Chapter 14: Chapter 14 (I) – The Characters of a Slave

They were met on the beaches by envoys of the unknown mage-king under the banner of peace. Their decapitated heads were sent back wrapped in spider-silk and sweet-scented with Aeyory blossoms, a traditional declaration of total war in the east.

- On the Cataclysm by an unknown Quassian Scholar circa 103 AC

It stank with the general effluence of the city and the newly enslaved and packed humanity. It was grief in all of its stages; some were choleric with rage, defiance a bright torch in their hearts, some catatonic with shock or grief, some wailing and crying a river of tears, and yet others had accepted with serenity their new station in life. This was the beginning of my new life as a slave.

Naked we were prodded, pulled, and looked over by rough men and women with licentious hands. Our dentures were closely examined for decay, our bodies for disease. Those of us still clinging to their previous lives were taught otherwise with the crack of a three-pronged leather whip.

All of my life the topic of slavery was mostly academic. The institution had perished in its most overt forms long ago. Though still present in some areas of the globe, it had no real bearing on my sheltered and comfortable Western life. Here, I was learning with my body a lesson that no history class nor acclaimed documentary could ever hope to impart.

Two days had passed since my victory in the arena when I was brought to this pit of human suffering. I was able to hear passing gossip about my fate. Some of my captors wagered that against all tradition I would be poisoned, or a subtle knife placed between my ribs. I was destined to be broken in the mines according to my captors. Determined that I would not break, the fire of defiance was like a smoldering ember within, only to be almost snuffed out as another man screamed as burning hot orange metal met pliant skin, burning a red hot mark in the shape of a flowing wave. Still, I held onto a strange mixture of rage and hope as I was given a new quest. Like witnessing a divine revelation, I knew that the gods had yet to abandon me as I read the words.

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