The Search for Knowledge: New Beginnings

Chapter 38

Trigger warning: This chapter contains dark themes and actions being depicted.

SERIOUSLY, if you are squeamish, you have been warned.

It did not take long for Feera to catch onto the trail, it was hardly hidden at all. She quickly found a scrap of Chiron's cloak hanging from a bush that was low to the ground, from there it was as simple as following tracks. It seemed as if they had fled in a hurry, not taking time to cover their trail. One thing she found strange, however, was the lack of a second set of footprints. Feera's best guesses were that either Fira and Chiron were not together or that Fira was hiding inside of someone again. She hoped it was not the latter.

Toley and Kara followed as their enemies were tracked down, as if hunting. Though, it was a touch anti-climactic when they found Chiron collapsed, bleeding, against the side of a tree only a kilometer away with Fira nowhere to be seen. They were almost disappointed, except for the fact that they would not have to fight that monster of a woman.

Feera seemed to disappear from the front of her party and reappear next to Chiron, swiftly picking him up by the collar with one hand, slapping the consciousness back into him. The other two members thought that she was about to yell into his face, the first time they would have seen her raise her voice, but instead what they witnessed was far more chilling. She held the old elf's face close to hers and whispered while maintaining eye-contact with him after making sure he was conscious enough to do so.

"Give me the kid." She whispered. Though quiet, the tone was like the edge of a knife.

Chiron was silent. Feera responded to this by throwing him hard against the tree he had been collapsed against previously, causing him to gasp out in pain and lose his breath for a moment. He looked up at her defiantly.

"Give me. The kid. I won't ask nicely again." She threatened, her voice growing from a whisper into what could only be called a low growl.

"I'd rather die than help the party of that scum." He spat back at her, before coughing up some blood. He had apparently suffered more wounds than they had previously thought from the fight, most likely related to such active fighting in his old age.

Feera smiled in such a way that it didn't reach her eyes and suddenly Kara realized exactly why the young elf woman had made it into the gold rank as a solo adventurer. Her words only affirmed it, "Kara, take Toley and establish a perimeter. Keep an eye out for me."

"What do you plan to do?" Kara asked, hesitant to comply.

Feera seemed to think about her words for a moment, though never broke eye contact with Chiron when she spoke, "Not killing him." She then started to approach Chiron with slow, menacing steps.

Chills ran up Kara's spine as she grabbed Toley before he could start asking anymore questions past her own. She did not want him to witness whatever Feera had planned and she certainly did not want to find out either. They would follow her request and keep a look out for anyone who might intrude on her business.

Feera breathed in deeply as the other two left and smiled at Chiron once more, this time it met her eyes. Though, it was too wide of a smile for someone who was about to do what she had planned. Before Chiron could regret not giving up the dragonoid boy he had kidnapped, Feera had begun using a compound magic. Something he had not expected the elf to be able to do and certainly not something she had informed the party she was capable of.

He witnessed as Feera created a rope, though it was not just a normal rope, she seemed to intertwine her shadow magic into it. It took noticeably longer to create even one foot of rope, had he been a hundred years younger it might have been ample time to escape or perhaps even strike her down in his current condition, but now it was hard labor simply staying conscious. He was forced to watch as she created a rope seemingly made from the shadows themselves and then bind him to the tree with it.

As Feera tied the old elf up to the tree, she reveled in the look on his face as she could see the mana draining from him and into her shadow-bindings. Normally mana-drain abilities were exclusive to void magic, however for a reason even she had yet to understand, when she used compound magic between shadow and creation elements the objects always seemed to take that effect. Anyone other than her who touched them slowly had their mana drained, which also prevented them from gathering any to use abilities. It was nearly impossible to use normally, but against a tired opponent and with team mates to guard against attack, it was simple. Unfortunately, the rope would also disappear back into shadow after a few minutes so she could not keep a stock of it either. However, for situations like this, it was perfect. For torture.

She removed the steel dagger from her belt pouch and waved it around in front of the old man, "Last chance, return the kid or I will make you." Her eyes told him that she hoped he would refuse.

"I'm glad my goddess killed that filth." He said with a tired smile.

"Wrong answer." She said, frowning, before jamming the knife underneath Chiron's left pinky nail, then slowly pried it off entirely over the course of several agonizing seconds. His screams of pure agony could curdle one's blood, though it made Feera smile. She then ordered again, "Return the kid."

The man panted for air a few times, getting the pain under control before answering, "Death was too good for him."

"Wrong answer." She frowned once again as she removed a piece of parchment from her pouch and dragged the edge along the torn-nail area multiple times, causing several intentional paper-cuts on the exposed nail bed. Skin that had never felt the air in hundreds of years, at the height of its sensitivity. It did not end there, however, she then jammed her knife underneath the nail of his left ring finger and began to pry that one off too. Chiron cried out, tears forming in his eyes as he screamed in pain and fear at what was to come.

She breathed in deeply, each cry of pain was her catharsis. Though she still had not had enough. Feera whispered in an ecstatic voice, eerily close to her normal cheery tone as she spoke into his ear, "You still have eighteen more nails."

Chiron thought that he knew fear facing down a dragon with his party in his youth. When he had faced down a horde of vampire, or even assisting in wars against the Giants. Though it was all dwarfed by one woman. One elf girl that he had wronged. He shivered and tried to steel himself the best that he could, "You're still down one party member." He said in a shaky, but still defiant, voice.

Ferra smiled once again.