The counsel sat as the latest report from Fortunia was concluded. The mist had started moving again. This time it wasn't no slow crawl. It was surging. They’ve been expecting this for some time. Mage General Darkfall had regularly included his concerns in his reports. The human was overly a pathetic worrier as far as Ulvandia was concerned. Frankly she didn’t care about the mist. She just wanted to get back to her toys. Oh, the fun she’d been having! Back home she could never get so many wonderful play things at the same time. So she do her duty here as long as she could stay.

“Currently we have mages from Deepmere, Dageth and the elves all in position to repel the mists. We have begun burning the roots but that will only slow the spread. We need the kin to enter the mists,” Lord Arthos said.

“How many are battle ready?” Grand Magus Arwin asked.

“We currently have 4000 who have undergone basic training. The slave runes are very efficient at creating proper motivation,” Lord Arthos said.

Ulvandia chuckled. That was very true. She gotten her toys to do such wondrous things to themselves to avoid the pain from disobedience. The one who gelded himself was particularly fun.

“I would imagine half should be a sufficient force to find the mist generator,” Lord Tarwin said. “Then we can begin training another batch from our current slave resources. We can gather supplies and have the kin march in two weeks.”

Agreement came from all sides as the meeting came to a close. Ulvandia rushed out as soon as she could. She couldn’t leave her toys waiting. Trenton followed behind her a frown on his face.

Trenton opened the manse door for his mistress. Ulvandia mostly used him for such meaningless tasks. It had become routine. Such as taking meeting notes so she didn’t have too. Trenton stared at his single hand. A cripple. He’d been reduced to a mere cripple. His future was gone. Elves did not look kindly on anyone who drifted from their ideal form. Indeed Ulvandia had gleefully punished him when he failed any task no matter how trivial.

Ulvandia tromped passed him up to her ‘play room’ no doubt the call would come soon. He’d better prepare. This was the most distasteful of his new tasks. Less than 10 minutes later his predictions came true. A terrified kin in a maid uniform came down with a message for him to come to her quarters. Trenton repressed a snarl. She only did this to torment him further. The fucking bitch.

Walking up the stairs he knocked briefly at her door before entering. The chamber reeked of blood and other bodily fluids. Torture devices occupied most of the space in the rather large room. Only a centralized bed was free of the blood stains. That was only due to constantly changing the sheets. The bed was orgy size bed with silken canopy covering it. In the center laid a very nude Ulvandia her blonde hair fanning out around her.

“Ah Trenton, thank you so much for coming,” Ulvandia purred. Trenton ground his teeth and remained silent.

“Please fetch me some of my toys. Perhaps the female badger-kin I bought last week will work hmmm,” she put her finger to her lips as if deciding. “Oh! I think the kitty should join me too,” She gave him a wicked smile.

“Of course my lady,” Trenton said his stomach acid seemed to drop into his bowels at that.

“Hurry up,” Ulvandia cooed.

Trenton turned and did a fast walk to the servant quarters. It would be worse for all if he delayed. There were about twenty kin here at any time here. All reserved for Ulvandia sick games. They all froze as he entered many breaking down crying in relief as he passed them by.

“You,” Trenton said to the badger-kin. He didn’t know her name. Didn’t want to. He’d made that mistake already. Next he went to the ‘kitty’. She was a very pretty white tiger-kin with red stripes. She’d been in Ulvandia care longer than any other. She was the one toy that Ulvandia didn’t want to break yet.

“Asami,” Trenton said weakly. Asami trembled slightly before standing up. She followed him wordlessly as the pair of kin walked to their fate.

“I can handle it,” Asami whispered to him as they walked. Trenton grimaced but nodded.

Once outside the door, Trenton placed his hand on Asami before she could protest. A surge of mana shocked into her system as he opened the door. Immediately Asami began retching uncontrollable.

“Oh dear!” Ulvandia said in a sweet tone. “It appears that my kitty is too unwell for my playtime... again. You can leave my dear. Trenton…” She beckoned him over with a slender finger beckoning. “You’ve appeared to have failed me. So you can take her place.”

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

Suppressing a shudder. Trenton nodded as another kin servant came forward to escort Asami away as she reached for him. Trenton didn’t look at her. He didn’t want to see her eyes. Ulvandia smiled deeply at him.

Two hours later Trenton walked unsteady back to his room. The lashes on his back were already fading due to the healing spell he used. That was nothing compared to the sand paper rod she used. Blood still tricked from his lower orifice, but even that would soon heal. If only the scars on his mind would fade so readily.

He'd considered killing the bitch but she was powerful. Far more than he. He would only die at the attempt. Then what would happen to Asami? He couldn't risk it.

Trenton leaned on the wall as he opened his door. Asami was sitting on his bed. Her golden eyes were wet.

“I told you I could handle it!” Asami wailed as she grabbed him. She gentle escorted him back to his bed.

“I know you could,” Trenton said wincing as he sat. He would have cried out but didn’t want to worry her. How had it come to this? How had he fallen for a kin? The fact he was in love was no longer in doubt. He’d been taking her ‘play time’ with Ulvandia for several months now. It seemed to amuse the bitch. He tried to buy Asami from Ulvandia but the price she quoted was far beyond his means. Far beyond anyone means he would guess. Asami cried as he clutched him. He hugged her back as best he could with his single hand.

“Why? Why do you keep doing this for me?” Asami said.

“You know why,” Trenton replied.

“I’m not a mage,” Asami said. “I’m just a kin. You should find someone better than me. You could be free of her. She’ll never let me go. I’ll never be free…” Her voice began breaking at those last words.

“I know.”

“We can’t even make love anymore!” Asami wailed. Trenton repressed his rage at that. Ulvandia asked her at least once a week if she had sex with anyone. With the slave rune it was easy to tell if she lied. The punishment they both received was one that gave both of them nightmares. Yet Ulvandia didn’t stop them from seeing each other. Trenton expected it was another form of torture. To be constantly with someone you love but unable to express it.

“Why can’t you forget about me?” Asami cried. “You could live a happy life if you just forgot.”

“I could, but I won’t,” Trenton said the he cupped her face. “I could never forget you.”

Asami hugged him tightly as they both laid down to sleep. Trenton ran his fingers threw her soft fur as they embraced. Sleep came soon after.

“We have to do something!” Azura shouted. She glared at the kin around her. The council chamber was setup deep underground as was the ruling body of the kin. At first everyone just wanted her to lead but Azura quickly realized something. She sucked at leading. She had no mental space for logistics. Plus every issue brought to her she just shrugged her shoulder and told them to figure it out. Eventually she just sent everyone to her mom. That earned her a whack on the head. So a council was set up that included herself, her mother, Fatania, and Alenina. It was jokingly called the council of mothers. Azura had loudly refuted that when Hamal told her. It wasn't until he pointed out that she was the 'mother' of all cultivators that she forgave him. He only received two knocks on the head for it. Truly, her generosity was without bounds.

“So you’ve said. Repeatedly,” Alenina said as she scratched her rabbit ears. “I’m all for it. I just want a good plan that doesn’t involve sacrificing anyone.”

“My plan is fine!” Azura countered.

“Azura,” her mother said giving her a tired look. “Your plan was to go Deepmere and punch the elf.”

“And…” Azura asked confused. Seemed solid to her.

“That isn’t a plan. It’s hardly a statement,” her mother said frustrated.

“I think I could come up with something a little better,” Fatania said. “In fact I’ve been working with Erwin and the mole-kin for something just like this.”

Azura gave the mole-kin a confused look. At least it explained why he was here.

“We’ve dug another tunnel into Deepmere,” the mole-kin said. “With our mana infused bodies it went far quicker than expected. We only finished yesterday.”

“Oh,” Azura said. “Well that’s good.” Coralline rolled her eyes.

“It’s better than good,” Fatania said. “The tunnel is insanely long and the entrance is well hidden. The mages won’t find this one for unless they get lucky.”

“Great so I take this tunnel in, then go punch the elf,” Azura said.

“I believe punching the elf will kill her,” Alenina said.

“And…” Azura asked confused again.

“You haven’t read any of the reports from Brianna or Zultar have you?” Her mother said sighing.

“Nope,” Azura said. “Been too busy. Besides that’s what you’re all for.”

They all gave her a flat look.

“Joking,” Azura lied, waving her hands innocently. “So what’s the problem?”

“The problem is that elf Ulvandia is the elven representative in Deepmere and an honorary member of their council. If you kill her the elves will be furious. Who knows how they'll respond,” Fatania said.

“Oh,” Azura said. Everyone paused thinking. “What if I don’t kill her but make an example out of her?”

“Not sure if that’s much better,” Coralline muttered.

“What are you thinking?” Alenina asked.

“Well I think I could do the opposite of what I do for the kin,” Azura said. They gave her a blank look. “What I mean is that I think I could damage and close her mana pool.”

“You can do that?” Fatania asked shocked.

“I think so,” Azura said. “That would put the fear of the kin into them.”

“It might make them hunt you even more,” Coralline said worried.

“It could also make them think twice before abusing kin. It would be something,” Alenina countered.

“Hmm,” Fatania said. “I could have half a dozen rat-kin go with you. Just to be safe. They can be your eyes and ears on this.”

“What about any kin she has?” Coralline asked.

“We could try to take them down the tunnel. If we don’t have time we could have Zultar or Brianna buy them for us,” Azura offered.

“I suppose this could work,” Coralline said slowly.

“We need to work out some more details,” Fatania insisted and they all got down to planning.