text: You quickly grab one of the many reeds nearby, break it and put it in your mouth as you sink underneath the muddy water you've been stomping through. You just hope that YOU don't get stomped on. Getting trampled on by multiple lizard feet would be a pretty ignoble death.
  
  Of course this isn't even counting whatever the hell might be lurking under the water ready to swim into your ear and lay eggs in your brain. (You have an overactive imagination sometimes)
  
  You lay on the muddy swamp floor, trying to make yourself as small as possible. Doesn't take long before you hear the sounds of lizards shouting their incomprehensible language and running past you, though it's very muted and garbled due to you being underwater.
  
  Despite the water being muddy and your sight getting blurred in the process, you do see a couple of large looming figures run past from your prone position. A couple of the sotakian's taloned feet stomp near you. One right near your head, but you get lucky and none of them actually step or trip over you.
  
  Still, you aren't sure if all of them have passed so you're reluctant to move, fortunately Tych returns and flies near your reed. You can't quite make out what he's saying, but you think you see him waving his arms like an "all clear" signal, so you sit up out of the water and catch a good breath.
  
  "That was quite the bit of quick thinking, plivik." Tych remarks.
  "Are they all gone?" you ask in between breaths.
  "Yes, I believe so, quite a lot of them actually. From above, I could see them spread out all over the nearby area, you got very lucky. I doubt if running to the left or right would have escaped their gaze."
  "Where did you go?"
  "As I said plivik, I just flew straight up until they passed. Are you surprised? You already claimed I wouldn't be useful in a fight."
  "Yeah I suppose not. Actually with that many, pretty sure I'd be dead as well."
  "Glad you're not holding a grudge plivik. In any case, our destination should be a whole lot manageable to deal with now. I suspect only a few sotakians remain in the village so your job should be easier. I will still scout the village to let you know the best approach of course."
  
  You're really hoping that will be the case, because as sopping wet as you are now, you're not exactly in the highest spirits and are eager to get this shitty task over with.
  
  You and Tych make your way to your destination and sure enough the sotakian village is fairly empty. There are still a few lizards around and sure enough a couple of them are guarding a big lizard statue in the center of the village with blood gems for eyes.
  
  Fortunately Tych also mentions that there are some bamboo cages with elves in them. He says they look miserable and in terrible condition (he mentions that pretty gleefully), but he thinks if they got free, they'd certainly try to make a run for it.
  
  So that's your plan, you're going to create a distraction by releasing the prisoners.
  
  You cautiously approach the village and sneak around the huts, hoping that none of the little lizard children wandering around suddenly stumble upon you. When you get to the cages, Tych wasn't kidding about the elves. They look like they might have been in here for weeks and they're skinny even for elves.
  
  However, when they see you, they take notice, but say nothing. You reinforce this by putting your fingers to your lips and then working on the lock. The lock itself isn't even metal, its' a simple latch mechanism that can easily be opened from the outside, so it's child's play to you.
  
  The prisoners looks so thankful and a couple even whisper a few things that you don't understand in their native tongue, but you assume its some sort of thankful. They all start to make their way out and then that's when you nod to Tych and get out of the immediate vicinity.
  
  Tych flies over to the sotakians and begins shouting at them and pointing over in the direction of their prisoners. The sotakians are a bit confused at first by some sprite yelling at them and would probably swat him down, but when they look to where Tych is pointing, they find their escaped prisoners a lot more important to chase down.
  
  The lizards guarding the statue, along with most of the others chase after the prisoners who are now running for their lives. With the village nearly completely empty of any warriors of any kind, you make a dash to the statue and begin prying out its eyes.
  
  While you're not exactly slow in this task, you're certainly not fast enough to escape completely unnoticed, especially since there are still lizard children and a few mothers (At least you're assuming the remaining adults might be female, you can't tell) still in the village and notice your desecration. They begin hissing and converging on your position.
  
  With the gems in your possession, you pull out your sword and begin making a hasty retreat out of this accursed swamp. Lizard children might be small, but they still have a full set of sharp teeth and piercing talons. They're fairly fast too, especially since they're used to this environment. You have no choice but to cut a couple of the little scalies down in your escape, but not before they lay in some good bites and claw slashes on your arms and legs.
  
  It's probably only because of these casualties, that they stop pursuing you as the rest of them get scared and the mothers wish to keep the rest of their broods safe. (You hear some odd wailing noises behind you)
  
  Eventually you put a lot of distance between you and the village. You sort of lost him again in all the mayhem, but you soon find out that Tych is never far from your position.
  
  "Whew! That got intense! I almost thought you weren't going to make it plivik, with all those sotakian children trying to eat you." Tych says.
  "I didn't think I was for a moment." You answer taking a breather.
  "This might be a weird question, but do you feel bad for killing sotakian children?"
  "What?!"
  "I mean I know it was a matter of life and death, but still... "
  "Damn right it was a matter of life and death! I didn't enjoy it if that's what you're asking, but then I didn't exactly have time to worry about the moralities of killing little scaly children either, who I might add were probably more dangerous than typical wild predator. Felt like I was getting attacked by a pack of animals rather than anything with higher intelligence what with all the growling, hissing, biting and tearing."
  "Apologies plivik, I just sort of wanted to know what kind of person you were. Just as you weren't completely sure about me, I also wasn't completely sure about you. I am glad to see you are a person that doesn't enjoy killing even if you are pragmatic by nature. It would have made me hesitant to take you back to my village even if I do desire freedom."
  "Hold on, who said anything about going back to your village? We got the gems, we're going back to Ral's."
  "You still don't trust me, after all we've been through, plivik? Don't you want freedom? All we have to do is go back to my village and we can be free of Ral's spell! I can even lead you safely out of this forest and have you back on your way to Holgard or whatever other human settlement you had in mind to go to. And you could even think of those blood gems as your reward for this whole shitty experience. Those have to be worth quite a bit. Not like they're common."
  "Why don't we just get out of this fucking swamp before I think anymore about this okay?"
  "Very well plivik."
  
  Tych shuts up for awhile and the pair of you make your way back. You feel like once you're out of the swamp, the worst of this will be behind you. You have some concerns about potentially bumping into more lizards or even elves, but Tych is fairly confident that won't be the case.
  
  "The sotakians barely ever retreat and especially not on their own territory. Also, the lot that came from the other village will have probably cut off the elves from any sort of escape. Those stupid pliviks are going to be completely massacred. Elves deserve what they get. I hope the sotakians also hunted down those other ones and recaptured them." Tych remarks.
  
  Strange that Tych should be so concerned with your possible enjoyment of killing when he himself obviously gets a lot of pleasure from elven suffering. You get the real impression that elves must have done more to him than he's already said. It's the only explanation for his sadistic hatred.
  
  When you make it back to the forest, night is beginning to fall. You walk a little longer and eventually you make it back to the tree where you slept the first time you passed through this way.
  
  The next morning Tych is buzzing in your ear about heading back to his village again. Considering you'll arrive at the fairy ring in a few hours, it isn't surprising that he desperately wants a final answer from you about the subject.
  
  He already made some of his points yesterday. Besides the obvious freedom, you'd be pretty well off with the blood gems you have.
  > head to the fairy ring
  You might have very well gone with him as Tych was more or less helpful during the task and didn't display any outward signs of treachery.
  
  However, you did notice one thing in something he said yesterday... 
  
  "So what does plivik REALLY mean Tych?" you ask.
  "Huh? I don't understand. I told you, it means friend." Tych says.
  "I don't think it does."
  "Well okay, it's not an exact translation, but it's basically the same thing."
  "If that's the case, then why did you refer to the elves as stupid pliviks yesterday when you spoke about them?"
  "Erm... I did?"
  "Yeah, you did. And given your extreme dislike of them, I doubt very seriously that you were calling them friends even if it made sense in the context that you were speaking about them. Which it wouldn't."
  
  Tych at this point begins to try to explain that the word has several meanings in his language and it all goes back to the complexities of sprites' rich and long history of linguistics. The whole time he's telling you this, he's also flying away from you to a safe distance, which pretty much tells you all you need to know.
  
  "Uh huh. We're going back to Ral's." you say.
  "Noooo! I can't go back there, not after being in the outdoors again! I want to be free! Come on pliv... come on friend, you really want to be Ral's slave? Wouldn't you rather be free?"
  "Sure. But the problem is, I don't fucking trust you to be the one to help me in that task. Ral said you led twenty other sprites to their death to save your own life, I can't know if that's something similar that you have in store for me so you can gain your own freedom. For all I know you might even be trying to get me killed for the shits and giggles given how much you enjoy elven suffering."
  "Now that's not true! I don't hate humans. I wouldn't get any pleasure out of leading you to your death."
  "Oh? I guess that's comforting to know that even though you WERE going to lead me to my death, that you wouldn't laugh about it."
  "Well of course I wouldn't laugh...  I MEAN NO! No, I wouldn't even do that! Shit! You're confusing me!"
  "Glad I'm not as confused as you seem to be. We're going to the fairy ring and teleporting back to Ral's place."
  
  Tych tries to convince you that he doesn't have some hidden agenda, but it falls on deaf ears. Eventually he gives in and goes into a litany of swears and curses the whole time you travel to the fairy ring. "Plivik" comes up often, and at this point you imagine that means something like "asshole." Basically Tych's been calling you an asshole since the journey began.
  
  When you teleport back to Ral's place, you find yourself in the same location as you left. Tych looks depressed again as Ral enters the room.
  
  "Ah, I sensed you two came back. I must say, you look a little weathered and worn, though I suppose this task would have its challenges. I trust you didn't encounter too much trouble?" Ral asks.
  "Would it matter if we did?" you ask.
  "Not really, so where are the gems?"
  "Here."
  "Thanks, and Tych was helpful? Didn't try to talk you into anything foolish?"
  "Nope, he was completely beneficial. Don't think I could have done it without his advice actually."
  
  Ral's surprised to hear you say that, and Tych even more so. The sprite probably thought you'd tattle on him. Honestly, you didn't see much point in doing so though. Ral already told you Tych was treacherous, all it would do is confirm what he told you and it isn't like Ral is going to punish him any more than he already does by keeping him in a glass jar.
  
  As far you're concerned, this might keep the pair of them guessing. Tych especially, assuming the mini-bastard has got any sort of conscience. If he does though, not snitching on him COULD help in the future. Long shot of course, but it's not like you have many potential allies at this point who might help you.
  
  Eventually Ral dismisses you and Tych gloomily follows him into the lab. You take the opportunity to go clean yourself since you're still covered in mud and swamp water.
  
  You hope by all the gods you don't have go there ever again.
  > time passes...
  Year 21
  
  When you first started messing around with Lisa, she was just like all the other young Dert girls that had started taking an interest in you when you started coming around a lot more. Just a bored girl that found you to be a spark of excitement in her backwards little village.
  
  Lisa however, stood out mainly because she wasn't naïve or outright stupid like rest. (You still laugh about the one girl who thought she was going to force you into a crossbow wedding by having a child. Unfortunately for her, swallowing doesn't result in pregnancy.)
  
  She managed to keep your interest and not in just a physical way. Before you realized it, you were in a relationship again. But it was nice since it allowed you a bit of escapism from your own prison like situation. (And certainly cheaper than going to Holgard whores)
  
  While her father has threatened you with physical violence on several occasions (As many others have as well), you and her have always found places to meet. She always listens to whatever tales of "adventure" you have to tell her. Sometimes you make it sound more exciting than it really is, but she always enjoys them and asks many questions since it's like she's able to experience some of the excitement vicariously.
  
  Lately though it's starting to look like your stories don't quite quell the restlessness that Lisa seems to have... 
  
  "Holgard? Oh you don't want to go there now. I think they're about to have a city wide riot or revolution or some shit." You say.
  "Well that certainly sounds more interesting than having to milk cows all day." Lisa replies.
  "You're also a lot less likely to get killed milking cows."
  "Perhaps, but you still get to do interesting stuff all the time, what with you working for a wizard and all."
  "I wouldn't exactly say I'm working for him. I think I've already confided to you about my situation as far as that goes."
  "Yes I know and that's also a cause for me to worry about our future. It even causes me to have concerns about your feelings for me."
  "Oh come on... you know how I feel about you."
  "Do I? I sometimes get the impression that you probably wouldn't come around if you weren't tethered by the wizard's spell. I imagine we probably wouldn't have even met if it hadn't been the case. Am I wrong?"
  "(Sigh) Well... yes IF Ral hadn't magically enslaved me, we probably wouldn't have met. But it happened and we DID meet AND I chose you to be with. I mean doesn't that count for something?"
  
  Lisa doesn't answer right away; she just takes your hand and looks into your eyes.
  
  "I know you probably do have feelings for me, but I also can't shake the feeling that I'm just a nice distraction from your situation, just as you're a nice distraction from mine. We're both prisoners of a sort, but the difference is my cage is of my own accord." Lisa says.
  "What do you mean?" you ask.
  "What I mean is I would like to leave this boring village, but the only thing that really holds me back is fear and the lack of any real skill to survive in the outside world, or at least the world you've described to me. And I know you can't be making it all up despite you probably wanting me to believe all those impossible feats you've done."
  
  Lisa gives you a small hug and kisses you on the cheek, which causes you to embrace her a bit tighter than usual. You feel like she's saying goodbye to you right now, but that isn't the case.
  
  "I'm obviously not going anywhere yet, but I'm just informing you that things need to change a bit at some point. I know we have fun together and I hope we continue to have fun together for many years to come, but don't take me for granted."
  
  Lisa goes back to looking at the sky probably still thinking about wanting to leave her boring farm life behind her while you're thinking about how much of an idiot you've been for filling her head with tales of adventure.
  
  You couldn't have just stuck with one of the dumb passive ones could you? Why the hell did you go for the independent thinker of the village?
  
  Well it's done and to be honest it's that trait that made her more attractive anyway. It isn't like you can blame her for wanting to leave Dert. The place is duller than Teckleville ever was.
  
  In any case, you aren't willing to risk losing Lisa even if she isn't likely to leave in the near future. You have to at least make the effort to keep her around. Your reasons are probably selfish, but she's also correct that you would miss her if she weren't in your life.
  
  This would be a whole lot simpler if you weren't under Ral's spell. Maybe it's time for that situation to change. Of course even after all these years, you still have no idea of how to do that and Ral doesn't seem to be relenting anytime soon.
  
  Of course you do have another option and that's going back to Isabella. Despite her invitation of coming back to see her at anytime, you never have for several reasons. Still, you have pondered it many times because you believe that if anyone knows how to break Ral's hold over you, it would be her and she'd probably be willing to help given how much she doesn't seem to like him.
  > ask Isabella to help you
  This isn't even just about keeping Lisa in your life, this is about not being Ral's whipping boy anymore.
  
  "You're right Lisa, things do have to change." You say and stand up.
  "Wait, where are you going?" Lisa asks.
  "I'm going to make moves in changing my situation and by doing so, hopefully it changes yours as well."
  
  You start to walk away and Lisa goes after you.
  
  "Wait! Hold on! I don't want you doing anything rash! I mean like I said I'm not going anywhere! I was just talking; I mean I can't imagine I'll ever have the courage to leave Dert anyway. I'd rather be stuck here and you still be alive!" Lisa says.
  "Lisa, don't backtrack now. You made a good point and your desires are perfectly reasonable. Why should you be stuck here? If I'm around, all it's going to do is give you an excuse not to take that next step. You'll grow old and resentful that you might have done more with your life." You say.
  "I just don't want you to do something that's going to get you killed."
  "What if I should die on some fool mission for Ral anyway? You willing to risk wasting more years you could have spent doing something else? No, you had the right idea from the start. You can't be stuck here and neither can I. If I die doing this now, then at least that releases you from any excuse of staying in Dert. Also, this has been a long time coming. If it alleviates some of your concerns however, I'm not going to just attack Ral. I can't, even if I thought I'd be a match for him. Anyway, hopefully the next time I see you, I'll be free. Either way, you'll most certainly be."
  
  You give Lisa a kiss goodbye and leave her to go talk to Isabella.
  
  You head to the Dert graveyard and even though it's still daylight, you don't bother waiting until dusk. You just open up the secret entrance and head down to Isabella's "foyer." Out of some concern for your safety and wishing to show some sort of respect, you don't go any further than that and just call out her as loud as you can several times.
  
  You don't get an answer right away and you can't even be sure if she heard you. She could be a deep sleeper. You aren't sure about vampire habits after all.
  
  You think you're going to have to wait anyway, but you soon get an answer when you hear footsteps and Isabella appears to you in the entrance that leads deeper into her home. (Yes, she's still naked like last time)
  
  "You play with your life, waking me up like this human." Isabella says.
  "As I remember you told me not to be a stranger." You answer.
  "Hmm, a minor failing on my part thanks in part to your delicious blood. However, you're here now and I'm awake, so state your business and I hope this isn't related to Ral again."
  "It is, but it's against him."
  "Oh? You have my attention."
  "I was hoping you could free me of him. I mean you sort of implied you could when we first met."
  "I did? As I recall I said I could kill you, but I wouldn't since I know how hard good servants are to come by. Never really said I could break a geas."
  "Well, I guess I just sort of thought you could given how um...  long you've been around. Surely you're very powerful."
  "Clumsy attempts at flattery (sigh). Though I suppose you're at least trying. Look human, I don't have anything against you. Actually, you're an alright sort, but I just can't help you. Well not in the way that you'd like, though I could be wrong about that."
  "What? Does it require you drinking some more of my blood? Here, have at it!" you say and start exposing your neck more to Isabella who steps towards you.
  "Oh, it would require more than just your blood to break the spell."
  
  Isabella at this point gets very close to you and begins to show her fangs. Then suddenly she looks up and sniffs the air and with a minor snarl, she throws you aside and rushes up the stairs behind you.
  
  You're bewildered by all of it, partially due to taking a hard hit against the wall and the other fact that she just ran up the stairs and it isn't even nighttime yet.
  
  Just as you're about to follow to see what it's all about, you hear some squealing and cries, which get closer. Your heart sinks when Isabella returns with Lisa and has her by the hair.
  
  "Irresponsible fool! You didn't think to close the door behind you when you entered my home? I can only guess this one is from Dert. You know her?" Isabella asks.
  
  You quickly say you do, as Lisa displays her fear, sadness and probably confusion on the situation clearly on her face and her cries. You can't believe you didn't know that she followed you.
  
  "Isabella, she didn't know. Please, just let her go." You say in a calm manner while raising your hands.
  "Let her go? Yeah, I can't do that. She'll tell the rest of those Dert idiots about me."
  "I won't... " Lisa starts to say before Isabella twists her hair and forces her to her knees.
  "Silence! YOU don't get to say anything!"
  "Come on Isabella, she's so fucking scared, she's not going to say anything about you. Besides what are you worried about? Surely a bunch of stupid peasants are no match for you."
  "More clumsy flattery. Stupid peasants can do a whole lot more than you think if there's enough of them and they're angry enough. They can certainly cause me enough trouble that I'd probably have to move. I chose this place because it's a nice quiet area far enough away from that city full of criminal blood bags and a blissfully ignorant village close by."
  "Wait! Can't we come to some sort of understanding?!"
  "Ah yes, you always do like to make deals don't you? Well let's see, before this one so rudely interrupted us, I was going to free you from Ral. If you're still interested in that, I can oblige, however I don't think you're going to like it."
  "What is it? Please, if it'll save Lisa and give me my freedom then I'll pay the price!"
  "Well, just so happens that I'd like a manservant of my own and despite this recent display of incompetence, I think you'd make a worthwhile one. You certainly are no stranger to menial labor and you're at least pleasing to the eyesight."
  "Wait, you want me to pledge myself to you or something?"
  "More like or something. I'm asking you to give yourself completely over to me of your own free will. When you do that, then I can drain you dry and we can begin."
  "Wait... are you proposing what I think you are?"
  "Yes."
  "But I'd just be substituting one form of slavery for another AND I'd be dead on top of it!"
  "The term is actually undead and really now, you can't possibly compare serving me to be the same as serving Ral. I don't see why this is such a hard decision. I've known mortals who would have jumped at the chance you have. And given that we've already shared a bit of... closeness in the past, I know damn well there's a part of you that likes the idea."
  
  It's taking everything within