Beautiful artwork made by Randompeephere <3
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Synthara keeps the orcish short sword bouncing back and forth between Malachi and Naomi's throats while wearing an amused smile on her face at watching each of them tense as the cold, sharp blade touches their skin. Her two cloaked guards stand like statues beside the entrance to the tent, perfectly matching in posture and stance.
As the blade returns to Naomi's throat, the Tus'Felnis smirks. "Must this one repeat herself?" She narrows her eyes. "Simply tell Synthara the location of the fragment or give it to her, and you will both be spared. Continue with your stubbornness, and she will cut you down. It is a simple choice, really." She shrugs condescendingly.
Naomi gulps down her nerves and throws an anxious glance at Malachi. He slightly shakes his head; his eyes flash a warning.
Naomi returns her focus to Synthara. "...We don't know where it is." She tries to sound firm, but her anxiety makes her almost let out a nervous laugh.
The Tus'Felnis tisks and shakes her head. "I requested answers, not lies." She smirks and glances back at Malachi, removing the blade from Naomi's throat and walking over to the old man.
She stands over him. "How about we play a game? For every lie each one of you tells, the other will be punished." She grins and glances from Naomi back to Malachi.
Naomi gasps and shakes her head as Synthara lifts the blade over Malachi, slicing it down across his arm. He grunts and sucks in his breath, gritting his teeth and lowering his head.
Synthara smiles winningly and crosses her hands behind her back, elegantly propping herself up with the sword on the ground. "Yes, she thinks this is a very fun game. We will continue to play it. That said, Malachi. Tell Synthara what she wishes to know."
Malachi winces and looks up at the cat. "We don't have it," he states.
Synthara bites her lip and shakes her head. "She does not believe you."
Malachi growls. "That doesn't mean it isn't true. You just want to see blood," he grumbles.
Synthara giggles and shrugs. "Perhaps. But while that may or may not have been the truth, it was vague. Could mean anything. Therefore, not the answer she wants." She turns to Naomi and repeats her action of slicing the blade down at her, only across her leg instead of her arm.
Naomi lets out a weak cry and tries to move back, but Synthara rests the blade behind the girl and leans down to meet her at face level. Malachi growls and tries wriggling his wrists free unsuccessfully, his arm muscles clenching against the pain as his cut begins to bleed.
The Tus'Felnis smiles at Naomi. "Well? She is waiting," she says.
Naomi takes a deep breath and looks at the woman. "I..." She looks away again.
"T... the fragment is... it's..." She bites her tongue and lets out a small nervous laugh.
Synthara nods slowly and leans a bit closer. "Continue."
"Don't do it, Naomi," Malachi warns. "Don't say anything."
Synthara growls and stands up, swiftly moving over to Malachi and stabbing the sword through his leg, making him groan and cough over his suppressed cry. "You will speak only to Synthara! If you speak to each other, the punishment shall be made more severe. Do we have an understanding?" the Tus'Felnis hisses venomously.
Malachi growls and nods slowly. "Yes..." he murmurs.
Synthara smiles and pets him on the head. "Very good. She thanks you for your compliance." She kneels in front of him. "Now speak."
The old man glares at her. "Can I ask you a question?" he asks.
Synthara looks up and thinks. "Hmm... very well. But only because she is curious of what you could wish to know," she says and looks closely at his face again.
"Who are you people? And why do you want the fragment so badly?" he asks spitefully. Synthara smiles and stands up, leaning against one of the wooden tables and admiring her sword.
"Well, she thought that answer would be obvious. But she supposes our presence is scarcely known in Aramora, so perhaps it is not too surprising. She means, do humans and elves alike not already look at the Tus'Felnis and see nothing but thieves and spies?" She shrugs and lowers the sword, returning her attention to the hostages.
Naomi cocks a brow. "You're a spy?"
Synthara nods and stands up straight. "That is correct. Straight out of Narvadin. She and everyone else in this camp were sent by the orcs to retrieve the Schism Fragments and return them before Athemar Du'Keldan collects them all. Having two kids, a drunken horse, and an old man retrieve them only makes things easier for us," she explains.
"But to what end?" Malachi asks. "What are the orc enforcers hoping to achieve?"
"The inevitable downfall of Aramora as a society. By gathering the fragments and channeling the Tene-Medeis inside, we would have the power to break open the barrier surrounding Aramora, and thus potentially bring about the end of the continent, as Athemar has seen in his visions. Somehow destroying the barrier will bring Aramora down with it. Then the orcs will have Aramora free to walk into and lay claim to the land."
Malachi eyes her curiously. "Wait... you know about the rifts and barriers? How? I thought that was a secret known only to the Dev'al Ordon and their emissaries," he questions.
Synthara chuckles. "Because it is." She narrows her eyes at the two. "Let us just say that we have someone on the inside who has been selling all sorts of juicy information to Narvadin for quite some time now," she hisses teasingly.
Naomi frowns and glares at her. "Now I have a question," she says.
Synthara rolls her eyes and nods to her. "Ugh... so much talking about stuff that isn't giving her any useful answers. Fine. But this is the last question either of you will get, so you will take care to make it count, yes?"
Naomi nods. "Where are Lavern and Nesosa? Why aren't they here with us?" she asks and looks around again, as if her friends had somehow magically appeared in the short time they've been talking.
Synthara sighs. "She was hoping your last question would be a good one, but very well. If that is what you wish to know." She shrugs
"The elf and the centaur are fine. Well, so long as no hungry animals or greedy Latyrs find them. It would be pretty hard to fight back while tied to a tree in the middle of nowhere, now wouldn't it?" she snides.
Naomi growls and tugs at the ropes restraining her.
Synthara hisses. "Now then, she is growing annoyed with this meaningless conversation. Synthara is the one asking the questions here, and you asinals will answer her," she spats and stands between them with her back to the firepit.
She looks to Malachi with a grin, walking over to him and grabbing a handful of his hair, making him look at Naomi. "Tell Synthara, do you care for this girl?"
Malachi grumbles and looks away. The Tus'Felnis growls and slices at his arm again, only using her claws this time instead of the sword. "Answer her, dammit!"
Malachi winces and sighs. "She's not my friend if that's what you're wondering. She sure as hell does nothing but annoy me all day. And don't even get me started on her horrendous usage of vocabulary. So, I'd say no. I don't care," he grumbles and shakes his head.
Naomi scoffs. "Well fuck you too, then!"
Synthara laughs and nods, looking over at Naomi now while still keeping a tight grip on Malachi's hair. "Does his answer upset you? It seems to come as a shock, no?" She looks between the two for a moment before looking at the girl again.
"Tell her, Naomi. What about you? Do you care for the old man? Do you wish he would care for you in turn? That he would fill the role in your life that was left when your father was killed?"
Naomi freezes and stares at her with unblinking eyes. "How... could you possibly know about that...?" she shudders and feels her hands slightly tremble.
Synthara snickers. "Remember, Synthara is the one asking the questions here. Not you. Now answer her," she hisses. "Do you care for this old man?" Her ears fold back.
Naomi looks at Malachi and sighs. She sees the uncertainty behind his eyes, regret even. For someone as hardened and cold as he is, she can tell there's probably more going on. Beneath all the gruffness he keeps on the outside, she likes to think there's an actually nice guy buried somewhere in his heart. It may be buried underneath sixty layers of hardened steel and flagons of ale and whiskey, but it's there nonetheless.
She shrugs and nods. "Yeah, I guess so..." she mumbles begrudgingly and looks away.
Malachi growls and slightly shakes his head, silently cursing both Naomi and himself. Synthara hisses and nods her satisfaction with her answer.
"Good," she says simply, getting Naomi to glance back at them again. Just in time to see the Tus'Felnis draw the full length of the blade against Malachi's throat. He tenses and tries to remain as still as possible, glaring at Naomi with defeated eyes.
Naomi shakes her head. "No..." she whispers.
Synthara nods. "This one only needs one of you alive to get answers. So, Naomi. This is your last chance. Tell Synthara where the fragment is, and she will spare the old man. Dodge the question or tell another lie, and he is dead. This is a fun game, no?" she giggles carelessly.
Malachi looks down and sighs. Naomi holds her breath and desperately tries to think of what to do. Whatever she says next will either kill Malachi or endanger Lavern and Nesosa. She has faith that Nesosa is more than capable of defending herself, as well as Lavern, but not if they really are restrained as Synthara said. They will only be in danger if Lavern refuses to give up the fragment. Knowing him and his stubborn ass, he would.
There's not much time to decide. This is worse than the times she would stand in the lunch line at school and just stare at all the options long enough that eventually the school decided to put an 'indecisive' line in her honor.
Synthara smiles wickedly as she slowly starts drawing the blade across Malachi's throat, his blood dripping down his neck and soaking into his shirt.
"It's with the others! Lavern has the fragment!" Naomi shouts desperately, immediately looking down and biting her lip, her stomach churns. Malachi grumbles and closes his eyes, shaking his head in disappointment, but with a hint at something unfamiliar that she can't quite place at the moment.
Synthara hums her approval and releases Malachi, standing up straight and setting the sword on the wooden table with all the other weapons. "See? That wasn't so hard now, was it?" she chuckles and turns to the two guards.
"You two, go and see if what the girl says is true. If it is, retrieve the fragment from the elf and bring it to Synthara. Kill him and the centaur if you deem it necessary, but the fragment is all she cares about," she orders contently.
The guards both nod and bow their heads to her. "Of course, Synthara. You can count on these ones to find it. We will be back shortly," one of the men says, and the two turn and march out of the tent, leaving the camp and disappearing into the night.
Synthara chuckles and turns back to Malachi and Naomi. "In the end, you will see that this will all be worth it. For now, however..." She walks over to the exit and holds it open, glancing back at them.
"You will remain here. If this one's guards do not return or return without the fragment, Synthara will not hesitate to kill you. For your sake, you had better be telling the truth." She throws the leather fold aside and saunters out into the camp and out of sight. Leaving Malachi and Naomi to sit and wait while Lavern and Nesosa are likely being put to the sword.