Hope watched as Nathaniel worked on a strange contraption in the training room. A strange glass tube sitting on a metal table. A strange apparatus contained a level one power core extracted from the dungeon core connected to one end of the tube. On the other, sat a circular piece of glass on a singular stand. Hope hummed as she peeked around Nathaniel and noticed him using the arcane solder and a ‘soldering iron’ to create runes that connect the power core to the glass tube.

“So, what is this?” Hope said trying to poke the device.

Nathaniel grabbed her hand and pulled it away, “In my world we called these things lasers,” he said, “What it should do is create an intense beam of light.”

“And what is the purpose of this ‘laser?’” Ralia said, placing a steel breastplate on the far side of the table.

“Well, if all goes well, I should be able to turn it into a weapon,” Nathaniel wiped his brow, “Back in my world, we were using lasers for industrial use, like cutting metal, but it required a lot of energy to power such lasers, so they ended up taking a lot of space. Since this world has these cores, I’m certain I can create the first ever laser weapon.”

“Like what the guardians and sentries use?” Hope said remembering seeing the large robot turn a giant cockroach into ash.

“To a degree,” Nathaniel patted her head and led them away, “I tried disassembling their laser weapons to see how it worked, but there were no components to reverse engineer. The dungeon mistook my intent in their creation and made the robots’ laser weapons a racial trait fueled by magic,” Hope and Ralia gave him a blank stare, “It’s more like spell that only the robots can use.” The girls nodded as they finally understood him. “Lower the shields Seneschal!”

Sections of the floor and ceiling enclosed the table, and they stood a few feet away. Projections appeared in front of them showing what was happening behind the shield.

“Fire on my mark,” Nathaniel said. The core started glowing as the energy gathered inside, “Fire.”

Boom!

The walls shook, and the displays disappeared, “Evacuate any smoke, then retract the shields,” Nathaniel said pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Smoke has been evacuated,” Seneschal said, “Shields retracting.”

The metal dividers returned to their place. The laser contraption was destroyed. Both the glass tube and lens were shattered into fine dust, and the power core lay on the table free from its contraption. A massive hole sat in the middle of the breastplate.

“Did it work?” Hope said looking between the table and Nathaniel.

“No,” Nathaniel sighed as he approached the table.

“Then what happened?” Ralia stared nervously at the smoking breastplate.

Nathaniel circled the table, “Looks like the core discharged all of its energy into the laser,” he said, “But it was too much. The atoms in the tube were energized to a point that it caused everything to explode,” he looked to the breastplate, “But it did fire a laser beam, a powerful one too.”

“Are you really going to make a weapon out of this,” Hope looked worried.

“Eventually,” Nathaniel hugged her, “But I’m not going to mass produce them. This is something I plan to keep to myself.” Hope nodded and hugged him back. “Looks like it’s back to the drawing board.”

“Can I go and play outside?” Hope said, she gave him the biggest puppy eyes she could muster.

“Fine, just stay within the perimeter,” Nathaniel said, “After all, you just became level five.”

“I will!” Hope hugged Nathaniel again then ran off. She passed through the central chamber, “Bye Seneschal!” she waved to the core.

“Be careful.”

Hope ran as fast as she could out of the dungeon, and into the woods. Thanks to the speed runes in her legs, Hope flew through the trees. The wind felt good in her hair, and she laughed as she jumped over a fallen log. She hadn’t done this in decades.

Hope could feel the energy of the forest around her, a perk to being a fairy-based race, but it felt muted and distant. Even with the sensory runes in her cybernetics, the feeling of the dirt in her toes, or the leaves on her hands felt off, but that didn’t make her sad. She was simply happy to run through the wilderness on her own.

Hope jumped onto a fallen tree and ran up it. This was the farthest she had ever been from the village, and she knew that she was well outside the drone’s perimeter. She chuckled to herself and sat down on the trunk. Hope allowed the sounds of the forest to envelop her, and she sighed contently.

A strange sound caught her attention. It sounded like something was running through the forest, and soon a woman came running through the brush. She was pretty. Her long silver hair hung low and was covered in sticks, and mud caked her ashen skin. Her violet eyes looked around in fear as she scanned the forest, but it was her pointed ears that caught her attention.

“An elf!” Hope called out which caught the woman’s attention.

The woman waved her down, “Run away, quick!”

Hope stared confused and jumped down to her, “What’s wrong?”

The elf grabbed her hand and dragged her away, “We need to run away,” she said, “There’s monsters in the forest!”

“Monsters,”

A goblin jumped out of the brush behind them and started chasing after them. It had a large dagger in its right hand. Hope pulled herself free from the elf and turned towards the goblin. The goblin jumped with a wide smile.

Hope reached out and grabbed the dagger which caused the goblin to cackle, but its eyes became wide when she crushed the blade in her left hand. Hope threw a punch and struck the monster in the face. It went flying through the forest and slammed into a tree. Blood coated the bark as the corpse slid to the ground.

Hope stared in horror at her hand, “Gross!” she frantically looked around for something to wipe her hand on.

The elf handed her a torn piece of cloth, “Here,”

Hope smiled at her, “Thanks,” she wiped the blood of her hands. She noticed the elf’s dress was torn then looked at the cloth, “Your dress is torn.”

“It’s fine,” the elf smiled.

“But it’s a pretty dress,” Hope said, “I know, master can fix it!”

“Master,” the elf brushed away Hope’s hair to reveal the collar, “So you’re a slave too.”

“I am?” Hope looked at the elf and finally noticed the collar around her neck, “You have one too. You should meet master,” she took her hand and dragged her through the forest, “Come on!”

“Wait,”

Hope led the elf through the forest back to the village. The sun was hanging over the eastern horizon by the time they reached the village’s edge. The few villagers they passed gawked at the elf, but quickly turned their expression to nervous smiles when Hope waved at them.

“Here we are,” Hope gestured to the two-story house. She pushed inside, “This is mine and my master’s home.”

The elf slowly looked around and gave a slight chuckle. The house wasn’t in its best condition. Ralia’s and Hope’s clothes littered the ground, and dirty dishes still sat on the table. A few books were precariously stacked on a side table with a mug sitting on top of them.

The elf bent down and picked up Ralia’s emerald-green bra, “I’ll help you clean up,” she said, “I wouldn’t want your master to punish you. I’d hate to see you suffer after helping me.”

“Don’t worry,” Hope took the bra and threw it away, “Master is really nice, so he won’t punish me. Besides, master does all the cleaning anyways.”

“Your master…does the cleaning?”

“Yep,” Hope smiled, “And the cooking, and the sewing,” her smile turned mischievous, “And sometimes, he’ll let me sleep with him if I tell him I had a bad dream.” The elf blinked several times while staring at her. “You’re all dirty though,” Hope pulled her to the bath, “Let’s take a bath!”

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

Once inside Hope threw her dress onto the floor along with her undergarments. The elf stood there staring at her.

“Your arms…and legs!”

“Yeah,” Hope smiled tenderly as she looked at her cybernetics, “I was captured by these horrible, old humans. They…cut me a lot…” tears glistened her eyes, “So much so that they cut my arms and legs off.”

“That’s awful,” the elf gently brushed her hair, “I’m sorry the humans did that to you.”

“It’s fine,” Hope gave her a large smile, “Because of them, I met master Nathaniel, and he made me these new arms and legs,” she said.

The elf ran a hand over her arm, “He made these,” Hope nodded, “Why?”

“Because he’s nice,” Hope said, “Hurry up so we can take a bath.” The elf chuckled and stripped off her clothes. Hope couldn’t help but stare, “I think you’re bigger than Ralia.”

Nathaniel groaned as he stepped into his house. The last several hours were rough. He spent the time trying to understand how to regulate the power coming from the core, but he couldn’t find an answer. Ralia tried to help, but her low intelligence made it difficult for her to understand what he was trying to do.

Nathaniel noticed the mess, “Dammit, I forgot to clean up,” he rubbed his face, “Dinners going to be a bit late, is that all right Ralia?”

“Of course, master,” Ralia smiled, “Take all the time you need. I’ll go take a bath in the meantime.”

“You do that,”

“Master!” Hope rushed out of the bath naked.

Hope jumped into Nathaniel’s arms and hugged him. The water soaking her body seeped into his clothing.

“Don’t run around the house naked, Hope,” Nathaniel sighed trying to secure an appropriate hold on her.

“But Ralia does it all the time,” Hope pouted.

“And I’ve told her not to do that too,” he chuckled. Nathaniel noticed someone peeking out of the bath. “Hope, who is that?”

Hope turned, “She’s an elf,” she said with a smile, “I found her while running around the forest. She was being chased by a nasty goblin.”

“You left the perimeter?”

Hope cleared her throat and looked away, “No,”

“Look at me!” Hope groaned as she followed the command, “You aren’t supposed to leave the perimeter. I had Seneschal set it up for a reason. It’s for your own safety!”

“I’m…sorry,” Hope lowered her head, “I didn’t mean to make you mad.”

Nathaniel hugged her, “I’m not mad, I’m worried,” he set her down and pushed her back to the bath, “Now go finish getting dressed.” Hope nodded and shuffled to the bath. “Ralia, go check on our guest and get her some clothes.”

“Yes master,”

Nathaniel sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. After a few moments, he started cleaning up the mess to keep his mind occupied. Dammit, I wasn’t expecting to see monsters this soon. Once everything was clean, Nathaniel entered the kitchen and looked at the food in the pantry. There wasn’t much, so he decided to make a simple stew.

Ralia stepped into the kitchen, “I’ve taken care of the elf,” she said crossing her arms.

“Is something the matter?”

Ralia scoffed, “I just don’t trust her,”

“I’m sorry that I’m a bother,” the elf walked in and bowed.

The elf was beautiful. She had an ageless beauty that made her look both young and mature. Her curvaceous figure strained against the clothes that Ralia let her borrow. She noticed Nathaniel staring and looked away blushing. I can see why she doesn’t trust her.

“Ralia’s just being mean,” Hope said glaring at Ralia, “You can ignore her…What’s your name?”

“Belladryn Nightingale,”

“That’s a pretty name, Bella,” Hope smiled at her.

“Can you girls set the table,” Nathaniel said.

The girls nodded, and Ralia brought out the dishes from the cupboard. While performing their task, Hope happily chatted to Belladryn. The elf smiled and laughed at her stories while helping set the table. Ralia, however, kept an eye on them from the kitchen.

“What are you doing?”

“Keeping watch,” Ralia said, “I’m your bodyguard remember.”

“I don’t think Belladryn’s going to attack me,” Nathaniel chuckled.

Ralia scoffed, “You never know, especially if she finds out you’re a hero.”

“Bella!”

A crash came from the dining room. Nathaniel and Ralia rushed to them and found Belladryn groaning in pain as she clung to her collar. The violet magic flared an angry red for a few seconds before returning to its normal color.

“I’m…fine,” Belladryn panted and wiped the sweat from her brow.

“Slave collars don’t normally do that,” Nathaniel knelt next to her and reached towards the collar. Belladryn flinched, “I’m just want to look at the collar, I promise.”

The elf glared suspiciously at him but nodded. Nathaniel gently lifted the collar away from her skin so that he could get a better look.

[Slave Collar (Flawed). Warning: Due to a failure in the collar’s construction, it’ll induce 5 points of damage every 8 hours. Time duration will decrease as the collar loses magic.]

“That’s not good,” Nathaniel said helping Belladryn up, “This collar is broken, and it will continue to cause you damage.”

“No, master do something!” Hope clung to Belladryn.

“There’s nothing to worry about,” Belladryn said petting Hope.

“There is something to worry about,” Nathaniel said, “If we don’t take care of that collar then it will continue to hurt you, and the pain will get worse the longer we leave it,” Belladryn lowered her head, “After dinner, I’m getting the cart ready so we can go to Rumand. We’ll see if Pomran has something that can fix it.”

“No!” Belladryn said grabbing his arm, “I swear, I’ll do anything, but…I can’t leave this area.”

“What are you talking about?”

“The…people who enslaved me are in the area,” Belladryn said looking away, “Chances are, they’ll come looking for me. They may even come to this village. I should wait for them to come get me.”

“Are you sure?” Nathaniel said trying to look her in the eye. Belladryn simply nodded, “Fine, we can talk about this later. First, we’ll eat dinner, then I’m making you some clothes that fit.” Belladryn finally looked at him, her eyes wide in astonishment.

“You can use this room,” Belladryn stepped into a small room with a single bed, side table, and wash basin. “Sorry it’s a bit bare, it’s a spare bedroom.” Nathaniel said.

“That’s fine,” Belladryn said, “I shouldn’t be here long anyway.”

Nathaniel nodded, “Hope and Ralia are next door, so if you need anything, let us know.”

“Thank you,”

Nathaniel closed the door behind him. Belladryn waited until his footsteps quieted before sitting on the bed. She sighed and held her head in her hands. After a few minutes, she stripped down and slid into bed.

Belladryn tossed and turned. The faces of her people continued to haunt her along with the glowing collars around their necks, and the vicious smiles on their captors. She remembered the slaver woman who made the collar. How she kept touching Belladryn, treating her like a prize, and how the blood poured out her neck as the goblin arrow struck her. Eventually, she rose from bed.

Belladryn pulled the shirt on, and quietly left the room. The sun no longer shone in the windows, and she could hear someone snoring down the hall. A light glowed downstairs. Belladryn snuck downstairs and found the light coming from one room. Inside the room, Nathaniel stood at a workstation sewing a shirt together.

“Is someone there?” Nathaniel called out, still focusing on his work.

“I didn’t disturb you, did I?” Belladryn stepped into the room but kept to the shadows.

“No, I just thought you were Hope or Ralia,” Nathaniel turned to look at her, but then quickly turned back around, “I’m still working on your clothes.”

“I understand,” Belladryn looked to the floor. She noticed that the shirt left her undergarments and legs exposed. She swallowed hard and stared nervously at his back. A pair of shears sat on the edge of the workstation, and her hands itched to take them.

“There’s a blanket over there, if you want to cover up,” Nathaniel pointed to the wall on his right.

Belladryn quickly wrapped herself up in the blanket, “Is there a reason why you have this?”

“It’s for times like this,” Nathaniel chuckled, “I sometimes fit clothes on people, and I keep it here for my fairer clients. I appreciate you using it though. It’s nice to have a woman in this house with a sense of modesty.”

“I don’t…I see,”

“I love those two to death,” Nathaniel smiled sweetly, “But sometimes, it can get aggravating having to constantly tell them to put clothes on. I bet Ralia’s sleeping in my bed now.”

“So, you’ve taken her to your bed,” Belladryn couldn’t help the sneer on her face, “What about Hope?”

“God no,” Nathaniel said shaking his head, “I know she’s older than me, but her appearance, it…doesn’t feel right.”

“It’s just Ralia you’re having relations with,”

“Pretty much,” Nathaniel said with a small smile, “As I said, I love those girls. They’re my family, and I’ll do anything for them.”

“Then why don’t you free them?”

Nathaniel shook his head with a sigh, “I want to, but the kingdom’s laws state that all monsters must be collared and anyone who isn’t a citizen of the five kingdoms have no rights when it comes to slavery. If I take them off, then another slaver could take them away,” he said turning to her, “Now that I think about it, I haven’t heard of an elven kingdom despite elves existing.”

“We elves don’t have kingdoms,” Belladryn said slowly approaching, “We tend to congregate in small groups of twenty or so.”

“Wouldn’t that hinder procreation,”

“We keep a close eye on our populations,” Belladryn ran a finger over the table, “Elves could easily overpopulate the forests if we reproduced with reckless abandon since we live far longer than most races. Not to mention, it takes longer for us have children.”

“That makes sense,” Nathaniel said finishing up the shirt, “I guess that’s why I haven’t seen any half-elves around. But don’t you want to return to your people?”

“No,” Belladryn turned away, “I’m too afraid to return to them. I…let them down enough as it is.”

“I see,”

“Master,” they both turned to see Hope standing in the door, “I had a bad dream.”

Nathaniel gently patted the girl’s head, “That’s terrible sweetie. Do you want to sleep with me tonight?” Hope nodded. Nathaniel picked her up and turned to Belladryn, “I’ll finish your clothes in the morning.”

“I understand.”

Nathaniel nodded and left. Hope gave her a sly smile as she held tightly to him. Belladryn laughed, extinguishing the candle, and closing the door behind her.

A week went by, and nothing had changed. Belladryn wandered around the house dusting. She didn’t want to be a burden to the kind folks who took her in, so she started taking care of the household chores.

“Thanks for taking care of the chores,” Nathaniel stepped out of the door wiping the soot from his face.

“I’m glad I could be of use,” Belladryn said, “You’ve taken great care of me, especially during my fits.” She gently touched the collar.

“I still think we should try to take it off,”

“Thank you for worrying,” Belladryn smiled, “But I don’t want to cause you any more trouble.” A knock came from the door, “I’ll get that.”

Belladryn opened the door and found a young woman standing there. She looked up at Belladryn and gave her a tired sigh, “Another one,”

“No Sierra,” Nathaniel said coming to the door, “Hope found her in need, so we’re giving her a place to stay for a short time.”

“I see,” Sierra gave her a small smile, “I’m sorry for giving you a hard time.”

Belladryn chuckled, “I’m used to it. Ralia’s been giving me a hard time for the past week.”

“She gives everyone a hard time,”

Belladryn stepped aside to let her pass, “Would you like something to dri-” She screamed in pain and clutched her collar.

[Warning: Magic of the collar has decreased. Collar will induce 15 points of damage every 4 hours.]

“What happened!” Sierra stepped away staring at Belladryn in horror.

Nathaniel kneeled next to her, “Your collar’s gotten worse,” he said, “I’m sorry, but I’m taking you to Rumand to get it removed.”

“I’m…fine,”

“You’re not,” Nathaniel turned to Sierra, “I’m going to get the cart ready. Do you mind keeping an eye on Ralia and Hope for me?”

“Of course,”

Belladryn grabbed onto Nathaniel’s arm, “You…don’t need…to,”

“I’m sorry Belladryn,” Nathaniel said helping her to a chair, “But I can’t watch you suffer anymore, especially now that it’s causing your more damage.” A tear fell from Belladryn’s cheek as she nodded.