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"Stop, stop! KENDAL!"
His arm crackles with agony as brambles of white-hot magma take root beneath the skin, constricting tighter and tighter with every little twitch. Heavy, laboured breaths rattle his lungs, hot, sulfer-scented air stinging his throat. The world dances around him in a smear of dizzying colors, starbursts of darkness scattering across his vision as he struggles to stay awake.
Familiar voices trickle past the cacophony of his mind, and his heart jolts against his ribs with a distant panic. It takes all his strength to lift his head, light burning the edges of his sight as he struggles to find the source of the sound.
A flash of orange and yellow. The crack of lightning, the taste of electricity on his tongue.
White and blue swarm in like frothing waves of a furious sea, swallowing up Falst and Tess. Falst shouts, his voice rising above it all, panicked and loud.
"Let him go, let him go—!" He screams.
Kendal can only watch helplessly. His tongue is lead in his mouth, his limbs unresponsive. There's a hollowness in his chest, as if his very heart has been carved out. Metal gleams in the black sand, abandonded.
Move, he screams at himself as he's pulled further and further away from his friends. From his sword.
Do something, do anything!
His fingers barely even twitch.
"We're heading back to Snowfast."
A strangled wheeze escapes Kendal's throat as he's jostled, bone shifting under his skin. He's roughly deposited onto— something.
He can barely think straight. He's being pulled in too many directions.
A sense of failure looms over him, overwhelming and suffocating. He can't even resist as he's restrained properly, heavy cuffs clamped onto his wrists and ankles. There's little relief as Stefan releases his grip and the light fizzles out. Kendal failed.
He's been captured.
Rakhn is erupting, and Tess and Falst are still on the island.
Erin and Dainix might still be at the shipwreck, but there's no telling their mission went well.
Kendal lost his sword. Vash's sword. His only point of connection to his god. His other half.
And Alinua—
Kendal chokes in a breath as the world moves beneath him. He only has a moment to register he's on a dragon, before he's knocked onto his broken arm and his vision goes white.
"Talk." Stefan demands, once again.
Kendal stares silently. He has nothing to say to this man.
Fury burns in his gut, distant and cold, like a predator lying in wait. There's an ever present ache in his body now, making itself known through the bruises littering his skin. Harsh white light buzzes in his peripherals, suspending him in the air, keeping him pinned. His broken arm hasn't healed right, he knows. His knee is hardly doing better, even if that break is fresher.
Stefan scowls, his mask of careful neutrality hanging on by a thread.
Once again, light assaults Kendal.
Static sparks across every frayed nerve as it pours in, prying at every inch of him. He can feel it, clawing at his mind, his thoughts, his being. Searching for a handhold, searching for a way in. But again and again, it fails. Again, Stefan surfaces empty handed.
Kendal slumps, a dull headache festering beneath his skull. He lifts his gaze to Stefan, watching as Stefan's scowl deepens.
"You cannot hold your tongue forever. I will learn what you are." He growls out, pupils thin and dangerous.
There's a long, expectant pause. Kendal does not break the silence.
Stefan huffs out a sharp, frustrated breath. Without another word, the light binding Kendal snaps, and he drops the floor like a puppet with its string cut. Stefan barely gives him a glance, simply turning on his heel and marching out of the room, his cloak flaring out behind him.
Kendal rolls onto his good side, curling his injured arm close to his chest. He lets his eyes shut, dropping all facades of a stoic, unbreakable prisoner. He shudders, the frigid cold of the cell seeping into his skin, biting at his very core. There's a distant relief found as the chill sets in, numbing the bruises and breaks.
It's been… days, Kendal thinks. He's not sure how many. Maybe it's already been a sef. Maybe longer. There's no window here to track the day and night, no way to know if his vague guesses of time are correct.
He doesn't even have scheduled meals to rely on— they haven't given him food once, not that it bothers Kendal much. He's not sure if they're withholding food from him as a punishment, or if they've caught onto the fact he doesn't need to eat, and are simply saving their resources. It doesn't really matter, either way.
Kendal spends most of his time sleeping, now. Which certainly doesn't help his warped perception of time, but it does quiet the noise of his sore, aching body.
Though, it hardly soothes the crushing weight of his guilt.
Kendal doesn't know if any of the others made it out. He doesn't know if they were captured, or caught up in Rakhn's retribution. They could all be dead, and he has no way of knowing. He's just been rotting in a cell, weakened in a way he never could have imagined.
But without his sword, without Vash— there is truly nothing Kendal can do. He can barely summon the energy to stay awake, now. How could he possibly escape on his own?
It's a sickening feeling, this helplessness. Kendal wants to reach within himself and tear it out like an unwanted parasite, but it's infected him thoroughly, burrowed deep within the marrow of his bones.
And so, the time passes.
Minutes, hours, days.
Stefan comes and goes. He demands answers, he gets only stubborn silence.
Kendal tries to fight through his exhaustion, his weakness. But he can't. The cuffs on his wrist are impossibly heavy.
He just sleeps. Curled up on a cold, stone floor, he falls into a quiet nothingness. He does not dream. There are no ghosts to comfort him, no nightmares to torment him. Nothing.
Time is slipping away from him. Further and further.
Distantly, he hopes that the others made it out. He hopes they can succeed where he failed. He hopes, at the very least, they can save Vash.
And then, and then—
The air has shifted. Kendal feels it, though he lacks the strength to figure out what, exactly, changed. Not that he's left to wonder about it for very long, though.
Stefan sweeps in, large and imposing, but with a hint of panic to his stride. Light ensnares Kendal, yanking him off the floor like a particularly damaged marionnette. He's dragged towards Stefan, held aloft right before him.
"Listen carefully." Stefan starts, eyes blazing. "This will be your last chance. I understand you are a very stubborn person— if you're even a person at all— and recognize my current approach to things have wielded little results."
Kendal is careful to keep his expression passive. He's already bracing for pain. Maybe Stefan will take a limb, this time.
"You made it clear back on Rakhn how much you care for the Magus. And I'm sure it's not a stretch to assume you care for the others of your group."
Kendal does not react. He cannot react. Even as dread gathers in his gut, ice-cold.
"So I'm giving you a choice." Stefan's expression settles into something confident, like a cat that's caught the mouse. He pulls Kendal in closer. "Your friends have been captured. The Magus, the metal-caste, the ferin, the ignan, even the elf."
No.
"You know what I am capable of." Stefan continues, his voice going low. "Cooperate, and your friends will be spared."
No.
Panic grips Kendal. His thoughts spin and spark, even as he desperately tries to wrangle them. He needs to focus. He knows Stefan isn't above lying, or bending the truth. This could be a trick. It probably is a trick.
But if there's a chance—
If he really has them—
Kendal meets Stefan's gaze.
He can't tell. He can't tell if Stefan's lying.
He doesn't know.
Kendal's fingers twitch. Something long frosted over deep within him sparks. An ember, buried beneath the snow. It's instict, to reach out. To grasp the thread. Like oxygen feeding flame, the spark flares into something bright and stubborn.
His sword.
Taking risks is never easy with lives on the line. But Kendal makes the gamble. He breaks his gaze from Stefan's, tightens his jaw, and yanks on that feeble thread reaching for him instead.
And he's answered.
"No, no—! Soldiers!" Stefan shouts, whirling around, the halo of light around his head sparking dangerously. "Do not let them—!"
It's too late.
The ground rumbles, tremors shaking the walls as stone crumbles and splits open. Roots burst through the bricks, spilling in from the hallway, tearing apart the heavy, iron door like paper and engulfing the cell. Life energy swells, green and bright tendrils sweeping across the roots as the thick scent of petrichor and rotting plants chokes the air.
"Alinua." Kendal rasps, relief slamming into him with the force Tynan's gales as a familiar figure appears in the doorway.
Alinua is furious. Her eyes burn a bright, acid green, and Kendal can see her veins glowing from the amount of energy pouring through her. He's seen her angry before. But never like this.
"Not a step closer!" Stefan barks, putting himself firmly between Alinua and Kendal. Kendal's breath hitches as a jagged tendril of white light snakes around his throat. "Move, and I kill him."
The cell ripples. Roots writhe like snakes, twisting and scraping against stone.
"Let him go." Alinua says, her tone eerily calm.
"Perhaps we can make a deal—" Stefan cuts himself off with a choked noise as a root shoots up from the floor, the sharpened end hovering inches away from his face.
"I said—"
Kendal stays silent as he feels roots creep up his legs, curling gently around him as they climb further and further. Warmth presses against him, chasing away the cold. He relaxes into the touch, curling his fingers over the root spreading over his palm.
"—Let him go." Alinua steps forward.
Stefan stares, his eyes wide. He hesitates, glancing between Alinua, then to the sharpened root moments away from impaling him. Then, with a wordless grimace, he ducks his head, and steps back.
Roots catch Kendal as he sags, suddenly unsupported. Alinua strides past Stefan, rushing to Kendal's side.
"Come on. Let's get out of this awful place." She murmurs, brushing the hair from his face and cupping his cheeks.
Kendal only leans into the touch with a quiet whimper, any words he might've said catching in his throat, drowned by the rush of emotions pouring through him.
Roots loosen, gently transferring him into Alinua's waiting arms. She carries him bridal-style, holding him close to her chest as she exits the cell. The hallway is hardly in better shape than the cell, overgrown with thick roots and vines, still bright with life. Kendal notes several paladins tangled within them, though they seem largely unharmed otherwise.
Alinua moves quickly, their path unobstructed by any who might try to stop them. They're soon rejoined by a comfortingly familiar face. Falst slinks out from a nearby hallway, jogging to catch up with Alinua.
Another wave of relief rolls over Kendal at the sight— beyond being somewhat disheveled, Falst doesn't look hurt, though he doesn't seem particularly happy about the paladin uniform he's wearing.
"How is he?" Falst asks, glancing at Kendal. Kendal blinks tiredly back at him, unable to summon the energy to answer himself.
"Hurt." Alinua responds, voice clipped. "Do you have—?"
"Yeah, yeah, I got it. Here." Falst fumbles with the sheath hanging from his waist, and Kendal straightens as he process what it holds.
He's reaching for it before Falst even fully unsheathes it. The gaping hollowness in his chest floods with a familiar weight as Kendal's fingers curl around the hilt of his sword. It's second nature, falling into the connection that ties him to it, to Vash. He lets it engulf him whole, submerging himself in a sea of bright blue.
Startingly, there's a response from the other end of the connection. It's a brief, weak thing— but Kendal hears it loud and clear. An echo of his own relief. A silent 'glad you're back'. Kendal breathes deeply, sinking further, sending a pulse of his own through the blue, a feeble, wavering thing, barely stronger than Vash's. But he knows Vash hears it.
When Kendal refocuses, it's to the gentle rocking of a boat, and Alinua leaning over him.
"Kendal?" Her hands hover over him, humming with energy.
It's like wading through mud, trying to get his thoughts in order. He hums, the sound wheezy and broken, but acknowledgement enough. He's here. He's okay.
"How— how are you feeling?" Alinua asks, her voice wavering with barely restrained emotion. Relief shines clear in her eyes, but Kendal sees fear too.
"Alinua." Kendal says, instead of anything remotely close to an answer. He weakly reaches up, brushing his fingers over Alinua's cheek. "Missed you."
She catches his hand before it drops, guiding it back to her cheek and pressing his palm against it. Her lip wobbles.
"I missed you too. I'm sorry." She whispers, holding Kendal's gaze. "But I'm here. And I'm never leaving you again."
Kendal gives another vague hum.
"…Hurts." He admits, his eyes fluttering shut. Even with the life magic weaving through him, his aches persist.
"I know, I know. You'll feel better soon." Alinua squeezes Kendal's hand, before setting it back down at his side so she can resume using both to pour more magic into him. "I won't be able to heal you completely, a lot of these injuries are too old. But I'll do what I can, okay? And we can get you some painkillers, too."
"Gonna have to rebreak my arm." Kendal mutters. He feels Alinua wince.
"Yeah… I was going to let you recover a bit from everything else, first. But we could do it right now, if you'd rather?"
"No. No, later." Kendal grimaces at the memory of the break. He's not keen to experience that again.
"Okay, we'll do it later." Alinua assures.
"Hey you two." Kendal cracks an eye open, turning his gaze towards the new voice. Tess smiles back at him, holding up a small basket. "I brought snacks."
"Oh, thank you so much." Alinua visibly sags with relief. "Could you just set them down right there?"
"You got it!" Tess winks, placing the basket where she's directed. She settles down next to it, leaning against the wall.
A comfortable sort of silence settles over the trio as Tess quietly watches Alinua work. Kendal finds himself drifting off, and for the first time in days— he allows himself to relax. The ever-present tension in his muscles unwind and slacken, and an invisible weight lifts from his bones. He exhales, Alinua's magic buzzing pleasantly in his veins.
"Sounds like you're feeling better." Tess notes, lightly nudging the bottom of Kendal's foot.
Kendal gives a vague noise of agreement.
"Just… tired now, I think." He replies, opening his eyes back up to stare at the low ceiling. Distantly, he wonders where they even found a boat.
"Maybe you should eat something? I mean, I know you don't really get hungry— probably— but it couldn't hurt." Tess suggests.
"Probably." Kendal agrees. He looks towards Alinua. "Snack break?"
"Yeah, that's a good idea. I think I've done just about all I can right now, anyway." Alinua sits back, the green glow fading from her hands. "Though, once we meet back up with Erin and Dainix, I'd like Erin to take a look at you, too. Just in case."
"Okay." Kendal nods, and with Alinua's help, sits up.
Tess passes out sandwiches, one for each of them. Kendal takes a small bite of his, chewing quietly as he thinks. His thoughts are still slower than he'd like, but his mind feels a little clearer, now.
He mulls over Alinua's words— Erin and Dainix must've stayed behind, which makes sense. Taking Erin into the paladin's territory isn't the smartest idea, and if he and Dainix managed to meet up with Alinua and the others, that means they probably made it out of their mission alright. Which leaves Alinua, Tess, and Falst as his rescuers, though…
"Where's Falst?" Kendal asks. Tess points up.
"At the wheel. Even with Alinua's little fish friends helping out, we still gotta be careful about staying on course."
Oh, that makes sense. Well, mostly.
"Fish friends?" Kendal looks towards Alinua, who winces slightly.
"There's… a lot to catch you up on."
And so, Alinua explains her side of things during Rakhn. Kendal only catches half of it, but listens regardless, happy to just be able to hear Alinua's voice again. Then, once Alinua reaches her reunion with the others, Tess begins adding her own comments, joining Alinua in telling the story. It takes… a while, to go through everything.
Kendal doesn't mind. He nods along, smiling when Tess cracks a joke that he lacks full context for, but sends Alinua into a full on laughing fit. Seeing everyone at ease settles something in him, the stress of this past sef slowly melting away.
Trouble is sure to find them again, he knows— but for now, they're okay. They're safe, and happy. And that's all Kendal could want.