The Unkillable Red Tide

AkaShira OC Underground Special Assassin Name: Aren Age: 20 Written by Roman

[shadowofaprince]

Not just anyone could become one of the favorites of the Underground’s overlords, so Aren didn’t buy that for a second. He wondered, if Obi even knew who he was. Well, as far as his nickname anyway. It wasn’t like there were many descriptions of him, he did a very good job of keeping out of sight. 

“I disagree. Not just anyone gets where you are without skill. But I’m curious. Do you even know who I am? I wouldn’t blame you if not. Very few have ever seen me, and lived to tell about it. Though most people I allow to see me in the first place are targets, so they’re not intended to live anyway.” A small chuckle, and he leaned in more, unable to help himself, and he gave the other’s jaw a little bit of a lick.

“Mmm.. Sorry, couldn’t help myself. Been wondering for a while what you tasted like.” Aren was definitely a little bit shy of entirely sane, but it seemed he managed well enough usually. 

He was definitely not pleased with this whole situation. “…Nah, but somehow I wonder if you’re actually going to tell me or if you’re just gonna hang it in front of my face.”

He grimaced, making a face when the other licked his jaw and he wasn’t sure if the feeling in his stomach was heat or disgust. He was too distracted by the danger to dissect it.

“…I don’t like waiting, so you might as well tell me.”

[immortalassassin]

Aren chuckled a bit. He appreciated that Obi was so wary of him, but well, he had meant it when he said he wasn't planning to kill him. He really would get into trouble if he did, and that would kind of defeat the point of his coming to see him too. "I have a few names you might recognize. Most common I've picked up is The Immortal, due to my apparently being unkillable, but Red Tide is another popular one people like to use for me. I like them both."

He had liked the taste of the other's skin on his tongue, and his eyes were definitely fixated on Obi even more now, a poorly veiled hunger burning in them. Oh he wanted to do a lot of things to him, but he hadn't decided yet what he wanted to do first.

[immortalassassin]

shadowofaprince​:

He let out the breath he was holding with a soft “holy shit” as he tightened his hold on the other man. That long?

He continued to play with his hair, trying to soothe him, but then the other finally pulled away and he followed toward the bed, pulling some clean clothes on.

Then, he offered a slightly warmer smile.

“…Lead the way.”

Honestly, Aren was so tired. Gods got that way sometimes, they lived so long, infinitely usually, unless killed, but that wasn’t really the easiest thing to do. Even for another god. And especially after so long of being isolated, it just made the feeling of exhaustion even stronger.

Once the other was dressed, he led him to the kitchen, being oddly quiet, as if he wasn’t really sure what to say. 

It was a pretty decent sized kitchen though, and there was pretty much every ingredient imaginable. Of course, being a fire god, among other things, Aren definitely liked spicy. 

He finally broke his silence a minute or two after they reached the kitchen, because he realized something only just now. “I never asked your name, did I? I’m... Sorry.. My mind isn’t what it used to be.. Most conversations I have tend to be one sided..”

[sphinxmemesmusings]

What kind of character shaming sign would you hang on my muses neck?

[immortalassassin]

shadowofaprince​:

Oh it absolutely was terrifying to him. Being used….he shuddered and sat up, wrapping his arms around himself. “…G-Good…they all deserve it, cut them off. Cut their dicks off while you’re at it.”

He looked away, cheeks burning with shame.

Truthfully it shouldn’t be a problem, but well, if it was, Aren wouldn’t really hesitate to serve justice. The other seemed upset though, so he grabbed one of the other, unused blankets on the bed, and dragged it over, draping it over the top of Obi’s head. A bit of comfort. 

He sat up himself though, and currently, Obi could say no if he wanted, his injuries gave him a good excuse, but Aren patted at his lap, if Obi chose to come crawl into it. He sort of hoped he would, but he wouldn’t be surprised or overly disappointed if he didn’t. 

[immortalassassin]

shadowofaprince​:

“H-H-Hands…all over me…in the dark…” He couldn’t see who was touching him, had no idea what they wanted from him…except his body.

Shaking, he didn’t pull away from the hair petting, though his first instinct was to yank himself away. He was doing his best not to offend his new Master, but it was hard.

Ahh, yeah. Personally, he didn’t find that as terrifying, but it clearly was to Obi. “If anyone besides me touches you now, they will lose their hands. That’s one of our laws.” Well, it was a bit violent, but perhaps reassuring. At least he only had one person to worry about touching him. And of course, that did not apply to doctors or anything mundane, but any acts of violence, or sexual advances by anyone he had not granted permission to, did count. 

“I’d be within my rights to cut them off and by law they would have to let me. Usually just one, as an example, but still.” Yeah, Obi definitely wasn’t any place like Tanbarun anymore, that would get more and more clear by the day. But while he’d ended up somewhere more violent, he also had a lot of protections too, so it might not end up being a bad place for him.

[immortalassassin]

shadowofaprince​:

When the other didn’t specify a bed, he kinda just stumbled towards Aren’s, making sure to be on the end so he didn’t push any boundaries.

And passed right out, his body so exhausted he couldn’t help it. Though, a few hours later—-

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!” He woke up screaming and thrashing, heart in his throat.

Fuck.

Fuck, Fuck.

Aren usually slept pretty fitfully himself, had for years, so he was already somewhat awake when Obi apparently woke up screaming. 

He had moved over to lay near Obi it seemed at some point while the other had slept, his arm loosely draped over him, though whether he was attempting to cuddle up with him or just keep track of him was currently unclear. 

He’d seen plenty of nightmares and night terrors before too though, and he blinked a little at the other, before reaching up to pet his hair a bit. “What did you see?” He didn’t even seem to have to ask what was wrong. It was pretty obvious anyway, but talking about it might help.

[immortalassassin]

shadowofaprince​:

Face covered in sweat, he leaned back once the doctor was gone, the bark slipping from his fingers to land on the floor. Eyes closed, he panted for air. He was also trembling a bit, as much as he was fighting it, and his eyes had teared up.

He was so tired of crying.

“G-Good…I…don’t wanna deal with it anymore.”

Yeah, he expected those sorts of reactions. He’d seen a few shattered shoulders in his days, but most were from things like spears and swords being shoved through them, or axes getting buried in them, or the like. He petting the other’s hair some more, and then gave a bit of a sigh. 

“Get some rest. You look completely wrecked, and that’s coming from someone who pretty much goes to war for a living.” It was almost night time anyway. 

Although since Aren hadn’t specified some other bed for him or some other place for him to sleep, it seemed he meant Obi was supposed to sleep in Aren’s own bed. There was a fair amount of space though, and the fur blankets were warm. 

[immortalassassin]

shadowofaprince​:

Obi blinked right back, confused, but then took the cup. He drank it obediently, and then blinked again at the piece of bark that was offered to him. “Um, okay.” That was a little weird, but he could work with it.

He kept his attention on Aren like he was supposed to, but when the doctor moved his broken bones he bit down on the bark hard to keep from screaming. Gods, that was possibly the worst pain he’d ever felt in his life.

Aren did his best to keep his expression schooled, but he never did like the pained screams from  stuff like this. Unfortunately, he was also very used to it, so he managed it, although he clearly seemed to feel sympathy for Obi’s current pain. He himself didn’t have as many issues with pain, but he’d seen what it looked like on the faces of his comrades over the years. 

As for the remedies, sometimes the old ones were the best, and Brekkans tended to favor a lot of the old holistic remedies, since several were readily available here, although they did do a fair bit of medical research as well. Aren sat there, and petting the other’s head. “Almost done, Obi, you’re doing good.” 

Once that shoulder was back in place, the doctor set it by wrapping it into a set place, and making sure Obi couldn’t move that arm too much. He would be vaguely able to use it, but at least for a week, he wasn’t supposed to move it as much as he could manage not to. It would take longer than that to heal, especially with as many times as it seemed like it had been rebroken before, but at least it would help. 

And then Obi’s other wounds were treated, and afterwards the doctor left, but he left a few small bottles of that pain reliever on the table for them. “There you go. That should be much better now.. That shoulder should actually heal now.”

[immortalassassin]

shadowofaprince​:

Sit on the bed? Yeah, he could do that. Not noticing the way the other had been looking at him, he went and sat on the bed to let the doctor examine him. They would quickly find that it definitely needed to be reset or it wouldn’t heal properly. Had he escaped on his own, Obi would have had to do it himself to keep using his shoulder, but as it was that was not an option.

“…Can I have a rag to bite down on at least?” He was tired of screaming for people.

Aren and the doctor both blinked at the request, since they’d been planning on giving him something anyway. But they had something better than just a rag. The doctor dug in his things, and pulled out a little bottle, and a tiny cup, with some pain relieving concoction, and pouring a dose, he handed it to him. “This first.” While Obi was doing that, he pulled out a rather strange piece of what looked like thick tree bark with some moss on it from his bag, handing that to him as well, and taking the little cup back. “You’re not from around here, but that’s for you to bite on. Multipurpose. It has a bit of a soothing and pain relieving effect when you bite on it or chew it, plus, it keeps you from breaking your teeth or biting off your tongue. Only grows around here.” 

Aren was being very attentive to Obi through all this, eyes focused on him. It seemed the redhead trusted the doctor, but he was still being very watchful all the same, making sure of everything he was doing when he was with Obi. It was almost as if he actually might care some about his new acquisition. He did. Though now that Obi had been given some pain meds, it was about time for his shoulder to be fixed, and so Aren moved to sit next to him, both to help hold him steady, with the doctor on the other side doing his best to numb the shoulder with a topical agent, and to try to keep Obi’s attention on him. “Look at me, yeah?” He had one hand vaguely free, so he reached up, almost gently tracing Obi’s cheek, a surprisingly sweet gesture.

The next second though, the doctor was shifting that shoulder back to how it needed to be, working with experienced fingers to make sure any broken pieces were pushed back into place as well. It only took a matter of seconds, but the pain would likely be awful regardless.

[immortalassassin]

shadowofaprince​:

Get used to it huh…

He sighed softly and fidgeted in his seat. When he was asked for his name, he gave it freely. It didn’t matter now anyway. “It’s Obi. No last name. No one cares enough about me to throw a fit that I’m gone, obviously.” Because he didn’t know anyone really. “…Killer for hire, nice to meet you, I guess.”

So his name was Obi. He’d been told, when he’d bought him, but he’d briefly forgotten, since there were more important things on his mind at the time.  “Obi. Good name.”

And a killer for hire? Well, former, now. Still, that was even better than he’d hoped, and Aren looked both pleased and pensive at being given this information. Yes, Obi would definitely fit what he wanted from him. 

There was a knock on the door a minute or so later though, the doctor had arrived, and was shown into the room. The man gave a respectful greeting to Aren, deferring to his status, which, clearly was very high judging from the look he was given. And then Aren’s attention was split between Obi and the doctor. “Obi, come here, and sit on the bed. And take off your shirt, if it’s not too painful. I can help if I must.”

And then addressing the doctor, “Looks to me like his shoulder was shattered. I didn’t want to try to set it without letting you look at it, so I don’t set it wrong. I can’t tell the extent of the damage, though it seems pretty bad.”

[immortalassassin]

shadowofaprince​:

He froze.

“Brekka? Really?” He’d never been there, which explained how he hadn’t recognized it at all. But he’d heard stories.

That didn’t matter though.

He sipped at as much of the soup as he could manage, before his stomach gave an irritated grumble and he had to put it down. He got through a decent amount of it at least.

Yes, Obi had travelled all the way across two seas to get here, which explained a lot. Still, maybe the stories he’d heard might give him some better ideas of what to expect. As for earning the right to seek revenge, Obi would have to eventually earn his way into being accepted as a Brekkan, which, if he played his cards right, he could absolutely do. That was why Aren had wanted a fighter. Obi was starting out as pretty much a servant in a way, of course, one who would be dragged into Aren’s bed probably a lot, but he could earn his freedom, if he tried. “Yeah. You’ll get used to it pretty fast.”

Once Obi had finished the food, one of the servants came in, to let him know the doctor would be there soon. For now, he let Obi sit, and actually get some of the nutrients from that meal before adding on any stress. Because if that shoulder had to be rebroken, he was going to probably end up screaming. He’d made sure the doctor knew it seemed like a shattered bone though, so it was also possible that they’d end up giving him something to knock him out for it, if he was lucky. Some injuries though, were sadly best fixed while conscious.

“So, since I haven’t had a proper moment to ask yet, tell me your name. Will be easier to refer to you if I know it.”

[immortalassassin]

shadowofaprince​:

Playthings…his eyes darkened. That’s right, he was just a plaything, he was so very fucking stupid to have gotten himself into this situation in the first place and now he was going to be this guy’s sex slave.

The question about what country he was in confused him. “No, I just spent the last six months being tortured on a ship. I have no idea where we are. The last place I remember being was Tanbarun.”

Ahh, so he didn’t know where he was, that explained a few things. And surprisingly, to Aren, that term was not as derogatory as it had sounded to Obi. It wasn’t overly respectful either, but it was better than Obi was imagining it was at least. 

“You’re in Brekka, if you know anything about it.” Tanbarun huh? He was a very very long way away from there now. He’d been past it once or twice, but he had mostly avoided it. They were not at war with Tanbarun, so there was no need to go there. 

He waited for Obi to finish eating, moving over to stretch out on his bed, seeming to enjoy the feeling of the incredibly soft furs covering it. Obi was in for a treat. The majority of his ‘blankets’ were made of ermine fur, and so it would feel probably like heaven to him once he actually joined him. Although the doctor should be there soon, so Obi would have to wait. “You should finish eating. Probably best to have some food in you before the doctor gets here.”

[immortalassassin]

shadowofaprince​:

Obi trembled as he was dried down, visibly excited though he tried to push that down. It was involuntary, after all.

But when he was given clothes and told the food was for him, he blinked and stared for a moment before slipping into the clothes.

Once he was dressed, he fidgeted, walking over to the soup.

“…Why are you being so nice to me? Aren’t I here just to be used?”

The trembling and the excitement wasn’t missed by Aren, but he was being incredibly patient, despite the obvious desire he held towards him. He waited while Obi dressed himself, and headed towards the food, but raised a brow at his words. 

“You’re here for a lot of things. And if you mean sex, that’s a given, especially with me, but I prefer my partners and playthings to be more whole, and less broken.” He wasn’t going to wait for that shoulder to be healed, but he would wait for it to be set. Truthfully, Aren had had sex before with some of his own bones broken at the time, so it was possible to accomplish without affecting healing. And despite his word choices, since there was definitely a bit of a culture difference in the way he spoke that was mostly the cause of his seemingly poor word choice, there was something in his tone that seemed ill fitting for a man talking to some sort of sex slave, suggesting that perhaps, what Aren wanted from him might be a bit more than that. “Do you not yet know what country you’re in?” Since that would tell Obi a lot about what he could expect, if he knew much about the culture and customs here.

He didn’t seem worried about Obi running away from him, and despite his words clearly suggesting he intended to fuck him, probably often, he also had specifically wanted someone with fight, and spirit. To Obi, Aren would probably be confusing as hell. At least for now. 

[immortalassassin]

It was, in fact, a good thing. It meant Obi might actually live through all of this like he wanted to. And as shameful as the situation might be making Obi feel, it wasn’t the worst one he could have ended up in. He could have been sold to someone just as cruel as the woman he’d been bought from. Instead, he’d gotten Aren. 

Once Obi was clean, and ready to get out, Aren stood, and grabbed a towel, walking over and draping it over the dark haired man, though instead of letting Obi do it, Aren carefully dried Obi off himself, a chance to tease him a little with practical, yet highly sensual touches, working his way down the other’s body until he was satisfied. He wasn’t going to be bedded yet. Food, and dealing with that shoulder came first.

And then, he led Obi back out to the bedroom, digging through a drawer, and pulling out some clothes that should at least mostly fit him. He’d have to get some tailor made for him, but that wasn’t an issue. “Here. They’re clean.”

There was some light soup already sitting on a table in one corner of the room. “Seems the food is done too. That bowl there is for you.”

[immortalassassin]

Aren’s eyes remained fixated on Obi as he undressed, watching his movements, noting that shoulder again in particular. As unpleasant as it was, it might need to be rebroken and set properly, but he’d have a doctor take a look at it later. The whip marks were also noted, and several other, apparently more minor injuries, the scars too. Still, apart from the injuries, he liked what he saw, and there was a definite flicker of desire in his eyes as Obi climbed into the water. 

“I’ll have to see about someone coming by to fix that shoulder of yours it looks like. The rest of the injuries I can treat myself mostly, though I’ll have the doctor deal with them too.” He was still focused on Obi’s form, nodding his head towards the soap. The hot water probably felt amazing on the other’s bones and muscles though, outside of the sting from having open wounds. Although.. “Apart from those injuries, I’m not at all disappointed though..” A bit of a smirk, and now Obi could probably tell what he meant, since his words were definitely in reference to the other’s body in general.

[immortalassassin]

shadowofaprince​:

He pursed his lips, unsure what the other meant about earning his right to kill exactly, but then he was thoroughly distracted by the interior of the house. To say that it wasn’t what he expected was an understatement.

But then he was brought to the bedroom and he definitely was expecting to be used right then and there–after all, wasn’t that what he was bought for?

But instead, he was brought to the bathroom and his binds were cut. He blinked as he was told to bathe and stared at Aren in a state of shock.

“…A…Ah, okay….” Well, he wasn’t going to deny a free bath.

Honestly, Obi was likely to be surprised by many things by his new master. Of course, Aren wasn’t going to leave Obi alone and unsupervised, that was stupidity at its finest, but he did at least momentarily turn away, to instruct one of the hovering servants to go make food. Light, but nutrient heavy. He lived in a cold, and often harsh country. Starvation wasn’t something he was unfamiliar with, so what was brought up would be something Obi would be able to stomach. 

There was a chair in one corner of the bathroom, and the red haired viking moved over to sit in it, watching Obi for a moment. “If you want privacy, you’re currently going to be disappointed, because this is also one of the easiest ways for me to assess the extent of your injuries.” And admire him of course. 

As for what Obi was bought for, sex would definitely be a common thing, however, Brekkans, while known very well for their violence, were also a lot kinder to their prisoners and those who ended up in their possession, than most would expect. 

[immortalassassin]

shadowofaprince​:

Annnnnd he was hard in an instant. Fuck.

“Earn the right? How do I earn it?” He asked, genuinely curious. This curiosity might well doom him, but he never claimed that none of his scars were his own fault.

He saw the house and he stiffened as they rode towards it. Ah, he didn’t know how to act all proper…

He would have to find a way to get out of this somehow.

Whatever Obi was expecting, he was about to be derailed from such expectations. The closer they got to the house, the more normal, and even relatively worn it seemed. It was less like a mansion, despite the size, and more like an extra large farmhouse in appearance, far more what some people would consider ‘primitive’ for a ‘lord’ of his status, compared to some of the castles and mansions in other countries, though really it wasn’t very primitive at all. It was well cared for, but the wood was still clearly weathered some. 

“In this country, we earn our right to kill. Though most manage it, eventually. Or they die in the attempt. In your case.. We’ll see. There are other ways around it.” The horse was ridden into the barn, and there were one or two ‘servants’ about, mostly ones who had volunteered to the job due to Aren’s status. He pulled Obi down off the horse, and led him inside, giving him a moment to glance around, while giving a look to one of the servants, who went upstairs before them. It definitely had the look of more of a mix of a farmhouse, a tradesmith, or a hunter’s home, though the most common theme seemed to be fur. That was what tended to show the most wealth around here, how much fur was owned. And Aren definitely had a lot of it. The majority of the furniture seemed to have some sort of fur on it.

And then Aren was leading him up the stairs, to one of the rooms, his bedroom it seemed, judging from the bed piled with even more furs. While Obi was likely expecting to be dragged straight into it, instead, he led him further in, into his bathroom, where the tub had already been filled. The look he’d given the servant had pretty much instructed them to do so. And then Aren had pulled a blade from his belt, and cut the ropes from Obi’s wrists. “Go ahead and bathe. Food will be up here when you’re done. I can help you if you’re too injured to manage yourself.”