$lav3ry is seen, I will mark when its seen, and mark when its gone using ~~
They were now prepared, prepared to fight the Emperor with the help of 2 blasters who can perform a fusion shot, 2 former protectors with decades of experience, and other protectors from another set of caverns. Together, they knew every trick in the book! Whether its a Crystalyd coming from beneath, or Icicle Rain like Flower and Alyssa did in the fight for Serenity.
The only thing was.. the ride was about another 2 hours. The train has to circle back around caverns to pick up certain shipments and Under-Lords.
Their Mecha's were in the parking carriage, it was compulsory for them to be there. They had been careful and anything that could expose them were with them, in a bag in case the Mecha's were searched.
They all sat in a food carriage, they only sat there for the tables. However all Pronto found from searching, all food present are decades old. That didn't stop him from eating it all though.
The group sat in one of those tables that curve to fit for people next to the window, giving them a clear view of their current location.
The grass is brown, that means we're in Smudge Vapor now.
Smudge Vapor had no landmarks, the only unique thing about it was the fact its grass has a specialty of being dull.
"We should arrive at Bloodstone City Station, Smudge Vapor in a few minutes, from there we have go to Vacua, Gelium, and then the final cavern itself, Peach Blossom Spring. Serenity is the 5th stop, so we're about half way through the stations. I believe the reason we have to circle back is because the order of stations got messed up during its construction." Ayule said to them.
Their occupation in a carriage was good timing, nobody else wanted to be near them, viewed them as strange for some odd reason. Maybe the way they talked, maybe the way they worked? Whatever, as long as they can discuss their plans without the chance of being caught, they would be fine.
"Now arriving at Bloodstone City" A speaker boomed.
The train slowed the second those words were announced, the outside of the windows were blurry leaving the site of Smudge Vapor unrecognized for a bit. Junjie and Alyssa couldn't wait to see Smudge Vapor again! The lovely slugs, people, environment and it the place they had learned Slug-Fu. It was going to be amazing to see it again-
Accept it was different. 20 years is a long time. When the train stopped the cavern's true nature was finally showing.
~~ - scroll until you see this mark again if you want to skip
Outside the window was nothing but horrible things, the complete opposite of the way it was before The Emperor. All they could see was labour. Chained up slavery, mining nonstop with whips, whipped for entertainment, those horrid things. The group all stared outside, watching the atrocities, either disgusted or horrified.
Maybe Bloodstone was the name of the city as a reference to how much blood is shed.
It was diverse, in slaves. No matter race, your a slave.
Junjie was a different story, he was both, mixed. He was horrified of the things that happened while he was gone, and disgusted his fall effected the lives of these people in the worst way possible.
~~ - gone now, implied until this mark appears again
This is disgusting. This is exactly why we ran from Yangdi and abandoned China, so we wouldn't be slaves. We might as well have left the gates open to allow him to find us.
"This... this is absurd!" Trixie said, everyone else was practically speechless.
"Under-Lord John Brathen, others refer to him as Johnny Boy. A disgusting person he is. John is in charge of the Vaporian people and keeping them in fear, lets just say, he never disappointed The Emperor in here. He caused this." Alyssa said in disgust as she stared out the window.
"Why Bloodstone of all city names??" Eli asked, too shocked to ask about the labour.
"Bloodstone is a common gem found here, it can be worth something in other caverns, hence the labour all day everyday. Bloodstone is also a reference to the blood shed every day looking for those gems, I'm just glad I'm not in the Smudge Vaporian Organization."
"I can see why, we will put an end to this." Junjie swore.
"We will, I can't test my Staff Blaster yet. I can't use it in the Tournament either, its colour scheme is a dead giveaway. Just get ready your canisters pre-loaded now."
~~ - now its gone, sorry about that
"Train doors closing, beware." The speaker boomed.
Everyone looked at the speaker, it was mounted on the wall, one per carriage yet all shared the same appearance. It was completely grey and the actual speaker itself was a darker shade of grey. It had 2 smaller buttons, one glowed green and the other glowed red.
Everyone nodded to her request, to begin for their fight. The rest of the ride won't have much happening. The clinks and clanks echoed non-stop as the train started back up and began to move.
Under-Lord John Brathen had entered their carriage. He was tall, red headed and had a golden tooth. He seemed arrogant, he carried a long blaster matching his colour scheme. He had no ghouls unlike Clove. His presence had interfered with them, they were no longer free to discuss their plan.
"Hey um guys, maybe we should stop talking about the plans cuz, that Under-Lord you mentioned earlier seems to be nearby." Kord suggested
"Kord's right, we know the plan now, so now we should just wait." Trixie agreed.
"Understood, we should be there in 2 hours, maximum." Alyssa said as she looked out the window.
From then on, everyone spoke in a quieter voice, only hearable by anyone close, in their range. Which Johnny boy was not, nor any of his generals. Johnny Boy wasn't far, but he wasn't close, meaning talking a bit louder then usual about their plans could get them executed.
"Is Clove going to be there, if so than all of us might need to wear masks?" Eli asked.
"She most definitely will attend, she copes with her losses by gaining victories. She's seen all of us, accept for maybe Kord and Trixie as you guys rode from behind, hopingly covering your faces. I wouldn't take the chance though."
"Nah, I'll be fine, there are other Cave Trolls in the East, you should be more concerned for Trix because there aren't that many red-heads here."
"Yeah, I'll take one, can you toss me one."
"As you wish." She replied while tossing her a mask.
Trixie put on a mask, visibly uncomfortable.
"Pronto will not wear such a hideous thing! They should be admiring my face, not wondering what it looks like!!" He bellowed.
"If you get caught, that's on you." She said to avoid future arguments.
"Hey Kisimen and Blades?" She said to her slugs. Her Thrasher and Forgesmelter leaped out of the canisters hidden by her hair onto her shoulder.
"Can you get into my Wrist Blaster Kisimen, and can you get in my blaster Blades? I repainted them both so the Dai-Fu won't spot me as easily." It would still take getting used to that name instead of Lian. The title was new, so it was hard to accept Lian was truly gone just as Junjie 20 years ago. She would still refer to her as Lian, the acceptance of the Emperor's terror on names will never happen.
She must be in The Emperor's control, just like Junjie was. Neither of them would ever work with him willingly.
"Arriving in Victoria's Wasteland Station, Vacua Cavern in 20 minutes." The speakers boomed.
The train started back up and the banging on the rails submerged again.
"Victoria's Wasteland? Really?" Eli echoed.
"Victoria was a well-respected protector that worked along side the protectors before me and Junjie. Victoria's name is most likely there to make us remember she cannot protect citizens as she used to." Junjie explained.
Wait, he doesn't know about her.
"That's cool, I take it she's with the rebels?" Eli said as he turned to Alyssa.
"I uh.... Its complicated." She said as she tried to avoid explaining recent events.
"Go ahead, we have time." Eli said as he noticed her efforts.
"...A week before your arrival, she signed herself up for a scouting mission. its purpose was to find out if the rumours of Lian's departure from our side was true. They were going to confirm this by eavesdropping on a meeting she would've had with the Under-Lords. In preparation for the tournament. If she was at the meeting, the rumours were true, if she wasn't, she was inside the palace, imprisoned."
{The meeting would've been outside because the palace's hygiene was important to The Emperor}
"We all know that Lian isn't with us, she is with the Emperor." Eli continued.
"Yes, the scouts sent us evidence like photos and recordings. They are hard to observe because they were hiding in the bushes, but its clear its Lian because of the similarities of clothing, slugs, facial features and her blaster is the exact same. Only her voice and appearance have changed, her voice barely." She tried to finish.
"Couldn't they have used a Thugglet, we all know you have one, so they had access to one?" Kord asked.
"Thugglet hibernation ended about a day before you came, they were in hibernation at the time."
"Is it nearly Cadere? I cannot recall because I have no access to a 阴阳历" (Lunisolar Calendar) (The calendar the run-aways from Yangdi would have brought with them to the East.)
"Yes it is, the Merila has been growing rapidly so its nearly time. I think we have different versions of it is because The 99 had more time to develop, we didn't have any because we ran away from Yangdi's slavery. Meaning they made their own."
"That's cool and all, but back to Victoria, how is it complicated if she's on our side?" Trixie questioned
"She sent a message indicating what had happened, we still don't know where she is."
"She's missing? What was the message?" Junjie pieced together.
"...The message was, "they found us." Following that, we received a video, it was about 6 seconds long and it was only them, injured, running from ghoul fire."
"I need a moment." Junjie said as he walked into the neighbouring carriage.
Eli attempted to follow, but Alyssa put her hand on his shoulder to stop him.
"Leave him be, he needs to cope on his own. Just give him a minute."
He nodded and went back to the group. She went to the other side of the carriage to see the blurry view from there.
"Is it just me, or is Alys- I mean Ayule too calm about this?" Eli asked the group
"Its been decades, she obviously has learned to cope." Trixie answered.
~~
{Junjie came back}
"PRONTO IS GETTING IMPATIENT!!" Pinto yelled.
"Pinto, its Pinto remember." Trixie whispered sneeringly
"UGH" He whined.
"Quiet Pinto, the others will get suspicious." Eli snickered.
"Now arriving at Victoria's Wasteland Station, Vacua Cavern." The train speaker announced aloud, cutting Pronto off.
"Are we aware why we are here? I heard Vacua doesn't have its own Under-Lord, so what is the point?" Junjie questioned.
"Candidates enrol themselves in Vacua often to get away from the cavern itself. You miss this train, you wait till next year." She explained
"Once a year? That's it?!" Eli blared.
"The Emperor is surprisingly strict about some stuff, probably to prevent too many workers at once."
"B-but that's too extreme!" He protested.
"I know, but there's nothing we can do."
Mostly teenagers rushed into the carriages neighbouring them, desperate for the chance to get away from the Vacuan environment. It was gruelling to see so many young people with so many scars, they were mostly alone. Meaning that their most likely orphans.
The heat reeked through the open doors, the poor Air Conditioner was already overworking, yet the Vacuan climate made it work even more.
The once deserted carriages were now full. *ba dum da*
~1 hour later
Gelium was the polar opposite of Vacua *ba dum da*
It was covered in ice instead of sand, the locals were joyful, no Under-Lord would ever decide to work here. One thing they had in common was that any floral life that dared to blossom were quickly supressed to an icy mess. In Vacua's case, completely pulverized.
The Air Conditioner transformed itself into a heater, but even with that, an icy claw still remained chilling up the backs of everyone present. The poor Vacuan teenagers. They weren't used to anything besides being burnt, this was completely different to them. Relying on a heater instead of air con, well, not that any of them could afford one.
In Gelium, Narwhaddles have a higher chance to be found. Although they are still hard to find. Even despite this, still practically nobody runs it. Well, there is one acceptation. General
"Now arriving in Gelium Cavern, Cresentential Way Station"
The doors slowly opened, jammed from the environment. Pale mist forced itself in, a touch is enough to give you Hypothermia.
Crystals were scattered everywhere on the cavern grounds, all natural. Nobody would dare even try to come to this climate. Which is why so many natives and citizens ran to the train, as if it were the reason they could live. What a lie, the word if. It was the reason they could live.
The final destination until Peach Blossom.
Alyssa couldn't help but feel anxious, a chance of something they've lacked for 20 years to be gained back was being dangled in front of her. Freedom. Impatience is natural in this kind of situation, desperacy ran through her veins. Energy was recalibrating themselves for this big phenomenon. The dethronement of a dictator.
Many ran into the carriages, from the native cave trolls, to pale skinned humans. All sharing a common goal, to get away. The natives? The chance of being more oppressed than they already were was rising by the day, run-away's are to be expected. Humans living in this climate isn't even meant to be, and the chance of a native under-lord was the final straw.
It didn't matter if they ended up being the oppressors, the ones who've hidden from. All that mattered to them was the safety of themselves, and perhaps their family if they get enough power. Nobody in the train was well-dressed for this. Accept the actual Gelani people, their faces were barely visible because of the blue coats and white hoods of fur covering them.
Pronto was clinging onto Kord, Trixie was severely underdressed, one random general stood on a chair to get closer to the heater. What felt like an eternity finally finished, the doors closed after being unjammed by a stand-by technician.
"Do̶̱͂o̵̰̚rƨ̵̜͊ clo̶̱͂sin̵̥̓ϱ̷̙͠, pleɒ̷̡̆ƨ̵̪͠ɘ̵͎̐ stain̵̥̓d bγ̸̨̄" The speaker said while glitching from the cold.
They finally sealed, and the train tracks began to move after being defrosted from Flaringoes.
Lets cover a few things. The payment of working for the Emperor isn't that high, but its one of the best to offer, you get free food at Peach Blossom Spring. So, you, and if your family is close enough gets free food. Which is a blessing enough, but money was something hard-to-come too.
Peach Blossom is heavily restricted for Emperor workers and the dictator himself. Protection mainly, and the rewarding of his workers is easier to do.
~~
Just a few more minutes until they make it to Peach Blossom Spring, the heart of the entire East and The Emperor's home. It was still disgusting they had to wear this, atrocious uniform, but its for the better, for freedom!
"Is everyone ready?" Eli said to the group.
"Yes." they replied in unison.
"I just have a question, would a Slicksilver expose us? Like if one came past it would pull the mask off." Alyssa asked.
"Then I guess we have something to be aware of, there is nothing we can do about that" Eli replied.
"Pronto is ready!" The mole exclaimed.
"And right on cue." Kord said as he stared out the window.
They were here.
The train stopped clinking and clunking on the rails, almost as if it wanted that moment of silence to help the information sink in.
They were here, truly here. Peach Blossom Spring. Decades. Of. Waiting. And she's here. Here to complete a mission, one she failed at several decades ago, just like she had failed her homeland.
This time, losing would not just mean losing victory wise. In terms of living, they could lose their lives if they messed this up. No failure is allowed. Only victory. For everything. Or else the East will be a slave for eternity.
Fun fact: Places like Gelium find the Floral Department useless, as the area they are in have pretty much no life. The Floral Department is in the Sub-Deputy category in most Outlaw HQ's, but its a Deputy in Serenity because, its Serenity, the wild life is crazy there.
I know, I'm a real suspense builder after procrastinating. School's back so sorry for slow updates. I managed to give y'all about an extra thousand words because I can.
Thanks for reading :)