Morgan's heart hammered in his chest like a drum as he sprinted down the damp, dark corridor with the skeletal man over his shoulders. Everything hurt, his lungs screamed for rest, his joints ached with each step, and every muscle in his body burned, but he couldn't stop.
If he stopped, he would never start again. A lantern bobbed in the corridor behind him as the guards closed in, he wouldn't be able to keep this up much longer.
This new corridor was completely bare, asides from the moss on the walls, there was nothing. No cells, no corners, just a single long corridor that seemed to stretch endlessly down into the earth.
Blood stained the rough floor with each step as hundreds of small cuts started to add up, his vision swam with each fall of his foot. He wasn't an athlete, he had dedicated himself to his research, only doing the bare minimum exercise needed.
Far in the distance the tunnel started to lighten, unsure if it was just another illusion or if it was real he continued to run.
Minutes bled together as he pressed on, the distant light growing ever closer. After an unknown amount of time Morgan burst into an open chamber, his vision riddled with spots and blood dripping from his lips.
Stumbling, he fell at the base of a staircase, too exhausted to move. The guards were a few minutes behind, having slowed down at some point during the chase. It amused him a small amount that he was able to run further than trained soldiers, but it came at a drastic cost.
"*Wheeze.* Sorry… *Wheeze.* friend… *Cough.* I can't… *Wheeze.* go any further.*Cough.* I… never… *Wheeze.* did get… *Wheeze.* your… *Wheeze.* name…"
Eyes shut, he mumbled incoherently into the stone step his face was pressed on. He'd somehow managed to carry his new friend all this way, but it seemed this would be the end. He'd get branded and sold as some sort of slave, and his friend would go back to their filth covered cell where they'd waste away until their death.
Truly, it was a miserable fate for them.
"… Iskan… dar. And… it's… not… over… yet. Look… up…"
He chuckled, a spray of blood flying from his mouth. That was funny: look up. He couldn't even open his eyes, he didn't know how his friend – Iskandar – expected him to look up.
"…why are we walking Captain? Shouldn't we capture the escapee?"
A particularly loud voice echoed down the corridor from the encroaching guards.
To come so far just to fail at the last step, it was maddening. Rage bubbled through the prone Morgan, he'd done what no human had ever thought possible and built a ship capable of exceeding the speed of light, yet he was expected to die in a dark dungeon, unknown to anyone?
NO.
A shiver ran through him before his finger twitched slightly. He wouldn't fail here.
Slowly, he regained control of his body, muscles responding one at a time as they moved seconds after he commanded them. His entire body was damaged, but it wasn't broken.
Tremors ran through his body as he fought against gravity to move his lethargic muscles. It was as though his entire body had fallen asleep, and he was left to move his clumsy limbs. Grunting, Morgan bit his lip and threw his arm to the side, the force rolling him onto his back next to Iskandar.
What greeted him was the sight of a high rocky ceiling covered in glowing crystals and stalactites, water dripped slowly into a pool just outside his vision, and from the corridor he could make out the individual figures of the four men chasing him.
'Shit, they're almost here!'
More urgently than before, he pushed himself into a seated position from which he could gaze behind him. His companion had mentioned something about looking up, but he hadn't seen anything on the ceiling, so he set his sights lower.
However what he saw when he turned around left him shocked.
Behind him, was a pyramid made of pulsating blue blocks, four metres tall, the top was flattened out to make way for several levers and a single cobalt blue pedestal.
But, what truly made his eyes bulge was the insect-like woman suspended in the air above it. Six chains, each as thick as his torso, extended out from moulds grafted to her two legs and four arms, the blue metal engraved with intricate symbols that seemed to carry some unknown meaning.
Her four compound eyes slowly blinked at him, twin antennas swaying gently atop her head. Chitinous material covered most of her well-endowed body like armour, her hair a mess of thousands of small pink tendrils. She clattered her mandibles once before stilling.
'What… the… fuck! Is that a alien?? Oh god… where have I ended up?'
"…move… it…"
While Morgan sat mouth agape, thoughts spiralling, his companion seemed to brush it off, urging him onwards.
"Wha- what do you want me to do here?!?"
"…release… it…"
Baffled, he looked down at the talking corpse. They wanted him to free the strange alien bug woman? It was absurd. What if she turned on him, what if she was sealed here for a reason, what if-
"Looky here, there's our escapee. Didn't get far now did you?"
A shiver ran down his spine as the voice of an older man – in his early forties - sounded from the corridor, it was close, way too close. Stricken with fear, he glanced over his shoulder, just as the group of four walked into the chamber.
At the lead strode the Captain, the same immovable Knight he'd met in his cell less than an hour ago. A jolt of pain shot through his broken nose as he recalled their previous meeting, and the force behind the man's punches.
Stepping forward with a malicious chuckle, The Captain made no attempt to hide how much he enjoyed Morgan's fear.
Spinning, he shambled up the pyramids side, his good hand snatching his friend off the floor. Yet, when he reached the top, he was faced with an uncomfortable truth.
There was no way out.
While there was a second tunnel on the far side of the massive chamber that angled upwards, he doubted he'd be able to reach it before the guards, none of whom seemed exhausted, whereas he could barely stand.
"I could say what I'm about to do is my lord's will, but that would be a lie. You spat on his generosity and tainted his reputation in front of an esteemed guest. So, surrender now or not even the best healer will be able to knit you back together."
Eyes flitting around desperately, he looked for anything he could use to escape. Wincing as a spike of pain raced across his chest, he reluctantly put his friend down by one of the levers and turned to face the captain.
A single glance at the man in the doorway – face twisted in sadistic glee – was all he needed to understand, he was serious.
"Seriously? You're still looking for a way out? HA! Let me make something clear…" Disappearing in a flash of light, he appeared a second later at the base of the pyramid, almost ten metres from his previous spot. "You only made it this far because I let you."
He seemed to take pleasure in tormenting him as much as possible, confident in the fact that no matter what he did, Morgan could never out run him.
Morgan's eyes hardened as he made a decision, gaze drifting to the raised pedestal he leant on.
It was roughly a metre tall and made of a cobalt blue metal similar to the chains. Thick, glowing, blue vines ran down its entire length before disappearing into the masonry, some reappearing by the levers. Engraved into the face was a familiar symbol – a shield with a sword vertically behind it.
"I can see you're eyeing the lock, well? Go ahead, have at it. That lock is ancient, the creature there -even more so. Assuming you somehow unlock it, which you can't – not without the lord's brooch – then what?
That creature has been here decades, it's probably brain dead by now. I mean, look at it, it hasn't so much as twitched this entire time."
On and on he rambled, seemingly intent on boring Morgan to death. Yet amidst his ramblings he told him all he needed to know.
Shifting his posture to block the Knight's line of sight on the pedestal, he got to work. Wincing slightly as he moved his broken wrist, fingers unfurled and he carefully spun the brooch he'd kept tucked in his palm the entire time.
Fingers tracing the warm metal surface, he caught a glimpse of Iskandar twitching on the ground to the side and almost blew his cover. A blue glow with a green undertone surrounded his friend as he held one of the strange blue vines in his jaw, smoke rising slowly from his skin.
'Shit. Fuck. Should I help him?'
"…stay… under… control…"
The voice, barely audible, reached his ears and while unsure what he was up to, he decided to trust him – it seemed he had it under control.
Still, feeling guilty, he turned away from his friend, gaze tracking the fully armoured man as he circled the base of the pyramid like a shark out for blood. However he seemed to be growing bored, and Morgan, left with no choice, chose to engage the man.
"You've been doing a lot of talking, but you never introduced yourself, or your lord for that matter. I figured a man as loyal as you would want to spread his lord's name."
He stopped, turning to him with a scowl, all playfulness gone from his eyes.
"Insolent swine! You are a product, you don't get to know his name. But so you know who to thank for your generous accommodations, I'll tell you. He is Baron Cassivar Greve, and I, am Guard Captain Pret."
Morgan nodded along, memorising the name for later use. He just needed a few more seconds to get the brooch in place. Iskandar had finished whatever he was doing and was somehow dragging himself ever so slowly towards a lever – he'd have to ask how he did that later.
"Wait… what are you up to… you're not trembling like a child anymore."
Too late, Pret caught on to his actions. With a soft clunk the intricate golden brooch slotted into the pedestal. The room trembled around them, previously invisible lines lighting up across the roof, walls, and floor in a giant, highly detailed glyph.
Stalactites rained from the high ceiling, one fell on a guard and crushed his skull, while another landed on the second's shoulder. The third guard, he wasn't sure about.
Pret roared in rage as he dashed up the pyramid and grabbed the blood soaked man at the top by his neck, milliseconds before he grabbed the lever responsible for releasing the chain. Tossing him up into the air, he grabbed him by the shirt and drove him back down, a dull crack ringing out as he bounced off the solid brick, blood leaking from his mouth.
"Think you're a smart guy eh? Well guess what? You're not. Now I get to break every bone in your body. Fucking commoners."
Morgan could barely think, his head throbbed violently and he could feel blood spilling from the back of his skull. Pret didn't seem to care anymore that the Baron would get less for selling him damaged, he only cared about hurting him as much as possible.
*Crack*
A sharp kick to the gut sent him skidding across the two metre by two metre stone area atop the pyramid. He was pretty sure that broke a few ribs and damaged a few of his organs, but he wasn't given the time to think.
Metal boots stomped closer as he was again hefted effortlessly into the air by his neck. Locking eyes with the Captain, he finally understood what insanity looked like, and it was hideous. Here was a man who willingly discarded his morals and did whatever his body desired, a monster in human skin.
He struggled for breath, the armoured hand around his throat like a vice.
'Can't breathe… need to… escape…"
At this moment he wished with all his being he'd listened to Johnny and cancelled the test. It seemed his gut was on the mark once again, just as it always was. But pride clouded his judgement on that fateful day and led him here, to this one moment.
However, Pret wasn't done with him yet. Unwilling to kill him, just yet, he tossed him aside like a loose stone. Morgan scraped across the coarse stones, coming to a halt as he smashed his back against the corner of the altar. Again a sharp crack rang out, his right foot going numb.
As if to spite him, a sudden piercing pain travelled through his chest. With a screech of agony, he curled up, hands clutching at his chest as the flesh beneath squirmed.
Pain consumed everything, digging deeper than his flesh and bones and searing itself upon his very soul.
The world flashed by around him as he faded in and out of consciousness, yet somehow remained in a semi lucid state that forced him to endure the pain.
The Captain seemed happy to watch him suffer, so sat to the side, only occasionally moving to push Morgan away from the stairs. Behind him, Iskandar moved slowly, inch by inch towards the lever.
When they eventually reached it, it took them multiple minutes of agonisingly slow movements to get in position, somehow going unnoticed by the sadistic man watching his agony.
After ten long, excruciating minutes, the pain stopped and with a sigh of relief he fell still.
"Oh… are you done? That's a shame. It's rare to see pain so extreme it renders a man completely cut off from the world. I would of liked to watch for longer but, it seems it's time to get you back to your cell."
Pret stood up and approached him before crouching by his face. However, before he could pick him up, the slow grinding of metal rang out. Pale, he spun on the spot to stare at the living skeleton hanging from a lever.
"YOU FOOL!"
The chain creaked and cracked as it loosened, the full arm mould following shortly after with a hiss of air. Pret lunged forward, arms outstretched as he reached desperately for the lever, only to get cut off half way.
Faster than Morgan could see, he drew his sword and blocked a clawed strike. Cautiously, he jumped back, giving the insect woman an opportunity to free the rest of her limbs.
Claws met steel in a shower of sparks as the two combatants clashed, the woman getting pushed back slightly. After the initial blow, the two ramped up their attacks, becoming a blur as they clashed at high speeds.
Rolling feet first over the steps, Morgan somehow managed to force himself to his feet. More blood than he knew he had poured from him like water as he stumbled around the rim of the pyramid, the two fighters moving their duel to the floor.
He found Iskandar still by the lever, charred and completely immobile. Unsure if his friend was still alive, he decided to assume he was and hefted him over a shoulder.
Pain arced up his spine as the damage made itself know.
Stumbling his way down the pyramid, he leant against the wall and started walking. Each step was a monumental task, made more difficult by the growing blood loss, but somehow he pushed on.
'Why am I still alive? This shouldn't be possible.'
Light appeared from up ahead as the sound of the fight grew more distant, he was almost out.
'Left leg… right leg… left leg…'
Internally he recited each action before it happened, his body felt distant, like he was merely a passenger. Stumbling over the remains of an old door, he tumbled into the sunlight, the warmth soaking into his cold bones as his eyelids grew heavy.
Without him even realising his legs gave out and he fell onto a bed of soft grass. His thoughts grew cloudier by the second as he fought to stay awake.
Yet his body didn't listen, and he eventually drifted to sleep unaware of what he had unleashed.