"Congratulations on your victory, superiors." Ron bowed to the tired wolf hags, opening the med kit at the tired gesture of Annie. She crashed on the bed, while Virginia fell on the floor. Annie allowed Ron to treat the wound across her head before standing up and forcibly making the other wolf hag lie on the bed. Snapping at Ron, Annie treated the wounds of her partner, allowing Virginia to treat her own hand in return. She was too tired to be annoyed at the fact that Virginia was the one who won this match today. At this point, Annie wanted to curl into a ball and die. Or to sleep for a year or two. Preferably both, actually.
The door into the holding slid to the side, allowing Roll and a group of mercenaries to step inside. Annie growled upon seeing the rifles aimed at the wolfkins, while Ron tried to hide behind Annie. Soft steps came from the backs of the mercenaries, ears of Annie picked up the rustle of silk. Stepping from behind the men, a beautiful woman came into a room. She was wearing a crimson dress made of glittering silk, one side of her dress reached all the way to the floor, texture made in the form of a blue flower ran over this side, while the other left her thick leg open. A golden necklace decorated her mighty neck, her arms looked like they could easily bend steel, a golden tiara in the form of wings was on her narrow head, holding short black hair in place. The black eyes looked at Annie and Virginia before turning to Ron.
"Male. You are coming with me." The woman commanded.
"What? Why?" Ron asked in a frightened tone.
"Hekanta bought you from Ultis at a price of a palace. You should feel honoured." Roll smiled, pointing his weapon at Annie.
The wolf hag jumped to her feet, feeling how a surge of electricity arrested her movements. She fell on her knees, pretending to feel intense pain and being choked. She and Virginia crawled forward, in a fake attempt to reach the woman, while Roll was holding a finger on a terminal, sending a surge of minor pain across their bodies.
Ron squeaked when Hekanta walked past the wolf hags. He raised his paw and Hekanta grasped it, causing Ron to scream in pain when she tightened her grip. Lifting him in the air, the tall woman smiled, looking down on the wolf hags.
"He belongs to me now, whores." Hekanta said, confirming their suspicions.
Annie kept her role for a while, howling and screaming for a long time, even after the group had left the room. Faking her tears, Annie looked around the room, wondering where the cameras were.
****
It took them a full day and three more matches before Ultis commanded Annie and Virginia to follow after a woman in power armor. A long black cape was flowing from her shoulders, marking her as a member of the Hekanta group. Ultis said that Hekanta paid for a full night of "pleasure" with Annie and Virginia. Something about the way this woman walked looked similar to Annie, but the wolf hag just could not put her finger on this. The woman’s visor was pitched black, when Annie tried to knock her out, the woman used the terminal to make both wolf hags feel a surge of electricity. Annie allowed urine to run down her legs, pretending to be shaken. She grasped one eye with a paw, following the woman like a beaten dog.
The woman left them to head toward the private quarters of Hekanta and knocked at the door.
"Send them in." Hekanta's smug voice said, and the woman bowed, opening doors for the wolf hags. She tried to walk after them, when Hekanta said, "No, just them."
"But…"
"Do you think I can’t deal with two more doggies myself?" Hekanta asked with a hint of danger in her voice, causing the woman in a black cape to fall on one knee and step away from the room.
The wolf hags stepped into a narrow corridor that led into a wide room. Wood was burning in the fireplace, carpets covered the floor, and a cabinet with drinks was wide open. A golden statue of Hekanta was standing near the fireplace.
"Come in." Ron said from a room to the left.
Annie followed the voice and came inside what was supposed to be a bedroom. A massive black bed stood against the wall, covered with blue sheets and pillows. Hekanta was sitting in front of the bed, strapped to a chair with ropes, looking frightened. She was still wearing the same dress as before, but now Annie could also see pants on her legs. Ron stood behind Hekanta, holding a bottle of wine in one hand and pressing a claw to her neck with the other. His slave collar lay at the side of the room like a piece of trash.
"Annie! Rabbit! It’s been too long!" Ron smiled, taking a sip from the bottle.
Virginia’s face twitched, but she kept herself calm. She nodded at Hekanta: "Is it wise to keep her like this? She should be able to break through the ropes easily. Just break her neck and be done with it."
Hekanta went pale, and Ron gave her a pat on the shoulder, removing his claw: "Now, now wildling. We don’t kill prisoners. Miss Hekanta was incredibly helpful to me in order to shorten her prison sentence. With all the help that she provided me by granting me her access codes and permission to use the room," He pointed at the wall and Annie saw a terminal connected to an in-built terminal within the wall, "I do believe that her sentence will be some ten to twelve years in Torment. In the rehabilitation wing, of course."
"Listen, I can get you all out here," Hekanta licked her lips nervously, "If you just let me go, I…" She fell silent when Ron put a gag in her mouth, tying it behind her neck.
As for her physical strength, a minor concoction of a muscle relaxant and a light sedative keeps her almost immobile, giving her insufficient strength to break through these simple bindings," Ron continued as if nothing had happened, "Of course, she could break free of the ropes with her power, but miss Hekanta is not foolish and wants to live. Preferably well, but any way will do. That and I never harm my prisoners, neither mentally nor physically, my pride as an Omega Team member demands that I show excellence in all things, morality included. "
"Where did you find the medicaments to make such a concoction?" Annie asked.
"Why, Blaze brought me my kit." He pointed to the suitcase lying next to the bed.
"Blaze? Auntie is here?" Virginia looked around the room, sniffing loudly.
"For shame Wildling," Ron waved his finger in the air, putting the bottle at the table, "You think Blaze would abandon little precious you and your friend on such a scary and tough mission all alone? The living beauty came here along with all of us, wearing the gear of one of the hunters. The lady who wore the suit before Blaze borrowed it now enjoys the hospitality of the other members of the Omega Team, while Blaze's roommate enjoys the hospitality of our gorgeous beauty," The omegas smiled, "We prefer to work alone, true, but when we have to work alongside with others, we always ensure that our allies are safe at all times."
"Um, Ron," Annie scratched her chin, unsure how to express herself more clearly, "I apologize for the beatings and bite..."
He hugged her, fully stopping Annie in place. His arms felt like twin rails made of tungsten. Never before had Annie ever thought that a male of the Wolf Tribe could be this strong. And yet his hug was gentle, one that meant to get her to relax: "Annie. Never apologize for a job well done," He let go of her, putting paws on her shoulders, "I understand that it was hard and painful. But our lives are on the line here, and you were wonderful," He looked at Virginia and smiled to her, reaching for her and grabbing them both into a hug, "Both of you were awesome and wonderful! I could not have asked for better actors! Play on for a little while longer, please. Darkness is the strongest before dawn, but dawn cometh and when it will be here, boogeymen here will be the ones to feel fear."
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
"I have no idea how you can be so… calm." Annie admitted, breathing slowly and enjoying the ability to speak her thoughts for once. And the most important member of their team had to endure such stress for at least a month! Ron, meanwhile, was in full control, assured and calm, "You went through being a sex slave, have been beaten, had to fake weakness… And now you are… well this."
"Mostly results of the mental training that all members of the Omega Team go through. Experience as well, in time both of you will be just as calm as I am in all situations," He flashed his smile and gestured Annie to come closer, leading her behind Hekanta’s back, "That and some manual relaxation as well. Here, put your paws on her temples."
Ron took Annie’s paws into his, leading her where to place her fingers on the temples of the frightened Hekanta. Annie could feel nerves pulsing beneath the skin.
"Can you feel them? Good. Miss Hekanta is anxious, let us loosen her nerves to help cool her head a bit," He moved Annie's fingers, and she felt how the pulsating nerves beneath her fingers were slowly becoming calmer after her massage, "You see? Even against will, if you press in right places, you can get a result. This is, of course, but a parlor trick when compared to martial arts, yet being able to cool off yourself can be a boon in a stressful situation."
"Part of a muscle control training course," Virginia looked at this procedure with minor interest, "Auntie showed me how to gain better control over the muscles before. She said it was a trademark of all omegas."
"Good, Wild Rabbit, very good," Ron patted Virginia on the shoulder as he walked past her to the terminal, "If you learned our lessons so well, please massage our host's limbs. Even new breeds will feel the consequences after being tied up and immobilized for a whole day or two. I will feed her again later myself."
The Omega lowered himself on one knee, tinkering with the terminal, while Virginia followed his request, massaging the shoulders of Hekanta, whose skin went crimson from embarrassment. Annie sat cross-legged on the floor, looking with curiosity at Ron’s work. He pressed a button on the terminal, and a holographic image of the base came to life, floating in the air and spinning.
"We are approximately two kilometers below the surface. Right at Pearl’s border with the Ravaged Lands," Ron began to show the images to Annie, "Prior to the Extinction this place was actually served as a test facility for trying out new types of crops in various climates. It pains me to see such a noble goal twisted for such petty purposes as a blood sport for the rich and the wicked. As you can see," His finger pointed at the set of tunnels running from the main facility, "This place has several entrances. The defenses on the surface are tough enough to shred even a sand reaper."
"Shit," Annie said, looking at the images. Laser turrets, missiles, armor piercing automatic weaponry, mines, this place had it all, "This will make it harder for our allies…"
"Oh please, dearest Annie, for whom do you take us?" Ron smiled to her encouragingly, "Precious Alpha had already requested the assistance of shining Ofelia even prior to coming here. These defenses? When one knows the blind zones, and one knows now, they are but a trifle. That and I will be helping them as well."
"We can attack then?" Annie eagerly asked.
"That we certainly can," Ron nodded, showing several black zones on the map and causing the image of a slave collar to appear, "But we shan’t. For you see, when the attack begins, the owner of this disgusting establishment will either kill all the slaves or drive the poor souls into a killing frenzy. We must deny her even this minor victory. You see these black zones? The one belongs to a blonde woman known only as Doctor. No doubt you've seen her before. She serves someone known as mister A. whoever it might be, his name was carefully scrubbed from the records. Not to preserve some secrecy, Doctor simply is extremely petty by all available accounts. In this zone A, her bio lab is located, where she grows new fighters for the arena. She claims Palatine as her son, yet undoubtedly you have seen that there are barely any resemblances between the two. I assume that he, too, is a created being. This zone must be accessed from within if we want to preserve the lives of the prisoners inside. Blaze will handle it. You, on the other hand, will have to find a way to sneak into Zone B," His finger moved to the second black square from the base. He showed a small mechanic cube to Annie. It was even smaller than a flea. Ron took Annie’s left paw in his paws and pressed the cube to her wrist. She felt as if countless tiny creatures burrowed under her skin, moved across her muscles, and hid themselves in a space between her bones, "Fear not, this is but a gift from the Omega Team. Hilda appears to be tired of your recent victories and has requested that the doctor prepare something special to take you down and calm the agitated crowd. You will be able to rile up this something by smashing a drug collar across its neck, honeyed Blaze assured me that this will push the creature into a state of frenzy. My precious had arranged that the collar will be… faulty."
"And what next? We will have an easier time killing the beast?" Virginia asked, working on the legs of the prisoner.
"No, you won’t have to kill it all, hopefully. Draw its attention to smash the arena’s ground right here," Ron summoned the map of the arena, pointing with his finger, "Then jump down and use this access tunnel that will be mysteriously left open for you to access the forbidden zone. We have precious little information about the place, but based on the records I was able to find, a hundred people die there each day."
"From what? Another arena?" Annie asked.
"No, it does not seem so. I think that they harvest organs there, it seems to make the most sense. This place is owned by this dog-faced Hecktricktsen. Once inside, find a terminal, any terminal, and unleash our little helpers. They will allow me to get access."
"And then what? Kill Hecktricktsen?" Annie demanded to know.
Ron’s face became serious, and he put his paws together: "No. under no conditions are you to engage him. I found records and videos about Hilda’s fighting, about Palatine’s fighting style, yet none about the presence of Hecktricktsen in the arena. Yet people around here are utterly terrified of him, and I can tell from a glance that he is tough. No, you two are to surrender. Our last and most important member will then try to rile up Hilda, drawing her to set foot in the arena herself to kill you," He gave two tiny orbs to Virginia and Annie, "Hid them inside your ears. If Hilda steps on, we will be able to save the slaves in the infirmary, the last of the areas that I still don’t have access to. If she sends forth Palatine, too bad then, I will pray for the lost souls myself, use these communicators to call the attack. Do not fight him, sweet Blaze, or myself…" Ron spread the fur on his side, showing the metal plate that somehow merged with his very flesh. Annie could have sworn that he had not had it before. Besides, guards would cut him open to find out what it was. Probably Blaze brought whatever it was to him, "…Will take him down when the time will come. He is too much of a murder machine for either of you for now."
"You want us to abandon civilians to die?" Virginia growled angrily, and Annie nodded in agreement. Their lives for the lives of others. This was a duty, the duty that Ravager set for all willing members of the Wolf Tribe.
"I want you to live. Both of you," Ron responded bluntly, "By living on, you will save ten times the amount that will be lost in the infirmary in case the worst happen. By dying, you will deprive your comrades of both the shield and the sword. Can you pass on to the next life calmly, knowing this?"
Annie fell silent. There was some truth in his words. And yet, what kind of a monster she can be, if she runs and hides at the sight of danger? When lives were on the line, Ravager always pushed ahead, not caring how much she would be hurt. She shook her head. No point in worrying over something that might not even happen.
"Hey, Annie," Virginia said later, sitting beside Annie in front of the fireplace, drying her fur after a bath. Both of them helped themselves with everything they could find in Hekanta's room, preparing for the moment ahead, "You ain't half bad."
"You too, Virginia," Annie admitted, enjoying the heat of the flames. She understood that she was missing the times when she could have spoken freely, without being worried that these bastards from the arena would hear her, "I admit, I got scared a few times."
"Aren't we all?" Virginia asked, looking at the flames., "Mind if I ask what your end goal is? You know, in life."
"End goal…" Annie looked at the ceiling, "I would like to become like Ravager. With such power in my paws, I would have saved so many more people."
"Sounds weird, but interesting. Best of luck with this dream, Annie."
"And what about you? What does Virginia want from life?"
"What I want is something I won't get no matter how tough or strong I get," Virginia said as she clutched her knees, "But my current goal is to live my life as a hero. Bright and short."
"Don’t make it too short," Annie asked, "You still owe me for my defeats. I will see you biting up the dust."
Virginia chuckled and raised her paw for a fist bump. Annie accepted this gesture, and Virginia smiled: "Don’t worry. I don’t intend to go down easily. You will get plenty of tries."
Annie and Virginia spend the rest of the evening eating and recovering after the harsh days. They even got several hours of sleep. By the time they had to leave the room, each wolf hag felt her strength if not fully restored, but at least rekindled. Thanks to the clear plan of action, they felt a burning feeling in their chests, one that was more precious than any narcotic or drug for them, the feeling of hope.