Valtava: Dragon Sword

Chapter 20

The Hollow Man led Tony down a set of narrow stone stairs, which plunged into the darkness of the dungeon. Only a few candles were illuminated along the walls, casting their shadows as they walked. Tony looked into the cells of the dungeon one by one, squinting his eyes to see who was inside. Some of them were empty, while others were occupied by a body lying on the ground, whom Tony could not tell if it was alive or dead. He shivered at the thought of his mother in one of those cells and could not bear to imagine what she had endured in the years that he was gone.

At last, the Hollow Man leading him stopped at the final cell of the dungeon, which was the largest one. Tony ran up to the iron bars running across the cell and peered inside. He faintly saw a figure sitting on the floor, who was leaning back against the wall, her messy hair covering her face.

"Open it!" Tony ordered the Hollow Man. The Hollow Man reached into his pocket for a key and inserted it into the door of the cell, which let out a click as it unlocked. Tony abruptly struck the back of the Hollow Man's head with a fist, sending him onto the ground unconscious.

"Mother!" Tony called as he rushed inside the cell. He bent down in front of her, examining her from head to toe. She was wearing the same purple dress that Tony last saw her in, but now it was covered in blood. Her once smooth skin on her face was now filled with cuts and bruises, and her entire body had become as thin as a skeleton. She opened her eyes and looked into Tony's, and she let out a weak gasp.

"Tony...is it you?" she asked, her voice barely loud enough for him to hear.

"Mother, it's me, it's your son, Tony," he said, still not being able to believe the current state she was in.

The edges of Amber's lips curled up, but Tony could not tell if she was smiling or crying, as she was so frail that not even tears could form in her eyes. Tony felt his throat burn as he also struggled to keep himself from tearing up.

"Mother, I'm sorry for coming so late. I'm going to get you out of here now."

He placed his arms around her and was about to lift her up when he noticed all four of her limbs were shackled with chains. He looked up and saw that the chains were attached to the stone wall of the cell, creating a crinkling sound as they moved. "Wait here, Mother." Tony quickly ran back to the Hollow Man on the floor and searched him until he found a set of rusty keys. He then returned to his mother and tried one key on the chains. He moved on to the next key when it didn't work, then the next, his hands sweating more with each key he tried.

After trying each key twice, he threw the keys on the ground and grabbed the chains with his hands. "Yahhhhhhh!" he screamed as he pulled with all his strength.

"Tony, don't, it's not going to work," Amber pleaded.

"I have to free you, Mother!"

"No, leave quickly or else the Hollow Men will find you! Please, listen to Mother!"

"I...must...free...you..." Tony panted as he pulled harder on the chains, blood leaking from between his fingers. After numerous attempts, he summoned his mana, and a bright white glow surrounded his palms. The chains became hot as he infused his energy into them, and with another pull it finally broke into two pieces.

He moved on to the three other chains tied to her, using his mana to break them apart. Finally, when Amber was released from the chains, Tony helped her stand upright. Seeing there was no way she could walk, he got her onto his back and carried her out the dungeon.

As he climbed up the stairs and reached ground level again, he was met with a familiar deep voice. "Well well well, look who's here to visit us." Tony's eyes widened when he saw Lord Navarro standing before him, his face slightly aged but holding the same wicked smile that he remembered. There were over twenty Hollow Men behind him, wielding their weapons and waiting to attack.