Chapter 6 "No Choice Without Consequence"
It wasn't that long ago when everything was as fine as the world could allow for the salvage branch of Colony 25. Through their cleanup missions across the desert, hearty meals at the canteen, and moments of repose in the bathhouse, the team of a half-dozen ninth-termers had formed a respectable comradery. Unfortunately, no such thing appeared to exist in the present following the death of one member and the blame indirectly placed on another.
Now outed by his former friends and unwilling to play his part in the perpetual war any longer, Noah felt that it was finally time to make his great escape. However, he didn't know how exactly to pull it off, mindful of the fact that the equally despondent Mio was still locked away. After stuffing a compact crossbody bag with an extra set of underclothes, a first-aid kit, and some dried rations, he considered his options which were sorely limited by the impending morning assembly. With the prisoners' cage not far from the central plaza, perhaps blending into the crowd until dismissal wouldn't be such a bad idea.
Noah had gone his whole life making what he'd thought were the right decisions. Within the unforgiving bounds of Aionios, it seemed like there was no choice without consequence. Today would be no different, and he knew it. Far from ready but not wishing to arouse suspicion prematurely, the nervous Kevesi pushed himself out the barracks' door to begin his fateful endeavor for freedom.
"Attention, soldiers of Colony 25!" Commander Colin bellowed over the gathering ranks. "His excellence will be here in less than a minute!"
"The consul? That explains the assembly." Solon whispered over Yuzet's shoulder as Noah approached his group from behind.
"Don't come any closer," Denize noticed his presence first, her apprehensive countenance already emplaced to keep him at bay. "We don't associate with traitors."
The ostracized salvager paid her no mind while something far more significant caught his attention. Through the gradually thickening haze, he could tell that the Flame Clock in the Ferronis' mechanical mouth was no longer filled to the brim. With Mio's life all but certain to be put on the line, Noah began to regret playing the safe card.
"My, oh my! What a well-behaved colony we have here!" Such pompous discourse filling every ear in the crowd could've only come from their consul who'd materialized onto the plane right on schedule.
"Consul, sir!" the commander led the pack in their upturned, fisted salutes. "We were expecting you!"
"That you were, indeed!" the caped man surveyed the ranks. "I do hope I have found you all in good health on this wonderful day!"
"We are still on the mend, if I'm being honest," Commander Colin sugarcoated nothing in his update.
"The injuries you bear are a testament to your resolve, your perseverance as a colony which stands indomitable under my superintendence!" the consul proclaimed with his head held high.
"Mightily gracious of you to say, sir," his subordinate kept himself grounded, "but by our records, we lost a considerable amount of our soldiers between the two batt-"
"Mere details need not be maundered, Commander Colin," the red-armored boss ignored the fuss, facing the Flame Clock that'd necessitated his visit this morning. "No sacrifice is ever in vain on the path towards supremacy."
"Nevertheless, morale among the ranks flounders from the losses," the commander continued to think of his soldiers.
"Then what better remedy is there than extinguishing the final flames of the colony that dared to challenge you?" The consul strode to the side of the plaza to catch a glimpse of the prisoners' cage by the base of the Ferronis.
"Has the time come to tap into our reserve?" Commander Colin straightened himself out, sensing a welcomed end to his superior's pretentious prelude.
"That it is," the caped hierarch licked his lips anticipatingly behind his ornate mask. "We will have our feast at last, no ember left to waste."
"Shall I instruct the current guards to present the prisoners to your excellence?" the commander offered to commence the sordid affair.
"Nay, for I intend to do so, myself." Impatiently and imprudently, the consul sauntered to the cage where Mio and her three surviving compatriots stood defensively. Even the guards were petrified by his presence, each one holding their breath in anticipation of his order.
"C-consul?" Commander Colin could only stand and watch while the ostentatious consul had his way. No longer in the salvagers' line, Noah sprinted to the edge of the crowd to get a better view himself.
"Ah yes, these are the four, indeed." The self-appointed warden inspected the Agnians closely before his hands began to glow an ominous purple. "Let us not prolong the hunger, shall we?" Reaching forward but touching nothing, his hand clenched as eight chains of light formed between his fist and the illuminated bracelets on each of the prisoners' wrists.
"What the…?" Mio instinctively pulled back against the inexplicable fetters while Noah watched with horror. There was no way that they could escape without the whole colony and its man in charge spotting them now.
"Open the cage, thusly!" the consul's voice echoed for all to hear.
"Y-yes, sir!" the nearest guard fumbled with the directive and soon inputted a code which only Fonse of the salvagers had been given. The door was wide open, but none of the prisoners budged.
"Understandable…" the red-armored dominator sighed into the wind before yanking at the chains. In one swift movement, the four Agnians were extracted from the cage, Mio's and the lavender-skinned girl's shoulders banging against the outer bars of the door. "Please, do come out for the feast! The punters must preview the menu before the selections are made!"
"Selections, sir?" The commander became increasingly uncomfortable with his superior's tactless behavior.
"As their commander, you will decide to whom the honor goes of feeding the Flame Clock!" The consul dragged the leashed prisoners towards the center of the plaza to display them for the waiting Kevesis. "Agnian quarry… kneel before your prospective executioners!"
"This is beyond reprehensible!" Bowan hotly protested, trying ineffectually to summon his Blade.
"Yeah!" his ether-lined comrade added to the defiance. "We refuse to be trea-"
"Have you permission to speak?" the caped man's tone flattened as he applied a punishing shock to all four Agnians through the translucent chains. "I think not."
Noah was mortified at the sight of the prisoners dropping onto their hands and knees, their yelps of pain rattling his skull like a blaring siren. Mio trembled on the ground from the electrocution, on top of the sharp throbbing in her left shoulder from bumping into the iron bar. Beset by the squalor of both the sensation and the situation, she lifted her head to find him staring at her with a face equally drained of color.
"Sir, I-I am ready," Commander Colin stood tall but unproudly beside his sadistic superior. The young Kevesi officer was hardly one for torture or public humiliation, preferential to the killing of the Agnians without the theatrics instead.
"Not a moment too soon!" The consul backstepped to ensure the tautness of the leashes, thus pulling the prisoners' hands behind their backs. "Colony 25, I present to you the contents of today's meal, beginning with the lovely Moraine! This healer undid your efforts to down your enemies with the wave of her wand! Oh, how infuriating it must be to know!" The crowd erupted into a cacophony of jeers, incited by these inflammatory yet true claims. "Commander, who do you think should be the one to end her life?"
"Ahem… let me see…" his subordinate scanned the ranks while a bunch of hands were raised. "Central patrol squad leader, er… present your case for your selection!"
"Commander, she revived the mudders who killed two members of my team!" the squad leader answered with a vengeful tongue.
"Very well, please step forward," the commander nodded as the soldier summoned their sharpshooter already aimed at Moraine's head.
"Ah, ah! Patience! It is rude to start feasting before the others!" The red-armored ringleader admonished them before moving onto the ether-lined Agnian. "Now then, the second soldier for your sustenance is the radiant Lennick! The power which this young man used to kill your comrades flows freely through his veins! Observe how openly he wears this power on his face! Oh, it makes you want to spill it, does it not?" The crowd let loose another round of unruly noise, this time of disgust. "Commander, make your selection!"
"Y-yes, sir," Commander Colin dipped his sights back into the slightly smaller sea of raised hands. "Sagittarius squad member, present your case for selection!"
"Commander, he shot me in the arm which prevented me from maintaining our Levnis!" the squad member showed off their injury.
"Er… suitable enough," the commander decided against further deliberations while the soldier summoned their sword in their abled hand.
"Moving on, the third soldier for your sustenance is the handsome Bowan!" the consul continued, clearly entertained by the show which he'd created. "This defender protected many an enemy with his expansive sword! Oh, I can smell the desire to crack through his armor now!" The decibels of the crowd were back to their initial levels upon receiving this instigative description. "Commander!"
"Sir!" Commander Colin swallowed his growing qualms and proceeded to pick another eager Kevesi. "Equites squad pilot, present your case for selection!"
"Commander, we encountered this snuffer but couldn't make him fall!" the squad pilot spoke for his team. "Surely, one of us deserves to take his embers!"
"Thus, you shall," the commander motioned for the soldier to take their position.
"And last but not least, the fourth soldier for your sustenance is the delightful Mio!" the orating warden finally reached her turn. "Rumor has it that this craven kitten seeks death! Well, who are we to deny such a wish?" Mild laughter broke out while the belittled Agnian wished that she still had her helmet, cursing under her breath for neglecting to secure it earlier. "Commander, once more!"
"Right… I mean, yes, sir!" Further unsettled, Commander Colin forced himself to wrap up his part in the consul's play by picking the final volunteer. "Salvage branch member, present your case for selection!"
"Commander…" Noah lowered his hand which he'd unwittingly raised before making his way to the front of the ranks.
"One moment, soldier," the commander left his post, "you're the one who was reported to have let multiple enemies escape."
"I am," the pacifist steeled himself upon the realization that the entire colony now knew of his deeds. His eyes reconnected with Mio's while he stood in the spotlight, returning the comfort which she'd provided to him last night. "I know… what I must do to set things right."
"You think killing this one enemy will make up for all the lives we lost as a result of your errors in judgment?" Commander Colin suddenly found himself reinvigorated by the confrontation. "Get back in your line! I will deal with you later!"
"Let him do it!" the cat-eared Agnian franticly interjected, turning to face the Kevesi officer.
"What's this?" his disdainful glare moved from Noah to the pleading prisoner. "I do not take orders from my enemy."
"I'm one of those he spared!" Mio continued to speak undeterredly to those who wanted her dead. "Please, allow him to take my embers. No other Kevesi deserves them more." Noah watched her make his case for him, both touched and dispirited by her conviction.
"So, we have this fine young man to thank for enabling the war?" the consul entered the conference with a gleam in his eye. "Such actions must be rewarded!"
"Rewarded?" the commander repeated, confused by his superior's choice of words.
"Dearest soldier, present your Blade and take your position," the caped hierarch overturned the decision.
"Yes, sir." With slight hesitation, Noah complied and angled the tip of his veiled sword at the ground before Mio. As she studied its intricacies, the resigned Agnian felt immense relief that the one Kevesi she respected enough to take her life appeared ready to do so. No longer would she have to fight or fear her consul tracking her down for her eventual homecoming. Her only hope now was that he'd make it as swift and painless as possible. Closing her eyes for what she thought would be the final time, Mio failed to notice how the beautiful Blade had begun to animate in its wielder's hand. The peculiar vibrations confounded Noah the instant he noticed it himself, but he couldn't afford to be distracted now.
"Thank you," her voice barely registered to him amid the consul's relentless orations and the crowd's reactions.
"Mio…" he leaned over her ears, "I'm sorry about this."
"Don't be," she smiled in her self-induced darkness, "this is what I wa-"
"Get ready to run…" the swordfighter whispered his warning before drifting one step past her.
"Run?" Mio's eyes shot back open.
"Run!" he repeated, loudly this time upon unsheathing a thinner but sharper sword from his Blade. Commencing the breakout, Noah sliced through all of the consul's chains on the four prisoners. "Get out of here, now!"
"Wha…?!" she felt her arms slacken from the release.
"I told you to run!" With his Blade quickly pieced back together, Noah pulled his former opponent to her feet. The other three Agnians had already shoved past their appointed executioners, now several steps ahead. Daring to peek over his shoulder, Noah observed nearly every Kevesi soldier sprinting behind them. Sharpshooters frenetically fired their shots, but the runaways were already difficult targets in the thickening sandstorm.
Nearly out of the colony, Noah still heard the commotion from the chaos which he'd created. It'd all happened so fast, doubtlessly the biggest decision he'd yet made in his more than eight full terms. The rebellious Kevesi could scarcely believe that he'd actually pulled such a reckless stunt, especially when not even the Agnians he was helping had been prepared for it. Focusing now, he set his mind to the fastest southern route out of the desert. There were no patrol teams along the way thanks to the morning assembly, plus none of the colony's Levnises were in condition for deployment. With his bridges sufficiently burned, there was no looking back at Colony 25 now.
"Oh, what crimes have you wrought?" the consul's voice suddenly cut through the desert winds' howl. Seconds later, the man himself materialized in front of Noah and Mio upon their approach of the primary sinkhole of Namba Mound. "Mutineers need not participate in festivities of my curation, for such people are highest among the undeserving!" Not wishing to lose momentum, the two soldiers steered left to take the other, narrower path around. However, their stalker refused to be ignored and promptly teleported before them once more.
"Spark…" the ponytailed soldier cursed at the persistent consul who'd stopped them squarely between the sinkhole and the base of a short cliff. Backtracking wasn't an option either as a group of mismatched Kevesis caught up from behind.
"You were rewarded generously for your role in the war, and this is how you respond?" the red-armored hierarch continued to vociferate his disappointment. "Your actions are in direct violation of my decree! Thus, it shall be punishment which I bestow upon you!"
"First a reward, now a punishment? My actions have neither differed nor strayed from my ethos!" Noah took his stand, his fears set aside for the moment. "Explain your logic, consul!"
"I will not acquiesce to the interrogatory of a soldier who himself spouts utter nonsense!" the consul balked, slowly approaching them with his hands once more aglow.
"We already know you ordered my team to instigate confrontations with the Agnian colony!" The emboldened Kevesi aimed his Blade at him accusatively, his grip steady despite the returning vibrations. "You wanted our war to happen! You wanted us to fill the Flame Clock!"
"The Flame Clock is our vitality," the caped dictator summoned a chained whip, "and what more efficient way to fill it is there?"
"Oh no…" Still powerless due to the bracelets, Mio hid her hands behind her back to avoid being leashed again.
"So, that's why you were… pleased with me, initially," her savior's stance weakened almost unnoticeably. The larger picture had been sufficiently painted for Noah, though it hardly made him feel any better. "The Agnian I'd spared brought their whole colony to fight us, just as you'd hoped. I… did you a favor without even realizing it…"
"An entire colony is much more filling than a single unit, surely you would agree?" No longer concerned with feigning ignorance, the consul commenced combat with a crack of his whip. "How dare you deny the Flame Clock its next meal?!"
"Is that all our lives are worth to you?" the pacifist dodged the attack but not the resulting spray of sand.
"We need lives," the red-armored man lashed out again, "otherwise we starve!"
"Why is that so?" Noah found enough footing to begin fighting back. "Who decided that this should be the way?!"
"No more questions, seditious lout!" The consul's aggression rose sharply, wrapping the end of his whip around Noah's veiled sword. With the weapons now locked together, the two opposing wielders began tugging at one another. Mio considered adding her strength to her rescuer's efforts, but hesitations arose on account of her injured shoulder.
"Consul, sir!" one of the onlooking troops from Colony 25 finally broke their awestricken silence. "What should we do?"
"The mutineer's life is mine!" their superior declared with a forceful yank of the chain.
"Hold on!" the panicked Agnian latched onto the Kevesi's torso at the last second. Noah clung onto his Blade as tightly as he could until the consul's whip pulled the outer sword clean off.
"What in the name of…?" the consul's masked eyes widened upon losing his balance from the sudden release.
"Duck, Mio!" the ponytailed soldier hollered before slashing their adversary with the inner sword. A dusting of red motes expelled from the fresh injury as the consul tumbled down the banks of the slippery sinkhole, his agonized shrieks easily muffled by the unending sibilance. "C'mon, let's go!" With the path cleared, Noah reassembled his Blade and grabbed Mio by the hand to resume their getaway.
The two youths bolted across the shifting sands with impetuous abandon, their hair fluttering in the hot, stinging winds. Any footprints left by the three other Agnians had long been erased, but Noah trusted his memory to keep him and his running mate on track. Breathing was just as difficult as seeing in the desert storm which conversely helped to keep them hidden. They weren't even certain if they were still being pursued.
In due time, Noah and Mio had entered the Great Idalla Ravine, the desert's southwestern passage. However, the more tenderfoot of the pair began to falter with each step, her legs steadily growing stiff from the sand. The heat hadn't done the inexperienced Agnian any favors either as evidenced by the sweat dampening half of her military uniform. Slowed by the weight of her debilitation, the concerned Kevesi understood that they needed to rest or else she wouldn't make the final stretch. With the haze lighter in this area, his hurried glances soon settled upon a sizeable boulder to their left. It was hardly shelter, but it would have to do. After gingerly lowering Mio to the ground, Noah sat beside her with his Blade still in hand.
As they caught their breaths, the swordfighter became aware of how similar their situation had become to the harrowing event in his recent nightmare. Only the conditions were different, the cold from his subconscious replaced by the heat of reality. His mind reeled from the revelation, dubious if it was fate or the nastiest of coincidences. Facing Mio, Noah felt an overwhelming urge to lean her closer to him like he'd done in the dream, but something inside prevented him from acting on it. Perhaps he could sense her confusion or maybe even her dissatisfaction from his choice not to give up the struggle. For now, he was simply glad that they were both still alive after escaping Colony 25 and tangling with its deeply embittered consul.