Vincent had advanced to a first circle wizard at the age of twelve. It had only been a little over two years since he had began training. His master had praised him lavishly as he was the student who had progressed the quickest. Brian was awed, Rachel was grumpy and Nelson was happy at that time. Master Rigrit told him that he could achieve great things if he continued working with such diligence.
Everyone close to Vincent told him that it was a great achievement and he knew that it was. It was hard to find a twelve year old first circle wizard. Knowing it however, didn't help him find answers to questions he had been asking himself. He still didn't know if he could have saved his mother with the power he possessed then. The great achievement that everyone defined for him didn't hold much meaning for him.
The question continued to eat away at his confidence and made him question what he had been working towards ever since he started learning wizardry. He had thought he would find the answer once he became a first circle wizard but the only thing that he had managed to accomplish was the complete opposite. The answer was nowhere in sight and he felt lost. The doubt in his heart only continued to grow and he lost his sense of direction. He lost his appetite and grew weaker by the day. He kept on thinking but couldn't reach a conclusion. Things got serious to the point that he had to be looked after by a doctor for most of the day.
Being confined to the bed reminded him of his mother when she was sick. He recovered under the care of the doctor and a thought came in his brain. 'Couldn't I have saved mother if I was a doctor?' He talked about his decision with his master. Rigrit didn't stop his pupil because he knew the boy would have to fend for himself once he turned fifteen and few jobs paid as well as being a doctor.
Vincent had become a full fledged doctor by the age of fifteen. Rigrit, however felt that it was a pity. The boy would have progressed down the path of wizards much faster had he not focused on becoming a doctor. Vincent began treating one patient after another when he moved to the town of Opal. His skills only grew greater with each passing day but he still didn't have the answer to the question that always bugged him.
Now, he had saved a woman who was on the brink of death. He finally felt like he had accomplished something. The still breathing woman who laid unconscious on top of the surgery table was proof of his growth. The feeling of powerlessness that had haunted him for the past seven years disappeared and his heart felt light.
Vincent washed his face and checked on the woman's condition. He felt happy seeing that she wasn't in any mortal danger. If all went well, she would wake up in a day or two. A hammock was soon readied and he placed her on it. He headed towards Jeweled Inn and ate breakfast while listening to Housen's angry complaints.
The day passed uneventfully and Vincent got used to feeding the unconscious woman using the liquid controlling spell. The woman finally woke up on the evening of the second day. Many people had learned about the girl whom the impertinent doctor had saved. Many witnesses had seen him carry her into his shop. Even ordinary folks could tell how terrible of a condition she was in and words of the doctor's incredible feat spread among many folks.
"What's your name? What is the last thing you remember?" Vincent asked in a gentle manner looking at the bruised face of the girl. The swollen face had gotten much better and he could finally tell that she was very young, maybe about fifteen or sixteen years old.
Vincent waited patiently but got no reply from her. She just sat there looking down at the floor. The girl peeked a few glances at his face but faced down immediately when she saw him observing her. Vincent wanted answers from the girl but it seemed like he wouldn't be getting one right now. He moved closer to her to check if she had any injuries on her head that might have led to loss of proper cognitive functions.
He had taken just a few steps towards her when she started shaking violently."Are you cold? You are shivering really badly." Vincent placed his palm in her forehead and found that her body temperature was alright. Watching closely he realized that she was shaking even worse after he touched her. He removed his hands and found that she held up better after he moved away from her.
'It seems like she is scared of me? I should try to calm her down for now.'
"It's okay. You are safe now. I am a doctor. I treated you. You don't have to be scared, I won't hurt you."
Seeing that she had calmed down a little, he tried to approach her once again. The girl started trembling uncontrollably once again and he gave up on closing the distance for now. He ordered a bowl of chicken soup for the recovering girl placed it in front of her.
"Here, eat this. This will help you recover quickly. I will leave it here, make sure you eat it before it gets cold."
Few people came to look at the girl after hearing she had woken up but Vincent turned them all away saying she was not in a condition to meet strangers. The people went away while badmouthing the doctor saying he didn't understand people's care and kindness.
Vincent tried to take the girl to the inn and have her rest there as it would be a lot easier to recover there but the girl refused to take a single step out of the shop. Having no other choice, he left the girl on his shop and went to the Jeweled Inn alone. Housen and the barmaids all asked him about the girl but he shook them off saying she had only woken up for a few minutes before fainting again.
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"What's your name?"
"A.. Alba" The girl replied in a broken voice.
"You don't have a last name?" The girl shook her head.
'So she is born from a slave. No wonder they treated her so badly. The guards wouldn't investigate too much if the corpse was found to be that of a slaves'.'
"Do you remember what happened to you?"
The girl started trembling again and her eyes turned red. Tears threatened to spill out and Vincent got up while saying, "It's okay. You don't have to tell me. You are still mentally exhausted. Just rest."
Vincent closed the door behind him and smiled. Hearing the girl's voice made him strangely happy. The girl was a testament to the answer he had found for himself. She was a breathing proof that he could save someone, and perhaps he could have even saved his mother had he then possessed his current knowledge and skills. He felt a great sense of satisfaction.
Bang bang bang
A series of rough knocks sounded and Vincent opened the door. Two hooded men entered the shop and made themselves comfortable, they acted like they owned the place. A man pulled down his hood revealing his chiseled face. A knife scar ran down his left cheek and he spoke revealing his jagged yellow teeth.
"Master Vincent, I am called big hound and he is small hound. We came here to retrieve the girl. She is one of our employees. She went missing and was nowhere to be found."
"Is that so? Can you prove that she is indeed one of your employees? I will hand her over if you can prove it. I won't make it too difficult for you, how about just saying her name? If you get that right, she is all yours."
"Her name is Alba."
"You got her name right. Since she is you employee, I will have you pay for the treatment. I had to perform a surgery on her, it cost a lot of time and money. In total, you will have to pay a gold and 4 silver coins."
"That is daylight robbery, master Vincent. What could cost so much money..." The man who called himself big hound stared at the girl peeking out from the door and stood up. He walked towards her and she tried to close the door in a flustered manner. Big hound grabbed the door before she could close it and yanked it open.
Vincent turned his head to find Alba staring at the man in terror. Her expression told him that something was off regarding the man's story. Vincent tried to get up in order to stop the man but the man called small hound jumped behind him and hit him in the back of his head with a sword's pummel. Vincent's vision grew blurry as he fell down face first.
Alba's mother was a slave. Her father was the manager of the cotton farm where her mother worked. She led a relatively easier life compared to other slaves as the manager was her father. Though he didn't do anything for her, she could still get away with many things others in her position couldn't. She was mischievous as a child and sometimes a little too energetic. The manager's wife saw her as nothing more than an eyesore.
Her mother passed away early and she had to work in the plant. Though work was hard, she could keep up with it. The guards would whip the other slaves if they found them lazing around, but they turned a blind eye to her behaviors. She was sixteen when the manager passed away after away being poisoned.
The first thing the manager's wife did after finishing her mourning was to sell away the illegitimate child of her late husband. In her view, she was nothing but a disgrace to him. A result of a momentary lapse of self control.
Alba was scared when she was taken away from the farm where she had spent her entire life. Girls of similar age sat beside her in the carriage. More girls would get on the carriage every time it stopped. Alba thought about running away but the sight of armed escorts dissuaded her from doing so. The number of girls in the carriage started dropping with each town they passed by. When they reached the town of Opal, it was finally her and two other girls turn to disembark.
The girls were taken to the red light district and locked up in a room. Alba had heard about the red light district and what happened there. She was scared of what fate had in store for her.
One of the girl was taken away by a man who handed some money to the manager of the brothel. The girl resisted with all her might but the only thing the struggle led to was more pain for the girl. The man slapped her and dragged her by away.
The girl returned an hour later with swollen eyes and red cheeks. She sobbed while crouching down at the corner of the room. Her hands hugged her abdomen and she appeared to be in great pain. Looking at her terrible state terrified Alba.
It was the other girl who was chosen the next day. The girl was frightened out of her wits and she bawled while flailing her limbs. A guard tried to calm her down but was hit in the face by her stray arm. The guard turned red with anger. The whip that he only kept in his arms as a deterrent flew through the air and hit the girl. Successive whip cracks resounded and the girl lay twitching on the floor. The girl looked miserable but she wasn't spared. The customer returned with the girl and left her on the room. Her condition was much worse than the previous girls'.
Alba decided that she wouldn't resist. If causing more pain was the only thing that resisting did, then she would rather let them have their way with her. Making up her mind, she was prepared for the time when it would finally be her turn.
A fat man dressed luxuriously came by with two guards whose gear sparkled as if to boast about their superior quality. The manager of the brothel fawned over the man and spoke, "Sir Robert, I have reserved the most beautiful girl of the batch for you. She is still a virgin. Most importantly, she seems very submissive. I am sure you will enjoy yourself."
The fat man nodded and handed a gold coins to the manager. The manager's smile turned radiant and he brought out Alba. She looked at the man named Robert and gazed at the floor. Robert seemed satisfied with the girl and took her to a room upstairs. He had her sit on the bed and took off his clothes. His big belly jiggled with each step he took and soon he was standing in front of her. His eyes were full of lust as he started undressing her.
Alba closed her eyes and decided she would remain in that state until it was all over. She was expecting pain from her crotch but nothing happened even after some time. She opened her eyes to look at what the man was doing when a palm grew larger and larger until it covered her entire vision. Her cheeks burned as she tried to figure out what was happening.
She was scared of pain. She had decided that she wouldn't resist if doing so spared her from pain. She couldn't understand why the man still slapped her when she hadn't even tried to resist. She was thinking hard when another slap landed on her face. Her right ear started ringing and one blow after another landed on her face.
"Your face is so pretty. I really like the sound it makes when I hit it as well. Awwww, why are you crying? Don't cry. It makes me feel like I shouldn't hit you." Robert spoke as if he was speaking to a child. The blows didn't stop even after he said those words and tears started flowing down her temples. Seeing the tears fanned the flames of lust in him even more as he began hitting her harder.
Alba put her arms above her head to cover her face. Robert grabber her wrist and pulled her arms apart. Her wrist hurt from the rough hold. "Bit*h don't put your arms up. I hate it when you do that. Next time you do that, I will break your arm."
Despite the threat, her arm went up on its own as the blows to her face got heavier. A look of immense anger came over his face as he grabbed her arm and twisted it hard. A crack resounded followed by her agonized screams. Things got worse from that point as he started assaulting other parts of her body as well. She fainted midway from the abuse.
********************************************************
When Alba opened her eyes, she saw a young man. A smile bloomed on his face as he saw her awake. He gently asked her, "What's your name? What is the last thing you remember?" She wanted to speak but a thought popped in her mind, 'Is he with the people from the brothel?'
She kept her mouth shut and just sat there like a stone. He took a few steps towards her and her body started trembling on its own. Images of the horrible time flashed through her mind and her heart felt cold. She tried to shoo the terrible memories away from her mind when a warm palm landed on her forehead.
"Are you cold? You are shivering really badly." The young man spoke just as gently as he had before. She had just relaxed a little when the memories of the palm that hit her repeatedly played in her mind. Her trembling worsened and the young man backed off.
"It's okay. You are safe now. I am a doctor. I treated you. You don't have to be scared, I won't hurt you." He continued trying to soothe her. Alba didn't trust the young man, but she didn't think that he was with the bad people anymore.
The next day, she finally told him her name. He asked if she remembered what happened to her. Recalling the incident, tears welled up in her eyes. "It's okay. You don't have to tell me. You are still mentally exhausted. Just rest." He spoke patiently and headed out the door to the main room of the shop.
Alba heard loud knocks followed by a rough voice. The owner of the voice started speaking with the young man who had saved her. She peeked through the door to see what was going on when her body turned stiff. She saw the two guards of the man who hurt her. They were trying to trick the young man and take her away. She was about to close the door when her eyes met one of the guards. He smiled at her and the smile sent chills down her spine. Her free arm which wasn't immobilized by a splint started shaking and even closing the door seemed impossibly difficult.
The guard stood up and walked to the door. He held the doorknob and pulled it with great force. The doorknob which she held slipped out of her hand because of the sweat that had accumulated on without her knowing. Her body froze and she couldn't muster any strength to move it.
The young man who had saved turned around to look at what was happening when the other guard rushed at him. She wanted to warn him about it but her throat refused to make any sound. She watched powerlessly as the guard hit him with a sword's pommel and he fell down face first.
Tears welled up in her eyes as thoughts about what would happen to her popped in her mind. Her legs felt weak and she fell on her butt. She had lost all hope when suddenly, the doctor got up with great momentum. He tackled the guy who had hit him to the ground and took out a dagger from his belt. He stabbed repeatedly at the guard's abdomen. Blood flowed out of the wounds but the guard refused to give up. He made a fist and hammered at the doctor's face repeatedly.
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