The Way of the Future: Age of Machines(Completed)

Torture or a Science Experiment?

The last monster was slain by Artemis, meeting the same fate as its brothers, a slit to the throat where its blood poured out. 

Covered in the blood of these monsters, Artemis returned to the beast's lair which was effectively under their control. 

The knights had the goblinmancer in their custody, he was tied up between his legs and forced to kneel. When he arrived, the knights and Toby did not greet him verbally, they just nodded. 

He then noticed that there was something missing in their eyes, the spark of humanity. Now, they were becoming more like the Man in Black and the only difference was that they had more humanity to spare. 

Ignoring this development for now, Artemis walked towards where the goblinmancer was who was unconscious, when he lay his eyes on it, the goblinmancer's race seems very strange than any races Artemis seen or heard of, his skin appears green, he has several pig features like the nose and tye ears, he has green furs around his body and a tail that seems to be identified as a Bear. While his race mixed up several animals, he felt disgusted by it.

It was like someone mixed them up without giving much thought of it.

However, with no patience to spare and time ticking to save the remaining villages, or at least the survivors, Artemis raised his hand and slapped the goblinmancer awake. The slap was powerful enough to send him crashing into the ground and he screamed in pain. 

The goblinmancer opened his eyes and was met by the deathly gaze of Artemis' heterochromia eyes which were locked on his being, as if he had been judged of all his sins and his punishment was at hand. 

"W-What do you want!" The Strurruilk yelled but they fell on ears deaf to those whose beings did not deserve such a gratitude from their victorious foes. 

Artemis then grabbed the goblinmancer's cloak and started burning it little by little using his palms, the cloth began to catch flames and heat slowly spread across his upper body. 

"Gah! Stop! Stop it! It's hot as fuck!" The man begged and swirled about, trying to break away from his bonds and escape. 

"I bet the women in your room said the same thing to you when you had your way with them," Toby suddenly said. Artemis did not know what he was talking about so he scanned the entire mountain from the inside out with his advanced cybernetic eyes and not before long he found more bodies of female humans. 

With this new revelation of his actions, Artemis continued to torture him. At first, he intended to engrave into him that further resistance was futile and that any questions he were to be asked were to be answered with full honesty. Now, it was given a new meaning. 

As if his conscience was returning from the depths of his heart, he could hear the screams and cries for help of his victims, not the goblinmancer's, his. 

Artemis knew it would be hypocritical if he tortured this man for committing atrocities but he too had committed his own kinds of atrocities, the massacre of millions if not billions with the wars he waged and the efforts he undertook so blindly so that he could rebuild his home. After so many years of not caring, their souls seemingly crying out for vengeance, surrounded him and began to haunt him in his mind. 

Yet, he was still uncaring, he heard the screams and wails but he did not flinch. What was he to regret? Will regret bring back what had already been done? It was already too late to do anything about it. He knew he had already taken the path where he could no longer turn back, there was no redemption, there was only the goal he was given.

And so, he chose to be a hypocrite. He tortured the goblinmancer due to his hypocrisy to look as if he was now the hammer of justice which served to undo the wrongs of the world.