"You did well yesterday." Aerell was grinning at me from across her large desk. "Not only did you put that fossil down, but the odds were against you yesterday. I made so much money off that fight." Her smile spread. "You certainly don't disappoint, pet."

"I aim to please, mistress." She and I had fallen into a somewhat comfortable dynamic of late. All I had to do was play the role of the obedient servant, and she mostly stayed off my back. The problem was, she rarely called me to her office. I could only count a handful of times that I'd ever been in it. Why was I here today?

"I'm looking forward to you cutting that little green bitch's throat next week."

"Me too." A pang of guilt hit me. I'd been talking a big game about getting everyone out, but I had no idea how I was going to do it.

"You two not friends anymore?" Her little smirk and the patronizing tone she was using made my blood boil.

"I'm tired of her shit."

"Oohh, care to tell me the details?"

"Nothing to tell. She's just the worst."

Aerell laughed. "I'm glad you finally see it."

Nodding, I added, "Also, I'm looking forward to showing everyone what I'm made of. She's the baddest bitch in this place, so it'll mean the most when I beat her."

"You've become so bloodthirsty, my pet!" Her eyes sparkled. "I'm actually a little proud of you."

"Thank you, mistress."

The woman's eyes gleamed. "I got a little surprise for you," Aerell purred.

"What's that?" I played along.

She reached into her desk and pulled out a wooden box. Opening the lid, she reached in and pulled out a small stone and a rolled-up scroll. "Don't say I never did anything for you." She handed me the stone.

I took it from her. "What is it?"

"It's got strengthening magic inside of it. If the fight turns against you, use it."

I rolled it around in my palm. "You don't think I can win?"

"I'm not sure. And I don't like being unsure. So, this is my insurance."

I looked down at the stone. It was deep red and glowed with a soft inner light. "How do I use it?"

"Crush it, and the magic will take hold."

"Got it." Pocketing the stone, I decided to keep the ball rolling. "So, where are we going after the fight? Still thinking Volkash?"

Something passed behind her eyes. "I'm going to fade away, never to be seen again. That's where."

She was being dodgy. "Just you?"

"Yes."

That didn't make sense. "I thought you weren't ever letting me go?"

A frown replaced her grin. "That was the plan, but things change."

"What happened?"

She sighed. "It seems like that little noble girl you fucked a while back has gotten a stick up her ass about our organization."

She had to mean Elise. "How so?"

"She's had half of our people arrested in the past month, and she's even had the titles stripped from several of our noble partners. Of course, she's also worked with us in the past, but I won't hold my breath hoping she'll strip her own title away." She chuckled. "Either way, though, word from our people in the court is that the Duke's tearing up our charter, and he's likely going to be establishing new laws regarding indentured servitude in Calvareth. Either way, we aren't sticking around to figure out the finer details."

"What's that mean?"

"The Pit won't exist anymore by this time next month."

I guessed Tristan's story about Elise changing for the better really was true. Sounded like she'd gotten to her dad, too. "So, what then? Are we all going free?"

"Not quite." She rubbed her face. "After all my hard work, too. So frustrating."

That sounded bad. "Talk to me."

She dropped her hands into her lap. "All of the prisoners of the Pit are getting liquidated after your fight with Vral."

"Aerell! What the fuck?!"

Shaking her head, she said, "It's not my choice. Powers higher than me don't want you lot talking about your experiences down here. And, since you're dangerous criminals, you can't be set free. Thus, execution."

Fucking asshole Duke! "We aren't criminals!" I screamed.

"Watch your tone."

I took a deep breath and tried to calm down. I was shaking. "We aren't criminals, and you know it."

"Yeah, but the masses don't. And we're not about to admit we've been abducting innocents for blood sport." She laughed as if the truth coming to light was the most absurd thing in the world.

"And you're not going to take me because, what? You could get found out? Someone might recognize me?"

For the first time ever, what looked like a genuine smile crossed the woman's face. "Yes, but also no." She grabbed the scroll she'd pulled out before. "In my hands is a teleportation scroll. It's very expensive, it was ridiculous of me to waste my money on, and I must have had a stroke at some point for me to want to buy it for you, but that's what I did. You earned it."

Teleportation scroll? For me? "I don't understand."

She tapped it against her palm. "You open the scroll, will the magic to work, and get sent somewhere far, far away."

"I understand teleportation, but I don't understand why."

Sighing again, she said, "Because, after all the work I put into you, I'm not about to let these bastards cut your head off and ruin my magnum opus."

"Wait... you're saving me? And you're not gaining anything from it?"

"Oh, no. You're making me obscene amounts of money all the way to the very end, and by killing Vral, you're helping me finish a job I took from some very powerful people. Call this scroll payment for your half of our little business venture."

I reached for the scroll, but she pulled it back before I could grab it.

"Ah, ah, ah. You'll get this after you kill that little shit. I'll make sure to get you out then."

I sat back in my chair and thought. I had my out now, but how in the hell was I going to save everyone else? I had less than two weeks to figure things out, but I had no idea where to start. It struck me that I'd been talking a big game about helping everyone, but all I'd really been doing was lying to myself. Sure, I'd gotten stronger, but that wasn't enough. I hadn't made any progress on getting out of here, and now I wouldn't have the chance. "There's no way to get the others out, too?"

She looked at me like I was crazy. "Who cares?"

I did. "Yeah. I guess you're right."

Placing the scroll back into the box, she stashed it back in her desk. "Well, until then, fight your hardest, Mr. Sentinel. If I don't see you put your heart into it, I may just have to rethink my gift."

It was my turn to sigh. As always, any small glimmer of humanity in the woman got crushed by her shittiness. "I'll fight hard and make you your money. Don't worry."

***

"They're what?" Vral hissed in the cell next to me.

"Yeah."

She clicked her tongue. "You're not about to let me get cut down by some loser, are you? If it comes down to it, you'll kill me yourself, right?"

"It won't come down to that."

"You don't know that, asshole."

I didn't, but I wasn't about to admit that. "Yeah, I do. We're getting out of here." Somehow.

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Right then, the door at the end of the cell block opened, and two voices echoed off the walls. A man's and a woman's. A minute later, a guard and "Dalia" appeared outside my cell door.

"Sentinel, Aerell sent the healer to look you over before your fight with The Count tomorrow. You know the rules. Be good." He turned to Tristan. "And, as much as you might have enjoyed yourself during your last visit, keep your damn voice down this time. They could hear you in the damn mine."

Tristan's disguised face turned bright red. "Y-yes, sir."

The guard laughed. "Name's Henkle. And, if you liked what he gave you, you'd love spending time with a real man."

My lover's face dropped. "I'll think about it."

"Do that." Henkle unlocked my door, and Tristan slipped in. "You've got an hour."

As the man disappeared down the hallway, Tristan waited for him to close the cell block door before taking her mask off and throwing her arms around me. "The only real man for me is right here." Her lips found mine.

I kissed her back, then pulled away and sat on my slab bed. "Hey, we need to talk."

Tristan smiled brightly. "I was going to say that!"

I shook my head. "Is yours important?"

"Very." She sat down next to me. "Elise went home and talked with her dad. In her letter, she said she convinced him to shut this place down, and they're changing some laws in Calvareth. In a month, maybe less, you'll be out of here." Her hand found mine, and she looked ecstatic.

I sighed. "Yeah, I heard."

Tristan's eyes searched mine. "You don't seem excited."

"Because they're setting us free, but not in the way you think."

"What do you mean?"

"The fuckers are putting everyone down!" Vral's voice was filled with rage.

Tristan's eyes searched mine. "I don't understand."

"To protect themselves, and probably their contacts as well, the people who run this place are going to put all the residents down and disappear. Since we're supposed to be criminals, they'll frame it as a public service."

The quarter-elf's eyes went wide. "They can't do that."

"They can and they will. Don't be stupid, girlie."

She scanned my face. "What are you going to do?"

My head dropped. "I have no idea. I don't know what to do now."

Tristan's hand squeezed mine. "You're not allowed to die on me. Not ever."

I sighed. "Aerell bought me a teleportation scroll. Once I beat Vral, she said she'll give it to me."

"She what?!" Vral's voice was half hiss, half screech.

"Yeah, I wasn't expecting it either."

"Fuck, why couldn't she have taken a liking to me?" Vral's voice sounded defeated. "If I were her favorite, I'd get out of here in a heartbeat. My daggers, your throat, POOF. I'm in Osreva drinking booze on a dune."

"Yeah, I know Vral."

"I'm not some goody-goody like you losers. Zero guilt for this bitch."

"I'm aware, Vral."

"You should be more like me. Who gives a shit about these people? Me? Fuck me. Put yourself first."

I slumped back against the cell wall, suddenly exhausted. "I may have to. I don't know what else to do. I've been making it up as I go along this whole time, but I feel like I'm at the end of that rope now."

Tristan moved closer, her voice softer now. "We'll figure it out. Together."

"Psssh, damn goody-goodies."

Shaking my head, I said, "How? We have less than two weeks, and after that, everyone dies except me. And even then, only if I kill Vral first and Aerell likes my performance."

"You're serious about this? You're really still trying to save me?" Vral grumbled next door.

I was so stupid. "I want to save you. All of you. Plus, I don't want to live with all the guilt I'll have to live with if I fail." After I spoke, a black ball of resentment welled up in my chest. "Plus plus, it feels like Aerell is winning the most out of everyone, and I hate that."

"Then don't kill me," Vral said.

I looked toward her cell. "What?"

"You heard me. Don't kill me in the fight. Let me win."

"Vral, that's—"

"Think about it, asshole. If I win, Aerell doesn't get her money. She doesn't finish whatever job she's working on, either. Maybe that pisses off the right people, causes enough chaos that we might get an extra day or two. If not, though, at least we'd get to fuck with her one last time."

Tristan shook her head. "Alex will die, too, then. That won't work for me."

"Maybe. But it's something. And he won't have to live with all that guilt he's so worried about."

I sat there for a long moment, thinking. It was a terrible plan with almost no chance of success. But it was something that didn't lead to Aerell getting everything she wanted. And more importantly, it meant I wouldn't have to live with abandoning everyone. I knew that would kill me inside. "I like it. Let's blow up Aerell's plans and go out together, like bosses."

"Hell yeah!" Vral shouted.

"No!" Tristan shouted. "That's a stupid plan!"

"You got a better idea?" Vral asked.

Tristan was quiet for a moment. "Actually... maybe."

"Out with it then, elfie."

"Well... Elise is working to shut this place down, right? What if we could get word to her about the executions? I know that's not what she wants. If she knew what was going to happen... I think... I'm sure she'd try to stop it..."

"You think so?"

"Yeah, I do. I've gotten to know her pretty well. She's cunning and heartless at times, but she means well. Before, she thought everyone down here was a criminal and deserved what they got. But, after meeting you..."

"I had that much of an impact?"

"I don't think anyone's ever spoken to her the way you did before."

Maybe this could work? "How?" I asked. "Can you even get to the surface without her? I thought it was dangerous."

"I've made the trip through the dungeon a dozen times now. It's dangerous, but I think I can make it on my own. Then, once I get to the surface, I'll go to the others and find a way to get to Elise. I'm sure Lady Varga will know a way, or maybe Renard."

She'd have to go through the dungeon alone? "No. That's way too dangerous. I don't want to put you at risk."

She looked at me like she wanted to slap me. "If I stay and do nothing, I'll watch you die a second time. Not happening."

The idea of her risking herself for us...

"As much as I want to go out in a blaze of glory, my plan's stupid," Vral said. ""Do it. Get word to that skinny blonde whore. I think your plan might actually work."

How did Vral know Elise was blonde? "You're sure you can get up top safely?"

Tristan nodded. "Yeah."

I thought for a moment. How could I help her? The stone! Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out Aerell's gift. "Here, take this."

She rolled it in her palm, looking at it carefully before pocketing it. "Okay."

The thought of her leaving made my chest tight. "They have spies in the court. Make sure you only talk to Elise. If they find out, I don't think they'll wait for after our match to finish us all off."

"Okay."

I squeezed her hand. "Okay. Call the guard and get out of here."

Her face dropped. "You're not going to like this next part." She stood up. "Neither of us will."

"What are you talking about?"

"They only let us peons out of here once a month. Since I've only been here a few weeks..." She grabbed her robe, pulled the fabric taut, and tore a large hole into it. "But, if I were attacked, I'm sure they'd let me go home..."

"No." I crossed my arms.

"Yes." Her jaw set.

"What's she doing?" Vral asked.

She grabbed her robe and tore her bust. "Making it look like he hurt me."

"Tristan, no."

She glared at me. "Yes! This is the only way!"

"Do what?" Vral's voice was close to the vent now. I imagined she was trying to snoop. "I don't get it."

"He's going to beat me up."

"Kinky," Vral said.

"Vral!"

"What? I didn't know she was into that. It's kind of hot."

"She's not into it! And it's not hot!"

"Don't crush her dreams, Alex. Crush her cervix."

"Vral!"

"I mean, last time was kind of fun..." Tristan batted her eyes at me. "I'm open to trying new things."

"This isn't kinky, Tristan. It's just abuse."

"I know! I'm just trying to make light of it." She looked at me, her eyes growing hard. "Listen. If I don't have a good reason to leave, they won't let me go. I'm sure this'll get me out of here. Then, I'll have a chance to save the man I love." She reached out and touched my face. "Both his body and his heart..." Smiling softly, she added, "Also," her eyes shone in the dim light, "this won't even be a fraction of what you've gone through, Alex."

"That's not on you."

"It is. This all happened because I wasn't strong enough to support you."

I shook my head. "I don't blame you."

"I do. This is my penance."

Her tone and the guilt behind her eyes broke my heart. Fucking hell. "Okay." I stood up and looked down at her. "Fine. But, for the record, I hate this idea. This is the worst plan we've come up with yet."

"It'll work."

"It better."

Tristan's jaw set. "Don't hold back. If it looks superficial, I don't think they'll let me go."

I took a long look at her, and my resolve crumbled. "I can't."

"Yes, you can." She pulled out the mask Elise gave her. Tying it on, I watched as her appearance changed. "Here, how about now?"

"You think it's easier for me to beat up a middle-aged woman?"

"She isn't me, is she?"

I hated it, but she wasn't wrong. "Fine."

"Think of it like our training. We've bruised each other a thousand times sparring. This is just another training session. It's just a new technique you're helping me with."

"Stop talking, please." Even if it wasn't her face, it was definitely her voice.

"I'll heal myself after. Don't worry about me. Just do it."

With a deep breath, I pulled my fist back and gritted my teeth. This was going to suck.

***

"Scumbag." Henkle half-supported, half-carried the battered quarter-elf from my cell. "You'll get what's coming to you soon, you piece of shit."

"Here's to hoping." Whatever happened next, after that, I deserved it.

He shut the door behind him and locked it. With a grunt, he and Tristan walked down the cell block. A moment later, they were gone.

I let out a massive sigh.

"You did good," Vral said. "And she'll be okay. I don't know her well, but I'm confident she's stronger than she lets on. Strong heart on that one."

"The strongest heart."

"No. Yours is stronger still."

That took me aback. "Did you just compliment me?"

"Don't get used to it."

"And there she is."

"Damn right." Vral chuckled. Then, she was quiet for a while. "She loves you, you know? More than you can understand in that little pea brain of yours. She wants to be there for you, and this is the way she knows how to. Honor that."

I knew I would. "Yeah... it's just—"

"Just nothing. Trust her. I wasn't sure about her at first, but after that whole show, I'm sure. She's a good one. Don't ever fuck that up."

"I won't."

"Better not."

I sighed. "I just hope this all works. If it doesn't..."

"We're fucked."

"Yeah."

"And not in the fun way."

With another massive sigh, I asked, "Still want me to throw the fight?"

"Fuck no. I want you to go all out."

"You sure? We can still get at Aerell."

"Nah, screw that. Show me what you've got, and I'll do the same. If we're gonna die, at least we'll die after an epic battle against a worthy opponent, just like the Dark Father intended."

"I'm worth fighting now? I thought I was a training dummy?"

"Oh, you're a dummy, alright, but you've gotten strong. Really strong, from what I've seen and heard. I can't wait to see whether you can actually pummel me or not. Maybe you'll actually be worthy."

"Worthy of what?"

She didn't speak for a while. "Worthy of being upgraded from training dummy to lackey."

That made me laugh. "What an honor."

"It is!"

"Fine. Let's go all out."

"Atta boy."

I took a deep breath and cleared my head. The Iron Sentinel had one more fight before the big day. And, if the pieces all fell just right, maybe, just maybe, nobody was getting left behind.

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