Yes, you see it correctly, here I am with a brand new story! 8D Of course, I shall continue Against fate and Path To Divinity too, in due time, but for now, enjoy this little flick till then. ;3
Thankies to Luckster(elemente on dA) for beta-reading once again! :)
WARNING: The story will get more and more violent later on. You've been warned.
Piranha was my primary inspiration for this. If anyone hadn't read it yet, then get to it, right now! X3
Abyss
Freedom...the concept of doing what you desire at all times, without the restrictions normally present in our lives. Instinctively, every creatures strives to achieve this, one way or another. Some wage great wars for the sought independence, while others try much to enforce it through alternative means, from striking terror into the hearts of simple people, to utilizing the force of the masses to finally grasp at least a tiny fragment of it. While freedom occurs in many things, from simple to grandiose, no matter what, it never appears in whole.
Some authority is always kept, be it the will of a few, or the oppressing rule of the wealthy. In truth, every freedom comes with a price, and only the unsuspecting, the feeble-minded, and the ignorant don't realize that one day, everyone must pay it, for every little bit one had been granted over the years...fate never leaves a contract unfulfilled...free will, in true sense, is nothing but the illusion of a sanctuary...believe it, and you might be in for a rude awakening.
"Move it already!"
The voice cracked a moment before accompanied by a lash to emphasize the command. Holding back the cry that wanted to escape from her throat, she slowly rose a bit, stumbling forwards again in the dark. Although she'd been around here for long minutes, her eyes still hadn't adapted to the shadowy place.
She couldn't even remember how long she'd been walking now...minutes, hours seemed to blur together into one never-ending nightmare. Her legs were tired and cold, her feet scraped by the surface she was walking upon. Her back was burning, the chilly air not helping much either.
Every now and then, she got a warning to continue walking, which usually consisted of a metallic grunt, along with an all-too-known pain...the lashes. She couldn't ignore them, no matter how many times the slender piece of leather danced across her back. Each and every time, she thought she could see stars from the overwhelming agony.
Her body suit was already lying tattered against her skin, the normally vibrant yellow-purple colors now dim and unseen in the darkness. Her bushy blue tail swept along her feet, all dirty and bristled up from the lashes she'd endured. Despite all torture though, her jade eyes still glimmered with the same confidence and defiance everyone knew her from.
"We're here..." her captor mused, in the emotionless, but threatening voice she had grown to despise so much. Before she could have asked what he meant, she let out a sharp cry of shock as her tormentor kicked her in the abdomen, launching her against the slightly ajar door.
The door creaked open from her momentum, letting her roll into the room rather unceremoniously. Just a moment after awakening, she started coughing madly from the kick, almost surprised she wasn't coughing up any blood.
"I highly doubt you greet people like this..." a cold, sardonic voice mused before her. She glared up, knowing it well already.
Her gaze was met by a pair of devilish red eyes, almost casting a faint light upon her. Though she had faced his gaze several times before, it still made chills run down her spine every time he happened to gaze right into her own. Even after a simple glance, one could easily debate the fact that he was a robot, and quite the advanced one.
The dim light inside the room illuminated him only a little bit, but enough to give him a both intimidating and graceful look at the same time. The light just barely lit the both humane and inhumane face he had, the terrible balance between nature and technology. She had no idea how, but right to the last eyelash, he looked almost fully like he was one of her kind, though obviously male.
She had no idea how and why he had the almost life-like features that both disgusted, and slightly amazed her, but were certainly unique amongst the rest of the Robot-Pirates. His altered look also gave him a significant number of advantages, including the ability to produce the mocking smirk she despised in him so much.
Even his posture indicated his rank, one slender leg over the other, his hand bended at the elbows, his fingertips touching each other right under his chin. Right to the nails, he looked exactly like any organic creature, unless counting the red eyes that felt like they could burn a hole into her.
Whoever designed him had done an extraordinary job, much to her planet's misfortune. Unlike the rest of the robots, who wore rather tattered pirate rags, his were clean and well-tailored, as it seemed. Obviously, he cared a lot for his appearance, for reasons she couldn't quite understand.
Though the white shirt along with the black pants and coat were rather similar to a trader, than a slaver, he found enjoyment in wearing them, giving him a much more elegant look than any of his fellow pirates. She felt a twinge of pure hatred once more as she realized once more how familiar the material of his clothes were...fairies and Teensies had their clothes from it.
This was the soulless killing machine she had come to known as Tazer, Razorbeard's First Mate. Even with the relatively short time she had known him, she could easily see that in reality, the Admiral her people feared wasn't their greatest foe. Razor was an incompetent fool, a mere puppet and shield for the robot sitting before her. Even though he had no need to sit, having no fatigue or anything, he enjoyed the fury in the fairy's eyes as he was settled comfortable in the throne that once belonged to the Fairy Council.
"You abominations surely know...much about manners..." she growled, her hand clenching in anger, as she rose a bit, only to fall back on the ground as she was lashed once more by the robot that took her here. She muttered a few things under her breath that would have surely made elder fairies scowl at her, while she trembled all over from the pain.
"Now, now...you sure have one quite bad mouth there, kitten." Tazer mused, his tone a mixture of disgusting sweetness, along with dripping venom of mockery.
She snapped her head up, meeting his gaze with an angered glare, her face transitioning to bring red. He enjoyed toying with the young fairy's appearance at least as much with her spirit. Anything that involved her discomfort seemed like the ultimate enjoyment for him, a fact none could understand because if his supposed lack of emotions.
"My name is Ly." she muttered, the forced calm obvious in her voice. She knew Tazer was always relying on one simple thing...emotions.
The robot was completely aware of how emotions work, how they're triggered, and what they caused. The only real reason why he did keep toying with her, was to observe this even further. The fairy on the other hand, refused to give him even this little joy. Even if she had been caught for a while now, she would not be his little plaything!
"Ah, thank you...I always seem to forget that." he mused. The robot's expression didn't change, but it was obvious he was a bit disappointed the fairy hadn't risen against him. "Now...why have I summoned you again? Oh, of course, another foiled escape attempt, was it?"
Ly glared sharply at him, kneeling now instead of being on all fours like some animal. She wished to hold at least part of her dignity, and that continuously told her not to become just another mindless slave of the robot. Her breath was caught suddenly though, a sudden push sending her face-first into the floor.
"Answer him!" the robot holding her neck growled, it's usually yellow eyes burning in red, for once.
"Equally bad manners, as I can see..." Tazer heaved a made-up sigh, planting his chin into one of his hands, while thrumming his fingers on the throne's handle. "Let her go, or else she won't be able to ever answer." he called, his tone calm, but demanding immediate compliance. The captor didn't dare back-talking at all and let go of the fairy's neck, allowing her to breathe again.
"I apologize for the apparent lack of class my underlings have...sadly, politeness wasn't a necessity for their programmers to implement." he reached out and grabbed her chin lightly, pushing her head up a bit so he could see her eyes. Her jade eyes battled with his artificial ones, neither of them winning in the end. She had just too much defiance in her to look away and admit defeat.
"Your apology is sadly not...accepted..." she groaned, pushing his hand away and sitting up on her own, resuming to glare upon Tazer. "Especially not when you trained them to act as such..."
"You see right through me, don't you?" the robot let out a makeshift chuckle, as if he was caught on a lie. "I may have a little part in it...but I certainly don't approve them doing such terrible things to a delicate little flower like yourself." One could almost be fooled by thinking the robot could actually produce something similar to a purr.
The fairy knew better by now, than to be deceived by such petty tricks. "You probably have really a lot of understanding of flowers, if you were so ready to trample them all...but who am I to ask for any compassion from an abomination, like you?" she raised a brown, her pointy ears twitching a bit. With such attitude, she resembled more of a renegade princess, than the young and unranked fairy she truly was.
That hit the spot quite well as it seemed. Tazer's elegant posture broke for a moment, the cold gaze of his transitioning into a glare. He eased up soon enough though, but not quick enough for Ly not to notice it. Though it didn't help her much, it did give a little satisfaction to be able to insult him.
"Watch it my dear...I could make life at least a bit easier for you, but I won't be able to help at all, if you keep on acting in such a way." he reminded, grasping her chin again, pulling her a bit closer this time.
The fairy had to lean closer as well, not wanting to risk him harming her in such a way. She knew the robot could easily break her jaw in less than a second, if he wanted to. He pulled her close enough to be near her ear, without the other robot hearing them.
"Listen up kitten...you may not yet know, but I'm already keeping you in a better shape than the rest of your...friends." he mused, his words twisting her abdomen a bit in worry. "Show some respect for me, won't you?" he purred, lowering his hand, under her collar and to the upper part of her chest a bit.
She couldn't even prepare for the impact, even though she knew of his weapon already. A gigantic shock course through her body, powerful enough not just to make her whole body spasm violently, but knocked her back a bit even. She thought she'd screamed her lungs out as the electricity only wore off after a few moments. Even after landing, it took a few minutes before her body stopped twitching from the shock.
"It seems I still prove to be a rather shocking sight..." Tazer mused, the blue glow around his fingers slowly disappearing.
Though a strategic genius above everything, he had no problem with the simpler forms of combat. His complex and diverse abilities had often changed the course of battles, before he resigned to instead secretly lead the Pirates, using Razor as nothing more than a rusty puppet.
A few minutes had to pass before Ly could so much as get up on all fours, still trembling heavily from the earlier shock, panting even. All the strength she had collected the past few days felt like it's been siphoned from her, with only nausea and weakness remaining instead. For a moment, she almost felt she'd black out, but luckily managed to collect herself enough.
The robot watched her struggle with a subtle feeling one could properly describe as glee. He enjoyed messing with her on a general basis, but what raised her above every other creature he had 'tended to', was the fact that no matter what, she'd always stand up again and again. Her spirit seemed unbreakable, even if she was nothing more than just some pet to him. Tazer merely continued to watch her with a cold satisfaction...impossible was something he never accepted.
Without giving her any more time to recoup, he reached out for her again, grabbing the black, metal collar, pulling her closer again. She almost fell forward from the pull, but managed to crawl closer a bit before that could have happened. The gaze he gave now was the mockery once again, amused by how weak she seemed now, compared to a few moments ago.
"Well then...I believe that will probably remind you not to try and flee again." he mused, growing even more amused as Ly instinctively reached up a bit to try and pry his hand off her collar, to no avail. "Remember, not everyone is as generous as I am...you could barely even ask for a better treatment than what I provide you."
"You could....give me...food and water though..." she muttered, having a bit of difficulty breathing clearly as he get holding the accessory...and also, her mark of slavery.
"I'll give it a thought." he assured with a further bringing her face quite close to his. "That is...if you know how to behave, like a good kitten..."
Even with his artificial eyes, he couldn't say the fairy was a bad sight...her eyes remained one thing he just loved to watch as they burned in anger, almost sparkling whenever light touched them. Her skin seemed rather soft still, even with the lack of nourishment and the horrendous amount of torture she had to live through almost every single day.
Tazer nodded slightly to the other robot, unnoticed to the fairy. Her captor got the message clearly though and stepped closer, gripping her by the tail all of a sudden. Tears sprung into Ly's eyes as he started pulling her away, a stinging pain coursing all over her spine, pulsing into every inch of her body.
Her tail was a furry extension of her spine, and thus hurt like pure hell if anyone gripped it like that. She held her screams of pain inside, even as the robot started dragging her away. She knew exactly that Tazer wanted to humiliate her with it, and seemed to be succeeding quite well with it. By the time they reached the door, her tears were running down her face steadily, the pain not dulling enough not to notice it.
"I do hope you'll reconsider your behavior eventually, kitten." the robot mused as her captor dragger her out of the room. "It'd solve countless problems for both you and me..."
Though the fairy had quite a few doubts whether surrendering fully would help him at all, she of course had no intention of giving in. Slave or not, she had no intention of giving up all her pride. She would have rather suffered even more, just to deny him the pleasure of seeing her whimpering for mercy, as that was what she guessed he wanted so much.
He felt almost amused once again upon seeing the renewed defiance in her eyes, and gestured to the robot dragging the fairy to take her back to her cell. The other, much less sophisticated, crude, but altogether sturdy and powerful one nodded back and continued onwards, keeping a strong grip on her tail.
Ly only whimpered a tiny bit, holding the remainder of her pained reactions inside, even as they started backtracking the long hallway she crawled through before. Over a minute passed and she was trembling wildly now, unable to crawl backwards at all, ending up being dragged continuously. She couldn't let herself show it though...she couldn't.
Tazer's almost perfect humane features transitioned to a deadly smirk as her screams echoed down the hallway.
- - -
She awakened to the feeling of being thrown against cold, metal bars, quickly bringing her back to her senses. Shaking her head a bit from the momentary daze, she couldn't help but turn red slightly in shame, knowing she had blacked out after she reached the limit of her endurance.
"Here ya go, eat up..." she heard the guard growled, a crudely carved wooden bowl sliding into her tiny cell, the heavy steps of the robot indicating he was leaving already. "Oh, and the Boss said no covers from now on, until ya behave." he added, before closing the doors behind himself with a loud creek and crash.
Ly trembled a tiny bit, already feeling cold, and knowing it'd only get worse later on. Though she refused to serve in any way, her stomach started grumbling to the sight of the bowl, having had nearly nothing for the past two days, as she could count.
She scooted closer to the bowl, taking it into the shaking hands. Of course, the food was badly made, morel like just slapped into the bowl, but seemed still reasonably fresh. It only took several unsteady moments, before she threw the bowl away, having it land against the cell bars and coating the area near it with the mash of food.
Though she knew she shouldn't be picky at this point, she refused to the very depth of her soul to eat what she'd been given. She tried not to even guess what creature had to be sacrificed for this, but the sheer sign of the meat chunks were enough to make her nauseous. She turned away quickly from even the sight of the food, coughing a bit, before her insides slowly settled down again.
She didn't have to think hard to know who was probably the one who ordered her, and supposedly the rest of her kind this meal. That Polokus-forsaken robot seemed to go through every limit to disgrace all of them. Fairies were eternally tied to nature, and as such, it was impossible for them to so much as imagine eating another living being, even if long dead.
She sighed, her thoughts trailing back to the middle of the invasion, when they still held hope that they could repel their attackers. The cunning plan she thought up back then went perfectly at first.
The young fairy sighed a bit, her thoughts reaching downhill. They were only happy for a short time, her capture following immediately after sending Globox on the greatest deed of heroism of his life. The Silver Lum reached Rayman, and he began his noble try to defend what he could.
His heart for his friends and his need for advice were his undoing finally thought. All along her initial imprisonment, she was sure that sooner or later, she'd see Rayman breaking into the place and freeing her from her dreadful prison. She didn't count right at all though...or better, hadn't expected things to turn out for the worst.
Ly knew she'd probably never know how he did it, but Tazer, guided by a faint suspicion relocated her to the Prison Ship much earlier than she expected, not giving the limbless enough time to even find her. Instead, he was met by a battalion of Pirates.
Rayman's second capture marked the end of their luck. One by one, every resisting creature on her planet was either killed or caught eventually. None of them were able to do anything now, not without the support of the fairies, and their limbless hero. It was over in just a few more days...the Crossroad of Dreams, had fallen to the onslaught of the Robot Pirates.
Sighing in despair, she gazed off into what seemed to be the only source of light in her cell. She was sealed off from the others, especially Rayman, due to her ability to create Silver Lums, even if her powers had almost completely diminished, because of the lack of exposure to the Heart of the World's power.
The fairy continued to gaze at the little circular window, the light of the hallway shining a bit through the dirty glass. Her ears lowered a bit, as she brought her knees up, trying to warm up a bit. She felt the all-too-known pressure in her throat, pleading for her to let out her sadness finally and mourn the loss of her life as she knew it.
She couldn't bring herself to do it though, knowing that once she did, Tazer would always be able to get to her. She had to stay strong, for everyone...for her own salvation. A lone tear trickled down her face nevertheless, cutting a clean patch on her dirty face. If it were only that easy...