Chapter Three

It's been three grueling long days since they've arrived inside of Slutton. Celes has been put to work helping in the construction of a new watch tower while wearing nothing but a heavy metal collar and an ear tag marking her as property of the city. Lori is equally as underdressed as she works over the garden by the bar. Celes watches her for a moment then turns toward Jess letting out a low growl under her breath as the woman sits comfortably outside of a cafe talking the weather and other such nothings with three other girls. Unfortunately for the elf, all she can do is hope this has something to do with the plan that put her into this position in the first place.

~*~

Three days earlier...

Still approaching the gates of Slutton, Jess spots the look of growing unease on Celes' face. She enjoys it for the first little bit but then clears her throat.

“Don't worry. This will just be a temporary situation the two of you will be put into. Of course, given I have no holdings within the city you'll have to belong to it instead of me for the time being. I mean you'll still be there in my name so when a permanent enough dwelling opens up—”

“We are not living here, Jess.” Celes barks out from her position down on all fours.

“I know, I know. But I need to put the two of you back into my complete holding before I can get you into the spaceport. So the two of you can work while I handle the rest, alright?”

~*~

Jess' conversation is interrupted when Celes, who had just been standing there, lets out a loud shriek when her collar becomes active sending a shocking pulse through her body that cripples her down to her knees momentarily.

“Keep working, slave!” Comes the command of one of the guards who soon cracks a whip across Celes' back. She screams out again as her flesh is split but it proves the necessary motivator as she quickly gets back to her feet and resumes her duties.

“Celes!” The call to her right has Celes turning her head before drying up the tears she earned from the pain. The voice in question comes from a cat girl who draws a hand down over her ears before talking. “We're running low on cement. Go to the storeroom and get another bag.”

She gestures to a small shed as Celes looks over and back before nodding just thankful for a chance to walk without being whipped. She looks to the guard seeing him tighten his grip of the whip. Her gaze drops and she starts down the roadway for the storeroom going inside finding it a little dark. She looks around and through the small trace of sunlight secures the light fixture turning it on. Just as she does, the door is closed and a hand comes over Celes' mouth. Celes follows it along to a silver haired elf who presses a finger to her own lips before removing her other hand.

“What...what's going on?” Celes asks the also obvious slave. The numbers on the tag in her ear was beginning to fade while some rust spots were starting to pop up around the collar.

“Do you wish for freedom?” The elf asks in a hurried yet hushed tone.

“What? Um...yeah. Really I shouldn't have been here this long.”

“None of us should. If you're interested, then await the sign.” Is all the elf says before she turns to leave but Celes, after blinking a couple of times, reaches out grabbing hold of her arm.

“Wait a minute. What...what are you talking about? Sign? What sign?”

The elf turns as Celes removes her grip not wanting to seem too hostile here, she's just confused.

“For security purposes, it's best not to discuss it.” Having said her piece, the elf turns and this time succeeds in leaving as Celes stands there blinking a few more times.

~*~

Kneeling down by the garden, Lori rubs a hand down along her sweaty brow before looking up at the piercing sun. Although this isn't exactly how she intended to be spending her day, she's thankful at least to have been given such a peaceful task as handling the garden around the library. At least there she can listen in on a few conversations between people going in and out. At times, they remind her of her time in the university...before being kidnapped in that garden. However, as her mind dwindles on those days she can only come to think about how she let down all of her fellow students being enslaved so quickly in her term as the student council president. In fact, it was barely even a week before she was forced to crawl around wearing a leash and a wooden bit gag. But at least this term as being a slave is a little easier.

“I'll see you later!” Comes a call from just above Lori who looks up to find a cat girl dropping down to her knees beside her giggling. “Sorry I'm late, catching up with an old friend. Thanks for covering up for me though.”

The brunette girl begins to hum herself a happy little tune as she starts digging around through the dirt carefully selecting up places for the next ring of plants to go. Having not expected the help, Lori tilts her head.

“Um...”

“Becky.” The girl quickly responds before shaking a dirty hand into Lori's immediately showing regret for it. “Oh...sorry. Heh.”

“It's...it's okay.” Lori attempts to smile to ease the situation. It wasn't as though her own hands were any cleaner. Unfortunately, the smile begins to fade as Becky goes back to her humming. Something about her appeared as a little off to Lori.

“What?” Becky turns surprising Lori whose face turns bright pink when she goes back to her work.

“N-nothing! I'm sorry.”

“You sure?”

“Yep.” Lori forces out hoping Becky will just drop the matter and carry on about her work. In fact, to try and persuade her back into it Lori starts humming herself. After listening to a few bars, Becky shrugs and proceeds to work herself.

“That's a nice song. Do you know the words?” The cat girl asks as she rests down a few pink flowers into her hole before filling it back up patting the dirt down around it.

“I'm afraid I don't, I only know the tune from when I was young.”

“Forest dweller?”

“Five Capitals.”

“Ah.” Becky nods her head. “What's it like there?”

“Wonderful. Bright. Full of colour and life. It's very vibrant and most of all everyone gets along.”

“With the dominatrix there watching from her tower, I can imagine.”

“Oh, no.” Lori corrects. “She was never in her tower for very long. She always loved coming down to walk as many of the city streets as she could. She even bought me this hairband.”

Lori reaches a hand up to touch it but to her surprise, she just feels her hair. Then she remembers where she is and what she's doing here. Becky looks a little saddened to see the elf lose her smile.

“They don't destroy anything. So it's probably just in storage. You'll get it back once you find a Mistress.” Becky says in hopes of brightening her new friend back up.

It manages to work, if just a little, as Lori nods her head some. But it doesn't keep the tears from forming up. Becky then reaches out touching a hand to Lori's bare shoulder giving it a tender squeeze.

“It's okay. Hey.” Becky's tone calls for Lori to look up at her, so she does. “It's okay.”

Lori would like to believe that or even take it in to its full extent, however, all she can do is focus on Becky's eyes. The pupils mostly. Lori continues to stare until Becky gets the hint and brings her hand away.

“Noticed, huh?” Becky looks a little troubled as she swallows and comes clean lifting up the cat ears from her head causing Lori to gasp at the realization.

“You're...human!”

“To you, but to the humans here...I'm trash.” Becky indicates this by touching the dirt and drawing her finger up creating a plant stem in her wake before leaving it off with a leaf.

“That's...that's amazing, Becky.” Lori says astounded by what she sees.

“You really think so?”

“I do. Becky, this is a gift. It's wrong the way these humans treat you.”

“So you'd rather I be like them and take a stick to you?”

“Well...no. I mean you shouldn't feel ashamed of this gift just because they tell you to. With this gift you could help millions!”

“If you say so.”

“I mean it.”

Lori sounds certain but Becky doesn't feel that way. For those in Slutton, magic is viewed as a curse. A remembrance of the Sorceress who killed thousands. But there was something about Lori's smile that got Becky thinking otherwise about this.

“So you don't mind my pretending to be one of you?” Becky asks adjusting the ears back into place. “It's actually left me with a lot less beatings.”

“They...really don't like magic users.”

“No.”

Lori looks down and slowly and quietly resumes her work as Becky watches for a moment then joins in with her.

~*~

A young elf girl hurries through a set of tables carrying in her hands a metal tray with some empty drinks as those seated laugh over whatever troubles they have in their personal lives. Too much sun, the prices at the local market, or the delays in shipping from off world. In other words, citizens of Slutton inside of Divas, the entertainment complex at the downtown core of the city. Pulsating music plays as demi-human slaves perform inside of cages that look as though they haven't been opened save for cleaning in weeks. At one of the tables sits Jess, finally back in some decent clothing among her newfound friends.

“I suppose we aren't supposed to be getting rain for another few days.”

“We'll be thankful for it then, but what about the humidity after?” Laughs one girl as Jess smiles into her drink taking a look around the club. There was something peculiar about it. Though not just the club but all of Slutton and for the life of her Jess couldn't quite figure it out.

“Hello, Jess? Are you there?” One blond leans in and waves her hand distracting Jess from her thoughts as she blinks and smiles.

“Sorry, what were we talking about?”

“The Bunny Pyramid. Next month, remember? We were talking a trip there.”

Jess wonders just how long she was out of it if the conversation went from rainfall to that.

“Oh, right. What about my slaves?”

“The city will look after them.” One of them shrugs as a brunette starts laughing.

“Jess, if I didn't know any better I would think you were a demi-human sympathizer.”

“No, just...wondering if I'd need to put them in a kennel or some--”

Jess' comment is cut off when she notices the same young elf from earlier shoved to the ground with a drink splashed over her.

“Fucking bitch! This is not what I ordered.”

“I-I'm sorry.” The elf quickly stammers as she comes up to her knees bowing her head. “I must...must have mistaken--”

“You were mistaken and now I don't have a drink. Do you see what your incompetence has brought me? A dry fucking mouth!” The woman goes to strike the young elf but her wrist is caught by an older one.

“Don't you DARE touch my sister.” The elf narrows her eyes as the younger one looks up with tears in hers. The scene only tenses further but not for long as the older elf lets out a loud shriek dropping to her knees.

“Fucking bitch.” The woman kicks the elf across the face as Jess' brunette friend smiles shaking her head.

“She should've known her little outburst wasn't going to last long.”

“What happened?” Asks Jess as the blond looks at her puzzled.

“Her collar went off. Security must've taken notice and activated it. It's what happens when a slave acts out of place. A lot of them are just brute savages. Slavers, mostly.”

“Slavers?” Jess questions watching as two guards drag the one elf away as the younger one scurries off back to the bar before earning a shock herself. At that moment Jess realizes what's been so off about this place. “Come to think of it, I've been seeing a lot more elves than any other type of demi-human here.”

“Like I said, they're all slavers. They take any unsuspecting human back to their...little village out in the woods.” The blond shakes her head disgusted by the notion before leaning in. “My sister and her husband were both taken by those filthy things.”

“Even the children?” Jess inquires as the blond leans back and looks at the small elf bringing back the second attempt order.

“They start young, I guess. Makes sense, they live their entire lives hating us. To think that my sister is on her hands and knees scrubbing their floors.” The blond says before taking a sip from her drink.

Jess looks back at the little elf being called over to another table before being tripped. The tripper and her friends laugh as Jess grits her teeth. She hates elves and other such creatures as much as anyone, but she never wanted to see such hatred displayed through a little girl. No matter where it was directed.

“I'm just gonna step out for a minute.” Jess says excusing herself with a smile. She walks out as the blond mutters to her remaining friend.

“I think she's sympathetic.”

“We'll report her then.”

“After she pays her portion of the trip.”

“Of course.” The two girls giggle as they clink their glasses watching the door.

Outside, Jess takes her much needed deep breaths trying to work out her growing confusion about how she felt back in the bar. Although before she can, she hears the sounds of grunts as if someone were being attacked. She follows the sounds around to the back of the club where she sees the two guards from before. One holding the older elf as the other punches across her exposed face. Without thinking, Jess steps in.

“Hey! Cut it out!” Jess stops repeating the statement in her head as the two guards turn toward her.

“Why? You a sympathizer?”

“No.” Jess quickly manages to get out, and thankful she did. However, the next part isn't as easy as she looks around for an excuse not to be seen as sympathetic for the elf, who was by now bleeding from the nose and mouth. “It's just if you keep hitting her then she won't be able to work.”

Hoping that will be enough, the guards look to one another and shrug pushing the elf away.

“Fine. But if she makes trouble again, town's getting another shade.” The guards head back inside as the elf draws her hair back and tries to wipe away the blood.

“Th-thank you.” She says as Jess tries her best to look away.

“Whatever.” She eventually responds indeed now able to turn away from the damaged elf. “Just didn't want the guards wasting their time on you.”

Feeling...better, Jess starts walking from the alley as the elf watches for a moment then steps back into the club to resume her work.

~*~

As nighttime comes the activity draws to a close. A few guards still roam the streets while the slaves are set up in collection points resembling those of a standard coat rack. Thick, solid restraints are placed over their wrists and brought up over the hooks where they're locked into place with small metal poles poking through them combined with a padlock. For Lori and Celes, being bound like this while on their knees has been their nights. Celes watches as the guard locks her restraints in place then leaves as the other slaves attempt to get some sleep. After a few minutes, Celes looks over and finds Lori with her head bowed and eyes closed.

“Lori?” She whispers. “Lori?”

Lori opens her eyes and looks over toward Celes.

“Yes?” She whispers back.

“There's talk of an escape. Or, at least I was approached about it. Something about a sign. I figure...we can use it to get into the spaceport.”

“What about Jess?”

“I'm sure she's happier being here. To be honest, I don't think we really need her after this.”

“Celes, her friends were taken away too.”

“But she hasn't been overly heartbroken about it. Lori, we just leave and she can stay here. That's what she wants. Well, she probably wants us here as slaves.”

“You don't trust she's upholding her end?”

“No. Lori, this could be our only chance at getting out of here.”

Some silence from Lori.

“Lori?”

“Alright. If...if you think it's the only way.”

“It is. Don't worry, things will be back to normal soon.”

“I hope so.” Lori smiles weakly before lowering her head once more. She thinks for a moment then brings it back up. “Celes?”

“Yes?”

“Don't you think by now the Queen would have begun her own investigation?”

“Yeah. Why?”

“I haven't noticed any of her ships or people in the area.”

It's the first time Celes had thought about that as she looks up to the nights sky wondering now about the same thing.

~*~

The basement of an undisclosed home, four women stand around a table lit only by a single lantern while a fifth sits up at the top of the stairs watching the proceedings. All four by the lantern are shrouded concealing their identities even to one another.

“How many know about the signal?”

“I can confirm all of the slaves in the western part of the city know.”

“And the east?”

“There's a lot of construction going on in that part, slaves are being shifted around constantly.”

“The more that know the sooner we need to do this. The western part is the rich part, even some of the slaves there live lavish lifestyles. If they feel the need to talk to their owner about this...”

“Then we just have to hope the east knows just as well as the west.”

“I'm sure when they see others running, they'll know something's happening. How's the disarmament of the collars coming?”

“The code is ready to be imported into their software. We tested it out on a couple of our collars and they work. The trouble is getting to their central computer. We figure if we--”

The shortest of the four is cut off when one brings up a hand.

“No details. The less even we know the safer things will be. Just be sure to get the collars off, that will be the first signal. However, the second signal needs to come fast. Otherwise no one will even reach the gates.”

“I have some trustworthy people on that.”

“Good. Tomorrow we leave. If not by the gates, then to the other side.”

“To the other side.”

~*~

Once the stiff restraints have been removed, both Celes and Lori are given their working orders for the day and are sent out toward them. With the thought of a potential escape running through her mind, Celes does her best to keep an eye on Lori until she feels a hard nudge against her back. She looks and finds the same silver haired elf from before carrying a wooden box of tools.

“Work. If you don't you'll be whipped.”

It's not so much a warning as it is an inside warning. The elf glances around as Celes nods and resumes her work on bricking up a wall. The silver haired elf rests down the box and lets out a sigh running her wrist across her forehead.

“They're really working us ragged today, aren't they?”

It takes Celes a moment or two to realize when she starts nodding.

“Y-yes. They are.”

“Well, save your strength from this. As soon as this is done, we're set to be doing repairs on the convention centre.”

Celes rests down a few more bricks and nods her head once more figuring now might be a good time in getting this out there.

“That's too bad. My friend and I were hoping we could work the spaceport instead.”

“You'd need a background in engineering for that to happen. They don't just allow any slaves in there.”

“Maybe they could make an exception.”

The message was certainly loud and clear as the silver haired elf takes a short look around to see if any of their owners had been listening in.

“I doubt it.” She replies before grabbing hold of a hammer and leaves the conversation behind knowing that if two slaves were seen talking for too long eventually someone would come and break them apart. Celes watches her go before she resumes her work.

Eventually, the breakfast bell is sounded so the slaves gather up in the central square to await their meal. Celes does her best to find Lori in the massing crowd but it doesn't help that it soon becomes a wave of excitement as torn bits of bread are thrown into the pack. Hands of various makes reach up to grab hold as slaves soon fight amongst each other trying to get what scraps of food they've caught. The humans watching giggle and laugh as more bits are tossed in while Celes keeps an eye out for Lori. The more she looks around the more she begins noticing something. Lights on every collar begin to go out at a rapid rate. No one seems to notice in the excitement until a massive explosion takes out one of the guard towers. Then everyone looks. The signal was made. It was time to get out.