Equestria Was Merely a Setback!

by Thunderscourge

Level 17: Hell In a Prison

Once Kael set foot inside the entrance of the Deadmines he knew instantly that he was in over his head. Not that it would stop him, but it was most certainly not going to be easy. He could hear in the distance the echoes of mine picks, the murmur of voices, and the creak of machinery. The mercenary from before with the green armor and oily hair had said if Kael was who he claimed to be a normal Human would be no threat…hopefully that meant that, for the amnesiac Kael, he had the potential to take on far greater odds than someone of his level ought to be capable of.

Of course, it had been said as an insulting reality check, but Kael did like the thought that he had power even if it was not readily available to him. He was Kael’Thas Sunstrider, right? Then he had created a reputation off of something back before his amnesia.

Taking a peek into the dark cavern with only torches to light it made Kael further realize that if this was like most caverns it would branch out and not just have one tunnel…and he likely would not have the time to keep track of what led where once he began his raid on the Defias. They wouldn’t be happy with him, and getting lost and cornered would mean death most likely.

Getting lost made him recall that he had a very detailed map of the land, which Kael retrieved from a pocket and began to peruse as Nana swam around the air by his knees. By the time the Mana Wyrm had completed three laps around him Kael had located what he had been hoping for.

“The map has details on this place?” he smirked as he noticed notes even about troop movements that were likely out of date now, though the names Mr. Smite, Sneed, and Gilnid made Kael wonder if they had been…obstacles given how they were scripted in specifically in certain places on the pathway, “Reuenthal is one to pay attention to detail, I suppose.”

A quick study of the map showed Kael that his intuition had been correct: he’d have been hopelessly lost if he had not consulted it. After memorizing which ways he would have to travel, Kael decided it was time to go about enacting his one man rescue.

No-one was at this end of the cave’s mouth where he would enter in and begin his descent underground, but a voice was not too far off in the distance. Kael could hear them talking about having to come all the way up here for a forgotten cart and the complainer was blaming the miners for whatever had happened.

“A mine cart?”

Kael glanced around the “room” he was in to see if he could locate it. Surely enough, the Defias member complaining was not complaining for nothing: a large mine cart sat in the center of the room. Kael rushed over to it without another moment passing and looked inside: it was half full, and it had a tarp of sorts lying lazily on top of it. Smiling to himself, Kael climbed inside the cart and pulled the tarp so that it covered him completely. By curling up he managed to fit himself, though his sword was not quite as flexible. It poked out at the edge of the tarp but Kael just had to hope in the bad lighting the one coming to get the cart would not take notice.

Nana found her own way in under the tarp and nestled into Kael’s chest, causing him to shhh her since her serpent tail was tapping on the tarp right above them. She listened, seemingly quite well trained and intelligent for an animal, just in time for the drudging along Defias grunt approached the cart. They didn’t pay it any mind as they began to push it, instead focusing on their own woes as they realized the weight of their job.

“This thing weighs a damn ton!” the criminal cursed as he continued to push it along, “Should have made that tough guy Slambert do it. What good are prisoners for if they won’t do our chores for us?”

Kael was grateful that this person obviously was too wrapped up in their own world to give him much notice, but he had a backup plan already: his sword could always be moved to impale the man should he become wary of his cart. While Kael doubted there were many Elves around these parts, he could swap clothes with the fool.

Fortunately it did not have to come to that, as the mine cart was slowly pushed down the pathways leading toward the inner sanctum of the cave, where the real operations were centered including a foundry and a…mast room? Kael had no idea what that was, but he was quite sure it would be disappointing once he found out.

After it came to a halt, with the Defias man grunting something about needing to take a break, Kael peeked outside by moving the tarp gingerly. Outside he could see a group of people striking the hard soil of the cavern while a few guards in mixtures of red, black, and brown leather and cloth armor all overlooked them.

He made it. Nobody was expecting a sudden attack, and perhaps if he struck them down fast enough he could give himself another moment to plan the next step of this daring rescue.

Nobody was looking at the unassuming mine cart, so when Kael slowly removed himself from it he did not draw anyone’s attention. They were all busy talking, yelling at their prisoners who stood in shackles as they were forced to mine, and the strikes of the metal against rock and minerals made more noise than him.

“W-who are you!?”

Unfortunately the man who had been pushing the cart had not gone far. He was exhausted from his labor though and was slow to react as Kael lunged forward and silenced him with a slash across the throat. They weren’t going to go easy on him, and he couldn’t afford to be merciful with such dire odds.

By then the others in the chamber had all taken note of him and their now deceased comrade, and a variety of yells and clinks of metal rung in the cave.

“I'm discovered…” Kael cursed as he prepared himself for battle. He had hoped to ride out this stealth boon as long as he could, but now he was forced into the first of many conflicts that day.

Kael was just glad he had grabbed a quick nap before he arrived at the Deadmines, or else he’d be falling over from exhaustion. Some food had been provided in the box of belongings, though he still near famished. If he had to confront this entire dungeon of men without rest or food he would be even worse off than the impossible odds he was starting with.

There were eight guards in this particular chamber, though Kael had been expecting triple that number. Perhaps the majority of their forces were out preparing to assault Stormwind? That would be helpful for him here.

One approached Kael before all the others, thinking him just some random Elf who was trying something stupid. A fireball melting through his gut gave his comrades a good idea that Kael was not fooling around, him having prepared the magic as he struck the first man down.

All seven remaining people decided to rush him all at once, swords and blades drawn for six of them and a staff raised for the last, a woman with a blue glow of magical energy in her hand. She did not finish her spell though as a Mana Wyrm bit her hand and the glow disappeared, the Mana Wyrm seemingly taking the power for itself as it glowed right then as the hand ceased to.

Kael kicked the cart over against two of his assailants, crushing the legs of one and sending the other reeling. Not all of them seemed to be well trained, as Kael easily parried the first to reach him, though he supposed it made sense for a group of newly recruited folk who were formerly destitute and likely never held a sword before were quite unskilled at combat.

Kael did not have this problem, and with a strong heave he disarmed the man both by removing their sword and removing part of the limb that had held it. The man howled in pain as Kael grabbed him by the shoulder and forced him in the way of the others, and the cry of pain stopped as the man’s heart was.

The other Defias members removed their blades from their dead comrade right at the moment their spellcasting comrade called out to them, though only two of the remaining four standing by Kael looked back to see what was happening.

“Get the damn beast!” the woman Mage cried out as Nana assaulted her viciously and relentlessly, not going for any killing strikes but brutalizing the woman’s neck and up with strong slams and the occasional bite.

Kael tossed the dead Defias man in his hand over at the two not facing his way, and once it crashed into one of them that destabilized thug stumbled over into the other. They each fell down, but that left Kael with two left at the same time. He blocked the blade of one as the other brought their dagger right into his stomach.

The Prince fought the urge to verbalize his pain, for he was trying to focus on gathering up strength for a second fire attack. A second and third strike of the dagger into his flesh made him finally let out a growl of pain, though he was quite glad his leather armor was stopping a good deal of the weapon’s penetration.

He glanced over at the woman stabbing at him and smirked as her next strike was stopped midway. He had removed one of his hands from his two-handed weapon and had clasped it around her skinny arm. She gave him a confused look as he began to be forced back by her comrade, but after a moment Kael let go and she forced herself back.

Kael had learned this trick a bit ago, yet he had not had much of a chance to use it yet…now he was quite free to do it as Trixie was the one keeping him from trying out what he read.

The woman took a step back before noticing that her arm was glowing. She brought it up to her face as Kael went back to stopping her partner’s assault. By the time Kael got the strength back to push back the man he was in a power struggle with, the woman’s whole body had the same glow and then…boom.

The explosion was great enough to blast through and kill the man beside her as well as kill the person Kael had disorientated with the cart. Living Bomb was the name, and it was quite sinister…and effective.

No longer under direct threat, Kael looked over and noticed that the Mage had finally managed to knock Nana back for a moment and then sling a quick spell forward at the Wyrm. Nana let out a small pained noise as she dropped from the air and fell down, though she did not revert to a shimmering orb like Wyrms would when they were dead. The Mage had been on her back when she managed to free herself from the animal, though Kael made sure she never got up.

As Kael approached the smoldering Mage he noticed a shiny set of keys laying nearby one of the dead Defias members. He grabbed the keys and tossed them over to where the prisoners were cowering in fear, apparently each of them fearful that he would kill them. They were skinny things, weak from starvation and exhaustion, and likely weak before even those tragedies had been inflicted on them.

“Go. You’re free. I’m not going to harm you.”

They wouldn’t be helpful in a fight, not when they were quivering things with no strength behind them. It would be nice of them to offer to help him, but Kael wasn’t even sure he would accept it. Not when it would just get them killed.

“T-thank you, s-s-sir!” one of them choked out as they set about freeing everyone. Kael ignored them as he approached the wounded Mana Wyrm. Nana had kept him from being slain by magic, but the young Mana Wyrm was not quite capable of defeating a common Mage on their own. Not yet at least.

“Nana…”

The Mana Wyrm slowly lifted itself up to a few inches off the ground, but even then it was having trouble staying afloat. Kael took out a healing potion and poured a portion on its wound, restoring it to full health, before downing the remaining part of the bottle himself. Fortunately the red of his armor kept him from seeing just how much of his own blood was coloring his clothing.

He took a hand to the Wyrm and then looked back to the way they had come in, “You’re trained, so you can understand well what I am saying,” Nana moved as if to nod, but it was hard to really tell with the always moving pet, “Go back to where I found you. Run and don’t turn back.”

It understood, but hesitated. Kael had seen how fragile it was currently, and he was grateful for what it had done, but it would be of no further use. Not without dying, he had realized, and that was unacceptable. With a forced nod towards the exit Kael finally managed to get the pet to start doing as he ordered. He couldn’t afford to just carry it with him, and it wouldn’t be able to fight, so this was really his only option. He just hoped it would escape as he intended…

“Trixie would kill me if I let her pet die,” he whispered to himself as he watched it retreat from him, “This will get more difficult without the aid though…”

The Defias that had only been wounded were moaning and wailing, but Kael made sure to take the time to take care of them. Unfortunately for him this took long enough for a patrol of guards to come his way, with four Defias members looking around at the scene with differing looks of surprise and horror.

“What’s with all the noise over here?”

“Hey! Who the Hell are you?!”

“Damnit…” Kael cursed to himself as he noticed the newest group. They were about twenty feet down the corridor he had to go down to continue towards where the main cave was, where Trixie was most likely.

“Bastard! Think you can just come on in here and—”

Kael took the next trick out of his hat, a spell named Flamestrike, and a wave of fire scorched across the ground where the four Defias members had been standing. Doing this spell made Kael feel suddenly weak, as if he had been deprived completely of his magic, and he realized he had not been tending to his Elven mana addiction…though he thought it odd that this was the case, as it had not really bothered him until now. All that really changed was that Trixie was gone, but her absence surely couldn’t be causing him to feel the pain again, could it?

Two of the Defias managed to avoid the attack while the other two were roasted like turkeys for a feast, and these two proved far faster than the crowd Kael had just carved through.

One of them came at him with two blades, and while Kael managed to parry each of them with a well-placed block from his far larger sword, the man managed to slip one of the blades away from the stolen Stormwind sword and plant itself straight in Kael’s shoulder.

The other wasted no time and appeared behind Kael to stab him through the back of his leather armor. Kael got to see as the blade exited the front of him, and the sight was not all that pleasing. These two were undoubtedly two of the more senior and experienced members, and they also had him outnumbered while Kael was still recovering from his last bout.

“That hurts, damnit…”

In an unexpected move Kael lifted his broadsword upward and hit the chin of the man in front of him with his sword’s cross-guard, the removal of his parry causing a third blade to cut into his body. He dragged the blade across the man’s close throat, and using the slight momentum behind this swing he spun himself around and tore the blade impaling him from behind from the backstabber.

The backstabber jumped back just in time to avoid being cut down by the powerful blade Kael held, but the attack still grazed across the man’s gut and wounded him. The Defias guard pulled out a short blade from a sheath and charged at Kael, only to find himself impaled on a rapidly displaced blade from Kael.

Kael chuckled weakly to himself as he watched the man before him cough and fall to the ground, blood dribbling from beneath their red bandana. Kael had used his spare hand to rip one of the swords impaling him out, and by charging forth just as his opponent had he had caught the man off-guard: the Defias man had expected the heavily wounded Kael to stand his ground rather than surge forward.

“Least these potions are taking the edge off…”

Kael sighed as he healed himself with the majority of his remaining potions. His grievous wounds would not heal themselves after all, though he was grateful no magic had struck him yet. He had a feeling that would be harder to power through and tank.

“Mine quicker!”

Once he was done recovering, Kael hid against a sloped wall as he heard the voice yelling further down in the corridor. He was still winded and he did not want to risk himself when he could ambush whoever it was with a moment of planning.

The voice held a cruel intonation, and the crack of a whip made the person’s voice seem all the worse. They were forcing prisoners to mine for them…better than killing their prisoners, but still anything but kind.

“I said,” another crack of the whip, and with enough edging in their direction Kael could finally see them without being easily noticed, “Mine quicker!

The one being whipped was someone in the silver and blue armor of Stormwind, though it was torn and damaged to the point where it ceased to be actual protection and armor. The prisoner was worn ragged and Kael was actually thankful their helmet was concealing their face: the metal was likely hiding the man’s pained expression that would match the crimson red running down his back.

Across from him was one of the Defias thugs who stood with whip in hand, ready to strike yet again moments after the last. Another similar man was beside him, and they had their own duplicate prisoner. Two Stormwind soldiers, new to the scene by the looks of it, who hadn’t even been stripped of their ragged armor before being forced to work.

With the crack of a whip one of the prisoners cried in pain, though they said nothing as their torturer and guard scoffed at their pain, “You have such bad luck! You will regret not being killed in battle!

“What do you mean?” the first prisoner gasped in-between swings of his pickaxe. His body was littered with other wounds, indicative of a recent struggle he had lost before being brought here.

Another scoff, followed by another lash, “You really believe you can live comfortably down here? Our boss, VanCleef, will work you to death down here. Just as you damn 'noble' knights deserve!"

The two guards, who Kael recognized as the poor folk he had spoken to at Sentinel Hill, the two he cast a blind eye to as they spoke of joining the Defias. That said, he had warned them that he would not forgive them should they join the Defias and do ill deeds, for Kael’s sympathies ended at taking down those at fault for the inequities and problems they faced. They were torturing two normal soldiers and enjoying it, soldiers who likely had nothing at all to do with what happened to them and to the Defias.

Even Vanessa seemed remorseful about what she had done, and she was leading them. But with such rapid recruitment of so many people, perhaps the matter had gone by with focus on quantity over quality.

As Kael pondered ways to go about killing the two sadistic men and freeing the prisoners, the prisoner who had yet to speak spun around and began to rush at his captor in a split moment the man had taken to look at his compatriot.

A sword was pulled out, and the rush ended as the captive stopped right in front of the outstretched sword held at him. He wouldn’t have been able to reach much farther due to his chains, but he could of at least swung at his tormentor, as futile as it might be.

Kael admired the resolve, but cursed the action. If the man had bided his time a few moments longer Kael could have made his strike, but now the guards were fully alert and the one who hadn’t been assaulted was even looking around.

"Ooops..." the Stormwind captive spoke for the first time, and even then it was weak. His voice sounded like his throat had been hurt, though it was not possible to see the damage he had received to it due to his armor.

The soldier stepped back away from the sword, but the other took a step forward. His hands were cuffed together, but he had a pickaxe he was willing to swing. His bound legs and his bound hands would make an actual fight completely one-sided, but the man was standing with pride as he faced down the Defias duo.

"You want to work us to death? I won't let you humiliate us anymore!"

He took a swing, but the guard swung their sword hard into the side of the man’s only intact piece of armor on his abdomen. The result knocked the proud soldier back a few feet, but it did not take him off his feet. The impact did enough to wind the already wounded soldier though, and he didn’t surge back forward to face his foe again.

"Oh, feisty feisty. It's the worst kind of prisoner, but the best kind of worker. You’ll be good at digging holes until you have to dig your own."

The soldier slowly took a step back forward, to the utter amusement of the two tormentors, "If you want to kill me, kill me now."

"I won't let him!"

Kael watched as the body of one Defias member was flung onto the ground right beside the farther thug. The two men and their captives all looked further down the corridor to where a blonde man in nothing but weathered green pants emerged with a spear in hand. His bare chest revealed that he had once been muscular, but was severely weakened from starvation. Even still he had knocked the now dead Defias member flying far enough to surprise the two guards with his sudden entry through a door beyond them.

As the new entry to the conflict twirled his weapon around and flung blood from its steel shaft, the guard who had been speaking the most rushed to confront the free prisoner. The ragged man ended up levying his spear in their direction, though given the spear’s greater reach than the guard’s sword the guard stopped before he impaled himself on the larger weapon. The attention diverted from them, the prisoners moved away from the soon to-be fight between two guards and this newcomer.

"Sir Lavitz!" the Stormwind soldiers called out, their previously worn and tired voices revitalized at the sight of an ally.

The guard who had approached Lavitz felt comfortable in the fact his opponent was starved, and thus barely standing, but even still he was not so foolish as to approach the man as Lavitz stood ready to fight, "You...you bastard!? You broke out of your chains again!?"

He used a moment of slight staggering on the part of the starved man to rush in and slash at the half-naked soldier, but even in his state Lavitz brought his acquired spear up to block the overhead sword strike.

"Idiot, you think you can escape from here alone!?" the guard grunted as he tried to force down through the spear and cut the man blocking with it. His partner was keeping his eyes on the other two prisoners and as such had no ability to assist his comrade.

"I'll take care of this!” Lavitz yelled as he began to slide his spear down in a way that deflected his foe’s sword to the ground. Hearing his words seemed to inspire the two others, as the more silent one knocked over the guard by them with a throw of a pickaxe while the other smashed their chains with his own pickaxe aided by respectable strength and broke the metal links crudely.

Lavitz finished moving his spear down and knocked his opponent’s weapon to the ground, quickly following it up with a quick jab through the man’s gut, “Survive and go back to Stormwind alive! Tell the King—"

Kael moved to approach the escapees as a friend, but they rushed right past him and went on up the corridor he had come down. He opened his mouth to call to them that there were still more guards up there and that they were in danger so long as they were tied up, but the words never got to his lips: a Defias member Kael had gotten past without killing quickly murdered each of the would be escapees.

"I took care of those guys!" The guard who did it actually ran past Kael’s hiding place to go and approach his other ally, who had begun to engage Lavitz in combat.

Kael cursed himself for not acting sooner, having felt torn between helping people he considered his enemies fight his current enemies, but this was not a time for indecision. His body might ache and his mind might complain, but this was his chance to break in as a powerful soldier broke out.

"So this is rebellion..." On both ends, Kael mused, as he moved to join the fray. The rebels were facing a rebellion of their own in the form of an escaped prisoner.

Lavitz sidestepped his opponent and ran them through with his spear before they could correct their mistake, and while seemingly winded and strained he wasted no time before rushing at the newest foe to come his way. The two cautiously looked eachother over as Lavitz held the greater reach, but a misstep would get him killed even so.

Kael would have cut down the Defias member from behind if he himself was not assaulted from behind, although not without the warning of footsteps. Kael spun around as he lunged out of the way, bringing his own sword to bear as he parried the next strike.

"You! Who are you!? Are you a dog of Stormwind too!?" the fourth guard growled to him as they took a step forward and swung down with fervor in the hopes of cutting Kael down even as they asked him his identity.

Kael did not oblige them, instead letting their sword sail just by him. He used this time to swung the handle of his sword into their head, following through the swing arc to cut through the man’s neck. Now was not the time for mercy.

This left Kael free to once again aid and get to the escaping prisoner. Said prisoner was rapidly stabbing at his own opponent right then, barely being parried as the Defias member was slowly forced back and back into a corner, at which point a spear thrust caught him straight through the throat.

A man came rushing from the way Lavitz had come, one of likely a multitude of guards sent after him, and the Defias man managed to hit Lavitz hard enough to make him stumble. Despite this Lavitz swung his spear and knocked the man off his feet with such strength that Kael was quite sure he heard the man’s neck snap.

Seeing the red of Kael’s armor and associating it with the Defias, Lavitz’s next attack was straight at the man trying to help him.

"Who are you!?" Lavitz yelled as he charged Kael, his words finishing just as Kael managed to barely block the spear being shoved his way. The situation devolved into a struggle between the spear’s shaft and Kael’s blade, each man pushing and trying to gain power over the other.

As Kael did his best to hold his own against the knight he managed to speak a bit, "My name is Kael—” he was losing ground, for the starved man actually possessed even greater strength than what Kael possessed. He feared just how powerful the man had been before he had been deprived of sufficient nutrients to maintain his original physique.

Nearly losing the struggle, Kael focused his attention on finishing his statement so that there would be no need for conflict. This was not the battle he needed to be waging, and he did not want to waste energy on someone who was not a foe, “I am not your enemy!"

Quickly assessing that he was fighting an Elf, a race not known to be joined with the Westfall bandits, Lavitz backed off and put a good few feet between them. The man dropped his spear to a passive position, its point facing directly up at the ceiling as he looked over Kael with interest.

"I am Lavitz Slambert! I am the captain and head of Stormwind's first Knighthood."

That certainly explained why the man was so capable, if he was in charge of such a prestigious group. This was quite the fortunate turn of events, actually, for Kael had not expected any help and now this man had killed a good deal of guards. On the other hand, he had caused a conflict of his own and was going to draw attention to them.

More guards came from both ends of the hallway, one approaching Kael from his side and another approaching Lavitz from his own.

"Well, it seems we don't have time for introductions!" Lavitz spoke as he spun around and faced his own opponent. Kael took a step back and their backs met as they stared down their newest enemies.

"It seems we do not…” Kael replied with annoyance, though it wasn’t directed at his ally of opportunity. There were simply too many opponents for either one of them to succeed on their own…but for the moment their goals were aligned: survive.

Trixie was trudging along slowly as she tried to listen to the yells and battle going on beyond the shipyard and up the cave. The echoing of it all was soon cut out after a thick door sealed and was secured to the mouth of the corridor where the racket all was originating. After Foe Reaper 9000 had been sent to go help the others as extra insurance, the Defias decided to play things safe and lock everything down until things quieted. Before it closed though, Trixie could swear it sounded like more than just one person fighting all the Defias members…

Ripsnarl had been assigned to look after Trixie and bring her back to her room, specifically ordered to make sure she did not escape again under any circumstances, and he noted her slow pace with some frustration.

“Come on, princess, pick up the pace. You won’t be going anywhere anytime soon, so go back to being a good prisoner, okay? I’d hate to have to render you incapable of moving to get the point across.”

Princess…that word struck a cord in Trixie.

Had she been a princess? Something told her no…but something else made it sound possible. Maybe she had known a princess?

Princess, princess, princess…yes, that was most definitely ringing a bell. Prince? Well, Kael, obviously, but she felt like there was at least another she could recall…

The inane chatter of somepony, the annoying voice, smug attitude, pampered white fur, a need to belittle all others—oh how just the thought of this phantom equine being made Trixie want to hit them, strangle them, do anything to get them away because the more they weighed in on her mind the more a headache began to form in her head. Who was this person, why did they cause this reaction in her?

“How about it? Would you like to be just like your whore of a mother? I can add you to my list of consorts. Plenty of mares here in Canterlot are willing to do anything for a few bits, not to mention social status…”

That voice, that pony…Trixie balled up her fists and clenched her teeth in anger. Oh what she’d do to just make them stop! Words beyond her comprehension continued, but the overall feeling of the memory continued to play on.

“SHUT UP”

That voice was her own, Trixie realized, right at the same time the final piece of the memory washed over her.

Ripsnarl spun to face Trixie as he heard her fall to her knees, “Are you alright? Ms. Lulamoon?”

Trixie was blankly staring ahead as she remained on her knees. She had a feeling in that last bit of what she could recall. She could remember something in distinct detail, and if she was not so frozen by the thought she would be physically sick.

She felt as if she had killed someone, and she felt that she had done it in recent history.

What had she done that led her to this suddenly foreign, strange place?

Trixie only hoped these were false memories, figments of an overactive imagination…but in her heart she knew there was some truth to it all. Perhaps she would find the truth to it all when she was freed, but for now she was left with the haunting thought that she was no better than the people she found herself surrounded by.

Kael had to hand it to the Stormwind for once: they had created a damn good soldier. Lavitz had suited up with some armor laying about and while it was nowhere near as good as a full suit of it, he was no longer bare to the blades he would be confronting.

Of course, before armoring up the man had managed to stave off the first few attackers with Kael at his back and doing the same. After saving eachother from the initial surge of Defias members, Lavitz had armored himself more and Kael had granted him a potion to heal with. The Stormwind soldier had more than earned it, and Kael honestly felt like the man could use something in his stomach.

This done, Lavitz approached his two fallen comrades and knelt down beside them. Kael did not interrupt the man as he instead stood guard, though to his pleasure no more Defias showed up. They didn’t seem to be all that organized, which Kael took as a sign of fortune and logic: they had recently swelled their ranks considerably, of course they didn’t have a well oiled machine going in terms of organization. It was probably only a few souls a few weeks back, and now it was dozens if not hundreds.

"I will bring word of your bravery home,” Lavitz stood up and looked to Kael, “You said your name is Kael. Common Elf name, right?” Kael nodded, not sure how much he wanted to reveal just yet. Accepting this basic response, Lavitz continued, “I cannot imagine why somebody, especially someone who isn’t a Human, would intentionally assault the Defias. What are you up to?"

He had lowered his weapon, so it wasn’t a frightful inquisition. Just genuine curiosity from a man who ought to be using this time to escape. The fact that the Human was standing a few feet before him still baffled Kael. Didn’t this man want to make a break for Stormwind a moment ago?

About this matter, Kael thought he could at least speak truly. Why he was there was not something sinister or bad after all: he came to save his only real companion and friend.

Kael averted his eyes to the ground as he spoke, the thought of Trixie being harmed making him equal parts furious and depressed, "I am here to rescue someone important to me. Do you know anything about her? Her name is Trixie."

Lavitz took a hand to his chin and thought for a moment, even turning away slightly as he became lost in thought. After a moment of this though he hung his head and shook it negatively. He didn’t know anything.

"I am sorry, but...."

Kael sighed, not knowing why he’d expect a prisoner nearly killed through starvation to know what was happening in the dungeon. He held up a hand to silence the sorrow of the sympathetic Human, "It is fine. I will continue looking.”

With that, Kael moved to go the way Lavitz had come from, but before he could even take two steps he heard the rustle of armor and a hand clasped down on his shoulder.

"Wait! I'll go with you," Lavitz stated, pointing to himself with one finger. His pale face and blonde hair were worn and dirtied by his time in the Deadmines, but he seemed quite resolute nonetheless.

An offer to help, from a Human Kael didn’t even know? They were surely fire forged comrades a moment ago, but the immediate threat was gone. Why would a man with nothing to gain want to help him, especially since he had almost gained the freedom he had fought for?

Kael turned to face the man as curiosity crept into his own voice this time, "I thought you had to go back to Stormwind as soon as possible?"

Lavitz lowered his arms to being placed on his hips. He was looking over the sullen expression Kael held ever since bringing up his reason for being in the Deadmines, and in a moment Lavitz could tell that he was looking at a man who was in pain due to the loss of a loved one.

"She's important, this girl you are looking for?"

Kael could hear the sympathy in the man’s voice, and it actually surprised him. He didn’t expect some Human from Stormwind to take pity on him, not after everything he had heard about the city. But, much like the Saldeans, this man was quite abnormal in that regard…he had a heart and soul. He had empathy, so much so that after weeks of physical torture and pain he was willing to lend help to someone he never met before.

The purity of the soldier’s offer actually unnerved Kael, who did not think of himself as really selfish or petty before coming face to face with the ideal knights ought to look to for both strength and kindness, "It's my problem. It was my fault, so you need not concern yourself with it. You have your duty to carry out."

Lavitz took a step and then turned so he was horizontal with Kael, allowing him to place a comforting hand on his shoulder while his own eyes looked to the dead bodies of the other Stormwind soldiers, "I don't know what brought you here but this place is not that easy to go through alone."

Kael did not respond, though he understood what the knight was saying. He needed the help, even if it felt weird from a Human he just met.

The soldier lowered his hand so he could cross his arms, only to then turn and look at Kael with his arms unfolded, "That goes for me too. I can break out from here together with you!” he paused before laughing a little, “Of course, with the girl."

"I am flattered you do, but how come you trust me?” Kael questioned, unsure if the man was naïve or if he was perceptive. One might get them both killed, one might save their lives.

"The raid you made was quite impressive to have come this far alone. Because of that I trusted you to guard my back, and you did. The way I see it you’re earned my trust.”

That finalized Kael’s decision. He could use a skilled Warrior on his side, even if it was temporary compared to his arrangement with Trixie, "All right. Let's go together."

“You two are the ones doing all this?”

“We gonna kill you!”

Approaching them now was a lumbering giant humanoid being with sickly yellow skin. It had two heads, and neither looked happy.

Despite the new challenge in their shared path now, Lavitz smiled as he placed himself in front of Kael and began to approach the lumbering being.

“I bet you can cast some magic,” he spoke softly to Kael, “I’ll draw his attention, you do what you can to hurt him.”

That was a plan Kael could get behind, because his own entire body looked to be a little bit bigger than just one of this being’s arms.

Lavitz took a sword blow shirtless, surely in armor he could tank a hulking being, right?

Whether he could or not would soon be tested as Lavitz charged forth and prepared to assault the far larger humanoid. As he did this Kael prepared his fire spells, and the battle began once more.