Rhody’s scream splits the air, raw and piercing. Her fingernails scrape, futile against the floor as Karich's massive stone heel grinds against her head. She twists and writhes, feeling like an acorn beneath a cart's wheel.

“Stop damn-it!” Ablee bellows, her voice hoarse and desperate. It feels as if she’s screaming into a void. The wind howls around her, battering her body with erratic gusts.

Her ears pop from the storms' intense pressure, the last of Rinval's paint ripping from her ears. She freezes, disoriented as sounds of the world rush back to her—shouting, wind, and the muffled, haunting voices of the cell's chalky community crying out from the vortex. She stumbles forward, pressing her hands to her temples, overwhelmed by the onslaught.

Zeph spots the wooden box of ammunition tumbling across the cell's floor. Her hair flags behind her as she lunges after it. The sudden movement causes her shoulder to spasm, and her balance wavers. Blood leaks through the fabric of her blouse, leaving a trail of crimson dots along the ground. She stretches out a trembling hand, trying to snatch up the box.

“Damn it, stay still!” She growls as it's wrenched away by another gust.

Ablee braces against the wind, moving toward Karich. Her painted fists clench tightly at her sides. “HEY! Let her go!” she shouts, her voice splitting the cacophony.

Karich's head tilts at her command. His hollowed eyes cast an eerie light across the chamber as it responds in a dull monotone, "This is a family matter, assassin."

Ablee’s heart skips. “What the hell...” she mutters, taking in Karich's unnatural, jerky movements. The realization strikes her like a physical blow. “What are you!? Where's my dad!? Where's Cline!?”

The fake Karich doesn't react, its stone heel pressing harder against Rhody’s head, eliciting another scream.

“ZEPH!” Rhody chokes out, her voice a desperate plea.

Ablee takes another step forward, but a new voice interrupts her.

“Ahh, you made it back to your cell, just when I'd lost hope of you ever following instruction,” Rinval drawls, his figure framed in the doorway. He braces himself on his pole-arm, its length held horizontal against the portal.

Ablee’s glare snaps to him. “Oh NOW you show up?!” she spits, her voice a venomous snarl, "Five years of silence, and TODAY you decide to pay me a visit!"

Rinval’s presence seeps into the room, heavy and oppressive. His words drip with disdain, each syllable sinking like a weight into Ablee’s chest. “Five years. If you'd taken my lessons to heed, you could have freed yourself a long, long time ago.” His pole-arm scrapes against the stone as he steps forward, his fog-like aura rolling across the room.

Ablee’s fists tremble, but her defiance remains. “Where is he?!” she demands, her voice cracking with fury. “Where’s the real Karich? And where is Cline?!”

Rinval laughs—a low, condescending chuckle. “Oh Ablee, how long did you think they'd stay?” He pauses, his painted mask tilting in mock thought. “Karich? Cline? They’re long gone. Left years ago. They're climbing The Tower. How could you not guess?”

Ablee’s breath catches, her nails digging into her palms. “You’re lying!” she shouts, stepping toward Rinval. The wind whips around her, her painted form streaked with debris. "They need me," her eyes spin across her cell. "This was all to pull me in line!"

“They need you?” Rinval replies smoothly. “Do you really think they’d wait this long, for the impudent runt to come to her senses?"

Ablee’s teeth grind. Her voice rises higher. “They wouldn't just leave me here to rot, for no reason! If you think I’m just gonna stand here while you spout this crap—”

“You’ll do exactly that,” Rinval cuts her off, his tone razor-sharp. “Because you’ve already lost. Look around you.” He gestures grandly with his pole-arm. “Your only hope of escape, a helpless acolyte and a gunslinger, bleeding out. Their presence here's a mere coincidence.”

Rhody gasps beneath Karich's heel, clawing weakly at his leg. “Zeph…” she rasps, her voice barely audible. The crushing weight on her head sends sharp spikes of pain radiating through her body.

Ablee’s focus snaps back to her fake father. “You,” she growls. “Tell me the truth! Where are they really?!”

His stone mouth moves again, but its words are drowned out by the storm. Frustration claws at Ablee as she steps closer. “Speak up!”

Karich hesitates, his jerky movements faltering as his gaze shifts between Ablee and Rhody. Confusion stains his chiseled face.

Rinval observes the exchange with amusement, his voice cutting through the tension. “Oh, this is rich. It thinks the acolyte is you!” He points his pole-arm at Rhody, his tone dripping with mockery. “Ablee is the redhead, you idiot.”

Karich pauses, trying to process the information. “I can't see… color,” it drones, its voice hollow.

“Fine then, just crush the one beneath your foot!” Rinval barks, his patience snapping.

Karich's movements grow more erratic, his confusion deepening. He leans onto Rhody’s head, and she lets out a strangled cry.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

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

Rhody's eyes loose teary lines, the sounds of her ragged breath and thundering heart-beat filling her head, THUMP THUMP THUMP.. THUMP... THUMP..... THUMP....... The torrent of dusty chalk particles slows to a crawl before her eyes. The warlord's daughter, the unstoppable bouncing ball of motion, stands frozen in place.

I'm going to die...I have to do something! Rhody shouts internally.

She struggles to think, to come up with any sort of worth-while plan.

It... It thinks I'm its daughter...I can use that...No that's stupid, something else, there's got to be something else!

Nothing comes to mind. She frantically scans the still-life scene in front of her, looking for anything that might prove useful. Her gaze settles on a card, one she'd used as a bread-crumb for Zeph to follow, tucked in the pocket of Ablee's overalls. Only the top third is visible, but she recognizes it. A hand descending from clouds, holding a sprouting wand. The Ace of Wands. It's message is clear. Just go for it, take a chance.

She reaches back a trembling hand, wrapping her fingers through her ink-blue ponytail. The world speeds up as she yanks and drags it roughly along the jagged edge of the Karich's stone boot. Its strands fray and splaying out in a rough imitation of Ablee's wild mane. With a burst of courage, she shouts, trying to mimic Ablee’s voice: “Fine Dad! I give up! I’ll do what you want—just let me up!”

Ablee’s jaw drops in disbelief. “Are you kidding me?!” she yells, her voice dripping with outrage.

Rinval’s sharp voice cuts through the room, admonishing Karich, "Figure it out, you damn puppet!".

Karich hesitates. His foot lifts ever so slightly, and the weight on her head eases. His glowing eyes flicker as he tries to process the surrounding chaos.

Rhody squeezes her eyes shut, her heart pounding. Just keep going. Sell it. Convince it.

“I’ll be a good daughter!” she cries, her voice trembling with faux sincerity. “I’ll do whatever you order—just don’t hurt me!"

Karich pauses again, his confusion deepening. Ablee, meanwhile, looks like she’s about to explode. “Good daughter?! He'll never go for that load of crap!” she barks, taking a step toward Rhody.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Rinval shrieks at Karich, stepping forward in outrage, his pole-arm scraping against the stone floor. “That’s not her, you idiot! The real Ablee is right—” BANG!

A bullet whistles through the storm, striking true against Rinval’s porcelain mask and shattering it into jagged shards. Rinval stumbles back with a cry of shock, his free hand flying to his face.

Zeph is on her knees, one hand braces against the floor, the other holds out Applause. Her golden locks are plastered across her face's furious expression. “You talk too much,” she snarls.

Rinval staggers, his composure shattered. He glances between Zeph and Ablee, his fingers tightening on his pole-arm. For a split second, he looks ready to lunge—but then he snarls and ducks out of the doorway.

Ablee points an accusing finger at Rhody. “I would never—”

Zeph levels Applause at Ablee. “Shut up and let her work, or you're next,” she snaps.

“I can’t believe you just—” Ablee begins, only to be cut off again by Rhody’s trembling voice.

“I’ll help you, okay?” Rhody pleads to Karich, her words thick with feigned submission. “I’ll do whatever you need, just let me prove I can be useful.”

Karich tilts his head, his hollow eyes flickering faintly as if trying to process her words. Rhody pushes herself further, her voice wavering in a perfect in fear. “Please Dad! I want to help. Just… give me the chance.”

“What is wrong with you?!” Ablee snaps, her tone equal parts disbelief and fury. “That’s not me! I don’t grovel, and I sure as hell don’t—"

Zeph crashes into her from the side, tackling her to the ground with the force of a thunderbolt.

“Enough!” Zeph growls, wrestling to pin Ablee down, “Do you want to get us all killed?!"

“Get off me, witch!” Ablee roars, writhing beneath Zeph’s weight. Ablee's hands slap against the floor, her voice rising above the storm. “She's ruining my reputation!”

Rhody doesn’t waste the distraction. While Karich's attention flickers between the bickering pair, she slides one of Ablee’s discarded chain restraints across the floor. Her movements are quick but deliberate, her fingers working deftly to knot the chain around Karich's massive stone ankle.

Rhody shouts, “Now's our chance Dad! The assassins are distracted, let me at 'em!” Beads of sweat roll down her temples. She glances up, her heart hammering as Karich begins to move. His hulking foot rises slowly, its chain scraping pulling taut with a metallic whine.

Rhody pulls her head free and scrambles away, rushing to escape his reach.

Rinval peeks his head around the doorway and shouts, "You let the girl go?!"

Karich spins, realization marking his face. He rushes after Rhody, and the chain tightens around his leg. His momentum works against him, and the massive stone figure lurches awkwardly. The ground shudders as he topples forward, the chain snapping with a final, tortured groan. Karich crashes onto the floor, tossing chunks of stone into the air like shrapnel.

Zeph and Ablee freeze mid-scuffle, both momentarily stunned by the sight. Ablee is the first to recover. “Nice work, card girl,” she mutters. Then, in one fluid motion, she phases through Zeph's body, her body coated in black liquid as she emerges.

Zeph gasps, momentarily disoriented. Ablee runs her hands through her hair, streaking them with the remaining traces of iron paint from her earlier escape. Her grin sharpens into something feral and wild, her posture exuding a newfound swagger.

“Oh yeah,” Ablee says, her voice taking on a brash, Zeph-like edge. “This feels good.”

“What the—” Zeph starts, but Ablee’s already moving. She takes off at a dead sprint, her laughter cutting through the chaos like a blade.

Ablee leaps onto the Karich's back, her legs locking around his thick stone neck. “Alright, big guy,” she growls, her voice dripping with confidence. “Lets see what you've got!”

Her fists, now coated in shimmering iron, slam into Karich’s head with brutal precision. The collisions are relentless, a pounding rhythm that blends with the surrounding storm.

Karich roars, the sound's vibrations shaking the air. His massive arms reach up, trying to grab Ablee and pry her off, but she clings tighter, ducking and twisting to avoid their grasp.

“Now tell me. Where are the real Karich and Cline?!” Ablee shouts, her strikes growing fiercer. Chips of stone fly with each impact.

Zeph watches for a beat, then shakes her head, a smirk tugging at the corner of her lips. “She’s completely insane,” she mutters, before raising Applause and stepping toward the fight.