Chapter warning: torture, death

Meanwhile, back in Daská…

Elizabeta is trying really hard not to sigh in boredom or annoyance. Instead she focuses on maintaining her posture, even as her wings start to ache from sitting still for so long. Straight back, strong shoulders she reminds herself, but also be at least a little lady like, if only for appearances. But her left wing is starting to cramp, causing her to fight off the frown from her face as she ever so slightly shifts it out to relieve the strain.

This is the one thing she always hated about being in charge.

Council Meetings.

But these aren't like with her War Council, no, those she can handle. These meetings, are of bureaucracy. Ugh, just thinking about it makes her want to cringe.

It's not even all of the pointless talk of budgets and public opinion and taxes and all that other stuff she couldn't care less for that annoys her so much, it's that fact that she's not really even needed here.

Around her sit the fifty seven men and women of the Clans of Daská, thirty two from the northern half, twenty five from here in the southern half of the Kingdom. Though, thinking about it, she guesses 'kingdom' is a bit of a defunct title. Maybe they should really start calling it the 'Republic' of Daská, given that they haven't had a monarch since the 'Fall of the South' some ten years ago now.

Gods, she thinks, has it really been that long?

As the clan heads devolve into an argument over the grain distribution last month, Liz let's her mind wander, and thoughts of the past come to fill her present.

The memories of the days she was normal, of the days with her family are few, but treasured. They were happy, despite being poor. They had each other, and she thinks that's all they ever really needed. She remembers her father's hands were rough from long days tending the fields, but gentle and kind. And her mother's hair, just like her's, who always smelled of fresh bread.

Their's was a small farming village, built by the fields along the banks of the river Asteca, the main source of water and life giver to the poorer east side of Southern Daská.

But those days were all too short, and are days she can never get back.

They came at night.

Men, built like beasts, set fire to their homes and the village burned as they killed those who tried to flee.

She'll never forget that night.

Being pulled from her bed by her mother, the look of fear on her face as she hurriedly gathered Liz up and pulled her out into the burning streets. The sight of her village, the only home she'd ever known, ablaze before her very eyes as she was forced to run, pulled along by the arm. Even now, she can clearly see the image of those houses, shrouded in orange flames lighting the black night, and hear the crackle of fire, the screams of fear, and she can still smell the smoke, and death of that night.

She had been confused, any seven year old would be, and scared. She had wondered where her father was, and what was happening.

She should have just run faster…

"Liz! Lizzy wake up! Quickly!"

"Mhh.. mum?" Elizabeta groans, blinking tiredly up at her mother.

It's dark, far too dark to be morning just yet, but there are lights outside, and, now that she's waking up, she can hear shouting too.

"Hurry now, we have to go!" Her mother is quiet, barely above a whisper, but the urgency of her voice is what pulls Liz fully out of her slumber.

With little more warning, her mother near yanks her to her feet, wrapping a cloak over her shoulders as she tugs her daughter out the door and into the night.

The second she's outside, Liz freezes at the sight, but only for a moment before she's being pulled along by the arm, her mother frantic to get away.

The lights she saw glowing in the window… the whole village is on fire. Everywhere she looks, flames lick and crackle, and in that instant she's convinced the whole world is burning as the night sky is a glow with the firelight.

"Mother… what.. what's going on?!" She cries, scared out of her mind as she can hear screaming down the street they're running past.

Her mother doesn't answer, mostly because she doesn't know herself, instead she tugs Liz's arm harder, urging her to run faster.

Looking around, it's only now that her tired mind is catching up to the gravity of what's going on, and worriedly she asks, "Where's father?!"

Another scream near by rings out, as if answering her question, even as her mother remains silent.

"Mum! We have to find him! We have to go back!"

"No!" Her mother cries, tears spilling from her eyes, "No Lizzy, we need to run!"

"But!" She tries to argue back, but their luck has run out.

Bursting through the burning door of a house to their left, a hulking beast of a man appears, eyes black as night, teeth as sharp as the wild sand creatures. He grins wide and vicious as the fiery splinters of the door rain down around him, lashing out a hand to grab her mother by the throat, lifting her off her feet with ease.

"Muuuum!" Liz screams as her mother desperately scratches at the hand around her neck.

Even so, her concern is not for herself, as she gasps out, "Run… Lizzy… run!"

Completely scared stiff, Liz shakes her head, tears in her eyes, but when the man looks down at her, she turns and bolts away, back the way they came.

Those were the last words she'd ever hear from her mother.

Tears streaming down her face, Liz ran as fast as she could, but it would never be fast enough. With a guttural roar, the beast man stomped after her, and before she even knew what was happening, a heavy weight collided with her back, causing Liz to be knocked off her feet, landing face first in the dirt, the odd weight pinning her back to the ground.

Winded, she scrambled to get up, twisting to try to push the weight off of her, only to freeze in horror as she sees what it is.

Her mother, neck broken, lies motionlessly across her back, eyes blankly staring up at the burning night sky.

Liz screams as she comes face to face with her mother's lifeless one, only the sound of the man stomping towards her is able to snap her into trying to run again. But against this, she, nor anyone else in her village didn't stand a chance.

Just as she had managed to crawl out from under her mother, the beast man reached her, his hulking form towering over her as he slams his hand down and wraps it around her small body.

"Not this one, you brute." An eerily calm voice sounds out of the air above, and the beast halts.

Seeming to appear out of the falling ash in the air, a thin cloaked figure materialises.

The figure is mostly clothed in black, the only colour being found in the crimson beak shaped mask he wears, covering his face down to Just above his mouth, and the blood red cape that flows over the back of his dark cloak, bearing a golden symbol that Elizabeta would come to hate.

"Let me see her." Despite all of the carnage around them, the cloaked man sounds rather bored, crossing his arms as he waits.

Obediently, the beast man picks Liz up, his whole had big enough to wrap around her body, arms pinned to her side, as he holds her out for inspection with ease.

Stepping closer, the thin man hums in thought as he uses a hand to grasp Liz's face, turning it side to side as he looks her over.

"Hardly the best specimen, she's clearly malnourished, just look at how thin she is." He sighs, sounding annoyed as he lets her face go, "Honestly, what am I supposed to do with such poor pickings as these?"

The large man only grunts, shaking Liz slightly as if that were an answer.

"Oh as if I should expect any sort of real answer from you." The masked man sighs.

Not liking the talk, let alone being held out like some sort of toy, Liz desperately tries to struggle free, twisting her head down to bite the large finger across her collar, and swing her legs back in a futile attempt to kick her captor.

The brute whines at the bite, something that sounds far too innocent and pleading to be coming from such a monster. However, her actions seem to draw the attention of the thin man, as he peaks through the eye slits of his mask to study her.

"Oh don't be such a pathetic baby, she's hardly capable of any real harm, least of all to you. But..."

The devious grin that spread out across the man's face, visibly beneath the sloping curve of that crimson beak, would come to haunt Elizabeta's nightmares for the rest of her life.

"She may have some use after all. Put her with the others."

From there, she remembers being thrown in a caged cart with a handful of other children from her village. By the time the men were done, everyone in her village was either dead or in that cage with her.

She sat, huddled together and crying as they watched their home burn, and then, the men took them away. She wouldn't know where exactly they had been taken for another two years. But by then, her whole world had been destroyed…

For eight days they were kept in that cage, a dark cloth covering it and hiding them from outside view as they were taken who knows where. They were only given the bare minimum of water, and no food.

Starving and near dying of thirst, none of them had any strength to sit up, let alone put up any kind of resistance when the cart finally stopped, and the cage was opened. The 'Brutes' as they had come to call them, were the ones to reach in and pull them out, carrying multiple kids under one arm as they headed inside.

Weakly, Liz dangled from a Brutes hand as she dully looked down into the dark corridor ahead, eyes watching the red cape of the Thin Man leading the way.

After a while of wandering down twisting, poorly lit corridors, she along with the others, were unceremoniously dumped on a cold metal table.

With as much strength as she can muster, Liz pushed her head up to look around. There are other men just like the Thin Man down here, and they see her looking, and smile.

Even though she doesn't have the strength, she tries to get up, to run, to get away, because nothing good can come from here. But her weak movement only seems to please the masked men more.

"Ah," one of then says as he tugs her arms up over her head, strapping them to the table, "a lively one. This should be good."

"Yes," another agrees as he pulls her legs to the straps and secures them by the ankle, "it has been a while since we've had one as spirited as this."

"Let's start with her." The Thin Man says, Liz can tell it's him just from his sickeningly bored voice.

Had she known what was to come, she would have refused anything they gave her, but, she was so thirsty, she didn't think twice when a bowl was pushed to her lips as she was told to drink.

But it wasn't water they gave her.

She gagged as the warm, thick, black liquid filled her mouth, tasting of iron and acid. It burned her throat, but they continued to feed it to her, holding her nose close to force her to drink if she wanted to breathe.

She gulped it down, despite the disgusting taste and feel. The more she drank, the more her throat burned, becoming painful. Just as it was reaching the point of becoming unbearable, they stopped, taking the bowl away. But that wasn't the end of her trouble. The liquid sat heavily in her stomach, making it twist painfully. She felt like she was going to be sick, but she knew if she was sick she'd lose the precious fluid left in her, so she fought against the pain, forcing herself to keep the disgusting stuff inside.

Somewhere to her right, she could hear a boy vomiting, they must be feeding the others this stuff.

"Good," The Thin Man grinned, starting to sound interested in her, "Most people listen to their body when it tells them to get rid of something toxic, but your strong. Good. That strength is what we will cultivate."

The day and weeks blurred together, her existence became that room. Strapped to that cold metal table, she could only tell the time by the twice a day feeding of that liquid they gave them.

At first their was six of them.

The boy who vomited before was the first to be taken away. Dead after four feeds…

Another three, and a girl was next to die. Liz knew her, she had lived not far from her. She cried that day.

The pain in her stomach grew with each dose they gave, the urge to be sick stronger as well, but she resisted. She had to be strong if she wanted to live through this.

Another five feeds and two more were gone. The pain wasn't just in her stomach anymore, it was all throughout her belly and chest. It hurt so much, but still she refused to be sick.

She had to be strong. She had to survive.

Six more doses, and the last boy was gone, she had lay there in utter agony as she listened to him be sick over and over and over again. She was happy when he finally stopped, she could suffer in peace now.

She remained there, all alone, the only company the Masked Ones who came to feed her and the silence of her prison. She lost count of how many times they fed her that stuff, but, at some point, it stopped hurting so much, then, it stopped hurting all together. She could drink it without feeling the burn, or even noticing the taste.

It was then, that the Thin Man returned.

"Good," He drawled down at her, his grin wide and devious, "You're ready to truly begin."

"Do you not agree Lady Héderváry?"

Elizabeta blinked, returning to the present.

"Hmm?" She asks, forcing herself not to show any sign of discomfort at the memories.

"Do you not think it would be wise to implement a grain surplus tax to those who do not adequately share their harvests with the Kingdom?"

Liz frowns, both annoyed and bemused as to how they can still be arguing about this.

"Adequately you say, and just what would you deem to be 'adequate'?"

"Well, as much as is needed of course." The man nods, as if what he's saying is right.

Seems it's time for Liz to put him in his place.

"Adequate, What is needed. These are very loose terms, terms that could be exploited by greed." She glared pointedly at the old man, seeing right through his guise, "For the betterment of the kingdom you say, but what you mean is for the betterment of yourself. I did not place you in charge of the kingdom's granaries so that you can make yourself rich by exploiting our farmers and selling their grain back to them." Finally with a good excuse to move, she stretches her wings out, their size always a sight to intimidate others as she huffs, "We have enough troubles to begin with, without you going and making things worse with trying to pass laws of blatant extortion!"

The council fall silent, all suitably cowed by her display, she folds her wings back and sighs, "We all must pull our weight yes, but we cannot ask our farmers for more than they can give. Enough of this pointless talk, we settle this matter now. All farmers may keep up to fifteen percent of their yield. As someone who grew up in a farming village, I know for a fact that that is plenty to both live off of, and to replant the fields for next harvest. If they wish to give more, they can, but only by choice."

Quietly they all mumbled out some form of agreement, moving to hash out the legal and logistical details, leaving Liz to return to her memories.

By the time they removed her from that table, she wasn't the same person as she was before. She knew, deep down inside, something within her had changed. But just what that was, and what that would come to mean, she didn't know. Not yet anyway.

"You should know, my dear, only about one in a hundred or so ever make it this far." The Thin Man tells her as he leads the Brute carrying her through the corridors once more. For some reason, she kinda missed them.

"Of course, that was but the beginning of what we have planned for you." He says as he leads them into a large room.

On the floor, she recognises the strange circle shape carved into the rock as being for magic, but, she has no idea of it's meaning. Hanging down from the ceiling in the centre of the circle, are chains and manacles stained with long dried blood.

Having only just been freed from that table, she's in no rush to be chained again, so Liz struggles to get free, but in the end she knows it's pointless, the Brutes are simply too strong, even as he holds her up just by the arms. Still, she doesn't make it easy for them, kicking out at the Thin Man as he tries to clamp the manacles onto her wrists. Eventually he grew annoyed and ordered the Brute to hold her by the legs as well, finally chaining her.

Now chained, the Thin Man waves the Brute off, leaving Liz to dangle by the wrists, her feet a good few inches off the ground.

"Now then, was that really so hard?" He asks condescendingly.

In response, Liz gathers her saliva and spits, aiming for his eyes through the slits. She feels quite satisfied when she hits her mark, smirking.

Angered, the Thin Man lashes out, tightly grabbing Liz by the face and painfully squeezing her cheeks, preventing her from doing that again.

"I should warn you," He says sadistically, voice full of anger, "The odds of survival here are much lower, and the pain will be oh so much more."

He pushes her face away, causing Liz to swing back as he stomps off, lifting his mask to clean his face while his back is to her.

She's left there for some time, no doubt wanting her to stew in fear, before he returns, and not just him, but other Masked Ones too, four of them in total.

"Now then, let's see just how much a little wretch like you can take!"

They surround her, each taking up a point of the circle, and then, they began to chant.

The circle then lit up with their power, but Liz couldn't care less about what colour it was, or what meaning it's symbols carry. Because at that very moment, all she knew was pain.

There are no words to describe the feeling of having your insides remade, to feel your body being twisted from within, by forces beyond her comprehension. It is no pain anyone should have to endure, especially not a seven year old girl. Her screams would never be enough to convey what was done to her that day, or all the days that came after.

She had thought time was meaningless before on that table, but now, she wishes she could go back there, because here is so much worse. She thinks she might have died a few times, the blank spots in her memory, which start with pain and end with the Thin Man frowning at her, tell her that something must have happened to make them stop, besides the times when they call it a day and wander off to leave her alone their.

But through it all she understood one thing; she was becoming… different.

Her skin felt like it was on fire, and her eyes had become so good at seeing in the dark it was beginning to scare her. Was she even still her, was she even still Lizzy? She didn't know…

She wished they'd just kill her, but the Thin Man seems to enjoy tormenting her, so she doubts they would any time soon.

Then, one day, something was different.

The Thin Man grinned widely as he walked up to her, clapping his hands together in glee, "Congratulations! You've survived phase two, a rare thing indeed. Seems your something special after all. Just one phase left now, phase three." He grins wider as she glares back at him, "Come now, don't be like that! You'll like this, you see, phase three only takes just one casting, that's it! Then it'll be all over."

"It… it will?" Liz rasps, surprised, but still determined not to get her hopes up.

"Yes. You will either be remade and welcomed into the Noceum Order," he paused, his grin widening in sadistic pleasure, "Or you'll die! A most gruesome and painful death far beyond anything you've experienced so far. Now, you might be thinking that's not possible, oohhh, but believe me, it is." He's practically giddy as he claps his hands together and calls, "Bring it in!"

Liz watches as two Brutes pull a black, leathery skin creature in by a chain attached to a thick metal collar around its neck.

"Oh, I wonder if you've figured it out yet?" Thin Man asks, grinning that knowing grin of his.

"F…figured what… out?"

"Heh, why the Brutes of course!"

Liz doesn't have the energy for this game, so she simply gives a weak shake of the head.

"Oh? Then you'll absolutely love this! You see the Brutes, I made them!" The man is sickeningly excited as he explains while the Brutes tug the creature into the circle, it's large wings flapping in an attempt to break free.

"Do you see yet? Just like you, they were plucked from their homes and brought here. Though the first ones I made weren't very good, far too dumb. But like any good scientist, I worked on making improvements. Of course, the Order couldn't risk being found out, so we've had to lie low for a long time, building up slowly you see, hence the hit and runs of small, unimportant villages like yours, you know? But now! I have perfected my formula, and can make many, many Brutes. Soon, I will present them to the Grandmaster. Ohh how pleased he will be to see what I have made! But but! Before then, I need just one more thing, and that's were you come in my dear. You see, the Grandmaster, he is planning something, I can feel it. And, in order to please him, I need to show that I too, can be of use in his grand plan. All I have to do is perfect it!" He grins madly, waving a hand to the creature, "All I have to do is succeed in perfectly combining a demon to a human! Then! Then he will recognise my worth!"

Authors notes: *Updates on the first of the month just enough times to make it look like a schedule, then doesn't update on the 1st… whoops!*

No but seriously life just decided to go crazy for me the past few weeks, so I haven't been able to write like I wanted to. Between starting volunteering and still looking for work ('cause seriously getting a job is near impossible these days) my schedule has been thrown all kinds of out of whack. I was even planning to put up a dumb one-shot for the dorks bday, but that ballooned and completely changed halfway through, so that's a thing on the back burner for now. I'll finish it at some point…

And to the Guest reviewer, your not being rude, sometimes I need that kick up the backside of people telling me to update to get me writing again, so thank you!

But I hope this chapter makes up for my slight absence.

The flashback got so long I had to cut it off there, but a lot of important stuff happens here and in the next chapter, so I wasn't sure if I should do this now or later, but, I think now is as good a time as any for backstory. If anyone remember's I did say Liz had wings 'cause of Plot, well this is the build up to that!

Also, I forgot to mention last time, if anyone noticed, I changed the cover image, since I like that one better now, and who doesn't like shirtless Al?

I am trying to stream line this story I swear, but then I get distracted and write two whole chapters of back story and wander off from the main point… fun fact, I originally planned for the climax of this story to happen by chapter 27… I may have over shot that… just a bit... but as long as you guys don't mind I guess it's all good?

Also side note: not that's it's overly important but, when I do remember to put in chapter warnings, I only do so for humans (and Arthur, but he's a special case), and even though most of it takes place off screen, I put 'death' since there is a lot of it, but I'll only put the death warning for flashbacks, since doing so for present time would ruin any suspense, which is why I didn't do it back in chapter 25 (even if it was an illusion.)

R & R people.

Until next time, stay awesome!