Escape

--Unknown POV--

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Midnight

Th right thing is a literal pain in the back. To fight for it requires sacrifice. Time or blood,  something valuable to us must be spent. Though, looking at what I did, was it even worth it?

My situation-- no-- OUR situation at the moment is something I didn't want to happen to us. Her specially. She wasn't supposed to get dragged into my problems, but I exposed her escape by accident, and now, she's here too, a prisoner deep in a mountain shrouded by darkness and a fog of despair, loosing hope of ever seeing the wonderful world outside.

I stared at my paws, all scratched and bruised from all the torture my former comrades gave me. The pain hurts like papercuts-- small but painful. But to think my condition was bad, Crylla's was far worse than mine.

She slumped down on the floor of her cell across mine. Darn. I was so close to her yet I can't even help her. The guards were off somewhere, probably eating edible food as they held the key. By edible I mean rotten flesh. Unsanitary and deadly but still, it's better than being given a rock to chew on once a week (And it is edible.)

Crylla's wound was corrupted. Every second her right arm seemed to turn darker as the pain slowly drains her of her energy. Every now and then I would hear her fight the pain, and she would sometimes twitch as if the corruption had reached her brain, which I hope not...

The two of us are one of the only two of our kind, pillaged by my genocidal master whom I betrayed for breaking his promise. What do I get? This. I lost everything. Everything but her, my sister, who is slowly dying as she holds her journal.

I stayed on the corner of my cell, where nothing else will go worse, I hoped. I can't do anything. I really can't. All I could do is watch her hopelessly clutch onto her arm and keep her journal tucked safely in her pockets.

...

It was very eerie. The only sounds there are here are Crylla's heavy breathing and my paws scraping at the stone floor everytime I would stretch. Other than that... it was all quiet.

But as I thought that would be all we would hear, I heard footsteps. No, it wasn't a griefer's. It didn't have the sound of their loud metallic boots. No. It sounded furry. Like paws. A bear? Probably...

The foot steps got louder and louder until It was in front of my cell, where it stopped. The figure was difficult to see due to the lack of light but that purple rune hovering on his back revealed the figures silhouette. And the figure had... slightly curved horns... something I've seen before.

"You know, Marek, I was really impressed with your rebellious and risky actions from a week ago." I heard footsteps get louder and louder."I am eager to help you rid of the torment the imbeciles here out you into."

I've heard his voice before. Of great importance and a powerful asset of that traitor... I've talked to him before. I know it!

"You... who are you?" I asked."I remember you... sort of..." I spoke."It's... hard to remember things in my case... traitor... family..."

"You do not have to know me." He answered cryptically."Just know that I am here to be of service."

"Help--?"

"Are there any patrols here?"

"W-what? Are you a jail cell inspector?"

"No! I am trying to figure out if there are guards nearby!" He answered. Geez. How our conversation turned from the casual 'I am here to help' to the 'SHUT UP' type of talk is beyond my league.

"Well, with all those loud blasts from upstairs, none, as far as I know."

"Ah, well I am the source of the noises. Perhaps I had rid this place of its patrols."

"You don't say?" I sarcastically spoke. Nope. I don't feel like buying in to the words of this guy."Tell me, what on earth is a person of your degree even doing helping a fugitive in an underground concentration camp?"

The horned figure didn't talk back. He simply put purple barriers on either side of the hall. The barrier produced dim light as well, but combined, it gave enough light for us to see our rescuer who was a magical--

"Goat." I stared at him."You're a goat. Uh. Wow. This is weird..."

"Well I happen to be a goat, and I happen to be rescuing two polar bears who are inferior compared to a power and dark magic corrupted grizzly bear!" He retorted as he meddle with our locks.

"Well... touché I guess--!"

I feel... pain! My... arm! It felt like it was convulsing painfully. Argh!

I felt the need to lie down and try to sit on the wound, but the pain won't go away. UR!

"Hm... corruption." Rhelms stared at me, showing concern for my wound."I will need to open this gate so I can cure it."

I couldn't speak... it felt like the wound was taking over me. I can hear unknown voices whisper my name. I swear they're calling me... to telling me to just give in and fulfill my calling.

But I won't.

I will not succumb to the darkness I've been fighting against for a long time. No! I won't do it!

I felt my eyes open. In front of me was the goat once more, sitting down as he held my wounded arm which was surrounded in void. He held it lightly as his other hand emitted a glowing green light, and moments later, the wound shrank until it was nothing, and the corruption vanished,  curing me of the corruption.

"You have no more reason to talk in your sleep." He stood up and lent me his hand to get up. I looked behind him to see the cell gate open and Crylla--

"Crylla!" I took his hand to get up so I can get to my cousin's cell.

She looked at me, smiling.

"It hurts so much..." She spoke softly. I stared at her, all wounded. She held her book tightly."At least I have someone to talk to..."

"No! Don't fall for the corruption!" I had to tell her. She can't get corrupted!

The goat opened her cage and tended to her wound, only for him to shake his head in despair.

"This wound is unfortunately not curable by my kind of magic." He said."We will require potions to cure this wound. You have to leave this place and seek help from anyone familiar with alchemy. You cannot let the soldiers get to her or she will done for."

Just as he said it, soldiers began running in the hall, probably noticing the purple barrier keeping us safe.

"Hey goat!"I called. What? I forgot his name and I have no intention of knowing at our situation!"Greifers are headed for your barrier!"

"Griefers."He scoffed at the general term for his comrades. He stood up and left the cell and stood casually on the hall, standing in front of the soldiers through the barrier.

I ran back to my cell and closed the gate to make it look as if I never really got out. These people, after all, are total idiots. Trust me, I've workedd with them before...

"State your name, trespasser!" A soldiers pointed a spear st the barrier. The goat raised a brow.

"You work for the master and you don't know me? Are you even sure this is your job? Or you don't know it as well?"

The spearman held his weapon tighter, followed by the others behind him

"You, sire, are a nuisance to this place. Leave before things get bloody here real fast. There is, after all, a torture room after this hall."

"What type of idiots are you? I am non other than the magistrate of your worthless master, and in what position in the name of Notch are you to lay a finger on the top mage of his council? And who are you to disturb my duties?"

The spearman took a moment to think about what the goat said until he suddenly kneeled down on a praying position.

"Er- um... applogies,  Magister Rhelms!" The man stammered in fear. Well why wouldn't he? He is talking to one of his master's council members!

I remember him now! His name was Rhelms! The most powerful mage in my former leader's army! I've never talked to him before, and it is a great surprise I just talked to him... in sass.

Rhelms stared at them sternly, pretending to look displeased with them. While the guards shook, Rhelms lowered the barrier.

"You idiots have done grave wrong." Rhelms smiled at the terrified faces."Master, your leader, gave me permission to do as I wish to people who interfere with me." He took a step closer as the barrier lowered, bringing darkness back slowly. Rhelms put his paw on the head of the trembling spearman.

I inched slightly closer to see Rhelms' hand created a blue six pointed star glow on the man's forhead, and moments later, bright light was everywhere, and I can feel heat crawl around me... and I can hear the screams of those people echo in the walls.

My eyes are in pain. Urgh, this light is so bright, I can't, tell if my eyes are closed or not...

The light faded after a moment, and As soon as my eyes can properly get rid of the pain, I see Rhelms, standing in the same position, only that he stood in front of a hall full of bodies lying on the ground.

"Uh... what was that...?" I asked him, feeling a bit weak. Darn, that spell did a small number on me.

"That, Marek, is pure magic. I personally adjusted the way I casted it so that I cannot kill everyone in this place." Rhelms opened Crylla's gate and made her levitate in the air.

"So... they aren't dead?" I asked. Um... I guess that was obvious, but with magic, you can never really be sure. So, just to reassure myself I'm not staring at a heap of corpses, I had to ask like an idiot.

Rhelms dropped Crylla on my back gently.

"We need to get to two out of here. After you get to the surface, look for someone capable of curing corruption. If you can find none, find a witch. Kind or not, you need a regeneration potion and a purification potion to cure her." He said asks he pulled out purple mist from the heads of the people."I will erase their memories first so they will not remember encountering us."

"Why help us?" I asked. Yes, I'm greatful someone saved us from the prison though we don't know him. Still, I feel this prison escape is a little... sketchy.

"We barely know you, and you just freed us. Why?"

Rhelms stopped moving. He was frozen in place for a while, until I heard him sigh.

"Do I really have to tell you?" He asked."If I tell you, only luck will determine your fate. You can never be really safe if I do."

"Crylla is dying slowly, all polar bears are either in hiding or dead. How can it get worse?"

Rhelms made a or 'Fair enough' expression and walked through the sleeping pile of greifers.

"My brother, a mage, more powerful than me, found something, hidden beneath a mountain." He said, summoning a rune on his finger, lighting up the path."It called his name, and the name of two other strangers."

"What called them?" I asked.

Rhelms stayed silent for a while as he fire balled an incoming man.

"A shimmering crystal." He replied." Shimmering blue crystal, perfectly chipped, lying on an obsidian altar, in a small island in the middle of a large lava lake."

"Lava lake?" Okay, my gut is telling me this man is most definetly lying. I looked around for a weapon to defend me and Crylla with, in case this goat turns agressive.

"Now, I understand what I said sounds unbelievable." He suddenly spoke."Even I don't believe it."

"And I'm guessing there's a 'but' in your sentence." I interrupted him for no apparent reason.

"BUT" He raised his tone, trying to ignore my interruption."My brother is not one to lie, and everything he says is most certainly correct."

'Most certainly' doesn't sound reassuring to me. With my experience  having three brothers and a sister, I am most certainly doubting his brother is actually telling the truth. Then again, Rhelms and his brother have high status, both as a powerful entity and a 'trusted' friend of the master. Some part of me believes in Rhelms. Some only. I silently picked up a sharp stick Rhelms stepped on along the way. I hid it on my back.

"I may have forgotten to remind you that there are many others like you up above the surface." He told me."Please be weary and refrain from attacking them with your... defensive tool."

Darn, he saw me pick up the weapon somehow without looking! Is there something in this stupid world he is unable to know?

"How'd you know--"

Rhelms cut me off, pointing to his (somewhat flat with horns that don't look like a goat's set of horns) head.

"The mind." He answered."You do not require sight to gain information, nor do you need to hear every single detail to understand what is on your surroundings. Both can be decieved. They both require the brain to reassure them." Rhelms kept walking up."Train your way of thought and you will know every possible outcome."

Rhelms stopped at the end of the stairs to face a large obsidian wall with a button on the wall to the right. Looking behind, it seems that we had talked our way up the steps, which is a long way down.

"We are here." Rhelms said sternly."beyond is a place to earn your freedom." He said."But to go out will give you a high probability of getting in to a situation related to suffering, loss, and death. Are you ready?" He asked.

I really can't absorb his way of speaking lately, but I do somewhat (and hopefully) understand what he meant-- freedom. I nodded.

Rhelms didn't look back at me. He simply pulled the lever and the iron door in front of us opened in a spiraled motion, making loud thuds as the iron wall contracted in eight sperate parts. 

As the wall opened one by one, moonlight slowly entered a small portion of the passage. Awaiting our freedom, I can smell fresh air with the scent of vegetation showered in rain. But setting aside the noise the rain makes, there was not a single person here.

"Um... Rhelms?" I asked him. I can't tell if they ditched us or he was luring me all this time, but hell, I'm gonna ask and see how this turns out. There's nothing I can do anyway.

Though I was generating suspicions in my mind, Rhelms was looking around  sternly. He seemed to be looking for these certain people.

"They left, it seems." Rhelms gave a sigh. He then turned to me.

"Here." He gave me a small, purple box."In it are the provisions you will require to survive until you reach an alchemist of sorts." He placed his hand (hooves? (Paws??)) on my shoulder." Use them wisely.

"Wait, I thought we were coming with--"

"No." Rhelms told me." I had foreseen this happening. I will look for the missing people in the forest." He told me."I sense their presence there."

"Meanwhile you must take your companion to a person who will be able to make you a cure. I apologize."

I frowned. It seems we were on our own again.

"I will lead the people to another dimension where they shall be free from... him." Rhelms let go and went on to the forest.

"Be careful, Marek. We don't know what will happen to you next."

I stared as he vanished silently in the forest. And soon enough, I no longer hear his steps or his muttering of chants or curses. Again, I was left with no one but Crylla, my dying sister.

I went the opposite way, hoping the master's soldiers, if ever they wake up, look for me. Boy I wish I'm right in my decision...

Crylla began groaning weakly. She's getting weaker. God, I need to look quick. Hastily, I ran in the jungle.

***

"It seems your puppet failed keep a useful asset, brother." A voice said in a mocking tone."He failed his simplest task, must we keep him alive?"

"Hush! I will deal with him accordingly." Another voice snapped."We shall see his next move, then I'll deal with his failures."

"See to it, brother, or you will suffer along with him."

"Do not worry, I made sure he had an army of monstrosities to aid him in the capture. They can't run forever. Not at all."