"Hey? You okay? Frostbite anywhere?" @Priscilla asked as soon as she pushed my frozen body into a tub of heated water.

She immediately locked a set of shackles around my wrists.

My torso initially sank, but it bobbed up surface moments later. Ice was buoyant, and I could feel my frozen limbs rapidly thawing in the warm temperatures. This was some kind of improvised bathtub, and it was honestly very soothing to have my raw numb skin submerged in a toasty bath. As a fire caster, it goes without saying that I was much more tolerant of heat than cold.

That said, everything hurt. Although my intrinsic body heat made me somewhat resistant to extreme hypothermia, there were freezer burns all over my skin. The rapid expansion of microscopic ice crystals inside my subcutaneous tissue was very destructive, and I could feel the residual pain in my damaged muscles and other extremities. Cryogenic technology on Earth typically depended on the injection of antifreeze chemicals into the bloodstream to slow the rate of freezing, but the magical flash freeze that I experienced obviously had no such safety measures.

If I wasn't a fire beastkin, it was entirely possible that I might have died from such powerful ice magic.

I shuddered when the vampire girl locked a second set of manacles around my legs. My raw skin was very sensitive.

@Priscilla sighed.

"I don't know who you think we are, but we aren't savages. We're not the same as as those toxic bigoted men. We don't keep slaves, and we welcome everyone regardless of creed, race, or religion. Moreover, by @Trisha's orders, you're to be treated as a guest. I can't say I'm thrilled by her decision, especially since you almost killed all of us, but she's willing to give you a chance. At the very least you're not being sent to the Penitentiary like those other assholes we captured."

I gingerly examined the shackles around my limbs, wincing at every slow movement that I took.

Ironically, this seemed to be their 'guest' treatment? What did they do to the actual prisoners then?

@Priscilla rolled her eyes and tossed a towel over to me.

"I mean we're not idiots. Nobody trusts you. Even if @Trisha calls you a 'guest', you're staying on a leash until the rest of us decide that you're trustworthy. Some of us actually have practical responsibilities and a job to do."

She held up a black strip of leather that had an ominous-looking pendant attached to it.

"Familiar with this?"

I averted my eyes again, my mood bitter.

It was basically the magical equivalent of a shock collar. It could be triggered if a certain condition was met, or alternatively it could be remotely activated by a controller. Most slaves were intimately familiar with these types of training aids, and I had definitely worn these types of collars in the past.

"Let's make the house rules nice and clear."

@Priscilla held up three fingers.

"Cooperate with us, and your life will be easy."

She brought it down to two fingers.

"Don't wander around unsupervised. You'll be blindfolded unless you're in an enclosed room, so don't go sniffing around."

Finally, she left her index finger alone in the air.

"No magic without permission. Just three short rules. Easy to remember, right?"

I narrowed my eyes and nodded cautiously.

They were all very intuitive requests, especially from the perspective of a radical organization like Ovum. Nearly all extreme factions operated out of hidden bases scattered all around the server, most of which would be instantly destroyed by the larger factions if the coordinates were leaked to the public. As a result, there was a substantial amount of secrecy around most of these organizations.

Frivolous magic was generally not allowed on these hidden bases because there were advanced radar-like technologies that could detect magical fluctuations. Without proper insulation, aberrant magical signatures on long-range MAWD sensors were a good indication that there was a hidden settlement nearby. Mana generators could light up the sensors like bright spotlights, so these secret bases often had to forgo modern technology like magical electricity or automated machines.

Even just from glancing around this particular room, this was some kind of communal laundry room with all kinds of drying sheets, washbasins, and scrubbing boards. The furnishing resembled the middle ages, and there weren't any kind of motorized laundry machines or blow dryers.

I struggled to push myself up the edge of the tub, but my bound arms felt weak.

"We'll have a healer check you out later, but I have a tight schedule to stick to. Can you still transform? It'll be easier to carry you."

"Where's my master? @Jasper?" I ignored her stubbornly. "I won't cooperate unless you can guarantee his safety."

@Priscilla held up a small switch expressionlessly in her hand, as if threatening to test the shock function on the remote.

"Transform." She demanded. "You can ask @Trisha about it later. That's not something within my control."

I stared at the vampire girl for a long second.

"...Fine." I sighed.

I glanced at the black shackles around my wrists and ankles, knowing that they would automatically shrink in size to adapt my alternate form. For now, they were inescapable, and they were a form of living metal with a will of their own. The length of the chain could change, and it was essentially a metallic snake wrapped tightly around my limbs.

These weren't cheap restraints, but I also wasn't a powerless level one beginner like any random slave.

I closed my eyes and shifted into my feline form.

@Priscilla produced a thick cloth sack and pointed at the opening.

She wanted me to crawl inside.

⚘ ⚘ ⚘

I was smothered in darkness.

I could still hear random muffled noises in the hallway, but my sense of smell was masked by a strong dizzying odor inside the sack. Clearly, it was designed to transport beastkin who had powerful noses, and it was intentionally meant to be disorienting for the animal occupant.

@Priscilla's grip was firm but not too uncomfortable. Despite her professed hatred of cats earlier, she clearly knew the proper technique to hold an aggressive feline against her chest. We were separated by a thick layer of strong fabric, but the girl maintained a strong grip around the scruff of my neck while supporting my hind legs with her other arm. 

A cat's scruff is so-to-speak a biological weak point. Kittens possess an automatic reflex that cause them to go limp when their parents carry them by the scruff, and many adult cats tense up and freeze when held by the back of their neck. Veterinarians were traditionally trained to subdue a cat by holding them by the scruff, although it can cause a substantial amount of distress to the animal.

"@Priscilla! You're back!" I heard a voice call out through the sack.

"My goodness! You're alive!"

"Any news from Hanabi after the city was attacked and razed? I'm really worried. That's the third base of ours that fell to Hades Rook this month..."

"We're a bit crowded here with all the refugees, but I think everyone's feeling a moral boost with @Trisha and the knights around! Will you be staying for long? We might crack out some fancy rations for a banquet since a council member is visiting."

"@Trisha the Undying Queen! It's so exciting to have her here in person!!"

"Isn't it crazy?! She's been playing on Vetita for almost a whole century. Is it true that she's still keeping track of her deaths? I heard that this is the 38th time that she's respawned. It feels like she's basically immortal and unbreakable..."

"I really admire her! She's my hero!"

"Can we get a hug? I could really use a hug right now, especially with all the horrible stuff that's going on."

"Watch it! I'm carrying a prisoner." @Priscilla shot back at the crowd of voices.

I could sense that a mob had converged around the vampire girl like moths attracted by a bright light. Even though I couldn't see anything inside of the sack, I reflexively tensed up at the mental imagery of a horde of enthusiastic girls swarming poor @Priscilla. Even back on Earth, I didn't like crowds, and I was an intense introvert who preferred to keep quietly to himself.

"Huuh? A small animal? A shifter? Can we see?!"

"Is it cute? If it's cute, nothing else matters."

"Cuteness is justice!"

"You're the real cute one, @Mira!"

"You mean @Mira's chest is cute! Totally pettan¹Pettan: Japanese for "flat". like a pancake!"

There was laughter in the hallways, while one of the feminine voices protested very loudly.

@Priscilla adjusted her grip on the sack and started pushing her way through the crowd.

"Sorry girls," she said. "Council business. Let's talk later? I have work to do."

"Of course, Miss Priscilla! Sorry for bothering you."

A path opened up in the hallway.

"It's good to see that everyone is still hanging in there," @Priscilla said.

⚘ ⚘ ⚘