Slave In the City of Light [Vae Victus x detox__]

[Vae Victis]

As the breaking rays of morning sunlight revealed themselves to the world a small army marched over a hill. They were several days out, but in only a few hours they would reach their destination. The soldiers, heavily armed and armored, marched in a roughly rectangular formation several men thick on each of four sides. The arrangement was not suited to mobility but it was ideal for keeping the captives surrounded and, for the most part, obedient. Those without chains were forced to pull heavy carts, filled to the brim with shimmering treasures and captured weapons while the rest of them shuffled forward, shackled to one another. Most of them were quiet. After last night none of them seemed to feel like talking.

A few of the men had gotten brave after camp had been made and came up with a plan to steal some weapons and escape. They didn't even make it out of their enclosure before the soldiers fell on the unarmed captives with merciless blades, hacking and cutting them down in front of their screaming wives and daughters. When the women, anguished as they were at the gruesome display, refused to quiet down they were slaughtered as well. When silence had been restored the survivors were placed in chains to prevent any further attempts at rebellion. The corpses were left were they fell, forcing the captives to simply sleep next to the remains of their fellow villagers.

Today marked the final march. For the soldiers it meant rewards and revelry, and perhaps even kind words from His Divine Light if they should be so lucky. As soon as the party reached the top of the hill they were met with an almost piercing light. The soldiers knew to cover their eyes instantly, but their captives weren't so lucky and found themselves suddenly staring forward as though they were looking at the sun itself. They began to shut their eyes or look to the ground, causing them to bump into one another. For a brief moment a panic almost ensued, but the soldiers were quick to regain order. One of the soldiers raised his voice, his word carrying extra weight after his participation in the previous night's slaughter. "Calm down! Vorvan-thal will be your new home. You'll get used to the light soon enough."

Vorvan-thal. In ages past those words meant a great deal. They were, in fact, the name of a beloved god. The Light Bringer. The father of life who made the sun rise each morning to smile down upon his favored creations. And then came the usurper. Savrax, at one time a barbarian of no importance, took the lives of his entire tribe for a dark entity in exchange for powers beyond the scope of most mortals. He quickly gathered an army of men and dark creatures, sending them out to expand his empire. In his hubris he gave himself the name Savrax Vorvan-thal. It was as close as a human could come to apotheosis and the act caused a great outcry. Those who spoke out against him were slain, their bodies resurrected as twisted things, minds warped to serve their new master. He named the former capital after himself and ordered the city walls and palace to be destroyed and rebuilt out of an exotic white marble which reflected the light perfectly for miles around. Grand towers and spires stretched up from the center of the city as though in defiance of Heaven itself. The old temples and shrines were desecrated and destroyed, and in only a few short years the people learned to accept that this would be reality. There was little more they could do than worship their new God-King.

About half a mile away from the city the soldiers stopped and turned inward to face the captives. Some of them covered the faces or cowered in fear, certain there would be a repeat of last night. The apparent leader, a tall, stocky man on a horse cleared his throat as he looked down at the panicked rabble. "Settle, settle!" He reached up with a single coarse hand to stroke his thick black beard, waiting for the commotion to cease before he continued. "We will be entering the city soon. Those of you who count yourselves among the common citizens remain where you stand." At that he drew his sword, causing another small panic from the crowd. He leveled the blade and pointed it at an empty spot a few feet away from the main group as the soldiers dispersed a bit, leaving some spaced in the formation as though to accommodate an order yet unmade. "Those of royal blood are commanded to split away from the main group at this time for an audience with His Divine Light. Raise your hands and your chains will be undone. The group will split apart at the city gates." One by one the crowd turned their nervous eyes toward a particular woman.

 

[detox__]

It had happened quickly, vividly and the massacre that had been made of her people was just that; A massacre. Attacks like these should have been expected, however clearly the weren't entirely prepared and that was all to be said in the matter. They had been marching ever since said attack, even pausing once to create a revolt in which they were vastly outnumbered, and that was proved all the more when the bodies of those who had tried hit the ground. Despite the onslaught, her face remained stoic, knowing how this was going to work as she had been the last of the tribes royals to remain, apparently this was done intentionally as one of the soldiers had almost come close to taking her by the throat. Of course, this reaction was provoked by the young woman lashing out at him and instantly going for his eyes. Savages. Fingernails caked in blood and occasionally taking the opportunity to take a sideways glance at the male she had so boldly lashed out at, there was a silent aura of distaste for her floating around, not that she really minded.

Couldn't care less. Chains rattling and the occasional sound of a grimace of pain, nothing was spoken to loud and no sound of pain was echoed too harshly, the light seemed to strike them all, the woman closing her eyes gently. There were stories through tribes about this place, tribes that had been wiped out just as hers was, stories of the light that blinded just like the sun. What do you do when you mistakenly look at the sun? " Close your eyes. " Again, she had heard of this place, the place where the so called 'God' presided, her lips curling into a soft smile before her eyes opened again, half lidded and adjusted to all of this 'Heavenly' light. So these were the father's favored creations? With her eyes now opened, the apparent difference in her eyes color now held the light, one eye a murky green color while the other a honey brown, it was often mentioned between ones who had never seen the woman that there was something odd in her eyes.

Though her people were fearful, the fire haired woman remained stoic in her expression, the captive line stopping only to be addressed after they had been instructed to settle down. Dark brown boots made of some animal that had been used to the fullest stopping among the dirt, the ever present unamused and possibly even bored expression remained on her face. Hair falling to one side of her face, each strand seemed polished and occasionally pieces were braided in with feathers, leaving one aware of her royal blood lines. That, and a few other not so apparent surprises behind the woman, which was probably a far better reason as to why she was being separated from the group and why her tribe turned to her with wary eyes. Stepping forward silently, her chains rattled around her wrists, hands small among the large pieces of metal, she raised them easily. Of course, not before letting her fingers curl just slightly in a scratching fashion, watching the stern expression on the soldier's face falter just slightly, her own solid facial expression leaning toward that of a smile.

The young woman who was clearly no older than being in her early twenties, rolled her wrists gently, aware of the set of eyes on her just in case she decided to act out a bit as she had before. Fortunately, the female hadn't moved from her position, shifting her fingers up through her hair, the loose curls of hair fell toward the center of her arm and along her back. Despite the clearly less than civilized appearance of all of them, there was an aura around this particular woman that seemed to settle around her, her curvaceous frame moved soundly ahead of the rest of her tribe. The light brown skin of an animal contrasting to the darker colors that were worn by the rest of her tribe, the occasional rip spotted by an obvious bit of fighting that had taken place upon the arrival of unwanted guests.

Now however, they were the guests of the one called 'His Divine Light', something that left an unfortunate distaste in her mouth. Ah well, it would only become a more familiar distaste when she met the so called 'God', hm?

 

[Vae Victis]

The nervous glances of her people were all the soldiers needed to identify her. This was for from their first raid and they had come to recognize the various expressions and actions of captives. Several soldiers approached her and grabbed at her chains, dragging her away from the crowd. A rougher looking man who's left eye was drained of color looked her over for a moment, running a rough hand against his stubble covered face. "Now she's quite a pretty one." He flashed a crooked yellow grin to her as he looked up at one of his companions. "Why's Savrax get ta' have all the fun? We're the ones doin' the hard work. Just sits in 'is castle all the time anyway. Not like he'd notice, yeah?" He looked her over again as the other nearby soldiers exchanged nervous glances. Speaking the name of their God-King aloud would almost certainly draw his attention, even from so far away, and to attempt laying claim to what was rightfully his would be a sin fitting of cruel punishment. "C'mon then, let's see whatcha' look like under yer clothes."

As one of his hands reached out to stroke her cheek the other dropped to his belt, hastily unbuckling it. "Hold 'er steady, now!" The sound of heavy steel falling to the ground could be heard as the crude leather hit the ground with his sword and scabbard. A stupid grin covered his face as his hand moved to pull aside his tunic, the other soldiers unsure of how to react. And from the great city there was a blinding flash of light. The soldiers and captives alike turned away, shielding their eyes and crying out with surprise. As soon as it had appeared it was gone, soldier and captive turning together when they heard that agonizing scream.

The hand on the young woman's face jerked itself away to shelter the soldier's single functioning eye but would not even make it that far. He screamed in horror as he watched himself undergo the transformation. Not an inch from her face his fingers dissolved down to ash, floating to the ground as the change continued up his arm. When it reached his torso it spread quickly, the scream cut off suddenly and with dire finality as the man was reduced to nothing put a pile of grey flakes which quickly scattered themselves with the breeze. There was utter silence before one of the soldiers managed to gather himself, mumbling in a nervous tone. "His Divine Light is displeased with the actions of this man. Let it be a lesson to us all."

And as though nothing had happened the formation closed again and began to march, leaving her alone with the group of soldiers assigned to her. "Let it be a lesson to you especially, savage, for you will have the honor of basking in His presence. Come along now. His mood must be terribly foul today and I'll not keep Him waiting any longer." He gave a quiet nod to the others and they surrounded her, one of the men behind her giving her a shove. "Move along now."

 

[detox__]

There was always, always one to test his luck at the absolute worst time. Not only had she caught him looking over her but now he was trying to reason with himself that he deserved to have a little bit of 'fun'. There would be no general fun, and judging by the expressions on the other soldiers' faces, he was definitely not going to reach the point of ever getting involved with her in any fun. Not that she would just so easily let him. However there was an odd aura in the air now, something that left a distaste in her mouth as even the other soldiers looked nervous with this man's bold actions, none taking the time to move toward her and 'hold her steady'. She wasn't moving, or rather she hadn't moved just yet. Her own hands raising now, if he wanted to play the touching game, she would surely play along, though not in the tender and affectionate way he had possibly hoped for when his hand grazed the smooth skin of her cheek.

Her own hands had reached out, cupping the man's face in what could have been seen as a gentle embrace, however it was merely an assesment. He was unarmed and she was far too dangerous to just have her hands on him, however when her hands pulled away and the light shifted toward them, her eyes closed as she basked in something that was not of her doing. Inhaling softly at the sound of his screams, again she reminded herself that this playing with light business was going to be a bit of a fix for all of them, now wasn't it. Feeling a slight amount of the ash brush against her skin, the female could feel the light dimming and let her eyes open to carefully brush off what was left of the crude soldier. Hm. How unpleasant. And messy. She could hear the nerves in the soldier's tone as another spoke up now, almost as though he were afraid to speak to soon, her eyes moving toward him as they began to march again.

Moving soundly and seeming to disregard that she was being granted the 'honor' of basking in the presence of their God, the woman unfortunately paid no mind to such words. An honor to watch her people slaughtered for the sake of him capturing her and bringing her back to his domain? Please. Honor wasn't even the proper word fitting for this occasion, but they continued to toss it back and forth like it was just her pleasure to be here. Grimacing slightly at the shove from behind her, something incoherent was murmured beneath her breath, inaudible and not paid any mind to by the soldiers around her.

 

[Vae Victis]

And so the marching continued as though nothing had gone awry, her 'personal escort' falling behind the main group as the dirt slowly gave way to a white brick road. The closer they got to the city the more cared for the road seemed until it split in three directions. The larger group continued forward to the city's massive wall and stopped at a gate manned by the city guards. They were too far away to hear, but it appeared people were being organized by certain characteristics. Husbands and wives tried to cling together as soldiers forced them apart and it was clear they were meant for different roles. Her group went down the east path which circled around the city and continued on for quite some time before finally coming to a stop at a gate similar to the one the other group had stopped at long ago.

One of the guards approached and exchanged words with the commander of her small escort, and within minutes the towering gate slowly lifted, retreating into the heavily fortified wall to allow passage. She was given yet another shove as they began moving. One of the soldiers to her left, a younger man who looked almost boyish, gave her an almost apologetic glance before returning his eyes to the city before them.

It was a sight to be seen. Far beyond the common homes and buildings which made up the majority of the city was yet another circular wall and it appeared that the endlessly tall spires seen from miles away were located safely within them. The source of that bright light had been those spires and the palace within, built from the finest marble and enchanted with powerful magic to reflect the sun's harsh rays outside the boundaries of the city. This made it difficult to attack or approach and, perhaps more importantly, made it unique. The sort of thing travels would tell one another about when they traded tales.

It took more marching before they found themselves admitted beyond the secondary walls, and the young woman was taken inside the palace. It was as big on the inside as it was outside, with high ceilings and lavish furnishings. Nobles and guards busily roamed the main entrance hall, disappearing and reappearing behind myriad doors twenty or more feet high. She was led down and endless purple rug trimmed in gold to the largest set of doors in the room which were opened to allow them passage. Her entourage stopped and one of the men gestured to her. "Go. He waits."

And once again, for the briefest moment, the boyish soldier met her face with that pitiful look.

 

[detox__]

Again, she had heard of such a place, where the light was blinding and the sky even seemed a bit brighter up above, where their god ruled them all with an iron fist. Where their men were clearly brash and their army just as brash, made of creatures left up to the imagination because that was how they had been resurrected. This was usually a part of the story where the children got excited, because children knew not of just what these monsters were capable of when they were brought and used against them. There were some things you just do not tell children until they reach a certain age of understanding, and that was one of them. Even if they were savages, there was a heart in each of them. Watching as the group was separated yet again, differences pulling families apart, feeling her jaw clench just slightly only to turn her head in the direction her group was walking, knowing this was no time for weak hearts.

Would there ever be a time for that with what she was currently being granted? No, probably not. Not until she met with another one of her people again, if in fact they kept them alive. Again their group came to a stopping point, another gate guarded heavily by burly men, or at least that was how it appeared until her eyes caught the expression on the younger male's face. He couldn't have been any older than she was, maybe even a little younger, her eyes moving away from his face now as they both seemed to take in the city. There was something odd in that man's eyes, but she would pay it no mind as she again noted the lavish palace that seemed to loom over them, the spires seemed to be watching them as they moved closer. What lied within the palace was just as lavish as the outside, obviously there wasn't a moment of hesistation as people fluttered around the entrance hall, only a few stopping to make a glance at the woman as she entered.

Being led down closer and closer to her destination, her mismatched eyes flickered slightly off the purple rug that she was quite sure they had all made a bit of a mess on, with all this walking and dirt. Now, however, there was another halt and none of the men moved forward to go first. Oh? Now it was her turn to move willingly? If willingly was even the proper term, and it wasn't anything she just jumped for joy in doing. Again, there went that male with that expression on his face, only noticing it when one of the male's to her left gave her the gesture to go inside. He looked almost afraid, and whether he was afraid for her or himself she wasn't quite sure, however that did not stop her from moving forward silently through the open set of doors.