With no time to waste, Veikh stumbled into the entrance room; the anticipation of having to report to the commander unheeded as no one greeted him. Dreading the possibility of everyone having been Corrupted, he pushed the thought from his mind as his eyes were drawn to the now open door behind the central desk.
Sword held tight as he stepped into the next room, if the stove and large table on the opposite sides of the room were any indication, he'd entered into a sort of dining hall. There was no blood or bodies of any guards so to speak, and there were no signs indicating a struggle.
Spying another door at the far corner of the dining hall, Veikh's speed picked up; black prints originating from his left foot growing thinner with each step as the slimy exterior solidified; shiny scale-like skin ending at his knee. The clicking of claws went unnoticed alongside the tapping of his boot as he descended into a cramped stairwell.
Gaze drifting around upon his descent, the wooden floorboards, plush carpet, and dim candle lighting were a thing of the past as grimy cobblestone and torches served as his entrance into the guardhouse prison. From where he entered, to his left sat an open doorway, while an upturned wooden table at his right blocked what he assumed to be another doorway.
As he stepped forward to assess which entrance he could take, a wet squelch beneath his boot caused his gaze to snap to the floor; fears of black slime discarded. That was not to say the faint tint of crimson illuminated by the wall torches was anymore reassuring. He felt his fingers tighten around the grip of his sword as his eyes followed the puddle of blood through the left doorway, pace quickening alongside it.
Faltering upon stepping into a rather wide hallway, Veikh froze at the sight of the beastman commander, whose dark fur blended in well with the dim torchlit hall. The blonde felt his blood run cold as his gaze followed the streaks of crimson staining the prison floor to a small unmoving figure obscured by the beastman's crouching form; green scales faintly illuminated by the flames above.
It was the kobold from earlier who'd been one of their lockpicks.
Veikh felt his dread grow, eyes following more crimson streaks to other bodies strewn about; those the two beastmen and another man. There was one he didn't recognize as well; an armored individual with a large blood-stained sword lying a few meters away from outstretched fingers. There was no blood so to speak from the armored figure, and as he drew closer he noted the empty notch upon its chestplate; signifying it had indeed been animated by magic.
"What the hell happened here?" Veikh turned to the lowered form of the commander, unable to hide the worry in his voice and eyes.
He already knew the answer, yet he couldn't help but ask anyways.
Rising to full height after gliding his fingers across the green kobold's face, the beastman turned to face him; golden eyes dull and regretful. Fur and flesh alike were torn across his torso, and Veikh swore he could see bone sticking out from the lupine's stomach.
"D-Dalgidred…"
Lurching forward, the commander's fangs ground together as he crumpled to his knee; a hand ceasing the crimson-clad man's approach to aid. His claws clenched into a fist, index finger shakily extending as he pointed down the hall.
"The cells should be... up ahead. The m-maidens..." He trailed off, head rising to meet his gaze. "Iliph… should be up ahead as well. The two of you m-must…"
The platinum-haired man nodded silently, retreating at the sight of the commander retching blood. His steps quickened as he drew away from the carnage, trekking down the seemingly endless hall in determined silence. The least he could do was honor the commander's and others' desires, what they'd risked their very lives for.
. . .
Rounding the corner after what felt like an eternity of walking, the sound of scraping metal and sight of a small hooded figure served to bring some form of comfort.
He cleared his throat, receiving a gasp from the cloaked child-like frame of the kobold; who spun hot on his heels with a murderous look in his remaining green eye, and one that faded away into relief just as quickly.
"W-Well… if it ain't Vik, the pretty boy himself." Iliph chuckled hollowly, claws tugging at his hood. "Nice to know you're not dead. Locals wouldn't be too chummy knowing the fate of their kingdom rested on the shoulders of some broke lizardboy off the streets."
"Like a foreigner is any better." Veikh smiled, although he couldn't hide the pain in his voice. "The commander's out."
"Look, I know I'm basically a petty thief but I'm not completely dumb, yeah?" The kobold replied defensively, his work on picking the lock speeding up. "Could smell the blood and hear all the bones snapping from a mile away."
The distinct sound of clicking brought further comments to a halt, shivers crawling down the pairs' spines as the metallic screeching that followed served to signify Iliph's efforts had paid off.
"...From what the commander told me, the prison cells should be up ahead?" He winced, cupping an ear with his hand.
"If they're not, feel free to yank my remaining eye out and shove it down my throat." Iliph murmured as he stepped away, stashing his lockpicks within his cloak. "You've got a shield, so why don't you lead the way? Probably another one of those bastards inside, and I don't want my maw smashed in like poor greeny back there."
"If it'll make you feel better..." Veikh grumbled, raising said shield as he kicked the iron door straight off its hinges.
The duos' steps and clicking claws halted as they took in their surroundings. While in line with the previous rooms, at the far back sat a pair of cells; the lighting from the torches failing to illuminate what actually lay within. As Iliph so accurately predicted, guarding the cell and hindering their goal was a humanoid hunk of armor much like the one he'd seen moments earlier; although it wielded a mace in place of a sword.
Unwilling to let the animated armor gain the offensive so close to their destination, Veikh charged forth; the action spurring the armored being into swinging it's mace down, a loud clang ringing about as the blow met his shield. The impact was enough to make his hairs stand on end, and for a moment he found himself being pushed back.
Gritting his teeth, with adrenaline surging through his blood he overpowered the mace and swung his shield forward; the animated armor's weapon flinging away and clattering to the ground uselessly a fair distance away.
With its arms spread apart and torso wide open, Veikh thrust his blade through the shimmering crystal gem upon the armor's chestplate; the glow fading as it shattered like glass. The armor in question was reduced to a useless pile, it's source of magic destroyed.
"Wow, didn't know you were such a show off." Iliph commented slyly as he scampered past, singular green eye drifting from one cell to the next in haste; settling upon the second cell after making out a prone humanoid figure within.
"If I really wanted to show off, I could've danced around and sang a little song while avoiding his strikes." The blonde muttered, rummaging through the pile of armor.
The one-eyed kobold sighed dryly, metal clinking together as he retrieved his trusty lockpicks. His enthusiasm for lockpicking faded upon studying the cell door, his inexperience with prison locks coming up at the worst possible time.
A gauntlet-clad hand extending over his head caused his maw to part with a gasp, and he couldn't hide his shame as he noticed the key in its grip; a satisfying click rendering his troubles moot.
"So eager to pick locks you forgot keys existed?"
Veikh smirked at the frown that had grown across Iliph's maw. With his sword back within the scabbard at his hip, he held a torch in its place.
The iron door squeaked open as the pair cautiously stepped into the cell, flame held aloft. Their gazes drawn to the stirring figure before them, the maiden they had sought was revealed as...