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Aziel
The Drownei I would've never trusted gripped onto my hand.
And I held on for dear life, as the two of us rolled down to the deep cave.
I struggled to trace the tunnel's rocky surfaces while we plummeted. As the walls curved leading to a flatter, soily surface, we narrowly avoided the pieces of tavern rubble falling past. My weight felt lighter now like my head in early morning. I tried to use the golden finger rings, to save us somehow. But it was too dark to spot a target.
Yet, a batch of tiny hisses surrounded the area.
Before our bodies hit the solid floor, Black Knight wrapped his arms around me, using his armoured back to soften my fall as he crashed to the ground.
I let go of his grasp and staggered past him laying down. He coughed unmuffled, probably removing the horned helmet on his head. Then, with a flick by itself, the firm lantern attached to his belt lit up, its glass housing a small flame to barely illuminate.
The opening to the hole was closed off with dirt, chunks of cavern rock, and wooden remains of the inn. I laid looking up at the ceiling that had neared closer, my eyes growing wide.
There was no visible exit. My breath became heavy despite enough air. And I felt beads of sweat beginning to form.
"No. . ."
I immediately stood up stumbling, running my palms onto the earthy walls around us, feeling the edges for an escape.
". . .no, no, no, NO!"
In a panic, I ran past Black Knight who held his lantern to his chest level.
I couldn't be trapped here. Buried under the ground with no rescue. Out of all the places I've been?
I continued to focus on my objective, as the Drownei walked around with his source of light, and searched around for an exit too. But he stopped to momentarily stare at the fuzzy arachnids, who were all crowding within the corners. They kept their one visible eye on us while staying far.
Black Knight tried to approach them. But the growling beasts pounced away when he only took a few steps. Still, in the darkness, they could see him from the far distance.
My magic rings flickered their radiant green, as I forced myself to use them again. I gestured my hands towards the knight's candlelight. The limited visibility was only enough to sprout branches and roots half our size, messily curling onto each other from the ground.
And that's when I realized there was no chance of making it out.
'Alive'.
My inner voice repeated while I stepped backwards.
'You promised them, Aziel. How about now?'
I leaned the back of my head to the walls. Sliding down with an expression of blank, into a sitting position.
My eyes began to water.
And I gave in, as my hands ran over my auburn hair, undoing its braids and clenching the soiled texture, while I wept silently.
The cave was pitch dark and silent, apart from those echoes. Along with the legged creatures giving a soft shrill in the corner.
I sat with no other movement. Except to brush off tears from my tired, once young, freckled face.
It didn't make sense. A renowned quester like me should be used to impending doom. My child self wouldn't give up this easily.
But maybe I wasn't her anymore.
After a long moment, I heard the sound of metal boots, slowly approaching.
As I glanced to the side, the tall Drownei stood quiet and unsure while holding his helmet.
He sat himself down with me without making eye contact. In the darkness. With the only dim light around us being the magical lantern on his belt, to illuminate our faces.
So we both stayed unmoving from our positions. I felt my breath slow down next to him, the streams from my eyes starting to dry. My hands were removed from my face now, as the knight had a sharp stare in my direction, then a glance away when I met his gaze.
It was sort of funny, I suppose. The one man sent to save the world from an empire hadn't much of a clue on how to communicate. Excluding the fact that man was, apparently, from the dark lord Aeleric himself.
I didn't quite know how to feel about that. Instead, I could ask a question of my own. I've wanted to for a while now.
"Why did you join us?"
This time, I tried to meet his eyes of inky black.
"I mean- why did you. . . put this much effort into. . .?"
My voice trailed off into more quietness. I looked past his intimidating thorn-like scales around the neck, colour of deep sunken green, and deathly greyish hair matching.
And I saw a confused individual, responding to my stutters with another direct stare.
". . .am I not supposed to?"
He asked while exposing his fangs while talking. We exchanged looks until I broke contact again.
As much as I wanted to answer with yes, I thought about it once more. Like many Humans in the Chronicle Order, and the rest of kind in Midkyron, I was taught three of many things.
That the Drownei are egotistical, oppressive, and devoid of empathy.
To be fair. . .? This person was so far the exact opposite.
"Honestly. . ." My low voice blurted with a tiny laugh. ". . .yes."
He blinked at the response as we stared, while my eyes broadened from the brashness.
"Oh, sorry, I'm just trying to say-"
"No worries. I think I understand I'm evil."
The knight reassured me with a slow nod.
"But I don't know."
My brows raised. "You're saying?"
"I don't know anything. Or if I do, barely. That is my answer to your question." He stated quite factually, slowing down to pause, shifting his head slightly away now."I don't know where to go, or what to do, or how I should be. I just know I'm doing the right of way."
A couple more moments of quiet filled the air, oxygen that I hoped wasn't running thin. Suppressed noises of deep digging rumbled with the cavern. Slowly trailing off, as if the mother Cynid cave monster was reaching the surface.
Black Knight cleared his throat. Probably feeling the need to fill the silence, while he watched a few fuzzy arachnids nearing within the edge of our light, no longer hiding, but still not approaching.
"Well. Why have you joined the quest?" He asked similarly in return.
I found my fingers scratching the back of my neck, and pushing a strand of hairs behind my ear. "It felt right, I guess."
Then I was about to stop it there. But there was nothing right about doing that.
Besides, it was the only time I could vent in the chaos of the mission. And I supposed I owed him for saving me, too, if there was no exit for now.
"I was raised within the Chronicle Order. So of course I aspired to be a young heroine." I continued. "I'd gotten pretty good at questing as a child, praised by all. Then I settled down with a family, and. . ."
My throat clenched. I don't know why I had to say everything to a stranger. Yet somehow, he felt safe.
". . .there was an attack against the order. I wasn't able to protect my partner."
My vision drifted off past the Drownei, remembering how Calev died partially by their hands.
Though maybe, if the knight's past life was like his current one, it wasn't his fault.
"I'm sorry." Black Knight said in a quiet tone, eyes targeted downwards.
I didn't expect to have a little, reassuring smile, form on my face. Despite what we were talking about.
"I do wonder what my family had named me." He pondered out loud.
"Oh." My head turned towards the knight's "You don't even remember your own name?"
Black Knight shook his head with the slightest frown. Obviously not wanting to add onto the pile of sensitivity.
So I opened my mouth to clear the tension.
"Well hey, you might as well make one in that case." I suggested jokingly.
While he thought, I noticed the one-eyed cavern beasts scattered around the room, instead of crowding in one dark spot.
"Yes." The Drownei finally itched his chin with a finger."What kind of name it should be?"
"Up to you." I shrugged. "Could be the most legendary, most enticing-"
"Konner. Or Conner."
He settled with a deadpan expression, turning his head towards mine.
"With a K."
I let out a soft chuckle, palm over my lips.
"Seriously? That quick?"
"First letter sounds sort of familiar. I'm not too good with names." Black Knight narrowed his eyelids truthfully. "For instance, at first I thought your name was Hazel instead of Aziel.
"Hazel." My mouth formed a smiling pout. "You know what. . . I'm not too against being called that."
For the first time ever, I noticed the green-faced Drownei deliver the tiniest grin, hinted from the corner of his mouth.
Then a sharp screeching hiss made us both jolt our sights, to the direction of a misty spider creature crawling past us casually.
All the others ones like it were freely climbing up the walls. Digging rapidly with their legs, starting to create tunnels tall enough for many at once. Their focus suddenly changed from fearfully guarding us. They seemed to have let it go.
"Wait a minute." I promply stood back up with an idea, as I witnessed the Cynids trying to leave individually, each beast barely shredding the rock walls.
But maybe if they worked together, an exit could be created.
Black Knight pulled himself to stand. "The Dwellven prince stated they would sense fear."
"So, now they trust us."
"Perhaps."
"Enough to tame them?"
We exchanged agreeing looks, regarding an escape plan unspoken about, as together we ran towards the seperated horde of bloodstone monsters, to mount ourselves and unify just this once with the enemies.
After all, it seemed like a Human and a Drownei hadn't a problem with unity, more than it really seemed.