Chapter 3: Escape Attempt
Time was a thing measured by experience, without a starting point, the concept is meaningless. In a death loop, one you've experienced perhaps tens of thousands times it would be expected to feel nothing of the sense of time. It could flow like a great river, but your mind would not perceive it.
Errit had been an unlucky fellow. His command carrier had been hit in the first strike of Zao Ho, the fleet sank. Many died. There was no combat engagement, they simply vanished.
"This place. It isn't Earth?" Looking up at the sky, two suns hung overhead. figures could be seen rushing to his position, they looked armed.
'Che' Clicking his tongue, Errit rushed the closest guard.
"You there. Stop." One of the guards called out, but Errit broke into a sprint.
'Fast' Jahfi stared at Errit running past.
There was no need to fight, but he was a bit faster than expected from a human. Jahfi pushed momentum into his legs and shot forth in Errit's direction. There were people a bit further down the street, they wouldn't be able to prepare themselves in time. Pushing his speed a bit further, he passed Errit and kicked at his waist, pushing him back away from the crowd. "HEY!" Jahfi yelled. "There are people right there! Don't hurt them. We cannot allow you to harm the people."
"Harm the people? What are you even? a Dog man?" Jahfi felt insulted, it was clear that it had been Errit's intention with his words. Clearing his throat and standing up, he could see the rest of his pursuers catching up to him. "Yup, definitely a Dog. But who's dog? Why stop me at all?" Errit tried to mimic Jahfi's movement, he had seen it briefly during the kick. A feeling, a sensation of energy accumulating had given him warning long before the kick arrived.
He leapt. It was overshot. He crashed against a wall, his fingers tried to dig in but they felt metallic and he bounced from it to the street below. His ribs showed bruising but he didn't wince. Instead, he found himself surrounded with Speartip and Sword.
"I will never surrender as a prisoner." Errit tried jumping straight forward. It was a near fatal error, a spear penetrated his flesh and struck gone. Blood from the wound spilled out when the guard stepped back.
"This was not a request, you will be judged for your crimes." Jahfi pushed his way through the crowded guardsmen. "Put restraints on him, we will take him before the Elders."
'restraints, i'm dying here.' Errit was sure he could escape, it was in his training, he was very capable. To be stopped so quickly he felt a bit of humiliation, humbled he relaxed and started to pass out.
"Hurry up then, I don't want him getting loose" Jahfi tapped his wrist and pulled a potion out. flipping it open, he poured the contents onto Errit's wound. It started to close. It was a good thing that the restraints had been place don him, he was now weighted, unable to move without help from the guards around him.
"Take him to the Elders Chamber and place him at the center of the Judgement Square." Jahfi turned to the remaining guards, "You three. Come along, we must inform the Security forces of his capture, you saw what happened. I will need your statements."
Getting to his knees, Errit noticed the collaring device and the extra weight. There was little he could do, he was led by the neck to the Elder's Chamber and placed on the stand. "They will be here shortly, its been some time since they've been needed. You should prepare yourself, you stand accused of murder." The Guard beside Jahfi kicked dust at Errit and walked away.
"That was unnecessary." Jahfi scolded the guard for a moment, his rank wouldn't matter before a review board. "Go wait outside, make sure we are not disturbed."
The Guard left.
Two hours later, all of the Elders had come into the room and stood on their pedestals. "Explain why it is you believe yourself to be before us." A woman, no older than 30 seemed to preside over the court of elders.
"You trapped me, drug me, then capture me again during my escape.. suddenly, 'I'm' to blame?" Errit showed his outrage.
"I see, so you deny the charges." She picked up what looked like a rock and set it onto a device. "These are the records from our security monitoring system. We can see you 'there' crushing the neck and ending that poor woman's life. Is there any question to your guilt? Likely not. Say something or be cast to the void." Her pressure boomed and shook the building. "I WILL NOT BE TOILED WITH.."
"Is it not the duty of all soldiers to escape a captor. I would never leave a fallen comrade, but all mine died. Now you hold me prisoner, yet still I am somehow called the criminal. This isn't Justice, what you're doing, whatever brought me here, isn't justice. I will never be your prisoner." Errit's teeth looked like they could crack as he bit down on his teeth. he flexed his muscles, every one of them in his body. A force took over, he could feel the net at its tiniest of fibers.
It happened. He lost his composure. Thrashing about, the collaring device and net assembly started swaying, swinging and doing very little to keep Errit under control.
"I SAID SILENCE!" The female judge stood up and drew a circle of fire from the air onto the chamber floor, the heat was spectacular, perhaps a bit too much. The restraints started to soften.
"Master Tomanli, you're breaking his bond. Pull your fire back." The restraints had already lost their integrity, a critical design flaw.
Snapping, the collar shattered, his neck was finally freed. along with it, so his body followed.
Crashing through the door, he escaped down a hallway and saw a window.
He dove from it. 'all window's of opportunity must be taken' Laughing uncontrollable he plummeted into the street below, it was a softer landing than he anticipated. He ran tat full sprint intent on his escape.
'Why didn't the fire hurt?' As shards of glass that had cut into his skin freed themselves from his body, he noticed something odd. The wounds, the bleeding had stopped.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone