Indentured Punishment

[Synkkis Kyyneltya]

It had been nearly a week since Synkkis Kyyneltya was seperated from Selibas and Asri near Poliar. All of his possessions were taken from him and he now was waiting in a cool, dark place to die. Stripped bare, he was sure this would be his tomb. Some of theBernese nobles still in charge held harsh grudges against their Ilian masters and sought any way to inflict pain or misery against any Ilian. Was this Ilian going to suffer by the whims of a defeated ruler?

The dark pupil crawled across the cobbled floor of the pitch black cell, struggling as his hands were cuffed together with a metal device. A constant cool mountain breeze mixed with the leaking water that dripped into the chamber made all of his senses unbearably stiffened by the chills. At least in Ilia, most of the water was frozen and not a problem.

He heard through the door the tapping of boots passing by. Guards making their rounds. Was there any hope of escape? Of course not. Hope is a dangerous word. Hope shatters in the face of the shadowplay in this forsaken world. If only he had a hold of 'Altere Kunst', the book his father gave him. He could break through the door and kill anyone who got in his way.

Yet, nothing. There was nothing to hope for. No glimmering ray of sunshine in this dreaded reality. All there was to do was wait and sleep. Sleep like the dead until life would come to awake him to start again. Synkkis slept without a clue of what time it was or what day it was. Time had no meaning other than when the guard would torment him with the offering of food... prolonging his misery of life. He cursed his captors, he cursed Bern, he cursed his weakness and his unforseeable and bleak future.

Then - She arrived.

A loud clanging on the door startled Synkkis from his sleep. He was expecting his ration of food to be slid from a compartment in the door, yet it opened wide. The light that came through blinded the man.

The guard grabbed Synkkis by his arm and threw him upwards to his feet. "This one is from another of those mercenary bands that try to pass through. This one is a magic user, I think. Isn't that what you were looking for, miss?" the guard asked, trying to keep a polite tone.

When Kyyneltya's eyes came to, he looked first to the guard and then the woman he was speaking to. She was at about 5'8" with a medium build. Black hair, purple eyes, and was about the same age as Synkkis. She was examining Synkkis carefully, not paying attention to the guard's babbling. "What is his name?" she asked, taking a closer look at the tattoo imprinted on the prisoner's arm.

"It's hard to pronounce. I would just call him Ken. Weird name coming from an Ilian. I thought they all rode horse-birds or carried swords. He's just a reject." the guard responded harshly, wanting to just shove the punk back in the cell.

"Ken is good enough. I'll take him too. Mother grows impatient and I can't be here much longer."

Synkkis saw the woman drop a sizable bag of coins into the guard's hand and started to walk off. The guard quickly pocketed this and led the Ilian mercenary forward into a barred horse-drawn coach. He climbed in, noticing two other men inside. They were also prisoners. One was large and muscular while another was much more fat and short. They were both younger than himself. As quickly as Synkkis sat down, the coach was locked shut and it moved.

This was the first time Synkkis spoke in... well... too long to remember. "Lu- Lucky break? he stated with his voice cracking a little bit. The other two nodded and smirked. After all they most likely went through, it was all they could do for now. It was good to be out, but where were they headed? Surely it would have to be a much better place than the chamber where he stayed in.

[Synkkis Kyyneltya]

Peeking out of one of the small slits in the carriage, Synkkis could see mountains lush with tall trees and other greenery with a mist touching these magestic wonders of nature. Not too long after a grand mansion could be seen, shrouded by the low clouds. Their carriage pulled up closer and the Ilian was unsure of his fate. He had heard in books of men fighting to the death in grand arenas for the prize of gold and glory. Being a novice in the art of elder magic, the dark pupil knew he had no chance against the bronzed and brazen artists of death that made the arenas so popular. This new thought coming to mind, he now looked to the other two with caution and untrust.

The door unlocked and opened; though the three stepped out bare and broken by the prison, they stood in front of highly ornate guards and fine dressed nobles. All of his life he had never seen such elegance. The closest he had was in Araphen, but they were always locked away from the world. He gazed in wonder, but also kept a sense of distrust. They may be his death.

"Erik is the big one, Dusik is the fat one, and Ken is the skinny one." the woman from before said to a much older woman Synkkis guessed was the mother she talked about earlier. "They were all mercenaries. So what now?"

"Well, we clean them up and dress them, of course. Guards, see to it." the countess said, more focused with her own thoughts. "Bring them to my daughter when you're done. Jade, don't run off now."

"Yes, countess." The guards led the three men to some servant's quarters. There they were made to wash and then some other servants cut their hair into some odd haircut that they all had. It was shaved on both sides with a line of hair going down the middle. Also, there were a length of hair above their sideburns not shaved down. It was a clear mark of their servitude.

A guard sat down in front of Synkkis and pulled out a book. "So, what is your full name, your age, your origin, and profession?" He dabbed a feather pen into an inkwell and prepared to write.

"Synkkis Kytkea Kyyneltya." the man said, pulling on some garments made available to him. "I'm 20, just about 21. I'm from the southern mountains of Ilia and I've studied the elder arts and military tactics." Kyyneltya felt his stomach tear at himself as he shook of malnutrition. The guard was surprised and felt like he didn't believe that the man in front of him was what he claimed to be. He logged it anyways and nodded towards the now servant of the house.

An hour later, after Synkkis, Erik, and Dusik were groomed, fed, and clothed, they were met by the 'Jade' woman.

"Ah, looking much better now though I didn't mind you so much when you were nude." she laughed then continued on, reading from the book. "Erik, your experience with the blade will be put to the test for House Good. Follow Jivaro to the training grounds." She turned the page and looked to Dusik. "Dusik, looks like you will follow them. Go on." She turned the page once again and looked closely at the page's contents. "Synkkis? Interesting name. It's like... Sinful Kiss. Hmm... Ilia? Mountains? Interesting." She looked at Synkkis not believing what she read. "Elder Arts? Really now? Tactician to boot? I have to see all of this for myself." She closed the book and motioned her finger towards Synkkis to follow. "Follow me, Sin. I need to test your skills."

Synkkis had no choice but to follow. However, he was probably better off than most.

[Synkkis Kyyneltya]

The servant of the house followed, taking everything around him in. After a few rooms, he guessed he must've been in the back of the mansion. Jade hesitated and put a hand on Synkkis' chest for him to stop. She opened the ornate wooden door silently and peeked through to the other side. "This is my father's study. So be quiet." she whispered.

The two entered the study cautiously. Jade snooped around her father's desk while Synkkis was caught in between keeping watch at the door and wondering what Jade was up to. "Are we..." he almost began, but then Jade was already in front of him looking into his eyes. "...supposed to be here?"

Jade held in her hand a black tome with the symbol of flux on the front. She showed it to him, but then she pulled it back. "I'm getting out of here and you're going to help me." She looked devilishly confident and was not letting up. "Don't play stupid with me, Ken. I know you're a mercenary. Start acting like one. Where's that fighting spirit? I've read all about it in books, you know."

Synkkis almost wanted to laugh. He never figured a daughter of a duke would be one for books. "Tell me, Jade. Why would you want to leave such a life of luxury, comfort, and-" Jade interrupted him once again. "You don't understand, it's not all how it seems. It's hell here. I need to get out and you're going to help me."

Jade hid the tome under her clothing and snuck out of the study as if nothing had just happened. She led Synkkis up a staircase and later into her room.

'This woman's lost her mind!' Synkkis thought as she locked the door.

"I'm pretty sure you're thinking that I've lost my mind. You may be right. It's terrible living here. Sure there's the perks, but... Eh... I'd rather not talk about it." She opened her nightstand and pulled out another tome. It was red and had a symbol of a flame on the front. Then, from underneath her bed she pulled out a large bag. "Now let's get started." she spoke with a smirk as she started undressing.

- -

It was now midnight and Synkkis was already below Jade's window. He was sure that earlier he would've been caught by the nightwatch, but with Jade's instructions no one had seen him. 'Smart girl.' he thought to himself, still awaiting Jade.

"There you are." Jade whispered from behind Synkkis, who was startled by her sudden appearance.

'Now I know how everyone else feels when I sneak up on them accidentally.' he whispered to himself as he let out a sigh. "OK, so now what?" Kyyneltya asked, holding on tight to his newly aquired tome.

"Follow me and stay quiet."

[Synkkis Kyyneltya]

Without a sound, the 19 year old followed the girl about a year younger than him to one of the walls. To his amazement, there was a hole dug underneath the wrought iron fence. With no thought required Jade tossed her bag over the fence and crawled through, not minding the grime of dirt and mud. Synkkis followed suit, finding no trouble making his way through the hole.

Jade smirked and brushed off a little bit as she waited for the young Ilian to make his way through. She already had her pack on her back and was starting to move. It didn't take long for them to make it out of sight of her home, the mountain fog already masking it from their view. The Bernese woman turned to the Ilian with a smile and hugged him. "Alright, we will not go to the village near here. They would recognize us. Instead we will follow the mountains and venture further. We have enough provisions, I'm sure."

It wasn't long before dawn came and with it, rain. Synkkis spotted a small cave in the cliffside that would do enough to protect them and hide them while they slept. Finding ample amounts of suitable firewood and tender, it didn't take an extended period of time for the dark pupil to start a simple campfire. He had already laid his clothes out to be cleansed by the rain and he would later dry them by the fire.

Eager to be in fresh and warm clothes, Synkkis pulled out an outfit from his bag. He was nearly speechless. "Eh? Wha-? Ne- OK, vhat iz zis?" he asked, holding it up.

"Oh let a girl have her fantasies. I'm sure you would've done the same if you were in my position. Besides... I got you out of that place." she replied with a laugh and a wink.