Escapade

ELEVEN - DEX

   Into the darkness I went. It engulfed me, as if I was diving into cold, dark water. As I climbed, all I could see was the little circle of light from below. Marella's face was just discernible in the gloom from the tunnel. When I started climbing, I was mostly holding onto the camera mountings, but now I found properly cut out hand and foot holds. It seemed like someone came down there often, to clean and recondition the camera, maybe. Human technology was sketchy like that. It was meant to last a lifetime—meaning a human one—while elvin tech was meant to last an indefinite lifetime.

   Slowly, the light from below began to fade, and Marella's face began to disappear into the distance. How long was this vertical tunnel? I wondered. This was more for Marella's sake, though. I hoped that she would be able to climb it, because if she couldn't and she tried, there would be virtually no rest points. I supposed that I could try to hang on to the wall, while holding her, and that would give her a short break. It'll work, I thought. And if it doesn't, then I'll make it work.

   Just as the words came to my head, I made out the outline of a hatch. I nearly dropped the indent I was clinging to. With excitement, I quickly climbed the final four feet. I reached up and pushed on the hatch. It wouldn't open. I groaned. I wondered if I would have to break it. But then I noticed the handle, that was turned over the hatch. I grabbed it, and turned it, and the little latch that was holding the hatch closed, moved.

   The hatch gave under a light push, as neglected hinges squealed, and rust flaked onto my face. I brushed it away gently. My eyes took a moment to adjust to the light now falling on me. I gave myself a final push, and was completely out of the passageway. I took in my surroundings, and hastily figured out that I'm in a sewer. It stunk like crazy. But it was not like human movies, where there's a little walkway on the side of the flow of waste. Instead, the hatch was on the curving walls, coming out just above where the stuff was. I surveyed everything around me. Eventually, I noticed little hand holds lining the wall, placed well above the stinking crap below.

   I was about to go back down to Marella, and I would then help her up. But then I saw a figure, struggling along the wall. I couldn't identify it's gender, because of the cloak covering it's face. I could see a white dot on the sleeve, and I figured it was the Neverseen symbol. It was hard to tell from afar.

   I guessed that if I went back down the tunnel, the figure would follow me, and Marella and I would be trapped. But would it be better if we were on stabler ground for a fight? Besides, if I was with Marella down there, then she could help me. But then I remembered her scabs, and painful scars. She was in no state to fight. She was already weak from blood loss, and might get hurt if we fought.

   As the figure got nearer, I confirmed the white dot as the Neverseen symbol. They clearly couldn't see me. The hatch blended quite well with the wall of the sewer, even when it was open. I tried to sink lower into the opening. Suddenly, I realized that I had nothing to fight with. All of the gadgets I had brought with me were gone. They had been taken when we were kidnapped. I didn't have my daggers, or the few throwing stars Lovise allowed me to have. I did, however have my brain. I grabbed the handle the had kept the hatch closed, and twisted it. It slowly became looser, and looser, until I could rip it off of the hatch. I held it up, and examined it. Not much, but it would do for whacking things. The edge had been sharpened a bit, from being turned against the hatch so many times. I shifted it around my hand, until it felt easier to grip.

   It was only once the figure was in hearing distance, that they seemed to notice that I was there. They glanced around, then called out. I couldn't hear what they said, but it wasn't anything friendly, as they continued to unsheathe a sword, made of gold. They levitated towards me, ignoring the hand holds. I levitated too, and soared towards them, my boots only skimming the wall.

   We met with jarring impact, and they fell backwards, but soon recovered, and levitated themselves up, and back to my level. Whoever this person was, they seemed weak. Usually someone could hold up levitation upon impact. They raised their sword again, and charged me. I held up my metal handle, and blocked their attack. They shifted back again, and I took the opportunity to strike at them again. My force knocked the fine sword from their hands. It fell into the flow of waste, without a sound. My opponent looked around helplessly, and I took a closer look at them. Based on their size, they looked to be in their teenage years. It shook me a bit to think that I might be fighting someone my own age. They could be kidnapped like me. What if they were exactly like me? What if they had been forced to join the Neverseen, or have their family and friends killed?

   My thoughts distracted me, and I didn't see the person coming up to me, a handful of sewage in their hand. They chucked the disgusting, soupy stuff at me. Luckily, I ducked in time. It splattered all over the wall behind me. The figure leaned down, to scoop up more gross waste, but I flew towards them, and whacked them over the head. They fell forward into the muck.

   In a sort of guilty shock, I rushed towards them, and pulled their head from below the flowing liquid. I slumped them against the wall, after checking that they were still taking in gasping breaths. I tore back their hood, and looked at their pale face. I didn't recognize him at all. He had messy brown hair, and his eyes were closed. I felt like my estimate was right—he looked about fourteen. I wondered when he had joined the Neverseen. Had he been young? Or had he joined recently? I wondered if he had, in fact, been forced to join. Had he gone to the Neverseen by choice?

   After I made sure that the boy wasn't having trouble breathing, I went back to the entrance of the tunnel. As quickly as I could, I climbed back down. When I reached the bottom, I looked, before jumping down.

   Something was wrong.

   Then it hit me. I was alone.