CH50: TWO PAWNS

[12:00 PM]

[Location: Somewhere in RedZone.]

While Dezhong and every other person were resting for another day tomorrow, a certain group of people were in an underground facility of their own carrying out an experiment their master cooked up.

This 'group' currently had a man with white hair tied up in thick heavy-duty chains. His head hung over as he was still unconscious, so buckets of water were poured over him to stun him awake.

"Boss. He's showing signs of response." A dragon said to Jin who was seated at a safe distance with a mechanized cigar in one hand and a glass of aged alcohol in the other.

"Stand back. All of you." Jin ordered, and so the Dragons left the poorly lit, cold, drafty room with only Jin and Elvis in it.

"The effect of the drug should have worn off by now." Jin muttered as Elvis struggled to lift his heavy head. "Either my dragons put too much, or you've been extremely weakened."

"Please," Elvis whispered, "Let me…let me go." Jin instead responded with a loud laugh while puffing in more smoke and drink.

With his slim eyes, he stared Elvis dead in the eye and said, "It would be rude for me to let you travel in this world alone. You're not from here and as a good businessman, I must keep you housed, fed, and clothed for the time being. Now, be a good boy….and stand up!!"

With the last three words coming out of Jin's mouth, Elvis felt like he lost control over his own body and thoughts while finding himself following Jin's command. As much as he tried, Elvis wasn't able to move any further or do anything else than stand. He struggled and winced, panted and grunted, cursed and fussed but nothing worked. All he could do was breathe and roll his eyes around.

"Excellent." Jin smiled, sipped the last drops of his drink, and broke the glass in his palms. With the broken shards cutting deep into his arm, he walked over to Elvis and smeared his blood on Elvis' face. "The drug works much better than I expected. For that, I am thankful."

"What…do you…want with me…" Elvis struggled to speak, for he felt like his tongue was being held back. "Let…me go…before I KILL YOU ON THE SPOT!!" The man managed to gain slight control of his head and gnarled angrily at Jin while his eyes turned to their dragon form.

"By all means," Jin responded with his hands wide open. "Try!!" Elvis felt his body loosen up and respond to commands so he quickly transformed his hands into sharp claws and screamed as he ran for Jin's throat. However...

"What's the matter, Elvis?" Jin looked at Elvis, whose body suddenly fell to the ground. "I thought you wanted to kill me. Have I not given you control over your own body?"

"I can't…..I can't move."

"Clever boy." Jin smiled while squatting over Elvis' head. "You are my slave. I am your owner. Whatever I say, you obey. You cannot kill me, but I can kill you. So please, do whatever I tell you to do!!" The words he spoke had a melodious tune to them, but to Elvis, they were more like a hypnotizing chant.

"Glad you're listening." Jin snapped his fingers, and two Dragon members came into the room with a fresh change of dystopian attire and a plate of well-cooked meat. They dressed Elvis up and allowed him to forcefully eat before Jin gave any more orders.

"You see, Elvis," Jin continued, "I'm a good host. A good host takes care of his guest. Now, it's tome to move on to business."

"I want you to go over to Desper for the remainder of the week and scout out any suspicious activity. It appears my business rival's rivals have the same motives as I. Go to Crestwood. Observe and report whatever you see, and if anyone gives you trouble…" He ended while sliding his finger across his neck.

Under his control, Elvis no longer felt in control of himself and simply followed Jin's orders. He followed the Dragons out of the underground facility and disappeared into the overcrowded streets of Desper past the canal.

----------------------------

[Time: Somewhere in the afternoon.]

[Location: Unknown.]

"The CRAIN feels like you cannot handle your role as the leader anymore."

"Your loyalty has been tested by the CRAIN."

"We feel that your position must be stripped and given to another."

The order of the CRAIN, a not-so-secret society that ruled the world, set laws, and governed the world in the shadows, held a gathering where the representatives of its leader judged the subordinate who failed to not only find the pendants but also destroyed property and revealed one of their many secrets.

The subordinate, whose name was Cain, knelt before the six representatives who each wore face masks. The masks were designed to look like a pixelated face and were each colored matte black to match with their black suits.

"Cain," The third representative spoke with a stern voice. "Your reckless behavior and poor leadership have led you to this moment of judgment. You specifically attacked the facility which had the pendants instead of infiltrating it and apprehending the pendants peacefully. Not only that, you also attacked civilians who had no business in any of this. Unless you give us valid reasons, we shall have you executed for such foolishness."

"My lords," Cain, the black-robed leader now with an eyepatch, replied while still making sure not to make eye contact with his superiors. "My actions have been proven heinous, and I cannot say anything in defense. However, it is with good reason that I went into that part of town. You see, the sensors you provided to us picked up three signals coming from the Eastern side of Desper. However, as we advanced deeper into the city, we lost two of those signals."

"Thankfully, we got to the last one which was and still is currently in RedZone. To be more specific, the leader of the infamous gang, The Dragons, possesses it."

"YOU FOOL!!" The first superior barked angrily whilst slamming his fist onto the throne-like seat he was on. "HOW WERE YOU ABLE TO FIND THE PERSON WITH OUR PENDANTS BUT FAILED TO CAPTURE THE PENDANT?"

"My Lord," Cain replied, this time feeling more tense than ever. "Jin is no ordinary man as you may think he is. The man possesses a large number of followers that are loyal to him. He somehow outsmarted us and had us nearly killed. If we didn't use the giants, we wouldn't have been able to escape with our lives."

"But in the process," The sixth spoke, "You destroyed his temple. Have you any idea what that means for us? As soon as he perfects the power within the pendant, he's going to hunt us down one by one. What do you have to say about this, Cain?"

"For that, I am truly sorry. I beg you, forgive me." Cain pleaded while bowing before them. "I admit I led my team poorly, and we didn't accomplish what we were sent to do, but do not take my life."

"The clones you used have nothing to do with this." The fifth spoke. "They simply followed your orders. As much as we are displeased with your actions, you did manage to accomplish one thing."

"Yes, my lords," Cain responded as a silver box was dragged before him. He quickly lifted the cover and a thick haze of dry ice billowed out. He stretched out his hand and pulled out cylindrical liquid holders, each with three unique colors. "As we speak, these mutagen drugs have been distributed across Neveah, Desper, RedZone, and beyond. They've already been tested, and the results are pleasing."

"You must go and thank whichever god you serve," the third spoke. "You have just escaped death, Cain. This drug will cause civilians to act out on a rampage, and one of these days, those with the pendants will come out of hiding. I want you to have as many people infiltrating these towns. When the time comes, we'll fall upon them, extract the genes from their bones, and go ahead with our plans."

"Thank you, my lords," Cain thanked, bowing down once more. "I shall not disappoint you again."

"Who said that you're leading this?" The six laughed as the first clapped his hands. The large door behind Cain opened, and a familiar figure walked in. Unlike Cain, he was completely covered in head-to-toe armor which he designed himself. On his face was a red mask with black lines running down from his forehead to his chin. He wore a black hood torn halfway so as to just cover his shoulders, neck, and head.

The most striking thing about him were the two swords mounted on his back, with military-grade pockets on his thighs and a utility belt above his crotch.

"You will be working behind the scenes, Cain," the third continued. "He shall be the one to take care of the three. Don't you dare try to attack them; otherwise, he will kill you without haste, understood."

Cain nodded, with his head hung down so as to hide the scowl on it. The masked man who walked into the room placed his right hand on his left chest, bowed his head, and said with the deepest, multiple-sounding voice known to man, "I shall not fail you, my Lords." The sound of his voice was so magnificent but terrifying that Cain felt inferior to him. Each word he said sounded like three different toned people were speaking.

"We know you shall not," they all said in unison. "Now, leave us."

******

Please read the author's note.