In Sarah's room. Bast and her sit comfortably. Surrounded by lit candles and a warm fire. Bast still leaning against the wall moves forward and asks,
"Okay, where was I at?"
Sarah: Bernard Sullivan was heading toward the empress's way and my brother was listening in on the conversation...
Bast: Ahh yes, the invasion.
Sarah: Invasion?
Bast: Yes, that's how one of the battles with the empress was perceived. You may have been storming in to defeat a murderous madwoman, but her place of rest also was called home to 6,000 abductees and orphans she picked up that only knew this place and empress Adria's embrace as home...Hmm now that I think about it. If this involves Amaro I could go back just a little further.
Bast walks toward a table in Sarah's room and pulls a chair out to sit in. She takes off her helmet. Long locks of raven black hair bounce from her helmet and her eyes gleamed a bright green in the candlelit room. Even Sarah is taken aback by seeing her brother's right-hand woman's beauty in view.
Slightly annoyed at her gawking Bast pulls a flask out of her bag. Takes a quick swig from it and burps.
She wipes her mouth and hands Sarah the flask telling her, "Want a swig? Your brother hates that I drink this stuff. I say what's there to be scared about? We always regenerate anyway. I put in a special request for this stuff to your buddy Richard and he delivered. If this isn't your thing I'm sorry. This job gets tough you know. And bringing up these old memories isn't exactly easy if you know what I mean."
Sarah grabs the flask and replies, "Yeah I get it. I'll partake." As Sarah takes her swig she thinks to herself, "Oh wow, for such a beautiful person she's ughhh pretty laid back. I thought she'd be uptight."
Bast: So where I left off...Let me rewind for a little bit and start from when your brother got here. So you can truly understand why his state of mind is what it is.
23 years ago in Cauchemar.
Sigmond: The new batch of soldiers have arrived your highness.
Adira: Good, they've gathered only the best as usual right?
Sigmond: Of course empress. They all come from successful families. These children come from the best military, combat, and scholarly backgrounds around the world! Are you planning on molding a new lieutenant?
Adira: Yes but think bigger with this batch Sigmond. A right hand for the ruler is needed.
Sigmond: I thought that was me your highness?
Adira: Sigmond, even you know a warrior usually has 2 hands...
(Present-day.)
Sarah: This was when my brother was brought in!?
Bast: Yes, I was still a child soldier under the empress. I still remember when I first saw him. He looked like he was made of nothing but meat and bones. He still was one of the best fighters living on this land.
(Cauchemar 23 years ago.)
An armored boat is docked on the shores of Cauchemar. Sigmond is out front with the empress to his side. "DROP THE DOORS!" Sigmond commands to the sailors. And as the doors drop. A young Yafeu is seen front and center ready to protect the other abducted children from anything that might potentially harm them.
A guard laughs as he sees the boy's defiant gesture in front of him. Another puts his hand on Yafeu's shoulder telling him to calm down. But the guard is flipped and slammed on his back before he could complete his sentence. A fight ensues resulting in 5 guards on the floor and Yafeu still standing with blood drawn from his nose and lip.
Adira smiles as she witnesses this and says to herself, "He's perfect."
She walks up to the defiant child and extends her hand. "Come with me boy. We're not gonna hurt you. You can try what you did to those guards on me. But I guarantee you it won't go as easy as it did against them with me."
Yafeu looks at the empress with the same defiant look, but instead of fighting, he speaks.
"Help these kids first. A few passed out from dehydration and some are starving. I'll agree to go with you if you do that..."
Adria glares at the child then looks toward Sigmond and gives out an order. "Sigmond, help these kids! Feed them, give them water, new clothes, and medicine." Sigmond nods and she looks at Yafeu and tells him, "Are you satisfied?"
Yafeu's scowl now changes with a sense of curiosity. So he grabs the empress's hand. She smiles and says, "Good..." Before she could finish her sentence Adira senses a slight awkward pull on her wrist. Adira knows its Yafeu trying to slam her and instantly Yafeu finds that his attempt to throw her, fails.
She is now behind him. His arm is twisted and pinned to his back. She leans in and tells the problem child, "I guess I did say you could try to throw me. I deserve that. Just a reminder kid, I play fair. So what I'm about to do, you deserved it."
To his dismay, Adira releases her grip. Yafeu turns around and shakes off the numbness he felt in his arm.
Yafeu balls his fist and tells the empress, "Dumb mistake letting go of your grip lady."
He charges toward the woman while Adira tells the child, "I just wanted to make it a fair fight and see what you're capable of."
Inches away from Adira, Yafeu's punch ends up getting dodged. His momentum was used against him, Yafeu turns around and is met with a swift punch to the solar plexus. He drops to the ground clutching his stomach groaning.
Adira stands over him with a smirk and says, "Hmm that was meant to knock you out and you're still awake. You're a little tougher than expected" Adira pulls Yafeu up only to be met with another wild swing from his fists but he misses. Adira pulls Yafeu in and the tip of his nose comes crashing into the top of her head. She continues saying, "You're tough but not too smart. Don't worry we can fix that here. Fix meaning your bloody nose and wild swings. Sorry about this to."
Still holding his nose Yafeu feels another strike landed by the empress. It's another shot to the solar plexus. This time it's with a little more power behind it. As Adira's fist moves Yafeu thinks to himself, "What the f#ck was that!? It felt like a javelin rammed through my stomach!" Not by his control, Yafeu's knees hit the ground.
He continues to assess his situation, "oh sh#t didn't mean to do that. That shot she hit me with. It's like I'm stuck in quicksand. I can't move, it feels like I can't even breathe ahh f#ck!..."
Yafeu is on the ground. Blood streaming out his nose from the headbutt, and gasping for air from the 2 punches to the gut. The empress looks at her fist and says, "Hmm 3 strikes. Either I'm losing my touch or you really are that tough."
Adira looks to her side and sees Bast watching and waiting for her orders. The empress screams, "you, child!" Shocked as she is lost in thought from the fight she's just seen she nervously replies, "Yes!.."
Adira then tells Bast, "Take this one to the training grounds and patch him up.
The young soldier pulls a nearby wheelbarrow and loads Yafeu onto it. Looking down at the defeated child she tells herself, "Sheesh this was only three strikes from the empress. If I didn't see the fight that just happened I would've assumed he jumped face-first off a small building!" Bast pauses in her moment of thought. Then continues saying, "Challenging her at least now. Is out of the question."
Moments later the smooth dirt path to the training grounds changes to gravel and stone. The bumpy road wakes Yafeu. Slowly he opens his eyes. The first thing in his vision he sees when his eyes open is Bast dressed in her battle armor which looks like a wildcat. Yafeu is frightened.
Shooting up from the wheelbarrow Yafeu screams, "Yaaaaa hey! Wtf!!!?" Bast pins him down while telling him to stay calm.
She lifts a visor through her helmet and tells him, "Calm down! Look I'm just like you. A prisoner on this island. I'm not a big scary guy trying to kill you or anything like that."
Yafeu calms down and is taken back. He says to Bast, "Do I get a cool set of armor like you? Or do I have to earn it or something? Wait before you answer that where are we at?"
Bast tells Yafeu, "We're at the training grounds. This is where the empress determines if you're worthy enough."
Yafeu sits up and sees hundreds of young men and women training their bodies for war. He says, "What exactly is she supposed to determine what were worthy enough for?"
Bast says, "To be her lieutenant, but for us it's that and more. Something much more bigger."
She continues to tell Yafeu, "The empress has been developing something of a cure for this Bernard Sullivan guy. A symbiotic Nano virus. Horrible for the robots or androids. But it could do wonders for us."
With a skeptical look on his face, Yafeu says, "How so? Will it take me and all those other kids back to their homes and families? That's the only thing I'm wanting at the moment."
With a somber look Bast answers saying, "No, but it will stop the war though. I was born here. I don't remember my parents or any family. All I knew was this war. And that Bernard Sullivan and Elias Caine are the enemies who continue keeping this war alive."
Staring off in the distance looking at what will be his place of residence for the future Yafeu tells Bast, "Yeah I get it. This war has gone on too long. But to be fair I think neither side is right on this. The empress took me and many other kids away from our families but the way Elias and Bernard killed that mountain man who was a lieutenant. It wasn't right either. One could argue that that's the reason the empress is abducting children and training them to be child soldiers. Whatever the reason is for this war we can agree that there are too many bodies piled up on both sides."
Bast pauses and dwells on Yafeu's point of view and simply nods her head. She says, "I can respect that point of view. So does that mean you'll be fighting with us?"
Yafeu replies, "Not like I have a choice do I? It won't be for the empress though. I will fight to make this world a better place. For everyone and not just one person."
(present-day.)
Sarah: Wow my brother fought the empress!?
Bast: Yeah it wasn't his first time either. He fought her twice. And got his ass kicked both times.
Sarah: Well yeah it was the empress. Ruler of the world for 100 years. What happened next? Was the training hell for him?
Bast: Well yes and no. Let me tell you...
Elsewhere in the castle.
The King of Cauchemar, Yafeu Olivera is in his throne room. He stares at the windows where he was once housed. The pain of being enslaved for years hangs over the king's head. He thinks of the time he was locked in that cell thinking about how his mother and father were doing. And how much his sister has grown. And the pain of not being with them through those changes.
The King then remembers all the torture He dealt with, with all the other captives. The screams and cries he's heard while on this secluded land have never left the King's mind. They echo in his head like ghosts of vengeance. The King shakes "the ghosts" out his head and approaches the windows to the cell.
To the naked eye, there seems to be no way to the cell behind the window. But Yafeu pushes a brick against the wall and a pathway to the cell appears. Once in the room the King approaches the right side of the wall in the empty room and touches 3 bricks on the wall in a specific pattern. And a mystery room opens up.
The King enters this room which leads to steps heading to the depths of the castle. As the King begins to walk the stairs reveal the length he's going for this destination. And it's miles. The King stops walking and tells himself, "I really gotta install a better way to get to the bottom of here." Yafeu looks to the bottom of the mystery room and sees nothing but pitch black. He closes his eyes. Takes a deep breath and jumps to the bottom.
A full minute passes for Yafeu to reach the bottom. Once he does a loud "BOOM!" is heard able to wake up anything that lives in that bottom room. And it does wake the intended visitor.
...: Ahh your highness nice to see you again. To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit your grace? Hahaha!
Yafeu: You know why I'm here. I need everything you got on Supremeo. Also if we can trust Richard or Amaro. I want to know who has the better intentions.
...: The King who hated Empress Adira but adopts her base as his home and ends up ruling it needs my help. Haha! No matter what you say at the end of the day you're just like her. You can disguise it any way you want. They call you a man of the people? But you're still carrying out her will arent you? You plan to kill Supremeo and Richard if they've come here with ill intent. We have the same virus coursing through our veins I know.
Yafeu: ENOUGH OF THIS! You know your capabilities with this virus are different from mine. So are you gonna help me, Master Sigmond?
Sigmond: Hahaha! It's been a while since I heard you call me by my name. Not since you were a boy. Forgive me "Your highness" it's not like I get too many visitors down here. Just trying to start a conversation up about the old days. Say how's Bast doing? I haven't seen her in a while either. Have you told her the truth yet? I don't know how keeping that from her would make her feel, or Amaro...
Yafeu: Shut up Sigmond and tell me what you can.
Sigmond: All right "your highness" I'll see what I can do. Just promise me you'll make me a new body soon. Please it's been hell living like this.
Yafeu: I will as soon as I can trust you. Elias and Bernard are dead. Victor is missing and is giving the reigns of his armies to three soldiers one of whom is my sister. Adira's battle is over. It's time to live a new life.
Sigmond: Haha! I'll agree to that!
Yafeu: You'll have no choice to or I'll terminate you myself.
Sigmond: Well that would be the most one-sided fight of your life. Haha! Don't worry, I'll agree. It's not like I have any better options.
Sigmond closes his eyes his face is visibly older from the story Bast is telling Sarah. His surroundings begin to glow. Lines of light shoot up into the ceiling behind Sigmond. It's revealed he is just a head with no body attached to a machine.
Sigmond Dominus once considered the greatest teacher in combat of all time was also considered the greatest swordsman of his time now is a machine that operates as Cauchemar's singular surveillance system around the land.
Yafeu crosses his arms and waits for Sigmond to report to him with the results of his surveillance scan...
ns 15.158.61.51da2
