Seized

Awoken by light taps of water drops against the trash bag tugging on his head, Shin began to take in the surroundings. He then immediately jolted upward; this was not the diminutive hole carved into the earth he was used to. He was prepared to run, as being anywhere but the familiar scene of his rudimentary home only spelled trouble.

How did he end up there? It has been many years since he's woken up anywhere else…

A soft scuffle resounded behind him, causing him to flinch and swivel his head towards the unknown source.

"Uwahhh…"

No longer supported against his solid shoulders, Aizza toppled to the floor and groggily woke up from the impact.

She lazily raised a closed fist to her drained eyes, rubbing away her sleepiness as she sat up.

-Yawn-

"Is everything owkay Shwin?" 

Giving no response, Aizza just assumed everything must've been fine. Under his gaze, she stood up and went into an awkward stretch in the sticky trashbag.

"Mnnnnnnnn— Hmmm?"

Canceling the motion, she put out her arm and caught a few droplets of water onto her flat palm.

The sight of Aizza allowed him to recall the previous day's events. He calmed himself down as he watched Aizza catching the droplets from the beginnings of a rain cycle.

Choosing to forget her first question, as she seemed to have found her own answer, he instead confirmed what was probably on her mind.

"A rain cycle is beginning. Hopefully it's not a type two, or else we'll have to deal with being drenched… 

At least if it does come to it, these bags will be a bit helpful. More so than soggy clothes, at least."

"Cycle? Type Two?" 

Like a curious pup, her head tilted. With only her face showing through the bag, Shin found the sight funny.

Stifling a smile, he gave a quick reply.

"Ahem - Rain cycles are just what it is called down here. I don't know too much about it myself. 

Water falls from the sky. 

Sometimes it's a lot, and at other times it's nothing more than a light drizzle.

As for the naming scheme, a cycle is just as it sounds. A day cycle, a rain cycle, and a fog cycle are just all names for a type of weather or the time of day, I suppose." 

His head shook as he finished the sentence, relaying his lack of understanding it himself.

"A type two would suck… But it looks to just be a type-1 for now, since it's not slowly ramping up. 

That can all change in a moment without notice, though, so we have to be a bit more cautious today."

Aizza looked up, an uncomfortable motion in her current getup, to see the unchanged and silvery flat sky as she'd seen before. 

"The clouds look the same as yesterday though! And there isn't any wind either?"

"Clouds? I'm not sure what that is, but I'm guessing you mean the fog? 

That's just how it is down here. The fog sometimes gets denser, but that's pretty much the extent of it.

Though, I suppose the skies aren't the same on other layers. I read about how the sky can become blue and even red, but that only sounds eerie to me."

She was baffled, not sure of what to make of the terminology Shin was using. He continued on, barring any further clarification.

"It'll all come to you eventually. A few years… no, a few months with me, and you'll be a natural down here. Learn the ins and outs of surviving and such in your new 'home.'"

Glossing over the weighty idea that this is what her life would be from now on, she tried to figure out a bit more about the strange weather.

"What do you mean they aren't clouds, where does the rain come from then?"

"Huh? What are you even on about?

Forget it. We won't get far today if you question every little thing right now. Since we are both up and about, we should start making some progress.

If it starts coming down too hard, we'll have to take shelter. Which in turn means we'll be stuck for half a day at the very minimum."

"Bu-Mnnnn-"

Aizza cut herself off abruptly.

^*No complaining Aizza! Just because your legs hurt doesn't mean we can just wait around.

I have to show Shin I can handle it, I can keep up!*^

"Did you want to say something?"

"N-No, it's alright. I'm ready."

With a raised eyebrow, he wasn't convinced if she was actually learning to behave or if she was just afraid to make him annoyed. Either way, as long as she did her best, he was confident they'd be alright.

"...Alright then… 

Just follow me as you did yesterday. Same rules apply. 

Be extra careful as you walk. As the rain continues, pools and streams of water will form, hiding sharp objects you'd never see coming. 

Avoid the water as much as possible, and try to match my steps. If I get cut, it's no biggie. If you are jabbed, well, let's not worry too much~

If it does roll into a type-2 cycle, we'll probably have to stop. Just listen to me, and you'll be fine."

Idling a few seconds, Aizza then nodded to Shin.

"We'll head off then."

Scurrying over to his back, she conscientiously applied herself to Shin's instructions, repeating what she should do, how she should act, and how she could improve on her rudimentary knowledge of the scary new world.

Shin led them out to the opposing street from which they had come. He would avoid backtracking as much as he could, as in his mind, any retracing would only increase the chances of a run-in.

Keeping true to the city's aesthetic, the roadway housed all sorts of litter. Water had already begun to stream off, carrying and rearranging lighter flicks of trash around.

The two wandered along, attentive to where each and every step landed without losing their pace. 

It was a bit difficult for Aizza to keep up with Shin's speed, even if it was already slowed down for her sake. She eventually figured out that matching Shin's steps drastically increased the pace she could handle. Her bare feet no longer stepped onto rigid pieces of trash, which caused her to wince or stumble.

Noticing Aizza was now keeping up, he decided they could move a bit faster. 

Aizza no longer appreciated her discovery. 

As they reached one of the many intersections within the city, there was a stark difference to this one compared to the rest. Any resident would instantly recognize it.

The crossroad's center was leveled. Anything once standing there was flattened cleanly into the asphalt pavement. Trash sturdier than the unmaintained road was instead embedded into it, giving the street an almost decorated aesthetic with the unique patterns created.

The resulting piece was all due to the countless visits by the unimaginably weighty Starzen Vendors throughout the years.

Aizza was a bit flustered at the strange sight but found no time to think while also trying to maintain her footing on the slimy and slippery journey, having almost fallen multiple times already.

They carried on through the landing site undisturbed.

- - - - - -

Time passed as they toured the monotonous city, both stuck in their thoughts. However, their concentration eventually became more and more focused on avoiding the growing pools of water. 

The rain picked up as they went on, becoming more aggressive than before, adding to the piling hazards the city posed.

The only sounds audible in the leaden world were the chaotic yet peaceful plips and plops of the rain crashing into the city.

The city offered a variety of materials and surfaces for the rain to smack into, giving off a unique mess of noise depending on where you were.

To Aizza, she thought of the cacophony as if a band of drums was orchestrated by the sky. The metallic reverb drummed from the trash cans and scrap metal, the high-pitch hits from soft, malleable plastics, and the muddled ticks from the grouped streams of flowing water resounded as the conceded tears struck hundreds of times each second.

She could vaguely recall a song she once had heard, but lost track of it the more she focused on the memory.

To Shin though, the omnipresent rain worried him. 

Sound was one of the critical senses he relied on. Debatably his first line of defense against any threat.

Losing most of that sense to the thunderous waves of rain forced him to focus more on his sight, which was also becoming more problematic as each layer reduced it.

Luckily, that meant the same for any pursuer, but it was still an overall net loss in Shin's view.

If the cycle advanced to a complete type-2, then at least he could make the decision to stop for the time being.

He had already spotted many groups of thugs searching random groups of people. He was sure they were looking for him, and a type-2 would stop them all the same.

But they were searching aggressively, so much so that Shin worried if a type-2 would honestly stop them.

He was already far out from his home, which only meant they either had found his trail, or that they had increased the amount of people searching for him. 

The second option was surprisingly more scary once one thought about it, as it meant whoever put out the bounty clearly had enough influence to gather so many scavengers within a little over a day.

*This is getting troublesome…*

Each time their eyes landed on him, his body felt as if it would freeze. Fighting against the urge to stop and freeze, he went onwards innocently, confident in his stride to avoid attracting attention.

More times than Shin would've liked, a visibly stressed man would pass by, giving them a short look before moving on and grumbling to themselves. It seemed they were not having luck in their search.

Unknown to them, their targets were simply walking past them under their noses.

*Damn lucky they aren't bright enough to catch onto me. I wonder if it's really Aizza deterring them, or if they just suck at searching?

Makes sense if it was Aizza. If I were in their shoes, I'd think myself crazy to drag along a child while being knowingly chased.

Plus, if they had stalked me before their initial attempt to get me, they'd have known I was always alone. 

Aizza seems to be a blessing in disguise, alongside my genius~

...

It's a bit strange how well Aizza's doing. I expected I would have had to reprimand her a few times already. 

Not once has she complained, fallen, or asked a silly question.

I wonder if it has to do with her memories. Amnesia sounds too convenient though…

Ah, it's pointless to still suspect her, not after all that's happened.

Though she hasn't made a peep, I'm sure her feet are in a sorry state. We can't really slow down. Hopefully, she can hold on…

It seems the searchers are in groups of one or two. I'd like to believe it's because they're spread thin, but that's just the nature of the people. Grouping together is dangerous with strangers, and they'd probably have to share the reward, too, whatever it is.

Seems like I might be in the worst scenario after all. Was it really Zeris who sold me out?*

Shin contemplated different questions while he pressed on through the rain. 

He noticed a pair of men walking as opposed to where they were heading, making him feel uncomfortable. 

Trash lined up into tall piles that blocked the other side of the street, along with no alleys to easily slip into. It seemed like it would be impossible to avoid getting close to the men.

The rain continued to pour, keeping consistent despite Shin's wishes.

*Damn it, I want to stay away from them. 

There's no easy way to path away without making the men suspicious. If we try too hard, it'll grab their attention. 

If they were one of our persusers, then that'd be the end for us…

I'd have to ditch Aizza…*

Shin prayed that it wasn't the case. Not only because it would be impossible to escape the current situation with Aizza since there was no way she'd be able to scale the divider of trash without either his help or time, but also because if he did manage to escape, they'd have the general area he was in!

He could only hope that if his luck was really so poor, assuming he escaped, that the men were greedy enough not to share their 'findings.'

The two men, one a darker-toned elf, and the other a tentacled being, sharing the same race Zeris, were still far down the street.

The dark elf had his right eye closed. A gash streaked through from the top-center of his forehead, trailing off his cheek as it passed through his eye. Short, dirty-blonde hair capped his scalp, matted down by the rain. Nothing else set him apart besides his abnormal height, a full head taller than even any other elves Shin had seen.

To the elf's right slithered the deathly pale tentacled man. Opposed to Aizza's pearly skin, his skin's appearance was diseased in coloration, as if drained of blood. 

Matching the elf's length, his greasy black hair gave a slight shine even in the dim environment of the city, piercing even the downpour. 

Equal in height to his buddy, the two carried themselves as any other would while trying to reach somewhere. 

The elf took a side glance at Shin. A short raise of his upper lip showed disgust before he refocused his eyes forward, not wanting anything to do with the children who were a distance away. 

*Some people see us children as wastes of space. 

Doesn't make much sense if you think about it. There's plenty of space, really.

Guess they gotta blame their hatred of the world on something.*

Shin shrugged within his mind. Seeing the elf's actions, he decided they weren't part of the ones looking for him.

He still had to be careful, especially of the elf. There's nothing stopping him from stabbing either of them for no other reason but to satisfy whatever thoughts he may have.

There'd be no punishment for it, after all. It would be a merciful death compared to what could be done to one in the lawless city when all was considered.

Shin took his left hand behind him, reaching out toward Aizza. Her eyes were stuck to the floor, ignoring anything else and leaving it to Shin, but she still happened to see his hand.

Figuring out his intent, she took his hand with her right and was pulled forward so that she was now to his left and almost to his side, just faltering slightly behind. 

*Just because they aren't looking for me doesn't mean they are innocent. It's just as likely they take an interest in one of us, whether to traffic us off or worse.*

He couldn't forget the regular everyday dangers he faced just because a larger, more pressing one loomed over him.

With their steps out of sync due to their height difference, Aizza took an extra step for every one Shin made with his quickened pace. No longer stepping in completely safe spots by following Shin, she winced, but after seeing the men, she wished to get away as much as Shin did. The elf's gaze seemed terrifying enough, even when it wasn't set on her.

She had to admit, she enjoyed the feeling of safety that came along with holding Shin's hands. They felt a little calloused, but it didn't diminish the feeling of having someone with her, a friend.

Someone she could trust.

Uninterested in each other, the two parties eventually closed the gap that stood between them. With about a meter between the two, Shin and the tentacled man passed shoulder by shoulder.

Still tense the moments after their backs were to each other in the pouring rain, nothing happened in the following three seconds. It seemed the men indeed had no other intentions. Shin relaxed while the men had already taken two steps away from them. Shin allowed himself to believe they were in the clear.

His heart suddenly dropped.

In an instant, two firm tentacles wrapped around Shin's arms around his elbows, constricting them to his thin body. The forceful pressure of the jerk tugged down at the bag he wore, almost tearing his head through the bag itself.

Just as quickly, Aizza was thrown to the side to the floor with a flick of another tentacle, her hand already having slipped Shin's. She was now soaked by the muddied pool of water she was tossed into.

-AH-AHHHH- 

Just as he was restrained, he struggled with all the might he could muster, which in turn made the two branch-like tentacles tighten further. 

Shin yelped from the tightening he felt. He could tell his ribs were on the verge of snapping. 

A thin tentacle shot forward, ripping the taut bag from over his head, exposing it wholly to the pouring rain. 

"Is this the kid, Damian?" 

A deep voice thundered from behind Shin.

"Messy black hair. Thick black eyebrows. Quite the glare to match, too. He's got beady-red eyes. Looks around fourteen for a human, though he's a bit scrawny. I think it's actually him this time."

The elf had read out the list of features he remembered as the descriptions of their target. He only bothered to remember the significant details, leading to a few false positives and a few unnecessary deaths.

He then walked up to Shin, who had stopped struggling and was instead drooling due to the pain from his collapsing sides. His elbows were forced to pierce into his torso as he struggled to breathe. 

Damian brought a small shank to his shoulder, ripping through the bag and then his shirt with its serrated edge, exposing his white shoulder where it met his chest.

The fresh cool air hit his shoulder, followed by a few drops of rain. It was a minor distraction from the agony he was in.

Damian then plunged the bloody blade deep into him, unbothered by the following scream he had expected.

"AHHHHHHHH - Haaaah - Haaaaah - Ahhhh…"

Unable to take full breaths, Shin's screams came out weakly and in short bursts. Tears ran down his face, and his mind was wild, half trying to find a way out of this hopeless situation and half cursing how his sorry life was over.

Aizza, dazed by the blunt hit and the following fall, had returned to a stand and became rooted in shock. She had watched the evil-looking blade sink into his tender arm without any resistance. She watched as the red liquid flowed down his arm as the rain mixed in.

Hyperventilating, she found herself unable to do anything but listen to the grating and stifled cries he let out.

"Aizza, g-, go! Run! Run, Now!"

Paralyzed with fear, she just blankly stared as he croaked out the words. She could barely comprehend the words he spoke, and even then, she didn't want to listen to them. Leaving Shin was akin to a death sentence for both of them, she understood that much.

In the end, her chaotic thoughts latched onto the strange trust she placed in Shin.

^*S-Shin knows what he's doing. I-I, need to listen, he said to follow his orders. I'm in his way, he can get away if I leave!*^

Broken mentally by the scene, she chose to heed his command, not because she believed it would keep her safe, but rather Shin.

Still trembling, she went into motion, trying to escape over the hurdle of grange to her side.

Her body contorted to the mound's shape as she attempted to get over it. Multiple sharper pieces of garbage gave her light cuts, tearing the trash bag in spots and revealing strange hair. 

Trickles of blood became apparent on her scraped arm.

She failed to get over the slippery and squishy pile, the rain doing no favors to aid her.

One of the lower tentacles from the many 'legs' of the large man holding Shin had shot out and grasped her ankle, dragging her in as she was halfway over the mound. 

As she was ruthlessly dragged over, she tried to maintain her footing on one leg, but quickly lost it as she tumbled to ground and had the wind knocked from her. 

She lay motionless and dazed, and her vision was faltering. 

Simultaneously, undistracted by the commotion surrounding the little girl, the elf ripped the palm-long blade from the boy's shoulder. It caused another labored and hoarse scream to come from him as it audibly rubbed against bone.

Damian watched the wound as it streamed out blood. Within a dozen or so seconds, the flow became a trickle and eventually began to coagulate. 

As he stared at the shoulder, already convinced that it was so, he watched as the crimson edges of the cut began to shift in color. Half a minute went by before he confirmed it.

The boy had rapid healing. There was no doubt about it.

"Jackpot Zange. 

Fucking. 

Jackpot!" 

A bit startled, Zange quickly shooed away the idea that his partner was messing with him. Damian was many things, but a trickster was not one of them.

"It's him!? It actually is?"

A sinister grin furthered the already horrifying face of the elf as he nodded.

"Haha! Looks like it's our lucky break! 

Think we'll be promoted?" 

"I fucking guarantee it. 

Hear that kid? What was it, Techin? Tieshun?"

"Titian." 

Zange corrected him.

"Whatever.

You just made our day, boy. You'll finally be worth something to someone, you waste of space."

Damian locked eyes with the teary boy, who was still desperately fighting against the tight restriction and trying to think of any solutions.

Damian spat onto his face.

"Well 'Titian,' say goodbye to any plans you made for your life. 

Heh, heh. 

Ha, ha, haha. 

HAHAHA! 

Oh boy, out of hundreds of lapdogs, we got pretty lucky this time, huh Zange? 

Seems that God's looking our way for once."

Damian laughed maniacally. He moseyed closer to Shin, who was already dizzy and unfocused, and with an exaggerated windup, the elf let loose his fist towards Shin's forehead.

"Shin!"

-THWACK-

Shin fell unconscious.

- - - - - -

Focus Aizza:

Hearing the sinister laughter, Aizza realigned her focus to reality and tried to stand. She failed, the tentacle wrapped around her ankle wouldn't budge. 

The thick, sickly appendage that was affixed to her leg would give a short tug at every attempt she made to get up.

Swiveling herself so that she was not face-first into the street, she looked towards the tentacle man, then to Shin, who was still entrapped in his bind. She watched as the pointy-eared man walked close to Shin. His face went deadpan; his good eye opened wide. Pulling back a fist, he let it loose.

"Shin!"

-THWACK!-

The sound shot off Shin's head, which promptly went limp. 

"Ahh, ahh-" 

It felt as if her whole being had hit its limit. All the strength she had promptly given up as she wanted to pretend that the scene before her never happened.

Damian glazed over the groaning child with annoyance.

"Shut the fuck up, brat." 

All he wanted to do was get it over with and claim his prize. Other distractions weren't to be tolerated.

"What do we do with this one?"

He gave a short pull to indicate who he meant.

"Hmmm…" 

A wicked grin washed the dark elf as he made a realization. 

"She's got a pretty face, why not mess around a bit?"

Uninterested in his companion's taste, Zange rearranged his grip on Shin, lifting his light body up and onto his shoulder. A smooth and effortless movement aided by his tentacles.

"Keep her alive at least. Maybe we can get a bonus since she was with the boy. Reports said he'd almost certainly be alone."

"Don't worry, I'll be gentle~"

Reinvigorated by their words, Aizza once again felt alive. She tried with renewed strength to try and break free, but was unsuccessful.

Another tentacle shot forward and wrapped around her other ankle as well, wet and cold from the rain.

Damian approached her with lustful eyes. He placed a foot on her chest, putting enough weight to cause her to wince as he bent over to remove the bag covering the majority of her head.

Just as Shin said, she had to try to keep her horns hidden as best as she could.

As only her legs were restricted, she had enough reign over her body to snap her teeth up and into the flesh between the thumb and index finger of Damian's approaching hand. 

Clenching her teeth down, she pulled back ferociously as she ground the tender flesh, ripping out the tendons and muscle from the elf's lecherous hand.

He instinctively jerked his hand back, which was what fully allowed his flesh to separate. Stumbling back, he was moaning in pain as he held his hand to his chest, cuddling it with his good hand. Blood poured from the wound, staining his already-drenched shirt with splotches of red.

Feeling angry, truly angry, a sudden rush of clarity washed over her.

She spat out the mouthful of flesh. The corners of her lips leaked red as all she could taste was iron and whatever combination of dirt was on the elf's hand.

She looked around for something to use.

Sparing no second, she found a suitable jagged, thick piece of plastic, solid and sharp enough so that when she stabbed towards the tentacle wrapped around her, it efficiently pierced him, penetrating the octopus-esque man. She drew more blood and, with it, another yelp of pain.

"Augh! You brat!"

But to her misfortune, the firm grip of the tentacles did not lighten whatsoever. 

In desperation, between cries and stressed breathing, she lifted the plastic shiv up and plunged it down again and again, not giving in until another tentacle slithered over and delivered a solid blow to her cheek.

Two more legged tentacles followed, locking her arms at the wrists and pinning her to the flooded floor. Aizza, mad with fury, flailed every muscle in her body in hopes she could break free. She thrust her abdomen up and then back down, hoping the sudden force from her center would cause the tentacles to slip. She needed only a moment to try and run away again.

To her surprise, the tentacle she had stabbed multiple times rescinded, giving her a free leg to kick at the other ferociously. Using so much force to slam the ball of her foot into the tentacle that her foot went numb, she prayed that it would be enough.

^*Let go!!!*^ 

"This fucking bitch! My hand!" 

Damian held the bitten hand with his other. With the ligament and surrounding flesh torn, his thumb limped around.

"I'm going to kill you. 

You. Are. DEAD! 

Zange, keep the bitch still."

"No, stay away from me. Let go!" 

A different tentacle replaced her one and only hope, once again entirely keeping her bound.

Damian took a step over her, his legs arching over her chest. Aizza lay on her back, trying to sit up, pushing against the tentacles pulling her down. 

The elf took a long look at her face. A red line showing where the tentacle whipped at her cheek had caused blood to drip from it. 

He went to a crouch and, with his remaining hand, slapped her face with the full force the grown man could muster.

Almost passing out, Aizza regretfully stayed conscious. The pain was overbearing, bringing heat to her freezing face.

"Fucking want to bite me like a damn rat? I'm going to squish you like a damn rat. 

You're going to regret having done that. Ohoho, better hope you're worth something. Otherwise, I will make sure they give you to me!

And you won't like that one bit."

He lifted his hand again, taking another swing.

Again.

Then again, and again, and again, and again.

Battered over and over, her face was profusely bleeding. Her nose leaked, her cheeks were scratched and ripped, her eyes teared and mixed with the flowing blood. Without relenting, each slap contributed to the extensive black and blue marks growing on her face.

The rain could barely keep up with washing away the fresh blood.

Damian took his hand to her head, wanting to rip the bag so that he had access to her hair. He would pull as much of it out as he could. 

Tearing the plastic apart, he saw her unusual orange horns. 

About to ignore the bizarre sight and continue, Zange spoke out.

"Wait Damian."

"What do you want, Zange. Change your mind? 

Just wait your turn. I'm not finished yet."

"No, Damian, look at her horns. That's not normal. She might actually be worth something. We can't kill her."

Damian stood, leaving Aizza panting on the floor, motionless. She could no longer hear the conversation, her ears ringing from the repeated impacts.

He placed his good hand on his injury, still flowing red at a moderate pace.

"Your point?"

"She's probably worth more than we originally thought. Someone would pay good money for someone like her. 

What if she's from a household, too? She may be worth even more than the freak.

If we take her back, we'll probably get extra marks. Taking back the boy and a rare kid to that lunatic, think about it."

Damian took into consideration what he said.

"We bring the brat, we get promoted. We bring back the brat and the girl, who could be just as important, then what?"

Zange's words pushed his meaning to Damian.

"We'll be in good sitting, that's what. Maybe we could even think about a ticket up…"

A devious smile appeared on both their faces.

"I still wanna hurt her a bit more."

Reading to begin the assault on Aizza once more, Zange interrupted again.

"Her face is already pretty screwed up. We can't risk her choking and drowning in her own blood.

Your hand will be fine. Zeris'll patch you up back to normal. So hold off. 

What's in fate for these two is worse than what you could do anyway."

Damian scowled. 

"Easier for you to say! You have a hundred other tentacles, one down means practically nothing!...

Whatever, fine."

Aizza, recovering her hearing and sight slightly, twisted her head towards the downpour. The last thing she saw was a balled-up fist.

-THWACK!-