The W1RLD

Written by: The Masked Eidolon

Edited by: Leon the Man

Enjoy 🙂

Chapter 14 - The Savant and the Warrior

THREE YEARS BEFORE THE EVENTS OF CHAPTERS 1-13:

"Aha! That's it!"

He shouted as he ran towards the tree and started to scale it. He wasn't much to look at. After years of living on the brink of starvation, his limbs could be mistaken for mere twigs, yet he still held the strength to get to the top of the evergreen. He snickered as he picked one of the fruits and almost took a huge bite out of it when he realized something.

"Damn it." he said, throwing the crop to the ground. "These are poisonous."

He looked around from his perch at the top of the tree, seeing nothing but barren land, and of course, more poisonous crops.

"I can't live like this..." he uttered as he climbed back down the tree. He looked to the east, where the fireworks had been set off two years ago, and knew that going there was his only option.

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"He's in there?" Rico Jacobson asked his adviser, Joseph Yossi.

"Yes, Inspector." Yossi replied, "The rogue who tried to steal our classified info is here."

"Good work. I'll see what I can do with him. Inform King Virgil that I'll be having a meeting with him tomorrow."

"Consider it done." Yossi remarked, making his way to the throne room.

Rico opened the door to the holding cell the perpetrator was in. As Rico looked around the area, none other than Fred Wilkins was tied up and restrained on a chair in the back of the room.

"So, you're finally here, Inspector." Fred jeered, spitting on the ground next to him.

Rico, ignoring his taunt, calmly sat at the table across from Fred, "Why did you want to know King Virgil's confidential information?"

Fred scoffed, "Do you really think I'd just tell you that?"

"I'm not expecting you to do it for free."

"Oh?" Fred raised his eyebrows and looked up at Rico, "How much money are we talking about?"

"Fifty thousand dollars, maybe a little more. It depends on the info you're able to give me."

"Weak sauce." Fred hollered, "Give me 100k, and then maybe we have a deal."

Rico was unfazed, "Fifty thousand give or take is all you're going to get, no matter how much you try to bargain. Unless, of course, you choose immediate execution and walk away with nothing."

Fred thought for a minute and weighed his options, "Fine. 50k it is. What did you want to ask?"

"Who sent you?" Rico inquired.

"I work for an extremely powerful organization called the Dark Knights. We work in the shadows, and our long-term goal is to get rid of the oppressive Virgilian government, replacing it with our own righteous cabinet."

"What?" Rico exclaimed, "That's impossible, our surveillance systems are top notch! If there was a coup being planned, there's no way our officials wouldn't have noticed!"

"I have no reason to lie, Inspector."

"Then tell me, what have these 'Dark Knights' done that proves their existence?"

"Do you remember the great fire of the Western Slums? That was us." Fred said, pointing at his chest.

Rico raised an eyebrow, "Why would they target the Western Slums? There's no motive."

"Don't ask me. I'm just a hireling."

"Even hirelings are told certain details. I know that."

"To be honest, I'm fairly new to the Dark Knights. They don't trust me that much yet."

Rico leaned back in his chair, unsatisfied, "Is there any other evidence you have that would prove their actuality?" he asked.

Fred remained silent and ruminated for a few seconds before speaking, "Yes, actually. I overheard a meeting between three of their top executives, and it turns out they have a spy in the Virgilian military. One code named the Sun God."

"Can you give me the identity of this spy?"

Fred relaxed in his chair, "No. They were given a code name, remember."

Rico heard this, but the slight smirk on Fred's face revealed that he knew more than he let on.

"Don't lie to me, Fred."

"I'm not."

Rico stood up and took out a small but semi-thick object from his belt and pushed a button on it, forming a brilliant blue beam of light from its base.

"I'll ask you one more time. Don't lie to me."

Fred glared upward at Rico, and started to speak, but hesitated. The words just wouldn't come out. Even a money-grubber like him had some honor, and he couldn't betray his organization so egregiously.

"I... I've got nothing more to say." Fred finally uttered.

Rico gripped his blade with both of his hands, "If that's the choice you want to make..."

Rico swung his saber into Fred's chest, and he fell to the ground along with the chair he was tied to. Rico then deactivated the gadget and gazed at the words inscribed on it, letting them be his only focus.

Clm'zh ijt.

Clm'zh buye.

Clm'zh zho.

Ever since the world war, there was no room for mercy.

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Neon was walking down the halls of the Dark Knights' compound when her transceiver started to crackle.

"Code Gold! All executive administrators, move to Channel 7!", the robotic voice over the device commanded. This could only mean one thing. The Sun God wanted an audience with her and Mox Withers.

Neon picked up the transceiver and switched to channel 7.

"What is it you wanted to tell us, Alex?" she heard Mox call out.

"Please refrain from using her real name when speaking through the transceiver. We have a code name for a reason." Neon reproached.

"Ah, shit. Sorry, I tend to forget about that."

"It's all good." Alex Stone's voice boomed through the transceiver. When she had info to give, Neon and Mox listened.

"I've lost contact with Fred. I don't know if he's simply been captured or if he was killed, but there's no doubt he'll begin to spill information if the Virgilian officials start to bribe him."

Mox was alarmed, "So you're saying that Virgil knows about us!?"

"Not yet, no. But I wouldn't be surprised if he does. I'll get as much information from the Inspector as I can regarding Fred's capture. Meet me in the laboratory at 11 PM. We'll discuss strategy there."

"Got it. I'll put out a summons for Fred in the meantime, then." Neon spoke into the transceiver.

"No, don't do that!" Alex corrected, "If you put out a summons for him through his transceiver and it turns out that he's been captured, then even if he hasn't revealed anything, we'll be discovered."

"Oh. Sorry."

"A better plan would be to disable connection between his transceiver and our compound. That way, even if they find it, they won't locate us."

"I'll handle it." Mox answered, "I've got more experience with that sort of thing."

"Good. I'll see you guys at 11 PM." Alex concluded.

"Meet you at the laboratory." Neon added and turned off the transceiver. There was a sinking feeling in her gut, but she easily dismissed it. Although, she knew she couldn't dismiss it forever.

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Rico got back to his house and went to the backyard where dozens of logs were waiting to be chopped. He sighed, raised his ax, and chopped the first log. Then he chopped the second, the third, the fourth, and so on. It was tiring work that demanded a lot of focus, but something from the corner of his eye distracted him. There was a wire-thin man with a walking stick trekking in the direction of his house.

Rico ran up to the man, "Hey, you don't look so good! What's your name?"

"Me?" the man rasped, "I'm Ethan. Ethan Clarke."

Rico held out his hand and Ethan shook it, "I'm Rico Jacobson. Are you hurt?"

"I'm not hurt, but I *cough* could use some water..."

"Why don't you come inside? Dinner should be ready soon." Rico offered.

"Thank you. Very much." Ethan replied.

When they got inside, Rico handed Ethan a bottle of water and he gulped it down like a manhole swallows rain.

"So, how did you get into this condition? Did you not receive your rations from the empire?" Rico inquired.

"I... I don't live in the empire." Ethan said, sitting down on the floor.

"What? But outside the empire is just barren wasteland. Right?"

"No. There are certain crops you can eat if you know what you're doing. Most are poisonous, though."

Rico, dumbstruck about this man, this savant, didn't notice his longtime friend, who was none other than Alex Stone, behind him.

"Dinner's ready- wait, who is this?" she said.

Rico turned to face Alex, "He was starving outside, so I let him in."

"I guess we have a guest, then." she mumbled, "How was work?"

"It was quite jarring. We discovered that there's an organization working against the Empire thinking they're promoting justice."

This piqued Alex's interest.

"An organization?" she asked.

"Yeah. One called the Dark Knights, apparently. We captured one of its members trying to steal confidential information. I questioned him, but he wouldn't give up as much info as I'd liked, so I was forced to kill him."

Alex cursed under her breath. "Well, damn. Did you have to go that far?"

"Yeah, pretty much." Rico said, sitting down at the table and taking a bite out of his meat. "Lemme tell you one thing. If these 'Dark Knights' really exist, their true motivations aren't about justice and harmony."

"Why do you think that?" Alex queried.

Rico stabbed a piece of meat. "Simple. They targeted the Western slums for their arson attack when there's just no motive to be striking that far into the outskirts. If they wanted to try and build a base there, it would get noticed by the guards very quickly. Besides, arson isn't going to stop a government from enacting its policies."

"I, personally, don't think you can judge an organization so quickly before diplomatic procedures ensue."

"That is true. But I've always had a talent for reading people, and this faction just smells bad. Hiring people without actual dedication to their cause means they're either desperate or they don't believe in what they say they do. And from the way our prisoner talked up the lot, they don't seem to be desperate."

"Can you really judge an organization's strength by one hireling's opinion?"

"I guess not. We'll just have to see, then." Rico said, chewing on his meat, "Hey, Ethan, you gonna eat?"

"I'm not intruding?" Ethan replied.

"Nah, of course not!" Rico exclaimed with a grin.

"Okay, then." Ethan struggled with his pulled, almost nonexistent muscles to even get up off of the floor, but finally managed to do it after using a countertop for support. He then walked over to the table and plopped down on a chair, completely spent.

"Geez. How long were you out in the jungle?" Rico inquired.

"Two years." Ethan explained, "I used an abandoned shack for sleeping."

Alex sat down at the table herself, "Two years? That's incredible. How did you determine which plants were poisonous?"

Ethan scratched his head, "It's not that impressive. You've just got to see if the plant has white berries, milky sap, an almond scent, seeds, beans, or bulbs inside the pods, thorns, spines, hairs, grain heads with pink or black spurs, or groups of 3 leaves."

"Well, aren't you the nature expert?" Rico quipped.

"Eh. I just read a book about poisonous plants before the war and got interested in the subject. What really interests me is fencing, though I've never been physically strong enough to actually study it." Ethan explored while taking a bite out of his meat.

"Fencing?" Rico implored.

"Yeah. But not the sport, where as soon as you get tapped, that's it. I wanted to learn about real dueling."

"I could teach you. Sword handling is my expertise." Rico offered.

Ethan was unconvinced, "Thank you for the offer, but I'm not strong enough, remember."

Rico grinned, "You don't have to be strong to wield an energy saber."

"A what?" Ethan questioned.

"Hey, do you really think we should be showing this guy your energy saber? He could just be, I don't know, a Dark Knights spy!" Alex declared.

"If he's a spy, then he'll have to go back to their base eventually. If he does that, I'll just tail him and then we have their location." Rico announced.

Alex was unsatisfied, "What if he has a transceiver and is communicating with them remotely?"

"Then we'll intercept his frequency and hear him talking. Why are you so worried?"

Alex walked over to Rico and whispered in his ear, "It's because I don't want you to blindly trust this stranger."

Rico whispered back, "It'll be fine. I've taken many apprentices before with countless different areas of expertise, and I think he'll pass my test without hesitation. Besides, I'll thoroughly investigate him before actually teaching him anything."

Alex sat back down, satisfied, "Alright then, carry on."

"Now, Ethan, observe." Rico said as he stood up, took out his energy saber, and ignited it. The sky blue color of the plasma blade reflected in Rico's eyes as he swung it around, showcasing its brilliance. He then took a brick with his free hand and threw it up in the air, but before it hit the floor, he sliced it in half, and its pieces spewed all over the floor.

"Wow!" Ethan stood up and exclaimed, "It can just vaporize things!?"

"Yeah." Rico said, deactivating the energy saber. "As you can see, using this weapon requires a lot of responsibility, on both the physical and mental plane. Do you really think you're ready to learn?"

"Of course." Ethan accepted.

"Alright, then. All of my pupils have to pass a certain test to prove their worthiness." Rico said, glancing at Ethan's unsure expression, "Don't worry, it's not of the physical kind."

"Oh, sounds good, then." Ethan said.

Rico walked to the door, "My test has to do with your mental preparedness and gauges if you have what it takes to fight in a real war. Come with me, I'll take you to the grounds."

"What kind of test will it be?"

"You'll see."

Rico opened the door and walked out of the house. Ethan followed at a brisk pace, and soon enough, they arrived at a shack that seemed to be the examination area.

"This is where you'll be taking the assessment." Rico stated, opening the shack door. "Come inside."

Ethan entered the dark room and was immediately greeted by a pungent stench- a metallic rusty iron and mold, with hints of gasoline and spoiled milk. Ethan knelt down and covered his nose and mouth, then observed his surroundings.

The walls of the cabin were orange with oxidation and seemed to be dripping some sort of liquid which polluted the floor and leaked through Ethan and Rico's shoes. At the end of the shed, there was nothing but shadow, although Ethan swore he heard a whimper...

Ethan stood back up, "This miasma... what the hell happened here?"

Rico was unfazed, "I had to set the tone to make it feel like a bloodbath, since this is how a real battle will be. Go to the end of the hovel and you'll find your test."

Ethan walked tentatively and slowly toward the opposite side of the shoddily constructed building, fearing that a reptilian monster would jump at him at any time. As he came closer to his destination, though, the subject of the whimpers that he heard became clearer and clearer.

It was a dog, who was shackled in chains and only had 3 legs. It was covered in blood and tried to back away from Ethan as soon as it saw him.

"Good." Rico said, placing a knife into his hand, "Now, do what you have to do. End its suffering."

"What!?" Ethan exclaimed as Rico turned around, "What are you saying!?"

Rico kept walking, and didn't bother to turn back around, "You know what I'm saying."

Ethan stared down at the glistening knife, then at the dog.

"I'll give you until tomorrow at midnight." Rico said as he opened the door to the shack and left, closing the door behind him.

An overwhelming sense of nausea overtook Ethan, and he fell down to his knees, horrified.

Did he really have to do this...?

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"It's official. Virgil knows about us. Fred was captured and killed by Rico Jacobson, the Inspector, after divulging that the Dark Knights exist." Alex snarled.

Mox rose, "Damn it, Neon. If we had killed Fred ourselves like I suggested, then this wouldn't be happening."

"Hey, how could I have known that he was going to betray us?" Neon responded.

"I don't know, maybe from the fact that we could so easily bribe him to our side?"

"It's always more useful to add men to our ranks than it is to kill them."

Alex, annoyed, hissed, "Enough. I'm sick of hearing you two argue and I'm not done sharing my information."

Neon's face turned pale, as Mox turned in Alex's direction, "What? You have more info?"

"Yes, I do." Alex confirmed, "It turns out that Rico has taken another apprentice. His name is Ethan Clarke, and he's extremely smart."

Neon was relieved, "Good. You can turn him to our side."

"I'm afraid it won't be so simple. Rico has already made a strong impression on him, and I don't think I can steal him from Rico's grasp. A better plan would be to assassinate Rico, so that I can be the sole influence and turn him." Alex explained.

"I see." Neon said, "But as you are right now, I don't think you could beat him on his own turf."

Alex smirked, "We're not going to fight him on his own turf. We'll guard the train tunnel entrances that lead to our compound and ambush him. Mox, you should patrol the western slums entrance. Neon, the eastern. If you find him, I want you to kill him."

"Understood." Neon and Mox said in unison.

"Now, go to your posts. I'll be returning to mine." Alex said as she turned around to leave the facility.

"We're counting on you to turn Ethan after Rico is dead. Don't fail us." Mox commanded.

"I would never." Alex assured him as she walked out of the compound, and into the starry night.