"Kneel!" Thrid called to his unit, the sarcasm hidden only to those with weak hearing. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed his lieutenant's face twitch 'Damn it Dres don't make them order you to the hold.' The men fell to one knee and kept their eye's focused on the floor.

"Captain Thrid your findings?" The lord was sitting up in his chair, outwardly powerful and restrained.

A vein pulsed in Thrid's sword arm but he looked up and spoke. "We were unable to find the escaped thief, he must still be in the town. The foot prints vanished after a few leagues and we were unable to continue the search. They separated at several positions and led to various civilian camps, all of the civilians were captured and brought back."

The lord looked down at the soldiers in front of him, the best in his realm. They could kill him where he sat before anyone else in the room could even move, if it wasn't for the three sorcerers creating a shield in front of him he would be unable to stand their appearance. "That is bothersome, sounds like a Manipulator."

"Yes lord Crend that is my conclusion as well." The rehearsed speech flowed out, not too fast not too slow. "There was only one set of foot prints yet it diverged in several points, it would take the skill of a group of Blessed to move that quickly and leave only one trail. There were no Blessed in the camps." Blessed made them seem like clergy, much less threatening than Divine Warriors, even if their only enhancements were to their ability to kill. "We believe it was a single Manipulator who stayed in the city."

"He couldn't have left after I dispatched you, the city was on lock-down each guard post was equipped with a sorcerer." The lord leaned in, this was his field now. Tactics weren't on the mind of people who could react fast enough to any situation to come out on top. "Commence an investigation I want that document found." Crend's eyes widened momentarily, that revelation was one he wanted to keep a secret. "Leave and interrogate the prisoners I give you full power over the dungeons, get results or slit your throat."

"Yes my lord." Thrid kept his excitement secret, Crend very rarely let something slip, only when under extreme distress and only when giving orders. That document must hold something extremely valuable, information is the most important commodity in the world. "Turn!" The men stood and turned their backs to the lord, keeping their eyes down.

The lord Crend sat stunned, hoping that his slip had gone unnoticed. The order was severe, hopefully enough to distract those killing machines with the thought of more power. 'The damage is done, what will come will come.'

Outside Thrid gave his men orders to rest, they had been awake for a day and a half and needed to be ready encase anyone tried anything in the confusion. He turned down a stairwell and continued to the dungeons, he had prisoners to interrogate.

"Good ta see ya again." The summoner was waiting for him, in a cage with the other magic captives, the runes on the wall were faded but still worked their ancient magic. Two normals had followed him down to the dungeons as his escort.

"Get up and come to the bars." The summoner did as he was told, the other scum looked on, the old man in the corner shifted his beard to hide something. That wasn't important at the moment, he would be next. "put your hands through one set of bars." With a motion the guards clamped irons around his wrists and forced open his hands to check for weapons. When they finished the door was opened and the summoner was led out.

"Where're we goin?" a quick punch ended his questions 'I need to stop asking questions or I wont have a single piece of unbruised flesh.'

They walked for a while until they reached a room which was empty except for a single post. The guards lifted the irons binding the summoner's wrists and hung them off of a spike jutting out from the top of the post. Thrid nodded and they left the room leaving him alone with the prisoner.

"Great, are you gonna whip me?" Master smiled at his captor, cavalier attitude disguising his fear of the pain.

"No, us Blessed do not waist out time like that, you will tell me what I want to know or you will be put back into the cell. I should warn you though that the cell slowly eats at your ability to use magic."

"Divine Warriors too good fer me?" Master spat on the floor and received a slap across the face for his efforts.

"Yes. Now keep your mouth shut unless you are answering my questions, understand?" Thrid kept his eyes locked with his subject, they turned from green to gold momentarily before he received an answer.

"Yes" sweat dripped from the summoners forehead and onto his lips. This was the Divine Warrior's magic, bringing out the truth from people was a battle tactic that had been developed into an interrogation technique. If you know whether your opponent is feigning an attack or injury you can react to it, if you know if your suspect is lying you can force the truth from them.

"Good. What is your name?"

"Master" The summoner was telling the truth, or at least a half truth.

"Your real name?" Thrid focused more on his subject's eyes.

"I don't have one." This was a lie, but one that was practiced so often that it was practically truth. Thrid redoubled his focus.

"Have you ever been in this area before?" This question was more important, if it was a truthful no then the summoner wasn't the thief.

"No" The summoner smiled causing Thrid to lean in closer and focus harder, seeking the truth in the black eyes of his captive. He felt warm breath against his skin and jumped back in time to see a small snake on the floor sink its fangs into the thin air where his crotch had been.

The summoner pulled himself up and flipped his arms off of the spike, thanking the gods that the captain had been fatigued and didn't notice the summoning circle he had drawn around his blood filled spittle on the floor with his foot. With a quick incantation his ring finger on his left hand was sacrificed. Ancient magic that was taboo to use warped his restraints and turned them into a winged insect, freeing him. He felt the loosening of a thread in his heart as the snake's head was lopped of.

He dipped his index finger into the blood on his wrist and began drawing on the door. The Divine Warrior was attempting to fight off the demon insect. Each time it was cut it would regenerate and each time a piece of it was removed the piece would become a sort of offspring. By the time he had finished with the door it was too late though, the Divine Warrior was behind him.

"My name is Thrid. Master is a good name for you, this is twice that you have tricked me." The calm tone was practiced and the eloquent speaking was borne from years of courts and politics. "You now have two choices, first you can finish that summoning and hope that I kill it before I kill you. Second, you can go quietly back to your cell while I decide what to do with you."

"I'll take the cell if ya would be so kind." Master turned and looked up at Thrid, neither of them was looking particularly clean.

"Good choice." Thrid pulled his worthy opponent to his feet and staggered back on his now wounded ankle. The door was opened and they walked out into the hallway. "You are lucky you did that to a Blessed, had it been any other person you would be dead."

"To be honest I thought I was dead." he looked at his free hands and the missing finger. "Im going to need to replace that." He sighed and soon was at the door to his magic restraining cell.

"You, old man, you are next. Come with me." The old man wasn't part of those captured the night before but the look of confusion on his face was only momentary.