Sondar opened the door with a smile but after seeing my face the smile faded away and his hand instantly started massaging his forehead. "Dammit man, can't you just co visit like a normal brother would without problems? Ugh, what is it this ti?" He sighed and asked.
"I'm sorry man, but it appears that under the town is a vast cave system that the slavers had been using to smuggle people in and out. On top of that, it looks like the original entrance to said cave system is located directly underneath the Dark Embrace's bunker. I don't know what this all ans but I'm thinking that the sickness effecting our people and Mara's people being sold off aren't unrelated. I'm not here as a lord but I am here as your brother and just giving so information. I'm going to go to the bunker and figure out what is going on, I was hoping you could get together with your people and co up with solutions."
I didn't want to give him any orders since he was the leader of the people now. Even if I was the so called lord of this territory, I didn't want to use that power since that had a bad aftertaste to . I would rather have a discussion first and only use my power and authority as a last resort.... or if I was feeling sadistic, but that's neither here nor there.
"Excuse Sondar, but did you capture that man that you and darling fought before? The one that used the illusions?"
"Hmm? OH, yea I did, but I left him in the care of so of the Dragonants that I have been training as guards in a makeshift prison. I had Shorunt give him so basic healing to keep him from dying. Give a sec and I'll take you over to him. I'm guessing it's interrogation ti?" Sondar asked with a smile.
"Ofcourse, my sexy succubus here is a master at getting info from people. That's is just natural to her species isn't that right baby." I said with a big grin as I wrapped my arm around her waist. She blushed a little and smacked my chest lightly.
"Stop it Vexsus, not in front of your brother."
"Yea Dickhead, not in front of your brother. Keep that shit in the bedroom haha." Sondar grabbed the sword I gave him from just inside the doorway and he led the way towards a newly constructed building with solid stone walls and windows high up with bars covering them. Anybody could clearly see that this was a jail by the size and construction. The two dragonants that were guarding the doorway were holding two spears that were made from what looked like purple scales fashioned into tips. I raised an eyebrow at Sondar but he just held his hand up as he knew what I was asking.
"Hey boys, hows it going." I asked as we got closer, I didn't know if these guys had nas but if they didn't than now was the ti to rectify that mistake or atleast this ti fra.
"Not bad father. Uncle Sondar has been training us in the way of the spear and even gave us training in the use of Earth magic after and my brother here found out our affinity with it. We hope that in the future we can be of more use to you when it cos ti to fight back against the real threat of this world." The one on the right said as he bowed and held his free hand closed against his chest. The one on the left imitated the motion and nodded in agreent.
"Hey, hey, I can see the improvents just by looking at you both. I have so business inside with the man but right now I would like to know your nas?"
They both looked at eachother with smiles before turning to . The one on the right said his first. "My na is Tommy father. I am currently training to be a Guard with a specialty in spears. I can use Earth magic aswell but only basic such as raising walls or digging trenches."
"My na is Timmy. Like Tommy I am also training to be a Guard with a specialty in the spear. I also use Earth magic but unlike Tommy I use more offensive magic like Earth spears or balls of mud that can blind my enemies or stop them from moving while I attack."
I was impressed and even patted both of their shoulders with a grin. "Keep up the good work boys, I'm sure one day I will have use for strong Guards such as yourselves, however do not resign yourself to just being a Guard, You are my sons. You have the potential to rule this world in you as Dragons. You may not look like it but deep within your blood is the talent to take on your true form. I want you to train and train until you can unlock that potention ok? I know you can do it. Using my eyes I can see deep inside of you that it is sleeping and just waiting to be unleashed."
As I finished speaking Their eyes start to water with hope and joy. I can feel the excitent in their bodies rise up and in their eyes I can see the dreams for the future start to erge. "Just don't overdo it training. Training to much at once can do more harm than good. You can ask your Uncle and he would agree, but now boys. I have to get down to business inside. I hope you guys have a good day ok? I'll see you later." I gave them each a hug before walking inside, Mara then hip bumped slightly and I looked down at her as she was looking at with a knowing smile.
"What?" I asked with a slight chuckle.
"I know you did that because you feel bad. You ssed up with Hannah and now you are trying to make it up with your other children right?"
I scratched the back of my head as I only nodded. "I feel horrible, All the shit I've done while all this ti I could have gotten to know them, I could have been the father that they needed. But instead I grew attached to a human child that I ended up turning into a hybrid and then even ended up losing because my mind is a fractured hellscape with nothing keeping on track. So yea, I'm doing what I can, when I can. If I see one of my kids then I'll stop and talk to them if I have the ti. Bottom line I can atleast learn their freaking na. I may be a shit father but dammit I can atleast learn my own childs na!" I balled up my fist as the anger at myself started to rise up again.
Mara only frowned at this before grabbing my fist and rubbing it. "Honey, what have I already said about that. You did the best you could. You were taken hostage and forced to breed with a woman while you were losing yourself constantly. Then when you were rescued, you were put back in charge of a group of people that needed taking care of and you did what needed to be done as the leader. I'm sure they knew this and they still love you. I've talked to Kitsoma and your daughters about this, They know how you feel and they have told they understood. Harper and Grace even told that during the ti you were lucid enough to act like their dad back in that dungeon, you would do all you could to play with each of them, you couldn't play for long but you did the best you could while having to suffer fighting everyday for that bastards pleasure! You need to stop hating yourself and let this anger go and it's only going to eat you up and cause nothing but pain."
I only sighed as I looked down at her. I smiled as I unballed my fist than held hers. "Let's just go talk to this guy ok? My problems won't be solved anyti soon so let's not worry about em for now."
Sondar only looked on with a bit of sadness in his eyes. In his head he was thinking how he could have helped more and took on more of the problems that his brother had to deal with but was shaken out of it by a face that was inches from his.
"Want to lead the way man? I can't manipulate the earth like you can and his cell is below us right?" Sondar jumped back as my face was inches from his as I spoke. He only nodded and waved his hand and soon a piece of flooring moved away and steps were revealed leading further down underground. After walking for a bit more we ca upon a jail cell that held a man covered in armor that reeked of blood but the man himself was strapped to the wall and his arms were in the wall itself and his legs were covered in earth.
"Why did you leave his armor on?" I asked.
"Like I was going to let anybody but you touch that nasty slling armor. It reeks just being close to it and it was a bitch to haul his ass over here. I threw up a couple tis aswell. Plus I think It might be cursed since when I got a good look at him I couldn't see his skin past where the armor actually starts, like there isn't a gap between him and the armor at all."
I raised a brow at that and looked back at the man who by now was rousing from so kind of induced sleep. He looked around until his eyes focused enough on us and his face contorted in fear. "I-I-I I'm sorry, Please forgive ! I didn't an to! I was told if I didn't do it then they would kill my family, please have rcy please!"
He started to cry and sob while still begging with each breath which only caused more confusion. But to Mara it all made since. "As I thought, This man wasn't here for anybody but as a distraction. Soone knew that we knew about the slavers here. They sent this man to distract us while Johnny was ant to retreat, They probably made this man put on this cursed armor to tie up a loose end after he served his purpose aswell."
She said this all with a calm look on her face like so kind of detective that was just listing off facts. But the last sentence made the man shudder and sob even harder as the realization that he might never see his family again ca over him. "Whoever sent this man and whoever is actually controlling the slavers has more than one insider in my group and has been controlling even my movents for quite so ti...." Mara looked at with a look of doubt. "I can't trust anyone anymore." She turned then walked out of the building.
"Well fuck running man.... Go ahead and open up the cage I want to try and help this poor bastard." I said but Sondar just held up his hand.
"Dude! How do you or her know he isn't lying? He could be a spy or sothing like that just feeding false info and she is off doing who knows what just off of assumptions? What the hell is going on here man?" Sondar started throwing out questions but I just grabbed his shoulder and shook a little.
"Get it together dude. It's alright, this man is telling the truth, he was set up as a distraction and he was taken from his family. As for the armor I can tell sothing is off with it but I atleast want to try and help. as for the truth of his word it all lies in how his heart beat while he spoke. When he talked about his family it beat steadily, sa as when he talked about being sent as a distraction. The only ti it didn't beat the sa was when he was begging for rcy. It didn't beat steadily.... Which ans he doesn't really want rcy." I said as I looked over at the man, he looked at with a look of shock but soon he only looked down.
"You're right.... It's because of that so people got hurt. As I was being brought to this cell I heard shouting and yelling going on all around and heard as bangs and booms were going off. I saw fighting and people being taken away by masked figures. If it wasn't for distracting the toughest n here.... Those people... Those peop.... They wouldn't have...." The man started sobbing again as the guilt took over him.
Sondar just looked between him and and I just shrugged over at him before walking towards the man. "This may hurt since it looks like the armor has more or less rged with your body. Whoever made you do this made sure that this armor would devour you after the job was done but I'll try and atleast halt that process... Hopefully to give you enough ti to go see your family." I looked him in the eyes.
"Thank you. My na is Robert.... If I don't make it... My family lives in a farm outside town towards the west."
"I understand. Now just brace yourself." I started to draw a circle of mana on the center of the chest piece, once that was done I drew a triangle in the four directions and the center I drew a smaller circle. From the books I rember reading they said that magic circles always were about intent. Yea you could use pre made circles but when drawing your own, it didn't matter what you drew, it all ca down to intent and purpose of said circle. The intent of mine was to draw out the power of armor and center it into this circle and using that circle I was going to absorb it. I don't know how it will work but after seeing this man break down and knowing that these punks took him away from his family and used him like this just for their evil ans... I have to try sothing to help him.
"Sondar, I'm going to start now. Go find Kitsoma and tell her what happened with Mara. Hopefully she can go calm her down. I don't know what's going to happen here but I don't want any collateral damage so have the surrounding areas cleared out aswell just in case."
"Got it, just be careful yourself. I haven't seen you do sothing stupid in a bit so this is just like old tis haha!" He ran up and out of the building. I turned and focused on the man and after nodding to eachother I touched the circle with my palm and poured my mana into it to activate the circle. Almost imdiately the man started to scream in agony as I heard flesh starting to rip like sickening velcro. I could see around his neck as blood start to spurt out here and there as the armor started to peel away as what looked like bloodveins appeared on the armor and expanded inwards towards the circle as if sothing was sucking the armor itself.
After a few minutes of torture the man passed out from the pain. I had to hand it to him and give him credit for lasting as long as he did, but as he lost consciousness that was when I started to feel so prickling pain on the palm of my hand that rapidly grew and grew like I was dunking myself into a acid bath. I felt as my body was being covered by so kind of viscous material but I had already shut my eyes to focus on keeping the circle activated and not scream out. The acid feeling had covered half my body after 10 minutes and I was drenched in sweat. I tried to peak at the man in front of but all I saw was a red mass of muscle with skin from his neck up, The armor was indeed lded to his body and what I was doing was just ripping it off him. I was being a sadistic bastard in so sick guise of charity, only I didn't know until now.
*Do not think this. You did not know Vexsus, you truly wanted to help this man. He still lives. He will have scars for the rest of his life but thanks to you he will be able to have that life to live. His family will be able to be together with him again. You are doing good. Just keep going, I believe in you Vexsus.*
The voice of Gula ca through my mind but it sounded pained and weakened? I didn't understand why that was but in this mont I couldn't afford to get off track and refocused on absorbing the armor.
After 20 more minutes the rest of the armor finally ripped itself from the man and lded onto . It was painful and afterwards I kept feeling a slight prick in different spots like sothing was stabbing , but I quickly pushed that out of my head and used another circle but this ti to help heal the man faster. I tried to call for help from Sondar but my mine was still reeling from the stress of the procedure and the tornt, I wasn't in the best headspace to use anything right now but I was forcing my body to its limits to help this poor soul that was forced to do what he did for his family.
"Please... Don't.... You did enough for ...." The man spoke in a raspy tone. "I... deserve this."
"SHut up you stupid human! Your family needs you! Be a man and survive this! DO NOT GIVE UP!" I scread in his face as I poured more magic into the circle. My vision started getting blurry and the pricking feeling of being stabbed by needles started to beco more frequent, especially around my major veins and arteries, I knew now why this man slled of blood when I first saw him and even till now. But I wasn't going to give up until I made sure he survived. I wasn't going to die so why should he? This was the one thought that was racing through my mind this whole ti.
"Please.." The man then put his hands on mine. I don't recall when his shackles were released but when I looked into his eyes I could see it... and tears started to form in mine as they fell down my face.
I dropped my hands and the magic circle disappeared with the sound of glass breaking. I dropped to my knees and held onto his hands tighter.
"I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have done this to you! I should have just left you and healed you instead, please forgive !" I begged while looking up at him. I saw as his eyes were glazed over already and his heart was barely beating. I hadn't noticed this whole ti but underneath us was a pool of blood that covered the whole floor of the chamber. This man had bled to death because of and I hadn't stopped to look not once, my magic was keeping him alive and in pain and He was beggine to let him die but I wasn't listening and instead scread into his face to keep living.
"I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have done this. I took your life away. I took you away from your family."
"You took away from nothing my lord. You freed from this tornt, it may have hurt in the end, but you freed . All I ask is that you take care of my family and whatever you do... I want vengeance for my death! I know I am just a lonely peasant but can I ask this of you my lord? Just this once?" The man started to wobble as my healing faded and his body started to give up. I grabbed him and leaned him up against the wall and pulled out a blanket from my space bubble to cover him with.
"My boy.... he will hate you but.... it isn't your fault.... my wife...sh....will...underst..nd."
His boy will hate and his wife will understand huh? Those were really his last words to the man who ripped his life away? sigh.... I wiped tears away and sniffled as I lifted his body up and started to walk out of the building. Once out I was t with a horde of people that was gathered out in front of the building and in front of the crowd was Kitsoma and Mara and both of them were crying as they stood there and looked at as ntally yet again I was labelling another bottle to stick on the shelf.
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