In Over Your Heads [M]

[Thoth]

Sitting inside one of Ketra's many taverns was a rather unnerving sight, a band of unsavory and honestly, quite odiferous characters who were clearly making many of the other patrons uncomfortable, but the tavern owners were too afraid to say anything because they were all of them quite heavily armed, well, almost all of them. Set amongst this band of criminals was one individual who by appearance didn't seem to belong there, but apparently she did. This was a young cat girl, a Nekomata to be exact, with long black hair. She was dressed in rags, her cloth being much poorer than her companions, who themselves weren't the best-dressed bunch.

She simply sat there at the table in silence, with a strange kind of leash tied around her neck. For anyone who had ever been to the land of Connlaoth far to the north, they would recognize it as a Mordecai Prisoner Collar, something used to keep dominion over particularly unruly mages as they were being taken towards their designated sites of execution. Why someone would need such a thing for such a young child, the girl looking like she could be no more than eight-years-old, was a mystery, but they apparently weren't taking any chances with her.

The group's members were all drinking their choice of liquor, except for the girl, who was making due with a small cup of water that she was periodically lapping up small portions of with her tongue like a cat. Then, the leader of the group, a very tall and intimidating orc dressed in a hodgepodge ensemble of battle armor, with fur at various points and a great many skulls and other bones at others, turned towards the girl. It should also be noted that he was the one holding the girl's leash, which was connected to a device that we in our world would recognize as the handle of a dog leash, only this one had three different buttons on it, and a jewel that matched an identical one that hung off of the front of the collar portion of the leash. Speaking in a loud and brash voice, the girl instantly recoiled and even squeaked meekly when her leader and apparent owner yelled to her, "Now, Alice, you know what you have to do, yes? YES? You get us in there, and we'll all do the rest. After all, we can't risk you getting hurt. You know you're my most valuable asset, right dear?" the green-skinned man said, the timid cat girl just nodding in silence, not saying anything. At the end of his talking the orc gently caressed the girl's chin, before then grabbing it and pulling her towards him, "Now don't mess this up. We're going to need you to get us both in and out, and to help us with the operation itself once it's underway.

So..." he said, turning to the rest of his men and almost throwing the girl violently back into her seat, a kind of treatment that she was by now quite used to as evidenced by her lack of any sort of struggle, the girl then simply going back to drinking her water, "We all know what we have to do. Our scores up until now have been chump change compared to what we're going to get from this. So, let's get going!" the men all held up their mugs, giving a rousing yell, before finally downing the last of their booze and rising up, heading for the door. They then began to walk through the town, trying as discretely as they could to make their way through the bustling streets, all the while heading towards the high Adela Castle which stood in the distance towering over the rest of the city.

[Pestilence]

Adela castle and civilization was just a short distance to her back, an open sprawl of land and sky embracing her from the front. The sky was a solid color, leaving room for ray of sunshine nor cloud.

The sound of Saqui's cacophonous flute sputtered through the still air only to fall upon the ears of deaf trees. Her fingers flitted about, seemingly oblivious to the racquet she was making. To her, it sounded like she was creating a music not unlike that of a cricket's- loud and bothersome, but peaceful all the same. The soothing effects of that gentle hum led her eyes to close and her head to droop, drifting ever so slowly into a dream. Just as she felt that final curtain draw on the day's light, a noise interrupted her serenity.

The Fae's eyes snapped open and she drew a sharp breath. Unconsciously, her ears twitched in search of the sound that had awoken her, but there was nothing. The only thing in sight was the tall Adela Castle, the open land, and the bustling town beneath it all. However, a primal instinct told the girl that she should not- could not- close her eyes again until she knew the source of the sound. Rising to her feet, she brushed her wings against the wind and took a hesitant step forward.

Again, her gut told her that she couldn't go any further. This time, the message was not so cryptic. For before her very eyes, she saw a band of men trooping up the path. They carried weapons and armor and booze galore, and yet, one of them did not quite belong. It was a girl, all dolled up in filthy rags and mangy cat ears. Her wide eyes were not afraid. Rather they were weary, as if she had done this many times before and knew what to expect.

In a split-second decision, Saqui called forth her magic and placed a glamour over herself. It wasn't much; it would only convince the men that she was taller and more well armed than she really was. Hopefully, that would be enough to keep them in line around her, at least for a short time. The Fae moved closer yet again, crossing the path and making her way over the distance to the heart of the gang.

"Excuse..." She began. Her polite introduction was not heeded. The men continued to grumble and march on. Ire bubbled in Saqui's stomach, but she bit it back. Instead of barging in with fists swinging like she wanted to, she raised her voice to try a second approach. "Ay-you! Yeah, what's goin' on here?

[Thoth]

As they walked along, Alice, the little slave girl bound to her masters, the bandits simply trudged along, looking down at the ground solemnly. The girl had no moral objections to what her masters were having her do. She was a thief through and through, it was whom she was, and she had long since made her peace with it. The same was true of her status as being a slave. She had been a toddler when she was taken from her village, and so, really, slavery was the only kind of life she had ever known. As such, it simply felt normal to her for her to be treated that way. By no means did that mean she actually liked it, but she had long since given up trying to escape. Really, she didn't even need the collar that she was forced to wear whenever she wasn't out on missions, but it made her masters feel more secure, so she had simply learned to live with it.

Walking along, she briefly looked up to see their destination, the tall Adela Castle, standing in the distance. You could see it from any point in the city, since it was taller than any of the other buildings and was the center of the city itself. Then, as Alice was walking, her ears suddenly perked up as she heard the sounds of a flute playing. It was actually quite beautiful, haunting almost. Alice looked around for the source, but was quickly pulled on by her master, the orc who led their group, "Keep moving." He simply commanded, to which she nodded and did so.

Then, the girl Saqui walked up and began yelling at them after asking once for them to pay attention to her, Alice actually facepalmed at the sight. This was just what she needed. Yet another good sameritan thinking she needed to be saved from her cruel masters. Contrary to what Saqui probably thought, she was not the first person to have this idea upon spotting her with the bandits that owned her. Many before her had tried and failed in the same venture, and many of them had gotten killed in the process. If Saqui knew what was good for her, she'd back off and let her go. After all, she was far outnumbered, and wouldn't stand a chance against the horde of bandits who wouldn't hesitate to kill her for threatening to take their most prized possession, her, away from them.

Fortunately for Saqui though, the bandits had a mission, and the last thing they needed was to draw attention to themselves by making a scene here with her, so instead of truly heeding her call, the only real response that she got out of the group was a mass of dirty looks, and the orc leader of the group actually going so far as to flip the girl the bird as he turned and walked away. His message was clear, he didn't have time for her. As they walked away, Alice looked Saqui right in the eyes and shook her head and hands, a worried expression on her face, as if to say, "Don't bother, it isn't worth it."

OOC: Not to tell you how to make your character, but I read Saqui's profile, and you do know that the word "Fae" is actually an umbrella term, which applies to a wide variety of different magical creatures, right? Being as Saqui has wings but is also full-sized, I'm guessing that she would be more appropriately designated as a "Fairy." Which is the specific type of fae that I'm simply guessing she is. Other types of Fae include Pixies and Sprites, which are both similar to fairies, but generally very, very small in size, while Fairies vary, as well as Nymphs, who are simply women possessing supernatural levels of beauty who are associated with specific objects or places, for example a Dryad is a nymph that lives in trees. All of these are technically designated as Fae, so I'm simply suggesting you may want to choose a more specific word to designate her species so that people don't get confused.

Also, you may want to expand on her capabilities a bit. Perhaps she can emit fairy dust from her wings that she could use to some effect, a power many winged fae often have, you suggest she has a way with animals, so maybe she could have some power related to that, or since she's so good with her flute you could expand on that and give her songs supernatural properties like allowing it to effect people mentally, implanting hypnotic suggestions, or at the very least, emotions, into them. Lastly, you should probably give her some type of weapon. A sword, a bow, hell, even a dagger would work. This RP is set in a medievalesqe universe, and in the Middle Ages, it was standard practice for women to conceal a dagger or some other kind of small weapon so that they could defend themselves should the need arise, as from what you're having Saqui do in your post, it is most likely about to. Again, it's your character, and these are just my suggestions, but giving her some viable way to defend herself would probably be a good idea. Besides, you describe her in her profile as being "rambunctious" so she probably wouldn't be the type of person to feel comfortable leaving the house without knowing that she'd have a way to defend herself if she needed to.

[SilmeriaElemred]

''Come you piece of trash'' A group of men on horses had arrived a little earlier. One of them wearing fine clothes of high quality fabric. Holding a leash attached to a slavecolor that could be found around the neck of one who was wearing nothing more then a jutte bag and a belt. The one in the jutte was the only woman of the group. And clearly Elven. The rest, a total of five were wearing armor.

Rather then waiting for her to get off the horse, the one holding her leash gave a tug to the leather causing her to fall on the solid ground beneath her. There was a little scream when she hit the ground.

''Careful mi-lord. She is worth less with broken bones.''

The person being refered as as mi-lord rolled his eyes. ''Do not tell me what to do. I just wanted my last moment of entertainment with her.'' he aproached the woman whom had not moved a single inch since she fell on the ground and he knelt beside her. ''You cry to little... that makes you boring.'' he said as he placed his gloved hand on her head to push her harder against the pavement before he ran his hand over her back, bottom and then between her thighs. ''And neither do you feel good down there. You are worth nothing.''

''Worth more then the piece of shit you are, looking down on everything and everyone. Must you hurt even a slave so much to gain a little bit of satisfaction?'' the girl muttered.

The lord got on his feet and kicking her in the stomach. ''My father was to good for you'' he said before using the leash to get her on her feet. ''Move.'' he commanded her.

Still couching and curling her hands around her stomach she struggled onward. Three of the soldiers stayed behind to find a tavern for later that would suit their Lords tastes. The other two soldiers accompanied the slave and their lord to the castle. It was not a far walk in normal conditions. But falling of the horse and the kick in her stomach did not make Shanodin walk as fast as she normally could. Not to mention, the lord had forgotten to feed her today.

Reaching the castle seemed like forever but would be glad when they'd arrive. Then she could rest. Her eyes were focussed on the ground to make sure she would not step on anything sharp with her naked feet.

[Thoth]

OOC: Alright, I gave Pestilence a week just like I said I would, but she hasn't posted yet, hell, she hasn't even been on once, and she never made any posts in the absences board to say why or for how long she was going to be gone, so I think I'm now well within my rights to skip her. I'll construct my post so that if she does show back up and wants to come back in she can, but for the time being I think we should just move on without her, okay?

BIC: After her silent warning, it seemed like, at least for the moment, Saqui had gotten her message, and was willing to back off. Whether or not she'd reappear later to try and make a move again towards freeing her was yet to be seen. Alice hoped she wouldn't, as she had seen such attempts many times before, and they never ended well for anyone. Therefore, Alice had long since learned not to get her hopes up every single time one such person decided to try and save her from her predicament.

Resuming their trudge towards the castle, as they made their way there, Alice noticed out of the corner of her eye another group heading in the same direction as them. What really intrigued her about them was that like her own group, there was only one female member, and that this member was clearly a slave like herself. Given this slave was a young woman as opposed to another child like herself, but still, soon though, her own group quickly outpaced the other's, and indeed they quickly arrived at the castle.

Once there, standing outside the castle walls, the tall orc who led the group began an incantation of some unknown language, and when he was completed with it, the chain leash attached to the collar that Alice was wearing detached and recoiled all the way into the collar, and the jewel on the front of the collar stopped glowing faintly, which it otherwise normally did. This signified that the collar had been deactivated, and that all of Alice's magical powers were now once again available to her.

With the two members of the group standing next to Alice taking her shoulder, and the rest then taking each other's hands, Alice prepared to begin the operation, the operation to rob Adela Castle itself, a score so huge that if successful they would all be set for life, and her masters had even promised to free her if she completed it for them. Placing her hands on the walls of the castle, Alice for a moment turned and glanced back a bit, noticing the party of the other slave girl a ways behind them. They could clearly be able to see them enter the castle, but whether or not the girl and her party would do anything about it was yet to be seen.

Turning back and sighing, Alice then focused and activated her ability, which made her one of the world's greatest thieves, intangibility, the power to walk through solid objects. Stepping forward, Alice then actually began to phase right through the castle walls, into the castle itself, and once all the way through its understandably thick outer wall, Alice and her group arrived in the interior of the castle. Immediately they were spotted by some guards, who approached them calling out, "Halt, intruders!" but the group simply continued on, phasing through another wall before coming into a large room. The orc leader then called out to Alice and his men, "Remember, this may be a royal castle, but all the real valuables are going to be stored in the castle vault. We find that and get Alice to phase us in, and we'll have all of Adela's wealth to ourselves. We'll be set for life, now let's move out!"

The group then began moving, bagging valuables here and there, with guards yelling at them as they did so. As more guards began spilling into the room, Alice quickly took her companions by the hands and once again led them out of the room they were in by phasing them through a wall. This was it, the operation was a go, there was no turning back now.

[SilmeriaElemred]

OOC: It is unfortunate. I had PM-ed her too if I recall properly and had nothing in return

BIC:
''Your cue, whore. Turn against me and I will make sure you can never move a muscle again.'' One of the guards walked towards Shanodin, removing the collar that held her shifting magic at bay. ''Oh... keep the little one alive. She looks tasty.'' Shanodin casted a nasty glare at her owner before she started to switch forms. She was no longer an elf but had taken the form of a large griffin.

It had not been that long ago. That there had been some intell about an attempt of theft. Gradius, as 'kind' as he was, had offered Shanodin to them as guard for the treasury for multiple reasons. But she would not have been accepted just like that. The girl had to prove herself first. If it failed, Gradius could vanish in thin air. Despite being called a lord, he was not a duke or a man of nobility. No. Gradius, was a monster.

From the sky, Shanodin descended after they returned. First, to rip off the head of the biggest Orc. If not rip off certainly deadly wounding them. Then, the element of suprise, killing potentional spellcasters. And she had to do it fast. With only a beak, and talons as weapons. She would keep the girl alive but not because she'd been ordered.
Her aim was right. Main bloodvessels in the neck, throat and shoulders. Their eyes and ears. She had been used for these dirty jobs more often and the taste of blood was not something she'd like to remember.

[Thoth]

While quickly making their way through the castle, stealing as they went, and all the while looking for the castle vault where all of Adela's real valuables would be stored. Then though, as their group ran through yet another wall, this time coming out into a large courtyard, a griffon suddenly came down from the sky, going right for the leader of the group, the large orc, but one of the members of the group saw Shanodin coming and called out to him, "Look out! Above you!" and so the huge green-skinned man immediately drew a flanged mace and swung it directly at Shanodin's head as she descended upon him.

That wasn't all Shanodin would have to worry about however, for soon, many of the other members of the group of bandits drew a particularly dangerous type of weapon that they had brought along for this operation. For the Mordecai Collar they used to keep Alice in line wasn't the only thing they'd gotten during their trip to Connloath. While there they had also procured themselves some of the countries advanced weaponry, in particular, firearms. Shanodin would be alerted to the danger she was in by the sound of numerous guns cocking, both pistols and rifles, and all of them being aimed directly at her.

If the girl wanted to avoid being riddled full of bullets then she would have to think, very, very fast. Alice meanwhile was still performing her duties of simply stealing as she went, while Shanodin had drawn most of her companion's attention. If there was any one good thing going for Shanodin, it was that she certainly wasn't fighting alone. Now that the group was out in the courtyard, archers positioned high on the roof began to take aim at each of them, and more guards seemed to be streaming into the field itself by the second. Alice knew they had to get away from here and fast if they were to survive, as the situation was very quickly turning against them.

[SilmeriaElemred]

Fortunatly Shanodin could think fast and dodged the mace. She was not heavy and therefor agile. But her owner was cunning too and a master of illusion magic which he used to conceal her. She knew where he was, and that was not where the commotion now was. The concealment lasted as long as Gradius would want which was longer then usual. He had to succeed or rather, make her suceed. But he wanted fun too. He created an illusionversion of her for the orcs to focus on so the real one could make the kills. Shanodin dug her talons in one of their necks as she passed to the leader. Clawing out one of his eyes and using her beak to make a gaping wound in the neck before having to take flight. Still. She could not prevent being hit as something, either bullet or arrow hit her left leg. But she would not need it during flight. Gradius licked his lips. Simply liking to see his pet being hurt by someone else. With so many guards and archers it would be easier to take down the orcs. For as far as taking them down was easy anyway. He unleashed another illusion. Turning the stones beneath their feet into suffering faces, smokeformed hands and crawling bodies. It affected the guarfs however a little too despite a warning they'd received days before.

[Thoth]

The large orc who had swung the mace at Shanodin then looked around at all of the different guards and the archers surrounding them, and sighed, "Alice, get us out of here, now!" Alice nodded at her master's command, and immediately began running between the different members of her party, grabbing them one by one and turning them intangible, but before she was able to reach many of them, they were getting assaulted by the guards and shot through with arrows. Things were turning south for them very, very fast. Alice had known that they were getting themselves in over their heads when her master proposed this operation, but she had gone along with it anyway because she knew she didn't have any other choice.

As the small group of the bandits she'd managed to gather and bring under her protection then made their way for the leader of the group, they were needless to say all surprised when strange things began happening, some of their comrades going down as if getting attacked by an invisible enemy, and then when even stranger things began happening, suffering faces appearing out of the ground, not to mention the smoke forming into hands as well as their being crawling bodies which emerged from it. Alice just continued on, the rest of the bandits trying to make their way towards her knowing that she was their only means of escape, while Alice herself made her way towards the leader of their group, who took out a small hand cannon, his own person firearm, and lit it, aiming it directly at Shanodin, although when the weapon fired, the cannonball simply passed right through her, being as what he had actually hit was an illusion.

Whether or not Shanodin and the small army that had gathered in the courtyard would be able to take down their group before they escaped again was yet to be seen, but it would certainly be difficult what with Alice's power of intangibility which allowed her to protect any of her allies who were physically connected to her from attack.

Looking around after having failed to kill Shanodin despite having a very powerful weapon with him, he then spotted something interesting. There was a stream of blood dripping down from something that shouldn't be there. Understanding that somehow an illusion had been placed on Shanodin which rendered her invisible, the huge orc then pulled out a francisca of all things, a very deadly throwing axe, and threw it directly at Shanodin. This time however, he had aimed for the real one, the blood dripping from the wound on her leg giving away her location.

[SilmeriaElemred]

This time Shanodin could not fully dodge it. Not by flying. In mid air she morphed back allowing herself to fall on the hard ground. She was smaller in her elvenform and the axe passed her cheek cutting it and she lost a few stay hairs. Wether it was a mistake or not was something she'd find out now. She had landed wrong and a sharp pain shot through her leg when she tried to get up. Even so. Death or a new master. Everything was better then how it currently was. The illusion still stealthed her but it could not masked her cry of pain. Neither the blood dripping out of her wound.

Speaking of master where was he now? If he had moved it meant that he had taken his prize. A slumbering magic artifact he needed. She knew only that much. Risking his life the guard who posed as him had snuck through the chaos. She was not suprised, everyone of her masters guards had their expertises. Thisone, stealth and sneaking. It helped that with an illusion he looked like one of the orcs. And he had Shanodins collar. Putting it around Alice's neck. ''No more magic tricks'' he said with a grin. Stealthy or not his eyes were near white and breath reeked of death. This collar worked with a special key; anyone could put it on a magic users neck but only with the key would the collar get off.

[Thoth]

The huge orc scoffed when he saw only a small cut get made, knowing that he had failed to kill Shanodin with his axe. He did smirk though when he heard a shriek of pain, which followed his attack. Still, soon after Alice got a second magic cancelling collar put on over her first, only this one, while not quite as sophisticated as the Mordecai collar she was wearing, was fully active, and so, when it was put on, her intangibility was canceled out, and she and all of her comrades became instantly vulnerable again to attack from the guards who then quickly overtook them.

The leader though, refusing to give up, took out a number of pistols and began firing them at the guards, but he was quickly silenced when a rain of arrows came down from the roof and skewered him from many different directions at once. He fell down, fallen in battle. Alice's comrades all screamed, but were quickly captured and apprehended, including Alice herself.

Alice was now quite frightened for her life, wondering what was going to happen to her now that she'd been caught. The group was led through the castle and then down a long hall of stairs before coming to a dungeon where they were put into cells until such a time as it could be decided what to do with them permanently, although given their crimes, their most likely fate would be a swift execution.

[SilmeriaElemred]

It was cold and moist in the dungeons. Alice had been put seperatly from the orcs whom each were put into heavy chains. Alice only had one ankle chain. Eventually the dungeon entrance opened and stumbling footsteps echoed in the dark. The orange light of a torch dimly lit up the place. And showed the fragile form of Shanodin carrying food that existed out of a dry piece of bread, mouldy cheese and a piece of fruit that almost had entered the stage of rotting. On her left calve was a bandage wrapped where the bullet or arrow had hit her and on her cheek a few stitches. There was some tangy dried meat too. Knowing that the bandits were chained heavily she opened the prisondoor and placed the food inside. She clearly trembled but brought in the tray in close enough for them to reach before quickly heading out and locked the door. Muttering an apolagy to them.

She then went to Alice's prison but instead of giving her food she released the girl from her chains. ''My master wishes for you to follow me for a meal.'' she said. Almost seemed as if she were to burst in tears. He knew what person Gradius was. ''Will you accompany me?''

[Thoth]

OOC: Not all of the bandits are orcs. If you check my posts, I only ever said that the leader was, most of the other bandits are just normal humans.

BIC: While the bandits sat in their cell all chained up with heavy chains, sitting together and grumbling quietly about their present predicament, they watched silently as Shanodin approached them and gave them their food. After she left, arguing could be heard amongst them, mostly the members of the group blaming their leader for having got them all into this mess in the first place, while a few others defended him.

Alice meanwhile just sat in her cell, lying down on the small bed, curled up like a cat. When she heard footsteps approaching her cell, Alice immediately perked up, scooting back into the back of her cell, but then when she saw that the person who had approached her was the same slave she had seen outside before this whole madness began, she relaxed somewhat.

Seeing the woman enter her cell and unlock her chains, Alice looked up at her and then listened to what she had to say, the woman explaining that her master apparently wanted to have a meal with her. Pondering it for a moment, Alice then simply nodded to show she agreed and got up, taking Shanodin's hand and smiling meekly at her.

[SilmeriaElemred]

OOC: sorry. I edited :)

BIC: Alice's hand got gently squeezed by Shanodin before directing the girl to where Gradius was staying. He had received a guest room for now and he half lay on the couch. His hair which was in a long tail was as black as a starless night. His robes were black with red and golden accents. In his hands was a glass with red wine. On the higher table were a few plates with food.

He greeted Alice with a cocky smile. There was something dangerous about him however for sure. His dark eyes revealed that he certainly was up to something. Around his neck was a key. The one Shanodin knew it was from the collar. But she did not stare at it. Instead, closed the door.

Gradius got on his feet and aproached the girl. ''You are cuter up close. Come. Dine with me.'' he said kindly to hear with dark eyes before he looked at Shanodin. ''You. Make sure we're both satisfied.'' he ordered. ''Yes master.'' Shanodin replied. ''Can I escort the lord and lady to the table?'' she asked with a bow. Gradius looked at Alice. ''This elf, is named Shanodin. But basicly the best way to adress her is slave. She quickly tends to forget her place. Often talking back despite being property.'' he allowed Shanodin however to escort the two of them to the table and help them get seated. He however then sent Shanodin to the corner. The plates had pieces of chicken, baked potatoes, steak, and various pieces of sliced fruit. Also a kristal karaf with red wine.

''Do you know why I called you here?'' he asked calmly as he poured the girl some wine.

[Thoth]

Although it was rare for it to occur, Alice like spending time around other females far more than she did around men. In her experience, men were generally mean and rude, while women were kind to her and far more understanding. What's more, Alice knew that this other woman was a slave like herself, and in that she felt some sort of kinship with her, she felt that she could trust her, and so she did.

Whether or not she'd trust this master of hers that she'd be getting taken to was another story. After being led to the room where Gradius was staying and then entering, immediately upon setting eyes upon the man Alice knew he was trouble, and certainly didn't trust him in the slightest. Something about the man just gave her chills, and she didn't like the feeling one bit.

When Gradius approached her, Alice looked away, rubbing her legs together and taking a very introverted position, but then as he told her to dine with him, Alice looked over to Shanodin for reassurance, before slowly nodding, walking over and taking a seat when Shanodin offered and then pulled one out for her. Looking out across the table, Alice was practically drooling at the sight of all the delicious food. Her masters in the group of bandits certainly didn't starve her, considering the girl to be extremely valuable, and so they always tried to keep her as healthy as possible, but still, seeing all of this food laid out before her was absolutely mouthwatering.

Looking over at Gradius, Alice finally spoke for the first time since she'd arrived, "May I?" she asked, clearly referring to whether or not she could partake of the food. It was then however that Gradius asked her why she had been called here, and to this question Alice got slightly nervous, shaking her head to indicate a "no" answer to the man's question.

[SilmeriaElemred]

''You can take whatever food you like'' Gradius assured before answering her question and took a bit of the potatoes and steak. ''You have a very usefull gift. And have a pretty face. Shanodin if everything goes right will stay here but I tend to like having... a companion.''

The way he said it made Shanodin shiver. He was no different then her first master. Alice was only a child. She was not sure if the girls previous master or masters let her keep her dignity but would it come to that she certainly would not allow Gradius to harm her in that way. The key was around his neck though. But taking it from him, was not a good idea. The collar could be removed with a lot of force. Something that she did not have but would result into shocking Alice very painfully. Gradius occasionally did it for fun.

''I have the key to your new collar. Shanodin had it on at all times. Cant have her fly away after all. But fighting made her a bit weak so it is fine. But you...'' he calmly cut a piece of steak, put it in his mouth and chewed before swallowing. ''If I'd take off that collar and offered you a home and vow to commit yourself fully to me. Would you accept it? I did after all save you from execution. You can live. Breathe. And if all of my plans go well, perhaps even, become a Goddess of this world. But I will ask for your full commitment to me.''

[Thoth]

Nodding politely, Alice then offered her response to Gradius' offer, "Thank you." She said, trying to be polite to the man despite still not trusting him. With that, Alice moved and took some food onto her plate, taking some pieces of chicken, steak, and then filling her glass with some milk, which she liked as her favorite beverage, what with being a Nekomata and all. Listening to the man speak as she tried to slowly and carefully eat the food she'd gathered for herself, Alice looked on at him, and when he was finished, the man having told her that he wanted a companion, Alice understood the situation.

Gradius wanted to be her new master. Well, in truth Alice didn't mind this prospect very much, as actually having a master to look out for her made her feel safer and more secure, as she certainly didn't know of anyone else who would take in someone like her. Glancing over at Shanodin in the corner, Alice tried to gauge the woman's response, and could clearly see how troubled she was by the prospect. While Alice was certainly young, she wasn't stupid, and knew from the expression on Shanodin's face, a kind of expression she herself had worn all too often when she had displeased her previous masters in the gang of bandits, that this guy was not a nice person. If she really had her way, Alice would like to escape this place, hopefully taking Shanodin with her, but she knew that accomplishing an escape like that would be very difficult.

Turning back towards Gradius, Alice glanced at the key hanging around his neck, knowing before he even told her that it was the key to the new collar she was wearing. Luckily for her a simple key was all that was required to unlock the collar. If Gradius had simply forced the bandits to give him control over the Mordecai collar, which she was also still wearing, although it was still deactivated, any potential escape attempt would be far more difficult, as escaping from that thing was virtually impossible. Of course, Alice wasn't about to tell Gradius that, at least, not unless he asked her. Internally Alice thought to herself, pondering her situation.

She had by now realized that Gradius was likely the one responsible for the illusions she had seen during the battle, and so was probably a mind mage or something similar. What else he could do with a person's head she didn't know. For all Alice knew, Gradius could be telepathic and able to read her thoughts. Sighing, Alice listened to Gradius' final words and then gave her reply, speaking in a quiet, meek voice, "Okay. You did save me, so I owe you my life...Master." Alice said, then bowing her head before the man once again. Unlike Shanodin, Alice was in general very submissive as a slave, and rarely if ever disobeyed her orders. As such she was probably just the kind of slave Gradius would like having.

Then, raising her finger, Alice spoke again, "If I may make a few requests of you though, first..." Alice then pointed at Shanodin sitting miserable in the corner, "Can she eat with us? I like her, and then, second...although this isn't really a request so much as a suggestion, among the belongings of my previous masters who were captured is a magical bag they were going to use to store most of the things they stole. It is very useful and powerful, our band's second most valuable possession next to myself. You would probably want it for yourself, no?"

[SilmeriaElemred]

Gradius pondered. ''Sounds intriguing.'' he said about the bag and looked at Shanodin. ''This, Shanodin. Is how someone of your status should behave. Sit. Eat.'' he said to her. There was a kind of displeasure. He knew that Shanodin was very hungry. Hence he tormented her by allowing Alice to eat all these delicious smelling things and sending her off. After he and Alice would be done just like many times would throw something on the ground and watch Shanodin as she would pick it up. Only to use necro magic to let it decay in her mouth. All for good fun but for now. He'd let her eat. He was far from afraid of his slave.

Shanodin calmly stumbled towards the table and sat down on the stool next to Alice. She whispered a very silent thank you to Alice. Gradius would not hear, had not even seen Shanodin's lips move. Which was for the best.

''About that bag.'' Gradius cut another piece of meat. ''If your previous masters had it on them it was most likely confiscated like the rest they had on them. How would you suggest to retrieve it?''he put the piece of meat in his mouth and chewed, watching Alice to hear her answer.

[Thoth]

Smiling at her new master, Alice nodded. Apparently Gradius was indeed interested in the prospect of attaining the magical bag she had mentioned. This wasn't a lie, as her band knew there would be far more items inside the vault than they would be able to carry on their own, so they had brought the bag with them so that they'd actually be able to make off with them all relatively easily. The bag itself was indeed, just as Alice had said, an extremely powerful magical item, and it had many more uses than simply storing things, but she would show Gradius that when they found it. Hell, if Alice really wanted to, she could use the bag to help herself escape from him, but she would at least have to find some way of getting the two collars she was currently wearing off first.

Then again, on the other hand, for all the warnings Shanodin was giving her about him, Gradius hadn't been mean to her yet. Perhaps he was only like that to Shanodin because was disobedient. It sounded like Shanodin would be staying here, so at least she wouldn't have to be worrying about that much longer. Alice herself on the other hand felt she could probably handle having this guy as her master, so maybe she didn't even have to try escaping from him. Whoever this guy was he clearly had access to a lot of resources and was obviously very well connected. He had offered to make her a goddess, whatever that meant.

For the time being Alice just decided to roll with things and see how it all played out. She wasn't fully sure what she wanted to do yet. If she could she'd like to help Shanodin more, but for the moment it seemed like beseeching Gradius so that she could actually eat was about the best she could do for the other slave. Hearing Shanodin whisper a "thank you" to her as discretely as she could, Alice understood that she was trying to do so without alerting Gradius, and so simply turned to her and flashed a smile, nodding her head faintly to signal she was welcome for the thanks.

Alice then simply went back to eating her meal, and as Gradius then spoke to her, after finishing chewing and then swallowing a piece of chicken, Alice replied, "Well Master, you seem well connected to the people around here, and from outward appearance the bag I speak of doesn't actually look special at all, so if you asked they'd likely just give it to you. I'm sure you could make up some excuse for why you'd want it.

Otherwise I can try and go find it, though I don't know my way around this place and am somewhat unsure as to where they could have taken our group's belongings. I am just your loyal slave, Master, so naturally, the choice is completely up to you."

[SilmeriaElemred]

''Connected...'' Gradius chuckled. ''I merely received a rumor about the raid and sent a messenger to the owner of this castle that I was willing to help prevent him losing his entire fortune in exchange for one object he had in his posession. Also.'' he gestured to Shanodin. ''Initially I would sell her to him to protect the vaults from now on. I wanted to get rid of her for already a while so this was a good chance to prove herself.'' He looked at Shanodin and could not resist letting the food in her mouth that moment turn a little foul. But Shanodin was used to worse and simply swallowed it. Gradius was a little disappointed with her getting hurt since he did receive less for her. But he got what he wanted. And someone way more useful.

''After dinner, if you wish, you may use the bathhouse. You also will receive some new clothes from me to wear. Something warmer and more appropiate. Shanodin will accompany you to the baths and bathe with you. In the meantime, I shall ask for the bag. If they refuse giving it we can always use different measures.''