CHAPTER 179
THE SHOW MUST GO ON (1)
“Is he always this late?” Hans asked his companion cum temporary guard, Dijkstra, prompting a nod in return. A they waited a bit more, Dijkstra with no strong suit of patience, added, “Yeah, there is no punctuality with that bastard—”
“Shut your trap, Dijkstra.” Xandor appeared from a portal of darkness, almost as if he was using a SpaceDoor, prompting Hans’s curiosity about this mode of travel. But he didn’t let his curiosity distract him this time. He glanced at the man, fainted and coiled beside Xandor. “You didn’t kill him, right?”
Xandor said nothing, but kicked the coiled man in the stomach, letting him groan in pain. The pitiful response was the proof that he was still breathing. However, Xandor was taking the risk of exposure so even if he was curious as to why his former colleague and the brat whom others called their prince wanted this high elf. He ignored the odd duo in front and flashed the second book, “I fulfilled the end of my deal, now it's your turn,” He said warning, “Don’t make this ugly, you’ll regret—”
“Wait a little, will ya!” Hans interrupted, “I need to settle something personal first.” Hans wasn’t even looking at Xandor, his whole focus from the beginning was on Kerym. He was drooling like a beast for his prey.
“Argh!” Xandor grumbled, but Hans wasn't requesting, he was telling him to wait. “Fine, do what you want but hurry, I'm a busy man,” Xandor responded, throwing Kerym at him like a rag doll. Now he couldn’t leave, his curiosity became dominant in his psyche and he waited patiently.
The impact might have finally given some sense back to Kerym, his consciousness came back but fear shackled him tight. He saw, Dijkstra, the sad death on one side and Xandor of Eclipse on another. But there was someone else, who was making his senses go haywire, the sheer amount of blood lust Hans was showing was nothing compared to the other two. Anxiously, he shouted at Hans, “Do you think, you can walk free from this?”
Hans crouched down, raising the squirming elf by his blond hair. Staring right at his eyes, he asked in a dreadful voice, “I’m Hans Parv. Now it's your turn; Name and affiliation?”
The name Kerym heard was enough to solve the mystery of why Xandor and Dijkstra were here, he knew he fucked up, but he opted to struggle, after all his life was on the line, “If something happens to me, Parv or not, even Concordia won’t be able to protect you.”
Hans tilted his head slightly, his hand coming to rest on Kerym's chest. He once again asked, all while channelling the raw, unfiltered mana into Kerym's unprotected body, “Name and affiliation?”
Kerym experienced excruciating pain, the likes of which he had never felt before. The mana heart was an intricate and delicate organ, functioning only when compatible mana flowed through it. However, Hans's forceful injection of incompatible mana caused indescribable agony. This method of torture was all too familiar to Xandor, but it usually required a mana stone. Every encounter with Hans seemed to bring new surprises, and this time was no exception.
Unable to withstand the torment, Kerym sang like a bird, revealing his identity. "I am Kerym Rotti, a sixth-circle mage from the Clandor Royal unit.”
Hans smirked and taunted him, "Was that so hard to answer?”
Gasping, and quickly channelling out the mixed mana, Kerym regained some composure, “Are you doing this because of Cemetery incidence,Vanessa—”
“Do you think, I’m that free?” Hans taunted, his hand commanding the raw mana again, circulating inside Kerym as the man of twenty-something cried like a newborn. His arrogance seemed to run from him as he clasped Hans’s feet, begging him to stop.
Hans on the other hand, turned to Dijkstra, asking, “So, commander Dijkstra, you have a fair share of interrogation, right?” Dijkstra nodded, unaware of what was on Hans’s mind. “Then,” Hans spoke further, “How can I inflict a lasting pain?”
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“There are many ways. Hmm..” Dijkstra acted like it was another Tuesday dinner for him. He thought a little and came up with an answer, “How about peeling his skin, every time the wind washes him, he will wail in agony.”
Listening to both of them talk, even Xandor felt bad for the elf but Kerym was on another level of distress. His eyes shivering, his palpitating heart almost ready to burst out.
“Your dagger, please,” Hans said and his words finally broke Kerym’s bladder, releasing everything that he was barely holding. But Hans didn’t mind, he was on the rising side. But the moment he got a dagger in his hand, he moved like an experienced torturer. His first target was the right hand and started shaving off his skin while Kerym cried his lungs out.
“Zwoom!” Xandor readily created a sound barrier to maintain some discretion but Hans was too busy to notice this small thing. The very reason he chose this place was because of its isolation. When he finished, almost scrapping his hand to the elbow joint, Dijkstra stopped him, saying, “You should give him a break, do it in intervals, so he doesn’t get used to it.” Dijkstra spoke those sickening words as words of wisdom and Hans took it as he intended.
When Kerym got his little composure back, Hans slapped him hard to jolt him out. He said, his voice still grim, “Now, tell me Kerym Rotti, a sixth circle mage from the Royal unit, Why am I doing this to you?”
“The fuck I know, you lunatic bastard. You’ll burn in hell for this—”
“There is no hell,” Hans interjected, “You can’t fall further below” His hand came to rest on Kerym’s chest and the sheer feeling of his hand gave Kerym chills of his lifetime. He started screaming even before Hans began.
“Shh..sh..” Hans gestured, whispering in his ears, “The more you cry, the more I enjoy and the more I enjoy, the more I will do.” The mana wave entered his body again but this time Kerym resisted, forcing himself to bear the excruciating pain.
“You don’t need much teaching in this department, little Sam,” Dijkstra commented, feeling proud of Hans’s every action But Hans didn’t have the time to listen to his words. His focus and mind were all consumed by the whimpering Kerym. He asked Kerym again, “Tell me Kerym Rotti, a sixth circle mage from the Royal unit, Why am I doing this to you?”
“Ha…ha…ha…” Keym gasped, trying to command his breath, a bit of sanity left in his eyes so before retorting he thought a little and responded, “Are you doing this because I took some money from Royals? Did they make a deal with you?”
“Do you think, I’ll work with your stupid Royals? Stab!” Hans dug the dagger deep into Kerym’s thigh and twisted it for further experience. Kerym gagged himself, putting a fist in his own mouth. He clearly understood, but Hans was not satisfied with the answer.
Hans twisted more, whirling as the blood gushed out from the wound. He stopped when Kerym started to speak again, “Is Alliance wants to get rid of me after using me to rob Clandor’s archives.” The sudden confession startled the three Parvians. And all thought the same thing, “This elf is a treasure trove for information.” Xandor who was just curious before, became interested, while Dijkstra eagerly awaited what next this elf would spill.
“That’s not what I want to hear, you stupid elf.” Hans shouted, putting more pressure on the dagger, demanding, “Give me my fucking answer.”All three eagerly waited, for something new to come through this elf’s mouth and it did come Surprising them further.
Kerym began his rant, scared by the gazes of the three, “Did the council find out that I poisoned one of their nobles? no that can't be, they would not send you to take care of me. It can't be that you are doing this because I sold humans and elves either.”
“You bastard even sold your own kind?” Hans asked, baffled but instead of Kerym, Xandor answered, his anger rising at Kerym’s confession, “To the high elves, the commoners of their own kind are just trash.” But that is not what Hans wanted to hear either,"He is around elven royals and was with the old Council leader. Spill something about Torceran you moron." He wanted to drag Xandor into this mess, freeing himself from the radar of investigation and to do this, Kerym has to say something that could shake up the entire system.
Pulling out the dagger, he said to Kerym as his blood gushed uncontrollably, “Do you remember, Jonik? He went missing all of a sudden.”
“Yes..yess.. I remember him.” Kerym answered fervently and misunderstanding Hans he stated, “But I didn’t do anything to him, I swear on my family’s name—”
“I don’t give two shits about your family name.” Hans declared, adding another name, “Torceran.”
Kerym who was singing like a harpy, suddenly became silent and after much deliberation and motivated through Hans’s sickening gaze, he said, “That psycho had done many things, please spare me. I’m beggin’ you.”
“Yeah, I just need you to say that 'MANY THINGS'.” Hans sneered, “This bastard thinks, he is gonna live after this.” He grabbed him by his hair and added, “Listen you pointy, the only thing hand you have in this game is; How painless you can make your death be. You are fucked.”