40 Interrogation

"Sonic, I'm really too busy to go looking for trouble right now!" Alaric said. The cthulhu slime had been insistent on executing Grander, the false dragon, as soon as possible.

'My lord! That ugly lizard has besmirched thy name! Why?! What can be more important than your reputation, your pride?'

Alaric looked at Sonic and said, "Don't you think it is best that I defeat him with my own power? Right now, I'd be relying on you! I believe it impertinent that we interrogate the Ryder boss for now, afterwards I can train every day until I am Grander's match!"

Alaric and Sonic were standing directly in front of a passed-out Penne Ryder. Penne Ryder had woken up a few times but was instantly knocked unconscious by the cthulhu slime.

Alaric planned to interrogate him right away, bringing Penne Ryder and Sonic to the cold storage to get it done. Still, the moment they arrived, Sonic began rambling about Alaric's honor.

At Alaric's response, Sonic seemed enlightened, telepathically saying, 'How wise, my lord! You truly are the master I chose, a visionary of the highest proportions!'

Although the excuse of training to Grander's level before fighting the false dragon put Alaric in danger, it was much better than heading off to fight him right now. After all, Alaric didn't know much about Grander's strength.

'I was once told that only rank-4 magical beasts can communicate with humans, so I am more inclined to believe that Grander is at that level. We'll die if we fight such a beast. Still, Sonic is able to communicate with me at peak rank-3, so that information has been proven incorrect.' Alaric pondered.

Alaric quickly brushed away the distracting thoughts that plagued him and turned towards Penne Ryder.

"Sonic, wake him up." Alaric commanded.

As if in response to Alaric's command, the slime's tentacle shot toward Penne Ryder, and wrapped around his arm. Soon, Alaric heard a small hissing sound coming from Sonic's tentacle, and Penne Ryder opened his eyes in shock.

An ear-piercing scream rang throughout the room, and Penne Ryder shouted, "Let go of me!"

Alaric looked down at Penne Ryder, and nodded toward Sonic, signaling for him to release the plump blond. The tyrant's face was rather heavily bruised and mangled, but thankfully, the icy mist of the cold storage obscured Alaric's vision.

Soon, Sonic let Penne Ryder go, and the man immediately began shouting at them.

"You dirty clods! Worms like you deserve to rot in jail! I am a government official! I am above you both! Release me now, and I may very well spare your worthless lives!"

Alaric stared at him in shock, thinking, 'Oh my heavens, is he really this stupid?'

Once again, Sonic wrapped his tentacle around Penne Ryder's arm and began eating. Alaric didn't stop it this time, letting the tyrant savor the pain.

'Such an ugly person, you dare to threaten my lord?' Sonic said, sending his telepathic waves out to both Alaric and Penne Ryder.

"Now now, Sonic. Let him go, I'm sure he has learned his lesson" Alaric said.

Penne Ryder, after being released by Sonic, slowly looked up at Alaric. His face was sullen, bruised, and covered in tears and snot, it was a very disgusting sight, just barely censored by the mist of the cold storage.

"Who... who are you?!"

Alaric walked towards the tyrant and forced his head to the ground with his boot. While standing upon Penne Ryder's face with one leg, he crouched with the other and gave out the most condescending smirk he could muster.

"Who I am doesn't matter, demon. I will be the one asking you questions. Whether your execution is a simple beheading or being eaten alive by an army of slimes is up to how well you cooperate."

Penne Ryder's eyes immediately lost the light of hope, knowing that karma had finally caught up with him. The fact that he, Penne Ryder, was being looked down upon infuriated him deep down, but he knew that resisting was futile.

"Okay, ask me anything!" the fat tyrant said, his face flattening against the cold ground as Alaric applied more pressure with his foot.

Alaric smirked, "I'm glad you understand your position. Sonic, if this idiot even twitches, kill him painfully."

It was Alaric's first time interrogating someone, and he was practically winging it, holding back the disgust that threatened to show on his face.

'I need to get this over with. Interrogation and torture really aren't my thing.' Alaric thought.

Seeing as Penne Ryder was patiently waiting for him to speak, Alaric asked, "How did you gain access to that demonic power?"

The tyrant quickly answered, hoping for a more merciful end, "I encountered a group of suspicious persons in Ryder Village about 2 years ago. At the time, the dirty clods- villagers, the villagers had been frequently disappearing after they appeared. It was actually my fault, really. That group of people asked me to offer up the villagers' lives in exchange for power, and their strange, demonic ways convinced me!"

'His speech is a bit scrambled, but I get what he is trying to say.' Alaric thought.

Without any delay, Alaric forced more pressure onto the tyrant's face, and asked with a slight growl, "And where did you obtain that blood-red sword?"

This had been the main reason Alaric kept the man alive. That sword was very similar to the blade he found in Wurst's attic and the daggers that were left on the robed corpses.

"The same group of people that branded my tongue with the formation that allowed me access to the demonic power, came to me 2 weeks ago and gave it to me! They said, with that sword, I can command greater demonic power without losing control!"

Alaric felt he was getting closer to the truth, and asked his final question:

"And did this group of people call themselves anything? Is there an organization backing them?"

Penne Ryder seemed a bit frightened, but forced out a response, "They didn't tell me of an organizational name, but they did mention someone!"

Alaric raised an eyebrow, questioning the tyrant.

"'Master Asura,' they said! That was the name!"