Chapter Twenty-Two: Intermission

*Warning-Intense violence described in the chapter below*

Eric Delrosa was in his basement, filling a bucket of water with a nearby sink. He placed it on a wooden table next to a metal chair. The chair had been bolted to the ground below and had large metal latches. There was no sugarcoating it; it was a torture chair. Eric didn’t need it. He could just use his [Suggestion] skill, and the chair’s occupant would not have been able to move no matter how much she may have wanted to.

But Eric Delrosa had not built his empire of sin by taking unnecessary risks. Eric didn’t know if there was something the large, light-green-skinned female orc could do to resist his skill, but he wasn’t about to give it any chance to work. Not until he had his fun, anyway. The female was just as large as male orcs; her hair was a little longer, and her neck slightly slenderer, but not by much. Eric didn’t care, it was just details that he filed away.

Everything looked like a broken machine to him when he killed them.

“Won’t speak, human. Won’t tell you what you want to know. Waste of time.”

Eric smiled, adjusting his glasses as he met the orc's warm brown eyes.

“My neighbor had this cat. I was never good with telling cats apart, but I think this one was a grey tabby. Anywhoo, this cat would not stop meowing. Meow, meow, meow went this cat, all day, every day. I wouldn’t have cared, except this neighbor insisted, absolutely insisted on keeping the cat outside. You would think that cats would want to be outside, right?”

Eric shook his head,

“Not this cat. Nope, it wanted in. Did my neighbor acquiesce to his pet's request? She did not. Kept that cat right outside, no matter how much he meowed.”

Eric turned his head a bit upward and tsked as he firmed his lips into a line.

“I have to admit, that annoyed me. Really ground my gears, you know? I tried the adult thing; I asked my neighbor, really nicely, I might add, to bring her cat inside. At least at night. We all need to sleep, right? She told me to get used to it. You should know this about me, I absolutely cannot abide rudeness. You can’t be someone who gets steamrolled and sets a bad precedent.”

Eric set out a large white cloth, smoothing out the corners. He nodded at his work before speaking again,

“I decided to bring the cat into my home. Maybe it would stop? I didn’t mind having a furry roommate. Cat didn’t want anything to do with me. Growled and hissed like a demon from the pit of hell. What to do? I thought to myself. I had an idea and went and bought some tuna. The super fancy expensive stuff. This was the crem de le crem of tuna, right? I put it out on the steps near me. Cat came right on over and ate it.”

Eric held up a finger at the orc, who was looking at him in confusion.

“You might think I tried to pick up the cat right then. I did not. When it was done, I went back to yowling to try and get its owner's attention. I threw away the trash and went inside. Then I went inside and did the same thing the next day. Want to know how long I did this?”

The orc pulled at its bonds, muscles straining,

“I don’t care about your stupid human-animal story! Let me go!”

Eric rubbed his hands, smiling warmly at the orc.

“Silence. Please and thank you. I asked a question; it wasn’t an invitation to be rude. Anyway, I did it for a week, once every day. The cat eventually began to trust me. It's funny how that works: feed a living thing, give it enough time, and eventually, the trust will bloom. I finally picked it up without turning feral and took it inside.”

Eric leaned forward as if getting ready to tell a secret,

“Where I promptly decapitated it with a cleaver and threw its limp body in the trash. Blissful silence from then on! I wonder if you see the point of the story. No matter, let’s begin, shall we? Don’t remove the cloth.”

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Eric hummed as he threw the cloth over the orc's face and promptly began pouring water from the bucket in a slow trickle over her face. The orc thrashed and sputtered, her whole body quivering as her chest pumped in and out like a bellows. Eric removed the cloth as the orc heaved in breaths, coughing up a water spray.

Eric nodded, his face showing sadness while a little zing coursed through him. It feels so good. He thought, almost rolling his eyes in pleasure at the orc’s pain.

“You might be wondering why I don’t just use my skill to get you to tell me what I want to know. I could do that, you know. The reason I don’t? I’m sure you can figure that out. Why don’t you tell me about your leader, hmm?”

She shook her head, voice strained,

“Nothing. Will tell you nothing.”

Eric took his glasses off and cleaned the lenses with his shirt. He put them back on and blinked.

“Glasses always need cleaning. Do you have glasses where you’re from? No?”

Eric threw the cloth back on the orc's face and poured more water, feeling that same little zing of pleasure as the orc thrashed. Eric wriggled his body as he removed the cloth moments later.

“That hits the spot. How about now, changed your mind?”

“Narg take your teeth, human! Won’t tell you anything!”

Eric grinned,

“Very defiant. Nice.”

Eric had to fill the bucket three more times before the orc broke. He knew she would. They all did in the end. He could see it in her eyes: the fire that had once blazed within them dwindled and then was extinguished. Her body began to shake again, but not from pain, from heavy, wracking sobs that shook through her. The metal rattled as great big teardrops fell from her eyes.

“Please. Stop. I’ll tell you. Anything. Just stop. No more water. Please.”

Eric allowed her to beg. He even moved with the cloth as if to put it over her face again, and her sobbing grew even louder as she begged and begged him not to do it again. Eric nearly moaned with pleasure at the sight. Outwardly, he said,

“Shh. I’m not going to hurt you anymore. There, there. All I want to know is who your leader is.”

The orc sobbed out her answers,

“His name is Azarin Giant-Tusk. He’s a proud warrior in the D-Grade. He wants to conquer the planet for himself and bring our people glory.”

Eric leaned back, rubbing his hands.

“I see. Where is he located?”

She sobbed harder,

“Up in the mountains to the north. Our people like cold. He builds a giant fortress. It is near the incursion portal.”

Eric nodded,

“Good, that’s very good. You did such a good job. What kind of defenses does he have?”

“At least a thousand orcs. Maybe more. Structures made of hardwood.”

Eric rubbed a hand on his pants,

“I see. I’m assuming most are in E-Grade?”

She nodded,

“Yes. Except for the four generals. They spread out with small companies. They’re in D-Grade.”

Eric grunted,

“Very good. You’re being accommodating. How does one upgrade to D-Grade?”

She sobbed harder,

“You must reach level seventy and squeeze your core until it pops.”

Eric arched an eyebrow.

“Your core?”

The orc sniffed at him,

“Inside you. Your core. Don’t know how else to explain it.”

Eric cocked his head,

“Try.”

She sniffled at him,

“You have to look inside. It’s there. Just have to look. With your mind.”

Eric filed the information away with a thought.

“Why do you have to do it that way?”

The orc shook her head, disgusting snot running down her face,

“Don’t know why. The System won’t advance you to a D-Grade without it. Something to do with the spirit. Not a scholar.”

Eric gave her a kind smile,

“You’ve been so helpful, I hope you know that.”

She heaved and tried to gulp in air.

“Are you going to let me go?” A note of hope in her voice.

Eric would relish breaking that note.

He shook his head,

“No. I’m sorry but take heart. Your death will fuel my advancement.”

Eric took a cleaver from the table and calmly and with practiced precision slit the orc's throat. Sanguine droplets spilled out from the wound in a steady stream. Eric watched, his body twitching with pleasure as life left her eyes.

In the end, it was nothing but a broken machine. When Eric went upstairs, he found Rudy at his door.

“Send out a scouting party. Find me another orc, a younger one this time. Oh, and check on the fortification progress. We are going to need it.”