Silence stretched as Aegis's lean body crashed into the stone wall with a thud, wooden floor creaked as he fell near the wall. The commotion caused every fiend in the tavern to turn their head toward him.
The fog in Aegis's sight was still present, but the muddy sight of the tavern, along with it, was bewildering to him. Everything in front of him looked like a shape made of mud without any detail. He blinked a few times to confirm his sight. At the same time, his lean chest rose and fell. Pointy ears of Aegis twitched as he heard muddled voices.
Aegis's vision finally began to clear, and the blurry shapes in front of him began to take shape. However, before Aegis can take a sigh of relief. A sight of a fiend with wine poured all over his robes appeared.
The green silk with red lacing design on his body was covered in a dark red stain; it was the same fiend whose table Aegis had wiped a moment ago. Unknowingly, he had angered this customer by wiping the table; now the customer's polished boot was in the air.
Without any delay, his leg cut the air and crashed into Aegis's face. A heavy groan echoed as he absorbed the kick.
Soon, a barrage of kicks followed it. The taste of blood followed as the kicks bruised his cheek, the pain shot through it, but he couldn't do anything as a slave except moan in pain.
1,2,3,4…
Aegis counted as he received each kick; he knew they would stop at a point. Till then, he had to keep his mind occupied to ease the pain.
Just a few more minutes, and they would leave me alone.
Slaves like Aegis were not allowed to shield themselves from punishment; he wanted to raise his arms and cover his head, but he did not; his arms did not move from their position. If he did, it would only worsen the situation.
The kicks kept raining on Aegis till his master stepped in, his fat figure bowed down, and he spoke.
"I apologise for my slave's mistake, my sir." He bowed repeatedly, his disgusting belly jiggling as he did.
However, Aegis threw his head back in defeat. This unknown action of his had made his master apologise. Soon, he will make Aegis pay for his humiliation.
The silk robe fiend's face loosened as he heard the apologies. The copper bell near the main door rang a few times as the customer and his friends left the tavern.
Finally, the tavern was silent again. Aegis's master stood in front of him, his fat body looming. The eyes of customers were still fixed on Aegis and his master; everything was calm.
Aegis shifted slightly and bowed his head. With a low thud, it touched the wooden floor.
With a low and meek voice, Aegis apologised.
"Sorry…"
He knew he had to bear his master's anger now,
Wouldn't it be better if I apologise?
He thought as he anticipated a kick or whip. But it was something else. Aegis felt his hair being pulled. His scalp pained as a fat palm grabbed his hair. Without any warning, his master pulled Aegis into the kitchen by his hair.
Aegis, however, did not resist. This was the way of slaves in infernal planes.
Soon, they entered the kitchen, and the smell of grease and the sound of metal utensils clanking surrounded them. Aegis's scalp pained for the last time when his master threw him toward a wall. The fat fiend's face was finally visible; his horns were glowing bright yellow, and his face stiffened with rage.
With a sudden motion, the fat claws of his master clutched Aegis's shirt and tore it open.
After many days, he finally saw his burnt scar being exposed to people. The charred scar on his lean torso read "Bastard." Three chefs stood inside the kitchen, and all three of them saw the scar.
Aegis's breath faltered for the first time as he witnessed the scene in front of him.
No, no, no.
It reminded him of that day, when he got this scar.
Aegis knew he shouldn't resist, but his arms instinctively reached his chest and covered his scar. His master walked toward a chef and snatched the metal spatula from him.
Aegis's eyes widened as he saw it; it was a long metal rod with a square surface on the end, like a shovel made for flipping meat. It still glowed red, indicating it was still hot. Soon, a sigh of tiredness escaped from Aegis's lips. The air in his palms was squeezed out as he clenched his fists, his face still, but inside him, anger welled. However, he knew he was not in a position to oppose if he wanted to live.
So, Aegis took a deep breath and braced himself.
A cherry red metal spatula cut through the air and hit his forearms, covering his chest. A sharp scream escaped his lips as Aegis opened his mouth. The tightened arms on his chest gave up.
Drops of Aegis's saliva splattered across the floor as he absorbed the hit completely. Soon, another one followed, this time on his chest. Aegis couldn't stay awake anymore.
The blows didn't stop.
One after another, the heated metal slammed into his chest and back, each strike burning deeper than the last.
Aegis lost count as he leaned into the wall with his mouth open; his lean body was not made to withstand this torture. His head dropped slightly to the left, the red skin on his chest except for the scar now turned purple, everywhere on his body, he could feel the pain.
Aegis was barely conscious as he kept absorbing the hits. Finally, the spatula was thrown away as the blurred figure of his master left the kitchen, spitting on Aegis. The chefs in the kitchen stood in their places; their figures did not move.
Metal clashed again as they kept cooking, leaving Aegis to his plight. Aegis, however, kept his mouth wide open as he slumped onto the floor. A wheeze escaped his lips; his eyes were pale.
But he still clenched his fists.
…
A few hours had passed since the torture, the tavern windows were painted in red-purple shade as the day was coming to an end, and the tables were the most lively right now.
Laughs mixed with roars echoed in the tavern hall, and the mugs kept clanking as patrons drank away their sorrows. The drinks were spilt, and greasy meat was placed on a few tables. Hot juices were everywhere near it.
However, a lean figure covered in bruises with a stinky smell sighed as it cleaned the tables. Aegis's cheek and chest still pained, but he paid no attention; he kept cleaning the tables and serving the orders.
Aegis heard a voice calling him, and he turned toward the voice to see that it was a gang of drunk fiends. Asking him to clean the table
Aegis's steps slowly moved toward the table. Instead, his sight did not see the table; it saw the fog and the scorched road.
He gently measured every step on his way. With his toes, he kept searching for the table and chair legs. After all, he had no strength left for today to bear the torture again. A few moments had passed before he reached the table. Aegis gently leaned forward and cleaned the juices off the table using a cloth in his hand. He stopped at a position in the fog. He wiped carefully, stopping before the cloth reached a certain position in the air.
Aegis kept remembering the table's dimensions while he cleaned every inch of it.
Finally, Aegis ran his other hand through the table and felt no puddle or hard pieces of bone. Slowly, he stood straight and bowed before walking back. He finally reached his corner in the tavern; it took him a while as he kept walking like a cockroach.
Aegis used his toes like a cockroach uses its antennas or a bedbug senses heat. The fog and never-ending scorched road moved as he moved forward, for every few blocks, a burnt lamp post emerged from the fog in his sight.
Aegis leaned his back against the wall as he closed his eyes, and he kept pondering on his dream.
Was it really a dream? I have never heard of such an illusion.
As a master eavesdropper, he knew about every kind of spell, even the illusory ones. But never did he hear of something like this, of course, not every conversation he heard was true; most of them were distorted facts.
So, he sighed as he did not remember any illusory spell like this. But he still replayed the entire dream in his head.
First, the argument between bandits appeared, and soon, the ruins of the museum followed.
The museum, I know that place, that is where the crippled acting crew hosted their plays.
Maybe if I go there, I might find something?
Aegis sighed and kept going; finally, he reached the wall, climbing.
However, the whole wall-climbing portion of the dream felt similar; even the fiend in his dream kept phasing out of reality like him.
But he found a way to pull himself back,
Pain. He stabbed his own arm to bring himself back to reality.
Aegis widened his eyes in realisation. But,
Ahh, kluck. My bruises just stopped hurting.
His purple cheek stopped aching just a few moments before, but he had to probe it again to test his theory. His arm reached his cheek slowly.
Hesitantly, he pressed his bruised cheek. Instantly, the pain shot up in his cheek, forcing him to groan a little.
However, the sight in front of him changed.
Aegis grimaced for a moment but stopped as his theory worked.
It worked!
His lips curled upward.
The ever-shifting fog and never-ending road were replaced by a welcome sight. It was the sight of the tavern.
Aegis sighed in relief and muttered a name, "Deron…"
He knew that name…