Many miles away from Leoris, a convoy of gargantuan vans sped steadily through the main road. They were sleek and painted in black bearing a diamond insignia made with four brush strokes. On each side were dormant cannons, guns, and the regal beasts found in the Union. The maned lion, horned gazelle, clawed hawk, and a curling marlin all painted around the diamond. Fall was reaching its end and the fields had started to a crisp yellow. Many trees in the distant edges of the plains were bereft of their leaves. Snow capped the mountains in the distance, and wisps of gray cloud spilled down from the heavens.
The van at the forefront dwarfed the vehicle piloted by the adventurers in Leoris. Its main cabin was a large open room with curved panels of devices in three layers. Manned by almost a dozen Union agents dressed in officer uniforms comprising tan slacks, long black boots, and button up white collar shirts.
At the helm sat a man much the same except his slacks were black. He bore a black sash with a golden star emblazoned close to the shoulder and a long black coat. His hair was long and dark, tucked behind his ears with a few loose stray hairs. His almond colored eyes glanced about carefree with disinterest at the crew busy at their stations. Another man standing near to him was well over six feet tall with a square chin. He had torn off the sleeves of his shirt, revealing massive biceps. He had long brown hair held up like a broom by a red bandana tied around his forehead. Cut shaped scars lined his arms, thick neck, and the left side of his cheek.
The man with the sash yawned and stretched and swung one leg over the arm of his chair. “How far from Leoris are we?”
An officer standing before a map display responded, “We should arrive by tomorrow evening, Master Arata.”
Arata then looked over at the man with the red bandana. “We should be in and out before winter shuts down the main road. Excited about your reunion, Kurei?”
Kurei answered while avoiding looking directly at Arata. “Not exactly. The only reason I agreed to be your bodyguard for this excursion was so that you wouldn’t do something reckless and try to kill Esthea’s favorite Warden. You are already on her shit list. I’m not even sure why a descendant would request another descendant to defend him.”
Arata spun his chair and folded his hands under his chin, sitting properly before Kurei. “From the transmission we intercepted, and my own intel we have a clue of who he is with. He could have other allies. And I don’t want to reveal my entire hand to any of them. Only what I want them to see. That is why you are here as a bonus card up my sleeve. Besides, I could use a break from the capital.”
Kurei stood straight with his arms folded. “I guess. This town, Leoris, was among many that had requested aid, anyway. Esthea has been trying forever to get the special guard out of the Everflowing into the country. Even if it is with a Union deployment, it should help us gain some legitimacy.”
Arata deadpanned while listlessly brushing specs of dust from his console. “I don’t like it when Esthea has ideas. I’m a schemer and I recognize schemers, and she is scheming. How did your fellow former wardens put up with that psycho growing up? Never mind that she is already renowned as the strongest descendant. She dominates any room with her overbearing presence. She sucks all the air out of wherever she is and just uses it to yell angrily at everyone.”
Kurei rolled his eyes and said, “Yea. She can’t help it. Jonah taught her and Desdin almost everything he knew. I feel sorry for that guy, Seric. Training with her every day in the Farland was brutal. He is going to be married to her. Just being a fellow descendant isn’t enough to keep up with her. Seric and you both were high on our list for descendants to be wary of. Obviously because Seric was the Dakken Union’s pride when it came to military prowess. You, however, we just thought was strange. Master of intel, research, and development.”
Arata laughed regarding his role. “I gained that title at sixteen when I stumbled upon the technology to monitor all the remote hubs across the Union without anyone noticing. The Lux lacks understanding of how descendant intelligence works. I knew their information network would leak and slip up at some point.”
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Kurei shrugged. “We tried to warn the Lux agents about it. I was more on the brute force side of things with the Warden but I attended the briefings. It was because of you we had strict policies when near any settlement with a hub. They wouldn't let us use them for communication and made us keep our masks on when close to them. It is why no one recognizes us today as members of the special guard.”
At the corner of his mouth, his smile began forming at hearing he was the reason for something. “It seems whoever is helping Desdin, most likely a royal named Cherry, is growing desperate. If it is Cherry, I’m shocked she eluded capture this long. She is a poor excuse for a spy, and your friend has terrible luck in allying with her. However, I need to understand, as I am unaware of how they escaped from Ouren's prison. And what did they do to the Glass Road? I’m genuinely intrigued, and I’m dying to possess the information they have and use it to my advantage.” A smile crept wide across his face.
Kurei appeared uneasy and said to Arata, “Hey, your creepy is showing. You billed this mission to Leoris as a reason to capture Lux agents and investigate Fallen activity in the region. We all know you wouldn’t go out there for just that.”
“Just feel fortunate that you never appeared before me for interrogation, Kurei. Which reminds me, I have some guests holding down below that I should entertain. Please, make sure no one disturbs me,” Arata said as he stood up, placing his index finger to his lips and leaving.
After watching Arata exit, Kurei sat down in his chair and spoke to himself, “Not sure whose side I’m on here. I kind of hope you aren’t there when we show up, buddy.”
Arata took the stairs to the brig. A large cage held two women and one man, all covered in bruises with cuts all along their body. They didn’t wear shackles and barely moved when Arata made his way into their cell. Empty metal plates were placed in the corner alongside buckets waiting to be emptied. “Now then, who wants to talk to me today? I’m offering fresh clothes, food, and medical assistance!” They all glared at him in silence.
He clicked his tongue. “We are on the way to meet the princess that you are trying to save. You can, of course, tell her about how very uncooperative you were with me and that I had to extract secrets from you all in different ways. You should blame her, you know. She broadcast that desperate signal, just begging for me to pick it up and to intercept you. I’m disappointed in Lux. I was hoping for a heartier game of wits with the most advanced civilization in the land. But here we are.”
One prisoner, a woman with gaunt features and dark brunette hair, spit blood onto Arata’s white shirt. With a grin and a calm approach, he gripped her jaw. As his hand tightened, she tried to pull away but was unable to move in the slightest. Tears were forming in her eyes. “And now I have to change. That isn’t how a lady should use her mouth. I could tear it from your face with little effort, but no one wants to clean that up.” Arata let go and stepped back without losing his composure.
One of the other prisoners went to comfort her. A younger man with wavy black hair and a thin mustache defined amongst the stubble shadowing his face. “Brule, are you okay?” She winced in pain as she tried to move her mouth. He patted her on the back before he began speaking to Arata, “What is it you want to be informed of? I'm Rabbit, and we were tasked with peacefully smuggling Cherry back to the Lux. You know as well as I do, she isn’t an actual threat to the Union. Why torture us?”
Arata snickered mischievously at his detainees. “Threat, perhaps not. Still never look a gift horse in the mouth, right? Obviously, the Lux wants her enough to save her. This shows she is valuable since they are trying to get her back. And since she is within my territory, I don’t give away anything with value freely. So, she will cost you, or I will add her to my collection. And what you consider torture hasn’t occurred. Not yet anyway. But the reason will be for it is that I crave knowledge”
Rabbit stood up from attending Brule. “We didn't receive any intel to trade from anyone. If caught, the Lux was hoping for humane treatment. They remembered how the Union had treated Cherry in the past. We are not threats to your nation and aren't here to steal or incite your people.”
Walking over to Rabbit and Arata placed his hands on his should while laughing. Arata retorted, “Don’t tell lies now. All information has a price. What about the ‘Awakening’? I want to learn more. And you are all so secluded over there on that island. Tell me about your wonderful nation.” Rabbit and the others looked unsettled, watching Arata’s hand motions and demeanor as he was excitedly speaking. “Maybe you won’t tell me today. But I will figure it out sooner or later. Until next time enjoy whatever my crew leaves behind for you. We’ll be in town by tomorrow night. I’ll make sure you are presentable. Farewell.” Arata waved them off as he left the room.
Most of the prisoners barely could move. They had huddled around the room folded into themselves. The look of hope was fading from their view, and none had the strength to speak up. Rabbit clenched his fist before telling Brule, “We haven't been trained for this. We have little to give, but when the moment comes, I will surprise him.”