Fay interrupted. "Let's begin then, boy! I believe the count is two hundred and six. Guard!" The guard approached. She put her whip away and a different guard approached with a case. Inside was a whip that appeared to be woven with metal instead of leather.
"That'll kill him!" Sierrna shouted and Fay looked at her.
"Shut up, peasant! He agreed to this, now let's get started."
A crowd formed as the whipping began. One crack
"Ahhh!!!!" Zero screamed the whip did more damage this time around. Viltro stood there seething.
"Can't even handle one hit? At least make it to ten. My other toys can't handle five of these because this whip is made of Dimensionite."
Viltro stood near the others.
"Don't worry, I believe in Zero."
The whipping continued: two, three, four, five, six. The people cursed at Zero.
"Die! You maggot! Yeah, show him who's in charge! He deserves it!" Crack! Ten. Zero just laid there almost lifeless.
"Oh, is he done? Doesn't surprise me" she went to put her whip down but before she loosened her grip, Zero said,
"Don't you have two hundred and six more to go?" Shocked and thrilled by Zero speaking she tightened her grasp on the whip.
"Oh! You're still alive! I'm so relieved! I'm not gonna hold back. I want to see how much you can take." As she started whipping again in almost a frenzy. Each one faster than the one before. Fifty.
Crack! Blood was all over the ground. The crowd's curses quieted as the amount of disgust they were feeling overtook them. Fay looked at them.
"Are you not satisfied? I don't hear any cheering. Better start, or I might just massacre you all!" The terrified crowd started to say terrible things again. One hundred. Fay couldn't believe it, Zero's back was unrecognizable, with layers of muscle exposed and seeping blood everywhere. She then looked at her guards.
"I'm done...." For a moment, everyone in the crowd was relieved.
"...with his back. Hold him while I whip his chest." The crowd gasped. She stood in front of Zero and looked at him, grabbed his head again "Are you ready, maggot?" she let out an evil chuckle.
"Yes." Zero managed to reply before she started to whip him again. With every whip the crowd's mood started to change to a sadder one. Two hundred.
Crack!
Fay now looked at Zero, terrified and confused; she was paralyzed with fear at how this man could survive so many lashings.
"How are you not dead yet? Two hundred and one. It doesn't make sense! Two hundred and two. It's not possible! Two hundred and three."
By now Zero is drenched in his own blood, not an inch of unwhipped skin could be seen.. The crowd crying and saying,
"Please stop! This has gone too far!"
Zero looked up at Fay with immense adrenaline pumping through him he said,
"If this is the price for freedom, it's nothing I can't pay or take. I lived here all my life. A slave never had anything but leftover moldy beard and stale beard. I don't even know what is out there but my dream is to be free and there is no price too great to pay."
The crowd then started to shout. "Freedom!!!"
Fay, enraged by the crowd, started to hit Zero harder. Two hundred and five, two hundred and six.
"You can hit me as hard as you want. It's not gonna change the outcome because I'm not just one slave, I'm here to represent all of them. They all want freedom."
"Shut up!" two hundred and seven.
"You can't silence the screams of millions!"
Fay then realized that the whole planet was chanting; they all said one word that could be heard from anywhere.
"Freedom!"
Zero smiling looked back at Fay.
"One day, I promise you they will all be free, there won't be any slaves or hierarchies, that's my dream." Two hundred and ten. Zero started to breathe slower.
"This is it." Viltro told the others.
Siernna looked terrified with tears in her eyes. Rykar kept wiping his tears to seem strong for Rhyunous. Rhyunous looked at them.
"Why are you crying? He's going to be fine, he promised us, remember?"
Zero's body, now a mess of ripped flesh and exposed bone, stopped flinching with each strike. Two hundred and eleven, Two hundred and twelve. Zero's eyes closed. Everyone tensed up.
"Guard! Check for a pulse." Fay told the guard.
"He still has one." The guard responded.
"Is he conscious?" Fay asked,
"Yes, I'm just closing my eyes so next time I open them I'm free." Zero had a smile.
Smiles returned to everyone watching.
"For these last hits I'll infuse my power into them to make it interesting."
Viltro's smile faded the fastest as worry returned. She readied her whip this time a black aura engulfed the whip. Two hundred and twelve she hit Zero right in the chest
Crack! A rib bone came out.
The crowd was horrified as well as the group. Viltro outlashed,
"You're really using your enhanced power on him?!"
Fay looked at Viltro.
"He isn't human, is he Viltro? There is only one explanation for this. I'll overlook it if he survives. You know how much trouble you could be in if I report this."
Viltro stood down and it continued. Sierrna, Rykar and Rhyunous now fully crying and terrified. Two hundred and thirteen. Another bone came out. Two hundred and fourteen. On the arm of Zeros' left arm the guard let go of the broken arm. Two hundred and fifteen. on Zeros' right arm the guard also let go after the arm broke. This is it. Zero now barely alive, almost all his upper bones broken, missing two rib bones. Fay looked at him and readied her whip and aimed for Zero's face.
Two hundred and sixteen. He fell over. The guard checked for a pulse
"No pulse." The guard who checked Zero's pulse said.
Zero heard a female's voice in his head.
"You did it. Now, get up and open your eyes."
"Oh well guess he's not free." Fay turns to face the crowd after mocking Zero.
The crowd was shocked, wide eyed and mouths opened.
"What are you guys looking at?" Fay screeched.
Viltro laughed and pointed
"Behind you, Fay."
She turned around as horror filled her whole body. Zero was standing up one eyed open with half the skin missing from his face looking Fay dead in her eyes.
"I Am Now Free."
Fay couldn't believe it she then got upset.
"How about we continue the deal?" Fay asked.
"No way!" Viltro was interrupted by Zero.
"Tell me how it could be better?" Zero asked Fay.
"I'll hit you one final time and if you live, I'll free every slave on this planet. Deal, Zero?" Zero looked right at everyone and looked right back at Fay.
"Deal."
Everyone was shocked at his response.
"This time you don't have to be conscious, just have a pulse." She put her whip down and looked at Viltro.
"I'll punch him just once."
She raised her fist and ready her arm back a black aura surrounded her entire arm this time more intense then before the presence alone shuttered the ground and the remaining skin off Zero.
"The Shadows Onslaught." Fay whispered.
Everyone watched in horror as the aura of her fist and arm repeatedly hit Zero over and over again. Then one final punch toppling Zero to the ground.
"Guards!!" They stayed checking for a pulse for minutes and then finally.
"It's faint but it's there, he's alive!"
After the stillness of anticipation for Zero's pulse, the whole planet of people erupted in a deafening cheer.
Fay walked to Zero and whispered in his ear. "You're free."
Zero then smiled unconsciously.
"Guards, call the medics immediately to help Zero. I've taken an interest in this boy." As she walked away she told Viltro
"I see now."
Viltro just smiled and said nothing.
Sierrna however looked at Fay with a murderous intent
"I'll hurt you worse for every scar Zero endures from this. Mark my words I'll kill you, Fay!"
Fay smiled.
"You can try child but tend to the one you love first."
Sierrna blushed.
"Well now you guys will need to get a civilian house. You can have mine. The only thing is there's someone living there already." Viltro told Sierrna.
"That's fine." Sierrna said.
"Ok, I'll give you the address. I'm gonna head with Zero. I'll catch up with you guys later."
"I want to go with big bro Zero though." Rhyunous said with relcualtes to leave Zero.
"Hey Rhyunous, we need to go get all of our stuff since we're moving. Then we can see Zero. Ok?"
Sierrna, Rykar and Rhyunous all headed back to the house. While walking.
"Heyo, Do you remember how we all met, sis? I mean like originally?" Rykar asked.
"Yeah, I remember how come?" Sierrna responded.
"I was thinking while we walked, let's tell Rhyunous about how we met. He was very young after all." Rykar implied.
"Rhyunous, want to hear how we all meet?" Rykar asked.
"Yeah! I wanna know how we all meet. I bet it was really cool." Rhyunous says with a smile eager to hear the tale.
"Rhyunous, this is gonna be a hard story to tell so don't you start crying, ok?" Rhyunous nods his head in agreement to Sierrna's statement. Sierrna begins to tell the tale of the day they met.