I was in a dungeon again.
And this time, Cath was here with me too, not as my rescuer either. But at least she was safe. Stripped of her magical armor, and most of her pride, but still alive. She did not consider that as a win.
"I have failed you." She announced it now and then, but at least she didn't call me Princess. "I became too arrogant, thinking my armor would protect me from everything. I can't believe I was so easily defeated. That woman didn't even seem that powerful."
"Oh, it's your first time?" A stranger decided to join in from the next cell over. She looked way older than us but was in better shape than I expected from someone locked up in a dungeon. "I take it you met Aoi Sama? She's pretty good. No shame in losing to her."
"And who are you?" I asked, annoyed that a random nobody would dare to address us so lightly. I nearly forgot that I was supposed to be acting like a commoner. She didn't take offense either way.
"I'm Sariah. I came from the South almost five years ago." She introduced herself, bowing her head. Now that I looked at her, she did have dark brown skin and resembled the envoys I once received from the distant lands of Shibalan. Her clothes mirrored the vivid colors of that culture too, and she was supposed to be wearing that for all this time.
"Five years ago?" Cath asked her, almost yelling.
"Why yes, but it's not as bad as it seems." She gave out a weak laugh. I couldn't tell if she was genuine or not. "The food is good, and they take care of us. Sometimes we get to walk around in the gardens of the palace too. We're just not allowed to leave."
"Palace?" I repeated it, surprised. They put a sack over our heads after we got captured, and had no idea where they took us. It was only removed, once we were both locked up. But I admit, the place was nice and clean for being a dungeon, but with bars everywhere.
"Yes, you are in the royal palace of the Saipole capital. I'd recommend taking a look, if you get the chance, it's beautiful." Sariah noted, pointing at the windows near the ceiling. They were way too high up.
"So why are you here?" Cath asked curiously. Our cells were simple, roughly four yards in every direction. There was a thick wall behind us with a barred window and a thinner wall to the left. Bars separated us from the neighboring cell and the corridor. The one Sariah was in mirrored ours. Both had two beds over each other, bolted to the solid wall. Other than that, only a hole to do our business.
"Most likely for the same reason as you two." The woman shrugged, still smiling. "I entered their territory too deep and ended up here. But apart from the lodgings, I have to say, I didn't enjoy such a good life back in my home country. The Collapse was rather harsh on Shibalan."
"But why are they keeping us here?" Cath was not satisfied with that answer. She studied the bars and walls, looking for a way out, but the place seemed solid and deep underground.
"The Sea People are a proud race, that lost almost everything. First their fleet, then their freedom. And they are keen to blame the other races for that." Sariah tried to explain, standing up, and walking to the bars between us. "They are very suspicious of the outsiders, at least at first. But if you prove yourself trustworthy and useful they might recruit you."
"What if I don't want to be recruited though?" The paladin didn't seem to trust the stranger. "I just want them to let us go."
"Well, that's tough luck then. You came to the wrong place." The woman shrugged. "I'd join them, but I lack the talent. I can't complain though, not all the cells are like this. The ones above us are much larger, and with plenty of people in them. Don't get used to this one, as they keep rotating us. This time I got the short end of the stick. You'll be soon separated too, to avoid organizing against them."
"What? I don't want to be separated." I protested, but the answer was just a shrug again. And considering this woman was here for years, I had another worry. "Cath, what if my hair starts to grow?"
"We'll need to find a way out before that." She whispered, still looking for an exit. The woman only laughed at it.
"Hah, good luck with that." She said, stepping away from the bars again. "A few years ago, maybe, but there was an outsider. He was smart enough to warm up to the Sea People. They say, he even seduced Aoi Sama, only to run away after the first opportunity. Now it's truly impossible to escape from here. Their selection process is more strict too."
"If it was just me, I could probably get out with the right miracle, but I can't leave you behind," Cath whispered directly into my ears this time, suspicious of our neighbor. I was thankful for that, but I protested.
"She said we'd be separated either way." I shook my head. "If only one of us can escape, you have no reason to hold back."
"I don't want to bother you, but it's pretty hard not to hear you talk in these empty cells," Sariah warned us with a grin. "The corridor is also set up so the echoes carry any sound straight to the guard's post. You'll see soon, that they are masters of architecture."
"At least the Elder won't be able to find us here." I tried to look at the positive side of things. It wasn't much though. I wished I listened to the paladin's advice and went back to Nateaser instead. It was too late now, as it seemed, there was nothing we could do about it.
"Well, that's true. And it's not like we can't take advantage of the time we got this way. While we are together, I can continue your training Pri... Lizabeth." She had almost done it this time. And since she mentioned training, I was tempted to punch her in the shoulder. "We won't be able to run ten miles in here, and they took my sword, but I can teach you a thing or two. We only need our bodies and enough time."
"Oh, that sounds entertaining. Are you some kind of martial artist?" I heard the woman from Shibalan ask. "If you impress the guards, they might recruit you both. They are always looking for warriors."
"Could we stay together that way?" This could be our way out. But her answer was disappointing.
"Not. If you get recruited, it's to be expected, that you'll be posted to the far ends of their kingdom." Sariah shook her head. "They might trust you enough to serve them, but they are terrified of spies organizing some kind of resistance against them. They'll do everything to ensure you can't meet people from your place."
"Just what is their deal?" Cath complained, but she decided to take small steps at a time. She started pacing back and forth in the cell. "All right, let's focus on your training then. Even if they separate us, I want you to have the best chance to survive."
"Oh, they aren't gonna kill you or anything." The woman noted, leaning against the bars. "They are seriously lacking the manpower for that. They'll keep you here if they can't find you a purpose."
"This one here gets bored too easily." The paladin pointed at me, and I felt my blood rushing to my face. "If she were to be left alone in a cell, that would be the same as if she got executed."
"Cath!" I yelled at her, launching multiple punches this time. She easily avoided them all, but I refused to stop. "I'm so beating you up for this. Stop dodging my punches, you stupid paladin."
"Good, I guess, the training already started then." She laughed, easily evading every single attempt I made. But at least she was no longer lethargic. Our neighbor also enjoyed the show. If anything, the paladin moved even faster without her armor. She had plenty of time to mock me too. "The problem with these punches, other than being slow, is that even if they reached me, I wouldn't be able to tell, because of how weak they are."
"Then why don't you stay in one place, and see how they feel?" I asked, driving her around the small cell. I had no idea how she avoided all of them when there was barely any space to move around.
She wasn't using her miracles either. The difference between us was this big, to begin with. Five minutes in I was already out of breath, and to my frustration, I never managed to hit her once. She easily danced away from me, playing to her heart's content. She never went too far, no room for that, but remained always within my arm's reach.
And regardless, I was at a complete loss. I had to give up on chasing her around, collapsing on the lower bed. The clapping from the neighboring cell was only oil to the fire. Becoming a real fighter was still far from me, but Cath was kind enough to point out my errors. She sat down next to me, but her breathing was still calm.
"You always aim where I was, instead of where I'm currently going. I'm faster than you, so you'll never score a hit that way." She noted, demonstrating the motions between her own hands. "If you see me backing away, and running around in circles, you should stop trying to chase me and cut off my route to escape instead. If I have to change directions, I might slow down enough so you can reach me."
"Easy for you to say with all that experience behind you." I felt offended but tried my best to listen to her explanation. I wanted to tell her some parallels from my etiquette training, but Sariah was still intently watching us. I didn't want to give away too much in front of her.
"We can try the reverse, where you evade my attacks, but I'm a bit worried if I fail to hold back properly." Cath grinned. Yes, I did not doubt how much she could beat me up, without even trying. "If it's hard for you to predict my movements, why don't we try dancing?"
"What?" That surprised me. "You mean like dancing, as at parties?"
"Exactly, we don't have much space, but it should be doable." She confirmed, confusing me a bit. "You need to predict the dance moves as well, right? Unless you know the entire choreography ahead of time. But that is rarely the case in a fight. So, can I have a dance, my lady?"
"Oh, this is getting good." Sariah cheered. "Should I provide the music for you? Not like I can sing."
"No, it's even better if the rhythm is unpredictable." The paladin claimed, jumping up from the bed, and reaching her arm out for me. I doubted such training, but we had nothing better to do.