Lisa’s lungs struggle to keep oxygen circulating through her body, shocks pain surge with each cycle of their efforts. Her legs ignite an internal fire signaling her life of comfort has made her weak. Her legs thankful for her small frame, as they push her block by block closer to the guildhall.
The wind picks up toward the West blowing the black fog of anarchy toward them carrying the grotesque smell of blood. The metallic scent rushes into her nose, she slows down attempting not to gag on the smell.
Lisa feels a hand press upon her back, she sees Christ jogging beside her. His face unblushed and not a drop of sweat on his tanned skin. He chuckles, “For such a small woman you don’t get out that much do you? It has only been three blocks and you look like you belong in a doctor’s bed.”
I haven’t needed to run like this in a long time you Fruth, between her heavy breaths, “Are you sure now is the time for jokes. .specifically at my expense?”
He watches her attempt to speed up and trot in front of him. He spins around running backward further ahead, with absolute certainty. His whitened smile gleams from under the hood, “Always time for humor at someone’s expense baby girl.”
“I ain’t your baby,” Lisa struggles to find enough oxygen in her lungs for talking and running, “girl.” Watching Christ continue this mockery of her fitness for another block, she couldn’t help but to send a message to the beings that watch over the mortal soul. Please just put him in his place, I want to see that arrogant smile wiped from his smug face.
As if the Mortal Soul itself had heard her plea, Lisa sees a clucker bird run out of an alley and post in the street staring at the two. Should I say something? She thought, but looking back at that pompous smile she concealed her joy, until he was upon the foul bird, “Christ.”
“What—-” Christ says as his heel came in contact with the bird sent from the great soul. Lisa’s heart flutters with joy as she watched Christ fall back onto his Fruth. She could see Christ looking at the bird, which didn’t even move from the conflict. Christ’s clenched jaw expression fading and a look of utter confusion replacing it. The clucker slowly turns its head to Christ and was staring at him with two beady eyes.
Seeing that Christ wasn’t getting up, Lisa took this opportunity to slow her pace, but still running, “Is everything okay?” Christ brushes himself off before he picks up the bird and continues to quickly catch back up. “What?---”
“I got a new pet and his name is Nixon,” Christ saying with a straight face, “Don’t ask questions in due time you will understand the wisdom in this decision.”
Running two more blocks the two found themselves at the corner of the market square, where the Adventurer's Guild sat on fire, smoke billowing and swirling in a mesmerizing dance of destruction. The sounds of death’s daughters orchestrating the finale of mortal lives plays deafening in the square. The market is broken into two opposing sides, a group of men and women nearest to the burning guild, hunker down behind a series of stacked crates. Lisa counts that they are twenty strong, there are several members in half-plate and full-plate pressed against the crates with some form of crossbow. Their melee weapons lay beside them and only move to poke out and fire the crossbow or reload. The other members wear leather or other light armors, they stand behind the crates jumping out to fire several arrows from their bows before dunking back to safety.
The other group stands about sixty voet away near the outer shops, numbering around forty. Lisa can’t get an accurate count cause some of them hide in buildings popping out every so often to fire a crossbow bolt or lob a bottle of flaming ale at the other group. They all wear light armors with a similar equipment set up to each other.
Stepping closer to the wall and kneeling, “Christ, who are those guys near the shops attacking the adventurers from the guild.”
Joining her closer near the ground he leans in and whispers, “Those guys are part the Havel’s Chains Company the famous—-”
Lisa falls to her butt, her eyes wide, “Slavers for the Slave Trade Organization”. Putting her knees to her chest and embracing them with her arms, the noises fade away till only a mild buzzing noise is heard. The world’s fine details and vivid colors wash away with a waves of grey.
***
As the raging storm of memories churn in the oceans of pain and misery, she struggles against the waves of her past. Taken under by a wave of subjugation, she is taken briefly to a time were she was struggling against the cold chains staked in a dark, damp, stone cell. She can feel her flesh peel against the stackles sharp corners.
As the wave passes she gasps for air, feeling the sting on her now bleeding wrists. What pours from her wrists is not blood, but her worth. The golden substance seeping into the turbulant sea of her life. Lisa treads despirately looking around for salvation, and in the distance she sees a massive fin approaching.
Swimming as fast as she can away from the beast, she is pushed high into the sky, crattled by the brutal ocean. Feeling herself pushed toward the edge, she watches as the tidal wave forms and feels the rush against her body as the watery images dives downward. Slamming Lisa against the rock hard surface of the past, slinging her into a bed of cotton.
The cold air from the open, barred window, glides in kissing her flesh with its chilling bite. The room lit by only a single candle several voet above the bed. Shadows shimmer in the outskirts of the room against the walls. Lisa recoils herself back against the wall, her heart ready to burst at the seams. Her eyes dart from one corner to the next as from the corner of her eye she can see movement. She turns to look, but all she makes out is a grey blur. Her head cracks against the wall as a stone arm patruding from the wall holds her in place by the throat.
Grasping at the hand, she struggles with everything to budge the hand, muscles burn as they eat through energy till she arms lose feeling. She uses what energy in her arms is left to claw and pry at the hands, more movement from around her. Regaining her presence and with it her humanity, no longer clawing like a wild animal she observes abyss black arms reaching out from under the bed toward her limps. She flails with her arms and legs at the arms, but one by one her body is held in place.
A fire burns ever hot inside her, she screams in rage at the shadows. Her muscles twitch with sprunts of energy in attempts to break free.
A deep voice calls out from the shadows, “Such a wild beast, soo beautiful. So rare these days, but it will be the look in your eyes when you are tamed that will make you a wonder and a symbol of perfected beauty. Let us see if the offspring will be able to learn how to beg.”
The hands dig their nails deep into her flesh, golden determination seeps from the wounds. The shadows close in, feeling nails dig deep into her flesh and carve long their marks upon her canvas. The fire inside smolders as shadows engulf her. The infinite darkness is replaced by the vicious and ever suffocating waters of life. Lisa opens her eyes to see a massive creature swimming toward her, its maw open exposing row upon row of teeth. Following her trail of gold the shallows her with one bite.
The world is dark once again as the stone floor graces her feet and chains gold her arms. Looking up all is dark, but a single spot illuminated by moonlight. Using what little energy is left she turns her gaze up, to find a creature humanoid in shape. The being is bloated, its face displays black and purple with lacerations upon the wounds. Its brown hair is missing in splotches, baring only one brown eye.
Lisa stares at the being, only the shackles shaking broke the silence. Deep down a pain drives down from her head into her heart as a revelation sets in. “ No. . no. NO!!” pulling against the unrelenting chains. “I will,” Lisa clenched her jaw as she muscles loosened. A flickering flame fades into regretful smoke, everything went limp. She hangs by the hand cuffs grace, “do. . .nothing,” her vibrate eyes now dull”
***
A sharp pain radiates across Lisa’s face, her eyes drift over to the course. The sounds of battle return as the dronning ring dies out. Looking over she sees Christ shoving a white glove into his cloak pocket. Grabbing her shoulders he looks at her with dark Jade eyes, “Would you mind, oh I don’t know telling me what the hell just happened?”
“I can’t go back,” Lisa looks down at his feet.
“For what possible reason?” he crosses his arms, standing up.
“Those men. . . they,” she buries her face into her knees, sniffles and huffs pour from her.
“Let me guess. You were a slave and they put you in there,” He said with a sharpness in his tone.
Lisa couldn’t help but to look up at him, with rivers of sorrow flowing from her eyes.
“Boo hoo for you. You said you had something to do here and your gonna let those Yelf sticks stop you from that? I thought you wanted to survive? If your this useless when you see a group of people, then I have no use for you,” placing his hands on his hips.
Lisa slams her hands on the ground,“How could you possibly—-”
“Thetch please,” Christ pushes aside his cloak and lifts up his shirt revealing 012165 carved into his stomach. “Let me tell you something, Lisa was it? Yeah Lisa. The only person who can make you a slave is,” he pushes his pointer finger into her chest, “you. Now are you gonna sit there and mope around and become an undead slave? OR are you gonna go over there with me and utterly ruin those slavers day, while they are distracted?”
The smolder ashes of obedience ignite into a flickering flame, extending her hand. “I wanna ruin their day in the worst possible way,” Lisa’s heart throbs not from fear, but from the flutterflies in her stomach.
Christ smiles, pulling her up. “Ready?” shaking his head, “of course you are, lets do this.” The two turn toward the battle area watching the two sides still raging on. “You know what this moment needs?”
Looking over at Christ, “What?” A bard, or weapons for us to use? She thought.
“This,” Christ pulls out an apple and bites into it, a smirk lining his bright white teeth.
Lisa expressionless turns back to the battle, “Just so you know, you look like a total archi
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