A Martyr's Way (PM to join)

[Knightmare27]

Paitraeites stopped for a moment to let his one good eye adjust to the darkness. After two months in his new profession, he was slowly getting used to the stench down here in the dungeon, and the occasional scream of pain was, of course, not something that would make the hulking ex-gladiator flinch.

Two months since his trainers had decided that he was getting too old for an active arena career. But what to do with this brute? Eventually, they had settled on making him the new dungeon keeper. At first, he had been a bit irritated about the end of his fighting days.

However, he had grown to like his new job: Where, formerly, the crowd had cheered him on for dismembering some hapless opponent, now the judges cheered him on when another slave (for citizens were exempt from torture by law), limbs and will expertly broken, revealed his master's innermost secrets.

Or her master's - this was the second part he loved. For sure, gladiators were never short of women admirers... but they had been short flings in his dark, dank gladiator's room. Admittedly, the darkness and dankness of the rooms had not changed, but there was nothing rushed about it anymore. He had all the time in the world for the fun now, since chains prevented any escape, and execution prevented anyone from ever finding out about his evening entertainment.

This evening, the dungeon was much more crowded than it used to be, following a mass arrest of members of a traitorous cult or something like that. Paitraeites had never asked about details. That was, after all, the judge's task. He had to merely make sure that they gave answers.

 

[broomstix]

When Domitilla woke up, the first thing she felt was something hard and cold tight around her wrists. Her arms were straight above her head, apparently chained to the wall. She could not see anything in the darkness, but she could feel that she was leaning against rough stone, with the rest of her body on the floor. Her head still hurt a little from the blow that had knocked her out during her arrest.
From outside the cell, she could hear a faint sobbing and, now, the sound of a heavy iron door opening and closing again. Someone large and heavy was coming down the stairs.

 

[OwlEyes]

Cassian had been in the wrong place, at the wrong time… with the wrong set of people. It wasn’t that the young girl was stupid; it was just that she had the worst luck imaginable. It started as a wee girl that much she could recall. She had been only five or six, and suddenly she had been snatched away from her family. Days later, she was sold as a child slave, forced to do housework and the like. Cassian easily admitted her life was no fairy tale, but it could have been worse.

Now, she was chained to a dank wall, in a smelly cell with three other people. She looked them over and realized they were men. Great. Maybe she could ask the guard to place her with girls, or better yet, alone. The young slave didn’t want to get anyone else in trouble. Tugging on the chains slightly, she crossed her legs and let out a soft sigh. Most women would have freaked out and start to cry about what was happening to them. Cassian learned to expected the worst. At the moment, her situation wasn’t so bad. Sure she was arrested, but surely they’d realize who they arrested and let her go. Unless a brute guard was there.

“Aiya,” she muttered under her breath. “I knew I should’ve just been late. Just my luck to get arrested for being a cult member and a traitor. Wonder what it was all about…” Shrugging once more, she carefully stood up, unable to remain still for long periods of time. She turned to her cellmates. “So ya’ll got arrested too?”

They nodded.

“For the same crime?” they nodded again.

“… that’s not interesting at all,” Cassian got bored and paused as she heard heavy movements some feet away. Moving slightly back, she kept herself out of arm’s reach. The man would have to come in to actually get at her. “Please don’t jinx me now, please don’t jinx me now, please don’t jinx me now…” Hopefully her prayer would get answered by the kind, lovely, ever powerful and merciful, compassionate, forgiving gods. ‘Come on gods!’

 

[Knightmare27]

The heavy iron door creaked as Paitraeites slowly pushed it open. He was greeted by a soft clanking of chains all along the wall as four frightened prisoners pressed against it, desperate to move away from the door, like rats scurrying out of the light.

The former gladiator was in an unusually good mood today: Not only had Fortuna, the goddess of luck, been more than kind to him earlier at the gambling table, this new arrest was also very promising. This new cult was rumoured to be very popular among women, so with any luck, he would not be without an unwilling companion tonight...

Quickly glancing over two male prisoners and a pale, thin woman who seemed half-dazed, his eye focused on the woman chained to the wall to his left.

She was very short and thin, an impression which was enhanced by the loose, ill-fitting rags she was wearing. Her hair was brown and braided, and her large eyes - one blue, one brown - were wide open with a nervous, cornered expression. Her whole body was tense and she looked as if she was trying to disappear into the wall. She was mumbling something - cult prayers, no doubt - but the dungeon keeper could see that she was at least trying to hide her fear, so she was probably not as weak and easily cowed as she seemed to be.

This last observation was just a hunch, though, and he was eager to give it a test. "Come", he said in a loud and cheerful voice (the sudden noise made the other prisoners flinch), "we will play together tonight. And you will lose. Your life if you confess now. Some limbs and your life if you are more stubborn. I like those odds. How about you?"

He laughed, startling the prisoners again, then produced a small hammer and unbolted the woman's shackles. "Now follow me and I will show you the game pieces we will use. I am sure you will like them."

He closed his left hand around the young woman's right wrist - it felt like a twig in his massive palm - and pulled her out of the cell behind him.

 

[OwlEyes]

Cassian heard the heavy door creak open, pressing herself against the wall. The other prisioners moved out of sight. She turned her head toward the closest male. “What’s going on?”

“Paitraeites is coming. He’s the worst of the worst!” the young boy nearly cried. “No one has ever survived his touch. No one!” She could see that he wasn’t exaggerating.

Thank you, you crappy gods! Go to Hades! Every damn one of you! she mentally snapped.

“Come,” was the echoing boom, which was opposite of what it sounded. The man made his voice light and cheerful, something the girl did not like. She didn’t flinch like the others, but took a step back. “We will play together tonight. And you will lose-“

“Oh but of course,” she muttered under breath once more. “When do I bloody ever win?!” The three slaves closest to her, flinched slightly away from her. They didn’t want to get in trouble because of her.

“-your life if you confess now. Some limbs and your life if you are more stubborn. I like those odds. How about you?”

“Well, they’re better odds then I thought,” she responded easily with a shrug. “Not like my luck is gonna get any better.” Cassian was resigned to her fate. She supposed this was a better death than the one she imagined. That death being very violent and not so fast. “Hopefully you’ll make it quick.”

Cassian tried to back further away from him as he used his small hammer and freed her from the shackles. “Now follow me and I will show you the game pieces we will use. I am sure you will like them." The girl gave him a look.

“Sure, why don’t we switch places in the meantime. You get to be tortured for a crime you didn’t commit and I get to totally have my way with you via hacking you to pieces. I’m sure you’ll like that, right?” Fear was bubbling under the surface of her casual demeanor. A defense mechanism that she developed to overcome being completely helpless. His hand closed around her small wrist, as she pushed against him.

But he was much too strong and she much too weak to do any damage. “Let me go, let me go, let me go!” she begged, trying to squirm away from him. “I swear, I’m completely innocent. It’s my bad luck! My bloody bad luck!” She didn’t want to die, the girl realized. She didn’t want to die by anyone hands. Let alone his.

 

[Knightmare27]

The former gladiator had to smile as the girl's thin arm squirmed in his hand: He had been right! This was a feisty one, and she even talked back to him... as if she was totally oblivious to the pain he had in store for her. It was always more fun when they put up a bit of a fight.

As they had left the cell towards the interrogation room, the fight that woman was putting up became steadily less confident and more desperate. The high-pitched begging and pleading echoed through the entire dungeon, and as he turned around to give her arm another tug (by now, close to the entrance to the torture chamber, she was actually digging her feet in, forcing him to drag her slowly across the rough stone floor), he could see her eyes become shiny with tears.

But no luck for her. Eventually, they reached their destination, a large and dark room which was barely lit by half a dozen oil lamps. A bewildering array of chains, spikes and odd mechanisms were half-visible in the dark recesses of this chamber, and at the sight of them, the desperate but useless tugging on his arm became even stronger.

As the struggling pair entered the room, a man was already sitting there, watching them with a sort of calm bemusement. He was quite old, with the clothing and the distinguished look of a veteran official. It was Ahenobarbus, a rather kind judge who, however (to his credit, in the dungeon keeper's opinion) knew to just ask the questions and not to interfere in the torturer's work. Accordingly, he just greeted Paitraeites with a short, familiar nod and sat back, watching.

The former gladiator pulled his victim closer to himself and, squeezing her wrists with his hands, whispered to her: "You will now stand before the honourable judge and answer all of his questions. If you do not" - he dragged her a bit to the back of the room - "you will sit in front of the honourable judge and scream the answers."

With these words, he guided her right palm onto the "armrest" of a most peculiar armchair: Menacing with hundreds of small metal spikes which gleamed red in the weak lamplight, this piece of furniture seemed to be almost demonic. The torturer gripped her index finger, forcibly extended it and pressed it down onto one of the spikes, drawing a drop of blood and a gasp of pain.

"Imagine sitting on that! And do you see the pan of coals under it? When that one's lit, the answers will come flowing out of you like a stream, I promise!"

Chuckling, he led his victim back towards the judge's table and stood beside her, his arm pressing her squirming body tightly. "Greetings, honourable Sir Judge. I bring you one of the prisoners you had arrested today and I am at your service."

"Very well", the judge answered with a faint smile, "Let us begin then. What is your name, woman?"

 

[OwlEyes]

Cassian dug her heels in, begged for him to not hurt her. She knew that she wasn’t able to free herself from him. She knew her luck was only getting worse as he all but forced her into a dark and huge room. The ill lit room didn’t hide the frightening array of chains, spikes and other torture devices she had only heard about through the walls of her master’s home. This reigniated her fight for freedom. She would chew off her hand at this point, if only to have a chance at freedom. “I’m telling you, I’m innocent of any crime! I was caught in the mass arrest!”

Paitraeites, as she had learned his name earlier, seemed to take delight in her struggles. She wondered if he had been a gladiator before. He sure looked like one. A stupid, mean brute! He all but shoved her inside, her gaze quickly searching for an escape route, anything really. Even a weapon she could use to defend herself with. But nothing. There was nothing she knew how to use in here. Her gaze stopped at a rather old man.

From his clothing, she could see that he was an official of sorts. Either he was high up or he was retired. She wasn’t sure which. Cassian nodded he looked quite kind, but from her history, she never trusted what she saw. Any acts of kindness were just asks, a way to get what one wanted. She watched as the two greeted each other. A look of anger flashed upon her face, then fear took over as he pulled her closer to him. He was going to break her wrists at this point. She continued to struggle.

"You will now stand before the honourable judge and answer all of his questions. If you do not" - he dragged her a bit to the back of the room - "you will sit in front of the honourable judge and scream the answers."

She tried to move away from him once more. “I promise, I promise! I’ll stand damnit! No need to threaten me,” she hissed. But he took her hand and guided to the armrest of the most demonic chair she ever saw. There were hundred, no thousands of metal spikes gleaming with… was that blood?! She tried to elbow him in the stomach, to get away from the chair but he forced her to touch it, for it to pierce the skin of her finger.

Cassian did not like pain. She let out a gasp of pain. He let her hand go free and she almost brought it to her mouth, before deciding against it and wiping it on the end of her toga. No way was she going to suck on her own blood when it touched that! “I was I was going to stand!” she snarled.

"Imagine sitting on that! And do you see the pan of coals under it? When that one's lit, the answers will come flowing out of you like a stream, I promise!"

Her anger ran, tail between its legs, away, leaving her shaking and shiver again as he chuckled and dragged her back toward the judge. His arm held her close to him. She tried using her feet to kick him. Unfortunately, the girl was no fighter and had no real physical strength to speak off.

"Greetings, honourable Sir Judge. I bring you one of the prisoners you had arrested today and I am at your service."


"Very well", the judge answered with a faint smile, "Let us begin then. What is your name, woman?"

“I was named Cassian,” she replied softly, her voice quivering. She slowly started to slow her trembling, her small fits hidden in the folds of the ill fitted toga. “And I am no criminal.” Cassian looked between the two men, her gaze hard as steel. She rested on Paitraeites. “Happy you mean brute? I answered.”

Her mind continued her unspoken thought, ‘Now, let me go or by Hades, when I die, I will make your life unbearable. I’ll curse you to never be able to lay with a woman!’ She wasn’t going to say that aloud. Looking back at the judge, Cassian tried to look somewhat pleasant, or at least, keep her emotion in check. “

 

[Knightmare27]

In his admittedly short time down here in the dungeon, he had never heard anyone be so defiant! Struggling, screaming, calling him names: She was putting up more of a fight than even the male slaves he had had to interrogate. The girl had even tried to hit him! Of course, the hits had barely registered, but he could not have behaviour like that in front of the judge.

"Excuse me, Sir, while I calm her down a bit", he said, reaching for a bizarre-looking kind of helmet. With his left hand holding her neck still (and squeezing it a bit in revenge for the insults), he slipped the device on. Its most obvious feature were two large blades, mounted on hinges on either side of it and passing to its back, where they were connected by a wooden handle. Using this handle, he brought the blades down until they almost touched, but did not yet cut into, the roots of the young woman's ears.

"Now listen if you ever want to listen again", he hissed into her left ear with barely suppressed rage "There will be no squirming, no foul language and no defiance from you. Do you understand? Or do you want to lose your ears?"

In reality, he was not half as angry as he pretended to be, but he felt she needed a good scare and wanted to test her willpower. Also, if she believed he was going to cut off her ears, she might finally start to take him seriously.

He was now standing behind Cassian, holding onto the handle so that she was constantly reminded of the horrible consequences of any more defiance. In the struggle, one shoulder of her loose, ragged overgarment had slipped, exposing some tanned skin (almost red by lamplight) with a small scar across it. He could also clearly see her right shoulderblade standing out underneath, further emphasizing how thin she was.

 

[OwlEyes]

"Excuse me, Sir, while I calm her down a bit,” he excused himself from the judge as he reached for a… what a strange hat!

"Let me go! I don't need to be calmed, I need to be damn free!"

His hand moved around her squeezing, causing her to wince as she struggled for breath. Coughing, but not too loudly, he put it on her. She could feel the pointed edges of the blade. Oh, he was going to cut them off, was he? She didn’t feel afraid as she thought she would. Cassian knew that he was probably controlling them just so, to show his power over her.

"Now listen if you ever want to listen again", he hissed into her left ear with barely suppressed rage "There will be no squirming, no foul language and no defiance from you. Do you understand? Or do you want to lose your ears?"

“Listen?” she spat back at him, trying to find a way to get it off her head. “Lose my ears? You think that’s a threat?” Cassian rolled her eyes, anger and frustration building up in her. “Do it then. Make me deaf. At least then I won’t have to listen to lies and bullshit that leaves everyone’s damn mouth!” No, not even this could make her defiant. Something told her she’d regret it, but closing her eyes for a moment, she knew she’d have to prepare for the consequences. “I wouldn’t mind having some peace and quiet.”

Cassian was just bluffing of course. But the brute didn’t need to now that. She felt sweat forming on her skin, her breathing becoming deeper, filled with anger.

Now Cassian could feel him behind her now, not so much as skin, but the heat from his body. The young slave could feel the blades taunting her, reminding her that she was probably about to lose her ears. Still struggling, she didn’t notice the shoulder of her precious clothes had slipped somewhat, exposing a small scar, barely hiding a somewhat nasty one above her breast and her tanned skin. It was quite unfortunate she didn’t have much meat on her bones.

The slave wasn’t a big meat eater. She didn’t like how it tasted or felt in her mouth. Instead ate everything else. Not typical Roman, but there was always at least one oddball in the bunch, right? Her body started to tremble once more, contradicting her defiant demeanor.

 

[Knightmare27]

Paitraeites tried to hide a sigh. He had not really planned to go through with this, and he cursed himself silently for making empty threats. Not that he was squeamish, but if he was to have fun with her later, he needed her to be in a better state... at least mostly intact. That's what came of his stupid overblown threats!

Oh well. To gain some time, he first made an elaborate show of taking her wrists (it took some effort to catch them flying wildly through the air as the girl struggled, but he could finally persuade her to hold still with a few menacing grabs on the handle). Having caught them, he pulled her arms straight behind her back and reached for a piece of rough and worn, but rather thick rope.

A few loops, then a very tight knot. Tighter than necessary, so that he could see her small hands swelling and becoming dark red. He had "accidentially" pinched a fold of her skin in the ropes, and the woman let out a small squeal when he pulled the rope as tight as it would go.

With the still struggling Cassian's hands securely behind her back, he placed his right hand on the handle again. "You could have avoided this. Now you pay for your defiance, you stupid girl."

 

[OwlEyes]

Cassian was visible shivering. She could barely hold back her gasps of pain as he secured her in. She didn’t say anything as she still tried to fight back, even kicking him once more. She almost screamed in pain, as blood ran down her fingers. She only squealed softly as he pulled as tight as could into her small wrists. But didn’t give him the satisfaction of anything else.
She let her thoughts wander, hoping her master would forgive her for not coming back on time. She knew that around this time, the children would eat then bathe. They wouldn’t be able to go to sleep without hearing a bedtime story from their father. Afterwards, she would have generally served him wine as he was busy with his business and papers. A sarcastic chuckled escaped her lips. Oh, what a silly, stupid girl she was.

"You could have avoided this. Now you pay for your defiance, you stupid girl."
Stupid? How’d he guess? “Pay for my defiance? And pray tell, how could I have avoided this? If it’s not one thing, it’s another. So, I could have avoided having my ears chopped off, but as you said before, it’s a game in which I’ll lose my life, or a few limbs and my life.”

She squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the pain to erupt. Cassian had a feeling he wasn't the merciful type. She should've known all along he would've done it anyway.

Xxx – The Judge – xxX​

“Stop,” the judge called out, his eyes looking straight at the girl. “Paitraeites, that is enough. The girl is defiant because she is afraid. Anyone who is afraid is not in their right frame of mind.” The old man stood up, and dared the gladiator to go against him. “Release her. If you cut off her ears, I will not be able to question her.” He studied the young woman, his eyes studying her. He could see how thing she was and her small frame. For some reason, he wouldn’t have expected her to be a slave. “Besides, I highly the girl would be able to survive from the loss of blood. No, no, you will have to find another way to deal with her.” The phrase, ‘she is much too thin’ was left unsaid.

The man let out an inner sigh. There wasn’t much he could do. But, it was nice to see someone actually fight back, even when all hope was lost. As he thought about what he saw, a small smile settled on his face. This was a wild one. No doubt, her master, whoever he was, was very patient and tolerant. Paitraeites was quite the opposite. The jailer would just have to think of a different way to torture her.

 

[Knightmare27]

The dungeon keeper pretended to be mildly annoyed by the judge's orders, but really, he was secretly glad he did not have to get so brutal so quickly. He roughly pulled the helmet off Cassian's head and put it away. As he removed it, he could see two bright red lines where the blades had made small cuts in her ears, but she seemed otherwise unharmed.

His gaze wandered across his tool shelf, and suddenly he found exactly the right instrument to bring that girl to reason: The Spider, a sharp metal claw on a long chain which looked terrifying. Much more importantly, he knew ways to use it without causing lasting damage.

For now, though, he simply resorted to looking for the instrument deliberately slowly, then dangling it in front of Cassian's face, allowing her fearful eyes to take in the shine on the sharp points. Actually using it wasn't needed yet, but he decided to place it on her bare shoulder for now.

"As you wish, sir. Just give the sign if I need to apply the spider to the accused."

 

[OwlEyes]

Cassian felt her body fill with relief, and almost hugged her tormentor. Almost because her arms were still bound. Her body appeared to relax as her head was free from its confiment. Never again, she mentally promised. Never again would she wear anything on her head. Expect for a hood. She fooled his gaze, her eyes looking across the various weapon. She hoped none of them were used upon her.

Turning gaze, she tilted her head at the judge, wondering what he had in mind. She blinked as he dangled it in front of her, almost tauntingly. Cassian knew the message. 'I can hurt you whenever I want- I choose not too.' She watched him as a scared animal watches those that corner it. Her eyes were wide, her breathing hitching up again.

"As you wish, sir. Just give the sign if I need to apply the spider to the accused," he spoke once more.

"I highly doubt there'll be any need for that. But knowing you, you'll find a reason for it. Don't make her bleed to death like the last one," the judge replied as he smiled at teh girl. "Now tell me, Cassian was it? Do you know why you were arrested?"

"I was told because I was a traitor in a cult."

"You were told? Aren't you one?"

"I'm not."

"Unfortunately, this is not the answers they want to hear. Could you not tell us what you are confessing? I'm sure our dear... friend, would think of ways," but the judge continued on. "Who is your master?"

Cassian shiver, squeezing her eyes shut. She didn't want to reveal it. It wasn't that her master was a bad man but... he had once been accused of being a traitor. It wasn't a good thing to work for an almost traitor. Not that she had a choice. "A...Apollo." Yes, he had been named after a greek god.

"Apollo Cassius?" the judge asked once more.

"Yes."

"Hm, I see..." He looked at Paitraeites. "You remember Apollo Cassius, don't you Paitraeites?"

 

[Knightmare27]

"I do remember him, sir. As far as I remember, he was cleared of the accusation because the evidence was lacking."

...what certainly wasn't lacking was the bribe, though., the former gladiator added mentally. It fit so well that such a corrupt traitor would keep such a disobedient, ill-clothed slave. The trial had been last month, and Paitraeites' services had not been required, so he only knew the bare basic facts. This man, however, had such a bad reputation that for him to escape a treason charge would have required the greasing of a good number of palms.

The judge was interfering constantly with his work today, and this rankled him slightly. However, he managed not to let it show too much how he wished he could just cut that little thing's clothes off and really go to work on her. Stay calm. There's always after the trial...

Almost absent-mindedly, he started to move the spider's points across the exposed part of Cassian's skin. He did not apply enough pressure to make deep cuts, but he did scratch her, straining at his leash like a war dog, ready to spring into action at the slightest hint of disobedience on the young woman's part. Go ahead. Disobey him. Make my evening perfect...

 

[OwlEyes]

"I do remember him, sir. As far as I remember, he was cleared of the accusation because the evidence was lacking."

Evidence? Cassian tilted her head to the side, exposing her neck for a moment. A healing bruise could be seen. Something or someone must've hit her pretty hard. She looked back at the former gladiator, her gaze still quite fearful of the man. He could do anything to her, and she'd have no choice but to go through with it. It was at times like these she wished for clothes the fit her.

"It's completely like him to choose an ill bred slave," the judge said, trying to egg the girl into revealing something. Anything. "Why don't you redeem yourself and tell us of any faces you saw around him?"

Cassian might have seen a few things and recognize a few faces but she didn't think they were important to mention. She shivered as he moved the Spider across her skin, making the blood stain her white clothing. The slave knew he wanted to make her blood spill. And hoped that was the only thing he wanted.

"Perhaps I saw your face," she spoke, defending the one who was kind to her. "Maybe I saw several important people. And maybe I didn't. Who knows. I only know what my master allows me to know."

"I rank above Apollo!" the judge snarled.

"And I cannot tell you what I don't know! Go stain your own hands for once."

The Judge gave Paitraeites a signal. "Don't make her bleed too much." With that the judge stood and walked away. "She needs to be taught to be quiet." He closed the door behind him.

Cassian's eyes widened. Oh shit.

 

[Knightmare27]

Finally! Not even trying to hide his glee, Paitraeites reached for a small, but sharp knife. A few quick cuts with trembling hands - leaving deep scratches where the girl, still defiant, struggled against the blade - and her upper garments fell to the ground in large pieces. Now, the only things that protected Cassian from being completely naked were two strips of cloth wrapped around her breasts and her hips.

Paitraeites took a step back and thoroughly examined the little slave's near-naked body. Her skin was tanned all over, with many small scars scattered about. Work accidents, presumably. Her legs were very thin, as were her arms, still bound tightly behind her back, and her bony shoulders which moved wildly as the girl tried to wriggle free from her ties. Her stomach was flat. So, he had to admit, were her breasts. Frankly, he did not know what that strip of cloth around her chest was supposed to hold back.

Grinning (almost madly), he took the spider in his hand and stepped closer to her thigh. A fleshy area, ideal for this kind of treatment. The wounds would heal quickly there. He savoured the moment as he leaned in closer, listening to the woman's panicked breathing and wildly beating heart as he carefully placed the points of the spider on her soft skin and started to push them into her flesh...

 

[OwlEyes]

She saw the blade in his hands and continued to fight the binds around her wrist as he started to cut her skin. She didn't speak, almost biting him instead. Cassian didn't care about being cut, it really didn't hurt her all that much. She was rather used to that. But when she felt her clothes fall, a look of utter displeasure graced her face. "Oi! You fix that right now! It's the only set of robes I have!" Exposed to the room and to him, she shivered from the cold.

The slave didn't look at her torturer as she started to pull at the rope. It had loosened very little, but it was still enough to give her some hope. Hopefully, he hadn't noticed that. It was true the girl was thin, almost as if she had yet to go through puberty. But her chest was not quite as small as the binds around them made it appear. For that particular part, she made it tighter than usually. They were a decent size- about a handful. Nothing too big but nothing too small. But as a slave with not much rights, she learned how to make herself... less 'womanly' so to say.

Cassian swallowed at his grin, her hands continually working to free themselves from the rope. He made execellent knots, it would take her some time before they would unravel... and if he didn't notice. Paitraeites moved too close into her, and looking like a beast savoring their prey's fear. Her breathing became panicked, the quiet sort in which someone had to lean in to hear. The spider pressed against her skin, beginning to draw out some blood.

She blinked for a moment, not sure whether she was supposed to scream, cry or beg. Looking down, she saw the blood slowly leak down her leg. Cassian looked back at him. She prayed that his was a sign all he was going to do was to make her bleed. With fearful wide eyes she waited for his next move.

It was just her luck, wasn't it?

 

[Knightmare27]

He was now fully concentrated on driving the spider deeper into Cassian's flesh. Her muscular thighs were quite firm and offered a strong resistance to the spider's bite. Finally, the terrible instrument had been driven into her leg, held there by all the four points buried deeply inside the woman's muscle.

There was no sound from her throat, and she was seemingly paralyzed with pain and fear. Even the constant squirming had stopped and all of her body tensed while her mouth stood open in a silent, wide-eyed scream. Only small trickles of blood came from the area he had pierced, as most of the wound was plugged by the spider's points. Her tears, however, started to stream down her face in waterfalls.

Taking this opportunity to secure her even more tightly, he took a second piece of rope and lashed her ankles together, forcing her to stand up very still with her legs closed, almost like a statue, but one that had to be in agony at this moment.

 

[OwlEyes]

It felt like entiry as he drove the spider into her skin deeper and deeper while her body fought against the intrusion. But in the end, brawn won against her body and it cut her deeply. The tool wasn't going anywhere any time soon. Paitraeites would no doubt see to that. Cassian had never come across weapons like these. If she ever made it back to her master, she'd ask him if he knew about these things.

Her voice was gone, paralyzed and completely disoriented. She was unable to move, and for a moment, she thought she was choking on the air she was desperately trying to breathe. Her open mouth sent out silent screams, her eyes wide with fear and... almost defeat. She knew that only small trickles of blood escaped the wound and feared what would happen if he took it out. Pools of ears colelcted in her two different eyes and made trails down her dirt stained face. He used her weakness to tie her legs together, forcing her to stand still.

"Take... it... out," she gasped at him, forcing herself to talk through the pain. She wished she could remove the spider. He managed to bide her ankles together, forcing her to be absolutely still. Deep breaths flooded her lungs, her eyes wide and tears confinuing to fall down her face. "Damnit... take... it out..." she tried once more. It hurt. It hurt too much. She almost felt dizzy and lightheaded from the pain. If only her leg could go numb. Then maybe... maybe she'd be able to survive what came next.

Slowly trying to move, she suddenly stopped as a soundless scream left her lips. No, it was impossible. If she tried to move, she would die. All the pain she'd seem to suffer around this man, Paitraeites, started to burn as though fire was being set alight to it. Pleading wouldn't work but... if she could talk, the pain might lessen... didn't... master say that? No, the voice didn't fit the- she bit the inside of her cheek as she accidently moved. Standing absolutely still was an impossible feat.

"Please," she spoke, not sure what she was saying. "Please take it out. It'll cut it again. I can't have it reopened." Cassian appeared to be speaking crazy. Then again, would won't if one was scared to death, terrified and almost had their ears ripped off? Of course, that would be true, but it was the fact there was a rather nasty looking scar high on her thigh. No one would see it even if she shortened her toga. What had happened? Cassian couldn't recall but she assumed it was from cutting herself on a rock or something or other.

 

[Knightmare27]

"Not so defiant anymore, are we?", Paitraeites chuckled as he walked behind Cassian's back and started to unwrap her breasts. To his surprise, what he freed were quite sizable little apples, not as flat as he had expected. He took a moment to press her back tightly against his chest, cupping them from behind, and completely ignoring the slave's pleas as she gasped in agony.

The second spider went into her left breast. Cassian, already stiff with pain, did not even seem to notice this second, likely even worse, bite. This one slid into the fatty tissue of her breasts quite easily and finally came to rest right on top of her left nipple like an iron claw. He then proceeded to squeeze and suck on the other, uninjured breast with great passion, knowing full well that, in a dark twist of irony, she could not feel a bit of the arousal this would have normally caused her. She was stuck in a world of pain.

The torturer stepped back to admire his work again: She was stiff as a board, even the gasped words having stopped. Even in the flickering light of the oil lamps, he could see that she had gone as pale as her tan skin would allow her. He knew full well that she was experiencing the worst pain she had ever felt, and she had deserved every bit of it. After all, just a bit of politeness would have prevented all this...

 

[OwlEyes]

"Not so defiant anymore, are we?" he laughed at her as he walked behind her. Slowly, he started to unwrap her breast, her eyes widened even more as she felt him press against her back. Cassian didn’t remember what she said, or rather begged as she touched her breast, the pain from the spider continuing to intensify. Her hands continued to move, but not for the original reason. She wanted to take her mind off the pain, the humiliation. By now her wrists were raw and bloody.


“In all… of Hades, stop damnit!” she gasped. She didn’t even feel as he slipped in the second weapon. Her mind started to black out, her body unable to handle anything else. She didn’t even notice he was squeezing and sucking the other breast. She couldn’t feel anything. Cassian’s body trembled. Her body started to feel heavy. She didn’t think she’d be able to hold herself up. But thankfully, the ropes held her still, and in a way, supported her weight.


He stepped away from her, not that she’d saw or even realized it. Her body was completely stiff, her hands now ceasing their fruitless work. Her skin was no longer the natural tan, but now a strange pale brown color. Her bangs framed her face, her eyes glazing over. All in her mind, she could only recognize the pain. And even that was becoming too much for her. So her body and mind tried to lull her into the inifinite darkness. The darkness that would allow the pain to keep coming, but she would not feel it. She would become numb.


She felt her eyes closing once more, her gaze starting to become blurry. Cassian shook her head to stay awake. She was more afraid of what he would do to her if she passed out. Pain shot through her system from that movement causing her to scream soundless once more. No, the slave would not blackout now. Renewed determination flooded into her eyes. She’d endure all of this—she had too. Her master downright awful at housework.


Now she could only hope her tormentor would take these things out of her. She had a feeling her body couldn’t take anymore…



---



The judge closed his eyes as he could hear her scream, her loud begging. Usually by this time, a lot of the much weaker slaves would have already confessed to everything. He knew Apollo had chosen a good slave. This Cassian was probably loyal to the bitter end—her bitter end. He started to guilty, he had lost his temper and all but left in a madman’s hands. Still, he could not stop this. Then he couldn’t hear her any longer. No one could. But when Paitraeites didn’t walk out, dragging his victim’s body… well, the girl had either passed out or he was taking his sweet time.

 

[Knightmare27]

Paitraeites had enough experience with what the human body could endure that he decided to remove the devices from Cassian's body. He walked over to a pan of coals and started to heat up an iron rod. The points of the spiders were buried deep in her flesh, and only by immediately burning out the wounds could he keep her from bleeding to death. He had, after all, been ordered not to draw too much blood.

Holding the red-hot iron, he went over to the bound prisoner, still standing there gasping, covered in sweat, her eyes begging for release. He steadied her with his right arm by pressing her cold, soaking wet body against himself and started to slowly pull out the spider from her breast. The points of the instrument were red with blood, and more blood immediately started to shoot out of the holes left by them. With a quick movement, he pressed the hot iron into the wounds. The girl's skin hissed with each touch of the iron and emitted a small puff of smoke which smelled sickeningly like grilled meat. The sudden shock of the glowing metal had apparently given her back her voice, too, and loud screams accompanied her squirming.

He then proceeded to take out the second spider in the same way, burning all the wounds shut. "Did my spiders make a good impression on you? They are just a taste of what will come if you keep disobeying!"

He took another helmet from the shelf, this one looking even more bizarre than the first one, since it had a large screw with a pointed end mounted where its hapless victim's forehead would be. "To be honest, I have never had to use that one. Looks like it's quite a headache, though. Don't you think?"

 

[OwlEyes]

Cassian’s eyes followed his movements, noting he went toward the coals. Oh dear Hades, he was going to set her on fire. No matter how hard she tried to scream, nothing came out. She wondered if he pulled it out, she would die from losing the blood. Something told her, if he was going to take them out, it would not be pleasant. Then again, any wound was not pleasant. Her eyes closed, trying to clear her vision.

She felt him press against her, as if trying to steady or ready her for something. She felt the first spider being removed and winced from the pain. Cassian bit the inside of her cheek to keep the pain from leaving her lips. As soon as it was pulled out, the red hot iron was pressed into her skin. Not expecting it, she screamed loudly, her throat quickly becoming raw. The hissing of burning skin did not reach her ears as he repeated it three times more. She tried to move away, squirming and trying to free herself.

He did same to her leg, which emitted even louder screams due to her stiff muscles. She breathe heavily, closing her eyes, trying to work through the pain. It might have worked, but Paitraeites spoke, “Did my spiders make a good impression on you? They are just a taste of what will come if you keep disobeying!"

“No,” she replied back softly, barely managing above a whisper. “But… I haven’t been… disobeying. Just…” she didn’t finish. They probably saw her as disobeying. Cassian didn’t see how, but that’s how most slaves got treated.

"To be honest, I have never had to use that one. Looks like it's quite a headache, though. Don't you think?" Cassian eyed the torture device not wanting to see how it worked. Or be the test dummy.

“Fine…” she croaked. “You win. I’ll… behave.” For now, she thought.

 

[Knightmare27]

Paitraeites smiled at this sudden surrender: "Good. I like it when prisoners know to behave."

Should I call the judge? No, he can wait., he decided, placing his hands on her hips and feeling her sides. He slid his palms further down, along her thighs, and then crouched down. His face was now at the height of her bellybutton, and he took the opportunity to suck on it playfully, exploring the area around it with his tongue.

Since she would not be doing any running now, he freed her ankles from their ties and started rubbing the red stripes the rope had left on her skin. He remained in this position for some time to savour the feel of her soft skin on his lips and the little drops of sweat his tongue licked up as it moved across her stomach. Her toes felt dainty and delicate as he ran his fingertips over them, and he could hear and feel her breathe more slowly now that the worst of the pain was over.

 

[OwlEyes]

Cassian looked up at him, her head at a tilt. That smile… well, she didn’t expect him to smile like that. And at least now… the pain would stop. She closed her eyes, feeling the harsh burns across her chest. She hung her head down, trying to ignore everything around her. His hands were suddenly on her—feeling her legs? She slowly looked up, confusion in her eyes. He… he wasn’t planning on hurting her, was he?

As his palms moved down, he crouched to where he was level with her stomach. Cassian shivered, not from pleasure but fear. He put his lips on her bellybutton, her to try to move away, fearing he would bite down to make her bleed again. But as he played with her, he didn’t seem intent on harm, which caused her to calm down. She had to admit, his tongue felt strange, as no one had put their tongue there—minus slobbery dogs.

He freed her ankles from the rough rope. He touched the raw ankles, as if the rubbing would make the lines go away. But Paitraeites didn’t get up like she thought he would. Instead, he just continued to press his lips against her as he liked her skin. He moved his hands down her foot, soft and gentle. Blinking, she realized as she had been focusing on him, the pain was ebbing away into a dull, pounding thud. Her hands slowly tried, once more, to free themselves. “What… are you… doing?”