Abby's Adventures, Ch. 01

"What are you?" The inquistors' voice seemed to echo around the common room which had fallen mostly silent. Patrons and staff alike were watching or making a scene of not watching, except for a table of dwarves who were playing cards. It was easy to feel the tension in the air. He seemed to have the whole tavern on edge.

Frank started to speak "She's..." But, I heard the sound of Misty's elbow hitting his side and he fell silent. Misty must be worried I'd done something; and for all I knew, I had. Either that, or she wanted to make sure that she and Frank were not dragged into whatever this was.

My knowledge of the world was spotty. I knew he was an inquisitor. I didn't know if that was a religious title, a political one, or both. But, he had authority and I decided to play to that. "I'm just a waitress, sir. Would you and your party like anything to eat or drink?" My tone was polite, and I set my tray on the bar top so that if he made an order it could be quickly put onto the tray.

One of his men seemed to hope that the inquisitor would positively answer my question, but his hopes were dashed. "I did not ask what your job was. I asked what are you?" He pointed at me. "Your ears. Your hair. Are you a demon?"

I didn't think that it was a good question. If I was one, I would not say so unless I was quite strong. But, I was not one, so my answer came easily enough. "No sir." I quickly replied. "I am a half-elf. My mother was an elf, my father human. The ears came from her, and the hair, well, it's just always been pink." I said with a little shrug.

He did not seem convinced. "Are you a witch?" he asked me. His gaze was stern, like that of a principal at a private school, as he looked down at me.

Again, I did not think it was a question a witch would answer truthfully, but I did answer it in that way. "No, sir. I'm just a normal girl."

"I have never seen a normal girl that looks like you. What is your name?" His tone showed his skepticism at my answers.

"Abby," I replied. By now, even people who had initially looked away had started paying more attention. They seemed to be less worried he would look towards them. Or, maybe they just wanted more drinks. "Sir, I do need to get back to work," I said, putting a plea into my voice, playing at being a good girl.

"No. You need to be evaluated to make sure that you are not lying. Bring her." he said to his men. They both looked very embarrassed as they walked up to me, and he turned to step outside. One of the men looked to be in his early 20s, at most, and the other in his 30s. They wore pants, boots, and shirts with a leather jack over the shirt. Each had a belt with a dagger and shackles and also carried short spears.

Again, I heard Frank speak "Now, wait just.." then Misty's elbow once more hit his ribs, and he fell silent. The Inquisitor paid him no mind.

"Sorry miss." the younger of the two said. "He gets like this, but if you don't come along, we get in as much trouble as you." The other one reluctantly took the shackles off his belt.

"I get it. I'll cooperate." I said, as I stepped forward and put my arms behind my back. The steel closed around my wrists, and they each took an arm and led me outside into the night. It was chilly, and the stones were a little slick against my bare feet, but the two guards were there if I lost my balance. I didn't, but it was still reassuring to have them there.

"He does this too often." one muttered. "We're the ones who have to arrest the poor girls like you." He was not fond of the inquisitor.

"Why?" I asked.

"He is convinced demons and witches want to steal everyone's soul. Now, maybe they do, but assuming any girl who is not a human or dwarf is a witch doesn't seem right to me. He does this a few times a month with travelers like you."

"Well, I don't know anything about demons or witches, but I do know I am not either, so I'm sure that I'll be released soon enough," I said, trying to sound chipper, but I was nervous.

The younger one nodded. "Everyone else he has done this to has been released as well. But, he keeps doing it. If we said no, he'd call us demons, witches, or something."

"You're just doing your job. It's not your fault."

"Thank you for saying that."

We soon reached a building that looked like a cross between a prison and a cathedral. They led me inside through a side door, and then through a few halls, down some stairs, and into what was clearly a dungeon. It had a stone floor and walls. There was a single dim magical light, which was about the size of an apple and didn't do much to dispel the shadows of the room. Shackles fell from the ceiling. They removed the cuffs and I walked over and raised my arms. I guessed what they would have to do next.

"Thanks." the older man said. "We are sorry about this." I nodded and offered a smile as the shackles closed and they left the room. I was alone. I took a few moments to look around. There wasn't anything in the room, except for four dangling sets of shackles and myself. The shackles were solid steel and tight around my wrists. I was not going anywhere for now.

I'm not sure how long I waited. There was no way to tell time. No dripping water. No patrols. No clock. I was soon pretty bored. I knew it was deliberate, but that didn't make it any easier. Not did it ease my nerves. I was a prisoner and there was nothing I could do about it.

Finally, the door opened. In walked the inquisitor, followed by another man. I took a moment to study them both. The inquisitor was dressed in a similar way to the guards. He did not wear a leather jack, and his clothes were of higher quality. He was pulling on gloves and had a slim wand hanging from his belt.

The second man had dark skin and was in a formal robe. It had a silver crest on it, one that showed a set of scales. He was talking to the inquisitor. "Gerhard, you cannot keep doing this. Just because someone is new to the city you can't assume they are a demon and arrest them for testing."

Inquisitor Gerhard looked at him. "I can. I must. I will not choose to do nothing while the forces of evil assemble around us to devour our souls. I would rather make a thousand mistakes than do nothing and let the demons and their lackeys escape detection." He spoke with the confidence of a zealot. It was not reassuring.

The second man sighed and looked at me. His eyes slid over me, and then they both walked over. "The testing is very simple, miss," he told me. "It is a little embarrassing, perhaps, but it won't hurt."

"What is the testing? How is it done?" I asked.

"First you will be stripped and secured better," he said.

"That's not reassuring." I interrupted.

"And gagged," Gerhard said in a snarky way before the second man continued. "We will put an amulet on you, and then cast a spell that will cause it to glow with holy light if you are a demon or witch or have evil intent to the town. If you are one or do mean our town harm, the amulet will glow with green light. If you do not, then it will not glow."

"I don't see why I need to be naked for that, sir," I said politely.

"It is done for two reasons. First to visually inspect you, to see if you bear the marks or signs of a demon, such as scales or a tail. The second is to ensure you are not wearing any magical items that might give the spell a false reading."

"I don't have a choice, do I?"

"Not if you wish to be released." said the second man, then Gerhard added.

"You can refuse, and then you will be burned at the stake with holy fire."

"I haven't done anything. I was working." I said, the protest just really for my ears, and then I sighed. "All right. Let's get this over with." My heart was racing. "Undo the shackles and I will strip."

"I'm afraid that is not possible." the second man said. "If you are a demon, and we freed you, you might change into your demon form and attack us. Your clothing will be removed with magic."

I started to protest that, but the inquisitor cast a spell, and a gag formed in my mouth. It parted my lips, strapped around my head, and kept me from making any intelligible sounds. The other man glanced at him in an annoyed way. However, he did not berate the inquisitor. He cast the next spell.

The spell seemed to settle over me. I felt a little tingle and then my clothing turned to mist. The mist floated to the side, then to the ground, and become solid once more. A moment later, glowing blue chains rose from the floor. Shackles snapped shut on my ankles and pulled my legs wide apart.

The men walked around me, but I did not get a sense of lust from them. Rather, when they were back in front, the second man said "I see no signs of demonic heritage."

"I agree." the inquisitor replied. He took an amulet from his pocket, walked to me, and draped it over my head. It fell downward, the gem on the end resting on my skin between my breasts. He then stepped back and cast a longer spell. It must have taken a minute or two, which made securing the subject make a lot more sense.

They waited. I waited. The crystal did not glow.

"She is not a demon. Again. You need to stop with these random arrests."

"I do not need to stop. She is not a demon, but they are out there. We need to find them."

"I have yet to see proof your concerns are valid."

"Then let me show you." The two men left the dungeon, the door closing behind them. They left me naked, gagged, and shackled. I was not thrilled. I waited. I had no choice about that. It seemed I waited for much longer this time before the door opened. He came back in, the second man. I didn't know his name yet.

"Sorry about that," he said, but was he truly sorry? There was no way for me to tell. "I am going to remove the gag now," he said, and with a gesture, he did.

My jaw was a little sore, and some drool had fallen over my chin. "Are you going to release me and let me get dressed?" I asked. I felt that the question was just polite. After all, I had played along and passed this test.

"Not yet."

I gasped! "What do you mean not yet? I'm not a demon. I've done what you asked without complaining. I'd like to go back to work."

"You will. But, you are an adventurer, correct?" I nodded to his question, and he continued. "I require an adventurer. I have two jobs I am looking for someone to help with. I will tell you about them, and you can take one, or the other, or none. After that choice, you will be freed and allowed to go."

"It's a strange way to do a job interview." I joked. "But, since I'm a captive audience, sir, I suppose I have nothing better to do. Please, what are you hiring for?"

"The first of the tasks might be dangerous. A patrol is missing, and we have become aware of a nearby goblin camp. If you took this job, we'd want you to infiltrate the camp, see if the patrol is there, and then withdraw and report. If they are there, we'd send in a larger rescue team. If they are not there, we see no reason to start a conflict with the goblins at this time."

"The second task is less dangerous, but it could lead to you being put into compromising positions. You may be aware slavery is legal in our country."

"Yes," I said, but that was a lie. I was not aware of that.

"Recently, owned slaves have been vanishing. We believe that they have been stolen."

"You want me to pose as a new slave owner and see if someone tries to steal my slave?" I asked.

"Not exactly. I would like you to go undercover as a slave. All of the missing girls have belonged to prominent men, and have gone missing at social events. We are hoping that a slave working as a server might be in a position to notice something unusual, or hear things from other slaves."

"So, let me get this straight. Slaves have been being kidnapped?"

"Possibly."

"You want me to pose as a slave? A collared, serving girl slave?"

"Exactly."

"To blend in, as a half-elf with pink hair in a city of mostly humans and dwarves, and somehow, while not being noticed, see if a slave kidnapping ring is operating?"

"Yes."

"There is a non-zero chance I could be kidnapped."

"It is certainly a risk. You can, of course, decline both options, and you'd be free to leave."

"Can you let me down, get me some water, and give me a few minutes to think?"

"Yes." He did release me. "When I get back, I will need an answer." He closed the door to the dungeon, locked it, and walked off. I got dressed, and I had to make a decision. Did I take one of the jobs? If I did, which one?

Author's Note: I hope you enjoy it. If you have a preference for which choice Abby makes, please let me know.