Chapter 29: Gregor Naught
VRRMM!
The armored vehicle rolled steadily through the desert trail, its tires crunching against gravel and sand as the sun dipped lower behind the dunes.
Inside, the atmosphere had changed.
The tension from earlier had faded into something warmer.
Something lighter.
Brandon leaned back in his seat with a long breath.
"…Man," he said, shaking his head. "I really thought that was it back there."
Champagne laughed loudly, stretching his arms behind his head.
"Same here! I was already thinking about my funeral speech."
"Your own funeral speech?" Wei-Wan muttered.
"Yeah," Champagne grinned. "Someone had to make it cool."
Fah-Jin sat quietly near the window, the fading sunlight brushing across her face. For once, even she allowed herself a small smile.
"…Still," she said softly, "we made it out alive."
Avenor looked relieved but shy, quietly watching the desert pass outside.
Wasabi suddenly pointed toward her.
"Hey now," he said, raising an eyebrow. "Don't act like you weren't the MVP."
Avenor blinked.
"M-me?"
Wasabe nodded.
"You literally hid an entire squad from an army."
Before she could respond—
Fwoosh...
Zachia leaned over and grabbed her gently, rubbing the top of her head.
"Good work," he said with a grin.
Avenor's face instantly turned red.
"H-hey! Stop that!"
The vehicle filled with small laughter.
For the first time in a long time, they looked like a normal group of friends instead of warriors running for their lives.
Wei-Wan finally leaned forward from the back seat.
"So… boss."
Everyone looked toward Daito.
"Where exactly are we going now?"
Daito had been silent for most of the ride, staring out the windshield.
The fading sun reflected faintly off the Traditional Blade resting across his lap.
After a moment he answered calmly.
"Our next stop…"
He pointed toward a direction far beyond the desert horizon.
"Gregor Naught."
Several members of the crew reacted immediately.
"The city of assassins?" Brandon asked.
"Yeah," Champagne muttered. "That place is basically a graveyard with buildings."
Wasabi cracked her neck.
"Great, from one death trap to another."
Daito nodded slightly.
"That's where we'll find the next Rebel."
Aerin crossed her arms.
"…And who would that be?"
Daito finally looked back at them.
His voice was steady.
"Monday Valhalla."
The name hung in the air.
Even the desert wind outside seemed to pause.
Zachia raised an eyebrow.
"I've heard that name before."
Wei-Wan nodded slowly.
"…Yeah."
"The Terror of Gregor Naught."
Fah-Jin added quietly:
"The battle crazed maniac who wiped out an entire town by himself."
Champagne whistled.
"…So basically we're recruiting a walking nightmare."
Daito looked back toward the road ahead.
"Exactly."
The vehicle continued deeper into the desert as the last light of the sun disappeared.
Far ahead—
FWOO!
Beyond miles of sand and stone...Lay a city known only for shadows, blades, and silent killers.
Gregor Naught.
And somewhere inside it…
Waited Monday Valhalla.
* * *
Night had already fallen when the armored vehicle approached the outer border of Gregor Naught.
The city lights glowed faintly in the distance like a nest of fireflies hiding blades in the dark.
Tall walls surrounded the city, with watchtowers overlooking the roads. Guards patrolled slowly along the gates, checking every incoming vehicle.
Inside the car, Avenor Yakisa placed her hand on the dashboard.
Her eyes glowed faintly.
"…Ready."
A faint shimmer spread outward from her body.
Within seconds—
FWOO!
The entire vehicle vanished.
Perfectly hidden.
"Camouflage active," she whispered.
VRRMM....
The car rolled calmly toward the checkpoint.
Two guards looked directly at the road as the invisible vehicle passed right between them.
Neither reacted.
Neither saw a thing.
Seconds later, they were inside the city.
Gregor Naught was exactly what people said it was.
Dark alleyways.
Neon lights flickering above gambling houses.
People in long cloaks moving silently through narrow streets.
Blades flashed occasionally in the shadows.
No one asked questions here.
No one cared who you were.
Inside a quiet alley, the invisible vehicle finally stopped.
Fwooshh....
The shimmer faded as Avenor released her power.
Wei-Wan immediately jumped out and opened the trunk.
"Alright," he said, tossing bundles of cloth around.
"Time to look like locals."
Inside were long dark robes, cloaks, and hooded outfits common in the city.
One by one the crew changed.
Even Daito Greyhell pulled on a dark cloak, hiding the Traditional Blade beneath the fabric.
When they were ready, Wasabi Yuko activated her tablet.
PING!
"Give me a second," she muttered.
Her fingers moved rapidly across the screen.
"I'll try pulling info on our target."
Everyone gathered around.
A few seconds passed.
Then Wasabi froze.
"…You've got to be kidding me."
Wei-Wan leaned over her shoulder.
"What?"
She slowly turned the screen toward them.
"He's in jail."
The group went silent.
"Not just any jail," Wasabi continued.
"It's Iron Bastion."
Brandon's eyes widened.
"The one that captures Savages?"
Wasabi nodded.
"The worst of the worst."
Zachia scratched his head.
"…Yeah maybe this was a bad idea."
One by one the others nodded.
"Breaking into that place is basically suicide," Champagne added.
For a moment the group stood quietly thinking.
Then Daito spoke.
"No."
Everyone looked at him.
"It's not a bad idea."
He looked toward the distant skyline where the prison towers could barely be seen.
"If anything… it proves something."
Aerin tilted her head.
"What?"
Daito answered simply.
"It proves Monday Valhalla is exactly what we're looking for."
Fah-Jin crossed her arms and looked at Wasabi.
"Tell us more about him."
Wasabi nodded and scrolled further.
"Alright…"
She read from the screen.
"Name: Monday Valhalla."
"Age: 18."
Brandon raised an eyebrow.
"…Kid's young."
Wasabi continued.
"Savage Power: Electricity."
"Extremely fast."
"Combat style: aggressive."
"Psychological profile…"
She paused.
"…Nasty attitude."
Champagne grinned.
"Oh yeah, he'll fit right in with us."
But Wasabi frowned slightly.
"There's something weird."
"What?" Wei-Wan asked.
She shook her head.
"The records show his arrest…"
"But not the reason."
Everyone looked at each other.
"That's suspicious," Brandon muttered.
Aerin stepped forward beside Daito.
"Well…"
She smiled slightly.
"If anything…"
"We should trust Daito."
The others slowly nodded.
They had seen what he could do.
Brandon finally spoke again.
"Alright then."
"But there's one problem."
Everyone looked at him.
"How exactly do we break someone out of the most dangerous Savage prison in town?"
Silence filled the alley.
Then—
Fwoosh...
Every single member of the crew slowly turned toward Daito.
Daito stood calmly with his arms crossed.
He looked toward the distant prison towers.
Then back at the group.
"…Relax."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"I already have a plan."
* * *
The alley in Gregor Naught was quiet.
Too quiet.
Distant neon lights flickered against wet stone streets while cloaked figures passed in silence like ghosts.
The crew stood in a loose circle around Daito Greyhell.
Everyone waited.
Daito didn't speak immediately.
Instead, he looked toward the far side of the city where tall black towers rose into the night.
At the center of those towers stood the prison.
Iron Bastion.
A fortress designed for only one purpose.
Holding Savages who could destroy.
Finally Daito spoke.
"First thing you need to understand…"
He pointed toward the skyline.
"…is that breaking into Iron Bastion is impossible."
Champagne crossed his arms.
"Well that's reassuring."
Daito nodded calmly.
"That's why we won't break in."
Wei-Wan frowned.
"…Then what?"
Daito's eyes sharpened slightly.
"We make them bring him to us."
The group looked confused.
Wasabi stepped forward.
"You mean… a prisoner transfer?"
Daito shook his head.
"No."
"Something bigger."
He knelt down and picked up a piece of chalk from the ground.
On the stone floor he began drawing a rough map of the city.
The prison.
The surrounding districts.
Guard towers.
Transport routes.
Everyone leaned closer.
"Gregor Naught runs on contracts," Daito explained.
"Assassinations."
"Smuggling."
"Black market operations."
"But there's one thing that keeps the city stable."
Tap–Tap...
He tapped the prison drawing.
"Iron Bastion."
"If that prison falls…"
He looked at them.
"The entire city erupts into chaos."
Zachia grinned slowly.
"…So we scare them into moving the prisoner."
Daito nodded.
"Exactly."
Trrrr....
He drew several circles around the prison.
"These are the energy relay stations powering the Bastion's security field."
Wasabi immediately recognized the design.
"High-voltage containment barriers."
"Savage suppression tech."
"Even electricity users couldn't break out."
Daito pointed at her.
"Correct."
Trrr....
Then he continued drawing.
"What happens if the power network collapses?"
Brandon answered immediately.
"They initiate emergency protocol."
"Transfer dangerous prisoners."
Daito nodded.
"Especially the volatile ones."
Tap–Tap...
He tapped the name on the map.
Monday Valhalla.
The group slowly began understanding.
Champagne leaned forward.
"So we sabotage the power grid…"
Wei-Wan finished the thought.
"…and they move Monday somewhere else."
Daito shook his head again.
"Not somewhere else."
Trrrrrr....
He drew a long line across the map.
"The Bastion's emergency transfer route."
It led through the old bridge district.
A section of the city that had been abandoned decades ago.
Dark.
Collapsed.
Perfect for an ambush.
Aerin smiled faintly.
"So we attack the convoy."
Daito looked at her.
"Yes."
"But not directly."
He erased part of the route.
"Because they expect attacks."
Then he drew a second hidden tunnel route.
"The old drainage tunnels beneath the execution district."
Wasabi's eyes widened.
"…Those tunnels connect directly above the road."
Daito nodded again.
"That's where we strike."
Now the plan started unfolding piece by piece.
He pointed at different members of the team.
"Avenor."
She looked up.
"You cloak the convoy route."
"Hide our movements."
He pointed to Wasabi and Fah-Jin.
"You guys disable the relay stations."
"Quietly."
"Three stations."
"Simultaneously."
Then he looked at Champagne and Brandon.
"You two create a distraction."
Champagne grinned.
"Oh I like where this is going."
Daito continued.
"You attack the northern armory depot."
"Make it loud."
"Make it look like a rebel raid."
Wei-Wan crossed his arms.
"That'll pull half the city's guards."
"Exactly," Daito replied.
Then he turned to Zachia and Fah-Jin.
"You two guard the tunnel entrance."
"Once the convoy arrives…"
"You stop them from escaping."
Zachia cracked his neck.
"…Finally something simple."
Everyone then noticed something.
Daito hadn't assigned himself yet.
Aerin asked quietly.
"…What about you?"
Daito looked back at the map.
His finger rested on the prison transport vehicle.
"The convoy carries three armored carriers."
"One of them holds Monday."
He looked at them.
"I'll be inside that one."
Silence filled the alley.
Brandon blinked.
"…Inside?"
Daito nodded.
"I'll board the convoy before it leaves."
Wasabi frowned.
"That's suicide."
Daito shrugged slightly.
"Only if they notice."
Aerin studied him carefully.
"You're planning to get arrested or worse."
He met her eyes.
"…Temporary inconvenience."
Champagne burst out laughing.
"You're the man Daito."
Wei-Wan sighed.
"…This might actually work."
Daito stood up and brushed dust off his hands.
"But there's one last piece."
Everyone waited.
He pointed toward the prison again.
"Monday Valhalla."
"He's not just another prisoner."
"He's unpredictable."
"Violent."
"Fast."
"And he doesn't trust anyone."
Zachia tilted his head.
"So when we free him…"
"He might try to kill us."
Daito nodded calmly.
"That's very likely."
Fah-Jin asked quietly.
"…Then why risk all of this?"
Fwoo...
Daito looked toward the dark skyline of Gregor Naught.
His voice lowered slightly.
"Because Rebels don't sit quietly in cages."
"And if the stories are true…"
His eyes sharpened.
"…Monday Valhalla isn't just a Savage."
CRACKLE!
A distant bolt of lightning flashed across the clouds above the city.
Daito finished the sentence.
"He's a storm waiting to be unleashed."
The crew stood in silence.
Then Champagne cracked his knuckles.
"Well."
He grinned.
"Let's go start a citywide panic."
Fwoo...
And somewhere far across Gregor Naught...inside the deepest level of Iron Bastion, a young prisoner sat chained in a dark cell.
BZZZ...
Electric sparks flickered faintly across his fingers.
He slowly lifted his head.
For reasons he couldn't explain…he suddenly smiled.
To be continued....