“...And send up three orders of the face meat, along with a large roast, and two small cups of wine.” Nua mentioned in passing as she placed the order for herself.

The Prince had taken the place beside her, and allowed her the privilege of ordering immediately after him. He put on a pleasant face, and was even pleasant to look at, as far as it went.

He had a sort of genuine, easy air about him. He carried himself as a noble would, with his back straight, and as the music began to die down and the entertainment became conversation instead, Nua learned much, and they conversed on casual topics for some time before getting closer to the topics that had Nua’s interest.

“So, to answer your question, Prince Rasgen, I’m here because the west has run out of wars to fight. All my enemies are… very dead, or will spend the rest of their lives wishing they were. What’s a poor, lonely captain of a mercenary unit to do when there are no wars to fight?” She gave a clearly exaggerated martyred sigh and leaned toward him a little.

She ignored the way his eyes drifted down to the tops of her breasts, ‘OK, so now I know for sure… I’m his type, at least partially.’

“Well, that makes sense, but… just how good are you?” Prince Rasgen asked, prompting a smile from Nua.

“My Lord, was your sword expensive?” Nua asked as she looked down at the blade at his side.

“Very, by most standards, it’s purely ceremonial, but it is made of orichalcum. Why?” He asked, cocking his head slightly.

Nua’s smile didn’t waver, “I’ll make you a wager of the sort that… only people like us can make.”

The prince exchanged a look with his companion, and as the hint of a wager made its way down the table, silence fell and curious eyes turned toward the Prince and the Captain.

“Simple, if I can destroy your sword, with nothing but my hands, you allow my little band to eliminate one of the little bandit groups out there that your local militias haven’t been able to deal with.” Nua proposed with her unmoving polite smile.

He looked at her doubtfully. Mutters ran up and down the table length. “And if you lose?” He asked, she felt his eyes move up and down her body, nor was he alone in the doing. His companion’s eyes sparkled with mischief.

‘It’s one thing to learn about a region of perverts, it’s a whole other thing to live with them.’ She thought and kept the rude derisive snort to herself. “What would you like?” Nua asked him, spreading her hands out in front of her on the table just as the servants began laying down plates of food on silver plates.

“Your submission. It pleases me to see the capable at my feet, every Prince needs talent to rule, and even if you fail at this, I think I am a good judge of… worth.” He said in the deep commanding voice of a nobleman.

Nua stood up and held out her hand for the sword. “It’s a bargain, Majesty.” Up and down the table, bets were being made.

The Prince pulled a very broad smile on his face as he took the sword from his belt and held it pointed up. The tang was ornate, beautiful, and clearly not intended for urgent use, the guard was thin metal with ornamental curves and swirling patterns of golden leaves springing from a series of vines. ‘In no way can this be used in an emergency. The damn handle would get in the way.’ The blade had a green tint to it, typical of forged orichalcum, however it had a grayish hue to the center that drew her critical eye. [Unliving Strength] She whispered the martial art, and took a deep breath.

Nua held the blade low in front of her body, then put her left hand to the tip, silence ruled, dozens of pairs of eyes watched as her hand closed around the end. Nua felt the crystal knuckles of her hand feed power into the segments.

‘Snap.’

Nua dropped the first piece.

‘Snap.’

Nua dropped the second piece.

‘Snap.’

Nua dropped the third piece.

In the end her left hand snapped the blade into six pieces, each of which fell to the table with a clatter that echoed over the room, and when she was done, she handed the tang back to the Prince and said, “And that was just my left hand, Prince Rasgen.”

She sat down to silence, then lifted her glass and took a short sip, “I come from a land where war was ended, and I have come looking for it here. I will take the broken handful, and forge them into a weapon. Some of you have probably already seen me break them in person. And they were just property, what will I do, to threats to the one who holds my oath?” She allowed the glow of gold to fill her eyes, and it did not fade until Prince Rasgen spoke.

“You’ve won the bet. What do you call your company, Captain Aiwenor?” Prince Rasgen inquired, still staring down at the piece of the broken blade that lay in a disappointing pile a few inches from his plate.

Nua folded her hands together serenely in front of herself as her plate was placed down in front of her.

“Breakers, Prince Rasgen, you can call us ‘Breakers’.” She answered, keeping her sense of irony at bay with every fiber of her being, she enjoyed her meal to the fullest, along with the surprisingly enjoyable company of the Prince and his paramour.

She was, to Nua’s surprise, a demon-elf, and had large eyes with heavy lids that she lowered slightly whenever some vague innuendo was uttered by either herself or her Prince, and she spoke with a low, throaty voice that seemed to be her natural intonation. She exuded sensuality with every gesture, and more than once Nua wondered why he even bothered looking at herself.

“...So yes, Lady Sobella, I’ve traveled quite a bit over the west, but by no means had I seen everything. I won’t ruin this lovely meal by depicting the terrible things that war brought with it, but…” Nua raised a finger as a caveat, “It did do a few good things that I’ll never forget. It forced people to be who they truly were, good and bad alike. A man I’ll never forget…” She turned away for a moment, losing herself in a wistful moment, “...a man I’ll never forget, gave up everything he loved, everything he believed in, to do the right thing for me. He got to be who he was always meant to be, but a bad system made him worse, and blind to what was wrong. In the end, it cost him his life, in those difficult times, nobody was clean. It was a relief, for awhile, to travel in relative peace again.”

Her smile perked up as she addressed the demon-elf, who followed it up by leaning across the Prince’s body and resting her elbow on the table, she placed her head in the palm of her hand and whispered throatily, “So in all that time and travel, did you learn more of the lovemaking arts, I wonder… how does it differ in the far west, from here.”

Nua glanced at the Prince, who seemed not at all to mind the question, having instead decided that the view was much, much too marvelous to complain, if the way his eyes went from left to right. His excitement was palpable, and almost snickered at his youthful enthusiasm. ‘For all his nobility and status… he’s definitely… DEFINITELY a young male.’

Nua took a bite of boar face meat, and let out a small laugh before reaching for her wine again, “I wouldn’t know, I’ve taken no lovers here, not yet anyway.” She swallowed the wine with a longer, deeper sip than usual.

Sobella gave a tiny pout, “But surely the life you had in the west hasn’t deprived you of all intimate pleasures, the most enjoyable thing about war, is all the fun things after winning. Why when Prince Rasgen came back to me after defeating a tribe of centaurs that were raiding some of our farmlands, it took no less than two others of his harem with myself to satisfy him. Are the people in the west as vigorous?” The question seemed so innocent, despite the nature of it.

Yet Nua closed her eyes and darted her right hand beneath the table where it clenched against her memories, ‘No… she doesn’t mean it like that, this isn’t the Theocracy, things are different here, whatever ‘her’ life, she’s no victim and doesn’t see me as one either. They’re just more… at ease, with lewdity, she doesn’t mean any harm.’

Nua looked off and stroked her chin with her gloved left hand, pretending to be in thought as she demanded that her body not sweat, and grateful that her right hand’s trembling could not be seen, she finally answered.

“Yes and no, Lady Sobella, it is less… open, in some places, than here in the east. But those who come together as lovers, do so with a fiery intensity that defies imagination. In the great war I left behind, there was a pair of lovers that burned whole cities together. I’ve heard they would consummate their passion as the cities burned, to see if they could create more heat between themselves, than the fire that consumed what they conquered. They shared enemies, struggles, pain and passion, and from what I heard before I left, have not been apart from one another for more than a day or two per year in the last twelve years.”

Nua chuckled warmly, ‘I hope the Dark Savior doesn’t mind when, or if, she finds out about my little embellishments.’ Embellished or not, it had the eyes and ears of both Prince Rasgen and Lady Sobella.

“What sparked that kind of wrath?” He asked with professional interest and a raised brow.

Nua took the small knife up, and cut into the bloody face meat as she spoke. “Well, understand I wasn’t present when it happened, but I saw the city where it took place. It all began, when they were ultimately held responsible, in her mind for killing a whore she liked… in less than two years, their country ceased to exist. The passions of the west are often less open, but… that is because when unleashed, there are no’ lengths we of the west will not go to… to get what we want.”

Kaiji and Priceless went from staring at one another, to the plates on the floor in front of them.

“Is this… is this real meat, Lady Solution…?” Kaiji could hardly believe her eyes, but her stomach believed her, without a doubt. It was growling at her, angry, biting at her, demanding that she eat. She felt like crying as she lowered her face to it to sniff, inhaling the sweet scent of something she never thought she’d taste again.

Her ears twitched excitedly as she looked up to the mistress’s free servant.

Solution had her own set on a table where she made herself comfortable, licking her lips at the bloody roast and helping of face meat that Nua had sent to her.

Priceless looked down at what the servant that had ogled her, had set on the floor. ‘It’s real… it can’t be for me? It can’t be! Can this be a trick, a mistake of some kind? Am I going to be punished by the mistress if I eat it?’ She wondered, and a whimper of frightened confusion came out despite her lips being tightly shut, but her stomach was as angry at her as that of Kaiji, the smell seemed to stroke her nose like she was a favored pet, and call her down to it.

“Can… can we eat this?” Kaiji asked desperately as she sat cross legged in front of the sliced pieces that were slathered in a rich, dark gravy, beside which sat various small vegetables, and a bit of warm, freshly baked bread.

She looked in dismay at the wooden cup of wine. Entranced, Kaiji reached out to touch it, and drew it up beneath her nose to inhale the fragrance. Holding it in hand, she drew it to her chest, and hugged it while she waited for Solution to grant her permission.

Solution kept them lingering, enjoying their desperation and the angry growls of their barely filled bellies. She smiled her monstrous smile at them, reminding them again that she wasn’t human, as if they could have forgotten their fear. “When I’m done, either you eat and drink what your mistress gave you, or I’ll eat it, drink it, and then punish you for refusing her generosity. Am I understood, slaves?”

They prostrated themselves instantly, with Kaiji barely having a fraction of a second to set the cup down before they abased themselves without hesitation to the teacher of their mistress.

“We understand, we obey.” Priceless said instinctively, answering for the both of them.

“Good.” Solution replied, and she took up her roast, and eased it into her chest where it was absorbed, followed by the facemeat. She watched as they stayed in that humble position, and the urge to play with them sprang to mind.

She got up from her seat, approached, and knelt down in front of Priceless, “Raise your head, slave.”

Priceless obeyed, rising up just enough to look up at the disguised monster, Solution took up a piece of meat between her thumb and forefinger, and held it out, “Stick your tongue out.” She ordered, and with quivering eyes, Priceless obeyed. Solution put the meat on her tongue. Priceless however, didn’t draw her tongue back, or eat it, she waited.

“Now, consume.” Solution ordered her.

“Do you know why your mistress calls me ‘teacher’ and holds me in such esteem?” Solution giggled as she watched the slave swallow and stick out her tongue again for another scrap.

Priceless shook her head frantically.

“Because I taught her how to torture her first victim, I had her skin them alive, oh it was a wonderful day near the end of the war, she wanted something from me, and she wanted revenge on someone else, for… eating her people. But I wanted something from her. I wanted her soul.” Priceless chewed rapidly and swallowed, sticking out her tongue, withdrawing it when permitted, and despite the horrific story that Solution told her, between every word, she thought to herself, ‘This is the greatest meal I’ve ever had… so this is what ‘meat’ tastes like when it isn’t rotten? So this is kindness from the one who named me? Can this monster be speaking the truth? Maybe… I… I don’t know?’ She wondered as Solution got to the part of the story where Nua stabbed a woman in the heart until her arms could barely move.

When Solution was done with the story that made the slave tremble in fear, she said, “Sit up and open your mouth.”

Priceless obeyed, and Solution took the wine, and placed a finger under her chin near her throat, forcing her to tilt her head back as she tried wine for the first time.

The rich, dark liquid ran over her tongue in an explosion of sweet and bitter flavors, which she swallowed with joy… and to avoid choking, and let out a frustrated whine when the flow stopped.

“Lick it all clean.” Solution ordered brusquely.

The tongue was working before the sentence was even completed, and the order wasn’t even needed, Priceless all but dove for it.

Kaiji struggled to bear the shameful feeding, ‘I’m not an animal!’ she wanted to wail at the monster, only to be reminded with every touch, ‘Yes, you are.’ As the bodyguard of her mistress went on telling stories about Mistress Nua that chilled her blood.

‘Mistress is… terrifying, cold… but… she hasn’t beaten us yet, or even hurt us, at least not Priceless, and even me, it was just a little… but I don’t feel like the monster is lying either. But to feed me this… is this a misunderstanding after all? Could this be just some kind of setup before a fall?’ Kaiji wondered, then barely held back the dismissive snort, ‘Neither myself nor Priceless can fall much farther.’

When the last of the wondrous meal and wine were finished, Solution stood and looked down at them like a snake did a wounded bird, “What lesson did you glean from that little ‘history’ lesson about my student?”

Kaiji answered immediately, the one lesson she knew to be true beyond question. “That if we obey and submit without hesitation or deception, and give her exactly what she wants… we will be safe.”

“Good answer, go, both of you, back to your corner, continue to work, and stay quiet while I read.” Solution laughed and returned to the bed and cracked open her book again just as she finished dissolving the last of Nua’s left hand, and started on the meal Nua had sent to her.

“And… how do you find the east to be, so far?” The Prince inquired with even greater interest as he leaned toward her, close enough that even with his less acute human senses, he could surely smell Nua’s natural musk.

Nua looked up for a moment, and then turned to face him head on, she didn’t move for any form of intimacy beyond the close space, “There is a stark honesty to it, devoid of excuses, no hiddenness of it all. Your slaves are slaves because they are slaves. They lost a war, or went into debt, or committed some crime. There’s no lie about their being different except for their misfortune. You are open faced in your wants, and even in breaking the Komestran slaves I bought, they came at me clearly. The openness of your passions is… not unsettling, but it is ‘novel’. It will take some getting used to. But if you want my truthful opinion, I like it here. There’s an integrity to this existence that is lacking in my homeland.”

The entire table, having heard the foreigner praise their ways, raised their glasses in cheer and drank with great enthusiasm.

The Prince though, furrowed his brow. “Your praise, it pleases me, Captain Aiwenor, but this is as it is because life here is… very hard for so many. We live on the border of the Triumvirate’s Tlalmok Empire. Every year they choose a city to levy ‘livestock’ from. From a few hundred, to a few thousand. Once, in my great-great-grandfather’s day, they demanded thirty thousand lives in one year. An entire city had to be sacked to meet the demand.”

Nua lowered her face in sympathy and placed her hand on his wrist, rubbing it softly. “I see, so you have no time to waste on hiddenness, since it can always end, living in the shadow of death. I fought some of the Devor in the west, in the Minotaur Kingdom. I killed some of their Harvesters, I can understand why you strive to make the most of every day.”

“Yes, at any day, even a Prince might find that his city might be doomed, and his neighbors come to destroy him, so that he and all his people can be given as an offering. That is, obviously rare, but a few hundred to a few thousand, it still means we’re in constant conflict. I almost envy the west, to know they’ll live long enough that they can allow their passions time to simmer beneath the surface.” Prince Rasgen shook the thought away vigorously. “Forgive me for bringing such a grim subject into such a wonderful evening. Come to my home, tomorrow as my guest, I’ll give you the details you’ll need, for the job you’ve ‘won’ from our little wager.”

Nua took up her glass and held it out in front of him, “I’ll do that, Prince Rasgen. To the beginning of a marvelous partnership.”

“To new beginnings.” Lady Sobella added in her throaty voice, in unison with the Prince, and they brought their wine up in the same moment as one another, to touch their glasses against Nua’s own with a delicate ‘tink’ sound, that left Nua thinking only one thing.

‘Mission accomplished.’