The thirteen year old girl stood in front of Rex, her head down and gaze locked onto the worn out stone floor. No rug covered it since it was right next to the door, unlike the zone with the large table in the middle of said room. She was shivering, both fear and chill of the room doing their damn best to not allow her to still. The rags barely covering her childish form helped little, if at all with the chill, and her experience as a child sold into slavery after a raid on a small village did even less to asuade her fears that were bubbling deep within her persona and coming to up to the surface with renewed vigor.
Rex gaze was now fully focused on the shivering girl. The bruises on her arms and legs, both fresh and remnants of old ones, spoke volumes of the pain the child had gone through for quite the time. Whatever should he do with her, Clearly a slave, the collar around her neck sporting a smiple pain enforcing enchantment the owner of it could activate any moment. The rags she was wearing and the scars her body adorned clearly indicated the purpose her master had purchased her for as well.
Pondering for just a moment he extended his arm towards the neck of the girl. An action that remained unseen by the girl due to her gaze locked on the floor. In a blink of an eye his hand appeared in the girls lowered gaze, and the next instant it had a grasp of collar and her neck in extension. The appearance of the arm startled the girl for but a moment, and expecting the worst to soon come she looked at the owner of the hand. She reasoned that at the very least her last moments should have more than gray stone as a sight as well as hoped for a better life next time around, if she ever gets the chance.
Unbeknownst to her, tears started rolling down her cheeks as a painfull and almost begging smile appeared on her face. As painfull as it had been the last few years, the girl still held a sliver of hope in her heart, that maybee, just maybee, a better life waited for her just around the corner. Understanding the girls desperate desire to live, a better life than now at that, Rex spoke to clear the girls 'slight misunderstanding'.
"The hand is there not to snap your neck, but to block any possible activation of the collar, so you can answer my few questions freely and honestly. And on that matter, I can tell if you plan to lie to me. And I have an unreasonably strong dislike for liars. So. now, answer me this. For what purpsoe were you purchased by that fat pig here, and what has he done with you so far?"
His first words calmed the girl slightly, but she could not just trust him yet. Life had thought her that lesson rather painfully. his next few questions put the girl on the edge again, her eyes darting to her current master, who was now turning green. Form anger, fear, or maybee both, she did not know, but the pain he could inflict upon her through the necklace still fresh in her mind. The master would not hesitate to use it whenever she would make even the smallest mistake, sometimes even just because she happened to fall in his sight as she was performing her duties and not noticed his appearance. Her heart pounded faster and faster, her mind racing and searching for an answer that would satisfy her master and allow her to escape the possible pain. Rex understanding her fear and again spoke.
"Remember girl, this entire city, let alone this single room, is entirely at my mercy. Whatever little pain that collar could have inflicted upon you? It is nothing compared to what I am capable of. Its a cheap junk anyways, so if this gets you to answer me thruthfully, this will be faster." and with that the collar cracked and shattered into peaces, freeing the girl from the fear of the pain and with the arm also being removed from her neck she slumped to her knees and she quickly began to cry even more as she bowed in front of Rex, repeating 'thank you sir' again and again.
Rex sighed at the sight, and once again asked the girl the questions he had asked beforehand. This time the girl answered as soon as she had gathered herself. An action that took a few minutes regardless. And her answers were as he had expected. Bought to satisfy the pigs love for early teen girls and his need torture them as he enjoyed them. Luckaly for the girl, if it can be called that, she had gone through only a few relatively light beatings before the council was called due to Rex appearance.
"Say girl. Would you like to watch as your former master slowly meets his end while experiencing excrutiating pain? Or would you rather skip it and meet your future masters?" He askedonce he was clear what to do with the degenerate merchant. Said pig barely better than the upper echealons of Echlisiarchy, so it was only a matter of fact for the man to join them in their fate.
"Im a merchant of Zharr! You cant do that. They will avenge me!" the pig almost squeeled in panic. Only eliciting a condesendign smirk from Rex.
"And you think anyone in Zharr will lift a single finger against a peak SS class entity to avenge you? Ha ha ha ha ha. Ludicrous."
Rex words shut the merchant up, his skin tone going even more green than before if that was even possible. To put a cherry on top said merchant soiled himself and passed out right then and there. With the distraction currently indisposed Rex returned his focus to the little girl, who was now shivering for entirely different reasons.
"What would my new masters need me to do sir, once I am there? I would rather not dissapoint them upon arrival." the girl stuttered out. Both hopefull and fearfull for what was to come. The man in front of her was a warrior. A general as kids would often play one before her village was raided and surely he would not make the decisions regaring the spoils of their conquest. She had heard that the nobles decided that kind of things, so it was better to risk light punishement here than to earn the ire of said masters the moment she was lead before them.
"So, I take it you are not interested in seeing his torture?" Rex asked as he pointed to the passed out and soiled fat merchant.
"N-no, sir." the girl responed.
"Your choice." Rex accepted her decision and pulled the girl to stand by his side. "Just stand here for the moment, while I deal with the rest of the room." he said as his focus returned to the remaining leadership present in the meeting room. Said people now on the ground and shaking with fear. Rex had used his aura to supress and hold them all in place to not disrupt his talk with the girl.
"Duhhh, Right. Girl, what is your name?" He asked. He reckoned he should know since the girl was about to join his ordinary maid list back in his mansion. He reasoned it was a solid reward for her suffering so far.
"Al." the girl responed.
"Nice to meet you Al. Wrap in this for now." Rex added as he pulled out a rather nice blanket from one of his space storages and gave it to the girl, now trully focusing on the remaining enemies in the room and releasing his aura suppression on them. Multiple gasps resounded as they could now breathe without much effort once again. Every one of them looking at Rex with pure terror in their eyes. No suprise there. They were aware of him as a peak SS class now. While still not actually anywhere near his real power at this point, it was more than enough to destroy any and all of their delusions regarding rescue or survival.
This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.
"What is to be our fate?" Asked one of the officers present. Clearly from the military branch of the group.
"Nobles share the fat merchants fate, and the military personel will either be executed or enslaved, unless I am brought info of said soldiers having similar tastes as the rotten nobles. Those will aso join the fun train."
"So, be a dear and sheppard your fellow men into said two categories and be fast with it. Work well for me and we might just let your family off with less physical merchandise testing than most will have to go through." Rex could sense little to no hostility towards him as a forsaken from said man, so he was more than willing to see what makes him tick. Who knows, there might even be some part of the population he could spare after all? the ring on the mans finger was adorned with the symbol of union that most religions used so it was easy for his to tell said oficer was married, thus giving the man a way forward in this hopeless situation.
And to Rex joy said man went into action with renewed determination and gusto, performing his task with his all. Clearly hoping to aleviate the fate of his loved ones, if not his own. In just a few minutes three groups had been formed. Military, nobles, and a third one that consisted of nobles in military service that the man had no dirt regarding their possible sick hobbies.
"Jirgen, acompany our helper here to his family post haste. He worked fast and efficient. Might as well reward the man with some peace of mind." Rex asked his second in command, who just nodded and along with the helper dissapeared from the room in a mere moments. For the next ten or so minutes Rex ordered his men to chain and move the three groups, while at the same time allowing the rest to go wild, looting, destroying and doing anything else that came to the warriors minds in their victorious mood.
Soon Jirgen appeared in the room again, this time acompanied by not only the man but a plain looking woman in early thirties alongside two girls of about six years and a boy who looked around ten. None looked roughed up so Rex could only asume that Jirgen had reached the place before his own soldiers did. And once again, the entire family were not looking towards Rex with loathing and hatred that should be indoctrinated in their minds by now.
"You made it in time. Good. Now tell me, how come I sense none of the prejudiced hatred the Echlisiarchy's people hold for my kind from your family? Clearly it sould have taken root by now already?"
"We moved here just recently from Slate. We learned there to judge people by their actions, not race or creed." the man answered rather quickly.
"Ahh, a foreigner, figures. Well, thanks for extinguising that annoying little probability. Say, I see you value your family above all else. Am I correct in asuming such?" And seeing the man nod Rex continiued "I cant very well let such an asset go, since it seems you were working as the strategist here. I offer your family a choice. My blood mage friend will brand you as my slaves, effectively claiming your lives as my own. In return you will work as a manager to my brothels and such. Your family will live as you see fit. Helping you out with your tasks chould you want it. And no, they will not work as the merchandise in said brothels. That lineup is already filled with the saints and priesteses of the Echlisiarchy."
"And you would trust someone who had been on your enemies side?" the man asked with doubt.
"As I said, you would be branded. No betrayal could be possible on your side. Nothing else would be altered in your being."
"And my family would be secured a good life should I offer us to your service?"
"You would eat better than most kings at the very least. That and quite relaxed work and living conditions. And me givign you a choice is just me being nice, by the way."
"I dont see much of a choice to be honest. i was on the oposong side of this war, if one can even call it that, and from what you have said, our willingness was never a truly necessary, yet you give us the choice nonetheless, That speask for something." He looked to his wife who quickly noded in agreement, and with that the man agreed to the offer he had recieved. Then understanding his nes boss and masters questioning gaze he quickly cleared his throat and introduced himself and his family.
"The name's Alfred. This is my wife Sophie. our daughters Zoe and Sandra. And that is our son Ralph."
"Hmm." Rex nodded in approval, then spoke. "Now that thats sorted out, let me get back to the plann. Also, Jirgen, make sure I dont make this a habit. Bad for the reputation, you know."
"He, he, he. You got it man." The Svergi boss replied with a smirk.
So with his current distraction solved, he returned his full focus on the task at hand- dealing with the Red light and foreigners districts. Much less bloody, but at the same time more tricky situation, since those people were not meant for the culling and slavery. And while the Red light district women were mostly slaves who had no choice in the way of their lives, the foreigners were a different case. They had chosen to live here among the fanatics for one reason or another and could be blamed for at the very least partial assistance in Echlisiarchies genocidal tendencies. But then again, Rex could easily also blame each and every nation near here with the same reasoning. And as much as he had decided that Echlisiarchy had to go, he was not at all interested in spending years on what would essentially be culling of the continent. He hoped that with Echlisiarchy gone other nations would get the message- It aint nice to be genocidal maniacs since that could cause some serious shit. Not the most intimidating of statements per say, but with an example in front of them it should be enough of a detriment.
Rex then started moving towards his first of the two stops- the Red lights district. His freshly aquired servants following him quietly. As they moved through the now chaotic streets the same sight greeted them along the way- fallen defenders of the city laying dead in the pools of their own blood, Rex army going throught buildings a few men at a time and looting whatever they considered valuable and sorting deciding on the fate of whomever they found within. Cries of anger and rage sounded along the way as some men desperately tried to protect their loved ones and being slain in the process. Sobs and tiers streaming down the faces of women who saw it all with their own eyes, and pleas of mercy for themselves of their children as the raiders looted and sampled their merchandise.
Rex could feels how closely Sophie and her children were huddling, clearly shivering in fear of what could have happened to them if they were not besides their master to be. Alfred was also hugging them as much as he could while still doing their very best to keep up with Rex. They saw some of the raiders nodding theirs heads as Rex passed by, respect and some modicum of fear reflecting in their eyes, once again reminding the family just how important the man is in this group.
"Yours kids would have been mostly fine by the way." Rex spoke as they kept passing by barbaric sights one after another "My men are under strict orders to not sample those under sixteen. Only adults are on their menu. Sophie on the other hand would have been in quite the demand. While she is rather ordinary when it comes to looks, she has all the right curves to encite Svergis lust as well as the aura of a sweet and caring mother. Trust me when I say my men has quite the thing for that. Actually now that I think about it all Svergi men do from what I have seen."
"Thank you sir for your generous offer once again." Alfred spoke well aware what they had escaped "I will serve with the best of my abilities to prove that you made a well worth investment in us."
"And yes, they had to see this." Rex then spoke as if understanding what was on the minds of both parents. "While your kids are still somewhat young, it is better they understand what weakness could do to you should someone much more powerfull or influential chose to try and take what is yours. To protect themselves and their loved ones strenght is required and this should serve as good enough motivation in the long run."
As they kept walking through the pillage that took place Rex asked a question here and there, steering their view towards Echlisiarchy further and further away from charitable. He mentioned how he was attacked in the Blythes dungeon by one of their parties, how an inquisitor with permission from a saintess tracked him and erected a barrier in the middle of the same city to engage in his preffered action for archons- torturing them slowly to death while spewing nonesense about repentance and cleansing through pain and death. He also inquired about their journey thus far and how it led them to this nation of all places, and by the end of it all they were standing before a rather large district gate entrance. They had arrived at the Red light district.