Another kick slammed into the door, splintering the wood further. Leo’s hands trembled as he fumbled with the guard’s keys, struggling to find the right one. His breathing was shallow, panic overtaking him as each failed attempt pushed him to the edge.
The next kick made the door shudder violently. One more would break it off its hinges entirely. My heart pounded against my ribs, fear taking over even though my face didn’t show it. Regret clawed at my mind—memories of my mother, James, Ada---all threatened to slip away forever. I refused to let it end here. I tightened my grip on reality. Survive. No matter what. Even if it meant using that Void skill—the one I’d earned from the strange translucent box.
With a click, Leo finally freed the elves just as the door burst open, sending shards of wood flying. Guards stormed in, their armor clinking as they yelled commands. One of them flung a glowing purple spell our way, and Aiden deflected it with a sweep of his sword.
“Move, elves!” Leo barked, throwing the cage door open into a guard’s face. The man crumpled with a grunt, but more were pouring in—at least five, maybe more. We were cornered, hopelessly outnumbered.
My hands shook as I fumbled with my menu. Desperation made my decision for me: I dumped every last point into Constitution, hoping the extra health might make a difference.
+-------------------------------+
| Ability Points |
| Available: 0 |
+-------------------------------+
| [+]Strength: (3)
| [+]Agility: (2)
| [+]Intelligence: (0)
| [+]Constitution: (4)
+-------------------------------+
|Confirm Allocation
|[Confirm] [Reset]
+-------------------------------+
Level 4: Axel
HP: [██████████░] 115/140
Mana: [░░░░░░░░] -1/100
Stamina: [██████████░░] 100/120
Options: [Inv | Skills | Quests]
“Kill the bastards!” a guard roared, his voice venomous. “Elf-lovers! Damned elf-lovers!”
“Idiots! Why are you helping them! They are elves!”
“Fucking kill them! Kill all of them!”
The words barely registered as the chaos around me deepened. Leo wrestled with a guard near the cages, gritting his teeth as his shoulder caught a blow. Aiden faced two enemies at once, his fire shield deflecting one blade while his sword clashed with the other. Seker muttered incantations, his hands glowing faintly with unfamiliar magic… this wasn’t looking so good.
The elves finally unlocked their chains with the guard’s key, their eyes glowing crimson. Without hesitation, one summoned a dagger that shimmered with an otherworldly sheen—a black blade with a gilded hilt. The other murmured under her breath, and the air around her pulsed. Light burst forth, blinding everyone in the room.
When the glow subsided, two massive figures stood near the spellcaster. Golems. Their rocky forms towered over everyone, ruby eyes glowing ominously. Black markings began at their foreheads, spiraling down their arms like tattoos, gradually covering their bodies in dark patterns. The rest of their form had a rough, grey, stone-like texture.
“The elves broke their chains!” someone shouted. “They can cast spells! Get the boss!”
Panic rippled through the guards, but their numbers didn’t dwindle. Instead, more swarmed in, shouting obscenities and threats.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
We fell back behind the golems, watching as the fight went on. It seemed like they were going to hold the guards off, but not for too long. I could already see cracks appearing on their bodies.
“We need to move!” Leo snapped, clutching his shoulder as Seker helped him stand. “Now!”
Aiden looked grim. “We can’t fight our way out.” His voice wavered, but he kept his blade raised. “Gotta find a way out!”
“What about the way we came in?” I asked with a dull voice. “Maybe those cannibals left already?”
“What if they haven’t? What if they’re still there?” Aiden countered. “We can’t risk it.”
“Can we risk finding another entrance?” I asked.
“Shit… no. But---”
The first golem collapsed in a cloud of dust, its ruby eyes dimming. The second continued to fight, swinging its massive arms with earth-shaking force, but more cracks were forming in its stony skin.
“We’re running out of time,” Seker urged, his voice tight with tension.
“Please don’t leave me.” The little girl said, holding Seker by the arm. “Please. Please.”
“No one is leaving you.” He replied gently, despite the dire situation. “We’ll escape together. Okay?”
“Okay…”
The remaining golem crumbled, leaving us exposed. Eight guards advanced, their weapons gleaming. The elves also stepped forward, their stances sharp. We were six against eight, but more would come, surely. These slavers were serious about their… ‘jobs’ if one could call this a job.
I clenched my fists. Every instinct screamed that we were screwed, but giving up wasn’t an option. Not like this. No.
A shadow filled the doorway, and a man entered. He was even bigger than the golems, his sheer presence filling the room like a storm. The guards instantly stepped aside, parting to make way. His dark skin gleamed under the dim light, and his bald head shone as if polished. But it was his eyes that truly unnerved me—sharp, experienced, and filled with a smoldering menace that could melt steel.
He towered over everyone, his massive frame brushing the ceiling, easily two meters tall. His muscles rippled beneath a long coat that barely seemed capable of containing him. James had always called people like this behemoths.
“Guys.” Seker whispered. “We’re done for.”
“Yep.” Leo replied. “We are. We definitely are.”
I swallowed hard, dread curling in my stomach like a coiled snake. The others instinctively shifted, weapons drawn, bodies tense. The elf with the conjured dagger was the first to move, her crimson eyes flaring as she dashed forward with a burst of speed.
Seker whispered a spell, enchanting her blade with a faint glow, but it didn’t matter. The man moved impossibly fast for someone his size. He caught her wrist mid-strike, his massive hand engulfing her forearm. Without hesitation, he yanked her off the ground and hurled her back at us like she weighed nothing.
We barely ducked in time. She slammed into the wall behind us with a sickening crack, her body crumpling to the ground. The wall itself bore the imprint of the impact.
This was bad. Really bad.
“Humans helping elves,” he sneered, his voice as deep and imposing as his stature. “Now I’ve seen everything.”
Aiden stepped forward, his sword gripped tightly. “You’re torturing them! The Queen forbids that. If they must die, it should be quick and merciful.”
The man let out a dark chuckle, shaking his head. “Do you know what they did when they were in power? The killing, the raping, the torture? The elves… they earned this.”
“So, what?” Leo cut in, his voice steady but laced with disdain. “You’re just continuing the cycle? Perpetuating the same cruelty you claim to despise? Be better.”
The man smirked, his expression unreadable. “You can walk away from this. Leave the kid and the others. Go back to your families. Hug them. Be grateful you weren’t alive when the elves were in charge. You wouldn’t have lasted a day under them.”
“How can we trust you?” I blurted, unsure why I even spoke. My voice wavered, the doubt clear.
“You can’t,” he replied bluntly, turning his gaze to me. “But the alternative is worse.”
“No!” Leo’s voice rang out, cutting through the tension like a blade. “We’re not leaving them.”
Aiden glanced at the man. “What about just the kid? We only take her, and we—”
“No,” Leo snapped, his tone firm. “We’re saving all of them.”
“Think for once!” Aiden hissed. “We’re outnumbered, outmatched! We can’t win this fight.”
Leo squared his shoulders, meeting the behemoth’s gaze with a defiant smirk. “No deals. No compromises.”
The man shrugged off his long coat, revealing a body like a solid slab of muscle beneath his tight black shirt. He rolled his shoulders, the motion sending a ripple of power through his frame.
“Last chance,” he said, his voice steady but brimming with finality. “Walk away now, and I’ll spare you the agony of what’s coming.”
Leo chuckled, the corner of his mouth twitching into a grin. “Shut it, man.”
The man’s face darkened, his massive hands flexing. “I gave you a choice. When I hang you from the ceiling, bleeding and broken, remember that I warned you.”