Chapter Text
Fjord, Nott, Caduceus, Beau, and Yasha were dragged before the greater chamber of the Solstryce Academy, roughly tossed to the floor like refuse. Dwendalian guards flanked the five adventurers; loose enough to allow the group to see past them, but tight enough to ensure that escape would be impossible if not punishable by the cut of a blade. As they adjusted themselves to the restraints placed upon them, a creeping realisation was slowly dawning on them. It was Fjord who seemed to notice first, casting a glance at Beau next who too shared his worried gaze.
“Where’s Caleb, and…” Fjord whispered to the group, choking with fear before finishing with;
“…Jester?”
The party cast the same fearful glance to one another, before having their thoughts interrupted by the opening of doors. Their worried gazes turned into ones of hate as they saw Trent Ikithon walk through, who in turn looked to them with a mix of superiority and contempt.
“Well, aren’t you all a sight for my sore eyes?” Trent’s cadence was dripping with sarcasm underneath the fake politeness. “I hope the guards treated you well.” He finished with a chuckle.
“Where’s Jester?!” Fjord demanded fiercely.
“And Caleb?!” Nott shouted. Trent’s fake, polite smile turned into a genuine one; seemingly fuelled by a sense of cruelty. As if on cue, two figures were brought out from the very doors Trent had come out of, nude and battered. The party’s hearts sank as they recognised a familiar blue skinned tiefling and red haired human man; towed by chains connected together were their dearest friends. Jester and Caleb were paraded before Trent and the party, before they were eventually guided to a table; that same smile stuck on Trent’s face.
“What are they doing…” Beau whispered to everyone else. Trent finally spoke before a single thought could be processed.
“Restrain the tiefling to the table, please.” Trent ordered the guards parading Caleb and Jester. The Dwendalian enforcers prodded Jester to the table harshly, causing her to yip on occasions.
“Hey, that feels too rough!” Jester protested. “Also my mom has nicer cuffs than these.” She mocked, gesturing to the set of anchoring cuffs. In response, one guard took to slapping her face as she recoiled, and in seconds they fastened forth the cuffs to her wrists. The struggle yanked Caleb around only a little, until a pair of volstruckers took to the job of keeping him still. The rest of the Nein raised their voices in protest, some even trying to worm their way past them; death be damned.
“Hey, you let him go, assholes!” Nott snapped, attempting to squeeze past two guards in a fury of teeth and motherly instinct; only for one guard to scruff the goblin woman and toss her back to the group. Fjord, for all his inability to properly fight on his own, gave his all as he charged a guard, and for a moment there was a chance he could break the flank as he headbutted and pushed against them; but this was only one guard, and numbers are king. Two other Dwendalian guards took on Fjord, one on his back and the other engaging with Fjord in the front. Before Fjord had the chance to land another hit, the guard in front managed to get one in; a gut shot. As cheap as such a tactic would be for a skilled fighter, it worked as Fjord crumpled to the ground and was unceremoniously dragged back to the party. Yasha and Beau had gotten far better hits against the guards, one guard in particular bleeding from the head and nose; it was clear that they were due for a concussion after this. And yet, with all the grit and spirit, the Nein were out of their element. In a bid of desperation, it was Fjord who spoke.
“You leave her alone! I won’t let your old ass do your weird magic experiments on her!” He cried. Trent paused for a moment, turning to look Fjord straight in the eye. That sinister smile grew wider.
“Experiment?” Trent laughed. “Oh no no, my friend, this is a punishment.” Fjord’s glare turned into a look of confusion and fear.
“…Punishment?” Jester whimpered, looking at Caleb. Caleb’s blue eyes looked at Jester with fear.
“Ah, I suppose Bren didn’t bother to tell you.” Trent responded. “Followers of the Empire’s unapproved deities are bound to cause some trouble. To ensure that isn’t the case, we do the honours of personally disciplining such individuals. Harshly.” Jester’s face turned from worry to shock, as she held onto Caleb’s terrified gaze.
“…Is that what you meant when you said not to talk about the Traveller while we were here?” Jester asked, her voice ever so innocent and laced with confusion and horror. Caleb’s eyes darted around, before giving a solemn nod confirming her suspicions.
“My, my, Bren! I’m shocked that you didn’t spare any detail of this to your friends.” Trent cooed with a sickly sweet insincerity. “You were raised here in Rexxentrum. Rexxentrum abides by all laws of the Dwendalian empire, and yet you told your sweet young friend nothing of what awaits her crimes?” Caleb shook with fury, glaring at his former teacher.
“I hold no regard for the empire.” Caleb growled. Trent’s grey blue eyes burned with a fiery contempt at this response.
“What matters more to you, Bren”, Trent began furiously. “that blue tiefling for whom that red whore back in Nicodranas made the mistake of pushing out of her cunt, or the connection to your great nation and empire?” Caleb refused to answer.
“What. Matters. More.” Trent bellowed.
“Jester.” Caleb responded. Trent’s gritted teeth and scowl softened back to that evil smile, stepping towards Caleb and whispering;
“Then you are responsible for doling out her punishment.” Trent drew himself closer to Caleb’s ear. “And you remember what is done to an upstart like her?” Caleb’s eyes widened in disgust and rage. Every nerve within his body felt like it was on fire, and the pang of sickness welled within his belly as he finally understood the implication.
“No… no, no, you can’t make me…” Caleb protested as he choked back tears. “I can’t do that to her.”
“Do what to her?!” Fjord called, a mixture of anger and concern tinged his voice.
“Bren, why don’t you tell everyone what is to be done?” Trent asked softly. Caleb stood there before his friends, shaking like a scared puppy. After a few seconds, he finally spoke, albeit in a quiet, hard to hear tone.
“In order to punish an upstart of a non-Dwendalian god…” Caleb trailed off, afraid to speak further. Trent’s brow furrowed, and with a groan he gestured his right hand around the mouth as he muttered something in Zemnian, and before everyone knew it Caleb’s eyes went dull.
“Tell them everything, and spare no detail. Speak.” Trent commanded.
“In order to punish an upstart of a non-Dwendalian god, you must break their spirit.” Caleb flatly said.
“And what is to be done in order for the spirit to be broken? Speak.” Said Trent.
“The greatest way to break a person…” Caleb, even under the influence of Trent, struggled to finish his sentence.
“Speak.” Trent once again commanded.
“The greatest way to break a person is to fuck every hole they have.” Caleb finished, a single tear rolling down his dull eye. Trent let a slight grin creep from his sick smile as he patted Caleb on the shoulder. He could see the same disgusted reactions on the others that Caleb once had, in particular his eyes pierced into Fjord’s, savouring the added addition of betrayal and heartbreak. He then turned to the volstruckers that had once restrained Caleb, ordering;
“Astrid. Eadwulf. Get Bren ready.” Without hesitation, the two descended onto a still and blank faced Caleb; caressing him in the areas that would elicit sexual arousal, from the chest to the thighs, and finally to his flaccid, uncut cock. Once full mast was achieved, they dragged him closer to the now bound Jester, who looked at Caleb with a mixture of fear and sadness. Even under the command of Trent, Caleb deep down shared the same sentiment.
“I’ll try not to hurt you.” Caleb said softly, more tears welling from his eyes.
“I know…” Jester responded meekly. “I could pretend to like it so that you don’t get sad. I don’t want to see you sad.”
The two stared at each other, equally uneasy with the fate which was about to befall them. Then, Trent spoke once more, pointing to Caleb.
“Start fucking her mouth.”