CHAPTER 33: CH-33- CRAZY IMAGINATION?

Cisco practically dragged Baelgor by the sleeve, eager to leave behind the clapping crowd and their embarrassing cheers. His face still burned red, his pride was in tatters, and every congratulation felt like another dagger to his soul.

"Damn it all, embarrassment alone might kill me today... but fine. Fine! I’ll endure. If it means wealth, if it means milking this fool dry, I’ll crawl through mud and smile through shame. One day, this humiliation will be paid back in mountains of gold."

At least, that was what he told himself.

Yet when Cisco risked a glance at his "lord," he froze.

Baelgor wasn’t embarrassed. He wasn’t irritated. He wasn’t even confused.

He was... smiling.

Not the awkward grin of a man caught in a scandal. Not the fake politeness Cisco himself often wore. No, this was a calm, confident smile. A smile that said everything was going exactly as planned.

Cisco’s heart skipped a beat.

"...Why is he smiling? We were just mistaken for a couple out there, and he’s smiling? Why? Don’t tell me... don’t tell me it’s what I think it is..."

Slowly, Cisco turned to look at Baelgor again, his imagination running wild.

Baelgor’s expression hadn’t changed, still that calm, satisfied smile.

Cisco’s mind exploded.

"That smile... I’ve seen it before. It’s the smile of a predator who has found his prey. No... no way. Don’t tell me this fool... plans to... to...!? Gods above, of all the sons of rich hunters, I had to run into this one! The rumors were true, weren’t they? The rich and their... inordinate fantasies, their unnatural desires. He’s one of those! Definitely one of those!"

His eyes went wide, his body stiff as a board.

Baelgor, oblivious to the storm of thoughts raging in Cisco’s head, simply walked a little closer, still wearing that same serene smile.

Cisco nearly choked. "Oh gods, he’s approaching me! Is he planning to do it now? Here? In public!? Have some shame, fool!"

He bit down on his lip, his thoughts racing faster and darker.

"Well... I suppose... if the payment is enough... if I can squeeze enough gold out of him, maybe... just maybe... I can endure it. It’ll only be this once. One time, and I’ll never see him again. Yes... for wealth, for survival, I’ll grit my teeth and take it!"

Baelgor finally stopped in front of him, placing a hand on Cisco’s shoulder with solemn dignity. His golden eyes glimmered, his aura radiating pride.

Cisco’s face went pale.

Baelgor suddenly stepped closer, his golden eyes glimmering with a strange light. His hand came down on Cisco’s shoulder, heavy as a mountain.

"Commoner," Baelgor said with a voice that rumbled like thunder. "Tonight, you shall provide me... pleasure."

Cisco froze. His mind short-circuited.

"...Pleasure? P-Pleasure!? Oh no. No, no, no. Don’t tell me....?!!"

Before he could even stammer out a response, his vision twisted. The world spun, and when it cleared, Cisco found himself standing in a grandiose chamber of black stone.

Golden chandeliers blazed overhead, casting light across walls lined with gleaming chains, shackles, and whips.

Cisco’s heart dropped into his stomach.

"Oh gods above... it’s true! He’s not just one of those rich sons with odd hobbies....he’s the worst kind! Not just indulgence, but torture! He enjoys this kind of thing! Ancestors, save me!"

His knees buckled. Tears pricked his eyes. He had imagined wealth, riches, and treasures from following this "foolish rich son." Yet here he was, staring at a nightmare that looked straight out of a sadist’s fantasy.

Then, with a snap of Baelgor’s fingers, glowing chains coiled around Cisco like serpents, binding his wrists and ankles, spreading him into the shape of an ’X’ in the air.

Cisco’s shriek echoed across the chamber. "N-nooo! My lord! I was wrong, forgive me! I’ll never scam anyone again, I swear! I’ll donate to the poor! I’ll live righteously! Please spare me!"

Baelgor, meanwhile, simply stepped forward, inspecting his trembling captive with a cool gaze. His massive frame loomed larger than life, his shadow falling across Cisco like a predator examining prey.

"You thought to trick me out of gold earlier, did you not?" Baelgor asked coldly.

Cisco’s tears flowed freely. "He knows! He knows everything!"

"I-I never! Nothing of the sort, my lord! I was only trying to serve you! Please, I beg of you, let me go!" he sobbed, mucus dripping as he wailed like a child.

Baelgor lifted one of the golden whips from the wall. Its runes glowed ominously. A cruel smile tugged at his lips.

Cisco screamed. "Why me!? Why always me!? This is my punishment for greed, isn’t it!? Ancestors, why didn’t you abandon someone else!?"

His cries filled the chamber, as Baelgor raised the whip...

The whip came down.

SMACK!

Cisco screamed, his voice echoing across the chamber. "AAAAHHHHHHH! Forgive me, my lord! I was wrong! I’ll never scam another rich fool again, I swear!"

CRACK!

"AHHHHHHHH! I’ll feed the poor! I’ll build orphanages! I’ll even help old grandmas cross the road!"

CRACK!

"Mercy, mercy! I’ll give up gambling! I’ll stop cheating at cards! I’ll even....AHHHHHH...I’ll even pay my taxes!"

Baelgor’s expression remained calm, almost regal, as though this was no more than a minor disciplinary act. Each strike was controlled, deliberate, not meant to kill, but to humble.

Meanwhile, Cisco was thrashing in the chains, tears and snot running down his face, crying like a condemned man.

"This is it, this is the end of Cisco! I should have been a farmer! No, a fisherman! At least fish don’t carry whips!"

After several lashes, Baelgor finally halted. His cold gaze softened slightly, as though satisfied.

Baelgor’s grin widened, his sharp teeth glinting in the dim light as he reached into a drawer. Chains rattled with every movement, echoing in Cisco’s ears like the tolling of a death bell.

When Baelgor slowly pulled out a long iron rod, its tip glowing faintly with the resemblance of a dildo, Cisco’s mind shattered.

No... no... no, it can’t be... not that... not me!

In Cisco’s terrified imagination, the rod twisted into the shape of something far worse, a weapon of humiliation rather than death. Sweat poured down his forehead, and his body convulsed as if trying to wriggle out of the chains.

"Please, please, my lord, anything but that! I’ll pay, I’ll change, I’ll feed orphans, I’ll polish the boots of every hunter in this city! Just don’t.....DON’T DO THIS!" Cisco wailed, thrashing like a fish on a hook.

To him, Baelgor’s every movement was a death sentence. To Baelgor, however, it was nothing more than choosing an artifact for a simple ritual of dominance.

"Commoner," Baelgor said with chilling delight, "this rod shall test your resolve. Endure it, and you may truly be worthy of my service."

Cisco’s voice broke. "NOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Then he heard a voice all of a sudden

"Wise human, are you okay?"