Ten minutes of searching through the floor led us to nothing, at first. We found out that this floor was a wide rectangular shape with just corridors with no prominent entries or exits. The passageway had to be hidden, but we had no way of knowing where. The guard could wake up at any minute and It wasn't until we heard a low wheezing sound and remembered there had to be more prisoners locked down here. Trying our luck with that also took longer than what I would've liked. The first person we came across was so close to death, I instantly got sick to the stomach just looking at him. The bones of his body were poking and bulging out of his skin everywhere. The skin itself looked as if it hadn't seen sun in an eternity. I walked up to the bars and decided to use analyze on the man.

Name: Jaffrah Tharonus

Level: ???

Race: ???

Class: ???

Well, that sure as shit isn't helpful. "Jaffrah, you still alive?" I asked barely above a whisper. I didn't get a reply back; however he lifted his head just enough that his mismatched eyes shone through his long greying hair. One eye was solid black as if there was nothing there at all and the other was a bright blue color. I didn't know what it was, but something about this man told me he was worth saving.

"Looks like he still has some life left." Bram echoed in my mind full of laughter. "Jokes aside make him swear and let's be on with it."

"What do you mean by swear?" I asked cocking an eyebrow

"Grant him his freedom, but only on the condition that no harm from him comes to your person. Make the failure of the quest, death."

"I can't do tha-"

"Liam, we've searched this place high and low. This man has been here a long time, he has to know where the exit is. I know it's against your 'morals' to put someone into a situation like that especially after the whole shit show at Thormer. This is our one shot out of here and plus he's on deaths door anyways not like he's going to reject the offer.

----------------------------------------

"I decline." Jaffrah hoarsely whispered out then cleared his throat and continued. "Could you sweeten the deal? This tower is heavily guarded and it's going to be hard to leave without a fight."

"What do you have in mind? Credits? Gear? Weapons?" I asked rushed.

"If I am going to be Oathbound to you I'm going to need something far greater than that. I need you to take my oath in return. My oath would be a small matter to yourself, it would just require the death of my brother, that is all. Can we come to terms?" Jaffrah spoke with renewed vigor.

Oath Arrangement:

Jaffrah will accept your terms of leading you out of the dungeon and in city protection though at a price. After being betrayed by his younger brother and pinned in the dungeon for life over a treasonous act. He asks in return that you dispose of his brother and enact his revenge.

Do you accept this oath arrangement? Yes/No?

I read over the prompt a couple of times feeling a bit better about this one compared to the one I took from Orin. My gut was sending me alarm bells, but before I could ask any questions Bram cut in.

"Accept it Liam. We will deal with the consequences later if we have to. We need to go."

I fought an internal battle a couple of more seconds before adding one more line and then I mentally selected 'yes'. I felt a small tug, feeling like a cramp about to form near my naval and an instant rush of chills washed over me. A new screen appeared displaying the results:

New Oathbound Follower:

Jaffrah has accepted your terms and both of you will remain oath bound until each of the quests are complete. After the completion of quests terms could be renegotiated to remain oathbound or to sever the link. The choice is yours.

New Quest Received:

Help your Oathbound follower Jaffrah enact revenge on his brother: 0/1

Rewards: Jaffrah may remain an Oathbound follower or become a potential ally

I decided it would be best to analyze him again to see if any new information was revealed.

Name: Jaffrah Tharonus

Class: Harrowed One (Unique)

Level: 38

Race: ???

"I'm glad he's on our side," Bram reveled, an unusual excitement in his tone. "Do you know how rare it is to get a unique class? It's practically unheard of."

That sent an inkling of fear twisting in my gut. I didn't have time to dwell on it. I summoned the plasma sword from my pack, its blade flaring to life with a low hum. As I carved through the thick metal bars, molten droplets hissed upon the stone floor, the heat momentarily warping the air around them.

I stepped inside the cell, placing a hand on Jaffrah’s shoulder before slicing through his bindings. His arms fell limply against me, weak from however long he had been imprisoned. I lowered him carefully to the ground, resisting the urge to rush. He hadn't been free in who knows how long—the least I could do was let him take a moment.

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I pulled a waterskin from my pack along with some dry rations, handing them over. He took them with trembling fingers, devouring the food in near silence while I reorganized my storage rings, clearing space in the first minor one. By the time he finished drinking, a bit of color had returned to his face.

I tossed him the ring. "Here. A mana, stamina, and major healing potion inside."

Jaffrah uncorked each in turn, taking a short pull from them before stashing them back inside. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and let out a small belch. Then, with renewed energy, he pushed himself up.

"Let's get to it."

We walked in tense silence through the dimly lit corridor, the air thick with dampness. Jaffrah moved with newfound strength, but I still caught a slight tremor in his steps.

“You alright?” I asked, keeping my voice low.

His mismatched eyes flicked toward me. “I spent years in that cage, expecting to die. Now, suddenly, I’m free.” He exhaled slowly. “It’s… surreal.”

I nodded. “Freedom’s strange like that.”

Bram scoffed. “Can we save the soul-searching for after we’re not about to get executed?”

Jaffrah let out a quiet chuckle, the first hint of real emotion since we met, and I was taken aback because he had definitely heard Bram. That was new and must have something to do with the fact that they were both tied to me now.

Then the moment shattered, distant footsteps echoed down the corridor.

“Do you know the way out?” I hissed, gripping my bow in my hand ready for whatever would come.

In a far graver voice, he said, "We will need to go through them to get to the exit."

The escape was far from over. I handed him the shock gun which he tossed to the ground before saying "I have no use for such mundane things and do me a favor, extinguish the light."

I stashed the floating orb in my satchel just as three prismarks rounded the corner, and six guards in total, weapons raised. Even if Jaffrah insisted on fighting unarmed, I felt good about our odds.

I drew my bow, pulling back as a flickering green arrow materialized. Jaffrah glanced at me, shaking his head as he began conjuring something between his hands. I ignored him and let the arrow fly.

Too short.

For a split second, it seemed like I had miscalculated. But then Bram surged power into it, and the arrow shot forward with violent speed, slamming into a guard’s chest. He flew back, crashing into the one behind him like a set of falling dominoes.

Then all hell broke loose.

Blazing beams of energy streaked toward us, crackling through the air. The walls exploded under the assault, sending shards of rock flying. The corridor filled with the deafening whine of charged weapons discharging in rapid succession.

Jaffrah and I hit the ground, pressed against the cold stone.

Between his outstretched hands, something pulsed, a swirling mass of darkness, its colors shifting between blood-red and sickly green. I had no idea what he was cooking up, but I didn’t want to be anywhere near it.

A guard’s voice suddenly cut through the chaos.

“STOP!”

One last energy blast fired, then eerie silence settled over the battlefield.

Jaffrah didn’t hesitate. He hurled the dark mass, straight at the ceiling.

I turned to him, furious. “Okay, I’m not trying to be a dick, but did you forget how to aim?”

He didn’t answer. Just raised an eyebrow and gestured toward the guards.

I glanced back. The mass had latched onto the ceiling above them, spreading like a living thing, tendrils of shadow unfurling across the stone.

And then it began to drip. The lead guard turned around at the first scream of his men being liquified alive. Whatever the hell the magic was I never wanted to touch it accidentally. Even from this distance I could see the advanced armor they were wearing melt and infuse into their skin. The untouched guard went in to try and rescue his dying men, but he too became under attack from the spell. Their terror filled screams were unreal and I didn't really feel much from killing a human yet, but this felt like some sort of sick torture to me. Thirty seconds later there was nothing left of them or the ooze. The only thing I got from that small skirmish was a new fear of being melted alive.

We rounded the corner, passing the cell where I had previously restrained the guard. But instead of stopping, we continued a few more cells down until Jaffrah turned toward the wall. Confused, I watched as he ran his hands over the stone, poking and prodding with deliberate intent. After a few moments, something clicked. The wall split in half, revealing a brightly lit, hidden chamber. Intricate runes carved into the floor pulsed faintly with dormant magic. Without hesitation, we stepped inside, and the wall sealed shut behind us, closing us off from the outside world.

Jaffrah led me to the center of the teleportation circle, his fingers trailing wisps of cold blue energy as he murmured under his breath. The magic drifted downward, settling over one rune, and instantly, the entire circle flared to life, the symbols glowing like beacons. Before I could even brace myself, the world twisted, the ground vanished beneath my feet, my stomach lurched, and in a blink, we reappeared in the same chamber where I had first arrived.

Four guards stood in the distance, chatting idly, their postures relaxed. My muscles tensed. If they were the same ones from before, we were going to be screwed. No sudden movements. Just act natural.

That hope shattered the second Jaffrah summoned his magic.

Two dark green javelins, so deep in color they were nearly black shot forward, striking the first two guards before they could even turn their heads. They crumpled instantly. The other two barely had time to react before my arrows hit home. One of them, I realized, I had landed without Bram’s interference. A small victory, but there was no time to dwell on it.

As I approached the fallen guards, something caught my eye. Jaffrah’s spears didn’t simply vanish upon impact like my arrows did. Instead, they seemed to be absorbed by their targets. The bodies twitched as the last traces of the magic seeped into them then, disturbingly fast, they began to age. Skin withered, flesh shrank, and bones cracked as if decades passed in mere moments. By the time they hit the ground, what remained of them was barely more than dust.

A chill ran down my spine. If they hadn’t died instantly, the agony would have been unimaginable.

Jaffrah, unfazed, started stripping the armor off of one of the guards I shot. "You need to do the same if we are going to survive this." His voice barely above a whisper and for some reason sent a cold chill up my spine. I did as he told me knowing what he had said to be true. I quickly realized that the armor was attached to some sort of black stretchy interlacement of durable fibers. Expecting the armored body suit to stink because there was a distinct lack of airflow between the fibers, I was surprised by the lack of smell. Jaffrah had already stored his prison rags in his ring and quickly started getting dressed. I followed suit and by the time we were finished, Jaffrah melted the bodies down just like he had before. Leaving no trace of the previous guards behind. We continued out the advanced airlock door that hissed when it opened and checked around for anyone else. A slight rumble feeling was felt through the metal floors like the building itself had a slow beating heart. The ceilings in this building stretched a good thirty feet up, which made the interior echo loudly as our feet hit the ground.

We eventually came across a corner with a dead end in the direction we were headed, slowing to a stop. Jaffrah looked towards me and nodded. "We continue on, I'll do all of the talking if we run across anyone." I just nodded in confirmation as we rounded the corner. I froze for a slight second not expecting what lay out before us. Two guards stood there and between them was a giant 15-foot mechanical machine. It was bi pedal and just from the first look I could tell it was definitely a mech.

"Things just got a whole lot worse." I thought to Bram.

He was quick with a response "Do not by any means destroy the mech. I've read about these; it's actually made by my race and sold through the system store." He rambled on and on in my head telling me the best ways to take one of them down without affecting anything vital. I took mental notes here and there but hopefully it wouldn't come to a straight on fight. We continued to walk towards them for what felt like an eternity until finally, a womans voice coming from the guard on the right spoke out to us. "You guys figure out where Melroy went?" She asked

Luckily Jaffrah was quick with his words and instantly thought of a reply. "You know how he is with the prisoners; damn fool was shocking the new one repeatedly." My heart rate skipped a few beats not recognizing the voice of the person I stood next to. I knew it was Jaffrah, but his pitch and resonance were completely different. I refocused as the woman replied while throwing her hands up from her side "I don't understand why he gets the roaming patrol even though he constantly does this shit."

We took a couple of steps forward in unison as something changed. A red triangular beam launched towards Jaffrah coming from the mechs hand.

"Scanning protocol initializing... Clear, Welcome Sergeant Briggs." A robotic voice escaped out of the mech; I looked over at Jaffrah as the beam cut off.

Knowing something bad was about to happen as the beam returned and started to scan me.