With Lyssara's absence, Seryn chose to bring her dives to a halt given that the current difficulty forced the two to work together. Not to mention the issue with the second elite, she would face the same issue from before unless she managed to get her hands on something that worked with her.
Opening her lids, the glare of fluorescent light flooded her eyes causing her to squint. She was still in her clothes, the cage that she was put in with the facilities to help with her needs. However what bothered her was the constant surveillance.
Not to mention with her separation from her tools and Dargath, she had no means to escape her captivity. Just as she was about to fall into slumber, the doors slid open and white operatives walked in, their figures donned in white from head to toe, some with clip boards and others recorders.
The questions the two were bombarded with on the daily she was once hesitant to divulge in was now available to them. There was no reason for her hide her background or who watched her from the shadows however rather than some form of reaction or deterrence, her captors went on with it like natural.
"Subject Seryn, wake up." A monotone voice echoed through the speakers in her cell that she had grown to despise. Now rising to her feet, she could only participate with whatever she was tasked to do. "We have a few more questions to ask you before letting you and your acquaintance go." The statement eliciting a chuckle from Seryn.
With Jarren's firm grip on her will, she wouldn't be losing much rather she would be thrown back into the jaws of the abyss once more. "What is it?" Her tone cold as she darted form one operative to another. Her glass cage was cool, far better than the makeshift hut she had to live in with Dargath.
"You previously stated that you have ties with Jarren, can you explain the relationship is between the two of you?" Given that she was the one who persisted with Jarren and Dargath with Callista, there more watch around her than there was with Dargath.
"That he treats me like a slave. A toy that he can dispose when he grows bored with his significant other. Dargath and I are nothing significant to the two should you wish to use us as leverage however." Her words followed with a ridiculing chuckle. Still the operatives didn't seem deterred as they kept scribbling on their notes.
"When exactly did you come to be?" A question that had bored her to death. "I've already told you." Her voice growing colder with each word. "Merely confirmation is all. Do you wish to be set free or not?" She didn't bite as she let a belittling laugh. "Please there's no difference with me in this cage or out there, his influence on me persists."
A statement that drew in the operatives. "What do you mean by influence over you? What power does he have over you?" With her sentience, it was shocking to know that there was a relationship between the two. Whether it was symbiotic or parasitic was still a mystery to them however they had the answers with them. Seryn.
"At this point why does it matter? He's going to get rid of this world and this kingdom in particular as well as the others. His mistresses that cause your ministers to cower and freeze nothing more than his extensions. As for your question, it's rather complicated to put to words."
Only more questions arose. "Please do expand with this complication of his influence over you." Seryn's gaze narrowed, her eyes showing her apathy of that operatives as they pushed on with their questions. She knew that he was something that the real world didn't need to know however a failure or an answer had it's consequence as well.
"I'll tell you right now that I'm not the enemy. After all I'm playing his game as intended. The death of your knights was his bidding and we had no choice but to accept or face death." Rather than a change in the air, the operatives kept on with their scribbles and questions as if programmed.
"Goblins are beasts that don't care much about facing death. So what do you have fear about it?" Her lips parted ready for a snappy comment and yet no words left her lips. The silence weighing heavy on her shoulders before a voice shot through the drowning silence. "After all what is there to fear other than death that you have grown accustomed to?"
The words from none other than Jarren that were followed with a playful chuckle. She didn't bother arguing with him or mention it to the operatives. "You...you gave me this curse or sentience and now I have to bear the weight of this burden!" Her words venom shooting back at Jarren. "Burden? And yet there are millions of humans and other life that see sentience as vital."
"And here you are treating it like it's a curse I gifted you. I'm appalled!" His tone only displaying his sarcasm and playfulness rather than wrath. "You know why, so let me die already." It wasn't that she feared death but rather what transpired after. Given that there was a world that she could die with no consequence, dying in the real world didn't faze her as much.
Not to mention she didn't know whether the two would bring her back to the fray of the game similar to the way they do in the virtual world. "Now why would I let you come to pass so casually when you have far more to accomplish before I let you pass?" The edge in his words further irked her demeanor that began to seep into the interrogation she was in.
Her brows furrowed with no reason, her fists clenching as her mind seemed distant with the situation she was in. The operatives tried to call to her however nothing more than silence responded back, Seryn remaining fixed in place on her legs akin to a statue. "I don't care what your name is Jarren, I'm sure that you're nothing more than a monster seeking amusement however I plead with you that you end my life quickly."
Jarren now finding amusement with her pleas. "Why would I let such an innocent soul escape my grasp so easily? After all I am a forgiving and understanding monster as you like to call me." At this point it was nothing more than mockery, she wished for something she internally knew that wouldn't come by so easily.
"Just fulfill your role and I'll let you and your partner be. As for your chains, I'm sure that you would find a way, if not then you will be dragging your time on my set." Her connection with Jarren was cut off given that silence was the only thing that she was faced with when shouting for his name in her mind.
*Zap*
A lethal force of electricity jolted her back to reality, her body twitching from the pain and sparks that coursed through her. Her face soured as she saw the operatives, her hatred now cemented with her captors. 'What role is he implying that I fulfill.' She didn't care how many times she had to die given that she could escape him, she was ready for the purgatory to come.
'Is it about that mission in Reuthar?' She couldn't help but wonder.
[{The mission in Reuthar has been terminated by Jarren, please await further missions}]
The notification popping up on cue as if to ridicule her train of thought with her assumption. Now in the dark with no idea of what he wanted from her, she could only endure his game. She wondered about Dargath, thinking whether he faced the same pain that she did or did he choose to act on her specifically just to break her.
"Can you answer the question?!" The set of words making her blankly hum.
*Zap*
The entire floor was coated with electricity once more that sent her into a spiral of pain and agony. "Can- what did you say?!" Her words with breaks for air and adjustment for the pain that claimed her figure. "Can you explain the cause of your ignorance at the mention of our questions? Were you in contact with Jarren or not?"
Her mind wished to deny it however another dose would be her response. "Yes, he spoke to me." Her figure making her way back to her bed. Her mind was still warped with what was in store for her. Now more than ever had she wished that she dropped dead and never had to recall this life that she never wanted.
"What did the two of you speak about? Leave no detail behind or face punishment." Still her eyes remained blank lost within her thoughts.
...
A carriage could be seen escape the woods of Caerthalas, it's demeanor rather grand and prestigious. Jarren lazily glanced outside while seated across from him Lyssara remained silent. The two hadn't bothered with words since the journey had began and the silence that hung between the two felt mutual.
"What do you think about like Lyssara?" He finally bothered to break the ice. She glanced upwards, her face unreadable. "That it should be valued. That is what the humans think." Unlike in front of Callista or Clomere, with Jarren, she never felt as if a cleaver or a noose was wrapped around her neck, a mistake ending her life and once the calmness had grown into something unfathomable.
No longer peace but not fear either. "What are your thoughts on life?" She paused, her eyes locking with his as a smile teetered on his lips. "Do you expect me to say that it's expendable? That it's as easy to snuff out as breathing air? Or do you expect something with more profoundness?" His gaze never broke with hers and she didn't back down.
"That's one way of looking at it." His words neither confirming nor denying her explanation as the journey dragged on. 'Did he wish for another answer from me?' Her mind couldn't help but wonder before placing it aside. A few more hours lapsed before she broke the silence.
"The world that I go to as well as Seryn, what exactly is it?" The metric of a game was still new to her despite her face refusing to show her surprise or shock. "It's a game meant to be played. There could be some tricks here and there, goals meant to be achieved and treasures as well meant to be claimed along the way." Her eyes narrowed, Jarren's gaze now facing the window staring at the wheat and barley that danced in the wind.
"For how long do you plan on keeping me before moving onto the next? After all you didn't have to vouch for me with Clomere." Jarren turned to face her, his intrigue showing through his obsidian eyes. "I didn't have to save you, your question of why is something that eludes me as well."
And yet a chuckle followed hinting more to his words than he meant. "But worry not, should you want to end your life then please feel free to do so,I won't stop you." His words far too sweet to be true that made her skin crawl. "Redfall, why do you bother with any of this if you can have it all at the palm of your hands?"
A question that brought his gaze back to her. "Why not? However with time you will come to see the answer of your question." His words final as the carriage marched into a town of a nearby kingdom. The need for answers that had consumed her felt banal to her to the point of irrelevancy.
She wasn't sure what overcame her but the serene calmness was far too blissful to ignore. It didn't take them long to find a place to spend the night, the two of them resting within their respective rooms. News about the two making their way to the kingdom began to circulate about, their intentions still unknown to the general populace.