Chereads / To Bring Down The Skies Above / Chapter 5 - Breaking Back In

Chapter 5 - Breaking Back In

Marcelline 

Looking over the scenery on top of the prison wall, the landscape consisted of snow and dead trees, a pretty empty landscape. A few of her cellmates already jumped off the walls to plummet to the snow covered land.

Looking ahead into the forest she thinks to herself

"That spot should do"

Then in an instant, the scenery in front of her went from the high walls of the Orygar prison to a dead forest, devoid of life. After doing as such she felt a bit tired and her mind was clouded. She chose to teleport into the forest instead of teleporting near her cellmates, she'd rather keep her ability secret from the rest.

She sits down, back behind a tree to rest a bit, letting out a sigh. But this moment of rest was cut short of a shrieking cry, one of them must've hit the ground badly to scream like that, picking herself up she starts running towards the screaming.

As she approaches the source of the scream, she slows down, feeling the snow encasing her feet. 

Leaning against a tree, Marceline's gaze fell upon Ivor, kneeling with desperation etched across his face. Nearby, Alice paced restlessly, tears streaming down her cheeks. Eldes and Sucram stood by, their expressions solemn as they watched Ivor, the tension in the air thick with dread. 

'So it's Lyra then…'

Marcelline observed the scene, her face a mask of neutrality as Ivor's hands pulsed with azure light. Time seemed to stretch endlessly as Lyra's agonising groans filled the night. 

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the pained sounds ceased.

With a deep sigh, Marcelline broke her stillness and began rushing towards the group. The snow crunched beneath her feet as she approached, her mind preparing itself.

"I heard the screaming! Is everything alright?"

She was greeted with Lyra lying in bloodstained snow. Her face pale from blood loss, and her eyes are wide with fear. Alice knelt beside her, holding Lyra's hand and attempting to comfort her. 

Eldes sat in the snow beside Ivor, who had collapsed, tending to him. In the next moment, Eldes' addresses her.

"Without Ivor's strength we would've lost one… Don't worry about Ivor, he's a strong one, he just needs a moment."

She glances at Sucram, judging from his pale complexion and the splatter of vomit without any blood, Marcelline knew he'd be fine. With a sigh she spoke to the group.

"I know some of us more or less have died, but we aren't in the clear just yet. They confiscated our belongings, I have things I want back. I plan to retrieve them before we leave."

Marcelline was quite blunt considering what happened but it wouldn't be long till the guards find them.

Lyra's hoarse voice broke through the tension

"I… I think the nurse may know something. She took… A medallion of mine, finding her should…"

Her words trailed off, simply the effort of speaking was too much for her. It was evident she was in no condition to assist in recovering their belongings.

Sucram quickly interjected, saving her from further strain.

"We'll need to find some sort of disguise to get in, then get to the nurse for information!"

Suddenly, a voice rang out in the distance.

"They couldn't have gotten far! Most of them have to be dead or atleast injured, they shouldn't have been fine after a fall like that! fan out and look for them!

The group turned towards the sound, Macelline silently acknowledging this unexpected opportunity for disguises. Sucram and her readied themselves whilst Alice stood up and moved behind them, readying themselves into a better position.

As they crept through the snow, Alice whispered.

"Damn, I can't barely see anything 'ere. Wish I could have darkvision like you elves. Thinking the same Marcelline?"

As they quietly move through the snow Marcelline shoots a confused look at Alice whilst Sucram grins.

"Huh? Alice, I'm a tiefling."

The short redhead paused for a moment, her mouth ajar displaying her obvious shock

"Don't tieflings usually have a tail and horns? Your skin colour isn't even… funny looking."

Alice gestures at her forehead attempting to mimic what horns looked like, before shrugging with a bewildered look.

"First I thought you were a child, considering your height… But it seems I was right initially."

Marcilline responds with a smirk

"Hey hey! I'm not discriminating against you or anything! Just thought you know? That's what tieflings are known for" 

Before Marcelline can even think of retorting they spot their prey up ahead. Just two of them a few metres away from each other. With a silent agreement they split up to handle the situation.

===

Sucram

Sucram grinned to himself, savouring the thrill of the hunt. 

'Darkness, snow, and a forest too' 

He thought with relish. These guards would be no challenge.

Effortlessly, he slipped from tree to tree, his steps silent over the snow, his form melting into the shadows. He closed in on his first target.

Once close enough, he nimbly scaled a nearby tree perching upon a sturdy branch above the unsuspecting guard. With his short sword ready he jumps behind the guard, landing softly, his presence masked by the crunch of the guard's own footsteps. In a swift motion he swung his short sword, and the guard's head dropped to the ground rolling without a sound.

To his left he spots his friend making their way to him, Alice dragging a lifeless body with a trail of blood going across the snow. As they approach Marcelline glares at Sucram with disapproval. Puzzled, Sucram glances at her.

"What'd I do wrong?"

Marcelline raises an eyebrow, her tone dripping with dry sarcasm.

"Nothing, really. But since we need full armour for the disguise, I'm sure you won't mind handling the delicate task of removing the helmet from the severed head, right?"

She tilts her head gesturing at the fallen guard.

"After all, we'll need it intact.

Sucram groaned but knelt down, grimly removing the head. Meanwhile, Marcelline crouched beside the decapitated corpse, driving her dagger into its exposed stomach.

"We'll pose as guards who barely escaped our attack. That should get us to the nurse station."

===

"I see you've armoured yourselves adequately."

Eldes says as Sucram and Macelline reenter the area where their once wounded friends stayed. A few yards away, two more guards laid dead in the snow. Sucram easily guessed it to be the work of Eldes, he took note of the sheer force Eldes must have to subdue them bare handed even when outnumbered.

"Not bad big guy, i'd expect this much from someone of your size"

 

Alice remarks, a slight hint of admiration in her voice.

"You too I suppose, with someone of your stature I didn't think you'd be strong enough to fight barehanded"

Eldes retorts back with a smirk. Alice's eyes narrowed at the backhanded jab at her height, her expression darling, but before she could respond back Marcilline speaks up

"Enough, Sucram and I will move in with our disguises."

She says adjusting her borrowed armour, it was loose but it would work for now.

"...as for the rest of you, just wait in the forest. With the story we plan to tell, they'll send reinforcements soon enough, ready yourselves."

Lyra gazed at both Marcelline and Sucram.

"I just need my medallion, should be attached to a small chain that is gold and has intricate markings on it, you'll know it once you see it."

Speaking up just before they leave Eldes' voice booms out.

"There will be a heavy battle axe, I'd rather stop using my hands now!"

===

The two of them traced the wall from within the woods, using it as cover from the guards atop the wall. Soon they'd reach an opening in the wall, beside it two guards conversed casually talking while keeping their eyes on trees.

"Sucram, are you ready?"

"I was born ready." 

Sucram smiles trying to seem confident, but ultimately fails resulting in Marcelline furrowing her eyes.

They came out of the woods, Marceline was limping holding her bloodied thigh using Sucram as her support, on the other hand Sucram was grunting in pain holding his abdomen. They rushed towards the guards trying to seem as injured as possible to get sent to the nurse station before anyone could call their act.

"Fuck! They- ugh they attacked us in the woods!"

Marcelline spat at deliberately adding groans into her words, panting with exhaustion as the two guards let themselves act as support to them, bringing the two to the nurse station. 

The guard busted the door open and brang Sucram and Marcelline into the station.

"These two got attacked by some escapees, we'll be moving to get the executioner on route to where they came from!"

After a brief exchange of information the nurses brought the two on beds quickly moving to their wounds.

"This one's been stabbed in the stomach, Sherly, what about yours!"

"Only a wounded thigh, let's get yours patched up before anything else!"

There were only two nurses at the time, a male and female, both working on Sucram. As they removed his armour it became obvious that there was just blood and no wound. Before they could think about doing anything, Sucram in one motion brought himself up grabbing the male's head and driving it into his knee, knocking him out.

The female nurse stepped back and turned to the door but before the female nurse could call for help Marcelline grabbed her mouth blocking it with her palm before delivering a punch to her gut.

"Listen closely, us two are only here to grab our belongings and our friends too. Make it easy for us and you get out with only a few bruises."

She throws her to the wall as Sucram moves to the door to ensure no one walks in during their interrogation.

"Don't try anything okay?"

Macelline glares at the nurse and slowly slides her palm away from her mouth pressing it against her neck instead. She silently glares at her waiting for her to speak, the nurse breathing heavily shallows deeply.

"If you exit from that door, take a left and then the next right…"

The nurse's eyes became teary as she breathed quickly having trouble with composing herself.

"You'll be in a hallway, further the door on the left is where we store confiscated belongings."

As soon as she finishes speaking, Marcelline throws her to the ground and gestures Sucram over. They hold her against the floor as Marcelline begins to strip the nurse. Sucram shoots her an extremely confused look but continues to hold the nurse down.

"Restrain and gag her, throw her into the cabinet there once you're done, and don't look at me."

Making use of the sheets in the room Sucram restraints and gag the nurse, as he works he can hear the shuffling of clothes as Marcelline changes behind him. He keeps his focus on his task and with a quiet sorry he throws the girl into the cabinet.

"Marcelline, aren't they going to notice the change in hair colour, and um."

His gaze travelled down to her clothes, he could easily notice that the nurse outfit didn't exactly fit her form in some places stretching more than most. As he examined her figure she moved to the cabinet, placing her hands again the crying and panicked nurse, as the girl just stopped. She didn't seem to be responsive anymore.

"No one will notice, let's go. I don't want to be here for longer than I must."

Sucram quickly nods and follows Marcelline to where there belongs are suppose to be, if the nurse is to be trusted

Walking through the hallways, they pass by a guard, the guard noticing that something is off confronts her.

"Hey wait! You, your Sherly aren't you, I thought you weren't on shift today, what are you doing here?"

Marcelline seems to shift into a pose that appeals to any male's gaze, Scuram finds himself staring but it works as the guard's attention moves to another aspect completely. The guard's gaze travels along her body as he slightly grins.

"You get a new uniform or something, but hey I am not complaining!"

"Yeah, I just wanted to try something new and to answer your other question, they got me working extra, apparently two nurses aren't enough, stupid reason if you ask me when nothing much happens here anyways."

"Make me wonder what the higher ups are doing, well I gotta get back to work, good talking with ya Sherly."

The guard walks off with a smile, confused on how she got away with her act.she continued to walk towards her destination, she walked past many more guards on her way

"Hey Sherly!"

"Didn't think i'd see you here Sherly!"

The guards greeted her as she walked by, she was confused by their response as they didn't suspect a thing.

"Sherly must be your twin sister or something! who'd think we'd have such an easy time with this."

After a bit of walking they arrived at storage where their belongings lay, but one of the guards station near the storage approaches them

"Hey! What business do you have here?"

"We uhhhh- we just want to look through the items here."

"Ah, you wanna pocket some of the items here right? Yea go right ahead we do it all the time, not like the prisoners are going to get this back anyways, go right ahead."

The guard opens the door to let both of them in, once they're in they see many shelves and boxes containing various belongings, armours, weapons and trinkets littered around the area, Sucram started to go through the various boxes laying on the floor, most of the items in the boxes were pretty worthless but something caught his eye, a medallion with scribings on it, remembering Lrya's words he took it.

"Perfect, now just to find Eldes battle axe"

It didn't take long for him to lay his eyes upon a massive 6ft battle axe. There was no way he could carry something like that out, he was seriously doubting if he could even move it.

"Yeah never mind, looks like he'll have to keep using his hands."

"Got what you need?"

"Yea"

Marcelline holds up a pouch and points towards a bag she picked up, from what he could hear it was probably some coins. Now that he thinks about it, maybe he should pocket some coins while he's here. With a sharp eye he quickly rummages around grabbing what coins he could, pocketing around 4 gold, 16 silver and 38 bronze coins, not bad. 

As they step of out the storage room the guard greets them once again.

"Got anything nice in there?"

Sucram opens both of his hands showing his coins off

"Pretty good stuff if i say so myself, with these coins i'll be able to buy me something nice."

They wake off and Sucram waves to the guard, he can only hope his cell mates are hiding well.