Ashes and Oaths

Chapter 54: Supervivente

Amelia looks over the prisoner’s posture, he sits curled inward with his knees drawn close to his chest, his shoulders slumped heavily forward. One arm loosely wraps around his legs while is head tilts downward. His expression is weary and haunted, with deep shadows beneath his eyes and a gaunt face partially hidden beneath long tangled strands of wet dark hair. A scraggly beard covers his jaw and chin. His skin looks pate and dirty, smeared with mud, bruises and grime. The dim lighting accentuates every contour of his thin body, making the bones in his arms, shoulders and legs starkly visible. Behind him, iron chains are fastened to the wall, suggesting he may once have been restrained there.

Nearby sits a small clay jug and a shallow bowl, likely for water or food. There object appear old and neglected, and Amelia can’t help but feel sorry for the man. “Mestre Escuro,” the prisoner said with a hoars voice. “He sent you?” a spark of hope ignites in his eyes. “Yes,” Amelia whispered urgently. “He told me to find Supervivente and free everyone.” The prisoner sat up slightly. “Down the hall,” he struggled to say. “Last cells.” Amelia could see how much he struggled just to sit upright. “Thank you,” she said softly. “I am going to get you all out of here.” She looked at him for a moment longer before carefully making her way down the corridor. She stayed on high alert just for in case another guard appeared.

At the end of the corridor, in the last cell was a elderly and extremely gaunt man. The thick iron bars are heavy, aged and corroded with rust, their surface rough and putted. The man’s body is thin to the point of fragility, and his posture is slumped and defeated– he leans forward slightly, one arm hanging loosely over his knee while the other rests limply in his lap. His hands are bony and pale, the skin stretched tightly over visible veins and joints, suggesting prolonged hardship and malnourishment. His face is deeply lined, with hollowed cheeks and sucken eyes that seem heavy with exhaustion. Dark shadows encircle his eyes, and his expression is grin and distant, carrying a quiet intensity– there is still a flicker of awareness, perhaps even defiance, but it seems buried beneath layers of fatigue and despair.

Long, unkempt white hair falls around his face and shoulders, tangled and dull. His beard is equally while and uneven, adding to is dishevelled, almost feral appearance. His skin is unnaturally pale, almost greyish, as if he had been deprived of sunlight for a very long time. He wears dark robed that were once likely elaborate but are now worn and tattered. The fabric is frayed at the edges and stained, blending into the shadows of the cell. Around his neck hangs a pendant– an intricate, circular talisman etched with arcane symbols. It hints at his identity as a practitioner of dark magic, a remnant of his former power that contrasts sharply with his current helplessness.

Faint, eerie symbols scratched onto the stone walls behind him draw Amelia’s attention– arcane marking that suggest forbidden knowledge. The man shifts slightly when he notices her presence. “Are you Supervivente?” she asked in a rushed whisper. The man seemed to hesitate. “Lady Escuridade sent me on behalf of Mestre Escuro,” she added as she hurriedly looked down the corridor. “Yes,” the man managed to say, his throat hoars. “I am Supervivente.” Amelia’s attention moved to the large iron lock visible on the left side of the cell. She quickly got out the keys she took from the guard and start searching for the right key. “Lady Escuridade said you could take down the magical boundaries,” Amelia said lightly as she unlocked the lock.

“Yes,” the man said struggling to stand. “Get me out of here and I will do that.” Amelia helped him to stand up. She took of her cloak and covered his with it. “What about the other prisoners?” she asked as they made their way down the corridor. Supervivente waved his hand and the cells opened. Prisoners started shouting and scrambling to get out. As the other prisoners ran for the hidden exit ahead of them, screams could be heard from above. Probably just the people in the cathedral panicking at the sigh of the prisoners. Their movement down the corridor and up the stone steps were slow and measured. When they reached the inside of the cathedral, most of the prisoners were trying to get the door open and a few of them were attacking the priests.

…

Luz and his team approached the Cathedral, the architecture feels monumental and almost unreal in scale. The abandoned market square offered little cover as Luz’s team enter the market district where timber framed buildings line both side of the square. Their construction contrasts strongly with the grandeur of the cathedral. The houses and shops are smaller and more rustic, with exposed wooden beams, sloped roofs, uneven textures and weathered surfaces. They feel lived in and practical compared with the polished majesty of the cathedral. They pass rows of market stalls stand beneath blue cloth awnings. The emptiness of the marker was creepy, especial since there were signs of recent activity– wooden barrels sit beside the stalls, tables and displays remain arranged beneath canopies and lanterns and hanging decorations suggest merchants had been trading there.

Luz, Cassandra, Leo, Sol, Lua and Darm make it down the cobblestone paving towards the cathedral. The cathedral rises dramatically upward in layers of pale stone towers and spited. The tallest tower stands in the centre like the crown of the entire city, reaching high into a deep blue sky. Around it is dozens of smaller towers, needle-like spires, and sharply pointed rooftops that seem to compete for height. The stonework is highly intricate, covered in arched, narrow windows, decorative buttresses and ornate carvings that create a dense, almost lace-like appearance despite being build from heavy stone. Wide stone stairs lead upward toward the main entrance of the cathedral, the dark doorway framed by pointed gothic arches, smaller architectural details surround it– miniature spites, layered stone tracery and sculpted facades that make the entrance feel ceremonial and imposing.