The Factory

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We marched up to the gates of the Grimm Fortress with Dark Sky who shambled along in holographic chains that were projected from our Razor Phones. As we approached the gates, I felt for my etheric knife and checked to see how the Wend was doing. It seemed to be doing all right. After all it had just fed only a few hours ago, so it seemed to be fine, which was all right by me because I wasn't looking forward to absorbing any more Grimm. I remembered how sick I got after the battle on the ocean when I absorbed the Grimm Lancers. Who knew how many Grimm we were facing. I checked to see how Yin was doing. She seemed to be holding it together, but I could tell she was deeply unsettled by going into the fortress. I didn't blame her. The fortress radiated the most unpleasant aura. I could tell it was a place of suffering and death.

At the gates was a guardhouse. Two evil looking human beings dressed like soldiers with wicked looking pikes stood by the gates.

"Halt, in the name of his Royal Majesty," one of the soldiers commanded in a gruff voice.

David gave a curt salute. "We've got another ape to be processed into his Majesty's work force. This one tried to escape into the Middle World. Stupid Brute thought he was going to find help."

The guards laughed. "All right, take him to the workshop. These apes are good for only one thing and that's their painting."

The guards gestured at the gate and they opened up with a loud creaky noise. We marched through, parading Dark Sky before us, who walked with his head down in total humiliation. David really got into the act and prodded Dark Sky forward when he stumbled. I didn't like what we were doing, but I had no choice. Cocky bad guys were my favorite Wend Food and this whole fortress reeked of arrogance and superiority. I couldn't wait to cut loose and have some fun. There were times when being a Keeper of the Wend really sucked, but there were also times when it was the best job on Earth. This was one of those times. I couldn't wait to face the Grimm Lord and put a stop to this whole obscene act.

We marched up to a squat ugly building that looked like a warehouse in the center of the fortress. The building was heavily guarded and even felt like it was a place of suffering. This was obviously the workshop.

A couple of guards took one look at us. One sneered at the sight of Dark Sky while the other one spat a stream of dark tobacco juice on the ground.

"We've got another worker here," David said, "Where do you want us to take him?"

"In there and hurry up. We lost two of the damn apes already. Dumb brutes keep asking for water. I guess they're too dumb to know when to quit," tobacco spitter said while the other guard uttered a brusk evil laugh.

I struggled not to show any emotion, but it was hard. I remember reading about the African Slave Trade(this was obviously what the Grimm were modeling their little show after) and this was a page right out of one of the worst periods in human history. I checked out Yin to see if she was doing all right. She stood next to me without saying anything. I was proud of her. If I was having trouble holding it together in this evil place then I couldn't imagine what a gifted Psionic like Yin was feeling.

The guards opened the doors of the warehouse and we marched Dark Sky inside.

Inside, I struggled not to gasp in shock. I automatically reached out for Yin's hand and grasped it tight. Even, David paused in stunned silence, numb at the depravity and evil that was on full display in front of us.

The warehouse was a scene straight out of the lower circles of hell: Dante crossed with Dickens with a generous dash of Henry Ford thrown in on the top. Scores of Yeti were shackled to shoddy wooden benches. In front of them was a conveyor belt that wound through the massive warehouse and on the conveyor belt were hideous, disgusting, translucent eggs that pulsed and throbbed with a life of their own. The eggs looked horrific, a cross between reptilian and insectile shapes. All the while, the captive Yeti numbly painted elaborate designs on them. I noticed that every design was a different creature that looked like it would be a child's worst nightmare: winged bats with huge dripping fangs, giant mutant cockroaches that glowed in the dark, hairy spiders with huge ruby eyes. The whole assembly line was monitored by guards that stood on catwalks and looked down on the line without any trace of emotion. Most of them smoked cigarettes and the whole air was foul and rancid with blue smoke. Right in front of us, one of the guards yawned and scratched his crotch.

I clenched my fists and tried to concentrate on my breathing. This whole obscene charade was too much to take. I was tempted to cut loose right then and there with the Dark Power, but David put his hand on my shoulder and gave me a gentle squeeze that managed to calm me down.

David motioned for us to join him in the corner.

"All right, team. Here's the plan. There's too many for us to assault at once. We're going to have use deception and guile. Follow my lead, stay behind me and-"

Just then, a handsome looking guard, who looked like he could have modeled for a men's magazine, approached us.

"I see you've got another recruit for our little operation," handsome guard said with a smile.

"That's right," David answered, "Where do you want us to take him?"

Handsome guard looked at us with an odd expression. I could tell that he wasn't buying our little act. He examined us up and down with a cold eye.

"You know I wasn't expecting any new brutes today. I'd better call the front gate and check," Handsome Guard said and pulled out a sleek silver cell phone.

"Oh, Forget this," I said and stepped in front of David. I summoned the Dark Power, slapped the phone out of handsome guard's hands and before he could managed a protest, I decapitated him with a judo knife chop. Handsome Guard's head rolled into the corner with his lips still moving. I noticed a shocked look on his face.

"Bloody Hell, Eliza, what are you doing?" Thomas said.

"Doing it my way. Cover Me" I said and ran to the conveyor belt. I used the Dark Power to break the Yeti's chains and free them. All around us shocked guards ran this way and that. Suddenly, a loud piercing alarm shattered the silence.

David and Thomas whipped out their Razor Phones and sent half a dozen photon blasts toward the catwalk.

The Yeti uttered cries of triumph and turned over their benches. They overpowered the guards and began smashing the conveyor belt. I shrieked my banshee war cry and ran deeper into the workshop. Everywhere around us chaos reigned. It was great.

Suddenly, the eggs on the conveyor belt shuddered and began hatching. Rising out of the eggs were the most horrific creatures. These were Etheric Beings and I couldn't use the Dark Power on them. Dozens of winged apparitions took flight.

"Eliza, watch out," Thomas screamed at me.

I did a quick combat roll and narrowly missed getting chowed on by a huge vampire bat that looked like it was crossed with a wasp. Thomas and David blasted the creatures with Photon blasts, but there were too many of them. We had to get out of this warehouse and we had to do it now.

David, Thomas, and I whipped out our Etheric Knives and with a snap of our wrists, activated them.

"Thomas, torch the eggs," I shouted.

Thomas streamed Dragon Fire at the eggs on the conveyor belt and with a whoosh they ignited into flames.

I ran down the line, smashing the chains of the captive Yeti.

"Come on, guys. Follow me," I said to the Yeti.

The Warehouse was going up in flames. We ducked as blue rifle rounds streaked through the air. The guards panicked and ran. Things were quickly spiraling out of control.

"Eliza, over here." David shouted to me and blasted out a window with his Razor Phone. We ran through the smoke and flames and climbed out of the window. We reached back and helped as many of the Yeti as we could.

Outside in the courtyard, dozens of guards unsheathed their rifles and ran towards us. David, Thomas, Yin and I ducked beyond a stack of wooden crates. The Yeti joined us.

David and Thomas lay down covering fire with their Razor Phones. Bullets and Photon Blasts raced through the air, turning the courtyard into a fierce ballet of death.

"We've got to get out of here," I said to David.

"Bloody Hell, do you think so?" Thomas said.

"The safety of the Yeti is our chief concern. We've got to protect them," David said.

It was then that I saw Yin stand up and walk out into the courtyard by herself. She looked calm, cool and collected. Bullets streaked by her. One even grazed her hair, but Yin paid no attention. She stood in the center of the courtyard and placed her hands on her hips. I saw her close her eyes

Yin raised her arms and blue swirling whorls of energy danced in them. She spun around quickly and turned into a whirling tornado of pure energy. The guards rifles flew out of their hands and turned into ashes. With a quick look at each other, the guards turned and ran out of the fortress.

Just then, Yin collapsed in a heap in the middle of the courtyard. She looked like she was unconscious.

"Yin!" I screamed and ran out to her. David and Thomas followed me. We reached Yin and I gently picked her up off the ground. Yin's eyes fluttered open.

"Did we stop them?" Yin said weakly.

"You did it, Yin. You saved us. You saved us all," I said.

David took out his Razor and did a quick med scan of Yin. He frowned when he saw the readings.

"She's suffering from exhaustion but she should be all right," David said.

I looked around. Out in the bay, I could see the slave galleon sailing away. I jumped to my feet.

"David, look the Grimm lord is getting away," I said and pointed to the bay.

"Bloody Hell, Eliza. Can't we just walk and call it a day. We saved the Yeti," Thomas said.

"Tom, if we don't stop that Grimm Lord, now then it will just come back and do this again," I said.

"Eliza, you've never gone up against a Grimm Lord before. They're nothing to be trifled with. I suggest we fall back and-" David said.

"Look, I don't care. I'm going after them, and if you two aren't coming with me then to hell with you," I said and ran out the gates.

To Be Continued

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