Properly understanding the terms of engagement now, Vallerian waited for the man to near. As soon as the man’s spear was nearly poking his nose, Vallerian side stepped the weapon and lunged toward the man, splashing water up into his face, and meeting the attacker’s sternum with his shoulder. The man flew, then came collapsing headfirst into the stone beneath the water. Head met stone with a thud, and the cultists didn’t stir.

Knocking them out one by one worked, but it was a slow way to do the job and it wouldn’t be long before he tired, even with Celeste topping him up like a good bar wench.

“Kriss?” Vallerian called out, looking for the man. The only way to stop this would be to get Celeste to stop.

“Busy.” Kriss grunted, trying his best to keep five men at bay, back against one of the stone pillars that rose out of the water. Vallerian grunted, his cloak was beginning to stop burning and little else provided light down here. Well, other than Celeste who glowed like a bonfire.

Vallerian groaned but knew with the other two busy it was up to him to calm Celeste. Because of course it was. Scrambling across the water-logged floor, Vallerian crossed the space quickly. Thankfully his little show had kept the bulk of the assailants at bay for now. Or perhaps it was a general fear of divine retribution with the glowing prophetess in front of them. Either way, he had time and didn’t care why.

“Celeste.” He hissed, kneeling next to her. The girl still cried uncontrollably; the man’s crushed skull held to her chest.

“I’m sorry…” She sobbed. “Please Mother… Please…”

“Come on Celeste, I need you to get yourself together now.” He tried pulling on her hand but felt a force pushing him away as he got close. “What the…” He gasped, feeling a warm yet numbing sensation in his hand. As though he had touched a screaming hot forge, yet he had felt no pain. Had that been… her? He had felt nothing like it before. Vallerian shook his head, no time. “Celeste come on. We don’t have time for this.” He reached out to her shoulders instead, shaking her with no such numbing this time.

“Please Mother… Please…” Celeste continued like a pitiful mantra. Dammit, he thought looking around, he really didn’t have time for this. Shaking her though, Vallerian noticed her wince ever so slightly. Looking down, he saw the wound in her side, still fresh with a small stream of blood dripping out and into the water around her.

Vallerian’s heart froze. No you bastard, now is not the time for that. He tried to tell himself, but his eyes stayed locked to that wound. What was the point of surviving down here if the marchioness would just kill him above anyways? Besides, the wound was bad but not enough to kill her quickly. The girl wouldn’t miss a little blood.

“Ethinia forgive me.” He whispered, too quietly for even Celeste to hear this close. Hopefully loud enough for the Goddess. Reaching into his coat pocket, Vallerian pulled free the glass vial and lowered it to her side, letting the blood trickle in. Glancing around nervously, he spotted both Gardinal and Kriss, still being beat down by their attackers. Too busy to notice him. Thankfully.

It didn’t take long to fill the small crystal vial, and as quick as he had pulled it out, Vallerian re-stopped it and dropped it back into his coat pocket.

“I’m sorry.” He whispered to her, just in case she was more aware than he thought. Then he grabbed her and shook her one more time. “Come on Celeste it’s time to get up and get running. Remember what the big guy said.”

Nothing.

“Gardinal!” Vallerian shouted at the stout man. “She’s not listening to me.”

“Watch out!” Kriss shouted, just in time as a spear tip slashed across his face. It might have been bad if it had been only an inch closer. As it was, dripping blood covered his sight for a moment before the wound healed itself up.

Jumping up with force, Vallerian threw himself into the new attacker. The pair collapsed into the water, the robed figures hood falling back to reveal a young Fershya woman. Vallerian froze, his old master’s words striking back into him. Flip a coin. The woman, however, did not seem to carry the same reservations as him, her fist flying and catching him right in the jaw.

Vallerian fell off her, propping himself up on hands and knees in the water.

“The master will raise me up when I bring her to him.” She hissed, rising and picking up one of his earlier discarded daggers.

Vallerian looked at the woman, then to Celeste, pathetically holding the corpse. The coin in Vallerian’s head dropped, time for action. He rushed her quickly, the woman slashing away at him. Vallerian ignored it, the dagger cutting into his neck as he wrapped his hands around her throat and pushed her back down to the water. Pain shot through him as she stabbed into his neck, the wounds healing just fast enough for another slash into him. Then another. He held her there, throttling her neck as hard as he could, pressing her down as his blood dripped onto her face. The woman’s face wasn’t turning purple, and he wasn’t dying either. Vallerian gritted his teeth, this wasn’t getting anywhere. Desperately, Vallerian lifted the woman up by the throat, then slammed her back into the water. Blood and water splashed around them as he did so, beating her skull against the stone. Over and over, he did so. Up and down. Skull to stone. Thud and splash.

Eventually, after far too long, she stilled.

Vallerian fell back off the woman and caught his breath. Looking over at the Fershya and seeing her unconscious in the dim light, her chest still rising and falling.

“Fucking Chaos.” He groaned, using language his father would have beaten him for. “KRISS.” Valerian shouted, hands shaking. “KRISS DO SOMETHING ALREADY WILL YOU.”

Two more cultists broke off from their huddle, moving slowly towards Vallerian. Slowly, exhaustedly, Vallerian rose. He couldn’t see the robed mass well on the edge of Celeste’s light, but he swore their numbers had thinned. They had to have.

“I couldn’t… I couldn’t save him.” Celeste cried from behind. Glancing back, Vallerian saw Kriss had moved over to her, a pile of knocked out bodies where he had been. The boy stood above her now, looking down with a sorrowful gaze. She looked up at him, blessedly broken from her stupor.

“I know.” Kriss responded, just loud enough for Vallerian to hear. Vallerian beat away a spear, pulling out yet another dagger from within his coat.

“I… I tried…” She cried desperately. Vallerian moved, fighting the two attackers at once. Twisting with the duel, he saw Kriss hold out a hand, his attackers between Vallerian and the pair. Celeste reached up and took it.

Then, Kriss pulled her up from the ground, the corpse falling away into the water as they both were embraced in silver-teal light. Then Kriss wrapped his arms around the girl.

Kriss whispered something to her, too quiet to be heard over the din of battle even as close as Vallerian was. Then, Celeste collapsed into the young man’s embrace, the light around her fading away as she cried into her friend. It almost made Vallerian choke up, or maybe that was the knife nearly hitting his throat.

Despite the beautiful scene, Vallerian moved quickly, slashing into the one attacker’s throat, stealing their spear, and lodging it in the other’s gut.

Both fell over dead.

Vallerian glanced to Gardinal, and the man nodded. No more wasting time. Time to finish this.