Chapter 18 The Eyes of the Enemy
Gareth burst through the door with his sword raised, braced for combat, but what he found inside made him freeze. The doctor lay strewn on the floor. Half his face and body had been melted by acid. The air reeked of a sharp, acrid tang.
Near the torture rack, the Anak'Suke's remains lay in a blackened pile, reduced to little more than a pile of coal. The corpse was singed, glowing red and smoking.
The Dissolver sagged forward in the rack, suspended from one arm. His other arm hung free and lifeless at his side. The iron cuff that once restrained him was now warped and half-dissolved.
"No!" Zephyrah exclaimed, pushing past Gareth.
She stepped over the charred Anak'suke and cupped the Dissolver's face with one hand.
"Dissolver, can you hear me?" She cried desperately.
The boy groaned weakly and looked up at her.
"I... did it..." He whispered.
"Did what?" Zephyrah asked, gently.
"I channeled the Ancient Power." He said, a weak smile curling at the end of his mouth.
Zephyrah's eyes darted to the burned Anak'Suke at her feet.
"You did this? Dissolver that is... Impressive." She forced an encouraging smile, but her eyes fell to the crimson blood that dripped down his chest.
His shirt had been torn and there were deep, ragged gouges across his scaled hide. They were uneven and jagged, as if the torturer had trouble slicing through his scales.
She took a shaky breath, trying to ignore the smell of blood that filled the room.
Her heart ached at the sight of his wounds as she imagined the horrible pain the boy must have endured at the hands of the doctor.
She tried to stay calm, but anger built up inside her, making her hands shake as she worked to unlock the cuffs.
When she finally found the lever that released him, he stumbled out, disoriented. Then he fell to the ground with a heavy thud.
Zephyrah knelt down, rolled him over to his back, and placed her palms on his chest. She tried to put pressure on the wounds, but it did little to stifle the flow of blood.
"Can you help him, Zephyrah?" Gareth asked frantically.
"Of course, but I will need some time. His wounds are deep. He has lost a lot of blood." She said.
"You must try to hurry." Gareth urged her, "Someone could come back at any moment. We need to escape."
Silverfox, who had been watching quietly until now, spoke up. "There is another way out of this dungeon. A tunnel, not far away."
Gareth narrowed his eyes. "How do you know about this tunnel?"
Silverfox arched a brow. "I have watched them use it. It is a... garbage chute, more or less."
"How convenient you happen to know a way out," Gareth pressed.
Silverfox smirked. "You sound suspicious."
"I am."
"I think you mean grateful."
"I don't trust you, elf."
Zephyrah cut in. "Gareth, enough." She turned to Silverfox. "Show him the tunnel."
Silverfox curled his lip but lead Gareth out of the cramped room and into the main cell block, pointing to a shadowy corridor in the corner.
"The tunnel begins There. It must let out somewhere in the swamp."
"You are sure?" Gareth asked, crossing his arms.
Silverfox smirked, "Without a doubt."
Gareth paused for a moment before turning to face the elf, eyeing him with a hard stare. "Once Zephyrah heals the boy, you will guide them through the tunnel and take them somewhere safe."
Silverfox scoffed. "Heal him? Have you seen his wounds? He will never make it out like this."
Gareth let out a low groan. "I do not have time to argue. Go see for yourself if you do not believe me. I have wasted enough time already."
Gareth began stalking off towards the staircase leading to the upper floor of the fortress.
"Um, where exactly are you going?" Silverfox called after him.
Gareth tightened his grip on his sword. "There is still someone inside. I am going after them."
Silverfox threw back his head and laughed, "You are jesting, surely."
Gareth ignored him, gritting his jaw and continuing forward.
Silverfox shook his head. "And I am the one you call mad? You will get yourself killed going in alone."
"I do not recall asking for your opinion, elf." Gareth seethed, climbing the staircase.
Silverfox groaned and hurried after him, "Whoever it is, they are likely already dead."
Gareth spun around, his face growing red as rage welled up inside him. He opened his mouth to speak, but suddenly the door at the top of the staircase swung open and the general appeared, speaking distractedly to the two Anak'Sukes following behind him.
"I do not care whose fault it was! The Gremlins are out of control! They mangled the wheel of my carriage!"
Gareth and Silverfox sprinted back down the stairs, but the General caught a glimpse of them as they disappeared around the corner.
"Doctor!" He called out angrily, hurriedly chasing after them. "The master will be very displeased if I am late with my report! I demand a replacement—"
He rounded the corner and froze, as his eyes landed on the escaped prisoners standing in the center of the room. A sinister smile curled on his face and his eyes narrowed on Silverfox, specifically.
Silverfox grimaced, muttering under his breath "Of all people to run into..."
The general laughed, "Do my eyes deceive me? Is this not the Ghost of Tide Gate in my prison? I never thought I would see the day."
Gareth's eyes widened as he looked back and forth between the general and Silverfox.
"Your prison?" Silverfox's eyes narrowed and he crossed his arms, "How did the Vanguard come to be involved in such a sickening operation? This place does darker dealings than any guild you worked to exterminate in the city, General Warrick."
Warrick clicked his tongue "Careful. Do not ask questions you do not wish to know the answer to."
He flashed a sinister, unsettling grin, his face contorting momentarily into something almost inhuman.
Gareth and Silverfox instinctively stepped back, watching him with wary eyes. A cold shiver crawled up Gareth's spine, making him grip his sword tighter. Out of the corner of his eye, Gareth noticed Silverfox's hand remained at his side, but he was tense, coiled like a snake, ready to strike.
The two Anak'sukes that had accompanied the general were waiting at the bottom of the staircase. One of them spoke up.
"Shall we alert the others?"
The General held up his hand, "That will not be necessary."
Silverfox drew a breath, then spoke carefully, "I must admit, you are looking a little worse for wear. What exactly are you up to in this place?"
"I would be more than happy to give you a demonstration, little rodent." He sneered, holding up his hand.
In an instant, black, shadowy tendrils burst from his palm, coiling and twisting around his fingers before unfurling into the air. They writhed and snaked outward in all directions, each one pulsing with a faint, otherworldly glow as they hovered menacingly near his hand.
"What the—" Silverfox gasped, staggering backwards, "Magic? How is this possible?"
Gareth stood trembling, rooted in place, his jaw slack as he murmured, "The darkness..."
Instinctively, Silverfox drew his hand crossbows, fixing them on General Warrick. His hands remained steady despite his ragged breathing.
Warrick's smirk twisted into a cold sneer. "Point those toys at me all you want. They will do you no good. I have surpassed the limits of steel and flesh. I am no longer bound by mere mortal weapons. I have become the embodiment of weaponry. I am destruction!"
He raised his arm, unleashing a bolt of black energy from his palm at Gareth and Silverfox. They dove aside just in time. The bolt struck the stone floor, erupting in a cloud of acrid black smoke that lingered in a thick plume on the ground.
Silverfox was the first one back on his feet. As he rose, he fired two quick shots straight at General Warrick.
In an instant, the General let out a thunderous laugh, and dark tendrils enveloped him and then dissipated, taking him with it and making him vanish before their eyes. The bolts whistled past, unintentionally striking one of the Anak'Suke on the arm.
The next second, chaos broke out. The Anak'sukes launched themselves at Gareth and Silverfox with menacing snarls. Still reeling from the General's sudden disappearance, Gareth barely managed to raise his sword in time to block the Anak'suke's powerful, sweeping scimitar.
Sweat soon stung Gareth's eyes and he struggled to keep his footing. His arms trembled from the relentless assault. He forced himself to focus on the creature before him, but his mind was elsewhere, wondering where the General had gone and Rowena—
No. He could not think of her now.
He needed to focus if he was going to make it out of this alive.
He forced down his worries, burying them under desperate rage.
Silverfox ducked beneath a wild swing, then his boots glided across the stone floor as he sidestepped another slash.
His movements were a blur. Graceful and precise.
Honed by years of training. Yet, even he was uneasy.
Every few seconds, his eyes darted over his shoulder, scanning the room for any sign of the General's return.
The Anak'suke advanced again, its blade slicing the air where Silverfox's head had just been. He slipped away effortlessly, taking a quick glance at the plume of dark smoke hovering on the ground beside him.
He could keep this up, but to what end?
He needed to know more about this magic. He needed to find a way to outwit the General.
But first, he needed to deal with the Anak'Sukes.
Perhaps there was a way to handle both problems at once.
He narrowed his eyes and clenched his jaw, then he reloaded his crossbows with practiced speed while weaving between the Anak'Suke's strikes.
In a fluid motion, he dove to the ground and rolled between the Anak'Suke's massive, clawed feet.
As he slid beneath the towering creature, he fired two bolts; one into each of its heels.
The Anak'Suke howled in pain as its legs buckled, and it crashed down to its knees.
Silverfox didn't hesitate. He reloaded in a second.
Then, rising from his roll, he aimed and fired another bolt straight through the back of the Anak'Suke's skull.
The creature toppled forward with a heavy, final thud.
Silverfox's attention immediately snapped to Gareth, who was still locked in combat with the remaining Anak'Suke just a few paces away.
He could see Gareth's sword arm wavering and sweat and blood streaking his face as he struggled to fend off the creature's relentless assault.
Silverfox reloaded his hand crossbows, the click of the mechanism echoing through the prison.
He called out to Gareth, his voice steady despite the chaos. "What do you think this magic will do to someone who touches it?"
"I am a little—" Gareth grunted as he parried another blow, "Busy at the moment."
Silverfox continued, speaking loud and intentional while simultaneously scanning the prison, searching for the General. "It would be a shame... If one of us had to find out the hard way."
Gareth whipped his head around, making eye contact with Silverfox for a split second. Silverfox flicked his eyes to the plume of smoke, then back at Gareth. Realization dawned on Gareth and he began to slowly back towards the smoke cloud, drawing the creature along with him.
Suddenly a chill ran up Silverfox's spine as he sensed a presence behind him. He spun around, crossbows ready, but there was nothing there.
His lip curled as he said, "You know, General, this really brings back memories. Even in Tide Gate, you always were a coward."
Again, Silverfox could feel a presence behind him, but this time that feeling materialized into the General's angry form as he lashed out at Silverfox. Silverfox dove out of the way only marginally avoiding the tendrils of dark energy that radiated from the General's hand.
He aimed and fired at Warrick's physical form, but Warrick vanished in a swirl of shadow before the projectile could find its mark.
Silverfox growled and reached into his munitions pouch to retrieve another bolt, but the next second, the General materialized again, and this time, he could not get out of the way in time.
He barely had time to register the look of cold malice in Warrick's eyes before the General's fist, wreathed in writhing tendrils of dark magic, slammed into his stomach.
The impact landed harder than it should have, sending Silverfox flying backwards. For a moment, everything went black. He did not feel the immediate pain from the blow, or the crack of his skull against the stone as he landed on the floor.
When he opened his eyes again, he felt a rush of panic. He couldn't breathe and the left side of his chest wrenched with heavy, agonizing pain.
Had his heart... stopped beating?
He was dizzy and lightheaded as he drew a single ragged breath. Then, with a strained groan, he forced himself to his feet. His ears rang and his vision pulsed at the edges. Before he could steady himself, he felt a sudden rush of air coming from behind him, warning him. But it was too late.
Again, everything went black and he awoke on the floor, breathless and with a stabbing pain in the left side of his chest and the taste of blood in his mouth.
Through blurred, watery vision, Silverfox could barely make out Gareth's silhouette, as he forced the Anak'Suke to the edge of the dark cloud. With a surge of strength, Gareth shoved the creature backward, and it stumbled and fell into the swirling plume of black smoke.
The Anak'Suke thrashed and writhed as the smoke enveloped it.
Its flesh shriveled and cracked. Its bones and sinew twisted grotesquely as it shrank, aging centuries in a matter of seconds.
Moments later, all that remained was a petrified husk.
A brittle, shrunken corpse, silent and unmoving in the malignant darkness.