"Mike, we really need to talk about my request for a ball. I'm so bored here!" Raeyla called out as the guard rounded the corner of the dungeon hallway.
"The answer was no the first time, and it's still no the hundredth?" Mike, the guard, replied, his voice laced with irritation.
"I was hoping I'd wear you down eventually. I really am bored, you know." The brunette replied back, leaning against the bars of her cell. She noticed the shuffling sounds coming from Erik's cell beside hers.
"You're servin' a life sentence, I don't care if you're bored, thief." He spat back, stopping just far enough from her cell that she couldn't grab him.
"If I don't get a ball I'll just have to break more stuff, Mike." she replied with a singsong tone in her voice. She couldn't see his face, but she knew she was getting under his skin.
"There's nothin' left in there to break, and for the last time, my name isn't Mike." he said, turning to walk away. Raeyla panicked and threw her hands up from the bars, her voice rising in mock outrage. "Well what else am I supposed to call you if you don't tell me your name, Mike!?"
"Can you just give her the damn ball already? I'm trying to sleep here." Erik groaned from the cell to her left.
The guard walked further down the hall to peer into Erik's cell. He stood in Raeyla's peripheral vision for a moment before responding, "How the hell can you sleep with her yelling like that?"
Erik's voice softened, "You get used to it."
The guard, having given up on speaking with either prisoner, turned and walked back up the path out of the dungeon, his steps quicker and more annoyed. When Raeyla saw his shadow vanish behind the corner, she tapped twice on the bar - the signal they had come up with for when it was safe to talk.
As soon as she gave the signal, she heard the bricks they had loosened over the past year shift, and she turned. Erik was waiting, his blue hair tousled but a smile clear on his face.
"The wall leads to the sewers under the city." Erik confirmed, excitement evident in his voice. It had taken him nearly a year to dig through the dirt under his cell, with Raeyla acting as the lookout due to her vantage point. Yesterday, the 19-year-old had reached a stone wall, sending a surge of excitement between them. He hadn't been able to loosen the wall in time for the guards' patrols, so he decided to try again today.
"So, today?" Raeyla asked quietly, trying to control her excitement to keep her voice low.
Erik nodded quickly, "Today, at the next meal time."
Raeyla knew what it meant - they would move soon. She nodded in response, and Erik replaced the bricks back in their place. She then leaned against the wall and slid down to the floor, waiting a little impatiently.
After some time, amongst the dripping water from the ceiling, came the sound of several metallic boots. Guards were coming, and more than one. Raeyla stood up quickly and looked down the hall to see the walls illuminated by torches.
She glanced over to see Erik had remained far back in his cell. Their plan would have to wait; dealing with multiple guards at once was not possible.
Eventually, Raeyla saw none other than the champion of Heliodor himself appear down the hall, followed by four guards with someone in the middle. He looked the same as he had a year ago, his black armor with gold trim contrasting against his bright purple hair.
As the group walked past her cell, Raeyla could finally see the person behind Hendrik. He was a young man about her age, with brown chin-length hair styled in a bob. He wore a long sleeveless brown and purple tunic over a black shirt, brown pants, and tan leather boots that reached his calves. Two belts completed his outfit - one around his waist and a larger one across his right shoulder. The boy turned to meet her eyes as he passed, his blue eyes locking with hers briefly before one of the guards behind him shoved him forward toward Hendrik.
The boy stumbled into Hendrik's hand, who quickly pushed him further into the cell across from Erik's before closing the cell door shut tight.
"You claim to hail from Cobblestone? Well, before the sun has set three times, we shall know the truth. By then, Jasper will have returned from his… investigation." Hendrik's voice boomed through the dungeon. Investigation? Hendrik's words piqued her curiosity. A tinge of worry crossed her mind; their escape plan was now at risk. If he saw them escaping, he may expect them to take him along in exchange for not alerting the guards.
"If I were you, Darkspawn, I would not expect to live beyond that day…" Hendrik added, turning with his guards and storming down the hall, not sparing a glance at Raeyla or Erik.
When the coast was clear, Raeyla leaned her arms outside the cell and looked over to their new neighbor. He looked down the hall and turned around anxiously, clearly upset by his new surroundings. As he turned, Raeyla caught a glimpse of a strange symbol on his hand. It resembled a spearhead, with the tip looking like a diamond. Around the bottom edges of the spearhead was an upward curved crescent moon, with sharp points extending from the bottom in five points.
Seeing the symbol made her head ache slightly, and she saw a flash of Yggdrasil cross her mind. She was reminded of when she woke up at that inn with Derk and Erik, how she had told them she made a promise to the world tree but couldn't remember what, and how she had stared at the tree on their journey to warmer climates.
It was a strange time to recall the memory, but shook it off at the sound of something smashing across the hall. Their new neighbor was breaking everything he could get his hands on.
Erik, who was beginning to have enough of the noise, shouted, "Get a grip! Making a racket isn't going to help you any." His voice got the boy's attention and drew him back toward the gate, where he shook violently, trying to pry it open. Raeyla fought a small laugh, remembering the noise she had purposely made when she first arrived, before Erik spoke again. "Will you keep it down in there? Most folks they throw in here have the decency to wait a while before going stir-crazy."
He looked over toward Erik, but curiosity caused Raeyla to speak up first. "What are you in for anyway? Most people don't come down here unless they've done something pretty bad."
His eyes shifted to her before he spoke, "I was told by my mother that I was the Luminary, and that I had to see the king right away to fulfill my destiny, but when I got here he called me the Darkspawn and threw me down here."
The words surprised her partner, who shifted in his cell at the information. "Wait - did you say 'the Luminary'? You're serious?"
"What's a Luminary?" The girl asked. The newbie looked at her for a moment before opening his mouth to speak. Before he could explain, however, the clanking of a guard's armor interrupted him.
A guard walked down the hall with two wooden bowls of food for them. Raeyla heard two taps on the bars of Erik's cell and she looked down the hall. After confirming there was only one guard approaching, she responded to him with two taps of her own before casually leaning on the bars of her cell.
The guard walked up to her cell and looked at her, "One plate of delicious gruel for the lady and gentleman in the dungeon suites! Come and get it!"
He knelt down and slid the wooden bowl under the bars before standing to turn and walk toward Erik's cell. As soon as the guard turned his back on her, Raeyla acted quickly, grabbing the edges of the guard's cape and yanking it back. The guard stumbled back and fell against the bars, bringing up his hands to try and free himself from her grip.
The brunette girl kept her hold strong and waited until he stopped struggling before letting go. The guard slumped to the ground, and she quickly grabbed the keys off of his hip, unlocking her cell. She ran out into the hall and unlocked Erik's cell next. He immediately joined her in returning to her cell so they could drag the unconscious guard inside. The cyan-haired thief grabbed the guard's sword from his hip before exiting the cell with Raeyla and closing the door.
Erik turned to look at their new neighbor before walking toward his cell. Under normal circumstances, Raeyla would have watched what unfolded, but instead, she sprung into action and carried out the second phase of her part of the plan. She rushed forward as quietly as possible toward the guards' room, finding only one guard was currently sitting down at the table with his back facing her. She inched forward and lifted his sword, which was leaning against the wall. When she was satisfied with how close she was, she stood and held the sword back, ready to swing.
"Sleepy time Mike." she said, causing the guard dubbed as 'Mike' to turn quickly in her direction, only for her to quickly swing the broad side of the sword into his iron helmet, knocking him out like the previous guard. With the targets taken care of, she searched the room until she found both her and Erik's belongings. Next to their bags stood an iron sword and a cloth bag, which she assumed belonged to their neighbor. She grabbed those as well and quickly made her way back toward Erik's cell.
"There she is. Come on, newbie, we'd better get out of here." Erik noticed Raeyla approaching and moved back toward his cell, the brunette male following behind him. He stopped to look at the unconscious guard in her cell when Erik noticed. "Don't worry, we didn't kill him. But he won't be waking up any time soon…"
Raeyla approached the boys and handed the sword toward the newcomer. "Here, this is yours right? I found it in the guard's room. Along with this bag." His eyes flashed with recognition, confirming her assumption. He muttered a soft "Thanks." before she turned to Erik and returned his belongings, securing her own bag and bow on her back.
She opened her bag and saw that the two books remained - the star chart from her past and the blue tome they found in the cave a year ago. With them safely back in her possession, she took a moment to appreciate having her bow back, noticing Erik's satisfaction at having his daggers returned. "I got these little beauties back, so now I'm pretty much unstoppable."
The two partners shared a smile and a high-five before moving to Erik's cell to push the bed against the wall. Underneath the bed sat the hole that Erik worked hard on for the last year. The unknown male approached the two and looked over their shoulders as Erik turned to him. "I spent ages digging this hole, and you just happen to show up the day I finish it. Heck of a coincidence. Come on, let's go guys."
Erik jumped in first, followed by their new companion, and finally Raeyla. They all crawled through the tunnel quickly until Erik reached the brick wall. "Give me some space." he said back to the two following him. They shuffled back a bit as he turned and pressed his feet against the wall, kicking it until several bricks fell with a thud, allowing a soft, low light to fill the space. Erik dropped down out of view, followed by the newbie, making room for Raeyla to follow. She reached the hole and looked down to make sure the coast was clear.
The newcomer stood further away, looking down into the dark sewer, but Erik was standing below the hole, looking up at Raeyla with his arms spread out, signaling for her to drop down. She swung her legs around to the front and pushed herself out of the hole, dropping down into the sewers. Before she could fully hit the ground, she felt Erik's arms grab ahold of her sides, lessening the impact and helping her steady herself. They exchanged a small look before Raeyla spoke up. "Where to now?"
"We're under the city, there's bound to be an exit somewhere. Let's have a look around." Erik said, scanning the dark sewers before turning to the unknown male. "The names Erik, by the way." he introduced himself. Raeyla spoke up next, "Mine's Raeyla."
"I'm Halden, Thanks for helping me out." Halden said, earning a small nod from Erik. "Alright Halden. Well, Raeyla is our ranged specialist, and your sword has more reach than my daggers. We might run into some trouble down here, so why don't you lead the way and we'll back you up." Halden nodded and turned to walk down the path.
The sewers were dark, damp and emitted a smell that, while expected, burned in Raeyla's nose. The expansive network consisted of two large stone pathways separated by a waterway, each connected by stone bridges at regular intervals. As they crossed another bridge, Raeyla heard the clank of iron boots from behind her. "There they are! You lot! Over here!"
The group turned to find one of Heliodor's soldiers standing behind them, wielding a torch and sword. At the sound of the alarm, two more soldiers appeared, rushing up behind him. Erik reacted swiftly, reaching for Raeyla, "Dammit! We better make ourselves scarce."
The guards' armor slowed them down, making it easy to outrun them. Just before losing sight of the soldiers behind a corner, Raeyla heard one yell, "Hey! Get back here!"
Halden led the way across the stone bridge, with Erik and Raeyla close behind. But as they reached the halfway point, they were ambushed by two soldiers. Raeyla turned and saw the original three guards blocking their exit. "Erik." she muttered, catching his attention. He growled slightly, "These guys don't give up do they?"
The soldiers advanced onto the bridge, gradually cornering the three escapees. Suddenly, the stone beneath their feet began to shift. The weight of the guards made the bridge unstable, on the verge of collapse. Raeyla looked down at the moving stone, "Seriously!?" she shouted, unable to understand the series of events unfolding.
With one more step from the guards, the bridge gave way, sending everyone plummeting into the water below. Raeyla tried to reach out for her friends but found they were too far away. Gripping her bow tightly around her shoulder, she braced herself for the impact as she crashed into the water.
Raeyla hit the water hard, the impact knocking the wind out of her. Panic rose in her chest as she fought to keep her mouth shut, desperate to avoid inhaling water into her already burning lungs. Kicking her legs and pushing upward, she battled against the strong current, trying to reach the surface. When she finally broke through, she gasped for air before being pulled under once more, followed by a second sensation of falling.
Emerging again, she found the current had weakened significantly. She discovered herself in a vast cave, surrounded by stalagmites. Twisting in the water, she scanned the surroundings and spotted a familiar green tunic on a rocky bank in the distance. He appeared to be unconscious, so Raeyla swam toward him with urgency.
Reaching the bank, she leaned down and shook her partner's shoulder. "Erik!" He groaned in response, snapping back into consciousness. Pushing himself into a kneeling position, he scanned the cave before his gaze settled on Raeyla. "Rae, you OK?"
"Yeah." she replied quickly, then turned to Halden, lying nearby and also unconscious. "Halden, are you ok?" She reached out to shake his shoulder, and was met with a flash of images. Halden and Raeyla stood beneath Yggdrasil with Erik and other unfamiliar figures. A golden orb, surrounded by vines in a forest clearing. And a young girl with long cyan-colored hair and matching eyes.
As in the cave a year ago, the images vanished as quickly as they came, leaving Raeyla bewildered. Unlike last time, these visions were from different points in time. "Rae?" Erik's voice broke through her thoughts, and she locked eyes with him to see that he had noticed what happened, but then her eyes flickered over to Halden to see that he too was now awake.
The brunette girl stood up and dusted off her tunic before looking at Erik, "I'm OK.", he looked at her for a moment, nodded, then stood, peering further into the cave. "Well, that looks like a way out. Maybe our luck's about to change. Let's go." Erik began moving deeper into the cave, with Raeyla following closely. Glancing back, she saw Halden silently trailing behind.
As they walked, Raeyla thought about her visions. While they all confused her, the first memory stood out the most. It felt familiar and indicated that she and Erik needed to travel with Halden to Yggdrasil. She didn't understand why, but thought that it had something to do with this 'Luminary' business and so made a mental note to discuss it with Erik after they escaped the caves. As she continued to wonder what a 'Luminary' was, a noise in the darkness of the cave caught her attention, and then she felt a hand grabbing her wrist.
"Wait. There's something there…" Erik's voice whispered, making Halden halt in place.
More movement could be heard, and the group instantly knew that whatever it was, it was big. In the darkness of the cave, they strained their eyes to see what was before them, only to find a giant dragon standing in their path.
Its massive tail swung just above their heads, striking the stone wall beside them and causing rocks to fall from the ceiling. "Run!" Raeyla shouted, dodging the falling stones. She turned back and saw Halden about to be eaten by the dragon, only to be shoved out of the way by Erik just in time. She took this as her cue to keep moving forward and find a way out.
She heard Erik shout in the darkness, "If we stand and fight, we're dead! Let's get out of here! Rae, where are you!?"
"Over here! Follow my voice!" she shouted back, hearing footsteps behind her and causing her to turn and run ahead. They weaved through a long tunnel with rocks falling around them from the dragon's stomping until a small opening in the rock came into view. "Over here!" She called quickly, ducking through the hole and moving aside for the boys to squeeze through. Halden ran to her side, nearly bumping into her, while Erik hugged the wall on the other side of the opening. After a few moments, the dragon's growls and stomps receded, and the group moved away from the walls.
"Has it gone?" Erik asked.
"Seems so." Halden responded.
"That was way too close, what's the thing doing under the castle anyway?" Erik muttered, shaking his head. Raeyla opened her mouth to respond, but the stomps of the dragon returned. They exchanged a quick look before sprinting down the tunnel again.
Halfway through the tunnel, they heard a vicious roar followed by a bright light. Raeyla glanced back past Halden to see fire rushing toward them. Halden, seeing the same, shouted, "RUN!"
They saw an opening in the distance, and as each person cleared the tunnel, they dodged to the right, escaping the stream of fire that burst through, its heat scorching their faces and limbs.
"We made it…" Raeyla spoke in between heavy breathing.
"Just. I don't know how much more of this I can take.." Erik responded as he gasped for breath along with the others. Halden glanced at the thieves before looking up at something behind them. Raeyla turned to see the group of soldiers from earlier, now blocking the pathway of the sewers and looking directly at them.
"The Darkspawn!" one soldier shouted, pointing at the group and commanding the rest to follow him.
The girl groaned loudly as she stood, looking back behind her to see a path. She was really beginning to dislike running. "Move - now!" Erik shouted, prompting Raeyla to lead the boys through the sewers.
After another series of winding turns, they saw a light at the end of the tunnels, signaling a way out. Raeyla's speed picked up at the thought of seeing the outside again, but her hopes were dashed when she saw that they sat at the top of a cliff.
"Looks like our luck finally ran out." Erik said from behind her. Raeyla began to look around the edges of the cliff and saw they were too high to survive a jump from the side she was on. As she moved to the other side, she noticed a waterfall and a river down below. Halden's voice spoke up, "What do we do now?" as the sound of metal could be heard behind them. "We got ya now."
The brunette female made her way back to the group as Erik looked at both of them, "If they catch us, we're dead meat."
The soldiers unsheathed their swords and slowly advanced. Raeyla looked back toward the waterfall but heard Erik speak, "Let's do this. I believe in you. I believe in the Luminary… I don't have much choice."
Halden responded with a hesitant, "Alright" before they both turned to face the cliff, signaling their plan to jump to the ground below. Raeyla, having seen what happened, looked at the pair incredulously. She didn't understand what Erik meant by believing in this 'Luminary', but if it meant blindly jumping off of a cliff on the word of a guy she just met, she wasn't doing it. Instead, she looked back to the right of the cliff at the waterfall. She walked back behind the boys and got Erik's attention. "Rae, we gotta go this way."
"Yeah, absolutely not." She replied and sprinted her way to the edge before leaping down into the river below.