The World Of Steam

33

I slept in my prison cell, trying to overcome the nightmares of the raging war. The screams, the sounds of the roaring cannons. The neverending hail of bullets. Suddenly, I bolted upright, gasping at the sound of something hitting concrete. Fumbling about in the dark, I grabbed my gas mask and stuck it onto my head. The sound echoed again and again in a slow pattern. I stood up onto my two feet and slowly walked over to the prison bars that impeded my freedom. Suddenly, a part of the wall in the corridor broke down and Jennix came through the newly made hole, dropping the pickaxe. I did not have time to ask her where she had acquired it. She quickly came up to me and unlocked my cell. Without waiting for anything else to happen, I followed after her and we made our way out. A passing guard spotted us and Jennix suddenly dived for him, punching him in the jaw. He dropped to the floor like a sack before he had a chance to cry out. I looked over to her and nodded. She nodded back and we continued on. Casualties had to be kept to a minimum. I did not want to admit it, but The Black Mark was our only chance of winning the war. This fight was not something that two ordinary people could win. We spotted a guard standing by a door. Curious to see what was inside, I ran up to him and knocked him out before he had a chance to cry out in alarm. I opened the door and looked at the large store room. Almost instantly, I spotted my gun, rifle and sword and quickly took them back. I slung my belt of bullets back over my shoulder. Wooden crates of unknown contents were piled up all over the place. There was no time to dawdle about and go through them. We continued forward and stumbled upon a large glass room. Immediately ducking behind cover, we slowly peeked our heads out and observed what was happening. A man sat in a chair, his hands and legs tied around it. There was a breathing mask over his mouth and nose with a long tube running into it. The tube itself was connected to the ceiling. One man looked at him, talking to him. Another stood by a lever. The interrogator spoke, but we couldn't hear anything that he said, the glass blocking out all of the sound, letting no secrets get past. He looked over to his partner and nodded. The man pulled the lever down. Smoke began to flow down the tube and into the mask. Being able to do nothing else, the man writhed about, choking, as he was forced to breathe in the toxic gases of the outside world. The veins in his neck and hands protruded out. Jennix looked on, horrified. The man pulled the lever back up again and the flow of the smoke stopped. The interrogator talked to him again and the man looked down at the floor, panting heavily. Jennix went for an attack, but I grabbed her arm, stopping her from going any further. She looked over to me. I shook my head. Gesturing, I walked off and she followed after me after a second of hesitation and we made our way outside. We walked down the pavement, leaving the organisation behind us.

"Where is Karzen?" Jennix asked me, still keeping her voice low.

"I don't know. Knowing him, he is probably still pursuing his crusade against his arch nemesis. At least he is out of our way for now."