The Noble Queen-A Shadow Slave Fanfic

Noble's blood ran cold as the voice of the Skinwalker leaked into her head. 

Her consciousness felt like it was on the verge of being invaded, and she barely dismissed the Memory in time to stop the intruder from breaching her soul. 

Pushing aside the loss of her comrade, Noble tried desperately to honor his dying wish. She focused back on the point that had caught her attention a moment before. 

The part of the tunnel where the humans were had not collapsed, but it had sustained considerable damage. Noble now realized how much Coy had shielded them the first time it blew. 

The professional side of her had already made a note to examine the Memory when they got out of here. 

Right now her attention was fully focused on a break in the cement. Behind it, barely visible in the almost absent light of the tunnel were two letters. 

The red formation of them was to something she had seen before, and the image of the full word entered her mind a millisecond later. 

"EXIT!" 

Her intuition had been right. The shaft should have had exits at regular intervals in case of things like train wrecks, breakdowns, or cave-ins. But during one of the many renovations over the ages, the safety measures had been deemed no longer necessary and covered over.

While it wasn't the best option—it was their only one.

"Helios!" Noble's words and thoughts were communicated to the beautiful Symncus.

Like a dog searching for a bone, the golden echo dug through the stone and revealed the rest of the dilapidated doorway. The air smelled dank and musty.

'Not a good sign.'

But with the current situation, Noble didn't have time to judge the space for cleanliness. She only hoped the small current that she was feeling wasn't her imagination.

"Go!" Noble held up the Zenith as she guarded the backs of the others. While they filed into the breach, Noble watched Creatures from both ends of the train tunnel close in at frightening speed.

Was there anyone left on the surface?

'I hope not. That would be nice…'

"Noble," Coy called after the woman as soon as he ducked inside.

She followed suit, temporarily losing sight of the creatures as she came into the ancient stairwell.

Noble understood why it had been sealed. The stairs were old enough to have been made of real wood, and more than a few of them were rotted through. Only the landings showed any sign of being stable.

Helios bounded to the next story. Those on his back barely held on as he flew through the air like a jungle cat.

Coy picked his way up the broken steps while Noble floated behind them. As soon as Coy was safely past the first set of stairs, Noble swung her Zenith at the railing as she passed. Her blade continued its destructive path along the metal framework, severing it from the floor above.

From there, rust and decay allowed gravity to finish the work it had started years before.

The bottom of the staircase collapsed, stirring up the ancient dust that caked the floor.

And not a moment too soon.

The first vessels crashed through the concrete and into the abandoned corridor.

They saw the fleeing humans turn the corner and hissed at the gap forming between them. The sound of cracking bones filled the air as the vessels fell on their hands and knees. Then, with an inhuman leap, they bounded from wall to wall, gaining height with each monumental push.

They rested on the landing with a sickening thud.

"Keep going and don't look back!" Noble urged the others.

She had been watching with her second sight and knew better than to let the other view the terrifying occurrence. Were the vessels becoming more like animals as time passed just to scare her?

If so, it was working!

'Faster! We have to go faster!'

Even Noble had to fly back and forth above the steps as the stairs led ever upward.

How many stories down were they?!

Noble had hoped to see light or at least feel a breeze of some sort by this point as the darkness spread, saving those on Leo's back from having to keep their eyes shut.

Coy screamed.

Noble turned in horror to find one of the vessels had caught the Master by the arm and was biting down on the man's armored bicep. The creature's teeth scraped against the metal, ignoring the dagger planted in its skull from the Coy's free hand.

Darting to the side, Noble kicked the small vessel with her good leg. The body went flying against one wall. It whimpered, but Noble ignored the cry to focus on her companion.

"Are you alright?"

Coy's arm fell limply to his side, disabled. The curly-headed Master gripped his bloodied dagger with his functional hand, his face darkening.

"Don't worry about me. It's them we should be worried about."

Noble felt the presence above them as well.

Just when they reached the final landing, the metal escape hatch ripped open.

Shadows blocked the light, and triumphant laughter filled the air.

Rather than shy away from the danger, Coy raced forward into the light, ready to sacrifice himself like his friend had minutes before.

Noble braced herself, feeling for Coy's emotions to stop him.

Only he was still behind her!

Thankfully the monsters could not make that distinction.

As the decoy landed in their midst, the Skinwalkers ripped and tore at the Master's image, doing damage to one another as the ghostly copy passed right through them.

Their eyes tracked the fake Master just long enough for Leo's head to crash into the wall of them and create an opening.

'We have to get outside!' Noble swung her Zenith, imbuing it with the power to poison her enemies.

Breaching the surface, they entered a small maintenance building, with a junction box taking one of the four utilitarian walls.

Noble pushed a female vessel into the box with the hilt of her sword. Pulling the cracking wires from the wall, Noble shoved the electrified cords into the woman's chest.

The lights of the room flickered. The Skinwalker smiled viciously, her mouth turning red with blood.

'Uh oh…' Noble felt another vessel swing a pole at her from behind. She ducked just in time for the metal to smash into the vessel's teeth and not land on Noble's skull.

'That was too close.'

Desperately she and the others fought their way to the door. And not without a price.

Fir was on his second set of armor, his first one being destroyed by a vessel trying to rip him from Helios's back.

Coy was missing his helmet, fresh gashes marring his handsome face. Only the subtle workings of her [Kingdom Keeper] attribute had prevented both attacks from being fatal.

"Enough!" Noble's sword glowed darkly as her eyes swirled.

Using her Aspect, she threw back the two vessels blocking the door to outside. With her remaining anger, she held the vessels' feet to the ground. The creatures would be able to break the spell Noble cast on them almost instantly.

But the split second was all that was needed. With a final push, Helios, Teran, Lonzo, Fir, Coy, and Noble burst into the blessed light of day.

They were home free!

Or so they thought…