I went to bed that night and had a discussion with myself about how I was going to handle Mage King. The last time I saw her, she had my manhood in her mouth and had used it several times without my permission. At the time, it was a severe breach of my word to Helena and the contracts we intended to sign. It was fortunate that we had waited to actually sign the official documents, because I could have been adapted by the Henrietta Family as a slave.

The thought of being their slave made me laugh in my head, because I didn't want to wake Hanna. She was draped over my chest at the moment and the peaceful look on her face as my magic flowed through her, made me not want to disturb her. She had at one point tried to suckle on my nipple for some reason.

She seemed to still be asleep and it only lasted for a short while, then she sighed and started snoring. I had to assume that she was reliving something from when she spent nights with Nana. I would ask about it if I thought it would make any difference. It wasn't like she was responsible if she was half-asleep or could control her urges.

It was then that I realized what had happened, or started happening that way, with Mage King. She really did have a dream where she could do what she wanted with me and then suddenly had me there to do it to. If I hadn't been promised to Helena, I might have even enjoyed it. Mage King's justification afterwards was insulting, however. It was to me, to Helena, and to personal maids, because they never took liberties while doing their duty.

I went to sleep with a plan in my mind and rested for most of the night. With my vigilance technique going all the time again, I felt it when Gella replaced Hanna at my side. I also felt her magic swirl through me as my own responded. She gave my chest several light kisses, making the muscle tingle, then her soft hair acted like a pillow as she tucked herself under my arm and went right to sleep.

Farra came to the bed eventually and she whispered to Gella to stay where she was, then tucked herself under my other arm. With my body back to normal, or as normal as being damaged was, they both let my magic flow over them and went to sleep.

In the morning, Jill showed up and gave me a bath unasked, and did the ritual. She looked pleased with herself, probably from regaining confidence in her abilities, and dressed me in a suit and not my captain's uniform.

“It's time you showed the others what you can do, my lord.” Jill said.

“No, not yet.” I said and put my boots on. “After I take my break to heal and regenerate myself, then I will. I'll show them all what it means to anger me.”

My magic flared out and Gella, Farra, and Hanna shivered and gave me happy and longing looks. They couldn't wait to see me restored, either. We left my room and I went up to the potions area set aside for testing. Linette was already there with four new slave patients wanting their first dose of rehab potion.

“You're early! Good.” Linette said. “I'll need your observation skills, just like you did with Eludora.”

My eyes went to the four men and then back to her.

Linette laughed and touched my arm. “I only meant holding them down if they start to seizure and I can heal them where you indicate, because you can tell before I can where it's happening.”

I nodded and we got to work. We dosed the first man and he didn't react at all.

Linette made notes for the time the potion would go through his system and nodded after casting several diagnostic spells. “I'm happy to say that he's not even getting small muscle spasms. That's good, because it means he can take doses frequently and will be finished quicker.”

“Thanks, doc.” The man said.

“Just lay there until we're done of the others, all right? In case there's residual effects.” Linette said and he nodded.

We went to the next man and he reacted strongly. It wasn't bone breaking strong like Eludora, though.

“I'll have to recommend a half dose or a diluted one. You're going to have to take it a lot longer than the others.”

“Of course I do.” The man said, sadly.

“You're more damaged than others and need more time to recover, that's all.” Linette reassured him. “Believe me, I've seen some of the slaves on the ship when getting you four. There are going to be more people like you than like my first patient.”

The man nodded and we moved on to the next man. He was only slightly twitchy for the potion's duration and he sighed when Linette said he could take the normal doses at a spaced out interval. The last man was the same, even though his twitches were less frequent.

“I think I've got a good example of everyone's reactions.” Linette said and turned to me. “I'd like to try four women next.”

“That's what my buddy said!” One of the men said and the four patients burst out laughing.

Linette blushed from embarrassment and looked mortified.

“Men, jokes like that are only for crewmen and not for everyone.” I said, even though I had a smile on my face. “They don't get it.”

“Sorry, sir.” The man said and looked at Linette. “I apologize, Lady Marks.”

“No, I... I'm sorry for not laughing, too.” Linette said. “I was just shocked and became embarrassed. It was a good play on words.”

I nodded. “How are you all feeling?”

“Good.” “No change.” “A bit tingly.” “Not much.” They said at the same time.

The tingly one was the man that needed a reduced dose.

Linette smiled. “David.”

“I'll take a quarter of the supply and dilute it.” I looked at the men. “Send in four women that aren't busy.”

“Yessir.” They said and got up, dressed, and left at a fast walk.

I got to work while we waited for the women to come in. When they did, they looked hesitant until they saw me. They rushed in and looked at me with awe on their faces.

“Are you really going to fix us?” One of them asked.

“Yes. It's just going to take some time and probably a lot of potions.” I said and then smiled. “I mean drinking them and not dunking in them.”

The women laughed and went over to the four beds. They all looked right at me as they stripped off down to their panties and I knew that they were okay with me looking. I didn't, because I was being a gentleman.

“My lord?” One of them asked and I turned to look at her. She hadn't put on the hospital gown and had taken off her panties as well. “Thank you for accepting us and for escorting us all the way to this land.”

I made a point to look down at her body, like she wanted me to, and looked back up to her face. “Thank you for the privilege of seeing such beauty.”

The woman blushed and her hands moved to cover herself, then she blushed even more and didn't.

“I can't take a slave to my bed.” I told her and she nodded several times, as if I had confirmed her assumption. “However, when you're all better after the potion treatment, I'll give you... and all of you... a special gift. At that point, if you wish to and haven't found another to do so, I will bed you once to satisfy your curiosity.”

She gasped and the other three women let out giggles. “How... how long...”

“If you can take the full dose, almost two months.” Linette said after giving me a weird look. “If you need the diluted version, it will be close to four months.”

“The summer or the fall.” The woman said and then nodded. “My lord, I would be honored to share myself at that time, so I am no longer tainted by the slave brands.”

I walked over to her and she looked surprised that I would approach her. “That's not why.” I said and cupped the sides of her face like Greta did to mine the night before. “It's because at this time, you're considered my slave. I won't take advantage of you or let you think it's because I believe I own you that I'm bedding you.”

“My... my lord, I...” She let a tear come out of her eyes. “You really would take me as a woman right now if you didn't think you owned me?”

I nodded. “I've had it done to me and I won't do the same to anyone else.” I stepped close and gave her a light kiss to prove it, then stepped back. “Don't let my offer stand between you and finding someone to love, because it will just be sex between us.”

“I... I understand, my lord.” The woman said and then smiled. “I really do.”

“Good.” I said. “Now put the hospital gown on and stop making my eyes feast upon your nakedness.”

The woman blushed and reached for the thin cloth, then she turned away and slipped it on, letting me see all of the back of her naked, too. “Yes, my lord.” She said and tied it in the back. It didn't hide her shapely ass at all.

“That's not quite working.” I commented.

“It will have to do, my lord.” The woman said and laid down on the last bed. “I'm ready to start my journey, Lady Marks.”

Linette handed the woman a vial and she drank it down. She cast several spells on her and nodded. After a moment, nothing happened. “You're approved for the normal dosage.”

“Thank you, Lady Marks.” The woman said and laid back to wait for the others. Her eyes went to me and she smiled. “The summer. I'll be ready, my lord.”

I nodded and went with Linette to the next woman. She only twitched a little and was approved for the normal dose as well. The last two didn't react at all and Linette let out a sigh of relief.

“Stay here for a few minutes and rest, then you can change and send in more people.” Linette said and nodded to me as she wrote down their names and they dosage schedules.

I went back to work and prepared the diluted doses. We both worked all morning and neither of us saw Greta, which meant she was either avoiding me or she was making potions with the old man and Farra. I would find out that afternoon when we were scheduled to keep working on the pigment potion creme. We took a break for lunch, which Linette was more than happy to join me for, then Linette had to leave.

“I'll come with you.” I said and she looked surprised, then Gella was there and handed me my sword. “I need to visit the academy and go somewhere I hadn't planned on going until I returned to school.”

“My lord, are you attending again?” Gella asked.

“I wasn't planning to so soon.” I said. “I have work to do and...”

“The school year will be ending soon. If you are there to take the exams and tests, they will have to acknowledge you actually grading to the next level and not passing because of the deal.” Gella said.

I gave her a pointed look and she grinned at me.

“I talked to Greta this morning before she left. She received an offer to return to teach, now that the mages guild is no longer stopping her from getting ingredients.”

“So that's where she is.” I said.

“She didn't tell you?” Linette asked, surprised.

“No.” I said and I waved at the front door. “Now I have three reasons to go to the academy.”

We left the building and the carriage was there waiting for us. I handed in Linette and then Gella, then climbed in myself.

“I'll be by each morning until we dose all of your people.” Linette said. “Once I know their reactions, they can self dose or come to you for them.”

“To me.” I said. “You know some will want to rush it.”

“That they can't do. If someone tries, tell them about Eludora's reaction. None of them want to get worse by pushing too far too fast.” Linette cautioned me. “If they still try, you can reduce them to the half-doses.”

I nodded. If they wanted to double up on doses to have it happen faster, giving them the half-doses would solve the problem without them actually realizing it.

We dropped Linette off at the hospital and the carriage took Gella and myself to the academy. I really hadn't planned on going back there, then realized what I was wearing.

“Driver, the garment district, please.” I said and we changed course.

“Oh! The uniform.” Gella said in understanding.

I nodded and refused when Gella asked me if I wanted to wear some concealer. She gave me a curious look, then shrugged and sat back for the remainder of the ride.

The garment district was slightly busy and no one paid two slaves any attention at all. We entered the shop that sold the mage academy uniforms and the woman behind the counter sighed when she saw us.

“I have no orders for you to pick up.” The woman said.

“We're here to buy an academy uniform.” I said and pointed at myself. “My lord is as big as me and sent me for a fitting and to bring the uniform to him as soon as possible.”

The woman sighed again. “Of course he did.” She waved at the dressing station at the side of the room. “Disrobe and I'll be right over with something as quickly as I can.”

Gella hid her smile at the woman's upcoming reaction as we went over to the spot and she helped me undress. “Do you want to face her or let her see your back first?” She asked in a whisper.

“I can see in the mirror, so back first.” I said and Gella laughed under her breath and pulled off my shirt just as the woman came out of the back.

“AHHH!” The woman yelled and dropped the things in her hands as she covered her face. “By the Father's Grace!” She exclaimed and started crying.

“This is what happens to slaves that disobey.” I said.

The woman stood there for several minutes before she uncovered her face and looked at me with her eyes partially covered. She let out a whimper, then she slowly bent down to pick up the things she dropped. She walked over as if I was going to attack her and then she set her things down on a nearby table that was used for that purpose.

“It's... it hideous.” She whispered. “How can you even move like that?”

“I can't really feel it anymore.” I said and she reached for it, only to pause. “Go ahead. You need to touch me to get the right measurements.”

The woman's hands touched me only with her fingertips at first, then she put her whole hands on my back and rubbed it. She ran her fingers through some of the furrows and even pinched me a few times, as if to test it.

“Fascinating, isn't it?” Gella asked. “If it didn't make him lose some of his agility, I would ask him to keep it, just so everyone would know what he's been through.”

“Wh-what... what do you mean, keep it?” The woman asked.

“We're going to fix it in a couple of weeks.” Gella said. “I don't know if I want to feel smooth skin while hugging him, though. I've gotten used to it like this.”

I touched Gella's face and she gave me a smile.

“Yes, well... I... I better get to work.” The woman said and did just that. At random times, she would let her hand touch my back and she would lightly caress it, like it was something exotic. Her tears would return then, too.

Half an hour later, I was wearing a first year mage academy uniform and it looked good on me.

“It's a waste of money to buy this, considering the year is almost over.” The woman said.

“Then I'll order two more for the second year.” I said and she nodded. “Keep my measurements on file, please.” I handed her a gold coin. “How much for the uniforms?”

“Three gold crowns each.” She said and stared at the coin in her hand. “Are you really giving me this?”

I added nine more coins to her hands. “File the measurements under Lord Drake and someone will come by to pick them up when they're ready. There's no rush.”

The woman nodded and hugged the money. “I'll have them ready in a few days.”

“Thank you.” I said and slipped one of my boots back on.

“Why are you wearing women's boots?” The woman asked, curious.

“I don't have any toes.” I said and she gasped as she looked down at the socks on my feet. “That's just some padding to brace my foot.” I said and flipped my sword around and plunked it right on the part where my toes should have been. The dull wood sound from the floor made the woman jump. I put on the other boot and stood. “I'm going to miss the extra height when I get my toes back.”

Gella laughed softly and picked up my clothes. “You can get men's boots with thicker heels, my lord.”

“I can?” I asked as we walked out of the shop. We both ignored the woman's startled shout.

“Or you can make them. You are a mage that can use marsh magic, my lord.” Gella said with a smirk.

I couldn't stop my smile and nodded. I handed her into the carriage and entered myself. “The academy.” I told the driver and the carriage took off. We sat back for the relatively short ride and didn't speak. I was going to be a little late for the first afternoon class, then realized I would need to go to the administration building to tell the director that I was back as a student.

I wonder what she's going to say, if anything? I asked myself.

Mage Chasma seemed quite accepting the last time I was there and I hoped that attitude continued. Word of what I've done to the guild should have spread by now and there might be a lot of unhappy students that wanted a piece of me.

The thought made me smile and I saw a matching one on Gella's face. Unlike me, she didn't have to warn them that they were about to die if they insulted me.

“Perhaps just a face slash the first time they open their mouths?” I asked.

“If you wish for me to waste time, I will do so, my lord.” Gella said and her smile didn't change.