As their battle comes to its climax, Maxwell gets flashbacks to the moment that led him down this path. It was many years when Maxwell was just a young lad, about 8 years of age. He and his friends sat on rocks by the swamp, their skin and clothes dirty and torn.Maxwell's fiery reddish hair was in cornrows. They sat by the swamp throwing rocks at Croco-slugs. Grotesque abominations. The slugs. Grew up to twenty to thirty feet. They had teeth like crocodiles, but much longer. They had silver hard plated scales on their backs and the center of their heads, which took no damage to gunshots or even blunt weapons. Their tails look like crocodile tails and their slime was acidic, melting everything besides the other inhabitants of the swamp that grew accustomed to it. The boys continued throwing rocks at the monster as they slowly swam across the swamp unfazed by the rocks being thrown at. Then suddenly, a voice started shouting at the boys. "Get down here you little bastards" shouted a man at the boys. Maxwell and the other boys raced down from the rocks and bowed their heads towards the man. The man had a clear-cut red suit with a black fur collar with what appears to be an emblem of a rose on his chest.His skin was pale, he was mostly bald because of hair loss. He had a gigantic beer belly that made old saint Nicholas look like a bodybuilder. As he shouted and cursed at the boys, asking them who permitted them to play. The boys remained silent. " So no one is going to answer me" ask the man as he pulled out a whip "the forty lashes for each of you," remarked the man as he raised his whip into the air a man came running shouting " it was me it was me I gave them permission to leave." The well-dressed man turned around to see a man in dirty old clothes standing in front of him. "It was me, Mr. Welson. I told the boy they can go," remarked the man who had just arrived with his torn, dirty old clothes, dark skin, and long Rass. "And who are you to give orders around here?" remarked Mr. Welson. " No one, the boys looked tired," replied the man ask he tries to explain himself before receiving a whip across his face. Blood began pouring out of his face as the whip cut deep into his skin. Maxwell rushed towards the man, who was now bent over on the ground because of his injury. "Dad, are you OK?" asked Maxwell. " am fine," replied the man as he held on to his face. "Hi, you little shit, take your friends and go home. I and your dad still have to talk," remarked Mr. Welson. Maxwell looked at his dad, who ushered him to go, and he and his friends ran off, not looking back to see what happened next. Later that evening whilst Maxwell was eating dinner which was moldy mash potatoes and stew rat and rabbit with stale wet bread his mother, a beauty with her shiny smooth dark skin and dark black hair and shiny green eyes even among the dirty worn down wooden shack that they lived in, cleaned up the kitchen. A loud bang and crashing sound came through the front door. When both Maxwell and his mother turned to see what caused the noise they saw Maxwell's father staggering and stumbling into the house. Maxwell's mother dropped the wares in her hand causing them to scatter and break as she rushed over to attend to her husband. As she rushed over to him, she almost split on something when she noticed a red liquid on the ground. As she watched the liquid on the ground she gasped as she realized it was her husband's blood, she dropped to her knees as she tried to brace up her collapsing husband. As she braced him up her body was covered in blood due to the lacerations and cuts all over his body, some so deep you see his bone in some insistence. Maxwell's mother rushed him to his room and she carried his father to their bedroom. As Maxwell laid on his straw and grass bed he could hear his parents speak. "There's no way you can carry on with tomorrow in the condition you're in" stated his mother to his father "Am not the least important you know that, what's important is that we have an opportunity to act and something like me being injured won't hold us back" replied his father. Maxwell closed his eyes and stuck straw in his ears to drown out the screams of his father as his mother applied medication to his injuries. Early the next morning before the rising of the sun, guards began entering the homes of the villagers and dragging people out. Those who weren't ready were beaten greatly and dragged on their backs. "Time to work you worthless creatures" shouted one of the guards "Yeah time to show your gratefulness to us for allowing you lesser beings to live" shouted another guard in reply to the first one. When one of the guards reached Maxwell's home, he and his parents were already waiting for them. "I didn't think you would have the strength to move let alone be ready after what Mr. Welson did to you yesterday yah shit" shouted the guard. "Am always ready to serve," replied Maxwell's father. Maxwell with his parents and the other villagers walked for two and half hours through forest and tough mountain terrain, whilst the guard rode on horses. They walked till they reached their destination, a precious gemstone mine from their villagers began separating into different groups. The first group which consisted of young and strong men including Maxwell's father was the group that entered the mine and dug for the gems, they were also responsible for carrying out the gemstones from the mine and handing it over to the second group. The second group, which consisted of old men and women and young girls, was responsible for cleaning the dirt of the gems, checking for any flaws and evaluating them in terms of quality, and separating them into different baskets based on quality for the third and final group to collect. The final group which consisted of young boys and young women including both Maxwell and his mother were responsible for carrying the baskets of gems from the mines and placing them on transporters to be carried out the mine. The baskets usually weighed thirty to fifty pounds which were to be carried by hands up and through steep and rough terrain out of the mine. Failure to do so or to even drop a gem will result in whippings or even death if it happened more than once. This was to be done for 10 hours with two ten-minute breaks for water and 20 minutes to find and eat food which usually was any little creatures the villagers could find running around mines or the nearby forest. Maxwell, who usually worked alongside his mother, was carrying a basket of gems up the hill when he noticed his mother was nowhere to be found. "Strange" he taught himself as his mother never left his side even for a day since he started working in the mines. As he continued his march up the terrain wondering where his mother could be he heard a loud explosion behind him. Confused but not overly concerned as even though it was rare they were allowed to use explosives on tougher rocks to get the gems but then he heard a second one, then several more explosions began ringing out. Before he could gather himself and figure out what was happening an explosion happened next to the transporters behind him sending him flying from on top of the hill and into the abyss below knocking him out cold. After awakening several minutes later with his face covered in mud he saw a chaotic site like never below with villagers running in all different directions. The men from the village attacked guards with their mining tools and flipped over guard towers and posts. Fires and destruction covered the mine with such force it looked like an act of God had taken the mine. As the chaos unfolded Maxwell realized what was happening: a riot, a coup, the villagers were finally fighting back. As the riot raged on it looked more like a war zone than anything else as villagers and guards was being killed everywhere. Maxwell ran scared and worried looking for his parents when he ran into a guard with a shotgun pointed at him, whilst the guard aimed his guard at the boy, Maxwell closed his eyes awaiting his death. Then suddenly the guard dropped to the ground dead with a pickaxe lodged into the back of his head. When Maxwell opened his eyes he saw his father standing over the dead guard. His father grabbed his hand and told him we have to go now and they both ran out the mine and into the roadway leading to the forest. As they ran down the roadway Maxwell continued to ask for his mother, where they were going, and why this was happening. His father remained silent throughout their journey. As they ran they could hear loud footsteps coming behind them as they turned they could see guards chasing behind them with bows and arrows in hand. But before they could adjust to the new situation unfolding the guards launched several arrows at them. Maxwell stood frozen like a statue and closed his eyes embracing his death once more. After a brief moment, he opened his and realized that he was unharmed but saw his father kneeling in front of him with blood coming out of his mouth. "Are you ok? '' asked his father. Maxwell shook his head and tears began flowing out of his eyes as he knew what had just happened. "This is as far as I can go with you right now" stated his father. Maxwell's father then took out a tooth from his mouth and inside the gum was a piece of paper wrapped in plastic he took the paper and handed it to Maxwell. "Son this paper here lies the future of our people '' stated his father as he handed over the paper to Maxwell. "We were once strong and proud warriors many moons ago now we are just slaves," Maxwell's father took a deep breath before continuing. "Take this paper, find our ancestors' ultimate weapon and free our people from this nightmare son, only you can do this ". "But why me? '' replied Maxwell as sorrowful tears run down his. "Because it is your responsibility and destiny to protect everyone, you are stronger than you think child now go" replied his dad. "Go before they catch you" Maxwell with fearful tears of pain flowing down the face, turned and ran into the forest. As the light faded from his father's eyes he used the last of his strength to make one last statement hoping that it would reach his son. "I love you son and am sorry for all of this. Maxwell ran through the forest till he reach the swamp which separated the forest in half. He can hear the footsteps of the guards coming behind him. But the only way to cross the swamp was to hop on the armor backs of the Croco-slugs hopping across each one of them to the other side of the forest. Which was dangerous as can be, just one mistake will lead to certain death as falling in the water will alert the monstrous slug that food was near or even worst than being eaten, begin dissolved in the swamp water as the acidic slime of the slugs made the swamp water very acidic to non-swamp natives. As he heard the footsteps come closer he decided to take his chances with the slugs and began hopping from slug to slug the guards arrived and began shooting at him with their guns and arrows but thanks to his small frame he was able to avoid getting hit while jumping on the monstrous slugs back. The Guards made chase towards Maxwell trying to recreate the young boy's movements but due to their bulky armor and poor agility failed to do so thus resulting in their failure and falling into the swamp water below. As Maxwell jumped to the other half of the forest he could hear the screams of the guards with the hissing sound of acid melting flesh and the monstrous splashing of water as the slugs devoured the men alive. Maxwell didn't look back at the horrors that were unflooding behind him but used the opportunity to continue running.