Debt Slave- Before before the Tree
Title: Lessons:Debt Slave 'verse
Warnings: Adult, non-con, humiliation, possible character death
word count: 2957
He’d been a slave for almost 20 days. Days filled with monotony enlivened only by his training and usage by Adan.
He’d cleaned the chamber on his hands and knees, scrubbing ‘til he could eat off the floor. Adjusting the furnishings to allow easier access to the cleanser.
He’d learned the basic strictures involved with this culture's male alliance systems:
It was a sign of honor that you were entrusted to protect another lord’s seed.
Seed was to be constrained within one’s body, consumed orally or if deposited anally it might be ‘washed off, not out’ and then only within a cleanser. (This was really the main reason why he was a debt slave now.)
Seed if released outside a body was to be licked up, thus demonstrating respect and preserving the honorable protection of another lord's seed.
Slaves, being in dishonor, were not entrusted with holding a lord’s live seed. Therefore if not swallowed the seed was killed by the lord through urinating inside the slave's ass after completion. His cock not removed until the lord was sure all his seed was safely and honorably dead. The slave was to lick up any sphincter leakage from wherever it's location if he failed to retain that killed seed. (Ergo the very immaculate floors.)
By this time he’d had all manner of toys used on him, teaching him variety and the edge of his endurance.
Disobedience earned him being bound and pushed beyond that edge waiting for Adan to return. The lesson being here that he was allowed the honor to serve his debt-holder instead of the irredemable repayment of the debt in a whore house.
Pleasures of many sorts he'd learned, both the giving and the receiving.
Oral sex was an easy thing for him now. He was quite skilled to judge by Adan’s responses. Benevolently, Adan made sure to ‘feed him’,as he liked to call it,at least four times a day; daybreak, midday, late day and his late night time snack to keep him until the next day start. Just as skilled with his ass, he was able to rhythmically contract his anal muscles in rippling contractions that met with Adan's loud and frequent appreciation.
Always and outside of Adan's notice,he kept watch on the glass vessel that recorded the level of his indebtedness as the void of his debt was filled.
One gold sphere each time for bringing his lord debt-holder to completion in his mouth.
Two red spheres each time for bringing his lord debt-holder to completion in his ass.
One blue sphere for reaching each of his own completions.
In the days since he’d become a slave, a relationship of sorts had formed between Adan and him. Adan’s presence made up the bright spots in his uneventful days. Adan had been dependable in ensuring that Rhys always earned himself as many blue spheres as he was able, at first even against his will. He didn’t lack for shaming pleasure. Adan would rub his back or belly after entering him waiting for his body to adjust to the intrusion. Sometimes he would take delight in massaging the back of his head where his hand had cupped it while feeding Rhys his cock; sometimes he’d stroked his cheek bones or the hollows below them in caresses as he’d pushed in and out of Rhys’ mouth. It could be taunting or affection, whatever it was Rhys knew it was not mentally healthy for him but it was a relationship and he needed something against the degrading shame he felt.
This was not a relationship of love as he'd been raised to expect when giving over his body to pleasure with another so it was to be expected that his mind would try to form a relationship, even if it was only one-sided. Many of his cries as Adan pummeled into him were Adan’s name chanted over and over. His arms would hold and stroke Adan with a lover's touch. His hands would smooth over skin in the after time, like a small child with a blanket seeking self-comforting. Adan had to be aware of the emotional attachment that was taking place.
It was then not to be unexpected that for further training purposes, one midday he heard the slide of his room portal open and someone other than Adan enter. Elrond had come to take his pleasure of him. The morning after his 'First Rite', he’d bolted to the sea carrying both Adan’s and Elrond's seed to kill in the salt water. Therefore Elrond too was owed a debt for that violation of this culture's rules. Elrond had used him well, many, many times that day, in very creative ways. Each time Elrond reached his completion Rhys took responsibility in hand and ensured he reached completion also. A harsh need of escape pushing him to earn as many spheres as possible in reaction to being made to feel like a whore on loan from his pimp.
When doling out the spheres, Adan had remarked the day's fucking with Elrond earned Rhys only blue spheres. Those were for Rhys‘ completions alone, since the gold and red could be earned only with Adan. Rhys had protested and been told that as a slave he had no rights in saying how the debt was repaid. If given to others for usage then he would give good service or lose spheres and confined to sexual stimulation ‘til he would beg for anyone to make use of him‘.
Another lesson.
Bitterness now threaded his relationship with Adan. Using a square of cloth he folded the form of a flower and placed it in the mouth of the vessel holding his earned spheres. The flower’s petals arched over the sides of the vessel hiding the level of the spheres inside. He preferred to hide the shaming mockery of his earnings. How Adan had smiled in amusement when he’d seen the flower cascading over the rim of the vessel.
In desperation, Rhys pushed to gradually building up his totals to 32 spheres in a day. Adan never glanced at the level inside the large vessel as he paid them out. He merely cursorily monitored the flower's petals' arch relative to what he estimated was the rim of the vessel, a distraction from the actual level of spheres. By Rhys' calculations there was one day more before the debt's void would be completely filled and he’d be free.
Yet next day, glumly Rhys regarded the paltry spheres he’d earned. Adan had been with him for two short usages, only eight spheres earned so far and it was getting later in the day. He sighed out in frustration. When the portal opened hope awakened in him but Adan entered to order him into the larger main room to set up for a gathering of his brooda that night. Maybe this was what was disrupting Adan from the normal routines. He’d have to wait until after the others had left and earn his waiting freedom in the morning.
He was been directed to set up eight short drinking goblets on a tray and watched them filled with a golden liquid that was diluted with one of the more potent wines. A larger one was set off to the side holding undiluted amount of the golden liquid. This was the glass that Adan took up and handed to him with a rough command to, “Drink it.” Its flavor was rich, leaving a warm sensitizing down his throat to fill his belly.
“Tonight, you will be the entertainment to a gathering of my brooda. Whatever they want of you, you will give.” Adan laughed, “indeed, once what you’ve just drunk has had time, you will be very eager to be used by any and all.”
Rhys looked at the goblet in his hand and then back at Adan. “Don’t do this to me. The debt was between us Adan", his gesturing indicating the two of them. "Don‘t do this to me.”
Adan arched a brow and smiled, “you will do this willingly or your debt service starts over. And still I will pull you from the room when you can no longer resist the urges of the drink and my brooda will have what they want of you. Before your debt service is paid off you will serve willingly to a gathering of my brooda or we will repeat this lesson again and again. Am I clear?”
Rhys stared back at the lord he had once thought a friend then looked away and whispered, “Yes. Yes, it‘s clear“. 'Somehow, he’d survive this night. Tomorrow he would be free even if he had to fuck his way through Hell and it seemed at this point,' he thought with despair, 'like that was exactly what he would have to do.'
*********************
Nude, his collar his only adornment, he held the tray with the golden liquid and wine filled cups, keeping his eyes lowered. He tried to distance himself from the touches. Before his indebtedness, the touches had been more discrete, less invasive, like he was a person to be wooed and not a thing to be callously used. It was not so now. He heard the deep laughter. The air was filled with lewd comments discribing of his physical attributes and their anticipation of what was to come.
His lips were stroked and opened with fingers dipped in the contents of the goblets the lords had been offered. Hands reached down to cup his balls and give a tug or squeeze. His nipples were flicked or twisted. Fingers slid down between the cheeks of his ass and rubbed over his hole testing its tightness and wetly probing it with the liquid of the same goblets. Nail tips caught his cock scratching lightly, trying to push into the slit or just pinched under the vulnerable head. The world had narrowed to the sensation of rough hands, voices and laughter, the room a background blurring around him. He held the goal of his freedom before him hoping in its protection.
Adan called for him to come kneel to him. Rhys left the groping hands, Adan’s face swimming into view. Sinking down, facing the familiar flavor of Adan’s cock on his lips he had to remind himself,‘It starts with a kiss, it always starts and ends with a kiss.’
Adan ordered him to bring him up again after he had reached completion down his throat. Rhys heard him say,‘he would be the first and the last this night’ as without his normal consideration he plunged his cock back and forth in Rhys’ ass bringing both of them efficiently to their second completion of the night. As taught, Rhys swallowed his own attained completion after each time, he'd not lose any of the spheres tonight through not following the rules. Adan did not kill his seed, Rhys realized dimly in confusion and then that thought was lost, as he was dragged away to the others.
The first few times around they used him individually. The next, he was filled both mouth and ass. They took their turns and for each one Rhys stroked himself to completion while giving the best fuck or head he was capable of giving. In a twisted way, he wanted them to remember and mourn what they would not have a chance to taste of again after this night. Let Adan see and remember the pleasured lust of his brooda and discover at day’s break that Rhys’ body would never again be any of theirs to enjoy. His mind was focused tightly on earning the spheres he needed.
They were doubling up on him now. They’d each had him three times individually or simultaneously but now they were forcing two cocks into his ass at a time. His throat was locked to hold in the screams whether of pain or pleasure he didn’t know any more, there didn’t seem to be any difference anymore. Riding up and down on the cocks of the two lords behind and in front of him, his head was turned to have a cock slick over his lips before entering there also. For each completion of theirs Rhys kept up with his own. His mind slipping further in distance from what his body was enduring. Finally unable to heed the command, he was pushed towards Adan, back to kneel in front of him. Adan had invited one of his brooda to join them for this next debasement.
Adan lifted and bent him over forcing himself into Rhys’ body while calling to his favored brooda to stick his cock in Rhys’ mouth. Together they used him to their final completions. Rhys felt the urine enter to do it's cleansing of his ass, then dully tasted the unfamiliar salt of urine in his mouth. It made no difference, mentally and physically, he had no more to give. He was an echoing hollow.
Dimly Rhys felt Adan pull him up, trying to look into his eyes. With Adan's sigh and a push he was told, “Go to your room. I’ll visit you at day’s break.”
In the scant sanctuary of his room's cleanser, he fell to his knees in a squat, his legs as far apart as possible, his mouth gaping and gasping, spewing his stomach’s contents out until there was no more, yet still he tried. The night’s debauchery was a layer over and under his skin, slime in his entrails, throat and mouth. When daybreak came it found him unmoved and still feeling that he was not clean.
**********************
Day's break found Adan entering to a seemingly empty room, though the cleanser showed there was someone within. He overrode the opening and pulled Rhys out and up by his collar, letting him go when Rhys shuddered.
The golden drink’s effects had long ended. Slightly alarmed Adan saw that Rhys’ eyes were holding the same dead look from the night.
He heard the hoarse, “You owe.”
Adan with exaggerated care counted out the spheres into the glass Rhys had been made to drink from the night before, humoring him. He watched as Rhys removed the folded cloth affectation of a flower from the larger vessel and realized at once his error at the amount of spheres contained within it. There was not enough space left within the debt vessel to hold all the spheres he’d just doled out. He watched chagrined as Rhys poured out the goblet's spheres into and spilling over the top of the larger.
“Remove the collar…" was whispered. "The debt is paid.”
Adan reached releasing the collar sliding it clear of Rhys’ neck. With a breath in he formally said, “The debt is paid." Then more informally, "Come to my bed chamber. We will finish this as is the custom and become brooda to each other.” He realised that this was on of the aspects he'd forgotten to teach Rhys but that couldn't be helped now.
He watched as Rhys stepped into the cleanser to quickly emerge in clothing and wrapped tightly in his own arms before leaving the chamber that Adan had made his cell. Adan saw him dully look over the main chamber still littered with the detritus of the party and shake his head as if to clear it, Rhys' eyes focusing on the exit out of the set of rooms. The other male's progress toward the portal halted when it wouldn’t open.
“Rhys, this way,come to my bed. Becoming brooda restores your honor." Reaching out he softly added, "Sweetheart, come along with me.”
Flinching away, Rhys turned to look at him. The look was disconnected, empty. The younger male turned back to slap the portal control, mentally forcing the portal to open and stepped through. Adan watched disbelievingly as gait stiffly controlled, Rhys descended the stairs, making for the large entry out of the Council Palace. The early progression of people on the floor level below looked up at the insulted roar of anger from the high ranked lord's chambers, “Rhys, I‘ll not have you back if you leave now. You can stay dishonored.”
The onlookers saw Rhys pause before he mechanically continued his way out the exit of the palace. A lone unlucky early guard reached out to pull Rhys back inside. At the touch, the guard's hand clenched then retracted swiftly. The images of the night before flashing from scene to scene into his mind from the former slave. Both of them retched but only the guard had anything to vomit out. The guard through his own misery saw Rhys bent retching against the entrance portal’s stones, catching the despair of thoughts of never being clean. A rising overwhelming need for cold fire and sharp bright cleansing pain. Running lagging pulled after the former slave, he could see with panic they were making for the heights overlooking the ocean. There, on the edge of a drop, was one of the Assassin Trees with its eyes and poisonous long blade like thorns to fall upon the unwary. The tree seemed to be waiting and the willing victim flung his body to the soil under the tree’s canopy, the first thorns striking into his flesh. The unfiltered sensations that came to the horrified follower were of a coldly burning purification.
He watched as the tree went mad. Thorns fell where there was no target, rising and slamming down again. The tree slithered around, it’s roots moving frantically until its victim and it plummeted over into the cold salt water below. A last sadly felt guilty thought leaked to the remaining person above that 'his blood had poisoned the tree.’
Below in the wave's churning chaos, sleep pinned the victim within the tree’s dying limbs. Safe peace claiming the victim.
After the Tree
Warnings: Adult, non-con, humiliation, possible character death
word count: 2957
He’d been a slave for almost 20 days. Days filled with monotony enlivened only by his training and usage by Adan.
He’d cleaned the chamber on his hands and knees, scrubbing ‘til he could eat off the floor. Adjusting the furnishings to allow easier access to the cleanser.
He’d learned the basic strictures involved with this culture's male alliance systems:
It was a sign of honor that you were entrusted to protect another lord’s seed.
Seed was to be constrained within one’s body, consumed orally or if deposited anally it might be ‘washed off, not out’ and then only within a cleanser. (This was really the main reason why he was a debt slave now.)
Seed if released outside a body was to be licked up, thus demonstrating respect and preserving the honorable protection of another lord's seed.
Slaves, being in dishonor, were not entrusted with holding a lord’s live seed. Therefore if not swallowed the seed was killed by the lord through urinating inside the slave's ass after completion. His cock not removed until the lord was sure all his seed was safely and honorably dead. The slave was to lick up any sphincter leakage from wherever it's location if he failed to retain that killed seed. (Ergo the very immaculate floors.)
By this time he’d had all manner of toys used on him, teaching him variety and the edge of his endurance.
Disobedience earned him being bound and pushed beyond that edge waiting for Adan to return. The lesson being here that he was allowed the honor to serve his debt-holder instead of the irredemable repayment of the debt in a whore house.
Pleasures of many sorts he'd learned, both the giving and the receiving.
Oral sex was an easy thing for him now. He was quite skilled to judge by Adan’s responses. Benevolently, Adan made sure to ‘feed him’,as he liked to call it,at least four times a day; daybreak, midday, late day and his late night time snack to keep him until the next day start. Just as skilled with his ass, he was able to rhythmically contract his anal muscles in rippling contractions that met with Adan's loud and frequent appreciation.
Always and outside of Adan's notice,he kept watch on the glass vessel that recorded the level of his indebtedness as the void of his debt was filled.
One gold sphere each time for bringing his lord debt-holder to completion in his mouth.
Two red spheres each time for bringing his lord debt-holder to completion in his ass.
One blue sphere for reaching each of his own completions.
In the days since he’d become a slave, a relationship of sorts had formed between Adan and him. Adan’s presence made up the bright spots in his uneventful days. Adan had been dependable in ensuring that Rhys always earned himself as many blue spheres as he was able, at first even against his will. He didn’t lack for shaming pleasure. Adan would rub his back or belly after entering him waiting for his body to adjust to the intrusion. Sometimes he would take delight in massaging the back of his head where his hand had cupped it while feeding Rhys his cock; sometimes he’d stroked his cheek bones or the hollows below them in caresses as he’d pushed in and out of Rhys’ mouth. It could be taunting or affection, whatever it was Rhys knew it was not mentally healthy for him but it was a relationship and he needed something against the degrading shame he felt.
This was not a relationship of love as he'd been raised to expect when giving over his body to pleasure with another so it was to be expected that his mind would try to form a relationship, even if it was only one-sided. Many of his cries as Adan pummeled into him were Adan’s name chanted over and over. His arms would hold and stroke Adan with a lover's touch. His hands would smooth over skin in the after time, like a small child with a blanket seeking self-comforting. Adan had to be aware of the emotional attachment that was taking place.
It was then not to be unexpected that for further training purposes, one midday he heard the slide of his room portal open and someone other than Adan enter. Elrond had come to take his pleasure of him. The morning after his 'First Rite', he’d bolted to the sea carrying both Adan’s and Elrond's seed to kill in the salt water. Therefore Elrond too was owed a debt for that violation of this culture's rules. Elrond had used him well, many, many times that day, in very creative ways. Each time Elrond reached his completion Rhys took responsibility in hand and ensured he reached completion also. A harsh need of escape pushing him to earn as many spheres as possible in reaction to being made to feel like a whore on loan from his pimp.
When doling out the spheres, Adan had remarked the day's fucking with Elrond earned Rhys only blue spheres. Those were for Rhys‘ completions alone, since the gold and red could be earned only with Adan. Rhys had protested and been told that as a slave he had no rights in saying how the debt was repaid. If given to others for usage then he would give good service or lose spheres and confined to sexual stimulation ‘til he would beg for anyone to make use of him‘.
Another lesson.
Bitterness now threaded his relationship with Adan. Using a square of cloth he folded the form of a flower and placed it in the mouth of the vessel holding his earned spheres. The flower’s petals arched over the sides of the vessel hiding the level of the spheres inside. He preferred to hide the shaming mockery of his earnings. How Adan had smiled in amusement when he’d seen the flower cascading over the rim of the vessel.
In desperation, Rhys pushed to gradually building up his totals to 32 spheres in a day. Adan never glanced at the level inside the large vessel as he paid them out. He merely cursorily monitored the flower's petals' arch relative to what he estimated was the rim of the vessel, a distraction from the actual level of spheres. By Rhys' calculations there was one day more before the debt's void would be completely filled and he’d be free.
Yet next day, glumly Rhys regarded the paltry spheres he’d earned. Adan had been with him for two short usages, only eight spheres earned so far and it was getting later in the day. He sighed out in frustration. When the portal opened hope awakened in him but Adan entered to order him into the larger main room to set up for a gathering of his brooda that night. Maybe this was what was disrupting Adan from the normal routines. He’d have to wait until after the others had left and earn his waiting freedom in the morning.
He was been directed to set up eight short drinking goblets on a tray and watched them filled with a golden liquid that was diluted with one of the more potent wines. A larger one was set off to the side holding undiluted amount of the golden liquid. This was the glass that Adan took up and handed to him with a rough command to, “Drink it.” Its flavor was rich, leaving a warm sensitizing down his throat to fill his belly.
“Tonight, you will be the entertainment to a gathering of my brooda. Whatever they want of you, you will give.” Adan laughed, “indeed, once what you’ve just drunk has had time, you will be very eager to be used by any and all.”
Rhys looked at the goblet in his hand and then back at Adan. “Don’t do this to me. The debt was between us Adan", his gesturing indicating the two of them. "Don‘t do this to me.”
Adan arched a brow and smiled, “you will do this willingly or your debt service starts over. And still I will pull you from the room when you can no longer resist the urges of the drink and my brooda will have what they want of you. Before your debt service is paid off you will serve willingly to a gathering of my brooda or we will repeat this lesson again and again. Am I clear?”
Rhys stared back at the lord he had once thought a friend then looked away and whispered, “Yes. Yes, it‘s clear“. 'Somehow, he’d survive this night. Tomorrow he would be free even if he had to fuck his way through Hell and it seemed at this point,' he thought with despair, 'like that was exactly what he would have to do.'
*********************
Nude, his collar his only adornment, he held the tray with the golden liquid and wine filled cups, keeping his eyes lowered. He tried to distance himself from the touches. Before his indebtedness, the touches had been more discrete, less invasive, like he was a person to be wooed and not a thing to be callously used. It was not so now. He heard the deep laughter. The air was filled with lewd comments discribing of his physical attributes and their anticipation of what was to come.
His lips were stroked and opened with fingers dipped in the contents of the goblets the lords had been offered. Hands reached down to cup his balls and give a tug or squeeze. His nipples were flicked or twisted. Fingers slid down between the cheeks of his ass and rubbed over his hole testing its tightness and wetly probing it with the liquid of the same goblets. Nail tips caught his cock scratching lightly, trying to push into the slit or just pinched under the vulnerable head. The world had narrowed to the sensation of rough hands, voices and laughter, the room a background blurring around him. He held the goal of his freedom before him hoping in its protection.
Adan called for him to come kneel to him. Rhys left the groping hands, Adan’s face swimming into view. Sinking down, facing the familiar flavor of Adan’s cock on his lips he had to remind himself,‘It starts with a kiss, it always starts and ends with a kiss.’
Adan ordered him to bring him up again after he had reached completion down his throat. Rhys heard him say,‘he would be the first and the last this night’ as without his normal consideration he plunged his cock back and forth in Rhys’ ass bringing both of them efficiently to their second completion of the night. As taught, Rhys swallowed his own attained completion after each time, he'd not lose any of the spheres tonight through not following the rules. Adan did not kill his seed, Rhys realized dimly in confusion and then that thought was lost, as he was dragged away to the others.
The first few times around they used him individually. The next, he was filled both mouth and ass. They took their turns and for each one Rhys stroked himself to completion while giving the best fuck or head he was capable of giving. In a twisted way, he wanted them to remember and mourn what they would not have a chance to taste of again after this night. Let Adan see and remember the pleasured lust of his brooda and discover at day’s break that Rhys’ body would never again be any of theirs to enjoy. His mind was focused tightly on earning the spheres he needed.
They were doubling up on him now. They’d each had him three times individually or simultaneously but now they were forcing two cocks into his ass at a time. His throat was locked to hold in the screams whether of pain or pleasure he didn’t know any more, there didn’t seem to be any difference anymore. Riding up and down on the cocks of the two lords behind and in front of him, his head was turned to have a cock slick over his lips before entering there also. For each completion of theirs Rhys kept up with his own. His mind slipping further in distance from what his body was enduring. Finally unable to heed the command, he was pushed towards Adan, back to kneel in front of him. Adan had invited one of his brooda to join them for this next debasement.
Adan lifted and bent him over forcing himself into Rhys’ body while calling to his favored brooda to stick his cock in Rhys’ mouth. Together they used him to their final completions. Rhys felt the urine enter to do it's cleansing of his ass, then dully tasted the unfamiliar salt of urine in his mouth. It made no difference, mentally and physically, he had no more to give. He was an echoing hollow.
Dimly Rhys felt Adan pull him up, trying to look into his eyes. With Adan's sigh and a push he was told, “Go to your room. I’ll visit you at day’s break.”
In the scant sanctuary of his room's cleanser, he fell to his knees in a squat, his legs as far apart as possible, his mouth gaping and gasping, spewing his stomach’s contents out until there was no more, yet still he tried. The night’s debauchery was a layer over and under his skin, slime in his entrails, throat and mouth. When daybreak came it found him unmoved and still feeling that he was not clean.
**********************
Day's break found Adan entering to a seemingly empty room, though the cleanser showed there was someone within. He overrode the opening and pulled Rhys out and up by his collar, letting him go when Rhys shuddered.
The golden drink’s effects had long ended. Slightly alarmed Adan saw that Rhys’ eyes were holding the same dead look from the night.
He heard the hoarse, “You owe.”
Adan with exaggerated care counted out the spheres into the glass Rhys had been made to drink from the night before, humoring him. He watched as Rhys removed the folded cloth affectation of a flower from the larger vessel and realized at once his error at the amount of spheres contained within it. There was not enough space left within the debt vessel to hold all the spheres he’d just doled out. He watched chagrined as Rhys poured out the goblet's spheres into and spilling over the top of the larger.
“Remove the collar…" was whispered. "The debt is paid.”
Adan reached releasing the collar sliding it clear of Rhys’ neck. With a breath in he formally said, “The debt is paid." Then more informally, "Come to my bed chamber. We will finish this as is the custom and become brooda to each other.” He realised that this was on of the aspects he'd forgotten to teach Rhys but that couldn't be helped now.
He watched as Rhys stepped into the cleanser to quickly emerge in clothing and wrapped tightly in his own arms before leaving the chamber that Adan had made his cell. Adan saw him dully look over the main chamber still littered with the detritus of the party and shake his head as if to clear it, Rhys' eyes focusing on the exit out of the set of rooms. The other male's progress toward the portal halted when it wouldn’t open.
“Rhys, this way,come to my bed. Becoming brooda restores your honor." Reaching out he softly added, "Sweetheart, come along with me.”
Flinching away, Rhys turned to look at him. The look was disconnected, empty. The younger male turned back to slap the portal control, mentally forcing the portal to open and stepped through. Adan watched disbelievingly as gait stiffly controlled, Rhys descended the stairs, making for the large entry out of the Council Palace. The early progression of people on the floor level below looked up at the insulted roar of anger from the high ranked lord's chambers, “Rhys, I‘ll not have you back if you leave now. You can stay dishonored.”
The onlookers saw Rhys pause before he mechanically continued his way out the exit of the palace. A lone unlucky early guard reached out to pull Rhys back inside. At the touch, the guard's hand clenched then retracted swiftly. The images of the night before flashing from scene to scene into his mind from the former slave. Both of them retched but only the guard had anything to vomit out. The guard through his own misery saw Rhys bent retching against the entrance portal’s stones, catching the despair of thoughts of never being clean. A rising overwhelming need for cold fire and sharp bright cleansing pain. Running lagging pulled after the former slave, he could see with panic they were making for the heights overlooking the ocean. There, on the edge of a drop, was one of the Assassin Trees with its eyes and poisonous long blade like thorns to fall upon the unwary. The tree seemed to be waiting and the willing victim flung his body to the soil under the tree’s canopy, the first thorns striking into his flesh. The unfiltered sensations that came to the horrified follower were of a coldly burning purification.
He watched as the tree went mad. Thorns fell where there was no target, rising and slamming down again. The tree slithered around, it’s roots moving frantically until its victim and it plummeted over into the cold salt water below. A last sadly felt guilty thought leaked to the remaining person above that 'his blood had poisoned the tree.’
Below in the wave's churning chaos, sleep pinned the victim within the tree’s dying limbs. Safe peace claiming the victim.
After the Tree