Chapter 34 The Cellar.

Those who put their trust in others,

are the ones who end up with a dagger in their backs.

Yet they’re the ones who spend their lives in happiness.

Tonisha, the Lady of Ventures.

My heart drums in my chest; being caught red-handed is never a good thing. “Yes, she helped me in the past,” I reply, controlling my tone to sound as nonchalant as possible.

“Do you want her as a pet? You'd have to feed her, yes?” The hag’s golden eyes are gleaming with threat.

I can save one person at least… no, she's training me as her assassin, this is a test. A test to see if I care for these people, if I'll follow her orders and execute her targets when she tells me to or not. Whether or not I see them as people or as her propriety… if I'm like her, or like them, wolf or sheep… If I say yes, she'll kill me… or worse, I'll end up in one of these cages myself…

“I can't afford to feed another mouth,” I reply coldly, doing my best not to wince at Medina's whimpers near my feet.

“Really? I hear you already have a pet out in town chicky! Sharla is her name… yeeessss… you feed her, yes?” That was only yesterday! How fast does news travel to this hag?! Does she have eyes and ears all over the city?!

Wouldn’t surprise me, she’s one of the city's rulers…

“I actually don't feed her, she works at the tavern for her food, and she also sleeps there.” Am I not allowed to care for my friend? I look into the hag's glowing eyes for answers to this question. Her eyes are entrancing, and I feel like a wounded bird who's looking into the cat’s eyes, right before it eats her. My heart pounds in my ears and goosebumps form on my skin.

“Weren't you going to free this mortal, chicky? Go on ahead.” The hag gestures at the cage.

I narrow my eyes at her. What is this about? What is she getting at? What kind of twisted test is this?

Whatever it is, opening that cage is the wrong answer… “No.”

The hag's golden eyes gleam with excitement as she bursts into her witch-like cackle, “Kikikikikikiki… I fished a clever one indeed! Worry about your own life first, yes?”

I let out a sigh of relief. It seems like my judgment was on point. “Yes. I value my own life, thank you,” I reply with a chill down my spine. This confirms the thought I've had in my head for quite a while now.

After the hag healed my hand, she wasn't tired. A person like her would never let herself be so vulnerable near a stranger. It was an act, an act meant to test my intentions.

The monstrous amount of mana I feel from her matches this assumption. There’s no way something like healing my hand would tire her out. Even if healing my hand drained a hundred times the mana it takes for the ‘Kinetic Burst’ cantrip, and I doubt it takes that much mana. This old woman could probably cast the ‘Kinetic Burst’ a hundred times without even flinching…

I can think of a few other manipulative tests she gave me. The timing of a single day after I've bought Sharla's contract is odd, and the door leading here was left unlocked. Why not lock it? Why tell me not to enter? Was I supposed to walk in here?

The low number of tests that I can spot means there must have been others I missed. This hag is a terrifying existence, once I make my move I'll have to be sure it'll finish her off in one blow. Assuming I’m getting out of this alive… I refuse to die in this place!

The hag waves her hand, and Medina's cage opens on its own. The overweight middle-aged woman gets up on her feet, and walks into the middle of the dim-lit room with an odd apathetic expression on her face.

“Here, chicky, take this tool.” The hag hands me a cruel-looking sickle. The cold metal reflects in the dim light from the doorway. “I want you to kill her. You can make it swift, or you can make it painful, but I want her dead. Or you have the choice to defy me and our agreement… now, choose. kikikikikikiki...”

“Why do I have to kill her?”

Her golden eye gleams. “Because I said so, yes? We agreed that you kill for me when I say so, now kill for me chicky.”

“Why do you even hold these slaves here?” I ask in order to determine her intentions.

With a puff, pink flames dance in the hag's palm, casting odd shadows across the room. The humanoid figures in the shadows seem monstrous, covered with spikes and fangs. “They're one of the main ingredients for the glitter potions you've been delivering yes? Now take your pick, chicky. Not choosing is also a choice, hesitating is not an option you have right now.”

Torturing her is probably the right choice… the one the hag is looking for. But I can't stomach it… I'll kill her, it's mercy in her condition and will possibly grant me a pass for this test… This crazy hag wants to check where my loyalty lies… It'll be just like back in the tower again… killing to survive, nothing is wrong with that… Or I could be clever and say she should go back to her cage, claiming she's a useful resource that shouldn't be wasted… But the hag isn't stupid, she'll know why I actually did it, I'll have to kill Medina…

I approach Medina. Her apathetic expression is replaced by a horrified one. Her large brown eyes are fixated on the gleaming sickle in my hand, her mouth moves, but no voice comes out.

I circle around her. I don’t want to see her face when I do the deed. I am thankful it isn’t someone like Sharla or Lezere, someone I truly care about. I wouldn't be able to kill someone I truly care about in this manner.

My heart burst out of my chest. I am weirdly aware of my own body, aware of how easily I can die. I pull Medina's head backward and place the cold blade on her neck. I gulp, aware of my own throat. I’m way too fragile… everyone is way too fragile… death is way too easy… I don’t want to die like that…

It's her or me, and it's mercy! I tell myself repeatedly but it sounds hollow in my own head. I am selfish, I want to live, and I don’t even know if this will grant me life or not. But I know I can’t match the hag in battle, she could probably kill me with a flick of her fingers. I have no idea what the pink fire in her hands can do.

I eye the monstrous shadows on the wall, steeling myself. I pull the sickle, slicing Medina's throat. I can feel as a hard stone forms in my own throat. This killing is truly pointless. I wish I didn't have to do it, I wish I ran away when this devil had offered me her deal for my hand…

The energy leaves Medina's legs, she leans back against me in a spasm. Supporting her obese body is too heavy for me, but I do it anyway, I hug the dying woman. The prison cellar is oddly quiet, nothing can be heard aside from Medina's choked gurgles that send continuous chills throughout my body. Then, she collapses to the ground, her limbs sprawled in odd positions.

“kikikikiki… Mercy killing uh? One good heart you have there, chicky…” the hag taps her free hand on my chest, pressing her long yellowish nail lightly on the location of my heart.

Was it the wrong answer too? Was I supposed to torture the poor woman? What is she going to do to me? Looking at the wide wrinkly smile I know I am going to die. I throw the useless sickle in her face as a distraction and push my hand to the hag's chest. “Myrsha ritsa!”

A heartbeat later my face is pressed against the straw-covered floor. There’s a sharp pain in my shoulder, my arm is twisted in an odd angle, held in the hag's talons. “Even a cornered chicken would fight, yes? Do not worry, chicky, I have no intention of killing you. I did not go to all the trouble of healing this perfect hand just to kill its owner, yes?” She taps my sore hand with her long talon-like nail.

“You wouldn't have killed me even if I had defied you?” I ask, still interlocked in her surprisingly strong grip.

“No. I was merely curious what your choice was going to be… you surprised me, chicky! I was sure you'd torture the poor mortal to save your own skin, yes?” Now anger washes over me. I danced on this hag's palm for her amusement, and she made me kill someone purely for her pleasure. In fact, she wanted me to torture a person for that sake.

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Ohhh… I am so going to kill you one day! I swear!

“Kikikikikiki, angry? Hate me? Cool down for three days, yes?” The room spins around me, my vision blurs, and my back hits the metallic bars of the same cage Medina sat in two minutes ago.

A moment later, I realize that my clothes are gone. I am naked just like all of the hag’s other prisoners. No no no! I got out of that life! I'm no longer a slave! I no longer have to stay naked! Why did she take my clothes?! I cover myself with my hands because some of these prisoners are male.

My bare foot touches something squishy. Knowing what it is, I try to ignore the horrible smell this place has. I look at Medina's body in the middle of the room. The only reason she’s dead is my own lack of judgment, and I have only myself and my cowardly nature to blame. I deserve this punishment.

Medina's corpse moves on its own, it floats upside down under the hag's eyes toward the nearest wall. The legs tie themselves up to a hook, and the blood pours from the neck into a large bucket underneath.

The hag goes toward the stairs cackling happily, and the door closes behind her, leaving the hall in utter darkness. The people sigh, whimper, and cry, but none of them talk to me. Soon enough, I realize that covering myself is pointless. No one can see anything in this darkness, and I doubt they cared about my feminine features right now. No, these people's only wish is to live or die painlessly.

Moving the straw with my feet, I push all of the feces out of my cage. I go over every centimeter with my foot, making sure none of it is left inside, and only then do I allow myself to sit down.

After being in the cage for an hour or two I calm down. The hag said I'll be here for three days. I am nothing like these poor people, I'm not stuck here for life, and I am not going back to being a slave... So I'll prepare to live here for three days.

I am not sure about food, but the idea of taking care of my needs in this cage is repulsing, and yet I know I have no choice. I've done it in the past, just don't think about it too much... Thinking about it brings up the need, the blood washes my face with shame as I squat down holding onto the metallic bars. I know no one is looking, no one here cares, and they are all doing it. And yet, it’s humiliating. It brings up memories I don’t want to face.

With a sigh, I stand up and clean my cage with my feet again.

I should’ve never gotten so nosy! I should’ve never let my curiosity get the better of me! I could’ve died! I was careful… I planned it well, how the hell did she get back here so soon?! It doesn’t make sense…

No, it doesn’t. It’s probably some type of magic I don’t know about? Magic that let her travel fast? Like the doors in the tower? And maybe another magic that warns her when someone enters this place? Could be the weird wind that blew in my face when I entered the stairs… Focus. I am going to be here for the next three days… no use blaming myself, no use wallowing in self-pity and regret.

Let's use up this time to advance. Look at the bright side, I have three days to meditate undisturbed, and fantasying about power can distract me from the situation I am in…

And with that, I assume my meditating pose. I adjust my breathing, doing my best to ignore the smells and the humid high temperature in the cellar. I focus on my mana flow and drift to the world of fantasy and dreams. I will be powerful one day. I'll come back here and kill this hag, throw her into one of these cages and slice her throat just like I did Medina's… I’ll go home, I’ll find Ariena and make sure Wulf is safe! I’ll find my mother! I’ll find Kolag and Lezere and be with them again I’ll…

I jerk up in alarm when the door opens, the sudden light makes me flinch. The hag walks back in, cackling. I get up to my feet. Was it three days already? No way. Barely two hours! Did she change her mind?

The hag ignores my presence. She approaches one of the cages, and draws blood from the obese man in there. She repeats the action with each of her prisoners.

When she 'takes care' of the person in the cage next to me, I notice she’s also collecting sweat in addition to blood. She has two separate containers, the blood and sweat float magically into their own containers, filling them up.

My mind makes the horrible comparison between her, and a farmer who milks his cows every morning, she even hums a causal tune to herself while doing it. She truly doesn’t see these people as human beings, they’re cattle to her.

“They're only animals to you…” I mutter. What the hell am I doing provoking her?! Do I want to die that badly?

She said she won't kill me, might as well ask.

Her golden eyes gleam as she looks at me. “Animals? No, mortals? Yeeessss... Even a harmless flower consumes water for nourishment, animals shall consume the flower, and mortals shall rear and consume animals. We magus rear and consume mortals. Becoming a mage is a step up in the food chain, chicky.”

“But you don't actually eat them!” I exclaim, horrified by the idea. It doesn’t seem like she’s going to hurt me, despite being aware of my different opinions.

“kikikikikikiki… What do you think I'm fattening them for? Not only do I eat them, but you also eat them! And you love your food yes?”

Wait… this whole time… all that meat in my meals… came from here?! From people?! The realization, combined with the horrid smell in this place, makes the acid jump up to my throat. My stomach's reaction is to empty itself right on the straw.

I fall to my knees, puking my guts out. I definitely regret not running away that day.

What was I thinking?! That I can kill her once I gain her trust?! How cocky! How naïve! I'll be lucky if this hag will honor her deal and let me go after five years. Once she does, I am going away and never looking back again!

Hearing her loud cackle while I throw up is a torment I won't forget for the rest of my life. It’s a joke to her, a good joke even. What kind of things did she have to do in her life that led her to become such a person? It’s beyond my comprehension.

She finishes "milking" these people for their blood and sweat and takes Medina's bloodless body. She makes the corpse float toward the door. Your next meal?

“These people aren't healthy, why aren't you getting sick from eating them?” I ask her back before she’s gone.

She stops in her tracks. “Are you worried about my health, chicky? Or your own?” Her voice is filled with mockery. “Do not worry, I heal them up before I serve them for our meals, yes?” And with that, she slams the door behind her, leaving me in total darkness.

Breathing heavily, I wipe the vomit off my face and hair as best I can. I make an effort to calm down. I've been eating these meals for the past four months. I even enjoyed them and complimented her cooking. Never again! But I can’t change the past, I have to focus on what I can do.

And with that, I assume my meditation pose again, only now I can’t focus. I can’t calm down, I can’t meditate. I can’t even fantasize about killing that hag anymore. I can only try and break the iron bars with my bare hands. But why would they budge? They're metal, cold, and indifferent. I'll have to become like that if I ever want to survive in this world of magic.

So much for long-bearded wizards with pointy hats or stunning enchantresses with long wavy hair and slender wands in hand. Bard’s tales are for children. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if these stories in my homeland are meant to attract young and naïve teenagers to this cruel world of magic, meant to pull them like a poor bug caught in a honeyed spider web.

I won't be a bug. If the only choice for survival is becoming a spider, then I'll become the spider. And then I'll become a bird that eats spiders. I will survive, I will become stronger, no matter what! I have no choice! Not if I want to go back to my family! Not if I want to find my mother! Not if I want to see Kolag and Lezere again! Not if I want to live a life free of worries!

Assuming my meditation position, I force myself to meditate. Yes, I can’t focus. Yes, my heart beats like a loud drum in my ears. Yes, the acid in my throat feels like someone lit a fire in there. Yes, it's hot and humid in here. Yes, it smells horrible.

Nevertheless, I force myself to at least take the pose and breathe right. It’s the least I can do in order to become stronger. In order to be free of fear. In order to go back to my family and the people I love.

And eventually, I manage to focus on my mana flow again. It ends up as a very long meditation. The world fades away. I find myself in the world of my fantasy as I channel the mana into the pool. Away from the horrible reality, away from facts I don’t want to deal with right now.

I dream about being powerful. About killing this hag. About killing the soldiers who toyed with me after raiding my home. About setting that whole sapphire tower ablaze. And about being an immortal, ever-youthful, powerful, beautiful enchantress just like the stories about Effrat I've read as a child.

*~*~*

Power level: 2nd stage apprentice.

Mana pools status:

Crown-knot: Affinity 10: formed: 1 gem replenished per five minutes.

Neck-Bridge: Affinity 6: formed: max amount of gems drained per day: 66

Abdomen-storage: Affinity 5: formed: 6 gems. Conversion ratio: 6:1

Air: Affinity 4: formed: 18 gems

Fire: Affinity 2: formed: 9 gems

Light: Affinity 3:

Water: Affinity 6: formed: 27 gems

Earth: Affinity 1:

Wood: Affinity 2:

Gravity: Affinity 9: formed: 41 gems

Cantrip known:

Air: Shavi’s Breeze, Shavi’s Sword.

Fire: Nuriss’ Flame.

Water:

Gravity: Lumina’s Kinetic Burst. Tukado’s Repulse. Tukado’s Lesser Shield. Imari’s Minor Telekinesis. Leo’s Pull. Leo’s Grounding. Alino’s Light body. Alino’s Heavy body.

Spells known:

Focus capability: 9 patterns

Social status: A clerk at the Maven of Mysteries.

Wealth: 300 gems. 1876 gold coins, 2 silvers, 42 coppers.

Items:

Two simple healing potions.

Two potions with unknown effects.

An enchanted belt with eight pouches, the enchantment keep the pouches’ content fresh.

Various spell materials.

Companions:

Injuries and scars: Back, lightning scar.