Closed Life in a Glass House

[Artur]

Life in a Glass House
Summer 7th 514 AV, 9th Bell
Location: The Foundation of the Elemental Mind

It was a morning that Artur hadn't expected to arrive so soon, given that he was still under a different roof that applied different rules. He'd grown used to the fact he belonged to another man in this city now, and all the more became accustomed to living in the semi-free lifestyle the Kelvic had been given. Sure he he'd felt free to do as he please, but something about being purchased just made him feel... odd. He felt like somebody's property, which he was anyways, and that in turn made the Kelvic feel lesser about himself. So he tried not to think about it, like he wouldn't think much about things back before he was brought to Ravok. Instead it was simply easier to live and deal with reality without thinking about it at all.

Thus the morning had been filled with the same loud snores that the bear would usually have, as he'd fallen into a deep deep sleep last night after tiring himself out from working around the place. Not only was he meant to cook for Miro's assistant Arienette, but he was also to help keep his home a bit tidy. Of course it was to be expected given he lived here as well, and even if he was terrible at it Arienette seemed to enjoy having a bit of help around. He was in his animal form when he went to sleep, the air and the grass felt more comfortable that way when he slept outside. It was one of those things he got to personally enjoy really, being able to sleep out in the yard on his master's own property. Miro probably didn't care too much, besides it not like anybody outside the property was going to steal a bear from his master... right?

Snoooooooooore. Noisy the courtyard had been, Oriana only knows how irritated Arienette would get when Artur slept in her room with him. No matter which form he took Artur was just so damn noisy, only because he tended to be such a heavy sleeper. Suns up now... Another long snore as the bear's eyebrows rose and furrowed, the light that shined on his eyes a reminder that a new day had already started. Just... a few more days please. The bear yawned and turned over from his belly to his side, a paw raised up to his muzzle as he covered his eyes to block the light. Much better.... There was another snore much like the other two afterwards, as he tried to take as much sleep as he could before somebody came to make him get up.

Little did he remember that today would be the day...

[Miro]

Miro knew what the seventh day held, and he remembered well his promise. Yeah, he knew what had to happen, and he knew to prepare. Luckily all he needed was close at hand. Not at his shop, but at the next best shop in town. Right next door too, at Black Tar, the neighboring shop. How convenient it was to be able to get magical supplies so readily. It was the wizard's favorite shop, after the Foundation, and it gave him pride to operate next door.

Today Black Tar would definitely prove useful. There was a tall order, and only one shop in town could provide what was needed. As the wizard entered, the sun had yet to rise, but he still heard the typical greeting. There was a special kind of ink here that was always in stock. Mostly because nobody would pay the incredible price for it. He took what he needed of the ink and moved on. His next destination yielded a fine scroll, perfect for the occasion.

Miro took the large pouch of coins from his sling and placed it on the front counter, knowing well how expensive his materials were. A hundred gold Mizas in exchange for these specialized materials. These were treated specially, most likely only for one purpose. A technique that only the most accomplished Glypher could accomplish. The Grand Oath is the most sacred pledge one can swear. A perfect tool of domination, despite the cost.

The Chained One quickly made his way back into the storage area of his shop. He passed through the front shop and through a door tucked away in the back. He pulled his keys from within his sling and unlocked the door to reveal his storage room. It was the area he stored himself, as well as his things. He did not need much from here, only his Glyphing bag. He took his materials and sprawled out on the floor.

The scroll was spread open and the inks sorted carefully. A quill was taken in and and the wizard took a moment to collect himself. It had been some time now since he attempted, but he had refined his technique greatly. With the proper technique and materials there was no way he could fail. He wet his quill and began at the top end of scroll. Slow and precisely made marks began to spread outward across the edges of the scroll.

Miro carefully crafted an elegant border for his Grand Oath. He worked without end to carefully place each line and form an intricate barrier of sorts. The tapestry of woven and twisted lines spread across the top and left side went terribly slow. Though the Glypher never broke focus. He saw in his mind the way he envisioned it to be crafted and made it unfold before his eyes. After two bells he had the top and left sides of the border done.

Now the undead worked at a different pace. He now needed to make the other half of the border match the former. Though his pace was still slow, with a reference piece he was able to move more steadily. The large area of scroll covered in such detailed work, it drained quite a sum of ink. But finally after another bell of work the border was complete. It was a bit of tiring work, so a few minutes were taken to rest the mind.

Miro had to sort out exactly what the conditions of the contract would be. The demands that the pledge imposed upon the one who chose to sign it. There were only two restrictions he wished to impose on any person, simple as they were. The first was that they must always obey, the second was that they must always act in the wizard's best interest. But as well there should be a way to finish the contract. Yes, he had an idea for that too.

The Glypher had finally centered his mind and began to stylize his first introduction, the word "I". The large, heavily stylized calligraphic writing took quite some time to create. It was a slow and taxing process, but stern focus was a result of bells upon bells of meditation. Next he created an decorated blank line, the area of the contract that was to be signed. He took his time, another four bells, but finally he drafted out the Grand Oath.

I, _____, do solemnly and by my own will swear under the highest authority, the Ukalas and all of the Divine to uphold the conditions written in this Grand Oath.

I vow to always obey a direct order issued by Miro.
I vow to benefit Miro, never to hinder him.
I vow to uphold this Grand Oath until Miro willingly releases me by speaking the word, "Servitude", backwards.

It was short, simple, quite precise. It was written, and there was no going back on it now. If he had failed in any way, it had to be accepted as such. However from what he could tell, not only was the Grand Oath valid, it was well made. Though he hadn't any idea how long he had been drafting it. Now that he thought about it, it did seem like a long time. The sun had obviously risen, and there was still plenty of ink for a signature.

Miro packed away all of his crafting supplies, only now with a couple items. The quill and ink were placed in his sling, and by now the Oath was dry. But still he was unsure of its potency. A steady hand was held atop the document and from it radiated Djed. The wizard focused and the aura of the item was immediately revealed. He viewed the aura for long, unable to view easily what he sought.

The Aurist's mind became burdened with sensory flashes, bits of information the aura whispered to him. Though to sort between these perceived senses and understand them was difficult. But as the undead stared into the aura with clarity he saw it, more than the ink and scroll, the words, they were powerfully made Glyphing. He ceased the flow of Djed and heaved a sigh.

That was all the Chained One needed. He was confident now, ready for what the day would bring to him. He rolled up the extravagant scroll and shook his head. It made him feel almost nervous to hold such an item. Well worth the effort and the money, if it worked as intended. There was a perk in the Oath needing signing and being written as it was. It would be ideal for use on any person.

But there was no doubt, the ideal mark was Artur. It was made just for him, something decided long ago. This was just the perfect opportunity to put it in use. The wizard made his way to the lab, sure the Kelvic would be resting there. However as he crossed from the front shop to the courtyard, he saw the large bear resting on the path. The entire yard made of gravel, it was the one tolerable place to lay.

Why the slave did not sleep in the laboratory was beyond Miro however. He watched his Kelvic unsettle from his sleep and start to ease back into it. It was time to wake however, to get dressed. The Fluxist redirected Djed from each of his limbs in slight to empower his throat and lungs. He roared forth, "Artur, wake up!" It would be enough to scare most people in the area, let alone wake an animal.

The undead paced forward along the path until he stood before his slave with demand in his eyes. It was very important that Artur wake immediately and focus. A sound mind was necessary. The Reimancer drew his hand up across his chest and focused his Djed along his right arm. He swiped it down and released it as a liquid Res that immediately transmuted into freezing cold water upon the bear.

It would take a bit, but the Kelvic would start to wake. And if he did not there would be much worse to suffer than mere noise and water. An incentive was given nonetheless. "Artur, today is the day we save your child, you must wake up. We have only one thing to do before we leave." But there was something not mentioned. Artur would have to make the most serious choice of his life.

Miro revealed the scrolls contents to his slave. The Grand Oath dangled open, its contents fully revealed. "This is a Grand Oath, a contract that can not be broken. When it is signed, what has been agreed to must be upheld. No matter what, a person will have to do what it says, but only after they have signed of their free will." Now came the hard part. There was an obvious choice however.

"I have drafted this to ensure loyalty, a condition of our arrangement. However I am a fair master, so I offer you a choice. You may chose to not sign the contract. If you do not, I will have not purchase your child. Unless that is, that I decide to force him to sign it. Read the Oath, understand the situation, make a wise decision. Every choice has consequences. Be ready to accept them."

[Artur]

He felt pretty sure he detected footsteps on his way, along with the same strange scent that his master somehow always adopted. Nevertheless he felt far to sleepy, and far to lazy even, to just jump straight up and greet his master. Apparently that didn't matter of course, as Miro somehow had business with the bear anyway, which of course wasn't unusual at all. A boom of his voice though shot through Artur and rattled the bear's eardrums, as well as his body, enough to where he woke up and looked to be disturbed at least. Still sleepy though, the bear let out another yawn as he looked up to his master lazily as well.

Just one more day? He wanted to beg, but of course it was impossible to vocalize the thought in the form of a bear. Thus came the water that just so happen to be cold, cold enough to fully arouse the bear from his slumber as he drew up to sit on his bum, and in turn shake his muzzle as the freezing shock dripped away. Miro then stated his business as to why he wanted to speak with Artur, which in turn led the Kelvic to be reminded just what exactly today was. That day. The day of the season that he was to finally be given his son, or daughter, from KRI, the day that he would finally be starting his own path as a parent of this child. Somewhere deep inside his belly, a roll led to a cramp that killed his insides. He did not want this day to be here so soon, then again any longer and then he may as well miss his chance of saving his child.

With a parchment presented before him the bear looked at the writing with a furrowed brow, his eyes squinted to see if he could make out what all that had been "written" on there. No good. His vision still had a blur to it that disallowed him to read, even so he had to deliver some pretty terrible news to Miro. With a silent sigh that could've been mistaken for a deep breath in his animal form, Artur leaned back from the parchment and then focused on shifting into his animal form. His fur would glimmer until it highlighted, and within a moments notice there would be a flash. A shimmer of light that would dazzle the eye if they'd stared directly at it took place, and when the flash faded away there was no a plump nude figure as he remained in the same position while he still sat. The Kelvic leaned forward, fingers bundled together as he tried to read this "contract" once more. So a contract, or Grand Oath as he called it, is something you have to uphold? What do you have to do to uphold it?

His eyes squinted harder as he still couldn't make any words out, a grumble to follow as he sighed and gave up trying to pretend he understood. "I'm sorry master Miro, but I don't understand it. I don't know how to understand or make this... stuff that you do on this paper...thingy." He gestured to the scroll when he said it, his eyes apologetic when they were cast up to Miro's face. Or mask, since he tended to where that all the time.

[Miro]

The Grand Oath had to be signed by free and true will. This meant that trickery was out of the question. But more brutal means should be applicable. As with all deals, to get things to go your way you need leverage. To give some incentive, make it so the best thing to do was agree. But all of this was moot when the signing party could not even read! Why couldn't Artur read? The stupid Kelvic had ruined the plan. This meant he would have to be punished.

Miro spoke in a sweet voice as he closed the scroll. "Oh, I understand, then do not worry. This is not so important. We can deal with this later." His tone had changed entirely from what he said before. "If we are to make it in time, we will need to hurry." Though the Chained One was having regrets. There was no telling what Artur's child would be. No way to even know if they were getting the right Kelvic.

Thoughts of the possibilities flashed through the undead's mind. It could be something useless, something like a rodent, cost hundreds to live for only a few short seasons. Or it could be a rare and expensive creature, something beyond means of paying. That was, if even the Kelvic was for sale. It was something not thought about until now. Instead ideals were thought of.

What the wizard wanted was a predatory bird, one capable of scouting and spying, but large enough to hunt small prey as well. Surely there was at least one acceptable one for sale, while at the same time there were doubts of Artur's young child being for sale. With a bit of Hypnotism, perhaps everybody could be happy.

Yes, to encourage verification of Artur's son as a predatory bird, to convince them to sell one of the extras, to convince Artur it was his child. There was a perfect way to do things, but perhaps the truth of the Kelvic offspring was more ideal than Miro could have thought. But surely if that was the case, well, the KRI would hold on tightly to it.

The Chained One could not wait any longer however. He moved past the Kelvic with a look of distaste hidden behind his mask. "Dress yourself quickly, we need to leave." The wizard made his way back to his storage room to tuck away his Grand Oath before he returned to the courtyard. He headed toward the side gate and flung it open. It lead directly to the canal outside. He finally yielded a Ravosala and mentioned the ferry, then waved over his slave. "If we miss the ferry, we miss our chance."

[Artur]

Feeling slightly guilty for not being able to do what his master wanted Artur rose to his feet, his eyes still cast down at the ground as he wished he didn't prove to disappoint the man. He'd noticed that Miro seemed a little different compared to when they first met, where he seemed so nice beforehand he now seemed... less nicer really. It was something that didn't make sense to the bear, yet all the same proved to be something to dwell upon later. Miro seemed to be in an urgent hurry, mainly because time was of the essence today. Thus when he urged Artur to get dressed with all haste, the bear scrambled as he looked around the courtyard for the clothes he threw off last night. He found his shorts first, and then his shirt, within a chime of looking no less.

So when it came to throwing his clothes on he practically looked like a dancing bear, with horrible dancing skills, until at last everything was on and semi-comfortably in place. Now all that remained was getting in the Ravosala when the time came, and in turn managing to keep his calm when finally in it to go to the one place they were headed. KRI. The one place Artur wanted to avoid on all accounts, but this was a special occasion that required his presence to begin with. They were going to save his child, get him out of there so he wouldn't have to suffer what Artur did. Whatever was to come would hopefully be good on their part, as Artur felt determined to work hard to make up for the amount of debt he owed in gratitude and favor towards Miro.

Should I tell him I'm sorry? Should I do something to make it better? These were the actual thoughts that first ran through the bear's, after the initial I hate the ferry, subjects were finally out of the way and the bear was in the Ravosala. When the ferry started to travel he remained deadly silent as he thought about what that contract entailed, and dwelt on how exactly it was going to require him to uphold its conditions. A contract that cannot be broken... and he wants me to sign it somehow. Only to ensure loyalty though? If that was all it required of him then Artur had no qualms in his attempt to sign the contract, he would only need some form of help in order to do so.

"Master?" He finally broke the impenetrable silence that stirred around them, as he aimed to keep his mind off the queasy feeling in his stomach as the Ravosala kept moving. "I'm sorry that I can't understand whatever your oath says, but if its as you say then I'll do whatever I can to sign it anyway. Just show me how, show me a way. Then I'll sign it for you, just like you want me to." He suggested in a pleading tone, hopeful that the idea was enough to satisfy his master. If all he needed was to "sign" this contract, then all he needed to know was how to write his name down. If he could learn to do that, then simply put he could fulfill his master's wish and uphold their agreement made in spring.

[Miro]

Miro sat quietly as the Ravosala moved through the Docks, the short trip it was. Though Artur had managed to break such silence, his pitiful excuses and attempts at apology. As far as the wizard cared to feel, it was too little, and it was definitely too late. "You do not need to be sorry Artur, that is why I gave you a choice. You made yours. But I can see you are ready accept responsibility. It is too late to take the Oath, so you will have to do something else instead."

It was obvious enough to the Chained One the only alternative. However it was hard to have such a powerful means of domination. But there was definitely a better taker for the Oath. Artur was a slave anyways. There was just no way to know if his Grand Oath technique was viable without a test. All of those expensive materials, all of that time spent, it was the greatest work of Glyphing he had ever managed.

"We will settle things later, but you will have to do as I say. I need to know that I can trust you absolutely with such responsibility. You will need to be able to take care of your son, but as well to be a faithful and loyal servant. There may be times that doing both is hard, that you may be tempted to do things you shouldn't. I know it seems mean, even unfair, but I know what is best for us. I take care of us."

Always so nice to the innocent little Kelvic. That was the main benefit of the Oath, no more guile required. But there was another way, the way that Ender had been tamed. The way that the Hypnotist conditioned the mind of his clients. That technique, maybe Miro was ready for it. Incredible as that would be, truly he could call himself a master. To finally be on the same level as his former master.

As for now the trip to the ferry was over. Now the trip on the ferry would come next. However they were early, it would be a bit still before the trip across the lake. There were a surprising number of people already gathered. It had just now occurred to the wizard that somebody else may purchase Artur's child, if such a thing hadn't happened already. New ways to deceive came to mind.

Though as the master and slave drew to this point, he could tell something was bothering Artur. Perhaps it was the talk, perhaps it was nerves about his child or even returning to that place. More than likely it was several things that weighed on the slave. That poor animalic mind, it probably could not understand such complex emotion.

The Aurist knew that he could however. He was a master Hypnotist and had quite the knack for Auristics too, he thought. It mattered not how to resolve these feelings, but how to use them. As brilliant a wizard as he was, it would be an easy task. So he began to exude his Djed and attune his senses to Artur. The nearby bear Kelvic's aura flitted before his eyes and revealed information.

There was a great deal of focus placed on Artur, as much as the wizard's soul and vessel could manage. In the smokey cloud of aura there was plenty to see, but only one thing the Aurist cared to find. The normally light and easy flowing aura of the Kelvic was indeed frantic, and quite hard to read. Though the undead only issued attention to the emotions of the aura, the feelings were convoluted.

There was no doubt that there was something of issue here, but no matter how much Miro focused, these feeling did not become clear. Instead negative emotions began to manifest in him, overwhelm his will, cloud his mind. Worst of all he began to doubt himself and his ability to carry out this plan. The Djed that fueled the magic faded, as did any lingering sight of the aura.

For a time the Chained One stood somberly in reflection. He could not understand the aura, and it upset him. These negative emotions, these feelings that arose, he could only wonder why they were so foreign. His eyes clenched shut and memories came to mind. The truth was there for him to see, if only he would look. But no, he would not open his eyes.

The truth that these emotions he felt, they were emulated from Artur, but only initially. As Miro tried to understand, he found himself releasing other emotions he locked away. Things he was trained not to feel as a wizard. The truth was that he could not understand fully understand emotion because he controlled the way he felt. He controlled the way others felt.

But there was no way that he could start seeing these things now. To acknowledge such a thing, it was to admit some flaw. Perhaps it was not normal, but neither was magic. While he could not understand what this creature could possibly feel for its offspring, that did not seem such a fault to him. He could not understand the lesser mind of an animal, but he could train it to understand commands. "Artur, tell me all you know about your child."

[Artur]

Artur definitely had a look of disappointment then as he felt even worse for not knowing how to read or write in the first place, given his background that he grew up in he hadn't really had the luxury of learning how to do either of the things properly. Now of course he was wishing he did somehow, so that the chance to please his master would've paid off better and he would've simply signed the damned contract. The Kelvic wasn't sure what to think about it necessarily, only wonder what was so special about a contract and why it was important. He'd already agreed to listen and obey Miro since the beginning, and if anything the bear has tried to do precisely that in the time that he'd lived under Miro's roof.

It only troubled the bear more, leaving him to quietly wander through his thoughts. He had to do something to help keep himself occupied, lest the motion of the ferry finally best his stomach and in turn slow their trip. All thoughts were directed from the trip and the fact they were going to KRI altoghether though, as he thought more about Miro's words in regards to both obeying the man and in turn raising the child. A son. Did Miro believe it would be a boy? Did he honestly know? There was vagueness found around this whole ordeal, this search for that which he was forced to bring into this world, nothing more than a mere needle lost within a haystack as they scrounged for it. Would they even find his son? His actual child? Be it boy or girl he didn't care, he just wanted to rescue it from KRI before any "tests" happened to it. No child deserved to endure what horrid research the other Kelvics had to go through, and given Artur himself was lucky to get out he knew good and well this was worth the effort.

All that remained was to get there and in turn discover what child was born last season, from the female stork with the blonde hair. They couldn't have had too many of those, or could they? There might be at least a few of them there, but surely not too many where the odds of pointing her out were unlikely. Then he began to wonder just what exactly his child might indeed look like as well. Like the mother? Like the father perhaps? He didn't know but somehow the subtle ideas of what possibilities made it easier for him, his heart at ease as he somehow found himself in a different state of mind he wasn't familiar with. Yet he liked it. He liked how calming it was, how relaxed he felt when this emotion grew stronger inside. Whatever it was it just felt wonderful period, and it was definitely associated with the happy feelings he'd felt before he belonged to Miro.... or came to Ravok for that matter.

"All I know?" His eyes widened as he found the state of peace he was in soon gone, and then he looked down at their feet as he looked disappointed once again before answering his master. "I don't know anything about the child in general, I can imagine what he'd look like though if he were to resemble me. Me or his mother that is," He looked to the side a little bashfully, "I could never forget her face, nor her either." Of course he couldn't. She was the first one to.... yeah. He'd definitely never gone that far with a woman and it was certainly not how he would've planned it, even when he often felt like mating at times he never thought to go through with it at all. Now that he was a father?... He didn't know if he would ever want to again anyways, even if he could no longer have any more young cubs in the future.

"Master... am I... disappointing you any?" He inquired sheepishly as he didn't want to seem nosy about it, but he couldn't help the fact that lately he felt as though his master wasn't as fond of him as he once was. Then there was also that current issue, the feeling in general as he often wondered why he never connected to Miro. He was so happy to be living with Miro at first and even felt as though the man could very well be the one, yet no matter how many times Artur felt himself willing to bond there was nothing there between them. No real hint of feelings or emotions seemed to resonate from Miro, nothing that the bear could connect with at all in fact, as every time he would try it just seemed the feelings were reflected elsewhere or simply rejected all the same. He didn't understand any of it, all the same it somehow had started hurting Artur. Quietly though as the nature was subtle, all the same he felt himself all the more sad deep down. A sadness that had only started to grow and develop recently, and hasn't seemed to stop since.

[Miro]

Miro was not sure that he could trust Artur. The slave, he was only with the wizard because he wished to use him. Too naive to understand the true fate of a slave, the bear had hardly done much but sleep. Obviously used to a carefree lifestyle, responsibility was held until a time at which the Kelvic might be ready. Though after he got what he wanted, it was more than likely he would have no interest in anything but his child.

And that was the issue, it was not true loyalty. If the slave was truly loyal then he would adopt whichever child Miro wished, to have the perfect son. Though there was no doubt selfish feelings would get in the way of such a thing. It was why the Oath was so important, why Hypnotism was necessary. And it was why trust could not be placed in his word.

The Aurist began to channel Djed through his senses and attune himself to the Kelvic's aura again. Though the more complex emotions were harder to understand, things like deceit and increases in anxiety were easy to read. Especially when one watched the heart race. Indeed there was some anxiety, a tension that rose as he answered, but no deception.

Artur didn't know anything, same as usual. The Chained One imagined that if the Kelvic knew anything, he would not have been able to keep himself from speaking of it in the past. However even after the slave answered his emotions stirred. An odd question was asked shyly, and the Kelvic's mood seemed to depress after.

Miro released his focus on the aura. It was not a simple question to answer. Perhaps simple enough to lie or change the subject. But perhaps the truth was best in such a situation. "Disappoint me? You have done most everything I have asked, and I have not yet done what I have swore to. It seems that you are instead you are disappointed in me."

For a bit Artur was quite happy to be with Miro, but had seemed to become less than content. It really had began to disappoint the wizard. He was a perfect master. "But, I must say, you have had it easy. You will have much more responsibility very soon. You have not disappointed me yet. However if you fail to uphold your responsibilities, I will be very let down. Just do as I say and you need not worry."

[Artur]

At the way Miro reversed the subject Artur couldn't help but feel like denying it at first, but for some reason he couldn't seem to find the ability to say a single word when he tried to protest. He just sat there speechless in the turnabout manner that was put upon him, as he in turn knew that what Miro had just said to him was actually rather true. Artur had been doing everything asked of him save for signing the contract, even if he hardly did anything other than keep the place tidy or cook for him and Arienette when a meal time finally came. Miro never took to eating really which at first struck Artur a little odd, and of course now the bear was practically used to the fact his master never ate anything.

Yet... Why do I feel like this? I should be happy right now, happy that master's taken care of me. Happy that he's going to free my child. Its true. He was excited somewhere within, but that wasn't enough to lighten the darker feelings that clouded within Artur's heart. He'd been feeling this way for a long while now, ever since he'd been freed by Gyatt from KRI. Now of course it just seemed that everything was getting worse, that no matter how happy he should feel or wanted to feel, no amount of happiness was enough to chase away the loneliness that had built up in his aching heart. Worse thing so far? He didn't even know what these feelings were or why he felt them to be honest, they were far to complex for him to understand and the more he tried the more and more he would hurt inside. He hated this hurting but it was more directed at how complicated they were to him. In turn he couldn't seem to connect with Miro, at least not on a personal or emotional level anyways.

Any attempts the bear had made before weren't really shunned, in truth they just never really happened to begin with really. Every time Artur tried to open up to his master he found something stopped him, some uncontrollable factor he didn't know of just immediately blocked him. It kept whatever doors to his heart existed shut tightly, and cut off any attempts to make that special connection before Artur could even comprehend why. At the instruction Miro gave to Artur the Kelvic in turn nodded with a slight apprehensive look in his expression, trouble still plagued on his face as he still tried to figure out deep down just what these "feelings" inside truly were. "Yes master..." He murmured as he then thought about what responsibilities might soon fall upon him, its true that he would have to learn how to take care of the child and in turn raise it. All that being something the Kelvic had no idea how to do of course, yet all the same it wasn't going to stop him now.

They were bound for KRI and wouldn't take much longer, everything the bear knew was certainly about to change. It would either be for the better... or for the worse.

[Miro]

Miro crossed his arms as he finished dealing with Artur. The slave's acknowledgement of his order was given without luster. It was apparent that things were in need of fixing, that the Kelvic was starting to understand his fate. The guise of perfection had long since worn away, and happiness was no longer going to be a viable means of control. That was why this child was important, as was the Grand Oath. But without it an equally acceptable solution, though with a bit more risk.

Hypnotism would sort everything, as it always did. But past experience had shown something clearly, that it did not always work perfectly. Manipulations could go wrong, and the mind is delicate. Feelings are not always stable, and Artur was no exception in this. But with proper experimentation, everything could be fixed. Though there was no doubt that mere mention of the word experimentation would cause the bear to piss from fear.

It mattered not however, because the most important piece came into play soon. Artur's child, his new son, as it would be. These protective feelings would be all it took to manipulate the slave into following along. And the more Hypnotism performed, the easier the process became. It only needed to be managed, to have the occasional session. But before long the slave would be perfect in its assigned duties.

At any rate, a reply was due. Miro spoke in a playful tone to his Kelvic. "It's alright Artur, this won't matter in a bit. Just remember, you are my slave, and soon your child will be too. I know it, you have a son just waiting to be taken home and cared for. You'll understand soon what it means to be a parent, and to be happy. The responsibility will soon follow, I promise." The undead could not restrain the malicious grin that stole his face.

Luckily the Mask of Many hid it away, it already bearing monstrous teeth. Miro's manner of speech shifted to hold a bitter and sarcastic undertone. "It won't be easy, not for you, not for me. But you will get the hang of things, and I will ensure your son is raised properly." Practically a taunt at this point, he felt a bitter sense going into this. It was becoming hard to pretend he cared for the slave.

But it was necessary to ensure its morale was kept high enough to perform. A depressed animal was a burden, and a slave that refused to perform needed punishment. Artur was not the kind to endure much of that. Hopefully the next slave would be easier. Though it was likely the protective father would make such things difficult.

Nonetheless there was nothing more that speculation could provide. Only Lhex knew what awaited them at the KRI, but as for now, all they could do was wait. As for what awaited Artur, Miro was positive he knew that. If necessary it involved threats. It probably involved a lot of Hypnotism. Whatever the means, the end result was a functioning slave.