"Snap, crackle and pop," Ralsei whispers to Kris, leaning in so close that Kris can smell his rancid breath.
Currently, the once adorable goat is pulling the human's last unbroken finger backwards. It's close to breaking, and Kris is long past the point of tears. They're too dehydrated to cry, so they're reduced to dry heaving.
"I can't believe you fell for that 'let's be friends' bullshit," Ralsei continues to taunt, finally gathering enough strength to pull the finger all the way back. It makes a sickening crunch and Kris almost blacks out.
Ralsei lets go of their hand, though he doesn't stop talking, mocking them, but Kris can't hear him through their own heartbeat. They're thankful to be blindfolded at the moment. Seeing Susie's corpse would be too much, right now.
Everything had been going so well. They had happily accepted Ralsei's fresh-baked cupcakes, eager to finally eat after a long adventure, and then they were suddenly dizzy and lightheaded. When they came to, they had found themself bound in some ancient looking stone room. Ralsei had just started torturing Susie. She has been screaming. Her screams were probably what had woke Kris.
"Don't worry, Kris! I like you much better than Susie, so we're going to have a lot more fun together before I let this end!" Warmth floods their body, and their wounds start to reheal. Bones slowly shift back to their correct positions, becoming whole again, and Kris chokes when they realize they're being healed. The pain is subsiding for now, but that only means there'll be more to follow. They want to grit their teeth, but they're too exhausted.
"I don't know why you seem so upset, Kris," Ralsei continues in a cheerful tone. The sound of metal clinking against metal makes Kris tense up.
"You're so cold to me, Kris," Ralsei says poutily. There's a tug on one of their boots, now. "I wonder if your nails will come off as easily as Susie's?"
"Please, don't," they say, pitiful and soft.
Ralsei ignores them, and the boot is pulled off fully now. The sock is pulled off less than gently. Ralsei giggles. "Oh, yours are all flat and blunt. They don't look half as sharp as Susie's were."
"Please," Kris groans.
A coldness meets the space between their big toe and the nail, and Kris is enveloped in an ice cold sweat, heart racing. Ralsei is probably using the same pliers he had used to remove Susie's teeth, because there's a gritty powder rubbing onto their foot. They brace themself.
"It's such a shame, Kris." With a sharp pull, the pliers are yanked upwards, and Kris finds that they have the energy to scream after all. "If you were only a little more discerning." The coldness of the pliers move to the next toe.
"A little less trusting." With another pull, another nail comes off.
Bile rises in Kris's throat. They can't lean forward due to the restraints, so they vomit into their lap. Everything feels so fuzzy, they barely recognize the warmth of the bile on their lap. Faintly, they hear more giggling.
"Oh, Kris. I wish you were as strong as Susie had been." Another nail is pulled away.
The world goes black once again.
"Wakey wakey, Kris!"
Kris wakes with a jump, arms flailing and splashing water before they even realize they're conscious again. Their wet clothes cling to them uncomfortably, tiny islands of bile and vomit bobbing all around them in the bathtub. Before their eyes can focus fully, they fall forwards, sucking in a lung full of water before resurfacing and coughing and choking.
"Kris, you're gonna get me all wet if you keep splashing like that! Here I am, trying to be a good host and getting you all cleaned up from being sick on yourself and you repay me by trying to soak me!"
Before they can respond, an invisible weight collapses down on them, pushing them under the bath water. In their panic, they inhale. The water floods their lungs eve more now, and they open their mouth to gasp. They don't gasp. Bubbles come out, floating merrily to the top of the tub. Just as they're sure this is the end, the weight subsides, and they find themself pulled upright.
They sputter and choke, but they manage to get some air. They're met with the smiling visage of Ralsei, who is currently in the process of pulling the plug. The bath water drains noisily.
"You're so silly, Kris. I hope you didn't think you could get out of having fun with me by being sick on yourself!"
"I can't help it," they manage. Their throat and nose burn from the water.
Ralsei doesn't seem to be listening. "Eww, your paws are all wrinkled up now. I guess I better dry you up before you get stuck looking that way."
Ralsei grabs their shoulder, rougher than necessary, and stands, pulling Kris up with him. "Now that I think about it, I should have taken off your clothes while they were still dry, huh?"
The process of drying off is unpleasant and humiliating.
After being dried and wrapped in what's presumably one of Ralsei's robes, Kris is led, at knifepoint, to the previous room.
Susie's bloated corpse is already attracting flies, and Kris gags at the sight. If they had any bile left in their body, they would be vomiting again.
Ralsei giggles softly. "You know, Kris, I bet she still has some teeth left."
They're going to be sick again.
"Here," Ralsei says, pressing the bloody, dusty pliers into Kris' hand. "If you pull two more out, I'll let you be done for the rest of the day."
Susie's unmoving body still lies in the corner of the small room. Her tongue had been lolling out when she first died, before Ralsei cut it out.
"I can't," they say, pliers falling out of their hand and onto the stone floor with a soft clink.
"Oh? How about…" Ralsei trails off, seemingly lost in thought of a moment. He leans down to retrieve the pliers from the floor. "Oh! I know! How about you pull two of her teeth out, or I take out three of yours, Kris?"
They don't say anything.
After another silence, Ralsei presses the pliers back into their palm and gives them a hard push in Susie's direction.
"Do, it, Kris."
Kris takes a step forward. There's a fly crawling on the deceased monster's left eyelid. They take another step. There's another fly on one of her nostrils. They take another step forward.
They kneel.
Ralsei keeps silent.
Their hands are shaking.
She stinks.
They poke the pliers between her lips, giving their wrist a flick upwards. Her mouth falls open.
There's only a few molars left. Heaving again, they pinch the pliers around a tooth.
They close their eyes.
They pull, hard as they can.
Ralsei claps his paws together. "I knew you could do it, Kris! Only one more to go!"
They repeat the process, numb.
"I'm so proud of you, Kris! Come on now, I'll tuck you in all nice and cozy and then you can have some water. Does that sound good?"
Kris doesn't respond.