stay were she was, or the human cities nearby would send out parties to look for her. The next morning she had covered her camp fire with dirt to hide the burn marks. She then collected what few belongings she had from the bush, and set off to find a new location to set up shop.
She found another small grove with a tree that had a low hanging branch. This would have to do for now. Once she had everything in place, she equipped her weapons, and then put her mask back on. It was time to wait by the road for another passersby. She knew her efforts were small, but every little bit helps in the long run. She knew that if anyone else in her village had escaped, they were likely doing the same thing wherever they were hiding.
It wasn't long before she heard the sounds of a wagon on approach. She took to a nearby bush, and waited. Within a few moments, she saw a wagon come into view. It wasn't covered like the last one, and unlike the driver of the last one, this man looked very timid with the way his head was darting every which direction. Sarah pulled the string of her bow back, and fired an arrow into it.
“Aaaggghh!” The Driver yelled, and jumped off the wagon. He then hid behind a nearby tree. Sarah almost looked appalled at what she was seeing. She just walked over to the tree, and pointed an arrow right at him.
“Do as I say,” She ordered. “Put your hands on your head,” She then demanded, just like last time. The Driver just had his head buried in his arms, and was shaking rather violently. Upon seeing this, Sarah just retracted her bow.
“Take whatever you want, just don't hurt me!” The Driver pleaded. Sarah just shook her head.
“You're almost not even worth the effort,” She sighed, and then went to go check the wagon. Again, she was dumbfounded, and looked over at the sniveling little man huddled up against the tree. “They trusted a sniveling little runt like you to deliver something like this?” She asked.
“I'm j-just doing wh-what I'm told,” The man stammered. The crunch of leaves then occupied their attention. There was something else unseen that was nearby as well. “What was that?” The Driver asked.
“Quiet,” The Elf snarled, and got off the wagon. She stayed perfectly still. Her Elf Ears attuned to the direction of the noise. She silently crept her way over to another tree, and looked around. About a meter or so away, she saw some bush leaves that looked oddly misplaced. When she saw it, she instantly dodged to her left, as a bolt of fire flew at her, and missed her by mere inches. She then rolled back, knocked an arrow, and pointed it at her attacker. He was a bald man wearing a crimson red, and black robe.
Before she could fire, a pair of large hands grabbed her from behind, and lifted her off the ground. He then tossed her onto her stomach.
“Uggh,” She grunted, as she hit the ground. She scrambled to get to her feet, but she was instantly pushed down. She felt her mask being ripped from her face, and felt a new piece of cloth take it's place over her mouth. It was wrapped quite tight, and it seemed to have some sort of magic surrounding it, because as soon as it touched her lips, she felt them forced shut instantly.
“Mmmph!” she yelped through the cloth, as she struggled to get loose. Her left arm had been yanked behind her back, and she felt something hard and round clamp onto her wrist. With one last tug, she tried to break free.
“Hold her!” One of the men ordered, and her last attempt to escape proved futile. Her other arm was pulled behind her back, and a shackle clamped around her other wrist as well. Once she realized she was caught, she stopped struggling. Sarah couldn't believe she had allowed herself to fall for such a trap, and now she was going to pay a hefty price for it.
Sarah was lifted to her feet, and she was looking at a grizzled man with shoulder fashions on his armor, and his arms crossed.
“Wow, they weren't kidding, you are quite a beauty indeed,” He complimented. Sarah just looked at him, and seethed through her gag. “Alright, Shu, you know what to do,” He then said. One of the Robed Men approached her with a small knife.
“Gmp mph mh!” Sarah demanded, but The Man paid her no mind. He snipped a piece of her hair, and then spoke a few words. Her hair began to glow. One strand flew into the cloth on her mouth while another flew into the shackles binding her.
“The first successful test on a live subject,” He then stated proudly. “What do you think, Victor?” He then asked the man standing next to him. This man approached her slowly.
“Hello, Love,” He greeted, in a patronizing tone. He then pointed to the scar running across his nose. “Remember this?” He then asked. Sarah's eyes grew wide. Her mind flashed to that fateful night when she had escaped by slashing one of her attackers across the face. “How about i mark you as well?” Victor then suggested.
“You will do no such thing,” the Leader stated firmly. Victor looked at him. “We don't want the goods damaged,” He then explained. Sarah struggled against her bonds, and wiggled against the grip of the one holding her.
“Whm ymn drmtp rnmtpn bmnfrd!” She tried to shout. Her silver eyes flaring over her gag. This just seemed to make the men more amused.
“Load her up,” The Captain ordered. Sarah felt herself being lifted into the wagon. Several weapon piles were moved aside to make room for her, and she was then covered in them to hide her from prying eyes. Several lengths of rope were wound around her ankles to ensure she couldn't get up, and run away. As the wagon began to turn around, and head back the way it came, all she could do was wonder what was going to happen to her next...
* * * *
Sarah couldn't see much under the weapon piles, but she was able to make out a few buildings that told her they had entered a human city. The buildings soon stopped appearing for her, and the cart took a small slope upward when it finally came to a stop. The weapon piles on top of her were removed, and she saw a brilliant mansion standing before them. Sarah was hauled out of the wagon, and half marched half carried inside.
“Well well, excellent job,” A Tall Portly Man said upon seeing she had been captured. The snake like smile on his face was disgusting. He descended the stairs to look upon the catch of the day.
“She's a Looker, ain't she,” the Lead Raider said.
“Yes, she's a real cutie pie,” The Lord of the Mansion stated. “Gentlemen, would you be so kind as to relieve her of her clothes?” He then asked. Sarah's eyes grew wide.
“My pleasure,” Victor stated, as he wasted no time pulling his knife out. Sarah began to struggle again.
“Nmnnh!” She insisted, but she did not have the physical strength to overpower her captors. She felt her clothes being cut away from her, and soon she was left standing completely naked in front of all of them. She had never felt so embarrassed in her life. It was taking all of her effort not to burst into tears.
“Just look at you,” The Lord said, with a slithering tone. He then reached out, and took hold of her naked breasts. The audacity of this human. That he would dare to touch her. “Breasts are perfectly shaped, round, and firm,” He confirmed, and then proceeded to suckle on them a bit.
“Makes you wonder why she'd hide such beauty from the world,” The Lead Raider said, and everyone laughed. Sarah just closed her eyes, and took in a deep breath. She was desperately trying to avoid sobbing.
“So...what makes these your secret weapon?” The Lord now asked, as he pointed at her bonds.
“I'm glad you asked,” The Lead Raider answered. The man holding her was joined by another who seemed oddly reluctant at first, but then joined his comrade. Sarah felt the shackles being removed. Upon this, she struggled briefly again, but soon found she was no match for the both of them, and so she stopped. The Leader was now holding the shackles in his hand.
“To put it in simple terms, the bindings now respond to her,” He explained. “Watch,” He then added, and focused on her. He then let go of the shackles. The shackles flew through the air, and one of the clamped itself on Sarah's right wrist. The chain the extended itself behind her, and the other shackle clamped on her other wrist. With both wrists secured, the chain then began to condense again. Sarah felt her hands being pulled behind her back with it until it finally stopped at a single link as before.
“Ingenuous!” The Lord of the House proudly stated. The Smug smile on the Leader's face was even worse.
“The gag works in much the same way as well,” He then explained. “The magic shuts her mouth completely,” He then added.
“Truly, you have outdone yourself, Remus!” the Lord exclaimed. Now Sarah had another name to add to her hit list. That was assuming she ever got herself out of this mess.
“The best part is that she is unable to remove them herself,” Remus boasted. “When her new master signs the contract of purchase, he or she will be given full control over these restraints,” He then explained.
“This means that if something were to happen to the new master, or if she should be rescued in some way...there's way to free her from her bonds,” The Lord concluded. Sarah felt her heart sink upon hearing this. She was truly doomed now. The test subject of a prototype method to make someone a permanent slave.
“Where do you want her?” Remus asked.
“I don't want her damaged by the dungeons, so we can put her in one of the side guest rooms,” The Lord answered, and lead everyone down the hall on the left. He paused at a door, and it was opened. The room looked quite nice, but that image was quickly taken away by the intent of it. Sarah was hauled to the bed where she was placed upon it, and all she could do was watch in horror as other shackles were applied to her ankles, and chained to the bed.
“I think you'll make a fine wife for your new master,” The Lord mocked. Remus then snorted.
“Or a lover when the wife isn't around,” He then suggested. Everyone laughed at his joke, and then left the room.
Poor Sarah just laid on the bed, and thought to herself. How did she allow this to happen to her? It was such an obvious trap, and she fell for it. It was just like that time one of the elvish children hid a bucket of water on a half cracked door. She plotted revenge then too, but her mother stopped her.
“Awful things happen to people who allow feelings of revenge to cloud their judgment,” She had stated. Sure enough, Her mother was right. All she thought about was ruining another wagon owned by these humans, and it cost her the only thing she had left: Her freedom. She had now lost that too. This time due to her own rash actions. This thought was finally enough to break her, and she began crying into her pillow.
* * * *
“Well, why don't you and your men head to the tavern, and enjoy a much-deserved reward,” The Lord suggested.
“Will do, Lord Garret, Will do,” Remus said back. As the men all headed for the Tavern.
Unknown to Sarah's Captors, Around the corner, a well-dressed man was watching the entire affair. He turned down the hall, and entered a nearby closet. He pulled a small marble like crystal from his pocket.
“What do you have for us, Damion?” A voice asked.
“I took over for Lord Garret's Butler,” Damion answered. “We have a serious problem,” He then spoke into the crystal.
“William!” He heard Lord Garret call.
“Dammit, I have to go,” The Man in Disguise grunted. “I'll check back later tonight when he finally passes out from his ale,” He then stated, and put the crystal back in his pocket.
Unknown Location...
Two men had entered what looked like a Wizard's Laboratory. One had untidy shoulder length hair, while the other had long hair pulled back into a ponytail. The first man was dressed in all black from his trousers to his shirt to a thick leather vest. The other bigger man had on green trousers, but he chose to just wear the vest by itself.
Within the Lab, A Man was leaning over a book. He was tall, but not too tall. His light brown hair was combed nicely back, and he wore a simple gray robe that did not reflect his status.
“We have our next target,” The Mage stated. “Our informant has told me that Feldmen's Post might be running a Market,” He then explained.
“Feldman's Post,” The Big Man repeated. “Isn't that Lord Garret's Land?” He then asked.
“I guess Baron Henry is branching out to the west now,” The Man in all black stated.
“We don't know for sure, so I'll send Damion out to check on it,” The Wizard then claimed.
“Theon and I will be ready if he reports back with a positive,” The First Man said, and his larger partner nodded yes with him. The Wizard nodded back, and the men parted ways...
Feldman's Post...Two Days Later...
The everyday bustle of the city was broken when about six men on horseback had arrived, and were headed towards Lord Garret's House. Lord Garret himself was waiting for them at the steps. Four of these men were dressed in thick leather armor where as two bald men were dressed in crimson and black robes with a gold ring on each finger.
“Captain Remus,” Lord Garret greeted, and the two men embraced in a brotherly hug. “how are you?” He then asked.
“Doing fine,” The Captain stated. “We heard about your elf problem,” He then said.
“If it's the elf I think it is,” One of the other men snarled. The Captain looked over at him.
“Easy there, Victor,” He commanded. Victor stood out from the others with a long scar that stretched under his eye, and across his nose.
“We plan to trap her by luring her with another wagon,” Lord Garret explained to The Captain.
“Sticking with what works,” Captain Remus said, with a smirk.
“I trust you and your men can be discrete?” Lord Garret asked.
“that will not be a problem in the slightest,” The Captain stated proudly. “What's more is that Shu and Sum have been working on a special weapon that will finally get the anti-slavery movements off our backs,” He then stated. The Two robed men revealed a pair of shackles and a piece of ordinary linen cloth.
“All I see is a simple set of restraints,” Lord Garret said.
“Oh, these are not simple in the slightest,” Captain Remus told his friend, with an evil gleam in his eyes. “If these do what we want them to do, The Kingdom will have no choice but to accept our way of life,” He then stated.
“I think this Elf will be a fine test then,” Lord Garret then said, and both men shared a chuckle.
Lord Garret, Captain Remus and his men all made there way to the stables were a wagon filled with some broken weapons was waiting for them with a horse already hitched up to it.
“Where the hell is Jonah?” Lord Garret asked. Jonah must have been the driver intended for the wagon, but he was nowhere to be seen. “Jonah!” Lord Garret called, but got no answer. Everyone then looked around, but no one was responding to the call. “JONAH!!!” Lord Garret called louder, and this time got a response. Out of the stable house, a young man came rushing out to meet with His Lordship.
“Yes M'lord,” Jonah greeted, and quickly took a knee. Lord Garret smacked him across the face.
“Next time you don't respond, I'll have you licking the shit from my boots!” Lord Garret seethed at the young man.
“V-v-very sorry, M'lord,” Jonah stammered, and was visibly shaking with fear.
“Whatever, anyways, take this wagon to the next town. You'll have to take the road through the forest,” Lord Garret instructed. Jonah nodded yes, and hopped onto the wagon. He grabbed the reigns, and the horse began to pull the wagon out of town.
“And now for our part,” Captain Remus stated. Shu began speaking a strange tongue, and a few seconds later, all six men had vanished from view before everyone's very eyes. “We'll be back with the prize,” His invisible voice then said. Lord Garret watched in awe as the Men's Footprints began shifting in the direction the wagon was traveling.
* * * *
Two days had passed since Sarah had destroyed the wagon. She knew she couldn't stay were she was, or the human cities nearby would send out parties to look for her. The next morning she had covered her camp fire with dirt to hide the burn marks. She then collected what few belongings she had from the bush, and set off to find a new location to set up shop.
She found another small grove with a tree that had a low hanging branch. This would have to do for now. Once she had everything in place, she equipped her weapons, and then put her mask back on. It was time to wait by the road for another passersby. She knew her efforts were small, but every little bit helps in the long run. She knew that if anyone else in her village had escaped, they were likely doing the same thing wherever they were hiding.
It wasn't long before she heard the sounds of a wagon on approach. She took to a nearby bush, and waited. Within a few moments, she saw a wagon come into view. It wasn't covered like the last one, and unlike the driver of the last one, this man looked very timid with the way his head was darting every which direction. Sarah pulled the string of her bow back, and fired an arrow into it.
“Aaaggghh!” The Driver yelled, and jumped off the wagon. He then hid behind a nearby tree. Sarah almost looked appalled at what she was seeing. She just walked over to the tree, and pointed an arrow right at him.
“Do as I say,” She ordered. “Put your hands on your head,” She then demanded, just like last time. The Driver just had his head buried in his arms, and was shaking rather violently. Upon seeing this, Sarah just retracted her bow.
“Take whatever you want, just don't hurt me!” The Driver pleaded. Sarah just shook her head.
“You're almost not even worth the effort,” She sighed, and then went to go check the wagon. Again, she was dumbfounded, and looked over at the sniveling little man huddled up against the tree. “They trusted a sniveling little runt like you to deliver something like this?” She asked.
“I'm j-just doing wh-what I'm told,” The man stammered. The crunch of leaves then occupied their attention. There was something else unseen that was nearby as well. “What was that?” The Driver asked.
“Quiet,” The Elf snarled, and got off the wagon. She stayed perfectly still. Her Elf Ears attuned to the direction of the noise. She silently crept her way over to another tree, and looked around. About a meter or so away, she saw some bush leaves that looked oddly misplaced. When she saw it, she instantly dodged to her left, as a bolt of fire flew at her, and missed her by mere inches. She then rolled back, knocked an arrow, and pointed it at her attacker. He was a bald man wearing a crimson red, and black robe.
Before she could fire, a pair of large hands grabbed her from behind, and lifted her off the ground. He then tossed her onto her stomach.
“Uggh,” She grunted, as she hit the ground. She scrambled to get to her feet, but she was instantly pushed down. She felt her mask being ripped from her face, and felt a new piece of cloth take it's place over her mouth. It was wrapped quite tight, and it seemed to have some sort of magic surrounding it, because as soon as it touched her lips, she felt them forced shut instantly.
“Mmmph!” she yelped through the cloth, as she struggled to get loose. Her left arm had been yanked behind her back, and she felt something hard and round clamp onto her wrist. With one last tug, she tried to break free.
“Hold her!” One of the men ordered, and her last attempt to escape proved futile. Her other arm was pulled behind her back, and a shackle clamped around her other wrist as well. Once she realized she was caught, she stopped struggling. Sarah couldn't believe she had allowed herself to fall for such a trap, and now she was going to pay a hefty price for it.
Sarah was lifted to her feet, and she was looking at a grizzled man with shoulder fashions on his armor, and his arms crossed.
“Wow, they weren't kidding, you are quite a beauty indeed,” He complimented. Sarah just looked at him, and seethed through her gag. “Alright, Shu, you know what to do,” He then said. One of the Robed Men approached her with a small knife.
“Gmp mph mh!” Sarah demanded, but The Man paid her no mind. He snipped a piece of her hair, and then spoke a few words. Her hair began to glow. One strand flew into the cloth on her mouth while another flew into the shackles binding her.
“The first successful test on a live subject,” He then stated proudly. “What do you think, Victor?” He then asked the man standing next to him. This man approached her slowly.
“Hello, Love,” He greeted, in a patronizing tone. He then pointed to the scar running across his nose. “Remember this?” He then asked. Sarah's eyes grew wide. Her mind flashed to that fateful night when she had escaped by slashing one of her attackers across the face. “How about i mark you as well?” Victor then suggested.
“You will do no such thing,” the Leader stated firmly. Victor looked at him. “We don't want the goods damaged,” He then explained. Sarah struggled against her bonds, and wiggled against the grip of the one holding her.
“Whm ymn drmtp rnmtpn bmnfrd!” She tried to shout. Her silver eyes flaring over her gag. This just seemed to make the men more amused.
“Load her up,” The Captain ordered. Sarah felt herself being lifted into the wagon. Several weapon piles were moved aside to make room for her, and she was then covered in them to hide her from prying eyes. Several lengths of rope were wound around her ankles to ensure she couldn't get up, and run away. As the wagon began to turn around, and head back the way it came, all she could do was wonder what was going to happen to her next...
* * * *
Sarah couldn't see much under the weapon piles, but she was able to make out a few buildings that told her they had entered a human city. The buildings soon stopped appearing for her, and the cart took a small slope upward when it finally came to a stop. The weapon piles on top of her were removed, and she saw a brilliant mansion standing before them. Sarah was hauled out of the wagon, and half marched half carried inside.
“Well well, excellent job,” A Tall Portly Man said upon seeing she had been captured. The snake like smile on his face was disgusting. He descended the stairs to look upon the catch of the day.
“She's a Looker, ain't she,” the Lead Raider said.
“Yes, she's a real cutie pie,” The Lord of the Mansion stated. “Gentlemen, would you be so kind as to relieve her of her clothes?” He then asked. Sarah's eyes grew wide.
“My pleasure,” Victor stated, as he wasted no time pulling his knife out. Sarah began to struggle again.
“Nmnnh!” She insisted, but she did not have the physical strength to overpower her captors. She felt her clothes being cut away from her, and soon she was left standing completely naked in front of all of them. She had never felt so embarrassed in her life. It was taking all of her effort not to burst into tears.
“Just look at you,” The Lord said, with a slithering tone. He then reached out, and took hold of her naked breasts. The audacity of this human. That he would dare to touch her. “Breasts are perfectly shaped, round, and firm,” He confirmed, and then proceeded to suckle on them a bit.
“Makes you wonder why she'd hide such beauty from the world,” The Lead Raider said, and everyone laughed. Sarah just closed her eyes, and took in a deep breath. She was desperately trying to avoid sobbing.
“So...what makes these your secret weapon?” The Lord now asked, as he pointed at her bonds.
“I'm glad you asked,” The Lead Raider answered. The man holding her was joined by another who seemed oddly reluctant at first, but then joined his comrade. Sarah felt the shackles being removed. Upon this, she struggled briefly again, but soon found she was no match for the both of them, and so she stopped. The Leader was now holding the shackles in his hand.
“To put it in simple terms, the bindings now respond to her,” He explained. “Watch,” He then added, and focused on her. He then let go of the shackles. The shackles flew through the air, and one of the clamped itself on Sarah's right wrist. The chain the extended itself behind her, and the other shackle clamped on her other wrist. With both wrists secured, the chain then began to condense again. Sarah felt her hands being pulled behind her back with it until it finally stopped at a single link as before.
“Ingenuous!” The Lord of the House proudly stated. The Smug smile on the Leader's face was even worse.
“The gag works in much the same way as well,” He then explained. “The magic shuts her mouth completely,” He then added.
“Truly, you have outdone yourself, Remus!” the Lord exclaimed. Now Sarah had another name to add to her hit list. That was assuming she ever got herself out of this mess.
“The best part is that she is unable to remove them herself,” Remus boasted. “When her new master signs the contract of purchase, he or she will be given full control over these restraints,” He then explained.
“This means that if something were to happen to the new master, or if she should be rescued in some way...there's way to free her from her bonds,” The Lord concluded. Sarah felt her heart sink upon hearing this. She was truly doomed now. The test subject of a prototype method to make someone a permanent slave.
“Where do you want her?” Remus asked.
“I don't want her damaged by the dungeons, so we can put her in one of the side guest rooms,” The Lord answered, and lead everyone down the hall on the left. He paused at a door, and it was opened. The room looked quite nice, but that image was quickly taken away by the intent of it. Sarah was hauled to the bed where she was placed upon it, and all she could do was watch in horror as other shackles were applied to her ankles, and chained to the bed.
“I think you'll make a fine wife for your new master,” The Lord mocked. Remus then snorted.
“Or a lover when the wife isn't around,” He then suggested. Everyone laughed at his joke, and then left the room.
Poor Sarah just laid on the bed, and thought to herself. How did she allow this to happen to her? It was such an obvious trap, and she fell for it. It was just like that time one of the elvish children hid a bucket of water on a half cracked door. She plotted revenge then too, but her mother stopped her.
“Awful things happen to people who allow feelings of revenge to cloud their judgment,” She had stated. Sure enough, Her mother was right. All she thought about was ruining another wagon owned by these humans, and it cost her the only thing she had left: Her freedom. She had now lost that too. This time due to her own rash actions. This thought was finally enough to break her, and she began crying into her pillow.
* * * *
“Well, why don't you and your men head to the tavern, and enjoy a much-deserved reward,” The Lord suggested.
“Will do, Lord Garret, Will do,” Remus said back. As the men all headed for the Tavern.
Unknown to Sarah's Captors, Around the corner, a well-dressed man was watching the entire affair. He turned down the hall, and entered a nearby closet. He pulled a small marble like crystal from his pocket.
“What do you have for us, Damion?” A voice asked.
“I took over for Lord Garret's Butler,” Damion answered. “We have a serious problem,” He then spoke into the crystal.
“William!” He heard Lord Garret call.
“Dammit, I have to go,” The Man in Disguise grunted. “I'll check back later tonight when he finally passes out from his ale,” He then stated, and put the crystal back in his pocket.
Part 3: In this par,t slavers find out that Karma is a hulking bitch.
Later that night...
“Rodney,” Damion said into the crystal, now that it was safe.
“I'm here Damion,” The Man named Rodney responded. “What do you have?”
“Okay, what we have a is a new magically enhanced restraint method that they are using,” Damion told him. “I watched them showing it off on an Elf Lady they caught,” He then added.
“Explain,” Rodney said back.
“It seems to respond to the captive, as if it's linked to them in some way,” Damion explained. “They were boasting about how whether the slave escapes or is rescued, it will still take effect, and only the contracted owner can ever remove them,” He then stated.
“I wanna kill every single fuckin one of um,” The gruff voice of Theon said.
“How does it work?” Rodney asked.
“I wasn't privy to all the details, but I do know that when the buyer signs the contract of purchase, that's when they get control of the whole thing,” Damion answered.
“Okay, Plan B it is,” Rodney stated. “Jayde, Theon and I will be ready tomorrow,” He told Damion. “When does the auction start?” He then asked,
“It starts at noon, and it's going to take place out of town, but i don't know where,” Damion said. “I'll try to relay this part as soon as I can,” He added.
“We'll be ready,” Rodney told him. With that, the Fake Butler put the crystal away, and headed up to his room to sleep for the night.
Morning...
Sarah was woken up by the morning sun piercing her eyes. She opened her eyes slowly, and looked down at her pillow to see tear stains on it. Her shoulders ached a bit which reminded her of her current situation. All she could do was sigh. She almost started sobbing again when she heard the door open. She saw the Butler walk in with a tray in his hand. Upon the tray was a wooden bowl.
“Relax, Dear, I'm here to feed you,” He stated. As he approached, Sarah got defensive, She scrunched her legs up against her chest, and a look of fear laced her eyes. The butler just set the tray on the bed beside her. She saw that it was filled with what looked like hydrated oats, and something brown glazing it.
The butler reached out his hand to untie the knot holding her gag in place. He looked quite puzzled when he felt around the back of her head, and instead of a knot, felt just the band of cloth. It was as if the two ends had fused together to form a tight fit.
“Okay then,” He said, sounding a bit annoyed. He simply pulled the front part of her gag down to free her mouth, and upon doing this, the gag came fully loose, and fell onto her thigh. The butler just blinked, and then took a spoonful of this unknown substance, and offered it to her.
“It's oats with brown sugar,” He told her. Sarah loosened her defensive position, and then cautiously accepted the spoonful. She was presently surprised to find that it tasted quite yummy. “Do you like it?” He then asked. Sarah thought for a moment, and then nodded yes. “Just don't tell them I added the brown sugar,” He then added, to which Sarah just nodded again.
The butler continued to spoon feed her, and she was about halfway done with her breakfast when another visitor had arrived. This one was far less pleasant.
“Thank you William,that will be all,” Remus stated. He was dressed in a fine tailored robe, and the mere sight of this disgusted Sarah greatly. The butler looked back to the man.
“Captain Remus, She's only half way-” The Butler started but Remus cut him off.
“I said that will be all,” The Captain stated again, and much more harshly. The Butler just sighed, and had no choice but to take the tray, and the food with it away. As The Butler passed, he paused.
“Word of advice Captain: Karma can be a big bitch,” He told him. Remus just smirked.
“Doesn't matter to me how big the bitch is. I'll fuck her all the same,” He stated proudly.
“Very well then,” The Butler said, and then walked off. Sarah's eyes never left the captain, as she curled up on the bed once again. The Captain just sat down beside her, and looked her in the eyes.
“Nothing to say?” He asked, noting that her gag had been removed, and yet she was silent. Sarah glared at him.
“I have nothing to say to you,” She hissed. Remus simply picked up the cloth.
“Good. I think an Elf Lady looks better with her mouth shut,” He said. With that, the cloth flew at her mouth, and pressed itself against her lips. Sarah let out a small “Mmp”, as the two tails snaked their way under her hair, and fused together behind her head to form a tight gag once again. Before she could react, Remus moved around behind her, and started to push her legs down. Sarah began to struggle, and the Captain forcefully pulled her head against his chest.
“Don't fight me,” He ordered, in a dangerous tone. Sarah, with a look of sorrow, nodded, and eased her legs down. Her naked breasts were once again on full display.
“These are wonderful,” Remus said, as he began to fondle her breasts. “why don't you just admit that you're enjoying this,” He then told her. This got a rise out of her, as she started struggling again.
“Ymn Mnmnll!” She seethed into her gag. The Captain simply held her firm, and began playing with each breast one at a time.
“It's a real shame I can't buy you,” He said. Sarah was almost relieved at hearing this. Just knowing that he was off the table of possible masters was almost a good feeling.
“What are you doing?” Lord Garret's Voice said, as he now entered the room.
“Just making sure everything is in working order,” Captain Remus answered.
“Uh huh,” Lord Garret said. “It's time, so we need to get her loaded up.
Sarah was unchained from the bed, and hauled out of the house to what looked like an armored wagon for transporting prisoners of war, or something of that nature. She was loaded into the back alone, and she soon felt herself moving along. There was only a barred window on the top of the wagon that served as her one view to the outside world. This was it. Her new life as a slave was about to begin, and she started sobbing again.
* * * *
Sarah had no idea what was going on, or what was around her, or how long the wagon had been moving. All she saw was the blue sky from the bared window on top of the wagon. The Wagon made a turn, and she could hear faint shouting in the distance. As the wagon rolled on, the shouting got louder, and she could here that it sounded like biddings. She just sighed. The Auction was already underway. She couldn't see what was happening. She could only hear it.
“Bidding will start at A hundred coins!” She heard a Man's voice yell. No one in the crowd responded for a few minutes. “Fifty coins!” He then tried. Still, no one responded. After another minute or two, Sarah heard, “Get rid of him!”
“No! Please! Don't kill me!” The Unwanted Slave pleaded, but it was likely he was taken away, because the next bidding began without a second thought given. Sarah's disdain for humans was growing by the second, but she couldn't help but feel a little bit sorry for that poor soul.
One by one, Slaves went up, and were sold off. A few more went sent away to be possibly executed as well. Sarah almost jumped when she saw Remus open the wagon doors. He had a bag, and a blanket in his hands. Two of his men entered the wagon, and roughly lifted to her feet. She mmphed a bit into her gag, as the men manhandled her up. The blanket was draped over her shoulders while the bag went over her head. She was then marched out into the open daylight.
With the bag over her head, she couldn't see a damn thing. She almost tripped on a wooden step, as she was marched on her way up to where the slaves were being presented.
“And now, I leave this one to our headmaster, Lord Garret,” the Auctioneer stated.
“Thank you,” Lord Garret said, in a tome that was equal parts gracious and slimy. “My Lords, and Ladies. I present to you all, our Main Prize,” He proudly stated. Sarah then felt the bag lifted off her head, and the sun hit her eyes. “An Elf Maiden!” He shouted.
Sarah blinked a bit, and then scanned her surroundings. She wasn't at the city anymore, and was taken to a ruined stone fort, and was standing on a wood platform that was likely placed here to stage the auction. A few guards dressed in plated armor, and carrying spears were posted around the platform, along with Captain Remus' Men while other guards were posted on the ruined wall with crossbows. Given where the sun was, Sarah had waited in that cart well into mid afternoon.
The crowd of possible buyers seemed unusually small for what she thought was a big moment. Perhaps the other buyers weren't interested, or maybe they knew they couldn't afford her. Never the less. One of these creatures was going to own her life now. She looked at each Lord with contempt as they looked back at her with greedy desire in their eyes.
“Bidding will start at five hundred!” Lord Garret stated. He barely finished when a hand shot up to begin the bidding process. Sarah continued to look on, as everyone was eager with desire to have her...Well, almost everyone.
Sarah noticed three individuals who didn't seem to have the same desire for her as everyone else. Two of them had on boring burlap cloaks, and stern looks on their faces. They were flanking another man who had on a dark cloak with a big cowled hood, and his face was hidden by the hood's shadow.
“Two Thousand!” Another bidder shouted. The Price had jumped a great deal in the last minute of action. Sarah's heart was racing. One of the other cloaked men began shifting across the crowd. For what purpose, she didn't know.
“Going once!” Lord Garret shouted. “Going Twice!” He then shouted. Sarah just closed her eyes. She didn't even know who put in the last bid, but she certainly knew who put in the next one...
“Five Thousand!” The Man with the Dark Cloak yelled. Everyone in the crowd looked at him in horror. He must have bid something beyond what they could pay. Even Lord Garret looked shocked. He must have never heard a number this high before. Lord Garret looked over the crowd, and based on their expressions, he knew he had a winner.
“Sold!” He shouted, in a boastful tone. All the other Bidders were left to leave in defeat, as this unknown person had beaten them. The man with the hood whispered something into the ear of the cloaked man who was still with him, but then continued forward. Lord Garret's butler decided to move aside, and beside where Captain Remus was standing. The Cowled Man pulled a pouch from under his cloak, and tossed it to Lord Garret's Feet. Lord Garret picked it up, and concluded that the value of the coins inside was enough for the purchase.
“Congratulations sir!” He praised. He snapped his finger, and Captain Remus handed him a small scroll. “Just sign on the bottom, and you have full control of her, and the restraints binding her,” Lord Garret stated. The man took the scroll, and with a simple quill, he signed his name. When Lord Garret looked at the scroll to see the name on it, His smile dropped. He turned white as a ghost, and dropped the scroll.
The Man unclasped his cloak, and let it fall to the ground to reveal a man wearing nothing but a cream colored shirt, and dark gray trousers. The Other Man beside him did same as well. He revealed all black attire with a black leather vest over his shirt.
“You,” Lord Garret wheezed.
“Kill them all, but Lord Garret stays alive,” Sarah's New Master commanded. Captain Remus drew a sword from it's sheath on his belt, but much to his surprise, Lord Garret's Butler pulled out a knife, and stabbed him in the back. All Remus could do was gasp, as The Butler leaned into his ear.
“Looks like the bitch fucked you, huh,” He said, but in a completely different voice. His form shimmered to reveal a short man also dressed in all black, and he had that same vest on as well. He then quickly threw the same knife into Sum's chest, as he tried to ready a spell.
All hell had broken loose. The Other Cloaked man threw off his cloak to show he had a crossbow of his own hidden under it, and began shooting the Crossbowmen on the walls. Sarah, being no idiot, ducked off the platform just as some shock wave like spell took effect, and knocked everyone else off of it. Still bound, gagged, and naked, She did her best to crawl underneath the platform, as it was her only defense. She couldn't help her curiosity though, as she peaked out to see what was happening.
Lord Garret had recovered from the blast of the shock wave, and ran inside the ruined fort. Remus' Killer saw him, and ran into the fort after him. The Big Man was making no attempt to avoid the bolts being fired at him. To Sarah's astonishment, he was barely moved as one struck him in the shoulder. He fired his crossbow at his attacker, and then simply yanked the bolt in his shoulder out without so much as a whimper. He then continued taking down the other archers.
Sarah then saw the other man in all black who looked like he was blurring in and out of reality, as he shimmered around his opponents. His strength and speed was beyond that of any human without magical assistance. He had no weapons either. He was fighting with just his bare fists. Sarah's attention then turned back to Her New Master who had just obliterated the remaining crossbowmen on the other wall. The two men in vests were cleaning up the remaining guards while The Sorcerer and was now facing Shu.
Spell after spell was bouncing off each Spell Caster's defenses. The Unknown Caster seemed to be using impact spells, and that seemed to be what Shu was defending against. His opponent seemed to catch onto this, as after he fired a simple ice shard, he then readied something else. With a finger, he drew what looked like a rune in the palm of his other hand. He then trust the rune forward while calling out,
“SLEEP!”
This must have been a different kind of spell, because Shu had to drop his current defensive shield, and barely spoke a new one up inside the nick of time. For a few seconds, both spells seemed to be fighting for supremacy. With one more burst of energy, Shu's shield finally won out, and The Other Caster's spell was deflected...right in Sarah's direction.
Sarah barely had time to realize that the spell was headed for her. Her eyes went wide just as the spell hit her. It didn't strike her though. It seemed to wash over her like a small stream of water. She then felt her eyes grow heavy, and everything went dark around her as she felt herself slumping to the ground.
“Shit,” Rodney said. This distraction was enough to give Shu his advantage. Rodney soon felt a bolt of fire pierce his chest. The force was enough to knock him down. Rodney held his chest in pain, as Shu approached him. As Shu readied another spell, a crossbow bolt flew across the field, and hit him square in the heart. He gasped but once, as he fell to the ground. Rodney just breathed a sigh of relief, as Theon came into view to help his friend up.
“Thank you,” Rodney said to him, and Theon nodded. All three men then turned their attention to the collateral damage.
“Oh no,” Jayde sighed, as He, Theon, and Rodney slumped over the unconscious elf who got caught by the sleep word spell.
“She'll be fine,” Rodney said, in an assuring tone.
“How long will she be out?” Theon asked.
“Likely till tomorrow morning,” Rodney answered. They were soon interrupted by the sound of the fort doors being opened, and Lord Garret sailing out the doorway as if thrown by a small catapult. He looked pretty beaten up too.
“He thought he could hide behind a door, and cheap shot me!” Damion called, as he strutted his way out of the fort. Rodney readied another Sleep Word, and hit Lord Garret with it. He then fell to a knee. Jayde put a hand on his friend's shoulder, but Rodney just held his hand up to show he was fine. It was clear that this battle took a lot out of him.
“Damion, You and Theon stay behind, and find what evidence you can here,” Rodney instructed.
“Might also want to check his home back in town for evidence too,” Theon then suggested. Rodney nodded in agreement.
“And money,” Damion then chimed. Rodney just rolled his eyes.
“Yes, and money,” He agreed, though it almost sounded grudging.
“I'll take him,” Jayde said, as he lifted Lord Garret's limp body onto his shoulder as casually as a sack of potatoes. Rodney nodded, and then waved his finger a few times. A portal opened in front of them, and showed what looked like a luxurious abode waiting on the other side. Rodney cradled Sarah in his arms. Both men then crossed through the portal to the other side. The Portal closed behind them, and the only thing left on the scene was the massacre these four had conducted.
Later that night...
“Rodney,” Damion said into the crystal, now that it was safe.
“I'm here Damion,” The Man named Rodney responded. “What do you have?”
“Okay, what we have a is a new magically enhanced restraint method that they are using,” Damion told him. “I watched them showing it off on an Elf Lady they caught,” He then added.
“Explain,” Rodney said back.
“It seems to respond to the captive, as if it's linked to them in some way,” Damion explained. “They were boasting about how whether the slave escapes or is rescued, it will still take effect, and only the contracted owner can ever remove them,” He then stated.
“I wanna kill every single fuckin one of um,” The gruff voice of Theon said.
“How does it work?” Rodney asked.
“I wasn't privy to all the details, but I do know that when the buyer signs the contract of purchase, that's when they get control of the whole thing,” Damion answered.
“Okay, Plan B it is,” Rodney stated. “Jayde, Theon and I will be ready tomorrow,” He told Damion. “When does the auction start?” He then asked,
“It starts at noon, and it's going to take place out of town, but i don't know where,” Damion said. “I'll try to relay this part as soon as I can,” He added.
“We'll be ready,” Rodney told him. With that, the Fake Butler put the crystal away, and headed up to his room to sleep for the night.
Morning...
Sarah was woken up by the morning sun piercing her eyes. She opened her eyes slowly, and looked down at her pillow to see tear stains on it. Her shoulders ached a bit which reminded her of her current situation. All she could do was sigh. She almost started sobbing again when she heard the door open. She saw the Butler walk in with a tray in his hand. Upon the tray was a wooden bowl.
“Relax, Dear, I'm here to feed you,” He stated. As he approached, Sarah got defensive, She scrunched her legs up against her chest, and a look of fear laced her eyes. The butler just set the tray on the bed beside her. She saw that it was filled with what looked like hydrated oats, and something brown glazing it.
The butler reached out his hand to untie the knot holding her gag in place. He looked quite puzzled when he felt around the back of her head, and instead of a knot, felt just the band of cloth. It was as if the two ends had fused together to form a tight fit.
“Okay then,” He said, sounding a bit annoyed. He simply pulled the front part of her gag down to free her mouth, and upon doing this, the gag came fully loose, and fell onto her thigh. The butler just blinked, and then took a spoonful of this unknown substance, and offered it to her.
“It's oats with brown sugar,” He told her. Sarah loosened her defensive position, and then cautiously accepted the spoonful. She was presently surprised to find that it tasted quite yummy. “Do you like it?” He then asked. Sarah thought for a moment, and then nodded yes. “Just don't tell them I added the brown sugar,” He then added, to which Sarah just nodded again.
The butler continued to spoon feed her, and she was about halfway done with her breakfast when another visitor had arrived. This one was far less pleasant.
“Thank you William,that will be all,” Remus stated. He was dressed in a fine tailored robe, and the mere sight of this disgusted Sarah greatly. The butler looked back to the man.
“Captain Remus, She's only half way-” The Butler started but Remus cut him off.
“I said that will be all,” The Captain stated again, and much more harshly. The Butler just sighed, and had no choice but to take the tray, and the food with it away. As The Butler passed, he paused.
“Word of advice Captain: Karma can be a big bitch,” He told him. Remus just smirked.
“Doesn't matter to me how big the bitch is. I'll fuck her all the same,” He stated proudly.
“Very well then,” The Butler said, and then walked off. Sarah's eyes never left the captain, as she curled up on the bed once again. The Captain just sat down beside her, and looked her in the eyes.
“Nothing to say?” He asked, noting that her gag had been removed, and yet she was silent. Sarah glared at him.
“I have nothing to say to you,” She hissed. Remus simply picked up the cloth.
“Good. I think an Elf Lady looks better with her mouth shut,” He said. With that, the cloth flew at her mouth, and pressed itself against her lips. Sarah let out a small “Mmp”, as the two tails snaked their way under her hair, and fused together behind her head to form a tight gag once again. Before she could react, Remus moved around behind her, and started to push her legs down. Sarah began to struggle, and the Captain forcefully pulled her head against his chest.
“Don't fight me,” He ordered, in a dangerous tone. Sarah, with a look of sorrow, nodded, and eased her legs down. Her naked breasts were once again on full display.
“These are wonderful,” Remus said, as he began to fondle her breasts. “why don't you just admit that you're enjoying this,” He then told her. This got a rise out of her, as she started struggling again.
“Ymn Mnmnll!” She seethed into her gag. The Captain simply held her firm, and began playing with each breast one at a time.
“It's a real shame I can't buy you,” He said. Sarah was almost relieved at hearing this. Just knowing that he was off the table of possible masters was almost a good feeling.
“What are you doing?” Lord Garret's Voice said, as he now entered the room.
“Just making sure everything is in working order,” Captain Remus answered.
“Uh huh,” Lord Garret said. “It's time, so we need to get her loaded up.
Sarah was unchained from the bed, and hauled out of the house to what looked like an armored wagon for transporting prisoners of war, or something of that nature. She was loaded into the back alone, and she soon felt herself moving along. There was only a barred window on the top of the wagon that served as her one view to the outside world. This was it. Her new life as a slave was about to begin, and she started sobbing again.
* * * *
Sarah had no idea what was going on, or what was around her, or how long the wagon had been moving. All she saw was the blue sky from the bared window on top of the wagon. The Wagon made a turn, and she could hear faint shouting in the distance. As the wagon rolled on, the shouting got louder, and she could here that it sounded like biddings. She just sighed. The Auction was already underway. She couldn't see what was happening. She could only hear it.
“Bidding will start at A hundred coins!” She heard a Man's voice yell. No one in the crowd responded for a few minutes. “Fifty coins!” He then tried. Still, no one responded. After another minute or two, Sarah heard, “Get rid of him!”
“No! Please! Don't kill me!” The Unwanted Slave pleaded, but it was likely he was taken away, because the next bidding began without a second thought given. Sarah's disdain for humans was growing by the second, but she couldn't help but feel a little bit sorry for that poor soul.
One by one, Slaves went up, and were sold off. A few more went sent away to be possibly executed as well. Sarah almost jumped when she saw Remus open the wagon doors. He had a bag, and a blanket in his hands. Two of his men entered the wagon, and roughly lifted to her feet. She mmphed a bit into her gag, as the men manhandled her up. The blanket was draped over her shoulders while the bag went over her head. She was then marched out into the open daylight.
With the bag over her head, she couldn't see a damn thing. She almost tripped on a wooden step, as she was marched on her way up to where the slaves were being presented.
“And now, I leave this one to our headmaster, Lord Garret,” the Auctioneer stated.
“Thank you,” Lord Garret said, in a tome that was equal parts gracious and slimy. “My Lords, and Ladies. I present to you all, our Main Prize,” He proudly stated. Sarah then felt the bag lifted off her head, and the sun hit her eyes. “An Elf Maiden!” He shouted.
Sarah blinked a bit, and then scanned her surroundings. She wasn't at the city anymore, and was taken to a ruined stone fort, and was standing on a wood platform that was likely placed here to stage the auction. A few guards dressed in plated armor, and carrying spears were posted around the platform, along with Captain Remus' Men while other guards were posted on the ruined wall with crossbows. Given where the sun was, Sarah had waited in that cart well into mid afternoon.
The crowd of possible buyers seemed unusually small for what she thought was a big moment. Perhaps the other buyers weren't interested, or maybe they knew they couldn't afford her. Never the less. One of these creatures was going to own her life now. She looked at each Lord with contempt as they looked back at her with greedy desire in their eyes.
“Bidding will start at five hundred!” Lord Garret stated. He barely finished when a hand shot up to begin the bidding process. Sarah continued to look on, as everyone was eager with desire to have her...Well, almost everyone.
Sarah noticed three individuals who didn't seem to have the same desire for her as everyone else. Two of them had on boring burlap cloaks, and stern looks on their faces. They were flanking another man who had on a dark cloak with a big cowled hood, and his face was hidden by the hood's shadow.
“Two Thousand!” Another bidder shouted. The Price had jumped a great deal in the last minute of action. Sarah's heart was racing. One of the other cloaked men began shifting across the crowd. For what purpose, she didn't know.
“Going once!” Lord Garret shouted. “Going Twice!” He then shouted. Sarah just closed her eyes. She didn't even know who put in the last bid, but she certainly knew who put in the next one...
“Five Thousand!” The Man with the Dark Cloak yelled. Everyone in the crowd looked at him in horror. He must have bid something beyond what they could pay. Even Lord Garret looked shocked. He must have never heard a number this high before. Lord Garret looked over the crowd, and based on their expressions, he knew he had a winner.
“Sold!” He shouted, in a boastful tone. All the other Bidders were left to leave in defeat, as this unknown person had beaten them. The man with the hood whispered something into the ear of the cloaked man who was still with him, but then continued forward. Lord Garret's butler decided to move aside, and beside where Captain Remus was standing. The Cowled Man pulled a pouch from under his cloak, and tossed it to Lord Garret's Feet. Lord Garret picked it up, and concluded that the value of the coins inside was enough for the purchase.
“Congratulations sir!” He praised. He snapped his finger, and Captain Remus handed him a small scroll. “Just sign on the bottom, and you have full control of her, and the restraints binding her,” Lord Garret stated. The man took the scroll, and with a simple quill, he signed his name. When Lord Garret looked at the scroll to see the name on it, His smile dropped. He turned white as a ghost, and dropped the scroll.
The Man unclasped his cloak, and let it fall to the ground to reveal a man wearing nothing but a cream colored shirt, and dark gray trousers. The Other Man beside him did same as well. He revealed all black attire with a black leather vest over his shirt.
“You,” Lord Garret wheezed.
“Kill them all, but Lord Garret stays alive,” Sarah's New Master commanded. Captain Remus drew a sword from it's sheath on his belt, but much to his surprise, Lord Garret's Butler pulled out a knife, and stabbed him in the back. All Remus could do was gasp, as The Butler leaned into his ear.
“Looks like the bitch fucked you, huh,” He said, but in a completely different voice. His form shimmered to reveal a short man also dressed in all black, and he had that same vest on as well. He then quickly threw the same knife into Sum's chest, as he tried to ready a spell.
All hell had broken loose. The Other Cloaked man threw off his cloak to show he had a crossbow of his own hidden under it, and began shooting the Crossbowmen on the walls. Sarah, being no idiot, ducked off the platform just as some shock wave like spell took effect, and knocked everyone else off of it. Still bound, gagged, and naked, She did her best to crawl underneath the platform, as it was her only defense. She couldn't help her curiosity though, as she peaked out to see what was happening.
Lord Garret had recovered from the blast of the shock wave, and ran inside the ruined fort. Remus' Killer saw him, and ran into the fort after him. The Big Man was making no attempt to avoid the bolts being fired at him. To Sarah's astonishment, he was barely moved as one struck him in the shoulder. He fired his crossbow at his attacker, and then simply yanked the bolt in his shoulder out without so much as a whimper. He then continued taking down the other archers.
Sarah then saw the other man in all black who looked like he was blurring in and out of reality, as he shimmered around his opponents. His strength and speed was beyond that of any human without magical assistance. He had no weapons either. He was fighting with just his bare fists. Sarah's attention then turned back to Her New Master who had just obliterated the remaining crossbowmen on the other wall. The two men in vests were cleaning up the remaining guards while The Sorcerer and was now facing Shu.
Spell after spell was bouncing off each Spell Caster's defenses. The Unknown Caster seemed to be using impact spells, and that seemed to be what Shu was defending against. His opponent seemed to catch onto this, as after he fired a simple ice shard, he then readied something else. With a finger, he drew what looked like a rune in the palm of his other hand. He then trust the rune forward while calling out,
“SLEEP!”
This must have been a different kind of spell, because Shu had to drop his current defensive shield, and barely spoke a new one up inside the nick of time. For a few seconds, both spells seemed to be fighting for supremacy. With one more burst of energy, Shu's shield finally won out, and The Other Caster's spell was deflected...right in Sarah's direction.
Sarah barely had time to realize that the spell was headed for her. Her eyes went wide just as the spell hit her. It didn't strike her though. It seemed to wash over her like a small stream of water. She then felt her eyes grow heavy, and everything went dark around her as she felt herself slumping to the ground.
“Shit,” Rodney said. This distraction was enough to give Shu his advantage. Rodney soon felt a bolt of fire pierce his chest. The force was enough to knock him down. Rodney held his chest in pain, as Shu approached him. As Shu readied another spell, a crossbow bolt flew across the field, and hit him square in the heart. He gasped but once, as he fell to the ground. Rodney just breathed a sigh of relief, as Theon came into view to help his friend up.
“Thank you,” Rodney said to him, and Theon nodded. All three men then turned their attention to the collateral damage.
“Oh no,” Jayde sighed, as He, Theon, and Rodney slumped over the unconscious elf who got caught by the sleep word spell.
“She'll be fine,” Rodney said, in an assuring tone.
“How long will she be out?” Theon asked.
“Likely till tomorrow morning,” Rodney answered. They were soon interrupted by the sound of the fort doors being opened, and Lord Garret sailing out the doorway as if thrown by a small catapult. He looked pretty beaten up too.
“He thought he could hide behind a door, and cheap shot me!” Damion called, as he strutted his way out of the fort. Rodney readied another Sleep Word, and hit Lord Garret with it. He then fell to a knee. Jayde put a hand on his friend's shoulder, but Rodney just held his hand up to show he was fine. It was clear that this battle took a lot out of him.
“Damion, You and Theon stay behind, and find what evidence you can here,” Rodney instructed.
“Might also want to check his home back in town for evidence too,” Theon then suggested. Rodney nodded in agreement.
“And money,” Damion then chimed. Rodney just rolled his eyes.
“Yes, and money,” He agreed, though it almost sounded grudging.
“I'll take him,” Jayde said, as he lifted Lord Garret's limp body onto his shoulder as casually as a sack of potatoes. Rodney nodded, and then waved his finger a few times. A portal opened in front of them, and showed what looked like a luxurious abode waiting on the other side. Rodney cradled Sarah in his arms. Both men then crossed through the portal to the other side. The Portal closed behind them, and the only thing left on the scene was the massacre these four had conducted.
-
FabianStr2016
- Centennial Club
- Posts: 206
- Joined: 6 years ago
Very nice story idea, I'm exited what will come next!
Part 4: In this part, Sarah has justified trust issues.
Rodney placed Sarah on a Sofa, as Jayde dumped his prisoner onto the floor, and rushed over to the kitchen to get some water. It was within this time, a smartly dressed man with a fine trimmed beard came rushing down a spiral staircase located in the corner of the stone wall.
“Good heavens,” He said, as he paused, and looked upon the scene in front of him. “What happened?” He then asked.
“Sleep Word, Mortimer,” Rodney answered. “Mine got deflected by an arcane defense I hadn't seen before, and it hit her,” He then explained. Jayde soon arrived with a small bowl filled with water, and a cloth inside it. Rodney set the bowl on a nearby end table, and began wiping The Elf's forehead with it.
“How did it effect her?” Mortimer then asked. “I thought elves had resilience to sleeping effects,” He then added.
“Maybe something on that defense rubbed off on it,” Rodney suggested. “Your guess is as good as mine at this point,” He then sighed.
“The point is: She's safe now, although, we do need to find a way to get those things off of her,” Jayde stated, as he pointed to the bindings that still enslaved her.
“Yes, indeed,” Rodney agreed, as he searched around his New Slave's Bindings. “How did Damion remove them when he was feeding her?” He asked. Jayde pulled his crystal out.
“Damion!” He said firmly.
“Yeah!” Damion answered back.
“How did you remove the bindings off of her when you were disguised as the butler?” Jayde asked him.
“I just pulled the gag down, and it unraveled itself,” Damion answered. “She can't escape them herself. They have to be removed by someone else, and judging from what we saw in the contract signing, I think only Lord Rodney can do it,” He then explained. Jayde put his crystal away, and looked to Lord Rodney. Rodney just shrugged, and pulled on the cloth covering the Maiden's mouth. Sure enough, it fell loose on her shoulders, and was lifted free.
“Wow,” Mortimer said, now seeing The Elf's beautiful lips.
“From what I heard from Damion, her eyes are even more beautiful,” Jayde told him. Mortimer just smirked, as Lord Rodney then tried to do the same thing with the shackles. He tugged on the cuffs clamped down on her wrists but nothing happened. He then tugged on the chain link, and at that point, the cuffs unlocked, and lifted from her wrists.
“Okay then,” Lord Rodney stated, as he took hold of the bindings. “Mortimer, can you help get her cleaned up, and get something to cover herself with?” Lord Rodney then asked.
“Right away,” Mortimer stated, and then cradled the unconscious elf in his arms. Jayde hoisted his captive back on his shoulders, and headed for a door that lead to a downstairs location.
“I'm gonna head down to my Lab to find out what makes these things tick,” Lord Rodney stated, holding aloft the bindings.
“Very good, Sir,” The Butler stated.
* * * *
Mortimer took Sarah to one of Keep's Wings, and set her down gently inside what looked like a tub carved from stone, and layered with granite. He turned a valve, and water came rushing into the tub from a nearby pipe. The water was cold, and a little murky, but Mortimer was quick to fix that. He touched a blue gem at the tub's edge, and it glowed vibrantly. One would be able to see all impurities being drawn out, and leaving behind crystal clear water. He also spoke a single word, and his hand glowed orange for a moment or two. He placed his hand into the water, and it had warmed up to a suitable temperature.
Mortimer departed briefly, and returned with a small bowl filled with a cloth and a bar of soap. He ran the cloth through the water, and then mixed some of the soap onto it. He then began to slowly and thoroughly scrub every bit of dirt, grime, and dust off of Sarah's body. He couldn't help but smirk a bit as he gave her naked breasts the scrubbing they deserved.
“My my,” He said, but then caught himself. “Oh, um, my apologies, M'lady,” He then said, almost as a reaction, even though Sarah couldn't hear him. He then proceeded to run soap on his fingers, and clean out her hair as well. Running his soapy hands through as many strands as he could take hold of to ensure it was left perfect and shining.
Mortimer left the room, and opened a drawer from a table right outside. He pulled out a fresh towel, and took it back to the lovely maiden. He gently pulled her out of the tub, and began to dry her off. He then carried her up a flight of stairs in one of the Keep's Towers. At the top was a large well furnished bedroom. He laid her upon the bed, and then walked over to the wardrobe, as Lord Rodney opened the door.
“How's she doing?” He asked.
“Still out like a candle,” Mortimer answered. “Any luck on your end?” He then asked.
“Until Theon and Damion get back with further info, I don't dare try to fiddle with those things. They're protected against scrying, and likely intrusion as well. If I try to manipulate something without knowing it's source, I could very well kill her,” Lord Rodney explained.
“How would it kill her?” Mortimer asked.
“These things were linked to her when she was captured. They used some part of her to do it, I have to remove the link before I can destroy the enchantment. I can't do that until I know what was used, and the magic used to bind it to these things,” Lord Rodney told him.
“In other words: Our guest is going to be with us for quite a while,” Mortimer surmised. Lord Rodney sighed, and nodded.
“I'm afraid so,” Lord Rodney stated. He then looked to the naked beauty still fast asleep on the bed. She looked so fair, and so peaceful. “Make her as comfortable as you can, and have some chicken soup ready for when she wakes up,” Lord Rodney then instructed.
“Yes sir,” Mortimer acknowledged. As Lord Rodney left the room, Mortimer pulled out a white gown with long sleeves, and a deep neckline. Mortimer carefully slipped it onto Sarah's body, and then laid the covers over her. He made sure any and all candles were out before closing the door, and allowing her to sleep for the night.
* * * *
Sarah woke up slowly the next morning. Her eyes felt groggy, and it took a few moments for her surroundings to properly come into view. She was definitely not in Lord Garret's guest room, but she didn't think she was better off given that someone had bought her at the auction. That mess was such a blur she couldn't even recount it properly. She remembered the buyer demanding everyone at the auction dead, but that didn't make her trust him. In fact, she trusted him less.
Sarah lifted the covers off of herself, and it was only now she realized that the shackles had been removed. She looked at her wrists, and saw no steal clamps upon them. She rubbed her mouth to find no cloth covering it. Sarah just sat in the bed, and blinked. She then looked over to the window, and saw it was early morning again.
She got out of bed, and passed by a standing mirror. Someone had gone to great lengths to clean her up, because all the dirt and dust that had clung to her during the auction and the fight had been removed. She could finally see her own beauty again. Her New Master was even nice enough to give her a gown to wear. Sarah walked away from the mirror, and looked out the window. She could make out what looked like a human town in the near distance, and she could hear birds singing happily within the thick and tall trees. She couldn't help but notice that these humans did seem to respect nature a bit more than her previous host.
Sarah walked over to the door, and tested it, for surely it was locked tighter than a merchant's purse. Very much to her surprise, it was not locked. The door swung wide open. Was her Captor stupid, or was he so powerful and confident that he didn't need to? Or perhaps, was there something else in play that she didn't know about yet. She didn't want to test it. Her bonds had obviously been shed, and she didn't see anyone else around. It was now or never.
Sarah crept her way out of the room, and down a hall. She opened another door, but then quickly closed it enough to ensure it wasn't heard. Through the crack, she spotted what looked like The Butler heading down a flight of stairs. She knew she needed to follow him, but she also had to keep a fair distance so that she wasn't heard. She padded her way down the stairs, and found she was in a large central room with many weapons, armors, and shields on display across the walls. These looked to be more for decoration than anything else, as none of them were within reach. She crept her way across the room to a very large oak door that was surely the exit to this place. Freedom was but a few steps away.
“Oh, hello,” A voice said from her left. Her eyes darted to the source, and she saw one of the men who was present at the auction. He was only a little bit taller than her. He was the stern one who was blurring in and out of reality during the fight. Sarah looked like a fawn who was spotted by a coyote. She looked around for anything she could use to defend herself. She saw that one plaque of swords was actually within reach. She rushed over to it, and pulled a sword from it. Without a word, she held it in a defensive position.
“Whoa, easy, i'm not gonna hurt ya,” The stranger insisted, holding his hands out to show he meant her no harm. Sarah didn't change her posture at all. A harsh glare adorned her face, and both eyes were locked on the stranger. The Butler had just returned to the room, and he dropped what looked like a towel on the floor when he saw The Elf holding the sword.
“Oh dear,” He said.
“Just stay there, Mortimer,” The Stranger instructed. “Give her space,” He then added. Mortimer nodded, and just folded his hands in front of him. Sarah continued to inch towards the large door. Her eyes would dart from Moritmer, and then to the other man. No movement from either of them, or someone was going to lose a limb. Sarah inched towards the door again, and it was at this time, a rush of wind could be heard from below. A few snapping sounds soon followed. All three people in the main hall now looked quite worried.
A door close by to the first stranger blasted open with shards of wood flying in a fan in front of it.
“What the!” He yelled, as something had flown through it. Sarah spotted what it was. It was her bindings from before. She swung with the sword to slice the cloth. The sword made contact, but the cloth remained unscathed. The cloth once again wrapped itself over her mouth, and sealed her lips shut.
“Mmmpphh!” She cried, as she dropped the sword to pry the gag off. The cloth didn't budge. She soon felt the shackles clamping down on her wrists again. The chain condensed, and soon her hands were firmly bound behind her back again. She struggled against them to no avail while the two men could only watch in stunned silence at what they had just seen. They now knew the full extent of how dangerous these were in the hands of slavers.
“So that's how they work,” Mortimer said, with a tone of disgust in his voice. A new set of footsteps could be heard from behind where the bindings flew from. The footsteps were accompanied by a fair amount of cursing as well. Sarah looked up to see the face of the Man who bought her. She did her best to show no fear, but it wasn't really working. The men could see her stomach lurch as she was trying to hold back tears.
“So that's why they took off,” The New Man in the Room sighed. He then saw the sword on the ground beside her. He then nodded, as the evidence made sense. He then turned to face the other two men.
“Yeah, that's what we're up against,” The First Man stated.
“Indeed,” The Master agreed. He then said the very last thing Sarah expected to hear. “We have to make sure that no one else gets hit by this fowl magic. Send word to our northern allies, and let them know what is currently happening,” He then said to the fighter.
“Right,” The fighter responded. “What about her?” He then asked. The Master just shrugged.
“Hopefully she'll let me take those off of her, so I can get back to studying them,” He said. Sarah's Master then looked at her. Sarah's breathing intensified, as she did was shake her head no. She was not about to let this strange man anywhere near her.
“It's okay, My Dear, We're trying to help you,” Mortimer said, in a reassuring tone. The Master stopped his approach when he saw her breathing get higher again. Any higher, and she could have a panic attack.
“I don't think she's in a trusting mood, Mortimer,” The Master said. He then just held up his hands, and sat down on the stone floor in front of her. His attention was now on her again. His eyes were no longer filled with the fury she had seen before. They were kind and gentle. “And you have no right to,” He then told her. Again, she couldn't hold back the tears any longer, as she was slowly beginning to sob.
“I don't really know how to tell you this, so I'll just say it: My Name is Lord Rodney, and you are not a slave,” He then stated. Much to his relief, The Elf appeared to calm down a bit upon hearing this. “When my contacts told me about this new weapon that the slave lords in Baron Henry's Lands had obtained, I set out to stop it before anyone else could be harmed,” He then told her. “I bought you, so that no one else could,” He explained. “I'm trying to find out how those things are linked to you so that I can remove the fowl enchantment placed on them, and set you free,” He then revealed. Sarah just blinked at him.
The delicacy of the moment was shattered by a back door slamming open, and a shorter man who was dressed very similar to the fighter walked in. The same man who stabbed the man who Sarah had scarred earlier.
“Okay boss, I have some good news concern-I'll come back later,” He started, but upon seeing what was taking place, he turned on his heal and left immediately. Sarah's Master looked back to her.
“Will you let me take those off of you so can find the source of the magic within them?” He asked her. Sarah's tearful eyes met his, and at long lost, She nodded yes. Both of them got up off the floor, and Sarah turned around, so that her chains could be removed. She winced at his touch, as she was completely at his mercy. He could do whatever he wanted to her regardless of what he says. Sure enough, he was true to his word. She felt her chains fall from her wrists, and the gag soon followed.
“I'm Lord Rodney of Gray Fields, but just Rodney will do,” Her Master stated. All she did was nod. Rodney then gestured to the Fighter. “This is Jayde, Captain of my liberation team, and the other one is Mortimer, My butler,” He then introduced. The Man called Jayde just gave a nervous wave to her while Mortimer gave her a polite bow. “What's your name, My Lady?” He then asked. Sarah just looked into his eyes again, and gave no answer. Rodney could take a hint. He just sighed and nodded.
“I'll show her around the castle, so you can get back to work, sir,” Mortimer then offered.
“Thank you, Mortimer,” Rodney said. Sarah again, said nothing, and with a scowl, nodded in agreement. What other choice did she have? He could say she wasn't a slave all he wanted, but those magic bindings made her a slave regardless. They didn't deserve to hear her voice. They didn't deserve to know her name.
“The Keep is your home now, so you can go anywhere you like, although if you have to enter The Master's Laboratory, you'll need to knock first,” Mortimer informed her, as he walked ahead of her to show her around. “As long as he's inside, you may enter,” Mortimer then explained. Sarah just nodded in a grudging manner. She couldn't deny that her new hosts were far more hospitable than her last ones.
“Is it safe now?” A muffled voice asked from behind the door that was opened. Mortimer then opened it to reveal the short man from before.
“Yes, it's safe now,” Mortimer said, in a ruffled tone. “He's in the laboratory,” He then added, as he then proceeded to show Sarah her new living conditions.
Rodney placed Sarah on a Sofa, as Jayde dumped his prisoner onto the floor, and rushed over to the kitchen to get some water. It was within this time, a smartly dressed man with a fine trimmed beard came rushing down a spiral staircase located in the corner of the stone wall.
“Good heavens,” He said, as he paused, and looked upon the scene in front of him. “What happened?” He then asked.
“Sleep Word, Mortimer,” Rodney answered. “Mine got deflected by an arcane defense I hadn't seen before, and it hit her,” He then explained. Jayde soon arrived with a small bowl filled with water, and a cloth inside it. Rodney set the bowl on a nearby end table, and began wiping The Elf's forehead with it.
“How did it effect her?” Mortimer then asked. “I thought elves had resilience to sleeping effects,” He then added.
“Maybe something on that defense rubbed off on it,” Rodney suggested. “Your guess is as good as mine at this point,” He then sighed.
“The point is: She's safe now, although, we do need to find a way to get those things off of her,” Jayde stated, as he pointed to the bindings that still enslaved her.
“Yes, indeed,” Rodney agreed, as he searched around his New Slave's Bindings. “How did Damion remove them when he was feeding her?” He asked. Jayde pulled his crystal out.
“Damion!” He said firmly.
“Yeah!” Damion answered back.
“How did you remove the bindings off of her when you were disguised as the butler?” Jayde asked him.
“I just pulled the gag down, and it unraveled itself,” Damion answered. “She can't escape them herself. They have to be removed by someone else, and judging from what we saw in the contract signing, I think only Lord Rodney can do it,” He then explained. Jayde put his crystal away, and looked to Lord Rodney. Rodney just shrugged, and pulled on the cloth covering the Maiden's mouth. Sure enough, it fell loose on her shoulders, and was lifted free.
“Wow,” Mortimer said, now seeing The Elf's beautiful lips.
“From what I heard from Damion, her eyes are even more beautiful,” Jayde told him. Mortimer just smirked, as Lord Rodney then tried to do the same thing with the shackles. He tugged on the cuffs clamped down on her wrists but nothing happened. He then tugged on the chain link, and at that point, the cuffs unlocked, and lifted from her wrists.
“Okay then,” Lord Rodney stated, as he took hold of the bindings. “Mortimer, can you help get her cleaned up, and get something to cover herself with?” Lord Rodney then asked.
“Right away,” Mortimer stated, and then cradled the unconscious elf in his arms. Jayde hoisted his captive back on his shoulders, and headed for a door that lead to a downstairs location.
“I'm gonna head down to my Lab to find out what makes these things tick,” Lord Rodney stated, holding aloft the bindings.
“Very good, Sir,” The Butler stated.
* * * *
Mortimer took Sarah to one of Keep's Wings, and set her down gently inside what looked like a tub carved from stone, and layered with granite. He turned a valve, and water came rushing into the tub from a nearby pipe. The water was cold, and a little murky, but Mortimer was quick to fix that. He touched a blue gem at the tub's edge, and it glowed vibrantly. One would be able to see all impurities being drawn out, and leaving behind crystal clear water. He also spoke a single word, and his hand glowed orange for a moment or two. He placed his hand into the water, and it had warmed up to a suitable temperature.
Mortimer departed briefly, and returned with a small bowl filled with a cloth and a bar of soap. He ran the cloth through the water, and then mixed some of the soap onto it. He then began to slowly and thoroughly scrub every bit of dirt, grime, and dust off of Sarah's body. He couldn't help but smirk a bit as he gave her naked breasts the scrubbing they deserved.
“My my,” He said, but then caught himself. “Oh, um, my apologies, M'lady,” He then said, almost as a reaction, even though Sarah couldn't hear him. He then proceeded to run soap on his fingers, and clean out her hair as well. Running his soapy hands through as many strands as he could take hold of to ensure it was left perfect and shining.
Mortimer left the room, and opened a drawer from a table right outside. He pulled out a fresh towel, and took it back to the lovely maiden. He gently pulled her out of the tub, and began to dry her off. He then carried her up a flight of stairs in one of the Keep's Towers. At the top was a large well furnished bedroom. He laid her upon the bed, and then walked over to the wardrobe, as Lord Rodney opened the door.
“How's she doing?” He asked.
“Still out like a candle,” Mortimer answered. “Any luck on your end?” He then asked.
“Until Theon and Damion get back with further info, I don't dare try to fiddle with those things. They're protected against scrying, and likely intrusion as well. If I try to manipulate something without knowing it's source, I could very well kill her,” Lord Rodney explained.
“How would it kill her?” Mortimer asked.
“These things were linked to her when she was captured. They used some part of her to do it, I have to remove the link before I can destroy the enchantment. I can't do that until I know what was used, and the magic used to bind it to these things,” Lord Rodney told him.
“In other words: Our guest is going to be with us for quite a while,” Mortimer surmised. Lord Rodney sighed, and nodded.
“I'm afraid so,” Lord Rodney stated. He then looked to the naked beauty still fast asleep on the bed. She looked so fair, and so peaceful. “Make her as comfortable as you can, and have some chicken soup ready for when she wakes up,” Lord Rodney then instructed.
“Yes sir,” Mortimer acknowledged. As Lord Rodney left the room, Mortimer pulled out a white gown with long sleeves, and a deep neckline. Mortimer carefully slipped it onto Sarah's body, and then laid the covers over her. He made sure any and all candles were out before closing the door, and allowing her to sleep for the night.
* * * *
Sarah woke up slowly the next morning. Her eyes felt groggy, and it took a few moments for her surroundings to properly come into view. She was definitely not in Lord Garret's guest room, but she didn't think she was better off given that someone had bought her at the auction. That mess was such a blur she couldn't even recount it properly. She remembered the buyer demanding everyone at the auction dead, but that didn't make her trust him. In fact, she trusted him less.
Sarah lifted the covers off of herself, and it was only now she realized that the shackles had been removed. She looked at her wrists, and saw no steal clamps upon them. She rubbed her mouth to find no cloth covering it. Sarah just sat in the bed, and blinked. She then looked over to the window, and saw it was early morning again.
She got out of bed, and passed by a standing mirror. Someone had gone to great lengths to clean her up, because all the dirt and dust that had clung to her during the auction and the fight had been removed. She could finally see her own beauty again. Her New Master was even nice enough to give her a gown to wear. Sarah walked away from the mirror, and looked out the window. She could make out what looked like a human town in the near distance, and she could hear birds singing happily within the thick and tall trees. She couldn't help but notice that these humans did seem to respect nature a bit more than her previous host.
Sarah walked over to the door, and tested it, for surely it was locked tighter than a merchant's purse. Very much to her surprise, it was not locked. The door swung wide open. Was her Captor stupid, or was he so powerful and confident that he didn't need to? Or perhaps, was there something else in play that she didn't know about yet. She didn't want to test it. Her bonds had obviously been shed, and she didn't see anyone else around. It was now or never.
Sarah crept her way out of the room, and down a hall. She opened another door, but then quickly closed it enough to ensure it wasn't heard. Through the crack, she spotted what looked like The Butler heading down a flight of stairs. She knew she needed to follow him, but she also had to keep a fair distance so that she wasn't heard. She padded her way down the stairs, and found she was in a large central room with many weapons, armors, and shields on display across the walls. These looked to be more for decoration than anything else, as none of them were within reach. She crept her way across the room to a very large oak door that was surely the exit to this place. Freedom was but a few steps away.
“Oh, hello,” A voice said from her left. Her eyes darted to the source, and she saw one of the men who was present at the auction. He was only a little bit taller than her. He was the stern one who was blurring in and out of reality during the fight. Sarah looked like a fawn who was spotted by a coyote. She looked around for anything she could use to defend herself. She saw that one plaque of swords was actually within reach. She rushed over to it, and pulled a sword from it. Without a word, she held it in a defensive position.
“Whoa, easy, i'm not gonna hurt ya,” The stranger insisted, holding his hands out to show he meant her no harm. Sarah didn't change her posture at all. A harsh glare adorned her face, and both eyes were locked on the stranger. The Butler had just returned to the room, and he dropped what looked like a towel on the floor when he saw The Elf holding the sword.
“Oh dear,” He said.
“Just stay there, Mortimer,” The Stranger instructed. “Give her space,” He then added. Mortimer nodded, and just folded his hands in front of him. Sarah continued to inch towards the large door. Her eyes would dart from Moritmer, and then to the other man. No movement from either of them, or someone was going to lose a limb. Sarah inched towards the door again, and it was at this time, a rush of wind could be heard from below. A few snapping sounds soon followed. All three people in the main hall now looked quite worried.
A door close by to the first stranger blasted open with shards of wood flying in a fan in front of it.
“What the!” He yelled, as something had flown through it. Sarah spotted what it was. It was her bindings from before. She swung with the sword to slice the cloth. The sword made contact, but the cloth remained unscathed. The cloth once again wrapped itself over her mouth, and sealed her lips shut.
“Mmmpphh!” She cried, as she dropped the sword to pry the gag off. The cloth didn't budge. She soon felt the shackles clamping down on her wrists again. The chain condensed, and soon her hands were firmly bound behind her back again. She struggled against them to no avail while the two men could only watch in stunned silence at what they had just seen. They now knew the full extent of how dangerous these were in the hands of slavers.
“So that's how they work,” Mortimer said, with a tone of disgust in his voice. A new set of footsteps could be heard from behind where the bindings flew from. The footsteps were accompanied by a fair amount of cursing as well. Sarah looked up to see the face of the Man who bought her. She did her best to show no fear, but it wasn't really working. The men could see her stomach lurch as she was trying to hold back tears.
“So that's why they took off,” The New Man in the Room sighed. He then saw the sword on the ground beside her. He then nodded, as the evidence made sense. He then turned to face the other two men.
“Yeah, that's what we're up against,” The First Man stated.
“Indeed,” The Master agreed. He then said the very last thing Sarah expected to hear. “We have to make sure that no one else gets hit by this fowl magic. Send word to our northern allies, and let them know what is currently happening,” He then said to the fighter.
“Right,” The fighter responded. “What about her?” He then asked. The Master just shrugged.
“Hopefully she'll let me take those off of her, so I can get back to studying them,” He said. Sarah's Master then looked at her. Sarah's breathing intensified, as she did was shake her head no. She was not about to let this strange man anywhere near her.
“It's okay, My Dear, We're trying to help you,” Mortimer said, in a reassuring tone. The Master stopped his approach when he saw her breathing get higher again. Any higher, and she could have a panic attack.
“I don't think she's in a trusting mood, Mortimer,” The Master said. He then just held up his hands, and sat down on the stone floor in front of her. His attention was now on her again. His eyes were no longer filled with the fury she had seen before. They were kind and gentle. “And you have no right to,” He then told her. Again, she couldn't hold back the tears any longer, as she was slowly beginning to sob.
“I don't really know how to tell you this, so I'll just say it: My Name is Lord Rodney, and you are not a slave,” He then stated. Much to his relief, The Elf appeared to calm down a bit upon hearing this. “When my contacts told me about this new weapon that the slave lords in Baron Henry's Lands had obtained, I set out to stop it before anyone else could be harmed,” He then told her. “I bought you, so that no one else could,” He explained. “I'm trying to find out how those things are linked to you so that I can remove the fowl enchantment placed on them, and set you free,” He then revealed. Sarah just blinked at him.
The delicacy of the moment was shattered by a back door slamming open, and a shorter man who was dressed very similar to the fighter walked in. The same man who stabbed the man who Sarah had scarred earlier.
“Okay boss, I have some good news concern-I'll come back later,” He started, but upon seeing what was taking place, he turned on his heal and left immediately. Sarah's Master looked back to her.
“Will you let me take those off of you so can find the source of the magic within them?” He asked her. Sarah's tearful eyes met his, and at long lost, She nodded yes. Both of them got up off the floor, and Sarah turned around, so that her chains could be removed. She winced at his touch, as she was completely at his mercy. He could do whatever he wanted to her regardless of what he says. Sure enough, he was true to his word. She felt her chains fall from her wrists, and the gag soon followed.
“I'm Lord Rodney of Gray Fields, but just Rodney will do,” Her Master stated. All she did was nod. Rodney then gestured to the Fighter. “This is Jayde, Captain of my liberation team, and the other one is Mortimer, My butler,” He then introduced. The Man called Jayde just gave a nervous wave to her while Mortimer gave her a polite bow. “What's your name, My Lady?” He then asked. Sarah just looked into his eyes again, and gave no answer. Rodney could take a hint. He just sighed and nodded.
“I'll show her around the castle, so you can get back to work, sir,” Mortimer then offered.
“Thank you, Mortimer,” Rodney said. Sarah again, said nothing, and with a scowl, nodded in agreement. What other choice did she have? He could say she wasn't a slave all he wanted, but those magic bindings made her a slave regardless. They didn't deserve to hear her voice. They didn't deserve to know her name.
“The Keep is your home now, so you can go anywhere you like, although if you have to enter The Master's Laboratory, you'll need to knock first,” Mortimer informed her, as he walked ahead of her to show her around. “As long as he's inside, you may enter,” Mortimer then explained. Sarah just nodded in a grudging manner. She couldn't deny that her new hosts were far more hospitable than her last ones.
“Is it safe now?” A muffled voice asked from behind the door that was opened. Mortimer then opened it to reveal the short man from before.
“Yes, it's safe now,” Mortimer said, in a ruffled tone. “He's in the laboratory,” He then added, as he then proceeded to show Sarah her new living conditions.