《Time Moves Onwards》 Seconds(1) Seconds(1) Underneath a sky wreathed in smog lay a broken castle. Once beautiful ramparts were smashed to pieces, and broken stone lay scattered amongst its tarnished inner corridors. Acrid smoke curled out from shattered stained-glass windows, coating every breath in sour ash. The once impressive images were no longer visible, but the only piece still visible was the scene of a human falling. Ornate tapestries and crafted rugs lay tattered as smoldering embers licked at their heavily burnt edges. Every now and then, a draft of wind sifted through the many holes blown through the castle¡¯s walls, sending sprays of ash and sparkling embers into the air. It was as if an army had gone through the building with the intention of razing everything to the ground. There were claw marks, larger than any beast had any right to be, slashing through whatever stone still stood. They were strewn throughout the building like a testament to a beast that simply wouldn¡¯t stop attacking. In addition to the claw marks there were also scars from a multitude of weapons: daggers, spears, arrows, swords and everything in between left a wound on the once pristine hallways. Then, there was the blood that still hadn¡¯t dried, staining the gouges each weapon left a bright red. However, despite the sheer degree of carnage, there existed only two beings in the entirety of the castle. Thair fight tore apart the building, and led them to a large artium: the throne room. It¡¯s ceiling was crumbling, revealing only the edges of the dome it once was. In the middle of the broken ceiling was a hole large enough to let trickles of moonlight spill through the smog that choked the sky. The walls of the room were barely standing, some holes gouging into their sides sent small, loose pebbles tumbling down into the throne room¡¯s floor. Ash and debris swirled with every cold wind that flowed through, and small dust clouds began to form around the larger pieces of shattered castle that lay on the ground. Claw marks danced with weapons along both the stone and carpet once again, and splatters of blood followed every trail as if to paint the scene with more devastation. What was once a beautiful red rug lay on the ground, forgotten and in tatters, yet it still did its duty. It still led everyone¡¯s eyes to the throne that stood erected in the middle of the room, the only thing that still was standing. The throne was a crude piece of iron and stone, melded together in such a way that one couldn¡¯t quite tell the two apart. It wasn¡¯t too grand, but it served its purpose: that those who sat on it were the Kings of Demons. So perhaps, its crude nature was perfect for it. Yet, the one sitting on it was neither demon nor hellspawn, it was a human. One who looked none too pleased at the moment. He was leaning forwards in the throne, his right elbow propped on one of the armrests while his left palm was gripping his left knee till his knuckles turned white. They were white enough to match the two bands that were stuck on the man¡¯s ring finger; one fit perfectly while the other looked like it was forced halfway onto his finger before it couldn¡¯t go any further. His hair was brown, shaggy and wild as if it hadn¡¯t been tamed in years. Ash coated his hair, and flaked off with every gust of wind that blew the hair from his face. He was a man whose features were tired and rugged. An unkempt beard clung to his chin and lips; pieces of it were uneven as if a blade had gouged through it at several different angles. His skin was leathery and rough; years spent under the sun and many more spent under war had changed them to what they were now. On his body was an armor of dull white, without any accents or decorations. Each piece linked together as if it were forged right onto his frame, and all of it glowed as if a flickering flame within the night. It was made with one purpose: to protect. And considering that the only wounds he appeared to have were small, dried lacerations on his exposed hands and arms, it could be said that the armor delivered. However, it was his eyes that drew the most attention. They were silver; an unnatural, dull luster that seemed to drink in the moonlight despite how lifeless they seemed. The man¡¯s silver eyes stared, unblinking, as they watched the being below him. Though, to call it a being was a little too many words to describe it. All there was below was a head, sitting upon its severed neck while a massive body was smoldering behind it. The creature¡¯s face was grotesque; half of it looked as if the skin had melted off, exposing rippling muscle and sinew beneath its cheeks. One of its eyes were slagged, drooping from within the socket while the other was a deep orange with two pupils that overlap in the middle. Its skin was a deep purple, nearly masking it from sight if it wasn¡¯t for the occasional ray of moonlight that pierced down from the sky. Despite any organism being dead in its state, the singular eye roved in its decapitated skull, lolling till it found the human in the throne. The unmelted side of its mouth opened, revealing long, narrow teeth that were yellowed all the way to its blood red gums. ¡°Haha! That was wonderful! Truly a battle fit for the legends! Don¡¯t you think so too, young hero?¡± The head spoke, laughing as if its wounds were nothing to it. ¡°Quite a disgusting thing; why can¡¯t it die when it is clearly dead?¡± A high pitched voice rang out, echoing from behind the throne. The man sighed, line of sight never leaving the head. ¡°Perhaps, it is too stupid to die. He certainly fits the bill after charging into every single one of your spells.¡± From behind the throne, something floated over to the right side of the man¡¯s head. It was an ornate lantern. Four panes of frosted glass were connected by a frame of gold, forming a sloped ¡®roof¡¯ that had a large, gold loop at the top. Inside the lantern one could see a spherical flame that flickered and pulsed as if alive. ¡°True! I¡¯m a great and mighty weapon for the hero, after all!¡± The lantern hummed. ¡°Indeed.¡± The man smiled, but it looked awkward, as if he couldn¡¯t quite remember how to do it. ¡°Say Lumen,¡± the man yawned, neglecting how the lantern snapped towards him as if ready for action. ¡°You used up a lot of energy earlier, so do you want to rest? I should be fine watching this guy die, after all.¡± Lumen didn¡¯t seem to answer, but its frame twirled as if excited. ¡°Sure! But make sure you rest! Your body cannot handle both your blessings for too long, okay?¡± ¡°I know, Lumen.¡± Seemingly satisfied with the answer, Lumen began spinning. With every rotation, the lantern looked like it was getting smaller until it shrunk from the size of the man¡¯s head to a small earring that promptly clipped itself to the man¡¯s right ear. After a moment of silence, the man sighed, turning back to the severed head. ¡°For what it¡¯s worth, you really can¡¯t blame me for this.¡± Slowly, the man brought up his left hand to his left ear, cupping it around two silver earrings in the shape of teardrops. He clenched his hand, and slowly brought it away as a silver short sword appeared to be unsheathing itself from the air next to his head. ¡°Of course!¡± The head laughed again. ¡°I knew a hero would come for me when I took in the piece, but the chance to fight a warrior of your caliber was something I couldn¡¯t pass up! I still want your name, too!¡± ¡°Mason¡­¡± the man said, tasting the name on his tongue. In one motion, Mason stood from the throne, his joints popping as his straightened. He leveled the point of the sword at the head¡¯s last eye. ¡°Now, I would say this wasn¡¯t personal, but you¡¯re standing between me and my family.¡± ¡°Is that so. Well then, as the loser I have no say in the matter! Do it hero! Kill me and take the burden that all heroes carry!¡± Mason¡¯s sword didn¡¯t move, but his eyes narrowed. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± The head grinned with its visible features, needle-like teeth bared. ¡°Are you interested now, hero? What about your little family back home? Do it already!¡± Sighing, Mason pulled his sword away from the head, and raised his free hand. The dull white armor at his shoulder flickered a bit as if a forest fire about to be released. Then, fire began to drip down from his armor, flowing over his skin until it reached the fingertips on his right hand. Glowing blue armor covered what was once bare skin. ¡°You truly are like everything I wanted, hero!¡± The head grinned. ¡°You sent away that little one so it would be just us two! Truly you deserve the throne; you deserve the Devil that comes with your reward!¡± Mason just moved closer, raising his glowing hand to the head¡¯s skin until the skin started to blacken and the blood underneath began bubbling. He refused to move his hand even as the screams petered out to whines.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Only after what seemed like minutes did Mason pull away, staring at the heavily breathing head. ¡°I think you understand what I want.¡± The head began laughing again, hoarse grunts echoing between every breath. ¡°Truly¡­ you were the best¡­ of the five¡­¡± Mason scowled, watching as the head continued to laugh. It¡¯s voice slowly getting softer with every growing second until the only thing he could hear was his own voice. ¡°So, he really was getting closer to death¡­¡± frowning again, Mason turned around to eye the throne. He didn¡¯t even spare a second before his silver short sword cut through it, sending the stone and metal backrest toppling over to the ground. His breath was heavy as his hand released the silver sword, letting it fade into a stream of silver light that reattached itself as the two, silver teardrop earrings on his left ear. With a final sigh, Mason sat back down, sending plumes of dust up in his motion. He stared up into the stars that dared to peek through the cover of acrid smoke. In that moment, all his eight years played through his head. He thought of the time where he first was summoned, scared and alone. Honestly, the Mason then truly was small compared to the man he grew up to be. He laughed as he remembered the knights he trained with at first. They were all friendly guys, but they kept kicking his ass until he learned every weapon they handed him. The mage who taught him all about magic was first shocked about his inability to use mana, and tried desperately to teach him it. Though, Mason held reservations as that training only led to the two getting into increasingly precarious positions till he decided to ask her to marry him. He never did learn magic, but that didn¡¯t matter much to him. Remembering the elves who helped him throw off the demons chasing them in the woods kept the smile on his face. The wine they had still burned the back of his throat as he remembered the taste. They were only matched by the dwarves in that aspect. Those small humanoids sure helped liven up the party, but their tempers were something that the elves simply loved to poke. Each scene of merrymaking and adventures pooled in the back of Mason¡¯s mind. He smiled even as he remembered the moment he lost them all. Each of their smiles were etched into his mind, but he never wanted to remember that moment as something sad. That wouldn¡¯t be what they wanted. So, he smiled. Smiled until his cheeks hurt, and the tears running down his face cut paths through the dirt clinging to his face. Because if he remembered how he hunted down all the nobles who plotted his loved one¡¯s demise, how he burned a nation down to its roots in anger, he wouldn¡¯t be able to face them with a smile on his face. As, even in death, their smiles never faded when they told him they loved him. His silver eyes looked back up to the sky, and the dull white armor around his body dissipated, flaking off in small flecks of flame that sputtered out as they left the proximity of his body. The disappearing embers curling around his body, always keeping him warm despite how cold he wanted to feel. ¡°I want to go home.¡± Mason whispered as enough moonlight pooled into the room to pour over his back and extend his shadow over the severed head. As if finally giving in, Mason¡¯s eyes closed. He felt something brush across his skin like thousands of sharp bristles trying and failing to find purchase. Then, his breath was stolen from him. Panic came first as the man¡¯s eyes shot open, and the first thing he saw was nothing. There was only expansive, empty void around him, surrounding him from all sides with only tiny lights far off in the distance. He tried to push his arms and legs to gain a physical sensation, but all his flailing accomplished was to spin his body in the empty space. The blood in his veins was pulsing, pushing against his skin as he felt his body began to swell. Pain assaulted him from every direction, and it felt as if needles were squeezing through all his veins, tearing against their walls as if in protest. Despite everything, he was slowly getting his wits about him, realizing that he was in severe danger. He had experienced pain akin to this before, so he ignored most of it, wincing occasionally as it got the better of him. Mason knew he needed to escape whatever trap he had fallen into or else he wouldn¡¯t be able to accomplish his goals. However, before he could do anything, something slammed into him from behind. His body bent around the object as the back of his head slapped on the surface of something hard. Darkness finally took him.
¡°Hey, hey! No need for that! I¡¯m fairly sure he¡¯s not dead!¡± The first thing Mason did as he woke up was relax. Capturs would normally notice if he tensed when he woke, so he calmly felt his body without moving. His muscles slowly warmed themselves until he felt confident to respond to any threat. Oddly, whoever had captured him hadn¡¯t put restraints on him, so that either meant they really wanted to fight or they wanted to talk. He paused his choices as he took in more of where he was. His back was resting against something soft, gel-like in how it cradled around his back. He could finally breathe again, but he assumed that whatever trap he was previously caught in had been taken down to reach him. There was a soft noise behind his head, almost like the shifting of tiny metal plates against each other. ¡°His heartbeat is stable, and so is his breathing level. My sensors are indicating an increased level of brain activity.¡± A robotic voice whirred behind his head. ¡°He¡¯s awake and conscious.¡± Mason¡¯s eyes snapped open at the announcement, eyeing the first person who came into sight. A woman with light blue hair whose clothes were baggy enough that he couldn¡¯t tell her body type. It didn¡¯t matter at the moment, so he immediately rushed her as shouts echoed out in the room. His hand reached up to his left ear, clicking his tongue as he found nothing. Thinking quickly, Mason simply cupped his hand around the woman¡¯s throat. Several other people in the small room shot up instantly. Some of them had already been standing around carrying some kind of weapon Mason had never seen before, and the misplaced man could only blink as all of their weapons began to glow with different kinds of lights. ¡°Damnit Jenna! I told you we should have put him in restraints!¡± Said one of the men leveling their weapons at him. His head was shaved till it was shiny and his eyes were milky white, but somehow he was still able to follow their movements. Mason stuck more of his body behind the woman, Jenna. Jenna swallowed heavily within Mason¡¯s grip, her arms up as if to say she meant no threat. ¡°Oops¡­¡± ¡°Let go of her, you brute!¡± A woman spoke this time. She was wearing a piece of cloth that barely covered her breasts, but still allowed for her bulging biceps to poke through. If anything, Mason wanted to question why he was the brute between the two of them. ¡°Shut up, Quincy!¡± Jenna said, not daring to move a muscle. She made no move, but Mason could tell she was addressing him now. ¡°Now, maybe we can settle this without everything turning to violence, alright? I can stay in your grip, if that makes you feel better, but obviously I don¡¯t like my throat getting torn out.¡± Mason frowned at how easily she was taking her hostage situation, but his grip didn¡¯t loosen. ¡°Where am I?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t know.¡± Jenna said nonchalantly, not caring for the people in the room flinching at her blunt statement. ¡°Probably two and a half jumps away from Beta-Kalfos, I think.¡± The words reached his ears, but no matter what he did Mason couldn¡¯t put that name anywhere he knew. However, training dictated that he shouldn¡¯t reveal that piece of information. ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°Sensors indicate an increase in heart rate as well as stress hormone levels.¡± The robotic voice echoed again, and Mason zeroed in on a humanoid golem of metal and gears standing next to the bald man. It looked like there were several familiar medical instruments stemming from its open head. ¡°He¡¯s most likely lying.¡± One of the people in the room froze, their jaw hanging open. ¡°You mean, you don¡¯t know of the latest scourge of CF plague? What rock have you been living under?¡± ¡°A smelly one, that¡¯s for sure.¡± Jenna answered, and Mason was about to make his threats more serious, but before he could move, he felt all the muscles in his body lock up. His jaw clattered to a close as pain sparked within him until steam began to rise off his skin. Twitchy muscles were all that was left, and Mason was left spasming on the floor. All he could see was that there were a series of burn marks on the back of Jenna¡¯s shirt. ¡°Geez, I hate using that.¡± She whined. ¡°Gotta change shirts again.¡± Mason continued to twitch on the floor, unable to open his mouth through the pain and spasms. Jenna pointed over to him. ¡°Hey, Nathan, Quincy, since you guys wanted to lock him up, put him in our brig or whatever. We have a prison on this rust bucket, right?¡± ¡°Do we really have to deal with him?¡± Quincy grumbled, crossing her muscular arms. The bald man with milky eyes, Nathan, also seemed to share in her apprehension. ¡°I agree, he just held you captive and tried to threaten your life. Even if he was confused, that¡¯s not a normal reaction.¡± ¡°Well,¡± Jenna smiled awkwardly, trying to avoid their eyes. ¡°We did accidentally hit him in the void, so I¡¯m a little curious¡­¡± ¡°Denied!¡± Quincy said, getting a round of nods from more people in the room. ¡°Come on! Please! There¡¯s almost no living settlements or terraformed planets nearby, so isn''t it exciting that we found him so out of place?¡± Jenna¡¯s eyes practically sparkled with excitement as she spoke. ¡°Think about it, he could lead us to some resources, and more importantly, food.¡± Her words seemed to send an unspoken acknowledgement through the crowd, and several of them were frowning still but they nodded along. Quincy still looked unconvinced, though. Nathan placed a hand on Quincy¡¯s shoulder, shaking his head. ¡°Captain has a point. We¡¯re severely understocked to care for those kids, so if he can lead us to some pirates or something, its our best bet.¡± Mason grunted, forcing open his mouth with sheer force of will. ¡°What¡­ the hell¡­ are¡­¡± Jenna jumped at his words, staring at him like he was a monster. Quincy and Nathan sighed at the sight. ¡°Did you forget to adjust your output again?¡± Nathan asked. ¡°What? No, that was when I first had my implant put in, I swear!¡± Jenna hurriedly said reaching down to Mason¡¯s head. He could clearly see sparks traveling from something on her back to a glowing metal strip in the center of her palm. ¡°I put enough electricity through him to short out any implant in him, too!¡± Her palm touched his head, and pain blanked Mason¡¯s mind again. His teeth nearly chipped with the force they closed as his body was forced to wriggle on the cold, metal floor. There was only one thought on the hero¡¯s mind at that moment: where the fuck was he?! Author''s note since I can''t put an afterward in yet: Not sure how much time I want to put into this. WIll probably see how the turnout for the first couple chapters are before deciding anything. As always, Enjoy Seconds(2) Seconds(2) Mason awoke with a pounding headache. His skull pulsed with a migraine as he continued to feel his limbs twitch every so often. Despite his previous failure, he once again assessed where he was first. His arms and legs were bound this time, but not by any means he actually remembered. Somehow they had encased his hands and feet in some kind of restricting metal while there were stiff coils of metal holding his joints, neck and abdomen in place. The room itself was completely metallic, illuminated by light sources that lay within divots in the ceiling. His body was held in the middle of it by equally metallic clamps that seemed to extend from the walls and ceilings to encase him. Despite that, the room looked fairly large, and he couldn¡¯t find an immediate exit anywhere. He had expected that a bit. Of course his capteurs wouldn¡¯t let him near an exit of any kind, and his latest stunt had only caused a further rift in any goodwill he could have garnered. Mason clicked his tongue in annoyance, mumbling, ¡°damnit¡­ a rookie mistake.¡± There were many things he could have done instead of freak out and try to hold someone hostage. However, what¡¯s done is done. He was in an unfamiliar place without any of his weapons or knowledge, and he had somehow been completely beaten by someone who he never knew. Still, it wasn¡¯t the worst of situations he¡¯s ever been in. He needed to figure out where his things were, and then he needed to somehow do what he needed to do. Comforting himself with the fact that the demon king was dead, Mason began to try and puzzle together where he was. ¡°Wait¡­¡± the man frowned, realization coming to his thoughts. ¡°He¡¯s dead, so I should have been sent home to my family. I doubt that the elves would break their oath of truthfulness about something like that... Yet, where am I?¡± The tiny details from his last memories began to play in the back of his head. That blue-haired woman, Jenna, she had mentioned something about them ¡®hitting him in the void¡¯. There were also mentions of ¡®terraformed planets¡¯. Slowly, the misplaced hero began forming an idea. He dug deep into his memories, pulling out times when he wasn¡¯t fighting monsters of fantasy; when he was simply another kid in high school. There were movies and books of spacecrafts and aliens; the vast frontier when humans finally reached for the stars. He cursed. Only now did he know that instead of going home, he was instead placed in a different sort of fantasy. ¡°This has to be some kind of joke¡­¡± The little details began to fill themselves in as he recalled his last meeting with the supposed crew of this probable spaceship. Those little weapons that were pointed at him were probably guns of some sort, and that little metallic golem should be some sort of robot. And when they hit him in the void¡­ he was dying in space. Sighing, Mason tried to reorganize his thoughts. For now, he was stuck in some new kind of hell, and he was lucky that they hit him when they did. His vague memories of space told him that humans can¡¯t survive in the void for very long. However, he needed to figure out a way back home. They didn¡¯t have magic. Well, not any that he could sense. They also seemed to be fairly nice people, or at least the blue-haired woman had talked about helping kids. As horrible as it was, he could use that to his advantage. Of course, so long as he reciprocated before getting the necessary information to figure out a way home. Still, no matter how much he wanted to curse at whatever higher power placed him in situations like these, he was stuck here. As such, he needed to figure out where he was stuck. And as luck would have it, one section of the wall in front of his hissed with displaced air. A doorway suddenly formed in the metal wall, and a straight crack opened up with the edges of the door disappearing into the wall on either side. In stepped Jenna, her blue hair tied up into a ponytail and a new baggy shirt over her body. Beside her was the brute of a woman, Quincy, scowling at him with the more animosity than most demons he fought with. A fact that he found impressive since most of them wanted to play jump rope with his intestines. ¡°Hello again, mysterious vagabond!¡± Jenna said, smiling without a care in the world. Honestly, Mason was feeling rather embarrassed over suspecting her of capturing him now. Not that he needed to tell her that, though. While he was fairly certain that they weren¡¯t trying to kill him, he wasn¡¯t quite sure what they wanted. It was best to let them dictate their terms before he decided on anything. As such, Mason chose to stay silent after Jenna¡¯s overly friendly introduction. What he didn¡¯t expect was that the silence was reciprocated as both women weren¡¯t speaking either. And as the silence dragged on, Quincy¡¯s face began to grow further and further twisted in rage. Jenna was still trying to smile, but most of her attention was on trying to hold Quincy back from attacking Mason. Through the two¡¯s interactions, the ex-hero found that Jenna seemingly had superiority in the relationship. With that in mind, Mason began to form an idea on what to say. He found that they were letting him take the pace of the conversation too easily. Another point that they were people not used to interrogations. It was getting to the point that the retired hero wondered if he should even bother trying to use his abilities against them. However, first he needed to figure out where his earrings and Lumen were. Lumen was one thing, but his earrings were blessings that couldn¡¯t leave his side. If they weren¡¯t returning to him, that meant that Lumen was holding onto them. Still, he was rather worried for the little lantern; the spirit had only been alive for a little over a year, so it was rather gullible without him. Once he had both of them, though, he¡¯d be able to demand or ask whatever he needed with his more polished skill: fighting. ¡°When you found me,¡± he started, drawing their attention. ¡°Did you find a lantern or a pair of silver teardrop earrings?¡± He could find them easily if he had a bit of time to meditate and focus on his connection to either of them, but trying to talk to his captors was the easier of the two options. ¡°We didn¡¯t find anything. Are they important to you as well?¡± Jenna answered. Mason blinked. ¡°As well?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± the woman said, holding up her hand with two white bands in her palm. ¡°I made sure to hold onto these as the restraints might damage them, and they looked important to you. Do you need help looking for your other things, too?¡± ¡°You¡­¡± Mason felt his throat dry up. Guilt was beginning to force itself into his chest, and suddenly the man almost felt disgusted at himself for trying to manipulate her. ¡°Jenna! Why are you trying to reason with the guy!?¡± Quincy straightened, pointing over to Mason. ¡°He¡¯s obviously some pirate or something! I don¡¯t know of any nice people being thrown out an airlock very often!¡± Jenna put her hand on her hips, making sure not to drop the two rings in her hand. ¡°Its fine, Quincy. You¡¯re worried about too much. Besides, I¡¯m the captain of this ship, right?¡± Quincy scowled at Mason as if he were the reason everything was wrong. ¡°Quincy!¡± ¡°Fine, whatever!¡± The woman yelled back, standing back while continuing to glare at the restrained man. ¡°Don¡¯t make me say I told you so when he tried something.¡± This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. Jenna smiled. ¡°Great! Now, you uh, actually what¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Mason¡­¡± he said, throwing away his thoughts of trying to deceive someone who seemed so nice. For now, he¡¯d try to get on their good side the old fashioned way. ¡°My name is Mason Wright.¡± However, as soon as the two heard his last name, both of them froze as if an electric shock streamed through at the words. They quickly schooled their expressions behind a smile in Jenna¡¯s case of frown in Quincy¡¯s. It was an action that was obviously not used often, and the ex-hero could easily find something was amiss. Something that only stirred another warning bell in Mason¡¯s mind as Jenna quickly wiped a bead of sweat away from her brow before speaking again. ¡°A- anyways, nice to know you, Mason. I¡¯m Jenna Warren, and my friend here,¡± she pointed over to Qincy, presenting the buff woman like an art piece. ¡°She¡¯s Quincy. Never really told us her last name, but that¡¯s okay because she¡¯s a nice person!¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Quincy interrupted, cheeks a rosy blush. ¡°I know you don¡¯t do this a lot, but stop adding random stuff when you¡¯re talking to people tied up like this! Just-¡± the woman looked back in forth between the door and Mason before sighing. Her eyes looked with his, and for a second, the ex-hero believed that there was a sense of camaraderie between the two of them. That was quickly covered up as the woman scowled again. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m just gonna say that I don¡¯t trust you. However, we need coordinates to wherever you were. If you have supplies on it, we¡¯re willing to pay.¡± ¡°Quincy¡­ you¡¯re not being very nice.¡± Jenna pouted, not giving any other additions to her friend¡¯s words. It was enough to make Mason feel that they were, as politely as possible, asking to take his things. Mason found his lips dry as his tongue wetted them. ¡°My previous base is rather¡­ far from here. I apologize for reacting the way I did; I was rather tired from my experiences, and I was not quite in the right of mind. Perhaps I can help you if I find my earrings.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Jenna jumped up, eyes wide with anticipation. Quincy was rather the opposite, frowning and crossing her arms. ¡°Really? We¡¯re not as gullible to believe that your jewelry can help us. Just give us the coordinates to this previous base of yours.¡± ¡°No deal.¡± Mason said, choosing to hold the fact that he had no idea how he was going to find any coordinates. What he needed now was Lumen and his earrings in order to protect himself first. He would need their ship if Lumen was floating somewhere out in space. ¡°You both are in need of supplies, and I need a ride to my things. You help me and I help you.¡± ¡°Bold words for someone still locked in-¡± ¡°Sure!¡± Mason and Quincy blinked as Jenna cut off her friend¡¯s scathing words to enthusiastically agree. ¡°Wait, wait, Jenna,¡± Quincy hurriedly placed her hands on the blue-haired woman¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Please think this one through first. He,¡± she gestured over to Mason again, scowling. ¡°Is obviously trying to lead us into a trap. ¡°What if he¡¯s a pirate or something?¡± The bluette thought over the words for a second, nodding and tilting her head to look over at Mason. ¡°Are you a pirate?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not. I despise pirates.¡± ¡°See,¡± Jenna smiled at Quincy, find her friend¡¯s face buried in her palms. ¡°What? Is something wrong?¡± ¡°Your friend is just worrying over you.¡± Mason cut in, trying to offer her a smile as well, but finding the action harder to accomplish than he expected. ¡°I could really be leading you to a trap; you could seriously get hurt by not trying to look for lies in my words.¡± The supposed captain blinked at Mason¡¯s words, her face looking as if he had just told her something that juxtaposed her thoughts. ¡°I mean, I know.¡± Jenna finally said. ¡°Except there aren¡¯t any larger pirate groups that are known to be in this area of space. Even if there were a group here, they wouldn¡¯t be that strong as a CF plague outbreak was rather close by. No one in their right mind would try to rob a ship that just left Beta-Kalfos on the off chance that they had CF infected.¡± Then the woman grinned, showing her teeth to the surprising insight that Mason had no idea of proving to be accurate. However, her next words were all he needed to know of her confidence, ¡°Besides, who cares if its a trap; everyone on my ship is equipped well enough that a couple of pirates wouldn¡¯t be able to handle us. So how about you just give us those coordinates, yeah? We¡¯ll find your jewelry, and you get us to some place with food.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Mason said. ¡°Then, give me a moment to remember the location.¡± Mason closed his eyes, intending on trying to find Lumen and his earrings finally. As he slowly found himself locking on the connection, he heard a sigh in the room as Quincy spoke up again. ¡°I guess we¡¯ll go along with your decision.¡± The ex-hero couldn¡¯t help but crack a smile at the woman¡¯s words. He had heard some like that too whenever he made a reckless decision every once and awhile. They were some things that proved Quincy was ready to follow along no matter what. A friendship that Mason couldn¡¯t help but admire. Slowly, he found his connection, and his connection with both Lumen and his earrings were things that always showed him their position. No matter the distance he would be able to sense how far he was away. He had never once found a place that could block this connection, and despite the random teleportation, that fact was still true. Except¡­ the distance was too much. The part of his mind that tied to locating them was still working, but everytime he wanted to know the distance and exact position, it would metaphorically stutter to a halt. All he had was the fact that he knew they were roughly ¡®very far to the left¡¯. Frowning this time, Mason decided to focus his mind on the connection completely. While Lumen was still a rather young spirit, they were still connected in mind. Mason could ride that connection back to Lumen, and look through the young spirit¡¯s senses as if they were his own. He hadn¡¯t used this often as Lumen tended to perceive the world much differently than an actual person, so Mason didn¡¯t want to get too disorientated at the difference. This might cause him to hurt himself as he grew confused on what was what. Luckily, he was locked up so that he couldn¡¯t even twitch his fingers, preventing him from even moving if he wanted to. With all that in mind, Mason dived right into the connection.
¡°Unhand me, you barbarians! I am the great and mighty Lumen! Stop poking me!¡± Mason felt fire. He was fire and heat, and all around him was a cage of fire and heat. The cage would try to move as Lumen influenced it, but there was some feedback that prevented the young spirit from fully controlling the cage. Something poked through the cage of fire and heat. There was a cold section that refused fire, and the end was a poker of heat and energy. Lumen couldn¡¯t use the heat as the energy that surrounded the poker was not his. Energy crossed the distance between Lumen¡¯s lantern and the poker, arcing through the space like all energy does. Energy normally didn¡¯t affect the lantern; it would always forget it even existed as the runes on it rejected all magic cast on the young spirit. However, the energy cut into fire. Lumen felt pain and Mason naturally felt the horrendous agony that the fire tried not to feel. Fire burned and energy flickered, and Lumen cried and cried. ¡°What an amusing A.I. I didn¡¯t know they screamed like this.¡± There was waves. A trembling of motion in the air. Someone¡¯s voice fell into the domain of wind, and Mason could only catch that it was male. ¡°Just give us the treasure you little thing. We won¡¯t hurt you anymore, and you can go back to this master you spoke of. We don¡¯t want to get involved with a true A.I. in this day and age, you know.¡± ¡°No!¡± Lumen projected back. Fire trembled, mimicking how voices encroached on the domain of wind. ¡°You won¡¯t touch the hero¡¯s things! These are his, and I¡¯m holding onto them for him! Wait until he gets here, and beats you meanies all senseless!¡± ¡°Oh! A hero! I¡¯m so scared.¡± Energy entered the cage again and Mason felt pain once more before he cut the connection.
The ex-hero found himself back in his metallic prison, his breathing heavy and coarse. There was a small metallic golem in the room now with Jenna looking over at him with worry clear on her gaze. Quincy had gone to lean on the wall, glaring at him as he regained his clarity of the situation. ¡°All organs are functional and healthy. The subject appears to have an increased heart rate and blood pressure.¡± The robot assessed as Mason finally understood what was going on. And as he finally realized that, he remembered the pain that Lumen was currently enduring. His teeth grinded together harder than when his jaw locked up due to being electrocuted. He normally chose to keep calm in situations like these, but the hero felt something that he had forgotten under the ruins of dead empires. An unrelenting rage for anyone who touched his family. ¡°Hey,¡± his voice came out hard, commanding Jenna straighten up immediately despite the girl not understanding what he wanted. ¡°I know where to go, but I can¡¯t find the exact location until we¡¯re closer.¡± ¡°T- that¡¯s fine¡­¡± Jenna stammered out, looking between the floor and Quincy while refusing to meet his eyes. ¡°But, um, is everything okay? You were kinda-¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m fine.¡± Mason ground out, trying not to let his anger transition to this innocent woman. ¡°In fact,¡± the ex-hero added. ¡°I think our destination can solve all our problems. Just¡­¡± ¡°Just what?¡± Quincy challenged, stepping between Jenna and the still furious Mason. She flinched when he stared down at her, and despite the fact that he was still completely immobile, the woman shuddered on his gaze. ¡°How fast can we get there?¡± Seconds(3) Seconds(3) ¡°So¡­ are you a Xeno or something?¡± Mason blinked at the question, head bobbing up as he still was contained in his bindings. He remembered the man who spoke; they had previously been one of the first to jump up to Jenna¡¯s defence during his little hostage situation. The milky-eyed, bald man had taken to staying in his jail room ever since Mason gained a small amount of trust from his words. If anything, the ex-hero assumed that Nathan was there in case his directions didn¡¯t go where they wanted. Of course, with his directions only being ¡®more to the left¡¯ or ¡®go back¡¯, Mason figured that Nathan¡¯s patience was pretty high. The man had already spent so much time in the jail room that Mason and he had grown to simple, small conversation. Something that Mason internally enjoyed to distract him from whenever he shared Lumen¡¯s senses. ¡°Nathan! That¡¯s rude!¡± Jenna interrupted Mason before he could answer, playfully slapping the bald man. ¡°Don¡¯t use those derogatory terms like that.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just asking if he¡¯s mixed or not. It¡¯s not like I asked if he was secretly another race or something.¡± The man said, pausing to turn towards the locked up Mason. ¡°You¡¯re not a Gorgeon or someone under the Primary Kings, right?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not.¡± Mason said, noting the names down for later. Jenna smiled, pointing her chin up as if she held all the answers. ¡°Yeah! He¡¯s completely Hume, too! No metal in him to even be considered close to either of those guys!¡± ¡°Alright, alright¡­¡± Nathan sighed, hands raised in surrender. ¡°Just wondering about someone who can take a charged shock from your implant and still stay conscious. Figured he had to be half something.¡± ¡°Is there something wrong with that?¡± Mason asked, feigning being of mixed blood. ¡°Not really, most people got at least some blood from other human races out there. I just figured you¡¯d be something like that. There¡¯s supposed to be a planet with a massive lightning storm that goes around it, and the humans there along with their descendants have a pretty good resistance to electricity.¡± Mason took in Nathan¡¯s words, mind completely blank about some of the things they considered commonplace. He had next to no idea on what they were talking about half the time, but there were some consistent things he was picking up. From what he mainly heard, humans were a majority in this universe. However, as he listened and conversed, he wasn¡¯t sure if his definition of human quite matched theirs. Sometimes they spoke as if a human having an extra set of arms or a tail and horns was commonplace. It really began to dawn on him that those that they considered a different race from humans were something completely out there. Mason honestly didn¡¯t know if that was a good or bad thing at the moment. Most importantly though, he learned that humans had amassed a truly extravagant empire in the plotted universe. It was enough to the point that Mason wondered how long it took to create such a thing. As his captors seemed to enjoy complaining about said empire, all Mason had on the topic was a biased view. Still, he enjoyed learning about new things. Perhaps it was something he only noticed in his travels, but the ex-hero found new places to be fascinating. From an elven kingdom built in the middle of an expansive forest to now a human empire that stretched across the stars. He probably would have enjoyed the talks more if it was for the situation Lumen was in. A pit of restlessness and anger built up in Mason¡¯s stomach, boiling away any enjoyment he might have had. His bonds had been loosened somewhat, and his captors chose to accompany him for almost the entire day for his vague directions. However, his builtup goodwill was beginning to eat away at his patience. ¡°Excuse me,¡± he started, cutting into Nathan and Jenna talking about something he didn¡¯t care for at the moment. ¡°Are we close to the destination?¡± Nathan pursed his lips, his face the epitome of calm and collected. It was Jenna¡¯s face that Mason paid more attention to; her expressions were normally the least controlled of the two of them. And his attention paid off. The woman¡¯s eyes failed to meet his as she turned her shoulders to the bald man in the room, looking for his help in the situation. If that was telling enough, Mason caught her casting him a few looks that could have meant anything. But, his time as a hero taught him enough to know when someone was hiding the fact that they were suspicious about something. ¡°If you need the directions again, I can try to search again.¡± Mason pushed, hoping that he would tip the kind Jenna to spilling whatever she might be thinking. However, it was Nathan that stepped in between him and Jenna. He sighed before his neck popped, a crisp crack echoing in the silent room. ¡°I guess we can¡¯t stall much longer¡­ Okay, I¡¯m just going to ask straight up, were you sent by the Yellow King to watch over us?¡± Mason paused, not long enough to give anymore suspicion, but enough to realize that maybe their attempts to talk with him were probes to find information. ¡°I¡¯m not.¡± ¡°Then, are you affiliated with the Human Empire?¡± Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°No, I¡¯m not.¡± Mason frowned, finding the situation to be a little too much opposed to his wishes of finding Lumen faster. ¡°And before you ask if I¡¯m with any other random empire, coalition, or whatever, the answer is ¡®No¡¯. I¡¯m just trying to get back my s¡­ things.¡± Whether realizing something in that answer, Nathan relented to his interrogation before turning back to Jenna and nodding. Taking a moment to straighten her shoulders, Jenna turned to face the ex-hero with the first frown he had seen from her in the few days they had talked. ¡°I¡¯m not saying I don¡¯t trust you, but I want to know how you have been guiding us to an unregistered Empire Outpost.¡± ¡°Would you believe me if I said I had a magical connection to my friend being held hostage there?¡± The frown ebbed away from Jenna¡¯s face for a second, but she schooled her features after huffing to the side. When she turned back to him, he could clearly see that the woman was trying not to pout in a way he had only seen children do. ¡°I¡¯m being serious here, Mason¡­¡± she scowled at Nathan who let out a small chuckle behind her. ¡°Don¡¯t encourage him, too! We need those supplies, but attracting Empire attention is the last thing we need... Those kids deserve better than what we¡¯re giving.¡± Nathan sighed as his hand patted the irate woman on the shoulder. ¡°We¡¯re already wanted after the stunt we pulled on Beta-Kalfos, Jenna. So what if we bring someone with a neural implant onto the crew as well; it¡¯s not like they need another reason to chase us down.¡± The interaction between the two seemed good for the ex-hero, but there were a couple things he noticed that instantly set his instincts on overdrive. Firstly, it was their series of questions that made him suspect that this crew had a fairly untrustworthy employer. Secondly, the fact that Lumen was being held on a supposedly Empire Outpost was something that they had probably known for awhile, considering the fact that they had only directly questioned him now. Lastly, and most importantly, the name Beta-Kalfos was something he recognized almost immediately. He¡¯d be an idiot to not pick up the queues until now. Especially when the only planet he knew by name was Beta-Kalfos; a supposed dead planet considering the fact that it was CF plagued, whatever that meant anyways. Either way, Mason nearly groaned aloud as he picked up all the pieces to build a semi-stable rendition of what was happening. Leave it to him to immediately get put in the path of some important quest as soon as he is dragged to another world¡­ His eyes narrowed as he realized he was being railroaded onto this somehow. However, the ex-hero had enough of random quests that came out of nowhere. He cleared his throat, dragging the attention of the two two arguing his viability in whatever important agenda they had. ¡°Honestly, I don¡¯t mind whatever you all plan to do. As long as you drop me off at the Outpost, I can run a distraction for the rest of you to go and take what you need.¡± Jenna bit her lip, debating his words. ¡°Mason¡­ I know we started off on the wrong leg here, but we really need all the help we can get. We¡¯ve talked to you for three days, and I can say you don¡¯t seem as bad as Quincy tries to make you out to be.¡± She chuckled as if the fact that Quincy hated his guts was just some teenage tantrum. ¡°You see, we really need to get that food and any supplies there. Our backer, err¡­ they could be our employer as well, but uh, they think they have a cure for the CF plague. They even figured out how kids aren¡¯t easily consumed by the plague like older infected; something that even the leading people against the plague are unaware of! I don¡¯t know your background or what you might need to do, but please! We need your help¡­ if not for the trillions we could save, then for the kids we-¡± ¡°Stop.¡± Mason¡¯s tone was heavy, like an executioner¡¯s blade. ¡°I- I know the weight you¡¯re carrying.¡± His words were slow, as if he were afraid to miss a single one. They got caught in his throat, and nearly choked him to say. However, he couldn¡¯t keep throwing himself into righteous cause for faceless masses over and over again. He was a hero, but he was also human. ¡°If you know then-¡± ¡°But I can¡¯t help you.¡± It nearly tore him to pieces as he watched the always peppy and bright Jenna slump at his words. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ really sorry. I don¡¯t care if its the Empire¡¯s homeworld or whatever, I need to get in there. They have one of the last things my wife left for me there, and I need to get it back. The best I can do is be a distraction.¡± ¡°Well, what happens after you get it? You¡¯d need to escape, so you can help us along the way, right?¡± Nathan sighed, stepping up to calm down the frantic woman. ¡°Jenna, I¡¯ve seen his look before. He looks like someone who doesn¡¯t want to get involved here. He¡¯s probably got things he needs to do as well, and joining us on our own mission with small odds of success is not a wise thing for anyone to do. He can always take a small cruiser from the Outpost, if he wants to escape anyways.¡± ¡°Are you really, really not going to help us?¡± Jenna stared up at him, knowing full well that if they forced him, he¡¯d probably do what they asked so long as he got what he needed. Mason bit back his desire to respond to the cry for help in front of him. This wasn¡¯t his war to fight. ¡°No, I¡¯ll do my part, but I want to leave.¡± His answer was finally the words that spurred a reaction. The woman listlessly drifted over to the wall opposite from him, her hand extending to touch a small, glass panel with light shining through it. She pressed her hand against the glass, and soft blue light flashed for a second before she spoke. ¡°Authorization: Jenna Warren. Full Release.¡± Like magic, or completely separate from magic now that Mason thought about it, the metal around his hands and feet liquified, melting off his limbs before being sucked back into the series of metal arms sticking out of the wall. He softly hit the ground as he kneaded his unused limbs to get the blood flowing once again. ¡°Here. I held onto these, but since you¡¯re free, you should hold onto them now.¡± Jenna¡¯s hand reached down to slide two white bands into Mason¡¯s plan. Very carefully, Mason curled his hand into a fist, afraid he might drop the rings at any second. ¡°Thank yo-¡± The hiss of air caught his attention as he watched Jenna pass him one last look before walking out of his little jail room before disappearing behind the sliding doors. Nathan walked over and helped the ex-hero up to his feet, taking a moment to gaze over Mason¡¯s arms and legs. ¡°You feeling alright? We weren¡¯t sure if the animal holding cell worked as well on a human, so if you¡¯re feeling a bit weird, tell me.¡± Mason blinked, looking into the man¡¯s glazed eyes. ¡°You can¡¯t seriously be telling me that this is the animal holding cell?¡± ¡°Well,¡± there was a smirk on the man¡¯s face. ¡°You certainly smell the part. Speaking of, how about the first place I show you is the showers? Then, we can begin planning on how to get your things back, okay?¡± Feeling a bit tired at all the talks, Mason wanted to just get to Lumen and have this entire ordeal be done with. Sadly, hygiene came before almost everything. Still, he tried to look at the bright side in all this: after eight years in a world without easily accessible hot water, he could finally shower again.