The Guardsmen

Chapter 32: The Biggest Roadblock

The sound of the blaring alarm finally stops. Acacius catches his breath as he leans against the wall.

"Can't believe that worked" he thinks to himself,

"Now to get out of here"

With a slight jog, Acacius makes his way towards the cafeteria. He goes for what seems like forever. The prison is practically set up like a maze. Then a sign appears before him. It says 'Cafeteria' with an arrow pointing to show him the way. After following the trail posted on the walls, he appears before the large cafeteria doors.

"You stay right there," says a gruff voice behind Acacius

He turns to see the warden standing before him. The past few years have not been so kind to Quint.

"You can't hope to stop me alone" Acacius retorts in a serious tone

"Here's what's going to happen" Quint replies, "I'm going to put this shock collar on you, then I'm going to drag you to your cell, and then I'll watch you rot here for the rest of your days"

Acacius glances at Quint's hands. He holds a large metallic ring. The technology seems far too advanced to be in a prison. Acacius glares at Quint who only returns a smug smirk. The two begin to pace around each other in circles like a wild pack of dogs.

"Stand down" Quint orders

Acacius only returns silence.

Quint jerks his arm back and throws a fist forward. Compared to everything Acacius has encountered, this couldn't have been easier. Acacius swiftly turns to the side and slams his knee into Quint's gut. He recoils but regains his balance.

"Just give up. You can't possibly stop me" says Acacius

"Watch me," says Quint

Quint runs towards Acacius, bringing his leg up for a powerful kick. Acacius easily grabs Quint's leg and hurls him to the side. Quint quickly stands back up on his feet. The two repeat this process over and over.

"Stop! You can't beat me. You can't control me. I will be victorious" says Acacius as he slams his fist down onto Quint's face.

Quint is sent rolling to the side. His breathing becoming heavy and erratic.

"I already told you what's going to happen," says Quint, "So you might as well give up"

Acacius only returns a sneer. Quint smirks as a small squad of armored guards suddenly appears behind Acacius.

"Shit!" says Acacius

"I never told you that I was going to do it alone" Quint chuckles

The guards quickly form a circle around Acacius. They brandish large shields in front of them. With a click of a button, bright waves of electricity flow up and down each shield.

"Where are they even getting all of this tech..." Acacius thinks to himself.

The circle around Acacius slowly starts to shrink as the guards move in. Acacius bolts to one side in an attempt to break through. The guard quickly hides behind his shield and slams it into Acacius. Furious waves of electricity are sent through his body. Acacius groans as he stumbles back. The circle around him shrinks even more. A guard suddenly slams his shield into Acacius's back, sending him forward into another guard's shield. The intensity of the electricity only seems to get higher and higher. Acacius grits his teeth.

"You will not force me! I will not be controlled!" shouts Acacius as he draws out Viper's dagger

With a swift downward motion, he stabs the dagger into one guard's shield. Acacius feels a slight shock from the impact, but it immediately subsides as the power in the shield fails. Acacius reaches around the shield and grabs the guard behind it. With a hard swing of his arm, the guard is sent hurling towards the others. Taking advantage of the moment, Acacius leaps over the fallen guards and rolls onto the ground behind them. He quickly picks up one of the shields and poses in a defensive stance. Acacius suddenly sprints forward; slamming his shield against anything and everything that moves.