A new day

Londra groaned, making her way out of her pile of blankets. She was about to stand when a glass of water was handed to her by a very tall female Elf. She studied the Elf while slowly drinking… it wasn’t water. It had a hint of sweetness and tasted delicious. She waited for her swallow to hit her stomach… did she dare drink more?

She tried another drink while surveying the one that provided it. The Elf was just a bit over seven feet and under her simple, but elegant robe must be toned muscles since her movements were quick and precise. Her oval face was ivory, while her long, flowing, golden hair was perfectly styled behind her long, triangle shaped, Elven ears that appeared to be at least five fingers from her head. They stuck out quite a bit and if she remembered what Zeke had told her correctly, that meant she was quite powerful.

“It should be safe,” a beautiful male with an elegant, light golden, heart shaped face, compassionate hazel eyes, and long flowing dirty blond hair said sitting at her little table across from a wolf Beastwoman.

Londra took a moment to debate about that. Was it a female Beastman or were they called Beastwoman? She was the one that brought her home last night… her name was… Kailea. She had a round, golden tan face with golden brown eyes. Mixed in her short, thick, silver and grey hair were two fluffy white and grey wolf ears. Her hands had a bit of white and grey fur with sharp looking claws. Like the paws of a wolf turned human. She also had a long, silver, grey, and white tail. “Hello, Kailea. It is morning, right?”

The muscular Kailea laughed enough her tail and ears wiggled. “Yes, but after figuring out all the poisons in your body, I could see how you would be confused. I am glad you remember me.” Her hand motioned to the male across from her. “This is Henry, a very skilled White Mage who thinks he has undone the poison keeping you from eating but isn’t quite sure. Standing, to show just how tall she is, our vice-captain, Zeona. She forgot and sat on the thing called a bed. Good thing she is quick. Henry had to heal her. She has been wandering around the room mumbling since.”

“I do not mumble,” Zeona said in a crisp way. “It is just amazing how deplorable this all is. By the way, we are to escort you to Master Slave Trader Yevhen. You see, Archduke Dristen has ordered the six to pay you and since your mental vault has been damaged, he decided that they would buy you a top ranked slave. I am told there are extenuating circumstances, but you should be able to negate them enough to be safe.”

“Wow, that was a great way to say it,” Henry chuckled. “We are stopping at the D and D Apothecary on the way. They are the best on the continent and we are lucky their residence is here. They are Elves, but not as stiff as our dear Zeona.”

“She isn’t stiff, just perfect,” Kailea added with a smile. “Henry wanted them to take a look at you before we let you eat anything solid.”

“That is true,” Zeona agreed. “We have great White Mages who have been working in shifts. But this is not something that can be fixed in an hour. Everyone here now has a healing circle that is slowly healing their poor malnutrition bodies.”

“So, I can’t take anyone with me?” Londra wondered, slowly standing.

“No, we are sorry. Just you and we would like to leave soon,” Henry confirmed.

“I usually stop by Zeke’s room in the mornings… can I?” Londra asked heading towards the bathroom. “I never had a chance to wash my clothing…” she added softly.

“We used magic to wash the other… uniform and heal your poor feet. That is why you have those slippers on,” Zeona explained. Londra frowned looking down at her feet then thinking. Her frown turned into a smile since her feet didn’t hurt. “We didn’t dare to put more on them… I don’t personally know how you even stood let alone walked.”

“Agreed,” Henry sighed. “Most feet were like that. We wish we had more White Mages available but… I am sure you understand. I would say in three days they should be able to walk. Zeke, he is the Goblin a few doors down, right? I don’t think he will be awake. I was in with him earlier and he asked about you. I explained what was happening today and he relaxed and let me heal his feet.”

“Okay, fair enough. Let me get out of this and I will be ready,” Londra said softly, closing the door to change. All she had, like the others, were two sets of uniforms and two aprons. Shoes were not something that was provided. They had strapped cloth around their feet because that was the most economical solution, even if it wasn’t a good one. But now, she looked down at her feet and nice new slippers with a deep smile.

She came out after a splash of cold water on her face and combing her hands through her short, uneven, brown hair. “Ready,” she said with a smile.

“Is there anything here you need for an overnight?” Kailea wondered. “I would stay the night in a real bed before coming back to check on your friends tomorrow.”

“That is a good idea. But there isn’t anything here… I can do that now?” she asked softly. They all nodded so she nodded back. “Oh, I don’t even remember what a bed feels like!”

Zeona motioned her to start while the others tried to hold their emotions back. “How does that work, your memory?” Henry wondered walking before her while the females followed.

“Oh, well, it is hard to explain,” Londra started. “Everything before the battle with the bears is… fuzzy. Like I remember emotions but not the situations they went with. I know this is not the Continent I was born on, but I can’t tell you what one. I feel like I lived another life but even that is distant. I can’t remember my parents’ faces or names, but I know they were alive when I left. I feel like I had a brother in my other life but in this one I have a brother and sister, but I am not sure. I don’t know why I left or why I was alone, but I feel like I am alone most of the time. I don’t know if Zeke was my first friend, but it feels like it for both lives.” As she finished, they were exiting the building.

Before her was a strange wooden box, with large wooden wheels, containing two bench seats, and an awning over it. It was a vehicle of types, one that only the rich or important had access to because they required magic to move and steer.

“You are in the back with Kailea,” Zeona stated. “Have you ever road in a vehicle?”

“No,” Londra said knowing it was the right answer. “We all have rode in the back of trader wagons as they go around when we have tasks outside the manor to do but never one of these that I can remember. How do they work?” she asked climbing in and sitting on the bench next to Kailea.

“See how the bench is blue there and brown where Henry is sitting?” Kailea started. “Our bench seat is also brown. The one that sits on the blue is the one in control. A magic circle in in the seat that connects to the person. In this case, Zeona uses her magic to control how fast we go and where we go. We should be at the apothecary in around twenty minutes this way. I know it takes hours to walk there normally, it near the southern gate. Most businesses in that area allow non-humans since they are a large part of the trading group. Muscles and all,” she finished with a big smile.

“Yes, Manor Towns are three times bigger than Towns, while Villages are half the size of towns,” Henry offered with a smile.

“Thanks, didn’t know that,” Londra smiled at the back of his head. She began to fist then relax her hands as if she was doing exercises for her hands.

“Are you alright?” Kailea wondered, pointing to her hands.

“Oh, I am trying not to itch,” she answered honestly. “I think I was bitten by Flame Beetles last night. Lord Jecrad has a slave that is an insect master. I guess they just wanted to itch too. You would think after all this time they would learn.”

“May I see?” Henry asked, turning around as Londra pulled up her sleeve. Sure enough there was a large, red, bite mark. “How did they get by us? We have been patrolling all night long. Not just for you but everywhere. We even had our Demons bring Knights from other places in the Archduchy.”

“Deven should be able to help,” Zeona offered since Henry sounded unsure.

“Okay,” Londra said with such emotion the others looked away unsure of how to react. “So to keep my mind of from the itch, what kind of person is Master Yevhen?”

“Not what you would think,” Kailea started. “For what he does… there is nobody kinder. He is an enhanced non-human. He was born a Fae, never seen his wings.”

“You are too young to have seen them,” Zeona stated. “So many shades of brown. But a Fae can be a slave while an enhanced can’t. They are considered equal and a bit above humans. When his love, an Elf named Martine, was sold by her town to the King, he pulled his wings inside, enduring the pain for months. He awoke enhanced and took a job in the slaving trade just to find her. Within a month he won the favor of the King, he always knew how to… persuade. After another month he was the Master Slave Trader, meaning he knew where every slave was. Soon, she was his again. The King knew but liked the money coming in. It wasn’t until the last few years that his hold has wavered.”

“So, Leon really messed up a lot with Bishop Hood,” Londra guessed.

“Yes,” Henery sighed. “Up until recently slaves couldn’t be purposely abused nor taken by force from their homes. Master Yevhen could tell and wouldn’t sell any to those kinds of people. Instead he used his power with the King to place them in different villages or adventuring parties.”

“Why slaves?” Londra found herself asking.

“People who committed crimes were enslaved at first,” Kailea answered simple. “No since of them rotting away in a cell, put them to work. Then those who couldn’t pay taxes were included to earn their lives back, but it didn’t usually happen. A while later refuges from other continents had to start as a level one slave to prove their worth. After six months they were supposed to have an inquiry to see if they were trustworthy. If so they were placed in a village or town that needed their skills.”

“Then things twisted,” Londra guessed. “Usually, money and power will do that…”

“True,” Zeona agreed. “We could tell it was bad since eight years ago a soul was named hero. A title that doesn’t appear unless the continent is on a downward spiral. He started to change things a little but… four years ago the King decided to enslave him to the crown with a magic item. Hero Brandon was never allowed to enter the Learning Rooms for long and had no idea how to combat the collar. Rumor has it he fell in love with a non-human and she is controlled by the King so he doesn’t try to break free. We are here,” she finished simply.

“That was a lot,” Londra grumbled as Kailea helped her down with a slight nod. They headed into the simple looking shop. Londra stopped just inside the door when her eyes spotted a male that was breathtaking. He was in between six and seven feet tall with the most unique black skin. His oval face had sharp accents, but his amber eyes were warm. His short, thick hair was dark red with orange highlights and perfectly styled behind his long, triangle shaped, Elven ears that were far from his head. There was a female beside him that was just as beautiful and the same height. She also had an oval face but the accents were soft, and her skin was a light honey color, which made her violet eyes stand out. Behind her long, Elven ears that were also far from her head was should length, golden hair with streaks of blue, green, and yellow.

“Good morning, Darcy and Deven,” Henry said closing the door pushing Londra and Kailea in just a bit more. “This… stick figure is Londra. Could you see what else can be done so she can eat again? We have worked on all the…”

“Victims of this twisted plot,” Darcy finished. “I watched Archduke Dristen’s speech this morning, but she is different than the others. She is the one that saved the trading group of nobles around four years ago. We have a cousin that was part of the group she saved, so this is a treat for us to help her. So, miss gaping, what are you thinking?” she finish with an Elven ear wiggle.

“Truly?” Londra wondered but everyone was staring at her. “That his skin looks like water on a lightless night and she is exquisite. Can you sleep on your sides since your ears stick out so much or just your backs? Could you please make the itching slow?”

“Oh goodness,” Deven chuckled. “I think my wife is exquisite too. Like your ears they do bend a bit but yes, we mainly sleep on our backs. The length and distance from the head shows how strong one is.”

“Oh, so you are both really strong,” Londra said with a smile moving closer to the desk.

“I really like you,” Darcy added with another ear wiggle. “Let us see what is making you itch,” she asked, coming around the desk while Londra looked around at all the glistening bottles and shinny containers that filled the shop’s shelves. Londra absently pulled up her sleeve causing Darcy to gasp. “What did they do to you! Oh, you must come back. Henry, shut and lock the door. Pull down the blind and switch the sign. Look at this, Deven!”

“That is a Flame Beetle bite,” he said moving closer. “Oh, I can feel why you reacted that way. There are six on her body but so much more. How much poison can one take…”

“Londra, do you mind if we strip you down?” Darcy asked softly. Londra shrugged. “Okay, I know one of you must stay but the other two could go get some pastries. What better way to test her stomach than with something delicious.”

“Londra, do you mind if I stay?” Henry asked seriously. “I always learn so much from them and would love an opportunity to stay.”

Londra shrugged her thin shoulders, “Don’t care, not much to see but my bony body and lots of skin. So much skin,” she sighed. “I was around two hundred pounds to start with.”

“That makes sense,” Kailea said smiling at Zeona. “The strongest mages are full of curves. Mana loves to store itself in fat cells. I don’t have a lot, but enough. Come on, Zeona, time to find something super yummy!”

Londra was taken to the back and stood for the three of them to examine. She was required to spit in a dish before they poked, rubbed, creamed, measured, and turned her so many times she lost count. Within the hour she was given five medicines to drink while having spells and creams used on her body while listening to Darcy and Deven grumble about horrible monsters in human clothing. When they finally realized Kailea and Zeona were back their tirade started again, especially when they all found out the meeting time was pushed back again.

After another thirty minutes Londra was back in her clothing, feeling amazing while eating a pastry of some type. Each bite was pure delight. Everyone was watching her since she was making little mews of enjoyment with each mouthful. “So what is this?” she asked eyeing the box of sweets wondering if she could have another. Darcy smiled, handing her the box.

“What you ate was a strawberry tart, that is an éclair,” Darcy answered. “I would hate to have either come back up, but it is the best way to test it, so please eat.”

“Oh, the queasiness is gone, and my tongue is so happy!” Londra exclaimed after taking another bite of the éclair.

“I am so glad,” Darcy said softly. “Okay, there are some things I would like to say. I know that since you are all waiting, Archduke Dristen ordered them to take you shoe and clothing shopping after having a true lunch. I doubt this would spoil it too much.”

“We will after we visit Cob,” Zeona stated watching everyone enjoying the sweets.

“Good. Londra, I know that you will be going back for your friends. I don’t know if the Archduke will be helping but you are to bring them to us first,” Deven started. “It is a test to make sure we have the potions and medicines right. If we do, then we will go to the Manor and start working on the worst. Second, I understand you are going into the Learning Room of the Adventure’s Guild. When you do, ask to learn Victim’s Revenge. It will revert your body back to the way it was before the… challenge started. There will be stipulations, and your movements will be strange for the first few days, but I would say it is worth it. Third, today and tomorrow you will have bursts of energy but for Friday and most of Saturday you will want to sleep. That is more than fine, your body will need sleep. So, we will see you tomorrow. Don’t worry about the time and if the door isn’t open just knock.”

Londra nodded, emotions stealing her voice as the others gently moved her out the door. She enjoyed the next two and a half hours just as much as her guards did. She met a Demon who was obsessed with feet with a very friendly tail named Cob. She ate a deliciously bland soup created by a colorful woman named Joesphine. The soup gave Zeona an idea about using it to help the other challenge victims. Then she met a trio of females who helped her find clothing to wear for the next few days. One of the females was a Fae, the first she had met. She had lovely, pure brown wings that were attached to her lower back. She folded them in just a way they slid under her clothing so nobody would know… until she tried to sit. There was so much laughter there, her sides hurt.

She learned that everyone that had survived the challenge, no matter where, would be given a blood bag with fifty silvers and twelve hundred bronzes. Blood bags could only be opened by the person and held five teleport spells that would get the owner out of danger. Also, the new Continental Adventurers Guild Master Lenardo promised one hundred silvers would be deposited into any that reapplied to be adventures after five quests were completed. The best part was the quest could be gathering and didn’t have to be creature hunting quests. Archduke Dristen offered another hundred silvers to any party who raised from rank F, the starting rank, to rank D. Rank D was required for a party to travel outside of the current Dukedom. She had learned so much and had a feeling more was yet to come.