Finally Equal {Original Content & Methos}

[Original Content]

Liberty was never allowed to mingle with the other slaves. She was the prized possession for her rare abilities. Her home was considered as exquisite amongst the common slave shacks. No leaks seeped through cracks when it rained and wind didn't howl through the broken windows. As a reward for slime buckets she was kept in high enough esteems for the sake of her appeal. Otherwise she was beaten and spat on like the common slave.

Today was a different story all the same. She stood upon her stoop in her shreds of a shirt and skirt-- no shoes. She watched as the slaves rushed from their shacks and into the streets to the site of much disarray. From Liberty's perch she could only see crazed citizens and hear frantic screaming. If she were to change now to a small bird The Dirty Bastard would notice enough to punish her. Her lengthy ears drooped to her shoulders as the fear of being caught overwhelmed her.

"What is happening? Some one tell me, please? Why are you all running?" She yelled to anyone that passed her stoop, but none seemed to notice. They never had before. They were always beaten if they looked her way. "Damnit! Someone answer me!" She reached out and grabbed an innocent young man by his arm before he could sprint by. He averted her eyes out of trained fear. "Answer me, please. Why all of this? What has happened?"

"The wander that came to the settlement, do you remember him?"

"Yes, what of him? We have many unfortunate-"

"He has killed The Dirty Bastard! He summons us to the gates. We may be free yet!"

At those words Liberty lost her grip on the boy and he scampered away with only a single glance backwards. Free? Someone had once told her that her name meant freedom but the word quickly lost its meaning as she was given many names to the loyal servants she rewarded. She couldn't believe it. Not until her own torn ears had heard it. Who knew? This wanderer could be yet another tyrant and she would have a new roomful of hungry men to please in any form they requested.

For once she stepped from her cage and dashed into the crowd toward her namesake.

 

[Methos]

Patrick found himself rather bewildered with the situation he now found himself in. He’d arrived in this outpost resembling civilization to the north. Their dictator had attempted to recruit him into the guards that had a fairly free run of the town and its surroundings. But he hadn’t been interested. Patrick had wanted to move on in search of the almost mythical city that lay further on yet. But he’d not had a chance to do so. Rather he’d been conscripted. Thus for several days he’d simply laid low and pretended that he’d come around, but upon the third day he’d been standing around close to the dictator, grabbed another of the guards gun’s and killed the man and a number of the other guards who’d drawn their weapons before a one of them could fire back at him.

Strangely it had been that simple. Everyone had cringed in fear of Galvin and he’d exploited them. Holding women as slaves, conscripting people into the army, distributing supplies as a chokehold over the population - and then he was dead. The young stranger whom had killed him seemed to be relieved when none of the tyrant’s flunkies seemed to seriously seek vengeance upon his behalf. Those who feared the anger of the populace had simply melted away, other had simply appeared stunned. The startling part was that a number of them began to kneel before him as though to acknowledge him as their new ruler.

A few moments later a crowd had gathered and they all bowing and kneeling and addressing him a ‘lord’ and ‘king’. Evidently killing the tyrant had been a rather popular move. He’d found it rather baffling thus as people crowded around him his mind worked and if he was going to be vested with authority at least temporarily he might as well act upon it. Hence he demanded that everyone assemble around him, the whole of the town with its thousands of people.

A strange thing to have a crowd like that milling around him all looking at him expectantly. He simply remarked “I have killed your tyrant! Now what I say shall be law.” He seemed to receive a murmur of assent for that. “All slaves for which you haven’t a lawful deed of sale are hereby freed unless they choose not to be. I won’t deprive people of what they paid money for, but those that were captured or seized will be freed.”

He idly seemed to consider the matter “And all those slaves held by the tyrant which are now mine are freed, save those that do not wish to be.” Having made that pronouncement he simply shrugged and started to walk through them as he remarked “That’s all for now. I’ll let you know when I have more to tell you.” Now he simply trudged towards the tyrant’s residence with a slight grin. After all it would be hard for anyone to put things back the way they were after that.