"Markus, is Elin a boy's name or a girl's name?" Alexis asked casually as she stirred the volatile mixture.
"I'm not sure. Why?" He didn't look up from the sofa, where he was polishing the sword lain across his lap.
"Whoever this person is, they're probably the reason Cain agreed to take us." She smirked a little. "Maybe for lurve.."
Markus shook his head, "Could be a family member."
"Man, you take the fun out of it." She threw a small potato at him.
Meanwhile, Noah was coming to terms with the fact that they were about to commit treason.
"It's not treason if we put him back." Is what Reyn had insisted.
Still, his head was throbbing as he reread the layout of the dungeon that Alexis had sketched.
'Why is she so good at this? Oh right, she's done this before.'
He glanced over to where she stood, joking around with Markus and couldn't help but feel a twinge of sadness.
'Nuh-uh. Not now.' He shook himself out of it as he arranged the rest of the plans.
********************************
It was past midnight when Alexis slipped between the bars of the sewer grate. More like stuffed herself between but she succeeded either way.
'Not the grossest thing I've done.' She thought grimly as she crouched for an uphill climb.
Markus had pointed out that the tunnel which emptied out into the river nearby would also branch out into the third tier of the dungeon. She had used every bit of brain power trying to figure out its path whereas Markus could just walk right down into the cell.
So unfair.
She dropped coloured pebbles at each intersection so she could find her way back, accompanied by an extremely dangerous prisoner but she didn't want to get hung up on that.
"But how do we get Cain out of that cell?" Alexis had asked Markus through a mouthful of fruit.
"I could try to get the key off of the guard but he won't just give it up-"
"I could pick the lock," Noah mumbled as he picked at his own food.
"Say what now?"
She smiled now, even as gross water sloshed around her feet. Markus wouldn't let Noah come along so he offered to teach them how to pick locks instead.
'Full of surprises.' She thought fondly.
She slowed down as torchlight filtered through from above. She gritted her teeth as she pulled out a tiny vial, throwing its contents at the metal grate above her. She quickly stepped back as the poison ate through the bars, leaving it brittle.
'Hell yeah.' She pulled her hood on, hoisting herself up by the strongest bars at the ends to headbutt the middle ones. She closed her eyes as bits of metal rained down. She smiled, pulling herself up and over.
'How close am I to his cell?' She crouched in the darkness, peering at the corridor in front of her. She didn't have to wait long to find out.
*****************************
"Man, you two went all out with that poison huh?" Reyn mused as she hung on to Markus's arm like a damsel in distress.
"It's not so much poison as it is a deterrent." He defended as he led the way to the cell, walking past deserted guard posts.
"Diarrhea is one hell of a deterrent." She snorted, just as she had when Alexis suggested the idea to poison their food.
"Can't argue with that," he murmured, peeking out from behind the corner before he stepped into the third level corridor.
A solitary guard was patrolling the hall, pausing as he peered into Cain's cell. Still there.
The bigger problem was that he was about to walk past where Alexis was wedged between two cells, one foot down the grate.
"I got this." Reyn whispered as she detached herself and made her entrance.
"Yoohoo!" She called, waving happily at the guard.
"Miss?" He was taken aback by her presence. "You shouldn't be down here." He marched towards her, right past Alexis.
"And you-" She poked him in the chest. "-shouldn't be up so late."
Before the guard could process that, Alexis shot him in the neck with a modified sleep dart.
"What the-!"
Before he could alert the others, Markus smothered his mouth, bringing him slowly down in a chokehold. He was unconscious within seconds.
"Is it bad I'm kinda into it?" Reyn asked as they stepped over him to the end of the hall.
"A little," Markus admitted as he pulled out the guard's key ring.
After a few tries, he found the one that opened Cain's cell.
"Wake up, sleepyhead." Reyn announced, jarring the warlock out of sleep. Technically, he had no idea when or how he was getting out so this was all a surprise to him.
Markus set to work, picking the locks on his feet, trying to remember how Noah had taught him. He didn't want to know why the boy had this particular skill set. But it worked.
Cain kicked off the chains, dull red marks visible on his ankles.
"Wait," Markus brought out a length of rope, using it to tie Cain's wrists. "I'm not saying I don't trust you but that's exactly what I'm saying."
"Oh, that's cold." Reyn commented.
They jumped suddenly as they heard a muffled commotion from the upper levels.
"Shit," Alexis pushed past Markus. "We don't have time." She opened another vial, pouring the mixture on the chains binding his hands to wall, careful not to get any on him.
Cain's eyes widened as she ripped through the chains. Definitely setting an example.
His arms dropped into his lap for the first time in a long time and relief softened his features.
Even Markus felt a twinge of sympathy as Cain rubbed his wrists gently. He looked small then, and fragile.
Then he stood, flipping Markus off with both hands as he walked past him.
"Son of a-" He jogged to keep up with him as Alexis stifled a laugh.
"Remember. The last boat at the pier okay?" Reyn said as she ushered the group back to the grate Alexis had come out of.
"And you?" She asked, holding onto her hand.
Reyn smiled. "Don't worry about me, love." She kissed her cheek, gently shoving her away as the sound of the guards coming down the stairs got louder.
"Go save the kingdom, losers."
Alexis nodded as she dropped down through the grate, following Markus and Cain. She led the way out, kicking the pebbles onto the water as she went, not wanting to be pursued.
They raced towards the end, Markus holding Cain up to prevent him stumbling, the warlock being out of practice with running. Or standing, really.
"Will she be alright?" He asked, following Alexis's lead as he squeezed through the grate at the end.
"Duh," She replied without a pause. "It's Reyn we're talking about."
*************************
"What the hell happened?!" Frederick yelled as he saw the unconscious guard. The ones he was accompanied by shook their heads. They were... busy elsewhere.
"The Arts user!" He exclaimed, running as fast as his aged legs would allow to the cell at the end.
He pulled it open, revealing the princess, who waved cheerily.
"Hiya."