Jewel: Chapter Two
#3 of Jewel
Chapter Two
No sooner than the words had left his mouth, Slagar looked disdainfully down at the bedsheets that covered him up to his chest. He immediately realized he was clad in only his off-white linen undershirt and braies, and nothing else. There was nothing quite as humiliating as waking up in one's underclothes while not spending one's time at a house of prostitution, and Slagar made a brief mental note to ask for his clothes when the opportunity came about. On a more positive note, however, it seemed that the vixen whose custody he was in had at least had the decency to treat his wounds.
Nonetheless, Slagar's harsh, tempered glare lingered on the vixen in front of him, perhaps longer than he should have. He was surprised by the fact, though, that she was surprisingly youthful- No older than her mid-twenties, at least- and despite her age; the younger creature wore a look of obvious cynicism. This suggested she'd already experienced much of life's trials and tribulations in spite of her youth.
The masked fox knew, however, that just because she was probably a healer did not by any means make her a good one. The aching pain that had previously stabbed through Slagar's chest was gone; and a bearable feeling of soreness replaced it instead. In addition, something warm and moist had been spread across his chest and leg (which felt as though it had also been splinted)- likely a poultice. Obviously he'd been given some sort of natural painkillers; which even a common fool could find if properly instructed where to look. Splints were not terribly difficult to make as well; these were all simple tasks.
Ultimately, the disfigured fox was unimpressed. Even a healer of decidedly little mettle could accomplish these things- and besides, his wounds were fairly easily treatable. Slagar was confident- had been for multiple decades- that his talent was exceptional. If his skill in the medical field had been anything less; the slaver was certain he'd have died the instant that adder's fangs had pierced the tender flesh beneath his fur.
Slagar's mother, Sela, had taught him many obscure and ancient secrets; cures and remedies that few living creatures knew. It was this knowledge that had enabled the cunning fox to stay alive. He was the professional, his female hostess; barely more than a mere beginner. Nonetheless, Slagar knew that it would be infinitely helpful to his situation if he played along and acted cordial- for now, anyway. There was no need for him to reveal his true nature, not at the moment.
But it seemed it was too late to remedy the situation with some well-timed chivalry. The white vixen; clearly offended, only glowered at Slagar with bright blue eyes, speaking in harsh and clipped tones:
"I had the sheer audacity to save your life, Sly One, and you compare me to some low-born strumpet. I should have expected as much from a slaver....."
Still confident that he could assuage her by acting the gentlebeast, Slagar smiled and spoke in as calming and sincere a tone as possible:
"You'll have to forgive me, marm; I'm not used to being in the company of a woman."
Of course not.....
Jewel thought, but wisely held her tongue.
"Now, suppose we start over again?"
The female hesitated. To be completely honest, she'd expected this sort of crude, rakish behavior from her scoundrel of a patient; but it wasn't as though she hadn't dealt with arrogant and irksome males in the past- Vedran was often a shining example of such behavior as it was, and she dealt with him on a daily basis!
Deciding it was ultimately for the best, Jewel decided she would try not to hold any grudges and attempt to start with a clean slate, provided Slagar would treat her with as much respect she would him.
"All right.... Sounds fair enough to me."
Jewel could not help but flinch, however, as she caught sight of Slagar's smug little grin and suddenly got the feeling he was smirking conceitedly behind that mask. Oh well.
"Very good. Now, what's your name, marm? Care to tell me?"
"Jewel."
"Just Jewel? No surname?"
Despite the fact that his emotional investment in the vixen was presently nil; Slagar could not help but be slightly curious all the same.
"Yes, that's correct...."
Jewel, baffled as to why the male had asked such an arbitrary question; decided to retaliate:
"You don't have one either, do you?"
Slagar was irritated that the other fox had asked such a surprisingly personal question; and opted to simply dismiss her with as vague an answer as possible.
"Once. Although my personal life is of no concern to you, I'm afraid."
Admittedly, Jewel was mystified by Slagar's cryptic phrasing, but did not pursue the matter. It wasn't her business anyway. Nonetheless, an awkward silence soon settled over them, and just under a minute passed by. In the end, it was Slagar who attempted to resurrect the conversation:
"I take it you're a healer, aren't you?"
"Yes, I've been one for six years now."
"....Impressive, for as young a beast as yourself."
It was not quite as easy for Slagar to say these words- false as they were- as he was hoping. Naturally, he was much too proud and therefore reluctant to say anything positive about Jewel's skill with healing; even if it were a complete and utter lie.
"Twenty-four isn't all that young. And when you've seen as many things as I have- the horrors of war, for instance- you sometimes feel even older."
Slagar shook his head as though in pity.
"I can sympathize. Let's put it that way."
Before either creature could say anything else, however, there was a harsh and sudden rapping on the door outside.
"Jewel..... Jewel!!! Come on. Shift your lazy arse. I need you out here!"
With a sigh, the white vixen walked dutifully off in the direction of the door, leaving a somewhat confused-looking Slagar staring in bafflement.
"Who?"
"Vedran. My Chief, my superior; you're at his garrison, you're going to have to deal with him at some point..... Fend for yourself for now, I've got to get going."
And with that, she walked to the door and vanished into the halls of stone beyond.
~
To say the least, Jewel was irritated that Vedran had interrupted her conversation even though she had become used to such petty annoyances long ago. But Slagar, at least, had been proving to be halfway decent company despite his background. Watching Vedran as he strutted further into the hallway only to lean casually against a marble pillar; the vixen asked in as guarded a tone as she could manage:
"Milord, what is it?"
To this, the warlord only smirked; only for it to turn into an innocuous little smile.
"I thought I'd catch up with you to see how your patient is doing."
"Fine, Sire. Slagar will recover; he'll just need some time to rest is all."
Vedran nodded stiffly, eager to get to the point as quickly as possible.
"I see. Would it be possible if I could speak to him for a short time?"
It was all Jewel could do to keep from heaving a sigh of relief then- Though Vedran's company was not something she would wish on anyone, she was still glad she was managing to do a good job of staying in his favor.
"Yes, of course, go ahead...."
Jewel stepped aside and gestured hurriedly towards the door of Slagar's temporary bedroom.
"Thank you,"
Vedran purred, flashing a brief smile that should have been dazzling but instead revealed a mouth full of rotted and yellowish teeth. Jewel forced on a smile of her own but could not shiver in revulsion at the site.
"You're very welcome, sir."
"Go off and do as you please. I insist."
And with that, Jewel seized her opportunity and rushed off into the ancient bowels of the castle, eager to find an exit. Here, at last, was a chance to get some leisure time. Slagar hadn't been all that bad past the initial argument, she admitted, but it felt much more freeing to be able to relax alone. Perhaps she could also stock up on herbs and plants for medicinal supplies while outside.
~
Slagar was currently mulling over his rather surprising situation- but one that could also have its rewards and advantages if handled appropriately. The Sly One had long lost count of seemingly fatal scenarios he'd turned into pleasant ones through his wit and cunning alone. He'd weaseled his way out of dismal scenarios before, this one would hopefully be no different. Suppose this Vedran would like to bargain with him.
Suppose this Vedran would like to bargain with him. Slagar knew he had to anticipate this. He was well-known in this particular region south of Mossflower; his services in capturing and selling slaves were highly sought-after; but it was also known he did business with few except for his master, Malkariss. Now that Malkariss was dead and out of the picture; Vedran could easily take advantage of this and ask Slagar to be his slaver. This was a task Slagar would only take on provided there were some sort of lucrative reward for him.
Provided the warlord paid for the masked fox's services with gold or silver, a sizeable amount of land on which to live, or perhaps even some slaves of his own to order about as he pleased.... And yet, none of these were quite adequate payments enough for Slagar. A sly grin graced the fox's face (horrible to see behind the mask) as he realized he knew exactly what sort of a reward he wanted....
Regardless of whatever it is Vedran offered him; Slagar knew he had an ideal bargain of his own: He'd pretend to go along with the warlord's deal for a time, perhaps even capture a few slaves for him as though to cement its authenticity. Then, when the time was right, he would strike. Overthrow Vedran, murder him, and overtake his kingdom and his slaves! Why, it was as simple as killing two birds with one stone!
And with this, the sly fox lay back, comfortable and confident that his plan would succeed just as soon as he could set it into motion. The only thing left to be done now was meet with Vedran himself and figure out what he.....
Slagar's musings were interrupted by the door suddenly being slammed open; and an unusual-looking fox striding proudly in.
His fur was none of the conventional colors; beige and creamy-looking in some places, with the odd patch of pale silver here and there- Though these seemed to be natural markings rather than signs of age; Vedran himself seemed to be a beast no older than his forties. He was dressed rather simply for a warlord, in loose-fitting dark brown trousers; and a leather jerkin of black.
His beady yellow eyes and just a little bit slanted; giving them something of a slitted appearance. They were alert and fairly gleamed with arrogance, and Vedran peered disdainfully around the bedroom for a time before his eyes at last fell on Slagar.
"Well, well."
He murmured to himself; giving a little laugh of mirth.
"Look at what we have here. The great Slagar, in my domain; it's certainly about time."
Slagar only watched in silence as the exotic-looking fox continued to erratically pace and circle about the room before sitting down in a simple wooden chair- it was obvious he thought very highly of himself. How typical.
"What do we say we get straight down to business?"
Vedran asked, his voice dripping with snobbery.
Slagar replied in as level a tone as he could:
"Why, yes, I don't see why we shouldn't....."
"Very good!"
Vedran exclaimed, steepling his fingers, gloating as he did.
Slagar, meanwhile, only leaned slightly forward in the bed; eager to spearhead the conversation- and the agreement- so that the whole ordeal would be done and over with as quickly as possible. He was certain it would not be terribly difficult.
"You're in need of slaves; milord, don't waste your breath explaining. As my last employer is..... Well, rotting in Hellgates, I would be more than happy to begin working again once I've recovered. But I must ask you this: What, exactly, is my reward for upholding my end of the bargain?"
The vulpine warlord was quick to reply with:
"You'll be rewarded handsomely; I assure you. Monetary riches; and perhaps some slaves to do your bidding."
Although Slagar did not see this as nearly a suitable boon for slaving for Vedra, he would just have to go along with it for the time being. Unlike the few other warlords Slagar had met in the past, Vedran seemed canny and surprisingly smart despite his ego. The slaver knew he'd have to watch his back when plotting to overthrow him; and it could be quite a lengthy undertaking.
First, he would have to gain the other dogfox's trust and make it appear as though Vedran were still in command of all, and Slagar was a mere paid subordinate. And then, once the time he was right; he would simply murder the egotistical sod and be done with it.
Confident for now, at least, that his little plot was developing nicely; Slagar answered Vedran. And his voice was the perfect picture of a beast content and compliant with carrying out the job he'd been given:
"Of course. That would do quite nicely."
"I'm glad we were able to agree on something. I'm sure you'll be quite pleased with the continued growth of my little kingdom here...."
"Yes,"
Slagar agreed; and with an almost imperceptible little smile at that.
"I'm sure I will be....."
The masked fox lay back and watched Vedran as he edged his way towards the door; likely pleased and surprised at how smoothly and easy that had all gone. Slagar, meanwhile, was sure that there would be times when the warlord would suspect he was up to something. He would deal with those situations if and when they arose. For now.....
His plan, at least, was complete. The only thing to do now was to simply wait for the right opportunity to set it into motion and oh; what a glorious day that would be.....
Slagar the Cruel, feeling fortunate for the first time since the death of Malkariss; uttered an eerie, high-pitched little laugh. Vedran could speculate and be suspicious as much as he liked; but at the end of the day, the Sly One still held all the cards.....