Laying on the stone floor right before them was a young pale-skinned woman, who stirred into consciousness as the gentle flame of Veikh's torch fell upon her. The rich auburn hair cascading just above her waist was matted and unkempt, while the white ceremonial dress adorning her slender frame was stained with grime.
Gazing about in confusion and mild fear upon awakening fully, the maiden's hazel-colored eyes widened as they settled upon the crimson-clad man and the one-eyed kobold at his side. Blinking as if to process the sight before her, her lips parted with a small smile as she realized what it signified.
"You… you have finally come…" She whispered softly, shoulders shaking as her gaze fell to the floor. "So long… so long have we waited for someone to set us free…"
Her head lifted to meet the man's eyes as he extended a hand to her aid, platinum-blonde hair which framed his face seeming to accentuate the warmth he gave off. The blue-scaled kobold at his side held an expression of awe more befitting that of a child, before his maw grew into an almost teasing grin as she accepted the man's hand.
"T-Thank you." The auburn-haired woman stammered upon being helped to her feet, her eyes shifting between those of her would-be rescuers. "May I… have your names?"
"Prince Charming there is Vik Digalderd, I'm Iliph." The one-eyed kobold replied almost instantly, giving a flashy bow. "At your service, ma'am."
"...It's Dalgidred… Veikh Dalgidred." Vik, or rather, Veikh, corrected, his blue eyes locking with the maiden's. "Can't say I'm too cut out for this stuff. You gonna hold up alright, or are you gonna need help walking, miss…?"
"Ariesia." She nodded weakly, sorrow plaguing her voice. "I can manage. The same can't be said in regards to my sisters, unfortunately..."
"Ariesia, eh?" Iliph thought aloud, claws scratching at the scales of his jaw. "So, you're the only one left, huh? Guess that lead was off, but better one maiden than none, yeah?"
"I am…" Her eyes drifted to the stone floor once more, closing remorsefully. "How foolish we were, to think it would all be so easy..."
"No point in beating yourself up over it." Veikh chided in sympathy, though his gaze hardened. "This really isn't a good time for it either. We should probably book it before any would-be reinforcements show up."
"You have my sincerest gratitude, both of you." Ariesia smiled warmly, hazel eyes shimmering with renewed purpose. "While weak, my magic should be more than enough to fend off any Corrupted beasts Ivraol has stationed throughout the remainder of the prison."
"Good, 'cause we'll be needing it." Their kobold lockpick murmured as he fidgeted with his cloak. "The ol' captain said there was a little secret underground passage in the prison leading to the village church."
Seeing as how their course of action was finalized, Veikh turned to the cell's exit; though as he walked he felt Ariesia's hand grasp his shoulder, practically scaring him out of his wit as he spun back towards her in worry. He couldn't deny the ache in his chest at her sorrow-filled gaze, so much so he forced himself to avert his gaze to an equally as puzzling wide-eyed Iliph.
"...Something wrong?"
As if on cue, the platinum-haired man's eyes fell to the floor where the maiden's own had been focused, brow furrowing at the sight of a reptilian appendage that had taken the place of his left foot; shiny black scales trailing up his ankle and ending right below his knee, monstrous claws sprouting from four large equally sized digits. He blinked as if to confirm whether or not he was hallucinating, yet as he flexed the clawed digits and recalled what had occurred in the wine cellar not long ago, a heavy sense of mortification overtook him.
"I uh… yeah…" Veikh murmured shamefully, free hand running through his hair. "Let's just say, this whole operation hasn't exactly gone according to plan."
"Uh-huh, alright pretty boy. I'd make fun of you for somehow not noticing you got a wicked new stomper, but looks like the great Iliph himself also didn't notice it... somehow." The cloaked kobold crossed his arms with a breath, remaining eye narrowed in slight curiosity at the flawless nature of the glossy black scales. No doubt some form of endearment.
"Please, sit." Ariesia gestured softly, reattracting the gaze of her saviors. "If left alone, your Corruption will spread to overtake you. Though, without my sisters' aid, my magic can only stall its progress for a short time, but even so..."
"Yeah, about that… it'd probably be a good idea to-"
"I beg you, Veikh. It's the least I can do in return for your efforts." She pleaded, her eyes which bore into Veikh's soul enough to make him heed her request with a heavy sigh.
Passing the torch to an accepting Iliph as he reclined onto his rear, Veikh begrudgingly extended his infected leg to a kneeling Ariesia, a look of heavy embarrassment across his face. He averted his eyes and gave a small grunt as the maiden's fingers traced across his scales, the foreign mix of sensations enough to make him squirm uncomfortably. Chances are it was more him overreacting than anything.
A slew of gentle incantations slipped from Ariesia's parted lips, her left hand hovering at the scales at his shin just below the torn fabric of his trousers whilst her right was pressed firmly against the sole of the appendage; a gentle white glow beginning to radiate from her palms as she closed her eyes. Shimmering brighter by the second, the soft glimmer of the light trailed from her hands to constrict around his transformed appendage; akin to the coils of a snake or wrapping of chains.
The feeling was both pleasurable and slightly painful to Veikh, the digits of his reptilian limb clenched tight as the maiden's magic fully engulfed its black scales. As her hands retreated, the glow dulled until the black scales of the appendage returned to view once more, a momentary numbness filling it.
"It is done…" Ariesia breathed, hazel eyes opening. "A momentary binding spell. It should last until dawn the next day."
"...Yeah, thanks." Veikh rose to his feet in haste, the uneven balance granted by his left leg momentarily disrupting him. He quickly offered his hand to Ariesia once more, who accepted it.
"Yeesh, some knight you are, pretty boy!" Iliph flashed a toothy grin upon handing his crimson-clad companion his torch, retrieving a large sheet of paper-like material from beneath his cloak that he proceeded to wave triumphantly. "Now that that's outta the way, your noble pal Iliph will lead the way to that nifty secret passage shown ever-so-obviously in this cool map of the prison he snagged!"
"You're just as sneaky as you look, kid." A smile crossed Veikh's face, head turning to the maiden at his side. "Off we go then. Stay close."