Closed The Viper's Grip

[Haasha]

The half-blood's face didn't reflect any change. Her lips were pressed together tightly, her eyes wouldn't narrow or close. She was staring right onto the viper, her fancy red clothes and a hair surprisingly long for travelling in the jungle. Fear was crushed under inevitability, and she had no anger.
It was early morning in the jungle, and the air was never still, trembling with chirping and squawking and every odd sound that the critters could make, nice and eerie. The jungle was never still...
Haasha was used to the fact thateverybody was taller than her. If someone was a head shorter, the lucky one must have been called a dwarf. Gods, she was about to answer to a pregnant snake dwarf-woman. The most ridiculous in the setting is that a woman could take her down.
"And a mage." the side of half'bloods upper lip almost twitched into a snarl. "The god of Luck is definitely toying with me."

"Hey, princess, have you ever been farther that this from your cave?"
"The land is large and not only has you Dhani on its palm." her voice was quiet and shuffling, like the leaves in the wind, from the countries where dark trees with rough bark stood tall against the cold. "You don't think I'd run if I didn't want to live?" a breathy chuckle. "My name is Haasha. First of my line. I am Symenestra by my mother, who was a beautiful woman of many talents. It was my Dhani father who did this," her look darted downwards to return to the woman in the next instant. "to me."
She thought fast. Could she dodge the fireball? Was it flying as fast as an arrow? Not from that distance. Not with a limp leg. Not a chance.
"Whoever the petch are you - what do you want?"
She really didn't give any damn if the woman was even some petching royalty. Everyone was alone here in the wild.

[Soshakuakamamushi]

By now, Aka half-expected the strange Dhani-like creature to turn tail and run, like the coward she was, she seemed good at running. "Oh?" But no, she didn't run, the strange woman simply stood there, answering the Viper with a calm tone and logical answer. Well, Aka knew that Mizahar was huge, she had traveled from region to region, starting from Eyktol, to Sylira, to Kalea, and finally to Falyndar. She had lost so many people in and had seen many things in her long-life, but as always, the world had infinite surprises looming at every corner. This woman was one of them.

"I know that," Aka shrugged, now convinced that the being would not do her any harm, she extinguished her fireball by crushing it with her palm, turning it into harmless air. Perhaps it was unwise to appear unarmed, but as a master reimancer, Aka was confident she could cast a quick lavabolt should this creature decided to attack. "Heh, you are sssmarter than you look, I admit." Aka gave a chuckle as she sat back down then used her dagger to continue her feast.

The strange woman had a name, 'Haasha', she was called, very Dhani-like. What made Aka raised her head in interest was the foreign word in Common, "Sym... sssyme..." Aka tried to pronounce it, then after a few tries, she hissed out a rough "Sssymenessstra?". It must be some kind of race she had no knowledge about, then as expected, her father was a Dhani, so Haasha was a mix between a Dhani male and... Symenestra female, whatever those was, an ugly combination it seemed, this made Aka think that all Symenestra looked ugly for surely those unsightly traits couldn't come from a Dhani. "Ha." She snorted, then mockingly snickered at Haasha, "I think you have it the other way around, from the looksss of it, your mother ssside of the family mussst be the ugly onesss, I am a Dhani, and we are all gloriousss." Her pride couldn't get any higher.

The Viper felt the urge to stomp down upon this woman's pride, to show her exactly who Aka was, she should be grateful that she had glorious Dhani blood, even if it was muddied by the one called 'Symenestra'. Aka stood up then made a gesture to herself with her right hand in pride, "I am Soshakuakamamushi," She spoke her full name flawlessly, raising her nose like a little arrogant young Queen, well in the future she would be, but at the moment, she was not a Queen... yet, "I am a Dhani of the Viper sssub-race, a true one, unlike you." The Viper mocked then a figurative glowstone glowed near her head, she wanted to know more about this... Symenestra and also, she kinda wanted to show her giant cousins about this ugly little creature she found in the Jungle Wilds. Yes, she deserved a treat indeed.

"I am alssso..." Aka prepared her res from her palms then extended her hand forward, the gaseous reddish mist swiftly launching forward as they wrapped around Haasha's neck, then she snapped her fingers, quickly transmuting the res into a sturdy stone collar, "Your new mistresss, ssslave!" She cut to the chase, "Now, classsp your handsss behind your back or..." Aka then made a slow 'crushing' gesture with her right hand and as she did so, the collar around Haasha's neck would tighten, gradually, slowly choking her, "I will crusssh your ugly neck."

If Haasha complied, Aka would transfer more of her res to wrap around the half-breed's wrists then create sturdy earthen cuffs to bind her hands together.

[Haasha]

The quenching fireball made the half-breed tilt her head. Something wasn't right. It was too peaceful. And this woman was openly a mage. Her hair stood on ends, by the feeling of it. The thought came in time to almost prevent her from feeling better. The daggers were still out, her own clutched in her hand tightly. She scoffed quietly at the remark about Dhani being glorious. There was nothing glorious about the ones she'd met in her childhood, definitely not her father, definitely not that old woman her mother killed.
"If they are glorious, I'm a turtle. However... it's useless arguing with a person is arrogant enough to believe that her standarts of beauty are always answered to by her people, and only by her people."

"Shoshaku...aka-mamushi." she imagined herself first splitting the word, then glueing it all together, pronouncing slowly, memorizing, then faster, until it would roll fluently from her tongue. "Shoshakuakamamushi. The little poisonous ones. She's not a dwarf, then."
"No, I belong to no people." she shrugged calmly.
Not being a 'true' Dhani has never been her weak point. Neither was not being a Symenestra. In the endless days and nights with her mother, she heard many times an old, wise thought which stayed with her even after her mother was gone. She thought it before sleep sometimes, and it'd become her shield against all those like this arrogant Dhani. Blood mixed so much that it was wind against words of the other people's blood. It was fine. She was not the first.

The sudden attack caught her. Her intuition rang loud when the Dhani protruded her hand, and she staggered backwards and sideways, trying to dodge whatever was at her. In that hurry, she'd forgotten about her disfunctional leg, tripped and clawed at the tree, bumping onto it with her back and scratching at the firm thing that was pressing on her neck, trying to cut off her breath. It was too late to sway the dagger, and yet she made a fast movement through the air, staggering forward.
"Bitch." she spat out.
It was all her own fault, of course, but anger flushed to her face in a petty attempt to justify herself when there was no way to. Clenching her teeth just tightened the pressure, and the half-blood emitted a stiffled wheeze, trying to limp towards the snake, one hand at the collar which wouldn't just loosen a little bit, and the other one clutching to her mother's dagger. Would it be long enough, counting instants, until the thing would cut off air completely and send her into a knockout? She could try sever the woman's belly, now she would, petch the fireball, why didn't she try earlier. The snake'd lose a lot of blood, lose her little shits, even if she survived...
"Will I survive?"

The half-blood fell when she tried to put weight on the damaged foot that fast. A quieter wheeze came out of her throat, she struggled to recollect herself from the ground, even though the knuckles of her dagger hand were scraped during the fall. She wouldnt let go of her mother's dagger, even in death. Especially in death.
Her mind fogged, and she felt her limbs not quite listening to her. Two, three chimes, that was probably all she had before a blackout. The snake couldn't know, unless she had some supreme empathy.
Her grip on the dagger would be lost... but it was fine steel, and unusual smithing, even though old and chipped. It could be taken as a trophy. No breath for words, heart pounding like a bell tolling, Haasha let the consciousness slip from her inevitably sooner than it could. Petch it. Petch it all.

[Soshakuakamamushi]

x

"Oh, hmmm, what are you going to do with that?" Aka snickered as she put her right hand to her hips when Haasha tried to put up some kind of fight with her dagger, but it was clear the constricting collar hindered her ability to breathe and, with it, her ability to function. Aka cackled as she watched as the half-breed lost her consciousness, her yellowish-pale form falling unceremoniously to the ground, "Yesss, if I am a bitch, then you are an insssect, Half-breed." The Viper talked to the knocked-out half-breed as she released the constrictor hold of the collar, but still kept it on as a way to control Haasha and, of course, as a decoration, Aka loved collars on her slaves, they looked pretty with it, even if this one was ugly.

"Hmmm..." The Viper put her right hand to her chin as she contemplated something, she had to bring Haasha home now and picking her up would be out of the question, pregnant or not, Aka had lower than average physical strength compared to the common human, but thankfully, her earth reimancy was very useful for mundane utilities and physical labor. Exhuming more of her res from her palms, Aka shaped the res into a rough outline of a small wagon, just enough for Haasha to fit. In this case, Aka didn't care for aesthetics so as long as the wagon could roll, it was good enough.

After shaping the bed, Aka moved the shaped gaseous res below Haasha then shaped the ground under her into sturdy crimson stone, creating the bed, then she moved more res on each side of the wagon, shaping into four circular circles, for the wheels. Once she deemed it good enough, Aka gathered more dirt, shaping them into four wheels. Now, her very simple wagon was completed with the unconscious half-breed in it, hissing in satisfaction, Aka used her remaining res to magically move the wheels, the wagon rolling forward. Along the way back to Zinrah, Aka would make small adjustments here and there according to the terrain, she left the half-eaten bird for the scavengers.

.........

Two bells later, Scarlet Cavern

"Wake up~"

Once Haasha woke up, she would find all four of her limbs being bound to steel cuffs attached to the wall behind her, and the very same stone collar adorning her neck. If she looked forward, the half-breed would find iron bars slightly blocking her vision, she was in a prison cell, with the Viper standing just outside of it, "Welcome to your new home, Ssslave!" The Viper grinned as she gestured to her lavish cavern-home.

"Now, if you think I am going to torture or abussse you, fret not, I am a kind mistressss and if you be a good possession, I will treat you kindly, you will be given food, clothing, and bath, isssn't that a good life?" Aka grinned as she put her hands to her hips arrogantly, waiting for her new slave's reaction. The Half-breed would only find her clothing on her body other than her bonds, the rest of her belongings were located in Aka's storage room.

I'm going to have sooo much fun with her! Sssahahaha!


x

[Haasha]

Haasha came to unmoving, but her head was definitely dangling in the air. The first thing she noted was the quietness of the place, in comparison with the ever-chattering jungle. The place smelled damp, but lacking the musty, earthy smell... The consciousness returned, but not the stiffness in the muscles. She curved her fingers, then slowly dragged her head up until it touched... the wall? Maybe that's why the arms were aching from the blood flowing off from them.
"Am I alive? Why am I alive?" She knew, why. Her heart beat, she could breath, and the attempt to gulp the bitter saliva in the dried mouth met the scraping pressure on the throat. It made her cough.
She listened to the Dhani speak without looking. It was a weird change that'd touched her. Feelings dumbed out and faded, the mind, however, kept ticking, ready to grip at any new details, despite the blunt thudding of blood at the back of her skull.
"Is that thing around my neck solid stone? Can't gulp normally... damn. Probably will rub off and irritate skin, if not worse - even leather collar does. Stone is way rougher, even polished. Is that crazy woman fond of bleeding necks? Of all the diseases I could find in the jungle, tainted blood was never the one I'd be most fond of..."
Haasha didn't know about Dhani traditions. What she knew, however, was that the stone or metal were not even near flexible for the basic movements that the neck normally had to make. It was bad.
The pale eyes opened. There was no exspression in them, merely the understanding of information processed. Or the most part of it, who could say for sure. She said nothing, staring, her eerie face blank and pale. Almost if she was saying something there, behind her eyes, but those thoughts would never roll of her tongue. There was no agression, no sadness, no panic. Nothing. Her heart beat. She breathed. She was alive and disgraced, and probably not about to die anytime soon (but she bedamned if she'd entertain the slaver for the sole sake of staying alive longer). There was not a single reason for emotions that she was supposed to show if not about to die - and not alone.

[Soshakuakamamushi]

x

When the slave stayed silent, it brought an unamused expression to the Viper, she simply sighed as she shrugged her shoulders, "The sssilent type eh? And here I wasss being a kind Mistress..." Aka flashed her scarlet slits at the half-breed, "Do you know what happensss if I left you out there? You would be dead, by Myriansss, by predatorsss, by monssster, or heck, even by my giant cousinsss, they tend to eat everything that wasss not Dhani, and you, half-breed..." Aka raised both of her hands to grab at the cage's bars, "Are not a Dhani, you sssaid it yourssself..." With a dissapointed sigh, Aka turned her body around, her back facing Haasha.

"I suppossse, if you don't want to talk, I will jussst let you ssstay there and rot, isss that what you want?" Aka kept her disappointed tone as she began walking away, "I'm going out, I'll give you a few bellsss to think about it, oh, wait," Aka waved her right hand as her res hissed out from her palm then traveled to Haasha's stone collar, covering it, then dissolving it into thin air, "You won't be needing that anymore." Without another word, the Viper left the cavern, leaving the restrained half-breed to think about her fate.

.........

Four bells later, the Viper returned to the cave, she made her way to the cage then arrogantly smirked at the half-breed, "What sssay you? Thisss will be the lassst time I offer you my generosssity, pledge yourssself to me and I ssshall take care of you, besidesss, I suppossse I will need a ssservant or two to take care of my home, daily maintenanc and all."

x

[Haasha]

Haasha would give much if the Viper was only taunting, but every word rang true in her brain. She could be killed, and she knew it all the time. In a way, this incident saved her life.
"Stay in the dark? Diminished from a free being to - a slave? I'd rather die!"
Yes, she was of no people. Yes, the Constrictors could kill her.
Did she want to die?
"No."
She felt a tightening in her throat that had nothing to do with the collar. There were no tears, but an urge to get into a fight that instant, if for the sake of shutting the snake up. She was right. The bitch was right and at the same time, deserved to die. But it could be so that Haasha could be considered owing her a life. A life debt, to an enslaver. Impossible.
The air was heavy.
"I need to think."
As if the snake, in addition, could read thoughts, she walked out.

When the Dhani left, thinking became hard. For some reason she stopped comprehending rather quickly, the half-blood felt tears flowing down her cheeks. She didn't know why, and soon she felt them dry. The thinking became harder every second, and she thought that maybe she could use a nap... but that would be ridiculous, wouldn't it.
That was a foolish run, she thought. She'd get eaten long ago if it wasn't a Viper. What was she offered? A place where she'd have to work hard, but didn't she, every day, in addition to having to walk? The dark was not a problem - she vaguely could remember it as well as the feeling of her own bare feet against the cavern home floor.
"I will be probably taken care of. Still, that puts me in a position I hardly will be able to use. I'll have to think through the means of escape as soon as I am able to. She may be a master mage, but I doubt her fansy butt has ever been out on the streets. Eventually, I'll find a way to outsmart her."
And that was it. As long as she'd be kept from dying, it was a better life than before.

When the door opened, the half-breed was just like before, pinning the unblinking stare at the Viper from the darkness, waiting for her to speak. Then her eyes closed for a moment. When they opened, those were just eyes, tired and accepting.
"Yes. It sounds good." her voice was calm, clear and a bit monotonous. "I do not know how to keep a house, though, nor cook anything, nor, well, you name it. You might find me rather useless."

[Soshakuakamamushi]

x

After all this time, Aka noticed something, she was getting good at 'convincing' captured slaves to bow down without using any - or very little - physical violence, she felt pride at that, unlike her brutish cousins, one didn't have to break the body, one just needed to break the mind, and they would submit themselves willingly. An obedient slave who served out of loyalty was better than one who was physically forced to do so, the latter could backstab the master once they got the chance, but offer them a better chance in life? The slave could turn into a loyal subordinate.

Aka crossed her arms under her non-existent chest as she listened to the half-breed's words, clearly she looked rather broken at the moment, but it might because of the plague... which started to affect the Viper as well, Aka felt her attention slipping and her body going drowsy, with a tired huff, the Viper smirked at Haasha, "Very good, I will give you a night in thisss prissson to get your mind truly ssstraight, that you are better off with me than Myriansss or Constrictorsss, I asssure you... now then, I ssshall be off to sssleep, I'm tired, I expect you to begin working tomorrow." Aka started to walk away, but stopped after a few steps.

She turned her head back at Haasha then shrugged with her shoulders, "You will know, you must know, find out how to do it on your own, prove to me that you are ussseful, if you are not, then you are truly uselesss, even asss a decoration, becaussse you are ugly, I don't want ugly toysss... ssso then," She growled under her breath, cursing this plague, "For your sssake, learn how to do sssimple choresss, half-breed." Without another word, Aka entered her bedchamber then whisked down the curtain.

Why do I even bother to take you in the first place? Even the Viper didn't know for sure.

x

[Voodoo]

Recent developments have forced the STs of Falyndar to decide the following: We will grade this thread if either party comes back and messages one of us for a grade. It is believed both parties are no longer present. Thank you. ~Voodoo