Chapter 34: Defective

The Collector did not carry its quarry far from the scolex worm's territory. The worm provided a natural buffer that deterred the presence of humans and other intruding specimen – one of the reasons why this human 'sorcerer' also built his territory in this area.

Yet, it would have to leave the immediate area soon. Killing one specimen of these tinkering species would bring more to investigate, and this effect would cascade upon itself.

The Collector had killed the three 'adventurers'. The soldiers had come looking for them. They had been disposed of as well. When their absence was noted, there would be an even larger response. More significant.

Tinkering species were social, banding together fiercely to compensate for their own biological weaknesses.

The Collector too noted that the disappearance of military tinkerer units would also be noted to a greater degree, though in that sense, it understood that the 'adventurers' were also military forces in some capacity, sent to eliminate the goblins that stood in opposition to their kind.

These continued disappearances would compound a greater response. The Collector would retreat for now until it had the utmost confidence in its capacity to handle threats that utilized 'magic'.

Thus, it had dragged the sorcerer and the purple skinned variant deeper into the forest, further behind the scolex's territory. This was closer to the darker zone of the forest biome where the humans did not tread, but it did not in there yet.

The captives would attract far too many insect-type creatures. Too many distractions.

For now, unhindered questioning was the highest priority.

The Collector inspected its quarry.

The sorcerer and purple humanoid variant were each tied to separate trees with binds of arakka silk bundled around their waists and chests. Three thick strands around the ankles, waist, and chest.

Arakka silk was difficult to produce in large quantities, but it was much stronger than the silk of the smaller arachnids that littered the forest floor a plenty.

Unlike those arachnids, the arakka utilized its silk mostly in hunting prey, using it as tethers to rappel their sizable bulk off of. In compromising quantity of production, the durability and adhesiveness of the strands increased.

Three strands was enough to bind the goblin champion, let alone these two specimen. The purple skinned variant exhibited significant degrees of strength compared to her physical dimensions, but none at a level required to tear this silk apart.

The sorcerer began to stir, first with a wheezing cough, then with a groan. The purple skinned variant did not move, having fallen into deeper unconsciousness due to the effect imparted upon her through her bonds.

Judging from the slowed rate of her heartbeat that mimicked hibernation, the Collector determined that without outside stimuli, the purple skinned variant would not break from her slumber easily.

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But this 'sorcerer' was not so lucky.

The Collector pressed a carapace plated hand by the aged human's head, monomolecular claws clinking out in visible and ready threat.

"Oh, my head, my head. Golem, fetch me some water," muttered the sorcerer with a groan, starting to raise his head. He blinked hard a few times, likely trying to steady his blurry sight.

"Hm?" the sorcerer moved unconsciously, and judging from the twitches in his musculature, this was a motion to sit upright, likely to arise from a slumber.

The lack of oxygen and the inhalation of toxic particulates had likely induced some level of confusion in this 'sorcerer', but this would pass with some stimulus.

The Collector began. It used the flat of its palm to push the sorcerer's head against the tree trunk he was bound to. It regulated the pressure, making sure to wake the sorcerer and keep him maximally uncomfortable, understanding that his head could shatter into a broken pulp at a moment's notice.

The sorcerer gurgled as his eyes widened at the sight of the Collector. Recognition. Good. The Collector could start questioning now.

"You are bound, incapable of escape. My muscular capacity is such that your bones and flesh can rip and tear under the slightest of my manipulations. Do you understand?"

The sorcerer's pale green eyes darted from side to side as he breathed heavy. His eyes settled upon the purple skinned variant tied to the tree next to him and he began to struggle violently. However, the arakka silk kept the sorcerer bound so tight that he could not move even an inch.

"I sense struggle. Irrational. The moment you attempt to endanger me, you will die. My reflexes are honed to such an extent that if you attempt to utilize any 'magic', you will die. If the circuitry within your body glows, you will die. If you begin to speak anything that does not hold relevance to the questions I am to ask, you will die."

The sorcerer continued to struggle, but aged and fragile as he was, within half a minute, he exhausted himself, breathing even heavier and becoming limp.

The Collector knew some of the warning signs of 'magic' activation now. The circuitry and the chants. There could be more. Further investigation needed.

It withdrew its hand from the aged human's head, relieving pressure from his jaw and allowing him to speak.

"You will not have my research, monster! I-I do not know who sent you, but I know I have many rivals. My genius is unrivaled, and-,"

The Collector shoved the sorcerer's head back into the tree trunk. "I will ask questions. You will answer them. You will not speak otherwise."

It let go of the human's head, and the human started to shout again. "Never! You will never have my research! Not-,"

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The Collector cut off the human's words by smothering his face with its palm. It retracted the claws on its other hand and with index finger and thumb, pinched one of the sorcerer's fingers, crushing the bone.

The sorcerer loosed muffled screams of anguish into the Collector's cold, bone-white palm.

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The Collector waited until the human's sensory system adjusted somewhat to the sudden influx of pain. The human breathed heavy. The stench of fear and adrenaline began to reek from the thing.

The Collector broke another finger. Again, the human screamed into the Collector's carapace and struggled, and again, he grew limp, tired as he was already from so much struggling.

"Two broken fingers for two refusals. I understand that your kind cannot regulate your pain. The agony you must suffer now must cause you severe distress. You will answer my questions, and the distress will cease."

The Collector took its palm off again.

"I…I am Ekur, conqueror of the elements, master of life and death! And you will not have my secrets!"

The Collector growled as it smothered the human's head again and broke three more fingers, leaving the entire hand crippled. It watched the human's expression intently, searching for any faltering, any signs of the desperation that seemed to preclude humans willing to grant information, but there was none in this withered specimen's face.

Tears streamed down the specimen's face, and he grunted and breathed heavily, trying to suppress intense pain, but he had no signs of faltering.

Odd. A complete defiance of death and logical self-preservation instincts. The goblin champion operated upon a similar basis before his own demise, but that, the Collector could understand. The champion defied death for the fight, a fight engaged in part to defend the rest of his kind.

In essence, a guarantee of preservation for the many in exchange for the loss of one, though certainly, the champion was worth far more than the remainder of his brethren.

This was not that. This was pure irrationality. An intrinsic defect of the mind, it seemed. No matter the pain nor the threat of demise, this specimen's defective mind simply would not register them.

The Collector stared at the sorcerer's scrunched up face with annoyance. The human wheezed out tight breaths with his head forced into the trunk, the wood crushing against his head while the Collector's solid palm applied crushing pressure to his throat.

Yet, these were only signs of physiological discomfort. The others the Collector had interrogated, the soldiers and their leader, the scent of their fear had been different, and it came with a willingness to share information to preserve themselves.

There was fear in this one, yes, but only in a natural response to imminent death, not in willingness to share.

Did these tinkerers not value sharing information? Did they not wield it as a stand in for their biological weakness? Yet, were they not living creatures desiring of self-preservation? Why would they desire so to withhold information when their lives, their greatest resource, was threatened?

Why were they so defective?

Culling these crippled primitives was a mercy.

The Collector did not hesitate. It tore the human's head from his body in one fluid motion that ended with the head falling into its maw.

The Collector watched as spurts of blood gurgled from the human's empty neck. It did not attach itself much to conceptions of wasting time. It could not extract information from this 'sorcerer' in reasonable time, so it simply took the most efficient course of action.

Dragging this weak specimen around for an extended period of time in the low probability that he suddenly desired to oblige the Collector posed too many risks.

The Collector sliced through the arakka threads with its claw and consumed the rest of the corpse.

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*Biomass Gained (+10)*

Biomass Level: 45/100

>>>

The Collector noted that this 'sorcerer' did not actually possess too much of the special property overloading biomass. It had roughly double that of the younger specimen from the pillar but considering the scope of the sorcerer's capabilities and territory, the Collector had expected far more.

Disappointing.

Yet, enlightening as to the nature of 'magic' and its properties. There were direct mechanics as to how 'magic' was utilized, rules it followed and differences among individuals that influenced it. There were signs of its activation. Costs to its usage.

Methodology to its construction that involved time and research. Orders and organizational structures that regulated it. With punitive measures, if necessary.

Direct ties with the gods. Sponsors of this phenomenon, operators of gates that possessed what was likely a resource necessary for the activation of 'magic'.

Control over elements, a crude term for general manipulation of certain natural phenomena. But more. Chaos as well, what seemed to be akin to atomic deconstruction, and a gate in of itself, and yet the cost to access it was heavy and forbidden.

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In many ways, this 'magic' was organized in some ways like the technology of tinkerers the Collector was already familiar with.

Sounds.

The Collector turned to the purple skinned variant and saw her awake. More information to be extracted. An interesting sample of genetic material as well, one tied to this 'Chaos' that had exhibited one of the more impressive shows of force in this world.

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