Elwen the Conquered

Elwen let out a sigh, hiding behind the swinging door. She had just gotten (mostly) used to the long schedule that the trainers had them go through every day, but as soon as she did, they decided to change it. She couldn't really complain, though, both because Skye got whacked the second she did and because their schedule was actually easier now. Well, at least it should have been easier. For some reason, she was exhausted even more now than earlier, which she didn't think was possible.

Their day now started with two hours of exercise, down from three they used to do. After that, they had a short breakfast. Unfortunately, they still had the same meal: tasteless oatmeal. It actually wasn't that bad, she was getting used to it. It was actually kind of comforting having the same thing, she didn't have to worry about it being bad or something she didn't like. Sure, she would have preferred if it was something delicious, but it was fine this way, too.

After that, they had two hours of classroom time. Their classes were much the same as before, although they focused more on review what they had already learned. She guessed that they had already been taught what the supervisors planned for them to learn, and now they were just trying to reinforce it. It made her a little sad that they were done, she liked learning new things.

Next, they had two hours of small group lessons. This is when they had most of their 'practical' classes. Mostly, it was just the trainers having them act out what they learned in the classroom and making sure they did it right, but they also learned new things too.

For instance, they spent the entire time one day learning how to do massages. It was super embarrassing, as they had to get almost completely naked during the lesson, wearing only a towel. Luckily, they had all women for trainers that time, otherwise she would have died of embarrassment. She wasn't ready to be naked, nearly or not, in front of anyone, let alone a man. She was still cringing in shame every time she remembered what happened on the day she arrived, but there wasn't anything she could have done about that. She had more control now, and wanted to remain covered up as much as possible. The other girls and the trainers were really encouraging, though, so she eventually felt somewhat comfortable. Still, she was constantly pulling up her towel.

Another time, they learned about basic medicine, like first aid and treating wounds. She didn't really have any experience with medicine other than sticking a bandage on where it hurt, so she learned a lot. She hoped she never had to use any of it though. Even with all the stuff they were taught, it pretty much just amounted to throwing a bunch of bandages – which weren't even the small sticky ones she was used to, they were just big rolls of white cloth – on whatever was bleeding until it stopped, and tying whatever was broken to a splint. She was glad that these lessons were mostly theoretical, with demonstration and practice on uninjured 'victims.' She didn't think she would be able to handle it if there was actually any blood. It probably made her useless as a medic, but it was too much for her!

A couple times, they combined the exercise time with the group lesson time, but it turned out that they were just doing a weird exercise session, where they crawled through a muddy obstacle course, ran through a sandy pit, and swam through a strange gooey pool. It was horrible! She was practically covered in mud by the end of the obstacle course. And they didn't get to clean off at all once they were done, they had to go straight through the sand pit. She fell down many times, it was like they had engineered it to trip her. And the sand got everywhere, sticking to the mud and her skin like superglue. It made an irritating paste all over her that she couldn't wipe off. The pool was definitely the worst of the three, though. It felt like she was swimming in slime, with it sticking to her and slowing her down. Even when she got out, she wasn't free of it, as the goo stuck to her in large clumps, slowly dripping off her as she walked away.

Luckily, at the end there was a giant bath waiting for them, which she practically jumped into when she got there. It was lovely, and they had people help them get everything off, although she preferred to do everything herself. She didn't want anyone touching her. She had gotten more used to being exposed during their massage lesson, but it was too much for her to ask the bath attendants for help. The bath was heavenly, and they even let them move into a different bath once they were clean to soak. After they were done, the attendants helped them dry off, did their hair, and even applied some nice skin creams.

The worst part about this is that it didn't end there. The trainers made them go back through the obstacle course, again! For hours! She absolutely hated it, although she did look forward to the bath at the end. It was the only redeeming quality of that lesson. Thankfully, they let them stay in the bath for even longer at the very end. The attendants spent extra time caring for them too, and she left the room feeling like she was glowing.

After their small group lessons, they had individual lessons, usually for an hour or so. This was probably the hardest part of her entire day. She never knew what her trainer was going to do. Sometimes, they did rigorous training, not unlike their group lessons, except much harder because there was nothing for her to hide behind. There was no escaping her trainer's gaze, and no covering up her mistakes. Other times, he just had her do tasks for him, like cleaning out a room, or doing laundry. Some days, she would just spend the time waiting on him. It was awkward sometimes, especially when he went into a public space, standing at his side, waiting for him to make a request of her. Those were possibly the easiest days, physically, but they always mentally exhausted her.

Lunch time was after the individual lessons. It was usually the same thing as breakfast, but sometimes they got a piece of bread or an apple to go along with it. She relished those apples, they tasted like the sweetest things she had ever eaten.

After lunch, they had 'jobs,' which is where she was now. Her job was currently as a waitress at one of the cafeterias for the guards. She was dressed in a maid's uniform, a black dress and white apron that fell to her knees and a matching headdress and short black heels. It was the only thing other than her brown dress that she had worn in months. Before she came here, she though that it would be humiliating and uncomfortable to wear something like this. While she did find it somewhat embarrassing, it was actually really comfortable. Whether that was just because she was used to her other clothes or the quality of the cloth was really good, she wasn't sure.

Right now, her and Skye are out in front, taking orders, serving customers, and cleaning up any messes. Yusha was in the back, in charge of the kitchen. There were only the three of them here, as this was one of the smaller cafeterias, but there were some which took a full dozen to run.

Elwen learned quite a bit from their cooking lessons, she even got the [Cooking] skill, but she still wasn't very good. Whatever she was cooking would no longer spontaneously and through no fault of her own burst into flames, but Yusha was a master chef compared to her. Yusha made dishes that looked delicious, something that the guards confirmed once they tested it. Everything that she made turned out rather plain, no matter how hard she tried. They still tasted good, but it wasn't nearly at the level that Yusha was able to do. She just hoped that she got more chances to practice, she wanted to improve her cooking as much as she could.

She ran over to the kitchen, dropping of an order form and picking up a plate of freshly-seared steaks. It was paired with a side of mashed potatoes and green beans. It looked mouth-wateringly good, but she knew that she wasn't allowed to have any. Skye had tried once, and it didn't end well for her. It was part of the reason why she was out front and not in the kitchen, the other part being that she was just about as bad at cooking as Elwen was.

“Yusha! I have another order for you!” She wanted to make sure that Yusha saw it. It would be bad if she didn't and the customer got mad that his order was taken longer than normal. She had that happen to her once, and the man scolded her harder than one of the trainers. She didn't want to repeat the experience.

“I'll get it in a second!” Yusha responded, confirming the order. She was currently at the stove, searing another couple of steaks. That was the most popular dish this week, which made things easier for her as it didn't take too much effort to make. Some of the other dishes were a lot more involved, and it was harder for her to get them done fast enough to satisfy the customer.

Elwen took the plate out to the man who ordered it. He was one of the guards at the eastern gate. She had no idea where that was, but he liked to complain about it being boring there. She gave him a smile as she placed it down in front of him.

“Here you are, sir!” She gave him a bow as she stepped back, maintaining her smile the entire time. “Is there anything else I can help you with?”

“No,” the man responded, “this'll be enough.”

“Enjoy your meal, sir!” Elwen bowed once again and left him, going to one of the nearby table to clean up a mess that one of their patrons left. She had to be careful not to get anything on her uniform, especially her white apron. The supervisors would not be happy if she was 'dirty' while serving the customers.

Once she was done, she returned to the kitchen, picking up her last order for the night. They had closed just a few minutes ago, so there weren't any new guards coming in. They still had to serve the last few of them in the room, but they knew not to keep them too long. They had to get to their next lessons as soon as they were done.

Elwen didn't know what the other girls were doing, but she was excited for her own. Once the last patron left, they quickly cleaned up everything and changed out of their maid uniforms. Elwen cheerfully left once they were done, heading for her last appointment for the day.

She was heading to the castle for special lessons. Magic lessons.

She was going to learn Magic!

Varian threw a bucket of cold water over his prisoner. He had found a nice little room in the sewers to use as his hideout. It was hidden deep under the city, where no one would be able to find them. There would be no rescue for his would-be assassin.

It was a cold and wet, dilapidated room, owing to the fact that it was in a forgotten corner of the undercity. There was a consistent stench of sewage hanging in the air, despite being some ways away from the sewage itself. It was really quite the horrible place, but one that perfectly suited his needs. See, he didn't have to stay here. He could just leave, letting his prisoner endure the surroundings alone. Which is exactly what he had been doing. He asked questions, and when they weren't answered, he left. Although, if this continued, he would have to increase his efforts.

Silvia squirmed, struggling against her binds. He had tied her to a pillar in the center of the room, using enough rope that there was no chance of her escaping anytime soon, not without help. Help he would happily give her, if she would answer his questions. What happened after would depend on her answers.

She had also transformed from the night that he had met her, like an illusion had been lifted. Her hair was now jet black, her eyes now ruby red. Her skin grew paler, almost glowing like the moon. They were not dissimilar, he could even see someone confusing them as being related, if not for the short, round spiral horn poking out of her hair. She also seemed a little fitter, and perhaps a bit taller, but mostly the same as her illusory appearance.

“Who sent you?” He started his line of questioning once again.

“...” Silvia bit her tongue, refusing to give him an answer.

“Who sent you?” He asked again. He knew that she didn't act by her own volition, a slip up she had made a previous day.

She refused to answer.

“Should I just leave you here again?” He saw a flicker of fear flash through her eyes. A weakness.

“I saw a group of goblins wandering around on my way down. Collecting food for their tribe,” he started telling her a story as he circled around her, taking slow, steady steps. A fabricated story, but she didn't know that. “Eventually, they'll have to move on from where they were. There wasn't much left to find there. It would be a shame if they wandered in here.”

Silvia, if that really was her name, started shaking as she processed his words.

“Of course, that wouldn't happen,” he declared, squatting down in from of her, “if you just tell me what I want to know.” He activated his [Intimidate] skill, one he had been trying to avoid using as much as possible. He didn't want to over-expose her to it, and give her the chance to build up a resistance to it.

“T-the g-guild!” she sputtered out, “the g-guild sent me!”

Varian stared deep into her trembling eyes. She wasn't lying, at least as far as he could tell.

“The Adventurer's Guild? Sent you?” As far as he was aware, the Adventurer's Guild didn't put out hits, or accept requests for killing people, except for bandits.

“N-no! The Assassin's Guild. The Assassin's Guild sent me!” Silvia practically screamed at him.

“And you are a member of this 'Assassin's Guild'?”

“No! I just... I work for them.” Silvia responded, hanging her head low.

“You work for them? Doesn't that make you a member?”

“No... I have a contract... I have to work for them, but I'm not one of them.” Silvia's face filled with anger as she spoke of them.

“And this contract-”

“They forced me into it. I never wanted to work for them.” Silvia answered him before he could even ask.

“So why do you?”
“The contract... it's magic. I have to.” Varian understood. He was somewhat familiar with them, although in his case it was actually to his benefit.

“Why did they send you?”

“They... I don't know exactly. The request came from outside of Guild. I wasn't told the details, but I heard it was something about a girl. They wanted to capture her.” Silvia tensed, seemingly expecting an outburst from him.

“Cira?”

“The merchant's daughter? No. It was someone else, I think. They told me to start there to find you.” Varian was infuriated. The only other girl it could be was Elwen. They were trying to capture her. They were trying to take his Elwen. He wouldn't allow it.

“Where?” They had to die. He had to kill them. He had to kill all of them.