Gardens For Guardians

Chapter 1: Stowaway

- Gloomful Grove -

          Chaos. Fear. What has the world come to? For so long order and peace reigned supreme. The Ten Guardians succeeded decades ago in crafting their ideal standards of government predicated on the principles of upholding both the law and societal order. Working below them are their Generals, those who dedicated their lives for the good of all to ensure the protection of the Guardians, and, by extension, the entire world and its future. So what terrible powers crept out from the decrepit dredges to disrupt the greater good? Whatever the case may be, the reality is that a very important man is in the midst of a brutal hunt, and he is the prey. At full speed he is flying through a dark forest, no moon or sun in the sky to shine a path towards freedom. His eyes, partially adapted to the blackness, are the only tool he relies on. The forest is loud, not from the roars of beasts but from jeering laughter. It sounds like an auditorium, packed full of faces laughing at his torment.

          He must keep running. He cannot tell where an enemy may be or even how many are after him. There is one he knows of for sure, and it is the main reason he is forced to run. Behind him is a bloodthirsty chimera, the source of the faint roars under the raucous laughter. It tramples foliage underfoot as it crashes down in its wild sprint fueled by hunger. With its wings tucked close to its body, it would seem the beast should outpace a running man with ease. Despite this, the distance between them remains. Perhaps this hunger is not one satiated by flesh. In any other scenario the man would be fighting back with his full might, but he is outnumbered and disadvantaged without his gear. All he can do is run or give up, and a man of his status does not give up. A General never gives up. Unfortunately for this one, the hunt is nearly over. A simple mistake is enough to bring a close to the pursuit. A mistake both unavoidable and unnoticeable by the man; a dying tree towers up above him. While leaping over its roots, he is frozen in place, both feet off the ground. He cannot hear any laughing nor does the chimera sound like it is gaining on him. Finally, for a moment, quiet fills the forest. That is, until a large branch situated high above the man finally breaks away from the corpse of the mighty tree and comes plummeting down. It strikes his unprotected head, knocking him unconscious.

- Somewhere, Moments Later -

          "What do you want with me‽ Get me the hell OUT OF HERE!!" the man bursts out frantically as he desperately tosses his body from side and side in a futile attempt to break free from his confines. He lays, dressed in an expensive black suit, on an elevated, metal table. The air is still and filled with dread; the only sensation to provide any sort of comfort is the coldness of metal against skin. The room is entirely empty, with nothing but a spotlight from above striking his face with a blinding ray. Countless chains and shackles attached from the bottom of the table adorn his entire body, allowing only inches of movement during his dire shakes for escape. "WHERE ARE YOU‽ Someone must be there!!" His voice grows coarse from screaming and he coughs, projecting blood out from his mouth that falls straight down and splatters on his own face.

          "Yes yes yes, you are correct" proclaims a soft, feminine voice that fills the void of this miserable setting. "It seems someone is here, indeed. I would commend you for your astute conclusion if it weren't so inherent! How could anyone put a man like yourself in such a, dare I say, compromising position and not want to stick around to enjoy the show?" The mysterious voice speaks with perfect and clear enunciation, only otherwise disrupted by a childlike playfulness to put extra stress on some words, seemingly at random. "You'd better get me out of here this instant! Don't you know who I am‽" shouts the captured man, his head turned slightly towards his left where he has perceived the other voice to be coming from. "Now now now, of course I know who you are. That's the whole point, General Vant. You're here to return a favor."