The next morning arrived with an air of franticness. From his room, El could hear footsteps scurrying from one room to the next. 'It's miraculous that they managed to bring me my breakfast with all that fuss. Is whatever is happening today the cause of my isolation?' He wondered as his mouth tore apart a piece of bread. His meal consisted of an equivocal soup and a piece of bread. He wasn't quite sure what was in the soup but he was certain that it was flavoursome.
He tried to savour breakfast, for his duties would be far from pleasant. Admittedly El didn't think himself of as nice, but he had standards. He enjoyed bloodshed but that was only when the bout was two-sided and fair. Nevertheless, he steeled himself. His desire to serve the empire was far stronger than the sense of fun that held him back.
'For the Eldyth empire.' He reminded himself as he walked into the long corridor with his tools in hand. He speculated that his position was a makeshift one for the only tools that the old hag brought was a key set and a hunter's knife, alternatively, he did wonder if this was a test. An initiation trial to see just how creative he could be with a limited set of tools. To ascertain if he had a talent for the work. Not that the 'why' bothered him too much, he had aimed to excel regardless of any external pressures.
Further down the corridor, it was lined with cells from end to end. The place smelt rancid and he could hear the prisoners groaning, chattering and bickering. The security, however, did seem rather lax in terms of manpower. While someone had clearly come to feed the prisoners based on the empty trays and a few of them still eating, El hadn't met a single guardsman during his walk into the prison. 'They're probably secured by a magical artefact or possibly perhaps even technology…'.
The cells were labelled with signs that were carved into the black stone. El stopped when he came to cell 28. The cell was about one and a half meters in area, it was barely lit and there was a woman crouched in the corner. Her hair was haggard and she wore a loose black garb. Her eyes were sunken and her lips were shrivelled. El unlocked the door and entered the dispirited abode. The woman did not react to his entry, she was stone-like. "Good morning, Miss Tress. I feel rather apologetic about your current situation. I really do but can't help unless you tell me about the organisation you're employed by."
El waited for a response but there was nothing. Trying to poke her vulnerabilities he said, "Think about your children…" This caught her attention so he probed further. "Mary, Jane and Cedric…they'll grow up without a mother but you can prevent that future. Just open up about your employment." The performance ended with El getting down on his knee.
She spoke her voice raspy, likely due to continuous weeping. "Better to live motherless than to not live." She had already been defeated prior to El's arrival. El sighed "I suppose so, but unfortunately, I doubt my employer's mercifulness. You see he's a greedy swine who would do anything to get the favour of our precious Dictator Arte…" He didn't say more than that, the scowl on the lady's face told him the message was delivered. 'Selling out your boss can do you wonders.'
"You…you scoundrel don't you dare touch them" her voice roared as if she found an untapped source of energy.
El gasped and stumbled backwards, the knife still sheathed and hidden behind him. "I am innocent, I wouldn't dare do such a thing. I'm not a cruel man madame. Though I may be able to save your kids if you tell me about the organisation." He pushed once again.
"Liar…liar…liar. They'll protect them. I don't need you or your stupid pity." She yelled ferociously, indicating an end to the pleasantries.
El shook his head in disappointment. 'Why are people so difficult.'. He unsheathed the blade behind his back, rushed forward and restrained her against the ground. "I really did hope it wouldn't come to this and I do swear I'll free you" he assured her. Using the knife he gently cut through the skin of her cheek. She didn't scream 'How anticlimactic'.
Thus he went to move on to her fingers. "Tell me! Now!" He bellowed. Nothing. "Then I suppose I'll be taking this then" he stated as he pressed the knife against her pinkie, first cutting through the skin, then the meagre muscle until it met the bone. "Last chance, tell me or you lose it." He commanded the lady who was wailing. "Ah…screams and sobs but no answer. This was your call" He reminded her as he lifted the knife and slammed it through her pinkie until he met the hard tile.
The wretch beat her fist against the floor as she shrieked and screeched. "Names now! Unless you want another lost finger." She wrenched her guts out and El patiently waited to no avail. As a result, he kicked her over and punctured her abdomen with the knife, taking care to miss any vitals. He could see her face now, as it howled and twisted in agony. He also felt her blood on his hands, it felt warm in the coldest way imaginable for the sight and his actions disgusted him. There was no valour in this and his teachings berated him but he still continued.
Leaving the knife in her, his hands moved up to her throat, gripping it firmly and choking her but making sure she didn't faint. He admired the woman, she still hadn't given in. 'I'm sorry'. "Tell me," He told her emphasising the way out. Letting her breathe he brought his attention back to the knife. He shook it in her causing a desperate but feeble cry. "FREEHOOD, FREEHO-" she shut herself up with her hands.
"Thank you, now I shall keep my promise," El said grateful, that it was done. He covered her eyes with his hand, keeping her grounded with his leg. She howled and clawed at his leg but he persisted, he brought the knife to her throat and stabbed through before jerking it sideways. "It's all right now, you're liberated to see your children who passed before you." He whispered. This was the third life he claimed and the experience was unlike the previous two in every regard.
He stayed there for a period, fully absorbing the scene before standing up and heading out. It left a bitter taste in his mouth but it was done. He had made a contribution to the empire. That was enough reason for him to repeat this every day if it meant aiding Dictator Arte to achieve world peace.
'What should I do now, The minister told me to never go up unless instructed to.' Disobeying wasn't an option, his nightly uniform was covered in blood. The white was splattered with red in a most concerning way. His trousers were ripped, due to the Tress's last attempts at resistance and his loose white shirt was dishevelled, to say the least. He suspected that the minister would prefer rumours and talk to remain minimal.
When he finally returned to his room he found his lunch to be waiting for him. This time his lunch was composed of baked fish, curry and rice. It smelled good and it tasted good but he wondered if there was a particular diet that the minister appointed for him, as currently, it seemed random.
Following lunch, El was bored with nothing to do, El cleaned the knife using the sink in his room. It wasn't a particularly difficult or long task, however, afterwards was able to spend his time revising the techniques he knew so well. Krav Maga was his base, he was familiar with using weapons in combat. It came naturally to him, however solo training provided little to him. For he could perform the movements but there was no target, no dummy just the air. It was mostly fruitless but it provided him with a sense of comfort.
Mid-rehearsal there was a knock at the door, 'Are they finally here?'. On the other side of the door, he found Valena the guardsman. "Oh my god, what's happened to you?" She exclaimed taking a few steps back.
"Don't worry it isn't my blood." He said wiping the sweat on his forehead with his forearm. "I am perfectly all right, no important injuries were sustained."
"Then…who's blood is that? What have you done?" She asked her question containing a threatening tone.
"I do not answer to you, I answer to the minister himself. The details of my work are classified. I couldn't reveal them if I wished to." 'Not that I want to tell you either.' He thought to himself.
To be continued Tomorrow