Wracks, Inc.

"Master, you must.."

"Ah, Sarloa, about time you showed up.  Hand me the ossefactor"

"Master, there's.."

"Focus!  I'm in the middle of restoring Archon Gladious.  Now hand me the tool before I decide your skin would be more useful as a handkerchief."

"But master, it's about Gladious.  I mean his payment."

"Well, out with it you fool.  Is that a sneeze I feel coming on?"

"The payment, it's ..  You see they..  That is to say..  We were preparing them and..  Master, I simply don't have the words.  Please, let me show you."

Sigh, "Alright Sarloa.  Just be aware that you will likely be the first thing that Gladious tastes upon his return."

------

"We're here. Now show me."

"Master, this species isn't one I've come across before.  The specimens don't ...  Well, they don't react as they should.  I've pulled off limbs.  I've burnt and frozen various parts, even at the same time.  I forced a few to watch themselves be skinned; one layer at a time.   In all of these acts, nothing has occurred."

"What do you mean 'nothing'?  Obviously something happened. They do die don't they?"

"Yes master, they die.   But that's not what I mean.  No matter the torture, no matter the amount of pain induced, we can detect no emitted emotion.  In other words they are immune to our tools."  

"That can't be right. Everything registers some type of emotion.  Fear, hatred, even pleasure can come from torture."

"Please master, see for yourself.  I have one strapped to the slab now."

The haemonculus retrieved a cold long steel blade and walked to the vivisection table.   An entity he's never seen before is looking straight at him with oversized brown eyes.  It blinks slowly, obviously aware of the situation.

On a random whim, the haemonculus draws the dull side of the cold steel along the bottom of the things foot.  

It laughs.  An alarm sounds.

"MASTER!!"

"Eh?   What is that alarm?"

"That registered!   The detectors are pegged at maximum!"

After a few moments, the thing stops laughing and smiles at the haemonculus.  The detectors are now showing zero output.  Again the large brown eyes are silently waiting.  Beaconing him with a promise that is too ghastly to ignore.

The haemonculus gently draws the steel across its other foot.

Again it laughs.  Again an alarm sounds.

"MASTER!   Look above us!  The kabalites are stirring.  I just prepared them for restoration an hour ago!"

"Sarloa, I think I understand.  Destroy the rest of these specimens, quickly and with fire.  I want nothing of them to remain.  I'll contact my master.  We will likely exterminate the rest of their species. "

"But master!   The power!  It's incredible.   By just gently touching it you have restored a full squad of warriors.   Surely we should investigate further."

"You understand so little. The act that elicited such a response is called 'tickling' and it has no place within the bounds of Commarragh.  If someone finds out about this our entire society could fall.  Imagine what would happen if laughter was everywhere?  It will lead us down a path that we should never go.  Never mind that the Harlequins would be completely intolerable for an eon.

No, we must erase them from the universe before they spread.

After all what use is power if it isn't derived from the utter domination of others?  This 'laughter' is the antithesis of all we know.  Burn them.  I'll deal with Gladious for bringing such creatures to our realm."

This is wonderful, I probably just restored another squad reading it!

Nope, I dont buy it.

There is such a thing as a tickle torture, after all. I imagine DE have got feathers to a high art.