The Raging Storm

Chapter Eleven: The Skyprison

Kazmere Vale lifted his right hand to look at the pulsating aura surrounding him. His hand gripped the small children's doll. His Relic. He grinned at the familiar orange aura. With his Relic, he could do anything. Flaring his Viberium powers made him feel alive; his thoughts raced twice as fast as they usually did. He looked down at his sister's doll and his mouth tightened to a firm line. Sherie. Thank you for always looking out for me. He swallowed the feelings that threatened to break to the surface and tucked his Relic firmly into his waistband.

The lady at the door had told him five minutes. Time was up. The Crimson Guards posted nearby would not expect him to have access to his powers.

The time to break out of the Skyprison was now.

He turned and smashed the mirror with his fist, careful not to cut himself. It shattered into hundreds of sharp reflective pieces. Kazmere grabbed the sharpest one and cut the palm of his left hand, letting his lifeblood flow freely. The shattering of the mirror stirred sounds outside his cell door. The Crimson Guards would arrive any second.

"What was that?" The guard sounded close by.

"I don't know, I think it was Cell 23," another responded.

Sounds of footsteps headed toward his door.

Kazmere flicked his dripping hand at the shards of glass, covering them with his blood. He flared his powers in his mind, the orange glow growing while he exerted more force. He lifted the fragments of glass into the air using his blood and waited. The Crimson Guards posted outside slammed the metal door open and rushed in.

He directed his open palm toward them and sent all the lethal shards into all three of their faces, killing them instantly. They dropped to the floor, crimson armor clanking against the ground with a crash. He didn't wince at killing them. The guards beat him many times over the last four months.

No turning back now.

He ran over, grabbed a longsword from one of the bodies, and held it in his right hand. He needed his left hand to spatter blood on anything he wanted to control. He didn't have long. Soon the whole Skyprison would know he'd escaped. Hope began to build up inside at the prospect of finding his Foundling comrades.

His resolve hardened. After all, he was The Orange Blade. I will find out what happened and avenge my friends.

He sprinted out into the hallway of the Skyprison and scanned left and right. Rows of metal doors lined each side of the hallway in a circular fashion. The hallway curved around and each door was labeled with a number. He'd only been out in the hallway three times during his four-month stay, but rule one of the Founding code was ingrained in him forever. Mark all exit points in your mind.

Sounds of armored footsteps echoed from below. Men shouted in every direction. They would be upon him in moments. He needed to find a way down and out of the Skyprison. Kazmere ran right, down the hallway. Muffled voices from behind the cell doors were growing louder. The other prisoners must realize something is happening.

One called out from a door nearby. "Let me out, I'll help you."

"You really think you'll escape this place aye?"

"What a fool."

Kazmere ignored the remarks and continued running down the hallway searching for any exit. The air was frigid and his throat was parched from lack of water. With every step, he felt more and more of his energy draining. His endurance was low from months of sitting in a cell.

From a hallway ahead of him, three Crimson Guards emerged. They froze with their eyes wide open at him sprinting toward them.

The older man in the back screamed, "A prisoner has escaped, it's The Orange Blade." He ran back down the stairs, leaving the two Crimson Guards behind. They unsheathed their longswords and readied themselves. I have to stop that man before he alerts the whole Skyrprison.