Kuro: A Land in Eternal Night

Chapter 4.4: Marauders

The Marauders were a special breed. Part of Taiyou-Shi's police force, they were tasked with the 'security' of every citizen. Unfortunately, that did not include the security of those in Taiyou-Shi's Utter Darkness or those of the surrounding towns. Taiyou-Shi protected its citizens, that was true, but it was from the riff-raff that lived around them, not the riff-raff themselves.

One by one, the girls stepped out of the containment unit. Mina saw their transport from the outside for the first time. It was a black, nondescript box, moving about on large, wide wheels with wide treads, being pulled by a large vehicle, a tank unit meant for heavy combat. She'd seen it several times before, wondering who or what could be in it. The boxes could have been holding criminals, violators, perhaps wild animals.

Perhaps young girls.

As all the girls filed out of the containment unit, they began to look around. They were now miles away from the city proper. They were on the edge of a forest. The dark trees looked menacing in the darkness. Mina contemplated running into the woods, but without a good idea where she was, she worried about getting lost in the wild. The light of the Aurora high above was eerie and unsettling. As a resident of the Utter Darkness, Mina did not get to see it very often. She briefly scanned the surrounding area. She saw mountains in the distance. The lights of Taiyou-shi could still be seen from far away. The girls shivered in the chill night air. The Marauders moved the girls forcibly, lining them up shoulder-to-shoulder. It was then that another Marauder appeared, dressed differently from the rest, wearing a helmet with a sculpted face, a demon's mask. The helmet had horns on it, which made that marauder far more imposing than the rest.

"A Warlock," Vannah whispered to Mina. "They have strong psychic abilities. The Marauders use them to detect the presence of the Maiden."

The Warlock seemed to stay still for an eternity. Then, the Warlock turned his communicator on and a light screen popped out. An older woman with silver hair was talking, but Mina could not hear what she was was saying. The woman was beautiful, and she had silver hair! Mina wondered who the woman could be. The Warlock nodded and turned his communicator off. He appeared to enjoy the misery of the girls shivering in the cold, whimpering softly to themselves. The Warlock walked the line of girls, visually inspecting them. He pointed to a handful of girls, a really ragged and skinny girl to the far right, a plump one who was close to collapsing from exhaustion, and to Kari, who had been standing next to Mina and clinging to her arm.

"These won't pass muster." The Marauders grabbed the three girls and dragged them to the center, bringing them to their knees. "Take care of them quickly and let's be on our way."

"NO!" Mina heard herself scream at the top of her lungs.

She said it instinctively, a primal force within her bubbling to the surface, forcing its way out before she even realized it. It was too late. Everyone was now staring right at her. The Warlock stepped up to her and slapped her across the face. The force of the blow sent Mina flying back and she fell to the ground. She tasted blood in her mouth, but the pain in her heart was worse. She stood back up in defiance and glared at the Warlock. "You will not take these girls." she said.

The Warlock started shaking. He was laughing hysterically. He turned to the rest of the marauders and said, "Kill them."

A bright light flashed, light rounds emanated from the blasters, the reactors inside them humming to activity. A split-second later, all three girls crumpled to the ground, dead.

Something cracked inside Mina. "No..." She fell to her knees. "Kari...no..." Tears ran down her cheeks as she felt the pain of loss and injustice. Mina could not believe what was happening. She wanted to die, the world was too cruel. The Warlock turned to the rest of them. "I have a special treat for all of you. Thanks to the actions of this little girl here," he motioned to Mina, "none of you will pass muster. We're going to take care of everyone right now."

The Marauders dragged them all into a circle at the center and aimed their blasters. Mina looked around with tears rolling down her cheeks. The girls were all crying. Vannah turned to her and smiled. "You were brave to the end, little one. Well done. Continue your fight when you join the Deities. That is, if they are still alive."

Mina shook her head. "No, no, this is all wrong." She shook her head again. "It cannot end here, I will have revenge for Kari. I will not be stopped now." Mina closed her eyes and put her hands together as if in prayer. "It cannot end here! Help us, please, whoever is out there, help us!" As she did, she heard a voice in her head.

"The light shines brightest in the darkest hour."

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