Price of Power

They found themselves on a metal, long balcony on the top of the brick building. Lariska immediately grabbed her head and grunted in pain, Caduka asked what was going on, but the pain was already fading away and she said that nothing. She looked at her with worry and walked to the metal door trying to not make a noise on a metal surface. When the pain passed Lariska looked around and recognized that they were in the same metropolis from which they kidnapped Velvet. Although in that part of the city the buildings were smaller and older, and she couldn’t see a living soul around.

"Lari, will you help me with this door?" Asked Caduka poring before the metal barrier.

"You can not open them?"

"Not really, I want you to try."

"Seriously!?" She asked annoyed, she knew that she didn’t even touch that door, Caduka pulled out her lockpick before her face and responded with a smile.

"Yes."

She took her the lockpick from her and walked to the door. How it was? One part to the bottom trying to rotate it and the other lifting the pin tumblers until they get stuck. Easier to say than done, it was broad daylight, what happens if someone see her? Caduka would open in less than a minute and they would be already inside, but she will be fighting with it for half of an hour. „What was she even thinking?” she thought to herself.

"Fine, give it before you break it." She said after two minutes of Lariska’s torment. She took the lockpick and after a few moments, the door was open. "Not so bad, you left me only two tumblers."

Lariska didn’t want to argue, she passed her and pressed the handle. Behind the door, there was a brick corridor which led to the rooms intended for various uses, stairs and main storage, but in it there was nothing.

"So what are we going to do?" She asked her mentor.

"Find something for the one or other?" She started to walk towards the door on the side. "I don’t know, if they have here someplace of secret meetings maybe it’s worth to look around. Come, there must be something here, otherwise why they just won’t go to their houses or district."

"Wait." Lariska interrupted and turned her head, she was hearing something.

"There’s no time, com…"

"Shh!" She silenced her covering her mouth. Then she noiselessly went in the other direction. Caduka having less sensitive hearing had no idea what’s she doing, but she followed her. She led her to the main storehouse. It was full of wooden, cardboard or sometimes metal chests arranged in rows. They were standing on another metal balcony which was extending around the walls of the entire interior with bridges crossing the air over the piles of goods. Although they couldn’t see a living soul, some lights were turned on. Lariska looked down below, behind the wall of chests someone was talking, two male voices arguing with each other.

"...but from who else would she know?"

"I have no idea, but like you said, she does know, we have to go soon."

„It is Atilius” Lariska whispered.

"Soon? So you still hope that he will come?"

"He’s late, but let’s wait a little longer."

"Even if, are you sure you want to show him this? Serqet said that he will bring upon us nothing but misfortune."

"Serqet likes to put nose in not her business"

Then they heard upcoming steps.

"And yes, I am," – He waited a little with his answer and then he turned to the approaching character. "What news do you bring, Cincia?"

"For his own safety I escorted Eol, he is waiting for you."

"To the district? Has something happened?"

"Guards and troops, they are rallying, but for what reason is unknown to me."

"Well, inform the director about this obviously, nothing left here for us as well, let’s go."

They began to hear the receding steps and after a while, from behind the chests, three figures appeared.

"Military in this city? Do you think that Sister wants to attack the district?" Lariska asked, at that moment Caduka realized one serious fact.

"She doesn’t know, I didn’t send her a letter." She was back then too distracted by Lariska’s condition.

"And what does that mean?"

Caduka turned around like she expected something to happen, yet it was quiet, dark, with one word calmly.

"Nothing, come, following them can be dangerous, but I know other entrances to district."

In that moment behind the warehouse’s gate resounded loud bang, everyone froze and looked in its direction. Atilius using the magic at once with once swift move threw massive, wooden crates to barricade the gate and that stopped the second attempt to break down the gate. In the meantime of the third, Cincia threw napalm grenade on the crates to give cause a fire and give them some more time. During the fourth which was seeming to hit with the double force of all previous ones they were already running away, but the bang has shaken the whole building and the wave made it impossible for a moment to keep balance. The gate like the chests flew in all directions spreading the fire. Lariska helped Caduka to stand up, but once she saw Atilius is fleeing she ran after him, Caduka wanted to stop her, but she wasn’t already hearing her. Caduka looked in the gate’s direction, she barely could see helmets of soldiers from within the smoke and fire. She was looking for Sister and tell her to stop this madness, but she wasn’t seeing her, Lariska too was out of reach, yet she had hoped to stop her before she would again do something dumb.

Once she saw that Atilius and the rest were fleeing she abandoned Caduka and ran on the closest bridge. She had from it a perfect view. She wasn’t caring anymore that they will know that she did it. If Sister wanted his death so badly then so be it. She took her musket, but she didn’t even have time to aim and she felt below her a blow which caused the bridge to collapse. Someone was casting spells at her. She caught the railing and began to fall with the bridge. When she was low enough she jumped on the crates, stood up and immediately ran after Atilius. Only for a moment, she turned to see that the soldiers already dealt with the fire at the entrance and they are heading deep into the warehouse.

She was running as fast as she could on the road made of chests and boxes, her steps were loud but drowned by crackling fire and march of soldiers. Atilius was nearer and nearer, they turned and she had to get to the second row. She climbed the nearby crates so she could reach the next bridge and after a few steps, she jumped down over the railing. Cincia heard her fall, she turned and once she saw her she threw a bomb in her direction which blew up the crates under her. She had no idea who that was, but that usually was enough. Her sinister smirk has been washed away by Atilius who was shouting at her to stop burn everything, but 'What he could know?', she was a Cleric there. Once Lariska got on her legs she began to run again, because of the explosion she had to jump from the collapsing crates on the ground. She was almost at the second end of the building, the walls of boxes were from that side lower. She climbed them, she was just a few meters away from Atilius.

Without hesitation she took a run-up and jumped to Cincia’s throat, she managed to turn around but didn’t have time to react. The second was Atilius, he didn’t even have an idea what has happened. The third person managed to block the stab, but Lariska had the second blade which she stuck in his chest, then she pulled it off and stabbed again, this time his back.

The last body fell on the ground, she wiped the daggers off blood and looked around. She again got carried away and because of that, she had from one side smoke and fire and from other soldiers. She wanted to walk away but something was holding her leg. She turned, it was Atilius, he was holding tight, trying to catch a breath to talk to her.

"I wasn’t expecting this from you." He said calmly. Her eyes started to wander in every direction, it took her a while to tell the next words.

"Me neither."

She jerked his leg so he would let it go, but he only held even harder.

"Wait, I don’t want to die here."

"Apparently, you don’t have a choice." Saying these words made her feel in her chest an almost physical pain.

"No, I will help you to get out of here, but take my body to the district, do not let it end in the flames."

"You do not have hope that I will die here myself?"

"Too small to not ask you for help." He joked.

She took the offer. She helped him to stand on his legs and although they were chased by the flames they were walking slowly. He pointed her a heavy door hidden in the corner, he took the key and opened them. The corridor wasn’t long, brightly lit, with few doors on both sides. Instead of coming to any of them he led her down the stairs to the small rooms with few boxes in it. They walked to the wall. Atilius leaned against it and began to move his mouth like he was whispering, yet she wasn’t hearing anything. When he was done next to him appeared the crack in the wall in the shape of the letter „Y" and three parts opened like gate. He walked inside on his own and after a few steps down the corridor, he stopped and asked Lariska to help him sit down.

"Thanks, here will be good." He panted.

When he was already sitting down she turned back, they left behind them a substantial trail of blood. She then looked into the dark, long corridor.

"You just showed me entrance to your district, are you not afraid?"

"That you will do to them what you did to me? No, you have a purpose in my death, something happened and ...you are trying to fix it."

"I try."

"And what if you succeed?"

She didn’t know how to answer, possible that she still would be a Cleric, but she doubted if they will even let her return.

"No one does evil for the evil itself, think about that, please, but tell me, you didn’t come here with these soldiers?"

"No, I am alone."

He was pleased by this answer, he was tired and it was dark in front of his eyes, and not because of the corridor. The wound wasn’t hurting so much anymore, he thought that maybe he would be able to get out of this, he just needed a little rest. He closed his eyes, he had to take a nap.

Lariska turned to see already lifeless body leaning against the wall. She was standing like that for a while, but she finally pulled out the flashlight and began to walk go down the corridor. After a few steps, the gate behind her closed, leaving her in absolute darkness diffused only by the pale light.