Project Nodachi

the clockwork king

*25 years ago, back at Metal Mountain*

*Pakuyo POV*

I started down the long jungle-like pathway we usually took from Metal Mountain. My head stung from the loud earsplitting sirens blaring all around me, it didn't help that there were hundreds of soldiers in pursuit with orders to catch me.

"Finally gettin' out of here are ya'?" A voice emerged from the bushes startling me. I looked over to see a familiarly chubby, brown haired boy.

"Danny?!" I yelled.

"No time to talk Pakuyo, ya' gotta get to The Chambers!" He exclaimed.

"Is that where my mother is?" I asked.

"I wouldn't know man, Zeke told me you'd be comin' through here and to give ya' these." He reached into his pocket and and tossed two small rectangle objects over to me.

"Keycards?"

"Yeah, they'll get ya to the right place! When you get there search for Chamber X." Danny said.

"Will you be okay Danny?" I asked sincerely.

He made a face as if he forgot something and reached into his pocket once again, this time revealing a small folded piece of brown paper.

"Take this, and don't worry about me! My Dad always said I was like a cockroach, they won't get me!" He said.

"Thanks, Danny." We turned and ran in opposite directions down the dangerous path, both hurtling towards uncertainty.

I opened the paper he gave me, it was a map of the area around Metal Mountain with a path from here to "The Chambers" clearly highlighted. I followed it as carefully as I could, my mind was racing with questions and panic. Why was Zeke going to these lengths for me? There had to be another reason or something in it for him. Even so, I didn't plan on wasting the opportunity he gave me.

"DETAIN THE PRISONER!" Someone yelled over the loud intercom.

I could hear the rumbling of the soldiers' boots, but I doubted they would catch up so I decided not to look back. As I continued down the path, the beautifully weird scenery began to change. The sky faded from a mesmerizing purple hue to a gloomy grey shade, along with the flowers and trees.  The trees ended and an almost hellish scenery was revealed to me. The ground was littered with large cracks and crevices that oozed with blazing hot magma. Mountains of stones were scattered everywhere and prisoners, clad in chains, were pounding hopelessly at them with pickaxes and other tools. In the short distance, stood a colossal rusty building with hundreds of cell windows lining the outside. At the entrance stood a sign that appeared to be roughly 50 feet tall and read "The Chambers"  in a menacing font. I creeped my way onto the barbaric landscape, dodging magma bubbling and rising from the ground.

"What the hell type of place is this?" I said to myself. Theres no way Daizen was keeping my mother in a place like this all this time. I snuck past the prisoners when I noticed that there were no guards around, nobody was watching over the prisoners or keeping them in line causing me to wonder what was keeping them from escaping. As I came closer to the building, I ducked and moved behind rocks in fear of guards posted in front, but there were none it was clear as day.

I walked up to the huge metal doors in the front of the building. To the right, there was a small screen with various numbers and messages running across the front. I pulled out one of the keycards Danny had so graciously given me and held it up to it.

"Badge not verified, 2 attempts remaining!" The screen blared loudly.

I tried the other badge and the old creaky door started to move loudly.