Chapter 10: Pressure
The faintly familiar sights of central Paradis unfolded before Arbus as he stepped off the Vanguard ship.
Beside the vessel were countless other ships on each side of it, stretching endlessly into the distance.
This was the enormous docking area located beside the Hold.
He looked up slightly, feeling the heat of the suns on his skin as it illuminated the largest moon in the star system that possessed the properties of a planet.
His gaze shifted beyond the transparent walls of the hanger as he glanced toward the bustling settlement composed of various species from this star system and beyond.
Arbus saw tightly crowded pathways between the high-rise buildings and market stalls that lined the city. Countless vendors moved about, frantically advertising their various wares and services to the fast-walking pedestrians.
Tourists gawked upward in awe at the terrifying yet oddly soothing dark structure of the Hold as they took images with their devices.
There were also Hotels and restaurants openly competing against each other for business, their advertisements promising the most exhilarating experience in Paradis.
Cheerful expressions were etched on the faces of everyone here, from the richest people to even the poorest. It was as if no matter what happened, everything would turn out okay.
The settlement was called Hold City, named after the fortress it was built around.
Naturally, its existence had been permitted by the Sentinel, who had no problem with cities and towns being formed around the Hold.
Unlike most Sentinels, he preferred to be closer to the people living on his moon.
The sight of Hold City brought back a flood of memories for Arbus.
Memories of when he was brought here under far worse circumstances, and in a far worse state.
His brows twitched as he remembered the moment he woke up in a holding cell on his own grandfather's ship, along with the panic, fear and confusion he felt.
That terrible day was still quite fresh in his mind. It was the day he'd finally understood the tragic truth of Humanity. The day he had acquired his immortality. And the day that he had lost his best and only friend.
Arbus returned his attention to his two escorts who were staring toward the settlement as well.
Bridge had an excited gleam in his eyes that reflected the shine of the city. "So... this is the Hold. It's... beautiful!!"
"Control yourself, Bridge. This isn't a vacation," Yome said in her usual cold tone. Despite her words, Arbus noticed a hint of amazement in her eyes.
"Y-yes, you are right. There'll definitely be time for that later," Bridge said as he straightened.
"Good, now let's go." Yome moved along the pathway leading directly to the Hold, expecting them to follow closely.
It took them several minutes to reach the imposing doors of the fortress, further demonstrating the sheer size of the docking area.
In front of the doors were two imposing guards who radiated Commander-level power. Their expressions were as hard as stone.
They were both blue Mornans with towering statures.
Yome came to a halt in front of them. She was as expressionless as ever, but Arbus could tell she was slightly nervous.
"Name, rank, and purpose for your visit," came one of the two towering Blue Mornan guards leaning against his spear.
"Vanguard Yome Kyun. And this is my Knight, Bridge," Yome said with a gesture. We're here on an escort mission for sentry Arbus of Tarok, Identification number N-0-A-1-S-23000000."
The eyes of both guards widened. "A half-human sentry!?" The first one bellowed in slight astonishment.
" Oh, that guy!?" The second one said in recognition.
Almost every Commander in the Star System had heard of the half-human Renegade that had caused a commotion among the Council members for years now.
The first guard glanced at Arbus for a long moment before nodding and running the information through the device attached to his wrist.
The second guard's brows furrowed as he studied the trio. "Why did you bring him here? Is he a criminal now?" He asked in a tone that suggested he wouldn't be surprised.
"No, he isn't." Yome considered her words for several moments. "I brought him here to meet the Sentinel."
The guard's brows furrowed. "What for?"
Yome hesitated. "I'm afraid we're not allowed to discuss that with anyone besides the Sentinel, Commander."
Yome had no idea how sensitive the information about Terytl-B was at the moment. It would be bad if she accidentally gave away information she wasn't supposed to and caused problems for the Sentinel.
The guard's demeanor changed instantly as he frowned. He studied Yome intently for a few moments.
"Gah!?" Then, without warning, an overwhelming pressure crashed into Yome like a tidal wave, causing her eyes to go wide in shock.
The invisible weight pressed down on her from all directions, crushing, suffocating, and making her feel like she was drowning. Her knees buckled as she staggered backward, her jaw clenching tightly.
Bridge turned to face her in confusion as he noticed her tense movements. He glanced at the guards warily. "What are you doing to her!"
Arbus's face remained impassive as he watched the spectacle. Inwardly though, he felt a bit annoyed. 'maybe it's because of their resemblance?'
"I asked you a question, Vanguard!" The second guard shouted, ignoring Bridge's cries. "You would do well to answer me, now!"
The first guard turned to his colleague with an exasperated look. He could feel the intense killing intent slamming into the young Vanguard. "That's too much, Urn! I confirmed it already! She really did receive an order to come here!"
"She probably thinks she's not allowed to tell us why," he argued as he held his colleague by the shoulder.
Urn pushed his hand away. "Shut up, Ace!"
"You can never rely on common sense alone when it comes to humans." He said, glancing at Arbus again. "Low level Renegades like these handling one only means bad news."
Bridge's jaw clenched as his hand flew to his side, reaching for his gun. The second guard glanced at him momentarily with a sneer, as if taunting him to try something so pointless.
"Do..n't, Bridge!" Yome shouted through bated breaths as her body shook visibly under the relentless assault. Her legs were already on the verge of giving out. The killing intent washing over her was beyond anything she'd ever experienced before.
"...Yome," Bridge muttered in frustration as his hand fell away from his weapon.
Urn snorted as his killing intent surged to even greater heights. "Do you want to die, Vanguard? Just tell me what I want to know."
"Stop it, please! We didn't do anything wrong! We're under orders, just like you!" Bridge begged.
Urn didn't even spare him another glance as he stared down at Yome with a stern expression.
To his surprise, Yome met his gaze as she took a step toward him, her figure no longer looking like it could fall apart at any moment. Urn was taken aback before he noticed her tongue in-between her teeth.
She was biting down on it hard to push away the fear his essence was causing in her. "Like... I said before. We are... not allowed to discuss that with anyone besides the Sentinel." she repeated defiantly.
Urn's eyes narrowed for several moments. Then a wide grin split his face. "Hahaha!"
Yome gasped as she felt the intense pressure disappear as suddenly as it had appeared.
Urn kept on laughing as he held onto his stomach. Ace just watched him with an annoyed expression.
"Sorry, sorry! I might have gone a bit overboard."
Ace clicked his tongue. "Tsk. You think?"
"...What?" Bridge muttered in confusion as he glanced between the two guards.
Ace sighed before moving to explain. "We already know who you are. We were briefed beforehand that you would be coming."
"Yeah. And we also know... exactly why you're here," Urn added in a sad tone.
He turned to Bridge and smiled again. "My performance just now was a test for your Vanguard, you see. There was nothing to really worry about."
He placed a hand on his chin. "But... You aren't so bad, yourself."
Yome took a minute to catch her breath as she glared at Commander Urn. "…A test? A test for what?"
Urn shrugged. "To see if you'd break under pressure, naturally. We sometimes do this for interesting individuals when they're summoned to the Hold."
"Being a guard for this place is more boring than it seems," Ace added.
"Don't take it to Heart." Urn chuckled. "I'm really impressed by how much you endured, considering you're just a stage one heart shard user."
"And especially since you're a Red Mornan."
Yome's expression darkened at his words. Bridge's eyes narrowed too.
Ace just sighed at his colleague's bluntness. "Anyway, you can head in now. The Sentinel is waiting for you."
He turned and pushed open the massive doors of the Hold that only a Commander and above possessed the strength to move more than an inch.
Yome glanced between the two guards wordlessly. She balled her fists by her sides as she walked past them and into the Hold. Bridge followed closely behind her as he ushered Arbus to follow along.
Arbus took a step toward the door before suddenly finding himself locked in place by two intense killing intent slamming into him for a brief moment. He glanced at the two guards.
They glanced back with cold expressions. The smiles they showed after Yome's test seemed to have vanished completely.
"What are you waiting for? Get out of our sights already, half-breed." Urn grumbled with a snort.
Arbus didn't respond as he moved forward again.