God of War: The Descendant

10th Chapter: Kátoikos tou Skótous

Lahar walked down the dark, foreboding corridor and towards the barely-lit chamber located at the far end of the hallway. The sound of his heels hitting the cobblestone floor and the pounding of his heart against his chest were the only noise in the air, each mirroring the other. As he walked, his throat felt like it might close. Every step closer to the chamber brought with it anxiety.

While walking, he thought carefully about how he would act and what he would say after his arrival. Multiple scenarios ran through his head ranging from the expression that must be painted across his face and to the little conversation he would have as soon as he enters the room. He wasn't usually one to get neurotic over a prisoner that easily, but in his situation right now, he wanted to go as far away from the girl as possible. Was he scared? He can't be, right? He was trained, he was a professional, he had been taught to deal with prisoners and not feel intimated. Yet here he was, shaking and nervous to even move closer to the door.

When he was only a few feet away from the wooden entrance, he stopped and fished a golden key out of his pocket with a shaky hand. The key was about a foot long with a rounded handle and a shank with saw-like ridges on it and grooves on the side. He felt a solid heft of it as he fitted its pointed end into the matching crest just below the doorknob. The key grated as it turned, there was a clicking sound, and one of the heavy doors swung open.

Opening both doors, Lahar was immediately buffeted by a light gust of wind which made him shudder involuntarily. He felt uneasy as he slowly entered the dark chasm; the sight of the familiar, tortured girl hanging by chains slowly coming into view.

The girl's condition was the same as he had left her. Her arms were spread and tied up in shackles which were suspended from the ceiling, her body hanging limply with her feet barely touching the floor. Her head was hung low, her long black hair floating across her face which blocked all from seeing her expression.

He took a detailed glance at the metal cuffs holding her up and scanned her over, checking to see if any wounds had worsened. Because if it did, there would be a possibility that she might have attempted to escape, like any other prisoner under similar circumstances. But to his utter surprise, there were no additional marks of struggle. The only change that had happened was that the blood from her wounds dried and hardened from being exposed to open air. Well, even if she did try to break the handcuffs, her efforts in doing so would be in vain. No normal person could ever break free from the steel straps since they weigh four or five times more than what humans are capable of breaking. And the only way possible for anyone to break the chains was through the use of magic. But unfortunately, the cuffs held nullifying properties. Meaning, all attacks that are Magical in nature would be canceled out.

A small measure of relief washed over him once he knew the girl wasn't able to escape. There was no immediate danger waiting.

He walked over to where the girl's body was suspended and stopped a few inches away. He waited for a reaction, but there was none. He called out her name, thinking she was just plainly ignoring him, but she didn't respond. Moving closer to her body, he shook her. But she didn't budge from her catatonic state. Her flesh felt cold. Too cold. His stomach knotted with fear as he feared for the worst.

"Adrestia Polemos?" He yelled her name, the sound echoing throughout the prison cell as he raised a hand to her throat to feel for a pulse. Even though he felt that she deserved a death punishment, he didn't want her to die before trial. If ever that happened, the blame would fall on him.

He reached for her, but before he could even check whether she was alive or dead, someone grabbed hold of his wrist and held it fast. He turned his head to get a look at whoever it was who had grabbed him, and saw the face of his colleague looking at him with giant frightened eyes.