> He steps closer to Rudra, lowering
The torchlight flickered wildly as Grave stood up from his throne, his crimson cloak dragging like spilled blood across the stone floor.
Grave (smirking):
"Impressive. I was beginning to think no one in your pathetic army could entertain me. But look at you—standing after all that. Varric never did know when to shut up."
Rudra (spitting blood):
"And you don't know when to be afraid."
Grave (laughs coldly):
"Afraid? Of you?"
Grave: "Well, well… let's see."
Varric (groaning):
"G... Grave... I—I did my best... I—"he is barley conscious
Grave (coldly):
"And your best wasn't enough."
In an instant—like a phantom in the wind—he vanished from the throne and appeared behind Rudra.
Rudra spun, stunned.
Rudra (thinking): Damn… he's fast. Just a second ago, he was on the throne. But now...
Grave: "Don't be so impressed, kid. There's a lot more you don't understand."
Without warning, Grave approached the fallen body of Varric. He drew a long, black-forged sword from his side.
In a single merciless swing—Varric was beheaded.
Rudra (eyes wide):
"You killed your own—"
Grave (rising, wiping the blood off):
"No, Rudra. I cleansed failure. That's the difference between us. You fight for people. I command them. And if they fail me…"
He gestures to Varric's corpse.
"They end like this."
Gasps echoed through the cavern. Even the most bloodthirsty criminals stood frozen.
Grave (coldly): "You served well all these years, but the moment you lost to a child, you disgraced the Mountain Leopards."
Rudra's eyes flared with fury.
Rudra: "Then what punishment do you deserve… if one day you fall like him, you monster?"
Grave (whispers):
"That fire in you... I'm going to enjoy breaking it. Slowly."
Rudra (voice like steel):
"You're next"
Grave: "If I were you, I'd be more concerned about my own tongue. You're not very good at reading the room, are you?"
Rudra: "I'm not afraid of some deranged thug who kills his own men—"
Before he could finish, Grave punched him in the chest with blinding speed.
The impact hurled Rudra like a ragdoll, crashing him into a giant rock formation that shattered into dust and rubble.
Rudra's body went limp. Everything faded to black.
---
When he came to, he was tied to a pillar, blood dried around his mouth. Across the cave, he saw Elandro, bound near Lily's cage, bruised and barely conscious.
Grave (grinning): "Ah, our little insect has finally woken up. Good. Let's begin the real entertainment."
The crowd roared, twisted and gleeful. Their cruelty was overwhelming—inhuman.
Rudra (spitting blood): "Don't celebrate just yet. I've already sent a message to the royal army. They'll be here soon. That smirk on your face won't last long."
Grave (laughing): "Oh? Now you've really made me excited. Hope you don't mind if I get a little... wild."
With a flick of his hand, two men dragged Elandro to the blood-stained stage where the dancers once performed.
Elandro: "Do whatever you want to me… just let Lily go."
Grave (mocking): "It all depends on you. The more pain you endure, the better her chances."
Grave turned to Rudra.
Grave: "I've heard about your past, shadow brat. Tragic. So many corpses behind you... the son of Alex, burdened with blood."
Rudra's eyes widened.
Rudra: "How do you know that? Only high-ranking officers in Division 7 have that information—"
Grave: "We have... friends in your ranks. Did you think it was coincidence that Alex's son kept failing upward? Your commander may be strong—but his ideals got him killed. And I'm about to write the next chapter."
Grave unsheathed his blade and slashed Elandro deeply across the chest. Blood poured freely, soaking the floor.
Grave: "Bring it."
His men brought a ceramic bowl filled with salt and red chili powder.
Rudra (screaming): "No! Grave, don't do it!"
Grave (smirking): "This is a show you won't ever forget."
He shoved the mixture into Elandro's open wound.
Elandro's scream was earth-shattering, raw agony ripping through the cavern. Lily sobbed behind the bars of her cage, clutching the iron, her tiny knuckles white.
But Grave wasn't finished.
He took a blood-soaked whip and began lashing Elandro across the back, again and again. Then another handful of salt-chili powder. The mixture was crushed into the lash marks.
Elandro cried out in torment, pain etched into every breath. Rudra's face twisted in rage and helplessness.
Rudra (growling): "Grave… I swear… I'll make you suffer. I'll drag you into the same hell you've built here."
While Grave was inflicting pain on Elandro, he laughed—
not just any laugh, but a twisted, chilling sound that revealed just how cruel a human could truly become.
That laugh… those screams… the torment—
they weren't just aimed at Elandro.
They were a direct assault on Rudra's very humanity.
With every passing second, every cry of agony that echoed through the cave, Rudra's faith in mankind crumbled a little more.
The line between justice and vengeance blurred.
And in that moment, something inside him began to change—
not break... but burn.
---
Let me know if you want this scene expanded further or tied into Rudra's internal monologue.
Suddenly, amidst the chaos… footsteps.
Dozens of them.
Rudra (breathless): "You hear that, Grave? Division 7 is here. Now you'll see."
Grave: "Hmph. Don't get cocky. This show's far from over."
The cave entrance erupted with torchlight and steel.
Royal Army soldiers flooded in like a tidal wave.
And at the front—Commander Alex.
Alex: "Brat… I told you to stay out of this. You were only supposed to gather intel."
Rudra: "Sorry, Commander. Things… got out of hand."
Alex sighed and slashed the ropes holding Rudra.
Alex: "I can see that."
Rudra stood up slowly, his eyes fixed on Grave.
Rudra: "So… what do you say, Grave? Ready to party?"
---
Let me know if you'd like to write the next battle: Rudra, Alex, and Division 7 vs Grave, or shift focus to Lily and the emotional aftermath.