Chapter 9 - Escape (Part 2)

“G.. guards,” Skyle panted harshly between chattering teeth.

As he lay on the cold dirt floor, Skyle raised a trembling hand in the direction of the cell door, all the while cursing at the guards in his heart.

“Guards!” he tried again, with just a touch more desperation.

Skyle remembered hearing countless tales of lazy and overweight guards who spent most of their time snoring the hours away while drinking themselves senseless the rest of the time.

Of course, this was no such tale, more’s the pity.

The sentries with their backs to the Skyle’s cage did not even twitch, standing stoically with their vigilant gazes looking out for any sign of trouble. They did not even exchange any words with one another as they carried out their duty to the letter.

“Guards.. Help.. Cold..” Skyle moaned, and the last words barely made it out of his chattering teeth, before his hand fell limply to the floor, followed by the rest of his body as it collapsed in a heap.

Ostensively, the youths had spent the past fifteen minutes attempting to bandage their wounds as well as they could. However, their clumsy attempts had failed to stop the flow of blood and while Leon had continued to maintain his silence while glaring at the guards, Skyle had began to call out to their captors for assistance.

Even though Leon had looked at Skyle with a marked disdain, Skyle hadn’t minded as he kept pleading to the guards, though his cries fell on deaf ears. After a few minutes of this, Skyle’s complexion had become gradually paler, his lips constantly flecked with blood.

Upon seeing his companion finally collapse onto the floor, Leon dragged himself to Skyle’s side and began to shake him in alarm.

“Skyle! Skyle!”

Upon being unable to reach a response, Leon rushed towards the cage door and snarled at the guards, “You bastards, my friend’s not responding! You have to do something!”

Both guards still didn’t turn around, but Leon knew he had their attention now.

“He’s been spitting blood for the past hour and now he won’t even answer to me. You can’t let him die! Your commander wants him alive!”

Both guards frowned at this and exchanged a long look. Finally, one of them murmured something and the other nodded. At this, they turned around and drew their clubs while one of them fiddled with something from his waist. Keys? But Leon truly couldn’t see anything at all!

“Back, animal. You will sit at the opposite wall. If you move at all, I will break your other arm for you,” one of the guards said coldly.

Leon rapidly backed up, all the while looking at Skyle in obvious concern.

The guard who had just spoken grunted, then nodded to the other. He reached toward the cage’s door, and after fiddling for a moment, unlocked it with a loud click. Then they both entered the cage, one standing vigilantly by the door, watching Leon, while the other approached Skyle, club in hand.

The man first gathered Skyle’s hands together and immobilized them while he checked his condition in a rough but professional way. Seeing this, Leon cursed at the guards’ caution. They were just some kids, not some hardened criminals! If it was like this, how would they find their chance to get the keys?

“Hey, be careful! He’s badly injured, burn you!” Leon snarled furiously, and his emotions this time were no act at all.

The guard standing watch by the door merely rapped the side of the cage with his fist, but just that simple blow made the whole wall rattle heavily, even shaking the back wall of the cage where Leon was leaning. Unconsciously, Leon frowned. Given that soldier’s strength, he was definitely a strong elemental warrior at the very least!

The guard examining Skyle’s condition had quickly taken his pulse, and his expression grew complex as he made to stand up. However, at this time Skyle’s trembling hand rose up to snatch at his hand.

“P.. Please, help me! I’m scared!” Skyle cried out pitifully, between shaking lips.

The guard had instantly tensed up when he sensed movement from Skyle, but relaxed when he saw the boy’s expression. He tried to shake Skyle off his arm, but the grip was much stronger than he’d anticipated, obviously fueled by the fear and desperation in the boy’s eyes.

“Help me! I don’t want to die! I’ll tell you everything!” Skyle whimpered.

“Get off me, you little animal!” The guard scoffed dismissively, and attempted to shake off Skyle more vigorously. He even raised a hand to strike Skyle, but he paused for a moment as he seemed to recall his orders. With a disgusted expression, he looked down to Skyle’s broken leg and mercilessly stepped on it, applying pressure.

Skyle cried out in agony, but instead of letting go, he only pulled harder at the guard. Leon joined as well, instantly springing up to tackle the guard while screaming, “Hey! Stop that you bastard!”

The guard struggling with Skyle seemed surprised to find the heavily wounded boy desperately clutching at his legs now, and although he saw Leon charging at him at the last minute, he was too late to react as Leon shoulder charged him with all his strength.

Leon Draxas was only a youth, but his height and build were already that of a young adult. In addition, years of studying the fire elemental summoning arts to supplement his own body’s growth had yielded spectacular increases to his physical power and explosive strength.

The shock and surprise were obvious in the faces of both guards as Leon’s charge bodily lifted the guard off his feet and bore him down to the ground with a resounding crash. However, these were well trained guards and the element of surprise only won them this much, as the soldier Leon had tackled had already delivered a vicious elbow to Leon’s face and expertly twisted his body to disentangle himself from Leon, rolling away from him in spite of the heavy armor the soldier wore.

Leon was left behind on the ground as his charge had explosive power, but little technique to follow through. surprisingly, Skyle’s hand had apparently become caught up in the guard’s armor and he was jolted forward with the guard, entangling himself further with the soldier.

Leon sat up dazedly and immediately made to move forward to assist Skyle, but he suddenly felt impending danger as he saw a blur from one side of his vision. He reflexively raised an arm while averting his face, but the fist of the guard who had been guarding the entrance crashed through his guard and connected painfully with his head. To his credit, Leon didn’t fall and instead only backed up a couple steps before snarling and blindly charging forward, trying another tackle against his new foe.

This desperate move didn’t work this time, and instead the veteran guard sidestepped the move and delivered a vicious blow to Leon’s ribs, making the youth expel all the breath from his lungs and bend over in pain. Still, Leon refused to go down and instead flung out a clumsy hook with his unbroken arm.

The guard easily blocked the blow with an expert grip, then twisted it painfully away from his body. Leon instantly cried out in pain as he felt his joint being twisted, then one vicious blow after another began to land on his face. Still, his arm was being held by the joint lock, so Leon couldn’t even fall back as thunderous punches struck his face over and over again.

“E.. enough! He’ll die!” A croaking voice sounded from behind the guard striking Leon, and he was shocked to find that somehow Leon had driven him back close enough to the spot where Skyle and the other guard had fallen that even the heavily wounded boy had been able to reach up with his shaking arms to hug his waist and cling on desperately in hopes of helping his friend.

The guard looked down at Skyle in suspicion for a moment, and his eyes seemed to narrow as the hand he had used to strike Leon now moved down towards a specific spot on his waist. Skyle felt his heart shudder, but already he felt a vise grip fasten on to his neck from behind, effortlessly pulling him off before he could distract the guard or do anything else for that matter.

Skyle didn’t have to look back to know that it was the first guard who had already stood up and had instantly apprehended him. Already, it was a miracle that Skyle was able to reach up towards the guard facing Leon a split second before he was incapacitated. However, if the guard facing Leon, the guard with the keys now checked his belt he would notice what they had done and the whole gig would be up!

Splat.

It was a very low sound, almost unnoticeable. Still, it seemed to echo loudly in the confines of the cage, especially now that the brief scuffle had finally ended. Skyle as well as the guard now restraining him from behind could only stare in astonishment at the source of that sound.

It had been a punch.

Leon’s punch.

More like a love tap, no more than a nudge. Leon still swayed on his feet, held up by the joint lock on his healthy arm, blood copiously pouring down his face from his nose and lips. His eyes were already swelling up with angry bruises covering them, but they still glittered with satisfaction.

The guard who had been punched by Leon stared at the boy in mute stupefaction. Leon’s good arm was trapped in his grip, but that hadn’t posed a problem for the tenacious youth as he had somehow managed to clench the fist on his broken, bloody arm and swung it against his foe’s face with all the force he could muster the moment the guard’s attention had turned away from him and towards Skyle.

For a moment, complete silence fell upon the cage as both guards and Skyle stared at the scene of this crazy kid who had just used his own broken arm to strike back against his enemy. Then the guard facing Leon snarled in fury as he put his hand on his belt, reaching for his weapon.

A sharp cry from the other guard, however, stopped him, and he stood there breathing heavily, glaring bloody murder at Leon. Leon simply stared back at him, anger and defiance burning in his fierce glare.

“Enough. Remember our orders. Besides, it’s over,” the other guard said, though his voice was still slightly disbelieving.

The guard grunted, then released his grip on Leon’s arm. Immediately, the boy collapsed to the ground in a soundless heap, his eyes rolling up in his head.

“Leon!” Skyle cried out in a weak voice, and began to slowly crawl towards the other boy as soon as the guard holding him released his grip.

Shortly after, a loud clang rang out in the cage as the door was shut. The guards then began to confer with one another, but Skyle didn’t even seem to notice. Instead, he quietly reached Leon’s body and prodded his ribs.

“Ow!” Leon hissed, his eyes still closed.

“That was some fine acting,” Skyle complimented.

“What acting? Bastard damn near broke my nose, and I can’t even see past the swelling in my eyes!”

“At least that should help you greatly in a little bit, when we make our escape,” Skyle chuckled, then hissed as the motion pulled his own injured muscles.

“What do you mean?” Leon asked, his eyes still squeezed shut.

“With the look of those bruises, your face will just be one big patch of black in a few minutes. Blend in perfectly- Ow!” Skyle wheezed out, still trying aching from the pain of his laughter.

“Ha. Ha. Funny, very funny farmboy. Wait, does that mean you got it?”

“The other guard should leave soon. As soon as he does, we’ll have to make a run for it,” Skyle confirmed, all humor gone from his tone as he flashed the key held tightly in his grip.

Of course, plans never go as intended. That was to be expected. After determining that the guards were either overly zealous or very experienced, Skyle had been afraid that the guard with the keys wouldn’t step within reach.

Indeed, as Skyle lay on the floor feigning unconsciousness, Leon had not said the key phrase they had prearranged, which meant the guard Skyle had pointed to earlier as bearing the key had remained out of reach, by the door, while the other guard approached Skyle to check his condition.

Then it had all been up to Leon. Stealth was the key, as they had to take the key from the guard without him noticing it. If there was a good chance of snatching the key unnoticed, then Leon would produce a distraction any way he could and Skyle would play along. Once they had the key, and with only one guard with his back to the door while the other went to call for the healers, their chances of overwhelming the lone guard would be much better. Reflecting on just how ruthless and capable the guards had been, Skyle was quietly grateful they had decided to take a more stealthy approach rather than try to overwhelm both guards by force. After all, a single cry would have been enough to draw the attention of the rest of the guards, who were guarding the other cages about 25 meters away.

The sky above had been gradually dimming in Skyle’s vision, into what he assumed would be the night cycle in this place. If so, then perhaps in the darkness and shadows the two boys would be able to slip through.

It was a desperate plan, but far better than trying to break out through force from a camp of hundreds, thousands of soldiers armed to the teeth!

Luckily, Skyle had noticed that the cage did not need to be locked after being closed, and so the guards had neglected to check for the key upon exiting the cage. After all, Leon had definitely provided enough of a distraction to keep the guards’ minds off the key - at the cost of looking like a malcontent raccoon.

Now, it was a game of patience as they waited for a good opportunity to use the key without being detected. First, the other guard would leave to notify the healers, then the boys could make their move while a lone guard stood by the door. Skyle returned his focus on playing dead, which meant re-entering the meditative state that automatically lowered his pulse and slowed his breathing while his consciousness extended beyond his body to attempt to commune with the elements.

The brilliant clarity of his previous experience was gone, though not entirely. Skyle still felt the power of the elements vibrating in the world around him, even with his eyes closed, but that feeling as though he could stretch forth a hand to wield it seemed impossibly far. Although he hadn’t attempted to force the spirit vision as he always had in previous occasions, he didn’t feel he would succeed even if he tried.

After all, the one time he had succeeded had been a mere fluke, and he didn’t understand what had triggered such a phenomenon. The one thing he was sure of, however, was that it had felt as natural as merely breathing the elemental essence in.

Maybe like a baby first being born, he had instinctively taken that first great breath. However, try as he might, he couldn’t bring himself to do so now.

Thus, while an irritated, nervous guard ran to seek a healer, and Leon ran through dozens of iterations on how to create a suitably loud distraction without being killed like a dog for it, Skyle lay limply on the floor, making the best use of the time and trying with all the fervent power of will in his young body to learn once again to take that one first step.

To breathe.

“Breathe,” Skyle chanted in his head, as he immersed himself into his mediation, and time slowly trickled by.

“Hey, the other guard’s leaving!” Leon whispered urgently. They had agreed that Leon would be keeping watch while Skyle pretended to be unconscious again in order to try and lure the guards into complacency.

“I know,” Skyle agreed, slowly opening his eyes. His voice was slightly off-key, and Leon looked back at his partner with concern.

“You alright? I was the one who got his brains nearly battered out, remember?”

Skyle smiled at that, but his eyes had a peculiar glint as they slowly roved about the cage, then they slowly focused on a point far off in the distance.

“Hey, what’s the matter? Wake up, it’s time!” Leon whispered urgently, slightly alarmed now.

“No.”

“No what? Too late to back off now!”

“No, it’s not time yet,” Skyle murmured, still gazing into the distance.

Leon followed Skyle’s gaze and finally realized that he seemed to be gazing in the direction of the rift they’d come from, though it was out of their line of sight.

“What do you mean? You see something?” Leon asked.

“It’s coming soon,” Skyle nodded imperceptibly, his eyes still riveted on some far away spectacle that absorbed all his attention.

“We can’t wait. The other guard might come back anytime now! We have to-”

“Now,” Skyle mouthed, and Leon resisted the urge to shake the other boy out of his delirium.

“What are you-”

BOOM!

A loud explosion thundered in the air and the ground seemed to tremble in the aftermath as a brilliant flash of energy lit up the skies above in a terrifying surge of energy. Loud cries of alarm could be heard from the distance as the whole camp seemed to be stirred up by this sudden outburst.

The prisoners in the other cages began to panic, some begging to be released while some others were whimpering or crying for help. The handful of soldiers on watch immediately came to attention as they drew together and turned to look towards the source of the explosion.

“What was that?” Leon exhaled in shock.

“Our friend the Beast has come knocking again,” Skyle whispered, a half smile on his face.

Instantly, Leon’s face darkened. “You mean that thing is back?”

Skyle nodded, “I can see multiple rifts in the fabric of the elemental power here. They’re like giant vortexes of darkness, like open, bleeding wounds in the tapestry of this realm. Right now, one of them is forcibly being torn open by a frightening mass of gold energy.”

“You mean there’s more than one rift? And what the hell does that beast want?” Leon breathed out, his swollen eyes bulging out of their sockets.

“I don’t know, and for now I don’t care. This is our chance,” Skyle nodded discreetly towards the cage’s door.

The sole guard standing in front of it had moved twenty meters away towards the station of the other guards, and was currently talking to them in low tones as they all gazed towards the center of their camp, where the rift had been set up, and presumably the other rifts were.

Leon nodded, and he clenched his fist in grim determination.

Another violent explosion rocked the air, and frightened murmurs continued to rise from the cages next to them. The soldiers ignored them as they continued to stare towards the rift, where a frightening vortex of crackling energies seemed to be gathering.

Skyle turned his head to look at Leon, and was momentarily startled by what he saw. Leon expression was one of grim determination, but further than that, his whole body seemed to be glowing with swirls of reddish energy that radiated outward to buffet against the waves of elemental power surging through the air. In particular, at his chest Skyle could see a glowing ember of burning red, like a smoldering coal that was slowly being fanned back into life.

“I’m ready,” Leon stated firmly, and sparks seemed to fly off the embers in his chest, sending a dazzling shower of glowing crimson fluttering down around him.

“I can see that,” Skyle smiled faintly, to which Leon raised an eyebrow.

Skyle shook his head.

“Never mind, little Lord Firebrand. Let’s do this!”