‘How long has it been now… A weak… A month, maybe two? Maybe I’m just exaggerating my pain and it’s only been a few days… I looked over at the wall, counting the tallies I had marked down before I was chained up. ‘34 tallies… So if they brought me food once a day then a month, if it was twice a day then two weeks, and if was three times a day then… How many days is that? Forget it… It doesn’t matter…’
After those 34 talies I was drugged again and knocked unconscious, so there was no way to get a proper estimate. By the time I woke up, I was chained up in an x position, with each limb chained to a different corner of the cell's back wall.
Needless to say, I didn’t really have weapons or tools. Furthermore, the shackles were enchanted with mana restriction… So manipulating them wasn’t an option. Although, they did at least have the decency to leave me my shirt and underwear.
‘My head’s pounding…’ My shoulders already ached from supporting my weight, but it was impossible to say how long I had been chained up. My hair hung past my face, and I could feel swelling from the beating I took. ‘That’s right… I lost it and tried to break out when she came in to feed me… No… There’s more to it than that right?’
As I moved my body ached so much from being stretched out that I almost started to cry, but the rush of blood to my head helped my brain to finally clear. ‘That’s right. I’ve been slowly building up an immunity to the drug that blocks mana regeneration. Then I skipped a few meals and now I have a decent supply all things considered… I’m in these cuffs now though…
Slowly lifting my head, I tried to examine my situation. ‘There aren’t guards stationed outside anymore? I guess they decided I wasn’t in any condition to leave after botching that last attempt on purpose… I still can’t use magic… Can’t move much either, the chains have no slack. If I start breaking out too early and someone shows up I’ll be screwed.’
I was too nervous to start randomly, so instead I bided my time and waited for someone to come to the cell.
Finally, the woman in black showed up, wearing full skin skin-tight leather, and a helmet that covered her face. She strutted into the room like a model and placed a hand on her hip as she shifted her weight to one leg. “I figured you’d be awake by now. So, how about you tell us where all the money is?”
I watched on in silence, slowly putting together the pieces she was giving me through my headache and remembering why I was there in the first place.
“If not, I can always do things the hard way.” She stepped closer, running her fingers from my wrist all the way down my side and around to my stomach, resting the tips of one of her nails inside my navel and giving me chills.
“By money. I assume you mean my money?” I groaned.
She reached up, bunching up my shirt from hem to collar within her fist before yanking me forward, straining all of my joints against the shackles. “Unless there is more money you are somehow aware of. I would be interested in that too of course.” Despite her violent action nearly tearing me in four, her words were calm, as if she almost didn’t even care if I told her or not.
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‘I need to think of a way to get her to leave…’ I did my best and forced a smile. “Of course… Unfortunately, I only know where my money is. And sure, I guess I could tell you, but you’ll have to answer my questions too.”
She took her hand back and gracefully lifted it to her face, resting her fingers against her helmet. “Sure, ask away, oh but if I don’t like the question, I’ll have to torture you for awhile and just make you talk.”
I let out a soft nervous laugh. “Ok, but can you warn me first? I know I look pretty beat up, but I don’t actually like pain, promise.”
She let out a chuckle of her own. “Sure. I must say it’s fun getting information out of people like you. You’re not afraid at all are you?”
“Well, you took away my boots… So it’s not like I have anything to shake in anymore…”
She laughed again. “Ok little girl, what do you want to know? Also, are you looking for a job? I don’t mean with the petty thieves, I mean with an assassin's guild.”
My lips were dry and cracked, so I licked them, trying to swallow to ease my throat. “No thanks, but as for my questions. I wouldn’t mind if you told me where exactly I was. Oh, and I’m quite curious as to just how far this little group went to try and jack up the price of antidotes in the great forest… You wouldn’t go through all this trouble if I made you miss out on an opportunity, it feels more personal than that.”
“Hm… I suppose I don’t really care about these petty thieves anyway. I’ll tell you what. I’ll answer all these questions, and even let you go if you come to join my guild. I’ll even teach you to shadow magic.”
I paused for a moment. ‘That explains how she moved like that…’ “You honestly have no idea just how tempting that sounds… What if I don’t?” ‘the only magic I don’t know…’
She rested her arms on my shoulders, leaning forward and folding her hands behind my head making my eyes finally start to water from the pain as my shoulders nearly both tore off. “I can always torture you. Girls are so much more fun to play with, they stay conscious longer.”
‘I can’t tell if I’m making her angry or excited…’ “How about I just tell you where the money is and we go back to the first agreement?”
“Awe, but what's the fun in that? I have so many techniques I have yet to try. I don’t get to get out very often you know… And it’s sloppy to waste time having fun when you’re working.”
‘This girl…’ I sighed. “Ok, how about we play a game?”
She tilted her head. “I’m listening.”
“How about this, I’ll tell you where the money is, and if you think I’m lying you get to use one of your techniques… If you think it’s the truth then you have to go check to confirm and you can’t torture me for that round. If I tell the truth and you think it’s a lie, I win. If I win you don’t try to stop me when I break out, and if you win I join your guild and learn shadow magic. Sound good?”
She picked up her hands, finally giving my poor shoulders a bit of relief, and started clapping. “Oh, I do like this game, but Can’t I just always assume that you are telling the truth?”
“Of course, the only way I can win is if you say I’m not when I actually am. But, if you never say that I’m lying, then you never get to lay a finger on me, thems be the rules.”
Even through her visor, I could see her eyes narrow. “I see…”
“To make sure the game doesn’t go on forever, I’ll make another rule, that there will be a maximum of 10 rounds. I have to tell the truth at least once in those 10 rounds.”
She slowly folded her hands, dropping them to her waist. “Brilliant, what a wonderful idea. Oh, I do hope that I win.”
‘Normally, this would be a game of luck, but I have a wild card up my sleeve.’
“Ok, first round, are you ready miss?”
“Call me Oceanie”
‘Did she really just tell me her name?’ “Uh… Right… You ready Oceanie.”
She nodded.
‘Here goes everything…’