Book 2: Chapter 50: Interrogation and Chubby Devil
"What the..." the leading guard muttered in shock.
He sprinted up to Lone and grabbed him by his collar - a difficult challenge given the height difference. "Oi, ya foxy cunt! Where'd ya put 'at?! It's worth more than ye could ever make in yer lifetime!"
'Doubtful considering I've literally made ruby-gold coins in the past...' Lone's smile widened. "I have no idea what you're talking about." He then held out his hands and gestured to his wrists. "Please, cuff me and whisk me away. I'm more than willing to go through the legal proceedings here. Illegally learning the Steamforging skill is the charge levied against me, yes?"
'I'm pretty excited to learn how the judicial system is managed here if I'm being honest. Anything has to be better than getting tortured for months on end by a deranged knight in a disgusting dungeon cell,' Lone thought.
"Feckin' lunatic... Whatever. It's yer 'ead, nae mine," the guard grumbled as he slapped the cuffs around Lone's wrists.
At the same time, Lone sent a telepathic message to Soph. 'Don't worry about me. If things get bad, you can just teleport me out. I kinda wanna see how things work here in comparison to Milindo.'
She frowned in response. 'I'm not letting you leave my Mana Sensing's range. But... okay. I'll look after Breena while you figure this out just... don't do anything dangerous.'
'These folk are reasonable. If they really have dirt on me and Wilbur, I'll get exiled at worst. Not a huge loss since we were leaving anyway,' Lone replied. 'I do wanna clear Gramps's name first though. I can act, persuade, and lie, hard enough to ensure my involvement with him doesn't mess up his ascension as an epitome.'
'O-Okay. That's fair. Sophie doesn't like it, but I... we both understand. Um, I like that you care about him, by the way,' Soph said as she smiled warmly.
At that moment, Hamish stepped up. "Oi, ah dinnae ken what all this shite regardin' steamforgin' is all aboot, but this tall cunt just 'elped save over 200 ah oor kin. The missin' kin, tae be exact. They should be arrivin' in the next couple ah 'ours."
The leading guard grunted uncaringly. "Aye, 'at soonds like good news, but it disnae matter. Ah crime's ah crime. Even yer famous arse almost got arrested when ye kidnapped this cunt an' beat 'is brains oot. Be thankful 'e's nae ah dwarf. An' be thankful 'e never filed charges against ye."
Hamish frowned and knitted his brow. "Fair 'nuff." He turned to Lone and shrugged, "Whelp, cannae say ah didnae try. Ye gonna be awright?"
Lone grinned. "I've been through worse. You just report our quest to the guild, yeah? I'm actually kinda looking forward to seeing how this is going to pan out."
Hamish gave him a funny look before sighing. He spun around and started walking away, further into the city. "Fine. Ah'll catch ye's later, ah suppose."
Lone nodded before he spoke to the man arresting him. "Just to confirm, but I'm the only one in trouble right now, yes?"
"Ye an' Wilbur Steamson, aye. If ye'r worried aboot yer companions, then dinnae be. As much as Ah'd love tae cuff an 'uman, she 'asnae broken any laws, nor 'as the wee foxkin lassie. Only ye. Two crimes noo, by the way. Theft's nae exactly somethin' we allow 'ere either," the guard said as he started dragged Lone through the street.
Lone quickly moved his feet to keep up with the surprisingly quick dwarf. "Ah, that's great news."
After learning that, he kept his mouth shut and allowed the men to do their jobs. All the while, Soph and Breena followed them undisturbed.
"He just... turned himself in?" Elric Greydron asked with an arched eyebrow.
The guard before him nodded politely. "Aye, sir. 'At 'e did. Didnae even try tae fight us or nuthin'."
"Curious..." Elric mumbled. "And Hamish's claims?"
"True, as far as we can tell, sir," the guard answered honestly. "The fella also seems pretty close tae the foxkin. Stood up fae 'im. Weird since 'e was slappin' 'im aroond only ah month back noo."
"Very interesting. Well, go fetch him then. I'll start the interrogation now," Elric said as he got himself comfortable in his inquisitor's chair.
The guard audibly gulped and saluted before leaving the questioning chamber. It was an expensive piece of equipment, this room.
Steamforged to the Stone and back and heavily enchanted on top of that. It was one of the many things an urd was required to have to even be considered for a krieg promotion.
It wasn't a perfect questioning chamber, sadly. Its enchantments could be stronger and the inquisitor's chair more imposing. However, for a far off border krieg, its quality was of a sufficient level in Elric's opinion.
He shook his head as he took off his magical glasses to clean them. "Why a future epitome did something as foolish as teaching a foxkin steamforging is beyond me. What a fucking mess."
He put his glasses back on and sighed deeply. Not a moment later, the door was opened and a very pleased-looking foxkin easily two feet taller than himself stepped into the room.
"Yo," the foxkin greeted with a little wave despite having his hands shackled. "Nice room."
"I'm glad you like it," Elric said as he motioned for the chair opposite him. "Sit."
The foxkin known as Lone Immortus happily did as he was told. 'Good. Compliant. I'd hate to have to dirty my hands. It's always such a nuisance when they think too much of themselves. Feeling his aura though... D-ranker? Not too bad. It implies his age though. No older than 200 years.'
"Y'know, I gotta say. This is already miles above that shitty dungeon in Ranton. You guys actually fed and watered me. You're also questioning me. They didn't bother. Just slapped me in a cell and that was that. I appreciate that. You lot didn't chain me up either," the foxkin praised before he raised his hands and shook his shackles. "Well, besides this, I guess. Still better though. Bonus points to the dwarves."
'Okay, I can work with this. Break the ice before I start the investigation? Very well,' Elric thought as he nodded. "We are all living beings, after all, criminals or not. Why, might I ask, have you seen the state of the dungeon in Milindo's capital?"
"Haven't heard?" Lone Immortus asked with a cock of his head. "Hmm... Well, I chopped off the crown prince's arms during a tournament. Nothing permanent, just put him in his place. I then accidentally turned their summoned hero into paste so they arrested me."
"How does one... accidentally turn a possessor of a unique skill into paste?" Elric asked, more than a little bit intrigued.
"For a start, the guy had a garbage unique skill. Super Persuasion or someshit? Well, not garbage per say, but bad for combat. Means jack-all either way when you're up against a god." Lone Immortus chuckled. He raised one of his tails and pointed to its tip. "Primals, man. They're pretty nasty. Awakened mid-fight and the fucker possessed me. Anyway, we're here because of steamforging, right?"
"Yes, we are," Elric answered. 'Three colours... The foxkin doesn't have long left to live regardless. What is that black though? The blue is Sky, the purple is Darkness... Hmm...'
Elric wasn't ashamed to admit that he knew a lot about the topsider gods. More than most dwarves, in fact. He'd never been topside himself but he was old at over 2,000 years of age. Hence his refined accent and his strength.
One didn't become an S-ranker while avoiding fighting without an incredibly sharp mind.
That was one of the reasons he had been sent here from the capital krieg, in fact. Because he had extensive knowledge on beastkin and the gods which favoured them: the Primals.
"So, Mister Immortus, would you be so kind as to explain why you know the Steamforging skill? If you could return the device used to determine this too, that would be excellent," Elric requested. 'It won't get the theft charge dropped, but his sentence will likely get reduced. Considering his crimes and his awakenings, the poor bastard might die behind bars.'
Elric had known a great many beastkin in his time as one of the leading inquisitors of the greater council. One thing was common among them all. If they had more than one tail or had awakened, they were all... unhinged in a way.
Not broken just... jaded. For this young foxkin to have not two, not three, but nine tails... On top of that to have awakened three times, one of which to something unknown to Elric... It spoke volumes of the man known as Lone Immortus.
Nine tails; eight harrowing, life-changing events. Three awakenings; three times he was consumed by his own emotions. A volatile man, of that, Elric had no doubts. Also one who would not break nor bend easily.
'I don't know if he's so calm because he thinks he'll get exiled or what, but he is most certainly getting locked up until a Taker can come and remove his Steamforging. That or he'll be shipping to the capital and never see outside of a specialised cell for the rest of his short life. Learning that skill as a non-dwarf is simply too serious of a crime,' Elric lamented.
The foxkin chuckled a bit before abruptly stopping. His eyes then glazed over.
'System notifications? Whatever for?' Elric wondered in shock.
The only reason he'd be getting system notifications right now would be if he had learned a new skill or levelled up an existing one. The most like cause of this would be...
"Man, these enchantments are cool. Are they, like, a knock-off attempt to get the benefits of a White Dragonkin? I did think my lips were looser than normal, so that would explain it," Lone Immortus asked curiously. "Ohhh it's levelling like crazy. Powerful enchantments, for sure. I can already feel the compulsion to speak honestly waning a bit."
"... You just earned Enchantment Magic Resistance?" Elric asked with his jaw hanging open.
Enchantment magic was notorious for being one of the hardest magic resistances to train, let alone earn. It was up there with gravity, illusion and many other less direct magic typings.
"Man, fuck me. It's hard as shit to resist spilling the beans on everything. Oh well, not that I'm really trying to hide much. I learned Steamforging the same way as I did this skill just now," Lone Immortus claimed with a shrug of his shoulders.
Elric raised a confused eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
"Well, I'll be honest with you," the foxkin said with a bold smile on his face, "I'm only 25, okay? Pretty young, yeah? Despite that, I have over 80 skills. I just find fuckin' everything easy to learn. One day, I accidentally saw Gramps- eh, Wilbur, doing some Steamforging. Then what do you know? I have the skill."
"... So you're trying to tell me that you learned it on your own? No teaching required whatsoever? You just... have it after watching him? That's still a crime, by the way. Illegal witnessing of council secrets without permission," Elric explained with disbelief marring his every word.
Lone Immortus shrugged uncaringly. "It is what it is. Charge me as you like, but leave the old man out of it, yeah? I can prove it to you if you want. Use some skills on me and I'll use 'em right back. Ah, except magic. I can't use MP."
'He can learn any skill? Any? What about unique skills? What of racial ones? Soul skills or other Primal ones? No, this is too farfetched. He must be resisting the enchantments with all of his willpower,' Elric assumed.
He then frowned deeply. "No, I don't think I will. I'll certainly keep this in mind and bring it up to the deciders, but it's rather unbelievable."
Again, the foxkin shrugged his shoulders. "So is a foxkin becoming friends with his former kidnapper and attempted murderer and then helping that very same person rescue over 200 dwarves. The world is a fuckin' magical place, man. You wouldn't believe half the shit I've seen and been through."
"I'm sure. Well, you're free to return to your cell now. I think I have enough information to go off of for now. Just to confirm, you're not going to return that Steamforging Checker, are you?" Elric asked.
The foxkin grinned as he slowly stood up. "What Steamforging Checker? I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Right..." Elric shook his head. 'Too arrogant for his own good. He can also already resist the enchantments enough to lie somewhat. I knew the quality here was lacking. This is a total failure of an interrogation.'
Lone Immortus slowly ambled towards the door before he stopped and questioned, "Uh, by the way, how long do you think it'll be before my trial? I am getting a trial, right?"
"Of course you are. We aren't barbarians. I'd estimate anywhere from a few days to a few weeks," Elric answered honestly.
Even with his own level of Enchantment Magic Resistance, he too felt the compulsion of the room's enchantments tug away at his mind. Luckily, he had worked hard to raise the skill to expert rank.
It would take a far stronger questioning chamber to make him reveal any truths without his consent.
Lone Immortus scrunched up his face before slowly nodding. "'Kay. I'm not gonna eat or drink anything you give me then. I'm going to train my Hunger and Thirst Resistance skills. Gotta be productive, even if I'm locked up behind bars."
Elric paled a little. "You claim to only be 25 but you have both Hunger Resistance and Thirst Resistance?"
The foxkin flashed him a sorry smile. "A drop in the bucket, my vertically challenged acquaintance. I got a lot of presents during my several month-long stint in Ranton's dungeon. I'll tell you what though, it wasn't half worth it when I made the king's brains leak out of his ears. Man, hearing him beg for an explanation as I killed his stupid SS-ranked ass... Gratifying stuff."
Elric damn near felt his heart stop dead in his chest. The bloodlust in the room was almost palpable.
Only when the foxkin had left the chamber entirely did Elric find himself calming down. "Me? Scared of a D-ranker?... If he can lie so much even under the enchantments then how much of this can even be trusted?"
He rubbed his glabella and sighed deeply. "I didn't even gain a level in Interrogation Mastery... What a pain in the fucking ass..."
Lone rubbed the side of his head when he returned to his cell. "Trippy experience. Not a nice feeling, having your mind get fucked with like that. I mean, I got a lot out of it but I also said way more than I normally would have or rightly should have..."
He slumped down onto his cot in his cell as he decided to go over his system gains from the strange interview.
The host has developed the passive skill: Enchantment Magic Resistance.
Passive Skill: Enchantment Magic Resistance
A skill that allows the host to resist all negative enchantments (depends on the host's mindset).
Enchantment Magic that the host deems harmful that is used on them will be weakened by 5%.
Cost:N/A Mastery:Beginner Level 1
'Ah, cool. I was worried good enchantments would be affected too. Not like I have any enchanted gear or tattoos or anything like that but at least it's a non-issue for if and when I ever do,' Lone thought in relief.
Congratulations! The host's passive skill [Enchantment Magic Resistance] has levelled up! It is now Beginner Level 2.
Congratulations! The host's passive skill [Enchantment Magic Resistance] has levelled up! It is now Beginner Level 3.
Congratulations! The host's passive skill [Enchantment Magic Resistance] has levelled up! It is now Beginner Level 4.
Congratulations! The host's passive skill [Enchantment Magic Resistance] has levelled up! It is now Beginner Level 5.
Congratulations! The host's passive skill [Enchantment Magic Resistance] has levelled up! It is now Beginner Level 6.
Congratulations! The host's passive skill [Enchantment Magic Resistance] has levelled up! It is now Beginner Level 7.
Congratulations! The host's passive skill [Enchantment Magic Resistance] has levelled up! It is now Beginner Level 8.
Congratulations! The host's passive skill [Enchantment Magic Resistance] has levelled up! It is now Beginner Level 9.
Congratulations! The host's passive skill [Enchantment Magic Resistance] has levelled up! It is now Beginner Level 10.
Congratulations! The host's passive skill [Enchantment Magic Resistance] has levelled up! It is now Intermediate Level 1.
Passive Skill: Enchantment Magic Resistance
A skill that allows the host to resist all negative enchantments (depends on the host's mindset).
Enchantment Magic that the host deems harmful that is used on them will be weakened by 15% [+10%].
Cost:N/A Mastery:Intermediate Level 1
'What a fuckin' shame it stopped there. I have a feeling those enchantments could maybe have pushed it to advanced. I bet I'd need to sit in that room for hours though. Might be worth throwing a fit if I get pulled in for another interview though just to get that rank up...' Lone considered.
'Lone? Are you okay?' Soph asked him through their telepathic connection. 'I felt you go into a room filled with magic. I can still feel some of that magic lingering on you now.'
'Ah, it was an interrogation room. Enchantments covered it. They made me want to be truthful with whatever I said. Kinda weird experience, if I'm being honest. I got another skill out of it though, so I can't complain,' Lone replied as he settled into his prisoner's cot.
He then summoned Kyuubi. The fox curled up her nose, clearly not impressed with the smell of the place. She just decided to crawl under Lone's shirt and then fall asleep.
'Did you just summon Kyuubi? Why? I-Isn't that dangerous?' Soph asked.
Lone shrugged, knowing she could see that through her Mana Sensing. 'We can escape easily. I'm kinda done with pretending to be weak. I killed an SS-ranker when I was an E-ranker. Now that I'm D-ranked and have another daily use of Mental Destruction, I bet I could kill an SSS-ranker without much trouble. Not to mention I can drop A-rankers with a single use provided they aren't super kitted out to resist magic or mental attacks.'
'... So it's okay to reveal your unique skills?' Soph asked, uncertainty clear in her voice.
'No, but I already stole that device and they couldn't find it when they searched me. It makes no difference if I summon a harmless little fox... Okay, she's not exactly little, the chubby devil... Still, you get the point,' Lone replied.
'I want us to leave this place. Breena agrees. Even Sophie agrees. Um, she's the most adamant. If this is just a repeat of Ranton... S-She's threatening to go on a Teleportation killing spree. She's saying she thinks she may be able to create barriers inside of people. Inside of people, Lone. D-Do you get how... cruel that is?' Soph asked.
Lone could hear the tears in her voice and it upset him. 'Don't worry. The dwarves here are fair. I'll go through their trial. Trust me, I'm not being tortured or anything. I want to protect Gramps. He taught me Steamforging but the man's almost dead. I don't want to ruin his path to becoming an epitome of steamforging like this.'
'S-Sophie doesn't like it but I-I trust you! I'm not letting you get out of my range though. And if anyone, I mean anyone hurts you, I'm teleporting you away! E-Even if you protest,' Soph declared powerfully.
Lone chuckled a bit. 'Soph Vladimirovich, my knight in shining armour. I'm counting on you. For now though, I'm gonna train up a bunch of my skills. Don't worry about them not giving me food or water, by the way. That was at my request. Gotta train up my Fuck Sir Ardus skills right?'
'Ha-ah... You can be hard to deal with at times, Lone. I still love you though,' Soph replied.
'D-Did Soph just sigh at me? She's grown so much! Hahaha,' Lone laughed internally. 'I love you too. Talk later.'
With their conversation over, he refocused his attention to his training. For now, he had a fox buried in his shirt and a perfectly untrained Pet Mastery skill that could use some practice, did he not?
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