The meeting took over ten hours as Doom outlined his plan to free his people. While Ezekiel offered his PMC company and his ninjas to easily overthrow the current corrupt government. Doom refused on the grounds it wouldn't help his people properly. Sure they would be free and possibly none of them would die because of it. But he believed that if his people didn't bleed for their own freedom it wouldn't mean anything.
Ezekiel argued with him over that point alone for almost half the time before he finally gave up. He planned to just send his ninjas in and have them save people from fatal injuries instead which Doom had no issue with. As for Ezekiel's PMC company which was around six thousand members at this point. Doom agreed to use a small amount to help train his people on how to use weapons. But otherwise he wanted his people to do everything else.
Ezekiel planned to help out too, but in a passive way as he protected people along with the large ANBU team he would bring. While they discussed the overall plan, Ezekiel worked on his tablet to secure supplies to help feed and clothe everyone they rescued. By the time the meeting was done, Ezekiel already had a quarter of the supplies he thought they might need already secured.
Things moved quickly once finished with the plan and after eating a decent if basic meal prepared by Boris. The three of them portaled towards one of the camps they knew about which was ten miles away in a valley. Ezekiel then made his own portal to bring his ANBU squad over as he glanced around the area with a frown.
The valley itself wasn't bad temperature wise compared to where Boris lived up in the mountains. But for the people living in the valley it was basically their own personal hell. With barely any food each day while being forced to work in mines with only hand tools. It turned most of them into walking skeletons covered in dry skin, with hollow eyes filled with despair. Luckily kids weren't at this camp, but it didn't make it any less cruel.
When they appeared in the middle of the camp it was early in the morning just before everyone was supposed to wake up and start working. Doom glanced over everyone around them who basically slept on the ground where they dropped the day before with narrowed eyes. As Ezekiel's ninjas portaled in, Doom used the time to cast a spell to enhance his voice as he moved to the top of a platform the guards used. The platform itself was currently empty since the guards only needed to hold the outer perimeter at night.
Once Ezekiel's portal closed Doom said in a voice that covered the entire valley, "People of Latveria! Hear me and know that the time of your salvation is here!"
His booming voice enhanced by magic woke up every in the valley as they looked towards the voice. The few guards along the watch towers took note of him the quickest and aimed their weapons at him before opening fire. The bullets landed against a magic barrier and pancaked against it as Doom glanced around before he continued, "My name is Victor Werner Von Doom, the true king of Latveria and I'm here to offer you the chance to rip off your chains from the false monarchs of our lands!"
Everyone in the camp was looking at him now as more guards scrambled out of the barracks half dressed with their weapons ready. Doom paid absolutely no attention to the guards as he slowly looked over the skeletal figures below him as he said in a commanding tone, "Your salvation comes with a cost though… The cost of your blood!"
More bullets slammed into Doom's barrier as the constant sound of gun fire filled the air but it couldn't drown out his voice as he asked, "I ask you my people! Are you willing to fight and die for your chance at freedom? Or would you rather live and die on your knees?!?"
A single ancient looking man with white hair and a single eye was the first person to respond. He stared up at Doom as more bullets slammed into his barrier before he asked in a voice that sounded rough from disuse, "Why should we fight for you?"
The man pointed at the useless bullets piled in front of Doom as he said, "It looks like you can fight alone without our help."
Doom focused on the man as he asked, "Do you think you would respect the freedom you earned more fighting for it or if it was just given to you on a silver platter?"
The man frowned, his aged lined face almost looking scary as Doom added, "And you are wrong about one thing."
Doom waved his right arm and a magic spell flew from his hand like a golden lightning bolt and killed a couple guards grouped together as he said, "You will not be fighting for me, we will be fighting together."
Another spell flew from Doom's hand as he asked, "So will you fight beside me or stay here to die?"
The old man reached down and grabbed a worn pickaxe before he dragged it behind him towards the guards in the distance without a word. Doom didn't look to see if anyone else followed as he floated down next to the old man and shielded him as he attacked with spells. The guards didn't stand around after the first spell and moved around as they shot at Doom and the old man.
Ezekiel and Boris both moved to join Doom and the old man as other prisoners started to move too. The old man acted as the starting gun as others grabbed whatever they could use as a weapon before they rushed forward to join the charge. Only the old man was too slow and some of the younger, more in shape people quickly ran past Doom's group as they yelled with pickaxes, shovels, and large pry bars held in their hands
As the guards shot at the charging men, Ezekiel's ninjas moved like hidden ghosts and deflected the bullets for them. Ezekiel also helped out with magic to make any bullets they missed would only hit people's weapons. To the people charging forward it seemed like they were protected by God or possibly Doom himself. But within moments hundreds of emaciated people slammed into the fifty guards.
While the fight should've been a lot harder, with the ninja helping in the shadows, the prisoners quickly killed or subdued the few guards who surrendered including the commander. Doom along with the old man arrived a few minutes later in front of the handful of prisoners before one man said towards Doom, "These men surrendered to us sir… It didn't feel right to kill them."
Doom glanced at the men on their knees with absolute disdain as he asked, "After how they treated you, you still wish to spare them… Do you think they would do the same thing to you if the situation was reversed?"
The guard captain who was an overweight man with a chin that shook when he fearfully said, "We were just following orders! If we didn't do it, we would have been thrown in the camp along with all of you!"
"Following orders?!?" A rough, fury filled voice asked before a pickaxe went through the captain's thigh and the man let out a squeal of pain like a stuck pig.
The old man next to Doom pulled out the pickaxe and raised it over his head as he asked, "I had to watch my son waist away because you were following orders!"
The old man's single eye burned with hatred as he smashed the pickaxe down into the man's other thigh. The man screamed out in pain as he wailed, "I'm sorry!"
The old man yanked the pickaxe free as he said, "Tell that to my son!"
"I'm sor–"
The old man swung the pickaxe down for a third time and it pierced through the man's skull with a sickening crunch. The captain's voice died in his throat and his body went limp as the old man ripped the pickaxe from his skull. He then raised it up again as he turned to the next guard as he spit out, "Were you just following orders too?"
"Please don't kill me! I have a family!" The man begged as tears streamed down his face.
"Well I used to have a family." The old man said in a strained voice as he slammed the pickaxe into the man's head without a second thought.
Everyone around except the captured guards who begged for their lives, stood in silence as they watched the old man kill the prisoners. When his pickaxe crashed into the skull of the last man, the old man dropped to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut. Doom and Ezekiel both moved to check on the man and found his breathing shallow and his one good eye glassy.
Doom checked his pulse while Ezekiel used medical ninjutsu to check the man and tried to heal him. The man's unfocused eye settled on Doom as he grabbed his shoulder and said in a fading voice, "Th-ank y-ou…"
Doom held the man's hand on his shoulder as he watched the light fade from his good eye. As he took his last shuttering breath, a smile played across the old man's face as he stared at something only he could see. Doom placed the man's hands over his chest before he reached out and closed the man's eye before he asked, "Does anyone know his name?"
"I'm not sure of his real name, but everyone just called him Oldman Levy."
Doom nodded before he stood up and glanced at the solemn men around him as he said, "We don't have time for a proper funeral, but we will have one for him and everyone else once our country is free."
Ezekiel quietly sealed the old man's body away as Doom said, "For now, rest and you will be properly fed as you are checked over by a medical team."
A portal opened up and out poured more ninjas who all knew medical ninjutsu along with others who were carrying supplies. A temporary base was quickly set up and everyone was fed small amounts of calorie dense food. Over the next few hours everyone was fed, checked over and healed if possible. Most of them were just malnourished, but some of them also had injuries from the mines that needed to be healed.
Once the group was settled and being looked after, Doom set his sights on the next target which was another camp but it was filled with women and children. It wasn't far away and Doom was using Ezekiel's tablet to view the surveillance his ninjas took when they scouted the place an hour ago. He would be able to do the same thing as this place, since the camp was surrounded on all sides with guard towers.
After looking over the data Doom handed the tablet back to Ezekiel as he said, "Thank you."
Ezekiel nodded as he stored away the tablet as asked, "So what's the plan?"
"We'll approach from the front gate since it has the highest concentration of troops."
Ezekiel smirked as he said, "Not what I expected, but it works for me."
Doom nodded before he opened a portal and he stepped through it followed by Ezekiel and Boris. The ninjas were already hidden at the new camp as they waited for Doom to attack. As the portal closed behind them, Doom confidently walked towards the gate of the camp with his head held high, his green cape billowing behind him as his voice filled the air, " People of Latveria, hear me!"