Zephyr: The Elemental Clans

141 - You Will Submit

Xyder Zephyr - POV;

"I'm here!" I exclaimed, bursting in through our hotel room's door.

"Xy!" Evie cried out running towards me and holding my arm, "It's terrible, you have to see!"

I looked around the room to find a collection of solemn and depressed faces. The atmosphere was heavy and I was certain that one could cut the tension inside with a knife.

Winter sat leaning into Storm's shoulder on the bed, while he held her hand in comfort. Sorine leaned angrily against the wall while Celes inhaled and exhaled heavily, trying to calm herself down. Satella hugged a shivering Jacqueline in the corner.

"What is going on Dagan? I got a freaked out call just saying I had to get over here right away," I pressed the boy standing in the middle of the room with his arms folded.

"You have to see this for yourself," he sighed as he turned on the television and inserted a small flashdrive in its side.

****

"Tap! Tap!" a finger sounded as it rapped the camera's lens. Suddenly, a figure came into focus saying, "Zephyr! It's been so long! I've missed you guys! How are ya?"

It was unmistakable. He wore his signature hood and I could just barely see his mischievous grin beneath it. This was definitely Ar Blaze. He lifted the camera and began to film himself vlog-style as he slowly walked around the dark room he was in.

"It's sweet isn't it? Victory. What a wonderful thing! Congrats by the way. You all were spectacular against Neptulus. I've never seen a more vicious and brutal assault against an acquaintance... well except for Astra's domination of Dagan's team but that's beside the point. So tell me, how do you feel now knowing that you are so much closer to victory? Oh right, you can't answer through this, silly me. But it's good right? Has to be. Anyway there are a few things I wanted to show you. People I wanted you to meet. You know the drill. Come, come, this is exciting!"

He walked hrriedly across the room and as he did, the subtle moans and cries grew louder.

"Whack!"

"Aaaaaaaaaah!" a woman's voice cried out.

"Hey, come on now man. That was too much!" Ar scolded someone off-camera. He spun the handheld-device, facing it in the direction of the commotion.

"No!" I blurted out as I recognised the naked body of Naomi, tied with her arms over her head and legs fastend to the ground.

"Whack!"

A whip was brought down on her skin and struck her with a stinging echo.

"Kyaaaaaah!" she cried out again.

"Hey baby girl, how are ya?" Ar questioned, walking over to her.

"Look who it is! Xyder and the others! Come on, say hi!" he told her. Naomi looked away in shame, keeping a brave face through everything.

"I said say hi!" he roared, jerking her head towards the camera by her chin, "There we go. You should have good manners."

Naomi clenched her teeth, trying to hold back her emotions.

"What's the matter? You embarrassed? There's no need for that. Your body is beautiful. Flaunt it! Or is it that you're ashamed of your situarion because honestly I'm shocked. Here you are, tied up like a pig, and yet you seem to be at least slightly enjoying this. What a pervert!" Ar chuckled, "But you must have shown Xyder every desire and every corner of this flawless body by now. Surely."

A male's legs just barely came into view behind them.

"Oooh! Upgrading from the whip to the bamboo. Eeek! The sound is going to be so exciting!" Ar squealed in false excitement.

"Whack! Whack! Whack! Whack! Whack!"

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" her screams rang out.

"Nooo! Please! Leave her alone! Stooooop!" Jaya wailed off-screen. Ar, took a few steps to the right to reveal the half-dressed, crying girl.

"Please stop! She can't take any more!" Jaya pleaded.

"How sweet. The little sister doing everything she can for her elder sibling," Ar mocked.

"Please! Please I'm begging you! I'll take her place so please leave her alone!" Jaya continued.

"I'm sorry dear," Ar said wiping the tears off one of her cheeks, "but that's not my call to make. The boss made it clear... this woman was free game. We could do whatever we wanted to her beyond stipulations. The rest of you have specially chosen surprises in store though."

As he said this, he angled the camera slightly to reveal eight girls lined up in a row in various states of dress. Some were soaking wet, others covered in what seemed to be rotting fruits but all of them were our precious friends. My blood was already boiling by this point but seeing their tear-soaked faces pushed me to a whole new level of rage.

"And look at you," Ar cackled, reaching the end of the line, "Oh our dear Aurora. This angry look doesn't suit you. I wouldn't mind breaking your mind myself. When I'm done with you, you will be on all fours begging for my-"

Without warning, Aurora spat on the hidden face of the over-confident male growling, "Go to hell you infertile piece of shit."

Ar seemed shocked for a second but he quickly recovered and, staring at her, he drove his fist squarely into the side of her face, knocking her flat onto the ground.

"Learn your place, you bitch," he hissed before returning to his fake, cheery tone, "Anyway, you were our dear assassin... Xavier's prized spy. But there was another one wasn't there? A spy? What was their name... Hero? Willow? Oh, I remember!"

Ar scurried away from the girls with a merry skip, eventually coming to a halt some distance away to show a man kneeling on the ground with arms bound behind his back. A sack covered the male's head, hiding his identity.

"How could I forget?! The second spy was obviously our good old buddy here," Ar snickered, lifting the bag over their head, "Nero Mendax. How are you bud? We met at the Ball you hosted for the clans, remember?! That was fun right?!"

Nero remained silent, almost as if in a daze. His face was bloodied and his clothes were stained red.

"I said that was fun, RIGHT?!" Ar repeated angrily as he grabbed Nero's hair and raised the boy's head towards the camera.

"Don't listen to them," Nero whispered.

"Oh no... that was no good, you bad boy," Ar muttered, covering Nero's head again and walking away, but keeping Nero in frame.

"Do you know what happens to bad boys around here?" Ar questioned, drawing a gun from his waist, "They are executed."

As he muttered those words, he fired a bullet through Nero's abdomen. A pained cough erupted from Nero as he was struck and blood began to pour out of the wound. A volley of bullets appeared from around him, striking the boy at point blank range, almost as if a firing squad had been on stand-by awaiting the order to fire. Riddled with lead, Nero collapsed to the cold floor.

"No!" I exclaimed, watching the scene unfold.

Ar walked over to the body and prodded it with his feet.

"Well would you look at that," Ar said, "He still has some life in him. He's a fighter, this one. With that being said, if you want it to stay that way then you will have to listen to me and listen to me clearly, Xyder Zephyr. You've been largely disobedient and we've let it slide bit by bit until this point but now we're donw playing games. We're tired of your nonsense. The time is rapidly approaching for the final battle of this tournament. Blaze and Zephyr will surely end up facing each other in combat and when that occurs, you will lie down and accept your beating without complaint. If you so much as try to fight back, we will take that as a failure to comply. If you fail to comply, then you can be assured that you will begin to receive your friends one by one... in pieces! Their fate lies in your hands Xyder. Don't disappoint them or us!"