Food. Water. Warmth.

Those were the most common things to run through the mind of everyone who was sitting within the cages lining the edge of a specific cave.

On one side of the caves interior was a line of ten cages, sitting upon them were seven, with four more on the top row. This set up worked perfectly with the curvature of the cavern and allowed the greatest number of cages without blocking access to any other cages.

Each cage held anywhere from one to five slaves, hostages, or prisoners. There used to be more, but every so often one was being taken away. It was always a volunteer.

The promise of food, sunlight, water, and many other desires made it so there was never a shortage of volunteers when the offer was made.

Twenty-six remembered some time ago she saw a lot of people who looked miserable like them brought into the cave, but none of them were being held within cages like she was. She couldn’t remember much, but they all seemed to be excited to an extent, despite the illnesses or injuries they all had.

A few of them would share some food with those in the cages in exchange for listening to stories. Twenty-six had been told more than a few because she reminded them of their daughters or sisters or some other family member. This was even true of people who were not of the dwarven race like her. Eye color, voice, or hair was often stated as the reason they were similar.

From what she could tell all of them were going to do one job for the group who had them locked up in exchange for grand rewards. Debts repaid, money offered and sometimes killing those who had harmed them or their family in the past.

One man, a fellow dwarf, told her that he was going to be dying soon. It seems he caught some terrible disease from falling into black dragon dung, or more specifically the creatures that would live and breed in it got into his body.

Because of this, he was living life as much as he could before doing one last job so the friends who risked their lives to save him from the dragon could have a comfortable life. It was also so the family of those who lost their lives could survive despite the loss they felt.

In his case, only two of the five survived the rescue and the two who did were never whole again.

Since then a lot of time had passed and the people who had been doing as they saw fit left the cave and never returned.

Since then, however, the people who had forced them into this life of near starvation would show up and ask for volunteers for a short job. As long as they did as asked they would get anything they wanted, within reason, so long as they followed the jobs rules.

Today another person came in asking for another volunteer. Once again most of the caged people asked to be picked, Twenty-six included. On this day it was her turn to be chosen and allowed out of the cage while her two cellmates were kept in place with weapons used as a threat.

The man who brought her out of the cave was unknown to Twenty-six. That wasn’t uncommon as the people who kept them all locked up and fed them alternated the duty to prevent anyone from getting attached to any of them.

It took time for Twenty-six to get used to the sunlight again as she left the cave and was brought to a large tent that held the last four people who were chosen to leave the cave. She couldn’t help but feel relieved that they were still alive.

Trying to speak she found that her throat was in pain from earlier when she screamed as much as she could to try to get taken from her cage. She was quicky given water and some food that, unlike usual, seemed to have been made with care instead of whatever was found even if there was mold or worse upon it.

The flavors and quantity was something that Twenty-six and all the others could have only imagined while they had been held within the cages. Here, it seemed, they were being provided any comfort they could desire.

Eventually, as was expected they were told it was time to do a small job, but the reward for the job was that after twelve days of work they would be allowed to leave and take anything they could carry with them. There was a slight threat regarding if they told anyone where they were, but none of them were thinking about more than having the chance to leave the imprisonment that they had been forced into.

As time went by Twenty six-got healthier. There was more body to her and she was using the outhouses that were built on the outskirts. Of all the things that made her feel at ease she didn’t expect that using the bathroom as often as she was would be a good feeling for her.

Over time new people would come into the tent and the one who had been there the longest would be asked to do some work. Not long ago One-ten had been brought to do a bit of work and Twenty-six knew that the next person to be told it was time to work would be her.

Twenty-six still had weights on her arms and legs that all the dwarven prisoners were forced to deal with, but its burden had become noticeable instead of overpowering. She could manage about as well as anyone else in most regards at this point and was ready to prove that she could do the job soon to be demanded of her.

If it was something that would be hard, she assumed that they would remove the weights on her in order to help ensure her success.

The next day a member of the group came into the tent with another member of the caged community. An older man who had one of his arms missing and seemed to be having a hard time breathing.

Twenty-six didn’t know his name, but she never bothered to learn the names of people that weren’t part of the metal box or the tent she had been living in. She thought she might learn his name, but it was then that she was told it was her turn to get to work.

The walk was pretty far as she was brought out of the encampment that she had been allowed to live in while preparing to do the job. While she could speak, the fact that after so much comfort she was finally doing the job made her mouth dry enough that it felt as if it was filled with chalk.

Despite this, the young human man was able to answer the unspoken questions as if he could read her mind.

“I am going to tell you about your job now. You are to hold onto a necklace and watch over a soon to be dead body that has been corrupted. It no longer looks like a person because of the corruption in its soul, but we have a greater fear.”

The man turned his head to Twenty-six and gazed hard at her, “He might revive himself. What happened to him is not natural and when you get there we are going to put him out of his misery. We have already done everything needed to ensure he can’t retreat or anything else. You will be protected from him for the time being.”

Twenty-six felt a bit of relief and let out a sigh that reflected that fact as she continued to follow the man.

Eventually, the trees opened up and revealed a lovely, albeit small, cabin with a small man-made pond and a single tree that had a swing on it that was shaped like a chair. There was a fence around the perimeter of it that showed the limits of where she was expected to stay.

In one of the fences, corners was a creature. To call it a person of any race that Twenty-six had ever seen would be a great lie, but there were some remnants of individuality in the creatures' face that hinted it could have once been a person.

It was skin and bones for the most part, but a few spots looked to be overinflated. Where the flesh looked like it had ballooned the skin to the point where it started to tear and expose the muscle it would normally hide. Blood was leaking steadily from every place that it could leave the body, creating a puddle with more blood than should be possible from any creature of that size.

The fact that he was him previously would have been harder if not for the fact that its figure was stripped bare and exposed to the elements. His eyes looked tired and sad. Twenty-six wondered if he had the thoughts to speak anymore. If so perhaps the fact that he seemed to be missing his jaw and tongue was a blessing despite the dripping of blood from where his mouth should be.

Leaning down next to her, Twenty-six saw the man that had been her guide as he pointed at the focus of her job.

“That is what we need. It is what is holding him to this world, but he had too much bloodlust directed at our people. We bound him and stopped him from the horrors that were being pushed on everyone. We suspect he won’t direct his violence against you since you aren’t part of our organization. You need to grab the necklace and the moment it is in your hand we will kill him.”

Directing her eyes towards where the man pointed, Twenty-six looked at a necklace that was gripped hard in the corrupted mans hand as he made something of a sound like someone trying to breathe while below water. A gagging mist of blood came out, as a result, sprinkling the green grass with droplets of crimson red.

A shiver went through Twenty-six’s entire body as she thought about what she was about to do. Turning her head she saw there were two other people behind them, both young human men like her guide. Both of them had bows ready to load and shoot.

“And….. when I do this I just stay and watch?”

The man stood up at her side and the height between him and the dwarf became more pronounced.

“You stay in the cabin. If something odd happens you ring the bell just outside the front door. Every day when the sun is highest in the sky someone will come to check on you and ask what you want or need and bring what you asked for the day before if possible.”

Pointing along the fenced-in area around the cabin, the man made sure that Twenty-six followed his finger.

“You are also not to go beyond that area. We have some tools set up to go off if you aren’t with or part of our group, which is why I brought you past it. It is to ensure that if the corrupted comes back to life he will be destroyed.”

“B-b-but what if he attacks me? How will I run?”

The question was sound, but the man smiled down at Twenty-six with a dark grin, “That’s what the bell is for. We got people working not too far away who will come help. Beyond that, you can run or hide. As long as it is within the confines of the fence at least.”

“Regardless it is time to work. Go and take hold of the necklace. Anyone he saw as an enemy would be harmed by the magic on it, but he doesn’t know you. We trust that the lack of ever meeting each other properly will prevent harm.”

It took a little bit of encouragement that was just shy of a threat for Twenty-six to walk up to the misshapen and bloodied figure. When she got closer to him she found that he was staring intently at her and some sounds escaped from the hole where his chin and mouth would normally be.

When she reached for the necklace the former man tried to move, but the bindings that held him in place were too strong. Both rope and oversized nails held him to a large section of a tree as he struggled in vain, his attempts caused only the smallest amount of hesitation in Twenty-six’s actions.

Almost instantaneously a couple of arrows were let loose when Twenty-six took hold of the necklace's chain. One barely missed the creature as the other one went right through his eye, making his body go limp all at once.

A soft sort of warmth spread over Twenty-six as she backed away gripping the necklace tightly and looked at the people who had killed the disfigured creature of a man.

“I got your necklace. Who do I give it to?”

By the time she turned around only one of the archers who had shot the figure remained. Twenty-six cried out to ask about the necklace and was told she could keep it for all they cared and that the first day's supplies were already in the cabin.

Countdown: Eight days

With the creature killed and instructions provided for her, Twenty-six ran into the cabin and looked around it. It was truly a home with furniture, kitchenware to cook and most of what she imagined would be needed to live a normal life.

Quickly taking up the bucket that she had noticed in the corner of the kitchen she ran outside to get some water and washed herself, her clothing, and the necklace.

Looking at it she was drawn into its beauty. While she hadn’t seen it since she was just a child of twenty she could still remember the look of the silver that the chain was made of. It even looked to have a higher level of purity than she remembered ever seeing before.

The chain was made of three silver rope designs lightly turning around each other as it formed a full circle without a latch. While washing it she tried to pull the ropes apart to clean it from all sides but found herself unable to as they refused to separate from each other.

Lastly, there was a locket on the necklace. It was made of the same silver that the chain was and was shaped like a heart with various designs engraved or protruding from it.

Slowly turning it over in her hands she couldn’t help but smile at the expert craftsmanship as she wondered if, when she had a life of her own, she could craft such fine works with metal.

Everything on the locket looked as if it was alive. Trying to open it, she found that it was stuck shut in the same way the rope chains were stuck together.

As she looked at it she wondered aloud, “I wonder if they’ll let me keep this.”

With everything clean Twenty six put the necklace in the empty bucket and, leaving it behind, for the time being, went back to look at the cabin that would be her temporary home.

Comparing it to the cages she was used to staying in felt like comparing a candle to the sun. While there were a couple of minor similarities she couldn’t help but think of them as so different that there was no way to say they were alike.

“It’s all mine. At least for now.”

When Twenty-six found the bed that had been provided, she flung herself upon it and wrapped her arms around the pillow. A bit of straw was poking out from one of the corners, but she didn’t care as she nodded off to sleep.

Countdown: Seven days

When Twenty-six woke up she gazed out at the horizon and stretched her arms over her head, holding one at the elbow with the other as she did so.

The first thing that she did was go into the kitchen area. While she wasn’t skilled at it, over the past several days she had watched people cooking closely enough to get an idea of what needed to be done. There had to be fire, water in a pot, and various other options so she thought about what she had to work with.

Just outside the door, she remembered seeing wood that she could use, and her magic would be enough to start them ablaze.

As she gathered up the pieces of wood she needed, she happened to glance at the corpse. A couple of birds were standing on it and pecking at the flesh. The sight caused her to snap her attention in the other direction and she found herself looking at the lake. Slowly her eyes wandered over to the bucket and she remembered that she left the silver necklace within it.

She took a few quick steps towards the bucket so she could get the necklace before she forgot about it again, but stopped short.

A small impact was felt between her shirt and her breasts as she ran. Pulling at the front of her shirt collar she looked down and saw the familiar locket shape.

“Did I…. when did I…..”

The fact that the necklace was on her neck wasn’t a large concern, but she didn’t remember putting it on. She began to worry about it as she walked to the bucket, filling it with water before taking it with her as she prepared herself something for breakfast.

Having not had a chance to try cooking before, the result was not nearly as good as she had been able to enjoy the past several days, but she didn’t care. Burnt meat and runny eggs were still better than barely existent food that could make you sick as easily as it could fight off your hunger.

Except for when someone came in the middle of the day, Twenty-six spent the majority of her time on the swing or just running from one end of the fence to the other. The freedom to move as much as she wanted and the freedom to just relax without any expectations felt like a blessing she could have never dreamed of.

The visitors who came in the middle of the day were a single pair, a male and female human who were well into their adulthood, but not elderly.

While the man went into the cabin to drop off the supplies for the next day, the woman began to ask Twenty-six how she was doing.

“I know that this could be hard for someone not used to seeing so much blood, but if nothing has happened in a few days we are going to burn the body. Are you feeling tired yet? Mentally or physically drained in any way?”

Even though she didn’t like how the woman's hands were lightly exploring every inch of her body that she could get them onto, Twenty-six didn’t raise a fuss even when it felt like it was a bit too intimate.

“I feel alright. I wasn’t able to make a very good breakfast though and it is a bit….. No never mind.”

The woman smiled slightly and looked her right in the eyes, “What? Do you not feel full after eating it?”

“Nothing like that it’s just,” Twenty-six hesitated as she thought about how things were not long ago. She felt she shouldn’t really complain.

Seeing the hesitation the woman put both her hands on the dwarf's face and made it so the pair were once again looking at each other.

“Whatever it is tell me. I want to know.”

With a hard swallow, Twenty-six spoke with her anxiety almost visible on each word.

“It’s just that without anyone to talk to and the cabin I’m feeling like…. Could I maybe get something more to do? Stone cutting tools and stones? Metal crafting? I used to do that sort of thing when I was a kid and I wouldn’t mind trying to get back into the practice before you let me go.”

Hearing the request the woman snickered a little bit, “I can’t make any promises but I will see what we can do. If nothing else we can get you some rocks to play with.”

Before going to bed, Twenty-six decided to check on the locket again. Observing it closely she attempted to pry it open and it seemed to give, but only the smallest amount. While it previously looked to be sealed shut, on this day it appeared to have a small black line that went around enough to show that the hinge was hidden in the stem of a flower.

Countdown: Six days

The morning came and went easier for Twenty-six and the sunlight woke her up with the slight hint of growing warmth. She didn’t want to stay asleep longer but found she was unable to.

“Alright sun. You win this time, but eventually, I will be victorious.”

Once again the beginning of the day held nothing of any importance as far as Twenty-six was concerned, but the mid-day visitation brought something different entirely.

The same woman came up to her and started to run her hands over Twenty-six’s body in an exploratory manner.

“We were able to get something close enough to what you wanted, but they are either third hand at best or not proper tools that might just be useful. Korzem will leave them on the kitchen counter, but you will have to organize it since everything was put in haphazardly.”

This time the examination and questions were a bit longer and the woman even started to prod her fingers into Twenty-six’s mouth. She found it quite odd but trusted that if she was being checked up on it was because they were concerned for her safety. After all, she was taking on a job that none of the other people were willing to.

Once the pair were no longer intruding on her, Twenty-six ran inside to see what tools she was being provided. A variety of hammers and some cloth were available, but only a small amount of tools could be used as a chisel or carving tool. The few that looked like they had any quality to them also appeared to be the smallest and would require a lot of precision.

While she hadn’t expected a lot the minerals were all quite small and there were none that held any luster. A few were larger than the locket, but for the most part the remaining supplies were barely half the lockets.

“They probably don’t want to waste too much on me,” she thought to herself as she picked up the first few rocks.

With the stones and a few of the tools she walked over to the swing and began to do a bit of work. Having been so out of practice she wasn’t expecting there to be much she would be able to make and, to her disappointment, she had been correct.

Each attempt had ended up with some cracks, fissures, or the stone completely shattered in some cases.

She was finding herself more and more intent on the minerals until the sun began to set and she realized she was feeling hungry.

With this new motivation she quickly went into the kitchen and began to look over what all she had been given for the next days worth of meals, trying to think what she might be able to make. It was mostly meat and some fruit with a few potatoes.

While thinking about what to do she took out the locket and started to pull on it again. It wasn’t entirely open, but the petals on the flower now had one that overlapped the other as it began to separate. She tried to force it a little more, but there was no give as it fought back against the force she was putting into it. She even decided to risk breaking it as she put all the dwarven strength she could, considering the weights on her wrists.

In her half-starved state she had found herself lacking, but with the meals, the rest, and the relaxation she was feeling more like herself. That’s why being defeated by a locket seemed like it was a slap in the face that she couldn’t allow to continue.

Taking that into consideration she cooked and ate all the food she had been provided and looked at the tools that she had, wondering if one of them would be useful in prying open the locket enough to see a little of the inside. Despite that, she only saw darkness even when she held it below the light of a candle.

Countdown: Five days

Several failed attempts to make something with the tools eventually lead to one successful piece that she managed to carve into a simple sphere that she was able to roll on the table without bouncing around. There was a minor amount of blood on the table from a cut that she gave herself during the project, but nothing more as she waited for the next days delivery.

As usual, the two people came with supplies, but it took a lot longer because the woman latched onto the wound that Twenty-six had gotten. The woman poked and prodded the wound a bit and made a few soft comments to herself that Twenty-six couldn’t hear.

When Twenty-six asked about what she was saying, the woman brushed it off.

“Nothing important dear. I am just making a note that you got hurt. I think I’ll bring a bit of medicinal herbs tomorrow. I’m not an expert with them but I got a couple of friends who I can bring with me. Oh, right do you still have the necklace from earlier?”

Twenty-six nodded a bit as she clutched it through her shirt.

The woman lightly clapped her hands, “Oh wonderful. A few people are going to be coming here tomorrow to get a look at it. See since it was held by that creature who…. Looks to have been eaten quite a bit by the creatures of the forest, we want to have them look at it as well. I’m sure you won't mind handing it over to them.”

Gripping the locket part of the necklace a bit Twenty-six wavered, “I just… would rather…”

Before she was able to complete her thought the woman slapped her hard on the back.

“Of course you don’t mind. After all, this is part of the agreement we all came to for you to get your freedom. Oh and if you start getting more injuries go ahead and ring the bell. We’re going to be burning the body next time we visit since it seems like it’s not doing anything. Ah but you still have to watch the place we bury the ash just in case.”

Hearing everything that she had been told, Twenty six ran inside the moment the pair had left and gripped the necklace tightly.

“You’re mine. I don’t want them to have you. Wearing you is….. It…..”

While she wasn’t able to articulate herself very well the dwarf knew that she had to keep this and if someone else got it it would be bad for her. At least that was what she told herself.

If she had been completely honest it was just that she liked having something so pretty that she could call her own.

“You remind me of home. The fine lines and the quality craftsmanship. With the right tools and materials, my family was able to make almost anything but I can’t make anything except a stupid ball.”

Staring intently at the locket, she closed it and opened it as far as it would allow.

“Maybe with you to inspire me I could do better? Although it feels more like the other way around. I’m a nobody. I’m worthless and even when they let me go I’ll probably die or end up as a prostitute. If only someone could help shape me into something better, but who would take me on as an apprentice now. I don’t even have the funds to buy an apprenticeship.”

Picking up some of the tableware Twenty-six was about to throw it around, but stopped herself. She wanted to break things and run, but whatever traps and magic were around the fence kept her in and she finally admitted to herself that she was still a prisoner.

Sure the accommodations were a lot more luxurious in comparison and there was the promise of freedom, but she knew she was still nothing more than who she had been while trapped in that small cage with the other people she had been forced to exist with.

“I don’t suppose,” she asked the necklace with a tone of joking inquisition, “That you could help me figure something out could you?”

As the last words left her lips the locket shook just the smallest amount of began to open like a flower in bloom. This was countered, to a small degree, by the fact that the petals on the flower that made up its lone hinge had their petals stacking up upon each other.

Seeing the interior of the locket Twenty-six was at a loss for words, but tears started to flow down her cheeks. This was something her body had been unable to do for so long that she panicked for a short moment before she remembered what they were.

“What are you?”

For a little bit, she felt silly asking the locket a question but reminded herself it opened up for her. Touching the interior of it she felt smoothness that was not only flawless but seemed to be beyond anything she could imagine. There was nothing that could even be close to an impurity that her fingers could find and the coloration was the most pure version of the color she had ever seen.

“Why are you black on the inside?”

Still getting no response she went to close the locket, feeling content that she had seen what was inside, but just like when she tried to open it, she found herself unable to close it.

Unable to help it she let out a soft laugh as she spoke to herself, picking up a small pick with a wooden handle that had been cracked and nearly broken.

“Is that how it is? You’re showing me what you can do but won’t let me do it for you? Fine, then I’ll see if I can figure you out and force you shut again.”

Regardless of what her intentions were, they all became moot the moment the tool touched the darkness that the locket hid within itself. The darkness spread out like living ink and quickly enveloped the tool that Twenty-six had intended to use on it. She barely had enough time to let go of the tool as it was being coated in pure darkness.

Once the tool was fully engulfed in the inky darkness its size and shape fluctuated and absorbed into the lockets before locking shut.

Twenty-six breathed heavily as she examined the locket and chain that held it. She stood so still she started to feel a stiffness over her causing her to move her body up and down as she swung her arms around. During this time she froze and held her hands in front of her.

Instead of the flesh that she had been used to seeing to the point that she didn’t think about it, she found that it had been replaced with wood. There were a few lines of slightly rusty metal in a few spots, but the majority of what she saw was wooden.

Panicking she stripped until she had nothing to hide the fact that every part of her body had become wood or metal. Even reaching up to her hair gave the impression of thin metal shavings and some sort of plant life that she couldn’t see without pulling some out, which was one thing she didn’t want to risk doing.

The rest of the day was a blur as Twenty-six tried to figure out what was going on. Stress, panic, and shock combined to mentally exhaust her until she fell asleep on the floor of the cabin. The bed and food for dinner were completely forgotten.