January 1731 City of Ber, Province of Ciresia, Osterian Empire.
"So, let's start that again, shall we?"
His affirmative nods left me satisfied. The bastard almost took an hour before he could break. A worthy feat, really, if it weren't so annoying.
With a flourish of a hand, the restraints loosen and Gorgi gasps for air and relief as he looked at me with no small amount of fear while he nursed his hand, lowering his head in submission.
"What do you want to know?"
"Let's start from the beginning. What is this Chamber?"
He stiffens, "I dont know."
"You don't know? Yet, you talked quite a lot about them."
He clenches his fist. "We're just business partners. I was hoping to be fully inducted."
"I see. But it doesn't explain your perceived influence over the city's government."
He shifts his eyes in terror, his eyes filled with fear, hesitation written all over his expression. So, before it could ever fester, I grab his face. My eyes illuminated as I whisper.
"Don't think about them. They're not the one about to make your life miserable." I try to put as much threat as I can.
He curls in fear before nodding fervently, his hand curled into fists. "They buy things from me and they give back rewards and protection."
I tilt my head in interest. "What exactly is it that you give them?"
"People." He whispers as he looked away.
"People? For what purpose?" I then move closer, my eyes eerily illuminated.
He audibly gulps, "I dont know."
I grab his face, leaving him shivering in what I would assume, terror. "Do you want to do it again? Because, I can do it-."
He fervently shakes his head, "I really dont know. They just paid me back with that ring and let me be."
With his words, I stop in thought. Why would a secret organization require vast amounts of manpower?
What could they need it for that the nobility isn't already doing? I tap my chin at the thought. This world holds no regard for human life, certainly not the same way my old world did.
So, what is it they need that'll require vast amounts of manpower, in such a manner so illegal that it's outlawed by societies that held little to no regards to peasant life.
My mind then turns to the only crimes too heinous for anyone to stomach, one like murder.
But what would require the slaughter of tens, if not hundreds? That amount of killings would have served alarm bells for any nation.
I turn my head towards the man before me, his mind turning just as fast as mine.
"You are most likely aware of what they have been doing, yet you seem so apathetic to it."
He grits his teeth in frustration. "Shut up! You don-."
I slap him, my hand stinging as his cheek reddens. "You have no right to order me so."
He lowers his head in submission and I take out the ring, the one holding an inordinate amount of power, the ring that was buzzing in my mind at every touch.
"Do you know what this is?" I take his hair and force his eyes upon it, his angered and pain expression giving me delight.
"I don't know. They just gave it to me at a certain milestone."
"A milestone." I mutter before my eyes widen in realization and disgust. I grab his face, one that was suddenly filled with terror.
"Milestone to what!?"
"One thousand. I sent them a thousand people."
I shove him back with enough force for him to spit out blood. My mind abuzz with ideas. Murder wouldn't need that many. A thousand would mean something more.
But where would they hide it? Where would they need it? What place would be easy to hide that many? Is this organization even in the Osterian Empire?
Gorgi has his head lowered, before I grab his face once more, "How many children did you send them?"
"N-none. They needed adults." He replies.
That would remove the possibility of child soldiers. But what would they need so many adults for? I play with the ring in my hand, the buzzing in my mind never-ending.
I close my eyes in thought until the buzzing in my mind continues. My focus turns to it, my mind searching for clues for its power to find the buzzing churn, turn and shout.
My eyes illuminate as I search deeper in its confines, my mind twisting and turning, my stomach dropping in anxiety until an image appears in my mind and I bore witness to hell.
Screams of horror and anger erupt all around me, fire raged and cold tore the world asunder.
The faces of a hundred souls scream to me for help, the world around them an inescapable prison.
The vision then ends. My eyes open as I look at the ring in shock and horror. Gorgi only looking to me in confusion as red overtook my vision.
'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
He recoils, only to be saved by a shout erupting from the door. "SIR!"
With that, logic returns to my mind and I wrest control over my emotion. Gorgi's death was now an utter certainty as I turn my back and exit the door, the men leaving me to my thoughts.
I take a deep breath. The visions I have seen have been traumatic. While, I would be the first to admit my lack of innocence in death and pain.
And yet, the sheer amount of suffering was nauseating. The fate worse than death, the torment of magic constantly drained from them, their screams, their pains all ringing in my mind.
A voice stops me in my tracks. "Sir, what do we do with him?"
"Execute him for his crimes or have the people decided his fate."
The man nods in acknowledgement as I turn my back, my expression contorted in a mess of rage.
Everything I needed to hear, I have heard.
This 'Chamber' will answer to its crimes and be crushed.
Whether I do that for my mother or whatever suffering they have inflicted matters little.