Warning: This chapter contains themes of abuse.
____________________________________________________
They hear the roars and shouting, and the sound of rocks crumbling. The scent of smoke clings to the air and the compound begins to feel noticeably warmer. Standing leaned against a stone wall of the chamber, Nisha looks around at the ceiling with wide eyes, fear and panic filling her heart.
She turns to look at Val'Ceraan and sees that he doesn't look afraid. More annoyed than anything at having yet another interruption today.
"What's going on?" Nisha asks timidly.
Val'Ceraan growls and looks around as well. "He is not sure..."
Both of their attention is pulled to the door of the chamber as one of the spies wearing blue leather armor rushes up to Val'Ceraan.
"What is the meaning of this?" Val'Ceraan snaps.
The lower-ranked spy looks up at him. Judging by the look in his eyes, Nisha can tell that he is growing intimidated by Val'Ceraan's height. His name doesn't have 'Val' for nothing. That's a prefix given to those who are known for their strength, which there is no question about when it comes to this man.
The spy points towards the door. "The winged beast is here! It's attacking the compound, sir!" he exclaims breathlessly.
Nisha gasps and covers her mouth. "The Drynthar is here?!"
Val'Ceraan holds up his hand and she shuts her mouth. He keeps his attention on the spy. "So what are you doing here? Get out there and gather all the Tus'Felnis you can! Val'Ceraan wants everybody at arms against the beast!" he demands.
His commanding voice makes the spy shiver and nod shakily. "O—Of course, sir! Shino will get to it right away!" and he scurries back out the door to obey.
Val'Ceraan groans and turns around with his hands holding the back of his neck, his tail flicks irritably across the stone floor of the chamber.
Nisha stares at the door for a moment before turning towards him. "Hu'Nisha could help, if you let her," she says and takes a small step towards him.
His tail ceases its flicking and he slowly turns back to face her. "What?" he says.
Nisha's ears slightly lower and she clears her throat. "I—She knows how to fight... And she has Life Magic, so she would be able to heal wounded soldiers. If you just let her—"
"No!" Val'Ceraan barks. She takes a step back. "You have far too important a role in our mission to risk dying out there to this beast. You are to remain with him until the time comes," he states and crosses his arms over his chest.
Nisha sighs and looks at him pleadingly. "Please, Ceraan... She knows that you do not wish to do this, either... We are just slaves to the Orcs. Please, just let her go so she can end this..." she quietly begs.
Val'Ceraan's face hardens and anger flares up in his eyes. "You think he doesn't already know that? Of course we are their slaves. But it doesn't matter anymore. We all have jobs to do, and Val'Ceraan's is making sure that you do yours. So do not ruin this for him," he hisses.
Nisha shakes her head. She feels her own anger swell her heart. She supposes she's got nothing left to lose. "Well, what if I don't want to do my job?" she accidentally lets her accent slip back into what she's grown so used to.
Val'Ceraan pauses for a moment and just stares at her through eyes narrowed in contemplation and rage. She sees that look on his face, and suddenly feels her anger quickly be replaced by fear.
"...This is about the Emissaries, isn't it?" his voice lowers.
Nisha's ears fold back and she shakes her head. "No! O—Of course not! I'm just saying... I..." she stops herself as he takes a step towards her. She takes a small step back. He doesn't say anything as he stares at her with that menacing glare, which is more threatening than any words he could speak.
She crosses her arms and her tail twitches as her instincts sense danger. She glares back at him defiantly. "...What if it is about them? Are you going to tell our masters? You know you can't kill me, your contract won't allow it," she states.
He slowly nods and takes another step towards her, but she remains in her place. "You're right... He can't kill you," he utters. His eyes flash dangerously before he throws his fist across her cheek, hard enough that she loses her balance and drops to the ground. She yelps and holds her cheek as she looks up at him to see as he clenches his fists while towering over her.
He snickers, "But he can remind you of your place," he growls before he kicks her in the stomach, making her skid back a few inches across the stone floor.
She grunts and pushes herself onto her forearm. Her instincts take over and tell her to fight back, so she draws her dagger and gets up, preparing to take a stab at him, but as the blade gets close to him, Nisha feels a burning pain flare up in her heart that makes her drop her weapon.
Damn this fucking contract.
Val'Ceraan grabs her wrist while she's disoriented and forces her to look at him. "Do you want to try that again, Hu'Nisha? He is certain the contract will excuse it the second time," he snides which makes her growl.
He punches her across her cheek again, making her fall back to the stone floor.
She's not allowed to fight back or run. But he's not allowed to kill her. She just has to remember that. His contract forces him to keep her alive, but not to keep her safe. And so long as he stays preoccupied with her, that gives Naomi and the others time to flee.
If the Drynthar doesn't get to them first.
________________________________
__________________
Naomi and the others frantically search the walls and floors of each cell, desperate to find the hidden passage to get them out of here. The ceiling keeps shaking with each move the Drynthar makes from outside, making them fear possibly getting caved in or crushed under a pile of debris.
They've seen the damage the Drynthar can do. Just thinking about what happened to Whiteridge is enough to make them put everything they have into searching the cells. Even Nesosa started helping once they realized that the guards are probably too distracted by the Drynthar to worry about finding them in the dungeon.
As Malachi searches one of the back cells, he notices a loose shackle on the wall. He reaches over and sees that it can turn, so he twists it to the side, which results in hearing the sound of stone sliding.
"Found it!" he shouts and rushes out of the cell to see the end of the hallway open up to reveal a narrow passage through the walls. It's not very reassuring that the passage is made of wood instead of stone, considering the fire-breathing dragon that is currently attacking the compound, but something is always better than nothing.
Pyrea stands beside the door and motions everyone through. "Come on, we need to hurry! It's not until faced with a beast the size of New Cresthill that a compound like this is put through the ultimate test of stability. I'm not sure how long the ceiling is going to hold," she says and makes sure everyone has gotten through before rushing in behind them.
They rush through the wooden tunnels, feeling the ground quake as followed by another vicious roar that's muffled by them being underground. There are a few places in the tunnels that have rusted metal grates that allow them to see into various rooms through small gaps.
And they see as the ceiling has begun collapsing in some places. The room they ran past had burning trees collapse in through the ceiling and the crimson sky of dusk breaks through the stones. The sight is enough to make them pick up their pace.
They keep running, but as they pass by another metal grate, Naomi can't help but stop and go back to look through it as the sight of a person catches her eye.
But as she sees into the room, she realizes that it's not just anyone. It's Val'Ceraan.
The first thought to enter her mind is where Nisha went. She feels hope that maybe Nisha got away and is trying to find a way to get back to them, but she quickly realizes that's not the case once she sees Val'Ceraan kick something on the ground.
Naomi's blood boils as she sees Nisha on the ground, covered in bruises and scrapes.
Val'Ceraan stands over her with a predatory scowl. "You know the consequences of going back on your contract. Yet you wish to throw everything away for those Emissaries? It is in Val'Ceraan's contract to keep you alive, and you know what it will do to him if you fail your mission!" he shouts.
Nisha weakly looks up at him. Even with the pain she's in, her eyes still hold their defiant fire.
"...You can't kill me and I can't kill you... We can only do what we are told... But you can't tell me what to do," she coughs and spits out some blood.
Val'Ceraan shakes his head. "He would if you would stop being so selfish for once in your life!" he backhands her, making her fall to the side.
The ceiling crumbles in from the opposite corner of the room, and they see as the light from outside is quickly blocked by a scaly shadow sticking its head down into the room from on top of the prison.
Val'Ceraan gasps and glances at Nisha as she tries to run, but he catches her by her throat and pulls her back before throwing her against a wall. The back of her head hits the stone surface of the wall and she collapses to the ground and her movement ceases.
Val'Ceraan covers Nisha and ducks behind some fallen debris as the Drynthar opens its maw and releases a gout of scorching flames directed at the girl. He shields her from the fire until it stops and he drops her to face the beast and draw his sword, but the Drynthar reels back and ascends to the sky.
The Tus'Felnis growls and turns back towards Nisha. He takes a step towards her, but before he can get to her again, his path is blocked by Naomi. She stands with clenched fists and she keeps the burning rage of her glare directed at the Tus'Felnis man before her.
"Leave her alone!" she demands.
Val'Ceraan looks her over and scoffs with a small laugh. "Are all humans this stupid, or are you simply a masochist? No matter, if you are here then that means the other Emissaries must be as well. Val'Ceraan will find them. But first," he points the tip of his sword at her. "You are going to have to die."
Naomi doesn't waver as she glances to the floor to see one of Nisha's daggers. She quickly reaches down and grabs it, but the moment it's in her hand is the moment Val'Ceraan takes his first strike.
She narrowly manages to avoid getting decapitated and turns around to face him, holding the dagger in front of her as if it were a sword of her own. At this point, Naomi realizes that she probably should have thought this plan through a bit better. She's never killed anyone, and she highly doubts her first will be a highly trained Narvadin warrior spy. She'd be lucky to even come close to landing a hit on him.
The fear sets in as she realizes that she has put herself in a position to be killed. She can't run back to the others for two reasons. One, because that would be leading Val'Ceraan back to her group, who he is also looking to kill. And two, because that would mean leaving Nisha behind.
Malachi stops running once he realizes that Naomi isn't behind him and he looks into the room through the breach the Drynthar made in the wall and ceiling, and he sees Naomi standing between Val'Ceraan and the unconscious Nisha.
"Kid!" he exclaims.
Naomi hears his voice but doesn't turn her head away. She gasps as Val'Ceraan takes another strike at her, but she luckily avoids it but only by tripping and falling on her ass.
The Tus'Felnis prepares to slice his blade down at her, but the attack is disrupted by him getting decked in the face by Malachi.
Val'Ceraan grunts as he stumbles back, and as he does something drops from his pocket. He growls as he pulls himself together to glare at the old man who now stands between him and both Naomi and Nisha.
Naomi feels a brief moment of gratitude and as though she's been saved, but then she quickly realizes that Malachi also can't really fight. So she hasn't been saved. She's just not going to die alone.
And she can tell the moment Malachi realizes this too as he starts frantically looking around for some kind of weapon to defend himself with. Before he can find something, Val'Ceraan charges at him with his sword in the air.
But his sword clashes with another as now Nesosa also stands in his way. Finally, someone who can fight. Nesosa growls as she pushes back against his blade, surprised at how strong he actually is. He's no roof of a building, but it's still a challenge to hold him back.
She keeps her eyes locked on her opponent's as she calls back to Malachi and Naomi. "Auldjin, get them out o' 'ere now! Ah'll hold him off!" she shouts and ducks to the side as Val'Ceraan reels back and attempts a strike from above.
Malachi nods and rushes back to Naomi. She's trying to help Nisha, but the Tus'Felnis is clearly still unconscious. Malachi scoops Nisha into his arms and pulls Naomi to her feet. "We've gotta go!" he states.
Naomi looks past him at Nesosa. She and Val'Ceraan are now circling each other with their swords held in defensive positions. As her foot bumps into something, Nesosa throws a glance to the ground to see that it's what had fallen out of Val'Ceraan's pocket.
A Schism Fragment.
He sees the moment she notices what it is and he sprints at the fragment, but he's too late before Nesosa grabs it and holds it up. He instantly stops moving and just stares at it. His eyes dodge between her and the fragment, trying to contemplate what to do.
"Ye want yer fragment sae bad, right?" Nesosa states.
Val'Ceraan growls and holds out his hand. "Give it to him!" he demands, but Nesosa chuckles and shakes her head. She keeps her eyes open but takes a deep breath and her body glows, reverting her to her centaur form as the light fades out.
She smirks and tucks the fragment into her backpack. "Yer goin' tae have tae take it from me," she throws a glance to her right to see as Lavern sprints to her and takes her hand as she helps him onto her back.
Lavern motions Naomi and Malachi to the exit. "Go! We'll meet up with you when we can!" he shouts. Nesosa bashes Val'Ceraan back as she gallops past him and out the doors that lead back into the prison.
Val'Ceraan looks between their direction and Naomi and Malachi. "Setheer rejin suuth!" he silently curses himself and turns to start chasing after Nesosa and Lavern.
Malachi and Naomi start making their way back to the tunnels, but the building shakes again. More violently this time. They look through the wall to see Pyrea waiting for them at the exit, frantically looking between them and the ceiling as the stones begin to crack.
As she sees the cracks worsen, she gasps and steps forward with her hand out to signal Malachi and Naomi to stop.
None of them can react in time before the ceiling crashes down on top of her.
Malachi pushes Naomi back and blocks her from the falling debris and they both fall to the stone floor. He keeps his hold on Nisha, but Naomi gasps and rushes over to where the tunnel used to be and her eyes tear up, staring mournfully at the rubble.
"Pyrea..." she whispers.
Malachi sighs and pushes himself off the ground with Nisha in his arms. "...We've gotta get out of here, kid... We'll find another way," he says grimly. All of this is too familiar for him.
Naomi takes a deep breath and shakily nods. "Right..." she swallows back her tears. "Come on... I'll lead the way and you just keep Nisha safe, okay?" she chokes out and wipes her eyes.
Malachi nods. "Sounds good. Just please... be careful..." he says.
Naomi mentally prepares herself before rushing through the doors in search of another way out.
________________________________
__________________
Nesosa runs as fast as she can through the halls of the prison compound with Lavern on her back, occasionally throwing glances behind them to keep tabs on Val'Ceraan. The Tus'Felnis seems very adamant about getting this fragment back, so much so that he left Naomi and Malachi to escape.
Lavern looks forward as Nesosa carries them to the top of the stairs and starts galloping down another hallway. They've gone up a good number of stairs now, so hopefully they're getting closer to the surface. This whole place is a damned labyrinth.
Forcing Nesosa to skip her stride to a halt, the ceiling begins to shake and crack. As soon as she notices the stones start coming down, she rushes back and blocks Lavern as the debris falls and she waits for it to clear away.
She lifts her head just as Val'Ceraan catches up, but also in time for the Drynthar to lower its head into the hall from the hole it just created in the ceiling.
Nesosa ducks around the corner, raises her shield and lowers as much as possible behind it as the beast opens its maw once again to release a gout of fire in their direction through the hallway.
Val'Ceraan realizes too late that he has no means of blocking the flames from scorching him and takes the full blast of fire engulfing his body.
Nesosa closes her eyes as she waits for the flames to die down. Once the heat reduces and the light fades away, she opens her eyes and peeks her head around the corner to see that the hall is scorched black with char and there are burning embers shriveling the patches of moss that clung to the walls.
But most importantly, she sees the burnt form of Val'Ceraan laying on the floor. She can't tell if he's alive or not, but she doesn't bother checking as she walks past and towards the new crater the Drynthar has left in the wall and ceiling of the compound.
It's low enough and wide enough for them to be able to climb out. Nesosa walks over to it and Lavern slides off her back as they climb their way out of the prison and into the burning Kalen'Mas Forest.
The Drynthar soars overhead, fanning the flames with the tremorous beat of its wings. Lavern and Nesosa both stare up at the beast.
Without so much as a glance at each other, they draw their weapons.