Chapter 18: Final Breath

"There is nowhere to run, treasonous curs, your punishment is neigh."

Of all the rotten luck…?

Alphinaud stared at Ran'jit in horror, a vivid flashback of his doomed battle from before came rushing back to the forefront of his mind along with a sense of utter dread. He took several deep breaths as his eyes flickered around the dark room, trying to figure out how to escape from this mess.

"What did you do to Thancred?" he demanded, more in an effort to bid time than anything.

"That is none of your concern," Ran'jit stated, but at that gruff voice there was a slight wince and Alphinaud's eyes observe his enemy, realizing that he was breathing hard and walking with a limp. He didn't know how badly injured the General was, but it seemed that he was having a harder time than he was letting on.

Still, even if that was the case, he was in no position to be fighting him either with Claire barely conscious in his arms, no way out, and a time limit hanging over their heads. He couldn't help but feel anxious for Thancred, but he knew what the man would say if he was here… to get out by whatever means necessary and to the docks as quickly as possible.

Alphinaud tugged Claire a little closer to his chest before demanding, "Why are you doing this? Surely you've seen what Vauthry has done to these lands? To these people? Surely if you cared about them at all then you should be supporting and protecting her rather than hunting her! She's the only one who's been able to keep the people together until now!"

"I know what he is," Ran'jit answered back with an air of unconcern, as if he couldn't care less about the fact that Vauthry was running his own kingdom into the ground. "But weather he is a god or a monster, it means very little to me. I have my own reasons for following him. And his orders were clear… she is to die as soon as the sun rises… and I am to bring the other directly to him. Now… hand her over and tell me where her brat cousin is… do so and I may spare your life."

He didn't really think that he was going to obey his orders like that did he? Even if he was cowardly enough to do so, Alphinuad knew that there was no way that Ran'jit would ever just let him walk out of here. Which reminded him…?

"Before I do anything, I think that you owe me a few answers first," he stated.

The lower half of Ran'jit's face was covered with the dragon's tail but the upper half that was exposed looked mildly surprised at that before stating, "I am under no obligations to answer anything from a traitor to the king of these lands."

"You just said that you didn't care what Vauthry was, surely you can answer me something that has been on my mind for a while now," Alphinaud reasoned. "If you're going to kill me anyway, which I suspect is what you're planning on, then at least let me leave with some weight off my mind."

"You would truly sacrifice yourself for this woman who is the cause of all your suffering?" Ran'jit asked.

"No, she didn't do anything in this," Alphinaud said firmly. "This was all you and Vauthry. You have something planned for us both, and I think that you should at least do me the courtesy of answering my questions. Especially since the questions I have do involve the tremendous changes in my life, not least of all my all but abduction by your hands."

"And what do you wish to know?" Ran'jit asked as he slowly came down the last few steps to stand upon the wide platform in front of the cell, where Alphinaud could feel sweat breaking out upon his forehead despite how cold it was down here. But rather than show that, he held Claire closer to him as she shivered in his arms, still trying to catch her breath after just being set free from the exploding collar.

"Why did choose me to come to these lands?" he asked firmly as his mind was still searching for an exit.

"It was not us who chose you," Ran'jit reminded him, "It was your precious Forum who made the selection for us."

"And yet you conveniently chose not to disclose the fact that their representative would be forced into being wed to your princess!" Alphinaud retorted angrily. "No one. Not a single soul in either the Studium or even the Forum was aware of this! And don't try to tell me that they were! My father is on the Forum and I promise you that he was more shocked than anyone to have learned all of this! So why this elaborate ruse?!"

Ran'jit slowly looked over him, his face strangely emotionless now so that it reminded him of some kind of statue or mannequin and it chilled Alphinaud to the core.

"Your 'beloved' here has been difficult for us to control ever since she first arrived her," he confessed, spitting out the word beloved as if it was a vile taste in his mouth. "I may not have known that she was the Warrior of Darkness from the start… but I knew she had something to do with all the happenings around Norvrandt. But no matter how many times my lord has disciplined her, she would not change."

"Discipline? You mean torture!" Alphinaud snapped back. "Someone had to step up and protect the people from you! But that still doesn't explain why you went as far out as to Sharlayan for a potential suitor?!"

"Very well, if you wish to know the truth, then I shall reveal it to you," Ran'jit said with a sigh as if he was humoring a child who was having a meltdown. "My lord decided that having his niece married off would be the quickest way to try and reel her in. He believed that not only would he have someone on his side to keep her under close watch at all times… but he hoped that she would have her rebellious spirit broken in due course. Still, with how the people seem to be so fond of her, finding one who would be able to keep her under control seemed slim. So our best option was to reach out to neighboring countries and hope that they would form an alliance with us. A marriage of convenience, so to speak."

Alphinaud frowned as Ran'jit shook his head and grumbled, "She had refused each and every suitor we brought to her. Going out of her way to make sure that the meetings went disastrous. Not only that, but many were very distrusting of my Lord's intentions and didn't wish to involve themselves with such problems that Norvrandt was facing. So, why not reach out to a nation much farther away? One where they would not only be wholly unaware of the situation but also would be too far away to be able to go for any aid until it would be too late? You seemed the ideal candidate. Young, naïve… eager to prove yourself? We figured that we would have an easy time controlling you."

Alphinaud glared, his face burning in embarrassment as Ran'jit listed off his traits that made him so vital to their plans. Still, the pieces all lined up and he finished, "And after bringing me here, far from anyone who could help me, you thought to threaten us both into this marriage."

"Precisely," Ran'jit confirmed. "We knew that we needed a young man to try and keep her under control. We had hoped that you would be more than eager to turn on her the moment after you realized your situation. Had you done what we had asked… perhaps in the future we could have annulled the marriage, provided that you brought us the information we sought for."

"That she knew something of the Warrior of Darkness?" he asked.

"That… and perhaps a bit more," Ran'jit declared as he took another step forward and Alphinaud instinctively took one back.

"A bit more? You were looking for information about the Mothercrystal then?" he asked, deciding to throw caution to the wind.

"Ah, someone has been telling you stories," Ran'jit answered with a shrug. "Since you are no longer leaving this place alive… then I suppose it won't hurt to tell you that. But very well. You are correct on our search for the gift left behind by Venat."

"But what is the Mothercrystal? And why are you so desperate to get hold of it?" Alphinaud demanded, hoping that all could be made sense here and now.

"Not that it matters to you, but the Mothercrystal is a vast crystal within the aetherial sea that is host to a great power," Ran'jit answered. "With that power, Lord Vauthry could all but ascend to godhood. With it, he promises to create a perfect utopia where we no longer need fight against the sin eaters. A paradise where I need no longer feel the sting of disappointment that accompanies mankind."

"You are doing all of this for such a ridiculous reason?!" Alphinaud yelled, feeling anger flair up inside at the very thought. "You truly see us all as that hopeless? No… there has to be another reason. What is it that you are truly after?"

Ran'jit just gave him a look with dead, blank eyes, as if he was no longer seeing him.

"I believe that we have talked enough about this for now," he countered as he took another step forward and Alphinaud could feel sweat dripping down his face as he still came up with a blank on how to escape. At least until…?

"Let… me down."

He jumped, having not realized that she was still awake and looked down to see her eyes open and full of fire.

"Claire?! No, you're in no shape…?" he began but she moved, squirming out of his arms and he had to move so as to not drop her.

"Neither is he," she said darkly as she picked up one of the dropped swords from the guards that Alphinaud took out earlier before shrugging her coat off. Her back fully exposed with the dried blood and scars for all the world to see, she took only a step forward, holding her head up high as she raised her blade. "Follow my lead."

He gulped and nodded. Though she was doing a good job of hiding her pain, he could see how her hand trembled with the weight of the steel, how her steps seemed heavy, and she was holding her side with her one free hand as if moving caused a tremendous amount of pain.

Still, he knew that there was no other way out so he held up his grimoire, hoping that they could even this out.

"Come at me then," Ran'jit hissed as Alphinaud looked to his wife once more to see how her eyes grew steely and she prepared herself.

He gulped, knowing that now wasn't the time for him to be utterly entranced by her. Gods, perhaps Alisaie was right and he did have some very strange tastes. Thankfully, unaware of his thoughts, Claire bent her knees, preparing to spring forward, and he readied a healing spell before she launched herself at their foe.

Alphinaud was barely able to keep up as he worked on healing her wounds as she all but leapt about Ran'jit, who snarled at how quick she was despite her many injuries. If she was in pain, she seemed to beat it down as Alphinaud focused on supporting her as best as he could from behind. While he may not be physically strong enough to fight at her side, he was able to keep her together during the battle as the two warriors went at it.

She charged in ahead as Ran'jit swiped at her with his scythe, forcing her to jump up to avoid the blade, all but dashing off the walls and then propelled herself back at him with her sword in hand.

"Don't stop talking on my account," Claire stated as she spun about with a clumsy stance as she ducked to avoid the scythe. "Please go on! You have yet to explain the full reasons why you felt that I needed to marry!"

"You would ask that of me now?!" Ran'jit shouted back as Alphinaud worked on continuing to heal Claire's wound from afar.

"Might as well if we're fighting to the death?!" she offered with her weak voice stronger than before as anger flashed across her features. "There had to be another reason why you felt the need to hold a wedding at all? Surely you can tell us the full reason?!"

"Ha! I thought it obvious! We had thought that you could help us to provide a back-up plan if what we were looking for failed in the end."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Alphinaud demanded in confusion as he moved against the wall to avoid getting swiped at with the sharp end of a blade as the two went at it.

"Only those of Venat's line have such affinity to light," he answered as if explaining things to a dull child even as he succeeded in slicing at Claire's arm, leaving a deep wound there in the flesh, which Alphinaud leapt to heal from a distance. "We knew that there was a chance that neither princess would be up to the task… mayhaps even perish in the attempt. If that was the case, we would need to have a replacement should it not work out. My master believes that having a child raised to give their life for the cause would be more than enough to suffice should these two perform less than admirably. While it would take much longer than planned… I agree that it may be our best option."

Alphinaud glared at him, feeling a wave of hatred going through him at the confession. To think that he was brought here as nothing more than breeding livestock? He never felt more disgusted than right now."

"Even if we had children, you think that either of us would allow you to use them?" Claire growled as, in anger, she stabbed Ran'jit in the foot, getting a big of satisfaction from hearing him holler before he kicked himself free.

"The original plan was to use the woman, Minfilia, as the one to retrieve the light from the aetherial sea," Ran'jit went on, "But despite her potential, by the time that we were able to track her down, she was already nearing the end of her life and most likely would never have survived a return trip from the aetherial sea. Besides, we found out that the potential to traverse the lifestream had already been passed on to her daughter."

"Daughter?" Alphinaud repeated, sure that he heard wrong and even paused in stunned revelation. "What do you mean by her daughter?"

"Don't you know that much?" he sighed back as Claire jumped back, his scythe actually cutting off the ends of her hair in the process, "The power to traverse the aetheral sea is a gift that is passed down through Venat's line, but once the next generation is born, that ability is gifted over to the offspring and the parent's own powers will considerably lessen. That is how such a gift has survived for so long. Meaning that the only two living descendants of Venat's line are destined to lose that ability should they birth children. It is the same that happened to Minfilia when that brat of hers was born. Sadly for us, she may be the one hope we have left of obtaining the Mothercrystal."

"You shut up!" Claire yelled as Alphinaud was reeling with shock at what he was saying.

"Wait… are you saying that Ryne… isn't Minfilia's sister… but rather… her daughter?" he gasped, unable to believe what he was hearing. "But… but I thought that they had the same parents?! How could this be?"

But Ran'jit just glared at him as he rallied to his feet once more and suddenly the fighting grew fiercer as the two were all but clawing at the other like wild animals. Alphinaud moved back until he accidently tripped over the unconscious guards, almost tumbling back into the cell behind him as he watched in horror as blood from the two wounded warriors splattered upon the floor.

"How do you know about all that?" Claire demanded as she swung her sword harder and faster, so much so that Ran'jit was pushed onto the backfoot.

"You think that we didn't know from the start?" he demanded. "Even if she was her sister, she surely would have had the same powers that were passed onto her. But due to some interesting rumors going around at the time of their mother's…?"

"I said shut up!" she yelled as she sliced through the air so close to Ran'jit's head that it almost went flying off. Had he not moved back when he did he probably would be a head shorter now—but that only caused him to roar out in anger as he threw himself back at her.

"I should have killed you when I had the chance!" he snarled in fury. "I knew that bringing you to these lands was a mistake! Look at the harm you've done!"

"Like living in disgusting ignorance and extravagance is better?" she retorted. "I never wanted to come here! You could have just left me alone! You didn't have to control or threaten me all that time!"

"If I had it my way I would have left you to rot in that frozen city!" Ran'jit shouted out as he slammed her up against the wall, causing her to roll as he slashed at her once more, "But Lord Vauthry believed that you could be useful to him."

"Lord Vauthry this! Lord Vauthry that! You would think that you didn't have a brain in that old skull of yours! We all know that you're the real mastermind behind all of this!" she screamed back. It seems as though they both were using this opportunity to really vent how they felt about the other for all these years.

"You should have considered yourself fortunate to be living in such wealth for all this time! Never wanting for a thing!"

"Except for freedom! I was stuck on a golden leash the moment I got off the boat, never allowed to breathe properly with you two around!"

"You have no one but yourself to blame for your many punishments!"

"You both just liked to feel superior! You sold your soul for a fantasy!"

And the two were going back and forth like that for a while, even as blood continued to fall around them. But Alphinaud was most scared when he saw the blood erupting from Claire's mouth, wheezing as she forced herself to speak even as more blood dripped from her mouth and down her chin. It was as if every word was causing her physical agony and he wasn't sure what to do. He looked around, hoping that something could be used to their advance but Ran'jit was now so mad that he was all but spitting fire.

Alphinaud's eyes then came to the stairs and he figured that if he could just get the two of them to run up them then they could have a clear way out…? He glanced back to see how both of them completely focused on the other—as if forgetting that he was there—and that was when inspiration came to him.

He summoned his carbuncle to his side once more and had it launched at Ran'jit—who never saw it coming. He screamed as the little creature slashed at his face, blocking his sights and backed away as he tried to force the creature off him. Alphinaud, who hadn't been so sure that would work, sighed in relief. He knew that the only reason that he was able to take Ran'jit by surprise like that was because he had been so focused on his fight. Speaking of whom…? Claire—who had been halfway to raising her sword—stood there frozen at the sight as if she didn't know what to think of what she saw. But he didn't have time to worry about that as he dashed towards her, grabbing her coat off the ground and throwing it over her shoulders. She jumped before relaxing when she felt his hands on her and he whispered, "Move."

He pulled her hand, leading her towards the stairs and began to race up them as fast as they could. She was still wheezing, stumbling with every step, and he wrapped an arm around her waist to keep her steady even as she no longer had the strength to hold her sword aloft.

"This should give us a minute or two…" he panted as they ran, with him hoping that his carbuncle could hold out just long enough for them to make it to the exit. But it seemed that the extra effort of fighting was too much for Claire as she was now struggling to keep going, forcing him to stop as he scooped her up into his arms again. Though he staggered under her added weight, almost knocking him over, he was able to steady himself and moved again, though at a slower rate.

She wincing in pain with every step he took and it was difficult for him to not stop and check on her injuries, but all he could think of was Ran'jit racing after them—his scythe at their backs. At the thought, he gritted his teeth and moved as fast as he could upwards, wondering just what he would find when he got there. He wanted to call Thancred on the linkpearl and find out, but he didn't dare risk slowing them down any further than they were forced to go… especially when the roar of rage was echoing off the walls behind him and he knew that the old General was giving chase.

Fear exploded inside him at the thought and he began to pray to the Twelve for help as he forced himself to move even faster. He heard the sounds of thunderous footsteps behind him and knew that Ran'jit was following at a much faster pace… he didn't know how far behind he was, but he knew that he was sure to catch up to them in no time.

Only about a minute later Claire was able to hold up her sword again.

"Duck your head," she rasped up at him and he did what she commanded at once as she swung her blade over his head and he heard the clash of metal on metal and he felt his stomach drop at the realization that Ran'jit had been closer than he thought. Claire then threw her blade and Alphinaud heard a crash and holler of pain, signaling that she had to have hit him in some way but he didn't dare stop to look after he felt the breeze of his scythe hit his neck—signally how close he had been.

Now without the extra weight of the sword, he was able to pick up the pace as Claire wrapped her arms around his neck to steady herself and also to keep watch over their pursuer as he gritted his teeth, determined to get them out. And then, through the darkness above them he could see the faint traces of a sky through a small window-like space and knew that they were close to reaching the exit.

"He's coming again," Claire warned in his ear and he gulped down as he sprinted harder than he had ever done in his life towards the door, though what he was going to do once they were out…? Truth be told, he was just banking on a miracle getting them out of this if nothing else…?

With one final burst of strength he all but flew up the stairs and he could feel the cold sea air hitting his face as snow was drifting about him, and he sucked in a lungful of air.

"GET DOWN!" shouted out another familiar voice, and Claire moved, knocking him off balance and he stumbled, nearly knocking them to the ground as a grunt of pain and the sounds of something heavy clashed into each other behind him. He twisted about so that he didn't accidentally fall on Claire, covering her head as best as he could as he held her to his chest and slid on the slippery snow, his body was cold and he could feel himself bruising as he hit the hard snow and he closed his eyes as his mind waited for them to be impaled at any second.

But nothing like that happened. Though he could hear the grunts of pain and the movement of heavy bodies fighting, nothing ever came close to them. He felt Claire shivering in his arms as she squirmed, as if trying to get up to fight as well, but he held her tightly to his chest, keeping her down. He didn't know what was going on, but whoever was fighting Ran'jit was on their side and he had to stop Claire from rushing into a fight that she couldn't win at the moment. But as she struggled in his arms, he finally opened up his eyes to see what was happening when he heard something fall with a dull thud on the ground. Blinking snow out of his vision, he looked up to see a very battered-looking Thancred, whose coat was torn and splattered with blood standing there while Ran'jit beneath him on the ground. Alphinaud slowly raised himself up to get a good look at the General who did nothing but torment him since they first met and was shocked at his condition here at the end.

The man's armor was crumbling away in places while Claire's sword was sticking out of his shoulder—where she had been able to fight him off just a few moments ago—whereas his aged face was bloody and cut up with many small scratches from his Carbuncle… but more than anything else was the single gash across his chest where Thancred had pulled out his gunblade—who also looked like he was having trouble standing up. It seemed that Ran'jit had done Thancred no small amount of harm before he rushed in after them in the dungeon, but he was up on his feet at the very least.

Even still, as the light was quickly fading from Ran'jit's eyes, he was still clearly aware of what was going on as he glared up at Thancred before he spat out, "You would cause her more suffering? I would have spared her that."

"You can't dictate her life forever!" Thancred snarled, having to force the tip of his gunblade into the ground so as to steady him and help him stay on his feet. "You won't be able to go near either of them again. I'll die before I see your master use Ryne."

Alphinaud was sitting up with Claire was still in his arms, tucking her coat around her as she shivered worse than ever. But as he helped her to stand, Ran'jit spat out the final words, "You… can't protect your daughter from Lord Vauthry forever."

With those words, the aged, feared General of Eulmore drew his final breath before his entire body seized up… and became limp.

Alphinaud stared at the scene, looking around with a numbness that had nothing to do with the snow, before he was able to piece together what was going on. He looked around to see the guards lying either dead or unconscious around them, all while Thancred had to limp over to the wall of the castle, trying to hold himself up even as he spat out a mouthful of blood. Despite this, he still glared down at Ran'jit's still form—hatred clear on his face—as Alphinaud stared at him, breathing hard.

Thancred glanced over at the two of them before sighing and rubbing the back of his neck with an anxious expression before finally stating, "I guess we still have more to confess. But that can wait. We must go now."

"B-But…?" Alphinaud croaked, his mind still in turmoil over such shocking news but Thancred wasn't having it.

"We have what we came for," he reminded him, "Help her and let us quit this place. We make for Sharlayan. You shall hear all from me later on… assuming we make it that far."

Then, with pain in his pain, he limped away from them and headed away from here as fast as he was able to move, forcing Alphinaud to recognize that now wasn't the time or place for such questions and nodded in determination. He pulled Claire up into his arms once more, her head rolling onto his chest, just under his chin, causing him to realize that she had blacked out. He looked fondly down at her for a moment before he followed Thancred while leaving Ran'jit's body behind.

(She's safe! They got her out and now they have to make a mad dash to escape from Eulmore but with Vauthry's greatest ally now dead, what could be left to stop them? I do want to apologize for taking so long to get this chapter up. Unfortunately, I ended up with an injury at work and smashed up my hand pretty bad so writing has been all but impossible for the last week or so. I am doing better but getting anything done has been difficult. I do hope that you all enjoyed the chapter despite how short it was, and are looking forward for what's coming next.)