Warning: Intense Violence
Mira began to slowly wake up. Her eyes began to open, and her brain began to register the pressure and pain on her face. She tried to lift her hand, but was unable to. Her vision was blurry, but before long she managed to make out four figures standing over her. She began to panic. She felt her lungs burn as she let an ear splitting scream. She only was able to produce the sound for a second before tendrils of black entered her mouth and gagged her. Her eyes darted around. She was in a small room of what seemed like a house. It was dimly lit with nothing but an oil lamp producing any source of light. She could see a bed and a small table with two chairs. She was strapped on a chair. She tried to flail, but the black shadowy binds held her tighter. She could feel the tendrils desecrate her insides as she began to cry in pain. Tears streaming from her eyes.
"Keep it down," said Zahira. She walked up to her with Iaceo. She pulled out her dagger and looked at Lykos and Dania, "Leave it to us alright? Don't interfere no matter what we do. Got it?" she glared at both of them. The seriousness on her face put Lykos and Dania in unease. They weren't sure how to feel, but kept quiet.
"Actually it's best if you two head out. Go keep an eye on Yarell." said Iaceo as he pulled out his needle. A yellow slime substance began to drip from his pores. He inserted the needle into the substance coating it.
Lykos and Dania left without questions; leaving Zahira and Iaceo with Mira alone. They were a bit untrusting towards Zahira and Iaceo. They believed that the next time they saw Mira she would be nothing except a corpse.
Iaceo and Zahira waited till the door was closed. Zahira removed the dark tendrils from her mouth. Mira gasped for air and coughed. Blood sprayed from her mouth onto the floor. Iaceo took the needle and jabbed into her vein. Mira began to convulse. As she shook violently; causing the chair she sat on to fall over. The pain Mira felt tripled as she yelled and cried. She kept shaking and Iaceo stared at her with a face of disdain.
Zahira picked up the chair where Mira remained binded.
"W- what the fuck did you do to me!" Mira yelled in hysteria as her blisters from the burn began to bubble and pop as pus slid down the side of her face. She kept shaking, unable to stop. She was scared. The pain kept intensifying.
"It was a simple toxin that will increase the effects of any injury afflicted onto you." Iaceo said as he put away his needle.
Zahira gently traced the dagger against her neck, cutting it with ease, "Your skin is as frail as melted butter."
Mira wept as blood seeped from her neck, mixing with the pus from her face. She looked at them with a pleading face, "Please let me go! Please j- just don't hurt me anymore! I want to leave! I just want to go home! I- I didn't want to do this, but I needed the money. We needed it! He didn't give us any other choice."
Zahira pressed her finger into the small wound she inflicted onto her neck. Her finger pressed through as blood spurted out. Mira screeched in pain. Iaceo pulled her hair forcing her head back. He dripped a small drop of fluid into her eye. Mira's eye turned blood red and puffed out its socket as she became blind from one eye. Mira kept yelling, her blood curdling screams could be heard outside by Lykos, Dania, and Yarell.
"We'll stop once we know everything Mira," said Iaceo as he let go of her hair, "just answer us truthfully and we will keep your pain at a minimum. Either way if you try to escape I poisoned you. You'll die in a few hours from organ failure. I'll cure you if you just cooperate."
"Now then we should start," Zahira said as she wiped off the blood on her finger, "You mentioned him. Is that him the Ash guy Yarell told us about?"
Mira shook her head as she breathed heavily, "No! No! It's someone else!"
Iaceo bent down lightly looking into her eyes, "Can you tell us his name? Telling us it was someone else does jack shit for us."
Mira shook her head again as she shook in fear, "No. Sorry I can't or he'll kill us."
Iaceo sighed. He motioned his hand at Zahira, performing an odd signal. Zahira nodded as black tendrils sprouted from below her. The tendrils climbed up Mira's body as she began to shriek. She kicked her feet around extending her neck as much as she could trying to get away. The tendrils went into her mouth once again. Mira could feel them navigating through her insides. She felt a sudden pang in her chest. She began to vomit blood, but the tendrils covered her mouth. After a while Zahira took them out as she regurgitated all the swallowed blood once again.
"What the fuck! What did you just do?" yelled Mira as she shook. The aching of her heart remained.
"I simply squeezed your heart. Now tell us who it is, or we will kill you first." said Zahira coldly as she pulled another chair from a nearby table in the room and sat down.
Mira sobbed again as she spoke, "His name was Eldrim! He said he'd kill us all and eradicate the entire kingdom of Alium while he was at it if we didn't comply. He promised us money if we succeeded and protection once everything was his."
"Eldrim what? Do you know his last name?" asked Iaceo.
Mira shook her head, 'No I don't I swear I don't! Please don't hurt me anymore!"
Iaceo smiled and laughed. He then stopped and became serious as he hit her with his fist with a loud thud, blood splattering onto the floor again. The blisters on her burned face scraped and began to bleed and leak other fluids. Mira cried in pain once again.
"I don't like being told no. So I'll ask you something else. Why didn't you refuse his offer? You really think one man could have killed the three of you? From the sounds of it, if Ash really is the guy who made all this ice he must be one hell of a guy." said Iaceo as he wiped his knuckles.
"We did try, but before we even did anything it was over. He subdued us all. No effort. I swear he didn't even move. It was like… like he neutralized the concept of balance in our world. He was like a god.. No greater than that. I don't even know what you would call such a man." Mira said as she shook in fear. Not from the pain. Not from the fear of torture, but from the fear of being alive in the same world as Eldrim. She had experienced it first hand. A man who isn't constricted by their world's laws.
"I see. So you did it out of fear huh? I find it hard to believe such a man you describe exists, but I find no reason not to believe you." said Iaceo
Zahira sat up from her chair, "How can we be so sure she isn't pulling this out of her ass? Use the truth serum Iaceo."
Iaceo sighed annoyed, "I already told you Zahira I can't produce a truth serum!"
"You never even tried!"
"Cause it's stupid Zahira!" Iaceo turned his attention to Mira, "Look we don't have many options here. Either we kill you, or let you free and Ash leaves the town alone."
"I say we kill her," said Zahira, "Who's to say she won't do this shit again. Plus she said that the Eldrim guy would kill her anyway."
"Ash has a good heart deep down. I know we all killed, but that's just our job. We are mercenaries. I am not a big fan of it. If you kill me there is no doubt Ash would spare anyone's life. Assuming Renus is dead, I'd say your best bet is to use me for bargaining. You won't beat Ash." said Mira as she looked into their eyes; her eye slowly puffing more and more.
"And what makes you say we can't?" asked Iaceo, intrigued by her claim.
"Because in Alium, he is considered to be one of the strongest people. Are you going to tell me you believe the five of you can beat someone with consonance?" said Mira, smiling weakly.
Iaceo and Zahira were put off by her claim. Consonance was the strongest ability a holder. They become one with the blessings that Buedel gave them; practically making them a temporary god.
"Are you being serious?" asked Iaceo.
"This would be a hell of a time for a truth serum Iaceo." said Zahira.
Iaceo stared daggers into Zahira while Mira spoke, "I wouldn't lie to you after all the bullshit you've done to me. Just let me live, keep me hostage, maybe everyone can go in peace."
Iaceo looked at Mira then back at his sister. He walked to Mira as a substance secreted from his finger tip. He forced her mouth open with struggle as Mira panicked and tried to fight back. He managed to drop the fluid in her mouth.
"It's the cure, dumbass!" yelled Iaceo.
Mira's eyes began to deflame as she began to feel better. The pain remained, but felt faint, "You could have just said that." she said.
They kept Mira binded and escorted her outside to Dania and Lykos. Dania and Lykos looked at them weirdly. They saw through the door that the room was littered with fresh blood, but Mira looked almost uninjured despite the small cut on her neck and the blisters she already had from the burn.
"Well that was something to hear from the outside," said Lykos, "You scared Yarell half to death."
"Where even is he?" asked Zahira.
He pointed to Dania. Behind her stood Yarell shaking in fear of the screams he heard.
They turned around to see a familiar figure. Dragging himself uninjured was Adriel. His clothes were torn, but he had no wounds. He seemed to be fine.
"What the hell happened? Asked Adriel
"Long story, sit down Adriel we got a lot of catching up to do. Such as why the hell have you been missing for two days!" yelled Zahira as she pulled him by the ear down to the others.