Chronicles of Minotaurs and Men (bettsyboy and Alkonost)

[bettsyboy]

It was a regular saturday afternoon, the sun was out, the fields were being worked on, and the Village of Dewsbruck was as lively as ever, well, as lively as a town of 150 could be (including farmers in town to trade) In this town lived a young man, only 17 in age but already given his right of passage into adulthood, he was arranged to marry a girl from the next valley, only once had they met and he was clearly excited, he had spent his morning working the fields with his uncle and cousin, and in the afternoon he worked the blacksmith with his parents, life was simple and happy... well, this was the last day he would experience such an idylic life.


As the day wore on, travelers had come running into town, survivors of a series of raids on passing caravans between the human and elvish kingdoms, each told the same story, a band of Minotaurs, large and strong, possibly an offshoot of a large warband or, judging from how effective they were, perhaps even mercenaries, but the townspeople weren't afraid, for a small company of knights and footmen were staying in the village for a few nights, they thought this would deter any raiding parties... and if it were any other, they would be right... they had no idea of the storm that was coming.


As the sun went down, Aedan, the young man from before came inside, worked on fixing an exposed patch in the roof above his parent's bed and settled in for the night, falling asleep in his bedroom, which was located in the basement of their house, only to be awoken before he could get any real sleep by the sounds of fire, screams and battle...

 

[Alkonost]

The harsh scent of blood floods her nostrils, and she snorts in pleasure. Her sharp, claw-like nails sliced through a fleeing person's flesh. Her victim screamed and fell to the ground. Hefting her heavy battle axe over her head, she dropped it, relishing the feeling of ending a pathetic life. Another clan member ran past her, a large maul in his hands. He was chasing a skinny little human and managed to flash her a knowing look before swinging.


She searched her last victim and, finding nothing on him, took off to find something else. She loved a battle as much as the next minotaur, but her role in these raids was to find valuables to make off with. The men were the lucky ones who got to run around and kill everyone. The flames of the raid licked towards her as she dove through a window and frantically started throwing everything she could touch into her canvas bag.


Outside, the noises of battle were dying down. There probably weren't many humans left. She jumped out the window and ran into the house next door. A growl emanated from the back of her throat when she realised that someone else had already raided this house. Finding nothing, she turned back to leave when a soft sound caught her hearing. She tilted her large ears for a moment, listening. Another sound. She whirled around, eyes growing wide only for a moment when she saw what was behind her.

 

[bettsyboy]

What she saw behind her was barely a flash, a knife, a small one by comparison to the body of a minotaur but still a knife, in a sharp movement it jabbed into the back of her shoulder however, with her thick leather-like skin and the half-blunt knife, it didn't get far in, the young human male holding the knife wrapped his legs around her waist, he pulled the knife out and jabbed again, and again, never getting far into her, but still causing pain "DIE DIE DIE DIE!!" he screamed, as he swung about on her back trying to hold on to stab her some more, he saw outside, his mother, being violated in the middle of the village by a group of minotaur men, his father, lying on their front porch, half his head missing, suddenly, outside there were gunshots... the soldiers had returned from their patrol, the warriors, in their rage of being interupted, caved in Aedan's mother's head with a club and went off to engage the knights and soldiers, one of their number was already on the ground next to his mother's corpse, his brains leaking out.


Aedan grabbed her left horn with his left hand and just jabbed at her with his right hand, still making little progress, but at least he was drawing blood from a dozen small puncture wounds.

 

[Alkonost]

She howled, in pain or anger, she wasn't sure which. The knife felt like little more than pinpricks, but she could feel the blood running down her shoulder. When she saw one of her clansmen die, she felt her rage pool inside her. The human yanked back on her horn, and she fought the urge to yell again. Few got close enough to touch a minotaur's horn, and even fewer lived to tell the tale, but the horns were actually very sensitive.


Swinging herself around, she slammed her back into the wall, crushing the human on her back. Again and again she did this, trying to loosen his grip. Her claws found his leg and sank through the thin skin and into the muscle of his calf.

 

[bettsyboy]

As she bashed him into the wall, Aedan was winded, but by the third bashing against the wall all her efforts served to do was drive the knife further into her back and make his grip on her horn stronger, however she did find some retrieve as her claws dug into his leg, he screamed in pain, a higher pitch than her roar before, but still deafening, especially considering how it was right against her ear, his legs lost their grip as her efforts made the nerves in his leg go haywire, and he fell to the ground, with the last bit of effort he could muster, he charged her, thrusting the knife into her belly, but again it didn't get far, it penetrated deeper than his other attacks but still far from being far enough, his hands were shaking, his legs were beginning to buckle, he had already lost hope...

 

[Alkonost]

She stumbled around for a moment, stunned from the high pitched noise and the human's slow moments. She turned to face him and shook her head, trying to clear the fogginess. That was when she felt it. Sharp, foreign, and penetrating her stomach. Somehow the human's small blade he slipped through her thick skin. The boy fell back to the ground, and she slowly made her way to him.


Cursing the human mentally, she pulled the knife out of her with a small gasp. Her free hand went to his throat in a tight grip, and the hand with the knife hovered over his stomach. She could feel his heartbeat underneath her fingers, so she pressed the blade towards him to end it.


Something stopped her. She wasn't sure what, but she found the knife was a hairbreadth's away from his flesh. Something about the human intrigued her. He had actually attacked her instead of running away. He had used his advantages to hurt her, something very few humans could say. He was...interesting.


A smirk pulled at her thin lips as she pulled him up. In a thick, rough voice, she whispered to him, "You won't die today, human. Not by my hands." Then, she slung him over her shoulder and, wincing at the pain in her stomach, went out to rejoin her clan.

 

[bettsyboy]

at first, Marco was wishing she would end it, wishing she would just gut him and get it over with, but despite this she stopped, as he slung him over her shoulder, he was confused, and his exhaustion kept him at bay, as she came out, a male approached her "whats that you got there?... a male!? are you mad!? why didn't you just kill him!?" he walked around her "peh, look at this, he's not only alive but still concious!" with a swift backhand to Aedan, he went limp, but still his hearbeat could be felt.


the male came back around to her front "You should be careful, the human females are docile and easy to tame, whats more the children they bear from minotaur fathers have none of their mother's attributes, but the males... they have no purpose, we have no need for labour slaves, and these human males are wily creatures, they'll act as the most docile creatures on earth, then when you're sleeping BAM! remember what happened to the Ajikimatu clan? they had male slaves and in one night they smothered their masters and slit their throats..." after her response, he scoffed and walked off "whatever... oh by the way, you're womb may be put into service soon, we lost many warriors to those human knights and soldiers we'll have to go about replenishing our numbers"

 

[Alkonost]

Her head dropped, and she stared down at her hooves as the male lectured her. "I-I'm sure I can handle one male. I'll take of him. He won't harm the clan." At his last statement, her mouth dropped open in shock, but she quickly shut it. "I-I...I'll be a mother?" she whispered to herself after he was gone.


Shifting the unconscious human, she joined the rest of her clan as they returned home. It wasn't a long journey, as they'd set up camp nearby. Everyone was to bring half the loot, preferably things that were useful to the clan, together in the morning. The other half could be kept by the minotaur who found them.


She went straight into her tent and dropped the human on the floor. Since she was unmated and had no young, she had her own private tent. Her sister's was right next to hers, so she often got to see her and her young. Sinking to the ground, a large hand hovered over her stomach. Soon, she would lie with a male and, with his seed, would come with child. She could go on no more raids until he was born and weaned, so she would be like her sister: completely reliant on the tribe. She wasn't sure if she was excited or scared.

 

[bettsyboy]

The day dragged on, as she pondered what was to come, Aedan lay on her floor, unconscious, eventually, with the sky gone dark, a human girl entered, she wasn't hostile, as indicated by her tribal painting all over her body, and her heavily pregnant frame, she was well known in the clan as one of the best breeding slaves in the clan, she was carrying the latest child of her own father "Mistress? the warriors Lorgan, Kimach and Dumar have expressed interest in your company tonight, as well as the emmisary of the Tikimabo clan, however with the new bounty of female slaves they may be coming in at a later hour than normal, do any of them take your fancy mistress?" Of course ever since the discovery that a human could mother a minotaur child, minotaur women got much more of a say in who they mated with, and often even got to refuse outright if they wished... but in events like a significant number of the tribe being killed, this right for them to refuse was sometimes ignored.


Aedan's eyes shot open, but luckily his head was facing away from them and he didn't move his body at all, but his heart was beating so hard it hurt his chest. (also, can i get a name for your character?)

 

[Alkonost]

When the slave girl entered, she felt her stomach drop again. As the human droned on, she considered her offers. Lorgan, Kimach, and Dumar were all excellent warriors and would sire a strong child. However, being chosen by an emissary was always a good option as well, because it meant you had ties to two clans. For some reason, she found it hard to choose. Some women just chose the most successful or wealthy of the males to sire their young, but she was oddly hesitant. "Tell them-"


A soft sound caught her sharp hearing. Thump thump. Thump thump. With each moment, it got faster, harder. Finally, she realised that it was the human male. He must have awoken. She turned back to the slave girl. "Tell them that I must tend to my wounds from the raid tonight, but I will be available tomorrow." When the girl left, she turned her attention to the male.


"I know you are awake," she started. "Look at me, so that I may see your face." Some found humans hideous and lacking the beautiful qualities that minotaurs possess. She, however, had always found them...interesting, at least. "I am your mistress Gellian. You are mine. Understand? Follow my command, and you shall live. Behave well, and you shall be rewarded."

 

[bettsyboy]

Aedan turned around, bringing himself to his knees "y... yes... mistress Gellian" Marco bowed his head in defeat and submission "what is my first duty... my mistress?" he clenched his hands into fists, his leg still ached from her digging her claws into it, the weight of the loss of his family weighed heavily in his mind, a thought came to his mind, what of his sister? was she lying dead in the village, or, worse, was she in one of these other tents, being drugged up and mated with by warrior minotaurs...


in the other tent, the sounds of the "initiation" of the new female slaves had begun, the sounds of human women first screaming, then them being quietened as they are given their dose of the minotaur's "potion" from the Shaman, then their screams start again, but not in terror.


as they began, Aedan's body began to shake...

 

[Alkonost]

At his response, she raised a thick eyebrow. Honestly, she had expect this human to put up more of a fight. For him to be so submissive was a little shocking...and disappointing. "You're first duty," she mused, oblivious to the sounds of initiation, "is to ten to my wounds. The ones you made." She pointed him to a small satchel full of medicinal supplies.


While she waited, she relieved herself of her metal breastplate. The boy's knife had managed to slip in directly where it ended and into the less hard flesh of the stomach. She tossed the breastplate aside, making a mental note to have him clean it later. "Have you a name? Or shall I just call Slave?"

 

[bettsyboy]

"Yes... Mistress" sighed, grabbing some bandages "My name is Aedan... but you may call me whatever you wish" Aedan went about bandaging her wounds, as he did so he made a mental note that if he can make these kinds of wounds with a mostly blunt kitchen knife then gutting her in her sleep with her own axe or sword should be an easy matter, while he knelt behind her he glanced around, she had many weapons, axes, jagged swords, spears and some weapons that seemed to be just sharp hooks on poles, some of which had red stains on them, this made his blood boil, wondering how many men she has killed, and how many women she has dragged back to their camp, he packed in healing herbs into the wounds and bandaged them tightly but carefully, his eyes narrowed "The bleeding has already stopped, these wounds should heal quickly" he made mental notes to find out what herbs are poisonous to minotaurs and perhaps to pack them into her next batch of wounds instead of healing herbs... it was clear she didn't understand the true threat of having human male slaves, as their true threat didn't lie in grabbing a weapon and charging in to kill them, but instead it was to strike carefully and swiftly when their guards are down, for the first few nights she would be safe from him, but that wouldnt last much longer than that.


As he was bandaging her wounds, the other slave hadn't left "Mistress, have you decided on a mate for tonight? it would be best to tell them before they are carried away in the initiation of the new breeding slaves"

 

[Alkonost]

Again, his willingness to comply surprised her. He had seemed so headstrong before. As he bandaged her, however, she noticed the glint in his eye and the way he eyed her weapons. Perhaps he was not so compliant after all. She would have to watch him. Of course, that meant he would be much more fun to break. "Aedan," she repeated, the word feeling heavy on her tongue. "Humans have such strange names, wouldn't you say?"


She turned to look at the slave girl, a little surprised she was still there. Strange, she had thought she had sent the girl away. After a few moments of careful deliberation, she finally gave her answer. "Tell the Tikimabo emissary I shall come to him tonight." It was do her well to establish a better connection with the large Tikimabo clan. Their sons were known to be large and fierce, and their daughters hearty and strong. Now, she had to prepare herself for him. Although, she was a little unsure how to, since she had never been chosen for mating. Before the girl left, she added, "Tell my sister Tessira to come to me."

 

[bettsyboy]

"of course my lady..." went the slave, Aedan continued his labor in quiet, until eventually he spoke "... you killed my mother... you killed my father... you raped my sisters, killed my brothers... it is in your best interest to kill me now, because once you're asleep, or you let your guard down for a second, i will gut you like the beast you are" the most disturbing thing is, he said this casually, as if it were idle conversation "I know the knife i used was blunt, but the fact it could penetrate you at all means cutting you open should be an easy matter"


he leaned in, whispering in her ear "You think i am scared of you? i have nothing left to live for, i have nothing left to lose... and by the time i'm finished, neither will you, i will kill your father, your mother..." he grabbed her horn as he whispered "your sisters, your brothers, i will let the ambassador get you pregnant, then i will rip the fetus out before your eyes..." there were footsteps outside the tent "but until then... don't fall asleep" as if to add an extra layer of creepiness to it, he kissed the side of her neck, burrying his head in her hair then coming back up, as soon as he got back to what he a normal slave would look like tending to their master's wounds, Tessira came in "Sister! ooh, so that's the male slave you took?... doesn't look like much, are you sure he'll even need to be broken in?"