From the Witchfinder's Files, Tale I: Snake in Chains

Phyliss

She felt being lifted into something, but did not knew what is was, but there was no doubt it was something evil. But at least, she had something to eat, and she did not hesitate, as she was already starved. She used the time to release another healing spell, sure he wasn't aware. Having healed not completely, but being much better, and gaining some strength by food, she had hope again to survive at all. She had almost expectzed to die when on the stake. This was another prove how evil he was; without her magic abilities she would be probably dead by now, despite his promise. But she wanted to live, for sure.
 
He watched with satisfaction as she emptied the pot hastily, even though it contained certainly enough to feed three or four people. No wonder, given that she had not eaten in days. Now that her stomach was nice and full, it was time to test out the device.

With an evil grin on his face, he bent down and took hold of the crank. With the fresh oil on, it turned very lightly, and after just a few moments, the cage spun at quite an impressive speed, the woman inside only visible as a blur as the force of the spin pressed her against the wall.

He nodded with satisfaction and shouted cheerfully: "Are you ready for a whole day of this, witch? Oh well, I would do this to you even if you were not ready, of course."
 
Phyliss

"You devil..." she said. So that was it. She felt confident and strong, and got rid of her pains, but she doubted if she would stand a day. She had an idea in mind, thinking of her acting skills. Maybe a fainted prisoner would spoil the fun. But she could not do it right away, so she waited.
 
He was satisfied with the device's function, so he slowed it down and prepared the second crowd-pleaser he had planned for today. Those who felt like some more direct contact would be invited to use sharp wooden sticks to poke at her through the cage. Maybe this would finally break her pride: A whole day as an amusement, for strangers to laugh at when she staggered around or received countless little stabs.
 
Phyliss

The gorgon stood up inside the cage, standing straight. Still, she wasn't really sick yet, although she felt very dizzy. She wondered how long she would endure this, but she felt more confident as yesterday.
 
The first curious citizens were gathering, but at the moment, they mostly stuck to staring and pointing at the cage. It was a cold morning, and most people did not want to stay outside for too long.

Eventually, though, a fat, grinning man - the local butcher - stepped up to the cage, paid the required fee and took the crank in his big, meaty hands.

As the huge man prepared to give the cage its first whirl, the Witchfinder taunted the prisoner mercilessly: "Your big performance begins! I hope you will be great fun!"; then, turning to the butcher, he simply nodded to him as a signal to start.
 
Phyliss

Phyliss felt the cage speeding up, and she found it hard to keep on her legs. She was staggering, even without any acting. She clenched to the cage, but realized there was no sense in bravery. She dropped to her knees, her snakes moved around desorientated, frantic at the speed, but also weakend by her own condition. She began to slide to the floor. She was absolutely convinced that this looked as real and as dramatic as if it ever could geet. She had a remarkable control over her body and could act any emotionrather well, and she really was close to collaps, so there was no failure possible.
 
As the cage whirled by, with the butcher grinning as he used his mighty arms to give it one spin after the other, more people were lining up behind him, ready to try out for themselves. Eventually, the Witchfinder decided to give them a chance to try, too. He lightly grabbed the man on the crank at the shoulder to signal that it was time for him to let others turn the cage. He gave a short nod and stood there, breathing heavily and sweating all over his round, red face as the audience, including the torturer, stood by the slowly decelerating device, wondering how she had taken the spinning. It took quite some time for the cage to spin out, a sign of the force the fat man had put into it...
 
Phyliss

Slowing down made the dizzy feeling even worse, and she decided it was enough. So she simply collapsed but took care to fall that way her face was covevered, so she was safe from any attacks there, and nobody could see if she clenched her teeth. Dropped down, she stopped moving, maybe she could convince them that she was dead.
 
"What is this now?", he muttered as he grabbed one of the pointed sticks and started to check on his prisoner. Wanting as much to punish her for probably playing dead as to check if she really had fainted, he pressed the point of the stick deep into her sides, almost strongly enough to draw blood, before continuing the attacks further down her body, on her thighs and butt. All the while, he watched her closely for some reaction.
 
Phyliss

The gorgon bit her lip and stayed brave, knewing she could heal any injuries he would cause. She knew her acting skills and had her body under control. She knew he would get her out of her fainting sooner or later, but if she was convincing, that would remind him that he promised her to live, and that a girl could just take a certain amound of stress before she would break.
 
When she did not respond to even the most vicious stabs with the stick - some of them leaving bloody marks on her butt and sides - he opened the cage, but had some rope ready and tied her hands in case she was faking. He was not sure if she was, though. She was not dead, he could tell that much from the movement of her breathing. But if she had fainted, he would grant her a little break.
 
Phyliss

The injuries where painful, but she could heal them later, if she survived.
And surving made her standing the pain of the stabbing. She just had to show him that he would kill her if he didn't care and give her some breaks. So she relied on her acting skills and made sure that she fainted and only came slow out of this. She didn't even bother that he tied her hands.
 
He watched the yound woman slowly come to. As soon as he found that she was not dead at all, he mercilessly dragged her back into the cage and closed the door behind her.

His hand on the lever, he said: "Don't you dare faint on me again! When I told you that you would live, I thought you were strong. If a few days of torture are enough to make you faint, well then... it is your fault if you die."

Laughing, he leaned into the crank and gave it a few good whirls, bringing it up to a good speed as the, now quite sizable, crowd watched and waited for her reaction.
 
Phyliss

"Just a few days of torture?!" Phyliss wondered how she would have survived without her little secret healing she had done since out here. How could normal, mortal woman endure this that long? She wasn't that weak. She leaned at the cage, trying to stand that device as long as possible. The little break gave her some painful injuries, but she would heal them later, but also some time to digest a little of the food. She wondered if she would be able to keep the rest of it.
 
He was not done punishing her. After a few minutes, the crank became quite hard to turn, so he handed it over to the next person in line...after a few tries, they managed to make the handovers so quick that her fate passed from leering man to leering man without the cage slowing down noticeably. Judging by the length of the line, they could keep her turning for at least an hour or two.

The whirring of the device and the jeering and taunting from the crowd made quite a din as the cage spun, the helpless woman trapped inside just a flesh-coloured blur.
 
Phyliss

The wanted her to vomit, and of course it was impossible to hold it back that long. At least she stood quite a while, to regain some power and keep her dignity that long. As gracefully as possible, she spit out what was in her stomache, hoping it would hit her tormentors in the face.
 
Wet chunks flew from the cage. At first, the man at the crank did not notice, but then he abruptly stopped. Looking incredulously at the cage, which was spinning out, and his soiled clothing, he grabbed the sharp stick.

"Stupid whore! I will teach you to get my best clothes dirty!", he shouted and barely waited for the cage to stop before he reached between the slats with the spike, driving it deep into the side of her right breast. He seemed to really enjoy it and pushed harder and harder, obviously trying to see if he could draw blood.
 
Phyliss

Everything was turning around her, as the cage stopped finally, and she was still sick, so she was really helpless against the attack. It tok some moments until she realized the pain, as bad as it was. She was so disorientated that she could not even dodge, so she whimpered as she felt the stick stabbing her full breast.
 
Encouraged by the first man's success, more and more people started to gather around the cage and reached through the slats with sticks, while some enterprising fellows even reached in and touched her (none were so bold as to go near her head, where the snakes, though also seemingly in pain, still looked too menacing).

The Witchfinder just stood by, smiling. Such a strong girl! She was not disappointing him when it came to bringing enjoyment to the people...
 
Phyliss

The gorgon wanted to get up and intimitade the people, but she couldn't, or just not now. Everything was still turning around her. She would need some time to recover from the spinning, and she was still able to heal herself, but she felt just to weak yet. So she tried to stand all pain until the dizzy feeling would wear off. Many of the hands touching her, probably male, didn't hurt her. They just wanted to fondle her body. Her snakes would be long enough to reach them, but that should not happen.
 
Soon, the cage was almost invisible under the rush of men - and some women, as the Witchfinder noticed with a slightly disapproving frown - who wanted to take part in the fun. He was thankful for his fearsome reputation, as a stern look was often enough to keep things from getting too unruly.

While the people were exploring the prisoner's body to their hearts' content, he started readying another in the endless string of tortures and humiliations she would have to endure. Using her as an object of demonstration, he would give them a look at what they only whispered about normally - he would show them how he extracted a confession, and they would see what awaited them if they...

He had to take a cane and swat two women close to the cage on the buttocks for getting very close to a certain area.

That was exactly what he was trying to keep them from. Surely, what he had planned would scare these two into righteousness. If not, they would soon be on the other side of that cage.
 
Phyliss

Phyliss felt that she was groped and fondled by countless hands. This was arkward, but at least it wasn't painful. Very slowy the effects of the spinning wore off. She endured the greedy fumbling and fondling, it was still much better then the the other tortures she had to stand today. She almost felt steady enough to get onto her feet again, but she didn't move.
 
After the last of the eager townsfolk had cleared away, the Witchfinder reached into the cage to tie her hands with a short, rough piece of rope before opening the door and pulling her up by her wrists.

Leading her out of the cage, he looked approvingly at all the instruments that had been brought out. She would give an impressive show, and she was so strong that the could hope her screams would be widely heard, to serve as a warning.
 
Phyliss felt at least strong enough to walk as he pulled her out of the cage. He had tied her hands again, as if she could fight! But she did not resist as he pulled her forward, whatever he had in mind. She had to survive another day.
 
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