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It’s going well until it isn’t.
Vax takes the first of them by surprise, dropping from the rafters of his cage and smashing the guard’s head against the bars of his cell. He drops like a stone and Vax runs. He dodges the outstretched arm of the second, dropping low and delivering a sweep kick that catches him off guard and knocks his legs out from under him.
He isn’t so lucky with the third.
The third catches him with a fist in the stomach that knocks the breath from his lungs and just about takes all the fight out of him. A second blow to the temple has him sprawling on the ground.
A boot plants itself on his wrist before he can regain his feet, grinding it into the floor. Something snaps and he cries out. He rolls onto his back, cradling his injured hand to his chest.
He’s dragged to his feet, fingers twisting in his hair, and thrust up against the wall. He grits his teeth, lashing out with his feet.
He doesn’t make contact.
He’s slammed against the wall again. Hard enough this time that his teeth rattle in his skull and his vision goes fuzzy. And then he’s slammed into the wall again. He tastes blood in his mouth.
This time, when he’s dropped to the ground, he doesn’t get up.
“Well. You’re certainly a handful.” The woman in green stands over him, smirking, hands on her hips. Her blonde hair is swept over her shoulder. In another life, maybe he would have thought she was beautiful.
He tries to rise to his feet, but a kick to the temple sends him sprawling again, head spinning.
When his vision clears, she’s crouched down to look him in the eyes. “You remember what I said would happen if you tried to escape?”
He does. He swallows thickly and says nothing.
“Do we kill him then, mistress?”
She looks at him long and hard. “I could have you killed now- slowly. I would make it hurt- and your sister would still come for you. I already have everything I need.”
A growl rises in his throat. Fear not for himself, but for his sister. He doesn’t want to die. He doesn’t want to die, but he’ll defend his sister to the death if he must. “If you hurt her,” he says and his voice is rough, “there won’t be a single piece of you left.”
She snorts. “It’s adorable that you think you have any power to make that happen.” She stands. “I’ll admit I didn’t expect you to escape quite so easily. I suppose I’ll have to take extra preventative measures this time around.” She snaps her fingers. “I want him bound. Tightly. We’ve got an escape artist on our hands.”
He’s wrestled to his feet. They take no care to be gentle with him when he’s manhandled up against the wall, both arms twisted behind his back, and tied securely.
“Fuck you.”
“Just for good measure, gag him too. This one’s got a mouth on him.”
The gag is stuffed so far down his throat he thinks he might choke on it. The pain in his wrist has become a consistent throbbing.
Worst of all is that they’ve confined him to a box. A coffin, really.
Not much air makes it inside, nor light, and if the gag didn’t already make him feel like he was suffocating, the tight confines of his new prison would have.
He has no idea how long he’s been packed in here, struggling to breathe, stewing in his own morose thoughts. It could have been an hour. It could have been a day. He can’t hear anything outside of his wooden prison.
Until he does.
He’s not quite sure what he’s hearing until the splintering of wood and the sudden influx of light has him cringing back, tucking his head against his chest.
“Uh… I think I found him, guys.”
It’s the big one from before, the goliath. Vax can’t remember his name. He just blinks at him dumbly.
Someone shoulders into the goliath’s space, a flash of red hair and antlers, and then a freckled face is staring down at him. The druid from before. Her name he remembers. Keyleth. “Oh, gods, you’re right. Here, let me…” It takes her several tries, but she gets the gag untied and tosses it aside.
The goliath- Grog, he remembers now- helps him sit up. “So, I just…?”
“I’ve got it.” She begins working on the knots around his wrists. “Are you okay?” She winces. “Sorry. Stupid question, I know. You’ve probably been through a lot. And I just… keep talking…” She trails off with an awkward laugh.
Vax doesn’t have enough left in him to be charming.
And then Keyleth is shoved aside with a startled cry to make room for his sister. “ Vax!” She throws her arms around him, burying her face in his shoulder. “You stupid…!” She draws back, punching his shoulder. “Do you have any idea how worried I was?”
He winces. “Ouch, Stubby.” The ropes around his wrists come undone and he cradles his damaged hand to his chest.
And he looks at her- really looks at her. Her braid is disheveled and there’s a bruise on her forehead. There’s blood on her sleeve where fabric has been sliced clean through. But overall, she looks unharmed and Vax can finally, finally let go of the fear that’s had him by the throat.
“She hurt you?” Vex sounds outraged- and ready to pierce that woman’s throat with more than one arrow.
But Keyleth timidly interrupts, scooting forward. “I can help.” And Vax, remembering how she’s already healed him once, is more than willing to let her. She takes his hand in hers, letting her gentle fingers roam over his wrist.
Vax tries desperately to ignore the tingle on his skin and the heat that rises to his face when she touches him. But his bones knit back together and the pain dissipates like it never existed in the first place.
He prods his wrist experimentally, then flexes it. There’s no pain. “Wow.” He looks at her. “Thank you.”
She tucks a lock of hair behind her ear and ducks her head, a dusting of pink spreading across the bridge of her nose. “Oh. It was nothing. I just…”
“Alright, then,” Vex forcefully interrupts. “If we’re quite done, we can focus on getting out of here.”
“That woman,” Vax says.
“Taken care of,” Vex answers quickly. She jerks her head towards the goliath. “Grog here had a hell of a time knocking all their heads together.”
“Oh, yeah.” Grog slaps his fist against his palm. “That’s what I’m talking about.”
“Well, that’s… good, I guess? One less thing we have to worry about.”
Vex loops his arm around her shoulders and helps him to stand. “And what about you, darling?”
“A little shaky at the knees.” He offers her a reassuring smile. “But I’m fine. I promise.”