Lesson 2: Interogation

Training with Sabre has finally ended and my body feels like it's still under pressure when I move and I barely show any progress to compensate neither. Training the body is just less progressive than that of the mind which is why I never got out much for most of my life, well if I didn't have to atleast, the 2 years as a vagabond sure was an exception.

When I thought I could finally have some rest after being emotionally and physically tired, Shadow has been waiting in my room as I opened it because anyone can just barge in there apparently, damn Claudia if she weren't the bloody mess she is I would have fired her long ago.

"There are better places to meet than my own corridor you know"

"I had to make sure no one is listening for what I have to tell you"

"Well then I should tell you that these walls always have ears"

"You overestimate yourself Spade, no one would bother with the likes of you"

"And yet here you are, just spit it out will you? Its been a tiring day"

"Well then this is about to make you exhausted, the final army count is 800, the leader who still hasn't revealed himself to newcomers apparently has a lot of pull in other cities. I also have information that there is a snitch inside the castle who tells its weakest points and also creates blind spots for your men"

800, almost 18 times the number of the people Rexcarius gave me. I suppose it's time for Blade and his merry men to go out of town. As for the snitch I suppose it would be Lacquer but I am not a hundred percent sure so I'll have to check on that later.

"There's more, I also learned that foreign enemies heard wind of the upcoming rebellion and that 2,000 men are also invading at the Bluemoon festival"

Well checkmate, I did account for a wildcard in all this but damn this is too much. We need to cancel the festival, maybe I can convince Lacquer to stall? But damn he's long gone by now... Rexcarius needs to help now, there is just no way of winning this with the current men I have, It's like being down a whole queen and being forced to only use pawns....

"Keep me updated"

I say as I leave 200 silver quill as payment to my informant and come rushing into Rexcarius' chambers. As I ran and opened the doors wide, I see him nonchalantly doing paper work.

"I need more men"

"I already gave it to you"

"That was before Vengeance hired 500 more mercenaries and an army of 2,000 started marching towards our lines!"

Rexcarius stopped briefly and shrugged off my announcement.

"It's like being down a whole queen isn't it"

Yeah I've made that chess reference already dumbass.

"There is no way of winning!"

Even with my outbursts Rexcarius remains calm as if I wasn't just telling him that his whole capital will be crushed in a week.

"Now now, in our little chess match you've defeated me with just a bishop didn't you?"

"Goddamn it will you take this seriously!? Cancel the festival now and prepare your men"

"I'll let it slip this time but heed my words boy, never command me again. Now get out of my sight"

His guards ready their weapons if I didn't leave but I did as he said. Lacquer might be right about Rexcarius not being fit to be king and I might even help him but as of now what I need is power and enough pull from the inside. I will have to get more information and probably use my own resources for this match.

As I go back to my room Shadow was still sitting in my desk.

"You still haven't left"

"Well you still haven't given me instructions"

Well at least there's still someone who listens to it.

"I need hostages, one from the foreign army and two from Vengeance"

"Is that all?"

"Yes, I'll be adding your rate and how do I find you when I need you?"

"Just call me, I'll always be in your shadow"

He said as he disappeared into the darkness in a creepy stalker way, well if he gets the job done he can be as creepy as he wants for all I care. Now then I'll be writing the letter to Blade and if all goes well he should be here a day before the festival with a thousand men but I'm not too enthusiastic. As for the wonder kids maybe its time for lesson 2.

The next day I wake up slightly earlier before most and I get out of bed and get dressed hoping Shadow has done what he was asked. As I get out I see Sabre looking at the empty field and I decided to greet him for a bit.

"So I see that the rumors that you can teach in your sleep are true"

Sabre looked at me and ignored my jest.

"So the rumors that you creep on people in their sleep are true as well?"

Well played Sabre.

"I hear you fought with Lacquer in the war"

"I hoped it would be the last time I saw him in the battlefield"

"You ever seen his full strength?"

"Unfortunately, yes"

"Do your fear fighting him?"

"Yes, but I love this country"

"Which one is stronger? Your fear or your love?"

He walked away conflicted. I accounted for Alfron losing resolve but not Sabre, things are just going to crap isn't it. Shall I keep him out? Even if I do there's still no telling which side his on. Perhaps I'll just have to put my faith in you Sabre and hope love prevails.

As I leave I call out Shadow which was an odd thing to do, even for me who talks to horses but to my surprise from my shadow emerged a man, as if using it to climb out.

"Anyone ever told you how creepy your magic is?"

"The three hostages did. Anyone ever told you how useless your magic is?"

"Many did actually, what about the hostages did they talk?"

"No"

"Does the ones you took actually have anything?"

"I know better than to take some cannon fodder, they have something"

"I see, here's your payment then and I thank you for your services"

"Well just call again when you need me"

He said as he gave me a note of the hostage's location and just sunk back to my shadow.

I enter the place and it was a shed of some sort with four rooms and inside the first two were the members of Vengeance and the farthest was the member of the foreign army. I went inside the first room where a fat man sat blindfolded.

I enter banging the door and surprising the fat man and I pushed down his chair and he fell.

"Hey big man, how was the night?"

The fat man still had a lot of fight in him as he refused to talk.

"Look I don't want to waste your time anymore than I should so how about you tell me everything you know about Vengeance and we'll be on our way huh?"

"I have nothing to say to a king's dog like you!"

"Well then how about I show you that this dog is all bite and no bark?"

I say as I punch him and then again, then pull his chair up.

"Wiling to talk now?"

He spit put a bit of blood and smiled.

"Ha ha ha, you punch like a girl!"

Perhaps I've been holding back far too much. I may be a changed man but when times call for it, I don't shy away from violence. I then punch and kick him mutiple times and when he still wouldn't talk I took a knife and sliced his pinky and groaned in agony.

"You know I heard that when you cut off a pinky, it reattaches as long as you put it back within a day. How about we test that huh?"

"Give me your worst you sadistic bastard!"

For an hour I took my time and tortured him in every way and then I stopped.

"Well you win, perhaps I'll just try your comrade then, maybe he is more talkative. Or maybe...your little kid"

I leave laughing to shake him up. Next I go next door who is probably terrified by now hearing the screams of the man next door.

I take a different approach with the second man as this time I go in silently and startle him.

"What is your name?" I asked.

The second man who was scrawny and young was shaking in his feet but remained silent.

I punch him once which compared to my blows to the other man was much softer.

"P-perseus Bloodeon"

"Alright percy, the man before me held up well under torture will you?"

Perseus quivered which made me relieved because I don't think this body can handle dealing anymore torture. For now I'll keep him waiting to add more mental strain and I'll bring the siblings to try and extract information from him, or maybe I'll let them finish the big man, I doubt they'd do much though.

As I go back it seems someone was looking for me, a woman said the guard. I don't have time nor the need for a whore so I told the guard to simply ignore her, anyone important would either be smart enough to find me on their own or have enough pull to simply get in the palace, I have no interest in small fry.

It seems breakfast was over which pains me because I still haven't eaten but I can wait after the lesson to eat I suppose, I look for them and they are still training in the fields and the chemistry between Crystal and Alfron has really improved, it shows on how easily they can bounce of each other's magic spells now and it seems Zyderine has been doing a good job in teaching them but for now I have another lesson in mind.

Alfron really didn't like the interruption but he humored me nonetheless and the girls had no problem with taking a break to continue an important lesson, as we leave the castle I start talking.

"Now this rebellion is trouble but that doesn't mean we can't take advantage of the situation. Here we have a classic mental warfare which we can extract information from the enemy team, but how do we do that?"

Alfron is the first to speak.

"Torture?"

"That's part of it, what else?"

Next was Zyderine.

"Threats to the loved ones?"

"Good, a family man would always crack under that sort of treatment"

"How about negotiation"

"Excellent Crystal, relating the two lessons together but for now they see us as their enemies so naturally we act like one"

I say as I open the shed and go to the last room where the foreigner is kept, thankfully Shadow took one who speaks our language.

When I opened the three were surprised but they quickly recovered as I did already hint to what I was going to teach.

Before I let them enter I first close the door.

"Now this is a foreign scout who is part of another army that will attack in the Bluemoon Festival"

"There's another enemy?!" Alfron panicked.

"If we can learn of their battle strategy and ambush them they won't pose much of a threat, but should we fail then it doesn't matter what we do because we will be doomed in the middle of two attacks"

The stakes was high and the three understood that which is why they listened to every word I say.

"Now for our information to be proved useful the enemies must never find out that we have taken one of theirs so any signs physical torture would prove lethal to our plan so we must mentally break this man without using any weapons that would leave a mark or scar. So how do we do that?"

I then open the door and the three stayed focused on me alone, I started a fire which tensed out the hostage and from my bag I took a stick and an ice cube which I managed to get with the he;p of magic.

"This is one of my favorite forms of torture"

I took the burning stick near the man enough for him to smell the smoke and know its fire and I immediately pierced him with the ice cube.

"It burns!" the man shouted. This is one of my favorite mind tricks, it's a variation of the thermal grill illusion in which we use the combination of heat and cold to forcefully activate pain stimuli, basically putting hot and cold together makes someone feel pain even when the temperature are at low levels.

The three were amazed and confused in what happened.

"Now you three I want to show you what else you can do"

I then took cold three sticks from the bag I brought that had ice and another three but near the furnace, I aligned them alternatin, warm cold warm cold and then I took the man's hand and put it in the plate and immediately he screamed.

"Now why don't you try touching these one by one"

Zyderine was the first to move this time and she was surprised that none of them are actually at high temperatures and that individually they don't hurt, only together. That blew their minds but I'm not here to just show them a science experiment so I went on with the interrogation and the three observed.

"Now why don't we start with your name"

"Lan-aaahhh!!"

I electrocuted him with my bracelet. After this I put his hand on the plate again and he screamed.

"I know when you're lying!"

"Wyatt Ledesby" that was true.

"Where are your allies?"

"I'll never tell you!"

I punch him in the gut, even if it marks its not likely that it would show.

"Where are they!"

I pull his hair with left hand and put my right in his head.

"I'm telling you I don't- aaahhh!! I'm alon- aaahhh! It's in the ne- aaahhh!"

He keeps getting electrocuted every word he say. Of course so do I but after feeling it so many times I've developed a slight resistance to it.

He gasped for air and again I punch him in the gut.

"Stop lying to me!"

"Its....in....the....western area of Cebunilla"

"Give me exact coordinates!"

I punch him again.

"Alright! There's a cave south of the pinecore grooves, 300 hundred men gather there, another 800 will arrive in three days"

Wow he breaks easily.

"Where are you from?"

"Bronsleyt Kingdom"

"Last question and I'll let you go, what are your orders?"

"Wait for the commotion to start at the capital and attack by noon"

"Much obliged"

I say as I take him off the chair and bring him outside to the Pinecore grooves and the three silently followed, before knocking him out I whisper "I know your name and I know your home, dare tell anyone what just occurred today and I will hunt you down, take your children and make you watch as pigs molest your wife"

When I knocked him out I made him lean on a tree and in his hand put an empty bottle of alchohol to make it seem like he passed out drunk. He won't tell anyone I'm sure of it, but just incase, I already sent the notice to Sabre and in an hour they'll attack when the enemy is weakest and not long after that I have given instructions to Blade to assist. As or the remaining 800, well considering their commands are the same, there won't be any commotion for them to take advantage of and Rexcarius' army will still be present.

As I finish I entertained questions.

"How did you just do that with the stick and the ice?"

"When you mix heat and cold together it makes the body feel pain, how you'll do it however goes in many ways, just copy what I did and you'll be fine"

"Why didn't you kill the man?"

"If he goes missing the enemy will know their base has been compromised"

"What is the best way to make a man break?"

"Well...that depends on the man but for most prolonged torture or mind break works well, just make sure that you take breaks in between tortures and make the man lose all hope of escaping other than surrender to you"

The three just kept berating me with questions until we went back to the shed.

Now the hard part begins.

Zyderine and Alfron come with me, Crystal do not follow us. Crystal looked kind of sad being the odd one out but I had a special job for her. As we go inside the first room, Alfron nearly hurled.

"Wow Spade, I didn't know you're such a badass" She teased.

"I'm not afraid to get my hands dirty if the moment calls for it"

Alfron showed disgust but still continued focusing himself.

"Now the reason I took the two of you here is because I don't want to be the one who takes away that 16 year old's innocence but I trust that you two can handle it?"

"I'll be fine but I wonder about my little brother"

"I'll do everything for this country, leave it to me"

"Well how brave, what the two of you will do is simple. Ask him and if he doesn't answer hurt him, don't kill him however and also try not to cut off anything except his fingers"

Now I'll let the two handle this, they will need to toughen up should something like this happen again, and they also must learn to keep their head even in such pressure. As for Crystal, a different approach will be more suitable.

"Crystal come on, I have a special job for you"

"Really?"

"Yes, earlier I asked what you do when you want knowledge and you are the only one who made a positive solution so I think this job would be better for you"

I then show her little Perseus who seemed to have peed his pants the hour I was away.

"I need you to make it seem like your there to help, make me look like the enemy and that will make him warm up to you, when that happens get as much information as you can. And remember, this man's and this country's life depends on it, don't mess it up"

I left the room and from the next room I eavesdropped, I have high hopes for Crystal and I think that this man would break easier than the other, if she can't handle this then perhaps I may have to rethink who I shall be making my top student, both Alfron and Zyderine have shown great progress after all, whom ever I choose shall be the King or Queen I can promise that, but really I shall be the one in control.