Ozania Odyssey

Chapter 37: Isamu The Courageous! Overlord Flashback Part 2!

Hours after their abrupt arrest from their abodes, the goblins and elves sit in the crepuscular train, not knowing the place they're headed. Kazz's grip on Isamu's arm tightens as he worries about the situation. "Papa, where are we going?"

"I don't know, but, don't worry, nothing will happen to us... I promise," Isamu gives Kazz a reassuring touch, placing his hand on his shoulder.

To pass the time, everyone on the train dozes off until the sound of a horn jolts them awake. The soldiers wrench the train door open and clamp their hands around the goblins' and elves' wrists. "Get out and follow us!" says a soldier

With the Ozanian soldiers leading the way, the goblins and elves are taken to a work area in the field, where they find themselves surrounded by a cacophony of clanging, banging, and whirring machines. "Take off your shoes," says a soldier.

An elf takes off his shoes and feels the damp, cold texture of the mud beneath his feet. "But this dirt is cold and muddy I-"

The soldier aims and releases an ion bolt blast, the force of which sends a jolt through the air toward the elf's feet. "Don't make me repeat myself, take off your shoes, or we'll start killing you all," As requested by a soldier, the goblins and elves take off their shoes.

Another soldier chucks stiff, orange prison uniforms toward them, and the material makes a swishing sound as it flies through the air. "Now, put these on."

As the group dons their uniforms, a tall, tan-skinned man with short, right-side-parted brown hair and menacing red swirled eyes stands in the front and center, wearing a crisp, black Ozanian uniform. "Form a line shoulder to shoulder," The Goblins and Elves line up side-by-side across the premises. "I am Captain Kyoko of the Ozanian Army and enforcer of one of many labor prisons for Ozania; because of the recent crimes you all have committed against us, you will be imprisoned, and you will stay here in Prison Camp I-010 until Ozania decides you are released. To compensate for this time, you will work fourteen hours daily to benefit our empire. You will receive daily rations to ensure you have enough strength to work. You will follow every order we give you. If you decide you don't want to, you will be killed, tortured, or exiled."

Seeing the cruelty of the situation, an elf steps out of line; their face contorted with rage. "This is unjust. Most of us here are innocent! We did nothing wrong, so why are you imprisoning us?! Th-" Kyoko shoots a Lava JōKai blast from his Black JōKai pistol at the elf, the searing heat from the molten lava penetrating his stomach and killing him.

Kyoko's eyes narrow as he glances at the prisoners, his expression full of intensity. "Anyone else have something they'd like to share?"

"..."

"Good, glad you can follow orders. Men, let's escort them to their living quarters."

The Soldiers march in formation, escorting the Goblins and Elves to their living quarters. The living quarters contain multiple bunk beds, a creaky, decaying floor, and a flickering candlelight faintly illuminating it. "This is where you will sleep for the rest of your lives. Beginning tomorrow, you all become full-fledged workers for Ozania. Get some rest. This work is taxing," says a soldier.

Kazz scrambles to Kiyo, his heart pounding in his chest from the uncertain situation, and he embraces her. "M-mom, will we live this way for the rest of our lives?"

"No, this will end someday. The empire can only allow treason for so long."

"End? Do you realize that bastard Rozar has all the power in the empire right now? He could kill us all on a whim if he wants. This will be our lives until that scumbag dies, and I don't see that happening for decades," says an elf.