Somewhere along the way north, after a rather heavy paga binge in some out-of-the-way tavern, he awoke atop a blonde bitch cursing at him in a language he did not understand. In and out of his inebriated daze in an effort to become rather comfortably numb, it would seem that Fate saw fit to drop a bit of luck... under his lap. The woman, slightly beligerant, accused him of raping her... stealing her virginity.


Odd that he seemed not to recall the episode with any clarity. Not that it mattered much in the grander scheme of things. She was a mere slave, afterall. Yet fortunate enough to come with a Warrior's shield on her back -- sans the Warrior -- which was pawned off to a peddlar they passed by on the Salerian Road, for much needed coin and supplies. Perhaps they both were equally glad to be rid of the thing -- she, because he'd forced her to carry the massive weight of it on her back for at least a hundred pasangs. He, because she had dropped the thing on his foot once, reminding him profusely what a pain in the ass a slave could truly be.

Verushka. That's what she had called herself. A slave's name as difficult to pronounce as its namesake was to break. Of course, Vedric had little trouble breaking a woman down within a few days, or even a few hours time. But the tavern proprietor -- a professional trainer of slaves, in whose tavern the Metal Worker had awoke upon the floor with the bitch stuffed beneath his weight -- did seem, after a few hours, to find the wench completely exasperating. Almost to the point where he'd thrown in his towel and his profession, and literally begged the Metal Worker to help him make that stubborn wench obey.

"Respect me and call me 'master!'" Marcus the tavern proprietor had urged her at least a half dozen times between whippings.

"Svinya over there is Master" she replied. "You pick some other title of respect to be called."

When the professional slave trainer finally gave up after several hours, he left the woman shackled to the whipping post, striped with welts and still unbroken. And it was then that the Metal Worker paid his tab and got up to leave. Without her.

"MASTER! Do not leave me here!"

Vedric turned back after a few moment's consideration, allowing her to beg desperately all the while. He had no use for a slave at the time, didn't want a slave even. Yet he'd relent, and for no particular reason other than that she amused him, he released her from her shackles and bade the bitch to lick the dust from his boots. Which she did, quite readily even if whispering curses beneath her breath in mutterings the entire while... mostly to show up the professional slave trainer across the tavern.

Yes, she did amuse Vedric of Thentis. For now.