EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ahnasha did not know what the noble would do next, but the pain and horror she felt was such that it erased any semblance of rational thought she had. She did not care about anything other than stopping the pain, not their deal with the cultists, not the pack, not even Rhazii. If she could have screamed, the sound would have been deafening. Fortunately for her, Fendros' submission halted the pain for at least a moment, for as soon as he agreed to talk, the noble signaled the Breton to numb her pain. The Argonian healer returned to Fendros' side to ensure his honesty, while the noble set down his knife. Ahnasha's organs were still exposed, but for now, at least, she was not suffering.

"Good to hear you have come to your senses. You start answering questions, and I'll start closing her up. Our tunnel will break through into the far east of the underground catacombs. What room will we be entering into?" The noble asked.

Ahnasha had enough of her senses to understand what the noble was asking, but it was not encouraging. The far east room was the training room, and there were only two exits from there. One led to the kitchen, which would not be very interesting to an attacking force, while the other led straight to the guest rooms. Beyond the guest rooms were the cultists' quarters, which was likely where they would want to strike first in their attack. It would place Rhazii right in their way, but with the dreadful suffering she had just experienced, Ahnasha just wanted him to say anything he could to end it for her.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ah, didn't notice you had posted. I'll respond now.

The Depths of Deception

Instead of going straight for the group of five by the door, Rareth noticed that Shuo fired upon the patrol that Rareth was shooting, for whatever reason. Regardless, they dropped the patrol quickly with combined fire, then shifted over to the final group. They scrambled to ready their weapons, but realistically, they had no chance. They were surrounded on all sides, including from above, so none of them could find cover that would protect them completely. It did not take long for the team to overwhelm them, as they were riddled with shots from all sides, but Rareth feared that it still took too long.

Once all hostiles in the room were eliminated, Rareth checked her device and saw that her suit's sensors had indeed picked up a radio signal, and therefore had activated the station's jammer. She tried to use her radio and confirmed that it no longer functioned. As well, she could no longer bring up their drones' video feeds. Certainly, this wasn't a positive development, but it also wasn't the end of the mission. Rareth teleported down to the ground level and addressed her team, this time with her voice directly instead of the radio. "Bad news, we were too slow. We took them all out, but one of them had a chance to activate their radio before we finished them off. That means all remote communications on the station are now jammed, so we are now on a time limit. As soon as the rebels figure it out, they are going to do whatever they can to bring their communications back online. We don't know how long that is going to take, so we need to hurry. Though, that at least means that we can now go in fast and loud." Rareth explained.

The Depths of Deception

I just noticed an issue with your post, cqb. In my post, I said Rareth shot the 3rd patrolling guard from her position as she dropped the grenade on the group beneath her. You also had Shuo shoot the 3rd patrolling guard, but I described him as male, while you said it was a tempu female.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

The noble gave a macabre smile as he set down his knife and picked up a different tool, which looked like a sort of hook. "As you wish. Just remember, it is by your word that she suffers."

Instead of making another cut, the noble did something else entirely. He placed his hook into the first verticle cut he made, then started to pry open her flesh as if she was a cadaver whose insides he wanted to examine.

The expression on Ahnasha's face was nothing short of sheer panic. What was he doing? Was he going to open her up while she was still alive and awake? That would surely kill her, would it not? All she knew was that it was the single most painful experience of her life. As the noble continued to cut her open, the Breton motioned for the Argonian healer to move away from Fendros to aid him in keeping her alive. Together, they were able to keep her bleeding to a minimum, as well as paralyzing her control of most of her body except for her head, likely so Fendros could continue to see the panic in her expression. Of course, they still did nothing to stop the pain.

When Ahnasha finally looked down at what her torturers were doing, what she saw was something no living person should ever have to witness. The noble had pulled apart her flesh and secured it with hooks, exposing the majority of her internal organs to her view. She saw her blood covered ribs, her lungs rapidly rising and falling with her panicked breaths, and a portion of her beating heart behind them. The horror of the sight was even worse than the pain, which was in itself immense.

"You can stop this at any time." The noble commented, pausing for a moment to await Fendros' response.

The Depths of Deception

I'll try to see if balmung is going to post, but I'll respond tomorrow (today?) regardless.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Just to clarify, the knife the noble is using isn't actually silver.

I think I'll be going to bed now, goodnight.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Once the Argonian healer confirmed he was not lying, the noble gave a smile, holding himself back from cutting into her any further. "Ah, now that is an answer, and your honesty is rewarded with my mercy. You see, you cooperate, and your...well, you're more than friends aren't you? Anyway, you give answers, I don't hurt her. Now, a child you say? Well, I must congratulate you. I am not a father myself, but I do like the idea of becoming one someday. If your child is being held by those monsters, then we can help each other. I don't care about you lycans, i just want the vampires dead. If you give me the information I need to mount a successful attack, then I can have my men rescue your child, then I can let you go in return for your help. Your little family can go on its way. Does that sound like a deal? I think it is quite fair."

Ahnasha wished she could shout out her thoughts at the noble, but all she could do was bare her teeth and scowl. She did not believe him for a moment. Once he had what he needed, Ahnasha believed he would just kill them outright, along with Rhazii once they attacked. Without her voice, however, Fendros was the one making all of the decisions.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Very well. Just remember, her suffering is your choice." The Argonian responded as he took the knife and sliced it down the center of her torso, from her collarbone down to just above her waist. Ahnasha still could not scream, but she winced from the pain and clenched her teeth, trying to distract herself from it. She expected a sizable amount of blood, but only a small amount flowed from the wound. The Breton, as it seemed, was quite talented in restoration. He was keeping her both from loosing too much blood, and from feeling the effects of her adrenaline. As a result, she felt the pain all the more intensely.

"You know, it is amazing what the body can survive, especially with a healer or two on hand." The noble said as he made another cut near her collarbone, this time horizontal and overlapping with the first. "Men, mer, these cats, we are all exceptionally hardy creatures. It takes the loss of quite a lot of blood before we will lose consciousness, which, by the way, my friend here is really good at keeping inside of the body." He made another horizontal cut intersecting the bottom of the first cut, then paused to look back up at Fendros. Ahnahsa had tears in her eyes and was squirming from the pain, but she was doing her best to stay strong and look as if she could handle it. She didn't know how many more cuts he could make before he would have to stop, and she hoped he was exaggerating the skill of his healers.

"I can keep going, or you can give me a bit of information. How about this, instead of my first question, why don't you tell me why you are so willing to help those vampires? Why are you okay with letting your friend suffer for them?" He asked.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

The Argonian noble's expression remained serious, and notably unsympathetic. He looked to his healers and gave a slight nod towards the table with the torture implements. "Set her up on the table, and be cautious of her strength." He ordered.Stepping up in front of Fendros, he pressed his knife up against Fendros' throat to the point where it just barely broke his skin. "I am going to get the information I want, or I am going to have some fun with your friend here. Those are the only outcomes. You have until we are done setting her done setting up to decide which it will be."

The two healers moved tools on the table to the side and slid the table itself up next to Ahnasha. Once it was in position the noble drew his silver blade and pressed it up against Ahnasha's neck. "If you try anything, I will end you before you can take in a breath." He threatened. As quickly as they could, the healers removed the chains from their clamps on the ceiling and quickly moved to reattach them to clamps on the floor, all while forcing Ahnasha to lay on her back on the table. Though her ankles were still bound, this was somewhat of an opportunity for Ahnasha to act, but having her throat impaled by a dagger only a few minutes before gave her little doubt that the noble would finish her if she tried to resist. The blade he wielded was certainly silver, as she could feel the metal burning her flesh as it was pressed against it. So caught up in fear was she that she could bring herself to do nothing as the healers secured her chains to their anchors on the floor. Once again, she was bound, unable to move, and at the noble's mercy. She was dreading whatever he intended to do her, but she was still resolved to protect Rhazii. In her mind, his safety was worth her suffering. For the moment, she just hoped Fendros felt the same way. The healers took their positions once more as the noble sheathed his sword and grabbed his knife. He stood on the side of the table opposite Fendros so that he could see his every reaction to Ahnasha's impending torture.

"Now that we are ready, you have one final chance to answer my question. Do you know the layout of the cult's lair?" He demanded, hovering his knife over Ahnasha's flesh.