Section 5

  Part V Aftermath/ Capture & torment

  I wasn’t awake during the aftermath of the battle, so I’m imparting to you what TreeLif, Draxson, and Phaz told me. So here it goes. I pieced together what I was relayed to the best of my abilities; Here's what happened:

  Faschoooowwwsh, A loud, deep roar sounded out as the body of the captured shining armour assassin exploded in a bright blue oval shape, maybe a few feet or a meter around them. No one in the party (Me, Draxson, Phaz, and TreeLif) saw what caused it, but we do have a majic memory spell made with the help of what a nearby bird saw from above. Treelif was the one who got the info from the bird:

  The creature-person in the blinding suit was being examined by a beast-person and another person, both in significantly less shiny armour. Then suddenly the shiniest person squeezed their left hand shut, the action was quickly followed by many little lights glowing on the shiny suit of armour before a bright explosion around it occurred. The beast-person frantically threw some shinny knives at a tree behind them as the explosion leaked traces of its imminence; the beast-person somehow pulled their person-friend to them, wrapped his arm around the person and quickly glided a few inches off the ground backwards as they somehow used the shinny knives they threw earlier as a majic anchor. The concentrated blast threw the two armoured people away from the source, boosting them into crashing into a tree they were heading towards. Majic like blue smoke covered the explosion point for a few moments before it dissipated , leaving nothing but a round-like hole in the ground, the ground around the hole was stained a very light blue and looked like it was burnt .

  That is the events of the incident according to one of the many animal companions TreeLif has.

  What happened next is what Draxson told me. ‘The guards from Levies Da Tru crashed into a tree after an explosion went off directly on the armoured assassin's body. I, along with Phaz, were laying you down in a comfortable position as we transferred some of our majic to you, in hopes to stimulate her awake. It was only when the before mentioned explosion happened that I turned my focus from Sopheia to see what happened. It looked like the Levies Da Tru guards were knocked into a tree by the heavy impact of the explosion. TreeLif was the first on their feet, and the first to reach the guards to check their condition.

  Treelif’s perspective:

  “Hey, hey, are you two alright? Do have any major injuries? I have potions if you need one.” TreeLif frantically said, looking both of the guards over for any major wounds or cracks in their armour.

  “Koff Koff, I took a severe blow from the explosion pushing my armour into my stomach.” The beast-kin guard said coughing up a mouthful of blood. “ I will probably need one of those potions too, but we should focus on the injured adventurers first and my companion; she might have some concussive force from the explosion bouncing around in her helmet.” The beast-kin said.

  “Ok I’ll tend to your Companion and we can asses the situation with the adventurers, But here take this potion, You’ll need its strength if were going to help anemone.” TreeLif said placing an open potion bottle in the beast-kin’s hands.

  TreeLif walked around to the side of the tree that the elven guard crashed. She was lying on the ground her arms lazily stretching towards her right. TreeLif carefully lifted her up by the right side of her face with his left, while his right held her waist as he started to prop her up against the tree, a cushiony flower bouquet blooming where TreeLif rested her head. “Hey, can you hear me ma’am?” Treelif whispered the question to test her consciousness. The elf’s eyes were glazed and her jaw slack, returning no answer. TreeLif placed his left hand on her forehead and gently ran some majic into her to ease her back into a conscious state. She came to after a few minutes of gentle supplication of life force. The elven guard’s eyes fluttered open as her jaw stiffened right before she spoke up. “Where's Gu’phur, is he safe, what of the wounded adventures? Is there any survivors? Did that assassin get away from us? What's the situation?” “Hey, hey, the situation is calm, Your companion is resting on the other side of this tree, I don’t know the status of the adventurers and our healer is out from majic drain, so I thought it best to check on you both to figure out how were going to help the victims of those assassins. The assassin that caused you to get a mild concussion, destroyed themselves, at least thats what it looks like since there's just a hole imbued with strange energies and it seems they didn’t disappear, except in death. That's the current situation.”

  The elven guard took in a deep breath as she processed the information for a moment. “Okay, thank you for giving me the run down and bringing me back to being cognitively present. I don't feel too bad except for a heah-ache so I won’t immediately need any healing, help me up please so we can check on the wounded.”

  “Yes’m. Upsie daises, let's get you back on your feet. Carefully, watch your step.” TreeLif said as he hoisted the elven woman back to her feet, catching her as she stumbled from losing her footing.

  Back on her feet the elven guard rotated her shoulders to shake free her aches, from colliding into a tree. She looked at TreeLif and exchanged a look with him that communicated: come on, lets get to work and save what we can. TreeLif curtly nodded in agreement as they made their way to where the wounded adventures laid apart from each other facing the ground.

  TreeLif and the elven guard (Yeah, you're probably getting as annoyed as I am about the lack of name: TreeLif didn’t give me a name, and I couldn't come up with on,e so she's just the “Elven guard” bear with me, please). Anyways, they checked each adventurer as they came across them, Gu’phur joining them, checking on the people furthest from TreeLif. A pulse was checked, majic was run through a body, and nothing came of the efforts to signify life for one of the adventurers so he moved on. Again, pulse and majic levels were checked. Nothing. Dead, along with another, and another, and another, until the last 2 of the 11 bodies showed signs of life. One was unstable, while the other was healthy; there was still hope to save.

  TreeLif was the one to discover the healthy body, while Gu’phur discovered the unstable one.

  TreeLif pov:

  ‘They were dying quickly, but they had enough life left in them that I decided they were worth the effort to save them. I fetched a bottle from my bag, this one a healing potion. I poured this one over the circular wounds all across their, no this womans body, I realized as I glanced over her upper body for more injuries; because of this I asked the elven guard to lift up her shirt and expose the parts of her body that were wounded. I felt her gaze on me, I took my focus away from inspecting the wounded woman, and looked the elven guard in her calculating green eyes. They seemed to peirce through me and inspect my thoughts for my intentions, when she seemingly saw enough she softened her gaze, nodded and lifted up the wounded woman's shirt so I could apply the healing potion to close her wounds to prepare for advanced healing. While I worked gently pouring the health potion in the circular wounds caused by those weird weapons, small deformed metal shards were pushed out of her skin as her body was mended.

  Suddenly the other survivor got up from where he was lying on a medical mat being checked out by Gu’phur; “Is she ok? Is edfysa(ed-fuye-sa) safe? Are any of my friends ok? Are those monsters defeated? Have they been stopped from their slaughter? *incoherent rambling*” the surviving adventurer frantically rambled, breathing heavily as he rapid fired questions at Gu’phur, all while trying to get up from the medical operation mat. Gu’phur held him down speaking to him in a calming tone “ friend, you’ve just been through a heavily stressful situation, and are likely under the effects of trauma because of what you just went through. Now I need you to calm down and let me ascertain if you're further wounded on your body. So please friend, just calm down a little, we are doing our best to save your only other surviving companion, but you need to cooperate so we can make sure you're well enough to greet her when we wake her up, if she wakes up, hopefully she wakes up.”

  I felt him imply those last words, the adventurer must have too, because struggled anew against the gentle grip of Gu’phur. He managed to break free of the dog-beast-kin’s grasp with that frantic and erratic energy brought about by the pressure of high-stress circumstances, the slaughter of his group no doubt being such a stressful situation. The beast-kin did his best to restrain him from interrupting the operation to save his friends life.

  Speaking of which the operation was practically done –at least the mending portion– I would need to wake the patient up for the true healing, a both dangerous and necessary part of the procedure.

  With the patient awake the healing required to bring her back; would overload their senses with pain, but it necesary aso we could have a reactionary signal to where the healing needs more focus. The reason I have to do this instead of the standard healing method is because I havent specialized in majic to life conversion, so I have to resort to life transfer, but since shes a compatible species I can transfer my lifeforce into her circulation, but because shes a different race than me my lifeforce transfers going, to feel like acid and fire wherever my life force supplements for her missing energy. Just like alcohal on a cut shes going to momentarily suffer, but as long as she continues to experience pain there is a posiblity to save her.

  Oh, sorry I got to caught up in describing this medical process, as I was relaying was, that other adventurer was just a few minutes prior standing still in shock after breaking free of Gu’phur’s initial retraining; after a moment of thinking he made his way to us in a hurried walk. Then before he made it a half dozen steps Gu’phur Grabed him by the middle of the arm to keep him from interfering with our procedure. Gu’phur held tightly as the adventurer struggled against his mighty grip: Gu’phur warned him( with more sterness than previously)

  “If you are to not calm down and let your companion be attended to, without your interference, they will likely die; her’s is not a light injury easily fixed by some healing potion, or paste. I get you want to be by your friends side, but I can’t let you get near her, because even if just by impulse you try to access her condition or get close to her in anyway you will greatly affect the process to your companions detriment, and you will likely be left on your own…”

  Gu’phur sighed before he spoke again, this time in an apologetic tone “We are so sorry about, how you, and your party has come to brokenness with the deaths of your other 9 companions. I truly am sorry, but I can’t do anything more for it at this moment; other than the defeating of the people, and things that have done the atrocity of slaughter to your party, we can’t do anything but work to save your friend at this moment. Just please wait for us to help your friend then you can re-unite with her, then we can help sort out this tragedy and get you two a room or rooms if you prefer and a meal to restore your energy. Just don't act rashly please, it will leave you further broken than you already are.”

  Gu’phur’s words seemed to fall on deaf ears, even though it at first looked like the adventurer was going to comply, he even stoped struggling, but ultimately it was the cries convulsions of his party member, whom I was still giving my lifeforce to save. That was what cuased him to break into a run before tripping because as mentioned early he was still being held tightly by an arm. Gu’phur no doubt did his best to not hurt the adventurer (yeah yeah yeah, I get it I’m not great at labeling people without a name and it becomes quite tedious and frustrating to hear me say the same thing again and again, or at least until I can give you a name), but because of his efforts to keep the adventurer from falling on his face, there was some pain because he tried to get our of his retrainment. Gu’phur grabbed him by the shoulder and shouted at him “Listen! You need to let the procedure go without interruption, she may be in pain now, but you must let her be; As I told you before she doesn't have an easy to treat condition. Listen to me, and listen to me well; the majical connections in her body have been severed and heavily distorted, we don’t know exactly why, but its likely because of something in those metal things we found in your friends bodies embedded into their vitals and what we found around your body; no matter what is was, the facts are that the distortion and severance originated from where these metal shards wounded her, as our professional in the matter has told us, it's something that would be easy to fix with some majic recovery motions and some magic connection reformation therapy, but this is something completely different. Our professional has to supplment her majic and reform her connections with his lifeforce, and because he and she are so diffrent in race and magical proficiency, the potentialy life saving procedure he is attempting he said: would be very painful to her and it should be because of the intensive majic channeling he’s doing is like breaking an arm, but over and over again until the channels are reformed and her lifeforce is once again syned up with her majic.”

  The adventurer spoke up to challenge his statements; “can’t you just let her reform those majical channels after you remove them? And what is me being there to hold her hand to provide some miniscule amount of comfor to her? WHY WONT YOU JUST LET ME GO!” The adventurer finnesed his way out of Gu’phurs grip, instead of getting away he stumbled to te ground nearly going prone.

  He clumsily picked him self up and started to run to me, when he was a mere step away he was taken down to the ground by Gu’phur shoving him away and elbowing him hard in the back.

  Gu’phur: Grrrrowl “listen to me, I promise you your friend will be okay if you let her be healed but, if you do not and instead decide to Interfere, she will surely die, wheter it be from contact eith her or she notices your stuborness and tries to move.” Gu’phur leaned down and in a growl like whisper said: “If you keep panicking like this shes going to notice you, your lucky she hasn’t yet she barely knows whats going on, all she know is that her wounds are being treated, even though it feels like were repeating what they did to her; shes being very brave about it and trusting us. I can’t guarantee that she’ll be so willing to comply if she thinks shes suddenly unsafe because you won’t shut up an stop panicking. Now get up slowly and back away before I have to make you be quite.”

  “Do you understand what I am telling you Sir?” Gu’phur asked as he pulled the adventure by the scruff of his shirt, brining him face to face with the wolf beast-kin.

  “Ahhhhh, nnnngh gahhhhh….. It burnnns”, please tell me this is almost over, this pain is killing me. “Ma’am its almost done, just a moment longer, we thank you for being so brave and pushing through the pain.” The elven guard next to me said as she held the wounded womans hand, gently imbuing a spell to numb her senses and compulsion system, so she would refrain from using majic in a panic to free herself from the momentary pain. The elven guard was intrumental in the success of the opperatio, it was starting look like she was going to be okay long enough for us to take her to a cleric- I was thankful for Gu’phur keeping the other one from causing her death with his ditracting prescence, but the elven gaurd helped me in a more meaningful way- I really hoped she would make it.

  It was with the last moments of the treatment that she unleashed a shrill, ear shattering scream as she writhed on the medical mat she lied upon. My temporary assitant held her down by her arms while I pushed upon her stomach to keep her down, I didn’t need her moving, not when the procedure just finished, I needed her to rest and circulate her slowly returning majic energy throught her forcefully reformed dual majic & lifeforce pathways.

  Anymovment aside from breathing would cause an unbalanced life flow within her, potentially breaking the newly formed majic pathway, doing one of two things. It would either permanently destroy her inner majic system, greatly reducing her effectiveness adventurin, not that it would make her less it would just make her life harder since majic is her specialty; seeing how much of her majic energy lingered around her friends. Two the more fatal happening of her death, because her majic infects her life force, not by merging with it, like it already is with all amatuer majic caster, but the majic would try to find an escape into her life vessels, eventually circulate all the way through, but have no majic collection center to return to, just like a fish finding itself back into a blocked off river keeping it from returning to its seasonal residence.

  But in simple terms the long term circulation of majic withing the lifeforce stream, without returning to swap out with fresh majic, the majic will act as a posion and kill off large lifeforce particles as if theyr we directed to attack like a fireball, but internally casuing even more damage. So if you take a moment to think abou it you would see how bad that could be to someone. They would be killed, not because of majic but, because of the destruction of their lifeforce pathways, it would render a vital part of her living functions and completly destroy it just like the Majic-disorting metal shards we found in her lungs and stomach.

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  She would be beyond and restoration at that point, at least by mortal standards, nothing short of the forces of life themseleves would revive her. And the forces of life were not always in possesion of the treatment they would need because they prioritize the ecosyetm and their beneficial to all survival first. I could ask for her to be brought back, but that would put more strain on them, than what I have already caused with the assistance I requested when I borrowed their energy to break the Metal Monster close to half an hour ago.

  This had to work without a single mistake, I would cause her to be in an unmoving comatose state, just to keep her or anyone else from moving her, in fear of the danger to her health it would cause.

  I really should have done that in the beginning if the wound was not so grievous, or at the least I should have better restrained the wounded woman’s troublesome companion. I truly need to use my abilities better. Trying to give people a chance to understand what I am doing isn’t working anymore; but at the same time working alone dosen’t work, so if it requires force I will accomplish what I need to. No matter the pain or suffering, its all for their good. All for the good of nature.

  She stoped moving, not the kind of stillness I wanted, but the kind akin to departure from living. What is wrong with these people?! Why can’t they just trust me. I am their only hope. Whatever no point mourning my failure now. He’s already doing it for me. *sigh*

  Sure enough the man was hystericaly crying as he felt the heat and saw her life physically leak out from her previous wounds. The leaking life wasn’t like blood, but more like whisps of steam and majical ooze spilling around her body, staining the ground around her with the color of her grey and red majic energy, broken energy. Dead, gone, and departed.

  She was no longer with us, because of that boy, that Cursed boy.

  No matter I can't do anything about it, I prayed a prayer of mourning for her death, and set to do the same for the other nine fallen adventurers. I prayed for the world to accept their bodies back into the world and that the forces of life would give them peace after this tradegdy. It was after the 8th ritual of prayer and during the 9th that I was approached again by Gu’phur and the elven woman whos name turned out to be something I couldnt begin to explain or pronounce in the common speech so we’ll call them Lily (lily). Lily spoke up asking me why I walked away: “Hey, Champ, why did you just walk away from what you were doing? Wasn’t their something you could have done, if not for her at least for him we need you to check up on him, he touched her hand, and drew out some of the majic as soon as the procedure was over, and now he’s being affected by the unstable majic. He needs your help since your the only one of us that can do what you just did? Dose the grand quest you set out to accomplish involve letting people you have the ability to save suffer?” Lily said acusation and anger driping from her words. Her acusation angered me so I responded to her, after my prayer.

  I turned around to behold Lily standing in front of me, crying, (an emotion I really didn’t expect) behind her was Gu’phur, face contorted in sadness glancing over to where that fool sat on his knees, spilling many tears over the corpse of his friend ( I had sympathy for him, but my anger was strong for him as well, I had saved her and he had killed her, so ultimatlely I was contempt with the situation.) I spoke my reply “Look, whatever your name is, I did my very best to save her and look how I am repaid, I expected not thanks and would have rejected it, because it is simply my duty because of my decision to protect mand serve the nature around us. I can’t do anything about the murderers that this this to them or his lack of understanding and compliance with the requirements a doktor may have, so I not being of the Profesion doktor, instead being a druid and a ranger; I should not be messes with, if I request to be left alone I should be honored and respected in regards to my very reasonable request to not disturb the patient as nature through me dose its work. You can not help the growth or healing of any plant without patientce and care, but he lackexd both of those. I all but Promised she would die if I was disturbed duwing the procces or if she was disturbed while she was in the sensative state of healing from esentialy death it’s self. So if you want an answer, then yes, my quest means abandoing those I can no further help to the people this world hath provided to support them. I can not afford to tarry and tend to problems beyond my control, I have to move on with my life and Quest if I am to accomplish anything before I eventually pass and leave this world without another defender.” I took in a deep breath. “So I leave him to you, he will be fine, and does not need my assistance because the majic was only fatal to her because she lost it along with a majority of her lifeforce when he tried to “help” her, I need to move on. Goodbye, and farewell to you. Take care, respect the fallen, please, and make sure he is taken care of. I need to find the rest of the things that did this and end them.”

  I walked away from them back to the metal monster; another one of those assassins was probably in there, and I wouldn’t let them get away, and I had some things to collect from them. Information being the first.

  After I’ve used him up, the guards could certainly find something to do with the murderer.

  The inhabitant of the metal monster must have heard me because right as I gathered some roots from the closest tree, they tried to slip out a hole in the back of the golem like contraption; nope, not happening today. I commanded the roots to wrap around the armoured person’s Middle section. The roots did as I commanded, constricted around their, legs arms, and stomach restricting airflow and eliminating their chances of escape, as the roots tightened around the assassin they made their way through the armour into the lungs, making small enough holes to not kill, but enough to decrease their air capacity; it would keep them unable to resist without getting worn out fast, not like I would recommend that anyways, the roots would slowly expand and make new leaks in the airways with any resistance. I had to take such measures, simply for principle; this wasn't my first interaction with these creatures. Creatures? Thats too nice, monsters are what they are. Even if they were to have human like faces under the deceptive masks they wear, I wouldn't feel any more pity or remorse for my treatment of them.

  They ruin everything, they ruined my life, I hoped they were human or at least sapient humanoid, because unlike a monster they would feel fear, and unfathomable regret, shame, and pain from what I was going to do to them and every one of their companions I could get my hands on. Its the very least they deserve after what they did to me, but I guess I should thank them for bringing me to hunt them and end their disgusting and vile existence, I was, and am still so, happy that it was I they messed with, because it means no one else has to suffer like I did. I would make sure of it, I would make sure this vermin would suffer the intorogation torture I had planed for them; it was a pity I wouldn’t be a allowed to kill them today,(they always seem to have a way of avoiding death, as if they were always ready to flee like the cowards they are) It frustrated me, but I had to keep this one alive to get all the information I can about their organization and their wicked deeds.

  Time to bear my fangs and savour the flavour of their terror, no mercy from me today.

  I could feel them tremble in terror, the connection I had with the roots I were borrowing power from enabled me to do this. I was ever so grateful for the blessing of my anointing as an avenger of nature’s suffering and destruction. Okay, enough monologuing, I’ll get back to the moment.

  I reached to grab and rip off the helmet of the assassin, and finally unmask one wretch of many that made my life a constant struggle as it is now. As I put my hands, one on the left side of the helmet, one on the other side, I sensed as sudden movement from my captive. They were trying to attack me, in hopes of breaking free. How cute, but not today. They were rasing their right arm, excuse me, they were trying but failing to raise their arm and the strange weapon held in its finger tips. It was some sort of projectile type weapon, but looked nothing like a crossbow or blowgun, it looked more like a miniature cannon built for the use of compacted destruction: I couldn’t tell you how it worked or why, because none of it made any damn sense, how could such a small weapon be as deadly as a cannon designed to blow apart monsters, ships, and in some cases entire mountains. All held within their cowardly hands was the tools capable of doing the beneficial destruction of monsters and wretched villainous people, which were really the same thing at that point and needed to be killed. My captive couldn't raise the “handcanon” higher than my foot; even though they couldn't hit me somewhere fatal, they took a shot at me anyways. I in a quick as sub-lightning {lesser lightning bolts, a strange majic phenomenon} movement I pried my left hand from the right side of the assassin's helmet and flicked my wrist in the direction of my captives hand, the movement was paired with a directive to the pseudo vines I had wrapped around my arms, from my shoulders to wrists I had shape shifting vines that could change from a Herbaceous(soft and slick) feeling vine to a woody branch extending out to strike, wrap around, or peirce whatever I directed it at, depending on what I had it doing it would wrap one end of itself(anchoring itself from flying away in the direction I ordered it) around me ranging from my ankles to my shoulders.

  The vine shot out, wrapping itself around the barrel of the weapon the captive held in their hand, then with a solid grip I yanked the weapon out of the hand that held it. I retracted the pseudo vines back around my arms taking the weapon into my hand after releasing the grip the vine had on it.

  I held the weapon in my hand, turning it around this way and that to briefly inspect it. The weapon had many intricate parts I didn’t quite understand attached to and all around the barrel the little metal bits that tore through flesh launched out of; but the one part that I did understand and knew exactly what it did was the release, or the trigger I have come to learn. I didn't care what it was called or how it activated the weapon, all I knew was it’s exactly like what fired a cross bow. All I had to do was aim the weapon’s barrel at something, pull the trigger then… BANG! A projectile would be shot out and whatever it hit would be destroyed. My captive kicked out at me to get the weapon away from me, but failed to move a mussel. I ordered the vines to raise them a little above the metal monster, as I jumped up and stood atop the destroyed, but still standing construct. My boots clicked loudly as I landed on the metallic thing. “I wonder how you work this thing,” I said out loud before directing the question to my captive. “Do you know how I can get it to kill people like your friends did? I guess I’m simply too stupid for something so complicated as this portable cannon. Tell me something, do you, or did you feel bad killing those people minding their own business? Do you feel great about yourself for being the cause of all these bodies lying around this part of the forest? I hope you do, because it's the only thing your going to have to comfort your soul as your life becomes torture and full of suffering that you ver much deserve for this atrocity of slaughter….” I waited a moment for a response, “Are you ready to pay for your wicked actions against nature and the people of this beautiful world, You worthless pile of metal and dung!” I added malice dripping from my tongue, And it tasted so, so good to say and express how I felt to the face of one of my tormentors.

  My statement had the effect I wanted as it finally elicited a response and got one of these monsters to speak. It at first came out muffled and sounding, fuzzy. I couldn't explain to you what it sounded like, but it didn’t matter because their next words were clear and understandable, surprisingly they spoke the common language. “You’re nothing, your a bug in our path to glory and cultivation of these rich underutilized lands, your nothing to us, we will crush you and your meddling with our plans will be for nothing. You will be forgotten, and you’ll die alone not even knowing why. Emergency Hazer Activation! Goodbye you uncivilized filth.” The person said, my still very much captives said as a small light being held up from a metal stick protruding from the right side of their helmet, began to glow and emanate small light particles as it prepared to flash me. Not today. I covered the small light by putting the barrel of the handcannon to it. I pulled the trigger, decimating the light and shattering my ear drum with the resulting roar of the weapons firing.

  I quickly moved the cannon barrel, placing it right in the shoulder armor piece on my captive's left, and I fired two shots, one in the shoulder one right below it. My captive gave out a cry of pain. Then a half second later the barrel was right against the other shoulder armour piece. Another two shots, just like before, each shattered my ears, but it didn’t matter I would recover afterwards, I could still enjoy the cries and sudden movements of pain my captive expressed. Delicious. I did the same thing with their legs, one in the thigh, one in the calf, then one in each knee, they wouldn't be able to resist me or anyone else anymore. They wouldn’t be able to kill in between now and their imprisonment.

  I so very wanted to bury a few in their gut and chest like they did to the adventures, but I knew it would kill them, I had to settle for pain rather than death.

  As the cries of my enemy continued, only visually for me because I just fired a cannon so close to my ears multiple times, the ringing of the metal as it was pierced by the bullet didn’t help preserve my hearing. It was whatever, I was glad to not hear anything right now, because I wouldn’t have to hear the protests and complaints of those around me. I decided it was time to reveal the face under the helmet, and finally see past the mask of these mysterious disruptors.

  I pulled off the helmet with a quick and deliberate tug, then tossed it aside on the snow covered ground.

  It was a woman. Not a scared little girl, trying to play soldier, she didn’t look older than 20. Norms and interpretations of society aside, she looked like a little girl, her puffy and red face crying and bawling incoherently for help, it was inaudible to me. I had to fix that. I casted a spell of restoration on my ears, once again enabling me to enjoy the flavour of screams this monster possessed. I ordered the vines to bring her to eye level with me. “Stop” I said neutrally, so utterly lacking in emotion. The girl opened her eyes, they were pouring tears and covered in stressed blood vessels. Her blue irises looking me in the eyes, they were full of fear, and she continued her whining “aaahhhhhhghghg, yoouuugh stupith looong earth bug, waaaagh, I’ll mathe yough payg fo tvat” she abruptly stopped when I put the barrel of the cannon against her temple. “Listen here, your going to shut your ass up and cease your pointless wailing, or I will lodge a bullet in your brain and find someone else to persuade for information.” Her crying momentarily ceased as it broke down into sobbing, I pushed the cannon deeper in her forehead, forcing her to choke back another sob.

  “Do you understand the situation you are in now, crying won’t save you from me, only your compliance and usefulness will determine how long it takes before I hand you off to someone else who would be very interested in dealing the only surviving perpetrator in the slaughter of some adventurers within their territory.”

  If there were protests or complaints about my “cruelty,” I heard none. I was only focused on getting what I wanted from her. “INFORMATION!” I growled at the girl, who was barely holding back those worthless tears and wailing I hated to hear. “What do you want from me, you filthy tree lover!?” She shouted, “I want ANSWERS, I want information for why you and your people keep tormenting this world. What do you hope to accomplish by killing this land and its people?” I angrily asked, sighing heavily. “You know what, you're worthless to me, I’ll just take the information from you.” I growled

  My right hand shot up from my side and wrapped around the woman’s throat, as I choked her to extract the information I desired from her mind with a spell. I directed my natural majic, which was flowing into me from the surrounding natural sources, into her bloodstream. My spell injected a type of plant energy that would loosen her tongue and make her thoughts flow freely enough that she wouldn’t be able to lie. At least not easily, this spell wasn’t flawless and I never had many opportunities to use its intrusive power against someone who deserved the pain it would cause. “Whaaat are you doing you *nnngh, you damn *gah, tree *geh lover *aaaaugh” the woman indignantly asked in in between grunts of discomfort as the substance ran through her system. It was a moment later that she began to choke and writhe and contorted her body this way and that, failing and becoming further retrained every time she tried to escape my clutches.

  The worthless trash eventually stopped struggling as her breathing became heavy and irregular, stupidly she continued to grunt in pain and discomfort, occasionally choking as she struggled to breath. “Now give me what I want and I’ll loosen my grip on your neck, but just a little bit. Blink rapidly if you understand and are willing to talk.” I said continuing to choke her and imbue persuasive majic into her.

  I could hear the opposing and complaining voices of the guards who surely looked upon me stupidly as I punished this vile woman instead of helping that boy as I suggested they do, Draxson for the first time spoke up, his voice growing louder, pulling me out of my thoughts for how happy I was to punish one of my greatest adversaries, and souring my joyful mood.

  “Champ, no TreeLif why are you doing this to her, can't you see the girls suffering enough” Girl ha “ what kind of mission can you be on that requires such sick and violent treatment; even if the recipient is a horrible murderer!?” Lily inquired of me pleadingly. “Girl?!? What GIRL!? Can’t you see that she's a vile monster?” I angrily shouted at Lily without ever taking my eyes off my captive. I would have continued but Gu’phur interrupted me: “*Grrrrr, Just Shut up boy, you pridefully think what you’re doing is right but your wrong and you need to stop this oppression, because it makes you no better than a monster yourself; and if it comes to it, I’ll have to perform my duty and slay the monster that you are becoming. I would like to see you try. I thought as I looked back at him bloodshot eyes no doubt filled with rage, all while never lossening my grip on my subject of punishment. Seemingly hearing my thoughts Gu’phur flicked a blade out from a slot on his forearm into his right hand poised to throw, while his right arm covered in knife launching slots aimed at me. His partner Lily readied herself with her long blades protruding out from the slots along her arm. The remaining adventurer they were supposed to be tending too stayed down at the resquest of Lily and Gu’Phur. Maybe he’s not that much of a fool…

  A low, deep, and enraged voice was in my ear.

  Draxson.

  He must have climbed up onto the Metal monster without me hearing; I sure am losing my edge.

  “Stop”

  “Get out of th…”

  “Just stop, I get it I truly do. Calm down, let her go.”

  “No!” I snapped back.

  A rough hand grabbed hold of my arm, squeezing, crushing…