Week 484: With Air, Part One
- Thread starter Amanita Agaricales
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Amanita Agaricales
Member
Chapter 1
Amanita Agaricales, a scion of Auctoritas, stood with arms folded. A stony expression hardened her face. She was in a small, dusty room with the windows closed and a dim light hanging from the ceiling. Shadows lingered in the corners. A wobbly table held several files. Next to her was Galerina, the chairwoman and CEO of Auctoritas.Amanita wasn't dressed in her usual finery. Rather, she was in the uniform of Auctoritas, the heavy model that included padded armor for the chest, arms and legs. Her blonde hair was pulled back into a simple ponytail. A scutum hung on her back, and a gladius was tied to the belt.
Galerina was still showing off outrageous fashion with a form-hugging dress with a skirt that flared out. Her ruby lips were pressed together and stern. She leaned onto the table, causing it to rock. "Are you sure you want to do this? Because you don't have to."
"Even if I didn't, it's too late to back out now. The plans have already been made with me in mind," Amanita said.
"Well, I can easily get someone else to go in your place."
"No. I'm going." Amanita's glare swept across the files. "This is too important. I need to see this through."
Galerina sighed. "Alright. If that's what you want. Do you have everything you need from these prisoner records?"
"Yeah. You can put them away now."
Galerina swept away the files. Each one revealed the macabre and violent details of a different prisoner with sentences pushing sixty years to life. There were ten in total. She handed one page back to Amanita, the passenger manifest.
With a small smirk to break up the tension in the room, Galerina said, "Let's begin the mission."
The two of them stepped to the bright outdoors. Sunlight felt blinding after that dingy room. It took a moment for the airport to come into view. Airships suspended by giant balloons hovered in the distance like lazily drifting clouds. Dry and scratchy air rasped at the skin.
They were at a private terminal surrounded by walls. There was only one way in or out by land. A small but sturdy airship floated in the center attached to a walkway. A restrictive air lingered over the vessel from the brutalist look to the exposed machinery on the deck. Heavy chains kept it locked down. The symbol of Auctoritas was painted on the side: a thick padlock encircled by inward pointing spikes. The Airship Locknight was ready and waiting.
Waiting in front next to the entrance ramp were the staff. They included three guards—each wearing a uniform similar to Amanita—and two crewmen of the airship.
Galerina addressed everyone. "Alright, everyone, this is it. We are getting ready to transport a group of the worst felons you will have ever seen." Her tone was light and breezy, and there was a sway to her pacing. "You have all been briefed, but I must urge you to take care and maintain protocols. To recap, today's head guard will be Guard Bello here." She motioned to Amanita.
One of the guards narrowed his eyes. "Wait, isn't that—?" He was a taller laicar man. Age has wrinkled his face. His hair was starting to thin, though they were still full of a deep brown color.
Galerina pointedly said, "Guard Bello. Is that understood, Wrydock?"
The guard nodded. "Yes, Lady Agaricales."
The others only looked on curiously without understanding what was happening.
"Moving on," Galerina said, "All together, you will be transporting ten prisoners. There will be six loaded up here, and four at a second stop. Once you have all the prisoners, they will be taken to our prison facility for long-term internment. For those that haven't been on the Locknight before, it is one of our specialty ships. Don't expect much in the way of comfort there, but it is marked with an anti-magic circuit. No one, not you nor any prisoner, will be able to use magic inside or on the deck of the ship." Her eyes turned to the two airship crewmen. "I shall be monitoring your progress from our local offices. Be sure to stay on schedule. We won't have a direct means of communication unfortunately, but don't worry. If you send out a flare, we'll know about it.
"Anything you want to say, Guard Bello?" Galerina smirked in the direction of Amanita.
"Yes." Amanita had a more serious expression. "I know all of you have done prisoner transports before, but none with as many dangerous felons as this one. They will all be in a confined space, so be ready for anything. I expect all of you to treat this seriously. These prisoners are under our watch, so we are responsible for safely bringing them to our prison. Stay alert and follow our protocols. Any questions or concerns?"
There were none.
"Alright," Amanita said. "Get to work. The first batch of prisoners will be arriving soon." Clutched in her hand was the prisoner's manifest.
It felt like it took forever waiting for the prisoners even though they weren't scheduled to arrive yet. Amanita glanced at the clock. Still ten more minutes. She looked through the Locknight while the crewmen were going through their final checks.
The inside was just as uninviting as the outside. Plain wooden walls and iron bars dominated the space. Built in was the anti-magical circuit, thin glowing lines of terra regia lateris arranged in such a way to disrupt a person's ability to use magic. The main chamber was where the prisoners went. The only furniture were metal benches. Rings were bolted to the walls and floors waiting to hold onto shackles and chains. A small stopgap was at every exit to the room. Beyond that, a small cargo hold lay below, and the cockpit was in front. A ladder went up to the top deck.
Amanita stepped back out. She took a deep breath. Only two more minutes until the scheduled arrival time. It had been a long time since she had performed a prisoner transport, and the only other time was a simple job without any violent felons. Being the sister of the chairwoman meant Amanita didn't need to do any of the rough and dirty jobs. After her experiences at the war of Pelagia, she was feeling more confident and capable. Still, Amanita's heart was beating fast, and there was a churning in her stomach. Her posture was stiff with arms folded. A blank stare aimed out at nothing.
Galerina came traipsing over. "You know if I was you, which I'm glad I'm not, I would keep an eye on Malcido."
"Which one is that?"
"You know. You've read the files. He's the fixer for Dayson."
"Oh. Yes, I remember. I thought his name was pronounced Malcido."
Galerina shrugged. "Perhaps, but I'll stick with Malcido. Do you know why they're moving him to our prison? He was starting to gain too much influence within his original prison. For supposedly being the muscle, he's also cunning. I'm going to head off now. I can't possibly be seen standing around here when the prisoners arrive." She gave a flick of her hand before heading off.
Amanita didn't feel better after that chat. She was more aware of where her gladius and scutum rested than normal. No weapons other than what the guards carried were allowed on board the Locknight.
Signal bells rang around the private terminal. The prisoners were arriving. Amanita lined up with the rest of her guards. The local prison transport arrived in three staggered wagons. The first simply carried the prisoners' personal belongings. The local wardens along with Guard Aseng put everything away. Once that was done, the first group of felons arrived. Each one was shackled at the wrist and the ankles with a chain in between.
They were surly-faced and sneering. Among them was Malcido. He was average in height and look, appearing like any person walking the streets. The way he carried himself was different, though. There was confidence in his posture and movements. His eyes shifted around taking in everything.
Guard Wrydock said, "Alright, princesses, line up and shut up!"
"Gah, why don't you make me?" a spurii prisoner asked.
"Gladly." Wrydock landed a fist in the prisoner's stomach. "Stop complaining and get on board. You're going to wish you were back in your old prison. It'll look like a preschool compared to where we're going."
Malcido snorted. "I suppose we're going to elementary school now. Yee-haw."
Wrydock glowered and was about to say something, but Amanita cut in. "That's enough talk. Prisoners, stand still. I'm Bello, the one in charge here. I'm going to check you in one at a time." She glanced down at the manifest, calling out the names.
The exchange of prisoners was formal and transactional, like trading cattle. The local wardens helped Auctoritas guards to wrangle the struggling and spitting prisoners on board. As each one was brought on, Amanita had to sign for them in order to take over responsibility for their care and safe transfer.
The second batch of prisoners included a tall, boxy demvir. From the rust all over his body, prison had not been kind to him. He had to lean forwards to get through the smaller doors of the Locknight. Another prisoner raised up his shackled arms as high as he could. "You shall all know your mistake soon. The reckoning is coming!" A slap across the back of the head by Wrydock shut him up.
"Alright, that's the last of them," the local guard said. "Good luck."
Amanita gave a firm nod.
Inside the airship, the six prisoners were chained to the benches: Malcido, Thurs, Bystar, Deerek, Taz and Draeden. Amanita and the rest of the guards stood nearby. The two crewmen were already waiting inside the cockpit.
Malcido gazed around the room. "An anti-magic circuit, hmm? You must have high opinions of our skills." He let out a soft chuckle.
Amanita ignored him and held out a keyring containing a single key. "I'm sure you noticed, these locks don't use the standard mechanisms. This is the key to those locks." She threw it outside of the airship. "We don't need that here. There will be a copy of the key waiting at the destination. Get comfortable, because this is going to be a long trip."
One of the prisoners growled, "What if we need to piss?"
Amanita motioned to a bucket in the corner of the room. "We'll bring that to you."
Wrydock added, "Don't miss. If someone has to clean piss off the floor, you're going to be eating through a straw for a month."
Amanita held up her hand to silence him. "Let's get going."
The doors of the Locknight were shut and locked. The engines whirled up, steadily growing louder. Having only a small cabin, the noise hummed throughout. Each guard took positions on a different wall, with Amanita at the front. The youngest of them was nervous while Wrydock looked gruff and bored. Amanita had one hand on her gladius.
The Locknight shuddered and the frame creaked as it rose into the air. The only windows were small slits, barely enough to see out of. Amanita could just make out the airport retreating away, but she didn't dare keep her eyes off the prisoners for long. The tightening feeling around her chest and tension in her body only grew as they went higher up.
It was going to be a long trip on a small airship filled with criminals. And there were still four more to pick up.
Amanita Agaricales
Member
Chapter 2
The airship Locknight flew through the air with metal clanging and engines humming. Cold air leaked through the side mixing with the heat of the machinery creating patches of hot and cool spots. Six prisoners were locked to benches, but they didn't remain still or quiet. They tapped their feet or rattled the chains. The more the flight went, the more their agitation increased.A stringy laicar man was particularly talkative. He had an upturned nose and a sharp chin. "Hey, haven't seen you around before. The name's Deerek."
The muscular velen glanced over. "Draeden."
"Cool, man, cool. Isn't this all some big load of calpashit? I didn't anything that bad. I shouldn't be going to this crazy new super turbo max prison or whatever it's called. The people love me! I give them what they want!"
"Mm," Draeden grunted.
"So what about you? What are you in for?"
"For doing what society wouldn't, punishing a murderer."
"Dang, that's heavy. But you get me, right? You and me, we're not like these other wackos. We don't deserve to be here, right? You hear that, guards? We don't deserve to be here!" Deerek stood up shaking his chains.
Wrydock snarled, "Hey, shut up and sit down! You are all rabid animals and should be grateful you're not being put down just like that."
Another prisoner stood up, Thurs, a short, stocky laicar. His hair was long, greasy tangled mess, and stubble covered his face. "You! You will be one to be purged from the world. You, who have no grace or compassion have no reason for existing."
Wrydock stomped over with a sneer. "You're the one that has no reason to exist. All you're doing is causing me a huge headache." He shoved the prisoner back down. "If I see any of you stand up again, you're going to get it. You need to be taught what happens when I really get annoyed."
Malcido glanced over with a wry expression. "Of course, guard. We surely wouldn't want to burden you on this tough job you have."
Wrydock was about to head over, but Amanita called out, "Guard Wrydock, I would like a word."
The guard let out a huff and moved over to the corner where Amanita was waiting. "What?" His tone was terse and snappy. He took a breath. "What is it, Bello?"
"You don't need to keep on antagonizing the prisoners. This may be a prison, but they don't need to be hounded that closely."
"Why? These people are scum and they need to be kept in line. You haven't been doing these prisoner transports much, but I have. If you let up on them for a moment, they'll cause trouble. It's just what they do."
Amanita nodded. "Yes, I agree these prisoners aren't deserving of any sympathy. How we treat them isn't supposed to be telling on them, however, it's supposed to be telling on us. We are the wardens of those that fail society. We are supposed to be better than these murderers, so act like it."
Wrydock's jaws were clenched, but he nodded.
Malcido had been watching the entire time, but not Amanita and Wrydock. With a lowered head, his eyes shifted between the two other guards. Guard Drannick was nervously glancing around, unable to decide what to focus on. Guard Aseng was more calm, but there were long gaps between his scanning of the room.
The prisoner smirked as his body bounced to the motion of the airship. He picked at a small metallic circle stuck in the palm of his left hand. Bit by bit, he pulled on it, revealing the small nail that had been embedded inside. His expression barely changed during the entire process. With the nail in hand, his eyes met the cold mechanical lens of Bystar, his rusty demvir neighbor.
Wordlessly, he passed the small nail over.
The demvir began to scrape against his arm, using the noise of the airship to cover the sounds. Most people knew demvir had sensations of pain from getting struck. It also included scraping at the surface using the nail. It wasn't quite painful, but similar to nails across a chalkboard: a deep irritation that reverberated throughout the body. Yet, it was Bystar's method of getting the rust off.
After hours of flying, the Locknight was beginning to descend. They were at a smaller airport that only had a few terminals. With no private location to land, so they had to make due with the landing pad farthest away from the commercial airships.
"Alright, get ready," Amanita ordered. "We're about to get four more prisoners. Guards Wrydock and Aseng, stay here and keep an eye on our current guests. Guard Drannick, you're with me."
The youngest of the guards let out a start. "Yes, Guard Bello."
The two of them headed out ready to greet the latest arrivals. The entire exchange process was much the same as before with local police bringing in the prisoners. The four new passengers were Rannit, Snag, Stepponius and Vitor.
The area was kept clear of any civilian traffic and commercial airships. Amanita had to sign and acknowledge Auctoritas was officially receiving the prisoners. The only difference was with the last transfer.
Amanita's eyes widened as the local police had to drag out a smaller private cell that could roll around on wheels. It was large enough to fit a single person with a half-foot deep seat. Thick bars and a solid floor and roof kept the lone enlil man away from everyone else. He was sitting with his head hung, swaying with the movement of his cell. His feathers were a dull shade of blue. Deep shadows covered his features, but it left the jagged edges of his beak pronounced.
Amanita thought back to the files on the criminals and a grim realization dawned on her face.
"This will fit right?" one of the local police asked.
"Of course. We already accounted for the cell. Guard Drannick will show you where to put it."
A breath caught in Amanita's chest as the cell was fully loaded. Vitor Dogano had arrived. He was a vistra, one that was uncontrolled and wild. At any moment, the pravum within him could choose to take control and go on another rampage. A tiny space such as the Locknight was hardly an ideal place for him, but that was the job.
All ten prisoners were on board. The ramp to the ship was stowed, and they were ready to leave. Back on board, the other prisoners were curious about Vitor's deal.
"Hey," Deerek called out, "You're not thinking about killing us are you? Because I don't need that."
Vitor didn't respond or look over.
Deerek leaned as far back as he could while chained down. "Alright. Good talk."
"Do not worry," Amanita announced. "This prisoner is harmless. Just don't agitate him."
Stepponius, another new arrival said, "Not to worry, my good woman. I'm sure no one here wants to cause trouble in such a small location." Unlike the other prisoners, he put care into looking neat and tidy. He was a lean velen with shimmering teal scales. A bright charming smile adorned his expression.
Taz, a spurii prisoner, leaned forwards with his teeth bared. "Wow, who is this ponce? This new batch of prisoners are sure weird." He looked at the prisoner in the private cell. "Look at him. He's just a sad praeca. No idea why someone like him needs to be kept separate. I bet it's for his protection more than ours!" Taz howled with laughter while slapping his knee.
"Alright, settle down. We're taking off," Amanita said. "You'll have plenty of time to get to know each other as we go to the prison." She held onto the nearby bars as the ship started to rumble and the engines picked up.
The skies were clear on the foreseeable horizon. There were no other stops on the way to Auctoritas's prison facility. With a private landing bay inside, they wouldn't need to transfer the dangerous prisoners through any public streets. The only thing to do was reach their destination Everything was proceeding on pace. Still, Amanita readjusted her scutum and gladius, making certain they were within easy reach.
Amanita Agaricales
Member
Chapter 3
Meanwhile, Galerina wasn't sitting there doing nothing. She was sitting there feeling annoyed at the feeling of tension. The high stakes transport was cutting into her normal day.Galerina kept an ear on the progress of the Locknight. Auctoritas had taken over one of the offices within the original departing airport. A map of the continent of Aridus had been set up with a line tracing the flight route. The path stayed over land the entire time and ended past the border into Paludis.
Three large green pins on the map represented the major stops: The first prisoner pickup, the second prisoner pickup, and Auctoritas's prison facility at the end. Smaller red pins represented the traveler resting areas or waystations that had been hired to keep an eye for the passing airship. They helped update the position of the airship pin by reporting its location as they saw it.
A magical basin had been placed on the table. The shimmering stone held a silvery liquid within. It was their primary tool for communicating over long distances. Based on the most recent communication, the airship was placed right next to the second green pin.
Galerina glanced over to her chart with expected travel times as well as the current weather conditions. Everything was moving along as expected.
The chairwoman stood up while stretching out into the stuffy, arid room. What an annoying day.
A knock came at the door.
"Enter."
One of Auctoritas's administrators came in with a grim expression on her face. "There may be a problem, Lady Agaricales."
"What?" Galerina's voice was so snappy it caused the administrator to jump.
"We just received word from Bluewoods Prison. It seems that word of the prisoner transfer was already known to the inmates."
Galerina stood up with her teeth clenched. "They weren't supposed to know at all. How did that happen?" Her hands tightened into fists.
"Some of the guards are talkative. They didn't tell any of the prisoners we were transferring, but within a prison, news can travel."
"I'm going to go speak with the head warden of Bluewoods Prison. I want to make sure nothing will compromise this mission. Is the Locknight still at the airport?"
The administrator glanced at the available information within the room. "Uh, if they are on schedule, they may have already taken off."
"Send a message anyway that the prisoners may have foreknowledge of the transfer. And tell Bluewoods Prison that I'm coming." Galerina wagged her hands to the communication basin as she hurried off. Her usual lackadaisical expression had hardened.
The private carriage of Auctoritas traveled through the busy city streets as fast as they could without getting into an accident. Galerina was leaning back with legs crossed and arms folded. Her ruby lips pulled into a frown.
Bluewoods prison was a fortress of stone with high walls and turrets watching over everything. All the barricades and barriers couldn't stop Galerina from striding in through the front doors. She announced to the front desk, "I want to speak with the warden."
"Who are you?" the receptionist asked.
"I'm Galerina Agaricales, the chairwoman of Auctoritas. We're currently transporting six of your prisoners."
"Oh, yes. We've been told you are coming. The warden's office is down that hall, take the first right. You will need to sign in and pass through the checkpoint."
"Yes, yes," Galerina said. "I know how this works."
She impatiently glared at the security officer while he made sure she wasn't carrying anything illicit. Once finished, Galerina walked right to the warden's office. Greeting her was a demvir with a cylindrical build. The warden's face was full of jagged angles around the middle giving him a permanent angry expression.
"Lady Agaricales," the warden said in a raspy, creaky tone. "I sent you that message to keep you informed of any developments, not invite you to come here and get in our business."
"As of right now, your business is my business, warden. We are in the middle of transporting six of your most dangerous prisoners, and they could know about the transfer? We don't let prisoners know they are being transferred, otherwise, they have time to plan and come up with ideas."
"I know that. I'm having my people double check each and every prisoner's cell that has been transported."
"What about their recent visitors?" Galerina asked.
"Yes, we're doing that, too." If the warden could sigh, he would have. "I will let you know if we discover anything. For now, there is nothing further to report."
A knock came from the office door as one of the prison guards was standing there. The young man glanced back and forth between the warden and his guest.
"Is this about the search of the cells?" the warden asked.
The guard nodded.
"Then proceed. She can hear this. It would save me the trouble of saying it again."
"Yes!" the guard yelped. "We triple checked the cells of each prisoner that had been transferred today. Most of them turned up nothing unusual."
The warden leaned forwards. "Most?"
"We found some scratches in Thurs Forestwalker's cell that seem to be counting days. Also, there were strange books in Malcido's room. He rented some science books from the library, not the things he usually picked out. His bed frame was also broken, though I don't know if that means anything."
Galerina jumped in and said, "Anything else out of the ordinary with their movements? What about their recent visitors?"
"Uh," the guard mumbled with wide eyes and slack jaw.
"Answer her questions," the warden ordered.
"Yes, well, no prisoners have received any uptick in visitors or anyone new. However, there's something else. One of our guards is missing. Guard Jorin is nowhere to be found, but she was here at the start of the day."
"Did she have a close relationship with any of the transferred prisoners?"
"Yes, with Thurs Forestwalker. She would do special favors for him often."
The warden slammed a metallic hand onto the table. "Why didn't I know of this? I would have moved her to a different block entirely! Wait a moment." He looked through several files from a nearby cabinet. "Go get me records on Thurs Forestwalker," he ordered the guard.
The first file was about Guard Dina Jorin. As the warden compared the files, he leaned forwards, casting shadows across his face. "She only came to work here after Thurs was already incarcerated. Was she always here just for him?"
"What's her address?" Galerina asked. "I want to speak with this Dina Jorin."
The warden handed over the guard's file. "This is what she told the prison."
"Alright. Continue checking here making sure nothing else is amiss. I'm going to see if our wayward guard didn't run home." Galerina showed off a smirk, but she was moving fast. Nothing could ever be simple. The annoyance that started the day was pervading throughout. In the future, she was definitely going to reconsider agreeing to transfer so many maximum security prisoners at once.
Amanita rolled her shoulders and stretched out her neck. There were seats for the guards, but they weren't any more comfortable compared to what the prisoners had. She alternated between standing and sitting. The long time of flying sapped at her strength. The need for constant vigilance, the non stop shifting of her body to account for the motions of the airship, the ceaseless droning of the engines, it all weighed her down. Still she remained alert as much as possible.
One of the prisoners jumped to his feet until the chains pulled back. "Look at all of you!" Thurs Forestwalker shouted to the guards, gnashing his teeth. "You are all dogs of the Arcanum, looking to chain down the masses. If you say you're protectors of the people, then you should be fighting against such overreach and corruption of power."
Amanita glared at Wrydock before the guard could say anything. Instead, she said, "We don't work for the Arcanum or even the city of Terminus." She stared down at the incarcerated member of the Astra Non Obligant.
"But you still lower your heads to the Arcanum and their tyrannical ways because you want their boons. You are all traitors to the people."
"As I remember it, no one wanted what the Astra Non Obligant was preaching. Give up this pathetic crusade of yours."
"Never! We shall free the people, and they will welcome us as the saviors we are."
Thurs continued to kick up a fuss.
Drannick was the closest guard to him. "Hey, that's enough now. Sit down before you hurt yourself." He went over to encourage the prisoner back.
"Wait, stop!" Amanita ordered as she caught a flash of something metal within the prisoner's clothes.
It was too late. Thurs wrestled with the young guard with both of them getting tangled with the chains. A loud bang shook the cabin. The closest prisoners jumped away while the others began to whoop and shout.
Wrydock readied his spear. "Darn it, Drannick!" He rushed in while avoiding the grasping arms and kicking legs of the prisoners.
Thurs was free of the bench. A small tube slipped from his hands. It looked to be the barrel of a gun, but without the handle part. The device was small enough to conceal on the prisoner's body. Shackles were still on his wrist and ankles, but the chains were left dangling in broken ends, blasted by the hidden gun. In the tussle, the prisoner managed to wrest a sword from the young guard and was using him as a human shield. The blade was pressed against Drannick's throat as a deterrent.
"What do you think you're going to accomplish?" Wrydock snarled.
Amanita had moved behind to support him while Aseng was on the flank.
All the guards' attention was drawn towards one prisoner, and everyone was out of formation. While magic couldn't work on board the airship, science still functioned just fine. And it was a wonder what a demvir could hide by pretending it was a part of them.
"Now," Malcido grunted.
Sparks erupted as Bystar struck the nail across his body. The little lights landed on piles of rusty shavings on a thin shimmery metal placed near the rings keeping each prisoner tied to the bench. The small packet flashed to life, shooting and spitting out embers. Intense heat filled the air. The prisoners on that bench all shouted while leaning as far back as possible.
Wrydock yelped at the pile of hissing fire and stumbled away, but he got too close to the other prisoners. They managed to grab his spear, tripping and dragging him down.
Amanita was supposed to help. Her right hand was wrapped around the hilt of the gladius, but her left hand was paralyzed from tension. Even from far away, she could feel the burning heat. Sparks danced in her eyes, and a tingling sensation crawled along the surface of her left arm.
Ignoring her scutum, Amanita ran forwards with only her blade, but the violent burn had weakened the rings and chains enough that the entire bench of prisoners were able to break free. Many of them scrambled away from the heat, but Bystar and Malcido charged into action against the guards.
Wrydock tried to pull out his pistol, aiming at the prisoners. Several hands clawed at him, fighting for the weapon. A gunshot boomed in the struggle, and one unlucky prisoner fell to the ground with a hole in his chest.
An all out brawl happened between the freed prisoners and the guards of the Locknight. It was a chaotic mess of twisting bodies and flashing blades. Flailing arms and legs kicked the pistol away. The metallic giant brutally knocked down the guards with his hardened body. Battle cries mixed with cries of pain. The prisoner's used shackles and chains to whip at the guards.
"Shit, this is crazy!" Deerek shouted as he hid in the corner.
Amanita lunged forwards, stabbing her blade towards a mass of bodies, but the blow never landed. Something knocked the air out of her, sending her tumbling away. Pain split her head as she slammed into the ground. Ringing filled her ears.
By the time Amanita struggled to upright again, the brouhaha had subsided. Another prisoner was on the ground, unmoving, a huge gash across his body. Guard Drannick was slumped over, his throat cut. Everyone else was still alive for better or worse, but the guards were subdued with their weapons taken.
Malcido jeered. In one hand was Wrydock's pistol. In the other was Amanita's gladius.
"Hurry up, we need to take the pilot's cabin," he ordered the other prisoners.
"What about the guards?" Taz asked. "Should we kill them?"
"No. Shackle them up for now."
Malcido used the gun to break the shackles of the other prisoners. Loud gunshots echoed in the small cabin before getting sucked out the window. More blasts destroyed the locks between the holding cell and the cabin.
The door burst open as the demvir pilot tackled the anyone on the other side. Exio's metal fists rained down upon the Malcido. The furious blows were cut short when other prisoners arrived to help.
Draeden hoisted the demvir off with a mighty grunt. Taz was still shackled around the arms and legs, but he had a spear in hand. A gleeful smirk was on his face as he dived forwards, plunging the weapon straight through the pilot's chest, breaking through the softer joints of his metallic frame. The black fluid pooled onto the ground.
Taz tried to continue on to the cockpit, but Draeden insisted on going instead.
Bystar knelt down in front of the fallen pilot. "I'm sorry, brother. Sometimes, sacrifices have to be made for the future."
Draedon soon returned with Soaren, the co-pilot. She looked miniscule compared to the tall, broad-shouldered prisoner. His hands were the size of her head, and a strong grip kept her from struggling. A look of wide-eyed shock had settled on Soaren's face as she took in the chaos.
Malcido adjusted his jaw as he stood up. "Bystar, can you fly the airship?"
"Of course."
Bystar took his position in the pilot's seat. The surviving guards and co-pilot were shackled up, same as what they did to the prisoners, using the spare bindings on the airship. The exothermic reaction had ended, leaving severe char marks on the floor. One of the bench legs had melted leaving it tilted and unusable. The prisoner's takeover of the Locknight was complete.