Alright chapter 7! I've had this one done for a while and it was killing me not uploading it but, you know, linear story-telling and all that. This is by far my favorite chapter I've written so far. It got a little shippy and I apologize for those who aren't okay with that, but that's kind of sort of the direction this thing is taking itself. Thanks for all of the support from the people who have been following this! You give me confidence!

DARK TOWER PENITENTIARY

My back cracked as I stretched, trying to shake the sleep from my limbs. It had been a few days since my last visit to the subterranean city, and I had to admit, I was worried about Tomix. When we had found out that the ChaosWeavers had taken Riadne back at the museum, he had become positively frantic. I could only assume that he had been searching non-stop for her since. For some reason, it made me feel queasy.

I thanked Serenity and left the inn, wandering down the streets of Falconreach to the secluded spot where the portal to Ravenloss was hidden. It was a beautiful morning, the sunlight streaming through the trees of FalconsNest Park. It always sucked making the trip underground when the weather was this nice; it was nothing but dust and darkness and ChaosWeavers down there.

If possible, Tomix looked even worse when I found him at the gate. He was covered in dust and he looked as though he hadn't slept for a while. The look in his eyes was slightly manic when he spotted me.

"Karin!" he shouted, "Thank goodness you're back!" It was unsettling, the cracking of his deep voice.

"I'm sorry I've been away. Been taking care of things up top," I apologized. I really did feel incredibly bad about leaving him alone. Perhaps if I had stayed with him, he wouldn't be so damn unhinged. "What's happening? Have you found more clues about the Bolt Key?" Tomix hung his head, drew a gauntleted hand down his tired face.

"I'm afraid that I haven't yet come to a decision about where the key could be," he said, sorrow and fatigue making itself known in his voice, "And we can't afford to delay our search for the rest of the keys any longer." He braced his hands against his makeshift desk, glaring down at all the parchments that covered it, probably hoping that they would just give him the answers. I came and stood beside him, resting my hips against the edge of the desk.

"We'll just have to hope we find the Bolt Key while we're looking for the others," I told him, observing him warily out of the corner of my eye. He looked worse close up. There was a tension in his neck, dark circles beneath his eyes, and the claws of his SpiritLooms dug deep furrows into the wood.

"Exactly," he said, startling me a bit with the sudden steadiness of his words, "I did translate the ruins relating to the Icicle Key though."

"Great!" I exclaimed, feeling some of the apprehension in the air dissipate, "We'll find that and Riadne. Then we'll find the Bolt Key. Then we'll find the others. Then we'll get in the gate!" The plan seemed simple enough to me. There weren't that many more keys to find and I knew that having Riadne back would make Tomix feel better. I was willing to do whatever was necessary.

"Well, the Icicle Key is supposed to be in here…" Tomix said slowly. We stood side by side before the prison; a massive structure of black stone that stretched into the darkness above. The Black Tower Penitentiary, a place famous for its horrible treatment of inmates, now controlled by the armies of the ChaosWeavers. I felt sorry for whatever poor bastard ended up here. Actually…

"You know…" I pondered, "I bet there's a good chance Riadne's in here too." Tomix whipped his head and looked at me intently. "This town belongs to the ChaosWeavers now. I'm sure they're the ones who kidnapped Riadne. What better place to keep a prisoner-"

"Than a prison!" Tomix finished for me, his eyes lighting up, "Karin, you're brilliant!" No lie, I flushed a little at his compliment.

"Well, maybe not brilliant," I said, rubbing my nose in embarrassment, "but I do come up with good ideas from time to time. This one time I-"

"Karin?" Tomix called. I shot him a glare; it's very rude to interrupt someone when they're trying to tell a story. Tomix just raised an eyebrow and gestured towards the prison's reinforced front door. I felt like smacking myself. Nice going hero, I chided myself, that's the second time you've started rambling when there's something pretty damn important you're supposed to be doing.

"Oh, that?" I scoffed with forced bravado, "That'll be easy! I have many ways to get through that door. Why, just let me flex for a few moments and then I'll show you just how-" Tomix interrupted me a second time just as I was making a show of cracking my neck and shoulders by holding me back with an arm already radiating with energy. "No time for that. Stand back!" lightning lanced from his fingertips, striking the door and blowing them open hard enough for the heavy wood to slam against the walls with a loud bang. Tomix smirked at my dropped jaw and gestured me through saying, "After you, my friend."

I started forward but quickly stopped, suddenly realizing what I was doing. With my hands on my hips, I turned and stared the man down. "You just want me to draw the attention of any lurking monsters, don't you?" I asked.

"Yes." Well, had to give him points for honesty.

"I can do that!" I conceded. Besides, it would be fun. I drew my sword and sprinted headlong into the prison screaming "Chaaaaaaarge!" with Tomix close on my heels.

The moment was unfortunately short lived. The door slammed shut with a sense of finality, followed by a loud ominous click.

"That didn't sound good," I said, "Was that…?"

"The door…" Tomix said, attempting to pull the door open again and failing, "It's locked…" Again, he lashed out with violet lightening, and the door seemed to retaliate by making three more loud and incredibly unnecessary clicks. I gave the door an incredulous stare.

"I think you just locked it MORE." I told him and Tomix sighed heavily.

"We'll have to find another way out."

"But first, let's take care of finding the key and Riadne."

"I hope she's not hurt…" Tomix sounded so sad, and it was getting really hard to stand. I WOULD help him get her back! I could only hope that we found her and the key soon; I didn't want to be stuck in this creepy prison for longer than I needed to.

My impressive entrance did a pretty good job of attracting lurking monsters though. As soon as the echoes from the locking door had stopped bouncing off of the stone walls, they descended upon us. ChaosWeaver Guards, enormous spiders and poisonous looking mushrooms poured into the hallways until the entire world seemed to writhe and chitter with insects. It would be an understatement to say that I was deeply disturbed. I'd never been a fan of bugs, mostly because a lot of the bugs I came across tried very hard to kill me. That, and they were just plain creepy.

The guts started to fly even faster than the bugs could keep up. Green fluids painted the walls as Tomix and I cut a gory path through the monsters. Blades both sliver and violet flashed with identical intensity, and it took a while for those brain-dead arachnids to finally realize that things were going very badly for them. They began to retreat in droves until the only ones left behind were either too stupid or too stubborn to care. Tomix and I were quick to relieve them of their legs. At last, the corridor fell silent. We panted for breath, trying to get our bearings. We had left the front door far behind, wandering in our fight into the long hallway lined with rusty jail cells. Some of the bars looked as though they had been forced open, whatever was formally inside strong enough to bend the iron and escape. Others were still occupied, but it was far too dark to make out anything other than glowing eyes or a flash of teeth. The rest of the hall was dimly lit by torches made from what looked like candles shoved into human skulls. The candles bathed the corridor in a sickly green light; I felt nauseas just looking at them.

Tomix walked alongside me in silence, hands deep in his pockets and the most somber look on his hard face. No doubt, he was thinking about two things: What would happen to Riadne if we didn't find her, and what Greed would do if we didn't find the key. Obviously, thinking wasn't making him any happier. What I needed to do was make him stop thinking so hard. And nothing did a better job of that than mindless conversation. "Sooooo," I started, "Where do you think we're going to find this key in this enormous tower?" Tomix looked up and seemed to remember that I was there. He simply shrugged his shoulders.

"The Key has to be here. The runes on the Equilibrium Gate were very specific." I thought about that and folded my arms.

"Not TOO specific, or they would have told us WHERE in the Prison to find the Key," I pointed out.

"Karin…"

"I know, I know," I scoffed, rolling my eyes. Tomix was never going to get used to my amazing skills of deduction. "Stop with the use of stunningly accurate and relevant logical observations because you don't have a witty quip or ready answer." I said in exasperation.

"Thank you," Tomix replied, but I could see that little smile he was trying to hide. I am soooo good.

"Yeah, well, you're welcome."

The following silence was far more comfortable. It's always nice to have a friend you like enough to share those comfortable silences with.

Of course, then I forgot that the universe hates me.

I almost didn't hear the ChaosWeaver Guard that snuck up behind me. Its scythe whistled through the air inches from my ear as I threw myself to the ground. I lashed out with a leg and sent it sprawling before slashing the tip of my sword through its abdomen. Immediately, another took its place, going for my back. I pivoted on my heel and slit its throat before it even got close. Again, as it fell, another was close behind. Soon it became a frantic dance, as more and more ChoasWeavers bore down on me. Past the mob of monsters, I saw Tomix in a very similar predicament. Looking away for that single second cost me dearly.

Being poisoned is the worst. It feels like hot lead crawling through your veins, makes your brain think that up is down and that the world suddenly became a merry-go-round. It's has the obnoxious ability to make your muscles turn to jelly at the most inopportune moments. So, when the Guard's scythe sliced through a chink in my armor, I knew I was in trouble. My first reaction was to stab it through the heart. My second reaction was to rip off my shoulder plate. My third reaction was to freak out when I saw the green ooze mixing with the blood that flowed from my shoulder.

The pain was almost instantaneous. My heart stuttered in my chest and my head felt like I had just smashed it against a boulder. I stumbled into the wall as my muscles shuddered, a wave of heat making me break out in a feverish sweat. The world started to swim and I sagged into the stone, feeling every pulse that made the wound throb. The ChaosWeaver lunging toward me seemed to move in slow motion and I was able to muster just enough strength to bat it aside. Of course, the momentum of the action sent me toppling to the ground and I couldn't conjure up the will to move any longer. I thought I heard Tomix scream for me and I tried to yell back, but all that came out was a pained groan as the poison sent searing heat through my bloodstream. All I could do was curl up into a ball and wait for death.

It never came. I looked up through blurry eyes to find the ChaosWeavers lying motionless in pools of their own blood and Tomix picking his way over them. His gauntlets were dyed with gore. I tried to push myself up on shaking limbs and failed miserably. Sweat dripped from my face as I braced my back to the wall to sit up. Tomix reached me as I slumped against it, breathing hard. Concern plastered his face, even through the sheen of sweat that covered it. "You've been poisoned, haven't you?" he asked, maybe hoping that it wasn't true.

"What… is it… that obvious?" I joked weakly, wincing as pain shot through my chest. He shook his head, probably wondering how I could make a joke at a time like this.

"We need to get you out of here. Can you walk?" I nodded and he slipped a hand around my back, slinging my arm over his shoulder. I tried my best to pull myself to my feet, but I definitely wouldn't have made it if Tomix didn't support me.

"What… about the key? And… Riadne?" He grimaced as I said her name, but kept dragging me along beside him regardless.

"We'll have another chance to look for the key. And… Riadne has proven that she can take care of herself. Right now, what matters is getting you away from this place. We can't have you fighting off ChaosWeavers in this condition." I would have argued, but I knew he was right. I had no way of defending myself, and I couldn't rely on Tomix to protect both himself and me at the same time. So, I just stumbled along beside him and tried to not pass out. Tomix remained alert for any sign of trouble, but for the time being, it seemed the monsters had had enough of us.

I could feel my strength waning with every step, my breath laboring in my chest. I hung my head and watched the cracked stone floor pass by beneath my feet. The only thing I could think about was how tired I was. I sagged more and more into Tomix's shoulder. It's really comfy… the thought drifted lazily through my fever-riddled brain. "Come on Karin, you can't give up yet," Tomix urged me on. I lifted my head as we passed through a doorway into the Prison's mess hall. A dead end. Tomix cursed under his breath and prepared to turn around when both of us were sent sprawling, smashed from the side by a ChaosWeaver guard. My head rang like an empty kettle as it struck the stone, the pain magnified by the poison ravaging my body. I lay in a daze as Tomix leapt to his feet to stand protectively over me.

The stars finally faded from my eyes as Tomix and the ChaosWeaver clashed. Seeing my friend trying to keep the beast away from me gave me a surge of energy, briefly clearing the fog from my brain. C'mon Karin, do something productive instead of just lying there. With my newfound strength, I started to drag myself across the filthy floor, armor scrapping loudly. As I looked about, I spotted a grate half popped out of its place beneath the far table. Pulling myself toward it, I watched out of the corner of my eye as Tomix and the ChaosWeaver went at each other. Tomix was plainly exhausted, but still he fought with equal ferocity.

Hauling myself up onto the bench, I rested my head on the table's warped surface. Catching my breath, I looked up… and saw something light blue glinting in a disgusting bowl of green gloop. I reached out with a shaky hand and grabbed it, slowly pulling it from its sticky prison. Clenched between my trembling fingers was the Icicle Key, half covered in what might have once been soup. I couldn't help the weak smile that split my face. I gathered my breath and shouted "TOMIX!" as loud as I could, raising the key up over my head. I could feel the relief from where I sat. The ChaosWeaver roared until it was cut off by the gurgling of blood in its throat.

"The Icicle Key," Tomix breathed a relieved sigh as he took the key from me, "thank the Avatars."

"Well… would you look at that…" I said, barely able to get my voice above a whisper, "I'm poisoned… and was still able to find the key… and our way out…" I pointed down to the half-open grate and gave him a self-satisfied smile.

"Indeed you did," he said softly, "now let's get you out of here. I'll go down first. I promise I'll catch you." He dragged the grate the rest of the way out and disappeared. I sluggishly tumbled from my seat and crawled over to the narrow opening, moving my legs so I would fall through feet first.

"I'm ready!" I called with a croaky voice and waited for Tomix's confirmation before pushing myself forward into free fall. Damp stone walls rushed passed and I screwed my eyes shut, hoping that Tomix could go on his word. It was a great relief to feel his arms catch me fast a few feet from the ground. "Nice catch…" I murmured, my head still spinning.

When Tomix didn't set me on my feet and instead started off with me cradled in his arms, I looked up at him through blurry eyes. "You… can put me down… you know," I told him, though I would be lying if I said that being carried wasn't nice. He silently shook his head.

"We wouldn't get out of here very fast with you crawling on your belly, now would we?" he replied. I didn't have an answer for that.

We had only gone a few meters when the colors around me started to blur. My brain felt like it was floating out in The Void and everything was beginning to look… funny. I hadn't realized when I started to giggle. I think Tomix said something about me becoming delirious and the look on his face made me laugh harder. "Hehe… Tomix, you're face looks soooo funny. You should smile more often instead of looking so mean," I slurred, draping my arms around his neck. I pulled myself up slightly, even though my limbs felt like jelly. "I like it when you smile," I whispered in his ear, before breaking out in giggles again. "Shhh! It's a secret!" I slumped back against his shoulder, feeling like gravity was trying to pull me down more than usual.

I squinted up at him and saw that his face had turned bright red. "Aw Tomix, you're blushing! That's adorable! It must be because you liiiiike me," I brought my fingers to his face and let them trail down to his jaw line. The red in his cheeks deepened and he refused to meet my eyes. "Well," I told him, "I like you too," I prodded him in the chest to make my point.

An enormous yawn escaped me and I snuggled closer to his neck. "Ah Tomix, I'm tired," I announced, "I'm gonna go to sleep now, okay? And when I wake up, we're gonna go have tea and cookies with Lady Celestia…" Darkness began to encroach and it wasn't long before it swallowed me whole.

The first thing I noted when I woke up was the pounding headache behind my temples. I groaned and brought the heels of my hands to my eyes. "Ow… What happened last night?" I whined aloud, "Did Cicero drink me under the table again?"

"Not quite," came a reply, and I looked to the side to see Tomix sitting on a crate nearby, "One of the guards inside the prison managed to poison you. It was a poison used mostly in torture, so it wouldn't have killed you. I'm glad to see you've gotten over it though. How do you feel?"

I slumped back with a loud sigh as I rubbed my temples. "Like I got run over by a herd of Gorillaphants," I said. Hey, I'm a hero; I deserve the right to complain every now and then. "How long was I out?"

"About eight hours I would say. You developed a fever in the tunnels and were pretty delirious…" he trailed off. For some reason his face flushed a light red.

I raised an eyebrow as he slowly lowered his eyes. Probably best not to pry, I thought, and took the opportunity to examine my wounds. My memory of what happened after the poison hit my bloodstream was pretty hazy, but it would be pretty hard to forget the sensation of the ChaosWeaver slicing through my right shoulder. Tomix had managed to remove the top half of my armor and had bandaged the wound as best he could. The white was already tinged with red and moving my arm only slightly sent a dull pain through my flesh, but at least the poison had worked its way through my system and I hadn't bled out while I was unconscious. Feeling confident that a good night's sleep and a couple of Reens' potions would fix me up, I turned back to Tomix in hopes of filling in some of the gaps in my memory.

"Hey, so we got the key, right?"

"Yes, we got the key."

"But no Riadne yet?"

He paused for a long time, but he never once broke my gaze to look down sullenly at his hands like I was expecting him to. At last, he sighed. "No. No Riadne yet."

I pulled myself up until I was sitting on the crates I had been laid on out, grimacing as the pain in my shoulder reasserted itself. The world slid and then righted again and when I blinked the blackness from my eyes I saw Tomix get up. I waved him down with a hand, "I'm fine, I've had worse," I told him and he reluctantly sat back down. "Let's agree that neither of us should get poisoned again, alright?"

"That sounds like an excellent suggestion," he replied, but the smile didn't last for as long as I would have liked. For some reason, I felt guilty, like I should try harder to make him happy. But I knew only one thing would help.

"We'll get her back Tomix, I promise," I said softly. Those deep yellow eyes met mine and I felt something inside of me break. Tomix was sad. Tomix should never be sad. And I wanted to make it so that he would never be sad again.

I looked down and cleared my throat awkwardly, not understanding why it had so suddenly clogged up. "Um, thanks for, ya know, hauling my sorry ass back here. I guess that makes us even."

"Well, you should be thanking me. You weigh a ton." My eyes snapped up to see Tomix still looking at me, but his eyes weren't as sad as they had been.

"It's not me, its the armor!" I retorted with a whine.

"Sure it is," he said. He seemed to be trying rather hard to be more witty, maybe for my sake. I pulled an exaggerated pouty face and chucked one of my stray pieces of armor at him. He ducked smoothly beneath it. When he straightened again, he was smiling. Just a small smile, but a smile all the same.

"Don't be a jerk or I may have to just leave you here and then you would be sad because you would miss me," I scolded him.

"Yes, I probably would," he replied, "You're honestly my best chance at getting through that gate," said gate stood ominously tall and still locked at the far end of the square. "I wouldn't have gotten this far without you."

"Eh, you might have, but it would have been far less entertaining."

"This is true. Of course, my life would also have a significantly lesser amount of bad puns as well."

"Ah. but puns are good for you Tomix," I pointed out, finger in the air, "If I don't make you smile every once in a while, your face will get stuck in that scowl you wear all the time."

I heard him let a huff out of his nose, but he didn't respond. A comfortable, if somewhat heavy, silence fell over us. I found that I couldn't stop looking at him as he stared down at his hands. He tried so hard to fight through the sense of loss he was feeling, but I could still see it in the way he seemed to fold in on himself. He glanced up after a while to see me looking at him.

"What?" he asked.

I shook my head and smiled. "You really should smile more Tomix."

For some reason his face turned bright red and he rubbed at the back of his neck to try and cover it up. "Um, yeah, I will try and work on that."

"Well alright then," I said as I got to my feet, "I'm gonna get going, maybe get this looked at," I shrug my right shoulder and wince as it sends a bolt of pain through my arm. "Ow, yeah, I think I'm definitely gonna get this looked at. I'll be back soon though." I put a hand on his shoulder as I walked past and, for a fraction of a second, I feel his hand touch mine. I kept walking but my mind had gone blank.

From behind me I heard Tomix say: "I will see you later then, Karin."

I felt an involuntary smile pull at my lips as I step back through the portal and into the afternoon Falconreach sunlight.