The little bit of a golden warrior

I pull myself up and peer around the dark abyss, looking for something, anything to tell me I'm not alone. Her eyes offer the only light, but I cannot see them. I can't even guess what she's doing. I try to move, but my shackles pull at my ankles, restricting my movement. I hear her soft roars, with their click and hiss, echoing off the empty walls. I move closer to the sounds, searching for my only comrade, for the only voice I seem to hear in my head.

She's shouting. It's the first time I've heard her loud. She's repeating the words, just one word, over and over.

"Run. Run. Run." I manage to squeeze my throat and cry out in response.

I call out to her to run.

I call out to her and tell her to run, to run as fast as she can.

She doesn't know where to run, she says so herself. But something tells her that if she runs, she can merge with the others.

She calls out to the others that they should help her, that they should run. She tries to tell them, but she can't force the words through her lips. The voice is all hers.

She grabs at me with her whole body, as if she can fill me up, protect me from the whole of Lemoria. She lurches against my leg, tugging at the metal band around my leg, trying to pry it off.

I'm still rubbing my eyes and trying to figure out why I'm in a cell, when the red carpet distorts and the spider-like legs rise up out of the floor, threatening to pierce me with their fangs. I spot the black sigil crawling around the spider's belly and I quickly look for an exit.

I run towards the edge of the platform and jump over the side. I drop and grab the edge with one thin, bent arm. I pull myself up and the spider screams, sounding like a thousand shrieking banshees, and her eight glassy legs smash against the edge, cracking the floor. I face another, smaller platform, but rather than retreating, I dive, falling through the mage's doorway.

The red carpet rushes up, but I manage to plant my hands on the edge of the platform, seizing the moment and pulling myself up. I pant, holding my knees with both hands. I'm safe, for now.

But not for long. The mage is likely to try an magic arrows or magic missiles. I need something to protect myself, before any of her restless servants find me. I guess, I should have started with that thought. I had an entire week to think and plan, and I still haven't thought of a single thing to do. I can only cling to this one thought now, to try to convince myself that I'll find something in this darkness, that I may be able to survive.

But it seems as though every time, everything I try and find is all taken away.

Perhaps I should have thought more about before when I came all this way.

There was a loud groan and the entire length of the platform shakes violently. The metal rings overhead clink as they swing back and forth.

I jump at the sound and I am again on the brink of the platform. I'm tired of this noise. I can't hear her voice, even when she's voice is at the front of the mind. I can't hear her. I have to stay safe.

The next time I try for an grip on the edge is when I am ready. I go limp, my knee on the edge, and jump, again. I can feel the jeers of the mage float through my mind as I slowly fly into the dark. I cling to my knees and continue to fall, until my legs finally catch a firm hold of the spider's web.

I fall once more, but this time, I don't want to. I want to stop.