Speed Is King

Elliot casually nicked his hand and then grabbed the red bird before it could escape.

"HEY! What do you think you're doing! Help! Help! Murder! Murderr!!" Red Death squawked with all of its might.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to kill you." Elliot chuckled. "HEY! Stop moving! I'm just checking something. If you thrash about so much, don't blame me if I accidentally break your neck!"

Immediately, Red Death stopped squirming around.

"I'm trusting you here, Pipsqueak." It warned. "Trust is something that has to be earned. Count it your blessing of blessings that I, the Great Frightful Killer Element Spitter, am giving you my trust before you even do anything remotely worthy of my OUCH! What are you doing!?"

"Just relax and keep quiet will you?" Elliot mumbled.

As expected, the most powerful mind space that Elliot had ever encountered, even more powerful than the one he had with Frosty, descended upon them.

Beast Type: Element Spitter

Beast Name: Red

Gender: Male

Beast Level: 75

Beast Power Level: 15

Beast Grade: Ancestral

Beast Bloodline: Divine Elementalist

Beast Physical Status: Healthy

Beast Emotional Status: Indignant

Hobby: Talking and… Nah, just talking.

Evolution Pathways: 5

Skills:

Level 9 Element Deconstruction - Dissolve and absorb elements 900% faster

Level 9 Element Production - Produce elements 900% faster

Level 9 Design - Design Grade 9 works

Level 9 Mechanics - Apply Grade 9 Mechanics

Level 9 Crafting - Craft Grade 9 products

Level 10 Persuasion - 50% chance to persuade target

Level 10 Beast Morph - Able to morph into 10 other lifeforms

AI Comments: A near-extinct and highly sought after race of birds which are hyper intelligent and extremely versatile with elements. This particular one caused so much trouble that it was sentenced to death despite its rarity and skill.

"Ancestral? But too bad, a troublemaker." Elliot sighed and shook his head. "I might have to kill you after all."

"WAIT! I am NOT a troublemaker! How can I be? I am the sweetest and the most helpfu-"

"Liar. I can read your files, you know." Elliot lied smoothly. But it worked.

"Oh. Ehm, well." Red was immediately silenced by that comment.

"Whoa. It must have done some pretty bad stuff. Let me trick it into owning up." Elliot thought to himself.

"Well? Why did you do it?" Elliot demanded.

"What? Do what? Oh, you mean why I purposely rigged the 9th Prince of the Inferno Empire's fortress to dissolve completely in water? Of course it wasn't rigging it. I mean, he did ask for a completely flame-resistant fortress. It would make sense that if one is completely resistant to fire, one would also be completely vulnerable to water, right? Balance in all things, you know? Yin and Ya… No? You're not referring to that case eh? What case are you referring to then?" Red blinked innocently.

Elliot merely growled lightly and stroked his laser gun.

"Ahh hahaha! Of course I know which case you're referring to. You must be wondering why I designed the Wolf Emperor's private transport to become completely invisible when there are acts of offspring creation taking place within it! Of course, I did that. It's for Righteousness and Justice! Everybody knows the Wolf Emperor is a perverted and lecherous wolf! Serves him right that he got caught having an affair with the Fox Empress! See? Aren't I a righte-"

Elliot sighed and turned on his laser gun. He actually did have half a mind to use it. What a real trouble maker!!

"FINE! FINE! I ADMIT! I was the one who nuked the Parasite Games!" Red finally shouted with a real trace of fear in his voice. He too could feel Elliot's growing impatience. "I did it because I had to, alright? I was under threat of painful, VERY painful death! If I didn't nuke the Parasite Games to end the way it did, I would probably still be screaming in pain right now!"

Elliot blinked and immediately felt his heart beat faster. Parasite Games? Interesting.

"Oh you sneaky little Pipsqueak…" Red noticed Elliot's reaction and immediately guessed what was going on. "You had no access to my files, didn't you? You're just fishing for details… Well done. Good move, very good move. I admit you're good. Very, very good."

"I am very good." Elliot agreed. "And very wary of you."

Elliot smiled dangerously and dialed up his laser gun to full power. "I'd rather have no information at all than wrong information. I am sure you understand the logic.

Now, I am feeling rather impatient today, and will only give you one chance to tell me everything you know about the Parasite Games and your situation with whoever was threatening you. If I find the slightest trace that you're lying, I'll kill you and forget everything you just said. No loss for me, but a total loss for you. Understand?"

"Err… Of course." Red replied smoothly. Too smoothly.

Elliot sighed.

"Hawk, is there a way to make sure that he's telling me the truth?" Elliot asked.

[Affirmative. The strongest method is to sign a slave contract with him. The contract will ensure that he speaks the truth and nothing but the truth.]

"Apart from a slave contract? Is there anything else?" Elliot asked. He doubted that Red would want to sign a slave contract with him.

[You can simply include a truth clause in a standard beast contract.]

"Here's a slave contract. Sign it." Elliot tried his luck and offered it to Red anyway.

As expected, Red immediately protested.

"What? A slave contract? Are you kidding me? First you offer me a beast contract, and now you change it to a slave contract. What do you take me for? A mindless, milk-producing mammal whose privates you think you can squeeze at will? No! Double no! TRIPLE NO!I won't sign that slave contract! Not for anything less than a guarantee for my life, my privacy, my eventual freedom and a peerless treasure!" Red shouted.

"Huh?" Elliot was shocked. "He's actually setting out conditions for the signing?? Interesting! If that's the case, he must be more desperate to live than I thought. And more susceptible to bullying and threatening.. Perfect."