Conquerors Will 

It was a hellish torture. The burning pain seemed to subside and ramp right back up again but before it could increase again, a heavy hand clasped Jahad's forearm, yanking him away. He was flung across and out of the fiery pits. Jahad rolled and writhed, pawing at the flames that twirled around his body and skin. The man that pulled him out raised his hand above his dancing body and whispered something before crunching a gem of sorts in the palm of his fist. The pain eased and the flames diminished within an instant. Jahad blinked repeatedly. His eyelids were still there, his body wasn't reduced to bone and ash causing his mind to race with thoughts and disarray. His throat tried croaking a sentence but nothing came out, the man took no heed of it and went back into the burning building.

The building resembled a church of some sorts. The flames engulfed the structure, thick smoke rising, and the sound of crackling wood echoed. The glow of the fire casted shadows, and shattered stained glass was littered and scattered. The man reappeared and threw another boy to the side of Jahad. The boy's face was charred and his skin blistered but he was alive. The man repeated the action he did to Jahad to the young boy and his wounds healed in an instant causing Jahad to stare bewildered. The boy was out cold. The man towered above Jahad and the kid next to him. Standing tall and muscular, exuding an air of confidence and strength. His trench coat draped over his broad shoulders, his well-defined physique bulging out, whilst a fitted vest underneath accentuated his powerful build. His face was rugged and distinguished, marked by deep lines that told stories of experience in battle. He had short salt-and-pepper hair, adding to his mature appearance, and piercing eyes that seem to hold a wealth of battle knowledge. A chiselled jawline and strong cheekbones gave him a commanding presence, making him a striking figure in any setting. He didn't pay any mind to Jahad or the boy. He stared across from them. His voice bellowed, loud and clearly "two survivors Lepic, the orphanage is a fucking wreck we best move".

Jahad looked behind him to see who he was talking to. Another man stood slender and a head shorter than the previous figure, his trench coat fitting snugly around his frame. Underneath, he wore a tailored waistcoat that added a touch of elegance to his appearance. He exuded a silent, mysterious vibe, often lost in thought. His gaze was fixated on a pocket watch, which he held delicately in one hand, while the other rested casually in his pocket. The dim light pronounced the sharp angles of his face, highlighting his contemplative expression and the air of intrigue that surrounded him. The man with the vest bellowed again "Lepic we need to go". Finally the man broke his staring gaze from his pocket watch, he clicked it and stuffed the clock into the pocket of his Trenchcoat and finally a calming voice much different to the other man left his mouth "Ron, take them and get some cleaners here".

Ron was the huge man and he put his two fingers into his mouth and blew a high pitch whistle, a horse and carriage appeared moments later, he picked up the boy next to Jahad with one hand and effortlessly hurled him into the back of the carriage. His hand then moved towards Jahad but then stopped. "You're awake?.." the man bore a slight grin. Instinct took over Jahad to dart away but it was too late. A fist struck into his temple knocking him clean out. Jahad groaned. He was slowly regaining consciousness, the dim light filtering through the cracks of the moving carriage. As he stirred, a sharp pain throbbed in his temples, amplifying with each jolt of the vehicle. He blinked rapidly, trying to focus, but the world around him swayed and spun, intensifying the headache that pulsed like a drumbeat in his head. He pressed his palms to his temples, hoping to ease the discomfort, but the relentless ache only seemed to deepen as he tried to piece together what had happened.

The sound of the wheels clattering against the uneven road filled his ears, mixing with the dull throb of pain, making it difficult to think clearly. His legs were tied by rope but his hands were free, he tugged onto them to no avail. He felt so weak. As his brain started to clear up he heard rustling next to him. He looked beside him and the boy was groaning. Jahad looked at him examining him. The kid seemed around Jahad's age, he sported tangled messy brown hair and when his eyes flickered open they held a red hue around his light brown pupil. He seemed bigger than Jahad in terms of figure. The boy sat up groaning, his clothes still charred but not even a scratch remained on him, he also had the rope bound across his legs but not his hands. No matter how hard they both pulled on, it was to no avail. He felt fatigued. With no serum he wasn't at his fullest strength but even without it he should've easily ripped this rope to shreds.

It started to click in his head. His cybernetics were underdeveloped, his artificial intelligence 'Ma Lumat' was nowhere to be seen or heard no matter how much he called out to her in his head. In the midst of his thoughts the boy spoke cutting through his trance. "Hey what's your name" the boy said bright and exuberantly, completely disregarding the situation at hand. Jahad's eyebrows furrowed but he responded in a gentle manner. "The name's Jahad, what's yours?" The boy's face lit up even more at the response. "I'm Jayce! I've never seen you before at the orphanage" Jahad's face remained unchanged but his mind felt confused by the words "orphanage" he was still perplexed by what was happening but before he can lose himself in thought a sense of dread and despair gripped his heart as the carriage rocked and came to a halt. The carriage bounced as two figures jumped off the front. Silhouettes casted along the carriage side circled the wooden box and arrived at the back.

The doors of the carriage swung open. Ron was standing there, his face harbouring a bored look. Behind him, Lepic leaned against a wall, his hand resting in his pocket and the other grasping his pocket watch. Blond silky strands of hair covered parts of his light blue eyes that never seemed to leave the watch's premise. Ron's hands gripped Jayce's leg like an iron vice, causing him to yelp. Jayce squirmed and wiggled in a desperate attempt to get away, but he got dragged off. Jahad yelled, "Let go of him! What are you doing?" Both men took no notice of him.

The building Ron dragged Jayce into seemed desolate and devoid of sanitation. It resembled a worn-down warehouse, built upon steel frames and glass windows caked in dust were boarded up. Lepic knocked the wall five times in a certain rhythm. The doors creaked and groaned as the sliding of bolts from the other side echoed. Ron dragged Jayce into the dimly lit warehouse, the musty air thick with the scent of decay. The peeling paint and rusted beams loomed overhead, creating an eerie atmosphere. Jahad could hear Jayce yelping in defiance. He heard Ron snarl threateningly, "Shut up or I'll smash your teeth in." Before Jayce could say another word, Ron smacked him with the palm of his fist. The force caused Jayce to stumble back, his legs tied making him fall straight onto his butt. Blood dribbled from his nose, and he started to sniffle and cry.

Anger flared up within Jahad. His brain started to calculate what he could do. He started to rummage around his surroundings for anything that could be used as a weapon before Ron would come. Lepic was still slumped onto the wall, peering longingly at his watch, heeding no sort of care to Jahad's listlessness. Jahad's hands swept around the cloth they had laid on but found nothing. He thought about just jumping out of the carriage, but Lepic was there, and the rope seemed like unbreakable shackles. Before his mind could conjure a plan, Ron came back. His muscular frame stomped towards the carriage, and he said nothing, just grabbed Jahad's rope and dragged him. His head snapped back from the tug of the rope, hitting the side of his cranium on the carriage floor.

Although Jahad was weak and fatigued, although he had no serum and his cyberkinetics felt underdeveloped, he still maintained his battle knowledge and prowess. Using the momentum of the whiplash, he placed his palms on the flooring and kicked off, throwing himself towards Ron. He wore a surprised expression as he saw the torso of Jahad flying towards him. He crashed into him; the shock and impact caused Ron to let go of the rope. This was the opportunity Jahad needed; however, it was a false hope. Jahad had expected Ron to tumble backwards, but when he exploded into him, it was as if he ran into a brick wall. Jahad winced as a searing pain shot through his shoulder, causing him to grit his teeth as a spasm of pain ran through his body. He planted his feet, and Ron was standing there towering above him. Jahad shifted his body and swung a quick punch aimed towards his inner thigh to try and disable his mobility.

Jahad was a soldier who prided himself on speed, agility, and stealth; it was his bread and butter. So to his astonishment, Ron was somehow faster and not just that, much quicker than the punch he threw. Jahad had a mixed feeling of "oh shit" and a sense of awe in how a man of that frame had managed to acquire such speed. Ron's hand had snaked out and grabbed the fist. Jahad's hand felt like a penny in the palm of a bear. Ron crunched his hand effortlessly. It was a sickening noise, and white-hot fireworks of pain shot out of his hand. Jahad had a high pain tolerance, but it caused him to grunt. His hand was lost, and his legs were still bound. He stopped fighting back. Ron let go of his hand, and it fell limply to his side. He grabbed Jahad by his throat and lifted him, his pulse rang across the iron weights that tightened around his neck. "I don't want to see no more of this, or I'm ripping both your hands off." Jahad couldn't reply as Ron walked him to the warehouse with his hand still strangling him. When he entered, a plume of dust erupted as he was flung to the side. He skittered on the floor like a pebble tossed to the sea to skip. Each bounce sent shivers of pain that reverberated into his body.

He used his non-broken hand to pry himself up and glanced over to Jayce, who was upright. Jayce no longer had rope around his legs and wore trousers that seemed a size too big for him as well as an oversized t-shirt. Lepic and Ron entered as the door slammed shut, and a lady emerged. She had an ethereal beauty, her ashy hair cascading down her shoulders like a silken waterfall, with delicate streaks of blonde that caught the light, adding a radiant glow. Her features were striking, with soft, expressive eyes that sparkled with warmth, and she sent a gentle smile towards Jahad and Jayce that could light up any room. Jahad had forgotten about the pain in his hand, stunned by her presence juxtaposed by the bleak, grim atmosphere. She slid all the locks back into the door, the metallic clangs causing small clouds of dust to disperse into the air. The warehouse had windows on the roof that allowed cracks of light to seep in. Jahad started to groan as the shock wore out and the pain seeped back in. He glanced at his hand. Big mistake. His hand was crumpled up with bones protruding into different angles.It didn't take a medical expert to know that the hand was in a state. He crunched down on his teeth to try and endure the pain. 

The lady had disappeared to an upper floor. Only Ron, Lepic, and the two boys remained. Ron was first to speak whilst Lepic remained looking at his watch. He spoke in a monotone and impatient manner. "You both were basically dead when we found you. The orphanage you lived in was on fire, and you were the only ones we could rescue. Now, you're in the underground. This place has its own territories, and that orphanage was part of ours. We decided to help you. We saved your lives, so now you owe us. You're gonna work for us, do what we say and do what we do. Any questions?"

Jahad and Jayce had a bewildered look on their faces. Lepic sighed and looked up from his watch. "Ron explain it properly," his voice trailing off in annoyance. Ron tutted from this act. He huffed and then said, "fine."

"So, we're in the hollow district, under Zephyr's rule, but me and Lepic handle two sectors. That orphanage fell under our watch. You're free to leave anytime since we've held up our end. But out there in the underground, it's brutal. You'd be torn apart like a chew toy and a pack of dogs. Stick with me and Lepic, and we'll teach you the ropes." Ron then quietly and quickly said, "we lost our previous runners so we need some new men," trying to brush over it, but Jahad had taken notice of what he said. He then went to talk back in his loud thunderous tone.

"Me and Lepic will pay for your expenses and you will be paid for your jobs. Loyalty and experience gets you far in our line of work. If you don't trust us fine but trust each other as brothers." He glanced at both Jahad and Jayce before speaking again, "this is a serious line of work if your hearts are not in it you can always leave but the rewards are plentiful. Just to give you a glimpse of what we do for you, when you're of age your unveiling will be paid for.."

At the mention of unveiling Jayce's face lit up and gleamed. Excitement took over his face and he started to fidget. The unveiling was a mystery to Jahad but it seemed to be of high value, it had been like a switch to Jayce. "Any questions?"

Jahad meekly raised his contorted hand wincing in pain. "What will we be doing?" Ron replied, "we're a… laymen of some sorts, fingers in a lot of pies one could say. Today we won't be doing anything so fire your questions off." For someone who had just crunched his arm he didn't seem half as bad as what Jahad thought but the pain would disagree with this. Jahad then asked, "what's unveiling or the unveiling?"

Ron, Lepic and Jayce all shot him a weird look. "You don't know about the unveiling?" Lepic asked sceptically, as his eyebrow raised. Jahad decided to be honest and shake his head. There was no point in pretending he knew what was happening, he had zero information on everything that had occurred and this seemed to be his only way right now to gather some.

Lepic moved forward a bit. "Jahad, do you know what's the underground?" he shook his head again but he caught onto the fact that he had known his name. Jahad hadn't told him his name nor mentioned it near him, during the carriage he thought Lepic was far enough that his whisper wouldn't be heard but he thought wrong. "Do you know anything about the orphanage you were in?"

Jahad paused. He didn't know if it was smart to be completely truthful but he still shook his head after a momentary pause. Lepic hummed in thought then abruptly came to a conclusion and declared, "memory loss. The fire smoke could have scrambled your brains. I'll have a talk with you about everything." Before Jahad could say anything Ron chucked a pair of clothes onto him. "Get some kit on."