Sharp

I needed to dig. I needed to find Olivia. I was panicking, searching and digging through the pile of corpses that were my family and village. I had to save her. Tears poured down my face, and the stench and horror of the dead were uncovered in an endless stream. She’s dead. They are all dead. I killed them. Just let me die.

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Dig the grave. Kill my dad. Kill my auntie, kill, kill, kill. KILL MY SISTER.

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Don’t think. Head and heart. Head and heart. Don’t think, don’t feel. Kill my father, kill my sister, kill all of my village.

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Kill me, please just let me die.

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No, I can’t leave. I have to kill everybody. No, no, no, no.

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Dig, I needed to dig the graves. Kill. Head and heart. Die. Why won’t you die?

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I need to dig. I need to find Olivia. I killed her. I killed my Father. Just let me die.

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Head and heart. Head and heart. Head and heart. Head and heart. Head and heart. Head and heart. Head and heart.

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I can’t stop. I can’t go anywhere. I have to kill them all. Don’t stop. Kill. Kill. Kill. Head and heart.

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Run and hide. Will I be in time to save them? Kill them. Kill them. I have to kill them all.

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Death. Rot. Corpses everywhere. Keep killing. Kill them all.

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My head hurt. My eyes were all gummed up. My mouth was parched and dry. I moaned. It was all dark where I was. It was like I was waking from all my worst nightmares rolled into one.

Where was I? I was lying curled up on the floor, naked. The floor was rough and dirty. I moved my head, banging it on the wall and stopped. I felt around a bit. It was the size of a cupboard and not a large cupboard.

I reached for Kai and Ardisia. I could feel them inside me, but I couldn’t connect to them. It was like a barrier between us. All nine Kias were there. That was strange; there was always a Kai or two out scouting. I could feel them. Wait, where are Stone Kai and Venom Kai? If all nine were there, they should be, too. They weren't there. There were nine, but no Stone or Venom. What? Why?

I need a drink. I sketched on the floor to open my Hunters Pack, and nothing happened. Nothing happened? What, Why? I tried the arch to my Garden. Nothing happened.

I moved to stand up and felt something around my neck. I reached up and felt it. It was a bronze-rank metal collar. I felt around it looking to find a catch or a latch, but I found a lock instead. I tried to sense what was around me with my aura, but it was fully suppressed. I could not do anything with magic. I pushed against it with my aura, but got nowhere.

I tried activating Cutting Web, but I could not make it work. No Resin. No shield. No skills at all. I felt the wall and used it to help me stand. The cupboard was large enough to stand in, but as soon as I did, I felt woozy. I was severely dehydrated. My muscles seemed weak, and I quickly sat down again.

I felt for a door. There was a door, but there was no handle. I pushed weakly, but it didn’t budge. Then it occurred to me that somebody had put me in this situation and put this collar on me, and they might be on the other side of the door.

I sat for a bit. My mind was still foggy. My thirst and hunger were distracting me. I needed to think. They wouldn’t have abandoned me. They would have killed me and taken the collar. I had no memory. I couldn’t remember what I was doing. Where was the academy? Why was my mind foggy?

Drugs. I knew an alchemy recipe for something similar. How long was I drugged? A long time, by the look of it. More than a week, probably two or three. They would have had to move me. Val would be searching the city, as would Healer Remore. Yeah, we would have to be out of the city, but they couldn’t have portalled me as you can’t portal an unwilling person, and an unconscious person is unwilling to do anything. We must have been travelling, but this is not a wagon or carriage. I would not be able to stand if that were the case.

Kai. There is no Stone of Venom Kai because they were killed and had been reborn. My anger started to rise. How many of my Kais died in my defence? Now I was angry. Anger is a good way to focus and clear your head.

This bronze collar must be what is suppressing my skills. It is the only thing I am wearing. I try breaking it, but I have no chance without Mighty Oak. I am still iron-rank. Can Ardisia spike it? No, Ardisia can’t use any active skills.

Then I heard footsteps. My perception was operating fine. I sniffed. Yes, I could smell magic. OK, that is something.

The footsteps are definitely coming closer. Do I pretend to be knocked out with the drug? If they are silver rank or higher, they will not be fooled. If they have kept me drugged for weeks, did they slip up now, or was it deliberate? I will have to assume it was deliberate, which means I am awake but not necessarily fully awake—foggy brain from the drugs.

I lay down. The thirst was the worst. They must have been getting liquid into me along with the drugs. I am pretty sure they haven’t been feeding me.

I want to avoid more drugs, or I might not wake up next time, which brings up a point. Why go to all this effort? Why not just kill me, for whatever reason they have? If they kill me, I get to go to the goddess, and my nightmares are over. Kai and Ardisia don’t deserve that, though. I may not have a choice.

The cupboard door opened, and a hand grabbed me and hauled me out. It was bright out, and I had to close my eyes against the sudden bright light. I was dragged through a kitchen area from the smell and then into the next room and tossed across the floor.

The Leonid was either Bronze with a Might Essence or Silver from the strength she displayed. With my aura suppressed, I couldn’t sense anything. It was a bit disconcerting, but I was used to using my senses more than my aura for sensing. I mainly used my aura to hide, not sense.

I let myself roll across the room, but I soon hit a wall. I just lay there looking pathetic but gathering as much information as I could.

There were three Leonids in the room. The one who tossed me was the only female. Three Leonids probably mean the Kekie Kingdom. This is probably about Jabari and Nkwe. How far are we from Vitesse?

We look to be in a small wooden cottage. I squirmed into a ball so I could get a peek through squinted eyes. There were two doors going off the lounge room we were in, apart from the one I came through.

I didn’t recognise the common smells around, and I couldn’t hear anything beyond the cabin. We must be in the country and well away from anything.

“Goddess, he looks pathetic,” one of the male Leonids said. He smelled of darkness magic, so I labelled him Black.

“You are pathetic, kid. Still only Iron rank, after all this time? Useless.” I labelled that one Mage, as the smell of magic was the strongest.

“He is very weak. Any new iron ranker could kill him.” The woman I labelled Moon from her magic.

I ignored what they were saying. I wasn’t sure of the point of them trying to make me feel bad because of things they had done to me. Maybe that was a cultural thing for them. I didn’t respond or acknowledge them at all.

“Are you going to answer, you pathetic sack of nothing?” Black said.

I didn’t respond at all, not even to say no questions were asked. Don’t engage at all. Just gather information.

“Answer me, you pathetic sack of garbage,” Black stepped forward and kicked me in the ribs, slamming me against the wall.

I refused to respond other than curl up to protect sensitive parts.

“Weak.”

“Pathetic, psychotic killer. Killed the innocent, did you.” Slam, a fist hit me.

“Daddy killer!” and the beatings continued. I lost the ability to think. I felt ribs crack.

“Killed your sister. You should die, but we are only going to make you wish you were dead.” Slam.

I have wished to be dead for a long time and was just starting to get over it.

This seemed to go on and on, and I faded out of consciousness. I vaguely felt someone grab my jaw and feed me a liquid. I was so thirsty, and I was being force-fed, so I only spat a bit out.

“Fuck, his teeth scratched me,” then I was smashed again, and I dropped back into a nightmare of killing and killing. Dead and undead and Dad and Olivia over and over and over.

I woke again in a different place. It was like a coffin, and I could barely move. I had to stop myself panicking, but my brain was foggy. We were moving.

The third wasn’t so bad this time. Was I fed something without the drugs, or are they planning another sick, beat-the-poor weak guy session? It made them sound pathetic when I put it like that. What did they want? Nkwe was the best guess, as Sabour-tooth tigers are revered in Kekie, but I am not even certain that is where they are from.

I felt weaker. I was sore, but I felt my ribs. They did not appear to be broken anymore. Did they feed me a health potion, or has it been long enough to heal? I doubt they had the patience for a long time.

Calm down. Don’t panic in the enclosed space. I could fit my arm between my chest and the top of the coffin, but that was all, and I am only sure I could do that because of the weight I have lost. They must be taking me to someone. If they wanted information, they could have kept going with the torture. Would there be a bounty out on me for some reason?

My mind was clearing a bit. The questions they asked me last time. They were accusing me of being a psychotic murderer and killing my own family. How did they know that?

Interrogation drugs. I had mixed a simple one in the Poison class. Administered while asleep and asked questions, and the subject would dream and babble on the topic. What were they asking? Did they ask about Jabari, and I babbled on about my sister? Were my nightmares so strong it didn’t matter what they asked? Shit, I need to get out of here.

The suppression collar was still the only thing I wore. Unfortunately, it still worked fine.

Can I find out how we were travelling? It wasn’t a ground carriage or anything. It was too smooth. A magic hover vehicle was bad news as it would cover more territory faster. I would be getting further and further away from Vitesse.

I smelled the wood of my coffin. It was iron rank wood. Unfortunately, I only had iron-rank strength and no boosting skills.

Maybe I would make it out if I had a boosted Power attribute rather than a boosted Spirit Attribute. But I did have a boosted Spirit attribute. The Spirit attribute governed the mind and soul. Was that why the drug might be slightly less effective than otherwise?

Something tugged at my mind—a memory. My fang scratched his hand when he force-fed me the potion. I didn’t have any active skills, but I did have a passive one in addition to my senses.