“If the two of you want to escape now’s the time. Follow me.” They both hesitantly nodded their heads, their sight on the unmoving body of their master now stripped of his possessions and breath. With that last look we were off.

As we were going down the staircase, I noticed that all the servants were grouped around one spot. Right in the middle stood Brad looking down on the art he made from Isao.

“We’re leaving this planet. Those who want to, let’s escape.” I said and saw the group’s gaze turn to me.

No one moved. I paid them no mind and walked through the crowd. They made a way for me with each step I took they took two back. Very astute of them indeed I wouldn’t like to have to push them around.

First of all, it’s not nice and second my hands are let’s say hanging in there by my side.

I looked back and saw the two women. Brad wasn’t following.

Brad stood there a smile adoring his face as he was looking upward. Towards the stars that couldn’t be seen. Yet it didn’t matter to him as water flowed down his face all the same. “What are you doing? We still have a journey before us.”

“I was dreaming about this exact moment. Day after day his face would haunt me. Yet I don’t remember the last time I dreamt about my daughters’.”

“So, what are you going to do? Wallow in self-pity. After everything, you’re just going to stay here and get killed? Spare me from laughing.”

He rushed at me. I didn’t try dodging and stood there, with his bloodied hands grabbed he me by the collar.

“You don’t know anything!”

I grinned at him.

“You don’t-“

“Yet I still know that you helped them keep us like animals. Take some blame and admit that in part you are like Isao.” I felt his grip tightening as he clutched my neck.

“I had to do it.”

“No, you wanted to do it.” He threw me back. I didn’t lose my balance, kept my feet on the ground and slid those few meters.

Though I always kept my eyes on Brad. He was charging at me. I put up my arms halfway up only to let them fall to my sides. It hurt like hell and there was a resistance to them, I couldn’t control them properly.

Tch, can’t use them. If I take a hit more, I’ll get my muscles all torn up if not the whole arm. Whose idea was it anyway to tank that flame?

What a stupid fancy dumbass.

A jab came straight for me, I dodged it with a movement of my head. Then a straight punch, I dodged by sidestepping. Then he was going for a swipe with his front leg that I was prepared for.

“Even if it was for your own revenge.”

An uppercut came from behind his retreating hand that I wasn’t expecting.

A direct hit. I couldn’t dodge it in time. I went up into the air for a second and the next I was back down receiving another punch.

Bastard isn’t... going… to give me… a chance to breathe.

I dodged as best as I could, my vision a swaying mess and the punches kept on coming. I was eating them left and right and the bastard wasn’t even getting tired having the same numb face on.

Fuck

Tired

Ack, I bit my tongue and got some of my grip back.

Alright fucker let me show you these hands. I took a hit to the right side of my torso; I followed it with twisting my waist and borrowing some of that strength. With that came my hand as a whip. I couldn’t get it to punch straight, but this can be done.

Just like that he got hit and his head tilted to the side. He stopped. I took that moment and created a distance between us again.

“Think about all the people you indirectly killed. The blood you’ve spilt.”

He charged at me again, roaring as he did so. No reason to be found in his eyes. A left swing, dodge and a counter, right hook, dodge, jab, sidestep, punch and here it is I saw it.

The same combo, even with his consciousness elsewhere his body remembers the movements. I didn’t get fooled again, ignored his leg coming for me, ducked and stepped towards him.

The uppercut whished against the back of my neck.

“Answer for your crimes!” I headbutted him.

Once

Twice

Thrice

With each one he was forced more and more back till he hit a wall where I delivered the last headbutt. The wall kept him in place and his head endured the full brunt of my attack. With that he slid down and revealed the cracked wall behind him.

“Ah… ha…” My breathing was heavy, eyelids closing by themselves, sight waning, blood flowing down my forehead rinsing my eyes in blood.

“…what…?” I heard him say quietly, coughing up blood. “What… should I do?”

He covered his head with his hands while sitting. He looked like a little kid crying alone in some corner.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

“Help them all. Do you think your daughters would’ve liked to see what you’ve become?”

He clutched his head more and more with every word I uttered.

“It’s never going to be the same.” I said and spat blood on the floor. “Without your daughters.”

He lifted his head and looked at me.

“But there’s more to life. This isn’t an end of the road for you, you’re alive and that’s important and if you just take a step and dare to go to a new world, to Opportunity. Then it might be possible to see them, your family.”

He sat there looking at me his eyes with all the blood and grime were clear. There was something to them something that was previously missing.

It was hope.

I extended him a hand which he grabbed and helped him stand up. Though I wombled and nearly fell down while my hand felt like being ripped off, but everything’s fine. Yeah…

“Girls? Can you give us a hand?” I called out to the two girls I helped get out. They watched the whole fight from the distance, unsure where to go and to escape.

With a great deal of hesitation, they walked over and supported us from the sides.

We departed. For the whole way nobody uttered a word, everybody had their own thoughts. We crossed the streets and found a manhole that we took to arrive at the meeting point. In the end we arrived just on time.

There were already people climbing up the ladder and rushing up. Although there wasn’t lot of them gathered there.

“Why’s there half of the people?” I asked as I came to Kaiya and Alan.

“Why’s there a guard with you?” Kaiya voiced out the sentiment that all of the people were thinking.

“He was a part of the plan didn’t I tell you. We’re out thanks to him.”

“He let my husband starve.” Disgruntled voices spoke from the group, saying things about their close ones and heinous acts that were afflicted upon them. There wasn’t no one who had a good relationship with the guards. And those who did were doing it for their own survival.

It was only natural that this would happen.

He had an immediate answer though. “I’m willing to receive any punishment.”

Great. I dragged him here to be killed off. What a joke.

“Hey.” I whispered to Kaiya. “Is that really so important now? Look at him how he looks and how many of us are there. If anything happens, we can take him down in a second.”

She turned to me a scowl on her face, anger evident in her voice even though she was whispering back to me. “Rather than that I see how you look. Was getting beat up like a dog another tweak to my plan you’ve made? Why couldn’t you have just done what I told you to do?”

“It couldn’t be helped.”

“Yeah, yeah… right.” She scrunched up her brow and massaged in between her brows.

“It’s the truth. I executed it as best as I could.”

“Stop.” She said and rather than continuing the discussion with me turned to the crowd of people.

“We can deal with him later. Don’t forget what we came here for. We can’t fail now when freedom’s right at our fingertips.” Kaiya said and then she looked she looked back at me. “Everything that you want can be fulfilled on Opportunity.”

A loud cheer was heard. The people though not every one of them happy as they looked back into the tunnel at Brad. Were that much more excited when they were climbing the ladder out, their grim faces didn’t show it but the sparks in their eyes did.

“You look like you’re enjoying your role as a leader.” I said as I stood beside her. On the other side was Alan seeming to be counting the people. “Yes, it’s got a certain feel to it. As for why there’s so few people. It’s because not everyone listened to the plan.”

“They made their choices.”

“Yes, but…”She sighed “we could have all escaped. This way they’ll only get caught again.”

“it’s their choice anyway. We’re in no way responsible for them. Besides this way they’ll make a good distraction for the enforcers.”

“I wouldn’t talk like that before the crowd. They’ll stone you to death.” Brad said while smiling, blood gracing his teeth making for a hideous grimace.

“You’re the one to say.” Kaiya immediately shot back. “Can we talk about something more important?”

“Do you mean my death by stoning isn’t important?” I got punched in the side by Kaiya, I’d like to say playfully but it didn’t seem that way and more out of irritation.

“As if that’ll happen. Rather than that what do you think is behind the portal?”

“I don’t know.”

“Forty-six of us are here”

“Thanks Alan but I don’t think that’s important right now.” I looked at him.

“Yeah, right. Just a habit of mine.” He didn’t dwell on it and continued. “About what’s behind the portal. It’s a barren planet that can be described more like an onion. The surface has a brief opportunity when there are no natural disasters occurring. We have to take that time and get bellow the ground to the first layer.”

We all ended up looking at him. It made him nervous as he started scratching the back of his neck out of nervousness. “You know I was a scholar, an archaeologist in training for going there and finding artifacts and uncovering history. “

“Who would have thought that little Alan here had such a prestigious role.” Kaiya laughed and slapped his back a few times. That just made him lose his balance and nearly fall to the ground, were it not for Kaiya holding him.

It was our turn to climb as only we were left in the sewers. But Alan seemed to have another idea. “Guys, how about I stay here?”

This guy.

“Alan-“Kaiya was about to argue with him, but Brad took care of it. He took him below the shoulders, hoisted him up in the air and placed him up on the ladder before climbing behind him, cutting of his path of return.

“Nice job, Brad.”

“We’re on a tight schedule. Can’t have him having tantrums and wasting time.”

“I hope you take that advice too.” I poked a little fun at him.

In the end we all climbed out of the sewage hole.

We found ourselves in what looked like a park. There were statues all over the place as we were all walking in a big group. Our destination a grand hall in the middle of the park. It was a giant structure that looked like a basilica, made out of marble and gold.

We came to the side entrance. From inside a celebratory music was reverberating out. Faint voices were heard singing along, seemingly not even singing any words but tones like instruments.

“Do you see the portal?” Kaiya asked Brad as he was looking through the keyhole.

“For sure I can but also a lot of Prophesized Ones.”

I should really tell them what perfect name I came up for them ‘Delusional Ones’, fitting and elegant, tailored just for them.

The people didn’t take it too well as some of them stepped away from the group.

“We expected that people, but don’t worry it’s only a few meters that we have to run and freedom’s ours.”

“If it doesn’t work out, they’ll slaughter us… every last one of us.” Alan said in his absentmindedness. It was echoed by most of the group.

“Shh, please believe in us. In yourselves and we can finally leave this life behind us and start anew.” Even though Kaiya tried getting the situation under control, it didn’t work.

“Listen you fools!” I shouted in low voice, not to take the chance of being overheard by the Prophesized Ones in the basilica. I stepped towards one of the people and placed my baton against his neck. Not very effective way to strike if I wanted to, but it seemed the group got the memo as they quietened.

“Let me explain it to you. You stay here you die and you will be fed to the pigs. You go with us and you’ll have a chance to live. Those who don’t value such a chance should leave.”

There still was a murmur here and there, but not loud enough to warn of our presence.

“You’re still too good for them Kaiya these so-called people only respond to threats and insults. After all, that is what allowed them to survive to this point.” I whispered to Kayia.

“We’ll have to see if this’ll help them in the new world.”

The time for their choices ran out as I heard Brad’s voice “The portal’s shrinking most of them already went in.”

That’s all I had to hear and the group. We rushed through the door right in the middle of their sermon. As we were running, I heard Alan’s voice. It was quivering - It might have had something to do with all the spells flying around us, or maybe he’s just ill. Who knows?

“I forgot to tell you. We’ll all land in different locations, but in the same area. Don’t-”

“You are saying it n-“

‘You’re a cunt, a special cunt that’s what you are.’ That was the last thought I had before disappearing into the portal.