"So, let me ask for the 43rd time. Where is Vanye?" Asked Alexander sternly with a deep frown as he stared into the Elven woman's eyes while firmly grasping her neck.
I didn't like torturing, nor was I the kind of person who was naturally good at it, so despite it nearly being an hour, I've gotten hardly any information out of this woman; as for the man, well, Lazuli had killed him a while ago, after all, we only needed one person for information, not two.
The woman only gave me a defiant look before spitting on my face, causing me to sigh as I wiped her saliva off my cheek.
"Disgusting." Muttered Alexander lightly as he cleaned his face, only to reel his arm back, brutally punching the woman in the face, breaking her nose.
"44th time. Where is Vanye?" Asked Alexander blandly as he eyed the woman while squeezing her neck, causing her to wince, yet even so, she ignored the pain of her nose and remained firmly silent.
"Alex, let me try." Asked Lazuli lightly as she approached Alexander, her words causing him to glance at her before releasing a sigh while backing away.
"Haa, you'll probably be better than me. I was trying to give you a chance, just know that." "That is why you got no information from her, Alex." Said Alexander and Lazuli, respectively, as he glanced at her before pitifully looking at the elven woman, only for the latter to glance at him with a shake of her head.
I had no response to Lazuli since she was probably right; I didn't like doing any of this, so of course, I wasn't going to be good at it, though I was still doing it. I would rather live with knowing I had tortured someone than not doing so and letting Vanye die.
"Huh, willingly torturing someone? I've changed. I remember shortly after arriving at Hyphen, I was reluctant to kill anyone, but now, I don't really feel that type of reluctance anymore, just pity." Muttered Alexander softly as he sat down beside Vanimo, who had yet to awaken while watching Lazuli, who worked her magic, both literally and figuratively.
"Well, I've also never killed anyone that wasn't trying to harm either me or people I cared for, so it's not like I enjoy killing or anything. I think I've just gotten more used to it, which isn't exactly something I ever thought I'd say… Nor do I really like it." Added Alexander softly as he winced before looking away from Lazuli, shifting his focus to Vanimo, whose eyes had just opened.
"U-Um, A-Alex?" Asked Vanimo weakly as he turned and glanced at Alex, who quickly leaned towards him, gently lifting his head onto his lap.
"How are you feeling? You've been unconscious for over an hour; I was really starting to get worried." Asked Alexander as he brushed aside Vanimo's hair while staring into his eyes, causing them to look rather intimate with each other.
"Um, I-I feel… Fine? N-No, I feel great, actually. B-But w-wasn't I beaten? I-I can vividly remember everything, s-so why can I talk? W-Why can I see?" Questioned Vanimo in confusion as he rubbed his head while gazing at Alexander, who opened his mouth only to release a deep sigh.
"Listen… We can talk about that stuff later; right now, we're trying to find Vanye. I know you just woke up, but do you know where she might be?" Replied Alexander softly as he momentarily averted his eyes, only to gaze back at Vanimo with utmost seriousness, causing his eyes to widen.
"V-Vanye! W-We need to save her!" Stated Vanimo urgently as he practically leaped out of Alexander's lap while dashing in a random direction, only to be blocked.
"Calm down, Vanimo. I'm just as eager as you to go and save Vanye, but I've got no idea where the heck she is. Lazuli is trying to get information out of one of your attackers. Don't look. But that will take a while." Remarked Alexander as he appeared in front of Vanimo, blocking his path while partially transferring his emotions, causing him to calm down, only for him to furiously glare at the elven woman.
"What happened, Vanimo?" Asked Alexander firmly as he held Vanimo's shoulders, forcing him to look at him while they stared at each other's eyes.
After a few moments, Vanimo released a breath before plopping on the ground and leaning against a tree in a fetal position, only for him to begin informing me of everything that happened.
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"STOP IT YOU FUCKER!" Yelled Vanye furiously while tears streamed down her face as she glared at the man, who brutally kicked Vanimo in the stomach.
"Tsk, silence her; she's annoying." Said the large and muscular Elven man as he tightly clutched a reddish-black rock, causing Vanye to fall to the ground while screaming, having been engulfed with an unbearable amount of pain.
"Shut you bitch; you're upsetting the boss." Said an Elven woman with a sadistic smile as she violently kicked Vanye's head, knocking her helmet off before stepping on her head, preventing her from moving.
"S-S-Stop. D-D-Don't t-touch h-h-her." Muttered Vanimo weakly while grabbing the Boss's leg, only to grunt in pain as his arm was crushed by a large foot.
"Tch, you've got the audacity to kill my brother, and now, you're telling me to stop?" Asked the Boss softly as he looked at Vanimo before grabbing him by the hair and lifting him into the air, only to violently knee his face.
"SHUT UP!" Yelled the Boss, kneeing Vanimo so hard that he bit his tongue in half, causing him to lose consciousness.
"Please, stop." Said Vanye through her sobbing as she begged, though her words were promptly ignored.
"Oh, unconscious? No, I'm not quite done yet." Muttered the Boss with a vicious expression as he dropped to one knee and firmly held Vanimo's head down while his other hand grabbed an eye.
"S-Stop ARGHHHHHH!" Said Vanimo, the pain snapping him to consciousness while he fearfully eyed the Boss, only to release a guttural scream as his eye was forcefully ripped out of his head in slow motion.
"So disgusting." Muttered the Boss as he held Vanimo's bloody eye in his hand, only to kick him in the face once more, silencing his screams.
"B-Boss!" Yelled the Elven woman anxiously as she looked at Vanye, who began to emit a reddish black miasma from her body, turning everything it touched into particles of nothingness.
"Hmph, I'm the one in control, so shut it!" Stated the Boss firmly as he tightly clenched the reddish-black rock, causing Vanye to once again scream in pure agony while the reddish-black miasma vanished from around her.
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"... After that, he continued to beat me before eventually leaving with Vanye after chaining me to a chair and setting our cabin on fire." Said Vanimo softly, only able to remain calm thanks to Alexander, who constantly soothed him with his emotions.
"Do you know which direction they walked in?" Asked Alexander as he looked at Vanimo, who glanced at the destroyed cabin before nodding and pointing in a certain direction.
"I saw them through the window walking in that direction; I just don't know if they made any turns along the way." Replied Vanimo gently as he stared into the direction with fury and hatred, something unbecoming of him.
"West. Hmm, I see." Muttered Alexander with a nod as he stared west before standing up and walking towards Lazuli, prompting Vanimo to follow him.
"Any information, Lazuli?" "No. I was worried I would kill her before receiving any information, so I had stopped." Said Alexander and Lazuli, respectively, as they glanced at the Elven woman before looking at each other, only for Vanimo to violently punch her with every ounce of his strength.
"T-That's for kicking Vanye, you Fuckface; give me a dagger, and I'll gut her!" Yelled Vanimo furiously as he repeatedly punched the woman before glancing at Alexander, who seemed surprised.
"I-I will, but we still need her alive to help us find Vanye; s-so later." Replied Alexander softly as he backed away from Vanimo, who glared at the woman before grunting, only to fall to his knees while clutching his fist in pain.
Ripping the woman out from the ground, I summoned Trina and made a small incision on my wrist, causing a few drops of blood to fall into her mouth as she began to rapidly heal.
"That smell is familiar." Muttered Vanimo softly as he raised his head and glanced at Alexander, who had already healed, causing him to tilt his head in confusion.
Once the woman was healed, she promptly grabbed her bow and arrow, though before she could even load it, I grabbed her neck and lifted her in the air before slamming her onto the ground, knocking the wind out of her while I tossed her bow and quiver into the distance.
"I'm very pissed, so be quiet and don't do anything stupid." Ordered Alexander sternly as he eyed the woman while tightly clenching her neck, prompting her to rapidly nod.
Grunting in annoyance, I stood up and ripped off most of her clothes, leaving her in just her underwear, before tossing them to the side; after that, I lifted her onto my neck. Since we couldn't get her to speak, I'd use her like a metal detector; I'm sure once we start getting close to where Vanye is, her emotions will change, and I'll be able to notice it. It wasn't the most efficient plan, but since we knew which direction they walked in, it also wasn't terrible.
"Lazuli, carry Vanimo and follow me." Said Alexander as he firmly gripped the woman's thighs while dashing west into the forest.
"Hold tightly." Said Lazuli as she picked up Vanimo in her arms before speedily following after Alexander while her passenger held onto her for dear life.