TD008 - Prison Break (Patreon)

In looking at the Werefolk race, we can see how the choices that Holy Seraphara made work to the betterment of the Faction as a whole. Werefolk, on average, are stronger and faster than human troops. The various abilities gained from their bestial side grant them further advantages. Not many Foundation races can match a Werefolk in one-to-one combat.

In more complex arenas, the enhanced senses that most Werefolk share give them a crucial advantage. Specialist types, such as werebears, dominate in melee, while werecheetahs excel at any contest involving speed. Werewolves have their endurance, and so on.

And yet, it was the humans who were the decisive factor in the last Holy War. One human cannot beat a Werefolk—but four can hardly lose. The aggressive and fractious nature of Werefolk means that they cannot organise in groups larger than a tribe. Humans have kingdoms. Werefolk hunt for their food and disdain the need for equipment. Humans have farms and mines that allow them far greater population densities.

During the War, the Werefolk were lucky to face four-to-one odds.

- Elf-sage Alimoniel, Lectures on the Nature of the Races

Lif looked down at the battered and broken body of the Justiciar.

“Are you crazy?” she asked. “You can’t even get up! I can’t even lift you without putting you in agony!  How are you going to arrest the people who put you in here?”

“This is nothing,” Elayna stated. “If this isn’t a trap, if you are what you say you are…”

“I’m not a trap,” Lif replied. “I’m starting to worry that I’m enabling some kind of delusion on your part, though.”

Elayna snorted. Then winced, probably from the pain caused by moving her limbs.

“This is nothing,” she repeated. Then she started to glow.

Lif stared. This was soul-inscribed magic. It was one thing to know that Justiciars had magic etched onto their souls by Holy Seraphara. It was another to see it.

As Lif watched, the blood and bruises disappeared from Elayna’s skin, and her bones straightened themselves into their original positions. Lif imagined that it hurt like all the fires in Seraphyllis’s Hell, but Elayna didn’t show any signs of it on her face.

“Sera’s breath…” Lif whispered. She stared in awe. She’d seen magic heal wounds before, but this was of a different order. Magic inscribed by the Goddess herself. Then she looked away. Without the blood, the torn rags Elyana was wearing weren’t very… modest.

“Here,” Lif said. She reached into her bag of holding and pulled Elayna's belongings, along with a spare change of clothes. The two girls were roughly the same size, and Lif's clothes weren’t exactly tailored to fit.

“I found these upstairs,” she explained.

“A Bag of Holding?” Elayna enquired. “You must be a successful thief indeed. Ah, but can you help me with this?”

She pointed at her neck. Around it was a steel collar attached to the floor by a chain. Lif blinked, shocked that she hadn’t noticed that before. Admittedly, she had been distracted…

“They chained you to the floor?” Lif stepped over and quickly got to work on the lock. It opened easily—collars never had great locks. The chain itself was only a foot long. Elayna couldn’t sit up until Lif freed her.

“Thanks,” Elayna said, sitting up.

“I’ll, uh, give you some privacy,” Lif said awkwardly, stepping outside the cell as the rags fell away.

“Did you find my sword?” Elayna asked Lif’s back.

“No, just that. There might have been more of your stuff packed away, but the armour was just sitting on a dresser.”

I hope you’re not thinking of giving me to her to wield, Davethai said into Lif’s mind. I’ll admit, she is undoubtedly a better swordswoman, but the bond between us is not to be trifled with.

Lif tapped the hilt in acknowledgement. Davethai wasn’t to know, but Lif had no intention of letting Elayna hold him. That would let the sword talk to her, spreading the word of Ragnierox’s death. Ideally, Elayna wouldn’t ever find out Lif had the sword.

Glumly, Lif contemplated the chances of getting out of here without using the power that the sword contained. They weren’t good.

“The first step is to free all the prisoners,” Elayna announced, coming out of the cell. Lif pushed back the disappointment she felt at seeing that the other girl was all covered up. “I take it that you can handle that part?”

“No, no, no,” Lif stated. “I can maybe sneak you out, now that you can walk. But these others? The shift will change before we can get them organised!”

Lif didn’t actually know when the shift changed, or how long it would take to get all the prisoners moving. But she felt it was a pretty good guess for how things would turn out.

“They told me the slaver would be arriving in the morning,” Elayna told her. “Primarily for me, but I have to assume that he’s also collecting everyone here. We can’t leave them—unless there are significant reinforcements in town?”

“There’s one guy who’s good in a fight,” Lif admitted reluctantly. “But all the rest are just villagers. They’d help, but…”

Lif didn’t want to finish the rest. Villagers versus even a few Tempered would be cut down like wheat in a field. A Justicar hardly needed to be told that.

“Then, we will fight our way out,” Elayna said firmly. She put a hand on Lif’s shoulder. “I will lead the way, you needn't be afraid.”

“I’m—I’m not afraid, this is just dumb!” Lif protested. “It’s not going to work!”

“It will work, because Seraphara is with me,” Elayna said. “Get to work on those locks, will you?”

A jolt of electricity ran through Lif as she met the eyes of the holy warrior. Her breath stopped, her heart skipped a beat. When she could breathe again, she was looking at Elayna’s back as she strode towards the exit.

“That… that isn’t an argument,” Lif said. But she kept her voice low, and Elayna showed no signs of hearing her. Lif swore to herself, softly, and started opening the other doors.

The first room held three people. The next, four. For each of them, Lif quickly checked that none of the prisoners were manacled or chained to the floor. Then she told them, “The Justicar is here to save you. Get ready to leave,” and went on to the next door.

Lif stopped counting after that, because she could hear the shouts of alarm from upstairs.

Stay strong, and finish the job you set out to do, Davethai told her. Justiciars are tougher than you would credit.

A gurgling scream sounded from above. It didn’t sound like Elayna, Lif thought. The freed prisoners were congregating in the corridor. When they got her way, Lif would shoo them forward to the guard chamber. A few of the bolder ones headed up the stairwell.

Lif could hear sounds of fighting now, metal clashing against metal.

From what she could see, all of the prisoners were farmers or craftsmen. Women and children were disproportionately represented. Not a one of them looked like they could fight.

The last door opened, and Lif shooed the frightened prisoners into the main area.

Now what? she wondered. We have to get out of here, but do I go first, or last?

One look at the crowd gave her the answer. The boldest ones had already crept ahead, but one hostile glance from the Baron’s guards would send this lot scurrying back into their cells.

On the other hand, some of them looked like they were already looking for a chance to hide back where it would be safe, for a while. Elayna wouldn’t be satisfied unless every single one got away.

Anyone could herd children, but no one else here could find their way out of the mansion. Lif swore silently to herself. Taking the lead, even when running away, was sure to attract attention. That wasn’t something that Lif wanted.

But having Elayna look at Lif when the Justiciar learned that some of the villagers had been left behind would be worse.

Quickly, Lif assigned two of the more sensible-looking ones to take the rear and make sure no one snuck back into their cells. Then she addressed the fearful crowd.

“Listen! The Justiciar is the one fighting up there, to give you a chance to escape!”

Just the mention of a Justiciar put them at ease. Lif kept talking.

“You gotta go out the main entrance. It will be barred, but that’s from the inside. Two or three of you working together can lift it, and then you can all get out.”

“What about you? What will you be doing?” one of the frightened faces asked.

“I’ll be going up first,” Lif said. They couldn’t see it, but she clutched the hilt of her sword. “I have to help Elayna.”

That was very good. Very heroic, Davethai told her as she climbed the stairs.

“It was stupid,” Lif whispered furiously. The prisoners couldn’t see her lips move from behind. “What was I thinking? How am I supposed to help someone like that?”

She is a very capable combatant, Davethai agreed. However, standing alone against odds like these, she will likely be unable to defend herself from every angle.

“And you think I’ll be able to make a difference?”

Do not underestimate yourself, or me. I will not allow my wielder to fall to such mundane foes.

Scary as the thought was, Lif believed her sword. She remembered how the blade had glided through the tree as if it wasn’t there. Steel might prove slightly more of an obstacle, but Lif suspected that she could cut through sword, shield, armour and human flesh in one blow.

But that would lead to the revelation of Davethai’s existence, of how she found him, and the fate of Ragnierox. And that led to… war.

Lif didn’t want to be responsible for the death of… she couldn’t even think of the number.

The sounds of fighting grew louder as they approached the great hall. Pushing ahead of the prisoners, Lif opened the door and entered the open space. It was… Chaos.

Half a dozen guards, dead or injured, lay strewn about the hall. Some of them were crawling with purpose, while a few were just moaning from the pain of their wounds. More guards were chasing the prisoners who had gone ahead. None of the guards were wearing armour, but they did have the advantage of weapons. Lif didn’t think it was going to end well for the fugitives.

From the upper balcony, someone was shouting instructions at the guards.

“Alive, damnit! Capture them alive!”

Lif pointed the horde of non-combatants behind her at the front door, which was still barred shut.

“Get that door open, and get to the village!” she yelled. She went in the opposite direction, towards the stairs that led up to the shouting man.

The stairs that Elayna was fighting her way up.

The stairs were wide enough for three swordsman to gang up on her, and there were two more waiting behind. She had found a sword from somewhere, but they had weapons as well. She was shorter than they were, and she was fighting uphill. Her armour was covered with blood, and Lif couldn’t tell whose it was.

But she could tell that Elayna was winning. As Lif watched, Elayna plunged her sword into a man’s thigh. He screamed and tumbled down the stairs. Elayna deftly avoided him as she quickly parried a return strike from the man next to him.

Then the sorcerer entered the fray. He stepped into view on the balcony and looked down at the desperate fight below. He was dishevelled, clearly only just woken and hastily dressed.

He was a demonling. Not hiding it like Kailex was, his red skin and horns were clearly visible. He raised his hand and cast a spell.