Rigged from the Start

Chapter 63

What Must Be Done

If I never returned to Plegia, never had to see the shifting sand dunes of the Northern Wastes, never had to feel the blistering heat of that land's scorching sun, it would have been too soon. But, the Exalt was in danger, and Lucina was determined to do something about it.

Still, despite how cold Regna Ferox felt, I remembered why I was so relieved to leave this sweltering place. The sun beat down on my head as I helped pack up our camp from the previous evening. Sweat beaded on my brow and soaked the collar of my shirt. I wiped some of it away with my sleeve, but it came back in seconds. Lucina and Anna weren't much better. Kushi, Severa, and Morgan, on the other hand, looked fine. They complained about the heat, but they otherwise soldiered on without much complaint.

I inhaled the desert air, picked up the blanket I slept on last night, and shook out as much sand as I could. As I waved the blanket in the wind, sand shifted nearby. I glanced over my shoulder and found Morgan tip-toeing her way towards me. To my surprise, she finally shed her coat. Instead of having it over her shoulders, she had it tied around her waist.

"Need a hand, Samwise?" She asked, her voice uncertain as she said my name.

I gave her a puzzled look. Behind her, I saw Severa glance in my direction then quickly tear her gaze away and back to loading the cart. When I did not answer Morgan right away, she waved a hand in front of my face.

"Yoo-hoo, you there?" She rubbed her chin. "The heat must be getting to you."

"Hm, sorry?"

Morgan tilted her head, whipped her gaze around to the cart, then opened her mouth in understanding. "You and Sev are still fighting."

I grimaced. "If silence is fighting then yeah," I folded up the blanket and placed it under my arm. "We're doing a fine job at that."

Again, Morgan looked puzzled and curious. Curious enough to follow me over to the cart. Severa marched away from the cart to help Lucina with something, so I managed to avoid any awkward confrontations.

"You don't sound particularly… enthused about it? Is that the right word?" Morgan said.

I snorted as I heaved the blanket into the cart. "No, I'm not enthused. In fact, I wish this had never happened." I patted sand from my shirt and pants. "Doesn't matter now though. What's done is done. I fucked up, and there's not much I can do about that."

Morgan quirked an eyebrow and followed me into the cart. When I took a seat close to the front, Morgan sat down across from me.

"You know," Morgan began, "I don't know the circumstances behind this whole… feud? Is feud the right word?"

"Might as well be," I muttered.

"We'll go with it then. Hmm… feud, where was I? Oh right!" Morgan clapped her hands together. "I'm not exactly sure you did something super wrong."

"Try telling Severa and Lucina that."

"Did you exercise questionable judgment? Definitely," Morgan continued with a sagely nod. "But, did you blatantly try to hurt people? I sure don't think so. I mean, what else were you supposed to do?"

I gave Morgan a hard look. "What exactly do you know about all this?"

Morgan shrugged. "Sev grumbled a few things here and there. The rest I pieced together from Lucina. Don't worry about it." She coughed into her hand, sniffling as dust filled the air. "Dusty. Where was I?"

"My fuck up that you believe was not a fuck up."

"Oh no, you fucked up," Morgan replied.

My mouth opened and my brow furrowed. "Question for you, Morgan."

"Yeah?"

"Did you try burying your head into the sand to jog your memories last night?"

Morgan snickered. "No. I did that three nights ago. The sand was more comfortable closer to Longfort."

I blinked. "You're not serious are- nope you're completely serious. Okay, um, first things first, Morgan: I don't think oxygen deprivation is a good idea."

"Well, I know that now," Morgan remarked. "Not only did it not work, but I got really light-headed afterward. What's the point of this questioning again?"

"Just," I uttered a long, weary sigh. "Whatever. How did I fuck up, Morgan?"

"Oh, well that's simple. You didn't trust Sev," Morgan reached into a nearby box and withdrew a sack of dried fruit. She popped a dried strawberry into her mouth, flicked her eyes to the back of the cart to make sure Anna didn't see her, then ate another piece. "I think she's more upset about that than anything else. So, while what you did in the future, and in Plegia, were not necessarily bad; the fact you didn't share any of what was going on up there," She leaned forward and tapped my forehead, "hurt her." She popped another piece of fruit into her mouth. "How did you not notice that?"

I frowned. "Yeah well… I did notice it. I just don't exactly know how to approach it."

"Simple. Just talk." Morgan responded. I gave that suggestion a derisive snort, eliciting a frown from Morgan. "What?"

"You need to get your memories back. Then you would know why that idea won't work."

"Mmm, I don't know about that. I may not have my memories, but I do still have my gut. And, my gut tells me that Severa really cares about you. She'd make an exception for you."

I pursed my lips. "Your gut told you all that?"

Morgan nodded, then grabbed a fistful of dried fruit. "It's also telling me I better put these away."

"I swear to Naga if you're eating my stash again, Morgan!" Anna's voice rang from the outside, making Morgan freeze.

"I'm not!" She called, shoving the dried fruit back in its spot then shoveling her fistful of fruit into her mouth. She quickly chewed, swallowed, then glared at me. "Not a word."

"Lips are sealed," I nodded.

The others piled into the cart. Lucina took a seat beside Morgan. Kushi sat down near the cart exit, and Severa sat across from him. Once Anna got the cart rolling through the sand again, I mulled over Morgan's words. I wanted to believe she was right, but with how furious Severa was with me still, I couldn't help but feel like there was nothing I could do to fix things.

"How much further to Doluna?" Lucina asked us. She uncorked a vulnerary and passed it to Severa, who accepted it and gulped a third of it down. Enough of those and her leg would be better by the time we got to Doluna.

I blinked. "Probably two or three days."

Lucina nodded. "We'll reach the outskirts then figure out what to do from there. That'll help give us an idea of what is going on. For now, though, rest and prepare yourselves."

That I could do. While I wanted to make things right with Severa, the mission always comes first. This was probably the most important mission I've had yet too. Exalt Emmeryn's death was a domino that could not fall. Save her, and it's another way we can block Grima's path to rising again.

The mission comes first. After that is done, we will see what happens.

I held my breath as I lay beneath a pile of blankets and second-hand clothes. My entire body felt like it was boiling beneath the thick layer of cloth, but I needed to conceal myself. Lucina and Severa were doing the same thing. The dense shadows provided by Anna's cart and the lack of moonlight helped as well.

Anna's cart rolled to a gentle stop. Through the small gap in the mound of fabric covering me, I saw torchlight flickering beyond the canvas wall. Muffled voices chatted outside of the cart. I could hear Anna's tired, but still sing-song, tone as she played nice with Doluna's gate guards. I also heard Morgan giving the guards a friendly hello from the seat beside Anna.

Boots crunched as they moved around the cart. It jostled when one guard hopped into the cart to inspect what Anna was bringing into the city. I heard Kushi grunt as he acknowledged the guard.

"Nothing but clothes and food," Kushi grumbled.

The cart jostled again. The guard stepped out.

"Ratty clothes and soup!" I heard a woman's voice ring out.

"Ratty!?" Anna cried. "I'll have you know, I only sell the finest of fabrics."

"Whatever, merchant," A gruffer voice responded. "Inside. You're restricted to the markets."

"That's the only place I'd want to be," Anna replied, doing an incredible job of keeping up appearances. It still amazed me how easily she was able to act the part of a merchant when, in reality, she was our getaway driver. "Question for you though, before I get moving: why the restrictions? That's a new thing."

The gruffer voiced guard snorted. "Apparently someone important is in the dungeon. The King's gonna end this war soon, and we were ordered by General Campari to make sure nothing intervenes."

Lucina drew in a sharp breath. I felt the mound of clothes next to me stir. Severa must have nudged Lucina, silently telling her to calm down. A flutter of pride filled me. All of that time we spent together, training together, paid off. She knew the importance of subterfuge and how to go about being stealthy.

At least I got one thing right during our time waiting for Lucina.

"Move along!" A guard barked.

"Yes, sir." Anna chirped.

"Have a nice evening!" Morgan said, no doubt giving the guards a friendly wave of her hand as the cart started rolling again.

A sharp bump signaled the end of the dusty road into Doluna and the beginning of the sandy, stone roads inside of the city. Faint sounds came from outside of the cart. I heard revelry from several taverns and inns, some horses whinnying in a nearby stable, and the sound of armor jangling as a patrol of guards moved through the road. All of it managed to set me on edge.

I can't wait to be able to see things again.

The cart eventually rolled to a stop. Anna whispered something to Morgan. Small footsteps rushed around the cart to the back.

"We're clear," Morgan hissed.

I emerged out of the clothes I hid beneath, taking a deep gulp of air in the process. While I appeared with a quiet gasp of breath, Severa erupted, sending clothes flying across the cart.

"Gawds damned scratchy shit," She snarled, tossing a pair of small clothes from the top of her head.

Lucina's head popped out of the top of her hiding spot in the cart. "We're clear?"

"That's what Morgan just said," Severa grumbled. She huffed and glanced at me. "Alright, what's the plan?"

I blinked. This was the first time Severa said a word to me since Regna Ferox. It left my mouth ajar, incapable of forming words until Severa folded her arms and scowled.

"Sam!" She hissed.

"R-right," I shook my head and cleared my throat. "Emmeryn is in the dungeons, which will likely be somewhere beneath the Palace."

"Unless she's in the Grimleal dungeons," Severa frowned. Kushi shivered at the mention of those dark, secret places.

"She won't be. Not with the Grimleal in disarray thanks to Validar's death. The military captured Emmeryn, so the military will hold her. They won't let the Grimleal take the credit, and they will make sure to stroke Gangrel's ego enough to make him think he's getting the credit for all of it," I pointed out.

"But if you're wrong?" Severa countered.

I pursed my lips. "Anna-"

"No," Anna said immediately from her seat in the front. "I've already stuck my neck out way too far for all of you. I'll happily give you a ride out of here for some coin, but I am not going into a dungeon."

"I can do it," Morgan suggested.

"Absolutely not!" Severa exclaimed. "You know nothing about sneaking into places."

"And you do?" Lucina asked.

Severa gave Lucina a stern look. "Sam and I did train together for a whole year. I picked some things up."

Lucina furrowed her brow, pondering the situation. Then, she nodded, shook the mountain of fabric off of her, and hopped out of the cart. Me, Severa, and Kushi followed her out into the dark alley Anna parked in.

"What do we do then?" Lucina wondered. "Should I go to the Grimleal dungeon?"

Severa snorted. "That'd be somehow worse than Morgan going. You'd just hack your way through that place until someone killed you."

Lucina frowned. "I-"

"Naga above!" Anna cried out. Within seconds, she marched around the cart and stomped in front of us. "You want a simple solution to this? Who told us Emmeryn was captured? A soldier. Would a simple soldier know about a Grimleal dungeon, and if so, would he refer to it as the dungeons?" I blinked, and Anna huffed, shaking her head. "Really, you bunch are in way over your heads right now."

"Not wrong, but we don't have much of a choice," I remarked. "Palace dungeons it is. Lucina, Morgan, you will stay with Anna. You're the muscle to make sure we escape in one piece. Kushi, you'll be our rooftop lookout. Signal to them if we get out or get caught."

"We?" Kushi questioned.

I gulped. "Severa and I are going in there." Severa's eyes widened, then I continued. "We know the layout of the palace, as well as guard timings and possible patrol routes. And… and we work well together."

Lucina nodded. Her blue eyes flicked to Severa. "Can you do this?"

Severa's gaze went to her feet. Her arms stayed folded as her weight shifted from one foot to the other. After giving me an uncertain look, she took a deep breath and nodded.

"Then you two better get going," Anna said. "We're burning moonlight."

Lucina gave Anna a perplexed look, glanced up at the sky, then back down at Anna with an even more confused expression on her face. "But there's no moon-"

"Figure of speech," Anna sighed.

"Oh, I get it now!" Morgan nodded as Lucina opened her mouth in understanding.

Anna's withering gaze turned to me and Severa. "Be quick before I change my mind and get rid of these two. I could spare myself a lot of trouble that way."

"Then you lose out on a lot of gold," I said with a smirk.

"Don't remind me," Anna whined before turning and marching to her seat once more.

Lucina and Morgan hopped into the cart at that point. Kushi was already making his way onto a roof that gave him a good view of the fortress walls. Everyone was in position when I turned my attention to Severa.

"Ready?"

A deep scowl formed on Severa's face. "Let's just get going."

"Right," I replied with a grimace.

Without another word, I nodded for her to follow me. There was a way to get inside of the Palace without being seen by any guards, soldiers, or Grimleal. A way that we all knew about thanks to a previous, desperate mission in the future.

Here's hoping we're not swimming through shit.

Well, we didn't end up swimming through shit. We did end up wading through shit though. Lots and lots of it. The rancid stench in the muck I sloshed through made my nose wrinkle and bile creep up my throat. I did everything I could not to breathe in through my nose, but that did little good.

But, I did not complain, and neither did Severa. We moved through the sewers in complete silence, pausing every few minutes as we heard the roof above us tap or rumble. Footsteps from the surface echoed off the circular walls. Water and waste from smaller tunnels branching off from the main sewer made their own, distinct sound; like pebbles or droplets of rainwater falling into a puddle. In my mind, I preferred to think the noises came from water and not anything else.

My nose is saying something else. I thought with a wince as I caught a strong whiff.

"Gawds," I finally heard Severa grumble ahead of me. She kept her arms raised above the muck, even as it started to get shallower. "You always take me to the best places."

I blinked. "I-is that a joke I just heard?"

"No, it was sarcasm," Severa huffed.

"Can't sarcasm be interpreted as a joke?"

Severa stopped wading and twisted to glare at me. I winced beneath her glare, which seemed to satisfy her.

"How much further?" She asked, turning and continuing through the tunnels. I could feel the floor sloping upwards beneath us. We must be nearing the palace.

"Not much further. Once we're ankle-deep then we should be in the right spot."

"How do you know that?" Severa replied, not bothering to look back at me.

"Fewer people in the Palace than in the actual city, so there will be less waste," I answered, choosing to ignore Severa's curt tone. "Plus royalty and nobility won't want the stench lingering, so they will make sure the sewers slope downhill. Given the palace sits slightly above the rest of the city, that makes sense to me."

Severa didn't reply right away. "Fair, I guess," She mumbled after a couple of moments.

Silence enveloped us again, and it made my heart sink. Every other time we worked together, since arriving in the past, we always chatted with each other. We had to relieve the tension, fear, and stress we felt somehow, and our mostly pointless banter almost always did the trick. Plus storytelling; that always helped me get by the anxiety that had a tight grip on me during a mission.

That was gone now. The camaraderie, the friendship we shared, had been fractured. That alone did not surprise me. What surprised me was how much it hurt.

Focus, Sam. I shook my head. We can worry about that stuff later. Mission first. The mission comes first.

After another thirty or so minutes of wandering the Doluna sewers, we reached a spot that looked familiar. It was more used than in the future, but I knew it led up to the privies on the lower floors of the Plegian royal palace.

Severa and I both looked up at the hole above us.

"I'll go first."

Severa frowned but relented. I found handholds in the walls, bit back a disgusted sound as my fingers sank into soft waste, then started up the clay, brick walls until I reached the top. Once at the top, I peered out of the toilet.

The coast was clear. I silently waved for Severa to come up while I slipped out of the toilet. Once in the privy room, I drew my kukri and crept towards the closed door. That was when I realized I wasn't alone in the privy.

I heard a dry, wheezing cough sound behind me. Slowly, I glanced over my shoulder.

An elderly man with a long, wispy, white beard, balding head, and enough wrinkles to make a bulldog look smooth stared at me with a shocked expression. His surprise grew when Severa poked her head out of the same toilet I emerged from. Severa locked eyes with the old man, who then locked eyes with me.

Quietly, I brought a finger near my lips, urging him to be quiet. The old man swallowed hard, nodded, then returned his attention to the book he had in his hands.

"Sev," I hissed, waving her over.

Severa slipped out of the toilet. When she reached the door, she pressed herself against the wall across from me, near the door handle. Her sword scraped out of its sheath, causing an alarmed gasp to come from the old man. Before the old man could say anything else, Severa rushed at him. She slapped a hand over his mouth, pulled a pair of leather straps from her pockets (which she usually used for her hair), and bound the old man's hands with one. She then used his belt to tie up his feet, which only made the old man utter a fearful noise.

"Hush," Severa hissed. "If you were the target you'd already be dead."

"Quit torturing the old guy. We've probably scared him shitless."

"Judging by the smell, I'm sure we have," Severa replied.

I grimaced. "That smell is us, Severa."

"Y-you did," The old man croaked.

Severa gave me a smug look. "I'm right again." She shoved her other leather strap into the old man's mouth, gagging him.

I rolled my eyes. Severa returned to the door and cracked it open. At the far end of the corridor I faced, I spotted a guard armed with a spear standing vigil near a large, sturdy door. I raised my index finger, and Severa did the same. Two guards were in the corridor, and one was behind me.

I drew a throwing knife. Severa bent her knees, ready to burst through the door and slay the guard she saw before they could raise any alarm. We waited for half a heartbeat, then executed.

Severa rushed out of the privy, Once she sprinted past me, I threw the throwing knife down the corridor. The guard at the end of the hall didn't even utter a sound as the knife shot into his mouth, pinning him against a wood beam behind him. The other guard managed to utter a startled gasp before Severa silenced him with her steel.

I kept moving, not slowing down as I crept down the corridor. After pulling my throwing knife out of the dead guard's mouth, I glanced behind me, relieved to find Severa moving in lockstep with me.

"Dungeons should be nearby," I breathed.

"Then let's get moving."

Severa followed my lead through the next door. It was a stairwell, with one set of stairs leading down towards what I assumed were the dungeons. We tiptoed our way down those steps and paused on the landing when I noticed torchlight flickering at the bottom of the stairs.

I raised my index finger again, drew a throwing knife, and launched it. My heart lurched when I heard a sharp gasp, but did not hear the guard slump to the ground. I missed.

Severa surged past me. Before the soldier guarding the door to the dungeons could scream, she slashed her sword across his throat. His cry came out as a bloody gurgle, then he slumped against the door and slid to the floor. Severa moved him out of the way with her boot while I moved to the body and grabbed the key ring. I then tossed the keyring to Severa and yanked my throwing knife from the dead man's shoulder.

"You couldn't have better aim?" Severa grumbled while she jammed the key into the dungeon door.

"Not every knife hits true, just like how not every slash is a killing blow," I retorted.

"No excuse."

The lock turned with a heavy thunk. Voices spoke in puzzled tones beyond the reinforced, dungeon door. Severa and I took a moment to prepare ourselves, then we burst into the next room.

Severa crashed against the closest jailer, shoving her sword through his gut before yanking it out and slashing through his neck. Blood sprayed across the walls as she twirled around to face a third guard. Meanwhile, I buried my kukri between the second guard's shoulder and neck. That guard managed to utter a terrified howl before I cut it short by shoving my throwing knife into his throat.

As my target fell dead, Severa slew the third guard, slashing across his body so hard that the poor sod spun around before falling limp to the floor. I met Severa's gaze, wincing when I saw a streak of crimson across her face.

"Well," she breathed. "That was easy."

I nodded. "Yeah, it was," That made me uneasy, but I didn't say anything.

"Hello?" A new voice called from down the hall, one Severa and I immediately recognized. "Is someone there?"

We sprinted down the hall, passing by one empty cell after another until we came to a set of iron bars at the very end. Emmeryn stood on the other side of those iron bars, eyes wide with surprise and fear.

She looked fine, all things considered. Her hair was a little frayed, but sleeping on the floor would do that. Her white and cream robes were ruffled and scuffed, but not torn and not filthy. There were faint tear stains beneath her blue eyes and worry lines on her brow, but beyond that, she looked as regal as ever.

She stepped back when she saw us.

"Samwise, Severa? What are you-"

"No time to talk," I interrupted. "Keys, Severa." Severa slapped the keyring into my hand. I unlocked the cell door, swinging it wide open and holding a hand out to the Exalt. "Let's get out of here."

Emmeryn stared at my hand a moment. "H-How did you-"

"Sniff the air and you'll know," Severa grunted. "Also, get used to the smell because that's going to be your world for a little while if all goes according to plan."

"Don't jinx it," I said as Emmeryn took my hand and stepped out of her cell. Now that she was closer, I did notice she looked a bit underfed and pale. Perhaps she felt ill?

"I didn't. I hedged it at the end," Severa argued.

"The law of jinx is absolute, and it does not care about hedges," I commented. "Doesn't matter now, though. We need to get back to the privy."

"You came in through the privy?" Emmeryn gasped.

"I told you to sniff the air, didn't I?" Severa said with a roll of her eyes. "I'll lead the way back. Thankfully, it's not far away."

Severa marched towards the dungeon exit. I kept a grip on Emmeryn's hand as pulled her along. Emmeryn let out a startled sound when she saw the fallen guards lying in growing pools of their blood, but I made sure to keep her moving. There was no time to get sick over dead bodies.

We rushed up the stairs and reached the door to the corridor we came in through when Severa paused. She held up a hand and pressed her ear to the door. A curse left her lips in a faint whisper, and she gave me an anxious look.

"They found the old man."

"Crap," I hissed. My gaze darted to the stairs again. The uneasiness I felt grew. If the old man alerted guards, why were the Plegians not rushing down to the dungeons? But, there was no time to ponder such a question. We could not remain static, not now. "Up we go then."

"Fucking hell," Severa swept by me and Emmeryn and ran up the stairs two steps at a time.

"Do you always run into these sorts of problems?" Emmeryn asked as I pulled her up the stairs, trying my best to keep up with Severa.

"You'll be surprised by how good we've become at improvising," I replied, a small pit growing in my stomach.

Why do I have a very bad feeling all of a sudden?

We reached the door leading to the main floor of the palace. Once there, Severa waited a moment, listened, then nodded and pushed the door open.

We entered an opulent, broad hallway. Windows lined one side of the hallway, offering a view of a small garden filled with plants that would normally never survive the desert environment. Several marble busts of previous Plegian kings sat on pedestals against the other wall. As we rushed through the hall, searching for an exit, I saw a purple and gold tapestry out of the corner of my eye.

We reached a sharp turn in the hallway. Right as we were about to follow the turn, a bitter chill rose in the air. The cold bit into my skin, seeped into my veins, and made my heart hammer in my chest. The hairs on my neck stood on end as every fearful instinct within me went off.

Severa skidded to a stop in front of me and Emmeryn, causing us to nearly bowl over her.

"Severa, what-" My voice caught in my throat when I saw what made Severa screech to a halt.

A lone figure stood in the hallway, the hood to his purple and gold coat drawn over his head, casting deep shadows over his facial features. The coat he wore swallowed him whole, as if his body barely existed within its embrace. An aura of overwhelming darkness exuded from the figure, making me shake in my boots. Two crimson glows emanated in the shadows of the hood, and a white smile sparkled when the figure saw us.

My heart lurched in my chest. Grima...

"Well, well, well," Grima said, and my blood ran cold. In front of me, Severa started shaking. "What have we here?"

He took one, small step towards us. As soon as he did that, I let go of Emmeryn's hand and stepped around Severa, putting myself between the monster and her.

"Is- are you-" Mocking laughter came from Grima when he saw me move in front of Emmeryn and Severa. "Not only are you attempting this ridiculous rescue, but you are also trying to protect them from me?" His crimson eyes flicked past me and focused on a petrified Severa. "I don't know if I should feel grateful, or feel pity."

"S-Sam?" Severa's voice quivered with terror. "Wh-who is that?"

A feigned gasp of hurt shot from the shadows beneath Grima's hood. "Why, Lucky, you haven't told her? You kept that little tidbit of information to yourself? Perhaps you are more of a piece of scum than I thought. Again, I don't know what to do. Should I thank you for keeping my secret? Or, should I be furious that you kept my dearest, eldest daughter in the dark?"

My eyes closed and Severa's voice shook with horror behind me.

"Wh-what?" She croaked.

Two gloved hands reached for the hood, and Grima pulled it away. What I saw made me think he looked far more like a monster than a man.

Unlike in the future, Grima did not look healthy or whole. His cheeks were hollow to the point where his cheekbones were pronounced to the extreme. His eyes were so sunken that they looked like black pits with pools of blood swirling within them. His skin, while pale in the future, was translucent. I could see blackened veins pulsing beneath thin layers of flesh. The one thing that stayed the same was the white hair and the overwhelming terror he instilled within me.

Severa and I were mute at the sight, but Emmeryn was not.

"What are you, fiend?" Grima's amused gaze turned disdainful when his eyes flicked to Emmeryn. "You take the guise of a friend but-"

"This is no guise, your majesty," Grima growled, voice rumbling like the feral growls of a dragon. "This is who I am. Or rather, who I will become. I will say, though, I am doing quite the job of avoiding me. Alas, that is what happens when I meet me when I was not ready. A minor setback really. One that will be easily remedied in due time." He took another threatening step towards us. The bitter cold tore at my skin, making me shake. "However, rescuing the good Exalt Emmeryn most certainly goes against my goals. I will have to stop you."

Severa pointed her sword at Grima. The blade trembled in her grasp. I glanced at her and saw tears burning trails down her face. Her teeth were clenched tight as sharp breath hissed in and out of her lungs.

"Y-you-"

Grima gave her a gentle smile, which somehow made my fear explode and my blood boil at the same time. "Severa, darling, now's not the time to provoke me."

"Stay back!" Severa roared.

She would have rushed him had I not stuck my arm out and stopped her. My actions once again made Grima pause and give me an amused look.

"Severa," I said, doing everything in my power to remain calm. "Take the Exalt and get out."

Defiance briefly overtook Severa's fear. She gave me a stupefied look and was about to open her mouth to argue when I gave her a sharp glare.

"The-" I swallowed hard as I was about to say the old mantra Gaius and Anna taught me. But, in reality, that was no longer true. It was not the only reason I was about to do the stupidest thing I have ever done in my entire life. "You come first," Severa's eyes widened. "Get the Exalt, and get out of here."

"I'm sorry, Lucky," Grima drawled. "I'm afraid I can't let them do that."

"Go," I whispered to Severa.

Severa's lips trembled, and I gripped my kukri tight. "S-Sam?"

"Run!"

I didn't give Severa time to react or to argue. I spun on my heel, hefted my kukri, drew my other dagger, and charged at Grima. I heard Severa yell after me, but I did not look back. I simply prayed she listened and ran with the Exalt while I stalled Grima.

A broad grin formed on Grima's face as I got closer. Right as I was about to thrust my kukri and dagger through his black heart, he moved. Faster than I could blink, he swept to the side and buried a knee into my gut.

All of the air in my lungs shot free with a harsh wheeze. I doubled over as I stumbled forward a couple of steps. Grima laughed with glee.

"Oh, I've been looking forward to this, Lucky," He cackled.

A bony, clawed hand clapped against my back and grasped the neck of my shirt. A hoarse yelp tore from my lips when Grima hurled me through one of the windows and into the garden. I lost my grip on my kukri and dagger as I flew through the air. Glass bit into my body, slashing through my clothes when I hit the ground, rolled, then crashed into a terracotta pot.

"I'm going to pursue the Exalt and Severa once I'm through with you," He growled. I tried to rise to my feet, only for a boot to bury into my side. The howl I uttered made pure joy flash over Grima's face. "Do you think what you're doing now is going to save them? No, you're only delaying the inevitable, thief."

I groaned. My torso throbbed. For such a frail figure, Grima packed a wallop. I finally managed to get to my hands and knees, but only because Grima let me. Small drops of blood dripped from several deep gashes in my body. Bits of glass slid off of me as I pawed at the ground, grasping a terracotta shard.

Before Grima could taunt me further, I surged to my feet and slashed the shard across his face. Grima jumped back, a snarl leaping from his lips. Black blood flowed from his cheek as the skin hung from the bone. His crimson eyes widened when he registered the pain.

All he did was laugh.

"You've grown a stronger backbone!" He crowed. "I must admit this is most thrilling for me. My weakened state is actually giving you a chance. You better take it."

Grima spread his arms wide, inviting me to strike him. I grit my teeth, shrugged off the stinging pain I felt all over me, and lunged forward, aiming to jam the terracotta shard into his throat.

He slapped my hand to the side then slammed his other fist into my jaw. A sickening crack rang through my ears. Stars danced in my eyes.

I hit the ground hard. The world spun as I lay on my side. Blood pooled in my mouth, quickly spilling from my parted lips. Pain exploded across the side of my face Grima hit.

"Cracked jaw," Grima commented, making more fear explode within me. "You'll still be able to talk though." His clawed hand snagged the collar of my shirt. He hoisted me off my feet, flashing a wicked grin as he held me aloft. "Tell me, does this situation seem familiar?"

A terrified laugh slipped from my lips. "Not really. This time I don't think I'll be able to kick you in the balls and run."

"Strategies rarely work twice," Grima said, his smile wavering when I reminded him of what happened when we first met. "Especially when your opponent is aware of them. I will admit, I did not expect you to show this much courage. Too bad it did so little."

Before he could deal any more abuse, I cracked another laugh and gave him a bloody smile. For the first time, Grima's amusement morphed into confusion.

"It did little for me, but not for the mission."

Grima's eyes widened. As his iron grip on my shirt tightened, Grimleal guards, led by Aversa, rushed into the garden. When Grima spotted her, he snarled and tossed me at her feet.

"You think you have outsmarted me, thief?" He snarled, voice rumbling. "All you have done is condemn yourself. Take him to the dungeons within the Temple!"

The guards grabbed me while Aversa moved to Grima's side, an uncorked vulnerary ready for him to use. His voice morphed back to normal as I was dragged away, but I managed to hear what he said.

"There are unwanted Shepherds among my flock."

I should have been afraid as the Grimleal dragged me to their dungeons. I should have been screaming, begging for mercy. I'm sure that is what the mages taking me there expected. But, I did not feel that. I did not feel the need to scream, beg, or feel afraid. Instead, I felt relieved, for now. All I could do anymore was pray to God, to Naga, to whoever was hopefully listening, that Severa and Emmeryn would reach Anna and that they would all escape.

Nothing else mattered.

Part 2 of 3 of the Triple Update! On to the next chapter!

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