The dust was still in the air, as the first of the Viligantes of Power entered the metal premise. None of them knew what to expect from within, as Hops was the first to take a look around the place, of which it was a simple lobby with no receptionists and filthy walls.
"What the fuc-" he started to complain until another object caught his eye. "Wait, never mind."
All eyes were on Hops, as the man faced a bright blue door against the wall that was oddly out of place. Was that really their best attempt at hiding away Jamal and any valuable assets to the city, behind a door that visible?
"Uh, that's kind of convenient, not going to lie." Leon scratched his head, as the group placed their backs against the wall, except for Hops. "You sure you're safe."
"Yeah. No more waiting." Hops huffed out before he slammed his foot against the door, and towards whatever awaited them.
.....
The blood droplets didn't slow down the slightest, which was to be expected. It had only been a couple of seconds, but to Jamal, it felt like a couple of years had elapsed. Where his finger used to be, was nothing but a bloody and bony stump, no sense of feeling at all. All the tendons and muscles used to control his pinky were gone, and his body was ruined. Everything that he thought he had under control was a lie, when mere people could have simply done this to him if the opportunity arose.
"Such a shame too." Hector finally spoke again, a slender weapon in hand, "You could have been useful to the cause. A life full of freedom and peace, taken away because of some stupid little puppets. A powerful puppet you were, to the deep minds you thought were in control."
Jamal remained silent, mainly cause he couldn't even think properly but also due to the fact, that he was powerless and truly believed his life was over. Yeah, losing the ability to fight back would do that to a person.
"I just never believed that I would come face to face with one of the main ringleaders of all of this. Jamal Wrint, what a legend you've become. You hate to see it."
The weapon was close enough for Jamal to see, and his blank eyes could see that it was just the pistol the Defense General had on him beforehand. Cocking it back, Hector held an almost sad grin as he raised the barrel of the weapon to Jamal's forehead.
"Goodbye, bitch. For Youdenia and all that have suffered under your powers." Hector began to press down on the trigger.
But, at that very moment, a loud boom came from several rooms over. Everyone remaining that hadn't left due to the torture session, Hector, his guards, and vital communication workers pretty much, turned their heads towards the outburst.
"Don't tell me-, your people are trying to break you out! I've heard this story play out so many times!" the general backed up a bit, motioning his guards. "Hold that hallway at all costs, and you two stay with me. We know better than to stay."
Jamal tilted his head somewhat towards the noise, despite his body still trembling into medical shock. Who could have been coming to free him after all the elapsed time, the man wanted to think, although Jamal really couldn't.
"We got the door open?" the caged man's eyes moved towards Hector, who appeared to have unlocked some built-in emergency exit. "Great, it's time to go. Except for one last thing."
Jamal's eyes moved slowly toward the general's pistol as the weapon was aimed his way.
"Goodbye, little pest." Hector pronounced with no remorse, before firing a single round.
A sharp burn impacted most of Jamal's chest, as the man opened his mouth to spill out some fresh blood. Hector could only grin at his efforts before shouting alerted him to disappear to safety. Without turning back, the general swiftly closed the door behind him with his assigned guards and workers, and the end of a fearless threat to the country. That thing was no more.
.....
A loud crash came through the air, as the wooden door broke through easily. Hops couldn't have made it easier, as the Viligantes of Power were greeted with an empty hallway.
"That's it?" Sera removed her hand from her sheath, "Is Jamal not here?"
"He has to be. We didn't come here for nothing." Leon took a step into the dull hallway, barren of any markings or furniture. "Let's keep moving."
No one was willing to object to saving their friend, as the group crept their way forward. Despite the lack of any guards or visible protection for their main prize, it would be suicidal for them to barge through and get surprised without Alice protecting them.
"She would have been helpful right now, Hops." Brat practically read the room's mind, with Hops hissing back at him.
That would change quickly though, as the group was halfway through the space when the final metal door from them made a clicking sound. Years of fighting instinctively had the Viligantes either press against the wall or against the floor, as round after round traveled through the space.
"Shit!" Leon hissed out, as Brat was quick to transform himself into a snake.
The sight of multiple guards informed the team that the enemy in the room ahead was aware of their arrival and had no plans to let them through. It only led to their suspicions that Jamal was close, which was true. No matter the cost, they knew that they would do whatever it took to free him.
Leon stared at the closest of the seven guards and primed his index finger towards him. Without hesitation, the man flicked it in the general direction, as the energy he directed throughout the process pierced through the body armor and another guard behind him. The five remaining guards at that moment were no longer worried about temporary suppressive fire, as they began firing at the closest target, Brat.
"Watch out." a new voice broke their concentration, as one lift of their heads brought in a phased Hops.
The guard nearest to the leg-strengthened user couldn't even lift his rifle up in the slightest before a quick roundhouse kick crushed his skull with ease. The split-second distraction allowed for Sera to move next to Hops, her blade shining with newfound energy. One of the last three guards away from her, pulled out their pistol and let loose a few rounds.
Sera didn't even have to look in their general direction, as the blade could sense the danger coming their way, and guided the woman into efficiently deflecting the bullets.
"Shouldn't have done that." Sera gave the trio a smirk, despite their weapons pointing at the two.
Just when they were about to let their weapons do their work, a strange stiffness came to be. The guards no longer had the ability to move freely or act on their own accord as they intended. Fonda was watching from the corners, raising her hands in a puppet-like manner, doing as she pleased.
"Do I-" she asked the rest of the group what to now do, unsure of their plans.
"Finish them, they'll kill us before we convince them otherwise." Hops shook his head, as he observed the room they were now in. "I gotta stop getting all this shit on my shoes. It's fucking disgusting."
Giving a quick nod, Fonda refocused on what she wanted the guards to do. The change of realization and despair quickly filled their heads, as they were forced to grab the pistols out of their holsters. Despite a little resistance, Fonda easily overpowered them, as she had them cock back their weapons one last time. The last few cries and moans of forgiveness filled the air before the girl had them place the tools against their head and fire a single round. Three near-synchronized drops alerted those that hadn't seen the event that they were no longer a threat, and that they could safely proceed.
"Welp, that's one way to finish it." Brat took a quick look at the bodies, before covering his mouth, "I didn't think it would look that bad."
"That's not our main concern, guys. Look." Hops alerted everyone within the room to its corner.
Within a sole iron cage, remaining a disheveled and beaten pulp of a figure, not even alerted of their presence. If it wasn't for their clothing, no one would have guessed that it was none other than Jamal Wrint, one of the world's most powerful men, locked away in such a state.
.....
"Don't you hear that?" Jamal's wispy shadow figure muttered, the echoes of fighting close by, "You're no longer alone."
Jamal himself wasn't even conscious at this point, as the man was within a dark location devoid of all light or any energy source. Unlike all those times beforehand when he was getting a new form and was bright and much more welcoming, this place had nothing. No light, no visible structures, and only the clear sight of his own body and the clothes he had worn before he landed in his cell.
No sound could even part his lips, as this experience felt more like a dream than anything else. But he could hear what his surroundings were like, which was good, he supposed. For what purpose, he couldn't figure out or bother clearing up, but Jamal couldn't care anymore. He was probably dying for all he knew and his potential rescuers or captors could do little to save him in his current state.
"I never thought the fall-off would be this bad. Jamal Wrint, is this really it? Is this how the greats fall?"
The man could only keep himself silent, in atonement for his efforts. It was in vain to even try, and years of preparing to save the world was all for nothing. He failed the city, his family, his friends, their allies, and more importantly, he failed himself. The opportunity of a lifetime was coming to a close and not a soul would know.
.....
"Jamal!" Sera screeched into his face, with his dull eyes devoid of any energy staring into nothing.
"Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!" Hops kicked one of the dead guards in its stomach, leaving a large dent in the reinforced walls. "There's no way we're this late! Look at what they did!"
Leon was locked in, despite their extreme reactions to their fallen friend, as he placed a finger near Jamal's throat. Come on, he was hoping for any sign, as a few seconds passed. Just when it seemed as if their suspicions were right, a weak pulse came through and gave the man a quick sigh of relief.
"Guys, he's alive." Leon raised his head, to which the antics died down rather quickly. "However, he's in a critical condition and we need to get back to Alice and fast."
"Thank powers." Fonda took a quick breath, as Brat was quick to transform into his werewolf-like form, "You're the fastest and most stable, Brat. It only makes sense."
"Go ahead, I'm ready." Brat forced out, as Leon snapped the cell's lock with two fingers surrounded by some of his extended energy.
The content within was in a mess, as the first thing Leon could see was a small gaping hole near the center of Jamal's chest, dried blood already leaked out. The only conclusion he could come up with was that Jamal was either shot or hit by some concentrated attack intended to kill him in one go. Either way, it failed as of now, although the state of the man didn't ensure a guaranteed survival. A small rip of Jamal's ragged pants would have to do, and a temporary plug was established.
Pulling the chains out and to the floor, a new sight caught Leon's eye. On the littered floor, was a bloody pulp of bone and skin, which closely resembled a finger. Settling Jamal on the ground, he took a quick look at his hands, before his eyes were locked on his right hand. Despite all his fingers quite clearly being broken and altered, the last finger on his hand was visibly missing and crusted blood took place of it instead.
"My powers, those bastards." Leon shook his head in disgust, "Don't worry, Jamal. Brat, hold onto this for him. Maybe we can reattach it or something."
The boy gave a quick nod, as the wolf-like creature opened his mouth. Despite not being the most sanitary of conditions, the group had no choice but to trust the most stable option, as Leon wrapped the cut finger with some remaining cloth and put it in Brat's mouth.
"This is the best way to do it?" Hops wanted to complain but said otherwise, as he helped Leon prop up Jamal onto the creature's back.
"Yeah, he'll be able to move around in a lot more spaces than we possibly could. He'll make it quicker back to Alice before we will." Leon explained, as some discarded rope caught his attention, "She should give him more time before we can try any possible ideas to save his life."
"What do you mean he'll be quicker? I could be bac-" Hops started to clarify until Leon got back up from tying his friend securely on Brat's back.
"Go Brat, we'll catch up." Leon patted his side, giving the creature the sign to get a move on out of the building, "As for us, we gotta do a bit of digging."
"Seriously, after seeing what they did to Jamal, we can't do anything else to help him?" Sera looked back at the way they came from, littered with bodies and blood.
"From the looks of it, this had to be one of their major communication centers within the city, so I'm sure a quick check could assist us further in the fighting. We need any possible advantage we can get." Leon moved towards the front of the room, filled with large machines and papers strewn about, "Either get reading or grab as much information as possible to take back. I'll give us five minutes at most before some of the enemy comes for us, so let's be quick with it."
.....
"I'm so cold." Alice quivered against Lero, who was simply keeping an eye on the outdoors.
"Ight miss, just stay bloomin' close." Lero stayed calm, until he could feel her chest pressing tightly against him, "Not that close now!"
"Sorry." she whimpered, shuffling back slightly.
"Not like that, I'm just saying, your man finna go bonkers seeing you act like that without bloody knowing what's going on." Lero kept his composure, even as things remained cool.
The only sign that he had gotten that let them know those Viligantes were advancing or at least in some state of fighting was a real close earthquake, bringing down loose dust over the pair. The man made sure the woman was cleaned off to the best of his ability before worrying about himself, as Hops put fear into his soul.
"Ma'am, shouldn't you get a quick nap in? It's been a couple of minutes and I don't know if they got what they were lookin' for or notta yet." Lero turned to the woman, who was already knocked out from exhaustion, "Neva mind me then."
Now with her asleep, Lero could finally stretch his legs for once, as the low bursts of explosions and fighting in the far distance kept him alert as to where he was. The building itself was still in decent condition, excluding blown-out windows and a light covering of dust, it felt as if Lero had this whole place to himself. How nice it would be after all this chaos ended.
Even in his relaxed state, the man couldn't help but notice a new sight from the corner of his vision. Some gray-like creature was patrolling the streets, almost as if it was looking for something. Its figure distracted Lero as to what type of monster or species it could potentially have been until his eyes landed on what was on its back. Even in his terrible and life-threatening condition, Lero could recognize what that thing was.
"Jamal, I finally found you. After all these years, my goal has been completed." Lero started to wave his hand outside the window, causing the werewolf-like thing to notice its presence.
Not wanting to be an easy target, the creature ran up the steps of the weakened structure and found itself inside. Although Lero and Alice were on the second level, it couldn't have been too hard for the thing to find its way up, as the staircase to the upper levels was in the middle of the building.
"Finally, he's back." Lero pushed himself up from the ground, as the shuffling was more noticeable.
Moving out of the room and into the debris-strewn hallway, the creature had finally made it upstairs and started sniffing the air.
"Over here, ya animalia!" Lero exclaimed, bringing its attention to him.
The creature practically leaped through the space, making it to the man's side and circling around him. Lero could finally see the awful condition that Jamal was in, as the scarring and blood off his body explained his thinking.
"Damn, them bloody blunders." Lero hissed out, as he started picking at the rope the creature was itching at.
It took him only a couple of seconds until the rope loosened up enough for the man to pick Jamal off the animal-like thing, as it spat something out of its mouth.
"The world?" Lero was about to grab it until a quick growl told him otherwise.
"Don't." the creature was slowly changing shape, back into a more humanoid figure. "Trust me."
"Oh, I bloody forgot one of y'all can do that." Lero sighed, as Brat finished his transformation back into a human, his clothes still intact due to their composition.
"Yeah, Alice is still here?" the kid peeked towards the room Lero came out of and saw her asleep. "Ah, all good then. Anyway, Jamal's gonna need this."
Watching Brat pick up the covered object, Lero couldn't understand it's significance until Brat unraveled it. The thing that looked like his finger forced Lero to gag as he had never seen anything as nasty as that in his life.
"Bloody thunder! Hide that shit!" Lero pressed himself against the wall, taking deep breaths.
"That's what they did to him while you were hiding out here. We'll make him pay, but I'm gonna have to wake up and talk to Alice if you don't mind. Just keep looking out still."
Lero took one last look at Jamal's condition, truly seeing all the blood and broken bones he had endured. Could anyone even recover from that? The man had no answers for his lifeless-like body, as Brat dragged him into the room with the woman and to do who knew what. The situation looked as pointless as anyone could have assumed, but Lero could only conclude that they wouldn't give up on their greatest asset. The world's greatest asset, in fact, was going to have to come back, or they'd sacrifice everything trying.