Chapter 12: Armed and ready

The supposed armory wasn't much, then again, the Sky Army weapons weren't advanced either. At least we have swords. Their weapons were nothing but strangely soggy swords, spears and assorted armor of equal mushy quality. We weren't willing to try on the armor but the swords and spears would have to do.

"Alright, now we go back and help Sky, right?" Mitch nodded.

"Our priority should be getting out of here and getting backup," countered Ty. "The amount of guards in there alone could easily overwhelm us."

"Who died and put you in charge?" huffed Mitch.

"At this point, Sky," snapped Ty.

"I'm not leaving without Jerome," snarled Mitch, waving a sword in Ty's face. "If we leave without either of them, Sky will chew us up."

"Sky's our commander, Ty," sighed Quentin. "We can't leave him."

Ty groaned, rolling his eyes. I had wondered what the chain of command was if something ever happened to Sky. I always thought that it would be Ty, seeing as he oversees just about everything when Sky is distracted. Then again, everyone shared some sort of responsibility. What does Sky do again?

"Would he leave us?" I whispered.

I sighed, looking over the group. They looked at me and then the ground. We all knew the truth. Sky wouldn't leave without us. He has never left us. Jerome and Mitch during the games. Quentin and I during our capture. I don't know about Ty or Seto, but I know that they would say the same thing. I took a sword from the wall.

"We can't let him down," I gulped, trying to sound encouraging.

"Sky was there for us. He's the reason we're here, not in the bad way," hummed Quentin. He looked at Ty. "He's the reason any of us are still standing."

Ty sighed, crossing his arms. He wasn't wrong. If we were to leave, regroup and come back with reinforcements we would have better odds. In the moment, right now, we had a decision. Right now, we all agreed. We would rescue Sky and Jerome, and if necessary, Dawn. Unanimously though, we agreed not to go back through the vents. Now armed, we fared better in the halls anyway.

Quentin took point, leading us down the corridor. It was oddly empty. Not a single guard walked near us. Not a sound, until we reached the throne room. The sounds of clashing and shouts were heard a ways away. The second we heard the commotion, we ran forward. Reaching the large doors, we threw them open. The battle we witnessed was interesting to say the least.

Sky and Jerome had each taken hold of a weapon, no doubt from one of the many fallen guards around them. As more guards flooded toward them, Dawn remained on her throne, kicking one leg as she watched the fight. Her smile was like of an evil enchantress, like you see in movies. They didn't even look at us as we entered.

"Now what?" perked Quentin.

"Now, we help," grinned Mitch.

It was almost seamless the way he linked with Jerome. The two moved in sync with each other, dodging and blocking, attacking and keeping up with each other. It was incredible. They even smiled while they moved, as if they were actually having fun. Sky remained alone, struggling to hold ground. Ty and Quentin moved in, guarding Sky's sides from the oncoming troops. I stood in the doorway, watching the battle.

"Enchanting, isn't it?"

I heard Dawn's voice over the chaos. It ignited a fire in me. Her condescending tone. Her grin. Her careless movements. She gave me a small wave, wiggling her fingers. I couldn't handle it. All I had left was to enter the fight. There was no way I could enter as seamlessly as them. Wait. I perked, looking around. Seto. Where'd Seto go?

"Stop."

His voice was strong, echoing across the vast room. The remaining guards looked up. The fighting stopped. Seto stood behind Dawn, hand by her throat. It glowed in a purple hue. Whatever was left of his mana was being used on this stunt. Dawn remained smiling, but her gaze had drifted toward Seto's hand.

"This is an interesting turn of events," she hummed.

"Seto! Don't you dare!" shouted Sky.

"Stand down," Seto retorted. "We're leaving here with her. Attempt to stop us and we'll kill her. To your feet, ma'am."

Dawn got to her feet. The guards stood up straight, stepping aside as Seto and Dawn walked down the center of the room. The rest of us filed in behind. Sky stepped up beside Seto, eyes narrowed.

"What are you doing?" he snarled.

"I'm doing what you wanted," Seto sighed, "I'm helping you get Dawn."

"Quentin, which ways the exit?" Ty questioned.

"Looking," Quentin grumbled, addressing the control unit.

"You're looking for the left wing," Dawn hummed. She looked over at Sky, winking. "That's closest to the shore after all."

"And if you're lying?" Jerome huffed.

"She'll drown with us," shrugged Mitch.