Chapter 8- Escape

Two figures emerged from the metallic door. Both males, one seemed to be in his late 30's- though he was good looking enough to be considered in his twenties.

His short white hair brought out his thin piercing eyes, and he glanced over at Dubs silently

The thin man towered almost 2 feet above Dubs, who was around 5 feet tall, which was considered average in this world for a full grown male.

His leather trench coat fluttered as he approached Dubs, and his black boots squeaked as he stepped across the tile floor.

Another male came through the door- this one about the same height as Dubs, with curled red hair. He appeared to be only a few years older.

The boy's glasses gleamed as he walked past the beams of light that protruded from the window slits in Dubs' chamber.

Wearing a black coat, similar to the other mans, he hauled along a contraption on his back that seemed to be a crossbow at first glance, loaded with a mini-harpoon.

The white haired man had a leather sword holster attached to his belt, and the sword handle was golden with a red jewel imbued in it.

They both approached Dubs, who was chained to the wall, and the older man began to speak with a smooth, yet sinister voice.

"Were willing to help you out of here, if you are willing to join us. I cant tell you the details now, but I can assure you that we will make coming with us worth your while."

Dubs didn't know the meaning of the word fear, as he had been experimented on cruelly for his entire life, to the point where his very existence was composed of suffering. However, he had already given in to his curiosity about himself and about the world, and decided to escape at the next possible chance.

This was his chance

Without hesitation, Dubs agreed.

"Sure, I'll go with you guys."

The man gave a slight nod, as if to say "seems like you understand how the world works", and took an iron key chain out of his pocket, and after fumbling with the keys, undid the shackles

Dubs stretched out his hands, and could feel the blood flowing through his veins in places that had been under the pressure of shackles for years.

"follow me", the white haired man said, as he gestured with his hand.

When they exited the room, the white haired man asked Dubs "Do you know any of the other test subjects here? We would be willing to take them with us."

Dubs had been locked in his room without being allowed out for the entirety of the experimental period, and did not even know if there were even any other test subjects alive. All he knew was that the survival rate of the test subjects was next to zero, and that if there were any survivors they would be precious assets to the empire.

"Hmm I'm not quite sure but can we take a look around to see?" Dubs responded

The man with the white hair hesitated, but agreed. "Clark, wait here with this one. I'm going to take a look at the surrounding area. If I don't come back in a few minutes, get out of here."

Clark nodded and pulled out a metallic sphere that had a number of slits and mechanical parts. He pressed a button on the sphere, and it expanded to envelop the area surrounding him and Dubs.

Clark's nasal voice resounded in the sphere, as he explained to Dubs what had just happened.

"I'm a magical engineer. I use magical properties and mechanical structures to create gadgets and weapons. This is a stealth field, and anyone who passes by this area will see it as a gap of air. We are currently inside another dimension, so even if they walk into us they will pass right through."

The white haired man also used a stealth spell, and dissipated in a flash of black mist. Dubs and Clark waited patiently for his reappearance, which happened a few moments later.

Clark undid the stealth sphere as the white haired man appeared in front of them. "Whats the situation, Ivan?"

Ivan replied, "There is one room with an unguarded subject. She is unconscious but it shouldn't be a problem to retrieve her. We grab her and head back to HQ"

Dubs and Clark followed Ivan down the hallway for a few corridors and came upon another experimental chamber, similar to the one Dubs was in. They entered quietly, and saw a girl, a few years older than Dubs, chained on the wall.

Dubs assumed that she had gone through experimentation as well, and for the first time in his life felt a pang of emotion in his heart. He didn't realize what it was, but decided to ignore it for now.

The girl had long black hair that was uneven as if it had been snipped off randomly with scissors, and torn here and there. She wore a ragged dress, of the same material as the rags Dubs wore due to the materials high resistive properties to magic.

Her body was covered with bruises and blisters, and in the dark the larger ones glowed with radiation. This girl was most likely recently put under experimentation, unlike Dubs who had been under it his entire life.

He felt an odd urge to help her, but didn't know why he felt such. Ivan grabbed his ring of keys and unbound her shackles, and lopped the girl onto his shoulder.

"Were heading back, prepare for teleportation." Ivan stated as he held his hands in front of him and particles of energy began collecting between them

A concentrated mass of particles formed a sphere, which then slowly expanded to envelop the four. With a flash, the particles disappeared, and their surroundings changed from a dark experimental room to a smaller room with a golden pad in the center.

The four of them were standing on the pad and Ivan headed towards the door.

Dubs followed and was lead into a large dining room, which bustled with activity. People of all ages were present, and all of them wore trench coats, some of them leather, and most black. A single figure sat at the head of a large table, wearing a white robe.

The figure wore a white hood, and there was a dark aura in the area where the face should have been, to conceal their identity. Even so, the figure was speaking casually to the people around them, as if good friends.

Food was plentiful around the area. Wooden tables lined with meats and vegetables surrounded the eating area, and people took from them as they pleased, as you would in a buffet.

The girl awoke from Ivan's shoulder, and her eyes widened at the scene. She looked around frantically, and began to scream and pound on Ivan's back

"Where am I!? What is this place!?"

Ivan took the girl off his back as she squirmed to get loose. He held her shoulders and looked her in the eyes.

The dining hall had become quiet, and the eyes of all the inhabitants focused on the squabbling pair.

"I freed you from your life as a test subject. You're in the resistance headquarters."

"Huh?? What is that supposed to mean. I don't know what you're talking about, but the last thing I remember was falling asleep at home. Now I wake up to see some weirdo carrying me, and he starts spouting nonsense?!"

Ivan put his hand on his face, very annoyed. It seemed that the girl had been unconscious the entire duration of the experiments, and she didn't have any memories of them.

The figure in white stood up at this point, and walked towards the girl. "Who do you think you are, dressed all important like that? I'll have you know that I am a noble of the house of Orphus. The empire will have the entirety of their forces mobilized in order to get me back home."

"My child, it seems you've been mislead by the empire. Allow me to show you the events leading to your being here." The voice of a loving mother came from the person in the white robe, who then waved her hand and placed it on the forehead of the girl.

The girls eyes widened as she became aware of the experiments that were done on her, and the transaction between her father- a noble- and the empires experimental sector. She had been sold off as a test subject in her sleep.

"This.. this cant be.. my father.. I refuse to believe this! You are trying to play tricks on my mind, you witch! Bring me back to my family this instant! I will have you all executed for slander and treason!"

"I do not know what you have been shown, but you have been made aware of the truth behind your circumstances. Whether you believe that is up to you, and what you do with that information is also for you to decide." The white robed woman gently stated.

After the woman had returned to her seat, the dining hall resumed as if nothing had happened. The girl stood speechless and put her hands on her head unsure of what to do. All of a sudden, as if moving on its own, Dubs put his hand on her shoulder and muttered the words

"Its gonna be alright."

Dubs thought to himself, "I wonder what impulse is causing me to do these things. I'll have to further investigate my reactions to certain situations."

The girl looked up at him and whispered "thank you.." and Ivan motioned for them to have something to eat.

"Both of you, we have much to discuss. I am now responsible for your care and training. Its time to begin your new life as a Mercenary."