"I regret having to do this to you, but you're just too integral to our cause."
A deafening thwack boomed through the room, followed by a harrowing shriek of pain.
"I do wish we'd been able to stamp this out before we reached this point. Do you know how much damage you almost caused?"
The booming thwack rang out again, then another tormented scream, accompanied with the soft dripping of liquid, pattering against the floor.
"You're a damned fool, but I understand. How could you not fall for him? I've felt the doubt in you, seen it play out in its infancy and watched it blossom into conflict as it peaked into maturity. He was the catalyst, wasn't he?"
The same arrangement of haunting noises played once more, like clockwork. Within the prison of Moltezz's quarters, her Marks remained glued to the bars, staring at the door where the noises were coming from, some staring in horror, others in amazement. Their cell doors had even been left unlocked, following Trent's and the other's escape, however none of the Marks inside dared even attempt to leave.
"Be truthful, you only wanted to impress him, didn't you? Oh, and on that note, he's left you behind. He's gone, Seeth, he escaped not too long ago. And don't kid yourself into thinking he's coming back, either. A Node spotted him and some others, including Plasia of all people." The malicious mistress shivered at the thought. "That's what they do when you don't break them in. I tried to help you, but you locked him away with Plasia... You should have given him to me. Your selfishness has cost you everything."
The scream was even louder this time, drenched in agony and echoing through the cold stone corridors endlessly.
"Honestly though, I really don't want to do this to you. Not to you. Doubt is understandable, I really do get it. But we're made to be something greater, and you need to accept that. No one else will accept you for anything else."
The brutal sounds of torment continued to ring out. The impact noise was so great that it rumbled through the floor and shook the very walls themselves, making the hanging lights sway gently.
"You must own it, Seeth. We're monsters. Stop tip-toeing around and stride like you should. We're made to rule, to separate the weak from the worthy. Until you accept what you are, you will always be conflicted and fragile. Let your inner empress out and rejoin us. I will always make room for you at my table when you're ready to accept your place."
Seeth was strung up right in the middle of Moltezz's main chamber, her arms bolted to the ceiling with huge chains. She hung there, weakly, barely able to raise her head. A trickle of blood leaked from the corner of her mouth as she limply raised her head to respond.
"I... won't... be that... anymore..."
Moltezz smiled a knowing smile, power surging through her arms and the massive chains she was wielding began to glow with heat.
"I really appreciate you not lying to me, Seeth. But, it appears I still have work to do."
She went to raise the chain, but stopped suddenly. The two met eyes for a second and confusion swept across the room. Moltezz looked across, and then back, trying to place the faint sound they both could now hear.
"Most... unusual... You stay here, my darling, I will find out what is interrupting our one-on-one."
Chains still in hand, Moltezz strode out from her chamber and into the connecting corridor. She could feel something... strange through the floor, something was happening close by. There weren't many people left in the dungeon at the moment, as most had been pulled up to help with the assault on the freighter, but the few remaining Nodes were picking up on something as well, looking around the corridors in a confused manner.
Moltezz's confusion would not last for very long.
Right at the back of the dungeon, down one of the dead end corridors, the far wall began to glow red hot, the stonework spitting and fizzing loudly, turning into a molten amber slurry and dribbling out over the floor, revealing a massive tunnel and a squad of armed figures within it, weapons primed and ready. A single Slave stood before the tunnel, looking at the group, perplexed, but was swiftly cut to pieces by a few precise rounds fired by the squad, blue tracers barely visible as the vulcan rounds shredded him instantly.
"Team A has breached, Team B is on route, ETA thirty seconds. Proceeding with the primary goal; re-acquisition of The Zion Knight."
*
Diego was met with very little resistance as he approached the abandoned factory. A few Slaves hovered idly within the walls and hadn't yet noticed him, even as he came right up to one of the broken windows and peered in, the Slave didn't react. They looked like all the other ones, grey skin, purple eyes, a zombie-like demeanour, looking around the room open mouthed and vacant.
"I can't let anything stop me... These things are pretty much dead, anyway." He reassured himself. "Killing them would be a mercy."
Kicking off the ground, he smashed through the window and rolled into the room, drawing the attention of the Slaves instantly, who both looked at him with that hungry, empty gaze before shambling towards him.
Diego heaved his blade, five foot long and built like an elegant cleaver with a single sided razor sharp blade and an enlarged tip, perfect for cutting into heavy armour providing the wielder was able to wield its heft. With a single swipe left, and another right, he parted their bodies instantly.
"I'm sorry this happened to you." He bowed his head for a moment, then continued on.
The bodies slumped apart, oozing with blood and acrid purple goo that spilled out from their sheared bones, but Diego was already charging back towards the door he kicked down earlier. He could hear groaning and shallow footsteps coming from the staircase, and cautiously went to investigate.
The staircase was mired with Slaves, upwards of fifty, easily. He tapped his blade on the wall to get their attention, the metallic clang causing many of them to suddenly look upwards and fixate on him.
"You want my ass? Come get it!" the lizard yelled defiantly.
The sound of naked paws and feet scraping on concrete grew louder. Diego retreated back into the factory, if he was going to fight his blade needed space. He waited in the middle of the room with his hands resting comfortably on the huge sword. The rumbling of hungry, desperate creatures enthralled to their instincts filled the room, screeching, panting and aching for his body.
The Slaves spread out inside the room and charged straight for him, a group of seven first, they lunged for him but were met with a great sweeping arc of metal that cut through them effortlessly, bodies only briefly slowing the blade as they were severed in the same gruesome fashion as their two allies. More arrived, eighteen this time, spilling out onto the damp flooring and quickly leaping over the chunks of their former brethren.
Once more, Diego hefted his blade, slashing left and right with brutal precision, stopping perfectly in the air and swooping through the crowd with devastating effect. Limbs and bodies were carved and separated, heads decapitated with precise slices, and their stumbling assaults were parried and counter attacked. Diego's stance remained perfectly planted the entire time. The next wave arrived and faced a similar fate, now struggling to move past the bodies that surrounded him, the arcing assault from the lizard only grew even more devastating as he cut through his would-be rapists in seconds.
A final two figures thudded up the stairs and arrived, a larger, equine Slave, just taller than Diego, with a horse's head, a man's torso and two solid hooves for feet. Large muscles ripped across its body, and it was equipped with, of course, a long, heavy penis, hanging between its legs, erect and ready for what was to come. Behind the creature, a slightly smaller but remarkably more intelligent-looking creature stood, a wolven Node, clad in low tier military gear and wielding a purple energy whip that flickered on as she entered.
"Oh, nice! I get a Mark to play with whilst the Controllers are all busy... OH SHIT, you're the one that they've been looking for! This is gonna be so much fun!" She grinned, unable to contain her excitement. The equine Slave surged forward with unexpected speed and dexterity, stamping through the dead Slaves on the floor and launching a fist right at Diego. As he did so, the Node circled around to the side and lashed out with the whip, attempting to catch it around the lizard's neck.
He dodged the whip and swung the blade at the Slave, but it nimbly dodged back and avoided the cleave, before surging forward and grabbing the lizard with one of its massive hands. The Node cackled in joy and pre-emptive victory, but then a sickening crack rang out as Diego uppercut the Slave's arm and broke its elbow. He jabbed his sword's handle into its chest, knocked the Slave back a step and finally swung the blade vertically from low, slicing the creature in half, right up the middle.
"Oh you son-of-a-bitch, that Slave was useful! You'll pay for that, I'm gonna fuck ya til ya ass bleeds, prick!" The Node hissed angrily.
"That's a little fucked up. Not entirely surprising though." Diego murmured, resetting his stance for her oncoming assault.
She lashed out once more with the whip, but Diego shifted out the way and threw his own arm forward. A bright yellow energy whip materialised, seemingly out of nothing and lashed out, cracking through the air and wrapped around the Node's shoulder. With a firm yank he pulled her forward, and she stumbled, head first towards him and his blade...
