Take him to his cage

The evening came quickly, and Arvish found himself at the center of a wild feast, surrounded by Gorgon and his gang. They ate and drank, laughing and joking, as if they didn't have a care in the world.

A big pot was simmering in the bonfire in the middle. In it, human body parts twirled by the bubbles.

Arvish sat nervously among the rowdy gang, their laughter and boisterous voices filling the air. He couldn't shake off the feeling of dread that had settled in his chest by what they ate, but he knew that he had to follow through with his plan.

Gorgon sat on a throne of makeshift furniture near the big bonfire, flanked by his old handmaid and the new addition, who bore the bruises of a recent beating.

Gorgon had indulged more alcohol than he should have, that's when Arvish approached him with his intentions. "Yeah, I think I can live with you guys after all," he said.

Gorgon grinned, his eyes gleaming with how his plan worked out. "You will make a fine addition to our group," he said, his voice booming over the noise of the revelry. "Just think of how many things we can achieve on our raids with your help. It will be a new step toward my dream of a new civilization."

Arvish nodded, his eyes darting around nervously. He knew he had to keep Gorgon and the gang distracted, so he reached out to show off his prosthetic hand. The gang crowded around, fascinated by the mechanical contraption. Arvish opened and closed the fingers, demonstrating the precision and agility of the device.

Gorgon's eyes widened with delight. "Oh, what a beauty," he said, reaching out to touch the metal fingers, he almost dripped some saliva on it. "With that hand, I'll be unstoppable."

'You would like that wouldn't you?' thought Arvish. 'But my hand will only bring your decline.'

Arvish nodded, then he did a couple of demonstrative punches with his hand, the sound echoing through the campsite. The gang cheered, their excitement palpable.

In the meantime, Maria walked among the slaves, a sense of urgency building inside her. She had to find someone who would be willing to help her. It was risky, but the stakes were too high.

As she looked around, she spotted a woman in chains. Her eyes were downcast, and she looked like she had given up all hope. Maria approached her and spoke softly.

"If you help me, we can get you out," Maria said.

The woman looked up, a mixture of fear and hope in her eyes. "They will kill me for that," she said, her voice low.

"You have to make a choice, a serious choice. Maybe this is the first time that you had to in your life," Maria tried to persuade her. "You want to live like this the rest of your life?"

The woman thought about it for a bit, then finally nodded. Maria's heart lifted. She had found someone who was willing to take a risk with her.

Maria looked around, searching for Arvish. He was in the middle of the gang, performing stunts to impress them. Maria caught his eye and gave him a thumbs up. Arvish nodded, understanding what she meant.

Takah was watching everything with close attention. He stopped a couple of the gang members, said something to them, then pointed at Maria. When they left in her way, Takah smiled.

One of the drunk gang members approached Maria and recognized her from the day before. He turned to his friends and asked, "Hey, isn't that the girl from yesterday? What's a slave doing here without her chains? I will teach you where you belong."

He hit Maria hard, and she fell to the ground, her head spinning. Arvish noticed what was happening and quickly made his way towards the gang member.

"Leave her be, or you will deal with me," said Arvish, his voice low and dangerous.

"What a newcomer buggin' here?" asked the drunk gang member, his voice slurring. He was trying to sound tough, but he was clearly drunk.

Arvish wasn't proud of what he was about to say, but he needed to save Maria. "She is mine."

"Yours?" asked the gang member, incredulous. "I don't even have a personal slave, and I've been with the gang for more than five years."

Gorgon stepped into the group, his massive frame filling the space. He was a force to be reckoned with, and everyone knew it. But the drunk guy hadn't had his brain in the right place.

"What is this sh*t, Gorgon?" he slurred.

Gorgon just looked at him, deadly silent. But the guy didn't catch on.

"A new guy shows up, and you're playing favorites with him?" asked the guy. "Where's my pussy, then, huh? We work and work for you, but get nothing like this in return."

The others joined in, their unease turning to anger. They felt the same way as the drunk guy.

Takah said it too, from the back, urging everyone around him to join in. 'The smell of mutiny is sweet,' he thought.

Gorgon could have explained himself, but he needed to think about his image. It was bad enough that somebody could dare to question him in front of everybody.

He needed to make a statement.

Gorgon's voice boomed through the chattering crowd. "Slave master! Bring me a chain!" he shouted.

The slave master appeared, pushing his way through the crowd with his large, overweight body. He retrieved a chain from his belt and handed it to Gorgon, who didn't say a word. Instead, he strode purposefully towards the drunken member of the tribe and dropped the chain in front of him.

"Pick it up," Gorgon commanded in a calm, measured voice.

The drunken man looked confused and terrified. "What? Why?" he stammered.

"You either die or you serve," Gorgon replied, his eyes never leaving the man's face.

The man realized the gravity of the situation, and his expression turned to one of sheer terror. Gorgon repeated his command, "Pick! It! Up!"

The man looked around desperately for help, but everyone stepped away, leaving him alone with his fate. He knew there was no way out, and he could feel his heart pounding in his chest. The man didn't want to believe that just with a quick bad decision, his life had turned upside down.

Takah watched from the back of the crowd, his disappointment palpable. 'Oh well, it's only the first step,' he thought bitterly.

With tears streaming down his face, the drunken man turned to Gorgon, hoping for mercy. But one look at Gorgon's expression told him there was no hope. He sucked his snot back, trying to hold back the sob that threatened to escape him.

He slowly bent down to pick up the chain, struggling to breathe as he did so. With shaking hands, he clicked the chain around his neck, sealing his fate. He knew that from now on, he would be a slave, living a life of misery and servitude.

The man looked up at Gorgon, his eyes pleading for mercy, but all he saw was cold indifference. Gorgon turned and walked away, leaving the man alone in his misery.

Gorgon turned to the slave master and spoke in a low voice, "Take him to his cage." The slave master nodded and led the man away, his chains clinking with each step.

Arvish and Maria exchanged a look, silently acknowledging the brutality of the gang leader's actions. Maria followed the slave master and the prisoner, while Arvish returned to stand at Gorgon's side, his eyes fixed on the leader with a mixture of fear and awe.