Worlds' Strongest

by Simon Archer

  Elle shoved me in the direction of the soldiers. I’d left Eon with a sword, a dagger, a staff, and a bag of supplies, and I was returning with nothing but the clothes on my back.

  “Who are you?” The soldier in front barked. I started to answer when I realized he was talking to Elle.

  “I’m Solem’s eldest child.” I heard her voice behind me, strong and clear. There wasn’t a waver or a hint of fear in her voice. “Elle. Nickel Class, Fighter. I’m bringing you Ren So, the stranger. I tracked him to—”

  “There are penalties,” the soldier interrupted, “for lying to an official from Coil, as I’m sure you know. We’re not amateurs, Elle. Give us credit for that much.”

  I sensed her tense up behind me.

  “Yes,” she said firmly. “My apologies. I… I was under the impression Ren So was not dangerous, so I accompanied him to Grave. When I realized that he had malicious intentions and my sister informed me that he was a danger, I confronted him about returning. He attacked me. When I subdued him, I brought him here.”

  The soldier nodded. He turned his head to the side and nodded again. At that signal, the two soldiers at his shoulders came forward, crossing the window and grabbing my arms. When we crossed back over the window, their touch became almost white hot. I squirmed and cringed at the searing sensation, but the moment we stepped off the window, it faded.

  As they dragged me off down another road, I heard Elle say something behind me, but I couldn’t make it out. After that, I heard the original soldier respond.

  “He’ll be released, eventually.”

  On the way through the crowd, I saw one other familiar face. I caught the eye of Kistro, the man who’d cut me using the window the day I arrived. He glared at me as though I’d personally killed someone he loved. I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. As the soldiers pulled me along, I saw rage ignite on his face. I’d be lying if I said that wasn’t at least a little satisfying.

  They dragged me down the road past one of the second story buildings. There weren’t any houses down this street. I could feel the peering eyes of villagers watching us from behind, but that wasn’t all. As I took a centered breath, I could feel I was being watched from another direction. I glanced around, but I couldn’t see anyone besides the soldiers. The trees in this area were so thin there was no place to hide. Still, I got the feeling someone was there and didn’t want to be seen, either by the soldiers or me.

  Finally, the road met a stone building in the shape of a large square, short and flat. There were a single door and no windows. One soldier walked ahead to open the door while the others pushed me in. The whole place was dark, but there were a few small candle flames. It was just light enough for me to see the row of doors. Each individual door had a small window lined with bars. If I had to guess, I’d assume this place was some kind of jail.

  “Solem?” I managed to ask before being shoved into one of the cells. I thought I heard a response, but it could have easily been a soldier yelling at me. Still, there was a good chance this was where they were holding him. That would be a problem.

  “Shut up.” One of the soldiers shoved me to the floor and kicked my ribcage. He knelt down as I coughed and grabbed me by the collar of my shirt. “You’re going to answer questions. Understood?”

  I couldn’t get out the words to answer, so I nodded as I tried to catch my breath, holding my ribcage. The soldier lifted me to my feet and shoved me back against the wall. As my eyes adjusted, I realized there was a source of light I hadn’t noticed before. There were thin windows on the top of the wall where it met the ceiling, so just enough light poured in that I could see the soldiers before me. The cell was not meant to contain more than two people, but four soldiers stood in the room with me. The door was open so more could see whatever interrogation was about to take place.

  “Did you guys draw straws to see who got to do the fun part?” I barely managed to crack a smile through the pain in my side and the nerves wracking my body. “The fun part being beating me, of course.”

  All the soldiers looked stunned for a second. That was good. If I could merely keep them confused with jokes that were hardly funny, this would be a lot easier.

  Or not. As soon as the confusion passed, the soldier closest to me walked up and punched me, hard. His fist connected right where Elle had left a bruise. I stumbled to the side, holding my face.

  When I looked up, the soldier that had been in the front of the triangle in the town square was in front of me. He lifted and waved his hand, and three of the other soldiers left the room, leaving only him, one other soldier, and me. The others crowded among the doorframe, trying to make sure they got a good view of whatever was about to happen.

  “Ren So?” The head soldier raised an eyebrow. “Is that your real name?”

  I nodded as I prepared to talk through the pain in my jaw. I couldn’t help but cringe as I began to speak. “Yes, sir. What should I call you?”

  “Captain. Nothing else.” He spat back. “We won’t be acquainted long.”

  “Well,” I shrugged my eyebrows, “I’m sad to hear that. I thought you and I would make great friends. Only my closest friends--”

  The dumb joke I was going to make was interrupted by his hand on my face. Luckily, this time, it was only a slap. I rested my weight against the wall behind me, anticipating at least a little more of this.

  “Ren So,” the Captain said with a sneer. “Who are you?”

  “What do you mean?” I made sure to imbue my question with as much of a genuine tone as I could muster, hoping to avoid as much physical abuse as possible.

  “Who are you? Where are you from? What’s your class? What have you trained in?”

  I nodded to show I understood the questions. Admittedly, I could answer with a lot more confidence than when Kistro had asked me the same thing weeks ago.

  “My name is Ren Oliver So. I’m from a place outside Solivann called California. Where I’m from, we don’t have classes the way you do, and I’ve never trained in a trade, so I think I’m a… What was it? Zinc Class?”

  The Captain’s glare intensified. “If you’re going to treat this all as a game, we can save time and kill you now.”

  “No!” I flinched at the threat. “I swear, I’m telling the truth!”

  The other soldier stepped up behind the Captain’s shoulder. “How did you get here?”

  “I really don’t know,” I shook my head. “All I want is to get back home. I never wanted any trouble.”

  The other soldier scoffed. “Then why did Elle speak about your intentions? She said you were a danger.”

  “She believes I’m a danger because Kaia told her I was. I never wanted to hurt anyone.”

  I jumped slightly when the Captain took a step closer to me. “If that’s true, perhaps you could explain how, if you’re really as untrained as a mere child, you caused so much harm to a Nickel Class combatant such as Solem’s eldest?”

  “I was just trying to protect myself,” I shook my head. “It was desperation. I never wanted to hurt her…”

  The Captain hesitated as he stared at me, almost searching for something in my face. Whatever he was, he must have found it. A smug grin spread across his face. “Oh, Ren So. You don’t mean to tell me that you developed feelings for the girl?”

  I swallowed hard. That hadn’t been something I was trying to convey.

  He chuckled and shook his head. I heard snickers and laughter from the soldiers behind him as well. I wasn’t sure what was so funny.

  “Captain Varill,” one of the soldiers from the hallway said, stepping into the doorway. There was clear annoyance on the Captain’s face at having his name revealed, but he turned to see the soldier. “If we have trouble getting answers from the stranger, the girl could make him talk.”

  My stomach dropped.

  The Captain turned back to look at me. “That’s an option, if he refuses to cooperate.”

  I frowned. “What the hell do you mean? I’ve been cooperating
. I answered all your questions!”

  “Bullshit!” He hissed. “You’re going to start giving us real answers, or you’re going to wish you’d never set foot in Solivann!”

  Too late for that. I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at the desperate display of aggression. That was probably the wrong response.

  Captain Varill was quick to send his fist flying at my gut. I doubled over and groaned, but without any time to recover, a metal-clad foot collided with my head, knocking me to the ground.

  I rested on the floor for a second, centering my breathing on diverting as much of the pain as possible. I found myself wishing the Captain would try to use an actual weapon rather than his fists. My immunity to the blades of Solivann wasn’t much help when I was being beaten senseless by hand.

  I focused on the areas of my body that hurt the most, my abdomen and the side of my head. When I focused my breath in those areas, it relieved the pain considerably. When someone grabbed me roughly by the arm, I could stand to my feet without feeling dizzy. That was good, at least.

  The sheer fact that I didn’t look like I was about to pass out also seemed to jar the soldiers around me. The two soldiers who’d pulled me up let me go and backed up behind Captain Varill.

  “Zinc Class, my ass.” The Captain glared. “If you were that weak, you’d be out cold by now.”

  He walked closer until his face was inches from mine. I could feel the heat from his breath on my face when he spoke, his tone deep and menacing. “What are you?”

  “I told you,” I kept my voice sounding calm despite the nerves nearly overwhelming me, “where I come from, we didn’t have classes.”

  “Captain,” the soldier behind him said curiously. “Maybe he’s telling the truth. When Draco arrived, he said the same thing.”

  The Captain looked me up and down and sneered before turning away and walking to the corner of the room. That put him a whole four and a half feet from me.

  “Where did Draco come from?” I asked, hoping to prologue the time in between receiving beatings. The longer I focused my breath and energy on the places I’d been hit, the less pain throbbed in my abdomen and my cheek.

  Captain Varill frowned, but it seemed to be in thought rather than in anger. He shot a look at the soldiers in the hall. “Someone, recite the name of Draco’s home.”

  I couldn’t help but smile a bit. Clever to phrase your own lack of knowledge as a test of someone else’s intelligence.

  “Sir.” One of the soldiers stepped into view, standing at attention. “Draco escaped persecution from the District of Columbia.”

  My face fell. “Wait, he came from there? What did he tell you about D.C.?”

  Varill had a look like he was about to tell me to shut up when the soldier continued speaking.

  “The District of Columbia was a dark place of debauchery and murder.” The soldier barked as though he were reciting a poem for a class project. “Draco was the only man to oppose the fractured rule of law, and when he was threatened, he fled to Solivann and swore to keep us from ever becoming the same evil state his home had become.”

  “You’re kidding,” I scoffed and shook my head. “This whole time…”

  The idea that Draco came from some third universe seemed just as believable to me as the fact that Solivann existed at all, so I never questioned it. I never considered that his fairy tale was just a lie about my world.

  “What’s so humorous about his plight?” Varill glared.

  I should have been respectful or serious, but I couldn’t keep from laughing in sheer disbelief.

  “Listen, Captain, I don’t know how to break it to you, but your fearless leader lied from the second he got here,” I explained through my chuckles. “D.C.? It’s not a nation or a state, it’s a city, and it’s sure as hell not the fucking crime capital he told you it is. I mean, the hot dogs are overpriced, but--”

  “Stop!” Varill shouted. If he hadn’t been four feet away, he probably would have hit me again. “After all the damage you’ve done, you want to slander the Savior of Solivann?”

  “The what?” I dropped my jaw in disbelief.

  “If it weren’t for Draco, Iskage would have destroyed Solivann and made slaves of us all! There are villages that only have food, only have water, all because of Draco!”

  I shook my head and sighed. There were those claims again. Funny how no one ever knew which towns he’d done that for.

  “Enough of this,” Varill sneered. “It’s time for you to pay for the damage you’ve done.”

  I focused my breath, trying to do what Elle had shown me to make time move slower, but everything happened in real-time. Varill started walking toward me, pulling a dagger from its sheath at his waist. I tried to prepare myself for the inevitable beating that would follow after he realized the weapon couldn’t hurt me, when the moment I’d been waiting for finally arrived.

  I heard a voice whispering in my ear.

  Just before Varill pulled his dagger back to strike, I collapsed on the floor and shouted. With my eyes closed, I focused so I could watch them exchange glances of confusion. Finally, Varill’s right-hand soldier spoke, interrupting my groans.

  “What are you doing?” He kicked my leg.

  I flinched hard and began gasping for breath.

  “Ah, I don’t know! What did you do to me?” Clutching at my side, I looked up with an expression of pain at the soldiers, who stared at Varill. I winced and groaned again. “I-I don’t know. It just… I can’t breathe! My lungs--”

  Slowly, I tried to explain my pain to the soldiers. Ironically, even though they were planning to kill me anyway, my sudden descent into excruciating agony was curious enough that they paused their attack. I heard the soldiers discussing what it could be, wondering if I was having a heart attack or something else. I kept my eyes closed and my head down, so they didn’t know I was watching them as I feigned some sort of nondescript illness.

  All I had to do was keep them distracted just long enough.

  “Captain,” one of the soldiers muttered. “What do we do?”

  19

  You see, August didn’t let us leave his house without a plan.

  Kaia was difficult to persuade, but by the end, we found our plan to be so foolproof even she agreed. I didn’t bother making any references out loud since none of my accomplices would have understood, but needless to say, the Ocean’s Eleven theme song overscored the entire planning process in my mind. I may or may not have called myself Danny in my head two or three times.

  If all went according to plan, their family would be completely safe.

  The first priority was securing Solem. Our hope was that they would release him upon my arrival, but August warned us to assume the worst. The soldiers knew nothing about me, so if they were concerned there was a trick or an escape coming, they’d want to keep Solem as leverage. If that was the case, he would have to be rescued.

  Kaia swore they only wanted me. If they feared me, as August suggested they might, they wouldn’t be concerned with keeping Solem restrained, especially if he was weak. She said there were only about a dozen soldiers in the town. A few more had gone off in search of me, but they went south, just like Elle hoped they would when we first escaped Eon.

  Twelve soldiers, likely all Platinum or Gold Class, and one stranger. As unlikely as it seemed to me, both Elle and August thought it probable that everyone would want to be present for my capture and interrogation.

  “In the history of Solivann, this is only the third time someone’s shown up from out of nowhere,” August smiled assuredly at us as we all sat around the table. “Imagine if you were the guards. You’ve spent most of your life training for one thing: to protect Draco. Finally, someone arrives who might be a threat. Do you see yourself staying behind to guard the man already weak from torture while everyone else witnesses a once in a lifetime experience?”

  “Fair point,” I conceded. I’d been enjoying my own routine for the time being, but in the grand scheme, life
here seemed relatively dull. I could be the most exciting thing to happen to these people in years. “So assuming he’s unguarded, you think they’ll be able to find Solem?”

  “I know where he is,” Kaia broke in. “I’ve gone to see him every night. Even if they’ve moved him, we could find him.”

  I raised an eyebrow, waiting for an explanation. “How? That’s a big thing to bank on.”

  Elle blinked and gave me a confused look. “We have a connection. I told you, one of the ways you grow is through relationships. With a strong bond, emotionally or physically, breath becomes a connection between two people, or four in our case. Dad, Kaia, even Maylon. It’s like--”

  Elle cut herself off, but somehow I heard the rest of her sentence. “It’s like the connection between us.”

  My eyes widened as realization dawned on me. I’d noticed that Elle usually seemed to know what I thought when I thought about her, and I’d been able to anticipate her moves better when we sparred. The thought never crossed my mind that there was a deeper reason.

  August nodded as though he knew what I was thinking. For a second, I worried that he did, but Elle laughed as soon as the idea popped into my head, so I chalked it up to him being observant.

  “The connection between the two of you could be lifesaving during this endeavor,” he said solemnly.

  Once Solem was safe, unless they wanted to abandon me completely, we needed more of a plan.

  “If it even appears as though Kaia or Elle help you escape,” August warned, “they’ll be in danger.”

  “We’re not just going to abandon him,” Elle said firmly.

  Kaia rolled her eyes. “You--”

  “We’re not just going to abandon him,” the elder sister repeated herself with a tone that left no room to argue. Kaia glared for a moment before sitting back in her seat and shaking her head in silence.

  “So let’s say I’m being held by twelve inhumanly strong soldiers, and they haven’t killed me yet.” I rubbed the back of my neck as I thought. “I might be able to get out myself if I was alone?”