Witches' Thralls Chapter 5 (Patreon)

A loud crash rang through the storage room, waking Lys with a start. An azure light tore through the chamber from above like a comet, a streak of blue that left a trail of sapphire embers lilting down over the hall. The chamber was quickly filled by the sounds of panic and the barked orders of the storehouse’s wardens as a rain of debris erupted from the far end of the space.

Lori rose, squinting against the unexpected yet manageable light, and let out a simple “Ah!”

The girl pointed at the cage door, her eyes glimmering with hope. It now sat slightly ajar, the lock holding it shut now smashed upon the ground by some unknown force. The two girls looked at each other, sharing a momentary pause to weigh their next action. With a mutual nod, they quickly turned and crawled out into the cleared path between crates.

The ceiling overhead was burning with a crackling blue fire unlike anything Lyselle had ever seen before. The warmer hues of flickering torches danced through the center of the chamber as mercenaries rushed into position to defend against an unseen foe.

Another crash. Pained screams. A patch of the torchlight faded, accompanied only by the clattering of armored bodies hitting the floor. The dark tendrils of the mysterious creature that had drug the captives off to their cells were now roaming throughout the room, the fire overhead casting light on the immense form of its writing appendages, though their host body still evaded sight.

Lyselle looked up the hall. The other prisoners had noticed them; arms stretched out of cages and crates as the voices within pled for help in a myriad of tongues.

“Ajre jo’ia,” Lori shouted as she rushed to the nearest cage. Free to move unrestrained in the open air, her strength was much more easily demonstrated. With a quick swing of her mighty arm, the padlock on the cage was smashed by her thick claws, and its occupant freed. A pair of young demonesses crawled out of the opened crate, hugging the girl for a brief moment before she urged them off of her so that she could work towards opening more of the confines their fellow captives were held in.

Lyselle scanned the room for some tool that might let her be of help, and quickly noticed the single other open cage in the hall.

The Abyssal was missing.

Chapter 5 is here! It's a bit long, but a lot happens! I'm not sure I've ever written a proper action set-piece before, so I hope everyone enjoys it!

No real revisions of note this time to previous chapters. The full version is still there if you want all five in one kit, though!