Confusing coincidence

You brace yourself, unsure what to expect. Your magic didn’t protect you from ending up here, so who knows what will happen. Not to mention that this Niran seems to radiate both power and corruption, more than you’ve faced before.

And then one of the guards beside you drops to the ground, screaming and clawing at his armor.

Everyone is stunned for a moment, and even Niran looks surprised, somehow. Kaeli looks up from her work once again, though instead of watching the shrieking guard like everyone else, her eyes are on you. She squints for a moment, then her eyes widen, and you could swear she’s smiling ever so slightly. You see her give the ghost of a nod before going back to her work.

Meanwhile, Niran waves a hand and the guard relaxes, gasping for breath. The shrouded mage seems to tilt his head curiously, as if unsure what has happened. After a few moments, he turns back to you. Before he can try again, however, Victoria raises a hand to stop him.

“Enough, Niran. I think we made our point. Next time won’t be a demonstration.”

Niran shrugs, taking a seat once again. “The magic has a mind of it’s own on occasion.”

Victoria glares at you. “The sooner we quell your resistance, the sooner we can focus on the Great One and the corruption. Your rebels are holding the world back. We will ask nicely, once. Lead us to them, and I promise we will deal with them fairly.”

You shake your head. “And why should I believe that? Why should I put everyone’s necks in a noose?”

Victoria sighs. “Eventually, we will find your base. Even now, the Great One searches. And once we do, your little band cannot stand against our empire. Everyone will die.”

She leans forward. “I offer you a chance to save the ones you care about. Work with us, and we can spare them. If you don’t…well, I know Niran is eager to see what makes your little golem girl tick.”

You grit your teeth, and shake your head. The thought of what they would do…but you also can’t betray them like this. “Can I have some time to consider? This is a huge decision.”

Victoria looks at Niran, then nods. “You have a week. We have other matters to attend to. If you don’t agree by then, we give you to the Great One. He can get the information one way or another, although I doubt you’ll survive the process.”

With that, she sighs. “One week. Guard, take him back to the cell.”

Your mind is whirling as the guard leads you away. Now you have a deadline, and a close one. You have a week to escape, or it’s all over.