POV Eva
It has been a week since I escaped from the slavers. Originally I planned on getting as far away from them and this shit pile of a city as I can. But I can't just leave the others behind.
[Ah! But I barely managed to escape last time. If it wasn't from the pain of being branded, which triggered my powers I would have been enslaved by magic and forced to do who knows that. But I can't just leave them with these horrible people. But so far I have only learned to hide and teleport in shadows while being able to make basic-bitch illusions. I could steal a key. But then what? Lead 100 people out of an underground maze filled with guards? That's not going to go well.]
While I was having my internal crisis I watched the waiting room, which is just a large round room with a stone wall that was only about 100 m away from the exit of the underground tunnels. Being underground the room is lit with torches that cast eerie dancing, shadows, one of which I am hiding in. The room was filled with rich merchants and snobbish nobles and any other sick fuck wanting to buy a slave.
Before I can begin my rant on the bastards I hear a young male's laughter coming from the tunnel that leads to the surface. [Great another rich young cunt] Looking at the entrance I see the young male. He had a handsome face with well-defined muscles that are covered by pale white skin. His paperwhite skin was covered in faint scars that seemed to dance across his skin as he moved. Long thin centipede-like appendages come out from his back.
Wearing a black shirt and tanned brown pants, he walked into the room, his bewitching red eyes taking in everything around him. Sitting on his head was a pitch black bird with purple eyes and tail feathers. [Its the fucking snowman from the bathhouse! And to think I kind of liked that little shit.]
With a mischievous glint in his eye, he addressed the people in the room. “So you guys and gals came to get slaves as well? How delightful, I hope we can all be the best of friends. I have never owned a slave before, but it should be fun. How about you guys?”
“Shut up kid I don't care about your rambling.” Says an elegant looking lady in a tightly hugging dress.
“A thousand apologies, to the great whore.” He replies while laughing.
“Do you know who I am…”
“Well I just called you a whore so, clearly I do.”
“You…”
Before she could reply a mirror image of the boy appeared standing behind her to drive a knife into her back. Before anyone could react the boy laughs again before jumping at the closest person and removes their head. What happened next was a slaughter as blood flowed like a river as the boy danced around the room at such a speed, I could only see after images.
When everyone was dead the boy stopped as he gave a sad smile. The bird hopped off of this head before it starts to eat the fresh corpse's hearts. I would have gagged if I had a physical body at the moment.
Suddenly his head whips around and looks straight at me! His eyes that once looked bewitching and beautiful, now look predatory as they stare at me. He winks at me.[How does he know?!]
“So you going to come out? Or are you going to run away like last time?”
[How does he know it's me?!]
“I am here to drink milk and kill the slavers, and I am all out of milk. Oh and free the slaves and possibly find the closest thing I have had to a friend. Your help would be appreciated and I could remove that brand for you while we are at it.”
[He could be lying, but what could he have to gain? There would be no point in him killing those people if he was. He looks strong. With his help made I can save everyone.]
Ever so slowly I ‘step’ out of the shadow and look at him. He smiles.
“You're not naked….”
“The fuck would I be naked for?” I feel my face turn slightly red.
“...Well, that means you can take things into the shadow with you correct?”
“Huh, I hadn't thought of that.”
“Can you take people?”
“I have never tried. But we could give it a go now, it would be useful to know.”
“Alright.” He holds out his hand which I stare at.
“Physical contact will presumably make it easier.”
Takeing his hand I try to ‘step’ into the shadow once again. The shadow ripples slightly but nothing happens. I turn my head to look at him but he only laughs slightly.
“Well that's a shame, could you try to hide the bodies in the shadows.” I give a nod and hesitantly grab a body and try to move it into the shadow but again nothing happens. Slightly embarrassed I turn around again only to find all the bodies in the room gone along with the pools of blood.
“Wha…” I being to ask
“So correct me if I am wrong but your ability is to turn in to darkness and move through it freely?”
“As far as I know, I have only been doing this for a week. So far, I can hide in shadows, but I am still able to see and hear, I can move between shadows and make small-scale illusions.”
“Like the perfect assassin, but considering the people were alive when I got here you are not so big on killing? But that is also me assuming that you are here to help the slaves.”
“Of course, I am here to help them! They are my friends and family!” I answer in indignation. “But no I have never killed anyone,” I say the second part in a quieter voice.
Nodding his eyes unfocus before he hands me an intricately carved stone knife with an ivory handle. “I will do most of the fighting but you will need to protect your friends and family as you lead them to the surface, understand? Oh, and you can keep the knife I have no need for it. As for the money we find here, it can be given to all the slaves so they can start anew.”
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
“I couldn't possibly…”
“Shut the fuck up with that bullshit. We both know you will take the knife so stop it with the social pretenses.”
“Um...ok, thank you.”
He smiles in response
“ Now let's go eat some ass.” Laughing he starts to walk deeper into the tunnel system.
“Don't you mean ‘kickass’?
“Nope let's go! I am fucking starving and I am getting bored.”
We spend the next few minutes walking down the tunnels before stopping at a seemingly random wall before he placed his hand on a stone brick and pushed it, revealing a hidden door.
“How did you know that was there,” I ask suspiciously.
“People kept in unhygienic conditions smell terrible”
Before I could question him a second time I hear one of the voices I dreaded the most.
“As you can see master, the gladiator slaves are well trained at providing entertainment in multiple situations...Toby, why is the door open?”
[That was master Tom! And master Toby?! Who would those two monsters call master?!] Fear starts to take over as I remember all the physical, mental and emotional torture they put me through. I start to sweat and tremble uncontrollably, and then his hand touches my shoulder and I feel it melt away. I look at him and he gives a manic smile in return. [Your smile is ruining the moment! Wait why do I care?]
“Go save your family, I will have fun with these bastards.”
Trying to match his smile I nod. “Thank you, make sure to eat lots of ass for me.” I then run off into the tunnels as I hear him shout at the masters “hey didn't I see you fucking that horse?”
Forcing him out of my mind I focus on saving all my friends and family.
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POV MC
After calming whats her face I walk over to the sound of people talking, who are now preparing for combat.
“Hey didn't I see you fucking that horse?”
They all look at me before outstretching their hands simultaneously. Everything went black and I felt immense pain as my mind was torn into three.
One showed all the physical, mental and emotional pain I have experienced in my life in an endless loop. Being torn apart and crushed by a gaint mouth for countless years. The feeling of betrayal as Paul violated my body and mind. The sense of disgust with myself as I used and betrayed people and animals where my subconscious trapped me in a land of pain. Ripping the nerves out of my arm like they were bungee cords. The failed possession that tore at my soul. The tragedy of mine and Pauls past memories. The feeling of self-loathing and hate as I eat children. Losing control of my body as I was electrocuted. Being stabbed, bitten, poisoned, impaled and exploded throughout my many battles. And last but not least the crushing sense of loneliness and helplessness. All of this is on a repeated loop where one ⅓ of my torn mind is forced to relive again and again.
Another ⅓ of my mind is forced to stand on a giant glass platform facing one of the three individuals. He smirks as each individual part of my body starts to twist in a clockwise direction starting with my individual fingers. Once my body is broken into multiple pieces my skin is peeled off and my bones and rearranged in a random order why my nerves are stretched out as children appear and start to make clothes out of my peeled off skin. A colony of ants appears in my stomach as they carve out my innards for their nets. Each bone is then broken in a zigzag motion before their jagged ends fly out and stab my eyes. Each bone would push down the ones before forcing them deeper into my disfigured body. The children then start to laugh and play with my stretched out nerves. Despite my torment, I still glimpse a shadow hiding behind barred doors which seem to be slowly opening.
The last ⅓ of my mind was made to live my greatest fear. A boring and mundane life in the world me and Paul used to live (basically came for Earth). My life was ultimately meaningless as I lived to work without any excitement. The pain and torment tear apart my mind and soul as I am plunged into an endless loop of horror and fear before an eerie calm overcomes me.
Due to the first and last pieces of my mind showing odd situations , the two tormentors were starting to become confused and scared as they saw my mind. “What the fuck are you?” they ask in sync as they appear in their own parts now within my mind. I give them no reply as I distort my face into unnatural angles and proportions. I grin. [HA hE Ha ha he he he he ha HA ha hE HA he HA hE Ha ha he ha he he ha HA ha hE HA he HA hE Ha ha he he he he ha HA ha hE HA he HA hE Ha ha he ha he he ha HA ha hE HA he.] I feel the sludge in my body surge.
“HA hE Ha ha he he he he ha HA ha hE HA he HA hE Ha ha he ha he he ha HA ha hE HA he HA hE Ha ha he he he he ha HA ha hE HA he HA hE Ha ha he ha he he ha HA ha hE HA he.”
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POV Eva
I run until I find the holding cells for the slaves and I start to release them. I have avoided any guards I have seen but now with so many people, I don't think that will be possible. Unlocking the last door I try to block out the screams of torment coming from the direction of the boy and the masters. [I didn't want to leave him, but I have to get my family and friends out first.] I look at the knife he gave me. [But isn't he one of your friends?] As I am about to steal my resolve and run towards what is most likliy my death, I stop in fear. I hear hysterical and broken laughter followed by hundreds of roars, screams, and cries which make the earlier screams sound like a baby's laughter. I along with all the other slaves feel dread as an intense wave of fear overcomes us all.
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POV Slave Master Toby
It was all going so well for us, in the sense that is was NOT going well for that kid who just walked in through the front entrance like he owned the fucking place. This really did not make us look good in front of the main branch representative who was one of the top 50 strongest people in the slavers guild.
Planning to solve the problem quickly we all introduced his mind to three different types of metal torture simultaneously. Most break with just one and even the strongest of wills beak when their mind is torn in half while under the horrors we introduce. [So why was this kid laughing while his mind was torn apart into three pieces each showing a unique pain and suffering?!]
“HA hE Ha ha he he he he ha HA ha He hA he He hE Ha ha ha ha he he ha HA ha HE HA he HA hE Ha ha he he he he ha Ha ha hE HA he HA hE Ha ha he ha he he ha HA ha hE HA he.”
After seeing the disturbing memories I decided to leave the mind space to look at the effects of his body. The others can't see each other's mind space so they didn't see his memories as I have and after I ask 'what it was' I left in a panic.
I look at the body while I inadvertently continue the memory loop. His body was on the floor twitching as he laughed, blood seeped from his pores, eyes, and ears as his body attempts to shut down. [But his body isn't normal. I saw a mere glimpse of his past but I know its not normal.] I take a step back.
Suddenly the twitching stops as its eyes lock onto mine as his smile grows unnaturally large until it outlines his whole face before it crunches down and eats its own facial features. At this point, his body starts to bubble and wiggle under his skin.
His left rib cage grew exponentially and I saw the faces of women, children, men, and many animals push the thin membrane from the inside, trying to escape. Their outlined face told a tale of pain and horror as their faces formed grotesque images pressed against the inside of his skin. Many of the faces managed to break free of the skin but they did not seem to have bodies as their necks lead back inside of the boy's body. The heads began to scream, cry for help, roar in pain and laugh.
The right rib cage exploded into a mass of raving tentacles as his head grew five times the size as the regrown eyes roll around in their sockets uncontrollably. Multiple mouths appear on the head, each making a different sound that told of despair or insanity. The tentacles now had a bright lilac flame that causes anything it touches to sand.
At this point, both Tom and the representative both come out of their mindscapes and are now starting at the grotesque mass of screaming flesh. Both try to speak, presumingly to ask questions, but nothing can be heard over the noise of insanity and pain.
Ten of the baby head’s necks grow longer like snakes as little hands form on their temples pulling them along the ground. They scuttle along the ground towards the now fleeing Tom. Sadly Tom is not a physical man and he can't outrun the deformed creations. The hands grab him as they fuse into his flesh and their little mouths being to eat him alive as he is pulled back towards the grotesque creature. By the time he is pulled all the way back he is nothing but a head, that is now attached to the creature as it begins laughing with the pig next to it.
Both the representative and I decided that running is probably a good idea at the moment. But before we could get more than 10m away, tentacles whip us and I immediately lose control of my legs and am forced to watch as more baby heads approach me.
As I watch in fear I see the representative held up in the air by the tentacles, as his skin is flayed and his body parts are grown and shrunken rapidly before he explodes. The tentacles proceed to eat the exploded corpse.
The heads reach me as they begin to gorge on my flesh. But after each bite, my flesh would regrow putting me in a loop of pain and fear. After what feels like an age all the noise suddenly stops along of the baby heads gorging on my body.
The heads and tentacles peel away from their center mass revealing the pale-skinned boy hitting the back of his head. He gives me a bashful smile before he starts to talk. “Sorry about that, but I am sure you know how it is with the screams and voices inside of your head, one slip up and they have a little tantrum.”
Before he can continue a mass of guards coming running towards us screaming in a blind rage “Ah took them long enough. I called them ages ago.” with a snap of his fingers the tentacles and heads slaughter them all in seconds.
“Now as you probably know, I am going to kill you. But it is up to you on how painful I make it...”
Before I could speak a layer of skin grows over my mouth denying me the ability to talk.
“First of all, I want all your money…
I nod.
… second of all, I want you to give me a map with all the major slaver operations locations…
I nod.
...Third I want you to release all slave binding magic on everyone you can…
I nod.
… and lastly, have you seen this person? A familiar body and face grow from the mass of flesh.
I nod.
"Excellent, shall we get started?"
Tears roll down my face. I nod.