Chapter 317

Elas's head hurt as he began to wake up. He could hear the feint sound of others talking around him. Were they talking to him? With his mind groggy he could not make out what they were saying at first.

"Are you awake now?" Vorbuk's voice called out to Elas.

Squinting his eyes as his vision slowly recovered the elf looked around himself. His vision was still a bit hazy at first. A rope was tied around his wrists and ankles tightly to keep him from escaping. It was dimly lit as he was being held captive in one of the merchant carts that the pirates that brought with them to travel to Drethia.

Are they dragging me with them back to Drethia? Elas pondered as he listened carefully to his surroundings.

Elas felt that he had become slightly closer to Drethia Kingdom while he was unconscious. He could still hear the sounds of the horses pulling the carts on the move. The rocky road through the forest was becoming rougher because Drethia did not take care of their pathways for outsiders to enter their territory.

WHAM!

A hard fist slammed into the side of the elf's face. Spitting blood as the pain surged through his face. His body was half bent over as he remained there on his knees. It was impossible to run in this situation. Glancing up out of the corner of his eye he could see the one who punched him was the vampire, Ashley.

Just my luck. Elas hated the thought of being alone with the vampire and wolf, "Why is it the first thing I see when I wake has to be that face?"

Ashley's eyes flickered with anger at the words of the elf, "Can I kill him now?"

"Ashley." Vorbuk said his name to calm him down before the elf became a corpse in front of him, "You can not kill him yet."

"Yes, master." Ashley barred his fangs at the elf. His hand tightly gripping him by the back of his neck. Forcing Elas to focus on Vorbuk in front of him. In the palm of his hand he could feel the elf's pulse racing in fear even if he tried not to display it.

Vorbuk calmly looked into the green eyes of the elf tied up before him, "What are you doing out so close to Drethia? What is General Vulen planning with Cadirade?"

"Hah," Elas laughed, "General Vulen would never work with King Curtis."

"Urgh.." Elas's neck was jerked back by the vampire to silence him.

"Then why are you out so far with Cadirade's knights?" Vorbuk asked him.

Elas refused to speak further, "Do you really think I would tell you that?"

Vorbuk sighed deeply, "I was not asking your permission."

Glancing over at Ashley the vampire understood. His master wanted him to make the elf speak. A haunting smile was on the vampire's lips as he squeezed tighter on the elf's neck. Elas felt like his neck was going to snap apart if Ashley squeezed much tighter. He could not breath as he gasped for air. The elf's body jerked and struggled to get free from his grasp.

"Ashley." Vorbuk said his name in order to stop him before the elf really died. They needed to torture him to make him speak. However he was worried the vampire would take things too far. The elf looked as if he could pass out again.

Elas coughed as he gasped for air. Ashley released the elf allowing him to collapse back onto the floor of the merchant cart they were in. It felt like the elf would vomit if he kept coughing much longer.

Leaning down towards the elf, Vorbuk spoke, "I am offering you a chance to speak. If you decide to do this the rough way that is on you."

He was accustomed to rough situations. Vorbuk had no problem being present while the elf was tortured. As an orphan from the streets he had grown up witnessing many kinds of horrors. If the elf gave him no choice he would not hesitate.

Elas could see the cold look in Vorbuk's eyes on him. He knew the beast was not lying about having the vampire torture him. However that was not enough to break his loyalty, "Go to hell."

"I've been there. It didn't agree with me." Vorbuk replied mockingly before looking over at Ashley and nodding his head, "He doesn't feel like talking so make him speak."

"Yes, master~!" Ashley got a bright smile on his face at the sudden command.

"What are you-? No-!" Elas shouted in fear as the vampire approached him.

Bam!

His back was slammed against the wall as the vampire sank his fangs deep into the elf's throat. Pain surged throughout his body as he shuddered. He could feel himself going weak from blood loss. Instead of cutting him or beating him, the vampire chose to feed on the elf.

There was no need to brutally beat the elf. Fear was something that could easily strike someone. Blood draining from the body as you grow weak was torture in itself. It was the fear of slowly being brought to the brink of death as your body is slowly drained.

Elas could feel his consciousness becoming weak once again. It was only when he felt like collapsing that Ashley released him. Falling to the floor hard onto his side. His body shook from head to toe. Blood spilling from the wound on his neck.

"I will leave him with you..." Vorbuk sighed as he prepared to leave the merchant cart and go find the prince again, "Let me know what you find out from him."

Ashley flinched at his master talking about leaving, quickly replying to him, "Yes, master, I will take care of things here."

Vorbuk hesitated before adding on, "Do not kill him."

"Yes, master." Ashley replied without delay. It felt like he expected that reaction from Vorbuk. In fact Ashley had come to expect his master's distrust in situations like this. Though he understood that it was his own fault that things became that way between them.

Vorbuk climbed out of the merchant cart as it was moving. Shifting back into his wolf form just before jumping down onto the rocky path. Black fog wafting through the air around him as he landed. Others around showed different reactions to him morphing.They had not seen him shift forms before or had only known about it recently since the battle.

Running alongside the merchant carts and pirates he made his way towards the front of the group. The cart the prince was in could be found up front. It did not take him long to catch up to the merchant cart.

When the wolf reached the merchant cart that Prince Leo was riding inside of he jumped. Entering the cart from behind as the horses pulled it along. His heavy body landed with a thud.

Prince Leo was startled at the sudden appearance of the wolf, quickly jumping up when he realized it was Vorbuk, "How did things go?"

Vorbuk shook his fur as he looked at the prince, "How do you think it went with that elf? He was as stubborn as his general."