Black smoke forms large pillars in the sky. The musky air makes it hard to breathe. Yet blue-eyed Ulysses still takes the time to pause and admire a painting as it slowly burns to crisps. He walks around the firey room, glancing down and noticing the marble floors charring. What a shame. He thinks. To see such beauty destroyed. But these humans brought it on themselves.
He had asked the secretary at the museum to show him to the painting, but she called security. Then he had asked security to show him to the painting, but that caused a scene, attracting multiple workers of the museum. He really didn't know when humanity got so bad; They used to be relatively civilized pests. Now they were just vile.
Ulysses closed his eyes. He could hear the screams--begging him to turn around. To save them. But he won't. He was dedicated to his cause and won't abandon it for a few humans.
"και τώρα φτάνετε σε αυτό το τέλος. η αδρανοποίηση, ο ύπνος, πέφτει μέχρι την επόμενη κλήση μου" His words slithered from his mouth, and circled the figure in front of him.
Bright, black lights encircled the figure and shrank down into the size of Monty--the vessel. Monty cracked his neck and stretched his arms in front of him.
"Boy, that one was fun. What was his name again?"
"θάνατος" Ulysses spoke. Monty shivered a little at the sound of his name.
Monty smiled. "That makes sense."
Ulysses scanned the museum. Among the rubble, he spotted Caspian, his Mage, standing over a girl.
"How do you like that, huh? Not so loud anymore, are we?" he taunted. "σιωπή!" he snapped when she tried to speak.
"Caspian, what on earth are you doing?" Ulysses asked.
"Ulysses! Well, I-um, this girl is valuable."
"Valuable?" he raises an eyebrow.
"Yes, she is. She knows where the painting is."
"She knows where the painting is," Ulysses repeats.
"Yep." Caspian grins.
"And you thought to wait until I stumbled upon you torturing this poor, defenseless human to tell me--why?"
"Because I thought I could get some information out of her for you?"
"And that, dear Caspian, is where you got it wrong. You chose to think. Next time, let me do that for you."
"Right. Yeah. I'll just let you think for me, a highly powerful independent adult male. Sure"
Ulysses ignored Caspian and smiles at the girl. "Be a peach and tell me where the painting is?"
The girl groans. Then she hums. Then she groans again.
"Caspian, why can't this girl form any words?'
"Ah, that would be because I cast a spell on her that would prevent her from doing so."
"Caspian."
"Right! μιλώ."
Black light gushes from the girl's mouth, and she spits at Caspian.
"Now that that's out of the way, tell us where the painting is."
"What painting?" she asks.
Ulysses rolls his eyes. "Don't act all innocent on me. Caspian might be stupid, but he's not stupid enough to go through all this trouble for just any ordinary girl. Now spit it out."
"I really don't know what you're referring to. If you want, I can give you a tour of the museum--although there really isn't much left to show you."
"Don't make me ask twice." he barks.
"Never." she narrows her eyes.
He steps up to the girl and her eyes widen. He leans down close to her face, taking a deep breath in. "I don't typically like when people defy me. Do you realize that?" he pauses and waits until she nods. "Good, good. Then you can realize that when I say that I need to know where this painting is, I need to know where this painting is."
She doesn't respond, rather, she trembles. Her eyes are watery, yet for whatever reason, her chin is jutted out; a small act of defiance.
"Oh. I see how it is. You think you can play little-miss hero, don't you? You think, oh just this once I'll do something for the betterment of my people and then I'll be rewarded. Someone will save me--is that what you think? Because let me tell you here that no one is coming to save you."
"I won't tell you where it is." She spat. "I don't care how much you try to torture me, I won't. I can't do it."
Ulysses sighs. "Why do they always try to be the good guy?" he mutters to Caspian.
"I don't know, I like it when they have a bit of fire. Make's it more fun to break them down, don't cha' think so?" Caspian responds.
"Oh, don't be so inhumane Caspian. They are people--just like us, might I add."
"Yes but--"
"--Don't "but" me, Caspian, we have a job to do. That comes first. Only when it is done can you play your silly games with the humans." He waves him off. "Now, missy, don't think I haven't forgotten about you--the opposite in fact!"
"I won't tell you."
"Is that all she can say?" Caspian retorts.
Ulysses crouches down in front of the girl's face. He studies her, tilting his head left and right to get a better angle of her. He reaches out and touches her face. She shudders, blinking quickly as she backs away from his touch. Recoiled. She is repelled at his entire being. And the only thing that was keeping her safe was the knowledge that he desperately desired.
"Oh, but you see, you're wrong. You will tell me. Do you want to know why?"
"Why?" she croaks.
"Because I know something you don't. And would you like to know what that could be?"
"What is it?" she questions, shifting in her seat.
Ulysses leans down and whispers in her ear. It was so quiet, that it almost doesn't sound as if words were being spoken. Almost as if Ulysses wasn't saying anything at all. But he was. He was saying something so impactful, so earth-shattering, so enormously terrifying that it left the poor girl sitting in her seat breathless.
Well, maybe it wasn't that terrible.
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