The Lord of Ragnarok
Chapter 16: A Striking Serpent
Urbe Auream - Magistrate's home/Basement - Lala's P.O.V.
The sound of soft breathing was all I heard as I entered the basement of the large manor. As Lord Mannulus had predicted, the note the Magistrate had on his person had only increased security. The Prince and both Princesses were closely watched. I knew that Lord Mannulus had been invited to visit with the King of Coronam, and he stated that he would do so, soon. That in turn informed me that we were to clean the city. The first order of business was to rescue the girl trapped here.
I entered the basement unsure of what I would find, and based upon the various torture devices in various areas I was sorely upset that the Magistrate had died so quickly. I heard a whimper, a soft mewling sound, that came from the dark. I saw a single golden eye, staring in pure terror at me. I slowly moved toward the owner of the eye, and I noticed that she seemed unable to really move. As I got closer to her I could see that she was bound in chains. There was not a stitch of clothing on her, and there was small cuts and large bruises that lined her body.
She tried to move back, her tail secured to the ground.
"This… Please, this slave will not fight, please do not punish this slave, please, do… Please don't do it again, please…" she weeped.
I slowly reached down, unlocking her shackles, letting them drop, and then I saw the confusion in her eye, her unswollen eye. Rage filled me as I looked at her. She had been beaten, raped, and then beaten again. I desperately wanted Lord Mannulus to resurrect Magistrate Gallus Decipio and then allow him to be slowly dissolved by various slimes. I gently touched her, "The magistrate is dead, you are free," I said.
She shook her head, "No… He… It's a trick. He will know that I'm loose, please, lock me back up! I… I don't want him to hurt me again!"
It was my opinion that death was far too good for him. I slowly lifted her, and I found that she couldn't fight back. She was far too weak. Anger raged through me toward the Magistrate, and I wished deeply for lord Mannulus to resurrect him. I wished it with every fiber of my being. Because he needed to suffer for this. His death was mostly painless, and he most likely suffered a euphoric high while dying. He didn't need to feel pleasure. He needed to be beaten within an inch of his life, healed, and then slowly fed to slimes for this action. I carried her, hearing her panicked voice about how she needed to go back, how she couldn't be beaten again, and I ignored it all.
I carried her as quietly, quickly, and carefully as I could. When I returned to the manor I took her to a bed. Once there I summoned Maxine. She glanced at me. Her own anger began to surface, and I realized what it truly meant for her to be a fire fae. Flames flickered across her skin, and her very clothes began to catch a flame. She slowly turned away, "I will call for Master Umbra to join us."
I gave her a nod, and a moment later she was gone. The girl was less stressed, but she looked around, trying to see if there was anyone that would attempting to hurt her. Instead, after a moment she relaxed. I heard the portal, and I looked to see Umbra, but along with him was an elf I had not met before. The elf rushed forward, his eyes looking at the girl.
"What happened?"
I closed my fists, determined not to allow myself to vent to the obvious attending surgeon. Instead I looked ahead, "She was captured by various criminals, given to a magistrate as a present, and then she was used."
He looked angry, gave her something, and I watched as she fell asleep. He then held out his hand, and a soft glow covered her.
"She's suffered anal tearing, There's two, no three different sexually transmitted diseases, and she seems to be bleeding internally. I will have to act fast, but I should be able to save her. This Magistrate, where is he?"
I knew that he most likely saw the cold look of anger on my face, "He's paid with his life, but he didn't pay nearly enough."
He gave a nod, "From what I see here, unless he was mauled by a mountain lion, dragged himself through about four miles of broken glass, and then was forced to roll around in salt until he died, no, he didn't pay nearly enough."
With that I watched as he began treating her injuries, and while a potion, or spell, would do the trick far easier I could see his actions having the desired effect. He finished, and when he did he cast a small spell over her. He looked toward me.
"She will recover, but the psychological trauma will remain with her. I don't know if her staying here would be for the best or not. She needs somewhere to feel safe, and honestly if this happened in this city I don't know how safe she would feel here."
I gave him a nod, "For the time being I believe it would be best for her to remain. I personally would like to ensure that she is safe."
He studied me for a moment, "Alright, although getting her away from here might be the safest for her."
With that he rose and looked at Umbra, "So, about that Pegasus missing his wings."
Umbra gave a nod, "I believe there are a few options, although I personally think that Hephaestus' suggestion of creating prosthetic wings would be best. He is quite gifted at creating such things, and in truth they would be far harder to break."
The two of them talked about this unknown Pegasus until I saw them disappear back through the portal. Once they were gone I looked at the young Lamia. I could be mistaken, but I seriously doubted that she was out of her teenage years yet. Perhaps it was just her build, but she looked to be mid teens. Such a thing was completely unacceptable.
I heard Maxine and I looked to see her studying our guest.
"We should let her rest. Lord Mannulus gave us orders, and they include destroying the hold this Hydra has on the city."
She was right, and I knew where to strike first. The Magistrate's notes confirmed that Incido Lingent was the one that supported the bulk of Hydra's financial support. If we removed her, and her network of brothels, then we would deal them a crippling blow. Since reporting to Lord Mannulus, and exploring the Magistrate's manor, I had learned of an official building she worked out of. The building was a loan agency, and today I would be visiting her."
After a couple of hours I accompanied Lady Lulamoon as she walked toward the office that Incido Lingent worked from. The door itself was simple, but I noticed something right away. The wood used to construct it was Ironwood. Lady Applejack had transplanted several Ironwood trees from her floor to the surrounding area. Those trees grew quickly, often covering vast areas in days instead of years. And another of the trees properties was that when cut, the wood dried and treated, and then used as timber for buildings, or wood for doors, was twice as strong as processed iron.
Lady Applejack had often said that a shield of Ironwood would far outlast a normal shield. For this Incido Lingent to have such a door she obviously understood that there would be those eventually tempted to come after her. This was a layer of protection that was most expensive, from what I had learned during the meetings with the Merchant's guild. One merchant, Cupidita Avaritia, explained that her wood mill, and carpentry agency, charged top billing when dealing with Ironwood simply because it was so difficult for their tools to get through.
From the work alone, based on what Cupidita had said, this was her carpenters work. I knocked on the door, and a moment later it opened to reveal a fetching woman. She was tall for a human, reaching around six foot, her build was generous, similar to Lady Solar Flare's own build, but her face was one that seemed unmatched. She was beautiful, her crystal blue eyes scanning both myself and Lady Lulamoon. Her crimson lips parted, and she beckoned us inside.
We followed her into her office, and she shut the door. I noticed that she messed with a lantern in the window. There were two slight flashes, and she appeared to make a grand show of adjusting it to get the level of light correct. Perhaps the rouse would be enough for those desperate for money, but I saw it for what it was. This was her signaling others.
"Welcome to Lingent Counting house. How may one such as myself help two obviously well upstanding ladies as yourselves."
Lady Lulamoon smiled, "Actually, we wanted to help you."
I watched as the illusion magic was cast, and Incido Lingent cowdered back into her chair. She frantically looked around, desperate for some kind of escape, and instead the fears she had closed in on her. She looked at her hands and screamed.
"NO! I'm young! Young! That bastard promised me that I would be forever young!"
Lady Lulamoon leaned forward, "I can return your youth, in a mere blink of an eye, but doing so isn't my desire, so what are you willing to trade for it?"
She looked at her, "Anything! I have money, lots of money! I can give it all to you!"
Lady Lulamoon stood and laughed at her, and I enjoyed watching her squirm.
"Money?! The Great and Powerful Lulamoon is not concerned with your pathetic, small, and insignificant collection of coins!" she laughed, "No, I wish for more."
She looked at lady Lulamoon in desperation, "Everything I have! Please! I'll sign it over!"
Lady Lulamoon stood, and I watched as she touched her. Suddenly Incido Lingent shivered and she looked fearfully up at Lady Lulamoon. Lady Lulamoon studied her, "You will do the following things in the next few moments, or I will return you to your former state, do you doubt the Great and Powerful Lulamoon?"
She shook her head no, and I saw her bow before her, "Please, I believe you, what do you want?"
She smirked at her, "You will give loan forgivenesses to every house that has loans through you. On top of that, you will give us the information detailing the amount of money that leaves this counting house and supplies Hydra with funds it needs to operate, and lastly you will pack every last item you own, and you will follow us. If you do not, and if you attempt to undermine us, The Great and Powerful Lulamoon will send you back to your former state, and I will make it last forever!"
She whimpered, "I… I can't! They'll kill me!"
She screamed again, her eyes frantic over what she alone saw.
"Please! I'm sorry! I'll do it! Please, return my beauty!"
She quickly began gathering parchments, writing out forgiveness letters to every loan she had, and then she swallowed, and pulled out a large ledger. She opened it, and looked away.
"The money from the brothels is moved through my connections in the royal guards. They ensure that it is transported to these two addresses. From there my funding goes two both Offoco Caedis and Onager Cavum. Afterward I'm not sure how they spend it, but I know that I send the same amount every month."
Lady Lulamoon glared at the ledger, "You just sent the payment, didn't you?"
She nodded, "Yes, I'm sorry, please…"
Lady Lulamoon studied her, "First, the names of the guards. All of them."
She brought out another ledger, and on it was various names with amounts next to them, "These are the guards and the amounts are the bribes they accept to continue doing this."
I watched as Lady Lulamoon studied it a bit longer, "Very well, pack everything, follow us, and when we have arrived to your new home I will grant you back your beauty," she grabbed Incido by the hair and pulled her forward toward us. I could see the ears streaming down her face. She whimpered as Lady Lulamoon moved closer to her, "You will spend the rest of your life, which I'm assuming is immortal, making up for this. You belong to me now. You are property of the Great and Powerful Lulamoon!"
It took her very little time to gather a few basic things, among which were a small collection of coin purses. She looked defeated, humiliated, practically broken, and I realized just the level of power that Lady Lulamoon had. We left, heading back to the manor, and I could see our newest guest whimpering the entire time. She acted as if she couldn't bare the skin she was wrapped inside of. The moment we stepped through the door Lady Lulamoon contacted Lord Mannulus.
I watched as the portal opened and Lord Mannulus stepped through. He studied the woman, a moment later he was followed by Lady Rainbow Dash, Lady Twilight Sparkle, Lady Luna, and Lady Solar Flare. The four of them looked upon the gibbering wretch that pleaded for her beauty to be returned.
"My Lord," Lady Lulamoon said, "I present you a present from our conquest. The letters of forgiveness for the loans that held the converted brothels in thrall will be delivered. Without those means of funds Hydra will have to be far more brazen in their actions."
He nodded, "Well done, all of you, now, restore her, after I do this."
I watched as he performed a simple ceremony, one which ended with Incido Lingent wearing a slave collar. The illusion was broken and she wept with relief. Lord Mannulus looked at her, and held his hand out. A moment later he laughed.
"I see, it's a simple spell, one that steals a few seconds of life from those bound to your contracts. I believe that with them all forgiven you will begin to age."
I watched her face fall, "No, please! I have to be beautiful! I can't be an old crone!"
I saw him look at her, "I will grant you eternal beauty, but its cost is dear. You will become a servant," he looked to me, "Lala, I am making her a maid. She is to serve domestic duties, and she is under your authority. Report to me if she fails any of her duties."
I nodded, "Of course my lord."
Temple of Celestia Sol - Mannulus' chambers - Mannulus' P.O.V.
Going back through the portal again I felt the familiar burn of the runes. It was something that I had become accustomed to. The pain was gone. My body, and mind, had completely adjusted to it, and all that was honestly left was just the faint whisper of sensation. I looked at my brides, all four of them, and I noticed that Solar Flare looked pleased. She moved toward me, her hands gently touching my robed chest.
"You've collected a fine servant my love," she purred, "And one that had been a predator. Lulamoon has broken her for us, and then you gave her a gift."
I smiled at her, "I believe she can be useful. Having an immortal as a servant will certainly come in handy."
She licked my muzzle, "The fact that she seems to have my build does not hurt either," she gently pushed me to the bed, dropped to her knees, and moved my robes, "but I believe I need to remind you of why I am one of your brides."
The others were moving around her, undressing, and I felt her lick and gently suckle my shaft before taking it into her muzzle. Her head began to bob up and down, moving quickly, and easily, as she took my length first to the opening of her throat, and then deeper into it. The pleasure was one of the few things I could fully feel. My body responded as my other brides began to move against me. Solar Flare pulled up, and I felt the coolness of the room as she allow my shaft to leave the silky confinds of her throat. She straddled me, moving back, and then I felt myself enter her. She let out a low growling moan as she began to move her hips. I felt her thrusting as it became deeper and more possessive. She looked down on me, her eyes looking at my form.
"Mine!" she cried as she rode me, "All of you are mine!"
I began to move, and the others allowed me to. We changed positions, and no longer was she riding me, but her legs were now held in place by my arms. She relinquished power to me, and I gave her all that I could. Minutes turned to an hour, and then that hour turned to three. When we had finished all of my wives had been sated, and I felt better than I had in some time. Standing I took in the sight before me, but more than that I took in what would be coming. With the first blow dealt to Hydra they would begin to openly attempt to defy and control the city. They would be crushed, and then war would proceed.
These moments, wonderful and beautiful, would become less frequent until the Theocracy was nothing but a burning husk. I looked back at them, and I realized exactly how unfair this was to them. They needed to know that they were loved. Solar Flare had shown me that in her own way. I moved back to the middle of them. Once we were up and clean, it would be time to call a guild meeting. We needed to manage this as a guild once again. I was good at this, excellent at it, but as Twilight had once said to me, Even I needed help sometimes.
Everfree Forest - Orc camp - Oriaos P.O.V.
Standing there I couldn't get my legs to move. It was a couple off Orcs, dumb, easy to defeat, and slow Orcs, but I was frozen to the spot. I didn't know why, but I was terrified. I wanted to run to Hephaestus and let him hold me in his arms. I wanted him to tell me that I was safe, that nothing would hurt me, but I couldn't do that. All I could do was watch as they laughed. The two of them had stumbled into the forest, and they seemed to be determined to make a home for themselves.
They're orcs! Big dumb orcs! Just kill them already and be done with it!
I couldn't move. I tried to will myself to, but I couldn't do it. Finally one looked toward me.
"MEAT! FEMALE! BREED AND EAT!" he joyfully screamed.
I couldn't move. I felt myself almost crumple to the ground, and I wet myself. They neared me, both of them removing their loin cloths, and I wanted to throw up. Then I heard a shout, and a mighty hammer came down on the first orc's head. It exploded into hundreds of chunks, and the second didn't even have a chance to move before the hammer slammed into his chest and caved it in. I looked at Hephaestus. He lifted me, kissed me softly, and stroked my back as he told me I was okay.
I believed him, I did, but why did the sight of the Orcs frighten me so badly? I remember a large group of them attacking, of them killing my former comrades, but I couldn't remember anything else. There was no reason to be so frightened of Orcs!
Hephaestus carried me back into the temple, and I hugged against him for dear life. I didn't know why I was so scared, but I knew that something must have happened. Something made me frightened of those Orcs. What it was, I didn't know,
Mistress Marevelous' Chambers - Shower - Mistress Marevelous' P.O.V.
The hot water cascaded down my body as it began to wash the dirt and memories away. I scrubbed my coat with the shampoo that I had. It smelled like honey and jasmine. The smell was far better than what he smelled like. I hugged myself, letting the water do for me what it had always done. The Shower, and rain, were the safest places to cry. No one could see you cry, no one could hear your pain, and right now no one could tell that I wanted to throw myself from an open window.
I wept as I showered, and I wept as my innocence was mourned. It wasn't as if I didn't understand the world. But I had saved myself, this entire time, because I had wanted to find someone worth being with. It was old fashioned, and I knew it, but my brother and I had been raised to believe that holding onto that part of your innocence was special, and that whoever you gave it to needed to realize how special of gift you were giving them.
I didn't have it anymore to give. I washed the dried blood from between my legs, the last witnesses to the humiliation and shame, and I bitterly wept at their last proclamation that I had been used like a cheap whore.
Outside of Mistress Marevelous' room - L0rd0f7hund3r's P.O.V.
Hearing MM cry inside the shower was tearing me up inside. I wanted to find the bastard that had… I wanted to find him, ask that he be resurrected, and then I wanted to give him flying lessons. I had wanted to come and talk to her, to see how she was settling in, and now I was standing guard outside of her room. She needed space, and I wanted to make sure that she had it. At one time we used to flirt, but I was pretty sure that was over. I didn't want to make her feel uneasy around me.
I mourned that part of our friendship, but at the same time I knew that I wasn't going to stop being her friend. She needed one more than ever. Part of me wondered if we could have the memories removed from her, but would that be right? Would it be right to remove the pain from her? I knew that if we did it would certainly make her feel better, but what if it just made things worse? I sighed, and I saw Clopmaniac nearing the room.
"Everything okay?"
I shook my head, "nope,"
She shook her head, "She's a good friend. I'd like ta take the mince that did this, and show 'im what 'is balls looked like outta the sack."
I gave her a smile, "I was thinking Flying lessons."
She grinned, "Too fast. He'd barely understand why before he hit. Naw, a good dip with a slime, that'd work."
I laughed, and then looked at the wall in front of me.
"I keep wondering if there's anything we can do for her."
Clopmaniac shrugged, "Be here. I know ya thinkin' Luna, but 7hund3r, it didn't work too well in Project Horizons."
I laughed, "That's a story, and even so, Blackjack had a good reason for doing it."
She smiled sadly, "Ya, and it bit 'er in the arse. Let 'er heal naturally. Gonna be hard, but she's strong."
She walked past me, "Now, Imma gonna find some whiskey, and then I'm gonna get good and wrecked!"
(AN: So, I was asked if I could include a Character list. So, my friends, here it is. This should be a full list of every character up to this point. Hope that it helps keep everyone straight.
Temple of Celestia Sol Guild members:
Mannulus - head of Guild - Necromancer
Clopmaniac - Guild Member - Melee fighting expert
Sombra the Magnificent - Guild Member - Close combat Magic Castor
Mistress Marevelous - Guild Member - Tank/light Paladin Class
Cosmic Light - Guild Member - Archer/Ranger
L0rd0fthund3r - Elemental Magic Castor - Long Ranger Fighter
Lightingsw0rd - Swordsman/Paladin Class - Martial Arts skill fighter
Trixieisagoddess - dark magic castor, Dark Paladin Class - Guild member
NPCs (named so far)
Solar Flare - Current one of Mannulus' brides - pryomancer
Luna - Currently one of Mannulus' brides - Dream powers, mental control magic, mental break magic.
Twilight Sparkle - Leader of the Guardians - one of Mannulus' brides - Skill set of being able to copy any magic witnessed.
Rainbow Prism Dash - One of Mannulus' brides, lead barter/warrior. Head of airstrike team.
Lulamoon - Guardian - Illusion Magic - Alter reality Magic
Rarity - Armor creator for Guild - Fashion designer for Guild - Guardian
Pinkie Pie - Guardian - host for Lord of Chaos
Fluttershy - Currently lightingsw0rd's bride - Guardian.
Discord - lord of Chaos - Trapped inside of Pinkie Pie
Lala - head of Maids - lamia.
Maxine - Pyromancer Fae - Closest to human by looks alone - Maid
Stephine - Vampire - Maid
Myra - Slime - Maid
Natasha - harpy - Maid
Rikka - Arachnid - Maid
Angelia - Succubus - Maid
Siliva - Dullahan - Maid
Lydia - Ghoul - Maid
Hephaestus - blacksmith - Married to Oriaos.
Umbra - Vault Guardian - Medical treatment specialist
Miia - Lamia - Married to Wainwright the Weary
(There's more we haven't introduced yet, so I'm not listing them)
Other Players
Wainwright the Weary - Hedge Wizard - Druid class.
Mockoy - High Elf - Surgeon
Anok the Destroyer - Paladin/Dragon class
Eva Brunnell - Mage - Dark Castor
This is the main list of main characters. I will finish out a more complete one later, but this should give everyone a decent idea of the core characters.)
