"Come on, we haven't got it all day. I'll feed you something better than the awful food they serve here anyway. I might not be all good, but I don't want you to die." Focalor says with a wide grin on them as they shove me inside some sort of carriage right after my encounter with that strange thing.
"Why do you pretend to care about me?" I ask now, trying to hide in the corner of the carriage, which looked quite fancy, so out of my league, it made me feel dirtier than I was.
"Trust me, you're better off with me than with any of the other slave traders. I already set your little girlfriend free before coming for you, so stop worrying about her and also forget she ever existed." Focalor's words brought peace to my heart, but I was also concerned. Why would she tell me to forget about Alice?
"Why do you want me to forget about her? Alice saved me when I was about to die!" Focalor doesn't act annoyed, but they do sigh at my words like they had heard that phrase many times before like they were too used to answers like mine.
{Horse pulling noises}
Suddenly, the ground starts moving or better said; the carriage starts moving. I had never ridden a carriage before, so it was a shock to learn these things weren't what you would call 'smooth rides.' In any case, Focalor finally spoke to me once we left the main gate.
"Because they will heal better without you. I saw it in her eyes; she despised ever saving you or sticking up for you; give them some time to heal." I can't believe what Focalor says. It must all be a lie. It can't be. Why would Alice hate me? Why didn't Alice just sell me out like everyone else?!
[Slave seal integrity 74%, 73%]
"Did you free her father too?"
"He's dead." Focalor's words leave me speechless; I can't process quite well what they said, but when I do, it sends another wave of fury down my spine. Why did it have to be this way? What did they do to deserve DEATH!?
[Slave seal integrity 72%, 71, 70, 69, 68, 67, 66, 65, 64, 63, 62, 61, 60%]
"That is why I hate working with the church. What an unreliable force that can't follow orders." Focalor's words are cold and overall stupid; how can they complain about the church when it was them who sent them? Wasn't that what they said back there?! Didn't she pay them to come here?!
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
[Slave Seal integrity 59%, 58, 57, 56, 55%]
"Uh? Your eyes, I sense anger coming my way from that look on you. Do you hate me?" Focalor asks with such a tone that it feels like they don't see the thing that makes me mad at them like this wasn't all their fault.
"How can I not hate you! You killed father! I'll kill you! UHHHHHHGG! AHHHHGG!!" [Slave curse activated] I hate this damn thing on me! If it weren't for this thing, I would kill this son of a bitch right here! I can't even say anything to them that feels remotely threatening because I get shocked.
How do I know it wasn't because of my actions? Well, because I didn't even get to leave my seat before the seal activated. I really wanted to slap them in their smug face, at least, so they would feel something other than amusement from watching me suffer.
{Slight laugh}
"You should be thanking me; if it hadn't been me, then another slave master would've done it, and trust me, they wouldn't be as considerate as me." Says Focalor. It should console me, knowing that they were the best option I had on the table.
[Slave seal integrity 55%, 54, 53, 52, 51, 50%]
"But that is beside the point; you belong to me now, so I will do whatever I want with you. Don't force me to strip you from your consciousness." At the sound of Focalor's threat, another feeling invades my body, and sudden heavy pressure sends pure terror down every fiber of my body.
"You can do that?" At my dumb question, Focalor only laughs even more, sending more chills my way. My body automatically trembles at the new feeling, the same one I felt back when I faced that forest monster but much, much worse.
Whatever the Focalor was, it was apparent that they had the power to back up every single one of their claims, and you could feel it only if they wanted you to. It felt like that feeling before a jumpscare in a videogame, like that impending doom awaiting you around the corner.
"You have no idea how easy it would be to beat you and your rage-cursed series; you better behave." What? What did they just say? Do they know about it? That boiling rage growing stronger inside me did they know about that feeling, too!? How?!
Then, all of a sudden, Focalor got closer to me so they could whisper next to my ear like they didn't want anyone else to hear whatever she was about to say next. "Don't listen to that demon either. Their deals are much worse than mine."
My eyes only widened with that little confession of theirs; my fury was suddenly gone as a massive bucket of water dropped on top of it; it felt like my flame of rage was just a little paper fire that got suddenly dunked in an Olympic pool.
I couldn't do anything; I couldn't even speak anymore; there was only fear running through me like I was close to death in a more literal way than ever before. My mouth wide open only served to amuse Focalor as they placed their left hand on my cheek.
"You're going to be a good boy, aren't you?" When Focalors says that, I can't help but feel an insane amount of pressure on my chest like the air itself was forcing me to answer them in the most submissive way possible.
"Yes, mother." As soon as those words leave my mouth, the pressure leaves, and I can once again feel another emotion other than pure and utter terror.