Chapter 13

The Missing Years

A heavy click would sound as Vegeta lunged for the bars in lethal fury at the sound of the lock coming to the unlocked position. There was no warning as the guard was grabbed, blood thirsty for food, one hand wrapped powerfully around the throat of the guard. His black eyes gleamed in the dim lighting, a cruel twist of hate and fury raged within. With a quick snap of the neck, the guard would fall lifeless within his hands.

"SYN" The guant figure called out, screaming his name as he headed straight for the Shadow Dragon that kept him hostage. Storming into the room with the Shadow Dragon, his anger clinched his fists tightly.

Syn turned around. "I assume my guard is already dead for you to be walking in here unshackled." He laughed insiduously. "My you are a piece of work aren't you slave? How did you like your eight years in confinement?"

Vegeta narrowed his gaze, remembering it well. "You bastard."

Syn tapped his chin. "Who was it that took you? Oh I remember now, it was Sarm of the Gorean Priest Kings. Good thing I had you drugged up, and then he knocked you out with anestesia. To see a beast like you, put down, it was enlightening."

"Eight years in a small cage, to be viewed upon as an animal by them!" He snapped back with every bit of rage that he could muster. "How dare you force me to stay locked in a cage like that for that long!"

Syn only chuckled then gripped the slave by the collar. "I do hope you're finished slave." He stated before shackling the slave to the pillar by the ring upon his collar. "This should prove interesting. If you fall asleep and then sink to the floor you'll choke. If you try fighitng, you'll choke..."

Before Syn could get out the rest of his taunts, he found that the Warrior slave had turned around, the foot in a nice back kick had sent him across the room in one powerful kick. Blood crimson eyes would narrow as he took up a steel barbed whip. Encroaching upon the slave's personal space he would then jab the butt of the whip under the jaw of the slave and then shackled him with his arms to both pillars. Taking a step back, Syn would begin his lashings.

With each tearing lash, the bite would rip deep into his flesh, blood drawn from the wounds that it had created. Steel like muscles would pull upon his shackles as Vegeta grit his teeth and pulled at his bindings. Fists would clinch tightly against the raging agony as he looked toward the walls before him. The whipping would last until his back was coated in the red fluids, then he was left there for the evening. When it finished, Vegeta would not lax his muscles until Syn had gone from the room, where he would hang upon the wrist cuffs.

Two hours later Syn would come back and then securing a chain anchor would then grab a chain leash and clipped it to the black band around the slave's throat. Holding onto the chain so as to give a tight leash, he unshackled the slave from the wrist chains and led him to the anchor where he would pass the leash through and pull it through the ring now 12 feet up on the pillar. Before tightening it down, he would lock the slave's feet in place with more chains so as not to allow relief. Then when the feet were secured to the floor, he would pull on the leash until the slave was upon tiptoes and locked it down tightly.

Syn would grinned at the slave that now was standing on toes, the collar tight about the throat. "How nice. You can't come down off tiptoes or you choke. Yet you cannot climb the pillar because your ankles are shackled down. I will leave you there as long as I feel now. Have a good night, slave."

Vegeta growled lightly, knowing he could not relax. His fingers would lace through the collar, trying to ease it as his thickening neck pressed against the black smooth steel band around his throat. After a time, his feet would begin to cramp, then his legs. Yet in vain attempt to relieve the pain, he would find his air constricted so he couldn't breathe, not allowing him the briefest of interludes to relax.

Syn would come back a couple days later and grinned when he found his slave fighting with every move to try to stay in that one singular position. "I see another couple of days is in order. You still are clearly not going to be compliant to my whim." With that Syn left th slave to the torment upon the chains.

Vegeta closed his eyes, his teeth gritting upon the anguishing agony. How much longer could he stay like this before one or the other gave out? His breathing ragged, his muscles locked up and in painful cramping, The slave upon his fourth day would allow the slightest bit of a groan escape a parched and dry throat. Finally, upon hearing the footsteps of his Master, he fell slack in the chains, the collar choking him, but he was too weakened to keep up on toes.

Syn came in to an unconscious and choking slave, and releasing the collar chain would not grant the Saiyan release through death. Bringing the slave to, he would keep hold of the slave by the back of the loose blue shirt. "Nice to see you so docile in my grasp, my beast. You will love your new Owner as he will further your...training."

Vegeta wanted to cringe under his Master's cruel grip, as he wearily looked up, his throat aching as he seen another come from the shadows. Once his gaze fell upon his next Master, he would fall limp in the grip that held him, too exhausted to put up any fight at the moment. It wasn't long before he found his wrists and ankles shackled once more tightly, himself muzzled as he was locked in a cage with no room to move.

In his dreams he remembered the other place, the plastic case that shown him upon display to those that passed by. The heavy lock that had kept him contained. More he remembered another being taken through, staring at him as these Priest Kings passed by. They looked about like a praying mantis, but never had he been allowed from his confinements. Instead they kept him fairly sedated while others in the other cases would be bouncing around. He remembered one Priest King in particular having him held within a cage as he was poked and prodded. Sarm was his name.

Kept within a careful stupor, he found himself drifting in and out, he couldn't recall anything but when he was allowed long enough to eat, and then it was back to being again in a drugged state. The slave would wake to see the handlers, perhaps another Gorean passing, but his thoughts at the time were not of Gor. It was of Jronia. A cold shiver would bring the Saiyan to his senses once more as he felt a hand trail over his restrained form.

Valknar grinned at the rousing slave and then with a single pull, slammed the Saiyan roughly against a hardwood floor. A boot pressed against his neck as the black eyes would shift to the Master that stepped upon him. Hate already began to stir toward the man that stood above him as Valknar would clip an anchored chain to the collar before backing up. "I am a Master of manners slave. You will mind me, even if I have to destroy everything you hold dear in your heart."

Going to sit up, he found only the crawling position of being on hands and knees were allowable. His neck even then was pulled upon from the back. Rubbing his wrists from the heavy steel, he heard the footsteps near as he braced for the harsh treatment once more, his gaze looking out of the peripherals of his vision. His body already suffering from the recent beatings, drew tense and quietly he would move to the end of his chain to face his potential attacker.

Valknar though would place a brand upon the fire and then let it heat up. In the meantime, he would then bring the slave to a table where the warrior would be lashed down first by the collar upon a leash that forced the slave to bend upon a table. His right arm would be twisted so the underside of the forearm was facing up and then Valknar would secure it The other hand would be stretched to a shackle upon the farthest corner and there locked in before both legs were bound to the legs on both sides, drawing him taut. With the cheek pressed against the table and the slave unable to move, Valknar would grin.

"My what a troublesome beast you have been for so long. Pity you won't have any say in what is about to happen to you. You will be branded three times. 2706 will be located on your lower right underside of the forearm and your lower left shoulder as a mining slave. Then you will have my initials branded into your upper right shoulder so that you, my beast, would be returned to me should you try to flee your Master." Valknar stated in a cool, perhaps even too delightful for what was about to happen.

Taking a blade, he would cut the blue sleeveless shirt from the back of the slave and then would trail a hand down the back covered with fresh wounds. Finally the iron would be taken out as it glowed white hot and Valknar brought it into sight. Struggling the Saiyan would fight his restraints, his muscles quivered. Valknar then would grin seeing that the slave could not move in the least. He took his time as he grinned, wanting to make it perfect.

It was then that Valknar would press the initials brand straight into the flesh of the upper right shoulder, holding it there firmly as the slave would grind his teeth. Muscles would pull at the burning of flesh as the stench would come to fill the room. Swiftly and cleanly pulling it away, he would place the brand in water to cool with the hiss of steam. Then taking the other brand out of the fire, he would turn back and it was then that he would hold the hot iron above the tethered arm before allowing it to plunge down upon the flesh again holding it there firmly and then once that was done, would then press it to the lower left shoulder blade. Again the brand would be placed in the metal bucket of water as the slave was left lashed down to the table.

Vegeta rested as the flesh reddened, unable to move, he closed his eyes, panting for breath as his burns screamed to be soothed. One thing was sure now, this fight would not be won by strength alone. He had to bide his time, see who ran this City and cut the head of the snake off. Quietly, he would again wait until his Master deemed him fit to be released from his restraints. Until that time, he would use this to silently plan and to rest more fully.