Belsniste's Dilemma

    "You have a choice. Drink the deadly delirium poison or become my servant" the witch explained to Belsniste. As a savant, the decision came nearly instantaneously to him, but she didn't know this. He'd better hide that information as long as possible. Drinking the deadly delirium poison, if it didn't kill him, would leave him severely mentally wounded. Losing any mental faculty would be hard, but when Belsniste was so advanced already, though he could afford to lose mental prowess, the hurt would be greater too. The other option would be becoming Snabelda's slave, which would be demeaning, and grueling work, but he had a better opportunity for control, ironically. He could use his mind to slowly work out the holes in her plan and eventually escape.
    So, he chose to become her servant. When the decision was made, people flashed from her cauldron and bound Belsniste's wrists in chains. Lumbering ogres came stomping in through a giant door to the side. They stared around, confused, before sniffing in Belsniste's direction, and then trudged over and hauled him over their shoulders. Belsniste struggled in vain before succumbing to their overwhelming strength as they brought him to the dungeon. "I'll summon you when you're needed, servant." Snabelda muttered as he departed through the door. Now Belsniste just had to figure out how escape the witch's spell, and this awful lair of hers. He had time in abundance, but he had little desire to remain her servant for long.