Chapter 7 - Trial and Error
#7 of Chains of Destiny
Chapter 7 - Trial and Error
"Can't this thing move any faster?" shouted Colonel Greaves.
"We are going as fast as we can sir. We won't reach our destination until tomorrow morning if things continue to go smoothly," responded the driver.
"Even though we have Project Time, I can't do anything to him," said Colonel Greaves annoyed.
Leo continued to be suspended from the ceiling and swinging madly in all directions but well away from hitting anyone or the walls unless the driver makes an extremely sharp turn. Looking around, Leo only counted about 10 beast men, including the driver and the Colonel. The soldiers took off the thick clothing revealing thin shirts and shorts underneath. The thick clothing was only thick because of the padding that covered the whole inside.
"Since I am your prisoner some what, why don't you tell me what you plan to do with me, Colonel," said Leo looking at Colonel.
"Bout time you called me by my proper title. I plan to use you to do my bidding but I won't reveal anymore than that," replied the Colonel.
"Sir, we have reached the edge of the forest. There is a sand storm occurring at the moment. What is your choice of action?" asked the driver.
"We'll wait it out here. In the mean time, I think we should have some fun with our captive here," stated the Colonel as the others began to form a ring around Leo.
The Colonel grabbed many whips. The soldiers used belts that were attached to the thick pants. The Colonel handed out all of the whips to everyone except one, thus resulting in 9 whips and a belt.
"Never let your prey get the best of you, even if it is your ally," whispered Colonel Greaves in Leo's ear. "Whip away boys, this should make us happy until the sand storm subsides."
The soldiers began using their whips and belt at Leo who couldn't do much of anything except swing and take the hits. Each strike weren't very painful and didn't even break his skin because the area was small. Fear of hitting each other was also in the air so Leo had to fake experiencing a lot of pain to ensure they would be content. The down side was that it encouraged the repetitive strikes which Leo gambled upon.
"Ah, the screams of someone in pain is always enjoyable," said the Colonel finally turning around and began to whip Leo harder than the rest and with more expertise. The tip of the whip made a louder snapped when compared to the rest of the group and broke into Leo's skin.
"AH!!!!" roared Leo in real pain as the Colonel began to strike faster and faster, moving from his arms all the way down to his legs. He purposely moved slowly so that he can here the agonizing screams. At the end of the Colonel's whipping, Leo had many cuts in his clothings that turned purple and crimson red. His arms were bleeding down onto his face which also received many cuts but none deep enough to leave a scar. Leo was panting and hoped that the Colonel wouldn't whip his back side but the Colonel moved to the back to finish his job.
"I never leave a job half done," stated the Colonel as he began whipping once again. The soldiers were cheering as the Colonel whipped Leo further but before the whipping started for the back, one of the soldiers tied a bandanna over Leo's mouth to muffle his screams. The strikes to his back were much worse than the strikes to the front.
"Mrah!!!!" shouted the muffled Leo and the pain seared across his suspended body. Tears streamed out from his eyes as the blood splattered the floor and a pool of blood appeared below him. Colonel Greaves made quick work of the backside and backed away once he was done. Examining his work, Colonel Greaves was pleased with what he produced. A bloody captor, just what he wanted.
Leo was barely holding onto consciousness as Colonel Greaves sat down. "From here on out, I'm no longer a Colonel. I am Greaves, the death seeker, and these are my men, the private assassins that do the work of seeking out my victims for us to enjoy together," laughed Greaves as Leo slipped into unconsciousness.
Fiona, Brian, Alan, and Canterus were running for hours towards the Sand Ocean. "They can't have gotten far, there's a sand storm today and it's going to last until tomorrow morning," said Fiona as she stopped to catch her breath. Brian and Alan stopped next to her and collapsed in exhaustion. Canterus stopped just slightly ahead of the rest showing no signs of exhaustion.
"We should stop here," said Canterus.
"Why? We are so close to the edge of the forest," said Fiona.
"Tonight's the night of the red full moon. It's dangerous to go any further than here until it passes," replied Canterus.
"Red 'pant' full 'pant' moon?" asked Brian in mystery.
"The red full moon is dangerous to everyone, including us ancients. We fear the red moon because it brings to life the evils of the desert, the undead, those who have lost themselves in the Sand Ocean," responded Canterus.
The Sand Ocean has another name, The Dead Ocean, mainly because many people die there without a proper guide who knows the Sand Ocean and its routes by heart.
"I thought that was nothing but a legend," asked Fiona.
"Well, it isn't. This is the most denied legend because those who experience it never make it out alive. I doubt that those soldiers would even dare cross the Sand Ocean under that moon," said Canterus.
"Any how, we should just take Canterus's word. I mean, we left the First Lieutenant behind to fend for himself," said Alan as he laid against the base of a tree.
"Collins will be fine. We didn't leave him that far behind...did we?" asked Brian.
"Thanks a lot for leaving me all the way back there!" shouted Collins as he slowly walked in.
"It seems like we did," responded Fiona. "Should we make a fire?"
"No, fire only attracts them to us because we are close to the edge," responded Canterus.
"It's the night of the red moon, isn't it?" asked Collins glumly.
"How do you know about it?" questioned Fiona.
"I saw it first hand, during my first day on the job as the First Lieutenant. I nearly escaped with my life but the others that were with me were brutally murdered," said Collins as he shivered at the mere thought of the it.
No one said anything for a long time as day turned into night and the red moon shined above them. Brian looked up and thought about his own name, the name he was given under a full moon. The name that marked him as a danger from the first full moon. Fiona sat up high in a tree, in case any of the undead found their way to them. Collins sat next to Alan, starting up a conversation about music and its many forms of communication. Canterus stood a guardsmen stance and faced the direction of the Sand Ocean.
The moons turned silver for a moment which Brian caught after realizing that nothing bad had happened to him. "I guess it only occurs when its a silver full moon," murmured Brian turning his gaze towards Canterus.
"Gold and Bronze are scared," whispered Canterous when he scanned the night sky for the other two moons. "This red moon is very dangerous indeed."
Sounds of cackling filled the night sky and hundreds of rattling sticks can be heard in all directions. Everyone quickly became aware of this and positioned themselves in a more battle oriented position with Fiona still in the tree. The rattling noise became louder until the cause of the noise became visible. The undead, which consisted of many beast men, humans, and other creatures surrounded the group close but made no notion of attacking. One of the undead stepped forward, it was an undead human and proceeded to Brian without any hostility but the group didn't let their guard down for even a second.
"The Guardian is in trouble. If he dies, the world will end in tragedy. Save him for we will help you. The red moon will continue to shine, even during the day, until the Guardian has been saved. The Gold and Bronze moon are doing what they can but it is difficult for them to do anything. I suggest you act now before it is too late," rasped the undead human as it waited patiently for a reply.
Brain didn't know what to do. Trust the undead and their words or refuse the undead under suspicion of being killed if they were to accept.
"You should help your friend Brian. You can't deny who you are but you can make a difference," spoke the undead human.
Brian tensed at the mention of his name because he couldn't figure out the undead knew of it in the first place. Canterus let down his guard and proceeded towards Brian, ignoring the others as they tried to stop him with signals.
"You have doubt within yourself, don't you. I can feel it easily because we have doubt within our own ability. That is everyone's flaw, doubt. I doubt myself as well but I always come through in the end no matter how bad the odds may be. Should you live like that as well? Will you let doubt control your life? Will you be braver than the mere thought of doubt and go help Leo? It is up to you, not me not anyone else you turn to. It is your decision," spoke Canterus.
"I don't doubt myself, its something that I have never done in my whole entire life. But...I do have fear," whispered Brian.
"You cannot let fear take over your primary senses and concerns. It will shroud your vision and cause confusion within your mind that is hard to get rid of. Never think about the fear, just act and wait and see if the fear still has control over you or not," spoke the undead human.
"Fear is something that lives within everyone Brain. No one can escape its grasp or even try to run away from it. We are all equal in which we must conquer our fear in order to grow stronger," spoke a voice in his mind.
"Leo?" questioned Brian but he heard nothing. "No, the responsibility is overwhelming. It's too much to bare."
"It's too much to bare because you want to have its burden. Let it go, release the burden that continues to cling to your soul. Words have power and so does fear. With power comes great responsibility. The question is, do you want the responsibility or not?" spoke the voice one more.
Brian thought back about the time fear has overwhelmed his soul and prevented him from doing anything. It was a fearsome and tiresome event that continuously played within his mind and kept the thought of the responsibility away from him. This event is what keeps him from accepting a life threatening responsibility but he thought about just letting it go. The mere thought of letting it go placed his mind at ease and opened new door for him, a door that he never imagined existed.
"Brian, descendant of the great ancient Wolf Tag, let go of your memory and move on. Let go of what prevents that door from opening. Let go of the fear and take on the responsibility placed upon you," spoke the voice for a final time.
"Fear is only an idea and the only person can over come the great strengths it lays upon both the body and the mind. That is what is keeping me from doing what I should and must be doing," spoke Brian.
"Are you now a rest with the fear and doubt?" asked Canterus.
"Indeed I am, the fear that rested in me for so long has become nothing but a speck of dust and so has the doubt," stated Brian proudly.
"Now back to my request, will you act now or wait for him to die?" asked the undead human.
"We will help you," stated Brian as he turned to the others. "The balance of change not only hangs in his hands, it also hangs in ours. If there's anything that I've learned from Leo, its that nothing will change unless we make it change."
"He's done so many things for me when we were kids. This is the time that I can repay him," spoke Fiona. "He took all the blame from the troubles I caused so now its time for his problems to be fixed."
Alan looked at both Fiona and Brian and agreed with what they said. "Even though he hasn't doing much of anything for me, he's always been there with his support though. I have honored that with all my heart so know it's time for us to stand by his side. What about you Collins? You don't even know Leo."
"No, I don't know him but it is my fault that he got captured in the first place. It's time for me to make things right no matter how long it may take. Project Time was my idea so it's my responsibility. Plus, I can start to get rid of that son of a bitch Greaves," replied Collins.
"We all have our reasons. I have pledged my allegiance to him already, the moons are doing their best to aid in the cause, and the undead wish to be free from their nightmare if I'm not correct," stated Canterus. "Where is Leo?"
"The Guardian rests inside of an armored vehicle which we cannot penetrate at the edge of the Sand Ocean. If we can get him away from them, then things will be changing for the better. Of course getting into the armored vehicle is not as easy as you believe. Follow us and we will show you where he rests in pain," spoke the undead human as he began to move the group towards the Sand Ocean.
They lead Canterus, Fiona, Brian, Alan, and Collins towards the edge of the Sand Ocean. The vehicle wasn't that far away but the large group stopped before they got to close. The vehicle as a large armored land rover that was black. It had four sensory mechanisms on all four corners of the vehicles top. There weren't any signs of any weaponry so it seemed safe except for the sensory system.
"Hm...this doesn't look very difficult," said Fiona she began to walk towards the vehicle triggering the sensory system. Two turrets appeared and began firing at Fiona who quickly evaded the attack and retreated behind the sensory line.
"Ok, this isn't as easy as I thought it was," panted Fiona when he crossed the line.
"Let us do the experimentation on getting past their security system. When we can get up close, we will call of the aid of undead," spoke Collins.
"Very well, we will wait inside the Sand Ocean," said the undead human as it led the rest of the undead back into the desert.
"Ok, apparently the sensory systems are heat sensors, easy to disable if we were up close," remarked Collins.
"Maybe it is actually triggered by sight. Visual sensory," suggested Brian as he looked at the vehicle.
"We need to take all possibilities into consideration," said Canterus as he picked up a relatively large branch and threw it at the vehicle. The branch landed near the vehicle but its defense systems weren't triggered until something caused the branch to catch fire.
"Um...this is only a suggestion but couldn't we divert the first defense using some sort of fire? That way we can closely examine to what caused the branch to catch fire like that," said Fiona starring at the burning branch.
"That is a good point and well formulated in my opinion," said Canterus. "Fire." A small flame came to life in front of Canterus and he guided the flame across the sensory line but low to ground where the first defense mechanism set off and began to fire at the small amount of heat. Collins dared a step in when one of the two turrets diverted its attention to Collins foot and began to fire.
"Ah!" shouted Collins as he pulled his foot back just in time, scarcely missing the bullets. Canterus quickly pulled the flame back to stop the shooting.
"Is it possible to destroy those two turrets?" asked Brian as he saw the turrets recede back into the vehicle.
"Well...it is worth a try. All we have to lose is the first defense system if we destroy it from this far away," said Fiona.
Canterus brought the flame back across the line and the turrets went off once again. Brian used his ability and summoned up two small assaults on the turrets using the kunai as his main weapon. The kunai struck the turrets hard and destroyed both of them by cutting off wires that were exposed.
"There goes defense number one. Are there any more before the burning branch?" asked Brian.
Canterus moved the flame further until it reached the burning branch. "It doesn't seem like it. From here, I can't tell if the ground is laden with electrical wires or not."
"None of us can but maybe if it was wet, we could get a better view. What do you think Fiona?" asked Collins.
"Wouldn't that cause something to happen and attract attention to us unintentionally?" responded Fiona.
"Let's just make this really simple," said Alan as he began to play his air guitar Bob. "Sonic Beat." The sound that resonated form his right hand's air strumming caused the ground to shake underneath the burning branch. The shaking caused black lines to jump up slightly but just enough for Collins to identify what it was.
"Those are wires but now just any wires. They are illusion wires. The moment we step on them, we are going to go to a paradise of illusions that we can never escape until the wires are turned off," said Collins.
"So what do we do? Fly over them?" asked Fiona.
"A very rhetorical question if you ask me," said Alan. "It's simple, we find what ever is keeping those wires alive and cut it off."
"Illusion wires work a little different than simple electronics. They use the circulation of water to work so even if you used water, it wouldn't work to short circuit them," stated Collins.
"That explains why the branch is still on fire," said Canterus but a sound caught all of their attention. The fire that hovered above the wires started to make a popping sound similar to popcorn but popcorn wasn't flying every where. Instead, the wire underneath the flame caught fire which spread to rest of the wires showing them where and how the wires were positioned.
"Wow, that was such a coincidence," said Brian in shock.
"I guess he don't have to worry about those now," said Fiona.
"Not quite, sure the illusion wires are flammable but they ooze out acid if the fire continues," said Collins. "We are going to run to the rover and break inside. The moment those wires start to ooze is the moment we lose an opportunity to save Leo."
"Why are we still standing here then?!" shouted Fiona as she sprinted off towards the flames. The others followed soon after and they all entered the roaring flames in fear of the acid.
"Sir! There seems to be a group of intruders outside! They managed to break past the first defense and the second defense isn't responding," said one of the soldiers.
"What?!" shouted Greaves. "That can't be possible. Activate the third and fourth line of defense. Bring up the monitors now!"
"Initiating the third and fourth line of defense. Visual appearing in 10 seconds," said another soldier.
"This fucken sand storm allowed them to catch up. I thought you said the storm would have faded away by now," snapped Greaves at the driver who was madly dashing around to start up the last line of defense in case the intruders breeched both the third and fourth line of defense.
"It appears that this is no natural sand storm," shouted the driver flipping that last switch to the last line of defense.
"They will not get the boy back," said Greaves darkly. "Have the remaining soldiers suit up and wait on my command."
Fiona was the first to break through the lines and face the third line of defense. Missiles were let loose and rained onto Fiona but Canterus broke through and protected her with his armor. "It seems that we have been spotted," shouted Canterus to the rest who have just exited the flames.
"Not if I have something to say about it," shouted Fiona who drew out her guns. She sent one bullet to each of the missiles that were fired. They exploded on contact and the group pushed forward quickly. To ensure that the next line of defense didn't catch them off guard, Alan began a beat that scrambled the microwaves that filled the air, setting off the fourth line of defense. The fourth line contained electric waves that ran through out the ground between the group and the vehicle.
"I guess we won't get electrocuted now," shouted Collins as he ducked a missile that Fiona missed.
"Initiate the last line of defense. If they pass that then deploy the men immediately!" shouted Greaves as the men frantically ran around.
Outside, the group finally made it past the third line of defense, which spanned both the third and forth lines just in case the electrocution malfunctioned. The last line of defense is a robotic war machine that emerged from the woods on the other side of the vehicle.
"A Goliath Goliath!" shouted Collins in awe. "Those are supposed to be rumors but they're true!"
The Goliath Goliath is an upright machine, similar to that of a gundum but it wasn't as advanced. It did how ever contain various weapons from the medieval swords and spears to the modern day guns and missiles. Very big but thin and really big power houser, something not to be messed with easily.
"FUCK! How the hell are we supposed to kill that thing?!" shouted Brian as he stared at the Goliath.
"I don't know, the plans were never produced or released to the public so it doesn't matter what we do, we're toast as it is!" shouted Collins trying to decide on his next course of action.
"Our main concern is getting into that fucken vehicle and save Leo. Do what ever it takes to get there!" shouted Fiona as she rushed in to get the Goliath's attention. The Goliath is processed by sensory systems, both heat and visual but it relies on its visual systems more.
"Something isn't right," murmured Canterus as he looked at the Goliath. "Brian, you're coming with me. We're going to get into the vehicle, beat up anyone inside unconscious or dead silly."
"Got it. Alan, try to make sure that the others don't die," said Brian before he dashed off after Canterus.
Fiona, Collins, and Alan took the job of distracting the Goliath as much as possible for Canterus and Brian to make it to the vehicle unharmed. Fiona threw rocks at the Goliath, Collins ran back and forth in front of the Goliath, and Alan threw whatever he could get his hands on, even if it was dirt. Because of the visual dependency, Canterus and Brian were able to get to the vehicle unnoticed and Canterus broke a large hole in the back of the vehicle, revealing everyone inside. The people, in order from the closest back, were the surprised soldiers, the bloody and unconscious Leo, and the Greaves and the driver staring at the screen before them.
"Leo!" shouted Brian when he spotted him. "You fucken bitches aren't going to get away with this!"
The soldiers soon regained their composure and drew out daggers or short swords and immediately charged Brian. Canterus stepped in by drawing his giant sword and swung it parallel to the ground, taking out half the soldiers and cutting through the metal sides with ease. Brian followed up with a broad range of ninja stars and kunai, piercing many of the soldiers in the body and head, allowing death to touch the rest of the soldiers. Blood spurted out from both attacks which caught Greaves attention when the screen suddenly turned off. Blood also splattered across Leo's body but it didn't matter much.
"It seems like my distraction allowed you two to get past the Goliath but I won't allow you to save your precious friend," said Greaves as he picked up two near by whips. He pushed the driver ahead of him who, out of pure fear, ran towards them but into the great sword on accident. "A suicide...that won't do but he's already dead."
Canterus pushed the dead driver off of his blade using his hand and returned his attention to Greaves. "There is no way I will allow a bastard like you to abuse the guardian for your own purposes."
"But, I already have, I've abused his physical body for my own pleasure," laughed Greaves who began his assault on Canterus and Brian. Both whips were a hair away from making contact with either Canterus and Brian.
"Ninja Crusade!" shouted Brian but Greaves deflected he attack back at Brian by creating a cross strike. Canterus protected Brian using his great sword then made two slashes at Greaves using the length to his advantage.
Greaves just side stepped as if the swing was very slow. "Too slow," taunted Greaves as he attempted to make a connection using the cross strike followed by a dual strike. Canterus reacted quickly and used his sword to wrap the whips around the blade. Brian didn't waste a moment and cut the taunt cord using one of the daggers he picked up. The whips are useless at this point and even Greaves saw that.
"You two are smart," commented Greaves, "but are you fast enough?" Greaves made an attempt at Leo's life the moment he drew out his dagger. Brian acted without thought and moved at impossible speeds once again, stopping Greaves arm with only the dagger tip piercing Leo's skin. Both of them struggled with one another, Greaves pushing and Brian pulling. Canterus made a move but an explosion occurred outside which distracted everyone for a moment.
"Finally, that fucken machine went down!" shouted Collins in triumph but Canterus pushed that aside and advanced towards Brian and Greaves.
Canterus raised his blade and was about to strike but something caught his attention instead. Leo, whom everyone neglected during the fight until now, was missing. The chains were undone without a single sound and laying on the floor. Greaves and Brian quickly stopped the struggle to notice the same thing.
"Leo?" said Fiona when a white light shined from behind the three inside. They quickly turned and saw Leo floating in the air but his eyes were stone cold. The cuts and bruises he received during his captivity were all gone but the clothes remained torn. He turned his eyes towards Greaves who became scared on the spot, immobilized. Brian and Canterus were also afraid when they looked into Leo's eyes and they quickly backed away from Greaves.
Pure energy surged out of Leo's right arm and took shape of a blade suspended in mid air. "Those who have intentions to use me for themselves will not go unpunished," said Leo and vanished. Greaves gasped as an invisible force passed through his body. Leo reappeared on the other side of Greaves and lifted up his left arm. Pure energy surged through this as well. Greaves coughed up blood after Leo's reappearance and many cuts appeared as well.
"Leo!" shouted Brian but Leo ignored the call.
"Good bye, Greaves Lafeng," said Leo and the pure energy became large beam of light which vaporized Greaves on the spot without a single scream.
Fiona, Collins, and Alan moved into the opening and stared at Leo. Brian moved backwards a little an fell onto the ground. Everyone only saw Leo as a floating person with stone cold eyes, but Canterus saw differently. He saw black wings extend from Leo's back that spread out like a fan but the wings were no ordinary wings that angels would have. They were straight and flat which connected at the back by curling in. Basically, they resemble a fan with spaces between each fold.
"Fuck, the fate of the guardian is starting to unravel. If this keeps up, he will kill himself before he even makes it to the end," said Canterus and Leo turned his head towards Canterus, his eyes still stone cold.
"The fate of time itself rests within my hands Canterus. Not even these black wings will stop me from reaching my goal," said Leo.
"How is it that I can see it and not the others?" asked Canterus.
"Because aren't here. They never left their world to begin with until now. That is why time is frozen and only you, an ancient, can see these wings," said Leo.