“How long were you hanging there, little one?”
Retvik laid down the blanket-wrapped body on his bed. It would occasionally move, exhausted, shallow breathing making its chest rise and fall. The odd shiver would course through its core, making it shake. As Retvik pulled away the blankets, he vaguely recognised the being as one of his own, another Rethavok.
“Us Rethans are rare in these parts. At least now we are. It has been, what, twenty years since High General Elkay died? Almost instantly our empire started to shrink. Five hundred years of rule and all for nothing. You though, where did you come from?”
The bedroom wasn’t particularly large, just about high enough for Retvik to stand upright. It had been a home for Skians, it wasn’t built for a powerful, towering being like him. Nothing in this house was, the dark, dreary furnishings were always creaking under Retvik’s heavy, clawed feet.
The Rethan in the blankets though was small. Just over two meters tall, almost exactly half Retvik’s height. But they were still clearly a Rethavok of sorts. A type of Rethan that Retvik had not seen in a long time. A Threan-type.
“You breathe, little one. Only just. Looks like you were tortured, little one. If only I had the strength these days to avenge your pain…”
In the corner behind Retvik was his gunstaff, accompanied by a handful of other weapons – a heavy chain-whip, a high-powered sniper rifle with a silvery bayonet attachment and a long, gem-encrusted staff. They were the only items he had to protect his tiny little home.
Retvik left the Rethavok’s side and headed to the small bathroom. After checking to see if he had any hot water, he started to run a bath. The bath had never been big enough for him, so he had always had showers. But the troubled Rethavok needed a proper bath, and Retvik was going to give it to him.
When he’d found the Rethan, they’d been chained up to a wall, strange instruments feeding sedatives into their arms – or at least, they used to. The tubes had long ago drained completely. Their body was mostly wrapped up in fabric, but their mouth, chest and groin had all been left uncovered. Retvik hadn’t expected to just suddenly walk past such a sight, especially since these days he kept himself hidden, but it was the smell that had caught Retvik’s attention. That of blood that shouldn’t have been present in the temple areas of a Lanex city. As he’d approached what looked like an empty house, he instantly knew something was wrong. Almost as if he was being lured there. But he couldn’t have left this poor being like that.
“I hope you do not mind me removing this clothing. It looks as if you were never allowed to do so.”
Retvik sighed as he removed the fabric, which fell apart in his hands. Maybe he should have gotten a plastic sheet or something, because the mess he’d just made undressing the Rethan was horrible. Once they were free of their cloth wrapping, he carried the Rethan over to the bath and lowered them in, before adding some bath soap and some scented oils.
Now that Retvik could see them clearly, he realised just how broken they were. Their body was covered in scars and dots, caused from years, perhaps even decades of injections and needles being plunged into their flesh. Retvik looked into their cold, nearly dead eyes. If there had once been a spirit in there, it was most likely gone now, alongside the original colour of their irises.
This Rethan’s situation was dire. They would most likely not have survived the night had Retvik not found them. How they lasted that long, Retvik didn’t want to know. But there was one thing he could do. Something he kept for dire situations.
Keeping his eyes locked on the Rethan in the bathtub, Retvik reached for a small compartment above his sink. He rummaged around until he found a small, pale pink vial with a green label on it.
“The waters of Kinigi…”
The last time Retvik had attempted this, it had failed, the being he tried to save died. They died peacefully, but that wasn’t the intended outcome. With this Rethan though, Retvik didn’t care. It would save them, or at the very least it would let them escape the agony they had suffered through for so many years. Either option was better than the poor thing’s current situation.
Retvik hesitated, then opened the vial. He carefully tipped it, dripping one drop in the bath water, then letting another drop fall on the Rethan’s head.
Slowly, the wounds on the being’s arms began to fade. It wasn’t obvious at first, but after a minute or so, he could see visible change.
The Rethan’s eyes flickered open. Once they had accustomed themselves to the warm, orange light, they focused on Retvik.
“T-thank you…”
“You’re welcome…” Retvik sighed as he gently stroked the Rethan’s cheek. “Your torment is over now…”
Note: This story happens 500 years from now.