Chapter 9: Comrades in Arms

         Rowan is stunned in silence thinking back to all those people that were dead next to him followed with a few people kneeling exhausted. Many of those people were in the same shape as the rest in this room, stripped of their dignity, ripped from their lives, separated from their friends and loved ones. Just holding on to the shared comradery of this trauma they are all going through, never Rowan thought about the cost of what it needs to use magic let alone to summon someone from another world.

Still holding Eribella's hand he grips back, "I know it's not my fault but I can not help but feel sorry you went through that." Rowan chokes at the thought some more, "No one should have to go through this." Eribella adjust herself to also lay down above Rowan, "I know, I was also brought here the same way." She continues to stare upwards, "Since my coming my tasks have been to be used as a conduit with others from this and other cells to summon more people here."

Rowan ponders the messed up possibilities on why people would resort to using live sacrifices. But also came to a conclusion, that if you don't see the people in this room as people but cattle? Then we are nothing more than beast of burden and sacrificial offerings to cater or appease a higher being. "As Kiri mentioned before, this was a traditional misunderstanding on how magic works." Rowan continues to piece it together, "It only seems recently as advancements are concerned, that magic is not a form of summoning spirits but more like using a resource to cause a reaction." Eribella follows Rowan's train of thought, "Kind of like how if you have the right fuel, and a tools you can create a chemical reaction like fire."

Rowan agreeing, "Yeah exactly, the fuel in this case is a form that has no matter? But is stored within a body and it generates an energy." Eribella bouncing the thought back, "An energy that can be spent, and making a flame, or to alter someone's anatomy. It's just a free renewable resource, we just have to know how to use it." Rowan now thinking about the subject at hand realizes that this is a very scientific approach in figuring out how not only this world works but magic as a whole. "Um Eribella not to sound rude but what is your worlds technology level like?" He elaborates, "From my world we are able to use an electric energy source to power carriages or carts. As well as owning a device that can store nearly all our worlds information in a.." Rowan is trying to describe a phone in a more simple object until Eribella cuts him off. "A tablet like device? where you can move your fingers in the air, and the air has a texture to give you feedback on where you are grasping?"

Surprised and amazed, Rowan confirms "Not yet actually, we have something we call holograms but they do not have a texture to them!" The two of them spend the night comparing notes of what level of technology each others worlds have. They both discover that both come from a world that is on the similar tech level but not quite space fairing yet. The subject of space travel and sending communications to different galaxies is a bit difficult to translate. Even the magic runes that help translate haves its limits. Both do come to an understanding that each others respective galaxy must be too far to be properly observed by each owns world. Even through the excitement Rowan reached a point where he finds it difficult to keep his eyes open. Rowan expressed his blessings of well rest to everyone, turns over, and falls asleep.

"Heel!" The cursed words were uttered once more as Rowan and everyone in the room instantly wake up, and stand straight at attention. The metal door opens and Braxen steps forward, surveying the room till he sets his sights on Rowan. Then he does a quick sweep and looks back at in Rowan's direction, "24601, ah, and 24571, come here." With a surprised pleasant tone to his voice, Rowan and Eribella move towards the monocled Magi, as Braxen ushers them outside the cell. "Now follow me." The group go down the hallway past the double doors, and down the stairs.

Once they reached the bottom floor and entered through another set of double doors to another familiar hallway. Rowan and Eribella enter the chamber to where they were summoned before, now that there is more torchlight Rowan can see a clearer picture of the room. The chamber is about the same size as the cells they are kept in, carved stone walls with torches lined the walls with a gilded tiled floor all etched in runes forming a circle at the center of the room. Standing upright racks and cages are lining the walls of this chamber, all but one of the racks are empty as there is a person barely conscious.

Braxen approaches the man and gestures his hand and draws a circle in the air with a finger. A jet of water shoots out of Braxen's hand slapping the man with a constant stream of water to wake up. The man has black hair, shirt torn, with all kinds of bruises and cuts on his arms, chest and face. Braxen addresses Rowan and Eribella, "You tasks today is to help gather information from this agent, we found him snooping in..." Braxen takes a minute and thinks it over, "You know what, you would not even know, and why should you care!? grab those seven certi and do as your told." He points to a wide bucket with whips in them, Rowan and Eribella hesitate looking at each other then slowly walk to the bucket. "Grab them!" Compulsion strikes again as a force moves Rowan and Eribella to grab the whips. These whips look to be made up of seven knotted pieces of leather on a cotton like cord.

Dread sets in for the both of them fearing what might be asked of them to do for this task. Braxen asks the drenched man, "What were your orders?" Exasperated the man is mumbling, "I-I-I, had no orders sir, swear, I was just lost in the garden!" An audible ding rings in Braxen's robe pocket, he pulls it out to show a fancy gold looking pocket watch on a gold chain. Braxen looks at it then towards Rowan, "Strike him." Rowan freezes looking at the whip, Eribella with a dread and fearful expression. Braxen rolls his eyes, "If you will not do as I say then you will strike her instead." Braxen's annoyed expression turns to Eribella, "And as you to him as well." He focuses back to Rowan, "Strike him."

Rowan walks up whip at hand as he readies it and gives a awkward strike across the mans chest. Braxen exhales in frustration and looks at Eribella, "Do it!" Compulsion over takes Eribella as she whips Rowan on the back, he jumps reaching for the fresh wounds. He turns and sees the betrayal in Eribella's eyes as she stares at her hands, then guilt fill them as she looks at Rowan. Braxen with a stern look, "Now, 24601, try again." Rowan readies the whip once more, and adds force to his strike, his aim not the greatest catches the man across the face. The racked man screams, pleading that he does not know what Braxen is talking about.

The goes on for what seemed like hours, Braxen would ask a question, and he would receive an unsatisfying answer, the watch would chime, followed with a snap of the whip. Anytime Eribella would be told to whip the man Rowan stepped up instead, hoping she could be spared. Braxen took notice of this action, and at the end of the session he was satisfied with the torture on display. Braxen turns to the Rowan and Eribella, "That was a fine display 24601. But I was hoping to see more of 24571's prowess tonight." He glares at Rowan, then at Eribella, "Stand still. Strike him." Rowan freezes in place, as Eribella with cold precision whips Rowan on the chest. Braxen commands, "Again." Eribella continues with the look of horror in her eyes.

This continued for every strike Rowan jumped in for Eribella's stead, Braxen with a pleased look, "Now when we do this again, if you don't follow my instructions I will have to resort in you killing her instead."