Thud! Hikari's heavy boots against the stone ground.
To either side of her, cages stacked in two levels. Each holding a cultist chained down to the lower surface. They each had a rag to their name to cover as much as the tattered cloth could bear, the exposed skin filled with eerie tattoos of cryptic symbols.
Full wyvern skin suit. Black. She was covered from the middle of her neck down.The fair skin on her cheeks contrasted with the pitch black wyvern gloves as it swiped over her shoulders, pushing her silver side back behind her head.
Thud! Thud! Deep boot prints left behind where she stepped. The clankering of her fingers clad in wyvern skin brushing against the bars of the cage. Groans and rattles followed her as the blindfolded captives felt her warmth, her breath and the coldness of her suit.
She reached a large empty hall.
For furniture, there was only a chair built against the wall and a stool placed a distance from it.
It was dimly lit by less than a dozen torches flickering with the eerie purple of RazenHeir flame.
The clankering of chains as the jailer marched a roll of captive cultists before her.
Thud. Thud. She walked to one side of the wall where the equipment rack was.
It was an incense pot hanging at the end of a chain long enough to hang it from her stomach to her boot.
Holding the pot in her hand, she channeled her mana. The mix contained within was ignited in a slow burn.
The fumes carried a hint of flame and acid.
Clink. Clink. The jailors unchained them and removed their blindfolds.
Thud. Thud. Hikari walked back and forth, keeping the incense pot level just above their boots.
Thud. She stopped in the middle facing them.
Click! She snapped her fingers.
The row of prisoners got down on their hands and knees and crawled forward.
They reached three quarters of the room towards Hikari and bowed their hands.
Thud. Thud. The sound of a giant boot striding just before their hands.
The clankering sound of chains.
"Mmm!." The cultists groaned as the incense pot hovered over him.
The heavy fumes burned their skin as it touched them.
Thud. Thud. Their captor walked slowly back and forth in front of them, torturing them with the acidic fumes as she went.
The unfortunate ones at each end had the pot over them for the longest.
Thud. Thud. Hikari stopped in the middle.
"Repeat what you've learnt."
"We worship Hikari now."
Thud. Thud.
"We will not kill."
"We will not torture."
Thud. Thud.
"We'll toil in the fields."
"We'll toil on the walls."
"And?"
"We'll toil in the forges, the tanneries and the kitchens."
"And?"
"We will toil in the wash bay."
"For what?"
"So that Hikari can eat"
"So that Hikari has clean boots."
Thud. Thud.
The cultists groaned as the incense pot was moved over them.
"Again."
"We'll toil in the fields."
"So that Hikari can eat"
"We will toil in the wash bay."
"So that Hikari has clean boots."
"Yes?"
Thud. Thud.
"... We will toil in the wash bay … "
"... So that Hikari has clean boots …"
Thud. Thud.
"Is the ground clean?"
"Yes Hikari."
A putrid stench filled the room as the wyvern skin boots disassembled.
Hikari stepped off the soles.
Squish. Squish. She walked back and forth before the cultists.
They groaned and trembled.
"Hold it."
Hikari ordered.
Her prisoners began clawing their fingers against the stone ground.
"Again."
"We'll toil in the fields."
"So that Hikari can eat"
"We will toil in the wash bay."
"So that Hikari has clean boots."
Squish. Squish.
"Is the ground clean?"
"Yes Hikari. We clean it everyday."
"Good~"
Squish. Squish.
"We'll toil in the fields."
"So that Hikari can eat"
"We will toil in the wash bay."
"So that Hikari has clean boots."
"If it's not clean, you know what will happen."
"Yes Hikari. "
"Just continue."
"We'll toil in the fields."
"So that Hikari can eat."
"We will toil … in the wash bay. groans*"
"So that Hikari has clean boots… groans*"
The cultists started groaning. The sound of nails clawing against the ground.
"Hold."
Squish. Squish.
"Or do you want to be burnt."
"No- Hikari."
"We'll toil … in the fields. groans*."
"So that Hikari can eat."
"We will toil … in the wash bay. groans*"
"So that Hikari has clean boots… groans*"
"Louder. So you're not so distracted."
"We'll toil … in the fields! groans*."
"So that Hikari… can have… eat!"
"We will toil … in the wash bay! groans*"
"So that Hikari … has clean boots! … groans*"
Thud. Hikari sat down on her chair and rested her socked foot up on the stool.
"groans* We'll toil … in the fields! groans*."
"So that Hikari… can have… full meals! groans*"
"We will toil … in the wash bay! groans*
"So that Hikari … has clean boots! … Ahh…. !"
"Tsk. Tsk. Fine, I'll just punish you later."
The sound of skin rubbing against stone.
"Listen up."
"Yes-.. Ahhh…."
"Today you'll be released."
The cultists were too absorbed to respond to her.
"Ugh nevermind, send the next batch in."
The jailors entered the room and began dragging the cultists away.
Thud. Thud. After a break, Hikari walked further into the dungeons.
The cultists in their cages rattled as she passed them.
Half of the cages were empty as their occupants completed their training with her.
She reached the end of the hallway.
The abbot sat still in his cell, unmoved for days.
His cell was empty except for an empty bowl and a spoon.
Hikari stood before the cell, a patch of sunlight from a hole in a cell that had been there for years shone onto her boot just behind the bars.
The jailor unlocked the cell door.
The heavy iron bars made a creek as it moved under its own weight against its rusty hinge.
Thud. Thud. Hikari enters the cell.
"You're a tough one."
The abbot lifted his head slowly.
He tried to speak but his throat was dry and his muscles were too stiff.
"True of flesh… pure of flesh… "
Thud. Thud. Hikari circled him.
Thud. She stood before him, towering over him.
"Your execution is tomorrow."
The abbot did not respond.
He lowered his head again and continued chanting.
His weak lip movements made sounds that were barely audible.
"Any last requests?"
The abbot stopped.
He lifted his head up to try and meet Hikari's eyes but could only see her knee caps.
He lowered his back into his resting position.
"E… m.."
He forced out a sound.
"Hmm…?"
He took a deep breath, letting out a high pitched choking sound as he expanded his lungs.
"Eat.. me.."
"No."
He took another deep breath.
"Eat. me."
His voice was getting more pronounced.
Hikari leaned forward and looked at the frail and shrivelled man in tattered robes.
He was trembling from having expended more energy than what his age or condition could allow.
"No, you don't look tasty."
Hikari turned around and walked out of the cell.
The jailor walked up to close the cell door.
Cough* Cough*. As Hikari walked away, she heard the abbot make coughing sounds behind her.
She stopped in her tracks.
She felt a hint of mana.
Turning around, she saw a glint of a mana stone in the abbot's mouth.
"Thats-"
With all his jaw strength, he shattered the stone, releasing a wave of demonic energy. A set of carvings in the stone ground obscured by the mud lit up blood red.
In an instant, Hikari dashed back into the cell and kicked open the bars.
Stomp! His body splattered as Hikari's boot crashed down on him. His blood drifted towards the demonic circle, feeding the growing rift.
A being started materializing before her.
Hikari backed off, drew her sword and assumed her stance.
A humanoid creature. Standing at just below Hikari's chest height. Lacking a face nor any other features. Its skin of pure ivory.
"…. Hunger …." It stared at Hikari motionless.
Then, its face opened wide, revealing rows upon rows of teeth.
It lunged at Hikari.
A kick with her boot staggers it. A vertical swing with her searing sword severs the horror in half. Each half was engulfed in flames.
Hikari dusts off her shirt as the demon's body disintegrates.