Chapter 682: Trapped and Tortured (1/2)
”Himself?” Halmut blinked, startled by that question.
12-13 nodded. ”Despite your intel, Halmut, Sterfen's energy shows traces of illusion, water, and mental skills.”
”WHAT?! And you never told me--”
”I'm not your aid nor your security guard,” 12-13 coldly stated, glancing at Halmut through the dark mist surrounding his face. ”I have no need to tell you everything I learn or to help you perfect your plans. So long as you're on course to fulfill what I need, then that suffices me. Helping you with Kylon was already beyond my station.”
”But that helped you too!” argued Halmut. ”Without that--”
”Enough.”
The calm yet cold statement wasn't shouted or roared yet Halmut immediately stopped speaking. 12-13's influence and control over Halmut was evidence of his strength, again proving to Sterfen that he had made a grave mistake.
”Sterfen, don't be so sad,” chuckled 12-13. ”You were right to believe that Halmut was going crazy. I even tweaked his mind to make it more believable, allowing you to gradually lower your guard the longer you waited to strike. And though you knew it would be risky, you understood that tonight should've been the best opportunity to attack, an admirable quality in an assassin. You had the will to strike during an appropriate risk, even confident that you could fight Halmut by yourself in a fair fight. Though that may be possible, I can't have that happening.
”Why not work with me? We can also use such a marvelous talent like yourself!”
But Sterfen remained quiet, unnerved and unswayed.
”Always the hard way… But that makes you even more desirable, Sterfen.” Shaking his head with a chuckle, 12-13 stated, ”Give it time. You'll be working with me, guaranteed.”
”Would you mind making your presences scarce? I need to rest for tomorrow and I don't want either of you two being seen by the Flood Dragons before I leave.”
”Sure thing, Halmut. I need you in tip-top shape tomorrow,” agreed 12-13, making both he and Sterfen invisible. Then, he brought Sterfen to the side of the room and placed his hands on the Assassin God's head. ”This will hurt. A lot. But don't worry, I'll keep your mouth from moving so shouting won't be a problem.”
Suddenly, Sterfen's entire body tensed up and the pain of a thousand needles puncturing his brain overwhelmed him. He wanted to pass out but found himself unable.
12-13, on the other hand, was smiling under his cover of darkness and invisibility. The man sneaky man made sure that Sterfen was unable to become unconscious, forcing his mind to endure everything while wide awake. It was a common tactic to help exhaust and weaken the mind while extracting information. Also, 12-13 was quite curious how long Sterfen's mental fortitude would last compared to others he had tortured in the past.
*****
YAAAWWNN
Jack stretched his body, making sure to get up and get his blood pumping after a good night's sleep. He was welcomed to find a cold breakfast of various sushi plates, mostly vegetarian via the hydra farms, and all were delicious in their own right.
After finishing his morning meal, Jack was more relaxed than ever. Finally, his plan was about to go into effect. No plan was ever perfect but Jack was confident he could make it work.