Torture

ㅤ Rubia watched in horror as Rommy pushed Caius to the ground, grabbed him roughly by the hair, and raised his head, grinning. With a vile trick, the scoundrel distracted the pair and used the precept to sever their will. Such powerful magic was impossible to cast in the heat of battle, so a cunning ruse had to be resorted to. Too late, Caius noticed something was wrong, frozen in his futile attack. "Finally…" Rommy muttered through clenched teeth. "Finally, I can take revenge on you for your humiliation!" Laughing, as if she herself hadn't believed she'd won, she angrily slammed Caius's forehead into the parched earth. "Don't touch him!" Rubia screamed angrily, losing her mask of deliberate indifference to the boy. "O-o-oh!" a wicked note crept into Rommy's voice. "So he's important to you? Let's see what you're willing to do for him. Otherwise…" she enunciated each syllable, slowly plunging the secret dagger from her boot into the captive's shoulder. Caius gritted his teeth, trying not to provoke either Rommy or Rubia further, but ultimately couldn't hold back a cry of pain. "Stop it!" Rubia managed to shout over him. "I'll do whatever you say, just leave him alone!" "Oh, really?" Rommy said excitedly. "Then how about a deal? You kill yourself," she threw the bloody dagger at Rubia's feet and removed the magical shackles, "and I'll let him go." "No! Don't trust her!" Caius resisted only with words, barely able to lift a finger, defying the commandment. "Nothing will stop her from killing me after you're dead! Run! Save yourself!" "Silly…" Rubia said quietly, not letting Caius hear. "How can I abandon you?" Rubia slowly raised the dagger. She gripped it tightly, trying to control her trembling. Rommy held the fire spear above her hand, ready to launch it at any moment at either Caius or Rubia, not giving them a chance to counter it. "No. Rubia," Caius pleaded, fighting back pain and fear. His friend, the only person he held dear, was about to commit the irreparable. For him. Because of him… But Rubia only smiled, her gaze telling him everything would be alright. "I will never let you die," she said softly. "Trust me." "Well, what are you waiting for?" Rommy snapped irritably, tugging harder at Caius's hair, allowing the spear to flare menacingly above his head once. Pointing the blade at her chest, taking a couple of deep breaths to gather her courage, Rubia pierced herself with one sharp movement, falling soundlessly to the ground. "No-o-o!!!" cried the prostrated Caius. He was so stunned that he didn't notice the tears streaming down his face. And the pounding in his temples merged with Rommy's malicious laughter. "What a fool! She so stupid! She really did it! And now…" she turned her gaze to Caius, "what should I do with you? You'll choose a long and painful death, right?" Rommy didn't even have time to consider the torture ahead before she was thrown back, scorched by another fire magic that mixed with hers. The spear dissipated, as did the precept holding Caius, who instantly transformed into a beast. Rommy never had a chance to use something so complex again. "But how!?" Rubia was still lying on the ground, drenching it with her blood. And if not for Caius's bestial fury, Rommy would have surely learned the answer, but she was forced, defeated once again, to retreat, teleporting away. As he ran, Caius transformed into his human form, rushing toward his friend. He turned her over and hugged her tightly, as if she were his most precious possession, quietly pleading in her ear: "Don't go. Don't leave me." "I never even thought about it," Rubia said weakly. "Huh?" he expressed surprise, pulling away. "I'm a priestess, you silly, remember? Healing precepts were the first thing I was taught. I intentionally wounded myself so as not to cause serious damage, healing myself immediately without anyone noticing. It was enough to distract that filthy inquisitor. I knew you would win…" Rubia's voice grew quieter and quieter. Even though she was healing herself, she had lost a fair amount of blood, as well as strength. She needed immediate help, so, despite the pain in his shoulder, Caius picked Rubia up in his arms, like a princess, carrying her to the nearest city. They had experienced the worst—all that was left was to survive and take revenge. And not to be separated from Tilkis and Forest again until the problem was resolved… ㅤ