This is the second chapter of my new series. The chapter will contain gore and cruelty so be aware. for those of you who have not read the previous chapter after i remade it please do, otherwise you will probably be lost. Btw, the reason for not giving a name to The 'noble' man and the Woman is because i wanted to define their character at bit more before revealing their names. Even yet i decided to not allow the 'noble' man a name, because of his cruel nature. I am sorry, but i felt i was a kind of punishment for his deeds.

Anyway H.F.

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Azul was sleeping in his mother's arms. He looked like a normal baby should, peaceful.

He had been in that position for a long time now. However, He wasn’t even old enough yet to register that he was in the arms of his mother. Of course, as a baby he was driven by the most basic of instincts, such as getting food.

The woman smiled at her beautiful newborn, but even at this happy occasion, a tear of sadness fell from the corner of her tired eyes. She knew that they would be separated soon and not by choice.

Even if the woman had spoken with a being of a higher power, it wouldn't improve her situation. Not even if the being had given a blessing to her child.

Even after everything she would still be a poor slave, enslaved by that disgusting man.

Even if she was very young, her future had already been sealed.

She could try and sneak the baby out. But the guards were on the noble’s side and she wouldn’t risk getting caught by the other slaves.

The other slaves stood to gain nothing by saying it. By they might be relieved from the punishments for a while. Which in itself was a well worth prize to them.

The woman hoped, that the noble would try and sell the child, it might be a grueling thing to wish for. But she wanted a future for her child and any future would do. She knew of the fate her child held. But, she still wished for a better future for her child.

She clenched the baby boy tighter, while another sad tear fell from her eyes, rolling down her pale cheek. Until it reached her chin where it dripped down unto the newborn child.

Azul looked up at his mother with eyes filled with sympathy. Even if a baby should not possess such an emotion. This was how the woman perceived it.

She stroked the cheek of the baby boy and kissed his forehead.

She then said with a shaky voice, and hoarse from screaming and praying “it will be okay, honey. Mother is fine, I am just a little sad that we will soon be separated. You should sleep until this is over.”

Two men stormed into the room, a second after the woman finished the sentence. They were Roaring in complaints about the noise. They might have guessed that it was because of a child birth and the aftermath, but they didn’t care.

They had been instructed by the master of the house - the noble, to bring the woman and baby to his quarters.

They could only comply, they themselves were only pitiful commoners with poor families and them being the only providers. They couldn't risk their jobs for this beastkin woman.

The woman was very unwilling and struggled as she tried to escape the iron grasp of the guards.

She knew it wouldn't be long before she was alone again.

The guards put rusty shackles on the woman's wrists, even though it seemed that she could just pull her hands through them, this was because of her small hands, which were void of fat.

But even when chained she refused to let go of her child. When danger looms over a mothers child, a mother can find unimaginable willpower and strength.

But the guards were still much stronger than her and forced her to walk. She still held Azul in her arms, like a frail glass vase.

Her room was made of big blocks of rough stone, which were located in the cellar of the noble’s mansion.

As they walked up the wooden stairs, her eyes met with the faces of the other slaves and servants.

As her eyes met theirs, they turned their heads away. They were embarrassed with themselves.

And of course the woman agreed that they should be. They had not helped her in the time of need. None of the slaves helped each other. This was a game of survival and only the most resilient would survive. This also meant yourself before others.

But she wouldn't be angry, she just wanted to enjoy her last moments with her child. She glanced at her baby boy, while smiling. She enjoyed the company with her child. Even if he couldn’t show emotions, his presence still made her calm. Even if she may be walking towards her doom.

Now they stood before the twin marble doors to the master bedroom. This was where the noble man spent most of his time. However, it was not for sleeping. It was here he ‘enjoyed’ his girls.

The woman thought the noble man pathetic. If he was a real man, he would use his strength to conquer And women would be naturally drawn to him. This was the thoughts of a Beastkin female atleast.

But, this man forced women against their will. Not only that, but sometimes he needed the help of the guards to ‘calm’ the really resistant women.

That was also the case for the beastkin woman. Her first night had been gruesome. The guards had dragged her directly to his room. She of course showed resistance, but the guards were too strong for young beastkin. The guards had given her a calming sedative before allowing the noble man to do his deed. This had been the case for the woman every night until she got pregnant. She was like a vegetable while the nobleman had raped her.

She felt every bit of it, but couldn’t resist.

Two guards outside the bedroom opened the heavy doors. Allowing her to enter. The two guards which brought her, entered with her.

Inside the room, a little ugly man sat on a bed in which more than 10 people could sleep in side by side.

The little ugly man, was the father of the newborn boy. Or rather the previous father.

The little man's big stomach wobbled as he stood up. He stretched his small and greasy hands, while walking closer to the woman who was utterly terrified. This time she wasn’t sedated, but she wouldn’t show reckless resistance. She was calm only because of her child.

The little fat man began speaking with a hoarse voice “What do we have here Nina, I see that you have just given birth. Who is the father Nina. I won’t allow anyone to touch my goods.”

That is right the woman's name was Nina

Nina flinched, she had expected the man to be that shameless, but this was truly pathetic, it was one thing that he wouldn't take responsibility, another was that she shamed her for him raping her.

Technically he was correct, the child was no longer his, but she did give birth to his child.

Also calling her goods. There was no respect at all. She truly wasn’t a human being in his mind. Just a tool for sex and a way to relieve his sadistic desires.

Nina replied with a scared voice. She was resistant but her mind had been broken and she had learned to fear the fat man “I… have given birth to a baby boy, if you would please let me keep him, I will raise him on my own.

Of course Nina had no desire to raise her child into slavery. What she wanted to do was to extend their time together so that she could at some point free Azul.

But the filthy noble wouldn't have any of it “you pathetic woman, first you give birth to another man's child. Rather than my noble self’s. And now you ask me, if you can keep it. No! The child is a fine specimen, he has very exotic looks, even though he is a boy, he should fetch a good coin.”

The ‘noble’ man was getting exhausted as he had finished speaking. He waved his hands at the guards signaling him to remove the child from his mother.

Nina and the guards both had sour faces, the man was total filth. Even though the noble man was a lump of filth he was still their only source of income.

But Nina of course rebelled and tried to escape with her child, but sadly it was futile. The guards tried to hold her in place. Nina tried with all her motherly might.

Even if she was malnourished, she as a beastkin of the war tiger tribe, she still held considerable fighting power.

As a reaction she crouched on the ground, like a runner preparing for a sprint. Even if she was troubled by carrying Azul, she still set off with frightening power.

The wooden floor under her, cracked and splinters flew in the sky, just after her take off.

What she didn’t realise is that the ‘noble’ man held a portable crossbow. Which he fired with great difficulty and an unsteady aim.

But with great luck or great misfortune, the bolt from the crossbow, hit the woman straight in the angle nailing her to the floor.

A piercing scream erupted from Nina, and a short while after a cry followed from Azul whom could feel the danger to his mother and himself. He tried to struggle out of his mother's grasp, a notable feat as something like that should not be possible for a child not even one day old yet.

As he struggled, the white fur on his body began to move like the waves, it looked very mesmerizing. Fortunately, no one noticed the events, as the guards and the ‘noble’ man was focused on Nina, who was struggling for freedom and was screaming in pain.

A large change happened to Azul, a small tail began to sprout from his tailbone, the color; pure white. This changed the atmosphere in the room.

The guards and the ‘noble’ man were confused, it felt like they were drowning in killing intent, but they didn’t know the source.

After using the elimination process, they could only guess it was the child, but as they looked at him still in the iron grasp of his mother. They shivered as they saw his blood red eyes, the eyes had a very small slit. While the area around it was colored blood red, and it really seemed like blood. It may have been an illusion, but to the guards and the ‘noble’ man it seemed as if the blood color in his eyes were moving about like sloshing waves in an ocean.

It brought sweat on the head of the these people and sent shivers down their spines. They felt like they stood before death itself.

Strangely, Nina hadn’t noticed as she was still struggling with the bolt. It might have been poor aiming from the ‘noble’ man, but her wounds worsened quickly. The only thing on her mind was to free herself so that she could save her child, and preferably by her own means.

The first to break the trance of confusion brought by the killing intent was one of the guards which brought Nina and Azul to this room. The guard went up, and used his shield to knock Nina unconscious, she was an easy target as she was pinned to the ground by the bolt. As she was falling to the ground, the guard quickly picked Azul up from his mother's arms. However, he had slight problems because of the iron grip from Nina. Even when unconscious she wouldn’t let go of her precious child.

He brought the child to his chest, even though he was clad in black and silver basic leather armor, he still rocked the child, as if trying to calm it down. The upcoming event would be brutal, and he feared that the child would be marked by the event that were unfolding. He knew the ‘noble’ man was brutal. Especially towards women who couldn’t resist.

Most of the guards themselves were not bad people, they just held a lot of responsibility and they couldn’t let their families down. If they failed to keep their jobs, they would starve. They would gladly take the mantle of maniac so that their families would survive, even if it meant forsaking their own beliefs.

Azul went quiet as he was lulled to sleep by the guard. and the killing intent gradually faded.

The last to recover was of course the ‘noble’ man, he was furious and made a big deal out of it. It was as if someone had threatened his life, and stepped on the face of his family. He went on and on about how to punish the mother and newborn baby.

After a while he seemed to have made a decision.

He asked the guard for a knife. with a smiling face. He looked like a small child just about to open his only present.

He recieved a rusty and crooked knife from a guard, who was sweating like a waterfall. The ‘noble’ man went over to Nina, with a big grin on his lips he said “You filthy woman, for you to have brought such scum into this world, this requires punishment. I’ve already had my fun with you and now is the time to say goodbye.”

He began pressing the knife into her cheek, yet she remained unmoving. The shield slam from the guard must have been a big one to knock her out completely, she probably wouldn’t recover in a while. Which gave time for the ‘noble’ to do his deed.

He began carving, like drawing on a bloody canvas. In this case he would be an artist with no skill at all. what he carved was a grand B stretching from cheek to cheek. Rippling across her skin, over her small nose, and into her eyes, though avoiding the eye balls, he hit, eyebrow and continued to connect it in the middle of her forehead.

The act was very brutal and bloody, and the guards nearly vomited from the sight. They might be guards, but that didn’t mean that they had seen war up close. Those kind of guards were much more expensive, and the ‘noble’ man didn’t have coin like that.

Nina’s faced would be scarred forever. It would always be a reminder of her time here at the mansion. It was a time that would mark her forever. If she survived she would become truly broken. She might not have experienced the pain from the carving. But the aftermath would be brutal. The knife was not sterile at all, it would be a miracle if she would survive the infections and blood loss.

Beside the pool of blood, stood the guard which carried Azul. he too was disgusted, but he felt it was his duty to protect the child while the ‘noble’ man wasn’t paying attention.

The guard actually held minor skills in the art of Runecrafting, while the others were doing their thing, he picked up a small copper coin from his purse. This would be the vessel of power for the rune he was about to craft.

Tier - 1. Rune Smiths had only the most basic of skills in runecraft, the rank would be more like knowing the introductions to runecraft. But even then most just didn’t have the skills to use this craft. It was also highly profound, and most commoners would never get into contact with Runecraft items.

The guard had been lucky once, and obtained a scroll giving the basic introductions to runecrafting. And to his surprise he found out he had a small aptitude for Rune smithing.

It was not that Rune smits were rare, but fewer and fewer would advance in tier. Tier - 1, was the worst, except for not knowing the profession at all. While those of Tier - 10, would have godlike engraving skills, being able to make enchantments like mana absorption or greater health regeneration. or at least those were the rumors the guard had heard.

The guard held Azul in his left hand while he held the copper coin in his right. He began chanting, as a low tier Runesmith his chants would be long and arduous, but it was fine, as long as he was able to finish.

A strange yellow rune began appearing on the small copper coin after a few seconds. After a while the engravings were done. He made another quick chant for making a small hole in the coin, He had gotten a piece of cloth from Nina’s tattered clothes. He decided to use it as a string for the necklace. This way the child would always have a reminder of his mother, even if she wasn’t near. The guard had gotten the tattered cloth when he had accidentally ripped her clothes.

He carefully inserted the cloth string into the coin. He had made a small necklace.

He put the necklace around the small child's neck. The craftsmanship wasn’t great, but it would serve it’s purpose in a time of need.

The ‘noble’ man was just about to finish his ‘engravings’, when his eyes moved to Azul and the guard.

He saw the cloth necklace but couldn’t remember if it had been there from the start.

He called the guard which held Azul over.

“Did that boy always have that necklace?” asked the ‘noble’ man satisfied.

The guard went out on a limb and answered “The child had it before we brought the woman and the child here. It might have been a gift from the woman.” The guard secretly hoped that he would allow the child to keep the necklace.

The ‘noble’ man stood up and threw the bloodied knife to the guard which lend it to him. He walked up to Azul and glanced at the necklace, with the small coin strapped to it.

“Hmm. the material seems incredibly poor, it might fall off anytime. The copper coin is of minor value, not something to bother about. I will let him keep it, but just this once, because of my good mercy and compassion.” answered the noble man, with a big grin on his lips. He was clearly very satisfied with himself.

The guards nearly vomited by the shamelessness, but they were used to it. so they held it in.

“The child will be sold anyway, send it to the slave trader immediately, with his exotic look he should make a great coin. ” said the ‘noble’ man while glancing the guard holding Azul.

With a deep sigh the guard began moving away after giving a faint bow.

Another guard asked about what to do with the Nina. and the ‘noble’ man just answered with a cold voice “Throw her out, I’ve had my fun!”

The guards went up to Nina, removing the bolt and dragging her away, she was still unconscious. He pitied the woman. He hoped that he could save the woman, otherwise the heaven’s golden gates would never open for them.

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At the slave marked.

The guard with the small Azul in his arms entered a majestic building belonging to the slave traders.

Even if slave traders are hated and cursed at by the commoners, this place is one of the favorites of the noble. This is the place where trade is happening with slaves. The slaves themselves are not treated inhumanly here. especially not, if it is the really expensive goods, such as mermaids or Cat Women of the beastkins. They are actually treated like noble guests, even if they are in fact prisoners.

The building itself, was a massive mansion sized tradeplace filled with beautiful marble engravings and arches. It looked like a palace instead of a slave traders marked. This also showed the extreme wealth of the slave traders.

The guard walked along a hall, until he reached a semi circular room, with many stands for appraising goods (slaves).

He walked up to one of them while giving of a deep sigh. He was very unhappy with the situation, but he couldn’t disappoint his master. He wanted to give the child the best service possible in this place.

When he finally got close to a stand, he saw that a beautiful young man standing on the other side of the desk, the guard knew that he was the appraiser.

He laid down Azul onto a massive marble plate, that was used for appraising.

The young man began speaking while moving Azul quietly as to not wake him up. “You are bringing me another one, old friend? Is that filth still throwing slaves left and right?”

The guard was not shocked, he knew this man on the other side. He had often in the past, had to deliver slaves to precisely this location and he had actually got acquainted with the young man on the other side of the desk. The young man was a surprisingly gentle man, so he always delivered the slaves directly to him. he knew that the young man would treat the slaves gently even if he had a higher status than them and wouldn’t hurt them even if he could.

“Ahh. yes, this is a sad one, please treat him with care. He was just born, and his fate has already been a cruel one. I hope you find some good masters for him.” Said the guard while giving a gentle bow.

The young man smiled brightly like the sun, while replying “yes, this time you’ve brought a really good product, for a baby he has surprisingly tough muscles, and he has great looks even if he is a male beastkin. Don’t worry i will take care of it. - I can give you 3 gold coins for this boy, if he was older I could probably give you 10, but the care he will need will be expensive so I can’t give you more. I am sorry!” The young man replied with shifting faces as he spoke. He was a true merchant, who wore a constant pokerface.

“Yes, thank you, you can send the money directly to Balyr manor as always.”

While the guard walked out, the young man turned around with Azul in his arms mumbling in a low voice while grinning. “I’ve just made a killin’, this boy is worth so much more. If raised properly his potential is limitless, forget 3 gold. maybe 50 gold wouldn’t suffice!”

The character of the young man, might not have been as good as the guard thought!