Chapter 20: Chapter 20: Interrogation Tutorial

“You almost let one escape,” Fei-Lu said loud enough for Yaihan to hear across the dry expanse. The cultivator grabbed the surviving Oni by his ankle and dragged him face up across the dirt, leaving a trail of bloodied mud in his wake. The tactician holstered her swords on her belt as she stared at the clean cut her blades made across the neck of the decapitated demon at her side. 

“I would have gotten him.” Yaihan dropped the captured demon’s leg on the ground a few feet away from Fei-Lu before pointing at the headless body between them. “See? This one has no wings. He never would have escaped.”

“If you say so,” Fei-Lu replied as she turned her attention to the squirming Oni in front of her. His upper body trembled, hesitating to reach the area where his toes once were. “Why did you spare this one?”

“I heard some of their conversation before interrupting their meal,” Yaihan replied. “Apparently this group had seen Valiax.”

“Oh?” Fei-Lu raised an eyebrow as she knelt next to the wounded enemy. He looked at her eyes full of tears. “Then he could be of some use to us.”

“I-I’m not telling you anything!” the demon stammered. He mustered enough strength to bend his upper enough to look Fei-Lu in the eye until Yaihan pushed him in the shoulder with just his pointer finger. The demon slammed his back against the ground with a thud, sending dirt scattering as he landed. 

“Gah! What do you want?” the demon asked with a terrified tone. 

“How familiar are you with interrogation techniques, Yaihan?” Fei-Lu asked as she withdrew a sword. 

“I’ve had some experience when I first set foot on Xiwao again,” the cultivator replied. “But I must admit that it’s not something that I’ve ever taken the time to study.”

“Then you can consider this your first lesson.” Fei-Lu placed two fingers on the edge of her sword and slowly slid them across the surface. “It was an essential class I had to go through when I was in the Young Tactician’s Academy. Watch and listen carefully. I will show you exactly how to extract information from an Oni.”

The wounded Oni kept his eyes locked on the curved blade. His arms squirmed in a feeble attempt to crawl away until pinned him down by the shoulder with one hand. 

“Keep him still, Yaihan. Even though he may be wounded, these Oni have little sense of self-preservation. Their nigh-invincibility has made them reckless.”

“Of course.” The cultivator placed a hand on each shoulder and pressed down hard enough to crack bones. The Oni squealed as Fei-Lu stepped on the demon’s stomach. 

“There is one fundamental difference when dealing with Oni captives.” Fei-Lu stood over the Oni’s chest, her blade dragging across his skin just enough to draw a thin trail of blood. 

“And what is that?” Yaihan asked.

“We are dealing with demons instead of humans. Nothing but pure evil. That means we there is no need to show them mercy.” The tactician turned to the pile of bones by the still-raging bonfire, sighing when she saw some human skulls at the bottom of the heap. 

“Just think of all the vile things that he alone has done.” She spun around and pointed her sword between the demon’s eyes. The Oni’s eyes crossed as he stared at the blade’s tip lingering an inch away from his flesh. “We show no mercy for the wicked.”

“I never planned to,” Yaihan replied. “It’s much more efficient to kill them and be done with it.”

“Good. That means we can skip to the crux of the lesson.” Fei- Lu remained still, only moving her wrist enough so that her sword touched the Oni’s skin. “First you have to make sure that the one you’re interrogating knows exactly what you want from them.”

“And in this case?” Yaihan asked, keeping his hands firmly dug within the demon’s shoulders. 

“Valiax,” she said with her eyes staring into the Oni’s with murderous intent. “Where is he headed?”

“I’m sure your mule here heard everything we said!” the demon sputtered. “We were talking about that winged fool before your underling started slaughtering!”

The tactician scowled. “This is the next step.” Fei-Lu slowly pushed her sword into the bridge of the demon’s nose. The Oni tried to wiggle free from Yaihan’s grip as the blade pierced through his flesh like moist soil. He screamed, only for Fei-Lu to stop stabbing once her sword was only a few inches deep. 

“Ah, so that’s how you extract information,” Yaihan said with feigned enthusiasm. His words barely overcame the demon’s tortuous cries.

“Exactly. Not enough to kill. But more than enough to hurt.” She pulled her sword back, making it exit the wound with a single motion. The demon panted in agony while blood poured out the incision and onto his chest. 

“He’s going to Tian-Yu Plains!” the demon yelled. “Tian-Yu Plains!”

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“That was quick,” Yaihan said with a nod. 

“We’ve captured more prominent members of the Oni-Zhen army. They tend to take a bit more... persuasion to get them to talk. This one must be one of the lower soldiers. Perhaps a new convert,” Fei-Lu said with disdain.

“What else do you want from me?” the demon muttered. “I’ll tell you anything! I’ll... I’ll even help you!”

Fei-Lu raised an eyebrow as her face took a sudden shift to one of concern. “Is that so?”

“Yes! Yes!” The Oni mustered a smile and tilted his head forward as much as he could. “I know these canyons well! I might even be able to smuggle you past the other Oni-Zhen encampments scattered throughout it!”

“A tempting offer.” Fei-Lu tilted her head up, looking as though she was pondering the offer while her finger tapped her chin. “But would we be able to catch to Valiax?”

“H-He hasn’t gotten too far from what I last heard. Still trying to get help in operating his caravan!”

“Caravan?” both Yaihan and Fei-Lu said simultaneously as they looked at one another with confusion. 

“Yes! He wants a caravan for his journey to Tian-Yu Plains! But he has no drivers. No guards.” The demon coughed out the blood that dripped into his mouth before continuing. “He said he has pertinent information that our leader needs to hear. But he didn’t want to tell anyone, so most of the other Onis just laughed at him after coming back without his brigade and a missing wing.”

“Do you think he has a chance of forming a proper caravan?”

“Some of the other Oni were willing to go along. But not many. He’ll probably have to rely on slaves to get the caravan started.”

Fei-Lu clutched her sword tighter. She closed her eyes and lowered her head. “I see.” There was an air of silence as both Yaihan and the demon captive watched as the tactician regained her composure. She took in a deep breath before dismounting the Oni with a graceful leap. 

“W-what’s next?” the demon muttered. “Are we going to go hunting after Valiax?” he asked as he tilted his head enough to look at Fei-Lu’s back. 

“And this is the final part of tonight’s lesson,” she said quietly. Fei-Lu glanced over her shoulder and looked at the cultivator. “As I said before, we show no mercy for the wicked.” She then cut her eyes at the terrified demon. “Put him down like the wounded beast he is.”

The cultivator nodded. “Yes, Fei-Lu.”

“Wait!” the demon shouted as loud as he could. He struggled to turn to the side, but Yaihan’s hands only dug further into his flesh. “I thought we had a deal?”

“I made no such agreement,” Fei-Lu said. “You devoured Xiwaoans. You enslaved my people. And you don’t even have the loyalty to protect your own kind. Be thankful that I’ll let Yaihan make your death a swift one.”

“Should I continue?” the cultivator asked with his hands still keeping the demon on the ground. The Oni’s legs flailed in futile attempts to stand up.

“Yes. And as I promised, make it quick. If what this demon said is true, then there is a chance we could intercept Valiax before he makes it out of the canyon.”

“As you wish,” Yaihan said with another bow. 

“I’ll meet you down by the rest of the group. Don’t forget to bring the car along with you when you reach the trail.” Fei-Lu then leapt off the side of the plateau and disappeared into the dark. The demon gave up trying to free himself and instead tilted his head back to look at Yaihan with soggy eyes. 

“You can spare me...” he mumbled. Blood leaked out of the hole in his nose and covered his eyes. “I promise to stay silent. I’ll abandon the Oni-Zhen. I... I’ll do anything.”

The cultivator shook his head. He took both hands off the demon’s shoulders and prepared for a straight jab. 

“I have my orders.”

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