Elisayra pressed her head into the stones as she sobbed.

She didn’t know where the others were, she didn’t know where she was, other than some dark cell below the earth.

Her hands throbbed. With every beat of her heart a wave of pain followed that threatened to break her.

She couldn’t bear to look at them, not for the first couple of hours. After the worst of the pain subsided a fraction, she finally decided to risk a glance, only to instantly regret it.

Viewing the damage alone seemed to make her worse. The visible fragments of bones jutting through torn red flesh made bile rise into her throat.

Each finger was a gnarled, twisted mess, with not a one in the correct position.

The worst of the damage was her right hand, where the man in black and crushed her fingers lower than the other, snapping the bones in her hands and causing her thumb and forefinger to twist out and away from the rest of her hand, dangling on by only a few pieces of stringy muscle.

Beyond the excruciating pain that worked through her, was the suffocating realization that she would be a cripple her whole life now.

Her hands would never heal the same, even with magic. She would be lucky enough to move a single finger without pain.

She would well and truly be useless. A burden to everyone. She wouldn’t be able to use utensils enough to feet herself, or open doors, let alone pick a lock or wield a blade.

What would they do with her, she wondered? Would they just leave her? Or would they put her out of her misery?

The thoughts churned in her mind like an ocean threatening to sink any ship that dared sail its waters.

Each passing moment was a step deeper into the downward spiral she began hours ago.

This really couldn’t be the end for her, right? Surely she had more to give, more to offer, more to do?

She had felt on top of the world when she slit the throat of the man in black aboard the ship. She must have looked like a real hero too.

She didn’t feel like one. In fact it was the most terrified she had ever been, well, the most terrified she had been aside from now.

She didn’t know what came over her, she just moved. As scared as she was for herself she was more scared for Annabelle. The woman had been so kind to her after all.

It wasn’t as though they spoke much. In fact Elisayra spoke very little to the others.

Annabelle and Alex looked as though they had much more history with one another. Elisayra was a late addition, a late addition that Annabelle had almost killed when she was tasked with stealing from Casper to prove her worth.

They teased her some, and invited her into the circle around the fire and shared a meal with her but Elisayra couldn’t say for certain if they were friends, or if the interactions they had were more to maintain some level of “team morale.”

She recalled the moment she and Alex shared in Casper's tent, and Alex rushing to protect her from her early failure, which surely meant they viewed her favorably in some manner.

Elisayra knew her mind was not normal. She knew she didn’t always think correctly or assume the right things, but being aware of this shortcoming didn’t make it any easier to discern the truth from the web of conflicting thoughts.

She had been traveling with these incredible people for weeks now, yet she felt as though it was all in the background. She wondered if any of the others felt the same.

Regardless, she was terrified of being cast out, now that her hands were a ruin. If any of them had the heart to free her, she swore to herself she would try and befriend them more.

It was selfish, she knew that. She wanted to befriend them to stay with them. She didn’t want to return to the street. Not with how useless she now was. She needed to prove her worth in other ways. She needed to become their friends, possibly more, to make sure they kept her around.

She wanted so badly to have friends, to have people who cared about her, but that was a fools errand in this world, especially for a half elf like herself.

Even if she couldn’t be their friend, she could be of use in other ways. She could do something, anything. She had always overcome and survived, that wouldn’t change now… she would find a way.

“You must be Elisayra.” A soft voice startled her from the shadows of the cell’s hall.

She tried to shut the voice out. It was too early to go crazy in here. Surely the least she could do was be mentally strong enough to discern fantasy from reality.

“I’m here with Casper to help you.” The voice continued.

Casper's name drew her attention away from the stone floor and the web of confusion fantasies she had begun to construct.

Her eyes settled on a thin female form mostly disguised in the shadows of the hall where the torchlight couldn’t quite reach.

The woman was delicate, cute she might say, with long black hair, pitch black eyes and incredibly pale skin.

“What?” Elisayra managed to get out between sobs. She had stopped being able to shed tears a few hours ago, but still continued to cry regardless.

“I am here to help you all escape, please follow me.” The woman slunk through the shadows to approach the metal wall and its door.

Elisayra watched as the woman lifted a bloodied hand equally bloody key into the door to turn the lock.

With a thunk. The door creaked open and the girl extended a hand to Elisayra.

“I can’t. My hands are…” She tried to explain, though saying the words somehow hurt more than the damage itself, so instead she brought the mess of destroyed meat up for the girl to see.

The woman winced as she saw the state of her, and let out a low, steady breath to regain her composure.

“It’s alright, you can still walk, yes? We must move quickly.” the nameless girl whispered, clearing the distance to the door and waiting for Elisayra to follow.

“You…shouldn’t. You should leave me. I'm useless. I will only slow you all down. Please… I don't wish to be a burden” Elisayra sputtered out, almost crying again as the fantasy of her returning to the ground crumbled with the pitiful look that woman gave her.

“Nonsense. Casper told me that you might say something of the sort. He told me that you all were to be taken to safety no matter what.” the nameless girl offered a smile.

Elisayra didn’t believe her, not fully, but she believed her enough to follow the nameless girl to the door and wait.

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

She knew her mind was a mess already. A conflict of self hate, pity, hope, desperation and desire. It felt like two people were tugging on her soul telling her to get the hell up and make herself useful, or to collapse into a ball and allow herself to be left here.

Elisayra bit back the tears and sucked in a deep breath.

She wouldn’t give in, she wouldn’t be useless, she wouldn’t be pitiful, not yet at least.

It wasn’t her decision to make. She was indebted to Casper, she owed him her life, which meant she needed to survive long enough for Casper to make that decision for her.

With newfound resolve, Elisayra opened her eyes, and let out her breath.

The nameless girl waited until something she heard had passed before opening the door to enter down another hallway.

Elisayra followed close behind, though it was incredibly difficult as the running caused her heart to beat faster, and her hands to throb more intensely.

She had almost missed the corpses they passed by as they rounded the corner to get to another door, leading to a staircase down and into another hall.

Had this girl killed them all? Or was it Casper? If Casper was here, why send this girl to retrieve them?

Elisayra's mind raced with possibilities, all of which fizzled out as they approached Alex’s cell.

The nameless girl repeated the phrases she had said to Elisayra moments ago, though Alex seemed much more receptive to the words given Elisayra's presence.

The minute the door opened, the nameless girl returned back to the door to listen, while Alex rushed forward and wrapped Elisayra up in a tight embrace using her one good arm.

Elisayra gasped almost at the sudden gesture, quickly being swallowed up by Alex’s larger proportions.

“I'm so sorry!” Alex nearly cried out, only to be shushed by the nameless girl, forcing her into whispering.

“I…” Elisayra couldn’t figure out what to say, not as Alex’s tears saturated her head as she spoke.

“I'm so sorry, I didn’t mean for this to happen, If only I hadn’t tried to escape this wouldn’t have happened to you…please, you must forgive me” Alex continues, crying.

“Alex, I, this isn’t your fault…” Elisayra tried.

“I should have been stronger, I should have known better. I promise when we get to the next city I will spend every coin I make on the best cleric to heal you, I swear this to you Eli I swear it on my family name.”

Elisayra couldn’t speak. Mostly because Alex had squeezed Elisayra into her bust but also because she didn’t know how to process what had just been said.

Alex swore an oath to her? Her? A half elf thief? This was insanity, she thought.

“Alex, surely you don't…” Elisayra managed to say with a gasp as she freed herself from Alex’s chest.

“I will hear no protest from you Elisayra, I have sworn an oath to you, an oath I will honor with my dying breath. You have my word that I will find a way to cure your hands.”

“I don’t mean to interrupt, but we need to move quickly” The nameless girl spoke from the door.

“Right, we need to get the others.” Alex said confidently.

The three moved to the next set of cells around another bend and down another set of stairs to locate Nephinae, who, to everyone's surprise, was deep in the middle of a conversation with one of the guards.

The nameless girl signaled for everyone to stop as they listened in to what was being said between the two.

Elisayra could barely make out the words, but given the nameless girl's focus it was evident that she could hear.

Despite Elisayra's inability to pick up on the words being spoken, the body language of the both of them was definitely visible, and definitely strange.

The guard sat with his legs crossed in the hall opposite the metal bars of the cell. Nephinae sat in a similar fashion only a few inches away.

The full elf's expression was its usual mask of calm professionalism, though her lips moved with the faintest hint of a smile.

The soldier wore a smile of his own, instead of the helmet that was instead sat to his side being used as an armrest.

He appeared to be deep in thought Elisayra figured, given the distant look in his eyes that he kept casting up to the ceiling.

The guard must have been in here for quite some time too, Elisayra thought. Given how many corpses were outside.

“What are they talking about?” Elisayra whispered, only to receive a shushing sound from the nameless girl.

Elisayra watched along in silence until the nameless girl got whatever further information she needed from eavesdropping, and motioned to continue moving into the room.

The sound of collective footsteps grabbed the soldiers, who struggled to stand at first, barely able to get the word “halt-” out, before the nameless girl rushed in close with incredible speed and drove a long dagger through his neck, sending the remainder of the guards words out as a bubbling gurgle instead.

Alex didn’t give the soldier any time either, and as he spasmed for his weapon on the floor, Alex moved in and stomped hard on the man's shoulder to stop him grabbing his blade, while the nameless girl drove her blade into the man's throat a second time.

The door to Nephinae’s cell was quickly opened, and in similar fashion to Elisayra's reunion, Alex rushed to embrace the elf.

“I am glad you are well Lady Alex '' Nephinae gave an audible sigh of relief, making Elisayra jealous slightly for the love the two shared.

Sure Alex embraced her as well, though it was more out of a sense of duty than any real relationship she thought…

“I'm so glad you’re safe as well.” Alex let out more tension that Elisayra realized she was carrying.

Alex and Nephinae held in their embrace for some time, Alex looking as though she was ready to cry as Nephinae stroked the woman's short hair with delicate fingers.

Elisayra knew her mind was normal, but something inside her told her it was more than the embrace that would be shared between a master and servant, possibly even more than what would be shared between two friends, though she quickly shook the thoughts away as soon as they surfaced. Now was the time for focus after all.

“We have two more, let's go quickly” the nameless girl spoke, recognizing that the two wouldn’t separate of their own volition.

“Nephinae, can you try your best to cure Elisayra's hands in the meantime?” Alex asked quickly as she reluctantly pulled away from the elf's arms.

“I am afraid not, they have placed a slave collar on my throat that suppressed the magic I wield.” Nephinae emphasized by gliding her fingers along the strip of metal at the middle of her neck.

“I can remove them, but not quite yet.” The nameless girl said, prompting looks of confusion from the others.

Elisayra didn’t know much about the magical variety of slave collars, other than like traditional slave collars they could typically only be removed by the one who owned them. She had tried to pick a slave collar only once before and despite all her skill it was nearly impossible.

Given how tight the band is around the throat, it would be incredibly dangerous to try and remove it through force too. She didn’t know how this nameless woman could remove them, but it must mean she is impressive.

The second to last door they enter leads them to Laihal’s cell.

The, admittedly, incredibly attractive half fiend Alex had bought looked entirely unperturbed.

Elisayra didn’t know how she could be so calm. She had already regained some of the color lost when the man in black struck her with her own horn. While the horn isn’t growing back quite yet, the damage to her chest seemed mostly healed given her ability to speak.

The nameless girl freed the slave, though as she revealed that her bindings had already been removed it felt a little unnecessary.

“How did you do that?” Elisayra asked, watching Laihal swish her tail until the rope fell down to the floor.

“Annabelle and I worked to free ourselves should the fabled Casper arrive, though that all feels rather pointless now.” she noted, observing Elisayra and the others who were already clearly free.

“Annabelle is free already?” The nameless girl asked, cautiously.

Elisayra picked up on the anxious tone at this revelation, which was pointedly strange. Wasn’t the goal specifically to free everyone? Why be worried about Annabelle already being unbound?

“Are you alright, mistress Alex?” Laihal asked, bringing the attention away from the nameless girl for a moment.

“I am, yes, thank you” Alex confirmed with a smile.

“I’m not quite at my full strength I'm afraid, but I have recovered enough to do as you command.” Laihal’s words sounded sincere of course, but Elisayra couldn’t help but shake the strange feeling she got whenever the half fiend smiled or spoke. Her voice was dangerously seductive enough, made more dangerous by a tone of voice that always seemed to promise mischief.

She shut her eyes and forced the thoughts out once again.

Now. wasn’t. The. time.

She grumbled to herself and opened them again, watching as the nameless girl moved to the door once again.

“Last one, yes?” She asked rhetorically.

The group moved to open the last door of the prison, opening in the same way all the others did.

The group moved through the hall to approach Annabelle's cell, though Elisayra noted the nameless girl's visible apprehension.

Almost on instinct, Elisayra began to position herself behind the nameless girl, just in case anything strange were to happen she wanted to give herself the best possible angle to either escape or intervene. Not that she could do much of course.

As the group rushed their way to fill the hall, Elisayra watched as Annabelle's skin went pale white in the flickering torch light at the sight of the nameless girl specifically.

Her lips curled back into an almost animalistic snarl, as her hands began to shake.

The others noticed instantly too. Annabelle knew this woman, and she was horrified.

Elisayra had never seen Annabelle so scared, not during the fights on the road or even in the battle against the man in black.

She was glad then, she had chosen to be at the nameless girls back then, as she could observe the thin muscles of the woman's back begin to shift as if primed to strike at something, her weight shifting uneasily as Annabelle’s fists clenched at her sides.

The tension in the air mounted as the others slowly picked up on the shift, their own anxiety rising to meet Annabelle's.

Just who the hell had Casper sent to rescue them?