A Tale Of Remnant

Eclipse Preparation

Elizabeth never liked watching others suffer. It always disturbed her whenever a person was brutalized and beaten. Perhaps it was her maternal instinct? Whatever the case, she felt a guilt watching the display of outright torture committed against the Atlesian woman before her.

The woman was among the unfortunate survivors of the disastrous Battle of Ebonvale. As a commissioned officer, she held valuable secrets and codes that could be used against the kingdom of Atlas. Tied to a rack, the officer had been left to the cruel machinations of the Multazim for days. Their use of drugs weakened her greatly, but she resisted all attempts to extract information. For that, Elizabeth somewhat admired her enough that she regretted her fate. Nathan had wanted for Efreeti to put her out of her misery and use his semblance to extract the information he wanted, but Sora insisted on trying his hand first. So here she was, an officer of Atlas' military, being skinned one scoop of flesh at a time by a sadistic huntsman-in-training, unable to even bleed to death.

"Ah," Sora smiled in satisfaction,"I think that is good enough for now. I'll let you think over cooperating with me later. I have a guest to entertain."

He set aside his scalpel on a tray near the rack. Turning to Elizabeth, he cracked a grin.

"So the Bourbon's pet performer has chosen to grace me with her presence."

"I'm not a performer," Elizabeth responded.

"No? I would think so. You're a faunus with two animal traits and a rare hair color. Furthermore you have a petite, feminine figure. I honestly can't imagine a better job for you."

"I'm guessing your job is something higher up?"

"If by higher up you mean inheriting a logging and steeler company, then yes," Sora answered sarcastically.

The conversation as it was didn't bode well for Elizabeth. She had hoped that he was a nice guy who just happened to be skilled at something cruel. But if his attitude gave her any idea of who he is as a person, she'd have to say he reminds her of Amnon. The thought unnerved her.

"Wouldn't being a known torturer ruin your family name? I can't believe that you would make many friends," she observed.

"A great Mistral warlord once said that you could live with a man and call him friend your whole life. You share with him all you have and he shares with you all he has. Then tie him up, and hold him over the volcano's edge. And on that day, you will finally meet the man. I fancy myself a devoted follower of that ideal."

Elizabeth lifted an eyebrow to that.

"If that's the case, why not just execute people outright?"

Sora whips out a condescending smirk.

"Heavens no. Torture is an art that goes far beyond such petty tactics. Besides, plenty of people learn how to kill. Not so many learn how to inflict pain. A skill like that is bound to come in handy for the business world."

"Why be a huntsman then? If you're so proud of your family business, why not stay there?"

Sora's eyes dulled. Any mirth found in his expression was replaced with a bored indifference. Crossing his arms he leaned back against the torture rack.

"You want to know why I chose to attend Haven academy?", Sora passively asked.

"Alright, I'll tell you. It's because I want to kill huntsmen. Oh? Not what you were expecting? I thought it was obvious. You see, my family has a, eh, reputation for deforestation. It's not a clean conscience type of legacy but someone had to do it. Nevertheless it wasn't appreciated. Some rookies from Haven academy began sabotaging the family business. Mills destroyed, machines pushed far beyond disrepair, and plenty of workers staying home to avoid the beating that awaited them. Those tree hugging bastards terrorized the company. So I tried to stop them. I failed. So I tried again. I failed again and again and again. Each time I learned their tricks. Each time I improved in combat. I occasionally got the drop on them, but I never won. Would you like to know why?"