Chapter 4 : To the Ghiber mountains
Ghess Bakyn was a dreary but lively town. At every two streets, Daskans fought each other with knives. There were different gangs fighting for different god sects. While the Daskans worshipped only Gabyuss, there were varieties of this god among different clans. Each claimed their version is the correct one. Gabyuss had demigods as servants. These gods also varied by clans. All this led to many interpretations, and violence.
In everyday dealing, each clan tried to outsmart the other, especially in business. The streets were unclean, with human faeces, carcasses of animals and other garbage. However, the buildings looked fine and pristine, since they had lots of slaves. At many gaps between these buildings, in the nooks and sometimes even in full public view, poor, drunk Daskans grabbed hapless Tamos women and boys who were unfortunate enough to be on the streets at the time, and subjected them to unspeakable cruelties. Even Daskan women rarely went out because of these rogues.
Today evening however, the streets of the city were unusually quiet. But in the main square, where an old, dilapidated pavilion still stood, belonging to the times of Old Samalk, the notables of the town had assembled. They were anxiously waiting for any news from the military and were uneasy. The news of Kyle Ghnos's capture had already reached the people. But the governor had not received any official confirmation or instructions. These fourteen hundred Daskans owned an estimated six thousand Tamos, of both sexes. They were more afraid of their slaves rising up, than the Samalkans. Most citizens being uneducated, pampered and pleasured by slaves, still hoped their military will stop the enemy, or the enemy will probably not come so far into the mountainous district.
However, on the pavilion, there were men who were capable in their own way. The governor kulsef was one such noble. Although he tried to gather courage before the assembled crowd, he knew that a storm is coming. The deliberations had started at noon, when some merchants brought the news that Kyle Ghnos has been surrounded by the enemy. But it was going on inside the town hall, in the governor's council. Kulsef had instructed that the news should not reach the public and was drafting a declaration claiming the news is a rumour. Then various dignitaries of the town came to the old pavilion and demanded a meeting with the governor. They claimed that the impregnable city has fallen. Some fleeing soldiers had told them so. Thus an open air discussion by a gathering of notables began.
At first, the governor did not believe it. The city of Gabyuss was bristling with weapons and was stoked with grain. Even if the enemy reached it, which seemed to be true, how could they have taken the city without a long siege? But after some time, more men came on swift vehicles. These were no common merchant or soldiers, but revenue officials and even high functionaries. Soon, there was no doubt about the fate of the capital, when a man without his right arm came, who was a feudal lord near the capital region. As the wounded man started telling them how the enemy had breached the walls, how the two blackleg squadrons were massacred, and how the enemy soldiers in their hate, destroyed most of the city, a large crowd gathered to listen to him. Now the governor asked him the whereabouts of the army. "The army is all but destroyed. However, some squadrons are marching with Gabzeros to the Ghiber mountains." At this the governor sent his messenger to the road those legions must cross. He went on his swiftest bike.
The messenger came back before the governor had made any decision. He entered the town with some Daskan Tei from nearby villages. It seemed the army had sent some messengers telling them to leave for the mountains. But although the messengers had alerted some villages, inexplicably they didn't reach near Ghess Bakyn. Now the Teis from different villages had armed themselves and were marching their slaves towards the town. They met the governor's messenger when he was returning from the baggage train of the army.
The governor looked at the elderly men who were supposedly leading the villagers. Even in this situation, a faint smile of derision passed over his face. The elderly Tei were a strange lot. They try to look like old sages, but all of them were deeply lecherous and voluptuaries. Most were over sixty years old, but never relinquished power to younger men. They treated their slaves like dirt. Tortures like whipping, beating until blood comes out were just everyday occurrences to the numerous slaves under them. Most wore the long white tunic appropriate for elderly men, but wore a beautiful jacket, diadem and embroidered belts to signify they haven't left the worldly desires. Their jackets were novelties, some made with tiger skin, others with crocodile or boa skin. They tried to hide their age by colouring their hairs dark green.
The governor didn't personally know most of the Tei. But he could tell their daily routine. Like most Daskan rich householders, such a village leader will get up late in the morning, only after one of his slave girls dare to go and softly suck his penis. It required some courage for the poor girls, because after getting up from his alcohol-induced sleep, her master will get a terrible headache. So in most of the days, he would order her to be whipped. Not waking him before noon, however, would lead to all the girls get whipped.
After getting up, the man would enter his bath chambers, where some 19 years old boys, dressed like elegant women would await him. These grooms had to rub a special oil on their private parts before the master enters. It gave them a heady smell, but also made their private parts itch very badly. Perhaps the latter was the original use of the oil.
After coming out from the bath chambers, where another course of debauchery and oppression happened, the man would eat and go see his wife. He would mostly find her mindlessly whipping away a middle aged Tamos woman. The slave's face will be contorted with pain, tears streaming down, but she would make no sound as she will be gagged.
After exchanging some meaningless pleasantries with his absent-minded wife, he would eat and go see his fields, where his sons were supposed to supervise the slaves. Mostly he will find the male slaves working all by themselves. When asked about the young masters, they would point towards a grove.
This would enrage the old man, and after lunch he would admonish his sons, who would pretend to respect a fat old man surrounded by naked young girls. Next, he will go see his friends at a slave dance, which took place every evening in the village. Coming back from that theatre, where he would exhaust his body with unbridled sex, the old gentleman would come home and enter his inner chambers. Too tired to do anything physically, he would lay on the huge chair and drink, while inflicting various cruel or weird punishments on the slave girls. Though his body is tired, his eyes will glow with the unseemly glee of perversion.
He won't know when he will fall asleep and his slaves will lay him down on the bed. But usually it would happen two hours before dawn.