The descent was tedious, but it wasn't long before I found myself at the base of the stairway once more, staring out over the vast expanse of the dungeon network below. A thick blue haze clouded the bottom, tens of levels beneath me, and the eerie glow of the red candlelights within each cell maintained an atmosphere of dread.
Suddenly I could feel Dukalis' spirit stir within me, signifying that he was no longer dormant. But that meant that I had to explain everything to him before I continued. His magic would prove to be useful later on, after all.
"Hey, Dukalis," I greeted him sheepishly. I could sense his spirit become confused before he spoke.
Why are we in the dungeons, Aven? Why are you awake?
"It's a bit complicated," I confessed. "Did you hear about Dorai'Kur and Maceren?"
That they're related? Yes, I heard that much.
"Illesior wants me to find my escorts and leave the city before the Queen's guards search for Maceren. I have to get Arius first, then escape through the sewer system before finding Maceren and the others."
Dukalis was shocked, but kept his voice steady as he replied, That's… quite ambitious. I apologize for being dormant for so long. I've been trying to regain my energy.
I pricked my ears. "Huh? What's wrong?"
I've been sending you too much magic. It's draining me. From now on, unless absolutely necessary, I'm going to have to limit how much I empower you. Otherwise it'll hamper my abilities.
I was taken aback, but simply shrugged. "No big deal. You're fine, boomer. Take all the time you need." I stepped to the railing and leaned over, scanning the familiar fog. "Dukalis, do you remember the way to Arius' cell?"
Of course. I don't forget things easily.
"Then let's bounce." I flung both legs over the railing and sailed down far below, muttering a spell before making contact with the cracked stone floor. The spell sent out a billow of fluffy smoke, cushioning my fall so that I landed nimbly. I looked around.
"That was at least 10 levels down," I murmured under my breath. "Did you count, Dukalis?"
It was 13 levels.
"Great. That means step one is complete." I adjusted my satchel before flipping the hood on my cloak over my head, covering my white fluffy mane and massive ears. Yet they still stuck out through small holes cut into the hood. "Step two: Find the correct cell. Lead the way, Dukalis."
I scampered softly along, making sure not to make unwanted noise as I telepathically communicated with the spirit, following his directions to find my brother. Eventually we turned a corner and found ourselves in front of a dark, dingy cell. I shivered with cold and unease, straining to see inside.
"Arius?" I whispered.
I could hear a soft rattling, like the sound of chains scraping over each other. I instinctively took a step back as a familiar gray face came into view, shadows cast over his intelligent violet eyes.
He growled softly. "You again? Why did you come back? Was visiting me once not good enough for you?"
"Arius, quiet down." I placed my finger to my lips, then looked warily around, making sure nobody was nearby. Then I turned back to him. "Listen. I'm breaking you out."
His jaw dropped, and he paused momentarily before speaking. "...Breaking me out? Are you mad? We're both dead if your 'friend' finds out." I grimaced at the mention of Illesior but kept it together. "No, he knows about this. He's in on the whole thing."
"And why are you breaking me out, anyway?" Arius scoffed, rising to his feet. My eyes scanned his body, looking for any new marks of beatings. He didn't have his jacket, leaving him bare-chested and marked with countless scars and barely healed wounds. Claw marks scored his back and neck, revealing pale pink skin and nasty red burrows. Dried blood stained his silver-gray fur. Yet when I looked him over, none of them seemed to be younger than a day. I mentally exhaled a sigh of relief. Illesior had kept his promise.
"It's complicated. Look, somebody from the West has come here to The Capital, looking for his son who I made an acquaintance with. This 'somebody' is a dangerous Baron, who enslaves White Manes like us and tortures them. His son wants us both to come with him and leave the city before the Baron does anything brash. That's why I need you to come with me." I fixed him with an azure gaze, my voice briefly choked with emotion. "I need you to trust me."
Arius was silent. His tail waved slowly behind him as I searched for words, his wordless stare burning holes into my fur. "...And why should I trust you?" He finally answered. "You never trusted me."
I bit back a stinging retort, taking a deep breath. I needed him to listen to me, or I would have to go on alone. And I couldn't bear going through the dungeons by myself, trapped in the cold darkness, stalked by a monstrous golem…
"I'll trust you." I finally replied. "I know your wounds are still fresh, but I need you, Arius. You're important to me. It might not be to you, but to me, family is worth everything."
He was quiet. I continued, my voice trembling as tears beaded at the corners of my eyes. "...You don't have to ever forgive me, Arius. I don't expect you to. All those years of pain have been hard on you, and I can only imagine what you're going through right now. But I want to make things right." I reached out my hand. "And we can start by trusting each other for the first time."
My brother stared aimlessly at my hand, and for a terrifying moment, I thought he hadn't heard me. But then to my utter shock and surprise, he reached out a bloody hand and wrapped it around mine. He gave it a simple shake. And yet it felt like it shook my entire world.
"I'll come with you." He whispered. "Just get me out of here."
I held my breath, then trembled slightly. My whole body was shaking with barely concealed joy and relief. Immediately, before I realized what I was doing, I flung myself against the bars and wrapped my arms around his lean body through the confined space. "Thank you," I whimpered. "Oh, thank you, thank you. I missed you so much, Arius, I really did."
Arius froze, but made no move to shift away. Instead he tentatively patted my back before I pulled off of him. To my surprise he looked almost bashful as he scratched behind his ear. "...Whatever. Enough of this sappy stuff, all right? Let's get this over with." He stretched out a clawed finger and scraped the metal bars experimentally. "For starters, break me out of this gods-forsaken cage. I'm tired of living like a cooped-up animal."
I exhaled softly, stepping back. "Will do. Stand back, Arius."
I held out my hands, palms facing the cell, and spoke a few words under my breath. "Unbind, walls of confinement, and let your prisoner walk free." Instantly the bars glowed with a blue light, before suddenly crumbling to dust with a soft murmur. Arius stood there in awe, staring at the metal dust on the floor, before looking up to stare at me.
"...Nice move." He murmured. I shrugged. "No big deal. Come on. Let's get out of here." I waved my hand for him to follow, and soon we were striding, side by side. I never thought I'd live to see the day when we were at peace with each other again, but I wasn't going to let the dreary atmosphere ruin the moment.
As we hurried along, I noticed that Arius had a slight limp. Immediately I stopped him in his tracks. He gave me a glare. "What are you doing? I thought we were leaving."
"Hold on. I need to heal you first." I got on my knees and softly felt along his leg, and he flinched and hissed when I stroked just below his knee.
"Does it hurt here?" I asked candidly. He grit his teeth and nodded, lashing his tail against the stone floor.
I dipped my head in acknowledgement and turned back to his leg, recalling the same words I had used to heal Strubin a week ago.
"...Grant me the heart to heal," I murmured, "And may your pain be gone, in exchange for my lively light." A sudden glow emanated from my hands, washing over his leg, but to my surprise it crawled up his entire body, engulfing him in light. I could feel myself growing weaker and weaker, only just now realizing that instead of isolating myself to his leg, I was healing every wound on his body.
Finally the light faded, and Arius looked significantly better. Although he was still malnourished and pale, most of the marks in his fur were gone. Only the deepest remained as scars: Pink scores on his neck and back.
Instantly fatigue hit me at full force, and I nearly crumpled over, gasping and clutching my chest. I could barely breathe, much less move. Immediately Arius looked concerned, leaning down to my level. "Are you okay?" He asked. "Can you get up?"
I let myself breathe for a moment before shakily rising to my feet, refraining from using his shoulder as support. "I'm fine," I muttered. "How do you feel?"
He wriggled his leg experimentally. "...Better. Just hungry."
"I'm glad." I glanced around wearily, trying not to betray the fatigue plaguing my limbs. "We'll get you some good food once we get out of here. Listen, Arius. We can't go back up to the palace the way I came in. We'll get caught."
Arius narrowed his eyes. "Then how are we going to escape?"
"There's a sewer channel at the very bottom of the dungeon systems, and at the base of the channel is a way to the outside. The only problem is… there's a minor obstacle."
"Minor?" Arius scoffed, flexing his lean muscles experimentally. "Bring it on. What's the catch?"
Before I could answer, suddenly we heard a low, echoing bellow. It sounded like it was coming from many levels below us. Yet I knew instantly what it was.
Arius raised an eyebrow when he saw my expression, crossing his arms. "...Oh, I see. The monster from below. That's the problem, isn't it?"
I nodded glumly. "Yep. There's a golem that guards the channels, preventing anyone from escaping. But I think that with your night vision and ability to see through walls, on top of my magic, we can trump the cons."
Arius nodded, a small smirk crossing his face. "...I like the way you think." He waved his hand. "Come on. I know the way."
As I followed him with an unsteady limp, I noticed that his eyes had started to visibly glow, casting a pale lavender light on empty cells lining our every side. I realized what he was doing: He was seeing through walls. Of course! That way, he could find the best route without any pitfalls or whatnot.
"Don't bother trying to create any light," He added as I squinted to see. "Just follow my tail. If any other prisoners see us, we're good as dead."
I nodded, glad and still pleasantly surprised at how well he was cooperating. Was he genuinely starting to warm up to me? Or was he just excited at the prospect of leaving the dungeons?
I told you to limit the use of my magic, Dukalis said suddenly, sounding cross.
I stopped briefly before continuing to hobble after my brother, panting. I know. It was an accident. But at least Arius is better now. Right?
And now you're in his place, Dukalis replied dryly. You've bitten off more than you can chew. I'm afraid that with your current state, you can't use my magic until you've recovered.
Why not? I asked.
Because if you attempt to use it, you'll pass out from fatigue- or even worse.
That sent shivers down my spine. Then let's just hope we don't run into that golem anytime soon. If neither of us have offensive magic, we won't be able to fend it off.
"Aven, look what I found."
I snapped back to attention and saw that Arius had bent down by a small glowing object on the ground. At a closer look I saw that it was some kind of shiv knife, the blade a rudely cut jagged slab of green stone. It emanated an eerie unnatural glow, casting a radioactive lime on Arius' eyes.
"It's a knife." I answered.
Arius nodded slowly, reaching down to pick it up and roll it in his palm. The blade was stationed on a dark gold hilt, the handle wrapped in brown tattered leather. His eyes lit up a bright lavender when he touched the blade.
"It's magic," He whispered, mesmerized. Suddenly he flinched and grasped his hand, wincing. "And incredibly sharp. Gods, it hurts. I think it's laced with poison." I stepped forward to get a better look at his hand and breathed a sigh of relief. It was only a slight cut, and I placed my hand on his before murmuring the healing spell. Instantly the wound vanished, and a fresh wave of fatigue hit me.
AVEN! Dukalis scolded. I told you not to use my magic!
"I'm trying the best I can," I muttered, struggling to gasp.
Arius gave me a side-eye. "Who are you talking to?"
"N-nobody," I replied quickly, straightening myself. He gave me a long look, before shaking his head slowly. "Well… quit it," He said. "It's creeping me out."
I nodded and we set off again, this time going a bit slower so I could keep up with him. Inwardly I groaned. Dukalis, what am I supposed to do? If he poisons himself before we come into contact with the golem, we're screwed.
No need to worry. Just stay out of sight and go around the beast. You'll be fine.
As I huffed, Dukalis added, I can't afford to have you pass out from exhaustion before you can ford the sewers. I'm temporarily cutting off your magic supply. Once you enter dangerous territory, I'll grant you access again, but for now, focus on finding the way out.
Then he went dormant before I could protest.
My eyes flicked to Arius' blade again, which he had stuffed into the hem of his pants. A faint green glow emanated from the fabric, and for the first time since breaking him out, doubts began invading my mind.
What if he plans to turn against me once we reach the exit? I thought, slowing my pace. He knows I'm weak. And I know he said he'd trust me, but what if it's all a ruse? He hates me. He's a criminal.
Suddenly we reached a dead end, the stone walls barring us in. Arius cursed under his breath. "Damnation. The dungeons are messing with me." He turned back to find that I had fixed him with a wary gaze. "What's that look for?" He spat. "I'm not a hero, Aven. Don't act like I know everything."
I gulped and took a step back, and his eyes flashed briefly with confusion to be replaced with understanding. Arius glanced down at the blade he was carrying on him and furrowed his brow. Suddenly he withdrew it and pointed it at me. "Are you scared?" He whispered. "You think I'm still a traitor, don't you?"
"I don't," I lied.
"You're lying," He asserted. "I can see the fear in your eyes. Don't play dumb with me. These dungeons have changed me: I'm no longer naive. I've toughened; learned to live with scars and wounds." He took a step closer, and I faintly realized that he was caging me in against the wall. Yet fear immobilized me.
"I can hear your heartbeats, Aven," Arius growled softly. "Hard and pounding. Do you think that I'm going to rip you apart? Just like what your friend did to me?"
"Please, Arius…" I panted, my back against the stone wall. I caught my breath when he placed the flat of his blade against my throat. "You're… better than this."
"But that's not what you think." Strangely enough, his voice was a soft purr, smooth as silk. He was eerily calm as he held the blade against me. "You don't truly think that family sticks together. You don't trust me. You think I'm going to use you to get out of here, then kill you before I make my grand escape. Is that it?"
My head spun as I panted rapidly, my vision swirling around until I saw stars. Was this how I was going to die? Was he finally going to have his revenge?
"Because you're wrong. Dead wrong." He suddenly withdrew his blade and gave me a resolute stare. "I'm going to prove you wrong. I'm going to show you what a predictable fool you are, Aven. I'm no traitor."
He turned and began heading back out of the dead end, shaking his head slowly. "You're so predictable, Aven." He tsked. "So, so sad. Pitiful. That's why you need me. You're lost without your brother, aren't you?"
I followed him, confusion clouding my mind as I protested, "I can manage it on my own, Arius. But I have reasons to be wary of you. These wounds don't… heal easily."
He scoffed derisively as we turned a corner. "Wary? Don't try to fool me. You're terrified."
Inwardly I groaned, knowing now that I had to stay on my toes. He didn't plan to kill me this time, but it wasn't because he had a change of heart. Rather, he wanted to spite me and prove himself right. But I guess it was a step in the right direction?
We were quiet for a while, the only noise being my soft gasps for breath and the steady pattering of feet on cold, hard stone. Occasionally Arius would curse under his breath, but ultimately we found the balcony to the levels of the dungeons. A thick blue haze clouded our vision, the bottom far below us.
I turned to Arius. "The exit is down there," I said softly. "But how do we get down there quickly? The stairs would take far too long."
He shrugged as he flexed his arms, testing his muscles. "Seeing as you're about to fall over, this'll be tricky. We'll have to improvise. No magic, correct?"
I nodded, and he smirked. "Then the hard way it is." Suddenly he flung a leg over the side of the railing and grinned. "Parkour?"
I smiled weakly. "I'll try to keep up."
"Fantastic." He swung himself from the railing and sailed down below, catching the bar of the level below and soon was quickly fading from view.
After a moment of reprieve, I soon followed, jumping from the railing and swinging from bar to bar. I tried to ignore the soreness in my limbs by considering how sore Arius must be. He's battered and bruised. I know I healed him, but he's not 100% back just yet. If he can do this, then so can I.
The air grew colder and colder as we descended at breakneck speeds, gravity aiding us on our journey to below. Finally after what seemed like ages, the ground at the very bottom became visible.
I slowed my pace and angled my swing, flipping in the air before landing on my feet with a grunt. I stood and saw that Arius was already waiting for me at the bottom. There was no light except for the eerie glow of the poison blade and the lavender shining in his eyes.
"Took you long enough," He muttered. "Stick with me. We don't know what else we'll run into."
I had no choice but to trust that Arius knew where we were going. I couldn't see anything down here. Instinctively I reached out to grab his tail, as I couldn't rely on my ears alone. The echo effect was too strong to navigate effectively.
Arius chuckled under his breath. "You really do need me, huh? How cute."
"Shut up." I snapped. "Just lead us out of here."
He moved his head in a way that I could only imagine that he was rolling his eyes. "Eager, aren't we? Come on, then."
We started off at a slower pace, and from the way Arius caught his breath I knew he saw something. "What is it?" I whispered as quietly as I could.
"There's prisoners down here," He muttered. "Stay quiet. I'll try and find a way to avoid them seeing us. Otherwise we're golem food."
I nodded and we continued on, with Arius quickening his pace, following the labyrinthine paths between cells with incredible precision. Aside from his eyes and blade, I couldn't see anything save for the occasional glint of light on cell bars emanating from him. I knew he could see perfectly fine thanks to his birth magic, but I was practically walking blind.
Suddenly he paused, and I had to stop to keep myself from running into him. He held up his hand. "Wait."
He stood and listened for a long moment. "Do you hear that?"
"I can only hear your voice."
He scoffed. "You're useless, Aven. You're the one with huge ears and yet you can't hear what I'm hearing? Do I have to do everything around here?"
My fur flared indignantly. "Hey, I was the one who broke you out."
"And then you became a ragdoll." He snorted. "Listen. I can hear water. Running water." He turned to look at me, his pearly smirk glittering in the violet light. "Do you know what that means?"
"We're close to the sewers." I answered confidently.
"Not only that, but the Golem is likely nearby." He placed a finger to his lips. "Keep it down. I don't see it through the walls, which is a good sign. We should be able to spot it from a mile away should it come back."
We began walking again and turned a few corners, when suddenly I heard chains rattling. Arius heard it too, because he stopped and looked wildly around. "Did you hear that?"
"Mm-hmm."
"Someone's following us." He squinted out into the blackness. "But where? I don't see anything."
Suddenly a small shriek sounded, and a lanky tattered form scrambled in front of us. Arius screamed and drew his blade, pointing it at the bedraggled figure. "Stand back!" He snarled. "I can kill you! Stay away!"
"Run away!" The figure rasped. He stepped out into the light and I could get a better look at him.
He was a tall, lanky aetyr with a dusty unkempt White Mane and battered pale green fur. His eyes were red, staring wildly, and he had no shirt. He wore only an indigo cloth tied around his waist and a silver wristband bound with rusty chains. From the looks of it, he was fifty years of age.
"Run away!" He repeated, waving his hands. "Danger! Woe! Death is upon us!"
"Who are you?" I asked, stepping back. Arius growled low in his throat, holding his blade tightly.
"I am Victin," The bedraggled prisoner answered. "It's dangerous here. Run- while you can!"
"How did you get out of your cell?" Arius asked, narrowing his eyes.
"My brethren and I were broken out who knows how long ago," Victin mumbled. "But the monster… the monster hunted us down. We ran blind and now I've been roaming the dungeons. I dropped my magic blade I was given by our hero in hopes that the monster wouldn't be able to track me with its light. But now.. I've been trapped down here. I can't see a thing! And all I can do is wait for sweet, sweet death to save me from this living nightmare." Suddenly he clutched Arius' shoulders and shook them violently. "Save yourself!" He shrieked. "While you still can!"
"We can help you," I cut in, trying to console the traumatized prisoner. "We know the way out. My brother here can see in the dark. If you come with us, you'll be saved."
Arius glared at me. "Are you mad? He's going to get us killed with that racket!"
"He's traumatized," I replied. "Look at him. He's skin and bones. If we leave him down here, he's going to get caught by the Golem, and if that doesn't happen, he'll starve to death." I turned back to Victin and stretched out my hand. "Come with us," I whispered. "You'll never run blind down here again."
Victin fixed me with a wild stare. "Ah, you're a savior in a world of darkness," He rasped, grabbing my hand tightly. "Thank you, maiden, thank you."
Arius rolled his eyes. "We're going to die, Aven, thanks to you."
"Shut up and get us out of here."
He nodded and turned, and as I grabbed my tail I held the hand of the weary prisoner. His red bloodshot eyes glimmered with gratitude and underlying fear. "You're a true hero, little one."
"Nobody deserves to live down here like this," I replied. "We'll get you out of here, sir. You won't ever see this place again."
"And I'll finally see the sun," Victin added dreamily, licking his lips. "And oh, all the food I can eat! A loaf of bread, a hunk of cheese, and a warm cot to lay my head on. It's going to be so wonderful!"
"Well, if that isn't dreary, then I don't know what is," Arius muttered. I jabbed him in the ribs and he quickly shut up.
"I think that's wonderful, Victin," I assured him. "Keep up the good thoughts. We're going to get out of here. I promise."
He grinned, showing his cracked yellow teeth and the wrinkles on his face. "You're an angel, aren't you? What's your name?"
"I'm Aven. My brother's name is Arius." We continued on for a few more paces before I spoke again. "Victin, why were you down here? You seem like a decent person."
He shook his head sadly. "I've been down here for so long, I can't even remember," He muttered. "All I can recall is that the King was angered by me and my fellow brotherhood, and before we knew it, we were cast into the lowest depths of the dungeons."
My jaw dropped. "Did you say.. The King? Like King Xeviar II?"
He nodded. "What? Has something happened to him?"
"The King has been dead for over seven years," Arius answered brusquely. "Do you mean to tell me that you have no idea how long you've been down here?"
Victin shook his head, his eyes wide. "Oh, Gods," He whispered shakily. "Oh, no. My life… it's gone, oh gone."
My heart started to race. I had to keep him from panicking. "Shh, shh, it's okay," I soothed, placing my hand on his. "You're okay. You're safe with us."
Victin didn't seem to hear me. He just stared at the stone floor, shrouded in darkness. A small whimper escaped his throat.
"Now look what you've done," Arius grumbled. "If he keeps blubbering, we're dead meat. Shut him up, Aven."
"Keep it to yourself!" I snapped at him. I held Victin's hand tighter. "Victin, breathe. In and out. In and out. Breathe. You're doing fine."
To my horror, he let out a long, wailing shriek: Pure agony echoed through the infinite dark halls, like the song of a banshee in the dead of night.
"CUT IT OUT!" Arius screamed, whipping around and pushing Victin's face to the floor. Immediately I pounced on top of Arius and dragged him off of him. "What are you doing?!" I hissed. "He's in pain! Leave him alone!"
"OH, DEATH TAKE ME!" Victin screamed. "OH, SAVE ME FROM THIS NIGHTMARE! DIE! DIE! DIE!"
"Victin!" Arius and I rushed forward and placed our hands over his mouth, trying to muffle his wails. Eventually they died away, and were replaced by his steady panting and whimpering. He sobbed, crumpling to the floor.
Suddenly, before any of us could speak, I heard a low bellow. It was the same one we heard before, but with a key difference. Unlike the one from earlier, which was far away and muffled, this one was clear as day. The echo was deafening. The ground shook under our feet. Stones fell from the walls.
"It's here," Victin whispered. "Oh, it's here."
A harsh eerie red glow lit up the passageway. The ground rumbled. Then a large shadow was cast over us.
"It's here." Victin repeated.
We turned and looked up. Then my heart stopped.
In front of us stood a huge towering monolith twenty feet high, a broad-shouldered monster made of cracked stone and steel, it's spherical head made of dark obsidian. Within it shone a single red eye, a monstrous, angry flame, blazing with intelligence and hatred. Within it's chest was carved the insignia of the Darkdawn family: A rose guarded by seven stars. The rose pulsed with a fiery red light, beating in tune with a living, breathing heart.
Ba-dum. Ba-dum.
"It's here."
Arius drew forth his blade. "Aven, stay with me!" He yelled. "We need to neutralize it!"
I nodded despite the fear rising in my throat and stepped forward, trying to summon Dukalis.
"Aim for the heart!" My brother screamed. He dashed forward, swinging his knife as he leaped high into the air. Then he came down onto the monster, latching onto a crack in it's chest. He swung, trying to stab the Golem, but the monster simply shrugged. Instantly he lost his grip and fell to the floor.
"Arius!" I dashed forward and leaned by his side. "Are you okay?"
He rose to his feet, terror in his eyes. "Time for plan B," He muttered. "Run."
We turned and began to race to the darker end of the passageway, but then I realized we were forgetting something. I turned. "VICTIN!"
A dark figure sat crumpled up on the floor, and before I could race back to him the Golem scooped him up in one of it's giant cone-shaped hands. It closed in it's claws around his neck.
"VICTIN!" I dashed as fast as I could towards the monster.
But I wasn't fast enough.
The monster grabbed the poor prisoner's head and pulled- hard. I won't describe the gruesome scene, but the sad truth was that Victin would never again see the light of day.
He never left the dungeon.
"VICTIN!!!" I screamed, tears streaming from my eyes. I lunged forward but Arius held me back. "There's no point!" He yelled. "We'll end up like him if you go back! RUN!"
I sobbed and followed my brother, leaving the broken prisoner behind.
I couldn't keep my promise. That's what hurt the most.