Nevin came to into a depressingly familiar situation. He had been half-stripped, leaving only his trousers on, and he was hanging from chains in a wall. There were people talking nearby, soft voices.
“I’m telling you, those weird lines are just going to accentuate the flavor. He’s not tattooed, I’ve seen those before, no ink in those. Didn’t you see the way it squirmed? I think he’s got like, worms or something in his skin.” Well, that was aggravating, just one more dark point on top of the shitstorm he was locked in. Nevin flexed his arms, and the iron chains creaked. Good, they were rusty. As he hung there - someone had to come in to check on him again soon, he ran through the situation.
Girlfriend left him, and it seems like someone had put some kind of a massive mind whammy on her. That someone was an asshole that Nevin had unintentionally drawn the attention of, by trying to experiment and play with his girlfriend in public. Before she left him that is. After three or four days in an utterly depressed downward spiral, the need for food had driven him out of his shop for the first time since he was dumped, and while he was out, he found out about the mind whammy. And when trying to save his girlfriend, he was knocked out. And now, he was hung up, locked in chains, with what sounded like cannibals discussing whether or not his tendrils would add or detract from his flavor.
Wasn’t this just wonderful? Then the door creaked, and two large men came in. “Oh look, Horace. Meat’s awake.”
“Looks like he is indeed. Good.” Thick flow. These were the two assholes that had stopped him from saving Eteri. They approached him. “Guess what Meat? You’re going to serve that little blue-haired girl you were trying to get near. You’ll get the closest experience any of us could ever hope - you’re going to be one of her last meals. She’s already said she’d help Boss get her sister, so she’s on her countdown.” There was a cruel smile on the man’s face. Nevin spat on him, and he lashed out, crashing a fist into Nevin’s ear.
“Hey man, the collars on- that countdown started the moment it clasped around her neck.”
Nevin froze, as they grabbed him. The collar.
The collar. That was the key. So, they thought that Eteri was doomed? Not a damn chance. Not a single, damn chance. One of them saw him looking at them, and shoved his fist into the hanging alchemist’s gut, making him spit up a bit. If anything had been in Nevin’s stomach, he would have thrown up, but all that was left was bile.
The other guy snorted. “Wish boss would tell us how he got ‘em. Just click then boom. They’re putty, then their life energy is zapped on out and their bodies...oh god their bodies…” He gave a visible shiver. “Just as good as the day they walked…”
“Right - now then. Boss said it was almost time for dinner, so it looks like Meat here get’s to make his final appearance.” With that, he cuffed Nevin hard, and then they unlocked his chains, immediately grabbing his arms and frog-marching him out of the cell, cruelly twisting his arms so that he couldn’t even walk without pain.
Nevin actually went along with it, not that they realized. Eight feet, and he could save her. He’d deal with this trash afterwards. Then, after freeing Eteri, then, he’d start the process of flaying this mother fucker that thought he could kill them.
So down the halls they walked, Nevin trapped between the burly men as they moved. Every so often, one would punch or elbow him, and when he twisted to give them an angry glare, they just smirked at him.
“What, you gotta tenderize meat before you cook it, Meat.” Another punch. And then they were out, Nevin’s feet dragging along the ground. He was taller than the two men trying to drag him, so they couldn’t actually fully lift him from his feet here. That didn’t seem to bother them though.
“BOSS! MEAT IS HERE!” One of the men shouted, right by Nevin’s ear, half-deafening him. The hall went quiet as eyes twisted to the sight of them.
Nevin was absolutely disgusted. Arranged all around them were people, in elaborate attire, dressed up like this was nothing more than an evening at the ball. How on earth - what on earth was wrong with these delusional idiots, that they got off on watching murder? In the center of the room was a blazing fire, already roaring and spitting, with a large spit set up in the center. The spike rod for the spit was set to one side, on the side that he was being dragged towards.
These disgusting excuses for human existences, truly meant to eat him?
