Liora screamed as they fell down. Chunks of stone fell alongside them.
"We're not stopping!" She gazed into the abyss "We're going to..." then her gaze shifted to Kain, who seemed to be unconscious, "You have got to be kidding me!"
Tnen she saw the floor approaching, then swung her arm in a wide arc beneath Kain "Omnious Orb!" she shouted, then shadow orbs materialized in purple aura, beaming down to the ground and creating a sticky blob on the ground, and Kain landed into it, breaking his fall.
She sighed and was about to materialize another but she slammed into the ground and bounced off it.
She opened her eyes as her vision blurred, the blob evaporated and kain dropped to the ground let out a weak breath. "He's... alright… That's good..."
And then, everything faded to darkness.
She began to open her eyes, slowly, groaning quietly, she moved gazed around and realised she was moving.
Then she glanced up and saw a faint blue glow and ancient carvings on the stone walls.
She was over Kain's back, her arms hanging over his shoulders as he walked through the tunnel.
"Where..." she whispered, her voice barely audible.
Kain stopped and looked over his shoulder. "You're awake."
"Put me down," she managed weakly.
"You hit your head pretty hard," Kain replied. "And your ankle..."
"I said put me down," Liora repeated,
Kain carefully lowered her. She tried standing on her leg, then it twitched and she fluttered then caught herself on the wall.
"See?" Kain said quietly. "You shouldn't be walking."
"I don't need to be carried like some helpless child," she muttered.
"No?" Kain crossed his arms. "Then what exactly is your plan? "
"Hop on one foot through these tunnels?"
"If necessary," she said, lifting her chin.
Kain sighed. "You're stubborn, aren't you?"
"I prefer 'determined,'" Liora replied.
Then she looked at her leg, "Fine," she conceded. "I may need... some help. But not over your shoulder."
"How, then?" He replied.
"Just... let me lean on you. Side by side." She said, then he nodded and moved beside her, allowing her to rest an arm over his shoulders while his arm circled her waist.
They began walking slowly through the tunnel,
Water dripped somewhere in a distance, "Thank you," Liora said softly.
Kain glanced at her, surprised. "For what?"
"For not leaving me behind."
"I wouldn't do that, You saved me from whatever that is, i had to return the favour."
The passageway gradually widened into a chamber where several tunnels converged. Kain paused, looking at each option.
"You seem to know where you're going," Liora glanced at him.
Kain frowned slightly. "I... don't know, it feels like I know this place." He gestured toward the tunnel at the end and they went into it
"I think it's time for some answers." He said,
Liora sighed, "What do you want to know?"
He said quietly. "What is the Eclipse Order? What is a Bloodbound? And why are these catacombs supposedly so dangerous that those men hesitated to follow us?"
They passed through an curve. Liora stared away then began "The Eclipse Order...", her voice barely above a whisper, "is a faction dedicated to controlling all magic in the world,"
"They believe magic is too dangerous to exist freely... that it must be regulated, contained... monopolized"
They reached a small chamber where a trickle of water ran down one wall, making a pool. Kain helped her sit on a dry stone ledge.
Then he crouched beside the pool then splashed some water on his face.
"Go on," he prompted.
"They're led by the Eclipse Hierarchs" she bit her lip a little, "A council that operates in shadows, manipulating kingdoms and religions alike. Magister Krell is just one of many who serve them."
Kain sat beside her. "And they were after me because...?"
"Because you're Bloodbound," Liora said softly. "And the Bloodbound are among the most feared and hunted of all magical beings."
Kain stared at his hands in the light. "What does that mean, exactly? To be Bloodbound?"
Liora glanced at him, then looked up to the light "The stories say that long ago...before the kingdoms we know today existed... there were humans who made a pact with something"
"Some legends call it a fallen god. Others speak of a being known as the Blood King." She glanced at Kain again.
"Whatever the truth, these humans gained immense power, but at a price...they became bound to their own blood. It became the source of their magic, their strength... their curse."
"Curse?" Kain echoed.
Liora nodded slowly. "Power always comes with a cost, Kain. For the Bloodbound, it was a hunger... a need that could never be fully satisfied."
"A hunger for what?"
"Life itself, some say." Her voice grew quieter.
"The stories aren't clear on the details."
Kain was silent for a long while."And the catacombs? What makes them so dangerous?" He asked,
A small, secretive smile played at the corner of Liora's mouth.
"Deep beneath the kingdom, past these tunnels, lies something the Eclipse Order fears to disturb... a hidden passage to the ruins of Avion."
"Avion?" Kain frowned. "I've never heard of it."
She gestured to the walls around them to the carvings
"Few have. It was erased from history, its very existence denied by those in power." Her voice dropped lower.
"It was a city of wonders...of magic and knowledge beyond anything in our world today.
"And then, in a single night, it vanished beneath the earth."
"What happened to it?" Kain asked,
Liora shook her head. "No one knows for certain. The stories say the city's own magic turned against it. Others claim it was deliberately hidden away, to protect something... or from something."
She shifted then winced as she accidentally put weight on her injured ankle.
"The Order avoids these catacombs because of what dwells in the deeper level... guardians left by those who built Avion, and... other things.
"Things that have made these tunnels their home over the centuries."
They sat in silence for several minutes.
"We won't run into them here though" she added.
"We should keep moving," Kain finally said, rising to his feet. "Can you walk a little further?"
"I'll manage," Liora said, taking his hand to stand.
They continued through the winding passages.
"How do you know which way to go?" Liora asked with a sharp glare.
"I'm not sure," he admitted. "It's strange, but... it's as if I know the layout the more I walk through the tunnels."
Liora studied him. "Interesting."
They came to a narrow tunnel that sloped upward. At its end, a faint silver glow.
"A drain pipe," Kain said. "I think it leads outside the city walls."
They approached the tunnel slowly, it was narrow but passable, lined with slick moss.
"It's going to be a tight fit," Kain observed.
As Kain carried her , voices of yelling reached them from behind.
"They followed us after all," Liora whispered, their eyes widened.
"How? You said they feared these tunnels."
"Magister Krell must be more desperate than I thought." Her expression hardened.
"Or they brought something with them that offers protection."
The voices grew louder as flickering light approached them.
"We need to move," Kain said urgently. "Now."
He helped Liora into the drain pipe, and jumped into the drain pipe and they started crawling toward the distant moonlight.
The pipe was slimy and foul-smelling, the air thick with mold and decay.
The voices grew more distinct behind them. Orders were being shouted, footsteps echoing through the stone passages.
"They're getting closer," Liora whispered.
The circle of moonlight grew larger, revealing rusted grate bars covering the pipe's exit. When they reached it, Liora pushed against the metal bars, but they held her.
"It's stuck," she grunted, applying more pressure.
The voices behind them were closer now.
She pressed her palm against the grate, and dark flames licked around her fingers. "Shadow Flame" she yelled, and the metal began to glow red, then orange.
"Stand back," she warned, and Kain shifted away as much as the narrow pipe allowed.
A burst of shadow fire engulfed the grate, melting it through the hinges. Then it fell away with a clang, revealing a steep embarkment leading down to a river that gleamed silver in the moonlight.
They tumbled out onto damp earth. The stars sparkled in a clear sky as the three moons glowed bright.
They looked around seeing they were at the outskirts of Valen City, where the outer wall met the river that supplied the city's water.
"We made it," Liora breathed, relieved.
From the pipe, and echo of screams reached them.
"They're still coming," Kain said grimly.
Liora looked around desperately then spotted a small fishing boat tied to a rotting dock nearby, rocking gently in the river's current.
"There," she pointed. "We need to reach that boat! we can follow the river away from the city."
Kain nodded and helped her to her feet. Together, they half-ran, half-stumbled down toward the dock.
Behind them, the first of their pursuers emerged from the drain pipe"
"There they are!" One of them said,
They reached the boat and Kain lifted Liora into it, immediately an arrow whistled through the darkness, missing him by inches and splashed into the water nearby.
The boat rocked dangerously as Kain scrambled aboard, then Liora lit a flame on her finger to cut the rope tethering them to the dock.
The current immediately began to pull them away from shore.
Their pursuers lined up on the embankment, nocking arrows that gleamed in the moonlight.
"Down!" Kain shouted, pulling Liora low in the boat as arrows rained around them, several thudded into the wooden hull.
The river's current strengthened, carrying them around a bend, then they stood up,
"We did it," Kain said in disbelief.
"We actually escaped." Liora leaned back against the side of the boat, and sighed in relief.
"For now," she said softly.
Kain looked at her, his expression somber. "So what do we do next?"
Liora gazed ahead. "We find answers," she said quietly.
The boat drifted onward through the night.
In a kingdom far to the north, deep beneath a fortress, a figure hung suspended by chains, he had long white hair that was matted and filthy.
The door to his cell creaked open. A guard entered, dropping a crust of bread onto the floor.
"Master says you'll break eventually. They all do." The guard sneered.
The prisoner raised his head slightly.
The guard spat and left, the door clanging shut behind him.