Chapter 42: A Prisoner in the Depths

"Not good," I said, gesturing to the bound woman. "We have to get her out."

Her face flashed several emotions before she yanked her sword out. After a moment, it glowed red. She slashed at the chains, cleaving them apart. I picked her up, allowing her to nestle herself into my chest.

She slowly reached a frail hand out, grabbing my shirt around the collar.

"Good deal," I said, turning toward the group. "Let’s get the fuck out of here."

A deep rumble shook the stone floor, vibrating through my boots. The dripping noises stopped, replaced by a loud roar echoing from the tunnels behind us. The cavern was flooding.

"Move!" Vera shouted, sprinting toward the archway we had come through. "The water is breaking over the barricades!"

I tightened my grip on the woman, adjusting her against my chest. My super strength finally proved its worth, making her feel incredibly light, allowing me to sprint without staggering. I took off behind Vera, my footsteps sloshed.

Katrina ran beside me, keeping her light focused on the path ahead. The light bounced with every step, throwing shadows across the rusted walls.

Cold water quickly pooled around our ankles, rushing past us as the ocean pushed deeper into the ruins.

"Keep going!" Damara yelled from the rear, watching our backs. "Don’t stop!"

The water level rose to our calves a few moments later, creating a heavy drag on our momentum. I gritted my teeth and forced my legs to pump harder, splashing through the rising tide.

The roar of the incoming ocean grew louder, drowning out the sounds of our footsteps as we navigated the maze of broken pillars.

Up ahead, the gray light of the late afternoon bled into the tunnel. Vera scrambled up the slick rocky incline leading to the exit, gesturing for us to hurry. Katrina bounded up the rocks on all fours, turning around to offer me a hand.

I ignored my tired legs and pushed up the slope, carrying the woman out into the open air. Damara leaped out right behind me, landing on the dirt just as a wave of seawater slammed into the tunnel opening, swallowing the path we had just used.

"Too close!" I managed, trying to catch my breath. I looked at the woman in my arms. "Where can we take her?"

"Follow me," Vera shouted.

Exhausted, we made our way back into the town. People stopped and stared as we passed by the shopping district. Their faces twisted with concern. Several came to help.

"What happened?" a short, burly man asked.

"Guild business," Vera said, pushing past the man.

We followed her through the market and down a side street. She stopped at a building with a green leaf painted on the door. Vera pushed her way inside and yelled for a healer.

Two women hurried out from a back room. They took one look at the blood and pointed to a cot in the corner, already gathering supplies.

I carried the woman over and laid her down on the mattress. Stepping back, I gave them room to work while Damara and Katrina filed in behind me. Both of them leaned against the wall to catch their breath.

"What happened to her?" the older healer asked, grabbing a towel and quickly wiping grime from the woman’s neck. "Did a monster do this? How long was she trapped?"

"We found her chained up," I answered. "Will she be okay?"

The healer ignored my question, pulling a glass vial from her pocket and popping the cork with her thumb. "Get the heavy bandages," she told the other woman, pouring a clear liquid over the deepest wounds. "And all of you need to wait outside. We need space to work. Out!"

Vera nodded without arguing, grabbing my sleeve and pulling me out of the room. We filed into a cramped waiting area near the front entrance, taking up space on the plain wooden benches.

I dropped onto the hard wood, letting a long breath escape my lungs as the adrenaline finally started to fade.

Katrina paced the short length of the floor, her tail twitching nervously, while Damara leaned against the wall with her arms crossed.

Micro-Sarah settled calmly on my shoulder, leaving us to sit in the quiet room and listen to the muffled voices coming from down the hall.

"I’ll leave you all here. I should probably report what we found to the guild," Vera murmured. "Calvin and the others will want to hear about this."

After that, we were left with the deafening silence again. My body was vibrating from the adrenaline yet to fade away. My eyes felt like they would explode at any moment as my head pounded.

"Who would do something like that?" I managed, turning to the others.

"You’ll find, in this world, not everything is always perfect," Damara said, raising her eyes to meet mine. "We got her out and gave her a fighting chance. Now it’s up to the healers."

The girls moved to huddle around me, sitting down on either side and leaning into me. Their warmth helped ground me. After a short period of time, my head quit pounding.

"How long does healing magic take?" I asked, hoping for an easy answer.

"It varies," Micro-Sarah answered from my shoulder, her voice quiet and soft. "Most magic relies on mana reserves. If the mage has adequate reserves, then it boils down to how resistant to the magic a person is."

Off in the distance the sound of footsteps echoed as Calvin rounded the corner next to us. At the same time, the healer stepped out of the room. They both tried to speak at the same time before Calvin bowed backwards and let the healer take over.

"She has been healed, but there is something you should know," she explained. "Whoever did this, was doing it for a purpose. Whether it be dark magic of some kind or ritual magic, doesn’t matter."

She led us into the room. Calvin whispered a few words my brain chose to not hear. My only concern was seeing the woman’s face not beaten.

"Keep your voices low. She is recovering, let’s not make it harder," the healer said, leaving the room after.

Calvin stepped next to the bed, looking the woman over.

"Elise?"