The Rainlands: Grand Delusion

Chapter 46: Unit 992

"I'm coming! Help me!" She insisted and Levi wordlessly gave up and let her rise. Her helplessness gave him strength and he pulled her to her feet. His headache was getting worse but he had more energy than before and his muscles were steadying. Eleana was already at the door, and looked back at them critically.

"I suppose you should see this as well. You were the one he harmed. But if you need help, just ask. You're a friend of Levi's so my men are your men!" She said boldly and then marched out the door. Outside, the two guards fell in beside them with a wordless salute. Down they went, Eleana's long steps eating up the hallway. She stopped every once in a while, to give Levi and Jasmine time to rest, but eventually they made it to the end. Jasmine looked like she wanted to say something to him, but kept glancing at the men beside them without speaking.

"Is something wrong?" He asked. Jasmine just murmured.

"Not now." With a nervous expression. Levi grew worried but before he could ask any more they made it to the end of the hallway. Instantly, as the party arrived, another two guards at the end pulled a huge wooden door inwards, and white light spewed through the gate. Levi squinted; his eyes not used to unfiltered light anymore. Beside him, Jasmine also paused, and Eleana patiently waited for them to adjust. When they were ready, she boldly led them outside.

"What're you going to do to the man?" Levi asked. His sister's face seemed different as she stepped into the sun. The reflected light accentuated the contours of her face giving it a hard and cold look.

"Well, he messed with my lil bro. So, I'd say...if he has a very good explanation, I might not hurt him too bad. But if he doesn't...then he'll regret it." She smiled but it wasn't one of happiness. As they came outside, Levi realized they were in a massive courtyard. Snow blanketed the ground, and above, the sky was turning dark as storm clouds gathered. It was much warmer than he remembered and the ice on the ground was beginning to melt slightly.

"Sis, the rain..." Levi tried to warn her, not sure if she knew about the Shatterstorms but she held up a hand. He stopped as several guards came out carrying black umbrellas with a broadsword sigil on them. One of them came up and handed one to Levi and Jasmine. Another tried to hold an umbrella over Eleana but she just turned around and took it from him.

"I can hold it myself, thanks." She snapped and the guard stepped back, embarrassed. "These Northerners are awful chivalrous, but it's so boring. I suppose it's better than Eastrain though. No one would ever dream of asking me to sacrifice myself here. These guys would die for me. Isn't that right boys?" Her voice became playful and the guards snapped to attention and saluted.

"Yes Milady!" They cried. Just as Levi was beginning to wonder what was going on, he heard the sounds of someone being dragged. Out another side door across the courtyard on the left, a man emerged holding chains which bound a familiar face. The doctor was dragged along by his captor, clad in steel shackles he looked different, but Levi still remembered him.

"That's him! He was drugging you, Jasmine!" Levi said angrily. Eleana watched with interest as Jasmine stared at the man blankly.

"I think I remember him. It's all so hazy, but that face seems familiar" She said quietly. "I wonder who he's working for."

"Let's find out!" Eleana clapped her hand. "Rei...hit him. Hard. Make him understand that drugging people is wrong." Levi was shocked as without a single question, the armored man, who Levi recognized as the leader of the men who had saved him and Jasmine in the storm, shoved his gauntlet into the bound man's gut.

Thump

The sickening noise of metal gauntlet compressing flesh could be heard all the way across the courtyard and when the man flopped to the ground, Rei dragged him to a metal pole stuck in the dirt. There was a steel ring on top, and Rei connected the prisoner's shackles to it so that the man sagged, hanging slightly from his wrists on his tiptoes. Then he hit the man again.

Thump

"Thank you, Rei. Alright. What's your name!" Eleana barked and Levi could hardly believe it was his sister. The way she spoke, the authority with which she ordered one man to beat another, it was totally different from what he remembered. Or is it? Eleana was always willing to do whatever it took to protect me in Eastrain. "Speak!"

"M-Mercy! I'm just a doctor! Peirce made me do it! Ask around the Capital!" The man said. When Eleana frowned, he desperately yelled out, "I'm Kurt! Kurt Epherson!"

"Better. Okay, this man, Peirce. Who does he serve? Why did he want this girl?" Eleana asked. The man became visibly distressed and Levi almost felt bad for him. He struggled to gasp for breath, chained up to the metal post.

"I don't know. I can't say. He'll kill me! You don't know who he really is!" Kurt desperately said. Eleana's face darkened, the storm clouds covering up the wan sunlight. Levi began to grow anxious even with the umbrella in hand. Shouldn't we go inside? "Please you have to believe me!"

"Mmm...hit him again." Eleana ordered dismissively. Rei viciously kicked the man in the leg this time. Kurt howled as a meaty smack rang out. Thunder rumbled, covering up the noise. It sounded like it might start raining any minute now.

Rumble

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I really don't know! But I heard from a friend, he's a killer! He was part of Unit 992! He's hiding his Reincarnation but no one is safe, not even here!" Kurt screamed and screamed, trying to reach his legs, but as his hands were chained up above, he could do nothing but flail around helplessly. Levi turned to Jasmine.

"What's Unit 992?" He asked. She seemed unsure, shaking her head. Eleana answered instead.

"Unit 992...this complicates things. They're a band of killers. Imperial Enforcers directly under Emperor Jie. But if this man isn't lying, then they're serving someone else right now. An unknown variable has entered the game. How unfortunate." She paused, thinking deeply. Then she turned back to the prisoner. "Ok, Kurt. Are you sure that's all you know? There's absolutely nothing else you can tell us?"

"Yes! Yes! I swear! Now please get me down from here, it hurts! It hurts so bad!" The man howled, obviously in terrible pain. Eleana's face was like stone, and she turned back, striding away with the umbrella. "Wait! What are you doing! Please I told you everything! I'm just a doctor! I didn't want to do any of it! FORGIVE ME!"

Tssss

The first drop of rain fell, Levi could hear it hissing against the snow. Kurt's face turned ashen, terrible fear clouding his eyes. Eleana did not look back, Levi heard her from behind him though he was too busy watching the man chained to the post.