The Grendlander (Mr. M and Rubyliday)

[Mr Master]

Perhaps the land of Sekhtoth was so harsh because of the unforgiving sun that baked any un-irrigated lands to cracked clay and shifting sands. Perhaps it was brutal because of the lich-kings, ancient undead sorcerers who ruled the lands from their strongholds under the tall stone ziggurats that dotted the capital city of Palmoas. Mostly, though, it was considered harsh and brutal because of the widespread slavery.

Most of the population was enslaved to some degree or another; there were gradations of slavery, but it all boiled down to an absence of basic human rights. The lowest and most exploited slave class was also the largest; they were bred to it, or were captured in war or raids, or they were innocent non-citizens waylaid by slaver gangs. Many of them were non-human, or only partly human; some of these were prized, for work ethic, for strength, for endurance, or... other, less savory things. Not that anyone much cared what happened to the slaves, but sometimes displaying such treatment in public was... impolite.

Still, there were those who, though they didn't flaunt it, were known to be particularly vicious. Some, like Oortin the Bloody, or the Pasha Riassekh were known to be negligent and profligate, running through slaves merely because they didn't care to conserve them. The lich-king Saratarafarr consumed the life-force of some slaves to fuel his demonic experiments. And the foreigner, Lord Eldin Bladehallow, the mysterious man from Grendhall, the land of mountains to the north, was reputed to be a vampire, moved to the sunny equatorial lands for both the open acceptance of the undead found here and the easy access to... food sources.

Thus it was that Bladehallow, the Grendlander, purchased 16 new slaves, mostly captured types not born to the life, from assorted minor markets around the city. They were carted in, locked in the slave cages that Palmoas markets tended to favor, and stacked in the blazing late-afternoon sun in the courtyard of the Grendlander's city residence, a prime spot on a hilltop not far from the mighty Tallack River. If the rumors were to be believed, this was either the start of their agonies as chattel of the Grendlander, or the start of a slide of pain leading to a quick end...

 

[Rubyliday]

Re: The Grendlander (invitation only)

Ruby pulled her limbs in closer, not due to it being cold, it was far from that. The sweat was sliding down her back, soaking the flimsy gown like thing she had been given. She was genuinely surprised that they had been clothed at all. She glanced from her cage, eyes roaming over the others. They all wore similar garments and all looked as scared as she felt. She never saw the pitiful creature in the cage below hers, but she could hear them crying. She knew she should be doing the same but the stronger emotion in her mind, was anger. It had been a little over six months since the group she had been traveling with had been ambushed. The world had become cruel since she was a child and they had been traveling under the cloak of night. So had the slave gang. She still was unsure how they had known where they were, but that had mattered little then and even less now.

When they had been brought to the first market, those of the group that hadn't been killed or badly injured, all of her nightmares had come true. There were slaves that were beat within a inch of their lives, something that Ruby would gain personal experience from not much later. Behind the scenes of the slave stage, slaves were reduced to used bodies. Men and women used in the crudest ways, right before the eyes of every slave present. Ruby had been chosen for it once and fought tooth and nail. Then she had been beaten.

Her hand slide along her fox tail, feeling the broken tip. There were other scars along her body, but she had fought for something precious to her. Her innocence.

Eventually she had been given a label, she was known to be vicious. As she had been moved from market to market, less and less of the men had tried to use her. Only the brave and cocky would try, and they would come back bleeding. And every time she would be beaten as a result, her mind shutting down every time. Every slaver trader that bought her paid less and less, until she was practically being given away.

She had been acquired, with the others around her, for next to nothing. She had no idea who would by all the defective from the market. She could only imagine.

 

[Mr Master]

Re: The Grendlander (invitation only)

The passers-by would glance into the courtyard, see the Grendlander's new slaves, and think "well, there's a few we'll never see again." Everybody knew there were lots of bodies went into the town house, and not as many came out. From the terrified noises and crying that could be heard from the slaves, it was clear that many, if not all, of the slaves knew this, too.

The sun sank low, and it turned out the slave cages were actually stacked in the lee of the building; the shade crept up over them first in the courtyard. By the time they were completely shaded, the workers were coming back from the fields, carting their tools and the produce that was ripe. They took everything down to the cooler underground chambers where right-thinking Sekhtothians stayed if they could afford to, and then came back up for the new slaves.

They stacked the cages in several rooms. The room Ruby had, she shared with five other cages, stacked in a row on a raised shelf. From the looks of the other things in the room, it was a storage area; there were baskets of grain, hanging onions, stacks of spare wood, etc. They were being treated as little more than a basic resource, like food.

Larger, more muscular guard-types came in, and one by one, they took each slave out of the cage on a leash and walked them up and down the storage room, letting them stretch their limbs and straighten their backs. They brought them down the hall to a kind of garderobe, where they were allowed to relieve themselves in relative privacy (a luxury!), before being bundled back into the cages. After they left, another slave, clearly hobbled and looking beaten and abused, limped in, dispensing a thick, tough, but good-tasting bread and a cup of water to each slave. In some ways, this was better treatment than they'd endured, but in others, it was worrying. What were they being stored for? What ulterior motive could this treatment have? The slaves in the room were confused and nervous, too nervous to talk much, but they wondered anyway...

A high slit window in the wall showed when the sun's light finally faded from the sky, and not too long after, a different slave brought one of the eternal-flame torches in, casting a dim glow through the room. Some time after she left, there were booted footsteps, and someone entered. This was clearly the infamous Grendlander, Eldin Bladehallow, come to examine his new purchases.

He was tall, for a northlander, and paler than most any human any of the slaves had seen. His hair was light in color, and long to the shoulders, but his eyes were dark, almost black, with large irises, so that the whiles of his eyes were hard to see at first glance. His face was high-boned, with an aqualine nose; he looked as noble as his title suggested. He was dressed in Grendhall-style clothes, long pants and boots and long-sleeve linen shirt, with a cloak; it seemed out of place and uncomfortable, even in the relative coolness of the storage room, but he didn't seem to care.

He looked over all six of them, his eyes appraising, and cold. Half-turning to his major-domo, Xiliath, the night-skinned elf who nonetheless wore a slave collar around his neck, he asked, "And you selected all of these from smaller markets?"

Xiliath sighed, wearily. "Yes, Master. As usual. Your procedures have been followed."

"Good." The master of the house smiled, and maybe it was the sharpened teeth or the glitter in his eyes, but no one was gratified by the smile. "Very well then." And then he turned and left.

The slaves were left to themselves, but they didn't know what to think...

 

[Rubyliday]

Re: The Grendlander (invitation only)

Ruby kept quiet, reserved as she could be. There was no need to lash out against the men who had brought her cage in, or the ones that had let her relieve herself. No, she had a feeling in the pit of her stomach that she should save her energy. At the time the thought had entered her mind, she wasn't sure what for.

The room she was in was filled with the basics, but better then she had seen in a long time. The drabbest thing in the room was her and the other slaves. The one to her left cried out right, curled in a ball, her tail and ears pressed tight against her body. The crying struck something in Ruby's soul and she pressed her own ears flat against her head. She was fighting the fear that was welling up in her body and the sobs were not helping. She thought of herself as a strong person, but the uncertainty was killing her.

Her red hair was stringy and knotted, her whole body felt dirty from sweating. But now that the sun had set, she felt chilled. Goosebumps covered her body when the sound of booted feet was heard, the entire room going quiet. The noise seemed to echo in her mind. All of the slaves that she had seen had been barefoot, this was no slave.

The thought was confirmed when a tall man entered the room. Ruby felt the hair on her arms and neck rise just by looking at him. His eyes barely fell on her as he looked them over and she started sweating with fear. Her whole body shook from his presence in the room. His voice was deep and it seemed to rattle her soul. She realized how little she was breathing when she took in a deep breath after he had left. She didn't like the man, his looks, or the air about him. The goosebumps had left but her whole body shook. This is what she was against now.

 

[Mr Master]

Re: The Grendlander (invitation only)

A few hours later, in the dead of night, just when many of the slaves were sleeping, and the rest were drowsy in their cages, more workers entered. Cages were picked up, taken out, without any explanation or even show of emotion. Individually, they were carted down the hall, and Ruby could only speak for her own experience, but she was placed in a small room with the small one who had been curled up in terror and two others, who had presumably been stored in another room until now. Everyone looked scared.

The cages were set so all the slaves could see each other. Besides Ruby and the scared one next to her, there was a young human male and a black-furred creature with eyes like a cat's, human in shape but bestial in most other respects of appearance. It alone was silent and inscrutable, but that was largely because Ruby didn't know how to read expression off that kind of being.

They were left alone, in the room, and the torch left with their carriers, so they were left in the dark. Time seemed to stretch, and even with her night vision, the only thing Ruby could really perceive was the black-furred creature's eyes, which seemed to glow at her, in the dark. For a moment, it seemed like she was mesmerized, but she shook it off when those eyes turned away to one of the other slaves.

Then there was noise, and light, and... more handlers? For all the expectations that they were going to be eaten right away, it was more of a confusion than a relief that the handlers were back. What was especially strange was rather than pick up the cages and take them someplace else, they opened them, starting with the black-furred creature, who seemed female when she stood and stretched. The strange creature looked at the foreman of the crew and nodded, and then the workers opened up the other cages.

"Please," the foreman said gently, as the cages were opened. "Come this way. Everything will be explained in a moment." They let out the boy and the kit first, letting them out without leashes or cuffs or any bonds at all, and then unlocked Ruby's cage...

 

[Rubyliday]

Re: The Grendlander (invitation only)

It didn't surprise Ruby when they were moved again, she was tired but her mind was working overtime. No, what bothered her was the others she was put with, one in particular. That fur covered creature and its eyes. Ruby had felt unnerved when the creatures eerie eyes had lingering on her longer then she would have liked. She felt relieved when it looked away, its eyes falling on another one of them. Her mind felt lighter at that moment as well, which meant her fears and thoughts came rushing back.

She had heard rumors about the man that had purchased her, rumors from other slaves, even from a few handlers. It had been dead silent when she had been purchased, on the stage and off. The final amount was said by a man she couldn't see but having seen her purchaser and his height, she doubted it was him. It was not uncommon for the wealthy to send one of their slaves to purchase more. It made perfect sense now to her, why she would have been bought. She was no good to any one really, but to a man that...

She shook her head not wanting to think about it. It was then that more people came in. This whole process had Ruby on edge and when the first cage was unlocked the hairs on the back of her neck rose. So soon?. Her eyes roamed over the room, to the door, to the men, sizing them up. She couldn't let this happen. Hell she didn't know what was going to happen. And then her mind swung back to reality when her cage was unlocked, the man speaking, bent to look into her cage. Why had the others gotten out so... so eagerly? Didn't they know that nothing good came from kindess. And the handerlers were being nice, too nice.

Ruby pressed into the far corner of her dirty cage and froze.

 

[Mr Master]

Re: The Grendlander (invitation only)

The foreman stepped back, as if to allow her space to come out, but when she did not, he just shook his head and smiled slightly.

"I had the same reaction when I was first brought here." The other workers were grabbing the empty cages, taking them away after their occupants had left the tiny room. The foreman glanced out of the door, then shrugged. He looked back at Ruby, smiling again.

"Look, you're not going to be harmed. But you can decide for yourself. The torches are lit along the route to the Common Room, so just follow the lights when you're ready. You could find your way outside, but bear in mind, we're solidly in Palmoas, and you've got a slave collar, and you wouldn't have an escort, so the Abin-Hal patrolmen would track you down, anyway. I... wouldn't want anyone to be in their custody. But we're not going to force you to do anything. That time is over."

He gave a little wave, and then left the room, leaving the torch behind. Ruby heard his footsteps receding down the stone hallway, heard them go down some steps and fade into inaudibility.

 

[Rubyliday]

Re: The Grendlander (invitation only)

What the… Ruby just stared at the door that the man had left through. Did he just give her the okay to leave? This couldn’t be true. She had been in the slave market enough for it to affect her trust, and she had none right now. With a watchful eye, Ruby stepped out of her cage, tail tucked in close to her body. Her eyes roamed over the room, half expecting someone to be in there. She couldn’t get those eyes out of her mind. Ruby shook her head, she needed to be alert. She kept her torso close to her middle, back bent forward, as she moved closer to the door, ears up and alert. When she popped her head out the door she could hear noises coming from the hallway in which the lanterns lead, silence in the other direction. Her ears twitched as she stepped out of the room, body still in a crouch and close to the wall. There was no torches this way and her eyes strained to see the path in front of her. The hallways were dark and silent as Ruby made her way, blindly, through them. The only indication that she wasn't moving further into the house was a slight breeze she could feel around her feet.

She felt like she had been moving along the wall for hours when her hand slid over a long wood panel. A door! Ruby turned towards the door, the breeze stronger here. She felt herself smiling as her hands searched for the handle, then testing it. She almost sobbed with happiness when it turned and the door opened, freedom in sight. Without wasting a minute Ruby burst through the door at a dead run.

 

[Mr Master]

Re: The Grendlander (invitation only)

The night air of the desert was reasonably cool, the heat long since fled into the clear night sky. A breeze whipped across the river, sending sand skirling through the open spaces in low, broad whirlwinds. The moons weren't up, so starlight alone lit Ruby's path across the courtyard, through the street gate and into the city of Palmoas proper.

The Tallack wound its way through the city in one direction, a wide expanse crossable only by a few ferries and one bridge; the crocodiles tended to discourage swimmers. She couldn't flee that direction, and she didn't know which way was the nearest edge of town. Just outside of the gate, when she was still on the hill, she looked out into the dimness, and could see little but single-floored earthen buildings, small rock walls, dusty streets and sandy yards in any direction she looked, occasionally dotted by small hills topped with low stone manor houses. Toward the city center, the manor houses became more like castles, imposing and dangerous; definitely not the direction she wanted. Torches burned here and there, pinpricks of light in the distance, places to avoid. Her night vision was fairly good, but the sounds and scents of the city were multi-layered and chaotic, and she couldn't find the open desert anywhere.

As she took off, down the hill, heading for the cover of buildings and low walls, to try and find her way out, the elf with the dead-black skin, Xiliath, stepped up to the doorway, gazing after her disappearing fox tail with eyes that needed no light to see. He grimaced. A human boy hurried up behind him, panting for breath, torch in hand, pouch in another. Without a word, Xiliath took the pouch and checked its contents. "Tell the Master that the one missing fox-girl escaped," he instructed in clipped tones. "I'm going to try and follow, in case she runs into the Abin-Hal. Tell him that, too." With that, the bald elf strode swiftly into the night, footsteps silent against the paving stones of the courtyard.

In the city proper, most people were in for the night, some already asleep in preparation for the next day's labor, others winding down. A few still lingered in public houses, making noise and making merry. Some occasional slaves labored in night jobs, repairing the streets by torchlight or hauling trash through the deserted causeways. All were to be avoided, but especially the Abin-Hal, the city guards of the lich-kings, who were infamous for their harsh treatment of any escaped slaves they happened to capture. They patrolled the streets in pairs, nearly indistinguishable from each other in the dark, with their uniform helmets and breastplates. All had good eyes, and some were known to have magical charms that helped them locate prey. The only safe course was not to draw their attention, and that was easier said than done.

 

[Rubyliday]

Re: The Grendlander (invitation only)

Ruby made her way through shadows and dark alleys, her eyes peeled for everything. The noises, which seemed screaming loud to her sensitive ears, were foreign and honestly frightening. The smells of the dirty city stung her nose and she found herself holding her breath a lot. Her heart hammered in her chest, threatening to break out every time she heard foot fall. But they would die away, the owner traveling away from her.

Even in the shadows, the white tips of Ruby's tail and ears seemed to glow like a beacon and she kept them close to her body. She tried to keep her ears back but it impaired her hearing and she tucked her tail up under she smock. Her feet hurt, stepping on all types of garbage. And it only got worse when she entered the red light district.

The whole block seemed to glow crimson, symbolic if the innocence lost. She felt shocked and appalled at the women, and men, on display in some windows, wearing less then she was. And from the alley ways she could see the 'shoppers'. Men and women alike, all looking for a quick ride. But what caught Ruby's eye among the makeup and gaudy clothes was a small girl, probably no more then sixteen. The girl was chained to the wall in a small window, wearing next to nothing and Ruby felt disgusted, raged. She stepped closer, wishing she could save the girl, she knew what it must be like. That was when then guards saw her.

 

[Mr Master]

Re: The Grendlander (invitation only)

One of the Abin-Hal caught sight of her. The slave outfit was fairly standard, but there was no collar, no markings of permission and trust. To the guardsman, the signs were clear: escaped slave. Even if she wasn't escaped, they'd still better bring her in for "questioning". The Abin-Hal raised his whistle to his lips, and the distinctive trilling rang out, carrying through the streets and over the rooftops. Even Ruby realized what it must mean, and who it must have been blown for.

The one who spotted her ran with his partner in pursuit. They dodged around corners and ducked through yards in pursuit. And they were joined by others, coming from other directions. It seemed like every time Ruby found a street to duck down, a pair of Abin-Hal was soon after her; due to their uniforms, she couldn't tell whether it was just three pairs or dozens, they just seemed like they were everywhere!

 

[Rubyliday]

Re: The Grendlander (invitation only)

Ruby ran without looking behind her, or much in front of her. Fear fueled her feet, even as she ran over dirt and sharp objects that cut into her soles. Everywhere she thought she would be safe, where she thought she could lose them, they were right there. More then a few times her quick stops had sent her skidding across the ground, arms and legs scrambling. At one point she slammed into the side of a building, having made a quick turn, her breathing labored now.

The makeshift gown she wore whipped around her thighs as she ran, the dark doing little to hide her as she darted around the dirty alley ways. When she thought all was lost she turned into a particularly dark alley, filled with garbage bins and brimming trash cans. She bolted down the broken ground, hopping over garbage bags and the occasional limp body. She didn’t stop to think why they were there and she had only one thought in mind when she saw the end of the alley way.

She was done for.

The end of the alleyway was another tall building, scaling more then four stories. Panic crept into her mind as she touched the wall, thinking about climbing it. Her nails dug into the brick as the hammering of feet sounded in her ears.

 

[Mr Master]

Re: The Grendlander (invitation only)

The heavy tread of their tight-laced sandals slowed as they approached. They knew this alley; they knew it was a dead end, so they didn't need to hurry. However, as they came around the last corner, the two in the lead had to rush up and grab the escaped slave before she climbed out of reach, desperately clawing he way up the dried-clay bricks. The two Abin-Hal grabbed her ankles and pulled her down, keeping their grip so she slammed hard into the ground, unable to land on her feet. The impact knocked the wind out of her, leaving her gasping as the other Abin-Hal gathered around. Six beefy slave-catchers towered over little furry Ruby on the earth of the alley.

"What do you think, Kerrix?" Said one of them, his voice growly and distorted. Perhaps he was an orc, or an undead servant to one of the arch-liches.

"Definitely a runner, Sergeant," another said, nodding at the girl.

"Who's turn is it, boss?" asked another one, taking off his helmet to reveal a scarred, leering man.

The growly-voiced one shook his head. "Not you, Doff. Seyallas has first dibs."

A fourth soldier rubbed his hands greedily, while Doff sighed, disappointed. He and Kerrix reached down to grab hold of Ruby's arms, while the Sergeant continued. "We'll take the slave in for booking and return to its owner, but I think a bit of compensation for running us around so much is in order..."

 

[Rubyliday]

Re: The Grendlander (invitation only)

Ruby tried to scream at first, but she found that she could hardly breath at all. The men grabbed her, pulling her towards them like she was nothing more then a sack of potatoes. She tried to kick, tried to loosen their grip on her legs, but her breathlessness was effecting her more then she realized it could. She laid on the ground, struggling to breath as they spoke over her, deciding who would use her first. That's when the panic set in, and that's when she finally could breath.

"Get off me you fat bastards!" Ruby kicked and screamed as hard she cold, but these men were no push overs. It felt just like the times on the slave market, men trying to take what wasn't theirs. Ruby swung her hand up at one of them men, catching his cheek before he could swear and grab her arm. She wasn't gonna go down with out a fight.

 

[Mr Master]

Re: The Grendlander (invitation only)

The guards laughed at her shouting, and their booming voices drowned out her protests.

"Too much for you to handle, Doff?" Kerrix laughed. Doff glared at him, swearing some more. A hulking, hissing, scaly guard knelt above Ruby's head and grabbed her wrists, pulling them tightly above her. The lizard-man's strength was inescapable. Kerrix and Doff moved down to control her kicking legs, so Seyallas could start fumbling with his leggings and codpiece.

The sergeant and the silent soldier moved down the alley, around the corner, to make sure the quintet wasn't disturbed. The guards held the struggling kitsune and chuckled as Seyallas bared his member, something long and thin and twisted-looking. He stroked it harder as the various hands tightened on her limbs, and her slave tunic rode higher on her body as she struggled exposing her to his attentions. He reached out with his free hand and stroked her lower lips, even as she twitched and struggled and tried to pull away from him. "Oh, you're gonna be one fucked-out slave by the time you get thrown in the holding pit, girlie..."

 

[Mr Master]

Re: The Grendlander (invitation only)

Seyallis' evil chuckle turned into a scream as he suddenly rose up. It took Ruby a moment to realize he wasn't standing, he was being lifted up by a pale hand that was crushing his gonads, making his stiff member wilt alarmingly. There was literally a popping sound as bone cracked in his pelvis, and then he went flying over Ruby's body, fast as a diving falcon, to slam into the lizard man's face, breaking more bones in both parties. A speed-blurred form swept over Kerrix on the one leg, engulfing and lifting him away. A scream bubbled up, but was suddenly cut short with a wet burble. Motion stilled enough to reveal a dark-cloaked figure, lumpy and struggling, until Kerrix's body fell out of the cloak, leaving it still as a statute.

Doff struggled to his feet, fumbling for his sword, but the cloak moved too fast, batting the weapon aside. It embedded itself into a stack of boxes, and Doff made gurgling, panicked sounds under the cloak, until those faded softly. Ruby was left alone, the only moving thing in the alley, with bodies above and to the side of her, and the immobile cloaked figure with the guard's body in its grip standing like a pillar a little ways away.

 

[Rubyliday]

Re: The Grendlander (invitation only)

Ruby rose up on her elbows, fear coursing through her veins. The adrenaline hadn't worn off yet and a new batch was replacing it already. She didn't know if she should feel relieved or terrified. With the guards she had known what she was in for, but this...man? Beast? She knew nothing.
When she was still on the market she had heard stories of monsters that would hunt down escaped slaves only to eat them. She had though them stories at most, but with the cloaked figure standing in front of her, she was beginning to believe them.
She opened her mouth to talk, finding it dry she closed it again. With a bit of a squeak she spoke.
"I don't know what you want but I probably don't have it and if I do, I wont give it up with out a fight." She moved slowly to her feet, eyes always on her 'savior'. She didn't know if she could call him that just yet. She ran her shaking hands over her tunic, blushing a little as she pulled the bottom over her exposed self. The man hadn't moved yet, hadn't done anything and Ruby took a step back from him, searching for a exit route from the corners of her eyes.

 

[Mr Master]

Re: The Grendlander (invitation only)

There was no reaction for a moment from the black-robed figure. Then Doff's lifeless, pale body just dropped to the ground from the creature's clutches. And still, the figure didn't move. Then he straightened, his back flexed, and he drew in a shuddering breath. "If I'd meant to kill you," he said in a low, almost liquid voice that sounded vaguely familiar, like one she'd heard before, "I would have done so by now."

He sighed, and continued. "You were given your freedom, yes, but we had hoped you would have better sense than to flee into territory even more hostile than you were already in. But you acted without information, and you very nearly paid the price for that mistake."

Suddenly, there was a zapping sound, and an electric jolt just about flung Ruby into the wall. She was paralyzed, and her consciousness was fading, but she could see the black-skinned bald elf, Xiliath, from the Grendlander's place, hurrying up from the open end of the alley, a wand in his hand still smoking from its tip. The elf was clearly angry, and his mouth moved in what seemed like they should be harsh words, but she could hear nothing. And then her vision faded, and she was unconscious.

In all honesty, there was no reason for her to expect to wake up at all. So it must have been shocking to find herself coming to consciousness. She was wrapped in some sort of blanket or carpet, still in her slave tunic (but without her collar, strangely), lying on a large mossy rock by a burbling stream, with sunlight slanting through the air from either a dawning or a setting sun. The air was cool, almost cold, and damp with fog, and shaded by tall leafy trees the like of which she'd never seen before, so amazingly different from the scrubby tangled brush and slender palms in her desert home. Birdsong filled the air, and the scent of clean water and loam and leaves, and... woodsmoke. And cooking meat. And her sensitive ears could pick up a muted singing, a human male's voice, somewhat husky and rough.

The amazing part was, she could recognize the tune: it was a common casual work song, traditional among the nomadic desert tribes that her clan frequently dealt with. The nomads weren't slavers, and avoided the cities as much as they could to avoid getting enslaved themselves; they were familiar and friendly to Ruby. That's why it was bizarre that she would hear something so comfortable amidst the utter alienness of her surroundings.

 

[Rubyliday]

Re: The Grendlander (invitation only)

Ruby unwrapped herself, cringing when her sore body protested. She had been abused and misused the...night? before. The back of her head throbbed where it had hit the ground when she had been attacked. But if that was the worst she had suffered, she would gladly take the pain. Her fingers came up to her neck, touching the rough skin that was now exposed. The collar she had be fitted with had been far from soft and she was sure it showed. Absentmindedly she wondered if it would stay like that. She resisted touching the sore spot on her head, knowing probing it would do nothing to make it better, so with a sigh she sat up.

Her eyesight shook a little from the quick movement and she closed her eyes, hands moving to the sides of her head. She had to be alive, surely she would not feel this much pain if she was dead, right? She opened her eyes again, taking in her surroundings. She had never seen a place like this before and the light mist that hung in the air made it feel almost dream like. She could have been dreaming, right? The pain she felt when she twisted her torso told her otherwise.

Her abdomen hurt so bad! She lifted the dirty tunic to find a small red spot on her skin, just above her belly button. That's when she remembered the cloaked figure. A million questions raced through her brain, questions that could not be answered without asking him. He had told her that if he wanted her dead, she would have been. But why want her alive? And why bring her to a place like this. She had suffered a lot in her time of captivity, but nothing worried her more then not knowing.

She heard the singing again and with shaky legs, she stood to investigate. She could see no reason not to, if her fate was already sealed, she wanted to know what this place was. She glanced back at the water before she ventured into the treeline, hoping she at least had time to wash up. She frankly smelled and the fur on her tail was matted in a way that made her cringe just looking at it. But for now... the man singing.

 

[Mr Master]

Re: The Grendlander (invitation only)

The singing was a bit distant, a dozen or two yards through the woods. There was, as far as Ruby could tell, ample cover for her to sneak up, as best as she was able in her current condition. She approached a clearing, and in a stretch of bare earth there, a human had built a fire, and was roasting a rabbit, the spit propped up desert-style.

The man was built broad, but lean. His hair was black with gray at the temples and in his wild beard, and his complexion was olive. He looked like one of the nomads, the Beydin, even down to his clothing. He didn't wear the enveloping burnoose, but a Northern-style cloak against the damp. Under that, however, he was dressed in the tunic and leggings of a desert native.

He continued to sing, almost to himself but he surely must have known his voice carried. And it seemed like he did: when she made a small noise, a snap of a twig or some such error, the fault of being unfamiliar with the local ground hazards, he glanced up in her direction, scanned the trees, and smiled. He paused in his song long enough to say clearly -- and in a language she had known from childhood, long before she learned Common -- "It will be some time yet before it is done; if you haven't washed, you have time; enjoy the luxury of the water!" He then turned back to the rabbit and a covered pot he lifted out of the coals with a stick.

 

[Rubyliday]

Ruby jumped at the sound of his voice, at the fact that he was talking to her. It had been such a long time since she heard her native tongue that she almost had a hard time understanding him. Almost. She stood there for a moment, eyes on the strangers back as she watched him tend to the meat over the fire. Her stomach growled at just the thought, echoing louder as the smell reached her nose. Since she had been captured she had lost weight and the once generous curves had slimmed down. Her ribs pressed tightly against her skin as did the bones in her hips. But she had more meat on her bones then some she had seen and the guards had seemed to notice that as well. She gave an involuntary shutter and stepped out from the tree line. She stumbled over the first few words, feeling like a school child learning a new language.
"Y-you are who? No, who are you? And where is this place?" It had been so long and now she felt as if she was switching what side brain she used or walking backwards. The forest around them seemed to quiet, as if the creatures waited for an answer as well. Every fiber in her beaing strained toward the man, afraid to miss a single word from his mouth. He turned the rabbit one more time before he turned his body, eyes coming to rest on her. While Ruby stayed alert, there was nothing threatening about this man, but she didn't know who she could trust anymore. If she could ever trust again.

 

[Mr Master]

He grinned, showing a couple of missing teeth. "Do not worry. Old Kedrin will not hurt you. I could not chase you; my knees are not what they used to be." He turned back to the fire, moved the rabbit off the flames, and lifted the lid off the pot. "Finally got them to bring some couscous from Sekhtoth; not my favorite variety, but it will do. The rabbit is nearly done; we should let it cool, then we can pick of the meat with our fingers, just like the campfires back home."

Groaning, he moved himself down the log a fair way, giving her some space to sit next to the fire, just out of his arm's reach. "Please, eat, eat. You need it more than I do." He patted his belly. "I will talk while you eat."

"You are in a forest just outside of the keep of Lord Bladehallow, in the nation of Grendhall. It's all mountains and forests and little creeks; so much water, it amazed me the first time I saw it." He shook his head, musing at the memory, and then got serious again. "The first thing I should tell you is that Lord Bladehallow is not what you believe him to be. Well, he IS a vampire, and feeds off the blood of the living, but he is not a slaveowner, nor does he buy his victims. Perhaps once he did, but that was many years ago."

Kedrin pointed back toward the stream. "You're free to go, if that's what you wish. Many do. A few hours travel downstream, there's a village. I have a pouch of coins to give you, you can make your way in this new place, make a fresh start. Maybe a half-hour upstream, you get to Bladehallow keep. Many of the remainder that he frees stay there, working together to farm and mine and whatever else needs be done. We have a community there that works for the good of everyone, like a proper village, but we all share the same secrets. It's a good life, one that I've retired to after I could no longer help my liberator more directly."

"You see, when I was first brought here, after my dishonorable capture and sale, I chose the third path, that of helping Lord Bladehallow more directly in his efforts. He has devoted considerable time, effort, and wealth toward undermining the slave trade and the whole power structure in both the city of Palmoas and the nation of Sekhtoth as a whole. I served him for many years, and now I help here, with the others, and endure the chill and the damp, in order to keep helping a good cause."

He smiled again at Ruby. "And that's what Lord Bladehallow would like to speak to you about, if you decide not to go your own way."