Untrustable

Chapter 14: Gunfire and Steel

2088 October 30 7:49 p.m. Drow Village

  Sven proceeded into the village, he was well known, but no respects could he be paid for being an Arbiter's commander, as he was forced to. Sven wasn't greeted properly, villagers shoved up against him with shovels and pitchforks, threatening him, telling him to leave with shouts of insults and curses.

  He didn't draw his weapons, his fencing blade hung loosely on his belt, whereas the blade of Julian was slung behind him, safely wrapped within thick cloths.

  Sven raised his hand as the villagers lowered their weapons, but still keeping their guards on.

  "I came here to apologize." Sven bellowed. The noise of the crowd died, wide eyes staring blankly upon him in disbelief. "Now if you may excuse me, I need to speak to Jensen. If you think I'm hostile, I do not oppose a man with a weapon to follow me there." He added. A man stood forward, he was equipped with a broadsword. He stood behind Sven. "Do your business." He hissed.

  Sven walked towards the wooden cabin as he flung open the door. The warm bright flames in the fire place greeted him. Jensen was sitting on an armchair, his small body resting on the cushions, his gaze fixed on the flickering flames. His younger brother sat opposite him, watching the fires devouring the wood.

  "Jensen." The man behind Sven called. The little boy looked back and smiled, his pupils were blue, like his father's. "Hi uncle George, who's the man?" Jensen called out happily.

  "My name is Sven. Your father has something for you, since he's been to an important journey to look for your mother." Sven spoke with a smile as he drew the blade from the cloths. The steel reflected the lights from the fire beautifully. Jensen looked at the blade in awe, his jaws wide open as he took the blade and examined it. The weight of the heavy steel forced Jensen to rest it on the floor and examine it by sitting down instead.

  "When can I see dad and mom?" Jensen asked. "They will be back soon I'm sure of it." Sven answered with a smile. The man behind him knew he was lying, but he knew what is best to be kept concealed.

  "How can I call your younger brother?" Sven asked. "I don't know. He hasn't have a name yet, he doesn't even know how to talk." Jensen replied.

  "Well then. What shall we call him?" Sven asked. "I don't know, how about you name him?" Jensen asked with a followed giggle.

  "Let's call him Seth shall we?" Sven suggested. "Okay." Jensen smiled.

  "Arbiters!" The word echoed from the main entrance of Drow village. Sven triggered his defensive stance and drew his combat rifle from behind his waist. George didn't attempt to stop him.

  "Keep the kids safe, they cannot be found, so do I." Sven pleaded the man. George nodded as he ushered the children into hiding. Sven slowly inched out the room, favoring stealth and to listen more clearly upon the conversations between villagers and Arbiters.

  "Where is Jensen?" The Arbiter asked.

 

  "What do you want with him?" The village leader questioned.

  "That is none of your business. A traitor within us had came here for them." The Arbiter answered. The word 'traitor' alerted the leader, he must let him hide, he can save them.

  "There is no one who came here." The leader lied.

  "Then where is Jensen and his younger brother?" The Arbiter questioned.

  "Unless you give me a reason only I will hand them out." The leader hissed, hatred in his eyes.

  "For safety purposes." The Arbiter replied, anger in his tone.

  "Bullshit!" The leader bellowed as he spat his saliva onto the Arbiter's armor.

  The Arbiter glanced at the patch of sticky liquid and back onto the angry face of the leader. He slammed his arm guard onto the leader's head with a grunt of frustration, then pulled a revolver from the right side of his belt. His trained the barrel upon the leader's head as his fingers rest on the trigger.

  A suppressed noise of the gun fire whizzed past from behind the wooden barricades, the bullet found its mark on the neck of the aggressive Arbiter and it ended the life of his by burrowing itself deep into the flesh.

  The other two Arbiters quickly shifted to their defensive stance but it was too late, an eagle's eye accuracy could target everything.

  Sven looked through the scope with reddish glass as he finish his clip of ammunition. Only few bullets missed their targets due to the momentum of the continuous firing. The others wounding and killing the Arbiters.

  "Look for the kids!" The Arbiters yelled, more than twenty of them storming into the village. Sven took down a few Arbiters and realized that he couldn't survive such a huge squad of men, he broke into a sprint through the village.

  Arbiters were firing bullets towards the villagers, killing all of them. Since they were the only witnesses for this revolution, no one must survive. The children have to be killed too, except for the two sons of Julian, they will have their father's skills, so they would be first brainwashed, then trained to maintain the limitations of knowledge.

  Sven already fled the village in disaster, hiding behind a huge tree not far away from the village which was shrouded by a thick fort of forest as well. He peeked from his cover, people all were dying, dozens of Arbiters searching for the children.

  An Arbiter waved towards his teammates as he successfully found the children within a haystack. They were carried away by two Arbiters.

  "Damn it!" Sven cursed as he witnessed his best friend's children being taken away. He was about to get up, and he felt a sharp pain on his stomach. He took off his bandages that concealed the wound that was inflicted by the blade he gave to Jensen.

  The wound appeared a little greenish, it was infected. "I don't have much time left..." Sven murmured.