Breaking Free (Plot 2.0)

[Ghost of Fire (Fëanáro)]

Rallin clenched his teeth as the rope tightened and lifted him clear of the ground, jarring his injured shoulder. From the sound of things, Se’kt had gotten help, and he could, just barely, pick up on Rallisk’s steady in-out breathing pattern, the one she used when she was pulling something. He had to fight the urge to laugh, somehow, there was just something hilarious about this whole thing; he had to wonder just how Se’kt, whom Rallisk had never met before, had gotten Rallisk to do something.

When Rallin finally felt the tunnel floor beneath him, he manage to push himself up and look around. Hedara was nowhere to be seen, though Sk’ar, A’mir, Sayurith, and Keira were, in addition to Se’kt and Rallisk. There was also a new youth there, standing in front of Sayurith, close enough for the weyrling to touch and gasping for breath, holding a blood-stained sword.

“Where’s Hedara?” Rallin asked, looking around. Rallisk nosed him and he absently rubbed the top of her head with his left hand.

——
Tivax glanced over when the sound of pulling stopped. They’d gotten the wher-handler out of the pit, though there was blood oozing from an arrow wound in the man’s right shoulder.

——
“Move up,” the voice was quiet, hissed. The responses immediate and well trained. From a ledge high above and to the front of the group, arrows flew, aiming for the weyrling dragon and the two Kingriders.

——
Glancing off down the tunnel, Tivax alerted on the arrows. His mouth opened but for a timeless moment no sound came out, until finally…

“More archers!” he shouted. His gaze had locked on the man, brown haired, in whose hands rested a powerful bow.

[Lark]

Hissing, the dark dragonet jumped from the boy as the warning sounded, her eyes snapping onto the blonde form of her rider who had just let to of the rope as the handler reached safety. That means you too A'mir! I'm not loosing you. Headbutting her rider away from the danger, Sayurith snaked her tail around Tivax's area as an arrow headed his way, hoping to pull him closer. Get us out of here. A'mir nodded his head, following as Kierah started to run through a nearby tunnel. "This way!"

[Shoki]

Hedara was grateful when the arrow missed her and the archer fell backward. She had to go about this carefully and decisively though, otherwise she'd end up dead. She still had a bow in her hand, and if there was something she had on her at this moment, she was going to use it. So she threw it at the prone archer. She used the distraction to dash forward, and sweep with her sword, bringing the metal blade against the bow so even if she didn't outright break the bow it would not be aimed at her. She continued forward, moving her grip and the angle of the sword so that it would still be pushing on the bow, only the sharp edge was against it and the blade's tip was away from her and him. Of course, it was just a move to get ready and bring the full weight of her sword down on him, into his shoulder. She wasn't about to give him the benefit of the doubt here, she wanted to ensure he didn't get any more shots off. She spun the sword and brought it back, hilt-first toward the back of his head. When she was done and stepped back, she noticed blood dripping from the back of his head. Looked like he wasn't coming back up. She grabbed both of the bows and slung them over her shoulder, having to take time to make sure it was her right shoulder. Her left arm still had an arrow in it after all. She paused and grabbed and arrow the men were using and checked the tip. It wasn't oily, which meant no poison. However, it did have an arrowhead on it that would mean that it would be best to just leave the arrow in her arm. Still, she had to do something. Her sword was promptly sheathed as she got about it.

Hedara bit down on her lip before grabbing the arrow with her right arm, very close to where it entered her body. She kept it steady as she reached back with her left arm, holding on a portion near the fletching. She tightened the grip with her right hand and pushed on the shaft with her thumb. All at once she pushed with her thumb while twisting her left hand, and the arrow broke half way down. She grimaced, at the fresh pain in her arm. She tossed the loose bit away, glad to have less of the arrow sticking out of her. She rather have a better range of movement. The wound would bleed a little more now, but much less then if she actually pulled out the arrow. She gave herself a second to gather her breath and draw her sword, before running back to where the others were.

"Shardit." Hedara had given up on being quiet. Now it was time for speed. She had come back into visual range and found more archers around, though at least Rallin was out of the pit. Hedara ran back to the group before any of the archers could try and pin her down away from the others. She gauged the archers and figured they would be torn apart if they didn't move. It looked like the others were already on that though. She went with them, trying to asses the others. It didn't look like anyone besides Rallin was hurt, at least right now. That was good, she'd kept the archers off of them then. She breathed deeply still holding her sword ready. Who knew what else was waiting for them.

[Ghost of Fire (Fëanáro)]

To Tivax, it seemed that no sooner had the shout left his mouth then he was getting pulled/pushed out of the way of an arrow by Sayurith’s tail. Before he could say anything, a young woman cried out “This way!” and the whole group was off and moving again. In the instant that their eyes met, Tivax knew that he’d seen the black-haired young woman somewhere before, in fact… hadn’t she been the one that had given his father the Weyrling pair?

“Stay in the middle of the tunnel until the past the next couple turns!” he shouted, scrambling after the young woman and the Weyrling. “There’s traps on the sides; you have to go single file!”

He didn’t even notice the return of the older woman, now with an arrow in her arm.

——
Rallin noticed Hedara’s return though, and the stats were not looking so good. Sure, Hedara was less injured than he was, but still, they had what was probably a great deal more distance to go, and to already have two fighters injured…

“Sk’ar can you stay closer to the back with me?” he asked, hoping that the RR Flame rider would say yes. It would mean putting Se’kt up near the front, but the front could use with a swordsman anyway. Ideally they’d have Rallisk up front too, he thought, but the wher was refusing to go that far from him.

“Se’kt, I think you should be at the front, just in case they decide to charge,” Rallin opinioned, as they ran along the middle of the tunnel, having traded silence for speed. After all, it would take time to alter their arrangement, but that was better than having one of the better swordsman at the back.

[darkwanderer]

At Rallin's suggestion Se'Kt nodded. It was very sound logic to put him closer to the front, considering there was every chance they might encounter some trouble ahead. Being mindful of the stranger's warnings about the traps, Se'Kt wove his way through his fellow rescuers towards the front of the group. He intended to take the brunt of any frontal assault they might encounter, as two of theirs were already injured. The group moved at a steady pace through the dim corridors and Se'Ky was aware of the young woman somewhere ahead of him and the stranger behind. He felt reassured that Sk'ar was covering them as he's seen first hand what that man could so with a bow. Ahead Se'Kt could see the first turn they had to take and he hastened towards it.

Urgency made him forget the warnings he'd heard about traps and as he rounded the corner he clipped something on the ground. Later he would wonder at the ingenious mechanism that triggered the device, but at the time all he knew was that some kind of very thin wire suddenly whipped across the floor and tangled around his ankles. He crashed to the ground in an undignified heap, scraping his hands, shoulder and cheek as he hit the floor. He rolled to one side, attempting to make a path for the others so that they would not trip over him. What a fine hero he made! Se'Kt, rider of Ice King Epsilith reduced to a bound herdbeast on the floor! But he couldn't worry about it for long. Were those footsteps just the echoes of his companions running feet...or did they have company?

[Ghost of Fire (Fëanáro)]

The approaching men could see the trap trigger, and knew that it had caught whoever the invaders had put up front. They had been hidden, watching it, but now they rushed forward. The two in the lead drew swords as they ran; the rest stayed with spears. They came around the corner to see a man caught in one of the traps and then ran harder, their eyes intent on the corner just beyond the man, where soon they would come face to face with their helpless prey. They didn’t care that their footsteps echoed down the passageway; they were armored in mail and wherhide, and knew the locations of the traps.

“For reformation!” they cried as one, lunging forward. They ignored Se’kt. They could deal with that invader later, after they dealt with the others.

——
Tivax saw a blur of motion, and knew that the man in the front, Se’kt, had just forgotten about the traps and been caught. He glanced over at the others, then started forward, only to freeze when he heard the onrushing feet. He was no coward, but to face a crowd of men by himself… he looked around again, realizing that he was the only unhurt individual, besides the two younger riders, present. Grimacing, he slipped forward, adjusting his grip on his sword and trying to forget about the sight of the archer’s face as the man had died.

——
A shout and onrushing footsteps. Rallin looked up, realized that they were about to get charged at, and swore. He himself would be of little use in a fight, and Rallisk was at the back, no use at all in against a frontal assault. He spun to look at Sk’ar, remmebering that the Kingrider was an archer of no small skill.

[Void]

Sk'ar was already moving, bow drawn, he had heard Se'kt go down and the charging of the men. He broke the single file line and brought his bow up right as two swordsmen rounded the corner, right for Tivax. He may not know the boy but he sure wasn't going to let him go down on his watch. The bow went taught, breath held still and for a second Sk'ar was frozen the blur of movement perfectly still as he took aim. The arrow loosened flew through the air so fast it almost seemed as if it had betweened from his bow into the mans throat. The other swordsman halted for a moment and stared at his companion confused, they had the archers not this pathetic group. He looked back at Tivax, his target in which he was sure he would get a bonus for killing. An ugly grin covered his face as he advanced on the boy moving his sword through the air expertly, making the air sing as the blade moved through it. The air sing and the ground clatter as it fell to the floor. The grin frozen to the face the eyes wide in shock as another arrow found its way into his life, and ended it.

Verith snarled, One for Hedara and one for Rallin. They sent us target practice isn't that sweet.

[darkwanderer]

Se'Kt was ignored by the passing soldiers as they were intent on their prey. He quickly drew his short sword and swung his legs up, attacking the wire with the blade. In the time it took him to saw though the wire, two men hit the floor dead and Se'Kt smile a little cruelly as he recognised Sk'ar's handiwork. Unfortunately he heard more running feet as more soldiers bore down on them with the intent to kill. Regaining his feet (and some of his dignity) Se'Kt turned on the approaching men with his blade held taught in his hand,
Blood Se'KtMine! Draw their blood! Kings do not suffer fools to live! Epsilith's savage cry rang through his mind. Se'Kt felt the overwhelming need to conquer these attackers and he would do it without a shred of mercy! He lunged forward and engaged one man, but another tried to slip by him,
Don't allow him to escape! came Epsilith's blood lust again and Se'Kt darted to his left to block his path. In a flash of steel his sword found the man's throat behind his wherhide armour. The other man, angered by the death of his comrade, barged into the Kingrider and slammed him into the wall. Another mechanism was triggered, but this time Se'Kt would not be made it's victim. Grabbing a hold of the other mans arms, he used a timely kick to his knee to cause him to stumble. Se'Kt then spun them both until their positions were reversed and his foe was now at the mercy of another trap. Several metallic barbs shot out of a hidden panel in the wall, exuding a small cloud of dust as they did so. The punched through the wherhide and caused the soldier to stagger forward. For a moment he thought he had escaped death. The barbs were small and had barely scratched his skin. He even grinned smugly as he hefted his sword and advanced on Se'Kt once more. But the true nature of this trap became apparent when his throat suddenly swelled and closed up. The man's eyes bulged and he crashed to the ground, shuddering and shaking. Se'Kt had vowed not to show them any mercy, but he afforded this man a measure of it when he ended his suffering with his blade.

[Ghost of Fire (Fëanáro)]

Tivax had known a single, heart-stopping moment of pure panic as he watched the swordsmen arrive. He was decent with a blade, but he’d never been good with one, and against two, either of whom could have beaten him easily…

So be it, then, he thought, stepping back into a defensive crouch, only to see one of the men go down, an arrow through his throat. Both Tivax and the other swordsman stared at the fallen man for a second, then the other stepped forward, swishing his blade through the air so that it sang. Tivax started to raise his own sword, only to see the other man go down.

Tivax stared at the arrows, and then at the brown-haired man with the bow, the one who’d brought down two attackers in what felt like as many seconds. The sounds of combat echoed from the next hallway, and Tivax ran forward, but by the time he rounded the corner the last man of the attackers was already fleeing away and out of sight. It wasn’t until the man left that Tivax realized what that meant.

He swallowed. “They know we’re in this branch,” he said, his voice toneless. He was imagining the number of men that his father had, all of them knowing where the traps were, and…

If we don’t get out of here soon, it’s going to be nearly impossible.

Tivax looked around, trying to work out where exactly they were in his somewhat limited experience in this part of the tunnels. Finally, his gaze settled on the next intersection. The exit it led to wasn't a great one, but they ought to be able to get the weyrling through it, and if the dragon fit than the watchwher ought to.

"Come on, Follow me!" he hissed, signalling the rest to keep coming and darting off. About halfway down the hall, he paused, turned, and added: "Stay in the middle, then on the sides after the turn."

They were close, so close, and he didn't even think his father would remember the little-used third exit. Mentally, he traced over their planned route. They wouldn't likely encounter someone, and there were no overhangs and second levels for people to use for archery.

[darkwanderer]

Se'Kt joined the group as the rushed off down another side corridor. He heard the newcomer shout for them to keep in the middle and he followed along obediently, being extra careful this time not to clip the walls in his haste. The stranger called for them to occupy the sides of the next corridor they advanced into and as before Se'Kt obeyed. He couldn't be entirely sure where this person was leading them, but he knew he was the only one they could trust in their time of need. And they needed to get out of these forsaken tunnels! This new corridor was smaller and even dimmer (if that were even possible) then the ones they had passed. He heard Rallin's ragged breathing and felt a stab of anxiety for his life. He sincerely hoped this stranger knew where they were going.

[Shoki]

Hedara watched the swordsmen fall with no small amount of satisfaction. They deserved it. However, her emotions were being kept in a box away from her body for the time being, and she was even now looking over her shoulder and ahead for more enemies. When the strange boy started to speak again, she regarded him with skepticism. She ran through the possible benefits for someone to have planned all this, and again came to the conclusion that he thought this best. She was going to have to get him to explain why he was doing this after this was all over. After making sure every one was safe that is.

She stuck to the middle of the passage, still holding onto her sword. Her left arm was hurting, obviously, but adrenaline was making it all bearable. She took a look at it again, checking the wound. Yeah, she was right. She could last a while like this, even if the bleed rate held steady. It didn't look pretty, what with her shirt sleeve absorbing blood, but as long as she wasn't rough with the part of the arrow still in her arm, it would be fine. She didn't focus for long, her eyes turned back to the corridor. What was waiting for them at the end of it?

[Ghost of Fire (Fëanáro)]

Rallin’s breath was not coming easily. Even with his makeshift bandage, he was losing too much blood. In fact, he was traveling only because he was leaning against Rallisk’s neck. Nevertheless, he kept moving. Stopping, stopping would be bad, there was no way that their little group would be able to go back and retrieve someone at this point. Glancing over right as he entered the tunnel where, according to their newest member, they would have to hug the walls, Rallin shifted so that he was in Sk’ar’s range of vision.

“Thank you… for… taking care of… that… pair of… attackers,” he forced out, around his unstable breathing. Shards, this wasn’t good! He couldn’t even talk straight. Nothing for it, had to keep moving.

———
“What, did you just tell me.”

Despite the phrasing, Tiberax’s words were clearly no question. He didn’t need to be reminded of the messenger’s words, and his next words proved that.

“Get half up on the surface to wait for them! The rest of you, come on! This time, we’re leaving none of them alive!” Before anyone could even twitch, his voice grew quieter, and he continued: “Though if choices have to be made, at least ensure that my treasonous son and the foolish prisoner do not survive.”

The groups split up, Tiberax leading the one that would give chase.

[darkwanderer]

Two of the group were bleeding, one very severely and they were still stuck underground with the distinct disadvantage against their enemies,
Epsilith, we're relying on one of the enemy turned ally, how can we know he'll lead us out of here? Se'Kt confided in his lifemate,
Don't despair Se'KtMine, I know you will save the young Queen and her Rider the Dragon replied, though his mental tone held an edge of anxiety. The corridor they now traversed seemed yet darker and danker than the previous and the Kingrider was constantly aware and alert for further traps and enemies. Surely they should be nearing the end of their ordeal by now? He glanced at Hedara, her face set in a stern look of determination. She would show no pain or weakness until she was safely away from prying eyes, he knew that much. He looked then at Rallin and noted his pale complexion and shaky, laboured steps. He wasn't doing well. Se'Kt brought his gaze forward again, feeling for the short sword sheathed at his hip. Ahead of them, he thought he heard footsteps again,
"We may have more company!" he hissed.

[Ghost of Fire (Fëanáro)]

Rallin swung his attention up towards the front of the group. He took a breath and held it for a second. There were definitely footsteps coming nearer, and they were too distant and too hurried to be those of the youth guiding them. But then… he looked at Rallisk, who had swung her large Black head around to look back the way they had come, her nostrils wide as she attempted to identify some scent.

“Rrooo,” Rallisk vocalized. When Rallin didn’t reply, Rallisk repeated the vocalization, the sound sharp and deep, and turned to stare behind them once more.

“Shards,” Rallin muttered. “We’re going to have company to the rear as well,” he hissed to those in front, before glancing over at Sk’ar. He hoped the other man was up for another archery display, because they were about to be caught in the middle.

No sooner had Rallin finished his thought than men came racing towards them, whipping around the corner that they had just come around. Though Rallin couldn’t see the front of their party, from the sounds, he could tell that there were attackers there as well.

———
Tiberax slowed, so perforce the others slowed as well. He’d intended to be at the back of the group, but he was in front of them, facing his son, and two riders he didn’t recognize, as well as his one-time agent, Keira. The prisoner and his dragon were in the middle of the group, and behind them was what looked to be a watchwher and another couple men, one of them badly injured.

“This is your last chance. Turn over the abomination, and the little brat she bonded to, or pay the price,” Tiberax announced, casually swinging a sword through the air in front of him.

——
Tivax came to a complete stop, staring at the men in front of him. This was not good. Quickly, he glanced to either side. He had to fight down an urge to scream in frustration. There, no more than ten paces to the fore, though on the other side of the tunnel, was the door to the exit. He let his eyes drift over it, but inside his mind he was completely focused on it, focused on trying to work out how he could tell the others where it was, without giving away the information to the people behind his father.

[Shoki]

Hedara gaze wander to the Black Wher and her handler as he cursed. They were behind them. Her hazel eyes snapped from the people approaching from the rear, to the ones in front of them. Shards. Stupid, sharding, thread-bait people. Her rage was boiling underneath her skin, threatening to pour lava out if so much as a careless brush of her arm was attempted. Then, the man himself arrived. Or at least she assumed he was leading here, he had that air about him that implied he expected obedience. It was very clear, to anyone who knew Hedara, that he was going to get her mad. They way things were, that wasn't exactly a good thing.

Fortunately, Temperanth could take advantage of both her rider's state and a clearer head. She didn't have much time, she had to relay the information as quickly as possible to everyone she could. So she quickly relayed a message to Verith for S'kar and to Epsilith for Se'kt. Verith, Epsilith, you must get yours ready. Hedara is getting ready to rush forward, and getting bogged down here can't work to our advantage. I am presuming she won't be subtle about it, the entire group has to make a break through the line for this to work. As much as the Ice HATED that it meant Hedara was going head first into danger, she knew that there was no way she could stop it. After all, Temperanth was more then a little enraged at these people that had kept one of theirs hostage, and the only way to push Hedara into a stand still was if she was thoroughly against the idea of attacking them.

So, not particularly aware of the conversation between dragons, Hedara listened to this man's ultimatum. It was the metaphorical needle against the balloon, which meant that Hedara's emotions ruled her utterly. She dashed forward, charging the man and his absolutely ugly and disgusting suggestion that they leave the Silverlight pair here. He was casually tossing his sword about so she went low for his leg her sword hitting flesh. She tried to spin and catch his back while he was off guard, but he was well trained, and turned to block in time. Shards he was good. Looks like she had got the element of surprise off, but it probably wouldn't work again. She had to say though, she got no small amount of satisfaction getting a hit in and watching him bleed. The only other thing she could possibly do was answer his request.

"We shall not." Her voice was quiet, smug and her face was just a touch condescending. Yeah, this wouldn't last long but she wanted to enjoy it while it did.