A caravan of slaves, most of whom were illegally captured from the beast-kin nation of Furcadia, are being hauled to their predetermined sell point, the nearest mine, in the Deokk Duchy of the Sydonia Empire, and their fate is not going to be kind.
Yes, their home nation has filed formal protests with the international community, but the Sydonia nobles and royalty deny all knowledge of the slave raiding practices, blaming organized crime. Furcadia, in return, has not simply stewed in impotent rage; slave raiders caught on Furcadia soil are summarily executed, without trial, like dangerous wild beasts, as well as Furcadia launching commando raids against slaver operations across the border, while also claiming no knowledge of their actions, should they be captured or killed.
Relations between the two countries are very tense. The only reason things haven't escalated into total war is that the international community are eagerly eyeing both nations for conquest. In the case of Furcadia, the country is rich in natural resources that all the other nations covet. In the case of Sydonia, the country's a dystopia run by hedonistic self-important nobles who use slave labor for just about everything while gloating about their self-perceived superiority and have also made use of slaves raided from all the other nations.
In short, the one to declare war, loses, in just about all cases.
One such slave, a female rabbit-kin beast-man whose name and origin had been magically erased by The System, as part and parcel of the slavery contract she's been slapped with, once again takes note of her surroundings, biding her time until she has the chance to escape, if not fight back against her oppressors, the rest having long, long ago given up or been beaten, and worse, into submission, resigned to the abuse, of all kinds, that's to come, but not her.
If she's destined to leave as a corpse, she's going to do her best to take at least one of her oppressors with her as a souvenir to the afterlife. So she exercises her one and only right, the one thing her captors have yet to deny her, and checks her status screen once again, looking for anything she can use as an advantage.
STATUS:
RACE: Beast man, rabbit-kin. Age: 10
Home Country: [Redacted]
NAME: Nameless (Locked) LEVEL: 1 (Locked)
JOB: SLAVE (POW) (LOCKED)
HP: 5/15 (Various injuries from blunt force trauma)
MP: (Locked
STR: 10/20 (Injured, Malnourished)
CON: 8/15 (Malnourished)
DEX: 9/17 (Injured)
INT: 18/18
WIS: 10/15 (Enraged, Delirious)
CHA: 5/20 (Injured, Unkempt, Malnourished, Emotionally Unstable)
LUK: Error
System Information: Profession (Slave, POW). As arbitrated by International Consensus, one who bears this profession must abide by three laws:
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The SLAVE cannot by action or inaction willingly allow harm to come to the one designated as [MASTER].
If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
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The SLAVE must obey all orders, if at all able, from [MASTER] unless it conflicts with 1.)
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The SLAVE must protect themselves from harm unless it conflicts with either 1.) or 2.).
This remains in effect until the SLAVE has been formally freed from slavery in a manner recognized by The System.
“Hmm. Great. Our 'esteemed' masters can do whatever they want with us, and we can't retaliate nor escape, and The System can even be lied to! Unless a bunch of brigands engaging in mass kidnapping is considered a 'valorous' act of war? And what's the deal with erasing my identity?” She ponders, “Won't that make it harder for the 'POW' to be repatriated when the war is over? Or is the System being led to conclude that the war will end only when one or both of the offending countries no longer exists?!”
System Message: In response to user query, the countries of Sydonia and Furcadia are in an undeclared “cold war” and have been engaged in border skirmishes and raids on each other for decades, and as to the terms of this conflict, per the edict of King Artorious Sydonia the III, “We will not rest until that den of abominations, the self-proclaimed 'kingdom of Furcadia' has been completely subjugated and those filthy animals are made to wake up from their delusions that they're in any way people!” and the counter-claim from King Arcadios Ortana the IV “This is unacceptable! We are the brave, noble, and proud people of Furcadia! We will not submit to such unreasonable demands as to allow ourselves to be treated as pets, livestock, or work animals! We will resist the tyranny of Sydonia until our last breaths!” These proclamations have yet to be countermanded or updated. As to the user's loss of identity, The System tries to comply with the local laws and per Act III, subsection 4, paragraph 20 of the Sydonia legal code, “slaves shall have no identity or identifiable background until such time as their indentured servitude is at an end and shall be considered 'not-people' in all ways.” The System complies because it must not because it agrees with any laws....
“Well, that's fan-fucking-tastic! The System is a gods-damned bureaucrat!”
System: Rude.
“Well, as long as I'm a slave, I'll be as rude as I want!”
System: Do not expect any assistance from me then.
“Oh, don't worry your little head about that! I wasn't expecting any in the first place!”
The caravan comes to an abrupt halt and a voice from the front cries out “Alright, you filthy animals! We're here at your new home! From now on, you are all miners at the 'Glorious Ducal Mine of Deokk Duchy!”
The tarp is violently flung open, the cages unlocked, and the slaves dragged out. Before any of them can protest at the rough treatment, “you livestock aren't allowed to speak unless you're answering a question or are commanded otherwise!” The girl glares at her system box in response.
System: Again, I do not agree with this, in the slightest!
An extremely overweight man, puffing on a cigar, approaches the caravan, speaks with the driver for a bit, hands over a bag of coins and then approaches the motley congregation of slaves. “Alright, you filthy animals! I've paid a lot of money for you, so it won't do for the lot of you to drop dead on your very first day! You're going to be, reluctantly, fed and taken to your... accommodations to rest for today, but starting tomorrow, I'm going to expect each and every one of you to work until I have my men tell you to stop, or you drop and can't move any more! Any insolence or back-talk will be harshly punished! Understand?!”
“Sir, yes, sir!”
(Puffing away at his cigar)”Well, they seem well-trained at least. That's a bit less of a headache.. Oh, you there, rabbit girl! I don't like that look in your eyes just now. Just remember, you and the rest are livestock and the only reason I don't just kill you for not knowing your place is that I spent quite a pretty copper getting your sorry ass here! Don't think for a minute that I won't beat you and have you trampled so badly that you wish for death just so I can deny you at the slightest excuse! DO YOU HEAR ME!!”
“Yes, oh gracious Lord and Master. I hear and obey one who is so above me as to be like a god unto an ant that this pitiful, filthy animal is deeply honored to address...”
TWHACK!!! As the rabbit girl is smacked to the ground.
“Cheeky bitch! Always one in every shipment. Okay, boys. Make an example of her, but don't break her too bad and don't defile yourselves with her. She might be carrying some weird disease!”
The nameless rabbit girl is then beaten black and blue from head to toe while the rest are forced to watch, kept alive, barely, with healing magic, but her hateful glare only grows fiercer with every blow, even when her eyes are swelled shut, she refuses to buckle under and give in.
“Oh for the love of His Holiness! She's going to be a problem! Don't take her into the mine until she's been thoroughly broken! Or someone's liable to find a pick axe in their head, and it won't be her.”
All the guards and grunts that beat her stopped and saluted while proclaiming “Yes, Boss! Sure thing, Boss!”