96 Warden

Ed glanced at the drifting plume of snow where the pilot had thrown her clothes. Several holes appeared where the clothes had been. He then glanced back at the pilot, quadcopter, and the rest of the island. 'The island's too small to run and hide long-term, so that's out. The pilot's obviously confident in her odds of winning. I'm missing an arm and am still pretty tired from my recent battles, but I have my chimera strength. Can I win?' He wondered.

"Let's do this!" She grinned as she leaned forward, pushing off the ground with her foot. Snow jettisoned into the air behind her as she twisted her body to throw a right kick.

Chimera scales quickly covered Ed's entire body as he lifted his left arm up to block. A snapping sound rang out as his arm broke, causing him to grunt in pain. He stumbled several steps back while staring in shock. 'Holy shit! Phantom's strength was a freaken cakewalk compared to her!'

"Not bad." She nodded while still jumping lightly against the ground. "Physical strength is king here since no one can use their powers. You might do okay with that strength if your arm heals up in time. Want to keep going?"

He grimaced as thoughts ran through his mind. He glanced again at the holes where she threw her clothes. 'That might work... Is it worth the risk?' He looked towards the pilot and smiled. 'Not like I have much to lose I guess.' He stomped heavily on the ground, covering himself in a screen of snow. He carefully remained within it while it drifted across the island, occasionally stomping again to add more snow to it.

"Do you really think these petty tricks will work against me?!" She yelled as she dived in after him. She brushed up close to him several times, allowing her to throw a quick jab or kick. Each time it happened, Ed managed to narrowly dodge and hide further within the snow. Several minutes passed as they fought like this. Slowly, they got further away from the quadcopter.

'Now's the time!' Ed dashed out of the plume of snow and ran straight for the quadcopter. He knelt down as soon as he got near the holes where her clothes had been thrown. He reached down with his arm and grabbed her jacket. "Ugh!" He groaned as he forced himself to pull up the heavy jacket with his broken arm.

"What do you think you're doing?!" The ponytail pilot jumped out of the plume of snow after realizing she was alone with it. Her eyes widened in surprise as she saw Ed playing with her jacket. "Pervert!" She yelled in shock as she ran forward.

"Tsk." Ed clicked his tongue, not bothering to correct her. He quickly searched through the several pockets of the jacket before finding what he was looking for, a small set of keys. He grabbed them and hauled ass towards the quadcopter. 'This one.' He thought as he fumbled with the keys. A clicking sound rang out as the pilot's hatch opened, allowing him to step inside. The door quickly closed and locked behind him.

Boom! The sound of the girl crashing into the closed hatch followed. "Bastard!" She yelled as she pounded against the hatch, causing the entire quadcopter to tremble.

"You might as well give up." Ed grinned and yelled towards her. "The pilot's cabin is reinforced with manullium, so you can forget about taking over the controls."

"AGHH!" She screamed in rage as she slammed both fists against the front of the quadcopter.

Ed leisurely sat down and started the engine. Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh. The turbines sounded as steam whistled. The quadcopter slowly began to ascend, leaving the girl on the ground staring in rage.

He chuckled to himself. 'No one's ever escaped, huh? Maybe that's a publicity lie or something. This was way too easy.' He carefully steered the quadcopter forward. A hint of surprise covered his face as he went. 'She's not going to try destroying the wings or engines? Only the pilot's cabin should be reinforced with manullium... Is she stupid or something? Either that, or she knows something I don't...'

He quickly flew out of the island and over the calm sea. A light purple fog covered the quadcopter as he flew forward, but he chose to disregard it. He kept on a straight path, refusing to make any turns or detours. He'd have to leave the fog eventually as long as continued in one direction. Nearly an hour later, he exited the fog. 'Finally!' He grinned as he examined his new surroundings. 'That's impossible!' His grin quickly turned into a frown as he stared in shock. In front of him was the same volcano island as before. The quadcopter had returned to the starting point, making no progress at all.

'Again!' He ground his teeth as he turned the quadcopter around and reentered the purple fog. Exactly an hour later, he returned to the volcano island again. 'I refuse to believe I can't leave!' Feeling determined, he returned to the fog once more. This time, he made random turns as he flew. It was only 30 minutes before he returned to the island once again. He repeatedly tried to leave while attempting to turn at different points in time. Sometimes he returned to the island in as little as 10 minutes. Other times he was missing for several hours. Just like that, several days had passed.

"I guess this is why she let me go." He sighed while finally admitting defeat. Quadcopters could stay in the air for long periods of time, but they would run out of water eventually. He had no choice but to return to the island.

When he landed, the ponytail pilot was waiting for him. She watched with her arms crossed and a smug grin. "Ready to give up and head to the cage with me now?"

"Tsk." Ed clicked his tongue while he leaned back in the pilot's chair, kicking his feet up atop the controls and placing his hands behind his head. 'It'd probably be best to just surrender and go with her at this point... but I don't really want to.' He returned her smug grin. "It's actually quite comfortable in here. You were even kind enough to keep a coffee pot and some nutrition bars inside. I think I'll just hang out here and relax for a while. I needed a vacation anyways." He closed his eyes, preparing to drift off to sleep.

"What?!" Her eye's widened in shock. "Hey, this isn't a joke!" She yelled as she pounded a fist against the quadcopter. "Ooo. What do I do!" She nervously paced back-and-forth while repeatedly glancing at the quadcopter. "I've taken up to a week to deliver newbies before, so they're not going to start worrying yet. It's normal for the guards to play with them after all. But if I take too long, then I'll get in trouble. I don't want to get in trouble again!" She chewed on her thumb as she tried to think of a plan.

The next morning. Ed felt the quadcopter rumble as he awoke. Surprisingly, the quadcopter was moving forward.

"Just give up!" The ponytail pilot yelled as she hauled the quadcopter towards the volcano at the center of the island. "You're getting delivered to the cage whether you like it or not."

"Oh, so that's your plan." Ed nodded. He turned around and took his time to make a cup of coffee. Fortunately, his broken arm had already healed while he rested. He returned to the pilot's seat and watched the snowy landscape and sparse foliage pass by as they slowly moved forward. "Mm." He smiled while drinking the black coffee and snacking on a nutrition bar. "Nothing like a cup of joe and a carriage ride early in the morning."

The ponytail pilot stumbled, nearly falling to the ground. Ed had said it loudly enough for it to be heard outside of the cockpit. He had obviously done it on purpose! "BAST! ARD!" She grunted repeatedly with each step she took.

It took them nearly a day to arrive at the volcano. There was a large structure nearby, obviously there to induct the new prisoners.

"Hah!" She sighed in relief as she sat down to rest. "I got you here in time! We'll see how I make you suffer. Once I get big sis out here and show her you in that quadcopter, she's going to kick your ass!"

Suddenly, the pilot's hatch opened. Ed leisurely strolled out while stretching and yawning. "What a pleasant ride. Who knew the cage would have such good service? I'd give it 5 stars." He strolled past the ponytail pilot, who stared in silent shock.

He completely ignored her as he walked towards the nearby structure. It looked like a small fortress, surrounded by metal walls and patrolling soldiers, along with a central building within it. No one stopped him as he went through the gate and entered inside. Guard towers and patrols were everywhere. He followed the road forward. It led towards the large central building that would serve as the castle within the fortress.

Suddenly, shuffling footsteps sounded behind him. He glanced back and saw that the pilot had caught up to him. She glared angrily while taking a step ahead of him, acting as if she was the one leading him to the cage. 'A bit of a ditz, isn't she?' Ed wondered as he followed behind her.

They arrived on the first floor of the castle. It was bare and hardly furnished, likely to emphasize its purpose as a prison. She hurriedly led Ed towards a room on the left side of the grand hall and knocked quietly on the door.

"Come in." A deep feminine voice replied.

She opened the door and they entered inside. Ed frowned as he glanced around the room. The floor and walls were made of bland concrete. Even the metal desk was a bland gray. The tall woman sitting behind the desk had short red hair, making her stand out heavily against the background. She wore a dark gray suit. She appraised Ed with her eyes, slowing looking over his body. "So this is the new meat?" She questioned.

"Yeah." The pilot frowned as she nodded. "He's a load of trouble! I can't believe the President didn't warn me. I've never had to deal with such an annoying prisoner before!"

"Oh?" The woman smiled as she continued to examine Ed with her gleaming eyes. "He seems well behaved to me? Did he manage to beat you in the fight?"

"Humph!" The ponytail pilot crossed her arms while looking away. "How do you know there was a fight?"

"There's always a fight with you." She replied. "I don't think we've ever had you bring someone in without a broken bone or two. Based on your attitude, you really lost the fight?" She asked while raising an eyebrow in interest.

"I didn't lose!" The pilot protested. "He shamelessly stole my keys and took the quadcopter. Then he had the nerve to hide in it like a turtle when he found out he couldn't escape! Then he tried to make me look bad by cooperating when we got here! Ah!" She covered her mouth with her hands as she realized she had just given everything away. She'd definitely get in trouble for letting all this happen.

"You've really been naughty." The red-haired woman grinned as she stood up and leaned across the desk, brushing her hand gently across the pilot's cheek. She whispered into her ear, I'll have to punish you in private later."

"Ahem!" Ed coughed into his hand, interrupting the situation. "As fun as this is to watch, I just can't wait to go to prison. Any chance we can move along now?"

The red-haired woman frowned before sitting back down and nodding. "Very well. I'm the warden. You may simply call me Warden. Some prisoners have also taken to calling me Mistress." She smiled. "I won't stop you if you want to do so."

Ed glanced away, pretending to not have heard that part.

She opened her desk drawer and pulled out several cuffs and a collar. The collar was a standard mana-collar, which Ed was completely familiar with. However, the cuffs were different. They were thick and colored a mixture of purple and black. The odd thing about them was that there was no chain or connecting piece to make the cuffs serve any real purpose.

"Stay still." The Warden said as she walked towards Ed. He wasn't sure why, but he felt as if a predator was moving towards him. Cold sweat dripped down his back as his hair stood up on end. He was shocked to find out that despite his best efforts, he couldn't move his body at all.

The collar attached around his neck. He felt a sharp pinch as a cable was pushed through the back of his head. Next, a cuff was attached to his left wrist and each of his two legs.

"Wow, you even saved us a cuff by missing an arm. I like you already!" The Warden teased while ruffling Ed's hair. He felt a shiver down his spine as she did so.

'This woman is insanely dangerous!' He told himself as he remained quiet. 'These cuffs. They must be made with raw manullium ore.' He frowned while glancing down at them. They were impeding his natural flows of mana, sending minor jolts of pain throughout his entire body. His arm and legs felt numb, as if thousands of needles were repeatedly prickling them.

"Follow me." The Warden said as she headed for the door. She glanced at the pilot on the way out. "You can return to your duties, Samantha."

Ed followed as they left the room and descended down a dark flight of stairs.

"I'm only going to say this once, so listen carefully." The Warden said. "The courts are always backed up, so your trial isn't being held for another seven months. Yes, we can hold you without trial indefinitely. No, you cannot contest it." She continued to rattle off facts about the prison and Ed's specific case.

He frowned as he listened. '7 months? That's the date Yuki told me for my predestined death.' He groaned internally while shaking his head. 'I thought it was the Governor that was the cause, but it's the fucking prison?! Are they going to lynch me right after the trial ends?'

They soon reached a large hole in the ground. Only darkness was visible below. Purple smoke wafted out from within it.

"I'm going to give you some advice, so you best be grateful." The Warden continued. "No one is going to babysit you down there. Most espers don't even make it to their trial date, or they simply never show up. This is because they get themselves killed or enslaved down there. You've basically got three options once you're down there. One, you can join a race gang. This typically offers the best protection, but keep in mind you'll be rolling with a bunch of racists psychopaths. Two, you can submit to a strong esper. They'll protect you, but you'll probably be their bitch. Three, you can try to survive on your own. Most espers that attempt this die relatively quickly."

"Four." Ed interrupted with a confident gaze. "I can control everyone and start my own gang to rule the place."

She laughed while placing a hand gently on Ed's back, whispering into his ear. "I think you're severely underestimating them." She bit her lip seductively. "But I do so look forward to watching how you do down there." With a gentle shove, she pushed Ed forward, causing him to fall within the darkness.