A small child runs through the thick forest as the sun slowly sets, the more he runs the less he can hear the sounds of destruction. The child ran long into the night until he couldn’t run anymore, he collapsed from exhaustion into a bush. There the boy lay hidden in the bush as the sound of footsteps and vehicle tracks passed by, along with the occasional gunfire. The boy on the ground waited quietly afraid as he had no idea what was happening or who was around him.
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A few days after the ambush in Throndale in a small stone room with a dim lamp hanging from the ceiling illuminating the area under the light, a chair. In that chair sat Mig tied, unconscious until a male Elf entered the room.
Ryn, a slim Dark Elf in Elf Militant uniform, his short silver hair shined within the dimness of the room. As he approaches Mig in the chair he takes a stun baton from his person and hits Mig across the face.
The hit is able to wake Mig up as he takes in the place he is in: “What the? Is this Hell?”
“No, you it is not, although if you do not comply it will be”
Ryn hits Mig with the stun baton again, causing Mig to bleed.
“I will say to you Humans every so often built quite the most fascinating devices. This stun baton of you Humans is quite good. I took it off some Humans Forces some time ago, I took a fancy to it and have been using it ever since. What do you have to say, Human”
“You’re using it wrong”
“You think I do not know how it works”, said Ryn as he angrily hit Mig with the stun baton, this time activating the weapon and hitting Mig with the electric current of the baton.
“Weak charge”, says Mig as he spits out blood from his mouth.
“You Humans”, Ryn repeatedly hits Mig with the stun baton, as Mig’s face becomes bruised and bloody.
Mig gasps for air as Ryn moves from enjoyment of torturing Mig to a more serious demeanor to question Mig.
“Now Human. I will ask you questions and you will answer them. Do you understand that Human”
Mig doesn’t react to Ryn’s statements.
“Now Human, what are the next movements of your Human Forces? More Crusader Battleships have shown up to take whatever was left of that Unclaimed Land. I am aware your task on that island was to assess it for Human claiming. Now what is the next movement”
Mig opens his mouth as he speaks: “Lieutenant Corporal Marvin Increrio Graves, Nickname Mig, Human Forces Service ID Number 124875”
“Humans are always so complicated, I will ask again. What is the next Human Forces movement”
Through heavy breathing, Mig spoke: “Lieutenant Corporal Marvin Increrio Graves, Nickname Mig, Human Forces Service ID Number 124875”
“It seems I was not clear enough. This time I will ask harder”
Ryn hits Mig with the stun baton as he forces the baton into Mig’s mouth, the electric current tases Mig. When Ryn takes the stun baton back Mig spits out blood and teeth.
“Lieutenant Corporal. Marvin Increrio Graves. Nickname Mig. Human Forces. Service ID. Number. 12. 48. 75”
“Now Human, I will not repeat a third time. Answer the question”
“Lieutenant…”, Mig is cut off as Ryn hits Mig’s face with the stun baton.
“You Humans. I do not know why the Commander insists on keeping you alive, for some small information. A useful Human is a dead one, although I do not have the liberty to partake in your death as the Commander ordered against it”
“Corporal Marvin Increrio…”
“You are still defiant, how is this to what I think about you”
Ryn jabs the stun baton into Mig’s stomach causing Mig to spit up in his mouth, stinging the bleeding open wounds in his mouth.
“I may not be able to kill you, although I can break you physically before we try again to get information, which may break you mentally”
“Graves. Nickname Mig…”
“You are just making this more enjoyable”
Ryn begins to beat Mig with the stun baton, Ryn hits Mig’s face as Ryn then slams the stun baton onto Mig’s hands.
After two long hours of beating Ryn steps back from Mig as he sits covered in his blood, bruises, and burns from the stun baton.
“Ready to talk?”
Mig breathed heavily as he spat to his left as he was about to answer with the same response he had been giving the last few hours Ryn received a call from his Elven Communicator.
The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
“Yes. Commander, what seems to be the issue? No ma’am. Commander give me more time. I can complete my tasks. Yes I understand, Commander”
Ryn puts his Elven Communicator away as he heads for the door, but before he leaves he turns back towards Mig.
“You got lucky, if you had answered me you would not have to face the Commander, and she is not as friendly as I have been”
Ryn steps out of the small stone room, leaving Mig in the lone light of the ceiling lamp. Mig slumps his head to get some rest after the hours-long torture session, but that rest is cut short as the door to the room is opened once more.
Commander Miriel enters. She approaches Mig, who is tied in the chair, her long blonde hair swaying with her movement. Miriel reaches Mig as she goes to backhand slaps him to wake up.
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The small boy hidden in the bush afraid of what might happen is found as the person approaches the bush they get down on their knees and open the bush to find the boy. The boy looks up as the person is a Human Forces soldier, they reach out their hand toward the boy, but before he takes it. Mig is thrust back and fully awake from Miriel’s backhand slap, Miriel talks to Mig.
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“Mr. Graves, a Lieutenant Corporal. Quite the high rank, although mayhaps you would like to be addressed less formally. What was it that your Squad Members were calling you? Mig right? You would not mind if I addressed you as such would you?”
In anger from hearing Miriel speak Mig uttered his first real sentence since awoken in this place.
“I won’t say a word. I would rather die than say a word to you or any one of you Elves. Not after your kind started this war”
“Now now you will test my patience if you do not comply…”
Miriel steps back in slight confusion and glances at Mig with some suspicion.
“Wait. What do you mean? Why do you think this war was started by us?”
Mig remains silent with a stern look on his face.
Miriel gets closer to Mig with a sincere look on her face: “Tell me, truthfully, why do you believe that?”
“I was there all those years ago. Elves from my town started disappearing, then one day your kind, Elf Militants, came marching through and opening fire. Many in the town fought back, but I and few others made it with our lives. Ever since then, I joined the fight to get revenge”
Miriel stares at Mig with a look of sorrow and intrigue.
“So you are from the Veradigris Vale. I am sorry that is not what happened. The war was not started by us, we were attacked first”
Miriel walks towards the door before sorrowfully turning back to Mig.
“I wish there was more you could have said than I might have said more, although know this. The war was not started by us”
Mig sits in silence as Commander Miriel exits the room. Outside the room, two Elf guards wait by the sides of the door.
“Commander”, said one of the Elf guards while raising his hand to salute Miriel.
“Do not enter this room. I will be back later for more talks with the prisoner”
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Commander Miriel walks off towards her quarters. Once inside she looks around and finds papers and books scattered around.
“Still how I left it. Good”
Miriel sits on her bed as she begins to think about the short talk she had with Mig: “That Lieutenant Corporal, Mig, it seemed as if he fully believed his words. Why would he believe such a falsity”
Miriel looks over at her desk and sees documents about humans.
“Humans need to eat more frequently than us Elves. How long has it been since he was brought here”
Miriel stands up from her bed as she goes and looks over most of the documents, about humans, the war, and history, on her desk. After some time has passed without Miriel noticing she remembers that she should check on Mig.
“I think there are some food items on site that are suitable for humans”
Miriel exits her quarters and heads to the pantry to get some food for Mig. Once she had found some food that Mig could eat, she headed over to the room he was kept in, with a tray of food and a portable stand to place it on. She reaches the room and asks the Elf guards to let her pass, the Elf guards stand aside as Miriel enters the room. When she does Mig looks up at her as Miriel places the portable stand and food tray. She frees Mig’s arms so that he can eat.
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“Take it. Peace can be an option. Although do not attempt anything”
Mig looks at the plate of food, it had been a good long while since he had last eaten, but he looks more shocked at the food than hungry. Mig looks back up at Miriel with a slightly smug expression on his face.
“I didn’t know that your kind kept Human food. Normally you all don’t take prisoners”
“I am full of surprises”
Miriel leans against the wall of the room as Mig looks at the food somewhat suspiciously, Miriel notices Mig’s hesitation.
“Not what you expected, were you thinking something more in line with torture or hard interrogation? It is none of that. Eat, it is fine”
Mig takes a bit of the food.
“See fine is it not? There is mercy among us Elves. Not all of us are savages”
“I can see, but that doesn’t mean you will get information out of me with this act”
Miriel looks slightly disappointed with Mig’s answer, but she expected as much.
“Yes. You are right. I will not get any information this way. Although it was worth a try”
Miriel walks closer to Mig as she reaches for something in her pocket, a vial of some kind of liquid, she opens the vial and brings it close to Mig.
“Then let me try something else. This will help you reveal your truths”
Miriel places the vial under Mig’s nose as the strong smell fills the room and stings Mig’s nostrils. Miriel then forces Mig to drink the liquid from the vial. Mig after being forced to take the liquid is put into a semi-trance as Miriel goes to ask questions.
“Now, why do you hate us, Elves”
Mig struggles as he tries not to talk, but is unable to as he speaks: “Your kind entered my town, my home, and killed my family and everyone else I knew. I was a child. I was barely able to escape. I was found by Human Forces, then since I was able to I joined the Human Forces and rose through the ranks”
“I am sorry for what happened. Although you mentioned that you are from the Veradigris Vale so there were Elves where you used to live. So I want to know, do you truly hate Elves?”
“Yes… No? I’m not sure. I should, but after years of fighting along with my past I think I have grown a respect for the enemy”
“That is good to hear”, said Miriel with a slight glee on her face.
“What’s going on? Why can’t I keep myself quiet?”
“The contents of that vial you drank is a special concoction. It aims to put anyone in a susceptible trance. I am able to get the truth out of you, although you seem to be trying to resist. That is well, with you under this trance there are other means to get information from you”