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Chapter 5: Ran Out of Luck
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“.....a danger to the crown……..why is she still being allowed to stay here?” Lucky recognized the deeper, more bitter voice of the Red Knight. The voices, allowing me to hear them clearer. The other voice spoke up, softer, less defined than The Red Knight’s voice.
“We don’t have any proof. She’s innocent until proven guilty, Gav. Could you imagine the kind of chaos we could stir up, throwing her in jail without solid evidence? We’re dealing with the Opterune Guild Leader, here. Her roots run deep in this city.”
I crashed back onto the floor as my door was violently swung open. The Red Knight stood over me, regarding me with a standoffish glare. Whoever was the source of the other voice was gone.
“Get dressed, the king wants you in the throne room in 15 minutes.”
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Red looked down at the redstone parts littering my desk, eyebrows furrowed in frustration.
'That fool is going to get himself killed, and the castle torn down with them.' Red mused. He closed his eyes and rest his head on the backs of his hands, thinking of how to remedy the current situation.
His eyes opened and he looked back at the components on his desk as an idea sprung to mind. Feeling determined yet slightly guilty for what he had planned, he murmured to himself, "This is for the security of the King, nothing more." He sighed, sat up, and quickly got to work.
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Sap slowly paced between two pillars in a large empty room, concern and worry crossing their face. With the Opterune Guild's leader playing prisoner in the castle, what was in store for the future?
Their thoughts continued to play with all the 'what ifs', their focus halting their pacing altogether. They became so consumed in thinking that they didn't noticed the figure sneak up behind them.
The person covered Sap's mouth with one hand, pressing something made of metal into the side of their neck with the other. A sharp pain bloomed from his neck; before they passed out, they heard what sounded like Red speak solemnly,
"This is what must be done."
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Lucky walked into an open room, and looked up from her new clothes to inspect where she had taken herself. Leaning against the columns was a brown-haired figure wearing tattered clothes and a green cape. They were a bit hunched over, looking dead on their feet with their head looking directly at the floor. Something felt off about them...perhaps they were a commoner? Maybe they were here for an audience with the king? Her eyes widened as she thought to herself, 'They could help me get out of the palace! '
Before she could reach them to ask, their head slowly looked up in her direction. She froze in horror at the sight of their face; red lines scratching up from a small device attached to their neck, and what looked like bark and leaves sprouting from around their eyes. She was able to break eye contact long enough to see the royal emblem clearly sewn into the chest bracer wrapping around their worn clothes.
Sap clumsily stepped forward, as if slowly remembeeing what they were doing, face turning into a lazy snarl. Lucky panicked; her weapons had been confiscated, leaving her defenseless to the crazed king.
Lucky narrowly dodged as Sap suddenly lunged forward, aiming to tackle her. They raised their arm, commanding tree-like roots to force their way through the castle floor and aim to strike Lucky. She ducked as they flew past her and instead shattered two quart columns.
Realizing the debri could be used as a weapon more effective than her fists, she sprung up and darted towards the rubble. She remembered that the roots were still in her way when they knocked into her side, flinging her into another column.
Lucky coughed, trying to catch her breath as Sap walked over, eyes showing nothing but anger and the red on their neck growing in size and luminosity. Lucky faintly realized that may be the source of their rage, before the same roots grabbed ahold of her ankles and threw her across the room once again, hitting her head and sliding to a halt.
She took a second to get up, pain coursing through her head. She noticed her proximity to the shards of quartz, and stumbled over to it, unable to properly stand up.
Finally ahold of some sort of weapon, she weakly stood to see Sap's arm being covered in roots seemingly growing out of their body, forming a makeshift clawed appendage. Lucky realized she had an opening while they were distracted. Shard at the ready, she rushed them, missing the item on their neck but creating a deep cut on their shoulder.
Sap roared and spun around, anger growing as they created another root, this one tripping Lucky in her tracks by digging into her calf. She cursed as she went to free herself by cutting the base of it with her weapon. Her attempts only made it dig into her leg more, worsening her situation as Sap's shadow slowly overtook her.
Looking back at them, Lucky could tell his energy was nearly spent. Looking further behind them, she saw a figure in the shadows of the pillars, watching their fight. Before she could question the person, Sap's root arm started to move towards her. In a moment of survival, Lucky ignored the searing pain in her leg and spun around, enough to get a direct hit on the device.
Sap stumbled back and fell and the device sent sparks flying. The figure emerged from the shadows, a furious "No!" spat as they raised their glowing red hand. 'Shit, anotber magic user! ' Lucky thought. The red veins on Sap grew as Red continued to keep control over the downed king.
Lucky watched as Sap rose yet again, eyes wild with rage. Without thinking, she lept forward, aiming a killing strike with the quartz. She lamded another direct blow on the device, digging much deeper this time. The adrenaline was quickly replaced with a throbbing on her side.
She looked down from Sap's now shocked, tired face to see the root claws embedded straight through her body. They both slowly sank to the ground, the root arm still connecting the pair, blood escaping both bodies too quickly.
Lucky numbly looked back up and pulled the shard out of Sap's neck and absentmindedly watched a blood spill down.
Looking confused and scared Sap brokenly mumbled to Lucky, "I...No....Didn't want this..'M sorry..." and weakly attempted to heal her, only slowing the blood flow somewhat. Lucky tried to pull the roots out of her chest and stomach area, only hurting herself more.
Before Lucky blacked out, she saw Red approach ominously, and a man in yellow running and shouting.
She was too out of it to make out what he was saying;s he decided she'd ask when she woke up.
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