Chapter 10

"You know you still have not answered my question." we had been on the run for the last 30 minutes. We were barely able to avoid the patrols, we only had to fend off a few attacks.

"We are heading to where they keep captured equipment, should be up ahead not too much longer now." She said as she looked at me, that's when I see something shiny in the corner of the hallway near the roof.

"What's that?" I ask pointing towards it, I take a step forward to get a better look at whatever it is. Her hand shot forward and stopped me from getting closer.

"If you get to close that crystal eye will shock you."

"What is it for?" I ask as I step to the side to stay back from it.

"They use it to watch everything, it can record anything in its flied of vision."

"So they have been watching us this whole time? Can we destroy it without alerting them or hurting us?" I ask worried that we would not be able to escape.

"Yes, but it takes about thirty minutes for them to get the record. However, if we stay far enough back when it's destroyed we should be fine." She turned toward me as I ready myself to strike the eye.

"Why didn't you say something about this before now? Is this how they knew so quickly that we escaped?" I looked quickly at her

"It didn't matter one way or another they would have known we escaped and because of the time delay we have had plenty of time to evade them when they came." She didn't even look ashamed to have not mentioned something of these things.

"So should I even worry about them then? Is it just visual or is there a sound to it?" I ask still looking at the eye

"There is no reason to destroy them right now and as far as I have heard they still only have visual."

"I get it, well we need to get to my stuff so we can get out of here." I start down the hall and she followed just a few steps behind.

"How's your shoulder?" She asked as we turn the corner.

"I am good though it only hurts when I move." I laugh about it. "On the good note it's barely even bleeding." I flash a smile at her. She laughed at me and smiled back.

"That's good, I am glad you're only hurting and not bleeding that could be bad. As soon as we're safe, I will clean and bandage that wound. So why did you try to break in to here in the first place?"

"Well I discovered some information that said the reason for all the attacks is here. That the one who ordered the attacks is here. I wanted to know why it happened, what reasons where behind it." I turn to look back at her and see what looked to be a look of recognition on her face.

"Wait you're that Zeke, the unclaimed one?" she asked all excited and surprised.

"Yes but I wish people would stop calling me that. It has gotten very old and it was only used when I was still a hero. Now I am just a regular person looking for answers." I look away so she won't see how red my face is got or the look of shame that came after.

"What do you mean still a hero? What does that make you now, you snuck in here knowing full well what to expect. However, you did it anyways the prisoners here talk about you all the time. They say that someday Zeke will return and right the wrongs like he used to, that he will save them. They believe that until the day that they die, you give them hope. So do you still want to tell me you are not a hero?" She stepped in front of me and stopped as she said that.

"It took me almost three years to build up the courage to even come here. Then I go and get caught only a day after I got in not very heroic if you ask me." I say stubbornly. "You don't even know what I have been going through these last five years. The curses from that Damnable god of war, the people who needed help, and I couldn't save them, worst of all the friends I couldn't save that day." I yell at her as I start to remember everything I messed up.

"All you've gone through these last five years, ha, if that's all you've had it easy. You are acting like a spoiled child with all this complaining. People die all the time, you can't save everyone. You're not the only one that has problems, I have tried to escape many times and have been caught and beaten every time for it. The god's use us all in their games, so you're not the only one." She yells back at me just then we hear a noise down the hall in the lull between our outburt. It was the sound of scurrying feet, the kind of sound that you would hear on a farm like chicken feet on stone but much larger. I stepped forward past Areriana as a shadow fell from around the next corner. That's when the smell hit me, a noxious odor like the cross between rotten eggs and rotting flesh.

"Something's here." I say as I raised my spear. Then it rounded the corner, the first thing I see is its head and neck which resembled that of a chicken. Then the body came next which was scaly and green, it had large leathery wings tucked close to its body. It stopped as it got around the corner and looked straight at us it stood at just over 5 feet tall.

"Oh goddess it's a Cockatrice, be careful its gaze can kill you." She says as she glanced down and away from its eyes. She tensed as if to run, though the only way we could get away is if we went through it.

"It's a juvenile Cockatrice, you don't have to worry about it gaze." I say as I ready myself to attack it. I see it cock its head back and open its mouth, so I activate my shield. "Though you do have to worry about that!" I yell as I push her down and then turn to put my shield up to block the fire that was that now bellowed from its mouth. The flames roll off my shield and away from us.

"Since when do they breath fire?" She asked as she picked herself up off the ground.

"Only if the eggs are laid in or around a salamander's nest. Though who takes a chicken and does that, I have no clue." I respond through clenched teeth as the fire finally dissipates. I charge straight for it, it tried to jump up and claw at me with its talons and spurs but the hallway was too confined. So instead it brought its beak down hard at my face, I swipe my shield from right to left in front of me hitting it, knocking it neck to the side. Then I stab at its neck trying to finish it quickly, before it can use its fire breath again.

I miss its neck as it steps back to avoid me, it opens its beak to blast at me. I can feel the heat coming from it as it opens even wider, but right as it is about to let loose a dagger comes flying over my shoulder and impales its self in the Cockatrice's open beak. The creature's head cocks back and up from the force of the dagger hitting it, I look back at Areriana to see her smiling at me.

"I can't let you have all the fun now can?" I feel the ground shake as the Cockatrice's body fell.

"Well that was quick and easy, so you can fight to interesting." I say smiling at the thought of her just taking out something like that and she looked as if it was nothing to her.

"I have lots of experience fighting them, they like to put the prisoners in matches against things for fun. So I got good at killing different things or at least at fighting them." She walks to the Cockatrice's body and moves the head so she could reach in and get her dagger back. As soon as she pulled her dagger I herd a "Well at least you can fight"

I laugh as we start jogging down the hall "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course you can." She says as we round the corner her nose crinkling in response to the Cockatrice's smell.

"What happened to you here? What do you mean they made you fight? Who did they make you fight?" I ask as the hallway widens out to a large round room, she motions for me to stop. "What's wrong?"