Chapter 87: C87 – 50 Lashes

The three 'messengers' were terrified as they were dropped in Fingers' medical room. Dirk was right. Going to Fingers truly was dreadful for everyone.

Upon arrival, Fingers was actually a bit wary of Dirk who had previously made a vow to come for him. He was surprised though when Dirk brought three customers. 

"Here you go, Fingers. Maybe I'll have some more for you later. Who knows..."

With those words, Dirk walked out under the vigilant gazes of the guards. Fingers rubbed his chin before his eyes gleamed and looked at the three boys. They all began to beg and pander seeing that gaze, terrified of what was to come. 

Dirk didn't turn back as he walked out, even when he heard screams. After leaving, he went back to his spot in the alley, laying down on the dirt once more. 

Like that, he stared off into space. Although he felt hunger and thirst set in at that moment, he didn't seem to care. 

Instead, he began to contemplate. 

'I don't want to be here...'

'I just want to go home. To mother and Ava.'

'I don't want to be whipped. It hurts so much. I don't want to have to keep hurting so much.'

'I escaped one hell and was thrown into another.'

'They will never allow me to escape again. If it's not one thing, it's another. There's always more pain waiting.'

'Will I ever be free? Is that too much to ask? Are two lives not enough?'

Dirk felt his chest hurt. Gone was the person he was only a day ago. After being thrown into this dark place, old wounds began to surface. 

Memories he would've preferred to never remember. He could see his past life on Earth. Being snatched out of the slums, an orphan with no place to call home. He was thrown into a place of brutal training and reformation. He was beaten down and turned into a machine. 

Dirk wasn't the only one. There were plenty of others right beside him. But they disappeared one after the next. Year after year, the ones he came to know went away. Many died, others failed the program. At some point, Dirk became so good that he advanced ahead of all others, and from then on he was mostly alone. 

But there was always one person there. Gray, his Sergeant. The one man who didn't just break him, but guided him. Speaking words of wisdom and experience, he taught Dirk as if he were his own son. He taught him how to be something of a man despite the environment he was cursed to live in. He taught him how to have hope amidst the suffering. How to find purpose.

But that was before everything went to hell. Now, Gray was gone, and Dirk was thrown into another world. In this world, Dirk had a loving family and made friends, albeit few of them. He learned to enjoy himself and cherish others. He was living what could be considered a normal life. 

And then Asura came. At first, Dirk had been furious. He was being taken against his will, and that man had the audacity to think he could control Dirk. Dirk had rebelled against everything while being taken from his mother. He even smiled as he went through the portal. 

Even as he was whipped, Dirk had retained his strong mind. He wouldn't be broken. He wouldn't be reduced or controlled. 

But then he walked into that alleyway. He was alone after a many stressful hours. And like a broken dam, horrible memories came flooding back. Dirk was now in a hell like he was on Earth. But now, not only was he taken from his family and friends, but he didn't have Gray. He didn't have the man who made hell bearable. 

He thought back, feeling the pain of his past and remembering his hope. He had hoped that things would be good this time around. He hoped that he finally escaped from trouble. But it came right back to him, swallowing him whole. And now, he couldn't find hope for the future. 

If there was only pain waiting for him, nothing but suffering and oppression, then what was the point? What was he fighting for? 

After laying down, Dirk spent hours contemplating. He didn't even stand when he was alerted about the classes he was supposed to be at. But when nobody came around to do anything about it, he didn't think of it again. 

He seemed to get weaker as he laid there. When another half day passed, Dirk's hunger and thirst finally started to hurt him enough. He stood and walked out of the alley like a zombie, making his way to the public cafeteria in this dark town. 

According to Deliha, there were two places to eat. The first was the public cafeteria. There, nobody could stop you from eating. Fighting was prohibited in that place. After all, people needed food and water to live. Deliha was serious about not losing their investments. 

The second place was paid for. Naturally, it was nicer, luxurious. One needed currency to go there though. 

Dirk went to the free place. Upon entering, he found the line of people and got into it. He didn't even notice the stares he got as he was handed a bowl of slop.

It didn't look appetizing in the least. It was something like a soup, maybe oatmeal but with the texture of paste. Dirk had a hard time getting down the first few bites, but it got bearable after a while. 

With that, he was satiated. He walked out of the cafeteria and back to his alleyway, laying back down with no concern for the world. 

Only, it didn't seem like people intended to let him be. That first group of three goons wasn't the first in line. After a while, Dirk saw another small group arrive. Like the first, they weren't there to talk. 

Of course, a fight broke out. Dirk used his skill to break bones and disable his enemies. Only, this second group was stronger than the last, so he got hit a few times. But it was like he didn't feel pain, always recovering from any damage he received. 

After beating down that group, Dirk brought them all to Fingers. The mad doctor was more than happy to receive customers, and Dirk left them in his 'care'. 

Then, he just went back to the alley. Only, perhaps rumors spread at some point, but more groups continued to show. 

The first few days it wasn't anything crazy. Maybe two or three groups of three to four people showed, and they were usually easy to handle. They got progressively harder, but Dirk had immense innate skill that wouldn't go away even if he was depressed and hopeless. Like that, he delivered more and more people to Fingers who began to become more and more fond of Dirk. Every patient seemed to win points with the man. 

And Dirk only sustained light wounds, if any. Maybe a few burns from fire magic or some bruises from nasty punches. But since Dirk didn't have to go easy on anyone, he could easily take care of his enemies. 

At least, that was until a week passed. At some point, only one or two people showed, but they were strong. Stronger than Dirk. He didn't know their names and didn't care to ask. They only fought, and he responded in kind, though not enthusiastically. 

And the result was Dirk's defeat. While his enemies weren't in good shape, he was the first to go down. A broken arm, leg, and ribs. He couldn't even stand and had a hard time breathing. His body dripped blood from multiple wounds caused by dark or earth magic. 

And when he was done for, his enemies dragged him to Fingers just like Dirk did to his enemies. He was literally thrown into the room. Only, Fingers was more angry than happy to have Dirk as a patient. 

Thankfully, Dirk at least received better treatment. Finger's kept the skin admiring to a minimum while diligently slicing Dirk open to repair his broken bones. Dirk was awake during the surgery, and it was then that he found out that they didn't use numbing agents during any kind of surgery. Dirk had to suffer the pain of being cut open and his bones being reset. No wonder others dreaded being taken here. 

Compared to the whipping though, Dirk found this pain to be rather bearable, though he still let out loud groans of pain. And because his nanites automatically reset bones, Fingers didn't have to cut him open that much. It was only the arm that he opened up, and not his leg or ribs. 

Afterward, Dirk was given healing potions. Within 8 hours, he was almost good as new. His own body's healing plus the potions meant no scars remained of either the surgery or injuries. 

Dirk left the room after Fingers made him promise that he would send more people to him. Like that, Dirk went back to his routine of eating and sleeping in the alleyway. 

And yet, people still didn't leave him alone. Every other day, there would be more people to fight Dirk. Some groups were bigger while others were stronger. Either way, Dirk was put into a horrible cycle of constantly being harassed or beaten into the floor by people he didn't know. His only rest came to be with Fingers while recovering. Dirk quickly broke his vow to never sleep when on his hospital bed. 

Recover, sleep, eat, go back to the alleyway, get beat up, and get sent to Fingers. This became his routine, and it lasted for an entire month. The entire time, Dirk didn't become angry. He wasn't even annoyed. He just took the beatings while dishing out his own. He never seemed to care about anything, and even the people who came to kick him into the dirt noticed. Some people who repeatedly showed up even became reluctant to fight him. Granted, those were only the weak ones who would go to Fingers with him at the end of the battle. 

There was only one time Dirk became serious, and that was when someone tried to steal his shorts, the only pair of clothes he had. That person left with nearly a dozen broken bones and a quarter of his skin seared like meat. Fingers had to treat that person for almost a week, to the mad doctor's great delight, of course. 

During that month, Dirk was put through dozens of beatings, sometimes multiple in a day. It was like the entire town was targeting him, and Dirk was able to find out through chatter that people were being paid to put him in the hospital. There were strong assassins that led groups of people, and they sent their minions in order to reap some easy rewards. The name Silky was one of these top ranking assassins, and there were several others. Still, Dirk didn't care. He never even changed his spot. That alley was always the one he went back to. 

Unfortunately, he couldn't keep up his laziness forever. Come the end of the month, a certain event rolled around. Dirk knew it was coming and had yet to participate in one. 

The monthly evaluation. It was a test that everyone had to participate in, no exceptions. Those who didn't meet a certain standard would receive physical education. It tested people on what the classes taught them. It was testing their skill as an assassin. 

At first, Dirk disregarded it. Nobody came to him for his classes, and he didn't want to leave his comfortable alley anyway. But this time, there was a certain someone who was happy to cause him distress that arrived. 

"Wow! To think you've fallen this far. Comparing you to how you were a month ago makes me truly happy!"

Deliha appeared in the alleyway, looking at Dirk while laughing. When he first came here, he had been barking back like a rabid dog. But now, he was wallowing in filth within an alley. She meant it when she said she was happy at the sight. 

Dirk didn't respond to her, just remaining laid down on the dirt like he always was. She frowned at this, walking over to him. 

"Hey! Get up, you dog!"

*Bang!*

Her foot came swinging, slamming into Dirk's back. He grunted as he was sent flying into a wall, almost breaking a hole through it. 

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He coughed as he crawled to his hands and knees. Deliha jumped over and grabbed his hair that had grown out, picking him up. 

"You sorry excuse for shit. I don't care if you can't walk. Nobody is allowed to skip the monthly evaluation. If you don't walk on your own, I'll spike you with my chain and drag you with it. Actually? Why don't I do that anyway?"

"Agh!"

Dirk suddenly felt a jolt of pain as Deliha's hand shot out. Her chain spike was buried in his arm, and she yanked it as she walked out of the alleyway.

Dirk was pulled forward, the spike in his arm feeling like it was tearing up his nerves. Like that, he was led through the town like a prisoner, coming upon a large tunnel. 

There were many other people who walked through this tunnel, and many eyes turned to Dirk. Deliha dragged him past all the crowds that made way for her and into an open clearing. 

Another large cave not much smaller than the town cave. This was the place where every assassin in training was evaluated. There were multiple stations for casting magic, testing physical strength, and more. 

"You get to do all the tests, mister Harbinger. Let's get this over with so I can whip you. Move."

Deliha spoke before yanking him. Like that, she dumped him into the first test. 

The first evaluation was magic. Here, Dirk had to show his proficiency in certain spells. Of course, it was the spells that everyone here was taught, and not just whatever he knew. 

And since Dirk hadn't gone to any classes, he wasn't able to perform a single spell. This naturally resulted in a zero for this particular test. 

The second evaluation was his martial arts. Here, he was assigned an opponent who he had to fight. The two had to demonstrate their martial art skills. 

It was here that Dirk shined. He beat several opponents back to back, displaying perfect technique and showing them what they wanted. It was only when he was beat down by a Rank 4 opponent that the test stopped. He came out with a mark of 370. Dirk didn't know how good that was.

Then came the third test. This was a stealth test. One had to hide from an instructor who went searching for them in what seemed like a maze. There were plenty of obstacles and small structures to use and was a wide enough area that the instructor couldn't immediately sense everyone with magic. 

Of course, the more proficient one was in the use of stealth magic and techniques, the better and longer they could hide. While Dirk didn't know any stealth magic since he hadn't gone to classes, he was naturally stealthy. He moved silently, evaded everyone, and kept his distance. 

In the end, the instructor found three people before finding Dirk. Dirk was given a score of 180 before moving on. 

Finally, the last evaluation was an academic test. Here, Dirk was asked about topics that varied wildly. He was tested on poisons, weapons, chemicals, strategy, hypotheticals, and more. It was here that Dirk actually decided to perform badly. He was silent for many questions. Naturally, he knew the answers to most of them, but not only did he not know what specific answers they wanted from him, but he didn't want to show the knowledge he had. He had a lot of modern knowledge that didn't exist here. He couldn't show anything out of place. 

Dirk was given a score of 100.

With that, the evaluation was over. Dirk was given a final score of 650. Again, he didn't know how good that was. He only knew that Deliha was smiling widely when he came back. He had a foreboding feeling. 

Dirk waited after finishing, Deliha just standing there and smiling at him. Suddenly, Dirk saw the crowds of people around him part ways. a man came walking through, and Dirk narrowed his eyes at the approaching figure. 

Asura. He came walking through blindfolded like always, his attention turned to Dirk. The surrounding instructors and adults bowed at the waist when he arrived, including Deliha. 

Asura stopped in front of Dirk, his gaze boring into the half naked boy who was much shorter than him. Dirk felt deathly pressure from him that made him feel like he was being choked

"Deliha."

"Sir!"

"What's his score?"

Asura asked expectantly. Deliha smiled. 

"650, sir!"

"650... Harbinger 8, do you know what the highest score one can get is?"

"..."

Dirk was silent. He just stared at Asura, his gaze basically blank like he didn't care. 

Asura smiled at this. 

"The maximum score is 4000. You failed amazingly at every test. It's like you tried to do horribly. But I know why you didn't score well. You didn't go to a single class during this past month. I heard about all the times you were beaten, your bones broken and wounds mended by Fingers. It must've been hellish. But... I assure you. From now on, it will get so much worse."

"Ack!"

Asura shot out his hand, grabbing Dirk by the throat and raising him up. Asura spoke softly.

"Did you think you would be saved? Did you think that if you waited long enough, your mother would come barging in here and pull you out? I want you to remember how weak your mother was in front of me, and know that I never leave here. Even if she showed up, she can do nothing. Even if an army showed up, they would be annihilated as soon as they stepped foot into this place. You will never be saved. Remember these words well."

"Huuhh!!"

When Asura dropped Dirk, he breathed in sharply before coughing. He glanced at Dirk before snorting. 

"I gave you your month. You think being beaten every single day was bad? I think it's time I properly introduced you to what hell really feels like. Deliha!"

"Sir!"

Deliha stepped forward with an expectant face. 

"For every class Harbinger 8 misses, he will receive 50 lashes. The level of the whip will be left to your discretion."

"Understood!"

"And do be sure to account for all the classes he has already missed. There are four classes a day, and he has missed 30 days. That means 120 lessons have been missed, and 6,000 lashes are needed to make up for them. It is up to you how you go about distributing this physical education over time."

"Y-yes sir!"

Deliha shivered a bit as excitement came over her. 6 thousand lashes. This was basically a permit to whip him whenever and however much she wanted! 

Of course, Asura saw her excitement, but he didn't mind. 

"That's all I have for you. Go ahead and begin today. Oh, and Harbinger. The lashes will stop when you decide to pledge yourself and give your loyalty. When you decide to bow down and give your everything, then you will no longer be whipped. And..."

Asura suddenly bent down, pulling Dirk's hair and whispering in his ear. 

"If you pledge yourself, I will allow you to whip Deliha all you want. She'll become your dog to do whatever you want with. Break her mind with pain, make her your sex slave, burn her alive, feed her to the dogs. My reward to you for giving your undying loyalty will be her life. And if you tell her this, the deal is off the table. Think about that as she tears the skin off your back over and over again."

With those words, Asura shoved Dirk away. And because Asura isolated the sound while talking, Deliha heard nothing, still smiling out of anticipation for the fun she would have. 

With that, Asura left. Deliha was quick to grab Dirk by the throat.

"Come, little boy. It's time for some physical education!"

With quick steps, Deliha dragged Dirk all the way to the town square, chaining him to the stone platform. After that, she picked up the level 3 whip. 

And for the next few hours, screams echoed through the town.

 

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