“NOOOOOO!!!” An inarticulate scream of anger and frustration echoed off the cobblestones, quickly followed by a, “SHWUMP!”, and then a dull, “THUMP”, and groan as a young, elegantly dressed gentleman turned and backhanded the much plainer dressed woman riding on the horse beside him, causing her to crash unceremoniously on the ground and look dazed. A dozen rough looking men riding nearly witnessed the whole exchange and chuckled softly amongst themselves, non making any attempt to go to the woman’s aid.

“What the hell has happened to the crystal this time, wench?” Red with rage, the young gentleman’s face was twisted up in a snarl of frustration as he flung a small crystal stone pelting down at the woman, where it bounced off the side of her face, cutting it slightly and causing her to cry out and tremble in fear.

Pulling her plain cotton robe tightly closed in the front, the young lady – girl really, as she didn’t appear to be much older than sixteen or perhaps seventeen years of age – tried to scoot across the cobblestones away from the slightly older gentleman – he appeared to be perhaps in his mid-twenties, from the mature, chiseled frame of his cheekbones, and the style he wore his will trimmed mustache in – until she was unceremoniously kicked in the back by one of the other men still on horseback, and knocked face first back into the hard, unforgiving cobblestone road.

“I don’t know,” Nikka pleaded, holding one hand up to her nose to stop the blood which was trying to escape from it, from the collision of her face with the stone. “It should be working,” she futilely tried to explain, while staring over fearfully at the clear crystal which had sliced across her cheek. “There’s nothing wrong with the stone,” she promised, tears starting to roll freely down the corner of her eyes, “I promise.”

Hanging her head and trembling, she wracked her brain for anything that might be the cause of the crystal failing. Knowing the lord wasn’t the type to wait on a response, Nikka offered up the only solutions she could possibly think of. “Either she’s dead,” Nikka trembled, “or else the priests have moved her again – this time to some place too distant for the crystal to find her.”

“GAHHH!” Letting out a guttural howl of frustration, the young lord leaned forward on his horse, and kicked Nikka directly in the head, sprawling her out backwards again, with blood freely leaking down the side of her auburn locks.

“Blade. Cutter.” Calling out the names of two of the rough looking men riding nearby caused them to sit up a little straighter in their saddles and slowly ride closer. “Grab her,” the young lord demanded. “Since she’s worthless as an alchemist to me now, maybe she’ll be some use as a wench to you boys. Have all the fun in the world you boys want with her for now,” the young lord chuckled evily, “and feel free to bend her all you want. Just don’t break her. I might still have some use for the bitch later on, you never know.”

Hopping down off his horse first, Cutter chuckled roughly to himself as he grabbed Nikka up by the hair and forced her to stand in front of him with one arm, while he used his other hand to tug her much smaller arms behind her back where he pinned them up tight against his body, while Blade was dismounting and grinning a crooked, half-tooth smile.

Pulling a long serrated knife from the collection he wore at his side, Blade half cackled as he advanced and then began cutting and slicing at the robes Nikka was wearing. “Don’t worry, boss,” he assured the young man in charge, “we wouldn’t let this one die. She’s the only plaything we’ve got with us at all, until we find the one you’re looking so hard for.”

Tattered clothes cascading down to crumple at her feet, Blade took one hand and grabbed Nikka by the cheek, forcing her to look up at him as blood slowly ran down her battered face. “Don’t you worry darling,” he promised her, “we’re going to be having a lot of fun, for a long time, with you.”

The dazed, semi-conscious stare which Nikka returned showed she didn’t comprehend anything that he was saying, but Blade just laughed as Cutter used what used to be the sash on her robe to forcibly tie her arms behind her back. “See,” Cutter laughed harshly, into her ear. “Aren’t we nice. We didn’t even strip you naked. You get to keep your pretty little belt at least.

“And her shoes,” one of the other men chuckled, pointing down to her sandals with a half laugh.

“Oh. Sorry,” Blade apologized, leaning down and roughly slicing away at the straps which wrapped around her calves and ankles, holding her sandals up. “You won’t be needing these anymore,” he assured Nikka’s limp form. “I doubt you’ll be doing a lot of walking anymore.”

“Kneepads would do her better prolly,” one of the other man catcalled, as Blade scooped her limp form up and tossed her up into the saddle of his horse. Expertly hopping up into the saddle behind her, he reached for his reins with one hand, while wrapping his arm around Nikka’s waist and groping her bare breast with the other.

“She’s set, boss,” Blade informed the young lord, while the others all smirked and watched as he roughly used his hands to feel all up and down Nikka’s limp form. “So where we going now? We still on the hunt for the bitch you’re wanting?”

“We are,” the young lord responded, sounding much calmer now that he’d taken a moment to compose himself. Reaching into his saddlebag, he pulled out a plain silver choker. Nudging his horse, the young lord slowly closed the distance between his self and Blade, and gently tossed the choker over to the other man. “Use that on her,” he ordered. “It’s a dampener, which will block her voice while she’s wearing it. No need to let her cry out and warn our prey as we hunt it,” he smirked. “Just be certain to train her proper,” the young lord commanded, firmly. “That’s the only one of those I brought with me, and I’ll be needing it back once we find the Lady Elissa.”

“Sure thing, boss,” Blade agreed, snapping the choker around Nikka’s neck. “Me and the boys’ll teach her ta be as quiet as a mouse hiding in an owl’s nest,” he promised, before asking, “Where to now?”

The young lord rubbed his chin a few times in thought, then turned his horse and continued back down the road in the direction they’d been traveling in before the crystal stopped working. “This way for now,” he commanded. “We’ll see if we can pick back up the bitch’s trail. If not,” he chuckled lightly, “we’ll find a small shrine somewhere and politely ask one of the priests if they can divine her location. After all,” he laughed freely, “I’m just worried about my beloved, since she’s still participating in their festival, and I don’t know where she’s went.”

“Don’t think I’ll be visiting any temples with ya, boss,” Blade laughed, “but them priests are just stupid enough to tell you what you want to know. Sounds like a plan.”

“It is a plan, you dundering idiot,” the young lord mouthed quietly to himself, as he nudged his horse and started back down the road; the other men closing ranks and following closely behind him.