Consequences of Capture

By Dixxy

Chapter Ten: The Divine Machine

"Had enough?"

Kento gasped for breath, hugging his bruised and battered body as he coughed and hacked. Struggling, he clumsily got to his feet, kicking up dust from the ground below, causing more difficulty in his breathing. He fell back to his knees, tears welling up in his eyes from frustration. Every bone in Kento's body was screaming with pain while his mind cried out from sheer humiliation.

The Dark Warlords laughed gaily at Kento's seemingly futile efforts. For sport, Osiris had dared Cale, the stealthiest of the Warlords, to grab one of the Ronins for the sole purpose of making them scream and cry out in pain. He'd been whipped, beaten, punched, kicked, and slapped senseless by the four Warlords, who were now, evidently enough, fully under Trulpa's control.

And Kento was bloody and beaten, huddling on the dirt floor of a Dynasty stable.

"He looks so pathetic," Dais mocked. The Warlord of Illusion, being his rival, had been the cruelest of the four. He hit harder and more often, even to a point where Sehkment and Osiris had pulled him off, reminding the illusionist that Trulpa needed Kento to stay alive. Still, all four of them were letting him have it. For fun. For their own amusement, they were tormenting him like he was some kind of captured animal that they could prod, poke, and man handle without the bat of an eye.

They're treating me like an animal. An animal, a caged animal, Kento thought, fighting the tears that were now freely flowing over his cheeks, mixing with the blood and dirt the beating had placed there. Kento felt humiliation wash over him- here he was crying in front of the Dark Warlords.

A snicker sliced through the air. Dais was speaking. "What a pity. The little man is crying. Perhaps we've been too harsh on the poor baby," he said, emphasizing each word, stabbing Kento with emotional daggers in the process. "What do you say we break him even more?"

"Oh? How so?" asked Cale. His phrasing of the question wasn't sincere- it was like he was joking and already knew what Dais was alluding to. Slowly, Kento looked up at the Warlords, shivering from cold and fear. What were they going to do to him now? Wasn't this enough?!

No more. . . oh God, please, no more. . .

Sehkment licked around the outside of his lips. "Don't take this the wrong way, Hardrock. We don't, as you mortals like say it, swing 'that way'. But did you know that throughout history several ancient civilizations have believed that sodomy causes a man to loose his manhood?" His lips curled into a cruel grin as Kento realized what they were planning to do. "This will be the ultimate blow."

"No!" Kento screamed. Slowly, the Warlords began to advance on him. Scrambling, Kento scurried backwards, even more away of his naked state and nearly powerless position to stop them. His crying intensified as fear began to race through his entire being. Out of all the things that could have happened to him. . . this was something he wouldn't ne able to STAND to live with.

Soon, the Warlords had Kento backed into a corner, all eyeing him crazily. Even though he KNEW that Dais, Sehkment, and Cale had all been brainwashed or something, and he KNEW they wouldn't do this under normal circumstances, the fact remained that they weren't in control. And Osiris. . . he didn't know anything about the new bearer of Cruelty, but this alone was enough to send shivers up and down his spine.

Roughly, Dais grabbed his shoulders and pulled him forward. Their foreheads touched as a menacing grin glazed over his eyes. "Good-bye, little man- this is the last day you can carry the title. After this. . . well, I don't know what we'll call you THEN." Kento's eyes widened as he tried to break free from Dais' grasp, but to no avail. Even with all the strength he had, the toll of the beating had rendered him almost immobile.

Oh God no. . .

"STOP IT!"

Everything stopped, especially once the Warlords realized Lady Trulpa was in the stable with them and their catch. All four turned to their mistress to see she was NOT smiling. For the first time since he'd known her, Kento was very happy Trulpa was upset. "Mistress Trulpa!" Osiris said, trying to salvage the strange meeting as much as he could. "You'll be pleased to know that we're in the process of breaking Hardrock's spirit! See? We've beaten him bloody! And now we're going to deprive him of his manhood!!!"

"Wouldn't it suck for the little man to loose his virginity this way?" Dais said, moving a hand to his cheek to stroke it gently. Kento shuddered, more tears falling as he gasped and continued his futile efforts to get away. Dais yanked him roughly forward. "Kento here is the strongest of the Ronins- breaking his spirit would only benefit you, my lady."

"You IDIOTS!" Trulpa snapped, shaking her fists at the Warlords. Her long, white hair seemed to frizz up slightly as her eyes widened and became more menacing. "Do you realize how valuable he is!? All three of them can truthfully claim virginity- do you know how INVALUABLE a virgin is to me!?"

"So?" Osiris countered. "Look, you don't want these boys full or spirit and hope. Breaking their spirit will dwindle their efforts to defy you and possibly escape. Rape is an EXCELLENT way to do this, and if he's a virgin that'll make it worse! Sex is an important aspect of the human life, and if we ruin it for him we'll ruin his entire existence! He'll probably never fall in love with a woman and won't even go near so much as a two-cent hooker. THIS is the ultimate humiliation!"

"No, you fool!" Cale said, his eyes darkening as well. "Trulpa's right. Many dark magic rituals involve virgins. In fact, nine of the ten most devastating ceremonies require virgin sacrifices! They won't work any other way, and if Trulpa wanted to perform one of these rituals, she has three virgins at her disposal!" He turned back to Trulpa and bowed. "I apologize, Lady Trulpa. I did not realize that their virginity meant so much to you. Are you planning something for them?"

Trulpa shook her head. She had calmed, but still seemed displeased. "As of now, no, I don't. But if an opportunity arises I WOULD like the Ronins to remain virginal." With a flick of her wrist, she shooed the Warlords away, leaving Kento alone in his corner. With a sway of her hips, Trulpa advanced on Kento, knelt down, and gently scratched his chin. Kento pulled away, not wanting the physical contact. "And besides, if ANYONE in this Dynasty is to take ANY of them to their bed, it'll be me."

Kento felt his stomach lurched. He wasn't sure if Trulpa was serious (with her it was sometimes hard to tell the truth from mocking comments), but he did NOT want to become Trulpa's sex toy. That, he felt, would be even more degrading than what the Warlords wanted to do to him. They would've stopped after that one time- Trulpa would've kept him locked up in her room so she could use him whenever she wanted.

Trulpa seemed to sense his unrest, but didn't look at him. Roughly, she yanked him to his feet and blindly brushed off his shoulder, sending nervous shivers up and down his spine. "I wouldn't touch you or either of your little friends with a ten foot pole in THAT way, Hardrock," she said. "Too pure for my liking. Besides, I'd want someone who would last more than five seconds."

Though Kento was SLIGHTLY insulted by the comment (as well as embarrassed due to the nature of the insight), he refused to say anything. That might incite Trulpa to force him into her bed ANYWAYS just to traumatize him. And the very idea frightened the living daylights out of him.

Unlike most of the boys he'd grown up with, Kento regarded the issue of sex, love, and virginity very seriously. He knew boys who'd had girls as young as thirteen and boys who'd had so many girls they'd lost count already. Though this made them seem like "studs" in the eyes of their peers, Kento was sickened by the ideas. Maybe it was his armor affecting him at an early age, or maybe even influence from his family, but Kento thought his feelings and views on the issue were more typical of a female. Though he didn't like to be feminine in most areas, this topic was the exception.

The topic of sex scared him. After growing up in a world with high teenage pregnancy rates, HIV and AIDS, and meaningless nights in tacky motels, Kento had decided that the whole subject was to be avoided at all costs. Oh sure he liked to flirt with girls, and he'd even kissed a few in his life, but he didn't dare go any farther than that.

His parents had raised him with very high moral standards and had beaten the concept of love and trust into his head from a fairly young age. When his father had given him "the talk", he'd said that when a man makes love to a woman he is giving her his all- his heart, his mind, his body, and his soul. Now the idea of loosing a lover due to a fight or worse was something he couldn't stand the thought of- Kento didn't want to share that much with anybody and then have them walk away. If Trulpa used him like that then she's have access to these things.

"Come, Hardrock- we have things to do," Trulpa said. She shooed the Warlords away, and each teleported away, presumably to whatever rooms they may have had. His captor eyed him up and down. "Though I have no plans to take you, I must admit I like what I see, Kento- you're quite handsome and your body is simple superb. But. . ." Trulpa snapped her fingers, and Kento found himself clothed in a pair of loose fitting cotton shorts best described as boxers. Much to his surprise, he also saw that he was free of dirt and blood cakes, though his body was still lined with bruises and small cuts and scrapes.

"What's your game, Trulpa?" Kento asked.

Trulpa grinned. "The Divine Machine."

~

The Divine Machine was something Kento decided he didn't like despite the name. He'd been strapped spread eagle to a long, high-off the ground table with several round, golden disks connected to thin strands of a black thread connected to various parts of his body. Directly above him was a large, blue bowl that was just hovering in mid air, though he guessed it could have been suspended by a string he couldn't see from his current position. On ether side of his face, clear glass walls kept him staring straight ahead.

Through the corner of his eye, Kento could see Trulpa was puttering around the room, humming to herself as she lit candles and tinkered with other ominous looking décor. Kento decided the fact she was humming wasn't a good thing- humming usually meant a good mood, and Trulpa in a good mood meant she was up to something he wasn't going to like.

Since he was more angry than afraid (it had been some time since he'd been strapped to the table and his terror had somewhat subsided despite the fact he had no idea what was happening), Kento decided to vocalize his thoughts. "What's your plan, Trulpa? Why do you have me tied up like this and what the hell are you doing with all this stuff in here?"

Trulpa remained silent for a few seconds, but she stopped for a moment before turning to face him. Slowly, she walked towards him and bent over slightly to stare at him in the eye. "Did you know that while you mortals can stand to listen to another human tell you your fortunes, you can't stand to see them yourself?"

Kento blinked, unsure of what she meant. "Pardon?"

"Quite simply, your mind isn't strong enough to handle your own fate," said Trulpa. She turned and pulled herself up onto the table, gripping the side as she kicked her legs back and fourth. With one free hand, she lightly traced the lines of Kento's chest, causing him to squirm and twitch. Trulpa snorted. "Mere mortals cannot handle the future. When they see their own futures, the knowledge of knowing what happens to them drives them insane. It is simply something the mind of a human can't comprehend or grasp firmly enough."

Suddenly, Kento understood EXACTLY what Trulpa was up to. The word "divine" wasn't talking about something to do with heaven or religion. The "divine" Trulpa was talking about concerned divination- the kind of magic used to see into the future. The Divine Machine was going to show him his future!

And if what Trulpa said was right. . .

"NO!" he screamed, struggling against the bonds. "You, you can't!"

"I can, and I will, Hardrock," she said. "I don't need your sanity to use your powers. But someone clinically insane is less likely to try and escape, and I have ways to effectively control the insane to my liking. Just think, Hardrock. You'll be reduced to drooling, giggling idiot in just a few minutes. Your memories, your thoughts, you feelings, they'll be gone soon enough." Trulpa chuckled. "It was nice knowing you, Kento." She snapped her fingers, the trinkets in the room began to illuminate and make noise, and the blue bowl began to descend from above.

Kento screamed again, continuing to struggle and buck against his binds. No! He didn't want to loose his sanity! His identity! He turned his head as much as he could, but the guards on either side kept him from going very far. Tears streamed down his face as he moaned in defeat. "No. . . no. . . NOOOOO!!!!"
The blue bowl surrounded his field of vision, then morphed into a tight fitting mask that enveloped his entire face. Kento began to flail his head around madly, screaming in terror through the constraint that was clearly not going to let go of him. In the distance, he could hear Trulpa cackling evil.

She's won. . . oh my God, she's won. . .

And then everything went white.

~

Kento saw a slightly older version of himself running through some sort of an urban setting, his slightly longer hair whipping behind him as he ran. He was in normal Mortal Realm clothing, but he didn't seem excited about the prospect that he was back where he belonged. Rather, he looked terrified for his life, as if it was going to end very shortly.

Why am I running so fast?

Kento's question was answered a long, bone-thin creature bounded after him. The creature was covered in matted blue fur with a shock of white on its head that flapped behind it. Long, yellowing claws and teeth were bared wide as a huge tongue lolled out of the demon's mouth like some sort of a deranged dog. Its eyes were wide and hollow like in appearance with a greenish yellow hue, its nose consisting of no more than two slits on its face.

Is. . . is that thing chasing me!?

"Your soul . . ."

The voice belonged to the mysterious creature. But what did it mean?

"Your soul. . . IS MINE!!!"

Everything faded to black.

~

Kento was back in Trulpa's cold lab, his skin beginning to get goose-bumps from his nearly naked state and the cold metal beneath him. He whimpered, wondering how long it would be before his conscious train of thought snapped and he was no more. His binds were all gone and the blue bowl device was no where to be see. He sat up and dangled his legs over the edge of the table, shuddering to himself.

He looked up at saw Trulpa was staring at him, a slightly confused look in her eyes. Kento turned away. "I hate you, Trulpa." Tears began to escape the corners of his eyes again. "You. . . you. . ." He turned back to Trulpa. "You're one sick, sick demon, and I hope the Senshi make your existence a living hell!!! I HOPE YOU BURN IN HELL!!!"

"You're still sane!?" she said, sounding surprised.

Kento stopped. "What did you say?"

"You. . . you shouldn't be sane! You should be cowering in a corner rambling on about goat's milk or strawberry eggnog!" Trulpa seemed frantic and distraught, his long fingers leafing through her hair as she began to pace back and fourth. "No, no, no, this can't be right. . . why didn't the Divine Machine work!? Why didn't it work!?"

Kento's eyes widened. "It. . . it didn't work?!" His face pulled into that of a relieved grin. "Then what I saw WASN'T my real future?! I'm not going to go insane!?" Kento laughed out loud, feeling victorious over what had just happened. Though he'd been beaten and nearly raped and nearly stripped of his sanity, he'd overcome it.

Trulpa, however, paused. "You SAW something? And you're still sane?" she said aloud. Realization seemed to come over her. Kento was confused, but then watched as she went into a fit of rage, smashing her fist into the nearest structure. Kento jumped, not liking her sudden temper. "GO AWAY!!! GET THE HELL OUT OF MY SIGHT!!!"

Interpreting that as a "go to your room" command, Kento teleported to the apartment.

~

I wasn't sure how to start this chapter off, and I ended up re-writing it a few times before I settled on this. Written with help from the image song "Lonely Soldiers" and a loop function on my CD player. Damn, that's a moody song.

Part of this chapter was some minor setup for Dark Chocolate, White Diamonds with some mention of A Tale of Two Torrents. We've seen some MINOR alluding to other themes in the series (such as Anubis and Cye, Sage's confusing relationship with Sam, and a number of issues pertinent to everyone's favorite couple). I'm spending a lot of time with Kento and Keisha's relationship because 1) I like it and 2) you guys really like it, too.

I think I'm done with severe character trauma for now, though I might go back to Sage later.

I got a really good response to that little story I did at the end of the last chapter (with drunk Rowen and naked Sage). I'm very surprised!

I made up a timeline for the series and discovered that I had screwed up with some of the dates I gave. Once I have everything worked out I'll release a corrected timeline with things I want you guys to see. Other things I will not post because, heh, they reveal things I don't want revealed just yet.

Harry: Now you know. Poor Kento, but I think this chapter explained a little. Yech, I don't like Yahoo, but unfortunately it's really the only mailing group list out there right now. Bastards. There are a few companies I truly LOATHE, and Yahoo! is definitely on that list.

Crystal Cat-chan: Oh, okay. I kinda get that now. Um, apology accepted? *blinks* We can all see what's happened to poor Kento, but the real question is what happens next. Well, this experience certainly changes Kento, I'll say that much. Ah, the food thing? The boys probably can't or won't eat demon food, plus, the Warlords and Warladies probably need human ingredients, too. It's not really a life-or-death issue in the story, so I never really put much thought into it. There's probably some sort of a really big-ass pantry somewhere in the Dynasty that they have free-access to. Maybe I can have a scene or something show how this all works. Hmm, evil Easter Bunnies?

Firestorm: Yeah. Things aren't quite as bad for a while. You gotta realize that Sage's suicide attempt, Cye's attack, and Kento's beating/near-crazy spell all happened within two or three weeks. I think I'd want a break after all THAT. The horror thing is something I'm only thinking about- yeah, I can dish it out, but I'm not very good at handling it.

Bunch-o-Nuts: Parents suck in that aspect, don't they? And I'd love to see your full dissection of my work ^_^.

Ezzyelf: No clue. The original crappy version of CoC was only one prologue and fourteen parts long. To give you a slight idea, chapter eleven in the original marked the start of Trulpa's war with the Senshi, which is still several months (their time) away. Chapter Five would be the much, MUCH milder and watered-down version of Chapters 4-11 for this story, which had all three boys in those gargoyle structure things again. Yeah, that would've sucked, too, but quite frankly it wasn't very original on my part. This is better, isn't it? So my guess is that it'll extend anywhere from twenty to thirty parts, but I don't know how long it'll be in the end. Ronin Senshi Legends and The Armor of the Soul, when I finish those re-writes, will be monstrous. As it stands, RSL was in the mid thirties and Soul was sixty chapters- SIXTY! Actually, that one could go a number of ways. It's a long turning point in the story- Dragonia will probably be of a similar length for two reasons. One, THAT'S a major turning point in its own right. . . and I owe my readers some serious Rowen/Ryo quality time- sorry, not as a couple yaoi fans. Even if that would leave room for some Rona/Ria stuff that would be ever-so-pleasing to a certain Mr. Harry2. -_-*

~Dixxy