It did not take Allie long to catch up with Zane. In fact, due to her superior speed he could have been given a thirty-minute head start and she would have caught up with him damn near instantly. Level IV Horde Kings was a power that Zane did not have the means to contend with in the slightest.
And the way she caught up to him in an instant was clear evidence of this reality. Zane quickly found himself backed into a corner when the Allies began gnashing her teeth and shouting at him. He had not even reached the edges of her domain before she caught him.
Because of this, Zane was quickly searching in his system for a means to escape her, all the while she expressed her fury at him.
"You are one lucky little shit. Did you know that? You just happened to fall into my clutches when all hell broke loose among my siblings. But that doesn't really matter. I'll survive the war, it's minions like you who will be fighting on the front lines!
But even so, you won't live to see the carnage! I have orders from Lord Balthazar himself; you are to be executed on the spot! Sorry kid, I'm sure we could have gotten along well if you hadn't been such a heretic. But this is it the end of the line!"
Allie was just about to take Zane's life when he saw a life saving item in his store. It was a teleportation stone. One time use only, and would send him to a random location in the world. Considering the fact that the Earth was 75% water, the odds are he would find himself stranded in the ocean.
But fuck it, anything was better than being left at the mercy of a ruthless Tier IV Horde King like Allie who had orders to end his life. Zane wore a smug smirk on his face as he purchased the Teleportation stone, and in doing so bankrupting himself of his gold on the spot. He did not hesitate to activate it, but not before leaving behind one last remark.
"I'm afraid I have more luck than you think, goodbye Allie!"
After saying this, Zane teleported out of thin air. Shocking Allie whose hand was but an inch away from taking his head. When she realized that Zane had escaped under her watch, the Allies were furious, but more than that filled with dread. If Balthazar learned of this, she would not go without punishment.
But then again, with the current civil war taking place between the Horde Kings, she felt as if he had bigger fish to fry at the moment.
---
He, after all, had not carried an ID with him since the beginning of the end nearly a year ago. Thus, he sat there silently. Waiting for the English translator, who was the first to speak to interpret the words of the man in charge of his interrogation.
"Who are you? Where are you from? And how did you get into the Democratic People's Republic of Korea? As far as we know, the world outside our borders is destroyed. So then how? How have you survived?
And how have you entered our Glorious Nation?"
Zane took a long pause before responding. He honestly did not know how to respond to this line of interrogation. And because of this, he was quick to ask for a personal request, even if he doubted they would oblige him the courtesy.
"Do you guys have any cigarettes? I mean.... It's been a long time since I have had a smoke, and I'd be more inclined to answer your questions if you showed me some proper respect..."
The worry and anxiety in the eyes of the officials led Zane to believe that they were lacking answers about what was happening in the outside world. And that they needed him to talk. If that was the case. He wanted something in return.
The officer in charge began shouting at one of the guards standing at the door in a language Zane suspected was Korean. Though he did not understand what the officer had said, the soldier quickly walked over and handed Zane his pack of cigarettes. Albeit with a nasty look on his face.
Zane, whose hands were bound by cuffs, slowly and cautiously reached forward and grabbed one of the cigarettes. Taking a whiff of the sweet smell of tobacco which he had not been able to enjoy in nearly a year. He then stuck the device in his mouth and asked for a light.
Which the female translator was quick to do so on his behalf. After taking a long and hearty drag. Zane expelled the smoke from his lungs before answering the initial questions of the interrogator. Albeit with a false identity.
"My name is Zachary Smith. I'm from Canada. Or what remains of it? How did I get here you ask? I get the feeling you would believe me unless I showed you. But before I do that, we have a lot of things we need to discuss about what's going on out there.
So, where should I begin?"