Daemon looked around and saw multiple tables covered with food and drinks... There was a desktop setup, it suggested that the man spent his whole life down while engaging in some sort of operation...
Daemon grabbed the man and threw him a chair near the desktop, the man quickly tried to get up, but Daemon boot connected with his chest slamming him back down with a force that left him gasping for breath. "Stay," Daemon commanded.
Then Daemon then search the room for any signs of victims or anything else that could benefit him... That's when he found an expensive set of jeep car keys by the looks of it.
Daemon shook the keys in his hand... 'This is the first good thing that's happened in a while. This will be my ride to the city,' he thought.
The man watched Daemon walking around and shouted, "What do you want? There's nothing here for you!" then he saw Daemon holding his car keys. "Hey that mine" he shouted.
Daemon turned his gaze back to the man he had smirk never leaving his face, he took a step closer letting the keys dangle tauntingly in his face. "Not anymore," he said his voice a low growl. "Consider them a donation to a cause greater than your pathetic existence."
The man's face contorted with rage, but he was too terrified to move. Daemon chuckled darkly, enjoying the power he held over him, he then pocketed the keys and gave the room one last sweep.
Having found nothing else of interest, Daemon walked back to the man...he stared at the man, contemplating his next move, flashes of his own past flickered through his mind, he remembered the sensation of his own fingers being snapped the searing pain that shot through his body, and the cruel laughter of those who inflicted it upon him. They knew that Daemon hands were more than just tools, they were his livelihood and with each snap of a finger had been a devastating blow.
Daemon shook his head getting rid of his past then he grabbed his hand, slammed it on the table, and snapped his pinky finger backward before the man could protest.
"Ahh!" The man screamed...
Daemon stared at him coldly... "What I want is to know is who you are and what you're doing here," he demanded...
The man just looked at him in pain staying silent Daemon looked at scared face. "As a matter of fact, I don't need to know the name of someone who is dead," he said snapping back the man's ring finger.
"Ahh!" The man screamed again struggling to pull his hand away from Daemon's grip. "O-Okay, I'll tell you what you want to know..." he said drooling with his head down in submission.
-Congratulations, Daemon, on unlocking a new feature: Pain Amplification. Inflicting pain, both physical and emotional, enhances my power and gains more fear points. Prolonged suffering or elaborate, painful deaths contribute significantly to the amount of fear points given.-
Daemon was surprised, he didn't expected the system to have more features right now. 'Thank you, system. This is perfect for me. I already planned on inflicting some pain,' he thought, laughing like a maniac. "Good. I will snap a finger if you don't answer my questions or if I feel you're lying," he said.
Daemon pulled on the man middle finger lightly. "First question: what are you doing here?" he asked.
The man's voice quivered as he spoke, his eyes darting nervously around the dimly lit room. "I monitor and report on every village that falls into our hands. It's my job to ensure the product is always top quality and safe," he stammered his hands shaking.
Daemon looked at the computer screen but it was locked so he couldn't do find out what he actually meant. "Okay, where are the products?" he asked.
The man remained silent with his head down.
After a few seconds, Daemon snapped the man's middle finger back. The man's head leaned bac his teeth gritted in pain that seemed about to break.
-Congratulations Daemon, on earning 50 fear points-
Daemon stared at the man who remained silent. "Still won't talk?" Daemon said, his finger poised to snap.
"Wait, wait!" the man blurted out making Daemon pause. "They're in the church," he muttered, knowing that if anyone found out he had snitched, his life would be over.
'The church... I remember seeing one in the village. But how can they hide people there without drawing attention?' Daemon pondered a realization dawning on him. "Is someone helping you?" he asked.
The man shook his head vigorously. "No."
"That's a lie," Daemon said coldly then snapped his finger.
The man held back his pain to shout. "I didn't lie!"
"Alright then, what about Elder Kellan?" Daemon asked in a mocking tone.
The man hesitated before finally speaking. "Elder Kellan has a deal with us. Every couple of weeks, we take some villagers, and he's free to do whatever he wants with the rest for his harvest."
'This damn harvest I keep hearing about,' Daemon thought. "You're a big organization. Why not just take all the villagers at once?" he asked.
How does Elder Kellan fit into the cartel's plans?, What is Elder Kellan's motivation for collaborating with the cartel, and how deeply is he involved?
The man scoffed. "Do you think we're stupid? If we did that, the villagers would get suspicious. Some might even flee, making it harder for us to capture them because their friends would have vanished."
Daemon released the man's hand, which kept shaking. The man was shocked that he had been released, but then he heard Daemon say, "Unlock the computer."
The man was even more shocked. "What? No! No, I don't know what you're going to do. Besides, I already answered—" the man started.
Daemon grabbed the man by his collar again lifting him off the chair slamming his head into the desk. "If you don't unlock that computer right now, the only harvest Elder Kellan will have this season is picking up the pieces of what's left of you." he said his voice dangerously low.
Daemon was growing impatient he grabbed the man's other hand and started snapping his fingers one by one, from pinkie to middle finger until the man finally decided to talk.
"Stop! Stop! I'll unlock it!" the man pleaded, looking at his broken fingers. "How am I going to unlock it with broken fingers?"
"Just tell me the password," Daemon shouted annoyed that the man hadn't thought of that sooner.
The man, head down, muttered, "Suckme25," blushing in embarrassment.
"Really?" Daemon asked humor evident in his voice.
"Yes, just take what you want and leave," the man said, desperation clear in his eyes.
Daemon entered the password, and the information that popped up shocked him. Over a hundred villagers had already been taken. 'How long have they been here?' he wondered.
Opening folders containing detailed information on the kidnapped villagers, transactions, and communications with Elder Kellan.
He quickly copied the information onto the flash drive he had used at the other base, then turned to the man with a smirk. 'Now to rack up some more fear points,' he thought. "Good. You've been helpful," Daemon said coldly. "But your usefulness has come to an end."
The man's eyes widened in fear realizing what was about to happen. "No, please—" he began, but Daemon's claws were already at his throat.
...
Over the next two days, Daemon did nothing but torture the man... He allowed himself to sleep and eat, but his primary focus was inflicting pain... He picked off nails, destroyed fingers, broke bones, and much more. During this time, he was confused as he expected more cartel members to come, but none did. This confirmed that this was the real base and all members were dead.
"Today is the day of the harvest. Time for me to find out what's so important," Daemon muttered.
As Daemon walked out of the house, behind him lay the man, dead, his body deformed in all different angles like an origami art piece.
...
After walking in the forest for about thirty minutes, Daemon arrived at the village. The village was decorated with grass-covered statues, and the buildings, houses, and walls had a uniform, rustic appearance.
As Daemon walked into the village, a villager approached him and placed a ring made of leaves over his neck, onto his head. "Bless Guardian Syla," the villager said.
Daemon looked at the ring of leaves. While he wanted to take it off, he left it on to blend in as a villager. As he walked around the village, he noticed that everyone was excited and smiling. They were giving out baskets with fruits and other items inside, and there was music and dancing. Daemon managed to ask about the purpose of the ring of leaves and learned that it was for the upcoming Spiritual Ceremonies.
The village practiced rituals to honor the spirits of nature and seek their blessings for prosperity and protection. These ceremonies involved offerings of food, flowers, and incense at sacred sites within the surrounding forest.
Are there any connections between the village's rituals and the cartel's operations?
After an hour of walking around the village and seeing nothing suspicious, Daemon decided it was time to visit the village church to see if the kidnapped victims were actually there.