Darkness seeped through every crack in the underground temple, broken only by the flicker of torches mounted on dripping walls. Hidden behind a cluster of jagged rocks, Liam pressed his back against the cold stone and forced himself to remain still.
He could see the silver eyed girl only from a distance, strands of dark hair clinging to her face, chains rattling around her wrists. The cultists, all Level 80 or higher, loitered around the large chamber, occasionally coming and going while carrying scrolls or chanting incantations near a blood-stained altar. Their voices echoed in the cavern as they prepared for a forbidden ritual to fuse demonic energy into a human vessel.
Every so often, a guard walked past the prison cell, torchlight dancing across the metal bars. Liam knew a single misstep would doom him to the same fate as the girl. Even one of those cultists out-leveled him, and at least half a dozen were there in the room.
"Guess I'll have to take a different approach," Liam muttered under his breath. He edged along the rock face, circling slowly around to the far side of the cavern where the prison cell stood.
It took more than two hours of cautious movement before the opportunity came. Most of the cultists dispersed into adjoining corridors, presumably to gather more ritual components or rest. Only a single guard remained posted by the cage, leaning on his spear with a bored expression.
Liam lowered himself behind a broken pillar, letting the gloom swallow him. The guard yawned and glanced around, then ambled away toward the altar.
Now.
Liam slipped closer, crouched behind crates of strange supplies. He held his breath as the guard's footsteps receded. He glimpsed the girl's face behind the bars—she was conscious, if barely. She looked exhausted and bruised, but still alert.
He gritted his teeth. "Hang in there," he whispered, though she could not hear him. The guard would be back soon. For now, Liam needed only to wait—and plan.
At last, the guard marched off to the far side of the cavern again. Liam seized his moment. He dashed forward in a low crouch, pressing himself against the iron bars of the cage. The girl inside jolted in surprise, a small gasp escaping her lips.
"Who are you?" she hissed, her voice trembling with exhaustion. "Another cultist?"
Liam raised both hands in a show of peace. "I'm not with them. I'm just… stuck here. Like you."
She eyed him warily. Even in the dim torchlight, Liam could see the fierce glint in her silver irises. She tried to compose herself, though her shackles clanged, betraying her trembling arms. "If you're not one of them, how did you get here?"
"It's… complicated," he muttered. "I saw you being dragged away and followed. By the time I got into this pit, the exit was sealed. Now I have no choice but to save both our skins."
She gazed at him, debating her next words. Finally, she nodded, relenting.
"The cultists who brought you here seemed to know you. Just who are you, and how did you cross paths with this evil cult?"Liam asked in a whisper
The silver eyed girl looked into Liam's eyes for a second before she sighed and replied
"I'm Princess Aria of the Astradan Kingdom," she said softly, "though that title doesn't mean much now, does it?"
A wry, bitter smile crossed her face. "I was traveling under disguise, hoping to broker an alliance in secret. Unfortunately, I was betrayed by—" her voice choked "—betrayed by my own cousin, who sold me to these cultists."
Her eyes briefly shut, recalling the memory. "I suspect she formed a pact with this cult, exchanging a powerful artifact for selling me off. I… never saw it coming."
Liam felt a pang of sympathy. Betrayal was a feeling he knew intimately. But he had no time to dwell on the similarities. The cultists could return at any moment.
"Aria," he said in a low voice, "do you have any plan to escape? Any idea how to deal with these maniacs?"
She let out a shaky breath, glancing at the thick iron lock binding the door. "They keep the keys on the guards. The High Priest has one as well. If we can grab those keys, we can slip out through the corridor behind the altar. I overheard them talking—there's a small passage leading to the forest outside. But…" Her eyes flicked to the chamber, where at least five cultists roamed. "We'll never get far if they're all awake."
Liam nodded grimly. "We could fight them one by one, but that still leaves us outnumbered."
Aria pressed her back against the bars and drew a deep, fortifying breath. Then, with a slight shift of her body, she fumbled inside the torn fabric of her dress. She withdrew a small, ornate dagger. Despite its unassuming size, the metal gleamed with a faint, dreamlike glow.
"I managed to keep this hidden," she whispered, slipping it through the cage's bars to Liam. He studied it, intrigued. Strange runes were carved into the blade. The hilt had an iridescent gemstone that shimmered whenever it caught the torchlight.
[Dagger of Dream's Embrace]
Item Rarity: Unique (Enchanted)
Attack - 1000 shadow damage
Effect: Wounds inflicted by this blade send the target into a forced dream state for exactly 60 seconds. Afterward, the target's senses become hyper-alert, and they cannot be affected by the dagger's magic a second time.
Note: Multiple targets can be put to sleep if struck in quick succession, but each will awaken in 60 seconds.
Liam's eyes widened. "That's… powerful. But only for a minute per target?"
"Yes," Aria said. "And once they've woken, they'll be immune to it. Worse, they'll be on high alert."
She paused, gaze flicking to the stationed guard. "If you use it on two or three of them quickly, we can grab the keys and free me before they wake up. After that, we'll make a run for it. Or… something. I doubt we can kill them all, but we may not have to."
Liam nodded, heart hammering at the risk. "One minute might be enough. But I'll have to be fast."
He tapped the bars lightly. "Once I take down the first guard, I'll come back for you immediately—unlock the cage, remove your chains. Then we get out before they realize what's happening."
Aria exhaled. "We'll have to do it soon," she said, voice trembling with the weight of it all. "They're preparing some demonic ritual—I don't think they'll wait much longer to use me as a vessel."
"I won't let that happen." Liam's tone was firm. He handed the dagger back through the bars so she could slice away at the chain around her ankles from the inside. She couldn't remove them entirely on her own—but she loosened the links enough that they'd come undone quickly once the door opened.
Finally, he slid back the dagger. "I'll strike from the shadows. Once you hear the guard collapse, be ready. I'll free you. Then we'll have at most a minute before they wake. Possibly less if they notice something's off."
Aria swallowed, steeling herself. "Understood."
They locked eyes. For a moment, an unspoken bond formed—two strangers, both betrayed, both cornered, forced into an alliance.
In a whisper, he added, "Thank you for trusting me with this dagger. I'll make sure we both get out."
She said nothing more, only gave a resolute nod.
-------------------------------------------
With the dagger's weight settling into his palm, Liam slipped back into the shadows. The guard had returned to stand near the altar, boredly scanning the chamber. Two other cultists lingered by a stacked pile of crates. The rest roamed deeper corridors or busied themselves chanting in a corner.
"One minute per target," Liam reminded himself. "Don't miss."
He crouched low, creeping around the perimeter of the cavern. His heart pounded. At this level difference, even a single slip-up would be lethal. But he'd been in tight spots before—and the dagger might just even the odds.
He found his first opportunity. One of the guards—a lean man with a masked hood—moved toward the prison cell, presumably to check on the captive. Perfect timing.
Liam readied the dagger. He inhaled, waiting until the guard stepped right past his hiding spot.
Dodge!
He burst from the shadows in a short dash of invulnerability, flickering behind the guard's right flank. The cultist had no time to react before the blade nicked his cheek with a swift, deliberate slice.
"Guh—" The man staggered, eyes rolling back. Within seconds, he slumped to the floor.
[System Message: Target under Dream Enchantment. 60 seconds remaining until awakening.]
Liam moved like lightning. He rummaged through the guard's belt—there, a ring of keys. He snatched them up, ignoring the swirl of panic building in his chest. Fifty seconds, maybe less, before the guard woke.
He hurried to the cage where Aria knelt, hands gripping the bars in anticipation. "Stand back," he hissed. With a swift turn of the key, the cell door swung open with a creak. Liam stepped in and used the same keys to snap open the shackles on her wrists. She hissed in pain as circulation returned to her limbs.
"Hold on," Liam whispered, guiding her out of the cage. "We still need to handle that other guard by the crates. If he sees us, we're done."
Aria clutched the loosened chain at her ankles, letting it fall away with a clatter. Anxiety shot through both of them at the noise
"We have to hurry," she mouthed.
Liam didn't hesitate. He motioned for her to press against the cage wall, hidden from the rest of the cultists. Then, keys jingling in his grip, he dashed out once more.
He spied the second guard—a tall man covered in tattoos—leaning beside a stack of crates. Liam's footsteps were nearly silent on the damp stone. He was only a few paces away when the guard turned, suspicion flashing in his eyes.
But Liam called on a skill to close the gap:
Heavy Strike (Overhead) was normally an attack with Stormcaller, but he used its momentum to feint high while stepping around. The cultist raised a staff to block. In that half-second, Liam twisted, driving the dagger tip across the guard's jaw.
A faint swirl of pale light danced along the blade. The guard's staff clattered to the floor as he slipped into dreamland, toppling backward against the crates.
[System Message: Target under Dream Enchantment. 60 seconds until awakening.]
Sweat beaded on Liam's brow. The clock was ticking for both enthralled cultists now. "That leaves the remaining watchers." He took a quick glance around: the other cultists had gathered in a side corridor, rummaging for more ritual components. They hadn't spotted him yet.
He beckoned Aria forward. She quietly rushed to his side, wincing with each step but keeping pace. "Keys?" she whispered.
He pressed the ring of keys into her hand. "Check if there's a special exit door behind the altar or in the corridors. I'll keep watch."
Aria nodded, slipping away down a narrow tunnel the cultists weren't using. A moment later, she paused, gesturing for him to follow: "There's a small gate here!" she hissed. "Locked."
Liam joined her, fumbling through the ring of keys. Finally, he found a small iron key that fit. With a click, the rusted gate in the corner of the chamber groaned open, revealing an unlit passage leading deeper underground.
Aria's face tightened. "We have to risk it. The main path is blocked with too many cultists."
Clank. The gate swung aside. The flickering torchlight from behind them created a shifting silhouette on the rough tunnel walls. Liam's pulse thundered in his ears. One minute per target—both the first and second guard were due to wake up soon.
"They'll figure it out any second," Liam muttered. "Let's move!"
They slipped into the corridor, ignoring the rancid smell wafting from deeper inside. The floors sloped downward, scattered with broken bones and debris that crunched underfoot. By the time they'd gone twenty paces, a frantic shout rang from the main cavern:
"They're gone! Intruder! The prisoner escaped!"
A chorus of curses followed, torchlight flared, and footsteps thundered in every direction.
Aria clenched her jaw. "They've awakened."
"We still have a lead on them," Liam said, though his own chest was tight with fear. "But we can't slow down."
They hurried onward, guided only by the faint glow of a half-broken torch bracket on the wall. After a minute of winding through cramped tunnels, they paused at a rusted portcullis. Liam strained to lift it, but it refused to budge. Aria joined him, both pushing with all their might.
"Come on," she hissed, sweat trickling down her brow. "Just—open—"
With a final heave, the metal screeched upward. They slid underneath just as distant footsteps closed in. On the other side of the portcullis, the passage broadened, revealing a narrow flight of stairs. Above them, faint moonlight trickled through cracks in the stone.
"That's an exit!" Aria breathed, eyes shining with relief.
A roar of rage echoed down the tunnel behind them. "They took the tunnel. Quick, chase them!"
Shouts followed, and heavy footsteps thundered closer.
"Catch those bastards. I want to see how they are going to escape from my temple of Black Ember." Liam could hear Lord Malachar screaming.
No time to catch their breath. Liam and Aria sprinted up the worn steps. The smell of fresh air grew stronger. Finally, they emerged into the night—a small stone hatch hidden behind thick underbrush.
They stumbled out, hearts pounding, the cool breeze on their faces feeling almost unreal after hours in the stifling darkness of the temple.
"Quick, hold my hand,"
Liam called out urgently, extending his hand towards Aria.
Aria, who was still panting and scared from the shouts and footsteps behind them, instinctively reached out to grab Liam's hand
"Teleport!"
Liam activated teleport again, and this time, a blue halo surrounded both Aria and Liam.
"There they are."
Just as the teleport was channeling, the cultists had reached the end of the tunnel as well
"Mongrels, trying to escape from this lord? Dream on"
Malachar shouted as he used a terrifying nether energy blast
"Noooo..." Aria closed her eyes as she felt the blast about to hit her, and she instinctively grabbed onto Liam