Irvin POV

I couldn’t help but hum my tune while pushing Mr. Sullwa’s wheelchair down the hall. The man was thoroughly insane. In fact, we were forced to completely detain and immobilize him after he gouged one of his eyes out. The poor noble had leather restraints on his wrists, legs and neck, preventing him from doing further self-harm. Had I not treated his overdose in time and stabilized him, he most likely would have ran himself against a wall and broken his own neck. We were expecting Atkozott to do something, just not this. The Codex was never wrong and it told us, that the hybrid was still in his juvenile growth period. Not to mention, he had a very unique mana gland with high potential of one day growing into an Immortal core.

The scary part was, the core was slowly showing its effects without him knowing it despite it still being inert. The truth of the matter was, he never should have been able to do half the things he did with the contract in effect. His head should have popped off the moment he laid his hands on Mr. Sullwa. Meaning only one thing, he was gradually developing an anti-magic property of sorts, an exceedingly rare occurrence, only raising the man’s value further.

Our dear spy was walking along with me, his arm in a sling since his shoulder got dislocated in the little scuffle. The beastman seemed to be in a bad mood, glaring at me and Mr. Sullwa with annoyance, “Can I help you with something, Clay?”

He growled and snorted, “I don’t get it. Months ago you sent me a personal demand to apply to Patrick’s bodyguard position, all for this one monster. I get you want to get your hands on him, since he’s rare, but it can’t be worth this much trouble. You know the law. He needs to be executed for the act of killing his master.”

I snicker at his naiveté, “Oh, dear me, killed who? Mr. Sullwa is perfectly fine, physically. Alive and kicking.” I say with a laugh and pat the noble’s drooling head, “On the contrary, his negligence warrants a severe punishment. According to the law, the master is responsible for the actions of his slave. He endangered not only you and the other people there, but he did so in the Colosseum. Breaking so many rules in the process, he will be the one being executed. Atkozott, on the other hand, will have to bear the punishment for his actions.”

We stopped in front of the huge double doors, the intricate designs reminiscent of olden elven culture. Glancing at Clay while patiently waiting for Lord Evergreen to summon us, I smiled lightly, “Oh, and to fix your misconception, we don’t want to ‘get our hands on him’. I’m sure you understand the Lord’s view when it comes to contracts. They are inefficient and counterproductive. These days, people will go as far as enslaving their dog. It’s laughable. Everyone has fallen into an unhealthy sense of complacency, the convenience of the magic known as contracts soiling the relationships between all races. The rift has never before in history been this wide. One day, you will see, the vision our Lord has...” I said in deep thought, ignoring the weirded out looks Clay was giving me.

Checking the noble’s condition once more, I nodded in satisfaction. The calming spell did wonders for crazies like Mr. Sullwa. He had stopped convulsing a short time after all this went down. We were forced to sedate him after he started screaming and crying even after the poison had worn off. He frantically kept shouting some mindless gibberish.

I suddenly jump in excitement as the Lord’s calm voice sounds, "Enter."

Smiling widely, I open the door and gesture for Clay to enter first. The Lord’s office was large yet simple in decor. The Lord was sitting in his large leather chair behind a huge desk. On the left side of the desk was a small mountain of paperwork while the right side held a miniature chair, the fairy sitting on it like a little queen. Behind him stood a bookshelf, covering the entirety of the wall and holding many volumes of rare and expensive books. A few exquisite paintings hung on the walls and many pieces of fine art decorated the office. It was always an honor being here.

"Are you done sightseeing?" the Lord asked coldly as his fingers tapped irritably, snapping my attention back to him. He was staring at me with piercing eyes. His long, red hair was neatly tied while his pointy ears stuck out on the sides. His skin was deathly pale, most of his eyes pure white save the small black pupil in the middle. An odd characteristic for a High Elf. The cold atmosphere broke off as he charmingly smiled, “This must be the little noble.” he said, standing up and walking over.

Snapping his fingers in front of the noble’s face, he got only a terrified shriek that died down as soon as it began. Clay stood on the side silently while I cleared my throat, “Yes Lord, the hybrid attacked him, as we thought he would. However, even I couldn’t predict he would use the Thornrose from my office. He’s smarter than I gave him credit for.”

The Lord’s eyes widened in surprise, “Thornrose?” he whistled, “No wonder he’s practically a vegetable, I can’t wait to meet this guy.” Glancing at Mave, his little assistant, he waved her over, “Bring me the letter opener.”

She fluttered her petite wings and brought him what he asked for. Her small body reflected many colors, the little creature exceedingly rare to find these days. Her bright pink hair was in pigtails and she wore a simple white dress. Her large eyes were pitch black, the skin translucent, giving her the ability to easily camouflage herself at will. The fact she was free and an actual employee was something that baffled many of the Lord’s visitors.

He looked at Clay for the first time and put his hand out, “The noble’s contract please.”

Nodding, Clay handed over Atkozott’s contract, “Does this conclude my assignment?”

The Lord was carefully reading the contract with clear indifference, “Indeed Mr. Dufflo, you will receive your payment as per usual through your guild. I thank you for your service. The information you provided us was of good quality and served us well. I added a little bonus on the side.”

With a bow, Clay thanked the Lord before making his way out, “Wait.” The Lord said, and waved him over, “I’ll just need you to handle your ‘charge’ once we’re done here and then you’re free to go.” he said with a small smile. Clay furrowed his brow, but said nothing, waiting silently by the door.

After getting the cue, I nodded and unstrapped one of Patrick’s arms, holding it tightly towards my Lord. Taking the letter opener, he calmly cut open Mr. Sullwa’s thumb and pressed it against an empty section on the enchanted piece of paper. The next moment, it burst into flames, erasing any and all traces it even existed. I always admired the Lord’s skill with magic, it was never a simple thing to cancel out something like a contract.

Clay on the other hand gasped and stuttered, “W-what have you done?!” his eyes were wide, “Y-you released that crazy motherfucker!”

I frowned at his outburst and began saying something but was cut off by Mave who fluttered in front of the beastman’s face and actually slapped him. Clay seemed shocked at the fact that something so small made his head fling to the side, “Such disrespect is unacceptable! Hurry and apologize before I kick you out through the window!” Mave squealed in outrage, spewing curses of her own, making it hard to take her seriously but I knew, she wasn’t kidding. Recalling the last guy that pissed her off, I swallowed a laugh.

The Lord chuckled, “Mave, I’m sure he got the message.” glancing at Clay his eyes turned cold, “Speak like that again and I will have your tongue.” The beastman flinched but nodded, “I apologize, I was out of line but, won’t it be difficult to bind him again?” his eyes were full of confusion.

The Lord sighed, “See this? This is what I have an issue with. Such narrow-minded people have overrun the damn world. The distrust and the divide grows every day, the Humans act more and more arrogantly. The Beastfolk slowly follow their example, their inferiority complex painfully obvious for all to see and now, even my people are resorting to the contracts.” With clear annoyance, the Lord took a deep breath and waved his hand dismissively, “Ah, no point in getting riled up. I should finish up.”

Saying that, we were both startled as the Lord suddenly cleanly slashed the letter opener across Mr. Sullwa’s throat. The blood flowed quickly, the loss of it killing him within seconds while the Lord carefully wiped his letter opener with a napkin. Even though the blood dripped on the floor, there seemed to be an enchantment on the carpet, absorbing the fluid and turning a deeper shade of red, almost the same color as the Lord’s hair. Save the victim himself, there was no other evidence of anything happening in here.

Next thing, he snapped his fingers, a shimmer passing from his hand to the dead nobles neck, stitching up his wound, “Mave, be a dear and get rid of the blood.”

Nodding her head vigorously, she grinned and flew in circles around the corpse, her magic erasing all traces of the blood. Soon enough, the dead noble seemed to be only sleeping peacefully. Walking behind his desk, he took a seat and waved his hand at Clay, “Alright, take him to the ward and put him in an empty bed. As far as everyone is concerned, he died in his sleep. Don’t worry, no one will ask anything.”

Very awkwardly, Clay took the wheelchair and rolled it out, his expression showing exactly how he felt about this but he knew not to go against the Lord if he wanted to keep a part of Patrick’s earnings. We knew how much he had earned in the Colosseum and half of the earnings were missing. Turning a blind eye to such things was sometimes necessary, as expected of the Lord.

Looking at him with great respect, I bowed slightly, “How shall I deal with Atkozott?”

Glancing up from his papers, he frowned, “He has to be punished, despite our plans. I’ve already taken too much liberty with this whole event, the council will call me out if I don’t make sure he is severely punished for harming one of Terra Silva’s nobles. Put him in a cell block and his punishment will be resolved in block A, don’t forget the high grade shackles, we don’t want him escaping or killing anyone. There are eyes and ears everywhere. Let’s say... a week, punishment severity Rank A, make it 50 a day. Should keep those fogies quiet.” rolling his eyes, he went back to work.

I took that as my hint to leave.

Atkozott POV

My whole body was aching as they dragged me on the floor like dead weight. The previously loose contract was constantly making me gasp with its constricting, indicating something was very wrong with Patrick. I hope I didn’t fuck up the dosage... It would really suck if the dude died and took me with him. The dragging got really annoying once they started doing it down a flight of stairs, making me growl and hiss with every bump. Fuckers.

Soon enough, the space around me became dark and moist, the humidity rising as we entered what I presumed to be a dungeon. Taking me into a holding cell, I was dragged in and shackled to the wall. The enchanted manacles were slightly sapping my energy but weren’t as over the top as the cage from before. It was manageable. Leaving me like that, one of the guards glared at me fiercely, “You will be staying here until your punishment is decided. Cause more trouble and you will be executed on the spot. Do not test us, boy!” with that, he slammed the door shut with a bang. The metal cell door glowed with deep red runes, spreading to the entirety of the walls and fading.

The simple, dark cell fell into view. I was on the floor with my back leaning against the cold wall, very uncomfortable considering they didn’t leave enough room for the spikes, making me bend unnaturally. My arms were tightly cuffed above my head. I tug on the restraints as I try to break them. Unfortunately, I was still too weakened from the incident but I felt like I could snap them if I really tried with full strength. The cell had a single bed and straw scattered about, some rough cloth was on the wooden bed which was surprisingly in decent shape.

With a sigh, I sniff the air and tense. I was not alone in here. Glancing at the far corner of the room, from under the bed I noticed glowing yellow eyes observing me carefully. Adjusting to the darkness, I squinted my gaze and discovered it was a woman.

Seeing I noticed her hiding there, she crawled out hesitantly. It was a half-naked beastgirl clothed in rags. Her icy yellow, cat eyes were closely staring at me. She was dirty, bruised and very gaunt. Her short golden hair was messy, the hue dimmed by the dust and dirt in it. The striped cat ears twitched, her blonde tail swaying lightly. It was oddly short until I realized it was cut in half, the tip of it free of fur. Strangely enough, her thin face was filled with twisted amusement as she licked her lips.

Grinning at me, she flashed a pair of small canines. She actually wasn't ugly, just in bad shape. In fact, it wouldn’t be wrong to call her beautiful and exotic in appearance. She had high cheekbones and plump lips, cracked from dehydration. Her eyes were slightly slanted, a small scar across her left ear. I could smell blood sticking to her body. The rags barely covered her feminine figure, covering her bosom and lower body. Her stomach was bare, showing the many small scars reminding me of knife wounds.

Tilting my head, I narrowed my gaze as my tongue flicked out in thought. She flinched but didn't shy away from my glare. She slowly approached me with silent steps. Confused at her behavior, I prepared to retaliate if she attacked me. I could see a mana sealing collar on her neck, but there was no sign of her being under contract. I don’t see why she couldn’t attack me anyway.

I gasped in shock as she suddenly straddled my lap and put her hands on my chest with a wide grin, the claws dragging against the surface but not breaking skin, leaving red marks in their wake. Staring at her in silence, my mind went blank. This was a first. The hell was going on? Was she purring?! I blink, utterly flabbergasted.

I gawk at her in surprise, stuttering a few words from the shock, "W-What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"..." without saying anything, she looks at me roguishly as she slowly moves her hands to my neck. Pulling into my collar, she tugged. The sound of my ripping clothes sounded, as she removed what was left from my armor and attire, revealing half of my bare chest. To mind-fucked to care, I continued to gape in baffled silence. She moved her hands all over, trailing the tattoos and exploring with interest as she licked her lips.

My brow twitched while I carefully observed her. Her face neared mine until she was close enough to feel her hot breath. Narrowing my eyes, I say nothing as she moves to my ear. I glance at her bare neck, I could kill her on the spot if I wanted to.

She silently whispered into my ear with a deranged cackle, "You think you’re different from master? You are a pig just like him. You’re all pigs. Oink for me piggy.” she tossed her head back with pained laughter before glaring at me with an odd gleam in her eyes, “Master always said I was the pig. Hehe, the disgusting, human swine! Do you wanna know what he did to me?” her eyes glazed over, seemingly in dark memories as she shook her head, “It hurt, it hurt so much.” Feeling her claws dig into my shoulders enough to draw blood, she flinched away, her claws blackening slightly from the blood.

Frowning, she looked me up and down before giving a shrewd smile, “He thought I was pretty. A pretty pig. Do you think I’m pretty?”

I decided on letting her monologue continue, sensing the sizzling rage brewing under the surface. There was so much pain it that girl, those hopeless eyes reminding me of my own feelings back in that shit-house on Earth. I had no one to vent to, I might as well hear her out. I make a complicated face, raising a brow. Was she a slut or a sex slave? Her actions were so contradictive and eccentric.

Frowning, she slapped me before making me look at her. Now this, I wasn’t going to let pass. With a growl, I bucked my hips, throwing her off. With a yelp, she flew off and fell hard on the hay. Coughing, she lifted up on her elbow and glared at me hatefully. She hissed furiously, “Bastard!” standing up, she charged forward with a kick. Moving aside, I easily dodged, her leg connecting with the wall. Groaning, she grabbed her foot, cursing the nine hells and what not.

Well, I think I figured her out. She was one of those people that wanted to turn from being abused to being the one doing the abusing. Crazy chick. I smirk, "I’m curious. Are you insane or just horny?" I ask her with slight mockery.

She turned red with anger and humiliation as she slapped me across the face again since I couldn’t move that much, "SHUT UP, BASTARD! What do you know?! You don't know shit so shut the fuck up! You can't do anything to me! I have you at MY mercy!"

I barely felt the slap and sneered at her, "Heh, what a fierce kitten."

She let out an irritated groan and lifted her hand to claw me this time, but stopped a few inches from my face. She was frozen in fear as I let my bloodlust flood the cell. I glare at her threateningly, "Slap me again and you'll see how helpless I am. What the hell do you want? Pity? Go look elsewhere, you won't find it here. Now get the fuck out of my face before I make you regret coming over here." I growl in aggravation, no longer concerned about her sob story.

She looked at me skeptically and gave a crafty smirk, "No. You can't do a thing. I've been in those chains so I would know. I'll have my way whether you like it or not. Don’t worry, I’m not as cruel as my master, I’m sure you will enjoy it." My strength had returned a while ago. I was confident that I could break free, but judging by the sound of her voice, she seemed to be looking for freedom of sorts. What exactly was she trying to prove?

Besides, as a virgin of both lives, I really didn't mind a young girl straddling me. I might be a monster, but I was still a hot-blooded man. Although there were better places for this, I wasn’t picky, beggars can’t be choosers. I've seen women like her before. There were always two types. The ones that broke down and killed themselves were the first kind. The others had something to prove. Their need to be in control, too dependent to their own misery but too stubborn to break.

There were two things I hated the most and would not stand for - child abuse and rape. Even though I was a cruel bastard, I could never harm a child or force myself on a woman, it disgusted me. If she was unwilling, then too bad but no game for me.

I relax with narrowed eyes as she touched my chest again with shaky fingers, much more careful since listening to my threats despite trying to look brave and confident. She smiled provocatively, taunting me to stop her if I could. I kept staring her with a calm face, revealing nothing despite my heart rate rising slightly. If she was going to play games with me, I might as well return the favor. She seemed confused when she couldn't get a reaction out of me. Heh, even though she acts this way, she lacks the actual experience when it comes to seducing.

Might as well fuck with her a bit. I dip my head to the side, acting unimpressed, "Hmm? So, is this the extent of your little game? I have to say, I'm a bit disappointed." She seemed pissed again and groaned in frustration. I'll admit, her efforts were kind of cute. Squinting her eyes, she reached down, untied the string on my leather pants and grasped my member.

I hissed out and stared at her in disbelief, I honestly didn’t think she’d go that far. She had more guts than I gave her credit for. She smiled, "The fellow in your pants says a different story." she said smugly, pleased to have gotten a reaction out of me. She was red in the face as she started stroking after a second of hesitation, making me inwardly sigh in relief. For a second, I thought she was going to hurt me, which would have been very, very bad. I glanced down at her ample breasts, taking a bit more liberty as I enjoyed the feeling of her soft hands. I breathed in a peculiar, sweet scent in the air. My gaze lowered to her crotch as my nose flared.

The luscious scent was unlike anything I had ever smelled before, making me gulp. It pulled a strong reaction from me as my need built up. I was ready to burst, but she suddenly stilled. Snapping my eyes to hers, I growled in frustration and anger.

"You're playing with fire, little cat." I warned with a hiss. She sneered at me, feeling confident as she put her hand between her thighs. I click my tongue and scowl, “Little minx!” Using my full strength, I tug on the chains fiercely and manage to break them. Her expression blanked as I grabbed her wrists with a grin. A panicked gasp left her lips as her face became pale with fright.

Letting her go, she scurried backward, her eyes wide in fear. Ignoring her, I pulled up my pants and took a deep breath, cracking my stiff neck. My tail twitched and swayed in frustration as I glared at her, "Didn't I warn you, little cat? I'm pretty sure I did. Multiple times."

She whimpered in alarm, all that confidence gone into thin air. Letting out a frustrated growl, I ruffled my hair and turned away from her. Walking to the furthest corner from her, I sat down more comfortably and leaned back, closing my eyes and trying to calm down my raging erection. The sight of her fear was enough to cool the passions. That just wasn’t my thing. Angry sex on the other hand sounded fun.

A sudden feeling around my neck startled me enough to jump up, alarming her further but I couldn’t care less. Touching around my neck in disbelief, I couldn’t feel it. It was gone...

I stared at my wrists in shock. The contract was gone. A soft voice snapped me out of my daze, very different from before, "Why? Why did you let me go? After what I did... you..." she said in between sobs. I glanced down at her in surprise. She was crying as she hugged her knees close to her chest. I felt a tiny twinge of sympathy in my chest. She really was broken inside and out. The moments when I was alone, desperate and hurting flashed before my eyes, making me frown in displeasure. Feeling hesitant, I slowly walk over. I crouch in front of her and stiffly pat her on the head. I sigh and grimace, I was no good at this kind of shit. It felt unnatural. Tears were leaving clear lines on her cheeks as she peered up at me remorsefully, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for what I did. I just wanted to be in control of my life. You're intimidating so I thought I could accomplish something if I made you submit to me. I’m sorry." she said through sobs. Great. Such a promising mood turned into a sob fest. I don't know how to deal with devastated females. Or anyone else for that matter, I’m good at killing things but that skill was not required here.

For the next few hours we sat on the opposite sides of the cell in silence until I sensed people approaching the cell. I tensed but didn't bother with the broken shackles as my gaze snapped to the entrance. The large metal door opened, the runes flashing again. The healer stood at the door with the three guards from before. He was smiling widely and clapped his hands, “Hey there Atkozott, you sure caused us a lot of trouble. It is unfortunate but you will have to bear the punishment for your actions. It’s inevitable. Starting from today, you will be going to block A to receive flogs, 50 a day. Bear with it and you can meet the Lord in a week. Don’t make a fuss and everything will be fine. As a show of good will, the Lord removed your contract. Technically, you are a free man but law must be respected.”

“What exactly do you people want from me?” I asked with narrowed eyes, very suspicious about the whole thing.

The healer sighed, “All in due time. For now, know we are not enemies.”

Signaling the guards, they came in with different shackles. They had runes that glowed with the same red light as the walls, frowning I glowered at the healer, “Free my ass.”

With a chuckle, he waved a hand, “The lashings tend to be a bit much so we would rather not risk you killing one of our guards or anyone else. These will keep you in line. It’s a necessity, I’m sure you understand yourself better than we do. Tell me, if someone whipped you, would you calmly take it?”

I remained silent, knowing full well I’d probably go on a rampage if I wasn’t restrained.

“Thought so.” with that, the shackles were promptly put on my wrists and the guards went to begin dragging me again. With a threatening growl, I stood up in anger and snarled, “I can fucking walk!”