Issue #11: X, The Unexpected.

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Issue #11: X, The Unexpected.

(General P.O.V)

The three Amazonian warriors flanked Kane as they proceeded down the hill.

His hands were held before him, the wrists restrained, encircled by manacles attached to the silver chain they had brought with them.

No one spoke. Though the glares Kane was receiving from Lyra and Izah was very indicative of their standing with him.

Normally, he wouldn't have bothered to break the silence. But Kane knew an opportunity when he saw one. This was a chance to gain information.

He had to be sneaky about it. He doubted the three Man-haters would willingly offer anything valuable up.

He wouldn't have been surprised if their blatant animosity against him, was why THEY in particular were sent to pick him.

As a matter of fact,

"You'd expect they would have sent someone else to fetch me, given our history."

Out of nowhere, Kane chimed, casting a furtive glance at the two women trailing behind him.

"I mean, you ladies seem 2 seconds away from plunging your spears through me."

"Keep talking and maybe they will."

Arissa who was ahead on their front, replied curtly.

Kane merely chuckled at that, not saying anything for the reminder of the walk.

At the foot of the hill, four horses were waiting for them, the reins tied around the trunk of a tree.

The steads barely reacted upon their arrival, continuing to graze on the patches of grass stubbornly growing on the rocky and infertile area.

Past the horses, and the ground ended in a sheer drop.

Kane stepped closer to the edge of the cliff, knocking a peeble loose from it's perch.

It noisily bounced on the rocky outcrops below them.

He cast his gaze out across the whole of Paradise Island.

Surrounded by a beach on one side and tall ranges on the opposite end, the grand and beautiful city of Themiscyra was breathtaking.

The architecture of the buildings was as he had expected. Ancient Greek inspired with a few highlights.

Them being,

The Royal palace, Senate Hall and the Coliseum where he could even hear a ruckus of activity as the Amazons trained and sparred.

Despite Themiscyra's larger than life impression, it was small, no bigger than an average town.

Well contained too, with the layout constructed in a way that emphasized strong defensive capabilities. The fortified wall around the city would be a nightmare for any invading force.

That is, if they even made it a mile of the city, with the guards on watch duty at various towers along the perimeter of the wall.

Using his eye sight, which was strong enough to spot a mole on the cheek of an Amazon walking down a crowded market street in the city, Kane managed to get a basic analysis on the enemy's stronghold.

Strong as the defense was, it was super easy, barely an inconvenience, to pick out the city's blind spots and other places of interests.

His eyes especially lingered on the exits, the garisson and the beach. Though there was nothing of what he was expecting with the latter.

There were no docks, harbors or ships visible in his radar to get off the Island.

No viable means of escape.

He was about to discount that plan to steal a boat, when he spotted something from the corner of his vision.

All was not lost it seems.

Docked on a waterfront in the banks of the river going through the city, were several unnmanned Triremes, a type of galley. Boats used by ancient Greeks for warfare, trade and transportation.

Galleys were tricky because they needed many people to row due to their dual use of oars and sails.

And even counting Steve, in the case Kane decided to escape with him, that would only make two. Far from enough man a ship of that size.

Kane narrowed his eyes in thought.

'No way about it.'

He swallowed a sigh.

'I'll figure something out Tomorrow when I check it out.'

He had business with the river anyway. After his swim, he could just practice his powers while stealthily sneaking into the inner-city docks.

"...you hear me prisoner?!"

Izah prodded Kane's back with her spear.

He'd been ignoring her incessant nagging, but this time he reacted when he felt the sharp point poke into his ribs.

The stony and unimpressed look he threw her way, made Izah take a few nervous steps back, a white knuckled grip on her lance.

Thwack!

Lyra slapped the back of Izah's head.

Turning her aggrieved brown eyes to face the former, Izah was interrupted just as her lips parted.

"Stupid girl, don't antagonize someone who can break you in two. Get on your horse, we don't have time to waste."

Arissa admonished from the back of her own stead, a massive black stallion that she led to and eventually stopped before Kane.

The two of them stared at each other for a full 10 seconds.

"You're not going to cause us any trouble, are you?"

Arissa asked with an upturn of a single brow.

Kane blinked, before shrugging helplessly, the action causing the chains to jingle with a metallic clang.

"Not much I can do like this. These chains..."

"Were created by Haephestus himself. They're special, able to suppress anyone to a fraction of their full power.

The Amazon disclosed.

What she did not say, was that for him, that meant he was barely on Izah's level with the silver chains on.

And while that did not seem all that impressive, All Amazons were warriors forged in battle, making them formidable enough to face 5 strong men head on.

Kane raised his hands up curiously.

'Osmium' He speculated, noticing the chains relatively heavy weight.

Being the metal used in making most of the weapons on the Island and the bars on his cell, Kane could easily tell it apart.

Osmium was suppossed to be dull in color though.

And these cuffs seemed to have more than just the resilience of Osmium.

He could feel a strange pull the chains. A draining effect. Something was actively sapping away at his new strength.

They also glowed subtly. A silver light visible under the sun. The chain links and manacles drenched in a type of supernormal energy designed to add a suppressing effect to the wearer.

In this case, him. He was weaker.

Not any different than back when he arrived on the Island.

And from the active draining effect, he would keep getting weaker and weaker. What a terrifying object.

He wondered what kind of Smith could forge such a tool.

"All this, just to keep me from running?"

He prodded.

"Something like that."

Izah snorted from atop her own horse, a gleeful look on her face.

"Would you believe I was the one who came up with the idea?"

She gloated sadistically.

"Weak as you are...it wouldn't take the three of us, let alone an entire Squaldron to finish you. I, alone am sufficient."

No one else would have spotted Lyra and Arissa's slight stiffening of the shoulders.

Unfortunately for them, Kane did.

On top of that, he was also adept enough to hear the slight increase of their heart rates.

Strange. Very strange indeed.

"Well?"

He asked, ignoring Izah, (she looked half mad with rage) and speaking to the other two.

"Don't I get a horse?"

"Lyra?"

Arissa called out, slight relief evident in her tone. The presence of which did nothing to abate Kane's growing suspicions.

The second in command narrowed her eyes at their naive, careless, loud mouthed and ditzy sister. That was close.

They were going to have words later about discretion.

"Here."

Lyra approached Kane and handed him the reigns to the last horse.

"You ride on your own. Try to run and I'm emptying my entire Quiver onto your back. We'll call it pay back for the cheap shot three days ago."

With that she turned around and walked back to her own, mounting it.

Kane's eyes trailed up the reigns of his stead, a brown and powerfully built Mare.

He glanced at the other horses, noticing they were all stallions.

More power games. Or maybe he was simply reading too much into it.

He rubbed the mare's neck, staring at her gentle eyes.

"Take care of me, okay girl?"

She neighed, shaking her head in a gesture he took as a welcome to ride on her back. He grabbed the saddle and easily hoisted himself up.

"Let's move."

Arissa gave the order and they were off.

(Kane's P.O.V)

The journey to the city was eye opening for sure. A look into the architecture of the thousands of years old society.

The dungeon, if we could even call it that, was built along the cliff flanking the city at the back. On the other side of the cliff was the jungle.

The path down to the city was laid out with limestone, winding in a spiralling pattern that led to one of the back exits.

Gradually, a few hundred meters from the city wall, the rough landscape changed to farms and long stretches of fields which grew a variety of food.

There were Amazons tending to these farms, most of whom stopped to stare as we passed.

The looks I was getting from Lyra and Izah seemed to be the common theme.

It was not an overstatement to call me resented.

By now, I was already used to it and had accepted I was never going to have fans among them.

Eventually the farming fields ended with a neat row of corn, right at the exit into the outskirts, where we had come from.

A huge gate stood imperiously before our procession, manned by two intimidating guards.

"Halt."

One of them, a bodacious Amazon ordered, walking towards us with a stink eye directed my way.

"Where are you coming from and where do you think you're going?"

The question was directed at Arissa but the guard's eyes were on me.

This was one of those times I was tempted to say something but chose to stay silent instead.

Something that made the tense atmosphere even more awkward.

"I asked you a question...Dog."

The guard insulted, stepping close enough that I couldn't ignore the scar running from her forehead, through her eye down to her chin.

I settled for a cool gaze, meeting her stare head on. Cheap insults aside, she was at least cautious enough that her hand was on the pommel of her sheathed sword.

"Enough."

Arissa cut in.

"His presence is required at the Palace. Let us through, or you will have to answer to Captain Alkyone."

Alkyone seemed to hold a certain reputation as the guard's eyes widened in fear. She hastily turned to her companion and gave a signal.

The other guard wisely decided not to push the issue.

She pulled on a lever beside her. And with a groan of metal, the barred gate rose up, opening the way for us.

From the outer section of the wall, the palace was a few miles away. The massive building prominently jutting above most other structures, including a statue of Athena.

To get there, we had to pass through the market, following the cobblestone and gravel layered road.

I threw a look behind me, meeting the eyes of the guard.

'I'll remember you.'

(Bulma' s P.O.V)

Huh?

The cell...is empty?

Oh no...

(Kane's P.O.V)

"... You were just too unlucky to be born a man. Just like back then, we...were unlucky to be women."

Arissa finished, drawing her blade.

I looked around.

Well, this. I did not expect. They let me see Themiscyra in it's entirety on purpose.

A short con I never saw coming.

"Your city..."

I begun, rubbing Sadie's (yes, I named the horse) soft coat to calm her down.

Then again, I couldn't blame her for being nervous with all the sharp pointy weapons and their wielders eager to use them, surrounding us.

"...It's designed with war in mind. Backpasses, secret exists, looping pathways, interconnected alleys and unexpected dead ends. Buildings constructed in a way to deceive spies. Constructed in a way that only people who have been living here for thousands of years would understand and be able to navigate."

I said as the realization sank in, culminating in a shake of my head at my blunder.

It all lined up. The chains designed to suppress me to a fraction of my power...

Izah's slip up...

They purposefully lied. Led me here. To an ambush.

We had not arrived at the Palace.

Or even the Senate hall. Somehow, despite being on the look out for it. I had wanted to see those marble pillars up close.

Damn.

"Okay."

I met her eyes. Arissa's eyes.

"Clearly, I underestimated you."

I held up my hands, showing the restrains off to the hundreds of women surrounding me on the sands of the Coliseum. A place for battle that stank of sweat and blood.

"Now then."

My danger sense started tingling.

"I don't suppose you will let me out of these chains?"