"After a thorough search throughout the city, we found a total of six questionable figures, all of which have been taken into custody.", the Commander reported.
The cobra seemed to grimace at hearing this.
"Six figures? To think that there was such rot within my city.... how disturbing. Continue."
"Yes, my Fuhrer. To begin, there were four humans who claimed to be the servants of the antiheroes. These are likely the outsiders who have invaded the village and disturbed the peace. After investigating one of them, I learned of their goals.... however I hesitate to even speak of them due to their dastardly nature.", the Commander stated with a troubled expression.
"Of course a group of outsiders would have ill intent towards myself and the people I rule. The only thing in which outsiders have ever brought is troublesome ideas and dangerous plots. What plans did you uncover?"
"We discovered that they intend on taking over this village as the new rulers."
The green eyes of the cobra went wide upon hearing this.
"They dare to challenge my rule over this city? The villains..... I have heard the stories of the antiheroes mercilessly submitting nation after nation underneath them, but this is nothing less than a declaration of war, is it not?"
The Commander nodded gravely.
"I am afraid it is, my Fuhrer."
"We absolutely cannot allow these fiends to disrupt the peaceful lifestyle of the people of our nation."
The cobra for once stood up and got out of his own bed, slithering forward.
"As the Fuhrer, it is my duty to lead my people and protect them against such a threat. It seems that the time to show myself has arrived."
The Commander nodded.
"The people will surely be delighted to rally for you."
"Continue the report. What else have you discovered?"
"My Fuhrer, the woman who I have investigated thus far..... well.... there is no other way to describe it. She was a complete fanatic. It was as if her very mind had been distorted by the people who led her, and she was filled with a complete obsession with them."
The Commander seemed to be choosing his words carefully, struggling to get them out.
"I hesitate to say this, my Fuhrer, but this impudent woman went so far as to claim that her own leaders were greater than yourself."
Thinning his eyes, the cobra slithered back and forth in thought.
"Outsiders are so ignorant of the many labors I take upon my back to serve my people. They will never understand the pains I have born for them, and that is why they will always introduce dangerous ideals to the people."
"Indeed, my Fuhrer. This is why that woman and her compatriots have been sentenced to be sacrificed later tonight when the work of the day has completed. Will you attend, my Fuhrer?"
The cobra nodded.
"I wish to see this woman prostrated before me, begging for her life. To make such statements against me is completely unacceptable. We must drive her to the depths of despair, and expose to all of this city her vile actions before striking judgement upon her."
"It will be as you wish, my Fuhrer. However.... there is something which troubles me significantly."
"What is that?"
"When we cut all 10 of her fingers off, she did not so much as flinch. Rather, her own fanaticism for the people she serves increased even further."
The cobra looked at the Commander with a face of complete shock.
"How could that be? For someone to not so much as flinch..... could such loyalty even be possible? Even if the woman was tolerant to pain..... this is..... something which I don't believe I have ever seen....."
"It is as you say, my Fuhrer. If our own people were to have their own fingers cut off, they would likely remain quiet and force themselves to be silent, however for them to completely ignore the pain as if it had not happened out of a loyalty towards yourself.... I have never personally witnessed such an event."
"Just what did her leaders do to her? In what way did those demons brainwash that woman? Speaking of which.... why are humans serving under the antiheroes in the first place? They must have tormented them beyond recognition.... yes, that must be it.... those tyrants must have completely overwritten the very minds of those people.... how despicable. This is all the more reason to show our people the wretched practices of the antiheroes."
"What do you mean by that, my Fuhrer?"
"If the people were to witness the insanity of this woman, they would see with clear eyes the corruption which her masters have spread to this woman..... they would understand that she is spreading blasphemous falsehoods after being brainwashed, controlled, and used by these people. Very well. Is there anything else to report?"
"Actually, there is. It is regarding the other two who were taken into custody."
The cobra looked over to the Commander with suspicion.
"More outsiders? Are these others also servants of the antiheroes?"
"It pains me to say this, my Fuhrer, but the people who were taken into custody were snakemen. It was discovered during the searches that there was an unregistered child who had been hiding in a corner of the city under the protection of D102, a member of the military. Rather, a former member."
The face of the cobra went sour on hearing this.
"An unregistered child, you say? And being hidden by one of my own soldiers, who had pledged his loyalty to myself!?!"
The cobra slammed his own fist into the wall at hearing this, breaking down into a rage.
"To think that such a person exists, and that such dissidence against myself happened to be present so close to me... Commander, I have a new task for you."
"What is it, my Fuhrer?"
"Clearly we must do a cleansing within the military to ensure that all who remain are loyal to myself. We must root out any others who hold such disagreement with my rule. Commander. I wish for you and every other soldier within the military to remove one of your two eyes in an effort to prove that you are loyal to myself over all."
"It shall be done, my Fuhrer."
The Commander immediately reached into his own coat pocket, pulling out a knife.
Closing both of his eyes, he took the knife and held it up to his own face before pressing it into his own eye.
He was clearly in a great amount of pain. Tears formed in his other eye as blood streamed down the mutilated one, and it took everything within his very being to stop himself from screaming out in the pain.
Yet he remained silent.
Taking the knife out of his eyeball, all that remained was a bloodied mess.
"Is this acceptable, my Fuhrer?", he whimpered, just barely able to cough the words out.
"That is acceptable. Now have every single other member of the military do the same. If there are any who are not willing to do so, then have them set to be executed with the humans as a sacrifice."
The Commander nodded, shivering and biting down on his lips to contain his screams.
"It.... will be done as you say.... my Fuhrer....."
"Is there anything else to report?"
"Yes.... there is one thing..... ugh....."
The Commander was holding his eye now with his hand, trying to stop the blood from leaking all over the floor of the bedroom and frowning in horrible pain.
"What is it?", the cobra asked.
"The unregistered child....."
"Ah, of course they are to work in the encampments. For an unregistered leech to be living in this city without permission.... this is unforgivable. And the same goes for the one who was protecting her. Put them to work, and ensure that the work they do is worse than death."
"Yes.... my Fuhrer.... but there was one thing which was discovered..... the unregistered child.... on her person..... carried a flag..."
The Commander reached into his own jacket pocket with the hand which did not cover his eye, trembling, and pulled out the flag.
"She carried the same flag.... as the symbol which was drawn..... on that message..... she is likely working with the antiheroes.... cough....."
"Then question her immediately. Torture her if need be. Do whatever it takes to find out her relationship with them, and report this back to me as soon as it has been determined."
"As you wish... my Fuhrer...."
The Commander took his hand away from his eye to salute before leaving the room, stumbling in pain.
The cobra looked down to the blood on the floor and frowned.
"To bleed like that in front of me..... if you were not the Commander of my forces, I would have had you executed on the spot...."
----
"Commander!! What on earth happened to your eye!?!?!"
"Has someone stabbed you!?! Who in the world would do such a thing!?!"
As the Commander struggled through the hallways a number of soldiers he passed by rushed over to help him, clearly concerned.
"This is nothing, soldiers. This is nothing.... I will not lose to that damn woman..... I will show my loyalty.... it is greater than hers, for the Fuhrer is a greater leader than her leaders..... I will prove that.... and you all will as well....."
"Commander, what are you talking about!?!"
The two men helped the Commander, allowing him to lean on each of their shoulders as they walked.
"I was the one who did this to myself."
The two men looked at the Commander in shock on hearing this.
"Commander, what do you mean!?!?"
"Why would you do that to yourself!?!"
The Commander looked each of the men in the eye- with the one eye which still was in tact, silencing them with his glare.
"To prove my loyalty to the Fuhrer. Men.... you are aware of the recent dissenter, D102, correct? The man who was hiding an unregistered child."
"We are aware, Sir.", one said as the two nodded.
"The fact that disloyalty towards the provider existed even within the ranks of the military requires us to take drastic measures. Each and every man is to take their own eye for the sake of the provider, proving that we hold the utmost loyalty to his every command."
The two looked at one another with fear on hearing these words, but they soon resolved themselves.
"If that is the wish of the provider, then we too will do it."
"Without a doubt."
As such, the two took their own knives out of their pockets.
At seeing their quick reactions to the heavy order, the Commander smiled.
His own men were loyal to the provider.
'That woman must have just been brainwashed to the point of insanity.... there is no way she could have greater loyalty towards her leaders than we do.... that's right..... we will prove to her that we are just as.... no, that we are even more loyal!!!! With a grand presentation..... yes!!!! YES!!!!!!'
"Men. Do not take your own eyes just yet."
The two men who were holding daggers to their eyes looked at the Commander with confusion.
"Is something wrong, Commander?"
"Don't tell me you are concerned for us. We have no intent of trying to escape this."
The Commander looked up to the two, closing his one functioning eye and shaking his head.
"No, it isn't that.... it is merely that we should wait until the sacrifice tonight..... we will show that woman, the provider, and all the citizens of this country our undying loyalty!!!!!"
The men nodded.
"Yes, Commander."
----
Inside a grim cell, a snakeman who once wore a uniform as a soldier now wore the rags of a criminal.
Sitting beside him in this cell was a young snake girl, only 10 years of age. The pigtailed girl sat quietly alongside the former soldier as the two prepared themselves for death.
The slow slithering of a snakeman could be heard as someone approached from the end of the hallway.
"It looks like they're coming for us.", the soldier murmured.
"They are.", the girl responded.
Appearing in front of the two was a snakeman who wore a black uniform.
It was the Commander of the snakemen military police.
Yet right now, he was in a pitiful state.
His eye was completely butchered and bloodied, and he was clearly in pain- though despite this pain, he looked at the man in the cell with disgust before speaking.
"We're taking the girl to interrogate her.", he stated as he opened the cell.
Two more guards rushed in, these ones wearing navy blue uniforms. They grabbed hold of the girl, yet the soldier stood up in protest.
"Wait!!! If you're going to interrogate someone then interrogate me!! I know just as much as she does!!!", the former soldier shouted.
"D102, there is no need to interrogate you, as you were not the one in possession of that symbol of rebellion and dissidence. We must determine what this girl knows about that symbol and where she got it from."
"If that's all you need-"
The soldier shouted out to protests, but the young girl turned back to him with a smile.
"Don't. I'm going to die here and now. No need to make a fuss. Just follow after me quickly."
The soldier held out his hand, but on seeing the face of the young girl in front of him instead shut his mouth.
"Pliara...."
Thomar was left alone in the cold dark cell, with nothing more than himself and his own weakness to blame as he watched his single ray of hope be taken from him.
----
The young girl was taken away to the torture chamber, where the man with a gouged out eye strapped her to a table.
"Now then.... we have a number of questions for you, little girl."
Pliara smiled lightly before resigning to her own fate, and spoke up with a cocky attitude.
"Did he order you to take me? That shitty ruler of yours?"
"Why you little.... how dare you insult the provider like that!!!! Take that back right now or you will be killed after you are tortured for this information!!!!"
"Isn't my punishment already something horrible? I might at well just say what I want before I die at this point, right? The provider is a shitty ruler. He's not a hero. He's not a figurehead of this village. Even if everyone else thinks that he's some sort of savior, that won't change that he's just a power hungry child who is playing games with the people around him, and he's scared of those toys being taken from him, so he locks himself and his toys up in his little room, hoping that nobody comes in, yelling at anyone who does to get the hell out."
The Commander brandished his baton at this point.
"You.... you're just like that woman.... why are you so cocky!?!? No, perhaps you're not like her. You're just a little girl.... you're just bluffing, aren't you? You're actually terrified of what's going to happen to you. Aren't you!?!?"
The Commander brought down the baton, whacking the girl in the stomach. She gagged as she was hit, and the Commander smiled to see the girl in pain.
"That's right.... you were just acting tough.... you feel the pain, don't you!? You're not like that previous woman!!!"
The Commander began furiously beating the child, relentlessly swinging at her.
The other soldiers merely watched with straight faces as if this scene was obvious.
'An unregistered....'
'A person who's existence is not in line with the provider.... she must be silenced and eliminated if necessary....'
Bruises formed all over the young girl, however unlike the previous woman, this young girl lost her fighting spirit as she was beat to death.
Her eyes became filled with fear and she began breathing raggedly, terrified of what would happen to her as she endured immense amounts of pain.
"Why.... is your eye like that?", she managed to mutter.
"Why would you need to know!? I did this myself to prove my own loyalty to the provider!!! Nothing more!!!!"
The young girl sighed, her own voice quivering as she breathed.
"What kind of person needs someone to gouge out there own eye just to prove their loyalty? Are they really that unsure about whether you are actually loyal?"
Slam!
This comment was met with a beating to the jugular, crushing the windpipe of the young girl.
She struggled to breathe and could no longer speak.
She tried to grab her throat but her hands were bound, and so she could do nothing more than struggle.
'It...it hurts.... it hurts!!!! I don't want to die!!! But....'
The young girl was scared. She didn't know what to want or what to do.
'But I don't want to live in this shitty world either.....'
She gave in and closed her eyes.
Blood filled her lungs and she began to cough and struggle before choking to death.
The Commander, who had killed her in a bout of rage, merely looked down on the child.
"Shit..... we didn't get our information..... I never got to ask her what her relation to those people was."
Holding his eye, he replaced his baton and barked out an order to his other soldiers.
"Clean up the girl. We will get the information out of D102."
----
"Where is Pliara?"
As the Commander and a couple of other soldiers walked back to the cell to collect the next person for interrogation, they were immediately met with this question.
"You don't need to know that. Now come with us."
The guards opened the jail cell and walked in to gather the man, but his eyes were filled with fury.
"WHERE IS PLIARA!?!?!?!?"
The soldiers took out their own batons and began to beat the man into submission.
"Where is she!?!?! Let me see her!!!!"
"You don't need to know that!!!", the Commander shouted. "Now come with us or we will never let you see her again!!!!"
The soldiers eyes were filled with fear upon hearing this, and he stopped fighting back.
He stood up, his eyes filled with despair.
"Alright."
And he walked forward through the halls, taken to the room of torture where he too was strapped down and questioned.
"Why did that young girl have that flag on her? Answer my questions truthfully, or we will not allow you to see that girl again. We have already confirmed her answers, so we will know if you are lying."
The man shook with terror as he imagined what could have possibly happened to Pliara.
He could feel the blood on the table he lay on.
It was likely the blood of Pliara.
'What did these monsters do to her.....'
"Last night.... I arrived at her shack.... and sitting there were four humans.... they showed us that flag and claimed they were working for the antiheroes, and that they would take over this city and establish a new set of Dictators."
"Is that all?"
"They happened to leave that flag at our home, and Pliara took it for herself. That is all."
The Commander walked back and forth as he pondered this answer.
"You continue to use a name for that thing. Are you not aware that there is only one being in this world worthy of a name?"
Silence filled the room as the Commander stared Thomar down with his one working eye, holding onto the other with his hand as it throbbed.
Leaning forward, he continued his questioning.
"Then, you agreed to allow the humans to do as they pleased?"
The soldier nodded.
"I did."
"Very well. Is there anything else you know about these antiheroes or their subordinates?"
"I wasn't told anything else. Just that they were Dictators and are taking over place after place."
"I see. Thank you for the information, soldier. Oh, incidentally, Pliara is already dead. I merely used her to get you to come along peacefully."
"What!?!?!??!"
Thomar now at this point was furious, desperately trying to rip the leather bindings which kept him on the table.
"You asshole.... I'll kill you.... I'll kill you all..... I'll kill the provider.... I'll kill every last one of his dogs..... let me out of here!!!!! I'll kill you!!!!!!"
The Commander merely looked at the struggling soldier with disgust.
"To think that such a man was once within our ranks.... it is no wonder the provider wishes us to show our own loyalty by taking our own eyes.... I do not believe that you would provide us any useful labor in the camps. You would become more of a liability if we allow you out of here. Soldier, hand me a weapon."
One of the soldiers grabbed a chainsaw from the walls, and handed it over to the Commander.
Revving the chainsaw, the Commander held it over the head of Thomar with a smile.
"Those who hold ill will towards the provider or show even the slightest form of dissidence must be removed from this haven. As soldiers, we have the responsibility to enact the rules and laws which the provider sets for the people. You have broken this responsibility and spit on our practices. Even in his abounding grace, the provider will not find it in his heart to forgive the likes of you.
The chainsaw was brought down on the neck of the man and his head was cut clean off.
He died with a look of anger and despair on his face as his bloodied head dropped to the ground.
"Now then.... the only thing left is to execute a group of scoundrels who believe their leaders to be greater than ours."