The Monster's Stratagem (Lesbian Story)

7: Weak Point

"She looks cold."

"She's fine."

"Are you sure? She's shivering. Aren't humans supposed to do that when they're cold?"

"Leave her be."

Dawn was lying down on her bed, teeth chattering and handcuffs clinking with each shudder of her body. The dungeons really were unforgiving when it came to temperature drops. The Venturer guessed it was night considering how frigid the air was. Another violent convulsion raked through her, forcing Dawn to fold in on herself. To her surprise, it took a couple of hours of constant noise before the monsters took proper notice.

"I'm starting to get a headache." Leixa complained, rubbing her temples at the ceaseless clanking.

"It's her handcuffs." If Syrena was irritated, she hid it a lot better than her subordinate.

"Perhaps we should remove them, just to be spared of the noise."

There was a pause as the Commander seriously considered the suggestion. "That might not be a bad idea."

The shudders never stopped and Dawn's body was growing weary with the constant movement. She was already weak enough from lack of food and dehydration, and the cold did her no favours in keeping her body energised.

"What was that growling noise?" Leixa asked once another hour had passed, seemingly confused by the sound.

"If I had to guess, it was probably her stomach."

"How often are humans supposed to eat?"

"How would I know?" Syrena sighed, turning to look at Dawn's shaking form. "The king said humans are fragile and that we were to take extra care. Leixa, gather some supplies so that we won't fail him."

"Right away." Dawn could hear footsteps fading and a door swing shut.

Silence fell in the dungeons, Dawn was too weak to speak and Syrena was not interested in conversing with a prisoner.

The Venturer drifted in and out of consciousness, oblivious to time and the world around her, too lost in her own mind to focus on anything else. It was almost complete, just one final piece of the puzzle was missing before she could make her grand escapade.

"Here." Surprised she hadn't heard even the monster enter, Dawn vaguely recognised the feeling of something being draped over her shoulders and heard the faint click of a lock; her handcuffs had been removed. "There's some food and water next to you, too." With that, Leixa left the cell, letting the door lock shut as she resumed her position beside the Commander.

It took a while for Dawn to summon enough energy to uncurl herself, wincing at her aching limbs. The scratchy piece of cloth draped over her body was actually an excellent insulator and Dawn was warming up by the second. She briefly stared down at her unbound wrists, dark splotches visible in the dim light. Keeping her expression neutral, she turned to the metal tray beside her which carried the sustenance she needed to survive the next couple of hours in her prison.

It wasn't much, and certainly not an impressive spread, but Dawn looked at it as though it were a blessing. She reached for the water first, relishing in the feeling of the cool liquid easing the harsh dryness in her throat and mouth. Careful not to finish it all in one go, she reluctantly put the cup down when it was half empty. Now eager to satisfy her stomach pains, Dawn tore into the stale bread with a kind of ferocity that she didn't know she was capable of.

"The little savage." Syrena sounded disgusted, but Dawn couldn't bring herself to care. She was too engrossed in the glorious feeling of sating hunger.