Denizens of the Labyrinth

The first thing that hit Jazmel when he entered the sewers were how dark it was. He could see fine; his eyes were perfect in any pitch of light it would seem. Mary and Baek seemed fine, but Sadé held the back of his jacket as he led her through the sewers. Then came the smell, the sewers stank, putrid things floated in the waterways and even though they walked on the raised ledge. They were still too close to not smell the excrement of the city above.

Mary walked with purpose, she seemed to know where she was going immediately and only had to orientate herself once before she led them forward. The darkness clung to them like mist and only when the tunnel ahead, bearing simple lanterns indented in the wall corners. Seemed to push back the darkness. Mary crept to the corner and as she peered round, quick as a serpent. She grabbed and pulled a man back who must have been guarding the way.

“Where are the cells?” she asked, and he looked like he would not respond but something in Mary’s eyes told him it would be for no reason.

“To the west of this tunnel. Walk up here and turn left, follow that tunnel to the end and you will come upon the cells.” He uttered, clearly frightened.

“Are you sworn?” she asked him.

“Not yet.” He stuttered.

“They won’t make me because I haven’t killed yet.” He said, a little defeated.

“Do you want to be sworn?” Baek asked him.

“Do I have another choice.”

“There are always choices.”

Before he could respond again, Mary had put him to sleep with a choke hold and left him sitting as if he were asleep. “It was my choice not to kill him.” She said and then stood up, moving around the corner, and following the words of the now sleeping acolyte. The tunnels were lit at each corner and halfway in between so there were many shadows to either hide in or ambush. Jazmel could see all parts; his eyes were that keen even now and as they were about to move down the tunnel towards the cells. He held Mary by the arm.

“There are four men in there. Guarding the cells.” He whispered to her and Baek. For a moment Baek was quiet as if thinking and then he whispered back.

“I can take three of them, you will have to take the nearest so I can get the one furthest down the hall.” Baek told Mary, she nodded, and they flew into action. By the time Sadé and Jazmel had rounded the corner there were four men incapacitated on the ground. All dead, Jazmel almost felt sorry for them. but then he noticed the tattoos, markings on each of their necks. These men were sworn and not mere acolytes. He steeled himself and said nothing.

“He should be in one of these cells.” Mary said and heading to the first she jumped a little to investigate the barred window at the top of the door.

“There is a man in there, but I cannot see his face properly. Ready?” she said about to pull the chains off the door lock. They all nodded, and she did, throwing them to the other side of the cells.

A man walked out, tall and bruised, it was not Tango but someone else completely. His hands were Manacled and Jazmel noticed the intricate tattoos on both his hands, he had thought he was sworn at the first, but these tattoos were not like the black ones the sworn sported. These tattoos were blue and white, filled with Mana but the Manacles seemed to be feeding on them as dark iron burned a hazy red.

“This man is Cloud.” Baek said and walking over, he simply ripped the Manacles off the man’s hands, and he sighed with relief. The Mana in his hands began to flow around his body and Jazmel watched as he began to heal almost immediately.

“Baek what the hell are you doing in Ladnipor?” the man called Cloud asked. Mary had already moved to the next door, looking in she shook her head and moved to door three. She pulled the chains off and as she opened the door, screams came out. She merely waited at the door for the screams to stop and Sadé stepped beside her to look in. there were five women in there, Jazmel could see they were all Seekers. Their clothes were tattered and torn, bruised faces and blackened eyes told him all he needed to know. He clutched his sheathed sword, the sworn would pay.

The fourth cell was empty, and the fifth cell held the desiccated corpse of someone unknown. The rats had feasted on this body and Mary would not even open the door. The fifth cell was opened quickly and inside was Tango. Jazmel could tell that Mary had found him. He rushed up beside her and as she opened the door, he looked in to see Tango. His sole parent, friend, and guardian.

The man was a shell of his former self. His blonde hair was matted and longer than usual. It covered his face. His arms were chained above his head and so he sat in a cross-legged position at the back of the cell. Jazmel rushed in and looking at tango, he could tell he was alive. His Mana was running around his body very faintly, he was beaten and starved but still alive.

“Tango!” Jazmel shouted and the man moaned, groaning awake he looked at Jazmel in disbelief. Wondering if he was delirious.

“You can’t be here.” he said.

“But it is me, me and Mary.” Tango raised his head and looked up at Mary who was at the door.

“Give him a potion.” Mary told him. He slashed the chains that held his dearest friend and then went about giving him potions, he drank two before he reopened his eyes. Bruised and still bloody, he seemed a little more alert.

“Why did you come!” he groaned to Jazmel.

“We have got company!!” Sadé shouted and leading Tango out, he stepped up beside her.

Sworn members rushed to the entrance of the hall. There were many more than them and the numbers seemed to keep flooding. Jazmel stopped counting at forty men and women, but he kept his nerves about him.

Sadé unsheathed her sword and stood protectively ahead of the women, Jazmel did the same, but Tango was not hiding he had drunk another potion and was standing on his own relatively stable. He drank a stamina potion and Jazmel could feel his Mana stirring but he did not take his eyes off the entrance.

A lone man stepped out from the group of sworn, his tattoo was greater than the others, it was circled and bolder and Jazmel could tell there was a wickedness about this man.

“So, your friends came for you eh.” He said, clearly speaking to Tango.

“All you had to do, was tell us where the child went. We would have let you go before all these unpleasantries.” The man said, picking dirt from beneath his nails. Unfazed by the defiance in front of him. The child? What was he talking about, Jazmel wondered.

“Cloud get back in your cell.” He said to the man standing beside Baek, he laughed and turned to the cell door. With a raised hand he pulled the door off the hinges and bent the iron door into a crumpled mess. This man was powerful, Jazmel could tell. It felt like Baek or near enough in strength to him.

“Have it your way then.” The man pulled a whistle from his pocket and blew into it. No sound came out but all the hairs on Jazmel’s arms rose.

Jazmel had heard cries of pain and screeches before. But the sound that came from the final cell in the room, put a fear into him like no other. Backing away slowly they all moved over to the doorway of the cell the girls had been in, Sadé ushered them in. they hurried, and she stood at the doorway, Jazmel stood in front of her flanked by Tango and Mary. Baek and the man called Cloud stood ahead of them.

The door of the final cell opened and a woman in a white flowing, but very tattered dress stepped out. Her head was covered with a black hood and her hands were chained and bound in front of her. Jazmel heard a crack and looking, he saw the sworn leader snap the whistle in half. The hood fell away, and Jazmel watched as this pale woman looked at him and his friends.

“Lich Queen.” Baek said and for the first time in all the time’s Jazmel had been with him. Baek took a sword from his storage ring. Cloud clapped his hands together and in a flurry of other movements with the Mana in his hands and tattoos rapidly increasing ahead of him the spectral form of a giant toad appeared.

The woman screamed again and this time Baek slashed at something. The sound she projected was cut in half and one half smashed into the sworn forces. The other half hit the back wall of the cells and broke away revealing the city. Somewhere out in the open. Cloud reacted quickly with a hand signal the ghostly toad jumped forward and rammed the pale Lich out of the opening. Baek sprang out after it.

Cloud stayed beside them and he and the assumed leader of the sworn faced off. Cloud hit him with Mana and knocked him through the cells. Following after him their battle breaking the sewers about them.

Now it was just the sworn left. Mary ripped off her shroud and clenched her fists. She wore a simple white tank top, and her hands and elbows were bound. The sworn captain made to speak but she was on him in an instant. A savage elbow to his nose, shattered it into a fleshy mess. She spun out of his grip before he could catch her and with another elbow, she hit his temple. Knocking him to the ground, unconscious.

The others rushed her but Jazmel and Sadé were beside her. Jazmel swung his sword; he did not even use skills. He just carved through the sworn. Most fell beneath one movement, those who did not. fell beneath the second, they soon learned not to approach him. But Sadé had covered herself in blue fire and her three tails were filled with Mana. She imbued her sword with the flame and was carving through the sworn.

Mary had beaten most of those who had rushed her into a bloody mess. When the rest of the sworn saw that they were barely able to hold back this group they surrendered and ran away, the cowards they all were.

“Nobody move!” a shout from behind drew Jazmel’s eyes. The sworn captain, awake now but hampered by the lack of a nose. Was clutching one of the girls from the cell and holding a knife to her neck.

“Let me out of here and I will let this girl go.” He said, smiling and snarling he made to lick her face but at the last moment let go of her and gasped. Dropping his blade, he suddenly went slack. From behind, Tango had stabbed him directly in the heart with a discarded blade. He held his mouth and drove the blade in deeper. The sworn who were still able to run, had fled. The others who were either injured or dead, laid where they were.

Patton, Katie, and Bannerman appeared. Late but still Jazmel was happy to see his friends. They entered the entrance and spotting Jazmel and Sadé rushed over to them. Jazmel and Sadé quickly explained the events. Katie went to the girls and began giving them the clothes she had in her storage rings. They entered the cells to dress and Sadé followed behind to help as she could.

“Jazmel.” Tango called him and Jazmel walked over to hug the man he had been looking for.