Emperor:

  He ordered six slaves, with swords out, to keep the Misfits in their corner.

  This is great!

  He looked sideways and saw two bodies in the fighting room.

  Yep, there's Eleanor, dead.

  I have won.

  It wasn't even that hard.

  But what do you expect? She's just a woman.

  Now, where are the other two tunnellers and the other, err...

  He counted the bodies, the new slaves, the Misfits.

  The other seven.

  Seven? Let's see, there is that vermin woman and her two ferals. And there was some girl that could kill at a distance.

  And three more? Hmm, wasn't there the mother of that girl?

  Obviously, they are encased somewhere inside all of that rock. As soon as I deal with the Misfits, I can order down extra slaves and dig them out.

  Anyway, there shouldn't be any problems.

  Let's ask the new Greys.

  Making sure that the Misfits were still surrounded, he walked up to the closest captive, which just so happened to be Jane.

  "You! Who is inside that rock fortress?"

  Jane did not say anything.

  "Hey, listen to me! Who is inside?"

  Jane looked as if she was trying to listen to him, but wasn't understanding him.

  It looks like the reports were correct; they somehow have a way of making a new slave deaf or temporarily deaf.

  Maybe that person is one of the ones inside?

  Doesn't matter.

  Now for the fun part.

  He pointed to two slaves.

  "You lot, drag the new slaves into that corridor and room. Kick aside the two bodies to make room."

  "Now get out the nets and bundle up the Misfits. But don't touch them!"

  Alice:

  That little dick head shit!

  Still trying to act as if she was defeated, she judged the distance between her and what she assumed was the Emperor. She still couldn't see him properly, he was up the stairs, and she was keeping her head down.

  Nope, it's not possible. There's a whole heap of slaves between him and us. I'll be cut down before I ever get to touch the Emperor. And then the other three will die also.

  There had been extensive discussion about this very matter at the planning meetings. Eventually, they decided that relying on the Ashrend effects on the remaining three Misfits was risky. It didn't appear that the Misfits were capable of all that much coherent thought throughout that state. There certainly wasn't a guarantee that they could keep their composure sufficiently to touch the Emperor before succumbing to their berserker rage.

  Last resort, then.

  A couple of bags were tossed down the stairs, from which slaves pulled out some nets.

  Oh, this could be a problem.

  Trying hard to conceal it, Alice exchanged looks with the other Misfits. Then, she mentally resigned herself.

  So, we get all trussed up in a net. Hopefully, something will cause the Emperor to touch one of us. Damn him; he appears to be taking particular care not to let any slave touch us in any way.

  The slaves were brutally efficient. One tossed a large net over them all. Then, more slaves went and bashed them violently with bludgeons.

  Hey, fuck this! That hurts... a bit. Geeze that would have instantly killed that innocent schoolgirl I used to be.

  And then, having gotten the Misfits at least slightly under control, they stabbed her! Through the arm.

  Alice screamed and swore; she also checked the others in the confusion to see they were getting the same treatment.

  Hey, that's Cassy swearing. Wow, even after all this time, I still didn't know she could swear like that!

  Of course, by now, her [Emotional Control] was on full. Her regeneration abilities kicked in and controlled the pain and bleeding.

  The slaves didn't relent in their attacks; now, they poked and dragged the Misfit bodies to separate them from each other while still under the net. They pulled rope ties already attached to the net and tied them, ending up with four Misfits, each cocooned in their own piece of netting. After this, the net connecting each was cut, thus separating the Misfits into easily manageable parcels.

  Thank the Gods, System-san, and every angel there might be for 100% [Emotional Control].

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  "Now cut off their hands!" shouted somebody.

  Oh Fuck. Oh Fuck. Of Fuck.

  [Emotional Controll] is on! A full 100%.

  It's only for a short period!

  I can take it!

  I've already done this before!

  And, if that's the Emperor's voice... doesn't it sound kind of high-pitched and squeaky?

  They used hooks to pull her hands away from her body and through the netting. Then, a blade materialised and sliced through her lower arms, both of them.

  Alice screamed.

  Then sobbed.

  Then quietened down.

  Actually, the [Emotional Control] must be working overtime. I can kind of take this.

  What a horrible end to my life.

  She was dragged up to the middle landing and was now on her back, her face towards the upside stairs. She saw them also drag up Cassy. The two boys they left on the lowest landing.

  On the middle landing, someone else was already there.

  A man, short and pudgy, wearing a gold collar and clothes that looked expensive. They were also mismatched and tacky in their colour.

  Alice almost forgot, for a moment, the unfortunate predicament she was in.

  That is the Emperor? That? He looks like he copied the dress of a ten-year-old kid at a costume party! That smirk on his face looks like a teenage boy who has managed to pull some girl's hair and gotten away with it. A young teenage boy.

  And, and is he strutting? Oh, come off it! He must think he is the greatest thing on Earth - Ringworld - and that everybody else will bow to his superiority and magnificence.

  Wait, he's the Emperor. Every slave does bow to his superiority if he orders them to.

  Right, I see. For thirty years, he's been totally, absolutely, pampered and spoilt.

  He's certainly never had much in the way of character-building. At least, not after he became the Emperor.

  "Oh my God!"

  Who said... Ah, that's Cassy. Yeah, she shares my opinion.

  Emperor:

  This is so much fun. Maybe I'll keep on going as Emperor. Perhaps get another ten years?

  It's a pity it will still end miserably...

  The Emperor took a breath and dismissed such negative thoughts.

  So, these are the ever-so-great Misfits! Going to conquer the slaver institution.

  Ha! Not so great now, are you?

  Pathetic. If the boys had waited to grow up to be men, they could have had a chance to do something.

  But, tied to those two girls? How can a man possibly achieve anything worthwhile while under the influence of such depraved, degenerate females?

  He stood straighter. Looked around in pride.

  I did all of this. This is all mine. And I'll claim the rest of Manifestoria as mine. Then keep on going!

  He looked at the two girls, arms hacked off but not bleeding out.

  So, the guesses were correct; they have maxed out everything, including regeneration.

  Hmm, those two girls certainly have nice bodies. I can prove my conquest by sexing them - ah, but only after getting some slave to do it first, make sure it is safe.

  Making sure to keep a safe half a metre distance, the Emperor 'inspected' the girls.

  Huh? That's strange; they don't seem all that attractive after all?

  Alice:

  Oh my God, he's leering at me. How unspeakably revolting. Even that bully in my class back at the school would be better than this - specimen.

  Wait, he's stopped leering and is looking puzzled.

  Hurrah, it's rule number four. Nothing sexual is possible between us and anybody else!

  However, it does prevent the most likely reason for him touching me.

  What a creep!

  Emperor:

  Is that girl sneering at me?

  On what right does she have to do that? I'm the Emperor, and she's just a defeated vermin!

  And they must all have maxed out [Emotional Control], also.

  OK, let's have some fun here, shall we?

  "Listen, girl, you are now mine. You are still mine, even if you don't have a collar on! I will make you acknowledge me as your Emperor."

  He spent the next five minutes describing exactly how he would achieve this, all the while looking at her body.

  She's may not be the slightest bit sexy, but she's still got a good body.

  This is going to be almost as much fun as usual.

  Alice:

  So, he's going to order his slaves to rape me, and then he'll torture me, and eventually he will kill me.

  What a charming fellow!

  And, shit, if he orders a slave to rape me, will it override rule four?

  Hey, System-san, what happens in that case?

  No answer came.

  Wait - if a slave touches me, he instantly loses his collar. So he would no longer obey his orders, which probably means he wouldn't rape me, anyway. So, what happens then? What do I do?

  Right, looks like I'm all on my lonesome here. I'm tied down and can't move my body much, and I don't even have arms to move them; how do I touch the shit?

  And he is still looking at my body - oh crap.

  Alice just then realised that, due to all of the violence of her capture, her shirt had been ripped to shreds, and her bra wrap had been displaced.

  In other words, her breast, the one closest to the Emperor, was fully exposed, framed between one of the holes in the net.

  [Emotional Control] is fully on; I can maintain my composure right up to my death. I hope.

  She had an idea.

  Oh, fuck this. This is going to be the worst thing ever.

  Say, isn't it like Eleanor's pain?

  If Eleanor can dial back her [Emotional Control], even with her extreme pain, then what if I do the same?

  I hope the Emperor is endlessly reincarnated as a dung beetle. Over and over again.

  She set her [Emotional Control] down by ten per cent.

  Instantly, the long-suppressed terrors of the first time she lost her arms came out. The fears and horrors of being utterly helpless in a cruel world, of living her life as a cripple, of dying alone. All of this was overlayed with the fears of being raped by faceless, uncaring slaves, and of being subject to the pain of a sadistic Emperor. She also remembered Hestia's story about how her sister died by the Emperor's hand.

  She began whimpering.

  "No! No! Don't touch me! Don't touch me!"

  Adminst her terror, she still managed to take notice of the Emperor's face.

  Look at the shit. He is actually enjoying my pain.

  You evil shit!

  Maybe this will work. I'll have to decrease the [Emotional Control] even more, but not so far that I can't act when needed.

  Emperor:

  Yes! At last! I have gotten through to her.

  I still don't understand why she is not the slightest bit sexy. I mean, right now, she is the absolute ideal for me.

  Never mind.

  This is still good.

  He put out his hand as if he was going to touch her nipple.

  She began crying hysterically, all the while begging not to be touched.

  Yes! Yes! Keep showing me how much I control you!

  Soon, I need to get a slave to sex her, see what happens.

  He started laughing out loud in his enjoyment.

  He spoke a few more words about what he would do to her.

  The girl started screaming in fear.

  Utterly fascinated, he moved his hand closer to her breast but still maintained a five-centimetre distance.

  And, mid-scream, she jerked the stumps of her arms down, arched her body up, helped by pushing her legs down, and managed to lift her torso off the ground by six or seven centimetres.

  The Emperor also had maxed-out speed ability. So, he was able to start moving his hand back almost immediately. However, due to the distraction of laughing like crazy, he wasn't quite fast enough to out-speed the girl.

  The tip of one finger of the Emperor's hand lightly gazed at the girl's nipple.

  Ding! Your collar has been removed! Courtesy of Alice the Misfit.

  Ding! You're no longer the Emperor, shit face!

  His collar turned to coarse sand and showered down around him. Some of it even landed on Alice's breast.

  What? What? I, I'm, I have lost my collar?

  He tried to feel his collar, but it wasn't there. He whipped around to the Green who was standing behind him.

  "Hey, you! Get me, get me something. Some water!"

  But the Green stood there. Looking blank but definitely not obeying an order.

  Sheer horror and panic overcame the Emperor. He had been immediately obeyed in every single thing he ever told any slave, in every single occasion, for the last three decades. And now, they were ignoring him!

  He looked back at the girl.