Chapter 2 - I'm not a Wizard

Her eyes glow brightly. Orange-amber lights shimmer, almost burning. Am I seeing things now?

"Is it true? Is this your magic stone?" Her voice snaps me back to reality, or the nightmare, or both.

"Y-yes... my Queen, it's true," I manage to vocalize, this time a bit louder, using the brute's words and hoping for the best.

She looks at my phone. Her face is slightly less bored than before.

"He can make the stone light up. I've seen him do it!" the stupid savage growls, shoving his foot in my spleen again.

Did I what? When?!

Oh... I remember...

Right after passing through, I got confused; I thought the portal was fake, and somehow it made me exit on the side of the damn convention hall. Oh, and I remember it was quite dark back there; did I use the flashlight?

"Make it light up or lose your head!" she commands, throwing the phone to me.

I instinctively jump to catch it! Just in time! I barely stop it from shattering against the rough stone floor. My heart pounds as I try holding it, looking for the power switch while my hands tremble and shake. I spin the phone around, almost dropping it; I can't seem to calm the fuck down! Damn... damn... got to open this thing right now! There, I find the damn switch, long press, come on, come the fuck on already! Why the fuck is this thing off?!

No!! The battery!? Two weeks! Two fucking weeks!! No, no, this isn't possible! It cannot be... oh God, please no.... someone, something... make this shitty phone start!

I hold my breath as I wait for the blasted "magic stone" to boot the hell up, hoping for a miracle, or at least some battery juice left, for emergency calls, maybe?

Finally, the screen lights up! And I can feel my heart start beating again!

My hands keep shaking as I quickly draw the line across the lock screen, unlock, damn it! 14% battery, good enough!

Drop down, drop the fuck down, you piece of shi... here, here it is, flashlight... on...

A gasp of wonder crosses the entire hall as I raise my hand above my head, and the small led light casts all its mighty power up to the stone ceiling in a wonderful and amazing display of raw electronical power.

Behold, you filthy savages, the power of science! I feel like yelling, and yet I don't. One glimpse ahead is enough to force a quick end to my spectacle. I turn off the flashlight and bow my head, slamming it hard to the stone floor.

Just in time!

I barely had time to see her, barely had time to react. The beast was already there, standing, facing me, axe in hand, ready to chop me in two, to strike me down before I could unleash my powerful magic upon her and her tribe! And yet, here I am, shutting down the magic stone and prostrating at her feet in total submission, daring not to look or breathe even.

She smiles and sits back down, slowly leaning her mighty axe against the cold side of her barbarian throne. She is pleased; she is very pleased! Who will dare stand against her and her rule now that she has a powerful wizard at her feet? Who will challenge her? Who will even dream question her orders?!

One flick of this powerful man's fingers, and he can turn night into day, and who knows what other amazing powers he might have. But why ask for more? There's no need for that.

She looks around defiantly. Everyone is shocked, covering their eyes, growling, and mumbling old forgotten chants meant to scare off the evil they have seen right before their eyes. Shaken, afraid, unable to understand, or even dare to search for an answer. Their minds too simple, their fears too deep.

They slowly recover and, one after another, gaze at the Queen. She, she was not afraid! She was there in front of them all, standing tall against the wizard! Yes, she alone and no one else! They feel relieved, safe even. No one can touch them, no magic can harm them, as long as she is there on the throne looking after them... they will be safe.

The beast sighs deeply, pushing her massive chest forward and spreading her legs once more. Her rule is secured for years to come, decades even, not that she's ever doubted it. Few have dared to challenge her, and they all paid the price. Spilled blood is not her worry; losing a battle is unthinkable. But the infighting breaks tribes apart and weakens the entire clan. Fear is better than blood. It keeps the peace far longer, she learned it long ago.

The time is ripe, the tribes are restless, she can feel it, smell it, another bloodbath will fall upon the land, another deadly clash will bring havoc once more. Who would challenge her might this time? It doesn't matter, the problem is settled, these ones won't dare make a move now, the young wizard put up a good show, they're all afraid, some terrified, most shaken still. Her power remains uncontested, her strength unchallenged, the bloodbath delayed for now. Their lives spared. She smiles.

She feels generous. There is nothing more to hope for this day.

Her hand goes up and, with a large gesture, sends the remaining prisoners to the slave market in Tourin. That's the best future for them, even if some might never believe it. They will survive longer, possibly even get bought to serve; some may even live enough to get old. Those before them weren't that lucky. Most of them will be sold in Keghan to fight beasts for the entertainment of their future masters. A short life and a brutal end, but no shorter than the poor bastard's that lies at her feet.

The captives get dragged out as everyone slowly leaves the throne room. Hall? Cave? The show is over, everyone got their wish. A few worthy prisoners will stay and serve the chieftains, the rest will fill the killing pits and slave markets. They even got to see their beastly Queen punish the insolent kharig, not to mention a real fucking wizard in action!

They're all pleased, and so is she.

I can see all this from my knees, still kneeling next to the unfortunate bastard that lost his head and right in front of her brazen vulgarity. I'm not sure. Should I prostrate longer or drag my pathetic body out of her face? I guess she won't give a shit either way, she got what she wanted already, there's little use for me anymore, I hope. And yet, I seem not to have the will or the strength to stand back up on my feet. The sight of the fresh corpse keeps me tied down to the floor.

Who knows how many times she has done this? How many times has she had to do this? Maybe it's her way to keep everyone in check? This is a savage world, after all, and maybe she....

No! I force a stop to my thoughts. My mind cannot make up excuses for her! She's an animal, a brute, a savage beast! Just like the rest of them! Everyone, all of them, every single of them, fucking animals! Fuck this fucking filthy savage world and everyone in it, I silently rage without daring even to look up. Is my fear leaving me? Can I feel revolt now? Is this how it works? Silently brave after the fact? I guess so.

The large stone hall is empty, and I'm left here kneeling next to the dead body, trying hard not to look at it or dare look up at her and her... inner... wild...

My panic fades and gives way to reason. Thoughts and feelings rush to fill the gap, and the sight of her savage nakedness becomes harder and harder to ignore. My eyes start wandering again. It's quite a challenge to stop. I'm not at all sure about this. I feel my heart racing once more.

What the fuck is wrong with me? I ask myself staring back at the floor, not waiting for an answer.

"Rise, wizard," she commands once everyone is gone.

I look up at her before daring to obey. Yes, she's a beast, even more so up close! A savage brute that can split a man in half on a whim, chop his head and get back on her throne before the body could touch the floor! That's it, and nothing else! Her face isn't beautiful and wild, her eyes are not burning through me, and her white hair is not wild and free! She doesn't have the most ripped body ever created by gods or nature, and for sure as shit, I don't feel anything but hatred and repulsion towards her!

Or so I try to convince myself while staring between her massive thighs.

And yet I'm still revolted! What could the poor guy do or say to deserve such a fate? To kill a man just like that, so brutal, so barbaric? No, she's definitely not a Barbarian Queen, she's more like a Savage Brute, a beast, an animal, the worst kind I may even dare to say!

Yet, despite my deepest and strongest objections, no matter how I look at things right now, there's just one reality remaining. And in this reality, somehow, I just became this beast's personal.... wizard? My brain refuses to accept it, but is true, I can feel it.

For better or worse, I'm hers now...

My body aches, but I refuse to feel it. My fate is not decided yet, and as long as her hand is on that damn axe I won't dare to rise to my feet. Coward? Sure, but there's a reason. Whatever she may believe of me, I know the truth.

I'm no wizard, and my smartphone isn't a magic stone. There is no hidden power, and I can't just flick my fingers around casting mighty spells. And as soon as she will find out, or gets bored, or just annoyed with my presence...

"What was he to you?" she asks, pointing at the floor with her axe.

I take a peek at the lifeless body, then look away. The sight is just as horrible as before.

"I don't know him," I honestly reply. He was just another captive, chained to me, and that's the truth.

"So why do you care?" she asks again, scratching the insides of her groin.

Can she be more obscene? I dare to think. Big mistake. My memories come back to me. All my recent experiences, all the time I've been forced around by these animals. The horrors, the savagery, the sheer abject lack of limits.

These last weeks living as a captive were the worst of my life. These creatures are not humans, they may look as such, but animals act better! Even the worst of the wild beasts won't feel pleasure while hurting others like some of her brutes do...

The answer is yes, of course, she can be more obscene than that, she's their Queen, after all. She's the alpha beast of this entire fucking horde of savage beasts!

"I..." have never seen someone losing his head? I wish to answer, but I don't. Won't that give away things that are better kept hidden? Won't that expose too much about who I am and where I come from? And who would believe my words? Clearly, this world has seen far worse; after all, what happened today must be part of their Sunday entertainment routine. No, I better keep my secrets, this world and mine are far too different to hope for understanding.

"He was a mage too," she speaks, too bored to wait for my answer.

I freeze. My heart sinks, and I can feel the cold chill taking over my body once more. What is she saying? A mage? What kind of mage? Is she trying to intimidate me now? To put me in my place? To show me what happens if I ever dare challenge her? Why? There's nothing to be afraid of. A phone, a stupid phone, cannot match her deadly axe! Fuck no, it can't match her... her anything! Listen, woman, beast, creature, you don't have to threaten me, I'm completely broken already!

"He was a kharig shaman," she continues, stopping her vulgar activity for a moment, just enough for her to spit on the corpse.

"The Kharig sent him to kill us, poison our wells, everyone got sick, children died!" I hear her thundering voice. The entire damn stone hall echoes. She is pissed, she is angry, and I can feel the earth tremble as she speaks.

I look down at the body. He... it... doesn't seem like the guy to do such a thing, and yet... what's that I see? Thick black marks, painted all over his back and arms, dark forms, strange and mystical symmetrical patterns. How come I haven't noticed them until now? A shaman? Yes, it could be! Who the hell can tell? Clearly, not me.

"I sent a har to wait for him, caught him, asked him, and he said yes and wished Urek die like rats!" she continued. "One day Urek will die, but the Kharig will die first!"

Urek? So that's their name. A har, five of these brutes. Har, Haare, Heenr, and that's as much as I know. Five, ten, twenty, or so. Numbers, warriors, packs, roaming bands. What's more than a heenr?

"Tell me, wizard, what would your people do to him?" She calms down and looks back at me.

I look at her, confused. "My people"? How does she know I'm not from these lands? On the other hand, how could she not? I'm still wearing my jeans and t-shirt just like the day I set foot on the convention floor, weeks ago. An old pair of jeans, a shitty "roll d10 for dragon or ale" t-shirt, and... the dragon!?

The fucking dragon!!

Yes, how could I've missed that? The dragon print! Of course they believe I'm a fucking wizard! A superb giant red dragon print lies on the back of the t-shirt holding a glowing magic stone in its claw, spitting fire all over my left shoulder. A damn good print, it cost me a fortune, completely worth it. So, it was the print that made me a wizard... it all adds up now.

"We'd give them a trial first," I manage to speak while looking at her again. Can she stop exposing herself for a moment? Do I have to stare at the floor for the rest of the day?

"A trial? We have those too, but they take too long," she laments. "He confessed though."

Yes, apparently, he did... he even insulted her in front of her war chiefs and wished for their demise. Big mistake, his last.

"And then, we jail them... I mean we throw them in a dungeon." I dare to spread some humanity in this forsaken world.

She smiles and scratches her head... for once, I can look at her.

"We have a pit, but it's full of bones and no one wants to clean it up." She laughs as she stands up from her throne.

Damn, she's tall! I stare at her as she comes near. Half a head taller than me, at least. And I'm quite a tall guy!

She walks ahead, her body pushing me aside, almost knocking me over the corpse, and, for a brief moment, I get a true glimpse of her strength. There's nothing fake; her muscles, her abs, her bulging biceps, her massive thighs, everything is real! I've seen pictures of mighty fantasy heroes, exquisite works of skilled artists, awe and fear-inducing warriors, but nothing ever felt like this. The way she looks, the way she walks. So much unchained power, so much raw might, so much sheer brute savagery.

I barely manage to keep standing from the contact. She's made of iron, or stone, or both. Did she even feel my weakling body touching hers, or was I supposed to move out of her way already? Something tells me she doesn't give a crap either way.

"Come, you sleep with me now," she informs me as she walks towards the giant stone hall's exit with her massive double-bladed axe on her shoulder. "Tonight we drink!" she roars excitedly as I slowly trail behind her, legs numb, slowly dragging my chains.

Sleep with her?! Did I hear that right?

My heart starts to beat faster, and I can feel something, or someone, waking up and getting hard between my legs.

Are you fucking kidding?! What the fuck is wrong with me?

Shame? Guilt? Fear? I got to feel something else, damn it! This isn't normal!

Nothing of the kind...

I'm broken, I'm sick in the head, or something.... or maybe, maybe it's just the adrenaline? I've never been in such a situation before, so close to death, so desperate and afraid. For a moment, my mind froze, and the animal from within took over. Fight! Flee! Survive! Eat! Drink! Reproduce! Spread your genes or something....

The animal's hormones still run through me.

Yes! Yes, that's it!

I'm not sick. I'm just alive!

Take this, fucking shitty world!

I'm alive! I can breathe, I can walk, I can feel! I'm fucking alive!

The wizard is alive, you fucking bastards, and he's about to spend the night with your mighty savage Queen!

Sadly the glorious moment doesn't last for long, and as the adrenaline flushes away from my blood, my cortex takes over, and the dreaded logical conclusions start seeping in. I'm no wizard, and she's still a fucking animal that chops off people's heads at will.

I take a deep sigh and slowly yank my chains as I try to keep up with her. My mouth gets dry, and I feel the cold sweat running down my back once more. A night with the beast, I don't think that's something to feel good about. What the fuck was I all excited about?

I hurry up, limping behind her like a stupid small dog holding its own leash in its mouth.

I take a deep breath and shake my head.

I'm alive.... for now... and that's all that matters.

Right?