Tales of the Wastelander Ch. 05

Certain things such as weapons, even basic ones, were likely something they'd like. If nothing appealed to them, and if it had to come to it, he'd even offer them women from the harem. They were unimportant to him, and he'd be glad to be rid of them. Jeremy smiled to himself at the possibilities rolling through his head, knowing that this time, he was the one holding all the cards.

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The small convoy of carts continued to trundle along through the wooded lands. The group had made good time, moving along some disused pathways and roads. As Ylva had been doing before, they avoided all ruins of old towns and cities. Ylva hadn't been exaggerating the threat that Screamers posed.

They had kept on going, only stopping when twilight began, as it would be too dark to see soon. The first thing that happened was a perimeter that was set with torches. The carts were huddled close as Ben dug out a firepit in the soft earth. Ylva and Lawrie fed and hobbled the Thunderers, while bringing some water for them from a nearby stream.

Mellany and Tasya had brought out a small table and were busy dicing the rabbit that Ylva had killed. They'd already skinned the beast, and Lawrie was working on cleaning the pelt as Ben got the fire going. Ylva then walked on up from Thunderer duty and helped the women with the meat.

Ben smiled as he watched Ylva work under Mellany's direction. Watching the woman who was bigger and stronger than anyone here do domestic chores was... interesting. Women like that, back in his time, often weren't so inclined, but there was also the convenience of restaurants and fast food. He shook his head as he took a beat and checked the torches, ensuring that none had gone out.

"Lawrie, do you mind if I ask you something?" Ben inquired.

"Go ahead! You can ask me anything you like!" the big man stated as he lit a pipe. The aromatic and acrid smell wafted over to Ben. It reminded him much of his dad, as his dad was also prone to enjoying a pipe full of tobacco. He also enjoyed the occasional bit of weed, when he felt like getting some.

"Actually, it's more like a couple of things. First, I'm curious about how it is that you're speaking English," Ben questioned.

"English? What is English?" Lawrie asked.

"The language we are speaking right now," Ben stated.

"Never heard it called that! To me and everyone else up here, it's known as the Trader's Tongue. Everyone who wishes to do business or trade, must know it. It's something that's been that way for a long time," Lawrie told him without missing a beat.

"Hmm. I was under the assumption that everyone would speak as Ylva had when I met her a few days ago," Ben said.

"The tongue of the People. It's another language that we all speak up here, but one that varies from region to region. It's why the Trader's Tongue exists in the first place," Lawrie told Ben.

"Oh! All right! I suppose that makes sense," Ben commented.

"You said you had more that one question?" Lawrie reminded the human man.

"Oh! Yeah! I noticed Tasya seems a little meek and sheltered. I know she's your wife, but it appears that something has happened to her. Do you mind if I ask about that?" Ben wondered.

"Not at all. It is a bit of a story and if you don't mind a tale of pain and sorrow, I will tell you," Lawrie offered seriously. Nodding, Ben sat down and waited, letting the man collect his thoughts.

"Some years ago, we found her lying on the side of the road on one of our regular routes. The poor woman had been bruised from head to toe, and was bloodied, badly. Her clothes were torn into shreds, she was starving and had thirsted for days. It was a damned miracle we found her when we did. Otherwise, she would have perished," Lawrie began.

"We brought her into our cart and thanks to Mellany's skills as a healer, Tasya survived. It was slow, bringing her back to health, as she often was... difficult in trusting us. She had been through a lot, if both the wounds and scars were anything to speak of. Whatever pain she had endured, it was to her soul as well. As she didn't even speak to us directly for months," Lawrie went on.

Ben was confused for a moment before he figured out what the big man had meant. He had meant that Tasya's mind and mental state was fractured. Not speaking to those who had rescued her? That was some serious mental trauma the woman had gone through. Ben nodded and waited for the mutant man to continue his story.

"She finally spoke to us but was meek about the whole thing. We could barely hear her and when she did speak up, she only asked how she could serve her new master and mistress. We told her she was free, that she was not indentured to us and could make up her own mind about things. It took some time to convince her of this, as she was very... adamant that she serve us," Lawrie continued.

"It took some time to break her of that habit of asking how she could serve. Once she stopped asking, Tasya became a little... irritable, of having nothing to do. We told her that once she was well enough to move on her own, without pain, then she could assist us in our daily chores. This seemed to put some fire back into her and she focused on becoming well again," the big man chuckled.

"I'll bet! Did she ever try pushing herself?" Ben queried.

"Oh, many times! She often grumped about having nothing to do, so Mellany taught her to read in her spare time. Tasya was... a difficult student, but Mellany, bless her soul, was patient with her. Once she got past sounding out the words, Tasya read everything she could. I've never seen a woman so taken with reading, not even Mel," Lawrie laughed.

"After she was well enough to move around and help, both Mellany and I started asking about her. About where she'd been, things she'd done, and how she wound up on the side of the road. Tasya was guarded at first, but eventually opened up to us. She spoke of her childhood, of a loving father and how she missed him. She barely spoke of her mother, if at all, and it was a while later, where we found out about what had happened."

"Tasya's own mother had sold her into slavery, because she was jealous of the bond she had with her father. To teach her a lesson, she was sold to a madam of a... bawdy house. I'm certain you know of such places?" Lawrie asked Ben.

"I do. They were illegal in my time, but they still operated. Most of the time, the girls themselves were slaves. Some things never change," Ben growled.

"Indeed. Her time at the house was unpleasant, but she learned much about becoming a concubine. Eventually, she became one and was... favored by many men. One of which was a merchant much like myself, but a very wealthy one. He took an interest in Tasya and offered to buy her from the madam. At first, the madam refused, but with enough time and gold, she eventually gave in," Lawrie muttered.

"The man was old, but kind, and he was decent to Tasya. But he had a problem, mainly with slavers, who he owed a large debt to. He was on the run from them, but eventually, they caught up to him. They demanded their fair share of what he'd cheated them out of, but he refused to pay," the mutant man continued.

"When they threatened to take pieces out of his hide, he begged them to leave him be and to take what they wished, as payment. After a brief search of his belongings, they saw he had little that interested them and took Tasya. She begged to be spared and begged for her master to trade something else in her place, but he refused. He allowed them to take her, and she became their... plaything," Lawrie grumbled darkly.

"Her treatment worsened underneath those... men. They were brutal to her, both to her body and her soul. Tasya, as she had been, was feisty, and I have seen parts of it surface here and there," Lawrie said with a smirk. "These slavers did everything they could to stomp out such defiance. They would have done so, had it not been for the others."

"Others?" Ben wondered.

"The slavers had two other women they kept with them. One was an old woman, a crone. Her name was Gertrude, who was a full blood human. They kept her well treated, more so to force the compliance of the other young woman, Bellona, who was a half-breed. Although they were all slaves, Bellona was more of a servant than an outright slave. It seemed... odd to Tasya, that they treated Bellona in such a way," Lawrie commented.

"That is a little odd. These bastards sound much like Unktar and his ilk that Ylva and I took down," Ben replied.

"Yes. Tasya stated there were many... oddities that happened while she was their slave. The most outlandish of which is what I'm about to tell you. One night, after their leader had his fill of both women, he acted strangely once he was done. It almost seemed like he... fighting something in his head."

"Then he... he took all the wine and drink he had in his tent and doused himself in it. His skin and his clothes were soaked in liquor and he reeked of it. Then, he turned, walked out of the tent and right into the fire the men were sitting around," Lawrie stated.

"He did what?!?" Ben asked, disbelief all over his face.

"No word of a lie! That's what Tasya saw, and while his men were trying to put him out, Bellona grabbed Tasya and told her they needed to leave. Once they had retrieved Gertrude, they ran out into the night, more than happy to risk Clackers and other beasts than the slavers' wrath. They were in a forest at night, but during their trek, they got separated, as Tasya fell down into a steep gully. The other two didn't stop and left her behind," Lawrie said with a bite to his voice.

"Morning came and Tasya found her way out of the gully and walked away from the slavers' camp. On her own now, she tried to find a road to take her somewhere, anywhere, but where she was. She found one and started walking, but the slavers caught her there," the big man growled.

"They... tortured her, demanding to know what she had done to their leader. She confessed she didn't know anything, and she was just as shocked as they were. They thought she was lying and they... I'm sure you can guess the things they did to her," Lawrie went on.

"No need to describe it. I have a reasonably solid idea of what happened. How did she get away from them?" Ben wondered.

"She didn't. They did this to her for days on end, never stopping, believing that she was hiding something. It wasn't until the fourth day of this, they figured out Tasya was telling the truth. Though they could have helped her, the slavers didn't, because they didn't want to waste the time, food or water on making her better. They left her by the side of the road, in what scraps of clothing they didn't tear, with her papers," Lawrie growled.

"Papers?" Ben questioned.

"When anyone is made a slave, there are papers drawn up for the owner of the slave. When sold into slavery, there is a time that the slave has to serve, or a price they can pay back for their labors. They didn't want her or be burdened with looking after her, so they left it, and whatever refuse they had, on top of her. That was how Mellany and I found her. Two days later," Lawrie finished.

"You ever track down those assholes? The ones who did this to her?" Ben asked, hoping that justice had been done.

"No. Those... 'assholes' as you called them, are still out there. But, now that Tasya has come around to being in a better place, she has told us of what these men looked like. We have been making inquiries and have narrowed down who they are, mostly," Lawrie grumbled.

"At least that's something!" Ben told him.

"It is! Thanks to you and Ylva, you have given Mellany and I justice and peace of mind! Now we can make our sole focus in tracking down those who hurt Tasya!" Lawrie replied happily.

"I do have one more question, if I may?" Ben asked.

"Of course."

"How did Tasya wind up as your wife?" Ben wondered.

"That is a... simpler tale. A few months ago, we were in a town many miles south of here. There were some men who had... taken an interest in Tasya, and I knew we would be... bothered by them. I have seen such men before. They take what they want and damn anyone who gets in their way," Lawrie sighed angrily.

"As have I!" Ben agreed.

"Thankfully, it was a region with laws that were enforced by the Regulators and their High Marshal," Lawrie went on.

"Regulators?!?" Ben asked, recognizing the name and well acquainted with the meaning.

"Yes. Men and sometimes women, who enforce the law of that region. No one disobeys the laws, or the Regulators punish the lawbreakers, and often harshly. The examples set by them, forces even slavers to hide their true nature," Lawrie smiled. "But these men, I had heard, were ones for taking risks and leaving no witnesses to their crimes."

"So, what happened?"

"Well, I was trying to think of a solution, when Mellany gave me one. Marry Tasya, make her my wife and make a grand celebration of it. We had just completed a very profitable trade, which left us with dozens of gold hects, so we had the money to do it! After speaking with Tasya about it, she agreed, and we were married by the Regulator-Captain of the town," Lawrie replied, remembering the memory fondly.

"We held a celebration at one of the taverns, with fellow traders and friends of ours in that region. Because of the celebrations, this group of men couldn't move against us. After several days they had left town, with a friend of mine making sure they had gone, as he was a Regulator in training. The group had moved on to lands further west, away from Regulator territory," Lawrie finished, completing the tale.

"So, you married that woman to save her from those bastards?" Ben asked, giving the man an admiring look.

"And... I have been... noticing her more, as she's become more of who she used to be," Lawrie admitted, blushing.

"That's nothing to be ashamed of, man. When a beautiful woman captures your imagination, then it's not long before she captures your heart," Ben said to the man, clapping him on the shoulder.

"If you boys are done talking, dinner is ready," Mellany told the men.

Their heads snapped to attention, as she had been there by the fire, minding the cauldron of stew as they talked. Lawrie had the sense to look abashed, but Tasya just smiled at him and nodded her head. Lawrie let out a sigh of relief, glad that his wife had been OK with him sharing her story. Mellany stirred the stew some more, before Tasya handed her a clay bowl with a rough metal spoon in it.

"Ben, you first," Mellany told him.

"Actually, no. You ladies should serve yourselves first. You three made dinner while we just sat here, yapping our faces off. So, ladies first," Ben told the big woman. Mellany looked as though she was about to protest, but then smiled before she took the bowl she had filled and handed it to Ylva. She then filled another bowl and handed it to Tasya, before she filled a bowl for herself.

"You really are from the Before, aren't you?" Lawrie asked, his face putting the pieces together.

"Yeah, like I told you. What finally convinced you I was telling the truth?" Ben wondered.

"The way you carry yourself and how you show decent manners to everyone, no matter the skin they have. Most Pinkskins aren't so courteous, and fewer still have implements like you do. There is also the fact that you do not have any scars or markings that show a hard life. I refused to believe it, but now I see the truth," Lawrie said with a warm smile.

"I would like it if you three kept this information to yourselves. Ylva has told me about how people like me are highly sought after, for a myriad of reasons," Ben implored.

"You won't have to worry about us! It's the least that we can do! Especially since you saved us all from becoming a Clacker's lunch," Lawrie replied.

"I agree with my brother. Not only did you save our lives, but you've also done us a great service in bringing down that monster, Unktar!" Mellany agreed. Tasya nodded along with Mellany's words, smiling the whole while.

"Glad to hear that you have our backs," Ylva commented as she dug into her food.

Ben started digging into his stew and he found it tasty and full of flavor! It was the first real meal he'd had in a long while, and he savored every bite. Ben sat by the fire, taking the ambiance and peace of this moment. Since waking, his life had taken many unexpected twists and turns. At least here, now, he had a moment to enjoy, to remember and look back on fondly.

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That is where this one ends everyone! I know this one is a bit of a short chapter, but that's just the way this chapter came out. After taking some time to expand things a bit more in this universe, expect chapters in the future to be proper lengths. I hope that everyone has enjoyed this chapter and is looking forward to what happens next!

Anyways, thank you for taking the time to read my work and I do hope that you've enjoyed it! I'm open to constructive criticism and will seriously consider any suggestions made about various story arcs. Please feel free to rate and comment on my work down below. If you like what I write, don't be afraid to follow and share, though your views, ratings and comments are quite enough for me.

In the meantime, this is C.H. Darkstrider, signing off to grab a beer and some quality time with the wife! ;) You will attain whatever you most desire, as long as you believe in yourself. Cheers!