Avira

The bitch came at her with a knife. What were they expecting her to do, lay down and die? Of course she was gonna fight back. It was so satisfying to dig her teeth into the bitches throat and rip it out. She couldn't help but feel like she knew her though. She had a familiar scent.

Not that she had much time to think about it. Guards quickly came and took her away, guiding her through the streets with a man-catcher and not even letting her dress. She was a hybrid, so she didn't mind the nudity, but marching her through the streets while blood dried on her and meeting the glares and catcalls of the townspeople... She was glad Hawke insisted on coming along to make sure nothing bad happened.

Hawke was left outside when they reached the jail, and the guard taunted her as they made their way downward. She was deep in, and had passed a lot of patrols already. The gates and doors were steel, and in good condition despite the heavy humidity. After verifying her status as a derelict, they led her to the lower cells. The smell filling her nostrils informed her that they were close to the sewers, Avira grimacing from the noxious odor. Unfortunately, her tied hands prevented her from plugging her nose.

They entered a narrow hall, the sound of running water echoing throughout. Avira noticed alcoves along the wall with circular metal grates covering holes. The glint of eyes dotted between the steel bars, other prisoners watching with interest.

“Third right is free,” a guard on standby called, seated at a small desk and thumbing through a book. Avira didn't expect these people to be literate.

“She's a feisty one, so treat her well,” her escort called, prompting the guard to look up. His eyes practically shot open as he saw Avira, naked as the day she was born.

“Public nudity?” he asked, approaching.

“Murder in a bathhouse. Tore a woman's throat out.”

“Oh.” The guard stopped approaching.

“She attacked first,” Avira grumbled.

“Shut the fuck up. Not like any humans are going to act as witnesses,” her escort scoffed, “come along.” He shoved her towards her cell. She felt the man-catcher release and pull back, a hole half filled with clear water in front of her. “And once your situation is clear, I'll be back to visit you.”

She felt his hand on her. That was the last straw. Avira spun and reared her head back, smashing it into her escort's face.

He yelped, stumbling back and grunting angrily. Planting his feet, he drove his fist into the wolf girl's stomach hard enough to knock the wind out of her. As she keeled over he punched her again on the side of her head, kicking her a few more times as she fell.

“Gonna... pay...” Avira wheezed out. Her escort just stared at her, mocking her with his gaze. “Kill you...”

“Go ahead then. The name's Benton. Look me up if you get out, I'll show you your place,” he said.

Avira strained to get up, her bruised muscles straining to lift her body. Once she tried to move her legs she noticed the water seeping out from the cell and enveloping them, the glutinous water dragging her towards the hole.

“Have fun now, half breed. I can't bear the stench down here any longer.” Benton turned to leave.

“Sorry,” whispered the guard remaining, “I'm sure you'll get out soon.”

She splashed in the water, which took a gelatinous form to catch her. The grate closed over her and a locking sound echoed before she was able to move. Standing, she found her footing on a smooth stone floor. The bindings on her hands were gone. A circular wall surrounded her, and the water went to her belly button. She noticed an outcropping just big enough to lay on, but made of the same hard stone as everything else. Water flowed down from openings near the top and drained from an opening in the side, metal bars covering it. The smell was especially bad here.

“Um, so the water's your toilet and drinking water. Any waste will drain quickly, just don't try to do both at the same time. You get two meals a day, but that's it,” The guard told her, “I'm Wayne.”

“Why do I care what your name is?” she spat. The only name she cared to remember right now was Benton, and that was so she could kill him.

“Ah, well I'm one of the only guards they put down here. They caught me giving scraps to slaves, so they stuck me here. I'm a half breed, like you. Half Driman, I mean.”

She glanced up, “... Alright.”

“Umm...” He was standing next to her grate, looking at her. “I like your muscles, by the way. Looks good.”

“Huh?” He was flirting with her now?

“Ah, sorry, I should get back to my station. Talk later.”

“Mhm.” She muttered, watching him leave. Weirdo.

Avira had no doubt that they intended to keep her holed up for a few days before doing anything. They probably weren't even trying to do a thorough investigation, easy as that would be. Hopefully Mareth or Hawke could spring her soon.

Avira spent the next day testing everything. The brick walls were too smooth to chip anything off, and they were lubricated to stop her from climbing or even leaning on the wall. The water flow never stopped, and there was no getting out through the drain. If she stood on the outcropping meant to be her bedding, she could peer out, but the bars were secure and the lock was too far away to tamper with. She tried to hang onto the bars, but they were also lubricated. They'd thought of everything.

Nothing to do but wait. She didn't have many options to stay active, just some squats and vertical push ups. The water flow added some challenge, at least. The food wasn't great either. It was simply dropped in the water, floating there. You had to catch it quickly before it got soggy or flowed away.

Avira took a bite of her latest meal. Bread. Felt like she was biting into a rock. She needed some meat. “Ugh...” she muttered.

“Not to your liking?” asked Wayne. This was his shift. He was the only guard here who wanted to actually talk. “Sorry, but they don't allow anything else.”

“I just need some meat,” Avira muttered, “I can't live off stale bread.”

Wayne sighed, “well.. I suppose I can do you a quick favor. Hold on.” He walked away.

“Can't do anything else.” She rolled her eyes.

“Right, sorry,” Wayne said, walking back. “Here, catch.” He dropped something that splashed into the water.

Avira picked it up and grinned. Meat. Small, but delicious. “Thank you.” She told him after devouring it.

“No problem,” Wayne replied, “sorry I can't do more.”

“Why are you so nice anyways? I get we're in a similar situation, but I'm a hybrid.”

“Ah. I don't know really. I might be sick of this job, or I could be rebelling against the system. Do I need a reason, really?”

“Suppose not. Still, thanks,” she said, “not often in Drima you get such kindness. At least that I've heard.”

“I think it's a shame how we run our nation, honestly. Though don't tell anyone I said that. We destroyed a lot of nations at the cost of our isolation. Sure, we're wealthy, but is that going to last? We're drawing the ire of the Immortals. Not to mention the Patron of Water.”

“Not to mention all the animals that used to live here,” Avira quipped in, “I've heard a lot of stories of fantastical creatures I'll never get to see. Hybrid tribes too.”

Wayne sighed. “It's a shame. And I doubt there's much to be done about it peacefully. I've seen streets flooded over protests of our policies. Then followed by actual flooding just to quell it.”

“Human society...” She spit. “It's quite annoying.”

“Heh, well I couldn't say anything about that, I've only ever lived in Drima. But I should get back to my station before someone checks on me.”

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

“Right. See you,” Avira said.

“Aye. Maybe next time you can teach me your workout routine.”

“I... suppose so?” She raised an eyebrow.

It was hard to track the time in this place. All Avira knew is that Wayne left at some point, replaced with a much more quiet person who just seemed interested in staring at her silently. The wolf girl was getting stir crazy. The smell was getting to her, and she was pruning up. Avira hadn't gotten any meat aside from that scrap either. She just wanted to kill something right now. At least her anxiety was tempered by her smoldering anger.

The guard was leaving. Another shift change. Avira could smell Wayne over the sewage. His scent was that of cooking herbs. She listened to him walk over and settle in his chair. She sighed. Not that he enjoyed his company or anything, but having someone to talk to was nice. She wondered when he'd come over.

Avira had her eyes closed and was curled up on her outcropping when she heard a splash. The hybrid didn't see anything atop the water when she opened her eyes. Wayne wasn't there either. Something glimmered as it sank into the water, Avira grabbing it before it was flushed down the drain. In her hand was a metal ring with keys.

Her heart skipped a beat. This was her ticket out. She stood up and got on her toes to peek over to Wayne, who was eating and faced away. If there was any time to act, it was now. Avira jumped over, hooking her arms around the bars so she wouldn't slip easily. It was quite the ordeal to sort the keys out, get it in the right orientation, push it into the lock, and turn it. She heard the telltale click of the lock undoing and sighed with relief, swinging back to the platform. With a grunt, and stretching her short body quite a bit, the hybrid lifted the grate and swung it on its hinges. The metal bars slammed open against the ground. She climbed out with a grunt and charged Wayne before he could stand.

Avira knocked him off his chair with a flying kick, then scrambled back up and shouted, “stay down!”

Wayne had his hands up, not wanting to fight. “Alright!” A scared and surprised expression painted his face. “How'd you get out?!”

Avira searched him silently, taking his sword and a dagger from his belt. She tossed the sword away and felt the dagger. Very dull. “You ever sharpen this?”

“I, uh, just use it to cut fruit.”

She rolled her eyes. “I'm breaking out of here. I assume the front door is out. Where can I get into the sewers?”

“I wouldn't recommend trying. They can and will flood the place to kill you.”

“Then I'll sneak.” She toyed with the dagger in her hand. “They won't see me coming.”

Wayne sighed. “... fine. But I want you to do something before I help.”

“What's that?”

“Well, you need to knock me out. If they find me perfectly fine and piece together that I helped, they'll hang me. That, and uh, maybe look me up if you're in the city again?”

Avira sighed and rolled her eyes. “Alright, weirdo.”

“Hey!” A voice rose behind her. A bat hybrid was peeking out from his cell, a few others looking from their cells. “Couldn't help but overhear that. Think you could toss me the keys?”

Wayne got nervous at that. “I don't think that's a good idea. If you escape at the same time, you have a greater chance of getting caught and flooded. And if you hang onto them the cells will likely get searched if she escapes. Which means they'll find the keys and hang you.”

“... fair enough.” The bat shrugged.

Avira looked at him, and the other cells. She felt guilty for leaving these people here, but there was nothing she could do. “Sorry,” she said.

“It's fine. Just give them hell.” The bat dipped down and splashed back into his cell.

“Right, so the entrance to the sewers isn't far, and thankfully there's not too many patrols. Still, you'll need to pass by a few intersections and the hallways are narrow.” Wayne began to get up, stopping to make sure it was OK with Avira. She gave a nod, and he grunted and rose to his feet. He opened the drawer on the table he'd been sitting next to and set a piece of paper onto it.

Avira looked at it, finding it nigh impossible to decipher “What is this, a puzzle?”

“Uh, it's a map,” he told her, confused that she didn't get it, “I wanted to show you where the sewer entrance is. We're here, see.” He pointed to an outline.

“You want to go up these stairs, take a left, go straight past this intersection, a right, and then you're there. Just gotta unlock it and jump in. Simple enough. Just be quick and don't be seen.”

“Easy enough.” She grinned. “Let's get on with it then.”

Wayne nodded. “Ye— ”

Avira sucker punched him mid sentence, right in the temple. He went down instantly, crumbling on the floor. Avira rubbed her fist and slid the map onto the floor, to make it look as if it had been dropped instead of deliberately placed. She observed Wayne on the floor, making sure he was still breathing. Nice guy, but what a weirdo. “Wish me luck.” She glanced back to the cells behind her. She just heard a low volume of encouragement as she walked to the door, Wayne's dagger in hand.

There was nobody on the stairwell, thankfully. She'd tried to fight on stairs before, and it was not comfortable. Couldn't even do any of the usual grappling. At the top of the stairs was another doorway, steel with a small barred window to see outside. Her key unlocked it, and she waited in the stairway.

Avira didn't have to wait long. A lone guard passed by. She timed it just right, opening the door the moment he passed. The creaking made him turn around to meet Avira's eyes while she lunged at him. Her expression stunned him just long enough for the wolf girl to pull him in and sink the dagger into his throat. A pained, wet gasp came out of his body as he attempted to reach for his weapon. She grabbed his arm and neck, holding them both until the last ragged breath slipped out from his body. One down.

The dagger was too hard to remove, so she left it. Creeping down the hall, she followed Wayne's directions towards the sewer entrance. Her nose helped more than she thought. She could easily smell the waste from the sewers, though she suspected most people patrolling would as well. The sound of running water all around made it hard to use her ears though. Her senses had dulled from being stuck in that cell for so long, and her pruned feet felt uncomfortable on the stone floor. She was freezing.

Avira made it to the first intersection with no problems. Nobody was nearby, so she continued on. The next intersection had two guards. They were close together, whispering about something. Avira couldn't hear it, but she doubted she'd be interested. Still, only a matter of time until they saw her stuck in the candle lit hallway.

These guards didn't wear helmets and didn't have too much armor. She could take them out. Avira sighed. Here goes nothing. She walked forward at a casual pace. They'd notice her if she ran towards them. They continued to talk, until one of them finally became aware of her, the guard swiveling his head with his eyes wide. Avira broke out into a full sprint, the two drawing their weapons quickly, but not quick enough. She punched one in the throat with force, hearing a snap. His hands were still on his weapon, so she got behind him so that his companion couldn't stab her. Grabbing his head, she slammed him into his partner, impaling him on the other's sword.

She thought that would leave the remaining guard shocked, but she was wrong. Dead companion still leaning on him, he took a breath and yelled.

“Breakout!”

Avira didn't know if anyone was around to hear it, but she didn't want to stay around and find out. She bolted. Too turned around to follow directions, she followed her nose to the smell of the sewage. She felt her feet get wet. She wondered if she was bleeding, but she felt the liquid pooling up to her ankles. They were flooding the place.

Water was spewing out of holes all around her, making it harder to run. Fuck. She wasn't far now. She just had to hurry.

“Sewer!” She heard another yell. They were behind her, fast approaching. She had to make it to the sewers before it was too late.

An arrow released and planted itself right in her side. She felt the impact, but her adrenaline was pumping too much right now. Stopping to feel bad for herself was not going to happen.

Another one in her shoulder. She could see the point in the edge of her vision, stuck there. They were shitty shots. Thank god the candles went out so she could use her night vision to her advantage. The water seemed to stop rising as well. The hatch was in sight.

Avira gripped the keys, picking one of them at random. These had to be the ones, or she was dead. She prayed to the Spirits and even the Immortals for good luck.

A bolt whizzed by, and she could hear them getting closer, but she made it. The hatch emerged from the shadows, a padlock separating her from freedom. Then her leg gave way. She tumbled to the ground, splashing in the flowing water and holding herself up by her good arm. A bolt jutted through her knee. She took the key she'd singled out, shoving it into the padlock—

And heard a clunk as it refused the key. She'd chosen the wrong one, and they were caught up now. She could hear their ragged breaths. She looked to see at least 10 guards, weapons at the ready. “Stand down, scum.” The one at the front spoke, holding an unloaded crossbow.

“You... you really got me, huh?” Avira stood up, keeping the weight off her bad leg. “You think that's the end though? Think I'll beg for my life like a pathetic whelp?” She grinned. Spears were pointed at her, making escape or attack all but impossible. “You can go fuck yourself. How's that for begging?”

Anger seethed in the crowd, but they still didn't kill her. Something was stopping them from ending her.

“Good speech,” a voice emerged from the back. A lamia slithered through the group, empty handed. She had thick brown hair, snake eyes, and her barely covered body was adorned with arcane symbols. She smiled at Avira, the expression filled with hunger.

“Who...” Avira muttered, head growing cloudy as the pain grew sharper.

“Nobody you should be concerned with. But I will say, I'm impressed by what you've done here.”

Avira didn't say anything. She found breathing difficult at the moment. She simply stared at the snake woman, taking her in.

“Let's just say I'm impressed and leave it at that. And as a notion of respect, I'm going to let you out of here. Got it? However, if you get caught again or die, it's out of my hands.” The lamia swayed rhythmically as she spoke.

“I... what?” That didn't make sense. Especially not to Avira's half conscious mind.

The lamia laughed. “Ah, nothing.” Slithering closer, she grabbed the keys from Avira's hand and opened the padlock in one try. She then lifted the hatch to the sewers.

Avira simply stared, confused. She was letting her go?

“You'd best be on your way,” the lamia said. “Farewell, Avira Gray-Wolf.”

Avira was shocked, but couldn't dwell on it. The lamia shoved her hard, and she stumbled back, falling into the dark sewers below.