Chapter 38: Interrogation

As Tom dragged Dashu down the corridor, people rushing past him back and forth, he got some curious looks but no one interfered luckily. They had their own problems to deal with. He made it to the smithy where he placed Dashu on a chair so he could face him, tying him to it and closing the door behind him.

“I didn’t let them in, okay. Why would I do that?”

“I would like to know,” Tom just answered coldly. He was certain this was his guy and he just needed to scare the shit out of him and he was fairly sure he had a cure for that.

“But I didn’t”

“Darkling slit a knife into a child without blinking, without trying to defend itself, and yet it didn't harm you. I don’t believe you”

“but I…”

“Someone open door. Did you open door?”

“No, I would never”

“I said truth”

“You don’t know the truth. So let me go, I didn't do anything wrong!”

“You tell the truth, you might live?”

“I didn’t do it. You know I wouldn’t do that. They tried to kill me too, remember?”

“I know nothing yet” Tom collected the things he needed to start making life very uncomfortable for the dragonette. He had witnessed first hand how they reacted to water so he deemed that was a good place to start.

“Time to learn” Tom went kicking the dragonette in the chest knocking him onto his back. He sat on Dashu's chest making sure he sat nice and heavy with his feet next to Dashu's head. He placed the cloth over Dashu's face, pinning it in place with his feet, and began pouring the water from the bucket.

Dashu gurgled and spluttered, perhaps trying to scream, Tom wasn’t sure. He knew it took a while before they started having problems when it came to drowning. So he just kept going until the bucket was empty. He could feel Dashu struggling for breath, trying to clear his lungs with 80 kilos plus armor on his chest.

“Ready to talk” There was quite a bit of coughing as Dashu tried to regain his breath. Tom waited for the dragonette to clear his throat.

“Can’t breath” The Dragonette finally wheezed out

Tom lifted slightly letting the dragonette get enough breath to speak.

“What is this?” he finally managed to cough out.

“Water,” Tom answered truthfully, “I have a lot so I keep going now” Tom got up to go over and refill his bucket from the quenching basin.

“Wait no, you can't’”

“Yes, I can” Tom refilled the bucket and carried on during the next pour. Dashu struggled just as much as the first time, writhing like a snake under Tom, they really were flexible. He made sure to check the bindings once he got up again to get the next bucket full.

“You can’t keep doing that” Dashu tried in vain.

“Can and will” Tom answered “Can do it for hours, every day for a long time. So, shall I continue or get more creative?”

“NO! no don’t” Dashu pleaded. "I don’t wanna die”

“You won't, that is best part” Tom clarified. He knew he was being nasty, even for what the guy had done. This was harsh treatment, but this was a traitor who had caused the death of a child, he would die for that. First Tom needed answers and looking down his clothes he needed them quick before he needed to go to the infirmary himself.

As Tom set about the third bucket he wondered how old Dashu was? He seemed younger than Sapphire or Jackalope that was for sure. Maybe mid to late twenties? Whatever that made him in human years, Tom still didn’t have a clue.

“But they will kill me for this. Please I beg you”

“Maybe? Maybe not” Tom had to give the guy a lifeline to snatch, even if it wasn’t real.

“Yes they will”

“Not if I tell them not to” Come on now just spill the beans, Tom thought to himself. It wasn’t like he was enjoying this. Even if it was a little cathartic.

There was silence for a while. Tom sighed and picked up the bucket again. His head was starting to hurt a lot and he was getting a little woozy, perhaps he had lost more blood than the thought. There was work to be done though.

“No! No plea” Tom only used half the bucket this time it was clear his victim was thinking things over he just needed a nudge. The dragonette thrashed around trying to get free of his restraints.

“Changed your mind?” Tom asked as Dashu coughed trying to breathe writhing like a snake. As he got his breath back slowly, he stared at Tom, his eyes wide with fear. Tom just tilted his head mimicking their gesture for confusion.

“They will kill me!” Dashu desperately stated

“You think I’m better?” Tom asked, trying to sound insulted. There was more silence as Tom raised the bucket again.

After that bucket, Tom elected perhaps there was a call for a change of tactics. Getting up he grabbed some leather strips “This will do” Tom turned back to the dragonette. and went about applying the blindfold “can’t have you see where coming from.” Then Tom gagged him with the wet cloth and got some rope around Dashu's legs, hoisting him up into the rafters took some effort but not too bad. He then got out a broken rake from the backroom and went to work.

Tom made sure to distribute the beating, much like it seemed they had done to Kokashi, so it was only fair after all. Dashu tried to scream but the noise was nicely muffled. The whack to the crotch did little tough to Tom’s surprise.

His curiosity got the better of him and Toma had a peek. “Barea as a fucking Kenndoll?!” This seemed to greatly confuse Dashu who was without a doubt wondering what horrible thing came next. Not that the gag let him voice his concerns.

Tom just went back to work getting out a hammer for some more tenderizing. He did get a few good whacks in on Dashu’s wings with bone-crunching results. After a while, Tom elected his victim's body was now sufficiently sore to continue.

“So now you nice and tender let’s start pulling, or you have something to say?”

Dashu writhed around making noises so Tom elected to take the gag out to hear what he had to say.

“Why won’t you believe me?” Dashu hulked, sounding somewhere between desperate and defeated to Tom’s ears.

“Because I know it was you. Now where I from death penalty not allowed. Tell me truth and only truth! You may survive this”

“You don’t kill but you do this?! What the fuck are you!?”

“It is alternative” Tom lied, telling a guy he was going to die isn’t that persuasive after all.

“Now I think we need bucket again. Then is teeth removal, proper drowning, burning steel, claws for trophies maybe even scales. I finish you off with skinning alive, how that sound?”

Dashu just went quiet, sobbing a bit staring around the room as he spun around.

“Or you tell me truth and you live” Tom could tell the dragonette was thinking so he gave him a moment. The silence was almost disappointing as Tom moved to get him down again, letting him fall to the floor.

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“Bucket it is then” Tom filled the bucket, got out some tongs, and sat back down hard onto the dragonette's now very sore chest, getting a curious sound in response. Dashu’s mouth was hanging open as the dragonette tried not to move blindfold still in place. Tom took the tongs and grabbed a canine. Dashu seems to understand what was about to happen as he went perfectly still. Tom removed the blindfold, so he could see the fear in his eyes. Then he yanked.

There was a pop sound followed by as much of a scream as the dragonette was capable of. Inspecting the tooth it was rather sizable, about the length of Toms index finger. A good keepsake Tom concluded, he went in for the other canine with Dashue wriggling his head as much as possible to try and avoid the tongs. Eventually, Tom won, following a few swipes to the face with the heavy tongs and by locking Dashush head in place with his legs.

The second tooth didn’t come out cleanly though, instead breaking in half. Maybe he had clamped it too tightly.

“Oh well, time for some dental work.”

“What the fuck is wrong with you.” Dashu cried in response. Tom just let out a chuckle, he hoped it would help unnerve his target if he played a little more unhinged than was true.

Dashu apparently didn’t like having exposed tooth nerves played with. Writhing on the ground like a fairground ride. Tom singing a jaunty tune probably didn’t help the dragonettes outlook on the situation. As he broke down sobbing and pleading.

“I just took the money okay! Please don’t. don’t do it again.” He gasped out, clearly struggling with every breath.

“You got my attention” Tom remained seated but let Dashu's head go for the moment.

“All they wanted was for me to tell them where we were going with the little earring he gave me.”

“Keep going” Okay then, a hired informant.

“I told them our course and position every now and again. I thought they would just try and steal it at some point. Not start killing everyone.”

“You even dumber than me then. Keep going”

“After the battle, he told me he was here himself now, that he was sorry for the earlier misunderstanding and that I should open the door for him. I told him I wouldn't, not if more people died. He would only take prisoners and get the artifact no further bloodshed.”

“And you believed him” Tom was pretty sure the guy was sugar-coating enough to restart the economy around here. Surely he couldn’t be this stupid. Perhaps it was all bullshit, but it was a confession. Tom was most definitely gonna make him pay for this. He had betrayed those who trusted him and caused the death of a child all for a bit of cash. That was even worse than just being a traitor Tom thought, He had literally sold the lives of the people around him.

“He just wanted the damn knife. Why would he start killing?” It was clear Dashu was trying to reason now, that insidious little worm. He knew damn well who he had been dealing with. if not at first then definitely after the first battle.

“Because he is arsehole, you fucking moron!” Tom just went incredulous at the stupidity or selfishness being displayed here. “You are dumbest dragonette I ever met. And I care for children!” Tom shouted with spite in his voice.

Then Esmeralda had entered in a hurry.

“Tom we need help with Nunuk '' She looked stunned for a second coming to grips with the scene in front of her. Tom admitted it didn’t look brilliant with him sitting on a tied up dragonet with water everywhere.

“Help me please” Oh you poor bastard, Tom thought.

“Oh my god, what has he been doing to you? are you missing teeth?” Esmeralda went, complete with over the top hand gestures.

“Please he’s killing me. I can't breathe. I can't take this anymore. I didn't do anything” The dragonette began crying and sobbing, adding in some coughing Tom was fairly certain wasn’t real.

Esmeralda came over to stand beside them “Oh you poor thing, have you ever been so scared before?”

“Noo. He is going to kill me, please” Dashu continued, bawling like a kid.

“Excellent work Tom, I owe you one.” Esmeralda’s tone went ice-cold as she picked up the bucket. “Like this?” She questioned, looking at Tom.

“No please No more!”

Tom just put the cloth back in place nodding for her to continue. “Carry on”

“You killed my child, filth. You'll find no pity here"

She was a bit quick with the water but it worked well enough. Following the therapeutic procedure, they had checked Dashu’s restraints again before going to help see to Nunuk’s wounds. There were some coughing sounds as they left, but Tom was confident he would be fine. There would be time for him later.

__________________________________________________________________________________

Sapphire had made it to the infirmary to try and help clean wounds, they only had six beds the rest of the wounded had been moved to the grand hall's tables. Shiva had lost a wing claw and two fingers, and added another facial scar, she would live though. Dakota was beaten up and had lost some blood but all in all, she wasn’t in too bad shape. Sapphire put that down to Nunuk’s efforts.

The old lady had multiple cuts, some very deep. And they were difficult to close up. Whatever that sword had done to her, it wasn’t good. They had to resort to bandages and applying pressure to slow the bleeding instead of closing them with magic. after repeated failed attempts. Esmeralda had gone to get Tom. Maybe he had something that could help in his weird red cross bag.

Kokashi had mostly been battered and bruised, he had broken an arm but he would make it just fine. Sapphire had seen Anastasi be taken away. They would burn the little one later, Kokashi still needed to say goodbye.

Esmeralda had returned with Tom and his bag having explained what was wrong on route. Tom got out a small thing and unscrewed a lid of sorts. He then told them to remove a bandage to try if this worked. He pressed the little container and a clear liquid came out, he lined the wound with it and pinched it closed. When he let go it stuck.

“Super glue” He called it, seemingly pleased it had worked. They set to work closing all of Nunuks wounds one by one, there were a lot. Sapphire couldn’t help but notice that as they worked more and more red was getting mixed in with the blue. Stepping back to inspect Tom she could see his sleeves were soaked, his arms and neck having taken a hammering. He was bleeding from under the helmet too. Only now did she notice the teeth marks in it.

“Essy we need to get him looked at too”

Captain Tyborg was gotten onto his feet being the one in the least need of treatment as Tom was laid down with some protest from the guy. The blood loss was starting to do its thing though and they quickly got him onto the bed, starting to remove his armor. His helmet was stuck on and they needed three people to get it off. Sapphire couldn’t believe he hadn’t even tried to take it off himself, surely it had to hurt a lot.

As they removed his shirt they got their answer. He was bruised and bloodied all over. It was strange to see this many different colors. Normally they would just get dark spots if they hurt themselves. But he was yellow, purple, red, and even black in some places. No wonder he couldn’t feel the helmet, she thought to herself.

“Want pain killer things?” She asked him. He nodded and held up two fingers

Well, it was his stuff so who was she to argue. She found the bottle and got out two of the pills, handing them to him before fetching him some water to help swallow the pills. “Any other dead?” Tom had asked. Thinking back it was rather miraculous they hadn’t lost anyone, but with Nunuk and Tom spearheading the attack there had only really been clean up to do for the rest of them. Lucky for them that darklings were so damn dumb, they would do as they were told but that’s it. If that meant waiting in a room till someone came in they would. meaning they could take the rooms one by one together.

“No, only injured” She replied. This seemed to ease him up a great deal as she worked on cleaning his wounds.

“I must say, Tom, it hurt like hell but I’m glad you took those bastards out” Anchor added from his bed.

“Yeah, sorry loud inside” Tom answered.

“But damn did it work though, you cut through them like wheat, I never have seen anything like it. How many do you think you got?

“Don’t know, ten maybe?”

“You killed ten of them!” Jackalope burst out from her post tending Anchor.

“Eleven if you count chief arsehole, technically Esmeralda’s though”

“You just let me finish him off, you killed him. Thanks for that though” Sapphire thought Nunuk had killed the leader and ten all on his own that was crazy? He had apparently just run off before anyone got the chance to stop him, based on what Jackalope had said.

Now Sapphire was wondering what the corridors below looked like down there. She couldn’t help but notice there were a lot of empty spaces on the leather belts Tom was carrying with the things for his weapons.

Vulzan had entered the room looking around for a bit.

“Uhm so Tom, did our friend say anything yet?” The trader sounded extremely cautious.

“Oh yes he shit himself” Tom let out laughing a bit, Sapphire really hoped it was the same laugh as when he had gotten Dakota ashore. For this wasn’t funny.

“He took money to tell bad dude where you were and were going. He opened door for them on promise they no kill anyone. He fucking idiot” Tom shook his head, Sapphire had to agree with him on that one. How could anyone be that stupid?

“How did he do that, he couldn't just sneak off to tell them all the time?”

“Magic earing” Tom answered. “like radio”

“What's a radio?” Vulzan questioned. Tom seemed to realize his mistake trying to brush it off

“Talky thing no important. He had earing talk to bad guy. I guess guy dead in basement”

“Let’s hope. Uhm may I ask how you got him to talk that quickly, he knows he will die for this right?”

“I drown him for a bit not pleasant and beat the shit out of him.”

“You did what?!” Vulzan replied.

“I’m keeping his tooth as well”

Vulzan just stood there staring for a bit before swallowing.

“Left him in smithy you can go talk to him if he stopped crying”

“Yes I would like to hear what he has to say, I’ll be back shortly” As the trader left Sapphire pondered what Tom had said. She quivered at the thought of whatever this water torture was and could see Dakota looking at her with wide eyes, clearly remembering some unpleasant recent experiences.

After a bit, Tom spoke up again “We know how they got here?”

“We went around the outside to cut them off. There was nothing out there except a rear guard. So I'm guessing on their own wings.” Dakota replied

“Good, don't need big things right now” Sapphire could agree with him on that one. They did still have Archeon if it came to it. The dragon hadn’t really been involved much in the battle apart from saving the ones on kitchen duty.

No disaster came though, it got very late before they finished up tending to the wounded. Anchor brought a screaming Kiran in to see Dakota and Tom. The little guy was out of his mind having watched the whole thing. He had just been playing with Anastasi when they came. He just couldn’t comprehend Anastasi wasn’t here anymore and kept going on about where she was. Eventually, Esmeralda had to leave the room with tears in her eyes. It took a long time and quite a few stories but they managed to calm him down eventually falling asleep in his mother's arms, though more out of exhaustion than anything else, Sapphire thought.