As I quickly stood up, the soldier to my right reacted in the same intensity by pointing his spear towards me. The other one glanced at me but kept on top of the woman who had long stopped struggling.

"That the Hand reaches your soul, Bry! The girl hasn't even bled yet, no child would come out of the act," said Hadrum, still watching me, "though, I've been told I'm terrible at judging wick, she may be old enough..."

What is wrong with these people? I thought, he was acting like we were just having a casual conversation.

I could hear my heart beating, almost feel the blood flowing, the huffing of the soldier on top of the woman, everything was so loud, his movements too agressive, the woman so still beneath him, yet moving with each thrust, reacting like a lifeless doll. It was hard to think, even painful to try.

He wouldn't let them go, I knew it from the moment he hit the boy that now layed on a pool of his own blood that slowly flowed towards his father's. Their life had no value to him. I had to do something, at least save the woman and the girl.

"What do you think, Mika? Does she look old enough?"

"No," I answered.

"I thought you'd say that, but you see, I don't know you, so I don't trust you," he said.

I noticed that the spear of the other soldier was leaning on the wall next to him.

"Maybe I would, if you told me more about yourself," he continued.

"What do you want to know?"

“Well, I'm definitely curious about your arm, but you still haven't properly answered my previous question. The Cleave, does it still exist?" he asked.

I didn't know anything about it, except it was some sort of organization and that Zanir was a part of it. The question itself was a trap, denying or confirming their existence would mean I have some kind of connection to the subject, and playing ignorant was just as bad.

Would Zanir forgive me if I gave them his position to save two lives? He could take care of himself, move from there, probably even deal with anyone that came for him.

No, even if I did, it wouldn't matter. There was only one way of coming out of there alive.

"I don't know," I said.

He sighed, his expression taking a serious tone along with his voice, "I see, that's a shame."

He stood from his chair, and I could already feel the slightly warm wind coursing not only to my left arm, but thorough my whole body.

"Bry," he ordered.

I lunged, body low, going for the soldier to my left, the most vulnerable. He tried reaching for his spear but my fist got to him first, I felt the bones of his face cracking, he dropped backwards with his knees still bent.

I grabbed the spear and turned to face the remaining two, Hadrum was standing on the same place. The other soldier came rushing spear first towards me, he thrusted foward and I tumbled out of the way, but he didn't give me a chance to recover, thrusting for my chest again right after, I instinctively brought my arm up, flinching.

His spear broke, only managing to push my arm back, he got confused for a second and I used that moment to pierce him with the spear of the other soldier, it went through his stomach, I pulled it out and he wavered a little before falling.

Only Hadrum left, still standing on the same spot.

"Quite the 'poisoned' arm you got there, uh? Very few people have Infusions, and it's the first time I see one done in a limb."

I aimed above his chest, where I could see the white frabic he used underneath, above the plate. It connected, he didn't even try to dodge, I hit his neck, but... it didn't go through. He grabbed the wooden pole with one arm and used the other to break it.

How?

"Good thing I'm one of those 'few'," he said, tossing the pointed half of the spear to the side. Moving from his spot for the first time.

I went for his legs, but they came for me faster, a kick to my head that I barely managed to block with my arm, and still sent me rolling.

I rapidly got to my feet, but just as fast stumbled to one knee as my vision tilted. Using one arm as a hold, I managed not to fall completely. Underneath the layer of centipede armor, I could feel the pulsation along with the pain where he kicked my left arm.

What? he didn't seem to have the build to send me flying.

Another strike to the head came and I couldn't dodge, I went down, hard. I might have blacked out for a second, or just closed my eyes for too long. There was a sharp buzzing in my ear and my arm was shaking, I somehow had blocked the second impact too, but it had little effect.

He stood a couple of meters from me while I lay on my right side. There were cracks along the carapace on my arm, blood running downwards from within.

I couldn't get up, it was a strange state of not being able to want to try.

"Not a very good fighter, are you?" he said, grabbing the stool and bringing close to me. "Yet, you still managed to kill both of my guards, can't say that was luck. I was taught by the best warriors in the kingdom, so I'll give you a free advice based on what I saw, before we continue, your problem is that stance, you fight too low to the ground, your reach could have been an advantage against me. Though, In a way, I guess it's fitting of you people, to be low."

I saw the girl move, behind him, slowly crawling towards the unconscious woman's side.

"You won't live enough to correct that, but now you know, you're welcome," he continued. "Where was I? Ah yes, the Cleave again, with that arm, you definitely must know something. You don't strike me as the type to give in under torture. At least..."

He turned, and the girl moved her back to the wall, startled.

"Not when done to you."

He walked to them, pausing at the mother then going over her, grabbing the already crying girl by the hair, dragging and tossing her in front of me.

Her cries were clearing the fog in my mind, making me more alert. I had to save her, I had to do something, I could move again, first the hands for support, then the legs and—

Another kick and I was down again, this time to the stomach, the pain taking over my thoughts, the coughing and writhing my only actions.

"Now," he said, sitting back on the stool, "you're going to tell me everything you know, and every time I don't like your answer, I'm going to break something in her."

A repugnant pop and a shriek, all it took for him to win over my attention from the pain again. He held her by the wrist, one of her fingers bent in a wrong angle.

"Take your time, we have plenty. But keep in mind that she doesn't."