𝕬𝖗𝖘𝖔𝖓𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖘 𝕷𝖚𝖑𝖑𝖆𝖇𝖞 - [𝗞𝗮𝘇 𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗸𝗸𝗲𝗿]

𝐱𝐱𝐱𝐯. 𝘥𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘬𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘦

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐘-𝐅𝐈𝐕𝐄 — druskelle

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 𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐀𝐒 𝐇𝐄𝐋𝐕𝐀𝐑 𝐖𝐀𝐒 a broken man. Just one glance at his sweat and blood-ridden face was enough for Aleksa to see that his honour, his pride and his conscience had been snapped like a flimsy little twig beneath a muddied boot.

 When the Druskelle had entered the arena and spun the wheel that would determine his fate, Aleksa had known that the Fjerdan would never be the same again. He had to fight wolves. Aleksa had done her studying beneath the Black Heretic's eagle eyes, he'd made sure she knew every little detail there was to know about the Fjerdans, the Ravkan's and Shu's... everyone.

 Wolves were sacred to the Druskelle; they were bred for battle like war horses and treated as more than a mere animal. They were companions, partners on the battlefield. The Druskelle would each find their own and present themselves to the animal as a friend. Whether they made it out without a scratch or a bite was another story entirely.

 But in Hellgate, you either fought for the win, or you died. You either picked up the blades buried below sand, dust and blood, or you watched as your own mingled in the ashes. Matthias Helvar had won; he'd snapped the jaw of one of the wolves, prying it open as though it were a snake, while the other had been stabbed by a rusted blade.

 The man had stooped his head, remaining on his knees as he likely prayed for forgiveness.

 Aleksa had seen the way Nina's hands had rattled, the way she gasped and swallowed with such harshness she almost made herself vomit. She'd argued with Kaz, threatening to squeeze his cold black heart until it was no more than a sliver of useless flesh; she'd gone to him on numerous occasions and begged for him to help Matthias and he'd refused every single time, for what could Matthias have offered him? Now, however, Matthias Helvar was useful.

 They had all managed to slip their way through the crowd, twisting and turning through damp hallways all the while Nina readied her hands to slow the beating hearts of the guards in their way. They got by without a hitch, and now Kaz was fiddling with the lock sealing a beaten and bruised Matthias away.

 All it took was a heartbeat, and the look clattered into his awaiting palm.

 The cell was shrouded entirely in darkness but Aleksa could see the lump of a man sprawled out over his thin cot. He looked a mess, even through the tinted haze Aleksa could see the bruises lining his flesh, the blood still soaking his knuckles and cheek.

 Then, she blinked as Kaz tapped his foot upon the ground. Just one click. Aleksa pried a bonelight from the pocket of her coat hidden dutifully beneath the scarlet cloak billowing at her back. With just a single shake, the room erupted with an awful cold-green glow. The bonelights were strange little things, made from the dried and crushed fluorescents of luminous deep-sea fishes, and while the green made Aleksa's eyes water, they were far easier to haul than a flickering lantern.