My chest rose and fell as I plopped back to the ground. I sat there, making sure Velbir didn’t move as I tried to catch my breath.
He didn’t.
I allowed myself to fall backward, landing on my back and heaving in gasps of air.
The dungeon was quiet once again, and all of the shaking had finally subsided allowing for me to stand firmly.
I studied Velbir’s massive head that was now nothing more than a big pile of spaghetti. It was a shame—he honestly didn’t seem like too bad of a guy. If only he would’ve let me through, he could’ve met a much more tactful end.
I let out a sigh and then heard a loud, ethereal noise.
Lifting my head, I saw the door to the dungeon begin to glow brighter and brighter—a bright symbol I didn’t recognize illuminated on the door before the glowing light shattered, followed by a loud clicking noise.
The door creaked open slightly before slowing to a stop.
I blinked. Velbir did say he was the only one who could unlock it.
“Well then, I guess there really was no avoiding it…”
As I finished the thought, I suddenly felt a nauseating feeling of unease flow over me.
I’m sure most people would feel a bit uneasy when they see the brain matter of any creature scattered across the floor—but this was a little different. I could sense a potent, unsettling energy emanating off Velbir’s lifeless body. An energy I couldn’t quite explain. It had a commanding, powerful presence and despite it being completely intangible, it made me sick to my stomach—but somehow also intrigued me.
Examining his corpse, I could see nothing that seemed reasonable enough to take with me. His sword was much too large for me to carry, and he didn’t really have anything else on him that I found notable.
So reluctantly, I decided to shake off the feeling for now and focus my attention on the large door which led to the castle, heading towards it briskly.
Squeezing through the doors opening, I walked up the flight of stairs to the first floor of the castle. My eyes squinted, trying to adjust to the blinding sunlight pouring in through the windows. It was refreshing to finally see daylight again, especially since I was initially afraid that I would have to spend the rest of my life being tortured to death in that dungeon.
Right next to the hallway entrance, a couple knights sat at a round table with their helmets off, playing chess. Their conversation echoed off the castle walls.
“What the fuck was that? You can’t do that!” one knight cried.
“Yeah, I obviously can. You just don’t know how to play chess properly…”
“You can’t teleport your fucking horse to the other side of the board.”
“This is king’s chess, that move is perfectly legal.”
“That shit doesn't exist and makes no sense.”
“Makes perfect sense…”
“A horse can’t even fucking teleport, how does that make sense?”
The knight turned towards me, who was standing directly behind him, “Hey, this guy is obviously making this shit up, right?”
“Yup,” I responded.
The knight smiled and turned back around with a smug grin, “Told you!”
The other knight’s eyes grew wide, “Uhh… Isn’t that the guy that King Rae sent to the dungeon?”
The knight scoffed, “Obviously not. If it were him he would still be chained up down there.”
“B–But, it looks exactly like him…”
The knight turned back around and squinted, studying my features. As I stood there in silence, the knight hummed and gently rubbed his chin.
“...Oh shit,” the knight’s face contorted into a look of terror. “T–That is him!”
The knights frantically jumped up from their seats and unsheathed their swords.
“But how is that possible?! Velbir is supposed to be down there! Did he let this guy go through for some reason?”
“Velbir must have betrayed the king and let him go!”
One of the knights turned his head and screamed down the hallway, “We need all knights in the left-wing vestibule area now! The intruder has escaped the dungeon!”
I extended my hand out towards them.
“Windchaser.” The blade gleamed into my palm. The two knights jerked their bodies away from the intense flash.
They tried their best to wear an intimidating grimace, “You prisoner trash! We have no mercy for those who commit treason toward the king!” They pointed their swords at me with a vicious scowl. “You think we’re gonna let you go like that traitor Velbir? No way in hell! If you want to get to the king, you’ll have to go through us—”
The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
With one swipe I sent the knights flying into the back wall—their heads smacking into the pillar. They slumped down to the floor and immediately started snoring.
I twirled the knife around in my hand as vague satisfaction tugged at my lips, “Two down, a lot more to go… Where could Rae be hiding…?”
Just as I turned to walk down the hallway, I heard a voice cry out.
“Hey! He’s down here!”
A small army of knights came sprinting down the main hall, shouting a warcry with their swords trained towards me.
“Don’t let him escape! Execute him at once!”
I swung my body back around to face the angry mob, “...Well, it looks like I’ll be getting a lot of exercise.”
—break—
[Shift]
A humble servant stood in the doorway with his head bowed, “Sir! His majesty is finishing up his meeting with the elders. He should be arriving upstairs shortly!”
Claudius shuffled to his feet and looked back at Cathy—who stared out the window inattentively.
His eyebrows lowered, “What is it that causes you to be such a nuisance? Get up from your seat, we must go.”
Cathy slowly turned her head, her expression muted, “It isn’t fair… It isn’t fair that Daymond should suffer on my behalf.” She lowered her head, speaking quietly and slowly, “I beg of you… please show him mercy…”
Claudius jerked back, “You're still thinking of that boy?! What makes you think you are in any position to make such demands?”
“I know I am not,” she whispered, steadying herself on her palms. “However, I will promise to make things much more enjoyable for King Rae, as long as you show me this one kindness.”
Claudius squatted down next to Cathy to meet her at eye level, his voice shaking, “You and that man, are to demand nothing. Do you understand me?” He hammered his fist down into the table beside her, the glass rattled. His face drew closer to Cathy's, their noses nearly touching, “You and that boy will die here, and I’ll make sure that boy suffers as much as possible in that dungeon… Deep in the depths of that place, there is nobody there who can hear his cries. His wounds will be as countless as the stars in the sky, and with every ounce of breath left in his lungs, he shall beg me for the sweet release of death.”
Claudius smiled, “And you are correct… It will all be completely your fault…”
Cathy sat in absolute silence. Her hand jittered as she raised it shakily to wipe a tear which rolled down her cheek.
Claudius straightened and puffed his shoulders, “But enough with future endeavors. We—”
“SIR!” A voice called out.
Claudius darted his head toward the servant, “You dare interrupt my speech, you lowly cur?!”
“I–I’m sorry, sir! But there’s an emergency on the first floor of the castle!”
Claudius’ stiffened, “Emergency…?”
Cathy’s head lifted.
“Y–Yes sir! The prisoner from the dungeon has escaped!”
Claudius’ body jolted forward, his expression fiercely alarmed, “WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!”
Cathy gasped, her expression brightened with a sparkling smile. She placed her hand on her chest in an attempt to lower her heart rate as a shimmer of hope exploded throughout her body.
The servant ducked his head, “He is currently running around downstairs as we speak, sir!”
Claudius’ eyes twitched nervously, “How has he not been apprehended yet! My gods, the man is unarmed!”
“Sir! The blade which was locked away has been stolen! The intruder somehow got it back, and is now running amok down stairs blowing away our guards and breaking the decorations!”
Claudius’ life drained from his body. His face became white, and then flushed with bright red.
“W–W–What should we do, sir?!”
Claudius paced around for a moment, his hand covering his lips, “Secure the king in the upper chamber. Call in all the reinforcements from town, tell them to get here immediately! I must stay here with Cathy to ensure she doesn’t escape.”
The servant nodded, “Sir!”
“And bring me the dumbass who was guarding the knife at once!”
“O–Of course, sir!” The servant scrambled away quickly.
Claudius yanked his attention back towards Cathy, whose eyes were sparkling with a glimmer of elation.
“You…” he grumbled, walking towards her and pulling her in close with a clenched fist. “Wipe that look off your face! This is nothing more than an inconvenience! You are well aware that your comrade has no chance at defeating me!”
Cathy smiled wryly, “You keep telling yourself that…”
His eyes filled with a blazing fire. “You shall squirm in misery for your insolence! You miserable lass—”
They both glanced toward the door at the knight who had entered, perching his hands on his waist and panting heavily.
“You called for me, sir?” he asked.
“...Yes…” Claudius let go of Cathy and walked toward the armored knight. His face glowing with righteous fury.
“...Do you mind explaining to me why that FUCKING SCOUNDREL DOWNSTAIRS HAS THE KNIFE WHICH YOU WERE ASSIGNED TO PROTECT?!”
The knight’s body tensed, “S–Sir, I truly don’t know! I watched over the case it was locked in all day, and he never came by once. I promise that I speak the truth! I took it with me to the restroom, and I never took any breaks! Right hand to the gods, I swear it! You must believe me, sir!”
The knight’s armor was shaking uncontrollably.
“Alright… Alright…” Claudius gently rubbed his hand down his face, then let it fall to his side as he stared at the man for several long moments. “...Take off your helmet.”
The room went silent.
The knight raised his hand meekly, “B–But sir—”
“I gave you an order!” Claudius screamed. “Take off your fucking helmet! I’m not going to ask you again!”
“O–Of course, sir! Please, just know that—”
Claudius reached for the knight's head and began to force the helmet off his body.
“No! Sir please!” the knight begged. “You must believe me! I—”
“Silence!”
Claudius ripped off the helmet and sent it clattering against the floor—revealing the knight's petrified face underneath. He drew his sword.
“SIR!” the knight cried.
Claudius sliced through the man’s neck. Blood spurted from the base of the skull as his head rolled across the ground in a dark trail of crimson.
Cathy's arm shot upwards, cupping her hand around her mouth.
Claudius stood for a second, then grabbed a nearby cloth. He methodically cleaned the blood at the tip of his blade, before sliding the sword back into its sheath.
“Now… Since that is dealt with. I suppose we shall wait here for your little friend. What do you say?” He smiled brightly.
Cathy and Claudius locked eyes as the subtle sound of commotion rustled from down the hallway.