Rigged from the Start
Chapter 17
Jeopardy
For the first time, in the few times that I have been knocked out in my life (which has significantly upticked since I was hit by the bus), I woke up not lying down. Instead, I was chained up. My arms were bound by heavy chains that descended down from a stone ceiling like a dangling vine. My feet were in the same state, strapped down by chains tightly to the ground. To my complete discomfort, my feet were, in fact, not on the ground. I was dangling midair.
That's when the dislocation in my shoulders registered.
"Ffffffff-" I hissed, squeezing my eyes shut and hanging my head. My voice came out in a hoarse wheeze. Dangling like this made it fucking hard to breathe. I tried to suck in a deep breath, only for my lungs to ache in protest, "God dammit."
"You… fucking… idiot."
Whatever pain I felt, whatever anxiety I had about being chained up in a dark room where I could not see the exit, left me. Replaced by fear of an entity that I was already very familiar with.
With great effort, I turned my head, which in turn, started an uncomfortable cycle of me spinning around in a circle, like a slow, mid-air top. As I turned, I caught sight of Anna, glaring at me.
"Oh… uh…" I gave her a sheepish look, "Look, this was supposed to go a lot better than this."
Anna scowled at me. She was in a similar position as me. Hands hanging over her head, cinched up at the wrists by chains. Her body also suspended mid air, sitting upright like a post. Her clothes were torn in several places, showing bloody patches of skin due to harsh gashes from god only knows what. Probably a blade, or something along those lines. It made me feel sick just thinking about it. Heavy bags sat under her red, puffy eyes. She'd been crying.
… Anna never cries.
My stomach dropped as I looked at her, then lost sight of her as I rotated around. Towards the end of my little spin, I spotted Lucina dangling on the other side of me. Before I could get a good look at her unconscious form, I stopped, the tension in my arms threatening to snap, then I started to rotate back around the other way. Pain lanced through my body due to my dislocated shoulders, but at this point, I had to try and ignore it. Somehow… someway...
It hurts! It hurts a lot!
"You're so fucking…" Anna's voice choked. I caught sight of her glance up at the ceiling, where a metal grate sat above us, allowing some sort of light to filter into our prison. She uttered a shaky breath, and her voice leveled out, "I gave you a job, Sam, and you-"
"Yeah well, you always say I'm not good at listening." I replied with a sharp wince. I started spinning back the other way.
"You're not supposed to be like Gaius, damn it!" Anna snapped, eyes wide with fury and fear. Her strong mask wavered again, and a ragged huff slipped from her lips, "Damn you…" She hung her head, breaths shuddering out of her body with an unhealthy rattle, "At least tell me the kids listened?"
I started spinning, rotating around so that I could look at her for a few seconds, again. I did not reply, mostly due to fear grabbing me by the throat and choking me. Either that, or I was starting to asphyxiate. Maybe a panic attack from both?
We'll go with a panic attack.
Anna's eyes widened as I stayed quiet, "Sam- for the love of Naga- tell me Sev, Owain, Morgan, and Cynthia are-"
A heavy lock clanked. My eyes whipped over to an iron door in the wall in front of me, which slowly became the wall behind me as I spun back around. I tried to wriggle myself to rotate back faster, but that only made the immense pain in my shoulders worse. The door opened as I slowly turned back, and the two dark mages from before stepped inside.
Anna's wide eyes whipped from me to the dark mages, "Th-Tharja?"
Tharja was the second mage to enter the room. Her dark eyes were hidden behind her midnight colored bangs as she kept her chin tucked. She clenched a heavy spellbook tight to her chest, wedged between her robes and her arms. The only hint of color in her outfit was the gold trim along the fringes of the robes, and the gold headpiece in her hair. She did not look much different than how I saw her in game. The biggest difference was her suddenly more modest choice of robes. In game, her outfit was… let's go with excessively airy. She wasn't wearing Gandalf style robes now, but a lot more of her body was covered. The only other difference I could make out in the darkness were the dark circles around her eyes, whenever she did manage to glance up at me, Anna, and Lucina.
The first mage, the woman with much less modest robes, graying skin, and an overall evil aura, snickered darkly as Anna gaped at Tharja.
"Oh you know these ones, Little Tharja?"
Tharja scowled behind her spellbook, "Quit calling me that, Aversa."
My heart lodged in my throat, and I struggled to draw in enough air. Aversa was another name I recognized, although she looked wildly different than her in game portrait. If there was such a thing as magical corruption, then she had it. Her skin was gray, like stone, and I swore I saw some cracks in her complexion. Her eyes burned bright yellow, an unnatural glow that made my stomach churn with anxiety as they landed on me for a brief moment. She did not carry a spellbook, but I could feel the hairs on my arms standing on end due to the power that radiated from her.
This is bad. Very, very bad. I started rotating around again, Shit, fuck, ouch!
"Tharja how… how could you?" Anna's voice descended to a dangerous growl, "We thought you were dead. How could you betray us?"
"Quite easily, as it turns out." Aversa answered for the quieter mage, "But you are not allowed to ask questions here, Anna." Aversa stepped around the room, heels clacking against the stone in a way that made me squeeze my eyes shut. I just knew she was walking around the room so that she could observe me as I finished my little spin, "Instead, we're here to… interrogate you three."
"Torture." Anna snarled back.
Aversa shrugged, "If that's what it takes for us to get the answers we desire, then so be it."
My eyes shot open as fear gripped me harder than before. Torture? I did not sign up for torture. No, no! I'd like to wake up from this nightmare now.
I'm going to hear a heart monitor, I thought, trying to will myself into waking up in a hospital bed only to be told I had been in a bus accident. That seemed far more preferable than torture. I'll take the months of physical therapy from that over what I saw in front of me, There's gonna be my family sitting there, all worried and stuff. There's gonna be a nurse checking on me. It'll be like a Scrubs episode, only not as funny.
Aversa snickered as she glared at me, "This one is terrified." She flicked her hand.
I yelped as I suddenly dropped. As if a chair had been kicked out from beneath my feet. The chains around my ankles coiled beneath me as I fell. My eyes widened as I expected to fall hard onto a pile of iron and stone, but instead, I stopped. My eyes widened, and I screamed as my shoulders threatened to tear from their sockets.
"Leave him alone!" Anna growled.
Aversa's eyes gleamed as mine watered. Any further screams died in my throat as the pain turned to a sharp throbbing. My mind already felt hazy, but I could not fall asleep. I was too afraid.
Aversa stalked towards me, reached out, and gripped me by my chin. Her shape fingernails dug into my cheeks. Small beads of hot blood hit my cold skin as she tightened her grip.
"Hmm…." She turned my head from side to side, "You're the right amount of terrified. Is he new?" She asked Anna.
"Go to hell!" Anna snapped as she struggled against her chains.
Aversa shrugged, "We're already living in your version of it." She whipped her gaze to Tharja, "Recognize this one?"
Tharja shook her head as she eyed me. I stared right back, through my bleary vision, into her dark irises. For a split second, I thought I saw a flash of sympathy there. A slight acknowledgement of the pain and fear I felt, and the pity that most people felt towards others in such a situation. It evaporated quickly when Aversa spoke again.
"What use is he to us then?" I heard the sound of a knife drawn from a scabbard, "I'll cut his throat and be done with him."
A whimper slipped from my lips as her heels clacked towards me.
"He has uses." Tharja murmured, staying Aversa's hand as she pressed the blade to my neck.
Aversa gave Tharja a puzzled look, "How so? Do you plan on feeding him to the dogs?"
Now, you'd think I'd be too terrified to say anything. But let me tell you something: fear is a hell of a drug. It can make you say things, in certain situations, that you know you really shouldn't say. In this case, it allowed the Gaius influence to flow freely from my lips like some snarky guy filled with confidence that I definitely knew I was not.
"You all have dogs?" I said, a pained laugh following my wince, "Poodles? No, no…" I took a deep breath as Aversa's eyes narrowed at me dangerously, "Too fluffy for you. You're more of a Shar Pei kinda lady. Dogs take after their owners, and my god you're one ugly woman."
One hand gripped me by the back of my head, pulling at my brown hair. I winced as she titled my head back, exposing my throat to the dangerously sharp blade in her other hand.
"Sam, knock it-"
"Silence, Merchant!" Aversa threatened, "If I did not need it, I would gladly cut out that barbed tongue of yours." She glared at Tharja next, "He better be damn useful. And not just for an experiment."
"He is." Tharja muttered, her voice barely louder than a whisper, "Think about it. Trying to make Anna talk through torture alone will not work."
Anna's entire body tensed, "Tharja you-"
"Torture him, while asking her your questions." Tharja suggested.
Anna roared, "When I get out of this, I'm going to find you and slit your throat, Witch!"
Tharja gave Aversa a strangely out of place, dark smirk, "See?"
A dangerous sparkle danced in the glowing eyes. Like embers dancing on top of coals. Aversa licked her lips and withdrew the knife from my throat.
"I see…" She grinned from ear to ear. A cackle erupted from her, "Tharja, Tharja, as deliciously devilish as ever. Excellent."
Neither mage moved. I swallowed hard. I already knew where this was going. They were gonna torture me to get to Anna. Terrible plan, in my opinion. Mostly because it involved a tremendous amount of pain on my part. I'll take their plan 'B', thank you very much.
"Well, Tharja," Aversa waved her hand, "After you."
Tharja was caught off guard. She was dead silent. All I could hear was the sound of my breathing, Anna's furious growls as she struggled against her chains, and a faint murmur that came from Lucina's unconscious form.
"Can you repeat that, Aversa?" Tharja finally answered.
Aversa smirked evilly, "You have yet to do battle against the Naga-spawn. For some reason, our Master has acquiesced to your wishes to remain behind the front lines. Me? I'm not so lenient. If you will not slay the Shepherds in the field, you will do so here." She cackled again, "And this way can be much… much… more fun."
She stepped back around me so that she stood beside Tharja again. As she moved, she waved her hand, and I spun violently back around to face them.
Magic chains… go figure.
"I'll ask the questions if you want." Aversa suggested.
"No." Tharja sighed. Her fingers cracked open her spellbook, and, once again, I struggled to breath, "If I'm going to torture them, I will ask the questions."
Aversa's eyes gleamed with delight as her companion stepped forward, "Very good."
Tharja stopped a few steps in front of me. I tried to peer into her spellbook as she leafed through the pages. She came to a stop on a page littered with diagrams of the human body. Almost like something Da Vinci would have drawn. She ran a finger down the page and paused next to an inscription I could not read. The handwriting was too small.
She muttered a phrase, and a stream of violet smoke billowed out the book. It shot towards me, slamming into my face, rushing into my nose and mouth. It choked any air from my body for a few, terrifying moments. When I was finally able to inhale again, something felt different. I glanced up, and saw purple lines running through the skin on my hands. I may not be able to see the rest of my body, but I had a feeling the rest of me looked the same way.
"Sam…" I glanced over at Anna. She shook her head, "Stay strong, you hear me? Stay-"
I felt an itch on my nose. It was a small nuisance, but uncomfortable nonetheless. I scrunched up my nose, hoping that by wrinkling the skin the itch would go away. But it remained, and only grew worse.
"This is a hex that inflicts pain." Tharja explained, "It will gradually increase over time. A slow, steady climb to unbearable agony." She turned to face Anna, "Fail to answer a question in a way I'm satisfied with, and I will make that slow climb much swifter."
"I'm going to kill you when we're done here." Anna threatened.
My nose started to burn, "A-Anna." I stammered, "Sh-she's not kidding."
"I know she isn't!" Anna snapped back.
Tharja raised a hand, silencing both of us. My eyes were glued to that hand. Focused on the slender, pale fingers that trembled ever so slightly in the shadowy cell I hung in. She took a deep breath, her dark eyes glancing over at Anna again.
"First question." She glanced at me, "This one is for both of you."
Uh oh.
"What is the condition of the Naga-spawn army?"
Shit.
"Um…"
"Sam-" Anna warned.
"Hey!" I snapped back, jerking my head towards her, "You aren't the one with the pain hex."
"If you break, then I'll break you." Anna threatened, teeth grit as she returned her attention to our captors.
"That-" I blinked, "That makes about- um… how can you break me twice?"
"I'll find a way."
Aversa rolled her eyes, "These two are close. Makes me a touch ill to witness."
"We are not that close." Anna shot back.
I winced as the itch on my nose started to feel like a bad sunburn, "Ouch." I said, mostly due to the pain.
"Sam, now's not the time to act offended." Anna sighed, hanging her head.
"I was not- I-" I let my head fall back, "Jesus take the wheel."
Suddenly the pain in my nose lanced to my jaw, then to my ears. An unbearable itch burned in my ear canal. The absolute worst place to get an itch, because no matter how hard I tried, even with my hands free, I can never scratch that. All I could do was suffer through the itch until it either faded away, or I began swiping at it like a dog with fleas. Except now, my hands were tied up over my head, and I couldn't reach my arm with my head.
"Anna…"
"If you can't handle an itch-"
"It's in my ear!"
Anna was quiet a moment, "Okay yeah, I'll give you that one."
"Both of you be silent!" Aversa snapped, folding her arms and glaring at us with a burning hatred. I swallowed hard as my mouth snapped shut, "Now answer the question."
I furrowed my brow, glanced over at Anna, "Uh… but you just said-"
Tharja twisted her hand. The itch in my ear shot throughout my entire face. Everything felt hot. The only thing I could compare this sensation to was a sunburn. Not a little, pink burn that you get when you forget to put on sunblock while at the pool for a couple hours. I'm talking nuclear red, out in the sun all day without any protection, type of sunburn. The kind that peels almost instantly, and that itches like crazy.
It was enough to make me squeeze my eyes shut.
"Sam-"
"It's getting worse." I muttered, cracking my eyes open enough to glance at Anna.
"Don't focus on it."
A loud, mocking laugh erupted from my lungs, "What the hell am I supposed to focus on then?" Anna frowned back at me as I shook my head. Small, pained laughs continued to bubble from my lungs, "Let's see, there's a stone wall there. Another stone wall over there. Lucina might be waking up and… no wait, false alarm. Oh yeah, and-"
"You're panicking."
"I'm doing what I do best!" I hissed.
Aversa scowled as she glared up at me and Anna. Her scowl turned to Tharja, "Remove the hex." Tharja arched an eyebrow, "Put it on the merchant."
Tharja seemed puzzled, "But we-"
"Just do it." Aversa hissed.
Tharja frowned at Aversa. Part of me wondered if she would resist Aversa's command. After a silent moment, Tharja lowered her hand. The pain I felt throughout my head evaporate, and my thoughts were finally clear. I long breath left my lips and I sagged forward.
Everything was back to normal… mostly. There was still the whole chained to the ceiling and floor problem. And the being held prisoner problem… and the dark mages… yeah, this was still not normal. This was still very bad, and for the life of me, I could not figure out a way out of this. Granted, I do not have much experience in life or death situations like this; but still, you'd think my brain would come up with something.
Nothing though. Not a damn thing.
Might as well have a hamster on a wheel up there.
"Sam!"
I snapped back to the present moment. Tharja stood in front of Anna now. Anna's chains glowed a dark violet color as she descended to Tharja's eye level. For a small moment, they locked eyes. I could see Tharja's fingers trembling as she gripped her spellbook. An ever so slight tremor that, if I had not noticed it earlier, would've been completely inconspicuous. Anna glared angrily back at her old comrade.
"Whatever happens to me." Anna continued, voice even as she gave Tharja an unblinking stare, "Don't give them anything."
I gulped as the magical chains hoisted Anna back up to her original position again. I could hear her joints creak as the chains shuddered to a stop. Unlike me, the pain did not seem to faze Anna. Her face remained like stone, cold and unwavering.
The purple mist billowed out of Tharja's spellbook. It slowly floated up in a steady stream to Anna's face, before violently entering her body. I could hear Anna choke as she struggled to breath. Once the smoke disappeared, she gasped, lungs heaving hard as she inhaled a deep breath. Before she could do anything else, her eyes widened slightly. Sweat beaded on her brow. Her face lost some color as her hands clenched into fists, then relaxed, then clenched again.
I swallowed hard, "Anna?"
Her jaw clenched, "Not now." She hissed through her teeth.
Aversa's dark snickers echoed through the circular chamber, "Oh!" She smiled evilly, "You upped the severity right away?"
Tharja shrugged, "Anna's tolerance for pain is significant."
"Comes from being on the road on my own." Anna laughed, jaw still clenched tight, "Gotta learn to…" She closed her eyes and exhaled through her nose, "...work through the pain."
Tharja ignored Anna's flippant reply. The Dark mage glanced at her colleague, "What now?"
Aversa smiled, drew a knife, and in one savage motion, jam the blade up through Anna's foot. Anna's eyes widened. She squeezed her eyes shut and her hands tightened into fists so tight that her knuckles turned white. I could hear her scream quietly to herself as she fought to keep her mouth closed.
"We have fun." Aversa grinned. Her attention turned to me, "You there, what is your name?"
Anna inhaled sharply as Aversa twisted the knife.
Give nothing. Give nothing.
"Call me… Lucky." I replied, with a slight grin.
A quiet laugh slipped from Anna's clenched jaw, "Very lucky."
Aversa's eyes gleamed, "Lucky?" She drew the knife from Anna's foot. Blood spurted down from the wound. Scarlet drops dripped down onto the stones below us with wet plops. I gulped as Aversa sauntered towards me, bloody dagger wagging like a disapproving finger from a disappointed parent.
"You like to be funny, do you?" She asked me, yellow eyes burning holes through me.
I refused to make eye contact. If I did, I was afraid I'd have a massive panic attack and likely spill my guts. Anna told me not to give them anything. Lives depended on me remaining strong. Our lives depended on me not saying a word of substance. The longer I talked, the more time Gaius and Severa had to find us.
If they aren't dead already, that is. I gulped, I panic, then I talk. Gotta direct the talk into nonsense then.
"Funny? Funny how?" I replied with a wry smirk, "Do I amuse you?"
Aversa furrowed her brow at me, "I fail to-"
"Am I simply amusing to you? Do I make you laugh?"
Anna opened her eyes enough to look at me like I was batshit insane. To be fair, at this moment, I very much felt insane.
Also, to be fair, I managed to elicit the faintest chuckle from Tharja as she lingered behind Aversa. It's amazing how that little accomplishment managed to give me such a massive boost of confidence. I suddenly felt a little taller in the room, figuratively speaking.
That confidence died when Aversa spun around and slashed through Anna's left calf. Anna yelped as the blade bit through her pant leg and left a jagged, bloody gash in its wake. My face blanched as I caught sight of the muscle through the wound, ripped open like a piece of meat at a butcher's shop. Bile crept up my throat as my eyes remained glued to the wound.
"That…" Avera pointed her dagger at my face, "That look. To answer your question: that is what amuses me."
I swallowed hard. Anna inhaled sharply, exhaled slowly. Just as she finished exhaling, her breath hitched, and she tensed in her chains.
"Naga…" She breathed, her face draining of color as pain I could not even imagine shot through her body.
"Don't focus on it, Anna." I said, trying my best to reassure her.
A dry laugh slipped from her lips. She hung her head, "Naga damn it. That is really bad advice. I get it now."
I blinked, "Oh… right. Forgot about that. Uh… what should I say?"
"Nothing," Anna squeezed her eyes shut again as a sharp breath shot through her clenched teeth, "at the moment."
"Should I distract you or-"
"Panicking."
"What else am I supposed to do!?" I cried out, frustrated and terrified.
She did not reply. Her back suddenly arched, and she threw her head back. Her eyes went wide and her mouth opened. A quiet, croaking noise came from her gaping mouth, and it made my heart jump to my throat.
"A-Anna?"
Aversa's knife sank into Anna's right thigh. Like a rubber band losing all tension, Anna's entire body sagged. Ragged gasps rushed out of her lungs. Sweat dripped down from her nose, joining with the blood that formed a small red puddle on the floor.
"You have failed to answer two questions." Tharja told me, voice filled with warning. I turned my gaze to her. She remained fixed behind Aversa. Moving so that her colleague could not see her. Her hands were trembling as she clutched her spellbook to her chest, "Do you know nothing?"
I pursed my lips, "D-depends on what you define as nothing." I took a deep breath as Anna exhaled loudly, "Do you mean I'm an idiot? According to Anna, the answer is a resounding yes."
"You are." Anna agreed, voice weak.
"Or, do you mean that I literally know nothing. Which would be virtually impossible unless I was somehow a completely brain dead vegetable."
"It's possible." Anna muttered with a weak laugh.
"Finally, do you mean that I know nothing in regards to the particular questions being asked. In which case, how would you like your answers? Straight forward…" I chuckled uncontrollably as the panic consumed me, "or in Jeopardy format?"
"Where is the Fire Emblem!?" Aversa suddenly roared, yanking her dagger from Anna's thigh.
Anna screamed for the first time. It was a blood curdling sound that made my hair stand on end.
"Mr. Trebek!" I cried, my breathing coming in short, rapid bursts, "What is: that weird, shield thingy!"
"So you've seen the Fire Emblem?" Tharja asked.
I looked down at her, "Only through a screen."
First honest answer all day. I chuckled like a mad man, That's funny.
Tharja uttered a heavy sigh. She glanced at Aversa, "We're getting nothing this way. Maybe we-"
"You… will never… have it."
My head whipped away from Anna, and the mages. Lucina's eyes were cracked open. I could barely see her blue eyes from where I hung. Her voice was weaker than before, and she hardly had the strength to hold her head up.
"We will never… let you take it."
Aversa's eyes gleamed with delight, "The Princess is awake." She grinned, "Believe me, dear." Aversa flicked her hand. The chains extended, swinging Lucina close to her. Aversa's hand whipped out and snatched Lucina by her jaw. Her long fingernails sank into Lucina's hollow cheeks, drawing thin trails of blood, "We are closer to getting it than you think."
Lucina opened her eyes enough in order to glare back at Aversa. The Witch's satisfied smirk turned into a dark scowl as Lucina's eyes burned with defiance. Before she could let her wrath fall upon the weakened Princess, Tharja cleared her throat.
"What about the gemstones?" Tharja interjected.
Anna's ragged breathing hitched, "The-the what?"
Aversa rolled her eyes. She shoved Lucina's away. The chains coiled up loudly as they yanked Lucina's mostly limp form back upright.
"Don't play coy, Anna." She spun a finger, and Anna's chains flipped over, turning Anna upside down. I grimaced as I watched hot trails of blood creep down her legs towards her torso, "You're an observant one. You'd have to have seen something." Aversa pressed the tip of her dagger to Anna's belly, "One little admission, and I will spare you some pain."
"Oh the gemstones!" I cried, drawing Aversa's attention away from Anna. The Witch's eyes flicked over to me, and I immediately regretted my decision. However, I started down this road of thought, and I could not stop now. Even Anna had limits to the amount of pain she could handle, "I know about those!"
Aversa furrowed her brow, the first hints of doubt crossing her features, "You do?"
I nodded emphatically, "Yup, I do." I cast a quick glance up at the grate over my head. For a split second, I saw a pair of heads staring down before quickly retreating away from the opening.
Was that-
My chains dropped, and I yelped as I felt my body go into freefall. After a second of falling, I jerked to a harsh stop. I bit back a scream as I felt my arms threaten to tear completely free from my body. The chains bit into my wrists as I struggled to keep limbs attached to my body. Tears bubbled in my eyes. Through those tears, I saw Aversa's glowing eyes glaring at me.
"What could you know about the gemstones?"
If I were to be honest, not much. I knew they were important in the Awakening game's main storyline. However, it had been so long since I played the game, that I could not accurately recall why. I just knew that the Shepherds needed them to defeat Grima.
I also recalled seeing a large amount of notes on the topic inside of Miriel's workshop. She had a whole shelf of tomes dedicated to the Fire Emblem and the gemstones the artifact held. I caught a brief glance of her detailed notes when I first met her. She hid them rather quickly when she saw me looking at them. Something was going on in regards to those stones, but I did not know what.
Anna whimpered, and my mind was ripped from my thoughts.
"Are you not going to talk now?" Aversa asked, scowling at me, "You were so eager to speak before. Then again, you also spoke a lot, but said little. Perhaps that is all you're good for."
"Ouch." I replied with a grimace, "I felt that one."
She pressed her bloody knife to my ear. Which was a new spot for the threats. The throat was getting a bit too common. But the ear? That was unsettling.
She's going full Tarantino! I thought, my eyes widening at that horrible realization.
"The gemstones." She snarled, pressed the knife against the soft tissue of my ear just enough to nick the skin, "Talk."
I took a deep breath. One more time, I looked up, pretending to try and find strength through the faint light that filtered down through the grate. Only the grate wasn't there anymore. My view of the sky was unimpeded.
The panic I felt faded, and I gave Aversa a wry, mad smirk. This was either about to go great, or poorly. Either way, I was not going to break.
"Well…" I cleared my throat, "My gemstone is a Sapphire." Aversa furrowed her brow as the most perplexed expression I've ever seen crossed her face, "Oh you look very baffled. I'm talking about birthstones, keep up. Hm… judging by your demeanor, general pissy attitude, and lack of care for others; I'm gonna say your gemstone is a lump of coal."
"That's not a gemstone." Tharja remarked.
I laughed. As Aversa glowered at me, her confusion turning to rage, I caught the faint flickering of torchlight high up on the wall in front of me. A broad smile crossed my lips.
"Precisely." I nodded, "It's worthless, unexciting, and only desirable when it's lit on fire."
A single torch whipped down at Aversa, smacking her in the chest. The flames immediately ignited her robes. With a shriek, she backed away from me and bumped against the wall.
Tharja snapped her gaze up and managed to avoid a second torch launched at her. As she scamped back, Gaius jumped down into the cell, shortsword drawn. He hit the ground feet first, ducked into a rolle, then pounced on Tharja. His momentum slammed the thinner mage into the wall, knocking the spellbook from her grasp. She froze as his blade kissed her neck.
Gaius did not look surprised to see her. Instead, he looked enraged.
"I should have known." He growled at Tharja.
A second body jumped down into the cell from where the grate used to be. Two red twintails rushed by me in a scarlet blur. Severa landed on the ground hard, and failed to act as graceful as Gaius. She stumbled, caught herself with her free hand, then brandished her blade at a burning Aversa.
Aversa managed to use a hex to quell some of the flames, but embers continued to lick at her skin. She glared furiously at Severa. Before the Witch could mutter an incantation, Severa charged. Aversa ducked out of the way, making Severa's blade skip across the stone wall. Sparks spat from the stone and steel, but the sudden miss did not faze Severa. The redhead whipped her free hand out as Aversa tried to dash away. My eyes widened as Severa's arm caught Aversa's head, clotheslining the tall mage and sending her flat on her back.
A sharp crack filled the cell when Aversa fell. Her head snapped back hard, and her eyes shut. Dark blood pooled beneath her head, staining her snow white hair. Did I care? Not one bit. I was too busy thanking every god in existence for Gaius and Severa's timely arrival. My entire body sagged as Severa spun around to look at me, Anna, then Lucina. Before I could say a word, she sprinted towards Lucina and hacked her blade at the chains binding her. Sparks spat from her sword, but the chains did not budge.
"Gaius!" She barked.
He must've noticed the magical nature of the chains as well, because his face screwed into a terrifying snarl. He pressed the edge of his blade against Tharja's throat. The Dark Mage's eyes widened as her back was pressed to the cold, stone wall behind her.
"Undo them, now." Gaius growled, eyes alight with anger.
Tharja swallowed, "Who's to say I'm able to-"
"I'm not asking." Gaius interrupted, his gaze lowering at her. He stared at her like an enraged dog pinning its ears back. One wrong move, one wrong word, and he would not hesitate to slit her throat, "I'm ordering."
Tharja clenched her jaw, "I figured, after all this time, you'd be happy to see me again."
"Sun-" Gaius caught himself, "I'd much rather continued believing you were dead." His glare darkened, "Then Noire wouldn't have to know her mother is a traitor."
A dangerous gleam filled Tharja's dark eyes, "Careful with your words, thief."
"Don't threaten me." Gaius growled, "We both know I'm not going to cower to you now." He nodded back at me, Anna, and Lucina, "Undo them."
Tharja's eyes flicked down to the blade at her throat, "And if I don't?" The corner of her mouth twitched, "You can't kill me, because you need me to undo the chains, as well as reveal the way out of here. Meanwhile, all I have to do is wait for assistance to arrive."
"Hmmm… true, but then your life is forfeit anyways." Gaius remarked, freezing Tharja's growing smirk, "Only one way ends with you still breathing after this."
Tharja scowled, "You'll kill me anyways."
"That's for you to find out." Gaius growled.
The Dark Mage glanced up at me. Her gaze shifted over to Anna, who was barely conscious, and Lucina, who was struggling to remain awake as well. Both of them hung limply in their chains, tendons in their arms creaking as their weight pulled on them. I struggled to keep myself upright, ignoring the immense pain in my shoulders in the process.
A reluctant breath left Tharja's lips. With a wave of her hand, a purple glow covered the cold, steel chains. The glow lingered for a moment, then faded like wisps of faint smoke, twirling up into the dark sky over my head. I hung there a moment longer, then felt my entire body drop hard to the ground.
My feet hit first, my knees buckled, then I fell hard to my side. I uttered a long groan as I rolled onto my back, chains scrapping loudly against the rocky ground as I moved. Through my hazy mind, I heard Lucina's chains break, followed by Anna's. Finally, Severa stood over me.
"What happened to finding a good hiding spot?" She asked me.
I raised my brow, "You wanna argue about this later?"
I heard her harrumph at that. Wordlessly, she broke the chains from my wrists and ankles. The pressure around them eased, and a sharp ache replaced the pressure. If I could move my arms, I would have started rubbing my wrists. I could feel how raw the skin was through my sleeves. The rough skin kept catching on the fabric, and god did it itch already.
"Up." Severa remarked. She grabbed me by my armpits and hauled me to my feet.
"Thanks." I muttered back before glancing around, "What now?"
"We get out of here." Gaius answered, voice still sharp and furious.
"They'll hunt you." Tharja warned him, "You can kill me, and they will still come after you."
"I'm pretty good at escaping dungeons." Gaius replied through clenched teeth, "Was an old hobby of mine in my youth. Street urchins get caught often when living off stolen bread."
Tharja scoffed, "And you expect pity? Or perhaps, you want me to be impressed? Intimidated?" Her hands were still trembling at her sides as she locked eyes with Gaius, "I only feel… relief."
"Oh? Why's that?"
A dark smirk crossed her features, "The end for you Naga-spawn is nigh. The war will end soon, and there is nothing any of you can do to stop it." She snickered, and my hair stood on end, "He's coming, and from where you least expect it, Gaius. Best be prepared."
Gaius furrowed his brow in response. His mask of fury was broken by what appeared to be mild confusion. I had a hard time telling, because before Tharja could continue taunting him, he smacked the pommel of his sword against the top of her head. Tharja's eyes rolled and she fell unceremoniously to the ground.
Gaius worked his jaw back and forth as he glanced down at her, then over to me and Severa. With a huff, he marched over to me, sheathed his sword, and grabbed my left shoulder.
"You know how this goes." He muttered.
"Fuck…" I muttered. He twisted, my shoulder popped, and the pain was relieved, "Ouch."
"No screaming this time." He patted my back then moved to my other shoulder, "They'll still hurt, and you won't have a lot of motion, but Libra can fix that when we get back."
"If we get back." Severa remarked. I hissed when Gaius popped my other shoulder back in place. While he did that, Severa reached down and put Lucina's limp form over her shoulders, "Why didn't you kill her?"
"Who, Tharja?" Gaius replied, a scowl on his lips. He pondered Severa's question for a moment, "A final courtesy."
"She wouldn't have given that to us." Severa replied, brow raised.
"But she did." Gaius sighed. He nodded at me and Anna, "They're alive." He stepped away from me and over to Anna, who lay sprawled out on the floor, red hair plastered against her sweaty forehead. Her entire body was shaking, but she was still awake. Gaius ran a hand over her forehead, reached into a pouch on his belt, and drew a vial filled with a gelatinous, purple liquid, "Drink up partner."
"How are Sam and Anna being alive a final courtesy?" Severa asked, absolutely puzzled by Gaius's logic. I was confused too. Being tortured definitely did not feel like a final courtesy.
"Do you really think Grima cares if they live or not?" He gestured to Lucina, who went unconscious over Severa's shoulders, "He cares about her, that much we know. But these two, especially Lucky?" He shook his head, "That was… that was the last act of Sunshine there."
"Sunshine?" Severa remarked, still confused.
"Forget about it." Gaius huffed, "Can you swing a weapon, Lucky?"
I barely noticed his question. My entire focus remained on Anna. Blood continued to pool beneath her wounds, despite whatever potion Gaius poured between her lips. My eyes were drawn to the dark, crimson liquid steaming against the frozen floor. It made me feel sick to look at, but I could feel my concern over feeling ill shift towards worry for Anna.
I have never seen her like this before. Eyes wide, bloodshot even as she lay breathlessly on the ground. There was a fear in her gaze that startled me. Her eyes landed on me, and I could see a desperate desire to run in that look. It made my anxieties evaporate as simmering anger filled me.
"Yeah." I grunted, "I can."
Gaius gave me a small grin, "Good kid." He patted my shoulder and I winced, "But you won't have to. Torn rotator cuffs might keep ya from being effective."
I raised an eyebrow, "I have-"
"In all likelihood." He shrugged, cutting me off, "But that doesn't mean you can't help carry Red."
He marched by me, over to the lone iron door embedded in the stone wall. He tapped it, then put his eyes near the lock, at about waist height. He hummed and reached into another pouch on his belt, withdrawing a lockpick.
"Get comfy with Red on your back now, Lucky." Gaius remarked, "Cause in about ten seconds, I'm gonna have this door open, then we're gonna have to run for our lives."
I gulped. Part of me wanted to point out that I had about as much strength as a piece of rotted plywood, but I also understood the dangerous situation we were in. Gaius was the only one in fighting shape. He had to move freely in order to guide us quickly through the ruined Port, beyond the walls to safety. Severa was busy shouldering Lucina, now I had to do my part.
I bent down and hooked one arm behind Anna's knees. A weak whimper slipped from her lips.
"For the love of Naga, don't hurt me anymore." She mumbled, her voice hoarse.
"I'm not going to." I replied gently as I hooked my other arm around her shoulders, "Just gonna get you out of here."
A heavy clank filled the air, and Gaius smiled back at me, "Time to go."
He shoved the door open. A Risen wielding a rusted ax greeted him. Gaius was not fazed. In one fluid motion, he swept beneath the Risen's raised arms, drew his sword, and slashed through its gut like a hot knife going through butter. The Risen grunted, then went silent as Gaius's blade jammed out through its mouth. It crumbled into a pile of ash.
"Let's go Sam!" Severa snapped at me.
She rushed through the door after Gaius, and I followed. I lost my grip on Anna for a moment, cursed under my breath as I struggled to keep carrying her, then decided that her comfort would have to be sacrificed in order for us to avoid dying.
"You can scream at me later." I told her.
"What… do you plan on-"
With all the strength my arms could muster, I tossed her weak form over my right shoulder. Pain lanced through my arm, down my chest and back as the damage in my shoulder became apparent. I groaned, bit my lip, then willed myself to move forward. Pain had to be ignored now. Survival mattered more.
I heard Anna call me something as adrenaline shot through my veins. In my mad dash out of the dungeons, towards the Keep's exit, I barely heard her as I rushed after Gaius and Severa. Gaius mowed Risen down in front of us. In the heat of battle, he moved with unrivaled quickness. Each swipe of his blade was fast and devastating. Calculated to deal a killing blow while giving him momentum to move on to the next strike. My mouth fell open in awe as I watched him drop to his knees, slide beneath a Risen's wild swing with its sword, then hop up and behead the monster in one stroke.
Severa snapped at me to keep moving, drawing me out of my head and refocusing me on the emergency at hand. We burst out a door along the Keep's southern wall. After a mad dash through the courtyard, we neared the main gate that led out to the rest of the city. Six Risen blocked the way out. Two were armed with bows. There was no way Gaius could handle all of them, and he knew it. I could see his steps begin to falter as he rapidly searched for another path out of the fortress.
He did not need to. As the Risen archers nocked arrows, and as the other four stalked towards us, I could see a cloud of snow and dust barrelling down the road towards the keep. Only one thing moved fast enough to kick up that much crap from the road.
"FOR JUSTICE!" Cynthia cried as she drove Anna's cart straight through the gate, running over the Risen archers.
A small bolt of lightning finished off the archers before they could get up again, and I saw Morgan standing in the back of the cart, spellbook open. Owain rushed up to her side and extended a hand out.
"Around Cynthia! Back around!" Morgan hollered.
"On it!"
The young princess tugged on the reins, and Emm responded. The loyal horse wheeled around and raced towards Severa.
Severa grit her teeth and rushed towards the cart. With a loud cry, she threw Lucina's limp body up to Owain and Morgan. The other two members of the Justice cabal caught Lucina, set her down inside the cart, then grabbed Severa's hand and hauled her inside.
"You're next, Lucky!" Gaius bellowed to me as he weaved between the four Risen enemies, shortsword lashing out at the enemy with the speed of a viper. He drew a dagger and drove it into the eye of one Risen, ducked beneath a wild swing that took the head off of that same Risen, then slashed his sword through the next Risen's knees.
I tore my gaze from the carnage, and sprinted towards Anna's cart. It rumbled towards me. I'd have to time this perfectly, because Cynthia clearly did not know how to slow the thing down. I heard Emm snort as the horse rushed past me. With the last strength I had in my arms, I held Anna out, and Owain caught her by the waist.
I twirled on my heel, expecting to see Morgan's outstretched hand. Instead, a Risen had broken away from Gaius and came charging at me. My eyes widened as I saw its rusted blade raise over its head, ready to chop me in half.
Instincts kicked in, honed over long, hard hours of training with Anna. I rolled, my small body somersaulting between the tall Risen's legs. My hand snapped to my lower back, and I drew my long dagger. Pain shot through my arms as I hacked into the Risen's hamstring, rendering the creature unable to walk as I severed the barely functioning muscle.
"Ha!" I cried triumphantly.
That triumph turned into a shrill yelp when a pair of hands grabbed me and spun me around.
"To the cart!" Gaius roared, shoving me forward.
The cart was making its last pass towards me and Gaius. How did I know it was the final run? Archers appeared along the Keep's battlements, and Aversa emerged from the main entrance, skin charred and eyes blazing with rage. Her white hair matted with black blood.
Morgan noticed her too. Immediately, her spellbook was open. Aversa launched a black ball of energy at the cart. Morgan muttered under her breath, then sent a whip of green wind out at Aversa's spell, smacking it out of the way.
Emm galloped past me, and I saw Owain's hand in front of me. I reached up and snatched his waiting palm. With strength that surprised me, the young swordsman yanked me into the cart. I landed in a heap on top of half open crates, a couple jars of soup, and poor Clucker's cage.
That damn chicken squawked, and I scowled.
"Shut up!" I snapped at the bird.
I shoved myself back to my feet, stepped over Anna and Lucina, and pushed past Owain. Cynthia snapped the reins, directing the cart towards the exit. Arrows started to fly at us. Two arrows pierced the cavass, coming dangerously close to hitting Anna and Lucina as they lay still on the cart floor.
"Cynthia!" Severa bellowed near the front, "Get Gaius!"
"I'm trying!" Cynthia cried back as she struggled with the reins.
The cart turned one more time. Gaius dispatched his last opponent, spun, and sprinted towards us. As he ran, Morgan grit her teeth and deflected a deadly ball of purple fire with a fire spell of her own. Another arrow zipped through the air, nicking my ear and narrowly missing Severa.
He was getting closer. I could feel the cart slowing in order for Gaius to catch up. He sprinted as fast as he could, and I reached a hand out to him. Morgan snarled, casting a counter attack to one of Aversa's spells. At that moment, Tharja emerged from the Keep. Her eyes narrowed, and Morgan's face paled.
"Oh no…"
I did not register what happened next. I grabbed Gaius's hand. My shoulder screamed in pain as I pulled him up into the cart. There was a flash of bright light. The sensation of extreme heat grazing my left hip made me utter a loud cry of pain. My legs gave out, and for some reason, Gaius felt a lot heavier.
Wet, hot, spit hit my face. I blinked, opened my eyes, and saw blood spurting from Gaius's mouth. His face looked as pale as a sheet.
"GAIUS!" Severa shrieked, shoving Owain out of her way as she moved to help me haul him into the cart.
"Cynthia, go!" Morgan shouted.
Cynthia did not reply. I heard her whimper, then snap the reins hard. Emm broke into full gallop, and we shot out of the Keep's gate.
Severa pulled me out of the way, and I fell like a sack of potatoes onto my rear. I blinked as the blood on my face dripped into my eyes. I reached up and wiped it away as best as I could, then reopened my eyes.
I wished I hadn't.
Gaius lay there, head in Severa's lap as tears ran down the redhead's cheeks. His eyes were open, but unseeing. Blood dribbled from his parted lips, but the longer he lay there, the less came out. I failed to see what the problem really was, till I saw the gaping hole through his heart. A charred hole, with thin trails of smoke steaming up charred flesh and burnt fabric of his shirt.
It clicked. My brain reeled. My lips trembled and I tore my gaze from the terrible sight. I could hear Severa's pleading as I squeezed my eyes shut. She was begging Gaius to stay, begging for Naga to spare him, begging someone to do something. I grit my teeth and pressed a hand to my eyes. The pain I felt did not matter anymore. I couldn't focus on it anymore. Not when Severa's pleading turned to cursing and sobbing.
I knew we were out of the city when the wheels stopped rumbling, the cart stopped jostling, and we hit powdery snow on the road east, away from the city. We were free from the dead city. Away from the torture and death that threatened to claim us all inside of that gray, desolate place.
Anna and Lucina were alive, but-
I raised my gaze one more time. Severa had gone silent. Everyone was quiet. Anna and Lucina were asleep, and I was the only one daring to glance at the fallen Shepherd.
I couldn't say anything. I couldn't even think of anything. My mind, my body, my entire being, felt numb as I looked at the dead eyes of the first friend I made in this insane world. The man that did everything in his power to mentor me and prepare me for the dangers I was going to face. One of the most patient and fun people I ever had the pleasure of knowing…
He's gone…
And chapter! The mission is complete. Lucina has been rescued, but at a heavy cost. The whirlwind is only starting now. Things are going to happen very quickly, and they are not going to be good for our heroes. Let's hope they can hang in there.
Also, I want to thank Narwahl Lord for his help on this chapter! If you haven't read his story, check it out! It's called All the World's a Sale. An excellent read in my opinion, and it can give you a break from my dark fic lol (it's tone is much lighter).
Anyways, let me know what you all think of this chapter! As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!
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