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Forest Manor
He stood by the window, gazing at the forest with cat-like amber eyes. Would he reach perfection someday? The mage let the window coverings fall as he shook his head, making a cascade of dark brown hair fall across his shoulders.There would be a time when his quest would be fulfilled, but not yet.
Meleager was the half-elven lord of the area, and he was a recluse. None of the people who lived upon his lands had ever seen him. Even his servants had seen mere glimpses of the lord and his pointed ears, a sure sign of his heritage. This was in part what had prompted his search for perfection in himself. Sighing, he turned to the goblet of red liquid upon a nearby table, and drank the contents with great pleasure. The warm liquid eased the hunger caused by yet another part of his quest for perfection. The fangs of a nightwalker, for their strength and so much more. |
"No... P-p-please... M-Master!" Devin cried, flinching slightly as the older man advanced on him. He knew to disobey was worth a lashing, but he had just been so hungry... And curious. Who and what was this "man" he served without question? He hardly saw his Master nowadays, and seeing him now, in the decaying state he was in, terrified him. He brought his hands up to cover his face as the old man brought the whip down three times, wheezing slightly with the effort.
"You. You disobedient mutt!" the old man spoke harshly, stopping the whipping and kicking the weak, skinny young man out of his way. He left the trembling slave in the corner and return to his study, where the quest to save his mortality had failed. Soon he would be dead, a pile of bones and flesh staining his polished wooden floors. He had to act quickly, a spell... A curse upon the very man that had killed him. His rival, the vain bastard... He would pay... Devin wiped the blood from the stinging cuts on his arms and hands, crying slightly as he tried to move away from the hallway. All he had done was peeked through the gap in the door. He just wanted to see where his Master had been for the past few months and what the man had been up to. He could sense dark and powerful magic erupting about him and screamed, becoming engulfed by a dark mist and blacking out. When he woke, he was lying on a dark polished stone floor, in front of a crackling fireplace. Sitting up groggily, he looked about his new surroundings. This place was not his Master's home. What had happened? Why was he here? He stood on shaky legs and explored the large room, afraid of what he might find hiding in the dark shadows. |
A sudden onslaught of magical energy, of a source he was ever wary of, made the mage slip from his room with hasty steps. In his mind, Meleager prepared spells for an eventual battle. He found this was useless when he stepped across the threshold of his private living area, none too far from his sleeping apartments. A young man, covered with wounds, walked about in such a fearful way ...
"Why did your master send you here?" The other mage had stolen his spells, and he in turn had done the same. The rivalry was a long lasting one, and he couldn't understand why the man would send one of his slaves before him? "Tell me!" Meleager's voice snapped out, filled with anger. |
Devin flinched when the dark, tall man approached him, his orange eyes full of fury. He cowered and curled on the ground defensively. "I... I'm s-sorry! I-I... I don't... Know... W-what h-happened! I-I swear!" he stammered, shaking violently and crawling into a corner for protection. Who was this creature? Why had his Master sent him here? He didn't know much about the magic his Master practised, only that it hurt when he tested spells and potions on him. He continued to tremble, glancing around the house and longing to run away from the terrifying creature in front of him.
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Eyes the color of amber narrowed, and he moved to crouch down before the cowering man. What a pitiful sight. "Is that all you have to say?" A slave then, who knew nothing of what his mastered wanted. Perhaps he could find a use for him. This one had seen him, and would not leave his side. This accident had many benefits for Meleager, in the end.
"Then I shall make use of you and take you as my own." A slave of his own. There were spells to bind more thoroughly then any chains ever could. Cowed as the man seemed to be, it didn't seem like he would object. |
Devin nodded. He had learnt the hard way to always agree with men in power. He had been born into slavery, never once being a free man. He was separated from his mother once he was old enough to work, put to use in the rice fields of the warmer countries in the North. He was then bought by his late Master, a young mage that lusted after dark magic. He was experimented on, cursed, and punished if he ever disobeyed. But several years later, his Master became sickly and recluse, leaving Devin to clean his dusty house. When Devin had seen the man last, he looked as though he had aged a thousand years. Now he was here, cowering in the corner of a new manor, before a new Master. He could tell this one was just as deadly as his last.
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"Come," said the mage as he turned away. He looked over his shoulder to make sure the cowering man followed, then made his way from the living area and into his study. A whole series of shelves were taken up by Meleager's specimens of various things, floating in a glowing green liquid. Herbs rung from the rafters, giving the room an inviting scent, despite the strange things populating the other shelves. There were old crumbling tomes lining all of one wall, and a single mirror upon the west wall.
Mumbling softly to himself, the pointed eared mage moved to the shelf full of books and plucked one up, bound in red leather. Blood magic was always difficult, and terribly potent. Though he had been contemplating spells of binding for a while, for a similar occasion such as this in fact, Meleager didn't trust himself not to make a mistake while performing the complicated steps. He ran long fingers lightly over the spidery script, and began plucking things from the shelves and rafters. Semi-precious stones, herbs and a knife found their way onto his work table. There were only so many things because Meleager was so unsure about which means he would use to bind his new slave to him. Contrary to how cruel he seemed to be, he did not want to harm the other man. |
Devin followed, he had no choice anyway. He walked slowly behind his new Master, his head still spinning at what had happened just minutes before. This man knew who his old Master was. Perhaps they had been friends, or enemies, at one point. He shook his head slightly, not worrying himself too much on the matter. It wasn't his place to question or wonder. He wasn't suppose to think, just follow orders without complaint.
He shivered as he entered the strange room full of dead things and herbs. This was definitely a mage's room and it scared him to think he was to live with another magic user. The things he had seen... It seemed that his new Master wanted to preform a spell that bound Devin to him, Devin had been through it before with his old Master. It had hurt him severely and cut his soul into two. There was no way he would be allowed into Heaven when he died with only part a soul. |
At last he seemed to find a version he liked. Meleager grabbed the knife, and pricked the tip of his finger. He let out a sharp hiss at the pain, then moved to pour a few drops of ruby red blood into a battered old goblet. This he followed with water and a gold speckled white powder. Last of all, Meleager brought the cup to Devin. Quickly, he grabbed the other man's hand and pricked his finger also, then squeezed it until some of his blood was also in the mixture.
The mage lifted the final product, and took a sip. It burned his tongue, though the liquid hadn't been boiled. Meeager grimaced, changing his deceptively delicate features show is displeasure. Such a horrible taste! "With this mingling of blood I bind you to me. From now til my death, your master I shall be, and my servant will you be once you partake of this." He paused, holding out the goblet to the slave. "Now, drink." Meleager expected no resistance to his sharp command. His mind was already busy focusing on the spell, and creating the unspoken conditions of it. |
Devin hesitated only for a second. He couldn't run, there was no way he could escape. He took the goblet and sipped a bit of the mixture, feeling his stomach turn at the disgusting taste of it. He dared not resist or pull a face, so he swallowed hard, trying to ignore the bile burning in his throat. Once he was alone, he would be sick. For now he had no choice but to stand here and wait for more commands.
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Nodding to himself, Meleager stood and motioned for the other man to follow him. There was a room adjourning his own which had remained unused for a long time, ever since his mother and her husband had passed on. This was where he went, passing through his own sparse looking chambers along the way. The half-elven lord allowed himself only what was necessary, much preferring to spend the gold of his coffers upon the people of his land. They might have found mystery and fear in his person, but they knew him as a kind enough man, in so much as he put them first before himself as his mother had before him. They respected him for that, at least.
Meleager shook his head slightly, and pointed to the sumptuously covered bed, and then the rest of the carefully decorated room. "This is yours." It was a strange thought, giving his mother's room to a slave. She would have liked to think it was going to someone unused to comfort... |
Devin stared into the room with confusion. Why was the man giving him a whole room, with a bed? He was used to sleeping in cramped slave quarters, or closets. A room this big scared him more than made him happy. He froze, unsure if he was allowed to look around the room or if he had to stay with his Master. The events of today were still spinning in his head and he felt drained and dizzy.
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The dark haired mage glanced at his new slave, confusion flashing across his face briefly. Meleager had thought the man would be eager to explore his new surroundings, but he seemed more frightened then anything else. This was the opposite of what he'd intended. Then again, he wasn't used to having a slave, or even company for that matter.
"Speak, what is on your mind?" Did the man even have a name? It would have been best to figure that out sooner, supposed Meleager. Such thoughts came a little too late, for now. Better to make sure the slave was settled down comfortably in his new quarters, safe and sound, before pushing things too far. A though, sudden and unasked for, struck Meleager. It made him smile slightly. His new slave was an extra pair of hands, a pair much needed. There were things he simply couldn't do himself, not without incurring more pain then was needed. He hoped the other man had steady hands and a strong stomach. |
"I... I... I... I have... N-no..." Devin stuttered, unable to think of something to say. He hung his head and shook his head, flinching, expecting his new Master to strike him for disobeying. As he brought his hands up, he noticed the whip marks from his old Master were still raw and fresh, stinging greatly and dripping blood slightly. He'd have to clean them soon, else they would get infected. "I... I d-don't... think... M-Master..." he said, whimpering slightly as the man watched him.
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He didn't think? The man truly was a slave, through and through. That didn't sit well with Meleager, but even more so he hated the sight of blood welling from wounds, probably unearned. Scoffing, the mage moved forth and placed his hands upon the harshly misused limbs. He let his power flow, washing over the wounds and binding the closed. "I'm not angry. Rather, I find myself unused to interacting with anyone."
Meleager ignored how the scent of blood and ignited his vampiric senses. It reminded him very much at what cost such power came, that of being able to blend in with the night. And yet the abilities of this race were so intoxicating, like the red swelling of blood flowing through the slave's veins, just below the surface. Slowly, he released the other man, knowing that his hunger flashed in his eyes. It had been a while, no he'd never had, since fresh blood had crossed his lips. |
Devin watched in amazement as his new Master easily cured his wounds. He glanced up at him, cringing at the hunger burning in the man's eyes. What was he...? He looked away, feeling the most scared he had in his whole life. He didn't know much about the other races that lived in this land, all he knew was that humans like himself served mages. "Th-Thank you... M-Master..." he stammered, staring back into the room.
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"What did you do for him?" Such a frightened little thing, this hard used man. That was the life of a slave. It certainly didn't help that Meleager cut quite the frightening figure, with his strange mixture of races caused by his own experimentation. He'd never really felt like his search for perfection had made him into an abomination before, and now he did. To see someone cower before him so ... It was the opposite of what MEleager had always wanted and sought. !"Ah, my apologies, you must be hungry, you .. Would you like something to eat?"
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"I... I... I cleaned... And cooked... And... Tested his sp-spells..." he shuddered, glad to not be thinking of that man again. He had done so much unspeakable things... He flinched as his new Master spoke, surprised that he was asking such things. "Y-Yes... A l-little," he replied quietly, wringing his hands and staring down at his feet. Even though he would make such lovely meals for his old Master, he was only allowed to eat dog food and bread. Sometimes he would sneak a bit of food from his old Master's plate, but if he was caught he was severely punished. "I-I c-can cook you something... if y-you are hungry M-Master," he offered.
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The mage nodded when he heard the words. It was as he'd expected. "That would be nice. I want you to taste everything, and make sure that every dish is of the highest quality. Can you do that?" The other man probably would be shocked if Meleager offered to cook something for him in turn. Finding a way to make eating part of an order was probably the best way to get food into the slave's thin frame.
Meleager didn't consider freeing him. He had bound the slave to him, and so it would be from then on. The mage was beginning to suspect that the man had never known anything. "Come, I will show you the kitchen." He put his words into action, and led the other man out of the room adjoining his own and down a flight of stairs which led to the manor's grand hall. Grand it was, with cream colored marble decorating the floors, elegant works of art decorating the walls and a high flying chandelier with glowing crystals. The mage then walked through a side corridor, and eventually opened a plain wooden door to reveal a large, well stocked, kitchen. Meleager glanced at his slave speculatively. There would be more freedom here then the other man was used to, the mage was nearly certain of that. |
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