The Transcenders

Chapter 76 - Obscure War (15)

Ejiro Sani and Aaron Amon tilted their heads to look at Zephyr Dragos on the screen imprinted on the wall. They couldn't make out much of his surroundings as he had a blur filter, but it seemed like he was travelling in a car.

"Frankly, your utility to me is akin to scavenging crows pecking at Gabriella Rivampe, much like vultures on a famished traveller abandoned in the desert."

"What the hell does that mean?" Ejiro cringed.

Zephyr didn't pay him any mind. "The rebels have been straining the second layer, and I concluded that the moment had come to retaliate. Aaron was an obvious choice. After all, you're Gabriella's friend. As for Ejiro, you're the one responsible for her return. I would have also brought Isaac Tremblay, but my reptoids met a humiliating end to him.

"Then there was Seth. But who'd dare try to capture the infamous Seth Rayn alive, right?" There was a hurried change in his tone at the mention of Seth's name. He had forgotten to talk formally for a moment.

Ejiro scoffed. "Get to the point."

"Do you have any idea what Gabriella did to me?" He asked the two.

Aaron and Ejiro examined him silently, avoiding eye contact through the screen.

"She sabotaged my baby! The second layer is my homeland. I nurtured its growth and prosperity! Thanks to shedding my skin countless times, the reptoids stand as the wealthiest group in the Obscure Guild. Do you grasp the significance of what I'm conveying?

He hunched and exhaled as if a mountain of work rested on his shoulders. "All the towers that I've erected, the government officials that I influenced, the carefully varnished image of the Seats- Just when I finished preparing for an easy life, decades' worth of work suddenly pilled up! And it's all due to that impulsive girl."

Ejiro glanced at the light above him as if the reptoid's sight was more damaging to his eyes. "Don't go telling us your backstory now."

"No, that's not right. We need to stall for time," Aaron whispered to Ejiro.

He looked at Zephyr. "All Gabriella did was fight against corruption. Isn't she just doing you a favour?"

The Reptoid King chuckled. "It seems that your inferior human brain possesses a limited understanding of the Obscure Guild's intricacies, kid. Corruption and brainwashing are all this frivolous guild is known for.

"Why do you think humans face so much discrimination within the walls? In the fourth layer, this livestock is tortured for the vampires' indecent pleasures. They generally only need to eat souls once or twice a month, but it is like a drug to them; In the inner layer, gifted children are separated from their nuclear families and turned into machines. After slaying the other kids during ridiculous training, they get to enrol into the state military; Lastly, there are inhabited towns in the first layer that serve as test sites for the Dark Faction's weapons. And all of this goes unnoticed by the public. That is our nature."

Aaron and Ejiro struggled to digest the disturbing revelation. The Obscure Guild's horrors were beyond what they thought. The rumours, circulating within the DA and across the Western Continent since the war, weren't as severe as the reality that Zephyr had unveiled before them.

"Alright, that's enough talking. I have a meeting now," Zephyr interrupted their thoughts. The screen quickly shut down, returning the room to its initial eerie feeling.

"It seems he doesn't simply want to use us as hostages. He intends to kill us before Gabriella. No doubt in some gruesome way," Aaron guessed.

"I think he's still in the inner layer. The only way to get to the second layer would be through secret passages, the roof or the main gates. Although he can sneak in, he can't bring an army over here. What does keeping us accomplish?"