Fate/Defiance

Chapter 7 [Escape I]

By theMadLad

Aeschylus was getting desperate.

He thought that breaking through the bounded field would be a difficult endeavor—but definitely a possible one, and he was right, it was very difficult, but he had succeeded in the end! …Well, mostly.

He had broken through the first layer with admittedly a stroke of luck, barely managing to push past the distractions caused by the other two bumbling fools that came along with him.

Their lord, Cecrops, had of course sent more men than just the three of them, but the others were preoccupied with preventing anyone else from arriving.

The temptation of Daedalus’ inventions were simply too staggering for the various Eupatridae within the city-state of Athens.[1]

But, unlike the other nobles seeking Daedalus’ life work, Cecrops not only wanted his inventions—but also his life, along with Icarus’ life as well.

They were problematic opponents due to their succession claims and political pull—as strained as they were after the events with Perdix—that he wanted removed.

It didn’t help that Daedalus’ talent for inventions was also a potential future threat along with Icarus who was mostly unknown, and thus unpredictable.

Cecrops had a rather arrogant personality, but still held a pragmatic side that would shine through in his schemes.

If they were a potential threat, then this was the best time to get rid of them. He could easily use the excuse of raiding the house to cause Icarus to have an ‘accident’ while also influencing the trial against Daedalus into his desired outcome of a death sentence.

Aeschylus didn’t care to think too much about such things, but if killing some kid would guarantee him an easy life to the top riding upon Cecrops’ shoulders... then he would kill some kid.

A wicked grin crossed his face when his thoughts turned to Icarus. Aeschylus could admit that a small petty part of him was excited about killing the boy, looking forward to the feeling of vindication he would have when killing Daedalus’ son.

He really didn’t like Daedalus.

…Especially, right now.

He had long been separated from the other two idiots, finally happy to not have Melanthios biting off his ears with his chastising.

After entering the second layer of the bounded field, they were quickly enveloped in fog as their surroundings became indiscernible. In response, they quickly attempted to go back to back against each other in order to not lose sight of one another, but it ultimately proved fruitless as the next thing they knew… they were alone, backed up against an unexplainable wall that suddenly appeared.

As he explored, he noticed that the bounded field flipped repeatedly, changing paths and perspectives as well as using sound to disorientate direction. Any slight turnaround or distraction meant dealing with a whole new foreign area to attempt and escape from.

He was still feeling confident after breaking through the first layer but as the time passed and he still found no way out, his confidence began to wane until desperation eventually took its place.

Aeschylus no longer knew how long he had been here, as Helios’ chariot seemed to be stagnant, not moving even the breadth of a finger across the sky.[2]

“Fuck, how long will I be here? Bastard Daedalu—!?” He began to speak out in rage before a hand grasped his shoulder.

He turned his head, quickly cranking his neck up at the person who interrupted him with a leveled glare… before it quickly faltered.

“Aeschylus… where is the exit?” A voice spoke in his ear that he immediately identified as Alcaeus, one of Cecrops’ guards that came along with him.

Normally, Aeschylus would yell back in defiance at the person who dared to order him so disrespectfully, but the faint undertone of pure rage contained in Alcaeus’ voice made him hesitate.

“…I am unsure.” Aeschylus spoke nervously behind gritted teeth, swallowing down his frustration. Alcaeus was someone who Aeschylus was wary of, as Alcaeus was a infamous hedonist, known throughout Athens for always seeking out the easiest path to satisfaction without remorse.

It was only due to his strength that Cecrops hired him as a guard, using Melanthios’ strict demeanor to keep him in check, otherwise he would have been denied because of his troublesome nature.

“Well, you better be sure here in a moment.” Alcaeus threatened in anger.

He came here to kill some kid and plunder some wealth, not starve to death in some illusionary trap! It already seemed to have been days since he had been trapped here and he had only managed to run into Aeschylus by chance.

He grit his teeth with a mix of hesitation and desperation before asking, “What are our chances of escaping?”

“…I-I am unsure.” Aeschylus nervously replied.

The silence was deafening and the tension in the air rose with every passing moment.

Icarus was sweating as he finished his next invention, tired from all the work he put his prepubescent body through.

He carefully stuffed it into one of Daedalus’ expanding backpacks before strapping it onto himself.

He had also taken the time to equip the Compound Bow with some detachable handle bars along the bow’s riser for easier carrying along with a mechanical release that he could strap over his hand to use in place of his fingers when drawing back the bow.

Along with some arrows! …He almost forgot those.

That would have been very bad.

“Finally, done!” Icarus exclaimed with joy, his body may have been exhausted but the excitement in his mind pushed through regardless.

Icarus double checked everything as he prepared to leave, making sure to grab some of his father’s leftover materials, guide books, and useful inventions along with him.

“…this is it.” He murmured to himself while nervously shifting his feet. He then took a deep breath to calm himself before being suddenly cut off by a yell from the monitoring golem.

“Aeschylus! If you do not find us a way out, now, then I will fuck you in the ass and shove my cock down your throat, even if its the last thing I do!” A voice roared from the speakers connected to the monitoring golem.[3]

Icarus went silent as a nervous sweat went down his forehead at the statement, he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at the sudden and exasperating statement, so he instead decided to just listen closely.

He waited as an uncomfortable silence permeated both the workshop and outside in the bounded field.

Finally, a faint whimper was heard as Aeschylus responded, “J-just give me a little more time, y-yeah just a bit longer.”

“…I think you misheard me when I said now a moment ago, right? …Or am I wrong?” Was the ominous reply.

Icarus was honestly starting to pity the guy, but considering that he worked for a man who wanted to kill him and his father along with actively invading his home with malicious intent, he couldn’t bring himself to care too much.

Icarus stopped listening to them and decided to instead walk back over to the closet holding the Magical Energy Reactor at the corner of the workshop. He strided next to a certain golem that happened to be intrinsically linked to the reactor in a way that the others were not.

This particular golem was different looking than the rest of them, with a more blocky appearance that was noticeably less humanoid than the others. It also had faint lines of light that showed the energy passing between it and the reactor.

…and there was also a big red button right at the center.

Icarus pressed it.

Aeschylus was fucking terrified.

As soon as Alcaeus turned his back he ran.

…He wasn’t fast enough.

Damn, it was like the bounded field was actively working against him!

That damn Daedalus! …also his son, fuck that kid too!

But, unfortunately for him, he didn’t have the time to spit out in rage towards his one-sided rival, instead he was preoccupied with trying to avoid being sodomized!

He had heard of talks about Alcaeus’ deeds at the local bathhouse, he was infamous for his violent love of sodomy and perversion. Many men would simply refuse to bathe in the same room as him!

Aeschylus personally wasn’t into the acts many of the men residing in Athens would get up to together, and as such, he would usually bathe by his lonesome or at the least at the corner of the bathhouse away from others!

He loved women damn it! Not men!

But now, one of his greatest fears was about to be realized! He felt his sphincter tighten in dread as the sound of Alcaeus’ pants being undone whispered to his ear from behind.

Please, gods save me!

—Then the bounded field suddenly disappeared.

““Eh..!”” They both exclaimed in confusion, watching as the previously illusionary surroundings fade into the normal grass yard outside the building.

The sudden transition was jarring, with the previously unmoving and bright sun suddenly switching into the pitch slowly brightening skies of night that had just begun their transition to dawn.

Aeschylus felt his eyes sting as they adjusted, but he didn’t care—he only had one thought.

The gods didn’t abandon me!

He felt his bottom cheeks unclench in relief at his assumption of his prayers being answered.

“Tsk.” Alcaeus clicked his tongue in frustration.

But, before they had any time to breathe—Boom!—an explosion rocked the area immediately after the bounded field went down!

The skies had momentarily blossomed in a brief but violent flicker of light as the two of them were tossed away by the force of the explosion.

Their ears erupted in pain as their bodies tumbled to the floor, they felt the ache in their bones and muscles as they slowly crawled their ways off the ground.

Their heads turned towards the explosion’s direction in a panic, causing their eyes to widen in bafflement as they laid sight on its origin—the house!

The fucking roof exploded!

A torrent of smoke and ash detonated from the rooftop, blocking out the sky from their perspective. They felt the charred dust slowly fall from the air and coat the ground.

“By the Gods!” Alcaeus subconsciously shouted in surprise, not that either of them heard it!

Aeschylus was similarly astounded, especially when taking in the size of the house in correlation with the explosion, “Half of Athens had to have heard the explosion…” He murmured with ringing ears.

In response to his thoughts, he felt as if Deimos himself shoved a cold stone of dread down his gullet. This whole incident had quite literally blown up in their faces, and he couldn’t even imagine how far reaching the consequences of this would become now.[4]

…Well, at least the kid is probably dead.

But, just as he was starting to feel a miniscule amount of consolation from this horrible day that would definitely go down as one of the worst in his life…

The black haze started clearing into the air and with it, both he and Alcaeus started to make out something coming out from the top of the smoke and ash still covering the destroyed roof.

…It was some kind of massive ball? No, it seemed to resemble the appearance of a pouch—or at least if someone filled up a pouch and turned it upside down.

Anyways, as the ringing in their ears finally subsided, they could finally make out the faint sounds coming from the tarnished building and its surroundings.

The distant fluttering of any birds and animals retreating from the area.

The sounds of debris and chaff settling down after being displaced.

The faint marching of countless footsteps out in the distance heading towards their direction, he could even faintly make out the argument between Cecrops’ men who tried to stop others from entering and the horde of citizens who pushed past them.

And finally, a gentle fluttering of fabric… along with childlike laughter..?

“Hehehehahaha! I fucking did it!” Aeschylus faintly believed he heard.

He craned his neck up towards where the laughter came from and would forever sear to his eyes what came next.

A boy, a mortal boy—was hanging from a massive floating pouch by the straps of his bag, suspended in midair… the mortal boy without divine intervention was flying.

An absolutely astonishing amount of people arrived immediately after, one could say a fraction of Athens in its entirety arrived at the building… just in time to see the boy take flight.

If such a large amount of people didn’t head to Daedalus' trial earlier in the morning instead, Aeschylus believed perhaps even half of all of Athens would have arrived here.

He could hear the crowd gasp in both wonder and amazement as the boy’s contraption rose higher and higher in altitude.

But, to him, the boy’s childlike laughter and glee felt like mocking in his ears! He thought all this time that Daedalus was his worst enemy, the insurmountable mountain in his heart.

…But he was wrong.

It was a boy who had yet to even drop his tiny balls!

His chest roared in indignation, but as much as he wished not to, he had to admit… he would likely never top what the boy just performed.

As the audience watched in amazement they soon heard the boy begin to speak, Aeschylus could’ve sworn the boy glanced at him as he spoke.

“Haha! This is the day you will always remember as the day you almost caught, Icarus! Son of Daedalus!” He roared with euphoria.

The crowd’s excited murmurs broke out into gasps and loud exclamations at his declaration, all the while the boy made his escape in audacity.

Then the rest of the building exploded.