Chapter One

It started with 500...

The auditorium on the Demi-human side of Jennaton University is packed. It is time for another auction to take place so hands, hooves, paws, even tentacles are being thrown into the air followed by a shouting of numbers. Everyone wants a pet. The orc on stage tries her best to keep everyone in order as she continues calling out the top bid with her booming voice. Luckily for her, as the bids increase in value the less she needs to keep check of as one by one students find the auction becoming a little rich for their tastes. Either that or they just don't see the value in those up on stage.

“Everyone looks to be in good spirits, considering.” Celes mutters to herself not certain if she should be disgusted or proud of her fellow students behaviour in todays event.

Beside her sits a dark skinned cat girl gently stroking her whiskers as her narrow eyes watch over the humans still waiting at the far side of the stage for their turn to be sold. “I don't know,” she purrs, “Granted, our president was enslaved just the other week by those humans I imagine everyone here is just out for retribution.”

“We should be staging a full out assault in getting her back. The cowards kidnap her during her gardening time and we haven't done a thing about it.”

“Everyone was left in shock. The vice president suggested a stay of calm to keep people like you from attempting anything. Remember what happened with a professor of ours was taken?” The cat girl eyes Celes for a moment noticing the elf's fist begin to tense up.

“They kept feeding us videos of them abusing her. Eventually a party went out--”

“And they were all captured and paraded before us. Have some faith in the vice president, Celes, she'll see us through this.”

Celes doesn't think so at that time as she nearly rips off the foam covering to her armrest with how much her nails have dug into it. But she also understands that there isn't much she can do on her own so she relaxes as a delighted blob takes on her new pet starting up the auction for the next girl.

“So if no one has crossed the centre line, how are these girls on sale?” Celes asks leaning back in her seat.

“Apparently they were caught just outside the student archives.”

“Archives?”

“Mmhm. They put up quite a struggle once found too. In fact, while some of them were fighting off the guards two of them kept at it with the door still trying to break in.”

“Must have been something big they were looking for.”

“Apparently the interrogations turned up nothing, that's why the quick sale. Well, also because of everyone's feelings toward the president. It also doesn't help that during the scuffle two of the humans escaped back to their side of the university. With a guard.”

“Fucking humans.”

“On that we agree.”

The auction continues as happy ponygirls and dog girls look to find themselves quite busy for the evening with their new pets. Then the orc reaches out beyond the curtain and pulls out the final girl. A young brunette with deep hatred in her eyes as she glares over those in the audience. She drools over the ball gag shoved into her mouth as she's stopped in the middle of the stage to be put under the spot light.

“Why's this one gagged?” Celes inquires.

“I hear to avoid inciting a riot.” The cat girl giggles as the bidding begins.

As soon as they do, the human becomes rather animated thrashing about in her bondage screaming out through the gag in her mouth only inciting a far greater reaction from those in the audience who all now want her at the end of their leash.

“Oh my.” The cat girl muses becoming impressed with the humans spirit not even noticing when Celes stands to throw her hand up in the air yelling out in a dominating tone of voice that commands the others down in their seats.

“Five hundred!”

Everyone looks to the elf as whether they know her or not they feel the seriousness of her bid and silently sit down in their seats leaving Celes standing above them all. Her eyes lock on with that of the humans as each test each other for any sign of submission. In the end, the human only mutters out two words through her gag followed up by the orc's call of “Sold!”

~*~

With the auction now over, the students began dispersing from the auditorium talking amongst themselves about the next sporting event or planned trips to the Jennaton shopping complex. The crowd was full of happy faces and one sour as Celes isn't exactly feeling quite so giddy. It doesn't help that her human pet, who is still glaring at the back of the elf's head, repeatedly mutters the same two grunts in a row over and over and over and--

“What???” Celes turns ripping the gag from the woman's mouth breaking the leather strap in the process. “What is so important that you need to drive me to near insanity?”

“Knife-ears.” The woman smiles especially when she notices Celes' fist beginning to tighten. The pet just giggles and tilts her head. “Aw, what'sa matter? Oh! That's right, this is the part where you hit me in the face because it's going to make you feel all kinds of better, right? For that one brief, moment your knife-ears head is going to convince your heart that by punching me...your precious knife-ears president isn't in the dirt right now with her ass up at the ready.”

Celes begins to growl tightening her hold now of the leash.

“No, scratch that. Because by now she would be in the dirt with her ass up begging something be put in--” That's all Celes can stand as she wallops her pet hard knocking her clear to the ground causing others to take notice. The woman begins to rub her jaw a little and looks up. “I think I hear her joys of freedom now!”

“Get up.”

“So you can hit me down again?” The woman asks obeying the order at least contrary to her defiant tone of voice. “I'm Jess by the way.”

“Your name doesn't matter.”

“Not now anyway.” Celes takes this as a threat, especially when it's delivered with an arrogant smirk as if Jess were already planning something.

Still noticing the crowd around her, Celes just lets Jess have this one and turns tugging the leash as she begins down the hall to where people aren't as knowing to their current situation. Where they're just an elf and her pet human.

“Why were you trying to break into the student archives?”

“Why do you care?”

“Listen, you're going to be on your leash for quite a while now, so it'd be best if you just cooperate.”

“Really?” Jess asks sarcastically as she begins rubbing her jaw a little.

Celes just shakes her head and goes to say something when she hears a commotion from the lobby.

“Sounds like another demonstration!” Jess proclaims clapping her hands. “Which of you demi-humans do you thinks on display for this one?”

Celes doesn't even bother dignifying that with any sort of response as she just makes her way toward the noise keeping certain that her pet, or Jess, keeps up with her.

“You can't do this!” Shouts out one elf from the crowd of gathered demi-humans.

From the looks of things there are two gathered crowds; one demi-human and the other simply human. Of course there are some demi-humans on the human side but not a single one of them is there by choice. To make matters worse, one of the leashed demi-humans is still wearing their security uniform.

“What's going o--” Celes begins to proclaim as she pushes her way through the crowd only to be stunned by the sight of the student council president down on her hands and knees.

Her body is bound by ropes though just for show as she's clearly been allowed the use of her limbs, if just to be allowed to crawl. The corners of her lips have turned raw and even bloody by the tight bindings of her whiffle gag that just oozes saliva each time the elf breathes. Her cheeks are red with the humiliation of being put on display like this in nothing but her undergarments with her president ID hanging from the front of her collar.

“You...” Celes begins as the fire once more comes into her eyes.

“I was just taking my pet for a walk,” Lori's owner, Samantha, proclaims before planting a foot down on the top of her head. “And I couldn't help but notice all these smiling faces. That got me thinking, how could such stupid animals even be capable of such complex emotions?”

“Get your foot off her!” Celes demands looking about ready to throw down with some humans. Those facing her across the border just laugh.

In fact, Samantha just keeps their foot down over Lori's head pressing it down further as they lean in toward Celes.

“Or what?” She smiles waiting for an answer before getting nothing inside of two seconds. Therefore, she steps back and huffs another quick laugh. “Exactly. C'mon, we've spent far too much time here already.”

Samantha steps off of Lori's head and jerks her leash forcing her to turn and begin crawling away from her friends. Unable to do anything, the crowd of demi-humans simply watch whispering a bunch of nothings to one another before dispersing themselves leaving Celes alone with Jess along the border. Celes' eyes still wavering that flame as she watches the president taken down into another hall.

“I swear she won't be like that for much longer.”

Jess saunters up beside her Mistress and sends her a smile. “That a promise?”

Once more, Celes refuses to acknowledge her pet and just turns taking the vice presidents suggestion to all; to remain calm. Doing something now would result in nothing. In that instant, Celes makes another promise to herself, aside from rescuing Lori and the others, that she'll never allow herself to feel this powerless again.

~*~

Night time comes down over the university as Celes goes about getting changed by the bed while Jess looks at where her leash has been tied; the bed post in order to keep her from getting anywhere. She doesn't tug any though, she just stares blankly at it only blinking herself back into reality when she hears the voice of her Mistress from the bathroom.

“Still not going to tell me about the archives and your reason for being there?”

“Seriously, why do you care? I'm here now, I'm your pet, there's nothing more to it.”

“Precisely why you should tell me.” Celes steps into the room now changed from her school uniform into some white pants and a sheer tank top. “Because there's really no reason not to.”

“Sexy and slutty, you'd make a fine addition to the girls of Divas, knife-ears.” Jess suggests with a giggle as Celes brings up her leash from the bedpost pulling her in close.

“Enough with the knife-ears, human.”

“Enough with the human, I'm Jess.”

Celes sits down on the edge of the bed figuring to just keep the matter at rest for now and go back to what she was wanting to talk about.

“Just tell me why you were there.”

Jess groans and gets down to her knees feeling more of an object when just standing there.

“If this is your means of torture...fine.” Jess draws a hand through her hair and looks up at Celes who winds the leash over her hand a few times. “Samantha was brought in under the suspicion that there was someone special here.”

“Who told her?”

“I don't know.”

“Who was she looking for?”

“Some piece of royalty or something. A rumour she heard was that some princess was attending classes on this side of the school. That's why it wasn't so important to us if we were caught or not, so long as we found something out we could at least inform Samantha during a lobby meet with some sort of sign.”

“How did you know it would even work?”

Jess shrugs. “You brought me to her. If I had managed to find out anything I could've told her then. Besides, your student council president is her bitch now, none of you would try and parade us around in front of them just to feel better.”

Celes brings her hands back in behind her so she can brace herself up off the bed with her arms. “You've certainly become wordy about everything here.”

“For two reasons. One; to stop you from asking. And two; by this time tomorrow...it's not going to matter what you know or don't know about this.”

“Why?”

“Because my girlfriend is going to break me out and when she does we're taking you with us. We've always wanted to share a pet together.”

Celes begins to smile but it continues to grow at an uncontrollable rate and soon she breaks out laughing.

“What? What's with you?” Jess demands.

“This must be your first year here.”

“Yeah. So?”

“In my two years here, hell even in Lori's four years there's never been a case of a human retrieval party.”

“What?”

“Every human who has ever been brought here as a pet over the past few years has either stayed that way or somehow managed to escape. In fact, there's only ever been one trade between pets recently and that was before Lori's time! So to surmise, your “girlfriend” isn't coming to rescue you.”

“Samantha said--”

“Of course Samantha said something to the contrary! This was your mission to be caught in! All she wanted was the information, she didn't care if you became a pet or not. I mean no one even looked at you or even acknowledged that you and the others were caught in the first place. Lori was still their trophy despite the security guard also being there. Face it, you failed so this is the punishment you've been given.”

Jess lowers her eyes trying not to believe any of the things Celes is here telling her, but she can't ignore the fact that during the scuffle in the lobby she wasn't even looked at.

“So tell me something, human, how does it feel to have lost complete control of your life on a whim?”

Celes smiles hoping for some sort of angry reaction but Jess takes her feelings of betrayal in a different light. Her eyes begin to water and her lower lip trembles as her tears fall to her school uniform blouse. Celes stares at her awkwardly for a bit then just lies down keeping the leash around her wrist.

“Don't think I'm going to feel sorry for you. There are enkine born literally with collars around their necks.” Celes turns her back to Jess who just curls up into a ball on the floor trying her best now to get some sleep.

~*~

The sleep isn't sound though, for either of them as loud screams emanate from down the hall. Celes is the first to react as she sits up in her bed while Jess slowly rubs her eyes looking around the room first trying to figure out where she is and why.

“What's going on?” Celes asks as Jess looks up at her starting to put her own puzzle back together.

“Hm? I don't know.” Jess responds before groaning over her sore limbs before another scream comes forth.

“Someone's being attacked!” Celes calls out as she gets out from her bed only to trip over the leash landing on top of Jess.

The two stare at one another for a bit before Celes finally just presses a palm down against her pet's face and brings herself back up to her feet.

“Probably best you stay in, knife-ears. I've heard rumours about Samantha working out a master plan of assault. A little snatch and run of your demi-human kind.” Jess sits up waving her hand to calm Celes down, but it does little as the elf only looks back and growls. “I know everything about this.”

At that moment a spotlight hits the window from the outside blinding Celes temporarily. She covers up her eyes as Jess, confused on the use of the lights, crawls up over Celes' bed to take a look outside. She can't look for long as a canister comes crashing in through the window landing on the floor startling her. Celes reacts quickly kicking it under the bed where Jess looks back at her.

“Hey!”

Smoke starts to pour out and Celes pushes Jess back against the bedframe to get her blanket so she can begin stuffing it under her bed to try and block out the smoke. It doesn't do the best job, but enough of one that the room doesn't fill up as soon as it should.

“We have to leave.” Celes says as she goes to the door tugging the leash as she does.

“My legs hurt so give me a moment.”

Celes groans when the door begins to open. Only seeing the rifle in their hands, Celes reacts grabbing the would be attacker and begins ramming their head against the wall. Surprised over the offense from a room that should have been smoke filled, the attacker falls easy prey to Celes' over bearing efforts in self preservation and ultimately falls to the ground. Celes then looks back over to Jess who immediately begins scooting herself off the bed to follow.

Out in the hall there's mass chaos. More concealed attackers like the one left in Celes' room drag screaming demi-humans and even some humans from their rooms. Celes looks around for an opening and spots one to her left. She rushes for it while Jess takes a look herself. It's just a quick glance as she's pulled by the leash out into the hall.

“Are you crazy? They're everywhere!”

Celes just keeps running already trying her best to ignore the screams as she pulls Jess along in behind her. Eventually, she spots Lori standing in behind a door looking back at her. She signals her over and Celes rushes up to her.

“Madam president! Are you alright?”

“Lori now, please come with me.” Lori hurries back into the room as Celes and Jess follow before closing the door. “We don't have much time.”

She heads over to the fireplace and presses down on one of the stones embedded just above the mantle. The fireplace comes alive as it shifts from the path revealing an underground hallway.

“What is--”

“Just hurry.”

Lori starts to go down into the passageway when Celes looks back at the screams.

“Madam...Lori, we can't just leave the others like this.”

“There isn't anything we can do that wouldn't endanger ourselves. Not to mention you have surely noticed the same thing as I.” Celes tilts her head a little uncertain. “Each of the attackers is armed and yet we haven't heard a single shot.”

“Slavers then?”

“Perhaps. Possibly hired out of Alexandria. For now though, we need to go.”

Still not feeling too well about it, Celes joins up with Lori down in the passageway as the fireplace behind them closes moments after Jess takes the steps down.

The passageway is dark and silent as the stones mute out the sounds of screams on the outside. A small light appears in between Lori's hands as Jess watches with some amazement.

“Why aren't you doing that?” She asks Celes who shakes her head.

“Not all elves are magical.”

“I thought it was a trait you were all born with.”

“Then are all humans obnoxious?”

“Please stop fighting.” Lori requests with no harshness to her tone as she looks down the only way out. “We have a long way to go before we're safe.”

She starts walking as Celes follows up and Jess comes along as well. Not that she has much of a choice otherwise. Once she's caught up with Lori, Celes begins to look around.

“What is this place?”

“An escape tunnel built before the school was founded.”

“But the school was founded--”

“Directly after the first war. However, since the past few millenniums have been roughly peaceful, this part of the tour was slowly fazed out until it was just forgotten about altogether.”

“Then how do you know about it?”

“This is how Samantha was able to capture me with such ease.”

Celes looks over toward Lori spotting the collar and a fair portion of her leash glistening in the light.

“How did she find out?”

“I don't know, unfortunately she isn't around to ask.”

“Where is she?”

“Captured perhaps. At the first sound of attacks she assumed it was the enkine coming after me. She left me in her room and rushed off to meet with them.”

Jess shakes her head and catches up with the two.

“Okay, what the hell is “enkine”?”

“Something you're going to start using instead of demi-human.” Celes threatens. Lori gives a bit more of a kinder answer.

“An old elvish word meaning all races.”

“Something else you're going to be calling us instead of “knife-ears”.” Celes gives Jess a threatening glance to go along with her order as Jess just backs away a few feet letting the leash out. She folds her arms and just watches the wall as she goes wherever she's pulled.

“So, wait, if you were captured in the garden...”

“Yes, this passage comes out just beyond there.”

“But that's an open area. How are we going to avoid being seen? I mean where are we even going?”

“Jennaton and we'll just have to wait until an opening presents itself.”

Her words don't do much to calm Celes' nerves any, but the tone certainly helps as they continue their way down the tunnel up to a long staircase. They begin their way up until their heads nearly hit the ceiling. At that point, Lori begins using her light to look for a handle of some sort finding it along the side. She then extinguishes her light and begins opening up the hatch slowly and peers out to look around. Seeing nobody in the proximity, she crouches down and begins to crawl out followed by Celes and Jess. Once Jess comes out she lets out a gasp.

“They're over there!” Jess barely manages to whisper as both Celes and Lori duck in behind some bushes.

“Shh!” Celes presses a finger to her lips as Lori looks down to where Jess was pointing.

“We can certainly rule out Slutton as the attackers.”

Celes takes a look herself at the patrol a few hundred feet away standing over some kneeling students all huddled together out of fear and confusion. It's a mixture of demi-humans and humans as one guard goes through them attaching their wrists to shackles. There's some commotion from one of the humans who stands challenging the guard. Samantha. But she's immediately knocked back down when the guard strikes her with the gun. The guard then proceeds to shackle her wrists and continues on.

“Come on,” Lori begins as she turns away from the university and toward Jennaton some few kilometers away. “They'll be sending patrols out for any escaped students.”

“Why are they doing this?” Jess asks looking from the group back to Celes.

For the time being, Celes has no answers as she's just as in the dark as anyone. But she knows one thing, that Lori is right. They do need to leave this area immediately. So she turns following up after her thankful for the night that they can perhaps get to safety and begin sorting this all out.