160 Two Sides (1/2)

Ed walked up a flight of stairs and knocked on the door of the first room. A moment later, a young Chinese man opened it, revealing a total of 10 men inside a relatively small room. In fact, it looked similar to a soldiers' quarters, as all of the men slept on small beds and only seemed to have backpacks with them.

”It's time?” The man asked.

”Mm.” Ed nodded while turning around.

The men must have already been informed of why they were here, as they all followed behind him immediately. They were all in good physical condition, though they were just ordinary humans.

When they returned to the first floor, the ten prisoners were kneeling on the ground. One of the men glared at Ed. He had long black hair and an ugly face. ”Shitty Gweilo! You'll regret betraying the council! The Long child is a complete fool! Do you think Nexus will just let this go?!” The man's rant seemed to incite the others, as they began yelling obscenities as well.

'Nexus?' Ed rubbed his chin as his curiosity grew. He glanced at the guards. ”Keep an eye on them for a moment. I want to talk to this one alone.” He walked towards the prisoner and grabbed his arm to lift him up.

The guards seemed hesitant, but the leader amongst them nodded.

”But Captain.” Another guard interrupted.

The Captain glared at his men. ”Sect Leader Long told us to follow Forge's orders to the letter. If there's a problem later, then I'll take responsibility. Sect Leader Long doesn't make mistakes.”

Ed forcefully dragged the unwilling prisoner upstairs. He entered the empty room that the ten men from earlier had been staying in, and he threw the prisoner to the floor. Seeing no chairs in the room, he activated his powers to meld the wood into something resembling a stool. He sat down and stared with interest at the prisoner.

The ugly prisoner seemed somewhat nervous, but his eyes remained defiant. ”Do you think torture will break me?” He asked through clenched teeth. ”I am loyal to the council, the true leaders of the Fire Dragon Sect! The traitorous son will get what's coming to him! Nexus will not let this stand!”

Ed smiled. ”Do you know who I am?” He asked.

”A filthy Gweilo!” The Chinese man yelled.

Ed frowned. ”You know, we don't take well to racism in the west. You don't even want to know what I did to the last group of racists I met.” He chuckled as he shook his head. ”But fortunately for you, I don't have to be your enemy.”

The prisoner frowned but remained silent as he continued to glare.

”You see, Nexus and I actually have a bit of a history, and it would be fairly convenient for me if that organization was destroyed.” He grinned. ”On top of that, I'm actually a close ally with the Purple Origin Sect. As Tai trusts me, I was sent here as a spy. In fact, it's not impossible for me to save you prisoners, as I need to make my escape soon anyways. In exchange, you just need to betray Nexus by telling me what I want to know. A fair trade, right?”

A skeptical expression appeared on the prisoner's face, though it seemed a hint of hope had sparked in his eyes as well. He hesitated a moment before speaking. ”How can I trust you?” He asked.

Ed reached into his pocket and pulled out a purple medallion. He tossed it to the prisoner. ”I'm an honorary elder of the Purple Origin Sect. You should know that these medallions are only granted to foreigners that have aligned themselves with the sect. Additionally.” He lifted up his hand, causing purple water to swirl around it. ”I don't walk the path of fire. The only reason I'm here is because Tai and I have a friendship dating back to when he visited America.”