by Randi Darren
Skittering forward she carried them across the manicured grounds at a lightning speed. Straight up the side of the mansion she went and into a fourth floor window.
Inside the room they found it to be lit by electricity, and was decorated in a similar fashion to the king’s “guest room” that they’d been in earlier.
A number of masks, gowns, and mens suit’s were laid out in various states of inspection across the furniture.
Seeing no enemies Petra carried them inside.
Sliding off his impromptu mount, Vince moved to the door and pressed his ear to it.
The sound of murmuring voices, laughter, and an occasional high pitched squeal reached him.
“Sounds like a party,” Vince said.
“Master, this one believes we should leave. Whatever this is, doesn’t concern us.”
“You’re right of course,” Vince said, pulling his ear from the door. “And in the same breath… I need to know what’s going on here. Seville knows me in some way. It may be foolish, but if this is a party, he might let his guard down. Enough that I can-well, maybe enough that I can get some answers out of him,” Vince finished in a rush. He didn’t want to admit that he could ravage a person’s mind if he truly put the effort into it.
The one time he’d done it though, he’d managed to stumble ten feet away and pass out under a bush only to wake up a day and a half later.
He’d killed the bandit he’d been dealing with, and nearly himself.
“As master wishes. This one will defend you. How should we proceed?”
Vince sighed and looked at the clothes all around them. “I’d say we start by dressing accordingly. The only problem is that I’m pretty sure you’re the only soldier ant in the entire state that is collared. Any ideas on how to disguise your race?”
Petra looked down at herself for a moment. Taking up a large ball gown type of dress she roughly pulled it down over her clothes. That of course didn’t work so she started to strip out of her clothes while arranging the dress.
While she was going about her business Vince made short work of finding a suit that’d fit him and got into it.
Looking back to his soldier he found her wrestling with the dress still.
She had begun to shove the fabric around with her hands. She managed to move it around and over her bundled armor, clothes, and helmet.
Letting go of the fabric she had somehow managed to get the dress to settle around her in a reasonable fashion without making it obvious she had things hidden in the skirt.
Unfortunately her ant parts managed to stick out behind her, which Petra noticed when she looked over her shoulder.
Shifting around in the large gown Petra rose up in height until she was a few inches above six feet.
Her segmented rear end slid into the dress and was no longer visible.
“And what exactly did you do?” Vince asked.
“This one has raised her height to a point that she could pull her rear end in,” Petra explained, gathering a vast amount of material in her hands. Then she lifted the dress up in the front.
As she had said, her “rear end” as it were, was now pointing downward towards the ground. Her legs were also closely pressed together, the tips of them creating a three footed base.
Without meaning to, Petra was also giving him an eyeful.
Vince found himself staring into Petra’s slit. It was no longer hidden by the strap of fabric she’d taken to tying across her private parts. Probably lost in the mad pushing and pulling of the dress.
It was interesting that she had a human female’s genitals but no legs.
I wonder if it’s angled differently for entry? Or child birth? Wait, do they lay eggs or give live birth? Or are eggs a queen only?
His pants started to get tight as his body reacted to the view.
Petra sniffed as if she were getting a cold, then apparently noticed his silent stare and leaned forward to see what he was seeing.
After a second she finally noticed her error and dropped the dress down immediately.
Vince only detected the faintest blush color her cheeks. Other than that, she didn’t show any outward signs of embarrassment.
Vince had to wonder at her self control. If he’d been the one showcasing himself to someone he doubted his response would be that simple.
Is that true though? How often do I end up having sex with Fes or Meliae right in front of her?
Becoming an amoral hedonistic savage there, Vince.
Petra smoothed the dress down with her hands. Vince could guess easily that she was trying to find her private parts band without looking like it.
“Can you keep that up? Is it uncomfortable? Can you move around like that? Best to try and test it all out here before we go in there,” Vince said, diverting not only himself but what just happened.
Petra blinked and the nodded her head. Slowly, hesitantly, she started moving around the room. Her movements were awkward and robotic.
They’d stand out for sure.
She surprised him though. Within half a minute since starting she’d made remarkable progress. What started off as a newborn deer impression quickly became a tall elegant woman.
“Well done. What about backwards? Or bending down? Sitting?” Vince asked.
Petra nodded her head again and then pivoted in place and moved backwards. Oddly enough it seemed that was easier than forward for her.
Moving over to a chair that had been placed against a wall she lightly sat down.
“Sitting is not easy, but this one believes this looks as if she is sitting. Yes?” Petra asked, looking down at herself.
“It looks like you’re sitting, sure. You’re not?”
“No. This one will not show you either.”
“Of course. Ok, what about kneeling or sitting on the ground?”
“Shouldn’t be a problem. The dress is long, and without the distance to the ground, it’ll stretch considerably further.
“This one feels that she is ready to don a mask and will be unremarkable. She is excited to interact with humans on a human level.
“Though she believes that everyone here is accompanied by a slave so she may need to play that role instead. What race should this one be if someone asks?”
“I… that’s a good question. Good work with the dress as well, by the way. You’re pretty tall right now and you’ve got an athletic build. We could try to pass you off as an amazon? I’ve seen a few of them. They look fairly human but have increased strength and speed. Not to mention life span. Straight out of the fantasy books.”
Petra nodded her head, her hands moving through all the masks laid out on a desk nearby.
She pulled a mask free that looked almost like a helmet. It was a single piece decorated in geometric patterns that covered from the nose to the back of the head. Leaving the mouth and jaw completely free.
Pulling it over her head, being very careful to tuck her antennae in with her hair, she adjusted the strap and then looked to him.
“Very Petra like choice,” Vince said. Looking back to the masks he picked up one that covered his eyes, nose and forehead. It also had an attached wig of dark black curly hair that would help disguise him.
Pulling it down over his head he looked to the tall soldier woman and smiled.
“Last but not least, you can call me Master, but you’ll need to drop the whole ‘this one’ thing for a time. It’s… a very noticeable speech pattern.”
Petra’s mouth turned into a frown before she nodded her head.
“I… will obey.”
“Grand. Shall we?” Vince said, holding out his arm.
“Yes,” Petra said, laying her hand on his forearm.
Opening the door they stepped into a hallway and could already hear the distant sounds of merrymaking and the smell of food.
“Maybe we should use the window,” Vince murmured.
Petra shook her head and then led him down the hallway. “Th- I could not have gotten us down in thes
e clothes. This area back here has the strongest scent and sound coming from it.”
As they turned the corner they found a servant’s stairwell.
“Just how good is your sense of smell anyways,” Vince asked, peering down the dark stairwell.
“Very good. This one can tell that there is a significant number of people down there. All of them eager to engage in sex. It reeks of wanton desire.”
Vince snorted at that and began walking down the stairs. “Stop saying, ‘This one’, remember? And you’re telling me you can tell when someone is horny?”
“All creatures put off scents when they desire sex. Even humans. It’s just harder to detect with some species. Your scent is easier for me to track as I know it well.”
Vince didn’t say anything to that. His thoughts were running around in an embarrassed flutter.
He couldn’t help but wonder if she’d caught on to the fact that he’d be more than happy to take eyefuls of her when she changed or bathed.
“This one, that is, I am always very flattered at your attention. I wasn’t sure if you could overlook my obvious non-humanoid body.”
Vince grunted as they turned around into the next flight of stairs, ignoring the door, and heading down again.
“Your flesh is warm and soft to the touch. It’s certainly firmer than human skin, but it’s skin. It’s… different for sure, but at least you’re not a centaur. Not sure I could ever go down that road.” Vince murmured, taking the steps slowly.
“I… do not understand.”
“Ergh. Well, you have a human woman’s genitalia.”
“Correct. My caste can never be a queen. We reproduce too slowly.”
“Yeah, well, a Centaur doesn’t have a woman’s anatomy. Horse.”
The turned again down another stairwell. Lights, smells, and sounds were quite vibrant now. Vince was pretty sure they’d be entering the party at the end of these stairs.
“I see. I can understand how that could be off putting. Your qualifying factor is human genitalia?”
“Not exactly, but I don’t want to feel like I'm’ having sex with a horse either.”
“You’re strange.”
“Yeah, I know. Right, then. Let’s do this.” Vince stepped into a huge ballroom filled with men, women, and Wastelanders in masks.
Chapter 15
The gathering had the look of an elegant masquerade party. Conversations were ongoing everywhere as people ate and drank.
Both food and drinks were being shuttled around the room on platters as well as at tables laid strategically throughout the room.
Decorations were heavy but simple. Streamers, banners, and all sorts of things dangled from everything and anything.
Hanging from the wall opposite the main entry was a banner that read, “Stock Holders and Board Members sixty-seventh annual meeting.”
“Is this a company or…?” Vince let the question hang as his eyes swept down from the banners to the floor again.
Lining the walls were a strange and out of place collection of chairs, benches, pedestals, railings, and pillows.
A waiter passed by and offered them glasses of champagne, which they both accepted as to not seem further out of place.
“By the door,” Petra said after the man had left.
Vince looked to where Petra had indicated. Understanding dawned on him.
The bright blood red armor of slave auction guards stood watch at the door, checking everyone for weapons.
Every guest was handed a “gift box” as well. They were rectangular and a foot long by a half a foot wide, with only about three inches in height.
“Right. That explains that then.
“I wonder where-” Vince stopped talking when he felt, more than saw, Seville and his closed mind. Trying to look in that direction as inconspicuously as he could, he found Seville and his elf lounging in a set of chairs in the corner.
Neither had partaken of food or drink, and both seemed like they were waiting for something. They made no effort to join the party or to mingle in any way or form.
Whatever they were here for, it was business and only business.
“Goodness me, where ever did you get such a specimen like her?” slurred a man at Vince. He’d somehow managed to stumble his way over when Vince wasn’t looking.
“Ah, no idea. I simply purchased her through an acquaintance. She hasn’t deigned to tell me where the rest of her people are.”
“And you br-uuuhhhggh-brought her here? You know the rrrrrrrules. You must have trained her hard.” The drunk emphasized the word hard. “You renting her?”
“Fraid not. Been training her diligently for myself alone.”
“Pity. Here, you don’t have a present. You can have mine, I’ll go get another,” mumbled the drunk, handing Vince his wrapped gift from the guards.
Turning around the man trundled off towards a table filled with glassware. Trailing along behind him was a short woman in a toucan mask. She topped out at four feet all.
“Short.” Petra’s words were curt, her voice hard.
“Very short. Probably a gnome, dwarf, or something of that nature. Thinking maybe we should get out of here. This isn’t what I was expecting and I don’t think we’ll get anything useful out of it.”
“Agreed. Let’s-”
“Everyone, may I have your attention!” boomed a voice.
“We’re leaving. Now,” Vince said and turned around. Only to find the stairwell now guarded by slave auction guards.
In fact, looking around he saw nothing but guards at every window and door.
And the trap closes?
Vince forced a smile on his face as he led Petra forwards toward the voice.
“We’re surrounded, Master.”
“Yeah. No way out but pushing on. Now smile. We’re supposed to be here, remember?”
“It’s about time we get our first event underway,” called the same voice from earlier. Vince now saw a man dressed in bright red finery standing atop a table.
“Now, you all received the rules prior to this. We’ll be selecting contestants at random and proceeding from there. Once we’ve finished the events we’ll be proceeding to our strategy meeting.”
A few people booed at that. Which got a chuckle from the rest of the crowd.
“Now, now. I know we’re here for fun and games, but we do have to conduct business. We’ll be holding an auction after the meeting for those who remain. We’ve been collecting these specimens since the start of the year. I promise you, they’ll be the finest you’ve seen.”
At that a general cheer went up around the room.
“Contestants will be randomly selected by the judges. Contestants who participate will receive a special voucher for a free purchase at any of the local or hub markets up to one thousand standards.”
Another round of cheers came from the audience.
“Winners from each contest will receive a voucher for ten-thousand standards at any local, hub, or guild markets. This can be used on multiple purchases or just one. Contestants may participate more than once, and win more than once.”
A huge cheer went up at that.
“Back to the rules!” shouted the man energetically, holding up his arms. “As this is a demonstration of training, knowledge of your slave, and your slaves knowledge of you, all slaves who were brought with you must be here voluntarily. This will be authenticated when our handlers remove their collars to participate in the games. If they’re not here on their free will, we’ll find that out during the removal process. You’ll be fined five-thousand standards, have your slave taken, and your membership revoked for three months.”
They can remove collars? I thought they were permanent.
The crowd as a whole didn’t react to that. Apparently these weren’t new punishments for rule breakers.
“Everyone who isn’t participating should please now wear their red button. You’re welcome to remain as part of the audience of course.
“Judges, p
lease select the contestants for our first event.”
Vince glanced around and noticed a good third of the audience had suddenly attached a red safety pin button to their clothes.
“I guess we’re possible participants then.”
“This-I’m confident we could succeed. It would be good to have one of those vouchers. We could purchase a number of people and add them to our colony. If possible, we should participate in every event.”
Vince checked himself mentally.
Meliae had been bought for sixty standards, if memory served. At that rate he could have bought something like a hundred and fifty of her.
Using his own money, both in the bank and buried, he could have purchased three-hundred Meliaes.
That didn’t even include selling his trophy room.
Vince suddenly felt like the worst of the worst. He’d never even considered using his wealth to simply purchase the freedom of others.
“You’re right. Let’s hope it’s something we can compete in without giving the game away. Even the participation money would go pretty far.”
A woman in a bright red tuxedo sauntered past and then did a double take to look at Petra.
“You and your owner are in the first event. Head up to the front,” drawled the masked judge.
“That was easy,” Vince said to Petra as they made their way to the front.
Soon enough, thirty men and women and their slaves were brought up onto a stage. On that stage were one set of chairs. Vince hadn’t noticed the stage earlier, much to his consternation.
What else had he missed?
“Slaves, please exit the stage to the rear to be checked by our handlers. Owners have a seat. While they’re going through that mandatory check, I’ll explain the event.”
Vince took a seat and looked around him.
Apparently they’d selected fifteen men and fifteen women. All the women were in the chairs to the right, the men to the left.
He couldn’t tell but they all had the look of younger people as well.
“Our first even is straight forward. How well does your slave know you. Without seeing you.
“That’s right ladies and gentleman. Welcome to the exhibition round. We’re starting it early this time since it took so long last year. Hopefully you’ve all brought better contestants th is year.
