There they were.
The calm wavered, hatred and anger seizing him in such a strong grip that he could hardly move. Fear was a subdued tendril, outshone by the brilliant intensity of the rage boiling within him at their presence. How dare they!
That treacherous bitch Nyx and her lapdog Troache reclined in comfort, wine in one hand and contented, pleased smiles plastered on their detestable, insufferable, loathsome faces. While her eyes followed him onto the floor, she was not focused on him. They were talking to a small cluster of robed ones, and even as he glared at her, she turned to address them fully.
Did she really just… of course. He thought, grinding his teeth and forcing the Calm to solidify again. Why would I be anything to her? I am just another bloody rooster in this cockfight. Looking closer at the others in the tiers and suites, Nyx's emblem marked nearly every single robed one.
Upon his entry, several of the robed ones had fallen silent, their hooded, hidden heads turned toward him. Several were midway to standing before retaking their seats and ignoring him once again, just as she had.
He glared again at the vile darkspawned Maverick and bared his teeth at Nyx and Troache, willing his hatred to span the distance and strike them both dead.
Unfortunately, his will was not strong enough. They remained seated, not acknowledging his existence as they had the audacity to survive, further offending him.
He could hear chuckles from some of the patrons, and it only increased his heart rate and hatred. He had to get control of the Calm, or this may well be his final fight. He needed to be centered.
He breathed deep, trying to lower his heart rate.
Then Akumini stood. In a practiced, almost bored tone, she delivered her usual speech. To anyone else, that tone would sound energetic and excited. He had heard her speaking enough to know it as fake. At the end, she motioned for the guards to open a door and bring out the poor sod condemned to face Saedah.
He was a short but well-proportioned man with bionic legs. He was bare to the waist with only his briefs covering his tender parts. He managed a confident swagger, even if he did limp and stagger in the loose sand. He never even bothered to look into the suites. His face was contorted by anger and fresh bruises circled his eyes.
He showed no sign of stopping as he neared Saedah. Grumbling, Jones placed himself between the two, slowing the man's roll with a noisy flourish of the high-powered cattle prod. Bright electric blue arcs flickered between the prongs with a metallic ZAP-ZAAAP-ZZZAP.
"You have to wait for the signal." Jones barked, pushing on the mans chest to bring him to a complete stop. "And what would you do without a weapon, idiot?" For once, Jones wasn't talking to him in that tone. Momentarily forgetting himself, Saedah smirked and allowed himself a laugh. Jones only glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. That one look told Saedah that Jones thought he was shy a few brain cells.
The murmuring in the suites grew. From the corner of his eye, he could see many of the patrons bowing their heads together to whisper amongst themselves.
"Get your ass to your corner, asshole." Jones growled at Saedah, attention on the offering and back turned to him. He shrugged and turned to walk to his corner and the small stool waiting for him there, confidently baring his back to his enemy. There was a short sword sitting in the sand, the same sword he'd used since being granted a sword. It was faintly rusted, knicked along the edge, and bent slightly at the tip, but it was a weapon. And it was sharp.
His shield, however,was nowhere to be seen.
His opponent was being shoved back to the opposite corner, despite his protests and punches. Saedah leaned against the wall and watched with a twisted smile on his lips. Not for the first time, he wondered if he had ever looked so ridiculous back when he fought the inevitable.
He looked up to Akumini, who smiled at him as an owner would smile an obedient puppy. He waved her on, ready to be done with this business and be back in his bed. A twitch pulled at the corner of her lip and vanished, the only sign he would receive that she was amused. He shrugged, and waved around to the crowd. He would earn more credits from an energetic crowd. If he wanted to have any hope of paying off his debt, he needed more credits.
He didn't see how the patrons stiffened at his antics.
Akumini gave him one last twitch of her lips before she began speaking again. Her voice was distorted in the pit, but this pitch was one he knew by rote. He caught himself mouthing along to her recitation as he stretched. Toward the end of her speech, the soldiers exit the pit on quick feet. Only one remained to keep robo-legs in his spot until the all clear.
Saedah could still hear the electrical chatter of the prod.
He closed his eyes and regulated his breathing. The Calm finally shoved away the remaining tendrils of emotion as his heart rate returned to baseline and his breathing deepened into its normal, smooth in-and-out. He opened his eyes to vivid colors and a clarity of mind.
Turning to the man, he was ready to face the truth he had shoved aside and ignored. This was another man from Conclave. He knew that face. Saedah had spent many days working with the man in the procurement offices. The man's legs had been lost to an accident long before he landed in Conclave hands. He'd once been a friend: Cameron Ortiz.
Rather, Cameron Ortiz had been a friend of Saedah Karth. Saedah Karth was dead. Veron DeCrawley was all that was left of the once powerful Saedah Karth.
Then the gong was sounded. Saedah watched the guard climb the rope ladder before frantically pulling it from the pit. The same guard dropped a nice blade to the sand, turning to land point-first in slow motion. Cameron picked up the sword and lock eyes on Saedah. That sword was much better quality than his own, Saedah noticed with a twinge of anger. There was no rust, no chips, and no bent tip.
What gives? He thought to himself.
After a glare at Akumini and a gesture at his sword then his opponents, he pushed himself away from the wall to move slowly toward his assailant. Saedah approached with caution. Cameron approached with anger. When they were within earshot, without the risk of their voices carrying to the crowd, Saedah opened his mouth.
"Cameron. How did they get you?" Even to his own ears, his voice sounded dull and lifeless.
"They don't even know its you… do they?" Cameron responded, his voice carrying a current of madness. "You ruined everything. You don't even know what you did, and they don't know who you are!" Then Cameron lunged, laughing maniaclally.
The fight would have been a quick one. By all rights, it should have been a quick one. It was clear to all who watched that Saedah did not take the man seriously. The man was unbalanced by his rage. It was easy work to knock away and block the wide swings of Cameron's sword, or to step aside and avoid the blade altogether. But this was equally noticeable to Cameron as well, who only grew more angry. He began to shout at Saedah. Some of his shouts carried into the suites, but mostly the words exchanged were between the two fighters. It also seemed that the longer the fight went on, the angrier Saedah became. The angrier Saedah became, the worse Cameron was injured. It drug on for quite some time before the smaller man was covered in blood and sand, kneeling unsteadily, and watching Saedah for the killing blow.
"All you had to do was die. Instead, you and the rogue up there got to be, what, butt-buddies?" Cameron coughed a laugh. "Banging biscuits with your master, mutt? Or did you spill some good info to her? Pillow talk, maybe? She is a looker…"
Saedah moved to the man's back, bending to speak in his ear as he poised the sword to stab downward into Cameron's heart. "I should not be the one you are angry at, Cameron, but I can't let you go."
"Do it, RREC trash." Cameron laughed. "Or is the mutt too much of a cowar-"
The sword plunged deep. Even with the bent tip, it split Cameron's flesh like butter, blood spurting up to splatter across Saedaah's face as the steel found it's target.
Then all hells broke loose.
Red lights began to flash as the standard lighting dimmed. Saedah froze and looked to the alarm lights, his sword still deep within his old friend's chest. Then came the alarm itself, almost deafening in its intensity. Through the ringing in his ears, he could hardly hear the thunder of heavy boots as black-clad soldiers began to swarm into the viewing arena. Those were not Akumini's men. Then came the gray-clad Akumini guards, and the sounds of battle erupted. Gunfire thundered in the arena. Saedah dove to an overhang above one of the pit exits, dragging Cameron along as a shield. He caught sight of Jones in the stands, back-to-back with Troache.
The absolute hell?
Nyx was nowhere to be found. Even the robed ones were firing weapons. The confusing part of it was that Jones and his men - all with vibrant green scarves tied tightly around their arms or hanging from their necks - were firing on Akumini's guards; the gray uniforms. Their allies. But they were allied with that bastard Troache.
What in the Darkspinner's frayed web is going on? His mind was numb to the events around him. He was aware of his danger and the battle raging around him, but processing it was beyond him. He just sat there, behind Cameron's body, watching the firefight. The door behind him was locked from the other side, and he would not be able to scale the walls of the pit.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
He was trapped. Any minute now, a stray projectile would claim him. It wasn't the end he had thought he would have, but it was looking probable.
The ground beneath him shook as a boom echoed in the distance. Then there was a gloved hand on Saedah's shoulder pulling him through the door at his back. A hooded one walked around him, tall and imposing as he shouldered his weapon and began firing into the tiers. The figure spoke, but Saeda could not make out the words over the gunfire.
Saedah looked around and did not see anyone else in the hallway. So he ran. He was not equipped to compete against those weapons. Back in the S Hall, he saw his fellow studs at the glass, looking frantic as dust fell from the ceiling at each boom. the explosions were growing closer and more frequent.
He ran the length of the hall to the guards office, leaving behind a chorus of yells as the other males called out for him. The controls were closed with a clear cover. He used the sword to break the hinge, but it refused to budge. He proceeded to pound at the cover until it popped open, hardly damaged. Relieved that actually worked, he let out a long breath and hoped his next gamble paid off. He hit the switches to open all of the cells and turned. There, against the far wall, was a small, low-security gun locker.
"Xere!" he yelled, knowing the male would bring the Baultoni beast with him since the two were fairly close. As expected, the two barreled into the room. "Get into that, and we'll have guns."
"I did not like you much, you know." The baultoni mumbled in a deeply accented baritone voice. "But I think I have changed my mind. You are a decent male, for a half-breed."
"Tha~nks." Saedah said with false sincerity. That one was an asshole. Saedah did not have high standards for Baultoni, but did they all have to be so… forward?
The Baultoni, Tener, made short work of the locker and they spent the next extremely long few minutes selecting guns and loading their weapons. Two backpacks were shoved into the skinny locker, one went to Saedah while the other went to Xere. The backpack's straps were too short to fit over the Baultoni's grotesquely muscular shoulders. Impatient as he was, Saedah had to give a few quick safety lessons to the Baultoni and a couple of the other stud slaves before he tore down the hallway on his own.
He didn't want them shooting themselves, and his conscience would not allow him to leave without at least a weak understanding what the safety was, how to remove and reload the magazine, and how to check the charge. There were no replacement charges, so he skipped that lesson. They'd have to make due.
He stopped at an intersection with a fallen man, his wide, dead eyes set in a pale face. the man had fallen in a heap, one arm pinned beneath him, the other stretched out toward Saedah. He lay on his side, a scarf that might have once been green winding around his neck before stretching out across a puddle of blood. He'd been hit very near the temple on his right side, and had died before he'd ever hit the ground.
Saedah did not recognize him, thank the suns. He did, however, frisk the body. He added another gun and clip to his backpack, and put the earpiece of the walkie in his own ear. The tail end of a bursts of commands squawked across the line, echoing chaos in the background, then silence.
"Jones?" he called out into the channel.
"Veron? What the - Where are you?" His surprised voice was loud in the earpiece.
"What's going on?" Saedah demanded, ignoring Jones' question.
"We have to get you out of here. Now. Where are you?" Jones repeated amongst the feedback of gunfire.
"Like I am going to announce that over a walkie? You gotta be crazy, man." Saedah wasn't completely stupid.
"I'm trying to help you, godsdamnit!" Jones growled in his ear.
On two occasions, as he moved deeper into the keep, Saedah returned fire on a group of soldiers not bearing green scarves. When he did find the slave cells, they were empty with doors lying crooked and bent where they fell. The cell doors were removed so forcefully that the hinges were broken. He stood for a moment, looking upon the wreckage with a profound sense of futility. How was he supposed to find the girls now? They were probably the only reliable lead to finding Therin, too.
Wasting time! He told himself, cursing the progression of events. Then he decided that the best course would be to high tail it out of that hell-hole; go to the hangar, steal a vessel, and escape.
On his way back through the keep he stumbled into a cross-section. Four soldiers with brilliant green scarves lowered their weapons. Saedah lowered his own weapon, frustrated that his busted body couldn't even walk properly. He took up a defensive posture, untrusting and confused as the soldiers neared him with placating hands held up.
"On your side, sir" The first soldier to reach him said. The voice was female, coming from a not-so-delicate face marred with a fierce scar across her nose and cheek. She stood before him, extending one gloved hand out to shake his. Saedah took the hand in dumbfounded astonishment, looking to the other three as they all nodded their agreement.
They fell in step with him as he continued his run. The group of five made an odd progression. Saedah was clad in only a pair of boxers, a backpack, and his meager, primitive armor. The slap of his bare feet echoed down the halls in cadence with the heavy boots of the soldiers around him. In his hands was a semi-automatic rifle. Stuffed into the bands on his bracers were two more magazines for the rifle.
His entourage were heavily armored from head to toe, with high-quality gray plates and green scarves of varying color. It was surreal, but he would only think so in reflection. In the moment, he just wanted to survive.
"We need a ship and get out of here." He growled to one of the guards nearest him.
"We will lead you, but we have other duties to perform this night, sir." One of the male guards spoke, pride almost causing the man to actually glow. "But we are with you till then, Ghost."Saedah missed a step as his heart seized.
One simple, damnable word from that man called forth a wave of fear and anger to flood his body and sear his mind. As Saedah tensed, adopting a defensive position, the man backed away with raised, placating hands.
"Orange-y keen, brother. Orange-y keen." Before Saedah could do more than ease his stance, narrowing his eyes at the man, the others of the group moved on. Saedah was left staring at the soldier, pondering whether or not to trust these people.
He wasn't a damned Ghost. He was a terribly outnumbered, overpowered, vulnerable fool behind enemy lines. If these soldiers knew he was a Ghost, how many others in this Keep were out for his head?
Echoing shouts and gunfire forced him to focus on surviving and following his odd entourage.
They led the way to the hangar, nearly losing their heads in a spray of rapid fire. This was one of two entries into the hangar, and an excellent place to lay a trap. The main entry to the hangar was intersected by a side hall. Akumini's soldiers had positioned a force in this hallway to saw through the invading force as it attempted to flee. Saedah's group had fallen right into their hands, of course.
"Darkness damn them!" The woman cursed, lobbing a ball around the corner.
"I think I can get around to their position," Saedah said, looking back down the hall. The path they had taken split in another direction. If he was right… "I might be able to surprise them."
With surprisingly little argument, the four guards covered for Saedah while he did what he did best. He circled the hall and came up behind them while they were occupied. One burst from behind left most of the men dead. Before the two survivors could react, Saedah disabled them. Two single shots cleared the hall.
"Friendly!" he called out, not wanting to fall victim to friendly fire. He rounded the corner, noting the new field bandages and spent medicine cartridges. "Everyone fit?" When all nodded, he and the four guards parted ways.
He snuck into the hangar, where more gunfire echoed through the cavernous enclosure. He nearly lost his breath at the sight within. The Drakkar was hovering over the fleet of Ghost Ships and transport fighters, firing on the internal security stations. His eyes found the sickly green of the pegasus and his heart lodged in his throat.
Ignoring the world burning around him, he took the first step toward the Pegasus. That step seemed to take an eternity. Then another, and another, until he was running. He ran to his ship. He ran to the Pegasus. The ship, manned by Kitty, lowered the gangway for him to run aboard. Kitty popped up from the projectors, attempting to halt him. He ignored her for the moment and ran through her shimmering projection. He had something he needed to do before the others got wind of his presence. The gangway closed behind him and he reached the control panel just inside the cargo hold. he pressed his palm against the biometric panel.
"Saedah--!" Kitty began.
"Seething Seers Saying Soothing Sounds!" Saedah nearly shouted the words in his haste. Kitty stuttered both audibly and visibly before replying.
"Secure protocol engaged. Welcome back, Saedah." Kitty would then be a fully functional copy of Kitty, disconnected from every other Ghost or Conclave piece of equipment. It was a measure of which no other ghost knew.
"Begin launch. I want out of here."
"But Saedah…"
"DO IT!" he roared. From the emotionless state of the Calm, he could feel the excitement and dread writhing in his body. Blood rushed in his ears, in time with his furiously beating heart. With each beat, the Calm quivered and glimpses of emotions shown through. For a sliver of a moment, hope had a grip on his heart. But that hope was in a desperate battle as fear and uncertainty struggled viciously to extinguish it.
His breathing hitched as fear tore at his soul. With a deep breath and closed eyes, he forced the Calm to steady, blocking out all of his humanity except for the overwhelming need to escape. If he failed this time, he wouldn't survive. He opened his eyes and strode forward.
He was almost free and he would not be denied it.
"Yes, sir." She saluted and disappeared. He moved as fast as he could to the cockpit, sliding into the familiar chair, feeling the controls under his fingertips with such relief that the Calm shook and fled entirely.
"Not yet, dammit!" Tears clouded his vision and a choked sob exploded from him before he could reign in his emotions. He rushed launch and nearly jumped out of his skin as the Drakkar swung into view. The rising Pegasus nearly clipped the Drakkar as he took to the air. Mac and Saedah locked eyes for only a moment. Mac was not in his Skin, but in a white baggy… robe.
Mac did not have time to speak before Saedah's voice broke over the Ghost frequency.
"Is this real?" He asked into the com, his voice a mere whisper. He didn't want to wake up if it weren't real.
Five voices jumbled atop one another in response.
He could make out Vorn's confused 'Saedah?', Citram's assertive 'Where are you?', Vidian's 'Thank the suns, who has eyes on him?", Vector's oddly deep and serious 'Is he clear?', and Mac's panicked, stranged 'Saedah, dont!'
Mac broke through the rest, "Saedah, don't… We need the Pegasus just a little longer! Don't leave!"
The tumult of jumbled voices intensified.
"I'm sorry." Was all Saedah said. He turned the Pegasus and began firing on as many ships as he could, the ones not showing 'conclave' to his display, before he gained exiting altitude. He then turned to the hangar door and obliterated it, unbarring his final obstacle trapping him in that hellhole.
He was so close to freedom. He could imagine himself going home. He could almost taste a glass of bourbon as he looked over his own space, no restraints, no prison.
He entered coordinates to the autopilot, ready to commit when cold metal pressed against his ear.
"You are causing problems." The cold female voice brought rage immediately to the surface.
"For you? Always." He growled, inching his hand toward the button that would launch the Pegasus on the course he had charted.
"You fool!" She moved to spin the chair to face her. In one swift motion he slapped the 'Navigate' button and tackled Nyx as the ship lurched forward, aiming for space. He could not make out single words from the jumbled chatter over the com, but it was all panicked.
He landed heavily on her, using his partially bionic arm to quickly overpower her and toss the gun away. He lifted her and threw her into the co-pilot seat, using the restraints to pin her arms to her torso before clicking all the clasps.
"You idiot! You better pray to all the gods that it finished uploading!" Nyx screamed at him as the Pegasus left atmos and prepared to Jump.
"That what finished uploading?" he spun and demanded.
"The program, you simple-minded fool!" she responded. As the ship lurched into Jump, Saedah collapsed to his knees, grasping Nyx's chair with one hand as his world spin and tilted.
He had forgotten how Jumps were.