Manipulation (2)

His indecency turned to anger and frustration at having his voice and privileges taken away. The prince tried a second time to free himself in order to fight with me. I ignored him and resumed my explanations in all serenity “We will not let someone of your rank run away. Our reputation and the bounty are at stake. It is a pity that our clients have completely overestimated his Highness, you are not worth a third of what you will bring us!”

The truth is that we were not only after the bounties. We are driven by higher values. We select contracts for the most perverted targets in order to purge this kingdom.

No one would like to live in the middle of a dump.

We were tired of seeing chaos flourish and innocent people pay the consequences. So we decided to take the lead against a passive government that only wanted to take advantage of the situation.

“Normally, we would have killed you, no matter how noble you were. But it turns out that we made an exception for you: see that you’re still alive! Since you have nowhere else to go and our mission is accomplished, we might as well make you useful to us. To execute you would make us spend energy that we would rather make profitable. You are still young and innocent, cultured, and in good physical condition. There is so much more we can do with you instead let you go waste! In short, you are the perfect profile to become one of our members!”

My enthusiasm displeased him greatly. He had quickly lost interest in my endless explanations and was waiting to see where I was going with annoyance. We both knew that there was no question of special treatment. That there was something more serious behind my spiel.

I indicated with a wave of my hand that it was his turn. As soon as he realized that his voice had been returned to him, he used it “Go to the point please, I want to hear about the details of my debt.”

“I offer the lodged-fed-trained formula in exchange for your simple submission. All you have to do is accompany me to my work and follow my instructions. It's a good deal since we don't normally recruit.”

If he only knew how to recruit assassins in the proper way!

“Over what period will the contract run?”

Did he think he was in a position to negotiate?

“For life. What did you expect?”

He nearly choked as he listened to me speak as if the consequence was less.

“Are you kidding me?! I would rather die than endure your rudeness for the rest of my life! I will not betray my country!”

My ‘rudeness’?! Speak for yourself, you worthless prince!

If he was so stubborn... I would dismantle everything he believed in. Everything, until he had nothing to hold on to until he realized how naked and vulnerable he was. That now: he belonged to me and he'd better be grateful.

“Really? Because can you imagine, this is the basement where the dirty work is done, right where you sit...” I pointed.

The boy looked around in horror as he thought of being held in a disgusting place, a witness to awful crimes. The countless scratches on the iron bars where his arms rested gave him a clear idea of what was in store for him.

“Wouldn't you like a more comfortable seat?”

They all think the same thing before they become old bones! I was feeding on the disillusionment that drowned them as soon as I put them on the grill.

Pff, all the same...

“Finish me off right now! I will not concede anything to your lust!”

He thought he could escape by dying, what a fool!

“Is that the last word from our Highness? I couldn't scrap you off the floor after...”

I took great pleasure in delaying his sentence, knowing that he would eventually turn.

“Criminals like you have no merit! One day I will arrest you and all those who threaten my kingdom! I will see to it that you are exposed in the public square, where you will die of humiliation.”

And so what else...? This country does not belong to you, we are all in the same boat.

“Oh, your Highness, how would you do that if you are so keen to die rather than ‘concede anything to my lust’?”

“Whoever succeeds me will take care of it personally for me, don't worry.”

“What a ruthless king you are! We don’t deserve to that extend your cruelty. I am acting in the concerns of the people, while your successor will be busy spreading hatred and inequality as your royal line has always done," I continued, illustrating my speech with small superfluous gestures. “It is the citizens who are victims of your selfish policies who turn to us for help. That makes your family the main cause of what is happening to you now if I am not mistaken...”

I paused for a moment, during which the prince digested my words bitterly. “Avoid making enemies if you do not want to be the victim of attacks next time! I have done you a great service, I have been generous, so please do not offend me again. We are so generous that we can even put your father out of his misery, just ask us!”

“You are worse than-“

I didn't want to hear him anymore, so I snapped my spell back on to bring silence.

Magic really does solve all your problems, there's no denying it!

His eyes flashed with the most revulsion I had ever seen. Taking a liking to it, I trampled on his ego by stirring the knife in the wound. “His Highness, do you even like your family?” I asked him, swaying from left to right like a curious child. “Your parents must be detestable, they always put pressure on the heir. This government controls every second of your life, no doubt about it! It's always the same old story with the nobles, no originality, they're just trash...”

My mouth came close to his ear, forcing him to memorize every syllable that flayed everything he had built during his childhood. Hiding behind him, the impostor couldn't even make eye contact with me.

“I pity you, you're just one of their puppets.”

He forgot to breathe. That was the word too much. But what did I have to fear from him? That he would jump down my throat? That he would insult me?

There was nothing he could do about it. Nothing, except listen and let my venom get into his head. It hadn't been very difficult to find his weak spot.

After a cure of poison, it was time to offer him the antidote. “I find this far more shameful than joining us. His Highness will always enjoy more freedom from his duties, you be the judge. If you cooperate and the result is efficient to work, your condition will not be so bad, on the contrary. But if you prefer to die then... We will deliver you as originally planned for two million to those who will take pleasure in torturing you.”

Credulous, he took me at face value, containing his impulses to listen to me. It was too much fun to make him believe anything, the nobles were really living on a cloud!

No one had dared to stand up to him as I was doing. There was a beginning to everything... Poor thing, I wouldn't even let him get a word in edgewise!

He thought deeply for a moment about whether it was better to sacrifice himself as a hero or to survive as a criminal. The prince was first and foremost a human, and he wanted to stay alive despite what he was trying to make me believe. He could always deny it, but I knew this trick from having observed it hundreds of times when I was torturing.

So the second stage of my brainwashing began to change his mind:

First, present yourself as kind and sensitive to bait him. The best way is to make your target beholden to you. To hold him, you must hold some or all of his assets; this will be your leverage.

Once the subject is at your mercy, make him understand that you will always be superior. That he is worthless without you. To do this, break all his beliefs by putting him down repeatedly and gradually. Isolate him, for as long as possible for a more satisfactory result.

Then promise him the best bait. Make his hope that by obeying you he will be happier. Manipulate his hope and let him imagine as he pleases. Avoid bringing him into contact with the outside world, as this may alter your approach.

Finally, instill your rules and ideology in the subject, as the only truth in the world. If you want, you can mold it into the image you choose, it will go along with it. Give him orders, coach him and then reward him with every effort he makes. Do not under any circumstances bring him the object of his desire, at the risk of compromising his submission...

Now the subject will not turn away from you. He will probably propagate your values around him by vocation, even if it means becoming violent. There is no need to monitor him: he will no longer be able to do without your presence.

Congratulations, you have just trained a faithful slave who will be useful to you for life!

~~~~

This rich brat could never understand how difficult it was to get a living when we did not come from a wealthy family. When we didn't have servants. We had to earn our living by our own means... The prince convinced himself that ‘killing is wrong', without looking any further.

Seeing that he hesitated, I encouraged him “I will make you a powerful man, beyond the jurisdiction of a monarch. You will be able to master all the obstacles in your way without frustration. You can get anything you desire with a simple twist of the sword. Nothing is set in stone, and it may be now that your life will change direction. This is a profitable opportunity: I promise you a second life better than the last.”

I will take good care of you, Big Brother.

After promising him security and comfort, I guaranteed him power and domination: enough to lure any greedy man! Contrary to my expectations, the impostor was not pursuing such dreams. He had lost all hope of communicating his intentions. He was interested in strength only if he had the opportunity to overthrow me. For the rest, greed only applied to his progenitor, what a pity.

I spoke back to him, but he was no longer trying to speak. I frowned and said again “Well? Do you really want to die? Have you nothing to hold on to? No regrets?”

“I suppose that whatever the outcome of this negotiation, you will do with me as you please...” he concluded, looking away with a resigned look.

To hear him tell it, I was like a feline playing with his catch, knowing full well that he was going to fill his belly... The light had just gone out in his eyes.

He would no longer resist.

His future was still being decided without his consent. I think that in his early days in our organization he hated me almost as much as I despised his kind.