Prepare

CHAPTER 8: PREPARATION

"I don't understand, Master." Cat was sitting behind Goran on the borsin as they left the small village. "That man you met with was Bartle? You just met with the man Santini paid you to kill?"

Goran chuckled, "Yes, Cat. That was Bartle. And the two men you so expertly occupied to give us time to talk in private were his sons."

* * * *

Cat had had no clue about what was happening the previous night and it had all seemed very mysterious to her from the beginning when they left the borsin in a secluded part of the forest so thick it managed to hide even something as big as it. They had entered the village on foot, Cat was naked as slaves often are while Goran wore a hooded cape that did nothing to hide the size of his frame but did hide his features. The pub was nearly empty at the late time when they entered. Shortly after, as if the others had been waiting outside for their arrival, three men entered with two taking a small table near them as the third stood examining the interior of the small establishment and appraising everyone inside it.

Goran was sitting with his back to an outside wall at a small table. Cat was kneeling in the formal presentation position at his side. She had been instructed not to make eye contact with whoever approached Goran so her eyes were fixed on a prominent knot in the wood planking of the floor in front of her. After carefully considering the room and everyone in it, the man took a seat at the small table opposite Goran. Cat heard the table creak as both Goran and the man leaned forward across the table and clasped forearms in a manner that was different than she had seen before and made her think was a greeting of friendship.

"The word on the wind was that the great Goran had a slave in tow. I refused to believe it. The demon I knew wouldn't risk the distraction or liability."

The words from the man were delivered quietly and Goran's response was the same. "This one is special." It was quiet for a moment, then, "We need to speak privately."

"I assumed so. Is it bad?"

"Very ... but I think manageable." It was quiet, again. The other man indicated to the two he entered with, "Will they allow you to be left with me?"

"Yes. I expected this potential ... they will watch that nobody follows. A distraction would be good, though."

Goran chuckled and a small smile formed on Cat's lips. "That won't be a problem. Now, slave."

Cat shifted her feet to allow her to rise smoothly and she began her seductive dance from the table, twirling and grinding between the tables and drawing attention in the opposite direction of the door. When she looked, Goran and the other man were gone. The two men who entered with the other man and the three other men in the room were watching only her. This was Goran's plan. This was the diversion. Her non-plussed reaction to that hadn't even surprised her, anymore. She was a sexual being now. That Goran instructed her to take on all who might be in the pub brought only a simple nod ... and a smile.

Her dancing around and against the men, teasing them, and enticing them, was brought to a sudden stop when one of the men seated at a table grabbed her wrist. She looked down at him, then scanned the rest of the room to find all the others watching with interest what was about to happen. She wasn't looking for help, she was looking to be sure she had all their attention. She had no intention of pulling away. Her job was to provide a diversion. Instead, she sank to her knees in front of the man, her hands stroking up his heavy thighs. Being used to a man of Goran's stature, these men were rather unremarkable to her, the only thing of importance to her was that her hands, once sliding up to the man's groin, detected a hardening cock underneath the loose pants he wore. She stared at the spot of her interest and licked her lips, an action that inspired the man to quickly and clumsily fumble to loosen and open the pants. As he raised his hips to lower them and expose his hard cock to her, another man appeared behind her, his hands stroking her bare ass. With a cock now deep in her mouth, she rose to her feet, bent over at the waist, and wiggled her ass invitingly to whoever was behind her.

Cat inwardly smiled, such power a slave could have over men.

She felt the hands behind her firmly grasp her waist and a cock head begin probing at her pussy. Her groan was muffled by the cock in her mouth as the man sank into her hole and pressed in. He also groaned and muttered about her already wet cunt. Other hands soon appeared on her naked body, hands stroking her back, fondling her large, swinging breasts, or squeezing her nipples. As the man behind her continued to thrust at her pussy, she was pulled off the cock in her mouth and her head moved to the side where another hard cock waited. It was thrust into her open and waiting mouth and soon the cock in her pussy pulled out leaving her with a momentary feeling of emptiness and loss but that was quickly relieved by another cock driven into her sopping, open hole.

The transitions were awkward and clumsy but effective. Cocks rotated in her mouth or pussy and hands on her body. She orgasmed at one point before any of the men and had to hold onto the waist of the man in front of her to maintain her balance as her body shook. But the men never let up on their assault. Soon after, though, her mouth was filled with cum and her pussy was, too. And the assault on her continued. The men laughed about showing what happens when a slave is left alone. It almost made Cat laugh except for the cock deep in her mouth.

It was shortly after that when one of the men filled her pussy with cum and pulled out that she took matters into her hands. She let the cock in her mouth fall out as she stood in the midst of them. Trying to take some measure of control while still maintaining the attitude of a slave, she encouraged one of the men onto the floor. Bewildered by the request, he nonetheless complied. Before, a slave who made such a request could seem too bold, so she quickly straddled his hips and sank her pussy down over his hard cock. They both groaned, she with a little more theater than his honest reaction. She then leaned forward on his body and pulled her ass cheeks apart to expose her asshole. Goran had effectively made her a three-hole slut with his big cock and she had little concern now about offering all of them at the same time now. But, as the next man pressed his cock against her asshole, she realized the difference between being assaulted and a caring man doing the same thing. With her pussy already full of cock, the one pressing at her asshole felt huge and he showed little of the concern Goran had used. But she was soon full of cock, one in each of her holes: pussy, asshole, and mouth. Once the action was established, the men found it wickedly enticing. They continued using her three at a time while shifting as one came in her body.

Unknown to her or the men, Goran and the other man had returned and had helped themselves to more of the local brew. They sat at a table against the wall and watched as Cat was ravaged by the five men.

Goran's companion commented, "She doesn't seem like a common slave, Goran. And, I have to admit I am still surprised a man like you has taken on a slave."

Goran smiled slightly as he watched. He didn't see her being ravaged as much as she was directing herself being ravaged. Cat had described what was happening to her as being 'air-tight', something he had not heard of on HOR. She had introduced a new experience and the men were being consumed by it. In a way, he had a feeling of pity for the next slave the men came across where they had free rein over.

"She is not a common slave." But that was all he confessed.

Bartle nodded and turned his gaze on Goran. "I see it now. Her body ... the confidence and attitude she is hiding behind the submissive act ... what time is she from?"

Goran chuckled. "First, her submissiveness is only an act to others. But you are correct friend, she's from 2019." Bartle gasped.

* * *

"But, Master, if that was Bartle ... Master, Santini paid you to kill Bartle." He didn't respond and Cat mulled it over a moment in her mind. "You never intended to honor the mission. That will make you a wanted man of a powerful adversary."

"Yes."

"I sense Bartle is more than just the man who gave you your freedom."

"Also correct. And, Santini's mission for me was more than just an assassination. Santini would intend to use the assassination as the confusion to create the opportunity to attack Bartle's territory and expand his own. Ultimately, Santini intends to amass an army to cross the mountains and take the riches and treasures legend says are there for the taking."

"That's where the borsin comes from, right?" He nodded. "Are there riches and treasures?"

He chuckled, "Not those kind of material riches and treasures."

Cat squeezed into Goran's back. "So, this has always been about stopping Santini and protecting the Anagor living on the other side."

"And Bartle, too. Yes."

"What do we do, Master?"

He smiled. He knew she was ready. He had noticed an increased aggressiveness in her attitude along with the changes in her body. Her body had certainly changed in the same ways so he anticipated the aggressiveness, too. "First, we get rid of the men following us." She was surprised by that statement. But she probably shouldn't have been. Goran had taken his money, so Santini would certainly want to know Goran was following through. "They've watched us since we left Santini. They've seen us in our approach with Bartle's territory and our meeting last night. Now, we try to get them all to report back to Santini so we can go about what we need to do."

"So, this was all planned. You and Bartle have a plan, already?" Goran stopped at a small river for the borsin to drink and rest. Cat slid off, followed by Goran, his weapons at the ready. "Master, I sense there is more to Bartle than the person who gave you your freedom for you to take on this risk."

He hesitated before answering. "There are few of us." That was confusing. He turned and stepped close enough to hold Cat's shoulders. He glanced down her naked body, an action that was involuntary but always pleasing. "He is one of us ... from Earth. He's been here long enough to have grown sons from a HOR wife. He was from the 1960s on Earth." He smiled as he seemed to reminisce about something. "I always thought he was from the distant future from me ... now you. Anyway, he was an idealistic entrepreneur of that time with ideals about community and shared opportunity. Those ideals were being talked about then but not yet accepted in the business world. When he found himself here, he took the opportunity head-on. He found his business and management skills to be highly advantageous. He established small businesses and grew them. As his influence quickly grew, he implemented his idealistic views of shared effort and shared benefit."

"A classless society?"

Goran laughed, "Not entirely. No, not on HOR. As you found, slaves are still assumed. The people assume the need for a ruler, of sorts, and Bartle has accepted that. But he has essentially eliminated abject poverty and the huge gap between the classes. I have found no other territory where the general people are as devoted and trusting as with him in control. The downside, if you will, is that Bartle puts resources back into the people rather than building up an army to secure his control. From inside, he has no threat. The people enjoy life like no others in terms of innovation and comfort in life. There are others outside, though, who would like to take his territory away. Santini has been the most determined. It was why I accepted the meeting in the first place. I anticipated his intentions."

"And the Anagor on the other side of the mountains."

He smiled, "Them, too."

"What is the plan then, Master?"

"Once we are not watched, we go to the other side. Bartle needs reinforcements."

"How will you do that, Master? You said the Anagor were not warring people."

He smiled and looked deeply into her eyes. "Not the Anagor. And, I'm not ... you are."

That confused Cat, especially the part that she was going to do something to provide reinforcements for Bartle, but at that moment 5 riders approached. She looked anxiously at Goran but he was calm, as though he was expecting them. Their horse-like creatures stopped well short of the borsin who dwarfed every other creature. The other men had swords attached to their waists. Goran drew one of his swords from the sheath attached to the creature and leaned on the hilt, the point slightly penetrating the soft ground of the forest. Cat stood next to the borsin in a way that could be interpreted as submissive to her Master but was intended to have her within reach of her sword sheathed above her head.

The men talked for several moments. They had witnessed them enter the village and the pub, though they had not witnessed what happened inside or who the hooded man being Goran had met with. Goran explained dismissively the man was his inside contact, the man who could make it possible for him to gain entrance to Bartle's inner compound. The men were supposed to get the details: the when and how. Goran laughed. The how was for him to know. The when was all Santini needed to know. He gave them the when, then he gave them something more.

"Tell Santini my contact has influence on the movements of Bartle's men. Santini should be aware in making his plans that my contact will influence moving part of Bartle's army to the North in the ruse that he has learned Santini has begun moving a force there to surprise." The North region is particularly fertile and would be a tempting prize to acquire.

One rider left immediately to deliver the message. The other four paused. There were more words. They were told to keep an eye on Goran's movements. Goran shrugged as though it meant nothing to him other than an inconvenience. Once back on the borsin, they moved on quietly with the other men some distance behind.

"Master, we cannot go to the mountains with them following."

He chuckled. "Stating the obvious, Cat."

He didn't offer more regarding a plan, a way to get back to their original plan. Her immediate thought was brutal ... kill them. The thought ... or her comfort with it ... surprised her. Then, it occurred to her that he might be testing her like he so often did. Not testing her in the ways of being a slave or about HOR in general but how far she really might have developed in becoming a real partner in his violent life on this brutal world. And, with that perspective, her thought about the solution didn't seem out of line.

"Master, may I offer an idea?" He privately smiled and grunted a response for her to continue. Her suggestion, she thought, was fitting for a Horean solution for a moment like this. In a firm and confident voice, she suggested that they stop early to water their rides, someplace remote, even more remote than their current surroundings. Goran could offer her to the other men as a sort of gesture, conciliation, but more to divert any lingering suspicions that might be harboring or even instructed by Santini to maintain. She continued with more detail for the critical moment. At the precise moment, the first man pulled out of her and the second began moving to position himself for a turn would be the moment when Goran could come up behind one of the other distracted men. That would be an easy kill and relatively quiet with a dagger. The fourth man might react quicker to the disturbance but the two occupied with her would be slower and confused.

Goran smiled. He had trained her in the use of the weapons of HOR but this was the response that indicated she was truly ready to use them.

"A solid plan. There is a risk at that moment."

Her body pressed into his back, he felt her soft chuckle more than hearing it above the sounds of the five animals clomping with heavy steps, especially the borsin they were astride. "As you have often drilled into me, Master, there is always a risk of danger and conflict for you, and therefore me, on this world. It is why decisive, and often violent, pre-emptive action is required. Your plan requires us to visit the other side of the mountains. Santini cannot know that. You gave these men the opportunity to leave."

Goran ran his hand along her naked thigh to her hip behind him. "I meant there will be a risk for you with two of them."

She altered her tone to reflect a submissive, docile slave, "Whatever do you mean, Master? A compliant slave? They won't even consider me a threat." Although her breasts were pressed into his back, she only had a single hand on his hip otherwise as she sat behind him. He patted her thigh, recognizing and accepting the validity of her assessment.

They had curved their path until they were moving generally north as though considering battle schemes while Goran was leading them to a location that suited the purpose of working with Cat's plan. By mid-afternoon, they reached a swift-moving narrow river where they dropped from the borsin knowing the other men were not far behind. Cat stood next to the borsin at the edge of the water as though tending the creature while Goran took up a position anticipating the others. A steady roaring sound came from the downstream direction telling Cat that Goran had selected a place where heavy rapids or a waterfall was just around the bend. It was indeed perfect.

As they all rested, Goran made a casual offering to the other men. By casually offering his slave for their enjoyment, he established an air of normalcy and comradary when the expectation might be anything but that. Despite her body's physical appearance, Cat was still able to present the image of a meek, submissive slave responding to her master's commands. This was her idea, her plan, and it was being played out around her. And, as it began to unfold, Cat was somewhat amazed at the calmness of her approach to it. The commanding, intelligent, and independent woman of the 21st century on Earth was still inside her, but she had become, accepted, being an outwardly submissive-appearing slave. She had been given to many men in many situations but all for a purpose, to further a plan, to achieve a goal. This situation was incredibly different but, also, the same. She was that slave-girl, that object for enjoyment and pleasure without regard for herself. But, now, she was also being that 21st-century woman, at least in part, but a 21st-century woman honed by training for adaption to a brutal world. She had become molded, hardened, and sharpened by Goran into a tool, a weapon. And, this was a fitting application, a culmination of all that training and preparation. She would die ... or she would be elevated.

Cat meekly stepped to the four men. Naked already, of course, she stood in the presentation position, her feet at shoulder width, her arms at her sides to fully expose herself to the men. Her bare pubes were like a magnet for their eyes as seemed to be a universal reaction. The men stepped forward, surrounding her quickly, all of them working at their belts and ties of their clothing as they jostled each other for position around her. As pants began falling to their feet, she went to the ground in the standard, unimaginative position ... on her hands and knees. It was the typical position to take a slave, at least initially. Fucking a slave was more often than not for the expectation of relief for the man than prolonged pleasure and mutual enjoyment. If this were to go as past times had, she would expect to be fucked from behind several times before she rolled to her back. If she had more control, as she used in the pub, she could entice them into using more of her holes. This wasn't one of those times, however. This was a pure diversion. She was going to be fucked merely to divert their attention, to cause them to let down the guard they should normally have around a man like Goran.