The Seven Wonders of the World

36. To Lapis City

Rater and Nazuki would look at one and another, as it would be dead silent, except with the occasional birds chirping.
“I doubt your little group of Rangers would even be enough to defeat my squad of soldiers,” said Nazuki.
Nazuki would now laugh and then speak again. “But you’re right, it’s not like I trust you either. It’s just that it has been decided that you must either come with us or end up dead, so it only takes some common sense to come to this decision.”
Nazuki would now gesture a little bit. “So are you coming with us or not?”
Rater sighed. “Sure,” said Rater, “this Lapis City place intrigues me. Although I could get bored easily.”
“This isn't a tourist trip, you idiot!” said Nazuki. “We are essentially kidnapping you, you realize that?!”
Rater shrugged. “As long as you provide free food for us, we'll be fine.”
“Oh, don’t you worry, there will be plenty of food,” said Nazuki. “And we will make sure to keep watch over you, so that you don’t try and run away or anything.”
Rater now had an amused look on his face. “Ah, so you’re just gonna keep us in captivity?” asked Rater jokingly.
Nazuki would now laugh. “That’s basically what we’re doing, yes.”
Nazuki would now raise a hand slightly and motion for his soldiers to come towards them. “My soldiers are going to escort you to a military vehicle, where you’ll be taken to Lapis City. Do not make any attempt to fight back.”
A group of soldiers would now start approaching them, with Nazuki being in front of them.
“Please cooperate, and nothing bad will happen to you,” said Nazuki.
Rater would now nod in agreement and let the soldiers escort him and his friends to a large military vehicle, which was pretty much just an armored truck.
A huge unit of soldiers would co-ooperate to pick up Rater's vehicle, as they placed it on top of the armored truck that Nazuki was escorting the group to.
The soldiers would now guide them inside and then they would all start heading out immediately on the road to Lapis City, which was now their destination.
This journey would continue for some time as the soldiers had now closed the doors behind them.
“This is bullshit,” said Uyutsu quietly to the others, “they interrupted my dream at the best part.”
“Was that before or after Saori kissed you?” said Sora.
“Shut up,” said Uyutsu, embarrassed.
The truck would now drive off, as it would have Rater's vehicle secured and guarded safely ontop, as they would now set out onto the road.

The truck would be driving on the road, as Rater and his group would be sitting there, as it would be silent amongst the group.
They had no idea what was gonna happen, if Nazuki was even telling the truth, but regardless of the outcome, they were ready for a fight.
Uyutsu sighed, as he lit a candle with his lighter and a dead candle he found. “Finally,” said Uyutsu, “the candle works. Now we have light in here.”
“Atleast it isn't completely dark now,” said Alucard.
The rest of the group would now sit silent, not saying much about what's going to happen and just waiting to get to the destination.
Rater would now sit down and let his mind wander a bit, thinking about what would become of them now that they were being taken to Lapis City.
There was a chance that they would simply end up imprisoned or even dead if things went wrong. But no one really knew what would happen.
The ride to Lapis City took quite some time, and as the hours went by, most of the group ended up falling asleep because they had nothing else to do in the vehicle.
Rater was still awake during most of the time, however, as he was now wondering what they would do if they did make it to Lapis City.
What would the Empire’s plans be once they arrived there? Would they simply be imprisoned and left to rot? Or would they be used for something else?
“Rater,” said Zoela, “you should probably try and get some more sleep.”
“I don't feel that tired,” said Rater, “i already slept, which probably means I woke up and alerted Nazuki and his friends. Sorry about that.”
“What are you sorry for?” said Zoela. “Even if we don't like these guys, I have to give it to them that they are taking us somewhere, judging by how we had to sleep in a forest for the night, we was bound to get lost with our limited resources.”
“It’s true, they are at least providing us with a roof,” said Uyutsu, who was now sitting near the corner of the vehicle, “but we’ve already seen what kind of people they are. It’s only a matter of time before they betray us.”
Alucard would now turn his head towards Uyutsu for a moment, a slight smile on his face. “Well, if that does happen, it’s gonna be a blood bath for them.”
“Let’s just make sure to enjoy our free food whilst it lasts,” said Rater, speaking with a bit of a smug smile on his face.
The ride would continue for a while longer as everyone waited for a point where they would arrive at Lapis City. Eventually, the truck started to slow down, and it seems like they had finally made it.
Nazuki would now give the group a final warning. “Remember, do not try to escape.”