The Mistakes Of Misfits

     The plan was simple. Kasious, Otah and the army went to take on the king. Meanwhile Kerrigan, Kyreen and myself would go save Varrin. I felt awful leaving the front lines, but the prince had plenty of help between the many soldiers he had and Varrin needed us now in case Sabastian was a sore loser. I couldn't risk that. I couldn't risk him.

      We banked right as the army moved through the main gates of the castle. We had seen the layout well enough to know the way to the dungeon. There was no telling where Varrin would be kept within but I would tear apart the entire floor if necessary to save him. Kyreen followed diligently but she seemed a bit off. It was probably daunting for her to fight without her twin beside her, but Fennik was needed on the front lines and I already knew Varrin was going to be heavily injured by the time we reached him. We needed her healing. She had been understanding of that fact last night when I asked her to join me.

       There was a large door guarded by a single bulky cultist. This one didn't seem to be undead… and I didn't care. I swiftly swung my greatsword and decapitated the enemy before he even had time to react to my presence. I was not wasting a second on these monsters. I had had enough of them.

     I opened the door and it seemed that Sabastian didn't care how much I was done with his games because his dark clouds surrounded us. “Well… it took you long enough. I thought you had left your friend for dead. He definitely thought that too.” My heart sank at the words. Varrin thought… no! Sabastian was playing us, trying to rile us up and distract us from our mission.

     “How about you just tell us where he is? Save us the time of beating the information out of you.” I tried to keep my voice strong despite the overwhelming power around us.

    Sabastian's laugh ran through my mind the exact same way it did when he took Varrin. “You think you hold any of the cards here little orc? I know everything about you, your friend was very… cooperative.” my stomach twisted.

      “Varrin wouldn't tell you anything!” I screamed into the darkness. I was convincing myself of that as much as him. There was no way Varrin would sell us out, even under torture. He had to have endured. If not then… I dared not think about what he would do to Varrin once he got what he wanted.

      The entryway in front of us lit up and revealed an image of Sabastian leaning over Varrin as the cultists tortured him. It was clearly a projection of a memory and not the real thing from the way the image glowed but it showed every gruesome detail as they cut into the mages ribs. “He didn't tell me anything about the revolution or about his power… but I learned all kinds of details about his little friends.”

     A tapping of feet circled us but somehow every time I tracked the noises location it moved to a completely different location. I gritted my teeth as I tried to focus. Kyreen made her Javelin and got in a fighting stance. “You can't intimidate us! Just come out and fight!” She spun around looking for Sabastian but he never appeared.

      Sabastian chuckled. The image of Varrin disappeared and the entryway to the prison lit up. “By all means, come in and get me.” It was one-hundred percent a trap. We didn't have a choice though. I sighed and walked into the dungeon.

      The dungeon underneath the prison was in much better condition than the prison we had visited before. The walkways were pristine, not a drop of blood or grime on those tiles. The cells were a different matter. Most in those cells were dead but some people inside them lived but they were mere shadows of men who came before. Some seemed to barely lift an eye as we passed. I had no idea if they were justly imprisoned or not. Kasious would have to help the people who needed it once he ascended the throne.

     As we reached a crossing I heard footsteps to my left. Before I could react a massive green fist slammed into my head and I was sent to the ground. I quickly jumped to my feet and met my attacker but what I saw sent chills up my spine. My father, chief Vivek Ravenguard, stood in the hallway. My mind raced with any logical reason that he would be here.

     That's when Sabastian entered our heads again. “I hope you don't mind. I used some of those secrets Varrin told me to bring you all back some old friends. First is your lovely father, mister Ravenguard.” I grimaced a bit seeing my father. I remembered telling Varrin of my lineage while we laid in bed together. Sabastian really ripped this from his head?

     To my left I heard two much smaller footsteps and a cultist with a long scar across his eye. Kerrigan shuttered a bit and Sabastian laughed in our heads. “I couldn't come there myself, so I brought the man who slit your mother's throat for me. Shame I couldn't have done it myself.” Kerrigan pulled out his scimitars, ready to face off.

      But Sabastian wasn't done. A crack of a whip sounded behind us and the usually jovial Kyreen stiffened at the sound. An older man in red and white robes very similar to the robes Kyreen wore herself. He gave her a sinister smile that sent chills up my spine as well. He held a long red whip that he cracked in Kyreen's direction. “You've been a very naughty girl… perhaps you need another of my lessons?” Kyreen shuttered at the crack of the whip. I had never seen her this scared of anything, but this man seemed to haunt her nightmares.

      I focused on the image of my father. Sabastian might have been able to copy the image of the orc, but he could never match the skill. I readied my blade as he approached me. “Why must you always be such a disappointment?” He asked. “You are the daughter of stone, the heir to the Roven tribe yet you continue to disgrace our people.”

     He rushed in, moving at speeds I couldn't counter. He slammed His fist into my jaw and sent me reeling. I recovered from the attack and brought up my sword across the orcs chest. The chief blocked my blade with his bracer and elbowed me with his free arm. I stumbled back and the chief grabbed me by my head and slammed me to the ground. I tried to fight him but his grip was like iron around my skull.

     The chieftain leaned down to the point I could feel his breath on my ear. “You take the easy route for power, abandon your duties… and sleep with the enemy.” I brought up my elbow, slamming it into the jaw of my father. I didn't have to hear this. None of them got to talk to me like this. Not even him. I connected a one-two punch on the massive orcs jaw before he had time to think. I picked up my sword and sliced into him.

     Black blood spurted out of his chest and he laughed. “Very good daughter, at least you won't die a complete disappointment.” I attempted another strike on his jaw but the chieftain expertly dodged my strikes. I was off my game. My hands almost shook from fear and a bit of hesitation. Even if I knew it was an illusion it was still my father. It was hard for me to separate my thoughts when the image was so damn precise.

      My father grabbed my head and threw my entire body into the four way intersection. I caught myself just as Kerrigan and Kyreen were forced back. Kyreen looked like she was almost crying. Her face was red and her eyes were puffy. “I can't fucking do this!” She admitted. “I can't fight him… not again.” I didn't know who the priest was that Sabastian had conjured but he had put fear into her that I had never seen out of the priestess.

     Kerrigan let out a few pants and whipped a bit of blood from his forehead. “I hate to admit it, but I'm not doing too well. He's fucking with my head.” He looked toward me but kept one eye on the cultist. “Something tells me we're gonna need a new plan!”

       I looked back toward my father and my legs shook a bit. As much as I hated to admit it I hated the idea of facing my father again. Whether it was because I was truly afraid of him or just didn't want to kill him I didn't know but either way I knew facing him would most likely result in my death. I needed a plan.

      I looked toward the priest that was putting fear into Kyreen. I knew I could take him… and with how fast Kerrigan was he could probably take the strong illusion of my father. I smirked. “Switch!” I ordered as I took off toward the priest. Kerrigan and Kyreen followed my lead with Kerrigan fighting the chieftain and Kyreen attacking was the cultist.

      The priest seemed surprised as I slammed my sword into him. He had enough sense to raise his shield but the pure impact sent him reeling. He quickly regained his footing and studied me with a wicked smile. He leaned forward and I definitely noticed the way he stopped on my breasts. “Did you come to confess?” He asked with a raspy voice that sent a chill up my spine. I could imagine what he had done to Kyreen to make her so fearful. I would make this fucker pay.

      I smirked and did a small flourish with my blade. “I don't think you're going to have enough time to hear them. You'll be dead in seconds.” I said as I charged him. I had enough sins just in this last week with Varrin, let alone my whole life. Killing this fucker would definitely not be one. I slashed at him and the priest backed up quickly, desperately weaving to avoid my strikes. I would say he was very nimble but not much else. He actually started to run away from me, and the feeling of seeing the bitch run made me feel so damn good.

     The priest turned on his heel and tried to attack me with his thorned whip. I didn't dodge the attack, in fact I held out my arm and caught the edge of the whip. It dug into my skin but the pain was worth the face that he made when I caught his weapon. He scrambled and before he could move too far I whipped my arm back and caused the priest to be flung toward me.

      The priest tried to stand up but I drove my sword down through his back. The priest tried to squirm for a moment but I had hit enough vital organs that he was dead within seconds. I pulled my blade out of the bloody mess. If it had been the real man I would have made it slower. I only hoped he was dead. If not, perhaps Kyreen and I would go on a hunt.

     Kerrigan and Kyreen came back to me a moment later, and the images of the people we fought faded. Where there used to be our worst fears lay a unremarkable looking orc and two human cultists that definitely weren't the ones we had faced. Sabastian's voice entered our minds once more. “Good, you are strong enough… come claim your prize. I'm looking forward to our little talk.”

     The darkness around us fell and I saw one cell that was lit down the hall. I ran toward the cell, unable to control the rising heartbeat that thumped in my ears. I could see three figures standing around a chained up mage. I should have been looking at my enemies, gauging their strengths and evaluating a plan. I saw Varrin's swollen face though, it was hit again by the cultists causing him to spit up blood. One of his eyes was a nasty shade of purple and a knife was plunged into his shoulder. He hung down as low as his restraints would let him. He almost seemed dead already despite the rising and falling of his chest.

      My rage rose and my heart broke upon seeing his condition. I wasn't able to stop this. I should have been here sooner. I gritted my teeth and ran around the corner. Driving my sword into the first cultist who I saw.