Intruder (1)
'I have to leave, I need to try to survive. I have to. For Jorah, for Kesta and for me'
At last, he gritted his teeth and sheathed Jorah's bloodied knife on his own belt. He looked at the knife with reverence 'a token of our friendship' He had to find a way out somehow before the beasts returned.
But before that, he started to pick anything he could find to try giving Jorah a burial. He couldn't let the beasts eat his body, even if he cannot stop them completely, he will not be able to forgive, if he didn't even try.
He gathered small pieces of rocks and for some time and finally laid his dead friend to a temporary rest. It was time to find if there is any way out at all. His only goal was to get out of this mess and find those inheritors and confront them for what they have done. He was not insane to believe he would win if it came to fighting but he had to fight for his friends who died because of that bastard Azim… he left them to be eaten by the monsters.
Thought of Azim made him grit his teeth, he wanted to punch that smirk out of his face when he let them fight the monsters while he enjoyed the entertainment.
He kept walking in the tunnel, there seemed to be no end to this darkness. Blindly feeling his way along the tunnel walls, he discovered cracks letting in thin rays of light.
'Can I really go out?' Heart pounding, he followed the light until coming upon loose debris blocking his path. Working through agonizing pain, he dug desperately until he could squeeze through.
Sorken found himself looking down into a vast, torch-lit chamber. Symbols glinted along the walls and upon an intricate stone sarcophagus in the centre. Strange, dark artefacts lay arranged before the coffin.
Sorken froze as raucous laughter reached his ears - the apprentices! Still hidden, he glimpsed Valakh, Tamara, Ted, and Azim lounging lazily, gulping drinks as they admired various jewelled and gilded treasures scattered about.
"To a successful expedition!" Valakh trumpeted arrogantly. More laughter echoed among them.
Tears spilled down Sorken's dirt-streaked face. These vile inheritors that had sentenced him and his friends to death now celebrated without an ounce of remorse over their sacrificed lives. Fresh grief and fury boiled up in him at the injustice. He longed to reveal himself and curse their names...yet he held back.
"Pfff… you should have looked at their faces when beasts jumped on them. Valakh's idea was brilliant. All the beasts followed the scent of food before those slaves and attacked them. Then I left when I saw those mauling winged lizards. That was the signal that beasts have decided to leave the treasure hall and hunt for food.
"It is regrettable that we didn't get to use those soul extraction weapons. I was really excited about them. But well, that's to say I enjoyed their death the other way more.
"I thought the entire plan was too far-fetched because of how things went wrong the last time. It actually worked this time. We tried to be invisible and even kept that slave without food and thought we could get by. But we were discovered because they were not distracted. This time? We prepared well… three hauled pigs for them to be distracted. I hope they enjoyed a big meal… hahaha.
"Never thought those useless bastards could be useful for not only us but also the monsters." Azim told them the entire incident with a wild grin.
"We should take stuff and leave this chamber soon. I can handle wraiths but these mauling beasts and if the swarm comes here, they are too much, even for me, we already escaped somehow last time" Valakh told them
"Still so serious," Ted looked at Valakh with a worried gaze. "Tamara, have you sucked all the excitement out of this guy?, he can't even enjoy this moment" Tamara glared at Ted before erupting in laughter, others followed.
Biding his time silently, Sorken committed the image to memory - these false masters delighting over their plunder, utterly oblivious to his presence. One day he would have his reckoning. But now, he had to bide his time...and survive.