Talent's POV
Time seemed to drag on while Talent remained imprisoned in the raven's nest. His life was simple; each day a masked man brought him breakfast and a woman brought him lunch. Dinner was never served, but he had enough to eat so he didn’t mind. If anything, he just wished there was more to do than stare at stone walls. He would even be willing to dig, or whatever it was the boy in the next cell did all day. At least if he were digging he might be able to find a way out, or some way to kill himself before this madness went on any longer.
He was constantly bored and found himself thinking about his odd meeting with the raven king—he felt sure now that it was him. He’d been over every moment of their interaction so often that he even dreamed about it. Sometimes he struggled to tell the difference between his dreams and his waking thoughts.
Perhaps this was the man’s goal. Talent certainly wouldn’t forget his words, no matter how much he might want to.
He stared at the ceiling as he muttered, “This is stupid. I cannot believe my father has not yet found me.”
Talent rolled a pebble over the floor as he thought. It helped to steady him, to make him feel awake, but mostly there was nothing else for him to do.
Even if none of the magistrates survived the attack, his father was the one to send them here. He should have known where—
“When I learned you would be visiting my city I was quite shocked that it wasn’t for a personal visit.”
That was what the man. It was that like that most convinced Talent of his identity, but now he realized it offered another clue.
This was an impromptu visit, one decided on at the last minute by his father and the only people who knew of it before his arrival were his magistrates and the collector. He didn’t think the collector had anything to do with this, she was too reclusive and obsessed with her desire for new things. If she’d been involved, likely he’d have ended up a part of her collection.
Talent grimaced as his mind settled on an answer. He had been right from the beginning when he suspected the trip was a test; although he now suspected it was more than that. The fact that he hadn't been rescued by now led him to suspect that his father was abandoning him. If he couldn’t get out of this on his own, if he couldn’t pass the test, then he was useless and would be disposed of.
He clenched the small pebble in his hand, then threw it against the wall. He expected a small ping, but the whole cell block trembled with enormous force then the sound of a great blast rumbled through the halls outside his cell.
The lights dimmed as if a dark cloud passed overhead. Several cells burst open so forcefully that the door swung off its hinges, but Talent’s cell remained tightly closed.
He got to his feet. He must’ve been wrong. His father had not abandon him; any moment now, he’d see Sombra, or maybe Silas, swagger down the hall and release him.
Time dragged on though as another explosion rocked the ground beneath him and the lights flickered ominously.
His stomach sank as his mind became restless with the possibility that he was wrong. His heart hammered in his chest and his hands began to tremble. Guards shouted and raced between the blocks, none of them sounding sure of the situation.Talent slumped against the back wall of his cell as he listened to the chaos beyond and his hope drained away like water from a sieve.
Another explosion sounded, this time much closer. The door to his cell rattled with its vibrations as bits of stone and dust fell from the ceiling.
“Quick, they’re setting charges! We’ll be trapped down here if we—” a single bang brought the words to an abrupt end.
A moment of silence passed before a woman in dirty rags, and three men who looked just as filthy, came rushing past. One of the men slowed as he looked into Talent’s cell and their eyes met. He came to almost a complete stop.
Talent knew these four disgusting low borns weren’t here for him. They were just prisoners making an escape, but they could still help him. “Open the cell,” he said, a commanding aura pulsed in his voice like a judge addressing a servant.
The man seemed startled. He started to turn away slowly, but as he did, a woman screamed, “They’re here,” from behind him, prompting him to glance over his shoulder then back at Talent.
“Sorry,” he said with a frown as he hurried to catch up with his companions.
Talent was infuriated; if it weren’t for his selfish mother he wouldn’t even be in this situation! He was a judge, he was supposed to be in control. What she’s done to him was completely unforgivable. If only he hadn't lost his diato he might have had a chance to escape on his own. As things stood, he could not use his willpower to affect even a rat that crawled through his cell block.
His chest heaving with rage and despair, Talent collapsed to the floor of his cell and curled into a ball as the sounds of battle rang in from beyond his block. He shook with anxiety as his mind went blank and his whole body seemed numb.He sank inside of himself like a helpless child hiding in the darkest corner of its bedroom as his mind screamed over and over, this is not fair.
Time passed, he didn't know how long he'd been cowering on the floor, but it felt like forever before a thought flashed through his mind. He recalled what his father always told him when they discussed his task—do not rely on your rank or title, learn to use your mind and you'll be unstoppable.
At the time, Talent had thought it was a joke or some sort of reference to the diato he had not yet learned to wield. Now, he wondered if maybe it was something simpler. After all, his father rarely relied on diato to get things done.
Talent needed to think harder. He couldn’t just give up. There had to be some way out, he just had to think of it. He frowned as he realized that wasn’t correct. He wasn't about to think his way out of here; he would do more than think—he would act.
Talent rose to his feet with determination.
Using magic was pointless, forcing his was through the bars without magic was impossible, picking the lock was also not an option even if he had the skill since it was a magical lock; that left only one option: dispelling the magic that locked the door.
It would be simple if he could get someone on the outside to just open the cell, but he felt certain it wouldn’t happen. He needed something that could absorb mana, or cancel it out somehow. Almost immediately he thought of the leach crystal that vexed him so.
He chortled as his gaze landed on the small gem. “Ironic, the very thing keeping me here is also the key to my escape.”
He moved over to the wall, beneath where the gem had been inserted. The device appeared to be grow out of the stone like some kind of flower, but Talent knew this wasn’t natural. The gem had been set in place with magic. With any other gem that might have been a problem, but in this case it meant he’d be able to slid the crystal right out of its setting. He only needed a way to reach it first.
Talent grinned as his eyes spotted the rock he'd thrown earlier. It wasn’t much larger than his thumb, but it would do. He picked it up, then adjusted his aim before throwing it with all his strength. The rock struck the gem, causing a clinking noise that echoed through his cell. Talent stared at the gemstone expectantly, but nothing happened. He scowled as he thought of something else he could try.
Stolen novel; please report.
A few more throws, some adjusting of the angle and the height of his throw; then finally Talent heard a crack like glass being struck with a hammer. The crystal split in two and fell from its socket leaving behind a dark void in the stone wall where it had been planted.
Talent smiled triumphantly. Now that the crystal was in reach, it would be simple for him to jam it into the lock and wait for the door to pop open. He let out a sigh of relief as he grabbed the rock and moved over to the cell door.
As he jammed the stone into the lock he felt the crystal drawing on his own mana as well, but the lock soon burst open and he had to enjoy this small victory. Talent basked in the satisfaction of having overcome an obstacle designed specifically to trap him permanently. Then he clicked his tongue because he didn’t think of this sooner.
He stepped out of his cell as a horrible scream echoed down the hall, followed by several others. A woman in chains stumbled into his block, blood staining her grimy hair and clothing as she limped forward crying with each step. Her breath came in short ragged gasps as her trembling hands reached out towards Talent. A crystallid was right behind her, yet she continued to move forward, her steps becoming stronger and faster as she pushed herself towards Talent.
Talent felt his chest pounding at the sight. The creature kept pace behind the girl, ensuring its speed did not exceed her own as it laughed. The sound was horrible, like metal scraping on glass and the dying scream of a cat combined into one discordant note that drove an icy dagger into Talent's heart.
He knew this creature, knew what it was capable of and how dangerous it was. He knew the best way to destroy them was with a steel club, but those details no longer mattered as fear washed over him like a cold bucket of water dumped upon his head. He wanted to run away, to flee, but he couldn’t take his eyes off the girl as she stumbled towards him.
Talent pushed her away as she approached, but she fell to the ground crying. Her scream had no sound, only her mouth opening and closing as tears streamed down her face and blood poured from her wounds. The crystallid trotted closer, its limbs twisting and spinning as it danced towards the girl. Its form shifted between four legs and six legs. It changed colors as well as it drew nearer, changing from dull grey to a vibrant yellow as it stepped beside the girl and pulled her to her feet by her hair.
Glee rang in a hiss like sound that passed for a voice as the crystallid seemed to speak.
As Talent watched in horror, the girl stumbled forward again, this time slamming into him so hard they both toppled to the ground.
The crystallid stood above them. Its head, a perfectly semetrical polygon with dozens of flat surfaces, twisted and spun freely as if it weren’t connected to a body. A sound like steam shooting out of tea kettle filled the air as a crystal limb raised and formed into a spear above them.
With a wave of its arm, the creature drove the spear through the back of the girl and into Talent's shoulder. His vision flashed white and his body burned with agony, but he was still conscious and now fully aware of what was happening.
“Fuck!” He yelled as he rolled to the side, wincing at the pain that shot through his shoulder as he pushed himself away from the girl and the crystallid.
He felt the gemstone still clutched in his hand, but it wasn’t nearly as powerful as before, if it was working at all anymore.Each half of the crystal only held so much mana without a relay to method of release. Still, he thought maybe he could use it against the crystallid, but he knew better than to get close.
Talent threw the leach crystal, then conjured a giant stone mallet and waved his hand to smash both into the Crystallid’s rotating face. His attack should have crushed its head to a fine powder, but the crystallid simply caught both objects before they struck it, crushing them in its crystal grasp.
Its form shifted and morphed as it spoke in the same hissing voice, “Be—ga, Ba—leeeeeee—da, Screaaaaaaam!” The beast launched forward, its form still changing, making it impossible to predict how it would strike.
Talent bolted away from it, rounding one of the many cells as he searched for the exit. The crystallid laughed as it moved after him, its footsteps clattering along the stone floor like hooves on cobblestone.
A maze of cell blocks, and random doors passed him by in a blur but none seemed like an obvious exit and he didn’t want to take a chance only to find himself trapped.
How the fuck did a monster like this get down here anyway? He didn’t think the ravens would have intentionally kept it. The power necessary to bring such a beast to heel, Talent thought it would absolutely require Diato.
“Screeee— screee— screee— screee—” The sound echoed off the walls, reverberating throughout the whole chamber as Talent continued to race for the exit. He desperately searched for any sign of daylight or fresh air as he flew by different blocks, but he didn’t find anything.
He couldn’t keep this up forever, he knew that. Drawing on the ambient mana he flung bolts of lightning behind him, but they crackled past the crystallid’s ever changing form without even grazing it. It didn't seem to have any difficulty blocking or avoiding his attacks at all.
He was getting tired, his legs growing heavy and his muscles burning with effort. He didn’t know how long he could keep running like this, or how long he had been running. It seemed like an eternity had passed since he left his cell block.
He slammed into the wall, having rounded a corner too fast.
The crystallid was ready with a spiked club. Its body seemed to swell as its spikes grew longer and sharper and its limbs shifted shape so it looked more like a spider than anything else as it launched at Talent with tremendous speed.
He could only fling his arms up as he prepared for impact, but his mind panicked with piercing pain, then his bones gave way with a crunch and the crystallid hissed with reverie.
It shifted back into its normal form, more or less, as it straddled Talent like a man on a horse as it taunted him with laughter. It must have known how terrified he was as it ran its cold crystal claws over his throat in a delicate caress like a lover would do. The touch sent a shiver through his body that made him want to vomit.
With a twist of his wrist, Talent sent an earthen spike into the creature’s center. The crystallid screeched with surprise as its limbs shifted erratically, before finally resuming its semi-normal shape.
Talent rolled away as the crystallid reformed itself to escape the spike. He got back to his feet, stumbling with fatigue but managing to stay upright as he tried to get distance from the creature.
As he continued moving down the corridor, he caught sight of a door ahead on his right. It seemed larger than the others he'd seen so far, and it was protected with magical wards. Talent felt certain it was the way out.
He didn’t have time to feel his way though the mystic locks to open them properly so he slammed a wave of mana into the door, shattering it open in one strike. He moved through, quickly casting an explosive spell as the crystallid attempted to follow him.
The blast knocked the creature back, shattering several of its limbs, but it got up quickly and resumed its chase, throwing another volley of spears at him.
Talent ducked behind a stone pillar as the projectiles stabbed into the opposite wall with enough force to shake the ceiling.
He couldn’t help but picture himself impaled on the spears, stuck to the wall. The thought sent chills down his spine and drove his pulse into a frenzy, but he forced himself to move forward regardless. He hated combat, even though he knew there were few enemies he couldn’t overcome.
His nerves and fear of injury or death made it difficult to focus on fighting effectively, but he could also channel that fear into fuel for his spells.
As the crystallid rolled a round the corner after him, Talent released another bolt of lightning at it. He knew it would block the attack or avoid it and so he wasn't surprised when the spell crackled harmlessly past it and into the ceiling where it caused stone to crumble and fall, creating a small dust cloud.
Without waiting for the crystallid to emerge from the dust, Talent unleashed a string of explosions that would have ripped through any armor not heavily enchanted.
The crystallid screamed in agony as its body shattered, scattering thousands of pieces of crystal in every direction. The shards littered the floor and clung to the walls and ceiling for a moment before melting into the shadows and disappearing entirely.
Talent, sensing no further movements from the creature, turned and ran towards another door. This one was also warded, but the enchantments were stronger and he sensed an alert spell woven into the complex series of protections.
He ignored the dust and debris falling around him, he paid no mind to the distant screams or even his own wounded shoulder. The single most important task was escape before something else showed up to try and kill him.
Talent reached the door, his senses already winding through the threads of magic, tracing each line back to its source and disabling it in turn.
He’d only made it through the first ward when he heard what must have been dozens of people running somewhere behind him.
It could have been ravens, but it could have also been prisoners. He hoped it was prisoners. Either way, he didn’t want to be there when they arrived. He focused his efforts, unwinding the layers more quickly but still being careful not to trigger the alarm.
When the final layer of defenses fell, Talent felt relief wash over him in a warm wave of energy. He pulled on the door, but it didn't budge. He pulled again, this time sending a pulse of mana through his muscles for additional strength; still nothing happened.
Several people, a mix of men and women, spilled into the hall like a tidal wave, coming to a stop shortly before reaching him. “A little heavy in’nit,” said a young man as he stepped forward from the group. “Maybe I can help.”