I don’t know how they managed to bite through Eyes scales, those things are just as tough as my hide. Not tougher but it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that they were on the same level. I couldn’t a closer look though because of the way that I was being carried, but they probably managed to get underneath his softer underbelly scales.

The batlings carry me toward the centre of the village where Eye is hanging, I think about ways to get out of the net but can’t come up with anything. Anytime I was stuck in a net I just ripped it apart. I already tried that with this net though and all it did was get me more stuck. I struggle a bit more and put all of my strength into bursting the net, the ropes creak a little bit, I grin, it seems that the batlings did underestimate me.

One of them looks over and the net immediately tightens around me, the batling didn’t even do anything! How… Some sort of magic? I’ve never heard of magic with ropes though. That’d just be stupid. One of the batlings comes over and starts to rapidly move its head around, I growl at it and try to bite it.

Unfortunately, the ropes and the net are too tight for me to do anything. The batling moves its head again, before moving up towards the other batlings dragging me.

They drag me right past Eye, who like I thought has had his underbelly scales pierced. I can’t tell how injured he is right now but by the number of batlings around, it probably won’t be living a lot longer. Better him than me.

Eyes eye opens suddenly and looks at me, the pitiful creature lets out a moan of pain and something else. It’s almost enough to make feel bad. Almost. Seeing him whimpering makes me think of something else. Once I get out of here, if I save the pathetic creature hanging in front of me, I’ll have its loyalty, a guard dog. And if not its full loyalty? It will cut down on weeks of training time.

I stare at it as we move past. Telling it that if it lives… I’ll see what I can do.

We move past him quickly, the batling guards set on taking me somewhere. As we start going deeper into the village the batlings all surround me, lean down, and heft me up and over their heads. That shouldn’t be possible. One whelp wouldn’t be enough to lift a Troll's head, a group of whelps wouldn’t be able to lift a Troll. What these batlings are doing shouldn’t be possible.

I flex and try to break binds once again. Nothing happens. This cannot happen again. This will not happen again. To be brought down so low by things so weak and inferior? It means I am weak. Much too weak. This is a new place, and it has new rules. I need to figure them out and then… and then...

I will kill them all. The batlings first and then the Hex.

I need to get out first though, and the batlings have me wrapped up tight and don’t look like they’re gonna let me go anytime soon. I’ll need to see where they take me.

We move toward the biggest tree in the whole village. Judging by the way it towers of course. I’m surprised I didn’t notice it before. Something like that isn’t easy to hide. The batlings take me carefully through the undergrowth, or at least as carefully as they can manage. I’m not light, no matter how easily they heft me, and it shows. The batlings are constantly moving their heads at this point. Annoying and useless but I’m sure it means something. Maybe how they talk? I haven’t heard anything though and head movement language isn’t something I heard of before. Still. It gotta mean something.

They move toward the tree and lower me down at the foot of it and then start doing… something. It reminds of the dances the shamans made us do around the corpses of our enemies. Except that, ours was more of stomp and roar then an actual dance.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

These batlings were the real deal. They were moving all over the place, their heads going back and forth and back and forth. Then they started to move around me and one of them took out a knife and placed it over my heart, and moved it around in a circle than did the same for my eyes, ears, and my head. Why? Why are they doing this?

They danced a little bit more before picking me up and throwing me at the tree. I hit it hard and felt the breath leave me. That was it. From the way the batlings gathered around me I felt like something else should’ve happened. They moved around me before doing something with their heads and leaving.

They left me bound though and tightened the ropes before they left. I took the time to check out my surroundings. Nothing stood out to me as particularly interesting, just a bunch of trees and darkness. I see a couple of critters skittering around in the trees. The batlings probably took care of anything real big, not that I know what animals are around these parts.

Eventually, I settle in and wait. The darkness covering me like a blanket. I doze off, finally getting some sleep. After all, at this point, there is not much I can do other than sleep.

…

I wake up falling. And slam solidly into a spike. It breaks of course but it wakes me up. I check my bindings and try to break them.

Nothing. Seems even the spike can’t weaken the damn ropes. I roll over and find myself face to face with a batling. A batling even wrinklier looking then all the others combined. Disgusting. If I didn’t have these ropes I’d be sinking my fist into that things face.

Thing is. I do have these ropes. And my fist is still healing. I look around quickly, I’m in the tree or at least that's what it looks like. There’s a bunch of other stuff that I don’t recognise. Glass bottles and other stuff. In the middle of it all stands the wrinkly batling looking down at me.

It grabs a bottle and upends it over my face. I spit and splutter but it doesn’t do anything bad. At least. I think that it isn’t doing anything bad. The batling cocks its head and I faintly hear something. A chittering sound. I cock my head and try to listen harder but the sound disappears as quickly as it came.

The batling grabs another glass of… something and tips it over onto my face. Then cocks its head some more. Again I hear a chittering and it stays in the air longer this time. The batling upends another potion on my face and I finally hear something. Something I can only barely pick up. I crane my neck and concentrate, trying to see if I can hear the words.

“Monster… Mine….”

I growl. Who is calling who a monster? I am no one's monster. I follow only myself, and the Warlord. Sometimes. I sure as hell am not any batlings damn pet. I growl at the wrinkly batling. The only thing that could’ve said anything.

“Mine... I… Punish… Bad.

The batling chitters and I only pick up some of the words. I don’t like anything that I hear. The batling grabs another potion and smashes it into my face not even bothering to uncork it.

“Can you hear me now you stupid brick?”

I growl. Who the hell? I try to answer.

“Brick?”

The batling chitters more,

“It can speak! Interesting. Very interesting. That means…’ The batling grabs another potion and smashes it onto my chest. I smell something burning and see greenish water spreading across my chest… burning me.

I grin. Its toys do nothing.

The batling looks on in surprise. And looks at the potion spreading across my chest. “It is working, but it seems that the monster is not feeling it. Well, that won’t do at all.”

The batling smashes another potion onto my chest. I grin wider. It will do nothing. Pain is not something I feel.

“Doesn’t seem to be working. How will I bring the beast to heel if I can’t break it? All things have a breaking point and nothing that I know of can stop the pain completely. That being said the system is unknowable. Praise to the system!”

This time I do speak. “Batling. I don’t know what system you're talking about, but I haven't felt pain in years.”

The batling stumbled back, “Intelligent? No. Ogres are classed as monsters. They cannot speak. The potion doesn’t grant intelligence just understanding. Or so the system says.”

“Shut up!” I roar. This pile of shit is calling me a monster? I’m a Troll!

The batling goes silent.

“Well then. I guess I better tell you what you are going to be doing. Whether you like it or not.” The batling reaches for another potion and I swear it has a grin on that wrinkled face.