forum Choking on Crimson Ash [OxO // mature 18+ // closed]

Started May 16, 2023 by @ElderGod-Carrots

tune

The palace came into view, and if Caeso hadn't been so worried about demons and death, he may have been relieved at the sight of the towering white building. But it only brought upon more worry. What was happening inside? He skidded to a halt in front of the gates, the large, overbearing metal gates. Usually a sense of safety, calm, but not anymore.

A fire had begun to weave its way through the lower levels of the palace. It could be seen through the bright orange that flickered behind those large glass windows, that had begin to creep into the gardens and turn the usual lush, green grass into nothing but black and ash. It didn't help that there was ash everywhere. The air was coated with the thick, blackness and it only had become worse as they had run through the streets. Caeso lifted his arm across his face to protect his nose and to stop himself from choking.

War wasn't an unusual concept nor something that he hadn't experienced before. Battle was apart of his life, whether small or large, between his own men or an enemy. Those training sessions that ended up a little too violent. But this was different. Death came quick when you were being stabbed or slashed to death on a battle field, not so much when you were being ripped to shreds by a demon. And Caeso could hear it. Could hear both the screaming from the city behind him, strangers, people he was supposed to protect, and then his own men. Men he was supposed to protect and look after even more so because they were his friends. On the field, as much as he lost men, lost friends, it was drowned out by a multitude of other things, other thoughts, especially when he was fighting, too. Now? Now he was just running and Caeso wasn't dealing with it well.

But when he turned around, Nari wasn't there. He hadn't realised the spirit had returned to his fox form, so he wasn't looking for a fox in the ash and the smoke, but either way, the humanoid wasn't there. He couldn't have died, right? No, he would have heard him, Nari had been right behind him. There was no way he would have gotten caught or snatched away without altering him first. There was nothing, no one to be found.

There wasn't time to think about it when there was a demon, slinking towards him. On all fours, bloodied, red and wet with something black that dripped down its bony body, those claws dragging on the cobble and ringing through his ears. Caeso drew his sword and lunged.

Nari flattened his ears and bore his teeth in a snapping snarl as he turned towards the demon. He could hear it huffing and growling as it crawled through the window it destroyed. Not a large one, but big enough to have weight to it, if he had to guess. The little girl cried some more and scrambled away, and Nari situated himself in between the two. He had to think fast, come up with some sort of plan. If there was one thing he knew for sure, it was that the wasn't letting the little girl die while on his watch. Not when he had gotten to her in a timely manner.

Unfortunately, the only plans he had for the moment involved getting close to the demon, and he could already feel the bruises that would come with that.

Bracing himself for it, Nari lunged at the demon before it had a chance to move first. Just as he predicted, it swatted him away with a brutal back-hand to his ribs, and he went tumbling into a wall. The spirit didn't stop and instead pushed off the wall to jump again, this time aiming for the shoulders of the demon. It grabbed at him, just barely reaching him, but managed to dig its claws into his side and swipe him away once more. Nari yelped and rolled, but pushed through the pain without a bat of an eye and lunched yet again. And again. The demon was getting frustrated, unable to move without getting attacked at some angle from the fox, but also not able to have Nari in range long enough to deal significant damage.

When it roared in frustration and slammed its unnaturally long arms on the ground, Nari took his chance. He bolted up its arm on pure luck alone and sunk his teeth into its neck. It tasted nasty, and it undoubtably spurted blood all over his fur, but his focus was narrowed in on pumping his magic into its veins. A torrent of air poured into the puncture wounds and scattered through the bloodstream. It didn't take long for the demon to collapse with a disgusting gurgle, and there were a few nasty mini bursts where the air escaped through the skin from the amount of pressure building.

Nari hopped off the body once he was sure the demon was dead, then turned to the girl. She was crying softly somewhere in the corner, so he slowly approached her until he felt her hand on his face again. This time he didn't speak to her, and she eventually moved to pull him into a tight hug and cry into his fur. This is what he had wanted to get away from. The pain Ezekt caused. Death was inevitable—there was no need to crave more or to make it painful. No one deserved to watch their mother die in a pool of blood, then fear for your own safety as a child. Nari nudged her with his nose, indicating that they had to go; the fire was burning hotter, crackling even louder, as it got closer to them. The girl sniffed and, instead of letting him go, picked him up as if he were a teddy bear and ran out the hole the demon had created in the wall.

He let her carry him, even if it was uncomfortable for him, until they reached someplace that had the girl running even faster and calling out, "Captain! Captain!" Then he scented Caeso—and demon—and turned in that direction.

If this was the calibre of demon that came from Aerroium, Caeso feared what was to come as they descended the layers of The Under. If the most basic level held demons that looked and fought as these did, then the ones on the seventh later were going to be brutal. He didn't even want to know whether or not he would even live to see what resided on those final layers, but right now he had to turn his focus to the demon in front of him.

As Caeso lunged, so did it and they collided in a crash of limbs and snarls that resulted in the thing practically trapping the captain to the ground beneath its body. He had never been more grateful for the sword in his hands, because he used the blade to block the mouth that threatened to bite down on his head and probably rip it from his body. With every bit of strength, he pushed the thing upwards, using his feet as leverage, too, and sent it flying off to the side, long enough for the captain to scramble to his feet. There was already a thrumming in the back of his head, a claw mark across the side of his stomach, and whatever black sludge had been exuded from the creature sliding down his face. The stench of it all was probably the worst part.

The demon regained its composure and took a running start at the captain, who readied his sword and swing when it got close enough. Steel met flesh and bone, and it sent a burst of blood pouring from the demon's side when the weapon collided with its ribs. At least he had a hit on the thing, but the triumph of the small win didn't last considering he was being pushed up against the wall of the palace by one of those claws.

Caeso nearly dropped his sword at the attack. His chest ached, and he was nearly frozen in time as he watched the demon raise one of those sharp, clawed hands to try and attack. But with a swing that was less than precise and did the job well enough, his sword swung up through the arm holding him to the wall. More blood covered him. More blood and stench and death coated every sense as he was dropped and the demon reeled backwards. But he didn't have time to react or process it when the captain was slicing its head off its body in one clean motion. The head rolled away, and Caeso was nearly ready to collapse on the spot.

There was blood on his face, and black sludge, too, and both had coated his once-white shirt until it was stained right through. It was almost more disgusting than the demon itself. Caeso attempted to wipe at his face with his arm, but it didn't do any good. And then there was a child. A child running and calling for him with… a fox. When they got close, he recognised those patterns. Nari. So the bastard wasn't dead and had helped the child.

He collapsed to his knees, sword dropping to one side as she drew near. And then Nari was placed to one side and the child was in his arms a moment later. A protective arm wrapped around her middle, another resting on the back of her head as she dug her face into his shoulder, "I've got you. You're okay. I've got you."

Nari nearly wiggled out of the girl's arms to get to Caeso and make sure the soldier was alright, not fond of the idea that he had already lost his extra help to the hands of a lower level demon based on the overwhelming stench of blood and sludge. They weren't anything to scoff at, though, no matter what level they came from, so the spirit had to give the captain props for standing his ground on his own after having to watch his entire life burn to the ground. But, he'd also be a bit miffed if the man collapsed right then and there from being reckless.

Thankfully, that didn't happen, and the girl set him down as she approached Caeso and threw herself into his arms. Nari shook off as much of the soot and ash sticking to his coat as he could, but most of it was thick and caked on with splatters of demon blood. Frustrated and sore, he sat off to the side with a huff and curled his tail around his paws, ears twisting to keep an ear out for any incoming threats while the two of them hugged and the girl was comforted.

She cried into the captain's chest, mumbling about her mama and the demons who had rampaged her house. She had been hiding in the floorboards, a small nook built by her mother for a time when they needed to hide, when the demons had gotten to her mother and tore her to pieces. Nari deflated at her muffled and blubbering recounting, and moved over to knock his head over her side in his own form of comfort. The girl peeked down at her fox friend and reached down to pet his head, wiggling his ears. "I'm scared," she whispered.

Nari nudged her wrist with his nose, ignoring how his ribs ached and both men reeked of demon. With a slight string of magic from him, a red beaded bracelet wrapped around her wrist, a symbol of a fox spirit. He hoped it would bring her enough luck and protection that she grew old enough to tell of this story. Of how the Captain had saved her and her people from the wrath of Ezekt. He hoped so many people made it out from underneath the demons' noses and lived to see them succeed.

Caeso hated seeing the little girl so scared. It was just another form of torture that he was suffering through. It was bad enough knowing adults were dying, but children? Kids like her were losing their parents before their eyes and not being able to do anything about it. And then there were the kids who weren't so lucky. The ones that didn't survive. It only made the captain hold onto her tighter. He had to get her to someone safe. Someone he could trust to protect her. He knew exactly the person, if they were still alive, that was. And the only way to find out was to get into the palace. But the little girl was too scared right now to do much, and Caeso knew he couldn't move her until she had calmed down at least a tad.

"I'm scared too," He said softly, running a hand through her hair, "Even us big people get scared. Why don't you tell me about your friend, hm? Did he help you?" Distraction was the best option. Once she was able to move he would take her at the first opportunity. But moving right now was only going to cause her more distress. And if Caeso was being honest with himself, he needed a moment to catch his breath.

The captain made a mental note to thank Nari for saving her life later. Even though he disliked the spirit, he wasn't going to fault that he had done something good. Had taken on a demon, a fire, and saved a child and come out relatively unscathed. A fighter, and a good one at that all things considered, and Caeso may have even considered himself lucky to have the man on his side if he wasn't such an ass. At least he wasn't dead like he had presumed when he had first turned around to see him missing.

Strange to see the man in his other form. It was clear who he was even from a distance, with the same markings and colourings, even the same trot in his step that he had when he was in his other form. Another stroke of luck that he had recognised him in the girls arms. If it had been a demon then well, things could have ended a lot worse for the two Fae.

The little girl sniffled and nodded, turning more to face Nari while still leaning into Caeso. The fox kept his eyes on her to provide that comfort of attention, and let her pet and ruffle his fur however she wanted, even if he wasn't the biggest fan of being treated like a pet. Given that he was bigger than a normal fox, obviously a spirit or at least supernatural, he sat nearly eye-to-eye with her, just a little shorter. His blonde and red coloring was the other massive indicator that he wasn't normal, and also an identification for him. It was a good thing that Caeso knew to identify him instead of immediately assuming him to be a demon. He might've told the man what he was, but it didn't mean he wouldn't automatically assume him to be part of the demon army in the midst of the city's massacre.

Blood—his own—steadily soaked through his coat from the scratch he got from being swatted. It was the most severe of his injuries, as the rest were mainly bruises and maybe a bruised rib or two, but he ignored it besides occasionally licking at the wound to try and get it to clot and clean up the blood. Nari's main concern lied with the little girl, and Caeso, and the city.

"He was amazing," she whispered. Nari's ears twitched towards her. The girl leaned into Caeso's chest and petted down between the fox's eyes and down his snout, which he tolerated by closing his eyes to avoid getting them poked. "Fell from the sky, and talked to me. Then this—this scary thing showed up, and he—he protected me. The thing kept hurting him, but he didn't give up." Her voice lowered to a gentle hush, almost in awe. "He saved me. He's my friend now."

Nari might've protected her and saved her from her inevitable death after getting there just in time, but he hadn't been able to get to her mother. He could've saved them both had he gotten to the city earlier. Maybe she wouldn't be an orphan if he hadn't fucked around and sat with his fear for as long as he did before deciding to do something about it. Ezekt had been a threat for long enough that he had the time to do something. But as much as he wanted to beat himself up about every could've and should've, it would do him no good. Nari was just a fox spirit, not some creature that messed with time itself, there would be no turning back time to go back and save them both. So he took what little solace that he could in knowing that he managed to get to the little girl, and comforted her by allowing whatever affection she wanted.

Hearing that awe in the child's voice had Caeso softening even further, and as much as he didn't want to admit or say out loud that Nari had done good, that he was glad that it had been the spirit and not him to save the child from that building, maybe later, if he remembered, he would. It was the least he could do. He could give Nari that much, even though he didn't like the man particularly. Although, he would admit, that it did make him dislike him a little less, seeing how he interacted with her. Another thought that he wasn't going to voice anytime soon. Charging into a burning building, defeating a demon and saving a kid was no small feat.

But now that they were close, that Caeso could focus on Nari, he could see his eyes. The soft blurriness that lay within them. It would have had him asking questions if the girl wasn't speaking again, but it was definitely something he would ask about when she was safe away from them. Was he blind? He hadn't been that way when they had met in the library. Or was Caeso just going crazy from smoke inhalation and nothing was going to be easy ever again? He hoped that wasn't the case. Maybe it was because of the light and the fire and the smoke? He didn't know, he didn't know if he wanted to know. The spirit was bleeding, too, and it didn't look good. At least he was alive, and if the wound had been terrible he was sure that he would know about it.

Turning his attention back to the girl, Caeso rested his chin atop her head now that she was resting against his chest, "No, he's a stubborn fox." The most that he could come to agree with her. Because if he said 'yes, he was amazing' he would never hear the end of it from the spirit and he would have to kill the man himself. He also wouldn't call them friends either. They were companions, travelling buddies, for the time being. Nothing more than that.

When he was more certain that the girl would withstand being held and moved, Caeso did just that. He wrapped his arms around her waist and picked her up so she was tucked into her side. Time was running out, and there was only so much longer they could stay out here before more demons decided to make an appearance, "Come, I'll take you to someone who will look after you and take you somewhere far away from the scary creatures."

Nari wagged his tail some and perked his ears to show the girl that everything was okay when he heard her little gasp of surprise. He could only guess what Caeso had done, but he assumed it was pick her up from what he had said and how the air moved around her disappearance. The captain had been the right person to go to. Nari didn't know where to go from here, just that they had to get away. If Caeso knew where to go and who to give her to to keep her safe, then that was better than anything the spirit could do from this point on.

So as the girl wrapped her arms around the man's neck and hid into his shoulder, the fox pushed up onto his hind legs and leaned his front paws against Caeso's hip for balance. She giggled as he nudged her with his nose, his silent form of reassurance along with the gentle swaying of his tail. "It will be alright little one," he whispered to her, keeping his words soft and calming. "Go with him. I'll be right here with you."

"Okay," she whispered back, and relaxed into Caeso with her legs around his waist. Nari went back down on all fours, ignoring the twing in his side, and turned his face up to the captain's in silent instruction. They had to go. He could hear more demons closing in on them, still far off enough they were okay, but they would be surrounded soon if they didn't hurry.

Caeso's assessment went unnoticed by him. Nari was hiding his ailment, and ignoring the pain he was in, and it hadn't occurred to him that the man would care enough to inspect him closely enough to pick up on the subtle change within his eyes. Nari hadn't even known there was a change within his eyes when it happened, besides the obvious for him. If Caeso confronted him, he would just deny it out of reflex. It wasn't important enough to make a big deal out of, and he could function enough that it wouldn't be a hindrance that Caeso needed to know about. And, out of anything, he was more preparing himself to be scolded and hounded about abandoning him in a time and place like this. It's why he didn't bother wasting the effort to explain right then, or suck up to the man. If he was getting yelled at, it could wait until later.

Caeso held her secure with one hand while the other kept his sword steady in his grip as they moved. Even if he wouldn't be able to do much with a little girl in his arms in a fight, he could do his best. She was his first priority for the time being. Get her to safety. If he couldn't even do that? Then maybe he should give up hope of saving whatever remnants of the city would be left if he ever returned from The Under.

He led them through the arching gates of the palace, through the gardens that once had been laced with beautiful flowers and plants. No more. They had been trampled and destroyed, chewed up and spat out by the creatures of The Under. Just something else to add to the list of things causing his heart to ache and break. It couldn't end like this. For such a great city to be destroyed, to fall in an evening? The horror of it all? Caeso hoped things would heal in the end. For the remains of a once great Fae city to be all that would be left at the end of all things, the lasting structures that would eventually fall back into the earth in which they came, it was a horrible ending for a city so wonderful.

Through the gardens and through the broken and splintered main doors of the palace, the inside was just as wrecked. The east wing was burning, he could hear it. Could hear people running and screaming to get away, telling others to leave their things because it would only slow them down. From the roof, whatever creatures had ended up that high were slowly making their way down. Down the turrets and the spires, through the winding halls and ceilings. Not much time. But what was making an already heart-destroying event worse, was the fact that Caeso could hear the yelling of his men in the distance. From every corner they were trying to help the residents, the servants, make their escape, get them to safety, doing their job, but dying in the process.

The captain didn't remain still for too long because he had to get the girl to someone. They ran through the lower levels, down into the servant quarters, to the back of the palace. He just hoped the woman he was looking for was still around. Caeso figured she would be, she wouldn't leave until her staff were out. Just as much a soldier as he was.

And the door to the kitchens was already open when they arrived, and a tall woman with long ginger hair, with only a few lines on her face to indicate she was older than she looked, was ushering people away, "Kia!" Caeso called, and she looked towards him in an instant.

"Caeso! Oh dear," She scurried to him and didn't even notice Nari as she ended up at his side, "You're alive, thank the Eclipse, we thought you were dead."

The captain shook his head, "No, still breathing. And I've brought you someone to look after."

Nari stuck to Caeso's side, trotting along beside him with long strides. He couldn't see the state of the city, didn't know what Caeso was feeling or how bad it really was, but he could hear it, he could smell it. Death, decay, smoke, and ash hung in the air. The rot of demonic touch was heavy on his lungs and threatened to drag him down with them. He could hear it, too—their calls. They weren't truly calling for him, but subconsciously, they tugged at his mind and welcomed him into their arms, welcomed him to their destruction. The spirit struggled in his own way as they made their way into the palace.

Though he had separated himself from Ezekt, he wasn't detached. The Death God still had influence over him after grooming him since childhood to be his minion, his servant of misfortune and malevolence. Nari, under another name, another mask, had ruined the lives of many in the name of Ezekt. Climbed his way up the rung of the ladder with his achievements, and become a part of the very army that ripped apart the Fae city before them. The demons intrinsically reacted to his presence, and their very existence pulled at his subconscious and begged for him to join them in their mission—to play a role.

It was part of the reason he had become some nomadic. A lone spirit tied to Ezekt was easier to spot after a time than a wandering fox looking for some no-good mischief. Nari could hang around a spot for a day or so, then be on his way, and no one would be any wiser to his true identity. No one but his friends, and even they were limited to just two souls who also had their secrets to keep. Nari was careful to not hang around places that would draw the attention of Ezekt's demons and influence; unfortunately, though, the God had decided to push through his cage and make his way to the lands Nari loved. He was hurting the people that Nari loved. It didn't seem that way with how often he messed with them, but he loved watching them have fun and enjoying life. Ezekt was ruining that.

Either way, he flattened his ears as they went and ignored all the howls and calls begging him to join the chaos. Soon, his paws hit a different surface, and he could hear voices that weren't just screams and agony. A few times, his shoulder bumped into Caeso to check proximity, but for the most part his footing was steady and his pace unwavering. Nari only stopped when the captain did, and he slipped between the man's legs to avoid being trampled when he called to a woman.

The little girl looked at the new woman, arms still around Caeso, and that fear etched into her expression that would perhaps always be there from this. "Hi," she said. Her voice was soft and uncertain, but not untrustworthy. Even at her age, she knew it wasn't the time to question strangers.

Caeso looked from the woman to the little girl, "This is Kia," He said gently, running a hand through her hair, "She is like my second mother, and the best cook there is. Your new friend and I need to go and get rid of all those scary monsters so you can come back one day, so Kia is going to look after you. I don't trust anyone else. She is the best, and gives great hugs."

Kia tied her long hair back so she was able to see and manoeuvre better without it getting in her way. Even though she was worried about the state of the city, of her own friends, of Caeso, she softened her features into a gentle, welcoming smile, "Hi there," Her voice matched, with that same softness as she crouched down a little so she was at eye level with the girl, "I promise that I'll get you somewhere safe. And that you will be able to see the captain and your little foxy friend again."

It was then that Caeso registered that Nari was in between his legs. It was weird to know that if the fox transformed it would be the other way around. That it would be Caeso in between his legs due to that height difference. But for now, he was going to enjoy being taller, even though he wasn't going to comment on it.

They had to get moving, however. The longer they stuck around the higher the likelihood of them being caught or something terrible happening. Kai had been in a rush to hurt her staff out the side of the kitchen door, and this was only going to slow her down. They had to get out, that was their first priority. Caeso felt better knowing that the girl was going to be with someone safe, someone strong and capable of looking after her for the time being. If it had been any other situation he might have even looked after her himself for a time being, but it wasn't. This was no place for a child. No place for anyone, really. But there wasn't much he could do about it until Ezekt was back in those cages - locked away, shackled and the keys had been burned so he could never escape.

The little girl looked between Caeso and Kia, like she was assessing if he was telling the truth. Nari sensed her hesitation and let out an encouraging little yip, leaning into Caeso's leg to tilt his head up towards her, expression bright and excited as if everything was okay. It must have worked, because she nodded and said, "Okay, I believe you. I'm Meeri."

Meeri. Nari swore he'd remember the name for when—if—he came back. It could be years down the line, but he would remember the little girl for her sake, and to add to his goal of hunting down Ezekt. She was just one of the many people whose lives were being ruined and destroyed because of that God, and the spirit was determined to make the world right again, even if he went down with him while trying. Meeri wiggled away from Caeso and gave Nari a hug around his neck, and the fox lifted a paw to hug her in return. Then she let go and hugged Caeso around the waist, burying her face into his hip.

"Thank you," she whispered, then looked up at the captain. "Please stay safe."

The bracelet charm Nari had given her glowed on Meeri's wrist, and she played with it absently while moving to Kia. She knew that her new friends would have to go. The captain had promised to get rid of the scary monsters, and that she would be able to come back one day. The loss of her mother still tore her apart, and her heart wasn't likely to mend soon, but she at least had the hope that Caeso and Nari would make things better. The hope of a future. She smiled up at Caeso, and though her eyes watered from the toll everything was taking on her, it was clear she was trying to stay strong. Then she looked down to Nari and whispered as though no one else would be able to hear, "Protect him too."

Nari bowed his head in promise, then backed up to his previous spot once more to stay safely out of trampling zone. There were so many people walking around, and with the chaos of the world, he would rather risk Caeso booting him than getting lost in the desperate attempt at fleeing that Kia was leading. The man wouldn't want his protection, and he wasn't quite as keen on keeping Caeso safe as Meeri, but he would give her at least the reassurance that he would try. Then he bumped his head against the man's knee, signalling to him that they should hurry. These people didn't have time to delay, and neither did they.

When Meeri pulled away from Nari, Kia was quick to pick the little girl up in her arms to keep her safe, hugging her close to keep her safe and so she wouldn't get lost in the stamped of staff members currently rushing out of the kitchens. She gave them both a stern look, like a mother scolding her children. Not entirely untrue when it came to Caeso, and she had no clue about Nari, but she figured if the captain was sticking with the fox he would be some form of help, "You both better come back alive or I'll come down to The Under myself and bring you back by the ears."

In any other situation, Caeso probably would have laughed, but all he could do in response was give the woman a kiss on the cheek, "Stay safe. I'll see you later." Not goodbye, because if he said that then Caeso was scared he would jinx himself and he wouldn't come back at all. No. He would see her again. He might lose it if he didn't. He wasn't about to lose both his family and his second mother in the same evening. He would see them all again, he was making that promise to himself now. And if he didn't? Caeso didn't want to think about the consequences and the heartache that would ensue.

At Nari's nudge, he was careful to move as to avoid stepping on the fox's tail or paws no matter how tempting it may have been. But they did have to move. They had to get out of there and get his things and move. The captain led them out of the kitchens and back towards the main entrance. His quarter's weren't far away, but unfortunately he could hear the battling going on down towards it. His men who had attempted to help only to end up dead, or dying, or those who had come to collect something precious they couldn't afford to lose in the destruction. Stupid. Some of them were so stupid when they should just be running away. But it wasn't exactly their thing. Warriors didn't run, but yet that was exactly what Caeso felt as if he was doing.

Round the twisting hallways, avoiding the passageways that had creatures swarming the entranceways and trying to sniff out anyone that got too close. There was so many dead. So much blood and staining and the longer they moved the more he found. But just as they were about to close in on Caeso's chambers, that was when he heard it and saw it.

They were at a crossroads, where one direction led to his chambers, the other to the the west wing, one to the gardens and the other to his men's barracks, and that was where he was looking. Down that hall to one of his men who was currently being torn apart. What made it worse, was the fact that it was being done so slowly that the knight locked eyes with his captain and started screaming his name.

Nari flattened his ears at the threat, not quite as fond of the sentiment as Caeso might've been, but he understood it nevertheless. He had no plans of disappearing or dying, but he also had no promises. If he had to sacrifice himself for the sake of stopping Ezekt, he would. His friends would miss him, and Meeri too maybe, but they'd all be safe from the Death God; that's all that mattered to him in the long run. He'd hate to go back on his promises to make it out safe and to see the little girl again, but it was either him or Ezekt. The obvious choice was obvious.

Then they were leaving, and when they were safely out of the kitchens, Nari shook himself out and shifted back to his human form. His gait hardly changed during the shift, and he was just a step behind Caeso as they went through the palace.

All around them was death. The screams, they haunted Nari's ears from all corners. He couldn't stop himself from turning them again and again, listening to each one as they came and went. They weren't even his people, but the sounds gutted him. Soldiers. Innocent people who committed themselves to protecting their people, were dying all around them. The demons were on a rampage going through the building and taking what they wanted without mercy or order. And Caeso was walking right through everything. If Nari was getting affected by just the sounds, he could only imagine what Caeso was seeing and feeling.

Nari nearly ran into the man when he stopped, and instinct had him moving the second he heard that scream. The spirit hooked an arm around Caeso's waist to hold him back, and a hand slapped over the man's mouth. "Caeso," he warned, voice low to prevent provoking any nearby demons. The man, from the sounds of his screams and the brutal ripping of his body, was beyond saving. He was as good as dead, just tormented until his last breath. Caeso couldn't help him.

The only word that was ringing through Caeso's head was no. No, he couldn't let him die. No, he shouldn't be dying. No, he had to save and do something but Nari was holding him back with a grip that was stronger than the captain had expected to feel from the spirit. He couldn't just stand and watch but that was exactly what he was doing because he couldn't move. Couldn't bring himself to step away or turn his head and he couldn't even call out with that hand around his mouth.

"Captain!" The yell wrecked him, "Please." And the begging made it worse. What kind of a leader was he if he couldn't even protect his own. If he couldn't save his life how he was supposed to. It was his job. His entire life revolved around these people and he couldn't do anything to stop it. All he could do was watch and listen as blood sprayed out from the soldiers body. Stomach and arms and legs and limbs were being torn apart and he was screaming and Caeso could only struggle around Nari to try and attempt to get to him.

Logically, he knew that his friend was long gone. There was no way to help him but he could be there with him in his final moments. But no, he couldn't even do that. He couldn't even get to him and hold him and tell him that he would be okay and at peace after death. Eventually, the screaming stopped, and all that was left was the ripping and tearing of flesh and the crunching of bone that had Caeso shaking. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. This wasn't supposed to happen.

He was supposed to save people. He wasn't supposed to watch them die. To hear them die. To hear his friends dying. The men that he had sworn his life to in order to protect. Had given his all and more to those men who had so heroically defeated enemy after enemy. Now? What was he? He wasn't a soldier, not if he couldn't save them. Would they even consider him a friend in death? Not after he hadn't done anything to try and help, he hadn't done shit. What would they think of him? Caeso knew what he thought of himself, and none of it was anything good.

Nari held Caeso back into his chest, holding him firm in rightful anticipation. The man was strong, but in his desperation he wasn't strong enough against the spirit's grasp. If he had more hands available, Nari would've held the man's ears as well to protect him from the cries of the man dying. It wasn't fair. Logically, he knew that the man was only calling out to his friend, his captain, because it was the only thing he knew to do in this situation. But it wasn't fair of him to put his death on Caeso's shoulders, that guilt that only piled on with each cry.

He didn't want to stick around until the end, but it was too late by the time he made a decision as to what direction he wanted to go in. The halls echoed, bouncing and ricocheting off the walls until they all blended together, but Nari managed to figure out roughly where the hallways were that they had stopped at. But when he hauled Caeso into one of those directions, the screams of that one man had died off, remembered by just the crunch and sickening tear of flesh and bone. They had to go.

Dragging Caeso along with him, Nari used his magic as feelers to avoid bumping into anything because both of his hands were occupied. The air warped around everything in their path and alerted the spirit as to where the objects were, so he managed to drag the soldier without incident into a room after forcing the door open. Once in, Nari kicked the door closed, locked it, and turned Caeso around in his arms to put his hands on the man's face to force him to look up at him. It didn't take anything to know what the man was thinking about. Nari didn't even need to see the vacant look in his eyes to understand it. Those were his men, presumably his friends, and they were dying all around him. And he was their captain.

Eiya, a former pirate, often lamented about the times he had to leave his men behind because they were just too far gone to save, or even the times where it was an instant death. As their leader, he felt every one of their loses as a personal blow, because to him, it was his responsibility to keep them alive and well. No matter how much he said he knew he couldn't always save them, that guilt never stopped plaguing him when he got too lost in the memories. And right now, Nari had no doubt that Caeso was feeling the same way. And if the spirit was falling victim to the cries of the dead all around him, even if he put it off to the side? The man was sure to be lost to it all.

"Caeso," he said, voice firm but gentle, "you couldn't have done anything. His death is not on you."

There were little thoughts running through the captain's mind. Very little, because he couldn't focus on much or anything at all that wasn't the death of his friend. Of multiple of his friends, because as Nari had dragged him away and down that hall to his quarters he had seen and heard others. Had heard them calling for him to help as they died and he did nothing but let Nari lead him away. Failure. That was what he was. A failure as a friend, as a captain, as a man for not being able to do his job. What kind of a captain was he when he was letting himself be dragged away from the action, when he was going to be running away and he was letting his friends die out there. They were everything to him, a large family, brothers and sisters and he was leaving them.

So many. So many of them had called out to him as Nari had dragged him to his quarters and shut and locked the door behind them. He wasn't in his right mind, not anymore. For someone who had been so stubborn and talkative and attentive back at the library all of it was gone in just an instant. Gone because he had done nothing to save his friends. Gone because he was a fucking terrible leader and couldn't muster up the courage to fight harder against the spirit holding him and attempt to help. No, he had done nothing.

And then Nari was holding his face in his hands and forcing him to look up at him and talking about how the death wasn't on him but the captain shook his head, "I need to go back. I have to help, have to do something-"

Logically, he knew there was nothing that he could do. There was nothing he could say or do to bring those men back, or help those that were so close to death. Not even his magic could help, none of it would. They would die by those demons and he would be in here and not doing anything to help them. The guilt washed in tidal waves. Wave after wave as the thoughts kept wracking through him, as he fumbled to try and reach for the lock, for the door handle. Get to them. Help. Do something. Coward. Failure. Your fault. Those words repeated and repeated in his mind and they only grew louder. And louder, until they were almost screaming just as his men were.

Nari held Caeso back, wrapping his arms around the man's waist again and pulling him away from the door so he couldn't get to it or try to escape. Due to not knowing his surroundings, Nari ended up pushing Caeso against a wall, but he decided it was the better option. This way the soldier couldn't slip away so easily, not when the spirit blocked him from the front and a wall blocked him from behind. Had it been a normal time and a fair fight, Nari knew that he'd stand no chance against the other man. But as it was, Caeso was battling the demons of his head, caused by the demons in the building. He didn't have the strength to fight the weaker spirit even if he really wanted to.

Again, Nari put a hand to Caeso's face, but kept the other firmly around his waist to keep him still and to prevent any sneaky attempts at slipping away. "Look at me," he commanded. Not that he could see if Caeso listened, but he made sure his voice was firm and left no room for argument or refusal. "Look. It's just you and me right now, okay? If you go back there, you will die. There is no other outcome, and you promised Kia you would see her again."

Though his voice was firm, Nari's expression was soft, sympathetic. He was visibly heartbroken for the man before him, even if he didn't acknowledge it for the sake of being something Caeso could lean on. "They're gone, Caeso. If you go back, you'll only find more death. I know you want to save them, and I'm sorry you can't. They deserve better than this fate, as so do you, and I know you want to go down with them if you can't help them. I'm sorry I can't let you do that."

There were so many things that Nari could say in that moment. He could slather on the false comfort, the reassurances that everything would be okay, or even go on about how Caeso was doing the right thing by staying alive so that he could stop Ezekt. But he wouldn't. Caeso was witnessing all of his friends and family die all around him—he didn't need Nari brushing that off by claiming he's better off forgetting that and focusing on being a future hero. No, he needed to have his feelings acknowledged and to be allowed to be feeling that way, because it was a shitty situation that was absolutely destroying him. He couldn't go back to help them, though, and Nari would do everything he could to keep him from sacrificing himself needlessly to dead men. That wasn't the way to go, and he was willing to bet that if they were true friends of the captain, they wouldn't want him dying that way.

Nari's voice, that tone that he used, dragged him out of his head just enough to do as he was told and look up at the man. With that arm around his waist, that back to the door and hand on his cheek, the sensations that came with them were enough of a distraction to keep his gaze there and let the hand fiddling for the lock drop. Not that he could reach very well now that he was being squished between the spirit and the wall. In any other circumstance, he would have pushed him away. Told Nari to fuck off out of his space and let him go, but he didn't, he couldn't, because he couldn't find words.

The only words he would be able to repeat or say were the ones whispering in his ear. The ones telling him to fight against the spirit and go die with his men out there. He wasn't acting much like a soldier, or a captain, if he was just letting them die. But logically, he knew that Nari was right. They were gone, and there was nothing he could do to stop them, to bring his friends and his family back now that they were lost to those demons. His fault. Your fault. Your fault. Your fault. They were so loud. Caeso didn't even acknowledge that Nari's eyes looked glassier than they had back in the archives. That they were different and he wondered what it was about but all those questions came second to the ringing and the screaming going on in his head and in the world outside.

Somewhere close by, close enough that Caeso could hear, down the hall on all accounts, he heard another scream and cry for him, followed by those awful crunching and ripping noises as whoever it was died. Not another. He couldn't listen to another death. The demons would move on soon, he figured, since they had already decimated half of the rooms throughout the wing, but until then they would keep searching for anyone that they found. Locked in Caeso's chambers, they wouldn't be, not unless they decided to rip down the door but from the sounds of things they were more focused on the people they could see, rather than the ones they couldn't.

And in response, Caeso wiggled enough to cover his ears with his hands and press his face into Nari's chest. He couldn't look at him any longer, couldn't bare to see how sympathetic the spirit looked in response to it all. He didn't deserve the sympathy, or the comfort, that the spirit was giving him. Gods, he couldn't even fathom that the man was helping him to begin with. It was strange, but not unwelcome, because Nari was more comforting than he would like to admit.

Nari made a small noise that could've been a soft 'oof', but he wouldn't have admitted to anything of the sort. Not when it was in response to something as simple as a man resting his head on his chest. Except the man was Caeso of all people, an uptight dolt that considered the spirit to be insufferable and the worst person to be around. Someone that Nari liked teasing and riling up, but wasn't particularly interested in cuddling with or being even remotely familiar with; not in this sense, anyway. The library was still meant as a tease with just a slight ulterior motive.

This was different. This was Caeso seeking comfort against something that was wounding him deeply and would undoubtably scar for a while. This was him seeking Nari out specifically, and only wiggling out of the spirit's grasp to hide away into his chest and cover his ears. And Nari admittedly froze for a moment, unsure of what to do or how to react. Instinct failed him in that split second to make a decision. Did he let him stay there, or did he push him away? Encourage or discourage? There was no harm in letting Caeso stay where he was, and the man clearly needed something if he was taking it from Nari. It would be cruel to discourage it completely.

Slowly, Nari wrapped his arms around Caeso in a hug and buried his face in his hair, ears flattening to protect himself from the screams as much as he could. They were muffled, but still ear-piercing, and he curled himself around Caeso in an effort to be a shield against the sounds. Bury the man in his chest to ward away the rest of the world. Nari doubted he was much comfort physically. He was well aware of how cool he was, not like a normal Fae's natural warmth and body heat, and he was slimmer than the captain was with just the slightest bit of padding that softened him up. He couldn't engulf the man in his body and heat, but this would have to do as long as he stayed there.

The spirit didn't move an inch, even if he had been initially hesitant and unsure, and held Caeso tight. The only times he moved were to hold him even closer when the screams got louder, and at the worst of times, he hummed soft melodies that were reminiscent of lullabied sea shanties. Anything to block out the screams for them both. He only prayed that the demons went quicker, moved through the building faster, so they could be gone soon and the people stopped suffering.

Even though Nari was cold and slim and wasn’t exactly the best at comfort all things considered, the hug helped more than he would ever say. At least someone was here and someone was alive. That was the main thing. Everyone else was dying or dead and Caeso couldn’t do anything to save them. They were gone, but Nari was still alive. He was here and holding him and Caeso hadn’t done anything to lose him yet and so that was good and what he should be focusing on.

But he couldn’t stop thinking about all of his men, his friends, those who he considered his family, dying out there. Calling and screaming for him to do something as they were ripped apart and yet here he was, cowering away in the arms of a spirit he had just met. Pathetic. Utterly and totally pathetic for a man who had spent his whole life fighting to be hiding. At least on the battlefield he didn’t hear those around him calling for him. Here, it was as if their deaths were on him. His fault. He could stop it. He could help. He could do something but no, he wasn’t.

And if the noise from those around him wasn’t enough his head would not stop. Caeso wished there was some way for him to focus on anything else. But there wasn’t. It was either listen to the screams and death outside or the thoughts going on inside his head and neither were good. He was suffering in every way possible and of all things Nari was the one humming melodies in his ear to try and soothe him. That was odd. For a spirit who had spent time teasing him in the library and especially for someone that Caeso disliked, it was strange. But there was a small part of him that didn’t mind it. As weird as it was to think that, he didn’t mind it, but there was no way he was ever going to think about that again after they separated.

Outside, the roaring and the screaming finally came to a halt. Well, not entirely, but they dulled and faded as the demons moved to another part of the castle. Caeso didn’t register it, he was too caught up in his own head to pay attention since the loudness of his brain was overtaking majority of the outside world. But they finally faded away, and all that would be left outside that room were the bodies of his fellow men that had met their unfortunate demise.

As if he could hear Caeso's thoughts, Nari's own mind turned to the men calling for Caeso. He understood why they had. They were his family, his friends, and he was their captain. This was not a normal battle, not a normal war. They were all scared, desperate for a relief to the pain and suffering, and they looked to Caeso for help. He understood, but that didn't stop Nari from being just a little upset with them. They had every right in their dying moments to wish for someone to save them, but they all had put their deaths on Caeso as a result.

It wasn't fair of them to do that, not when there was enough shit going on in the world right now because of Ezekt. How did they expect Caeso to help them? They were soldiers; they had to know they were gone the moment the demons tore into them. The man breaking down in Nari's arms didn't have the ability to magically heal them or to whisk the demons away from them all and their torment. Them calling out to him was just making him feel as though it was his fault for letting them die while he did nothing and instead ran away. The more Nari thought about it, the more irrationally angry it made him, even if he didn't know why he was suddenly so worked up over the mental wellbeing of a man that hated him.

Nari's ears twitched and lifted some when the sounds of the demons got fainter, but he flattened them once more as he cuddled Caeso further into his chest. "It's not your fault," he whispered, speaking more into the man's hair than anything, the words a hushed mumble. "Their deaths aren't on you. Never were, and won't ever be. You don't wear their blood—the demons do." His fingers combed through the man's hair like a soft pet and detangling of knots. "You're not at fault, I promise." An idea slipped through his thoughts and hesitation, and he went with it before he could back out. Nari stayed silent, but he whispered into Caeso's mind, sneaking his words into the tangle of the man's thoughts. "They still love you. Survival is not betrayal."

The spirit didn't know what else to say or how to comfort Caeso. They didn't know each other—quite frankly, they had a mildly distasteful relationship at best—and Nari only felt compelled to help the man from some innate feeling that wasn't going away. So, not sure if anything was really working, he stuck to the hug and idle playing with Caeso's hair as the most prominent ways to comfort right then.

Nari’s words rung so loud in his head. They pushed through all his thoughts and were loud and clear in the midst of them. Survival is not betrayal. No, it wasn’t, but the fact that he hadn’t even attempted to help them was. He had turned his back on them on their final moments, let them believe that he didn’t care, probably, considering all he had done was let himself be dragged away by the spirit. He hadn’t even called out to them them that he was sorry, that he hoped that they found peace with the Eclipse and the torment ended quickly. No, none of that, he had just let himself be run away by a man he barely knew. Their deaths were on him in his mind. Nothing Nari could ever say or do was ever going to change that in his mind.

The words of the spirit did, however, drag Caeso out of his thoughts enough to remove his hands from his ears to access what was happening around them. As much as his thoughts still remained, the ones calling him a coward, pathetic and a runaway captain, they were pushed to the back of his mind when the screaming and roaring faded. They were dead. His men were dead. He didn’t know whether that was a relief or not considering the state of his mind. But it did mean that they could move again.

A distant, very faint part of his mind called at the captain to stay right where he was. Stay with Nari. Stay in his arms for longer, especially as the spirit had been combing through his hair and that had been far more calming then he wanted to admit to himself. The whole ordeal and actions of the spirit wrapped around him was more calming than he wanted to admit, really. But in his cowardly actions, in hiding away in Nari’s arms, they had lost valuable time. It was something else to add to Caeso’s growing list of reasons why he should probably not even bother attempting to save the city. But who else was there? No one, was the answer, there was no one. Not even the king was doing anything, and Caeso had good reason to believe the man was long gone from anywhere in the surrounding lands.

Finally, albeit a bit reluctantly, Caeso pulled away from Nari. He refused to look at the spirit. To lift his head upwards and tilt it the entire way. He couldn’t face him, as much as Nari was the one who had been comforting him and saying it wasn’t his fault, he couldn’t face anyone right now. The captain, a little shakily, grabbed Nari’s hands in his own and lowered them to the spirits side, gently pushing the man away so he was no longer backed against the wall, “We need to hurry.” Came his only reply as he slipped out of the spirit’s space.

Nari didn't resist when Caeso pushed him away. He had no need to, even if he kind of liked the warmth that had steadily seeped into his skin, not a lot, and it vanished the moment its source backed away and removed that contact between them. What he did do, though, was stop Caeso with an outstretched hand. "Hey," he called softly. When the captain wasn't moving, Nari put on a wry little smile and ghosted his curled fingers over the man's nose in a gentle grab, which was more a flick than a grab. He was lucky he guessed right. "Don't rush too much, yeah? You'll forget something." And if the man needed the time to recoup, then he should take it.

With that, Nari let Caeso go and even took a step back to give him space, and a signal that he won't be bothered anymore. His smile dropped the second he faced the wall again, once he was pretty sure the captain wasn't paying attention to him.

Nari had a headache. The spirit tried ignoring it all, but it wasn't easy. It had been easier when he had Caeso to distract him, but it was just assaulting him at this point. The screaming still echoed in his ears, no matter how tightly he flattened them to his head, and the voices. The urges had graduated to voices, all howling for him to join the fight, to stop resisting Ezekt and repent. How many times had Nari repented, only for it to all be for naught because he couldn't help himself? It would never be enough for Ezekt, and he knew that. The most it had done was destroy his health and sanity to nearly the brink of being a walking corpse.

And the rot. Death permeated the air and annihilated his nose, invading his senses until he couldn't focus on anything but the decay of the demons and the bodies. He could smell the blood and guts spilling across the floor, enough so that he could picture it. Nari sucked in a breath to calm himself and block it all out, but it just made it all worse. Sometimes. Sometimes he wished he hadn't ever been born the way he was. It was beyond exhausting, and had been the source of all his problems since day one. Makota, of course, would smack him if she knew he was thinking such things again. But he just couldn't stand it in times like this. The screams, the howling, the death clinging to him like a second skin—it was making his very being curl up like a dying bloom.

Caeso was tempted to make a comment about the flick to his nose, but decided against it. He wasn't in the mood for teasing or games. They didn't need this wasted time catching up on them eventually. Everything caught up in the end, as much as he hated that it would. He wished that they had more time, that he had more time to recover and gain his bearings and his sanity. But, as it was, he did need to rush, if only just a little. His little breakdown had cost them valuable time and from what he could guess from a brief look over his shoulder at the spirit, as much as the other had his back turned, they both needed to get out of there.

The longer they stuck around the higher the chance of being found. Caeso had no doubt that a demon would come crawling through the window or try to tear down that door at any minute. And if they didn't get to them then the fires certainly will. There were only two exits to his part of the castle - the one they had come through, and the one they would inevitably leave through. The one they had entered from he had no doubt would be blocked, and either way, would be riddled with bodies that Caeso wasn't ready to face, and so there was only one other option. If that one went down then they would be forced to backtrack, which would cause them both more harm than good and increase their likelihood of an early death. Neither was wanted.

It was why he was so quick to grab his travelling bag and kit and through them together on his bed. His sword was still at his side, but extra daggers and knives, medical supplies, the bits of food from the last trip, a water canister, or two, just in case, and anything else that might be needed. A few changes of clothes but he had a feeling that they wouldn't be in any place that would warrant changing unless necessary. Essentially he was packing for war, which was exactly what it was.

And his heart ached as he took a final look at the room he had spent so long residing in. Would he ever return? If he did, would it even be here when they got back? Caeso didn't want to spend too long thinking about it. If he did he probably wouldn't leave and go join the fight, if there was anyone left to fight with. By now there were no cries from the hallways in the general vicinity which he was more than relieved about, but he could smell the death and decay already. They needed out. It was why, when he moved back towards Nari and gently pushed him out the way of the door wordlessly to unlock it, he grabbed the spirit's wrist. It was an action that he did without thinking and from instinct. He had done it far too many times in other situations. Now that his head was cleared, too, he remembered how glassy Nari's eyes had been and made a note to ask about it.

Peering around the door, making sure there were no demons hiding away waiting for them to leave, the captain led them out, "Let's go get your things."

Just to drown out all the noises and pain ringing through his ears, Nari focused on the subtle sounds of Caeso moving around and packing things up. His ears twitched here and there to follow the direction of the sounds, but otherwise stayed flat and stubborn in his quest to block everything out as best as he could. Eventually, it would all go away. Either he and Caeso would leave the palace and be on their way, or the demons would let up at some point. That was the only thing that kept him from going completely insane from it all, especially as the howls turned into cries and phantom claws digging into his bones, dragging him towards the chaos of the demon's violence.

In all honesty, he had forgotten about going back to his den to get his own things for the journey. His focus had been on Caeso for so long—an unusual feat for him, a nomad only interacting for the sake of entertainment—that his half of the task had slipped his mind. Even listening to the man gather his things, then go silent as he presumably surveyed the room, didn't even jog his memory. He was thinking about his friends, though. About how Caeso was losing all of his in a matter of seconds and minutes within each other, while Nari's were off doing Gods know what, with no way to tell if they were alive or dead or enslaved in some way.

Was Ezekt going to go after them too? Eiya was a slippery bastard, a pirate captain through and through, even if long retired. If anyone could outsmart the hands of the Death God, it would be him. Greed motivated him absolutely to a fault, but spite and pettiness overruled that greed sometimes, and he'd suddenly lose that trait in the face of being a dick right back. If Ezekt offered him anything, he'd never accept. The man had watched Nari crawl out of his chains and even dragged him through the mud to get him to where he was today (Nari still believed that particular mud-bath wasn't necessary and rather a cruel and unusual punishment). And Maikota was strong-willed and strong-hearted, with morals that only she knew but stuck to them like glue. Her intuition was like no other, and had more often than not gotten Nari and Eiya into trouble with her. Nothing would be able to sway her from her stance, and she was just as wily as Nari and Eiya when she wanted to be. If demons came after her, Nari pitied them for the tongue-lashing they'd get.

But, as much as he believed his friends would be okay, that wasn't a guarantee. They could be caught off guard, or rendered helpless and dragged into submission, if not death. The soldiers that had been Caeso's friends were capable warriors, but not capable enough to take down an onslaught of demons. Nari would never know until he saw his friends if they were alive, while the captain knew in horrifying detail the status of them.

Then Nari was suddenly being touched, pushed gently out of the way of the door. The captain was done. Already? He opened his mouth to say something, ask if Caeso was ready maybe, but he startled again at the touch around his wrist. His mouth closed, and he turned his attention to the opening door with the slightest of perplexed expressions but not a word about it. Now wasn't the time. "Right, yes, my stuff. We better hurry if we don't want a run-in."

Caeso peered around the door, and he was lucky that it made no noise when he did so. No demons. Nothing around. Good, made things a bit easier. Well, as easy things could get in the grand scheme of it all. With only a moment's hesitation the captain led them out of his chambers and he sent a silent prayer that one day he could return to the comfy bed and the array of trinkets he had collected over the years of worlds and kingdoms he had visited. If they even were still there when he got back. There was a chance that the whole palace could be burned to the ground and be nothing but a pile of rubble and ash. He hoped that wasn't going to be the case. He hoped he was able to come home. Even if he did, nothing would ever be the same again.

The captain didn't want to count how many of his friends - his family, were dead. He didn't want to go out there and race the carnage and the bodies that would no doubt still be there when he returned. If he returned. There would be a mass clean up and the whole city would need to be rebuilt from the ground up again. Fuck, would the king even come back? The man was, as much as Caeso loved him like another father, a coward at heart. The captain hadn't been afraid to tell him so and he had gotten in a lot of shit for doing so, but someone had to tell the man the truth. It was why, when Caeso had been commanded to try and fix things without any other direction before the man had fled, he had known that the chances of him coming back at the end of it all were slim. Not unless by some miracle Caeso - and now Nari - pulled this stunt off, but still, his doubts were high. And with no king, half of Caeso's friends dead… there would most likely not even be an option for a kingdom to rebuild.

He could only hope and focus on the present, which right now, resulted in getting them out of the burning castle and the maze of bodies safe and alive. And the man didn't let go of Nari's wrist as he led them out, the door quietly shutting behind them. Caeso turned left, down the other end of the hall. He did his best to avoid looking down, avoiding his gaze from the bodies and refusing to track where streams of blood led to others that he couldn't see. Get out. It was the only thought that was going through his head. Get out. Get out now.

The hall wasn't long and descended down a stairway to the lower basement of the palace. When they reached the bottom, it was another crossroad. One way led to the dungeons, the other to storage, and one to a tunnel that led out of there. He'd never had to use it before, never had the need to. He knew of it as it was his job to know the layout of the palace back to front and inside out, but it had been a while since he had been down there. That was when he finally let go of Nari's wrist.

A graveyard. That's what the city was now, what the palace was. A blind man could feel it in the eerie stillness of the air. It felt haunted already. A building lacking in carved-out stones, with souls adrift and no earthen blanket to keep them warm. Nari had no doubt that some of them would become spirits, just like him—reincarnated into a supernatural being as a form of balance to the injustice, born from the fiery heat of revenge searing into their souls in their last moments. He wondered how many would come back to Caeso in time, if the man would be more receptive to them than he had been to Nari. Hopefully, for the sake of both the captain and the fallen soldiers.

There was no telling what would happen to the city after everything cooled down, or even when Ezekt was detained if the two of them managed to accomplish that impossible feat. There was a high possibility people would want to move as far away from there as possible, never to return to the site of the slaughter. The city would become nothing but memories and a ghost town, while the Fae people scattered or migrated to somewhere new. Or, by some stroke of luck, the haunted state of it wouldn't be enough to drive people away from their home and instead everyone would slowly filter back in and rebuild. The population would be nowhere near what it used to be, the glory it held not as illustrious and fantastical as it once was, but with time the Fae would restore their home and their hearts.

And Nari… if he survived, Nari would go back adrift. Hardly home and always up to no good. He and Caeso wouldn't have to be stuck with one another for any longer, the captain would no longer have to worry about the spirit he hated. Never to see each other again, most likely, just as it had been before. Caeso would likely forget all about him soon after they split up, if he was honest with himself. Maybe have memories of an annoying fox that nipped at his heels at all hours of the day while he tried to save his people from the Death God.

Caeso started moving, and Nari let himself be led around the palace by that grip on his wrist. Usually he'd complain about being dragged around like a dog, but now was a delicate situation and he wasn't even entirely sure Caeso knew what he was doing. The smell, though, only got worse as they walked. The movement in the otherwise still space rustled the scents, wafting them into Nari's space and invading his senses. He did his best to ignore it and keep going, and it worked for the most part. It was especially easy to lose his focus on that when Caeso let go of him. Nari lightly pressed his fingertips against the nearest wall to catch his bearings. "Do you know where you're going?" he asked, though he kept his voice hushed.

Caeso hadn't even thought about whether or not those that had died in the palace would return as spirits. Definitely hadn't thought of the possibility of them returning for the chance to return to him and see him. And if he did, he would have figured that the only reason as to why would be to shame and guilt him further for the fact that he had left them to die, rather than coming to say hello. All the captain could hope for was peace for them. Peace in death. Peace so they could rest in whatever world they ended up in next, Above or Under, regardless of what happened to them next. They deserved that after a death that had been so tragic and unwarranted. He didn't know if he would ever be able to say the same for himself, or hope for peace in death, with the guilt that followed him around and weighed heavier on his shoulders with every death.

In the dark of the tunnel, Caeso used the little light from the candles that had led the path down there to form another of his orbs of light. It flickered much like the flames from the candles it had come from had been, and for a moment he was worried it would burn out, but it glimmered in his palm. He wanted to make sure the path was somewhat safe - at least secure - before they ventured down there. With a small push, the captain sent the orb floating slowly down the correct tunnel. The light bounced off the walls and for a while he was silent, watching and accessing, as it travelled further and further away until eventually, it was only a small dot in the distance. Then it came whizzing back to his hand. Caeso knew the tunnel didn't go much further than that, and so, he deemed it safe.

Then he was turning back to Nari, "More or less," Because he hadn't been down there for a while, and for all he knew, there could be another tunnel that had been created without his knowledge since his last visit, "But it's out only way out." They certainly couldn't go back up to the palace. Even though Caeso presumed that by now the demons had moved to an entirely different part of the palace, he didn't want to face the bodies lying up there. If they went up, he would have to see each one that had died, even more so than when they had first entered the palace, and he wouldn't be able to stop himself from ever leaving if he did that. Only as a last resort, "Are you- Are you good?"

Was it really the right question or time to ask? Probably not. But Caeso tracked the spirit's movements, how Nari leaned to the nearest wall. Maybe it was a lead-in to his questions about whether or not the man could actually see. But regardless, would Nari be truthful? Caeso didn't know and didn't know whether or not he should ask him now or later.

More or less. Nari supposed he could take that as an answer, because it wasn't as though he knew his way around the palace to judge whether or not the captain knew the layout. Plus, it was reasonable to assume from the dusty and stale hint to the air that this section wasn't used much, or at least not often enough to be polished and cleaned on the regular. They were going through an escape route, he realized. A backdoor. The bodies from above blocked the way from where they came, and the demons could still be there if they decided to linger for whatever reason. A hope for extra snacks, maybe, hiding about until they thought it safe to leave.

Caeso should've checked the tunnel for anything dangerous, but the spirit did his own, perking his ears and twisting them to see if he could pick up on any sound. Nothing of importance immediately jumped out at him, and the demons were gruff enough to make some sort of noise even while idle, so he turned his attention back to the captain, expectantly waiting for them to move on and get out of here.

Except Caeso didn't move. In fact, he did the opposite and talked to Nari, asking him if he was good. The spirit cocked his head and his brows twitched in confusion. He wasn't following the sudden question. "I mean, I'm getting a headache from the smell and everything, but I'm fine." He hadn't said anything, never expressed discomfort or any sort of complaint, so why was Caeso asking out of the blue? It didn't occur to him that Caeso might've caught on to his lack of sight and that's what he was asking about. His touch to the wall fell, as if he had simply been looking for a brief bit of stability and balance, and he knew that he was holding the man's gaze well enough to not be out of ordinary purely from practice at judging where he heard a voice then looking up. Surely it was too early for someone to catch onto his tells, read into the subtle changes in behavior and link it to blindness. Caeso especially, who didn't like him and would rather he not be in the same space as Nari. He was the last person to watch the spirit long enough and closely enough to figure it out.

And either way, it still wasn't the time regardless of what Caeso had picked up on. They had a palace to escape, then a short trek to Nari's place for him to gather his things for the trip into the Under. Maybe a quick note to tell his friends what he had done and where he had gone before they came looking for him and found nothing. If there was a time to check in and ask about things, it would be then while they didn't have the threat of demons bearing down on them.