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A Life in Chains

Chapter Two: The choice

I was afforded a spare bunk. It was made for Vermians, so it was a little smaller than myself, but even then the cotton packed mattress and heavy silk sheets were comforts that only the wealthiest in Aldoran could afford. Although the Nagan economy was in a perfect state of equilibrium, fine goods were common, and common goods were essentially given away. I had to share the room with several identical bunks, all embedded into the walls in their own little nook of sorts. It even had a shelf for things to be placed upon, contained within, and some cupboards underneath for storage.

The first day aboard I spent mainly in the nagas private quarters, a huge room with bookshelves lining one wall, and heavy curtains the other. There was a tall viewing window as the far back wall and a large circular bed in the centre far end. I found it amusing to imagine such a massive creature trying to lie on a normal bed. However the features of the room interested me little; the view however was spectacular, watching Aldorans sandy landscapes simply scroll by far below was strangely absorbing. I'd been treated with a bowl of plain rice. I still wasn't used to warm fresh food, but rice, I'd never had that before. it was flavourless, but filling. The airship was peaceful and quiet, oddly so, save the faint hum of the huge static turbines that kept it afloat. It was just one of many modern scientific advances isolated to the Advent Sovereignty. I didn't know anything about that sort of stuff; I simply thought it was some sort of rune magic keeping us up in the air.

I spent most of my morning in those private quarters, a large long room in the middle of the second deck, that floor to ceiling viewing window for its far back wall. He lay draped over a semi circular couch, a fine looking one to that was made of solid stone and well-carved, before it was a neatly contained fire pit embedded two or three steps into the ground. I sat opposite to him, on a thick cushion seat on the ground,

“I hope you're feeling comfortable Kaiber, I know it's a little hard to adjust' he said speaking softly as always. His current state of undress had me feeling odd, he wasn't wearing anything but nothing was showing; I however simply couldn't tear my eyes away.

He was stunning, like a tapestry come to life, all those different colours, colours I'd never even seen before. It was distracting,

“...Kaiber"? I shook my head, bringing myself back to reality. While he was stunning he was also intimidating and not without that coldness in his eyes.

“Um... yes I'm comfortable sir I mean, sorry…" I stammered. He gave out an amused smile as his body shifted slightly.

“Please, call me Virgil, tis only fair you know my name" he said relaxing into a more comfortable position. I remained sullenly staring at the fire before me; I had dozens of questions. “

Why did you free me...?" I asked after a pause. Virgil's gaze quickly narrowed on me although warmly.

“Call it an act of a good Samaritan" he said with a soft smile, forked tongue flicking out at me, I very timidly returned the smile.

"You said you were going to buy me though... what changed you mind, surely not... Brants, insult alone"? I asked, forcing myself not to say the word master yet again. He gave out a chuckle, the first time I'd heard him do so.

“No It wasn't that, It was seeing you in such... condition, it was sickening" he said with a sigh as his head rolled back over the head of the couch.

There was a knock on the door from behind me, I turned to look at those two huge carved oak doors as Virgil beckoned the word “Enter" in a crisp clear voice. One of the doors was pulled back slightly, just enough for a taller Vermian to slip through. One coated in soft purple scales, defined with black markings around the borders of the pasty pale white skin that coated his underbelly and face. As he strode closer the features of his face became clearer, namely the single long scar up the right of his head. It crossed the right eye, leaving it milky and dead.

“Ah, Bastille, good morning to you dear. I trust you are well"? Virgil asked. The Vermian came to a stop a foot from the fireplace, standing rigid posed like a soldier, his garments where the same as I'd seen the others wearing. Some sort of skirt or dress, with a long seam in the front and back and long sides made of leather and silk trim. I could see cotton underneath, following in the leathers design somewhat.

“I am well Master, as are the others, happy and productive as usual' he said. His voice was more masculine than those of the others I'd heard but it still carried a noticeable feminine flare.

“Wonderful to hear, would you have Tahl bring some breakfast up for our guest please" The serpent said with a delighted hiss. Bastille turned to leave with a simple nod, but he paused a moment to give me a rather distasteful glare. I got the distinct feeling that he didn't like me. “...so, if I'm free, that means I can do whatever I want right…"? I asked Virgil, turning back to him slowly. He'd shifted once more, his tail having snaked across the floor to steal a book from its home upon one of the many tall shelves that lined one wall. He nodded none the less, “Well, you're still subject to law…" his wrist made a rotating notion in the air, “Nagan law specifically, whilst you're aboard my airship that is" he said, nose now buried in the book.

Anyone else in my position would either be so broken that they begged for the collar back, or would be lost in thoughts of fleeing to some far corner of the world and simply living, or perhaps some half and half. I on the other hand only wanted one thing.

“...I want to go back...and I want to kill Brant…" I said quietly as I stared at the fire. I simply stared at the crackling waves of flame that twitched ever so spastically. Virgil's eyes quickly narrowed in on me.

“...Revenge hm, It's not worth it if that's your driving force... trust me" he said, any warmth leaving his tone for something forlorn and pained. I could feel my fists clenching up with anger, something I hadn't felt in forever.

“So what, he's a monster, he deserves nothing more"! I yelled my head snapping up from the flames, forgetting my surroundings, more so who I was talking to. My next words caught in my throat however as my eyes came upon his mere inches from my own, suddenly I felt small. I hadn't realised just how huge a beast Virgil was, his head was as big as my torso and then some especially with that huge hood. His tongue darted out and I could feel the twin points of its fork against my skin.

“So that's how you survived hm, that fire, right there" he said softly, nearly whispering as those opal eyes tore into my soul. I couldn't move, couldn't talk, I felt paralysed somehow, for that moment the colours of his eyes seemed brighter, glowing almost.

Then I felt something against my back and those eyes freed me from their grasp, Virgil had slithered from one side of the circular couch to the other, to where I sat. His body now came to drape itself over and around me, his arm sliding into a comfortable rest along the top of the coach behind my head, his own head rising over me as he settled.

“In places like Aldoran, those who are forced or sold into slavery usual break, but you haven't, you're stronger than the pettiness of revenge Kaiber" he said, speaking in a tone unlike any other I'd heard of him. I gulped as my eyes wandered over the heavy coils now present all around me within arm's length.

“... He took so much from me though... how can I just let him go, how can I not do anything, how can I just go on"? I said, my body slumped as I gave out a sigh.

“You know you've the sort of fire that would suit a soldier well" Virgil mused with a soft smile.

I was about to say something when breakfast arrived by the hands of a familiar blue and white coloured Vermian with a chipper smile. He carried with him a wooden tray with some sort of toasted bread covered in syrup and some sliced fruits. Virgil gave the Vermian a playful scratch behind his long furrowed ears before sending him off and setting the tray aside, I watched as he left.

“...I didn't know the naga had soldiers, I thought you're people were... passive" I said as I looked back to the fire, lost in thought. Virgil chuckled handing me some of the fruit,

“We didn't, not long ago, but after so many wars directed at us advent... well, we just can't remain passive anymore…" he said with a weary sigh. I brought my gaze up to him, looking up at him as he gazed up at the ceiling once again.

“The Advent are closing the borders for good soon, restricting travel, the Humans... they've pushed us to far, Siricuse and Quarthwessen will be joining us, they're the only human allies we trust any more. We're building armies now, readying them to strike at places like Aldoran... Volthume... all we wanted to do was exist peacefully. Mankind is simply too greedy and selfish... there are exceptions though... like you, your good" Virgil continued, his voice becoming soft, tired almost.

“...In the cages sometimes Brant brought in Advent, Velkenfolk, Vermians, I even saw an Icarin once. They all tried to help the others, the broken ones who'd just given up, it never ended well for them…" I said quietly as those horrible memories came back to me, feeling drained for some reason.

There was a long silence, lasting hours, with the both of us eventually just laying out staring up at the ceiling. Virgil lay upon the floor and himself in typical serpent fashion and I lay upon the couch, with only crumbs left on the wooden breakfast tray now.

Neither of us really paid much attention to just how long we laid there till I broke the silence.

“I don't know much about the world... but I'd like to, I want to do good things, help people, so that no one has to go through what I did…" I muttered with a sigh, a moment later I felt the tip of Virgil's tail flick against my foot.

“And how are you going to go about doing that…"? He asked, closing his eyes. I didn't know what he had been thinking these last however many hours but I had been hard at thought on the decision of my life. Ultimately it came down to simply wanting to start over, anew somehow, wash away the last decade and see a more colourful world. I was free to make this choice unhindered by any outside factors.

“...By becoming a soldier..., If you'll have me as one... Master" I said soundly, contently. I heard a deep exhale from the naga, he didn't wear any smile or distasteful look, just a calm relaxed look.

“Utarazi riz namatara ess larazis tora naka kaiber" he hissed out in some odd language I didn't recognise, I hadn't a clue what it meant. All I knew was that by next week, I'd have scales instead of flesh, and a whole new life, and it made me smile softly as I lay there.