1 The Citadel

Anthony sat down, enraged as to what had happened. He heard a rattling of keys, and the door in front of him slid open. A Citadel agent entered the room. He had a rough old face with dark brown eyes with a sliver-white pointed goatee.

The Citadel was the sole government organization on the continent of Pangea. They claimed to be the sole protectors of the world and would crush any chances at rebellion in an instant.

Anthony prepared himself not to leak information. His top priority was to keep all ties between him and his family secret. His wife and child had not been captured, and they were all he could stop to think about for the last 24 hours.

Anthony had a wife named Amanda and a newborn child who was not yet named. Amanda and he had been married for two years but were often seperated due to his work. Using his enhancements, Anthony was known among many Citadel Exectutives as a powerful figure working as a turncoat.

This was what The Citadel had labeled anyone who went against them, whether it was a large group or an independent turncoat. He had been caught on his second attempt to infiltrate the judicial branch of The Citadel in order to aquire information, and was now sentenced to interrogation, torture, and death.

The Citadel agent was named Furrel, and bore the shining silver armor that all Citadel agents did. Due to his age, he slouched and it seemed he had a difficulty moving due to the weight of this armor.

Furrel spoke, "What are your intentions, young man? Are you alone? Why have you gone so far astray?" Ferrel questioned. "Why had you not sought our help to begin with? You could have been trained and made a fine cavalier in The Citadel army, or even a magistrate within the court with your skills." He sat up straight and poored both himself and Anthony a goblet of wine.

At this sight Anthony gritted his teeth. He smashed the goblet on the floor and spit, cursing. "You know the corruption of Citadel! You have just lived through it! You... 'silence' anyone who opposes you, and do any wish of the Dictator, even if it involves the murder of innocent people just because they are 'in the way'. You will never get away with th-."

Anthony gagged as Furrel slammed his mouth shut. He proposed an offer to Anthony, that he would allow him to live if he swore his loyalty to The Citadel and worked as a laborer for the rest of his life.

Anthony denied, and from that point on for the next 24 hours was tortured. Flaming torches were put right up against his skin. The schorching flame immediately engulfed the parallel skin and caused boils full of pus to envelope the skin. He was also scourged with a whip with fish hooks on the end until he was so red with blood that it was unrecognizeable. Finally, he was forced to drink sewage water infested with dangerous bacteria. He was then asked again whether he would pledge his loyalty.

Anthony denied just as he previously had, and he was sentenced to death the next day. It was to be a public execution in one of The Citadel's most bustling cities, Externia. This was to show the common person what would happen to any turncoats discovered, and to enforce fear into the lives of people to steer any away from rebelling. They did this as a preventitive measure, and for most people, it worked.

Occasionally, however, turncoats were made out of people born with especially high enhancement potential. Enhancement was a way to make weapons stronger. Along with the weapon, the human would become stronger as well as if the two cradeled eachother's power.

The weapon became stronger by becoming sharper and more resilient to damage by other weapons. Users of high enhancement would easily destroy the weapons of users of low enchantment, and users of high enhancement had an easier time passing through the defensive armor worn by most.

The human became stronger by becoming faster and being able to sense movements easier. This would allow for heightened agility in combat and overall endurance for long battles.

Finally, a user would need to find a weapon that suited them. Some character preferred swords and shields, while others preferred whips and battleaxes, etc... If the user and the weapon were not compatible with each other, there would be no hope in the user becoming strong in the future.

Just before Anthony was executed, he spoke his last words. He said to the people, "I enoyed living, but this world is the filthiest concoction could imagine. This is due to the corrupt government and the manipulated subjects it has created. I can only wish that one day this filth can be cleansed and that all can be free from this oppressive and dictatorial government."

The executioner slammed his battleaxe down on Anthony's head. Roaring from the crowd followed. This roaring, however, was not of grief nor sorrow. The people of the Citadel were happy to see this. They themselves did not see the corruption and only saw a traitor being killed. They had essentially been brainwashed as they screamed "Quick! The head and body can still be used as this winter's firewood! Let's use it no matter the smell it makes!"

As the crowd died down, the bustling city of Externia continued their daily routine. People bartered, and government officials and agents watched the city to make wind of any turncoats if possible. The executions were normal, happening about once or twice a week, even though many of the victims were only suspected and actually innocent. At that time, most people believed this was normal and thought it would be an honor to die for the Citadel.