Private Tales The Old Ways

[Senvid]

It did not take long for Senvid to return. Once he was able to step into the shadows moving around the tunnels was so much more simple.

That was half of why Velkyn had created the augment in the first place, to allow his enforcers to weave through the underrealm without the dangers normal travel presented. If the man hadn't been such a monster, Sen would have complimented him for his genius even now.

Stepping out from one of the nearby walls, Senvid moved into the dim light of the tunnels.

He found Xylthe half crouched against one of the walls. Her legs shaking like a newborn foals, her eyes weary, and clearly about to collapse in on herself.

A pang of pity flickered through him, and he wondered briefly if it wouldn't have been better to stop sooner. The thought almost immediately leaving his mind as he remembered who was hunting them. Who was searching for them. "I found a place."

He said softly finally.

"It's about half a mile from here." A small off-tunnel, the crevice like entrance half hidden by overgrowth. The hiding place was far from perfect, but it was easily overlooked and likely the best hope they had for a night of rest. "I can carry you if needed."

Sen offered, glancing over his shoulder with no small amount of paranoia.

 

[Xylthe]

"I can... I can manage," Xylthe said faintly. She hadn't realised she'd slumped so far down the wall and it took a hand from her saviour to get her back to her feet. Xy wouldn't let him carry her though; if they were suddenly ambushed he would need to have his hands free in order to fight. She was just a dead weight. Willing herself not to fall she set off in the direction he had just come from.

The avendrow dropped to her knees the second he said they had reached their destination causing the skin to bruise. She didn't care. Bruises were hardly the worst thing she had suffered.

"I'm sorry," she whispered as she allowed herself to lay down, curling up onto her side into a small ball; she had grown too used to that tiny cell. "I know you want to keep moving... I just... I need a few hours. I didn't feel the lack of sleep in the fortress but out here..."

 

[Senvid]

Senvid slowly moved into the tiny alcove behind Xylthe. He glanced back over his shoulder for a brief moment, and then shifted some of the loose vines over the small entrance. It was hardly much of a disguise, that was for sure, but it was more than nothing.

"It's alright." He said as he turned. "Get some rest."

It was a miracle that they had made it as far as they had.

Sen had never seen anyone leave that room before, not alive anyway. He had absolutely no idea what effect it would have. Couple that with the amount of time they had run, and the treatment she'd received over the last few weeks it was a quiet gift that they had made it out here at all.

"Tomorrow will be more of the same." He continued quietly.

There was no doubt to that.

"We have to get as far as possible." That was pointing out the obvious. "The gate to the surface is a week away, but the more ground we cover..."

The less of a chance there was of them getting killed.

 

[Xylthe]

Xylthe could only nod, unsure and uncaring if he saw from how she was curled up on the floor, before she closed her eyes and slept properly for the first time in weeks.

She had forgotten the Dreams. After her immediate capture and enslavement she had sought them out as a way to try and find her other sisters. A few had been alive at that time but over the years they winked out one by one until the sky of the Dreams was nothing but darkness and Xylthe was alone. She was alone now as she entered it but the Darkness was no longer something to be scared of, it was peace. She wondered if she let herself drown in it if she would never wake up again...

... she groaned quietly at the gentle hand on her shoulder as it nudged her awake.

It was time to leave again.

 

[Senvid]

Seven hours.

Senvid had allowed himself to sleep for only half of it. Even after the distance they had come the day before, he had not been tired. The surgery which Velkyn had conducted on him did truly have it's benefits, though the young Drow wasn't sure if he'd ever really know of the full cost.

"We have to go." His voice was a quiet whisper.

There had been no signs of his former compatriots during the 'night', but that didn't mean much.

Reavers did not move like ordinary men. They stepped through the shadows, and down here in the tunnels there was no faster way of moving. He had not seen them within the Abyss, but that did not mean they weren't there. The others were far better at hiding than he was. "The closer we are to the surface the safer we'll be."

Senvid said as he reached into his bag, pulling out a wax paper wrapped piece of hard tack.

"Here, eat this." He told her. "Then we'll head off."

 

[Xylthe]

Xylthe felt like crying. She didn't want to run anymore, she just wanted to sleep forever. Her body felt like someone had tied iron weights to every limb and her muscles shook with the effort of moving then to take the offered food.

"Thank you," even forming words took effort. Xy swayed slightly as she ate and closed her eyes to stop the cavern spinning and her stomach from threatening to empty itself. She forced herself to take small bites until it protested against anymore. It had been starved for seven days, she would have to work up again to a meal. When she was done she stood with effort, body trembling, then set off in the direction he pointed once more.

 

[Senvid]

The guilt in his stomach would not go away. He had not been the one to capture Xylthe. He had not even been the one to put her into her cell, and yet he couldn't help but feel the pity he felt. Lips pressed to a thin line, and he shook his head. "Don't thank me."

He said slowly at first, then added.

"Not yet." Right now, guilt would do them no good. Senvid had to keep his mind on the task. That was the only thing that mattered. If he could not get them to the surface, than none of this would have any purpose.

"We have hard days yet." Sen explained. "And if they catch us at any point..."

For a moment the Drow fell silent, then he shook his head and changed the subject. "During the day I am going to teach you the way."

He explained. "So that if something happens to me, you can make it to the tunnel out."

 

[Xylthe]

Xylthe laughed hoarsely.

"Without you, I don't think I will make it to the surface. Look at me," she half glanced to him. Her eyes were bloodshot where the vessels had burst with the sheer effort of continuing beyond when she should have given up. As the minutes ticked by she seemed to look more starved with hollowed cheeks and clothes that definitely now hung off of her. It was as though the cell had stalled the natural processes of starvation and sleep depravation and now with every passing hour outside their confines, those consequences caught up with her.

"But it will help to have my mind occupied," Xylthe looked ahead with grim determination. She hadn't come this far to die. "Continue."

 

[Senvid]

Sen seemed to hesitate for a brief momen/colot, and then nodded. "Listen closely."

There was a keen awareness in him that him teaching her was somewhat ironic. He did not know her age, but he knew that comparatively he was young. There had been more than a few whispers in the fortress that had hinted as such.

Still, he was familiar with this part of the Underrealm, she was not.

"A misstep here, as everywhere, is death." As Senvid began his instruction, the pair began their journey once more. They moved quietly, with the runaway reaver leading the way as he taught Xylthe the path ahead.

For the first day there was nothing, and no one, that disturbed them. The 'night' passed with little incident. It was the same on the second day.

On the third though, finally, Sen stopped them. "This is..."

The young Drow frowned as he looked as the great Chasm they had happened upon, his gaze sweeping over the huge underground canyon.

"This wasn't here before." He said, nerves betrayed in his voice.

 

[Xylthe]

Xylthe had to smile every now and then as the young Drow lectured her about a world she had lived in for centuries. She didn't stop him or moan or roll her eyes. His voice was pleasant to listen to and it kept her awake. She even asked a few questions that seemed to make him grow a little taller with confidence. In turn, Xylthe told him more about herself and her history. About how she had become a slave in the first place, and about the Master Velkyn had killed.

She stared down at the Chasm expressionless.

"Is there a way around?" She couldn't let her own nerves show, not when she could hear it in his voice.

 

[Senvid]

Senvid considered the chasm for a moment, lips pressed to a thin line. "No."

The answer was more terse than he would have liked, but this was a frustration that he had not anticipated. Fingers drummed for a brief moment against his thighs, and then he snapped to attention. Pack was slung over his shoulder and quickly set down in front of him.

A length of rope spun out.

"We'll have to cross." He told her. "I'll be able to step through the shadows."

Senvid glanced back over his shoulders. "Then I can pull you over."

It was hundreds of meters across, meaning Xylthe would be sitting over an abyss for at least a few minutes...but Senvid saw no other option.

 

[Xylthe]

"Pull me over?" Xylthe squeaked and stared at him with open terror.

Then down.

Then back to him somehow even more terrified.

"Can't I just go through the Shadows with you?"

 

[Senvid]

Sen shook his head. "It would rip your body to shreds."

He had, early on, suggested utilizing the Reavers shadow-stepping abilities to move other kinds of troops and materials. It had quickly been explained to him that the realm beyond the dark would not tolerate such things, and would rip anything not of it to dust.

"I do not think we have time to go down." The Drow said wearily. "And I can assure you It will be perfectly safe."

Unless something attacked her as she crossed. "My sister taught me to tie knots, picked it up from sailors at the docks."

He volunteered, the memory suddenly flickering to the forefront of his mind. A spot of light in the darkness of the underrealm. One that brought a small, if almost imperceptible smile to his face.

 

[Xylthe]

"You want me to trust a bunch of knots sailors use to hurl... to hurl fish?" Xylthe sounded incredulous. She peaked over the edge of the ravine and as she shuffled closer loose stones tumbled down. And down. And down. She couldn't hear them hit the bottom. How long would it take for her body to hit it?

Surging backwards she planted herself firmly against the wall.

"I'll find a way around and meet you there."

 

[Senvid]

"It is the only way." Senvid insisted, although that was not technically true. There likely was a path somewhere. Either down below or in either direction.

It was almost certain that eventually the chasm closed, there would be a natural bridge, or something of the sort. Ordinarily the young Drow might even have suggested looking for one himself, but not with the situation they were in.

"We are being hunted." Sen reminded her. "We don't have time to find another path."

He shook his head. "This is the fastest way, and we need speed if we're going to make it."

The insistence came with no small amount of panic and fear in his voice. He had made the decision to help her, and he well knew if they were caught...there was a chance his own fate would somehow be even worse than hers. Sen glanced over his shoulder, frowning, and then asked. "Would it be better if I blindfolded you?"

 

[Xylthe]

Xylthe made no move to peel herself off the wall she clutched.

"You go. I'll find another way."

Even blindfolded she knew she wouldn't be able to take the step off that edge to be pulled to the other side. It was too much trust in a person and whilst Senvid had gotten her this far, had proved himself to be true, she couldn't find it in herself to trust him with this. She began to edge back the way they had come.

 

[Senvid]

Senvid shook his head again, the panic in his chest rising ever so slightly as it intermixed with a sense of frustration. "There isn't another way."

The young Drow insisted.

"The gate is this way" He told Xylthe as she began to walk back the way they had come.

How could he convince her?

"Please." Sen begged, stepping after her. "I promise you, if there was another way, I would lead you to it, but there isn't, and trying to find another path will just let them gain ground."

He shook his head. "By turning back, you're walking into them."

The desperation in his voice was clear, he was convinced there wasn't any other way.

 

[Xylthe]

Was she really that afraid of a fall that she would walk back into Velkyn's arms? A shudder ran down her spine yet still Xylthe hesitated to step back and agree. She knew she was wasting precious time by arguing this and it probably looked pathetic to the young Drow who was trying to get her to the surface. It was pathetic.

Her shoulders slumped.

"Fine," she croaked and turned back to him, eyes landing on the rope. Goddess help her, that thing was going to be what stood between her and death. She wanted to sob.

 

[Senvid]

A long sigh of relief left him. He had been afraid that she would disagree again. The young Drow was glad for it not to be the case. They didn't have time. "Good."

The former Reaver said as he quickly stepped up to her.

Conscious now of Xylthe's fears, he tried to keep her attentions on the rope that he bound carefully around her body. Shifting it along her legs and over her torso. "This will make it like a seat."

He explained.

"They use it to hang from the mast when working on the sails." Senvid could still picture the sailors now, hanging down on the rigging within the ropes. It had always impressed him. Briefly he wondered why he hadn't taken to the sea instead of coming down here.

A few moments later the length of rope was tied tightly, and another was fastened around a huge pillar of a rock. Tightly in place, and sure that it was secure, Sen picked up the other end of the rope.

"I'll come back when I've tied this end, okay?" He asked her.

 

[Xylthe]

"O-o-okay," Xylthe nodded and sunk her teeth into her bottom lip to keep it from wobbling. Tears pricked behind her eyes brought on by the oppressive weight of fear and exhaustion that had been built up over the last few weeks. It made sense the dam would begin to break soon. She just wish it didn't make her look quite so young or pathetic. What was a dizzying height in comparison to the horrors she had faced in the waters of that fountain or in the shadows of her past? At least this moment of discomfort would bring her a step closer to her freedom.

So the Avendrow waited patiently and willed herself to stop shaking.

 

[Senvid]

It took longer to cross the chasm than he had thought.

Moving through the shadows was faster, but not instantaneous. Even through the darkness it took time. Nearly ten minutes passed before the shadows around Xylthe began to flicker again. A length of rope crawling along the ground as Senvid began peeling himself from the abyss.

He dragged himself free, one hand clutching the cord. A breath dragging into his lungs as he moved towards one of the heavy boulders on this side of the chasm. "The other side is clear, I'm not sure how the canyon was formed so quickly..."

Sen trailed off as he tied off the rope.

"But we should be able to continue after crossing at least." Half of him had feared the road would be gone entirely. "Are you ready?"

He asked, motioning towards the rope which now hung suspended over the seemingly bottomless chasm.

 

[Xylthe]

"No," Xylthe whispered. Whilst he had been busy tying off the rope so that she shouldn't plummet to her death, the Avendrow had attempted standing on the lisp of it to figure out how exactly she would convince her legs to push her over the edge. There was just the rope that now promised to keep her from dying. Or she couldn't stay on the nice, firm ground and find another way around.

She took a step away from the edge, then another and another in quick succession until she was back again against the wall shaking her head furiously.

"I can't do it."

 

[Senvid]

Sen half turned around as Xylthe began to back away from the chasm once again. The rope, now tied around her body, slowly following along the line which he had tied across the great canyon.

He watched her back up until the length of rope nearly ran out, once again pushing herself against the wall. ”You can.”

The young Drow said encouragingly.

Briefly he wondered what had set this fear so deeply in her. Wondered how it stood greater in her mind than Velkyn, then that Pool back in Leveserai. A part of him wanted to know. A part of him didn’t.

”I will make the journey as swift as possible.” He told her. ”But there is no other way.”

Slowly he stepped forward. ”You can do this, I promise.”

Sen said, offering her his hand.

 

[Xylthe]

At least if he dropped her her death might be quick when she hit the bottom. Or, you'll survive just long enough for him to get you. Broken enough that there will be nothing you can do. Xylthe swallowed that dread and all thoughts of what might happen should this go wrong. They had to get across this ravine and if Sen said there was no other way...

She didn't bother to stop her trembling as she set her hand in his.

 

[Senvid]

A hand extending from the shadow grasped hers. Fingers softly wrapping gently around hers as he began to lead her over the great expanse of the chasm. "Don't look down."

Senvid said, offering the worst possible advice he could have in that moment.

The one good thing was the endless darkness of the canyon offered him a convenient place to guide her passage from. He managed to hold onto her from the shadows, slowly pulling her over the rope tether which hung over the canyon.

Behind them, on the opposite ledge they had left behind, there was a brief glimmer of movement.

Senvid didn't notice it, stuck in the darkness. Instead he busied himself with speaking, doing his best to distract Xylthe.

"On the surface they have these creatures called birds." He explained. "They fly sort of like bats, but they have feathers..."