"I'll pay well for the male if he meets my standards, whatever anyone else is offering, I'll pay more." Came a voice from the shadows as a few figures approached.
"Just the male? They're a bonded pair.."
"And we are a male only species, we can convert females but it never seems to go well. Besides I only need one, and I find this one appealing. Not like the scrawny ones you elves usually bring to market."
The elven woman sniffed dismissively as she came into view of the cage.
Jeff got up, ready to fight, but that blue glow enveloped the elf's hand and he felt his body go stiff. He saw Amber do the same beside him. "No.. I won't let you.." The elf's fingers twitched again and his mouth clamped up. The door to the cage swung open and a minotaur reached in and roughly pulled Jeff out and pushed him to the ground in front of another creature out of myth.
It was the goat legs Jeff noticed first, covered in shaggy brown fur, the satyr wore a waist wrap to keep modest, and a vest over his chest, but that was it. He wasn't one of those childlike fauns, his human half was beefy. Well muscled with a little padding over it, the slight gut the satyr had did nothing to make him appear soft, not with those heavy pecs and thick arms. The satyr reached out and gripped Jeff's chin in his hand, turning his head this way and that, he motioned for Jeff to stand up, but before he could comply or not, the minotaur dragged him to his feet. Jeff wanted to yell, or to scream, but his mouth was still clammed shut with magic.
The satyr lifted his shirt and prodded at his belly. "Mostly overweight, some training with our wrestlers will fix that." He roughly undid Jeff's pants and pulled them out to get a look at Jeff's package. Jeff was somewhat gifted in that area. Apparently it met muster as he turned to the elf woman with a nod. "I'll take him." He pulled a leather pouch off his belt and lofted it to the elf woman who caught it, pulling it open and spilling the golden coins onto her hand.
"Enough?" The satyr asked.
"Plenty." She responded, tucking the coins back in the pouch and into her pocket. "Do you want a control ring as well?"
The satyr looked Jeff up and down and nodded. "Perhaps that would be best. He looks like he's going to fight me, I can always remove it once he's settled in. Put it here." The satyr reached out and tweaked Jeff's left nipple through his shirt. Jeff felt himself blanch.
"Very well, we will bring him out to you in a short while." The minotaur slung Jeff over his shoulder and carried him off, the elf woman following. The satyr gave him one last look and left. His eyes met Amber's and he felt tears start streaming down his face, hers was already damp. She reached out to him but she soon disappeared around a corner.
Eventually, Jeff found himself in a more well lit room. Still stone, but lights blazed on the wall. He stood still as the minotaur set him down. Then with little effort, tore Jeff's clothing right off of him and tossed it into a fire blazing in a hearth on one wall. He wanted to run, but he was still locked in place by magic. So when the minotaur overturned a bucket of water hot enough to redden his skin over him he couldn't even flinch, though it did do an amazing job washing off the grime of his hike and the dungeon.
Then Jeff endured the most humiliating five minutes he had ever experienced as an elven man came in and began to clean him from head to toe. A little grooming of his hair and beard, some scented soap, and another rinse in scalding water. No one talked, no one said anything, it was like Jeff was an object being fixed up and polished and nothing more. The elf woman walked over to a table and picked up a pair of golden rings, one she slipped on her finger the other she placed against Jeff's left nipple. It was cool until she began chanting. For a moment it felt like it was searing his skin, and then it was cool again. He looked down and saw the ring pierced right through his nipple, perfectly placed and healed as if it had been done ages ago.
"You will stand still and quiet." The elf woman said as she placed a finger against the matching ring on her hand. Jeff felt a tingle come from the ring on his chest. The blue light faded from her hand, but Jeff found himself no more capable of talking or moving than he had before.
"Stand on one foot." Jeff did so. "Switch feet." He did so again. "Say I'm at your service, sir."
"I'm at your service, sir." Jeff's voice croaked out.
The elf woman nodded as the man returned with a plain grey robe he put over Jeff's head and let fall to his ankles. Sandals were placed in front of him and one order from the woman and he stepped into them. "Now follow me."
Jeff trailed after the woman as she led him once more through a few passageways and out into the light. They were in a forest, but very different from the one they left. Jeff couldn't identify most of the trees, and some of them didn't even seem like they should exist. The satyr was waiting by a carriage, a strange small green creature with big ears in the driver's seat.
In the light of day, Jeff got a better look at the being that purchased him. He had thought him older, inside, but now he'd place him somewhere around thirty. His goat legs where brown furred and shaggy, but groomed. He was definitely bearish up top. Though more muscle bear.. the gut he had looked rock solid as the rest of him. His brown hair was trimmed short, though his beard was braided at the chin, the end of which rested between his meaty pectorals. A pair of impressively curled ram's horns sprouted from his brow and curled back and around his pointed ears.
The waits wrap and vest he wore was of fine quality, emerald green embroidered with gold. Some of the embroidery actually looked to be pictures of.. acts Jeff wouldn't expect to see depicted on clothing. The satyr beamed as he saw Jeff.
"Stand there." The elf woman commanded, halting Jeff as she took off the ring and handed it over to the satyr, surprisingly it went from her slender fingers to his thick ones without a problem.
"A pleasure as always, Amira." The satyr said with a smile. The elf woman just snorted and went back inside the stone castle they had just left. "Well, climb aboard." Jeff did as he was told, not that he had much choice. He got in the carriage and sat down. The satyr climbed in after him and sat across from him. One knock on the wall behind him and the carriage started rumbling down the path.
"I am Basil." The satyr said, expecting a response and getting none. He looked down at the ring and sighed. "You may talk."
Jeff felt his jaw loosen, but he clamped it shut, he was not going to be civil with someone who purchased him.
"Ahh.. I pinned you as a stubborn one. I will use this ring as little as possible, I'm a fan of free will. Cooperate and one day I may even remove it, for now.. let us try to be polite, we will be spending a lot of time together. What is your name?"
Jeff kept his mouth shut.
"Very well then, a lesson. Your name is now Jory. You will no longer refer to yourself by your old name, or respond to it. In fact forget it." Basil reached over to where some bottles were held in a compartment, pouring a glass of wine and holding it out to Jory. "Your old life is gone, the sooner you accept that the better."
Jory was working his jaw. He couldn't remember his name, whenever he tried to think of it Jory came up, even though he knew that was wrong. Jory took the offered glass. "Thanks.." He said, though it felt as though horses had to drag the words out of him. He took a sip, it was a dark red, but surprisingly fruity, with a spicy warmth that seemed to sink into him.
"I think in time you won't find me onerous. You see, I just inherited my father's vinyards and I need a new.. manservant isn't the right word.. factotum? Someone who can run errands for me, get things done on my behalf, take care of day to day things for me while I focus on running my business. None of my current household staff was up to the job so I decided to hire someone new. You will be paid a wage, though I'm afraid until you can pay me back twice what I bought you for I'm going to have to keep you, though your room and board will be covered."
Jory was staring into his wine, he was listening though his thoughts were on Amber.
Basil tilted his head. "Ah, this must be a lot to take in all at once. We can talk about it more at the manor, drink up." He refilled the glass in Jory's hand.
"What's going to happen to Amber?" Jory asked suddenly.
"Amber? Is that the female you were with? Someone will buy her I'm sure, she was quite attractive." Basil said with a shake of his head. "As much as I can judge those things. I did you two a favor. If you had been sold together it likely would have been as breeding stock... try not to think on it too much."
"Coming up on the portal, boss." Came the surprisingly gruff voice of the driver.
"Hold on, this can be a bit disconcerting for first timers." Basil said as he leaned back in his seat.
Suddenly light flashed through the interior of the carriage and in a blink the scenery out the small window changed. It was still a forest but the trees were smaller and wider, the air was warmer and there were rolling hills dotted with stones in the distance. Jory drained his cup.
"Quick travel portals, makes moving between the various magical realms much easier." Basil quickly refilled the wine cup, motioning for Jory to drink up. He did so, the wine was some of the best he had ever tasted, though he didn't feel the warm boozy buzz sinking in, the tingle was different, more energizing than calming.
Two more glasses and a quiet hour long carriage ride later and they came to a stop in front of a villa. White plaster and wooden beams gave it the look of a building right out of the Greek country side. A vast vinyard spread out behind it and he could see figures moving about in that field tending the vines. But he got out of the carriage after Basil without being told and followed him into the villa.
"Sorry, sir, we didn't expect you back so soon!" Another satyr, this one looking to be in his early twenties with a lean, gymnast's build came bustling up, he wore no vest, only a simple waist wrap in blue. His blond hair was shaggy, and he had a short braided goatee, blond hair spread across his lean chest, but faded to grey where it met his grey furred goat half. He was carrying a glass of wine that glistened with condensation. Basil took it with a nod and sipped. "Excellent. Jory, this is Theo, where you focus on my needs, he takes care of the house. Cleaning, fixing things, and the like. Nico is the cook, you'll meet him eventually but no doubt he is busy getting dinner in order. Bruto is the keeps the vineyards in check, he'll be up here later as well. If I don't have company to entertain, I like to dine with the household staff."
Theo beamed at Jory. "Good to have you aboard, the first few weeks are rough but you'll get used to it, I did. Do you want me to show him his room?"
Basil shook his head. "I'll show him, make sure Nico knows there's one more for dinner." Basil took Jory upstairs and showed him to a room. "This is next to mine, there's a bell I can use to summon you when I need you. I need you close." The room wasn't huge, but it was comfortable, tiled floor keeping it cool in the warmth and a small balcony that looked out over the vineyards. A pitcher of wine sat on a table, also chilled. "Drink that wine, all of it, it's important. There's waist wraps in the drawer here, you might want to keep those sandals for now, though get changed before dinner. For now, you can relax, but don't leave the room yet." And with that, Basil left.