[Flashback] When the Shackles Tighten their Hold [Goss, Private]

[Auer]

5th Brightening of Kalendryas, in the Season of Winter
Era XV Post Fractum

Two era’s had passed since Auer had killed her love. Two era’s of sunlight when there once was only darkness. Two era’s and her pale skin now revealed the improvements leaving only faint scars to whisper of her ordeal. Auer and her physical appearance now benefitted from the fresh air and the blessed withdrawal from the violence, bloodshed and destruction of the cult’s twisted regime. The dark arcana, the cruel devices and the morbid tools of her torturers held existence only in the past. Those brightening of dark were gone. Now her skin was soft, untarnished and held a healthy glow. In the two era’s of Auer’s freedom her violet eyes has become brighter yet one could not completely block out the hollowness the nine era’s had birthed. Internally so much of the horror still existed for Auer, the nightmares disturbed her rest – horrific images of the torture chamber, of her blood spraying into the air to then camouflage into the blood stained coloured walls. The memories of her lover played out in her mind each time she saw public displays of true love upon the unfamiliar streets she travelled; it unsettled Auer to see lovers share such intimate moments without pain, without being brutalised straight after and then left for the darkness to claim.

Alas, Xeno’s displays of affection were not as traditional and were ever the more...inventive. Her old love was two sides of a crown and just what side was seen seemed to be determined by the coin toss. One side was almost humane, thoughtful, dare she say loving? Yet the other side of the crown revealed the cult leader, the master necromancer, the king of tortures and she had no choice but to hail him with her cries and screams. And yet she survived by the grace of some god’s cruel humour. She survived to now share similarities with her master. She herself had become the two-sided crown possessing a strangely sweet and pure side, even after all she has been put through, but then there was the other side... vengeance demanded penance for his life’s blood. Her lover’s death took but moments but now the curse resided within Auer until death finally accepted her entry. It floated through her veins, tainting every aspect of the Elf. It took over out of whim; leaving Auer to see, hear, feel and taste all that the darkness wanted her to experience from the inside of her cage. Yes, Auer was now free from her slavery, she now roamed the unfamiliar streets of Zinn’Sunn, yet she was not free from the curse and from the effects of what her time enslaved had done to the innocent, sweet and pure Elf.

Auer gave a soft sigh as her violet eye travelled along the foreign street. From the connection within her, Auer felt that the cult members whom hunted her were not close....yet. That thought led Auer to hasten her pace as she cautiously peered around her once again. And that was when her eyes crowned by a layer of thick long lashes fell upon him. Auer’s heart began to pound. A gasp issued forth from her blood red lips. Doubt, fear and terror scampered through her. Auer drew a deep breath as she tried to rationalise the situation. With timid steps she moved closer while every part of her being, the being made of sense and reason, told her to run. The curse however chose to hold residence and acted accordingly with courage and an almost defiance. The curse was a creation of madness and mayhem, of brutality and strength and in the present moment the curse proved its worth. Auer’s timid steps turned to a fearless saunter. Auer could feel her rage ignite as her hand found her dagger. Her eyes stayed fixed upon her target. She would kill him again and again to her last living brightening if need be...the sweet Auer, held immobile by the forces of the curse and of the terror, could only nervously whisper her consent.

The target’s brown eyes looked at Auer before his eyes moved to the dagger in her hand. The sweeter Auer noticed the difference immediately....It is not he...said the soft silken whisper. Xeno has eyes of sky blue.... Yet the darker Auer was not so easily swayed, she could almost experience the feel of her blade meeting his flesh. She could almost taste the sweet satisfaction of his blood spill. The darker Auer did not care if he was but an innocent bystander. He was hers....The sweeter Auer knew she had to act before murder was committed by her own hand. With justice on her side, the sweet and pure Auer forced hold and suddenly felt the presence of the clutched weapon. The blade slowly lowered from the air. Rage lost its grip.

But with good conscience holding residence the world seemed to tip before falling away. In her memory and in her mind her love was very much alive.

The shackle tattoo that was wrapped around Auer’s ankle began to burn, its scorch deep and emotively driven. In her mind’s eye she saw him, the torture chamber and the cult member’s menacing grins. She felt the pain return, her dear old friend....Auer heard the deafening morbid laughter of insanity vocalised through her love and the cult. And then reality released its grip...

[Gossamer]

She was back in the manor in Vortex. It was a lovely manor house, truly, for all that it was a surface level structure and not at all in the wealthiest section of the city. Xeno was having another party... recruiting. Bile bitterness filled her mouth as she was hauled out of her chambers forcefully by two young cult members. Chambers weren't exactly the right words for where she was kept. Deep in the basement, there were stacks and stacks of animal cages large enough to old a man or woman just barely standing, and just long enough to throw a mattress for sleeping within. She had no clothing, and her cage was on top of another's, which was a lucky thing since no one defecated down upon her, even accidentally... though after a while here no one ever really cared anyhow. The top cages were always best for this, and only the girls of some sort of favor were allowed to occupy them.

"Party tonight. You are the entertainment." One said gruffly. Xeno always used her for such things because he let her keep her hair. It was important his guests were entertained with the prettiest of the bunch, even if she was a bit willful. The two burly men hauled her forth, wrinkling their nose at her stench. "Wench, you smell like piss..." And then it was into the bathing chamber. She wasn't bathed so much as dunked and scrubbed harshly. Hard hands held her down... it was a game... if she could survive the bath without drowning. Every time they tried it, laughing, as if she was nothing at all. Once done her skin was pink and scratched, burning with the harsh lye of the soap. They hadn't missed anywhere, even rinsing out places no man should touch with things that were never intended for such tasks. She knew it was going to be bad.

One bathed, she was taken to the grooming table and fastened down on it, still dripping wet. Her body was then plucked harshly... or scraped with razors to remove body hair and any growth that had occurred since she'd last been attended too. Pain filled her, the tiny tweezers agony in itself. Her nipples were freshly pierced, hung with glittering diamonds. They always took great enjoyment out of doing this, letting the heal between usage. It took the better part of the afternoon, and after she was turned, the backside done, and allowed to sit while her hair was fixed. She was then perfumed, dusted with cosmetics, and places rouged where men expected healthy pink flesh to exist. Auer was then given slippers, and lead naked through the house. A dinner party, she realized, as she was lead to the table and forced down upon it. Her hips were aligned with the edge for easy access, and her neck and wrists were strapped down with thick iron lined with silver on the outside. Her legs were left to dangle down, though they were caught in stirrups before she was 'dressed'. Another girl, equally decked out, was aligned opposite, so their heads touched just at the crown of their foreheads. She was similarly laid out. Then chefs brought food... tons of it... and began laying it out on and around the women.

She'd done this before... acted as a table. It was something the nobles and nobility-wanttobes of Vortex enjoyed doing. But Xeno had developed a new twist. While his tables were for the enjoyment of his guests and to provide them with food... they were also the desert. Each man was free to partake of one after the meal was done. But he didn't stop there. He provided an even newer twist beyond the accepted rape. He fastened razor blade wrist cuffs onto the girls. A short sharp twist of a device on her inner wrist would cut her skin and allow blood to drip. Some of his guests enjoyed it, both the letting and drinking of it. Some even liked to paint the 'tables' with their own blood before they took their pleasure, which was never gentle nor without pain.

Eight guests filed in...Xeno sat at the middle of the table, so he was near both girls' heads. He often enjoyed a bit of kindness during the process, feeding them tidbits of food as the converstation ebbed and flowed around them. They were new men, people Auer hadn't seen before or serviced. They stared at her and her companion, some already starting to grin when it was evident that they'd both eat well and take pleasure that day. One even had the audacity to ask if he had to wait until the meal was finished, and Xeno laughed and gestured in a 'be my guest' attitude though he did caution 'Don't spill the food'. The man stood, looked over Auer, and then the blond who was stretched out opposite. The other girl began to struggle slightly... new then, Auer decided. The man smiled like a wolf and moved off out of Auer's sight. The woman soon stiffened and then her head began to shove into Auer's rhythmically as the noise of the man got louder.

Xeno leaned over, grinned, and popped a strawberry into Auer's mouth, cautioning gently. "Spill anything, and I'll take it out of your hide. There's eight of them tonight. You don't want all of them do you?" He grinned, and laughed feeding her another strawberry lovingly. The other man was not fast, taking his time and his pleasure seriously. The rest of the group either watched or got down to business. They were discussing some new business interests, ignoring the grunts and whimpering. A man opposite of Xeno grinned, reached down, and twisted the device on Auer's wrist... cutting her skin deeply He moved a cup to catch the blood dripping into a small silver goblet. He raised it to his lips and toasted everyone there.

"Here's for doing what we want when we want it. Long live Vortex!"

[Auer]

Auer lay upon her dirty mattress in her restrictive living quarters. Her eyes were closed yet she had not entered the welcoming sanctuary of sleep. Instead she thought of all that she had once experienced in the past before misery flew on the winds of time, it was that wind she missed... the fresh air and warm sunlight, she had begun to forget how it felt upon her skin. This was just a few aspects that they seized from her with their rough hands of cruelty and although she longed for their sweet existence, it was not what they had taken away from her but what they had given the female Elf that caused the most damage; and to her dismay they just kept on giving and giving...torment, torture, humiliation in such devastating proportions. Auer’s teal eyes opened a fraction upon hearing cult members’ heavy footsteps become louder as they came closer to her prison. Auer held her breath hoping against hope that this time she would not be called upon and yet, just like the time before and the previous time before that the footstep drew to a halt outside her living area. The familiar foreboding sense of doom took hold of Auer that made her insides despairingly churn. She sat up, ran her finger nervously through her hair in a sign of anxiety and then she looked out at the appearing forms with a look of winter’s ice searing forth from her eyes. Harsh eyes followed by a gruff voice then spoke out, “Party tonight. You are the entertainment.” Auer clenched her teeth and took a deep intake of her breath as she was grabbed and forced out of her quarters.

She took small steps one could only take when shackled while her guards dragged her along at a faster pace. Everyone had reason to fear Xeno, his own men proved no different. Auer glowered at their next foul comment but chose not to say a remark back. She was well used to the events soon to follow and the female needed to prepare herself mentally for it. Her past love was the pillar of unpredictability and thus, Auer never knew what to expect. At one time he would be jealous if one of his men so much as looked at her too hard and yet on other occasions he would let them sample her while he stood back and watched with a grin and a detached look revealed in his eyes. What would his mood and demeanour prove to be tonight? Auer’s insides churned again, she knew blessed unconsciousness would not come to absorb her fast enough.

They dragged her to the cleaning area and with hands that did not know what the touch of gentleness was, they dunked her until each breath of the foul underground air was taken in gulps and spluttered gasps. Each time she tried her best to prepare herself for the next onslaught of dunking. Auer knew this was the closest way they would see a reaction out of her that simply could not be faked. The more time that had bleakly passed by, the less Auer let them have the satisfaction of seeing her pain or fear. She cloaked her terror and misery with a facade of strength and carelessness. Only Xeno had the power to force out a true reaction and this he usually waited for in the privacy of his room. The other brutes, just like the oafs that now bathed her, were but beginners still learning how to keep their food held down while they learned the vast and imaginative torturous ways of the cult.

After the oafs had finally tired of the trying to drown her into emotional submission they scrubbed her skin until it burned with rawness. Auer clenched her jaw but did not utter one complaint or cry, instead Auer embraced it. Even though it went well beyond harsh, it at least made her feel slightly less repugnant. Auer was then hauled out of the bath and the next teeth clenching time began. As she felt the harsh pull of the tweezers she closed her eyes and imagined what she would pluck from their bodies if she ever had the chance. The image played out in her mind becoming more detailed as they commenced until the sharp tugs and pulls of the tweezers began to feel like mere tickles given by the gentlest of hands. It was at this moment that Auer felt the piercing of her nipples and her eyes opened widely. She could not help but let out a gasp. Upon seeing their grins Auer could no longer keep her tongue silent. With clenched teeth as the sting remained in a sensitive area of her body, Auer said in a tone of disdain. “So boys, your mothers must be awfully proud of this beautician job of yours. Are you planning on tending to them next?” Whatever pain Auer received in return, the comment was worth every sweet sting.

And then the time had arrived. With her heart pounding, Auer was led to and forced into position upon the table. Auer stared into the eyes of the cult member who strapped her neck and wrists. Auer always looked for some kind of evidence of humanity, of perhaps empathy or compassion and each time she came up empty. No man there possessed a heart and no god heard her last pleas. Her legs were left to dangle over the table; she was checked over and perfectly aligned for ease of access; she felt the first gentle contact with the other landscape of beauty, another slave easily attained and easily subdued...Auer took a deep breath and waited. It was these moments in particular Auer wished the hardest for death to make its claim on her soul. As food was placed around the slaves on the table, Auer’s stomach growled with hunger as much as it churned in anxiety and dread. Auer put her last prayer to Death and silent heartfelt words spilled from her heart. It was then that the razor blade cuffs were placed on her slender wrists promising through the feel of its caress to spill her blood and let it gush forth all upon their wish, to heighten the madness, to enhance their euphoric rapture. Auer knew as her heart further tumbled and split apart, that no other would save her body from what awaited her that night; the endless continuation of assault, disgrace and embarrassment would be given with each lustful gaze and fervent take.

The imaginative ways they gave her torture Auer had become somewhat adjusted to; it taught her something valuable: endurance. But when she was made to be entertainment, when she made an example of, Auer did the only thing she could do in this time, she filled hear heart with hate and she filled her mind with consoling vacant emptiness as the guests swaggered into the room. She ignored the other slave's soft whimpers. She simply did not have room to offer her any guidance or any courage. Auer’s teal eyes fell upon Xeno as he took his place in the centre of the room. He still had the same effect upon her, he took her breath away and made her heart catch in her throat. By merely being there he held the attention of everyone in the room. The regal host, every bit distinguished and refined, gave Auer a look that held ecstasy and madness. He could bring her both the freedom of heaven and the endless inferno of hell. Only he had the power to give her back her wings and she never gave up hope, however, the light became dimmer inside with each candlemarks passing until all the lights went out. Blessed emptiness reigned but its tranquillity never lasted long.

Auer looked into his cold eyes of sky blue and remembered the side of him only her teal eyes could see but it was a side buried deep that rarely showed. She had felt the beauty of his intimate embrace. She knew somewhere deep inside gentleness resided; she looked for that tenderness and was met with a gaze that chilled; it was a gaze that brought forth internal agony and froze upon her skin. How could she love him yet intensely hate him both at the same time? This was a question that rode upon the storm in her heart as it ripped, tore and consumed the purity that once laughed and smiled. She was now tainted goods, his property and tonight he was willing to be a good host and share. The gaze reminded her of the existing scars she tried to hide and all hopes came crashing down. Tonight held no other promises but eventual blackness but first she had to endure their forced entries as they viciously intruded far and deep to where only a lover’s intimate touch should be felt with soft kisses and the most tender of caresses. Auer blocked out the sounds of the slave, she blocked out every foul dimension of the other eight men. She tried to run from reality, but it would not let her. Xeno demanded her attention and she could do nothing more but obey. She delicately chewed and swallowed the strawberry he fed her. Her eyes looked deeply into his “You don’t want all of them do you?” Xeno asked her. Auer briefly contemplated what the best answer would be. What would satisfy him the most to hear? She searched for the appropriate answer but within her she only found only an endless pool of sadness that tried to lure her into its soft weeping lull and drown the internal fragments that dismally floated and fell. And then there was her anger, a tempest that turned sadness to madness and viewed the world with eyes of black rage.

In her soft silken voice she whispered to the master of her heart, her body and her crushed spirit. “You know there is only one man I want. And I will go through these eight men to get him if that is what is needed. But can you accept the remainders after they have had their fill? Will you be satisfied knowing others have sampled my blood and my flesh before you? As ruler of this domain I would think you would have yours and would not want to share what is your property, what is your claim.” Auer arched her brow as her teal eyes of beauty and sadness gazed upon his in an unsettling, almost affectionate manner. Auer had learnt how to act any role needed. If she could not be rewarded by death than her heart would settle for the storm of anger and while she walked around the sadness inside she often fell into the well of her tears. It mattered not...the blackness would soon come. But she knew she would rather feel the ache of him than from another meaningless dirt bag. He was both her pleasure and her pain. She kept eye contact with Xeno until a guest cut into her wrist and like a creature of the night, he drank her life’s nectar and toasted the room. Auer clenched her teeth and silent toasted to his end.

Only then did she turn her attention back to her lover, her master, the demon of her endless night.