The gates of Havgradić loomed tall, carved with sea-serpent motifs and worn by time and salt air. Aelric rode through them, a shadow of nobility and purpose astride his steed. Dismounting, he handed his reins to a wide-eyed stable boy.
"Careful with him," Aelric smirked. "He bites... and the horse isn't friendly either."
The stable boy blinked, unsure if it was a jest, before nodding quickly and scurrying off.
Before Aelric could take another step, a booming voice called out, warm and unmistakable. "By the gods... you're a sight for sore eyes!"
Aelric turned just in time to be pulled into a bone-crushing embrace by a broad-shouldered man clad in weathered leather and steel.
"Sir Branimir Kovačevićson," Aelric exhaled with a rare, genuine smile. "Still alive, I see. You always did have the survival skills of a cockroach."
Branimir let out a bark of laughter. "And you still look like an Elven statue someone forgot to dust off." He pulled back, eyeing Aelric up and down. "What's it been? Thirty or forty years?"
"Forty two," Aelric deadpanned. "But who's counting?"
"Apparently, you are," Branimir chuckled, clapping him on the back so hard Aelric staggered. "Come! Drink. We'll pretend you're still the reckless bastard who taught me how to hold a sword."
As they walked through the bustling castle courtyard, Aelric smirked. "If I recall, you were swinging it backward the first time."
"Wasn't my fault," Branimir grinned. "You never said which end was the sharp one."
Inside the grand hall, the air smelled of sea salt, mead, and the faint trace of nostalgia. Branimir poured them each a tankard of ale, sliding one toward Aelric.
"Still serving that horse piss you call ale, I see," Aelric sniffed the froth.
"Tradition," Branimir winked. "Builds character... and stomach ulcers."
Before Aelric could reply, a stern female voice cut in, "You two done measuring your... legacies?"
Branimir grinned wide. "Aelric, meet my daughter — Lady Mirna Branidóttir."
Mirna offered a curt nod, eyes like sharpened steel. "Father talks about you too much. I half-expected you to have wings and glow."
"Only on feast days," Aelric smirked.
They sat, and soon, the laughter dimmed as Branimir leaned in. "So... what drags the ghost of the North to my door?"
Aelric's smile faded. "I'm hunting a group. Travelers. May have passed through... mixed company — humans, dwarves... a woman."
Mirna stiffened. "Describe them."
Aelric's brow lifted. "Trouble, most likely."
"Apple thieves," Mirna snorted. "Caught them nicking from old Bartek's orchard. They're in our cells... awaiting punishment."
Branimir sighed. "Stealing apples, Aelric? You sure know how to pick 'em."
"It's a gift," Aelric muttered, already rising. "Take me to them. Now."
Guided by Branimir and Mirna, Aelric ran hard toward the prison tower, his jaw clenched, eyes sharp. He could already feel the prickling in his gut—a sense that things had gone sideways.
They burst through the heavy doors, boots echoing off stone. The place was eerily quiet. Too quiet.
Branimir slowed first, his nose wrinkling. "That's... not right."
Mirna pointed toward the cells. "Uh... where are the prisoners?"
Aelric's eyes snapped to the iron bars—doors swung wide, chains hanging loose, not a single soul in sight. Except...
"There," Branimir grunted, nodding at the lump of a guard sprawled on the floor, snoring faintly, a dark bruise swelling on his temple.
"Oh, perfect," Aelric growled, striding over and grabbing the man by the collar. "Wake up, you useless sack of meat!"
The guard groaned, head lolling. "Mmm... five more minutes, Mum..."
Aelric slapped him hard enough to wake the dead. "Your mother isn't here, fool. But I am."
The guard blinked blearily. "Wha... sir? Oh. Oh no."
"Start talking," Aelric snapped. "Where are the prisoners?"
The man swallowed hard, eyes darting around as if hoping the answer would just appear. "They... they escaped, m'lord. During the change of guard. Slipped past us. I—I don't know how—"
Mirna snorted. "You don't know how? Look around, genius. Someone cleaned you lot out like tavern coins after payday."
"Did they head for the gates?" Aelric's voice was razor-sharp.
"N-no, m'lord... no one's seen them... just... vanished."
Branimir smirked darkly. "Vanished, huh? Either your shift drinks too hard, or you just witnessed the first bloody miracle this fortress has ever seen."
Aelric stood abruptly, his expression unreadable but his jaw working furiously. "Enough. Get me my horse. Now."
"Sir, maybe we—"
"No 'maybes'." Aelric snapped. "They're out there. I don't know how, but they are. And if I don't hunt them down myself, I'll be chasing their ghosts for weeks."
Aelric ignored them, already storming out and swiftly ordered his horse to be prepared and left the castle in pursuit of the escaped group.
Earlier...
Concealed beneath a mound of hay, Hoki shifted uncomfortably, whispering under her breath, "One day... just once... I want a job that doesn't start with me covered in hay and regret."
Beside her, Miyx stayed still—silent, unblinking. Only the faintest flick of his tail gave away his readiness.
The distant sound of boots scraping stone drew Hoki's gaze. Two guards, lazily chatting about dice games and the cook's sour stew, wandered off, leaving their post unguarded.
Hoki smirked. "Finally." She patted the hay off her tunic and glanced at Miyx. "Come on, little guy. Time to earn your keep."
Miyx slithered free, his pale eyes gleaming in the gloom as he followed Hoki with the silent grace of a shadow. Together, they crept across the chamber, cold air biting at their skin, every step muffled against the scattered straw.
Inside the cell, frustration simmered like a pot left too long over a low flame. Feredis paced, rubbing his temples. "I told you we couldn't trust her. I said it—didn't I say it? But no. Give her a chance, Feredis. She knows what she's doing, Feredis." He scoffed, glaring at the others.
From the dark, Hoki's voice cut through like a knife. "Still running your mouth, I see."
Feredis spun, nearly tripping over his own boots. "Hoki?!" His scowl dissolved into stunned relief. "I—of course. I knew you'd come. Told everyone. 'Hoki's got this,' I said."
"Liar," Mei-Ling muttered, crossing her arms.
Feredis ignored her. "Faith, that's what that is." He beamed, as if he hadn't been cursing Hoki's name moments earlier.
Hoki rolled her eyes so hard it was a wonder they didn't fall out. "Faith, huh? That what you call whining now?" She crouched by the cell door, fingers deftly picking the lock.
"We call it 'leadership' where I'm from," Feredis sniffed.
"Then your people are idiots," Hoki muttered, the lock giving way with a soft click. "Let's move before I regret this."
The door creaked open, and Mei-Ling slipped out first, giving Hoki a quick nod. "You're terrifying."
"Thanks," Hoki deadpanned. "Now stay close, and don't—"
A sharp noise silenced her. Heavy boots approached. A patrolling guard.
"Shadows," Hoki hissed, pressing back against the wall.
Miyx melded into the dark, form unnaturally still as the group followed suit. They watched the guard squint at the open cell door, confusion scrunching his face.
"Hells... what...?" the guard mumbled, leaning in. "How...?"
Without hesitation, Hoki pounced. She sprang from the dark, wrapping her legs around the guard's neck. "Surprise," she growled.
The guard staggered, gasping, arms flailing like a drunk swatting flies. "Wha—what the—"
Honzo emerged, grim-faced, holding a chunk of brick. "Don't struggle," he muttered—and swung hard. The impact echoed. The guard slumped instantly, limbs twitching once before going still.
A tense silence followed. Feredis edged forward, staring down at the body. "Should... should we tie him? Gag him? Something?"
"Got rope, genius?" Hoki snapped. "No? Then shut up and move. By the time he wakes, we're ghosts."
Honzo grunted approval, dragging the guard half into the shadows.
Mei-Ling exhaled shakily. "That was... efficient."
Hoki grinned. "Practice. You lot are like a full-time job." She jerked her head toward the corridor. "Let's go."
As they crept forward, Feredis muttered just loud enough, "If we live through this, I'm never doubting you again."
Hoki shot him a sly glance. "Good. 'Cause next time, I'm leaving you locked up just to enjoy the silence."
Feredis opened his mouth, thought better of it, and followed—Mei-Ling smirking as they disappeared down the hall, Miyx silent and steady, always at Hoki's heel.
With a sharp gesture from Hoki, the group resumed their stealthy crawl through the maze of stone corridors. Shadows clung to them like old friends, while every creak of leather and shuffle of boots felt loud enough to summon a battalion.
Hoki's whisper drifted back, barely a breath. "We don't touch the gates—too many guards, too many eyes. We go up."
Mei-Ling frowned. "Up? Up usually means worse things... you know that, right?"
"Not this time." Hoki smirked. "Trust me. The higher we go, the fewer who'll follow."
Feredis grumbled, "Fewer because no sane man climbs that high." But he trudged after them anyway, muttering under his breath about suicidal plans and terrible leaders.
The climb was grueling—spiral staircases that never seemed to end, narrow ledges where one wrong step meant death, and torch-lit halls where they held their breath as patrols passed a heartbeat away.
"Is it just me," Feredis whispered at one point, "or does every guard in this place smell like wet dog and onions?"
"Shut it, Feredis," Hoki hissed back. "Your mouth's louder than their boots."
Honzo grinned. "Might be the first useful thing his mouth's done—mask our scent."
Finally, breathless but unseen, they burst out onto the tower's peak. The wind hit them hard, howling like some ancient beast. Before them, the sea sprawled out—endless, dark, and merciless.
Hoki turned, her face lit by the moon's glow, eyes gleaming with a feral edge. "Alright. This is it. We jump."
Mei-Ling blinked. "Come again?"
"You heard me." Hoki pointed to the crashing waves far below. "It's the only way out. No way back. No way down. Just... forward."
Feredis paled. "That's not forward. That's downward. Rapidly. Violently. Fatally."
"Oh, stop whining," Hoki shot back. "The fall won't kill you."
"That's comforting." Feredis snapped. "What will? The rocks? The water? My heart giving out halfway down?"
Before anyone else could speak, Hoki took two steps back—then sprinted and launched herself off the ledge. Miyx followed in eerie silence, his form vanishing like a shadow embracing the night.
"She's insane," Feredis muttered. "Absolutely, certifiably—"
"We don't have time for this." Mei-Ling stepped forward, saluted sarcastically toward Feredis, and leapt, her form graceful even as the wind tore at her.
Honzo shrugged. "Better than dying in a cell." He jumped next, followed by Hattori without a word.
Then it was just Feredis, staring down at the black abyss. He edged forward, peered over, and whimpered. "Nope. Can't. Can't do it. My ancestors didn't survive three wars just for me to splatter on a rock."
Behind him, the hulking twins, Fror and Gror, exchanged a slow, knowing glance.
Fror grinned. "Think he's stuck, brother."
Gror nodded. "Shame. Such a loud little thing. Would hate to leave him."
"Alright, alright, maybe there's another—HEY, WAIT—" Feredis barely got the words out before Fror grabbed one arm, Gror the other.
"On three?" Fror grinned.
"Why wait?" Gror shrugged.
Feredis screamed. "NO NO NO—"
Together, the twins launched him off the ledge like they were hurling a sack of potatoes.
"YOU SONS OF B—"
His shout was lost to the wind as he tumbled, flailing wildly toward the water below.
Fror cracked his knuckles. "Good toss."
Gror grunted. "Been working' on it." Then, without another word, both leapt after him.
For a moment, only the howling wind remained. Then the last of them vanished into the dark, the tower behind them—silent, empty, and defeated.
Below, the sea waited—cold, unforgiving, but free.
Finally, the water hit—cold, brutal, and unforgiving. It shattered the breathless silence as bodies slammed into the sea one after another, sending up great plumes of spray. The world became nothing but bubbles, icy darkness, and the muffled roar of the ocean.
Somewhere below the surface, Feredis' strangled shriek was swiftly swallowed by the depths. "Blrgh—pfft—WHY IS IT SALTY?!"
One by one, they broke the surface, gasping, sputtering, eyes wide with shock. For a moment, all they could do was bob in the waves, stunned and staring at each other, as if silently asking, Did we really just do that?
Mei-Ling hacked up seawater, laughing between coughs. "Next time—Hoki—you're explaining the landing part before the jump."
"Didn't want to ruin the surprise," Hoki grinned, treading water like it was just another stroll through town.
Feredis flailed dramatically, a thick strand of seaweed plastered to his face like some drunken sea witch. "I hate this. I hate you. I hate the ocean. Why—why do you all look fine? I nearly died!" He spat out another mouthful of brine. "And what is this?!" He yanked the seaweed free, flinging it at Honzo, who barely flinched.
"Sea's blessing," Honzo deadpanned.
"More like sea's insult," Feredis grumbled.
Finally, half-drowning in exhaustion, they dragged themselves toward the distant shoreline—slumping onto the sand like shipwreck survivors. Limbs sprawled, soaked clothes clinging, chests heaving. For a long moment, no one moved.
Feredis collapsed in the middle, face buried in the sand. "I swear if I die out here, bury me somewhere dry."
Honzo, shaking water from his ears, smirked. "Dry? After all that? You'll haunt us soggy."
Mei-Ling flopped onto her back, arms spread. "Can't feel my legs. Might not care."
Feredis groaned, sitting up—his once-prized pointed hat now limp and dripping like a drowned rat. With a soggy squelch, he wrung it out, water splattering across the sand. "This hat was expensive, you know. Imported felt. Ruined!"
"Improved," Hoki offered with a smirk. "Makes you look... seasoned."
"Like a drowned chicken," Honzo snorted.
Just then, the first pale light of dawn crept over the horizon, casting soft gold across the waves. A strange, heavy quiet settled... then, out of nowhere, Fror let out a booming guffaw—deep and rumbling, shaking his massive shoulders.
Gror blinked... and then joined in, his laugh a perfect, wheezing echo of his twin's. The sound carried on the breeze—unexpected, raw, contagious.
Hattori tried to hold it, but his lips twitched. "We jumped off a damn tower."
"Like idiots," Mei-Ling grinned, laughing now.
One by one, the tension snapped. Laughter spilled out, wild and wheezing—relief mixing with disbelief. Even Hoki allowed a crooked grin, her chuckles light but real.
Miyx, silent as ever, simply settled on the sand, watching the rest unravel with glowing eyes.
But Feredis—still dripping and miserable—scowled, blinking at everyone around him. "What... what's so funny? Did I miss a joke? What's so damn—"
He froze. A strange gurgle rose from his throat. His eyes bulged.
"Uh-oh," Mei-Ling smirked. "Here it comes."
Feredis doubled over, clutching his stomach. "I... I feel... oh gods..." He gagged once—and out came a small, flapping fish, dangling awkwardly from his clenched fist.
For a heartbeat, silence.
Then Fror lost it entirely, slapping his knee. "HE BROUGHT A SOUVENIR!"
Gror howled, pointing. "He caught dinner!"
Even Hoki snorted, covering her mouth. "That's the only useful thing he's done all night."
Feredis, still pale and horrified, stared at the fish. "It was in me... IN ME."
Mei-Ling was crying with laughter now. "Better you than me."
Fror wiped his eyes. "Next time, we just throw him in and let him fish."
As the sun climbed higher, their laughter echoed across the sand, wild and unrestrained—because against all odds, they were alive. Wet, bruised, half-drowned... but alive.
And for now, that was enough.