Chapter 3 : Escape


Four days passed. She was now the sole survivor of the team that inadvertently freed the self-proclaimed Shogun of Sorrow from his centuries old prison.

She opened her eyes. She didn't even remember falling asleep. The caged woman figured that, after a few days without being able to sleep, she had finally collapsed. Her body didn't appreciate its stay on the cold hard floor and reminded her of this fact every time she tried to move. Then, after some struggle, she managed to stand up. All the while, one of those red-clad humanoid creatures Aku had summoned to do his biddings (when had he learned such magic?) was watching her. Its eyes, which were the only part of the creature's body that wasn't covered in its red and black uniform, didn't blink even once. The markings on the creature's outfit looked exactly like a certain monster's shape, just in case the prisoner could forget who this demon was serving.

Its master was nowhere in sight ; maybe he was causing some more destruction somewhere else. The woman felt a chill run down her spine. As terrifying as Aku was, she dreaded his absence the most because she didn't know what he was up to. And her imagination was running wild in the darkness of his improvised lair.

She doubted the demon would be satisfied with vengeance. He had the power to set the world ablaze and she had seen first hand that he was certainly not afraid to use it.

Aku had to be stopped ; if no-one prevented him from causing further destruction, the lead archaeologist's workers would have died in vain.

But how could she break free from this cage? She had no idea what material the bars were made of but it wouldn't let itself be broken, bent or damaged in any way. And this guard that was staring at her without ever blinking…

Another one, identical to the first, entered the underground lair then threw a small water bottle and a food can between the bars. The prisoner caught them both right before they could roll out of her cage then threw back the now empty bottle she was given two days prior. The creature caught it in mid-air before the object could reach its face.

Aku still hoped his prisoner would give him the information he needed. She wanted to tell him he was wasting his time and she would never reveal where the sacred blade was kept ; however she knew it would be a bad idea. Indeed, as long as this accursed demon believed the human could be useful to him, he would keep her alive. Maybe not in the best conditions, but alive nonetheless.

As she sat down, opened the food can and started eating (she was too hungry to complain that the food wasn't cooked), she witnessed the two identical minions whispering to each other. What were they talking about? She couldn't make out what they were saying…

Moments later, the minions shifted their gaze from each other to her. She watched their cold stares and wondered what horrors might follow. The demons approached the bars of the cage ; she was ready to defend herself in any way she possibly could. As they stood in front of the cage, two of the bars started retracting into the ground. The woman watched the gap slowly appearing before her eyes, clearly creating a way for her to get out. Or maybe for the minions to get in.

With a sigh of relief, she saw the creatures just standing outside of the cage, waiting. Slowly, she stood up and made a few careful steps, not knowing what was happening.

"You are being transported. Hurry up, human," one of the minions spoke with a deep, disturbing voice.

The prisoner stepped out of the cage and was promptly grabbed by the two red-clad demons. They held her arms and half-pushed, half-pulled her to walk forward. Two other minions joined the escorting group. She noticed that one of them was still staring at her. The woman shivered but decided to try to ignore it. She looked ahead and saw the faint light approaching. It was such a pleasure to see the light again. Everything else in the last four days was just darkness, occasional fires and the dampness of the cave. She couldn't wait to see where she was.

The first step out in the open blinded her. It was a sunny day again, just like it was when the world ended. The woman slowly adjusted to the light as the minions were pushing her to walk. She saw the ruins of her city and glanced behind while she still could. The entrance into the metro. In his conquest, Aku must have destroyed below just as he did above. He made his lair in the ruins, though it appeared he might be moving to a more adequate place. The woman wondered where that could be. She tried to remember more of her father's stories about Aku and the ancient legend, but her mind was too weak after four days of confinement. Her body wasn't any better either. Her legs hurt as she walked. But this was a chance. A chance to run.

The minions were holding her tightly but the archaeologist cleared her mind and focused on noticing a weakness in them. There were none as of yet. Two held her arms, two followed. One stared without blinking. Collapsed buildings were all around them. The woman couldn't even tell where exactly they were in the city. It was only a few minutes later that she saw the first direction sign that somehow escaped the destruction. They were close! The knowledge that her goal wasn't too far away gave her strength to go on with her plan as soon as she was able to.

It came no more than ten minutes after the sign. The human heard an explosion somewhere in the city, instinctively lowered her head and then saw a pillar of smoke in the corner of her eye. She casually eyed the smoke that seemed to be coming from the vicinity, then observed her captors. They were all looking at the smoke, frozen on the spot, as if waiting for orders. Even the minion that kept staring at her earlier was now ignoring her.

The woman took a deep breath. With one swing of her arm, she freed herself from one of the minions. She swung her arm again and hit the other minion, thus freeing herself completely. Without any second thought, she ran. No looking back, no remorse. Ignoring the pain in her legs. Ignoring the yelling. She just ran.

That sign they passed by helped her immensely. She ran around the corners where buildings no longer stood and jumped over the rubble. Her goal was close. She had no idea how much time had passed when she finally saw it in the distance. Her heart was beating so fast it felt like it might burst out of her chest. The museum. The white building in the distance was charred by smoke and half-collapsed, but it was still there. The woman felt sadness for all the people who died in her city and also a different kind of sadness when she realized that a lot of their culture died with them.

She stepped over the rubble again and entered the museum. Faint light was illuminating the insides by passing through the holes in the walls. Something moved next to her and she saw tracks in the dust left by a few rats. With a sigh of relief, she ventured deeper into the museum, carefully observing her surroundings, hoping nothing would collapse on her.

Most of the things were broken. The glass cases laid in pieces. Parts of ancient artefacts were scattered everywhere. She saw a few armours disassembled all over the hallways. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw the first sword, but upon inspection, she found it broken. In a hurry, she moved on. The sword she was looking for was close. She saw it many times with her father. He loved telling her its story and she loved hearing it again and again.

In the silence of the ruins, the woman finally approached the room where the sword stood. She carefully stepped inside. The glass cases were destroyed here as well and the woman hurried towards the centre. Breathing heavily, she jumped into the rubble, not minding the glass while she dug. She pushed and pulled and threw around. Her body was covered in dust. Her arms hurt almost too much to move, yet she carried on anyway. When she moved the last piece of the rubble, hoping to see the magnificent blade of her ancestor, she saw nothing.

The sword was not there.

The woman took a deep breath, her eyes wide open. She almost laughed hysterically, staring at the dirty floor covered with pieces of the glass case. Then she saw a little plaque with an inscription, proving to her that she came to the right place. And yet, the sword was not there.

"You have to be kidding me!" she yelled in frustration, her voice echoing through the ruined structure.

She risked so much for this. Where was it? Who took it? The woman looked up into the collapsed ceiling and saw the sunny day. An overwhelming feeling of helplessness drowned her and she dropped to her knees. As if things couldn't get any worse, she heard movement behind her. Lazily, she looked and saw darkness. She didn't even have the strength to be afraid anymore.

"It's not here," she said simply while Aku was transforming from a small rat-like creature into a giant. "We're both losers today."

"Be silent, you insolent wretch!" yelled at her.

There was anger in his voice and in his gaze. He personally inspected the remains of the room, but found nothing either. The woman was glad. Maybe she was a loser, but at least Aku will not get the sword either. He was following me. I am so stupid.She decided to keep fighting until her final breath. Even when the demon grabbed her in his rage, she did not cry or scream anymore. There was still a chance that the sword was with someone who knew it could harm Aku. There was a still a chance that he could be defeated. And I will not give up, no matter what he does to me, she thought as he carried her back to her cage.