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Fantasy I Was Reborn As A Demihuman And Became A Mage Apprentice

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TanteRegenbogen

The Person formerly known as Anii ⚧
Plot: You were reborn in another world as a demihuman. Sometime in your youth, your village was raided and you were sold off into servitude. However you were acquired by an elderly woman. Once you get to her place she reveals herself to have disguised herself as an old woman and is in fact a demihuman who looks rather youthful for her age. She wants to make you and the other demihumans in her care her new mage apprentices. She expects you to attend the local school at least for basic education while learning the magical arts until you are either old enough to attend a trade school for magical arts or continue learning under her in a more intensive fashion. Soon you realize that demihumans are looked down upon in human society. Luckily, your guardian is never far away.

The caretaker: The caretaker is a demihuman who despite being old appears young, possible due to her closeness to magic. Children around town call her the witch from the cottage and spread rumors that she eats children, but those are only rumors by children. She could be considered a witch, but of the good kind and rather powerful too. The caretaker also seems to have a considerable amount of influence in town despite her circumstances (inconspicuous cottage, demihuman, witch/mage, etc.). While she is a kind guardian, she still can be scary at times saying things like "You know, witches only eat naughty children." and temporarily turning human children who bully demihumans into demihumans themselves.

Setting: The town of Ambreville. Era is almost a steampunk-ish setting. Late 1800s like but with magic and some more modern technology. Ambreville is a sunny coastside town with a population of about 7,500. It features many Europeanesque stone buildings. The main town plaza is located between the train station and a rocky beach. On one side of the plaza is the town hall. On the opposite of the town hall is the town theater. On the beach side of the plaza there is a wall and stairs that go down to the beach. In the middle of the plaza, there is a monument with a clock on each of its four sides at the top. Not far from the town hall there are stairs that go up a rock formation to the lighthouse. A bit down the street from the train station is the main shopping street and a park that has a small lake.

The home of the new caretaker is a cottage in an overgrown garden not far off from the main street. It should be big enough to house up to eight additional occupants. Though the garden appears overgrown, you can find most useful plants there.

Ambreville Secondary School: The local secondary school is just down the street from the cottage. The school is uniformed with girls wearing sailor collar tops and long suspender skirts. Boys wear sailor collar tops with pants/trousers. Both alternatively have shirts with ties. The caretaker is willing to use influence to allow modifications to her children's uniforms.
School subjects are the usuals: Maths, Language, History, Geography, Natural Sciences, Home economics, but also Basic Practical Magics and Home Magics. The magics classes are only graded if the student has magical ability. Those unable to use magics are exempted from these classes.

There are also laws regarding magics where even minors are punished for: Such as, using magics to harm those with weaker or no magical ability is punishable by public whipping. Causing grave injury while violating that law can result in a death sentence or a lengthy prison sentence.

Rules:

No godmoding.
If you don't post for seven days, your turn will be skipped. If ten days pass and there is no word from you, you will be removed from the roleplay. So please, let everyone know when you can't post for a while.
 
It was a chilly early summer morning in Ambreville. Nothing much was going on at these hours. A white haired woman left the cottage on main road. She wore a long skirt and a button down blouse with a ribbon tie. She walked to the train station to fetch the next train to Frerevue, a neighboring town only 20 minutes down the line. Along the way, she was greeted by some while avoided by others.

At the train station, she bought a ticket and waited for the train to arrive. "Miss Bocq, what business do you have in Frerevue if I may ask?" An older man asked the woman. The woman answered: "I am seeing if anyone needs my help there." "See there. Miss Neria Bocq always caring for the less fortunate." The man said. Neria smiled. The train whistle was heard in the distance and it drew closer adn closer. Soon the train stopped at the station and Neria got on.

It was only a short ride to Frerevue, but walking there would have taken two or three hours. Soon in Frerevue, Neria got off the train and went around a corner to where she couldn't be seen and turned her appearance into that reflecting more her age, that of an old woman. Even though she was 70, master magic users could easily become 500. She then traverse the streets of Frerevue.

Frerevue was known for it's bad treatment of demi-humans and it's slave market. This was territory where Neria had to tread carefully and most of all not walk around in her normal appearance when she had specific things to do where her normal appearance could impede her. She made her way to the central market place.

"Madame! You look like you could use some servants! I got the finest demi-human slaves for sale here! Come buy them while they are still here." A man said to the aged Neria. Neria looked over to him and said: "Servants? They could help me with my chores. My old age is becoming quite the burden." Neria said, acting the role of an old woman and followed the man into a tent.

There she noticed three demi-humans chained up with slave seals on the sides of their necks. "Poor things." Neria said in the old woman voice. "Can you tell me about them?" "They probably can tell you more than I could." The seller said. Neria then turned to the chained up demi-humans. "Could you introduce yourselves?" Neria asked the demi-humans.

Interacting with:
IG42 IG42 mysteryxio mysteryxio RizaTiz RizaTiz
 
Nisha Syrvi

The small figure of a cat demi-human laid against the cold steel of her cage. She hardly moved, if at all, as she stared blankly at the floor below her. It hurt. Everything hurt. Her arms, her legs, her body, everything. The only movement from the girl was from her eyes as they slowly looked up at the tent flap opening, revealing her current owner and an elderly woman. At this point, no thoughts came to her mind. It was the same thing, over and over again for 5 years.

They had entered the tent and while her owner was showing off the different slaves he had for sale, the old lady's attention had been caught over in her direction. They both walked over as the lady inquired about her and the other slaves near her. As her owner turned towards her, indicating for them to introduce themselves to the old lady, the girl didn't move. She continued to stare blankly at the floor, nearly unmoving except for her chest rising and lowering with each breath. "E-Excuse me, Madame! This one is a bit of a bad listener, but worry not! With this-" The man took a small ringing bell out of his jacket's pocket "-bell, she will obey all of your commands." With that, he rung the bell "Demi-human, introduce yourself!"

The demi-human's eyes filled with noticeable fear as she saw the man took the bell out of his pocket. Once he rung it, the same horrible sensation washed over her, forcing her to move and speak. She stood up, even with injuries and all, and bowed. "Greetings, Master! My name is Nisha! I may not be a good listener, but ring that bell and I'll do whatever you ask!" Her voice sounded like a broken toy, as if she was forced to have a happy and obedient tone and yet her voice sounded tired and pained. As she finished her introduction, her entire body seemed to pause for a moment before she collapsed on the floor, no longer being able to support her due to exhaustion. Either this lady was going to buy her and use her as all her owners have in the past, or she'll be able to rest, even for just a few more seconds, before someone else comes along and gets interested in her.


Interacting with:
TanteRegenbogen TanteRegenbogen
 
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Fennel Ravel
Sitting on the floor Fennel hugged his knees to his chest and continued internally kicking himself as he had been for days, he'd thought that his previous owner's intention to free him would finally be the opportunity to find the purpose behind his rebirth but instead he'd been kicked right back down to rock bottom because one man wasn't content to merely be extremely wealthy as opposed to excessively so.

Hearing an unfamiliar voice he looked up listening to the new customer speak and watching her appraisingly, an older woman would be less likely to get physical with them and 'chores' wouldn't be the death sentence getting scooped up by some farm or mine owner looking for cheap labourers. Feeling like this could be promising he got to his feet preparing to introduce himself as he was told while covering a cough up as clearing his throat.

Before Fennel could speak up however the vendor zeroed in on the catgirl next to him and produced a small bell that dragged a greeting out of the girl like it was pulling her teeth, sickened he watched her crumple into a heap on the floor leaving him too distracted to cover a louder than usual cough. Wincing he glanced fearfully at the two humans, if he got marked as sickly the only way he was leaving this place was with someone looking for disposable slaves.

Drawing himself upright Fennel rested one hand over his chest. "My name is Fennel Ravel ma'am, I am sixteen years of age and fully literate." He spoke in a carefully controlled tone and stared straight ahead at nothing in particular, proper etiquette might have demanded that he also bow but the display put on by the girl next to him had strained his politeness enough already.

TanteRegenbogen TanteRegenbogen RizaTiz RizaTiz
 
CAELUM

While the others were all allowed to move around more freely than he was, Caelum had been more restricted. Yes he was afraid of being restrained more but he'd calmed himself down enough to think rationally. He also was sure to never show his fear to others, especially his captors even though he so badly wanted to scream. His body had been chained more, arms behind him in irons, a chain wrapped around his torso to force his wings down, and a piece of cloth over his mouth. He was told to come over and the slaver removed the cloth. "Name" he shouted. Caelum had been obstinate and constantly defied the slavers when he could. He wasn't afraid of the pain they inflicted on him. The only reason they hadn't done away with him completely was his physical trait.

Caelum remained silent, all he did was look at those in front of him. "Name" he shouted once more. This time Caelum spat in his face, which earned him a hit across his face. He only stared at the slaver, expression unchanging from his usual stoic manner even after he was slapped. He smiled internally over what he'd done. "Caelum" he finally said, the only word he said. He felt that his actions showed exactly who he was. The slaver seemed nervous over the incident. Caelum merely sat there unfazed. Most people didn't care whether he had talents once they saw he had the power to fly. Some where interested in that but others believed he fly off somewhere. He would have done that.
 
Viz
Like a zoo. Or to be more exact, a pet shop. No, neither of those were accurate. Some of them were to be put to work as physical labour, and the rest were for the glamour of ownership. Disgusting. Under Hamakaze, back in the other world, none of her family would have stood for this kind of rubbish. Even Randall, bandit extraordinaire, murderer and arsonist, didn't stoop this low. Freedom was everyone's right, he had told her once. Slavery was the worst of all sins, or at least, that was what Randall believed. She tugged at her cuffs, observing the chain links carefully, as she was lead out onto the stage, behind the first trio of other demi-humans. The slavers didn't invest much in quality work. These chains were in pretty bad condition, to say the least. That, or they have never been in a passable condition in the first place. The trick was to break their slaves down so much that they wouldn't even question their captivity. All around her, she could see only dead eyes, bereft of hope and future, the willingness to submit so long as a rod was present. Even now, as she observed the three demi-humans in front of her, two of them seemed to kowtow to some dumb human they just met. The third one was putting up something of a resistance, at least. She smirked. Pretty cool kid, she had to say.

Some more customers had begun to gather around the stall, and some of them were taking some interest in her physique. No doubt wondering how well she would work hard labour. She gave herself a pat on the back. Body like hers didn't come easy, and if they were admiring those guns of hers, then they clearly knew quality work. That said, however, as much as they were praising her for a job well done, she wasn't going to be sold off to play workhorse to them. "Hey, careful there. I bite." She snapped at them, causing her audience to back away from her instantly. She let out a loud laugh, baring her fangs. "That's what you're here for, right? A buncha animals? Gonna just back off when they snarl at y--" she was cut off when the 'sales assistant' came over to her and cuffed her on the back of her head.

"Shut the hell up! You are scaring the other customers."

Sheesh. Talk about tough love. Scaring off the customers was the point. Anything to make his business rougher than it already was. She straightened up, massaging the back of her neck, but the grin remained on her expression.
 
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Jade Hawkwood

It was strange to her, being bound in chains. It's not something she's ever really experienced before, only having put bindings on criminals and in more recent times, those destined to slavery. Is this what people did now to feed themselves? Throw people to the wolves of society so they can work for the rest of their lives under somebody else, or worse? Hell, she considered herself lucky if she was put to manual work to begin with, since most of the escaped slaves she'd help capture were from farms or the like. The cuffs around her hands were tight, and pinched her wrists as one of the slavers impatiently tugged her along. If she weren't bound, she would've put this man into the ground a long time ago.

She was getting marched behind another group of slaves on display and forced to her knees, like fine jewelry or freshly baked goods. Something she caught very early on is that making eye contact was a surefire way to get yourself noticed, at least so she hoped. Jade had been doing nothing but trying to keep up her physique despite her stagnant living conditions, trying to ensure the second she gets the chance, she'll have the power to free herself the second her captors slip up. It's only a matter of time. Only a matter of time.

Jade was trying her best to not make any eye contact whatsoever, keeping her gaze below the chin of the accumulating potential buyers. If she didn't look at their faces, they would stop staring at her like an object. She could feel their eyes scanning over her bruised arms, her scarred face, but pushed the thought out of her mind. Hopefully, they'd just pick one of the other dead-eyed slaves and be done with all the staring so she could get put back in her cage and keep planning, keep hoping there was an out. No matter how hard the beatings got. She was determined to find her escape, even if the rest of the people in her situation are dead-eyed and sullen.

At least, most of them. One of the slaves in front of her was putting on a show for the buyers, being uncooperative and all that. A strike to the face. This also seemed to give the slave on her left permission to bite and snap at the gathering crowd. A strike to the back of the neck for her. Jade could only watch, silently screaming internally at the prospect of watching somebody get sold off in front of her, or worse, getting sold herself. She watched as the slaver took a step back from the unruly girl, and she felt a sense a familiarity to her. Thin build, fiery attitude. Was she?

She caught herself staring, and shook her head to herself. Her being in this situation was her own damn fault. If she just shut up and did what she was told, she wouldn't be forced to shut up and do what she was told, being tossed back and forth between people who want to buy her for her body and nothing more. Her eyes returned back towards the platform she knelt on, boring an imaginary hole into the wood underneath her.
 
Neria listened to the introductions of the slaves who complied, but it didn't matter that some didn't. When the slaver hurt some of them, Neria spoke up: "I'd prefer you don't abuse them." "But they are just demi-humans. They have to obey." The slaver said. Neria felt like beating him for the abuse, but also like killing him solely for his nasty profession and his disdain for demi-humans.

Assertively, Neria said: "I will say it again. Don't hit them again." The slaver backed down: "Of course."

"I will take all of them." Neria said. The slaver then asked: "Excuse me?" "Did I stutter? I said I will purchase all the demi-humans you have here. All five of them." Neria placed a large bag of coins on the table. The slaver looked inside. A wide smile grew across his face and he grinningly said: "We are in business. I will transfer the slave seal control over to you immediately. Madame..." "Bocq. B-O-C-Q." Neria answered.

The slaver then cast a contract spell and the seals on the slaves necks lit up. He cut his thumb and sealed the contract with his blood. Neria did the same, effectively transferring the ownership and control of the slaves over to her. "It is a pleasure to have done business with you." The slaver said. Neria sharply responded: "I recommend you retire. It is a dirty business." "What? But it is too profitable." The slaver responded. Neria then sternly said: "I am not asking you now. I am telling you." She briefly turned into her younger appearance to show the slaver how serious the situation was. Luckily, no one customers were in the tent at that moment.

"You are the witch! That filthy demi-human witch." The slaver said. Neria responded: "This filthy demi-human witch is giving you the option to leave this business without harm and with a bag of gold." "I could get more out of it if I capture and sell you instead. You aren't even allowed to hurt me with your magic anyways. It is against the law." The slaver said.

Neria's wand appeared in her hand. "Do you think I care about laws that keep demi-humans oppressed and mages obedient? Plus in this town, no one will believe a demi-human." "Wait, what?" The slaver said. Neria flicked her wand. The slaver's human ears disappeared and instead he grew dog ears and a tail. "What have you done?" The slaver cried distressed. "What is this spell?"

"It is not a spell. It's a curse. And curses of this level cannot be lifted by priests or paladins. If you want the curse to be lifted, you will have to experience first hand how it is like to be a demi-human, especially in a town like Frerevue." Neria said back in her old form, still hiding her tail and ears.

"I will get the police. I will get you arrested." The slaver said and ran out. He ran around the market screaming that a witch had turned him into a demi-human, but since he was from out of town, no one recognized him. Rather they laughed at him, thinking it was a demi-human who had lost their sanity or was playing some prank on them. Seeing the police, he went up to the police and said: "Please help me. I have been cursed." The police officer shoved him to the ground and said: "Get off me you filthy demi-human. Being cursed is more reason to stay away."

Neria turned her attention back to the five slaves. "You five. Time to come with me. I will get those seals off you when we get home." The young demi-humans seemed to be of the types rabbit, bat, cat, wolf and bear. Neria went to each of them and used her wand to break their restraints. "If you want to leave and be free, you can. But first I will take you home. It is not safe releasing slaves in this town. Alternatively, if you don't have anywhere to go, I can provide a home and adopt you. I don't have children of my own and have thought about making you apprentices, so that you can protect yourself and save others too." She said. "Anyways, from here to the train station it is about a ten minute walk. You should stick close to me."

Neria looked at the collapsed demi-human who had earlier been forced to obey with a bell. The bell was on the table. Neria carefully took the bell without ringing it and cast a spell on it with her wand changing its shape and the tone of its ring. It was supposed to be calming and soothing. She gave it a try. "Does that sound better?" Neria asked the cat demi-human who had introduced herself as Nisha. "If you don't have the power to stand up, I might have a potion or spell to fix that. Alternatively, one of the others can carry you."
 
Fennel Ravel
Watching the elderly woman scold the slaver Fennel felt his hope rising and permitted himself to scowl openly at the slaver's reply that they were "just demi-humans". Hearing that she now intended to buy not just one but all of them his heart leaped, while he knew next to nothing about the other demi-humans there he would have still felt guilty if he had been forced to leave them with the slaver.

Fennel looked on in morbid fascination as what he thought was a wealthy yet simple old woman with a soft spot for demi-humans confronted the slaver and revealed herself as demi-human herself with a scary level of magical skill sending their transformed tormentor running from the tent and effortlessly breaking their bonds. "You really came here to free us?" He asked uncertainly while rubbing his wrists where the chains had chafed his skin, having his last promise of freedom snatched away had left Fennel a little cautious of this new saviour, still he thought this did seem a bit more like some hand of fate pushing him along to whatever he had been brought to this world to do. "Protect myself and save others..." He echoed liking how that sounded until he registered where they were headed next. "W-wait did you say train?" Fennel seized up as his memory conjured up images of shattering glass and the sound of metal screeching and twisting, his panicky rapid breathing triggered a coughing fit that left him doubled over.

Wheezing Fennel's attention was drawn to the catgirl still crumpled in a heap by the sound of the mention of that foul bell, jumping on any available distraction from his memories of terror he went to her and squatted by her side. "Hello there, you're Nisha right?" He asked as gently as he could while sounding slightly hoarse. "Do you need a hand?"

TanteRegenbogen TanteRegenbogen RizaTiz RizaTiz
 
Nisha Syrvi

Nisha laid on the floor as the other demi-humans introduced themselves. It wasn't anything new, she's gone through this so many time she's lost count. Others introducing themselves to a potential buyer, bought and some time later news of their death would arrive, be it from exhaustion, succumbing to injuries, or whatever else they were subjected to. Not like she really cared much now. It was just going to keep going on and on until she's deemed useless and thrown out like a broken toy. Her entire body already hurt like hell and recently the only way to get her to follow commands was with the bell. Not because she was rebellious or anything, but because she had just given up.

Her thoughts got interrupted, however, by a strange yet calming sensation that washed over her with the ring of a bell. Her face was visibly surprised as for a few seconds, for the first time in years, she felt at ease. It was a very beautiful sensation, as if she was relaxing on a hill of flowers on a windy day, or back in her original world, on her bed just listening to music on a rainy day. Even the pain she previously felt was gone. Well, perhaps not gone, maybe numbed, but either way she felt good. She slowly sat up, and looked around her. The others around her had their restraints broken and were moving about, looking rather surprised as well. She look down at her own and noticed they too were gone. Nisha looked up at the person had the bell that tortured her for so long in her hand, noticing that she was a youthful-looking demi-human like her. Where'd the old lady go?

Before she could ask, one of the demi-humans went over to her and asked if she needed help. "I-" It was weirdly strange, speaking voluntarily again. "Y-YeEss...please..." She responded as her voice cracked. Even though the pain she felt previously was somewhat numbed, she still knew she couldn't stand on her own. Though she didn't know if it was from her injuries or from exhaustion.


Interacting with: Well technically, everyone, but mainly:
IG42 IG42 TanteRegenbogen TanteRegenbogen
 
CAELUM

A smile appeared on Caelum's face as saw the show in front of him. He reveled in watching the slaver react to what happened. For the first time after so many months he felt joy. Ever since he was forced back into this so called life he'd had the same expression on his face. Now he nearly laughed at the sight in front of him. Whoever this was had secrets and he hoped to learn them. He stepped out of the cage stretching his arms and rolling his shoulders. He looked over and felt his wings for any type of cut or bruise that he may have. When he didn't see one he extended them. They still had some stiffness to them so he had problems with them opening up all the way. Slowly he opened them more and more until they were on fully open. His wingspan was longer than he was tall. He placed his hands on one of them, he loved how they felt.

He made a few test flaps but the moment he was in the air, he came crashing down, a sharp breath leaving as he tried not to scream. He hadn't flown for a fair period of time but it was more than that. His wings hurt unsure if something was broken or not. He held his tears back but couldn't hide his expression. He trembled as he stood, only to fall onto his knees from the lack of strength in him. He had no knowledge of magic could this have been some type of seal or spell cast on him? Was this to stop him from flying away? His wings had started to thrash around, not enough force to knock someone away, but the sight was what one might see if they saw an injured animal in pain. Caelum clenched his eyes and fists. He refused to scream since doing that meant his captors won, and even though the man was gone it was a habit that he still did.
 
Viz
"Coulda broken these myself," she remarked, picking the cuffs off her wrists and tossing them aside, "but thanks anyway." She hopped off the stage, and looked towards where their 'sales manager' had scurried off to, transfigured by their...savior's magic. "Nice trick," she jabbed a thumb towards the man who was now being accosted by the police. "How'd you do that? And this?" Viz waved her hand over her own face. "That ain't something foundation can just fix up." She laughed loudly at her own joke, and brushed herself down. Her body creaked dangerously as she stretched herself out, but it wasn't anything that a few good stretches couldn't fix. She cracked her knuckles and swiveled her ankles around. Damn if it wasn't good to finally have a semblance of freedom though. Even if she had been breathing in the stink of the town the whole time, the whole 'slave' thing having been lifted off her shoulders gave that stench a certain refreshing quality.

But wait. She wasn't exactly not a slave yet, was she? She rubbed her neck, confident that the slave mark still stuck onto her skin where her hand was. She was currently this lady's thrall, whether she liked it or not. She found it hard to decide whether this was an improvement or not. She wasn't free yet, but the lady seemed cool, at the very least. She did just free them. That said, this also meant she wasn't too big on client-merchant relationships. Something about her made Viz's skin crawl. She couldn't read the woman at all, and she wasn't sure if the old lady or the one that currently stood in front of her was the true version of her. If one chose to employ deceit as their prime weapon, then they would choose to do so at any point of time. Was she deceiving them right now? Viz rubbed her chin, observing the lady from her head to her toes, until she was thrown off the scent by the sound of a body crashing down onto the ground. She turned away to catch the bat demi-human sprawled on the ground.

"The hell?" Viz moved to his side, scowling. "Geez, man." She scratched the back of her head irritably, sighed, then stretched out a hand to the kid. "Hey, get up. We're just about to get outta here. The nice lady's gonna treat us to a nice trip down to her home, and you can split after you stop looking like a rat that just crawled out from a storm drain." She paused, then thought to introduce herself. Always introductions first. Business flowed easier that way. "Name's Viz, by the way." She gave her best smile, though it was closer to her just baring her fangs and edging the tips of her mouth upwards just a little bit.

mysteryxio mysteryxio
 
Fennel Ravel
Nodding as Nisha responded Fennel smiled a little wider, shaky as her voice was it sounded so much more natural than the forced tones the first bell ring had extracted from her. "Alright then let's see about getting you up shall we?" Dropping to one knee next her Fennel's hands floundered for a moment in indecision then took hold of her arm and awkwardly slung it over his shoulder, her upper body supported thus he slowly stood back up hauling Nisha up with him hoping that she could at least partially support herself.

Straining with effort Fennel hunched over a little letting the slightly shorter girl rest more of her weight onto him, his build was only a bit less scrawny than hers making it more a struggle than he'd like to admit. "Therrre we...go!" He said trying his hardest to sound nonchalant about it. Thinking back to Nisha's earlier unresponsive state he realised she might not have been conscious when he introduced himself. "I'm Fennel by the way, in case you missed it earlier."

RizaTiz RizaTiz
 
Jade Hawkwood

Jade's fingers clenched and unclenched as she counted the seconds passing in her head. She hated the eyes, the rustling of the other slaves, and the chains on her wrists. She wished she could be rid of it all and be back on the road again, doing the right that she knew. The bear demi-human took a deep breath in, and started counting to 5.

1.

"I will take all of them." A stern woman said, followed with flustered confusion that quickly became a satisfied "Well of course." from the slaver. A lump in her throat formed. The time had finally come, she was being bought. Hopefully, she wasn't too mean- most slave owners were, probably, she was sure of it. At the very least, escape was coming soon, as long as she continued playing the waiting game.

2.

"I recommend you retire." The woman then said. It's not the first time she's heard those words before, but it was the first time she's heard somebody else asides from herself say it. The distraught and confused slaver continued to shine true to the disgusting person he was: a greedy man. Keep your eyes down Jade, you don't want to get wrapped up in this, you already lost the fight.

3.


"You're the witch! The demi-human witch!" The slaver cried to nobody in particular. She could see the fear in his eyes, and how the tables have turned on him. Apparently, the older woman wasn't anything she seemed to be. Not just rich, but a powerful wielder of magic. He was a storm of accusations and anger, but hers was a strong wind that blew him away.

4.

"... A curse, and curses of this level cannot be lifted by priests or paladins. If you want the curse to be lifted, you will have to experience first hand how it is like to be a demi-human, especially in a town like Frerevue." A horrified noise came out of the former human, something that Jade could only describe as part scream, part horrified howl as the man grew ears and a tail. It was then, that Jade's eyes lifted off the ground and up to the woman who had just bought them.

5.

She didn't seem to be anything special, just some old woman, but it was made apparent to Jade that while "Lady Bocq" was technically her owner, she didn't plan on keeping their relationship that way. The other slaves were in varying states of relief, and injury from the varying conditions they were left to rot in. The bat boy hit the ground, hard, and another cat demi-human found themselves being comforted by a hare. Jade stood slowly, shaking off the shackles, and stretching her back, bones popping and cracking as she reached as far as she could into the sky.

Jade towered over her kneeling and sitting new companions, sucking in a breath of smog-choked air. It was better than the dank must she'd been stuck in, which was a start. What bothered her still is that she was technically a slave, her fingers hovering over the unpleasant mark on the side of her neck, but she was promised that she could go straight back to adventuring, helping people out of she wanted, or to stay with this lady as her child if she wanted. Jade had a father figure ever present in her life, Hawkwood. He died doing what was right and what he loved, and to an extent, she hoped to go out the same way he did. Perhaps, she could stay a few weeks or a month, get her bearings, and try and start life again, with a better disguise than a hat.

The bear demi-human took a few tenuous steps around the other slaves and towards the woman, who was politely ringing the bell that seemed to bewitch the cat earlier. She seemed too sweet to belong to such a foul place like this, but appearances could always be deceptive. "I-" Her voice squeaked. She hadn't spoken in such a long time, it came out rusty. She swallowed, then cleared her throat. "Thank you for freeing us from a lifetime of servitude," She said gratefully. "I offer you my-" She paused and her voice faltered as she reached to her sword to offer it to the woman, but found that it wasn't in it's sheath. "- I suppose I offer you nothing then, but my gratitude. I hope it's good enough until I get back on my feet and out of your hair. I don't plan to stay with you very long." The demi-human chuckled uncomfortably, never making eye contact with Lady Bocq. To Jade, her freedom was a crapshoot, random generosity from a stranger. She didn't do anything to deserve it in her mind, and in her mind, she had to do something to repay the kindness in equal measure.

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Neria noticed the rabbit demi-human named Fennel didn't seem to like the mention of riding trains. She felt that he had a fear of them or at least she assumed. "If you don't like trains, we will have to walk to the edge of town so I can transport all of us to Ambreville. I cannot use the arcane circle in the middle of town, might be too dangerous and may attract too much attention." Neria said to Fennel. She watched as Fennel helped Nisha up after Nisha seemed to be calmed by the ring of the changed bell.

Neria then was caught off guard by the crashing of Caelum, seemingly unable to fly. "Don't try to fly now. They are probably weak from being bound all the time. If you can walk, walk with me. If you need help walking, I can hold your arm to give you some support." Neria said to Caelum. "I cannot treat you wings without thoroughly checking on them. We cant do that here as it is a bit inopportune. But I have enough beds at home and supplies to treat injuries if they can't be healed with a spell.

The wolf demi-human then thanked Neria and then remarked that what Neria did to the slaver was a "nice trick". "By Aevarion's grace, it is not a trick. It is a curse. Curses don't just go away compared to spells. And tricks tend to be only sleight of hand. The curse turning humans into demi-humans is passed down within Aevarion's Order. Maybe if you become a knight of the order one day and prove to be of conscientious character, then you may be able to use it." Neria replied.

Then the wolf demi-human asked how she did her aging thing, remarking that makeup doesn't just do that. "That is a spell to disguise myself. I can teach you that one day. Currently, this younger appearance is my normal appearance. The old woman appearance is however probably a lot closer to my actual age as I am already 70 years old. It comes from the intense use of magic probably."

The wolf demi-human then went over to talk to Caelum and introduced herself as Viz. "Finally I get your name too." Neria said.

Finally there was the bear demi-human, who had not given her name. Neria checked the papers. Jade it seemed. "I guess you are Jade." Neria said with a smile. She noticed that Jade avoided eye contact. "Don't be afraid. You can look me in the eyes."

Jade offered her gratitude and seemed to want to get out as soon as she was able to start anew, seemingly because she may have felt that she was unworthy of it or unable to repay Neria for the favor. "Listen. You don't have to feel indebted and you can stay with me as long as you like. If you feel like you need to repay me, I would like you as well as the others become my apprentices. And for extra protection, I am willing to adopt you as my adoptive children. If you don't have schooling, I will sponsor your schooling too. This is a cruel world and I want to give you the best chance at it. Maybe one day, we can reform the world and create justice." Neria said.

Neria grabbed into her bag and pulled out five flasks, handing each to each of the youths. "You must be thirsty. This will not just hydrate you but give you a little strength. Now come along with me. If you can't keep up, call me by my first name Neria. The name Lady Bocq tends to set alarms off here. We can talk along the way." Neria said. Before exiting the tent, Neria put back on her old woman disguise and hid her ears and tail.

She began to head towards the outskirts of town. People surprise that someone bought five slaves at once. "It should only be a ten minute walk to the fields, then I can make a circle to teleport us directly in front of my cottage in Ambreville." Neria said always keeping an eye out that the others kept up.

Interacting with: IG42 IG42 mysteryxio mysteryxio RizaTiz RizaTiz simj26 simj26 Shadowfall Shadowfall
 
Nisha Syrvi

The half-rabbit boy helped her up, slinging her arm over his shoulder to help her stand up. Thankfully, her arms weren't as hurt as her legs, so she could support herself just enough to stand. Her legs, however, hurt a lot more. Nisha didn't know whether they were broken, sprained, or whatever other injury a leg can get. Either way, it was still pretty hard to stand by herself, as well as painful. The half-rabbit boy introduced himself as Fennel with a friendly smile. "O-Oh...I'I'm..." She cut herself off. She was about to introduce herself again, awkwardly enough. Even though he knew her name when he came to help. "Nice to meEt you..." She said weakly, her voice cracking once more.

Her attention was a bit more focused on what was happening. It felt more like a fever dream than anything. That or she was actually dying and all this was just one final dying dream. Either way, Nisha was just going to let it happen. Although the bell calmed her down, which is still a weird concept to her, she still felt rather fatigued, and her entire body felt heavy. She'd just try to limp along as best as her body could with Fennel to whatever destination they were headed.


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Jade Hawkwood

Neria's whispers of reassurance didn't reach Jade, but she nodded along all the same. "Right, apprenticeship and all that." She nodded to herself slowly. "Yeah. I'll definitely consider it once I find myself a proper sword first, then we can talk about justice and schooling all you'd like." She mumbled to herself, accepting the water flask and taking a long swig. It's been a while since she's actually had water when she wanted it. Slavers would only give her food and water when she needed it, and that made keeping her body shape hard. After all, it's easier to keep a battered, tired, and broken slave around than a robust and powerful one. It definitely showed with the sorry state everyone else was mostly in. She was just glad she had only been a slave for so long.

She had been drinking for a minute straight now, before she took the leather flask away from her lips and exhaled deeply. It was the first time she's had the feeling of a full stomach in a long time, even when she was on the road. The mercs only had a big meal the night before an important job, or after completing an important job. "Duty before death and all that, but what's the fun in being a blade for hire if you can't live a little?" is what she remembered the usurping bastard Dunham said a number of times before he sold her off. She bet that he had one of those feasts with those big chicken bones after getting her out of his hair. She hoped he choked on those bones.

As the group went to leave, Jade made sure to stay at the back of the group. Neria knew the way out of town, but she'd rather ensure that if any of the more clearly weaker demi-humans slowed down, she'd be able to help them keep up. Or, if it came down to it, fight off any potential kidnappers looking for an easy slave without any of the fuss of buying one. In a town that puts numerical value on a person's life, there's no count of what horrible low lives might live there.

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Fennel Ravel
While he felt relieved at avoiding the trains Fennel hung his head ashamed that his lingering fear was already causing their new benefactor trouble. "I'm sorry, I was...in an accident with a train some time ago." He mumbled sheepishly while being deliberately vague about the accident, still he felt a little a more secure with the reasoning that if Neria was running some elaborate plan to harm she would have just told him to suck it up rather than being so accommodating.

Feeling Nisha's arm tighten around his shoulder he looked back at her glad to see that she could at least partially hold herself up. "Nice to meet you too." He replied brightening up a little. Taking the offered flask Fennel awkwardly opened it while balancing Nisha and took a cautious sip followed by a much larger gulp, feeling a touch more energised he unscrewed the cap off the flask that had been offered to Nisha and held it out to her. "Here, this will give you a bit of a boost."

As Neria went to leave Fennel took a few steps then stopped as a thought struck him. "Hold on a moment!" He barked suddenly. Looking around the tent he spotted a chest sitting in corner and a key-ring the slaver had abandoned on a nearby table in his panic, snatching up the keys he hurried to open the chest as quickly as he could without dropping Nisha. Inside the chest was an assortment of what few personal belongings of value the group had on them before the slaver had confiscated them remarking that "What's yours is mine." Reaching in Fennel withdrew a well crafted long wooden case cradling it lovingly before rooting through for other curios he assumed belonged to the others. "I've found our things, over here." He waved over the rest of the former slaves and handed out the rest of the items before they left.

Once outside he tried to balance his urge to rush out of the slave market while letting Nisha keep up, as they walked Fennel looked around warily but avoided eye contact with the various humans in case one of them decided to take offence at it as an excuse to make trouble for him.

TanteRegenbogen TanteRegenbogen RizaTiz RizaTiz Shadowfall Shadowfall mysteryxio mysteryxio simj26 simj26
 
Viz
When one of the other demi-humans called their attention to the case of their belongings, she immediately took her attention away from the bat kid, and scampered on over to their spoils. "Niiiiice." She rubbed her hands together greedily as she looked into the case. She glanced over the contents, and reached in, picking out a glint of gold amongst the worthless clutter within. She held up a small cross-shaped brooch, a smirk coming over her expression. This was the only that really mattered in this box. She was kind of glad that the slaver hadn't pawned this off for a pretty penny. Just sticking around in this world was enough to make her lose her mind, and possibly the very memories that made her, well, her. She glanced down at herself. This body wasn't doing her any favours either. No matter how much she trained, she would never be as strong as she was before. She sighed and shrugged, pinning the brooch onto her black jacket, then glanced into the case once more. She plucked out a knife from the mess. Drawing it from its sheathe, she examined the blade. Good enough, she supposed. It would have to do. She withdrew the knife, and slid it into her belt. It didn't seem to belong to any of the other demi-humans. Might have been something of one of the slaves before this lot. No matter. They were gone now, and she wasn't.

Her pilfering complete, she jogged up to the rest of the group, falling in step with the last one. She twirled around her energetically, and clapped her on the back. "Hey, you!" There was something about her that seemed to radiate danger. Even though she had been weakened by her exposure to the slaver's whims, her gait, her disposition, and her eyes, especially the eyes, told a different story. Whatever troubles weighed heavy on her shoulders, they did not fully crush what spark remained inside her. Viz supposed she ought to try and set some fuel for that spark to set aflame. "Man, look at you. You look like a merc, or a soldier. Guns like these don't come easy, not to the common man, demi-human or not," she indicated her arms, which looked like they had seen better days, but they still seemed lean and well-trained. "What company did you run with? Might have had a run-in with them, heh." Not that it was impossible, just a little coincidental, that'd be all, she mused quietly to herself.

Interacted: Shadowfall Shadowfall

Mentioned: IG42 IG42
 
Jade Hawkwood

Before she left, the hare had called the attention of everyone with a sharp "Hold on a moment!" They announced with a triumphant jingle of keys that they had found their things. The bear demi-human was the first to retrieve a pair of items item: a sword, still sheathed, and a tattered blue and yellow cap. She swiped them up and got out of the way of everyone else, making sure to loop the belt and sheath over her shoulder. The sword was much lighter on her than she remembered, but that's what she expected at this point. It was more of a keepsake than anything else, a focus of her rage, and the last thing to remind her of where she came from and who she was. She was a Hawkwood, first and foremost, and that meant fighting to the very end, no matter what. Her tellerbarret nearly found it's way onto her head again, but she figured that with Neria, she should keep it off for now. Those damn ears are what got her into this mess, and it might as well continue to be the thing that gets her out. For now, it dangled off her blade's grip, poking just over her shoulder.

As she was trailing the group, Jade's eyes watched vigilantly for any sign of hostile activity. However, she jumped a little when one of the other demi-humans came up from underneath her and circled her like a child before giving her a rowdy slap on the back. Jade didn't really know how to respond to this, the tension in her body briefly leaving her before coming back. "Hey, you!" Her eyes settled on a runt of a demi-human, a grinning, strangely energetic runt of a demi-human slave. She didn't stop to talk to her, but that didn't seem to stop her bouncing and bobbing. The strongwoman raised an eyebrow as the wolf fired off her questions. It wasn't the usual coded "How do you do?" she was used to in her business, but rather a direct comment on exactly who or what she might be: a mercenary. It was a little odd to be put into a category so quickly, but there aren't many people who carry swords on their backs and are as well-built as she is for fun. "I suppose I do wear that mercenary thing on my shoulder." She flexed absentmindedly, then focused her attention on the girl.

"What company did you run with? Might have had a run-in with them, heh." She chuckled a little at the thought, before her face returned to the same stony expression. "I worked for Hawkwood's Ravens not too long ago. Emphasis on 'worked' for. Wouldn't be in this spot if it weren't for them, or these." She tugged at the ears at the top of her head, then sighed. "The name is Jade, by the way."

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Mentions: IG42 IG42
 
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CAELUM

Even through all the pain, Caelum continued his silence. He stood, shaking and took a step, he nearly fell again but caught himself. He thought about Viz and Neria's words of encouragement and help which seemed to somehow give him strength. He'd always been forced into a role of solitude ever since he got here, it was nice to hear words like that again, it reminded him of home. He tried to listen, but whatever was causing him pain didn't let up. With some effort he managed to close his wings around him forming a cloak on him. Each step made it harder for him to focus on what was happening around him, but even though his pace was slow, even though he stumbled every few steps, he was still walking, which was what mattered to him at the moment.

Caelum took the water from Neria, offering a nod as a thank you. He felt whatever was in the flask give him some reprieve, if only for a moment. The pain dulled but was still there and he felt it start to slowly gain strength. With a deep breathe he started to follow the woman. When one of his former fellow captives said they'd found their belongings, he wasn't sure how he should feel. The clothing that was taken away form him was what he was wearing when he was resold. The memory of his time spent in the company of killers and assassins was not something that he look fondly on. He looked down at his palms, each tattoo meant to show that he was a failure to the world. His "Fear and Faintheartedness" was what his previous teachers called them but to him they were a strength, he would not cross 'that' line, even though he did enjoy scaring others into thinking that he would.

The slavers had to keep him shirtless most of the time, save for when they were in colder climates, so the a shirt and jacket made him feel normal. They'd been specially made for him to easily get his wings in and out of. The only other things inside were a small blade and a polished stone. He wanted to leave them behind, yet he found himself taking them, unsure why. He tried to keep pace with the others but could feel the pain once again course through his body.
 
As she walked along, some of the demi-humans walked back to the tent as they seem to have almost forgotten personal belongings that were still in a chest. The few who had things in the chest came back. Two even with weapons. Neria in old woman form, patiently waited for them. Soon, they were ready and back to following her lead out of the marketplace where slaves were being sold. "Not long now." Neria said as they were almost out of the plaza.

"Tch. You call those slaves? They are mere children and some of them look like they wont survive another week." A townsperson said to Neria. "But I guess that trash will have it easy serving an old lady." He continued disdainfully. Neria gazed into the man's face and went eye to eye with him. "I wont tolerate people badmouthing my servants. Apologize. We can do it the easy way or the hard way. Either way, you will apologize." Neria said sternly. The man chuckled and said: "Why should I apologize? They are just demi-humans. It isn't like..."

Just then Neria slugged him in the face with her cane, knocking the man to the ground. "I guess we will do it the hard way. Apologize before this old woman beats you to a pulp." Neria said. The man then angrily replied: "How dare you? What is your problem, old hag?" "Old hag?" Neria said, eye twitching. She hit the man another few times with the cane. While she beat the man, she said: "Don't you dare talk to me like that! Now apologize for your disrespecting." Crying and heavily bruised, the man gave in and said: "I'm sorry. I should have kept my opinion to myself. I wont disrespect your servants anymore!" After lowering her cane, Neria said: "That's right. Actions have consequences and just because I am an old woman doesn't make the consequences less grave."

After that spectacle, the other bystanders kept their distance from the group. Neria already saw the landscape and fields at the end of the road. "Alright everybody, we are almost there. Stick with me and you'll be safe." She said as she approached the end of town. "When we get home, I can get you all healed up."

She noticed Caelum being in a lot of pain and quickly tended to him. "I might have something that can help. I just need you to hang on for a few more minutes." Neria said. She pulled out something from her purse. It looked like a pill or drop of some sort. "This should relieve you of most pain and help with healing. It should help you walk better until I can get us to safety." She continued and gave Caelum the medicine. "Just watch out. It tastes bitter." Neria then went back to leading the group forward.

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Fennel Ravel
Feeling initially pleased as a couple of the others retrieved their things Fennel's small smile dropped as one girl started rifling through obviously searching for other loot, it didn't feel quite right to be taking stuff that wasn't theirs even if it had already been stolen from someone else but he didn't object when she only took a small knife.

In the plaza Fennel kept a well practised look of impassivity on his face as a passerby felt the need to comment on the scruffy procession keeping his gaze focused on Neria's back, when she stopped to address the man Fennel blinked in surprise and watched in awe as she beat the stuffing out of nosy guy with her cane until he apologised. Stepping around the downed man as they continued on their way he leaned in closer to Neria. "Was that such a good idea?" He murmured, forgetting his earlier restraint he looked around in concern finding that most everyone was either watching them or pretending not to be watching.

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CAELUM

Caelum watched in amazement as Neria was striking the man who insulted them with her cane over and over again. He felt a smile on his face for only a half second at the sight of it. The smile left his face just as fast as, the pain starting. He felt his breathing become more ragged and he wanted to scream, yet a combination of his training and his pride prevented him from doing that, instead he stopped and leaned on his hips. He didn't even notice the woman's presence until she was already next to him. He could only hear some of what she said. What he picked up on was pain and help. Without second thought he grabbed the small drop, then swallowed it with the same hesitation.

He felt the effects some moments later. The pills taste never registered with him, only the feeling of his pain becoming distant. It was still there, but it was as if he only had a small ache over him. He stood and thanked the woman with a nod. He still felt out of breathe, as if he'd been running for his life, but he made his way forward. His vision was hazy. He had to shut and open his eyes constantly to see where he was headed.

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Viz

"Hawkwood's, huh?" Viz's hand touched her newly acquired knife's hilt, froze, then slowly smoothed over its pommel instead. That particular stack of cards was the reason she was tailing behind this weird lady right now, with the mark of slavery on her. Her hand tightened around the hilt of her knife, and a wistful smile came over her expression. Her eyes, however, betrayed no joy. Thoughts of intents most foul, daydreams of entrails hanging from the ceiling, the sight of their blood scattered around her in violent splashes, and the ringing of the cacophonous screams of pain and desperation in her ears filled her head for just a second, before she drew herself out of her reverie. She will get her opportunity. One day. She'll find them, and she'll cut them all down, one by one, if she had to. Then she'll go back to her family, and they'll go back to having all the fun they wanted. Until then, she would just have to survive first. Get this annoying brand off her too. She released her grip of her knife and rubbed her slave brand. "Never heard of 'em," she lied to the ex-merc as naturally as she breathed. "You can just call me Viz, professional good-fer-nothin'." she introduced herself properly this time.

She paused as they stumbled across a pack of roving humans, who seemed to think accosting their newest owner was a smart idea. "Hey, don't look now, but I think our new boss's going to lay it on the guy," she pointed surreptitiously at Neria, a smirk coming onto her face. "Ten gold says she'll floor him in a single punch."

Not a moment passed when her words left her lips did the lady boss smash her cane right into the man's face, and sent him collapsing onto the ground, clutching his face and howling in pain. Viz punched the air and gave a whoop of elation. "YEAH! GIVE 'IM WHAT FOR!" she called from the sidelines, and laughed. By GOD, this lady's shaping up to be pretty rad! Maybe she could hold back on the whole revenge plot a bit longer, just to see where this road took her. Her laughter softened slightly, turning into a somewhat manic chuckle as they walked past the fallen man. With a cruel curl of her lips, she made sure to tread on the man's fingers, savoring the sound of his cries of pain, as she passed. She gave another chuckle, and continued with the group.

Almost as if she had not just been enjoying a little bit of chaos, she turned back to Jade, returning to their conversation from earlier. "Anyway. Hawkwood's, huh? Word on the rumor mill's that the old man bit it, and that's why they're such a mess right now. Any truth in that?"

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