The Warden

Master Vesper was tied to a chair, bloody and unconscious. A few guards shot at Roa, but were quickly neutralized after he appeared behind them in a blur.

"Old man—wake up," said Rosso, untying his bonds.

"You're dodging bullets already, boy," the old man said, letting out a proud smile.

"Mattina—where is she?" asked Roa, his voice hurried, his eyes darting around at the ceiling vibrating, as dust fell down on their heads.

"Not here," responded the elderly man with a feeble voice, struggling to get the words out.

They grabbed him and rushed out of the room, reuniting with the rest of the group. The rampage did not relent, deafening blows violently shaking the building and ground below their feet.

"I'm here, boss," bellowed Szaszo, his powerful strikes reverberating through the hallway as he attacked from the far end. "You chose your own death the day you put me in this cursed box!" roared the large man, as he unleashed his punches upon an armored, metal wall.

"Everyone," shouted Roa at the top of his lungs, "we need to get out of here now, before that guy makes this whole place fall down on our heads. Astra, Fulvix, take the prisoners and Master Vesper out of here. We will be right behind you. We will try to stop Szaszo from killing any more people," he explained in a hurried tone.

Approaching the thunderous racket, the two Jumpers carefully walked closer to the source of the chaos. They glanced at each other. Rosso's eyes were as wide as an owl's, and his brow was drenched in sweat. Roa's eyes squinted, trying to make out the silhouette hiding in the cloud of dust, as his heart pounded in his chest. Each blow sent shrapnel flying, as the white neon lights on the ceiling flickered after each hit.

"Szaszo?" the boy asked with a calm voice, trying to reason with him. "What are you doing? We need to get out of here, my friend."

The blows stopped, revealing the man's panting breath. His face and clothes were completely drenched in sweat and blood. He concentrated one last vicious punch, at last causing the metal barrier to fall with a deafening clunk. He stood menacingly still with his back to them, his chest heaving, his knuckles bloody, revealing bone.

"Not before I talk to the warden," he said, his head tilted own, looking up and revealing a grin.

Through the dust came a calm voice with a cold, calculating tone.

"The Lord already knows of the situation here. I've already made the call. You may have bested some of our local guards, but the Shadows will soon be here too. They will correct the situation," explained a man sitting behind a desk, calm and collected, as he revealed himself. "Your punishments will know no end."

"Well, well, well—what did I tell you when you brought me into this place, warden?" said Szaszo, walking closer to him with a big smile on his face. "I told you that the day I'd get out, would be the day that you die. Didn't I make you that promise?"

"No need to kill this man. We can just leave now. You have inflicted enough punishment on this place," said Roa.

"Oh, no—you don't understand. This is no normal man. Go ahead, boss. You can give up the act now. We are all Free People here," said the inmate, as he stared down the man.

If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

The prison boss stood up, the chair falling back behind him as he doubled in size, his body morphing into a familiar form. Roa recognized the unmistakable features that once haunted his nightmares, reminding him of the Shadow that had separated him from Eralay. Yet, the warden's mask lacked the eerie, wide grin that branded itself into Roa's memories—memories of the day when everything changed.

"This faceless asshole is a runt," said Szaszo, "the lower-level ones all look the goddamn same!" roared the inmate as he attacked the Shadow head on at full force.

The masked man responded with a fury of punches and kicks, holding his own in the fight. Roa's eyes could not move fast enough to see the fighters' blows, the battle quickly turning into a deadly blur of violence between two monsters. Blasts of light zipped past them like bullets, exploding in every direction, shaking the very foundation as the brutes hurled each other against the walls of the tight space. The devastating impact sent shockwaves rippling through the building, the booming noise becoming deafening. They were like two monstrous beasts locked in combat within a cage, obliterating everything in their path. The once-sturdy walls creaked in protest, buckling under the sheer weight of the battle's fury.

"We need to get the hell out of here now! Let's go! Up these stairs!" screamed Rosso, grabbing the boy's shirt.

Panic gripped both inmates and guards alike, as each shockwave sent the building into further disarray. The noise escalated until the entire structure began to tilt, groaning under the weight of the chaos. Metal screeched and warped as though the building were made of rubber, as the Jumpers tried to maintain their footing. Suddenly, a roar echoed through the corridors, and Roa, pulling his friend by the cloak, dashed toward the backdoor they had entered through. Metal staircases, cell doors, and debris came crashing down with terrifying force. Then, with a deafening final scream, the structure gave way all at once—and everything went black.

When the dust finally settled, all that remained was a twisted heap of metal, jagged and torn. Beams protruded like bones, sheets of steel warped into layers, and tangled wires swayed in the wind like dead snakes, sparking erratically. The silence was thick and heavy, broken only by the faint crackle of settling debris. The scene left an eerie stillness in its wake.

"Did they make it out?" asked Astra to the other escapees, as their eyes darted in the chaos, looking for any movement. Something flickered from underneath the pile, then an arm covered in glowing symbols jutted out, pushing up a large metal panel.

"Quickly, get them out of there!" someone said as they yanked on the warped sheet. Several minutes later, they were able to see the two Jumpers inside the rubble, battered yet still alive and kicking.

"And you really thought that the old man's training was no good," joked Roa, groaning as he tried to sit up, his whole body enveloped in sparks of aura. "We'd be pancakes right now if it wasn't for his drills."

"Sure—did he really have to beat us to a pulp while we were trying to sleep, though?" Rosso let out a smile as he climbed out with a groan.

They glanced back and were left in awe. The jumbled mess they had barely escaped from stood immense, like a mountain of scrap metal and concrete. Something then fell from the sky, landing with a heavy thud a few steps away from them. Szaszo's menacing silhouette appeared out of the dust, walking slowly towards them. He towered in front of the whole group, saying nothing—the silence was deafening. Roa could hear his heart pounding, as if it also wanted to escape as far away from that place as possible. In the inmate's hand was something—he threw it at their feet.

It was the Shadow's white mask, now completely drenched in blood.

"I tore his face off. I freed him—from his life," said the inmate in a serious tone.

Now that the guards were gone, there was no telling whether he would unleash his wrath upon them too. They stood frozen, unsure of what to do, too scared to say anything, as the tense silence stretched on for what felt like an eternity.

"I owed you one for freeing me—consider my debt repaid. You get on out of here, before the cavalry arrives," Szaszo said, his eyes fixed on the boy. "Thanks."

Flying straight up into the thick, hazy skies of Grayshroud, he vanished from view. Several of the revolutionaries emerged from their hiding spots, swiftly grabbing Roa and his friend, pulling them away from the now-collapsed prison. The weight of their escape and the destruction left behind still hung in the air; they moved quickly, knowing that the Shadows the warden promised would be there soon.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.