The wall sconces guttered as the enormous double doors to the Hall of Correction swung open. A warm summer wind blew through the open doors, ushering in the seven members of the Meyer Guild's Judiciary Council, clad in silver and black robes and striding purposefully. The seven judiciary mages walked arranged in a ring, and at their center was a nude woman. The woman walked slowly, her head bent and her hair cascading over her face.
The woman in question was Adept Jocasta, a slight woman with long, honey blonde hair that cascaded down her back. Her milky skin was unadorned and smooth, save for the alchemical symbol of copper tattooed between her collar bones. Now and then, Jocasta would catch one of the Council Member's glancing at her and saw in their eyes admiration of her lithe figure mixed with smug satisfaction. If Jocasta ever met their gaze, the council member would merely stare back with an insufferable expression, until Jocasta broke eye contact to resume glaring back at the richly worked carpet.
At last, the Council stopped in front of a bare stone wall, having reached their destination. The Council members brought Jocasta forward to the leader of the group, a chuckle bubbling up in their midst. She was forced in front of a large, broad-chested man. A bright moonsilver badge gleamed on his chest, and the runes engraved into it announced that the bearer was the Justiciar Leon. The Justiciar grinned, revealing slightly elongated canine teeth that caught the light of the sconces. His gloved fingers wrapped around Jocasta's chin, and he wrenched her face around to stare directly into her eyes.
Beneath the hood, his face was handsome, but in a rough, predatory way. The hairs on the back of Jocasta's neck stood up and she grimaced, attempting to jerk her face away. The Adept succeeded only in hurting her neck though, as the Justiciar's fingers cruelly dug into her jaw and cheek to hold her still.
"Adept Jocasta," intoned the Justiciar, his deep voice tinged with self-satisfaction. "The Guild Court found that you were in violation of the laws of the Academy two days ago. A jury of your peers convened and you were found guilty of unauthorized use of Guild resources and contempt of court," said Leon, eliciting more laughter for the Council members. Jocasta glared at the Justiciar, remaining silent in the face of his contempt.
"After the Guild Officials convened privately, they decided upon the following punishment," continued the Justiciar, who made a flicking motion with his wrists and fingers at the bare stone wall behind Jocasta. It shimmered with an unnatural blue glow before the wall blinked out of existence, revealing an unusual chamber on the other side.
"You are to be placed in the pillory with your magic suppressed, to serve as free-use entertainment for the patrons within the Sunsetter Bordello for eight hours. Only after those eight hours have elapsed will your magic be restored and your bonds removed," finished the Justiciar, releasing Jocasta's chin and thrusting her roughly away from him.
Jocasta hissed in outrage, staggering backward. Two Council members caught the nude Adept, gripping her cruelly by the shoulders and turning her to face the Justiciar once again. Steadying herself, Jocasta's eyes narrowed to slits and her face flushed a deep pink.
"The Guild and the Judiciary Council will guarantee that you will not face any permanent damage or pregnancy from your time at the Sunsetter.. If you comply with this punishment, your license for practicing magic of either the school of alchemy or sorcery will receive no demerits and your crimes will be sealed from public viewing," said the Justiciar, his voice briefly taking on a scripted cadence. Then he stepped in close to Jocasta, close enough that his hot breath tickled her ear.
"I advocated for a worse punishment, you know. But I was denied...this time." whispered the Justiciar. A chill went down Jocasta's back and her formerly outraged expression turned to surprise and horror. "But I know what you're up to. And the next time, I'll have your disgusting little experiments in hand to show the whole world what kind of witch you are." The Justiciar stepped back.
Jocasta's body stiffened, seized by frenzied terror. The Adept's face blanched, and she stared with wide, frightened eyes at the face of the smirking Justiciar. She felt like the room's temperature had dropped by ten degrees, and a cold sweat prickled the back of Jocasta's neck.
Was he onto her? What did he know? Had she not been so careful in concealing her research, so careful in her slow acquisition of materials? Jocasta's mind scrambled, trying to guess how much the Council could know, trying to figure out where she had given herself away. She feared for the safety of her homunculus, lying half finished on the table in her sanctum. She feared for her own safety. Had Leon been watching her? How long?
Before she could put the pieces together, the members of the Council took her by the arms and shoved her through the former wall.
The first thing Jocasta noticed was that her shackles had transformed radically. Her nude body was locked into an exquisitely crafted golden pillory, forcing her to stand in a bent over position. Her hands were secured in their own sockets near her head, and she noticed there was something new around her neck. Without even looking, she knew that the Council had put a Null Metal Collar around her neck. Jocasta grimaced, feeling the unnatural cold, numb feeling emanating from the band that suppressed her magical talent. Well, that was the Guild she knew. Always following through with promises.
Looking around, Jocasta found herself no longer in the Hall of Punishment, but in a place wholly new to her. The room was large, warm and lit by the soft, dreamy glow of alchemical lanterns. In one corner of the room sat an empty cage that was about the height of a man. The door to the cage hung open, with the key still inside the lock. Along the walls were long couches of intricately worked dark wood with soft velvet pillows upon them. One wall, which she hesitated to look at, was covered in an array of crops, paddles, whips and canes. Jocasta shuddered, a melange of emotions evident on her face. The Adept had heard of such implements being used before, but had paid such stories no mind. Now, she thought ruefully, she was in one of those stories.
Overall, the room was what Jocasta imagined an upscale pleasure den might look like. Or at least, the room matched the drunken descriptions that she'd overheard from boisterous Guildmates. Privately, she'd always thought her guildmates were exaggerating. Now she wondered if they hadn't been asking her to join them.
Having examined her surroundings as much as she was able, Jocasta now found herself with little to do. The room was quiet, save for the muffled sounds of comradery coming from somewhere behind her, and the soft creaking of her restraints whenever she shifted her weight. She flexed her hands, trying to see if she could bring any magic to them, but the Null Collar made it feel like running through quicksand. No matter how sharply she brought her focus in, she couldn't bring the magic forth. Sighing noisily, she let go of her focus and let her mind wander.
The Guild wasn't seeking to truly hurt her, but they wanted to humiliate her, Jocasta reasoned. They couldn't legally go after her for more than the minor crimes they already convicted her of, because they didn't have enough hard evidence of her illicit research. So they changed tactics, and instead wanted to frighten her into abandoning any further research and development into her projects. Which was why they had chosen this particular punishment, concluded Jocasta, her expression dark.
Closing her eyes, Jocasta pictured the faces of the Guild Masters. Right now, they were probably smugly congratulating themselves on having neatly thought up a way to deal with her, and Jocasta's blood began to boil.
Unbidden, Leon's smug face swam up into her vision and Jocasta's jaw clenched as she remembered his words. He'd been following her! He'd reported her! And She only just barely kept her research concealed! Her hands balled into fists. Well, if they thought this humiliation would scare her off, the Guild had another thing coming. She was too close to quit, and she determined then and there that she would come out of this debasement and would not give up on her project until it was completed.
Behind her, the Adept heard a door open, and the sound of raucous laughter filtered into the room. A strangely floral smell tickled her nose. Underneath the floral scent though, was the sly aroma of anise and wormwood. Absinthe? She wondered, straining to see what had opened the door. A pair of large hands came down hard on her butt, startling Jocasta.
"So, they've brought in fresh meat," said a low, velvety voice behind her. The hands moved along her sides, causing her to shiver slightly with disgust from the wandering touch. Jocasta's body jerked hard, trying to dislodge the invasive hands that examined her. The voice behind her laughed. "And meat with resistance! My favorite kind," purred the voice, and the hands reached down to roughly fondle her breasts. Jocasta winced at the feeling, but grit her teeth and said nothing. If she stayed silent, perhaps he'd get bored of her and move on to bothering some other poor woman downstairs.
Abruptly, strong fingers found her nipples and pinched them so hard and so suddenly that Jocasta yelped in spite of herself. The pain was unlike anything she had experienced before, both agonizing and intimate. It intrigued the Adept in spite of herself, though she would not admit it.
A rough noise of satisfaction came from the stranger behind her. "Don't go quiet on me now, I've only just gotten here and was looking to enjoy your company," teased the stranger. "I think I want to know a little about you, little slave. Tell me, how is it you ended up here at the mercy of a vampire like myself?" asked the voice, which now sounded closer. Jocasta felt the stranger push their groin up against her rear, where she felt a hot, hard bulge press insistently against her. She made a sound between a sob and a groan, feeling both frightened and electrified by her tormentor.
