My name is Cassidy Jones, but you guys can call me Sid. That's what my friends call me anyways. I've been called many things over the years, Thief, Hoodlum, Street Rat, and especially a Fool. I always enjoyed that last one. Everyone thinks being called a fool is such a bad thing. But if I'm a fool that means my potential is unlimited, and if I continue to learn then the only place I can go from there is up. To be honest, at many moments of my life I truly was a fool. But let me begin with my first mistake that truly changed the path of my life forever. Now don't get me wrong, I will make many mistakes, but no matter what I will not stray from my path. If you are all able to bear with me through this tale, I'm sure you'll find something worthwhile as I was able to as well…
Life in the slums was never easy, but there were many ways a child was able to survive. One of those was to simply be a thief. Though the punishment for being caught was extremely harsh, this was the path of many kids who were raised here. The Kingdom of Bane is one of many, it is vast in size with many different areas distributed by class. This was normal. Elitists would walk the street while the impoverished remained in alleyways or haphazard market areas. The slums could be considered the general outlying area of the inner kingdom while the inner layers consisted of middle class, then nobles, then at the epicenter was the grand gothic castle of Bane. Bane is one of the first Kingdoms ever established so many structures around the kingdom are very historical, such as the grand Mauarabane castle, the monarch's cathedral devoted to the many gods intertwined with the history of Bane, as well as the Arch found within the graveyard of the kingdom. These arches are also found in many other parts of the world, but in current times many people see them as bygone structures of the past and their history is shrouded in mystery and untold legends. There were many thief's known to dwell in these various areas of Bane, but one in particular had made a name for himself through his natural ability for pickpocketing that left many wealthy individuals with nothing left but the lint in their pockets. He was even unafraid to steal from nobles if given the chance. Seeing as the punishment for thievery could range from severe beatings, to imprisonment, all the way to dismembering…. Ouch. It may sound pretty rough, but my own actions may or may not have exacerbated the punishments… a little bit. Being a prolific thief definitely has its drawbacks.
Now, I'm not too sure how I ended up in the slums to be honest with you, so I'll just start from the beginning. All I remember was at 5 years old, I woke up one day and was lying in an alleyway in the slums. I didn't know who I was or where I came from. All I had was the clothes on my back and a small slip of paper that read : "Cassidy Jones" in very fancy and scripted font. So I figured this must be my name, and even if it wasn't, it's not like I knew anything else at the time anyways. Soon after waking up, I was spotted by some guards in the alleyway and before they could reach me I just ran for it. Later I found out that these men weren't even soldiers of Bane. Apparently the whole kingdom had been experiencing some kind of inner war for the last year and there was currently a lengthy coup taking place on the royals of Bane.
As I ran away from those guards that's when I met my two best friends and the only family I had ever known, Ivan and Oli. Ivan saw me running with the two men chasing me and yelled to me "Over here! This way!!" So I followed him down two or three different alleyways that twisted and bent around the dark cobblestone walls of the buildings and eventually we came to a dark and small opening. The opening was far too small for a grown man to fit through, but for two young kids it should have been easy. Unfortunately Ivan was gigantic for a child, I mean he was tall and pretty muscular now that I think about it. He had pitch black hair and silver hazy eyes with pale white skin. Ivan was so large I literally had to shove his body through the hole until we made it to the other side. We both tumbled down into a dark and smelly area with a thud. I was pretty sure I had landed in some kind of puddle, which was quite unpleasant… When we made it down we could hear footsteps of the guards so we stayed as silent as possible until we heard them pass.
"Phew! That was really close, thanks for giving me a shove. It's always hard for me to get through that thing." He said while breathing heavily after the long run we just had. "No problem, thanks for saving me back there, I don't know why those guys were after me but If they had caught me I'm sure nothing good would have happened." Ivan just smiled at me and said, "don't mention it! Now that we're here, you have nothing to worry about. This is a safe haven for us slum kids." "Where is this exactly?" I asked as I looked around. The whole room was massive and seemed to branch off into different hallways going down. That's when I noticed the Bones, and I mean bones everywhere. Skulls on the walls, bones stacked cleanly along shelves. It sent a shiver down my spine. "You don't know about this place?" Ivan asked puzzlingly. "Any kid from the slums knows about the catacombs. This is where most kids that were abandoned or don't have anywhere to go end up. I know it looks a little creepy, but the Catacombs is super safe. It has tons of secret doors and it is almost all used by us kids. It's pretty big too, it stretches all around beneath the kingdom so it makes it easy for us to get around without being taken by some slave traders or weirdos out on the streets." He did sound pretty reassuring despite the ominous surroundings of dead people on the walls. But when I listened closely I was sure I could hear the chatter and laughter of random kids coming from different pathways. "I'm Ivan by the way! Ivan Blackburn. I was born and raised here in the slums. I used to have a mom and a Dad but, since my stupid father left somewhere and my mom passed away from an illness, me and Oli have been here all alone. That's why we stay hidden in the Catacombs most of the time. What's your name? You look like you're from the slums but you don't even know about the catacombs… That makes me think differently." Ivan said with a curious look on his face.
Hearing him mention what I look like for some reason made me a little self conscious, so I started to check out the clothes I was wearing. I was in some pretty ragged trousers and a dirty torn up shirt. My arms and legs were also covered in scrapes.
"Well, um, I think my name is Cassidy? Cassidy Jones." As I recalled the small slip of paper in my pocket. "I'm not sure where I'm from. I don't really remember anything before waking up in that alley way you saw me in. I found this slip of paper on me and this was the name written so I just assumed it was my name"
"You don't remember!?" He exclaimed. " Now that's really odd, Cassidy Jones huh? Well I don't think I can call you Cassidy around here otherwise the slum kids might try and make fun of you, no offense… cough cough.." (none taken I guess, what's wrong with Cassidy!!??) "Maybe I'll just call ya Sid! Does that work?" As Ivan inspected the slip of paper.
"Sure..ha ha" I replied reluctantly. I didn't choose the name Cassidy after all! It was just there when I woke up damnit. How could I have known??? Maybe I should have just made up a name, sheesh.
"I know you told me this is the catacombs and you've mentioned the slums a few times, but where are we exactly?" I inquired as I motioned my hands in a circle. "Ahhh" Ivan said. " Well it makes sense if you can't remember anything, but this is the kingdom of Bane. We are currently beneath it where these catacombs are. The catacombs is a pretty big place. Some of the tunnels down here stretch from the innermost part of the kingdom beneath the castle, all the way out to the graveyards located on the outskirts of the city walls near the coastal cliffs. Us slum kids use these tunnels to get around. Like I said before, the streets ain't safe for kids like us and if we got caught in the inner parts of the city we'd probably get taken away somewhere. I've seen it happen before, they'll use some sort of weird weapon and zap you with it. Then they put this type of enchanted collar on you that makes it so you can't speak. It's horrible. Better to use these tunnels and make sure you stay outta sight." He said as he began turning to walk down the catacomb corridors.
"By the way" I asked Ivan, " you mentioned someone Named Oli?" "Yes! Oli is my younger sibling, but only by a year. I'm 5 years old and they're 4. We'll go meet them soon! I'll take you to our place, it's an abandoned apothecary that's been closed up for a long time, so we just sneak up through a tunnel and sleep there at night."
"Did you say 5 Ivan?! No way man, you're way too big for a 5 year old, I'm 5 years old and look how much bigger you are." I was dumbfounded, my jaw literally dropped when I heard his age.
"Hahahaha yeah I get that a lot, I guess I'm a little big for my age, but who knows there's a lot of different races and creatures in the world, maybe I just caught some lucky genes." He said snuggly with a wink. "Anyways, we should get going, it's gonna get dark soon and all the light that shines through the cracks in the ceiling of the catacombs will fade away soon. Then we'd really be screwed, it gets wayyyy too dark down here, and with all the Bones you never know what kind of dark magic might start happening. And I say that as a warning Sid, don't ever stay out in the catacombs at night. Although it's safe for us down here from the nasty adults up top, don't make light of the dead. If you got lost down here, you'd probably end up like one of them" He said very eerily while glancing over at the piles of bones in the wall. I must have looked pretty scared after what he said, because Ivan suddenly started laughing at me. "Hahaha, I'm just kidding, it's just a joke. I'm sorry Sid, really you don't have anything to worry about."
"Okay I got it Ivan, I'll follow you to wherever we're going. Thanks for letting me stay with you, I'm not sure what else I would do."
"Don't sweat it, let's go!" He said as he patted me on the back.
From there on I followed Ivan down various different corridors. Every now and then Ivan would touch a small carving on the stone walls that seemed to be guide markers. Eventually we ended up at a ladder that led to a small hatch in the ceiling. We climbed up the ladder and through the hatch, and suddenly we were in a small shop, or at least what used to be a shop. There were glass bottles filled with various dried herbs lining the walls and shelves with plants that seemed to have overgrown onto everything. There was moss and Ivy all over the walls and strange antiquities all over the place. Ivan led me to a room in the back and that's when a small kid popped up out of nowhere and yelled "Boo!!" Ivan jumped and yelled, " what the heck Oli, how many times do I have to tell you to stop scaring me haha, it's no fair when you always know when I'm coming back." Ivan then hugged Oli and put them in a head lock while both of them laughed. The Boo also startled me, but there's no way I was gonna admit that.
"Hello Oli" I said hesitantly, "my name is Sid, your brother told me about you on the way here." "Oh! Hello" Oli said with a smile, nice ta meet ya!"
Oli was a small cute kid with Dark green hair, (not uncommon for people of this world) they had those silver hazy eyes just like Ivan and pale white skin. strangely they were also wearing a cooking pot atop their head. For protection maybe? Who knows with kids.
"Sid is gonna stay with us for now on Oli, think of him as your second big brother. He doesn't know much about the slums so we all gotta look out for each other." Ivan stated proudly.
Hearing Ivan say that made me smile, "So we're friends then?" I asked nervously
"Friends?!" Ivan said incredulously, "we're family now Sid. We ain't got much, but I would never abandon anyone to end up alone in the slums. Not like our good for nothing Dad did to us." I could hear a tinge of Sadness in his voice when he said it. "That's right! HA HA HA!" Oli said dramatically while sticking their tongue out. "We always stick together, right big brother??" "That's right Oli!" Ivan said with a big grin, "are you willing to join us Sid?"
Hearing them talk about me like I was already a part of their makeshift family was all I needed to make that choice at time. And it was the best choice I ever made, these two would be forever a part of my life and I knew that then and there.
"Of course I do! I'll do my best so we can all live happily. Let's grow strong together and get out of this dump!"
"Aye Aye!!" Both Ivan and Oli said in unison while laughing. That night I think I laughed more than I ever had or ever would.
"Hey Sid, you kind of look like some of the nobles I've seen before. The ones with the crowns and stuff." Oli said innocently, "is your family one of them??"
"Oh yeahhhh" Ivan said, squinting his eyes. "You do kinda look like them, good eye Oli! look here in this book Sid!" Ivan said as he grabbed an old dusty book off one of the shelves on the wall. He opened the book as a plume of dust rose from its pages, and he pointed down at some old painted pictures in the book. They depicted a royal family from some time ago. They were adorned in glorious garments with intricate golden lace throughout their clothes. It was an interesting picture to say the least, and the scripture on the side of the book read, Descendants of Bane: Rulers of the Maurabane Castle and Children of the gods. These were the only words I was able to make out as the rest of the book seemed to be damaged by water or something else. "You look just like 'em." Ivan said with a grin
I responded to them honestly, "I really don't know Oli, I can't remember anything before your brother found me, actually… Wait, you said I look like them??." I had just realized something completely ridiculous. "Hold on a second! I don't even know what I look like!!" I was completely puzzled, how the heck did I not know what I looked like?! "Ca…can you guys… maybe, describe for me… y'know…me?" Even as I said the words I knew how insane it must have sounded to them.
Ivan and Oli looked at each other with their heads cocked and a funny face. Clearly neither of them knew how to react to that question. Then they looked back at me and shrugged in unison, "Okay!" They then both ran to the front of the store. I heard some banging and crashing and then both of them came back hauling in a giant mirror that they shoved right in front of me. The mirror was slightly cracked and somewhat dull in some areas, but it was more than enough to see my own appearance.
It was time to face the facts. I was short, especially compared to Ivan's freakish size. I had brownish skin and dark curly hair. The most striking thing was my eyes. They were bright green. Who woulda thought? Oli said they liked my eyes the best. I'm surprised that this is what they said royals look like, but I suppose their only notion of what the royals of this kingdom looked like were from the book they had shown me. And it was true, I really did resemble the people that were depicted in that old dusty book.
"Do you guys really think I could be related to the Bane Royals?"
"I mean it's possible," said Ivan, "but I wouldn't worry about that too much. With everything going on right now, you wouldn't want to be a Royal anyways. Besides, that book is pretty old, I don't even know if the current royals of Bane even look like that anymore to tell you the truth. The closest we've gotten to really seeing them was the outside of their carriage on the center streets. There's also been rumors of a coup going on for the last couple months, and the kingdom itself has been at war. You see it all the time with the crazy parchment notes and warnings all over the streets. Aaaaand there's like huge group fights happening almost every day. It's wicked to see em' knock each other around. Not to mention the random curfews being enforced by the patrolmen. If you really were a Royal, it's probably best that you ended up here with us. No one would be looking here in the slums that's filled with a bunch of nobodies. Anyways, if you can't remember any of that stuff, maybe it's best if you just forget it." Ivan's words definitely piqued my curiosity, but what Oli said next is what stuck with me my whole life.
" That's right Sid! the Past is the past, but the future is just beginning!" Oli said with a bright smile, "I couldn't have said it better myself" chimed Ivan.
"Hahaha, you're right Oli. I couldn't even remember who I was this morning, I should just be thinking about what comes next. Who cares about what or who I was, what matters is what I can become!" I said triumphantly (even though I really had know idea what I was talking about). Being with these two really started to boost my confidence. Because of that, I randomly began spewing out crazy proclamations as if I was some main character destined to be a hero.
"First things first!" I proclaimed, "the three of us will become the three strongest boys in the slums until we're able to make it out of this stupid kingdom! We'll do whatever it takes and find a way to make our own futures together!"
Ivan looked at me with an eyebrow raised, and Oli was looking at the ground clearly starting to simmer. Oh no. I thought.. Did I just say something stupid? That's when Oli tore the pot off their head and shoved it in my face. Aaaaaand there goes that newfound confidence. Upon taking off the Pot, long and lush dark green hair flowed out around Oli.
"I'm a girl you dummy!!" She said stubbornly, "I only DREEESSSS like a boy because Ivan tells me too". I looked over to Ivan who was covering his mouth snickering, "What the heck Ivan!" I yelled, " you never even said Oli was your sister!" Ivan shrugged while laughing, "I couldn't help myself haha, I have her dress like a boy to keep her safe, sorry for not mentioning it. "Oli = Olive" she said veryyy matter of factly and then slugged Ivan in the shoulder who was still laughing at the situation. "Okay, okay, that is definitely my bad." Ivan responded with his hands in the air.
All of us started to laugh, and we laughed and talked all through that night until we passed out on the floor. Those days were great.
Over the next 5 years or so, we spent every day together. The slums I once saw as a foreign place became my home and our territory to some extent. To survive everyday since we came together, we picked up some rather undesirable habits. Well, we became thieves. In fact, it just so happened that I had an innate talent for pick pocketing. I was able to instantly take things without a sound, or without anyone even registering what happened. We would steal from people at markets, at parades, and especially at overcrowded shops. Though we never actually were able to get our hands on truly valuable items (mostly from the fear of consequence), we would at the very least be able to scrape together enough food so we would never go hungry. We were just kids after all, we couldn't risk getting into fights with adults or caught by the soldiers. For kids like us that would mean certain death. Additionally, even if we were to score a highly valuable item there was no way three kids would be able to sell it without looking suspicious. The best we could do is swipe some coins from people's pockets and use that for food. Eventually we started seeing parchment notes around different areas of the kingdom that read "Wanted: Pocket Bandits." I was sure this had to be us… But for some reason Ivan never really seemed to catch on and would try telling scary stories about the pocket bandits coming to steal our money. He's an odd one for sure. I first realized this skill of mine when Ivan, Oli and I went to play out in the forest one day. (We have been able to use the catacombs to traverse the kingdoms of Bane with ease). We tried to play a game involving catching falling leaves. We would shake the tree and whoever caught the most in one go was the winner. I was able to easily snatch about ten leaves out of the air in a matter of seconds. Ivan and Oli were amazed at first but also pissed because they could never beat me. Ivan even mentioned that I must have some type of magical ability or something and started calling me "sticky fingers" while Oli would call me "Snatch". On that topic, over the last 5 years I asked Ivan and Oli quite a bit about magic and the like. From what I have been able to gather, there is something called blessings that can endow people and even items with power from the gods. The most powerful people in the world have obtained blessings, and use them for both good and evil according to Oli. So if you become strong enough it's possible to get recognized by the gods. They even told me that there is such a thing as inherited blessings where there are family lines that descended from the gods and many of their generations obtain mystical abilities. Ivan told me that in other kingdoms, some people's abilities are so strong that they have even changed the natural environment of the kingdom itself. I would hear stories about all sorts of crazy stuff, like giant magical beasts that ruled over territories, people who have lived for hundreds of years, legendary magical items, and the scariest of all… Demons. Of course we had never really seen or experienced any of these things while we lived our simple lives in the slums of Bane. Most of it seemed like exaggerated stories, but that was okay with me. It was really just the idea of it that filled us with so much excitement and hope. We really thought we had it all figured out. After hearing all about Blessings and the magic of this world, speaking about it all the time and wondering what powers we might be able to get, the three of us set our sights on a single goal. We would obtain blessings and use them to make our names known to the world. We would always keep moving forward no matter what it took. Ivan said that he felt it in his bones that we were destined for great things, and I believed him wholeheartedly. However, this thinking is what led me to my first huge mistake. On a day of celebration for the kingdom (for some) there was to be a Coronation of the new king of Bane, whoever that was supposed to be. I guess after 5 years the faction that was rumored to be staging a coup on the royal family actually accomplished it. All we knew was that if we were able to get into the event area, we would be able to score the mother load of jewels and money. It would be enough that would allow us to make it out of the slums and take a boat ride to other kingdoms. So we set the plan in motion. It would be incredibly risky, but with this plan we were confident that we could pull it off. I mean, I just spent the last 5 years as a pickpocket. I was definitely confident in mine and my friends' skills.
We scoped out the tunnel ways in the catacombs that lead to different areas of the event plaza. We routinely marked the area where guards would be overhead on the catacomb walls. All we had to do was ensure when we entered the crowded event plaza, that we did so quickly and without notice of other people. After securing our targets, we'll make two rounds and then take our escape route out of the catacombs to the Bane Graveyards. We chose this location because we had visited this area numerous times in the past. The graveyards have basically become our little training area. We would practice all sorts of stuff. Ivan would lift up heavy round stones and carry them around to build muscle. Oli would practice hiding and moving quietly, while I continued to practice my slate of hand by catching falling leaves. It seemed silly at the time but the hard work we put in definitely paid off over the years.
The catacombs resurface in the graveyards (for obvious reasons) but this location is relatively isolated from the inner kingdom and would be an unexpected place for us to hide out with the possibility of soldiers tailing us. Additionally the graveyards is also the location of the "Arch of Bane" a historical landmark that's been there for some time. It's a massive black arch that reaches across and over the graveyard. The arch is so large and covered in vines that it makes a great area in addition to the various large crypts and headstones that would allow us to remain hidden and avoid being spotted if we were actually followed back to this location. The places you could hide in the graveyard were practically unlimited thanks to Olis training she had done. There is always a possibility that there could be a soldier who can trace us using some sort of magic item or ability, but it's always a risk no matter what. We're kids from the slums after all, it's not like 3 children can fight to protect themselves or let alone use any type of weapon that would save us from adults. Our only choice is to use speed and stealth. Don't get me wrong, Ivan is incredibly strong, especially for a 10 year old. He may even be as strong or stronger than some adults at times, but we have no fighting experience, and we avoid it at all cost.
The night before we enacted our plan we tried to talk it out between the three of us as best we could. I would take on the role of the thief and would try to take as much as I could without being noticed. Oli would act as the lookout while staying hidden and give me a signal every time a new target was spotted. (Oli was very good at marking individuals, her perception of people was unparalleled). Then Ivan would take on the role of item transfer and the diversion if necessary. He would take all the items I would gather and bring them to the catacomb entrance. Then, if I got caught he would create a scenario for escape and allow the three of us to make it into the catacombs tunnels. Everything was prepared, all we had to do was execute it.
The day of the plan, we arrived at the event plaza much earlier than the time of the coronation. We were patient and took our time marking the walls below the soldiers stations. Additionally, we tried to make note of any specifically strong looking soldiers. By the time the event had started, Oli and Ivan were in position and I had begun my rounds. I managed to swipe three necklaces, 4 coin pouches, a couple silver and gold bracelets, and even a jewel encrusted fork. (Why that was in someone's pocket I had no idea). The first round went extremely smooth due to Oli's signals and Ivan's quick transfer of the items I collected. However, the first round happened before the new king's arrival. What we didn't expect was that the king would have his own personal guards accompanying him. Although we knew there would be guards with him… we did not anticipate his guards to be blessed individuals. Upon their arrival, the atmosphere instantly changed. You could literally feel the pressure of the king's guards' presence. There was one guard in particular that really worried me. He was a tall and slender man, still muscular, but he carried a 3 pronged metal staff and was adorned in a black suit. He was certainly intimidating, but what worried me the most was his eyes. You could tell just from a glance that his eyes saw everything around him. His eyes looked as if he could look right through the crowd of hundreds of people and see every single person just as they are. It was frightening. I wasn't the only one to experience this, when I made eye contact with Oli before the second round, she was shaking her head telling me no. She must have also felt the presence of the man. But we had come so far, I truly felt that if I could make one more round we'd be able to get enough money to get us passage out of this kingdom. We would be able to start our new life. This greed inside of me, this yearning for more, and this passion to succeed with my friends ultimately led me to one of my biggest regrets.
I looked back at Oli as she was shaking her head telling me No. I hesitated at first when I looked into her eyes and saw nothing but fear, but I bravely shook my head yes in response. I was taking a huge risk, but it had to be done. I quickly crept into the crowd as the new king started to give his speech. I made a quick dash to the center of the crowd where there was a gentleman adorned in lavish jewelry (probably a noble). I was able to grab two bejeweled rings and then I quickly turned around to dash back to the edge of the crowd. That's when it happened. I felt it instantly. I turned to my left and saw him. The guard with the eyes, he was looking right at me as if I was the only person in the crowd. His eyes burned with rage, and it made me freeze in my place. Then he pointed right at me and said, "YOU. YOU'RE MINE." His voice boomed over the crowd, and even the king stopped for a moment. After freezing momentarily, my instincts kicked in and I just ran. I bulldozed through the crowd not caring for the people I ran into. Then I heard his voice even closer than before, "YOU WON'T GET AWAY BOY." I made the mistake of glancing back over my shoulder, and I saw his hand just about to reach my back. How did he get so close so fast!? I put absolutely all of my strength into a last burst of speed to make it over to the escape route. It all felt like a blur. I saw Ivan and he was screaming, "RUN SID RUNNN!!" Ivan jumped down into the tunnel and I dove into it. Upon diving in I smashed my face into the ground and rolled. When I looked back up Ivan flew over top of me and slammed into the back wall. The Guard with the eyes took his three pronged staff and slashed it towards me. I used my legs to push myself back with all my strength. Even my hands went forward as if I was pushing the air. I narrowly dodge backwards from the slash, but the wind pressure itself slashed the palms of my hands. It made me scream out in pain. He then started walking towards me, he was unnervingly calm but it was as if his eyes were on fire. They were piercing red and staring right through my soul. "I TOLD YOU BOY, YOU WON'T GET AWAY." Then suddenly I saw a rock smash down onto the back of the man's head, and Oli came dashing around him. She grabbed hold of my bloodied hand and as I winced she dragged me to my feet at full speed. Ivan had managed to raise himself off of the ground and had started running ahead of us, but I could see blood streaming down all sides of his face and head. He must have hit it pretty hard as he was launched against the back wall. We were all breathing heavily but this was a fight for survival. As we entered the tunnel to escape none of us dared to look back. Then suddenly we heard the man ROAR. He yelled, "BRATSSS, YOU'LL NEVER LIVE ANOTHER DAYYYYYY!!!!!!" His yell literally began to shake the catacombs. The walls were shaking vigorously as we ran, and bones, stones, pieces of the ceiling all began to crumble to the floor around us. All we could do is keep running as we felt the catacombs begin to cave in on us. We still had about another mile to run. We were running on nothing but our own fear to fuel us. All we could think is we must get to the graveyard, don't look back, keep running. Run. Run. Run.
The three of us burst out of the mausoleum door, the exit to the catacombs smack dab in the center of the graveyard. Clouds of dust spread out around us as we still felt the rumbling of the catacomb tunnels collapsing. We all laid down on our backs gasping for air, trying to fill our lungs with a semblance of breath after the ordeal we just went through. As we laid there in the graveyard, I distinctly remember the night sky and the arch of Bane looming over us. To simply steal a few pieces of jewelry, we nearly lost our lives. We were lucky, no more than lucky. Even a skilled warrior would have certainly lost their lives to that man.
All three of us tried to sit up. Ivan still had blood covering his face and his eyes looked as if he was barely retaining consciousness. He glanced at me and let out a, "Heh heh" with a weak smile. Oli was the least injured, but you could still see the fear in her eyes. All of her long green hair was spilling from the pot on her head and tears began running down her face as she looked down and began vomiting. I don't blame her. I could barely feel my hands, and the slash across my palms was deep. Any closer and I would have lost both of my hands. Any closer than that and I would have lost my head. I tried to speak, as I sharply inhaled, still barely able to breathe. " Th- thank you, Oli. Ivan. You saved me." I tried to walk forward towards them, but I stumbled and fell against the base of the Archway. My hands braced my fall, and blood began to run across the area I had tried to support myself on. I couldn't have known what would happen next.