Kire's words offered little comfort. They should have. Ysaryn knew it. As Kire cut her people away and their combined grip on her fell, the elf inhaled deeply, kneeling in the dirt. "I know." Ysaryn breathed, remaining on her knees to look at her kin, her elves. She'd failed them all. She wanted to be angry at Kire for hurting them, for cutting them down, but her anger was misplaced. Ysaryn knew it. Kire took them down quickly, which was more than she could say for what her target had done to them. 
When Kire noticed her injury and bound her arm, Ysaryn turned her eyes upward to stare at her, her expression shadowed. "More." She repeated. Her voice almost cracked, so Ysaryn inhaled and squared her shoulders. She stood, her body steady despite the whirlwind of guilt she felt. The binding on her arm helped, she could feel her arm again, flexing her fingers. So many more. "I know." Ysaryn repeated, rising to her feet. 

She knew there'd be more. Knew she had to continue. Knew she had to fight for all of them. So many lost souls that would never see their family again. 

Upon Kire's invite, Ysaryn picked up her fallen blade and followed, her jaw clenched. 

It took her the space of a few yards to put her mind back together, to focus on the battles ahead and not the elves she had lost. By the time they approached the chamber with the vertical shaft that fell down and further down. Ysaryn inhaled, keeping her body far from the ledge as she craned her neck to peer down. Kire warned that more were on the way, and Ysaryn shook out her arms, her left one pinching and tingling fiercley.
After all she'd seen so far, with Ruli's ring enchantments and the elven dolls, she was still far from prepared for what came crawling out of the mine like unnatural, monstrous spiders. Some bore pieces of Kire's face, others were misshaped, like they were supposed to grow as tall and thick as the Kartaian from before but only portions of them grew; that one bore too large an arm, that one's right side was far larger than the rest of her. Unclothed, unnatural, and lifeless, then poured over the lip of the shaft and went toward them like ants after crumbs of cake.
"Holy Gods." Ysaryn could only gasp again. 

Her hesitation nearly cost Kire her balance, and when the woman called for torches, Ysaryn flew, her legs carrying her quickly to grab as many as she could hold in one hand. She offered one to Kire, swinging another at the dolls with her injured arm before swiping at them with her right. 
Gods Above, the sounds they made. The cries. The groans. Like a horrible mix between a scream and the hiss of a wineskin that bore a leak. Ysaryn swallowed, but kept cutting. It was easier with these ones, they were so mutilated she could block out the pieces of her people she could see, but each swing of her sword cut into her chest. 
[i]They're dead. They're dead. They've been dead long before they met your blade. This is a mercy. You're letting them go.[/i]

Her eyes caught Kire's upturned head, and, following her gaze, Ysaryn noticed the stairwell. On the other side of the mine. They could run around the chamber, along the lip, luring the monstrous dolls after them, or─

"Hand!" Ysaryn shouted, tossing the torch she held down into the hole. More inhumane noises erupted from below. "We go!"

As soon as she felt Kire's hand grasp her own, Ysaryn yanked, gritting her teeth against the discomfort in her arm as she pulled Kire into the shadows with her. When they emerged once more on the other side, Ysaryn dropped Kire's hand to squeeze her arm against her, suffocating the burn in her muscles. "Go." She shouted, pushing Kire toward the stairs, her own feet rushing after.

[hr]

It was really uncomfortable. His body was becoming his again, his muscles spasming as they regained feeling. Ruli tried to hide it, tried to writhe now and then, let the eunuchs believe he was trying to fight the toxin and failing. Their hands pressed into his shoulders, the small of his back, his thighs, fingers digging uncomfortably to ensure their hold was firm. He wanted to shift, to adjust, and it took all his self control to refrain. His head, hanging over the foremost eunuch's shoulders, wobbled to a point that made his neck ache. He opened his eyes just so, peering slyly ahead to the table before them. [i]Fuck me...[/i] he thought, his heart beating a little faster. 
It was part of the plan, he knew this would be a part of it, but [i]seeing[/i] it only made him wish he'd never agreed.

He heard the shackles, and the sound of the metal sent a shiver so profound through him, memories surfacing from a faraway life, a different Rulitus, that made him feel very cold. He clenched his jaw, his facade cracking as he tried to pull his arms away. "No." He said, far more weakly than he intended. He could hear people approaching, but the steps were too patient, too slow, to be Kire, Ysaryn, and Bolym. He inhaled, pulling his arm away from a eunuch, only to have his other arm pinned. He hissed, twisting, only to find they'd grabbed his other. His ankles were already shackled, he learned, when he went to bend his legs to place his feet on the table, and his ears heard the song of the metal chains. 
[i]No.[/i] He breathed unsteadily. He feared Walking at the moment, wasn't sure how much control he had regained. But anything, [i]anything[/i] was better than being shackled. Let them cut him open and bleed him dry, just not while he wore chains. Ruli twisted on the table again, eyes wide and searching, but it was short lived. His wary attention fell on a beautiful face with hair made of shadow and eyes red as blood. The air escaped him as he beheld her in her armour, her crown of orchids, the floral smell overwhelming him. 

"Akuma." he breathed out in awe.

[hr]

He'd only stood still for five minutes, perhaps. Letting the eunuchs take him away, putting distance between them, before Rab broke into a jog, moving through a different set of tunnels. Following the noise. Following the smell of decay that was stronger than what followed Master Akuma. 
To the imposter. The intruders. The one who had slipped in at the same time as the disappearing man. 

His chest ached as he kept moving, following the winding tunnels, even as the smell of smoke and burning flesh filled his lungs and made running more difficult. [i]"Go."[/i] He heard a voice shout, and Rab stopped so suddenly he skin on the packed soil. He retraced his steps, standing at the top of a staircase, the sounds of feet rushing upward. 
The very moment he saw their heads, their faces, he threw out an arm and pointed. He opened his mouth and tried to repeat the man's plea. [i]Help.[/i] But without a tongue, without ever having learned how to form words, it came out as a strangled noise. He peered at the blonde's face, and then, behind her, the elf. The one he'd helped escape. Rab froze, beholding her once more, his eyes searching her flushed face for sign of her wolf smile. 

She bared her teeth and ducked by Kire, throwing herself at him. Rab let out a frightened noise and retreated, back thumping against the wall as the Wolf Smile bore down on him, a blade pressed against the soft spot beneath his jaw. "Where is he!?" She snarled angrily, but Rab couldn't answer.