Blend the Light

Minotaur, Blade, and... Twig

 "Who is the leader of The Loyal Order of Thorny Devils?" Are they ever going to learn that I will not tell them anything? I'm not going to. I will never tell them anything. I will never tell them anything. I will never tell them anything. Several moments pass by. Then several more. Then a few more. I barely have any time to react before the Wasteland guard with all the weapons draws back his arm and throws a dagger at me. It whistles past my ear. My heart rate spikes as it comes to a stop partially embedded in the stone wall behind me. I draw in a shaky breath. "Answer the question, Hawk. There's an easy way to go about doing this, and a hard way." The Wasteland guard twirls one of many daggers around his fingers. The edge is very pointy. Like, very pointy.

Thud. Thud. Two more daggers fly by me, one whistling over my shoulder, and the other carving a small line of red across my cheek. I feel adrenaline start to course through my veins. Another round of daggers are thrown my way, but this time there's also a few stars mixed in. Some don't hit me. Some do. Some just cut thin lines through my clothes, and some break through my skin. I wince at the sharp sting of pain as blood slowly trickles from the cuts. Rex looks back at me. A soft whimper escapes his mouth. The skinny Wasteland guard reaches out to grab him, but Rex whips his head around, and his teeth sink into the Wasteland guard's hand. The corner of my mouth pulls up into a small smile at the Wasteland guard's echoing howl.

Alright, alright, now, Hawk, just a little while longer. No speaking. You can do it. "Oh, you're going to pay for that, little doggy." The skinny Wasteland guard's voice is icily calm. He lands a punch across Rex's face, and the dog stumbles back a few steps, rocking slightly. Another blow connects with his shoulder, and a kick lands on his side. Rex cries out. His legs give out, and he falls. A flurry of attacks land on him. He tries to fight back, but he can't. The skinny Wasteland guard continues his attack on Rex while the Wasteland guard with all the weapons advances on me.

I take a few steps back. "Come on, Hawk. Say something. It's so easy. Once you answer our questions, we'll leave you and the dog alone." Why do they keep saying the same things over and over and over again? Come on... I-I just want all of this to be over. Is that too much to ask? For everything to go back to how it was? I want to see Jay and Adrien. Karly, Karla, and Kayla. Sasha. Vladimir. I want to see all of the T-LOOT-Dians... Is it too much to ask for that? The Wasteland guard throws a punch. My head snaps to the side, and I taste the iron tang of blood as it pools in my mouth. A few drops trickle from the corner of my mouth. I slowly lift my head, and glower at the Wasteland guard with a look that could kill an army in an instant. He doesn't blink. "I could continue with this all day, so answer the question." His fist hooks into my stomach. The air is sucked from my lungs. I collapse to the ground on my hands and knees, gasping for breath. I'm brought to my side a moment later when the Wasteland guard slams the flat side of one of his swords into my shoulder.

"Tell. Me. Who. The. Leader. Of. The. Loyal. Order. Of. Thorny. Devils. Is. Right. This. Instant!" He snarls, an attack for each syllable. Who knows how many bruises will riddle my skin when they're done. I don't even want to how half of them, or a quarter. Blood flows from wounds scattered across my body. The Wasteland guard lashes out with words and his weapons, shouting for me to tell them about T-LOOT-D, to tell them all the secrets, how to defeat us, how many of us exist, where are all of us located, if anyone is at the Wasteland, and my least favourite question of all time: who is the leader of The Loyal Order of Thorny Devils. I swear I might just explode if I hear that stupid question one more time.

My ribs cry out as yet another attack lands on my side. I want to fight back- I really do. My entire being is urging me to fight back, to attack and knock him out cold... But I can't find any strength anywhere. Not even the tiniest droplet of strength exists. I'm curled up in a ball, trying not to cry even though I know in my heart I should be trying to fight my way out and back to T-LOOT-D instead. Pain explodes across my body a moment after each blow lands, one after the next. And I thought the pain was bad when I was Blending myself if that's even what you would call it. It's always at a ten. Please, I just want everything to stop. Just stop, please.