A Posthumous Mercenary

A Fate Worse Than Death

Wanda POV

The monsters drug Wanda out of the shadow portal and into a hellish landscape that seemed to have nothing else coloring the terrain except different shades of read and black. The thing holding her finally let go of her throat and she tried to run away but her legs only moved forward with the pack of monsters.

"No, no , no. Good little slaves don't run away, and besides you can't, my master owns you just like he owns me." Wanda stared at the beast in horror and her hands flew to her neck as she remembered the light that had flooded her body. "Yes, you see marked just like the rest of my kind. Master will decide wether or not you will be allowed to speak." The monster phrased. He had a weird tribal pattern of Greek symbols on his right arm. Wanda felt raised skin in a similar pattern on the front of her neck. She tried to scream for help as her body trudged forward but no sound escaped her lips.

The monster looked at here with pity, but said nothing. The hoard of beasts kept walking forward as Wanda still tried to break free of her the invisible force that seemed to take control of her body, but not her mind. The things stopped in front of a looming castle that seemed to be knit of black mist.

Two monsters left the group and walked toward the giant doors. They pushed them open and the hoard continued on. Wanda started to breathe hard. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up and every ounce of her soul told her to run, but her body once again did not obey. Hot frustrated tears brimmed her eyes, but did not fall.

The group turned left down a corridor and ended up at a massive thrown room with a man at least 15 feet tall sat down in a glistening crimson thrown. He had a swirling pit for a face that looked like the marks that branded the monsters and herself.

The monsters bowed and her body followed in pursuit. The man stood up and made his way over to the group. As he walked he shrank down to 10 feet tall and developed human features. His eyes were almond shaped and completely black. There were no irises or anything else, like the pupils had bled throughout the entire eye. His mouth was big, larger than normal, but not huge, and his hair was cut fashionably so. The sides were closely shaven and the top was long and feathery.

"Rise." The man commanded and everyone did so. His voice was deep, dark, smooth, and rich, like a vocal embodiment of molasses. "Who have you brought me today?"

"We, uh, we we have brought you a female warrior who has cut through our numbers in masses. She appears to be very, very close to the mortal heroes. We think her skills could be useful to you and your ally in the upcoming war." The lead monster stuttered. Who ever this man was he cut fear into the hearts of everyone in the room.

"What is your name?" The man rumbled. He looked straight at Wanda with his coal black eyes.

"Wanda Maximoff, the Scarlet Witch." She answered in an unemotional, relaxed voice that portrayed nothing of what she was feeling at the moment.

"Ah, Wanda Maximoff, I have had my eye on you for quite some time. How would you like to serve me and my brother in the War to Last All Ages?" The man questioned.

Wanda felt words tumble out of her mouth, none of them what she wanted to say, but unable to say anything else. "Yes Master, your orders to me sing high praise."

"Excellent, and no need to call me just Master, you may use my full title, Master Tartarus, Lord of The Pit." He excited. He turned to face the lead monster, "And you, take Ms. Maximoff to her room, she will be staying here for a very long time."

"Yes Master." He bowed hurriedly. "Right this way Ms. Maximoff." He tittered as he lead the way through the winding hallways which Wanda had no choice but to follow.

I finally understand now, she thought, what a "fate worse than death means.

*A/N: Hey my dudes what's up? I am happy to announce that this fanfic has reached over 100 views, which is way more than I expected. Haha I just wrote a cliffhanger like Rick Riordan does and you'll have to wait until tomorrow to read it, unless you read this the day after I update, then 😛. See you dudes later. - Iris Summons