The Mistakes Of Misfits

    Another strike to my jaw from the cultists boot. I wondered if they would ever grow tired of this insistent beating. I lifted my head to the bigger mercenary who had struck me. “Is that all?” I said, mocking him. “I've known children who've hit harder.” 

     The scrawnier female in cult robes pulled out her knife and slashed across my shoulder with the blade. I was unable to contain the small scream of pain from my lips. She lifted me up by my hair. There was nothing I could do about it. I was bound to the floor by heavy shackles, not an inch to move my arms. Sabastian had done his homework, without movement I couldn't cast any of my spells. 

      The female cultist ran her dark green eyes over me. “I'm surprised any of your spirit survived this long.” She ran that bloody knife down my cheek. “I will enjoy breaking you little mage.” I attempted to headbutt the woman but I didn't have the leverage to land the hit. She brought back her arm and backhanded me. 

     The pain shot through my face and it warmed. I tried to keep my face neutral during the beating. I wouldn't give them what they wanted. One more strike hit my ribs before the leader himself entered. I raised my head through the pain to meet his bright green eyes. 

     Sabastian raised an eyebrow. “I'm surprised you're still awake. I underestimated your resilience, mage.” He knelt down to my level. “I do not wish to hurt you Varrin. Tell me what I want to know and I will let you and your friends live, I'll even let you leave the city before the carnage starts.” He acted so casual to me, as if his men hadn't spent the last three hours beating me.

      I spat blood into his face in response. Sabastian let out a small chuckle as he pulled out a handkerchief and whipped away the blood. “So uncivilized.” He muttered. He nodded to the female cultist and she drove her knife into my right shoulder. I let out a cry of pain as blood started to flow onto my chest. 

      I gritted my teeth. “I won't tell you where they are!” I let out. “I don't care how much you torture me I won't betray them.” A rousing bit of anger filled my veins as I faced down the cult leader. 

     Sabastian started to laugh not chuckle, actually fucking laughed. “You think I care about your rebellion?!” He said through his laughter. I looked up, a bit confused by the statement.

     “That's what all this is about isn't it?” I asked. “You want the king's city under your control.” My mind raced thinking about any other reason the cult would even be here. The bigger cultist unlocked my left arm from its shackle and held it out straight. I didn't have the strength to stop him. 

      Sabastian looked down at me as the smaller female cultist pulled her knife out of my shoulder and readied it by my arm. “I want your power, Varrin. I only came to this damned city to get more soldiers and more power… then I ran into you in Dairo.” The cultist plunged the knife into my arm, a bit below my shoulder. I let out a scream. “A initiate mage stood against me, holding some kind of magic I had never even heard of.” As he spoke the cultist sliced up my arm. She cut across the bones fileting my muscle off of my arm. I had never felt pain so intense. My body threatened to give out from the pure fire of the injury. 

     Sabastian put his hand under my chin and I felt a small bit of magic keep me awake before the shock to put me to sleep. “Oh no, you don't get out of this that easy boy.” He crooned. I couldn't respond to him, I couldn't say a word as the cultists moved up my arm farther, almost up to my elbow. I tensed at the pain as I tried to pull my arm away but I didn't know if I had enough muscle left on my arm to move it properly. 

      Sabastian smirked at me, still gripping my chin. “I can end this Varrin. Just tell me how you harness your power.” He seemed wholly unphased by the brutal torture his men were performing. 

       I gritted my teeth, somehow gaining the strength to form words. “Go. Fuck. Yourself.” I managed to say between labored breaths.” Sabastian didn't seem angry. He almost looked disappointed by my words. 

      He sighed and raised his head to the cultists. “Start on the other one.” He ordered. They dropped my right arm and didn't even bother to shackle the mess of a limb that was left. They unshackled the other arm and instead of using the knife I felt the bigger cultist bend my middle finger back till I felt it break. 

      Sabastian kept locked with my eyes as they broke every finger one by one. “You think you are superior to us because of your magic don't you Varrin?” He asked. His head tilted and that smile became almost unworldly.

      I kept locked on his stare through the pain. “I think I'm superior to you because im not fucking evil.” I countered. The cultists ran out of fingers so they took my entire wrist and snapped it like a twig. I let out another scream and this one was followed by a  I couldn't give in. I needed to stay strong. 

       “The mages are the real evil Varrin. All of this, this is just so I can fight them myself.” He seemed… genuine. He carried no smile, no malice or content. 

      I scoffed. “Yeah… I'm going to believe the demon worshipers are the good guys.” I replied sarcastically. Sabastian let out another deep sigh. 

         He knelt down in front of me “Perhaps I need to bring in your little friends after all. I'll let you choose which one I start with, mage. Which one shall it be?” His face once again twisted into a wicked grin. 

     It took everything in me to lift my head but I was able to barely meet his eyes with my own hateful stare. “Touch them and I swear I will peel the skin from your body.” 

     Sabastian nodded to the woman and she started to work her knife on my left arm. I screamed out in pain but Sabastian seemed unphased. “Should I start with the prince?” He asked as he knelt down to me. I tried to keep my face as neutral as possible. Sabastian cocked his head. “Perhaps the old man?” He crooned. I kept my face still. He leaned forward and I could feel his breath as the knife moved up my arm. “Or perhaps the pretty green one would serve nicely as my personal plaything.” 

     I couldn't help the jolt that my body did at his threat. Sabastian raised a curious eyebrow at my choice. “The orc? Why do you care for her?” His eyes weren't as malicious, more inquisitive as he stared at me. I didn't answer him, but apparently my furious gaze gave him everything he needed. “You're in love with her.” He muttered. That sadistic cocky grin fell and was replaced by a mournful frown. 

    I gritted my teeth. “You so much as lay a finger on her!” I started. It seemed as if Sabastian was in another world. 

      “Perhaps I misjudged you… it has been so long since I met a mage who understood.” He stopped for a moment and I couldn't hide the confusion that crossed my face. He looked so damn… sad. What the hell had gotten into him? He looked down at me and the torture stopped for a brief moment. “Maybe… maybe you could join us.” He muttered. 

       I actually laughed through the immense pain from my wounds. “You can't be serious.” I mocked. “You didn't try to convert me before the torture?” I would have never said yes if he tried to convert me, but the heel turn in emotion had me thrown off so bad the comedy felt like it was the only way to mask the confusion taking over me. 

    Sabastian sighed. “Not everything is as it seems. The mages are the real enemy.” He explained. “Their old ways of thinking will bring down Tayrin if they are not stopped.” 

     I shook my head. “I'm not one of your gullible cultists, I'm not going to fall for this shit! The mages aren't perfect but they're a lot better than you.” My body roared to life in a burst of defiant energy 

    His eyes became soft. “Do you know what happens to you if they find out about her?” He asked. I knew what would happen if I was caught. Banishment from the mages and my memory would have to be wiped of the city's secrets. “I was once like you.” He started to explain. “I was a mage, a good one at that. I worked under Helios, one of the masters as an emissary to the human lands. I… I fell in love with a human woman, I tried to keep it hidden from the mages but I was caught on one of my trips to Durik with her and… they wiped my memory of her, I still to this day cant remember her fucking name!” His voice broke a bit as he paced around me. 

      He sighed. “They said it was part of our doctrine. We must keep our magic and our city pure. They separated me from the weave and they took everything from me. If not for the cult I would have never known the truth of their treachery.” He clenched his fist and sat down on the floor across from me as he continued. “I have been forced to work with those damn mages as I've led the cult but my goal has always been to kill every single person in Alexandria.” 

       He actually seemed to tear up a bit at the memory. I had never seen the man be anything but a cocky ass, it was strange to see him like this. “Why tell me any of this?” I asked. 

      Sabastian met my eyes again. “I thought after the mages helped my cult take Durik that every single one of them deserved death… but I saw you, now knowing the relationship you have with the orc. You are exactly where I was all that time ago. I will save you from the wrath of the mages.”

     I turned to my fileted arm. “You're really trying to help me out here.” I said sarcastically. I could feel my limp hand roar with pain, unable to move. 

      Sabastian shrugged. “Most of our kind are sadistic, self absorbed bastards. I assumed you were the same, but if you were to help me. If we combined the spells we have, I don't think even the Magistrate could stop us.” 

       I thought about it for a moment. I knew the mages were rampant with corruption. I didn't even doubt that Sabastian could get some of them to work with the cult to betray our people. I sighed and shook my head. “I won't betray our people. There are plenty of good people in that city, plenty of innocent's. I won't betray them.” 

     Sabastian let another laugh escape his lips. “The mages betray themselves, some of them are working with my cult, completely unaware of who I am or what I plan. They are a sickness that needs to be eradicated.” 

    I gritted my teeth. I thought about Rylie, Yev, Orthis… I would not let them down. I raised my head to meet the cult leader. “No… The mages are far from perfect, but I won't kill them.” 

       Sabastian seemed disappointed by the statement. He put his hand up and a priestess walked into the room. The two cultists put my arm back in their shackles. I was confused only for a moment as she put her hands on my wounds and pumped healing magic into my limbs. The healing magic from the priestesses was specialized; they could heal major injuries much faster than I could. Hell, faster than any regular mage could. My arms were fixed in mere moments, but why would Sabastian heal me if I refused his offer?

      The cult leader sighed. “Again.” He ordered the cultists. “Make it slow, if you run out of room to work just call a priestess in to revert the damage… I want him broken by dawn.” Sabastian stood up and started to walk to the door. 

      I tried to yell something after him but the only thing I could get out was a painful scream as the cultists started to run their knives across my body once again.