The Crimson Champion

Shana Side Story: A Failed Plan

(Author's Note: This side story chapter takes place immediately after the end of the last one, except it's from Shana's point of view, not Lorelei's. I hope you all enjoy!)

After I leave Lorelei, I head to my room and I make sure to retrieve my daggers, then I go and start heading through the castle to my dad's room.

I knock. "Hey dad, it's me. Can I come in?" "Yeah, it's unlocked. That probably wouldn't have stopped you, though." I giggle as I go in. "You're right, it wouldn't have."

I go up to him and he looks at me. "Did you need something?" I sigh. "Can I ask you something serious?" He nods. "Yeah, sure. What is it?"

"Do you...truly believe that what Yuri's doing is right?" My dad gives me a look I can't decipher. "What're you talking about?" I give him a serious look. "Yuri's killed thousands of innocents in his goal of trying to rule over all of Norzelrin. It's not right!"

Dad looks like he's deep in thought for a little while, then he gets up. "We shouldn't talk about this here, Shana. Let's go somewhere we can, okay?"

I nod and I follow him. He leads me through the castle and I start to wonder where we're going when he leads me down. We enter into the dungeons and I'm both suspicious and confused.

I walk ahead and I look around. "I guess this is a good place to talk without being found out, but-" I hear the sound of a weapon unsheathing and I immediately turn to see my dad blocking the exit, with his axe drawn. "Sorry, Shana, but you're not leaving. This is where traitors belong."

I growl and I unsheath my daggers. "I should've known this would happen! Why did I trust you like this?!" He shrugs. "I don't know, but please don't resist. I don't want to hurt you."

I glare at him. "I'm never giving up! Yuri should die for everything he's done, and if you  won't help me, then I'll have to fight you too!" Dad readies his axe. "I guess so!" He leaps at me.

I easily roll past his swing and slash at his legs as I go behind him. "You're getting slow, you know!" He growls and turns around. He tries to slash, but I backflip to avoid it.

I sprint in and I furiously slash at him over and over. He blocks most of them with his axe, but he misses a few and I land some cuts on his arms.

I quickly sidestep as he tries to bring his axe down on me and he gives me an annoyed look. "Would you stay still for one damned second?!" I smirk and I stand still for exactly one second. "There, I did it!"

He rolls his eyes and he swings again. This time, I duck and I slash the underside of his arm, then roll backwards away from him. I call out to my dad with a grin on my face. "Ready to give up yet?"

He shakes his head and unlocks a cell, then gestures towards it. "No, I'm ready for you to give up and go in there!" I roll my eyes. "Nah, I don't feel like it." As he puts the keys on his belt and runs at me, I get an idea.

He tries to slash at me, but I swiftly roll under the slash and snatch the keys, then I hide them in my belt after I get behind him. I start to think of how I can get his axe away from him. "Hmm..."

I go over nearby the cell and as Dad runs over to me, I unleash a flurry of slashes at his hands, making him lose his grip on his axe and drop it. I immediately smirk and I kick it deep into the cell.

Dad runs in to go grab it, and as he does, I immediately slam the cell door behind him and lock it with the keys I took. He goes over to the door and tries to open it, and he can't. "That won't work, I have the-". He searches his belt, but he can't find the keys.

I jingle them in his face. "Looking for these?" He tries to snatch them, but I yank them away and toss them down the corridor. "Sorry, but you're going to have to stay there."

I leave as he yells angrily and I wonder what the hell I'm going to do now. I obviously can't stay, I'll be executed! "Damn..." I decide to go sneak into the treasury.

I cast a speed spell on myself and I sprint from shadow to shadow to get there. Of course, there's soldiers close to the door, but they look sleepy.

As I silently sprint past them, one looks up. "Huh? What was that?" The other sighs. "You're seeing things again. Just forget about it." I slowly and carefully pick the lock, making sure not to make a sound.

After the lock opens, I quietly open the door and go inside. I'm met with piles and piles of gold and jewels. I take some coins for the road, then I look around for special stuff that could be useful.

I eventually find a crossbow on a pedestal and I read the plaque. "The magically infinitely reloading crossbow Avelyn has been passed down the Solaris bloodline for centuries. Its origins are unknown."

I smirk. "Sounds like my kind of treasure!" I snatch the crossbow, and spikes pop up from the pedestal, but luckily I'm not hurt. I immediately hear the two soldiers from before come in. "Who's there? Show yourself!"

I mutter to myself. "Damn, they must've heard that! I have to leave now!" I quickly cast a speed spell on myself and sprint out. The soldiers try to grab me as I go by, but I easily dodge them. "Ha! You're way too slow to catch The Azure Thief!"

I sprint through the halls, looking for an escape route. I think about going to Lorelei's room and bringing her with me, but I hear more soldiers coming and I decide not to. If I try, they'll catch the both of us and we'll be killed...

I swiftly move through the castle and I find the exit that servants use to bring cargo in from the docks. Luckily, no one's there, so I sneak out of the castle onto the docks.

I sprint from shadow to shadow to leave the city, and as I start to go across the plains, I sigh. "I hope Goldie will be safe while I'm gone..."