Gun X Sword: The Adventure Continues
Chapter 28: City of Slavery
(DISCLAIMER: No, I don't own Gun X Sword because it belongs to the likes of Geneon and FUNimation. So, enjoy the show! Rated M for violence, adult content, and adult language.)
The two rebels from earlier had taken cover as they hid the women in a vast underground bunker. They were fighting for the freedom of everyone here in Zetsuei as they even had a vast arsenal at their disposal. Both rebels were willing to lay their lives on the line for the people that were being put into slavery as they were aware of the new watchdog in charge. To them, Brego was nothing but a punk who didn't care about anyone as he ruled this city with an iron grip. In a strange way, both men went willingly on a whim as they were investigating a series of kidnappings throughout the entire Endless Illusion. It was on a stroke of luck that they allowed themselves to be captured into Zetsuei, only to foil their captors and hide out in the shadows plotting for a moment of freedom in their midsts.
"It seems to me that we saw the legendary hero who trounced the Claw five years ago," said the rebel with the two different eye colors. "I've heard of him before, but he's now here in Zetsuei to shut down the generator that's creating the barrier here."
"Whenever we get the chance to attack, we'll be ready, Dulkas," said the other rebel.
"Don't get too cocky, Ghazim. The first wave's been set into motion, but there's also a slim chance that the two groups that touched down here have a lot of advantage in order to evict the House of Feanor from this city."
"The new watchdog here has an evil aura within him as if he has the ability to pierce into one's soul."
"Brego's a loose cannon. Whoever pisses him off, he can kill by seeing his victims in a reflection. He also has a Calvinist theory about the so-called morals that his family possess. Like most right-wing preachers, he has a grudge against anything that deals with abortion, reproductive rights, euthanasia, divorce, fornication, prostitution, in-vitro fertilization via heterosexual parents or san-kataoya, and homosexuality. This guy really goes so low that it's not funny."
"I agree with you there. To the rest of the population on this planet, we are all Allah's children, regardless of the flaws that we have."
"Nightfall has already set in, so we should stay still into morning. As for Brego, he's pissing out acid after seeing some of those tin cans blow into scrap metal."
Both Dulkas and Ghazim saw the full moon from outside of the bunker as it was shining all over such a dangerous city such as Zetsuei. Both rebels were caught in the middle of a war to liberate it from Feanor hands as they were also going up against Brego, who was both wielding and abusing his power here. The battle for Zetsuei had already begun and they were more than ready to put the new watchdog in his place and restore freedom here in this embattled city.
###
Van was dreaming a strange dream as he found himself floating in a strange void full of many colors. He was drifting all over the place as he opened his eyes. He saw the glowing colors of reds and greens and purples swirling everywhere as he heard many voices overlapping all at once. He heard the sounds of a roaring fanfare as he was being carried into a strange dimension. It wasn't long until he saw the same place in his dream as it was being surrounded by warm sunlight and elegant flowers. Just as he was about to approach the scenery, it reverted back into the wintry facade that was dousing the warmth and bringing in the cold. A blizzard was blowing as snow was falling everywhere with such a deadly force. It was still winter as Van later turned around and saw Eomer with his scythe at the ready. Just as he was about to be did in by his enemy, he woke up as he found himself on a bed in an old hotel room.
He was back to reality as he felt his head aching from such excitement. Sitting up, he was slowly regaining his composure as he saw that he was slightly dizzy from exhaustion. He felt like that he had a hangover as he even had a thermometer stuck in his mouth and his coat removed. It wasn't long until he saw Nancy come into the room as she had her medical pack in her hands. She was aware of Van's condition as she also noticed that he was suffering from a high fever. This wasn't good at all as she decided to take a look at him directly. Digging out the much sophisticated stethoscope, she used it to listen to his heart. The amplified sound of his heartbeat proved to be such trouble for him as he was in bad shape. The fever in his body was starting to get worse as he began to lay back down. This problem was all too much for him as he wanted to fulfill the mission in order to free Zetsuei from the House of Feanor.
"It's worse than I thought," said Nancy as she took the thermometer out of Van's mouth. "It seems that you have a temperature of 102.7. You've got a high fever, but you need to rest up."
"Where the hell am I?"
"You're in an old hotel right now that's next to a bunker. You can thank our 'houseguest' for helping us out."
"What 'houseguest?'"
"His name is Dulkas Holden. We were close once, but we're stuck in a rut right now."
"Dammit, there's no time to rest," he said as he tried to get up. "We have to... complete the mission..."
"Until your fever breaks, you're not going anywhere right-"
It wasn't long until the door opened up as Nancy saw Yutaka walk in to check up on Van. In such a strange twist of fate, she saw Dulkas come into the room as he was considered to be someone that she knew a long time ago. It had been a long time since they once part company, but they were reunited by such a fate that would decide their future. For a while, Nancy had known Dulkas ever since they were children, but he left without saying goodbye to her. Somehow, he would most likely get the chance to reconnect with her, for she was someone that was dear to him ever since.
"It's been a while, Nancy," he said.
"After ten years, you surely know how to worm your way back into things that don't concern you," she said. "What brings you here in Zetsuei?"
"I came here of my own free will to liberate this city after what the House of Feanor was doing to it. The new watchdog and the one before him had been stealing people from other cities just to give birth to more Feanor progenies. I couldn't let it slide anymore. It also seems that your presence here has given out a much needed advantage in our fight against our enemies. There's also another group here in this city that Ghazim and I saw yesterday."
"What 'other group?'"
"It consisted of three men and two women. The ringleader is in fact the younger brother of the child prodigy, Edoras Zolti."
"Ithilien!" gasped Van as he tried to get up.
"Hold on there," said Yutaka as he rushed in to pin him down. "Let us handle this."
"Let me up! I have to go out there and find Ithilien and the others! They've put themselves in danger just to aid in the fight!"
"Van!" yelled Nancy. "Let us handle this. You're in no shape to get up right now and you need rest. By the way, Marta is waiting in the hall of this hotel for the next objective. As for our new 'houseguest,' he'll be here for now."
And so, Van closed his eyes as he felt the fever engulfing his entire body. It wasn't long until Marta came into the room to see what was going on as she noticed that Van was very ill from the fever that he was suffering from. This wasn't like him at all as he was shaking from his illness. It wasn't the first time that he fell ill as he also hadn't linked up with Dann for a while. He was in bad shape as he felt the headache become more intense than before.
"What's wrong with him?" asked Marta.
"Van's currently under the weather right now," answered Yutaka.
"What are you talking about?"
"He's suffering from a terrible fever, but after being here in such a closed-off city like this, there's no way that he can contact Dann now."
"We need to keep him elevated," said Dulkas as he got into a closet and dug out some pillows. "This fever's getting to him. If he's elevated, then he'll have a slim chance to recover."
Without hesitation, Nancy decided to help Dulkas out by keeping Van comfortable while recovering from such a fever. After being lifted up, Van felt the fluff of the pillows as they gave him some comfort in order to recover. With a damp cloth on his forehead, he was still resting as he was starting to fall asleep. He wanted to recover as quickly as possible as he felt sweat all over his body. After reaching a decision, Dulkas decided to stay with Van as he felt that it was forbidden to leave a patient unattended, especially when it came to those who were sick.
"So, are you sure that you can't come along?" asked Marta.
"Sorry, but I'm not gonna leave a patient hanging," answered Dulkas. "Van may be an unusual man, but he still needs some rest."
And so, Nancy, Yutaka, and Marta left the room as Dulkas stayed behind to watch over Van. The rebel of Zetsuei has heard stories of the man who would overthrow the House of Feanor. Unfortunately, fate had forced this legendary hero to rest up after being overwhelmed with a fever. This wasn't good at all as Van was starting to shake with cold. Dulkas had never seen anything like this as he even noticed that his patient was dreaming about something. As a medical doctor, he had studied the impact of dreams in some patients as they would simply be in the process of "floating in the void" and not waking up. Van himself was a very strange individual as he was also not only a male Sezorin, but a super-being as well.
"Wendy..." said Van as he was tossing and turning in his fevered sleep.
"Hey, are you alright?" asked Dulkas. "You don't look so good. I'll do the best I can to keep the fever down."
And so, Dulkas dug into his medical pouch as he got out two cold pills. They were medicine, but it had to do as he also took out his canteen and opened it up. It wasn't long until he sat Van up and shoved the cold pills into his mouth. With the canteen pressed up to his lips, Van gulped down the water as he swallowed it along with the cold pills. After laying back down, he felt more comfortable as he was starting to feel the fever slowly subsiding in his body.
"You sure feel like crap sometimes," said Dulkas as he sat down on the floor.
"Where are the others?" asked Van as he was still laying in bed with his eyes open.
"They're on scouting duty for more robots. I really wished that Nancy would be more careful out in the open."
"I take it that you two know each other."
"Yeah, but I was forced to depart to the Seminarium at the behest of my parents. I didn't want to leave Nancy like that, but I had no other choice. She was the daughter of Dr. Leverton of Evergreen and she went to medical school while I went to a place where both medicine and religious spirituality were practiced. It was in not only in the best interests of my family, but for everyone who depended on people like me. After graduating from the Seminarium, I was on my way to starting a medical practice and surely see Nancy again, but prior engagements had gave me a setback."
"Let me guess; you were on your way here toward this city, weren't you?"
"After seeing some of my patients being captured by the House of Feanor, I had to do something about it before it was too late. Even Ghazim offered to come along with me in order to liberate Zetsuei from such tyrants."
"And Brego is such a tyrant just like Eomer."
"If you thought that Brego's a tyrant, you should see Eomer and his siblings. They are known as the Elite and they control all the people in the Lost Region inside and outside its borders. They even control their own relatives in which there is no other people than them. From the underground, I heard rumors of a possible rebellion from several family members of the House of Feanor, but it'll be a while before they get their chance to go for their masters' throats. For centuries, the House of Feanor has been a dominant force that's been choking the Lost Region with their neverending winter. It's a sad fact, but as soon as we get our chance to liberate this city, the better we have our freedom."
"I have to get back out there."
"No, you need to rest up for a little bit longer. This city still has its barrier, but it's location is a huge secret in which no one can go in there."
Van sighed as he was starting to get back to sleep. The cold pill were taking effect as he was resting comfortably. He was dreaming about Wendy and the twins as they were sitting in a grassy plain. It was such a pleasant sight for him as he even noticed that they were having a little picnic. He even decided to join in on the fun as he loved the sight of them with all his heart. It was such an endearing dream, for it would be such a great comfort that would aid him in his recovery, for he had a mission to complete and he didn't want to be put on the sidelines.
###
Ithilien stood in the shadows as he saw a group of robots gathering several people from a neighboring city. He was disgusted at the fact that the robots were working for the House of Feanor as they gathered as many slaves to satisfy the desires of their captors. He wanted to do something, but he didn't want to get caught as he watched the robots carefully. It wasn't long until he went back into his hideout, where Undomiel and the others were keeping watch. They had the upper hand so far as they were slowly making progress into liberating Zetsuei from its cruel masters.
"It's sickening to the gills to see something like that," said Ithilien.
"What did you see?" asked Zira.
"Those robots are carting people that don't live in the city."
"You gotta be kidding me!" yelled Dana.
"It's no joke. Whatever the House of Feanor is doing, it isn't pleasant and we need to do something."
"Good grief!" exclaimed Rajiv.
"Then we have to move and pull out a sneak attack," said Undomiel. "Everyone knows that human trafficking and slave trading are illegal. If the rumors ring true about Zetsuei being a city of slavery, we're gonna have to get the drop on the ones who relish in it."
All five had agreed to ante up the advantage that they had as they went out into the open and attacked some of the robots that were on the scene. They used their weapons at the ready as they took out as my robots at their disposal. The damage on the patrolling robots had been intense as if Ithilien and the others were being protected by the resonance. It was a fleeting moment of freedom as the people that were captured had been set free as they ran for cover in the darkness. Just as Ithilien and the others were about to celebrate their victory, they saw a much bigger robot coming at them as it was built like a military tank.
"Uh, guys," said Dana worriedly. "We've got bigger problems."
"RUN!" screamed Ithilien.
All five had ran from the tank's gunfire as it was firing huge holes into buildings. It was such a terror as it was firing at everything, including people. To his surprise, Dana found a backpack as he opened it up and found some grenades that were unused. He had a bright idea as he decided to teach that tank a lesson. Running with the backpack, he was drawing the tank's gunfire as he dug out a grenade and pulled the pin while throwing it at the robot tank. Taking cover, he saw that the grenade packed a huge punch as it blew the robot tank's lower half. With only the top half remaining, it was still at it as it was firing at random targets. Dana was still at the ready as he threw out another grenade at the top half of the robot. With a final explosion, the robot tank was no more as it was blown to bits. Dana had finally proved himself worthy as he was more than just a chef. He was now a part of an ongoing battle between the forces of good and evil.
After taking cover with the rest of the group, he was covered in dust and dirt as he was simply relishing the moment that he had. It was a huge victory for Ithilien's group as they saw the plume of smoke billowing from the tank's remains. They may have won the battle, but they still had so much to do as they were hiding out in an old bank building. Somehow, they had a stroke of luck as Dana was still feeling more pumped with confidence since his victory over the robot tank.
"This is awesome!" he yelled as he had the backpack of grenades in his hand.
"Don't get too cocky here, Dana," said Zira.
"Look, I busted my balls in going up against that oversized garbage bucket, but there could be more crawling around. If that happens, I'll be ready to blow them up with these."
"Those aren't normal grenades," said Ithilien as he saw them in the backpack that Dana found.
"Then, what are they?"
"These grenades are military grade. They're very powerful, but they have been banned in several cities because of their explosive impact. We should be a little more careful with them in the future."
"We have to get out of sight fast," said Rajiv. "We've got company coming."
"Is it Brego?" asked Undomiel.
"If it is, then we have to leave," said Ithilien.
Once again, all five disappeared into the shadows as a huge Hummer appeared in front of the destroyed robot. Getting out of the car, there was Brego as he was seething with fury. He surveyed the damage that was done by the resistance as he wanted to do away with them. Sooner or later, they would lose their cover, for he would take them out with sword by using the Mirror Piercer. It wasn't a good day for him as he saw the remains of the giant tank robot in pieces. It was hell, but he would soon find whoever was responsible for this damage.
"It won't be long," he said with such a quiet anger. "I will find you and I will track you down!"
###
Van woke up as he was sitting up on the bed. It had been six hours since Nancy and the others went out on patrol as he noticed that Dulkas was dozing off on the floor. Even though that his fever broke, he was still feeling dizzy as he got up out of bed and managed to to into the bathroom. He really had to pee as he was busy relieving himself. After one complimentary flush, he finished his business as he washed his hands and left the bathroom. He was up and alert as he found his coat on a chair. When he put it on, he was digging into the pockets as he noticed something with a shell stowing away out of sight. It wasn't long until he pulled the stowaway out of his pocket as he noticed that it was none other than Hydrangea, who was known with her light blue shell with a bullet dent in the middle. Setting her down on the floor, Van wasn't too happy with her for hiding in his coat as she only stared at him with her puppy-dog eyes.
"Look," he said. "This mission is very dangerous and the head honcho here can wind up turning you into turtle soup with his Mirror Piercer if you're not careful."
Hydrangea only squawked at Van as she refused to leave his side. As a turtle and one of the offspring of Kameo, she didn't want to budge as she was on hand to help him in any way she can. Whether he liked it or not, Van was absolutely stuck with the little turtle as she just stared at him constantly. Sighing heavily, he sat down on the bed as he was forced to deal with Hydrangea's actions since she stowed away in his coat.
"You're really in big trouble; you know that, don't you?" he said.
"What the hell are you talking about?" asked Dulkas as he woke up and rubbed his eyes.
"So, you're finally awake, aren't you? It's been six hours and no sign of Nancy and the others. I wonder when will they be back?"
"It won't do us any good since I was simply just napping on the job. By the way, who's your little friend down there?"
"It's a turtle and her name is Hydrangea. She sure has her father's spunk, I can tell you that."
"It seems to me that you've got a good luck charm there."
As usual, Van couldn't say no to Hydrangea as he gathered her up and shoved her back into his coat pocket. As he was feeling better once again, he was ready to resume the mission once again when he had Dulkas to tag along with. Both men were on the move as they were ready to find the generator that produced a barrier throughout the city. It was the very instinct that Van possessed in which he now knows where the generator is. All he had to do was to find Nancy, Yutaka, and Marta in order to complete the mission that was given to him.
###
Nancy was on watch as she was hiding in the shadows. After six hours of hiding, she had to clear out fast as an upcoming robot patrol was coming. With Yutaka and Marta following from behind, they kept up to Nancy as all three were watching the perimeter closely. It wasn't long until they spotted the remains of a large robot tank as it was blown up into pieces. Nancy began to scope the wreckage carefully as she saw a pin from a grenade on the concrete. There was a resistance brewing as it had the courage to blow up something like this robot tank.
"What happened here?" asked Marta.
"I guess that there are more of Dulkas' 'reinforcements' at work," said Nancy.
"I don't think that there are any more reinforcements at his disposal," said Yutaka as he spotted a cluster of footprints, including a few imprints coming from some Mary Janes. "Ithilien was here with the group along with Undomiel, Rajiv, Zira, and Dana."
"Are you serious?"
"No one here would go up against a group of robots like that and live, especially our ginormous friend there."
"Van was right about this. Come on, we have to catch up with them. There's no telling where they could be."
Without hesitation, Nancy and the others continued to track down Ithilien's group as the footprints were leading to a trail in the alleys. All three had been on the trail until they were stopped by a patrol robot. It wasn't long until Yutaka drew out his naginata and destroyed it by impaling its circuitry. There was no telling where those robots would pop up, but Nancy and the others had to find Ithilien and his group before they were caught and brought to Brego for his twisted amusement. It wasn't long until they saw Van and Dulkas in action as they were mopping the floor with some robot that were out on patrol. It may have been a sight for sore eyes, but it was also a godsend that Van was up and alert as he was feeling much better than normal. He was a super-being after all as he was on the trail of taking out the generator that kept the people sealed in like insects in a jar.
"Hello, Nancy," said Dulkas sheepishly.
"It's sure fun," she said sarcastically.
"Now, now; don't be like that. Van and I are on the trail of finding the generator and he knows where it is as we speak."
"Wait, how does he know about it when it can be anywhere in the city?" asked Marta.
"It's in the central square where Brego's mansion is," said Van.
"Are you serious?" asked Yutaka.
"We have to get in there as soon as possible. By the way, Marta, do you still have any explosives with you?"
"Yes," she said. "I have some mini-explosives as well as few sticks of dynamite. That should do very nicely, though."
Van had agreed to that as he took the helm of the team once again. The team had a mission to fulfill as they were on their way into the central square of the city. They were very much prepared as they were ready to go forth into dangerous territory, for Brego was simply waiting for them.
###
Ithilien and the rest of his team were hiding out in an a much sophisticated underground system as they were under the radar of the robots that were patrolling the city. They found it to be a good cover for them as they were finding their way into a place that they had never been before. It was more like a sewer system as the stench from the converting generators was as rank as an flooded outhouse. After walking for a while into the underground system, they stopped towards a strange clearing as it was starting to wear thin from all these years of construction. Just as they were about to advance forward, a piece of structure was falling down as it was about to fall on Undomiel. Luckily, she was rescued by the second rebel as the structure fell to the ground. It was the second time that she saw him in action as she found him to be very handsome.
"You should watch out for more weary things like this," said the rebel.
"I didn't expect this unti now," said Undomiel as she was blushing at the sight of her rescuer.
"At least that you're not hurt."
"Same here; by the way, my name is Undomiel Zolti. This is my brother, Ithilien, along with Zira, Rajiv, and Dana."
"My name is Ghazim al-Hamun. I travelled with Dulkas in order to liberate Zetsuei from its cruel masters. Right now, he had to tend to an emergency with a patient while I took on the task of stopping some of the robots from taking any more people from the neighboring cities."
"What did the patient look like?" asked Ithilien.
"He was all dressed in a black swallowtail tuxedo and hat. He must have gotten sick or something."
"Wait, was that Mr. Van?" asked Rajiv.
"So, that's his name. I've heard stories about how he went up against a man with a clawed hand five years ago. Now, he's famous for saving this planet from such a genocidal fate, but his real purpose is already set into motion."
CRASH!
Without warning, Ithilien's group, along with Ghazim, took cover as some rocks were crashing down from the withered structure. The place was falling apart as they had to leave right away. When they got to a stable area, they found themselves in a sterile environment as it resembled a lab. The place was like a sterile tomb as the hall lights had flickered on. Wherever they were, they had found something that was out of the ordinary. Just as they were about to investigate even further, a door closed from within as it separated Undomiel from the rest of the team. She was trapped in a cube as she also found that she wasn't alone. Ghazim was with her as they were being hauled downward to something fierce. Outraged, Ithilien wanted to go after them as they were being hauled further below. He had to go and rescue his sister, but he was torn between helping Van and the others and risking his life to save Undomiel and Ghazim.
"Damn it!" he yelled.
"There's nothing you can do now," said Zira.
"That's my sister down there with a total stranger!"
"For your information, that 'total stranger' saved her life," said Dana. "She'll be fine with some protection from the guy. She's not alone. As for you, I suggest that you start manning up and grow a pair of balls or else you'll die on the surface!"
Ithilien was very worried for his sister as he also had a mission to complete. After spending some moments reaching a decision, he finally soldiered on with the rest of the group as they walked onward in such a sterile place such as this hallway. It wasn't an easy task to take as Zetsuei proved to be the hardest mission objective to complete.
###
Undomiel and Ghazim were hauled into a place that was unknown to them as they got out of the "booby trap" that entrapped them. The place itself was more than just an underground area as it had a mural of a man and woman that were familiar in legend. The people were none other than Van's parents as they were painted into the wall. It was one of a few hiding places that was once been housed before as it even had evidence of activity here. Somehow, it was as ancient as the planet itself as it was part of a vast underground system that connected to the surface.
"It's one strange place," said Undomiel.
"My brother has told me of the legendary tunnels that were once safe havens. It seems to me that we have found one."
"Wait, I've found something." She found a small trinket on the ground as it had the same symbol that became a birthmark on Van's abdomen. "It belongs to the House of Telfer, but how? Could it be that Van was here before?" She lifted up her shorts leg as she revealed the same birthmark on her left hip. "It's definitely something from the House of Telfer, but whoever put it there, must have died"
"You have a Telfer mark on you."
"I had it since I was born, but it also indicates that I am one of the Imperium Twelve Armor pilots. My siblings and I may not be related to the House of Telfer by blood, but this mark is a sign that-"
"You're one of the king and queen's retainers, aren't you? Come to think of it, I am a descendant from the House of Moria due to the blue eyes that my family possess."
Undomiel picked up the trinket as she studied it carefully. It was a gold necklace that once belonged to Siegfried and Arwen as a wedding gift, but tragedy had overthrown the House of Telfer many centuries ago. As for the strange place, however, it had a lot more than just a mural as Undomiel and Ghazim continued to search for more clues here. The place itself was a sanctuary as it even had a school room complete with books and a desk. Whoever was down here, must have been schooled constantly as Undomiel and Ghazim found a strange book with a black and gold cover. Picking it up, Undomiel found that it had the same Telfer crest that was similar to the birthmark that Van had. When she opened it up, she saw the strange writing that was as old as the planet when it started to glow. It was the power of the resonance at work as it was illuminating the entire book. It was nothing like this before as it was an old treasure that once belonged to the House of Telfer.
"What on earth is that?" asked Ghazim.
"This book is very ancient," said Undomiel. "It's as if it was here all along. I bet that Van doesn't know about this place."
"Don't get too excited. There could be danger afoot."
And so, Undomiel and Ghazim were on their way at the right track as they saw a ladder at the end of the line. With the book and necklace in tow, they set off to where they needed to go as they were ready to see the mission through. When they climbed up the ladder, they noticed that the way up was sealed off as it was locked on the outside. With Ghazim leading, he drew out his scimitar as he sliced off the cover off of its hinges as the way was finally opened. When they made it through, they found themselves in the same sterile environment that they were in earlier, but it was different. The place itself was more like an industrial system as it became a derelict. Just as they were about to advance forward, they saw some familiar faces coming towards them. It was Ithilien and the rest of the group as they were grateful that Undomiel and Ghazim were unharmed.
"It's about time that you two lovebirds showed up," said Dana.
"Hey! That's not very nice," said Undomiel.
"Now's not the time to sit around," said Ithilien. "There's a way into the generator. We have to get a move on."
"There's something else that we have found," said Ghazim.
"What is it?" asked Rajiv.
"We found a book and a necklace," said Undomiel. "They have the same Telfer crest just like Van's got."
"Where did you find them?" asked Zira.
"We found them in a place below that once housed something. If we can find Van, then we have to show him these things."
"Come on, we have to go," said Ithilien.
And so, Ithilien's group had advanced as they were on their way towards a generator that needs to be destroyed. It was only a matter of time before they would meet up with Van and his group as there were also some perils that were embedded in this underground system. The mission had gotten more complicated and dangerous as it proved to be such a difficult one indeed. Anyway, it didn't slow them down as they had gotten through the sterile environment and went towards another one where the sound of whip cracks and wailing rang through the air. It was too much for them to bear as Ithilien saw several more people being carted into the open by some of the patrol robots.
It was rank of slavery here in such a sterile environment as it turned Ithilien's stomach. He saw the scores of men, women, and children being forced to work in the underground in order to keep the generator running. To his shock, he saw several people from Gohma being added into a plethora of slave workers as some familiar faces were being forced to work against their will. It was Friedrich, the brother of the late Fasalina, as he was being whipped constantly by one of the robots. There was also Alistair and Adrian in chains along with their aunt, Sonja. The sight of them being bound in chains was too barbaric for Ithilien to bear as he had to do something.
When he saw the robots with their whips coming towards the family, he struck first with his short sword as they were sliced into pieces. The people who were mercilessly abused by their cruel masters had cheered for him as he was ready to destroy more of those robot masters. With Rajiv and Zira joining the fight, the also went up against some robots as they used their weapons to destroy them in one fell swoop. Finally, Undomiel, Dana, and Ghazim had advanced as they were going up against the last remaining robots in this sector. Luck was on Ghazim's side as he threw some mini-explosives at the robots when they blew up into many pieces. It was a taste of freedom as Ithilien and the others had freed the people that were held prisoner by their cruel masters.
"Listen up!" yelled Ithilien. "You shouldn't be slaves to the House of Feanor anymore! You are all free! Your cruel masters have shackled you for too long! You should all embrace your rights as well as your freedom! Long live the House of Telfer!"
The freed people cheered as they were unshackled and ready to go. It was a great day for Ithilien and his team as they were grateful that they saved some people from the misery that had been going since Brego's arrival. It seemed that he was "manning up" to his actions as a man who would be both heroic and compassionate in his mission to stop the House of Feanor and liberate Zetsuei once and for all.
###
Brego looked at the screen as he was fuming at the latest activity that was on his surveillance screens. He noticed that Van was on the move as he was on his way toward the generator from within the central square. To his shock, he saw that Ithilien's team had freed some slaves form Sector Four as they had viewed the interlopers as heroes. Now wasn't the time to wait as he got out his sword and put it in its sheath. He had the Mirror Piercer move at his advantage as he wanted to do away with his enemies once and for all, especially Van.
"I'm coming for you, Van, and this time, the gloves are off!" he said with anger in his voice.
To be continued...