Rian was alone in the isolation block, his heart rate finally dropping back toward a normal, manageable rhythm. He had bypassed the Facility's ultimate defense with a piece of wire and a time calculation, and he stood before his newest, most dangerous acquisition.
He had thrown the heavy steel cell door open.
Seraphina Vast sat on a low cot, her spine straight, her hands clasped. Even in rough grey prison scrubs, the former Knight Commander radiated the contained power of a predator. Her silver-grey eyes were sharp, assessing Rian's frail frame instantly.
"You are not a guard. You are too clean," she stated, her voice low, steady, and utterly commanding. "And you are too weak to be a thief. State your purpose quickly."
Rian stepped into the cell, his thin body directly facing the immense, lethal power of the woman before him. He felt the familiar spike of terror, but his mind immediately categorized it as [INTERNAL WARNING: HIGH LETHALITY. COUNTERMEASURE: PROJECT AUTHORITY.]
"I am Rian Thorne," he said simply, his voice flat. "I'm offering you a deal."
Seraphina raised a skeptical eyebrow. "A deal? I'm wanted for treason. My life is worth a thousand Gold Marks, dead or alive. You risked death for a bounty."
"No," Rian corrected, taking a small, confident step toward her. "I risked nothing for the bounty. I risked everything for an asset that is currently undervalued. I'm not here to turn you in, Seraphina. I'm here to buy your freedom and purchase your absolute, undivided service."
Seraphina's eyes narrowed slightly. "Service? You need a bodyguard. I need freedom and I need vengeance against the men who framed me in the Royal Guard. You cannot provide the power for that."
"I provide the power of money and strategy," Rian countered, cutting straight to the point. "You provide the skill. I need a tactical leader. Someone who understands discipline, field strategy, and ruthless execution to protect my domain. In exchange for your loyalty until your debt is paid, I will fund your war. I will restore your honor by hunting down the men who truly betrayed you, not with a paltry band of mercenaries, but with unlimited resources."
Seraphina's gaze intensified. He offered her the one thing more valuable than freedom: Vengeance and the means to achieve it.
"And what is the cost of this service?" she asked, her voice dropping to a dangerous level. "I am a high-cost asset. I take orders from no one."
"You take orders from the man who holds your fate and the fate of your enemies in his hand," Rian stated simply. "Your freedom is my debt, Seraphina. You owe me your service until the full price—your vengeance—is paid. Until then, you are the Chief of Security for my expanding operation. You will lead my defenses, and you will teach my people to fight."
Rian looked around the cold, quiet cell, and then back at her. "You are Tier 4, Seraphina. That kind of power is wasted rotting in a box. I will give you armor, weapons, and targets. Do we have a deal?"
Seraphina stared at the frail boy who had just bypassed the Tower's highest security with a bit of wire and a fake property transfer. He was physically weak, but his mind was absolute power.
"You are mad," she whispered, a ghost of a smile touching her lips. "A reckless fool. But I need my freedom and I need blood. You promise me the resources to kill every man who set me up?"
"I promise you a zero-tolerance budget for revenge," Rian confirmed. "You'll get the funding you need to execute your targets. You break the contract, I send the Royal Guard your location and the full details of your escape. Do we have a deal?"
Seraphina rose from the cot, a sudden, towering presence even in prison rags. "I am Seraphina Vast. I do not give my word easily. But if you hold up your end of this bargain, I will defend your interests until every single betrayer is dead. The deal is struck."
Rian's focus immediately shifted from the negotiation to the immediate, critical risk. [INTERNAL WARNING: Golem Patrol returning. EXIT WINDOW: 60 SECONDS.]
"The Golem patrol is cycling back now," Rian said, grabbing Seraphina's arm and pulling her toward the door. "We have sixty seconds to get out of the isolation block. Varya! Report!"
The communication stone crackled. "The Golem is twenty feet from the outer ward, My Lord! The ward is stabilizing! The gap is closing!" Varya's voice was frantic.
Rian and Seraphina burst out of the cell. Rian yanked the iron spike from the floor, throwing it into the cell to lock the door behind them and hide the method of entry. They sprinted down the corridor just as the Eternal Ward fully stabilized, sealing the isolation block once more.
"Varya, the Golem is turning! It saw us!" Rian yelled into the stone.
"I can't fire another diversion! It will overload the system!" Varya cried.
"Then Seraphina, can you bypass the patrols?" Rian asked the Knight Commander, whose hand was already instinctively forming a fist, ready to fight.
"In prison scrubs? With no weapon? Impossible! The Golems have detection auras," Seraphina spat, pushing Rian to move faster.
Rian quickly scanned the maintenance tunnel ahead. It was sealed by a pressure lock that required a digital passkey. "They rely on technology!"
He pulled out the thin wire he had used to pick the cell lock and jammed it into the pressure lock's digital input. He wasn't entering a code; he was short-circuiting the system.
The facility is designed to stop magic, but not simple electronics.
Sparks flew. The pressure lock hissed, and the door slid open.
"We go! Varya, clear the escape route!" Rian commanded.
They burst into the dark, outer maintenance corridor, but they weren't alone. A hulking Guard Golem, its runic eyes glowing menacingly, stomped around the corner. It raised a massive, electrified shield.
"Halt! Intruder!" the Golem commanded in a metallic voice.
"Seraphina! You handle the threat! Varya, focus on the decoy!" Rian yelled, pushing the Knight Commander forward. "Show me the value of my investment!"
Seraphina didn't hesitate. She launched herself at the Golem, hitting it with a primal fury that belied her frail appearance. Even without armor or weapons, her strikes were precise and devastating, aimed at the Golem's unshielded hydraulic joints.
Rian raced past the fighting, toward the final access hatch. He pressed the communication stone. "Garl! Code word! Now!"
Garl's voice was rough, but immediate. "The price is low, My Lord! Get out!"
Rian kicked open the final hatch, revealing the open, moonlit air outside the Tower. "Varya! Collapse the decoy! We are out!"
Seraphina delivered a final, bone-jarring kick to the Golem's knee joint. The machine buckled, sparking furiously. She didn't wait to see it fall. She sprinted toward Rian, her eyes blazing with the ferocity of the battle.
They scrambled out, dropping onto a lower level roof. Rian pulled the hatch shut behind them.
"We need armor, weapons, and a new base of operations, Seraphina," Rian stated, already calculating the next steps. "Your debt has officially begun."
A/N: The Knight is free, but she now belongs to the Auditor. Chapter 7: The first acquisition is complete, but Rian needs to turn this dangerous woman into a loyal protector.