Rushed exit

You step forward quickly, but Samus is faster, rushing into the dimly lit room. You’re close behind, and you immediately see that Melora was right. Near the door lies Victoria, unconscious and curled up. Kaeli pushes past you, rushing over to her old friend and former comrade. Meanwhile, Samus crouches over the large, supine form of that Great One. He’s murmuring something, but you can’t make out the words.

Outside the room, Ferra, Cassie, Sarah, and Alex stand guard. Melora and Nadia stand beside you, watching what’s unfolding. Nadia touches your arm, looking at Kaeli and Victoria with concern.

“I can feel Victoria through Kaeli. There’s something wrong with Victoria’s mind. It’s like she’s fighting herself. I don’t know how else to describe it.”

Melora nods. “I can sense the turmoil as well. The isolation has hurt both of them, even though it has only been a week.”

Samus turns to you. “I cannot transport us from here. The palace is warded from leaving. It’s almost certainly a trap.”

You nod. “We expected that. How far do we need to go?”

Samus shrugs. “Just outside the building. Stay close to me, and I’ll teleport us as soon as we can. But I must carry him, so I will need protection.”

Kaeli stands as well, grunting as she lifts Victoria. “I don’t know if I can carry her all that way…”

You turn towards the hall. “Sarah? Can you carry Victoria?”

Sarah nods, hooking Forgebreaker onto its harness. “Of course. I can’t fight while carrying her, though.”

You sigh. “If it comes to that, set her down, but otherwise, we’ll protect you and Samus. We can’t stay here, though.”

With that, you hurry into the hall. The others follow, and you look to Kaeli for advice.

She looks both ways, then points to the left. “That way. I’ll catch up, I’m going to cover our back.”

As she says that, she digs in one of her pouches, pulling out a pair of fist-sized cylinders. You watch for a moment as she sets them on the floor, fiddling with tiny switches on top of them. She glances over her shoulder at you.

“Go! I’ll be right there.”

You nod, and follow the others in the rush down the hall. Shortly thereafter, there’s a rumbling that shakes the floor, and you turn to see Kaeli rushing up, away from a growing cloud of dust.

“I collapsed the hallway. No worries about pursuers from behind.”

You chuckle. “That would have been useful to open the door.”

She shakes her head. “Seismic charges are not precise. Collapsing the roof on Victoria and the Great One would be bad.”

You nod, conceding the point. The two of you hurry to the front of the group, as Kaeli guides you through the passages of the palace. The familiar sound of a magical alarm begins to sound, reminding you that time is limited.

And when you round the next corner, you see that time is up.

Standing in a wide hallway are a large group of the same guards you killed outside the Great One’s cell. And leading them is a tall, hulking figure in a suit of spiked, black armor. The figure hefts a massive, broad bladed sword, pointing it directly at you. His voice rumbles from the depths of his horned helmet.