Challenge #02293-F103: Not Easily Broken
“Everyone has a point where they snap. Question is, human, where’s yours?” -- Anon Guest
"Depends on what you mean by 'snap'," said Human Liss. They were already three-quarters broken. A thousand small injuries adding up to more than a few big ones. They had been caught without their livesuit during this particular raid and over half of those minor injuries were accidentally self-inflicted. The rest were acquired in a way that had "the other guy" in a whimpering ball of pain if they managed to survive at all. "If you mean the point where a Human starts getting violent, then that went zinging by the instant your lot smashed Stabby."
Lord Theep, Conqueror of Worlds didn't appear to notice that one warning. "You seem... subdued. You're paces away from collapse. Humans are tough, but they're not that tough."
"I wasn't finished talking," said Human Liss. "There's other ways to snap. Emotionally, where the heart breaks and thought ends, and a tearing heart comes out in screams. And, as you said, physically. Where the body breaks down and nothing more is possible. Finally... there's the soul snap. Where everything else, every other failure, every other break... simply fails to matter."
Only now did Lord Theep, Conqueror of Worlds realise exactly where Human Liss was in the stages of snapping.
The Human had had a rough journey all the way to this final confrontation. Their body had broken, their heart had broken, their temper had certainly broken... Just when it seemed that a Human was ready to collapse... one last straw was all that was necessary - Lord Theep had thought - to completely render Human Liss helpless.
One last straw could break a camel.
One last straw made a Human into something... else.
Lord Theep, Conqueror of Worlds barely lived long enough to realise his mistake. He didn't live much past that particular revelation. His name lives on as a lesson. Do not attempt to break Humans past their snapping point. When they really break, they break you too.
[Image (c) Can Stock Photo / lenm]
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They smashed Stabby? D:
We can rebuild hir. We have the technology...