Tied to the Zythorian Prince

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Erica couldn't help shivering underneath her tattered robes as the cold winds outside the Rokan slave ship reached her skin.

The winds blasted through the gaps of the doors as it opened wider, it's mechanism groaning and creaking, and goosebumps automatically rose up from her olive colored skin when she finally saw what awaited her outside its doors.

She didn't know which planet in the universe--- Ophik--- her slave trader brought her to. But from the vast expanse of snow that covered the planet's surface, it was clear that they were on an ice planet, which also meant she was vulnerable to this place.

Her pulse quickened as worry filled her chest. From the start of her life as a human slave, she already had 3 masters.

The first one was a female Belgini, a race of lizard looking aliens from a planet called Belgrden. She was very wealthy and she liked to collect rare things across the universe, the very reason Erica was bought for. Humans were a rare commodity. She was her slave for 3 years before she got bored and resold her again.

The second one was a male Chtmia, a race of half human-half octopus aliens, who look like Ursula in the little mermaid. He was a club owner who immediately disgarded her when he learned that Erica couldn't be taught to dance because of her two left feet. She was resold again the next day.

The last one, her third master was an Urduk, a warmonger race of orc faced aliens with four arms and red skin. They liked torturing their slaves and humiliating them as their past time. It was a good thing they couldn't reproduce outside of their race, so she wasn't treated as a baby maker. The Urduk were also fast to get bored with their toys, thus resulting to her current situation.

Now, Erica is a resold slave, and on her way to master number four. Erica wondered what kind of master will she get this time?

"Move, Terran!" Said a gruff, hissing voice behind her, and Erica whimpered as pain bit into her skin. They tugged on her chains and she gasped as she stumbled forward, her knees falling to the freezing snow.

Ophik had errand boys working for him, two to be exact, and they were the same race as her first master, a Belgini, only they were males, bigger, and meaner. They snorted at her as they pulled on her chains, forcing her to stand up. The harsh treatment was unnecessary, but the two liked to push Erica around after she became their problem. They were in charge of feeding and cleaning her before she gets sold again, as this wasn't the first time she came into their care.

The coldness of the ramp bit the soles of Erica's feet. She didn't have any shoes or padding so this was going to be an agonizing walk through the snow.

5 years ago, she would've pressed Ophik to give her shoes and preach about her human rights, but after being sold 3 times, to 3 different races across the universe, she learned that staying silent and obedient would give her the best chance of survival than speaking up. She can still remember the human women who got abducted with her. They were beaten up to submission just because they couldn't keep their mouth shut and follow orders. There and then, Erica learned the hard truth. Humans in this universe are comparable to animals than actual people. If she wanted to survive, she had to suck it up and keep quiet.

"Get in!" One of the lackeys shoved her to an air sled where Ophik was already on and waiting. Looks like she wouldn't be worrying about getting any frostbites by walking through the snow. Relief filled her chest.

Erica climbed in the back--- where she was supposed to be, as a slave. Ophik paid no attention to her as he barked orders to his men to get moving. The air sled then lifted off the ground, propelling them towards an unknown destination.

Huddled under her threadbare robes, Erica still shivered in the frigid air.

She wondered where she was headed. Who her new master would be. Would they be kind or cruel? Erica pressed her lips together as she quickly dismissed that thought, knowing that hoping for kindness was futile.

As they soared over the desolate snowy terrain, Erica's mind drifted back to her past life as an elementary school teacher. She had lived a peaceful life with her family before being snatched away from earth by the slave traders. The memory of her capture still haunted her, and tears streamed down her cheeks as she recalled the pain of losing everything she held dear.

Erica's only wish was to escape and return home, but she knew that was unlikely. She was a slave now, a mere commodity to be bought and sold at the whim of her masters, and could only hope to survive the ordeal that lay ahead her path.

Finally, the air sled came to a stop outside a towering structure, looking like it was made of ice. The gates parted after scanning Ophik's identity, and they entered a fortress that was actually made of white steel, covered in snow.

Erica's heart sank as she realized that this would be her new home, at least for the foreseeable future. Apparently, her master lived in a tower, and so will she.

When they reached the tower's entrance, the door to the air sled opened, and Ophik motioned for his underlings to follow him. They pulled on Erica's chains, dragging her out of the sled and onto the snow-covered ground. She resisted for a moment but eventually realized that resistance was futile.

Her bare feet sank into the snow, uncertainty washing over her as she took her first steps towards her new life as a slave to a master who owned an iced tower.

Huge, gigantic doors of ice automatically opened upon their arrival, and Ophik led her inside, her chains clanging on the floor. The receiving hall was opulent, with large doors on each side and a grand staircase leading up to the higher floors.

As Erica followed behind them, she caught sight of an old, tall yet slim humanoid alien with elf-like features who glared at them with displeasure at the top of the stairs.

Is he her new master?

The old, alien male came down to meet them at the bottom of the stairs, the sound of his steps echoing across the walls.

"You brought me a Terran this time," he said, his tone utterly displeased.

"Apologies. The business has been slow lately," Ophik replied, his grin unaffected by the customers mood.

The old male's eyes flashed, annoyed as he glanced at Erica who crumpled underneath his glare.

Ophik rubbed his hands together, a greedy glint in his eyes. "You did mention that any female slave from the lower species will do."

The old alien said nothing, as he indeed said such a thing.

"No matter."

The old male proceeded with the payment, tapping something on his wrist. Ophik checked his datapad and grinned widely when the payment got in.

"Pleasure doing business with you."

The old alien's cold unemotional mask never changed as he replied, "I'll be expecting the next shipment next week."

Ophik grinned, "Of course."

Erica could feel that something was terribly wrong with that conversation, and she wanted to ask what they were talking about, but before she could voice her thoughts, the lackeys was already dragging her chains forward as they were taking her somewhere.

Her heart hammered inside her chest--- fearful--- as they followed the old elf alien down winding stairs towards a basement, or a dungeon.

They reached a dimly lit cavern and in the middle of it was a big cage that looked like it was meant to imprison a large animal.

In that moment, a fearful realization came for Erica.

"No." She bucked her arms away and a whimper came out of her lips.

The butler unlocked the cage and tilted his head, gesturing for the lackeys to put her inside.

"No!" Erica shook her head and started screaming. "No! Please!" Again and again, she pleaded them. "PLEASE!"

She can already guess what she was bought there for.

Her hands caught the metal bars of the cage, and she held on for dear life as her knuckles turned white at the strength of her grip.

"No! Please! LET ME GO!" Erica's body thrashed as the lackeys grabbed her hair and neck, pulling her from the metal bars. She choked, her vision turning dizzy as she lost her grip. "NO!" She cried out.

They dragged her further inside the cage, and her fingers clawed at their scaled arms, trying to loosen their grip as she kicked and screamed with all her might. But their strength was too much for her, and she was thrown in the middle of the cage like a ragdoll.

Her body slammed into the ground, causing her to cough and groan in pain. She clutched at her side, feeling the tender bruise on her ribs pulsing.

Her scalp burned, her throat ached, but she ignored it. If she wanted to live, she needed to get away from this situation.

"DON'T LEAVE ME HERE! PLEASE!" She screamed, but they never listened. "Please!"

They locked the cage, and Erica's fate was sealed when she heard the loud click.

Their eyes were unremorseful and empty, and they didn't pity her or felt anything at all, just nothing.

Erica can only watch in despair as the shadows of the lackeys and the old-elf-alien disappeared from her view.

Her mind willed them to come back, but who was she kidding.

They will not save her.

She was no one.

To them, she was just a nameless Terran they can drag around and dispose of, as if she didn't have a soul... as if she wasn't a person.

Darkness enveloped her trembling frame, and the only sound she can hear were her ragged sobs, and the faint echoes of their retreating footsteps.

She sat there, hugging her knees, while her body trembled in pain, anger, sadness, and fear, mixing inside her as she waited for her inevitable fate.

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