What We Do to Survive

The next morning, I woke up to find a rather strange sight waiting for me beside my bed. Rea knelt by the head of my bed, a shallow basin of water held over her head and a small towel draped over her shoulder. I recognized both objects, the basin was from my bathroom, where I used it to hold my no longer needed shaving supplies, while the towel had clearly come from my linens chest.

“What are you doing?” I asked blearily, shading my eyes against the rapidly brightening light of my room’s magic lamps.

Rea shifted slightly, raising her head while keeping the basin perfectly balanced over her head. “This slave greets its Master. This slave hopes he has had a restful night.”

I blinked rapidly, then let my head fall back down to my pillow and sighed. It was way too early to deal with whatever this was. I knew I was the one that had set my lights to wake me up at this ungodly hour of morning, but after an exhausting day like that one, I sometimes wished I could sleep in just a little longer.

Rea seemed to take my sigh as a sign of displeasure and out of the corner of my eye I could see my newest servant shrink in on herself. “Has this worthless one displeased Master? This slave does not know master’s Morning routines, so it simply emulated what it has seen it’s previous employer request.”

I considered her words for a long moment, my half asleep brain struggling to connect the dots. Her old employer? The basin? The towel? I reached up to rub the sleep from my eyes and then it came to me.

I sat up, dipping my hands in the cook water and using it and the towel to clean my face and wash away the last traces of drowsiness from my mind. Though it wasn’t particularly necessary in Avalon’s climate controlled dormitories, I could see how something like this would be very helpful in Port Anangala’s hot, humid climate.

Once I was done, she deftly lowered the basin and took the small towel I’d used, not spilling a single drop of water as she switched to holding it one handed by her side. “Does Master require anything else? This one does not know much about Master's home but it has been trained in many services Master may require.”

I met her words with silence, staring back at the earnest look in her eyes as she knelt by the side of my bed. This was not what I’d expected to happen this morning and I wasn’t sure how I felt about it. I’d gathered from the few short conversations I’d had with Rea that she’d been some sort of servant before I’d taken her, so some parts of this made sense. Clearly she had some knowledge of how a servant should behave.

Similarly, I knew that the binding would compel her to serve me in whatever way she knew how. It had originally been designed for use on criminals with valuable skills, so the binding had been intended to make sure they were motivated to do their best work in service of the government. I just… hadn’t really considered how those two things would interact.

Seeing my silence as some sort of request, Rea began to list off various things she could do. I mostly tuned her out as she started off with rather mundane tasks. She knew how to sweep, clean up dust, change sheets, and a plethora of other skills. Instead, I sat deep in thought about the implications of how various bindings might interact with my future target’s.

“...of both men and women, if Master requires it–”

“What was that?” I interrupted her, not quite sure she’d said what I thought she had.

Rea blushed slightly, the purple skin of her cheeks gaining a violet hue. “This one is still inexperienced, but it has been trained in the use of its mouth for the pleasure of its Master. It has studied techniques for use on both men and women if Master has need of such talents.”

That was… interesting. I was suddenly rather more curious about what exactly her position had been before this. Perhaps the term ‘servant’ meant something rather different to her than it did among my own people. Then again, I hadn’t exactly been a noble before coming to Avalon. Perhaps that was something expected from as well and I’d just never heard anything about it.

Rea shifted slightly, lowering the basin so she could thrust out her chest while letting her hair drape forward over her face. I raised a hand to stop her, “That will not be necessary. Perhaps another time.” I wasn’t going to fuck my brand new servent right off the bat. I planned to use her for much more than my own simple pleasure and it would be bad form to start our new relationship on that note.

She didn’t seem particularly affected by my refusal, simply shifting back into her earlier kneeling position. “Of course Master. Is there any other way this slave can assist you?”

“Not at the moment.” Rea nodded, but didn’t otherwise move. I ignored it for now, simply climbing out of bed and heading to the bathroom. When I returned, I found Rea kneeling by the bathroom door. My bed was made and one of my everyday outfits –a button-down shirt, pants, and a durable over-coat with plenty of pockets– was neatly laid out for me.

She certainly worked quickly. Scanning the room, I found that her own cot was fully put away as I’d half expected. The sheets were stripped and folded and the small bed had been neatly slid into the same place I’d been storing it while she was kept in her cage. I was somewhat impressed, I hadn’t really expected her to know where it goes, but it seemed she’d memorized the layout of my room during the few times I let her move around and stretch.

I stepped past her with a brisk nod of acknowledgement and watched out of the corner of my eye as she slipped in through the still open door. By the time I was fully dressed, she’d also finished, returning to her kneeling position by my bed with no towel or basin in sight. I rather appreciated the quiet efficiency, her bare feet made barely any sound as she stepped lightly across the smooth stone, letting her move around without bothering me.

I took a seat at my desk and called out, “Come here,” indicating the spot on the floor beside me with my hand. It seemed that she didn’t think she should walk while I was looking, because she instead scrambled over on her hands and knees.

“So,” I began slowly once she was kneeling beside me, “We should establish some rules and expectations before I get going. Per Avalon policy, you’re mostly confined to my room except for special occasions. I understand the bond should have given you an intuitive understanding of what I want, but it should mostly draw on your own memories of how those things should be achieved. I understand you were some sort of servant before this?”

“Yes Master. This slave’s family was employed by Good-Merchant Nalonn Nak. This slave primarily worked in the house’s kitchens, but it was trained to fill a variety of roles as needed. The Good-Merchant could not afford very many servants, so this slave spent its years in many different positions.”

I nodded slowly. That was about what I’d expected, though the way she’d said it was rather interesting. The few times I’d spoken with her in the past, she’d referred to herself as ‘this Naklana’, or she had until I’d started calling her Rea out loud. She’d also used feminine pronouns to refer to herself.

I hadn’t seen anything about such a change in the ritual’s descriptions, so I assumed it was an interaction between the ritual’s effects and how the girl’s culture perceived slaves. I’d looked into it a few days ago, Kan’s odd comments about slaves having piqued my interest despite the events of the following hours.

It seemed that in the port city and the surrounding city states, slavery was treated as a rather different institution from how it was back home. Slaves were primarily property of the state, though some nobles maintained their own trained worforces. They were not allowed to reproduce, speak, or practice any sort of magic or craft. Instead, they spent their short lives toiling away in the vast fields that fed the massive city. Once they died, their souls were bound to their decaying bodies and forced to work until those too finally gave out.

I didn’t plan anything nearly so brutal for my new pet, and her binding should have vaguely informed her of my intentions. However, it seemed her background had leached into her self-perception anyway, or maybe she just thought that was the way she should refer to herself from now on.

“Excellent, then you should hopefully not require any additional training. You will be responsible for keeping my room clean, doing any needed laundry, and some other basic chores that I do not care to bother with. Do not touch anything on my desk, any of the equipment connected to the elf over there, or the red-wood cabinet by my table. Maybe in the future I will trust you to take care of those things as well, but for now, hands off. So far so good?”

“This slave understands.”

“Good. Now, I imagine none of that should take particularly long. When you aren’t working, you are free to amuse yourself however you would like. I expect you to maintain a passible level of fitness, so make sure to stretch and exercise every day. You are free to peruse any of the books on those shelves or in those chests. Be careful with them, but they’re all available to you. Do not touch any books or papers on my desk or any other books I don’t explicitly say you can use.”

“This slave understands. This slave will ensure it remains presentable.”

“Well, I think that's just about everything for right now. I expect we will be having some more… ‘guests’ in a few days. I’ll explain what I want you to do about that when it comes up. Right, I’m going to go fetch myself some breakfast. You’ve done a good job so far, I’ll bring you something more pleasant than that muck I’ve been feeding you.”

I stood up, then stopped as I remembered what else I’d planned to do. “Ah, I almost forgot.” Reaching down, I carefully slid my finger across the polished surface of Rea’s collar, tracing out an intricate pattern across the metal surface with my mana. After several moments, something shifted and the metal sprang appart, the collar splitting into two pieces as the magic holding it together fell dormant.

“In regards to magic practice, I can tell you are a first circle mage, is that correct?”

“Yes Master. This slave was once capable of several first circle spells, but it wouldn’t dream to practice magic now. This slave is not worthy.”

I clicked my tongue, having somewhat expected that response. I didn’t approve of the city’s ban on slaves studying magic, it was a waste of a valuable resource, even if it did make keeping them under control more difficult. Magic capable servants could work harder for longer and with less food and water. Even an elementary circulation could nearly double the productivity of a mundane human.

“I expect just the opposite in fact. It is shameful that a grown young woman like you isn’t even capable of second circle spells. You will spend at least two hours each day practicing pure mana exercises, you can find several guides among my books. Do not attempt any magic you are not proficient with, nor anything that could damage your surroundings. Additionally, you are forbidden to use any structured spells without my express permission. I will periodically assess your progress and will punish you if you are not progressing adequately.”

Rea seemed rather shocked by my outburst, but meekly bowed her head and acknowledged the order. I was honestly rather curious how she would progress. It didn’t seem that the girl had any particular affinity for magic, her mana concentration was below average and I couldn’t sense any strong affinities in her soul. Still, if she applied herself and actually spent those two hours each day, preferably much more than that, practicing, I expected she would eventually be a valuable servant.

I didn’t expect she would ever progress past the fourth circle, but then again, very few people ever did. I knew I was somewhat biased since any Avalon student had to be capable of at least that much to survive, but I knew outside the Academy the percentage of mages capable of such magic was shockingly low.

If she did manage to do so, it would be well worth the investment needed to cast a new binding spell on her, one that would continue working on someone of that strength. The one I’d used was rather powerful and versatile, but it had been designed for craftsmen, not mages or magical creatures. It would degrade rapidly if used on anyone with the mana capacity to cast fifth circle spells.

If nothing else, it would be an interesting data point for my own research. I’d found my own pure mana practice incredibly helpful in all aspects of my spellcraft, but many others didn’t seem particularly interested in the subject. I would have my new pet practice exclusively pure mana exercises for a few months and see how far she managed to progress with no access to structured spells.

“Understood?”

“Yes master. This slave hears and obeys.”

“Then get to it.”

Grabbing my bag from the floor, I dropped the two halves of the collar into the inner pocket I’d added just for such a purpose and slung the bag over my shoulder. It was earlier than I typically grabbed breakfast, but I had a lot to do in the coming days. It was too soon to really tell, but for now it seemed my ritual had been a full success. I had high hopes for my next attempt.

Leana Sweetglass stared glumly down at her sketchbook, nails digging into the soft wood coating of her charcoal pencil. It was dark in the empty classroom, but a single line of light shone through a crack in the curtains, falling across the rough sketch of a smiling boy.

It was an old picture, the rest of the sketchbook’s pages long filled with other drawings. Compared to many of her more recent works, it was amateurishly done. The lines were rough, the shading uneven. It was the work of a talented child with little practical experience or formal education.

Despite that, Leana valued this small sketch more than any of the large canvases that filled her small studio. She gently ran a finger across the thick parchment, a preservation spell ensuring her touch did not smudge the precious memory. The boy knelt on the ground by the side of a small creek. His hands were buried in the soft fur of his family’s boarhound, face captured in a moment of laughter as the dog pressed its large head against his chest.

Though it had been nearly a decade since she’d last seen his face, her heart still clenched and a single tear dripped down her cheek as she remembered her old friend. It had been nine years now, nine years today since it had happened. Nine years since she’d lost her sister, her mother, and her best friend in a single night.

The door behind her slammed open loudly, the bright light of the hallway illuminating the billowing cloud of dust the violent opening had whipped up off the floor. “Lea! There you are! Have you been shut up here all day?” Her cheerful voice echoed loudly in the open room, heeled shoes clicking across the hardwood floor as she hurried over towards her.

Leana snapped the sketchbook closed and slowly turned to glare at her friend. “Hello Adonia,” she said slowly, “Maybe it wasn’t obvious from me hiding in a classroom no one has touched since before I was born, but I don’t want to talk to you right now.”

She turned away from the door, folding her arms over her chest as Adonia dragged out the chair beside her and sat down. Leana half expected her friend to start babbling like she always tended to do, but it seemed that Adonia had some amount of tact. The older girl placed a hand comfortingly on Leana’s arm, thankfully silent for once.

They sat that way for several long minutes, Leana staring unseeingly into the distance with her sketchbook clutched against her chest. Eventually, Adonia broke the silence. “I missed you in class today. Professor Lightkeeper assigned groups for the research project, we’ll be working together again!”

Leana did not respond, simply shifting slightly in her seat. After a short pause, Adonia continued onward. “He did a spell demonstration at the end of class. ‘Hope’s Light’, he called it, a third circle spell! It was amazing, he summoned this big ball of light that made me feel healthier just looking at it. He made a big cut on his palm and it just… disappeared in like thirty seconds! He said that if we keep practicing, he’ll try to teach us a third circle spell by the end of the year! Isn’t that amazing? Just imagine, third circle!”

Despite herself, Leana found herself smiling slightly at her friend's exuberance. Adonia’s constant joy was contagious, making it difficult to remain miserable when she was around.

“See, that wasn’t so hard!” The older girl exclaimed. “I don’t know what happened, but you don’t have to deal with it alone. I’m here for you, whatever you need. If you ever want to talk about it or just a shoulder to cry on…” She trailed off as Leana turned to look at her, bloodshot eyes still brimming with tears.

Without a moment of hesitation, she scooted her chair over and leaned in, pulling the crying girl into a tight hug. Leana buried her face in her friend’s, shoulders heaving silently. Adonia patted her gently on the back, whispering quiet reassurances in her ears. “You’re ok, it's going to be ok.”

Leana did not know how long they sat that way, but by the end of it she felt… hollow, but not in a bad way. It was like a lead weight had been shifted out of place, the absence still painfully felt but better than it had been before. “Thanks,” she whispered quietly. “Thank you for finding me.”

“Of course. It’s what friends do.”