Loading... Chapter Seventeen
"I'm not so worried about getting in as I am getting back out," Daniel said. The two of them stared at the building Lance was being kept in. "I'll take the front, while you head around the back to see if there are other exits for us. Maybe if we are lucky, they won't realize we brought a war to their doorstep." Amilia tilted her head, thinking two people didn't make an army, but Daniel continued before she could reply. "Let's meet back up somewhere in the heart of the building."
It was once an option she wanted, but now agreeing made her nervous. Still, she ran around towards the back of the building while Daniel took the straightforward approach. The difficulty level didn't matter if he got results.
The first group of men Daniel found were having a get-together that would be their last. Daniel made his introduction by slitting the throat of one before his intrusion was even noticed. A free-for-all broke out. Daniel managed to hold off four men for a while, before a guard landed a hit and filled his mouth with a coppery taste of blood. The pain tipped Daniel's rage over the boiling point and fighting multiple targets became easier. He nailed one right in the chest with a dagger before spinning around to drop another seconds later.
Daniel turned to the sole survivor. The guard nearly jumped out of his shoes before he darted down the hallway. Daniel followed behind in no real rush. Each step slowly gaining on the man. As smooth as a ghost, he grabbed the guard and snapped his neck.
The man fell, revealing Amilia as she came down the same hall. The zen-like calm Daniel gained made Amilia's heart pound like she'd been the one fighting. The hard truth was the thief could be a true predator when desired.
"I..." she stumbled around for words.
Daniel cocked his head to the side. "You got here fast."
Amilia shook her head, more at herself than his comment. "I think I know the way, or at least I have a feeling it's down this way." She led them down a flight of stairs, and stopped to wait for him a few steps past the landing.
When Daniel crossed the invisible line that separated the stairs from the rest of the room, he seemed to trigger a cutscene. The camera ripped away from him jarringly, like a moth pulling towards a flame.
***
"You need to start talking if you ever want to see sunlight again."
A knight stood in front of a man shackled. His hands and feet were weighed down with long chains, and the cuffs rubbed against a jagged wound that hadn't been left alone or cleaned enough to be healing. Lance lifted his hanging head. His eyes narrowed at the threat, or as well as he could with one nearly swollen shut.
"Who was with you at the meeting?" the knight pressed.
Lance stayed as silent as the grave he still hoped to avoid. The wrong word would lead them back to Amilia, then Daniel, and finally the rest of the guild. Giving up any of them simply wasn't an option.
"Fine, have it your way." The knight took a step closer, and leaned over one of the shackles. "I personally love getting to play with you thieving dogs." He dug a thumb into the old bandage on his prisoner's wrist.
Lance let out a strangled cry, his eyes prickling with tears. He hadn't wanted to give the man any satisfaction, but the noise was given by a part of him that was too weak to fight anymore.
"Ah, so you can make noise." The knight smiled. "Start answering and end this already." The suggestion almost sounded reasonable now. His hand hovered away, only promising relief if Lance cooperated. When Lance said nothing he was greeted with a sharp pain once again.
"All right!" Lance said, his voice breaking after just those two words. He took in a ragged breath. "I'll talk."
This answer was good enough to warrant his tormentor taking a step back and waiting for him to continue. Lance licked his cracked lips before he spoke. "Have you heard of the works of Shan Yu?" he asked.
The man's brow pulled together. "What are you talking about?"
Lance stared down at the cracked floorboards that had a concerning stain and wondered if someone had died in the very spot. Then he looked back up. "He said you can live your whole life with a man, but you don't truly know him until you threaten his life."
"Point?" Whatever leash he had given for Lance to go off on this tangent now reached its end.
"It's nice to meet you," Lance grinned, with a raw amusement.
The knight growled in annoyance. "Fine, be that way," He said, and moved over to a table, running a hand over several instruments before coming to a stop on his selection. "Maybe this little guy will scare you." He picked up an exceptionally wicked looking torture device.
Lance stared, his eyes widening instinctively with fear. It was a device that demanded a pound of flesh, and said something of the man who decided to wield it. Mostly that the wielder didn't desire to keep their prisoner for much longer.
The knight tightened the device as the six claws bit into Lance's bare stomach. It hadn't been pushed in far as it could have, but puncture wounds hurt regardless of their depth. Lance screamed, and yanked against the restraints to protect himself, but came up laughably short. Another, weaker noise echoed the first as the device was pulled back, each talon now dripped in blood.
"Do you have anything else to say?"
Lance broke out into a sweat, his breath crashed against his chest like a rocky shore. "Nous protégeons notre propre," Lance breathed out in French, not caring if the man spoke it or not.
Since it wasn't what the man wanted to hear, he lined the device back up then dug into Lance's flesh deeper this time.
"Nous protégeons notre propre," Lance repeated. He turned the urge to scream into words, the words, into a mantra.
"First you won't talk, now you won't shut up," the man said, with a smug smile. "I guess we are making progress after all."
***
The sheer will to move seemed to pull the camera back and made Daniel stumble forward. His hand dragged against the wall to help steady himself. Amilia was instantly at his side, offering help that was ignored.
Daniel took a deep breath and lifted his head with a new fire behind his eyes. "I don't know why this keeps happening, but we need to move faster." The vision had shaken him to the bone, but it did help lead the way.
The knight left the room, closing the door to his dirty deeds behind him. It was a surprise to see the blue tint of a real player's name, and summoned a fury like nothing else could. It was one flick of the wrist to pull a knife, another to sink it into the man's heart.
Player kills were taboo in some areas, but nothing stopped them. He would have ripped the man's heart out after seeing the flash of color, unable to even focus enough to read the name. When the man coughed blood up in surprise, Daniel discarded him and moved into the room.
Lance was slumped in the chair as far as the bindings would allow. There was a large gory mess on his torso, and dried blood caked one of his hands.
Daniel's breath seized in his chest at the sight. He dropped to his knees to be on the same level as his friend. "Lance?" Daniel called, "Come on, you need to wake up so we can get you out of here."
He lifted a hand to gently tilt Lance's face up. "Wake up," Daniel repeated, louder this time.
Lance's eyes stirred under his eyelids before he found the strength to open them. His eyes tried to focus on Daniel, unsure if he was an illusion or not. They crossed briefly as he tried to look at the figure at the door. Somehow finding Amilia there convinced him that he wasn't dreaming after all.
"I didn't think..." Lance started, closing his mouth as if struggling to get the words out. "You were going to come."
"You should have known better."
Lance's mouth twitched enough to give a small smile.
"Is that man dead?" Daniel asked Amilia, as he worked on the locks.
"Yes," she said, "I'll keep an eye out for others."
Now that his own personal cavalry was here, Lance's eyes started to feel heavy again.
"Hey, none of that," Daniel said, making Lance wake with a start. It sent a shiver of guilt through Daniel. It wasn't Lance's fault. It would be hard for anyone to stay awake after their body was trashed by pain. Maybe if he just continued talking, it would be something for Lance to focus on. "I'm just glad you are alive. I really don't know what I would have done without you."
Lance winced as Daniel busted the cuffs at his hands free. "You sap."
"Pour vous, l'amour." Daniel smiled and carried on with picking the locks around Lance's ankles.
Lance opened his mouth to say something, but Amilia shifting nervously at the door caught the majority of his attention. His chest tightened for a whole new reason. "I didn't tell them anything," he blurted.
"I know." The comment was a throwaway one as far as Daniel was concerned. He freed Lance, and moved back up to his feet to offer a hand, but Lance just stared up at him.
"I'm serious," Lance said, "Not about Amilia, not about anything."
Daniel paused. Lance had literally sacrificed flesh and blood to protect not only him, but a girl Daniel didn't think Lance liked very much. He thought about repeating himself, but didn't. He leaned in to help Lance up. Daniel looped Lance's arm around his shoulders to help support him.
"Stay here a moment," Amilia said. She darted out of the room. Daniel twitched. He wanted to tell her not to run off, that even the idea of splitting up now felt beyond wrong. But he couldn't very well run after her right now.
They waited a moment in silence, before Daniel turned his head towards Lance. "I never doubted you, but thank you for not telling them anything," Daniel said, wanting to make sure he knew, really knew.
"Welcome." Lance's voice was starting to sound distant. He needed real help, more than just a rescue. Medicine, or maybe a doctor would have to be found. Daniel edged them towards the door, and Lance stared down at his tormentor. He grimaced in a fashion that made his cheekbones seem sharper than usual. "Good riddance."
"I'll make him pay," Daniel said, "I promise."
Lance nearly snorted. "I think you already did."
Daniel stared at the knight on the ground. He didn't look the part without any armor, but was still a member. The name Marc Bello appeared in blue. Name, time of death, and location would be enough for Owen to sort through the players and find who he really was. In game, he could restart or respawn after a penalty. But in the real world, would torture go over as well?
"Sorry, I'm back," Amilia said, as she jogged back. "And I have a way out." She lead the way, and the boys followed as they wove through corridors, some filled with bodies of those they had already killed.
Without further incident they made it outside, following the waterfront simply to put a greater distance between them and anyone else.
"We need to fall under the radar," Amilia said, "I'm not even sure for how long." She doubted the knights would rest until they had someone who was responsible for this. Luck had been a part of why they'd gotten this far, but it rarely lasted.
Lance's knees started buckled as the heat of the sun weighed on him. He would have fallen onto the soft sand if Daniel hadn't kept him standing. Daniel's voice seemed like it was far too loud when he said there was a safe house they could go to.
"I don't think he's going to be able to walk there, though," Daniel continued.
Lance opened his mouth to object, but shut it. It was true.
"I'll go get us horses," Daniel said. He carefully lifted Lance's arm off his shoulder, and Lance braced himself against a nearby wall. When Daniel ran off, he started to slide down. Amilia jumped to help him sit, quickly pulling her hands back as Lance shot her a look.
"Thank you for your help," Lance said.
Amilia blinked. She tilted her head, ready to ask what he meant before realizing she misjudged the look. He hadn't been angry, he was struggling to not slow them down. Maybe he wanted that ounce of dignity in being able to sit down by himself. "It's nothing," Amilia said softly.
Lance raised a brow. He could start a fight, but he was in no mood for it. "I guess you do like me after all." He grinned until a pain in his side made him reposition himself.
Amilia smiled. "You might be growing on me."
A smile returned briefly before he leaned his head back against the wall. Lance woke up to the sound of Daniel's voice. He wasn't sure how long he had been out of it. It didn't seem long, but still, enough for Daniel to return with two horses.
Amilia was already on the first. Lance gave Daniel a 'not going to happen' look as he helped him to his feet. It took further help to get on the horse. By the time Lance was up, his eyes were glossy, and a worrisome waver worked its way in his breathing.
Daniel pulled himself up on the horse afterward, serving as both a driver and something to lean against for support. The three rode for a while before they reached a safe house. It was the type of house that people in the city complained about not having. Somewhat tucked away, with enough room for a garden and a backyard. Of course, this was one held by the guild to hide and restock.
"Head inside and see what medical supplies we have," Daniel instructed Amilia.
She nodded and rushed in. When Daniel came in, Lance was in his arms. Amilia had cleared a long kitchen table, and gathered all the medical supplies she could find.
Daniel laid Lance down on the table. It would work for what they needed, despite Lance's legs hanging off the end.
Amilia pulled off some armor so she could help more freely. Her breath stuttered out as she lifted her arm. She glanced over to a patch of red on her sleeve. Any pain she felt had to be ignored for now.
"Are you injured anywhere we can't see? Broken ribs or fractures?" she asked Lance. If he was too severely injured, they'd have to find a real doctor.
"No, I'm fine." Lance tilted his head back trying to glimpse over at Amilia. He barely could see her over in the corner, getting a washcloth, by the sound of it. Simply passing out seemed favorable to being fussed over.
"Shut up, and tell her everything that hurts," Daniel said.
Lance sighed. "The bruises can be ignored. They pale in comparison to my side."
Amilia placed a rag on his forehead, and his whole body trembled. She hadn't been able to get cold water all the way out here, so the shiver suggested a stronger fever than she expected.
Daniel cleaned Lance's torso and pulled away the damaged clothes as best as he could. "You're going to need stitches," he said.
Next, he looked to Lance's wrist, which had a shoddy bandage that was rolling back and in desperate need of changing. "Amilia, can you fix that for me?" Daniel asked.
Being patched up wouldn't have been so bad if they both weren't touching things that hurt. The combined effect was threatening Lance's sanity. Overwhelmed, he stared up at the ceiling.
"You're gonna need to hold him down," Daniel said.
Lance looked over to him as nervousness made everything sharp again, but Daniel had a detached look on his face. He wasn't there for support right now; he was a man with a job that needed to be done. There was a reason doctors didn't operate on people they knew. Distancing yourself was hard.
Amilia nodded. "Here, bite onto this," she said, offering Lance a rag. Once in place, she put her forearms on his shoulders, distributing her weight so she had all the leverage she could get. "Ready when you are."
As the needle wove Lance's skin back together, nerve endings he would have sworn had died started chirping wildly like crickets that couldn't get enough attention. His fingers dug into the wooden table, splinters biting into his fingertips as he tried to hold still. Lance mumbled behind the cloth in his mouth. Whether words or a cry, the meaning was lost.
"Everything will be fine, I promise. You'll be better in no time," Amilia whispered softly. There wasn't much comfort to be had. His closest friend was unable to show support, and she wasn't in a position to really hold his hand. But she still tried.
Daniel paused to look over his handiwork. The black thread made it look like the legs of a spider. Without a word, he moved over to the basins to wash up. Daniel's reserve cracked before he dipped his hands in freshwater. His heart beat roughly, yearning for everything to be fine. He stood there, shoulders tight as he gripped at the edge of the table. A quick glance at Lance showed that he had already passed out. Daniel's eyes continued over to Amilia.
"Your arm," he said. "Please don't pretend like we both don't know you hurt it."
"Oh." Amilia turned to look at the injury. An arrow had nicked it. The cut hardly seemed worthy of attention during the heat of everything else.
Daniel moved closer, meeting her brown eyes to check for any objections before he pulled up her sleeve. He reached over to grab the bandages, and mumbled an apology as he pressed it to her arm. Amilia's wince justified the comment after the fact.
"I could have taken care of it," she breathed, and watched his face instead of looking at her arm.
Daniel shrugged. It wasn't a far reach to want to take care of her. Helping was much easier than admitting guilt, or anger over letting this happen. "Done," he said. Amilia's eyes never left his as he finished, and now that he found them again his focus was completely shot. "Thank you for helping me...I don't know how to repay you."
"It's nothing really," Amilia said, and looked away towards Lance. "It was worth it. The Knights can be so horrible. Sometimes I don't—I can't even believe it. I thought the title meant nobility."
Daniel hummed an agreement. "It's not noble when you can buy it."
"Even stolen nobility looks good on you."
He smiled, and kissed Amilia on the forehead. She kept helping the thieves guild—no. She kept helping him. "Whatever it takes to keep one of our own safe."