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Fidget's Worst Week

By XP Author

"Dust... I'm hungry~" The small nimbat complained, not for the first time. "Dust..." She made herself louder as she was continued to be ignored. "DUST!"

Dust sighed. "I heard you, Fidget. But we only just got into the forest. You should have eaten before we got here." He heard her groan and sighed again. "Just... wait for a while and we can get some food later." He was growing quite annoyed with the small bat-winged woman that had decided to tag along with him at her own accord. He did not even know just what the heck she was. She looked like some odd cross between a fox, cat, bat, and otter. Bright orange fur covered the majority of her small body, with white trailing from her nose down to her belly, and on her hands and feet. The long ears and enormous green eyes were very fox-like, but she had a thick otter-like tail. Keeping her aloft in the air beside him at nearly all times was her constantly flapping bat-like wings.

Likewise, Fidget was growing annoyed with the gray-blue furred, wolf-like warmblood that was (apparently) the chosen wielder of the suddenly sentient blade of Ahrah. She was supposed to be its guardian, which she had thought meant an easy, if boring, job of sitting around watching a dusty old sword that had not ever spoken a single word in centuries. Then it just up and popped itself into the air, flew off to find some amnesia stricken warrior, and started to babble on about prophecy or something. Honestly, the blade was almost more annoying than the moody guy wielding it. Even if the sword had a soothingly deep and calm voice, it was always very vague, talking in riddles and saying things like 'it will become clear in the future' and other irritating things like that.

The two (three if she counted the sword) of them had been traveling together for a few weeks now. After an all too brief stop at a delightful town full of crazy people named Aurora Village, they had been sent off on some quest to investigate the neighboring town of Denham. Fidget could not remember why, something about a monster coming too close to the town. She really hadn't been paying attention. She could just ask Dust, but he would get all moody about it, and she was just too stubborn to admit she hadn't listened earlier.

The scent of something sweet caught her nose then. She paused, looking around, half expecting to find a tree of apples or something like that. She turned back to Dust to tell him, but he had not even noticed she had lagged behind him. She frowned and decided to go look for whatever was giving off the sweet aroma without him. It would be pretty easy to find him later. All she had to do was follow the path of carnage he always left in his wake. She did have to admit, for all his faults, he was a crazy skilled fighter. It was actually kind of scary.

The tiny nimbat muttered to herself as she fluttered between trees. "Stupid Dust. Probably won't notice I'm gone. Not that he can see anything with that stupid hat of his anyway. Why does he always keep that thing covering his face, anyway? Does he like, have a really bad birthmark or something?" She giggled at the thought of pulling the hat away and making him all mad that she got to see his embarrassing haircut or something. "Or maybe he just doesn't have any eyes like those old blind warrior monk stories..." The thought of that made her shiver a little.

Suddenly the world was dark and cramped. "Gotcha!" A deep voice spoke behind her.

"HEY!" She struggled, flailing around, but whatever she was in only closed tighter. She realized a moment later it was a sack. She had just been trapped in a sack like some wild animal. "Lemme go, you creep!" She tried to kick and punch her way out of the bag, but it only took whoever it was that had captured her to jostle the bag a little to make her slide onto her back. "Stop it!"

The imperial hunter chuckled, holding up the brown bag with the squirming creature inside of it. "That was a lot easier than I thought it would be."

Fidget growled, squirming all the more. "Hey! When my friend hears about this, you'll be super sorry! He's a crazy good fighter and is gonna kick your butt!"

All she heard was a chuckle, one that sent a shiver down her spine. "Oh, we know all about you and your friends. And soon, you'll be telling us everything you know."

She frowned and made as mean a face as she could, not that he could see it. "Yeah? I'm not telling you anything you stup-WHOA!" She cried out as everything suddenly moved quickly. Then she collided with a solid object with a hard THUMP and went still and quiet.

The hunter held up the bag, having just swung it against a nearby tree. "Yeah, that's enough of that." He checked and could hear her breathing, nodding that he had not killed her with the blow. At least she was mercifully quiet now.

"Fidget?" In the distance, the voice of Dust called out, looking for where his companion had gotten off to.

"Dammit." The hunter cursed under his breath when he heard the voice, much closer than he was comfortable with. When Dust called out again, closer still, the hunter knew he had to leave, and quickly. He activated his cloaking device, a cutting edge piece of technology from the empire. Immediately, he vanished from view, then quickly fled the area, making sure not to disturb too much of the brush as he left.

Only a moment later, Dust was there, looking around. "Fidget!? Ugh, where the heck is she?" Dust continued onward, away from where the hunter had fled. He had walked right past where his companion had been only seconds earlier, completely oblivious to her current plight.

* * *

Cold water splashed upon Fidget's face, startling her awake with a gasp. She shook her head, blinking her large eyes several times as she tried to focus her vision. She was in a dark room, bare stone walls lit only by torches. Strewn around the room were odd devices of wood and iron. She had no idea what any of them were used for, but the iron parts sure looked like binders for arms and legs, and she was pretty sure she saw blood on a few. Her own arms and legs were bound, heavy iron cuffs on each wrist and ankle attached to chains. The chains were attached to a pair of thick wooden poles, one on either side of her. Each chain was fed through a solid metal loop, held taut in something behind her that should could not see, keeping her arms and legs stretched out spread eagle.

The nimbat struggled, tugging at the bindings, but whatever the chains were attached to was solid and she could barely move. She flapped her wings, which thankfully were not bound, but it did little to help. "You cannot break free, little creature." She gasped as the deep voice spoke. She looked ahead of herself, and then gulped. Standing before her was a man, his dog-like face passive yet somehow still cold. Most of his brown fur was covered by a black robe, with an ornate blue sash across his right shoulder. On the left breast of his robe was an embroidered crest she did not recognize, something blue with gold patterns.

Fidget swallowed again, but tried to put on a brave face. "And just who the heck are you supposed to be?"

The man smiled, and it was the most unfriendly smile she had ever seen. "My name is Claudius. Inquisitor Claudius." He started to pace back and forth in front of her, never taking his piercing blue eyes off of her. "And you are Fidget. Supposed sword guardian. Companion to the traitor, Cassius. Ally and sympathizer of the moonbloods." He smiled again. "What that makes you is an enemy of the Empire."

She blinked several times, very confused. "Cassius? Who the heck is Cassius? And what's a moonblood?" With no warning, Claudius lashed out, smacking her across the chest with a whip she had not seen he was carrying. She cried out as sharp, stinging pain lanced across her chest where he had struck.

He shouted at her. "DO NOT LIE TO ME!" He composed himself a moment later. "You and your traitor friend have been seen talking and dealing with a moonblood merchant on many occasions."

She tried to blink away tears in her eyes. "I don't know who Cassius is! And I've seen a bunch of traders. I don't know what a moonblood is!" She cried out again as the whip cracked a cross her chest twice this time. She jerked and trembled in the bindings, the chains rattling with her movements.

"MORE LIES! Their kind only deal with those they deem as trusted allies!" He cracked the whip across her again, this time hitting lower on her belly. "If you do not even know what a moonblood is, then why would they sell you anything!?"

Fidget grit her teeth, whimpering from the pain, tears freely running down her cheeks already. "I don't know!" She squeezed her eyes shut. "I don't know what you're talking about! Do you mean the weird guy in the tent? He just kinda shows up and sells stuff to Dust."

Claudius tilted his head. "Dust? Is that the name Cassius is going by now?"

She shook her head, looking up at him with pleading eyes. "I don't know anyone named Cassius!" She squeezed her eyes shut and flinched as he raised the whip. The blow never came. Cautiously, she opened one eye again to look at him.

The inquisitor turned and started to walk slowly, moving around one pole. "You know, it was a little difficult for us to figure out how to hold someone of your... stature." Fidget remained quiet, trying to turn to follow him, but soon he was past where she could watch. It was true that she was quite a bit shorter than most people she had seen. Nimbats were only around 2 and a half feet tall, maybe 3 at the tallest. "Most of our equipment is for people more normal sized."

She grunted. "Hey! I'm pretty much average for a nimbat! I mean... maybe a little shorter than some, but I'm perfectly normal!"

She heard his raspy chuckle. "Yes. I'm sure. But you are still much smaller than what the equipment here is designed for. So we had to improvise." She felt a slight tug on the chains as he ran a hand along one of them. "I think we did a fairly good job replicating the effect of the rack with this."

"A rack of what?" She knew she should not ask, but her curiosity demanded she did.

He explained. "The rack is an ingenious device. So simple, yet effective in its purpose." He sounded quite proud of it. "You strap someone into it, bind their ankles to one side, then their hands up above their head, attached to chains. The chains wrap about a wheel that can be turned. You turn the wheel, it pulls the chains tighter." She felt a tug on the chains again as something behind her made a grinding noise. She felt the tug grow harder, pulling her arms and legs farther. Just as it was about to become painful, he stopped turning the wheel. "Now, if you tell me what I want to know, then you won't need to feel just how effective this can be."

Fidget whimpered again, her arms and legs taut now, her shoulders and hips feeling the strain. "W-what... do you want to know?"

She tensed up as his muzzle was right beside one of her ears, his voice soft, almost soothing. "I want to know the location of the moonblood hideout."

She shook her head. "I-I don't know! I told you, I don't even know what a moonblood is! I don't know where they a-AAHHH!" Her words were cut off by her scream as he turned the wheel a little more, the chains pulling at her that much more. Her wings flapped rapidly, her tail thrashing in the air. She shook her head. "STOP! P-please! I don't know!"

He growled. "I don't believe you!" He turned the wheel more, and she screamed in pain again. It felt like her arms were going to be pulled off. "Just tell me what I want to know, and the pain will end!"

She shook her head again, eyes squeezed shut. "I can't tell you what I don't know!"

"MORE LIES!" He stepped away from the wheel, leaving it locked and her arms tight. He walked to a small stone box, heat pouring out of it. He took hold of the iron's handle, pulling it out of the oven. One end glowed orange from heat. "Stop lying to me!" Before she could even respond, he pressed the hot iron to the small of her back, just above the base of her tail. She shrieked as she felt her flesh burning, thrashing as much as the chains holding her would allow. The fur blackened around the iron, flesh hissing as it burnt. When he pulled the iron away, the burn was clear, the fur seared away, skin left raw and red, already starting to swell.

Fidget sobbed, shaking her head. "Why are you doing this?"

Claudius grit his teeth, but calmed himself again. "Because you will not tell me what I want to know. Just tell me, and the pain will stop."

She shook her head again. "I don't know!"

He grit his teeth again. "STOP LYING!" He swung the iron down, smacking the metal rod on her arm. The sound of the bone cracking was audible, echoing around the room. She screamed again, not only from the pain of her bone being shattered, but the makeshift rack pulled on the arm still, making the pain worse as it pulled the two pieces of the bone further apart. "Just tell me!"

"I CAN'T!" She screamed back through her tears. Then she shrieked again as the heated iron was pressed to her side, burning more of her flesh and filling the room with the smell of burnt fur and cooked meat.

* * *

"I must admit, I am surprised at her resilience. She will not crack." Claudius looked at the other two inquisitors in the room with him. "The interrogation continued for over an hour straight, yet she maintains her lies. She says she does not know who Cassius is, or what a moonblood is." The three men were standing in a dark room on a floor above the dungeons, though there was an open window to view down to the cells.

One of the other two spoke "Is it possible that the intel about her and Cassius was wrong?" Aquarian was shorter but much more muscular than Claudius.

Claudius shook his head. "It is possible that-"

"No." The third man spoke up, his voice deep but calm and even. It commanded the respect of the other two. "She was seen by many of our scouts to be in the company of Cassius. The two of them have been seen dealing with a moonblood merchant on many occasions."

Aquarian grunted. "A shame we couldn't simply drag that shady moonblood in here instead."

The third man scoffed. "It would, but he is crafty. The moment the traitor and the little winged girl are away from him, he vanishes almost into thin air."

Claudius frowned. "Moonblood magic." He spat the second word as if it was a foul piece of food in his mouth. He then turned to look out of the window and down at the cells. Currently, there was only one occupant: Fidget. The nimbat was curled up on the floor, sobbing quietly to herself and cradling her broken arm. "So what should we do about her?"

A wicked smile grew upon the burly man's face. "I'll have a crack at her tomorrow. Your hand is just too soft."

The third man nodded. "Very well. But do be careful." The two looked at him. "She is small, and while her spirit may be hard to break, her body is not." He turned and walked away, the shadows seeming to follow him as he walked out of the room. "She is no good to us dead."

* * *

Fidget stared at the man, who was staring back at her. He was dressed in the same robes and sash as the first guy, but shorter and more burly looking, his fur a little lighter tan. He had not said a single word to her yet, just reaching into the cell and dragging her out of it and back to the torture room. She was hooked up to the chains again and hoisted back into the air to be suspended between the poles. She winced but managed not to scream as her broken arm was pulled. At least it was looser than it had been yesterday.

Now he just stared in silence. She was not sure she had seen him even blink yet, just give her a cold piercing stare. "I told the other guy... I don't know anything." She repeated, not for the first time. "Please, just... just let me go. I can't tell you what I don't know!" He did not move, only stare. It was really creeping her out. "Are you going to say anything!?" Still nothing. "Are you even awake?" When she still got no reaction, she sighed and just hung her head a little. "Look, you wanna know about the moon-whatevers. I can't tell you because I don't know! You wanna know about Caius? I don't know any Cai-"

"Cassius." He corrected.

She jumped a little. It was the first word she had heard him say, and it surprised her. "Cassius, whatever. I don't know who that is!" Aquarian just grunted and stood up, walking closer to her. She squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for him to start whipping her like the other guy had. When she did not feel the stinging bite of the whip, she cautiously opened one eye, only to let out a startled squeak when she saw he was standing right in front of her. "GAH! W-what!?"

The man grunted again, his eyes trailing down her small body. She blinked a little. Was he checking her out or something? Nimbats did not tend to wear clothes, so all of her was on display, though her fur covered everything, and she did not sport much in the way of breasts like Ginger or other female warmbloods did. She relaxed herself just a little bit, not really feeling shame in being exposed. Maybe she could use that to her advantage here?

That hope fled her as fast as her breath did as a fist suddenly struck her gut so hard it left her insides trembling. She barely made a cry, her lungs emptied of air in an instant. It was several seconds before she could get her breathing back under control, taking a deep gasp of air. She had barely filled her lungs before his fist collided with her face. This time she cried out, only for him to punch her again. Her body bounced back and forth where she hung each time he struck her. He hit her chest, belly, face, and sides. He was sure enough to hold back his strength, only just so much that he did not knock her out.

After only a few minutes, the beating paused, and he went back to staring in silence. Fidget coughed and gasped. Everything ached, from her face to her legs. Her face was already starting to get swollen, and everything inside hurt from each gut shot. She let out a sobbing whimper, her head hanging. "I-I don't... know... anything..." She yelped as the tuft of fur atop her head was grabbed, her head pulled up. "I-I don't..." He let her head go, only to hit her jaw with a left cross. She tasted blood in her mouth.

It went on like this for... she did not know how long. It might have been days for all she knew. Everything was in pain. The longer it went, the worse it got. One blow hit her hard enough in the chest that she heard a rib crack, another hit her already broken arm and making it worse. Another almost broke her back. A knee was slammed between her legs, nearly shattering her pelvis and making her scream in agony. One eye was swollen so badly she could barely see out of it, and blood ran from her mouth and nose.

She stopped repeating that she knew nothing, only begging him to stop. Every time a fist hit her, she was sure it would be the one to kill her. By the end, she wished it would, just so she could escape the pain. He always paused just enough so that she did not pass out before continuing. He always held back just enough that he did not knock her out when he struck her face. Even her begging stopped eventually, and she just hung there, sobbing and wheezing, coughing constantly as breathing hurt.

Then, just like that, it was all over. She was dropped back onto the floor of her cell. No questions, no demands, no ranting. He just dropped her like a sack of dirty clothes and left her there. She curled up into a tight ball, sobbing softly. She did not know why they were doing this to her. She could not tell them what they wanted to know. Why would they just not believe her? "Dust..." She whispered. "Dust... please... save me..."

* * *

Several days had passed. At least she thought it was days. It could have been weeks for all she knew. It was hard to tell, considering she had passed out a few times after the beating, and there was no windows to provide sunlight. Simple food and water was always waiting for her when she woke up. She had awoken at one point to find some kind of cold compress placed on her broken arm, tied in place by some kind of wire. She wondered if she could use the wire somehow, but trying to pull it off only hurt both her fingers and the arm it was wrapped around.

She was woken by noise outside of the cell. She groaned, slowly opening her eyes to see the man standing there. He was taller than the other two, but like them dressed in a robe with a fancy sash. His sash had some kind of pattern on it, and the crest on his chest was also a little more ornate. He stared at her with almost kind green eyes. "Hello, Fidget." His voice was deep, but calm and even. Like his gaze, it was almost kind.

She groaned again, not feeling like forcing herself to sit up. Everything still hurt, but at least the swelling on her face had gone down enough for her to see properly again. "Is it your turn to ask me questions?"

The man smiled, nodding. "Yes. That is my job. I am High Inquisitor Victor."

She sighed again, slumping a little more. "Another inquisitor..." She groaned in pain as she forced herself to sit up. She kind of regretted it, but at least this guy was talking to her. "Look, I told the other guys. I don't kno-"

He interrupted her. "Are you feeling a little better?"

She could only blink at him several times. "Better? That guy almost beat me to death!"

He nodded, looking almost sad. "Yes. I'm sorry for Aquarian. He has a heavy handed way of interrogation. I prefer a softer touch." He motioned to her arm. "I'm the one that helped with your arm. I also made sure you were fed. Though I am sorry I was only able to provide some simple fruit and water. They don't allow anything very good for prisoners." He laughed a little. "To be honest, they don't give us that much better!"

She just stared at him for a while, not sure what to make of this guy. The other two guys had hurt her really badly, but this guy was actually kind of nice. She wanted to think that it was a lie, but as far as she could tell, it all seemed genuine. "Thank you... I guess. But I still can't tell you anythi-"

He interrupted again. "I think you should get out of that cell." He stood up and unlocked the barred door. "C'mon. Stretch your wings a little." When she just gave him a confused look. "That is how you travel most times, isn't it? Or if it's still too painful, I could carry you."

Fidget shook her head. "N-no... I think I can manage." She winced as she got to her feet unsteadily, leaning heavily on the wall to brace herself a little. She flapped her wings several times, and while it did hurt a little, it was not so bad that she could not get herself airborne.

Victor nodded. "Good. Now, please follow me." He held up a hand then. "Oh, and don't think of trying to just flee out of here. There are soldiers outside that will shoot you down with arrows. Please don't make it come to that." He then turned and started to walk down the hallway. She looked in the other direction, seriously debating ignoring his warning and risking it. She sighed, knowing full well that at least that part was no lie, and she was in no condition to be attempting to dodge any arrows or anything. So she just turned in the air and followed behind him.

She REALLY debating turning around and fleeing when she saw just where he was leading her. "Oh, don't worry. I won't tie you up to the chains." He motioned to the doorway into the same torture room she had been in twice before. "Please. I would prefer not to have to force you." She took several deep breaths, then flew through the doorway. "Thank you. You may have a seat there." He motioned to a small stool. There was even a pillow on top of it. She let herself float down and land on the pillow. It was certainly better than the stone floor had been.

The man closed the door, then turned back to her. "Now. You already know what I'm going to ask you. Please, just tell me what we want to know, and all of this can be put behind us." She sighed, but he continued. "I'll tell you what. Just tell us how to get in contact with your merchant friend. If you can just tell us that, then I can see to it that you leave this dreadful place."

She shook her head. "I don't know!" She found all of her shaking now, though if it was from fear or rage or something else, she could not tell. "I really don't! I have no idea where that guy is. I don't even know what his name is! I don't know what a moonblood is. I don't know where they are! I don't even know where Dust is! Or... whatever it is you keep calling him."

Victor nodded, moving closer to her. "Cassius. Yes, he has caused a great amount of unrest." He started to pace slowly around the room. "He was our greatest warrior, you know. Unmatched with a blade. He was worth a hundred soldiers on the field." He took a deep breath. "But we thought we had lost him. He vanished after a battle against moonblood sympathizers. We had thought him dead." She flinched when he quickly spun to face her, but he did not lash out. "Imagine our shock when he turned up weeks later, and with moonblood sympathizers no less! Not hunting them down, but aiding them!"

Fidget shook her head. "I-I didn't... know any of that."

The man nodded slowly. "I believe you." He started to slowly pace again. "When you first met Cassius... or Dust, as you call him... did he seem to be... acting alone, or under someone's control?"

She shook her head. "I... I dunno. He was kinda strange. Doesn't talk about himself much, really. I think he's got amnesia."

Victor let out a little gasp. "Ah! So that is it. It must be from an injury during the battle. Though how he ended up so far from there in such a state is beyond me." He stepped closer to her. "He must have been aided by one of the moonblood sympathizers, or perhaps a moonblood themselves, hoping to use his condition against us."

She nodded slowly. "Yeah... I guess that makes sense..."

The man nodded again, taking another step closer to her. "Yes. But they could not rely on just his amnesia. They would need to make sure he was aimed in the correct direction. Guided in some way. This is where your merchant friend comes in. A subtle way to guide him where they want him."

Again she nodded, though she was starting to feel a little uncomfortable. "Okay, maybe? I dunno, I never saw them really talk THAT much. Just kinda... trade stuff and money. Merchant guy talks about himself even less than Dust does..."

Victor smiled. "Yes, of course. He would have to be cautious. He would know he is being watched. So they would need someone close to him to guide Ca- ...Dust... without him even knowing. Someone sympathetic to the moonblood cause."

Fidget nodded again. "Yeah, that would make sense..."

He smiled again, only this time, all the friendliness drained away, leaving behind a much more sinister sneer of a smile. "Someone like you."

She blinked. "WHAT!? No!" She suddenly took to the air again. "I'm not guiding Dust anywhere! I'm just following him to get the sword back where it belongs! It's probably that cooky talking sword that's leading him around!"

She floated backwards as he stepped closer. "Talking blade? Really? That's the best you can come up with?"

She nodded quickly. "Yeah! I mean, if you've watched him, you've probably seen the thing. It kinda just floats there on its own sometimes, and it does crazy stuff that no normal sword can do. Is it that hard to believe it can talk, too!?"

He stepped closer to her, forcing her back again. "A magic sword? Only the moonbloods have such magic as this. And is it not true that you, Fidget, are the guardian of this sword?"

She shook her head. "WHAT!? NO! I mean... yes, technically, but it was just a normal weird looking sword when I-" She yelped as Victor suddenly backhanded her, sending her crashing to the ground by the surprisingly strong blow. She scrambled backwards away from him. "I'm telling you the truth!"

Victor followed as she scooted away. "You are this sword's guardian. This sword is what you claim is guiding him. And yet you also claim you had no idea that this magical artifact was, in fact, magical?"

Fidget felt herself bump against one of the poles that she had been tied to earlier. "Yes! I thought it was just an easy job! Look after a dusty old sword and make sure no one takes it! They didn't say anything about it getting up and flying away and talking! I mean, someone might have said something, but I wasn't listening! I'm... I'm really bad at that."

He crouched down, grabbing hold of her unbroken arm. "Clearly! You are also very bad at lying!" He pulled her up by her arm, and a moment later it was clamped into the cuff again. Despite her squirming, all four of her limbs were bounce once more, and yet again she was left hanging spread eagle between the wooden poles. "I tried to be kind about this, Fidget. All you had to do was tell me what I wanted to know."

She squirmed in the bindings. "I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING!"

She heard him moving around behind her, but could not turn to see. "You would have been treated well if you had simply told us what we wanted to know." When he spoke again, he was much closer. "Now, we do this the hard way." She felt cold steel on her unbroken arm, crying out in pain as a blade cut a long line into her upper arm. She thrashed about in the chains. The wound was not so deep that it gushed blood, but it was still enough that it soaked into her fur, dripping onto the floor. "Tell me what I want to know."

She whimpered, sobbing heavily. "I can't!"

Victor sighed. "No, you just won't." He cut another line into her flesh, this time carving into the back of her left thigh. Once more she was left thrashing about in pain. It was not as blunt as being beaten, but the knife was a sharp pain that left a stinging after it that lingered. She could smell her own blood as it ran from her. "I know why you think you can hold onto this secret." Another line was cut into her right thigh this time. "You believe that you will be saved. Don't you?" She just let out a sob. "I asked you a question. Do you believe you will be saved?"

She shook her head. "N-no..." She hung her head then, falling even more into sobs.

He smiled. "Good. Because you will not." She was shrieking again as the burning iron was pressed to her again, burning directly on the cut on her left thigh. It did not linger this time, moving quickly to the right, and eventually her arm. When it was pulled away, she drooped in the bindings, panting heavily. "That was me being kind. You told me the truth, and I have cauterized your wounds. If I had left them, you would have bled out and died."

She sniffled, hanging in silence for a long time. As he started to move again, she spoke. "You're a monster." Her voice was weak, barely more than a mumble.

Victor turned. "What was that?" He heard her plenty clear, but played that he had not.

Fidget took a deep, if raspy breath and shouted "You're a monster! All of you! You're all monsters!"

Suddenly a hand was around her throat from behind. He did not choke her, but pull her head up sharply. "We are only monsters to hunt worse monsters. Moonbloods wield their foul magics like any would wield a sword. But it is pervasive, corruptive, and devastating! One moonblood with their fire magic can cause more damage than any bomb we know. They can call storms of ice and wind to blanket a town in bitter cold, even in the heat of summer. We have seen this!" He let her head go, only for his fingers to stroke against her wings. "Perhaps you are one of their foul creations, too."

She shivered, both from the pain and the oddly gentle touch on her sensitive wings. "I-I'm not! I'm a nimbat!"

He grunted. "So you say, but we have no record of your people. Where are you even from?"

She was about to tell him, but then stopped herself. Soldiers would probably invade her home if she told them where it was. "F-far away..."

He frowned. "Far away? That's the best you have?" He pulled his hands away from her wing. Then she felt the blade again, piercing through the webbing on her wing. She screamed as he sliced it open, leaving the flesh tattered. "Well, you will never be flying far away again!" He cut more of her wing, carving through the webbing over and over. She shrieked in pain, but also at just what he was doing. Flying was as essential to a nimbat as walking was to anything else. By the time he was done slicing the webbing open, she would never fly again.

Then she felt the iron again, burning into the tattered flesh and sealing the wounds. She shrieked louder than ever before, her cries so loud it ripped at her throat. So loud that she could not hear anything else but herself. So loud that they echoed outside the room, far down the halls. The soldiers outside shivered as they heard the sounds. They shivered again when they suddenly stopped.

Victor set the iron down, as well as the knife. He stepped around the girl. He placed a hand in front of her nose and felt the breath. He grunted. "Dammit." She had passed out, shutting down from the pain. He had to cauterize the cuts on her wings, however. The amount of blood that was running from those slashes was more than he had expected. He had hoped to continue interrogating her, though now he was coming to a conclusion.

The door to the room opened and Claudius stepped inside. "I see your soft handed approach did not go well. Did the heavier hand yield any results?"

Victor sighed, sitting on the stool that Fidget had sat upon earlier. "Some, but nothing immediately useful. It seems Cassius may be just a pawn for the moonbloods. He may even be unaware of it." He saw the questioning look. "I will send a report to General Gaius with the details. Cassius is his problem to deal with now."

Cladius looked to the unconscious Fidget. "So what do we do with her then? Let her go?"

Victor shook his head. "No. She may not know what we want to know, but she is still aiding the moonbloods. Even if she was unaware of it. She would still be an enemy if we let her go." He sat up a little more. "No. Instead, she shall be an example to other moonblood sympathizers."

* * *

Ginger sighed heavily, yet again. "I keep telling you, I don't need an escort!" The orange furred woman had been trying to ditch her 'bodyguard' for the better part of a day now.

Dust also let out a heavy sigh, also not for the first time. "Ginger, I can't just let you walk through here on your own. This is the same forest that Fidget went missing in. It's not safe."

She rolled her eyes. "I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself. I don't need help. Especially YOUR help!" She started tromping forward again.

He shook his head, easily keeping up with her. "Just what do you have against me, anyway? What did I ever do to you!?"

She stopped suddenly, rounding on him. "What did you do!? You..." She looked as if she was about to completely lose her temper, but it faded just as quickly, her shoulders slumping. "You... I don't know. You sound like... someone I used to know, but you don't act like him. But you're wearing..."

He got closer, debating reaching out to touch her shoulder, but thought better of it. "What? What about my clothes? Do you know anything about me!?" She was one of the few people he had confessed his amnesia to so far.

She just shook her head and turned. "No. I don't. Just... let's get through Denham and then... then you can go on your own way while I go mine."

He sighed as she started off again, and he followed. "Fine." For some reason, he was always more... irritated around her. She clearly knew something about him, but refused to say it. He knew that she was someone from his past, but he could not remember anything, just a feeling of... he did not know what.

It was not long before the healthy trees of the forest gave way to burnt and blackened wood, evidence of a wildfire. Past the edge of the trees was the town of Denham, or what was left of it. Dust had fought a crazed man named Fuze there, one who wielded the power of fire. He had destroyed the town, burnt it to the ground, and was planning on moving on more innocent towns. He had to stop him, though for some reason, he regretted doing it.

"Dust, wait!" Ahrah's normally calm and serene voice sounded far more alarmed. The blade could always seem to sense trouble ahead before he could. "There is something wrong."

He looked at the sword. "What?"

"Dust! Stop her!" The sword seemed very insistent. "She must not see-" but it was too late. Ahead, he heard Ginger scream.

He rushed forward, dashing down the street of the small town's remains. "Ginger! Are you..." his voice trailed off. Ginger had fallen to her knees, face sobbing into her hands. He saw why. A wooden cross had been staked into the ground, though it was not burned like everything else around the area. Hanging from the cross was the body of Fidget. Heavy nails had been spiked through her wrists to hold her up by her arms. Her wings were in tatters, her body looked beaten, covered in cuts from swords. Even with her head hanging, he could see that her throat had been slashed, so deep it was a miracle it was still attached. A sign atop the crucifix read 'Moonblood Sympathizer.' The words 'Death to traitors' was carved into the flesh of her chest.

Dust knelt down beside Ginger, and she did not flinch away, only lean against him and sob. He lowered his gaze down, closing his eyes. For the first time since waking in the forest, he shed tears. Tears of sadness, and of rage.

* * *