Cervato - Girl On Fire (Part 1 of Cervato's Saga)

Spiderwebs and Serpents

Her saliva drenched the rag that had been stuffed into her mouth meant to silence her. The gleaming armor had been stripped from her, in disarray beneath one of the beds in the dusty inn room. A simple cotton blouse and pants had been left on her form instead. The twin blades that normally hung at her hips were missing, along with the small dagger hidden along her thigh. Her form was chilled, left crumpled in the corner of the room. An iron stake had been driven into the wood walls, and the barbed wire that bound her wrists together was attached to it, forcing her into a nearly permanent seated position with arms overhead, digging in at any slight movement. Her ankles were also bound together tightly by barbed wire, dealing more and deeper lacerations into her skin.

Delirious.

She'd had no food, and her spoiled stomach whined frequently as it throbbed and ached. She had a couple mouthfuls of water provided near the start and end of each day before the gag was forced back against her tongue, nearly choking her.

Then, the same rage was directed at her from her captor.

Artemis would stare at her. This would sometimes last only mere minutes, but at times hours. The cold green eyes fixated upon his prize with which he was severely disappointed with. He'd obviously had wanted her to at least try to put up a fight against him. Yet she had failed. The first blow against her face stung, knocking her vision slightly blurry. The second clapped loudly against her ear, startling her further. As the barbed wire continued to tighten against her wrists, the woman tried to avoid the blows, burying herself into the corner of the room. Next his fingers tangled themselves in her hair, pulling up hard, before punching her once more. Next, he resorted to kicking her in the ribs once more, no doubt ending up breaking another. The pain burned at her insides yet she refused to let him see tears. Still her body was weak and released a small strangled sound of torment as he continued abusing his victim.

However, this was not the worst. As his hands left her body, she closed her eyes, trying to hold her breath.

The dark necromancer tore into her injuries with his magic. A thousand painful pinpricks of what felt to be needles dug and twisted inside her open wounds, causing her to scream against the gag. Blood ran freely down her face, neck, arms, and chest from where his blows had successfully landed. The droplets that would have fallen to the dirty floorboards instead levitated until they moved towards his open palm. A small mixture of her own blood was being manipulated in his hands before he let it enter another empty flash at his waist. This twisted theft own blood every single night since she had been captured made no sense to her, yet she knew Artemis had a larger scheme in place. After all, she was still alive.

When the monster left, she would try to recover in the brief time she had alone to herself.

Every night it happened again. Her memories would replay the event of her capture. The strangled cries of her comrades and friends met her ears. Were they alright? Were Ti'lay and Theo alright after having their blood abused by Artemis? Had Cranmeathbhan and Rasui escaped as well? Along with these memories came the small ray of hope. The sensation she tried to swallow and eliminate from her mind completely.

Artemis had captured her. There was not going to be a savior or rescue.

Atreyu...

Pain tore at her heart. As if Artemis himself held it within his hand. He might as well have, her life literally belonged to the man at this point.

The sound of footsteps could be heard entering the dark room. Her blood splattered along the floor from Artemis's latest session seen by the single flame of candlelight that came along with the new observer.

Cervato's thoughts turned to fear and confusion at once, glancing up at the man. Recalling how he had flashed his canine teeth at her, threatening to....devour her. Knowing he had done such a damned thing before to his own kin.

Atreyu's brother, Anourshirvan was an anomaly she had not considered. How had Artemis and he join forces? It was as if the Gods themselves wanted to laugh at her meager attempt to remain alive. To fight against her fate. To defeat a man as close to any demon she had ever seen. Thus they had brought another player into the fray.

The bright blue eyes that stared down upon her reminded her so much of her lover's. Her thoughts betraying her as she looked up into them, for she may never have the chance to look into Atreyu's eyes ever again. Even a substitution could not quench the overall aching pain within her heart.

Closing her eyes again, she formed the image in her mind before it would be interrupted by the mesmer's games once more.