Nua didn’t waste a second when she entered the room. It had a long table that took up most of the center, stained a deep cherry wood and polished to a smooth, shining finish. Around it sat chairs made from white wood with dark wine colored cushions affixed to them with small golden nails.

On many of those seats were old men, richly dressed in the bright colors that her ride through the city had told her to expect. They had gray or salt and pepper beards, and they were uniformly overweight. When she entered, they stood, but she didn’t give them a chance to speak.

She reached into her pouch, and one by one, she began to flip platinum coins on the table with her thumb. Their eyes followed the arc of coin from the moment it left her balled up fist, propelled by her thumb, to the moment each one began to strike the table with a loud clap, to slowly spin until it lay flat.

When the first coin stopped moving, she started speaking. “I want every suit of armor enchanted. And I want it now. I want every sword and bow enchanted. And I want it now. I want enough healing potions to heal everyone twice, and I want them tomorrow. I want every scrap of clothing enchanted, and I want it now. I do ‘not’ want to hear the words, ‘it can’t be done’ or ‘impossible’, or ‘absurd’. Don’t tell me it can’t be done, tell me what you’ll need to accomplish it, if you don’t have the means already on hand. You are the best of the best in this city, and… from what I’ve heard, many others. Am I wrong?” She asked simply as she continued to reach into her purse and flip platinum coins into the center of the table.

She took their stunned silence for acceptance of her statement. “Good, I can’t make mere people into gods of war with subpar materials. You got my order forms, and my coin so are there any questions?” She asked as she continued to flip coins onto the table.

Mute shaking of their heads came from the old men. “Good. Then gather your respective shares, and get to it. Everything must be better than what anyone else out there has, don’t put your names behind anything less than what the Prince himself would weep with joy to arm his guards with.”

They were quick to follow her instructions, and only then did she crack a broad, friendly smile. “Oh, before you go gentlemen… I’m sorry for my abruptness or any rudeness, but I find this approach best when time is of the essence. When I return from my assignment, I will be sure to invite you to a more… enjoyable gathering, with the wine supplied by myself. Then we can begin a… friendlier relationship.”

The elderly men, stunned by the coin and the abruptness, began to visibly relax, pausing only to shake her right hand as they gathered coins to depart, leaving Nua alone with the headmen of the adventurers guild.

A dark elf woman and a large orc sat against the wall on the far side of the room. Their arms were crossed and their faces hadn’t changed an iota from first coin to last. Nua took a closer look at them now that they were alone. Both wore adamantite equipment, in his case it was heavy armor from top to bottom, and clearly enchanted. On his back was a pair of axes that were glowing faintly. His teeth were sharp and the tusks of his race were equipped with barbed metal caps to make them more dangerous to come close to.

The dark elf woman was a lithe, small breasted woman in light chainmail armor, his opposite number, her boots were calf length and appeared to be made of a curious criss crossed leather woven with layers of bone in between each leather strip. She wore leather bracers made of the same unfamiliar skin, and again, she was obviously covered in magic items. However, unlike the orc who favored the ax, she was clearly carrying a bow and a longsword. Her face was grim, but pretty enough with a sharp chin and a small nose, dark purple eyes met Nua’s without flinching.

She approached and stood opposite them. “So you’re the headmen adventurers. Good. What do you know?” She said, getting right down to business.

“There’s money in whipping your trash into something better than trash.” The orc replied with a dismissive voice, tilting his head back as if to dare her to dispute his way of putting it.

Nua chuckled a bit, “Well you’re not wrong. They’re total losers. They were Komestran soldiers captured in battle. But… they were discipline problems, so I bought them figuring that losers that hated losing, might become winners if pushed the right way. That’s your job.”

“Not exactly an adventure.” The dark elf woman groused in a more or less defeated voice as she looked away and folded her arms over her chest.

Nua jabbed her thumb at the door. “You know the way out, don’t let the door smack that tight ass when you leave.”

The dark elf snapped her eyes back over to Nua and dropped her mouth open.

Nua’s eyes glowed golden as she glared at the woman, “Didn’t like me speaking to you that way? Too bad. I didn’t make you come here, I’m not going to make you work. You don’t want it, leave. But you ‘are’ here, meaning you’re either hard up for coin or you want it for some other reason. But I’m not going to play games here. Lives are on the line, including mine, and I won’t have a trainer working for me who doesn’t care about doing the job right.”

Nua then snapped her attention away from her to the big orc who watched the exchange with a more than interested expression, a tilted head that was followed by snorted laughter.

“She’s got you there, Lymestra! You did show up, and you know damn well you can’t turn down the work!” He covered his mouth far, far too late for it to be anything more than a pretense of politeness to his comrade, and his chortling kept on even after she glared at him.

“Shove it, Orcis. I didn’t say I wouldn’t do it… but this isn’t what I normally do.” She said more hesitantly. “Explore a ruin, raid a Tlalmok village to rescue a single person, fine. Babysit some angry losers and beat strength into them? That’s a new one.”

Nua had an easy answer for that, and it showed by her smirk and the confident hands on her hips. “Assume all of my soldiers start at the footman rank right now, that seems about right. Every time they pass an exam that takes them up one level, I’ll pay each of you a one gold bonus, on top of the single platinum I’m hiring you for for the month right now.”

The two adventurers traded wide eyed looks and shot to their feet. “Now that… that is the attitude I wanted to find.” Nua’s smile became more open, “Lymestra, Orcis, it’ll be a pleasure having you.” She stuck out her right hand, and shook firmly with them, before heading out the door. “I’ll leave you to work, I have to return to my room for now.”

Nua was so deep in thought that she almost forgot what lay within her room until her hand worked the lock and she heard the desperate scrambling within. Her ears twitched involuntarily, and she put her forehead to the door, closed her eyes, swallowed, and counted to ten. ‘One day… one day, you’ll let them go, and make all this right. You’ll confess everything.’ She told herself, wondering not for the first time if she was telling herself the truth, when it felt so far away from the present.

She put on the mask of coldness that kept them compliant, and opened the door to her room. As she expected, Kaiji and Priceless were prostrated just beyond the short hall that opened into the wider room.

“Welcome back, mistress.” They said in unison.

Nua approached and crouched down, she began by stroking Priceless’s head. “Were you working hard today, Priceless?” Nua asked patiently.

Without looking up, Priceless said in a small voice, “Yes Mistress, Kaiji taught me many things, I can read lots better, and the books had things in them I didn’t know. I learned a lot, about a lot. She’s a very good teacher.”

‘Her hand, it’s so soft now… I wonder what face she’s making, what does she think, when touching me like this, this woman who gave me such a wonderful name… she seems so cruel most of the time. But when she does this, it’s so… soothing. Like she wants to comfort me.’ Priceless smiled down at the wood of the floor her head was pressed to. ‘What a thing that would be, an owner who truly cares for her possessions.’ She restrained the snort, and quietly enjoyed the painless touch for what it was, until the hand withdrew.

“Kaiji,” Nua extended her right hand out again, over the formerly free demon-elf, and hesitated, hovering it over her head. ‘Will she flinch… she thinks I stole years of her life, if anyone has a reason to hate and fear me most, it’s her. But… if I don’t touch her this way, she’ll think I’m angry at her, or fear falling into disfavor. I remember that… you fear any touch, but hope for it, and for it to be the right kind, but still repelled because of who it is and what they are to you…’ Nua briefly gritted her teeth and felt a moment’s relief at the fact that Kaiji was prostrated and so couldn’t see the brief shift in her mistress’s face. There was a momentary start of a fearful tremble in the bare skin. “Kaiji…” Nua repeated, and lowered her hand to stroke the long, black, silken hair, “Did you work hard today…?”

“I did, mistress, Priceless was a good student, I’m sure you’ll be glad you acquired us both, when it is finally time to put us to work.” Kaiji answered without bitterness in her voice. “And…” an impulse hit her, fearful, dreadful, it ripped through her under the sway of the gentle touch that reminded her of the terrifying mystic left hand. ‘She’s going to ask! She’s going to ask if anyone tried to touch the clothes! That’s why she hesitated, she knows! She knew I was going to do it!’

“And?” Nua asked, continuing to stroke Kaiji’s hair.

“And Kaiji is sorry!” She shot the words from her tongue in a fit of fear and inched herself close to her owner’s boots, barely understanding that she’d switched to third person as if to distance herself from her ‘crime’. “Kaiji, it was Kaiji who was going to touch the clothes! Priceless was a good slave, it was Kaiji who was going to fail. Please mistress, please forgive, don’t take my years again... it’s just it was so pretty, so beautiful, I wanted to touch it, feel it… but I didn’t! I didn’t do it!”

‘What the… what’s she… oh…’ Nua shut her eyes tightly and tried to pretend she was somewhere else as she felt Kaiji press her forehead down atop her boot. Such was the shaking of the girl that Nua could feel it even through the thick footwear.

Nua glanced behind her, twitching her ear slightly, and when she was sure Solution was nowhere near, she lowered her right hand and stroked Kaiji’s head again. “Shhh… shhh… shhhh…” Nua whispered softly. “It’s alright… you didn’t actually ‘do’ anything. And you’re confessing your temptation… that is good. To confess, means I can trust you, you want me to trust you… right?”

Kaiji couldn’t speak through her choked half cries, but she nodded in a small jerking motion that tapped Nua’s boot. “Then telling me the truth is the best way to do that. I forgive you, Kaiji, I won’t punish you for what you want, or for what you ‘almost’ do. I have to be fair to you, to take care of you, to get the best out of you… no punishment, no pain. Not for an almost.”

Kaiji smiled in spite of herself, and savored the forgiving touch. ‘How did she know what I’d almost done… can she… read minds too?! She touched Priceless immediately, but as soon as she got to me, her hand over my head, that hesitancy, she ‘knew’ I’d done something.’ She barely kept the shudder at bay, and focused instead on the painless touch until Nua stood up.

“Now, there is good news, and bad news. The bad news is that it’ll be another hour before you get to actually wear them.” Nua said as she went and pulled the rope that would call for a servant. She could feel the crushing disappointment coming from the pair even though they hadn’t moved an inch.

Nua adopted her imperious voice, and went on, “The good news is, that you will get to wear them, every day, starting today. Now… what do you say to that?”

She extended her right hand with the palm up, Priceless knew what was expected, and responded by rising to her knees, cradling the giving hand, and pressing her lips to it.’

‘Kaiji is slow to rise, the anxiety of a few moments ago must have slowed her down… of course… I can’t let my mistress see…’ Priceless thought, and let her lips linger on the giving hand, until Kaiji had positioned herself perfectly, and then Priceless gently handed the palm of her owner over to her companion, who cradled it and showed her gratitude as well.

Nua withdrew the hand when the knock came to the door. She snatched the clothing from where the sets hung, opened the door, and handed them to Karlo. “Take these outside where the alchemists and mages are working, have these enchanted immediately, and return them here. I want my slaves dressed and properly protected from har… damage, before I take them anywhere.”

Karlo left without seeing Kaiji, and all Kaiji saw was the clothing being taken away. ‘Is that… the last I’ll ever see of anything to actually ‘wear’?’ She wondered bitterly as her mistress proceeded to ignore them and went to sit and read in peace.

Bracer grunted while the little girl in his lap cried. “There, there.'' He said mockingly as he pushed her flat chest off his lap so that she fell onto her back. She only moved with spasms and sobs.

He stood and pulled his pants up. “You cried the best, you and your sister get to live. Don’t find many twins anyway, but… all I need are a few, the rest of your little friends, well… we’re smugglers after all. It’s not just me who find little girls to be a special delicacy.”

He drew his sword and swept it out, flashing it fiercely in front of the rows of bound, weeping captives before barking orders at his group. Men and women, young and old, poor and… less poor. Some cradled their violated children and glared at the armored man who made them watch as he used their precious ones. “Get these ready for delivery over the border. The Tlalmok merchant wants to have a feast and they’re paying ten silver for old men, twenty for old women, thirty for young men, fifty for young women, and a solid gold for children. But…” He looked down at the young white haired twin sisters who barely had enough strength to reach out over the hard, rocky ground they’d fallen to, and hold hands. Their legs still lewdly open, he felt the stirring in his loins again.

For a moment he almost reached for the little girls again, ‘No, no, business first, it’s the only thing that keeps this scum in line. One more raid after we sell this lot, then… we hit that cattle village, get enough meat for the march, and move on. I wonder if anyone we find will cry better than these two?’ He quietly pondered and nudged the already open legs of one sister a little farther, far enough that it hurt.

He smiled down at her pained expression, “Heh, if I’d known I’d find girls like you here, I’d have left the Draconic Kingdom a long, long time ago, and never would have wasted a day in the old Theocracy. Well my lovelies, better late than never.”

He looked away from his toys to some of his subordinates. “Tie these two up and put them in my wagon. Don’t bother dressing them, they won’t need anything but me to cover them anymore.” He laughed at his own twisted humor and went to mount his horse, behind him, wailing pleas, curses, and shouting were hurled at his back.

“You bastard!” He heard a woman shriek at him, “One day, one day real soon, someone’ll come for you that will give us justice! They’ll bring such pain to you, that you’ll beg to die, and they won’t let it happen! You’re not a god! You’ll be crushed! You’ll be broken! You’ll wail and beg! And from the life beyond death, I will heap my hate on you like burning acid!”

Bracer paused the movement of his horse and laughed, he turned back to look at the woman, she was holding a girl that was still weeping and asking ‘Why didn’t you save me…’

He smirked cockily down at the woman, his sword flashed out so quickly it was a blur. “Keep dreaming bitch. Nobody is coming for you, be glad enough I’m letting two of your girls live, maybe I’ll tie you to my cart tonight so you can listen in.”

She paled, “Please… please don’t hurt them...!”

“Again.” He interrupted with a charming smile on his face that showed his well cared for teeth..

“What?” She asked at the unexpected response, the whites of her eyes big with fear.

“I said, ‘Again’, I already hurt them each once. So you should be begging me not to hurt them ‘again’.” He laughed at the wail she let out as she fell to her knees clutching her other child. “Seriously, how stupid can you be, there’s nothing my sword can’t cut, and nobody my sword can’t reach. I can kill Tlalmok warriors, who do you think is anywhere within a six month walk, that is capable of dealing with me?”

He rolled his eyes at her renewed onset of weeping, “I swear, good thing I don’t want your daughters for their brains, if they take after you.” he added before riding off to take position at what would become the front of their formation, once the captives were secured and ready for transport.