"Are you alright?" Rei asked, knowing perfectly well that Asuka was not.
"No." Normally Asuka would have hated to admit that, but between her recent ordeal, her scrambled brain, and standing there in her birthday suit, it seemed pointless to keep secrets. "That thing took my levels. And it did something to me. Made me look at a...pool thingy."
"You shouldn't look at anything else. Close your eyes."
Obeying Rei and her lingering enchantment, Asuka did just that. Now she was standing knee-deep in cold water, some kind of slick moss under her toes, and she couldn't even see.
"How am I going to get out of here?" she demanded.
"I will lead you out," answered Rei.
She reached into her inventory, retrieving a leather collar. It didn't quite have the same imposing look as the more traditional iron ring, but there were limits to what she could do to Asuka without the other girl catching on. She locked the hard leather around Asuka's neck.
"What are you doing?"
"Leading you out," Rei answered, her monotonous voice masking a bubbling glee as she attached a leash to the collar. "I need to walk ahead to scout for obstacles. You will follow at a distance."
"Makes sense...I guess."
And so the girls walked out of the cave, Rei upright and confident even as water rained down around her, and Asuka bent, cringing, and blind as she was pulled forward like a dog.
"You can open your eyes now," Rei said as they reached the shore. Keeping Asuka blind wouldn't serve any further purpose.
Asuka did so. Blinking the water from her eyelashes, she saw the armor and equipment she left behind not an hour ago. She immediately pounced on it, only to find she couldn't even lift it.
"You don't meet the prerequisites for your old equipment," Rei informed her quietly. "I have a set of basic clothes. Put this on."
She watched in satisfaction as Asuka found herself clothed in dirty rags. Technically they were less embarrassing than being naked, but only just - they were torn in just the right way to ensure they didn't hide much. And to a vain girl like Asuka being dressed like a beggar might be worse than not being dressed at all. Rei observed the level of detail the clothing conferred, including covering Asuka's skin with patches of brown dirt. Asuka had gone from a powerful warrior to a mud-stained commoner. Not bad for an evening's work.
"We will need to leave quickly. Begin packing the camp," she ordered. Asuka needed to get used to taking orders from her if she was going to stay with the party. The idea of selling Asuka off as if she were vendor trash briefly excited Rei, but she'd much rather keep the redhead close.
She thought about her feelings towards Asuka. At the beginning enslaving her had been a purely rational act. Since Asuka couldn't be trusted as a leader, she had to be removed from the position, and turning her into a slave had been the most expedient means available. But now Rei found that she very much enjoyed watching Asuka's descent, and as Asuka crawled around the camp, Rei felt happier and happier.
"Wait," she said at a moment when Asuka went down on her knees to pick up a cantine.
"What is it?" asked Asuka, frozen in her subservient position by Rei's order.
"I wanted to tell you you're doing well," answered Rei, pretending to be totally unfazed. "You handle the duties of a slave with great efficiency."
"I'm not a slave!" objected Asuka.
"Look at yourself."
Asuka did just that. She was trembling, dressed in soiled rags and a collar. She was doing chores while someone else looked on. She was kneeling.
Rei picked up the leash and Asuka's eyes traveled down the length of the rope and to Rei. Right now Rei looked incredibly strong, totally above Asuka's current position.
"I'm a...slave?" she asked plaintively.
"Yes. Accept it."
Unable to refuse any order, Asuka reflexively obeyed. Her shoulders sagged and her head hung down as she realized her new position.
Rei smiled as Asuka's stats showed her gaining a level. No longer a level 0 anomaly, Asuka was now a level 1 slave.
Her slave.
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(Posted Fri, 12 Sep 2014 10:05)
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らんま1/2 © Rumiko Takahashi
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