Winston growled and launched himself at the exit, but it was to no avail. He jerked to a stop halfway, frozen in the air. Winston yipped in surprise, but he didn’t give up. Every ounce of energy within him burst out in a flash of brilliant gold. Commander Thalysar let out a small cry of surprise, but Winston still couldn’t escape his hold. When the light finally cleared, Winston whined in frustration.
Thalysar was still seated in his chair, sipping from a glass as if nothing had happened. All around him were dozens of shards of golden energy. Spears and blades and orbs surrounded him, but none moved. Winston tried to will them forward, but they wouldn’t comply. Surrounding each of them was Thalysar’s mana, restraining their movement. For a second, Winston thought Thalysar was doing the same thing to him as he was to the projectiles, but after a quick examination, he found that he was wrong. There was no mana around him—it was something else.
“That was very impressive,” Thalysar smiled. “You might’ve actually escaped if I hadn’t been here. Thank you for giving us such an excellent demonstration of your abilities.”
Winston bared his teeth at the Caltheran, trying desperately to free himself. It was strange. He could move his face and paws, but his limbs were locked in place.
“Now, I would like to apologize for something,” He sighed. “That thing about having to cut you open…was a lie. I just wanted to further incentivize your escape.”
Winston growled.
“Worked like a charm. It always does.”
Winston closed his eyes, putting every ounce of his energy into moving a single orb of hyper-condensed energy. It strained against the commander's hold, inching closer to him.
Thalysar chuckled, “My, my, aren’t you a feisty little one?” He took another sip of his drink. “Now then, I think it’s about time to bring you back down—”
Winston roared in defiance, invading Thalysar’s mind. Winston drove his will forward like a wedge, but it wasn’t enough. Thalysar’s defenses were like nothing he’d seen before. Within moments, he was pushed out. But he didn’t care. In the brief moment that Thalysar lost his concentration, Winston made his move.
[Mental Manipulation lvl 1 → Mental Manipulation lvl 2]
A dozen blades of golden energy crashed into Thalysar. Then came the orbs; they struck him all at once. Thalysar shouted in alarm as he was blasted into the wall. Winston watched him crash through the cabinets in the kitchenette and fly out of the tent. As much as he wanted to see how much damage he’d done, he couldn’t waste time. He dashed through the tent, weaving through obstacles. He was almost there.
But he wasn’t fast enough. Mid-leap, he found himself frozen once more. He let out a small cry, but there was nothing more he could do. Before him, Thalysar descended, hovering a foot above the ground. His clothes were ripped to shreds, but there wasn’t a single mark on his body. Then, he began to laugh.
“That—that was amazing!” Thalysar shouted in between laughs. “I don’t think anyone’s ever been able to do something like that!” Thalysar bent down in front of Winston and turned his head. “See here?” He pointed at a small bruise on his temple. “You’re the first creature to manage to hurt me since we got here! Even Acolyte-tier beasts are barely a challenge anymore!”
As Thalysar blabbered on, Winston looked around. The tent was filled with dozens of Caltherans, all staring at them with a mix of amusement and confusion.
Thalysar looked around sheepishly before apologizing. He grabbed Winston and strode back to the now-destroyed kitchenette.
Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
As he was carried back down the ladder, Winston stared blankly forward. Had that…all been a ploy? Winston growled in frustration.
As Thalysar made his way into the main underground chamber, Winston looked around. The two guards that he’d taken control of earlier were leaning against a wall, unconscious. The Acolyte 1 woman was standing at the center of the room. As she saluted, Winston looked for any mark on her clothes or body from the attack he had launched at her. After a moment of searching, he couldn’t find anything.
Thalysar walked over to a different door than he’d been put through last time. Setting Winston down, he inserted a key.
For a moment, Winston considered making a run for it, but he knew Thalysar could stop him. Winston tilted his head. What had Thalysar used against him? He’d still been able to move his paws and jaw, but his torso had been completely frozen. And why hadn’t gravity affected him?
He looked up at the door before him. Unlike the previous one, it had no openings. Just four inches of metal. The material was different as well, with the metal on the inside emitting a faint red glow.
Winston walked in, waiting for the door to slam behind him. To his surprise, Thalysar came in as well.
Winston looked around in wonder. The room was at least ten times the size of his previous cell, with grass and even a pond. It was well-lit, with several padded sections scattered across.
“You didn’t think we were actually going to trap you in some cramped cell like that, did you?” Thalysar said, smirking at the incredulous look on Winston’s face. “That was just to…encourage you to try and break free.”
Winston growled. Thalysar seemed to think that he was doing Winston a great kindness. While the cell was certainly nicer, it didn’t change what it was. A prison.
Winston had already disliked the commander, especially after how Thalysar had manipulated him, but the commander’s self-righteousness made him even angrier. What right did Thalysar have to lock him up down here? To take him from Erynd?
Thalysar bent down and pulled off Winston’s spatial ring, inspecting it. After a moment, he spoke.
“I’ll let you keep this,” Thalysar said, “Consider it a gesture of goodwill. Of course, we’ll still have to search it on occasion. We wouldn’t want you to have anything dangerous in there.” Thalysar smiled. “And that includes these monster parts.”
Winston refused to acknowledge Thalysar, not even looking at him until he heard the door to the cell slam closed behind him. Winston turned and looked at the spatial ring sitting behind him. After a few moments of effort, Winston managed to slip it onto his ankle. Just like Thalysar had said, the remaining beast parts that he’d had were gone, leaving the ring completely empty.
With a sigh, Winston wandered further into the room.
Instead of a single orb of light like the last cell, there were dozens, keeping every corner of the room lit. Winston took a lap around the room. It was large, to say the least. He’d say it was about the size of his home back on Earth. Other than the grass and pond, there was a small, stone overhang against the wall. Scattered across the room were multiple padded areas, with one of them under the overhang.
After he’d explored the whole cell, Winston walked back towards the door. As he walked, he glanced up, but the ceiling was as unadorned as the other cell.
Once he was at the door, he plopped down and began channeling, a golden shard of energy forming before him. Winston condensed it until it glowed a deep amber, and then he shot it at the door. There was a clang, and it bounced off. Winston felt an unilateral amount of energy drain from it, but he kept attacking.
Finally, the shard’s energy was depleted, and it dispersed into golden mist. Winston tilted his head, trying to figure out why. The shard should’ve lasted at least twice as long. The metal seemed like it was draining the energy with every hit. Taking a deep breath, Winston cautiously pressed a paw against it.
Nothing. Winston let out a sigh of relief. With a thought, he conjured another shard of energy. This time, instead of repeatedly bashing it against the door, he just pressed it against it. Within seconds, the shard was gone.
Stepping forward, Winston inspected the spot that he’d been hitting with the shard. There was a small chip, barely wider than a hair. Winston sighed, he knew the door was 4 inches thick, and the red metal that he was attacking made up almost half of it. He would never get through like this.
Looking down at his feet, he found a few tiny specks of the metal. He deposited them in his spatial ring and, on a whim, tried to sell them to the shop.
[Would you like to sell ‘Pyroclast Steel’ for 1.6 credits?]
Winston’s eyes widened. Just a few flakes were worth that much? He turned back to the door, now seeing it in a completely different light. This was going to be fun.
Should I tag Corgi Climber with attractive Lead?
