DEATH

They hadn't talked since he had beaten him . They didnt acknowledge each other and passed each other every time.Archeon looked at him sometimes with eyes that always hung on Theseus's mind.He acted as if he didnt know Archeon looked at him but when they came from the mines he always contemplated about it .

They hadn't talked simply because pride wouldn't allow it. Theseus because he had been bested, something every man would experience in their lifetime's, but this was the one defeat Theseus could not accept . That was the one time he had wanted to win so badly , to show his ideals were superior, that he was superior. He had failed because in that moment Archeon was simply stronger, better faster, more determined than he had ever been , Theseus was ashamed ,angry and hurt. This past few months had been the time he had felt the strongest emotions in his life.When he had learnt that his mother was a whore who had given birth to him because of an accident and sold him to slavery it hadn't elicited as strong emotions as he had felt these past weeks , when he learnt that he was going to be working in the mines for ten hours a day every day until the day he died he hadn't felt it as much as this....

In the end he was just a man, and he was too ashamed to face the one who had wounded his pride.

As the days flew by Archeon got bolder and bolder . He formed alliances and deals with the other slaves . Archeon had found a map of the whole slave camp . There was a large catacomb beneath them that had multiple entrances and exits and one of them led to a forest far from the valley , and after the forest was their freedom . Archeon had decided that he would escape with the slaves from this quarter and different quarters.Theseus knew all this because he had been observing Archeon and Archeon had asked him to join him..... He remembered it very well .

Theseus was as usual watching the

moon and Archeon was on his bed .

Archeon had turned around to face him and said " I know you've been watching us , you know what were going to do .....I want you to join us , no join me ?"

Archeon waited for an answer as Theseus continued to watch the moon . This continued until Archeon heard "No ..... You should quit while you're ahead Archeon ." Theseus then turned around to look at the moon again .

Archeon looked at Thesus for a while before he sunk into his bed and turned around .

Of course some slaves didnt join as they were were sceptical, too afraid or doubtful of Archeon . Theseus didnt join as he knew what was going too happen. In his twenty one years of living in this hellhole he had seen many would be liberators come and rise and fall . He had seen as they were easily crushed by the slavers and turned into broken people or had gruesome deaths. After all he had seen, he knew better than to follow anyone who made these promises even if it was Archeon .

He had a small inkling of hope that wished for Archeon to escape from this hell and live out his life someplace safe . For himself he didn't know what he would do with himself if he somehow escaped, he wasn't willing to take the risk. He was content to live his day's watching the moon till the day he died, he thought but wasn't sure of it .

He knew on the other hand that Archeon on the other hand wasn't content with living like this and yearned for something more .He watched as Archeon's alliance grew to over large and the day they tried their grand escape was almost at hand.

Theseus continued mining and watching from the sidelines while Archeon focused on his plans and the alliance every night. They hadn't talked to each other in a while but they weren't on bad terms like before. They focused on more important things and didn't have time to talk to the other.

The day arrived with heavy rain and wind . It was time . The slaves in the alliance acted normally for the rest of the day. They went to their mine for the full hours , had their meals and went to their quarters.They were waiting for the time .

Theseus had told Archeon good luck the day before as a farewell .He watched as the moon rose to its peak and knew it was time .

Dark figures could be seen moving quietly and carefully weaved through the old and dilapidated buildings and red guards in the night. There was a large number of them and they were being led by Archeon . They arrived at a large hole hidden away inside an abandoned quarter .They went through the hole and arrived in a large chamber with tombs and skeletons scattered throughout . They were multiple paths leading out of the chamber . Archeon led them through one of the paths and run as he weaved through other pathways .

On the other side Theseus was watching the moon with contemplating eyes before he suddenly heard shout's and thunderous footsteps from outside the quarters . He could only make out " look for them." from the shouts . He knew Archeon had been found out . He hesitantly glanced at the direction Archeon had went for a few seconds before sighing to himself . He bolted out of the door at the fastest speed he could manage and run for the hole to the catacombs underneath. After living in this hell for years he knew where everything was located and where to go .

He arrived at the hole after only a few minutes and after moment of hesitation quickly run through it and found himself in a chamber . He heard loud shouts from redguards coming from afar. Theseus run through the path he remembered from his memory of the map and after a while arrived in a massive round chamber with pillars and hundreds of large tomb stones in it and a massive Double door opened at one of its side. There was a battle going on, more like a one sided massacre.The red guards were killing every slave they could find with brutality that unsettled even him who had seen some of the worst things happens to slave's . His eye's slowly landed on a man on a corner groaning lying on the floor while blood heavily flowed out from him and a dead red guard next to him, Archeon .He carefully avoided the red guards as he run to Archeon . He arrived at Archeon and tried to carry him behind his back .

" Theseus....You came for me " Archeon said as he coughed and groaned in pain as he got on Theseus's back .

" Just hold on " Theseus replied and moved as fast as he could with Archeon on his back . He tried to run as comfortably as he could so as to not cause Archeon to lose more blood . He run past the large double doors as more and more red guards flooded the room and less slaves remained.A few red guards saw them and ran after them .

He ran into a forest and went to the direction he could see a light coming from. He stumbled on branches and roots on the forest. He could see the red guards getting closer and he was getting slower as he got more and more tired . He suddenly heard a heavy voice

"Theseus ... leave me "

"No "Theseus replied without considering.

"Listen , they're getting closer and closer and were going to get caught . I'm slowing you down you can escape if you let me go . Listen I want you to live your life a free man, a happy person, I want you to have you own wants , dreams instead of just living your life as a slave . I want you to find love , have a family and live life by your own terms . So please ... let go."

"No" Theseus replied .

"Theseus please do this for me . Were running out of time ... so please for me just let go ."

They were so close to being out of the forest .Theseus looked behind him and saw the red guards were not far from them. He stopped at a large tree and slowly let Archeon down on one of the root's. He had tears in his eyes as he looked at Theseus .

"Go"

Theseus with tears streaming down his eyes took one last long look at the Archeon before he ran towards the light . He heard shouts and footsteps behind him as he run . He shouted in despair as he run faster than he had ever in his life out of the forest and into the LIGHT.