Author Note: Hi, my awesome readers, thank you for taking an interest in this new book! Originally I hesitated to write it, because I knew the content would be too strong even for me, but then everyday I would think of a little bit more about the story, then another. Those pieces had accumulated so much to a point that it was better for me to just write them down.
Warning ahead, this book contains strong violence, sexual suggestive scenes, and cannibal scenarios. You might find some chapters uncomfortable to read.
Also, thought the book is named "The Azgedian", they won't show up until a couple of chapters later.
Book three took place right after book two. You don't need to read through those two books. I tried to put as much background info as necessary in the beginning.
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In year 2052, human race went through the most horrendous disaster of all, a nuclear war fought between China and U.S.A., allegedly. (Very few people knew about A.L.I.E.) Out of 7 billion people, only 500 million survived the initial nuclear blasts. After that, the heightened level of radiation gradually killed another 90% of the population. The earth had hit a huge reset button, and human species returned to their humble stone-age beginnings.
For years, nuclear winter ravaged the land of the America. Darkness and death permeated every inch of the land. The "lucky" people who survived had to face the relentless cold, the unforgiving hunger, and worst of all, the fatal threat from their own: while most were starving and famished, some of them became predatory cannibals.
That's the same gloomy fate fell upon the once proud "Capital of the World", Polis, the 80 million population was mostly decimated by the bombs. Only about twenty thousand people survived, but they were dropping dead rapidly everyday. Besides the danger of radiation and food shortage, there were a couple hundred Second Dawn cult members hunting people for their meat.
People in Polis remembered very well that October 1st, 2054 was the day their Savior, Becca, came from the sky. She saved over a thousand people from dying of radiation in just a few short months. That was actually all the population left of the whole city and its nearby vicinity.
That was why people admired and worshiped Becca. She did all she could to save whoever could be saved, even her own mortal enemy, Bill Cadogan, the Second Dawn cult leader who later burned her in the center square.
Just one week ago, all one thousand Polis citizens, combined force with elite soldiers from Mount Weather, stormed the Mega Tower, the Second Dawn's nest, and killed Bill Cadogan to revenge her.
It was a battle no one would easily forget. As one of Becca's most fervent followers, Tango, described about the fight.
"Yeah, I was following that crazy girl, Helen. God damn! She's very good at cutting those Second Dawn bastards down. I myself didn't do much of the killing. Once she slashed one open. I would come up and give him a quick death. Putting a knife in his throat or something, you know. Let him die faster. I finished like 10 of those bastards this way. That's all mercy killing, ya know."
Cash on the side argued, "That crazy girl would have been dead, if not those Mount Weather men killed those Second Dawn guards with sniper rifles first. She's good but she ain't gonna dodge bullets."
Tango agreed, "Yup, she ain't a Goddess like Becca. Now she wants us to bend our knee to her? No fucking way! We all see how demented she is. She belongs to Gotham Mental Hospital, if it exists."
Cash added, "Right here with you, bro. She says she's the one who killed that Bill guy, so what? Any one of us would have done that. That doesn't make her our leader. I will rather follow 'Stinky'."
"Yeah, Bryan is a good man." Tango gave him a nod. "He's always straight with us. His wife might be a bitch but she ain't that bad."
"Excuse us but we gotta go." Cash said. "We have a stage to build."
"Sorry, you still don't know?" Tango was surprised. "Tomorrow we will have the first conclave of us grounders. Bryan will kill that crazy girl and become the next commander." With that said both left.
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The City of Polis still had a stadium, or more precisely, half of a stadium. Three years ago, the nuclear blast in the financial district pushed all its west side down, leaving the east side mostly intact. It had stayed empty until that main event.
It was the day before. Polis citizens already poured into the ground. They started to build a heighten stage that was 50 by 50 feet, like the way we had for a music concert. Nicole Hawk was the one giving out orders. Due to her family's background, she knew quite a lot about organizing people to build things. She had seen her father did it many times in the past.
At the meantime, she went up each level of the stadium in search of something. What was she looking for? No one knew.
People worked hard with her direction, yet they couldn't help talking about the battle happened just one week before. Everyone could still feel the heat and adrenaline during that fight. They could still remember how every muscle was pumped, every hair of the body erected by roaring "FOR BECCA" with others. Together, they had avenge their Savior. To some, that battle gave them way more pleasure than sex.
However, just one week later, they were going to witness a completely different fight. A fight to the death nonetheless. They were equally excited about it.
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The stage was ready the next morning. The sun had just risen, and the stage was already surrounded by a thousand people. Every citizen of Polis who could move was there.
An announcer started to test the microphone:
"Ladies and Gentlemen. Welcome to the Ellis Stadium today. We will present you first ever Grounder's Conclave..."
He stopped his exaggerating voice and asked the people around, "Am I doing OK? Do you hear me well?"
They showed their thumbs, "Good, you are doing great! Keep going."
The announcer smiled, "Thank you everyone! I used to fancy myself hosting a wrestling event, and today it's kinda come true."
Then he switched his voice back to his imaginary wrestling host's, "Introducing first in the right corner: the challenger, .Weighted 203 pounds, he is the leader of the DC tribe, a master spearman, who used to hunt black panthers, he can throw a spear 50 yards away with pinpoint accuracy. Let's welcome Bryaaaaaaannnn Hawk, the 'Stinky'!"
Cheers filled up the whole half stadium.
A man around 25 years old jumped up to the stage and waved at the audience. People stomped the ground like thunders.
"Now comes our second Commander. Weighted 130 pounds, all muscle and no fat, she's only 14, but deadly as hell. Right now she's carrying the very Bushido Blade Becca had used. That blade had cut down many Second Dawn thugs last week. Let's welcome Heleeeeeennnn Graham, the 'Crazy Girl'!"
"What did you just call me?" Helen jumped up and lashed at him. Just her glare was enough to make the announcer trembling.
"Oops… Sorry, my commander! I am a little over my head." He quickly apologized in fear, "People, let's give her a round of applause, please."
No one did that. They stared at her with contempt. The stadium quieted down.
"You all think I am crazy?" Helen took the microphone and spoke, "Well, it's true. I am crazy enough to give you a chance to kill me. You don't like me? Come on you cowards. I am right here."
"BOO…" People started to express their scorning. Some even shouted, "DIE YOU BITCH!"
However, no one dared to actually go up there.
"Hey, everybody stop!" Bryan spoke aloud. "She's still our commander. She was the one who brought us back here to avenge Becca. Give her some respect, people."
They stopped the decrying. In their mind, Bryan was already the Commander, not that 14-year-old.
Helen gazed at him with a cold grin. You are a good man, but in this cruel world good people died like flies. Only the fastest and strongest can survive. Unfortunately for you, I am the faster and stronger one. Even my AI told me I have 95 percent chance to win.
Announcer continued his show, "Sitting in the center chair is our Flame Keeper, Ethan, He will be the overseer of this death match."
Helen swirled and saw the little boy came up from the back stage and took the seat. Her dark grin grew bigger. Yup, you can hide from me at other times, but not today. This conclave is too important for everyone that you have to come. After I slaughter Bryan, the next target will be you, my little friend. One stone two birds. Then no one will know I had betrayed Becca. Polis will be my kingdom to rule.
She then pointed her blade at Bryan, "Before we fight, I need to make sure. Will DC tribe comply with the rules of the conclave? Will you all bend the knees to the winner?"
Looking at the arrogant devilish girl, Bryan sighed silently. We used to be friends, and you used to be just a happy little girl who followed Becca everywhere. What makes you change so much?
In fact Ethan already told him the reason. He still couldn't believe that Helen was capable of betraying Becca. He didn't tell anyone about the secret, not even his wife.
Then he found out every person who possibly knew her betrayal was dead. Some seemed accidental, but others died in strange circumstances. He decided not to tell anyone, for their own safety.
This girl had became a cold-blooded serial killer, making moves in deadly precise calculations. I have to stop her at any cost. Nicole will understand me one day.
Staring at her, he nodded slowly. "They all agree to the rules. I already made sure of that."
"Good!" Helen smiled like Harley Quinn. "Otherwise I had nothing to gain from this fight."
Bryan thought bitterly. How about your own soul? You should have resigned right after the battle. Yet you're still demanding everyone to obey you. Becca never demand anyone anything. She just asked, and we will all risk our lives to do it.
"So, what are we waiting for?" Helen swung her blade a few circles, fast like lightning. "Let's begin."
"Wait a damned minute!" Someone from the entrance bellowed out a big shout.
Everyone twisted his/her head back to see who was yelling, and they recognized that it was the Mountain Man, Joe Whitman. No one had expected him to be there. After all, Mount Weather had nothing to do with Polis.
"You guys are cruel!" Whitman walked in and swept around the audience, "I woke up to an empty camp, only to find out you guys didn't even invite me. That's so fucking rude!"
Bryan spoke to him, "Hey, Joe, what the hell are you doing? This is business of Polis only. We don't want to get Mount Weather involved."
"Well, then it's God damned too late, isn't it?" Whitman stepped up the stage and said, "Me and my soldiers didn't risk our lives to fight the Second Dawn, so you guys can play the gladiator game here. This is 21th century, for fucks sake. We are all civilized…"
A metal blade touched his neck skin, cold and hard. Helen froze his speech midway. "Mr. Whitman, you cannot stop us. The die is cast. Decisions had been made. I suggest you go down and enjoy the show."
Bryan grabbed his spear and pointed at Helen, but he didn't want to make any wrong moves. Helen could easily cut off Whitman's head in a flash.
"So you have to fight each other to the death?" Whitman asked. He seemed very calm for someone in such a mortal danger.
It was Bryan who answered, "Yes, Joe, we HAVE to. It's our way, the grounder's way."
"Alright, then you gave me no choice then." Whitman took out a large Rambo's knife. "I will join the fight."
For a moment, the whole stadium fell to absolute silence. Everyone was staring at Joe Whitman with wide eyes. What the heck was that guy thinking? Then cheers and applause followed, getting louder and louder.
Helen felt amused, "Oh, big guy, you think you are brave? You have no idea what you just got yourself into. Plus, are you even qualified? You have no tribe to lead, nothing to risk."
Whitman looked back at her with contempt, "I am the leader of my soldiers. They will not follow you, but I can give you this." He took out a little thumb drive. "It has the locations of our secret bunkers. You can find plenty of food and weapons there."
Hm...Food and weapon, the things I desperately need for my reign. Helen considered her options. He's a big muscular guy with military combat training, but he's too old and too slow to fight me. My AI predicts that I still have 80 percent chance to win them. So she agreed, "OK, it's your funeral. Join the show and break a leg."
Bryan patted on his shoulder anxiously, "What the hell are you thinking? You know this is a death match, right?"
Whitman sighed, "You cannot win this. Not without me."
"I appreciate the concern." Bryan whispered in his ear, "But I already have a plan. You will screw it up."
"I have my plan too." Whitman said, "With all due respect, I am a heck lot better than you."
"Whatever you say, old man." Bryan circled his spear and arcs of lights flashed by. "Like she says, it's your funeral."
"Since when you agree with her?" Whitman wondered, "And why you both think swirling the weapon fast can somehow make you a martial art master?"
The announcer took over, "Well, is there anyone else want to join? Come on, don't be shy. Becca had trained many of you, not just Helen and Bryan. Still no? OK then. Let's start the main event. Ladies and gentlemen, this is the first conclave of grounders to determine who should be our Commander. It's a fight to the death. Last person standing will take Becca's spirit. Let's get ready to RRRRRRRUUUUUMMMMM..."
A small knife swished through the air and lodged in the chair of the announcer, inches from his penis. The announcer choked back his rumbling immediately.
Still an impulsive little girl. Whitman had a little sneer. You just lost your secondary weapon.
Two big men, one young and one middle-age, started to circled Helen the crazy girl in the stage center. Each of the audience held their breath and tried not to blink. The whole stadium fell into an eerie silence.