“What the hell is this?”

“Hai, mastah. It’s a carpet, mastah.”

Neira graced him with her marvelous smile, at the same time playing her favorite ‘me dum-dum slave no knows what ya ask’ card. Joe wasn’t sure what was more amazing, her ability to take him for a fool or the fact that she had a broken and bleeding nose. Her wide grin she displayed so proudly also showed several missing teeth. Should he even ask who managed to give her that black eye?

Something he would not find possible just a moment ago.

“What did you do this time?”

Joe asked while fetching a healing potion from his inventory. The furball status screen told him she had several broken ribs and moderate internal bleeding.

“I brought carpet.”

Not a lie yet not entire truth either. If there were levels awarded for skirting his orders, those furballs would have maxed out that skill by now. Either way, Neira gave him another innocent smile and greedily gulped up the puke-colored concoction of his making. It severely lacked in the taste department, but it did its job. Her health stopped draining and after a pause began to climb.

“That I see you insane num-num but why did…”

The carpet she’s been sitting on answered him by choosing this moment to wake up and start trashing and screaming. Joe rubbed his face with his palm. He knew that voice.

“Get up.”

Gulping another potion, Neira lazily lift her bones up.

“Move.”

He shoved her aside and sent the moaning carpet rolling with his foot. Freed from the weight that held it together, it unrolled, exposing a gagged and chained body, screaming obscenities into the woolen sock shoved deep into her muzzle and tied with a string.

Joe sighed and turned back to the demi standing beside him.

“You mean to tell me you blown up have the inn, beat up fifty city guards and destroyed the city wall just to kidnap her?”

“There was also the alchemy tower that went ka-pwsh! After I punched her through it.”

Proud of herself, Neira demonstrated her pew-pew punch. Just her arm moving sent a gust of wind against Joe. Closing his eyes, he counted to ten but after he reopened them, neither did his mood improve nor did this ridiculous situation became any better.

Kneeling beside the head of the demi bound with an iron chain, he un-socked her then used the moment she took a deep breath in preparing for another scream to shove a healing potin into her mouth.

“You know what? I don’t have time for whatever this is. You made this mess, sort it out yourself. We’ll be moving due east for the next few days. Clean this up and catch up before dawn.”

Then, he also cast a single heal on the bound furball and plucked the now empty flask out of her mouth.

“You’ll live?”

“…Yes.”

Savil gazed at him with fear in her eyes. She went through several insane masters. What just happened wasn’t anything new. She remembered her old masters freeing their naive slaves just so they could hunt them down like prey and watch the pain in the slave’s eye as they once more robbed them of their life this one final time.

“Good.”

Joe rolled her over and began untangling the heavy chain.

“Just so you know, I had nothing to do with this. I don’t take back my word. I said you can go, so go if you want.”

He got up and poke Neira’s flat chest.

“And you, this better be the last time you did something like this. I like you. Hell, I really do. You’re the first woman in years who I find worth keeping around for more than an occasional fuck but, gods be my witness, I’ll dump you at the nearest slave pen if you try something like this ever again. Understood?”

Neira’s ears wen down.

“Yes.”

She whispered. Joe Had never hit her but the disappointment in his eyes for some reason hurt more that any beating she got from her old master.

“Good, now shake hands, make up, make out or whatever. Remember, east, I want to see you before dawn.”

Joe ordered and marched away along the other, waiting slaves. Neira watched him disappear along the meandering path. Her lips trembled. She could no longer hold her tears.

Savile hugged her from behind. Just like they did countless times, huddling together every night. Why couldn’t he be like the other ones? Then she wouldn’t even have to think twice.