After her punishment, Karis had at last been granted a reprieve. Still no sexual release, but at least an opportunity to care for herself. She had bathed with Lorath's assistance, because she had grown too weary to do so alone. Consciousness had barely remained with her while she'd been led to an unexpectedly appointed bedroom with a real bed, dressed with finery. Karis had immediately collapsed upon it, naked but for the collar and her new piercings, and fell to sleep before Lorath had locked her in.
When she awoke several hours later, she was surprised to find herself alone. No sunlight reached the room, but it was still illuminated by crystals set into the wall, humming quietly with the traces of magic which fueled them. Karis no longer burned with the sexual desire that had plagued her all of the day prior, but thinking of her ordeal did stir a hint of arousal.
Tentative fingers traced along her body, falling first upon the piercings in her nipples, noting that they were already erect with expectation. They were sensitive, and even the light brush of her fingertips brought a gasp of pleasure from her lips. She gripped a breast in one hand, toying with herself while the other dipped between her spreading legs. Karis knew she would be wet, but hadn't expected her clitoris to be so sensitive, more than her nipples were.
Before she could tease herself further, a shock tormented her, delivered via the piercings. Karis yelped out in alarm, but was quickly relieved that the torment did not last. It must have been a warning, and as she cast her gaze about the room, she wondered how Lorath had known she had done anything at all to warrant the punishment.
A dreadful thought crept upon her, and Karis quickly abandoned any further attempts to pleasure herself. 'The enchantments must be cunning enough to know,' she reasoned, sitting up to better survey the room. Her breasts and pussy ached for further attention, but not for the torment that was sure to follow if she tried to please herself without her Master's permission.
'My Master,' Karis thought again, both appalled and strangely aroused that she was settling into her role as his submissive Pet. 'How long will it be until I wholly welcome this life I have been thrust into..?'
Her wonderment trailed off when her gaze alighted on a table laden with food. A simple breakfast of bread and cheese, cuts of meat, a pitcher of water with a wooden cup beside it. There were no cutlery, but Karis didn't care. Stomach growling, she all but scrambled out of bed towards the offering. She almost missed the note that she spied beside it, and between bites, she read Lorath's words.
"Good morning, my Pet. I hope you enjoy what I've left for you. This is but one of many boons of servitude to me. You will be cared for and fed, so long as you continue to submit to me and do as you are told. Remember that you have surrendered your freedom. This does not come without guarantees. You will be kept safe, sheltered, clothed, clean and fed. Good girls are entitled to all of these things. I am certain you know now what happens to bad girls.
"I will come to continue your training later today. You will know that I am coming when the light above the door turns on. I expect to find you in a position of readiness. Until then, I would advise you to stretch and exercise, but not too vigorously.
"Do not attempt to pleasure yourself without my permission. Your body belongs to me, now. If you disobey me in this, you will be punished. If you persist beyond the punishment that your new accessories can provide, I will punish you, myself. You do not want that, and I will now reveal to you why.
"Your companion was indeed set free, but not without receiving accessories of her own. Fret not, she was spared the collar, but not the piercings. Any rewards or punishments that you receive, she will receive in turn. Wherever she goes, no matter how far, this will remain true. She is bound to you, much as you are bound to me. If you do not wish her to suffer, you will obey me. If you force my hand to punish you, remember that she will be punished in equal measure.
"Think on this while you await my return, Pet. I look forward to seeing you again."
Karis had stopped eating when she read the last, the secret revealed. Her stomach turned, but not with nausea. She felt disgust and hatred towards Lorath, and the more she thought on her final 'punishment', the more she despaired. How long had it been between Lenore's release and the commencement of her punishment? She had no idea. How far could her sword-sister have gotten before being subjected to the whipping that Karis had endured?
She remembered, too, how every acknowledgement of the lash had been rewarded with such pleasant vibrations. It had quickly grown easy for Karis to accept her humiliation and accepting the punishment, knowing that there was pleasure to be had in pain. Lenore would have felt it all, too. She imagined her fellow knight sprawled out in the forest somewhere, wailing in mixed pain and pleasure, perhaps oblivious to the cause.
Karis hated that the thought excited her.
Begrudgingly, she ate more food, drank the water, and eventually got up to explore the room she'd woken up in. Her gaze drifted to the dormant crystal above the door, and she made a mental note to continue checking it. If she failed to greet Lorath, Karis knew she would be punished. Lenore would be punished for any and every mistake that Karis made, now, and she had little choice but to do her very best to obey. If not for her own sake, then for that of Lenore, wherever she now was.
Karis faced the door when she began to stretch and exercise, checking the crystal again and again. She felt anxious for the crystal to light up, to signal Lorath's return. She wondered how her training would continue from here. Obviously, it would be sexual in some way. Karis expected something more, though. Lorath was obviously shaping her, in the way that a slaver shapes their captees towards one purpose or another. She wondered what her purpose would be, but her imagination was lacking in that regard.
Eventually, she returned to the food and finished it. She tried to mark the passage of time, but couldn't keep a count. She paced the room, stretched some more, exercised a little. Soon, the water was gone. How long would it be until Lorath returned? What if he never did, and she was left to perish in this cell, alone and forgotten?
When the crystal finally lit up, a deep crimson the color of blood, Karis' heart leapt in fear and excitement. Her heart pounded in her chest, and for a moment, she forgot what she was meant to do. As if expecting Lorath to open the door in seconds, Karis scrambled into position, anticipating what Lorath would have wanted, based on how she'd displayed herself before.
On her knees, legs parted to exposed herself. Arms clasped behind her back, back slightly arched to display her breasts. Karis felt a thrill of excitement, as well as dread. What if this was wrong, and she was punished? What could she do to ensure Lenore wasn't tormented?
Heart pounding, Karis watched the door, waiting. She squirmed, adjusting her position, making sure she was exposed and vulnerable. Just as she began to doubt his arrival, the door opened silently. The elf stood in the doorway, dressed in riding leathers. She caught a whiff of him, a familiar scent of horse and sweat, reasoning that he'd been traveling. It explained the long wait.
"Good girl." Lorath said, and his words activated the piercings. A pulse of pleasure made Karis jump slightly, a surprised moan escaping her. Her reaction made him laugh. "Come here." He commanded, pointing at his feet. His other hand produced a leash.
"Yes, Master." Karis answered, and hesitated a moment. She almost rose to her feet to approach him, but quickly thought better of it. Lorath had proven to be cunningly twisted and depraved, and she was keen on avoiding as much punishment as possible. Unclasping her arms, she crawled towards him on all fours.
When she stopped before him, resuming her earlier posture, she felt another pulse of pleasure. Karis settled back on her heels and bared her neck to Lorath so that he could attach the leash to her collar. His hand stroked her cheek in a gentle caress. "And to think... not that long ago, you were resisting me, swearing that you would never submit..."
Karis remembered. She still hated Lorath, but that emotion had begun to pale in comparison to her desires. Desires she hadn't known she had until he'd opened her eyes to them.
Lorath's thumb brushed over Karis' lips. Without thinking, she parted them, and he pressed his thumb into her mouth. Karis sucked gently on his thumb, making eye contact as she did so. Apparently, this had been a response that Lorath had wanted, and she was rewarded with a teasing vibration through her piercings. Her eyes fluttered for a moment and she swirled her tongue.
Lorath popped his thumb from her lips, ending the vibrations in the process. Karis almost cried out in despair, but restrained herself. She was already so horny, and they'd barely done anything today. It was alarming how desperately she wanted to do more, to figure out what she had to do in order to receive pleasure, how to avoid pain, how to please him.
Straightening, Lorath gave the leash a tug. "On your feet, Pet, and follow me. We have a busy day ahead of us."
Karis followed Lorath quietly, padding through the dimly lit halls of his compound. She had no idea of the size of the place, or whether she was his only captive. Aside from Lenore, there had been no evidence of any other residents.
They descended a flight of stairs, wood paneled walls and floors giving way to stone. It was cold beneath her feet, but she adjusted soon enough, given no time to lag behind as Lorath led her by the leash, leaving little slack. He turned towards a locked door, producing a key. Opening it, he ushered her ahead of him.
