forum At War // OxO // Closed

Started September 19, 2021 by @ElderGod-Icefire

tune

“Oh, we’re circling back to that again.” He rolled his eyes. “I thought I already answered that. Honestly, could you be a little more creative with this? This is starting to bore me.”

"As am I. Nikolas, perhaps, would squeeze more words from you. Perhaps I should get him." he replied, setting the whip down and stepping towards the exit of the tent.

Sh-t, not that creative. “Ah! No, that is not necessary. I at least thought you would have more questions for me to answer,” Kaylum said quickly, jerking forward.

"That depends on if you have any better answers than the ones you have given me thus far." he retorted, pausing, but not yet coming back. "Or are you going to continue to give me empty words that mean nothing?"

He let his body slacken, as if in defeat. “What else do you think I’m going to do, human?” He scoffed. “I’ve given you my answer already, might as well move on.”

"You have only given me empty air and false bravado." he spat. "You have given me nothing, and if you continue to give me nothing, then I will be forced to bring in Nikolas. I hope you do not force me to do this, I don't want to hurt him any more than I have to."

Giving you nothing was kind of the entire point. Kaylum grimaced, then hung his head. He was silent for a moment, thinking. “I’m not forcing you to do anything, Seren. All of this is your own choice. If you don’t want to hurt him, then don’t. The solution to this is simple, after all. Isn’t it?”

He snorted. "I need information, Kaylum, and I'm not going to let any sort of misguided, nostalgic sympathy get in the way of that. Nikolas should have never been born to begin with."

“Well, too bad, he was born and he’s alive now,” he shrugged. “And you don’t have to give him your sympathy. Just give him some basic decency. There are better ways to do this, you know.”

"There are not." he replied. "He is not a person, and neither are you. You are an animal, and he is a curse." he shook his head.

Kaylum tried to be like Nikolas, and get his initial surge of rage under control. His eyes flickered with something dangerous, though only briefly. He covered it up with a cringe. “Oh, yikes, now we’re being upfront with the prejudice, I see. Well, I’m not going to bother convincing you otherwise.”

Seren scoffed. "It is the simple truth. Your species is no better than animals, and he is an unnatural, twisted thing." he retorted, shaking his head.

Man, how did Nik ever deal with this guy? He should ask him when— or if— Seren let him go. Kaylum really tried his best not to let his rage take over, and it was often when his emotions were concerned that he struggled to control his mind. As such, the wounds from the whip began to ache and sting again. “Oh, shut up,” was all he said.

Seren snorted faintly. "Are you going to cooperate, or are you going to continue to give me nothing?" he snapped.

Not after that I’m not. Kaylum stared at him, silent and grim. He had made a decision, and cooperation with this man had no part in it.

Seren raised an eyebrow. "Well?" he demanded, flexing the whip in his hands. "Answer me, Kaylum."

He stayed silent, trying to keep his mind away from the pain in order to focus on what he would do. It may be unwise to try and hurt Seren; who knows how his army would react. It may be best to just try and protect Nikolas, once he was brought over.

"Fine. Have it your way." he snapped, gesturing to a guard, who left the tent. "Stubborn beast." he muttered, dragging a hand down his face.

If Nikolas got hurt because of him, Kaylum didn’t know if he would ever forgive himself. He stared after the guard, then closed his eyes.

It was a few more minutes before the guard came back, hauling Nikolas. The human prince already looked exhausted, pain still in his features from the whipping he had received earlier. Seren smiled. "Ah, good."

Kaylum opened his eyes when he heard the sound of the tent shifting and footsteps. He tried to meet Nikolas gaze, his eyes filled with apology and regret, but also determination. His muscles twitched.

Nik looked from Kaylum to Seren, and sighed faintly. "What?" he demanded of Seren, voice rough and tired. "What do you want now?" he grimaced, shaking his head.