The Mistakes Of Misfits

A knock from the door woke both of us from our dead sleep. My whole body felt sore and my hips overworked. Every bit of soreness was worth it. I looked up at that chiseled jawline as he stirred out of his sleep, grinning like a child the entire time. “Good morning.” He smiled down at me. 

      I held him close for one more moment before I jumped out of bed. I may have been sore but I felt so damn refreshed. I smiled over my shoulder at the mage. “Come on! We've got a city to save.” I extended my arms out feeling every muscle in my body stretch. I made my way to my clothes but Varrin stayed in the bed for a moment longer and the smile on his face was just as wide as mine.

       I raised an eyebrow at that handsome face as he admired me. Those blue eyes roamed each one of my curves. “Keep looking at me like that and we're never gonna leave this room.” I warned. Varrin smirked, his mouth curled in a mischievous fashion. I had seen that look plenty last night. My face warmed and I thought he was going to drag me back into the bed. He sighed as he stood up and reached toward the broken nightstand for his clothes. In retrospect a lot of this room has been fucked up in our night of fun. 

      “We can sleep in your room tonight.” I told him as my eyes moved from the broken nightstand to the dresser we had shattered. Varrin threw his shirt over the massive bloody gashes I had left in his back. 

     “What, so we can destroy mine too?” He joked. He looked around. “Where did my robe go… fuck it.” He whipped his wrist and his robe teleported into his hands. He wrapped it around himself. 

     I smirked at the mage as I threw on the last of my clothing. “Show off.” I told him. His eyes danced with a fiery hunger once more upon hearing the words. He walked toward the door and I gave him a small kiss. “You ready?” I asked. 

     He interlocked his hand with mine and gave my palm a kiss. “Let's go save the world.” He whispered as he opened the door and we descended the stairs to meet our friends. 

      Kasious, Otah, and Kerrigan sat at a small table with Marline. Marline was flanked by two individuals. They looked very similar. Same blond hair, same blue eyes, even similar bone structure. They were most likely siblings. One was male, he wore leather armor and had a large intricate weapon strapped to his back. It looked like a long thin cannon. The woman wore golden robes. She must have been a priestess of the church. I had heard about them from Kasious. They were extremely dedicated healers that followed the sun god Varun's will.

      Marline held a map of one of the buildings. “So if we strike here with the bombs we have we could…” her eyes went to us, then to our hands. I had not been cautious enough about what happened. Shit! It didn't matter… no one here was going to tell either of our people. Marline's brow rose in shock. “Oh… well please take a seat. We'll fill you in.” 

      Kasious chuckled. “I see why it took you so long to get ready.” He joked. Varrin made a hand out of arcane energy and smacked Kasious on the back of the head with it. Kasious didn't stop laughing but it did make me smile as well. “What did we miss?” I asked. 

     Kerrigan sat back, seemingly bored by the entire meeting. “Prison break. One of Marline's contacts in the castle got caught and is being held in the prison right outside of the slums.” He leaned back the chair and looked to Marline for corrections. 

     Marline stared at the half orc with a scowl. Varrin leaned forward combing through the information. “Who are we rescuing?” He asked. He looked confused on why the information on the target was missing. 

     Otah sighed. “She refuses to tell us.” He muttered. He had his arms crossed and the look he gave Marline was nothing short of hatred. Clearly an argument or two had gone down before we arrived. 

     Marline put her face in her hands. “Fennik knows who you're saving. I'm not giving you her information till the council trusts you. This will be… a test of faith.” Marline looked at Varrin and me. “These two are Febnik and Kyreen. Twins who are extremely loyal to the crown. The male Fennik gave me a small nod while his sister Kyreen waved at me like an excited child. She looked like a child as well with how small she was. Mousy and thin from head to toe. These two were going to help us? They looked like they would only slow us down.

     I crossed my arms. I didn't like the idea of running into a prison without knowing who we were saving. Kasious stood up. “We go. There's no way we can do this without help, Sabastian almost killed us by himself with a small force in Dairo. He now has thousands of soldiers at his disposal. We'll need the army Marline has.” He looked at the rest of us. “I… I need your help.” He admitted. 

     I looked at Varrin, then Otah. As much as we didn't like this plan… Kasious was our friend. We needed to help him. I nodded to the prince. “We're with you.” I told him.

      Marline nodded. “After this mission you will meet the council… I may have been convinced by your speech prince but they are much harder to impress.” She almost seemed regretful that she couldn't help us more. 

      Kasious nodded. “Well it's a good thing I'm very persistent.” He countered as he made his way to the map. “I have a plan… I may know something even your precious council doesn't.” Marline cocked an eyebrow and Kasious went to work on his plan. 

     We snuck through small tunnels. Kasious said they once were used for the civilians to hide during attacks on the city. It had been over three hundred years since an outside force attacked Durik. These tunnels were more used by Kasious and his friends to hide from his father's many prying eyes. They made for good cover, getting us within a few blocks of the prison. “Not bad, prince.” Muttered Fennik. 

      Kasious shrugged. “This is my city. Even after being gone as long as I have, I know it better than anyone.” He did a small bow. He looked Fennik up and down. He locked his eyes on the mysterious weapon that he carried. It almost glowed with a golden light that seemed to be… seemed to be magical. “What is that weapon you carry?” He asked him.

     Fennik looked back at the prince. “ I call it a rifle.” He told me. “It functions similarly to a cannon but it's made for personal use… and runs on holy energy.” So that glow was some kind of magic. Not the same source as Varrin but still magic. 

      Kyreen chuckled behind us as she exited the tunnel. “My brother is much too modest. That ‘rifle’ as he calls it can pierce armor like it's butter. Probably one of the most deadly weapons we have to offer.” She nudged her brother and he gave her a small nod of approval. 

       We had split into two groups for the assault. One was myself, Kasious, Fennik and Kyreen. The other group was Varrin, Kerrigan and Otah. Marline had told us she would watch from the shadows and if she was then she was much better at it than I gave her credit for. 

      We were right outside of the prison walls. Kyreen pulled some of the explosives Fennik and Marline had designed and placed them on the bottom of the wall. We all stepped back and Kyreen ignited her power, ready to blow the bomb as soon as we got our signal. The only way to cover a blast this big was with a lot of noise. That's what group B was supposed to do. 

     I put up a small reflective piece of glass to signal that we were ready for Varrin and the others to start.

     A minute went by, then two. Kyreen turned back to me. “Are you sure your friends can handle this?” She asked. As if comically on cue, a massive explosion hit the west side of the prison. Kyreen hit the explosives with her power and the wall blew open. The explosion wasn't massive but it was strong, perfect for breaching a wall without drawing too much attention. We ran into the courtyard of the prison. 

      There were still a few guards in the courtyard. It was to be expected. Most would head to the disturbance but they wouldn't leave the prison completely unwatched. Fennik pulled his rifle off of his back and sent a bright beam of energy through the first guard's head. Like butter was an understatement. That blast almost melted the head of the guard as it pierced his skull. 

     I brought out my greatsword, eager to use my brand new blade. I spotted a cultist ready to fire a spell at Kasious and sprung into action. The cultist let loose a bolt of fire and I brought up my blade to block it. The obsidian blade absorbed the impact of the spell beautifully and I spun my sword around slicing the head off of the cultist. The blade felt balanced perfectly. Gods I would have to rock that mages world again considering how great this weapon felt. 

      Kasious drove his blade through the chest of the cultist nearest the prison while Kyreen… the short mousy woman had ran a magical looking spear through the leg of her opponent, then she slammed a glowing magical shield into the throat of her attacker and brought him to the ground with a thunderous battlecry. Without a second thought she dropped the spell that kept her weapons corporeal and grinned like an idiot my way, as if she didn't just brutally murder someone. 

      We all made our way to the iron door on the side of the prison Kasious had already found a key on the body he had run through. He quickly opened the door as another explosion sounded from where Varrin's team was. I could hear the clashing of blades but I had no time to think about that. They could handle their job. I had to focus on my own. Kasious pushed open the door and we all funneled inside of the prison. 

       The prison was dark as we entered. A layer of grime and I assumed blood coated the floor and the walls giving the prison a god awful smell. We walked into that dark musty prison, a surprising lack of guards coming to meet us. There was a torch lit about every forty feet and the entire prison felt abandoned. Kasious looked around at the musty dark atmosphere. “Keep on alert, even with the others outside there's no way they would leave this place unguarded.” 

      As if in answer Fennik pulled up his rifle and Kyreen made her weapons out of her holy energy. They glowed like a small light through the thick darkness. We cautiously made our way through the prison. None of the prisoners stirred as we passed the unlit cells. It was unnerving how quiet it was. 

     The curiosity got to Kasious and he held a small torch up to one of the cells. By the gods I wish he didn't. Bodies stacked on top of each other, dozens of them. Each was bloody and bruised beyond recognition. Some of them were nothing more than scattered limbs. My face curled in horror. Even the Sirica weren't this brutal. These people, the cultists, were animals. 

     Kasious kneeled over, trying to stop himself from puking. “How could they… how could…” He fell to his knees. “These are his people.” He muttered. 

     I gripped the prince's shoulder. “Kass. I know it's horrible but you need to get moving. I need you here with us.” The prince looked lost, like his mind was in an entirely different plane of existence. 

    He looked up at me, tears coating his eyes. “We used to help people. Before my mother died we would all come out and personally help repair houses after bad storms. Even with his rage, with all of his problems… he once cared for his people.” He let a few of those tears fall. “He really is gone isn't he?” He asked me. 

     I put my arm through his and brought him to his feet. “We'll get him back if we can, but first he needs to be taken down. Can you help me with that?” My voice was soft. I had no hate for the prince, this weighed on him more than I could imagine. 

      Kasious nodded. His eyes brightened a bit as he regained some of his composure. “Thank you.” He muttered. 

     I gave him a small smack on the shoulder as I let him go. “What are friends for?” I told him. He actually smiled a bit at the comment. “Let's go get this contact.” I ordered him.He nodded and led us both into the next cell block. 

     Fennik seemingly knew where to go. Marline had given him detailed instructions on the location of the prisoner. He checked every corner,  trained very well. He moved like the perfect soldier. We were led to cell block D. The gunman stopped and turned back to us. “Be ready, there are bound to be a lot of guards behind these doors.”

     He took a moment so each of us could prepare ourselves. After one deep breath he swung open the doors and stepped back. A volley of arrows came flying through the door but Fennik didn't move as his sister put up a ward shield that blocked the arrows. Her golden shield and spear looked so different from Varrin's magic but that ward shield served the same function as his. 

    The second the arrows stopped and I heard the reloading of the crossbows we sprung into action. I ran forward seeing the large room the guards were posted in. It was a square room with three cells on the back wall. I saw the cultists lined up across the hall, all of them loading crossbows for a second strike, one they would never get to make. I sliced the first cultist through the gut with my greatsword. 

     He crumpled to the ground immediately as Kasious ran to the other side of the room and cut down one of the cultists himself. He looked like a tornado of sharp steel the way he moved through the enemy. Note to self: Kasious is actually pretty strong when pissed off. 

       Fennik and Kyreen funneled into the room and cut down cultist after cultist. One of them ran toward me and launched a ball of fire. I didn't have time to react to the magic but I was able to cover my face before the flames struck. My entire arm exploded in sharp pain. I let out a scream as the flames subsided, leaving my sleeveless arm still flaring. I saw a Javelin hit the cultist that struck me and a familiar mousy blond ran up to me. 

     “Are you okay?” She asked. She looked down at my arm. “Oh fuck! Let me see if I can help.” She reached down and started to use her own brand of healing magic on my arm. It didn't fix everything but at least I could use it after a bit of healing.

     I nodded to the priestess. “Thank you.” I told her. My arm started to slowly stitch together skin from where the fire licked it away as I stood up. 

    Kyreen shrugged. “Don't mention it. You're on my team, you get my help.” She seemed so innocent. Even more so than Kasious when I first met him. She grinned like an idiot as she ran off to help her brother. 

        By the time I had gotten to my feet the group had pretty much finished off the guards in this room. We all walked up to the cell as Fennik unlocked it with a key off the guards. 

     An older woman came out of the cell. She was probably early fifties, short white hair that fell across her wrinkled forehead. She nodded to our group. “Hello prince, I see you've made some new friends.” She tried to give us a smile but through the tiredness she seemed to struggle to hold the gesture. 

        Kasious held his blade up to the woman's throat. Every member of our team tried to stop him but his face burned with such hatred. “What the hell is she doing here?” He said through gritted teeth. 

      Fennik pulled up his rifle and aimed it at the prince. “She's our target, don't do anything stupid prince.” Kasious looked at Fennik, then his weapon. 

     He let out a long sigh. “He's one of yours. That's one of your inventions.” Fennik almost looked ashamed at the deception. I held my blade toward the twins. 

     “Kasious! Start explaining shit right now!” I ordered. This shit was getting out of hand quick. 

      Kasious turned his head to me, not moving his blade an inch. “This is Dr. Calorina. She is the king's chief engineer, and the reason I have this.” He smacked his chest and I realized, this was the woman Kasious insulted that resulted in his father's abuse. Kasious returned his scowl to the engineer. “She's taken down rebellions, killed hundreds of innocent's, she can't be trusted. 

      Kyreen stepped forward and put a hand toward Kasious. “Prince, she came to the revolution to help. That's why she's here. She was caught helping them and was thrown in this prison.” 

      Kasious shook his head. “Why now?” He asked her. “Why turn against the king now? Don't tell me it's for your morals. You have none!” I had never seen Kasious this angry. He was about to kill this woman. I would have to fight the twins if he did. 

    Calorina to her credit did not try to run from the prince's wrath. She actually scoffed. “Gods no! I betrayed your father because he no longer serves my interests.” She said coldly. She put up her hand to Fennik. “Drop your weapon boy.” She ordered. 

      Fennik gritted his teeth but did as he was told. Kasious softened a bit but kept his blade steady. “So what, it's all about the money then?” He asked. “My father's not making you enough money so you betray him?” He looked up and down the engineer, trying to read her expression but it seemed impossible. 

     Calorina shrugged. “Mostly.” She admitted. “But my interest has always been in my inventions, your father used to be an ambitious man. He used to give me ample funding and opportunities to test out my inventions. Now he just sits in that castle, content to let the cult run his city. Now he is of no use to me.” She waved her hand as if she were dismissing a servant. Kasious held his ground for a moment longer. Calorina let out a hideously maniacal laugh. “Prince, you know me well enough to realize I don't care about these people, I don't care about the revolution… but they are going to kill the king, and I'll be very excited to see his head roll.”

      She kept that same wicked smile as Kasious dropped his blade. “You're a monster.” He told her. 

      Calorina shrugged. “A monster you now have in your arsenal prince… congratulations.” She did a small sarcastic bow and Kasious just rolled his eyes. 

      “Let's get out of here.” He said. He was still shaking with anger but he seemed to be pointing it toward whatever poor bastard was on our path out more than Calorina. 

     Just as we made our way to the door Kerrigan ran through the entryway, covered in sweat and blood. “Things went bad.” He told me.