Nero was awakened with a slap on his cheek. His clothes were gone. A bright light was shined on his face, and he was bound to a metal chair with chains on his arms and legs. The air smelled of Iron, certainly the scent of blood had soaked it’s way into the walls and remained thick in the air. Through the bright light he could see the outline of two men. The one on the left was fat and tall. While the one on the right looked familiar, he was one of the men with the Lieutenant. Nero’s vision was blurry, and his hearing was fuzzy. The two men began to speak.

“Sorry for the late notice Butch, but this ones special.” The man on the right said.

“Oh no problem, you knows’ how much I like exotic meat. Why he lookin’ like that? What did you say he was? An elf? Neva’ seen an elf like him before.” The fat man replied.

“That’s just it Butch, not even he knows what he is, poor bastard.” The man on the right says.

The two men looked at each other and began laughing for a moment.

“Well, don’t worry. I’m gonna find out what you are. Then you won’t be so sad bout’ it.” The fat man says while pulling Nero’s head up by his hair.

“I’ll leave you to it Butch, just remember we want this one alive. Barely. Me and the boys will be out back.” The man on the right said with a laugh.

The Abiti man left the room, leaving Nero and “Butch” alone. Butch went to a corner of the room and unpacked a bag on a table. Metal clanking could be heard, and Nero guessed what this was. For some reason he found humor in the situation. He spoke to Butch.

“Earlier, I was told if I was caught I could be tortured OR experimented on. However, someone like you is probably going to do both.” Nero laughed.

Butch stopped unpacking his bag and turned to Nero, then walked towards him. He leaned down and his face was revealed. His lips were cracked, and his breathe smelled rotten and stank with alcohol. His eyes were bloodshot and his hair was balding in patches. His face was covered in scars. Was he even human?

“No one eva’ understands why I do what I do, not until I’m done with em’ that is. I’m gonna ask yous’ a question kid. Iron or Magic?”

“What?” Nero replied.

“See... no one eva’ gets it. We’re gonna be doin’ both tonight then.”

By now realization had fully sunk into Nero, he was about to be tortured. Horribly. The Abiti has requested this man personally, and he even asked HOW Nero wanted to be tortured. With blades and tools, or with Magic.

“Magic torture... does such a thing really exist.” Nero thought to himself.

Butch approached Nero, with his hands behind his back. Almost how a child approaches their parent with a surprise.

“I’m the Butcha’, and these are my babies.”

The Butcher unfolds a large belt with many pouches. Each pouch had a different tool. Some with surgical equiptment, some with tools used for carpentry and construction, and others designed specifically for torture themselves. It was almost like a picture book, the left most tools were the most worn, while the right ones were newer. This is how they were ordered. This mans torture kit was his life story. Surgeon, Carpender, torturer.

A chill went down Nero’s spine when the butcher pulled out the first tool, a scalpel. Probably the smallest tool he had, but the most frightening. This made Nero struggle in his seat, and he tried to loosen the chains. In an instant, the butcher drove a pair of large surgical scissors into the chair with great force. Nero’s neck was now in between the blades, and they were extremely sharp. If he struggles anymore he could end up cutting his throat with them.

“Kid, you are so fucked.” The butcher said with a hysterical laugh.

Nero got no moment of peace. The butcher had stabbed his right thigh with the scalpel. Sending a great shock through his body. He screamed in pain. However, this was just the beginning. The butcher pulls a surgical knife from his kit, and puts it in between Nero’s right middle and ring finger. Then begins slicing down the middle.

Nero let out a scream of pain. All the while the butcher had a smile on his face.

“You gonna tell me who you are eh? Where do you come from?”

“I don’t know! Please! I don’t know.” Nero said as tears came down his face.

The butcher continues slicing down his hand, reaching a third of the way down.

“Them Abiti don’t believe you, I do. I can tell by your screams. Makes no difference to me though. How does it make you feel? If you knew the answers, the pain would stop. I bet you’d do anythin’ to know the answers, torture aside. You can’t get em’, it’s maddenin’ isn’t it?”

Nero couldn’t answer, he was in too much pain. The torture continued for another hour, by now Nero has had 4 fingers smashed by a hammer, large cuts all along his body and finger and toenails ripped right off his hands and feet.

“Aw hell, these wounds don’t look too good! Lemme’ clean these up for you!”

The buther grabbed a bucket from the back of the room and took a drink out of it.

“Please... no...”

Nero knew, It was filled with alcohol. The butcher paused for a moment, smiled, and then poured it on Nero’s bloody body.

For a moment, Nero believed he had died during the excruciating pain. But was snapped out of his shock when he felt his body become electrocuted. The butcher had used a lightning spell on him.

“What do you know bout’ magic mista’ Nero?”

“I... I...” Nero could not speak.

“Well let me tell ya’, there are four forms of magical art. Destructive, Mystic, Restoritive, and Lingual. Can you guess which ones my favorite?”

Nero could not speak, but he could already guess. Destructive magic seemed like it would be a torturers choice. However, the butcher surprised him.

“It’s restorative! You see, I used to be a surgeon back in the war. Saved all kinds of lives with science and restoritive magic. You know what this means?” He said with a twisted smile.

Nero’s mind was blank, but the mans words had put a dent in his heart.

“It means I can heal you up quick, and we can do this all ova’ again! It never stops, on and on and on and on and on! What do ya say?” he said as he began cleaning his tools.

Nero thought about biting out his own tounge, but realized the butcher would just heal him.

“I’ll let you sit on it for a bit, I’m gonna go for some fresh air.”

The butcher turned the bright light off and left the room with a smile, and began humming a tune. Nero sat in total silence, blood gushing out of his weak body. Dark thoughts filled his mind, was it rage? Sadness? One thing was for certain, Nero wanted the butcher dead. He began to hear words in his mind, they were said by a voice that was not his own. Something sinister, and evil.

“This isn’t fair.”

“A life like that should not be allowed to exist.”

“Look to the moon Nero!”

“Revenge!”

“REVENGE!”

Nero slowly looked to his left, and then up. There was a barred window. Through it he could see the moon, It was beautiful. It’s white light, like a kiss from the dark. His violet eyes were entranced on it. The words were spoken to him again.

“She will heal you.”

“She protects us.”

“Revenge!”

“REVENGE!”

In that very moment, Nero felt something welling up inside of him. It was his bloodlust. He could feel his strength returning. His eyes were locked on the moon.

His broken fingers began violently twisting back to normal, the bones healing themselves. His cuts and gashes began to move together, and started to seal. Even his finger and toenails have begun to grow back. This was not a pleasant moment though, each time his body shifted and moved on its own, it was met with great pain. However, Nero’s eyes never left the moons graceful gaze.

After just a moment, his body was healed and no scars were visible. The pain remained however, not in his body, but his mind. He was never going to forget this.

“I will have vengence. The Butcher, the Apiti, all of them. I’m going to kill them all.” Nero thought to himself.

His layed back demeanor was now gone, he had now gained a strong ambition. An ambition to kill. He felt an unknown strength course through his veins, it was a power gifted by the moon. He began moving his arms.

The chains began to break.