Cain Magia had left the grand hall and gone to a holding cell that was at the back of the building, in a well-lit and well-ventilated basement. This was where all the humans who had been sold at the dubious auction were kept if they had not already been claimed that is. Grim thought he, these humans were like prime cattle. He would admit, it was immaculately white down here. Miss. Singrave made sure every spot in her manner was clean. Great, grey, thick steel doors with a hatch was all that prevented the hostages and freedom. Blocking the entrance to the cells was one of Miss. Singrave's goons. He looked rather scary as he was almost twice the size of Cain, but Cain sensed he was just a Norm.
"Ticket," the guard said with a breathy voice. He was a hefty bloke no denying that.
"I'm afraid I was never given one," Cain replied. He was not going to let a blatant steroid abuser block his way to the cells and in turn seeing his dear niece, Ezra.
"No one is allowed to see a captee without a ticket," the brute of a man informed Cain shifting to his left to stop Cain from going around him.
Cain was not going to take no for an answer. He stepped back and created an orange flame. He was ready to attack the oath who stood in his way. Burn him to a crisp. It was all stone and steel down here no fire would escalate, but before he could do anything untoward, he heard a posh voice from behind him. "Cain, my darling," his lip curled up in disdain only one old bat pronounced the word "darling" so gratingly. Cain coked his head back and saw Miss. Singrave. "I don't believe you bought anything at last night's auction. Pray tell why you are here?"
"I have been asked by Doctor Myrich to come and check out the Seasonal he bought last night. See if the child has been well looked after and not neglected. . . if you must know."
"Well did he not give you a ticket?" Miss. Singrave asked with her usual shrill tone.
"The Doctor has not received a ticket as of yet, me lady."
Miss. Singrave looked through her black bag that could act as a suitcase and she pulled out a receipt book for all transactions completed at last night's auction. She gave Cain the receipt, a pink ticket. "I hope you're not bullshitting me," Miss. Singrave said looking rather mean.
"I wouldn't dream of it," Cain's tone hinted of sarcasm. "You can ask the good Doctor yourself if you like."
"You're his dog," Miss. Singrave said rather icily. Cain looked at her less than pleased and clenched his fist. Cain was no one's dog. "I know you would not lie, Cain, it was never in your nature to lie. Baradia you may allow him to enter, give him the access key." Baradia, the guard that blocked the entrance took a key that was on a hook on the white stone wall and gave it to Cain who gladly accepted. The guard, Baradia stood to one side and allowed Cain to enter.
"I was looking forward to fucking you, Cain," Miss. Singrave remarked. "Until I saw you, that is, you look revolting. That little girl will think the exact same thing." Raising her head she left the holding cell and left him feeling a tad bit livid, but Cain wisely held his mischievous tongue.
He silently agreed with the cruel Cruella, but he still wanted to see his niece. He looked at the receipt and noticed his niece was in cell three. He walked past cells one and two and could hear prisoners sobbing. Some of these poor souls were going to end up in the hands of very cruel men and/or women.
He opened the door to cell three and ventured in.
Ezra immediately curled up into a corner. His niece had a look of horror as she stared at him. She looked freaked out and repulsed just like what Myrich and Miss. Singrave had said. The room was austere and depressing. It reminded him of a prison cell. For all intent and purpose, it was. Cain sat on the makeshift bed. It wasn't much just a stone slab with a blue crash mat on it and a cotton blanket and a pillow to match. There was also a hole in the floor and a roll of toilet paper but no window to let in light or air.
"It's ok," Cain told her, "I'm not here to hurt you," he tried to be as nice and delicate as he could to make up for his grotesque appearance.
"Monster," Ezra retorted like any child would. She pointed away at him.
This brought a smile to the face of Cain. Earlier when he arose from his slumber, he found the nerve to look at himself in the mirror and to be called a monster was just about right. "Even monsters can be friendly," Cain informed his niece who was oblivious they were related.
"So you're a friendly monster?" Little Ezra asked him innocently. She was now beginning to trust Cain probably due to his kind words.
"As friendly a monster as you will meet," Cain offered her a winsome smile. He tapped the side of the bed, "sit up with me." She didn't trust him at first, she had probably been through enough of an ordeal already, but at least she was not maimed, not physically at least. Cain would ensure she would not be harmed so long as he was around. Ezra stood up and stretched out a foot and timidly moved toward Cain and sat down beside him. "I know your mother," Cain informed the child.
"I want my mummy and my daddy," she said sweetly tears infiltrating her eyes.
"I'm sure you do, but I'm afraid you can't see them just yet. Maybe soon hey." Cain kindly told her, what else could he say?
"What your name?" She asked him.
"I am Cain," he informed her. "And you are Ezra."
"How did you know my name?"
"I am your mother's brother," Cain told her. "Do you know what that means?" Ezra shook her head. "That makes me your uncle. . . Uncle Cain. Did you know that?"
Then something happened that Cain did not expect, Ezra started to hug him. He was never fond of kids found them rather annoying, but he managed to wrap an arm around her, he warmed to her straight away. "Don't worry Ezra we are family and family look out for one another. I will look after you, but you have to do what the Doctor asks."
"Doctor," Ezra cutely replied with a puzzled expression.
"The man who will look after you."
"Oh," Ezra didn't fully understand what was going on, she was too young to comprehend the position she was in. All innocent Ezra knew was that she was away from her family, her mother, and father.
"Did anyone hurt you?"
"No." she shook her head.
"Good," he said as he gently pulled away from the child's clutches.
"Why have you black lines and cut?" Ezra asked her uncle scrunching up her little nose, still, she looked disgusted.
"I got into trouble," Cain opted to be honest. "I - I have to go now."
"Don't go," Ezra pleaded. "Please stay." The child was scared and alone with little notion as to what will happen next.
"The Doctor will come for you," Cain assured her. "You are to do what he says, and I will come back for you."
"Promise?" She sweetly asked Cain.
"I promise," Cain told her as he stood to his feet and left the cell.
By chance, he bumped into Abbasi. "There you are Magia, are you ready to go?" He was just checking the prisoners he had bought last night.
"When I speak to the Doctor," Cain informed him. "I'll be - "
"I have spoken with him, Magia, he has given his blessing for us to travel back to Bangui."
"Ticket," the guard asked Abbasi and Abbasi gave him the pink ticket. "Cell six on the left."
"Can you give this to Doctor Myrich?" Cain asked the guard handing him the ticket for Ezra.
"Yeah," was all the guard said. "That is If I see him." The guard hinted for some payment. Subtle blackmail.
"Do you mind?" Cain looked at Abbasi and the Madman took out his fat wallet and handed the guard a fifty Kroaling bill.
"Thanks," the guard said in a breathy voice. "I'll tell Doctor Myrich when I see him."
Cain walked with Abbasi to holding cell six. Inside were the Jason brothers. Abbasi opened the door and look at them keenly. "You will be well looked after at my place," Abbasi informed the frightened trio. "Just touch Magia here and we will go to Bangui." Reluctantly the Jason brothers touched Cain as did Abbasi who groped Cain's ass and gave it a pinch.
Together the five of them teleported back to the palace in Bangui.
Everyone bar Cain threw up on the spot. There was no-one in Abbasi's private living room. Abbasi took a seat in his chair and took out his phone and called for General Musa. "Take a seat Magia and rest," the Madman kindly told him. He felt slightly dizzy probably due to transporting too many people. "Strip," Abbasi commanded the Jason brothers as he waited for Musa to answer his phone. They were hesitant at first, "strip!" Abbasi commanded in a tone that hinted he was growing frustrated. The Jason brothers slowly took of their rags, but all three left on their boxer shorts. "Strip," Abbasi said again and the Jason brothers took of their briefs and exposed their shrivelled penises. Cain tried to not look at them and he looked at Abbasi. "Don't like the male form, Magia? Ah, Musa, come to the white room," Abbasi finally got a hold of his trusted General. Abbasi pointed at the brother on the left, the one with the longer curls. "you," Abbasi said. "You sit down and play with your cock I want to see you rock hard." He looked at the other two brothers. "And you two, you two start making out." All three hesitated, but they were wise enough to do as they were told. "You see Magia, I'm the fucking Edeleheer of Sumaria, look at them, two white bitches - "
"I'd rather not," Cain replied steely he wasn't a homophobe on the contrary. The sight of seeing two naked men Frenching one another whilst the other masturbated was not a sight he could relish in a hurry.
"Mm..." Abbasi moaned in delight rubbing his crotch. "I'm going to have fun with each of them." Cain knew Abbasi would have his wicked way with them, eventually. "Don't want to watch, Magia?" Abbasi asked. Luckily for Cain, and the Jason brothers, there was a frim knock on the door. "Come in," Abbasi demanded.
General Musa entered accompanied with his private army. Cain could tell the sight of three naked Caucasian boys was not a sight for Musa's eyes either. "Welcome home ," Musa said his eyes averting from the naked trio.
"I want them collared and showered and shown to their dorm and I don't want them harmed they are to sing songs to me when I wake and when I sleep and when I want an orgy, they are to know their place," Abbasi dished out the orders.
"Of course, Edeleheer," a respectful General Musa responded. "Come on this way," Musa ordered the Jason brothers to follow him out of Abbasi's private living room.
Tell them about the last one who ran from me," Abbasi let out a titter.
Cain had taken a seat on the couch and was as close to Abbasi as he could be what with a table between them. He watched Musa and the red berets lead the Jason trio out of the room the door was then closed it was just Abbasi and Cain. "What happened to the last man who ran?" Cain inquired.
Let me just say, I chopped of his arm, and kept him alive. Gave him the best medical attention and starved him for a couple of weeks. When he grew hungry, we cooked his arm in front of him and eventually he ate himself."
Cain gesticulated for Abbasi to not say any more, "enough said." He winced and saw yet again another reason why Abbasi earned the nickname "Madman."
"So, Magia, you know why I asked you to come with me?"
"You want me to help you win the war against Cheikh Ibora?" A monotone Cain answered.
"That is just it Magia, I had a conversation with Cheikh today I gave him an ultimatum. He agreed to a one on one combat," Cain looked rather astounded by this admission, but his sixth sense hinted at something else.
"I thought Ibora didn't want to fight you, in a one on one duel."
Abbasi chuckled. "Cheikh Ibora is not going to duel me, Magia," Abbasi stood to his feet and clutched his arm around his walking stick. The Madman hobbled over to a globe drink cabinet. "Whisk?" He asked Cain.
"Sure," Cain responded he felt like a drink after what he had been through today and yesterday and the last decade in truth. Abbasi poured a glass for himself and Cain.
"You're going to win Sumaria, Magia. North and south, east and west." Abbasi gave Cain a glass and Cain downed it in one and passed it back to Abbasi to re-fill. "Thirsty, Magia?" Cain nodded his head as the Madman poured Cain another drink. "We both agreed to front a champion," Cain had an inclination what Abbasi was going to say next, he sensed it. "I have chosen you to be my champion, Magia," this was just what Cain thought Abbasi was going to say. Again Abbasi chuckled.
"What is the prize for the victor?" Cain yearned to know.
"If you win Cheikh has sworn to bend the knee and call me Edeleheer of all of Sumaria." Abbasi held his glass in one hand and his walking stick in the other. He hobbled back to his chair and took a sea
"You should not accept, Cheikh Ibora's word," Cain wisely pointed out. "How many times has he gone back on his word? Hmm? I think you are a fool for accepting these terms. Bear in mind, it might be a trap." Cain sensed it would not be so straight forward as a one on one duel. He sensed a sinister plot, but he could not be sure of the mechanics.
"If he does not stand by his deal. He will be crushed. We go there with an army. The Doodspan will tag along, Magia. Fifty thousand men. There will be no ambush. I assure you, Magia." Abbasi sat back in his chair. Little Ant thought he was the man. He was a fool.
"And what if I lose?" Cain asked, not that it mattered much to him, he was not going to lose, after defeating Vaohrodia he feared no-one.
Again Abbasi chuckled. "You're not going to lose."
"I ask a hypothetical question."
"I don't know what that means," Abbasi shrugged his shoulders threw his arms to the either side with his palms facing upward.
"What does Cheikh get if his champion wins?" Cain simplified it for the thick Abbasi.
"I knee," Abbasi said. He had a look of sheer disgust as he too downed his glass of whiskey.
"You're not going to take a knee," Cain pointed out. "So this duel is pointless if you ask me. A poltroon man and a madman. . ."
"Damn it! I want his champion killed - I want you to kill him." Abbasi sounded sadistic as he wagged his finger in front of Cain.
"Who am I going to duel?"
Abbasi just chuckled again, "a dangerous being, Magia. An ex-general of mine who defected. . . Samuel Souleymane, better known as - "
"The Moordenaar," Cain said he knew he was going to face one of few men who could kill him or worst kill someone he loves.
"When is this due to take place?"
"A few days from now."
"Then we have time," Cain said as he stood to his feet. " I must take my leave."
"You best be back, Magia," Abbasi said with a scowl, his lip curled up. "Or else I'll be coming for you. And you wouldn't want that, Magia."
Cain smiled, "I'll be back."
And just like that, he vanished.
Cain reappeared on Truador Bay the sea breeze greeted him. Again he felt dizzy and rather sick. He met Ruban who was staring out at sea. Ruban turned around and greeted him, "I sensed you were in trouble, a few days back, is everything alright?" The dwarf asked kindly.
"I'm fine," Cain replied. "Just fine."
Ruban tried to mask his look of disgust as he looked at Cain. Cain didn't need the sixth sense to know Ruban Umber was repulsed by his looks. "I have done what was asked," Ruban then said reading his mind. "It was a struggle but twas successful."
"I have news," Cain announced. "You are to go to Balgray tonight and burn the high risers. I want no survivors. Only take a few men."
"It will be done," Ruban replied. He did not question a command.
"I'll be back to see what I have got," Cain added. Ruban stretched out his arm and shook Cain's hand but for some reason, the dwarf had a look of bewilderment. "What is it?"
".... Hmm....oh, nothing, just a thought."
"Be safe."
"You n all," Ruban answered.
"Don't let me down." were his parting words for Ruban Umber.
"I won't," the dwarf assured him.
Now, I must attend a secret meeting. And just like that, Cain Magia vanished again.