Beware the Ides

V

With Gage's arm hung loosely over Quintin's shoulders, both men slipped out into the soundless hall. Quintin struggled with the additional weight that pulled him sharply to the right, but the adrenaline coursing through his veins kept him going.

"Quintin, this is a terrible idea. We're going to be killed, we need to wait—"

"No! I'm not going to just sit on my ass and wait to be rescued. I don't want to die here, not like this." Quintin could not fathom sitting around and waiting to die at the hands of Caesar. He would much rather face the consequences of doing something, rather than doing nothing at all.

Gage fell silent as Quintin snapped at him. He knew Quintin's headstrong nature got in the way of his judgement. Even more so when he was afraid. There was little he could do to change his mind by then. They would just have to press on and take whatever was thrown at them in stride.

The sound of footsteps accompanied by yelling came from the hallway parallel to them. Quintin easily recognized the voice to be that of Lanius. The usual calmness of his voice had dissipated, leaving nothing but anger in its wake. He could not tell whether he was looking for them or not, but Quintin was not keen on taking any chances.

Quintin barely managed to pull Gage into a desolate room before the hulking form of Lanius passed by. He was muttering obscenities about Quintin from under his breath, which came as no surprise to either man. Quintin's back talking had done nothing but peeve Lanius, and now that he had escaped, he knew he had no particular fondness for him.

"Quintin, listen to me," Gage hissed as he leaned against the wall. "There's too many of them. If we give ourselves up now, maybe they won't kill us on the spot."

Quintin shook his head as he abruptly sat down on a nearby chair. Nothing about this situation offered any sort of resolution to the problem at hand. They were stuck with nowhere to go. No weapons, no idea of where they were, no nothing. Had it not been for Quintin's own panic, he would have still been sitting tied to a chair.

"Gage we can't turn back now. I don't... I- can't..." Quintin stammered, his entire facade crumbling before his eyes. He had no idea what to do, no sense of where to go next or what to do.

"I know you want Caesar gone, but is it worth your life? I can't protect you from yourself Quintin, so please just listen to me."

Quintin ran his hands over his face as his hands began to shake. This was not the time to panic, yet his mind told him otherwise. He took a deep breath before looking at Gage, his gaze hardening as he slowly stood up.

"I'll get us out of this. You just need to trust me Gage, that's all I'm asking for." Quintin's voice wavered as he took in his friend. The man who had been his mentor, his guardian for as long as he could remember.

"Just stay here and I'll find a way out... then I'll come back for you. Just don't die on me while I'm gone alright?" Quintin smiled but it did not quite reach his eyes. His whole life he had always had someone to rely on, but now he was going into this alone.

Gage pleaded for him to not go, but it was far too late to change Quintin's mind. Even as he slipped out into the hallway, Gage's desperate bargains followed him out. Quintin was going to end things whether Gage wanted him to or not. He had spent too long tracking down Caesar for him to give up now, not when he was as close as he was.

Without Gage, Quintin found himself able to move more freely, although he was still burdened with the injuries that he had sustained. The halls were bustling with activity, making it a chore to move around, but Quintin managed.

After successfully evading those looking for him, he finally found what he had been looking for. Caesar, seemingly alone and unprotected. With no weapon to speak of, Quintin knew he would have to be cautious, but he found himself approaching Caesar regardless.