• Closed • Dawn of the Shadow Beasts

[Tristan Venora]

Saun 34, Arc 716

Tristan was just sitting at a table in his favorite tavern, the Blacksmith Arms, drinking and playing cards with two of his questionable acquaintances, when somebody – no, a whole group of somebodies, trampled down the stairs, rudely interrupt his game. He looked up –and froze. Brandon the Burglar (well, former burglar, but he thought the name sounded too cool to give it up) and Lucille, the prostitute (who was exactly that) put their cards down as well and stared. In the middle of the tavern stood a trio of city guards.

Rufus, the tavern owner, opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, one of the guards blurted out, "Rynmere is under attack!" Immediately all eyes were on them. "They arrived this morning, out of nowhere, terrible beasts born of shadows and hatred. They killed a woman in front of our eyes before we were able to strike them down. I advise you all to either stay at the Blacksmith Arms for there is safety in numbers or go straight home, lock the doors and the windows and hope for the best. They might be everywhere soon."

"I fear for those that are locked outside the gates. Nobody is going to protect them", he added and turned around, his companions in tow. They had a duty to fulfill and monsters to kill.

"I’m glad that they didn’t come to arrest me", Brandon the Burglar remarked once they were gone. "I was a little worried about that."

"I thought you were retired?" Lucille asked, and Brandon smirked. "I had a little relapse. Happens to the best of us." Tristan joined their laughter before his gaze fell on the people at the tables around them who were beginning to panic a little as if he were seeing them for the first time. He abruptly stood up. "I’m sorry, guys, but I think I should go home. My slave is alone, and I don’t think she knows what’s happening yet."

"He seems to be rather fond of that girl, doesn’t he?" Brandon asked Lucille once Tristan had slammed the tavern door shut behind himself.

~~~

"Faith!" Tristan called out to his slave as he opened the door. "Faith!!! We are under attack! Shadow monsters are killing people! Faith?" He looked around the house and finally entered the kitchen area, figuring she would most likely be busy preparing his meal. "Make sure that all the windows are closed and then find out where my cat is. I don’t want the shadow monsters to eat him!"

With that he abruptly disappeared into his bedroom, opened the chest that stood in front of the bed and removed his sword cane and his dagger from it. The sword cane with its silver dragon head was quite fancy, a noble’s fashion accessory rather than a proper weapon, but as he carefully touched the blade, he found that it was still sharp so hopefully he’d be able to successfully stab a monster with it if worse came to worst.

"That’s for you", he informed Faith and handed her the dagger. "You should have a weapon as well. I’ll be at the living room window, keeping watch. Could you serve me lunch nevertheless though? I’m practically starving, and I don’t think I should let that delicious meal you cooked go to waste just because those shadow things are attacking Rynmere. I wonder what they look like. I haven’t seen any yet. Do you think they’ll be very frightening?"

[Faith Augustin]

Faith

Faith was terrified. Not afraid, not a little nervous, she was terrified. Things were attacking and she didn't know what they were, but she could hear screaming and she had closed and then nailed shut every window in the place but then she had worried that Master might try to come in through one of them and what if he died because she had tried to protect herself? No, that was no good at all, and so she turned the hammer head around and used the two-pronged side to get the nails out. Then, as the last of the nails came out the cat appeared at a window and she opened it as the damn thing came running in like a streak of obnoxious lightning, and she closed the window quickly. Then, she went and put some food down for Mistral in her bedroom and the cat shot in there. Pleased, Faith closed the door, having made sure that he had plenty of food and water and the bed was comfortable for him. There were no windows in that room and she knew, therefore, that the cat was safe.

And then, she got on with the very serious business of worrying about Master, worrying whether she should go out and find him, whether she should lock things or nail them shut or what she should do. By the time he arrived home, she had more or less worked herself into a frenzy. She cooked him a cheese and potato pie, she paced, she made a roast chicken, she paced. All this food was laid out on the table, with vegetables in tureens, bread and quiche, all sorts of roast and chipped and fried and tempura'd vegetable. Oh, whatever it was just please Famula let him come home

So it was that, when Tristan came through the door, Faith literally flung herself forward at him, quite entirely forgetting herself and who she was and who he was and just feeling enormous relief flood through her as she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him firmly "Master! Oh I've been so worried about you!! I thought you might have died and I nailed the windows but then I un nailed them in case you came in through one and Mistral is in my bedroom and oh... I'm so sorry" she said, suddenly realising that she had reacted entirely out of emotion for him, rather than keeping her place as his slave and she stepped away, blushing deeply and almost expecting him to hit her, but not ever expecting him to at the same time. "I am sorry, Master. I was worried about you" she explained, her eyes shining with honesty.

When he went into the bedroom, she watched him and as relief flooded through her the young woman burst into tears. Faith never cried, she hadn't even cried when she had been branded, but the sight of him safe and sound was enough to do it. It seemed, she considered, that perhaps she was more fond of him than she had realised. But she would not allow him to see her crying, that would be unforgiveable and so she quickly wiped her eyes, grabbed the hammer and was nailing windows shut when he came back. She took the dagger, solemnly, hopeful that her tears didn't show and she nodded.

"I was worried, so I cooked" she said, and indeed he would have to be really not looking to see the mountain of food that she had prepared. "Because I very much wanted you to be alive to eat it. I... yes, Master" she said and she moved to get his food on a plate. Pie, chicken, bread, vegetables, a quiche and really she didn't need to mention the beef that was still roasting. "I may have panic cooked. I am sorry Master oh please be careful!" she said and then shook her head "I don't know what's wrong with me, it is not my place, but Master if you get attacked I am going to have to defend you with my life. So please, don't get attacked whilst I am cooking, or it will burn" she explained, mock-serious. "The cat is locked in my bedroom with food and water and he is comfortable, but he seemed unnerved. I have nailed down the windows down here and closed them upstairs. I... are you sure that's safe?" she asked, of him standing by the window and she wondered at just how worried for him she was.

[Tristan Venora]

"Oh, don’t apologize", Tristan said to her – after a few moments during which he had enjoyed her kiss and her embrace a great deal. "It was a little unexpected, but quite nice. I like being welcomed home with a kiss, although Granny Ebony would probably think it’s totally inappropriate and insist that slaves shouldn’t kiss their owners. As for the windows …"

He turned towards the windows in question, and his heart skipped a beat. He would never be as terrified as his slave – it just didn’t feel good, and thus he tried not to be – but he was slightly worried, mostly for her and the cat (at least that was what he told himself). "I’ve entered through the window instead of the door on occasion because always using the same entrance is boring, but when I’m in a hurry I usually don’t. I had no idea that we had a hammer and nails at home though …"

He realized that he had started to ramble a bit (a sign that the current situation affected him more than he wanted to admit) and abruptly broke off, deciding to do something useful instead.

~~~

"And I’m happy about that", he informed her as she told him that she had panic cooked. "I’m hungry. I’m glad that you are not one of those women that sit in a corner and cry when they are worried, but actually do something productive. Is it wrong that I want to eat something when there are people dying around me?" As he asked that, he took the plate because the food smelled really delicious and started stuffing chicken and vegetables into his mouth. While he couldn’t do anything about the shadow beasts, he could at least do something about the unpleasant feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"Maybe I’m a panic eater", he mused and shrugged his shoulders.

"Don’t worry", he continued and briefly lowered his fork because eating and speaking at the same time was a sign of bad manners. Sleeping with his slave (and kissing her!) was fine in his opinion, but that was inappropriate! "I don’t intend to die or get attacked as long as there is such a wonderful meal waiting for me at home. In fact, I don’t intend to die at all, but keep on living for at least another century, even though you probably think that’s impossible."

"Safer than hiding under the bed or in the wardrobe", he answered as she voiced her concerns about him standing by the window and grabbed the sword cane again as he felt much better with it. "I want to see them when they are coming so that I can defend myself and my possessions if it’s necessary. If I hid under the bed, I might not know that they are attacking until it’s too late. Besides, I’m curious about them."

It was just then that something occurred to him, a little belatedly. His eyes widened a bit, and he wrapped his hand more tightly around the handle of his weapon as if he expected a monster to jump at him anytime. "You … you nailed the windows. Does that mean they’ve already been here? Did you see or hear anything? Are you really alright? Are the neighbors alright?"

[Faith Augustin]

Faith

She looked at him and she smiled a genuine smile of absolute relief "Master, I will welcome you home with a kiss every time you walk in the door, if it is your wish. I was so worried about you!" And she had been, she realised. Very worried and more than she would have thought she would be. She might consider that later but right now she was more concerned with getting things here sorted and making sure that they were both safe. So, as Master went and got useful things, Faith made sure that she got herself together as quickly as she could.

But when he told her that he was glad she did not sit in a corner and cry, she shook her head "I have an unfortunate tendency, Master, towards running towards those things that unnerve me. My owners in Athart" she was dishing out his food as she spoke "They tried very hard to break me of my recklessness. But I believe that your brother would tell you that they failed, Master" she did not doubt that he had heard of that particular situation. It had been a while ago and she had been on some rather extreme adventures since, but still it caused her to blush and look at him with a most apologetic expression. "I bought the hammer to fix the brush" she explained. It was cheaper.

But then, after he'd proclaimed that he wanted to live for a century and that he didn't want to hide under the bed as he wanted to protect his possessions (and what was that strange feeling, she wondered, when he said that? She didn't like it) Faith looked at Tristan and smiled. "Mistral and I are fine, Master. I believe the neighbours are, too. There was some panic in the street, people screaming to lock up your doors, not let anyone in. I was listening for you and I heard some screams in the distance that sounded like people getting hurt or dying or... Master, I need to ask you something and I know I shouldn't, and I know it isn't something that's right or appropriate but I met a man and he confused me..."

She looked at Tristan with a most earnest expression and she asked him with deadly seriousness. "Do you like me? As a person. Am I more than just property to you or am I like... the cat, or the hammer but more useful and multi functional, because I thought one thing and he told me something else and he was clever and used clever arguments and now I am confused and..." did she even dare say it? But yes, of course she did "Because I want you to like me and I don't undestand any of it"

[Tristan Venora]

"So you didn’t see anything at all?" Tristan asked and pouted because he was so very, very disappointed. Despite the dangers involved he really wanted to know what they were like. It wasn’t every trial that Rynmere was being invaded by shadow beasts after all, and the guards that had warned the occupants of the Blacksmith Arms hadn’t exactly given them a detailled description. The shadow beasts would make a really good topic for a story.

He was just watching the street outside the living room window, trying his hardest to find something of interest when Faith asked that question, that question that was almost impossible to answer correctly and that every man secretly dreaded. He thought about what he should tell her, and then he shrugged his shoulders and decided to tell her what he really thought because he wasn’t in the mood for lying, at least not at the moment.

"I like you better than the cat or the hammer. I can’t make love to the hammer, and I’m not into bestiality either", he said, cut the quiche in half and offered one of the halves to her, hoping that she would forget her fear and her confusion over the food. Everything was better with food and a glass of wine in his opinion, even shadow beasts and unpleasant questions.

"You are prettier than the hammer as well", he remarked, and continued, in a more serious tone, "To be honest, I’m surprised that you even felt the need to ask that question. Have I ever treated you as anything less than a human being? I told you before that, as far as I am concerned, you are a person, as much as I am a person. I’m really quite fond of you and can’t imagine not having you here anymore. You changed my life completely."

She’d really done that, he thought with a smile. It was quite nice to wake up next to a pretty girl in the morning, a girl who cooked and cleaned for him and was quite intelligent on top of it. He hadn’t thought that he would enjoy owning a slave that much!

"You are multi functional as well though", he added. "I hope you don’t mind that. I love multifunctional women." He briefly turned back towards the window because he needed to know if the shaodw beasts were approaching and because it would also give him time to formulate his next sentences. It had been a while since he had had such a conversation. The thought that he could just order Faith to shut up never occured to him.

"Faith, you shouldn’t care about the opinion of others. Only my words matter. You are mine. That stranger you met doesn’t really know anything about the two of us and the kind of relationship we have. He probably just wanted to hurt you. Who was he, by the way, and what exactly did he say to you that you are so confused now?"

[Faith Augustin]

Faith

Even when he pouted, she could not help but smile. "I am sure that, if the neighbours knew your disappointment, they would have done something differently, Master" she replied, her tone serious yet teasing. He might seem to be, or even think he was, but Faith was fairly sure that he wasn't glad that the neighbours weren't being attacked. At least, she hoped not and she didn't believe so. Had she known, however, that he considered there was or even might be a correct answer to her question, she would have been quick to reassure him, but she did not. She asked him what she had to ask and she heard his answer. She waited until he had said everything. When he said that she had changed his life completely, her lips lifted in a slight smile, but she said nothing until he was done and it was only then she spoke.

Her voice was quiet, but there was an edge to it. "So I am more useful than the hammer and better in bed than the cat?" she asked. Had they been married, or even courting, that tone would have spelled danger. But they were not doing either of those things and Faith stood and moved over to him, taking the piece of quiche he offered her and smiling up at him, all clouds dispersed from her expression. "Master, I am sorry" she said, taking the food and ignoring it for the moment, her careful and meticulous movement never more evident as she placed her plate down. She had more important things to do. "I allowed someone to tap into my confusion. But I forgot, and for my forgetting I am sorry, Master" she lifted her hand and just briefly touched it to his cheek, ostensibly removing a crumb. "Forgive me my foolishness?" she asked "I forgot what is most important. I am yours" that was more than enough for her, it was more than she had ever considered she could be.

"I am glad to be multi-functional. I want to be useful to you. It is everything I want, to make you happy" she was most earnest in her expression as she spoke those words "The man is named Paladin. I met him once before and he was very angry at Jamal. I was in the library and I..." it was not until she said it that she realised just what the truth of it was, where the crux of the matter lay. Looking at him, she refilled his wine glass and checked if he wanted more on his plate before she continued "I was proud, Master. Proud of who I have become and proud to be yours. I wanted to show him. To show off, I suppose" it was true, there was no denying it. "And he said that I was wrong, that you did not care for me, did not look after me. It... Master, the Owners in Athart and Jamal, they told me I am not a person. I am a thing. This slave is no one, I said it every trial for as many as I can remember and I meant it. If I am what you tell me then were they wrong?" it confounded her, in truth. The two things simply could not exist together in the world.

But did she dare to say what the real issue was? Yes, she did because she had to. "Master, if people like Paladin have their way, I will no longer be a slave. There will be no slaves. If that ever happens and I am a person, please... can we just stay the same and can I still be yours?" because if she was nothing more than an object to him, when those objects were banned, when Paladin and his people, his ideas and his axioms ~ when they were in charge if they ever were, who would look after her? If she was an object, she would be discarded and that seemed utterly awful to her. "I will endeavour to always be multi-functional" she assured him, earnestness across her face.

[Tristan Venora]

"Yes, of course", he informed her quite happily as she asked him if she was more useful than the hammer and better in bed than the cat even though he had of course noticed the tone of her voice. He decided not to let it bother him though. In his opinion women were a little too sensitive sometimes, even or especially when they were slaves. "It was meant as a compliment. I wanted to let you know how much I care about you. I really have a way with words sometimes, don’t I?" He laughed as he said that.

He took a bite off the quiche and sighed dreamily. "You should try it as well", he told Faith. "It’s delicious. You’ve become quite the cook." He took another bite, secretly thinking that, if Faith continued to improve as a cook, he would soon not be as slender anymore. He’d either have to develop some self-control or start to work out as he didn’t want to grow fat and ugly. He preferred being slender and pretty. Fortunately being chased by man-eating shadow beasts as well as cousins that wanted to take over the kingdom was a great workout.

"I’ll forgive you", he informed her. "I’m a generous master, so I’ll always forgive you. That man you met doesn’t sound much like a paladin though, so I can’t help but wonder where he got the name." Maybe he was a paladin who had strayed from the right path and decided to confuse innocent slave girls, he thought. That sounded like it could be it. ""You were right to be proud of what you are", he continued. "There is nobody else in all of Idalos that can claim to be the slave of Lord Tristan Venora!"

"If I didn’t care for you", he remarked, frowning slightly and wondering if he should try to find this Paladin and confront him. "I would dress you in rags, let you eat from a bowl on the floor, like Jamal, and chain you to the wall whenever you are alone so that you can’t run away. Your masters in Athart and Jamal were wrong, and Paladin was wrong as well. You are a living, breathing human being and not a thing."

"As I have mentioned before, people that think that slaves are mere things are idiots", he said and shook his head at all the stupidity before he ate some more of her delicious food. He didn’t want it to grow cold after all, despite the beasts that were lurking outside the safe walls of his house and the importance of the current conversation.

"If you were not a slave anymore", he began and furrowed his brow. He had definitely not expected that question. "I’d still like for you to live here, with me. I’d still like to spend the night with you, and if you wanted to, you’d still be allowed to work for me, even for free if you like. I’d always take care of you."

"Do you not want to be a slave anymore?" he asked, hoping that she’d immediately deny it and tell him that she’d never wanted anything more than to be somebody’s slave because she had been born a slave and couldn’t imagine any other life. He was not ready for a slave that was unhappy with her situation. He really enjoyed owning her!

It was just then that a piercing scream could be heard from somewhere down the street. Tristan exchanged a meaningful look with Faith and gestured for her to take the dagger he had given to her.

[Faith Augustin]

Faith

She shook her head and laughed with him "Your words are perfect, Master. They are factual, functional and funny. What more could one ask?" But that he wanted her to know that he cared about her was not lost on her and Faith smiled at that. Things seemed much clearer now that she was back home and not being confused by Paladin and his ways of thinking. As Master took a bite of the quiche and complimented her on her cooking skills, she smiled in pleasure "I am glad you think so. I am trying to focus on it so that I can make all your food delicious" She made sure that the meals she gave him were well balanced and tasty, so that he had plenty of energy and was content. After that she would focus on her sewing so that she could make him beautiful clothes and then... well, suffice it to say that Faith was a slave with a plan. She would become the most skilled, useful and helpful slave in all of Idalos, so that even the King himself envied Master for the slave he had and so that Master was completely and utterly content.

What he said about Paladin and about how very differently he treated her when compared to Jamal all rang true to Faith and she felt the doubt dissipate from her. "There is nobody on Idalos who is as fortunate as me, then, as there is no one who is your slave. I told him that, and I think he was angered by my pride in who and what I am. But I am proud and I will continue to be" to deny that she was a slave would be a stupid thing and she did not wish to do that - not ever. Her worship of Famula had taught her much of her place in the world and she was pleased to be the best slave she could be. This was her place and Faith pushed thoughts and doubt out of her mind and concentrated instead on being the best she could, of serving the best she could. "There seem to be so many people who find slavery abhorrent, yet they do not fight it and I would not wish them to. Then, it is like they get angry at me. I do not understand it"

But her deepest fear, that those people might win and then she would no longer be his or anyone's was something that very much worried her. Her question surprised him, she knew, but his answer to it simply delighted her and it showed in her eyes and face. To his question, which he asked with such an earnestness that she almost melted, she answered with a quiet voice "As long as you want me to be, until you choose to sell me, I will be yours. Whatever the law says, or Paladin or anyone else. I am your slave, Master. Always. I am yours and I..." and what she would be lost to the annals of history as the sound of a scream echoed and she nodded at Master's unspoken command, picking up the knife and looking to him for direction. If it was down to her, they'd make their way down there and save the trial. But she was, when all was said and done, a little bit prone to rushing in, so she waited for direction from him but maintained a sense of high alert.

Because if anything or anyone came in here and threatened her Master, Faith was fully prepared to kill. She knew, now, that she could see combat and she had; she had fought zombies, and lots of them. She looked at Master and she awaited his instruction.

[Tristan Venora]

"Paladin is an idiot", Tristan firmly said as Faith told him that she thought the man had been angered by her pride. Confronting him and telling him what he thought of him was becoming more and more appealing. He just hoped that he didn’t know how to use a sword. That would be really bad. "Slaves are what hold the kingdom together, and thus you should be proud of what you are!" He took another bite from his quiche, thinking that he deserved a reward for that statement that would probably make Faith very happy.

"Hypocrites", he remarked and shook his head in disgust, although he still continued to occasionally take a bit from his quiche as nothing could make him lose his appetite. "If I abhorred slavery, I would try to free every single slave in Rynmere – and provide them with clothes and new jobs rather than leaving them to their own devices! Saying that slavery is bad, but keeping your mouth shut when a slaver and their slaves walk by is the same as complaining about Veljorn and not helping the king. They are cowards, all of them."

"I mean, I didn’t pick up my sword and try to kill Veljorn either, but I did support Cassander in other ways, didn’t I?" He looked at her, hoping that she would agree with him and tell him that lending her to Elyna while he had stayed at home had been a very brave thing to do.

"People should also get angry at the owner rather than the slave", he added because that made the least sense of all to him. Slaves had, in most cases, not chosen to be enslaved, unless they were complete masochists. "If you ever meet another Paladin or even the same Paladin, tell him that!"

----

Fortunately there was some room between the various boards that Faith had nailed to the window, so Tristan could see what was going on outside. There was … by the Immortals, there was his neighbour, old Mrs. Delner, defending herself against a creature that looked like it had come straight out of a nightmare with nothing more than a walking stick!

"Didn’t you say that the neighbours were fine?" he asked Faith accusingly. "We have to help her!" Normally Tristan didn’t care about people getting hurt, but Mrs. Delner had brought him food when he hadn’t had Faith yet. She had claimed that he looked so skinny and didn’t eat properly. The cakes she had baked had been especially delicious!

That wasn’t the right time to reminisce about chocolate and cherry cakes though, so Tristan ran to the door and opened it. His heart began to beat a little faster as he stepped out onto the street. He wasn’t used to playing the part of the hero. Usually he just wrote about it.

He allowed himself to observe his surroundings for a trill or two to see if there were any more shadow monsters nearby before he turned his attention towards Mrs. Delner and her attacker. The thing looked like some sort of bizarre dog, a four feet tall, pitch black dog that had a few legs too many and some sort of red chain hanging out of its mouth.

Upon closer inspection Tristan noticed that it wasn’t a chain at all, but somebody’s entrails. Apparently the monster had already eaten somebody, but it was still hungry, and it was advancing on the poor old lady whose walking stick didn’t seem to do much.

Tristan exchanged a meaningful look with Faith and then he did something he would potentially regret immediately afterwards. He opened his mouth and yelled, "Come here, you ugly monster!"

[Faith Augustin]

She had never seen Master quite so passionate about someone else being an idiot and Faith wondered if something had upset him beyond what Paladin had told her. He seemed agitated to her but it was not her place to ask; he was obviously enjoying the food, though, and for that Faith was grateful. He extrapolated on his opinion about it and she listened carefully then and nodded "Master, I believe you have hit the nail on the head. It is guilt talking. You have made my life so much more than I could have imagined. More than anything, you buying me has changed my life" there was no doubting the truth of it and she said it with absolute sincerity. "You have given me more than anyone else could ever dream of. Made me happier than I thought possible. He claims to abhor slavery but when he met me and Jamal owned me he did nothing" of course, Faith was completely unaware of what Paladin had done, and she would have been horrified if she had known.

But on the situation of Velijorn, Faith shook her head and her feelings were clear "By your own admission, you like having me here with you, here. You gave that up in order to protect Lady Burhan and to ensure that Lady Venora and her husband did not take the throne. That is much more of a sacrifice than to speak words and do nothing" it was true to her and she smiled at him as he seemed to almost worry about it. "I will tell him that, Master. Furthermore, I will tell him that I have discussed it with my Master and we are in agreement"

At the scream, however, Master moved to the window and then he turned to her and asked her a question, accusingly "I am sorry, Master" she responded, immediately, and cursed herself for not being able to have seen the situation. She would have to do better, she vowed and she moved out with Master, taking the knife he offered her. The horrific looking dog-thing was attacking (or about to attack) the elderly neighbour and Faith felt the increasingly familiar feeling. She was afraid, terrified in fact and so, rather than do what any sane person would do (namely, run away) she moved towards it.

It was at that moment that Master called out to it and Faith saw the beast turn and snarl at Tristan. It had entrails hanging from it's mouth and it made its move, jumping at him with a gaping maw aiming for his throat. Faith went cold and acted entirely on instinct, not thinking or considering anything. The dog started to jump at about the same moment that Faith did and the pair of them impacted mid-air. No matter what, she was determined that this thing was not getting near Master and so the brave focused lunatic young woman jumped at it and hit it from the side.

Slave and demon-looking shadow-beast dog landed on the floor with a resounding thump sound and she ignored the pain of the landing, wrapping one arm around it's throat and putting the other hand under it's jaw, lifting it's head and stopping it from biting. At the same time, she wrapped her legs around it's back legs and then she......... and then, in fact, she realised the flaw in her plan. She had one hand here, and the other hand there and that meant that somewhere along the line (mid-jump, in fact) she had dropped the dagger and could not use it anyhow.

So it was that, after very few seconds, Lord Tristan Venora was faced with the situation of his slave laying on the floor with a shadow-beast dog in a lock. Faith was much better at unarmed combat than perhaps might be expected of her, but that beast was big and strong and she couldn't hold it for long. But the position she was in meant that it's belly was exposed to Tristan, although of course he would have to be quite careful to not hit his slave who was currently looking at him with what could only be described as a plaintive expression on her face.