The Ascension

"Toral, why didn't you feed them?" Aila asked.

"I tried." Toral said sadly. "They lost the will to live, so no matter how good the food is, they still couldn't eat it. They were like that when they came in. Probably something to do with Liam Inaris." Toral said through grit teeth. "That bastard demoralizes his slaves to the point they want to die."

"It always comes back to them." Aila said. "I will need to take care of that, but first, I need to take these women home." She took out eighteen large silver. "I have a cart outside. I can probably take them all on that cart, but it would be easier if two of them could walk with me."

"They've starved for a long time, Aila. If you feed them, and give them more light elements, it will help regenerate their energy. Even if they get tired, you can switch two of them from the cart so they can rest." He gestured to two of them. "These two were bed warmers. They were fattened up with the worst foods, not allowed to move from the bed other than to wash and let out their wastes."

"So that's why." Aila slowly nodded. "That extra will kill them eventually, so I'll make sure they eat lean meat, veggies, bread, and cheese. Just like I do. I wonder if river python, or iron tusked boar meat is bad for them?" She said softly.

"Iron tusked boar?" Toral rolled his eyes, then stopped as he remembered something. "Did you bring those in?" She nodded. "Okay, I'll be clear. Any elemental beast meat is healthy for them. No amount of that meat will make them fat, but they can only eat so much of it before their body rejects it due to the energy contained within. These women were fed with really fatty normal pork. They could eat elemental beast meat until their belly bloated, and not get that sick. Iron tusked boar meat will make a person energetic, and burn more energy. Slender people will get stronger, while fat people will get slightly slimmer."

"Then I know what to feed my girls." Aila smiled, which drew the six women's attention. Aila squatted down. "I'll take you to my cart, and get you a bit of food to eat." The girl looked into her eyes.

"Sister." She pointed to the other one who looked like herself.

"Aila, the girl means the other young woman is her sister, and she'll worry if she's out of sight for long." Toral said.

"Then I will be quick." Aila smiled gently, and lifted the girl in her arms easily. She looked down at the other girl. "Don't worry. I'll be right back for you."

In less than a minute, Aila returned and picked the sister up gently. The girl's eyes filled with awe, as well as a bit of hope. She returned for a weak older woman, and lifted her into her arms. The older woman wanted to speak, but she couldn't. Aila carried her out, and returned for the other older woman who was seated near her. She knew that she had to be a close companion as they both relaxed when they saw the other.

"I will need to get those four fed so they have energy in their bodies." Aila knelt down in front of the first really large woman and looked into her eyes. She put her hand on the woman's cheek. "Such pretty eyes. You are weak from no exercise, and if I try to lift you, it will hurt you. My arms are slender and will be like iron bars on your skin."

"I...."

"Sh, don't worry. I won't abandon you." Aila said softly, and gently rubbed her cheek. "I will help you to stand, and move you to a bench. The same for your friend. When I get my other girls home, I will come back for you." Aila put her hand on the floor and made the stone grow out and form a wide and deep bench.

"Come. Take my hands. I will help you up, but you have to work hard to stand up." Aila stood up, took the woman's hands, and infused life element into her. The woman closed her eyes in pleasure, and tilted her head as she felt cool stone underneath her.

"There." She opened her eyes. She had managed to stand and sit while Aila made life energy flow into her body. "It seems you have an affinity to life elements. I'll have to flood you with it later." After her friend was treated gently, helped to stand, and sit back down, Aila gently cupped their cheeks with her palm.

"Be good until I return. It will be an hour. Try to stand and walk a little until I get back, okay? This is a request, not an order. I want you to be healthy, and standing up is a part of that." Aila left quickly, while Toral looked at the two.

"She's invested in you heavily." He smiled. "I expect for your life to be quite happy in the future, ladies." They looked at each other, and smiled a bit.

"Thank you, master Toral, for finding us a good master."

* * *

"You live out here?" The young woman asked. She looked quite frightened.

"Yep. No matter what it is, they either behave themselves or...." She looked into the forest and held out her palm. A gout of flame flashed out and went into the forest. "Or they will become fertilizer, or food." She stopped, put the cart handles down, and walked off the path. She came back a few seconds later with a flame wolf.

"A flame wolf!" Her sister said.

"Yeah, these guys aren't as stubbornly stupid as a storm wolf though. If they run in a pack, and you kill one or two, they back off. The stone bears know better than to get near me, and the iron tusked boars just become food." She smiled, put the carcass across the handles, and pulled the cart along again.

"Don't worry. I can see all forms of life when they approach. Nothing can sneak up on me." Aila said, and jogged with the cart until she got to her home. The old road she used was overgrown, but she had cleared a lot of the vegetation away over the last few weeks. It was much easier to move the cart, and get them to her home safely.

"Oh wow." One of the young sisters said. Aila smiled as she pulled the cart through her gate, and they were able to see the manor.

"It's still under repair, but it's fairly safe for now. The stone bears live nearby, so most other beasts tend to stay away. Flame wolves and storm wolves can't damage the outer wall, and any who can, will be killed if they get too close." Aila closed her new wooden gate, one she had recently rebuilt to be a foot thick, and strong enough to allow her the time to kill most any elemental beast before they got through the wood.

Aila carried each one into the kitchen, and set them on a stone bench she made. She got a knife, two round loaves of bread, and some cheese.

"Who here can cook?" One of the older women raised her hand. She gave her the knife, the bread, and the cheese. "Cut up the bread, and share it among yourselves. Do the same with the cheese." She also brought a pot of water over. "Drink and eat as much as you can eat." She stood in front of her.

"Master?" The older woman looked up at her.

"You're a slave, correct?" She nodded. "You have to be obedient to me?" She nodded again. "This is an order. Cut up the bread and cheese. Each one of you are to eat until you are satisfied. There is plenty of food here, and I don't want to come back to find you've eaten so little food that you'll fall over." She stepped back.

"All of you are to stay in this room. There is only one door to leave this room, so I can be sure that no animal will break in. In an emergency, at the back of that room, there is a trap door to the storage room. The ladder is fixed, so climb down and hide if a beast tries to break in." Aila said, and smiled.

"You are my people now. You have a right to feel safe in your own home."