Out of the Dark

"You know you're hurting your own image, right?" Haise said as his back slid across the cold stone floor.

"I don't need to maintain an image," Avari replied, dragging him by the foot without breaking stride.

Karsen followed behind, backpack slung over one shoulder, his newly acquired sword strapped to it. The people they passed barely spared a glance at the strange scene as the three made their way past the presumed exit of the cavern.

"I've had enough. You can let go now."

Avari released Haise's foot, leaving him flat on the ground. "We'll reach the surface in about two hours at this pace," he said, pulling out what looked like a map.

Haise stood up, brushing dust from his pants. Karsen glanced over with a hopeful look. "Can we speed things up?"

"The number of remaining goblins is unconfirmed. We'll proceed with caution."

"If we run into one, just... kill it, then? Isn't that your job?"

Avari raised a hand to the chin of his helmet. "It's a possibility. But that would go against standard military procedure."

"I'm not spending another hour down here." Haise declared, bold and annoyed. "If you want to crawl at military speed, fine,but I'm out."

Before either Avari or Karsen could respond, Haise turned and strode off, quickly putting distance between them. Karsen looked between the knight and the fading silhouette. "Does he even have the map?"

Avari reached toward his belt, where his underground map should've been,only to find empty air.

"He took it."

Karsen's eyes widened. Without another word, he sprinted off after Haise, not eager to be left behind in the depths.

Avari stared for a moment, then calmly checked the pouch at his side,right where he had actually placed the map.

Significant Amount of Time Later

He finally saw it,just at his fingertips. The soft, warm light of the outside world exploded across Haise's face as he stepped out through the narrow crack behind him. It felt like he hadn't seen sunlight in years. But there it was.

"I hope you're satisfied. You turned one hour into four," Avari said from behind, raising a hand to shield himself from the glare.

Karsen came out last, face visibly thinner, and collapsed to his knees in the sunlight. "I'm never entering a dark place again."

"It doesn't matter whose fault it was," Haise said, lowering himself beside a patch of grass. "What matters is… I never thought I'd be this happy to see green."

He ran his hand across the blades of grass like it might disappear. It was warm, real, alive. After so long in the dark, even the chirp of insects felt like music.

Avari scanned their surroundings. They were deep in a forest. He pointed north. "Arno's camp should be in that direction."

"Can we take a break? I really need to ea,"

Before Karsen could finish, Haise grabbed him by the ankle and started dragging him across the grass,the same way Avari had treated him.

"We're heading back. I'm getting rest. You'll eat later."

He glanced at Avari, who was still staring off toward the treeline. "I'm guessing you know the way?"

"I do."

"Then don't fall behind." Haise didn't wait for a response, marching off with Karsen in tow. Avari joined them a moment later.

They walked in silence as the forest grew denser, sunlight filtering in through leaves above. Shadows danced across their feet. The dirt path crunched softly under their steps.

To Haise's surprise,or maybe just his lack of education,he didn't spot a single animal. No rustling. No birdsong. The quiet felt… unnatural. He considered asking Avari about it… then decided he was too tired to care.

Eventually, they passed something familiar. Off to the left was a hole in the ground,the same one Haise had crawled out of a little over a week ago.

That's where I woke up, he thought. Right after meeting that weird, featureless guy…

"Dorian?" a voice called behind him.

Haise snapped out of it and turned. Karsen, still being dragged, was squinting up at him. "You planning to move?"

Haise blinked. He hadn't realized he'd stopped. Avari was also staring at him.

"I just… have bad memories of this place," Haise muttered.

"Why?" Avari asked bluntly.

Haise shot him a look. "You could be a little more delicate. What if it was a sensitive topic?"

"It isn't. Is it?"

"Well, no… but you know what I meant."

Karsen looked around and spotted an arrow lodged in the dirt nearby. A little aged, but still intact. He didn't touch it. "Can we keep moving?"

Both Haise and Avari looked down at him.

"Walking? You're not even walking," Haise said. "You almost fell asleep while being dragged."

"At least if we're here, the camp must be close." Haise yawned, feeling the exhaustion hit him hard.

They continued forward, leaving the hole behind. As they pushed deeper, the terrain started to look familiar,even to Haise. He'd only seen it once, when Arno carried him through it, but the memory had stuck.

Ferns brushed his boots. The air smelled like moss and old rain. If not for the soreness in his legs, it might've been peaceful.

Feeling the silence stretch, Haise turned to Avari, who,as always,was unreadable behind the armor. Maybe that was just who he was.

"Hey, Avari."

"I'm starting to feel a strange sense of danger whenever you say that."

"Rude. I just wanted to ask something. I never got a clear answer,what even is the camp? Like, what's Arno doing? Last time you gave me a vague response."

Avari paused, as if deciding how best to explain. "It's a refugee camp."

"Well… if I'm honest, I expected more. I think. So what do you want from him?"

"Helping refugees isn't illegal. But the way Arno gathers resources has become problematic for the Empire."

"So you're arresting him?" Haise glanced down at Karsen, still asleep.

How do you even sleep while being dragged through a forest?

"What I do doesn't concern you," Avari said.

"Pfft… I guess you're right. But if you do arrest him, at least do me a favor and don't mention my name anywhere.

...Not like it matters."

That last part came out as more of a whisper, meant only for himself.