Chapter 001

[Hexlor]

Pueri Derelicti

13th Rodef 1147

She sat in a corner of the dark room while the other children slept in their beds. Elizabeth’s breathing was short as she tried to hold back tears; every few minutes her lower lip began to tremble and she would bite it back to try and hold in the tears that were about to break through the flood barrier of her serenity. Silent tears streamed down her cheeks.

This was Elizabeth’s last night in the orphanage. The Dog Mother had been wailing at her all day. “You lazy girl!” “You’re old enough to pull your own weight!” “No wonder your parents wanted rid of you!” Followed by a long tirade of abuse. Dog Mother had finally come good to her word, and tonight was Elizabeth’s last night in the orphanage.

Her parents were waiting for her. She could see them at the end of the road. Her mother was beautiful and her father rich. They had been waiting for her for so long. They never meant for her to go away. It was as she’d always dreamed. Elizabeth was running to throw herself in their arms. The sun was shining so brightly. The glare made her parents seem like angels. And then she lost sight of them. She felt a sharp cutting pain in the back of her neck. Wake up, someone shouted. Elizabeth wanted to call out to her mother, but she didn’t know what to call her. Wake up you stupid girl! She didn’t have a name for her father either.

WAKE UP!

Elizabeth shuddered as she fell. She hit the floor and shook herself awake. The back of her neck felt like it was burning and she rubbed it to dull the pain. At some point in the night sleep had overcome her. The Dog Mother was standing above her with her cane in hand. “You lazy girl. Last one to wake. Now come and get ready, we’re going down to the docks and we can’t be late.”

There was a dress laid out on the bed and a hairbrush beside it. Elizabeth smiled when she saw them. The dress was made of thick white cotton with frills all across the hem. She enjoyed the feel of the soft material, as she picked up the brush and began to stroke it through her long unkempt hair.

“Hurry up,” growled Dog Mother, as she hobbled into the room again. “We have a nice place for you, and they’re not the sort to be kept waiting.”
“Yes, Dag Ma,” whispered Elizabeth.

The Dog Mother, or Dag Ma, as she was affectionately known by her orphans, was an elderly canine looking lady. She was a Doglord by birth, that rare species of half-dog, half-human creatures. They were seldom found living in the cities as humans had an innate distrust for them. Dogs, however, went wild whenever they saw their similitude walking upright on two-legs.

Dog Mother’s features resembled those of a brown-furred coyote. She glared down along her black snout at Elizabeth, through a pair of tinted, half-moon shaped spectacles. Elizabeth noticed that Dag Ma was wearing make-up today, she had on her best scarlet robe and may even have been wearing shoes underneath the long hem.

Dog Ma put on her bonnet and picked up her gnarly wooden cane, which had a red gem set into the handle.
“I’m ready,” called Elizabeth, as she skipped up to Dog Ma at the doorway. She was wearing the dress and had tidied her hair into a more seemly ponytail.
“Turn around,” commanded Dog Ma, and Elizabeth gave a little pirouette that caused the hem of her skirt to billow out as she spun. “Good. Now, say goodbye.”
“Where is everybody?”
“They’re all out at play,” came Dog Ma’s husky reply. “Just say goodbye to the house and don’t make a fuss.”

Tears began to blur Elizabeth’s eyes but she held them back, and subtly rubbed them away when she turned her head away. “Are the boys taking you in your litter, Dag Ma?” Asked Elizabeth, referring to the open chair which Dog Ma usually used for transport. The wooden litter had poles which extended out towards the front and back of the chair, and Dog Ma would have two of the older boys lift the poles and carry her around the city.
“No, I think I’ll walk today. A bit of humility will go a long way,” cackled Dog Ma. “We’re going to meet dwarven royalty. And they’ll pay a pretty penny for your services.”
“But… I thought…” stuttered the disheartened girl. “I thought you were going to find me a family?”
“A family,” scoffed Dog Ma. “You’re too old for a family, my little waif! But you are old enough for a job, so that’s what I’ve got you, and he’ll pay handsomely.”

---

[Falconius]

Dwarven Royalty? Oh oh, what new repulsive hell are you bringing to our doorstep now? Nephiron? He was in cahoots with the Majikar all along? He gave them Elizabeth and that’s what his little bout of madness was about?

[Quint]

@Falconius said:

Oh oh, what new repulsive hell are you bringing to our doorstep now?

I’m pretty sure this is the same story from the Discord, though could be wrong. So, yes, Nephiron. Who will ‘joke’ about wanting to flay her face.

An aged purgatory, as opposed to a new one.

[Hexlor]

@Quint yes, it’s the same story, just with minor edits. I’m hoping to post about a chapter each month, and the first 4/5 will just be updated versions of what was previously posted on Discord. This also gives me the bandwidth to work on the subsequent chapters in advance, and any WIT chapters when it comes back around to my turn.