Avaria took a shaky breath as she rose upwards. The metal footsteps drew even closer as she considered her options. She couldn’t run, he proved that to her before. All she could do now was pray he would be merciful. Haureulman rounded the corner, his poleaxe resting on his shoulder. He looked up at her, both his eyes blazing. “You’re so predictable.”

She stood firm, keeping her gaze locked with his. “You used her as bait.”

“Yes, it was a pain to handle, she stabbed me in the eye.”

Avaria shook her head, gripping her hands so they wouldn’t shake, but she wasn’t able to stop her voice from quavering. “How did you find her?”

“I didn’t, Tylocke did.” She shuddered at the name. Haureulman stepped forwards, holding his hand out. “If you come along, you won’t get hurt.”

Avaria stepped back, holding onto her arm. “I know what you’re planning, I can’t allow it.” He let out a low grunt and retracted his hand. “Fine, if you don’t come, I’ll make sure the girl actually dies this time.”

Avaria let her gaze fall downwards. He definitely wasn’t bluffing that he would kill Lianne, but she couldn’t go with him. She needed to find a way to get out of this and protect her. “Please Haureulman, think of the people who’ve been killed.”

“I have.”

“Do you want more suffering?”

Hauruelman paused, glancing away.

“This is necessary.”

“How? So many have died and killing more won’t bring any good.”

He growled at her, his grip tightening on his poleaxe. “The ones in the city deserve to die.”

“But these people-”

“Necessary sacrifices.”

Avaria fought to keep her voice stable. “How many are necessary?”

“... That’ll be answered once it’s done.”

He swung his poleaxe off his shoulder and let the axe bury itself in the wood floor. Avaria shook her head and stepped backwards. “This isn’t right.”

“It will be.”

“Please Haureulman, don’t do this.”

He eyed her and growled. “You can’t say anything, what do you know?”

Avaria’s eyes widened for a moment; he was right. “I… you’re telling me these people deserve this?”

“These people lived off of the suffering of others.”

“And you aren’t?”

He stopped talking, staring at her through his visor. Avaria gestured to a corpse near her, a sword stuck in it’s chest. “You’re sacrificing these people for your own gain, how is that better?”

He pulled his axe from the ground, lowering his voice as he approached her. “When I’m done, there won’t be a victory, no celebration. Just freedom for everyone but me.”

Avaria kept walking backwards away from him. “But the people you’ve killed won’t have that either.”

“That doesn’t matter.”

Avaria’s breath caught in her mouth as her back hit the wall. She quickly looked around as Haureulman drew close to her. He slammed his hand above her head, causing her to shudder.

“No more stalling.”

She quickly ducked under his arm and scrambled around the corner. She was grabbed from behind before she could even run down the hallway. Hauruelman yanked her to the ground, winding her. Avaria sat upwards, crawling backwards away from him. He loomed over her, holding onto his poleaxe.

“No more running either.”

He flipped the hammer side down and reared it above his head. Avaria screamed in pain as it slammed into her knee. The crunch of bone echoed through the air as agony burned through her leg. She cried out as she shut her eyes, tears rolling out of them. Haureulman kneeled down over her, moving his helmet close to her face.

“I’ll let you know something, I envy you. You’ve gotten two chances at life now. If I could forget everything and start anew, I would as well. You’re lucky I’m not the spiteful type.” He stood back up, weighing his poleaxe in both hands. “If you want to keep your other leg intact, I suggest you don’t try that again.”

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Avaria gasped and squirmed on the floor, her hands quivering. It hurt so much, and every little movement just made the pain worse. It was already healing, but it was still agonizing. Hauruelman looked down at her as he leaned back on the wall. “You better hope Tylocke gets here soon, because I’ll break that again when it heals.”

Avaria curled her arms close to her body as sweat dripped down her forehead. She tried to push herself upwards but collapsed with a cry. Haureulman watched her as she struggled. “Stay still, it’ll hurt less.”

She turned to her side and looked down at her leg, seeing it was out of alignment. He was probably right, but she couldn’t let them take her, the consequences would be too drastic. Her erratic breathing filled the room as she lay still, her hands clutching onto her chest. Hopefully, Sirius got out safely with Lianne, he seemed capable enough. Avaria wished she didn’t have to burden him with a promise as large as that, but Lianne needed someone at her side. A faint smile emerged on her face as she thought about them; maybe he would be the person to help her, to finally save her from all of what she endured. It was wishful thinking, but it was all Avaria had to hold onto.

Haureulman grunted and stood up suddenly, scanning the area. He slowly readied his poleaxe and shifted his feet on the floor. “I know you’re there.”

He barely finished the sentence before a smoke bomb was thrown onto the floor. A sharp snap pierced the air as a white cloud erupted from the bombs shell, filling the room. Hauruelman growled and quickly turned his head. A figure rushed through, stabbing a sword into his arm. He grunted and yanked his arm free and swung. The figure dodged out of the way and stabbed a knife into his knee. He grunted and slashed backwards.

A flash of blue and green light emanated through the smoke cloud as the figure blinked away. Avaria coughed as the smoke filled her lungs, her mouth drying out from breathing it in. The blue light flashed again, right in front of Haureulman. A sword cut through the smoke again, going right up to Haureulman’s neck. He blocked the attack and swiped forwards but was evaded again. The figure walked backwards, holding his long curved blade up. Hauruelman positioned his poleaxe forwards.

“You.” His words trailed off as he swayed. He let out a grunt and stumbled to his knees. The figure quickly moved through the smoke, pulling Avaria over his shoulder. “We need to go, the poison won’t last long.”

Hauruelman let out a frustrated roar as he pulled the knife from his leg. Avaria stumbled along, holding onto the man who was now rescuing her. She tried to keep up to his pace, but dragged behind with her leg. He kept his grip on her arm firm and kept his sword ready in front of them. Avaria struggled to stay upright, biting back the cries of pain. She could endure a bit longer, she needed to.

They rushed out of the building as the man sheathed his sword, his green eyes darting around quickly. “Ready?”

“Yes.”

He nodded and pulled her close, focusing. A bright blue flash emitted from the sheath as Avaria closed her eyes. The light disappeared as the sound of dripping water echoed dully. She looked up, realising they were in the tunnels. Turning to the man, she spoke in a quiet voice.“Thank you.”

He set her down and narrowed his eyes at her. “What the hell were you thinking?” He stood up straight, speaking quickly and angrily. “I told you to stay there for a reason.”

Avaria sat back against the wall and shook her head. “Lianne’s here.”

“I know.”

She looked up, surprised. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“You know exactly why.” He scanned the area quickly, talking through grit teeth. “She’s not worth this.”

“She needs this.” Avaria struggled to reach up to him, wincing in pain. “I need to help her.”

He looked back down at her, his voice still low. “You don’t.” He took her hand and placed it down on the ground. “My priority is surviving, that should be yours as well.”

She cried out in pain as he put a hand onto her leg. He quickly made his touch more gentle, feeling the injury. “I’ll need to realign this, are you ready?”

Avaria nodded and braced herself. She cried out as he shoved the leg back into place, holding it still. She shuddered and forced herself to breathe. The pain was still there, but it felt better than before. Placing her hand on the man’s hand she spoke quietly. “I’m sorry.”

He slowly nodded and stood back up. “Just think before you act.”

“I sensed her, I had to go.”

He frowned and shook his head, his messy black hair falling over his eyebrows. “You didn’t-”

“I did.”

He sighed and placed his hand on his sword. “I won’t let her get in the way.”

Avaria shook her head. “You can’t kill her.”

“I will.”

“... I need to help her.”

He closed his eyes, tightening his hand on his sword. “You’ve helped her more than enough, this is on her.”

“It’s my fault she needs any of this, please Merrick, I need to do this.”

He looked her in the eyes as she continued.

“I know it’s selfish, but I still need to try.”

The silence weighed heavily in the air, the cramped and dark hallways closed off from the light. Merrick let out a short huff and wiped his brow. The stone walls felt cold as Avaria leaned back into them, feeling the ether flow through her body. Merrick took a look around before speaking. “Is it better?”

Avaria shifted her body, wincing at the pain in her leg. “It needs a bit more time to heal, but I should be able to move if you help me.”

Merrick gently helped Avaria to her feet, slowly starting a walk down the hallways. “You can rest once we’re somewhere safer.”

Avaria nodded and held onto Merrick’s arm, feeling the bandages that covered it. It was the same as always with him. She wished she could be less of a burden on him, to be there for him like he was there for her. She gripped tightly onto his hand, shaking her head. Maybe when this was all over she could return the favour to him, but that was a distant dream. Lianne needed help, even if she didn’t want it. No matter what, she was going to help her. No matter what.