The Golden Edge: The Alloynian Predicament

7 - Breaking Free

The Metallo Prison, a newly built jailhouse located away from the populace of The Metallo Quarter, stood in the middle of the vast forest. With a moat surrounding the prison, it served as a place of punishment for those who went against The Metallo People. Within its walls, many prisoners had been locked up, waiting for their fate to be decided. Some had stolen food, others had been caught fighting and hurting innocent people. No matter what crime one committed, they were punished by being locked in the jail.

Inside one of the many cells of the prison, sat a young female. Twiddling her thumbs, she waited in silence as her life sentence slowly ticked down. An emotionless look sat upon her face, her hair flowing wild. Her yellow and orange prison garments stood out like a sore thumb amongst the black and white colour scheme of the prison. Her brown locks rested upon her shoulders, brushing against the bars of her cell door.

"Hello?" She called out, not expecting anyone to respond.

After a short period of no response, the girl sighed and turned away, leaning her weight against the wall behind her. Why did she have to end up here? She was only following what she thought was right!

She felt alone, abandoned, and she wanted to go home.

After a while, the girl fell, lying on the bed inside her cell. She'd been dreaming about home, wondering if she would ever see it again. All she knew was that her mother and father were there, they lived together happily, without any worries or concerns. But without a doubt, they were angry with her.

"Why? Why did I have to be so stupid?" She cried, tears falling down her cheeks as she lay in her bed, curled up tightly. "I'm a monster. But. It was for Metalloic. Surely Mumma and Papa should see that?!"

Her voice echoed throughout the empty cell, causing the lady to begin sobbing uncontrollably. There were no answers in The Metallo Prison. Not even from the guards patrolling the facility.

The young girl remained in her bed for a few hours, staring at the blank ceiling of her cell. Maybe this was worth it. With peace, free food and a roof over her head, maybe it was better to stay where she was now.

The sound of an explosion suddenly filled her ears, interrupting the female from her thoughts. For the first time in many years, she felt fear. A sense of dread washed over her body, making her tremble.

In the distance, she heard the screams of pain and agony. She sat upright, looking around for the source, but couldn't find anything. She heard the clashing of swords followed by the loud thud of bodies hitting the ground. Then she heard the cries of those in pain, begging for help.

As marching came close, the prisoner stood from her bed, walking towards the door of her cell. Without hesitation, she looked through the bars of her cell door, seeing a group of men running past her, carrying guns and swords. They were ignoring the prisoners, rushing off into the distance.

"What is going on? What's happening?" She asked, her eyes wide.

A figure appeared in front of her, seemingly blocking her view of the rest of the prison. As she took a step backwards to study the figure, she'd gasp in shock.

"The Bronze Age?" She said, her voice trembling.

It was him. The Bronze Age.

"Metalloic must be protected," He stated, his voice booming loudly. "You are the only one who can help me."

"Me? Why me?" She asked.

Using his sword, The Bronze Age hit the door with a blast of flames, opening it up. The metal shrieked as it burnt, hissing and sizzling in the fire.

"Because..." He smirked. "You're Gaslight!"

Slowly exiting the cell, Jocasta was slightly surprised by how tall he was. His armour gleamed as it reflected the sunlight. As she joined his side, the two turned before making their way towards the entrance. As they got closer, the pair would suddenly freeze as a Metallo knight emerged from the shadows, wielding a large blade.

"Halt!" The knight yelled, his face covered by a mask made of The Metallo People's special golden metal.

Jocasta and The Bronze Age both stopped, raising their hands in a sign of surrender. The female would smirk towards the Alloynian leader, feeling her abilities slowly coming back. Stepping forwards towards the man, Gaslight placed her hands on her hips before giving him a seductive smirk.

"Why don't you drive that blade through your heart?" She giggled, her eyes glowing gold.

Without any control over his own body, the Metallo knight raised his sword with one hand before ripping a piece of his armour off from his chest with the other. With one quick move, the knight stabbed his blade through his chest, causing him to yelp in pain, falling to the ground, blood spilling from his wound.

"How do you expect to defeat me when I am not under your command, but you're in mine?" Gaslight asked the dying man, her tone light and playful.

The Bronze Age launched evilly, swinging his sword towards the knight's neck. The blade easily cut into his skin, slicing through his flesh and bone. With a thud, his head hit the floor, with the helmet sending a loud clang as it struck against the ground.

Gaslight licked her lips at the sight of death, then turned to her new companion.

"Well, you proved one thing about you Alloynians..." She smiled. "You're savages!"

As The Metallo Prison exploded into a million flames, The Bronze Age and Gaslight strolled away from the structure, cackling, with a few Alloynian knights following from behind them. They snuck through a secret tunnel which led under a wall, separating The Metallo and Alloynian Quarters. The tunnel was so small that only one person could pass through at a time, and at least three people needed to hold the door open. Once they reached the other side, they emerged onto a bridge, leading to the outer perimeter of The Alloynian Quarter.

Gaslight watched as the smoke billowed from the burning jail in the distance, thinking to herself.

"So. This is what it looks like when a city burns. Interesting."

They continued walking, with The Alloynian Alcazar coming into view as they moved through the streets. It was a massive castle-like building, even bigger than The Metallo Palace. At the centre of its stone walls, there was a large bronze statue of the former priest of The Alloynian Tribe aka The Bronze Age's father, Thane.

As they got closer to their destinations, The Alloynian residents began to stare. They couldn't believe a Metallo was there, besides a famous villainous one. However, no one dared say anything out of fear. Soon enough, The Bronze Age and Gaslight reached the steps of the Alcazar, where a lone man stood, his face hidden underneath his mask, seemingly waiting for them.

"Rise from the ashes," He spoke, his voice echoing throughout the town. "And once again, we shall rise to take our rightful place among the stars!"

Jocasta turned to Bronze Age, confused by the strange words that the man had spoken.

"Hmm?" She wondered.

"Don't mind him, he's my right-hand man... Dax, is everything ready?" The Bronze Age spoke, his voice sounding confident.

"Yes, Leader. We have the supplies and weapons we need."

"Good. Prepare our army to march forth! Time is almost up!"