"Wake up now." the lead human man told me as he approached my cage with an openly displayed set of keys.
"W-Where are you taking me!?" I asked fearfully as I moved away from the door. An action that only gained further justification as I watched him open the door. However, he lacked anyone else around him and that made me suspicious on top of paranoid. I know Rose'lhia was aware that I was here, but I have also heard her screams for a short while now...
"I'm taking you nowhere, but, your best friend is, says his name is Opportunity." the man jokes before he tosses me the keys which I quickly grab. I quickly built up magic inside of my hand as well and prepared to make the most of it. So I attacked him the moment his guard seemed down enough and I seemingly knocked him out.
"Th-Thank you." I tell the knocked-out man with a now bleeding head. And once I got out the cell, I put my back up against the wall and kept an ear open for what might be happening upstairs. I could not hear anyone coming, so I waited for a moment. Then, when I was sure the sounds were all beyond the stairs, I came out.
Keeping quiet on these stone steps, however, was not an option so I rushed on up. Building up my magic in my hand before I jumped out into the open. Unleashing a vortex-like spell shaped like a blooming flower as I did so. The confusion and pain of human men then filled the air as they flew about the dungeon.
Then, to the backdrop of clattering items, I made my way around and started to unlock everything. Letting out those who I could only to watch as some of them did nothing. However, when I came upon Rose'lhia, I found myself stopping. It would've been so easy to just...
"It's alright, let me get you out of there." I found myself saying to her regardless as I unlocked her cage and then undid her chains. Smiling in thanks at the beaten up woman before she clung to me for support.
"He's... In the... Wind-thorn flower..." she struggled to get out before she started to cough up blood.
"Thank you." I tell her as I help her up. And were it not for her, I might've never seen my son. Because her quick thinking took down one of the guards before I even turned around. So I nodded again in thanks.
"Just get us... Into the streets..." she tells me before I shake my head after dropping her down into a corner. Her confusion was clear but I intended to be as clear with her as possible.
"If you can get out on your own, do so. But I have something I need to sort out first..." I explain to her as magic once again built up in my hand. That woman endangered my son... Orchestrated an attempt to kidnap me and held me hostage while tormenting me about his safety... I was going to kill her, and I would make sure she knew it was me.
"N-No... He needs you... Don't waste this..." Rose'lhia pleads as she keeps me still with the strength of an ivy-mother. But with the drive I could only hope she learns about later in her life, I forced my way out of her grip. I then looked at her once more in the eye and smiled sadly.
"And he will be in my arms again... But I need to do this." I tell her as I rise to my points with a grip full of swirling magic. The same spell as last time was ready to go once more and I quickly went up the stairs. Firing off the spell and devastating the room in one go once I rose to the top.
And with an aggressive turn, I moved into another room and unleashed a spell from my other hand. But, I was not quick enough to stop their weapons from going off and loud bangs filled the building. Yet, after putting both my hands together, I was confident I could stop anyone from rushing down those hallways. Then, after briefly coming into near contact with their guns...
I stepped out and nearly demolished the entire hallway ahead of me. A shower of gore briefly filled my vision before I charged further up the building. I had no idea where that woman was, but I had a feeling her ego put her at the centre of it all. And my judgement call was quickly proven right when I heard-
"PROTECT THE MADAME!" one of the humans roared as they drew their guns and fired at me. But as the magic swirled about me, their bullets did mostly nothing. Yet I could not keep it up, so I let loose all I could in one great blast. Gunfire from another part of the building made me jump, though.
But I found myself breathing an excited breath of relief when it turned out to be just echoes. Yet that came with its own troubling implications. Yet, after briefly looking back down the stairs. I came to the conclusion that I was fine for now.
And I walked up to the door that concealed this so-called Madame from me. Though it might've appeared effortless, the sounds of cracking wood and bending metal made it clear it wasn't. And I stepped into that vile woman's office with palms full of green magic. With a glare that was seemingly set into my features permanently.
"Wh-What the..." she let out fearfully as she hid behind a skinny, unarmed man.
"You think you can threaten my son?" I asked her as I let some of my magic off. Smashing apart her chairs and desk into fine splinters. The sound of smashing glass then filled the room shortly afterwards. And my magic grew with increased ferocity as I approached her.
To my surprise, however, after being hysterical for a brief moment. She pulled out a weapon and killed the man she was hiding behind. And with a crazed gaze, she swung that weapon at me while cackling. Sparks of lightning seemingly coming out of nowhere.
"OH, I AM SO SCARED! YOU THINK YOU CAN SCARE ME, AELENVARI!? DO YOU THI-" she began to ramble on before I intercepted that sparking rod of hers willingly. And with gritted teeth, I stared at her as I moved my palm closer to her face.
"Do not ever, threaten my little one." I told them as I brought the magic against their face. And, with the kind of experience only I could really have on the subject. I force-fed her my magic and smiled sadistically as she started to bulge up. With terror in her eyes did she scratch and claw at me.
And with one final glare, I blasted her out of this room and through the glass. A trail of blood followed her before a disgusting pop sounded out from the room below. Then, I collapsed in exhaustion. Having drained myself of magic in this little vendetta of mine...
"Little One... Please wait just a little longer... I am coming..." I fearfully let out as I grow increasingly aware that this might be my last moment alive. Someone was coming and the gunshots had started up again. It was all so very close... But, a sense of relief started to fill me when I saw the signs of magic filling the air.
"I told you... To... Get..." Rose'lhia tried to say before she fell down in a mixture of pain and exhaustion.
"And I told you to..." I started to say before I tried to humour her by cutting myself. And while I tried to pick her up, I felt how much power she had still in her.
"What?" she barked as she stared at me intensely.
"I understand this might seem a little strange, Rose'lhia. Given how, we don't trust each other. But, I want you to use me as a conduit for your magic." I say to her as a sense of panic filled me up. What was I even suggesting!?
"No... You need to be well when we..."
"Rose'lhia, it might be our only way out of this. My magic is gone, wasted on this revenge of mine... You aren't strong enough to use your magic normally. You need something that can at least handle your power." I try to explain to her as she started to lose balance. Forcing me to hold even more of her weight.
"Then pass me that..." she says as she points a hand towards the wall of stolen treasures.
"R-Right..." I let out, somewhat embarrassed by the sight of a staff she could use. I suppose the benefit of that as well was that she could use it to walk on her own.
"Let's just get going now..." she tiredly complains as she starts to thud along the floor. Yet, even with that staff in her hands, I still made a point of supporting her. And when the first human came into sight, a sphere of air surrounded us. Every bullet they tried to kill us with was stuck in the barrier.
And with a flick of her hands, the bullets popped out of the barrier and shot out all over. Hundreds of holes quickly formed and the humans were quick to retreat. An uncomfortable amount of them still survived, however. But I could also not expect Rose'lhia to make a point of killing them.
Yet, thankfully, these men backed away as we got closer to the door and they only made a few passes at us before stopping. And once the clear orbitlight entered my eyes again, I smiled. I was so close to holding my little one again. And thankfully, no worried bystanders got in the way either.
We were able to just go across the streets in our little bubble until we got closer to the main gate. The wind-thorns here, however, were not so quick to let us out and they quickly surrounded us. The strange relaxation I felt once I got used to the bullets being stopped did not apply here. I could see that these humans were in a different league.
Where as the ones before flickered in my eyes... Barely any magic at all. These ones had as much if not more internal-magic than even I. Even if they had little in the way of spell-casting capability, they were still strong.
"What's going on down here?" one of the wind-people asked as they came down from the walls to appear before us.
"Rose'lhia, drop the barrier..." I whisper to her as I watch the weapons of these humans level at us. Sword and gun this time.
"You..." Rose'lhia said as the barrier dropped in an instant.
"Unhand me this moment."
"Rose'lhia!" I let out as I watched her harshly grab the wind-person.
"Where is he!? Where is the sapling!?" she aggressively asked him before that man turned to me.
"And who is this?" the man asked as he lost the concern regarding Rose'lhia's aggressive behaviour.
"I-I... I'm his mother..." I nervously answered as I tried to pull Rose'lhia back.
"A simple test, then. Open the gate!" he commented before he barked an order. Within moments he was then taking us into the great camp outside the human town. And, thankfully, a sensation of safety began to fill me as we went by all these wind-thorns. Their power and strength would've been enough to look after my son...
"Huncomm, Sir!" a differently dressed man said as he suddenly stiffened.
"The aelenvari child?"
"Their condition has not improved..." he started to explain clearly before he saw me and Rose'lhia.
"Don't mind them, carr-"
"WHERE IS MY SON!?" I screamed as I let go of Rose'lhia and copied what she did earlier. Hysterical anger was in my eyes as I held onto him tightly. Regardless of all the thorns that were now watching us.
"Go on ahead." he simply told me before I shoved him aside and rushed into the tent.
"SPRUCE!?" I screamed before I heard a cry I could never forget.
"Mama!" he weakly cried as he struggled to move in the bed he was in.
"SPRUCE!" I screamed as I scrambled into the bed to hold him. Crying as he did as I tried my best to fill him with what magic I could. My little one was weak and cold and I needed to help him. I would not leave this bed until I could guarantee he was safe.
"Mama..." he whined as his face dug into my filthy clothes.
"Shhhhh... It's alright now... It's alright now." I told him again and again. Hugging him tighter and tighter until I heard someone walk in.
"I leave him in your care, then." the wind-person said before Rose'lhia stumbled in and fell to the ground. By her insistence, however, the wind-people did not help her and they just watched.
"Is he...?" she asked as her gaze focused on my crying child.
"He'll be alright, yeah..." I tell her with a smile as I calm down slowly. Whatever problems my little one was going through, they were rapidly going away. His body was full of magic and he had weight to him. It could've only been that he missed me so much.
And I peppered his face with little kisses as a result, because I missed him too. I missed him more than he could ever understand. But I still wanted to try and let him grasp it. So I made sure he was well aware of how much I loved him.
"We have to get going, then..." Rose'lhia struggled to get out from the floor.
And I smiled down at her, "No, we need to rest."
"I know a place, then..." she tells me as regret fills her eyes.