Chapter 174:
“Why don’t you just draw the locations?” Anton slammed the wrapped piece of charcoal on the table. “And this time don’t try anything stupid.”
The Seocurian Captain, stripped over everything bar his pants, trembled in fear. His terrified eyes specifically lay on upon Rasha, her arms to be precise. Another Seocurian soldier, a lieutenant lay whimpering in the corner with two broken arms. Beyond his whimpers, Anton could hear the forty-odd captive Seocurian soldiers in the prison next door. The Dark Elves had captured only those that they thought were important, the rest were swiftly killed and their arrows retrieved. Those that would find the massacre would be hard-pressed for an answer.
“This armour is very thick.” Rasha removed a small, thin dagger from the back of her hand. “But I’m more than strong enough to block you even without it.”
“And to think you would have a blade hidden between your buttocks.” Anton almost smiled. “Now. The locations of all of your bases and patrol routes. If you would be so kind.”
The Captain continued to stare at Rasha. He cared nothing for Verona or Cetina, nor Kal who continued to wear her mask and hide in the corner of the room.
“How can you honestly work with these creatures?” A sense of bravado returned to the Captain, a lifetime of belittling and demeaning Beast-kin gave him a sense of mental strength. “They’re barely intelligent-”
Rasha slammed her hoof onto his leg. She missed slightly and ran her hoof along his calk, peeling the skin and crushing the flesh underneath. The scream pierced Anton’s ears, so loud that his eyes winced.
“I’m not smart.” Rasha stepped back. “But I’m smart enough not to do something that stupid.”
Anton sighed and healed the man’s wounds. He gasped as the skin and flesh healed itself, not completely but enough so that he wouldn’t bleed.
“The map.” Anton summoned a Fire Bomb. “Unless you need further convincing?”
While the Beast-kin had only scared him the threat of being burned alive awoke a primal fear, the simple and all-consuming fear of being burned alive. Anton felt that Cetina was not happy but it was necessary.
“W-Which ones do you want to know?”
“All of them.” Anton tapped the large and rough map of Seocuria. “Bases, patrol routes and estimated times. And don’t think about lying or trying to mislead us.” Anton withdrew the flame. “I’ll be asking a few questions when you’re done.”
The captain weakly nodded, sweat poured from his body soaking his pants and even the dirt beneath his feet, as he began to draw. Anton silently told Rasha to keep watch while he walked to the others.
Verona frowned as he approached, waiting until he was very close before speaking. “Why aren’t you just using that truth power of yours? Surely it will work. Seocurian’s aren’t immune to magic.”
“I might not know what questions to ask,” Anton said. “He might just reveal something important. Like the location of someone or something very important. Some influential lord or slave owner that we can kill to throw confusion in their ranks. Seocuria isn’t a unified country like...Everyone, barring the Deweth Clansmen.”
“The nobles only work together for profit,” Kal said softly. “And it’s cheaper to work together than to fight. But...But a small family fell just before I left Seocuria. There was some chaos after that.”
“Imagine what would happen if they thought it was assassination?” Anton smiled. “Then they’ll be at each other’s throats and we won’t have to raise a finger. A common tactic.”
“Let your enemies fight amongst themselves?” Cetina raised a brow. “Have you done that often?”
“Not that often.” Anton turned back to the captive Seocurian Captain. “But succeeding is what matters most, fighting a glorious battle only to lose doesn’t interest me.”
Rasha slammed the far end of the table with the butt of her halberd. “Don’t stop!”
“I...I’ve broken the charcoal.” The Captain winced.
“Don’t take your eye off him,” Anton yelled.
Rasha snapped her eyes to the Captain and barred her teeth. The Captain slunk lower, his whole body had tensed in readiness to jump, to try and ram the broken end of the charcoal into Rasha’s eye or neck.
“Do you want to be burned?” Anton asked. “Or do you want me to have your arms broken and continue to draw? Or do you want to try and escape? Rasha’s more than willing to throw you into the dirt. Like him.”
The Seocurian Lieutenant whimpered again. Tears streamed down his face as he tried to move his broken limbs. Without magic, it would be impossible for him to live a normal life and that fact had well and truly sunken in.
“Okay...Just don’t hurt me.”
Rasha growled. “Draw then.”
The Captain meekly nodded and continued to draw. Anton watched in silence as he drew markers on the map. Worryingly there were many markers denoting fortresses with rough numbers of soldiers stationed there. When he began to draw lines across the map Rasha stopped him again.
“What are you doing?” She asked.
“These are the patrol routes.” The captain looked like a puppy that had just soiled the carpet. “That’s what you wanted to know. Wasn’t it?”
“But why are there so many?” Anton frowned as he looked at the map. “Despite being a lowly Captain you seem to know quite a bit, even across the country.”
“Patrol routes are quite simple.” The Captain glanced at Rasha. “Seocuria...Doesn’t have issues with bandits, like the places you come from. But they still want to keep the soldiers ready, should something happen.”
“Like a Beast-kin rebellion?”
The Captain said nothing but his body turned completely rigid.
“Keep going,” Anton said softly. “Oh, what do you know about the ruling families of Seocuria?”
“A bit. But-”
“We can talk later. Keep drawing.”
The Captain glumly nodded and continued drawing.
“What about the others?” Verona whispered when Anton returned to her side. “The Dark Elves managed to get a lot, way more than I thought they would.”
“Not now,” Anton said softly. “Wait until he’s done.”
Verona pursed her lips. She, and the others, understood they had no chance to ransom back the Captain or the other soldiers, not without revealing everything about what they were doing. Anton pitied the captive Seocurians, did they know there was no way home and they were doing everything they could just to extend their lives by a few moments? He silently hoped he was never put in a similar position.
Eventually the Captain was finished. Rasha took the charcoal first, then passed the map to Anton. It made him quite concerned they were biting off more than they could handle. At least sixty large fortresses dotted the land, each holding thousands of soldiers. While the Captain did not specify their level of equipment Anton knew it would probably be better than theirs. Seocuria was not short of money.
“You’ve written days between these fortresses.” Anton pointed to some of the interconnecting lines. “Is that how often these patrols move?”
“They move on a very strict schedule.” The Captain said softly. “Since we don’t have issues with bandits and the very rarely escaped slave.”
He stared at Rasha. “How-”
Rasha growled and the man shut his mouth tight.
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Anton moved behind the Captain, held his shoulder and chanted a truth prayer. The Captain, thankfully, did not lie about the troop movements and fortress locations, at least to his knowledge. He could hardly lie about something he did not know.
“Explain the noble families,” Anton said.
The Captain struggled but, like everyone else Anton had cast this magic upon, it was completely futile.
“Each noble family controls an area of Seocuria. Together they form a union, where they control everything within the Empire.”
“An Oligarchy.” Anton slowly nodded. “The Empire is just dressing to make it sound more impressive. Rasha? Could you get another map?”
Cetina passed another piece of paper to Rasha, who placed it on the table.
“Draw who controls which area.”
The Captain complied. Anton didn’t recognise the names but it would be a good start for future investigations.
“Who is the strongest family?” Anton asked, he still had his hand on the Captain’s shoulder. “Which...Oligarch is the strongest?”
“Rafiki Kinteh.” The captain pointed to a large area containing Danafra. “He has the most land and wealth, but not by much.” He pointed to the nearby territories. “Together they have more but no one has more than Rafiki.”
Anton looked at Kal. She had frozen completely solid, Verona held her hand but it did little. She weakly nodded. Anton had never met the man, Rafiki, but he hated him just for how he made Kal and even Marion mentally collapse at just his mention.
“Where does he live?”
The Captain pointed to a small city at the centre of his territory. “He has a fortress city here called Savepo. It’s more heavily defended than Danafra or anywhere else in Seocuria. At least that’s what I’ve been told.”
“And most of his money? Is it in mines or does he just own a lot of business?”
“He owns a lot of Beast-kin.” The Captain winced. “And he sells the most trained Beast-kin to other families.”
“Those that would be considered true playthings?”
The Captain nodded. He wasn’t ashamed of what they were doing to sentient beings, only that his interrogators were deeply angry by the revelation.
“What about…” Anton paused. “There are supposedly some mines in the north where Benzonite and Tanzanite are mined in prodigious quantities. Prodigious for those crystals. Is that true?”
“It is.” The Captain weakly nodded. “They use Oni slaves to mine them. Toxic gases fill the mine, and the Oni’s can tolerate it more than the other Beast-kin.”
“More? Not completely?” Anton asked. “So they still die?”
“Yes.”
“Taking that out would greatly hurt their economy.” Anton mused. “Is there anything else that we need to be aware of? Something that would be very useful to know in our quest to free more Beast-kin?”
The Captain no longer struggled against the magic. “Two of the families in the north hate each other. They fight over the mines constantly. There hasn’t been much fighting but the situation is very tense.”
“And the other families?”
“They keep to themselves, except when they have to work together for business.”
“Okay...Hang on.” Anton hesitated. “Are there any Seocurians that disagree with how the Beast-kin are treated?”
“There were once families that disagreed.” The Captain almost smiled, like he was about to win a tiny victory. “But they’re dead.”
“I saw one in Danafra that looked very unhappy with how the Beast-kin were treated.” Anton shrugged. “How they were executed. So, do you know anyone that would know someone?”
“The Lord Mayor of Danafra might know someone. If there are any remnants they would know.”
“Perhaps a good place to start. Kidnapping the mayor would throw confusion into Seocuria’s ranks. Thank you for your cooperation.” Anton relinquished his hold. “Rasha, Cetina? Send him back with the others.”
The Captain barely resisted as he was lifted from his seat by Rasha, with just her hand underneath his arm, while Cetina followed closely behind with her sword drawn. Rasha nodded to the lieutenant and took him away as well.
“We’re going to get that bastard,” Anton said as Verona continued to gently massage Kal’s hand. “Don’t you ever think that we won’t.”
Kal removed her mask. She wasn’t entirely shaken but he could tell that she wasn’t well. He removed his glove and held her cheek, gently rubbing his thumb across her skin. She pushed her head into his hand as she took a deep sigh.
“Just hearing his name makes me so scared and angry.” Kal drew one of her old daggers, one of the two she had when she first arrived at Atros. “I...I never did tell you who these are for, have I?”
“No.” Anton gently took one. “I always thought you kept them because you wanted as many weapons as you could.”
“That is a part of it.” Kal took the knife back, running her gloved hand over the chipped and rusted edge. “But I have every intention of driving this into my father’s heart, while he’s still alive. That man deserves nothing less.”
“Seems that he’d be getting off a little too easy.” Anton murmured. Verona silently agreed.
Kal shrugged. “I’m not a complete monster. I just want to see and know that he is dead. Then his name won’t frighten me.”
Anton slowly nodded and returned to the two maps left on the table. “This will be a terrific boon for us going forward. We’ll know where we can safely hit and places to avoid.”
“Shame he couldn’t tell us where the plantations are.” Verona inspected the map denoting the relative powers of the Oligarchy families. “That would be useful.”
“They’re everywhere,” Kal said softly. “Just head to an area where there aren’t many patrols and find one.”
“Do you think any Beast-kin would be willing to go back?” Anton asked.
“As spies?” Verona threw Kal a sideways glance. “After living in Atros for a while I’m certain they’re not going to go back, even if it’s for pretend.”
“It’ll be very suspicious that there are a bunch of Graterians travelling through the country, stopping in every place that gets hit.” Anton gently rubbed his cheek. “We all stand out compared to the Seocurians.”
“We should see if any of those refugees from Jaka want to help.” Verona shrugged. “They won’t draw as much attention as me...Kal? You said the Seocurians and the Clansmen trade?”
“They do. Near their border.”
Verona clicked her tongue. “Maybe there I might not be as suspicious.” She frowned. “Then again, they might wonder what a Silver Eagle Clanswoman, or whatever clan I’m descended from, is heading away from the mountains with all of you.”
“Maybe some Dark Elves…” Anton trailed off as Cetina and Rasha returned. “How are they?”
“Terrified,” Cetina replied. “First they get ambushed by the Dark Elves when they think they’re going to help control a fire. Then they find themselves in a strange city full of freed Beast-kin.”
“Not well.” Rasha laughed. “But the Seocurians started it.”
“The Empire is what’s wrong,” Anton said softly. “Not the people. The refugees we have aren’t from the empire.”
“I…” Rasha cast her eyes down. “It is a little hard.”
“Is there anything else we else need from the prisoners?” Anton asked. “We have the locations of their forces and a rough idea of the political landscape, who to hit so it looks like it’s an internal problem rather than us.”
“I can’t think of anything.” Verona shrugged. “They’re just soldiers, not political leaders.”
“Unlike the Mist Walker Elders,” Kal said. “We don’t have any reason to keep them anymore. And it will be a long time before we can ransom them, or send them back.”
“If they do return they’ll tell the Seocurian Empire everything they know.” Anton sighed. “I know I would. How else are they going to explain why they disappeared?”
Rasha’s red brows furrowed. She gripped her halberd tight as her right hoof ground lightly. “You don’t want me to…”
Anton wrapped the maps up tight. “If I need something like that done I’ll just outright say it. I won’t just hint at it because I don’t have the strength to order someone’s death. Like the words would taint my mouth.”
Rasha breathed a little easier. “I would still do it if you asked me to. Even now.”
“I do feel a little sorry for them.” Verona sighed. “They’re ever going to see their homes and families again. Are they?”
Anton glumly nodded. “We need to be utterly ruthless in dealing with the Seocurian Empire. Utterly ruthless. They won’t grant us any shred of mercy.” Anton nodded to Kal and Rasha. “If they even think we’re freeing Beast-kin they’ll send their armies here to crush us. Even if they have to cross the sea and half of the old Kar Kingdom.”
Kal sighed. “If they figure out that we’re using those portals…”
“The Dark Elves covered our tracks well.” Anton took a deep breath. “But I’m sure the Seocurians will eventually figure it out. You can’t just disappear hundreds of people without using magic. I fear it’s going to get very difficult very quickly.”
Anton sighed. “It would be great if we didn’t have to fight like this, where we could work together…” Kal frowned lightly. “But if that was the case then the Beast-kin wouldn’t have been exterminated or driven into slavery.”
“True.”
“Anyway, we need to return to Seocuria,” Anton said. “We can’t just leave the portal there with the Green Moon Dark Elves standing guard. I don’t need to use the truth power to tell me that they'd prefer to come home. Until we sort something out we’re going to need to keep some Dark Elves there. They won’t be doing much, just sitting around and keeping hidden. Shouldn’t be too difficult. Maybe the first mission for prospective warriors?”
“So do we keep them?” Verona asked as she tapped her clay pots. “Those old Elves were quite an issue. What about fifty men, in their prime, all wanting nothing more than to escape.”
The room fell silent.
“I’ll handle it.” Verona squeezed his hand. “Let me do it this time.”
Anton gave a curt nod. They left the building, next to their makeshift prison and approached the attentive guards. Verona’s body glowed, she took a deep breath and ordered the guards to open the door. Just like last time they backed away silently, fully aware of what was about to happen. The Seocurian soldiers cried out but a single shriek before being silenced forever. Verona returned, her face slightly annoyed. While she had killed many people before it was very rarely in cold blood.
Verona scratched her head as the glow faded from her body. “That…That doesn’t feel so good. I just feel kind of…”
“Empty?”
Verona glumly nodded. “I think I’m going to need a little drink after that.”
“I think it’s been enough for all of us. Tomorrow Mezot’s getting her promotion, so I want to be ready for that. It might not be as violent as this but…”
“She might need some encouragement.” Verona winked. Her normal playful expression vanished. “Ugh. I don’t feel playful at all. Can we just get something to eat and go to bed?”
No one offered any objection as the guards began to remove the dead Seocurian soldiers. They whispered softly about the state of their wounds but Anton said nothing. There was little they could do for the Seocurian soldiers without jeopardising everything they were striving for. One day they would not need to resort to such brutal measures, but today was not that day.