Chapter 12: Into Darkness
The fall wasn't deadly. As the darkness whipped past her, Rayla landed with an uncomfortable splash.
Water.
Her mortal enemy.
Mixed with complete and total darkness.
It was a terrifying combination.
She let out a gasp, one of her hands shooting out, as she felt herself losing balance.
She was up to her thighs in water. But she couldn't see her surroundings. So she felt instead.
Her four fingered hand gripped stone. She tried hard to control her breathing.
Panic was the enemy. Always.
She closed her eyes to match the darkness surrounding her.
And out of the darkness, a sound.
The sound of air being roughly cut aside by something.
An object. Moving fast.
Corruption-Two Steps from Hell (Talon theme)
Rayla moved her hand, and the sound of something clanging against the stone filled the chamber.
She was forcefully reminded now.
The water and the darkness may have been terrifying. But on top of that, she wasn't alone.
Another whizzing sound, and with lighting fast reflexes, she ducked.
She heard the blade pass overhead.
Another whoosh.
This time she held up her blade. It was all she could do.
The two blades made contact, sending sparks flying.
And temporarily illuminating the area.
A stone tunnel. Half filled with water.
And standing before her, visible for that split second, the hooded assassin.
Rayla was afraid. Terrified. But she forced herself to focus.
Her grip on her elven blades became tighter.
And she listened.
It didn't take long for the next strike to come.
She ducked aside and smacked the blade with her own, sending up another spark, illuminating her opponent momentarily once more.
Before the spark gave out, she saw him rear back for a fatal strike, and ducked down as the swords scraped against the stone wall right where her head had been.
She stabbed at the darkness with one blade, and swept across it with the other, striking the opponents sword.
Her quarry was knocked back, surprised at the strike.
And now, back to darkness and silence.
The sound of two figures, standing as still as possible in the water.
And then, a voice.
"You've been trained well. Even for a moonshadow elf."
Rayla gritted her teeth, and swung her sword in the direction of the voice.
"But you're missing something." The voice continued, as Rayla's strike came up empty.
Another swing.
Rayla wasn't ready this time. She felt it cut into the skin of her arm, and let out a gasp of pain, grabbing it, feeling some blood running.
It wasn't serious. But it was first blood all the same. She let it go, and glared into the darkness, swinging her swords at the ready.
"Ready?" The voice asked.
Rayla let out a cry, then charged toward the sound of the voice, swinging her swords wildly.
Clangs echoed through the tunnel as she made contact. The two combatants exchanged furious blows that filled the chamber with flashing spark light.
Talon swung at her legs, and she jumped up, spinning, and slicing across his arm, cutting into his black armor.
He let out a grunt of pain, and she heard him splash backward in the water.
"I gave you openings. You could have killed me. You have the skill. But you didn't even try."
Rayla let out another frustrated cry, bringing her blade back and striking the darkness.
It clanged emptily off the stone wall.
"Oh my. I see it so clearly now. All this training, elite training but you...you've never killed anyone, have you?"
Rayla turned and swung again, her sword cutting through air, hitting nothing.
"How would you know? You're a coward who hides in the dark! You don't know me!"
She paused. Listening intently.
And found herself surprised to hear nothing at all.
No movement of the water. No breathing.
He was gone.
Rayla narrowed her eyes, trying to adjust to the darkness.
She couldn't see. There was no source of light down here.
She folded one of her swords away, and flipped the other one into a hook.
She was going to make a source.
She stepped forward, and as she did, she scraped her hooked blade against the stone, sending sparks out into the dark tunnel.
And exposing the path forward.
She scraped the blade along, until the tunnel began to illuminate ahead.
And as she focused her eyesight to the new visibility, she saw him.
Sprinting away.
She got low, folded her sword into its pouch.
And launched herself forward, through the underground, after the assassin.
Ezran let out a long sigh, as he took his seat, at the table.
The two regents were ready. Queen Aanya sat, still looking at him with concern.
He looked at the chair.
It had been replaced. No mark from where the dagger had been thrown.
Callum stood next to him, and put a firm hand on his shoulder.
"It's okay Ez. I'm right here. You're gonna be okay."
Ezran nodded.
And all eyes turned to the empty chair.
King Ahling. He had not returned from recess.
"Has anyone seen the guards from Neolandia?" Queen Aanya asked.
Commander Fen frowned, looking across the room.
"I...will go down to the streets. It's possible he's unaware of the time."
He gestured for the katolian guards to follow, and made his way downstairs.
"In the meantime...I feel we should discuss the very real possibility, that we will have to move forward without help from Neolandia." Queen Aanya stated.
"What?!" The regent of Duren exclaimed. "This is the pentarchy! We cannot exclude one of the human kingdoms! We have been at peace for generations."
"Representatives, and king." Aanya said, nodding to Ezran. "I want peace as much as anyone. But we must be prepared for the possibility that King Ahling is no longer as inclined towards peace as he once was. He has clearly been deeply affected by the death of his son..."
"Perhaps mostly due to the fact that you yourself killed his son!" The regent of Duren snapped, pointing a finger at the Queen. "It would seem this rift was avoidable."
"On the contrary." Queen Aanya replied sternly. "While the death of Prince Kasef is certainly regrettable, it was not at all avoidable." She looked to Callum.
"The honorable Prince of Katolis would not be here today had I not acted as I did." She stated firmly.
Hot Cargo-Two Steps from Hell
Rayla could see where she was now.
Ancient catacombs, underneath the city.
She sprinted ahead, closing the gap on the fleeing human assassin.
She was the fastest of the moonshadow elves. And more than a match for any human in terms of footspeed.
She bounced off columns, sprinting along, as the human jumped up, climbing over a barrier, and landing effortlessly on the other side, and continuing his sprint.
His skill was undeniable as well. For a human, he was lighting quick.
Rayla jumped from column to column, before leaping over the barrier, doing a roll, and rising up into a full sprint after the human.
He ducked down a side corridor, and she slid after him, reaching for one of her blades.
Only to find a dip in the catacomb, leading straight down.
She tried to stop herself, but slipped, the current yanking her off her feet.
She was pulled along by the water, struggling desperately to keep her head above it, before being dumped down into a lower section.
And being roughly deposited onto a hard, dry stone floor.
She took a moment to get up, pain ringing across her body.
"Well would you look at that." An older, more sinister voice called. "You've brought a friend. Excellent work Talon."
Rayla lifted herself up.
To see a horde of barbarians standing around.
And at their center, covered by a cloak, and wearing an ancient wooden mask, Azrael stood.
"Oh my poor, poor little elf." He said, stepping toward the moonshadow elf. "I don't think this could've worked out much worse for you."