Don’t Take Life Too Seriously; You Might Find Yourself Enslaved

Warning: Depictions of Sexual Assault

I awoke with a start. What a nightmare! I wasn’t particularly religious, but I thanked the Deity that it was just a dream; a crueler fate I couldn’t imagine.

The panic passed, and I realized I was in an unfamiliar place, resembling nothing like the dens in the Two Trees. Sunlight spilled across the walls and floors of precisely cut wooden boards through an exacting rectangular window. However, what caught my attention was the pane of glass separating the inside and outside. The room itself was nothing special, save for the lack of any adornments. Aside from a small single drawer side table, the only other piece of furniture was the bed I was lying on.

It was then I noticed there was a shackle on my right leg. Well, that was strange… Also, there was something snuggly chafing at my neck. Reaching up, I felt what seemed to be a metal collar of some kind. Before I could ponder the implications of these unorthodox personal-wear, I heard a sharp gasp at the door. Staring wide-eyed at me was a woman with pale pink hair. She ran off after making only brief eye contact. You would think she had never seen a yutsuukitsuu before.

Oh well. I yawned. I was still tired. If not for that disturbing dream, I most certainly would still be asleep, and that is where I would be returning. Something strange was going on, but I could worry about that after I caught a few more hours of sleep.

Screams. Telepathic screams, but screams all the same. In truth, I much prefer the mundane auditory variety; the psychic kind carries the terror and anguish much better. What could cause such a terrible emotion?

I ran, trying to find the source. Whoever they were, they were in peril. It was my job to prevent such peril. But I couldn’t find them. It appeared the scream came from everywhere. And everywhere there was only fire and blackness. Blackness and… the remains of those that I had failed to protect. Mangled corpses, twisted in tormented shapes.

I kept moving, passing body after body. Snowcap Elder burned alive. Father run through, his mask taken. Hailstone Priest split in two, his face now revealed. He didn’t look nearly as old as I thought. Mother… I won’t even speak of the sight. Countless more… It was too late for them. I needed to find the source of the screams.

The screams came to a head when I encountered a group of survivors led by Lilac Governess fighting off several laughing demons shrouded in fire. I charged in, but before I could reach them, another of the immolated creatures emerged from the darkness and struck me down. The demons turned and laughed as they cut down Lilac Governess and began slaughtering the small group of survivors. Unable to move, I had no choice but to watch as the world faded away...

For the second time, I awoke in the same room as before. There was no start this time. My eyes opened with the full remembrance of what had happened. Why was I still alive? I had taken a sword to the chest. I pulled up my shirt to find… nothing. No sign anything had ever so much as nicked me. That couldn’t be… Was it all… just a dream? Could that all just be a horribly vivid dream? If so, that didn’t explain where I was now.

Just as hope began to emerge, a short, jovial man with a full white beard and flamboyant mustache bounced into the room. “Ah, finally! You are awake!”

My present chain of thought was broken by this strange man, who I now realize had a round gut, his loose fitting weathered white clothing did nothing to conceal. “I was worried you might not wake up, despite bringing the best healer money can buy.”

“Um… Healer?” His abrupt entry had me taken aback.

“Oh yes! You had taken quite the sword to the chest!” He asserted with an authoritative skyward pointing finger. “I was worried we were too late, but Saint Cerulia assured me she wouldn’t let this one go, yes indeed!”

Who was this guy? He just barged in here like a video game NPC in a hurry to facilitate player action. After the nightmare, his chipper attitude did not mesh well. Well, at least I could pump him for information.

“…Is that why I don’t have a wound on my chest?” The hope I’d felt earlier faded away.

“Most certainly. She did a most fine job. Though I was beginning to grow concerned when you didn’t immediately awake. Though she did say something about needing to recover from the mental toll or some such.” He waved a dismissive hand.

“And who are you?” I asked.

“Asal Alaba!” He came over and shook my hand in both of his. “I am so delighted you pulled through!” Grinning from ear to ear, he continued, “I’m certain you will fetch quite a fine price in Alocast, most certainly indeed!”

“…Fetch a fine price?” I repeated, slack-jawed.

“For certain! Yutsuukitsuu slaves are unheard of! And you are such a fine specimen! I’m so glad we made it in time!”

A slave? Well, that explained the shackle and collar, but... “And where are we now?”

“Atol. At one of the local inns,” Asal Alaba said plainly. Apparently, his unusual enthusiasm halted at such trivial details.

“And what about the other yutsuukitsuu?” I asked, hopefully.

“Dead mostly...” he said, frowning with downcast eyes. “We could only salvage a few... But we did manage to get to you in time! You are the real prize!”

Salvage a few?! Was this man trying to earn my ire? His demeanor said no, nor could I see any benefit in enraging me. That said, he was doing a superb job of pissing me off. Lucky for him, I was still too tired to protest.

Regardless, some of my kinsmen had survived. I wasn’t sure how I felt. Was it good a handful had survived, or was it terrible only a handful had survived? A glass half full or half empty perspective. Or more accurately, a glass 1/100th full or 99/100ths empty.

And what was this about me being the real prize? Whatever, this old man’s tone disgusted me, but I was still fatigued despite however long I had slept. I yawned.

“I see you are still quite tired. I will let you rest. Once you have fully recovered, we will be quite busy. Oh, yes sir!” Asal Alaba bounced out of the room in much the same way he had entered, but stopped outside the door to address a well-built man wearing a morion helmet. “Make sure to look after our friend here. We can’t have the avarice of our fellow man snatching him up while our guard is down, no sir!”

He offered a disdainful snort in reply. Whatever, I offered no protest. I just wanted to sleep some more. Once my vigor had returned, I would get these shackles off and give him a lesson in decency.

I spent the next couple of days recovering my strength. Apparently, despite being “fully healed,” taking a sword to the chest took something out of you that only time could restore. Asal had mentioned something about a mental toll. I can’t say I felt much mental damage, not from the stab anyway.

Nurse Tem tended to me during those couple of days. She was the pink haired woman I had seen dash away when I first awoke. She was young, early 20s if I wager a guess, and quite fond of bringing me soup…

“You’re awake!” she said as she strolled in, humming a tune. “I got something special for you today.” I caught of whiff of something savory, and my ears perked up a bit before I saw the familiar serving bowl. She placed the steaming porcelain on my bed tray, like the kind you serve your mother breakfast in bed with. Luxurious, you might think, until you realized you were yet again being served a broth-based dish.

“It looks like you are doing better, so I think your stomach can handle some meat now.” She watched me with an egregious smile. The soup was a dull yellow and there was indeed meat in the broth, small bits here and there like a budget chicken noodle. I snorted. The corner of her mouth twitched ever so slightly.

My stomach had no problems, and I could have eaten flesh right off the cow’s leg on day one. I was overtaxed, not sick. Yet, nurse Tem had insisted on soup or porridge for every meal, made even more insufferable by that same overdone smile.

I stared at the liquid concoction for some time. “Is it not to your liking?” she said, awkwardness deteriorating her smile.

“No… It’s fine.”

“I know it’s not your favorite, but you will soon be back on your normal diet!” She struck a pose. Despite appearances, she wasn’t stupid. Anyone with half a brain could tell that I wasn’t a fan of soup.

Nurse Tem sat down on a chair beside my bed. She had brought it in at some point to minimize the awkwardness of standing over me. “How are you feeling today, little one?” My ears spasmed.

“…I’m fine,” I replied, trying not to grit my teeth, giving her the usual answer.

“Don’t worry. You will be okay. I couldn’t find anything wrong with you, and you have been getting better. Soon you will be able to…” She searched for the words. “To live your life!”

I frowned, and she struggled to keep up her smile. I couldn’t fault her for such a bland yet insensitive remark. It seemed nobody had informed her about my situation, and I certainly wasn’t going to. Without a doubt, she had pried for details, but never directly; she wasn’t that crass. Strangely, it seemed she didn’t interact with Asal Alaba very much, as I’m sure it wouldn’t take much for him to spill the entire story. I was unsure how my stay and care were arranged, but it seemed mostly outsourced to others.

She sat there, watching, and from experience I knew she would remain at least until I finished my soup. “You don’t have to wait for me to finish,” I said. This usually did the trick of getting her to leave.

Her smile weakened. “…Alright, little one. I’ll be back in a bit to collect the bowl and tray.” My tail stiffened as she said it again, “little one.” It was such a belittling name, but I had no grounds to condemn. I was 10 years old and of a species perhaps half the mass of your typical human. It wasn’t the reference to my size that bothered me, but its infantilizing connotation. If she knew what I had suffered, she wouldn’t so readily use such words.

However, the fact remained, she didn’t know, and I hadn’t even so much told her my name, though she had asked for it on several occasions. So instead, she started using this diminutive nickname, “little one.” I did hate it, but I couldn’t bring myself to dispel her.

She departed, still wearing her long-suffering smile. I felt a pang of loneliness as she closed the door. The only other person who visited was Asal Alaba, and he was insufferable. The last I had seen him, he had waxed about how the Alocast economy had been on the upswing for several years, leading to a higher demand for luxury goods and how I was “sure to fetch a fine price.” One would think he was taunting me, but he seemed oblivious to the fact that people generally didn’t appreciate being sold off as property. Well, I wouldn’t have to deal with that much longer.

I slurped down the soup in a single go. It wasn’t bad as far as soup went, but sometimes—or most of the time—you want something you can actually sink your teeth into. I mean, nature had given the yutsuukitsuu long sharp teeth; I’m pretty sure we were originally carnivorous. Nonetheless, I had waited for the meal before I made my escape.

I no longer felt weary, and I had suffered this enslaved farce long enough. It was time to break these shackles! Or pick the lock—I was certain I couldn’t break steel.

I pulled the blanket down and exposed the cuff around my ankle. It was just your standard manacle, with your standard skeleton key lock. I had never done it before, but I was sure I could pick the lock with fox magic easily enough; telekinesis was its fundamental aspect. First, I just needed to probe the lock. Get a feel for its inner workings.

An alarming realization hit me; I couldn’t scan the lock, couldn’t feel it with the method I had devised. I tried again, but still couldn’t sense it. Specifically, I felt I could reach out, but couldn’t interact with it.

Maybe I was still weaker than I thought, so I tried harder, same result. Had I lost my abilities? The thought was frightening, but no. I still felt the mana being expended. Experimentally, I try to move the bowl across the tray. It too didn’t move, but I still felt an expenditure of effort. It was almost as if I was trying to move an object well beyond my abilities.

Terror started gripping me, and I felt a little hot around the collar… No, something around my collar was growing hot! I reached up and found the slave collar warm to the touch and it all snapped into place.

How could I be so stupid!? Of course, they wouldn’t just leave a telekinetic fox unchecked. They had seen me kill at least one of their warriors. The collar seemed to be using the same technology that produced the magic canceling effect on those soldiers’ armor. This was going to be a problem.

I’m not usually one to panic, but I might have lost my senses at that moment, realizing if I couldn’t dislodge this collar, I was very much going to end up a medieval slave. I tried pulling it over my head, even engaging my both feet, trying to pry it free. Of course, there was no way that was going to happen without removing my head first. After that proved futile, I felt around its surface to see if there was a weakness I could exploit. To my horror, I found it was a completely smooth ring, no keyhole, no hinges even.

I lost it and began smashing it against the bed frame, an undignified act, I would have felt afterwards, if not for the burly thug who charged into the room.

“What is all that racket!?” came his brutish voice. I looked at him, dumbfounded. He loosened up. “Well now. I see you are all better.” He crossed his arms while examining me. “I still can’t believe something so small gave us so much trouble.” …This was the door guard from before.

“…Trouble?” I stammered.

“Yeah,” he drew out. “I could forgive Korkrin; he was an obnoxious bastard. So full of himself.”

Wait… Was he?

“But Bartop was a pal of mine. Sure, he cheated at cards sometimes, but who doesn’t? And sending Murez plummeting to his death was just plain disrespectful.”

I felt my hair stand up. “You were there on the attack of the Two Trees!”

“That’s right,” he said with scorn. “When I found you had survived, I was eager to get even, but I had already accepted this job from your new owner. Don’t reckon he would appreciate me damaging the products.” I relaxed a little.

“But there is more than one way to get even.” As he said this, he got this intense look in his eye as he scanned me over.

No… no, he couldn’t be. He stepped up to the bed while loosening his breeches with that same shit-eating grin soldiers seemed to love while committing war crimes.

You have got to be shitting me! This kind of thing actually happens?! He grabbed my head as he reached down his pants. “If you put that anywhere near my mouth, I can guarantee you will not be getting it back!” I threaten, and by the Deity, I wouldn’t just bite it off cleanly, I would tear it off like a stubborn piece of meat!

“Hehe,” He laughed. “If you wanted to jump right to it, you could have just said so.” He grabbed my tail and flipped me with little effort. The yutsuukitsuu truly were a feeble species without their fox magic. I tried to turn so I could bite him or something, but he had me well pinned.

As I was fighting to turn and face him, he whipped out his member and… Oh. I stopped fighting for a moment and just stared. “Are you sure you want to sexually violate someone with…” I nodded to the ‘appendage’ in question. “That?”

That got him frowning, but he quickly replaced it with an angry grin. “It’s plenty for you!” he retorted, trying to strip off my pants.

Unfortunately, he was right. As subpar as it was, it would still be an unpleasant experience and, more importantly, a clear personal violation. I struggled to keep my pants up, but that was an unwinnable battle.

“RAPE!” I yelled full boar, almost cartoonishly. That got his attention and forced him to focus on covering my mouth, stifling my cries, but not for long.

I managed to shift his hand enough to find good purchase on the palm and bit down hard like an aggrieved alley cat, a metallic taste filling my mouth. He pulled away hard, releasing me. I wondered if antibiotics existed?

He tripped over the chair, sending it flying and crashing to the ground, but not before skirting by an incredulous Asal Alaba as he came charging into the room.

“What in Ziksis’s name is going on here!?” He shouted, in perhaps the only display of anger I had ever seen him demonstrate. I can only imagine what was going through his mind as he sized up the situation and saw me, pants half down, and the thug sprawled out with his “technically sufficient” manhood flopping limply free of his britches.

For all his faults, Asal Alaba could put two and two together. “What the rot were you doing!?” He put himself between me and ‘tallboy.’ “This one is valuable merchandise!”

“That’s right!” I looked up from over his shoulder. “I’m valuable merchandise! Hand Off!”

“It goes without saying, but you are fired!” He pointed to the door. The formally employed pulled up his pants, before looking up to Asal and opening his mouth. “There will be no payment for services already rendered as you have breached the contract!” The thug scowled. “Now off with you!”

He looked beyond angry, but he left without a word. HR wouldn’t hear his case. I guess dismissal without pay was probably the worst thing that could happen to him, since I didn’t think any real justice was going to be served, but I guess nothing happened, so I let it go.

“I should have known better than to hire one of those butchers,” Asal Alaba said as he stood the chair back up and plopped down with an exhale. His disapproval of the Two Trees Massacre made me reconsider my immense disgust for the man. “They are the reason I could only secure a handful of the yutsuukitsuu, even though they were explicitly told to spare the children.” No, I was wrong. This guy was still a slaving piece of scum. Don’t know what I was thinking.

“What happened to the children? The surviving ones, I mean?”

“Oh, I’ve already sold them!” His spirits soared as his good humor came rushing back. My spirits sank, however. “Furar Mokar! Quite the ambitious lad. Sold most of them to him on credit, but I’ve no doubt he will pay it back with interest in no time at all! He has always proven to be most reliable. I was truly fortunate that he was in town. Yes, indeed!” His smile shined.

His lack of tact was amazing. He was clearly unashamed of everything he did. On the contrary, he bragged about it to anyone who would listen. But perhaps I could leverage this to my advantage and get him to reveal some clues in how I might escape. “Why can’t I use fox magic, err, my magic?”

“Because we put an anti-scribe collar on you, silly!” He chuckled to himself. “Can’t have you escaping or causing problems now, can we?”

So he was completely aware of what he was doing. What a monster!

“And how would one go about removing an ‘anti-scribe’ collar?”

He let out a deep belly laugh. “Hehe, you are quite amusing!” He got up. “Not only can you speak, but you have a cleverness about you, I can tell! You will fetch a fine price! Yes, a fine price indeed!” He pushed his way out the door.