12.

Florian felt a slight warmth as he woke up. He had been laying on a stone table of sorts. He had been shirtless, the Rixa amulet hung cooly against his chest. Green leaf-like objects had been wrapped around certain parts of his arms. He noticed that this was where the warmth emanated from. He had been in a small stone room that had been dimly lit by a torch. He had not been alone, there had been an older woman alongside him. She had been bald with black symbols on her head. When she realised that he woke up, she began yelling in a different language. A few moments later a larger man entered the room. He had been bald as well. He lifted Florian easily and carried him over his shoulder. Florian tried to fight back but quickly learned that he had not been strong enough. The larger man carried him through stone corridors. Eventually, they reached a stop in front of a large wooden door. The man opened the doors slowly. Beyond the doors was a wide stone platform that stood before a large opening. The opening had revealed three cages dangling over nothingness. The large man placed him down on the ground. Florian heard the man chant. Mist gathered at the man's fingertips and swirled around his forearms. The man held his mist-covered arm forwards. The mist stretched and collided with one of the cages. The man retracted his arm as if he had been pulling on an object. The cage got yanked towards them. The man opened the cage carefully observing the figures within them. Now that the cage had been moved closer, Florian saw Ashe and Thorin sat in it. They had not attempted to escape. The man grabbed Florian and tossed him violently into the cage. "You could be a little bit more careful, he is injured. Asshole." Thorin yelled. The man closed the cage. The mists pushed them back, once again dangling over nothing.

"I am glad you are okay," Ashe said.

"There was a lady that healed me," Florian explained. His arms were numb. "Why didn't you attempt to escape?"

Thorin pointed at the cage adjacent to them. Florian finally noticed Alaric.

"They took our weapons and we don't know how many of them there are. Fighting now will be foolish." Alaric explained.

Florian smiled. "It is nice to have you back."

"Can you explain why we are here?" Thorin asked.

Alaric shook his head. "You shouldn't have come here."

Thorin scoffed at Alaric. "Are you going to keep saying that?"

Alaric nodded. "Tomorrow, they are going to execute me. I will do my best to make sure that you three get to leave safely."

"What nonsense are you spewing? We all are going to leave together." Ashe said.

Alaric remained quiet.

Florian piped up. "What about that promise you asked of us? We will help you when you need saving."

"It seems that will not be necessary anymore." Alaric smiled.

"I did not come here just to see you die and leave. I was told that I could learn from you but it just seems that you are a selfish prick."

Alaric laughed. "I guess that is true."

The quartet could not sleep that night. They watched the platform as light began to flood slowly into their senses.

Ashe sat with her face tugged into her knees. She had still been puzzled about the revelations of the Scaev. Now she had more things to worry about. How would she save her brother from certain death? Ashe thought and thought, to no avail. Every method she could come up with ended in a full-on battle in which they would probably lose. Then she thought about Alaric. In many ways, they had been opposites. He had always been quiet and broody while she had been loud and carefree. He rarely laughed and she spent hours trying to make him. He had always stood up for her when she did something wrong but then turned around and lectured her behind Priest Able's back. But above all, he had been her older brother, one that despite everything. she will standby until the end. She then remembered one key aspect of Alaric.

He is smart, he has a plan. He won't leave us. Her thoughts of encouragement made her worry less. She glanced at him. He sat quietly with his eyes closed. Definitely has a plan.

After what felt like hours, there had finally been movement on the platform. An incredibly old man entered first and stood at the edge of the platform. He was followed by dozens of people that filled out the platform. The old man analysed her as well as the other two in the cage.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

"Son of Jerial, I have seen that your friends have come to witness your death." The old man said. Jerial, who is that?

"N'gata, would you humour me with a request?" Alaric said. Ashe watched his expression. He hadn't shown anything, for a man about to be executed he had been very calm.

The old man who she assumed had been named N'gata laughed.

"A request? There is nothing we have to give to you." N'gata said.

"Then how about you do your job and protect history," Alaric answered.

N'gata scowled. "What do you mean by that?"

"I have brought your great-grandson back to you, alas he has been doing incredibly bad deeds. He cursed innocent people, women and children who had no intention of invading your land."

N'gata spat at his great-grandson. "What are you suggesting, Son of Jerial?"

"The Nitio has to protect history and it has almost been exposed by one of your kind. Luckily, I put a stop to it. And all I wish is that you let my friends go safely and curseless."

N'gata thought about it for a while. "What relations do they have with Jerial?"

"None, they do not even know who he is. I pose the biggest threat, kill me but let them go."

N'gata looked towards another Nitio woman. She nodded before speaking. N'gata nodded and looked at Alaric.

"It seems you are telling the truth. You are correct the Nitio cannot escape judgement for our wrongdoings. The Great Heinzidal wouldn't allow us to." "Fine, I agree to your terms." N'gata motioned to a few Nitio men. They then used the same mist technique and dragged Ashe's cage towards the platform. They opened the cage and mists swirled around Ashe's body. Her arms had been tight against her body as the mists restrained her. The men led her as well as Florian and Thorin, who both had been restrained, onto the platform. A man stood behind them. Most probably the one who casted. They were turned to watch the other cages. The bald man had laid within his cage, he looked on as if he had been carefree. From this side of the platform, Ashe could see that the platform had a second level high above. A man stood on the second level with a large hammer. The second level stood before three large metal spikes.

"Any last words, Son of Jerial?" N'gata asked.

Alaric looked at Thorin, then at Florian and finally at Ashe. He softly smiled. "Don't be mad at me."

A loud clang could be heard as Alaric's cage jerked violently. Ashe looked up and saw the man hammering away at a large spike. Florian and Thorin had been yelling. Ashe could only watch, tears had already begun to invade her eyes. She had never seen Alaric with such a soft expression. He does not have a plan. She cried as the last clang rang out. She watched as his wooden cage plummeted and disappeared into the mists.

She sniffled as she walked through the stone corridors. A large man had been guiding them through the stone maze that was Versus. Finally, they reached a large stone staircase. The trio had been silent. Ashe noticed Florian had dry tears on his face matching hers. He had still been shirtless. His Rixa amulet swung side to side as he walked. Thorin had been uncharacteristically quiet.

"He let them down," Thorin whispered.

Ashe didn't ask who she was talking about.

"Nezzagwyn...my grandmother. They all put our hopes in him." She continued.

"They're not the only ones. The people of...Diable...protected him against the casters. All...for nothing." Florian added.

Don't speak ill of him. He did this for us.

"Believe in him," Ashe said. "He sacrificed himself so that we can live. He lives through us now."

Florian shook his head. "He abandoned us. Then dies protecting us. I always thought he was smart but it turns out he is a fool."

Ashe scoffed at Florian. "He is your brother, how can you say things like that."

"If he really was our brother he wouldn't have kept secrets from us. Who in Heinzidal's name is Jerial?"

"Jerial..." Thorin whispered.

"Do you recognize the name?" Ashe asked.

"Only slightly. My grandmother and father mentioned it before. Jerial the Merciless was the Great Lord of Adhu Aqua before Great Lord Ivo." Thorin explained.

"Alaric...mentioned that Adhu Aqua was his home," Florian said.

"That means he is the son of the previous Great Lord," Ashe said.

"No-no-no impossible, there is no way. I refuse to believe that he was someone as important as that." Thorin said.

"What happened to Great Lord Jerial?" Ashe asked.

Thorin thought for a bit. "My grandma said that he got poisoned and died, however, she also stated that she did not truly believe that."

"Maybe that is why Miss Thea said that visiting Adhu Aqua will only bring Alaric sadness," Florian said.

They had finally reached the bottom of the staircase. The man led them out into the mists. Mist surrounded them. The man ahead yelled something, she couldn't understand. They followed him regardless. She wondered how this man knew how to traverse through the mists. After a few minutes, the man ahead of them suddenly held his hands to his head and began screaming. The mists that restrained them swiftly dissipated.

"What is happening?" Ashe asked.

"No clue but we have to get out of here before we suffer a similar fate," Thorin said.

"And how do we know which direction we should go?" Florian asked.

"We just run straight, I am certain we will find something," Thorin answered.

"Let's not run, remember the abyss as we got here?" Ashe said.

"Good point."

"We could use one of Alaric's plans right now," Florian said.

They briskly walked forward.