Rhody’s scream split the air, raw and piercing. Her fingernails scraped, futile, against the floor as Karich's massive stone heel ground against her head. She twisted and writhed, feeling like an acorn beneath a cart's wheel.
“Stop, damn it!” Ablee bellowed, her voice hoarse and desperate. It felt as if she was screaming into a void. The wind howled around her, battering her body with erratic gusts.
Her ears popped from the storms' intense pressure, the last of Rinval's paint ripping from her ears. She froze, disoriented, as sounds of the world rushed back to her—shouting, wind, and the muffled, haunting voices of the cell's chalky community crying out from the vortex. She stumbled forward, pressing her hands to her temples, overwhelmed by the onslaught.
Zeph spotted the wooden box of ammunition tumbling across the cell's floor. Her hair flagged behind her as she lunged after it. The sudden movement caused her shoulder to spasm, and her balance wavered. Blood leaked through the fabric of her blouse, leaving a trail of crimson dots along the ground. She stretched out a trembling hand, trying to snatch up the box.
“Damn it, stay still!” She growled as it was wrenched away by another gust.
Ablee braced against the wind, moving toward Karich. Her painted fists clenched tightly at her sides. “HEY! Let her go!” she shouted, her voice splitting the cacophony.
Karich's head tilted at her command. His hollowed eyes cast an eerie light across the chamber as he responded in a dull monotone, "This is a family matter, assassin."
Ablee’s heart skipped. “What the hell...” she muttered, taking in Karich's unnatural, jerky movements. The realization struck her like a physical blow. “What are you!? Where's my dad!? Where's Cline!?”
The fake Karich didn't react, its stone heel pressing harder against Rhody’s head, eliciting another scream.
“ZEPH!” Rhody choked out, her voice a desperate plea.
Ablee took another step forward, but a new voice interrupted her.
“Ahh, you made it back to your cell, just when I'd lost hope of you ever following instruction,” Rinval drawled, his figure framed in the doorway. He braced himself on his polearm, its length held horizontal against the portal.
Ablee’s glare snapped to him. “Oh, NOW you show up?!” she spat, her voice a venomous snarl, "Five years of silence, and TODAY you decide to pay me a visit!"
Rinval’s presence seeped into the room, heavy and oppressive. His words dripped 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 polearm scraped against the stone as he stepped forward, his fog-like aura rolling across the room.
Ablee’s fists trembled, but her defiance remained. “Where is he?!” she demanded, her voice cracking with fury. “Where’s the real Karich? And where is Cline?! What the hell is this... this golem?!”
Rinval laughed—a low, condescending chuckle. “Oh, Ablee, how long did you think they'd stay?” He paused, 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 caught, her nails digging into her palms. “You’re lying!” she shouted, stepping toward Rinval. The wind whipped around her, her painted form streaked with debris. "They need me," her eyes spun across her cell. "This was all to pull me in line!"
“They need you?” Rinval replied smoothly. “Do you really think they’d wait this long for the impudent runt to come to her senses?"
Ablee’s teeth ground. Her voice rose 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 cut her off, his tone razor-sharp. “Because you’ve already lost. Look around you.” He gestures grandly with his polearm. “Your only hope of escape, a helpless acolyte and a gunslinger, bleeding out. Their presence here's a mere coincidence.”
Rhody gasps beneath the golem's heel, clawing weakly at his leg. “Zeph…” she rasped, her voice barely audible. The crushing weight on her head sent sharp spikes of pain radiating through her body.
Ablee’s focus snapped back to the fake father. “You,” she growled. “Tell me the truth! Where are they really?!”
Its stone mouth moved again, but its words were drowned out by the storm. Frustration clawed at Ablee as she stepped closer. “Speak up!”
The golem hesitated, its jerky movements faltering as its gaze shifted between Ablee and Rhody. Confusion stains its chiseled face.
Rinval observed the exchange with amusement, his voice cutting through the tension. “Oh, this is rich. It thinks the acolyte is you!” He pointed his polearm at Rhody, his tone dripping with mockery. “Ablee is the redhead, you idiot.”
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It paused, trying to process the information. “I can't see… color,” it droned, its voice hollow.
“Fine then, just crush the one beneath your foot!” Rinval barked, his patience snapping.
Its movements grew more erratic, its confusion deepening. It leaned onto Rhody’s head, and she let out a strangled cry.
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Rhody's eyes loosed 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 slowed to a crawl before her eyes. The warlord's daughter, the unstoppable bouncing ball of frantic motion, stood frozen in place.
I'm going to die...I have to do something! Rhody shouted internally.
She struggled 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 came to mind. She frantically scanned the still-life scene in front of her, looking for anything that might prove useful. Her gaze settled on a card, one she'd used as a breadcrumb for Zeph to follow, tucked in the pocket of Ablee's overalls. Only the top third was visible, but she recognized it, A hand descending from clouds, holding a sprouting wand, The Ace of Wands. Its message is clear. Just go for it; take a chance.
She reached back a trembling hand, wrapping her fingers through her ink-blue ponytail. The world sped up as she yanked and dragged it roughly along the jagged edge of the golem's stone boot. Its strands frayed and splayed out in a rough imitation of Ablee's wild mane. With a burst of courage, she shouted, trying to mimic Ablee’s voice: “Fine, Dad! I give up! I’ll do what you want—just let me up!”
Ablee’s jaw dropped in disbelief. “Are you kidding me?!” she yelled, her voice dripping with outrage.
Rinval’s sharp voice cut through the room, admonishing the golem, "Figure it out, you damn puppet!".
It hesitated, and then its foot lifted ever so slightly, easing the weight on Rhody's head. Its glowing eyes flickered as it tried to process the surrounding chaos.
Rhody squeezed her eyes shut, her heart pounding. Just keep going. Sell it. Convince it.
“I’ll be a good daughter!” she cried, her voice trembling with faux sincerity. “I’ll do whatever you order—just don’t hurt me!"
It paused again, its confusion deepening. Ablee, meanwhile, looked like she was about to explode. “Good daughter?! He'll never go for that load of crap!” she barked, taking a step toward Rhody.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Rinval shrieked at the golem, stepping forward in outrage, his polearm scraping against the stone floor. “That’s not her, you idiot! The real Ablee is right—” BANG!
A bullet whistled through the storm, striking true against Rinval’s porcelain mask and shattering it into jagged shards. Rinval stumbled back with a cry of shock, his free hand flying to his face.
Zeph was on her knees, one hand braced against the floor, the other held out Applause. Her golden locks were plastered across her face's furious expression. “You talk too much,” she snarled.
Rinval staggered, his composure shattered. He glanced between Zeph and Ablee, his fingers tightening on his polearm. For a split second, he looked ready to lunge—but then he snarled and ducked out of the doorway.
Ablee pointed an accusing finger at Rhody. “I would never—”
Zeph leveled Applause at Ablee. “Shut up and let her work, or you're next,” she snapped.
“I can’t believe you just—” Ablee began, only to be cut off again by Rhody’s trembling voice.
“I’ll help you, okay?” Rhody pleaded to the golem, her words thick with feigned submission. “I’ll do whatever you need; just let me prove I can be useful.”
It tilted its head, its hollow eyes flickering faintly as if trying to process her words. Rhody pushed herself further, her voice wavering in fear. “Please, Dad! I want to help. Just… give me the chance.”
“What is wrong with you?!” Ablee snapped, her tone equal parts disbelief and fury. “That’s not me! I don’t grovel, and I sure as hell don’t—"
Zeph crashed into her from the side, tackling her to the ground with the force of a thunderbolt.
“Enough!” Zeph growled, wrestling to pin Ablee down, “Do you want to get us all killed?!"
“Get off me, witch!” Ablee roared, writhing beneath Zeph’s weight. Ablee's hands slapped against the floor, her voice rising above the storm. “She's ruining my reputation!”
Rhody didn't waste the distraction. While the golem's attention flickered between the bickering pair, she slid one of Ablee’s discarded chain restraints across the floor. Her movements were quick but deliberate, her fingers working deftly to knot the chain around the golem's massive stone ankle.
Rhody shouted, “Now's our chance, Dad! The assassins are distracted; let me at 'em!” Beads of sweat rolled down her temples. She glanced up, her heart hammering as the golem began to move. Its hulking foot rose slowly, the chain around it pulling taut with a metallic whine.
Rhody pulled her head free and scrambled away, rushing to escape its reach.
Rinval peeked his head around the doorway and shouted, "You let the girl go?!"
The golem spun, realization marking his face. It rushed after Rhody, and the chain tightened further around his leg. Its momentum worked against it, and the massive stone figure lurched awkwardly. The ground shuddered as it toppled forward, the chain snapping with a final, tortured groan. Crashing onto the floor, it tossed chunks of stone into the air like shrapnel.
Zeph and Ablee froze mid-scuffle, both momentarily stunned by the sight. Ablee was the first to recover. “Nice work, card girl,” she muttered. Then, in one fluid motion, she phased through Zeph's body. Emerging on the other side, she's coated in silky-black liquid.
Zeph gasped, momentarily disoriented. Rising to her feet, Ablee ran her hands through her hair, streaking them with the remaining traces of iron paint from her earlier escape. Her grin sharpened into something feral and wild, her posture exuding a newfound swagger.
“Oh yeah,” Ablee said, her voice taking on a brash, Zeph-like edge. “This feels good.”
“What the—” Zeph started, but Ablee was already moving. She took off at a dead sprint, her laughter cutting through the chaos like a blade.
Ablee lept onto the golem's back, her legs locking around its thick stone neck. “Alright, big guy,” she growled, her voice dripping with confidence. “Let's see what you've got!”
Her fists, now coated in shimmering iron, slammed into its head with brutal precision. The collisions were relentless, a pounding rhythm that blended with the surrounding storm.
The golem roared, the sound's vibrations shaking the air. Its massive arms reached up, trying to grab Ablee and pry her off, but she clung tighter, ducking and twisting to avoid their grasp.
“Now tell me. Where are the real Karich and Cline?!” Ablee shouted, her strikes growing fiercer. Chips of stone flew with each impact.
Zeph watched for a beat, then shook her head. A smirk tugged at the corners of her lips. “She’s completely insane,” she muttered before raising Applause and stepping toward the fight.