Legend of Parocaav: The Quest for Redemption (First Draft)

Chapter XIX: Unexpected Hero

This is the second day of being incarcerated. The Bringers of Hope are trapped with death in the horizon. Drayk and Roku are starved, dehydrated and extremely fatigued. It's rather difficult to sleeping when you are suspended about the floor from wrists. The pain in Roku's muscles are finally subsiding. Blood is stained in the hemp fabric of Drayk's prison garbs. The sound of a heavy iron door echoes in the stone jail room. Footsteps knock on the floor with every step. They sound lighter on there feet than when Sota had walked down.

The shadow of a hooded man shows in the wall before he does. The man is much shorter than Sota, as well as much skinnier. Drayk and Roku are attacked by fear. Down goes the hood, and a familiar face is seen staring at them with a smile. Xel! He had somehow known where they were there. Grabbing the iron bars, Xel's hands start to glow bright yellow. The bars became flexible and allows Xel to pry them apart. He climbs in between the bars and stops a few feet away from them. The sight of the Bringers of Hope in the verge of death enrages him. Xel pushes up against the wall, hands spread a couple feet apart right in between Drayk and Roku. His hands glow yellow once and the whole wall they are attached to turns white for a moment. Xel then taps in the center of wall. The wall cracks and disintegrate into a fine dust, releasing them to the cell floor.

Xel kneels over Roku with his palms facing her. The ground around her glows yellow, The light absorbing into her. Suddenly all her pain was gone. She could still feel the fatigue and hunger, but the pain was no more. Xel removes the leather from Roku's hands.

"Thank you Xel. I've got this from here," Roku smiles at him.

Roku levitates a few inches off the ground. Her arms were spread out at shoulder level. The entirety of her body radiates a golden yellow aura. The whole cell illuminates from her light. Drayk, who is lying down, also raises above the stone floor. Soon, his body is consumed by the same light. Drayk's body twists upright and the two of them lower to the ground. Their fatigue, hunger, pain and wounds completely better.

Xel looks at them in astonishment, his mouth left wide open. Roku helps remove the leather bags from Drayk's hands. Xel steps out of the cell for a moment, then comes back with a pile of their clothes and weapons. He must have found them first. Drayk and Roku change back into their clothes with their backs turned to one another, Xel waiting in the corridor.

"How can we ever repay you Xel?" Drayk asks.

"You don't have to. I am repaying you. You did not judge me for telling Grimm what I did," Xel began, "I owed you the favor. I had seen you get taken down by Mistress Karleigh. It took me longer than I wanted to get to you."

"You have no idea what we were about to face," Roku joked about, although the mere thought of it gave her chills.

"I saw who is here," Xel states, "I know what Sota is capa-"

The sound of a slamming door interrupts Xel. Sota appears before them with a toolbox filled with sharp objects and tools. Sota drops the box when he flinches in surprise at the sight of the Bringers of Hope free, and healed.

"Argh!" Sota yells, "I guess I'll just have to kill you all!"

Sota spawns his weapon from thin air. It looks like a guillotine blade with a handle. This weapon has been used to butcher countless victims, it's blade stained in blood to show it. He swings the guillotine at Roku and she jumps back to not get sliced. The massive weapon crashes through the side wall, destroying it on contact. Sota is powerful, but he's not very fast. Drayk and Xel stand aside as Roku draws her twin blades. She spins them in place very fast, then charges. As soon as Sota blocks the first sword, Roku slashes him across the left thigh. His leg muscle flaps open, gushing blood. She then kicks him in the chest with her boot. He flies through the opened door and straight through the wall as well.

"You're a speedster, eh?" Sota says quite pleased at this discovery.

Sota's guillotine disappears. Two razor sharp daggers pop into his hands. He is holding them with the blades downward and behind. Sota strikes at her with lightning speed, but Roku is able to parry the attack. Sparks fly as the four weapons clashing amongst themselves. This was almost fun to Roku. It reminded her of her life before this. Training under the supervision of Master Crito. A smirk spreads across her face. This mysterious man may be insane, but she no longer has a reason to fear him.

Sota and Roku's blades collide faster than Xel could comprehend. It looked like a blurry mess. The entire building begins to tremor when either Roku or Sota accidentally hit the walls. This structure will collapse if this keeps up much longer. Xel realizes he must buy her more time. He kneels down and touches the floor with his fists. The building stops shaking.
Roku decides that this must end now before anyone else shows up. She jumps off the ground and kicks Sota on the side his head, toppling him over. As soon as he hits the floor, Roku's swords pierce through his hands, trapping him there. Her eyes glow red, as do her hands. A heavy stream of fire engulf Sota. He cries out in pain. A man who has slaughtered for pure pleasure has had karma catch up to him at last. He is a master weapons expert, and infamously known as The Executioner. Now he is burning alive and can't even move his hands to defend himself against Roku's magic. The fire burns so hot it starts to melt the stones beneath Sota. He sinks into like quicksand.

Roku drops the her knees, panting. All that remains is a skeleton of what used to be Sota melted into the now cooling stones. Xel grunts and groans.

"What's wrong Xel?" Drayk asks him, although he is looking at Roku quite impressed.

"I can't hold this building anymore. You two have to leave without.... me," Xel groans.

"Unacceptable!" Roku burst out instantly.

"If you don't leave me here, we will all die. Without the two Bringers of Hope.... the world will be doomed," Xel tells Roku directly, not breaking eye contact with her.

Roku reluctantly agrees silently. She and Drayk sprint towards the exit. They dash up the stairs and out the front door of a small office building. The whole structure quakes, then slams down on itself downward into the ground. Nothing remains of the jail house. It is now just a pile of rubble in a hole in the ground.

Another soul has lost its life. Another they could not have saved. Roku looks over at Drayk, her eyes filled with tears. It seems the people that get to close to them, are shortly killed. The quest for redemption appears to be destined to be done by themselves alone. Drayk comforts Roku as she cries deep into his shoulder.