Chapter Text
"Rrraaaaaaagh!"
Guts spewed everywhere as the head of the axe cleaved through the spider's body. Tense gloved hands gripped the weapon's shaft and ripped it out of the insect's corpse, hefting it back up into a ready position in front of their owner, a Miqo'te in heavy armor.
They glanced quickly around, checking for any more enemies, then lowered their weapon when they saw there were none. Stepping away from the spider's corpse, they grimaced as they made their way through the grey-bricked halls of the Tam-Tara Deepcroft, stopping when they reached an intersection leading down multiple paths.
' Where now…?' they thought. 'The Smith at the entrance said he was a bit concerned 'bout that party of novices, but I won't be much help to them if I can't bloody find them...'
"NO! STAY BACK! GET BACK!"
"WE'RE GONNA DIE-"
Their eyes widened, and without a second of hesitation took off down the corridor echoing with screams, boots clanking as they ran.
"EDDA?! EDDA, YOU NEED TO R--"
"I'M TRYING, I-"
Moving as fast as they possibly could, the Miqo'te whipped through hall after hall, eyes wide and teeth clenched as the screams got louder and louder.
" AAAAAAGHHHHHH-!"
"AVERE!"
They moved around a corner and into a chamber, the screams echoing from behind a door across the room. Without hesitation, the Miqo'te closed the space and smashed the doors open with their armored boot. Adrenaline coursing through their veins, they registered the sight before them.
Shattered bones of all kinds scattered across the room. A reanimated skeleton, blade poised to strike at a Hyur man laid out on the ground covered in his own blood. She could barely make out the remnants of a golden aura around him as well as the bloodied sword and battered shield at his sides. A gladiator, then.
How long had he held out with that Iron Will of his, she wondered?
Only a few feet away, a group of three, a Hyur, an Elezen, and a Lalafell surrounded by a handful of spiders like the one the Miqo'te had killed. They were attempting to defend themselves, only to be distracted by the sight of their comrade's impending death.
'No.'
An axe blade flashed briefly in the dim light as she launched herself forward, and a ghastly scream echoed through the hall as the skeleton, once ready to kill, shattered apart as the axe caught it square in the ribcage. The sudden appearance of another caught the attention of the spiders, who turned away from the group of 3.
Brandishing the axe in front of her, the Miqo'te stood over the injured man and glared at the monsters. " Not today," she whispered. A hazy red aura began to envelop her, and her green eyes seemed to glow brighter in the dim light of the cavern.
Defiance.
Not today. Not ever. Not if she could help it.