‘I hate being bored. I thought I’d get to feast on some people by now.’ Solution rolled her eyes as she watched the Headmen of the Pas’en adventurer’s guild work on the raw slaves. ‘Pathetic.’ She said as an elven woman went flying, landed on her back, and moaned as a wooden sword was put to her throat.

“How many times are we going to have to kill you before you learn!” Orcis shouted and slammed his fist hard into the face of someone who failed to guard effectively.

Where some were sparring, others were taking a position over and over again with shields up and swords at the ready, repeating a drilled motion in an endless cycle.

She looked over to where the alchemists and magic casters were working, the reagents were being worked swiftly, and more staff had arrived a short while earlier, all of that was taking place in full view of the slave soldiers. The ranks of those drilling were filled with greedy looks at the high grade equipment.

Even without the ability to do so, she could read their thoughts by their faces. ‘With that, I would not have been defeated, with that, I will be invincible.’ She snorted. “Fools.” Solution muttered as a cart pulled up near to her.

“Ma’am, can I leave this with you?” A young boy asked offhandedly.

“What is it?” Solution grumbled and kept her eyes roaming the area she was now supervising.

“Last sets of armor and weapons, as well as a delivery of potions.” The young boy replied, enviously watching the soldiers.

Solution felt that his eyes weren’t with her. “Looking at them, boy?” She asked with a smirk as he blushed and got down from the cart, holding an inventory for her to sign for.

“Well… kinda…” He shuffled his feet and looked down sheepishly.

Solution chuckled, “They’re slaves, if you want to be a slave, boy, I’m sure my mistress can arrange it. Failing that, just move to a city that loses a war.”

He paled, “Komestrans?”

Solution nodded, briefly curious that a boy his age would know anything of the wider world. “You know the place?”

“I was… I was actually born in Komestra, my father moved here after my mother died.” His eyes left her again to watch the collared men and women training under heavy blows and harsh words and constant repetition, while the cages in which they lived sat behind them not thirty feet away.

Solution smiled sadistically, her wide grin only barely human as she looked down at him, signed the inventory and invoice, and handed it back. “Well then, boy, you’re very lucky she died, or you’d be like them right about now, or doing whatever it is that child slaves are used for. Maybe you should be a gambler instead, because even your own mother’s death went to your benefit.”

He turned red with anger, but looked down at the signed document, “You… don’t want to check it?”

Solution put her hand on the boy’s shoulder in an almost amiable fashion, “Boy, I serve Death’s White Hand, it had either better be all there, or anything missing had better show up quickly. Because if it doesn’t, when Captain Aiwenor finds she’s been cheated, losing her business will be the least of your master’s problems. She cares nothing for coin… but an act of such disrespect, to steal from her when she’s generous enough to favor you with tentative trust of doing business with you? That… that she cares about.”

Solution laughed as fear crossed the young boy’s face. ‘Is talking up my student technically bragging about myself? Hmmm… I wonder? Well it’s fine, as long as it all works out, either she wins and I eat, or she loses and I eat her and return the hand to our master.’

The boy broke her hold and began conducting a second inventory of the various goods before calling for assistance in its unloading.

A choice which Solution thought to be uncommonly wise for a boy no more than ten.

Kaiji remained in her corner with Priceless, seemingly focused on a book, as far away as they could be from where Nua sat at a table writing. Priceless focused on the page, but Kaiji couldn’t help herself, she stole glances at Nua as often as she could. So it was she who saw that Nua was looking down regularly at her right hand. ‘The giving hand…’ Kaiji pondered, and was still pondering that when her heart started to pound, as Nua put down her quill, lit a candle, then took out her knife.

The wicked blade was terrifying to behold, with its brutal serrations and bone for a hilt, like malice given an edge. Nua held it in her gloved left hand, then turned her right palm up, put the tip of the blade to the palm, and Kaiji shrieked when she saw the blood come out and drip down onto the paper.

“Mistress!” Kaiji yelled in sudden horror. She shot to her feet and pulled Priceless with her.

Nua looked over at the sudden commotion, blank faced the open mouthed panic coming from the corner.

“You’ve cut yourself!” Kaiji cried out and rushed over to where Nua sat, small droplets coming down the side of her open, horizontally held palm.

“Yes… I know, I was there.” Nua said dryly, “Why all the fuss, it’s just a little blood.”

Nua’s calm manner eased Kaiji’s tone, though it did not stop her red eyes from bulging, or her body from its nervous shuffling. “I… I’m sorry mistress, I shouldn’t have yelled, but you were hurt and…” She slowly sank down to her knees.

“Oh…” Nua gave a smile that was shockingly warm, “Why don’t you two come here, let me tell you a little story. Understanding has a way of allaying fear, and you shouldn’t fear this. But grab me a cloth, I forgot to get one to clean the blade and wrap my hand.”

Priceless was the first to move, taking what Nua wanted in hand, and then as she came near, letting her hand caress the midnight purple skin and dark hair of Kaiji as she passed. Thus stirred by her companion, out of her shock, she rose and approached. They knelt at the table next to where Nua sat.

“Mistress, can I offer you my healing spell?” Priceless asked as Nua held her right hand out.

“No, Priceless, just wrap my hand, that will be all.” Nua said and turned her body to face them.

“A long time ago, there was a man I hated more than anything. I hated him for being human, I hated him for being a Cardinal… a kind of religious leader, I hated his gods, I hated his country. I hated him so much it ate me up inside and I thought I’d die of hatred. Then… one day… I saw him suffer for someone.” She paused, ‘How to explain this without giving too much away… well, it was an elf, so that’s, yes, that’ll do.’ She thought quickly, and went on. “It was someone close to me, sort of. The man I despised, lost an eye and nearly died, but what amazed me was that he didn’t have any reason to do it. He just thought it was the right thing to do in the moment to help that other person. My hatred for him died that day, and I started to trust him, and little by little… I came to love him. I loved him so much that the day he was to hang, I drew this knife and was ready to fight a nation to save him.” Nua laughed a little bitterly, “Solution of course, could be counted upon to be herself, and was utterly useless that day.”

“Priceless, go ring for a servant, order some wine sent up when they get here.” Nua interrupted her story as Priceless scurried to obey and return. She knelt again and looked up, fascinated, at this unlooked for insight into her owner’s mind.

“He died, unfortunately, talked me out of fighting, out of killing for him. A thing I still regret, strange, I didn't listen to him much before… rather like your Prince, Kaiji.” She chuckled a little, and then shook her head and took up the letter. She blew on it a few times. “I made a vow, in his name, in the name of my god, in the name of myself. That before my right hand bore no wound, I would achieve my highest goal. The wound I made before coming here was starting to heal over, so I reopened it. And the letter?” Her eyes went from gentle blue to shining gold, “It was to the one I lost… stained with my blood so he’d know I was keeping a promise I made many years ago.” Nua then held the letter over the candle, and let the blood sizzle and become as smoke with the paper as it drifted away.

“That will be carried to the afterworld, where he waits for the fulfillment of my oath, which Nua Calen Aiwenor, will achieve, or die in pursuit of. You will sometimes see me repeat this… ritual. Think nothing of it, it is my private faith, my will, and my enduring reminder of what I have to do. As you are slaves to me, I am a slave to my blood bound words. Do you understand?”

Kaiji lowered her gaze deeply, ‘I’m not sure if this makes me less afraid, or more… but at least I know she’s not insane.’ Kaiji thought as she nodded mutely. “Yes mistress but… may I ask, are there any other occasions I can expect to see you… injured? It was frightening, I didn’t know…”

“No, none. This will happen every few days until I have what I want, but nothing more.” Nua answered in the most soothing, calm voice she could, and held her right hand out to them.

She allowed them to touch their lips to the cloth covering, and had them withdraw to their corners, and the cold look returned. “Work hard, I’ve been thinking of bringing you along with me on this little venture. To make it a trial of sorts, so that you start to apply bits of knowledge before much larger tasks appear.”

“Mistress.” They acknowledged together, and if they were a little deeper into the farthest corner of the room, she chose not to say anything of it.

They were not there long, however, before a knock at the door drew collective eyes. “One of you, get it.” Nua said as she took out another sheet of paper and began to write.

Kaiji held her palm to Priceless’s shoulder and stood herself to approach the door. ‘What does it matter who else sees me at this point?’ She mused contemptuously and swung the door wide open.

Nua heard the sound of brief talking, and then Kaiji came in with her eyes wide open, a bottle of wine on a tray, and two outfits draped over a wooden rod, with boots to match.

“Good, the clothes are here, try them on, and bring me the wine.” She said casually, and watched as Kaiji moved like a wooden puppet, as if there were no will or mind guiding her, lost in whatever thoughts she had to herself as she set the bottle down and stared mutely at the material.

“Go ahead, I’ve given permission, do you not remember how clothes work?” Nua managed to keep her laugh mildly mocking even while she savored the growing smile on Kaiji’s face as the demon-elf understood what she was seeing. “Oh right, you used to have slaves for this… Priceless, it seems she’s forgotten how to do this, help her out.”

Kaiji’s dark purple skin couldn’t turn red with a blush, but the flush did give her a faint gray look and she couldn’t even bluster a denial, as Priceless had snatched the clothing from her and was holding out a shirt.

‘Am I being rewarded, given a gift, or being mocked? I can’t even tell and I don’t care… I have clothing again!’ Kaiji’s heart sang as the feel of incredibly soft cloth moved over bare skin. Her sensitive ears could even hear the sound the sleeve made as it ran up the length of her arm. Priceless’s face was aglow as she took pleasure in dressing Kaiji up, she bounced on her heels as she worked the laces up, ever aware of the ice blue eyes watching from behind her.

It wasn’t until the pants and belt were secured and she’d slid the first boot on, that understanding truly dawned… when the clothes adjusted themselves.

“It’s… enchanted, really enchanted clothing…” Kaiji whispered hoarsely.

“I said that, didn’t I?” Nua responded, tapping her fingers on her desk as she spoke. “Did you think your owner was a liar?”

“No mistress!” Kaiji exclaimed with a violent shaking of her head. “It’s just… one thing to hear it, another to see it.”

“Alright, well Raymond never lied to me, so I won’t be lying to you. I don’t need to lie, don’t forget that. Whatever I tell you, is the truth.” Nua said, clenching her fist hard enough that she snapped the quill in her hand. “Damn.” She said with annoyance as she looked down at the broken tool.

“As you say… your word is the word of a goddess, to your loyal slave…” Kaiji said with what she hoped was conviction. As she looked down at the clothing, felt the boots on her feet, and felt, as she looked past Priceless to the golden eyes, that she was speaking the truth herself.

‘The power of life and death, she can take my years, give me gifts or pain, saved me from the tribute and I have given her my oath… I am hers, I must remember it, recite it, make it part of me.’ Even as thoughts, they were whispered ones in the deep corners of her mind.

“Kaiji, help Priceless.” Nua instructed as the two switched places. Priceless, unlike Kaiji, clearly needed the help, as tears of happiness began to cloud her vision and make her motions haphazard and jerky.

“Mistress, please give her a moment, this is… obviously much for her to take in.” Kaiji said hesitantly, keeping a sigh of relief private when Nua nodded.

It was slow going as Priceless constantly moved her hands to touch the cloth and squeeze it against her skin, caressing the cloth like it was a lover covering her flesh and not mere clothing. “I… how…” Priceless managed to utter a few words, only for Nua to flatly wave them away.

Nua felt a pang in her heart for the joy of the slave at such a simple thing as just being dressed in nice clothes, but she kept that pang at bay as she spoke in plain terms that a slave in Pas’en would understand. “Yes, what you’re wearing now Priceless, cost more than all the times you’ve ever been sold, put together, if I were to give an estimate. But… this isn’t being given for nothing. This is a tool with which you will serve your owner. These sets of clothing will protect you against the weather, but also offer some protection against damage. It won’t stop a direct sword strike into the gut, but… a glancing blow by a stray arrow from a distance, your chances are good.”

“Stand in front of the mirror, how do you look?” Nua both ordered and inquired, and they moved to the body length mirror and stared at a sight they could barely comprehend. Nua stood and went behind them, though she was of roughly equal height, as her arms went round them both and came up to touch their cheeks and she stated, “You’re both… very, very beautiful. And now you are ready to serve me.” Her eyes glowed like golden coins in sunlight, and her voice passed into their ears like silk over skin.

In both their minds, they shared one common thought that passed from red eye to brown, ‘We hear the voice of a goddess.’

“Mistress… how exactly are we to serve you?” Kaiji asked, “You said I am to be your advisor, but in what capacity? I mean no offense, but you haven’t got a city, you haven’t got an army, you haven’t got a country… so…”

She felt the forefinger of the dread left hand stroke up and down her cheek as she saw her mistress’s reflection in the mirror, she saw the golden haired elf woman lower her face, so that it was between both slaves opposing ears. “Yet.” She said succinctly.

“The word you need to add to that is, ‘YET’, slave.” Nua responded with a savage determination that froze the blood of both slaves with the sheer unwavering audacity of the word.