Ithnaa

“Hey, hottie, how’re you feeling?” A soft voice brushed away the haze of sleep, and I opened my eyes with a tired smile.

“Sora, you’re still alive. That’s good.” My throat was dry, and it was weirdly hard to think straight. To make matters worse, when I tried to move my arm, I found it was restrained to the bed. “What is this? Where am I?”

“It’s alright, you’re here with us, you’re safe. We just had a few issues with the restraints, that’s all. We’ll have you out of here in no time.” Sora chuckled as they continued. “Honestly, if I had a credit for every time I’ve had to give that little speech, then I could probably afford to open a shibari academy. Maybe then I wouldn’t have to do it nearly as often.”

“Oh, please. Don’t even pretend like you don’t love having me tied up.” I tried to teleport to the other side of the room, but nothing happened. Well, nothing other than Sora raising one of their perfect eyebrows.

“I love it when one of us can actually undo the restraints, not when you’re being held against your will.”

“Then stand back so I can free myself.”

They tried to object, but I waved them off, and once they were a few meters away, I attempted to summon a pair of blades to cut through the restraints. Again, nothing happened.

“I was trying to tell you that the room is set up with magic dampeners. Nothing works in here.”

“That might explain why I’m having difficulty focusing.” I settled back into the surprisingly comfortable bed. It seemed as though I was being held in a rather well-stocked infirmary. There were three other beds that looked just as comfortable, along with an advanced surgical pod. Strangely, though, Sora was the only other person in the room.

“Where is everyone?” I asked, and then was hit with a sudden wave of panic. “Where is Samira? Is she safe?”

“We're on a pirate ship docked at Paradise. Bryce and most of the others are dealing with the survivors, and yes, Sami is safe. We didn’t want to risk someone finding her alone, so she's with a friend who is more than capable of protecting her.”

“Good.” I felt my heart rate slow as the panic subsided. “I’ve grown attached to the little brat. I would have been disappointed if my mistake had caused her harm.”

“Yeah, me too,” they agreed, but then frowned and continued in a chastising tone. “Grown attached to the brat, that is. What happened wasn’t your fault. It had nothing to do with you. If anything, your only mistake was not leaving while you could. You shouldn’t have tried to protect us.”

“Thank you for saying that, Sora, but we both know that a group of second-rate mercenaries shouldn’t have stood a chance against me. I should have just killed them outright, instead of wasting time trying to learn how they located the ship.”

“If we’re second-rate, then what does that make you?” I tensed as a familiar half-elf walked through the door. “And if you want to know how we found your ship, you could just ask.”

“What is she doing here?”

“It’s alright, she helped us find you. A lot happened while you were out, and it's going to take awhile to explain it all,” they half-answered before turning towards the mercenary with a chiding tone. “Although, why she’s here instead of helping Aurora secure the ship like she was ordered, I couldn’t tell you.”

“Your devil friend thought you’d like it if I came to deliver the keys to your restraints, but if I’m not welcome, then I guess I can just throw them in the recycler.”

Sora didn’t even flinch at the threat. “Go ahead, I’ll just take Suriel out to dinner while we leave you alone in a room with Thea. Could be fun to see how long you last.”

“Alright, alright, I get it. You’d think a kitsune would be able to take a joke. Here, move over. I’ll get the restraints.” The mercenary produced a small black cube attached to a delicate chain as she approached, and Sora stepped aside. She placed the cube against each restraint one by one and they fell away in turn. I immediately felt the magic dampeners shut off as my last limb was released.

“Thank you,” I smiled at her as I rubbed at my wrist and sat up. “Now, if you’ll excuse us, Sora.” I grabbed the mercenary’s neck and lifted her a meter into the air, teleporting us away before they could respond. We appeared in a dark, wet abyss that was near enough to the planet’s core to cause the air to be far warmer than would be comfortable, but not so hot as to be lethal.

I conjured a bright purple light that illuminated the terrified face of the mercenary. “Welcome to Al’awta. Do not worry, there’s plenty of water here, and you’ll grow used to the darkness in a few years. I would, however, recommend you move from this spot rather quickly. A few of the guests have turned to cannibalism, and they've begun to associate the sound of my arrival with food.” As if on cue, a chorus of shifting rocks and low guttural growls started echoing from all around us. That’s when I finally released her. “Enjoy your stay.”

“W-wait! Please, just hear me out!” She moved to grab at my clothes, but stopped short when she saw me glaring.

“Two minutes, then I’m leaving.” I crossed my arms and waited. She immediately started panicking.

“Shit, um, y-your captain! That’s right, Captain Virra ordered her own partner not to kill me. There’s no way she’ll let you get away with this.”

“Bryce isn’t my captain. I don’t work for her, and I sure as the hells don’t take orders from her. Whatever restrictions she gave to Thea don’t apply to me. One minute left.”

“What? That wasn’t even close to a full minute!” She objected, and I just shrugged.

“Thea and Bryce are my friends, and I didn’t like you trying to use them against me. Time is running out. Better hurry.”

“Fuck, what do you want from me? An apology?” She asked, and I raised an eyebrow without replying. “Look, I’m sorry, alright? The job description was just to bring home a couple of kids who ran away from their mother. It was supposed to be quick, easy money. We never would have accepted it if we knew all the details.”

“Do I look like a fool to you? You can't seriously expect me to believe that you, who created a living mana bomb just to deal with Bryce, failed to do the absolute bare minimum amount of research required to learn who you were hunting and why. I am done being insulted. You will live your remaining days in darkness.”

“I’ll work for you!” I paused just before teleporting away, and she continued. “Whatever you want, I’ll do it. Just don’t leave me here.”

I took a moment to size up the half-elf and consider her offer. She had admittedly proven herself capable by tracking down the siblings, but I wasn’t about to let her off the hook for the attack. So, without saying a word, I summoned my most restrictive contract and handed it to her.

“What is this?”

“Servitude contract. Sign it and I’ll take you back.”

To her credit, the mercenary actually started reading through the terms. “It says I can’t eat chocolate, or use public restrooms until, and I quote, ‘you learn to defecate like a person.’ Who in the hells was this written for?”

I frowned. “A wolf shifter got drunk and did her business on my bed. I figured a contract written for an uncivilized bitch was perfect for you.”

“This is ridiculous. I’m not signing it.”

“Then you’re staying here.” I dimmed the light, causing the surrounding growling noises to grow louder. “It’s probably for the best. I’ve been away for a few years, which means my guests haven’t eaten meat in a while.”

She seemed to deflate as she exhaled. “Alright, look, I’ll work for you, but you don’t own me. Write up a new contract, one that doesn’t include telling me where I can shit or what I’m allowed to eat, and I’ll sign it.”

I summoned a new contract, made a few modifications, and handed it to her. It was restrictive, but not so bad that dying in a dark cave would be preferable. She seemed to agree, and signed it with a drop of blood after just a few moments. “Alright, what now?”

I reached out and grabbed the front of her armor, lifting her into the air and teleporting the two of us to the token that Sora still carried with them.

They didn’t even flinch as we reappeared back in the infirmary. “Welcome back, Anali. I honestly wasn’t expecting to see you again.”

“Oh, your name is Anali? Good to know.” I dropped the half-elf so that I could turn to Sora and ambush them in a hug while kissing them deeply.

They broke the kiss with a wide grin. “What did I do to deserve that?”

“You came for me.” I kissed them again, and they shook their head without diminishing their smile.

“That can’t be it. I come for you all the time, and you’ve never once reacted like this.”

“Don’t be crude.” I chuckled as I let them go. “Now, take me to Bryce. We have a lot to discuss.”

“Sure, but I doubt she’ll appreciate it if you thank her the same way you did me.” They started to laugh as they turned to leave. “Actually, maybe you should. Seeing Thea’s reaction might be worth it. ”