Kael crouched by the iron door, listening intently. Voices drifted from inside, engaged in conversation too muffled to make out clearly.
He retrieved a small vial of corrosive essence from his belt, the liquid inside glowing faintly green. The moment it touched the reinforced lock mechanism, it began hissing and bubbling, eating through the metal with alarming efficiency.
Within seconds, the lock gave way. Kael pushed the door open carefully, minimizing the sound of protesting hinges.
The chamber beyond was lit by torches mounted on stone walls, casting flickering shadows across the space. Four figures turned toward him simultaneously, their reactions ranging from surprise to caution.
Prince Dain, crown prince of the Earth Kingdom, stood with arms crossed over a broad chest. His sharp features remained unreadable, but his military bearing was unmistakable, this was a warrior before he was royalty.
His dark hair was tied back, and despite the tattered state of his clothing, he carried himself with absolute authority.
Beside him, Princess Elira stepped forward with her chin raised defiantly. Her ice-blue eyes blazed with confrontation rather than fear.
Silver-gold hair fell past her shoulders, still managing to catch the torchlight even in this dim prison. She wore what had once been an elegant dress, now stained and torn.
The third figure was Lord Arid, a royal from a minor branch of the family. He leaned casually against the wall, his dark robes blending into the shadows. His expression was carefully neutral, dark eyes watching Kael with disturbing intensity. He barely reacted to the intrusion at all.
Finally, there was King Eldrin himself, the puppet king. His robes were finer than the others', though equally tattered from captivity. He sat stiffly in a simple wooden chair, watching the scene unfold in silence. His aged face showed no emotion whatsoever.
Kael met each of their gazes in turn, reading what he could from their reactions. Then he cut straight to the point. "We don't have much time. I'm getting you out."
Nobody moved.
Prince Dain spoke first, his voice carrying absolute certainty. "We're not going anywhere."
Kael's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Excuse me?"
Princess Elira took a step forward, positioning herself slightly in front of her brother. "This war isn't over. We won't abandon our kingdom like cowards fleeing in the night."
Kael scoffed, genuine disbelief coloring his tone. "Cowards? You're prisoners. Captives. Tools being used to justify a manufactured conflict."
Dain's jaw tightened, something flickering in his expression. "For now."
Something in the prince's tone made Kael pause. They weren't just sitting here passively waiting to be rescued. There was a plan, something they weren't saying.
"Princess," Lord Arid's voice was smooth as silk, but there was firmness beneath it. "Perhaps we shouldn't waste time arguing with our... guest."
Kael looked from one to another, pieces clicking together in his mind. Then he exhaled slowly. "We're leaving. Now. Before reinforcements arrive and this opportunity is gone."
King Eldrin finally spoke, his aged voice quiet but firm. "And if we refuse your generous offer?"
Kael's grip on his dagger tightened until leather creaked. "Then I drag you out myself. Conscious or unconscious, your choice."
CLANG!
A sudden metallic crash echoed through the chamber.
Kael spun just as a second door at the back of the room, one he hadn't noticed in the shadows, burst open violently.
Fire Kingdom guards poured through.
One. Two. Five. Seven of them, all heavily armored and armed.
'They were waiting nearby. Waiting for me to open the door from inside.' His mind raced. 'This was a trap.'
Kael's gaze snapped back to the royals.
Elira had taken a careful step backward. Dain's expression remained frustratingly unreadable. And Lord Arid... the bastard was actually smirking slightly, as if this was all tremendously entertaining.
They had led him directly into an ambush.
"Kael, what's happening?" Mira's voice crackled urgently through the communication stone in his ear. "We're hearing combat sounds."
Kael said nothing, his mind already shifting into combat mode.
The lead guard raised a flame-wreathed spear, the fire casting dancing light across his polished armor. "Surrender now, and we might let you live."
Kael's lips curved into a cold smirk. "You're welcome to try."
The first guard lunged forward, thrusting his flaming spear in a textbook attack. Kael twisted sideways, feeling heat wash over his cloak as the weapon passed within inches.
His dagger flashed up in a precise arc, opening the guard's throat before the man could recover his stance.
One down.
Kael dismissed the notification immediately. A second guard charged from his left, sword already mid-swing.
Kael ducked under the blade and drove his dagger into the man's ribs with brutal efficiency, twisting before ripping it free in a spray of blood.
The remaining five guards hesitated for just a heartbeat, their confidence shaken.
That hesitation cost them.
Lightning erupted from somewhere above, Mira had found a vantage point. The bolt forked mid-air, striking the three guards simultaneously. The electricity sent them flying backward into the stone walls, bodies convulsing violently before going still.
Sera's arrows rained down from a different angle, striking two more guards with lethal precision before they even realized where the attack originated.
Prince Dain suddenly moved, but not to escape.
He snatched up a fallen guard's sword and charged straight at Kael with surprising speed.
Steel rang against steel as Kael barely parried the attack.
Dain fought with exceptional skill. He was well-trained, his stance perfect, every swing calculated and controlled. This wasn't some pampered noble playing at swordplay, this was a man who'd spent years on actual battlefields.
Kael dodged a downward slash, then countered with a dagger thrust aimed at Dain's exposed throat. The prince barely managed to deflect it, but Kael didn't stop moving.
He pressed the attack, a kick toward Dain's ribs that forced the prince to backstep, followed by a horizontal slash that whistled past his face by inches.
But then Kael noticed something crucial. Dain's movements were defensive, reactive. He was fighting to disarm or disable, not to kill.
That hesitation was a fatal mistake in real combat.
Kael feinted left sharply, then pivoted right and slammed the pommel of his dagger into Dain's jaw with calculated force.
The prince staggered backward, momentarily dazed.
Kael didn't give him time to recover. He grabbed Dain by the collar and slammed him against the wall hard enough to drive the air from his lungs.
Dain snarled through gritted teeth. "You don't understand what you're—"
Kael pressed his dagger against Dain's throat, the edge dimpling skin. "I understand you just tried to kill me. That's enough."
Dain's eyes blazed with frustration and something else, desperation, maybe. "You think ending this war is that simple? You think we're just victims waiting to be saved?"
Kael opened his mouth to respond.
Sudden, sharp pain exploded in his side.
He twisted instinctively, catching sight of Princess Elira stepping back, holding a sword now wet with his blood. The blade had slipped between his ribs, shallow but painful.
Before she could strike again, Mira's lightning bolt caught her square in the chest. The princess went down hard, smoke rising from her dress.
Kael hissed through clenched teeth, pressing his free hand against the wound. His Adaptive Regeneration was already working, flesh beginning to knit, but the injury would slow him down.
Sera dropped into the room through an upper window, bow still drawn. "Are we rescuing them or killing them? Because I'm getting mixed signals here."
Kael glared at the assembled royals. Prince Dain stood with labored breathing but remained defiant. Princess Elira forced herself upright despite the lightning strike, her face an unreadable mask.
Lord Arid simply smiled slightly, as if this entire bloody mess was the most entertainment he'd had in months.
And King Eldrin? He still sat in his chair, watching everything unfold with complete detachment.
Kael exhaled slowly, forcing himself to think past the pain and anger. "Tie them up."
Mira raised an eyebrow. "You're serious?"
Kael wiped blood from his blade with deliberate slowness. "We're taking them out of here whether they cooperate or not. They can walk, or we can drag them. Their choice."
Sera lowered her bow slightly. "And if they keep fighting?"
Kael's silver eyes were cold as he met each royal's gaze in turn. "Then we knock them unconscious and carry them out. I don't particularly care which option they prefer."