The next day the rain that blessed the desert made itself known to all the groups in the compound. The slavers wore ugly looks on their faces as the rain sexually harassed their fun time of guarding.

Although the guarding confused me on our day of reckoning. In the first place, the guards never guarded properly, and slapped the butts of many a slave, not including those with good agility.

Something is definitely going on outside of the predictions I made.

I walk over to Blondie’s place, who is sitting in the hideout, as he cannot use his magic as efficiently as he should be able to when in the rain. I crouch low next to the haystack, and whisper into the dark hole.

“What’s going on? Why are the slavers behaving oddly?”

My question goes unanswered, and I can only shrug my shoulders as I stand up.

We cannot proceed with the revolt if our main trickster is not available for his sleight of hand. I shake my head, and place my hand on the back of my neck, rubbing a nonexistent ache. I roll my shoulders and begin to walk to the entrance of our slave quarters.

I step outside slightly and poke one of the slaver guards to grab their attention. The slaver jumps and gives me a look that could kill me, if he wasn’t stuck in a proper guard duty.

“What’s going on, sir?”

It is best to be polite to those who hold onto murderous tools. My question is returned with a glare from the slaver once again. I return a look of imploring desire, which is the puppy eyes of doom. Not hard to do, but it is wasted with my looks.

I sigh and begin to turn around.

“The Priestess of the Church is coming, slave. It’s best to show a good image to the highest order in the land.”

In a voice most unbefitting of a slaver, he whispers that to me. My jaw opens slightly and I quicken my stride to the inside of the slave quarters, bringing myself closer to the haystack in the corner.

I reach the haystack with no trouble, and jump inside the haystack, leaving behind the quarters for the hideout.

I land with a thump as my butt hits solid ground. I wince in pain, and I jump off the ground to the seat in the middle of the room. Blondie is looking at me from a seat near my left, and a question floats out from his mouth.

“What’s the plan?”

“…”

My silence is the answer, mostly because I haven’t even thought of the plan. I fold my arms, my fingers tapping against my upper arm. Blondie continues to look at me, his eyes imploring me for an answer.

But what is the answer? I ask this question to myself for a while, long enough for some rain to seep through the holes in the roof above us. The water trickles through, and a single drop of water pats itself on the top of my head.

The idea hit me. Not literally, but I do have a plan. With the Priestess coming, it will guarantee success.

“Blondie, we will be free men in two days time.”

Blondie looks at me rather confusingly, as the plan has not been told as of yet. But the plan in my mind is rather simple, for it is only a snatch and run operation.

The Priestess will become our hostage… err, companion. This is our chance for life outside the compound.

----------

“Attention!”

The loud shout reverberates across the compound. I have my head and eyes facing down, as well as the other slaves.

Despite what some people may believe, the religion ranked strongly in this group of people. Although for them, this will be their gap in security.

I give a sideways glance towards Blondie and Blanco, both on either side of me. They acknowledge my eyes with their own. Good, now it is time to wait.

The slavers stand on either side of the main buildings for the main area. In the center of this area lies a huge gate, with a massive amount of water circling inside of its boundaries. I hear whispers of ‘Stearate’ and ‘MTC’, whatever these are referring to, must be that huge mechanism in the center.

The area is extremely quiet despite the small talk. Yet a hum echoes throughout the compound, showing that the mechanism is full of energy. I wait, as like all the other slaves do, to meet this person of high authority. Then an explosive sound comes from the center of the compound, making my head lift like everyone else’s heads. Lights begin to shoot off inside the water vortex, the ‘Stearate’ beginning to hum with an increased speed.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

A shadow walks out from the lights, accompanied by a mass of shadows following it. The shadow becomes bigger and bigger, until it’s the size of a regular person. The water begins to stretch out with the same pace as the shadow, much like skin stretches. Then it snaps back just as suddenly as it stretched, and a man with an overly huge chest appears with clothing that isn’t normal for a man to wear.

“Woman, it’s the Priestess…”

“Hehe.. a woman.”

“I want to be hit by that.”

Hearing these responses, I look at the Priestess… who is a woman. What’s a woman? I continue to look at the Priestess and I hear a slight sigh escape from my right. I glance at Blondie to see him patting his own chest. Does he want to become a thing called a woman? It looks like those huge muscles would definitely get in the way…

The woman stops herself from walking off from the portal, and is instead shouting out to the slavers.

“You vermin! Help me block this MTC! God’s enemies are behind me, walking into this very area!"

With a loud voice, all the slavers stop their muttering. I continue to stay put, until one of the slavers grabs us by the chains and drags us over, into the front of the MTC.

Yet I do not move away from that very spot. The distance is only a few feet, but I cannot escape at all. I feel fear once again in my life, and I cannot move. It irks me, for fear has been my friend for many years.

Moving bodies are the only things I hear, except for the ring of drawn steel. The shadows dance in front of my eyes, my fear beginning to crawl through my body. I glance at Blondie, even though the fear overrides that urge. I see him panting in fear too, Blanco’s hoarse breathing beginning to catch in my ear too.

I see… I am not the only one to have fear. Everyone next to me is experiencing this. This calms me down a little, to know that the chain gang is always going to be like this. Then the plan for escaping crosses to the front of my mind.

I know what I have to do, in order for the three of us to survive.

Although my previous escape plan has turned out to be busted by a very muscular woman, who probably wouldn't leave without a fight, much less being a hostage. Another idea seems to worm through my head, and much like fire it catches on.

Yes... It could work. But the shadows coming from beyond will be most troublesome.

We will escape through this gate, to wherever it will take us. I will destroy it just like the Priestess asked, and escape while it is imploding. This, is my final freedom plan.

Yet how are we supposed to destroy a mechanical contraption that wasn't even here yesterday?

Wait, it wasn't here yesterday? I look around and fine a huge pit recently dug by the chain gang...

This could work.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Author here! Decided to change the plot a little, and added a new element to it. And if you see MTC, think of it as a Mass Transportation Contraption. I was originally going to put world traveling Stargate, but I wanted my idea to be it.

Give a comment on what could be improved in this chapter!

PREVIOUS CHAPTERBack to Main PageNEXT CHAPTER