Exploring the Dungeon

Simultaneous with "Haddock's Check Up" and "Fill Your Quota", after "Exhaustion, before "Coming Clean".
== Summary ==
== Full Text ==
Akkey Black: It was quiet in the infirmary, Akkey’s check up was over and she had already eaten. The others were either already healed or sleeping.
She was insanely bored.
She got out of bed, flinging a blanket around her shoulders and padding gingerly out of her room, slightly hunched as her wounds stung every now and then. No one noticed her leave, and soon she was far from the other rebels, arriving at a long, dark hallway. Time to explore.
Fiendal: Fiendal was walking around camp, when he bumped into a girl looking down some dark hallway. “oh sorry” he said looking up to see the girl he had saved during walpurgisnacht. “oh its you!” he said, looking surprised.
Akkey Black: She whirled around, ready to run, but stopped when she recognized the boy in front of her, “Oh! You’re…. you’re the boy with Svied from the last time, you’re…” she creased her brows, racking her brains for his name.
Fiendal: “I’m  Fiendal” he said holding out his good hand, “you must be” he paused, searching his thoughts for an name.
Akkey Black: “Akkey,” she responded, shaking it. She glanced at his other arm, “What happened there?”
Fiendal: He brought up his hook so that she could see it better.”It was during the attack when the kings guard went mad, a whispering death came up and took it suddenly.” he said, looking at the rounded item that had replaced his hand. 
Akkey Black: “Oh,” she closed her mouth in a firm line, “I’m sorry.”
Fiendal: “oh don’t worry!” he said, holding his arms up “its okay, the dragon that took it, well, she’s actually the one i ride!” he said and called for groundhide, who popped out of the ground rather swiftly. He then tuned around an gave a smile.
Akkey grinned, holding out a hand for the dragon to snuffle, “I see. You’re the dragon that saved me yesterday… I want to thank both of you. You saved my life. I… I froze and would have died then.”
Fiendal: “Oh its no problem” said Fiendal. “I just thought that, well, I guess i acted on impulse” he said shyly, “you were in trouble and i just, sort of. You know.” he put his hand on the back of his neck and rubbed slightly.
Akkey Black: “Well, that impulse saved my life,” she took his hand in both of hers, grasping it firmly and ignoring the pain, “I truly thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
Fiendal: Fiendal blushed slightly as Akkey held his hand. “Hey it was no problem, i just saw you there and thought you were probably important to someone.”  he looked at is feet. “I mean, people might find you pretty or something, you probably matter to them.” 
Akkey Black: She felt the heat rising on her face, and she let go of his hand, “Well… uh… I mean… well…” she stammered. She still wasn’t used to receiving compliments like that. She cleared her throat, wanting to change the subject, “Where are you headed, Fiendal?”
Fiendal: “Oh i was just going over to the Beds to see if i could get some rest. You?” he asked, wondering if she would be ok.
Akkey Black: “Just gonna go see the King,” she lied. If she told him she snuck out she’d be hauled back, “Alright, I think I saw a few cots open back at the infirmary.” she said, pointing in the direction she came from.
Fiendal: “okay thanks” he said and started walking away “hey, umm, i guess ill see you?” he said blushing again and he walked away.
Akkey Black: Akkey nodded her thanks towards the retreating boy, then turned and continued her exploration. She passed by numerous rooms, doors hanging on rusted hinges, beds and belongings abandoned. Probably from the initial rebellion…
“This is what Haddock, Tree and the others endured for eight months…” she mumbled to herself, dragging her fingers on a dusty table and leaving a trail. She turned and kept going. She turned a corner and the hallway opened up into another massive room, like where they had set up the infirmary, except it was darker, more dreary, the air more stale.
Akkey Black: Hunter almost slipped in his rush to get to Akkey’s room, “Little lady! How are you fee-” he skidded to a stop, his heart dropping.
The half breed’s bed was empty.
Somewhere else in the dungeon, Akkey was on all fours, the floor in front of her stained with red as her body heaved with bloody coughing and retching. Her screams echoed in the massive hall, bouncing off the walls. Her back seared with pain. It felt like someone had take two red hot iron rods and used them to pry her wounds open. Her fingers clawed at the stone floor, tears spilling down her cheeks, “S-stop!”
It was like someone was listening. It stopped as suddenly as it began. Breathing heavily, she straightened, sitting back. It felt like…
In a rush she lifted her shirt, tearing at the bandages. Gingerly, she felt her back. It was almost smooth to the touch save for the faint bump. There was no trace of the wound.
Grey Bergman: Grey was finishing up her morning rounds when she heard screaming from some other part of the dungeon. She quickly excused herself from other rebels and followed the screams as they faded away until she saw a familiar chief on all fours on the floor. Speaking of the floor, it looked like there was…Was that blood? Grey’s eyes widened. 
“Akkey!” she called out running over to the half-breed and kneeling next to her. “Akkey, are you alright?”
Akkey Black: She stared at Grey, dumbfounded. Blood was trickling down her chin, and seeped into the front of her shirt in huge, angry splotches. But she felt perfectly, completely fine. No more throbbing, burning, aching, no pain. All the was left was a faint scar running across her back, looking like it had been there for weeks now, “It’s… it’s gone.”
Grey Bergman: “What’s gone?” Grey asked. “What are you talking about?”
Akkey Black: She gripped at the bandages that now laid all over the floor, dirty and torn, “On my back… it doesn’t hurt anymore. I don’t know what happened… the pain is gone…”
Grey Bergman: “Alright,” she said slowly pulling Akkey to her feel afraid to injure her even more. “Let’s get you back into bed, and then I can take a look at your wounds, okay?”
Akkey Black: “No… I don’t know how but… but they’re gone…” she choked. She pulled the rest of the bandages off, even the one on her arms, hands, her head, and they slipped off. They were all faint scars that matched her old ones.
Grey Bergman: “Akkey, stop, you—” the Lady stopped in mid-sentence when Akkey finally pulled off all the bandages. She was right! All her wounds…they were gone! There was nothing but scars. “How in the name of Odin did this happen? Did Hunter do this?”
Akkey Black: “I don’t know… I…” she gripped Grey’s arm, and started laughing weakly, “I haven’t seen him since yesterday… it was still immensely painful then… I can’t believe this… was it a spell? Or…?”
Grey Bergman: “I’m not…sure,” she said gently touching the large scar on Akkey’s back. It was completely healed. “I mean, I’ve seen him do spells but not from long distances. Then again, I just found out he’s your brother-in-law, so what do I know?”
Akkey Black: She stiffened, “How… do you know that?” Did they find out about the job…
Grey Bergman: “Well, he referred to Maya as your sister when talking to me and King Haddock,” she said, “and she told me that Hunter was her husband when I first met them. So, the pieces of the puzzle came together.”
Akkey Black: Her heart dropped a little, “You… you haven’t told anyone we’re related, right?” If Tree finds out… if people figure out… they might… 
Grey Bergman: “Oh no, no, of course, not,” Grey said gently. “It’s not my place to tell anyone, especially when I don’t know why you’re keeping it secret. Whenever you decide to let everyone know is for you three to decide.”
Akkey Black: She exhaled the breath she didn’t realize she was holding, and nodded shakily, ‘Th-thanks… yeah, we just have some stuff to work out…” She glanced at her awkwardly, the last time they properly talked didn’t go too well, and the attack just pushed everything aside.
Grey Bergman: Grey sighed as she caught the awkward glance Akkey gave her, and the Lady knew exactly why it suddenly got awkward. She thought back to their argument at the pit…after Greg left with the Warden. She then remembered how Blunt convinced her to give Akkey a break and sighed. Perhaps, now that the attack was over, it was time to actually smooth things out.
“Akkey, listen, I…uh…I think we need to talk…about what happened at the pit,” she finally said.
Akkey Black: Her face flushed, and she busied herself by picking up her bandages to avoid looking at her. She thought of using water to wash away the blood on the ground, but realized she didn’t bring any. I’ll clean it up later…
Grey Bergman: “Akkey…” she said pleadingly stilling the other girl’s hand from moving any further to pick up the bandages. “Akkey, please look at me. We need to talk about this.”
Akkey Black: “No, I get it, you’re angry. Warren was… she couldn’t even talk when I told her. Just…”
Grey Bergman: “Well, yeah, I am, and I know that Warren was too. She…actually told me. Greg means a lot to both of us, and we don’t know if he’s alive or if he’s coming back. The fact that you were willing to go through such measures just to get rid of the Warden…well…it…it just boggles my mind. We’re supposed to be a team, and we left Greg alone out there somewhere.”
Akkey Black: She pulled her hand away, still gathering the bandages and gritting her teeth. The guilt was slowly creeping back, “I’m… sorry… but we can’t… risk… I’m sorry.”
Grey Bergman: She sighed in defeat. This wasn’t going as well as she had pictured it. “I know,” she said, “and that’s why…I…want to say that I’m sorry.”
Akkey Black: She froze, “You’re…you’re sorry? But I’m the one who… sent him away…”
Grey Bergman: “Well, I shouldn’t have yelled at you like that or said what I said about holding you responsible,” she said. “I should’ve been a real leader and handled that better. I guess…I was just being his unofficial adoptive big sister, and it…clouded my judgment. So…again, I’m really sorry, Akkey.”
Akkey Black: She bowed her head, her hair falling forward and revealing the scars where her ears used to be. She clenched her fists, “But… you were right… I forced him through… I’m the one who made him go to some unknown place…”
Grey Bergman: “And you were right to think of the safety of the rebellion,” Grey said as she gently lifted Akkey’s chin so that they were looking at each other. “I was naive to think that the Warden would actually follow through with those conditions I set for them. I mean…what if she did suddenly turn on us and refuse to let Greg go?”
Akkey Black: She stared at Grey, “I…” Akkey bit her lip, unsure of what to say, “I hope… that she does… he’s still a comrade.”
Grey Bergman: Grey smiled. “I hope so, too,” she said. “We just need to give them time, and in the meantime, I think it would be best for the both of us to accept that we were both doing what we thought was right at the time, promise to do better next time, and move forward…as friends, perhaps?”
Akkey Black: Akkey returned the smile shyly and nodded, “O… Okay. Thank you…”
Grey Bergman: “You’re welcome,” she said pulling her into a brief hug. She then let her go and continued to help her stand. “Now, come on, let’s get you a fresh set of clothes and something to eat. I bet you’re starving now.”
Akkey Black: “I actually ate already,” she laughed, “ Although you’re right… I need new clothes.” She glanced down at ther bloodstained shirt and muddy skirt, “All my clothes are back in the fortress or with Ma-” she stopped in her tracks. /I left Maru and the Warden’s body back at the tree.“
Grey Bergman: “What was that?” Grey asked curiously.
Akkey Black: "Ma… My clothes. They’re back in the fortress and I don’t have any extras,” she said lamely, distracted. /I need to go back and get them./
Grey Bergman: “Okay, well,” she began, “Haddock and I aren’t letting anyone go back to the wreckage just yet because we’re not sure how safe it is. But I promise if we do go back, I’ll grab them for you.”
Akkey Black: She nodded distractedly, “Alright. Thanks.”
Grey Bergman: “You’re welcome,” she said wrapping her arm around Akkey. “Now, let’s get you back to the infirmary. I’m sure there’s extra clothes somewhere. If not, maybe we can attempt to make some.”
Akkey Black: She smiled and let Grey lead her back, leaving the blood stained floor and dark halls, the guilt and regret behind them.
Akkey Black: Hunter bolted out of Akkey’s makeshift room and almost ran straight into Haddock, who was just leaving the cell where they met with the goddess Hel,“Sir! Akkey, she’s… gone!” | battleofthegroundeddungeon
Gareth Ragnar Haddock the Second: “She’s gone! What do you mean?” Haddock exclaimed, fear jumping to horrid conclusions.
Akkey Black: "I don’t know I don’t know!" Hunter started pacing in a frenzy, "There’s no one in her room. Oh gods where is she what did that goddess do? She might be hurt somewhere we need to find her now sir we need—!"
Gareth Ragnar Haddock the Second: “Take me to her room,” Haddock said, grabbing onto Hunter to try to get him to quit pacing anxiously, “since it’s the last place she was seen.”
Akkey Black: "I—" he stared at the king wide eyed, panicking, "Ri-right… uhm, this way," he led the way to another room, obviously an old jail cell, bare except for the cot where Akkey had lain, with blankets and bandages bunched up on it. "I checked on her this morning, before I asked Sayaka to call you…" he racked his brains for where she could be.
Gareth Ragnar Haddock the Second: The looked closely at the blankets and bandages as though that could offer clues, then had his eyes wander to the floor, hoping there was enough dust he could track footprints. There did not seem to be enough information to go by there, however. “And how was she this morning…?”
Grey Bergman: Meanwhile, Grey had been leading Akkey back to her room in the infirmary. The two young women took a brief walk after their talk in the hallway so that Akkey could get some fresh air. Now it was time for Akkey to head back. 
“You know, I only heard what was going on when this thing was built. When I found this place that night I arrived, I never really had the chance to get a look at it,” she said to Akkey, “but now that I’m finally looking around…I can only imagine the pain and suffering they were all put through.” 
Akkey Black: Akkey nodded silently, staring around them as they neared the infirmary. She remembered the sunken cheeks and blank stares when the others escaped. It was horrible. I can’t even think…
She pushed open the door and saw the King with Hunter near her room, looking immensely frazzled and panicked. Her brows furrowed in worry, and approached, suddenly conscious of her bloodstained shirt and dirty bandages that dragged on the ground.
“What’s going on?”
Category:Events
Category:BOTGD
Category:Season 5
Category:Akkey Black
Category:Fiendal Hrothgar Hookless
Category:Gareth Ragnar Haddock the Second
Category:Grey Bergman