They stare at me intently, watching every action and minute movement I make like birds of prey. I raise Savra and look over her. This is a professional and careful shine. The blade cannot be dulled or sharpened, but the monster’s blood from before has been wiped clean and oil has been rubbed along her sides. This… is quite wonderful handiwork.

“I am impressed with your work on Savra, she is glistening beautifully.” I try my best to sound cheerful as a pit forms in my stomach.

The man almost faints with a large smile. He catches himself, “Oh thank you, thank you so much! I only learned from the best and that is what you really are: the best. I cannot believe you are here and in person! I am so sorry about that, I thought that was the best way of getting you here without too many questions.” He is giddy, fidgeting, and hopping from side to side. They are… truly excited for me to do something unspeakable evil to whoever is in that box.

“Before I do any of this, may I ask what your names are? I think there has been enough deception and really, was that all necessary?” I sigh dramatically and jiggle my collar up and down, “It is not like we can get this removed all that easily even if I have escaped.”

The woman jumps up and down with sheer excitement, “Oh! Oh! Yes! Firstly, my name is Fealrun, and this…” she motions to the man “…is Tret, my partner – and yes! We have planned for this day ever since you were imprisoned! I am more than happy to walk you through my work, I am sure you can already see through all my plans.” She walks over to the crate with a hop in her step. She takes a key out and unlocks it. A disheveled man without fingernails or ears, a blindfold wrapped over his eyes, hair torn off his scalp, burn marks over deep cuts that cover his body, and a hook through his Achilles tendon hobbles to his feet. Faelrun grabs a handle on the hook and drags him to a chair. He screams in pain with a look of sheer dread. Faelrun kicks the hook and with a howl, he collapses into the chair made of skinned humans and pieces of bone. Tret hands me a mask made from the flayed skin of faces dipped in white paint. Faelrun and Tret each put a mask on. I can do nothing but follow their lead. By Fael the screams make me want to flinch but I must keep a façade up. This man will be dead if I don’t think of a way to set him free. It is not like his body would be found – he’d become just another piece of furniture, never found unless by sheer chance. Wait… there is a potential this place is found out. Yes, I can work with that hope.

“We have been torturing this one for the past two weeks or so! He has the ability to melt Dreg. He cannot turn it into a shape, but that does not matter! We have tested it and that is what the hook is made from. A crude job, I know but my god it is wonderful. A perfect leash for our prized golden goose.” Faelrun ties the man’s arms and legs down to the chair, and then removes his blindfold – also made with human skin now that I look at it. I suppose killers are nothing but consistent in the worst ways possible. “So, shall we remove that collar from you?”

Huh… that is an option, isn’t it. What happens afterwards? I can leave this place and start doing good in the world without a collar. I can kill this man to end his suffering and to stop them from getting proper Dreg weapons. Each action is a gamble here, so I have no idea if my collar will actually melt or if something else happens. I… I need to kill him regardless. He will never escape this place and life will just be torture. This is me saving him! Like I… like I tried to save Mosline… I – did I save her? Was she truly going to die or could I have taken her through that cursed place? What if I made a mistake? What if this is a mistake? I can’t… I can’t kill someone again – that pit in my stomach is becoming an angry bottomless void of despair. A hand pats my shoulder. I gasp for a half second.

“Are you okay, Fa?” Tret’s eyes stare deep into my soul as he squeezes my shoulder for a moment. Hard. He lets go.

“I am fine, just thinking about all the wonderful plans ahead of me once this damned collar is off. Now, how do I know there won’t be some strange side effect?”

“You won’t – isn’t that exciting?! Isn’t that just the greatest wonder? You might get permanently disfigured or you might get it removed! Oh, there are an endless amount of potential for excitement here for you to dive into and I am excited for each and everyone.” Faelrun grabs my hand and walks me to the man who can do nothing but a whimper. He opens his mouth to say something but… he has no tongue. This poor, poor man. I… oh no. I cannot cry right now. No, no, no. Fuck I can’t stop it. Just play along, they won’t notice.

Faelrun unlocks one of the man's arms and forcefully janks it up. I lean down and she wraps the man's hand around the collar. Nothing happens. Tret grabs something metallic. Nothing happens. Faelrun stares at the man who is staring at me. My eyes lock with his. He stares… and smiles? Tret runs a sharp knife down the man's inner thigh – the man screams in agony.

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“Do. It. Now.” Faelrun’s voice is shaking with fury.

The man just shakes his head.

Faelrun looks at Tret with murderous intent and nods. He walks to the side and returns with pliers.

“We will crush a tooth for each time you shake your head. Are we understood? Once you are out of teeth, we will start crushing each and every bone you have. Now do it.”

The man shakes his head again.

The plier is forced into the man’s mouth and with a loud snap, Tret completely shatters a tooth. Blood sprays everywhere. I am uncontrollably hyperventilating now – fuck fuck fuck they cannot notice, please! I… fuck what am I doing here? I need to run now! I jump back – shit I couldn’t stop myself.

My neck feels warm.

I hear a clatter and instinctively look down at the source – the collar. It’s on the ground. Broken. I get on a knee and reach to it – dreg spikes shoot into the center of the collar. If I hadn’t jumped back, I would have had a dozen dreg spikes putting a painful end to my plans.

I look at the man in shock. Tret and Faelrun stare at the collar, then back to the man.

“You could have done that and didn’t? You made us crudely make hooks from money when that was an option?! You dare hide such things from us?! You bastard, I will feed you your own flesh again tonight as punishment. Tomorrow, I do hope you will be a little bit more obedient.”

I take a few, deep breaths and walk toward the man. I stand over him. Please body, give me 5 minutes of control before I have a full breakdown. I am grateful for this terrible mask because without it my tears would be impossible to hide. Faelrun and Tret stare at me and suddenly let out a loud cheer.

“We did it! We got rid of that damn collar! Yes yes yes!!!” They leap and pull me into a tight hug. A hug of three people covered in blood over a panting, tortured man who has experienced an endless run of horrors for the past weeks. No, I must put a stop to this. Why did the man smile at me? Did he know something I do not? Fuck, if only he had a tongue. Why did he try to kill me? Fuck it, I might have tortured him before but now mercifully and painlessly ending his life is the best option. Faelrun and Tret let go of me, both taking a half step back as I turn to the man.

“Now what horrors are you about to unleash on this poor man?”

“Will you suffocate him with his own shit?”

“Make him swallow a ball of burning spike-covered ball of iron?”

“Slowly chop different pieces off him until he bleeds out?”

“Skin him alive?”

“Or maybe just torture him and then leave so we can keep playing with this doll?”

I run a finger along Savra. I do not speak or breathe, for if I did, they’d definitely notice me weeping. They keep going through their endless list of different tortures I could and have done before. Different methods of killing. Different ways to prolong the man’s life for the sport of misery. No, I cannot allow that to happen. I raise Savra. Please Fa, just do this in one, clean stroke. I tense my muscles and swing.

I stop.

I can’t do it.

Fuck.

I open my eyes, Savra has stopped a mere paper width away from the man's neck. His face is pale and his eyes are wide. I look at him and he… nods.

“Oh! Striking fear into his heart – threatening to end him in one swift stroke – pretending that you are going to take him from this misery? You are a truly cruel man, Fa. I love it. I love you.” Faelrun sounds like she is drooling under that mask. Tret, on the other hand, just stares at me. Unimpressed. He takes a step back. There is a table a few paces back covered head to toe in knives, thongs, hooks, and other tools and weapons used for torture.

“Backing away, are we Tret? Afraid to see what I am about to do over there?” I need to get him closer. I think… I think I know what must be done. I cannot kill an innocent person, but perhaps I can kill monsters still. That was going to be my final punishment after all. Why not get a head start on it? I might be irredeemable. I might be a source of pain, suffering, and misery for thousands of people but now I have the chance to use those skills and make a difference. Stop the suffering. Tret tilts his head and walks back. Good.

“Now watch closely. It has just been a long while since I had cut someone last, just needed a practice swing to make sure my cut is still going to be perfect and true. This is a special skill of mine that no one has seen before.” Tret is completely enthralled by my every word. Faelrun moves even closer to me, running a hand down her arm. Perfect. I lift Savra above my head once again. I tilt the blade a few degrees to the side and in a blur of motion and colour, I spin. Savra glides through flesh and bone like a hot knife through butter. I can’t help but smile. I stand up and take my mask off. Faelrun and Tret are frozen, watching me with every bit of focus they can muster. The man stares at me as well with confusion in his eyes. I sob loudly. Confusion fills Faelrun and Tret's faces. I kneel down and begin undoing the man's bindings. Tret leaps back to try and reach the torture table. His body flies back and slams against the table which is followed by the thud of his head hitting the ground. It is too late for him.

“You… you cut Tret? Tret?! You killed Tret after all we did for you?! I'LL KILL YOU!” She dives at me. Her nails glint in the faint light – they are daggers dripping with a faint liquid. I dive into the man, sending both of us flying back and slamming against the ground. The loud thud of Fael’s body hitting the ground is quickly followed by a squelch as her head slides off the neck.

I get up and the man is still awake. Bruised and hurt but awake. I lift the chair up and finish removing the bindings. The hook in his leg melts and falls to the ground. He scoops some of it up and… puts it in his mouth?

“Are… you… okay?” is all I managed between sobs. Fucking sobs just aren’t stopping. I throw up. I struggle to breathe. They are monsters, just like I am, so why am I so... sad?

A weak hand pats my back.

“I am okay now. Thank you, Fa Fumerunner.”