Plot 004: The Hell Out of Dodge

With her children secured, their small bodies safely tucked against her side, Lilith felt reality come back to her in one shrill, bright crash. The screams of her fellow citizens- the acrid scent of smoke- the pain where she'd be struck and bitten- it all hit her at once, and in that moment the mare nearly staggered to the floor.

"I," She began, rosy eyes swung to Callista. Her voice didn't want to be found, and she fought for every inch, dragging the words from her lungs as stubbornly as she'd reached her children. "Vagabonds. After the slaves."

The smoke was growing suffocating, and the continued rumbles of detonations below them threatened to throw the small party off their hooves. Briefly, Lilith turned her gaze to the arena, where Chevalier and Vindicators clashed in violent displays of hooves and magic. We need to move.

"Ron is with Amadeus, and Amadeus is with his Chevaliers," She told Vincent, "He'll be fine." He has to be.

At Cael's suggestion, she turned, eyeing the exit in question. It, like every 'exit', did not lead to the outside but into the Crucible's interior. Corridors, stairways and dead ends, sure to be as chaotic as the stands if not more so due to the tight quarters.

But what choice did they have?

"Bentley, you keep holding on to mama's tail, okay? Vincent and Callista are gonna be right behind you, baby, so don't be scared." She breathed, eyes shifting from her youngest to Taavi. "Taavi, you stay right beside me. Don't look around- just keep your eyes on Cael's tail, okay? She's gonna lead the way."

With instructions given, Lilith turned her eyes to her pitfighter, trusting the powerful mare to part the crowd and safeguard their small family unit out of the stands. "Let's go."

Cael | Pit Fighter

There was a sharp nod, Lilith's confirmation all the fighter needed to begin calculating their exit routes. She had traveled near every inch of the Crucible in her life, its crevices and winding halls no more of a mystery than the scars that marked her back. She watched and waited until Callista pulled Taavi closer, his outburst halting their escape from the mess. But the stands were thinning as time passed, most having already fled through the exits that led back into the inner sanctum on the stadium. 

"Are we ready?" The words were likely not loud enough to touch her family's ears; or well, her master's family anyhow. Lilith had always referred to her as part of them but even now, the flaxen mare had a hard time accepting that. A slave was never to be thought of as family of it's master, especially not a Nobel's. But there was not time for that now. Without waiting for a reply Cael pushed forward, her massive form shielding the others as they moved ruggedly though the stands and down into the darkness of the inner building. Memories raced through her head as the fighter reminded herself which direction was their safest. The main exits were bound to be Chaos and the side exits were probably not any better. Perhaps, though, the slave exits at the back were not as crowded...

"This way," she let her voice carry now, as they began to move against the crowds. There was no room for falter here, as bodies once again thickened and the aggression rose. Pushing, shoving, biting: they were all desperate to get through but so was she.  

Cael | Pit Fighter

It was a command; one where hesitation would not be tolerated. Cael's heart lurched as she turned, her figure midstep in the shadow of the exits overhang and Lilith's scream still ringing in her ears. There, beneath the gaping hole where spectators once stood were the bodies. They had been too close, the explosion obliterating the supports that had once held their weight leaving them to fall. The flaxen's golden eyes strained to see the corpses buried beneath the rubble, dust still tick in the air. But there, she could see him: a colt. He was not particularly young but neither was he particularly old. At first, she thought him already passed until he struggled to lift his head and a tired cough left his lungs. 

Alive!

It came as a flood of relief and nimbly the mare jumped from the ledge making her way down on the mound of fallen structure. She did not have time to think of the bodies her hooves moved over; the ones who it was far to late to save. All she thought of was the foal. The debris that buried his hind quarters were thankfully light enough to not have crushed his back and it took only moments to push them away with a forceful nudge. 

Questions filled Cael's mind as she swallowed the question 'are you alright?' It was meaningless here for how could he be. Instead she settled for, "Can you move?" Hopefully nothing was broken as she still needed to lead the others to safety. 

3:5

The new panicked cry from Lilith made Callista's heart jump in her chest, and she had to watch with fear as the pitfighter and Vincent made their way to the injured colt.

It felt like she held her breath all the while, only daring to exhale when the pair had uncovered the small thing. Seeing Algren's injured leg, she turned her ember eyes to her lover. "I'm not sure the babe can make the climb back up here."

Nor did them jumping down seem a wise option, not with Taavi already injured, and her own weak body. And as much as she was loyal to those she knew, she had to admit she felt reluctant to leave the relative safety of the overhang under which they now stood. This small spot of calm amidst the panic.

"Do you think they can lift the boy, perhaps?" Yes, this seemed the better option. And Cael certainly had strength to her name (and a mane that made clothing her in the right colors obscenely difficult, but that was a worry for another time).

Cael | Pit Fighter

Golden eye's studied the hill of ruble from which she had come, noting each uneven indent and steep incline as it rose to the top. The gap was wide, rising a good 3 feet from the top of the pile. She alone would just barely make it back up to the ledge where the others waited. With the colts injured leg, there was no way he would be able to make the jump but perhaps... Thoughts raced through the fighters mind: where? how? why? Looking around, she could spot an opening just beyond the fallen bricks, leading to the winding halls of the stadium. Still, she did not like the idea of leaving Lilith's sight, especially with the children accompanying them. 

The light pressure of the foal's body sunk deeper into her side. She had to make a decision and quickly. "Vincent!" She would deal with the consequences of ordering around higher ranks later. For now, there was no time to care. "If we can get the colt to the top of the rubble, we can lift him with telekinesis. The others can do the same. Combined, we should create enough lift to get him up there."

She leaned down, allowing her eyes to match the boy's level, a light smile worn across her muzzle. She had never had a foal, nor had she ever dreamed of such things. But since Lady Lilith had taken her in, she had come to find them charming (despite their sometimes obnoxious and hasty behavior). "Did you hear that?" Cael filled her voice with warmth as she spoke, hoping to ease the child's tension a bit. Far away, another explosion rang through the air, shaking the ground with a low rumble. The dark mare flinched in surprise but quickly regained her composure. "We are going to lift you up to that ledge. The others are waiting there so don't panic. Focus on where you are going and everything will be fine."

With a gentle push, they began their assent over the stones and bodies that littered the floor; Vincent close behind them. As the colt stumbled here and there, Cael kept him close, a soft hold on his neck resting between her teeth. It took only moments to reach the top but that was the easy part. Only now would they see if their combined strength could accomplish such a feat. "Are you read!?"


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