"Well, Jonny... have you come to your senses yet?" the Dark Lady had asked.
"Yes. The Void Elves are a menace, and must be destroyed," Jon affirmed eagerly.
The Dark Lady closed her eyes, and Jon could almost hear her voiced incantation. She smiled. Jon flinched.
"Ah, your lips say the right thing. Progress!" she said. "Your mind, however...your mind says 'tell her what she wants to hear, whatever that is!' Not an unexpected response - I do want you to please me, after all - but it is not enough for you to say it." The smile left her face. "You have to mean it."
The Dark Lady was a Shadow priest. The Unsympathetic Man had broken Jon Chess' body; the Dark lady would break Jon Chess' mind.
Shortly after Elling Trias had hired Chess, he had sent him to Ravenholdt Manor in the Alterac Mountains for training. He had built upon his basic knowledge of poisons under the dwarven alchemist Smudge Thunderwood. He had learned the dirty tricks of close knife compat from the orcish Master Kang. He had learned the ins and outs of sleight-of-hand from the sin'dorei Myrokos Silentform.
Jonathan had learned how to discipline his mind from the kal'dorei landscape architect, Simone Cantrell.
"Have some Thistle Tea, young raven, and clear your mind of distraction. Now, imagine yourself by a riverbank," she had instructed.
Jon had closed his eyes, and done as she had asked.
"See yourself take mud from the riverbank. Sculpt the mud into a brick," she continued. Jon pictured himself making a brick out of the mental river clay.
"Place the brick down in front of you - see how the Light bakes it to hardness? Now, make another brick. Place it next to the first. Now, again. Again. Keep going. Feel the weight of the bricks in your mind. Build a wall."
When Jonathan had done what she had asked, and had completed a wall that stood just a little higher than himself, she said "Now, prpare yourself!"
In the landscape of his mind, the wall he had build shook. Somethign was striking it from the outside! It took a dozen strikes before a spectral version of Simone was able to break through his imaginary wall. The shock of his mental wall crumbling shocked Jon awake. He opened his eyes, only to discover that he had fallen to his kneesunder the psychic onslaught.
Simone had brought him to his feet. "Well done, Jon Chess! A very good effort for your first attempt. Please feel free to come back when you have the inclination, and we will do this again; it is only through practice that your mind can learn the proper discipine and skill."
Jon had gone back every day until Lord Jorach had deemed his training complete, and had sent him back to Stormwind. Jon had continued his practice, just as he had continued the physical training, the kata taught him by master Kang, and the dexterity exercises of Myrokos.
It took the Dark lady two weeks to batter his psyche into submission. Then she began to play.
His jailors were relieved that Jonathan no longer screamed out loud.
"Yes. The Void Elves are a menace, and must be destroyed," Jon affirmed eagerly.
The Dark Lady closed her eyes, and Jon could almost hear her voiced incantation. She smiled. Jon flinched.
"Ah, your lips say the right thing. Progress!" she said. "Your mind, however...your mind says 'tell her what she wants to hear, whatever that is!' Not an unexpected response - I do want you to please me, after all - but it is not enough for you to say it." The smile left her face. "You have to mean it."
The Dark Lady was a Shadow priest. The Unsympathetic Man had broken Jon Chess' body; the Dark lady would break Jon Chess' mind.
Shortly after Elling Trias had hired Chess, he had sent him to Ravenholdt Manor in the Alterac Mountains for training. He had built upon his basic knowledge of poisons under the dwarven alchemist Smudge Thunderwood. He had learned the dirty tricks of close knife compat from the orcish Master Kang. He had learned the ins and outs of sleight-of-hand from the sin'dorei Myrokos Silentform.
Jonathan had learned how to discipline his mind from the kal'dorei landscape architect, Simone Cantrell.
"Have some Thistle Tea, young raven, and clear your mind of distraction. Now, imagine yourself by a riverbank," she had instructed.
Jon had closed his eyes, and done as she had asked.
"See yourself take mud from the riverbank. Sculpt the mud into a brick," she continued. Jon pictured himself making a brick out of the mental river clay.
"Place the brick down in front of you - see how the Light bakes it to hardness? Now, make another brick. Place it next to the first. Now, again. Again. Keep going. Feel the weight of the bricks in your mind. Build a wall."
When Jonathan had done what she had asked, and had completed a wall that stood just a little higher than himself, she said "Now, prpare yourself!"
In the landscape of his mind, the wall he had build shook. Somethign was striking it from the outside! It took a dozen strikes before a spectral version of Simone was able to break through his imaginary wall. The shock of his mental wall crumbling shocked Jon awake. He opened his eyes, only to discover that he had fallen to his kneesunder the psychic onslaught.
Simone had brought him to his feet. "Well done, Jon Chess! A very good effort for your first attempt. Please feel free to come back when you have the inclination, and we will do this again; it is only through practice that your mind can learn the proper discipine and skill."
Jon had gone back every day until Lord Jorach had deemed his training complete, and had sent him back to Stormwind. Jon had continued his practice, just as he had continued the physical training, the kata taught him by master Kang, and the dexterity exercises of Myrokos.
It took the Dark lady two weeks to batter his psyche into submission. Then she began to play.
His jailors were relieved that Jonathan no longer screamed out loud.
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