Detritus

Detritus paced the length of his cell, muttering to himself as the chains binding his wings and restricting his movement clinked quietly. It was impossible to tell how many days he’d been stuck in this underground dungeon; there were no windows or anything to give any insight to the time of day, and even if there was, the nearby active volcano covered the sky in smoke and ash, blotting out any sun, moons, or stars that might be hiding behind it. But the exact amount of time Detritus had been here didn’t matter; one day or one hundred days, it was too long.

The air here was hot and dry, and though the cell was mostly just a room carved out of stone, the rocky floor and walls were always warm to the touch. To most dragons, the heat would have been more than uncomfortable, but to Detritus, a Fireborn dragon, it was hardly noticeable. Heat didn’t bother the chained Mirror in the slightest, and even the confined space wasn’t that bad; he was used to both.

Detritus was a metallurgist- or at least, he used to be. It was hard to practice his passion when he was trapped in an underground cell as a prisoner of war. Detritus had been one of the main weapon suppliers for the rebellion, and that was the reason why he was trapped here now. The Mirror grimaced slightly at the memory of the night he was captured. The one dragon he had truly trusted, his thought-to-be best friend, had actually been a spy sent in to infiltrate the rebellion. Detritus would kill the Coatl himself, if not for the fact that he was nearly certain the deed had already been done. That, and the problem of Detritus being trapped in a dungeon.

But hopefully, he wouldn’t be stuck here for much longer. Detritus was determined to find a way out, relying on nothing but himself. He had tried trusting, and that had backfired. He knew now that he could trust no one but himself. Detritus would find a way out of here somehow, and he’d do it on his own, without anyone to help him. Well, that was the plan, anyway. Days, probably even weeks continued to pass, and still, Detritus wasn’t any closer to finding a way out.

Detritus was in the middle of trying to do some more brainstorming, when his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of dragons fighting. The Mirror moved to press up against the magic-infused steel bars that made up one of the cell walls, trying to get eyes on the commotion. The dragons came into view; three of them wore the now-familiar armour and insignia of the empire’s guards, and the fourth was presumably a new prisoner of some sort.

She was an iridescent blue Skydancer with wings covered in galaxies, and though she was bound in chains, she was putting up quite the fight. It took all three of the guards to drag her through the rocky tunnel, and Detritus noticed they were all wearing rubber gloves. He only had a few moments to ponder the odd apparel before his unasked question was answered.

Electricity crackled, covering the Skydancer in arcs of bright cyan light. With the rubber gloves neutralizing the lightning, the guards were unharmed, but a stray bolt of electricity hit the steel bars Detritus was pressed up against, and he leapt back with a yelp as he felt a painful shock. The Skydancer’s struggles halted at the sound, and she quickly looked over at the Mirror locked behind bars. The two made eye contact, but it was quickly broken as the Skydancer was shoved forward, then roughly thrown into the cell opposite of the one Detritus was in.

Once the guards finished locking up their newest prisoner, they left without a word, clearly tired. Apparently dragging this Skydancer around had been quite an ordeal, considering the guards tended to be quite talkative, usually throwing around insults or harsh statements and jokes. But this time they were silent as they disappeared from view.

“...Sorry,” the Skydancer apologized. She was looking at Detritus with a concerned expression. It took him a moment to realize what she was apologizing for.

“Eh, it was my fault for being too close,” Detritus said dismissively, pointedly turning away. He wasn’t in the mood to chat with this stranger, and he hoped she'd noticed and wouldn't try talking to him. Apparently she didn’t notice, or if she did, she ignored it.

“How long have you been in here?” She asked curiously. When Detritus ignored her, she tried again. “What are you in here for? I’m here because I was supplying a rebellion with weapons,” she explained, clearly hoping that by sharing information, she’d encourage the Mirror to respond. It worked; hearing that she was in here for seemingly the same reason as he was was enough to pique Detritus’s curiosity.

“...Same here,” he replied slowly, turning his head back to look at the Skydancer. “I’m a blacksmith, and the reason I’m here is because I was creating weapons for the rebellion,” he elaborated.

“Neat,” she chirped, looking surprisingly happy despite being chained up and locked behind bars. “Seems like we have a lot in common already,” she continued cheerfully, and Detritus frowned. “I guess you’d probably make things out of metal if you’re a blacksmith. Physical weapons, then. Probably armour as well, right?” She didn’t give Detritus a chance to answer, and instead continued talking.

“I work more with technology myself. No surprises there, considering I’m a Lightning dragon, as you probably noticed” she said as she ruffled her wings, causing small electrical sparks to dance across her feathers. “Gears, wires, and plenty of electricity are my forte. You’re probably more of a metal and fire type of guy. I bet we’d be able to create some pretty cool stuff if we worked together, though,” she mused. Detritus muffled an exasperated sigh. This dragon was way too talkative for his liking.

“Whatever," Detritus started. "It’s not like we’ll ever get the chance to work together. In case you haven’t noticed, we’re both locked up, and there isn’t really a way out; trust me, I’ve been trying to figure out how to escape this place ever since I got here, which was probably a couple months ago,” Detritus muttered.

“Well, maybe we can work together to get out of here,” she offered, tilting her head at the Mirror.

“Absolutely not,” Detritus growled. “I don’t know you, and just because we were thrown in here for similar reasons, that does not make us friends.”

“Oh! How rude of me,” the Skydancer exclaimed, then laughed. “Of course you don’t know me; I haven’t even introduced myself yet! My name is Affinity,” she said with a grin. When Detritus didn’t respond, she continued. “...And you are?”

“None of your business,” Detritus retorted.

“Huh.” Affinity blinked, but her smile didn’t waver. “Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you, ‘None of your business,’” she said slyly. Detritus huffed in annoyance, rolling his eyes.

“...Detritus,” he mumbled finally. “My name is Detritus.”

“Nice. So, Detritus, now that we’re acquainted, how about teaming up to get out of here?” Affinity tried again.

“No. I’m not teaming up with you. End of discussion,” Detritus growled, turning around and moving to the back of his cell. “If I’m getting out of here, I’ll do it myself,” he muttered, more to himself than anything else. Detritus curled up in the corner, his back to Affinity.

“You’re stubborn,” Affinity mused. “But okay, have it your way. If you change your mind, let me know. Even if we don’t know each other very well yet, I have a feeling we’d make a great team. It’s better together, after all, and there’s strength in numbers, as they say. So-”

“Would you be quiet?” Detritus snapped, shooting the Skydancer a glare. Affinity blinked at him, but didn’t seem offended in the slightest. She shrugged.

“Sure. Have a good nap,” she said before falling silent.

Detritus muttered something under his breath, then closed his eyes, hoping to get some sleep.


~ ~ ~


Detritus awoke with a start. Something had startled him awake, a loud sound perhaps, and he looked around quickly as he got up. Finding nothing out of the ordinary in his cell, he glanced between the steel bars to look over at Affinity’s cell. His eyes widened as he saw her cell door on the ground, completely ripped off its hinges, the bright blue Skydancer delicately stepping over it.

“Oh hey, did I wake you up? Sorry about that,” Affinity apologized, looking more amused than sorry.

“Wha-? How did you...?” Detritus sputtered, astonished. This dragon had been here for less than a day, and she was already breaking out.

“Oh please, you think some metal and magic is enough to keep me contained? I’m much more prepared for disaster than that,” she mused playfully, not answering his half-spoken question. “Anyway, have you changed your mind?” Affinity prompted, tilting her head questioningly.

Detritus hesitated. He knew what she was referring to: teaming up to escape. It was clear she didn’t need his help to get out of here though, so he was confused as to why she was still here. Affinity would probably have an easier time escaping if she just left now on her own; one dragon sneaking around was less likely to be found than two of them.

Though accepting was tempting, Detritus found himself shaking his head. He had already decided he was going to get out of here on his own, without having to rely on anyone else. He had learned not to rely on anyone, because no one could be trusted.

“...Are you sure?” Affinity pressed, her earlier playfulness dissipating. “After I’m gone, they’ll probably increase security, and you’ll have an even harder time trying to get out of here,” she pointed out. “...You don’t have to trust me,” Affinity began quietly, “just come along with me until we’re out of here, and we can go our separate ways.”

Detritus hesitated a moment longer, before he sighed in defeat.

“Alright, fine,” he growled, tail flicking. Affinity’s face lit up, and she quickly got to work. Detritus watched as she stuck what appeared to be small metal disks along the edges of the cell door.

“Stand back,” Affinity said, and after Detritus complied, she began to light up with electricity. Bright blue lightning coursed through and around her, and with a wave of her talon, an arc of electricity flew towards the door. The disks caught the electricity and seemed to throw it between them, creating connected lines of lightning, before there was a loud BANG.

Detritus flinched at the noise, and when he looked back, the door was broken off its hinges. Affinity picked up the small disks, which were unharmed, and beckoned to the Mirror a nod of her head.

“The bars of the cells might be enchanted, but these chains aren’t,” Affinity started, then gave Detritus an expectant look. “How much control over fire do you have? Do you think you can break the chains?” she questioned hopefully.

“So that’s why you wanted me to come along,” Detritus muttered, annoyed that he was essentially being used. But he silently reminded himself that if Affinity was using him, then he was also using her; it’s not like he could have gotten out of that cell on his own. He’d been trying for months. “Yeah, I can do that,” he agreed, then got to work, first on his own chains and shackles, then on the ones restricting Affinity. Fire danced across his talons, and he was able to break the chains with precision and ease. Working with metal was something he was quite familiar with, after all.

“Obviously they have terrible security here,” Affinity said as she rubbed her wrists, then began briskly walking down the hall, with Detritus following closely. “Because that’s twice now that there’s been a loud sound, and I’ve yet to see any guards.”

“...You do realize this prison is practically inside a volcano, right? Stuff blows up a lot around here,” Detritus explained. “Random loud noises is nothing new or out of the ordinary.”

“Security here still sucks,” Affinity said pointedly, pausing to peek around a corner before continuing.

“You say that as if it’s a bad thing,” Detritus said as he moved to walk beside Affinity instead of behind her.

“I’m just saying; they could do much better. But yes, I suppose it’s a good thing their security is terrible; it makes getting out of here that much easier.” Affinity led him through the maze-like prison, seemingly knowing exactly where she was going. They passed many cells, and got varying reactions from the caged dragons, from astonished and pleading to contempt and acrimony. Affinity ignored all of them, so Detritus did the same. He was slowly starting to appreciate that the Skydancer had offered to help him; she seemed content to leave everyone else behind. He couldn’t help but wonder why she had been so insistent that they work together though... Detritus kept a careful eye on Affinity, his suspicions rising up. Perhaps this was a trap, though he couldn’t come up with what exactly the trap was.

Affinity stopped suddenly, looking hesitant.

“...What is it?” Detritus asked, voice hushed.

“Well, this is the way out,” Affinity began, nodding down one of the halls. “But all of my stuff was confiscated, and I want it back... it’s a bit of a detour to get to, though,” she said, turning to look in the opposite direction. Detritus said nothing. He wasn’t sure how much farther the exit was, so he kind of needed Affinity’s help still, and he didn’t want to be dragged around on a scavenger hunt looking for stuff that didn’t belong to him... but he also didn’t want to get on Affinity’s bad side, if she had one, by telling her to just leave her stuff behind.

“...I have an idea,” Affinity said slowly, turning to look at Detritus. “You go ahead and leave; it’s just down that way, then take the second left turn, which will lead to the main chamber and entrance. There will be guards, surely, so you’ll have to make a dash for the exit,” she explained, taking a few steps in the other direction. “I’m going to go find my stuff.”

Detritus nodded slowly. The plan made sense, and the sooner he was on his own, the better.

“...I guess this is goodbye, then,” Affinity said quietly. “Since you probably want to go off on your own, right?”

“Yeah. Thanks for the help, but I’d prefer to be alone,” Detritus said with a nod. Part of him wanted to stay with her; being a Mirror, it was natural for him to crave a pack to bond with. But he had made the mistake of trusting the wrong dragon, and he wasn’t keen on repeating that mistake. “Goodbye,” Detritus mumbled as he turned and began following the directions Affinity had given him. He didn’t look back, even though part of him wanted to.

Detritus peeked into the main chamber, and sure enough, there were plenty of guards positioned around. Detritus took a deep breath, then darted out, aiming for the exit. There was shouting, and a burst of flame shot in his direction, but Detritus didn’t stop. He rushed out, ready to keep running for as long as he needed until this place was nothing but a bad memory.

The breath was knocked out of Detritus as something heavy landed on top of him, forcefully pinning him to the ground. One of the guards, a Mirror like himself, had caught up to him. As Detritus gasped for breath, he was surrounded by other dragons, already chaining him back up.

“How’d he get out?” one of the guards asked.

“Don’t know, and finding out can wait. Put the prison on lockdown! If one got out, who knows how many others are roaming?” another commanded.

Detritus was hauled to his talons as he finally caught his breath, then shoved back towards the prison. He stumbled forward a bit, but managed to catch himself before he fell back to the ground. Head hung low in defeat, Detritus walked.

So close, yet so far, his mind whispered wistfully. Maybe I’ll never actually be free of this place. Maybe I’m destined to rot here for the rest of his life. Maybe-

A screeching roar caused Detritus’s head to shoot up as he looked for the source of the sound. All the guards tensed up, ready to fight, and from the entrance of the prison, out stepped a shimmering blue Skydancer with galactic wings, wearing black, white, and silver.

...Or maybe Affinity will help me a second time, Detritus thought incredulously. The guards rushed at Affinity, but unlike the dragons who had dragged Affinity into the prison in the first place, these dragons weren’t wearing any rubber.

Electricity crackled and danced around Affinity as she darted around, dodging attacks and inflicting her own. Detritus was mesmerised by the Skydancer, who was graceful even in battle. She made it look like an artform, and the Mirror was so caught up in watching her, he almost didn’t register her voice.

“Detritus! The chains!” Affinity shouted, and he blinked a few times, shaking his head as he snapped out of his daze. With everyone else was distracted with trying to restrain Affinity, now was Detritus’s chance to break free once more. He took a deep breath, feeling warmth begin radiating from his body. Fire engulfed the Mirror, and soon the chains had melted off of him.

Detritus glanced at the blur of fighting before him. He moved forward, wanting to help Affinity, but paused. She seemed to have everything under control, with most of the guards on the ground unconscious or paralyzed already, and if he got any closer, Detritus risked getting hit by Affinity’s lightning. So instead, he turned and ran, hoping to create some distance between himself and the prison.

Detritus ran for hardly a minute before his pace slowed. He was tired and out of breath from using so much magic, and... he didn’t want to leave Affinity behind. The Mirror turned to look back at the base of the volcano, where the prison was nestled. A bright flash of blue nearly blinded Detritus, and he flinched slightly as a crack of thunder rumbled deeply.

As he tried to blink spots out of his eyes, Detritus saw Affinity flying in his direction. She clearly spotted him as well, and swooped down towards the Mirror. She stumbled slightly as she landed, panting. Detritus didn’t doubt that she was exhausted, and he was actually quite surprised she was still conscious after all that.

“...Should we head East? To the Shifting Expanse?” Detritus asked.

“We?” Affinity repeated, surprised.

“I mean, we don’t have to stick together, but I guess I just figured it... I don’t know, that it might be nice,” Detritus mumbled ducking his head as he felt something akin to embarrassment.

“That would be lovely,” Affinity agreed happily. “But we’re definitely not going to the Shifting Expanse,” she said with a nervous chuckle. Detritus tilted his head.

“Why not? Isn’t that your home flight?” He prompted.

“Well, yes, but uh... let’s just say I’m wanted as a prisoner just as much there as over here. That’s the reason I came to the Ashfall Waste in the first place,” she explained anxiously.

“...Alright, I’ll ask about that more later. Right now we don’t really have the time to share stories,” Detritus decided. “So where to, then?”

“I think the Windswept Plateau is our best bet,” Affinity said, turning to look Northwest. “A Fireborn Mirror and a Lightningborn Skydancer probably wouldn’t do too well in the Sea of a Thousand Currents, and with all the travelers that go through the Windswept Plateau, it should be much easier for us to lay low somewhere,” she explained. Detritus nodded in agreement.

“Then let’s get going, before the guards wake up and come after us,” Detritus said as he began walking, then slowly broke into a run. He glanced back to make sure Affinity was following, and saw her take to the sky. She caught up to him and matched his speed in the air, flying above him, but close enough that it was almost as if they were running together. It was a feeling Detritus had missed dearly; being a part of a group, no matter how big or small.

While he still wasn’t sure he trusted Affinity yet, Detritus decided that maybe he could give it a go. Maybe he could learn how to trust again. Maybe one day... he could consider Affinity his friend.


~ ~ ~