Story dump

Chapter 11

Ikiro and Tyno
(Original date: 9/18/22)

Warning: Light cursing

Ikiro struggled against the ropes that bound his hands behind his back, feeling two strangers forcefully guide him somewhere. He didn't know where, exactly, seeing as he had a cloth bag over his head, which obscured his vision. Whoever these two people were, they were rather strong. Neither of them budged as he attempted to free himself, not even when he attempted to trip them. He didn't want to use his magic, either, in case he harmed himself or it grew out of control. 'Of course, they probably don't even know I have magic.' He thought. 'They would have put some sort of nullifier on me if they did.' He quickly snapped out of his thoughts, however, when he felt himself stop moving. He heard the jangling of keys, followed by the sound of an iron door creaking open. He felt the strangers let go before he was shoved forward, stumbling and nearly falling on his face. He attempted to struggle free from the ropes on his wrists again, hearing the sound of a conversation as he did so. "Excellent. Our lord Sesmus will be pleased with such a high value sacrifice." A gruff voice said. He froze. 'High value sacrifice'? "Correct." Another voice said. "It's a shame he must share a cell with a peasant, though." "I have a name, you know." Yet another voice said, Ikiro jumping due to how close it sounded to him. "It does not matter," the gruff voice said again. "We must prepare for the rebirth of our glorious god." He heard footsteps after, which slowly grew quieter until he was unable to hear them any longer. He didn't know what to do. It was almost too much for him to take in. His thoughts were broken when he felt his hands become free, the bag on his head being suddenly removed. He squinted, his eyes adjusting to the light as he looked around. He was in an old, dimly lit prison cell, the iron bars blocking his exit covered in rust and moss. He jumped again once he saw a figure staring at him, his expression smug.

"Why, hello there, your highness~! Funny seeing you here.." he said, Ikiro slowly nodding as he looked at the hallway beyond the cell's bars. He couldn't see too well, however, seeing as the hall was nearly pitch black. He sighed, turning back the stranger. "State your name." He ordered. The man in front of him chuckled, shrugging.* "Alright, your majesty," he said. "Call me Tyno." Ikiro thought for a moment. The name Tyno sounded oddly familiar to him, but he didn't know why. He shook his head, clearing his mind in order to focus on more important matters. "Well then, do you know where we are?" He asked. "If you're asking where this building is, then no, I don't." Tyno replied. "Buuut.. if you're asking about where this cell is, then I assume we're in some kind of cult headquarters." Ikiro stood still, staring at Tyno in disbelief. Tyno raised a brow, seemingly confused. "What?" He asked. "Nothing. Just.. surprised." Ikiro said, which only seemed to confuse Tyno more. "Wait, why?" He questioned. "You didn't see their weird outfits?" "No..?" Ikiro replied, now just as confused as Tyno. "I had some sort of cloth bag on my head." Tyno stared at him for a moment, seemingly trying to process the situation. "You couldn't see through it..?" He tentatively asked. Ikiro shook his head. "Oh. Huh... weird.." the man shrugged. "Oh well. We'll figure that out later." He said, grinning. "I.. see.." Ikiro mumbled, still confused on the situation. He glanced around again, still not finding anything useful that could help him escape. 'Dammit,' he thought to himself. 'How the hell am I meant to avoid becoming a sacrifice for some idiot god?' "Aaaanyways.. you're quite lucky to have been put in the same cell as me, your highness~!" Ikiro jumped once more once as Tyno spoke again, having gotten too lost in thought. "You see, I have an escape tunnel at the ready, and so all I need to do is crawl through it!" He explained.

"Okay then.. where is this 'escape tunnel'?" Ikiro asked, quite eager to leave this place. Tyno went over to the back wall, stopping next to a boulder. "It's riiiight behind this rock~!" He said, pushing against the stone after. Slowly but surely, the boulder slid to the side, eventually revealing nothing but a simple crack in the wall. Once the boulder was sufficiently out of the way, Tyno stepped away from it, out of breath. "Ta-da..~!" He said, a look of triumph on his face. Ikiro stared at the crack for a moment before speaking. "You said you had a tunnel ready." Tyno nodded. "I do! It's right-" he cut off once he looked at the wall, his smile fading. "Oh. Shit." He said, quickly appearing to grow irritated. "Come ON! I worked on that for MONTHS!" he cried soon after, stamping his foot onto the ground. Ikiro tilted his head. "Can you not.. make another..?" He asked, Tyno shaking his head. "No. we don't have enough time." He replied. "Your ceremony is tomorrow. I heard those creepy ass cultists say so yesterday." Ikiro's heart sank. He didn't want to die, especially not as a sacrifice. He tried to rack his brain for any plans, yet only one came to mind. It was risky, which he didn't like, but it was his only option. He took a deep breath, readying himself. "I think I have a plan." He said, Tyno seemingly growing intrigued. "Oh? What is it?" He asked, raising a brow. "Well.." Ikiro started. "Basically, we uhm.. wait until my ceremony." Tyno's eyes widened. "Excuse me?" He asked. "No. No no no. Absolutely not. We are not going to just sit back and let you die." Ikiro was silent for a few minutes before replying. "Tyno, listen to me. I haven't finished." Tyno seemed to think for a moment before sighing. "Fine," he said. "Continue." Ikiro nodded. "So.. since there will probably be.. a large crowd there.. I can use my magic to cause a panic." He explained. Tyno's eyes widened. "You have magic?!" He cried, utterly shocked.